Chapter Twenty-Two
Phoning Home

WEEK 17
SEPTEMBER 26TH, 2001

0830 EST
JAG HEADQUARTERS
FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA

Fate seemed to enjoy bringing Harmon Rabb Jr back to JAG HQ. It didn't make much sense, but Harm wasn't about to complain.

The troops headed overseas needed JAGs to go with them, and Mattoni had put in transfer requests to go. That combined with Imes going to Europe left JAG HQ rather understaffed. The Admiral decided Harm was needed in Falls Church more than at the Academy, so he'd gotten special approval from SecNav to allow Harm and Mac to work together, which hadn't been as hard as it sounded. The SecNav had more important things to worry about in lieu of September 11th than the romantic life of Commander Rabb and Colonel Mackenzie.

But it was temporary. The Admiral decided to make that very clear to Harm.

"I'm only repeating this because I want to make myself clear," he said. The grin on Harm's face told AJ that the younger man probably wasn't listening well. "This reassignment is temporary. It's just until we can re-inflate our staff here. Plus, I figured I'd need someone to fill in for Colonel Mackenzie as Chief of Staff when she goes out on maternity leave-when is she going out on maternity leave, by the way? Has she talked to you about it?"

"I have no idea, sir," Harm answered. "We haven't talked about it much, she's only four months along."

Harm and Mac were still trying to figure out living arrangements. They knew they couldn't keep ping-ponging between their two apartments as Mac's pregnancy progressed, and they definitely couldn't do it after the baby came. Harm had briefly thought about renting, or even buying, a house, but that was a huge commitment. They were already having a baby together, and they figured focusing on one big commitment at a time was the way to go for two people who previously hated commitment.

The Admiral nodded. "I see."

"Yeah uh, the baby's the size of a pear this week," Harm was too caught up in the daze of expectant parenthood to notice the strange look the Admiral gave him.

Afterwards, Mac pounced on Harm (figuratively, of course. They were at work), beckoning him into her office. He tried to act discreet as he walked across the bullpen and into her office.

Mac hastily shut the door behind Harm and drew the blinds. She turned to face him, biting her lip with anticipation. "So? What did the Admiral want to talk to you about?" she asked.

"Since you guys are understaffed, the Admiral wants me back here until he can find some permanent replacements," Harm explained.

"Really?" Mac beamed, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Yes, really," Harm checked to make sure the blinds were down all the way. "It's temporary, though, so don't get too excited."

"I'm just happy my sailor's back, even if it's only temporary," Mac said as she kissed him. "We're at work," Harm murmured against her lips. As much as he needed to, he couldn't pull away from her.

"The door's closed."

"It's not locked. Plus, your seal is watching."

Mac huffed, unraveling herself from Harm's arms. She looked over her shoulder. Sure enough, the seal picture she had hanging up on her wall was gazing at them with big, innocent-yet-oddly-judging eyes. If it wasn't for her seal and the fact that they were at work, she would've climbed Harm like a tree. Her hormones were working in her favor that week-for once.

"Glad to see not much has changed since I left," Harm said as Mac sat down at her desk.

Mac smirked. "You've been gone all of, what? Three weeks?"

"Felt like three years."

Harm sat down across from Mac, looking around her office. It felt great to be back at JAG, even if it was only for a little while. "Singer is gonna be mad. She just got done moving into your office," she told him.

"Seriously?" Harm laughed in disbelief.

"Yep," Mac nodded, flipping through her files as a stalling method. She had something she wanted to ask, but she didn't know how she wanted to ask it. "Harm?" she asked.

"Yeah?"

"Do you-do you wanna move in with me?"

He paused, raising his eyebrows. "Really?"

Mac nodded. "I figured it was about time, you know? And your place only has one room, so my place would just make more sense. You know, for the baby."

"Right."

"And you can keep your bachelor pad if you want."

Harm smiled. "Mac, it's okay. I want to move in with you."

Mac smiled in return, looking relieved. "You do?"

"We're having a baby together," he said. "It would kind of be bad if I didn't want to live with you," he chuckled. "And I have a girlfriend and the baby on the way, my 'bachelor pad' isn't really a bachelor pad anymore."

"Harm? There's something else I've been meaning to ask you."

"What's that, babe?"

Mac gave him a dry look. "Don't call me 'babe' at work."

"Alright. What do you wanna ask me, baby?" Harm grinned. Mac sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Does your mom know about the baby?"

1930 EST
APARTMENT OF HARMON RABB
WASHINGTON DC

"Harm, you need to tell your mom."

