The Case
a JAG Fanfiction

Chapter One:
Oops

JULY 4TH, 2001

1430 EST
ROBERTS RESIDENCE
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA

Mac was a lot of things, but late wasn't one of them. She was on time 99% of the time, and for the 1% she was late, she had a damn good reason. So that's why, when she's late to Bud and Harriet's Fourth of July party, Harm knows something's up.

He's standing at the counter in the Roberts' kitchen slicing a watermelon for Harriet, racking his brain as to why Mac could be late. Traffic had been alright (by July 4th standards), and she hadn't told anyone she wasn't coming. Harm had been with her last Friday when Harriet invited the two of them, and Mac said she'd love to come, so why wasn't she there?

Everyone else was there. Harriet, never failing at hospitality, invited the bulk of the JAG office. Bud was grilling in the backyard, Little AJ was playing in his sandbox, Tiner and Gunny were throwing around a football. Sturgis was talking to the Admiral, Imes, and Mattoni-probably about submarines. Singer didn't come, but that was neither a surprise nor a disappointment.

Instead of joining in on the festivities, Harm opted to stay in the kitchen to help Harriet out. Partly because he wanted to be helpful, partly because he wanted to concentrate on puzzling out a reason for Mac not being there. Because Mac was never late. Harm looked up at the clock. It was 1435, the party started at 1400. Mac had told Harriet she'd be there a little early to help her set up, and 'a little early' passed a long time ago. Especially by Mac's standards.

Harm was so busy thinking and checking the time that he didn't realize he was bringing the knife down on his hand instead of the watermelon. He hissed and jerked his hand back, dropping the knife as blood spilled out of the cut on his thumb. He put his hand under the faucet and turned it on, hurriedly grabbing some paper towels.

"Harm, are you alright?"

Harm was thinking about Mac so much that he thought, with lifting spirits, that it was Mac's voice, but it was Harriet's. She was arranging cookies on a tray and had looked up at Harm's exclamation of pain. She abandoned the cookie tray and rushed over to him.

"Just a workplace hazard. Comes with the territory," Harm told Harriet with a grin. He turned the faucet off and wrapped his thumb in a paper towel, blood instantly seeping through.

"Hang on sir, there's a first aid kit in the bathroom."

As Harriet rushed off for the kit, Harm chuckled to himself and shook his head, applying pressure to his wound. Even though he'd been friends with Harriet for a few years now, Harriet was still in the habit of calling Harm 'sir', even when they were out of uniform. Bud was even worse about it.

Harriet returned with the first aid kit, pulling out some gauze and grabbing Harm's hand before he could protest.

"Thank you for helping with this, Harm," she said as she wrapped gauze around his thumb, "Colonel Mackenzie-Mac said she'd be here early to help, but she must be running late."

Harm shook his head, "No, I don't think that's it. Mac's never late."

Harriet's brow furrowed. "Could something be wrong?"

"I don't know, that's what I was thinking about when I sliced my thumb open."

Harm examined his newly-bandaged hand and Harriet closed the kit. She drummed her fingers on the countertop in thought.

"Maybe she's not feeling well. She told me the other day she was feeling queasy," Harriet said. Harm's eyebrows shot up.

"Still, if she was sick, I'm sure she would've called," he insisted..

Harriet frowned, "Maybe you should go check on her."

Harm looked at the clock. It was almost 1445. Mac was 45 minutes late with no explanation. Something was definitely up.

He looked at Harriet. "You don't mind?"

"No, of course not," she said. "I just hope everything's alright."

Without another word, Harm grabbed his keys and headed for the door. "Thanks Harriet. I'll see you later."

"Bye Harm," she called as he left, "Say hi to Mac for me."

"I will."

The door shut and Harriet sighed. She returned the first aid kit to the bathroom and began to put the watermelon slices into a red, white, and blue striped bowl. Recently she'd developed an affinity for collecting holiday-themed items, so she now had specific bowls for St. Patrick's Day, Easter, Fourth of July, Christmas, and even Valentine's Day. It was admittedly an odd hobby, but one she enjoyed nevertheless. As she brought the watermelon and cookies out to the backyard, she couldn't help but think about Harm. Specifically, Harm with Mac.

The day those two realize how in love they are with each other is gonna be a good day, she thought.

