Title: The Object of Her
Affection
Author: Jessica Schipper
E-mail: [email protected]
Rating:
Classification: S, R (Admiral/other)
Spoilers:
Summary: Sometimes the feelings we have can complicate not only our lives, but
the lives of those around us.
Disclaimer: The characters and premise of JAG belong to CBS, BeliPro, etc. I am only borrowing them, I'll return them when I'm done, maybe. Please don't sue me, I'm a poor college student, you won't get anything out of me.... Besides, if you do... I'll get Harm and Mac to defend me.
Any characters not regularly on the show are probably mine.
Notes: This takes place before Erin Schipper's fanfic, "Because You Love Me." Thanks to her for the premise behind this story, and for her proofreading. This takes place before Harm & Mac are together as a couple.
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, Virginia
1530 Zulu (1030 EST for you non-military inclined)
He stood in the doorway and watched her do such a menial task that no one ever could find sexy, but he did. Her red hair was shining in the unnatural lighting and was making the scene all the more enticing.
She could feel his eyes on her and she reveled in the attention. She did not begin to guess what thoughts were running through his mind, she had hoped somewhere in the back of her mind that he would notice her in a way other than an officer; she wanted to be noticed as a woman. She had to fight all of her instincts and not turn around, it would not do to catch a superior officer in the act of bending the rules.
"Excuse me, Sir. Do you have a moment, Admiral?" Harm asked from beside him interrupting his thoughts.
"Yes, Commander. By the way have you seen Lt. Roberts?" Attempting to draw the attention away from the object of his attention. Harm having followed the direction of A.J.'s gaze, tried to not show his amusement at the situation.
"Yes, sir he and Lt. Simms left the office to go to the records office to find the files you requested, sir."
"Oh, that's good," just a little embarrassed at his slip. "We can speak in my office." Harm followed the Admiral into his office, with a knowing smile on his face.
1620 ZULU
Lt. Cmdr. Carolyn Imes watched from her office as Lt. Cmdr. Rabb and Admiral Chegwidden left the building, for a lunch meeting. She leaned back and sighed. Lately she had been having some thoughts about her commanding officer that she should try and shoot down before they got out of hand, but she just did not want to give up these new found feelings that she found so fascinating. She was not sure where this could lead her, but for now she was just going to sit back and wait for something a little more definite to give her a sign about the feelings of the object of her affection.
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, Virginia
1315 Zulu (0815 EST) The next day
Running late; Admiral Chegwidden pulled into his assigned parking space and stopped to wonder when the last time he had been this late to the office. If not the first to arrive, he was always there earlier then the majority of the JAG staff. He had been a little hesitant to get out of bed this morning and end the pleasant dream that he had been having. He knew that having thoughts about his junior officers was not something that he should be doing, but he just could not stop. Plus, it really didn't matter because he knew that she did not feel the same about him. Ending his thoughts, he got out of the car and went into the office.
Entering the office he called Harm and Mac into his office as well as well as Lt. Cmdrs. Mattoni and Carolyn Imes for assigning of new cases and checking on the progress of ongoing ones. No one missed the fact that he was late, and it later would be cause for much discussion. On the way out of the office Harm reminded Mattoni and Imes of the fact that tonight's dinner was on them because of the case they had just lost to Harm and Mac. Almost as an afterthought the Admiral was invited to join them for dinner. They all moved on to their very busy days.
Fifties Diner Located Nearby
2400 Zulu (1900 EST)
Dressed in civvies Harm and Mac were the first to arrive, separately of course. Carolyn arrived a few minutes later, "Sorry, Mattoni just called and said that his daughter is sick and that he can't make it, so I guess I'm flying solo tonight." Deciding to wait a few more minutes for the Admiral they settled into a friendly discussion of the case that had just been tried.
Arriving late for the second time in the same day, A.J. Chegwidden walked into the restaurant still dressed in his uniform.
"Sorry that I am a little late, but something of importance came up just as I was about to leave the office." He offered his apologies, and smiled at the women present.
"No apologies necessary, Admiral. We had not started dinner yet, and were just thinking about ordering." He sat down at the table and picked up a menu. Shortly after his arrival the waitress came to take their order. Since the restaurant was known for its speed in filling the orders, their food was there in about ten minutes.
"You know this place is nice, I'm surprised that I've never been here before," Harm said conversationally.
