It Happened One NightAuthors: Rorie (rorie.brianne(at)nospamcomcast.net) and Lisa (SarahRabb7@aol.com) Classification: H/Mac Author's notes: Rorie--this was a very interesting experience. It was my first time as a co-author. It was great fun... we started this as an rpg that spiraled into a fic. It was great to have someone else to play off of, it does wonders for writer's bloc. Lisa, you're great! This was so much fun! This was also my first (and, probably, only) smutfic. A very, very, very interesting experience! Lisa--No, Erin, YOU are great. I love to co-author stories because then you "feel" the story more. I had a great time writing this with Erin and if we get enough good feedback I'm sure this won't be our last. If anyone wants to co-author a JAG story you know how to get in touch with me. I dedicate this story to all those people that have encouraged me to write and inspired me to greatness. I dedicate this to friendship. The descriptions of the case aren't very strong, but that's okay, they're not important... it was just a vehicle to get these two in the same place... This is the PG-13 version of this story... a NC-17 version is available at Under the Covers... Do you know how hard it is to edit down a smutfic to a general audience fic? It's not easy... adding smut to a gen fic is easy, taking it out is a bit harder. JLCDR Harmon Rabb, Jr. and LTC Sarah "Mac" MacKenzie had arrived in New Orleans earlier that day to work on a case. They expected to be in New Orleans for the rest of the week. This was only their second case since Harm came back to JAG from flying and things were still a little strained between them. Mac had been rather quiet on the way down to Louisiana, and during their initial meeting with the client, but had loosened up a little over dinner. They were now out in Jackson's Square a little ways from the apartment they'd been given for the week. They had been leisurely strolling and talking when it started to rain. Harm and Mac began to run for the apartments, as did everyone else who had also been unexpectedly caught by the rain. Suddenly, Mac's heel caught in the famous New Orleans' cobblestones and held fast. The rain was drenching her, making her dress cling to her and causing her to become quite cold. "Harm!" She called to him over the commotion of the storm. "Mac!" Harm cried in alarm. He rushed to her side, and helped her get her foot unstuck. "Are you all right? Is anything hurt?" He was getting worried, and staying out in the rain definitely wasn't making anything better. "The heel of my shoe's broke, now what?! I can't very well run barefoot in this floating barrage of garbage!" Mac complained, looking about them at all the litter and sludge that the New Orleaners had become accustomed to. Then she looked at Harm, her heart sped up and her breath caught. He was becoming more handsome by the minute. The rain washing over him, the tender concern in his eyes. 'Now wait!' her head exclaimed, 'you're still supposed to be mad at him.' "Harm, I'm soaked through standing out here!" Mac tried to complain, but it certainly didn't sound like much of one to her. She gave an involuntary shiver as his soaked shirt clung to the contours of his chest. Seeing her shiver and interpreting it as a sign that she was cold, Harm said, "Well, I'd give you my jacket, but as you can see..." he pointed at himself and he was just as soaked as she was. Suddenly, without giving Mac any sort of warning, Harm swept her up in his arms and headed for the hotel. Seeing the look on her face, "Well, I couldn't have you floating away and getting sick, now could I?" Mac's arms instinctively went about Harm's neck and when they arrived back at the apartment she looked at him, "Strip!" she ordered, "You'll catch your cold if you don't." They each went to their own rooms to change. Mac was desperately trying to get her clothing off but it wasn't becoming a very easy process. Finally, carrying her sopping wet clothes, she emerged in a white silk nightgown and pretended not to take note that Harm was standing in the living room in only a pair of boxers. She picked up his sopping mess and took it all to the kitchen so it could be washed later. She returned to find that Harm hadn't done anything towards dressing but was standing at the open French doors to the balcony watching the crazy tourists dart from covered sidewalk to covered sidewalk. She was merely going to silently join him but brushing up against him she almost lost her balance and wound up in his arms again. "Harm, what's going on?" she asked breathily. Harm wanted to kiss her and tell her that he loved her, but their relationship was still rocky after he left, he didn't want to hurt the fragile friendship that they were slowly rebuilding. "You lost your balance, I caught you." he stated the obvious, not wanting to tell her how good it felt to have her in his arms... it felt so right. Sarah sighed inwardly. Didn't he see it, didn't he know how much she loved him. "Well, I have my balance back now, if you let go, I promise I won't fall..." She said, smiling at him, but he didn't release her, no one moved. They just looked at each other, as the thunder raged outside and a bit of rain blew in, gracing her features. The wind blew her gown causing it to swirl around her legs, making her look like an angel. She stood there watching him, and how she wanted to kiss him. Why wasn't he letting her go anyhow... there was something telling her that the storm inside was worse than the storm outside. Harm knew he should let Sarah go, they had an early day the next day. He sighed and reluctantly let his partner go, making sure she was steady on her feet before completely removing his hands. "Mac, we should probably get some sleep, we gotta interview that witness tomorrow." He headed towards his room, "'Night, Mac." He knew there was no way in hell he was going to be able to sleep that night with his partner in the next room wearing that nightgown, the same one she had worn in Russia. Mac sighed. 'Sleep, what was he thinking? Was it merely so easy for him to touch her like that and then just go to bed-sleep,' she corrected, for right about now she wouldn't mind going to bed. She walked over and sitting on her bed and sighed as she fell back into it. In his room, Harm stared at the ceiling, trying to pull his mind to any thought but the one it kept coming back to... Sarah, in the other room, wearing that gown, looking like an angel. An angel that he wanted more than anything else to take in his arms and kiss. He imagined her lying there thinking the same things about him. 