A/N: I thought I was going to write this exclusively through Mac's point of view, but then I pictured a scene and was all happy about it…then realized Mac wouldn't be in it to actually have the scene…so here is Harm…

This is somewhat of a filler or a transition chapter.

Heart

Chapter 6: A Sinking Dreamboat Annie

A Harm Interlude

Harm walked through the bullpen, glancing toward Mac's office as he headed to his own. He could see her in there, head bent over some file, and he had to smile. She looked rather adorable with her tongue poking out as it always did when she was concentrating, something he doubted she was even aware she did.

Mac must have known someone was watching her, for she suddenly glanced up and caught his eye. It saddened him when she looked back down almost immediately. She had been avoiding him of late and for the life of him, he couldn't figure out why. He still visited her and Eden often, and she brought Eden to his apartment a fair amount, but she had been standoffish, and it rather hurt his feelings. He thought they had a good relationship going, and in his heart of hearts he knew he could easily fall for her.

But then, who was he kidding. He'd fallen for her the moment he'd seen her at Duke. It had been a wonderful stroke of fortune when she'd pulled up alongside him and offered him a ride. He hadn't expected to end up spending the night with her, but it was a night he'd never forget.

Harm hadn't lied to her when he told Mac he thought of her often. Until he'd started dating Annie, she'd been the star of his more passionate dreams. Now that they'd found each other, he couldn't deny that she'd started appearing in his dreams once again.

That made him feel so guilty. He had Annie, they'd been dating for almost a year now, and he couldn't help thinking if he'd just held on a little longer…for Mac…

Harm didn't bother to turn on the light in his office as he walked in and shut the door. There was enough light from the window and from his computer screen to do his work—a mound of paperwork he'd been neglecting for the last week. He'd been finding it increasingly difficult to concentrate when he knew Mac was right next door, ignoring him.

"Hey, Mac! Wait up!" Harm barely managed to squeeze through the elevator doors before they closed, leaving him alone with Mac at last. She'd managed to evade him at every opportunity, and he was damn sick of it. He would like to know what he'd done to upset her or make her mad. He hadn't brought up her relationship with Dalton Lowne, though he didn't really care for the man. He hadn't critiqued any of her parenting skills or cooking skills or anything else for that matter, so why was she acting this way?

He was growing increasingly afraid she just plain didn't like him, and eventually she'd decide she didn't want him around Eden either. Now that would kill him. He loved that little girl with his entire being, had from the first moment he'd realized she was his, and if he couldn't be with her, his heart would be irrevocably broken. He truly would never try to take Eden away from Mac, but he would fight viciously for his right to see her.

He really needed to talk to Mac, and now seemed to be just as good a time as any.

"Mac? What's going on?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. You won't talk to me. You avoid me."

"I talk to you," she responded defensively.

"About cases. About Eden. But you don't actually talk to me. What did I do, Mac?"

Mac closed her eyes for a moment.

"Nothing, Harm. You didn't do anything. I'm just…um…Dalton and I broke up," she said in a hurried rush.

Harm hadn't expected that, nor did he know what that to do with him, but he still reacted with sympathy. He reached out and laid his hand on Mac's arm. "I'm sorry. When did this happen?"

"Shortly after you came over to tell me they'd lost the DNA results."

"Oh, shit. I'm sorry, Mac. I should have called first. I didn't mean to cause problems—"

"Harm, stop. It had nothing to do with you. It just wasn't going to work out."

"Still—"

"I said stop. I promise you, this had everything to do with Dalton and me. Not you and me."

Harm finally nodded, still feeling a twinge of guilt about any possible role he may have had in the demise of the Dalton/Mac relationship. He didn't believe she wasn't telling him the whole truth, but he decided he'd let it go for now. "Okay, Mac, but, hey, it's been, what, three weeks? Why didn't you tell me before?"

Mac shrugged. "I guess I didn't think it would be important to you."

"Maaac," he said in exasperation. "You're the mother of my child and my friend. Of course, it would be important."

The two eyed each other for a long moment before Mac looked away. "Look, I'm sorry," she all but mumbled. "It's just been a little rough, and I didn't want to bother you with it."

"It wouldn't be a bother, Mac. C'mere." Harm pulled her into his arms and held her, and a moment later she lifted her arms to embrace him as well. They broke apart as the elevator doors opened, but each of them wondered if anyone had managed to see their breach in military protocol.

Harm, not bothering to knock, let himself into Annie's house. He greeted Josh, Annie's nine-year old, and after promising to play a little catch in the backyard, he went into the kitchen to see his girlfriend.

"Hey, hon, sorry I'm late," Harm apologized before leaning down and giving Annie a quick kiss. "Mac and I got a new case today and our last interview ran long."

