Crossing the Same River
Chapter 2
Jen blinked the sleep from her eyes, suddenly conscious that she was alone in her bed. She had been hoping to wake up in Harm's arms, her head pillowed on his chest or shoulder, and a moment of panic gripped her. She pushed herself up on her elbows, and knuckled the sleep from her eyes.
Harm was sat on her bedroom chair, lacing his shoes, but as Jen moved he looked up and saw that she was awake, and a smile began to spread across his face.
"Good morning," he greeted her.
"'Morning," Jen replied, "You… ah… were going to call me, right?" She tried to keep the tone of her voice humorous, but she was worried she had let the edge of panic show through at the thought of Harm sneaking out of her apartment as if he was ashamed of her, or sorry that he and she had made love.
Harm finished tying his shoes and stood, taking the two strides to reach the bed, where he perched on the side and scooped Jen up into his arms, where he lowered his face to hers and kissed her, long and gently.
"Nope, I wasn't going to call you. I was going to wake you, kiss you good morning, like I just did, and then I was going to tell you that I have one or two errands to run, a shower to take and scramble into some fresh clothes before I came to take you out to lunch, at about… oh… eleven thirty hours."
"Eleven thirty, hey?" Jen smiled, her heart beating so hard she was now afraid it might burst out of her chest. "That's only three hours away, I don't know if I can be ready by them…"
Harm gave her another gentle kiss, on the forehead this time, and grinned, "Nope, not going to work, I happen to know that you are quite capable of showering, dressing, doing your make-up, braiding your hair and being ready for duty within forty minutes of waking up – and that was while you were wearing uniform. I'm pretty sure you could shave ten minutes off that for just jeans and a sweatshirt."
"So… nowhere fancy for lunch?"
"Oh… I thought we could try that new bistro you were talking about, the one where the old Chinese take-out used to be?"
"Oh yes! Good idea, but it does call for something a little dressier that jeans and a t-shirt!"
"I'll leave that decision entirely up to you!" Harm smiled as he stood, "See you at eleven thirty!"
"Aye, aye, sir!" Jen grinned cheekily, and then as Harm gave a despairing shake of his head and made for the bedroom doorway she sat up in bed and hugged herself, a smile of sheer happiness breaking out across her face.
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Harm pushed his empty plate away and sat back, his fingers curled loosely around his water glass, as he waited for Jen to finish her meal. He was pleasantly surprised by the meal he had just eaten, not that it had been exotic, just a Waldorf salad, but with a hint of piquancy in the mayonnaise. But it hadn't been just the food. The place was clean and bright with just a suspicion of fresh paint lingering in the air, the waitress had been young and pretty and had cheerfully rattled off the ingredients of each dish that Harm had queried, and had paid just as much attention to Jen as she had to Harm.
Jen finished the last of her mixed smoked fish platter and laying down her knife and fork, she looked across at Harm, "Well? Your verdict is?"
"Nice place," Harm nodded, "good food, what's not to like?"
"And the staff?" Jen asked innocently – too innocently Harm thought.
"Efficient, knowledgeable, polite, friendly; again, what's not to like?" Harm asked just as innocently.
"And pretty?" Jen prompted him, the mischief now plain to see in her eyes.
Harm chuckled and leaned back against his chair's support, "Didn't really notice, as soon as I saw she was blonde… well, you know about my track record with blondes," he drawled.
Then his face lost its smile, but there was an undeniable warmth in his eyes as he leaned forward and stretching a long arm across the table, he covered one of Hen's hands with his own. "Besides, how can I be expected to look at another woman when I'm with my beautiful fiancée? That is of course, unless now that you've had your wicked way with me, you still want to be my fiancée?"
Jen's mischievous sparkle intensified, "No, I don't want to be your fiancée, I want to be your wife!"
"Good, now that's settled…" Harm grasped Jen's hand and turned it palm up, simultaneously using his free hand to take a small blue box from the pocket of his wind breaker and dropping it into Jen's palm, "Perhaps you'd like to see if this fits?"
Jen let go of Harm's hand and opened the box, a gasp of delight escaping her as she looked at the ring nestling in the box's velvet lining. "Oh… Harm…"
"I know I didn't consult with you about this, but I really wanted to surprise you, but if you don't like it…" Harm said nervously, "I knew you didn't wear any really fancy jewellery, so I figured, what with the job you're doing now, that you wouldn't want anything too… too…"
Jen laughed, and looked back down at the simple round cut diamond set on a slim, two-tone band, "Oh, Harm, quit while you're still ahead! Of course I like it, I love it! But… but where… when… how…?"
"Well, that was one of the errands I said I had to run this morning," Harm.
"Okay… so now that you've got the ring, would you like to…?" Jen held out her left hand for Harm to slip the ring onto her finger.
"If it's the wrong size, the sales clerk said to bring it back so it can be altered," Harm said nervously as he held the ring at Jen's fingertip.
"Well, we won't know until you try to put it on my finger, will we?" Jen prompted him.
"I guess not," Harm admitted and slipped the ring onto Jen's finger, holding his breath as it eased past her knuckle joint. "Well?" he asked anxiously.
"I think I must have gone to the ball," Jen exclaimed, her face flushed with pleasure, "It fits!"
Harm's own exclamation of pleasure was drowned out by a burst of applause and a resounding chorus of "Bravo, congratulations," and similar exclamations.
Startled Jen and Harm looked up to see standing at a respectful distance the waitress, a small, thin, wiry older woman and a Latino looking younger man, all of whom wore broad smiles on their faces.
The older woman stepped forward, "Congratulations to you both! You are the first couple to get engaged in our place – well as far as we know – so, Micky, two glasses for the happy couple!"
"Uh… ma'am… that's not necessary…" Harm stuttered even as Jen's blush deepened.
"Of course it is!" The woman disagreed, "My name's Lou, and this is my place, so what I say goes. Besides, we've seen the young lady in here a time or two, and wondered why she was eating alone, and now we know!"
Micky returned to the table with an ice bucket holding a bottle of champagne and a pair of glasses.
"Okay," Jen surrendered to the inevitable, "But only if you and your staff join us!"
