hey, qball, long time no read, man! Nice reading you again. Yep, I agree, Harm has shown over the 10 years many skills, talents and training that was never explained. Some was explained, like the scene in which he stormed a Kill House with a SEAL team and functioned as an equal part of the team. Or the ep where he did the HALO jump and stormed an airfield... But most of it, like how he'd become such an expert shooter was never explained.

Thing is, I'm not the first writer to theorise that Harm was a sniper during his life and to delve into how he could be so profficient in hand-to-hand, melee, close range and longe range combat and other soldier skills.

One of the fics I can think of is Valerie Jones's (one of the few Harm/Mac writers that really treat Harm with respect and who don't ignore or dismiss every part of his life, pesonality, skills, training,... in order to make Mac or others look good, or even better) amazing "Aftermath" (it's a Harm/Mac fic, yes, I did once read those) here:

http// www. fanfiction. net/s/822368/1/Aftermath (without the spaces)

Sad thing is, many writers just dismiss or ignore Harm's experience in Vietnam, his training by Stryker and every other training he'd received.

I'm just dragging up the story of his life and piecing together the pieces of the puzzle where he got so profficient with weapons and where he learned to shoot so well.

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In a personal message I received it was said that I am cheapening Harm by pairing him up by not staying with one pairing, but writing 3 pairings for Harm. That could be dismissed as a Harm/Mac shipper's rant, but because it has (some) merit I'm addressing it here, cause I'm sure others have had the same idea at some point.

If you'll notice, every pairing I write takes place during a different season of the show, as have Harm's relationships with his canon girlfriends. If I am cheapening Harm, then the writers did the same by pairing him with Annie, Jordan, Renee, Mac, Alicia,... At least I'm pairing him up with women that are good for him and that accept him as a whole and don't like just a part of him (JORDAN: "I fell in love with the lawyer in you."), unlike the show's writers who not only paired him up with wrong women, but also hurt and damaged him as a result of those pairings. I'm pairing him with different women during different times in his life in different realities and am not having him get it on with three women at the same time nor with these three women in the same reality, one after the other.

Also, I'm putting him and the woman in positions in which I think they could get together, HAD Harm moved on from Mac, which sadly didn't happen on the show. I'm saying sadly simply because I am a Harm fan and my biggest wish is for him to be happy, and his relationship with Mac or lack of it and Mac had hurt and damaged Harm more than anything else during the years, quite possibly as much as Diane's death (who is also mostly dismissed and ignored by writers as inconsequential or unimportant).

So, I hope this was an explanation enough for why I believe that the accusation was unfounded.

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I hope you'll like this part and don't forget to read the PS at the end, which will explain a few things.

Don't forget to review.

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In fact, it was Harm that had introduced Mark to Jeannie, a wonderful yet struggling and lonely young Petty Officer, who had a very bad, bad luck with men and just needed someone to believe in her and love her to help her achieve her full potential.

The truth of his theory came when Jeannie started getting only the best fitreps soon after getting together with Mark. Mark was good for Jeannie and Jeannie was good for Mark, sanding out those rough edges and making him a happier person. Harm was also their twins' godfather. These were all aspects of his life that no-one knew about, mainly because no-one bothered to get to know everything there was about him or had their own lives and their own problems, which Harm fully understood.

Few people accepted the whole package of Harmon Rabb Jr., most just wanted what suited them best, from which they had the most profit and didn't want to deal with the rest of him. That mainly meant the lawyer side of him. They all liked that part, but hated or resented or just ignored the pilot side, for one reason or another, especially when he had to return to flying in order to be ready to move on with his life. Annie, Jordan, Mac, Renee, Bud, Harriet, Chegwidden, his own mother,... The only people he could remember that accepted him for who he was, who didn't resent neither of his sides, didn't resent the fact that there were forces in his life and demons so strong that he had to deal with them first before being at his friends' disposal again, that loved him for who he really was; were just a few people: Frank Burnett, Diane Schonke, Meg Austin and the Niven family.

It was Frank that had convinced Trish to let him go to the Academy even after years of putting up with Harm's bullshit and rejections, it was Frank who had supported him through it all, constantly asking if he needed anything, or how it was going, while his own mother had shut herself off from Harm for the whole time while he was at the Academy and until he had the ramp strike. And after that Frank was still there, silently, offering everything he could give, even enormous amounts of money so Harm could find his biological father, never resenting him for it. Only in the last few years had Harm realized just how much of a father, how much of a good father, Frank was to him and that had encouraged Harm to make the first steps to mending their relationship, to repent for the abuse he'd dealt Frank in the last decades, especially in the first few years of their acquaintance. Harm knew that he could never make it up to Frank for how he'd behaved himself, but he'd try and he hoped that one day he would earn the right to call Frank 'Father'.