'This is silly, Rabb, she's probably asleep.' Finally, he got up and went to the kitchen for a glass of water... he could hear her pacing in her room. 'So, she can't sleep, either.' For her part, Mac definitely couldn't sleep. She paced back and forth from the bed to her window, staring out into the storm. 'Damn him!' she thought savagely. Finally, exhausted physically and emotionally, she fell into bed and went to sleep. The next morning, they woke early and walked up the street and across to Café du Monde's for café au lait and beignets. It was an interesting breakfast, something new to both of them. All of the trees were in bloom and it was a beautiful, lush spring morning after such rain yesterday. Children across the street were watching a mime make balloon toys for them and telling stories without words. Mac's mind wandered and she thought, not for the first time, how incredible it would be to watch her child, a child belonging to herself and Harm, smile at such things. She watched Harm while he was taking in the tourists and noted the small rims of blackness under his eyes, indiscernible to anyone else, but he was *her* partner. They interviewed all the witnesses they needed by lunch. Now they were sitting in a street cafe, trying to figure out how to eat a poboy without all of the stuff falling out. Suddenly, Sarah was caught off guard staring at Harm. "What?" Harm asked, wondering if he had gotten something on his front. He glanced down, seeing no mess, he asked again. "Mac? What?" she had this very strange look on her face. "Let's go sit on the levee!" she exclaimed, suddenly, definitely avoiding the question. "It's a great place to just enjoy and relax and we can discuss the case." Harm agreed hesitantly and after they finished their lunch, they walked back through the French Quarters and up the large hill that was the levee. They sat and discussed the case for a long while and then silence ensued, electrified silence. Finally, Mac broke it with an almost attack-type question, "What were you doing last night? and don't tell me you were sleeping unless you beat those two black circles under your eyes there." Harm was taken aback by her question, he thought quickly, he definitely couldn't tell her the truth that he was imagining what it would be like if he told her how he felt and if she returned those feelings. "I was thinking about the case." he lied. "How about you? You didn't sleep very much either, I could hear you pacing." Whack! The ball was back in Mac's court and she wasn't as ready as Harm to deal out tales, "I was thinking about you." she said before she even realized it and a soft smile touched her face, but she attempted to recover by adding, "After all, you were being really great yesterday." Mac feigned a causal indifference hoping it worked, but sincerely doubting it, and unknowingly proving that her thoughts about him weren't just casual by turning her glance away. How could she hide something that was beginning to consume her. She had lost him once, what if by being angry with him, by not getting things out in the open, she lost him again. She couldn't do it twice, the fear touched her eyes for only a second. "Mac? Has it really been so bad since I got back? I know I hurt you, but I never realized how much." Harm said, wanting to open a dialogue with the woman he now realized that he loved more than life. "No, it... it's been wonderful to have you back but..." Sarah stopped a moment, no if she stopped now she would always stop, she took a deep breath, "It was the leaving, Harm, that hurt. I wanted to disappear that day, Harm. To think that I meant nothing to you when you meant so much to me... when... when I have these feelings for you. Then you came back and you, you wanted everything as it had been before, as though you'd never seen my tears that day, never walked out on me when I needed you most, when I finally admitted that I loved you... but you were already gone..." Sarah said, as though she was discussing him in third person. It was the only way she could get through it. What would happen to them now? She needed him too much for him to walk out on her, but if he had felt the same way he'd have said something earlier. Sarah sighed. "Mac... Sarah, I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I had to see if I still had what it took to fly. I was never leaving you... our friendship, just JAG." Harm said, taking Mac's hand in his. "I guess I... I did know how you felt, but I couldn't acknowledge it then... I couldn't acknowledge how I felt... if I did, I would have never had the courage to leave... to try and fly again. And I had to do that... I had to know... leaving flying had to be my choice... not something I was forced into." "You knew how I felt? Wait... are you saying you had feelings for me?" Mac asked shocked. Then she shook her head. It didn't matter he had left so, obviously, he didn't feel for her what she felt for him. She stood up and started back for their apartment feeling the raindrops as she did so. Harm followed her and quickly caught up with Mac. They walked silently into the apartment. Mac started to go to her room, but Harm grabbed her arm. "Mac... Sarah, we have to talk about this." He led his partner to the sofa. "I knew how you felt. Sarah, I felt the same. There wasn't a night that you didn't live in my dreams. There wasn't a day when something someone said, the way someone laughed, didn't remind me of you. Sarah, you were with me in the air, in my sleep, every waking moment. The thought of never seeing you again ripped my heart out... it made me more careful up there. There was someone that I wanted to come home to, I couldn't take the same risks that I took when I was younger." He looked up into her eyes, those deep brown pools that he could drown in, and saw a tear snaking its way down her cheek. "Sarah, you're the most important person to me... more important than Dianne, Annie, or Jordie could have ever been. Sarah, you're the one I see in my dreams, you're the one I see when I see my future... it's your eyes that my children have in my fantasies. Sarah..." he couldn't continue. He had laid his heart out for her, it was up to her what she would do with it. Sarah was shaking the emotions were so intense, then, suddenly, she threw her arms about him, "I love you, Harm!" she declared before she brushed her lips to his very quickly. "I love you..." she said softer, closing her eyes and leaning her forehead against his, surrendering to him, to her feelings. She continued to shake, she could not believe the enormity of what had just been