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Momentary Magic
Rating: PG Classification: Vignette Category: H/M Disclaimers: The characters don't belong to me. They belong to DPB and company. I'm only satisfying a flight of fancy. Please don't sue me. Acknowledgements: My thanks to the Captain, who beta'd this under duress last night even though she really wanted to watch the rest of South Park instead. AN: I'm going to call this a One Act Wonder. I tried, and tried hard, to turn this into a full blown story, but it didn't want to come, and the scene wouldn't go away. My muse wouldn't let me rest until I put something in writing, and there's much to do before Christmas, so we compromised, my muse and I. I'm giving in to her demands, and she agrees to give me a break until after the holidays. Do you trust her? I'm not sure I do. Anyway…here goes.
********** Orange. Gold. Russet. Brown. Deep, fir green. The colors of fall flooded the afternoon, accompanied by the sharp smell of wood smoke and a brisk breeze that nibbled their cheeks, painting them, too, with the colors of fall. Small twigs and dry leaves crackled under their feet as they walked, and the harsh call of geese warned that winter was on its way. Mac zipped up her coat and pushed her hands down into the pockets as she walked. She and Harm had come out to Blacksburg at Tom and Mattie's invitation. Mattie had remembered Mac's comment about wanting to get to know her better, and had used it to help convince Mac to come out on this glorious afternoon. They'd had dinner, and then Mattie and Tom had suggested that she and Harm take a walk in the five acres of wooded land behind the house while they cleaned the war torn kitchen. Mac and Harm had resisted at first, but Mattie and Tom had insisted, and they had finally slipped into their jackets for a short walk. At least, they'd planned on it being short. They'd been out for more than a half hour already, moving deeper and deeper into the quiet stand of trees. They'd not said much since setting out, each content to enjoy the afternoon in silence. Mac had stopped once, bending down to watch some water bugs play in a small burbling creek. Another time, Harm had stopped her to show her an unusually colorful mushroom growing at the base of a large oak tree. Occasionally, a serious thought tried to intrude on the peace of the afternoon, but Mac stubbornly forced it away, determined to enjoy the day without the baggage that had been dragging her down for so many long months. Her goal… No, that wasn't right. She didn't have a goal. Instead, she had grim determination. For this one day, this one afternoon, she wasn't going to allow reality to intrude on her life. She wasn't going to dwell on her problems, on all the things that had been keeping her awake at night. Instead, she was going to soak in the good that surrounded her, building a reserve of all the things that helped her to feel whole. Maybe it was because of that determination that the fall display of color seemed so much deeper than usual. Maybe it was also why the air felt so sweet against her skin. Maybe it was even why the sky looked so blue and the call of the geese passing on their way south sounded so lovely. But the why of it didn't really matter in the end. All that really mattered was that right here, right now, she was happy. Mac looked ahead and saw that the rough path they were on widened into a small glen surrounded by ancient oak trees and carpeted with acorns, fallen leaves, and dried grasses. The sun had long since passed its zenith, and the glen was shaded now, dappled only by small patches of dim sunlight that found their way through the nearly bare branches of the surrounding woods. She stepped closer, oddly moved to stand in the very center of this quiet place and look up through the circle of trees at the afternoon sky. Then something caught her attention, a hint of movement, a shimmer of lightness over shadow, and she froze. Behind her, Harm stopped short, nearly tripping over her before he caught himself with a hand on her shoulder. She stifled his query with a touch of her finger to her lips. Then she slowly pointed toward the glen. A deer stood in the center of the hidden glade, noble head proudly erect, ears pricked, nose twitching as it searched its surroundings for signs of danger, ready to spring for the woods and safety at the slightest hint of trouble. Mac was glad she and Harm stood downwind from the animal, and they stood very still, watching as it continued to scan the woods for a few moments before making a small sound and stamping one delicate hoof lightly, rustling the ground cover. The movement must have been a signal of safety, because a fawn stepped out of the woods and moved quickly to join its mother. The young one was faintly dappled, still young enough to enjoy the small open space of the glen without fearing every sound and scent the way its mother had learned to do. He moved freely, never far from his mother, but obviously curious about everything. They watched him paw at the acorns, kicking them up behind him in his play. A leaf fell from one of the trees, landing by some miracle on the tiny fawn's curious nose, and it snorted, bucking and running in a circle before coming back to sniff at the small crinkly thing that had now fallen harmlessly to the ground. Meanwhile, the mother, seemingly oblivious to her child's antics, calmly nibbled on the few remaining grasses she could find, evidently intent on eating as much as she could before the bitter cold and snow of winter made the task of finding food an unending daily challenge. In the woods on the other side of the glen, a twig snapped, and the doe's head snapped up. She sniffed the air, alert once again to impending danger. Several seconds passed before she relaxed. Evidently, the danger had passed. Still, she knew it was never wise to spend too much time in one place, and she moved off into the woods, her fawn following dutifully at her heels. Mac looked over at Harm, and saw her wonder mirrored in his eyes. Later, she would ponder her next actions, puzzle over what made her do what she did. Now, she simply allowed herself to exist in the moment. She reached out and laced her fingers through his, smiling up at him through eyes that she suddenly realized were damp, though whether from the cold or from the emotion of the moment she'd have found it impossible to tell. Harm squeezed her hand in his own, reaching out to ease a stray strand of hair behind her ear with the fingers of his other hand. She tilted her face, nestling it against the warmth of his palm and sensed rather than saw his slow intake of breath. For the space of a single heartbeat, she considered the rationality of what was happening, but the thought vanished as quickly as it had come, and when Harm moved to pull her into his arms, she melted into him, her own arms circling the lean strength of his body. Somehow the glen had worked its magic again, first giving her the deer, and now giving her this moment of perfect peace in Harm's arms. They stood that way, her head against his chest, his cheek resting against the silk of her hair, for a long time. When she finally moved, angling her chin up to look into his eyes, whatever words she'd been about to say faded from her mind. There was something in his eyes that called to her, something warm, deep, and laced with a meaning she couldn't quite fathom. She started to ask him about it, but the formless question disappeared as he took her mouth in the sweetest kiss she'd ever known. His lips moved slowly over hers, exploring the shape and contour of her mouth the same way his hands had begun to explore the shape and contour of her spine. At first, Mac didn't respond, momentarily too startled to react. Then, abandoning caution to the magic of the afternoon, she relaxed, settling into the warmth of his embrace and returning his kiss with a fervor that took them both by surprise. Harm, she discovered, was a masterful kisser, and the idea occurred to her that he would most likely be a masterful lover. The fleeting thought made her arch her body into his and his arms tightened around her in response as he deepened the kiss. Mac felt the situation begin to spin out of control, felt her body, and his, beg for more than a kiss, felt the urgency of his touch upon her, now roaming the entire length of her back, pressing her body more closely against his own. She also knew the moment when sanity overrode desire, as he gentled the kiss again, finally ending by feathering kisses across her forehead before pulling her back into a hug, holding her close for several moments, until their breathing returned to normal and she looked up at him with a smile. "That was…" she said, her voice trailing off as she searched for the right word. "Yes," he answered, seeming to understand exactly what she was trying to say. "It was." He turned to head back the way they'd come, but this time he extended his hand to her, smiling warmly when she took it. Together, they started down the trail.
*** The End ***
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