Author: usmgrad
Subject: October 2007 HBX Challenge- How About Now?

Title: October 2007 HBX Challenge- How About Now?

Author: usmgrad

Disclaimer: Just trying to keep the love alive, one story at a time.

A/N: This snippet doesn’t come from anything that transpired on the show but from a combination of Harm, his tendency to obsess and a personal experience.

The time frame is in the future.

Mac rolled over, reached for her husband and found nothing but cold sheets. It was late, or rather very early in the morning, definitely not time to get up but apparently he had been up for a while. She loved him but this time she was going to put her foot down. She knew exactly where he was and what he was doing because he had spent the better part of the last week doing it. Mac got out of bed, put on her robe and started down the hall in full marine mode. Arriving at her destination she took a deep breath and opened the door. She found her husband exactly where he had been 3 hours earlier when she insisted they go to bed. He was sitting at the desk in front of the computer, only it wasn’t work that had him occupied.

“Harm, what are you doing?” knowing full what he was doing.

Surprised at being interrupted Harm looked up, “Gosh Mac, don’t sneak up on me like that. I’m just doing a little research before tomorrow morning. Why did you get up anyway? You need your rest; you should go back to bed.”
Thinking she would return to the bedroom he turned back to the computer.

Coming into the office instead of retreating back to the bedroom, Mac attempted to get her husband to join her in the bedroom, “I got up because I was lonely, come back to bed.”

Absently mindedly he replied, “In a minute.” He wanted to make sure he understood everything about what Mac was facing in the morning. It was a simple procedure, but he knew sometimes the unexpected happened and he wanted to be prepared.

“Harm your obsessing again” She loved him she really did and the fact that he was so informed was a comfort but it wasn’t what she needed tonight.

“It is hardly an obsession.” He was so engrossed in what he was reading he didn’t hear the slight change in her voice.

“You can walk away any time?” Her resolve was fading, no longer a marine but a wife that needed the comfort of her husband not her husband’s recently acquired knowledge.

“Any time!”

Then Harm heard it, a sniff and a whisper, “How about now?”

He looked up to see tears in her eyes and a sense of uneasiness around her. Harm was out of the chair and had her in his arms in the blink of an eye.

“Mac, I’m right here” Harm wiped the tears away only to find more in their place. “Hey, no tears now, everything going to be just fine you’ll see.”

“I just need you to obsess over me for a little while.”

Kissing the top of her head and pulling her closer, “You’re my only obsession. Let’s go back to bed.”

Harm and Mac walked back to the bedroom. Lying down in the bed he gathered her in his arms, “I love you Mac. Everything’s going to be fine.” He continued whispering this over and over while gently rubbing her back until she finally fell asleep. Harm had been so busy researching he forgot that even though Mac was independent, strong and tough there were times she needed his comfort and reassurance. There were times she needed his strength to hold her, support her. He settled a little closer to her, kissed her one more time, told her he loved her and drifted off to sleep secure in the knowledge that the strength he gave her tonight she would return to him time and again as they went through this thing called life together.