The Baby-Sitters
February 15th 2003
"Hi Sailor!"
"Mac," Harm groaned sleepily "this is exactly why I said that I would call you."
"Oh, did I wake you up?" Mac said playfully. "I had a wonderful time yesterday."
"So did I. Are you doing anything tonight?"
"Yeah, I have a date," Mac said.
"You have a what?" Harm almost shouted slightly terrified and very confused. Had he once again so thoroughly misunderstood what was happening between them?
"A play date with AJ. I promised Harriet a while back that I would baby- sit."
Harm breathed out a sigh of relief. "That's not very nice Mac."
"No worse than what you've done. So you want to come with me tonight?"
"Sure why not?"
"I'll pick you up so we can go in one car."
"Yeah, why not?"
"Can you say anything other then 'why not' today?" Mac snapped at him. Harm realized that there were some serious mood swings going on.
"I'll pick you up at six," Mac ended the call.
Six o'clock sharp Mac was outside Harm's apartment. He was all ready to go and came walking towards the car before she got out.
"Hi," he said as he opened the door and got into the car. He bended over and kissed her on the lips. It wasn't something he had planned on doing, but as he did it, it felt so natural to both of them. They smiled and Mac started the engine.
Mac drove her car over to the Roberts' house and during the whole drive they were talking and joking with each other. They went up to the house and knocked on the door.
"Hi Mac. and Harm," Harriet said as she opened the door.
"I brought some reinforcement. Hope that's OK," Mac said.
"Of course. AJ was already exited about you coming and now he'll be so thrilled with having both of you. Bud, AJ, are you coming?" She shouted into the house.
"Hi, Mac! Oh. Harm. Mummy didn't tell me you were coming too," he threw himself at Harm who lifted him up.
"Oh, I just didn't think it would be safe for you with all that marine influence," Harm joked. Mac gave him looked at him with coldness.
"What's that?"
"It means you'll end up just like Mac."
"You're talking like that would be a bad thing," Mac said and Harriet and even AJ sensed that they were caught in the middle of something where their presence was hardly noticed.
A couple of seconds later Bud showed up too.
"Commander, I thought I heard your voice. Are you staying with AJ and the colonel?"
"Yeah"
"It is so nice of you to do this for us," Bud said gratefully.
"We'll have a blast all three of us so don't worry about us," Harm said and neither Bud nor Harriet worried about it just being something he said without meaning it.
"There's lasagna in the fridge. You just need to heat it. We'll see you later tonight,"
"Have a nice time," Mac said.
"Bye Mummy and Daddy," AJ said without being bothered at all about them leaving. He took Mac's hand to lead her to his room to show her his new jigsaw puzzle. They played a few different games together all three of them and than they had the lasagna. During dinner AJ started asking questions about the baby.
"Where is the baby going to live? I know you and Sturgis don't live together."
"When it's very little it will live with me all the time and Sturgis will come and visit and take care of the baby at my place and later he or she can live with one of us some time and then with the other one." Mac tried to answer the question so AJ would understand, but she also looked at Harm to see if he was uncomfortable about it and she should try to stop them.
"Kevin from the sitter's lives mostly with his mother and then some time with his father. They fight al the time. He told me so. Is that why you and Sturgis don't live together?" AJ asked after thinking about what Mac had said a bit.
Harm and Mac looked at each other. Mac had no idea how to explain this to a four year old. Harm decided to try to help.
"When grown ups REALLY like each other they want to live together and when they just like each other as friends they don't want to do that. Most people have babies with people they really like and then some of them realize they don't get along and can't live with each other."
"I like Sturgis very much, but I don't want to live with him. We are very good friends and don't fight at all," Mac added to make sure that AJ understood that there were no hard feelings between Sturgis and her.
"OK," AJ said and dropped the subject pleased with the answers he had gotten. Had he been older he might have had more questions, but to him now all the questions were answered.
Soon after dinner Harm and Mac noticed that AJ was already getting pretty tired and decided to put on a video and watch it until he fell asleep. Suggesting that he'd go to bed would have been met with serious resistance from AJ.
