2213 Zulu
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, Virginia
Lieutenant Colonel Sarah "Mac" MacKenzie sat at her desk flipping through the contents of a standard manila folder. She and her partner, Commander Harmon Rabb, Jr., had been going over their most recent case. He was stretched out in one of the chairs opposite her desk, watching her expectantly, when a knock rang through the office. Lieutenant Harriet Sims stood in the doorway, a large pile of files held in her arms.
"Ma'am, sir, I'm sorry to interrupt." Harriet stepped into the office. "Here are the additional documents you requested regarding the Miller court martial."
"Thanks, Harriet."
"Oh, and don't forget I need you to both be at the house by 1100 Saturday to help set up for Little AJ's party," Harriet continued as she hefted the files onto the file cabinet next to the doorway. "You're both bringing something, right?"
"Count me in for chips and soda."
"Vegetarian pasta salad and Boca burgers." Harm shrugged and grinned up at Harriet. "I need to have something else to eat besides cake and ice cream." The women chuckled.
"Sounds like a plan. Do you need anything else before I take off?"
Mac and Harm shook their heads and Harriet left the office, quietly closing the door behind her. Mac's smile faded as she returned her gaze to Harm. I wonder if he realizes how old AJ is going to be this year, she thought absently. Hard to believe he's five already! She gave herself a mental shake and looked down at the open file on her desk.
"Five years, Mac."
"What?" Her head whipped up, surprised that he seemed willing to speak about their deal, not to mention that he was actually bringing up the topic! She stared at him incredulously.
"This is AJ's fifth birthday." Harm trailed off, suddenly unsure of himself. He glanced down at his hands, took a deep breath, and continued. "The five years is up."
"Yeah, I suppose it is."
Silence.
"So where do we go from here? Do you still want to go through with our little agreement?" There, he'd managed to get the words out without suffering a stroke. He looked back up at her, trying to gauge her reaction.
Mac's gaze drifted to the bullpen, visible just over Harm's shoulder. After a few tense moments, she squared her shoulders and picked up the file sitting open before her. Damn, she won't look at me. Not a good sign, Harm thought. He wanted to say something, wanted to find out what she was feeling, but feared that if he pushed she would back away into the perennial tango of wills that seemed to plague their relationship. So he sat quietly, and waited for her to speak. Finally, Mac leaned back in her chair with a sigh.
"I honestly don't know," she admitted. "A lot has happened over the last few years. Between Mic and Renee, Bud's accident, Paraguay, Mattie, Webb." She brought her eyes up to meet his. "What do you think we should do?"
Here we go again.
"I never make a promise I won't keep."
That was not the reaction Mac had been expecting. "Excuse me?"
"For my part, I think we should stick to the original deal."
"You and me, have a baby together?" The words flew through time. Mac remembered having asked him that once before, five years previously when they had watched Bud and Harriet and Little AJ drive away from the JAG Headquarters entrance. She watched his face carefully now, waiting for Harm to try backpedaling out of the situation. Instead, he gave her his best "flyboy" grin and nodded slightly.
"What do you say?"
"Are you sure?"
"The five years are over. Neither of us is getting any younger, and there's no one else I would rather have be the mother of my child." His sincerity and candor had Mac's eyes going wide. Surprise and another, warmer, emotion flooded through her. Suddenly, she wanted to look away, but her gaze stayed riveted on his.
"There's no one else I'd rather have be the father of mine," she said softly.
For a few moments they simply stared at each other, wordless. It was Harm who broke away first, when he realized that the normal bustling sounds of the bullpen had quieted, the rest of the staff having left for the evening. He turned back to Mac, who closed the folder before her.
"I don't think we're going to get anything else done tonight."
"Want to continue this discussion over dinner?"
"You read my mind," she chuckled. "Your car or mine?"
"Mine. After sitting in this chair all afternoon, I'm afraid my back isn't going squeeze into your 'Vette without protesting." He stood and opened the door. "Let me go grab my cover. Meet me by the elevator?"
"I'll be right there." Mac nodded, and then smiled to herself as Harm walked across the bullpen and out of sight. It was going to be a very interesting evening.
