BEGINNING

Chapter 3

JAG Headquarters

0845 Zulu

The four officers returned to JAG Headquarters the following day, all taking some much needed time at home to rest and get their internal clocks reset. Commander Rabb and Lieutenant Colonel Mackenzie met with Admiral Chegwidden and briefed him on their findings the following morning.

Dalton Lowne came onto the scene and Lieutenant Steele could tell there was still some tension between him and the Colonel. Admiral Chegwidden was going to remove Colonel Mackenzie because of pillow talk, but Commander Rabb defended her, stating that she was famous for her discrecion. Harley hoped that if push ever came to shove that Harm would defend her like that to their superior.

The day before the trial, Commander Rabb had Bud set up a time for them to go see Captain Ross. Lieutenant Steele was happy to go along, she'd served under Captain Ross for his final tour, her first. The visit didn't go as planned. The Captain seemed to harbor some sexist bravado that had even The Commander completely off balance.

Mrs. Ross entered the yard from the garden and introduced herself. "I may not agree with my husband's tone, Commander." Victoria Ross said curtly. "But I do agree with his opinion." She looked directly at Lieutenant Steele when she said, "Women do not belong on warships." Then she looked her up and down for a moment, "They really let you wear pants, Lieutenant?" She scoffed with a disapproving look. Talk about a double standard.

The ride back to the office was quiet. Bud was busy on his PDA, updating their calendars with the latest court schedule. The Commander drove and Harley took the backseat behind Bud. Harley refused to meet Harm's eyes when he repeatedly looked in the mirror at her to see if she was okay. She was used to men having the opinion that women didn't belong in the military. It was another thing to face a woman who believed that.

Commander Rabb found himself at a loss for words with the visit he'd just had with Captain Ross and his wife Victoria. Captain Ross had an exemplary record for promoting women and helping them flourish under his leadership. His wife made some rather stinging comments directly to the Lieutenant. Now he couldn't get Lieutenant Steele to even look at him. He needed to know if she was okay.

"Ah, Bud, you go on ahead. I have to ask Lieutenant Steele something." Commander Rabb said to Lieutenant Roberts, then locked eyes with a semi panicked Lieutenant Steele in the rearview mirror.

Harley looked away, sure that Harm saw her panic.

"Yes, sir," Lieutenant Roberts nodded, getting out of the car.

Harm waited until Bud was halfway down the sidewalk before turning to look at the Lieutenant in the backseat. "You okay?"

Harley thought for a moment how to answer him. Of course she was hurt, angry, even maybe feeling a little self righteous. But, she was still a naval aviator who'd worked her ass off to be right where she was. The uniform she wore had to count for something, even if she did wear pants instead of the traditional skirt. "I'm fine, Commander." She answered evenly, her chin lifting a little.

Harm sighed. "It's okay if you're not, Lieutenant." He could tell the Lieutenant was upset, but she wasn't going to acknowledge it. "You can always talk to me about how you feel, off the record of course." He offered, locking eyes with her for a moment.

Harley nodded, "Understood, sir."

"Good." He nodded back before he turned and exited the car.

Harley followed suit and came over to him, hitting attention. "Permission to carry on as ordered, sir!" She exclaimed, gaze carefully fixed over his shoulder. She wasn't going to show him any weakness, not yet.

The Commander took a deep breath and held it for a moment before releasing it, eyes still searching hers. "Permission granted, Lieutenant." He sighed, "Carry on."

"Aye, aye, sir!" Lieutenant Steele answered before spinning on her heel and heading towards JAG Headquarters. The Commander jogged a little to keep up with her and to be able to reach the doors first so he could open it for her.

After the first day at trial, Harley's feet pounded the running trail she used now that she lived in D.C. She was coming up on a tall, somewhat lanky looking man with dark hair and deliciously broad shoulders. His ball cap was backwards and she realized that it said Navy on it. The more she studied his form it dawned on her that this runner was most likely her new partner, Commander Rabb. As much as she wanted to remain anonymous and maybe take another fork in the trail, she was nearing the end of her run. If she stayed the course, she'd most likely pass him.

Harm usually ran in the morning, but this evening he needed some stress relief. It'd been a stressful day at the office and he needed to relax. He glanced behind him a mile ago and there wasn't anyone, just the way he liked his runs. Even in a big city like D.C. it had become a source of solace for him. His ears perked up as the sound of feet on the path got closer and closer. He didn't want to seem paranoid, so he didn't turn around. He just continued running at his easy pace, trying to enjoy himself.

