January 5, 2004
Force Judge Advocate's Office – London, England
1013 Greenwich/ 1513 Eastern
Harm was settled behind the desk, while Alison occupied the chair across from him as they were going over the various files. Thankfully, the files were well organized and prepared, making the task of reading through them easier. Still, Harm knew he'd likely have a headache by the time he was through. He also realized that Admiral Chegwidden may have done him something of a favor when he'd assigned him the budget years ago. Harm would now be responsible for the finances of his office and have to justify the expenses and prepare the next year's budget request.
The telephone on the desk rang then, yet Alison made no move to answer it.
"That's for you, Harm," she finally said with a laugh. "You're the FJA now, not me."
"Captain Rabb, Sir," Harm said into the telephone.
"Captain, Captain Pratt here. I'm aide to Admiral Kieso, the COMUSNAVEUR. The Admiral desires your presence for lunch at 1230 hours today. We'll be eating in his private dining room," Captain Pratt said.
"Understood, Captain. 1230 at the Admiral's dining room," Harm said, clearly knowing that an Admiral's desire was in the nature of an order.
"Correct. See you this afternoon," was all that was said before Captain Pratt hung up.
"Well, if you're lunching with the Admiral, we'll have to get as much done as we can by 1200. That way you'll be on time," Alison said with a smile, which turned into a laugh at the wounded look on Harm's face. "I'm certain that hasn't changed in the last seven years."
"I've been trying," Harm replied, somewhat defensively.
"That's good to hear, because Admiral Kieso doesn't tolerate lateness. You're either in the appointed place at the appointed time or you're not, so you may want to factor that in when he asks to see you. Personally, I suggest getting there fifteen minutes early, if you can."
"Maybe I should just adjust my watch by those fifteen minutes."
"I doubt that would work for you, Harm," Alison told him. "You'd know you had the extra fifteen minutes and ignore the time, ending up being late. Keep in mind, as the FJA, you serve at his pleasure. Screw up and he'll have you reassigned so fast, your luggage will arrive a week after you do. Oh, and your next posting would probably be Diego Garcia or Keflavik, Iceland."
Harm winced at that, before turning his attention back to the files. He only had Alison until Friday, then she out-processed to her next duty station. So, now was the time to ask any questions he might have.
Almost two hours later, the little alarm Alison had set on her watch went off announcing that it was time for Harm to get moving. Shrugging into his jacket, Harm left the office and proceeded to the stairs. Climbing to the top floor, he made his way to the suite of offices maintained for the Admiral. Walking down the hall, he had looked for signs for the private dining room, but had failed to see any. He was beginning to suspect Alison had set him up, by failing to tell him that the room was not located by the suite of offices.
Not knowing what else to do, Harm entered the outer office of Admiral Kieso. A chief petty officer looked up from the document he was reading, then stood.
"Captain Rabb," he asked with a touch of confidence in his voice. The man knew all of the special staff assigned to the Headquarters and figured this must be the new man on campus. "Follow me, Sir."
With that, the chief led the way back out of the office and down two door, knocking sharply before opening the door.
"Captain Rabb, Sir," the chief announced, stepping aside for Harm to enter.
Admiral Kieso was seated at a long table, which today was set for only three people. Sitting to the right of the Admiral was a Captain, whose uniform identified her as his aide.
"Never mind the formalities," the Admiral said as he saw Harm began to brace prior to reporting. "I know who you are and this is lunch, not a hanging party, Captain."
Harm moved to the vacant seat, shaking hands with both Admiral Kieso and Captain Pratt when they stood. The Admiral was a sharp featured man in his early sixties, a hawk-like look to his face and solid gray hair on top of a rail thin body. The look he gave Harm seemed to cut straight through him, leaving all that was inside open for inspection. Captain Pratt, on the other hand, was a redhead of indeterminate age. Her complexion suggested someone of Irish ancestry, yet her name did not lend itself to that. The other thing her complexion suggested was that she found little time or desire for worshiping the sun, as pale as she was.
When Harm met her eyes, he realized his inspection hadn't gone unnoticed nor unreturned. Her right eyebrow was quirked slightly upward, in a quizzical expression, while a smile played at the corners of her mouth. He suspected it was only the Admiral's presence that kept the smile from flowing forth.
"I've heard some good things about you, Captain," Admiral Kieso said. "When I was told you were going to replace Captain Krennick, I reviewed your personnel file and your fitness reports. I see you like to skirt the edge in order to get at the truth and that you don't seem to have a problem going toe to toe with the brass. Excellent. One thing I can't stand is a 'Yes' man, thinking the path to promotion is by kissing my ass. What I need, Captain, is someone who'll give me the facts and their best judgment, especially when that means telling me I'm making a huge mistake."
"Understood, Sir," Harm said.
"Your sole interest is keeping this command on solid legal ground, not protecting my career. Your officers are here to accomplish that and if anyone gets in their way, I want to know immediately. Understood?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Good. Colleen can usually have me on the phone in 120 seconds, if you need something urgent," Admiral Kieso said as a pair of enlisted mess men brought in lunch.
