Author: Nancy
Disclaimer: JAG and characters do not belong to me. I don't make any
money from this.
Classification: PG- 13
Category: Harm/Mac Drama/Humor
Summary: Harm has the opportunity to trade places in more ways than
one.
PART 9
She ran through the woods towards the sound with Gunny at her heals. Breathless, she saw Harm lying on the ground. Pyle stood leaning on his rifle with a strange look on his face. "Oh God please no." She approached the pair at the same time as Captain Strahan and two other Marines.
Pyle slowly collapsed on the damp ground. Harm opened his eyes to Pyle's empty stare. Mac leaned down and rolled Harm gently towards her. "Are you okay?" Her voice was uncharacteristically shaky.
It took a minute for the shock to pass before Harm realized Mac was kneeling over him with several Marines to her back. "Mac, you brought your company of Marines?" His voice sounded distant as he allowed the comfort of blackness to take over.
***********
He became aware of the warmth before he opened his eyes. He was in a bed...a soft dry warm bed. Taking inventory, the pains in his head and ankle were more of a continuous aching now, but nothing that he couldn't handle. The next thing he felt was a warm soft hand stroking his forehead. That felt really good. "Don't stop." He mumbled.
"Don't stop what?" He recognized that voice. Maybe he was dreaming again. It was getting hard to know the difference. He decided he wanted to keep his eyes closed just in case he was dreaming.
"Harm." Her voice brought him back to his semi-awakened state.
"Hmmm?"
"You've been asleep for nearly fourteen hours and twenty two minutes. Time to wake up."
"Mac, let me sleep just a little longer." Harm mumbled.
"Okay, you're going miss seeing me pay up on the bet I lost."
His eyes flew open.
"I thought that would get you moving." She smiled and stroked his face. "How do you manage to get yourself in so much trouble Flyboy? You take too many unnecessary chances."
"No I don't. I have you watching my six." He smiled and moved his hand from underneath the covers to hold hers. "Thanks again."
"You helped discover our 'judge and jury'. The Marines at Camp LeJeune are safe until they ship out." Mac sighed.
"What happened to Pyle?"
"He's dead. Captain Strahan's a pretty good marksman. He shot him right before the Corporal was going to kill you."
A knock at the door announced the presence of Colonel Rester and Captain Strahan. "Commander, you look a little better than you did yesterday." The base commander commented.
"Yesterday, I was a Marine. Today I'm a sailor." Harm replied winning a grin from both Marine officers.
"We had a Squid on base the whole time. That was almost as bad as a psycho Marine." Strahan replied not missing a beat.
"Hey, it took a squid to get that psycho Marine out in the open." Harm countered.
"It took a company of Marines to find you sorry Squid six."
"And for that I am grateful Captain. If you ever need a good lawyer." Harm extended his hand to the Marine Captain who warmly reciprocated.
"I'm available." Mac added with a smile.
"I bet I've won more cases for Marines than you." Harm taunted.
"Bet not!"
"You already lost one bet to me Marine. What are the stakes this time?"
"You have to polish my shoes for the next six months."
"All five hundred pair?"
"Five hundred?" Colonel Rester raised his eyebrows.
"He's exaggerating!"
"Do you two always joke around like that?" Strahan chuckled.
"Who's joking around?" Harm and Mac responded together.
"Well you still owe the Marines for that comment about the show tunes." Strahan reminded in a quasi-threatening manner.
"And Marines being second choice." Colonel Rester added dryly.
"I wasn't really serious." Harm started back peddling.
"So you admit being a Marine is better than being a Squid." Mac enjoyed seeing him squirm.
"I didn't say that."
"You implied it."
"You're trying to put words in my mouth."
"Am not."
"Captain, I think we need to leave this old married couple to themselves." Rester poked his officer gently. The two eased out of the room without Harm and Mac's awareness.
"You know you drive me crazy!" Mac growled.
"Me? Me? You are the one!" Harm replied.
"Where did Colonel Rester and Captain Strahan go?" Mac observed.
"They didn't want to get caught in the cross fire. Truce?" Harm replied.
"Truce. Well I guess we'll be heading back to JAG a couple of days." Mac patted Harm affectionately on the hand.
"And you get to wear the new Marine uniform. A pink T-shirt proclaiming 'Make love not war.'" Harm pulled his arms behind his head and grinned.
"That's a good piece of advice Squid. Maybe you should follow the Marine example." Mac added with a hint of seduction in her voice.
"I ordered those shirts."
"I know. Did you have any one Marine in mind with that slogan or was that for all Marines in general."
"Need you ask?"
The end
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