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TxJAG_b [for Karen]
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Date Posted: 20:51:56 04/25/06 Tue
In reply to:
Karen
's message, "Big Blue Sky" on 20:35:06 04/21/06 Fri
A/N: Some will say this a treat getting this early,
some wanted more of a wait - my travel schedule
dictates otherwise. Hope you enjoy. By the way K,
kudoes back to you for your help in keeping me straight.
I'm also thanking Janlaw here because she has [and is]
helping me with some protocol issues as well.
Big Blue Sky - Part Three
Somewhere on the Western peninsula
2 Nov 2007
1735
He threaded his way through the dripping evergreens along a winding gravel driveway. He had told her it would be difficult to direct her to this place in the waning light of early evening. Her quick smile let him know she was comfortable with the decision. The few lights that winked along the roadway came from houses set too far back to provide landmarks or illumination. The pale early moonlight was completely obliterated by heavy, dark clouds pouring their contents over the landscape.
He was certain her innate sense of direction had correctly kept track of their location. With the assistance of her GPS she should have no trouble finding her way back. They would very shortly be coming to the end of this landmass where the cabin perched above the sound. He no sooner thought of it than he rounded a huge clump of trees and pulled up under the shelter. Frank had added the wide porch and carport years ago, and the wood had weathered so it was no longer possible to tell what part of the façade was really old and what part was not so old.
“Let’s get inside and get warmed up, Mac.” His suggestion was made comfortably, as though these circumstances were perfectly normal.
He wasn’t going to give her a lot of time to think about this. He was a little nervous about the outcome of their last meeting, but he’d spent countless hours on a steel island at sea replaying that final incident and everything else that had happened in their lives. The best he could come up with was on that night she considered his advances to be sympathy and she wasn’t prepared to accept pity for her situation. She’d been on a mission to rebuild herself in her own eyes, and she must have thought all he was offering her was a place to hide.
He grabbed his seabag from the rear hatch of her vehicle, then hesitating for half a second, he considered grabbing hers as well, but wisely, he decided that would be premature. She picked up the file of papers and followed him up the steps. He retrieved a set of keys from a small pocket on the side of his bag and unlocked the door, stepping aside to allow her to enter. It was dark inside, and he reached past her shoulder to flip on a light switch illuminating a short hallway.
“This is the old part of the cabin,” he explained, as he opened a door off the hall and tossed his bag on the floor. Through the opening, she could see a freshly made bed. “Bathroom is in there, too. Across the hall is a small room I use for an office and I keep my workout stuff in there. Back here is the newer part, the kitchen and living room,” he took her arm encouraging her to explore further.
He could see the look of recognition in her face as she glanced around the kitchen. A small smile tickled her lips as she noticed his pots and pans hanging from a cast iron rack over the cooking area. It was reminiscent of his apartment in DC.
“I sort of did a little work rearranging the kitchen after I got here. Made it more cook friendly,” he returned her smile.
“I thought it looked an awful lot like you, Harm,” she nodded approvingly.
“This is the best room though, Mac,” he took the papers from her hands and laid them on the counter, then took two steps down into a room that ran the width of the cabin. In the center was a fire pit with a stone chimney that climbed through the ceiling. A wide wall of windows overlooked the darkening expanse of water, with the lights from the city and naval base on the other side distorted and barely visible through the downpour.
She walked to the window where a comfortable looking seat beckoned her. “It’s breathtaking, Harm. You could just sit here for hours and look at that view.” She turned to him, then quickly back to the vista before her.
“I often do,” his voice rumbled softly, very close behind her. They stood silently for several long moments. She was mesmerized by the view, and he was equally captivated by the fact that she was actually here with him. Somehow, he had to find a way to make her want to stay, or at least to come back soon.
His good manners took hold before his desires could completely control his behavior, and he offered, “Can I get you something to drink?” Then he saw her shiver slightly.
“Good grief, Mac, you’re cold. Your clothes and shoes are soaked. Let me get you something warm and dry.”
“I’ll be alright, Harm,” she protested, but not very forcefully.