Harriet was well aware that Mac was only a month out of an engagement to Mic Brumby, and Harm had recently ended things with his girlfriend Renee, but it was obvious that Harm and Mac were meant for each other. Obvious to everyone except Harm and Mac, that is. For Harriet, it had been obvious the day she met them on the Seahawk. The universe certainly put them together to be more than coworkers.

Harriet sat the cookies and watermelon slices on the picnic table in the backyard and walked over to Bud, who was manning the grill. He was wearing a "Kiss the Cook" apron she got him as a joke the past Christmas. She never expected him to actually wear it.

"Hi, honey," she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Hey Harriet," Bud greeted, looking over his shoulder. "Where's the Commander?"

"Harm went to go check on Mac. She hasn't showed up yet and no one's heard from her."

"Oh, well then it's probably a good thing he's checking on her. The Colonel is never late," Bud said, and Harriet laughed.

"Yeah, Harm told me as much."

1500 EST
APARTMENT OF SARAH MACKENZIE
GEORGETOWN

Lt. Colonel Sarah Mackenzie was a lot of things, but she was never late. Hardly ever, at least. Her internal clock was spot-on; no matter where she was, what time zone she was in, it always worked without fail.

She'd been laying on her bathroom floor for approximately 1 hour, 33 minutes, and 17 seconds, staring up at the ceiling. She should've been at Bud and Harriet's an hour ago

Mac felt awful for being MIA, especially after promising Harriet she'd help her set up, but she couldn't bring herself to get up and face the world. Not with knowing what she knew. There was no way she could go out, even if it was just to spend time with her friends. There was no way she could act like she didn't know what she knew.

You've got to pull yourself together, Marine, she told herself. She forced herself into a sitting position, and immediately met her reflection in the mirror above her sink. Her short, brown hair was tousled and her eyes were bloodshot. She sniffled.

Some pathetic excuse for a Marine, she thought as she laid back down. She could call Harriet, tell her she was sick or something, but there was no way she would be able to act nonchalant. Then Harriet would get concerned, mention it to Harm, and he would come running like a knight in shining armor. And, no offense to Harm, but that would be the worst possible thing right now.

Being late to the party was something Mac could deal with. What she couldn't deal with was her period being 10 days late. What she couldn't deal with was being five weeks pregnant.

She reached up to the sink and felt for the pregnancy test, her fingers eventually finding the dumb piece of plastic that had singlehandedly managed to change the course of her life in two minutes.

Mac looked at the two pink lines until her eyes went crossed, willing them to change. She even shook the test a few times, like a magic eight ball, to see if that would change anything. Sadly, nothing worked, the two lines remained there.

How could she be so stupid? This was a mistake a 20-year-old made, not a Marine Corps officer. Yet here she was. Barely a month had passed since she ended an engagement with one man, and now she was pregnant by another. Ironically, that was Mac's one comfort. The fact that the baby's father wasn't Mic Brumby made this impossible situation a little bit easier.

She would much rather tell Harmon Rabb Jr, a man she'd had a one night stand with five weeks ago, that he would be the father or her child as opposed to a man she had just cancelled an engagement on. Well, he cancelled on her, technically, but Mac didn't like to be reminded that she'd been dumped, so she chose not to think of their break up like that.

The fateful night she'd spent with Harm was actually the same night Mic left her. She'd missed him at the airport by literal seconds and had called Harm, not knowing who else to turn to. She went back to his apartment and they talked for a while, with Harm being the guest of honor at Mac's pity party, and then, somehow, they'd fallen in between the sheets. Despite Harm being quite the casanova at times, it had been Mac's idea. It was mainly for comfort, a distraction even, and Mac never banked on getting anything more out of it. Boy, was she wrong.

She'd been betrayed. By her own uterus.

Even though the current state of affairs filled her with regret, she found herself not regretting Harm. She could kick herself for it, but it was true. Mac would be lying if she said she hadn't mused about what it would be like to sleep with Harm. That night had met, if not exceeded, every expectation she had. It had been good, or at least better than anything Mic Brumby could do.

They had used contraception, so Mac was now included in 2% of the people that condoms didn't work for.

She used to have an IUD, but she'd had it taken out a few months ago, because she was in love with Mic, they were engaged, everything was so magical and happy, she didn't need an IUD anymore because she would only be with one man for the foreseeable future. Who cared if she got pregnant because everything was going so well and a baby would just be the cherry on top of this perfect life she was living.

Bull. Shit.

