"Nine gold rings" Ch07 – "Skates' surprise"
A little "what if", inspired by Season One, this AU story explores some plausible (if not-publicly-canon) moves on the "pairings" front in mid-season, beginning in the spring of 1996 then moving forward. No links to my other stories as at August 2021.
A/N: "they aren't mine, I'm just playing with them - apart from any character created by myself". See Ch01 for all the disclaimers.
Summary: this is a fictional story, in a fictional (slightly) Alternative Universe, about fictional characters who entertained us in a fictional TV series between 1995 and 2005. Comments and PMs and suggestions are most welcome. All mistakes are mine. Mike
Canon: Canon episodes: "Adrift part 2" (S07Ep01): first broadcast 27SEP2001Canon: "Dog Robber: Part 1" (S07Ep09): first broadcast 21NOV2001; "Dog Robber: Part 2" (S07Ep10): first broadcast 27NOV2001.
A/N: 29-JAN-2022. With grateful acknowledgement (see body of text) to Beachbum912.
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29/01/2022: Note: getting home and picking up the pieces Friday 14-Sep-2001. Then along comes a winter storm...
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Tuesday 11th September 2001, 19:23hrs EDT
Sleepy Guest House, Staten Island, NY 10310, United States
On his second trip out to the corner store, Tom returned and presented Alison with a plastic champagne glass, into which he proceeded to pour a measure of sparkling white wine.
"Happy anniversary Mrs Boone."
Alison smiled as she responded: "and a very happy fourth anniversary to you, my darling husband Mr Boone."
With their children resting (little Harm in the crib and Thomasina on the small sofa), the Krennick-Boone family gave thanks for their safe passage through the "Day of Days". The following morning, Alison would lead Tom and the kids to the local church for a quick prayer amongst the large congregation who had gathered for the impromptu Mass.
The little guest house on Staten Island was to become their refuge for two nights.
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Thursday 13th September 2001, 10:13hrs EDT
Sleepy Guest House, Staten Island, NY 10310, United States
The little guest house on Staten Island had provided Tom, Alison, Thomasina and little Harm with a safe haven for the Tuesday night of the catastrophe and also Wednesday night.
It had rapidly become clear that the WTC Marriott Hotel structures (along with their possessions in their 15th floor suite) were history – just an insignificant part of the massive mountain of smouldering rubble in the heart of Lower Manhattan.
Even with the partial re-commencement of airline flights, many Americans elected to drive or use the train. Tom had researched the AMTRAK Acela service during Wednesday and the family elected to head home to Chantilly by train to Union Station in DC on the Thursday after breakfast.
At least they would be travelling light! Tom had dropped into a neighbourhood 7-11 for essentials (baby food for little Harm) on the Tuesday evening, then carried out a larger expedition on the Wednesday for basic food supplies and replacement clothing. As part of a gesture of solidarity with the city across the bay, he purchased matching "I-love-NY" sweatshirts. Apart from being practical against the lowering temperatures on the air-conditioned train, they were a practical means by which Americans could show their nation's resolve.
The husband of the guest-house's proprietor offered to run the Boone family across to the Acela station at Woodbridge Metropark. The intermodal transportation hub on the Northeast Corridor in the Iselin section of Woodbridge Township in Middlesex County, New Jersey is located 24.6 miles southwest of New York Penn Station. Tom and Alison gratefully accepted the man's offer: it seemed sensible to avoid the larger conurbation for now (such as Newark). This would leave them with around a two-hour train journey down the high-speed line to Union Station.
Everywhere they went, they observed a quiet determination to get on with life and to recover from the massive shocks on Tuesday. Small (and large!) "Old Glory" flags were hanging everywhere as they travelled. The story of the ballsy passengers who fought back on flight 93 became a beacon of hope in the darkness.
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Thursday 13th September 2001, 15:36hrs EDT
Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge, crossing the Potomac, Washington DC, USA
The continuing disruption around the Pentagon site meant that their taxi took a more-southerly route from Union Station. Ignoring the Mason and Williams paired bridges, the taxi headed south on the 295 before crossing the river and picking up the westbound 495 before swinging north to pick up the 66 at Dunn Loring. Little Harm was quickly rocked to sleep in his father's arms.
