Movie Night
Author: Raindrops on Roses
Rating: PG
Spoilers: An itty-bitty one for "Enemy Below", but I think that's it. Oh, yes, and major spoilers for the movie The Princess Bride.
Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me; they belong to DPB, CBS, Paramount, and all the big shots. The Princess Bride doesn't belong to me, either, more's the pity. That belongs to William Goldman.
Summary: Movie Night at the Roberts' house... Mac and AJ get a little closer.
"Colonel! I'm so glad you could make it, ma'am!" Harriet squealed.
Mac chuckled, handing Harriet the bag she was carrying. "It's just 'Mac', Harriet. You should know that by now," she scolded playfully.
"Sorry, ma'am. I mean, Mac. It's just force of habit," Harriet replied. "I'll work on it."
"Good. Now, where's my godson?" At that, AJ Roberts came screaming around the corner.
"Auntie Mac!" He threw himself at Mac, wrapping his arms around her legs. "You watch movie with us?" he demanded.
Movie Night at the Roberts' was well on its way to becoming a weekly ritual. Since Mac had transferred out of JAG, none of them seemed to see her very often anymore. The mood that most of the JAG staff had been in since then prompted Harriet to think of a way to see the Colonel more often. The concept of Movie Night had been born.
"AJ... AJ, you need to let go of my legs so I can move!" He did, and she picked up the excited little boy. "Yes, I'm going to watch a movie with you. So, how's my favorite sailor doing?" she asked him as they walked into the den.
Instead of answering, AJ squirmed out of her arms and ran across the room, landing on Admiral Chegwidden's lap with a flying leap.
"Oof! AJ, you need to settle down, okay, son?"
"'Kay!" his namesake chirped.
"How was your week, Mac?" AJ asked her.
"Just fine, sir. A bit stressful, but no more than usual," Mac replied with a smile.
"Now, Mac..." he admonished.
Laughing, Mac said, "AJ, AJ, I know; sorry."
Harriet walked in and giggled as she heard the exchange. "See? You can't do it, either!" They all laughed.
Mac asked, "So, where is everyone?"
Harriet replied, "Commander Turner should be here any minute..." Just then, the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it, honey," Bud told his wife. Harriet smiled at him, and continued, "And I believe Commander Rabb has a date." She watched Mac's face for any sign of emotion.
Mac grinned. "Really? What's her name?"
"Tracy Manetti," AJ answered dryly. Harriet looked at him, surprised.
AJ caught her look. "Really, Lieutenant, did you think I wouldn't know? I know everything that happens in my building." He raised an eyebrow as Harriet flushed. "Do I want to know this one, Lieutenant?"
She ducked her head, stammering, "I think I'll go get the drinks."
Mac threw her head back and laughed. "I guess not, AJ!" AJ smiled with approval, both at the use of his name and Mac's laughter. He watched her; enchanted by the way her smile transformed her face. Her nose crinkled and her eyes twinkled with humor.
Bud returned with Sturgis Turner and Bobbi Latham. "Good evening, sir, Mac," Sturgis greeted them.
"Hi, Sturgis! Hey, Bobbi, how are you? We haven't seen you in a while," Mac welcomed her friends.
"I know. I was beginning to think that the Commander here was scared of me," Bobbi teased her date.
"Hey! It's not my fault we've been really busy lately!" Sturgis exclaimed mock-indignantly.
"So, what are we watching tonight?" AJ asked, changing the subject.
Mac said, "I brought The Princess Bride. Any objections?"
Harriet exclaimed, "Oh, I love that movie!"
"'The Princess Bride', Mac? I never took you for a lover of romantic movies," AJ commented.
"Hey, it's a really good movie! And of course I like romantic movies. I'm not only a Marine, you know," she defended her choice.
The others looked amused by this exchange. Sturgis piped up, "Well, I'm up for anything, as long as it isn't 'Top Gun', 'A Few Good Men', or anything else with Tom Cruise as a Naval officer."
Bobbi said, "Why not? Mmm, Tommy in uniform. Yummy!" The other two women giggled and agreed with her, while the men rolled their eyes and groaned. Then Mac said, "Well, Mr. Baldwin, how about 'The Hunt for Red October'?" Sturgis had the grace to look sheepish.
