Author's Note:

Hey y'all! Yes, I'm still here. I've been so consumed with writing other things and the craziness that is my life, but I promise that I'm still thinking about all of you and this fan fic. I'm also still working on "The Things We Keep Or Give Away". I've gotten plenty of PMs and Reviews asking me about when things will be updated. Rest assured that I'm trying to update at least one fic each week so you can all be happy. I hope that you enjoy this installment, and review if you would like!

As she walks toward me, the scowl I know is on my face fades just a bit because I see the more prominent stomach starting to show through the new jacket she was trying to hide it with.

"What's with the face, Commander?" she asks upon reaching the elevator.

"I wish that I would have known this coming in today."

"Harm, the Admiral told me on Friday and I wanted to wait it out until I at least saw him again to see what we would be dealing with."

"And you didn't think to call me Saturday night after he showed up at your old apartment?" he asks with a snippy tone as he pushes the button for the lobby.

"In my defense, it would have been useless anyways because you were already in transport home!"

Crap. She is right about that. "Yeah, but you could have let me know on Friday. We talked Friday night and you didn't mention anything."

"Well, I didn't want to ruin the one conversation I thought I would get to have with you for the next week. Can't you understand that?"

I can, but I'm still keyed up about the whole situation from today. "Mac, Brumby is going to be trouble."

"No he isn't."

"Oh really? He thinks that the baby is his, how do you not think that is going to cause major issues around the office?"

"Harm, I told him it wasn't his."

"Yeah, and that seemed to work so well the first time that he decided to air all our dirty laundry in the middle of the bullpen."

"Dirty Laundry? Our baby is dirty laundry?"

"That isn't what I said."

She just looks at me for a few minutes in the parking lot, and I can tell that I've hit a wrong nerve. I don't even get the chance to tell her that a cab dropped me off at JAG before she gets into the car and leaves the parking lot.

I'm sitting on the stairs figuring out what to say to her when I see her again when I hear the loud commanding voice behind me, "What did you do this time, Rabb?"

"I said something stupid, and she thought that it meant something that I really didn't mean it to mean… if that makes any sense sir."

"And she left… without you."

"Well, she didn't know that I came in a cab, so she isn't being too terribly mean."

"I'll give you a ride if you can tell me what happened and I don't want to kill you for hurting her."

"I was angry that she didn't tell me about Brumby coming back and I was upset that everyone found out about the baby in the middle of a scandalous display, and I'm worried that this Brumby thing isn't over."

"That doesn't sound so bad, but a hormonal Marine isn't who you should say any of that to." The Admiral says laughing at me and shaking his head.

"Well, I said something about airing our dirty laundry in the bullpen, and I think she thought that I meant the baby was dirty laundry when I said it. And I know that is one of the reasons she was so hesitant for everyone to find out about the baby… because she didn't want people to think that is why we got married."

"It isn't though, and the two of you know that, so everyone else can be damned."

"I know that sir, but she can't get past it." I say, throwing my arms up.

"Do you know where she went?"

"I would hope that she went to the house, but I don't know."

"We'll try there first."

We did in fact find Mac at the new house, pacing in front of the living room window and waiting for me to come home. The surprise on her face when the Admiral stepped out of the car and she opened the front door was not lost on me.

"I had a cab drop me at JAG, so I didn't have a ride home. The Admiral gave me a ride, and he said that he wants to talk to both of us anyways." I say, walking into the new home and seeing it done for the first time.

We sit down in the living room and the Admiral shakes his head. "You know, I thought that the two of you had it finally figured out. You finally admitted that you were in love with each other for all these years, you got married, you're getting ready to start a family, and you're going to let something stupid overshadow that?"

"Sir…" Mac starts, but he cuts her off quickly.

"Mac, you need to get over the fact that people are going to talk. Regardless of when or how this baby was conceived, you are going to love it just the same. It is going to be here because the two of you love each other and no one has the right to stand in the way of that. Also, there needs to be no more hitting of Commander Brumby. There might be more issues where he is concerned, but you need to let someone else take care of those issues because you do not need additional stress. Lastly, the Commander did not mean that the baby was your 'dirty laundry', he was just talking about both of your pasts."

"Thank you sir." She says, taking the man's voice to heart.

"Commander… get over it. She's with you now and she's staying there as far as I can tell. I know that your macho ego is concerned about Brumby, but know that she didn't hesitate for you. She loves you and Brumby may act like he's got a chance, but he only does if hell has frozen over. And if a situation arises again where Commander Brumby is to be hit… I would hope that you wouldn't stand by and let your pregnant wife do the honors… but again. We shouldn't be hitting him anyway. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes, Sir" we both say, nearly snapping to attention before realizing that we were in our home.

