Chapter 3

It had been two weeks since the incident at the pub and Harm was certain that Vukovic had let his accusations go until the base commander called him into his office.

Two fucking weeks and cordial but tense conversations in the office. Vic had stopped acting out and was even presenting himself like an officer and a gentleman. Harm didn't realize he was being lulled into a false sense of security. Not that he regretted his actions; the twerp deserved a good ass kicking.

It was the request to send Vukovic TAD that had finally pushed the junior officer's buttons. A move Harm was hesitant to make but decided it would be the best fit for the good order of his command. That was until he received a late call with an order he couldn't avoid.

Harm had been standing at attention for so long that beads of sweat began to build on his forehead. Admiral Hollings was a mean son of a bitch, too old school and grouchy for his taste. The man was everything bad about Chegwidden and Cresswell rolled into one and was using his position for eventual political gain. "These accusations: attacking a junior officer, making threats against him. Are you out of your fucking mind, Captain?"

He winced and straightened a bit more. "The Lt Commander was speaking ill of a senior officer. A female Marine we both worked with in Falls Church. Given the sensitivity with women in the military, it would be damaging to the Navy if one of its officers was accused of being sexist."

"I don't care if he sexually assaulted someone. You don't get to play judge, jury and executioner. That's my job. For Christ's sake, you're a lawyer, you know the goddamned rules! Take it up the proper channels and I would have made sure that Vukovic got reprimanded."

"Reprimanded? With all due respect, he needs more than a slap on the wrist. The Lt Commander needs to be keel hauled out of the Navy as soon as possible.." Harm was livid, seething and if Vic would have been standing in front of him he would have broken a limb or two. He didn't enjoy how the sniveling son of a bitch meandered the Navy with little care.

"Let me guess the woman he spoke badly of, she your girlfriend?" The Admiral pointed at Harm's left hand. "I know you're not married."

Even as the time passed, the rumors were still there and it pained Harm to know what several men thought of his beloved former partner. He was constantly defending her honor at the inception of their partnership and would do so until his dying breath.

"Colonel MacKenzie and I have never been involved. She was a coworker and a good friend. She saved my life more times than I can count and followed me to a war torn country because I couldn't speak the language and she could. I don't appreciate Vukovic's tone or the words he used that were a clear case of conduct unbecoming. It was crass and-"

"And he claims that you were at a bar, inebriated. A senior officer, a commanding officer acting like a drunk jackass in front of a subordinate. That's conduct unbecoming, Rabb. Thank your lucky stars the Brits didn't have you arrested."

It took a few minutes for it all to click but once it did, Harm realized that someone higher than he was helping Vukovic climb the promotion ladder. "I'm prepared to take my licks, sir. I know what I did was wrong." Only it wasn't and he'd happily put his career in jeopardy again.

"But, you don't regret it do you?"

"Not in the least. I believe Mr. Vukovic has skeletons in his closet that are being hidden for him. I have a gut feeling some women have grievances against his style of courtship. He thinks he walks on water and needs to be dropped several pegs, in my humble opinion. If given the chance, I'd love to be the man to do that."

"You're walking on thin ice, Captain." The Admiral began to tap a pen against the top of his desk. Replacing Rabb was impossible, there were little 0-6s with the same qualifications or experience in legal affairs. "For now, you'll stay in your command. With a holiday on the horizon the courts won't be operating as usual… I will speak to General Cresswell on this matter. Charges were filed against you and I will not make those simply go away."

"And Vukovic?"

"It's hearsay. No one heard him but you. You're the one that lost control. Give the Lt. Commander a wide berth and that's an order."

His teeth ground so hard Harm was sure he would chip one. The bastard wasn't being penalized, what's more it appeared the younger officer was being given carte blanche. "A wide berth? Understood, sir."

"Dismissed."

"Aye, sir." He made a perfect turn and headed out of the building as fast as his long legs could carry him. If the Admiral wanted Vukovic to have a wide berth, he would get one - straight to a ship for as long as Harm could keep him there.

Harm chucked the briefcase at his sofa. His coat and cover following next. He undid his tie and the top two buttons of his dress shirt as he made a beeline for the kitchen and the bottle of Scotch sitting in his pantry.

The single malt spirit was insanely expensive and he'd been saving the bottle for a special event. Toasting the imminent demise of his career would have to do. He needed the burn it could provide and that numbing feeling that would send him into a welcomed oblivion.

Vukovic had pressed charges but Harm never expected that the ramifications of his actions would crash down on him so swiftly. The call came two hours after his meeting with Admiral Hollings, despite the good rapport, Cresswell was livid.

The dressing down was loud and Harm could still feel his ears ringing. He apologized but it wasn't in earnest and Cresswell knew that. Although he regretted striking a junior officer, Harm wasn't sorry that it happened. Someone had to put Vukovic in his place. He only wished the jerk would be more of a man and took the hit without tattling.

