Title: Under the Mistletoe
Author: Henya

Rating: Rated HH for Happy Holidays and E for everyone.


A/N – This story is written especially for ~jg353*~ who requested a story where “Mac is packing for San Diego and finds a dried out sprig of mistletoe among her things. She hangs it up (where?? author's choice). Harm stops over to talk (same as in FWFS) and then sees the mistletoe. Where does the conversation lead? Or is conversation even involved?”

I hope you and everyone else enjoy it.


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Mac’s Apartment
Georgetown


In the soft light of her apartment, Mac was slowly and methodically going through her things and packing up for her long move to San Diego. Boxes were strewn here and there, some full, some partially full, and some wide open seemingly asking for contents. As overwhelming as the job was proving to be, she was grateful that it was occasionally helping her keep her mind off the mangled emotions bubbling up from the very depths of her being.

When she heard the General tell her that she was being stationed in San Diego and then subsequently tell Harm that he was going to London, her stomach immediately turned over and she felt as if she was going to be sick. They both knew of the possibility of this happening some day but she had never allowed herself to actually believe that it would ever occur. The thought of not seeing Harm everyday, of being so very far away from him was something which she never could entertain. But now it was here and what were either of them doing about it? Nothing. They were both in their respective apartments packing up their things as if moving thousands of miles away from each other was meaningless.

Mac decided to try and shut her thoughts out by turning on the radio in her bedroom. She sat on her bed for a minute, taking in the soft music flowing around the room. Finally, she decided that break time was over. “Suck it up and get back to work Marine,” she told herself out loud.

After going through the vanity in her bathroom, Mac decided to concentrate on her bedroom. She started with her closet and then moved onto her chest of drawers, packing up those things which she wouldn’t be wearing over the next several days. Sweaters, heavy pants, jackets, long sleeve shirts, winter pajamas, all packed away.

When that job was done she once again found herself sitting on the bed listening to the soft music streaming from the radio, her mind starting to wander. Before she got too far off track, she decided to tackle her nightstand. It was her one piece of furniture that always seemed to receive the many odds and ends of her life; those things which had no real place but which she didn’t want to part with. Inside she found assorted napkins and matchbooks from various events she had attended along with old tubes of chapstick, emery boards, and partially used bottles of lotion.

Rummaging through a bit more, she suddenly felt something prick her finger. Quickly she pulled her hand out and rubbed the hurt finger. “Ouch! What in the world was that? The things I keep.” She shook her head at herself.

She once again reached her hand in, slowly easing it all the way to the back of the drawer, and cautiously felt for the offending item. She eventually was able to gently grab it and pull it out. Opening her hand, she was astonished at what she saw.

What she saw was a sprig of mistletoe. Not just any old sprig, the sprig. The one which at one time hung over Bud and Harriet’s door. The one under which Harm and Mac had shared a tender, friendly kiss. The one which she had not had the heart to ever throw out.

Her mind immediately flew back to that Christmas at Harriet and Bud’s apartment and she remembered. She and Harm leaving at the same time. Coats being slipped on. Both noticing the mistletoe. Mac mentioning something about an awkward moment. And then the kiss. Her heart skipped a beat with the simple act of reminiscing just as it had the moment they had kissed.

Only a precious few months previous to that kiss Mac was almost married, Harm was almost dead, they were almost together. So much had happened and so much hurt had occurred. But that kiss was healing. It was like their way of saying “we are still ok.”

She then remembered Harriet inviting her over on New Year’s Day. She remembered playing with little AJ, trying to keep him busy while Harriet took down the decorations. Eventually, AJ went for a nap and Mac helped Harriet finish up. At one point while Harriet was out of the room, Mac reached up and took down the sprig of mistletoe and became lost in her thoughts and emotions. She decided that she couldn’t bear to part with it. Not yet. She slid it into her coat pocket and brought it home. And she had put it into her nightstand drawer and there it remained for years. Now, here it was again, reminding her of what could have been. If only.

If only what? If only so many things hadn’t happened. If only Harm could open up. If only she didn’t make bad choices. If only they could ever get on the same wavelength at the same time. If only.

She sat on her bed cradling the small, now brown, spray of tender memory. Her mind drifted back to that moment once again. The moment when they looked at each other under the mistletoe and put their differences and the past aside. She remembered reaching up to him and closing her eyes. She remembered the warm, soft feel of his lips. She remembered how nice it was. She remembered.