"And the burgers aren't half bad either," Mac replied jokingly.
"To bad Mattoni couldn't make it, this is really fun. In a weird backward way I hope that we lose more cases so that we can do this some more," Carolyn replied just for laughs.
Getting into the spirit of the party the Admiral replied, "I certainly hope that was a joke, Commander, or I would have to convene a court martial." Said with a smile on his face.
Slightly shocked with the reverie that had developed between the four members of the party, Harm started to say something when suddenly his beeper went off. "Excuse me, Sir, Commander, Major, I will be back in a moment," he got up and made his way to one of the payphones, to check the message. Shortly he returned to the table, "I'm sorry to cut this evening short, but they just found P.O. Dexter and we need to go interview him for the upcoming murder trial. Mac and I can do this on our own, there is no reason for the two of you to cut and run as well." Harm and Mac left the restaurant together.
As they left Mac asked Harm, "Was this really so important that it could not wait till tomorrow morning?"
"No, but I am in the mood to do a little matchmaking." Harm did not go into anymore details, then he just gave her one of his flyboy grins and left the building. Following, Mac had a puzzled look on her face.
Back at the table a strange silence had descended, the occupants both having no idea where to go from here. They both tried to end the situation at the same time.
"Admiral...."
"Commander...."
"Ladies first."
"Well, Sir, it just occurred to me that maybe we should get to know each other a little better in order to build a better working relationship."
"What an excellent suggestion Commander, I think that would wise. Would you mind telling me a little about your family. If not that's OK, it was not an order."
"No problem, sir. In fact I enjoy talking about m family, although it is something that I rarely get to do. My parents died when I was still in high school and I probably would have ended up on the street if it weren't for my big brother, Thomas. He is eleven and a half years older than me. I guess you could say that I was a surprise. Anyway by the time my parents died Tom already had a job and was more than willing to take care of his baby sister.....
As the evening wore on A.J. realized that he could listen to Carolyn talk for hours and never be bored. He was learning so much about her and realizing that they had many of the same opinions. By the time the restaurant was ready to close they had been talking for over four hours.
When they left to go there own separate ways they both wished that the customary question 'can we do this again sometime?' would be asked, and both knowing that it would not come. That was something that they just never could get into.
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, Virginia
1830 Zulu (1330 EST) 2 weeks later
Carolyn was with Lt. Roberts at his desk discussing some information that she had had him find. Deep in thought, on anything except the case she was working on, she did not notice the tall blond sneak up behind... until she was grabbed from behind and swung her around. Her first reaction was to scream and that is exactly what she did, not horribly bad though, considering where she was. Having made all of that noise the entire office had turned to notice the couple in the middle of the room, including A.J.
"Hi, puddin' pie," he said into the complete silence of the room. This elicited another scream, this one out of excitement. Turning in his arms and throwing her arms around his neck, she gave him a hug.
"What are you doing here? I thought you were still gone. Why didn't you tell me you were back? Are you back for awhile?" asking a string of questions that he fully intended to answer later when there were not so many eyes and ears around.
Seeing this scene many thoughts were running through A.J.'s head, most of them not healthy for the handsome blond in the other room. Being a SEAL, he had plenty of training in some aspects of torture. But just as surprising was the realization that he was jealous of the man and woman who obviously had a wonderful relationship. He was happy for her and it was a scene that was confirmation of what he already knew; there was no future for Carolyn and himself.
Having regained her composure, although now turning a lovely shade of red at the embarrassment of the scene that she had just played out for the office. "I'm sorry for that complete loss of professionalism, but if you will allow me to make introductions it might make the situation a little less uncomfortable for all. Major MacKenzie, Lt. Cmdr. Rabb, Lt. Roberts, Lt. Simms,..." as she said each name she pointed out the corresponding face around the room; not finishing until she had hit every person except the Admiral who had ducked back into his office not wanting to witness any more of the scene, "and this everyone is my big brother, Thomas, who has been away for quite sometime." By the look on her face it was obvious that she was very proud of her brother.
Having left his door ajar the Admiral heard this last statement and allowed a smile to escape and show itself on his face.
