Chapter 7

 

Mon. Dec. 15   1000 EST

JAG Headquarters

Falls Church, VA

 

Mac looked up from the file she was reading when she heard a knock on her doorframe.

 

“Can I come in?”

 

“Sure, Harm.  What’s up?”

 

Harm closed the door and sat down.  “I have to go to Florida for a few days for an investigation.”

 

“What?  But it’s almost Christmas!”

 

“I know.  I’ll be back before then.  I’ll make sure of it.”

 

“I’m holding you to it!  Besides, Chloe will miss you if you are not here.”

 

Chloe had called on Sunday to find out if she could spend Christmas with Mac.  Her father, who had been deployed, was not going to be able to make it home in time for Christmas.  Chloe, not having seen Mac in a while, decided it would be a good time to visit her “big sister”.

 

---The day before---

 

[Mac, I finally got a hold of you!  I can’t get through to your home number.  Something about a disconnected phone.  Thank God for cell phones.  Is everything okay?]

 

“Yeah, I don’t live there anymore.  My apartment building caught on fire a couple of weeks ago.”

 

[What?  That’s terrible!  So you must be in a new apartment, right?]

 

“Actually, I haven’t found a new apartment yet.  I’m temporarily staying with Harm.”

 

Mac had to hold the phone away from her ear at the sound of the shrieks coming from the other end.

 

[You moved in with that bodacious Harmon Rabb and didn’t tell me?]

 

Mac started to explain, but was cut off by a mischievous sounding Chloe.

 

[So how long have you two been, uh, you know?] 

 

“Chloe!  It’s not like that at all.  Harm and I are just friends!”  Mac insisted.

 

[Yeah, and I’m Britney Spears!] Chloe said sarcastically.

 

“Look, Chloe.  I’m serious.  If you must know, Harm and I are taking turns sleeping on the couch.  There really isn’t anything going on.  I promise!”

 

[Well, that’s too bad you’re not together yet.  I’ll have to work on that while I’m there.]

 

Mac rolled her eyes and changed the subject.  “So why did you call anyway?”

 

[My dad will be away at Christmas, and, as much as I love my grandparents, I think I want to spend Christmas with you this year, if it’s okay with you.]

 

“Of course it’s okay with me.  I can’t speak for Harm, but I’m sure he would love to have you here.  He seems to have a fondness for teenage girls.  He befriended one while he was crop dusting a few months ago, and I know he misses her.  He won’t admit it, but I know he doesn’t get to see her as often as he would like.  Maybe you might even get to meet her while you are here.  Her name is Mattie.  She is about your age.  You two would probably get along great.”

 

[Sounds like fun.  I’ll see what Grandpa can do about getting me a plane ticket and I’ll let you know when to expect me.  See you then!]

 

“Looking forward to it.  Bye Chloe.”

 

[Bye, Mac.]

 

---Present Time---

 

“So Chloe will miss me if I am not here for Christmas?  What about Sarah MacKenzie?  Will she miss me?”  Harm pouted and put on his best “lost little boy” look.

 

“Oh, knock it off, squid!  You know I would miss you.  Who would help me with the Christmas decorations?”  Mac smiled triumphantly, while secretly praying that he really would make it back in time.  She didn’t want a repeat of last Christmas, when she had been so worried and he hadn’t gotten back until they were sitting down to dinner at Harriet’s.  “So when do you leave?”

 

“Now.  I am going to run home and pack really quickly and head straight to Andrews.  I just stopped in to let you know and say goodbye.  The apartment will be all yours while I’m gone.”

 

As nice as that sounded, she didn’t want the apartment all to herself.  She was used to having him there.  No, she *liked* having him there.  She hadn’t been lonely ever since she moved in.  She was quickly finding out the advantages to having a roommate.  “You’ll call me when you get there?”

 

“Yes, and I’ll call while I’m there as well.  I’ve got to check on my apartment, you know.” Harm grinned.

 

“Yeah, I’ll take good care of it for you while you are gone.”

 

“No wild parties?”

 

“No, although, once Chloe gets here…” Mac grinned mischievously.

 

“I’ll just have to come back early, then!  I can’t have some wild band of teenagers tearing up my apartment!”  Harm laughed as he stood up to go.

 

“Harm?”  Mac blurted out, relieved that her voice didn’t betray the desperation that she felt.

 

“Yeah, Mac?”

 

Mac looked up at him hopefully.  “Permission to hug the Commander before he leaves?”

 

Harm glanced quickly at Mac’s closed door before replying.

 

“Permission granted.”

 

Mac walked around her desk and allowed herself to be engulfed by his strong arms.  He held her tight for a few minutes and then reluctantly pulled back.

 

“I’d better go,” he said regretfully.

 

“Yeah.  I’ll miss you.”

 

“I’ll miss you, too.”

 

He smiled at her warmly and then left.

 

Mac quietly closed the door and sat down, wondering how she would make it until he got back.

 

-----

 

Mon. Dec. 15   1830 EST

Harm’s Apartment

North of Union Station

 

Mac stumbled through the door, setting the bag of groceries down before she lost her grip on everything.  It was times like these that she was reminded that living alone was not always glamorous.  She knew that if Harm were home he would insist on helping her with the groceries--and she would let him.

 

She chuckled as she began stuffing frozen dinners into the freezer.  This was probably the first time that Harm’s freezer had *ever* seen that much processed food.  If she was going to be by herself for several days, she might as well have something easy to cook.  Somehow, cooking for one just didn’t inspire her.  She put the last remaining dinner in the microwave and went to change into comfortable clothes.

 

She had just pulled on a pair of sweats when she heard someone at the door.  When she made her way to the door and opened it, a surprised Mac stood face to face with an even more surprised Bobbie Latham.

 

Bobbie was the first to recover.  “I’m sorry to interrupt.  I didn’t realize Harm had company.”

 

“He doesn’t.”

 

“What?  But--”

 

“He’s not here.  He’s on an investigation in Florida.  He won’t be back for a few days.”  Mac was starting to wonder what the real reason was that Bobbie had stopped by.

 

“But if he’s not here, then why are you…oh.”  A smile crept across Bobbie’s face as she walked through the door.  “So after all these years, you two finally got together.  It’s about time!  I can’t believe he didn’t tell me!  Well, maybe I can.  I guess telling your old girlfriend about your new girlfriend wouldn’t exactly be high on the list, would it?”

 

“I am not his girlfriend!  And…wait a minute.  What do you mean ‘old girlfriend’?  He never told me…”

 

Bobbie chuckled.  “Of course not.  The reverse of what I just said is also true.  You don’t tell your new girlfriend about your old girlfriends, either!”

 

Mac stared at Bobbie with a strange look on her face.  “So, that night I came to talk and you were here, you two were on a date?”

 

“Yeah, sort of.  Well, I don’t think it was intended for it to be a date.  But I guess it ended up being one.”  Bobbie smiled wistfully and Mac decided she didn’t want to hear any more and nervously looked away for a moment.

 

“Oh, please.  It was *very* short-lived.  There’s not much to tell.  And it was years ago, anyway.  So tell me, when did the great Harmon Rabb finally admit that he’s been in love with you all this time?”  Bobbie’s eyes danced with mischief.

 

“He hasn’t.  We are just friends.”  As if on cue, the microwave buzzer went off.

 

“Okay, let me get this straight.  Harm is away for a few days in Florida.  You are here in his apartment.  You are not wearing work clothes.  And you are cooking dinner in his microwave.  Either you are in some serious denial, or you just don’t want to tell me for some reason, or terrorists took over your apartment and you needed a place to stay.”  Bobbie laughed.

 

“It’s the last one.”

 

“What?”

 

“Well, not the terrorist part, but yes, I needed a place to stay.  My apartment building caught on fire.”

 

Bobbie saw that she was serious and immediately regretted the whole conversation.  “Oh, I’m so sorry.  I shouldn’t have jumped to a conclusion like that.”

 

“It’s okay.  You are certainly not the first.  It’s an honest assumption.  So why are you here anyway?”

 

Bobbie snapped out of sympathetic mode and into professional mode as if a light switch had been flipped.

 

“I was bringing over some information for the Nelson case, but if Harm’s in Florida…”

 

“I’m taking over in his absence, so you can just give it to me.”  Mac paused and eyed Bobbie suspiciously.  “Do you always hand deliver information after hours?”

 

“Sometimes, if I don’t have time during the day.  Look, whatever there might have been between myself and Harm was over a long time ago, so you don’t have anything to worry about.”

 

“Oh, I wasn’t worried, I was just asking--”

 

“Yeah, I know.  You’re just friends and all,” Bobbie said in a slightly disbelieving tone as she handed Mac the file.  “Everything in this file is pretty much self explanatory.  Once you have gone through it all, call me if you need any further clarification.  I should get going.  Your dinner is going to get cold.”

 

Mac took the file and scanned the first page.  “This should be very helpful.  Thanks.”

 

“Well, tell Harm I’m sorry I missed him.  I’m sure you’ll be talking to him a lot while he is away.”  Bobbie said with a wink.