"I think he's sleeping now," Harm said to Mac half an hour later. Mac went to turn off the video and Harm picked up AJ, who had been sitting between the two of them. Mac followed them to AJ's room and they tucked him in.
"Children are so beautiful when they are sleeping," Harm said.
"Yeah," Mac agreed.
"What do you want to do now?"
"Let's go back to the living room and finish watching the movie."
"You find Beauty and the Beast so fascinating."
"As a matter of fact I do," Mac answered playfully.
They ended up back on the couch. Mac watched the movie and Harm watched Mac watch the movie. It ended and Mac's face was covered in tears.
"So sad?"
"Yeah. Hormones."
"Right," Harm said not quite convinced but thinking it would be better not to upset those assumed sleeping hormones and cause another mood swing.
He wiped the tears off of her face and leaned his head towards hers. They started kissing very slowly at first but they got more passionate by and by. There was nothing to end or disturb the kiss until they heard someone at the door. They flew apart from each other and quickly went over their clothes to make sure nothing would expose their activities on the couch.
"Did you have a nice evening?" Harriet asked as she walked into the room. Bud had gone up to check on AJ.
"Yes," both Harm and Mac answered at the same time.
"Good" Harriet said. She sensed a certain tension in the air, but couldn't quite pinpoint what the cause of it was. It didn't feel like the fight- tension, but that could still be it. "I bet you're anxious to get home. Thank you so much for this. We had a wonderful time," she said and Harm and Mac couldn't have walked any faster to the door grabbing their jackets and heading towards the car saying their goodbyes on the run.
"Do you think she suspected anything?" Harm said once they were in the car.
"She suspected something, but I don't think she knows exactly what," Mac answered and started to drive off. "I mean we were quite obvious that something was different. We need to be more careful in the future."
"I hope we won't have to keep this a secret for long."
"You want to go public with this. What is this thing really?" Mac said a bit frustrated. It was hard to know what to call a person who you had known and loved, but only had as a best friend for seven years and had one date with. Especially since she was carrying another man's child.
"I don't know what to call it either, you are so much to me, but I know what I want to be able to call you."
"What would that be?"
"Eventually I want you to be my girlfriend. A serious relationship, that's what I'm hoping we're heading for. What do you want from this?"
"I want to always be the person who's closest to you, who shares your life with all its good and its bad."
"Does that translate to that you wouldn't mind being my girlfriend?"
"Yes, I most definitely wouldn't min that. I need to ask you something though. Can we take this slow?"
"We'll do this at a pace that we're both comfortable with," Harm assured her. They both wanted the same thing and they both knew what the other wanted. He could wait for as long as it would take.
"And what do we do about the public-question?"
"Why don't we just take it as it comes, if someone asks us or so we'll tell them, but until there's really something to tell we don't surrender any information voluntarily. What do you think about that?"
"You're a wise man, Rabb," Mac said and glanced sideways at Harm. They had gotten to Harm's building now and Mac stopped the car. They kissed goodbye, it was such a natural thing for them to do now. 'Why hadn't they started doing that long before?'
"You want to do something tomorrow?" Harm asked not quite sure he could stand being away from her until Monday.
"I'm having dinner with Sturgis and his father tomorrow and I have some work to do," Mac said a bit sad about having to say no to seeing him. She was looking forward to dinner tomorrow though. It was a nice tradition of late to meet casually on Sundays preparing for what was to come. Sturgis and Mac had agreed to try to make Sunday a family day for their unconventional family. That way the child would spend time with both of its parents together. They wanted to give him or her a place of belonging with both of its parents at the same time, even if they would never live all together.
"OK. See you Monday then." Harm said a bit disappointed.
"Yeah," they kissed another goodbye and Harm got out of the car. Mac drove home through the night. Her life was so complicated. She was making plans for a child with one man and a relationship with another. Still her feelings about both things, especially the later, had never seemed less complicated.