Diane... Harm had met Diane in the Academy, she'd been just a year behind Harm, Sturgis and Jack. There had been strong chemistry between them from the start, but because of the frat regs that forbid romantic relationships among Middies they'd decided to do nothing about it for the time. Then came Harm's graduation and his flight training, during which he'd kept in contact with Diane. As the military is wont to do, it had torn apart two people in love once again, sending them to the opposite corners of the Earth. Internet was practically non-existent at the time, as was e-mail, so they had to rely on the normal mail system. When Harm's ramp strike happened it shook their worlds and made them realize just how quickly one can stop being. She'd taken as much leave as she could while he'd been in hospital and then at his grandmother's farm. Her love had helped him heal, she was the one to come up with the idea that he should restore the bi-plane and she was the one who'd chipped in the idea of him studying Law when they were throwing around ideas on what he should do now. She'd loved him, loved the pilot part of him even though it scared her to death because it meant she could lose him, she'd encouraged it because she knew it was in his blood, it was who he was, she'd never even thought of punishing him for it; just as she'd encouraged and loved him as a lawyer. There, on that farm, at the homestead of his family, they'd finally consummated their love. When Diane's leave was over they'd made a promise to themselves to continue their relationship as soon as they were able to. That time should've been in early June 1996, but it hadn't happened because of a mentally ill man. Diane had encouraged and supported him through the entire Law School and the Navy Justice School and through his budding career as a lawyer. She'd rejoiced in his successes and comforted him in his failures, as he had done for her. They were so hopeful that their dreams were about to be fulfilled when it'd happened. Diane's request had finally been granted and she'd been transferred to the Pentagon. They were finally at the point where they could have it all. Harm had had the engagement ring for years by then, it had been passed down from one generation of Rabb to the next. Then the next day he got word that she'd been murdered and his world fell apart around him. The ring got sent to Frank and locked in a safe, per Harm's request, never to be used again, lest he ever get married and have a son to give it to. It had been meant for Diane and no other women would've ever gotten it. It just wouldn't feel right to give the ring that had been meant for Diane ever since the Academy to some other woman, a woman whom he'd love, but could never love as much as he loved Diane. Then the fate was cruel once again and had given him a partner that looked exactly like Diane, but was so different. One of the biggest differences being the fact that Mac didn't approve nor like the pilot side of Harm, while Diane had accepted all of him, no matter how much it'd terrified her. He knew he'd never forget Diane and had made arrangements to be buried next to her when he died, because he knew he'd never get married to someone else.

Meg was the only close friend of his, besides Diane, that had accepted and liked both parts of him: pilot and lawyer. He still remembered fondly how she enjoyed their Tomcat rides, how she challenged him to grow as a lawyer, how she helped him grow as a person and how she encouraged his love for flying. Losing her, losing their friendship and partnership, was something Harm would always regret and hate TPTB for.

The Nivens had come at just the right time for Harm. He'd known Jeannie for quite a few years by then, she'd been part of the JAG staff, the part that other officers really didn't care about nor even notice after a while, for quite a few years by then. Harm had seen great promise in the young woman, yet her personal problems, stemming mainly from a very low self-esteem, lack of confidence and other insecurities, had influenced her on-job performance, leaving her struggling to do the job she was assigned to and have no chances for promotion if she didn't get better. Harm wanted to help her, but was not in a position to do so. During the case when a Marine guard shot an arrested terrorist Harm had met then-Staff Sergeant Mark Niven quite accidentally. He immediately recognized a good, decent, honest man, one that did not play with women, but was on the look-out for the one, for love, and wanted to settle down with her. So, in a unique show of matchmaking, Harm had plotted so Niven came to HQ where he'd stumbled upon Jeannie whom Harm had sent to get something from near the double door. Harm could swear he saw the burly Marine freeze in his tracks when his eyes landed on the young woman and saw the PO lose her breath once she'd straightened and caught sight of the young man. Harm had mentally patted himself on his back and barely hold of guffaws when he saw the marinely Marine acting like a love-sick virgin around the girl he liked. Then Harm mentally patted Mark on his back when the other man gathered the courage to ask Jeannie on a date, which she'd accepted. From then on it went smoothly. They were magnificently fitted for each other and as a result of the love, support and simple belief in her that Mark was giving her Jeannie got her self-esteem and self-confidence back and started shining in her work. Amazing just what a simple support can do, how it can help people turn around their lives and grow, no matter who it comes from, whether from a lover or a friend or just one's boss. Well, they had realized just what Harm had done, his self-satisfied grin couldn't have been wiped off his face fast enough for Mark not to have noticed. The grin and Jeannie's explanation just what she'd been doing right there that second at Harm's strange request for her to fetch something outside her post and Harm's lame explanation to Mark for why he should come to HQ; had been the clue. They didn't hold it against him, but were thankful to him and because of that became close friends with him and made him Mark's best man at their wedding and their children's godfather. After a year and a half of dating the two got married and the twins entered this world another year and a half later. There was nothing left of the shy, hesitant, insecure young PO, the woman of the same name (later of different name) shined with happiness, contentment, confidence in her skills and in herself and was a joy to behold. And the burly Marine was now a man with his rough edges sanded off, was happy with his lot in life, settled down and completely devoted to his wife and children. When the judgement day'd come and Harm would be asked to justify his life, he would point to the Niven family.