revealed. Harm pulled Mac close and kissed her properly. Finally, they broke apart and caught their breath again. He stood up. "Sarah, I love you, too. But we need to get to know each other again, without the hurts. I think we need to take it slowly." That was the hardest thing that Harm had ever had to say in his life. He wanted nothing more than to sweep his gorgeous Jarhead into his arms and carry her into the bedroom and make mad, passionate love to her. But that would have to wait, the trust had to be rebuilt, before their love could go beyond the beginning stages into something lasting. Sarah nodded, she knew that if they wanted everything to go off without a hitch they needed to get back to where they had been. Oh, but how she wanted to be in his arms, to have him make love to her, to tell him she loved him, to show him how much. It would wait. "I won't hide anymore," she amended, standing up because she was getting a crick in her neck looking up at him from the couch. They stood there, staring at each other for about five seconds and then Sarah was kissing him good and hard and passionate once more. She came away from the kiss practically breathless and she smiled at him. She still couldn't believe he loved her. Harm sat there stunned for a moment. He stood up and headed for his room, he had a lot to think about. Half-an-hour later, Harm's cell phone rang, it was the Admiral. He talked to his CO for a moment, then hung up. He walked to Sarah's door and knocked on it. "Mac, the Admiral just called. It seems that our client has broken out of the brig. He's holding a civilian secretary hostage in his CO's office. He wants to talk to us." "We'd better get down there," Sarah said getting off her bed and scrambling into her uniform. She was ready in about ten minutes and they were on their way. When they arrived they passed through the barricade and came to the hold up. The secretary was a small timid blonde who was red with all the crying she'd been doing. Sarah looked to Harm, not sure of exactly what his plan was. Harm motioned for Mac to stay behind him as they approached their client. "Petty Officer Marks, you wanted to talk to us?" The young man who couldn't have been more than 20, looked up. Harm could see the fear in his eyes. He nodded. "Let Ms. James go so we can talk." Harm said, trying to talk some sense into the young man. The Petty Officer started to let the secretary go, but then tightened his grip on her. "Tell the Marines outside to back off." he said. Harm nodded to Sarah, indicating that she should relay the message to the troops outside. Sarah reluctantly did as she was told and then returned immediately. She never wanted to leave Harm alone for long in such a situation, especially now. "They've moved back," Sarah said, "They're remaining on the scene only because they're afraid for the secretary's life." "Okay, Marks, they've pulled back. Let her go so we can talk." Harm said, calmly. Slowly, the PO released his hold on the secretary. He pushed her towards the attorneys. Mac escorted her out of the room, then returned. Harm motioned for the PO to sit at the desk and he and Mac took the other chairs. "Petty Officer Marks, I suggest you come up with an excellent explanation for your actions today... kidnapping is a very serious charge. You were only up for stealing the car, a charge that if convicted would have probably only gotten you a dishonorable discharge and probation. Now, you're facing serious brig time. Now talk." Harm ordered. Petty Officer Steven Marks poured out a sob story, and Mac didn't believe a word of it. She called his bluff and got in his face, and before Harm knew it he had a brawl on his hands. It wasn't physical yet, but from the looks of things, it wouldn't be long. And Mac was definitely dishing it out much better than she was receiving. Harm grabbed Mac from behind, "Lt. Col. Mackenzie, stand down!" he ordered, even though, currently his partner still outranked him. Mac struggled against Harm, she was so mad she couldn't see straight, and Harm knew that. He'd only seen her like this one other time. He held on to her tightly until one of the Marines outside the room entered and removed the Petty Officer. After Harm released Sarah, she turned on him... "What gives you the right!" she barked at him with fire in her eyes that would have unnerved any normal person into fleeing. "Do I have to remind you that I outrank you at the moment? Do I have to tell you that you undermined my authority here? So tell me, Commander, just what is your story or was this one of those things they taught you while you were away?!" Sarah finished, glaring at him, still in fight-mode. "Mac... Sarah, I'm not going there with you right now. You were way out of line there, Colonel, and compromised our defense of our client. I know you didn't believe his story. For the record, neither did I, but we have to defend him and attacking him isn't going to help us with that goal. If you don't think you can give Petty Officer Marks the defense that he is entitled to in the Constitution, I suggest you call Adm. Chegwidden and ask to be removed from the case. I won't hold it against you." Harm said as calmly as he could with his absolutely gorgeous partner shooting daggers at him with her eyes. Mac sighed, not only had he called her Sarah in that beautiful way only he could say it, but his logic and rationale took all the fire out of her ranting, and so she calmed down fairly quickly. "No, I can do this. There's no need for that, but where do we go now, if he's going to keep giving us trumped up stories and pulling ridiculous stunts?" "I totally agree with you, Mac. Marks is feeding us a line. I have no idea why he did what he did... not the car theft and, definitely, not the hostage taking. What I do know is that he is one troubled young man and it is up to us to see that he gets some help." Harm said, sitting on the edge of the CO's desk. They thought about the case in silence for a few moments. "Let's get out of here and get some dinner, then back to the apartment to try to see if there is anyway we can salvage this young man's life. His career is in the toilet, but his entire life doesn't have to be." Mac nodded. They wandered around and ended up at a seafood restaurant named Maesparos. Sarah and Harm split muffalatas and calamari which were the recommended items and Sarah seemed to enjoy them. Harm was happy because there wasn't a whole lot of meat being served or consumed in Seafood country. It was when they were almost on their way out that it started raining again. They were only a block from