TAPS
Epilogue
Two Months Later
"Gang way!" Commander Harley Steele cried as she rushed down the narrow passageway aboard the USS Seahawk, bound for the phone hall, port side on 0-6 level.
"Call for Commander Steele inbound from the USS Coral Sea!" The loud speaker announced again.
"Gang way!" She shouted again to the crammed passageway and immediately the sailors parted and she was able to slip through. She picked up the nearest receiver and dialed the bridge. "This is Commander Steele, patch the call through please."
"Aye, aye ma'am." The petty officer smirked to herself. She took this call a couple of times every week. The Commander aboard the USS Coral Sea was always polite, but also a little impatient.
"Lee?" Harm asked, leaning on his palm pressed against the wall.
"Harm!" Harley exclaimed, sighing with relief. "Hey, flyboy."
"What took you so long?" He questioned, glancing at his watch. He only had eighteen minutes before he had to report for pre flight.
"Impatient as always." Harley snickered, "I was at the other end of the ship, had to shout 'gang way' a couple of times to get sailors out of my way, sir."
Harm's lips twitched, he secretly loved that she called him "sir" by reflex. "You wearing the red panties I sent you or the black ones?" He asked in a low murmur, ignoring the fact that they were on ships with 5000 other people.
"Harm!" Harley exclaimed in a whisper. "Jesus, you're insatiable." She was surprised at how forward he was when they were on the phone.
"Just miss my woman." He smirked, "So, red or black, Lee?"
Harley's lips twitched. "Red."
"Damn." Harm swore, picturing her clad in just the panties. "Jesus," He snorted softly. "Don't know if I can survive another four and a half months like this, Lee."
"Awww, sure you can sailor." Harley teased. "I can always meet you in port somewhere once my deployment is over." She murmured, twirling the cord around her index finger.
Harm's breath caught. "That's good, yeah, that's only uh," he thought for a moment. "Thirteen days!" He exclaimed, eyes widening. "We're going to be in port a few days after that in Saudi Arabia."
"Easy tiger." Harley quipped, chuckling at his enthusiasm.
Harm's eyes closed, "Oh, I can't wait to-"
"Don't you have pre flight soon?" She asked, glancing at her watch.
Harm sighed. "Yeah." He smiled, Harley never liked dirty talk over the phone unless they were completely alone.
"Well then focus, flyboy." Harley chided, "Don't need you picturing my ass in lace when you're trying to cover your wingman's six."
Harm smirked. "But I like picturing your ass, Commander." He murmured, he took a quick breath. "You headed to the gym or are you getting some shuteye?"
Harley sighed, knowing he was imagining her working up a sweat. "I'm hitting the rack for a few hours, then I'll hit the gym before the mission tonight."
"Gonna lift heavy?" Harm asked, picturing her in short shorts and a cropped tank top while gripping a barbell.
"Always." Harley admitted with a smirk. Her late fiance had also encouraged her weightlifting lifestyle. Harm practically got off on it. Being a weightlifter helped her body withstand the pounding of carrier landings.
"Good." Harm sighed, checking his watch. Less than ten minutes and he had to report in. "I miss you, Lee."
Harley sighed. "Miss you too, Harm." She murmured back, suddenly sober. "Hey, uh." She bit her lip. "Listen, I'm really serious about coming to see you in port."
Harm licked his lips. "And I'm serious about seeing you, Lee." He wondered exactly what she was getting at. "What's on your mind, babe?"
Harley sighed, he could always see right through her insecurities. "Uh, well," She swallowed hard, "I just want to make sure you know I'm not just saying shit here, flyboy."
Harm's smile widened. It'd taken a few weeks, but it seemed Harley was coming around the idea of trying a run at a real relationship. Her hesitation was warranted, losing her fiance a month before his deployment was up and three months before their wedding was understandably devastating. "I know, Lee." He murmured, nodding to a fellow officer that picked up the receiver next to him. "Are you ready for some time off?"
Harkey pursed her lips. "I guess so." She shrugged. "I know some people get sick of carrier life, but..." She sighed almost wistfully. "I-"
"Love it." Harm finished for her. He glanced at his watch. He had to hang up now or he's be late for ops. "Lee, I'm sorry-"
"Don't be sorry." Harley shook her head, a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. "You go do your thing, flyboy." She took a quick breath. "Tell Skates, I'm counting on her to bring you back in one piece."
"Your confidence wounds me." He teased. Then he sighed, "Gotta go."
"Fly safe, Harm." Harley murmured, leaning her forehead against the wall.
"You too, Lee." Harm answered.
Then the line went blank.
Harley hung up the now dead receiver and pushed off the wall, heading towards her stateroom for some shut eye.
Harm slid into his seat just in time for the air boss to bring the room to attention.
"How's the missus?" Skates asked, giving Harm a cheeky smile.
Harm smiled, feeling his cheeks heat a little. "She's good." He'd spent the better part of their first month at sea trying to deny his deepening relationship with Harley Steele. Skates saw right through him. "Ah, probably going to visit our next port." He murmured, giving her a sly smile.
"Maybe we can all have dinner or something." Skates smiled back, chuckling a little. She knew Commander Steele from Harley's first years in the service. The woman was ultra talented, had hell of an instinct, much like the man who sat to her left.