TBC
February 15th 2003
"Hi Sailor!"
"Mac," Harm groaned sleepily "this is exactly why I said that I would call you."
"Oh, did I wake you up?" Mac said playfully. "I had a wonderful time yesterday."
"So did I. Are you doing anything tonight?"
"Yeah, I have a date," Mac said.
"You have a what?" Harm almost shouted slightly terrified and very confused. Had he once again so thoroughly misunderstood what was happening between them?
"A play date with AJ. I promised Harriet a while back that I would baby- sit."
Harm breathed out a sigh of relief. "That's not very nice Mac."
"No worse than what you've done. So you want to come with me tonight?"
"Sure why not?"
"I'll pick you up so we can go in one car."
"Yeah, why not?"
"Can you say anything other then 'why not' today?" Mac snapped at him. Harm realized that there were some serious mood swings going on.
"I'll pick you up at six," Mac ended the call.
Six o'clock sharp Mac was outside Harm's apartment. He was all ready to go and came walking towards the car before she got out.
"Hi," he said as he opened the door and got into the car. He bended over and kissed her on the lips. It wasn't something he had planned on doing, but as he did it, it felt so natural to both of them. They smiled and Mac started the engine.
Mac drove her car over to the Roberts' house and during the whole drive they were talking and joking with each other. They went up to the house and knocked on the door.
"Hi Mac. and Harm," Harriet said as she opened the door.
"I brought some reinforcement. Hope that's OK," Mac said.
"Of course. AJ was already exited about you coming and now he'll be so thrilled with having both of you. Bud, AJ, are you coming?" She shouted into the house.
"Hi, Mac! Oh. Harm. Mummy didn't tell me you were coming too," he threw himself at Harm who lifted him up.
"Oh, I just didn't think it would be safe for you with all that marine influence," Harm joked. Mac gave him looked at him with coldness.
"What's that?"
"It means you'll end up just like Mac."
"You're talking like that would be a bad thing," Mac said and Harriet and even AJ sensed that they were caught in the middle of something where their presence was hardly noticed.
A couple of seconds later Bud showed up too.
"Commander, I thought I heard your voice. Are you staying with AJ and the colonel?"
"Yeah"
"It is so nice of you to do this for us," Bud said gratefully.
"We'll have a blast all three of us so don't worry about us," Harm said and neither Bud nor Harriet worried about it just being something he said without meaning it.
"There's lasagna in the fridge. You just need to heat it. We'll see you later tonight,"
"Have a nice time," Mac said.
"Bye Mummy and Daddy," AJ said without being bothered at all about them leaving. He took Mac's hand to lead her to his room to show her his new jigsaw puzzle. They played a few different games together all three of them and than they had the lasagna. During dinner AJ started asking questions about the baby.
"Where is the baby going to live? I know you and Sturgis don't live together."
"When it's very little it will live with me all the time and Sturgis will come and visit and take care of the baby at my place and later he or she can live with one of us some time and then with the other one." Mac tried to answer the question so AJ would understand, but she also looked at Harm to see if he was uncomfortable about it and she should try to stop them.
"Kevin from the sitter's lives mostly with his mother and then some time with his father. They fight al the time. He told me so. Is that why you and Sturgis don't live together?" AJ asked after thinking about what Mac had said a bit.
Harm and Mac looked at each other. Mac had no idea how to explain this to a four year old. Harm decided to try to help.
"When grown ups REALLY like each other they want to live together and when they just like each other as friends they don't want to do that. Most people have babies with people they really like and then some of them realize they don't get along and can't live with each other."
"I like Sturgis very much, but I don't want to live with him. We are very good friends and don't fight at all," Mac added to make sure that AJ understood that there were no hard feelings between Sturgis and her.
"OK," AJ said and dropped the subject pleased with the answers he had gotten. Had he been older he might have had more questions, but to him now all the questions were answered.
Soon after dinner Harm and Mac noticed that AJ was already getting pretty tired and decided to put on a video and watch it until he fell asleep. Suggesting that he'd go to bed would have been met with serious resistance from AJ.