their apartment so they made a dash for it but they were still soaked from the torrential downpour again. Sarah changed into a pair of boxers and a t-shirt and told Harm to join her in her room as she had the French doors open and was enjoying listening to the storm. Harm came into Mac's room, now wearing sweats and a shirt reading 'US Navy'. He was carrying the case file and two bottles of ginger ale. Handing one of the bottles to Mac, he flopped down on the bed next to her and opened the file. Giving it a quick scan, "Okay, let's get started..." "Wait a minute..." Mac said a few minutes later, noting something for the first time, "Look where the car was found... at the address, Harm. It's the same address that secretary gave the police. Now what connection do those two have? Why would he steal his roommate's car and then drive to his fiancée's home?" "As far as I can tell, the PO and the Ms. James have never met before... but of course, appearances can be deceiving." Harm replied. "Ms. Amber James just transferred here from Camp Pendleton, CA. Where was PO Marks last duty station?" Harm grabbed the file and flipped to the appropriate page. "Mac, look here... it says that Marks was last stationed at San Diego. That's really close to Pendleton. Maybe they did know each other before." "But unless Ms. James was pulling a fast one on us, too, she and her fiancé were engaged before she transferred here, in fact, she came here to be with him. You don't think there was something going on between her and Marks and that he's thrown his career away over love..." Mac frowned and thought, hell, she'd do it if it concerned Harm, but that was different wasn't it? She listened to the raging spring storm outside and suddenly that urge to kiss Harm again was beginning to effect her. It lit her eyes when she looked at him waiting for his opinion, her lips slightly parted though she didn't know it. "It's a possibility, Mac, a very real one." Harm said, then under his breath, "I can understand that." Then out loud again, "Maybe they're trying to run a scam on the fiancé." "Well, we could interview them again, or we could try to bluff them into talking. I heard that PO Marks likes to go down to the River Belle and do some gambling, about the same time every night, and if my hunch is right, we just might find Ms. James there, too. But I think we've had enough case discussion we've been at this for two hours eight minutes sixteen seconds..." Harm looked at his watch, "You're right, Mac. I think it's time to relax some." He left the room and came back with the TV guide. "Look, Mac, 'Sleepless in Seattle' is on." He turned the TV in her room on to the right channel. He sat against the headboard of her bed with her next to him, and began to watch the movie. He woke up several hours later to the sounds of "Terminator 2" on the television, and Mac curled up next to him with her head on his chest, sound asleep. He tried to climb out of the bed to go to his room without disturbing her, he had almost succeeded when he heard her mumble his name. "Mac, go back to sleep. I'm just going to my room." "But you're keeping me warm," she complained latching onto him to keep him from going. "And I wanna sleep with you..." she said not really that awake, and being far too honest. "Love you..." she said still holding onto him tightly. At first, Harm was stunned by Mac's words, then he realized that she was still mostly asleep, and probably didn't know what she was saying. As much as he'd like to do exactly what she was suggesting, he knew he couldn't take advantage of her. She would most likely not remember saying this in the morning, and he sure as hell wasn't going to do anything that she would regret when she woke up the next day. So he carefully untangled himself from her grasp and walked to his room, for once, almost regretting that he was an officer and a gentleman. Harm laid in his bed trying to fall asleep but having no luck. He finally drifted off to sleep as the first light of dawn began to creep through the curtains. He awoke to the smells of coffee and pancakes drifting through the apartment. He got up and walked towards the kitchen, sniffing appreciatively, "Morning, Ninja Girl! Sleep well?" 'Sleep? What was he thinking?' "Not after you left..." she said softly, probably so softly he didn't hear her and then speaking up she said, "Well, I was doing wonderful 'til I got cold... I caught a bit more sleep after that but then I got up. You've already missed the first three cups of coffee, you're going to have to work hard to catch up!" Mac said, as she fixed two plates of pancakes and walked with the tray out onto the balcony and sat it down on the little table for two she had already made up. She had been up for quite some time, obviously, and her lack of sleep showed just a little. Harm had heard her first statement, but chose to ignore it, because he obviously wasn't supposed to hear it. He followed Mac to the balcony carrying his cup and the pot of coffee and sat down and began to drink his coffee in silence. After finishing the coffee and pouring another cup, he ate a couple of bites of his pancakes. "So, Mac, what is on the agenda for today?" "Well, I figured we could do some shop hopping in the quarters and then stop for lunch, then we can tour the Aquarium of the Americas and then see the Riverwalk plaza. Then we're going to put a surprise visit in at the River Belle. Sound all right with you, Commander?" Mac asked, reaching for the coffee pot at the same time so that their hands touched and they stayed there, frozen for a moment and Mac just looked into his eyes, then she looked down to the street below and removed her hand. She wasn't hungry anymore and so she got up and walked to the balcony gazing over it. Harm felt the electricity shoot through him when their hands touched. After Mac moved to the railing, Harm answered her, "Sounds great, Colonel." He got up and stacked the plates and carried them in to the kitchen. He then went to his room to change into casual clothing, since they weren't doing anything official that day. Sarah sauntered downstairs to greet Harm in the entryway a few minutes later in a white halter top and short white jean shorts. She had meant to work on her tan this way but had neglected to think of the effect it might have on Harm. She saw him noticeably look her up and down when she joined him and her pleasure was unmistakable. They left out and wandered around the quarters on the cobblestone streets with all the tourists. They looked at just about everything since they were fast walkers. They were