A/N: I am indebted to VisualIDentificationZeta for the breakroom/broom closet joke,

25

"Attention on deck!" Lieutenant Tierney's sharp-spoken command brought an instant hush to the bullpen as all present ceased what they were doing, jumped to their feet and assumed a brace.

"Belay that! As you were!" Harm called out as he made his way around the edge of the bullpen his office suite, where Jennifer Coates and a strange Legalman Two stood face-to-face across her desk.

Both petty officers chorused, "Good morning, Sir!"

"Good morning, Coates, good morning…" Harm replied, the rising inflection in his voice making it plain that he was looking for a clue to the young man's identity.

"Good morning, Sir, Legalman Two Phelps, Sir!" the young man replied smartly.

Harm nodded, the judges' Legalman. He shot a sharp glance at both Legalmen before realising the absurdity of his suddenly occurring suspicion. The young man looked to be a few years younger than Coates, and in the past he had heard her complain, bitterly, about how immature men of her own age were.

"And what brings you down from the Olympian heights of Judges' Chambers?" he asked the young man.

"Just delivering the court docket for the week, Sir."

Harm gave a brisk nod, "Very well, but if it is delivered, why are you still hanging about?"

Phelps blushed furiously, "Not, Sir! By your leave Sir?"

"Carry on, Legalman Two," Harm gave him permission to dismiss.

Harm paused before he opened his office door, "That young man giving you any hassle, Legalman One?"

Jen looked at him blankly for a moment until she realised what he had asked, "Oh, no, Sir. He's just a kid, and he is behaving himself, but even if he did overstep the mark, I can handle him, Sir!" she grinned.

Harm nodded again, and went on through into his office, closing the door behind him.

Three minutes later, Julia arrived in the office having parked the Navy sedan that had brought her and Harm into London, to find a still broadly grinning Jen making notes on the SOFA report which she was compiling. "' Morning, Jen, you're looking pretty pleased with yourself, or has something tickled your funny bone?"

Jen looked up at Julia's smiling face, "Good morning, not particularly pleased with myself, just having a quiet giggle; Marty Phelps was just down with the week's court docket, and the skipper seems to have got the impression that Marty was trying to hit on me, and came all overprotective. He practically ran Marty out of the office with a shotgun!"

Julia paused in the act of stowing her cover in the bottom drawer of her desk, "That has got to be exaggeration!" she protested.

"Not by much!" Jen replied, "it looks like I'll have to put him straight later, Marty Phelps is not only far too young for me, but he is also far too interested in that blonde Marine Lance Corporal on the CP."

"He is?" Julia asked, wide-eyed, "I didn't know that… I mean I'm never seen any…"

"No, you wouldn't," Jen's grin grew even broader, "the only guy you can see wears green and has two upside down white chevron's on his sleeve. And, I'll bet he's responsible for that sappy smile you keep wearing!"

Julia laughed merrily "Guilty on all counts, ma'am!"

Jen nodded in satisfaction, but before she could say anything in reply, the door to Harm's office opened, "There seems to be a fair bit of noise from this office this morning, is it too much to hope that the amount of work being produced is directly proportionate?"

"Yes, Sir!" Julia replied smartly.

"No, Sir!" Jen answered, equally smartly and at the same time.

Harm gazed first at Julia and then turned his head towards Jen, "Well, which is it? Oh, no, on second thoughts I don't want to know, I just take it on trust that at some stage during the morning one of you will bring something worthwhile to my attention!"

Jen bit her lip, and silently upbraided herself for wasting time, but before she could apologise, Julia cut in, "Uh, you might think this is worthwhile Sir," she held a small slip of paper in her hand, and before Harm could ask what it was, she continued, "It's a British Army form, Sir, it seems to be some sort of disposition form, releasing Corporal Morrison on three week's sick leave – whatever that is – and then three weeks light duties – whatever they are! But the date of release is today Sir!"

Harm looked slightly taken aback, "Right… First off, get in touch with the hospital, and find out what time Corporal Morrison is to be released, and find out exactly what those two terms mean. Once you've done that, get onto the OIC security detachment, and find out if he knows anything about this, and if so, what, if anything, he's done about providing transport for the Corporal."

