| Subject: Re: How We Became Us - C9/9 |
Author:
fananicfan
|
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
Date Posted: 13:47:43 05/06/07 Sun
In reply to:
fananicfan
's message, "How We Became Us - story after Custody in the series" on 22:53:25 04/29/07 Sun
Well, we have reached the end of another story. My beta erader is off on a vacation next week and it looks like I have a trip in my future as well. I hope that even with vacations that the next story will be ready at the end of June or first of July.
CHAPTER NINE – Starting with Three, not Two
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Harm awoke when he sensed someone’s eyes on him. His eyelids started to flutter. She placed a barely there kiss on his lips. He opened his eyes, and Mac was staring at him.
“Did you get any sleep?” he asked.
“Yes, but I woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep. I couldn’t take my eyes off my wedding ring at first, then I couldn’t take my eyes off of you.”
“Your wedding ring was keeping you awake?”
She ignored his statement to direct the conversation to her point. “Did you pick the three-diamond wedding ring for a particular reason?”
He thought for a moment about his trip to the jewelry store. He remembered selecting the channel set three-diamond ring, but couldn’t remember any particular reason why he’d picked it. “I thought it went well with the three-stone engagement ring. Why?”
“I was thinking that you might have picked it because you had confidence that we were going to get custody of Mattie. And, with Mattie, that means that we're starting out our life together with three and not two.”
“Maybe it was a subconscious thing. I hadn’t thought of it, but it certainly works.”
She had a warm, fuzzy feeling inside, knowing that he'd given her the rings on her finger. She placed another barely there kiss on his lips. “I love you.”
He slid his hand behind her head and rested his palm there. “And I love you.” He pulled her head towards his and kissed her gently at first, and then his tongue slid across her lower lip, asking for entrance, but instead of granting it, she put her palm against his chest and pushed. He didn’t attempt to keep her in a kiss that she didn’t want, but he was a little confused.
She pulled away and looked into his eyes. “Don’t you think that we should be cutting back? I wouldn’t want you to get tired of me.”
“I'll never get tired of you.” He paused and, in a joking tone, added, “I might get too old to do anything about it, but I'll never get tired of wanting to be with you.”
Her shy girl smile appeared, but her actions were far from shy as she rushed her lips to his with her mouth slightly open, prepared to accept his tongue from the start.
After lovemaking, it was time to shower and dress. After Mac was dressed, she went to make sure that Mattie was up while Harm showered.
With the apartment packed up, the first order of business for the newly formed Rabb family was to have breakfast. Over breakfast at the restaurant, they went over the list to make sure that they could get everything done today.
By the time they lost daylight, everything on the list had been done, from taking Mattie out of school, to Mac returning her leased Corvette, to meeting with the wedding photographer to look over proofs.
With Jennifer’s apartment packed up, too, they called her to see if she wanted to meet them for dinner. During dinner, Jennifer was just trying to make conversation, but, with the judge’s decision yesterday, Mattie’s goodbyes to her past, and Jennifer’s question, the look on Mattie’s face said that it had all just become real in her head.
Jennifer had asked if Harm’s parents had a place lined up for Mac and Mattie to stay or if they’d be doing their own looking when they arrived. When Harm’s parents had found out that Mac’s new office would be in the Naval Reserve Center just outside the gate of the Marine Corps Air Station at Miramar, they’d offered to let Mac and Mattie stay with them while Mac got settled in at work. The navy lodge and transition housing were farther south, and their home in La Jolla would put Mac closer to work. Having an address in the area where Mac would probably be looking for a place anyway, would make it easier on Mattie. She wouldn’t have to change schools a second time. Mac hoped that, if everything went the way she planned, the stay with Harm’s parents wouldn’t be long. They'd have a few days to look for a place of their own before Mac had to begin her new command, and Frank had already placed a call to a realtor friend of his to start looking for them.
After dinner, everyone returned to their apartments. The Rabb family knew that their time together was coming to an end, so they watched a couple of movies to spend more time together before it was time to go to bed.
