A/N: Thanks to everyone for the feedback! It is VERY greatly appreciated.
I'd also like to extend thanks to Chris for beta-reading and letting me
know when I've gone comma-crazy.
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Later That Week; 0429 Zulu; Mac's Apartment; Georgetown, Washington D.C.
It had been an excruciatingly long day. The walls glowed warm in the flickering candle light, and the scents of lavender and chamomile filled the air. Soothing strains of Miles Davis could be heard playing quietly in the background. With a sigh, Sarah MacKenzie slipped further into the sudsy bubble bath and closed her eyes, letting the balmy water calm her aching body and mind. Just as she was drifting into peaceful oblivion, the cordless phone she'd set down by the tub began to ring. Opening her eyes, Mac looked at the offending piece of technology. Chiding herself for bringing the handset into the room, she belatedly realized that part of her had been expecting this call. Quickly drying one hand, she reached for the receiver and answered.
"MacKenzie."
"Hey there."
She let out a low chuckle at the familiar voice and settled back into the tub. "I should have known it was you. No one else would call me this late."
"Did I catch you at a bad time?"
"No, I was just trying to unwind a little."
"Bad day, huh? How was your trip down to Quantico?"
"The witness was uncooperative and belligerent. I think he left scratch marks."
"Maybe you scared him."
"Ha ha, very funny. What do you want?"
"Ouch, Marine, you wound me!" he teased.
"Suck it up, squid." Trailing a finger back through the bubbles, she closed her eyes. "At least I wasn't stuck behind my desk all day doing paperwork."
"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that and politely change the subject before this turns into war."
"Whatever makes you feel better."
"Listen, I've been doing some thinking about this past weekend." At the softening of his voice, Mac's smile disappeared.
"Harm, it's a little late to be having second thoughts."
"Who said anything about second thoughts? Actually, I was wondering if we shouldn't start thinking about some kind of a contingency plan."
She frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Well, I've been doing some research online. The odds of us hitting the jackpot on the first try aren't very good, so maybe we should go on the assumption that we *weren't* successful. You know, assume that you're not pregnant and figure out what our next steps are."
"Flyboy, is this an attempt to get me in the sack?"
"Maaacc. . ."
"Sorry, go on. I'm listening."
"Look, according to the stuff I've been reading, there is a general window of opportunity towards the middle of a woman's cycle when it's most likely she'll conceive. As long as we're conscious of the timing, it may just be a matter of persistence."
"So what you're saying is that we only need to 'do it like bunnies' a couple of weeks each month and sooner or later I'm bound to get pregnant?" She heard him chuckle.
"That's one of the options. But there are a few other things we might try too, like. . ." One by one, he filled her in on some of the different things he had discovered. Mac couldn't help but be impressed by the depth of his investigation. Throughout their years of working together she had come to admire his attention to detail. Nonetheless, when they had agreed five years before to have a child together, she had not anticipated this level of involvement from him. She was beyond words with his apparent commitment to this venture. It literally took her breath away.
"Hey, Ninja Girl, are you still with me?"
With a start, Mac realized that she'd gotten lost in the sound of his voice. "Wow, you're really getting into this," she ribbed, attempting to lighten her suddenly serious mood.
"Mac, are you with me or not?" A twinge of exasperation crept into his tone.
"What, can't you take a joke? Honestly Flyboy, I think it's sweet," she said with sincerity.
"I can't help myself Mac," Harm admitted quietly. "I think I'm finally starting to realize how much this means to me, how much I want to be a father." In his apartment across town, Harm leaned back against the pillows and pulled the bedcovers up around him.
"You already *are* a father, to Mattie."
"That's not the same and you know it." Reaching up to turn off the light, Harm heard the splash of water on the other end of the line. His hand froze midair.
"Mac, what are you doing?"
"Taking a bubble bath," she admitted. "I needed something to help me calm down."
"We're having a serious conversation about our future, and you're sitting in the *bathtub*?"
"You called me, remember? Hey, I can't help it if you called after I'd already hopped in the tub."
"Do you always take the phone in with you when you take a bath?" He fought against the bevy of intriguing images that popped into his mind.
"Only when I think you're going to call." Harm's eyes widened, and Mac paused for a moment. "Please tell me I didn't just say that out loud."
"Sorry Mac, I heard you loud and clear," he chuckled. "Listen, why don't you go back to your bubbles -- we can finish this conversation later."
"And what are your plans for the rest of the evening?"
"I was about to go to sleep," Harm smiled ruefully. "But now that my mind is racing a million miles per minute picturing you in your bathtub, I think I'm going to go take a nice cold shower first."
"Have fun." He could hear her silent laughter over the phone.
"Gee, thanks. Goodnight, Ninja Girl."
"G'night, Flyboy."
Setting the phone down on the bedside table, Harm closed his eyes with a sigh. A moment later, he threw back the blanket and got out of bed, heading towards the bathroom. Even after all these years, Sarah MacKenzie never stopped surprising him. It was going to be a very, very long night.