Extra glasses were brought and the contents of the bottle shared equally between them, after which Harm and Jen made their farewells and with Lou's cry, "You-all come back real soon!" ringing in their ears, they escaped back out onto the street.
"Well, that was embarrassing!" Harm grinned as he and Jen headed back towards the loft.
"Oh… I don't know, it was kind of sweet," Jen demurred, but then added, "Of course, it was also some pretty shrewd PR and customer relations, too!"
"You think?" Harm asked slightly surprised by Jen's cynicism.
"Of course," Jen confirmed, "We now know the owner, and she has our names, so when we go back there, she'll be there to greet us personally, and that she knows our names will impress other customers with her friendliness and they will be encouraged to go back time and again so they can get the same sort of treatment. It's just plain good business sense."
"Wow! Cynical much!" Harm laughingly exclaimed and then surprised the hell out of Jen by slipping an arm around her waist and in a completely unexpected public display of affection pulling her close in a one-armed hug.
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Jen eyed the bulky envelope in Harm's hand with amused suspicion. He had stopped outside the building to retrieve it from the Corvette while Jen unlocked the building's main door. "Okay, what have you got there?" she asked.
Harm hooked his jacket onto one of the pegs on the back of the door and casually tossed the envelope onto the coffee table, "Realtors' listings," he grinned.
"Listings?" Jen asked in surprise.
"Yeah… we can't both live here, it's too small for two adults for anything longer than a week or so and…"
"And just how would you know that?" Jen demanded as she snuggled next to him.
Harm chuckled, "Nothing illegal, immoral or fattening, I promise. It's just that during the ten years I spent living here, I had guests from time to time, and after a couple of days, we just kept tripping over each other… there's nowhere here where you can go for some 'just me' time. And if we're planning on having a family…"
"O…kay…" Jen said slowly, "that sounds reasonable, but… these guests… male or female?"
"Uh… both. Skates and Keeter have both stayed over, so has my Mom when she made the trip without Frank – now that really did cramp my style!"
"Yes, I suppose it would!" a greatly amused Jen nearly choked on her laughter, "Anybody else?"
"Well Maria Elena used to beg the use of my shower and couch for a night or two when she was on layover…"
"And Maria Elena is?"
"Maria Elena Carmelita Moreno Gutierrez was Keeter's girlfriend. They gave me a hand one weekend when I was still fixing the place up, and Maria Elena fell in love with the shower…"
"Yes, I can see how that would happen," Jen agreed. "Anyone else?"
"Some of the guys from the Raptors, and of course Annie Pendry and Josh stayed for a few days when some bad guys were looking for Josh…"
Jen nodded. That was before her time at JAG, but as the Admiral's Yeoman she had access to most case files, and she had read up on all of Harm's old cases. "Okay," she repeated, "You've convinced me, so let's have a look at these listings."
Harm tipped the envelope up and shook its contents onto the coffee table. Jen looked at the sheaf of leaflets and said, "Right, how are we going to do this?"
"We each take half the leaflets, look through them, and discard the obvious non-starters, then when we have whittled the pile down to a few possibles, then we start applying criteria."
"Which are?"
"At least two bedrooms, and two bathrooms – those are non-negotiable. As far as I'm concerned, a porch is pretty desirable, if not essential, and a fenced in back yard, in a quiet neighbourhood – that is also essential, and that means traffic as well as neighbours."
Jen nodded, "That's all pretty straightforward… so let's get started."
Five minutes passed in silence as Harm sorted through his half of the stack, the number of discards growing quickly to one side, but then he became aware that Jen had stopped sorting and was going back through her pile of discards, looking from them to the remainder of the pile still waiting for inspection. She turned a puzzled face towards him, "Harm… these are all for rentals?"
"Yeah, that's right," he agreed.
"But wouldn't we be better off buying?" she queried.
"We would, if I didn't already own a house," Harm agreed, blissfully unaware the bombshell he had just dropped on Jen.
"You what?" she asked in surprise.
"I what? Oh… didn't Mattie ever say? Yeah, I already own a house, but it's in Belleville, PA," Harm said quietly.
"Oh, Harm…" Jen dropped her hand onto one of his, "Your grandmother?"
"Three years ago." Harm confirmed. "Just after Christmas, she went to sleep one night, and just didn't wake up. A neighbour lady found her when she didn't turn up for a quilting meet. Her heart just stopped beating… She was ninety…" he seemed to give himself a shake, "But it's three, three and a half hours out of DC, too far for a daily commute. And I get a pretty generous BAH if I rent, which I wouldn't get if we were buying, so with two incomes – you do intend to keep working, right? – we won't be rich, but we won't be hurting…"
"M'mm… but Falls Church, McLean, Pimmit Hills and Langley? Aren't they all a little too far from the Navy yard for comfort?"
"Maybe," Harm grinned, "but there are advantages to not living above the store. Besides, they are good areas for kids to grow up, with decent schools and a low crime rate."
"Okay… That all makes sense, nearly," Jen grinned.
"M'mm…" Harm grinned and then with a wordless exclamation of impatience, he threw his stack of brochures down onto the table and unhooked his cell phone from his belt.
"What now?" Jen frowned.
"Well, I'm tired of looking at brochures for the moment. With most of our friends on the west coast, I was thinking that it would be more convenient for us to fly out there, rather than have them all come back east. I mean, just look at Bud and Harriet for a start, can you imagine them trying to get their brood back here, just for the weekend? And then there's Mattie. She might get a stand down, but if not then she isn't going to be able to make it. And Mom and Frank are getting a little too old to make the trip these days. So…?"
"So what?" Jen asked although she was getting an inkling of what Harm was driving at.
"So how does the idea of an open air, evening wedding strike you? There's a little headland about five minutes' walk from Mom and Frank's place, and I'm pretty sure they'd be happy to host the wedding breakfast."
"But what about the catering?" Jen asked, "I thought we were going to take care of that!"
"Well, that was a thought, but it would mean even more effort and expense getting everybody back here. Besides Mom has got Maria, her long-time cook cum housekeeper and I'll bet Harriet would be upset if we didn't let her contribute."
