2024 Christmas Challenge

Answered Prayers

Chapter 1

Christmas Mass had been beautiful as always and more heartfelt than ever. It felt like a rebirth of sorts and left Mac with a promise of a future she most wanted until a call from Harm dashed her hopes.

She was happy, of course. Finding his younger brother was one hell of a feat but it also meant altering his and her Christmas plans. Still wearing her suit she sat opposite a maligned Petty Officer watching the twinkling lights of her Christmas tree while Miracle on 34th street played on her TV.

"I saw you kiss him." Mac never expected the younger woman to be so brash. She eyed the young petty officer over the brim of her coffee cup, raising her chategoristic eyebrow as a silent retort.

"Mistletoe." She replied without missing a beat, "It's tradition."

"Tradition, yes ma'am." Jennifer Coates was not anything if not a hopeless romantic and by the way her new guardian angel and his partner interacted, it was clear there was something going on. She frowned at the thought of ruining their Christmas. "What time did Commander Rabb say he was coming over to go over my case and give us a ride in his car?"

That had been the plan but then an unexpected visitor made an appearance. "He's not coming. He's spending time with his brother."

"I thought Chole said he was missing?"

Mac nodded. "Yes, in Chechnya. It's a long story but a friend from the CIA got him out...I spoke to the Commander while you were in the bathroom." She was happy and over the moon that Sergei was located safe and sound. Hopefully having a little brother would heal the lifelong emotional wounds Harm endured. "Probably won't see him for a few days."

The Marine didn't hide the tinge of disappointment in her voice which Jen immediately caught. "You have feelings for him don't you ma'am?"

"Petty Officer Coates, I don't think that's an appropriate question to ask a senior officer do you?"

Jen shrugged. "I'm barely a petty officer at the moment and you're not on duty. Nothing about this situation is normal." She could have been in the brig and not sharing a cozy apartment with a woman she just met. "The Commander thinks highly of you, trusts you enough to bring me here…He gave me a break that I probably don't deserve. Can you blame me for thinking he's pretty special?"

Mac hid her grin behind the brim of her mug. If she didn't know any better she would say the younger woman was quite smitten. "Spoken like a woman with a crush."

"I want a good man and kids at some point and a guy like him is…well…sorta perfect."

Perfect? Mac scoffed at the notion because one thing she learned in her thirty some odd years on Earth is that no one was perfect. "I can assure you that he's not perfect…"

"Are you?"

She was amused by Jen's tone and the way she defended her superhero. "No, I am not perfect, far from it…I've made mistakes. Plenty of them and some worse than yours. Harm's not perfect either but he's one of the really, really good guys."

It was easy to tell that she wasn't the only woman smitten by the handsome Commander. Jen could see the small smile Mac tried to hide and it was rather cute. "Chloe thinks you love him…she also believes the Commander loves you too."

"Now that would be a Christmas miracle." Mac grabbed her empty mug along with Jen's and headed into the kitchen with the younger woman in toe. Part of her wanted to pull rank but decided against it, the conversation was rather interesting. "We're friends, best friends. We've seen one another at our best and our worst…It's better not to blur the lines, it's less messy that way."

Less messy and less likely to have your heart stomped all over if a destructive breakup tore them apart. It was a safety net and one that Coates would rather not live with. She took risks, plenty of them all in the name of happiness. "You have to try, don't you?"

"Try for what?"

Jen took one of the mugs Mac had cleaned and used a rag to dry them. "To be happy?"

"I am happy. I have the career I want, the life I want…"

When Mac leaned against the counter and folded her arms, it was a clear sign that the conversation was making her uncomfortable. "How about the man you want?"

"I am not talking about this with you, like I said it's inappropriate. So drop it." She didn't intend for her voice to sound so harsh it made the younger woman wince. Talking about Harm to others had always been a difficult topic to navigate. She didn't want anyone to know she was so in love it made her feel desperate.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Jen, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you but, Harm and me, we're complicated. I don't know why but, we are and yeah, I wouldn't mind giving us a shot…it would be a Christmas miracle and I'd rather settle on having him as a friend than nothing at all."

"I find that kinda depressing."

"I do too but, life goes on."

Coates placed the mugs in their respective cupboards and then eyed the Marine. In the little time she'd spent with the woman Jen could tell she was good people, just like Commander Rabb. "I'm gonna step way outta line but, you should tell him how you feel."

"I did once and then I wound up engaged to someone else… Like I said, we're complicated and Harm's too good of a friend to lose." Mac motioned towards the doorway with her head. "I'm gonna hit the hay. Good night."

"Good night…Merry Christmas." She said when the Marine was halfway to the living room.

"Merry Christmas." Mac replied before closing her bedroom door and leaning against it. She sighed heavily as all the Holiday cheer rushed out of her at once.