Mac had undressed and was waiting in bed for Harm when he came out of the bathroom in his boxers. Her face was very serious when she looked at him and asked, “Does your wedding ring fit okay? Not too loose? Not too tight?”
“Yeah, it fits fine, why?”
Her serious face softened. “I was just checking. I should warn you that some women are attracted to men with wedding rings.”
He slipped into bed next to his wife. “I already know the answer if I’m approached.”
“You do?”
He kissed her neck and whispered his response in her ear. “I tell her that my wife says that she doesn’t share.”
“If that doesn’t work, you can tell her that your wife's a marine and that she’ll kick her six.” He grinned. “I’d wipe that grin off your face, sailor. I’ll kick yours, too.”
His grin didn’t fade, but he pulled away. “I guess the hot brunette that I’m after tonight will have to go then.”
She reached for him and pulled him to her. “I’m not going anywhere,” she whispered and kissed him.
“All teasing aside, you know that you don’t have anything to worry about. I may have dragged my feet in getting to this point, but I wouldn’t risk losing what I have with you.”
Mac kissed him passionately and pulled away. “You know, for all the missteps, misunderstandings, miscommunications and whatever else you want to call it in getting to this point, we’ve never had any trouble communicating here without words.”
“So let’s stop talking.”
Their lips came together as their bodies would soon. Their lovemaking would relax them into each other’s arms, and sleep would come to them.
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Harm and Mac were awake early enough to make love before they needed to get up for the day.
Today, the movers were coming to pack the boxes into a moving truck that would take their things to California.
Harm went to get some bagels and donuts for breakfast. When he returned, he moved Mattie’s things from Jennifer’s apartment into his in an effort to keep Jennifer and Mattie's boxes from getting mixed up, because Jennifer’s things were being picked up today, too.
The movers arrived around nine, loaded Jennifer’s apartment first and conveniently finished her apartment in time to take a lunch break. With Jennifer’s apartment completed, she volunteered to make a lunch run to bring back Chinese food for everyone.
The movers returned after lunch and loaded Harm and Mac’s apartment except for the few things that they’d agreed to leave behind. The movers had everything loaded and were gone by late afternoon. Some of the things that were to be left in the apartment were in the storage area downstairs, so it took Harm about half an hour to move the items upstairs and into place. Mac helped Harm move the furniture, while Mattie packed usable refrigerator items into a box to take to Harriet.
The last two things to do was to take the trash out and load the box of usable food items from the refrigerator, stuff like half a bottle of ketchup, into the car.
From the apartment, they went to check into a hotel. Mattie was thrilled to have a room of her own. She'd probably have thought ‘yuk’ if she'd let herself think about it. She had a room of her own because her parents were newlyweds and were spending their last night together for what could be weeks or months.
After they’d taken what they needed from the car and looked over their rooms, it was time to head to Bud and Harriet’s. Harriet had invited Harm, Mac, Mattie, and Jennifer to dinner as a way to say goodbye to her friends.
As usual, Harriet’s meal was delicious and her dinner party was a success. Harm saw Mac whisper something to Mattie just before Harriet asked if anyone wanted dessert. Harm found it interesting that both Mac and Mattie declined dessert. At the hotel later, he’d find out what she'd said.
They took Mattie to her room first. Even though her room was right across the hall, the new parents wanted to talk to her about hotel safety and make sure that she was locked in for the night before they left.
Once in Mattie’s room, Mac asked Mattie if she'd like to have a banana split. While they waited for room service to deliver the dessert, Mattie got a subtle speech on not opening the door for anyone and how to call their room from hers if she needed anything. Once the room service delivery had been made, Mac and Harm left Mattie to enjoy her dessert and watch television, and they went on to their room.
Once in their room, Harm verified what he suspected. “You bribed her with a banana split.”