Jen nodded thoughtfully, "That's probably true," she conceded.
"But nothing is going to happen on that or any other front, unless we start telling people that we are getting married. And for the sake of domestic peace and harmony, I suggest that we tell Mom and Frank first, then Mattie and then Harriet."
"Anyone else?" Jen asked.
"Skates of course!" Harm added "and anyone you especially want to invite?"
"Jason and his wife, and Lynn Paterson and her husband."
"Lynn Paterson? Oh, yes, Lynn Barker that was," Harm remembered.
"Jack Keeter?" Jen prompted.
"If I can track him down," Harm agreed, "Anyone else?"
"A J," Jen suggested doubtfully, "In fact, unless you are dead set against it, I'd kinda like for him to give me away…"
Harm shrugged, "Sure, of that's what you want. What happened between us was a long time ago, Jen, and I'm over it, more or less. Besides, if it makes you happy, I'll even try to track down Sturgis."
"But you're still not over that?" Jen asked.
Harm shook his head. "No what he did I saw, and still see, as a betrayal. He was ready to see me convicted of negligent homicide and see me lose my career, my civilian prospects and see me spend years behind bars, because he couldn't stand a little disagreement when he was totally out of his depth as JAG pro-tem. And I find that very hard to forgive Jen, especially when he was supposed to have been one of my oldest friends in the Navy."
Both fell silent as they remembered that not so outstanding period in JAG's history. Harm's face became an expressionless mask while Jen smiled briefly. As the JAG's Yeoman she had felt the full force of Sturgis Turner's attempt to prove that he was capable of running the Corps on a temporary basis. Unfortunately his attempt had been marked by an emphasis on what Jen had privately thought of as displacement activity. The then Commander Turner had been incapable of imposing his will on his attorneys and had reverted to demanding more and ever more numerous and complex reports and returns, surrounding himself with rampart of pie charts and statistics and labouring under the delusion that what he was demanding of his staff was of any use, while avoiding to confront the problems his command style was generating. Harm had thought that their friendship was strong enough for him to be able to point out to Turner what he was doing and where Harm thought he was going wrong. He was mistaken, Turner had pulled his temporary rank on him and had obviously allowed his resentment to fester and had seized the opportunity for payback over Harm's downing of a light airplane which was attempting a suicide attack on an oil rig in the Arabian Gulf.
Breaking off her train of thought, she allowed her smile to reappear, "So… are you going to get calling?" she teased Harm.
"Yeah…" he checked his watch, "Mom should be about ready for her mid-morning coffee… that is if Frank has made it back from the golf course yet. So, here goes nothing!"
Harm pressed the top number on his speed-dial list and switching the phone to speaker, he sat and waited while the connection was made and the phone at the other end was answered.
"Burnett."
"Hi Mom, it's me, how are you?"
"Harm, how wonderful! We were talking about you only last night, wondering if now that you were back in the States you'd be able to find time to come visit with us!"
"Well, that's why I'm calling. Mom, are you sitting down? And is Frank back from the golf course yet?"
"Yes, and yes. Why?"
"I'm getting to that. Can you either get Frank to pick up on the extension, or if he's sitting with you, switch on the speaker phone?"
"Of course, but Harm…"
"In a moment, Mom. Frank?"
Frank Burnett's disembodied voice came over the airwaves from California, "Hi, Harm, it's good to hear from you son."
"It's good to hear your voice too," Harm agreed, "But I'm calling to see of some arrangements I have in mind are okay with you."
"I know that tone of voice!" Patricia Burnett, better known as Trish, said accusingly, "You're up to something!"
"Umm… yeah… guilty as charged… sort of," Harm chuckled.
"Alright, spit it out!" Frank said in a no-nonsense sort of voice.
"Well, I was wondering if it would be okay if I came to visit for a long weekend from May eleventh through May fourteenth."
"Of course it would, darling!" Trish cried ecstatically.
"And would it be okay if I brought someone with me?" Harm asked as he dropped a wink to Jen who was biting her knuckles in an attempt to stifle her growing laughter.
"Of course! You know you can bring any of your friends when you visit!" Trish protested.
"And would it be okay if we had our wedding breakfast at your place on the Friday evening?" Harm asked innocently.
"Of course you can…" Trish agreed happily, but just then her brain caught up with her ears, "What… what did… did you just say?" she asked uncertainly.
"Um… I asked if it would be okay to have our wedding breakfast at your place on Friday evening."
"Wedding breakfast! What wedding breakfast?" Trish howled.
"Well, we were kind of figuring on having the ceremony out on Far Point, and then coming home for the reception. It won't be a big party, maybe twenty people tops, and I know you have bigger cocktail parties than that. And Harriet Roberts will be more than happy to help, so it wouldn't mean too much extra work for you or Maria, and I was…"
"Just hold on right there Mister!" Trish snapped. "Let me get this straight. You want to come home for a long weekend to get married?"
"Um… yeah, that's about right."
"Harm… this is all very sudden… who is the woman, how long have you known her… and you are a wicked man springing this sort of news on me without warning!"
"Well, I did ask if you were sitting down, Mom," Harm reminded her. "As for sudden… well… it might seem so, but it's actually the culmination of a very slow maturing romance. As for how long I've known her, well, about eleven years in total…"
"Harm, is it Mac?" Trish interrupted.
"No, Mom, it's not Mac. That boat sailed long ago. As for who it is, you know her… well, you've met her a couple of time, and you've spoken to her on the phone more than a few times. Mom, Jennifer Coates has done me the honour of accepting me as her husband. And as we've known each other for so long, we don't want to waste any time…"
"Jennifer Coates?" Trish's voice was suddenly troubled, "Harm, isn't she the girl who shared the apartment with Mattie? And isn't she a Petty Officer, an enlisted sailor and isn't she…?"
"Mom, Mom, before you say anything you wouldn't want her to hear, she's sat right next to me and you're on speaker phone. Yes, she's twelve years younger than I, and no she's not a Petty officer, she's now a civilian, so having recognised that we love each other, we can't see anything else getting between us. Mom, I let what other people might think, and playing it safe with the regulations bind my tongues for year, but not now. I love Jen, and she loves me, so we're getting married. I thought you might like it if we came out to the west coast so you could be there for the wedding and I got to admit that I thought you might be happy for me…" he finished almost accusingly.