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, Virginia
1900 Zulu (1400 EST)
Following his sister into her office, Thomas Imes was thinking how different she seemed from the last time he saw her over a year ago before he went away on assignment. It is amazing how good she looked, even with the occasional updates he was given by Webb, nothing was ever said about Carolyn's promotion, he had thought she looked good in her Lieutenant's garb, but with the added stripe and gold oak leaf she looked absolutely ravishing.
Of course he was completely biased where his sister was concerned. Carolyn was very happy to see her brother that she just about missed his question, "So when did they give you a promotion?"
"Huh?! Oh, about a month and a half after you left," came the belated reply. "Has the CIA given you time off for good behavior or are you only here for a short time?"
"I don't know how long that I will be here, but I have to admit that I am ready for a break for a while," *hopefully long enough for me to discover what has made you so happy.*
"Well you are welcome to stay with me for as long as you need to, unless you have something else in mind," remembering his long time girlfriend that he would not marry because of the nature of his job.
"I hadn't thought about it much," he really just wanted to talk about her and what she had been doing this last year of her life; besides she knew very well that he could not tell her anything about his last mission. "So what have you been doing with yourself, Webb just doesn't give the kind of info that is any good. Any new men that I have to go intimidate?" He asked playfully.
"You know the usual. And no there is not any new men or even man for that matter, at least none that are interested in me," the last said under her breath.
"What was that?"
"What? Nothing!" Thinking about A.J. was not something she should let intrude on her reunion with her brother, but he would not stay out of her mind; not that she minded much. "Tom, can I ask your advice about something. No, don't get that worried look on your face, it is not about me," she lied.
"Shoot," not believing for a second that it was not about her.
"Someone that is a close friend of mine has developed feelings for a fellow officer, kind of in the same chain of command." She stopped to assess the look on his face before continuing. "Well, she is unsure of his feelings and does not know how to deal with her feelings. Because of their working relationship, it makes it hard for her to even test the waters about his feelings. I know you probably would tell her to forget regulations, because you always do, but she just could not do that to herself or the object of her affection....." She went on for quite some time rambling on and on about the situation that she had found herself in, all the while maintaining that it was one of her close friends. "So I guess what I want to know is how to give her some advice for getting over those feelings?"
Thomas was just a little shocked about what his sister was asking him, "I would have thought that you would have talked to Stacy about this she is better at relationship advice than I am, one of the reasons I love her so much. But if you ask me I would just go and tell him how you feel, your friend that is should tell him," helping her to keep her story going not wanting to embarrass her. In the meanwhile he was thinking of things to get the man in question to at least tell his sister what was on his mind instead of keeping her guessing.
"Well, puddin', I think that I have taken enough of your time you have an important job and you should get back to it. I'll meet you at your apartment tonight, don't worry I still have my key."
"Which reminds me how could you say that in front of my friends and colleagues it is completely embarrassing," she asked with a mock threatening look on her face.
"Simple, big brother's rights. Now I have to go find Stacy and catch up on a year of her life, we will talk later, for sure," came the only slightly playful reply.
After leaving Carolyn's office, Thomas went in search of the source of his sister's problem. He found him, having made a good guess that he would be in his office.
"Cmdr. Rabb?" At his nod, "Do you have a moment?"
"Sure, just let me take this to the Major's office. Have a seat I will be back in moment." He left the office.
Thinking to himself and wondering what could possibly be on the man's mind. He would not have that long wait, Mac's office was not that far. "Mac, here is that file you asked me for." Seeing the smile on her face made his heart skip a beat. Remembering to breath he walked into the office and handed her the folder.
Having Harm in her office always made it feel small, and the air seem a little thicker, well that was something that she could not dwell on they had to work together, after all. Returning to thoughts about the case, she let the others go with a sigh.
Returning to his office and the blond man that was waiting for him. "OK, Thomas, was it? What can I do for you?"
"Well, I just wanted to ask you a straight question and I want a straight answer. I should warn you I am in the CIA and I have ways of knowing if it is the truth that I am hearing."
"CIA, huh. Know a Clayton Webb, he kind of gets on my nerves every once in a while, but an all around somewhat decent guy."
"Don't try and get off the subject. Webb is my stateside contact when I am abroad. But what I want to know is how you feel about my sister?"
"Carolyn? She's a great opponent in the court room. Though she has not quite figured out how to beat Mac and me yet, but she is getting there. Why?"
"Somehow I get the impression that she has feelings for you, Commander."