"Aye, aye, Sir!" Julia responded crisply.

Harm gave both of his petty officers and other glance and then nodded again, "and once you've done all that, Yeoman Two, you might want to investigate as to the lack of coffee in my office?"

"Yes, Sir." Julia answered again.

After another last glower at both young women, Harm stepped back into his office and closed the door, leaving Jen and Julia desperately not looking at each other in case they each ignited another fit of the giggles in the other.

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Harm gently closed the office door behind him and headed for his desk, gently shaking his head and with a bemused smile on his lips. Taking his seat, he reached for his daily calendar, and checked his "to-do" list.

The first item on the list would have to wait until Martinez brought his coffee, he told himself, so he could brief her on what he needed. And the second item on his list would have to wait for another five or six hours, until he could call the DC area at reasonable time. There are there are days, he mused, when life just decided to roll a few ball-bearings along the hall.

Fortunately, he did not have to wait long, in under ten minutes Julia rapped on his office door frame, and when ordered to enter opened the door to reveal that she had a mug of coffee in one hand and a file folder tucked under her left arm.

"Thank you, Yeoman Two," Harm said as she placed the coffee on the coaster on his desk, but then as she did not immediately turned back towards the door, he looked up with a slightly raised eyebrow, and asked, "Was there something else?"

"Yes, Sir. I checked with the hospital, Corporal Morrison will be ready to move at eleven hundred, Sir, and OIC Security Detachment has been briefed to send a car for her. I also confirmed with the hospital what was meant by sick leave and light duties. Sick leave is our hospital leave, Sir, authorised by a physician; light duties translates as restricted duties, Sir."

Harm's eyebrows rose slightly higher, "Good work, Yeoman Two, and quickly done, too. Now," he swiftly continued remembering item number one on his "to-do" list, get onto American Airlines, and get me a seat to DC departing anytime next Thursday, returning Tuesday, check my air miles balance, and if I have enough get them to bump me up to comfort economy. I shall be in DC for Labor Day weekend, at the same address and on the same number as I was for the July fourth weekend, if you haven't got a record of it, get the details from Coates. Thank you, that will be all."

"Yes, Sir!" Julia replied.

Harm waited for Julia to leave the office before he picked up his phone and dialled Commander Moseley.

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Barely had Julia left Harm's office, when Jen almost bolted to her feet, "Hold the fort!" She flung over her shoulder as she disappeared into the bullpen, leaving Julia staring, open mouthed, after her.

Jen however wasn't gone more than about five minutes before she returned, a smile on her face, "That ought to keep Abramowicz out of trouble for a couple of hours anyway," she remarked she retook her, seat, carefully smoothing her skirt under her as she did so, and then looking up saw the question in Julia's face, "My lease agreement, Captain Rabb wants it checked out before he will approve me moving off-base."

Julia nodded, "Makes sense… But, have you checked out what the Brit laws are on landlord and tenant agreements?"

Jen grinned, "there was a whole lot of legalese in there, and that's why I'm getting a third party to check it out for me, but I told him that there were any references then he should check them out before we accept or declines the lease agreement."

"Who? Abramowicz or the Captain?" Julia asked, bewildered by the sudden deluge of pronouns.

Jen gave her what could only be described as an old-fashioned look, "Abramowicz, of course!"

Julia looked straight back at her, "Of course," she agreed, and then turned her attention back to looking up the telephone number for American Airlines at Heathrow, while Jen gathered the contents of her out-tray, and turning knocked on Harm's office door.

She returned to her desk no more than three or four minutes later, and checking the card in her hand picked up the phone and dialled.

