Title: Raising Amelia

Author: PreppyPrincess5103

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Summary: One-night stands can have lifelong repercussions.

Notes: Just for fun I looked up real estate listings in San Diego while writing this. Holy moly. I live on the east coast of the United States and it's just mind boggling how much more expensive homes on the west coast are.

Part Twenty-One

Harm pulled into the driveway of the first house they were scheduled to see. They were a few minutes early, and the realtor hadn't arrived yet. Mac took in the house and the yard, and raised an eyebrow. "Just how much are you looking to spend?"

He blushed. The subject of money was always an uncomfortable one. He told her the price range he had given the realtor, and watched as her eyes comically widened. "Mac, I can afford it. I have money from my dad and my grandmother to put toward the loan. The mortgage payment is lower than my BAH." He shrugged. "And I guarantee you that you pay more in rent for that fancy apartment than I will for this house." He turned the car off and opened the door. "Come on. Let's walk around while we wait for Marilyn."

He got out of the car and waited for her to follow. He went to the gate and pulled it open and walked into the fenced in backyard. She followed, and let out a small gasp. "Wow. This is beautiful." There was a huge deck that would be perfect for entertaining, thick grass that was the perfect shade of green, a large play structure on one side of the fence, with a slide, a few swings, and something to climb. And in the center of the yard was a pool and a hot tub. She smiled at him and walked over to the deck. She leaned against the railing and looked over the yard.

"What do you think?" He asked, as he joined her.

"Well, this one has a pool. So, I'm a fan so far."

He moved to stand behind her, and wrapped his arms loosely around her waist. "All of the houses we're going to see today have pools."

She turned and stared at him. "Really?" He nodded and she cocked her head to the side. "Is that a coincidence?"

He shook his head. "No. That's the one thing I knew you wanted." He watched her expression change from curiosity to shock. He reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You told me that first night we took Amelia swimming in the pool at my apartment. You told me that you had always wanted a pool, and if you ever got around to buying a house you would put one in."

"Harm-"

"Well hello you two!"

They both turned and Harm smiled at the older woman walking through the backyard. Marilyn Thomas was an old friend of his mother's, and was a top real estate agent in the area. She approached them with a large smile on her face, and when Harm held out a hand to shake, she embraced him instead.

"It's so good to finally meet you, Harm. Trish and Frank talk about you all the time." She turned to Mac and beamed. "And you must be Sarah. They've told me all about you too." She gave the younger woman a hug as well, oblivious to the looks her clients were exchanging. Marilyn pulled back and turned to look at the yard. "This is just lovely. Are you two ready to see the inside of the house? They both nodded and she led them around to the front door. She typed in a code on the keypad of the lock box, removed the key and unlocked the front door. She stepped aside so Harm and Mac could enter first, and then shut the door behind her.

"Whoa." Mac looked around the room, taken aback by the size of it.

Harm agreed. "I think my whole apartment could fit in this living room."

Marilyn smiled and walked around the room. "Now keep in mind that this house is in desperate need of updating, but it's a great neighborhood and a fantastic price."

Harm took in the stone fireplace and the beige carpet. He would have to find the time to redo the fireplace and replacing the carpet with hardwoods. The room had huge windows that looked over the front yard, and the back wall of the room was multiple sets of French doors that opened up to the deck. He walked over to the kitchen and took a deep breath. The kitchen wasn't bad, but Marilyn was right. It desperately needed to be updated. The cabinets were solid wood and were fine but would need to be sanded and stained a different color. But the appliances looked ancient and flooring and countertops weren't his style and would need to be replaced. But it was large, had a very nice walk in pantry and space for a small table and chairs.

After the kitchen, Marilyn showed them the formal dining room, the bathroom downstairs and the large room that would be perfect for an office. There were four bedrooms upstairs. All were a good size, especially the master suite with an ensuite bathroom, and a massive walk in closet.

"So, what are your thoughts on this one?" Marilyn asked as they headed back to their cars.

"I liked it," Harm said. He fished his keys out of his pocket. "It does need some updating, but it's livable as it is and it's all work that I wouldn't mind doing as long as I could find the time." He glanced at Mac. "What did you think?"

She shrugged. "It's a nice house. I love the backyard." She ignored the curious glance Harm directed at her. "Marilyn, how far are we from the next one?"

"Oh, not too far. I think maybe ten minutes or so. You two can follow me if you'd like."

They got into their cars and headed toward the next house. They were quiet for the first few minutes of the drive, other than Harm tapping his fingers against the steering while. Finally, he glanced at her and sighed. "What's up, Mac? Did you not like the house?"

"It's a beautiful house." She looked out the window, and then back at him. "It really is. I can see its potential. It's just so big. Why would we ever need a house that big?"

