Author: mkim
Subject: The Shampoo Boy- - - December 2006 Challenge

The Shampoo Boy

Chapter 1/1

Disclaimers: I don’t own any of the JAG characters. I don’t own any of the JAG characters. Any similarities to situations or persons living or dead are purely coincidental.

AN: This story takes place immediately after ‘The Four Percent Solution.” in season 10. It will utilize the December 2006 Challenge words for the HBX. Some of the dialogue will be in another tense.



Mac: Oh, that feels good.
Harm: There?
Mac: Mmm. Don't stop.
(People v. Rabb)



1945

December 25, 2005

Sarah Mackenzie apartment

Georgetown


Mac walked slowly into her living room. She had just climbed gingerly out of her bath tub and put on her pajamas, having attempted washing her hair, without much success. Her ribs were still bruised and sore from her accident. The airbag that had probably saved her life had done a real number on her face and her ribs. Reaching up to wash her hair caused so much pain it nearly took her breath away.

She found herself looking at the phone, telling herself for the 10th time to call Harm. He’d offered to help, anything she needed, he’d said. She could set something up in her kitchen, he could help her wash her hair, and she would feel really clean, like a human being again.

It had been a quiet Christmas, and so far, that had been fine with her. Harm had been kind enough to drive her home from the hospital this morning, he saw her into her house and she went straight to bed, exhausted. When she woke up, after sleeping for several hours, she’d begun her normal routine. A bath and fresh pajamas, but washing her hair had been another matter.

She walked to the French doors that led out to her balcony and looked out into the still Christmas night. It was strange, Christmas mornings alone, had never bothered her, it was Christmas night that had always made her feel lonely. She thought of calling Harriet, but she knew that she and Bud had a big Christmas dinner with their extended family today, so that was out. It could probably have waited until tomorrow, but the truth was, she suddenly just didn’t want to be alone tonight.

Mac went to her phone and dialed Harm’s number, hoping he hadn’t decided at the last minute to go out, or spend
Christmas day at Bud and Harriet’s. She listened, and after the fourth ring, heard the call being rerouted, then he answered.

“Mac?” He recognized her number on the caller ID of his cell phone.

“Hey….where are you?”

“I decided to take a drive, nothings open, but I didn’t feel like spending the whole night in…. you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m alright, I was just wondering…”

Silence, while Mac realized she was about to ask ‘him’ to...wash her hair? What was she thinking?

“Wondering?” Harm tried to help her along.

“C’mon, out with it, Marine.” Harm couldn’t keep from smiling. He knew she hated asking him for help, but he was so happy that she’d called that, he could resist a good natured tease.

“Jerk…you’re not going to make this easy, are you?”

“I’ve always thought I was easy, Mac. Just tell me…what can I do for you?”

Mac exasperated just blurted out, “I cant wash my hair…my ribs hurt and I didn’t want to ask Harriet….” ’God.. she hated asking anyone, but she was in too deep to back out now. “I need your help….and for the record….you are NOT easy.”

“I’m easier than you think ,Mac.”

“Oh really. Why would that be?”

“If you’ll look out your apartment window, I‘ll show you.”

Sure enough, when Mac walked over to her window, that gave her a view of the street below, she saw Harm opening the door of his corvette, grinning up at her.

Harm was upstairs in minutes, and when Mac opened the door, he gave no explanation of his reason for already being there, he only looked at her pajamas and robe. “Very nice, Mac.”

“Hey, they aren’t that bad. At least, they aren’t flannel.” Maybe they were brown and plain, but they were comfortable, fit well, and the material was soft and silky, beneath her robe. Maybe it wasn’t the most attractive thing in her closet, she had to admit the thick fleece robe hid nearly everything from head to toe….but it was warm and comfortable, and she needed that tonight. Her hair was another matter, it looked so awful, it was embarrassing. She’d pulled it back in a scrunchie, but it was still damp and dirty. She hated that he was seeing her this way, even though he’d seen her looking much worse.

“I never said you looked bad, Mackenzie….you look very…nice.”
He winked at her, in that teasing way that made her want to just…smack him….or kiss him, senseless.

