Chapter 12 (Alternate) - "Farewell, For Now"

Chapter 11 (Alternate) – "Farewell for Now" (This alternate ending ties in with Hail and Well Met)

Interview Room; USS Theodore Roosevelt; CVN-71; 12 September 1994; 1745hrs

Harm looked over at SSGT Helms as the Marine Staff Sergeant sat in the chair looking over at him. "So you were present at Hill 175?

"Yes, sir."

"And you witnessed the events that Commander Nakamura was in?"

"Yes, sir." The man stated.

"Can you tell me what you saw?"

"Well, sir. When the North Koreans started attacking; he told the downed crew and us to get back to the helo, sir. Gunnery Sergeant Enders protested saying that the Commander could possibly get killed. The Commander told the Gunny that he would hold off the men until we could make it back to the helo and told Gunny Enders to leave him the bag of grenades, sir. He made it a direct order, sir."

"And then what happened?"

"Sir, the Commander fought like a man possessed by a demon. Every North Korean that came after him; he managed to kill, sir. I don't say this about very many Navy guys other than the SEALs that I've had the chance to serve side by side with in SpecOps when I was operating; but the Commander fought like a Devil Dog, sir. He inflicted major casualties on the other side and he did it with minimal weaponry."

Meg's eyes had opened as wide as pie-plates listening to the Staff Sergeant's accounts of what had happened that morning. Her man had gone through hell. Was it any wonder why he was having those horrifying flash-backs?

"He saved our lives, sir…" the Staff Sergeant said, "There was a North Korean that was about to bulls-eye our helo with a RPG. He took him out with the last round that he had in his M-4. When I checked the M-4 that magazine was empty; he didn't have anymore. He killed the man with one shot; one handed too. His left arm was hanging useless by that time. He'd forced it into use all that time; but by the time he got near the helo, he could barely use it anymore." He paused for a long moment. "Henderson and I dragged him back to the helo; he was wrung out, bleeding and he had a bullet crease to the side of his head."

Harm looked at Meg and then back at the Staff Sergeant; "And then what did he do?"

"When I informed him of that; he barked that if he had brains exposed, he wouldn't be here now…and asked why was the other M-60 not firing? Even wounded and heavily bleeding he got to his feet and started firing on the North Koreans with the M60 waist mounted gun; with his one good hand; pulling his left hand to the other handgrip to steady it. And he took out at least thirty North Koreans with the M60 as Captain Wild Crow lifted us off." He paused for a moment. "When I told him he had one round left in his M9 he told me, "Gimme," and when I handed him the M9, he leaned it out the helo; aimed it with his right hand at the North Koreans that we'd left behind and fired the last round; then he puts the M9 in the bag while saying, "Now…it's empty…" That's a devil-dog comment…there, sir. One more thing too, sir, he brought back the unused grenades instead of leaving them. Said he didn't want to leave the North Koreans a souvenir. If I may say something? Sir? Ma'am? He deserves the Medal…and more, sir. He saved all of our lives…"

"Thank you, Staff Sergeant. That will be all…" The Staff Sergeant stood up, locked to attention and about-faced marching out the door.

Harm looked at his partner; "Looks like every single one of the witnesses pretty much told us the same thing in their own words. Animal did what he had to do in order to save the men and the helo…" Meg was speechless. She hadn't realized just how much Animal had gone through. She had only known that you had to go through a lot to even be considered for the Medal of Honor. The words Above and Beyond…rang through her mind: the words that preceded every Medal of Honor citation that she had ever read. Above and beyond the call of duty… and these were the actions that were the very epitome of those words. He'd risked his very life for the men in that helo; so that each and every one of them could return home to their parents; safe and sound. A lot of those men who had been awarded the Medal had had the words posthumous after them; they had given their lives for the other men in their unit. To know that her man had fought like a demon to be able to save his men and still walk out of there alive; there were very few alive who could stand before the President and receive the Medal; mainly because too many of those citations ended with the recipient being killed in action, just made her unable to speak for a long moment. She gave thanks to whatever deity was up there that allowed her man to walk out alive and thus for her to be able to meet him and to fall in love with him.

"Meg…are you alright?" Harm was looking at her as she drew a shuddering breath.

"I didn't know…" she whispered…her eyes shiny; tears unshed… "I didn't know just what he went through…and…to hear these men, the men that were there with him, talk about him in such glowing terms…that he saved their lives; that he fought for them."

Harm stood by her, "I know…Meg…it's hard to believe that someone could come through that and still be alive after all that."

"What he's going through right now…the doubts, the fear…the flashbacks…of what could have happened but didn't…" She said looking at the wall… "He has to go through all that because of the love that he felt for his fellow men; that he wanted to keep them safe; to bring them through the gates of hell and back to safe ground so that they could go home to their families." Harm nodded silently. That was what each and every Medal of Honor recipient went through…hell…for the love of their fellow man.

Hangar Deck, USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71); 12 September 1994; 1945hrs

Animal stood looking up at his F-14 Tomcat; Fast Eagle 104; the bird that had brought him through that early morning hell; where he saw his wingman go down. He reached up to the nose of the Tomcat with his right hand and gave it a good pat. "Thank you…for bringing me home…" he said softly. Its big bulk was a comforting presence; he knew it wasn't sentient; it was a hunk of air-grade aluminum honed into a bird of war; but he felt an affinity to it. Remembering how many times he had flown this thing. Maybe two or three times in the entire cruise; he'd gotten to fly his named F-14, but on the one mission that had counted; she was his mount and she brought him, like a faithful steed, home to the farm.

"If it wasn't for you…girl…it could have been me…that went down…" he looked up at the cockpit of the F-14. "But you brought me home safely." He rested his forehead against the nosecone closing his eyes as his forehead touched the cool metal…breathing in deeply, the emotions churning in him. Good ol' faithful One Zero Four; his own named bird. The maintenance techs had been working on her bodywork and the bullet holes in the wings were gone. She'd gotten injured just as he had. Footsteps distracted him from his conversation with his F-14. Looking up he saw Harm and Meg standing off to the side. He brought his hand to his lips and then patted the nosecone of the F-14 as Harm and Meg looked on. "I won't be able to fly you for the rest of cruise...but others will...and hopefully, they'll keep you safe."

Harm whispered, "Every naval aviator always has the other woman…" he said looking over at Animal's F-14; wondering if his own Aces Tomcat was still even in one piece; his Howler's Tomcat was in pieces that were shoved overboard off the deck of the Seahawk.

Meg knew what he was talking about; the aircraft was the other woman…and she wasn't jealous in the slightest. This other woman had the task of keeping Animal safe and bringing him home to her. Meg walked over to Animal and looked up at the F-14. She whispered up at the airplane, "Thank you…for bringing him home to me…" She patted the Tomcat on the nose as well…and somehow she got the feeling that she heard a faint You're welcome. Maybe it was her mind playing tricks on her.

On the Prifly

Harm looked over at his friend. "Are you sure about this. That wound was pretty serious. You really should have it looked at." He paused looking out at the Indian Ocean, "The simple fact is that there could be complications and you don't want a medical downchit from flying if it heals the wrong way."

"I'm sure the docs on board can keep an eye on it until we reach home port." Animal grinned. "Tie-up is at San Diego, Pier 2 in December, y'know."

"I know..." Harm grinned back at his friend and mentor who was wearing a VF-41 ballcap with scrambled eggs on the brim, but there was no CO or XO embroidered on the brim. "So what did RDML Pointer task you to do on-board?"

Animal looked over at him, "Well, he said I was pretty scary...to the enlisted, the cones and JOs. So he wanted me to be disciplinary officer for the time being. He said, the rank, being third O-5 in the group. Rattler got the XO position for Forty One. He got Commander just after I did, time served in rank; he was senior to me in time in rank before I got my battlefield O-5."

"So you're odd-man out...but shouldn't you..."

"Looks like it, doesn't it? Naw...I'll get my XO tour. CO's heading to the Pentagon after this cruise." Animal's reply was nonchalant as he looked out over the deck at the crew working the F-14s and F/A-18Cs around the deck. "Any hints for being judge, jury and executioner?" he asked flippantly.

"Just be fair..." Harm gave the barest hint of a smile, "...and always make sure to look at both sides of the argument. You need a copy of the UCMJ? I can always send you out one."

Animal snickered, "If it comes down to that, I'm going to have you come out to the boat. I figure I'm going to mostly be dealing with what amounts to non-judicial punishments and situations that don't require the intervention of the Judge Advocate General." he lifted his hand, index and middle finger and crossed them, "fingers crossed..." he said, chuckling.

"...so...if I hear a scream for help..." Harm laughed.

"Aren't you on the East Coast?" Animal asked Harm.

"Well, I do go out and see my mother, every so often..."

"So how's she and Frank?"

"They're doing alright."

They heard footsteps on the decking. "So there you two are...sirs..."

"Meg..." Animal said.

"Sir." She turned to Harm. "All reports are done, sir...and ready to present to RADM Chegwidden."

"Great, Lieutenant." Harm grinned.

"...and then the circus will descend on this..." Animal sighed.

"Sir," Meg asked Harm, "I need to speak to the Commander, alone..." Harm raised his eyebrows at this with a slight grin.

"Alright, Lieutenant, I'll see you at the COD...tomorrow." He left, with a knowing, irritating to Meg, smirk on his face.

"I'll be there, sir." Once the hatch had closed, Meg turned to him, "Are you sure you aren't going to come back with us?"

"You know I can't, Meg. I have to do this."

"But, sir. You're a third O-5...with no duty station that requires the presence of an O-5." Meg protested. "Are you sure that your shoulder isn't going to be affected by this decision, sir?"

"Meg, there's fully qualified surgeons on board the TR and they'll be able to give me the highest quality care possible..."

"I still think you should come with us." Meg stated sadly.

"...are you talking about us?" Animal asked. Meg turned away from him with a sigh, looking at the deck.

"I...need to know that you're OK..." she admitted...retracing her steps back to him and moving in closer. "I need to know that your wound is healing and that you are getting back to flight status..."

Animal nodded. "...it still doesn't change my mind."

"I know...Tosh...and you wouldn't be you if you didn't do your duty..." she swallowed the lump in her throat. "But...it still doesn't make me wish any less that you were with me..."

"I'll write you every week. Hell, I'd be risking disobeying orders if I didn't." Meg raised an eyebrow at Animal's statement. "Captain Cartwright told me that if I didn't, he'd make sure to remind me...and he made it a direct order."

"Do you need one to write me regularly?" Meg raised her eyebrows and leaned in...her voice low...

"No...not at all..." Animal said, his own voice soft and resonant. "I tie up at Pier 2, on December 20th, in San Diego" he said.

"Almost four months of letters..." Meg smirked at him, "You'd better write me every day..."

"I love you...Meg..." Animal stated.

"I love you too..." They found a little nook in the panels where they could discreetly kiss each other. When they separated for lack of oxygen, Meg asked him, "So since you can't fly until you get green-lit again, what are you going to do for the rest of the cruise."

"I get to freak out my fellow sailors and junior officers." Animal grinned at Meg, who looked rather puzzled, "I'm now the ship's disciplinary officer. I get to mete out non-judicial punishment for erring sailors and junior officers."

