NB: I do not own JAG or its original plot summaries.

This takes place after Fair Winds and Following Seas. It correctly locates Naval Forces Europe in Naples, Italy not London, UK. As I've never been to Naples nor know the base for Naval Forces Europe, so excuse the inaccurate description.

Years are years and events are closely linked to them (as accurate as possible)

Harm and Skates has been my prime wish since Skates/LT Elizabeth Hawkes appeared. So sad that TPTB never showed more Skates episodes nor made Skates the girlfriend of Harm. Sibel Galindez performed the role brilliantly.

Edited and updated April 2015

Judge Advocate General Headquarters

Naval Forces Europe

2006

Friday

1500 local time

Captain Harmon Rabb Junior, USN, yawned the umpteenth time as he stared at the keyboard. Finally he rose, grabbing his long trench coat and walked out, informing his yeoman, a Petty Officer First Class, "I'm taking an early break today. If there's anything urgent, reach me on my cell."

"Aye, Sir. Have a good weekend," the yeoman replied. He suspected what the long career JAG was thinking, but kept silent.

Harm walked out of the building, and for once felt his right arm aching after saluting so many junior officers and enlisted personnel. Jaywalking, he reached Café de Antonio, his favourite coffee house and also a favourite for many US military and NATO personnel. The boss, Antonio was a former Italian Army soldier understood the need for NATO and military men.

"Harm! Oh Harm! Come your usual?" Antonio bellowed.

"Uh thanks," Harm sighed passing him a larger Euro bill for a tip. Just as Harm turned, his elbow struck someone. "Excuse me," he began in Italian, "I didn't mean to..." The bundled hair and face was all too familiar...

"Skates?"

"Harm...Comm...Captain Rabb? You made Captain?!"

"Uh yeah. How are you, Skates? He finally noticed the three solid gold bars on her arm sleevess... "Commander?"

It was then they both noticed the rest of the clientele was staring at them. Embarrassed, they found a secluded spot. "You begin," she said. "Ladies first," he countered.

Her eyes still sparkling, she said, "Well I'm still with a carrier group. Still flying. USS Wade McClusky."

"You're not still a RIO are you?"

"No silly. F-14s are retired don't you know? I'm on FA-18E Super Hornets now. CO of one of the squadrons."

"CO?! Congrats, Skates uh, Commander," he said, stirring his drink.

"Well, yeah it was a long battle to get to this stage. Mostly due to your help back then."

"You were always the best RIO and LSO, Skates," Harm remarked. Then he told his side of the story.

"Force JAG? Wow, that's a great step up. Another few more years and you could reach Rear Admiral Lower then Full Rear Admiral, full JAG," she said.

"Nah, it's not that simple. Lot's of political barriers before that stage."

"If I recall correctly, Comm..Captain, you managed to break many of those yourself."

Harm smiled at his former RIO. "Skates, how long have we known each other? Unless it's in front of other blue suits, I'm Harm. Or Hammer," he said recalling the last call sign he was given.

"Well Cap...Harm, I'm also Beth. You never called me that."

"Right." They chatted a bit more until she asked about Harm's life. "How's the Colonel, Mac?"

It was a sting to his eye. Better the truth than nothing... "We uh, divorced."

"Oh, I'm so sorry Harm," Skates/Beth said, her fingers sliding across the table but not reaching towards his. "I didn't mean to bring it..."

"It's ok. Mac and I had troubles after I got this command and she resigned her commission to join me. One thing led to another and we just couldn't get along. She's probably back in the States, trying to get re-instated as a Marine."

Skates knew how much Harm felt for his former partner and this was shock to her. Still, seeing the pilot who save her life physically and legally again...

"So how long will you be in port for?" He changed the subject.

"It's a weekend liberty. We—the whole strike group-are heading home for Christmas." Christmas yes, Harm thought, remembering that it was coming again. He had planned to fly back to DC to perform his usual ritual at the Vietnam Wall.