"Now… can I have the tour since you did everything last week Colonel?" he says with a smile, looking to Mac.

When he leaves, Mac walks past me into the living room to plop down on the sofa with her head back and her hand on her stomach. She hadn't even gotten the chance to change out of her uniform.

"Marine, I think you deserve a nice long shower, a change into your pajamas, and a back massage from your husband."

"Just a back massage?" she says with a quirk of the brow that has my mind reeling.

"If you can think of anything else, I'm sure I could arrange something."

"You were gone for two weeks and you're propositioning me with a back massage?"

"You want it another way?"

"Harm, had Brumby not interrupted us this afternoon, I probably would have had you on the desk at the office." She says, getting up from the couch and no appearing tired at all anymore.

"Hey Mac, did you miss me?"

"Come upstairs and find out…" she says, unbuttoning her jacket and making her way up the stairs, trailing pieces of her uniform behind her as she goes.

By the time I shut the lights off downstairs and follow her, she's exactly where I want her to be, and my eyes go wide at the sight of the small baby bump that's grown since I was home.

I reach out to touch it and she giggles, "You act like you've never seen a pregnant woman before."

"You are so beautiful, Sarah… and I missed you so much."

"I love that you tell me those things, but show me… we've got to Christen the bedroom anyways."

"It's good to be home."

The next morning it was back to the grind working back at JAG. That is something that never ceases to amaze me with this job. You can be gone to a carrier for weeks and nothing seems to have changed while you were away really. The office went on without you and people went to trial like always while you were halfway around the world. And then you come back and you're supposed to fit right back in to everything. Every now and then, I think about that and realize that the life I'm leading is unlike any other. It's a pleasant and strange thought… one that is interrupted by Bud.

"Sir, Commander Brumby told me to hand this off to you. Apparently he is defending during the Dover Court Martial and wanted you to have these reports."

"The Dover Court Martial."

"Yes sir, it came onto your plate while you were on the Seahawk."

"So one of the first things that the Admiral does is have me and Brumby face off in court?" I say to Bud, then add under my breath, "I thought he didn't want me hitting the guy…"

"What was that sir?"

"Nothing. Thank you Bud. And hey, what do you say to you and Harriet coming over on Saturday for dinner? Mac and I would like to say thank you for all the help you've given us with the house."

"I'll ask Harriet, thank you sir." Bud says in his excited voice and walks out to go finish his other duties.

When I'm left alone again, I'm forced to ponder another reality. Mac not being here. I mean, I know that she's here in the building and even still technically working as a JAG, but it's different now. As a judge, I don't get to see her as often and I miss being able to just walk into her office to run an idea by her. It makes me wonder how everything is going to go after the baby is born. Wow… baby… I'm still getting used to that idea. She and I made a deal when Bud and Harriet had AJ, but I never thought that it could actually happen. I hoped, but I didn't know that we would make it this far. It's been everything I hoped it to be though.

This time my thoughts are broken when Bud comes running back into the room, "Commander, they need you in the courtroom. Something happened with the Colonel and they're calling a doctor. I don't know the details, they just told me to come get you."

It was one of those automatic pilot moments as I sprinted through the halls to get to her, finding her laying on the couch in the judge ready room with a petty officer leaning over her arguing form.

"Petty Officer, I'm fine." She says, brushing him off… but I can still hear the tremor in her voice.

"Ma'am, we still think you should get checked out."

"Trust me, she'll get checked out." I say, coming to where she can see me as I kneel down next to her.

"Harm…" she says simply before letting a few stray tears fall loose from her cheeks.

"What happened?" I ask while wiping the tears away and moving her hair from her face.

"I don't know. I was fine and all the sudden I was sitting up there and everything started to go black. So I called for a recess and stood up and then I just collapsed."

"She was only out for a few seconds sir, but we called for an ambulance anyway." The same Petty Officer informs me from behind.

"Thank you."

"What if something is wrong?" she asks in a voice so helpless that it almost doesn't sound like her.

"Mac, it's going to be fine. Stop worrying. Maybe you just overdid it today."

"Harm, I've been sitting on a chair all day. How is that overdoing it?"

"We had a long day yesterday, so maybe it is all just catching up with you."

"Colonel?" we hear from the door coming towards us. "What happened."

"She got a little dizzy and passed out, Admiral. There is an ambulance on the way."

"How do you feel now, Mac?"

"Better than I did, sir."

"I think we'll talk about that limited duty schedule in the next few days then. We can't have our best judge down for the count, can we?"

"No sir." She says with a smile, but I can still feel the nerves coming off her in waves.

I'm sure that it's going to be okay. Wasn't I just marveling at the last few months of my life? It has to all be okay.