That Loving Feeling

By Jared Chapman

Disclaimer:  I do not own JAG, Top Gun, or any of the characters in 
this 
story.  Those of you who do?please don?t sue me.  I?m just another one 
of 
the thousands of fans who love your shows and I am not profiting in any 
way 
from this story.  Those of you who read this story?please do not copy 
or 
redistribute it.  You could get me in trouble and that?s just not nice!  
However, if you wish to archive it, please send me an email and I will 
be 
happy to say ok!

Rating: PG

Category:  Harm/Mac Humor and Romance

Spoilers:  A little bit of everything to date.

Summary:  After watching ?Top Gun? with Sturgis, Harm gets a clever 
idea.

Feedback:  jared2142@hotmail.com

Archive: BTL


Author?s Note: This one came to me while I was sitting on I-95, stuck 
in 
traffic.  This is my first attempt at a somewhat humorous story, so I 
hope 
you all will let me know what you think.  That said, enjoy!

2145 Local Time
Friday
Harm?s Apartment
North of Union Station

?Harm, could you grab me another slice of pizza while you?re up?? 
Sturgis 
called from the living room.  It had been a long time since the two old 
friends had had a chance to just hang out and catch up with each other.  
So, 
when Mac had to cancel on their regular movie night, Harm had decided 
to ask 
Sturgis to come over instead.  Now the two men were crashed on the 
couch, 
eating pizza and watching one of Harm?s favorites: ?Top Gun.?

?This is truly one of the greatest movies of all time!? Harm proclaimed 
as 
he handed Sturgis another slice of pizza.

?I don?t know about that, buddy.  Don?t get me wrong; it?s not bad for 
a 
jet-jock flick.  I can think of quite a few movies, right off the top 
of my 
head, that were far superior, though,? Sturgis replied.

?Jet-jock flick? That was low,? Harm replied, pretending to have hurt 
feelings. ?What could possibly be better than an hour and a half of 
solid, 
F-14 action?? he asked facetiously.

?Would you like me to give you some examples, Mr. Mach 10?? came the 
sarcastic reply.

?Go ahead.?

?How about ?Crimson Tide? or the ?Hunt for Red October?.  Now those are 
classics.  No finer films have ever been made,? Sturgis said 
triumphantly.  
Harm replied by rolling his eyes.

?Bubbleheads,? he muttered and then turned back to the movie.  He 
noticed 
that one of his favorite parts was about to start and he motioned to 
Sturgis 
to pay attention.

?Ok, now tell me this isn?t a great scene.?  On the screen, Tom Cruise 
and 
Anthony Edwards where starting their famous karaoke version of ?That 
Loving 
Feeling.?  By the time they were done, Harm and Sturgis were both 
rolling 
with laughter.

?Ok, I?ll admit it.  That scene alone makes this movie worth watching,? 
Sturgis said when their laughter subsided.  Then an idea stuck in his 
mind.  
?Harm, what do you say we ditch the movie night and go out to 
McMurphy?s.  
It?s been a long time since we visited a ?target-rich environment,?? he 
joked using one of the lines from the movie.

Harm thought about the idea for a minute before he replied.  He really 
didn?t feel much like going out tonight.  What he really wanted to do 
was 
see Mac.  Just the same, he decided that it might be fun to watch his 
buddy 
crash and burn a few times.  After all, Sturgis didn?t have the 
advantage of 
gold wings on his uniform.  ?I guess I wouldn?t mind teaching a 
bubblehead a 
thing or two.?

?Oh, please.  Let?s go,? Sturgis replied, shaking his head.  ?And don?t 
forget the gold wings.  You?ll need all the help you can get.?

*    *    *    *    *

2236 Local Time
Friday
McMurphy?s Tavern
Falls Church, Virginia

Almost an hour later, the two men entered the bar in their white summer 
uniforms. Harm looked over at Sturgis, Top Gun still on his brain.

?Now this is what I call a target-rich environment.?