After being lost in her thoughts for a while, she decided that she could use a little holiday cheer even though it was nowhere near December. She rummaged through a drawer in the kitchen and found some scotch tape, went back to her room, grabbed a chair, and hung up her newly found treasure on the door jamb that led from the living room to her bedroom.

“Merry Christmas to me.” She smiled and continued the monumental task of packing away her life.


Mac’s Apartment
Georgetown
A Few Hours Later


Mac was still busy packing when she heard a soft knock at the door. She stopped what she was doing and stood still for a second wondering who it could be. She lately didn’t have very many visitors.

She opened the door to reveal a very nice looking Harm in a tight black short sleeved shirt. She was surprised to see him there but she was also happy as well as a bit sad. The passing thought that this may be the last time he would come to her door was enough to make her hands shake and she stepped away quickly from the open door in order to keep her composure. But given the fact that the two of them were headed for opposite sides of the globe from each other, she shook the previous thought out of her head and had to wonder why he was seeking her out.

“I need some advice.” Harm came in and slowly shut the door as Mac moved away.

“Good cause, ah, I need yours.”

Harm nervously played with the collar of the jacket he held in his hands and asked, “What are you doing about the lease on your apartment?”

Surprised, Mac answered, “That’s what you wanted to talk to me about? Real estate?”

“Yeah.”

Gently putting down the roll of tape she held in her hands onto the top of a nearby box, Mac replied, “I’m subletting. You remember Varese?”

“Yeah, that was the woman Turner was dating.”

“Still is.”

Harm raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Who knew?”

Mac tilted her head and gave a brief gesture acknowledging his surprise. “Anyway, she’s coming to DC for a few months to see how things go with Sturgis.”

“What about her career?”

Mac slowly walked over behind Harm to sit down on the arm of her couch. “She’s booked. Six nights a week at the One Step Down. She’s kind of like the house chanteuse. So, what about your apartment?”

“I offered it to Coates but she’s not interested in staying in the building.”

“Yeah, the neighborhood never seems the same once your roommate tries to kill you.”

Harm smiled at the simple truth to that statement.

Mac continued on. “You, ah, talked to Mattie?”

“Yeah, that was the first call I made.”

“She told you to go?”

“Yes.”

“What did you say?”

“I told her that I wasn’t going anywhere without her. We’re still waiting for the Juvenile Court to rule on it however her father’s not contesting it so…”

“You’re a good dad.” Mac smiled fully at him. “What about your cases? Who’s getting them?”

“I’m giving Bud his choice.”

“He finally told you he’s not going?”

“Well, you know, once Harriet makes his mind up that’s pretty much it.”

Mac looked down grinning and shaking her head at the same time.

Harm continued talking as he made his way slowly over to the coffee table where a single piece of paper caught his eye. “I’ll probably stick Turner with the dogs.”

“You’re all heart.”

Harm’s curiosity couldn’t be contained. He picked up the piece of paper sitting on the table and started reading the text aloud. “Oooh, Lt. Wilson, Petty Officer Lyons, Ensign…”

Mac quickly took the paper from him and put it back on the table where it belonged. “Mine.”

“Funny, I didn’t see Vukovic’s name there.”

“Eh, I don’t want him. You could take him to London.” Mac crossed her arms and stood up straight on the other side of the table as if giving him a challenge.

Harm couldn’t resist saying, “Not my type.”

“Nor mine.”

“You know, I wouldn’t dismiss him out of hand Mac. He did a fair job on the case we worked on together. Might come in handy.”

Questioningly, Mac said, “That’s odd coming from you.”

“You afraid of him?”

“I can bend him like a pretzel.”

Despite himself, Harm laughed at this comment, almost imagining it in his head. “He might like that.”

A brief silence erupted between them. Mac looked down and away. Harm shifted his gaze to his left and noticed something strange hanging from the door jamb to Mac’s bedroom. Since the lighting was dim, he was having trouble making out what the object actually was.

“You raising butterflies? Vampire bats?” he said as he headed over to the doorway staring up at the door jamb.

“What?” Mac looked up and all of a sudden remembered the sprig of mistletoe she hung up.

Harm reached the open door frame and realized what it was. “Uh, Mac, I hate to tell you, but you seem to have forgotten to take down some of your Christmas decorations or something. And hanging from your bedroom door no less.” Harm raised his eyebrows and threw her a menacing look.