It was the love this family had for each other that had fought off the aftermath of Paraguay. When he saw the love Mark and Jeannie had for each other and for their children, who returned it, he knew that Mac was wrong, that he didn't destroy everything he touched. There were still people who's lives were better because he'd touched them, that were glad that they knew Harmon Rabb Jr., that appreciated his presence in their lives, that cared for him and as long as there were people like Mark and Jeannie Niven, Harm would still have hope that his life wasn't for nothing, that he hadn't just wasted air and other resources, that he'd made a difference. And when he died he would think back to everyone who's life he'd help make better and would release his final breath, knowing that he'd lived, not merely existed.

Wasn't it William Wallace that said: "Every man dies, not every man really lives."?

Uh, scratch that, that was Mel Gibson. But it certainly fits well...

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Gunny turned towards the two observers and sobered, becoming the consumate professional again. "General, LtCol, the rifle ranges 2 and 3 are free. Good luck."

The two had an uncomfortable feeling that they'd just been politely dismissed.

Then the Gunny took the forms from Harm and went to personally retrieve Harm's weapons, leaving the female Cpl to continue surreptiously gazing at Harm.

Gordon and Mac turned towards Harm who was, as they by now had guessed, also qualifying for something. What, that they did not know. "Go on, sir, Mac, I'll be here a while."

The two looked at each other and were bonded by the Corps' rivalry with the Navy, temporarily removing their differences. "Yes, CDR, it'll probably be a while before you finally hit the target." grinned Cresswell, convinced of his Corps' breeding and superiority as a marksman.

Mac couldn't keep herself quiet neither and chimed in. "Or are you planning on calling in naval artilery, Harm, and it'll take a while before the shells finally come in?"

The two Marines burst out laughing while Harm just smiled secretively. "Could be." was all he said.

Cpl Janet O'Hara, who was filing the forms, quickly glanced at them, trying to stop her image of the CDR from being destroyed by her two comrades, when she caught Harm's small smile. She got the distinct feeling that the butt of the joke wasn't Harm, but that the joke was on the two Marines and she smiled at Harm in a conspiratorial way. Harm looked surprised, but returned the smile, smiling sheepishly when he noticed the pretty young woman blush.

Mac and Gordon had just left when Gunny came back with two weapon cases. He put one case on the counter, while he stored the other one nearby.

"Here's your baby, CDR." he said as he unpacked the first case and pulled out an M40, the one that was personally assigned to Harm and no other could use it. He handed the weapon over to Harm, along with one clip.

"Sniper range 5 is free. The rest of your gang is there already and have already started their quals. Good luck."

"Thanks, Gunny, I'll see you later." said Harm as he picked up the rifle and the clips. He shouldered the weapon, grabbed the duffel and headed out.

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TBC...

PS: yeah, I know it's unbelievable that Harm would be a sniper, but a sniper had had him in his claws for quite a while and Crockett could be pretty persuasive. Besides... Harm, Crockett and Chegwidden went out for a drink together at the end of the ep and people agree to many things while drunk... Besides, I can't imagine Harm not taking the opportunity of broading his horizons, learning new things and broadening his skills, skills that could later on save his life.

As for why Harm is using the sniper rifle that USMC use and not the one Navy uses (M25 - which is an updated M21), it will be explained in part 4.