Playing With Fire, Part 60
Disclaimers and other info in index.
JAG Headquarters
8/16/03
1130
Mac walked into the bullpen confidently, even though every fear she'd ever had regarding her relationship with AJ was forefront in her mind. They'd been stepping up their visibility over the past few weeks, but this was the first time she'd shown up at headquarters since their lunch in June. Smiling at people she knew and stopping to say hello to a few who were not busy, she thought of their plan. Since that lunch, they'd talked to each other at least twice a week on the office phone, with her dialing through Tiner's extension, and she'd met AJ at McMurphy's a few Fridays ago, where they'd eventually been joined by Harm, Sturgis, Harriet and Bud, who'd all seemed quite surprised to find her there.
As a result, she expected Singer to jump out from behind a desk, accusing her of being involved with AJ for years. She expected Harm to figure out why she was really there and mouth dire warnings about getting into a relationship with a former CO, also saying, given her track record, that the relationship was doomed from the start. She was absolutely certain Harriet would be there, silently accusing her of hiding something, because she was still waiting for the mysterious 'Al' to show up. She was sure, most of all, that her plans for lunch showed on her face, and that was definitely not the way she wanted their relationship to be discovered.
"Sarah!" Harriet called, prompting Mac to think, 'Speak of the devil.'
Mac turned in time to receive a brief hug from Harriet. "What are you doing here?" Harriet looked at her curiously. "We weren't supposed to have lunch today were we?"
"Not today, I'm here to have lunch with the Admiral."
"Does it require a change of clothes?" Harriet asked, nodding to the garment bag Mac had slung over her arm.
Mac smiled, hoping it didn't appear as nervous as it felt. "No. I'm leaving for the airport right after. I'm going to leave this here so it doesn't sit in the hot car getting my clothes wrinkled."
Harriet looked dubiously at the bag, remembering Mac was going out of town, but not sure why it was so important for her clothing not to be wrinkled. After all, she was going to be digging around in the dirt for a week, not hopping onto a luxury cruise. "All right," she said slowly, reaching her hand out. "I'll take it and put it in Bud's office."
Mac clutched the bag closer to her, speaking quickly, "Thanks, Harriet. I want to keep it for a bit. I'll drop it by his office on my way out."
Harriet opened her mouth, but her phone rang, and Mac made her escape before Harriet could wrench the bag out of her hands. Moving quickly, she covered the last few feet to AJ's outer office at a speed that was just short of running. Slowing at the door and straightening her suit, she took a deep breath before walking in.
"Colonel! Mac... umm... Ms. Mackenzie," Tiner said, rising to his feet, stumbling over how to address her, and obviously taken aback at the bright picture she made.
"It's Mac, Tiner. Please don't call me Ms. Mackenzie!" Mac looked at the closed door to AJ's office. "Is he busy?" When Tiner continued to stare at her, she snapped her fingers under his nose. "TINER!" He jumped and she lowered her voice, smiling slightly. "Is he in?"
"Uhhh. Yes, Ma'am. He's just finishing up a call." Tiner swallowed, his eyes discreetly taking in the short, tomato-red sheath dress and matching suit jacket. "Would you like to have a seat, and I'll announce you when he's through?"
Mac smiled and sat down, quickly asking him how school was going. She was becoming used to the way she dressed at her new job, but the way Tiner was looking at her made her realize how different she must appear to him. Buttoned to the neck shirts and knee length skirts in Marine green and low-heeled shoes were certainly different from AJ's favorite of her new suits and strappy, high-heeled sandals!
Tiner talked excitedly about the classes he was taking without forgetting the blinking light on his phone, and as soon as it went out, he finished his sentence and hit the intercom button. "Admiral. Ms. Mackenzie is here to see you."
"Send her in."
Mac smiled at Tiner. "I said to please call me Mac."
He looked horrified. "That's fine... Mac... but I couldn't ANNOUNCE you like that!"
