Disclaimer: see chapter one

Marines_sis: thank you very much. *grin* here's more. I hope it continues to keep you reading!

DD2: lol, unfortunately, there are not that many more...sorry. :oP but I hope you won't be too disappointed. Thanks for the review!

Lisa Brown: I plan on it. *grin*

sunchaser2: thankies. Here's more. hehe.

0900 Zulu North of Union Station

Harm awoke slowly, as if being pulled out of quicksand. At first he wasn't sure what even was waking him, until the beeping of his alarm pierced his sub-conscious. He slapped it quickly, then lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.

He hadn't thought about that day in high school in a long time. But his mind had dragged it up from somewhere, and had presented it to him in the form of a dream. Cassandra Thomas. That who the new Commander was, and considering that, it was no wonder she reacted the way she did to him. He had asked for her help with school and she ended up helping him in his search for his dad. And he had repaid Cass by "helping" her lose her virginity. In the backseat of his car no less.

"God Rabb, you're such an ass," He sighed, then half-smiled, remembering that those were the exact words she had said to him the next day when Harm had let the strict rules of high school society govern his relationship with her.

On that fateful day, Harm had ignored her, and then she finally corned him after school. It wouldn't have been so bad had she not been crying. He said something to the effect that it would never work between them. blamed it on his search for his dad, not wanting to say that she had helped him with it more than she knew. It was a lame excuse, and they both knew it. The last thing she said to him was, "God Rabb, you're such an ass," and walked out of his life forever.

Harm sighed, pulling himself out of the past. "Well, I have to get to the office someday today, and if I don't get up now, I won't have time to go on my run." He got out of bed, got dressed, and left for his ten mile run. But his mind was filled with other things, and he had only gone two miles before he headed back. He took a shower, had some yogurt with nuts, and was out the door in his clean uniform, dreading the day ahead of him.

Little did he know, it was only going to get worse. But, as they say, every cloud has a silver lining somewhere.