"Ma'am, there's a gentleman waiting for you in your office," Harriet informed Mac as she stepped into the bullpen. She and Harm had been out on an investigation all morning and was now returning to their offices.
"Who is it?" Mac asked not being able to see who the person was through her closed blinds. She really just wanted to get off to lunch as soon as possible.
"I don't know, but he said he was here on personal business," Harriet looked knowingly and continued in a light voice "I didn't know you had started dating again," she was stopped by the fatal stare that Mac gave her "Hormones," she muttered and was starting to fear the time when she wouldn't be able to blame her occasional slip of the tongue on her pregnancy anymore.
"I'll see you in five for lunch," Harm said and walked over to his office.
"Yeah," Mac agreed and did the same thing. She opened the door to her office and was positively surprised by who was waiting for her.
"Zachary, what are you doing here?" she said and smiled.
"Just thought I'd come by and see if you wanted to have lunch. I was in the neighborhood and the lieutenant told me you'd be back any minute so I decided to wait."
"I'd love to have lunch, but I..."
"If you already have plans, then we'll just have to do it some other time."
"I do, but maybe I can change them." Mac made a move for the phone, but realized that she really didn't want to talk to Harm while her brother was listening. "Just wait a second," she said and went over to Harm's office.
The door was open so she knocked on the doorpost and then entered.
"Ready to go?" Harm asked her.
"About that," Mac started.
"You're standing me up for that other man?" he joked with her.
"Well, Zachary is here and he wanted us to have lunch together, so I was just wondering if maybe we could..."
"Sure Mac," Harm said understandingly "Maybe I could come over tonight. There is something I need to talk to you about."
"About what?"
"I'll tell you tonight?" he asked.
"Sure. Come whenever, I'll be home. I'm sorry about lunch."
"It's OK, Mac. It really is."
Mac returned to her office to get Zachary and on the way to the elevator she got an idea.
"I'd like to introduce you to someone, if that's OK?" Mac askd. She had understood that he hadn't told Harriet that he was her brother, but she wasn't sure if that was for her or for his own sake.
"Sure. I didn't know if you had told anyone here about us, so I thought I'd better not tell them I was your brother. Just in case."
"I haven't, but it would have been OK, if you had."
"Harriet," Mac said as she approached Harriet's desk "This is my brother Zachary Schonke. Zachary this is Lieutenant Harriet Sims."
Harriet was stunned and then she took Zachary's hand.
"Ma'am I'm sorry about before... I didn't know you had a brother."
"It's OK, Harriet" Mac said and smiled.
Harm got ready to knock on the door to Mac's apartment but before he had knocked on it the door was opened.
"Hey, have your psychic abilities developed?" he asked her.
"No, but I saw your car parked down there so I figured it was just a matter of time before you got up here."
"Hm, am I to believe that?"
"Come on in. I made some dinner and if you're nice you might even get some of it."
They sat down at the dinner table and served themselves from the food.
"How was lunch?"
"Good. We have a lot to talk about."
"That's nice. So you think you'll keep in touch with them?"
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I will. Maybe it would have been different if I still had contact with my parents, but right now it just feels so good to belong somewhere."
"I can understand that. I'm happy for you."
"Some things will be hard at first, we practically know nothing about each other so there's a lot of things to get used to, but I really think that they could become my true family. I know it might seem kind of weird considering the short time that I've known them. It's just the way I feel, I guess. There is a band there."
"I don't think it's weird. It's something you've been missing for so long and you truly deserve it."
They continued eating and once they were finished Harm looked deep into Mac's eyes and started off what he rightfully thought was going to be a tough conversation.
"Mac, what I wanted to talk to you about was," Mac smiled supportively at him and put down her fork to make him see she was all ears. "When you were away in Arizona I had eye surgery."
Mac was unsure of where this was going and just listened to him without responding.
"It turns out there was a way for me to maybe get my night vision back."
"Did you?" Mac asked both happy for him and scared.
"I did and... I've requested a change of designator. I want to go back to flying."
Mac swallowed and looked down on her hands.
"I know this comes sudden."
"It does. I mean I'm happy for you, but I don't want to loose you either. You are my..." Mac didn't know what to call him.
"You'll never loose me, Mac," he tried to reassure her "This time apart might get us to figure out what we really want to be to each other. I mean we were heading somewhere and then everything with your family happened so it was postponed. I think you still need some time to figure out if you ever want to have it un-postponed."
"Harm, I think I know what I want. I'm just not so sure that I can have that." It wasn't just her newfound family's dislike for Harm that was playing games with her head. She was also developing a sort of loyalty to Diane that made it hard for her to picture herself having a relationship with Harm.
"My point exactly."
"But I don't want you on the other side of the planet."
"Well nothing is decided yet."
"But still. The chances must be pretty good for you."
Two weeks later Mac was standing in Harm's office waiting for him to come into it and say goodbye. His request for change of designator had been approved and this day was his last day there. They had agreed to say goodbye at the office hoping that it would somehow make it easier.
"I guess this is it," Harm entered the office and closed the door.
"I guess it is."
"I'll be back."
"It won't be the same."
"Maybe it will be better."
"Maybe it won't."
"Maybe you should try to be a little more optimistic," he tried to keep the conversation light.
"I will miss you," Mac offered him and they embraced "Why am I the only one who's crying?" she asked when the tears started to make their way down her cheek.
"You're not," he pulled away from her and put a finger under her chin to raise her head up so she could see his face. Slowly he bent forward and kissed her lips sweetly. He pulled away and apologized "I'm sorry, Mac. I didn't plan on doing that."
"I'm not sorry, for anything, Harm."
"Then neither am I," he backed out of his office and walked across the bullpen out of JAG HQ.
TBC