Ch01 of "Comforted by his brunette – The Visit" – "After Arlington"
AU: October 2003. Harm is working for Mattie and meets Jenn Coates at Loren Singer's gravesite. A new life-course branches off as he decides whether to return to JAG.
TL:DR (for a long A/N) – dear reader, I need your advice as to whether I should include the text of the 2015 story "The Visit" by the late author byrthelm- which inspired this new 2024 story. Long-time FFN readers will remember that Trevor died in 2016 before I joined this website (so obviously I cannot ask him for permission to quote from his work). So - over to you, my readers, for reviews and votes, even via PM (see the final A/N at the end of this first Chapter).
A/N: "they aren't mine, I'm just playing with them - apart from any character created by myself". See Ch 01 for 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. Mike
Canon Episodes: Harm meets Jenn Coates at Loren Singer's grave in Arlington. Based on Harm working for Mattie in late October 2003 and Loren Singer being dead, maintaining the canon "Loren Singer inspired the NCIS TV series" before branching off at Hallowe'en of 2003 with this new story into Season 9.
"Tangled Webb, Part 1" – broadcast May20,2003 (S08Ep24)
"Shifting Sands" – Harm returns to DC – S09Ep02 - October3,2003
"Touchdown" – Harm lands C-130 – S09Ep05 - October24,2003
"Back in the Saddle" – Harm returns and meets Mattie – S09Ep06 - October31,2003 Harm meets Admiral at airfield.
Characters from FFNET – H Rabb; Jennifer Coates: (later) Mattie Grace.
A/N: Published 13-Sep-2024: Setting the scene and seeking my readers' views and your approval/views on picking up the original 2015 parent story which inspired me.
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Saturday afternoon, 1st November 2003
"The Corner Bistro", north of Union Station, "H" Street, Washington DC, 20002, USA
Although the journey from Arlington only measured a little over four miles, the journey time of over 20 minutes had an advantage. Jenn's hair had almost dried in the warm air which she had arranged to blast out of the dashboard vents in the Lexus. Her frozen toes had also thawed out during the journey.
Harm had never seen – close-up – a woman with long hair carrying out such an impromptu drying session in his car.
With her head almost resting upon the dashboard, she had looked across at him, smiled, then admitted "sometimes, the Navy 'bun' style saves time in the mornings". She had already revealed that she was sharing a house with three other Navy enlisted women.
Harm was realising a whole lot more about Jennifer Coates – and liking what he saw.
She turned back to face the road ahead, as her shimmering brunette hair cascaded over her shoulders with very little frizz. She had pulled a scrunchie onto her wrist as she worked on her hair, but Harm placed a hand gently on her wrist. "Jenn, leave it loose – it reinforces the fact that you are off-duty – and ensures that all the hair dries out."
"OK, Harm – and I'll take that as a compliment." She relaxed visibly, pushed the scrunchie back into a side-pocket of her handbag in the footwell, then settled back into her seat, pulling the seatbelt taut across her chest.
The seatbelt sat in the valley between her woollen-covered breasts, just inside Harm's excellent flight-tested range of peripheral vision. Despite the best efforts of the USN female uniform in the office to conceal everything, it was clear that Jenn Coates had quite a body. The rear view, as she stood at Loren's headstone, had confirmed the "child-bearing hips" part of the equation.
He thought back to his mother's advice long ago. Trish Burnett had encouraged him to "find a woman with child-bearing hips": Diane Schonke had matched that specification (plus a whole load more in terms of her spirit, spunk and love of life at USNA and after) – and so, obviously, had Mac.
"Concentrate on the road, Rabb!"
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Harm was learning more about Jennifer Coates with each encounter – and the younger woman was revealing more at each stage in return! This "Babushka" Russian-doll reveal was quite attractive – and she clearly had a great intellect (way beyond her pre-USN cheque-kiting and scam initiatives).
The easy flow of conversation continued inside the Bistro, after she had stepped away to the powder room, returning with freshly-applied lip-gloss in a deep ruby red.
He returned to the conversation.
"So, I guess sharing a house with three others is 'sub-optimal' for you, Jenn?"
Harm had broached the subject. She took a long sip from her coffee cup, then looked across the table at him. Jennifer Coates was clearly not a happy woman.
"Yeah, plus I'll be 29 on Thursday."
"No! Really?"
He raised an eyebrow in surprise. Although he had obviously had access to all of Coates' details when he first met her – for her original case – he hadn't realised her "advancing years". The "troubled child" had definitely matured into a grown woman – and his care and support in her original court case might very well have helped the metamorphosis.
She continued: "I guess it's not quite the same for a man, but the imminent arrival of the "big three-oh' next year tends to concentrate a woman's mind."