"Royal Navy Legal Services?" She asked when the phone was picked up at the other end, and after a few seconds said, "I need to speak to a Commander Roberts, this is Petty Officer First Class Coates at the US Navy legal office here in London, I'm calling on behalf of Captain Rabb…"

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Harm unlocked his front door and stood waiting until the car pulled away from the curbside and then turned left at the end of the road. Coates and Martinez had traded-off driving duties for the week, and this had been the first time that Jen had driven him, and he was pretty sure that it was the first time she had driven at all, since she passed the British driving test. She had been slightly unsure of the route, but had appeared comfortable enough behind the wheel, and driven with her usual competence, and in fact without the nervousness she had sometimes displayed when she had driven him in her old Ford Escort back in DC.

Entering the house, he hung his cover on the coat rack next to the door and dropped his briefcase next to the hall table that stood under. Checking his watch he decided to make his postponed call to the DC area. Settling into the couch, he picked up the phone and dialled from memory.

"Roberts' residence."

"Harriet, it's Harm… " Was all he had time to say before he was interrupted by Harriet's squeal of excitement.

"Sir! How wonderful! How are you? Is everything alright? How is Jennifer settling in? How…"

"Whoa! Slow down, slow down, I can't keep track of so many questions… And besides which, Harriet Roberts, how many times do I have to tell you, it's Harm…"

"Not 'Sir', I know, but it's very difficult, and you're not here to keep reminding me…"

"That's why I'm calling Harriet, have you got your pen and paper handy?"

"Naturally… Go ahead, Sir… uh… I mean Harm," Harriet giggled self-consciously.

"Okay Harriet, I shall be arriving at Dulles a week on Thursday, that's September First, on American Airlines flight 6178, ETA twenty thirty hours. I'm coming over the adoption appeal, staying for Labor Day weekend and flying back to London on Tuesday. Can I beg a bed and…"

"Of course you can! And no need to ask! I'll have Bud pick you up from the airport, and we'll sort out about getting you back to the airport once you're safely here!"

"Thanks Harriet, still the formidable organiser I see!"

Harriet giggled again, "It's what I do, Harm."

"It is indeed, it is indeed… Is Mattie around?" Harm asked with a touch of hope in his voice.

"Harm, it's thirteen twenty hours here, Mattie's at school."

"Oh, yeah, I kinda forgot the time difference for a minute… But you will tell her I called, right?"

"Damn straight!" Harriet chuckled, "If I wouldn't tell her and she found out later, you'd probably be back in the States just in time for my funeral!" Harriet paused for a moment or two before she spoke again, and when she did her voice was much softer and Harm could hear both concern and sympathy in it, "You really miss her, don't you Harm?"

For a split second Harm felt a rush of irritation, not only was he still not prepared to let many people through his barriers, so resented any shows of sympathy towards him, but Harriet's question, seemed to him, be one of the dumbest ever asked.

He fought down his reflexive response, "Yeah I miss her, Harriet, in so many ways, and more than I could possibly say."

Harriet gave a quiet sigh, "She misses you, too, Harm. Most the time, you wouldn't tell but every so often, especially if she thinks no one can see her, she gets this sort of faraway look in her eyes and a sad sort of smile on her face. So I'll tell her you called, but I guess I don't have to tell her that you told me to give her your love."

Harm smiled to himself, "No, I wouldn't need to would I? You'd tell her anyway."

"Damn straight!" Harriet repeated herself, "Until Thursday week, is that right?"

"Yeah that's right, say hi to Bud for me, and give my love to AJ, Jimmy and the twins, and I'll see you all Thursday next week. I've got to run Harriet, I need to make another call. 'Bye."

"Goodbye, until next week!" Harriet said cheerfully.

Harm rung-off, feeling as he usually did after speaking with Harriet on the phone, almost exhausted. She made him feel old. Admittedly she was at least ten years younger than he but she had four children, three of them under school age, to look after, so she ought to be the one in a permanent state of fatigue and yet she always seemed to be as full of energy as the young PA Ensign he had met all those years ago.

With a grin and a shake of his head, he checked his watch and decided that Gill was probably in her bunk, and would be able to speak. He pressed phone memory button number one.

"'Ullo sailor, what can a girl like me do for a man like you this evening?" Gill asked in a throaty and deplorable stage-French accent.

Taken by surprise, Harm spluttered for a moment or two, "You… You… You could get arrested for that!"

