Disclaimer: Not mine, obviously, except Sean, he's mine!
Set: Season 4, doesn't matter, but that was the last good season to me, so that's my preference.
*******
LCDR Harmon Rabb, Jr. was quite the successful JAG lawyer, know for his litigation skills, investigations skills, and heroism. What he was not known for, however, was being on time. Usually, his lack of timeliness went unnoticed by everyone save one marine. Today was not one of those days.
He slunk into the bullpen, making a b-line for his office, but was intercepted in a way no pilot ever wants to be intercepted. Damn.
"Commander, the Admiral wants to see you ASAP."
With a bit of a forced smile, Harm nodded at the yeoman and redirected his route, looking at his watch.
He barely knocked and pushed open the door before he was greeted by a stalwart, "Have a seat, Mr. Rabb," from his CO, without so much as looking up from the file he was reading. A file which had Chegwidden with a raised eyebrow and one of those unimpressed looks that made Harm wince on the inside. He was about to be given a big case, and he was late.
Taking a seat and putting his briefcase next to his leg, Harm did his best to not show too much interest or too much guilt.
Clearing his throat in a way that made Harm look, the Admiral sat back and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Interesting case file crossed my desk this morning, after apparently having crossed the desk of the CNO and the SecNav…" He trailed off.
Harm did not appreciate the dramatic effect. If this was about his last investigation-.
"For some reason, they think this requires some of my personal attention."
Being a bit bold and curiosity killing him, Harm asked, "What's this about, Admiral."
If this was about him, he'd rather get it over with ASAP and move on with his day, which was shaping out to be not such a good day.
Frowning and pushing his lips out a bit, the Admiral slid the case file across to Harm, who immediately reached for it, but his hand was halted by the Admiral's next words.
"Wasn't aware that you had a brother, Commander, a younger brother also in the Navy."
And there went all hopes at resurrecting the day. Harm blinked and then cleared his throat.
"You never asked, sir, and it never came up."
"Well it's coming up now," the Admiral growled with a huff.
Declining an immediate answer to that, Harm opened the file and his eyes immediately went wide and white.
"A murder charge?"
Now this was both surprising and not surprising at the same time. His younger brother had not taken after him and their father. His younger brother had been or was (Harm wasn't sure) a SEAL, and had then gotten into God knows what. Last Harm had heard, his brother had been stateside. They didn't talk much to say the least. There wasn't that much in common between them. Harm had always resented the fact that Sean accepted their step-father. The last time they'd talked consistently had been when they were both in the Academy together – then, they were only there for two years at the same time.
Other than that the most they'd talked had been after his crash and after he'd come back from Russia. Both clear times when you'd speak to your brother, close or not.
Chegwidden extracted him from his thoughts, making him lift his eyes from the file he'd been staring at.
"Your brother capable of murder," he man asked, with that look in his eyes. The hawk-like look where he tilted his head back and gave you a look that could burn.
Eyebrows going up, Harm pursed his lips and then looked to the side a bit, "My brother's been capable of killing someone since we were kids, sir."
"What exactly is that supposed to mean?"
*******
(Flashback)
It had seemed like a good idea at the time. But like most things he'd thought were good ideas during his teenaged years, this hadn't quite panned out the way he'd thought. Just like when he'd gone over looking for his dad two years ago at age sixteen…
Were he not currently a bit drunk, Harm Rabb, Jr. might have had a fighting chance against the huge man looking straight at him holding a pool cue. Apparently, this guy wasn't so keen on losing two-hundred dollars to two snot-nosed kids. That pool cue was looking like it was going to his head. In fact, it was whizzing at him as he thought this.
Until his brother stepped in front of him. Harm closed his eyes hazily.
"CRACK"
For a moment, Harm thought Sean was going to barrel backwards into him, until he felt a bit of pool cue ricochet off his head and opened his eyes again.
The benefits of having a brother who was obsessed – OBSESSED – with Martial Arts. Sean had put up some block, a rising block he thought, and the pool cue had split right in half across his raised forearm, which was now-.
OUCH! He thought.
-pulling back as his brother punched the guy right in his xiphisternal junction. How did Harm know that's what that place was called on someone's sternum? Well he'd done Karate with his brother for awhile and that's how he knew.
What did a man look like when his lungs had been paralyzed by a blow, paralyzed by a blow from a 6-foot-2 sixteen year old, to the solar plexus? Oh he fell and he fell hard.
Harm stepped to the side.