“Wait right there,” he held up his hand, and hurried into the bedroom. Returning in thirty seconds, he announced, “There are sweatpants, a shirt, and socks on the bed. Go change, and I’ll start a fire. Go on, I can’t have you catching cold.” He shooed her in the direction of the indicated room.
Too wrapped up in what he wanted from the renewal of their relationship, he didn’t notice that she wasn’t protesting nearly as much as he might expect. In fact, he had just missed the secret smile that crossed her face.
It was just like the times long ago, when their friendship had been good, and firm, and comfortable. It had come back so easily. It only had her questioning if it was too easy, or if it was finally meant to be. Whatever the reason she knew she didn’t want to leave his company soon. Whatever hint of invitation he gave her she would accept.
Moving back into the main room after changing, she found a fire snapping and flickering to a bright blaze in the round hearth. The aroma of fresh coffee gurgled from the kitchen.
“Are you hungry, Marine?” his voice smiled at her. He sounded so comfortable to have her here.
“Not yet, but that coffee sure smells like something I could use,” she answered.
“I’m going to go change into something dry. The coffee will be ready by then. Maybe we can sit and talk for a while,” he suggested.
“Id like that,” she turned to look out the window again.
A few minutes later, she heard him moving about the open kitchen. “You still want your coffee the same way as this afternoon?”
“A little milk this time of the evening, please. Otherwise I’ll be up all night.”
Now that was a concept he felt had possibilities, but he still had a long way to go in reestablishing their friendship. Much as he wanted her and wanted her now, he certainly didn’t expect anything to happen tonight. He had to curb these fighter jock tendencies if he wanted Mac to take him seriously. It had become a habit too easy to slip back into once he’d felt himself abandoned.
Walking up behind her, he handed her the cup of coffee then remained close. It just felt so damned good to be near her again. He watched the serene joy move quietly over her face, the blurred light of the distant city playing on her skin. Did she feel it too? The absolute perfection of the moment? It was as though their spirits had chosen this time to find peace together.
His lips quirked slightly at the corners in response to the poetry of the idea. It was one of those greeting card moments they had so often joked about. Nevertheless, it was here and it was real. He couldn’t let it pass unremarked.
Silently placing his cup on the windowsill, he reached out and touched her shoulder. “Thank you for being here with me. It helps…Mac, I…”
He meant to say more, wanted to tell her how he felt. He no longer worried what her response would be. He just had to tell her. But she had turned and was already in his arms, her coffee cup beside his on the windowsill. He felt her arms slip around his waist and her lips meet his. Not certain who moved first, he only knew he couldn’t move away.
He poured everything he’d ever learned into showing her how he felt about her. He would tell her as soon as he caught his breath, but for now he would show her. A new kiss began where the last one ended, each more passionate than the last, each expressing desires they’d so long and torturously held in check.
As one, their hands roamed, exploring each others backs, sides, arms before they began to slip inside of the others clothing. This wouldn’t stop unless one of them stopped it and the time had finally come when neither had the will nor the desire to stop it. He knew he had to tell her how he felt, make her understand what he wanted from her, but not now, not this minute. For now, he just had to love her.
Slowly, as the kisses progressed, as each piece of clothing was invaded, coaxed from their bodies, and finally dropped they traveled the width of the room. He leaned her against the tall smooth wooden column that held up the roof and kneeled to slide her sweatpants over her ankles taking the thick socks with them. Then standing he scooped her into his arms and carried her up the short stairs.
Leaning back against the wall he let her feet slide to the ground then pulled her into another passionate, needful embrace, before she stooped to slide his jeans down his long muscular legs and toss them aside. With his hands under her arms he dragged her back up his body, nearly losing control as her soft skin slid across his aroused flesh. Step-by-step they made their way to the small bedroom. Pulling away only long enough to throw back the blankets, he wrapped her in another kiss and pulled her down with him. In one motion, he rolled her beneath him and burrowed under the bed covers, continuing to kiss her.
There was more he wanted to do, certainly much more, but he had no intention of rushing it. He finally had her, she was giving herself to him, and he would savor every last moment of their first time.
His kisses were returned with a fervor he had only ever hoped to find in her. Moved by the single desire to give the gift of their long buried love to the other, to express their suppressed emotions, neither fully recognized that the other was offering the same in return. Little mattered in that moment except that they were together. Finally, they had the opportunity to give, and accept the physical rewards for their years of unfulfilled love.