"H'mm… Sounds interesting," Gill said but thankfully for Harm's composure in her usual voice.

Despite himself, Harm chuckled, "Gill, I am trying to be serious here… Help me out, will you?"

"Oh, I thought perhaps you might just want to whisper sweet nothings into my ear…" Gill said, and Harm was sure she was pouting, and couldn't resist a smile.

"I'll whisper as many sweet nothings as any girl could possibly want to hear, but after I've said said what I need to…"

Harm's words seemed to act like a shower of cold water on Gill, when she spoke next her voice was serious, she had dropped all playfulness, and Harm thought he could detect worry in her tone, "Harm, is everything alright?"

"Yeah, yeah there's nothing wrong, but I have been holding out on you a little. Next Thursday, I'm flying back to the States for a long weekend, on Friday it's Mattie's adoption hearing, and then it's Labor Day weekend, I'm staying for the holiday and flying back on Tuesday. Hopefully, when I get back I'll be busy making arrangements for Mattie to join me. But before that happens, I need to clear up a couple of things – no, I just need to clear one thing, but I think it's a biggie." Harm drew a deep breath and then plunged on before Gill could interrupt, "I know what I said about appearances of impropriety, and not wanting to make you the subject of gossip, but I've tried to broach the subject of a couple of times while we've been having dinner and every time I tried we've been interrupted by a waiter or sommelier or… So, I'm inviting you to dinner in my quarters on Friday evening, you can bring an overnight bag if you want, and I could book you a room at the Premier Inn again…"

For a long moment there was silence, and Harm was about to panic when Gill answered, "I've thought from time to time that there was something bothering you, but I didn't ask, because I figured you let me know when you were ready. It sounds like you're ready now. Yes, I'd love to come to dinner, but as for the room at the hotel, you did say you have more than one bedroom, didn't you?"

"Yes, yes I did!" Harm swallowed violently to send his heart from his throat back down into his chest.

"I trust you, so if you don't mind me inviting myself, I'd like to come down, not just for Friday night, but to have a quiet, and if you want, conversational weekend…"

"Yeah, I'd like that, I'd like that very much," Harm said quietly.

"Good! I'm looking forward to it already," Gill's smile was plain to hear. "Now, somebody said something about all the sweet nothings a girl could ever wish to hear… Well, sailor, I'm all ears…"

Harm smiled with relief the playful note was back in Gill's voice. He settled himself into a more comfortable position on the couch and relaxed. "Have I ever told you, just how much I love the smell of your shampoo…" he grinned.

Gill erupted with laughter, "Harm, that's possibly the… the… the most ridiculous, improbable, saddest so-called compliment that any man has ever said to any girl since the world began!"

"Hey, work with me here and give me a break!" Harm demanded with pretended offended dignity, "I'm way out of practice at this, and I'm just warming up!"

"Oh, do you mean there's more… and better... to come?"

"Damn straight," Harm grinned, "so pin back your ears and listen because there's a whole bunch of 'em coming right down the pike…"

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On Tuesday morning Julia noted a certain nervous excitement in Jen, and cudgelled her mind to seek a reason, and as far as she knew, only one thing had changed recently. But not really believing she had found the answer, she turned to Jen and said, "Are you handling the driving okay, Jen, you seem a bit… I don't know… maybe a bit edgy, kinda strung out this morning?"

Jen grinned ruefully, "As obvious as that? Oh well, but no, no it is not the driving that's fine… It's this stuff…" she tapped her pen on the file folder in front of her. "It's my application to move off base, application for OHA, moving in allowance, lease agreement, and… well, just about everything for the move… and I'm just waiting for a suitable opportunity to take it all in for his signature. But it feels like Commander Moseley has been in there for hours!"

Julia looked at her copy of Harm's calendar, and then at her watch, "He's been there all of eleven minutes!" Julia exclaimed in surprise.

Jen seemed to deflate slightly, "I know, I know… I just said it seems like hours!"

"Uh-huh..." Julia nodded and decided that a change of subject would be beneficial. "And how is that SOFA report coming on?"