"Mac-"

"She has a right to know! She's going to be a grandmother by this time next year."

When Mac asked Harm to move in and he said yes, she'd been expecting it to take a few weeks. But something about her being pregnant gave Harm a Marine-esque attitude for completing tasks in a timely manner, so he'd started packing that night.

At first he wasn't even going to let Mac help him pack, but after enough "Just Because I'm Pregnant Doesn't Mean I'm Incapable Of Doing Something" talk, he let her help. He insisted on doing all the heavy lifting though, which Mac considered valid.

Harm turned around to see Mac picking up a model Stearman. "Be careful, that's delicate," he said, gingerly plucking the small plane from Mac's grasp. He placed it in a box-the same exact box Mac was planning on putting it in.

"I'm not a toddler, Harm," she said. "I can handle a toy plane."

He looked at her as if she'd lost her mind. "It is not a toy."

Mac rolled her eyes. "You know our kid is probably gonna break that," she observed casually, turning back to the bookshelf and grabbing a stack of books.

Harm looked up with wide eyes. "If they do, they won't be my kid anymore."

Mac gave him a look.

"That was a joke," he clarified.

"Good, because if you'd place the value of a toy plane over our child, I don't think you're ready to become a parent."

"Was that a joke?" Harm asked. "And it's not a toy."

"Sure, hon. Whatever you say," Mac replied with a rueful smile. "I'll stop calling your planes 'toys' when you tell your mom I'm pregnant."

Harm sighed. "Mac…"

"I suppose I could just call her myself," she proposed. "There can't be that many Trish Burnetts in La Jolla."

"You wouldn't."

"I would."

Harm was about to retort, but he paused. If he wanted to stand a chance of winning this argument, he would have to present a more calculated approach.

"You haven't told Chloe yet, have you?" he asked. Mac's hand froze in the middle of reaching for more books.

"No," she answered slowly. "But that's different. Chloe isn't my mother."

"What are you going to say when she comes for Christmas and sees you seven months pregnant?"

Mac paused. Damn, she thought, I forgot about Christmas. That was going to be hard to work around. She sighed as she placed an absurdly heavy book entitled The History of Aviation into the box.

"Alright, how about this?" she proposed. "I'll tell Chloe if you tell your mom."

"How about you tell your mom if I tell my mom?"

Mac whirled around to stare at Harm. She was trying to figure out if he'd actually decided to go there or if she'd misheard him.

He'd brought it up before, her telling her mother about her pregnancy. The first couple of times she'd changed the subject, but finally she told him to drop it. Her mother forfeited the right to be a part of her grandchild's life the minute she decided she didn't want to be a part of Mac's life. That was supposed to be the end of it. Mac should've known, with Harm's history with his own estranged relatives, that he wouldn't drop it.

Even if she wanted to find her mother, she had no idea where to look. Her mother told her when her father died that she'd moved to Oregon, but that was over two years ago. Knowing Mac's mother she probably left there by now.

Mac didn't need her mother to be with her when she became a mother. End of story.

"Harm, what did I tell you about talking to me about my mother?"

"To not open that can of worms with you," Harm said, reciting something she'd actually heard. He knew as soon as he'd spoken that he'd put his foot in his mouth.

"Exactly," Mac said. "Don't open that can of worms with me."

They both went back to packing, and a few minutes of silence passed between them. Mac felt guilty for snapping but, on the other hand, she didn't. Harm knew bringing up her mother was off limits, just as much (if not more) than bringing up Harm's father was for Harm.

"If I wanted her back in my life, I would've brought her back after my father died," is what she'd told him a few weeks ago, and it still rang true. Mac's pregnancy hormones might make her a little sappy at times, but they didn't make her delusional.

"I'll do it," Harm said. Mac looked up from the box she just sealed with tape.

"What?"

"I'll do it," he repeated. "I'll call my mom if you call Chloe."

TWO DAYS LATER

1100 EST
JAG HEADQUARTERS
FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA

Harm sat at his desk in his re-furnished JAG office, staring down at his cellphone. He agreed to call his mother Wednesday night, it was now Friday morning. He'd been putting it off for two days, and Mac would surely take matters into her own hands if he waited any longer.

Mac was right, his mom had to know. Yet, he couldn't bring himself to dial.

He was nervous, and not the good kind. He genuinely didn't know how his mother would react. She knew Mac, but she didn't know how things were between them. So if Harm just came out and told his mom he got Mac pregnant on a one night stand, it would no doubt raise her eyebrows. Or drive her up a wall.