"It's all space we need," he argued. "A bedroom for us, one for Amelia, one for a future baby, and then an office for each of us."

She stared at him incredulously. "Harm, we don't both need an office. We can share one. I doubt it's a space we'll use that much. One would be fine, and we don't need bedrooms that big. I mean, that was a 6000 square foot house. Right now, both of our apartments are about 1000 square feet and we both have enough space."

"You don't want a large bedroom? A nice walk-in closet?"

She shrugged. "No on the bedroom, yes on the closet. I'm content with the bedroom sizes we already have. I've never understood the need for the huge bedrooms with a separate sitting area. I can sit in the living room. Or on a patio chair on the deck."

He was quiet for a long moment and finally sighed. "I really should have talked to you about this before arranging to look at houses."

The next four houses Marilyn showed them were all similar to the first. Mac had given up hope that they'd see anything reasonable, and felt guilty for deflating Harm's enthusiasm, but he should have talked to her about this first, and she couldn't help being annoyed that he hadn't. They spoke on the phone every night and he had never mentioned wanting to buy a house. She took a deep breath, and tried to relax as they approached the sixth house. She frowned as they pulled into the driveway. This one looked nothing like the others. It looked small – it was definitely the smallest house on the street. But it was charming. Harm got out of the car and cast a glance in her direction.

Marilyn waited for them to catch up, and smiled broadly. "This is obviously the smallest house on the list, and the oldest. But personally, I think it's the prettiest." She unlocked the front door and let them step inside.

"Oh wow." Mac stepped further into the room and let out a breath. "This is gorgeous."

Harm had to agree. The house looked small from the outside, but the inside told a different story. The cathedral ceiling in the living room made the space feel huge, the floors were a gorgeous, warm hardwood, and the staircase had more delicate wrought iron railings than the heavier wood in the other homes. They continued to walk around, and Marilyn continued to talk. This house didn't have a formal dining room, but the current owners had a large dining table in an alcove of the living room, and the kitchen was large enough for a good-sized table, chairs, and a large china cabinet full of decorative items. The kitchen had been recently renovated and included high end appliances, but the kitchen's true wow-factor came from the fact that one wall was nothing but windows and glass doors, and looked out over a stunning pool and back yard.

"Let's finish up in here, and then we'll go outside," Marilyn suggested. The rest of the home was just as beautiful as what they'd seen so far. The master bedroom was on the first floor, and had French doors that led to the patio, a nice sized bathroom with a tiled shower and a gorgeous soaking tub that made Mac gasp. There were three more bedrooms upstairs, all with views of the pool. They finished looking around, and then headed to the backyard. The backyard was the most incredible they had seen. The pool was large, there was a firepit off to the side, and an awning covered patio that housed comfortable furniture and a large dining table that sat eight.

They finished exploring the back yard, and then returned to the driveway. Marilyn unlocked her car and put her briefcase inside before turning back to them. "I know this one is small, but what do you think?"

"It's amazing," Harm and Mac both said in unison.

She beamed. "Wonderful!" Would you like to come back to my office and start some paperwork?"

Harm shook his head. "I'm not quite ready yet. Can Mac and I talk about this, and give you a call back in a little while?"

"Absolutely!" She glanced at her watch. "I'm going to go back to my office and do some paperwork for a few other clients. Just give me a call when you're ready." She gave them each a hug before getting back in her car.

"Let's go get lunch," Mac suggested. "We can talk while I eat a burger." Harm rolled his eyes and tossed her the keys. She started toward a nearby restaurant she knew, and tapped her fingers on the steering wheel in tune with the music.

They settled in a small booth in the back of the restaurant, ordered sandwiches and iced teas, and once the waitress took their menus and walked away Harm leaned back comfortably and studied her. "So. What do you think? Or should we write all of those off and should I come back another weekend to look at more houses?"

She raised an eyebrow. "What did you think?"

He sighed, and took a sip of his tea. "I could see myself in all of them." He shrugged. "Mac, I love you and Amelia. And I want to give you two the world. I want you both to have a house you'll be proud of."

She relaxed and reached across the table for his hand. "I love you for that. But I don't need a mini-mansion." She sighed and let go of his fingers. "Harm, if you had asked me what I saw for my dream home, I would have said just a nice, simple house. Big closet, because I do love clothes. Enough space for our family, but not so much space that cleaning is a huge chore. A pool, because everyone had one growing up. I didn't, but I always dreamed I would someday." She smiled softly. "Uncle Matt always signed me up for summer camp at the community pool. I love to swim, I love to be in the water, and those post-dinner swims at your apartment with Amelia were just perfect to me. I want a space for family dinners, but I don't need a formal dining room that we'd use maybe 2-3 times a year."

"I actually agree about the formal dining room. Especially while we'll live here, and will probably have holiday dinners over at my mom's house." She nodded and he smiled. "So, about that last house."