"Oh darling, if you're happy then I am happy for you too… It's just that this has come like a bolt out of the blue… So… so unexpected! What happened to my cautious, dip the toe in the water, nor to mention indecisive son of mine?"
"Oh… I'm still here, Mom, but just for once I allowed myself to be swept off my feet… and it's all thanks to Jennifer," Harm ended with what he hoped was a subtle hint, but Jen's quirked eyebrow left him in no doubt that she didn't share his opinion.
"H'mm… you did, did you? Well, If Jennifer's sitting next you, let her speak, I need to make sure the poor girl is in her right mind! Jennifer?"
"I'm here, Mrs Burnett," Jen confirmed.
"Oh, no… that will never do! If you are really intent on marrying Harm – and I'm sure you could do much better – then you had better get used to calling me 'Mom'!"
"Oh, I fully intend to marry him… Mom… I have no intention of letting him get away! And I am perfectly sane – I've just had a psych eval, and passed with flying colours!"
Trish Burnett who had been the wife and the mother of a sailor for nearly half a century was no stranger to military-speak and intuitively divined Jen's meaning and a gurgle of surprised laughter erupted from her, "Oh, I' m sure you ticked all the rights boxes and saw all the right shapes, but are you sure, dear, that you really want to marry that reprobate son of mine?"
"I'm sure, really sure." Jen confirmed with a grin. She had been alarmed at what had seemed to be Trish's hostile initial reaction to the news but quickly realised to her relief that it was the surprising nature of the news that had been so abruptly broken to her that had jolted her out of her usual good humour.
"Well! In that case I'm certainly not to try to dissuade you! Even if only out of relief that he's finally settling down… oh… and of course, welcome to the family dear! Oh… I'm going to yield to Frank now, I was beginning to think that the cat had got his tongue, but it looks like he finally wants to say something."
"Finally?" Frank's amused and exasperated voice came out of the speaker, "I've been trying to get a word in edgeways for the last five minutes, at least! So… congratulations to you two, apart from your Mom's panic attack a few minutes ago, how are the rest of your friends taking it?"
"Oh, Frank, do you really think that I would dare tell anyone else before Mom and you?"
"Well, there's Mattie…"
"She's next on the list, but you and Mom first! Then Mattie, and then everyone else who we want to know."
"Mac?" Frank asked quietly.
Unseen by Frank, Harm shook his head. "No… Mac belongs in the past. We haven't spoken to or wrote each other for years, let the past bury the past, Frank."
"Yeah, it's probably for the best. Well, my congratulations to you Harm, and Jennifer?"
"Sir?"
"My respects to you. It won't be easy housebreaking a crusty old bachelor."
"I'm sure he'll find it just as difficult handling a shrewish old maid!" Jen laughed.
"H'mm…" Even that syllable was replete with amusement. "Well, we'll see you all on May eleventh, in the meantime Harm, if you need any help with anything, call me!
"We will! 'Bye Mom, 'bye Frank, love you both!"
"Goodbye, son, goodbye Jennifer!"
"Goodbye, darlings!" Trish chimed in and a second later the line went dead.
"That went well," Harm deadpanned.
"Yuh think?" Jen mimicked Gibbs' delivery of one of his stock phrases and by the quizzical look on Harm's face she succeeded, but she wasn't yet prepared to share that joke with him.
"Yep, and now comes the difficult call…"
"Mattie? She'll be delighted… I think…" Jen finished.
"Well… there's only one way to find out!" Harm grinned, picked up Jen's hand from where it lay in her lap and gently kissed her knuckles, before he put it gently back and hit the speed dial menu again.
"Hey Harm!"
"Huh? How did you know it was me?"
"Caller ID? Remember?" Mattie chuckled and Harm swore he could hear a silent "Duh!" at the end of her comment.
"Yeah… right…" Harm answered sheepishly, his ears glowing pink as Jen tried again to stifle a giggle.
"Harm… Have… uh… have you got somewhere there with you?" Mattie demanded.
"Well, yeah, nothing wrong with your hearing… and you're on speaker phone, so try to keep the abuse to a minimum, hey, Squirt?"
"Okay… but if you want me to keep the abuse level down to something manageable, then you gotta come clean. Who's there?"
Harm dropped Jen another broad wink, "Oh, well… It's not classified, and I suppose you could argue that you have a need to know, so… I'm here with my fiancée."
"Your fiancée?" Mattie's tone was openly incredulous, "Oh come on, Harm, be serious! Who's there with you?"
"I am being serious, Mattie, and the reason…"
"You're getting married? Seriously? Oh. My. God."
"Hey, it's not that strange, a lot of women think I'm still a pretty good catch."
"Yeah, I know! But Mister Harmon Impregnable Rabb finally runs up the white flag? Wow! That's a whole new ballgame. She must be one special woman!"
"Okay, let's get a couple of things straight around here. I am the father figure. You are the daughter figure," Harm grinned across at Jen, "It's supposed to be me giving you a hard time about dating, not vice versa! Secondly, that's Captain Harmon Impregnable Rabb to you, Lieutenant Grace, and don't you forget it!"
"Yessir! No sir! Three bags full, sir!" Mattie rapped out in her best Plebe-voice and then the amusement gone from her voice she added warmly, "If you really are getting married Harm. Then I repeat, she must be one very special woman. When do I get to meet her?"
"Um…" Harm could barely keep the laughter that was dancing in his eyes out of his voice, "Um… here's the thing, Mattie, you've already met her."
For a long moment there was silence on the other end of the line as Mattie's heart sank and then with a vague feeling of dread and rather tentatively Mattie asked, "Harm… it's… is it Mac?"
"No, Squirt, it's not Mac," Harm answered and looked back across at Jen who by now was biting one of the throw pillows so that she wouldn't break into open laughter, and at last Harm could feel his own control slipping and gave up the game, "It's… Jen," he finally admitted.
