Friends
"You're the man, X-Man!"
There was a loud commotion of whooping and whistling coming from within the wardroom of the USS Patrick Henry, and Harm and Skates gave each other a questioning look on their way below deck from their last mission.
"X-Man got a love letter in this morning's mail," Tuna explained as they entered the room. "And it's...uh, some pretty heavy stuff, if you know what I mean."
Lieutenant Andrew Buxton, better known as the cocky, hotshot X-Man, was thoroughly enjoying being the center of attention as he showed off a pretty pink slip of paper scented with perfume.
"'I miss you every day and think about you every night,'" Boomer read in a high-pitched voice. "Oh, she's definitely hot for you, X-Man."
Harm eyed the letter cautiously as it was passed to him, raising an eyebrow at a couple of the more risqué lines.
"What's wrong, sir?" Buxton asked with a bit of a smug smirk on his face, pleased that he could outrank the lieutenant commander at least in romance. "No love letters for you? Not having much luck with the ladies lately? You need a wingman, Pappy?"
"Don't let him get to you, Harm," Skates warned.
Harm fixed Buxton with a cool, silent stare. "I won't."
~*~o~*~
"Hello, we have a ship-to-shore call for Captain Harmon Rabb, Junior."
"This is Captain Rabb," Harm answered.
There was a short burst of static over the phone and then Harm heard a familiar female voice that he had heard in his ear many times before.
"Hello, sir, or should I say Merry Christmas and congratulations?"
"Skates?" Harm exclaimed.
"It's me, sir."
Harm leaned back in his chair with the phone to his ear, happy to hear from an old friend. "Skates, it's been a long time. You still deployed? How's carrier life these days?"
"Same as always, sir," Skates replied. "It's married life that's been an adventure. I heard you're about to give it a try."
Harm chuckled. "And who told you that?"
"Word gets around, sir. I just wanted to make sure you actually make it to the wedding this time."
"What, you didn't have fun skipping out on the last one with me?" Harm joked.
Skates laughed, but her reply was serious, as the memory of ejecting into the Atlantic on the night before Mac's failed wedding to Mic Brumby was still vividly clear to both the pilot and his RIO. "Harm, after we both landed in the drink, I asked if you had taken another look at what was really important to you."
"I remember."
"Well, I'm glad you finally did."
She was cut off by another burst of fuzzy static, and Harm wondered if they were going to lose the phone connection.
"Take care of yourself, Skates," he said. "I'll let you know how the married life goes."
"I wouldn't worry, sir. You and the Colonel have acted like a married couple for years."
Harm put a hand to his chest as if he had been struck by an arrow. "Ouch, Skates."
"Just speaking the truth, sir," she said. "Everyone knew. The only ones who didn't were the two of you."