"oh?"

"...by virtue of rank. Shipboard JAG is a lieutenant so...he gets to call you in if there is something more serious that requires the attendance of the JAG Corps." Animal stated.

"Are you sure there isn't any way to persuade you to come home with me?" Meg asked. Animal detected a note of plaintive-ness in her query.

"Meg, you know that I have to stick with the crew until they reach home-port. We have three more months on station doing combat missions doing perimeter checks of the DMZ overhead to make sure that no MiGs are breaching the DMZ. Well...not me of course, but they still want me to help out with planning those missions and overseeing the intel that comes in on the wire. There are so many things that need to be done and it seems as though Jong-Il seems to want to turn the temperature on on the furnace. Y'know...no end to the Kim family saga."

"How to make the Korean Peninsula a war zone in just three days." Meg returned sardonically – she was well aware of the family Kims' desire to make the Hermit Kingdom much bigger. But the simple fact was that there was the United States opposing their every move and that did not make Jong-Il very happy at all. In fact, that evoked a very comical image of Jong-Il dancing around like a little enraged monkey every time the United States said "no" to his territorial ambitions which amused Meg greatly. "I worry about your safety even though you're not going to be flying over the DMZ..." she indicated his shoulder injury, that would prevent him from setting foot in the cockpit for the duration of the cruise...and then some.

Animal marvelled at the fact that she was already so fond of him that she worried about him and whether he was safe or not. He'd never really had anyone else do that with the exception of his mother who doted over him. His mother hadn't wanted him to go into the Navy, but she recognized his restlessness and his desire to get out of the little town that he'd grown up in and thus she'd kept her desires to herself and allowed her son to stretch his wings. When Animal had lost his mother and father in his second year of studies at university, he'd been devastated, however he knew that she'd wanted him to persevere at whatever he did...and thus he kept his nose to the grindstone. Now looking at Meg who was gazing into his eyes with her blue eyes, he felt that same intent in her to always seek the best for him "I know..." he said, as he leaned down and gave her a soulful kiss.

...that she could feel to the tips of her toes. "I love you, you know that..." Meg whispered softly in his ear.

"...I love you too, Meg..." he replied, still marvelling how much he did love her. "Thank your uncle for me."

"I will..." Meg smirked at him. "You know I'm going to be waiting on the dock at Pier 2 when you pull in, San Diego..." she murmured, her lips against his; she felt his strong arms around her.

Marine Corps Base Okinawa, Okinawa, Japan,

"It's going to be hard losing you, Captain Mackenzie." The CO of Marine Corps Base Okinawa commented, "You've been a good infantry officer for our 3rd Marine Division. Now this isn't going to be a quick transfer, you still have at least six months to serve here before I can transfer you over. This is just formalities so that we can get the process started. Your law degree is going to be an asset in moving that transfer forward."

Captain Sarah "Mac" Mackenzie straightened up, "I understand, sir. However my love is the law, it's what I majored in, in Georgetown University."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure that Colonel Farrow's indiscretions don't follow you to DC."

"Thank you, sir." That was a bad fumble as far as Mac was concerned, she wanted to put as much distance as she could between it and her. And for her, that meant a transfer out of Okinawa. She was returning from a stint in Bosnia where she had distinguished herself on the battlefield...and a promotion order was also winding its way up the chain of command where she could put on gold oak leafs.

"Very well, resume your duties...and I will notify you when I get the orders to send you on your way to DC." Major General Doug Fossey nodded as he closed up Captain Mackenzie's personnel folder.

"Yes, sir!" Mac came to attention.

"Dismissed." Fossey's dismissal had Mac about-face and march towards to the door, exiting the base commander's presence.

The Next Day, Onboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt, Somewhere in the Indian Ocean

Animal stood by the hatch of the island. Meg and Harm were in service whites, ribbons and gleaming shoulder-boards, while he was in ship-board, working khakis, which meant that he only had metal rank insignia on his collars: the silver oak leafs, his gold naval aviator wings, gleaming polished belt buckle and shipboard leather shoes. Both his trousers and his shirt were crisply ironed. Covers were off as they could become foreign object damage (FOD) if they ended up sucked into a jet engine.

Harm grinned at his friend, "You take care of yourself, sir...no jumping into jet aircraft and flying missions..." He indicated Animal's injured left shoulder. "Captain Cartwright may tie you to the yard-arm to keep you from getting in the jet."

"No doubt...Lieutenant Commander." Animal grinned back at him. "No worries..." Animal felt an arch eyebrow raise from Meg without even having to look in her direction. "I'll be a good boy."

"Are you sure about that, sir?" Meg asked him; she wished that she could take him into her arms at the very moment, but military decorum won out.

"Absolutely..." Animal grinned at her. Meg was unsure of whether he was kidding or not, while Harm's grin nearly split his face in two. Animal turned to look at Harm. "Besides...isn't that your schtick? I heard how you got Boone to let you go up...sneaky shyster." Meg burst out laughing. "He told me."

"Well, De Palma would have blabbed restricted information all over the net if he hadn't gotten his ride so I facilitated his ride, so to get me back, Tom Boone had me go up with him."

"He didn't crank up the heat in the rear seat?"

"He tried, I told him to not touch the heater in the back."

Animal snorted. "De Palma's lucky he didn't go up with me, or he'd be swimming back to the CONUS to file his report."

"Waste of a GRU-7." Harm replied. "De Palma couldn't stop regurgitating his last meal."

The master chief plane captain came over to let him know that the COD was ready to load passengers. "Sir..." Harm came to attention in front of Animal as Harm knew that this was the debarking signal.

"I'll see you on shore, Lieutenant Commander, Lieutenant JG". Both Meg and Harm came to attention and saluted Animal who returned their salute.

"I'll see you in four months, sir." Meg said softly, trying to convey as much love as she could in the formal words. Harm raised his eyebrows.

"San Diego..." Animal grinned at her.

"San Diego it is, sir."

Harm and Meg turned to head towards the COD. She looked back over her shoulder to see Animal still watching her. A warm feeling suffused her entire body. She missed him already as she made to step up the ramp of the C-2 Greyhound and she turned to look at him. He raised his hand again in yet another salute as she turned to salute him back.

Harm looked over at her, noting...and raising his finger to wick away a tear that was running down her cheek and realized that he'd lost her. "Meg, you're crying..." Harm said as they went to take their seats.

She swallowed a lump in her throat, "I..." she tried to "I miss him already..."

"It's four months...write him..."

"I'm going to..."

"Good, I'm sure he'll like that."

As they settled in, she looked out the starboard window which was facing the island, where Animal stood watching the COD taxiing to the number one catapult. When the cat-shot came, she was startled.

"We're airborne." Harm pronounced as he looked over at her. "You gonna be alright? Meg?"

Meg sighed. It was going to be a long four months before she could see Tosh again. But he was going to be riding the boat in and not flying into Lemoore, he was staying onboard and riding the boat into San Diego. And she would be waiting for him standing on the dock at Pier 2.

Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego, CA

They had transferred to a C-130J which would take them from Okinawa to Hawaii, then refueled and transported over the Pacific to NAS North Island. Then from there, they would have their choice of flying via C-130J back to Washington DC which would take them almost eight hours or taking an Air Force C-141, which would land them in DC inside of four hours and forty five minutes depending on headwinds. Harm grinned at his partner who tried to look cheerful. "We'll be home in a little under five hours if we take the C-141...it's 0800hrs, so we can report into the admiral and file our award report and then probably take the rest of the day off."

"I know... Harm, I want to take the C-141...I was going to ask the admiral if I could take the rest of the day off once I'm finished handing in the report. I don't have much of a case load to deal with, so I can afford to take the rest of the day off." Meg said, not saying that she just wanted to curl up with a nice cup of coffee and just be alone to miss Tosh in peace and quiet.

"I'm sure he'll understand."

"I hope so..." Meg returned.

Once they got their particulars straightened out, they boarded the C-141. Enroute to home...and who knew what else awaited them.

This ALTERNATE STORY ENDING leads to "Hail and Well Met"

Chapter Eleven (Alternate)

Chapter 10 – "If You Love Him… "

Japanese Restaurant; Yokosuka Japan, 1945hrs.

Harm was still curious as they sat down in the chairs at the restaurant a little ways down the street from the base. "Why did Uncle Ollie say that you two looked like a good pair?"

Meg narrowed her eyes… "You're not going to give it a rest till you get an explanation, are you, sir?"

Harm grinned, "Nope…" he said.

Meg sighed as she glared at Harm shaking her head, "YOU…and I are in the same chain of command…" she looked at him and continued archly, "He…and I are NOT in the same chain of command. Is that any clearer? Sir?"

Harm seemed crestfallen, "I guess there's that." And frankly, the UCMJ was very strict on that fact. Anyone in the same chain of command could not have a relationship. His RAG mentor did not have that particular problem.

Animal looked over at Meg, "Was that the something that you were talking with Uncle Ollie about?" he asked Meg.

"He didn't put it in so many words…" Meg stated as she looked directly into Animal's eyes, "He just told me to follow my heart…" she gave Animal an enigmatic smile as Harm looked over wistfully at Meg. Harm saw Meg give Animal a winsome smile while Harm gaped like a fish out of water.

"So…I guess we have a COD out of Misawa tomorrow…and we're doing an island to island hop again; this time in reverse…Would have liked to have taken an F-14." Animal said, "But, I'd probably risk major damage to my shoulder again if I end up taking the wire in the Fourteen. If I'm correct; Spaz and Dollar got sent to shore to bring back a replacement TARPS bird to replace 114 and did double duty as witnesses to let the jury know that they were back on the line."

Their meal came and they ate. Then it was back to the base and to their VOQ rooms. Harm said goodnight and headed in still trying to make sense of everything. Meg was surprised Harm's brain hadn't shorted out yet with the information overload. Meg and Animal hung around outside Meg's door for a while… "You asked me if I was open to sharing my life with someone…" Animal said looking at Meg.

"…in so many words…" she murmured…softly, locking eyes with the commander

"…it'd have to be the right person…" Animal said to her…it seemed like they were having a continuation of their moment in front of the Yokosuka fence-line over looking the piers holding the warships. Meg was having the same impression and she hoped that this time they wouldn't be interrupted in the middle of it.

"…likewise…he'd have to…show me…that he's…open…not afraid to show me his vulnerable side…" she whispered as their lips drew closer.

"…like at the hospital…the other day?" they were so close their noses were almost touching.

"…yeah something like that…" she whispered softly; her breath soft and warm against Animal's upper lip.

And then…their lips touched…in a tender kiss…and the world just vanished from their minds as they wrapped their arms around each other; two lonely souls looking for each other; Animal's hands in Meg's hair…

"Uh…hey Meg…" Harm…had opened his door again to find Meg and Animal lip-locked in a passionate kiss; Harm's eyes widened and he turned around one hundred and eighty degrees back the way he came; "uh…OK…I'll ask about this later…" Ollie's comment suddenly crystallized into sharp focus to Harm as he shut the door. He sighed as he turned back to his bed. His partner had found somebody who had become her whole world. And he and she were supposed to investigate her new romantic interest's Medal of Honor nomination. This was going to get very complicated. He went over to the door, and opened it again…to see that the hallway was completely empty.