Mac's grin broadened as Tiner crossed in front of her to get the door. 'Man's been trained well,' she thought, crossing in front of him and into the office.
AJ looked up from the papers he was looking through and nodded to Tiner to close the door. It hadn't latched completely before he was on his feet and rounding the desk. Wrapping his arms around her, he kissed her gently before saying, "You're early!"
Still holding her garment bag, Mac continued to hug him. "Is that a problem? I finished up a bit early."
"No. Not a problem at all! Our reservations not for another hour, though, do you..." He broke off as Tiner's voice came over the intercom.
"Admiral, I'm sorry to disturb you, Sir, but Undersecretary Strouse is on line three."
"Thank you, Tiner." Dropping his arms, he went back around the desk. "I'm sorry; I thought he wouldn't call until after lunch."
"Should I leave?" Mac asked, draping her bag over a chair and placing her purse beside it.
"No. This shouldn't take long." He sat down and punched up the extension. "Roland, thank you for returning my call so quickly."
Mac listened absently as she walked around the office, looking at the various plaques and pictures on the walls, things she'd seen a hundred times before. She caught AJ's eye as she locked the door to the bullpen, and smiled innocently as she locked his main door also, causing him to raise his eyebrow at her in question even as he dug around on his desk for a file.
Turning to face him fully, she smiled secretly as she removed her jacket, revealing the sleeveless dress beneath. She draped the jacket carefully over the back of the chair by her garment bag before reaching behind her to unzip the dress. She saw AJ's eyes widen as she slipped the dress down her shoulders and let it drop to the floor, leaving her standing before him in red lace underwear and her shoes. She laughed softly when he stammered something to the Undersecretary, something that didn't make much sense, if the agitated voice on the other end of the line meant anything.
Lowering his brows and trying to look forbidding, he scowled playfully at Mac before returning the majority of his attention to the call. Mac snickered and unzipped the garment bag, hiding it contents from him. Standing upright again, she unhooked the bra and slid the straps down her arms and uncovering her breasts. She felt the tightening in her belly at the dark look in AJ's eyes and seeing his hand grip the handset tighter, and she knew that even if Tiner walked in and found them, it would be worth it every second of what she was doing to him.
Working quickly, so he wouldn't finish the call before she was done, she put the bra on top of her dress and slid the matching underwear down her legs, stepping out of them and putting them on the chair also. Placing her hand on the back of the chair, she slid off the sandals and kicked them under the chair out of her way.
Looking at AJ, she smiled at the glazed appearance of his eyes, and reached into the bag. She pulled out a pair of white lace and cotton panties and pulled them on, following it with a matching bra. AJ's eyes were now puzzled, no doubt wondering what she was up to, and she reached back in the bag, revealing a white half-slip, a pair of pantyhose, and shoes. Putting her feet in the chair one at a time, she pulled on the hose as seductively as possible without losing her balance, then put on the slip and slipped into the shoes.
Moving a bit quicker, because she could hear the call was winding down, she reached in the bag and pulled out her uniform skirt. She saw AJ's eyes widen a bit in comprehension as she slid the skirt over her thighs and fasten it at the waist. Then she pulled out the short-sleeved, fitted, summer weight uniform shirt she wore with it. She buttoned each button slowly, starting from the bottom and working her way to the top. Once she was completely dressed, she sat in the chair opposite AJ, crossed her legs, and waited patiently.
AJ stared at Mac, now clothed in her uniform, sitting nonchalantly in front of him, and smiling that little half smile that let him know she knew exactly what her little show had done to him. Shifting in his seat to get comfortable around his raging erection, he tried to follow Roland Strouse's conversation. His mind filled with images of what he'd like to do to Mac as soon as the call ended, and he gave up trying to concentrate on anything but her. Breaking into the Undersecretary's flow of words, he ended the call as gracefully as he could. "Roland, I promise you, I'm on top of it." He winked at Mac. "Let me do a bit more research, and I'll get back to you before 3 pm. Will that give you enough time to speak with your committee?"