Instead, she turned and walked back toward her bedroom. “I’ll get my shampoo and towels.”

“Where do you want to do this?” He took off his coat and hung it on one of the dining room chairs.

“In the kitchen, do you mind taking one of my chairs in there?”

When Mac walked into the kitchen he asked, “Right here?” Turning the chair so that the back was closest to the sink.

“Yeah, that’s good.”

Mac had carried towels, her shampoo and conditioner with her.
It occurred to her then that Harm was going to be her ‘shampoo boy’ and the thought almost made her laugh out loud. It seemed having him with her tonight and everything that had happened last night was having an effect on her she hadn’t expected. She felt happy, nervous, and oddly enough, giddy. She looked at him, smiling broadly, so much so that Harm self consciously looked down at his clothes. “What?”

“Maybe you should take off that flannel shirt, you’ll get it wet.” She thought better of teasing him about taking on this job as her shampoo boy, just yet. She was afraid she‘d start giggling like an idiot.

“Oh.“ Harm was relieved, he was beginning to think he’d gotten something on his clothes…or god forbid, that his fly was open.

He took off the flannel shirt leaving just a plain white t shirt underneath, along with his jeans. He invited her to sit, so they could get started on Mac’s hair. He regulated the water to just the right temperature. He had the spray nozzle in one hand and as he watched her walking further into the room, there were no sly smiles. He realized just how much pain she was still having, Mac was moving very carefully. She eased down into the chair and as she lay her head back into his hand, she smiled up at him and said,

“Gently Sailor.”

“Always, Mackenzie.”

As he took the spray nozzle and gently pressing the handle, he sprayed the warm water into her hair, right at her hairline.

Mac watched him as he tucked his bottom lip in, as he wet her hair down, he seemed to be the nervous one, now. “Okay Mac? It’s not too hot?”

“No…this feels good. Thanks for this Harm.”

Harm glanced at her for a moment, “Not a problem, I‘m glad you called.”

He reached for one of the bottles and Mac glanced up.

“No Harm, that’s not shampoo..” Mac began to sit up, allowing her wet hair to fall on the thick towel around her shoulders.

Harm turned the bottle, “Conditioner. So I get to shampoo ‘and’ condition?”

“Hey, isn’t this a full service salon?” She gave him a wry grin.

“Salon? Funny Marine.”

He picked up the other bottle and squirted a bit into his palm. Her hair was wet enough for Harm to be able to work the shampoo into her hair, letting the excess water and shampoo drip onto the towel on her shoulders. His hands felt so good that she didn’t want him to stop… she could only think, ‘Mmmm, Harm if you only knew …’

She closed her eyes and sighed heavily as he threaded his fingers deeply into her hair, first at the sides and then up from the nape of her neck. What she didn’t know was that she was having the same effect on Harm, as his hands where having on her. Hearing her sigh made it difficult to remember that this was a favor for her, not for his own pleasure. Her face was still a little pink from her injury yesterday, and he couldn’t help thinking about how beautiful she was, with her eyes closed and her head tilted back just so.

Finished with lathering up her hair, Harm gently guided her back and began to rinse the shampoo out. He was quiet as he lathered her hair again, always careful not to move too quickly or handle her neck or head too roughly. When he rinsed out the shampoo again, Mac began to relax and let Harm take the weight of her head in his large open hand. She hadn’t realized how intimate his shampooing her hair would feel. Her cheeks warmed along with the rest of her body She didn’t make a sound but she couldn’t keep the serene expression from her face, his hands and the warm water just felt too good. His voice brought her back to reality. Before she knew it, Harm was helping her sit upright.

“Okay, Mac. What about this conditioner?” Harm had picked up the other bottle.

Mac opened her eyes, “Help me dry my hair a bit with the towel.” Harm took a towel from the kitchen counter, as she carefully sat forward and gently squeezed and rubbed most of the water out of her hair. “…I just need…a bit on the ends, since I’ve grown my hair out. I need it. It’s kind of a pain.”

