Two Weeks Later ….
Meg walked into her office as usual, coffee and briefcase in hand. She turned on the overhead light and set down her take-out cup. Lying on her desk blotter was a bookmark made of golden metal, an 'M' at the top and a filigree butterfly at the bottom. She sat down to examine the delicate work.
TAP, TAP, TAP, on the door pulled her attention away from the gift.
"Come in." The Inspector called, settling into her business persona.
"Good morning, Inspector, I brought the F-11 form you requested." Fraser stepped into the plushly appointed office.
"Thank you, Constable Fraser." She took the sheaf of papers and began to examine them. Fraser turned to leave.
"Constable Fraser," Meg called as he came level with the door.
Benton turned on his heel."Yes, Sir?" His gaze fell on the bookmark in Meg's hand.
"Is this your doing?" She held the bookmark in her palm, her eyes holding his gaze.
"Yes, Sir." Ben studied her reaction, nervous, hoping for a positive response.
"I can't accept this, Fraser." She handed it back.
"Ah, yes, I see, my apologies." He took the bookmark in hand.
Meg was the one who felt sorry. She knew how difficult it had been for him to give her such a small token.
"Fraser, " Meg caught him after he'd turned again to leave. "I once had a secret admirer, in college, they would leave such things by my dorm room door." she stepped around the desk, toward him, a mischievous twinkle in her dark eyes. Her heart swelled when she saw the light of understanding in his light eyes.
"Ah, I see." Benton nodded. Meg smiled, nodding as well. She was trying to keep their relationship separate from the consulate. That he understood.
The lady Mountie winked at him then mouthed 'thank you' before returning to her paperwork. He knew she'd thank him properly after work.
Several weeks later ….
"Ms. Thatcher, as a fertility expert, I can say that the chances of your being pregnant are a hundred to one, but here you are, expecting." Dr. Milton, an older man with gray hair and thick glasses smiled at her as he told her the test results.
"Is it the in vitro or," Meg paused, embarrassed. "or my recent activities?" She finished.
"No, the in vitro was a complete failure, your pregnancy is the result of your 'recent activities'." The doctor threw his hands up in dismay.
"Thank you, Dr. Milton." Meg threw her arms around the old man as she stood up to leave the office. Her exuberance took him by surprise.
"Hold on, Ms. Thatcher, there are some things we need to discuss." The doctor laid a hand on Meg's shoulder, turning her around gently. The lady Mountie's face fell as she saw the look of concern in his eyes.
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Meg took a cab back to the consulate, her mind reeling with both good and bad news. She had to tell Fraser both, she owed it to him. Meg knew he'd support her however he could through this.
"Good day, Inspector Thatcher, how are you?" Constable Turnbull asked the depleted woman as she entered the building. He could tell something was wrong but dared not pry.
Meg looked up at her junior officer, the truth hanging in her throat. Her eyes were hollow as she gazed up at the fair Mountie.
"Where's Fraser?" she finally asked.
"Constable Fraser is out at the moment, should I call the twenty-seventh precinct to see if he's there?" Turnbull offered.
"No, no thank you, I'll do it myself." Meg turned to walk in her office, her shoulders slumped and her feet feeling like they were tied to cement blocks. She went into her office and locked the door behind her.
A few hours later Fraser came back to the consulate, whistling as he walked down the entrance hall. He tapped on Meg's door and heard her get up from her desk and unlock the door. Ben stopped whistling when he saw the devastated expression on Meg's face.
"What's wrong?" He stepped inside and closed the door behind him.
"I'm pregnant, Ben." Meg whispered, swallowing hard to keep from sobbing.
"That's wonderful, that's what you wanted." Ben pulled her into a hug.
"There are complications, Ben, the baby might not make it to term." Meg pushed away from him, laying a hand on her stomach.
"Why?" Ben asked, puzzled. Through her tears, Meg tried to explain.
"What have I done wrong, Ben, why can't I have this?" She sobbed, leaning against his chest.
"There's nothing wrong with you." Ben took her by the shoulders and gently shook her, making her look at him.
"I'm scared, Ben." Meg wiped her face with the back of her hand as she leaned against him. He took her into a hug, pressing her body against his to comfort her.
"This will be our miracle child." Ben didn't know what else to say. Part of him was overjoyed while part of him was terrified, both because he was going to be a father and both for fear he'd lose one or both of them.
"I pray you're right." Meg took a deep breath and tried to regain control. She didn't want to regain control though. For once she wanted to let herself break down and feel something.
"You once stated that I had the annoying habit of being right." Fraser tried to make Meg smile. She chuckled, her shoulders moving against his embrace.
"When we first met I didn't think you had a sense of humor." Meg pulled away, needing to wipe her face before she left a trail of mascara on Fraser's red tunic.
