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Author: Haruo Chikamori
E-mail: hhchikamori
Rating: M
Classification:
Spoilers: N/A
Summary: Jen misses her husband; Harm misses his wife. It's the holidays and Harm's on deployment. So what to do… RADM Weston has the answer. Boot Harm's six off the boat.
DISCLAIMER: The characters Harm Rabb, Jr., Sarah "Mac" Mackenzie, Meg Austin, AJ Chegwidden, Bud Roberts, Harriet Sims-Roberts et al. belong (in concept if not name) to CBS/Bellisarius. Animal and all OC characters are the property of Heather and Hugo Chikamori. No profit is being made from this story, nor is any infringement intended.
Sometime in the future
USS Seahawk
December 20,
Somewhere in the Mediterranean.
"RDML Rabb to the flag bridge, RDML Rabb to the flag bridge." The directive on the 1-MC made Harm startle as he made his way to the tower near the stern of the immense aircraft carrier torn away from his contemplations of the possibility of missing the holidays with his beloved wife. Harm had been through a lot this past couple of years, including marrying the love of his life as well as having fought through a spat in Asia that could have turned into a nuclear war as well as the loss in combat of his long-time partner at JAG after a short-lived marriage that didn't work out as well as they had hoped.
RADM Tim Weston looked over at his XO as Harm stepped through the hatch about ten minutes later. "Sir?" RDML Harmon Rabb Jr. looked over at his old CAG from his days with the Raptors over Bosnia.
"Hammer, you turned down orders mid-deployment for you to go to the beach because you felt that our air operations over Afghanistan required your personal attention. Well, a second directive has been e-mailed to us and this time you're taking it!" RADM Weston said looking at Harm with a gimlet stare.
"Sir?" Harm was puzzled. "I'm not needed for the cruise back?"
"No, you are going to have two weeks with your family on the beach. We're enroute home anyways and I and the rest of the staff can handle things. You extended your tour to stay with us. We can make concessions. You can meet us when the Seahawk docks in Norfolk." Tim replied. "Now get your ass packed and ready to hop a COD in three hours!"
"Aye, sir!" Harm grinned happily. He was going home.
5134 Seminary Road
Alexandria, VA
Jen grinned as she prepped for the holiday. Considering the fact that friends were close by, it was easy to make the house holiday ready. And this time it was rather difficult for her to do by herself. The doctor visits were relatively easy, it was the AM nausea and heartburn that was annoying, but eating healthy and exercising was a great help in allaying the cramps.
"Quit kicking!" she muttered as she walked over to the kitchen counter to make herself something to eat. Her contemplations were interrupted by the ring of the doorbell. "Hold on a minute. I'm coming!" she called out as she made her way slowly to answer the door.
A cheerful Harriet greeted her as Jen opened the door. "Hey, I thought I might drop by and give you a hand with things. So what did the doctor say?"
"Oh, not much." Jen replied. "Everything's going smoothly. I should be alright. How's AJ and Little Bud? How's Nikki?"
"Oh, they're alright. Little Bud and Nikki are in daycare right now and AJ's at school so I took the chance to escape from the house and come over. The decorations are gorgeous."
"Oh, it's all Lia's doing. She and her hubby helped because I can't do much. After all, doctor's orders." Jen replied gazing at the decorations all set up for the holidays. Looking at the picture of her husband, she grinned happily. "He won't have much to do if he gets home before Christmas."
"I heard from Bud that the carrier isn't slated to be back before December 29th."
"I know…" Jen replied. "That's what I heard too through the Navy Wives' grapevine. Lia and Animal have been a great help. They don't have children so they treat Harm and I like family. It's a nice feeling."
"Yeah, I know…" Harriet replied. "They indulge AJ, Little Bud and Nikki too. Tons of toys. I think we need another room for the toys." She looked over at Jen who smiled back. "Shall we get out of the house for a while? I'm sure you've been cooped up in here for what seems to be ages." She offered, gesturing to the front door. "I need to pick up a few more presents so I figured that you might want some company…and a chance to get out of the house."