Looking at his plate, Harm could see the thoroughness of their check. His lunch was a salad and a bowl of broccoli and cheddar soup, while both Admiral Kieso and Captain Pratt were eating lamb chops and new potatoes. A plate of cheese and crackers was also placed on the table, along with fresh coffee. Conversation during the meal was light, mostly the usual questions of "Do you know…" and "Have you ever been to…" followed by answers that led to new topics. Harm sensed that the business of the meeting was actually over and that the Admiral had asked him to lunch for those few moments of shop talk.
When the mess man returned to clear the table, Admiral Kieso turned to Harm and fixed him with a hard look.
"Captain, another thing you're going to be dealing with are potential friendly fire incidents between naval personnel and allied forces in both Iraq and Afghanistan. The Air Force has an incident brewing right now involving two A-10s destroying British armored vehicles and killing a trooper. The Brits aren't happy with the fact that the pilots haven't been disciplined, which may affect their attitudes if something similar happens again."
"I've heard about the incident, Sir," Harm said. "I don't have any details on the Air Force's investigation, though, so I can't really …."
"No, I know that," Admiral Kieso interrupted, holding up a hand. "I didn't expect that you would know or have even looked at the incident, since it doesn't involve you or us. Rather, I just want you to think about that if something similar happens, because your office will be one of those responsible for dealing with the British MOD if naval personnel are involved."
"Understood, Sir."
With that, both the Admiral and his aide stood, which served to bring Harm out of his chair as well. After an exchange of handshakes, he left through the door he had entered, while the Admiral went through one that obviously led back to his office. Going back down to his office, he found Alison and the files there waiting for him. Settling back behind the desk, he picked back up with they had left off an hour before.
For her part, Alison didn't question Harm about how the lunch had went. She had a pretty good idea, having experienced it herself last year when Admiral Kieso took over as COMUSNAVEUR. She had been impressed with the man, yet somewhat surprised at his seeming political innocence. She hadn't expected someone to reach four-star rank without being corrupted by the system, yet the man seemed to be just that. In all of her dealings with the Admiral, he'd never once asked that something be swept under the rug or quietly lost. He had let her do her job and provided his support as needed.
Grove End Road – London, England
1742 Greenwich/ 2242 Eastern
Beth was the first to arrive tonight and she was slightly surprised to find that the house was quiet. Going upstairs, she quickly changed into a sweatshirt and jeans before walking down the hall to Mattie's room. Looking inside, she saw the teen's outfit from this morning laying on the bed, but there was no sign of the girl. Making her way back downstairs, she looking in the living room before going into the kitchen. Not knowing when Harm would be home, Beth decided to begin making dinner.
A quick look in the refrigerator and she pulled out some vegetables, having decided on a stir-fry. After washing the items, she began slicing them into pieces before getting the wok out and heating the oil. Tossing the pile of vegetables into the wok, she turned to getting the rice going. One of the nice things about the kitchen in this house, as far as Beth was concerned, was the closeness of everything. It made it much easier to keep an eye on the stove top while also preparing other items. So, she could give the vegetables a stir every few moments while also setting the rice to cook.
A hand on her back served to startle Beth and cause her head to snap around, there to find Harm was a smile on his face.
"Something smells good," Harm said as he stepped in for a kiss.
"Behave, Harm. I'm trying to cook and I don't want to burn anything," Beth said, as she moved back and turned towards the stove.
Harm was having none of that, however. A glance told him that everything she would need was already cooking, so he stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Brushing her hair to the side, he proceeded to trail kisses from the back of her neck to her cheek.
"Harm, Mattie could come in," Beth protested.
"No. She called me at the office when she got home and asked if she could go out with a couple of girls from school. They're going to do some studying and Mattie will join their family for dinner. I talked to the girls' father and he said it was alright, that he would bring her home afterwards. So, it's just us for dinner and I don't expect Mattie to be back until around 2100."
"Then why don't you get changed and we'll eat dinner."
"Sounds like a plan, darling. Give me five minutes," Harm said as he let go of her and headed out of the kitchen and on upstairs. Having seen how Beth was dressed and correctly deducing that indicated a night in, as opposed to their going out somewhere, Harm elected to follow suit with a sweatshirt and jeans as well. Going back downstairs, he saw that the food was served and Beth had decided to place the arrangements next to each other rather than across the small table.
They were halfway through dinner when the telephone began to ring. With a sigh, Harm pushed back from the table and went to the extension that sat on the kitchen counter.
"Captain Rabb, Sir," he answered it.
"Captain, Petty Officer Werk here. Sir, we've just gotten a report of an incident involving one of our officers."
Harm waited for the young man to continued, only to be met with silence.
"Petty Officer, do we have any details?"
"Oh, yes, Sir. A Lieutenant Stone off the USS Mahan was found by police in Naples. The reports indicate that she was unconscious, bound and gagged and there was evidence she'd been raped before being stabbed, Sir."
"Is there a suspect, Petty Officer?" Harm asked.
"Not according to these reports, Sir. NCIS is still conducting their investigation," Petty Officer Werk replied.