The hour of their journey seemed to pass quickly and it was a subdued Tom and Alison who settled down for pizza on the Thursday evening. Harm and Thomasina had both been fed and settled before the order was placed with Domino's.
They looked at each other over their beer bottles: had it really only been a week since they had departed for NYC, looking forward to their fourth wedding anniversary?
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Friday 14th September 2001, 07:49hrs EDT
Home of Tom and Alison Boone, 258xx Priesters Pond Drive, Chantilly VA 20152 USA
Tom had actually slept very well on their first night home. Alison had only needed to get up once in the night to feed Harm and they were both determined to finish off the weaning of their year-old son ahead of his first birthday on November 26th – the weekend after Thanksgiving, a date and celebration which would have extra significance this particular year.
A/N: my grateful thanks to Beachbum912; Mike (bb-912) has kindly allowed me to quote extensively from his unfinished (2016) story "Skates' surprise" – which offers an AU storyline for late 2001 and fitted very well into my planned storyline for this adventure. I commend you to read that story, which this 2022 storyline will now dip into.
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Friday 28th September 2001, 08:29hrs EDT
Home of Tom and Alison Boone, 258xx Priesters Pond Drive, Chantilly VA 20152 USA
"Tom? It's AJ".
Tom had not spoken with AJ Chegwidden for a month or more, but Tom suspected that AJ was responsible (at least in part) for the interesting call which Tom had received - one week earlier – from the SecNav's office.
Not unreasonably, Tom was assuming that the telephone call was connected with this matter.
AJ's next words shook him - this was about another matter entirely.
"Harm and his RIO – Lt Elizabeth "Skates" Hawkes - went down in a storm last night. They'd already fished Skates out of the drink after just a few hours, but Toby Ingles was going bat-shit crazy trying to locate him. The carrier just went through a pair of the worst storms in a decade. But you are not going to believe how they located him!"
AJ paused, allowing Tom to interject.
"OK, AJ; how bad and what are the prospects?"
AJ sighed. "Well, you know the water temp in the north Atlantic at this time of year as well as I do. But the good news is that they found Harm after 15 hours; do you remember Sarah Mackenzie?"
Tom nodded: "Yeah the brunette Marine JAG who looked like Diane Schonke?"
Yep, her; well, she had a psychic vision which put the Viking aircraft smack-dab overhead of his position and a helo eventually fished him out. Sturgis Turner is having a crisis of faith after that event! The medics described him as battered, bloody and severely hypothermic." He chuckled, before becoming serious again. He knew that Rabb had only been placed in that position by Mackenzie's insistence on him being there for her wedding.
"Tom, it was touch and go all night. It sounds like the medics were prepare to pull the plug on him on two separate occasions, but young Skates insisted that she could bring him round. They left the two of them in the recovery suite with a pile of blankets and, darn it, he woke up this morning. We expect them to be shipped back to dry land over the weekend."
"AJ that is great news. Thanks for letting me know; Old Harm Senior would never have forgiven me if I let my godson pass away before old age."
"Oh, of course: I knew you were young Harm's godfather but I'd forgotten that you flew with his old man. Look Tom, I have the in-basket from hell this morning and I need to get back to it pronto. I envy you your retirement. Stay safe."
"You too, AJ" replied Tom as he hung up – thinking to himself "if only you knew" as Alison brought the letter in from the mailbox, with its Pentagon return address showing.
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Sunday 7th October 2001, 11:26hrs EDT
Rehabilitation ward, Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre (NMMC);
4494 Palmer Rd N, Bethesda, MD 20814
"Looking good, Skates."
"Oh, Admiral, hello; how is retirement treating you?"
Lt Elizabeth "Skates" Hawkes had drawn herself to attention on seeing Tom, but he waved her down. She was wearing new Summer Whites (in view of the fact that her sea-bag was now sitting out on the ocean floor around the Grand Banks of the North Atlantic.
"Pretty good, Skates – but my retirement won't be lasting even a year."
She looked quizzically at Tom then realisation dawned.
"Recalled?"
"Yep, letter from SecNav last month, in the aftermath of 9/11".
She smiled once again then lifted her cover out of the crook of her arm and opened her arms to face Tom.