"ME?! Did she tell you that, I am under the impression that it was someone completely different."
"Well, no she did not say it was you, but you are the logical choice."
"Well if my guess is correct it is definitely someone else and I have to say I think the feelings are mutual."
"Really, do you mind telling me who it is?"
"Can't do that. It could ruin a few careers. You understand don't you, I guess that means that you are out of ideas for someone to intimidate." Harm said with a smile. "Oh, by the way you can simply call me Harm, you aren't in the military after all."
"That's true. In that case just call me Tom. I think the two of us are going to get along just fine. In a way I hoped it was you because we obviously have much in common, you did read my mind. I was trying to intimidate you." Tom smiled and got up and shook Harm's hand before he went to get in touch with Stacy. As much as he loved his sister he loved Stacy even more. That is why he could never marry her.
A.J. was just leaving his office to go to a meeting when he saw Thomas Imes leave Harm's office. Seeing the man brought back some of the feelings of jealousy he had felt earlier in the day. On a whim he went to Lt. Cmdr. Imes' office and asked her to come to his office in about an hour and a half, on the pretense of discussing the progress of her case.....
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, Virginia
2130 Zulu (1630 EST)
Telling P.O. Tiner that she had an appointment with the Admiral, Carolyn followed him to the office and waited to be acknowledged. She stood at attention in front of the Admiral's desk. A.J. was waiting until Tiner left the office to even look up, afraid his thoughts would be written across his face. The door closed with a soft click.
"At ease, Commander. Have a seat."
Still a little confused at his actions, Carolyn sat down. "Sir, you wished to speak with me?" she asked tentatively.
"Yes, Commander. We need to clear some things up."
"We do?"
"Yes, and it is something that I don't believe can be done here at the office," he said evasively.
"Excuse me, Sir?"
"How about over dinner tonight?"
"Sir?" still confused.
"Say about 2030. And tonight it will be just A.J. and Carolyn, not Admiral and Commander."
He was still being evasive, but least she had one clue--at least for tonight they would not have regulations to deal with.
"Dismissed, Commander." She got up to leave with just a little confusion. "Oh, and, Commander, dress nicely." As she turned to leave, she did not see the second smile of the day cross A.J's face.
Back in her office, Carolyn slowly sat behind her desk and wondered at the events of the day: first, Thomas showed up out of the blue, and then it seemed A.J. (yes, A.J. not the Admiral) had asked her out on a date for dinner... Suddenly she sat upright, Thomas and Stacy were coming for dinner. She had only a small moment of guilt about ditching her brother that night, after all she knew he would prefer to be alone with Stacy.
She started mentally going through her wardrobe to decide what she would wear.
Lt. Cmdr. Carolyn Imes' Apartment
0115 Zulu (2015 EST)
Carolyn sat putting the finishing touches on her makeup. She had decided to wear her hair down--it reached mid back--it had been so long since she had worn it down it felt kind of funny. Another strange thing was her ankle length emerald dress--completely different from her usual Navy uniform--the color made her skin glow and it matched her eyes perfectly.
She grew more nervous when a knock sounded at the door, "Just on moment, please," she called.
Taking a deep steadying breath she opened the door to a tall man in a dark suit. Wow, he looks good, she thought.
A.J. couldn't take his eyes off of the vision that had opened the door to him. "Are you ready to go?" he managed to get out after taking a breath.
"Yes, Sir... I mean A.J. Just let me get my purse."
As they left the building Carolyn began to feel slightly more relaxed; A.J. was feeling more tense.
Restaurant
0145 Zulu (2045 EST)
After having been seated at their table, conversation began to lull. In order to break the silence A.J. said, "You look nice, well to be perfectly honest, gorgeous."
"Thank you, S... A.J. You don't look so bad yourself."
Conversation was kept light through out dinner. After the waiter brought their coffee, A.J. decided it was time to say what he had brought her here to say.
"Carolyn, this is not going to be easy for me to say, but it has to be said. I know I said that there was going to be no Admiral and Commander, but there is."
She looked puzzled.
"Well here it goes. I have found you intriguing for some time. Recently those feelings have grown, even before that night at the diner," he paused. "Now for the hard part. We cannot see each other romantically, because of my position and yours. It just would not go over well with those higher up."
The whole time he spoke she worked hard to keep first the elation at the revelation of his feelings; then disappointment at his conclusion, even if she agreed with it.
