Mac: Why are you being nice to me?

Harm: I'm always nice to you.

Baby It's Cold Outside (season six)

May 2012 Challenge HBX

Spring had sprung late in DC and finally the days were warmer and the night later to settle in. With the improvement in the weather came the improvement in the mood around JAG Headquarters and this pleased General Gordon Cresswell as he scanned the bullpen. For too long there seemed to be a heavy cloud hanging over the place. A cloud created from too many cases, too many conflicts and too many long hours.

Deciding that as it was the Friday before the Memorial weekend, and because his staff deserved it, Cresswell called them to attention and instantly there was silence.

"At ease," he said once he was the focus of attention. "It's been a long and incredibly arduous few months around here and I have appreciated your efforts, often above and beyond the call, to see that justice is served. You have all worked hard; forsaking life outside the office for the greater good. Now, with things easing and the long weekend ahead, I have decided to secure this office early as a thank you of sorts. It is now 1146. I'm giving you until 1230 to finalise what you are doing and depart. Anyone left after that will be considered to be disobeying an order. Understood?"

"Aye, aye, sir," came the chorus of replies around the bullpen.

"Good. Dismissed!"

There was a low hum as staff scurried to complete their tasks and collect their belongings while being stunned that their normally gruff and inflexible boss had shown a generous nature.

Having missed the whole announcement, due to taking an international call, Harm was venturing to the break room when he realised something was amiss.

"What's the emergency?" Harm asked a young petty officer as she hurried towards the elevator.

"Sir," she replied, coming to attention before relating the news.

Harm grinned before dismissing her and heading to Mac's office.

"You obviously missed the announcement too," he said, sticking his head in the door and seeing Mac with a phone in one hand and a pen in the other. "Oops, sorry!" he mouthed when he realised she was talking to someone.

"On hold," she replied. "What announcement?"

"We're all to secure for the long weekend by 1230 or be considered to be disobeying a direct order," he said with a grin.

"Since when?" she replied, looking out to see most of the staff already gone.

'Since Cresswell announced it about 10 minutes ago," he said, still smiling.

"What are you smiling for?" she asked, her smile widening to match his.

"Because..." he started.

"Yes, this is Colonel MacKenzie, I'm still on hold for Major Ambrose," Mac said interrupting him. "I'll wait..." she said with a sigh. "You were saying?"

"I'm smiling because I'm happy...the long weekend starts now and I was hoping you'd agree to having lunch with me," he said cheerfully. "Your pick."

"Sounds great," she replied before Major Ambrose came on the line and duty called.

Quickly, Harm grabbed a pencil and her note pad and scribbled 'I'll pick you up from your place. Call me when you're ready'

"Okay," she mouthed.

It was 90 minutes later that Mac opened her apartment door and watched as Harm's mouth opened ever so slightly when he took in her appearance. She'd changed into a snug fitting pair of blue jeans and a red cashmere sweater which hugged her in all the right places.

"Am I overdressed? Underdressed?" she asked when his eyes failed to make it to her face.

"You're perfect," he muttered, not realising he'd actually given voice to his thoughts.

"Perfect might be going a bit far," she said with a laugh. "I'll just get my purse."

Harm spent the next few moments shaking his head and trying to get his thoughts off Mac's body and onto other things, like lunch.

"Have you decided where you'd like to eat?" he asked, stepping towards the door.

"I have," she replied, stopping by the sofa. "Gramercy Tavern."

"Gramercy Tavern?" he repeated. "As in Gramercy Tavern, New York?"

"That's the one," she replied with a smile. "Except it will have to be dinner...we can pick up something for lunch on the drive up. What do you say?"

"I say yes, definitely yes, but you do realise this will require us staying overnight, don't you?" he asked, a little stunned by the direction this conversation had taken.

"I was hoping we could stay three nights," Mac replied, picking up a small case which had been hiding behind the sofa. "Unless you have other..."

"Oh, those plans are fine by me," he said, his grin back in place. "We'll swing by my loft and it will take me all of five minutes to be packed."

With a quick stop at Harm's they were on the road to New York by 1400, they had a break in Baltimore for a late lunch and Mac had phoned the Gramercy Tavern for a late dinner booking.

"Any preference for a hotel?" she asked, scrolling through the options on Google on her phone.