"Harmon, you're going to drive me up the wall."

That's what she used to always say to him when he was younger and had a penance for acting up all the time. She would always say it with affection, but her being driven up the wall by his antics got a lot less cute as he got older. They used to talk. They used to be close.

Their first big fight happened when he was sixteen, after he snuck off to Vietnam to look for his father. Then it was him going into the Navy. Those two situations put strain on their relationship, but the straw that broke the camel's back was the ramp strike.

After the accident, Harm became bitter, angry, and resentful. He spent nearly five months in the hospital (a ramp strike would do that to you) and once he got out, he was so sick of everyone pitying him that he just wanted to be alone. Hence why he spent the next six months on his grandmother's farm, completely isolated from the outside world.

Suffice it to say, Harm said some things he wished he could take back. More than one of those things were directed at his mother. She hadn't forgiven him because he hadn't apologized, because some of the things he said couldn't be fixed with just an apology.

That's why they only usually talked on Christmas, Thanksgiving, their birthdays, and Mother's Day. Until today.

Harm took a deep breath and finally dialed his mother's number. It was only 0800 in La Jolla, but Harm knew his mom would be awake. She had always been an early riser.

Sure enough, Trish picked up on the third ring.

"Harm? What are you doing? Calling so early?"

"Well, uh, it's eleven here."

"Of course," Trish laughed. "I always forget the time zones."

Harm smiled. She did always forget the time zones.

"So, what warranted this call? It's not Christmas or Mother's day."

"Yeah, I know, I…" Harm paused, suddenly feeling awkward. More awkward than usual when he talked with his mom. Oh God, he was a horrible son. What if his kid never called him-

"Harmon, what's the matter? Are you alright?"

No matter how strained their relationship had become, Trish always had a knack for knowing when Harm was beating around the bush.

"I'm fine, Ma," he said. "And technically nothing's the matter, depending on your perspective."

"What do you think my perspective's going to be on whatever you're trying to tell me?"

Harm swallowed. "I-I don't know."

"Harm, what is it? You're beginning to worry me. Well, you always worry me, but now my worry's spiking."

"Mom, I'm gonna have a baby."

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "Honey, are you on drugs?" she finally asked. "Is that why you called me?"

Harm was beginning to think he should've written out what he was going to say beforehand on an index card, like he did with his closing arguments sometimes. That might've helped him avoid putting his foot in his mouth. Well, nothing could really help him avoid putting his foot in his mouth. His mom should know that better than anyone.

"No, Mom. You're...you're gonna be a grandma."

Trish gasped before she could stop herself. "You got the reporter pregnant?"

It took Harm a few moments to figure out what she was talking about. He suddenly realized that he never told his mom he broke up with Renee. He leaned back in his desk chair and massaged his temples. He really was a horrible son.

"No, no, mom. Renee and I broke up."

"You got her pregnant and then broke up with her? Harmon, I know we haven't been close these last few years, but I raised you better."

Harm took a deep breath. He wasn't expecting the conversation to derail this quickly. Maybe after five minutes, but not right off the bat. "Renee...Renee's not in the picture anymore. She's not the one I got pregnant," he explained hastily. "Mom, you know Mac, right?"

"The marine?" Trish paused. "Is she the one?"

"Uh-huh."

"I thought you didn't like the Marines."

Harm chuckled. "I like this Marine, Mom."

"Well I'd hope so dear, considering you knocked her up."

Mac looked up at the knock on her door.

"How'd it go?" she asked as Harm came in and sat down across from her.

He shrugged. "Well, she's a little upset that I waited three months to tell her, but I said you wanted to keep it a secret."

"So you threw me under the bus?" Mac asked, raising an eyebrow."

"It was for the greater good," Harm told her with a smile, "Plus, I think she's just relieved that it wasn't Renee I got pregnant."

Mac snorted. "She thought Renee was pregnant?"

"That's kind of my fault…" Harm answered. "I never got around to telling her that we broke up."

"Seriously?"

He shrugged "Well, there wasn't much room to breathe between my break up with Renee and me getting together with you."

"True," Mac nodded. "Is your mom excited at least?"

"Oh yeah," Harm nodded. "She's over the moon that I finally decided to settle down. Once the initial shock wears off she's probably going to go crazy-"

He paused when he saw Mac's deer-in-the-headlights expression. Though mostly everyone knew she was pregnant, Mac still wanted to keep things as casual as possible. The only people she really talked to about the pregnancy were Harm and Harriet-and Dr. Garnder, of course, but that didn't really count because was Mac's doctor. Mac absolutely hated when anyone came up to her out-of-the-blue and asked her about the baby.

