Title: Armageddon
Summary: Harm and Mac win a big a case, the celebration gets out of hand
Disclaimers: The characters are not mine, nor will they ever be. I promise to return them un*harm*ed!!
Rating: a H/M-Romance
Spoilers: Any episode of Jag my work may refer to
“Congratualtions, Commander, Colonel, that was a good job”
“Thank you, Admiral”
They both answer in unison. The Admiral excuses himself and leaves Harm and Mac alone in the courtroom.
“What do you say, marine, shall we celebrate our vicory with a pizza and a movie?”
“Add ice cream and you got yourself a deal, sailor”
“Deal, 1900 your place?”
“Don’t be late Harm”
“Me?? Never!”
And he flashes her his best 1000v-flyboy-smile.
“Yeah, you Mr. Innossence”
*knock, knock*
“Flyboy, what time is it?”
“Mac, are you ill, if you don’t…”
“Watch were you are going, sailor, it is 1905”
“see…”
“AND you’re five minutes late!”
“Maaaaaaaaac”
“Don’t ‘mac’me, Harm. It is time for you to learn to be on time, squid.”
“Mac, we wanted to celebrate…”
“That we can do after your education.”
“Mac, I’m not at the academy anymore”
“right, now you’re in boot camp”
He sceptically raises an eyebrow. She’s in her battlemood. Every further argument from him is digging a deeper hole. Then Mac assumes position and uses her best drill instructor voice.
“Commander Harmon Rabb Jr, the educational punishment for being late is ordered as following. For each minute you’re late, you will do five push-up’s which makes 25 push-up’s in your case…”
“Maaac”
“Commander, I’m still your superior officer and for arguing we double the punishment to fifty. I suggest you get started Commander”
Harm is speechless.
*She has a point, it’s only a few months but I have to follow a direct order*
“Aye, aye, Ma’am”
“Good, drop and give me 50”
And Harm thinks that it is only fair to tease her a bit so he gets rid of his shirt. She throws him a questioning glace.
“I don’t like it all sweaty, Colonel”
That’s not like Mac had planned it.
*Oh boy, that’s quite a mess you got yourself into Mackenzie*
Harm droppes onto the floor and starts his punishment.
“One…”
holding his breath,
“two…”,
releasing his breath,
“three….four….five”
“eleven….twelve”
Mac can’t tear her eyes away.
“twenty-two….Mac…..twenty-three….Mac”
“Quit whining Harm”
“hmpf”
“Thiry-three…thirty-four”
Slowly Harm gets sweatier, it has been a long time since he had to do that many push-up’s and jogging wasn’t keeping him as fit as he thought. His muscles are starting to shiver.
“Forty five”
“Forty-six”
“Forty-seven”
“Forty-eight…puh…”
“Forty-nine”
“Fifty”
Sighing deeply Harm sinks to the floor.
“Good job, flyboy, just remember I’ll be watching you and counting…”
“Maaaac”
“That’s my last word, now take a shower and let’s start our celebration”
With that he’s dismissed and he knows it. Ten minutes later they are seated in the living room waiting for the pizza, half veggie, half meat-lovers to arrive. Harm *had* noticed the way Mac had looked at him, it was the same as when she was staring at him, thinking that he wouldn’t notice. It were these few moment in those he knew what she was thinking *and* feeling. It had taken them both a while to be able to admit their feeling for each other to themselves, but to say it out loud and to act according to these feelings is something totally different.
“So, squid, what movie do you got for us?”
“Well, it isn’t the one I originally wanted but it sounds good and I know that we both haven’t seen it yet.”
“Harm, stop teasing, what is it?”
“Patience is a virtue, marine”
It is exact that moment when the doorbell rings and the pizza arrives. With the pizza and tonic water with lemon, they snuggle onto the couch in their favourite movie-position:
Harm’s legs stretched out onto the table, Mac close to his shoulder, her legs across his lap. They start the movie, watch and eat in companionable silence. And “Armaggedon” is doing it’s magic. Although Mac is the tough marine on the outside, she has a big emotional side but only very few persons know of this. Harm is one of them. Mac starts to sniffle at the tragic of the movie, the lovers just recently found may not be able to live together, maybe not even see each other one last time. Harm puts his arm around her and starts to stroke her arm, comforting her. It is doing good to them both, because Harm himself has trouble to keep his emotions in check. “Armaggeddon” made him realise how fast he could loose her. It’s not that he hadn’t known it, somehow. Their lives contain so much danger that he sometimes wonders how it would be not to look over his shoulder, to check the lock twice and to sleep with a weapon within reach. But somehow concerning his feelings for Mac, he had pushed the knowledge aside. Or perhaps because of his feeling for her, but they were getting closer recently and he couldn’t deny anymore that she’s reciprocating his feelings although neither of them said a word. That’s the magic between them, sometimes words were extremely overrated.