Barely hearing Roland's reply, he watched Mac re-cross her legs, and felt an overwhelming sense of deja vu come over him. He briefly wondered how many times, while she was in his command, watching her perform that one brief, feminine action, had caused all rational thought to leave him.
He hung up the phone, barely letting Roland say goodbye, and leaned back in the chair. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Well... we have been practicing. I thought this might be the perfect time to see how quiet we can be."
"Not quiet enough, I can guarantee that!" He smiled, getting up out of his chair and walking back around the desk.
Reaching down, he hauled her out of the chair and pulled her flush with his body. Bending down, he captured her mouth with his, kissing her deeply and roving his hands up and down her back, briefly unsure exactly where to start. All the fantasies he'd had were crowding his mind, and he couldn't decide if he wanted to try one or just wing it.
"Oh... hell... we'll just wing it," he muttered against her lips, causing her to smile.
"You know, I noticed something about your office that I'd never noticed before," Mac said, unbuttoning his short-sleeved shirt and stroking his chest through the t-shirt underneath.
"Hmmm?" AJ murmured against her jaw, which he was nibbling on as he deftly unbuttoned the uniform shirt she'd been wearing less than five minutes.
"The flooring in here is very beautiful. It's clean, shiny..." Mac gasped as he slid his finger under the top of her bra to stroke the skin beneath. "And very functional... but..." Her voice trailed off as AJ cupped her breasts in his hand and stroked her nipples with his thumbs.
"But... what?" he said, trailing kisses down her neck to the hollow of her throat.
"But... very... uncomfortable!" Mac said, her voice rising as he bent and slid his tongue under the cups the way his finger had moments before.
Her words made him raise his head and look around in bewilderment. "Damn... so they are." He grinned and looked around the office, searching for something not quite as hard and unforgiving. "Never thought about it before. I never got past the thought of taking you... period... I didn't care where." He finished unbuttoning her blouse and fastened his lips around her nipple, sucking her hard through the cotton of her bra. He felt her hands grip his head to hold him place and heard her harsh breathing above him. Releasing her, he said, "Let's just go with it. I promise... if it's the floor... you can be on top."
"Sounds good to me," Mac moaned softly, stroking him through his pants.
AJ put one hand behind her head and slid his tongue in her mouth, stroking and teasing her tongue as his hands crept under her skirt. The heat of her thighs through the nylon seemed to burn his palms, and he groaned against her mouth, deepening the already passionate kiss as his control approached the breaking point.
Mac fumbled with the belt on his pants, and once she'd managed to unbuckle it, she loosened his pants and slid her hand inside to touch him. She sighed, feeling how hard he was, and curled her hand around the shaft to stroke him fully.
She chuckled feeling him jerk in her hand, but the sound ended on a gasp when AJ slid his own hand under her pantyhose and underwear to cup and knead her buttocks. She pulled her hand out of the V of his open pants, and shoved them down, sliding down with them.
AJ grunted softly, feeling the wet heat of her mouth swallow him, and threaded his hands through her hair. Opening his eyes, he tried to concentrate on something else so he wouldn't come in her mouth--namely, where they were going to end up.
"Mac... stop... please," AJ whispered, feeling her sucking mindlessly on him. When she showed no signs of stopping, he pulled her off him and picked her up, wrapping her legs around him and causing her skirt to rise completely up her thighs and gather at her waist.
"Very masterful, AJ... I like it," she purred against his ear before lowering her mouth to nip and suck on the sensitive area of his neck directly below his ear. She noticed they were moving, and closed her eyes. She wanted their destination to be a surprise, but hoped he'd take her where she'd always fantasized about.
She groaned softly and breathed the word "Yes," feeling the hard wooden edge of his desk against her backside and his thick fingers pulling at the waistband of her pantyhose. Her legs were trembling, and she wasn't sure how much longer she'd be able to stand, but she gripped the edge of the desk tighter, not wanting to take over, wanting him to control this interlude.