?Oh, yeah.?

A few minutes later the two men had found a table and were discussing 
whether it was more manly to be a Tomcat pilot or a submariner, when 
they 
were interrupted by a deep voice coming from behind Harm.

?Either way, you?re nothing but a wannabe if you?re in the Navy.?  Then 
two 
ugly looking Marine pilots walked up to their table.

?I didn?t realize that you were a part of this discussion, Lieutenant,? 
Harm 
said sharply when he realized that the man making fun of them was a 
junior 
officer.  Still the younger man didn?t flinch.

?I can?t help it when I hear someone talking about how great a lowly 
Tomcat 
is.  Maybe you should try out my Harrier.  On second thought, I 
wouldn?t 
want to risk you slamming it into the side of a mountain,? the young 
Lieutenant replied sarcasticly.

?Your on thin ice, Lieutenant?? Sturgis began sharply before he was cut 
off 
by a wave of his friend?s hand.

?That?s ok, Sturgis.  If I ever decide I want to fly straight up and 
straight down, I?ll know who to call,? he said with an icy stare to let 
the 
Marines know that that would be the last word.  The two Jarheads just 
let 
out a nervous laugh and then walked away.

?They were abused children,? Sturgis said with a smile, borrowing 
another 
line from the movie.

?We?re going to have fun.? Harm replied on cue.

?Always.?

*    *    *    *    *

2358 Local Time
Friday
McMurphy?s Tavern
Falls Church, Virginia

?I?m getting entirely too old for this,? Sturgis proclaimed when he 
rejoined 
Harm at the bar.  ?We?ve been here for over an hour and I can?t get 
even get 
a dance partner.?

?Some things never change,? Harm replied with an evil grin.

?Oh, listen to you, ?Mr. Sit at the Bar by Myself.?  You haven?t 
exactly 
been going after the ladies tonight,? Sturgis replied sarcastically.  
He had 
meant it as a joke, but something in his words struck a cord with Harm 
and 
his face became serious all of a sudden.  ?This isn?t about being old 
for 
you, is it Harm?? Things were becoming very clear to him now.  Harm 
wasn?t 
out trying to find a woman because he already knew who he wanted.

?What in the world does that mean?? Harm asked pretending to be 
confused.

?It means you?re not out on the dance floor right now because Mac?s not 
here 
and being with someone else just doesn?t cut it anymore, does it??

?Don?t be ridiculous, Sturgis.  You know Mac and I are nothing more 
than 
friends.?

?Oh, please, Harm.  Don?t even start that with me.  I know how you feel 
about her and I know how she feels about you.  You are both the most 
stubborn people I know,? Sturgis said quickly.  He knew he had made a 
mistake when he saw Harm?s eyebrows nearly shoot off the top of his 
face.

?What do you mean, you know how Mac feels about me?  Did she tell you 
something?? Harm demanded.

?Whoa, buddy, I thought you said that you were just friends,? Sturgis 
tried 
to backpedal, but Harm would have none of that.

?Forget what I said and tell me what you know!?

?I can?t do that, buddy.  If I could, I would have told you already,? 
he 
replied carefully.  He valued Mac?s friendship too much to betray her 
trust 
even if it was for her own good.  Before Harm could press him any 
further, 
Sturgis got another idea.  ?You are obviously in love with her, what is 
stopping you from telling her that??

Harm sank back down onto the barstool and put his head in his hands.  
?I 
don?t know, Sturgis.  You?re right, about one thing.  I do love Mac.  I 
love 
her more than life itself.  I guess I am just afraid that I?ll tell her 
how 
I feel and she won?t feel the same way.  Don?t get me wrong; I can take 
rejection.  I?ve been rejected a thousand times.  I just couldn?t take 
it 
from her.  She just means way to much to me,? he finished, never 
looking up 
at Sturgis who was now wearing a grin from ear to ear.  He put a hand 
on 
Harm?s shoulder to get him to look up for a minute.  When Harm saw the 
look 
on Sturgis? face he was instantly confused again.