"Oh, you can't even begin to know how much of a savior you are… Harriet." Jen replied gratefully. "I'm going stir-crazy in here. I love this house, but there are some times when this…" She said gesturing to her condition, "…just seems to get in the way of getting around."
USS Seahawk
December 20th
Somewhere in the Med
3 hours later
"Welcome aboard, SIR!" The AW3 grinned at Harm as Harm boarded the C-2 Greyhound which was destined for NS Rota, Spain. "We should be in Rota in about three hours once we get shot off the pointy end of this boat!"
"Sounds good, Aircrewman!" Harm grinned back. Sometimes he missed the feel of carrier operations, the feeling of being cat-shotted off the deck, the feel of the stick and throttle in his hands, the feel of the afterburner as he eased the throttle into Zone 1. It had been well over a decade and a half since the F-14 Tomcat was retired, but he missed that bird and he knew exactly what Keeter and Animal felt at the loss of such a wonderful aircraft type. The Hornet and the Rhino just weren't the same. The C-2 was just a glorified bus in comparison, but it would get him back to Rota in order to catch a C-17 back home to Virginia and his wife. They had sent e-mails back and forth, but it wasn't the same. He longed to feel her in his arms.
NS Rota
Rota, Spain
3 hrs after that
The Air Force loadmaster of the C-17 sighed as he watched the clock. "What are we waiting for?" asked another loader as he looked in the location the loadmaster was peering off into "We've loaded up the last pallet. We waiting for something else?"
"We're waiting for a Navy type 1-star – a Navy hotshot, bigwig or something." The loadmaster replied casually. "I think that's the Navy aircraft that's landing now."
"Well, the guys in the 'pit are getting antsy." The loader said. "And they're saying that if he doesn't get here soon, they'll leave him here in Spain.
"Well, tech sergeant, they can keep it in their pants until the admiral gets aboard." The loadmaster snapped.
About fifteen minutes later, the Navy admiral in blues holding his greatcoat in his hands boarded the C-17 returning the salutes rendered by both TSGT and MSGT.
"Afternoon, Admiral!" the TSGT greeted Harm.
"Afternoon, Tech Sergeant Simmons." Harm said reading the man's nametag.
5 hours later
Somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean
Harm looked at a photo of his wife in his hand, gazing at her beautiful face and her long dark brown hair. Her girl-next-door smile was stunning and he missed her a lot. He was so antsy that he attracted the notice of the MSGT who smiled as he peered over the shoulder of the admiral.
"That your wife, sir?" the MSGT said.
"Yes, she is, Master Sergeant Trevick. That, she is…" Harm replied as he continued to gaze down on the photo.
"By the way, sir, weather over Andrews is thirty-five. Going to be quite chilly, sir." MSGT Trevick replied as he walked away.
"Thank you, Master Sergeant, I'll make sure I have my greatcoat on by the time we land." Harm stated as he thanked his stars that he didn't pack the greatcoat up in his luggage which was in the hold.
7 hr mark
On Final to Andrews AFB
Maryland
December 21
Harm sighed a big breath of relief as the C-17 started its descent on final to Andrews AFB. This meant that he was nearly home. All it would take was a taxi-ride after this and he'd be on the doorstep of his home waiting to take his wife into his arms and ravish her senseless.
5134 Seminary Road
Alexandria, VA
1 hr later
Jen stood in front of the mirror. It was an spontaneous, impromptu sort of thing. Looking at her new bob, she smiled. He was going to be sooo surprised whenever he got home from deployment. After all, trying to look after her long hair was starting to get to her and it would be impractical 4 months from now any ways. She was happy the way it turned out and the stylish way that it was cut should make her husband drool buckets. Gaining weight was the sucky thing about this whole new state that she was in. Mattie was a great help around the house.
"Oh my god…you cut your hair…" Mattie looked at her in shock when she had come home from being out with her friends.
"Yeah…can't have little hands yanking on the locks in a few months." Jen had grinned gauging Mattie's reaction.