Lieutenant Colonel Sarah "Mac" MacKenzie sat at her desk flipping through the contents of a standard manila folder. She and her partner, Commander Harmon Rabb, Jr., had been going over their most recent case. He was stretched out in one of the chairs opposite her desk, watching her expectantly, when a knock rang through the office. Lieutenant Harriet Sims stood in the doorway, a large pile of files held in her arms.
"Ma'am, sir, I'm sorry to interrupt." Harriet stepped into the office. "Here are the additional documents you requested regarding the Miller court martial."
"Thanks, Harriet."
"Oh, and don't forget I need you to both be at the house by 1100 Saturday to help set up for Little AJ's party," Harriet continued as she hefted the files onto the file cabinet next to the doorway. "You're both bringing something, right?"
"Count me in for chips and soda."
"Vegetarian pasta salad and Boca burgers." Harm shrugged and grinned up at Harriet. "I need to have something else to eat besides cake and ice cream." The women chuckled.
"Sounds like a plan. Do you need anything else before I take off?"
Mac and Harm shook their heads and Harriet left the office, quietly closing the door behind her. Mac's smile faded as she returned her gaze to Harm. I wonder if he realizes how old AJ is going to be this year, she thought absently. Hard to believe he's five already! She gave herself a mental shake and looked down at the open file on her desk.
"Five years, Mac."
"What?" Her head whipped up, surprised that he seemed willing to speak about their deal, not to mention that he was actually bringing up the topic! She stared at him incredulously.
"This is AJ's fifth birthday." Harm trailed off, suddenly unsure of himself. He glanced down at his hands, took a deep breath, and continued. "The five years is up."
"Yeah, I suppose it is."
Silence.
"So where do we go from here? Do you still want to go through with our little agreement?" There, he'd managed to get the words out without suffering a stroke. He looked back up at her, trying to gauge her reaction.
Mac's gaze drifted to the bullpen, visible just over Harm's shoulder. After a few tense moments, she squared her shoulders and picked up the file sitting open before her. Damn, she won't look at me. Not a good sign, Harm thought. He wanted to say something, wanted to find out what she was feeling, but feared that if he pushed she would back away into the perennial tango of wills that seemed to plague their relationship. So he sat quietly, and waited for her to speak. Finally, Mac leaned back in her chair with a sigh.
"I honestly don't know," she admitted. "A lot has happened over the last few years. Between Mic and Renee, Bud's accident, Paraguay, Mattie, Webb." She brought her eyes up to meet his. "What do you think we should do?"
Here we go again.
"I never make a promise I won't keep."
That was not the reaction Mac had been expecting. "Excuse me?"
"For my part, I think we should stick to the original deal."
"You and me, have a baby together?" The words flew through time. Mac remembered having asked him that once before, five years previously when they had watched Bud and Harriet and Little AJ drive away from the JAG Headquarters entrance. She watched his face carefully now, waiting for Harm to try backpedaling out of the situation. Instead, he gave her his best "flyboy" grin and nodded slightly.
"What do you say?"
"Are you sure?"
"The five years are over. Neither of us is getting any younger, and there's no one else I would rather have be the mother of my child." His sincerity and candor had Mac's eyes going wide. Surprise and another, warmer, emotion flooded through her. Suddenly, she wanted to look away, but her gaze stayed riveted on his.
"There's no one else I'd rather have be the father of mine," she said softly.
For a few moments they simply stared at each other, wordless. It was Harm who broke away first, when he realized that the normal bustling sounds of the bullpen had quieted, the rest of the staff having left for the evening. He turned back to Mac, who closed the folder before her.
"I don't think we're going to get anything else done tonight."
"Want to continue this discussion over dinner?"
"You read my mind," she chuckled. "Your car or mine?"
"Mine. After sitting in this chair all afternoon, I'm afraid my back isn't going squeeze into your 'Vette without protesting." He stood and opened the door. "Let me go grab my cover. Meet me by the elevator?"
"I'll be right there." Mac nodded, and then smiled to herself as Harm walked across the bullpen and out of sight. It was going to be a very interesting evening.