Not sure how good this will turn out as I know nothing about law, but in watching Perry Mason I've noticed that their personal lives get about zero mention and that's something I'm curious about. I want to try my hand at writing a murder case in this fic, but that will crop up a bit later. I rather like the character of Hamilton Burger so I'm starting there.

It had been a grueling and frustrating day in the courtroom, but then it almost always was when Los Angeles District Attorney Hamilton Burger had the misfortune of having to take on Defense Attorney Perry Mason. Mason's "courtroom theatrics" as Burger called them were barely legal and totally maddening. Maddening because they almost always worked and possibly also because Burger couldn't quite bring himself to try anything so deceptive and manipulative. Things were very black and white in Burger's world. He was a man of strong convictions and extremely focused. Perhaps too much so or else he might see more of the possibilities and avenues that Mason did.

Burger's main interest was justice so he didn't begrudge Mason any of his victories. In no way did Burger want an innocent person sent to the gas chamber so if Mason pulling the carpet out from under him in the courtroom was necessary to send the right person to prison then Burger was all for it. However, it still rankled him slightly to be on the losing end of these cases so often. He was beginning to wonder if he was starting to look incompetent to his peers.

Despite the long day at the office, a tired Burger was still looking forward to the evening out that he'd planned with girlfriend, Alexandra Mullen. He entered Marchand's, his gaze sweeping across the room, looking to see if she'd beat him there. He found her in a booth in the far corner, sipping some coffee; and slid into the seat across from her. Taking her hand, the blonde, bright blue eyed attorney stroked the back of it with his thumb and smiled at her in that soft, genuine way that rarely showed except for when he was with her. It certainly never made an appearance in the courtroom.

"The place was crowded tonight so I decided to cash in the reservation as soon as I got here," Alexandra said with a smile. I'm sorry; I know I usually wait for you, but I'm starving tonight and didn't want to hang out any longer than I had to."

She pushed back a lock of her own shoulder length, champagne blonde hair and tucked it behind her ear. It drove her crazy when her hair got in her face, particularly when she was trying to eat. Alexandra was about average height for a woman, curvaceous, and she had a pretty face, but she was hardly glamorous and definitely a bookworm. Most men might have overlooked her, but Burger had crossed paths with at a friend's gathering and had been drawn to her intelligence and wit.

"Hey, no worries, baby. I'm with you; it's way passed supper time." Burger looked up as the waitress, seeing that there was now an additional person at the table, arrived to take his drink order. He glanced over at Alexandra and noted the coffee and decided to have that as well. Inwardly, he was beginning to wonder if something was up. Alexandra was known to enjoy wine or champagne with meals regularly, but the last few times they'd been out she hadn't touched the stuff, even when he'd ordered a bottle. And while she'd never been a smoker, she hadn't been made ill by the suffocating smoke that seemed to qualify as air until the last few weeks.

The waitress returned with his coffee a few minutes later and disappeared into the crowded restaurant after Burger announced that they still needed a few minutes to look at the menu. The couple was silent for a time as they studied the menu. Burger was a decisive man so it wasn't long before he set the menu back down at the edge of the table where the waitress could easily reach it and waited patiently for Alexandra to do the same. In the background, the myriad conversations of other diners, some boisterous, some hushed; and the clinking of silverware and dishes penetrated the attorney's thoughts. He suspected he knew what was accounting for the changes in his girlfriend's behavior the last few weeks, but even though they'd been together for just over a year, he felt it might be rude and insulting to ask when she hadn't said anything. Perhaps it was nothing. Surely she would have said something if there was. He was never right in the courtroom anymore with Perry Mason on the scene so no reason to believe he had any insight into the behavioral changes of his own girlfriend. Still, it nagged at him…

Giving their order to the waitress who had appeared at their table again, almost out of nowhere, Burger waited until she'd vanished again before looking Alexandra straight in her own aqua blue eyes.

"Alex, is there something you need to tell me?" Burger asked in his customarily blunt fashion.

