October Challenge for the HBX
Mac: You were unbelievably rude.
Harm: I was rude? You compared me to a bilge pump.
Mac: Bilge switch. And you deserved it.

Title: Hide and Peek
Author: manette
Rating: PG-13
Italics indicate whispering.
AN: When I read the October challenge I just said—well, pooh—I’ll never come up with anything for that. I'm still not sure I did. As usual there is no real plot or purpose to this scene—it was just an excuse to take great liberties with the challenge dialogue. This one hurt my head, but thanks for doing these anyway, Cece!


Hide and Peek


“Switch,” Harm hissed.

“What?” Mac whispered into the shadows.

“Switch places with me.”

“Why?”

“Because I need to get a better look.”

She was lying on her stomach on the bare concrete floor of an airplane hangar somewhere in the middle of rural Maryland. It was the middle of the night, and the only illumination came from two single light bulbs that were strung high up in the rafters. They gave the place a milky gray atmosphere that made things fuzzy around the edges. Looking back over her shoulder, she could barely make out Harm’s face as he crouched down behind her, waiting like an impatient kid for her to move.

She crawled backwards on her elbows and knees and said quietly. “Be my guest. I’ll just enjoy the view from back here.” She swatted him on the butt as he squirmed passed her into position, and then she asked, “See anything?”

He lay on his belly and took his time surveying the area. “No. It looks clear from here.”

“I could have told you that if you’d asked.” She wriggled around into a sitting position and leaned against the base of a wooden pallet stacked high with boxes ready to be shipped off somewhere. Looking around the airplane hangar, she inhaled the mixed smell of fuel, grease and dirt. With a sigh she scanned the labels printed on the sides of the boxes. “Hiding behind crates of bilge pumps and float valves is not how I imagined spending my honeymoon.”

Crawling backwards until he was hidden behind the crates as well, he sat up beside her. “When Rick asked for our help, I hated to say no.”

For their honeymoon they’d decided to fly up the coast in Sarah. He’d charted a course that took them over breathtaking scenery during the day and landed them at a variety of small airfields each evening. Sharing a new and different bed with Harm every night was an adventure all its own. The man had a way with a mattress.

This particular airfield belonged to one of Harm’s old flying buddies who’d mentioned in passing that he’d had a problem with a rash of break-ins recently. He also mentioned in passing that he hated to ask for Harm’s help, but he did anyway. Since he hadn’t found anything missing, Rick thought it might be kids up to mischief or a disgruntled employee. He didn’t really want to involve the police if he could help it. Mac tried not to think about the big four-poster feather bed waiting for them at Bee Bee’s Bed and Breakfast and settled in beside Harm for a long uncomfortable wait.

Harm was still pleading his case even though she’d offered no real objection. “I didn’t think you’d mind, since I know how much you love surveillance.”

“Humph.” She shrugged noncommittally.

“Don’t tell me a Devil Dog like you would rather have candlelight and roses?”

“Instead of flashlights and night vision goggles? Don’t be ridiculous.”

“That’s why I love you, Mac.”

“Save the sweet talk, sailor.”

His grin was shameless as he wrapped her in his arms. “Admit it,” he whispered in her ear. “Crawling around in the dead of night really gets your blood pumping.” He placed the palm of his hand at the base of her throat. “Your heart is racing.”

His hot breath skittering down her neck was getting her blood pumping, but he didn’t need to know that. She turned and found his mouth just inches from hers. “Your flashlight is digging into my side, Harm.”

“That’s not my flashlight, Mac.”

They were involved in a very complicated meeting of the mouths when the sound of a creaking door echoed in the stillness. They froze. Harm signaled with his eyes as he let her go and wiggled back into a position so he could see around the crates. Mac managed to squeeze in beside him and together they watched as the light from the parking lot spilled in through the open side door. Two shadows tumbled into the hangar and shut the door behind them.

The sound of feminine laughter echoed through the cavernous space. “You were unbelievably rude.”

A deep voice responded, “I was rude? He called me a grease monkey.”

“Why do you care what he thinks? He’s just a spoiled little rich boy with too much time on his hands.”

“Your folks expect you to marry him.”

“I don’t care what they expect.” The girl pushed away from him and crossed her arms across her chest. “I don’t love him.”

“He can give you everything, Lily. And you deserve it.”

“Not everything, Joey. He can’t take me flying.”

“Sure he can—anytime he wants. He’s got his own plane.”

In a seductive voice she asked, “Who needs a plane?” She spread out a blanket and knelt in the middle of it. Holding out her arms, she pleaded, “Take me flying, Joey.”

“Your daddy’ll fire me if he finds out about us.”

“Then he’ll lose me, too.”

The young man resisted for about thirty seconds before he groaned and joined her on the blanket. “I love you, Lily.”

“Oh, Joey, I love you, too.” It was dark enough that Harm and Mac couldn’t really see anything, but the noises coming from the blanket left little doubt as to the activity going on across the way.