Meg's VOQ Room; NS Yokosuka; September 10, 1994 – 2220hrs.

Animal and Meg were in the midst of a wonderful kissing session. Meg's back was against the wall of the VOQ Room and her hands were grasping what was available of Animal's hair since he always kept it short…but just running her hands through it while engaged in a passionate strategic osculation sent fires through her own body.

"Meg…I don't want to stop, but I don't want to get you in trouble either. Aren't there rules about VOQ rooms?"

"Drats…" Meg murmured as she got another passionate kiss in and in between kisses she managed to get out "Promise me, you'll remember that I'm supposed to meet you on the pier when you dock? I'm going to take leave and meet you out there."

"That sounds great, Meg…Now…I'd better let you get some rest…We've got a long flight tomorrow…" Animal got in one more passionate kiss and…

Meg whispered, "Love you; Tosh…" reluctant to let Tosh go, but knowing that they had to or they'd be in contravention of the rules of the VOQ.

"Love you too…Meg…" he whispered back as he re-opened the door and slipped out. Meg's sleep that night was warm and cozy.

Animal's was interrupted yet again…and he thought; I need to talk to someone when we get back to the boat…as he sat on the edge of the bed. If he couldn't control this…there was no way they'd let him back into the cockpit; he'd be a danger to himself and others.

Naval Station Yokosuka; September 11, 1994, 0630hrs

Animal was up early if not bright; since he hadn't gotten much rest because of being woken up by the nightmare/ flash-back. He finally took a shower and washed up…since he was sweating and needed to feel clean before he put on his uniform; the summer whites. When he was done, he figured that he'd better head down to breakfast to put something in his stomach before they headed for the helo that was supposed to be waiting to transport them to Misawa to catch the COD back to the TR. It was going to be a long trip…and they'd probably get back to the TR just as the sun was going down. As he stepped out of the room with all his gear in his hands, he saw Harm poking his head out…his shoulders indicated that he was also dressed and ready to go as Meg stepped out of her room in summer whites…wearing the trousers rather than the white skirt.

"Morning…" Meg called out to Animal, her eyes locking on his.

"Morning, Meg…" Animal said, as Harm stepped out with his gear and luggage. They all had their gear with them, since they needed to make sure that they didn't leave anything behind in the VOQ before returning the keys.

"Morning, Animal, Morning, Meg…" Harm said as he stepped to Animal's side and let Meg take the other. The helo; a Seahawk would load up their gear and transport it along with them to Misawa Air Base and there they would wait on a COD in order to fly down to the next stop in a chain of stops to get back to the USS Theodore Roosevelt.

Meg looked over at Animal; he looked tired and haunted, "Another one?" she gave him a concerned look.

Animal nodded. He would talk to someone as soon as they got back to the carrier. At the base galley, there was a good American breakfast; sausages, eggs, bacon and toast…as well as a slice of cheese. And they all chowed down. Of course, Harm just had eggs and toast and the cheese. While Meg and Animal loaded up on the meat. "You're going to talk to someone when you get back, right?" Meg asked.

Animal said, "Yeah…I can't have this keep interrupting my sleep…" He sighed as he picked at his sausage; finally deciding to spear it.

Harm looked concerned…"Flashbacks…I had them for weeks after I had the ramp-strike." He looked at Meg, "Can't imagine how scary the ones that Medal recipients get."

Animal stared at him and Harm saw the haunted look in his eyes and it scared him. "Believe me; you wouldn't want to know…" Animal said simply. When they were finished picking their plates clean; Animal, Meg and Harm headed to the helo after depositing their plates and cutlery in the wash bins.

The SH-60 was waiting for them and they loaded their gear up; got in and strapped in. Shutting the doors, the rotors spun up and they lifted off; the nose of the helo pointing towards Misawa as they flew towards it. When the landing gear touched down at Misawa, Animal could see the JASDF F-15s and they could see the COD waiting for them as they headed across the field towards it.

"Good Morning sir." The AC2 who greeted them at the ramp leading into the plane saluted Animal who saluted him back. "Sir…Ma'am…" the AC2 acknowledging Harm and Meg respectively gestured to the seats that he wanted filled to maintain equal balance in the aircraft. Animal sat down and strapped in and Meg dropped in beside him; taking his hand and squeezing it gently…lovingly. Harm again seated himself across the aisle from them. "Just the three, sir?" The AC2 asked Animal, as he raised the ramp and locked it so that the aircraft was sealed.

"Yup…looks like everyone else has scrammed for home." Animal grinned.

"We took Gunny Enders back home to the TR day before yesterday and yesterday we took CAG, Lieutenant Breckin and the Admiral back after the trial. All three of them were just happy that you won; that's how we found out, sir… congratulations, sir, on getting that win in court." The look on the AC2's face was sheer gratification that Commander Campbell didn't win. He was hated all over the carrier by both officers and enlisted as he had been a tin-pot dictator and the fact that Campbell had got his comeuppance had made its rounds around the carrier. Campbell had thought he was invincible and he found out that he wasn't to his detriment. And well, it was certainly nice to be able to go back to a Campbell-less cruise for the rest of it. He was looking forward to getting back to the carrier. But he still wasn't sure if he should extend his cruise or whether he should actually get his butt-end off the carrier and go and get a head-start on his rehabilitation. But then again, his arm still hadn't had the time for the wounds to seal over. Maybe he seriously needed to deal with his arm first and staying on; on the cruise would offer time for the still open wounds to heal; he'd been monitoring it and changing the dressings every day and well, it appeared to be doing some good as the wound had started to knit. And maybe by the time that the ship docked in San Francisco, he'd have a chance to get started on his rehabilitation which was scheduled in Bethesda Naval Medical Center clear on the other side of the continent.

Meg, noticing his contemplative face, rested her hand on his; a move not gone un-noticed by Harm who kept peering over to see just what Meg was doing.

"We should be taking off in a little while…the AC and the co-pilot are doing checks." The AC2 said. "We'll be stopping in Tofugi Air Base then flying to Okinawa…once we refuel there, we're heading back to the TR. Okinawa, we will be stopping for several hours for lunch and loading up mail bags, so you might want to grab some chow, sir."

"All-right, AC2. I'll take that into advisement." Animal stated as he winced again at having to strap in.

Meg noticed this and asked, "Are you having pain?"

"Yeah, it twinges every time I do something that exerts pressure on the wound. And well…having to strap in…it's pretty painful, but the COD is the only way back to the carrier. I'm not looking forward to the trap." Animal said, "…and getting thrown against the straps."

Eventually, the C-2 Greyhound started moving its way towards the runway. And Animal rested while the plane set up for its take-off roll…and the engines started picking up in sound with a loud drone. Animal was glad that he stuck in some earplugs or his eardrums would be vibrating for the rest of the day. Animal could notice when the aircraft became light on its main-mounts and the eventual climb out from the runway was slow but steady. Looking out the window, he saw the ground recede as the C-2 gained altitude. He missed his Tomcat so much; if he'd been at the controls of his F-14, he'd already be rocketing past Angels 35 by now and getting ready to pitch over and roll wings level. This thing was slow and sluggish. Carrier cat-shots and traps in the F-14 or any front-line jet fighter were not for the weak.

Meg gazed at him looking out the window. She had been impressed by his cool, calm demeanor as recorded on Uncle Ollie's transmission tapes; just the business-like tone of a combat naval aviator. There was no screaming or shouting like in the movie Top Gun, just clipped short transmissions which cut straight to the chase and got the job done. Just his dry sarcasm in the transmission of "Fast Eagle 104, Combat, we're taking triple A fire…who the hell thought this was a good idea?" That made her smile. No excited yelling or panic in his voice at all. Just a dry, sarcastic drawl as he was jinking through the anti-aircraft fire sailing up at his aircraft. That was impressive and here he was just casually sitting beside her holding her hand. She looked over at him and whispered in his ear, "Uncle Ollie was right, y'know…" and gave him a wide smile. The look he gave her was reward enough, "he told me… If you love him…let him know that…" The smile that she got from him sent her heart into orbit. Harm was looking out his window so he missed that. Meg looked over and then looked back at Animal and grinned.

Looks like Harm's going to get an unpleasant surprise. Animal thought to himself; Meg evidently had made her choice and it appeared that he was the victor. Their covers were in the netting above their seats to secure them from being tossed around the cabin when they trapped aboard the TR though that wouldn't be for about fifteen hours yet. About an hour later, the C-2's engine noise started to change and they started descending through the cloud cover to Tofugi Air Base. There they would take on some more fuel for the hop across to Okinawa. That would be about three hours flying time, and then they needed to sit for a couple hours on the tarmac then it would be home to the carrier. Animal figured that he'd have enough time to grab a soda from the soda machine and drink it down before they would be back in the air again.

It was enjoyable at any rate to sit beside Meg and smell her flowery smelling perfume that she was wearing. It was light, but it still was detectable and it was not so overpowering that it went against the regulations; but it was just enough to leave a nice lasting impression when she walked past you or she sat down beside you. And Animal enjoyed sitting beside Meg; feeling her arm brushed up against his.

Meg was wondering just how Animal was feeling about flying in this cargo-hauler than his F-14; she knew he missed it; that he'd be missing it until he got back in the saddle again. But it would take some physical therapy and rehabilitation before that would become a possibility. The ground grew closer again and eventually their wheels touched down on the runway and they rolled out and came to a stop on the tarmac. Their AC2 dropped open the rear ramp and the officers grabbed their covers and stepped out placing their covers on their heads. Animal looked over at the main flight plan area and the three headed over that way.

The JASDF Major with passable English let them know that the coin-operated drink machines were near the entrance and that they cost 750¥. Animal looked at his change and he had enough and a little extra. Meg had converted some of her cash to ¥. So they got themselves some soda. Harm looked over his change and he was short about 15¥. So Animal spotted some of his change to him…and they all were able to get something. At least it would have to do until they got to Okinawa and the Marine Corps base at Camp Butler and then they might be able to get some chow.

The AC2 came in to let them know that the C-2 had been refueled. Animal checked his flight watch, which was one of those big Breitlings. It was 1200hrs and they still had a three hour flight across to Okinawa. It would be about 1500hrs before they were able to get some chow. But at least they'd eaten a good meal at Yokosuka before they left; so they should be OK until they landed, Animal figured. "Well, guess we'd better load up…sooner we get on; sooner we can land and eat at Butler."

Evidently they'd packed on a few more bodies at Tofugi. About five US Marines headed on board. One was a Major, one was a Captain and the others were enlisted. "Sir!" The Marine Major barked as all the Marines snapped to attention noticing Animal's silver oak leafs on his collars.

"As you were, Marines." Animal said, "Thanks, Major…"

Meg and Animal settled in again…and strapped in. Harm had to share his seat with yet another Marine, the captain who was female. Her last name was Mackenzie. "Sir." She said to Harm.