"Not really," Harm replied. "Maybe somewhere near the tavern though. We could leave the car and walk..."

"Sounds good," she replied, hitting a few buttons. "Gramercy Park Hotel is right on the park and about a five minute walk..."

"Great," he answered, waiting for the BIG question, but it never came.

Instead, Mac called the hotel and checked on availability. "That's right, I'm looking for a room for two for tonight, check out Monday...Yes, I do realise it's a long weekend. Do you have anything suitable?" There was a long pause. "Sure, the suite is fine. How much is that? Okay, it will be on VISA..."

"How much?" Harm asked quietly.

"Never mind," she replied. "My treat. Okay..." she continued before giving her credit card and personal details.

With traffic, it was just after seven when Harm pulled into the private parking bay at the hotel. Climbing out, he opened the trunk and retrieved their bags before making his way around to Mac's side and taking her hand as she climbed out.

"Just pushed the reservation back another half hour," she said, bumping the door closed.

"Great," he replied, walking them towards the entrance. "Gives us enough time to check in, freshen up and walk there."

"My thoughts exactly," she said. "I'm starving."

On the way up to the suite there was a thick silence, neither too sure what the other's reaction would be to the sleeping arrangements. It wouldn't be the first time they had shared the same room or even the same bed but there had never been anything romantic in it. Now, things were changing and seemingly for the better. The whole weekend spoke of enormous possibilities and neither wanted to jinx things by saying the wrong thing.

"Wow!" was Mac's first comment when Harm opened the door revealing a room dressed in regal red and one that wouldn't be amiss in a stately mansion. "This is a bit fancier than the hotels I usually stay in," she said, although it would explain the $1800 price tag for the three nights.

'Me too," he agreed, running his hand over the royal blue fabric headboard. Then, shaking his head, he realised they'd better get moving f they were to make their dinner reservations. "Would you like to freshen up first?" he offered gesturing to the nearby door.

Emerging from the bathroom ten minutes later, Mac was dressed in a little black dress and for the second time that day, Harm found it difficult to keep his eyes of her body.

"Your turn," she said sashaying past.

Harm took his suit bag in with him and before long emerged in a black suit with a crisp white shirt and black tie with fine white stripes.

'I'm ready," he announced, leaving the clothes he'd just changed out of neatly folded on the armchair.

"Me too," Mac replied, picking up her purse.

Soon, they were out on the street heading towards the Tavern, reaching down Harm entwined his fingers with Mac's and continued the journey, smiling to himself when she gently squeezed his hand.

After the short walk, Harm opened the door for her. "After you," he said, letting go of her hand. Seated at a table to two at the back of the Tavern, they perused the menu, Mac starting with the desserts, so she could decide what she could fit in before it.

"Which dessert will it be?" Harm asked, knowing exactly what she was doing.

"The fudge brownie sundae, I think," she said with a hungry grin.

"And for your actual dinner?" he asked trying to hide his smile.

"Um...haven't got that far yet," she said, flicking back to the start. "Let's see..."

In the end, Harm ordered the Ruby Red Shrimp, followed by the Striped Bass, while Mac opted for the open ravioli of beef and carrot, followed by the roasted and braised lamb.

"Are you going to fit your dessert in?" he asked as the waiter remained at their table.

"Maybe I'll wait until after the meal to see," she said. Having high hopes that this evening would take a romantic turn, she wanted to ensure she didn't overeat.

"And to drink?" the waiter asked, looking between the pair.

"I'll take a Cosmonot," Mac said, opting for a non-alcoholic cocktail.

"And I'll have a Sixpoint Crisp Lager," he said handing back his menu.

When the waiter had left them idle chatter ensued.

"Apart from dining here tonight," Harm started. "Did you have any other ideas as to how we'd spend the weekend?"

"Well..." she started, drawing the word out. "I was thinking that we could spend the next few days...um...getting to know each other," she said quickly before chancing a glance at him.

"Mac, we've known each other a decade now," he said gently.

"As colleagues, yes... as friends, yes," she agreed with a brief nod.

"So, what about this weekend?" he asked nervously.

"Well, we're away from everyone and everything and I was hoping that maybe...just maybe we could, well... we keep dancing around the issue and I thought that this would be the perfect opportunity to..." she rambled, not quite knowing what to say or where to look.

