TITLE: When The News Breaks

AUTHOR: Vid Z.

PAIRING: Harm/Singer

TIMELINE: starts at the beginning of When The Bough Breaks

WARNINGS: if you can't face and be faced with the fact that Mac has made a lot and heavy mistakes in her professional life, this is not a fic for you. Was prompted by Mac's appalling comments when being assigned the case. While there is strong Mac angst here, everything works out OK in the end and she will NOT end up as a two headed monster. Rest assured, she WILL be HAPPY at the end of this fic.

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc of the TV show JAG are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this fic. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

AUTHOR'S NOTES #1: This is a Harm/Loren shipper rewrite of the episode. It happens as it would've had I been one of the PTB.

AUTHOR'S NOTES #2: EVERYTHING written in the understroked script are quotes from the episode, unchanged and used in the same context and spirit as they were in the episode. When I read the script of this scene I was appalled by Mac's already set opinion on Loren's innocence/guilt, but then remembered all the times she had done just that before, with other people, like in "Friendly Fire" and every single time an Aviator was the suspect. I studied law for a while (okay, for a year before I was almost bored to death with it) and my sister is a lawyer and I picked up a lot from her, and thus it was immediately clear just what Mac had done.

Breaking the number one rule of law: the defendant is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law (or unless they were framed and still convicted, which makes them innocent, but wrongly proven guilty. Believe it or not, it happens A LOT.). Thinking a little, I could remember off the top of my hat occasions when Mac broke the law or the rules that the American Bar Association has set for lawyers.

AUTHOR'S NOTES #3: The American Bar Association (ABA) is THE authority that deals with lawyers who broke the law, committed perjury, murder,... and every time a lawyer has broken the law, not only are they (supposed to be) convicted by a regular or military court, but the ABA also launches an investigation of her own and, if the defendant is guilty of the crime, they take their license to practice law away forever. When Mac committed perjury and murder and all those other things, Chegwidden should've reported her to ABA, he was law bound to do it, yet didn't. Another example of DPB's/TPTB's favoritism for Mac, among countless others. Perjury itself is a crime for which the one who is found guilty goes to prison for (no way would they get off with an Admiral's Mast and then be even rewarded with an ahead-of-time promotion) and, if they are a lawyer, the ABA takes their license away forever.

THANKS TO: Agnes for her help with the quotes.

SUMMARY: What if Loren had had a big secret? What if the father of her baby had been a son of Harmon Rabb Sr. and she was never in cahoots with Lindsey? What if...

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Harm was still in shock over the news, he had certainly not expected to hear that!

'Loren is pregnant!?'

"Has anyone asked the LT who the father is, sir? Certainly, if it's not someone aboard the Seahawk, the whole matter can be dispensed with." Harm mentally patted himself on the back for quick thinking and managing to act cool and unaffected.

Cheggwidden looked at Harm suspiciously. "Why? Do you know something, CDR?"

Harm swallowed. "I just don't believe that the LT would endanged her career that carelessly. It means a lot to her. She wouldn't endanger it with a fling."

There were snorts around the table as Mac and the Admiral agreed with him.

Cheggwidden leaned his elbows on the table and steepled his fingers together thoughtfully. Then he turned on Harm.

"I've heard that you've spent an awful lot of time off-duty with the LT before she left, CDR..."

Harm looked at him warily and carefully chose his words. "Yes, sir, the LT did befriend my brother, who at that time was living with me. Thus, the LT and I naturally spent time together, since she was there because of Sergei."

"You know who the father is, don't you, CDR?"

Harm straightened his spine and stared defiantly at the Admiral. "Yes, I do, sir. However LT Singer asked me not to reveal the identity of the person she's involved with. She named me her lawyer, so everything we talked about fell under lawyer-client confidentiality. Not even the president can force me to breach the lawyer-client confidentiality. She is involved with someone, however, I can assure you that it's no-one on that ship or any other ship, or anyone in her chain of command."

Harm and Cheggwidden locked eyes for a long time, waging a silent battle.

The first to break off was Cheggwidden, who turned to their attentive audience. "LtCol, dismissed. CDR, you stay behind."

As she was leaving the office, Mac kept sending Harm questioning and, for reasons unknown to her, jealous looks.

When they were finally alone Cheggwidden started his interrogation.

"Lawyer, huh?"

"Yes, sir."

"And when were you going to mention that little detail?" growled Cheggwidden.

"Just as you asked me if I know something. Then I would presenting my power of attorney to you and do my duties as such. But, since there has been absolutely no fraternization aboard the ship involving the LT, this matter can be dispensed with quickly and quietly."

Cheggwidden was quiet for a while, scrutinizing Harm carefully. Harm was meanwhile doing everything he could not to fidget under his CO's glare.

"I've got this feeling, CDR, that I should be bringing you up on charges by now. Somehow I get the feeling you are somehow right in the middle of this. Tell me why I have this feeling, CDR."

Harm shrugged with a tight and nervous expression. "I don't know, sir."

Then something occured to the older man.

"It's YOU, isn't it!? You're the father!" Cheggwidden accused, his face flushed deeply from anger.

Harm's eyes widened in terror. 'Shit.'

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REVIEW!

They give me motivation to finish all those other WIP's. This was one of those that have been hanging around for months.

I've got another in the works for over a year now, a rewrite of Answered Prayers.