"Captain…" Harm acknowledged and then did a double-take. She looked like a spitting image of Diane. But she was a Marine, he shook his head and stared at the back of the seat. The Marine looked at him kind of funny.

"Something wrong, sir?"

"No…just thought I'd seen someone who looks like you before…and did a double-take…sorry."

Meg grinned; that was one helluva crummy pickup-line. Captain Mackenzie looked over the aisle at the Lieutenant JG and the three-striper commander who were sitting together and then at the JAG Lieutenant Commander. Evidently the JAG Lieutenant Commander and the Line Commander both wore naval aviator wings. That was rather unusual to find a staff officer who wore wings; she thought as she gave the Lieutenant Commander seated beside her another look. Somehow the Lieutenant Commander and the Commander both looked familiar as if she'd seen them before. But it had been a long time ago and she remembered the O-4 that was sitting beside her as a naval aviator and why he would have gone into JAG was beyond her. But she gave it no more mind as the ramp came up and the aircraft started taxiing to the runway.

Camp Smedley D. Butler, US Marine Corps, Okinawa. 1500hrs

"Nice to make your acquaintance, Captain Mackenzie…" Harm said as he shook the Marine's hand as they all debarked.

"You have a good trip back to the carrier." she said, "Chow hall is over there so if you have to refuel…yourselves…you can head there. I have to rejoin my Marines…so I'll bid you farewell here." She saluted Animal "Good afternoon, Commander."

"Afternoon, Captain, you have a good one and thank you." Animal saluted her back.

"You're welcome, sir." And she was off to rejoin her Marines.

Harm was looking off at her with a curious expression on his face. Why did he have the feeling that he was going to see her again? Meg prodded him, "Let's go eat, sir." Animal and Meg headed off to the chow hall, with Harm bringing up the rear still watching the receding Captain Mackenzie.

"Evidently, she'd just come back from a TAD assignment in Bosnia…" Harm stated as the three got to the chow-hall doors. "It was a combat assignment. She said that she had done law-school before being commissioned in the Marine Corps, so evidently she's looking at a JAG assignment too…eventually." Harm informed Meg and Animal.

They found the meal was a decent helping of lasagna; meatballs and corn. Well Meg and Animal ate… Harm looked at the corn and thought…I guess this is all I have to eat…because the lasagna was not meat-free…it was chock full of hamburger and well the meatballs were obviously meat, so corn was all that was on the menu. And well, Harm figured, he'd better eat as much corn as he could so that he could manage until they hit the wire on the deck of the carrier.

Animal grinned at him; Harm was going to be on the crapper for the better part of the night crapping out bits of corn. Corn just pretty much went through a person…and didn't stop for digestion. Meg was enjoying her lasagna and meatballs and so was Animal. Harm decided that he was going to get a bag of potato chips at the vending machine and a couple of candy bars. Probably not the healthiest thing on the menu, but it was better than starving till they reached the TR and at least they didn't have to deal with Japanese yen any more. They could pay in good ol' US currency.

Meg and Animal grabbed a drink at the vending machine and made sure that they made use of the head so that they didn't have to worry till they got to the carrier. It was about 1700hrs when the C-2 finally loaded up and they headed out to the runway to take off for their final destination. Sharing their cargo space was a bunch of mail bags and other items that needed to be shipped to the carrier. Animal knew that he wasn't getting anything in the mail. There wasn't anybody to write to him; though of course, Meg would probably write him from now on.

It was a long flight…and as he thought, the sun was going down, when the C-2 entered Marshal and Platform…and then they started sinking towards the carrier deck. A carrier deck landing was a controlled crash. And the subsequent yank to a stop was enough to send one's heart through one's throat. The procedure was throttle your aircraft to full as your main-mounts hit the deck so that if you boltered, you had enough thrust to wallow like a wounded bird, back into the air again. Of course it made for heart-stopping adrenaline rushes when you hit the deck and got yanked to a screeching halt by the wire and of course being thrown forward…and then slamming back in your seat as you came to a halt was also alarming. It wasn't as bad in a C-2 Greyhound as it was when he was landing his F-14 on the deck. The approach was slower and the aviator had more time to dial in his corrections; whereas with the F-14 you were coming in at 300 knots which was slow for an F-14 but still it didn't leave you much time to make corrections if you screwed the pooch. But you still got the thrown forwards and slam back in the seat as you came to a halt. And Animal winced in pain; his wounded shoulder let him know that it didn't appreciate the abuse. But at least the C-2 Greyhound pilot managed to get them aboard on the first pass. When they stepped out from the back of the ramp; it was nice smelling fresh sea air and seeing the deck; at least he remembered to jam earplugs in his ears. Because Meg was scrambling to put some in her ears while wincing at the near-ear-splitting noise coming from the carrier deck; they still had carrier operations going on at night and the flight deck was loud. The sun was just starting to go down at 2130hrs and it had just popped its last half below the horizon. CAG Cartwright was there at the hatch…grinning as Animal and the JAGs strode up to him and saluted. "Welcome home, Animal." Hoss said.

Yes, this was home.

They decided to get another helping of chow since they had such little selection over at Camp Butler. And it was a decent meal, sliders and cheese omelettes scramble fried…and lots of it left too. Harm was finally able to eat something…with the scramble fried omelettes; a couple slices of cheese, garlic bread. Animal went for two sliders, an omelette and a slice of roast beef; Meg did the same.

"So interviews tomorrow…?" Meg said to Harm. They'd be extremely busy trying to set up the report. Animal resolved that he needed to go talk to CAG and the Admiral about whether they wanted him to stay on board or get his ass over to Bethesda and start working on his rehabilitation. Meg told him that he should try and ask the squadron as well. Animal nodded.

Flag Bridge, USS Theodore Roosevelt, September 11, 1994; 2245hrs.

"Animal, I'm going to leave the choice up to you. If you feel like you can do the rest of the cruise, then frankly...it's your call. But unfortunately, due to doc's orders, you're medically grounded for the duration of the cruise until such time as you get yourself into rehab. Incidentally, did the doctor mention that there was going to be complications insofar as not getting treatment right away? Because if that changes then I will send you in a COD off the boat." RDML Pointer stated clearly as he gave Animal a hard look. "I don't want you to blow sunshine up my ass and tell me that everything's OK… Doc already showed me the photos of your wound site. It's pretty bad."

"Sir, I'm just going to be waiting on shore to do anything. It's going to take at least four months before I can get into rehab mainly because of the fact that I'm waiting for the wound to seal itself over before they give me the go-ahead." Animal maintained, "The cruise will be over in three and a half and then I can get myself into see someone at San Diego."

RDML James Pointer looked over gravely at Animal, "I hope you're fine enough. I'll make sure that the doc checks you over and gives you a clean bill of health to continue the cruise…" he looked out the window of the flag bridge. "I wouldn't be doing my due diligence if I didn't."

CAG Cartwright who had remained silent up until this point nodded, "That JAG Lieutenant JG, really seems to like you, y'know that...sure hope you're not making a mistake by staying on the boat."

"C'mon, sir." Animal shook his head, "If she knows me, then she knows that my place is with the boys, until we make port."

"Well, make sure that you don't find that someone else catches her eye. And to insure that no-one else does, I'm gonna make sure you write that girl. And that's a direct order, Commander, In fact, I'm gonna keep remindin' you every chance I get." Hoss grinned at him, "I've seen the way you and the Lieutenant JG are lookin' at each other and that hug in that courtroom pretty much convinced me that there's somethin' goin' on right there." Hoss grinned at Rear Admiral Pointer who grinned back at him in agreement; they'd both seen Meg throw herself into Animal's arms after the verdict of NOT GUILTY of all charges, "I'd have to be blind to not think there's somethin' goin' on between the two of ya. If things get really serious…between the two of you, make sure that the admiral and I get a save-the-date." Animal winced while Hoss looked cheerily around the bridge. "Ah, it's nice to see that No-Load finally got his comeuppance. Good riddance," Hoss grinned.

The admiral said, "Campbell had it coming. Didn't have a doubt that Animal would win after the CT1 came in and told us what had been done by Campbell. His conscience didn't allow him to keep quiet. And he did what he had to do to make sure that we got what we needed to in order to nail Campbell. And of course, the nail in the coffin was the abilities of your attorney at digging for what was needed to finally get rid of that bastard. Cheers to Commander Allison Krennick and her great job at exonerating Animal." They all drank to that… "And yet another one to your Meg and to Harm." Admiral Pointer stated grinning again at Animal as Animal turned bright red. They weren't going to stop ribbing him about that hug that Meg gave him in the courtroom.

The three men drank a toast to getting rid of Campbell. It was going to be a great rest of the cruise without that sniveling bastard. And it was great that he was clapped in irons.

Chapter Twelve - "GO GET YOUR REHAB DONE!"

Chapter 11 – "GO GET YOUR REHAB DONE!"

Interview Room; USS Theodore Roosevelt; CVN-71; 12 September 1994; 1745hrs

Harm looked over at SSGT Helms as the Marine Staff Sergeant sat in the chair looking over at him. "So you were present at Hill 175?

"Yes, sir."

"And you witnessed the events that Commander Nakamura was in?"

"Yes, sir." The man stated.

"Can you tell me what you saw?"

"Well, sir. When the North Koreans started attacking; he told the downed crew and us to get back to the helo, sir. Gunnery Sergeant Enders protested saying that the Commander could possibly get killed. The Commander told the Gunny that he would hold off the men until we could make it back to the helo and told Gunny Enders to leave him the bag of grenades, sir. He made it a direct order, sir."

"And then what happened?"

"Sir, the Commander fought like a man possessed by a demon. Every North Korean that came after him; he managed to kill, sir. I don't say this about very many Navy guys other than the SEALs that I've had the chance to serve side by side with in SpecOps when I was operating; but the Commander fought like a Devil Dog, sir. He inflicted major casualties on the other side and he did it with minimal weaponry."

Meg's eyes had opened as wide as pie-plates listening to the Staff Sergeant's accounts of what had happened that morning. Her man had gone through hell. Was it any wonder why he was having those horrifying flash-backs?

"He saved our lives, sir…" the Staff Sergeant said, "There was a North Korean that was about to bulls-eye our helo with a RPG. He took him out with the last round that he had in his M-4. When I checked the M-4 that magazine was empty; he didn't have anymore. He killed the man with one shot; one handed too. His left arm was hanging useless by that time. He'd forced it into use all that time; but by the time he got near the helo, he could barely use it anymore." He paused for a long moment. "Henderson and I dragged him back to the helo; he was wrung out, bleeding and he had a bullet crease to the side of his head."

Harm looked at Meg and then back at the Staff Sergeant; "And then what did he do?"

"When I informed him of that; he barked that if he had brains exposed, he wouldn't be here now…and asked why was the other M-60 not firing? Even wounded and heavily bleeding he got to his feet and started firing on the North Koreans with the M60 waist mounted gun; with his one good hand; pulling his left hand to the other handgrip to steady it. And he took out at least thirty North Koreans with the M60 as Captain Wild Crow lifted us off." He paused for a moment. "When I told him he had one round left in his M9 he told me, "Gimme," and when I handed him the M9, he leaned it out the helo; aimed it with his right hand at the North Koreans that we'd left behind and fired the last round; then he puts the M9 in the bag while saying, "Now…it's empty…" That's a devil-dog comment…there, sir. One more thing too, sir, he brought back the unused grenades instead of leaving them. Said he didn't want to leave the North Koreans a souvenir. If I may say something? Sir? Ma'am? He deserves the Medal…and more, sir. He saved all of our lives…"

"Thank you, Staff Sergeant. That will be all…" The Staff Sergeant stood up, locked to attention and about-faced marching out the door.