"Oh…my…God…" Mattie's jaw dropped even further. Despite the fact that Mattie had been home for two days, she hadn't let that slip. Jen had lied and chalked the weight gain up to eating too much.
"Well, that's what happens when you're off at college… and you're not around so much." Jen had grinned. "See what happens?"
"How are you feeling?" Mattie had asked.
"Other than a little nausea in the morning, I'm fine. Doctor says everything is healthy…" she trailed off. "The only thing that would make it better would be for hubby to be home."
"I know…" Mattie said. "I'm sure he'll be OK…"
"Well, he gets home on the 29th. That should be fine." Jen said, not really believing herself. She wanted him home now.
In The Taxi
The snow fell softly as the taxi turned from North Beauregard onto Seminary Road, Harm grinned slowly, he was almost home. "It's 5134…" he grinned to the taxi-driver.
"If you say so… Admiral…" the driver grinned at him as he pulled up along the big house. "A mighty cold day…but I reckon you'll be right home in a short while…"
"Thanks a ton." Harm grinned as he paid the driver, grabbed his bags and headed for the house. She was going to be sooo surprised. Knocking on the door, Harm grinned his familiar grin.
5134 Seminary Road
Alexandria, VA
"I'm not expecting anyone…" as Mattie's and Jen's heads turned toward the door.
"I'll get it…" Mattie offered noting Jen's condition.
"No, Mattie, I'll get it." Jen said feeling a slight urging that she should be the one getting the door. Slowly easing herself up, she gingerly walked (waddled was the word she would use) to the door. "Damn it, I can't see my feet anymore…" she grumbled to herself as she turned the doorknob to open the door, and her jaw dropped open.
Harm was standing outside the door with a grin on his face. "Hey…sweetie…can I come in?"
"OH MY GOD!" She shrieked. "HARM, SWEETHEART…"
Harm looked her over from top to bottom. "You cut your hair…and…and…" he stuttered, noticing Jen's condition. "You're pregnant…"
"Yes, I am…" Jen said demurely as she let Harm in the door. "…and don't be surprised. You caused it." She smirked.
Harm stepped in the door and put his luggage down…closing the door then wrapped her up in a tender embrace. "So…how's the baby doing?" he asked.
"It's doing fine…and so is the other one…" She said. "You work efficiently. Yes…it's twins."
Harm got his second shock of the day. "…twins?"
"Yes, twins."
Mattie slowly approached, giving the two some time to welcome each other. "Welcome home…Dad." She grinned.
"Mattie…" He said reaching for her and giving her a hug "I thought I'd miss you as you'd be heading back to school before New Year's."
"So…what caused you to be able to get off the carrier?" Mattie asked. "I thought you'd be coming home on the 29th."
"RADM Weston booted my six off the carrier. Because I had rejected a return-home earlier in the deployment to stick with the staff, the Pentagon sent me an offer I couldn't refuse. So I took the opportunity to be home for the holidays." Harm explained as he took in Jen's new hairstyle. "You cut your hair…"
"Yes, I did." Harm's beloved wife replied looking at him. "After all little sticky hands would have me washing my hair every single day so I decided to solve that problem in one fell swoop. Harriet came and took me out for a while and it was just a spur-of-the-moment thing. Do you like it?"
"I love it…" Harm said as he ran his hands through his wife's shortened locks. "It looks great on you."
"Good answer, sailor." She teased.
Later that night
As Jen curled up beside Harm in bed, she whispered to him, "I'm so glad you made it home before Christmas. I missed you so much."
"I missed you too. That's why I took this opportunity that the battlegroup commander gave me and amscrayed home." Harm replied as he rubbed her bare shoulders. "So what do you say, you and me…we get out tomorrow and get some Christmas presents."
"Sounds like a great idea, but you know what? My love…" Jen purred contentedly, looking up at Harm with her liquid low-lidded gaze.
"What, sweetheart." Harm replied.
"I've got the only present I ever wanted…" she whispered sensually. "right here in bed with me…"