"Okay, why?" Jen asked.

"Oh I guess that because Johnny put your ass, uh...put you on the right road I feel a certain proprietorial interest…"

"Yeah, he did, and I am so, so grateful to him for that. Without his input I didn't have a clue as to where I should start looking. So, once I get settled in my new apartment, you and your Johnny are definitely coming to a house-warming! And as for the report, I've got a whole string of news reports from different TV stations, but it's all pretty anecdotal, but if only half of it's true, it's a pretty grim story. But I'm now talking to, or trying to talk to different police jurisdictions, and see if I can get hold of copies of their crime reports."

"Good luck with that!" Julia said.

"Yeah, tell me about it, England could do with an FOIA all of its own! Once I get back to the states, I'll never complain about dealing with an FOIA request ever again!"

Julia may not have had any legal training, but she had spent enough time in the legal office to figure out just how fond Legalman and Junior attorneys were of Freedom of Information requests, so she gave Jen a cynical glance and muttered, "Yeah right."

Jen contemplated making a reply, but in the end decided the game wasn't worth the candle, she didn't want Harm catching them both wasting time two days in a row.

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By Thursday, Harm caught himself alternatively daydreaming about a pair of expressive brown eyes and nervously anticipating – even worrying – about Friday evening and the weekend. After one such reverie, he shook his head in impatience with himself, and decided it was time to stretch his legs, to stroll around the bullpen and remind its inhabitants of his existence.

He was pleased at the reaction to his presence, the bullpen, never really a bear-garden, did quieten slightly, but not to the extent that the quiet seemed oppressive, and the enlisted from Legalman Two Abramowicz on downwards had no trouble in meeting his eyes, nor in answering his questions. Satisfied with the state of morale in the office, Harm decided it wouldn't hurt him if for once he got his own coffee, and had just turned towards the office doors when they swung open to reveal a travel-stained and crumpled Lieutenant Sullivan, dressed in a civilian pants-suit and struggling with a seabag, garment bag and suitcase.

"Hey, let me take that," Harm reached out and took the garment bag out of Theresa Sullivan's unresisting hand, freeing it to grab hold of the sea bag's shoulder strap which was threatening to slip down onto her upper arm.

Lieutenant Sullivan's "Oh, thank you, Sir!" came straight from her heart, as did the surprised expression on her face at Harm's next words.

Casting a quick glance around, his eyes had lit on Seaman Valentino, "Do you know how the Lieutenant takes her coffee?"

"Yes, Sir! NATO standard, Sir!"

"Good, make mine strong black and sweet, then bring them both to the Lieutenant's office!"

A slightly startled Valentino, who was waiting for advancement to E-4 before applying to Legalman's school, could only reply, "Aye, aye, Sir!"

Harm walked a surprised into silence Lieutenant to her office and opened the door for her, turning to hang her garment bag on the hook behind the door while she dumped seabag and suitcase out of the way behind her desk. Harm turned to see her still standing, and made a deprecating gesture, "Sit down, please, Lieutenant. I didn't expect to see you back from Plymouth quite so quickly?"

"No Sir, but… but would you take a seat, please, Sir?"

Harm guessed that the slightly flustered young woman needed a few seconds to gather her thoughts, so with a nod and a muttered thank you, he sat on one of her visitors' chairs, noticing with a grimace of displeasure that it was the same type of hard, uncomfortable, blue plastic chair that seemed to be a permanent fixture in military medical facilities. He made a mental note to check the office budget and see if there was any slack there for upgrading at least the visitors chairs.

Harm decided to wait for the coffee's before asking for a verbal report, content to fill in the intervening moments with small-talk, "How was the trip?"

"Pretty frustrating, Sir. It's like driving from DC to… to… Norfolk, but without the benefit of highway all the way. The UK motorway system isn't quite as developed as the interstate network back to home, Sir. To stay on motorways all the way to Plymouth means driving the other two sides of a right angled triangle, in other words the long way round, so I told my driver to take the hypotenuse, and that led down the same road that you took to that artillery demonstration… like I said, Sir, it's only just over two hundred miles but it took well over four hours."