Harm looked at his partner; "Looks like every single one of the witnesses pretty much told us the same thing in their own words. Animal did what he had to do in order to save the men and the helo…" Meg was speechless. She hadn't realized just how much Animal had gone through. She had only known that you had to go through a lot to even be considered for the Medal of Honor. The words Above and Beyond…rang through her mind: the words that preceded every Medal of Honor citation that she had ever read. Above and beyond the call of duty… and these were the actions that were the very epitome of those words. He'd risked his very life for the men in that helo; so that each and every one of them could return home to their parents; safe and sound. A lot of those men who had been awarded the Medal had had the words posthumous after them; they had given their lives for the other men in their unit. To know that her man had fought like a demon to be able to save his men and still walk out of there alive; there were very few alive who could stand before the President and receive the Medal; mainly because too many of those citations ended with the recipient being killed in action, just made her unable to speak for a long moment. She gave thanks to whatever deity was up there that allowed her man to walk out alive and thus for her to be able to meet him and to fall in love with him.

"Meg…are you alright?" Harm was looking at her as she drew a shuddering breath.

"I didn't know…" she whispered…her eyes shiny; tears unshed… "I didn't know just what he went through…and…to hear these men, the men that were there with him, talk about him in such glowing terms…that he saved their lives; that he fought for them."

Harm stood by her, "I know…Meg…it's hard to believe that someone could come through that and still be alive after all that."

"What he's going through right now…the doubts, the fear…the flashbacks…of what could have happened but didn't…" She said looking at the wall… "He has to go through all that because of the love that he felt for his fellow men; that he wanted to keep them safe; to bring them through the gates of hell and back to safe ground so that they could go home to their families." Harm nodded silently. That was what each and every Medal of Honor recipient went through…hell…for the love of their fellow man.

Hangar Deck, USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71); 12 September 1994; 1945hrs

Animal stood looking up at his F-14 Tomcat; Fast Eagle 104; the bird that had brought him through that early morning hell; where he saw his wingman go down. He reached up to the nose of the Tomcat with his right hand and gave it a good pat. "Thank you…for bringing me home…" he said softly. Its big bulk was a comforting presence; he knew it wasn't sentient; it was a hunk of air-grade aluminum honed into a bird of war; but he felt an affinity to it. Remembering how many times he had flown this thing. Maybe two or three times in the entire cruise; he'd gotten to fly his named F-14, but on the one mission that had counted; she was his mount and she brought him, like a faithful steed, home to the farm.

"If it wasn't for you…girl…it could have been me…that went down…" he looked up at the cockpit of the F-14. "But you brought me home safely." He rested his forehead against the nosecone closing his eyes as his forehead touched the cool metal…breathing in deeply, the emotions churning in him. Good ol' faithful One Zero Four; his own named bird.

"You have a safe rest of the cruise…girl…" He looked up at her. "I need to get my broken wing looked at…and hopefully I can come back to you whole…" Footsteps distracted him from his conversation with his F-14. Looking up he saw Harm and Meg standing off to the side. He brought his hand to his lips and then patted the nosecone of the F-14 as Harm and Meg looked on.

Harm whispered, "Every naval aviator always has the other woman…" he said looking over at Animal's F-14; wondering if his own Aces Tomcat was still even in one piece; his Howler's Tomcat was in pieces that were shoved overboard off the deck of the Seahawk.

Meg knew what he was talking about; the aircraft was the other woman…and she wasn't jealous in the slightest. This other woman had the task of keeping Animal safe and bringing him home to her. Meg walked over to Animal and looked up at the F-14. She whispered up at the airplane, "Thank you…for bringing him home to me…" She patted the Tomcat on the nose as well…and somehow she got the feeling that she heard a faint You're welcome. Maybe it was her mind playing tricks on her.

Hangar Deck; USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71); 13 September 1994; 1045hrs

Every flight crew from every bird in the air wing who wasn't on flight operations was down in the hangar deck looking up at the balcony that surrounded the deck; where Animal, Harm, Meg; the Battle Group Commander and the CAG were standing. The CAG's voice rang out audible through the hangar deck. "You all know what the Commander went through…am I right?!"

"AYE!" The roar of the men from the floor of the hangar deck resounded through the hangar deck.

"You all know what his wounds are; a wounded shoulder that requires rehabilitation in order to be able to get back to the F-14 cockpit; am I right?!"

"AYE!" the cheers and grins of the aviators, assembled on the hangar deck, were unanimous.

"DO YOU THINK HE SHOULD BE AN IDIOT AND HANG OUT WITH THE REST OF US NUTCASES FOR THE REST OF THE CRUISE WHEN HE SHOULD BE REHABILITATING!?"

"NO!" Again the roar of the flight crews was unanimous; even the guys from the E-2C Hawkeyes (You had to be slightly cracked to spend four hours aloft every mission under a rotating radiating disc; doing elongated race-tracks around the sky looking for non-existent threats (at least until they did become apparent threats) – it was said that the radar guys could be seen in the dark – they glowed a light green and too many hours spent in front of a monitor made them three-quarters baked; it wasn't certain that they understood what was going on here or whether they were just going along with whatever the crowd was cheering about; Hey, there's apparently a party and we were invited – yay…yay…)…and there were wide grins all around the flight crews assembled.

"What do you say to him, since he doesn't have the brains God gave a goose and wants to stick around and delay his rehabilitation!?"

"YOU IDIOT! GET YOUR ASS HOME! GET YOUR WING LOOKED AT!" was the overwhelming roar from the flight crews as laughter rained across the assembled crowd. "AND GET YOUR HEAD EXAMINED TOO!"

Animal roared over the railing "WELL YOU GUYS SURE TOLD ME! SHOULD I LISTEN?!"

"COME BACK WHOLE! ASSHOLE!" Ah…you could feel the love on that hangar deck. That was sure telling him. Meg grinned at him, her eyes shining with love for him.

"YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST GODDAMNED AIR WING IN THE ENTIRE UNITED STATES NAVY!" Animal roared.

"HOOAH! SIR!" There were a few scattered but extremely loud "OOH RAH! SIR!"s in the sea of faces as there was a Marine F/A-18D unit deployed with the air wing and their members were present in the crowd as well. The gyrenes were apparently up for anything that seemed like a party.

"SO WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO?!"

"GET YOUR ASS ON THAT COD! SIR!" Animal stood by the rail…and snapped them a salute. Every single one of them snapped to attention and saluted.

"Well…looks like the majority have spoken…" RDML Pointer looked over at him. "Son, you need to do as they said." He looked at him, reaching over with his left hand to rest it on Animal's unwounded shoulder. "You need to rehabilitate that shoulder so that you can get back to doing what it is that you do best; which is being at the top of the greenie board and killing MiGs."

CAG Cartwright grinned at him, "You need to come home after rehab and take the greenie board back 'cause I'm going to get a headache from Breckin when he gets the lead. I'll have to listen to that for the rest of the goddamned cruise. He may have the skills to be at the top of the greenie board, but unlike you, Animal, he's got a mouth that punches through the sound barrier. Jim, you got the key to the meat-locker…cause I'm going to shove Breckin in there the next time he gives me a headache. So you get your wing taken care of, Animal…cause I want you back here…as soon as possible. It'll save my goddamned ears."

"Aye-aye, sir…"

RDML Pointer gave Meg a fond look; he could recognize just how much Meg loved Animal, "You take care of my naval aviator for me, Lieutenant JG. Bring him back to us whole."

"Aye-aye, sir." Meg said stepping to Animal's side and snapping to attention. "I will, sir…" she added, which brought a real big eye-brow raise from Harm.

"Commander Rabb…" RDML Pointer said to Harm. "You and Lieutenant Austin…what I said on the Mercy still is in effect. If you ever need anything…give me a call. You came through for me and for Commander Nakamura. I promised I'd shield you; the promise is a standing one…if ever you need help…you give me a shout."

"Aye-aye sir."

Dollar and Spaz stood with Scooter over by the entrance to the island when they got there.

"Animal, sir…you saved our lives…I'm not ever going to forget that…" Dollar said, "You just come back to us whole, sir."

"Animal…you get that wing checked out…and make sure that you're A-1 strac, sir." Spaz said, "And thank you…as Dollar said, you saved our lives."

Scooter, Animal's RIO, looked over at him…"Damn it, man, now I have to fly with another driver for the rest of the cruise, but well…I just want you to get better, Animal; we're teamed for life…up there…" the two bumped fists; "and I want you back in the office with me…huntin' for MiGs…" Animal gave him a thumbs up as they grasped each other's hand and nodded at each other; the silent acknowledgement of the close friendship they shared and the fact that no matter what happened up there, they fought together as a team in the cockpit.

"You got it Scooter…we're a team…" The three aviators in the bags and Animal and the JAGs in their summer whites, stepped out on the flight deck and stood facing each other: JAGs and Animal on one side; the three: aviator and NFOs on the other and saluted each other. Animal could see Mason, his crew-chief off to the side standing at attention; saluting. So Animal paused; locked eyes with Mason and gave him a crisp military salute which they both held for a long moment.

Tucking their officers' caps under their arms, the two JAGs and Animal headed for the COD watching their step and making sure that their movement was safe.

As they got ready to mount the ramp of the COD, Animal saw RDML Pointer, CAG and DCAG standing on the CAG Bridge outdoor balcony. They all were standing there watching the COD. Animal made a point of locking eyes with all three of them…and they knew it. He brought his right hand to his brow in a salute and received their three in return. Meg was watching him from inside the COD and knew that this was an emotional moment for the commander. He was leaving in mid-deployment; not through any fault of his own, but he felt as though he was leaving them all in the lurch. It would be up to her to make him feel like he made the right decision. Meg saw, to his side, Harm standing on the ramp also locked in the same salute to her Tosh's superiors. Two naval aviators; leaving the carrier - She felt her eyes mist over. She knew that Harm felt deep emotions leaving any carrier; it was leaving a place that felt like home to him and to see both Harm and his mentor standing there at attention: Harm's mentor, Animal or as she referred to him, Tosh; the man that she'd fallen deeply in love with (she was still wondering just how it came about since it had happened so rapidly) and Harm, her partner at JAG. It was a heart-stirring moment. And then the moment was broken…as their hands came down and they each headed up the ramp into the COD.