"Jen? Jen who…?" Mattie asked bemusedly then as the penny dropped she squealed, "Jen? As in Jen Coates?"
"Hey, I said you'd met her, do both of us know any other Jen?"
"You are really getting married to Jen? Yesss! Result!"
"I take it the idea meets with your approval?"
"Of course it does! Oh, man, I got so many questions! Harm I'm going to have to call you back, I gotta call Jen and get the low-down!"
"No need to do that, Squirt. Like I said, she's right here with me, and since you're on speaker phone, she's heard every word we've both said, and at the moment she's desperately trying not to laugh!"
"She's there? Great! Hey Jen, now that you're marrying Harm, does that mean I get to call you 'Mom' at last?"
"No way!" Jen giggled, "I'm far too young to have a twenty something daughter! You just carry right on calling me by name!"
"Yes, Mom!" Mattie giggled.
"Mattie!" Jen allowed a note of warning to sound in her voice, "That could get pretty old, pretty quick!"
"Okay, I'll be good. " Mattie took a gulp of air in an effort to calm her breathing, "When did all this happen?" she asked curiously.
"Well…" it was Jen's turn to shoot a laughter filled glance at Harm, "When Harm got back from England a couple of weeks ago, I gave him a day or three to settle into his office then paid him a surprise visit. And when I left, I ambushed him with a kiss and really laid it on him and told him to think things through. He finally got back to me last night, and we had a bit of a talk and decided that we should get married."
"Hah! I always said you had a crush on him, even back in the day when we shared the apartment!"
"Yeah… you did…"
"And you always denied it when I asked you!"
"Oh, Mattie, I had to. Harm was an officer and…"
"And you were enlisted, yeah I know… but you've been carrying a torch for him all this time? Woe! That really is love!"
"Yep, that's what I figured, too," Harm interrupted, sliding an arm around Jen's waist.
"But what about you Harm? You never gave off any vibes about Jen. You always treated her like a younger sister!"
"Yeah… But like Jen said I was an officer, so any feelings I might have had had to be stuffed into a box and the lid screwed down tight, but Jen made me took a good hard look at myself when she ambushed me, and after thinking things through, I decided that she was right after all,"
"I generally am," Jen murmured into his ear, causing Harm to choke on a laugh.
"Just what are you two up to?" Mattie asked suspiciously, "Not inappropriate behaviour?"
"Perfectly appropriate," Jen chuckled, "We're sitting all snuggled up on the couch and Harm has got his arm around my waist!"
"H'mm…" Mattie still sounded as if she had her doubts bit relented, "Okay, I'll let you slide – this time. So…" another deep breath followed, "When are you planning on doing the deed, or haven't you made up your minds yet?"
"Oh, we've made up our minds. I wanted to have a quiet ceremony this coming weekend…" Harm started.
"What? No! You can't do that! I won't be able to get leave at such short notice! It's not fair!" Mattie exclaimed.
"Relax, Squirt," Harm laughed, "Jen nixed that. She pointed out that my Mom would kill me if we eloped like that!"
"Well, she got that right!" Mattie grumped, "So… when?"
"Would you believe May twelfth?"
"Wow! That's next month! I might be able to get leave..."
"Power down, Mats, Jen and I are flying out to San Diego on the eleventh and we will be staying at Mom and Frank's place. The wedding is on the twelfth, an open air ceremony at Far Point, you know that little headland about five minutes from the house?" The one overlooking the beach?"
"Oh, yeah, I know it!"
"So all you need to do is to make sure that you're not flying or on standby that evening, and if that's all you can manage it will be okay with Jen and me, and we'll get together on the Sunday or Monday."
"Okay… I might be able to swing that…"
"Good, a formal invitation will be in the post… Oh… and it will not be a naval wedding." Harm cocked an inquiring eyebrow at Jen for confirmation and to his relief saw her nod in confirmation, despite the slightly surprised expression on her face.
"No dress whites and gold wings?" Mattie asked and Harm thought he could hear disappointment in her voice.
"Not this time around, Squirt. But believe me, you'll be glad not to wear them that evening. The wedding breakfast will be at Mom's and if I'm any judge, it will be party on till cock-crow, and under those conditions dress whites get pretty uncomfortable, and opening the collar and unbuttoning the jacket looks… well… un-military, plus there will be senior officers there and it will be much easier, less formal all round if everyone's wearing civvies."
"H'mm… that makes sense in a weird kinda way… Um… have you told Harriet and Bud yet?"
"No, not yet. They're next on the to-do list!" Harm laughed.
"Okay, I'll let you go now so you can call them. And Harm, congratulations and my love to you and to Jen!"
"Okay, Squirt. Our love to you too!"
"Yeah, love you, Mattie," Jen chimed in, "'Bye!"
"'Bye… Mom!" Mattie laughed and then broke the connection before Jen could object.
Harm chuckled at Jen's expression which showed a mixture of annoyance, amusement and resignation.
"Cheer up," he recommended, "It's a nine minute wonder, and if you don't react, she'll stop it soon enough."
"She'd better!" Jen muttered.
"What are you going to do if she doesn't?" Harm teased. "Ground her? Withdraw internet privileges? Take her cell phone away? Send her to the naughty step… Mom?"
The ridiculous nature of Harm's suggestions had Jen in laughter before he had finished speaking and when she recovered her breath she shook her head helplessly, "Oh… I think I'm going to like being married to you!"
A startled Harm drew back and looked askance at her, "I certainly hope so! But not as much, I think, as I'm going to like being married to you!"
Jen laid her head on his shoulder, "Are you going to call Harriet and Bud this afternoon?"
Harm shook his head. "Nope, if what we've just been through with Mom and Mattie is any indication then it will only be a repeat performance from Harriet, so no, I'll leave it until Monday and call Bud from the office."
Jen snuggled even closer and slid her hand up to the back of Harm's neck, "I knew there was something I liked about you!" she smiled as she tugged his head down to her level.
"Only something?" Harm murmured against her lips which parted under his.
"M'mm…" Jen replied.
xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx
On Sunday morning it was Harm's turn to lie in bed and appreciatively watch as Jen sat at her vanity table, plying her hair brush and dryer as she strove to achieve the perfect pixie look in her freshly washed hair.