Reaching across the table, Harm took her hands in his. "Us?" he said quietly. "Would you like to spend this weekend getting to know each other as a couple? To work on us?"

"Yeah, I would," she said in a whisper, her eyes locked on his. "Only if you..."

"Oh, I do," he whispered in reply. "It's something I've wanted for a while...something I think we've been working towards lately."

"Me too," Mac agreed. "I was hoping we'd get to spend time together this weekend and when the general gave us the extra time I figured it was a sign to take the opportunity..."

"Remind me to thank Cresswell when we return," Harm said, raising her hand to his lips and kissing it.

"Let's not think about Cresswell and returning until we have to," she replied softly. "Let's think of nothing but us and this weekend."

It was the easiest thing Harm had agreed to in a long time.

The first course was enjoyed over chatter about museums and landmarks they could visit but in the end they agreed to play it by ear and see what they felt up to and what the weather was doing.

"Ma'am, another Cosmonot?" the waiter asked and Mac nodded, adding 'thanks'. "And another lager, sir?"

"Ah, no thanks," he replied, looking at Mac. "I'll take a mineral water with a lemon twist."

"You know I don't mind you drinking," she said quietly.

"I know," he said nodding.

"Then why the switch?" she asked, her leg rubbing against his.

"Because," he whispered, his voice deepening. "With your permission, I plan on kissing you later on and I don't want to taste of beer." Mac smiled widely, she had planned on kissing him too.

Over the second course, the conversation turned to reminisces of the finer and funnier moments of their decade working together and time seemed to evaporate. It wasn't until the waiter came over an hour after their meal was done and politely told them it was way past closing they realised it had already gone midnight.

"You didn't have dessert," Harm observed as the waiter took his credit card for payment.

"I know," she said, picking up her purse. "Maybe we can get some ice-cream through room service."

"Anything you want," he replied, signing the receipt and pocketing his wallet once more.

Walking back to the hotel, hand-in-hand, Harm squeezed Mac's hand. "You've gotten quiet. Everything okay?"

"Yeah, just thinking," she said, letting go of his hand and slipping her arm around his waist, just as quickly his arm surrounded her, pulling her close.

"About?" he prompted, looking down at her.

"Ohhh," she said slowly. "You...me...where tonight is going..."

"Any thoughts?" he asked just as slowly.

"Lots," she said, her mind going around in circles.

"Well, I think tonight should be taken slowly," he said, stopping them in the middle of the sidewalk. "After all, it is only our first date," he added with a wink.

"Does that mean I should have booked two rooms or at least a double because..." she started quickly but Harm placed his finger on her lips.

"Definitely not," Harm replied. "I plan on sharing a bed with you tonight...but we don't have to do anything but sleep."

Smiling at him, Mac moved her arms and linked her hands behind his neck. Slowly, she pushed up onto tiptoe and gently kissed him. When she pulled back he gazed down at her.

"That was nice," he said, pushing her hair from her face. "More than nice."

"I thought so," she said with a shy smile. "I just thought it was suitable for a first date kiss goodnight."

"Usually that kiss takes place in the doorway," he said as they resumed their walk home.

"Oh, I know," she said, leaning into him. "This was only a practice run...I do plan on kissing you again...and again."

Harm grinned; he had some pretty explicit plans for what wanted to do to Mac over the course of the long weekend...and yes, it involved kissing and a whole lot more.

In next to no time they were standing outside their hotel room door and Harm had the swipe card in his hand. Without swiping it, Harm pocketed the card once more and Mac looked at him curiously.

"I got a step ahead of myself," he said looping his arms around her. "I think it's time for the real kiss goodnight."

"Really?" she asked with a small smile, butterflies invading her stomach.

"Why do you look so nervous?" he asked, pulling her closer.

"I don't know," she admitted honestly. "First date nerves, maybe."

"We don't have to do this," he whispered. "We don't have to do anything...there's no rush."

"Why are you being so nice to me?" she asked, liking this side of him.

"I'm always nice to you," he replied quickly but a raised eyebrow from Mac was all it took to reconsider his answer. "Maybe not always," he amended, "But I promise you I am going to try to be everything you need."