Animal slipped into the seat beside her and Harm slipped into the seat on the opposite side…they wanted to distribute the weight evenly in the COD; as uneven weight distribution could potentially be disastrous during a catapult launch. Harm was wondering just how certain circumstances came about when the catapult fired interrupting his train of thought as the C-2 launched off the carrier enroute to yet another run to Okinawa and from there a Navy transport to Hawaii and from there, if they were lucky, on commercial air carrier to Washington DC. Animal thought to himself that he really needed to make certain that he wrote to his RIO and let him know how things were going with rehab; keep him updated so that he'd know when Animal made it back into the cockpit and when the Animal/Scooter show was going to get back in the air. By the time, he got back, Scooter would probably have been selected for his Lieutenant Commander's rank and he realized just what a long road it was going to be in order to get back. He wasn't certain if he'd be able to start rehabilitation in the New Year…it all depended on how his shoulder wound knitted itself back together.

From the deck of the carrier off the coast of North Korea to Okinawa was a five and a half hour journey with headwinds. And it was almost 1740hrs by the time the wheels on their COD landed on the runway at the base. From there, it would be a six hour flight across the ocean to Joint Base Pearl…which would bring them in to land a little after two on the same day that they'd left the carrier since they went over the International Date Line. It was always a time change that confused the living daylights out of Animal – westbound you lose a day; east-bound you gained a day…or was it the other way around? So he frankly started to just not care about dates…since as one wit said, "Where ever you go…there you are…" That worked for him.

It was a one hour layover at Okinawa and they boarded the US Navy C-130 Hercules…which was big; cavernous and practically empty other than the non-breathing cargo it was carrying. The human cargo was just the three of them. So they settled down in their seats and enjoyed staring at the rivets and other scenery of the inside of the C-130 since…as this was a cargo aircraft; there were no windows. Meg was exhausted and leaned on Animal's unhurt shoulder (his right shoulder) and fell asleep. Animal leaned over the other way and rested his cheek on Meg's head which was laying on his shoulder. And Harm…well…he tried to curl up in his seat and not look over at Meg and Animal who were so intimately curled up against each other. Poor Harm; besides it was pretty darned cold in that C-130 considering they were flying at 30,000 feet even if the aircraft was pressurized for human cargo. The aircrew in the Navy C-130 seeing the two officers curled up together…just threw a blanket over Meg and Animal; so that they would stay warm and gave Harm one too. Besides…the aircraft wasn't a 747…no heat…no luxuries, such as in-flight catering. If you wanted that; stay a civilian.

It was after about six hours of bone-chilling flight that had the officers land at Joint Base Pearl where they were given the option of bunking in the VOQ until 1130hrs the next morning when they would be able to catch a flight at 1300hrs from Honolulu International via 747 direct to Dulles International or if they would prefer to take the next C-141 that was headed to Nellis AFB then transfer to a Navy C130 to fly the rest of the way. Harm and Meg looked at each other opting which was the cheaper option. The C-141 would be heading out that morning at 0445 and would reach Nellis at 0920hrs. The C-130 from Nellis would take another ten hours and they would get into Joint Base Andrews at 2035hrs. What was another bone-chilling flight at 35000 feet for three exhausted naval officers?

"What do you think, Meg, Animal; get some rest and take a comfortable 747 with in-flight meals and a movie? Or a One-Forty One and One-Thirty for another ice-cooler flight that gets us home at roughly about the same time as the 747 direct?" Harm asked Meg and Animal.

"Which would the Navy prefer?" Animal muttered. His shoulder ached from the cold; the bean-counters wouldn't care though. They'd prefer their officers to take the most economical means of transportation home. It wouldn't cost the Navy anything to haul their asses from point A to point C via Point B, frozen to an ice cube in a cargo-hauler.

Meg and Harm looked at each other. The 747-400 sounded so appealing after 12 hrs in a COD and a C-130 already.

"I don't mind freezing my ass off for fourteen and a half hours if it means I don't have to listen to the Pentagon bean-counters bitching and whining about the excess cost on my travel-chit. Them whining about every little cipher on the ledger more than makes up for the convenience of the 747. Makes me wanna beat a few of their heads against the wall." Meg and Harm looked over with amusement at Animal's grouchy pronouncement.

Meg looked over at Animal then back at Harm; smirking…"Guess I know which one he wants…"

Harm sighed, Animal was right; If they took the 747-400 they'd have to account for every single item on their expense account as to why they took that option when a USAF cargo hauler was leaving in two hours for the US mainland. And then he'd have to debate the whys and wherefores of that decision with the Navy Accounting and Disbursement department as to whether or not he could get reimbursed for that expenditure. Animal was right. The convenience versus the headache; it all balanced out in the end.

"Well…guess we're in for another fourteen and a half hours of freezing our asses off in a cargo-hauler."

"Happy happy joy joy…happy happy joy joy…" Animal raised his index finger and grinned at Harm who rolled his eyes and…this was their schtick…

Harm continued, grinning back at Animal; "Happy happy joy joy…happy happy joy joy…" holding his hand up; twirling his index finger in a circle pointing straight up.

And in unison…each holding up both hands with index fingers twirling in opposite directions – they were coordinated; they had to be as aviators. "Happy happy joy joy; happy happy joy joy; happy happy joy joy JOY…tadadada DA-DA…Awwww…SHIT!" Animal crossed his eyes; sticking his tongue out; ending the first part of the refrain of 'Shave and a haircut"…with that profanity.

Meg rolled her eyes at the two juvenile behaving naval aviators and then looked through her luggage hoping that she'd had the foresight to bring her navy black windbreaker – which maybe would keep her from turning into a Popsicle by the end of the flight.

"Eat now?"

"Probably be a good idea…" Animal remarked. "Maybe we can grab a sandwich or two and a cup of coffee; it might keep us from eating our stomach lining until we drop gear at Nellis." It had been a pretty lean flight coming over from Okinawa as the base galley at Okinawa wasn't entirely ready to feed drop-ins after the Marines had picked through the helpings. They'd had to content themselves with the vending machine offerings.

They all nodded and headed over to the Navy side of the base's galley. There they managed to pick up two ham sandwiches apiece for Animal and Meg and Harm got himself an egg sandwich…at least that way his vegetarian leanings would be satisfied. Animal grabbed a cup of coffee and so did Meg and Harm. Animal and Meg both knew that with military transport, they needed to watch their Personal Displays of Affection as senior officers would not really realize that Animal and Meg were not in the same chain of command as they were all traveling together, even though Animal had a line-officer's star and the two JAG officers had JAG mille-rinds. If they were in uniform; they'd also have to watch it while on civilian transport. They wouldn't know who was a high-ranking officer in civilian clothes on leave who was on the same flight. And with Animal being the most senior officer of the three of them as a three-striper any fallout from that would drop on top of his head. To be safe, they'd all have to both be in civilian clothes. And Meg hadn't packed any civilian clothes other than her exercise gear; which was what she'd gone to Yokosuka's base hospital in to accompany Animal. So Meg and Animal just contented themselves with sitting close to each other in the galley and giving each other affectionate smiles; while Harm rolled his eyes so hard, he could probably see the back of the inside of his skull.

At least they could try to get a decent large breakfast at Nellis. And in thirty minutes after they finished eating they were back on the C-141 seated with a group of Army Rangers; at least one hundred and fifty of them headed back to Fort Bragg after training in the jungles of Hawaii. They'd debark at Nellis and catch another Air Force Transport that would drop them off at Bragg after training with the 442/100 Go For Broke in Hawaii. The C-130 that they were to catch would leave about two hours after they got there so it would leave them just enough time to get some decent food into their stomachs in preparation for the long trip to the East Coast. Animal fell asleep and curled up in his seat while Harm sat pondering the developments that had taken place over the course of their investigation. Meg was curled up in the seat next to Animal trying to make sure that their close proximity to each other didn't arouse the attention of the Army Colonel who was sitting in the row behind them. After all; he had eagles as opposed to Animal's silver oak leafs. The hiss of the airflow outside the C-141 jet transport was a lot quieter than the droning of the props in the One Thirty so Animal and Meg were able to get a few hours uninterrupted sleep; their eyes popping awake before the wheels touched runway at Nellis. When they landed, they headed over to the USAF Base Mess hall and grabbed a breakfast of bacon, eggs, sausages and toast…and Animal had his plate loaded up for which he paid extra. Since they weren't Air Force, they had to pay at the checkout…and well…it was worth it. The meal was good and it was filling and it would have to be, since they would not have another meal for another ten hours while droning through 35000 feet in a C-130.

"Change of plans, sir." said the Air Force Loadmaster of the C-141. "It appears that we've been tasked to head to Andrews; if you'd like…you can continue on with us. It would get you there in four and a half hours than the ten you would have to sit through in the one-thirty, sir."

Animal looked over at Harm who said wistfully, "I was so looking forward to the C-130…"…then grinned, "…but HELL YEAH!" which made the Air Force Loadmaster grin.

"Absolutely…" Animal said and looked over for concurrence with Meg who nodded…she wanted sleep at home after a long flight with minimal time to sleep. Their second leg was practically empty with only cargo to keep the three company. Animal curled up again with Meg. As their trip drew to a close, Animal murmured in her ear, "So…did you have to check in with Chegwidden before you head home for sleep?"

"Yes, actually, I do." Meg remembered. "Harm and I have to drop off the reports to Rear Admiral Chegwidden." She had nearly forgotten about that.

Harm was on the phone, "Hey, Anders, I'm on a One-Forty-One headed to Andrews…could you see your way to picking, Meg, me and another officer up?"

"Of course, sir…" Chief Anders from the JAG office could be heard on the other end of the phone line. "You're getting in at what time, sir?"

"1625, Anders; at Andrews…"

"Aye, sir…I'll be there…" the Chief said… "And everyone is going to the JAG office?"

"That's affirmative. My car is still there, right?"

"Aye sir…"

"Good…"

The One Forty-One made good time because they picked up a tailwind and managed to get there about twenty minutes early as the main-mounts touched the runway at 1605hrs. And Chief Anders showed up about twenty minutes later. "Welcome home, Sir…Ma'am…Commander…" he acknowledged Animal who tucked himself in with Meg. And Harm took the front seat beside the Chief.

"So did everything go smoothly over on the TR? Sir?" Chief Anders asked Harm.

"Pretty well, Chief. Though we had a bit of a detour…"

"I know, sir. Admiral had to go out to Japan to find out what was going on." The Chief said as he pulled into traffic and headed out from the base.

There was idle conversation with regards to what was going on at the office and how the local sports team was doing and Animal looked out the window at DC. He'd never been assigned to the nation's capital so this was all new to him. It was going to take some getting used to and as Bethesda Naval Medical Center was going to be his "duty station" as he was going to be rehabbing, DC was going to be his home for the foreseeable future until he was physically able to get back to flight status. It was a step in a direction that he hadn't foreseen just a little over two and a half weeks ago and he hadn't foreseen that in only two and a half weeks he'd go from being a front-line naval aviator to having to rehab his injuries; and now have the love of a very beautiful JAG Lieutenant JG. What a change in one's life fortunes could two and a half weeks bring?

And he was looking forward to getting to know Meg Austin…and wherever life's road led for the two of them.

Author's Note: This story ending leads to the story "Settling In".

Chapter Eleven - "If You Love Him"

Chapter 11 – "If You Love Him… "

Japanese Restaurant; Yokosuka Japan, 1945hrs.