"In that case, Sir, I am not even going to seek your permission to hug you."
"Skates, you have a great technique of making a happy man feel very old." Tom was clearly enjoying the encounter.
Just then, a familiar voice took up the banter.
"Hey, put my girl down; she's still drying out."
"Harm – Hammer; it is good to see you. You know that the British Royal Air Force have a saying: 'if you walk away from it, it was a good landing'?" He pinned Harm with a beady eye: "what the hell happened, son?"
Harm leaned on his walking stick - his gait was still rather unsteady as he walked along the hospital corridors. "Well, I didn't walk away from it – I swam! We had a sick bird, hiding her secrets. Then an oxygen malfunction kept us below 10,000 so we flew smack-dab into the maelstrom. The bird basically died on us." He shivered, reaching out to Skates. She took his hand silently and hung on.
Tom looked on affectionately; this was - probably - just simple gesture between two young people who had survived a catastrophic event. And yet, there was something in the glancing expression which passed between the two...
"But someone was looking out for me; I received a personal warming blanket." He nodded his head to Skates, who suddenly looked back at Harm and then blushed crimson.
Tom realised that something had passed between the aviator – his godson – and the NFO. "OK, story for another day?"
"I'm afraid so, sir – also Commander Loftness is due in here shortly for the mishap investigation."
"OK Harm; well let me know when you are released; Alison and I would like to invite you round to Chantilly for a meal – you too, Skates, if your fiancé will let you out for the evening; or bring him as well."
Skates looked guilty, but Tom had already turned his back, nodded to Harm before heading back out to the parking lot.
Harm looked across at Skates, who had regained her composure.
Something had clearly happened with the fiancé.
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Tuesday 13th November 2001, 11:26hrs EDT
Rehabilitation ward, NMMC Bethesda, MD
"Good morning Lieutenant Hawkes; in here please".
Lieutenant Elizabeth "Skates" Hawkes arrived to Bethesda Hospital for her follow-up flight physical that the Navy required her to have after hers and Harm's little dip out in the Atlantic.
Skates wasn't worried at all. For some reason, she actually felt better than she ever had for quite some time before. The doctor drew blood and checked her out. The cardio and treadmill tests went fine.
Everything went great for her physical - or so she thought!
She showered and re-dressed before sitting down to await the results. The doctor came in and – from her expression as she looked at the clip-board in her hand – Skates knew instantly that there was a problem.
It was the nature of the problem which caused her to drop her shoulder-bag and cover to the floor.
"This cannot be happening!"
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Tuesday 13th November 2001, 13:29hrs EDT
Home of Tom and Alison Boone, 258xx Priesters Pond Drive, Chantilly VA 20152 USA
"Good afternoon Admiral."
"Skates, come on in. May I offer you a cup of flight-strength caffeine."
Skates winced - visibly - and this was Tom's first clue that something was *very* wrong with his favourite NFO.
"Err, no thanks sir, just water or juice, please."
Tom quickly poured a glass of orange juice in the kitchen and returned to the lounge, where Skates was still standing by the edge of the settee.
"OK, Skates, take a seat and tell me what's happened." She took the juice with a grateful smile then complied, keeping her knees together as she perched on the settee. She looked ill-at-ease as she began to speak.
"Well sir, it's like this..."
Skates explained the news of her grounding; as she finished, Tom walked across and hugged her then, after a brief Q&A about "how and where", he picked up a folder from the desk in his office.
"Skates, I've been recalled - I am being reactivated for some time to come, in the Pentagon. Look at this programme which I shall be assisting with. I need an NFO with current flying experience to beef up my team, for a year or two at least: F-14 experience is a mandatory requirement."
She looked at him with an almost pathetic expression of gratitude - and hope - on her face.
This could be the answers to a maiden's prayers!
Then she looked down at her waistline and sighed; OK, maybe no longer technically "a maiden"!
Tom watched her make up her mind as he sipped his coffee.
After a few minutes, she nodded, then stood up.
"That sounds great sir - please count me in."
Tom walked towards her, arms outstretched; once more, she folded herself into his hug then whispered a simple "thank you."
"OK, I shall start the paperwork this end; I'll also let Toby Ingles know about your re-assignment."