 

“Yeah, he should be calling any minute,” Mac blurted out before realizing that Bobbie was baiting her.  Bobbie just laughed and said goodbye.

 

Mac shut the door and sighed.  She wondered how many more people were going to assume that she and Harm were together.

 

Mac began reading through the file from Bobbie as she ate her dinner.  She had gotten through only part of it when the phone rang.

 

“MacKenzie.”

 

[Hey, Mac.  How’s my apartment?  You taking good care of it?]

 

“Yes, your apartment is doing just fine.”  Mac laughed as she thought back to their conversation earlier that day.

 

[That’s good to know.]

 

“Your old girlfriend stopped by tonight.”

 

[Renee?  What on earth for?]

 

“No, not Renee.  Think further back.”

 

Silence.

 

[Annie?  I didn’t think she ever wanted to see me again.  Is she in some kind of trouble or something?]

 

“Wrong again.  Not Annie.”

 

Silence again.

 

[Mac, I can’t think of any other “old” girlfriend that is still alive that would know where my current apartment is.  This isn’t someone from my pre-JAG days that has managed to track me down, is it?]

 

Mac laughed.  “No, but are you *expecting* any old girlfriends to track you down?”

 

[Of course not!  So who was it?  I’m stumped!]

 

“Bobbie Latham.”

 

[Bobbie?  Mac, I wouldn’t consider her an old girlfriend.  Our relationship lasted about as long as it takes to say “girlfriend”.]

 

“Is that why you never said anything?”

 

[Yeah, we weren’t together long enough for it to even be worth mentioning.]

 

“That’s pretty much what she said.”

 

[So why did she come by, anyway?]

 

“Oh, just to drop off a file for the Nelson case you dumped on me.”

 

[Ouch.  Sorry, I had my orders.  Did she ask why you were there?  She doesn’t think we are, uh, you know, does she?]

 

“Well, like everyone else, she assumed.  But I set her straight.”

 

[Sorry you have to keep doing that.]

 

“It’s not like I didn’t see it coming.  You and I both knew what people would think when I moved in.”

 

[And stubborn us, we did it anyway.  Listen, I have a lot of paperwork to look over, and it sounds like you do too, so I’d better let you go.  Goodnight, Mac.]

 

“Goodnight, Harm.”

 

-----

 

Chapter 8

 

Tues. Dec. 16   0830 EST

JAG Headquarters

Falls Church, VA

 

Harriet looked up from the file she was reading when she saw Mac coming into the bullpen.

 

“Good morning, Ma’am.”

 

“Good morning.”

 

“How’s the apartment search coming?  Have you found anything yet?”

 

“No, we haven’t seen anything that works yet.”

 

“We?”  Harriet raised one eyebrow.

 

Mac rolled her eyes.  “Yes, *we*.  Harm is helping me look, just like he helped you look for a house,” Mac said the last part slowly for emphasis.

 

“Oh, well don’t give up hope.  I’m sure you’ll find something.”  Harriet smiled encouragingly.  [Somehow I *don’t* think it is the same as when he helped me!] she thought to herself with a smile.

 

-----

 

Tues. Dec. 16   2200 EST

Harm’s Apartment

North of Union Station

 

Mac sighed as she hung up the phone.  She had spent most of their evening phone call discussing the Nelson case and getting Harm’s input.  While she was grateful that he wanted to and was able to call her every night while he was gone, she really missed seeing him face to face.  The apartment was quiet and lonely at night without him.  And running by herself this morning hadn’t been as enjoyable as their morning runs together last week.

 

Her thoughts were interrupted by the phone.

 

“MacKenzie,” Mac answered the phone half expecting to hear Harm’s voice again but she was surprised by another male voice.

 

[MacKenzie?  As in Sarah MacKenzie?]

 

“Yes, this is Sarah MacKenzie.  Who is this?”

 

[This is Jack Keeter.  Harm’s old buddy.  Your traveling companion in the Iranian desert.  Remember me?]

 

“Keeter!  Of course I remember you!  How’ve you been?”

 

[Very busy, as usual, but otherwise, great.  Can I talk to Harm?]

 

“Sure you can.  But you’ll have to call his cell phone.  He is on an investigation in Florida.”

 

[He’s in Florida?  And you’re at his apartment at this time of night?  Why that sly little dog!  He hooked up with a hot babe like you and didn’t even tell me?!  I know we haven’t kept in touch very well, but you would think he’d tell his old buddy news like that!]

 

Mac laughed.  Keeter was one of the few men she would allow to refer to her as a “hot babe” and live to tell about it.  Somehow, it didn’t seem so bad coming from him.  It was just Keeter being, well, Keeter.

 

“Yes, I’m sure he will share news like that, when it happens.  I’m sorry to disappoint you, but we haven’t ‘hooked up’ as you so eloquently put it.  My apartment building burned a couple of weeks ago and I needed a place to stay while I looked for another apartment, so I have been here ever since.  And just to clarify, there is *nothing* going on between us.”

 

[Wow, that’s too bad about your apartment.  Wait a minute.  You said you have been living with Harm for two weeks and nothing is going on between you two?  I thought I taught him better than that!]

 

“Well, you’ll have to take that issue up with him next time you talk to him,” Mac chuckled.

 

[Which will probably be sooner than later.  I really need to talk some sense into that man!  Well, it was good talking to you, Mac.]

 

“Good talking to you, too.  Take care.”

 

[You too.]

 

-----

 

Wed. Dec. 17   2000 EST

Harm’s Apartment

North of Union Station

 

Mac was flipping television channels when the phone rang.

 

“Hello,” Mac distractedly answered the phone, still concentrating on the television.

 

A pause on the other end.

 

[I’m calling for Harm.  Is he available?]

 

Mac’s mind raced to place the female voice on the other end, but she couldn’t think of anyone with such a sophisticated, proper accent.  Mac stiffened.  If Harm had a new girlfriend he could have at least told her he was going to be out of town so she wouldn’t call and disturb his roommate!

 

“I’m sorry.  He’s not here right now.  This is Mac.  Can I take a message for him?”  Mac wasn’t sure why she was even bothering to identify herself to this woman.  Her name was probably meaningless to the person on the other end.

 

[Mac?  Sarah?  Harm has told me so much about you.  It’s so nice to finally hear your voice.]

 

Now Mac was thoroughly confused.  This woman obviously knew who she was and felt as if she had the right to be friendly with her.  Yet, the woman didn’t seem to be threatened at all by her presence in Harm’s life.

 

[I’m sorry, dear.  I should have identified myself.  This is Trish, Harm’s mother.]

 

Relief washed over Mac.  No new girlfriend after all.  She quickly pushed those worries to the back of her mind.

 

“Oh! Hi!  It’s nice to finally hear your voice as well.”

 

[Thank you.  Now where is that son of mine?]

 

“He’s in Florida on an investigation.  You’ll have to call his cell phone.”

 

[And you are at his apartment while he is gone?  I take it there is news that my son has neglected to tell me?]

 

Mac could hear the excited anticipation in Trish’s voice and hated to have to disappoint yet another person.

 

“No, ma’am.  Harm has not neglected to tell you any news of that nature because there isn’t any.  I am only here because my apartment building burned down and I needed a place to stay temporarily.”

 

Mac was starting to get tired of answering the same question over and over again.

 

[Oh!  That is positively terrible about your apartment!  Did you have tenant’s insurance?  Do you need any help getting back on your feet?]

 

“No, I’ll be fine, thank you.  I do have tenant’s insurance and I’m expecting a check any day now.  So things are going to work out okay.”

 

[Well, that’s good to know.  But please don’t hesitate to call me if you need *any* help at all.  I mean it.]

 

“Thanks, that means a lot to me.”

 

[Tell Harm I said hello.  You will probably talk to him sooner than I will.]

 

“As a matter of fact, he is due to call any minute.”

 

[Well, then, I guess I’d better get going.  I wouldn’t want you to miss his call.  Goodbye, Sarah.]

 

“Goodbye, Trish.”

 

Mac hung up the phone and decided to call Harm, rather than wait on his call.

 

[Rabb.]

 

“Well, hello there, Mr. Popularity.”

 

[Hey, Mac.  Why are you calling me “Mr. Popularity”?]

 

“Well, let’s see.  Monday night Bobbie Latham came over.  Last night Keeter called.  And tonight, your mother called.  You have been more popular in the last three days than the whole time I have lived here.”

 

[Wow, I guess I *am* a popular guy this week!  Wait a minute, my mother called?]

 

“Yes, I just got off the phone with her.  That’s why I didn’t wait on you to call me.”

 

[And you answered the phone and told her I was away in Florida, right?  And she assumed just like everyone else, right?]

 

“Yes, just like everyone else.  But I explained the circumstances and she understands now.  At least I hope she does.”

 

Harm laughed.  [Well, I’m sure I’ll be getting a phone call soon.  You know how mothers are…Well, maybe you don’t really know…or maybe I’ll just stop talking now.]

 

“Harm, I do have *some* idea of how mothers are.  I did have one for 15 years of my life.  Although mine wasn’t nearly as generous as yours.”

 

[What do you mean?]