Harm understood that the prospect of his mother swooping in and going full helicopter-grandma could be a little daunting. "But, she's not going to be hovering too much," she quickly amended. "I told her that we wanted some space because we were still figuring some stuff out. Does that sound good?"

Mac slowly nodded. "Yeah, that's...fine."

Harm decided it was best to change the subject. "So, are you gonna call Chloe?" he asked.

"I can't call right now because she's in school, but I think I'll do it tonight," Mac said, not seeming nearly as nervous as Harm had been.

"How do you think she's going to take it?" he asked, and Mac shrugged.

"Honestly, I don't know," she answered. "I think she's either going to be ecstatic or hate me."

Harm furrowed his brows. "Why would she hate you for being pregnant?"

"I'm worried she's gonna get jealous," Mac explained. "I mean, I don't think we're going to be able to spend an hour talking on the phone once a week after the baby comes."

"Yeah," Harm nodded.

"And I don't really know how to properly explain how I ended an engagement to one guy, then turned around and decided to have a baby with another guy," she added.

"Technically you didn't decide-"

"Harm, she's fourteen. She's not going to know I got pregnant because a condom broke."

1930 EST
APARTMENT OF SARAH MACKENZIE
GEORGETOWN

She might not have understood earlier why Harm was so nervous to call his mother, but Mac now understood. She knew it was completely irrational to be nervous. It wasn't like she was telling her mother, like Harm had done. Chloe was her little sister, not her mother, or anyone Mac had to be afraid of.

So why couldn't she dial the phone?

Just get it over with, Mac told herself, rip off the band aid. Like you did with the Admiral. Rip off the band aid. She's gonna have to find out eventually.

Her and Chloe always talked on Wednesday nights. They always set aside that one hour on Wednesdays to talk, no matter what else they were doing. So Mac calling on a non-Wednesday night would immediately let Chloe know that something was up.

Mac sighed and flopped down on her bed, holding up her cell phone to stare at it. Harm was in the kitchen making dinner, leaving her alone to make the call. Mac found it amusing that her kitchen had been used more in the few months since Harm had started saying there than it had in the six years she'd lived there.

Maybe I should wait until next Wednesday, Mac thought. It was a Friday night, Chloe was a teenager, she probably had plans. She was probably out with her friends.

No, no, Mac told herself, you need to at least try. You can't run away from this. You're a Marine. Marines don't retreat.

She finally dialed, and held her breath as she waited for Chloe to pick up. She was beginning to hope that she wouldn't.

"Hello?"

Mac exhaled. It wasn't exactly a sigh of relief, but at least she was breathing. "Hi, Chloe," she greeted warmly, trying to keep her nerves from showing in her voice.

"Mac?"

"Yeah, Chloe, it's me. I can call back if now's not a good time-"

"No, it's okay. Now's fine. It's just not Wednesday. What's up?"

Mac took a deep breath and ran her fingers through her hair. God, she thought, I had an easier time telling Harm and he's the father. "Well," she started slowly. "I have some news."

"Oh my God, are you and Mic still getting married?"

That was the first bubble Mac was going to burst. She was having trouble ignoring the feeling of dread she had in the pit of her stomach. She had a feeling the conversation was going to start going downhill. Fast.

"Umm...no," she said, suddenly feeling extremely guilty. All the conversations they'd had since Mac and Harm got together, and Mac never thought it was relevant for Chloe to know until now? Mac wanted to kick herself.

"Oh," There was a noticeable drop in Chloe's voice. Mac decided to continue on with her explanation before she floundered.

"I'm with Harm now," she said with a weak smile. She was hoping that bit of knowledge would be some sort of peace offering. Chloe liked Harm.

"What?"

Mac was taken aback by Chloe's disgusted tone. I thought she liked Harm. "I thought you liked Harm?" Mac asked aloud.

"I did, until he decided to be an idiot and go off to fly instead of dating you."

Mac winced. Maybe she spent a little too much time ranting to Chloe about Harm when he went back to flying.

"Well...he's dating me now, if that makes up for it."

"Took him long enough," Chloe grumbled.

Mac's hand moved down to rest on her stomach. Chloe's reaction to her dating Harm made Mac even more hesitant to tell her about the baby, but it was now or never.

"That's not all, Chloe," she said.

"Oh God, don't tell me you're marrying him?"