"You have my sympathies, I remember how horror-struck I was when I learned it would take over two hours to cover the ninety miles between here and Tidworth!" Harm grinned in remembrance of his reaction that day. Still, and his mind drifted for a moment, it had all been worth it.

He was almost instantly recalled to the present by a knock on the office door, signalling the arrival of Valentino with the two mugs of coffee. For a moment, he thought he saw Lieutenant Sullivan looking at him strangely, and wondered whether she had caught his lapse in concentration, but by the time they had each taken delivery of their coffee and Valentino had left the office she once more presented nothing more than the facade of a dutiful officer.

Harm took a sip of his coffee, and said, "I didn't expect to see you back before Monday, so I assume that all went smoothly in Plymouth?"

"Yes, Sir, the FJA on board, a Lieutenant Commander Kim, agreed with his clients that they should all plead guilty, as a result, they were all placed on restricted pay, three hundred dollarsa month for six months, the first three months restricted pay to go to the bar owner. I think the judge, Colonel Grant, took it easy on them because they pleaded guilty."

Harm nodded, "and not a suspicion of undue command influence anywhere?"

Sullivan blushed furiously, "No, Sir! And, Sir… I am so sorry for saying that…"

"No need to be, Lieutenant, I think I would be more upset with you if you hadn't mentioned it." He took a glance to his right, through the office window blinds, and hastily drained his coffee mug. "I think there's someone else waiting to say welcome home, so I'll leave you in peace now. Just remember, I don't want to have to send a chaperone to the breakroom with you - that's why we have broom closets!" He finished with a huge grin, leaving a definitely stunned Theresa Sullivan at her desk to return the welcome of Brian Tierney as best she could.

Chuckling at the success of his tease, Harm returned to the relative sanity of his own office, pausing momentarily to check with Jen and Julia for any messages that may have come in during his few minutes absence. Once sat at his desk, however, something that Theresa Sullivan had said niggled. The only JAG named Kim he could recall had been a Lieutenant in the Patrick Henry all those years ago at 'X-Man' Buxton's court martial. If it was the same individual, and he had been continuously afloat since those days, then something had gone seriously adrift. Kim was one of his officers, so it was up to him to investigate… He tilted his monitor more towards him, and brought up Lieutenant Commander Kim's SRB…

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Jen was even more overloaded than Lieutenant Sullivan had been when the following morning. As she struggled through the doors to the CP, with two sea bags, a garment bag and a suitcase she was beginning to realise, even on the short walk from the parking lot where she'd left the car, that she might just have bitten off more than she could comfortably chew. So it was with embarrassment that as she dumped a seabag and carefully laid the garment bag over it so that she could sign in, she heard a coolly amused voice from behind her, "Shipping out, Petty Officer?"

The voice rang a bell somewhere in the recesses of Jen's memory, and she turned to face the owner of it, to find herself looking into a pair of faintly amused dark eyes, deep-set in a dark tanned face.

"Uh, no… no, First Sergeant, I'm moving off base, into an apartment, and the easiest way to move my stuff is to bring into the office at the beginning of the day, and then take it to the new place after secure.

Victor Galindez raised a cynical eyebrow,"Doesn't look too easy to me," he observed, and then fell silent while Jen signed in and the Marine Corporal on duty handed her her building pass. Then as she bent to pick up garment bag seabag, Victor stepped forward, "I'll take those up for you Petty Officer…"

Jen was torn between expressing gratitude and declining the offer, she was thankful for the help, but almost every fibre of her being was screaming that she was an independent woman, and didn't need any help. In this case, gratitude won over pride, and with a weak smile she said, "Thank you, First Sergeant,"

Victor gave a small grunt of surprise, as he hefted the seabag, not that the bag was too heavy for him, but it was heavier than he had expected. Petty Officer Coates was obviously physically stronger than she looked. With the garment bag hooked by two fingers over one shoulder, and the seabag on his other shoulder he fell into step with Jen as she turned towards the elevator.