 

“Well, I’m not sure, but I think she offered me financial assistance if I needed it.”

 

[Well, that’s my mother for you.  She treats my friends as if they were part of the family.  That probably won’t be the last time she offers either.  So you’ve been warned.  Hey, I’ve got a call coming through.  It could be her.  I’d better go.  Goodnight, marine.]

 

“Goodnight, sailor.”

 

Mac hung up the phone and just sat and stared into the quiet apartment.  Boy, did she miss having him around!  After Mic left, it had taken her a while to get used to living by herself again.  There was some truth to what he had said about her not wanting to be alone.  She did eventually get used to living alone again, but moving in with Harm had quickly reminded her of how nice it is to have someone around.  And now she was really missing that someone.  At least Chloe would be here in two days.  Then maybe she could keep her mind off of Harm and his absence.

 

-----

 

Chapter 9

 

Fri. Dec. 19   2130 EST

Harm’s Apartment

North of Union Station

 

Mac unlocked the door and led Chloe into Harm’s apartment.  Chloe looked around with wide eyes.

 

“Wow, what a great place!  Somehow I always knew that a cool guy like Harm would have a cool apartment like this.”  Chloe continued to walk around the apartment, taking a self-guided tour. 

 

“Harm renovated this place himself.  You should have seen the condition it was in when he first moved in.” 

 

“This is kind of weird--staying here when he’s away--like I’m trespassing where I’m not supposed to be.  I feel like I’m invading his privacy or something.”

 

Mac laughed.  “Well, Harm doesn’t really have much privacy anymore.  Not since I moved in.  It’s physically impossible for two people to live here and maintain their privacy.  But so far we seem to be getting along decently.”

 

“Well, you’re *obviously* not getting along as well as you should be because you are still taking turns sleeping on the couch.  Everyone can see that you are both crazy about each other.  But you two are just oblivious.  Or else you’re in denial or something!”  Chloe threw up her hands in frustration.

 

“Chloe!”  Mac’s eyes flashed.

 

“Seriously, Mac!  Two Christmases ago I asked you if your best friend can become your boyfriend and you said that it can happen sometimes ‘if you’re lucky’.  Well, you can’t fool me.  I know you were talking about Harm when you said that.  He *is* your best friend, right?”

 

“Well, we’re working on that.”  Mac said wistfully.

 

“What do you mean?  You guys have *always* been best friends.”

 

“Yeah, that’s true, for the most part.”  Mac paused before continuing sadly.  “But we both went through a lot when we were in Paraguay last spring, and, as a result, we drifted pretty far apart over the summer while Harm was away from JAG.  We’ve been in the process of rebuilding what we had and I think we are finally getting there.  At least, I think we are close to it.”

 

“Good.  And keep working on it until it leads all the way down the aisle in marriage.  You two are destined to be together.  That’s the reason why you were able to find him in the ocean two and a half years ago.  Can’t you see?  It’s fate!”  Chloe had a dreamy look in her eyes as only a teenager with an as-yet untarnished, romanticized view of the male race could.

 

Mac was growing increasingly uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation, so she tried to change the subject.  “Chloe, why don’t you go change for bed and then we can watch a movie together.  And no more talk about Harm or my relationship with him.”

 

“You miss him.”

 

“Chloe!”

 

“Okay, I’m shutting up now!” an exasperated Chloe said sarcastically as she went into the bedroom to change clothes.

 

-----

 

Mon. Dec. 22   2100 EST

Harm’s Apartment

North of Union Station

 

Mac and Chloe sat on the couch watching yet another Christmas special.  Mac thought back to their busy weekend.  Chloe had been dissatisfied with Harm’s selection of Christmas decorations, so she insisted that Mac buy more.  As a result, they had spent most of the weekend Christmas shopping and decorating.  Monday morning Chloe finished up the decorating while Mac was at work.  She brought lunch home and ate with Chloe so she wouldn’t be by herself all day long.  Mac had been disappointed that she couldn't get the time off at such short notice, but with so many people already on leave for the holiday, and with Harm gone, she was desperately needed at JAG.

 

She was not even paying attention to the television when the ringing of the phone interrupted her thoughts.  She knew it was Harm even before she even answered.

 

[So did my apartment survive a weekend with a teenager?]  Harm laughed.

 

“Yes, we were actually quite productive this weekend.  We both finished all our Christmas shopping.  And there will be *no doubt* what holiday it is when you see your apartment.  We bought a few more decorations.”  Mac giggled as she walked away from the living area, looking around the apartment as she went.

 

[I’m afraid to ask what you mean by a ‘few’ more decorations!]

 

“Relax, flyboy.  I kept her from going overboard.  My checkbook made sure of that!”

 

[Well, all I can say is, when I get home, my apartment better still look like an apartment and not like ‘Winter Wonderland’!  And just where are we going to put all that stuff when Christmas is over?] Harm groaned.

 

“Oh, don’t be such a scrooge, you’ll figure out something, I’m sure.”  Mac laughed, but her laughter quickly faded as another thought took precedence.  “You *are* coming home in time for Christmas, right?”  She tried to mask her worry, but she couldn’t hide it from Harm.

 

[Yes, don’t worry.  As a matter of fact, I’m wrapping things up in the morning, and I’ll be home tomorrow night--in plenty of time for Christmas.]

 

Relief washed over her as she heard his answer.  “Good, that will give you one more day to finish your Christmas shopping.”

 

[Who says I haven’t already?]

 

“Well, unless you have a really amazing present for me, you’re not done yet.”

 

[Then I just won’t tell you if I’m done or not.]  Harm laughed.

 

“Harm?”

 

[Yeah, Mac?]

 

“You’re not going to mind sleeping on the couch the whole time Chloe is here, are you?  She and I have been sleeping together on your bed, because, well, why not?  I don’t think it’s fair to make our guest sleep on the couch, so she and I will just continue sleeping on the bed.  So when you get home, you will be relegated to the couch.  Just wanted to warn you.”

 

[Thanks.  I figured I’d be banished to the couch.  I’ll be fine, but you will owe me a few nights in the bed.]  Harm stifled a laugh as he wondered if Mac would catch the innuendo.

 

“Harm, I’m choosing not to respond to that due to the teenaged ears in the next room!”

 

[That’s probably wise!]  Harm chuckled.

 

“Harm, I’d better go.  Chloe is starting to look through your kitchen cabinets.  She probably wants a snack or something.”

 

Harm laughed.  [Well, if her appetite is anything like yours, I hope you stocked up on junk food!  What am I going to do with two hungry women in my apartment?]

 

“Just feed us and you won’t have any problems!” Mac laughed.

 

[I’ll see you tomorrow night, marine.]

 

“You’d better, sailor!”

 

Mac hung up the phone and walked into the kitchen to help Chloe find what she was looking for.

 

“That was Harm wasn’t it?”

 

“Yeah, he’ll be home tomorrow night.”

 

“I could tell it was him by the look on your face.”

 

Mac tried to look innocent.  “What do you mean?”

 

“The whole time you were on the phone you had this dreamy, faraway look.  And you still have a silly grin on your face.  You only look like that when you talk to or about Harm.  And I know why, even if *you* won’t admit it.  You’re in love with him.  It’s sooo obvious!”  Chloe put on her best “Duh!” look and rolled her eyes.

 

Mac just stood there dumbfounded.  She had no idea how to respond to that.

 

Chloe smirked triumphantly and continued looking through the cabinets.

 

“Snap out of it, Mac, and please tell me you have some potato chips in this apartment.”

 

“Yeah, one cabinet over from where you are,” Mac mumbled once she had recovered from her shock at Chloe’s statement.  Silently, she said a prayer that Chloe wouldn’t embarrass her when Harm got home.

 

-----

 

Chapter 10

 

Tues. Dec. 23   1830 EST

Harm’s Apartment

North of Union Station

 

Mac pulled up in front of Harm’s apartment, relieved to see that he wasn’t home yet.  For reasons that she couldn’t explain, she wanted to be there when he got home, so she had made every effort to get home as quickly as possible, stopping only to pick up an extra large pizza for dinner.

 

When she got upstairs a few minutes later she was accosted by a hungry teenager.  Chloe seemed to be happier to see the pizza than Mac.

 

“Pizza, again?  I should come to stay with you more often!”

 

“I only picked this up because I’m not sure exactly when to expect Harm and pizza is easy to reheat.  And as long as his half is veggie lovers, he’s happy.”

 

“What’s your half?”

 

“Meat lovers, of course!”

 

Mac quickly changed clothes and joined Chloe who was already eating.  Chloe still had a silly grin on her face that Mac decided didn’t have anything to do with the pizza after all.

 

“So what did you do today?” Mac started out with a generic question, hoping Chloe would shed some light on her reason for her strange giddiness.

 

“Oh, not much.  Emailed my friends, surfed the internet, watched TV, put the finishing touches on the Christmas decorations--”

 

“I thought you finished decorating yesterday.”

 

“For the most part, I did.  I just had a few more little things I forgot about.  Nothing important.  What did you do today?”  Chloe tried to change the subject, hoping that Mac wouldn’t notice what she had done, thus spoiling it all.