Bobbi laughed hysterically. "Mr. Baldwin?! Oh, I have got to hear the story behind this! C'mon, out with it," the congresswoman demanded.
"Maybe later, Bobbi," Sturgis stalled. "Are we going to watch the movie anytime soon?"
The others grinned. It was quite obvious what the man was trying to do, but they let it slide. "Yes, just let me put it in," Harriet replied. She slid the DVD into the player and hit play as it came up on the selection screen. Everyone settled into his or her seat. Bud and Harriet sat at one end of the sofa, with Bobbi and Sturgis at the other end. Mac sat on the floor in front of the television, crossing her legs and leaning towards the TV like an impatient child. AJ joined her, with little AJ on his lap, chuckling at Mac's position.
She looked over at him curiously. "What?"
He smiled. "Nothing. You just look really..."
"Shhh! The movie's starting!" Mac shushed him, and he grinned, shaking his head.
Mac watched the movie eagerly, sighing sadly when Buttercup swore she would "never love again", laughing aloud at the battle of wits between Vizzini and the man in black, holding her breath as Inigo fought Count Rugen. AJ enjoyed the movie, but he especially delighted in the way Mac was swept away by it.
When the movie ended, Mac sighed again. Turning from the TV, she looked at the others in the room, who were all grinning at her broadly. She huffed. "What? Why are you all looking at me like that?"
"Enjoy your movie, Colonel?" AJ teased her quietly.
"Yes, in fact, I did," Mac replied archly. "It's my absolute favorite."
AJ stood, shifting his sleeping namesake in his arms. Harriet moved to take him, but AJ said, "No, don't move, Harriet. I'll put him to bed."
Mac stood as well. "I'll join you." The two made their way upstairs and into little AJ's bedroom. AJ leaned over and placed the sleeping child on the bed. Mac tucked him in, and the two adults stood back and watched him for a few minutes. Finally, AJ asked, "So, Mac, why do you enjoy that movie so much?"
Mac smiled. "Are you kidding? It's a classic!" She sighed a bit, and her face grew serious. "I read The Princess Bride when I was 12 years old. I spent a lot of time in the library, hiding from my parents. I didn't want to go home... Well, one of the librarians befriended me. She would suggest different books for me to read. Books were an escape, you know? Well, one of the books she recommended was The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure, by William Goldman. I was just swept away into the story. Romance, drama, action, comedy; it had it all. I loved that book so much, the librarian gave it to me. I can't count all the times I hid in my room, reading and rereading my favorite parts. Eventually, I had the book memorized so well that I could just escape into the story at any time. Sometimes I would be Buttercup, other times I would pretend to be Inigo... sometimes I wanted to be Count Rugen, so that I could strap my father into the Machine..." Mac's voice trailed off, her face steeped in pain and bitterness. AJ reached out and took her hand, squeezing slightly. Mac smiled at him, a bit sadly. "But that's why I love that movie so much. It's an escape from the real world. Good wins over evil; true love always prevails."
AJ spoke quietly, not wanting to startle Mac or scare her away. "I can see why you love that movie so much. And I'm honored that you would share that with me."
Mac looked at him and smiled. "Yes, well... we'd better get going. I'm sure Harriet and Bud want some time alone tonight." She tugged on his hand.
AJ hesitated, then replied softly, "As you wish."
Mac gasped. She turned toward AJ, eyes wide, lips parted in surprise. Her bottom lip began to tremble.
"Mac? Please say something," AJ said pleadingly.
A broad, joyous smile split Mac's face. Tears streaming down her face, she threw herself into AJ's arms. Raising her face to his, she kissed him deeply, putting every ounce of emotion she felt for him into the kiss.
When they separated, Mac smiled radiantly at AJ. She spoke quietly, "Since the invention of the kiss, there have been five kisses that were rated the most passionate, the most pure... This one left them all behind."
AJ chuckled softly, then said, "Let's get out of here." They walked down the stairs in companionable silence. When they reached the first floor, they said their goodbyes to their host and hostess.
As AJ helped her into her coat, Mac said, "Maybe you can choose the movie for next week, AJ."
Bud and Harriet smiled tenderly at each other as they heard their commanding officer's reply.
"As you wish."