"Alright, then. Alert our personnel in Naples about a potential case, so they're up to speed. However, in the future, this type of thing can usually wait until the morning, Petty Officer. Or at least until we have a potential suspect. NCIS can handle the investigation, that's their job."
"Understood, Sir."
"Thank you, Petty Officer," was all Harm said before he hung up.
"Anything you can talk about, Harm?" Beth asked, seeing the look on his face.
"Oh, a potential case. The kid who has the night desk jumped the gun a little. NCIS is still carrying out their investigation, so the only thing my sending a JAG team into the mix would accomplish is to upset the NCIS people and possibly slow up the investigation."
"Then, why don't you finish dinner and we'll move to the living room. Maybe do some snuggling on the couch while listening to music. Because I know you're not going to bed until Mattie gets home."
Harm flashed Beth a brief look before sitting back down and finishing his dinner. The pair made short work of the pots and pans before loading the dishwasher and retiring to the living room. Harm picked up the stereo's remote and tuned in a channel playing light jazz, then he laid back on the couch and pulled Beth down on top of him.
"I seem to remember a time when we were laying like this, you said you couldn't breathe," Beth said with an impish smile.
"I have no memory of ever having said that," was Harm's reply, before he captured her lips in a kiss. "As a matter of fact, this feels just right to me."
"Good answer, darling."
The couple spent the next several minutes kissing each other before Beth put a stop to things by turning over. With her back to her husband, she took his hands and folded them across her midsection. She laughed lightly at hearing Harm's groan of frustration.
"Seriously, do you want Mattie to come home and find us having sex on the couch?" Beth asked, teasingly, knowing the answer full well as she continued on. "So, be a good boy until after she comes home and goes to bed. After that, we can get some practice in on keeping my promise to your dad."
"I'll be good," Harm told her and Beth could swear she heard the pout in his voice.
Harm stayed true to his word, contenting himself to simply cuddle with Beth. The soft music soon lulled by of them into a semi-sleep that was only broken by the sound of Mattie's key in the door. Harm and Beth both got off the couch and went to the entryway to find Mattie pushing the door open followed by an older gentleman.
"Thank you for seeing me up to the door, Mister Parkhurst," Mattie told the gentleman.
"Certainly, Mattie," he told her before seeing Harm and Beth standing there. "I see your parents heard us arrive."
"Mister Parkhurst, my parents. Captain Harmon Rabb and Lieutenant Commander Elizabeth Rabb. Dad, this is Hillary and Heather's father."
"Pleased to meet you, Captain Rabb. We spoke on the telephone earlier."
"It's nice to meet you as well, Mister Parkhurst," Harm said before shaking the extended hand. "Thank you for walking Mattie up to the door."
"You would no doubt do the same if you were seeing my daughters' home, Captain. Especially since seeing the door is rather difficult from where I could park the car. Oh, and Mattie is invited to our house this weekend, if that is acceptable."
"I don't see a problem with that, as long as nothing comes up to interfere."
"Excellent. If she could have an overnight case ready on Friday, my wife will be collecting the girls from school and can simply drop by here for Mattie to collect it. We'll have her home Sunday afternoon, if that suits you and the missus."
"That should be fine," Harm said, although he was a little shocked by the quickness of Mattie being invited to spend a whole weekend with people he hadn't met. Still, Mattie had a good head on her shoulders and being in a strange new place, she needed to make friends. So, if this was a way for her to make friends, Harm was willing to give his blessing, for the moment. He also knew he'd look into Mr. Parkhurst as soon as he reached the office in the morning.
"Mattie has all the details, as well as our telephone numbers and such. So, if either of you have any questions, just call myself or the wife. Now, I'll say Good Night, because if I'm gone too long the missus is certain I've either wrecked the car or gotten lost."
Harm, Beth and Mattie all shared a laugh at that before watching the man walk back out to where he'd parked the car. Once he was driving away, Harm closed the door and looked at Mattie, who was practically bouncing with excitement.
"Thank you so much for saying yes, Dad," Mattie said as she gave him a quick hug. "The twins are so much fun. Once we finished our homework, they took me down to the game room and we played games until it was time for dinner. After dinner, we watched a movie before it was time for me to come home."
"Well, it certainly sounds like you had a good time. Now, what's going on this weekend?" Harm asked.
"Oh, Friday night is a sleep over with a few other girls from school, so maybe I'll make a few more friends. Then, the Parkhursts are taking us to the theater on Saturday to see 'The Phantom of the Opera' and then out to dinner afterwards. So, by Sunday, I'll be ready to come home and crash."
"Well, I certainly hope you'll be getting homework done somewhere in there," Beth said with a laugh, pleased at how excited the teen sounded.
"If not, I can get it all caught up Sunday evening," Mattie said.
Harm and Beth just exchanged a look at that, while Mattie hurried up the stairs and made for her bedroom. Tossing her bag on the floor next to the bed, she quickly changed into sleepwear before climbing into bed. While not very late, it was close enough to her bedtime that she was able to fall asleep in a few minutes. Harm and Beth smiled at each other before turning off the stereo and the downstairs lights. After checking the doors, they also went upstairs and into their bedroom. However, sleep wasn't the thing on either adult's minds.