His hands moved over her body, slowly and smoothly stroking her fires. There was no seamless perfection. Their movements lacked the choreography of familiarity. But their desire for the other bore no interference. If he couldn’t kiss her in one place, he kissed her in another. If she couldn’t touch him here, she touched him there. He followed his caresses with his lips as he touched and loved all of her, until neither could bear to wait longer for release.
When they ultimately passed over that last precipice of their passion, with every nerve ending sated by the taste and touch of the other, he gathered her into his arms and held her close. She snuggled against his long body draping her leg over his with her slender arm cast across his middle. Placing his lips gently on her cheek, then her forehead, he felt the after tremors of satisfaction play through her body. He listened to her breath as it quieted, her murmurs of contentment as she relaxed, before falling into an even rhythm of sleep. Only then did he allow himself the luxury of surrendering to sleep as well.
**~**
Several hours later, he slowly drifted awake. He was disoriented, his world felt wrong, but he couldn’t seem to put his mind on what it was. As his thoughts came more into focus he realized something was missing, a few more seconds gave him the answer. Mac. She wasn’t here beside him.
Springing from the bed, he grabbed a robe from the back of the door, but a glance through the window relieved him somewhat. Her car was still parked under the overhang.
Scrubbing his hands through his hair, he listened for sounds and found none coming from the darkened bathroom, so he made his way into the hallway towards the main room.
There, outlined against the sparkling lights of the city across the sound, she stood wrapped in a throw from the couch.
“Mac?” he asked. “What are you doing out here. It’s cold.” He walked up behind her and slipped his arms around her. Gratified she didn’t pull away, he also noticed she didn’t exactly relax against him.
“Mac, talk to me. Are you okay? What happened...?”
“Harm we started something tonight, at least I think we did. Maybe it was just comfort you needed, but...”
“Mac, that wasn’t about comfort, not for me anyway.” He squeezed her gently to punctuate his plea. “Tell me that’s not all it was for you. Please!” He bent his head and kissed a bare spot between her neck and shoulder where the blanket had slipped away
She closed her eyes in relief. Leaning against him, she savored the pressure of his lips. “No, it wasn’t. I was hoping to regain something I’d thrown away two years ago.”
He loosened his hold on her, but didn’t release her. Instead, he turned her in his arms to look into her eyes. His big hands spread across her back and gently pulled her closer. “I think I understand, Mac. You thought then that it was just sympathy, that I was offering you a place to hide. It wasn’t like that you know.”
She looked at him for a minute, stunned by how far apart they were at that time, and how quickly they had come back together this time.
“No, Harm, that’s not what I thought,” she shook her head slowly. “I had a pretty good idea what you wanted. You had been trying to tell me for nearly a year. It was something I was ready to accept, when…when all that happened,” she looked away.
He took her chin between his fingers and turned her face back. “You’re right. I did want you then,” he told her. “If you knew that, then why…?”
“Harm, your next step is a promotion to admiral.”
He scoffed slightly, but wrapped his arms around her again, reaffirming his need.
“No, really, if you want it you could have it. We both know that. There aren’t many people who know about what happened to me. But don’t you think they’d dig a bit deeper into my background…if I was your wife…if you were selected for that kind of promotion? A selection for Flag doesn’t happen in a vacuum, Harm,”
“And you thought I’d rather be an admiral than your husband?” his voice showed his surprise at her conclusion.
“No. I knew I couldn’t be the wife who kept you from becoming an admiral if you wanted to.” She tried to pull away.
“Well, I don’t want to.” He pulled her in tighter against him
“What!?” she tucked her head back looking up at him. In her bare feet, he was tall enough to make this position awkward.
“I don’t want to be an admiral, Mac. All I ever wanted was a good career, and a home and family, preferably with you. Why we could never make that happen was the subject of choice on a lot of nights I spent discussing it with the stern wave,” he smiled ironically.
“Did you ever figure it out?” she asked.
“No, not until about three hours ago,” he replied.
“What was the answer?”