"You know, Petty Officer, me and the Captain and the Colonel, we go back a long way, and as those jarheads," he indicated the CP with a backward jerk of his head, "are technically part of my company, it's quite likely that you and I will continue to bump into each other at intervals."

"Yeah?" Jen asked wondering where the First Sergeant was going with this, and as the thought occurred to her she gave a little giggle, hastily cut off, but not before the Marine had heard her.

He had about been respond to the question implied in her answer, but on hearing what he considered a gurgle of amusement, he grinned in sympathy and asked, "Did I say something dumb?"

Jen stepped inside the elevator as the door slid open and stepped back to make room for the Marine NCO before she looks him in the eyes once more and answered, "No, you didn't say anything that dumb, but it was a little long-winded, and I was just thinking that if you were counsel in the courtroom and I was the judge, I'd be demanding to know where you were going with it…"

Victor gave a half-grin, "Yeah, I see what you mean… But what I was going to say was that if we keep bumping into each other, then 'Petty Officer' and 'First Sergeant', are pretty clumsy and long winded names to keep calling each other, so if you're alright with it, when there's just the two of us, I'm Victor," and seeing a slight wince crossed Jen's face, he asked slightly anxiously, "Is there something wrong with that?"

Jen shook her head, "I hope not, but it is Victor, right? Never Vic?"

Victor shook his head, "Never! The only person who gets away with calling me anything but Victor, is my mom, and only when she lapses into Spanish, when she calls me Victorio!"

Jen's expression cleared, and developed into one of her full-blown, dimple-revealing smiles, "Oh, that's okay then, and I'm Jen, and around here the only person who occasionally calls me Jennifer, is the Captain."

It was Victor's turn to feel slightly concerned; that the Captain was familiar enough with the petty officer to call her by her first name felt somehow… wrong, but he decided that with any luck there would be plenty of time for him to get the full story from Jen. And on that subject… "So, where's the new apartment?" He asked in mildly interested tones.

"Stanmore," Jen answered as the lift sighed to stop on the third floor and the doors slid open, and then seeing a look of incomprehension on Victor's face she added, "it's about a forty minute tube ride and walk from here."

Victor looked at her in disbelief. "You were going to try to haul all this baggage by yourself on a forty minute tube ride and how far to walk? It's not going to happen, Jen. You secure at seventeen hundred, as usual?"

"Yeah, but you don't have to…"

"Yeah, yeah I do. What would the Captain say if he saw you struggling, the way I just did?"

Jen was forced to giggle as she envisaged Harm's reaction to seeing her struggling with her bags, attracting attention as she and Victor crossed the bullpen, "He'd probably rip me a new one for being a dumbass, and then grab a couple of bags off me," she confessed.

"Well, you're not in my chain of command, and I don't know you as well as the Captain," 'yet' Victor silently added, "so you're going to have to let me slide on ripping you a new one, but I got the bags now, and I'll be back at secure."

"Back where, First Sergeant?" Harm's voice coming unexpectedly from behind them slammed both Victor and Jen into as much of a brace as they could manage burdened as they were.

"Sir! Back here, at secure, Sir. To give the Petty Officer a hand moving her gear to her new place, Sir!"

"I see, well, it's a relief to know that the office won't be cluttered for too long. Carry on please, First Sergeant, Legalman One."

Harm sauntered into his office, only allowing his grin to appear once the door was safely close behind him. Well, well, well… The Gunny and the Petty Officer, and that may not be a bad thing, Victor Galindez was one of the finest men he knew, and one of the most honourable, and could be trusted not to inflict too much damage if nothing came to pass. Jennifer Coates was an exceptional young woman, who in a very short space of time had turned her life around, saved Bud Roberts' life and had quickly become an indispensable part of the team. Yes, Victor and Jen would come to no harm with each other he decided. His grin broadened into a huge smile as a thought occurred to him; what with Tierney and Sullivan, and Martinez and her Bombardier and now Victor and Jen, the damned office was turning into the damned Love Boat, that's if his suspicions were correct.