“It looks nice grown out, Mac.” He said it, matter of fact, as he concentrated on drying her hair.

“It’s a lot of work, sometimes I miss having it short, it was less trouble.”

Harm took the towel off of her hair, which revealed a tangled mess that made them both laugh.

“Oh yeah...I look lovely don’t I?”

Harm laughed, “Always Mackenzie. Let me help you comb it out.”

“Put a little conditioner on the ends and we’ll comb it out in the bathroom.”

Harm put a small amount of the conditioner in his hand and put it onto the ends of her hair.

“Come on Mac, lets finish this up, so you can get comfortable.” He placed his hand on her back, as Mac carefully stood up from the chair.

Mac glanced over at him. “Is this making ‘you’ uncomfortable Harmon?”

“No…I was thinking of you.” He looked at her still uncombed hair. “I thought you wouldn’t want to leave your hair like.” He grinned and gestured toward her hair, “that.”

Mac didn’t answer and a still grinning Harm followed her into her bathroom where she removed her now damp, robe and sat down at a chair in front of her vanity. She handed him a large comb and he carefully started to comb out the wet mass of hair.

As he did, he told her, “You know…Mac….I liked your hair short…but I really like it…like this too.”

When he stopped combing, Mac turned to look at him.
“ I like it…a lot” His voice had taken a different tone, a softer somehow more familiar tone. He placed his hand on her shoulder, an innocent gesture, but one that seemed to indicate so much more. The strong physical pull between was still in full force. They’d been so close in the last 24 hours and they had actually touched each other more than they had in years. How ever platonic the reason, it was only making their physical attraction that much stronger.

Harm thought he should get back to the reason she asked for his help, before he did something that would make her throw him out of her apartment. So he asked,

“So, since this is a full service salon, do you need to dry it too?”

Mac decided to play along. “You’re not going to set it for me?”

“What?” He couldn’t imagine. “Mac you don’t wear those…curler…things in your hair…do you?”

“No, I don’t” Mac began to laugh. “But you have to admit, I had you going… didn’t I flyboy?

Harm’s totally perplexed look had her laughing a bit too hard. “Oh..I…I just need to have you dry it for me.” She braced her ribs with her arms folded in front of her and nodded toward the drawer in which she stored her hair dryer.

“Take it easy Mac.”

“I’m okay.”

Harm took her hair dryer out and plugged it in, and as he looked at the different settings, Mac watched his reflection in the mirror, a smile spreading across her face. There was nothing like the look of a Rabb on a mission. When Harm caught her eye, he asked, “What?” and put his hands on his hips, holding the hair dryer, much like a gun at his hip.

Mac couldn’t resist, she held her hands up. “Don’t shoot.”

He gave her a sarcastic smile, “Knock it off.” He held the dryer back in its correct position and began to move it around her head, lifting her hair, gently. Mac thought it might be wise to just close her eyes, this was looking funnier my the minute

Mac squeezed her eyes tight and gritted her teeth, the urge to laugh bubbling up in side of her. Oh the things she could say…what she wouldn’t give for a camera right now? She felt Harm lift her hair up and dry it underneath, she felt him carefully combing it back a then start to dry it again. She thought she’d regained her composure, so she chanced a peek, big mistake. Harm had taken the large comb and put it in his back pocket, that, along with the deep purple hairdryer that he was moving around her head with a flick of his wrist, was just too much.

Mac placed a hand over her mouth and tried to stifle her laughter. Which lasted all of 2 seconds, when Harm looked down at her in question, hairdryer off but still in hand. “Mac?”

“Ha!…Ohh ow!” Mac wrapped her arms around herself, bracing her ribs. “I cant stand it.” She had to get out of there. Leaning forward, still holding onto her ribs she fled the bathroom, leaving a totally bewildered Harm behind her.

Mac was taking breaths shaking her hands out to the side, anything to stop herself from laughing even harder. She sensed Harm walking up behind her. “No, no wait.” She covered her eyes with her hands. Harm walked around in front of her, and gently took hold of both of her arms.