Harley came up on Harm, moving to his left as was customary for passing. She might have been a foot shorter, but her legs were long and she loved to run. One of the only things she didn't like about carrier life was the lack of room to stretch her legs, which was why she ran any chance she got when they were docked or on leave.

Harm hardly believed his eyes. Lieutenant Harley Steele was pulling around him on the running trail, passing him like he was walking instead of running. "Lieutenant?!" Harm exclaimed, trying not to seem so out of breath. He was nearing the end of his run. He pumped his arms a little to match stride with her. She was running just a few clicks quicker than him.

"Commander." Harley answered back, equally out of breath, noticing him speed up to match her stride. "I'm almost at the end of my run." She explained. "Usually sprint the last half mile." She nodded to the mile marker coming up.

Their apartments must be close together because he was almost back to his building, just over a mile to go. "Are you up for some competition?" He asked with a smirk.

Harley pursed her lips, trying to contain her smile of approval. She was always up for a little friendly competition. "Loser buys dinner?" She offered, biting her lip.

Harm chuckled. "You're on." He was confident his long legs would give him the advantage.

"Alright." Harley huffed. "The next marker to the trailhead?" She suggested, glancing over at him.

Harm smiled his signature panty dropping grin and nodded, he knew right where she was talking about, it's where he entered the trail. He nodded to the edge of the trail where the marker was, just a few yards in front of them. "You ready?"

"I was born ready, Commander." Harley murmured, taking a few deep breaths, willing herself to relax. She always ran better when she was relaxed. "Three, two, one!" She counted off.

At the marker, the pair exploded into a sprint. Harley pulled ahead a little, sliding in front of Harm as they wound their way around a little brook and down into a small ravine. It was Harm's turn to pull in front of her as they climbed the hill, but before they could reach the top, Harley had managed to edge him out again. As they descended and flattened out, Harley pulled even further ahead.

Harm could hardly believe what was happening. He better not let the colonel get wind of this, he'd never live it down. The woman in front of him was at least a foot shorter than him, but she was currently kicking his ass. He pushed himself a little harder and got back up beside her as they made their final ascent to the trailhead.

Harley had saved just a little energy so she could kick it into high gear and come across the finish line ahead of the Commander. Harm stayed with her, but she beat him by an elbow. Once they were across, they both practically fell to the ground in exhaustion.

Harley knelt in the grass, trying to catch her breath, Harm not far behind her, mirroring her posture. "Damn, Commander." Harley puffed. "You sure give a girl a run for her money." She clapped him good naturedly on the shoulder before standing all the way up.

Harm chuckled. "Guess we'll have to have a rematch." He panted, "Can't have it get around the office that you beat me."

"Seriously?" Harley scoffed, "C'mon, Commander." She lamented, "I just ran twelve miles."

Harm's lips twitched, now he really felt like he could beat her, he'd only run six. "C'mon, Lieutenant. I'll still buy dinner, just give me another chance." He wiggled his eyebrows, banking on the fact that she was competitive. "I underestimated your ability to really turn it on at the end."

Harley's lips twitched in amusement. She was tired, but definitely felt that he might be still underestimating her. "When I beat you again," She pursed her lips. "You owe me dinner for a fucking week." She scoffed, doubling over for a moment.

"Deal." Harm extended his hand to shake on it. Harley straightened and took it. When their hands met he felt a jolt of electricity shoot up her arm and go right to her heart. She released his hand, refusing to meet his prying eyes.

"Alright." She took a deep breath, willing herself to relax. "I vote we sprint to the front of the building, take the alleyway." She swallowed, "First one to touch the door handle wins."

"You live here?" He inclined his head to the apartment building looming in front of them.

"Mmmhmm." She confirmed. "Third floor." She found out from getting her mail yesterday that Harm lived in the building too, so she wasn't surprised to see him ahead of her on the running trail.

Harm's eyes widened, a look of panic crossing his features. "I'm on the fifth." He smirked, shaking his head. "Now, what are the chances of that, eh?"

"Considering the person who previously had my apartment was murdered by her ex boyfriend," Harley shrugged, cocking her head to the side, "I'd consider it fate's way of making sure I don't get murdered."

"Wait." Harm protested, pinching the bridge of his nose, trying to wrap his head around this new information. He let go, "Really?" He scoffed, giving her a wide-eyed look.

Harley burst out laughing, her shoulders shaking with laughter. "No!" She shook her head. "It was the only vacancy close to JAG with a parking garage where I can store my bike for the winter and park my car."