"You and Mac have sure had a lot of cases together lately."

Harm shrugged. "That tends to happen when your partnered with someone."

"I suppose. More late nights together?"

There was an edge to Annie's tone, an edge that had been there since she had first been told of Eden's existence.

"I doubt it, but speaking of, Mac has a lecture tomorrow night at the Smithsonian she'd like to go to, and Katie has a class, so I said I'd take Eden."

"Katie the nanny? Isn't she supposed to be nanny-ing?"

Harm rolled his eyes behind Annie's back. This wasn't the first time his girlfriend had made such a comment. "Mac tries to give Katie her evenings off as much as she can, and she also wants her to be able to continue her education. As for Mac, she loves paleontology and when I saw the announcement for the lecture, I had to tell her about it. I'm happy she'll be able to go now that I'm here."

"So," Annie said after a moment. "Does that mean we aren't going to be going out with Art and Carol?"

Shit. He'd forgotten their plans with friends of Annie's from work. In his defense, they were insufferably dull. "Damn, I'm sorry, Annie. I forgot."

"Well, I'm sure Jan won't mind watching Eden too."

"Jan?"

"The sitter coming for Josh."

"The sitter?"

"Yes, Harm," Annie answered, obviously exasperated. "The sitter. I know she won't mind having an extra kid, even one as exuberant as Eden."

What the hell did that mean? Of course, Eden was exuberant. She was three.

Harm shook his head. "Annie, no. I'm not going to leave my daughter with someone she doesn't know and someone Mac doesn't know. I'm sorry I forgot, but I have to put Eden first."

A tense moment passed, then Annie threw up her hands. "Fine. I'll call Carol and cancel. We'll do it another night, and I'll make sure to ask you what Mac's plans are before we make ours."

"She's my daughter, Annie."

Annie's mouth was set in a hard, thin line. "When's that DNA test going to be back?"

Harm stared at Annie for a moment, then turned on his heel. "I'd better get washed up for dinner," he said, then left the room.

Harm wearily unlocked his apartment door and stepped inside. His evening with Annie and Josh had not gone as planned. She had apologized for her earlier snappishness before they sat down to dinner, but not five minutes later, things went south again. Mac had called as she did every night to tell him Eden was in bed and ready for him to sing her a lullaby. It was a ritual he adored, and he certainly wasn't going to skip it to appease Annie. She was sullen for the rest of dinner, and Josh, obviously sensing the tension, actually asked to go to bed early.

After dinner, Harm helped Annie with the dishes and then said his goodbyes. He'd originally planned to spend the night, but that no longer seemed like a good idea.

Thus, here he was, shedding his uniform and stepping into his own shower. As the hot water beat down on him, he thought about his relationship with Annie Pendry. Clearly, the woman wasn't handling the fact that her boyfriend had a surprise daughter well. He didn't understand it, not really. Eden was a delight; Josh even liked her, so what was Annie's problem with the little girl?

Maybe Eden isn't the problem.

Then what is the problem?

Mac. Mac's the problem.

Harm's fingers, busy with lathering up the shampoo in his hair, stopped. Oh, God. Annie was jealous of Mac, and as loathe as he was to admit it, she was right to be jealous. Harm had convinced himself he loved Annie, but the truth was, even prior to the appearance of Eden had been seeing cracks in their relationship.

Harm had had a crush on Annie from the start, but she'd preferred Luke. As the years went by, Harm's crush matured into deeper feelings of friendship, though he still carried a bit of a torch for her. He actually hadn't seen Luke or Annie in years prior to Luke being killed, but since the funeral, he and Annie had been in regular contact. Two years after she lost her husband, Annie and Josh moved to Baltimore, and within another couple of months, she'd been ready to date.

Parts of Annie were still the sweet girl he and Luke had met in Florida, but she had also become high strung and rather neurotic about many things. Looking back, Harm could now see some of these neuroses had existed even before she'd married Luke. He was getting increasingly frustrated with it all, and now that his girlfriend couldn't accept his beautiful daughter, he was growing increasingly disenchanted.

Harm sighed, then finished his shower. He was now even more weary, for he knew he would be ending it with Annie before another week passed. He sent a silent apology to Luke for hurting his bride, then readied himself for bed. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

Hours later, Harm awoke with a start. He'd been dreaming about Mac again, but this time it wasn't sexual. He was at his wedding and Mac was his bride.

"Mac," Harm whispered into the darkness. His dream solidified what he already knew. He wasn't just falling for Mac. He loved her. Loved her, and it wasn't just because she was the mother of his daughter.

Harm groaned. How was he going to deal with this?

End Chapter 6