"Fuck's sake, Harm, do something here!"
Oh right, he was supposed to fight now, wasn't he. The guy on the ground had friends. Apparently he'd one shot too many celebrating his last hoorah with his brother. Yup, that must be it. Damn! Did his brother just crack that guy's nose nearly off his face?
So Harm fought and his fists hurt. A LOT. By the time the police arrived, it had escalated to a full-out bar brawl, his sixteen year old brother having taken out quite a few guys. The sorts of guys who had lots of friends. In fact, his brother had sent guys flying through the air. It kinda made Harm proud. Little Seany! It helped that Little Seany was a National Champion in Karate…who had spent two summers in Japan training.
It was a proud moment until they'd nearly gotten arrested. Harm wasn't so sure how they weren't getting arrested. Sean was sober, kinda, so he'd have to ask him later.
(End Flashback)
*****
Harm blinked and looked back at Chegwidden. Who was still looking at his expectantly.
"He is a deadly weapon, sir, to put it simply. Trained in I have no idea how many Martial Arts by now. Been doing it since he was four, used to wake up to train before school, would go right to the gym after school, and spend at least eight hours on each weekend day. National and international titles, repeatedly." Harm trailed off.
"Forgive me if I'm not that impressed."
Harm sighed, "How many midshipmen have you ever heard of who were told to only give it 50%? It got to the point where Sean got ordered to give it 50% in hand to hand. He was laying people up left and right. Overheard one of the CDRs talking about it once while I was hitting the bag for boxing, made comment of the fact with his IQ and his physical abilities it was damn good he was on our side because he could be a killing machine."
"Well, looks like they've got their wish."
What could Harm possibly say to that. Nothing. Just a "Yes, sir," and wait to see how Chegwidden would proceed. He knew one thing, he was going to be involved. Which reminded him.
"You said something about the CNO?"
"Wants me to check this out, God knows why. I was hoping you could shed some insight being that he's your brother."
All Harm could think about was whether his brother was capable of killing someone, an innocent someone. He knew his brother had killed people with his bare hands. What he didn't know is if he could kill someone on a-.
What had his brother been doing on an aircraft carrier?
******
(Flashback)
Keeter ran into their room, nearly running into his best friend while he was at it.
"Harm! You aren't going to believe it. It's all over the place. EVERYONE'S talking about it," he exclaimed breathlessly.
Turning around, Harm was confronted with a rather gleeful Keeter.
"Huh?"
"Your brother, right, Sean-o. Your little brother, plebe, yeah. Well YOUR brother just EMBARASSED LCDR Shides in hand to hand! Sent him FLYING!"
Which Keeter illustrated with a wave of his hand, eyes wide.
"What?!?" Harm said, jaw dropping open. "Sean did what?"
Keeter couldn't help it, he laughed like an idiot. "Shides, he asked for a volunteer to demonstrate, y'know, some sort of block and throw, basic stuff. Well your brother volunteers, asks if he's allowed to block, so Shides gets all in his face. Anyway, tells him he's allowed to do whatever he can do." Keeter stopped to take a breath and then continued, "So Sean throws a punch just like Shides asked, and Shides goes to throw him to the mat and it DOESN'T WORK. Then it's all hit, block, counter, hit, block, counter, everyone saying Shides is all red in the face that his demonstration went all to crap and he's trying to get it back and take down your brother. Next thing, Sean just makes him AIRBORN! Takes him to the mat, holds him by the throat and just," Keeter held up a little space between two fingers, "stopped before hitting him with his elbow right in the head!"
Harm was speechless. That wasn't surprising of his brother, but it definitely probably wasn't a smart move. Sean was probably going to be marching watches until Christmas. Sean wasn't an egotistical kid, but he didn't sell himself short either. It would have been smarter to avoid volunteering altogether. Not like any Rabb ever backed down from a challenge or opportunity.
Keeter didn't wait for Harm to respond, "He's, like, going to be the most popular Plebe ever, even if he's going to be marching and marching and marching."
"Don't think it's going to bother him," Harm muttered, "I've a feeling he could march and do up/downs all damn day with a smile…they'd probably get tired of yelling before he got tired of doing."
His brother was used to hours upon hours of physical exertion. During their free-time for his entire life, all he could remember Sean doing was training and reading. That was all the kid EVER did. He'd been doing one-handed push-ups for as many years as Harm could remember. It'd be more of a punishment for them to force his brother to sleep or something. He rolled his eyes at the thought.
(End flashback)
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