 

“Well, what I did today probably wouldn’t interest you.  Just wrapping up what I can before the holiday.  Boy, will I be glad to have Harm back in the office!  It’s always tough when someone is out, especially when it’s for a week or more.”

 

“I bet you will be glad to have him back home, as well.”  Chloe grinned mischievously.

 

Mac was looking at what was left of her piece of pizza, so she didn’t notice the look in Chloe’s eyes, or else she might have answered differently.  “Of course I’ll be glad to have him back home.  Things just aren’t the same when he’s gone,” Mac answered truthfully.

 

“You’re in love with him, aren’t you?”

 

Mac jerked her head up at Chloe’s bold question.  “Chloe, I thought we weren’t going to discuss that!”

 

Chloe took note that Mac had sidestepped her question and grew bolder.

 

“Have you and Harm ever kissed?”  Chloe’s eyes flashed with curiosity.

 

“Chloe!  That is none of your business!  What makes you think you can ask me that?”

 

“Well, I think the fact that you haven’t given me a straight answer to my questions tells me what I want to know.  Just answer this last one.  Was it more than once?”  Chloe asked expectantly.

 

Mac sighed.  She wasn’t going to be able to get out of this one.  “Three times.”

 

“Three times?  You’ve kissed Harm three times and never told me?  Details, I want details!”  Chloe was practically squealing and Mac started to worry that Harm would come walking through the door into a very embarrassing situation.    She resigned herself to the fact she had no choice but to calmly tell Chloe now, or else she would just continue trying to drag it out of her.  Or worse, she would start asking Harm about it.

 

“Well, the first time probably shouldn’t count,” Mac began.

 

Chloe wrinkled her nose.  “What do you mean?  Either he kissed you or he didn’t.”

 

“It’s more complicated than that.” 

 

[Isn’t it always with us!]  Mac thought to herself.

 

“How complicated can it be?”

 

Mac chuckled at Chloe’s question.  “Well, let me start at the beginning of that evening.  Harm thought he had figured out who had killed Diane and--”

 

“That’s his old girlfriend that looks like you, right?”  Chloe interrupted.

 

“Yes, that’s the one.  He had gone to Norfolk to seek revenge and then I showed up wearing a Navy uniform that I borrowed from Harriet--mine was soaking wet.  The man he had gone after saw me, thought I was Diane, freaked out, and fell over the rail into the water.  After that happened, I guess Harm’s emotions were probably still running pretty high, it was dark and misty, we were there alone together, and I think in the confusion and intensity of the moment, he saw Diane in me, and so he kissed me.  But I’ve always felt like he was kissing her, not me.”

 

Chloe thought for a minute before speaking.  “Okay, maybe when he *started* to kiss you he was kissing her, but there’s no way he could *not* be able to tell the difference between you and Diane once he kissed you.”

 

“And just how do you know so much about kissing?  Should I be concerned?” Mac said playfully.

 

“Hey, you’re the one answering questions here, not me!  So tell me, when he first started to kiss you, did he pull back suddenly, like he realized what he was doing and regretted it?”

 

“No, the kiss lasted longer than that.”

 

“See, there you go!  He had to have figured out right away just who he was kissing, yet he kept kissing you, so I say that kiss counts.”  Chloe crossed her arms in triumph.

 

“Well, maybe,” Mac said thoughtfully.

 

“No ‘maybe’ about it.  It counts.  So tell me about the next time.”  Chloe’s eyes danced with excitement.

 

“It was at my engagement party.”

 

“What?  You kissed Harm at your engagement party?” Chloe shrieked.

 

“Calm down, before the neighbors wonder what’s going on over here!” Mac scolded gently before continuing.  “He and I spent a lot of time out on the admiral’s porch that night.  We were talking and reminiscing about how we met, working at JAG, our relationship, that sort of thing.  I guess it was supposed to be a small ‘goodbye kiss’ of sorts--only Harm didn’t stop.  He just kept kissing me, and,” Mac blushed, “I didn’t stop either.”  Mac nervously averted her eyes.

 

“Wait a minute!  Harm was dating Renee then.  You mean to tell me that you and Harm were making out despite the fact that you were engaged and he was seriously involved with someone else?”  Chloe’s eyes grew wide with astonishment.

 

“Well, I wouldn’t call it ‘making out’…”

 

“Well, what would you call it?”

 

“I don’t know.”

 

“It sounds like it was pretty intense,” Chloe’s mischievous grin was back.

 

“Yeah, it was.  Can we move on to the next kiss, please?” Mac asked quickly, trying to get rid of the buried feelings that were rushing to the surface.

 

“Okay, tell me about that one.”

 

“It was two Christmases ago.  We were leaving Bud and Harriet’s party to go to the church service.  Someone had put mistletoe above the door and suddenly there we were, standing right under it.  When we realized where we were, we both just decided ‘what the heck’ and did it.  There’s really not much else to tell.”

 

Chloe’s eyes widened at the mention of mistletoe.  Wanting to distract Mac, she quickly stood and began taking their dirty dishes to the sink.

 

“So when is Harm supposed to be home?”

 

“It sounds like right now.”  Mac heard a sound from the hallway and walked toward the door as Harm entered.  He dropped his sea bag on the floor.

 

“Hey, Mac.  Hey, Chloe.”  Harm glanced over at Chloe when he said her name, but his eyes went right back to Mac.

 

“Hey, sailor.  Glad you’re home.”

 

“I’m glad I’m home, too,” he said as he took her in his arms for a hug.

 

“Hey, is that any way to greet someone you haven’t seen in a while?” Chloe asked from the kitchen.

 

Harm pulled back and turned to look at Chloe, but he kept his arms around Mac.

 

“I’m sorry.  You want a hug too?”

 

“No, but Mac needs a kiss.”

 

Harm and Mac were both suddenly speechless at Chloe’s words.

 

“Well, that *is* what you are supposed to do when you are under mistletoe.”  Chloe giggled and pointed above them.  They both looked up to see the mistletoe that she had hung from the ceiling earlier that day.

 

“Chloe Madison!  I don’t believe you!”  Mac’s eyes flared.  Chloe only continued to giggle.  Mac turned back to look at Harm.  “Harm, I promise, I had no idea.”  Her breath caught in her throat when she saw the daring twinkle in his eyes.

 

“Come on, you guys.  It’s not like you haven’t kissed each other before,” Chloe reasoned.

 

Harm’s eyes jerked toward Chloe, then back to Mac.  “How did she know--”

 

“She asked.”  Mac shrugged.

 

“Well, Mac, she obviously went to a lot of trouble for this, so we might as well just play along,” Harm whispered just loud enough for only Mac to hear.

 

Mac suddenly felt as if she couldn’t speak and only nodded her head in agreement.  Harm tightened his hold on her, drawing her closer.  He slowly inched his face closer to hers, closing the gap between them.  Their lips met in a sweet and tender kiss.  The warmth of his lips against hers brought to life all of those memories she and Chloe had discussed just minutes prior.  Had it really been two years?  And where the heck was the mistletoe last Christmas?

 

Not wanting to overindulge, Mac began to pull away, but Harm lingered slightly longer than he thought he should have.  The look in his eyes was enough to make her melt.  If it hadn’t been for his arms still around her, she was certain that her knees would have failed her.

 

Harm turned toward a smiling Chloe.  “I think you had better take this mistletoe down.  We can’t be doing this every time we go in or out.”  Then he returned his gaze to Mac and winked at her.  Mac felt her legs turning into soup.

 

“Aww, why not?”  Chloe laughed.

 

Mac managed to find her voice and tried to change the subject to something safe.  “Harm, there is veggie pizza in the kitchen.  I know you must be hungry.”

 

“Yeah, as a matter of fact, I’m starving,” he said as he slowly released Mac from his embrace and walked toward the kitchen.  “So Chloe, what’s the plan for tonight?”

 

“I don’t know.  *That* was my plan.  I hadn’t thought much past that,” Chloe grinned sheepishly.

 

Mac, who had finally recovered, spoke up.  “We could always just relax and watch a movie.  I hear there are some really good classic Christmas movies on television tonight.”

 

“Sounds good.  Just let me change into something more comfortable,” Harm said as he walked towards the bedroom.

 

A few minutes later, Harm emerged from the bedroom wearing a tight fitting pair of jeans and a long sleeved black knit shirt.  Mac tried not to stare at him as he got a plate of pizza, but it was hopeless.  [Wow, the way that man fills out his clothes ought to be illegal!]  Mac thought to herself with a smile.

 

Harm walked in and took a seat.  Mac was sitting at one end of the couch and Chloe was reclining lengthwise, taking up all remaining space on the couch, leaving Harm with no choice but the chair.  He had thought that after her stunt with the mistletoe, she would have forced them to sit on the couch together.  He decided not to even try to figure out Chloe’s motives.  Instead, he just sat down and tried to focus on the movie and not on Mac across the room.

 

-----

 

By then end of the movie, Chloe appeared to be sound asleep.

 

“Well, it looks like I won’t be the one sleeping on the couch tonight, after all,” Harm whispered when the movie was over.

