Title: Lily

Author: Tempus Meum

Rating: M

Disclaimer: The characters and premise used in this story are unfortunately not owned by me. If JAG was mine…the possibilities.

Summary: Mac has a beautiful little girl, friends and a great job but for six years she has been anything but happy.

Lily – 1: The Party

It had been 2191 days since she had seen him, 2191 days since anyone had seen him, her daughter was now 2192 days old, and there hadn't been a single day that went by that Mac had not mentioned her best friend to her child.

Mac now sat in the living room of the house she had bought a year and half after Lily was born, surrounded by her friends and colleagues, and a few of her daughters friends from kindergarten. But even surrounded by all of this happiness Mac still felt like something was missing. Looking around the room she saw:

Bud and Harriet with their children AJ junior, 11, James, 7, Campbell, 5 and their youngest Charlotte, 2.

There was Sturgis Turner and Bobbi Latham and their daughter Alexis, 4.

Jason Tiner and the heavily pregnant Jen Coates who had been married for three years.

AJ Chegwidden and his wife Tess and his stepdaughter Kaitlyn, 10.

Trish, Harm's mum who had spent a lot of time with Mac after Lily was born, and her husband Frank Burnett.

Also Lily's friends Mitch, Jaek, Ella, Jodie and Rose and either side of Mac sat Mattie Grace, 21, and Chloe Madison, 19, who was proudly taping the events with a camcorder. Mac had told Chloe that she had wanted to video tape the party and Chloe had promised to get everything.

Lily was sitting across from Mac on the floor opening her presents, with every gift her eyes would grow brighter and her smile bigger, and the tears running down Mac's cheeks would increase. The pile in front of her daughter increased until she had opened the last present, and when she had she went around to each of her guests in turn and thanked them. Mac had raised her daughter the best she could, she treated her the way she wished she had been treated as a child, with love, trust and understanding. When Lily got to her mother she threw her arms around her neck and jumped on to her lap. "Thankyou mummy, this is the best birthday ever." She whispered.

"You are a very lucky girl Lil."

"Mummy why are you crying?" she asked as she pulled away.

"I'm just happy that's all."

"Oh."

"Now you go and have fun, with Mattie and Chloe and I will go and get our lunch ready okay?"

"Okay!" Lily gave her mum a kiss on the cheek, before jumping down off her lap, only to be swept off her feet by Mattie who announced that they were going to have a treasure hunt in the back yard. All the kids jumped up and went after Mattie and Chloe, Sturgis and Bud followed with Alexis and Charlotte. Mac, Harriet and Jen went into the kitchen to prepare the Lunch leaving AJ, Tess and Tiner to clean up the lounge room. AJ had told Mac that they would move Lily's presents off the floor and clear up the mess, as he really wasn't into treasure hunts.

"Are you okay Mac?" Harriet asked as they were pulling food out of the fridge.

"Yeah, why?"

"You just look a little far away, that's all." Harriet knew what was on her friends mind, it was Harm, he had disappeared the day before Lily was born and ever since Mac had seemed to be lacking something. She had gained a daughter that Harriet knew Mac loved more than anything else, but she wasn't the same old Mac.

"I'm okay, just a little stressed, and I want Lily to have fun."

"Lily is having the time of her life Ma'am," Coates said looking out the window "You just have to look at her."

"Jen, you could at least call me Mac at my daughter's birthday party, and you're right she is having fun." Mac smiled. "Let's get this food on the table before we have eleven grumpy kids."

With the help of AJ, Tiner and Tess, they filled the table with food and drinks. So that when the children came running on to the patio, quickly followed by Mattie and Chloe there were screams of delight as they started to fill there plates. Instead of sitting the kids down at the table Mac had laid picnic blankets down on the ground, so they could sit there. Mac stood back and watched as the children got there food and then made there way to the grass to eat, she didn't see her daughter watching her until Lily tugged on her sleave. Mac knelt down so she was at a level with Lily.

"Are you having fun Lil?" The young girl just nodded. "Are you okay?" Lily shook her head. "What's wrong Lil?" Mac's voice turned to concern.

"I'm sad cause you're sad Mummy."

"Mummy's not sad Lil." Lily nodded as she moved closer to her mother.

Mac looked up at Harriet, who nodded before standing up and leading her daughter back inside and into the lounge room, where she sat down and pulled Lily onto her lap.

"I just want you to have fun Lil that's all."

"I am having lot's of fun mummy but you don't look like you are."

"Hey, I am having fun because you are having fun. It makes me so happy seeing you running around out side with your friends, laughing and playing. Seeing your smile when you opened your presents. Which reminds me when everybody leaves later…I've got something for you, but…"

"What?" Lily looked expectantly up at her mother.

"I think you can have one now."

"I can!" She smiled from ear to ear.

"Oh I think so, only if you promise me that you are not going to be sad anymore."

"I promise mummy."

"Okay, it's in the cupboard over there." Mac pointed to the bookshelf next to the TV. Lily jumped off Mac's lap and ran over to the cupboard. Opening it she pulled out a gift the size off a shoebox, and bought it back to the couch before opening it next to her mother. She opened the box; the first thing she pulled out was a video.

"This is a video that Harm made for you when I got pregnant."

"Really, why did he do that?"

"Well he thought it would be funny, to show you when you got older, he went around the office and got everybody to record a little message for you. I haven't seen it yet; he told me I had to watch with you, so I think we can watch it tonight. What do you think?" Lily nodded as she pulled out a little jump suit and a hairbrush. "The rest of these things were the things you got bought home from the hospital in. This little hat here was from Harm, he told me that I wasn't allowed to let you be a marine that you had to be in the Navy." Mac laughed.

"They're so little."

"Yeah they are, hey, you know what I think we should go and join the party, and get some lunch, Chloe and Mattie have more games planned for later."

"I'm hungry!" Lily replied as she placed the things carefully back into the box and put the lid on.

"Me too." Mac stood up and picked her daughter up off the couch and hugged her tight. Then she placed her on the ground straightened up her dress before offering her hand. Lily took it and pulled her mother back on to the patio to the table that was still half full of food. Lily picked up a plate and passed it to Mac before filling her own and carrying it out to her friends.

"Is everything okay?" Harriet asked as she sat down next to Mac.

"Yeah, everything is good Lily just sensed that I was a little tense that's all, but we had a good talk and I gave her one of her presents, and made her promise that she would come back out here and have fun. So she will be okay."

Two minutes later Chloe came around with the video camera and made everyone say something. Then the children were gathered and they went inside to play musical chairs and pin the tail on the donkey, while the adults cleaned up the backyard.