Harm rolled his eyes. She really had him going for a moment. "Alright."

"I do have a nasty ex boyfriend, though." She shrugged, not quite sure why she just told the commander that.

Harm scoffed, smirking like she was joking again.

"That I'm actually serious about." Harley murmured, giving him a sad smile.

"Oh," Harm's eyes widened. "Sorry."

She bumped shoulders with him. "You probably have a few crazed ex girlfriends." She grinned, "Comes with the territory, right? Dress whites and gold wings, eh?" She scoffed, shaking her head.

Harm nodded, suddenly struck with how much they really did have in common. At first, he was pretty resistant to letting her in. Maybe he could be her mentor, help her work through the possibility of never jumping off a carrier again. "So, you ready for a beat down?" He asked with a grin.

"Bring it on, old man." Harley murmured, grinning back.

He smirked, yeah he was older, but he still had a little left in the tank for her. "Count us off."

Harley took a deep breath, glancing sideways at him. "On three." She murmured, he nodded to her. "Three…two...one...go!"

Harm took off hard, narrowly beating Harley to the gate that led to the back alley. Harley charged back, ducking in front of him just before they rounded the front corner of the building. She touched the door handle first but didn't pull open the door, instead she turned to face the commander. Harm crashed into her, pinning her between his chest and the glass. Harley yelped as the door handle hit into her back. "Fuck!" She muttered, hand feeling the tender spot above her hip.

"You okay?" Harm asked softly, hands going to her shoulders, trying to get her to look at him.

"Yeah, just gonna hurt like a bitch for a while." She winced, meeting his eyes for a moment before turning away from him, lifting her shirt a little. "Is the skin broken?" She asked, biting her lip. This wasn't the way she imagined Harm seeing her bare back for the first time.

Harm swallowed hard, feeling the intimacy of the situation sky rocket as he bent to inspect her lower back. He noticed what he presumed to be a tattoo flowing up the rest of her back. He had a sudden urge to discover what it was. "No, just a little red." He helped smooth her shirt back in place. He palmed the back of his neck, not sure how to take care of her without coming off as a creep. "You want a rain check?"

Harley swallowed against the protest of pain in her hip. "Hell no," She scoffed, "I beat you fair and square, flyboy." She smirked. "Let me grab a quick shower and I'll let you play nurse." She winked and pulled open the door.

Harm ordered some take out from his favorite Thai place down the street. Harley had told him to order from his favorite restaurant since he knew the area better. He took a quick shower and waited for the food to arrive. He pulled out a couple of wine glasses and a vintage mineral water his mother had sent in a care package last week. He didn't think alcohol was appropriate on a work night. They did have court in the morning.

Harley winced as she stepped out of the shower. She was going to have a wicked bruise on her lower back. She would get a hundred bruises to have Harm pressed up against her like that again. She shook the inappropriate thoughts away. They were just two colleagues getting to know each other, nothing more. She dressed in some comfortable black joggers, racer back bra and tank top with a soft, flowy open front sweater. She spent a few minutes blow drying her hair at the roots, letting the rest curl softly down past her shoulders. She didn't bother with make up, she figured if Harm didn't like her au natural he didn't deserve her all dolled up, either.

Harm's doorbell buzzed so he went over to the door and peeked out the peephole. To his surprise, it wasn't the food, but the Lieutenant. He looked through the peephole again and took in her freshly washed form. She was even more gorgeous out of uniform. Strawberry blonde curls fell almost to her elbows and her bright blue eyes were clear of makeup. He pulled open the door and gave her the best toothy grin he could muster. "Come in," He murmured, stepping aside so she could enter his apartment.

"Wow." Harley breathed, "This is really nice, Harm." She looked around admiring the open layout, "You hire someone for this?" She asked, sitting down on a barstool as Harm came around the bar to pour the mineral water.

Harm smirked, "No," He scoffed and shook his head. "I did it myself." He shrugged, "Took a couple of years."

"No way!" Harley exclaimed, taking the glass he offered. He nodded, raising his glass to hers giving it a soft clink. "Cheers." She murmured. "I guess I should hire you to fix my unit then." She murmured before taking a sip.

"I thought you were here to heal and get back in the air." Harm leaned on the counter, setting his glass down for a moment.

"Mmmm." Harley hummed. "This is good." She praised the mineral water. She bit her lip. "I'm trying to be optimistic, but also keep myself grounded in reality." She shrugged, "Plus, maintenance hasn't been responding."