Some things might have changed, Harm mused, but he was certain he remembered the faded blue terry-cloth bath robe she wore but before he could comment Jen gave a nod of satisfaction, turned off her hair dryer and laid down her brush. She turned towards Harm and with a humorously quizzical grin asked, "If I was to head straight for the kitchen, put some coffee on and prepped some pancakes and eggs, do you think that might be enough incentive to get your butt out of bed, into the shower and then into some clothes?"
"It might," Harm agreed affably, "On the other hand, you didn't give me much rest last night did you?" he finished with a sly grin.
If Harm had expected to see Jen blush he was disappointed, her face never changed colour and her return grin was just as broad as his, "Didn't hear you complain too much," she pointed out, "and I was just as energetic as you. So if I can get vertical this morning, there's no excuse for you lazing in bed all morning!"
"Ouch!" Harm grimaced and leaning to one side felt the floor alongside the bed in search of his boxer shorts, his actions bringing a peal of laughter from Jen, "Oh… that is priceless! After the last two nights, you're still shy? Unbelievable!" And with a shake of her head she undid the tie of her bath robe and shrugged it off of her shoulders as then, completely unconcerned by her nudity she took the three steps towards the closet where she stood for a few minutes selecting her outfit for the day.
Harm, with a shamefaced grin nevertheless manoeuvred under the covers until his boxers were securely in place before he slid out of bed and as casually as he could, strolled towards the shower room, hearing Jen's smothered laughter as he turned the shower on.
xxxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx
After a leisurely breakfast Harm and Jen poured themselves a fresh cup of coffee and returned to the stack of realtors' listings they had so unceremoniously abandoned yesterday' A half an hour's study had reduced each stack to less than a dozen 'possibles' and Jen looked at Harm, "Well?"
"We exchange stacks, and discard any with which we violently disagree, then we put on our jackets and take a drive out and take a look-see?" Harm suggested.
"Fine by me, so hand 'em over," Jen replied.
A further twenty minutes study revealed that with the exception of one discard Harm and Jen's ideas ran on parallel tracks and as a result there were still far too many possible places to view for one day.
"What now?" Jen sighed as she gloomily contemplated the consolidated list.
"Shuffle through them, and sort them by location, and see what that leaves us?" Harm suggested.
Another fifteen minutes later and four smaller stacks stared back at them from the surface of the coffee table. Harm grinned at Jen who grumbled, "We haven't seen a single property yet and already I hate house-hunting!"
"Not the most enjoyable of past times, I grant you," Harm answered and then leaned in and captured her lips in a gentle kiss, "So… where do we start?" he asked, indicating the four stacks.
"Oh… the hell with it!" Jen snarled and grabbed the stack nearest to her. "McLean!" she announced as she looked at the top sheet.
"McLean it is, then," Harm agreed, and standing, he held out a hand to help Jen to her feet.
The drive out to McLean in the Corvette, its windows wound down to allow the warm late spring air into the car did much to restore Jen's spirits, but of the first three houses they looked at none lived up to the expectations raise by the realtors' brochures. Consequently Jen's spirits plunged again and Harm also showed signs of impatience.
Even their midday break at the food court at Tyson's Corner Mall did little to lighten their mood, and Harm nearly suggested they call it a day and return to the loft apartment, but one look at the mulish set of Jen's face as she buckled herself into her seat belt convinced him to carry on with what he was beginning to feel was a wasted day's endeavour.
The last two places on their list were better, so much so that the first one of the pair was marked on the list as warranting a second visit during the week as soon as it could be arranged. So with her spirits somewhat restored Jen turned to Harm and asked shyly,
"Um… while we're here, Harm, do you mind if we make a call?"
"Where do you have in…Oh… The admiral?"
"Yeah, if you don't mind?"
"No… If you want him at the wedding, then I'm going to have to face him sooner or later, so we might as well get it over with."
"You're not still mad at him are you?"
"Mad? No, not mad, just not particularly keen on renewing the acquaintanceship."
"Not friendship?" Jen asked worriedly.
Harm considered for a few moments and then deliberately indicated left before he turned towards where A J Chegwidden lived before he spoke, "No… I don't think we were ever friends, Jen, the gap in age, rank, experience and outlook was just too different, and then after Paraguay we lost the mutual respect we held each other in, and then it felt like he was selling us all down the river when he suddenly retired, so it was a triple betrayal. He betrayed Mac, he betrayed me and then at the end he betrayed us all by quitting."
"That's all true," Jen admitted as she bit her bottom lip, "But he did admit, to me at least, that he had made some huge mistakes. And… and… and I managed to make my peace with him, and he got rid of a lot of his grouchiness when he took off the uniform. So, can you please make an effort?"
Harm forced a smile, "If it's to please you, okay, then I'll make an effort. I can't promise it will be all sweetness and light between me and the admiral, but I'll give it a try."
"That's good enough for me!" Jen exclaimed a blush of pleasure appearing on her cheeks and then she leaned forward slightly, "This is it! The next house on the right!"
"Yeah, I remember," Harm grinned as he slowed in preparation for the turn into the driveway.
The gravel of the driveway crunched under their feet as they crossed the three or four yards between them and the steps to the admiral's porch. Harm grimaced mentally as he stepped up on the wooden decking, remembering the bitter taste of the night he had almost betrayed his honour in this very spot. He had never allowed himself to return here since that night.
Jen shot a quick, anxious look at him and Harm again forced a smile, as he raised a fist to knock on the door frame.
The knock was answered in less than a minute, A J Chegwidden hadn't changed that much in the intervening years. True, he now cultivated a neatly trimmed grey goatee and moustache which contrasted, somewhat ludicrously Harm thought, with his almost totally hairless scalp. However, there was no hint of friendliness in his dark eyes as they flitted over Harm.
"Mister Rabb, good afternoon. I'd heard you were back in DC."
Harm nodded an acknowledgement of the greeting, but contented himself with a laconic "Admiral," in return.
