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Renee strolled into the bullpen, dressed into one of her dresses that made her look very colourful, intent on going through with her mission of trying to persuade Harm to finally give in and go out with her. She was determined to make him forget the 'mousy Colonel' as she thought of Mac.
Suddenly she was brought out of her scheming when she noticed how quiet the usually-a-mad-house bullpen was. She stopped and looked around. To her utter puzzlement she finally located everyone being squashed into Harm's office.
Curious she started walking again, picked up her step and entered the room. "What's going on?" she said curiously.
At the sight of her, everyone went quiet and Harm went completely white. 'Oh god, not this also. This isn't going to be pretty.'
But Bud was on a roll and still excited from the news and nobody could've stopped him from answering. "Hello, Miss Petersen. The Commander just got engaged."
Renee's mouth dropped open in surprise.
'Bud,' Harm thought 'one of these days you are gonna get the job of going through the Law Library and make sure every single book is in it's proper place and then write a list of all the books in there, by checking every single book by yourself.'
Fire flashed suddenly in Renee's eyes and she turned on Mac. "You! Isn't one man enough for you or do you need more than one to satisfy you?" she hissed venomously.
Mac's mouth flattened into a firm, angry line, but refrained herself from giving as good as she got. Instead she decided to rise well above Renee's level. "Actually it's not me. Please meet Harm's new fiancee, Lt. Loren Singer." she turned so Renee could see the younger woman.
"So, you're the one because of whom Harm had been resisting me for months now. I should've known the mousy Colonel isn't a woman enough to keep a man like him." Renee was boiling mad by now and not sparing insults.
"That's enough, Renee!" boomed Harm's voice just as Loren decided to make quick work of the confrontational woman. "You've said enough. Not only are you making unfounded accusations, but you are also insulting my friends. Either leave now or you will be escorted by the guards out of the building and banned forever."
Renee turned pleading eyes on him "But Harm, we could have something special. You can't mean what you've just said. Leave her and come with me."
Harm's lips curled in disgust over what she was proposing, he would never leave a woman he was engaged to for another. For a moment he had forgotten he wasn't really engaged to Loren and felt every protective instinct for her he would as if he was really engaged to her. "Renee, I've told you numerous times before that I'm not interested. Any man would be happy to be with you, but unfortunately I am not one of them. Please, Renee, let us part as friends."
Something passed her eyes and Renee's shoulders slumped resignedly. She knew when she was beaten. Time to regroup. A sad smile appeared on her face and she nodded. "You're right, Harm. I'm sorry. Lt. Singer, Lt. Col. Mackenzie, please accept my apologies. I was jealous and not thinking when I said those things. Lt. Singer, I hope you know and appreciate what an amazing man you have there and won't let things go bad between you. He's a keeper. I deeply regret what I've said and hope you'll forgive me. And I apologise to you, Harm, for still pursuing you when you obviously weren't interested and hoping to wear you down. No person should ever do that to another."
Harm nodded and Mac suddenly looked down.
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This situation hit too close to home. Wasn't her relationship with Brumby just like this before Harm left for flying? Didn't he hound her, ignored her continued rejections, persisting because of hoping to wear her down into submitting herself to him? And he finally succeeded when she was angry at Harm for not giving in to her when she wanted and wanted to hurt Harm for not being ready yet.
Wasn't what Brumby and Renee did a textbook case of sexual harrassment in it's purest form?
If it were a case she was assigned and not her life, she would've nailed them immediately, but instead she let it go on instead of reporting Brumby to proper authorities.
Wasn't that encouraging him? Wasn't she partially guilty of condoning, or even supporting, sexual harrassment, a behaviour that should be swiftly and mercilessly dealt with?
Maybe it's too soon after all to be looking at postings in Australia. Maybe she should think things through more thoroughly, especially why she was (still) wearing the ring of a man she didn't really want. Is settling for second (or last, as in this case) best better than being alone? Is she really that afraid of being alone that she would rather spend the rest of her life content at best and miserable at most probable just because she didn't want to be alone? Why did she want Brumby anyway? The answer was simple: she wanted children. So, wasn't he just a mobile sperm bank to her? Was that how she saw Harm also, since she moved on from him so easily, without a thought or regret? Did she really love him then or was she just wrong about her feelings for him, mistaking them for a former deep bond of friendship, a friendship currently struggling to stay alive? The fact that she so easily went from Harm to another man definitely blows the theory of being in love with him out of the water completely. No woman in love would've done that. Couldn't she have her children any other way, without getting involved with all the messy relationship business? There are many single women out there who had their children via IVF with an anonymous donor, so why couldn't she do that?
This was all a lot to think about and Mac resolved to ponder it later, at home.
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Renee nodded her farewell to Harm and others and left the room and his life forever.
Harm was by now exhausted by the recent events and definitely ready to be alone.
Loren saw what was going on and quickly ushered everyone out of the room, graciously accepting all well-wishes and congratulations as if she came by them honestly and not by a deception.
Harm waited until the last person was out before he closed the blinds and locked the door, then he turned to Loren and just stood there, glowering at her. Loren looked pretty unimpressed with his glare and just waited for him to say something.
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