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To be continued. . .
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Later That Week; 0429 Zulu; Mac's Apartment; Georgetown, Washington D.C.
It had been an excruciatingly long day. The walls glowed warm in the flickering candle light, and the scents of lavender and chamomile filled the air. Soothing strains of Miles Davis could be heard playing quietly in the background. With a sigh, Sarah MacKenzie slipped further into the sudsy bubble bath and closed her eyes, letting the balmy water calm her aching body and mind. Just as she was drifting into peaceful oblivion, the cordless phone she'd set down by the tub began to ring. Opening her eyes, Mac looked at the offending piece of technology. Chiding herself for bringing the handset into the room, she belatedly realized that part of her had been expecting this call. Quickly drying one hand, she reached for the receiver and answered.
"MacKenzie."
"Hey there."
She let out a low chuckle at the familiar voice and settled back into the tub. "I should have known it was you. No one else would call me this late."
"Did I catch you at a bad time?"
"No, I was just trying to unwind a little."
"Bad day, huh? How was your trip down to Quantico?"
"The witness was uncooperative and belligerent. I think he left scratch marks."
"Maybe you scared him."
"Ha ha, very funny. What do you want?"
"Ouch, Marine, you wound me!" he teased.
"Suck it up, squid." Trailing a finger back through the bubbles, she closed her eyes. "At least I wasn't stuck behind my desk all day doing paperwork."
"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that and politely change the subject before this turns into war."
"Whatever makes you feel better."
"Listen, I've been doing some thinking about this past weekend." At the softening of his voice, Mac's smile disappeared.
"Harm, it's a little late to be having second thoughts."
"Who said anything about second thoughts? Actually, I was wondering if we shouldn't start thinking about some kind of a contingency plan."
She frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Well, I've been doing some research online. The odds of us hitting the jackpot on the first try aren't very good, so maybe we should go on the assumption that we *weren't* successful. You know, assume that you're not pregnant and figure out what our next steps are."
"Flyboy, is this an attempt to get me in the sack?"
"Maaacc. . ."
"Sorry, go on. I'm listening."
"Look, according to the stuff I've been reading, there is a general window of opportunity towards the middle of a woman's cycle when it's most likely she'll conceive. As long as we're conscious of the timing, it may just be a matter of persistence."
"So what you're saying is that we only need to 'do it like bunnies' a couple of weeks each month and sooner or later I'm bound to get pregnant?" She heard him chuckle.
"That's one of the options. But there are a few other things we might try too, like. . ." One by one, he filled her in on some of the different things he had discovered. Mac couldn't help but be impressed by the depth of his investigation. Throughout their years of working together she had come to admire his attention to detail. Nonetheless, when they had agreed five years before to have a child together, she had not anticipated this level of involvement from him. She was beyond words with his apparent commitment to this venture. It literally took her breath away.
"Hey, Ninja Girl, are you still with me?"
With a start, Mac realized that she'd gotten lost in the sound of his voice. "Wow, you're really getting into this," she ribbed, attempting to lighten her suddenly serious mood.
"Mac, are you with me or not?" A twinge of exasperation crept into his tone.
"What, can't you take a joke? Honestly Flyboy, I think it's sweet," she said with sincerity.
"I can't help myself Mac," Harm admitted quietly. "I think I'm finally starting to realize how much this means to me, how much I want to be a father." In his apartment across town, Harm leaned back against the pillows and pulled the bedcovers up around him.
"You already *are* a father, to Mattie."
"That's not the same and you know it." Reaching up to turn off the light, Harm heard the splash of water on the other end of the line. His hand froze midair.
"Mac, what are you doing?"
"Taking a bubble bath," she admitted. "I needed something to help me calm down."
"We're having a serious conversation about our future, and you're sitting in the *bathtub*?"
"You called me, remember? Hey, I can't help it if you called after I'd already hopped in the tub."
"Do you always take the phone in with you when you take a bath?" He fought against the bevy of intriguing images that popped into his mind.
"Only when I think you're going to call." Harm's eyes widened, and Mac paused for a moment. "Please tell me I didn't just say that out loud."
"Sorry Mac, I heard you loud and clear," he chuckled. "Listen, why don't you go back to your bubbles -- we can finish this conversation later."
"And what are your plans for the rest of the evening?"
"I was about to go to sleep," Harm smiled ruefully. "But now that my mind is racing a million miles per minute picturing you in your bathtub, I think I'm going to go take a nice cold shower first."
"Have fun." He could hear her silent laughter over the phone.
"Gee, thanks. Goodnight, Ninja Girl."
"G'night, Flyboy."
Setting the phone down on the bedside table, Harm closed his eyes with a sigh. A moment later, he threw back the blanket and got out of bed, heading towards the bathroom. Even after all these years, Sarah MacKenzie never stopped surprising him. It was going to be a very, very long night.
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To be continued. . .
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