She winced a bit, dropping her head onto his shoulder and expecting the worst, when his chair crashed into the credenza behind his desk as he made himself more comfortable in front of her. He stopped briefly and lifted his head, but when Tiner didn't knock and the intercom didn't buzz, he grinned at Mac and moved his hands to her hose and underwear.
He tore at her undergarments until they were at her knees and slid his hand between her thighs, slipping through her curls until he discovered the wet flesh he craved. He lowered his head and fused his mouth to hers, capturing the harsh moan that escaped when he slid his finger inside her. "God... you're so wet," he breathed, feeling the need to state the obvious. He thrust until he felt her knees buckle and her hands clench on his open shirt, even as her open mouth nipped and sucked on his neck. He pulled his finger out of her, feeding it into his mouth while Mac watched him, whimpering at the loss of contact, and grabbing at his arms to pull him back to her.
Picking her up, he sat her on the desk, not caring that the crackling he heard was the file he'd promised Roland would be ready later that afternoon, and yanked down the cups of her bra until her nipples were bared to him. Leaning her back into a reclining position, he cupped her breasts in his hands, raising them to his mouth. Mac murmured her approval when he used his tongue and teeth to bring them to hard, aching points in his mouth. Standing again, he opened her legs as wide as the clothing would permit and stared at her. Licking his lips, he rasped, "Mac... I hope... are you ready?" and seeing her nod, he probed her gaping flesh with his cock and thrust in to the hilt.
Mac bit her lip, scooted down to the edge of the desk, and braced herself for the furious pumping of his hips. Her shoes dropped to the floor with a muffled clatter when he pulled her hose and underwear to her ankles. She couldn't stop the breathy cry that escaped when he raised her legs to his shoulders and used his hands to stimulate her breasts.
Clamping his lips kept the majority of his moans silent, with only the occasional harsh breath escaping, but Mac was a different story. He smiled watching her ball a memo from SECNAV under her hand as she threw her head back and heard her whisper harshly, begging him, not so silently, to go on. Moving his right hand up, he covered her mouth, making her eyes fly open.
"Shhh," he said, moving his hands back down to her hips. He was close, and wanted her to finish with him. This was their last time for a week; he didn't want her left unsatisfied. Cupping her buttocks the way she liked, he moved his thumbs to her clit and held her steady as his rhythm increased.
The background noise of the busy office faded, and they became aware only of the sound of their heavy breathing and the slippery sound of their flesh sliding against each other. He stopped moving for a moment as, with a bit of effort, he slid her legs down over his shoulders until she was circling his waist, her feet still trapped in the hose and underwear. He put his hands back on her hips and pulled her mightily onto him as he resumed thrusting into her rapidly and now flicked her engorged center.
Mouth open, Mac panted and moaned softly as she came, her body lying flat on his desk and jerking uncontrollably as the sensations coursed through her, her hands caressing her breasts as her inner walls stroked and clenched around AJ's hardness.
Seeing her sprawled half naked on his desk, seeing the complete chaos their loving had caused, and feeling her surrounding him was even better than he'd imagined. Two more strokes found him leaning onto her, kissing her urgently and moaning her name as he spilled inside her. Breathing heavily, they lay that way for a moment, before Mac indicated that she was becoming uncomfortable.
Standing upright, he slid out of her and sat her up on the surface of his desk. Grinning foolishly, the kissed a bit more before Mac pushed at his chest, which was still mostly covered with his t-shirt. She felt his hand circle one of her ankles, pulling the hose and panties off so he could step back. "I need to get dressed. I can't leave wearing my uniform!" she said, sliding off his desk and pulling back up the underwear, but removing the hose completely.
AJ straightened his own clothing as he watched Mac disrobe and dress again, this time back in his favorite suit. He wished for more time, because the urge to love her again was strong, and he'd just left her. Sighing, knowing after their lunch she was leaving for Montana, he watched as she threw the uniform back into the garment bag and sat to put on her shoes, but kneeling quickly, he beat her to it. Stroking her ankle and kissing her calf gently, he slid the sandal onto her foot.