It's now or never, Mac. "I'm not marrying him Chloe," Mac said."I'm not really interested in marrying anyone at the moment.

"Well that's good."

"Chloe, honey, I'm pregnant."

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "What?" Chloe finally asked.

"Harm and I are gonna have a baby," Mac said. "In February or March."

There was more silence.

"Wait, how could you be pregnant?" Chloe demanded.

Mac paused. Obviously Chloe knew how she got pregnant, and Mac knew that wasn't what she meant by her question.

"I know this is a lot-"

"You broke up with Mic and then decided to have a baby with Harm?"

"It's complicated-"

"It doesn't make any sense, Mac!"

Mac opened her mouth to speak, but didn't. She didn't know what to say to Chloe. She was right. They were both right. It was complicated and it didn't make sense.

"Chloe-"

The line went dead, and Mac couldn't help but flinch at the sound of Chloe hanging up. She stared blankly up at her phone for a few moments before gently closing it. The silence stung more than any words could have and it left a numb feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"That could've gone better," Mac murmured to herself. She sat up, feeling nauseous.

Mac took a deep breath, trying to swallow the lump that was quickly forming in her throat. All Mac could think was, she hates me now.

Mac walked into the kitchen to the scent of Harm's vegetarian lasagna. She specifically requested he make it that night, but now she wasn't even sure if she was in the mood to eat it.

"So, how did it go?" Harm asked with his back still turned. "Is Chloe excited to become an aunt or-" his expression immediately dropped when he turned around and saw the tears in Mac's eyes.

"What happened?" he asked.

Mac threw herself into his arms, burying her face into his chest. "She hates me," she whimpered.

"What?" Harm reached out to brush the hair out of Mac's face. "Why would she say that?"

"She didn't, but she didn't have to. She hung up on me, Harm," Mac sniffled. "I guess, maybe, she just doesn't understand or-or-maybe this is my fault-"

"Honey, how is it your fault?"

Mac wiped away a stray tear. "I should've told her sooner, or I should have explained it better instead of just telling her I was pregnant."

Harm pulled Mac in closer, wrapping his arms tighter around her. "I'm sure she doesn't actually hate you," he reasoned. "She'll come around eventually, I know it."

"But what if she doesn't?" Mac asked, sniffling again. "What if she actually does hate me?"

"Don't say that. It's not true."

Mac drew a shaky breath. "I just want them both to be in my life, you know?" she said. "I don't want the baby to drive Chloe away from me."

"That won't happen Mac," Harm placed a gentle kiss on her temple. "Just wait it out for a few days, she'll come around."

Mac nodded, but she didn't believe him.

As it would turn out, Harm was right. Chloe did come around, and it only took a day. It was Saturday afternoon and Mac was unpacking some of Harm's boxes. Harm had gone back to his place to pick up some final items that they'd forgotten earlier in the week. Mac was in the process of trying to smush all her clothes to one side of the closet in order to make room for Harm's clothes when she heard her phone ring from the other room.

"I'm coming," she said as she walked into the living room, even though whoever was calling had no way of hearing her.

She picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Mac?"

"Chloe?" Mac immediately sat down on the sofa.

"Can I talk to you?"

"Sure," Mac replied, trying not to sound too excited. She didn't even really care about what Chloe had to say, she was just grateful to hear from her.

"I wanted to say I'm sorry for getting so mad at you on Friday. That really wasn't cool."

"That's okay, honey," Mac said. "I know it was probably a lot for you to process."

"I don't hate you."

Mac smiled. "I'm glad to hear that."

"It's just…" Chloe's voice trailed off, and Mac's brow furrowed with concern.

"What is it Chloe?" she asked.

"Nothing. It's stupid."

"Come on," Mac insisted. "You know you've always been able to tell me anything."

"Well," Chloe started slowly, "The reason I got so mad when you told me you were pregnant was….Well, I just don't want you to start caring about the baby more than you care about me."

"Why on earth would you think that?" Mac asked, shocked. "I could have a dozen kids and I wouldn't stop caring about you any less."

"That's good, because…" Chloe paused. "You're kind of the closest thing I have to a mom, Mac."

Mac floundered for a few moments, genuinely at a loss for words. She always knew that her and Chloe had a close relationship, but she never would've guessed Chloe thought of her in that light. Of course there was that time when Chloe told everything at JAG that Mac was her mother, but Mac just thought that was Chloe being...Chloe.

Mac felt touched and guilty; she loved Chloe, but she'd never thought of her as a daughter. "Really? You-" she swallowed another lump that was forming. Damn my hormones, she thought. "You think that?"

