December 7, 2003
Sycamore Street – Falls Church, Virginia
0821 Eastern
Harm came awake to two sensations. The first was the feeling of a soft, warm body pressed close against his own. The second was the smell of fresh brewed coffee. Opening his eyes, he was rewarded with an incredibly beautiful vision, as Beth's eyes met his. Seizing the moment, he leaned into her for a kiss while also wrapping his arms around her.
"Good morning, sailor," Beth said sweetly, running her hand along the stubble on his chin.
"Good morning, beautiful," Harm replied. "Did you make coffee?"
"No, that's Mattie."
"Probably her way of telling us we're slept too long and should be up making breakfast," Harm said teasingly.
"Harm, she's fourteen. I'm positive she can handle finding breakfast for herself," was Beth's reply as she pulled him back down to the bed. "Besides, I've got other plans for you this morning."
It was almost two hours later before Harm and Beth emerged from the master bedroom, ready to face the day. Both of them had settled on jeans and sweatshirts, planning on a relaxing day spent at home. Entering the kitchen, they found Mattie sitting at the table with an unhappy look on her face. The reason became evident when Harm spotted the two plates sitting at vacant places, with scrambled eggs and hash browns on them.
"Oh, Mattie, did you do this for us?" Beth asked the teen.
"Yeah, but it's all cold now," Mattie grumbled. "I know you were awake, I heard you over an hour ago. That's when I started cooking. Then you didn't come down, but I could hear you moving around."
Harm and Beth exchanged a slightly embarrassed look at that, one that didn't escape the teen's notice, either.
"Oh," was all Mattie said before looking down at her coffee, finally cluing to what the two adults had been doing that morning.
"Well, we could try to reheat this," Beth said in a silence, furious at the artificial quality to her voice.
"So, when are you going to get married?" Mattie asked. "I mean, you asked her and she said yes, so when's the date going to be?"
"Yeah, Harm, when are we going to get married," Beth put in, enjoying having the focus shifted off her, even if it was now all on Harm.
"Well, we need to talk about that, I think."
"Oh, we definitely do."
"I mean, do you want a big wedding with hundreds of people or just something small and intimate. The bigger the wedding, the longer it will probably take to plan."
"Small and intimate sounds wonderful. The two of us, a chaplain, a couple of witnesses and the people closest to us are all I really need for it to be perfect," Beth told him.
"I know where I can find a chaplain, the witnesses too. It will take a day or two to get my mom and Frank here, not to mention your family. So, if we want to go that route, we could probably do it in two weeks," Harm said. "There is something I need to get, though."
Harm left the table, drawing looks from both Mattie and Beth. Going upstairs, he went into his office and removed an old box from the top shelf of the closet. Opening the box, he shuffled through the contents, searching for something he knows is there. Finally, he fingers find the small, square box at the very bottom. Picking it up, he opens the lid and removes a well-worn engagement ring. Closing his hand, he packs everything away before leaving the room and walking back down to the kitchen.
Kneeling next to Beth, he took her hand in his, then opened his other hand to expose the ring. Beth and Mattie both watch with tears in their eyes as Harm slowly slid it on Beth's hand. The ring was just a touch loose, but that could be remedied.
"That ring has been handed down from mother to son for four generations now. My great-grandfather gave that ring to my great-grandmother who, when it was time, gave it to her son to give to his bride, my grandmother. My grandmother then passed it to her son to give to his wife, my mother. In time, she gave it to me, telling me that it properly belonged to the woman I would choose to join my life to. That woman is you," Harm said.
"Until there's a next generation to receive it," Beth said, a smile lighting her eyes at that thought. "Now that that's decided, don't you think you should let your mother know? Then, we can tell my folks."
Looking at the kitchen clock, Harm did some mental match and came up with a time of around 0750 on the West Coast. Early, but not too early, so he went to the counter and picked up the telephone. Smiling at the thought of how this conversation was likely to go, he carried it back over to the table and sat down while he dialed the number, turning it onto speaker phone as it rang.
"Burnett residence," came Trish's voice.
"Good morning, Mom."
"Harm, darling. Twice in less than a month, that must be a record for you."
"Yes, Ma'am," Harm replied with a grin, recognizing the teasing tone his mother's voice held.
"Not that it isn't always a pleasure to hear from one's son, but is there a particular reason for such an early morning disturbance."
"Well, I was curious about your plans for the next few weeks, say around Christmas and the new year?"
"As you very well know, darling, Frank and I will be spending the holidays in this big, almost empty house. Seeing as how our only son never comes to visit," Trish told him, before hearing a muffled chuckle that suspiciously unlike Harm's.
Harm, for his part, looked at both Beth and Mattie, who were struggling to keep from full-blown laughter at the rampant teasing they were hearing directed at Harm.
"Since your thoughtless son won't come and visit you, have you thought about visiting him?" Harm asked, a smile on his face.
"Now, why would Frank and I wish to travel all that way, just to see such a thoughtless person?"
"Because there would be a couple of other people who might like to meet you, with one of them being your granddaughter."
A clatter was heard on the other end of the telephone, then the voice that spoke next was Frank, who had picked up the receiver and turned on the speakerphone, rather than Trish.
"What did you say to your mother, Harm? She's just standing here, looking shocked while her mouth just keeps opening and closing," Frank said.
