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Unconditional Love 12: Undercover
Rating: IM15
Summary: Mac, Harm and Gibbs make it through the first night undercover.
Spoilers: Anything up to the season finale is fair game.
Disclaimer: See Part 1
Saturday Night
Mike’s Bar, Norfolk, VA
Eric and Mac were back at the bar after the dance. “That was fun, Eric, except
for one thing.” She pouted.
“What’s that?”
“I’m losing my buzz. Bartender?” She turned around and Gibbs was ready with a
glass. She drank it quickly and asked for another.
“So, do you still want to party?” Eric asked her.
“Whaddya have in mind?” she responded.
“Me and some friends have a place down on Thirteenth Street. We were heading
back to there, see what happens, you never know,” and he winked at her.
“Hmmm … it sounds tempting,” Mac lied and then looked at her watch. “Dammit.
Maybe another time. If I don’t get back to the Seahawk by 0030, my ass is
grass, and there won’t be a next time. The duty officer has it in for me.”
“Do you need a ride back?” Eric offered, all courtesy.
“Nah, I’ll take a cab. Don’t want ya getting in trouble on base for DW- or DU-
or whatever the hell it is.” Mac gathered up her purse and coat.
“Will I see you again?”
Mac smiled and winked. “Maybe.” She wobbled towards the door, knowing that Harm
was slipping out the exit in back. She thought Eric might have someone follow
her, so she hailed a cab and directed it to take her to the base. Once in the
cab, she slouched down in the seat and dialed Harm’s cell.
“Hey.”
“Hey yourself,” Harm replied. “Nice show you put on in there.”
“Stuff it,” she retorted. “I’m heading back to the ship, or so he thinks.” She
didn’t need to tell Harm who “he” was. “Meet me at the gangway.”
Twenty minutes later, she was out of the cab, and waiting for Harm. His sedan
pulled up and a window rolled down.
“Need a lift, ma’am?” he teased.
“Depends on where you’re going.”
“Wherever you want.” He unlocked the door and she hopped in.
“Gibbs will meet us back at the motel after he closes up and we can debrief
then.”
“Do I have time to get this makeup off and get back to being Sarah MacKenzie,
Marine Colonel?”
“Awww, I kind of like PO Amy Harrison’s taste in clothing.” He leered at her.
“Well, I’ll be sure to save an outfit for when we’re done with this assignment.”
She winked at him. “Right now, I need a shower to sanitize after that man’s arms
were all over me.”
“Can I help wash your back?” Harm’s hand slipped to her thigh.
“Ummm … I’d say yes, except I don’t think it would be very professional to get
caught in the shower by Gibbs.”
“You do have a point.” He sighed. “Rain check, then?”
“Deal.” She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.
0130 Hours
Mac’s Motel Room
Right on time, Gibbs knocked on the door. “You decent in there?” he asked.
Mac opened the door. “For the first time tonight, I’m decent.” She gestured at
her clothes, a Marine t-shirt and sweatpants.
Gibbs lifted an eyebrow. “Quite a change from earlier.”
They sat down around the coffee table, and began discussing their separate
impressions of Eric Matheson and his companions. “I was able to get a few
pictures of them – not great angles, but probably enough to get names of his
bodyguards.” Harm held up a flash stick.
“Good. We can e-mail them to Abby and McGee tonight, along with some DNA
Matheson was nice enough to donate,” Gibbs smiled as he held up a glass in a
plastic baggie. “I called earlier and Abby was able to definitively link two of
the unsolved Norfolk drug murders with PO Talbert’s poisoning. So far.”
“Now if only we could link them to Matheson, we’d be in good shape,” Mac
commented.
“Where do we go from here?” Harm asked. He was anxious about leaving Mac exposed
to danger with Matheson and his crew for much longer.
“We go on as we planned. Hang out at the bar, keep stringing Matheson along. Try
to buy Abby and McGee as much time as we can. Get DNA from Matheson’s friends.”
He looked at Mac thoughtfully.
“And how do you propose I get that?” Mac said, her tone icy. Harm started to
stand up, but she calmed him with a touch of her hand.
“I don’t know. Be creative. It doesn’t have to be saliva or, um, well, you know
what. It could be a hair,” Gibbs told her. “Those guys didn’t get a drink from
the bar all night, so I can’t do what I did with Matheson.”
“Why do you want their DNA?” she asked him.
“You never know how it might come in handy. If and when we bring Matheson in, I
doubt he’s going to be very cooperative. However, one of his friends might be …”
his voice trailed off, and Harm picked up on what he was thinking.
“… especially if they’re staring a long jail sentence in the face.” Harm
grinned. “Pretty sneaky, if you ask me.”
“Don’t call it sneaky,” Gibbs snorted. “I prefer ‘clever’. So you kids can have
tomorrow off, but it’s back to business Monday night.”
“Thanks,” Mac said. “We’ll go to the hospital and see how Ron’s doing.”
“Good night.” Gibbs got up and left.
“So what’s next?” Harm asked, grinning.
“Sleep.” Mac took his hand and led him to the bed. “That is, unless you can
think of something better to do first.”
To Part
13 (Click here for AO
version)
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