"As soon as I can find a temporary replacement I have to relieve you of command pending the outcome of a possible trial. Do you understand, Captain?" Cresswell's voice cracked slightly, despite Harm's awkward behavior he generally liked Rabb and wouldn't have tolerated Vukovic's comments any differently. "Harm, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, sir. The Colonel and I had a history, one that many got wrong. We were never more than friends and he had no right to speak about a senior officer the way he did. Especially her. I believe his ego was bruised when she didn't reciprocate certain feelings."

"You don't regret it do you?"

"I regret the dressing down I received but, no, I don't regret what I did."

"Honestly? I would have done the same. I feel like the mander has pulled the wool over my eyes and those actions piss me off. I'm sorry, Harm, I thought he'd be a good fit on your team."

"General, I have a feeling, if we reach far enough there are a lot of women that may have grievances with him."

"Do you have proof?"

Did he? Of course not, but he had a hunch. "No, just a gut feeling. Maybe the time away from the office will help me dig into some things."

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that… I'll do what I can for you but, this has to be done the right way. The results may not be favorable."

"Understood."

Harm spent the rest of the day locked in his office, signing off on the mountain of paperwork. He took a few meetings and searched for a temporary assignment suitable for Vic, a spiteful move but he didn't care.

And then he went home.

Three fingers worth of Scotch went into the tumbler, neat because Harm did not enjoy his liquor watered down. At first sip his senses awakened and he could taste the woodsy, smokey notes of such a fine spirit.

It burned a little as it went down and he kept the bottle handy for a quick refill once the first sips were gone. Drowning his sorrows wasn't exactly his thing but from time to time Harm enjoyed the disconnect that alcohol provided.

An image on cardstock caught his eye. Nestled between mail and the morning paper was a picture of the beach at sunset with a pier in the distance and pink cotton candy clouds doting the sky. Even before he turned it over, Harm knew it was from her and he grinned when Mac's familiar handwriting greeted him.

Hey Flyboy!

I was surprised to see a postcard from you. When we said goodbye I thought it would be forever. Maybe we just needed a little break?

Call me sometime. I miss you, too.

Love, Mac.

He smiled at her simple prose and felt a familiar tug on his heartstrings. Mac was more than the one who got away, she was the one he never fought for. He always thought they had time to figure it out. Time to right wrongs. Time to start at the beginning for the third or fourth time. And then he ran out of time when their change in bilet came on so suddenly.

Maybe it wasn't sudden. The pair of them had long since overstayed their welcome in Washington. When the call came they were overdo and Harm still wasn't sure what he wanted.

That wasn't true.

He wanted Mac but his pride refused to get hurt by her again and so they went their separate ways as if she'd never been the best thing to happen in his life.

He intended to drink most of the Scotch, damn the consequences but the thought of her made him stop at his second glass. He wasn't a drunk nor did he drink to forget. Mac would be disappointed in his actions and instead Harm dumped the recently poured liquor, reached for a bottle of water and read her note again.

He'd just stepped out of the shower when the phone rang. It wasn't late and he imagined Hollings or Cresswell phoning to give him another dressing down. The voice on the line made his heart stop and race all at once.

"Rabb."

"Hey, Harm. It's me…It's…It's Mac." Her voice was as sweet as he remembered, that soft wispy timbre that he missed. And damn did he miss her.

"Mac? Hey! Funny that you called today, I just got your postcard." He hurried to the kitchen, grabbed the cardstock attached to the fridge with a magnet and held it between his fingers. "How are you?"

"Fine. Look this isn't a social call unfortunately. It's just to let you know that I'll arrive at Heathrow tomorrow." He could hear shuffling about, drawers being opened and closed, zippers being zippered. "My flight leaves today."

Harm leaned against the cabinet and sighed heavily. Fuck, how much did she know? "What did he tell you?"

"Not much, only that you assaulted a junior officer…Look, my car will be here in a half hour and I still need to shower and change. We'll chat tomorrow."

"Mac, wait..wait." He took a shaky breath and gripped his cordless a little tighter. Surely Mac would be set up at a VOQ which was highly unnecessary given the spare bedroom in his flat. "Give me your flight number, I'll pick you up at the airport…And I, if you want… I mean, do you want to stay at my place?" He stammered. "I have a spare room with a pretty comfy Murphy bed, it's yours if you want it."

The woosh of breath was audible and he heard the commotion stop suddenly. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." He said too quickly and then took a calming breath. "Yeah, Mac. I'm sure. I meant what I wrote on that postcard. I miss you. We need to catch up, maybe talk for once like we used to."

"I'd like that…Okay, grab a pen, it's British Airways…"

Harm scribbled the details across an envelope and underlined the time with two dark lines. They said their goodbyes, he wished her a safe flight and once the call disconnected, a sudden flutter began in his belly.

He still loved her. Always would and maybe…just maybe.

Maybe…Maybe...