"I loved it." She picked up her own straw wrapper to fidget with. "It's a beautiful house."

He grinned. "I loved all of the architectural details that come with an older home." His smile faded and he grew serious. "I'm worried you're going to think I'm only saying this for your benefit, but I think it's the one. I could see us starting our family there."

She took a deep breath and nodded. "I see it too."

"God, I'm tired." Harm collapsed onto Mac's sofa and dropped his head back against the cushions. "I feel like we should be doing something crazy tonight, since I don't have Amelia with me, but I'm so tired."

The rest of the afternoon was a blur. After lunch they went to Marilyn's office so Harm could sign all of the paperwork required to buy a house, and then Harm suggested going for a walk on the beach to relax. His parents were in Berlin, but he drove out to their house and went around back to their private beach access. They had walked for a while, filling their pockets with pieces of sea glass and interesting shells. They returned to her apartment with a plan to order in Thai food for dinner, and watch a movie on the couch.

She turned her head to look at him and offered a content smile. "If you want crazy, we'll just order our Thai food extra spicy." He laughed and she moved to rest her head on his shoulder. She hopped up a second later and headed toward the kitchen. "I'm going to look for the menu." She pulled open a drawer and pulled out a massive stack of menus.

Harm stood and followed her into the kitchen, and immediately winced at the stack of menus and wondered how much takeout she really ate. "I think I'm going to go take a shower. I need to get this sand and sunscreen off of me before we eat." She nodded and he kissed her temple before emptying his pockets on the counter and heading to her bathroom.

Mac watched him for a second and then turned back to the menus. She finally found the one she was looking for and was reading over it when his cell phone started vibrating on the counter. She saw Claire's name on the caller ID and reached for it. "Hello?"

Claire hesitated for a moment, not expecting the feminine voice. "Hello. I'm looking for Harm. Is he available?"

"Hey Claire, it's Mac. He just hopped in the shower. Is everything okay with Amelia?"

"Oh, hey Mac. I didn't realize you two were together this weekend. Yeah, Amelia is fine. I just…"

She trailed off, and Mac took a seat on one of the barstools. "Sweetie, is everything okay?"

Having someone ask about her, besides Jamie, was enough to make the dam break and she started to cry.

Mac's heart ached for the younger woman. "Claire," she said softly, "talk to me. Tell me what's wrong."

Claire let out a sound that was a combination of a laugh and a cry, and wiped her eyes. "I don't really know. I'm sorry to lose it like that."

"You don't need to apologize. The holidays must be a little tough this year."

She sniffled. "They are. I really miss my sister. And even though I'm so happy for you and Harm, I'm really going to miss seeing Amelia so much when he moves out there." She took a deep breath. "Mac, is Harm mad at me? Have I done something wrong?"

"Claire-"

"When he called this morning to check on Amelia, he spoke to Jamie. And Jamie had him on speaker because he was deep cleaning one of his lenses, and I heard them. Mac, he hasn't sounded that relaxed or friendly with me in weeks. It's been on my mind all day, and I can't figure out what I've done wrong."

Mac swallowed a sigh. "You haven't done anything wrong, Claire. He's just working through some stuff right now."

"Mac, what-"

She shook her head, and then remembered she needed to use words. "It's not my place to tell you what's going on with him. He needs to do that." The line was silent for a long moment. "Claire?"

"Will he, though? Will he tell me, or is this going to be some huge thing that ruins our relationship and keeps me from having a relationship with my niece?"

"Don't let that happen. When he comes to pick Amelia up tomorrow make him talk to you. He needs it too."

"Okay." Claire sniffled and cleared her throat. "Okay. Thanks Mac."

"Anytime, Claire. You can call anytime." They said their goodbyes and Mac flipped the phone shut. She stared at it for a long time, and was jolted by a warm hand on her back.

"Did you find the menu you wanted?"

She turned to face him and stood. "Yeah." She handed it to him and crossed her arms over her chest. "Harm, you need to talk to Claire." He winced and she glanced at the phone. "She just called and when I saw her name on the caller ID I answered. She burst into tears when I asked if she was okay, and then asked if you were mad at her."

He sat the menu down. "Mac." He sighed, and reached for her. "I don't know how to talk to her. I adore Claire. She's so good to Amelia. I don't want to feel this anger toward her."

She placed her hands on each side of his face. "I know. But she's afraid that whatever is wrong will ruin your relationship, and her relationship with Amelia. You have to talk to her and clear the air. I think she'll understand why you're upset."

He nodded. "I know. And I will. I'll talk to her tomorrow."

Saying goodbye to Mac wasn't as painful as it was the first time he had come out for the weekend. They would be together again in less than two weeks for a long Christmas and New Years visit, and not long after that he'd be in San Diego for good. Knowing that made it easier.