all the way back up by the river and had just passed through the Farmer's Market when Mac convinced Harm that they had to try a Lucky Dog, as they had been seeing the vendor's carts all day. They ate them quickly and then Sarah wiped the mustard off the corner of Harm's mouth. Then Harm made some remark about her having bad aim and she splashed him with water from the fountain they were sitting next to. Next thing they knew they had both fallen in! They laughed as they pushed one another down trying to get out and then they both got out of the fountain and walked around a bit until they dried out which didn't take long in the humid air. They then walked through the aquarium but decided to skip the Riverwalk and sat on the levee instead. They were had been walking, hand in hand all morning though neither had said anything and as they were sitting there Sarah laid her hand on his. Harm was content to just sit there with Sarah in silence. He loved the feeling of her hand on his. "Sarah..." he started, then shut up, not wanting to screw up the companionship they were feeling. Sarah turned to look at him, her beautiful brown eyes sparkling. There was a softness about her, she was begging him to go on. "Yes, Harm?" she finally voiced her request when he had been silent a little too long. When she still got no reply she decided she'd fill the void, "About last night..." she said as she rose. Then she leaned over and very seductively whispered into his ear, "I meant what I said..." she said as she began walking ahead of him. "We have forty-three minutes twelve seconds to get ready for our dinner reservations." She said trying to keep ahead of him, but at least she'd had the guts to say something, 'but you're running like a coward' her mind interjected. Harm ran to catch up with Mac, "What do you mean you meant what you said last night, Mac?" He hoped she meant what she said right before he left for his room, but he couldn't be sure. Sarah took a deep breath and swallowed hard, it felt like something was caught in her throat, probably her heart. "I may have sounded half asleep, but I knew what I was saying..." "Sarah, what happened to slow?" Harm asked. "Harm, you're driving me crazy," Sarah replied, "I've wanted you for over two years now. How much slower can you get?" Sarah said, delivering her line at exactly the perfect moment as they had just made it in the front door and with a quick dodge she was up the stairs. She was going to drive him crazy and he wasn't going to know what hit him, and the really great part was is that she would just be doing her job. Ah, the joys of undercover work! Sarah walked down the stairs thirty-two minutes later. She was wearing a white dress that had to have been painted on. The gown was off the shoulders revealing the delicateness of her collarbone and the grace of her neck and shoulders. Her neck was surrounded by a costume Sapphire-looking necklace that looked like it had to be worth millions. The gown had an empire waist which only furthered to accent her chest and from there it clung her body to her hips and then fell freely to the floor. It was the dress' left side that was the shock. There was a slit that went all the way up to mid-thigh and the outside was trimmed with ruffles of white which gave it a strangely romantic and sophisticated South American flair. She stepped down off the bottom step and sauntered over to Harm, pulling tricks he'd never seen and he was sure they didn't teach her in OCS. She handed him her shawl and turned about so that he could place it on her shoulders. Harm's jaw hit the floor... "Sarah, you're absolutely gorgeous!" he said when he had recovered his ability to speak. He kissed her on the cheek, and offered her his arm, "Are you ready, M'lady?" he asked. She nodded and he grabbed his cover, as he had decided to wear his dress whites to dinner. The exited the apartment to where the taxi was waiting to take them to the restaurant. They went to Antoine's to eat and Mac ordered dinner in French. "I have no idea..." she replied to Harm's questioning look. They ate in companionable silence and ate well, too. Then afterwards Mac said, "Okay, love... time for some action, and remember I'm coming home with you..." she said as they reached the River Belle casino. They entered and looked around. It took a bit of wandering but sure enough, they spotted their suspects together, VERY together. Mac smiled her 'I told you so' smile and then before Harm knew it she had sauntered over to the table, and they were throwing chips at her, amazing what beauty would do. Mac placed her bet and won, she won again. She also seemed to be doing quite a bit of talking, after a while she walked away from the table and signaling to Harm they met in the baccarat room next door, Mac had a hand full of chips. "Well, they're way beyond familiar, darlin'. " Mac said in a slinky seductive southern belle accent. "Now, what's the plan..." Mac was going to start but just then the suspects were coming up to them and, Mac, inventor of great plans at short notice wrapped her arm's about Harm's neck and began a hot and heavy make-out session. Harm was startled at first, but soon settled into character. They broke off the kiss, but stayed hugging so he could see over her shoulder, he whispered in her ear, "Act like I'm whispering sweet nothings in your ear... Marks is getting ready to go out the side door to the deck, James looks like she's gonna follow him." With a little maneuvering, they managed to follow the suspects out the door, without ever breaking contact. Patrons around them smiled and snickered, it was obvious that this gorgeous young couple was in love. They watched the scene before them on the deck and it seemed the most natural thing in the world to Mac to be intertwined with Harm. What they saw before them was Steven Marks and Amber James engaged in an all out make-out session that rivaled their own performance inside. "Here, take this it should cover Dr. bills for this month, right?" Marks asked. "Yes..." James replied huskily. "How do you feel? Are you sure I didn't hurt you... is the baby all right?" Marks asked concerned. "The baby's fine, Steven, I saw the doctor today. She says that everything's going fine." James answered. Harm whispered, "I guess we were right, they are obviously involved, but that still doesn't explain why he stole her fiancé's car..." "But we still shouldn't be meeting like this, Steven!" James seemed to reiterate frustrated, "Especially not with those JAG officers down here. Suppose they got suspicious." "I found a way to see you the other night