"I think he's sleeping now," Harm said to Mac half an hour later. Mac went to turn off the video and Harm picked up AJ, who had been sitting between the two of them. Mac followed them to AJ's room and they tucked him in.
"Children are so beautiful when they are sleeping," Harm said.
"Yeah," Mac agreed.
"What do you want to do now?"
"Let's go back to the living room and finish watching the movie."
"You find Beauty and the Beast so fascinating."
"As a matter of fact I do," Mac answered playfully.
They ended up back on the couch. Mac watched the movie and Harm watched Mac watch the movie. It ended and Mac's face was covered in tears.
"So sad?"
"Yeah. Hormones."
"Right," Harm said not quite convinced but thinking it would be better not to upset those assumed sleeping hormones and cause another mood swing.
He wiped the tears off of her face and leaned his head towards hers. They started kissing very slowly at first but they got more passionate by and by. There was nothing to end or disturb the kiss until they heard someone at the door. They flew apart from each other and quickly went over their clothes to make sure nothing would expose their activities on the couch.
"Did you have a nice evening?" Harriet asked as she walked into the room. Bud had gone up to check on AJ.
"Yes," both Harm and Mac answered at the same time.
"Good" Harriet said. She sensed a certain tension in the air, but couldn't quite pinpoint what the cause of it was. It didn't feel like the fight- tension, but that could still be it. "I bet you're anxious to get home. Thank you so much for this. We had a wonderful time," she said and Harm and Mac couldn't have walked any faster to the door grabbing their jackets and heading towards the car saying their goodbyes on the run.
"Do you think she suspected anything?" Harm said once they were in the car.
"She suspected something, but I don't think she knows exactly what," Mac answered and started to drive off. "I mean we were quite obvious that something was different. We need to be more careful in the future."
"I hope we won't have to keep this a secret for long."
"You want to go public with this. What is this thing really?" Mac said a bit frustrated. It was hard to know what to call a person who you had known and loved, but only had as a best friend for seven years and had one date with. Especially since she was carrying another man's child.
"I don't know what to call it either, you are so much to me, but I know what I want to be able to call you."
"What would that be?"
"Eventually I want you to be my girlfriend. A serious relationship, that's what I'm hoping we're heading for. What do you want from this?"
"I want to always be the person who's closest to you, who shares your life with all its good and its bad."
"Does that translate to that you wouldn't mind being my girlfriend?"
"Yes, I most definitely wouldn't min that. I need to ask you something though. Can we take this slow?"
"We'll do this at a pace that we're both comfortable with," Harm assured her. They both wanted the same thing and they both knew what the other wanted. He could wait for as long as it would take.
"And what do we do about the public-question?"
"Why don't we just take it as it comes, if someone asks us or so we'll tell them, but until there's really something to tell we don't surrender any information voluntarily. What do you think about that?"
"You're a wise man, Rabb," Mac said and glanced sideways at Harm. They had gotten to Harm's building now and Mac stopped the car. They kissed goodbye, it was such a natural thing for them to do now. 'Why hadn't they started doing that long before?'
"You want to do something tomorrow?" Harm asked not quite sure he could stand being away from her until Monday.
"I'm having dinner with Sturgis and his father tomorrow and I have some work to do," Mac said a bit sad about having to say no to seeing him. She was looking forward to dinner tomorrow though. It was a nice tradition of late to meet casually on Sundays preparing for what was to come. Sturgis and Mac had agreed to try to make Sunday a family day for their unconventional family. That way the child would spend time with both of its parents together. They wanted to give him or her a place of belonging with both of its parents at the same time, even if they would never live all together.
"OK. See you Monday then." Harm said a bit disappointed.
"Yeah," they kissed another goodbye and Harm got out of the car. Mac drove home through the night. Her life was so complicated. She was making plans for a child with one man and a relationship with another. Still her feelings about both things, especially the later, had never seemed less complicated.
TBC