Author: Rising Sun
E-mail: jagrslc@yahoo.com
The FF of Rising Sun is archived at: http://www.geocities.com/jagrslc
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Rated: PG-13
Classification: JAG Story/Romance: Harm/Mac
Summary: Bobbie
gets the JAG staff to take part in a charity 10K. THIS is how a race should end.
Spoiler:
JAG-A-THON, Capitol Crime, Lifeline
Disclaimer: JAG characters portrayed belong to JAG, CBS and Paramount Television. No copyright infringement intended. All other characters depicted are purely fictional and any similarities to actual people are purely coincidental.
Feedback: Would be nice… so where is it?
Story Written February 2002
FRIDAY - 1720 LOCAL
JAG HQ, MAC’S OFFICE
Lt. Colonel Sarah Mackenzie was preparing to call it a day and leave with her friend KIP when there was a tap on her door and Congresswoman Bobbie Latham appeared before her.
“Congresswoman.” Mac acknowledged and groaned inwardly it was 1722 on a Friday what could the woman want! “How may I assist?”
“I know it’s shutting down time and most important its Friday, but I was in the area and I wanted to circulate these registration forms for a charity 10K race.” She explained.
“Charity?” KIP inquired.
“Oh I’m sorry. Karri Paul meet Congresswoman Latham.” Mac introduced.
“Ma’am.” KIP acknowledged.
“Not Karri I. Paul?” Bobbie asked.
“The same.” KIP confessed.
“I should have known you were an African American.” Bobbie blurted.
“Oh?” KIP was curious. “How?”
“Cause your strong characters are either black or of mixed heritage.” Bobbie explained.
“Ah…” KIP acknowledged. “You read my books.”
“I do.”
“See I told you with holding your photo from the dust cover was a waste of time. You are famous and you need to accept that!” Mac teased. “Have a seat Congresswoman.” she offered. Once seated Mac inquired, “What charity is this?”
“Mac we’ve known each other long enough that you CAN call me Bobbie. Harm does.”
KIP snorted.
“I miss something?”
“NO!” Mac hastened to state.
Deciding not to go that route Bobbie focused on the reason for the visit to JAG. “The United Negro Collage Fund is holding a sponsored 10K race to raise funds.” She started.
“A mind is a terrible thing to waste and all that.” KIP said, “May I see a form?”
Bobbie passed one to her “Mac?”
“Sure? I’m game… I have no idea if KIP will make it past the ten yard mark but she’ll register.”
“I’ll have you know that I am fit Ms Marine.” KIP knew a challenge when she heard one.
Mac ignored her. “You should give one to the running man.”
“Who?” Bobbie was lost.
“Sturgis. He runs to and from work. I’m sure he’d love to register.” Mac suggested.
“And Harm?” KIP asked.
“And Harm.” Mac conceded “In fact if you leave a set of forms with Lieutenant Sims I’m sure she’ll manage to rope in most of the staff including the Admiral and Harm.”
“Am I missing something here?” Bobbie finally took the bait.
“How well do you know this Harm of hers?” KIP asked.
“His NOT mine! I keep telling her that!” Mac defended.
“Then I can have him?” KIP inquired.
“Don’t bother.” Bobbie warned.
“Why he don’t go black?” KIP demanded.
“Not even close. As far as I can tell he can’t commit to any woman because the one he wants he can’t have.” Bobbie elaborated.
“Let me see if I understand this. What he wants he can’t get and what he gets he don’t want.”
“Let ME guess, that was another one of your Caribbean Grandmother’s sayings.” Mac sneered.
“Caribbean it may but accurate it is.” Bobbie conceded. “Women like Harm but Harm likes Mac.”
“I’d like to ring his neck.” Mac retorted. “What!” She demanded as she spotted Bobbie’s wide grin.
Bobbie chose to answer by addressing KIP. “I said that to him once… long time ago. I said. Women like you Harm… Mac likes you. Know what he said? He said she’d like to ring my neck.”
KIP raised her hands “I rest my case.”
“What case is that?” Harm popped his head in. He had come in search of a file when he heard KIP’s final comment, but when the three women burst out laughing, he beat a hasty retreat.
===================
WEDNESDAY - 1209 LOCAL
JAG HQ, MAC’S OFFICE
Harm walked into Mac’s office. “You taking part in the UNCF race?”
Mac stopped what she was doing and raised her head to look at him. “You don’t knock?”
He tapped the doorframe. “Well?”
“Yes I am… want to give me six minutes again?” She teased.
“I don’t want to compete with you.” He replied.
“Too bad.” She grinned.
He shook his finger at her. “This time I won’t underestimate you.”
“…and they say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” She jibbed.
===================
SATURDAY TWO WEEKS LATER - 0612 LOCAL
RACE DAY
JAG HQ, MAC’S OFFICE
Mac had decided that in the spirit of what the race was for she wasn’t going to run a winning race. She’d keep pace wit KIP and Bobbie. It was already a foregone conclusion that Sturgis was going to win so she’d just take her time, finish the race and enjoy the company of women.
That was what she had planed.
In a similar arrangement as the JAG-A-THON the women were given a three-minute lead over the men. Not as per JAG-A-THON Lt. Singer joined the women in the startup.
Fifteen minutes into the race Harm and Sturgis joined the three women. “You’all ok?” Harm panted.
“Yees.” Mac replied. “Don’t you boys have a race to win?”
“Now that you mention it.” And with that the two men left.
“Men.” KIP snorted.
“Boys” Bobbie corrected.
Twenty minutes later the women came across Harm with a corpsman, Sturgis was marking time.
“What happened?” Bobbie demanded.