“Mac, what is it?” His voice was full of concern.

“I’m okay… really, I just cant look, you looked..” She couldn’t say funny, he was doing her a big favor after all. “so…different…in there.”

Mac’s hands were still over her eyes.

“Mac, look at me.”

“Just a minute.” She took a couple of calming breaths and slowly brought her hands down, she was okay…she thought.

“I’m okay.”

“What was that about in there?”

“It was nothing, I just had a funny thought, that’s all.”

Harm narrowed his eyes and gave her an assessing look and then he noticed that a large strand of her hair had fallen out of place, and he reached to straighten it. When he put it in place and then followed the strand with his fingers to the end of the lock hair, he gently brushed it from the front of her shoulder to the back.

Mac watched his face, as his expression changed from normal interest to fascination, and all the silly thoughts that had her ready to laugh out loud, disappeared as she was drawn into him.

Harm became aware of her eyes on him, so he refocused on what they were talking about. “What was funny?”

“What?” His simple gesture had totally mesmerized her.

Harm took an involuntary step closer and asked again. “What was so funny.” The look in her eyes told him she still wasn’t with him yet.

“I…oh..I’m…sorry” She was beginning to come around. “I’m afraid I’ve got the giggles…and I rarely…get the giggles”

Harm was still standing close, his voice soft and low, “about…what?”

Mac looked up into his eyes…feeling drawn in again, God what was happening to her? She looked away from him quickly, “I don’t know whats come over me tonight…I want to laugh…at you.”

Harm looked confused.

“Or…punch you…..or” She looked up into his face again… Or…kiss…you.”

Now Harm knew exactly what she meant. He stepped close enough so that their bodies where almost touching. “Really?”

“Really.”

Reaching to touch her face, he traced the outline of her cheek with the tip of his finger. “Why don’t we try that last…thing you said you wanted to do”

Harm leaned down and touch her lips with his, careful not to hurt her, but also with enough passion for Mac to know, that there was more than friendship in this kiss.

He slipped his arms around her and when they ended the kiss, pulled her close and she rested her head on his chest. Harm kissed the top of her newly washed hair and smiled, “I have to say, this is not how I thought I would spend this Christmas night.”

Mac leaned back a bit and looked up at him, “How do you usually spend it?”

Harm gave her a knowing look, “The same way you do.”

At the same time they both said, “Alone.”

He pulled her close again, “But…not this year.”

Mac smiled mischievously and added, “Nope…this year you were my shampoo boy.”

Harm pulled back from her as if he’d been stung, “Shampoo boy?”

Mac just stood there chuckling, holding her ribs and trying very hard not to break into laughter. “Oh…I so wish I’d had a camera, when you were drying my hair…”

Then she couldn’t help it, she laughed out loud only to follow it with an “Owww!”

“Mac..stop it, you’ll hurt yourself.”

Mac was walking away from him, fanning herself trying not to laugh. “Oh…Harm, do something…I cant stop, thinking.” She continued to laugh, painfully. “You were just so cute in there…and so totally out of…your element.”

Harm was incredulous, “I would think so, and keep that to yourself …that includes anyone at work…I’ll deny it and you have no evidence.”

Mac laughed holding her ribs. “Stop! Say something serious, make me stop laughing.”

Harm knew just the thing, after all, it had worked last time. He walked up to her and gently turned her around, suddenly very serious, looking very deeply into her eyes. As before, Mac was totally caught up in his gaze. He placed his hands on each side of her face and gently tipped her head up, caressing the beautiful face that he’d been so captivated by, just a few moments before.

He said her name. “Sarah.”

That was all it had taken, she began to close her eyes as he leaned in close. She whispered, “Gently…Sailor.”

“Always, Mackenzie…always.”

And so, Harm decided that night that if this was what he got as a result of being Mac’s ‘shampoo boy’, then he was all for it.

He could always hide her camera.

FIN


A/N: This story is not meant to be derogatory to men who choose to be stylists, this is just a story to put Harm in a situation he wouldn’t normally be comfortable in and Mac’s reaction to it.