I hear the question in his voice and this makes me turn my head, my arms still crossed in front of me.
"What is it?"
"I was just wondering if you had sometime to go over this case file with me." I search her eyes. "You know I can't read your handwriting when you're in a hurry."

There is a slight sparkle there and I smile. "Sure I have time."
"Everything okay." Though I know it's not.
"Yea, its fine. I was just lost in thought. This time of the year always does that to me." I flash a half-hearted smile at him. I see in his eyes that there is part of him that doesn't believe me still.
"Come on flyboy lets get to work."

~ ~ ~

I've only been home for 45 mins, but it feels like this day has gone on forever. My vacation leave starts tomorrow. I tried to get the Admiral to let me work through Christmas, but he wouldn’t hear of it this year.

I have no idea what I’m going to do around this place for a week. Harm leaves for California to visit his mother soon, which is going to leave me here alone.
It's in this moment that I realize how much time we have been spending together. It all just seems so natural, but not offical.
As I rest my head back against the couch I realize I don’t really know where my relationship with Harm is these days. In the past it has always frustrated me, but I seem to have let go the frustration. It seems easier to play this game his way.
I’m jerked out of my thoughts as I hear his voice, when I look over at the door, I realize I hadn’t heard him knock. “It's open, come in.”

Harm pushs the door open “What do you mean it's open? Why in the world is this door unlocked... you know what kind of crazy people wonder the streets at night?”
I smile up at him. “Yeah, I’m looking at one of them right now. And I can take care of myself.” I laugh, “What are you doing here?” I don’t even bother to get up.
“I brought dinner.” I see for the first time that he is holding a bag.
“Ohh.” He smiles at me before he turns, shutting and locking the door.
“I will get some plates. To what do I owe this pleasure?”
“Today you looked like you needed a nice quit dinner with a friend. You were a million miles away.”

Instead of going into it with him, I chose to change the subject. “What'd you bring me?” “Chicken Chow Main” his smile is bright.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 2 hours and 16 minutes later we are still sitting here. Even though we’ve been done for 43 minutes and 18 seconds, we still haven't put the food away. For now we're just sitting on the couch talking.
“I have a small confession to make.”
“Harmon Rabb Jr, a confession... this should be good.” I laugh slightly. In the short time he has been here he has made me forget all my fears of this time of the year.
“I didn’t want to just bring you dinner because of today. I wanted to talk to you.”
“You could have picked up the phone,” I smile at him “But thanks for dinner.” He hadn’t been this nervous since that night on the Admiral’s porch.
“This is an in-person kind of talk..Its ... well its umm... Important.”

I see him run his hands through his hair and I know in this moment that he is up to something. I find myself standing, pacing in front of him. He always does that to me.
“Ohh god what ... Harm just tell me... what.. You’ve been transferred? You’re going back to flying? You’re moving? Your health? what?”
I almost let myself smile, but I see in her eyes that she is searching for an answer. I stand up and meet her in the middle of the living room.
“No... Mac hey... It's nothing like that.” I place my hands on her shoulders. “I want to ask you something.”
“Well what is it Sailor? Your scaring the hell out of me.” For some reason I can’t read his expression at this moment.
“I was wondering... I...” I force myself to take a deep breath. Remind myself that I trust her, and that this is what I want. “I was wondering if you would come home with me? To California... for Christmas.”
In all my life I’ve never been asked to come home with someone. Not for a family function or anything else, and I'm at a loss for what to say. “Really?”
“Yes really.” He wasn’t sure what he was seeing in her eyes. It was something he hadn’t seen before.
“I ... I don’t know what to say.” My stomach is full of knots all of the sudden.
“You could say yes and come with me.”
“I ... I don’t know.” I tilt my head looking down at her. Now she looks scared.
“I’ve been wanting to ask you for awhile, I even begged the Admiral not to let you work through Christmas this year.”
“What? Why?”
“I wanted to ask you, I just didn’t know how. I want you to spend Christmas with me and my family.”
“Harm I don’t know... I wouldn’t want to impose on a family event.”
“My mother was elated when I spoke with her. Mac you are ... you mean a lot to me. It would mean a lot to me if you would come with me.”
Looking into his eyes she knew that there wasn't a way she could deny him. Plus, she really didn’t want to say no.