Hamish Alexander smiled as he yawned, then looked down at the sleeping woman in his arms.
Honor Harrington was fast asleep, her breathing slow and steady and as he watched she shifted slightly, her right hand tightening on one of his arms and a very small smile crept onto her face. She seemed to glow from their shared pleasure from a few hours before.
She really is beautiful. He thought as he leaned down to kiss her forehead softly. What did I do to deserve her?
It was a thought he felt he had often when he was around her. And it wasn't even that bad of an arrangement… His wife approved highly of Honor and honestly, he could even see marrying Honor one day once the universe stopped trying to self-destruct.
He felt his thoughts go dark for a moment before he pushed them back into their cubbyhole where they belonged. There would be time for dark thoughts later now he could enjoy his lover, a talented beautiful woman.
He glanced up at the sound of movement and smiled as Samantha stirred from the ball of treecat on one of the chairs in the large room with a yawn of needle-sharp teeth and then blinked grass green eyes at him. She seemed to be amused as Hamish smiled through the darkness of the room at her and she rose and flicked her ears at him, then disappeared into the bathroom.
Hamish couldn't help but give a small grin, so many females to keep him in line, his wife, Honor and Sam. He yawned again and looked at the clock, it was time for him to sleep, and he would probably be needing all the rest he could get.
He rested his head on the pillow and pulled Honor a little closer, savoring the warmth from her body, then drifted quietly off to sleep.
He was on the Dueling Grounds.
The Landing City Dueling Grounds were hard to forget, especially for Hamish who had been here before as someone second and seen that horrible footage from Honor's two duels.
Hamish walked forward, the grass was long by most standards but well-kept and dew glistened in the morning light. He looked around, not seeing or hearing anything except for one lonely figure standing on the grounds where so many had been killed or wounded in duels. Was he hear to duel? Where was his family, his wife?
He began to walk towards the figure and as he came closer details began to fill out.
He was wearing the black and gold uniform of a captain in the RMN, his dark hair gathered in a pony-tail, much longer then current fashion decreed on Manticore, under a black beret, and he was short, shorter then he was, though many men and women could make that claim. He stood with his back to Hamish as he approached and he stopped a short distance from the man, wondering what this was about.
The man turned around to gaze up at Alexander for a long moment, and Hamish recognized the four pips of junior grade captain. This man looked familiar, like someone he had seen before but never truly met and it was nagging at him as he met the man's gaze.
"Sir," He said simply, his accent Manticoran. "Take care of her for me please."
"I beg your pardon?" He said, caught off guard.
The man folded his hands behind him, looking around the field but not seeming to see it.
"Take care of Honor. Love her, hold her, kiss her." He blinked and Hamish could see tears in his eyes. "Make sure she knows how much she means to you, cherish her love, she does not trust it to many people."
Hamish was still confused, and watched as the man reached up to touch his chest in a gesture that seemed like he was gripping at an old injury.
"Can you do that for me Sir? Can you do that for me?" The man asked, his voice slightly husky.
Hamish nodded. "I…I will Captain." He said, still a bit confused but he meant it. He didn't know what this was, but he would always love Honor, till the day he died. "I will."
"Thank you Sir." The man's voice was very, very husky and he blinked, tears falling down his cheeks. "Thank you very much."
(Some time later….)
Hamish Alexander-Harrington walked through Harrington House while an armsman followed quietly by his side.
His walk began to slow as he entered a hall he had never really had time to study, the ones to Honor's office. He noted it was lined with beautiful looking artwork and as he slowed he felt a smile that mingled warmness and sadness as he realized what they were.
They were portraits of those that Honor had lost, or art depicting those losses. One of Raoul and Bernard standing side by side, another of her former regent, Clinkscales, sitting proudly, another of a young officer, a Commander who was quite handsome even to him, another of her ad hoc task force of Q-ships, and another depicting her suicide charge to meet Thunder of God. There was one of Julius Hanks praying and another one of a group of men in the green-on-green of Harrington Steading, one of which he easily recognized as Andrew LaFollet.
He stopped in front of the last one before Honor's officer. This one was an official portrait, with such quality it is making Hamish was sure that such skill would of cost near a million.
It was a man sitting tall and proper in the uniform of a captain, junior grade, from the RMN. His hair was long and yet kept neat under the black beret, and his eyes looked out of the portrait with a sense of warmth and life he never thought he would get from a painting. He continued to stare at it, wondering why this one was so interesting.
Then it hit him.
His eyes widened and he took a small step towards the painting, looking down at the small golden plaque next to it. It read:
Paul Tankersley
A man of honor, integrity, and love
May he rest in peace.
I will always love you. ~Honor Harrington
Hamish stared at the name for a long moment, then back up at the painting. He looked deep into those eyes.
"I will." He whispered so softly even his armsman didn't hear it in the quiet hall.
I will love her forever. I will make sure to love her, to cherish her. For I do love her, Captain. I am not you… but I think you know that. I'll love her, you don't have to worry about her anymore. Hamish Alexander-Harrington thought.
And as he turned away to continue his walk… he knew that he truly had something no other living man could claim.
Honor's Love.