 

Mac’s eyebrows shot up.  “Harm, I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

 

“You got any better ones?  I don’t want to wake her up.  She seems to be quite comfortable.  Besides, it’s not like we haven’t shared a bed before,” Harm reasoned.

 

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.  We shouldn’t wake her up,” Mac said as she followed Harm into the bedroom.  Neither saw the look on Chloe’s face when Harm referred to sharing a bed in the past.  And neither noticed her smile as they made their way to the bedroom.

 

After each took their turn readying for bed in the bathroom, a ritual they had worked out soon after Mac moved in, it was time for the inevitable.  Mac nervously slipped in bed beside Harm, careful to remain at a safe distance.

 

Harm looked over at Mac, who was curled up along the edge of the bed, and laughed.

 

“Mac, I won’t bite, you know,” he said in a low voice.

 

Mac rolled towards Harm and whispered, determined not to wake up Chloe.  “Of course I know that.  It’s just that there is a teenager in the next room--the same teenager that hung that mistletoe over the door.  I just don’t want to give her any more ideas.”

 

“Any more than you already have?”  Harm raised one eyebrow.

 

“What do you mean, flyboy?”  Mac cocked her head to the side.

 

“You told her that we had kissed before.”

 

Mac shrugged.  “Like I said, she asked.  What was I supposed to tell her?”

 

“You could have lied,” Harm suggested.

 

“No, she wouldn’t have believed me.  My reaction to her question had already given her the answer.”

 

“Oh, really.  Just what *was* your reaction?”  Harm crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow again.

 

“Avoidance.  Like I’m doing now.  Goodnight, sailor.”  With a nervous smile, Mac rolled back over, away from Harm.

 

Harm chuckled.  “Goodnight, marine.”

 

-----

 

Chapter 11

 

Wed. Dec. 24   0530 EST

Harm’s Apartment

North of Union Station

 

Mac’s eyes fluttered open as sleep faded into conscious thought.  She stretched and attempted to roll on her back, but instead, rolled into something hard.  She shifted herself around so she could see what was beside her and found herself looking into the eyes of…Harm!  After a few seconds, the initial shock was overcome by rational thought as the memory of last night came back to her.

 

“Morning to you, too.”  Harm smiled at her.  “Why did you look at me so funny when you rolled over just now?”

 

“I, uh, I guess I forgot you were beside me so I was just a little disoriented when I discovered you were there.”  Mac lowered her eyes in embarrassment.

 

“Yeah, I had the same reaction when I woke up and saw you next to me.  It caught me off guard until I remembered why you were there.”  Harm’s reassuring smile and the knowledge that their reaction was mutual somehow made her feel better.

 

“Well, let’s go running before we wake up Chloe,” Mac said as she got out of bed and went to the dresser.  Harm sat up, but didn’t get out of bed right away.  He was too busy enjoying the view of Mac bending over as she searched through the drawer.

 

[It’s good to be home!  So good to be home!]  Harm thought to himself as a big grin spread across his face.  He had missed her more than he wanted to admit.

 

-----

 

Wed. Dec. 24   0700 EST

Roberts Residence

 

“Chloe, I think you have probably met most everyone here, so you should feel at ease,” Mac reassured a slightly nervous Chloe as they stood on the front porch of Bud and Harriet’s house.

 

“Yeah, it’s just that being at a party where everyone is really old can be a little nerve-wracking.”  Chloe rolled her eyes.

 

“Hey, Mac.  You hear that?  We’re ‘really old’!”  Harm quipped.

 

“Speak for yourself, squid!” Mac shot back just as the front door opened.

 

“Welcome!  Come on in!”  Bud greeted them warmly  “Good to see you again, Chloe.”

 

“Thank you for allowing me to come.  It’s very generous of you,” a slightly stiff, yet polite Chloe said before entering the house.

 

“Well, we couldn’t leave out the special guest of the Commander and the Colonel, now could we?  Please make yourself at home.”  Bud smiled as he took her coat.

 

“Commander, good to see you!”

 

Harm groaned inwardly as he saw Big Bid approaching.

 

“Good to see you too, Master Chief.”

 

“I see that this year you have two beautiful women with you.  You must have either been a very good boy this year, or a very bad boy!” Big Bud winked as he slapped Harm on the back.

 

Harm’s laugh was slightly uncomfortable.  “I assure you, it’s not the latter.  Excuse us.”  Harm lightly grabbed a wide-eyed Chloe’s arm and led her to the food table, knowing Mac would be close behind.

 

“Chloe,” Mac whispered.  “Big Bud is not the person you want to hang out with all evening.  He can be a little crude sometimes.  And once he starts drinking…”

 

“Yes, I know.”  Chloe rolled her eyes.  “I’ve heard about him.  Anyway, I’ll be sure to mingle and not bother any one person too long.  And I won’t bother you two all evening either.  I know you don’t want me tagging along watching your every move.  So don’t worry about me.  I won’t get in the way.  And if you want to spend some time out on the porch, I promise I won’t tell anyone where you are.”  Chloe winked and then walked away.

 

Harm stood there looking after her with a confused look on his face.  “What do you suppose she meant by that, Mac?”

 

Mac had a pretty good idea what Chloe meant, but chose to keep it to herself.  “Oh, who can figure out the mind of a teenager?”  Mac shrugged.

 

The rest of the evening passed uneventfully.  Chloe spent a good part of the time talking to Petty Officer Coates.  The two of them even made plans to go shopping together one evening.  After leaving Bud and Harriet’s house they all went to the Christmas Eve church service where Chaplain Turner gave another inspiring message.  “So, are we going home now?” Chloe questioned once they were all settled back in the SUV.

 

“Nope, just one more stop,” Harm replied quietly.

 

“Where are we going?”

 

Mac turned around to look at Chloe.  “To the Wall.”

 

“Oh,” was all she said as realization hit her.

 

Once they were there, Mac and Chloe held back briefly to give Harm some time alone with his dad.  After a few minutes, Mac moved closer and waited for Harm to acknowledge her.  When he sensed her there, he turned around and reached out to her.  Mac stepped up next to him and he put his arm around her.  They stood like that for several minutes, with Chloe standing just behind them, not wanting to interfere.

 

Harm exhaled, dropped his arm from around Mac, and turned toward where Chloe was standing.

 

“Come on, kiddo.  *Now* it’s time to go home,” he said as he put a hand on her shoulder.

 

Silently, the three of them walked back to the car and headed home.

 

-----

 

Later that night, after exchanging Christmas presents, the three of them sat on the floor around the Christmas tree drinking hot chocolate.

 

Chloe was the first to yawn.  She stood up, stretched, and lay down on the couch.  “You two can stay up if you want, but I am going to sleep.”

 

“Chloe, I thought we agreed that you would be sharing the bed with me once Harm got back.”

 

“No, that is what *you* decided.  I never agreed to that.  Besides, if I sleep in here, you two won’t disturb me when you get up at the butt-crack of dawn to go running.  Goodnight.”  With that, Chloe rolled over so that she was facing away from Harm and Mac.

 

“Well, Mac, I don’t know about you, but I don’t feel like arguing with a teenager tonight.  Come on.”  Harm gently tugged on her arm.  “It wasn’t so bad last night.  Better than sleeping with the scorpions, right?” he said with that flyboy grin on his face that made Mac’s knees weak every time.

 

“Right.  It wasn’t so bad.  And I’m too tired to argue with her, anyway.”  Mac yawned as she followed Harm to the bedroom.

 

-----

 

Thurs. Dec. 25   0900 EST

Harm’s Apartment

North of Union Station

 

Harm rushed to answer the ringing phone before the answering machine picked up.

 

“Rabb.”

 

[Hi, Harm.  Merry Christmas!]

 

“Mattie!  Merry Christmas to you, too!  How are things with your dad?”

 

[Great!  He’s making a lot of progress.  And we have had a wonderful Christmas together, so far.  But I’m really calling to find out if maybe I could come spend a few days with you.  Next week Dad goes back to rehab and there’s no school or anything, so I thought--]

 

“Mattie, that’s a great idea!  I’m sure Chloe would love to meet you.”

 

[Chloe?]

 

“A friend of Mac’s.  She’s kind of like a surrogate little sister.  She’s about your age, maybe just a little older.  You two could have a lot of fun together.”

 

[Cool.]

 

“I’m sure I can squeeze a third female in this apartment.”  Harm laughed.

 

[Third?]

 

“Yeah: you, Chloe, and Mac.”

 

[Mac?]

 

“Oh yeah.  I guess I didn’t tell you.  Mac’s apartment building burned and she is staying here temporarily until she can find a new place.”

 

[So, you and Mac, huh?]  Harm could practically hear the wheels turning in her head.

 

“Don’t get any ideas.  There is nothing going on between us.  It’s only temporary.”

 

[Yeah, right.  So tell me, while Chloe is staying there, where is she sleeping?]

 

“On the couch.”

 

[And where is Mac sleeping?]

 

Harm hesitated as he suddenly realized he had been led right into a trap.

 

“With me.”  He sighed and prepared for the inevitable.