Their lips met in a searing kiss and Mac was grateful for the sturdy door jamb behind her. Nowhere near a natural conclusion, their kiss ended abruptly when two other hotel guests walked past and made their disgust at such a public display of affection known.

"Think we need to take this inside before we get thrown out," Harm said, grabbing the swipe card and opening the door.

"Ma'am," he said, gesturing for Mac to enter first.

The moment he closed the door behind him, he pulled Mac back to him and passionately finished what had been so rudely interrupted.

"Wow," Mac muttered when she finally pulled back. "That was some kiss goodnight."

"Believe me when I say it was my pleasure," he said, kissing her briefly once more.

Mac was the first one to use the bathroom and change for bed. Filled with swirling emotions, she wanted so much more from Harm than just a goodnight kiss and while she knew she would have that chance over the next few days, she had to wonder if waiting for another time was even necessary. Sure, she'd been the one who was a little hesitant but now in the confines of their heavenly suite, she couldn't fathom why she'd been anxious earlier. After all, while they had referred to dinner as their first date, they had such an intimate and colourful history together that making love wouldn't be considered an impulsive act.

Pulling off the white cotton nightgown she had just put on, Mac slipped on the red negligee she had bought a while back but had never worn. Throwing on the soft white robe, Mac tied it around her waist, picked up her bag and exited the bathroom.

"Your turn," she said, depositing her bag in the closet.

'Very cute," Harm said, running his fingers along the lapel of her robe.

"Just cute?" she questioned with a pout.

"And incredibly sexy," he whispered before kissing her earlobe.

"Well," she said taking a deep breath. "If you think the robe is sexy you should see what's underneath."

Slowly, Harm undid her belt and watched as the robe fell open, Mac watched as he swallowed hard, obviously trying hard to control his reaction to her.

"It's...wow...um..." he said, his cheeks flushed and his language skills deserted him but it didn't stop him from pushing the robe from her shoulders and taking in the sheer red fabric draped perfectly over Mac's body.

"I was hoping you'd reconsider our plan to just sleep tonight," she said in a sultry whispered.

"Consider it reconsidered," he said, leaning down and kissing her deeply, his hands roaming around her body as her fingers worked his shirt buttons.

When Mac had succeeded in her mission, she worked on his belt and pants button and zip before stepping back and divesting him of the intrusive clothing. When he was standing just in his boxers, Mac resumed the kiss.

"Not that this isn't everything I ever dreamed of," Harm said when they had pulled apart, albeit marginally. "But I just want to check in...you seemed hesitant earlier ...and now...well..."

Drawing in a deep breath, Mac smiled at him before exhaling slowly. "I want this so very much that I find it hard to explain. We both know that there was always the potential for an us...however, there has always been the potential for it being an unmitigated disaster."

"I wouldn't put it quite that way," Harm whispered, his arms anchored around her waist.

Mac just smiled before continuing. "Since Christmas we've gotten closer and I've spent a lot of time thinking about what a relationship between us would look like and I've spent hours thinking of how beautifully perfect it would be and then equal time thinking of all the things that could go wrong..."

"So, what about now?" he asked, his eyes locked on hers.

"I'm scared," she admitted quietly. "I'm scared of all these feelings coursing through me. I'm scared that I don't know how to be in an equal, fully functioning relationship. I'm scared of disappointing you...and...I'm scared that by being scared I'm going to miss out on the most incredible opportunity of my life."

"Well," Harm began hoarsely, emotions choking his voice. "What scares me most is that I love you. I am not scared of you but of not being the man you want or need. I don't want to disappoint you or let you down. I just want to be able to love you and know you love me. That is something incredibly new to me. You ...these feelings you create in me...are new, I've never felt this way before."

"So, we're both scared," Mac whispered, increasing her grip on him. "That makes me feel better."

"Me too," he whispered in reply, kissing her nose.

"I love you, Harm...at some level I always have," she said brushing her lips against his.

"And I love you, Sarah," he said in hushed tones.

With those declarations made a veil of serenity settled upon them. A gentle, loving peacefulness which put to rest the demons of the past and allowed them make the transition from friends to lovers.

While the rest of the world went on outside their hotel room door, Harm and Mac entered a whole new world. One that would see them finally living the happily ever after they both longed for and deserved. And it was all thanks to the General.