Chegwidden allowed himself a slight smile and then his eyes softened and the broadest smile Harm had ever see appeared on his face as his gaze came to rest on Jen, "Jennifer! Great to see you again! But what on earth have you done to your hair? And what brings you all the way out here on a Sunday afternoon?"
Jen returned the older man's smile, her affection for the former admiral obvious in her face and her expression, "Hello, A J. I… we've come to ask you for a favour."
Chegwidden's flitted from one face to the other and back again, "You have, have you? Well, you'd best come in and tell me all about it!" He stood back to let them enter, gesturing in the direction of the lounge.
Harm let Jen lead the way and once she was sat on the couch settled beside her.
Chegwidden watched them, observing their body language but held his peace until he had settled into one of the armchairs. "Well, how can I help?" he asked, shrewdly eyeing Jennifer.
"Um… well… I… uh… we… that is Harm and I… well… we're getting married on May twelfth at La Jolla, at Harm's parents' place, and I wanted to know if you would consider going out to the west coast and give me away at the wedding…." Jen's voice trailed off uncertainly as she looked at her former employer and Chegwidden for his part noticed how Jen's hand unconsciously, it seemed, sought and found comfort in Harm's firm grasp.
Chegwidden pursed his lips and nodded thoughtfully, "I always thought that there was more to your feelings towards Mister Rabb than you ever let show, Jennifer. But what about you, Mister Rabb?"
Harm felt a flash of irritation that his former CO could even hint that there had been anything improper in his conduct towards any sailor, but he made an effort not to allow that irritation to show in his voice, "There was never anything untoward in my attitude to the then Petty Officer Coates, Mister Chegwidden," he replied flatly.
Chegwidden made an impatient slashing motion with his hand, "Dammit Rabb! Of course there wasn't! Do you think I am, or was, a total fool? No, your sense of honour, and the UCMJ and Navy Regs, would have kept you from making any approaches. I know that, and I knew that then! I'm not asking about what you did or didn't do. I'm asking you about how you felt!"
Harm stared levelly at the retired admiral and bit back the resentment at the older man asking him about his feelings. It was, after all, none of his business, but for some reason Chegwidden had become important to Jen, and if Jen wanted the former Seal to give her away at her wedding then he reluctantly supposed that he, Harm, needed to provide some sort of answer. "At first, I felt an almost proprietary interest in Jen. I was proud of her, proud of the effort she had made to turn her life around and I kept an eye on her so I could offer her the support and encouragement she needed at that time. And gradually I began to understand her, and learn a bit more about her, so when I needed help in looking after Mattie, I asked Jen not just because it helped us both at a difficult time, but also I had come to see that she had so many good qualities… integrity, loyalty and honesty that she would be a shining example to Mattie. During the time that Mattie spent with us, I… my feelings towards Jen underwent a change, and she… well… I became very much attracted to her. The difference in our ages, and as you say, our positions made any sort of romantic relationship between us impossible, and of course at that time I still thought I was in love with Mac. So I persuaded myself that what I felt towards Jen was no more affection than a brother would feel towards a sister."
"So, what changed, Mister Rabb? Jennifer said nothing to me about wanting to marry you. Not while she was still serving, and not once during the three years she worked for me as a civilian. So what changed, and when?"
"That would have been the week before last. I had only been back in DC for a week or so, when Jen came to see me in my office. As soon as I saw her, I felt happier than I had done for a long time, and then she kinda set out her stall and gave me a badly needed wake up. So, after doing what she told me, and thought things through, I called her. We arranged to meet for dinner and we talked things through and decided that we did love each other. As for the suddenness… well… I'm not getting any younger…"
"And I don't want to leave having children much longer, so we don't want or need a long engagement – we have known each other eleven years, so it's not really so sudden after all, is it, A J?"
Chegwidden chuckled, "When you put it like that, no, I guess not. You're a very lucky man, Mister Rabb."
"I am quite aware of that!" Harm replied stiffly.
Chegwidden sat back in his chair, a slow grin lightening his rather foreboding expression, "And you would have preferred to tell me to go to hell, instead of admitting all that wouldn't you, Mister Rabb? But I wasn't acting with any malicious intent, I just wanted to make sure that you weren't acting out of some impulse, that you hadn't made Jennifer one of your crusades."
Harm's own grin, pretty much against his inclination, made its own appearance as he shook his head. "No, I'm over that phase. Extra responsibility, at home and in the Navy has finally caused me to grow up. I'm not Peter Pan anymore," he said, deliberately offering an olive branch, "Besides, Jen knows me too well, and I'd bet a dollar against a dime that as soon as I started to show any symptoms like that, she'd bring me back down to earth so fast I'd think I'd gone onto a flat spin!"
"Damn straight!" Jen chimed in, bringing a chuckle from both men. Jen waited for the laughter to die, and feeling slightly relieved at even that minor sign of reduce tension between the two most important men in her life, she too relaxed slightly and smiled winningly at A J, "So, you'll fly out to the west coast and support me?" she asked.
"Stop it!" A J commanded with a grin, "I know exactly what you're doing with those eyes! But, yes, if you want me, I will be proud and honoured to walk you down the aisle!"
Jen's answering smile was one of pure happiness, but all she said was "Thank you, A J."
Chegwidden waved off her thanks, and said, "Was there anything else I can help you with?"
Harm shook his head and cocked an inquiring eyebrow at Jen, who caught his gaze, half-smiled and nodded.
"No, nothing else. Thank you, Mister Chegwidden. We've taken up enough of your Sunday, so by your leave?"
Chegwidden stood, a move followed by his guests, "Of course." He hesitated, "But if I'm going to be part of your wedding, then 'Mister Rabb' and 'Mister Chegwidden' are rather clumsy and distant forms of address. Do you think we might manage 'Harm' and 'A J' instead?"
Harm stood and stared at A J, undecided for a few moments then, unseen by A J, Jen gave him a slight nudge with her elbow and Harm turned his eyes to her upturned face and seeing the pleading expression there he looked back at his former CO, "We could try," he said.
"Alright, then we'll try… Harm," A J said.
"Yeah, okay… A J," Harm agreed.
Five minutes later as Harm paused at the end of the driveway to make sure the road was clear before pulling out, Jen turned to him and said simply, "Thank you, Harm. I know that was difficult."