So, Mac came to the conclusion that A) the condom must've broken, or B) Harm hadn't put it on correctly. Option B was something she doubted. The thought of Harm being unsure of how to work a condom was downright laughable. Perhaps it hadn't fit-that could be another viable reason. But then again, Harm not knowing his size was another laughable thought.

Mac knew she shouldn't be thinking about Harm's condoms in her time of crisis (a crisis he'd inadvertently caused), but found it to be adding some much-needed amusement to the situation.

Knowing him, his swimmers were probably able to break through the latex, she thought. She laughed at that, albeit a bitter laugh.

She sighed. It must be hormones.

Mac and Harm spent a lovely, fantastic night together, and Harm did a very good job of making Mac forget about Brumby, if only for a little while. However, things weren't so nice in the morning. A little after sunrise, while making coffee for himself and Mac, Harm received a phone call from Renee, with the news that her father had died. While the news was horrible, yes, and Mac was not trying to be unsympathetic, she had been rather angry when Harm said he had to go be with Renee.

She had been under the impression that they had broken up, but apparently they were still on good enough terms for Harm to hold Renee's hand while she buried her father.

Yes, Mac was bitter, and she felt bad about it. Renee losing her father was awful, but Mac couldn't help but be jealous that morning as Harm left from helping her through her breakup to go help Renee through her loss. It made her feel embarrassed, like some sort of homewrecker. Even though Harm and Renee had broken up, they clearly still cared for each other, or at least Harm did. Harm still cared enough about Renee to rush to her aide, enough to leave Mac alone in his apartment the morning after they'd made love and let all the feelings they'd been hiding for years come to the surface.

Mac was hurt, naturally. So much so that when Harm returned from attending the funeral in California, she had no desire to replicate the night they'd shared. Even after he assured her that he was no longer involved with Renee. She slipped back into her old ways of emotional aloofness and started giving him the cold shoulder.

She spent a week on TAD with Gunny investigating an officer's disappearance on the Guadalcanal. She was only back a few days before she was sent on the hellish trip to Indonesia. Her and Harm only had a chance to truly reconcile the previous Friday, when he had brought her coffee. Back when she thought her fatigue, the soreness in her chest, and nausea had just been symptoms of stress.

And now, she knew she was pregnant.

Mac sighed, allowing her hand to drift down to her stomach. She was still in her pajamas. She usually went on runs in the morning, but she hadn't gone this morning because she felt absolutely awful. She'd felt absolutely awful the last couple of mornings. That combined with the late period was what clued her in.

She pressed down, feeling her stomach through the fabric of her Marine Corps sweatshirt. This baby was the size of an apple seed and had already been on two different continents, had a Marine Colonel for a mother and a Tomcat pilot for a father. This was going to be an interesting kid.

Mac was drawn out of her lamentations by a knock at the door. She knew who it was without getting up to investigate. Harm. It had to be him. He had no sense of timing whatsoever.

She didn't move. She hoped that if she didn't answer, eventually he'd just go away. But she knew better. If she knew anything about Harm, she knew he was relentless and stubborn. Especially when it came to her, and she wasn't quite sure how to feel about that yet. Knowing him, if she didn't answer, he'd think she was dead or something and come barging in. She wouldn't put it past him.

"Mac!" she heard him yell through the door. "Mac, are you okay?"

Mac still didn't move from her spot on the bathroom floor, which was oddly becoming rather comfortable. She'd been laying there for 1 hour, 40 minutes, and 28 seconds.

"C'mon Mac, I know you're in there. Your car's parked outside."

She'd been laying there for 1 hour, 40 minutes, and 34 seconds now.

However, instead of hearing the sound of splintering wood, Mac heard her cell phone ringing. This was good. She'd tell Harm she wasn't feeling well, over the phone so she wouldn't have to face him. She'd tell him that she had some awful virus that was definitely contagious and he would definitely catch it if he came near her, so he definitely shouldn't fish out the spare key he had and come inside.

She picked up her cellphone, which was sitting next to the pregnancy test, and answered. "Hello?"

"Hey Mac, can you let me in?"

"Oh, I wish I could Harm, but I feel awful. I think-I think I have some sort of virus, and it's probably contagious, and I don't want you to catch it-"

"My immune system's strong, I think I can handle it."

"I don't know, I'm pretty sure I have a fever-"

The line went dead. Mac cursed under her breath, running her fingers through her hair. Damn him. He just wouldn't give up.

Well Sarah, it's time to put on your big girl pants and deal with this.