"Mmm. That's nice," Mac murmured when he repeated the procedure with the other foot.
He stroked her bare leg and smiled seductively at her. "Yes... it is. Too bad you're leaving this afternoon." He stood and helped her into the suit jacket. "I knew I should have given you a toaster for Christmas."
"I already have a toaster. I did not have this expedition, so I think you made a good choice." She finished zipping up the bag and reached out to cup his cheek in her hand. "But I am going to miss you."
AJ turned his head and kissed her palm lightly. "I'm going to miss you, too."
They stood, silently looking at each other, for a moment before AJ turned and groaned dramatically at the sight of his desk. "Look at the mess you made," he teased, walking back around to try and restore some order to the desktop, and to get his keys out of the desk drawer.
"The mess I made! I think I had a little help."
"Who are you calling little?"
Mac laughed softly and tried to straighten the memo from SECNAV she'd almost ripped in two, and watched as AJ tried in vain to repair the damage to the Undersecretary's file. "Oh... hell. It's useless!" he grumbled, trying to think. The entire file full of documents was wrinkled beyond repair, a corner was gone from the actual folder, and he reddened a bit, much to Mac's amusement, when he saw the moisture that had soaked parts of the top two sheets.
He shot Mac a dirty look because of her giggling, and said, "Stand back." Moving all other essential papers out of the way, he centered the ruined file in the middle of his leather blotter. Taking his half full coffee cup, he splashed the contents onto the file and then tried to 'clean it up'.
He looked at Mac, made sure she was presentable, and asked her to unlock the door as he checked himself over. He motioned for Mac to smooth her hair a bit, and hit the intercom. "Tiner! Can you get me some paper towels or something in here? I've spilled coffee all over my desk."
"Aye, Sir."
Mac down in her original chair while AJ stood agitatedly by his desk, seeming to try and shake coffee of the documents, but in reality, spreading it around a bit more to hide what had really happened.
Tiner entered at AJ's command and started clucking around AJ like a mother hen. "Here, Sir, you've gotten some on your uniform." He turned to look at the desk and swallowed. "Was that the Undersecretary's file... Sir?"
"I'm sorry, Tiner, but yes, it is. Is there any way you can get those documents re-printed before 1400?" AJ had the grace to look abashed, because Tiner had spent several hours gathering all that information this morning.
Tiner's gaze swung between the Admiral and Mac, noticing their flushed faces, and the desk, which was not in its normal squared-away condition. He couldn't remember one time in his years working for Admiral Chegwidden that he'd spilled coffee, or anything for that matter. Swallowing and refusing to speculate about their strange appearance or why the coffee might have gotten spilled, he said "Not a problem, Sir. I still have access to the information."
"Good, good." AJ gathered all the ruined papers, not really wanting Tiner to handle them after what they'd done on them, and helped him wipe down his blotter, before dismissing him. After the door closed, AJ leaned against his chair with relief. "Do you think that worked?"
Mac smiled, her body still languid after their furious loving. "I think so." Standing, she said, "I need to go by the ladies' room on the way out, to change back into my other underwear. Do you want to meet me at the elevator?"
"All right." He reached over and touched her lip with his finger. "You might want to put on some more lipstick."
Mac grabbed her purse and garment bag, and crossed to the door leading to the bullpen. Unlocking it, she disappeared into the bullpen, walking hurriedly to the bathroom so she wouldn't run into Harriet.
AJ took one more look around his office to make sure there was not any subtle evidence of their loving, before exiting his office. "Tiner, I'm leaving the grounds for lunch. I'll be back by 1400."
"Aye, Sir." Tiner looked straight ahead and asked the question he always did, but this time it felt almost intrusive. "Will you be available by phone?"
AJ tilted his head, considering the question and making a decision that was completely foreign to his normal operating procedures. "No. Unless it is of extreme importance, I'm not available."
