Rating: T for occasional language

Summary: Set in early season 5 when Harm was out flying. This story gives Harm a different (better!) reason for changing his designator than the show provided. And may just open the way for him to find his happily ever after – with a little trouble along the way, of course.

Disclaimer: JAG was created by Donald P. Bellisario and is owned in whole or in part by Belisarius Productions and Paramount Network Television (CBS Studios). This is a work of fiction playing with the characters that I have loved for more than twenty years – I make no money from this and no copyright infringement or disrespect is intended.

Letters Home: Doin' It Their Way

By: visions2share (a.k.a. Vi)

1347 zulu Sunday, June 13, 1999

somewhere over the no-fly zone

Eleven hours into a twelve-hour flight and, more importantly to Harm, four hours until Mac was due to arrive on the Patrick Henry, and things were going alright. He was so thankful he'd been scheduled to fly for most of the time he was waiting for Mac as it kept his mind occupied and him from being a basket case with anticipation.

"Pappy, my screen shows a bogey at two o'clock."

"Ident?"

"Not yet."

"Range, heading and speed?"

"Seventy-eight miles, heading two-two-seven; slow and steady."

"Keep an eye on him – I want ident ASAP."

"Aye, sir."

…

…

"Seventy-five miles."

…

The radio crackled to life, "Pappy we're picking up a bogey at two o'clock, heading two-two-seven. Will intercept."

"Negative, D-man," Harm immediately over ruled, "maintain your position. Skates, are they heading for the no-fly?"

"Doesn't appear so at this time."

"D-man, Beaker, Tuna – this is Pappy – bogey is not heading for the no-fly – we monitor but do not – repeat do NOT intercept."

There were some grumblings from D-man and Beaker about Harm spoiling their fun but Harm chose to keep himself above the squabbling.

…

"Bogey changing heading three degrees south to two-three-zero. Speed consistent. Sixty-eight miles out."

Harm tried to correctly picture the map of the no-fly zone in his mind – the course change had him questioning his memory.

"Does the new heading….?" Harm started to ask for confirmation.

"Bogey is now heading for the northern border of the no-fly," Skates offered.

"Ident? Squawking?"

"Negative, sir."

"Open all hailing frequencies."

"Frequencies open."

Harm flipped the switch and spoke slowly and carefully to facilitate translation, "Attention unidentified aircraft at heading two-three-zero, this is U.S. Navy four-seven-two, you are now heading toward the no-fly zone. Please acknowledge and change heading several degrees to the north."

"They aren't responding," Beaker spoke seconds after Harm finished, "preparing to…"

Harm interrupted, "Negative. Give them a chance to translate."

"Commander! Ident now shows bogey as five small aircraft."

"Squawking?"

"No, sir!"

"Pappy, Skates? Donovan is seeing a group of five. Confirm?" Tuna requested.

"Tuna, Donovan, this is Skates. I confirm five."

"Pappy?" Tuna questioned.

Harm triggered his radio and spoke to all three pilots and the Patrick Henry simultaneously, "Party Barge this is Pappy – come in Party Barge."

"Pappy this is Party Barge – come back."

"Radar reporting an unidentified group of five small aircraft on heading two-three-zero – they are headed for the northern end of the no-fly. No response to my hail. Please advise."

"Acknowledged, Pappy. Wait one."

"We don't need that Washington Weasel trying to tell us what to do!" D-man complained.

"We follow protocol. Always," Harm admonished, privately thinking if Tom Boone, AJ Chegwidden, Mac, or even Bud were to witness him advocating for protocol they'd laugh themselves breathless then check him for a fever.

"Pappy, this is Pike on the Party Barge," it was unusual for the captain of a carrier to get on the radio himself, "satellite shows those planes took off from Glassem Air Base. They should be cleared to pass through the northern corridor but pre-arrangements haven't been made. We are awaiting confirmation – proceed with all due caution."

"Understood, Party Barge. Please update ASAP with confirmation."

"Will do, Pappy. Over and out."

"Over and out."

"Anything more Skates?"

"I think four of the crafts are the same and the center one is different. They're so close together it is difficult to tell."

"Could it be an escort group?"

"Yeah – very likely."

"Okay, you concentrate on ID-ing that single craft – have Donovan work on the others."

"Aye, sir."

Harm listened with half an ear as Skates passed his orders on to the other RIOs.

…

"Sixty miles out," Skates updated.

Harm flipped the switch and tried again to hail the unidentified aircraft, "Attention unidentified aircraft at heading two-three-zero. This is United States Navy Flight four-seven-two you are heading for the no-fly zone. Please adjust your heading and identify."

Again, Harm waited.

"Come on, Pappy! We need to intercept!" D-man urged. Harm could hear the adrenaline in his voice.

"Yeah, Pappy, enough talk!" Beaker's push came a second later, his own voice warbling with anticipation.

Harm remembered hearing those two speak that way to the CAG and Weston giving in and changing their orders, they wouldn't find him so easy to influence.

"We have our orders from the Skipper, gentleman," Harm emphasized the word 'skipper' hoping they'd recognize the seriousness of such orders, "we wait."

…

"Pappy, that center plane looks like a gulf-stream. Definitely non-combat."

"Relay to the Henry," Harm ordered, knowing Tuna and the others would hear the information too.

Skates gave the update and Harm was preparing to try hailing for a third time when the radio crackled to life, "Pappy, this is Party Barge switch to frequency five-niner-niner. Acknowledge."

"Acknowledged. Switching to five-niner-niner," Harm flipped the radio for his tomcat to the new secure frequency where the others with him wouldn't hear the conversation.

"Party Barge – this is Pappy. Come in."

"We're here, Pappy. This is Pike. We have confirmed those aircraft are escorting the Israeli Prime Minister. They are cleared for the northern corridor to avoid Syrian airspace. They are running dark for security. Over."

"Why weren't we informed?" Harm couldn't stop the question – even though part of his brain acknowledged that, as a pilot, he had no need to know – as a lawyer – a troubleshooter in international maritime law – he knew the question was both valid and vital.

"Washington says they informed us – I'm looking into it. Keep them safe, Pappy – over and out."

"Roger, over and out."

Harm switched his radio back to the prime channel ready to relay the orders and then hail the visitors and apologize for the confusion when he heard D-Man's RIO McGoo report, "Confirming four MIGs."

Followed immediately by Beaker's RIO, Melon, responding, "Bogeys are now in the no-fly zone."

"Time to intervene," Beaker announced as if he were commentating on a soccer game.

"Negat-,"

"I have a lock on the target,"

"Hold, D-man, do not…"

"Missile away!"

Author's Note: The following couple of chapters are each pretty short – just a warning. Thanks for reading! ~Vi