“Harm was feeling woozy so we erred on the side of caution.” Sturgis explained.
“You just can’t take it can you.” Mac teased. “If I remember you needed a corpsman during the JAG-A-THON”
“You’re ok sir. You can continue if you want.” The young man reported.
“Thank you.” Harm replied.
“You’re a little slow aren’t you?” He asked the three but looked at Mac.
“Maybe.” She was none comitial. “You ladies ready?”
“Sure.” Bobbie panted and they took off. Soon enough the men passed them again.
“Mac I smell a conspiracy here.” KIP said.
“A conspiracy?” Mac echoed.
“There he is again!” Bobbie spotted Harm.
“Where’s Sturgis?” Bobbie asked as they came up on Harm.
“Gone. Have pity on an abandoned runner?” He pleaded.
“If you can keep the pace.” KIP teased.
“Mac why don’t you go off with Harm?” Bobbie was all innocence.
“Now I do smell a conspiracy.” Mac grumbled under her breath.
KIP heard her. “No… that’s us sweating.” Then louder; “Go Bobbie and I are fine and I know you are only marking time with us.”
Mac was torn, “You sure?”
“GO!” Bobbie commanded.
“Crank it up flyboy.” Mac said as she picked up the pace, with Harm in close pursuit.
“I rest my case.” KIP repeated herself from weeks before.
Bobbie just grinned.
+ + +
The race became a repeat of the JAG-A-THON…
Sturgis won.
Harm and Mac tied and Harriett missed the end of the race.
Wrapped in covers to prevent them from cooling down too fast Mac and Harm stood near a tree to catch their breath and quench their thirst.
“So who won?” Harriett asked.
Mac was about to reveal that it was a tie between them when Harm cut across and said “Don’t know… suspect Sturgis though.”
The blonde shook her head. “I’ll go find out.”
As she left them Mac turned to Harm. “What was that all about? … In fact explain to me that whole running strategy?”
“As I said I don’t want to compete with you any more… and I wanted to talk; we never finished.” He said.
“What makes you think we ever will?” she walked away and Sturgis took her place at Harm’s side.
“Well?” He asked as he watched Mac walk away.
“Well what!” Harm snapped.
“Oh man… you are pathetic you know that?” he accused.
“Leave it alone Sturgis.” Harm growled.
Sturgis was having none of it as far as he was concerned this had gone on for too long. “This is your problem.
You are a lawyer and you cannot even articulate your emotions to the woman when she is standing right in front of
you!” “…that's different.” Harm defended. “In what way?!” Sturgis demanded. Harm floundered. “It just is…” Sturgis sighed, “There seems to be a certain tension with you two.” “Some.” He conceded. “A lot.” “You're missing the point!” Harm was indignant. Sturgis was reliving a similar conversation and wondered if the outcome would be the same. “Come on!” “We’ve never slept together!” Harm said heatedly. Sturgis pounced “Is that the problem?” Harm felt like he was going round in circles “There is no problem.” “In that case then why don't you just get over it and move on?” Sturgis challenged. Harm assured his friend; “It wouldn't work.” “Why?” Harm could take the badgering no longer “Because I'm in love with her!” “Commander… Colonel…” Bud greeted the officers. Harm whipped round to see Mac standing behind himself and Sturgis, she gave a watery smile. “I forgot my water
bottle… Bud!” She moved forward. “Walk with me. What was your time?” Harm looked at Sturgis. “You think she heard?” “I know she heard. Point is does she know you were refereeing to her?” Sturgis reasoned. “I’d say now was a
good a time as any to make her understand that.” He hesitated. “For God’s sake Rabb! Do something! Go to her or leave her alone but do something! This soap opera is killing
me!” Sturgis stated. “Oh look Bobbie and KIP have arrived.” He walked off. Harm was faced with a decision, “To be or not to be that is the question.“ he grumbled as he watched Mac talking
with Bud. He watched as she spotted her running mates had crossed the line and moved to join them and Sturgis. He decided that there were too many people around and now was not the time to tackle the Marine. He turned
to leave. “Harm? You leaving?” he heard Mac say. “Yeah.”
She looked confused “I don’t understand. Sturgis said you wanted to see me.”
[Sturgis!] Harm cursed. “Er…” he faltered.
She grasped it in one. “No I’m not doing this.” She said as she held up her hand as if to fend of an attack.
“What?” he queried, “I haven’t even spoken.”
“… and that can mean only one thing. You have something serious to say and you have not a clue on how to broach the topic. I said it before and I’ll say it again. I AM TIRED OF THE DANCE.” She turned to leave.
He spoke quickly to stop her. “I meant what I said.”
“You say many things.” She turned.
“I love you.” He whispered.
She stared.
“I love you.” He repeated in a normal voice.
Mac acted as if she were a spy about to be caught selling secrets. She looked round at the people gathered all talking and laughing. No one had heard. Her eye caught that of KIP’s. KIP winked at her.
“Mac?” Harm got her attention. “Did you hear me?”
“I did.”
“… and?”
“I…” she was in turmoil. “I … this is sudden isn’t it? Why now?” she stammered.
“Sudden?” he echoed. “I’ve been hinting like crazy remember on the Admiral’s porch? You’ll always have some one to love you? The night you broke up with Mic? I asked you to come to me? All right that may not be such a good example but I did follow you to the Guadalcanal…” he trailed off.
She looked at him; she’d wanted him for so long that now he was within her reach the situation seemed unreal. She took the plunge. “I love you too.”
“Well all right!” he grabbed her and swung her around. The people near by turned to look.
“Well I suppose we know who really won the race.” Sturgis remarked.
“I rest my case.” KIP said.
THE END.