"On so many levels, yes it was. But make no mistake Jen, A J and I aren't friends yet, we may never be, but at least we seem to have signed an armistice, and peace may just have broken out!"
xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx
Jen walked into the NCIS MCRT bull pen at zero seven fifty hours on Monday morning, her ring on her finger, after all, as she'd said to Harm, "I'm not ashamed of it, I'm proud to wear it. And if other people have a problem with that, then it's their problem, not mine!"
Harm had gathered her into his arms, tilted her face up to his and kissed her long and lovingly.
"I'll see you this evening," he promised.
"M'mm…" she agreed but then added as a caveat, "Provided we're not out somewhere on a case. We can never tell in this job."
"Fair enough," Harm replied, but then sighed, "I've got to go Jen. I need to get back to Andrews and get into uniform before I report for duty."
Jen nodded, "Yeah… but wouldn't it be simpler if you moved out of VOQs and moved in here with me? It's not as if we're rushing things, not with the wedding six weeks away!"
Now she made her way quietly to her desk thankful, despite her earlier brave words that Tony DiNozzo's desk was to her right, but that meant that her left hand was nearest to Eleanor Bishop's desk and the flash of the diamond as it caught the light was not lost on the blonde, who despite her air of vagueness missed very little that went on around her.
Bishop waited until Jen had seated herself at her desk and booted up her computer before she stood and crossed the few feet to her desk, a folder in her hand. "Here's that report on delinquent dependants you wanted," she smiled and then in an undertone added, "So… it seems he was worth it, after all, congratulations."
Jen's thank you was ostensibly for the file, but was also a recognition of the other woman's good wishes and for not broadcasting her altered status to the whole bull pen. Jen couldn't help but contrast Bishop's behaviour with the behaviour that another blonde in another bull pen. If Jen had walked into JAG Ops with an engagement ring on her hand Harriet Sims, despite being one of the kindest people Jen knew, was also a hopeless romantic and helplessly excitable and she would have squealed with excitement and Jen would have been swamped by a tide of fellow female workers. As it was, Bishop just gave her a warm smile and a slight dip of her head.
Jen kept her own head down, concentrating on cross-referencing the delinquency figures to the cases displayed on her screen. It was, she readily acknowledged, scut-work, but as the probie on the team it was no more nor less than she had expected.
Unfortunately Jen was so absorbed on her task that she failed to notice DiNozzo stroll past her desk and she being left-handed the ring on her finger twinkled as she made notes on a legal pad.
"Whoa! Hey everyone! The probie's wearing an engagement ring! That wasn't there on Friday was it?" he looked around the bull pen silently asking for confirmation.
Jen sighed in frustration, the very thing she'd hoped to avoid had just happened, but it was bound to have come out sooner or later, so she bit her bottom lip and decided to make the best job she could of coping with the incurably nosy DiNozzo. In the first instant she decided to ignore the loud-mouthed agent and kept her eyes on her work.
DiNozzo flushed, he wasn't used to being ignored and he didn't like it. Being ignored was anathema to him. His narcissistic soul rebelled at being snubbed and he felt that being the centre of attraction was his due. Especially when the person ignoring him was the newest member of the team.
"Hey, probie, I'm talking to you!" he snapped.
"Were you? All I heard was your loud-mouthed broadcasting my personal business to everyone within earshot," Jen answered coolly.
"Watch your tone, probie," DiNozzo snapped.
"My tone is no more disrespectful than you trespassing into areas where you have no need to go."
"Not so, probie. I am the senior field agent on this team and I need to know about anything that might affect team cohesion and performance."
"Bullshit." Jen said levelly. "Your need to know, is driven only by your curiosity, which is fast becoming a pain in the ass. And while we're on the subject, in future keep your hands off my lunch, off my desk, off my computer and most definitely off my purse."
"You can't speak to me like that! You're heading for a writing up for insubordination!" DiNozzo blustered.
"Leave it alone, Tony," McGee said, "She's perfectly within her rights! Didn't Kate and Ziva teach you to leave other people's stuff alone? I seem to remember a thorough ass-kicking Ziva handed out to you in close quarter combat training for that very reason!"
"And what would you know about it, McGoody?" DiNozzo turned his frustrated spite on the other team member.
"Apparently more than you do," McGee countered apparently unruffled by DiNozzo looming over his desk.
"And how do you work that out, McGeek?"
"Well… look at us, Tony. I go home to Delilah every evening, and you? Well, you go home to the same empty bachelor apartment you've rented for the last ten, twelve years, and on the rare occasions when you actually get a date, you strut around the bull pen the next morning puffed up like a peacock. And if I recall, it's months since you last did that! So, what is it Tony, are you finally growing up, or is this the longest dry spell in recorded DiNozzo history? And how much longer has it been since you had more than a single date with any given woman? So it seems to me that my method has equipped me more to empathise with women than has yours."
"Empathise, McGirly? Getting back in touch with your feminine side?" DiNozzo sneered.
"At least he's got one," Eleanor Bishop intervened, "and unless you're looking for a head slap, I suggest you stop bugging your team mates and get back to your desk, because Gibbs should be arriving any second!"
Tony whirled to glare at the blonde. He had never been able to decide just how to take Bishop. The news that she was married had thrown him into a flat spin, his usual MO of joking flirtation had got him nowhere, and in fact had been counter-productive, she had merely given him a cool, appraising look and a contemptuous little smile before she had turned on her heel and walked away from him. It had taken six or seven repetitions of that act for the idea that she merely found him childishly amusing to work its way through DiNozzo's ego to his consciousness.
Hard on the heels of her words, and before DiNozzo could form a rebuttal, the elevator door hissed open and the grey-haired team leader strode into the bull pen, his usual Styrofoam cup of coffee in his hand, "Grab your gear!" he ordered as he retrieved his field kit from the floor beside his desk, "Dead Marine in Rock Creek Park!" and as he finished speaking he threw a set of keys to Tim McGee, "Tim, take the truck, Coates, Hood, go with him. Tony, you and Bishop with me! Well, what are you waiting for? Let's go!"