Disclaimer: As stated in Chap 1.

AN: CNO stands for Chief of Naval Operations.

AN: Keep watching for the dates! As usual, enjoy and please review.

Harm got out of bed and wandered into Trey's room. Although eleven years had passed, the room was almost exactly as Trey had left it. After his other four children were married, this had become a 'memory room,' or so the children called it. Harm put almost each and every memory of his five children in that room. He glanced over the pictures covering the wall and stopped at one which he remembered clearly. It was the day Trey had earned his gold wings.

Harmon David Rabb, III, a.k.a Trey, was a spitting image of his father. This picture showed him with his arms draped over his parents and his face lit up with what his mother called the "flyboy grin." Harm could remember when Sarah first told him that she was pregnant with Trey, only three months after the wedding. She had decided it would be only right to name their first-born son after his grandfather and father.

As he thought over the past, certain landmarks flashed through his mind: Trey's first word, his first day at school, his first day at academy, and the day they lost him. Harm didn't even know why he had volunteered to go on that last mission. When Clay first told him the news, he had been shocked.

Trey wasn't supposed on that F-14. He was supposed to be on his way home. That was what he had told his parents he was doing, at least. Then suddenly, he was gone. Just like his grandfather.

Harm still clung to the hope that his son would be back, but after seven long years, Harmon David Rabb, III, was declared deceased by the Navy. An empty casket was buried at Arlington Cemetery to try to bring a closure to his family.

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1430 EST

23 December 2027

Rabb Residence

McLean, VA

Harm opened his door and saw the face of one of his good friends, Captain James 'Jim' Boone. Harm grinned at him, but he snapped to attention. "Sir!"

"James!" The older man ignored military procedure and hugged him.

"How are you handling it, sir?"

"For crying out loud, James! Our fathers were best friends. Do you think you can call me 'Harm'?"

"Yes, sir." Harm looked at him sternly. "I mean Harm."

"Much better."

"I came as soon as I got the list. Skipper gave me 2 days off. How are you handling it, si--Harm?"

"I'm not really sure. It was like all those years hadn't ever passed. I was back to that Christmas, but this time it was my son..."

"How is Sarah?"

"She didn't take it well." They stopped talking as they reached the living room and saw Mac, who was staring out the window.

"Hey, Sarah."

Mac glanced at the visitor and gave him a brief nod. "Hello, Jim."

"Are you ok?"

"No." She bit her lip, trying to hold back her tears.

James quickly went to her side and held her in his arms. She stayed there briefly, and then looked directly into his eyes. "Tell me, Jim. What happened that day? Trey was supposed on his way home. He called me that morning to confirm it."

Boone swallowed hard and turned to Harm, only to find the same determined expression on his face. Both of them needed his answers. He sighed. "Why don't you two sit down while I explain."

They quickly sat down and looked expectantly at him. He took a deep breath, and then began the story. "Yesterday morning, Trey was supposed to be on the COD to Andrews. However, he volunteered to replace the pilot who was going to take recon photos over Taiwan. The pilot was sick. Trey came back from that one."

"What do you mean?" Harm looked confused.

"That mission only lasted two hours or so. By the time he came back, the morning COD had left. He was going to catch the next COD in the evening when..." James swallowed hard before continuing. "...when I offered him the F-14. The Andrews Air Force Base needed a bird."

Sarah stiffened, and Harm stared at him in disbelief. "You offered him a Tomcat?"

James nodded.

"That still makes no sense! Andrews and Taiwan are in totally opposite directions."

He nodded. "As soon as Trey took off, we got a distress call over Taiwan. Chinese MIGs were all over our pilots. Trey's communication line was open, and he immediately changed his course." James paused. "Your son didn't even think twice, Harm. The next battleship near Taiwan was the USS Truman. Truman's skipper sent Lt. Wayne to be Trey's wingman."

"Why didn't Truman take the response since they were closer?"

"They did. Kennedy sent two more F-14s and Truman sent three of theirs as backup."

"So there were total six Tomcats in relief, plus two already in the air. However, only four of them returned safely. The other four were shot down including Trey's."

"I'm sorry, Harm. I shouldn't have offered him to take the F-14."

"It's not your fault, Jim. He could have ignored the call, but I know my son better than that. He was just being Trey." Mac, who had been silent till now, softly comforted him.

Harm couldn't resist asking one last question. "Tell me, James: why didn't the list get into my office first before they informed the family?"

"I don't know, Harm. With his name, it is hard to bury the fact that he is your son. Honestly, how could you tell the CNO that his son was MIA during Naval Operation? I'm sure you'd have much rather received this news as a parent than a CO, if you get what I mean."

"I get what you mean."

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Present

He certainly had received it as a parent, not an admiral, he thought with a sigh. He picked up the photo album near him and flipped it open. Seeing the photo on the first page, he smiled. It was him and Sarah in their uniforms. He, already a one-star admiral, was beaming, proud of Sarah's new star.