"Yeah, wasn't it obvious?"

"No," Mac said, feeling incredibly silly. She'd known Chloe nearly five years and not once did that ever occur to her. "It wasn't, but thanks for telling me."

Harm came back with perfect timing, arriving home as soon as Mac hung up the phone. He was awkwardly trying to balance three boxes and closed the door behind him with his foot. He sat the boxes down before Mac could offer to help him with them.

"What's wrong?" he asked, seeing the odd expression on her face.

"Chloe called," Mac said.

Harm's eyes lit up. "Really? How did that go?" he walked over to her, sitting down beside her on the sofa.

"It went well," Mac said, nodding. "She,uh, doesn't hate me, after all."

"That's great!"

"I'm not as worried to become a mom now," Mac told him, resting her head on his shoulder.

Harm raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

She nodded. "Yeah, it turns out I'm kind of already a mom."

1200 LOCAL
MIC BRUMBY'S BUNGALOW
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA

Fate seemed to enjoy bringing Gillian Arthur back into Mic Brumby's life. They had dated in college, then broke up. Then tried again, and broke up. Then they tried again after that..and broke up as well. Finally, after all of that...they broke up for a fourth time...and then a fifth. But now that Mic was permanently back in Australia and was newly un-engaged, he was willing to give a relationship with Gillian another shot.

Well, Mic wanted a relationship. Gillian wanted something a little more casual. They had gone out to dinner a few times and spent a few nights together, but whenever Mic brought up the prospect of having a serious relationship, Gillian would ask, "When has that ever worked for us before?" usually followed up by, "Didn't you just end an engagement?"

So things were casual. Strictly casual.

"Good morning," Mic greeted as Gillian walked into the kitchen. She had her curly hair pulled up into a bun and was wearing one of Mic's button downs.

Gillian smiled. "Morning," she sidled up next to him at the counter.

"I made coffee," Mic said, gesturing down to two mugs.

"Thank you," Gillian picked up a mug and took a long sip, closing her eyes and sighing. "So," she sat her mug back down onto the counter. "What are your plans for the day?"

"Oh, I don't know," Mic said, shrugging. "I was thinking about making some phone calls."

"Phone calls?" Gillian raised an eyebrow. "You're not one to do work on the weekends."

"It's not work. I was gonna call some friends from the States."

"Like Sarah Mackenzie?"

Mic chuckled, running his fingers through his hair. Gillian wasn't one to mince her words, and that was something both Mic loved and hated about her. "No, not her," he said. "I was thinking about calling Lt. Roberts-Bud. I told you about him, right?"

"He sounds familiar," Gillian said, taking another sip of her coffee. She was giving Mic one of her looks.

"You don't believe me, do you?" he asked.

Gillian shrugged. "Sarah was your fiancé Michael," she said dryly. "And you two never really patched things up."

"There isn't anything that needs patching up, really," Mic replied. "I don't think things were really meant to work out between me and her. Us, on the other hand-"

"Are just having sex. Not dating."

Mic paused. "Right."

Gillian nodded. "Exactly," she took another sip of her coffee, turning to look at Mic as he walked to the back deck. "Actually love, I had something I've been meaning to talk to you about-"

But Mic, in true Mic fashion, didn't hear her, "I'm just going to talk to Bud, I promise," he said. "Sarah would probably hang up on me if I called her."

Gillian frowned, deciding Mic would have to wait and hear her news for a time where he was willing to listen, which be never. "Do you think she's with that pilot you still like to bitch about sometimes?" she asked smugly.

Mic snorted. "Probably-and I don't bitch."

Gillian smirked. "Sure you don't."

As Mic made his phone call on the deck, Gillian watched from the comfort of his sofa with her coffee and a magazine. The longer Mic was on the phone, the more Gillian caught herself spending more time watching him and less time reading. It was hard to tell how the conversation was going based on his body language, which only made Gillian more curious.

When Mic came back inside, he had a strange expression on his face. Gillian didn't want to pry, because it really wasn't her business, but she couldn't resist.

"So," she sat up. "How did it go?"

"Well," Mic ran his fingers through his hair. "Sarah's pregnant."

Gillian froze. Her eyebrows shot up. "Oh really?"

Mic nodded, looking a little dazed. "Yep."

"Are you...?" her voice trailed off.

"I don't know."

"Well then," Gillian closed her magazine. She decided her news would have to wait. "Good thing we're keeping this casual, huh?"