Title:		Child's Play
Author:		"Beatrice"
E-Mail Address:	jennifer_ruger@hotmail.com
Rating:		PG-13
Classification:	Most Humorous
Spoilers:		Death Watch, Lifeline, Answered
Prayers
Summary:		Harm and Mac share a romantic
interlude, thanks in part to their godson.

Disclaimer:  I don't own JAG or its characters.  They
are the property of Donald Bellisario and Belisarius
Productions.  No copyright infringement intended -
I'm not making any profit from this.

***
1907 Local Time
Roberts Residence

Mac was really being intolerable.

Admittedly, she had just vanquished him in a battle
for world domination, but was it absolutely necessary
for her to rub it in so much?

Harm sighed.  On the bright side, she looked
absolutely adorable with that big grin on her face,
doing a little victory dance and getting high-fives
from Sturgis and Bud.  It was rare that he saw
her so relaxed and happy.  Too rare.  This evening
had been a good idea, he concluded.  He and Mac had
met Sturgis at Bud and Harriet's for an early dinner,
then they had retired to the living room to play
board games.  Despite his very vocal objections, the
others had chosen Risk - after all, wasn't that a
little too much like work? - and one by one, Harriet,
Bud, and then Sturgis had fallen by the wayside,
leaving him in a head-to-head contest with Mac.
Few things in life were as rewarding as matching wits
with his Marine.  They knew each other so well, it
was almost unfair.  In the end, she had anticipated
his strategy and kicked his six.  As much as he hated
to lose at anything, it was worth it just to see the
radiant look on her face.  The only thing missing
from the evening was that, aside from the ride over,
he hadn't had a moment alone with her.  He decided to
rectify that without further delay.

"All right, that's it," he said, standing and moving
closer to her.  "Penalty for excessive celebration.
I'm taking you into custody for some discipline,
Marine."  And with that, he tossed her over his
shoulder and set off toward the kitchen.

Mac let out a squeal, then bellowed in her best
command voice, "Hey!  I am queen of the universe, and
you will answer to me, squid!"

Harm snorted in amusement, unfazed by her apparent
belligerence.  If she really wanted to, she could
have disabled him and gotten away in a second.  She
wasn't putting up a fight, so he just kept on
walking.  "A little modesty might be in order,
Marine.  You just conquered Earth, not the entire
galaxy."

Little A.J. Roberts trailed after them, a worried
expression on his face.  "Uncle Harm, you aren't
going to hurt Auntie Mac, are you?"

"Oh, look, I have a little champion!"  From her perch
atop Harm's shoulder, Mac beamed lovingly at the boy.

By now, Harm had reached his destination and stopped
to address his godson.  "No, kiddo, I'm not gonna
hurt her."  He loosened his grip on Mac's waist,
allowing her to slither down his chest to an
upright position.  He was staring at her, completely
preoccupied with the sensation of her body pressing
against his, when A.J. startled him with another
question.

"Are you going to spank her?"

The child's conversation was proving to be an
effective diversionary tactic, as Mac started to
slink away in retreat, but Harm tightened his arm
around her waist and drew her back in.  A slow smile
spread across his features, and he looked down at
her, his eyes twinkling with mischief.  "I just might
do that," he said.  Mac raised her chin in defiance.

"Why, was she bad?"

Harm's shoulders sagged and the smile drained from
his face.  This was not going as planned.  He'd been
hoping to steal a few minutes alone with Mac, but
their godchild was not easily swayed.  He released
his hold on Mac, who quickly took two steps away from
him, and gave A.J. his full attention.  "Auntie Mac
is never bad," he replied earnestly.  "I was just
playin', A.J.  I'm just teasing her."

"Why are you teasing her?"

Damn, the kid was persistent.  Someone had told him
once about children and their never-ending questions.
Being on the receiving end of such an interrogation
wasn't uncomfortable, exactly.  It just kept him on
his toes, like when Mac was really intent on prying
something out of him that he didn't want to say or
didn't know how to express.  But what if things
weren't always so hard?  What if, for once, he could
just let her know what he was thinking without her
having to pry it out of him?  What if it all boiled
down to simple language and basic emotions that even
a child could understand?  Harm wasn't sure this was
such a bright idea, but he had brought her in here
for a reason.  If he was going to take a leap, this
was as good an opening as any.

He folded his arms across his chest and chewed on his
lower lip as he formulated his response.  "You want
the truth?  Because it's fun, and because that's what
boys do when they think a girl is cute and they want
to let her know that they like her."

The child blinked and looked puzzled, a tiny crinkle
forming above his button nose.