and other than getting decked by that load of a Marine, we're still all right. Don't worry, Amber, I'm going to be just fine. You just concentrate on getting that account number. We're going to need that inheritance fund to skip out." Marks put in. "Fine," James replied curtly, "But, Steven, no more stunts like stealing the car to get to me!" She wrapped her arm around his waist and they were headed back towards the entrance. Mac and Harm were back at the making out but Harm could tell that being so close to him was having quite an effect. Her body was clearly betraying her and her eyes were glistening. After the suspects had passed back in, Mac led Harm back inside. They were standing there just surveying things when a man asked Mac to dance. Just then the cha-cha came on and Mac, for her part, could do some amazing things in that dress. Soon they had cleared a spot in the floor and gathered a crowd. Mac just wasn't dancing with the right partner, and she was certainly outshining the one she was with. The more she moved the more Harm could tell she was deliberately seducing him, challenging him to the floor. He moved to where the two were dancing and cut in. Sarah smiled. Being pressed up against his partner was having a major effect on LCDR Rabb. He was beginning to forget they were on a stakeout, and was really getting into the part of Sarah's lover. He mentally gave his "head a shake," as Webb once told him, to clear it from the overwhelming sensations that were swirling through his brain and body. Finally, the song was over, he leaned over to Sarah, "Mac, they've gone... let's get out of here." 'before I do something that might embarrass us both' he added to himself. Sarah allowed herself to be led off the floor and went to cash in her chips, taking home 300 dollars. They walked back to the apartment, Sarah with her head against Harm's shoulder, still humming the cha-cha music. They were attracting quite a bit of attention and admiring smiles from both men and women alike. "Do we have to go home just yet?... or is it that you want me all to yourself, Flyboy?" Sarah asked. Harm led Mac up to the apartment and opened the door. Once inside he swept Sarah into his arms and kissed her passionately. "Sarah Catherine MacKenzie, you are so beautiful!" he whispered into her ear after they broke off the kiss. They continued kissing as they managed to make their way to sofa in the living room and sank down on to it. Harm trailed kisses down her neck to her collarbone to the top of the dress. He pushed the neckline down to expose more of her skin and proceeded to kiss there, too. She moaned low in her throat. The sound snapped Harm into reality and he sat up quickly. "Sarah... Mac, we can't do this... the regulations..." "Are you planning on telling?" Sarah asked as she begin to run kisses along his jawline then down his neck her hands undoing the buttons on his jacket. "I love you, Harm...there's nothing wrong with that." "Mac," he said, pushing her hands away. "You outrank me, that will get us in worse trouble than if we were still the same rank. Remember Farrow?" That remark snapped Mac to reality, as well, she slapped Harm across the face, hard. Harm winced, he knew it was a low blow bringing up Mac's affair with her former CO... he also knew that the reminder brought back memories of Chris' murder and her trial. "I'm sorry, Mac, I shouldn't have brought that up." he said, standing up in preparation for going to his own room. "Your damn right you shouldn't have, Commander," Mac said harshly, savagely as she wiped the tears from her eyes and then she took off running for her room slamming the door as she went. Harm sighed and went to his room. He changed into sweats and laid down, he couldn't fall asleep. He went back out into the living room to grab the case file. He could hear sobs coming from Mac's room. He wanted to go and comfort her, but wasn't sure if she'd let him. He went and knocked on the door, "Sarah?" "Leave me alone, Harm!" came the savage reply from inside the room. Harm began to leave, but thought better of it, "Sarah?" he tried again. "What?" came a softer, tearful reply. Mac was falling apart, one minute it felt like she might have the world and the next she felt like was being shoved back into her uniform, tied into it. She lay there and waited for Harm to enter, after all, he was the only one she depended on. Her best friend and her partner and even though he was the cause of all her recent heartache and problems she needed him. "Can I come in?" Harm asked, he heard a muffled reply from within and pushed open the door. Mac was laying on her bed in a t-shirt and shorts. Her face was buried in her pillow, but her shoulders were shaking so he knew she was still crying. He crossed over to the bed and sat down, gathering his partner into his arms. He rubbed her back and let her cry, whispering soothing words into her hair. Finally, the shaking subsided and Mac pulled away. "Are you okay, Mac?" he asked. "I'll be fine," Mac said casually, too casually. "It wasn't what you said really. I mean I'll get over that..." she sighed and turned her head from him and said softly, "but I'll never stop loving you..." "Mac, I didn't mean to hurt you... I'm just a little gun-shy right now. My breakup with Jordie, my leaving, then return, your promotion, this case, the precarious nature of our friendship." Harm said, "Mac, I do love you, more than you'll ever know, but I don't know how to do this... I mean a relationship. I have never had a relationship that amounted to anything, other than Dianne, and she ended up dead... I don't know if I can have a lasting relationship. And I want one with you, Sarah, if we get together, I want it to be for life." "I want that, too, Harm." Sarah replied softly, "And we can do it, but we have to do it together, like everything else. You have to understand I'm afraid of losing you again. Harm, I've never loved before, not like this. This is forever, I know it, but I don't know what to do now... all of my relationships have ended badly... Eddie, Chris and Dalton are all dead, and John's career is in the toilet... I don't know... what do you want from me?" Mac was trembling again slightly. "Sarah, you're not going to lose me... even if we never pursue a relationship, I'll always be here for you." Harm said, placing a feather-light kiss on Mac's forehead. "Right now, I think we should get some sleep and concentrate on finishing this case. We're not gonna work out our entire relationship tonight. We can work on in back home in Washington." Mac turned a soft gaze on him, "Stay