“Wow, sailor, that was quite a movie you picked”
“You know, special occaissions need special treatement”
“Where does that leave us, Harm? I can’t pretend that nothing has changed between us anymore”
There she had said it. Once again it was his turn to determine what is going or not going to happen between them.
*I just hope, I don’t get another Sidney*
A little sigh escaped her. Harm’s heart broke upon hearing it, he knew that it was because of him and what he did or better didn’t do in the past. It’s time to deal with his demons.
“Sarah, me neither and I’m so tired of pretending. All those years I thought it would be better for you not to be involved with me and I was scared, to be honest I still am”
She started to object…
“Please, let me finish. I realised something, keeping you away has done more damage than I thought, can you forgive me, Sarah?”
“Oh Harm”
“Because I’m in love with you Sarah Catherine Mackenzie with all my heart, body and soul and I can’t stand to live another day without you by my side.”
Tears strated to run down her cheeks. This evening was turning out far better than expected.
“And I’m in love with Harmon David Rabb Jr and I’m yours, for eternity”
“Sarah”
“Harm”
And for a few moments they just looked at each other with all their love they had to give, loosing themselves in the other’s eyes. Without their knowledge, their bodies had somehow moved closer to each other and their lips were just mere inches away. Harm looks at her, seeking her permission. Her slight nod is all the encouragement he needs and he closes the gap between them, his lips touching hers. The world around them is lost. For them the time stopps ticking and the world, hell the whole universe, stopps moving. This is just about them. Then the need for oxygen becomes unbearable and they breake apart. Mac rests her head on his chest, hearing his heartbeat and he wraps her in a tight hug, afraid to let her go. Both are breathing heavily.
“wow”
is all Harm manages to say after what seemes eternity to both of them. That brings a big smile on Mac’s face.
“You broke it”
she accuses him a few minutes later. Harm is startled to hear her mild tone.
“Oh my god, where did I hurt you? I’m sorry…”
“Don’t be sorry Harm and listen to me. This was the most incredible kiss in my entire life and I won’t let you go now *but* you broke my internal clock. I lost track of time. You broke it.”
Realising what she was saying his flyboy-smile returns and he starts to laugh. She soon joins him. This was the happiness they had seeked for their entire live and they had denied it themselves for so long, but not anymore.
“You are going to stay with me tonight, right?”
The uncertaintiy in her voice isn’t lost to Harm.
“Sarah, no one could keep me away from you, as long as *you* want me to stay”
“Oh, Harm”
“What do you say, marine, shall we ravish the ice cream and celebrate our victory and then perhaps we could cuddle a bit… if you like…I mean..”
He blushes and Mac is about to fall in love with him all over again.
“I say you got yourself a deal”
The word brings a smile to her face, thinking of another deal they had shared which had still to be completed… The grin on his face is prove enough that he is thinking the very same thing. The next weeks are incredible, they do a lot of things a *normal* couple would do. They go out for dinner, he sends her dozens of red roses, they watch the sunset together and they kiss a lot. They try to be professional at the office and hide what is happening between them but everyone could see that they are much more content with life than usual. The office is like hell when they disliked each other, so all their co-workers *and* their superior officer pray that whatever caused the change in their behaviour would last a while. Although all of them were courious no one dared to ask them, fearing that that would break the spell they seemed to be under. One month after the movie night the riddle is about to be solved. Harm had been send on a mission in California and is due to return this weekend and Mac is nervous. All her previous relationships she was never in the need to say ‘I love you’, she just said something like ‘me too’ but with Harm it is different, she is unsure of how to proceed. Now that he is about to return she is at a loss as to what to do. That morning Harriett walks into her office handing her a file she needs for court and before her brain could realise what she is doing her heart has gained control over her ability to speak.
“Ma’am, do you need something else?”
“Harriet, could I talk to you about something personal?”
The hesitation in which she said it got Harriett’s attention.