Harm returned his gaze sympathetically.  "I know, it
doesn't make much sense to you now, but give it
another 20 or 30 years, it'll all be clear as mud."
He bent over and mussed the boy's hair, giving him a
reassuring smile.

Little A.J. smiled back, looking genuinely relieved.
"O.K.  So you're not going to hurt Auntie Mac,
right?"

"No, A.J., I would never hurt Auntie Mac on purpose.
I promise."

Finally satisfied, the child toddled off, and seconds
later his cherubic tones floated back to them from
the living room.  "He's not gonna hurt her, he's just
playin'."  The grown-ups chuckled at his explanation.

He and Mac were now alone in the kitchen, but Harm
did not want to turn around.  With everything in him,
he wished he could be instantly beamed into outer
space rather than face her now.  It had been a huge
gamble for him to say something so utterly
transparent, even if it was under the guise of a
heart-to-heart with his godson.  But it was out there
now, and he couldn't take it back.  All he could hope
for was that she'd take it easy on him.  He sucked in
a long, slow breath to gather his courage, then
turned to look at his partner.

Mac was eyeing him with an amused expression.  "Leave
it to a Roberts to stick up for a lady," she said.

Harm was taken aback.  Hadn't she heard what he said?
She was right there the whole time.  Surely she
wasn't going to just let it go.  That would be so...
so... well, unlike her.  Equally surprising was
his feeling of disappointment at her lack of
interest.  Unless, of course, she was intentionally
ignoring his statement to see if he would pursue it
further.  What the hell, he thought to himself, I've
already come this far.  Might as well raise the
stakes a little.

"Well, he can't protect you forever," he taunted her
in a husky voice, slowly closing the distance between
them.  "After all, his bedtime's coming up pretty
soon."

"What happens then?"

He shrugged.  "Then it's just us big kids."

Mac looked up at him and lifted an eyebrow.  "So, you
think I'm cute, huh?"

"Yeah, I've pretty much gotten over that whole 'girls
have cooties' thing."

"Must've been a recent development."

"Well, you know me, I'm always trying to improve
myself."  His hands came up to rest gently on her
hips.

"Uh-huh."  Mac kept her eyes downcast, and she played
idly with one of the buttons on his shirt as she
spoke.  "Harm, if you're a very good boy, I just
might let you walk me home from school one of these
days."

"Mmm, then will you invite me in for some milk and
cookies?"  He couldn't restrain a smirk.  This
conversation was ridiculous, and neither one of them
was a bit fooled by their innocent terminology, but
it had gotten him this close.  His fingers fanned
out impatiently on her lower back.  His face was just
inches from hers, and he could smell her perfume.
God, he wanted her.

Mac's eyes darted up to meet his.  "I don't know if
you can be that good," she replied skeptically.

"I can be good," he said in a low voice.  "In fact,
if properly motivated, I can be very, very good."
With those last words, he merged his lips with hers.

Had Sarah MacKenzie been capable of any higher
cognitive function at that moment, she would have
realized that this kiss was different from any other
he had given her.  This one lacked the mournful
sadness of their kiss in Norfolk, or the desperate
longing of their kiss on the Admiral's porch.  Nor
was it a celebration of friendship renewed, with the
possibility of something more, that their kiss under
the mistletoe had been.  This was the something more.
This kiss was raw and hungry and demanding.  It
presumed everything, and it stirred primitive
sensations deep within her.  She placed both hands on
his chest to steady herself.

They were completely absorbed in each other when the
sound of footsteps in the hall began to register in
their minds.  They broke apart guiltily and, for a
moment, stared at each other in abject panic.  Then
they sprang into action, hoping to eliminate any
evidence of their tryst.  Mac spun around, facing the
counter.  Harm patted down his pockets and gratefully
discovered his cell phone, pulling it out and
flipping it open.  When Sturgis hit the doorway, Harm
had his phone to his ear, and Mac appeared to be
ransacking the cupboards.

Harm gave the newcomer a taut smile and pointed to
the phone.  "Just checking my messages."

Mac glanced at him and asked breathlessly, "Oh,
Sturgis, do you know where Harriet keeps the
glasses?"

Sturgis stared at her, then wordlessly reached over
to the dish rack in plain view on the counter and
picked up a glass, handing it to Mac.  This was the
woman who could locate people in the middle
of an ocean, and she couldn't find a glass that was
right under her nose?  She smiled effusively at him,
said, "Thanks, Sturgis," and filled her glass.  "Up
for another game?"

Distractedly, Harm muttered, "I'm gonna take this in
the other room."  And with that, the two partners
marched off in opposite directions, leaving Sturgis
Turner alone in the kitchen, his brow furrowed in
suspicion.

The End