here and just hold me tonight? I don't want to be alone..." Harm nodded and adjusted his position so that he was laying down with Mac in his arms, her head on his chest. Soon, both were asleep. He awoke the next morning with a stiff arm where Mac had been sleeping on it all night. He managed to pull his arm out from under her without waking her up and went to his room to get stuff for a shower. After his shower he checked on Mac, she was still asleep, so he went to make breakfast. "Are you sure it's edible?" Mac called with a smile as she entered the kitchen. Then glancing at what he was doing she added, "Morning, Flyboy!" "Morning, Ninja-girl." Harm replied, "And, yes, it's edible. I avoided the meatless meatloaf just for you." Mac laughed, she was dressed impeccably in her uniform and her hair was in it's usual style, but her eyes sparkled like diamonds. They ate breakfast in companionable silence and then made their way over to finish up their case work. After several hours of pouring over the case and making notes, Harm stood up and stretched. "This is getting us nowhere." he complained. He made a quick phone call to the Admiral to check on things. "Well, Mac, Ms. James decided not to press kidnapping charges, for obvious reasons, she also admitted that she's pregnant with Marks' child. Her fiancé wasn't too happy about that development. On another note, PO Marks has disappeared totally, leaving Ms. James to face all of this alone. The Admiral has removed us from the case, and given us till Monday off... so now we have four days to spend in New Orleans on a real vacation." "Are we allowed to have those?" Mac teased, "are you sure it's in regulations?" she laughed lightly, "so what now?" "First, we change out of these uniforms. We're on vacation, no uniforms until Monday." Harm said, with a laugh. "Then, who knows, this is my first time in the Big Easy." "Well, it's an interesting place, that's for sure." Mac noted with a smile as they headed back to the apartment. Once she was changed into a red sleeveless shirt and a pair of jean shorts and her favorite comfy tennis shoes she met Harm downstairs. "Well, we could walk the quarters again, or actually see if we could make it to the Riverwalk this time, or we could go to the square and watch the performers. I hear it's supposed to really be something what some of these people will do for a living. It's your call..." Harm thought for a moment, "Why don't we hit the Riverwalk today. We have four days, we can get to the performers before we leave." Sarah nodded and off they went, across Jackson's square and up Decateur street. They passed by the aquarium and into the Spanish plaza. Sarah smiled at the children playing near the fountain. Then they entered the Riverwalk mall and Sarah said, "three floors, half a mile of shopping pleasures..." She motioned before them. Harm groaned, she didn't tell him that Riverwalk was a shopping mall. "Sarah, what are we doing here?" he whined as she led him towards the elevators. Sarah smiled and led Harm to the top floor. It was full of bubbles and laughing children, suspended colored kites, and a huge Mardi Gras store. They walked around and played with the Mardi Gras stuff a moment and then they walked over to the food stand and bought two ice creams and stepped outside. They were suspended over the mighty Mississippi River and before them were large barges, paddle ferries and tugboats. Then they walked back through and left the Riverwalk and then took a Street car on Canal street down to Lee circle and from there they went to Audubon park. They walked on the soft green grass under the massive oak trees and past the beautifully landscaped beds. All was quiet and peaceful. "Better?" Mac asked with a smile. Harm flashed her one of his patented flyboy grins, "Much better." he answered. He stopped under a tree and pulled her down next him onto the grass. She laughed and laid back on the grass. He took the opportunity to lean over and kiss her gently, then started tickling her. "Hey, hey" Sarah protested even though she was enjoying every minute of it. "I liked the kiss better... hey!" She continued to squirm. Finally she took both her hands and placed them on his face and pulled him to her for another kiss. She kissed him long enough to make him stop tickling her, and, unfortunately, long enough to leave them both out of breath, "Not bad, Commander, with a little work you could pass for decent." Mac said obviously teasing. The proof was right there that she loved his kisses, "talk about knowing how to fly..." Harm caught his breath and pulled Mac to him again, "Flying was never like this, Sarah." he murmured before closing the distance between their lips again. For half a second Sarah thought about reminding him of regulations, but, no. She was going to let things happen and besides, speech was not available at the moment. Harm was making her senses reel. When they finally parted Sarah said softly, "I could handle a lot more of those, Harmon David Rabb..." She dropped back down so she was lying flat on her back and looked up into the tree a moment before it was obscured by an unbelievable set of blues that entranced her every time. "Let's move this somewhere a little more private, Sarah." Harm whispered, huskily. He stood up and helped Mac to her feet. They strolled hand in hand back to the apartment and made their way to the sofa. Harm sat down and pulled Mac down with him, kissing her as soon as her lips were in range... Sarah could feel her heart start to race and her breathing caught and then began to increase. Harm was driving her senses wild. She wrapped her arms around his neck and idly played with the hair at the back of his neck as she opened her mouth and deepened the kiss hesitantly. Harm pulled her shirt out of her pants, and up and over her head, only breaking the contact between their lips long enough for the shirt to be removed. Finally, she broke off the kiss and stood up, causing him to moan at the loss of sensation. Mac bent over and began unbuttoning his shirt, placing a kiss on his chest just above each open button. When the shirt was completely undone, he shrugged it off and stood to meet her. Harm pulled Mac to him once again and kissed her, his hands running up her back to the clasp of her bra... "Carolyn loses the bet after all..." Mac mumbled her voice taking on a deep husky tone. Harm looked up at her strangely, then decided that when she was ready to explain that remark she would, and there were much more pleasurable pursuits to engage in at the moment. He moved his kisses back to her lips and swept