"Aye, Sir," Tiner said, pleased he'd been able to keep most of the shock out of his voice.
AJ grinned broadly, knowing he'd confused Tiner, and remembering that this was the next step in their plan to become more visible, he said, "Don't look so shocked, Tiner; I have been known to take long lunches before."
"Working long lunches, maybe," Tiner muttered, not aware he'd spoken.
AJ raised his eyebrow, causing Tiner to blanch. "Well... then... this will be a first, because I'm not working."
He left, knowing Tiner would wonder what was going on, and steeling himself to receive those inscrutable looks from his staff when he returned. He walked quickly, seeing Mac waiting for him already.
"You look positively ferocious; what's wrong?" Mac asked, not noticing the ensign walking behind her who almost dropped the stack of files she was carrying at the teasing tone of Mac's voice.
AJ noticed, though. Nodding at the ensign, he ushered Mac into the elevator. "I'll explain later."
JAG Headquarters
Break room
8/16/02
1500
"I still think it's weird."
"It was just lunch, Loren."
AJ stopped abruptly outside the break room door, his coffee cup clutched in his hand. Instinctively, he knew this conversation between Harriet and Loren was about his lunch date today, and as much as he hated eavesdropping, he did it anyway. 'What better way to find out what the consensus is? The office barracuda is talking to the office sweetheart.' He placed his cup on a nearby shelf and pulled one of the reference books off the shelf, opening it randomly and listening intently.
"Was it?" Loren asked, pouring creamer in her coffee and stirring it.
"Was it what?" Harriet asked, exasperation lacing her voice, as much as from Loren's gossip as not being able to find the brownies she'd thought she'd put in the cupboard.
"Was it just lunch? Haven't you noticed they seem awful chummy? This is their second lunch... that we know of... and Tiner says she calls up here at least once a week to talk to the Admiral."
Harriet paused in her search and turned to face Loren. "What are you trying to say?"
"Nothing... really. Just maybe there's more to their relationship than what everyone thinks." Loren looked slyly at Harriet, loving the idea of riling her a bit. Since the reprimand about baiting Harriet in regards to her husband, she'd been very careful. But Harriet was very protective over her friend Mac, so messing with her about that should be fun. "Don't you think it seems funny they've gotten so close, in such a short amount of time? I wonder if they were this... friendly... before she left."
AJ felt dizzy, hearing the sly question, and his hands clenched the book in his hands hard as he fought the urge to round the corner, effectively ending their conversation before it got more damaging. 'Please... please... please...' he prayed, not really knowing what outcome he was praying for, and listened closely to the two women.
Harriet pulled the box of brownies out of the cupboard, slammed the door shut, and rounded on Singer. "Of all the things you've said or even suggested since you made it your personal goal to trash everyone you come in contact with... that has to be the worst yet! Sarah would NEVER become involved with her Commanding Officer! And that you would even suggest..."
"Wasn't she involved with Colonel Farrow while she was in his command?" Loren shrugged, fully enjoying the angry splotches on Harriet's cheeks and the way her breath was coming in jerky gasps. "She's done it before... why not now? Although Colonel Farrow is much more handsome, if you ask me!"
Harriet gripped the box of brownies so hard she crushed them, and gritted through clenched teeth, "Nobody asked you, Loren, and even if your accusations about Sarah were anywhere NEAR factual, there's no way the Admiral would ever become involved with a subordinate!"
AJ, pale and grim from what he'd heard, slipped the book back on the shelf and grabbed cup. Turning abruptly, he marched back to his office, missing the rest of the conversation.
Loren looked haughtily at Harriet. "Take a breath, Harriet, before you hurt yourself. I know nothing is going on between Mac and the Admiral, or at least, there wasn't while she was here." Loren shrugged and grabbed the box of brownies out of Harriet's hand, selecting a large one for herself. "She's probably just keeping up her contacts. I mean... he is the JAG. It's got to look good for her to be a personal friend of his, now that she's no longer a Marine. Think of how many doors that will open in this town!"