 

[She’s sleeping in your bed with you and you tell me there is nothing going on?  Come on, Harm.  I may be a teenager, but I wasn’t born yesterday!]

 

“Mattie, she is *only* sleeping with me because Chloe insisted on sleeping on the couch.  Before Chloe came, Mac and I were taking turns sleeping on the couch.”

 

[Uh huh.  If you say so.  And when I come where will I sleep?]

 

“Well, I guess you’ll have to sleep on the couch with Chloe.  It folds out into a bed.”

 

[Okay, but with three females around, you’d better pray that we don’t all have PMS next week!]  Mattie laughed.  [I’d better get back to my dad.  See you soon!]

 

“Yeah, soon.”  Harm hung up the phone and rubbed his temple.  As much as he wanted to see Mattie again, what had he gotten himself into?

 

-----

 

Chapter 12

 

Fri. Dec. 26   1900 EST

Harm’s Apartment

North of Union Station

 

“So, are you two *sure* that you don’t mind Mattie coming for a few days?”

 

“Harm, don’t be ridiculous.  Of course we don’t mind.  I am looking forward to seeing her again and I’m sure that Chloe would love to meet her, right Chloe?”

 

“Of course I want to meet her.  With everything I’ve heard so far, it sounds like she’s pretty cool.  And we can stay up all night and talk about you guys!  It’ll be awesome!”  Chloe put on her most innocent smile but her eyes were flashing with mischief.

 

“Great, just what we need, Mac.  Two teenagers plotting against us at night!”  Harm rolled his eyes playfully.

 

“Then we’ll just have to stay up all night talking about *them*, won’t we?”  Mac winked at Harm.

 

“Sounds like a plan to me!”

 

-----

 

Sat. Dec. 27   2330 EST

Harm’s Apartment

North of Union Station

 

“Are you young ladies going to behave and let us ‘old folks’ sleep?”  Harm chuckled as he turned off the apartment lights.

 

“Sure, we’ll behave.  The question is: are you and Mac going to behave?”  Mattie grinned impishly as Chloe snickered at her question.

 

“Of course we are going to behave!  We don’t have a bedroom door and there are two teenagers in the apartment.  And there is *nothing* going on between us, anyway, so don’t get any ideas!”

 

Both teenagers mumbled something to each other, then giggled uncontrollably.

 

[Oh, it’s going to be a long night if they keep that up!]  Harm thought to himself and sighed as he turned to leave the living room.  “Goodnight, ladies.”

 

“Goodnight!” they both said in unison, followed by more giggling.

 

Harm walked up the stairs to his bedroom and plopped down on the bed.

 

“Teenagers!”

 

“Harm, just be glad they’re getting along.”

 

“Yeah, they did seem to hit it off right away, didn’t they?”

 

“Yes, they sure did.”

 

“Well, they have something in common.”

 

“What’s that?”

 

“They both like to talk about us!”  Harm laughed.

 

“Doesn’t everybody?”  Mac said half-joking, half-serious.

 

“You’ve got a point, marine.”

 

“Don’t I always?  Goodnight, flyboy.”

 

“Goodnight, ninja-girl.”  

 

-----

 

Mon. Dec. 29   2215 EST

Harm’s Apartment

North of Union Station

 

Harm and Mac were relaxing on the couch after a quiet dinner alone.  Jen had taken Chloe and Mattie for a night of shopping and girl talk.

 

“You know, as much as I’m enjoying seeing Chloe and Mattie again, tonight has been a relief.   Living with you and two teenage girls for the past few days has been *interesting*.  It’s nice to have peace and quiet again!”  Mac chuckled.

 

“Sure is.  Tell me again why I agreed to house two teenagers for the holidays?”  Harm groaned.

 

“Because you are such a nice guy.”  Mac laughed.  “Seriously, it will only be a few more days before they both leave.  And then things will go back to normal.  Well, if you count me living here as normal.”  Mac shyly looked away and changed the subject.  “I guess I should be offended that Chloe would rather go shopping with Coates than with me.”

 

“Well, Coates is a little closer to Chloe’s age than you are, so it doesn’t surprise me.  For her, shopping with Coates is probably like shopping with an older sister--a very *cool* older sister, in her eyes.  Shopping with you would be too much like shopping with your mom.”  Harm laughed.

 

“Gee, thanks, squid!  Remind me not to go shopping with you again!”  Mac’s eyes flared but the corners of her mouth twitched as if she would start laughing any minute.

 

“I said *she* probably thinks shopping with you would be like shopping with your mom.  I, on the other hand, am quite aware of the difference between you and my mother.”  Harm smirked suggestively.  “And frankly, I would rather go shopping with you any day.”

 

Harm’s subtle flirtatiousness caught Mac off guard.  She was pleasantly surprised and not quite sure what to say, so she merely smiled shyly.

 

“You know, the three of them have probably been talking about us all night.”  Harm broke the awkward silence.

 

“Yeah, Coates didn’t seem convinced when I told her that she already knew everything there is to know about us.”

 

“Why does everyone always assume that we are involved?”

 

“Well, Harm.  We *are* living together, after all,” Mac reminded him.

 

“Yes, but that’s only temporary.”

 

“Is it?  I have been here almost a month and haven’t found an apartment yet.”  Mac didn’t want to admit it, but she had been avoiding looking at apartments because she didn’t really want to move out.  She was enjoying the fact that she no longer had to make excuses to spend time with Harm.  But she had a nagging feeling that unless their relationship was going to move beyond friendship, living together permanently wasn’t a good idea.

 

“Well, obviously you haven’t found an apartment because you haven’t been looking very hard,” Harm suggested.

 

“Well, I’ve been busy!” Mac said defensively.

 

“Okay, I’ll give you that one.  We’ve *both* been pretty busy lately.”  Harm smiled.

 

Neither one spoke for a few seconds, until Harm broke the silence with a statement that Mac almost didn’t hear.

 

“You know, Mac, we *are* involved, sort of, if you think about it.”

 

Mac jerked her eyes towards him.  “What do you mean?” she said cautiously.

 

“Well, we have a deal coming due in just a few months.”  Harm averted his eyes.  He was afraid to look at her--afraid that she wanted to back out.

 

“I guess you’re right--about being *sort of* involved.”  Mac looked away shyly as well.

 

“Yeah.  Obviously, we would have to be *together* in order to go through with the baby deal.”

 

Mac opened her mouth to say something, but two laughing teenagers burst through the door at precisely that second, killing the moment.

 

“So, how was the shopping trip?”

 

“We had SOOO much fun!”

 

“Yeah, Jen’s really cool!”

 

Harm laughed.  “I wonder if Jen had as much fun as it seems you two did.”

 

“Oh, I’m sure she did.  She said plenty of times that she was SOOO glad to get out of her apartment and away from her annoying roommates.”

 

“Really?  That’s interesting.  I thought she had roommates her own age and that they got along pretty well.”

 

“Well, maybe in the beginning, but Jen said that lately her roommates have been driving her crazy.  Running up the bills and then not paying them.  Taking up all the room in the closets and dressers.  She said she has been looking for a place of her own, but everything is too expensive.”

 

“Boy, you don’t have to tell *me* that!”  Mac chuckled.

 

Meanwhile, a plan started to form in the back of Harm’s mind.

 

-----

 

Chapter 13

 

Wed. Dec. 31   1915 EST

En route to McLean

 

Harm and Mac rode in amused silence as Chloe and Mattie sang along to the latest hit from the latest pop craze.  They had complained about Harm’s choice of music, claiming that jazz was boring, so Harm had put the radio on “seek” until the nearest popular station was found. 

 

Harm chuckled to himself when he thought about the young man singing on the radio.  [He’s probably half my age--if not younger!  And yet, he has already made more money than I will make in my lifetime!]

 

“What are you laughing at?” Mac looked at Harm curiously.

 

“Oh, I’m just thinking about that *boy* on the radio and how much money he has already made, despite his young age.”

 

“Well, *I* certainly didn’t help him make his money.  Do you even know this song at all?”

 

“Haven’t a clue.”  Harm laughed again and looked at the two teenagers in the rearview mirror.

 

Seeing Harm looking in the rearview mirror at their passengers, Mac suddenly had a vision of “what could be”.  She saw a snapshot of their lives as parents, with two kids in the back seat, and Harm keeping a stern, fatherly eye on them.

 

“Mac!”  Harm’s voiced snapped her out of her daydream and back to reality.  “We’re here.  You okay?”

 

“Yeah, just thinking.”

 

“About what?”

 

“About that kid singing on the radio,” Mac lied.

 

“That isn’t just some *kid*.  He happens to be the hottest guy on the planet!”  Mattie exclaimed as if it were common knowledge.

 

Mac laughed.  “Well, that is a matter of opinion.  He’s a little young for me.”

 

“So who do *you* think is the hottest guy on the planet?”  Chloe challenged.

 

Mac glanced at Harm and smiled embarrassingly.  “That’s classified.  Shouldn’t we be going inside now?”

 

“Yes, as enlightening as this conversation is, I think we should join the party.  It’s not very often that the admiral hosts a party at his house.”  Harm ushered everyone out of the car.

