Author: NettieC
Subject: Stopping - December HBX Challenge

Disclaimer: They don't belong to me but you know that already.

This is a short response to the December Challenge.

Merry Christmas to all those celebrating.

oxoxoxoxStoppingxoxoxoxo


JAG HQ

Standing outside her office, Harm looked in through the partially closed blinds and sighed heavily. Mac was sitting back in her chair her brow furrowed; a thousand things running through her mind. He could almost hear the cogs of her brain working and he knew her preoccupation was his fault, though she’d most likely deny it if he questioned it.

He rapped on the door before opening it when he heard her call, “Enter”.
“Hey, Mac,” he started, moving in and shutting the door behind him.
“Hey, Harm, what’s up?” she asked, closing the file she hadn’t even bothered to work on.
“You look tired,” he commented, dropping into the chair across from her.
“So do you,” she replied, a weary smile crossing her face.
“What’s say I take you out to dinner?” he offered. “I’ll be done early and can pick you up by 1900.”
“Thanks,” she said. “But I’m not really up for a night out.”
“Well, we can stay in. I can pick up take out and still be at your place at 1900,” he said. “I won’t even mind if you’re in your pj’s.”

Mac leant back in the chair and eyed him curiously. It was his fault she didn’t sleep last night … his fault she’d had so much on her mind she’d left home with two odd shoes on… his fault, definitely his fault. And she knew having dinner with him wasn’t going to make anything better … if anything it was going to make for another sleepless night.

“Mac?” he questioned softly, bringing her back to the present.
“Oh, ah … yeah…dinner, right?” she said, focussing on him once more.
“So?” he probed, not knowing if he was to be invited or not.
“Dinner, yeah, that would be nice,” she smiled. “But I can’t guarantee I’ll still be awake if you’re late, okay?”
“I promise I won’t be late,” he grinned, standing up. “I’ll see you at 1900 or earlier.”

Mac’s Apartment
1903

Harm had tried every strategy to ensure he was at Mac’s door on time and though he was tardy by only three minutes, thanks to a delivery truck taking forever to reverse into an alley way in the block before Mac’s, he was disappointed in himself.
“I’m so sorry …” he began the instant the door opened. “I tried but there was this truck and …”
“It’s okay, Harm, come on in,” she said warmly, stepping aside so he could enter. “I was giving you til ten past.”

Heading to the kitchen with bags in hand, Harm smiled at the festive decorations which adorned her apartment, the ones which hadn’t been there the night before, on his last visit there.
“I see you’ve been busy,” he commented, taking the Chinese containers from the paper bag.
“Yeah, just a bit,” Mac replied, grabbing some plates from the cupboard.
“Looks good,” he said, opening the first box.
“Thanks … I wasn’t going to but then I got home and thought I should brighten the place up a bit,” she explained, pouring them both a tall glass of water.
“You could have waited … I would have helped,” he said, pausing for a minute to study her.
“Well, I thought of that …” she started. “But then I decided against it. I think we need to spend some time sorting some things out.

She grabbed the glasses and cutlery and headed out of the kitchen. Rather than sitting at the table, Mac made her way to the sofa and deposited the items on the coffee table and sat waiting for Harm. He wanted to ask what they had to sort out but he knew … it was the same thing which had kept him awake the previous night too.

In near silence they ate, neither up for small talk knowing what was ahead of them. Finally, Mac put her plate down on the table, most of her meal still on the plate, which was very un-Mac-like. “Can’t eat right now,” she stated as she caught his curious gaze.
“I know how you feel,” he agreed putting his plate down alongside hers.
“You want to do this now?” she asked, turning to sit cross legged and face him.
“Yeah, no time like the present, right?” he nodded.
“So, go ahead,” she said, her eyes dropping to his chest, not quite able to look him in the eye.
“Me?” he choked. “Okay,” he agreed when he saw her nod. “Well, Mac… I guess it’s like this; you and I have danced around an ‘us’ for a long time now. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“Yes,” she nodded, still not looking at him.
“And lately we’ve been spending a lot of time together and I’m sure you’ll agree it’s felt good,” he said, a greater confidence in his voice.
“Yes, I’d agree to that,” she smiled, finally letting her eyes meet his.
“So, when I was here last night and we’d had a lovely evening together, that kiss as I was leaving was an expression of all that …” he said, reaching across to take hold of her hand. “I know it surprised you … it surprised the hell out of me too … but it’s something I’ve thought about doing a lot, especially lately…”

He waited for her to speak but it didn’t happen, so he continued. “I don’t regret it, Mac, and …”
“I don’t regret it either,” she interrupted, leaning towards him. “But, um…”
“But what?” Harm asked, concerned by her hesitance.
“But you left so quickly … I thought maybe it wasn’t what you wanted … or you were disappointed … or…” she explained, glancing away from him.
“God, no,” Harm interrupted, moving closer to her. “I left because I didn’t think I would be able to stop myself from taking things further if I stayed.”
“Who’s to say I would have wanted you to stop?” she asked her eyes locked with his.

Harm’s jaw visibly dropped as her words sunk in.
“Are you saying there’s the possibility of not stopping next time?” he asked, his heart pounding against his ribs.
“Who’s talking about possibilities?” she asked, she was clear in her mind about exactly what she wanted.
“So, are you saying … well, do you mean …” He wasn’t sure how to phrase what could well be the most important question of his life.

Mac considered his plight for a moment before moving in to kiss him tenderly. When he responded to her, she ran her hands up his arms before linking them behind his neck, using this new position to pull her body to him.
“I’m saying,” she began, brushing her lips across his once more. “That this time, don’t stop.”

And he didn’t.