"I'm actually rather easily amused by others, however I've never quite caught on to telling jokes myself." Fraser fished a hanky out of his pocket and handed it to Meg. She took it, a half smile pulling at the corner of her mouth.
"Oh, Ben, how can you be so calm and strong?" Meg put her arms around his neck and tip toed up to kiss his cheek.
"I'm neither actually." He let his hands slide down her arms as he pressed a kiss against her forehead. They stood that way for a while before Meg pulled away reluctantly.
"I think I'll go back to my apartment, the doctor said I should rest as much as possible." The lady Mountie wiped her face again and tucked Ben's hanky into her slacks pocket.
"Should I accompany you?" The Mountie offered, thinking over what had to be done around the consulate for the day.
"No, I'll be fine, I just want to be alone for a while, maybe call my parents later." Meg shrugged, tired suddenly.
"I'll drop by after my shift, if that's alright." Ben looked to her for permission.
"That would be fine, Ben, take your time." Meg smiled, her eyes still sad and red from crying.
Hours Later ….
A tap at the door interrupted Meg as she sat curled up on her sofa reading a Harlequin romance novel. Quickly, she shoved it under the sofa and got up to answer the door.
"Hello, Ben, come in." Meg stepped away from the door and returned to her seat on the couch.
"Hello, Meg, you appear well rested." He stepped nervously into the small room, his hat in one hand as he closed the door with the other.
"I did indeed take a nap this afternoon." She peered up at him as he stepped slowly across the living room to take a seat on the sofa beside her. Their relationship had taken a one hundred and eighty degree turn since the night they'd spent together. Meg was still Inspector Thatcher in every since of her rank and position. She'd become more comfortable though. Gone were the days of pettiness and cold stares. Meg's mask was no where to be seen. Fraser was glad. Now he and Turnbull had equal sentry duty hours as well and Meg picked up her own dry cleaning these days.
"Have you spoken with your parents yet?" Ben set his hat carefully on the coffee table at his feet.
"Yes, I talked to Mom, she's overjoyed, Dad's excited too. I couldn't bear to tell them about the complications." She'd already told them about her relationship with Fraser. They'd come to the decision together that they'd be up front with their superiors in Ottawa as well as their friends. Ray had thought it was a colossal joke while Frannie had smiled weakly before finding an excuse to leave. Lt. Welsh had clapped the Mountie on the back and congratulated him.
"Are you afraid of their reaction to the news?" Ben turned to look at her, his green eyes intense.
"Yes, in a way, I guess I felt so sad that I didn't want to make them sad as well." Meg sighed, pulling her feet beneath her as she met Ben's gaze. He loved the way she curled up like a contented cat on the sofa.
"You do plan on telling your parents the doctor's prognosis?" He asked, concern shining through his beautiful eyes.
"Yes, Ben, I'm going to tell them, in a day or two. I just want to get adjusted to the idea of everything for myself." Meg pursed her lips and flashed an exasperated blaze at him.
"I see." Ben backed off. He'd seen that expression enough to know what she'd say next if he persisted.
"What are your thoughts, Ben, I know you weren't prepared to be a father." Meg asked, rather nervous. She'd felt relieved when she told him and he'd said it was wonderful. Ben's excitement took some of the worry out of her.
"From my past observations, no one is prepared for parenthood, even if it were a planned pregnancy for us." He took Meg's hand, running his thumb over the back of her soft hand. The slow but radiant smile on Meg's face told him she'd heard the 'us', in his sentence.
"There's the maternal glow I've heard about." Ben winked at her playfully. Meg nudged his shoulder with her fist.
"It's not even two full months yet." She wrinkled her nose.
"I'm certain you'll be even more beautiful as the months progress." The Mountie pressed a soft kiss to the hand he still held. If it were anyone besides Ben the lady Mountie would have said he was lying but she knew he meant it wholeheartedly.
"I'm thinking about taking a leave of absence, I want to focus on the baby for a while." Meg laid her hand over her stomach, looking down at it.
"That's a wise idea." Ben laid his hand over hers. He wanted this baby as much as Meg did.
"There's a lot to be done before it arrives, find a two bedroom apartment, buy all the baby things." Meg sighed, pink and blue thought swirling around in her brain.
"I'll help as much as possible." Ben volunteered, meeting Meg's gaze.
"I know and that's one of the things I love about you." A slow smile spread across Meg's face. It was the first time she'd said anything of that magnitude. She watched as Ben's eyes widened and a joyous smile brightened his features.
"You love me?" He leaned forward, taking her hand.
"Yes, since the day you came into my office and told me you weren't going to change your uniform." Meg remembered that day vividly, the mixture of determination and yet respect in his eyes. Fraser tenderly kissed Meg and together they talked about their fears.
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