 

“Chloe, you probably have met most everyone here.  But make sure that Mattie gets introduced to everyone,” Mac instructed.

 

“I know, I know.”  Chloe rolled her eyes and started towards the house.

 

-----

 

“So, buddy, you have three females staying at your apartment, how are you holding up?”  Sturgis clapped Harm on the back.

 

“I’m managing.  I’m so used to Mac *not* spending much time in the bathroom that I forgot that not all women are like that.  Some women are bathroom hogs, and those two girls are no exception!”  Harm laughed and looked around to make sure that no females heard him.

 

“Well, if you need to get away, you are welcome to escape to my place.  No females and plenty of room.  Speaking of which, with your apartment so crowded, what have you done about the sleeping arrangements?”  Sturgis raised a curious eyebrow.

 

“I’m making accommodations and dealing with it,” Harm said with his best “case closed” tone.  Why was everyone always so preoccupied with the sleeping arrangements at his apartment?  He and Mac were both reasonable, mature adults.  Is it so hard to believe that two adults can share a bed without being intimate?

 

Mac’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

 

“Hey, what did I miss?  You two have the most interesting expressions on your faces.  Come on, Sturgis, what did Harm say?”

 

“Why do you assume that it is something *I* said?” Harm said defensively.

 

“Because it usually is.  So spill it.”

 

“Harm was just telling me how much he appreciates the fact that you don’t hog the bathroom.”

 

“Of course I don’t.  I spend less time in there than he does.  It’s the old ‘quantity versus quality’ argument.”  Mac smiled triumphantly.

 

“What are you trying to say?  That I spend too much time in the bathroom, yet I don’t get good results?”

 

“Hey, you said it, squid, not me.  I’m just more efficient.  I’m a marine, remember?”  Mac smiled sweetly and wandered off to get more food.

 

“Well, at least the friendly banter is back.  Living together seems to be agreeing with you two.”  Sturgis chuckled.

 

“Maybe so,” Harm mumbled under his breath as he watched Mac’s retreating form.

 

-----

 

Harm noted with amusement that Mattie and Chloe were deeply involved in conversation with Jen.  In fact, Jen seemed as if she really enjoyed the company of the two teenagers, despite the age difference.  Harm decided he didn’t even want to know what the three females were so excitedly talking about, so he wandered off in search of Mac.  Not finding her inside, he quietly headed out to the front porch.

 

“There you are, Mac.  I wondered where you had slipped off to,” Harm said as he moved to stand next to her at the edge of the porch.

 

“Despite being the middle of winter, the weather is quite nice this evening, so I thought I’d come out here for some fresh air.”  Mac stared out into the dark sky.

 

“And some peace and quiet!” Harm chuckled as he placed his hands near where hers rested on the railing.

 

“That too!”  Mac laughed as she glanced in his direction.  “With it being New Year’s Eve, I guess I just wanted some time to stop and think.”

 

“Think about what?”  Harm turned to look at her more fully.

 

“Oh, I don’t know.  It seemed like a good time for reflection.  What I have done and not done.  My life in general.  The past, the future.”  Mac’s eyes nervously met his, then she quickly averted them and resumed staring out into the sky.

 

Harm had been moving his hands closer to hers during the short time they had been talking, so that at this point their hands were almost touching.  “You know, Mac, it was two and a half years ago that we stood on this very same porch talking about the past…and the future too, in a way.”

 

Mac thought back to that night and that kiss. It had been burned in her mind and replayed over and over.  “I know.  I remember it like it was yesterday, but so much has happened since then.”  Mac sighed.

 

“And yet, in some ways, everything has stayed the same.”

 

She searched his eyes, trying to determine the meaning of his last statement.  “Is that good or bad?”

 

Harm shrugged.  “It depends on how you look at it.  Maybe we should look forward, and not backward.”  Harm paused and nervously averted his eyes.  “You know, I never really was sorry about what happened that night.”

 

“Neither was I.  I was only sorry I never did anything about it.  I didn’t love Mic.  I never should have let things get as far as they did with him.  And you almost died because of it.”

 

“That’s in the past.  I didn’t die.  I’m still here.”  Harm lightly placed his hand over hers.  Mac’s breath caught in her throat at his touch.  His face was just inches away from hers, when they heard a loud, unison “Happy New Year” resound from inside the house.

 

“You know,” Harm said raising one eyebrow.  “It’s tradition to start out the new year with a kiss.”

 

“Is it?” Mac whispered in anticipation, not trusting her voice.  The intensity of his expression was intoxicating.

 

Harm nodded slightly before his lips slowly descended on hers and his arms went around her waist.  She responded eagerly by sliding her hands up his arms and around his neck.  This kiss didn’t have the same urgent, desperate passion that their previous kiss on the porch had, but it definitely had more of a spark than their kiss of a week ago.  The way his lips moved across hers was inciting something deep within her.  She was achingly aware of every part of his body that touched hers, fanning a flame that she had forgotten was there, but had never really burned out.

 

Harm pulled away just as slowly as he had begun the kiss, not really wanting it to end, but knowing that it had to.

 

“We should go back in before they wonder where we are.”  Those were the words that Harm’s mouth was saying, but his darkened eyes seemed to be saying something else.  He was staring deep into her eyes and Mac saw the same spark reflected there that she felt in her own.

 

Breathless, Mac could only nod her agreement.

 

Harm took one of her hands in his as he led her to the door.  Only once they were inside did he release her hand, wanting to maintain the physical contact as long as possible.

 

“Oh, there you are, Sir, Ma’am.  We were wondering where you were.  We rang in the new year without you.”  Harriet eyed them suspiciously, but didn’t say anything further.

 

“We?”

 

Harriet laughed.  “Me and two teenage girls.  Big Bud was going to give them champagne to drink at midnight, but don’t worry--I intervened.  I think they were hoping you would override my decision.”  Harriet addressed Harm, knowing that Mac would never have agreed to let them have champagne, given her past.

 

Harm smiled and looked at the disappointed girls.  “I’m sorry, ladies, but I am going to have to stand by Harriet on this one.  Your parents would kill me if I let you have champagne.”

 

“See, I told you he’d say ‘no’.  He never does *anything* wrong!”  Mattie rolled her eyes.

 

“Hey, it was worth a shot!”  Chloe shrugged.  “So just where were you two, anyway?” Chloe asked accusingly.

 

“Just getting some fresh air out on the porch,” Harm said nonchalantly as Chloe’s eyes widened.

 

“I bet that wasn’t *all* you were getting,” Mattie mumbled under her breath as the two girls snickered and walked off.

 

“Fresh air, huh?”  Harriet smiled and walked away before Harm or Mac could reply.

 

Suddenly alone again, an uncomfortable silence hung between them. 

 

“Let’s go grab some snacks before we leave,” Harm suggested as he put his hand on the small of Mac’s back, guiding her towards the dining room table.  The sensation of his touch made her skin sizzle.  She wondered if everyone else was as aware of his hand on her back as she was.

 

By some unspoken agreement, they did not discuss what happened on the porch the rest of the evening.  Talking had always gotten them into trouble before, so each one was content to enjoy it for what it had been: a sweet, tender moment with a hint of promise.

 

-----

 

Thurs. Jan. 1, 2004   0115 EST

Harm’s Apartment

North of Union Station

 

“So Harm, did you make any New Year’s resolutions?” Mattie asked as Harm poured glasses of milk for everyone.  Mac was in the bathroom getting ready for bed.

 

“Isn’t it bad luck to share them?” Harm sidestepped the question.

 

“No, that’s birthday wishes.”  Mattie rolled her eyes.

 

“Yeah, you’re right.  Well, I may have made a resolution or two, but I think I’ll keep them to myself, thank you.”  Harm smiled before taking a drink.

 

“So did you get a New Year’s kiss out on the porch tonight?” Chloe’s eyes danced mischievously and Harm nearly choked on his milk.

 

“*That* is not a question you get to ask, young lady!”  Harm could feel his cheeks burning under the gazes of the two inquisitive teenagers.

 

“Why not?”

 

“Because, if anything happened on the porch tonight--and I’m not saying anything did--it is private between me and Mac.”

 

Chloe and Mattie didn’t say anything but exchanged knowing glances.  A few seconds later, Mac came out of the bedroom.  “Your turn, Harm.”

 

“Thanks.  See if you can make these curious girls go to bed.”  Harm lightly put his hand on Mac’s back before heading into the bedroom.  Once he was out of earshot, Chloe turned to Mac.

 

“Harm told us what happened on the porch tonight,” Chloe lied, hoping to get Mac to confess.

 

Mac’s eyes flew open. “He *what*?”

 

“You heard me.  He told us all about it.  So how was it?”  Chloe grinned.

 

“*That* is not a question you get to ask!”   Mac’s dark eyes were flashing.

 

“Funny, Harm said the same thing.”  Both girls started giggling.

 

Mac, embarrassed, quickly finished her milk and turned around to put her glass in the sink.  “I think we *all* should go to sleep now.  It’s late and we are all exhausted.”  Mac turned toward the bedroom.  “Harm, are you decent in there?”