The next page was much later. This time it was Sarah, as a three-star general, was celebrating Harm's forth star. Bud had taken that picture. When the twins had turned seven, Mac had retired and handed over the JAG position to him. Harm smiled as he remembers the bumbling lieutenant of so long ago.

Shaking himself out of his thought, he discovered a photo of Trey, in full-dress whites on the day he received his gold wings. Quickly flipping on, he found a picture of Matthew in his full-dress uniform. It suddenly struck him that he was looking through what the children called the "service album." That was where they had stored all the pictures of the family in uniform.

To his continual surprise, none of his children had chosen civilian life. They were all scattered throughout the Navy and Marine Corps. He turned the page and saw Matthew with his brand-new gold wings. That had been in 2027, the same year Trey went down. Mac had never said it out-loud, but Harm knew she had hated the thought of another son in a Tomcat. The picture next to it was taken at Matthew's wedding in 2031, when he married a JAG officer, Elaine Turner--Sturgis' only daughter.

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21 July 2032

Bethesda Naval Hospital

Bethesda, MD

Matthew Jonathan Rabb grinned goofily at his father as he came back into the room, a spring in his step. "It's a boy, Dad!"

"Good job, son!" Harm smile proudly and patted Matt's shoulder.

"Is it baby time?" A breathless Sturgis and Bobbi Turner appeared, obviously having run the whole way up.

"Yes, sir!" Matt beamed.

"Look like we have a grandson, buddy!" Harm's face broke into a grin only to be rivaled by that on Bobbi's and Sturgis's faces.

As soon as Sarah joined the group, they began to fuss and coo over the baby. "So, what's his name?" Bobbi asked, still cuddling the baby.

Matthew looked briefly at his wife as if asking for her permission. When Elaine nodded, he took his newborn son from Bobbi and offered him to Harm. "Dad, meet your namesake: Harmon David Rabb, IV."

He was speechless. Sturgis and Bobbi smiled knowingly, having expected this. Mac bit her lip, trying to keep her tears at bay.

"Matt…"

"That's all I can think of to honor Grandpa Rabb, you, and..." He trailed off, looking gently at his mother. "...and also Trey."

That was the final straw. Mac's strong self-control finally broke; her memories of their first-born were still too fresh. Her tears flowed freely, and Sturgis silently drew her into his embrace, while Harm stared at his namesake in awe.

"Thank you, son."

Sturgis released Mac and took young Harmon. Sarah slipped next to Harm, and they watched their grandson.

"So, Harmon Rabb, IV, eh? That's a big name for a little squirt like you. I think I'll call you 'little Harm'." The baby opened his brown eyes and stared seriously at his grandfather. "You agree, don't you? I believe your other grandpa used to be called 'little Harm,' although now it would be more appropriate if he was called 'old Harm'."

The others tried to muffle their laughter, while Harm shot a death-glare at Sturgis.

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Present

Harm smiled, remembering that day. He flipped the page and saw another of his sons, AJ Rabb--usually just called Albert. He'd been the third baby born in the JAG office after AJ Roberts. The late Admiral Chegwidden was making his visit to his former office--then occupied by Sarah Rabb. With both Harm and Sturgis over at the Pentagon, the retired SEAL had made sure that Mac took over JAG when he retired.

He'd picked the wrong time to visit Mac, though. They'd been in her office with Webb when she started to go into labor. Harm was at the Norfolk at that time, but the baby seemed determined to get right then. He, too, was born in the floor of JAG office. His father hadn't made it in time, although 'Grandpa' Chegwidden and 'Uncle' Clay were there to help.

The old admiral had laughed at the incident though. "Boy, I should become a midwife! I've already delivered three babies!"

Harm and Mac named the baby boy after both men. Albert for the Chegwidden's first name, and Jeremy for Webb's middle name. As it turned out, little Albert became the first Marine of their bunch of kids, pleasing his mother to no end. Surprisingly, he chose to be a doctor, rather than an aviator like his brothers. He'd married Bud's daughter, Danielle Sims-Roberts--a civil doctor--and had twins in 2036: Albert Jeremy Rabb, Jr, and Harmony Catherine Rabb. That was the same year Matthew had his second son, Andrew David Rabb.

The last two pictures in the album were the Rabb's twins, Nicole Sarah Rabb and Jessica Caroline Rabb. Both were daddy's little girls, although they were spitting images of their mother. That might have helped them out, though, considering both had their father wrapped around their little fingers.

Another aviator had been added to the bunch when Nicole decided that she wanted her own wings, although she was a Marine aviator. To continue the intermarrying trend, she'd married Bud's second son, Michael Richard Roberts, who'd surprised his parents by joining Air Force. Their son, John Francis Roberts, was born in 2035.

Nicole's sister, Jessica, had joined JAG as soon as she graduated from Harvard Law School. She got married to Clayton Jeremy Webb, Jr, who astonished everyone by actually joining the Marine Corps. Clayton, Sr, was teased about it constantly by Mac, but he was really quite proud of his son and his daughter-in-law, who was expecting twins in July.

TBC

AN: Thank you for all the feedbacks. I really appreciated it.