?What?? he asked slowly.

?Let?s just say that a reliable source told me that that is not 
something 
you should worry about.?  His meaning was instantly evident to Harm.  
Mac 
had told his friend something about her feelings for him.  From the 
looks of 
it, he was beginning to think that maybe Mac did feel the same way as 
he 
did.

?Harm? Harm?? Sturgis called, waving a hand in front of his friends 
face to 
get his attention.  When Harm finally snapped out of it for a second, 
Sturgis pointed across the bar to where a certain beautiful Marine 
Colonel 
was having a tonic with lime.  ?Now is the time Harm.  Go tell her how 
you 
feel.?

For a moment Harm didn?t move, but a huge grin crept across his face.  
This 
sudden change in his friend?s behavior confused Sturgis.  ?What is it, 
buddy??  Harm didn?t reply to the question, he only pointed to a 
microphone 
sitting a few feet away.   Then he put his hand on his friends shoulder 
and 
put on a flyboy grin.

?Goose, she?s lost that lovin feelin,? he finally said with a huge 
smile 
that begged his friend to play along and that?s exactly what he did.

?She?s lost---no, she hasn?t.?

?Yes, she has.?

?She has not lost that??

?Goose, she?s lost it.?

?Mav, come on?I hate it when she does that.?

Quickly, Harm ran over and turned on the Karaoke machine.  He found the 
song 
and he and Sturgis donned two pairs of mirrored sunglasses to go with 
their 
white uniforms.  Then they wound their way thru the crowd towards the 
pretty 
Marine.

?Excuse me, miss,? Harm said, tapping Mac on the shoulder.  Then 
Sturgis 
stepped in before she could reply.

?Hey, Hey.  Don?t worry, I?ll take care of this,? he said as though he 
were 
about to fight Harm.  At that moment, Mac recognized what they were 
about to 
do and her face went beat red.

?You never close your eyes anymore when I kiss your lips?? Harm started 
the 
song.

?There?s no tenderness, like before in your fingertips?? Sturgis 
continued.  
Poor Mac now had all eyes in the bar trained on her.

?You?re trying hard not to show it, baby?? Harm continued before the 
entire 
room joined him on cue.  ??but, baby.  Believe me I know it.  You?ve 
lost 
that lovin? feeling.  Whoa, that lovin? feeling.  You?ve lost that 
lovin? 
feeling.  Now it?s gone, gone, gone.  Woah- oh-oh. Ba-dum, ba-dum, 
ba-dum, 
dum.?

Just like Kelly McGillis in the movie, Mac motioned for Harm to sit 
down 
next to her, and to his surprise she continued to play along while the 
rest 
of the bar finished the song.

?I love that song.  I?ve never seen that approach.  How long have you 
two 
been doing this act?? she asked, word for word from the movie.  What 
she 
didn?t know, was that Harm was done acting.  His reply shocked her so 
much 
that she almost forgot where she was.

?I love you, Mac,? he said simply, his face growing serious all of a 
sudden. 
  ?I can?t pretend to be someone that I am not anymore.  I am the man 
who 
loves you and I can?t hide it anymore.?

All of the bar?s patrons were still watching the two to see what her 
reaction to the song would be.  When they heard what Harm said, the 
entire 
place went absolutely silent, including a certain Admiral, who had been 
watching intently.  Mac felt a hundred pairs of eyes, all staring at 
her in 
that moment.  ?Did he really just say that?  Or, am I just having 
another 
one of those dreams?? she thought.  Then she reached up and pinched his 
cheek.

?What was that for?? he asked.

?Just wanted to make sure that this was real.  I love you too,? she 
said as 
the bar erupted in cheers.  He pulled her from the barstool and started 
to 
walk her to the dance floor.  ?Dance with me??

?Of course, flyboy.?

*    *    *    *    *

The End