He smiled: "and now, go tell that big lump of a godson of mine; we expect you for Sunday lunch this weekend – you hear, Skates?"
"Aye-aye, sir".
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Tuesday 13th November 2001, 18:47hrs EDT
Home of Harmon Rabb jr, north of Union Station, Washington DC, USA
A couple of hours later (best to discuss this at his home rather than JAG HQ, she had decided), Skates was parked outside Harm's apartment. She had to talk to him.
She walked up the stairs since she hated the elevator. She knocked on his door and waited for him to open it. Harm opened the door and said "Skates? This is a surprise; come on in."
"Thanks Hammer!" Thankfully no one else was there. She had been worried about that. She took a deep breath. Harm beat her to it "Skates, what's wrong?"
"Harm, I had my physical today. There was a small problem and I am not cleared for flight ops. In fact, I've been grounded". Harm could see that she was barely holding back the tears.
"What?! You look great! What's wrong?"
"Harm, you remember when you asked me if I jumped your bones and I said no."
"Yeah and I believed you – because I didn't remember!"
"I lied!"
"What?"
"Well I didn't exactly jump your bones. The corpsman locked up in the room for the night and I stripped us both out of our clothes. Mainly because your body temperature was so low, all your wet clothes had to come off."
She shuddered as the memories came back. "Jesus Harm, you were *so* cold. So I used my body to warm you."
Harm -once more - looked confused.
She looked heavenwards: how dense was this man? Would she have to draw a diagram?
"Ok? I am not following Skates."
"Well Harm sometime during the night, as we warmed up, little Harm woke up and entered me. I guess we did it during our sleep. I got dressed in the morning and didn't say anything because I thought it was just on the outside of my leg. I was wrong because I am pregnant."
"You're PREGNANT?"
"Yeah!"
"Are you sure it's mine?"
"Yes you idiot, Harm! I am not a slut!"
"I wasn't calling you that! What about your fiancé?"
Skates looked guilty before raising her chin to stare determinedly into his eyes. She was just holding it together as she fessed up to an untruth about her personal life.
"Never was one sir! Had to keep you boys away."
She smiled shyly: "That didn't work out too well."
Harm grabbed Skates and gave her a hug. As he pulled back, she saw his whole face illuminated with a big, cheesy, full-octane Harmon Rabb special smile. She felt her knees weakening (if only she had been awake back in September, she wished!)
"Oh Skates, what are we going to do?"
She picked up on his – maybe subconscious – use of the expression "we": that simple two-letter word warmed her heart and she knew that, somehow, this was going to turn out right. Tom Boone had been right in his reading of his godson.
"I am having this baby Harm!"
He stepped across and pulled her – oh so gently – into his arms for a hug which went on for over a minute.
Finally he kissed the crown of her head. "Darn right we are, Skates! Well, this will be a truly good reason to remember 2001."
She noted that he had, once more, referred to "we" in connection with the baby.
Then he paused as his face grew serious. "OK Skates, but what about the Navy?"
She smiled, still unable to believe her good fortune from a few hours earlier.
"I am going to work for Admiral Boone at the Pentagon. After my orders afloat got cancelled, I went to visit with him and explained my predicament. He called me just before I arrived here to confirm the start date – next Monday."
"Ok you are going to be in DC then?"
"Yes! Hammer and Skates ride again!"
"Hey – steady on the 'riding' trope for now – but I know what you mean!" He released her from his hug, then took her left hand, caressing the delicate finger joints as he gazed deep into her eyes.
"Elizabeth Hawkes, I have a secret to tell you. I have wanted to date you since I saved you from floating over the side in your parachute."
"Really Harm?"
"Yes really! You are a great girl. Hell you know me better now than anyone else."
"Yeah, we really do, don't we? Like a young married couple! "
She thought back to that run ashore in the Mediterranean, where three male-female teams of aviators and their RIO back seaters had bought sets of matching wedding rings for a joke. She knew that Cassie "Lobo" Puller wore her "wedding" ring under her glove every time she flew – for good luck.
She looked at Harm, warmth and love in her eyes. She knew that the "wedding" ring which Harm had bought for her was in the ocean deep in her lost sea-bag - along with their sunken Tomcat and, for all she knew, Harm's "wedding" ring as well..