Harm was still curious as they sat down in the chairs at the restaurant a little ways down the street from the base. "Why did Uncle Ollie say that you two looked like a good pair?"

Meg narrowed her eyes… "You're not going to give it a rest till you get an explanation, are you, sir?"

Harm grinned, "Nope…" he said.

Meg sighed as she glared at Harm shaking her head, "YOU…and I are in the same chain of command…" she looked at him and continued archly, "He…and I are NOT in the same chain of command. Is that any clearer? Sir?"

Harm seemed crestfallen, "I guess there's that." And frankly, the UCMJ was very strict on that fact. Anyone in the same chain of command could not have a relationship. His RAG mentor did not have that particular problem.

Animal looked over at Meg, "Was that the something that you were talking with Uncle Ollie about?" he asked Meg.

"He didn't put it in so many words…" Meg stated as she looked directly into Animal's eyes, "He just told me to follow my heart…" she gave Animal an enigmatic smile as Harm looked over wistfully at Meg. Harm saw Meg give Animal a winsome smile while Harm gaped like a fish out of water.

"So…I guess we have a COD out of Misawa tomorrow…and we're doing an island to island hop again; this time in reverse…Would have liked to have taken an F-14." Animal said, "But, I'd probably risk major damage to my shoulder again if I end up taking the wire in the Fourteen. If I'm correct; Spaz and Dollar got sent to shore to bring back a replacement TARPS bird to replace 114 and did double duty as witnesses to let the jury know that they were back on the line."

Their meal came and they ate. Then it was back to the base and to their VOQ rooms. Harm said goodnight and headed in still trying to make sense of everything. Meg was surprised Harm's brain hadn't shorted out yet with the information overload. Meg and Animal hung around outside Meg's door for a while… "You asked me if I was open to sharing my life with someone…" Animal said looking at Meg.

"…in so many words…" she murmured…softly, locking eyes with the commander

"…it'd have to be the right person…" Animal said to her…it seemed like they were having a continuation of their moment in front of the Yokosuka fence-line over looking the piers holding the warships. Meg was having the same impression and she hoped that this time they wouldn't be interrupted in the middle of it.

"…likewise…he'd have to…show me…that he's…open…not afraid to show me his vulnerable side…" she whispered as their lips drew closer.

"…like at the hospital…the other day?" they were so close their noses were almost touching.

"…yeah something like that…" she whispered softly; her breath soft and warm against Animal's upper lip.

And then…their lips touched…in a tender kiss…and the world just vanished from their minds as they wrapped their arms around each other; two lonely souls looking for each other; Animal's hands in Meg's hair…

"Uh…hey Meg…" Harm…had opened his door again to find Meg and Animal lip-locked in a passionate kiss; Harm's eyes widened and he turned around one hundred and eighty degrees back the way he came; "uh…OK…I'll ask about this later…" Ollie's comment suddenly crystallized into sharp focus to Harm as he shut the door. He sighed as he turned back to his bed. His partner had found somebody who had become her whole world. And he and she were supposed to investigate her new romantic interest's Medal of Honor nomination. This was going to get very complicated. He went over to the door, and opened it again…to see that the hallway was completely empty.

Meg's VOQ Room; NS Yokosuka; September 10, 1994 – 2220hrs.

Animal and Meg were in the midst of a wonderful kissing session. Meg's back was against the wall of the VOQ Room and her hands were grasping what was available of Animal's hair since he always kept it short…but just running her hands through it while engaged in a passionate strategic osculation sent fires through her own body.

"Meg…I don't want to stop, but I don't want to get you in trouble either. Aren't there rules about VOQ rooms?"

"Drats…" Meg murmured as she got another passionate kiss in and in between kisses she managed to get out "Promise me, you'll remember that I'm supposed to meet you on the pier when you dock? I'm going to take leave and meet you out there."

"That sounds great, Meg…Now…I'd better let you get some rest…We've got a long flight tomorrow…" Animal got in one more passionate kiss and…

Meg whispered, "Love you; Tosh…" reluctant to let Tosh go, but knowing that they had to or they'd be in contravention of the rules of the VOQ.

"Love you too…Meg…" he whispered back as he re-opened the door and slipped out. Meg's sleep that night was warm and cozy.

Animal's was interrupted yet again…and he thought; I need to talk to someone when we get back to the boat…as he sat on the edge of the bed. If he couldn't control this…there was no way they'd let him back into the cockpit; he'd be a danger to himself and others.

Naval Station Yokosuka; September 11, 1994, 0630hrs

Animal was up early if not bright; since he hadn't gotten much rest because of being woken up by the nightmare/ flash-back. He finally took a shower and washed up…since he was sweating and needed to feel clean before he put on his uniform; the summer whites. When he was done, he figured that he'd better head down to breakfast to put something in his stomach before they headed for the helo that was supposed to be waiting to transport them to Misawa to catch the COD back to the TR. It was going to be a long trip…and they'd probably get back to the TR just as the sun was going down. As he stepped out of the room with all his gear in his hands, he saw Harm poking his head out…his shoulders indicated that he was also dressed and ready to go as Meg stepped out of her room in summer whites…wearing the trousers rather than the white skirt.

"Morning…" Meg called out to Animal, her eyes locking on his.

"Morning, Meg…" Animal said, as Harm stepped out with his gear and luggage. They all had their gear with them, since they needed to make sure that they didn't leave anything behind in the VOQ before returning the keys.

"Morning, Animal, Morning, Meg…" Harm said as he stepped to Animal's side and let Meg take the other. The helo; a Seahawk would load up their gear and transport it along with them to Misawa Air Base and there they would wait on a COD in order to fly down to the next stop in a chain of stops to get back to the USS Theodore Roosevelt.

Meg looked over at Animal; he looked tired and haunted, "Another one?" she gave him a concerned look.

Animal nodded. He would talk to someone as soon as they got back to the carrier. At the base galley, there was a good American breakfast; sausages, eggs, bacon and toast…as well as a slice of cheese. And they all chowed down. Of course, Harm just had eggs and toast and the cheese. While Meg and Animal loaded up on the meat. "You're going to talk to someone when you get back, right?" Meg asked.

Animal said, "Yeah…I can't have this keep interrupting my sleep…" He sighed as he picked at his sausage; finally deciding to spear it.

Harm looked concerned…"Flashbacks…I had them for weeks after I had the ramp-strike." He looked at Meg, "Can't imagine how scary the ones that Medal recipients get."

Animal stared at him and Harm saw the haunted look in his eyes and it scared him. "Believe me; you wouldn't want to know…" Animal said simply. When they were finished picking their plates clean; Animal, Meg and Harm headed to the helo after depositing their plates and cutlery in the wash bins.

The SH-60 was waiting for them and they loaded their gear up; got in and strapped in. Shutting the doors, the rotors spun up and they lifted off; the nose of the helo pointing towards Misawa as they flew towards it. When the landing gear touched down at Misawa, Animal could see the JASDF F-15s and they could see the COD waiting for them as they headed across the field towards it.

"Good Morning sir." The AC2 who greeted them at the ramp leading into the plane saluted Animal who saluted him back. "Sir…Ma'am…" the AC2 acknowledging Harm and Meg respectively gestured to the seats that he wanted filled to maintain equal balance in the aircraft. Animal sat down and strapped in and Meg dropped in beside him; taking his hand and squeezing it gently…lovingly. Harm again seated himself across the aisle from them. "Just the three, sir?" The AC2 asked Animal, as he raised the ramp and locked it so that the aircraft was sealed.

"Yup…looks like everyone else has scrammed for home." Animal grinned.

"We took Gunny Enders back home to the TR day before yesterday and yesterday we took CAG, Lieutenant Breckin and the Admiral back after the trial. All three of them were just happy that you won; that's how we found out, sir… congratulations, sir, on getting that win in court." The look on the AC2's face was sheer gratification that Commander Campbell didn't win. He was hated all over the carrier by both officers and enlisted as he had been a tin-pot dictator and the fact that Campbell had got his comeuppance had made its rounds around the carrier. Campbell had thought he was invincible and he found out that he wasn't to his detriment. And well, it was certainly nice to be able to go back to a Campbell-less cruise for the rest of it. He was looking forward to getting back to the carrier. But he still wasn't sure if he should extend his cruise or whether he should actually get his butt-end off the carrier and go and get a head-start on his rehabilitation. But then again, his arm still hadn't had the time for the wounds to seal over. Maybe he seriously needed to deal with his arm first and staying on; on the cruise would offer time for the still open wounds to heal; he'd been monitoring it and changing the dressings every day and well, it appeared to be doing some good as the wound had started to knit. And maybe by the time that the ship docked in San Francisco, he'd have a chance to get started on his rehabilitation which was scheduled in Bethesda Naval Medical Center clear on the other side of the continent.

Meg, noticing his contemplative face, rested her hand on his; a move not gone un-noticed by Harm who kept peering over to see just what Meg was doing.

"We should be taking off in a little while…the AC and the co-pilot are doing checks." The AC2 said. "We'll be stopping in Tofugi Air Base then flying to Okinawa…once we refuel there, we're heading back to the TR. Okinawa, we will be stopping for several hours for lunch and loading up mail bags, so you might want to grab some chow, sir."

"All-right, AC2. I'll take that into advisement." Animal stated as he winced again at having to strap in.

Meg noticed this and asked, "Are you having pain?"

"Yeah, it twinges every time I do something that exerts pressure on the wound. And well…having to strap in…it's pretty painful, but the COD is the only way back to the carrier. I'm not looking forward to the trap." Animal said, "…and getting thrown against the straps."

Eventually, the C-2 Greyhound started moving its way towards the runway. And Animal rested while the plane set up for its take-off roll…and the engines started picking up in sound with a loud drone. Animal was glad that he stuck in some earplugs or his eardrums would be vibrating for the rest of the day. Animal could notice when the aircraft became light on its main-mounts and the eventual climb out from the runway was slow but steady. Looking out the window, he saw the ground recede as the C-2 gained altitude. He missed his Tomcat so much; if he'd been at the controls of his F-14, he'd already be rocketing past Angels 35 by now and getting ready to pitch over and roll wings level. This thing was slow and sluggish. Carrier cat-shots and traps in the F-14 or any front-line jet fighter were not for the weak.

Meg gazed at him looking out the window. She had been impressed by his cool, calm demeanor as recorded on Uncle Ollie's transmission tapes; just the business-like tone of a combat naval aviator. There was no screaming or shouting like in the movie Top Gun, just clipped short transmissions which cut straight to the chase and got the job done. Just his dry sarcasm in the transmission of "Fast Eagle 104, Combat, we're taking triple A fire…who the hell thought this was a good idea?" That made her smile. No excited yelling or panic in his voice at all. Just a dry, sarcastic drawl as he was jinking through the anti-aircraft fire sailing up at his aircraft. That was impressive and here he was just casually sitting beside her holding her hand. She looked over at him and whispered in his ear, "Uncle Ollie was right, y'know…" and gave him a wide smile. The look he gave her was reward enough, "he told me… If you love him…let him know that…" The smile that she got from him sent her heart into orbit. Harm was looking out his window so he missed that. Meg looked over and then looked back at Animal and grinned.