"Nothing much, I just asked if she'd like to come out and meet your granddaughter," Harm said, waiting for it.
"My granddaughter?" Frank asked. "When did that all happen, Harm? And whose child is she?"
"Well, it should be official on Wednesday…."
"You mean Mattie?" asked Frank, quick on the uptake.
"Yes. The authorities found her father and he's signed off on my adopting her. So, if the judge agrees, then Mattie will legally be my daughter and that makes her your granddaughter."
"That would be one person, Harmon," Trish said. "You said a couple of people, so who else?"
"Are you sitting down now, Mom?" Harm asked, knowing that if news about Mattie had shocked her, this next item might just kill her.
"Uh, yes."
"The other person would be the woman I'm going to marry, just as soon as we can get you and Frank and her family out here for a ceremony."
"Oh my God," Trish screamed, causing Harm to wince slightly. "Who is this woman and how did you trick her into marrying an old bachelor like you?"
"Her name is Elizabeth Hawkes and …."
"There were no tricks involved, Ma'am," Beth finished.
"Aren't you the young lady who was Harm's RIO?" Trish asked. "The one who saved his life?"
"Yep, that's Skates, Mom."
"Why is this the first I've heard that you were even dating?"
"Actually, we've only been dating a couple of weeks," Beth said. "But I've loved him for almost 5 years now."
"I see," was all Trish said, but her voice had suddenly changed, becoming less friendly.
"Mom, you know me and feelings," Harm said, picking up on the change. "I've loved Beth for years as well, but there was always something in the way. Regulations, then other people. Now, there's nothing standing between us but ourselves and my fear of commitment. So, when Beth told me she loved me, I knew I couldn't let her get away from me. Not without a fight."
"And when he finally said that he loved me, I almost floated to the ceiling. Here was someone who I knew would love all of me, accepting the career I had chosen and the separations that might come. Someone who I could trust to always be there for me, because he always has been. And especially someone whom I loved with all my heart," Beth added.
"Who is that with you and what have you done with my son," Trish said, laughter in her voice. "I mean, seriously. I was beginning to doubt this day would ever come. Have you set a date, yet?"
"Well, Ma'am," Beth began, only to have Trish stop her.
"Ma'am just isn't going to work, Elizabeth. My name is Trish and you can either call me that or Mom, alright?"
"Alright, Trish. We're thinking just a small, intimate ceremony with our families and a few friends, so we were thinking in two weeks or so."
"Is there anything you're not telling us?" Trish asked.
"No, Mom," Harm said. "We're not having a baby, we just don't want to wait. We're not looking for some wedding extravaganza with hundreds of people we either barely know or don't know at all. We just want to get married, surrounded by our families."
"If that's the way you want it, Darlings. That would take you to the week of Christmas, will you be able to have everything ready by then?"
"We should be able to. I just need a dress, plus one for Mattie. Harm will wear his Mess Dress uniform. So, a nice dress for you and a suit for your husband, the same from my parents and outfits for our attendants. Best man, Harm?"
"Bud, which means Harriet and the boys will be there. Maid of Honor, Beth?"
A huge grin crossed her face as she turned to Mattie, "I think I've got that covered, don't I, Mattie?"
"Damned straight," Mattie said.
"And I'll have Chaplain Turner perform the ceremony," Harm said.
"That just leaves the place and the date?" Trish said. "If my count is correct, that's 12 people. Add Grandma Sarah and say a couple of others and we're at 15. So, we wouldn't necessarily need someplace big."
Beth and Harm looked at each other, thinking through places. Yet, especially with the holidays fast approaching, most places were likely already booked for various events. Then it struck Harm and he cocked his head to one side, trying to picture it in his mind. Beth and Mattie just waited patiently, while Trish and Frank didn't know what to make of the silence on the other end of the connection.
"If we moved the furniture around a little," Harm said, a smile coming to his face, "we could have the ceremony here. I mean, we'll probably have parties here with more people."
"And I know when," Beth put in. "I think we should get married on Christmas Eve."
"I'm not sure, sweetheart," Harm said, not wanting his emotions about that particular day to ruin his wedding with Beth. Surprising support for the idea came from Trish, who instantly recognized the cause of her son's reluctance.
"I like the idea, darling," Trish told them. "Harmon, I know why you're opposed, but I want you to think about something. Remember that last tape of your father's, the one I gave you just before you went to Russia. What your father said about wanting me to go on with my life applies to you as well. So, I think Christmas Eve is the best day for your wedding, where we'll remember the past while celebrating the future."
"Alright, then. Plan on being here for Christmas, with the wedding being on Christmas Eve," Harm said.
"I'll be there before that, darling. I'm not about to let Beth get stuck with all the wedding planning. Besides, it will give me time to get to know both her and Mattie."
"That would be wonderful, Trish," Beth told her.
After a few more moments spent chatting, the call ended with a promise to let Harm and Beth know when the Burnetts would be flying in. Then it was time to call Beth's parents, who were no less shocked than Trish and Frank had been, especially at the seeming suddenness of the decision. They too promised to come out early "to help", which both Beth and Harm correctly interpreted as "to check out Harm" and hopefully have time to talk Beth out of any perceived mistakes.
Without a doubt, the next couple of weeks promised to be eventful.