"So, what do we do now, Harm?"
Harm hugged her again and then tilted her head up and kissed her on the lips for the first time. Beth moaned with pleasure and leaned closer to him as she felt her body responding. God only knew how much she had wanted to have him do that for so long now.
Harm had wanted to do that for a long time too. They sat down on the couch and started talking, as they began trying to figure things out.
Harm wasn't going to let Beth go through her pregnancy alone. He knew she wouldn't be able to afford anything in the DC area on her Lieutenant's pay and he feared she was too stubborn to let him help her.
Later, Harm walked Beth to her car and gave her a goodnight kiss. Harm knew he would do the right thing but would Beth let him? Harm decided to take her up to his favourite place in the world: his grandmother's farm.
He had to talk to the Admiral (*his* Admiral – because Tom Boone had already gone 'above and beyond' for the best RIO to fly on that accursed cruise with Marilyn Isaacs).
He thought through the timing for the upcoming weekend. Thankfully Beth didn't report for duty until next week – and Tom Boone was just settling back into the Pentagon anyway, so the following week would quite likely see a slow start.
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Wednesday 14th November 2001, 06:47hrs EDT
JAG HQ, Falls Church, VA, USA
Harm arrived to JAG HQ early to speak with the Admiral. He knew – or feared - that it wouldn't go well but he hoped he wouldn't end up facing charges.
He knocked on the Admiral's door and heard "Enter!"
The Admiral spoke first. "Mr. Rabb you are here awful early today?"
"Yes sir! I had a personal issue to discuss with you sir."
"Alright, out with it."
"After my crash the other month sir, the corpsman aboard ship couldn't get my body temperature to rise once they had finally fished me out of the drink."
Chegwidden nodded – he had watched Mac steadily coming apart as she listened to Toby Ingles' regular radio messages - before the news finally broke that Rabb had been located and subsequently recovered.
"They allowed Lieutenant Hawkes to try sharing body heat with me. They eventually left the two of us alone overnight. I actually reckon frankly that the medics had given up on me – but god bless her my Skates didn't give up the ship, Sir."
Harm looked briefly serious. "Sir, something happened overnight while both of us were unconscious: we are not certain how, but it did."
Interrupting Harm's ramblings, the admiral said "Get to the point Mr. Rabb!"
"Sir, Lieutenant Hawkes is pregnant and its mine."
"What? You two conceived aboard ship?"
Harm raised a weary hand in acknowledgement. AJ realised the immense pressure that the young lawyer was wrestling with - the hand was trembling.
"Admiral Ingles is not filing charges against Lieutenant Hawkes since she was trying to save my life. We didn't intend, plan or conspire for anything like this happening. We were both exhausted and unconscious."
Chegwidden glared at the younger man, finally realising that Harm was not only telling the truth but felt severely embarrassed by the turn of events.
"Well then, I guess I won't press charges either. Are you going to make an honest woman of her?"
"Yes - I am going to try sir. We have a special bond, because we have now each saved the other after a flight mishap. But I am certain the Colonel is going to be mad at me."
"When is she not lately? Thankfully she just took a TAD billet. She'll be gone six months. Is there anything else?"
"Yes sir, I would like to secure early Friday. I am going to take Beth up to my grandmother's farm. I need to do this before Beth begins work with Admiral Boone in the Pentagon on Monday."
"Yes, I saw the notice; F-35 programme; that should be useful to have both of them involved. OK, permission granted and I will allow you to attend her doctor's appointments with her in future - as long as you are not in court or on an investigation."
"Thank you sir! The restriction is accepted."
"Dismissed!"
Harm beat a quick retreat from Chegwidden's office, to get a jump on the day's workload.
Chegwidden watched him go, absent-mindedly scratching his thin hair as he thought through the dynamics of Falls Church. So Mackenzie was away for six months and Rabb had finally got within striking distance of marriage – in his customary unusual way! This was going to be interesting…
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A/N: views, reviews, suggested next steps via PM please?
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End of "Nine gold rings" Ch07 – "Skates' surprise"
Mike, United Kingdom, 29-01-2022