"That'd be great." Harm murmured with a nod before turning his attention to the ops board. It was time to focus and get their minds in gear for the mission ahead.
Four Months Later
"If I say no, that's it." Harley sighed. "I'm out." If she didn't take her new orders, her Naval career would be over. She had just been given top secret orders that she wasn't able to tell Harm where she was going. She was being asked to go undercover in an undisclosed location and wouldn't have any contact with him until the mission was over. It could be months, it could be years. There was no current time table.
Harm pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "So that's it, eh?" He leaned against the ship wall on his right hand, the phone receiver in his left.
"Harm." Harley's voice broke. "You can't honestly ask me to hang it up." She sighed, "Not after all we've been through."
Harm's mind raced. Of course he couldn't ask her to give up her Naval career just to be with him. He'd made that mistake with Mac. He definitely didn't want to ask someone else to make the same error, especially someone who he cared so much about. "Dammit, Lee." He sighed, "This isn't fair," he took a quick breath, "Not now that we've-" His voice broke.
"Gotten back together." She finished for him. "I know, flyboy." She swallowed hard. "Harm, if I do this, I have the chance of making Captain someday, maybe even becoming the first female CAG."
Harm swallowed against the taste of his own medicine. He'd also put his career before relationships, and knew that for someone like Harley, there was no convincing them otherwise when it came to achievements. He knew she wanted to prove herself and be on the same level as her Grandfather and surpass the shadow of her father's alcoholism and abuse. Taking this assignment, if she were successful, would put her on the fast track to becoming the highest ranking female in Naval Aviation history. "Alright." He relented, feeling his heart clench. He didn't want to let her go, but he knew there wouldn't be much he could say to convince her otherwise. They didn't have kids, they didn't even share a home. Their lives were so separate, it was no wonder she'd want to take this opportunity.
Harley was speechless for a moment. "Really?" She scoffed. "I'm surprised you folded that easy, Rabb." She teased, feeling her heart break a little. If she was honest with herself, she didn't want him to fawn over her. She knew how he felt about her. He loved her. It seemed that love allowed him to let her go, yet again.
"Yeah, really." Harm sighed, leaning back against the wall. "When do you leave?"
Harley swallowed against the lump in her throat. "Tomorrow."
"Jesus Christ." Harm swore. "I don't even get to say goodbye." Being on different deployment schedules had been hell, now he was really angry. It was one thing to let her go on a ship, another entirely to let her go on an assignment with no real end in sight.
"It's better this way," Harley insisted, trying to sound reasonable and level headed, but the words rang sour. She sighed, "I'm angry too, Harm."
Good. He thought, biting back the word. He didn't want to fight with her, not now.
"I think we need to just have a clean break, let go." Harley murmured, trying not to cry.
"Like last time?" Harm's lips twitched. He remembered seeing her off at NAS Fallon, she'd shook his hand and traded salutes and marched her fine arse to her waiting F18.
Harley nodded. "Yeah." She blinked against unshed tears, letting them spill over.
"I'm not giving up, Lee." Harm insisted, lowering his voice a little as the phones next to him became occupied. He glanced at this watch, it was almost time for him to report to pre-flight.
"Harm." Harley groaned, shaking her head. "You have to." She whispered. "Go find a woman who will put you first." She pursed her lips. "You deserve that."
"Nah," Harm shook his head. "Where's the fun in that?" He sighed, "I'll wait for you Lee, however long it takes."
"Please." Harley whispered, tears streaming down her face. "What if I don't come back?"
Harm shook his head a little, his voice turning deadly. "Don't say that, Lee." He pursed his lips. "You'll come back and I'll be right here, waiting to welcome you home."
Harley knew there was no point in arguing with him. She appreciated the sentiment, but knew it wasn't realistic. Life would happen and he would move on. "Okay." She sniffled. "Got a long mission tonight?" She asked, glancing at the clock, wiping her eyes.
Harm sighed. "Just four hours, nothing too grueling." He'd had a couple of hops that day, just two hours each.
"Good." Harley took a deep breath and let it out. This was going to hurt. "I love you, Harmon Rabb."
Harm's eyes welled up. "I love you too, Harley Steele. Always will."
"Take care of yourself, flyboy." Harley sniffled. "Fly safe."
"You too, Lee." Harm answered, knowing what she was going to say next.
"Goodbye."
He couldn't bring himself to say it back, so he just waited for the line to go dead.
Harm slid into his usual chair beside Skates in pre-flight just as the Air Boss was calling the room to attention.
"How's the missus?" Skates asked with her usual smile. She locked eyes with him and realized something was off. "What's wrong?"
Harm glanced away and took a deep breath before answering. "Lee's going on assignment." Skates' brow rose. "Undercover."
"What?" Skates scoffed, trying to keep her voice down, focusing on the board in front of them as the Air Boss talked.
"You heard me." Harm sighed, trying to focus, he took down a few notes.
"Damn." Skates swore. "So now what?"
Harm glanced sideways at her then glanced back at the board before giving her a small shrug. "Not sure." He swallowed hard, "I let her go."
Fin
Dearest readers,
It feels good to wrap this one up. If you want to know what happens next, please go read 'Fair Winds and Following Seas' that's the next and currently 'final' installment in my Harm/Harley saga.
Thank you for all the favs, follows and reviews. You all make my day when I get your feedback. Take care out there.
soxo
Lumora The White