"Oh," Harm's brows rose, "What's wrong with it?" He asked, trying not to to seem too eager to get into her apartment.

"The shower head is leaking." She shrugged. "I guess I could just buy a new one." She took another sip, "Where did you get this?" She asked.

"My mother sent it from San Fran." He gave her a grin. "It's vintage." He chuckled a little. He thought for a moment and took a quick breath, "I can come by and look at it after dinner, food should be here any minute."

Harley held out her empty glass. "Great." She smirked, "I'm famished." She nodded her thanks as he refilled her glass. As if he was a fortune teller, the door buzzed a few seconds later. Harm capped the bottle and moved over to the door to get their food.

Harley set her empty container of chicken pad thai down on the coffee table. "That was absolutely amazing." She sighed. "I need more of that in my life, Commander."

"Call me Harm." He corrected, getting up and clearing away their empty containers.

"Okay, Harm." Harley smiled. "I guess its only fair if you call me Harley then."

"Okay, Harley." Harm nodded, pulling out an icepack from his freezer. "Ice pack time?" He showed her the pack.

She felt her heart lurch at the sound of her name on his lips. "Yeah, wrap it in a dish towel or something." She stretched out on the couch on her stomach and pulled her shirt up a little to expose the irritated area. "Is it still red?" She asked softly as he came and knelt down next to her.

Harm swallowed at the sight of having her laid out on his sofa. His eyes went to the exposed skin of her back and he was sorely disappointed. Her skin was red and seemed to be purpling in some spots. "Well," He scoffed. "It's still red, but also purple in some spots." He laid the ice pack across it and settled on the floor at her head, his back resting against the cushion of the couch.

They sat in a comfortable, almost buzzing, silence for about ten minutes until Harley was the first to break.

"Why don't you fly anymore, Harm?" She asked quietly, fingers smoothing the wrinkle in his t-shirt at his shoulder.

Harm jumped a little at her touch and flashed her a nervous smile, settling back against the sofa, elbows resting on his knees. "Ah," He sighed, palming his jaw. "I do." He did keep his credentials current with getting enough flying hours each year.

Harley breathed through her nose, "You know what I mean." She murmured, trying to keep her hands to herself so she crossed her arms below her chin.

"Well," He snorted softly. "I belong at JAG." He shrugged. He hadn't made the decision lightly, but he'd really made a name for himself at JAG.

"Hmmm." Harley hummed. "You are a damn good lawyer." She observed. "Bit of a cowboy, really." She took a quick breath, "But I hear you're an even better pilot."

Harm smiled, snorting softly. "I don't know about that, Lee."

Lee. Only her father ever called her that. The man was a despicable drunk, but did always dote on her if and when he was sober. She didn't correct Harm, she just let her fingers wander instead. "Looks like you need a haircut, Harm." She tentatively touched the hair at the nape of his neck, it looked like it was a little longer than she guessed he usually kept it for regulation. One reason she kept her hair long and put it up everyday, was she hardly had time for the salon.

Harm jumped at the feel of her fingertips on his neck, but he didn't push her away. "I've got a haircut scheduled in two days." He explained. Her nails scraped a little at his scalp and he felt himself slowly sink under her spell. "What're you doing, Lee?" He practically panted, swallowing against the lump in his throat.

"Just returning the favor." She purred, slowly massaging his scalp. A few moments ticked by, "You have really nice hair." She murmured, taking her hand back.

Harm fought to catch his breath, he wasn't used to being this affected by the mere presence of a woman, let alone her touch. He turned a little to look at her, finding her staring right back. If she was being forward, now was his chance to find out. His jaw clenched with the effort to control himself. Kissing the Lieutenant would only lead down a very dangerous path. He turned away and hung his head a little, trying to forget the look of desire in her eyes. They'd only known each other for a week, he needed to calm the fuck down.

"Harm?" Harley asked, sitting up, "What's wrong?" She asked. "You worried about the case?"

Harm sighed. He knew she was trying to give him an out. For once in his life he didn't want an out. He'd been trying to toe the proverbial line his whole career. It'd cost him relationship after relationship. Maybe if he was with someone who understood what military life was really like and saw their career like he saw his, he might be more successful. It seemed that Lieutenant Steele, Harley, took her career very seriously. "Nah," Harm snorted softly, shaking his head, "Just need someone to stand up and tell the truth." He turned to find her sitting up, so he joined her on the couch. He stretched his arm out along the back, his hand brushing her bare shoulder where her sweater had fallen.