Harriet balled her hands into fists and hoped she wouldn't give into the temptation to take a swing at the... the... bitch in front of her. "Sarah is not YOU, Loren. She doesn't step on or use people in a quest for power and recognition." Harriet grabbed the brownie box back from Loren. "Admiral Chegwidden is a caring and compassionate man, anyone he calls friend is lucky." She narrowed her eyes at Loren. "Something you'll never have to worry about, I'm sure."
Loren shrugged, completely unconcerned about Harriet's dig. She took a bite out of the brownie and walked towards the door, looking at the flushed woman in front of her and got in one more parting shot. "Besides, didn't you say Mac was one step away from the altar with some other guy?" She smiled smugly, knowing that Harriet was a bit hurt about not meeting someone Mac was so close to.
Harriet stared at the retreating back of the most hateful woman she'd ever known. Her thoughts were a jumble of indignation that Loren would malign the characters of two people she cared deeply for, frustration over not being able to physically do to her what she wanted to, sadness over the fact that Mac still had refused all invitations and hints to bring Al around, and hurt because, if the Admiral and Mac were becoming good friends, why was Mac keeping it a secret from her.
Sighing, her appetite gone, Harriet put the box of brownies back in the cupboard.
Admiral Chegwidden's Office
1530
AJ stared at the lamp on his desk, his mind bouncing between what he and Mac had done on this desk just a few hours before and the conversation he'd just overheard. His hands rested gently on the blotter, his fingers absently stroking the leather where Mac had been sprawled, but his shoulders were tense and his eyes worried.
'She thinks we were involved before she left. She thinks it would be unheard of for me to get involved with Mac,' he thought, knowing who had thought what and cringing again at the memory of the ladies' voices.
He didn't know what was worse, Loren's accusations, or Harriet's defense of him and Mac. Loren was a calculating, cold, and ambitious woman. If she really thought he and Mac had been involved, she'd worry it like a dog with a bone, and eventually, she'd either find something insubstantial and make a case out of it, or she'd cause enough questions to be raised that he'd be asked about it. If that happened, he'd have to choose between lying... or the truth.
He put his hand to his head and rubbed his forehead absently, thinking of Harriet leaping to their defense. A defense based on the fact that he and Mac would have never done anything to destroy their credibility, but he couldn't get past the thought that she seemed completely unwilling to think there might be something between them other than friendship, because this wasn't the first time that'd happened.
His mind replayed the adamant refusal to believe their lunch was anything but a lunch between friends, and then drifted to Harriet's comments from that night at McMurphy's when he and Mac met everyone there. He sighed heavily, remembering how Harriet had gone on about how 'nice' she thought it was of Mac to meet 'all of them' there, how it was just like 'old times', and the not so subtle hints about where Al was.
He remembered again the narrow stare Harriet had shot Mac when he'd returned from the bar with another drink for her, without asking what she wanted, and the way she'd stared at them because they were sitting close together.
'Is she that way because she thinks I'm hitting on Mac while she's supposed to be involved with someone else?' he thought, grunting a bit with laughter at the stupidity of calling himself 'someone else', before sobering, 'Or is she truly upset because she thinks it's wrong for Mac and me to be together... and why do I care?'
He stood and crossed to the window. He knew why he cared. He thought of Harriet and Bud as family. For that matter, he thought of Tiner, Harm and Sturgis in the same way, and to a lesser extent, the rest of the staff here. He'd broken one of his own cardinal rules and become emotionally involved with the people at his current duty station. Something he hadn't really done since his SEAL team. He'd made friends at each posting, many he still kept in contact with, but he knew that if these people openly disapproved of his relationship with Mac, it would hurt.
He smiled softly. 'Not that it would stop us... but it would hurt.'
He sat back down at his desk and returned to work, his mind occupied by the notions that had popped into his head. Should they step back a bit? Maybe they shouldn't reveal much more of their relationship right now. And, most importantly, was he a fool for even considering that course of action?