“I wouldn’t call it a bribe. I call it a treat. While you were doing the maunal labor of bringing up our bags after we checked in, I read the room service menu. When I saw the dessert section, it struck me that room service would be a pretty cool thing to an almost seventeen year old who's never had it before. She’s been through so much. She’ll never forget the bad things that she’s been through and she shouldn’t because it'll make her stronger in the long run, but she should have good times to remember, too.”
Mac had that look in her eyes again, the one that she'd had in their room on their wedding night. Harm knew what it was now. His smart, beautiful, sexy, opinionated, strong-willed, faithful friend, outstanding lawyer, and fine Marine was a heart’s been broken, sometimes vulnerable, sometimes insecure woman who was trying not to let the hurts of her little girl past repeat itself in her life as a woman…and if Mac could stop it, it wouldn’t happen in Mattie’s life either.
He wanted to wrap the little girl who’d been hurt in his arms, but the woman whom she’d become was in front of him, so he wrapped his arms around her. It was one of those times when you think you should say something, but no words seem to be right.
She seemed to understand the gesture and buried her face in his chest, letting his arms be a protective cocoon around her for few minutes. When she was ready, she looked up at him and put her palms on the sides of his face, pulling him into a loving yet passionate kiss. After the kiss, Mac pulled from his protective embrace and began undressing, dropping her clothes on the way to the bed as if she were leaving a trail for him to follow.
He wasted no time in doing so, dropping something of his near something of hers on the floor. He watched as she slid onto the bed.
He slid onto the bed close to her, but without touching her. He raised his hand to her face, and his index finger traced over her lips before he placed a kiss on them. His hands brushed her hair off her shoulders before he kissed from her earlobe down to her collarbone on both sides. His finger then made a trail from her collarbone down to the valley between her breasts. Her breath caught in her throat as he retraced the path with kisses. His hand caressed one breast, and his finger made a circle around the nipple before he placed kisses there. His tongue then circled her nipple, first one breast and then the other. His finger made a trail from the valley between her breasts to her bellybutton. His touch was as light as a feather, and it caused her body to pulse with desire. He again followed his fingertip path with kisses.
As he kissed her lips, his palm moved between her legs, and he rubbed his hand up and down the inside of her thigh. After their kiss ended, he moved to place soft kisses on the inside of her thigh where his palm had just been. His touch warmed her skin, but his kisses set her on fire. His movements were slow and premeditated, and it felt so good to be with him. She moved to give him some of the same attention that he was giving her, but he resisted. “Tonight, it’s about you, not me.” It was probably the most wonderful thing that any man had ever said to her.
He didn’t want to rush, but the feel of her skin under his hand and lips caused sensations at the core of him, the effects of which were starting to be hard for him to ignore. He wasn’t sure if he should pull her onto him or cover her. His answer would come when she breathlessly said his name and tugged on his arm like she’d done the very first time they'd been together. He covered her body with his as she’d requested. Slowly, he entered her and moved in and out of her with the rhythm that he’d discovered that she'd enjoyed most while they were in the Bahamas. As his breathing became labored, his thrusts into her caused the walls wrapped around him to spasm to the delight of both participants. He couldn’t help the moans and groans that escaped his mouth as he was swept away in the moment of their mutual release.
He moved most of himself off of her, but placed his head on her chest with an arm draped across her. He listened to her heartbeat as they both panted in order to cool down from the heat of their joining.
They lay together, not wanting to be apart and not wanting to sleep, as if not sleeping would keep tomorrow from coming.
Thursday, September 29, 2005
They had fallen asleep, although they hadn’t stayed in the same position. They’d moved together in their sleep, keeping contact with each other.
He woke unable to see her face, but he knew that she was awake, too, because she was drawing small circles on his chest with her fingertips. “Mac.”
“I don’t want to talk about it, okay?”
“You don’t want to talk about...last night?”
She corrected him. “I don’t want to talk about goodbyes or planes or -”
He cut her off. “Then let’s just lie here until we have to get up.”
They did exactly that. They lay together until Mac’s internal clock told them that it was time to get ready for another day. Harm called Mattie’s room to get her up while Mac showered. Mac went over to Mattie’s room to make sure that she was ready while Harm showered.