“Of course Mac”
Harriett turns, closes and locks the door, closes the blinds and grabbes the pone and is quickly connected with Tiner. Mac just sits there wondering what she is up to.
“Tiner, Colonel Mackenzie is working on her current case, it is something extremely improtant and she can’t be disturbed but for an emergency, please make sure that this is known in the office. No phone calls, no visits, understood?”
“Good, thank you petty officer”
“Wow, Harriett”
“Well I figured we would need some privacy.”
“Harriett I don’t know how to thanky you *and* where to start…”
“How about at the beginning and you’re welcome”
Both women smile. Mac is desperately trying to put her feelings and thoughts into words but she is loosing the fight. Harriett recognizes her inner struggle and aids her friend and her son’s godparent.
“This has something to do with your happiness lately, right?”
“Am I that evident?”
“A little”
Harriett giggles.
“Do you remember the big case Harm and I won last month?”
“Yeah, how could I forget.”
“Well, Harm and I wanted to celebrate it, pizza and a movie you know..”
Harriett nodds.
“He was late as usual and I got tired of it, I orderd him to do push-up’s for being late..”
“So this is why he’s wihtin ten minutes now!”
Harriet exclaimes.
“Yeah, five push-up’s per minute of being late”
Harriett bursts into laughter.
“Well, anyway we watched that movie and somehow it made us, well..yeah..commit our feelings..”
“for each other?”
“Yeah”
“It’s about time, Mac, I’m so happy for you”
“Yeah me too, it feels so right you know?”
“I can imagine it, I wondered what happened but I didn’t dare to ask”
“Afraid to breake the spell?”
Mac asked knowingly. I isn’t a secret to her that their coworkers fear to bring them in *battlemood*.
“Yeah, kind of”
“Harriet, I have a problem and it’s really intimate, I mean…”
“but you thought I could help so tell me, no need to be afraid.”
“I just don’t want to bother you.”
“You’re not and you know it. Talking about it helps a lot.”
“Well, perhaps I should try it…”
“Yeah you should”
“Well…all…my previous…relationships were not based on mutual feelings, I mean ”
Harriett nods.
”but with Harm it’s different and I well..”
“You wonder how you’re going to tell him.”
Mac smiles.
“Yeah”
“Mac, I think the Commander really loves you and he knows about your past. I think he knows how you are feeling and is giving you time to say the three words”
“Yeah, but he hasn’t said them either”
“But you said you committed your feelings..”
“Well, we said ‘I’m in love with you’ not ‘I love you’, you know?”
“Mac,you will know it when the time is right for the next step. I can be tomorrow, in a week , in a month. It will just happen, naturally and then you’re going to wonder how it came. You shouldn’t force it. Don’t think too much about it, just feel. It’ll all fall into place”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, I know it, from experience”
“Oh Harriett, thank you so much”
“You’re welcome, Mac, don’t forget to send us the invitations to your wedding”
“Harriett!”
“Ma’am?”
and they both burst into laughter. Two weeks after the *girltalk* Harm has promised to come to Mac’s place for pizza and a movie, the caseload had been big lately and there hadn’t been much time for the couple Rabb/Mackenzie. Harm was running late, again. Twenty-two minutes later than planned Harm arrives at her place and he knows he is in trouble, although he has a good excuse…but he knows Mac…
“Hi marine”
“Hi squid…”
“I know I’m late and I’m sorry but I couldn’t decide…”
“Decide what?”
“Which one to buy you”
He shows her the teddy bear he had hidden behind his back. It is a white, flyffy bear with a navy uniform and gold wings, grinning broadly he hands her the bear…
“Oh Harm”
There are tears running down her cheeks.
“There was the other one with a marine unfiorm but then I thought a navy-bear and pilot could keep you company and watch over you when I have to leave town again for an assignment, the marine-bear would have let you eat all that unhealthy stuff…”
Saying this, Mac slapps him on the arm, grinning broadly.
“He’s so cute, thank you Harm…I guess we can forget about your education, but only this time!”
He kisses her softly and places the bear on the kitchen counter. He takes her hand and brings it to his heart, she is shivering.
“I love you Sarah”
“I love you too, Harm”
Both are wondering how they managed to live without each other for all those years. A tiny tear rolls down her cheek for all the lost chances. But new memories are soon to be build, no time would be wasted anymore. They snuggle together onto the couch and start their new life joined as lovers, soulmates, partners and best friends.
The movie “Armaggeddon” is from now on their favourtie…
THE END