The flight to Charlottesville was smooth, and it wasn't long before he was steering his SUV toward Claire & Jamie's apartment. He hesitantly knocked on the door and then took a deep breath. Claire answered, with Amelia in her arms, and gave him a hesitant smile, while Amelia squirmed to get to her dad. His tight smile softened as he reached for her, and kissed her forehead.

Claire realized they were still in the doorway and stepped back into the apartment. "Come in. Please." She gestured to a small stack of wrapped gifts and her overnight bag. "I thought you could go ahead and take her gifts with you. That way she can open them on Christmas morning."

Harm nodded and looked up as Jamie walked in. They two men shook hands, and Harm glanced at Claire before returning his attention to the other man. "Jamie, would you mind looking after Amelia for a few minutes? Claire, I'd like to talk to you." The both nodded, and he handed Amelia to Jamie. Claire opened the coat closet and grabbed a heavy coat and hat, and they went outside.

"Why have you been so cold with me lately?"

Harm stopped at the sound of her voice, and turned to face her. "I'm sorry about that." He continued to walk and she hurried to catch up.

They walked in silence for a few more minutes, and she abruptly stopped, and wrapped her hand around his arm. "Either talk to me, or I'm going back inside."

He took and deep breath. He didn't know how to do this – how to open up to this young woman. He had a hard-enough time talking to Mac. "I don't mean to be cold. But lately I've been… I've been feeling a lot of anger toward Claudia."

Claire stepped back, and dropped her hand from his arm. She folded her arms over her chest and swallowed. "You're mad at my dead sister?"

His eyes narrowed. "I'm angry with your dead sister because she would have been content to never tell me about my daughter. If she hadn't died, I never would have known about Amelia. I wouldn't have just spent her first Thanksgiving with her. I wouldn't get Christmas with her in a couple of weeks. And I'm so angry about that."

She softened and nodded. "I'm so sorry about that, Harm. But I tried to get her to tell you. I told her over and over and over that you deserved to know."

"I know." He took a few steps over to a bench and sat down. "I'm not mad at you, Claire. I'm really not. I'm mad at your sister." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the small silver framed sonogram photo. "I should have known about Amelia at this stage. I know Claudia didn't know much about me, but I would have been excited about her. I would have helped her."

Claire shoved her hands in her pocket and sat down beside him. "I know that." Her voice was soft. "I told her that all the time." She smiled sheepishly. "I actually looked you up on the internet. You were brave, smart. I told her that she should want her baby to have a father with those qualities like we did."

He nodded. "That's just why I've been off. And there are days where I'm completely fine, and then you call. And it makes me think of her. And I get angry all over again."

Claire sighed softly. "I don't know what to do about that. She'll always be my sister."

He shook his head. "There's nothing you can do. She'll always be your sister; she'll always be Amelia's mother. I've just got to get over it. And I will."

Claire's head shot up, and she shook her head. "No. Claudia won't be Amelia's mother. She gave birth to her and she loved her so much, but she's not the one who will raise her and love her and be there for her every single day." She looked at him and smiled softly. "We both know who that will be."

"Mac won't replace Amelia. She'll know who her mother is."

She shook her head again. "Harm, no. She can know when she's old enough to understand. But not while she's a little girl."

"Claire-"

"No." She stood up. "No. If you and Mac have other children, I don't want the other kids calling Mac mommy, while Amelia calls her Mac. I don't want her to feel like she's not as much a part of the family." She began to cry and wiped her eyes. "Harm, I want her to be the happiest little girl in the world, not to spend her whole childhood confused about Claudia."

"Okay, okay." He wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Okay." They sat there for a few minutes while she cried softly. Finally, she stopped, and blushed as he handed her his handkerchief. "Come on. Let's go back inside." They were quiet for the walk back to her apartment. She and Jamie helped him gather Amelia's things and walked out to the car. Harm strapped Amelia into her seat, and turned back to Claire. "Are you guys doing anything for Christmas?"

Jamie shook his head. "No. We spent Thanksgiving with my parents, but they're going to Michigan to see my sister and her family for Christmas."

"Mac and my parents are coming to DC for the holiday, and I'd love it if you guys would join us."

Claire shook her head. "We don't want to impose."

"You're not. Mac would love to see you, and I know mom and Frank would love to meet you." He smiled softly. "You're her aunt, Claire. You should be with her on her first Christmas." They exchanged a look & then she nodded.

"If you're sure," she said softly.

"I'm sure." He reached out to shake Jamie's hand and leaned down to kiss Claire's cheek. "We'll see you guys soon. Good luck with finals."

He waited while they both kissed Amelia goodbye and then he got in the car and headed home, feeling lighter than he had in weeks.

End Part Twenty-One