Harley's lips twitched in amusement. Seemed they needed that between them now. She could tell Harm wouldn't make the first move, it'd be up to her to chance making a fool out of herself with a superior officer. She'd also heard through the grapevine that he was usually a perfect gentleman, so much so that it drove Lieutenant Colonel Mackenzie bonkers, at least that's what Harriet had said. "So," She sighed, "You and Mac…" She raised her brows to imply that there was more than met the eye between the two of them.

Harm's breath caught. The woman didn't pull any punches. He shrugged. "We've been partners at JAG for several years."

"Uh huh," Harley chuckled. "C'mon, Harm." She smirked, "Mac is beautiful, and totally interested in something more."

"Yeah, right." Harm scoffed, then his eyes widened. "I'm mean, yeah, she's a good looking woman," He took a quick breath, "But we've crashed and burned in the other department."

"Oh?" Harley gasped, brows raising. "Do tell, flyboy." She murmured, settling a little closer to him, resting her bare shoulder against his outstretched arm.

Harm swallowed at the contact of skin on skin. "Uh," He gaped for a moment. "We just have our differences, that's all." He flashed her a nervous toothy grin.

"Differences?" Harley scoffed. "More like different planets, sir." She shook her head a little. She'd only been around for a couple of days, but it was easy to see that Harm and Mac had chemistry, but they lacked the compatibility to make it worth something.

"Really?" Harm questioned, his brow furrowing. He hadn't really thought too much in depth about why he and Mac never seemed to sync up. Physically, they could be white hot, but in the everyday moments they never seemed to match up.

"Mmmhmm." Harley nodded, "You're an ace naval aviator who happens to be a kick ass lawyer." Her hand left her hair and settled on the back of the couch, alongside his outstretched arm. "She's a badass JAG lawyer who happens to be a marine." She sighed as Harm's eyes widened with understanding. "You just don't operate with the same puzzle pieces. So sometimes the connection is electric, other times you just don't sync up."

"Huh." Harm snorted softly. He took a quick breath. "You need another ice pack?" He offered, getting up from the sofa and swiping up her used one on his way to the kitchen.

Harley let loose the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "No, I'm good." She stood up from the couch and returned her empty glass to his sink. "I think I'll turn in. We've got an early day tomorrow." She turned away from the Commander and headed for the door. With her hand on the knob, she turned back to thank him for dinner, but instead, collided with his chest. "Harm-" She was cut off by the commander pressing her gently but firmly against the door. She looked up to find his face very close to hers.

"Tell me to stop." Harm murmured, His hands settling on the door by her ears while he gazed down at her, chest heaving.

Harley bit her lip, "W-why would I do that, sir?" She asked, as her hands slid up his chest. Instead of pushing him away, her fingers gripped the front of his t-shirt.

"Because we barely know each other, Lee." He whispered, nose brushing hers.

Harley smirked. "I don't think that's a requirement for attraction, sir." She observed wryly. "I'd quite like a kiss."

"You would, eh?" Harm's lips twitched with amusement. "That all you want?" He asked, eyes searching hers for a moment.

"For now, flyboy." Harley murmured, reaching up and gently gripping the back of his neck as she stood on tiptoe, guiding his face down to hers.

Harm groaned softly as his lips touched Harley's, the feelings of uncertainty melting away. His hands left the door, one settled on her hip while the other delved into her hair, cradling the back of her head. He deepened the kiss, unable to get enough of her. He could feel himself falling in deep, deeper than he wanted to admit this early in their relationship.

Harley broke the kiss by rocking back on her heels, as much as she wanted to continue, duty called. "Thank you for dinner, Commander." She murmured, her voice wavering a little as her hands left his skin.

Harm smirked, releasing his grip on her. "Anytime." He reached behind her and pulled open the door.

"See you in the morning, sir." Harley stepped around the door so she could exit his apartment. Then she was gone.

Harm shut the door and leaned against it for a moment. He was in deep trouble. If that kiss was any indication of how good she'd be in bed, he was a dead man.

Dearest Readers,

I guess things are heating up between Harm and Harley already. I quite like where this is headed. I'm excited to give Harm a companion that can really explore who he is as a person. I really feel the show JAG did this character a disservice by always portraying him professionally competent, but never gave him the chance to be fulfilled personally.

We'll wrap up the sexual harassment case next and send our two heroes onward…

xoxo

Lumora The White