She got up and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked terrible, and for once she was grateful for it. Maybe Harm would buy that she was sick and leave her be.

Mac opened the door of her apartment and sure enough, there was all 6'4 of Harmon Rabb Jr, taking up most of her doorway. She tried to force a smile with the full knowledge that he would see right through it.

"Hi Harm," she said, folding her arms over her midsection, suddenly feeling self conscious, as if he'd be able to sense she was pregnant or something.

He let himself into her apartment before she could put up any protest. She shut the door behind him. "You know, I just love it when a man barges into my apartment. It's very attractive," she said dryly.

Harm turned around, his blue eyes filled with concern. "Are you okay, Mac?"

"I'm fine. I'm just sick. I told you, it's a virus. Other than that, I'm fine." Mac shrugged. Other than being pregnant with your baby, I'm fine. "Are you okay?"

"You were late," was all he said.

"Yes, because I wasn't feeling well. I was getting ready to call Harriet when you all but knocked down my door."

"You're never late."

"There's a first time for everything, Sailor," she said with a smile. He was kind of cute when he got worked up.

Mac was taken aback when Harm reached out and pressed the back of his hand against her forehead. She quickly drew back.

"Umm, what are you doing?"

"Checking for a fever."

Harm looked her over. She bit her lip. She would have to tell him. Soon. The longer she waited the harder it would be to say. She could only wait but so long anyway, before things became rather obvious. Mac sighed. Now's as good a time as any.

"Mac, you've been crying."

Something in his voice changed. It became softer, and his expression changed too. Suddenly Mac found herself tongue tied. When he was his normal, demanding, semi-arrogant, cheeky self she could handle him, but when he got soft, caring, gentle, it got more difficult. Suddenly she felt tears welling up in her eyes again. Damn these hormones.

He took a step towards her, and she took one back, her arms tightening around her midsection.

"Don't do this, Mac," Harm said. "Talk to me."

She didn't talk. She just looked at him. So much for playing things off.

"Is it Mic?"

Mac shook her head. "No," her voice came out in a croak.

"Then what is it?"

Sarah Mackenzie didn't like to run away from her problems, but this was one she'd gladly run away from. Literally. She took one look at Harm and retreated back to the bathroom, shutting the door behind herself and locking it. Thankfully, Harm wasn't able to catch up to her before she slammed the door in his face. He'd been right on her heels, though.

"Mac, what are you doing, what's going on?" he demanded through the door. "We promised we wouldn't do this, remember?"

He was right. They had promised they'd stop doing this. Shutting each other out, hiding their feelings and the like. They'd actually just made that promise, when they'd decided to start seeing each other. They'd agreed to "take things slow"...

So much for slow. At that moment everything was going full speed ahead.

Mac sighed and shook out her hands. She was a Marine, not to mention, a grown woman. She had to get over herself. Locking herself away in her bathroom wasn't going to make this problem go away.

Dammit. She was crying again. There was silence on the other side of the door, but Mac knew Harm was still there. He would always be there, as long as he had the smallest sneaking suspicion that Mac needed him.

She grabbed the pregnancy test before her courage failed her, unlocked her bathroom door and eased it open. Harm was there alright, sitting right outside the door on the floor, his long legs crossed in front of him, his back against the wall. He looked up at her. He looked alarmed, but didn't say anything at the sight of her tear-streaked face.

Mac sniffled and gave a watery smile. "Hi."

"Hey," Harm shifted his position so he could see her better. "What's wrong, Sarah?"

She sighed. He must be really concerned, calling her "Sarah" instead of the usual "Mac." Damn him. He was so sweet.

"Here."

She handed him the pregnancy test. Mac felt a need to explain, but reasoned that Harm probably knew what it is. He was a good lawyer. He had all the evidence he needed, he could put the pieces together.

Not much changed in Harm's overall expression, but there was suddenly a lot more than concern going on behind his eyes. He looked up at her, his brows lifted.

"Is this-"

"Yes."

"Are you-"

"Yes."

"Am I-"

"Yes."

All he could do was look up at her, with an absolutely dumbfounded expression that Mac would've found cute in any other circumstance. She made mental note to add this moment to the very short list of times when Harmon Rabb Jr. was left utterly speechless.

"Mac-" he finally said, taking another look at the two pink lines. No doubt he was double checking that they were actually there, as Mac had done.

"I think we need to talk," she said, opening the bathroom door wider. "Step into my office."

Here we go again!

-Harper