Mac muted her television and snuggled further into her over-sized hooded sweatshirt. Lately, the thoughts within her head had become so loud; she didn't have much room for anything else. The traffic on the street below could be faintly heard from her position on the couch, and a car alarm sounded off somewhere in the distance.

Mac sighed deeply. Five months. It felt like longer. Several months ago, she had allowed herself the hope that "they" would happen. They were flirting more, seeing each other outside of work more. Sometimes, she caught him staring at her in a way that made her knees want to give out under the weight of it. Suddenly, he was cooking her dinner on Friday nights at her place. After, they would watch a movie or enjoy a cup of coffee and just talk. He hadn't been seeing anyone…neither had she. For the first time in all the years they had been drawn to one another, they actually had the opportunity to explore it.

This went on for a while, until one seemingly typical day at JAG. Typical, that is, until Harm had approached her and asked if he could take her to dinner. It wasn't so much what he asked, but how he had asked it. He had shifted his gaze and tripped over his words more than usual, and she could sense that he was nervous. Her face had flushed, and she met his gaze with an intensity that seemed to ask the questions: 'Are you ready…and are you sure?' This was big, and they both understood…it wouldn't be just dinner with them.

The look in his eyes seemed to reassure her. He wanted this…was ready to see where it took them. She had answered him with one simple word, "Yes."

That Friday, instead of dining in casually as had been their routine, Mac had dressed to the nines. She had worn a classy knee length black dress that hugged her in all the right places, and black stilettos that hurt her feet a bit too much. When he had come to the door, it had been a full thirty-five seconds before he could cultivate a sentence.

The night was destined to be special, and it was. Everything Mac had allowed herself to dream up in the years that they had been dancing around…whatever it was they had and were, that night exceeded all of them. She never knew it could be as good…feel as good, but it did. When he had extended her his arm to help her out of the car, when he had rested his hand on the small of her back to lead her to their table. The way he had been so attentive to everything she said, so captivated.

Even now, as Mac sat alone in her apartment, knowing what she knew, she was thankful for the memory of that night. Nothing had ever felt so real to her, and she wasn't letting it go that easily.

That night was about enjoying one another, and the small things are what had gotten to her. Upon leaving the restaurant, the sun had gone down and as they walked along the downtown streets, he had taken her hand. Nothing had happened beyond that. He dropped her off at her door, and although the look he gave her made her want to haul her body against his, she had simply smiled at him as she watched him walk away.

Although Friday night had been filled with so much promise, by the following week everything had changed.

Harm had discovered that he was going to be a father.