Looks like Harm's going to get an unpleasant surprise. Animal thought to himself; Meg evidently had made her choice and it appeared that he was the victor. Their covers were in the netting above their seats to secure them from being tossed around the cabin when they trapped aboard the TR though that wouldn't be for about fifteen hours yet. About an hour later, the C-2's engine noise started to change and they started descending through the cloud cover to Tofugi Air Base. There they would take on some more fuel for the hop across to Okinawa. That would be about three hours flying time, and then they needed to sit for a couple hours on the tarmac then it would be home to the carrier. Animal figured that he'd have enough time to grab a soda from the soda machine and drink it down before they would be back in the air again.

It was enjoyable at any rate to sit beside Meg and smell her flowery smelling perfume that she was wearing. It was light, but it still was detectable and it was not so overpowering that it went against the regulations; but it was just enough to leave a nice lasting impression when she walked past you or she sat down beside you. And Animal enjoyed sitting beside Meg; feeling her arm brushed up against his.

Meg was wondering just how Animal was feeling about flying in this cargo-hauler than his F-14; she knew he missed it; that he'd be missing it until he got back in the saddle again. But it would take some physical therapy and rehabilitation before that would become a possibility. The ground grew closer again and eventually their wheels touched down on the runway and they rolled out and came to a stop on the tarmac. Their AC2 dropped open the rear ramp and the officers grabbed their covers and stepped out placing their covers on their heads. Animal looked over at the main flight plan area and the three headed over that way.

The JASDF Major with passable English let them know that the coin-operated drink machines were near the entrance and that they cost 750¥. Animal looked at his change and he had enough and a little extra. Meg had converted some of her cash to ¥. So they got themselves some soda. Harm looked over his change and he was short about 15¥. So Animal spotted some of his change to him…and they all were able to get something. At least it would have to do until they got to Okinawa and the Marine Corps base at Camp Butler and then they might be able to get some chow.

The AC2 came in to let them know that the C-2 had been refueled. Animal checked his flight watch, which was one of those big Breitlings. It was 1200hrs and they still had a three hour flight across to Okinawa. It would be about 1500hrs before they were able to get some chow. But at least they'd eaten a good meal at Yokosuka before they left; so they should be OK until they landed, Animal figured. "Well, guess we'd better load up…sooner we get on; sooner we can land and eat at Butler."

Evidently they'd packed on a few more bodies at Tofugi. About five US Marines headed on board. One was a Major, one was a Captain and the others were enlisted. "Sir!" The Marine Major barked as all the Marines snapped to attention noticing Animal's silver oak leafs on his collars.

"As you were, Marines." Animal said, "Thanks, Major…"

Meg and Animal settled in again…and strapped in. Harm had to share his seat with yet another Marine, the captain who was female. Her last name was Mackenzie. "Sir." She said to Harm.

"Captain…" Harm acknowledged and then did a double-take. She looked like a spitting image of Diane. But she was a Marine, he shook his head and stared at the back of the seat. The Marine looked at him kind of funny.

"Something wrong, sir?"

"No…just thought I'd seen someone who looks like you before…and did a double-take…sorry."

Meg grinned; that was one helluva crummy pickup-line. Captain Mackenzie looked over the aisle at the Lieutenant JG and the three-striper commander who were sitting together and then at the JAG Lieutenant Commander. Evidently the JAG Lieutenant Commander and the Line Commander both wore naval aviator wings. That was rather unusual to find a staff officer who wore wings; she thought as she gave the Lieutenant Commander seated beside her another look. Somehow the Lieutenant Commander and the Commander both looked familiar as if she'd seen them before. But it had been a long time ago and she remembered the O-4 that was sitting beside her as a naval aviator and why he would have gone into JAG was beyond her. But she gave it no more mind as the ramp came up and the aircraft started taxiing to the runway.

Camp Smedley D. Butler, US Marine Corps, Okinawa. 1500hrs

"Nice to make your acquaintance, Captain Mackenzie…" Harm said as he shook the Marine's hand as they all debarked.

"You have a good trip back to the carrier." she said, "Chow hall is over there so if you have to refuel…yourselves…you can head there. I have to rejoin my Marines…so I'll bid you farewell here." She saluted Animal "Good afternoon, Commander."

"Afternoon, Captain, you have a good one and thank you." Animal saluted her back.

"You're welcome, sir." And she was off to rejoin her Marines.

Harm was looking off at her with a curious expression on his face. Why did he have the feeling that he was going to see her again? Meg prodded him, "Let's go eat, sir." Animal and Meg headed off to the chow hall, with Harm bringing up the rear still watching the receding Captain Mackenzie.

"Evidently, she'd just come back from a TAD assignment in Bosnia…" Harm stated as the three got to the chow-hall doors. "It was a combat assignment. She said that she had done law-school before being commissioned in the Marine Corps, so evidently she's looking at a JAG assignment too…eventually." Harm informed Meg and Animal.

They found the meal was a decent helping of lasagna; meatballs and corn. Well Meg and Animal ate… Harm looked at the corn and thought…I guess this is all I have to eat…because the lasagna was not meat-free…it was chock full of hamburger and well the meatballs were obviously meat, so corn was all that was on the menu. And well, Harm figured, he'd better eat as much corn as he could so that he could manage until they hit the wire on the deck of the carrier.

Animal grinned at him; Harm was going to be on the crapper for the better part of the night crapping out bits of corn. Corn just pretty much went through a person…and didn't stop for digestion. Meg was enjoying her lasagna and meatballs and so was Animal. Harm decided that he was going to get a bag of potato chips at the vending machine and a couple of candy bars. Probably not the healthiest thing on the menu, but it was better than starving till they reached the TR and at least they didn't have to deal with Japanese yen any more. They could pay in good ol' US currency.

Meg and Animal grabbed a drink at the vending machine and made sure that they made use of the head so that they didn't have to worry till they got to the carrier. It was about 1700hrs when the C-2 finally loaded up and they headed out to the runway to take off for their final destination. Sharing their cargo space was a bunch of mail bags and other items that needed to be shipped to the carrier. Animal knew that he wasn't getting anything in the mail. There wasn't anybody to write to him; though of course, Meg would probably write him from now on.

It was a long flight…and as he thought, the sun was going down, when the C-2 entered Marshal and Platform…and then they started sinking towards the carrier deck. A carrier deck landing was a controlled crash. And the subsequent yank to a stop was enough to send one's heart through one's throat. The procedure was throttle your aircraft to full as your main-mounts hit the deck so that if you boltered, you had enough thrust to wallow like a wounded bird, back into the air again. Of course it made for heart-stopping adrenaline rushes when you hit the deck and got yanked to a screeching halt by the wire and of course being thrown forward…and then slamming back in your seat as you came to a halt was also alarming. It wasn't as bad in a C-2 Greyhound as it was when he was landing his F-14 on the deck. The approach was slower and the aviator had more time to dial in his corrections; whereas with the F-14 you were coming in at 300 knots which was slow for an F-14 but still it didn't leave you much time to make corrections if you screwed the pooch. But you still got the thrown forwards and slam back in the seat as you came to a halt. And Animal winced in pain; his wounded shoulder let him know that it didn't appreciate the abuse. But at least the C-2 Greyhound pilot managed to get them aboard on the first pass. When they stepped out from the back of the ramp; it was nice smelling fresh sea air and seeing the deck; at least he remembered to jam earplugs in his ears. Because Meg was scrambling to put some in her ears while wincing at the near-ear-splitting noise coming from the carrier deck; they still had carrier operations going on at night and the flight deck was loud. The sun was just starting to go down at 2130hrs and it had just popped its last half below the horizon. CAG Cartwright was there at the hatch…grinning as Animal and the JAGs strode up to him and saluted. "Welcome home, Animal." Hoss said.

Yes, this was home.

They decided to get another helping of chow since they had such little selection over at Camp Butler. And it was a decent meal, sliders and cheese omelettes scramble fried…and lots of it left too. Harm was finally able to eat something…with the scramble fried omelettes; a couple slices of cheese, garlic bread. Animal went for two sliders, an omelette and a slice of roast beef; Meg did the same.

"So interviews tomorrow…?" Meg said to Harm. They'd be extremely busy trying to set up the report. Animal resolved that he needed to go talk to CAG and the Admiral about whether they wanted him to stay on board or get his ass over to Bethesda and start working on his rehabilitation. Meg told him that he should try and ask the squadron as well. Animal nodded.

Flag Bridge, USS Theodore Roosevelt, September 11, 1994; 2245hrs.

"Animal, I think what the Lieutenant JG is telling you is the right thing to do. Sure, you could stay on board, but it makes more sense to go back to the CONUS and get started on your rehabilitation once your arm heals up enough to be able to make it possible to do so. You need to do this." RDML Pointer said, "Besides we need to make sure that you're OK; secondly it'll give you time to get your PTSD dealt with so that your flashbacks aren't so intense."

"I feel like I'm leaving my friends in the lurch, sir."

"Look, Animal…I think your friends would rather have you whole than spend time with you knowing that you're delaying your getting better so that you don't feel like they'd be angry at you for skipping out on the rest of the deployment. Your health comes first. And the JCS wouldn't like it either if you delayed your rehabilitation. We need all the line aviators that we can. And we need you healthy."

CAG Cartwright said, "I agree with the admiral. You need to go back home and get your rehabilitation done. If you want, I'll call a meeting of the entire air-wing and have them tell you to your face to go and get your rehab done if that will make you feel better about doing that." Hoss grinned.

"How do I know that they are telling me the truth and not telling me just what I want to hear?"

"Animal, I doubt that anyone who has your best interests in mind is going to tell you to stay on board and risk aggravating your injury even further. So when your girl and her legal partner get finished dealing with their investigation, you're getting on that COD and heading home." Animal raised his eyebrows at the 'your girl' comment.

Hoss grinned at him, "I've seen the way you and the Lieutenant JG are lookin' at each other and that hug in that courtroom pretty much convinced me" Hoss grinned at Rear Admiral Pointer who grinned back at him in agreement; they'd both seen Meg throw herself into Animal's arms after the verdict of NOT GUILTY of all charges, "I'd have to be blind to not think there's somethin' goin' on between the two of ya. If things get really serious…between the two of you, make sure that the admiral and I get a save-the-date." Animal winced. "Ah, it's nice to see that No-Load finally got his comeuppance. Good riddance," Hoss grinned.

The admiral said, "Campbell had it coming. Didn't have a doubt that Animal would win after the CT1 came in and told us what had been done by Campbell. His conscience didn't allow him to keep quiet. And he did what he had to do to make sure that we got what we needed to in order to nail Campbell. And of course, the nail in the coffin was the abilities of your attorney at digging for what was needed to finally get rid of that bastard. Cheers to Commander Allison Krennick and her great job at exonerating Animal." They all drank to that… "And yet another one to your Meg and to Harm." Admiral Pointer stated grinning again at Animal as Animal turned bright red. They weren't going to stop ribbing him about that hug that Meg gave him in the courtroom.

The three men drank a toast to getting rid of Campbell. It was going to be a great rest of the cruise without that sniveling bastard. And it was great that he was clapped in irons.