Well let's end the story here. It is based around Season 4, Episode 4 "Goodbyes" but clearly quite a bit of an AU.

Some steak house

1830 local

"Uh, good evening Commander," I began. Please let this be a normal conversation.

"Ya," the Commander answered, squeezing herself next to me.

I looked ahead, not wanting to start the conversation.

"Ready for NAS Oceana?" I heard her blurt out. How did she…oh yes the conversation at JAG, where I made that life-changing decision to hand the notes over to Commander Rabb. "Uh," I twirled the glass of water in front of me, "it's still a few days off but yeah, looking forward to it."

"I bet Harm is too. He can't wait to finish this Charlie Lynch case so that he can leave and fly off."

"Oh," was my first response. "I'm sure he's dying to go."

"Yeah," her sarcasm became evident. "I'm sure he's dying to leave me."

I sighed and faced this blonde. "Ma'am…"

"Let's cut it here; we're out of uniform. Call me Jordan."

"Liz…look Ha..Commander Rabb is a US Navy sailor; he just going out to sea. You're in the Navy too and frankly you should know that too, being an officer."

"He's still 'dumping' me."

"Dumping? He's…"

"Excuse me, would you like anything?" This came from a waitress. I ordered my steak and this Lieutenant Commander

"Just water," she said then returned to me. "He's ditching me and turning to his obsessions, that's what he is."

Obsessions? "How is flying an obsession?"

"He's always had obsessions. First his chase for this father, which supposedly has stopped, thank goodness. This one about flying is even worse, given that he has been hiding it for me for so long!"

Her anger naturally attracted some other patrons but thankfully only for a few seconds. "Look, ma'am, Jordan, I don't know about you and Commander Rabb. Clearly the issue needs to be resolved between you to. The Commander is just happy about flying, as am I."

"And you handing him the notebooks sealed the final nail in the coffin! You and your fiancé!"

"Look, ma'am" I used ma'am because I didn't seem this girl as any colleague or friend. In a way, the term 'ma'am' meant that I was junior to her, but I wouldn't let that affect me. "I just did a favour that anyone would have done. So I heard that he's transferring to be an aviator from my fiancé so what. At least he's living his dream. You living a delusion. Now if you will kindly excuse me, I would like to eat in peace." I attempted to get up and change seats but the whole joint was full.

"You! You are stealing away my boyfriend!"

"Excuse me, Miss, I have to ask you to leave. We don't condone angry behavior here."

"You! Damn you!" She kept on shouting at me as the waiter guided her out of the joint. Phew, I thought. But the word 'fiancé' kept bugging me.

NAS Oceana

A few days later

1300 hours local

Please, please let this go right, I thought, as I walked up to a specific part of the men's lodging areas. But so many things could go wrong—I could be caught for fraternization, the Commander's bunkmate could answer the door, he might be out or busy…I closed my eyes and rapped the door—the lodging her didn't have doorbells.

It opened to reveal the six foot four tall and muscular commander. "Hi, Lieutenant Hawkes right?"

Yes, yes that me, or rather more commonly known as Skates. "Uh, afternoon Commander, is there any place we could talk uh privately for a while?"

"As a matter of fact, I was about to head to the side maintenance shed to re-acquaint myself with the AIM-54s," he replied. "You could help me." I could yes, but I've also some matters to clear up.

At the shed, I turned and lifted my head. "Sir, I want to start by apologising to you."

"Apologising? For what?"

"I lied to you sir. I told you back at JAG HQ that I heard about about your change in designation from my fiancé. I don't have a fiancé and never had. I heard it from scuttlebutt."

He looked at me for a few seconds and my heart rate shot up. Please..."Ok, that's not an apology. But why did you say you had a fiancé? Were you in a relationship?"

Relationship? "Nosir, I just, I don't know, I had to think of some quick excuse to tell you why I lugged the manuals across town to get it to you. I just...I..."

"What is it Lieutenant?"

"Permission to speak freely sir?"

"This is as casual as it is. Something wrong Lieutenant?"

"I...I got them for you because I like you. I mean, uh sir, ever since I first saw you, I just thought you were someone special. Then, you risked your life to grab my chute because of the damn Issaks. From then on I dreamed so much about you and when I heard you wanted to fly again, I just..." I stopped my sentence and rubbed my eyes. Damnit, I was crying.

"Hey, hey Lieuteant, it's ok. You didn't break any rules, you didn't do any thing wrong," I heard him say.

"I sir, I sound like a high school girl rather than a Naval officer. But then I met your girlfriend..."

"Jordan?"

"Yeah, and she argued with me about flying being your huge obsession or something like that and that sounded so ridiculous."

"It is. I don't know whether I'll hear from her again."

Oh..." Uh..anyway sir, I..."

"Actually, it was nice of you to clear this up. I like you took Lieutenant. You sound liek you have some spark. I want to ask you if you could..." Is he asking me out?

"Could be my RIO? Commander Jenks said there weren't any other RIOs available to pair with me. And I heard you don't have any 'front seater' paired with you. So would consent to pair with me and teach me all there is to the F-14?"

Oh wow..." Yes sir!" I replied joyfully.

"Cut the sir when we're together in the cockpit. It's Harm."

"Skates," I said, loving his tough handshake.

The End.