Harm’s eyes were wide as he whispered, “Oh, brother. That’s Rick’s daughter, and Joey is one of his mechanics.”

Mac punched Harm in the arm and started scooting backwards until she was sitting with her back to the pallet once again. “I can’t believe I’m spending my honeymoon listening to other people fool around.”

Harm followed her and scooted up beside her. “I’m gonna kill Rick,” he whispered back.

“Oh, please Joey…”

“Oh, that’s it baby…”

“Oh, Mac…” Harm had a panicked sound in his voice now. “I can’t stay here and listen to this. Let’s get out of here.”

“Sounds good to me. What’s the plan?” She knew the goody-goody in him was freaking out. He’d probably known Lily since she was a little girl. Planning their escape route would give him something else to think about.

He snapped into mission mode. “We’ll navigate our way through these crates on our hands and knees until we obtain the end of this row. Then we’ll stand and proceed across the open space at the back of the hangar where we will exit the building through the back door.”

“Roger that. Crawl and then run like crazy.”

“You go first. I’ll be right on your heels.”

Mac took off trying to ignore the moans and groans filling the hangar. The concrete floor was rough on her hands and her sweatpants didn’t provide much cushion for her knees either.

“I wanna go higher, Joey, higher, higher.” Mac figured Lily was having a lot more fun than she was.

“Faster, Mac, faster, faster.” Harm was goosing her whenever she slowed down at all.

Suddenly she stopped and he plowed into the back of her. “Why are we stopping?” he whispered urgently.

“This way is blocked. We’ll have to squeeze through this opening.” The boxes were stacked in the aisle and they would have to stand up to fit through the tiny space.

“Yes, yes, yes…”

“Go ahead. I don’t think they’ll notice.”

Mac eased herself into a standing position and scooted sideways until she cleared the last crate. It was a tight fit and Harm was nearly clear when their luck almost ran out. The box on top teetered and they held their breath until it finally settled back into place. They swiftly dropped down to the floor and kept crawling.

“Joooooey.”

“Lillllley.”

Once they reached the end of the row, they stood up and sprinted across the open space They hit the back door and didn’t look back. They ran for the rental car they’d parked out of the way in the shadows. Jumping in, they slammed their doors and Harm peeled out of the parking lot. It was just a short drive to the bed and breakfast. The house was quiet and everyone seemed to be asleep, so they let themselves in and quietly crept upstairs to their bedroom.

“Well, that was exciting.” Mac sat down on a chair and started taking off her shoes.

Harm dropped down heavily onto the side of the bed. “I’m sorry, Mac.”

She laughed and walked across the room. “Maybe next time you’re on a honeymoon, you’ll think twice before taking your wife on a stake-out.” She maneuvered her way between his legs.

He put his hands on her waist. “I’ll be sure to remember that for my next honeymoon. What was I thinking?”

She ruffled his hair. “You were just trying to help a friend. That’s one of the things I love about you. And at least we found out no one is stealing from him.”

“That’s the good news. The bad news is that his daughter is using the hangar as her own personal make-out shack.”

“So what are you going to tell Rick?”

“I’m going to tell him we didn’t see anything. Lily’s old enough to decide who she wants to marry, and if Rick’s got a problem with that, they can work it out without any help from me.”

Mac smiled. “And technically, we didn’t ‘see’ anything.”

“Thank God.” He squirmed uncomfortably and shook his head like he was clearing an ugly image from his head.

She could have sworn he was blushing, too. Laughing, she leaned down to kiss him. “Harmon Rabb, you’re a prude.”

“I am not, and I can prove it.” He grabbed the hem of her sweatshirt and pulled it off over her head, revealing a lacy black bra underneath. “How would you like to go flying?”

“Now? But we don’t have a plane.” She grabbed the bottom of his sweatshirt and started tugging until it came off.

"Who needs a plane?” He nuzzled her bare stomach and watched as goose bumps marched across her taut skin. She climbed onto his lap, straddling him and looping her arms around his bare shoulders.

He rolled over and laid her back against the downy white comforter that covered the big four-poster feather bed. “Just hang on, sugar, and I’ll take you places you’ve never been before.”

She laughed and pulled him down, letting his weight anchor her to the bed, while knowing his lightest touch would soon send her soaring into space.

“Ouch.” She pulled away from him, abruptly. “Harm, your flashlight is digging into my side.”

“That’s not my flashlight, Mac."

She reached down between their bodies and groped around.

"Hey, watch it there.” He tried unsuccessfully to grab her hands. “Careful woman."

She wrestled around then triumphantly held up the long silver flashlight that had been clipped to his belt. "What do you call this?"

"Small by comparison?” He flashed his most arrogant flyboy grin.

Mac laughed. “I guess this wouldn’t be a good time to tell you how cocky you are.”

“If you ask nicely, I’ll show you.”

“If you ask nicely, I’ll let you.”

“Let me,” he murmured against her mouth.

“Show me,” she sighed in response.

And he did.

THE END