She paused for a moment, considering her next words carefully: "Plus, when the 29-year-old woman is both single and completely unattached…" She shrugged.
He snorted cynically: "Yeah r-i-i-g-h-t!" before he continued, seeking to minimise her torment at the advancing years.
"Hey, it could be worse." Harm decided to deploy humour – and his flyboy smile – to cheer up his coffee companion. "Anyhow, I comprehensively beat you – I hit 40 last week, on October 25th."
She looked, open-mouthed. "What – last Saturday? No! You didn't, si… Harm!"
"Yep, big Four-Oh and (rather like you) no-one to celebrate with, Jenn. No-one at all. I landed the C-130 on the 23rd, got back Stateside late on the 24th to get canned by the CIA, then woke up alone the next morning on my birthday. I lazed around the apartment in the morning, then I enjoyed beers, a cake for one and then a telephone call to my mom."
Just for a moment, he flashed back to Mac and her very clear statement of "Never" – which he had, of course, respected as an officer and a gentleman.
"footloose and fancy-free"
She reached out and grasped his hand gently. "In that case, Mister Experienced Lonely Guy, we really should mark this mid-point, between your really big date and my upcoming almost-a-big-date".
He turned his hand over and intertwined fingers with her. Across the small table, she relaxed, accepting his gentle contact. Crossing her long legs beneath the table, the side of her ankle boot began to gently caress the side of his calf.
He instantly stiffened, looking deep into her eyes. They both smiled, caught in the enormity of the moment.
"Are you sure, Jenn?"
She thought for a moment, then nodded. "Harm, let's do dinner tonight."
"Sounds like a plan".
"Hey, that's my line!".
Giggling, she stood and picked up her coat, effortlessly drawing it over her shoulders as her arms fed down the sleeves. Ever the gentleman, he helped straighten her coat and then - umbrella in hand - prepared to escort her back to his car for the journey to her home. Jenn fluffed her hair, cascading the brunette waterfall once more down her shoulders, then flashed him a warm smile as she turned to face the door.
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The journey to her home took but a few minutes; each was quiet, alone with their own thoughts about how the day (and potentially the evening and night) was turning out. She directed him to the kerbside outside the shared house.
"Thanks, Harm."
Placing her hand on the door-lever, she unlatched her seatbelt with her left hand ready to step out, then changed her mind. She leaned across the car, placed one hand on the transmission tunnel and gently kissed his right cheek.
Surprised, he turned to face her fully.
She leaned in again, this time aiming for (and capturing) his lips in what deepened into a searing kiss. Harm was glad that he had moved the transmission instinctively into "PARK" before she had even reached for the lever to open her car door.
She drew back, eyebrows raised questioningly: his only response was a surprised "Wow!".
Reaching into the pocket of her jacket, she used a Kleenex to remove the traces of her chosen dark red "warpaint" from his cheek, then she spoke, her voice unusually husky for a moment.
"Care to come up for more coffee and let's see how 40 works with 28?"
He smiled and nodded, slotting his car into gear and heading for the "Visitors" parking space.
This would be the best post-Hallowe'en in a few years. Never mind "Trick" – Harmon Rabb Jr was settling for "Treat"!
They walked up to the front door, side by side and just touching shoulders.
Jenn relished the closeness – plus he wasn't in the Navy anymore and had told her that he was single. They both now knew, with certainty, that the other was available…
Guiding Harm to the kitchen, Jenn already knew that she would be bringing an overnight bag when Harm came back later to collect her at 19:00hrs that night.
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END:
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*Final A/N 13-09-2024: and that is where I shall leave this three-page treatment for today. If I receive three reviews before Monday 23rd September 2024 (regardless of the reviewer saying "go ahead" or "leave it" or "dunno - indecisive"!) I will either:
1. Close this three-pager off and mark it complete (this is the default if I receive no responses – like my recent story about Mrs Teddy Lindsey). Note that I am not "demanding" responses (PMs would suffice) but I definitely *DO* need reader feedback on which way to go w.r.t. including Trevor's original 2015 storyline "The Visit" or not…
2. Take the story forward from this point onward, without including the text of "The Visit" from 2015.
3. Take the story forward into subsequent chapter, revising this first chapter to include the body of Trevor's 2015 story "The Visit" (which will help readability and make this 2024-written story "flow" better).
If the conclusion is "leave it here, Mike" – that will be fine. I already have four in-flight stories which all need to continue.
Your votes, dear reader, will determine which of three outcomes I shall proceed with…
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Mike, UK, 13-SEP-2024
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Next Chapter – "Ch02 December 2003: getting closer…"