She took another sip of her coffee and averted her eyes. "What do you mean, Hamilton?" She had tried to sound as casual as possible, as if her love was simply being silly and imagining things, but instead she just sounded nervous.

His eyes widened at the telling body language and he bit back an exhale of frustration. Getting information out of women was like pulling teeth most of the time. Ironically, Alexandra could usually be counted upon to be rather blunt for a woman. This time though didn't appear to be one of those times. This time it was more like trying to extract direct answers from a hostile witness.

"I mean the fact that you haven't had a drop of alcohol in the last three weeks which is hardly usual for you. And the fact that I haven't been able to light up a cigarette around you for nearly the same period of time without sending you running outside for fresh air. And now you can't look me in the eye when I ask you about it!"

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Burger remembered that they were in a public place and his voice had a bad habit of carrying. He forced himself to simmer down. He wasn't angry with her. Not yet. Just frustrated and impatient that he wasn't just getting a straight answer. He looked around somewhat sheepishly, only to realize that there were also people he knew having an evening out as well. His courtroom nemesis, Perry Mason and his secretary were at a nearby table, but Burger couldn't tell at the moment if the duo had spotted him yet. Likely not or else Mason would have wandered over to say hello.

The exasperated man focused back on his girlfriend. She was quite a bit younger than him; in her early 30's, but she was a successful marriage and family therapist, which at the moment also struck him as ironic as they seemed to be having a failure to communicate themselves. However, Alexandra would be the first to tell him that it is far easier to advise someone else about their problems than it was to fix your own. He would have to concede her point on that one.

"Hamilton," she pleaded. "Can we please discuss this after dinner?"

"No, we can't discuss this after dinner. I want to know what's going on? Are you pregnant, Alex?"

The pretty blonde's breath caught in her throat at that and she hesitated a moment before finally nodding and whispering a barely audible "yes."

Burger leaned back against the back of the booth and let out a deep breath as he digested the news. So it was what he had suspected, but the news changed the complexion of their relationship entirely. This had been by no means planned by either of them and having a child out of wedlock was still considered a societal no no that could have consequences for their careers. Marriage was almost certainly on the horizon now even though the longtime district attorney wasn't quite ready for that. In his younger days, he had imagined himself having a family and children, but it hadn't happened then. Now in his 40's he felt a tad too old to start now. Fate however, was dropping it in his lap, ready or not. He had to admit though that there was an undercurrent of joy and excitement about the coming baby. He loved Alexandra and the prospect of being a father after all appealed to him even if the circumstances and time in his life weren't the most favorable.

"Hamilton?" Alexandra prompted softly. A counselor by nature and profession, the silence bothered her. She was impatient to know what he was thinking and whether or not they were going to be alright as a couple in light of the unexpected pregnancy.

Taking her hand again, Burger smiled warmly, allowing the happier emotions to bubble to the surface despite the worries and challenges ahead. "I'm thrilled that I'm going to be a father, Alex, but you do realize that this means we're going to have to get married whether we're ready for that or not?"

"I know," she nodded with a bit of disappointment creeping into her voice. "This wasn't what I'd had in mind either."

They leaned back from each other again as their food arrived on the table. Picking up his fork, Burger pondered their situation some more.

"Let's enjoy our supper and give this a day or two to sink in and then we'll make some decisions."

W^^^W^^^W

A few tables over, Della's eyes widened as she recognized the district attorney, Hamilton Burger across the way with his girlfriend. They had met her several times, either out and about with Burger or even out in the professional realm as Alexandra sometimes had to testify if one of her clients was involved in a criminal case.

Della cocked her head in the direction of the other couple. "Perry, your best friend is out and about tonight as well it turns out."

Mason looked over and his eyebrows knitted together in concern. "You're right and they both look rather distressed about something. I hope everything is alright."

"He's been dating her for a while now. It's probably the usual things that crop up when a couple gets too comfortable with each other."

"Hopefully it's nothing serious," Perry nodded, returning to their original conversation. Perhaps he'd check in with Burger a bit later just to be sure.