They were able to go to the airport together in Harm’s rental car because their flights were leaving within a couple of hours of each other. They returned the rental car and took a shuttle over to the airport. Mac and Mattie’s plane was scheduled to leave first.
Harm sat between the two of them at their gate. Mac’s head rested on one shoulder while Mattie’s head leaned against the other.
Mattie heard another passenger ask the woman at the gate how much longer it would be until the flight would be boarding. The response by the airline employee was, “Five minutes.”
Mattie took in a deep breath and waited a minute before breaking the silence. “When are we all going to be together again?”
“Mac and I talked about it. If I can’t get an assignment that brings me to San Diego before December, she hopes to have her office up and running well enough for the two of you to come to London for Christmas.”
The PA system came to life, announcing that their flight was now boarding first class passengers.
Mattie’s arm came up and across Harm, and she squeezed his neck, the best hug that she could give him from her seat. “I’m going to miss you.”
Harm’s arm went around Mattie’s shoulders and he squeezed, too. “I’m going to miss you, too.”
They fell silent again for a moment, but Mattie couldn’t stay that way. “Aren’t you going to miss him, Mac?”
Mac’s face hadn’t been visible to anyone, but when she lifted her head off Harm’s shoulder and turned to answer Mattie’s question, the tracks from Mac's tears that she'd shed in silence while they'd sat there were apparent. Mac's hand grasped Harm’s leg just above his knee as she responded, “More than I can tell either of you.”
Harm lifted his hand to brush away Mac’s tears with his thumb the way he had in the past.
The PA announcement that they were now boarding rows, cut this moment short. Harm, Mac and Mattie stood.
Neither Harm nor Mac believed in big public displays of affection, especially in front of their daughter.
Harm reached for Mac’s left hand with his left hand and intertwined his fingers with hers. “Duty separates us, but my heart is wherever you are.”
“And my heart is with you.”
“Together forever.”
“Together forever,” she replied as she looked at their clutched hands adorned with wedding bands.
The PA system came on, announcing the next set of rows to board.
Leave it to a teenager to blow a moment. “It's a good thing we have to get on a plane, because watching the two of you is like watching a scene in a sappy love story on Lifetime.”
Mac sniffled and leaned in close so that she could whisper to Harm. “I haven't said a word, but you'd better watch it or you're going to give your secret away yourself."
Harm nodded, placed a brief kiss on her lips and gave her a quick hug. He turned and gave Mattie a hug before stepping to the side to let them move towards the line of people boarding the plane.
Mattie was brave and marched right onto the plane, impressing Mac with her seemingly fearless approach to this new chapter in her life. She wouldn't be so fearless in a few hours when the pilot announced that their plane was preparing to land at San Diego’s airport. She'd reach for Mac’s hand and squeeze it hard at first, and then harder until the plane was safely on the ground and taxiing to the gate.
After take off and after Mattie was settled in listening to music, Mac reached into her carry on bag, pulled out a legal pad and began to write a letter to Harm.
During the hour and thirty minutes that Harm waited for his plane to board, he bought a pad of paper and began to write a letter to Mac.
The letters that each wrote were a mixture of questions, confessions, apologies, and words left unspoken too long. As they read over what they'd written, they'd conclude, though by different patterns of thought, that it was more a chronicle of their life together before marriage than a letter. There'd been something liberating about writing it all down. It had taken the sting out of the hurts and focused them on the bond that they'd always shared, though not always admitted to. Sliding their pads of paper down into their carry on bags, it would be clear to both of them that, no matter what they'd written, the only thing that mattered was that their love had won in the end. Perhaps the pages now tucked carefully into their luggage would be sent, or perhaps kept in a safe place to show the other on some anniversary years from now.
At the end of the day, 5,489 miles would separate them, but the gold rings on their fingers, given as symbols of their love, would serve as a reminder that distance doesn't keep apart two hearts that belong together.
The End...for now?
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
| |
Feedback: 