“To the past? Who the hell knows? I was thinking about the future,” he told her.
“The future? What future?”
He could feel her trembling in his arms now. He prayed it was in anticipation of what he was thinking, and not fear that he would suggest it. Maybe it was just the midnight chill in the air. He ought to get her either dressed or back in bed. He certainly preferred back in bed, but they’d skipped dinner. It might be a good time to fix her something to eat.
“What future, Harm?” she asked again, moving slightly in the circle of his arms.
“Our future, Mac. I don’t want to be an admiral, and I’ve given the Navy my two years as an 06. I’ll still fly, maybe go to some advisory position, maybe even be stationed at a flight school. They seem to think I’m good enough,” he smiled with uncharacteristic hubris, “but this was my last time at sea. Unless things escalate dramatically, I’m destined to mostly fly a desk from now on.”
“I’m sick that this happened to Joan and Charlie. But maybe it’s time to give up the Navy and move to a different place in my life. Finding you here just brings it all together.”
“I’m going to Montana, Mac. I’m going to learn how to raise cattle, and I’m going to dust off my teenager skills. Will you come with me?” He asked with his heart full of butterflies, praying he hadn’t misread everything, praying hard that this would be the right time for them. He’d wanted her so much for so long. He wanted to share his life with her, and wanted to share hers. After last night, after finally being close to her, being one with her, he couldn’t imagine ever being apart from her again.
When she didn’t answer, he worried. When he saw moisture gather in her eyes his heart began to sink. “Mac, I…please...” he started.
“Shhh, Harm, don’t talk,” she whispered as she stared into his eyes reading his heart.
It was taking too long. He couldn’t stand it. Taking a deep breath, her name formed on his lips again, just as she breathed a simple, “Yes.”
“What?” He didn’t believe his ears
“I said, yes. I’ll come with you.”
He was stunned. The answer he’d hoped for left him stunned.
“Harm, say something,” she prodded gently.
“I…I can’t,” his lips closed over hers. He pulled her up against him, holding and supporting her. It was all he could think of to do, just kiss her, and kiss her more. To taste all the ways Sarah MacKenzie’s mouth, and lips, and tongue, tasted under his. He abandoned her mouth for a moment working his way along her face, nibbling her ear, running his tongue down her neck slowly, and then returning to her lips. His hands loosened their grip and began wandering over her back, finding no satisfactory resting place. She felt too delicious. He couldn’t pick just one. She’d just agreed to be his for all time. Making love to her now would be an entirely different experience. Earlier it had been tentative, passionate, almost desperate, this time there was something new added. The desperation was gone, and in its place a permanence and confidence in their future that would give a whole new meaning to their pleasure.
He scooped her into his arms and started back for the bedroom, stopping several times to kiss her again before they reached the bed.
Just as he kneeled to lay her down, in the middle of a strong passionate kiss, her stomach growled. Trying hard to hold the kiss, the laugher that bubbled up from deep inside weakened his grip. He didn’t want to stop the kiss. He didn’t want to drop her, but laughter sapped his strength. They tumbled in a heap on the bed, both of them rolling against each other in uncontrolled merriment. It was good. It was a release of all the strong, heavy emotions that had closed about them for hours, and it made the last elements of their world perfect. When he finally regained himself, he looked over at her.
“Your timing sucks you know that, Marine?” He started laughing again. She couldn’t control her amusement either.
“Yeah?” she giggled, tears of amusement running from her eyes. “Well, you’re not the one that had a six foot four inch, two hundred pound man land on top of you,” she laughed some more.
“You’re okay, aren’t you?” he was instantly concerned.
“I’m fine,” she giggled again. “But I think you’d better feed me now.” She rolled over draping herself against him, her lips closing on his.
His arms automatically went around her, but instead of covering her, he pulled them upwards standing her on her feet. “Put on something warm, I’ll have a nice hot omelet and toast ready in ten minutes.” He kissed her on the nose, shoved his feet into his sox, and winked at her.
“Harm,” she called as he reached the door. “Do omelets come with dessert?”
He looked her partially covered body up and down very slowly. She shivered at the depth of suggestion in his eyes. “They do now,” he growled, and slipped through the door.
End of three
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