her into his arms and carried her to her bedroom. Harm lowered Mac to the bed then joined her. He kissed her lips passionately, then used his tongue to force her mouth open. She obliged willingly. It was amazing what a difference being truly in love with the man that was making love to you could do. Sarah had never experienced anything like this before and she knew now, if she didn't before that she never wanted another man, ever. Only he could call her Sarah, she was his. "I have never had it like that before, Harm... that wasn't about sex... not at all... that was... incredible..." Mac managed to get out between attempts to regulate her breathing once more. "Incredible doesn't even come close, Sarah." Harm murmured into her sweat-damp hair, "I've never experienced anything like it before, it was like flying without a plane." he said. Mac smiled, she knew that was one of the highest compliments her "Flyboy" could give. They fell asleep in each other's arms, only to awaken and repeat their activities several more times. Needless to say, neither got very much sleep that night, but neither cared. "Okay, we ARE getting up to eat this time!" Mac admonished teasingly as Harm began to lay on the kisses again. Tossing him off of her playfully she got up and dressed in a pair of shorts and a shirt. He left to go get dressed in his own room. When they were both dressed they went to the Court of Two Sisters, for breakfast and since they were the only ones in the courtyard Mac held Harm's hand across the table. "We broke regulations, Harm... what are we going to do? I, for one, plan on breaking them again not too far in the future..." Sarah said smiling at him softly. "Well, Colonel, if you need a good lawyer, I'll be here for you." Harm laughed. "As long as you'll be my lawyer." He smiled at her, "Seriously, Mac, right now, I don't give a damn for the regulations. You are my life, I'd die if we couldn't be together. We'll just need to keep our new relationship a secret until the time is right." Mac nodded and smiled. They ate a huge breakfast and then wandered around the quarters stopping every once in a while to watch a performer of one kind or another. Then they took a carriage ride and Sarah laid her head against Harm's shoulder, her face glowing brighter than a diamond. They ate seafood pasta for lunch and afterwards Mac asked, "So what do you want to do now? The city is ours..." Harm leaned over and whispered in Mac's ear, "I know what I want to do now, and it has nothing to do with the city." Mac actually blushed but took Harm's hand and they were back to the apartment in no time and clothes hit the floor as if they were on fire. This time the couple took Harm's room and the pace of the love making was slow and sensual not fast and furious as it had been the night before. "Oh, Harm, I love you...I've wanted this for so long...." "Sarah," Harm said after he was able to catch his breath, "I love you... I have since the Rose Garden. I just couldn't admit it to myself." He leaned down and kissed her. They lay next to each other and drifted into sleep. Harm awoke to the sound of the doorbell and heavy rain and thunder outside indicating a storm. Sarah came back upstairs in a t-shirt and boxers and laid the pizza on the bed with a ice canister containing two diet sodas. "Dinner is served!" she announced and then laughed. They were sitting there eating when Sarah asked, "You never told me, Harm, just what all led up to your coming back? I mean was there just no camaraderie out there or what? Bud said every time he got mail from you you were having the time of your life and then one day the Admiral calls me in his office and, bam, we're partners again..." "Actually, Mac, being back in the air was a dream come true. The guys teased me for a while about being too old, but quit when they realized I could still fly with the best of them." Harm said, taking a bite of pizza, veggie for him, the works for her. "My roommate was always talking about his wife and his girls at home, there were pictures all over his bunk and desk. All I had were pictures of little AJ and you. One day as I was listening to him talk about his family for the millionth time, I realized that I was jealous. I didn't have a family of my own. I mean I have Mom and Frank, and Gran, but no wife, no kids... I want that life, Sarah. I realized that I really wanted that life..." he took a sip of his soda, then continued, "I want that life with you, Sarah. I don't want to wait five years for our promise, I want it all now. I realize that this would be a major step, and you may not be ready for it, but I had to say it." "Oh, Harm, I want that life, too..." Sarah said softly her features soft with her love for him, "I've wanted that for a while. I'm not getting any younger and I want the opportunity to share every moment I have with you that I can. Five years was to give you the opportunity to do what you wanted, Harm. It was something for me to hold on to..." Sarah ate another bite of pizza and took another sip of her drink. "The five years was because I was too scared and stupid to say what I really wanted... that I wanted a family with you now." Harm said, finishing his soda. "Sarah, I want to marry you. I know we haven't been together for more than a few days, but, Sarah, I've loved you for three years..." he said, looking into her deep brown eyes. "Did you just propose?" Sarah asked looking at him, her expression one of shock. She had wanted to hear a proposal from him for the last five months, had she finally heard it? Her heart was beating fast and she couldn't remember the last time she'd breathed. "I don't know, Sarah. Is it too soon for it to be a proposal? If it is, then, no, I didn't propose, I just announced my intentions to propose when it is the right time. If it's not too soon to propose to you, then, yes, Sarah Catherine MacKenzie, I'm asking you to do me the honor of becoming my partner in life... to become the mother of my children... to become my wife." Sarah smiled and squeezed her eyes shut a moment as the glistening tears ran down her cheek, much softer than the raging downpour of rain outside. Harm, the love of her life had just proposed to her, "Yes, Harmon David Rabb, Jr. I will marry you... you and I shall be partners forever, in every way.... Semper Fidelis, I love you..." Sarah said softly her eyes locked with his her gaze intense. "I guess it wasn't too early." Harm said, drawing his fiancée into a passionate kiss that truly knit their hearts into one. The end... for now... |
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