“Oh, stop. Actually, I just hung that up a few hours ago.”

“I didn’t know you kept a collection of old mistletoe hanging around. You expecting company?”

“No. I’m not, “Mac answered incredulously, staring him down.

“So, what’s the story?”

Mac paused wondering if she should tell him or if she should just let it go. There really was no good reason not to tell him but she had to admit she was a bit embarrassed about it. She looked down briefly and decided to tell him exactly what it was.

“Well, actually, do you remember the Christmas we spent at Bud and Harriet’s? You know, the one where your car was stolen, again? And you had me babysitting Coates?”

“I don’t think I’ll ever forget that one. And don’t forget, that’s the year Webb smuggled Sergei here.”

“Yeah, that’s the one. Anyway, do you remember our kiss under the mistletoe?”

“I do seem to recall that.” Harm smiled his best full faced grin at her.

“Well, Harriet invited me over on New Year’s Day that year and I helped her take down the decorations and well, I guess I kind of kept it and tonight when I was going through my stuff I just happened to come across it and I decided to hang it up. Looks good, huh?” As she was talking she found herself drifting over to him so that when she was finished she was actually standing right in front of him. Directly under the mistletoe.

“Yeah, dead, dried out foliage is actually my favorite.”

Mac gave him a playful slap on the arm. “All right, all right, so it’s a bit silly.”

“So, ah, why did you keep it?”

“I don’t know. A lot of reasons I guess. After everything that we had gone through, Mic, Renee, your accident, that kiss we shared was, well, healing I guess, and at the time I just didn’t want to part with it. So I brought it home, stuck it in my nightstand, and now here it is.”

“Do you think it could still hold some of that healing power? Because with the move and everything, I think maybe we could use some of that.”

“Well, I don’t know, but maybe we should try.”

Mac stood looking up at Harm. Harm stood looking down at Mac. They stared into each others eyes, leaned in, slowly closed their eyes, and kissed. The kiss was sweet and tender just like the one they shared so many years ago under the same exact mistletoe. They parted, once again gazing deeply into each other’s eyes as if trying to see each others souls. Neither one of them made an attempt to place any amount distance between themselves.

“So, did it work for you?” Harm asked softly.

“Yeah, I feel pretty good right now. How about you?”

“I feel pretty good too.”

They continued staring at each other and suddenly, the forgotten radio made itself heard as the soft sounds of music penetrated the silence. They both recognized the song as Phil Collin’s Against All Odds. Could they go against the odds as well?

As Phil sang, Harm and Mac continued to study each other. Suddenly, Harm reached up and cupped Mac’s cheek in her hand. Mac felt a shiver run through her entire body. She closed her eyes and leaned her head over to fully meet his touch and gave a soft sigh. Tears started to form behind her closed eyes and as she opened them a few stray ones streamed down. Harm tenderly wiped them away, reached down, and gave her another soft kiss. But this time, the soft kiss turned into something more. Passion erupted, the kisses deepened and became more sensual, erotic, and lascivious. Neither one could control what was happening. Their hands started caressing, canvassing, exploring. Harm moved from kissing her mouth to gently sucking on her neck and then slowly moving back to her mouth again. Mac felt as if she could hardly breathe.

Suddenly Mac pulled back. “I can’t do this.”

Harm was surprised and immediately responded, “Can’t do what?”

“I can’t leave you. I just can’t do it. I’ve been going through the motions like it’s no big deal but I can’t stop thinking about you. I can’t stop thinking about the past nine years. I keep seeing our past over and over again in my head. I can’t shake it. And I will never be able to shake you. And honestly, I don’t want to.”

“Mac, I don’t want to leave you either. I didn’t really come over here to talk about real estate. I needed to see you. I needed to talk to you. I needed to tell you, I mean, I have to tell you that I love you. It just doesn’t always come easy for me sometimes.”

“Yeah, I’ve noticed.” Mac smiled and they both quietly laughed. “So, what are we going to do?”

“I think between the two of us, we’ll figure something out. Right now, I’d like to concentrate on this mistletoe a bit more.”

“Sounds good to me, Sailor.” And as they continued their healing, they could both swear that they heard the sound of jingle bells coming from afar but neither one cared to stop and investigate.


The End