"Oh," he remarked. After all these years, seeing this great comrade, well great Naval Aviator and she was just passing by. Something struck him and out of impulse he asked, "Beth, are you doing anything this evening?"

"Well, there are squadron evaluation reports to counter-check, maintenance stuff the usual yadda yadda..." Wait, that's not what he meant..."Are you suggesting anything in particular?" Wrong words, she thought as bit her own lip; why would this gentleman try anything?

"Uh, no just some dinner. There's a nice restaurant two blocks down which does amazing American cuisine, not Italian and..."

"Well, so long as it's not all vegetarian," she laughed, teasing him about his diet. She knew he eating habits, after noticing him in the mess room.

"It's not," he smiled. "I'll see you at..." they both fixed a time.

After they both parted, Harm thought, gosh it has really been years. From a RIO that his father's wingman, Tom Boone, claimed was the best in the wing to full Commander and CO of a squadron. It's the girl, no Naval Flight Officer who helped me each time I fly in a Tomcat...

Walking back up the ramp of her ship, Commander Elizabeth Hawkes was shaking not from the cold—it was a warm European winter—but from the sight of her old friend. Old, yes but he was still a young hunk to her. Memories flooded back and she couldn't think properly while staring at the mountains of paperwork in front of her.

2000 hours local

"Harm, sir, I'm so sorry, the eval stuff took longer than planned," Skates said, dropping her coat on the chair. They both had changed to civvies, he in a simple grey suit with a maroon shirt while she wore a purple ankle-length winter dress with a cardigan on. "Oh," Harm said, seeing Skates with her hair down-he had never seen her looking like this and gosh, she's so much prettier.

"No need to apologise" Harm quickly replied, "I remember the work we started off as Naval Aviators," Harm replied, pouring her a glass of wine. She noted it was her favourite white Italian. How nice of him to remember that after all these years!

They ordered quickly and as he promised, there was meat on the menu. "Thought you really missed proper food after those months on 'carrier chow'."

"Harm, I bet you your yourself are used to 'carrier chow', which have improved across the years," she replied. Then not knowing why, she dropped, "Do you miss flying?"

She struck a chord. "Well, I do head out to keep myself current lest they remove my wings for good. That's every now and then. As Force JAG I also get to ride out to ships and such."

"But do you miss it? Get blasted off a catapult almost everyday? Landing in all kinds of weather? Flaying at those speeds?" She really did strike a chord but he wasn't agitated. Instead, they both took a walk down memory lane, specifically to those carrier days. They talked about the squadron times, the times he was poked at my the junior LTs for being so old and called "Pappy", the times when he fended off insults from hot-shots like X-man, and those times he gave her advice to stay strong.

Dinner finished quickly, and with another bottle of wine, they both contemplated the Tiramisu the head waiter recommended. "Harm, I can't believe we've gone through so much together. It seems like only yesterday we met on the Seahawk for that silly sexual harassment case..."

"And when I held onto your parachute after that crash..." he scooped up a creamy piece.

"And how we both ejected into the mother of all storms...then that time I repaid my debt..."

"Hey, so we're even," he laughed.

They both finished their desserts in silence before she announced she had to head back to the ship. "Since you're here only for the weekend, uh do you have anything planned for this Saturday?"

Is he asking me out again? Just two of us? "Uh, the squadron and I are planning to see most of the port before we leave but I could be free after lunch."

"Call me at this number."

Back in the house the Navy paid for, Harm thought back at their dinner conversation. He was a lousy liar; yes he did miss his carrier days. But there was more to that, something more. He missed the partnership he shared with the young vibrant girl who would not only read radar and navigation information to him, but sit with him during lunch and defending him from the teasing and scolding he got. But damnit, Harm said, pulling his duvet over himself, she has a fiancé, or husband. What am I thinking?

Over in her quarters, Beth huddled against the military issue blankets and also thought back to the times she and Harm spent together, on deck and thousands of feet above sea level. After all these years, he stills the same looking, good humour, and kind gentleman. Who just got divorced...