 

“Yeah, it’s safe for you to come in,” Harm called out with a laugh.

 

Mac turned back to the girls.  “I’ll see you both in the morning.  Good night.”

 

Once Mac had disappeared into the bedroom, Mattie turned to Chloe and whispered excitedly, “So do you think they kissed at midnight?”

 

“Oh, yeah.  I *know* they did!  Neither one denied it.  And why else would they both have been so embarrassed?”

 

Both girls giggled in agreement and climbed into bed.

 

At the same time, Mac walked into the bathroom where Harm had just finished brushing his teeth.

 

“Harm, you didn’t tell them anything about what happened on the porch, did you?”

 

“Of course not!  That’s private.  Goodness knows they talk about us enough already without adding fuel to the fire!”  Harm chuckled.

 

“Yeah, the last thing we need to do is feed their overactive imaginations!”  Mac laughed.  “Let’s go to bed, flyboy.”

 

[I’ve always wanted to hear you say that!] Harm thought to himself as he followed Mac into the bedroom.

 

They both climbed into bed, each stealing glances at the other.  Once in bed, they both stared at each other uncomfortably--all too aware of the two teenagers in the next room.  Unable to ease the tension, Harm did the only thing he could, he whispered “goodnight” and rolled over facing away from Mac.  Mac, disappointed yet somewhat relieved, did the same.  It was quite some time before either one relaxed enough to fall asleep.

 

-----

 

Thurs. Jan. 1   0400 EST

Harm’s Apartment

North of Union Station

 

Harm awoke for some unknown reason and rolled over in Mac’s direction.  It was then that he noticed that she was curled up into a tight ball as if she were cold.  She was facing away from him, and had the sheet and blanket pulled up as far as she could get them, almost covering her face.  His mind went back to that night so many years ago when she had spent the night at his apartment.  She had complained of being cold then, so Harm assumed that she must be cold again.

 

Spontaneously, Harm reached over, hooked his arm around her waist, and drew her closer to him.  As soon as he felt her slender waist and flat tummy, he knew he had gone too far, but it was already done.  He silently prayed that his motion did not wake her up, and was grateful that she seemed to still be asleep.  Breathing a sigh of relief, he slowly shifted his body so that he was practically spooning her.  He convinced himself that he was *only* doing this because she was cold and needed his body heat to be comfortable.  He hoped that she would understand if she questioned him about it in the morning.  The last thing he wanted to do was overstep the boundaries.  The problem was, he didn’t know where the boundaries were anymore.

 

-----

 

Chapter 14

 

Thurs. Jan. 1   1800 EST

Dulles International Airport

 

Harm, Mac, and Chloe stood at the last checkpoint before Chloe’s gate.

 

“I guess this is where we say goodbye,” Chloe said with watery eyes.

 

“Yeah, I’m going to miss you, sis.”  Mac opened her arms, requesting a hug.  Chloe hugged her tightly and pulled Mac’s head down so she could whisper in her ear.

 

“Let me know when the wedding is gonna be!” Chloe grinned.

 

Mac turned bright red and nervously whispered back, “I think you are jumping *way* too far ahead, young lady!”

 

Mac stole a glance at Harm.  If he had heard Chloe’s comment, he didn’t show it.

 

Chloe released Mac and stepped in front of Harm.  “Take good care of her, Harm.  She deserves it!”

 

“She does and I will.”  Harm smiled sincerely before giving Chloe a big hug.

 

After they exchanged their goodbyes, Harm turned to Mac and started to say something.  But when he saw the tears pooling in her eyes, he immediately took her in his arms and comforted her.

 

After a few minutes of consolation, Harm spoke up.  “She’ll be back to visit again, I’m sure.  Especially now that she and Mattie have gotten to be such good friends.  And look on the bright side: now you won’t have to fight over the bathroom with anyone but me!” Harm laughed.

 

Mac had to smile.  “You just always know how to find the silver lining, don’t you?  Although I think this one is tarnished.”

 

“Ouch!”  Harm put his hand on his chest in mock pain.  “Hey, why don’t we go grab a quick bite to eat?  I’m starving, so I know you must--”

 

“Be starving too?  Of course I am!  Apparently you’re good at stating the obvious, as well!”

 

After a few minutes of searching, they found a quiet booth in the corner of a restaurant and placed their orders.

 

“The apartment is sure going to be a lot quieter now that they are gone,” Mac said with a hint of regret.  Mattie’s father had picked her up just before they had left to take Chloe to the airport.

 

“Not to mention less crowded.  And I won’t be outnumbered anymore!” Harm laughed.

 

Mac didn’t have time for a sharp comeback because the waitress came to the table at that moment.

 

“You know, I think the girls had fun at the Air and Space Museum today, especially Mattie,” Mac commented once they had their food.

 

“Yeah, Mattie sure seems to have the flying bug.  You know, she’s just like the way I pictured my daughter, if I…we…uh…had a daughter…in the future.”  Harm stammered and looked down at his plate.

 

Mac almost choked on her food.  That was the first sign that the kiss of the night before had any possible future implications.  All day long she had been thinking that she had misinterpreted the whole thing.  She had convinced herself that she was reading too much into it.  It was just a simple New Year’s Eve kiss at midnight--something a lot of people did just for the heck of it, like their kiss under the mistletoe the week before.

 

During their day with the girls, Harm never mentioned the kiss, nor did he make any effort to kiss her again.  He didn’t hold her hand or show any sign that he wanted to move things forward.  Maybe it was just because Chloe and Mattie were with them, but there had been times when the girls had ventured on ahead leaving them alone briefly.  The most he had done all day was put his hand on her back to guide her through a door, but he had done that numerous times before, back when they had been so close, before Paraguay.

 

But then there was the fact that he had pulled her close during the night.  Wanting to avoid the awkwardness of the situation, Mac had gotten up first.  He didn’t say anything about it when he got up, so Mac decided that either he did it in his sleep and didn’t know, or he only did it to make her comfortable, like the time in the Appalachian mountains or the time in Afghanistan.  Besides, there had been many nights when they had somehow ended up much closer than they were when they went to bed.  Neither one ever acknowledged it and Mac had always decided that it was nothing.  However, this time didn’t seem like just ‘nothing’ to her.  This time, a flicker of hope had been ignited somewhere in the back of her mind.

 

All day, Mac had done her best to rationalize that hope away, leaving only her fears and regrets in its place.  Harm’s statement just now about having a daughter in the future briefly caused that hope to flare up again, but Mac reflexively pushed it back down, afraid of being disappointed again.

 

Harm’s voice startled her out of her reverie.

 

“I’m sorry, Harm.  What were you saying?”

 

“I was asking if you were feeling okay.  You’ve been poking at your food for the past couple of minutes, and that’s not like you at all.  Is everything okay?”

 

“Yeah, I was just thinking about how much fun we had today with the girls and how long it might be before we can do it again.”  Mac’s quick thinking was a gift she was grateful for.

 

“We did have fun today, didn’t we?  And if it were up to me, we’d not wait nearly as long before we saw them again.”  Harm smiled reassuringly.

 

“I will definitely agree with you on that!”  Mac returned his smile and resumed eating.

 

-----

 

Thurs. Jan. 1   2230 EST

Harm’s Apartment

North of Union Station

 

“I was getting used to sharing a bed,” Harm said softly as Mac gathered her bed linens and started to make her way out of the bedroom.

 

Mac stopped suddenly and turned around.  “That’s the problem.  I was too.  We’re getting too comfortable.  What’s going to happen when I get my own apartment again?”

 

“Maybe you shouldn’t.”

 

“What?” Mac blurted out, not hiding her surprise.

 

“Think about it, Mac.  We’re getting along great, better than I thought we would.  Surprisingly, I don’t miss my independence.  And splitting the rent and expenses this month has been a big financial benefit for both of us.  And then there is the small matter of our baby deal.  Which, if I may remind you, is coming due in just a few months.”  Harm’s voice grew softer when he mentioned the deal.

 

“Harm, this apartment isn’t exactly conducive to raising a baby.”  Mac reasoned out loud, not really thinking about the implications of what she was saying.

 

“Yeah, you’re right.  The baby will need its own room.  So maybe we should get a two bedroom apartment…together.”

 

Mac stared at him in shock.  “Maybe…”

 

Suddenly overwhelmed, Mac mumbled “goodnight,” and turned to go into the living room.

 

“Goodnight,” Harm mumbled, more to himself than to her, and then turned out his light.  He lay there quietly as he listened to her get settled for the night.  He wanted so much to go in there, take her in his arms, kiss her senseless, and bring her back to his bed, but he knew he would be overstepping the bounds if he did that.  His comments just now had probably been too much.  He had seen her defensive walls go up earlier in the day.  She had made it clear that she was not ready to move forward yet, so he had held back.  He had thought that their kiss the night before had been the first of many steps in a new direction, but her actions today led him to believe that those next steps, if they ever happened, were probably going to be a slow stroll, and not the quick run that he had hoped for.  With a sigh, he rolled over and looked at the empty space next to him.  He missed her already.

 

-----