"I understand perfectly, Sir," she said slipping into formality.
"Come, I'll take you home."
Outside the apartment building; A.J. was walking her to the door. They had been strangely quiet on the drive back.
"I guess I will see you in the office tomorrow," Carolyn said.
"I guess so," he replied. She moved to enter the building. "Carolyn," he said as he grabbed her wrist, effectively stopping her. Reaching his other hand up he brushed some of her hair behind her ear. Then he slowly bent his head down and kissed her. A kiss filled with longing as well as regret.
Without saying anything Carolyn turned and went inside.
Lt. Cmdr. Carolyn Imes' Apartment
0315 Zulu (2215 EST) Same day
Still in a daze about all that happened that night Carolyn nearly tripped over her brother as he was lounging on her couch "Oh, you nearly scared me to death!" Carolyn said while holding her hand to her chest.
"Funny I thought you had more sense than to fall for your CO. But stranger things have happened where you are concerned." He said almost sarcastically.
"Thomas Mark Imes that was not funny. I did not ask to fall for A.J. it just happened. He certainly did not ask for it to happen to him, but it did. Before you say anything, we both know that nothing can come of it and we cleared the air tonight."
"Is that why he kissed you?"
"I knew you were a spy, but your sister, that is low, Thomas."
"I couldn't help it I had to know who had my sister tied in knots."
"I don't want to talk about this with you, it hurts bad enough without you taking shots at my pride." She turned and went into her room before he could say anything.
She threw herself onto her bed and just let the tears fall that she had been holding in all evening. Not that it was any good for her looks, puffy eyes and all, but she did not care. Crying was a good therapeutic activity and everyone should partake in it once and a while. Realizing that she probably should change, and maybe take care of herself a little. She slowly got off of the bed and went into her adjoining bathroom.
15 minutes later she felt much better and had decided to treat herself to a nice long, hot, bubble bath....
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, Virginia
1520 ZULU (1020 EST) 2 days later
Going into the break room to fix himself a cup of coffee, it was already one of those long days. He stopped dead in his tracks, Carolyn was already in the small room and he was not sure if he had resolved all that had happened between them.
"Oh, excuse me, Sir," she said as she noticed A.J. standing in the door, "I was just leaving for a meeting."
Silence descended into the space and neither party moved. Carolyn was trying to find a way around the Admiral without touching him for fear of what might happen. A.J. was staying right were he was in order to be able to look at her longer.
"Sir, excuse me, Harriet, I mean Lt. Simms needs a glass of juice." Realizing the situation A.J. moved so that Bud could get his wife a glass of juice.
Upon leaving the room Bud went over to Harriet, "Something is going on between those two, the tension in the room could have been cut with a knife."
"Don't worry about it, Bud. Things have a way of working themselves out." Harriet had a smile on her face she had already seen today's mail.
Lt. Cmdr. Imes Office
1600 ZULU (1100 EST)
Carolyn sat behind her desk catching up on some paperwork. She had been working away for some time that she had not even notice when Harriet brought her the mail that had been misplaced on her desk.
"Excuse me, Ma'am.... Cmdr. Imes the mail," After getting no response Harriet just left the office.
About an hour later she had a cramp in her wrist from writing so much and stopped. Noticing that it was about time for lunch, and that she was hungry, she decided to go. It was then that she noticed the pile of mail that had been placed on her desk. Giving it a cursory shift before leaving for lunch she noticed one letter in particular that she placed in her purse and then left for lunch.
JAG Headquarters
1800 ZULU (1300 EST)
After returning to her office, Carolyn sat down at her computer and began to compose the first of two letters. One as a reply to the letter she had received earlier and the other...
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, Virginia
2145 ZULU (1645 EST) Same day
Most of the officers in JAG were getting ready to go home for the day and off in another room Harm and Mac were hard at work in some friendly banter.
"Harm, you could not just leave that one unsaid, now could you," came a lighthearted reply to some quip that the once aviator now lawyer said.
"Come on, Mac, you have to admit that was funny," he came back with. Carolyn just sat back in her chair and listened to the gradual lessening of the noise of the office. In some of her saner moments she just brushed what she heard off and laughed with some of the others. She really was going to miss some of the people around here. In the back of her mind she wondered if Harm and Mac would ever come to realize the depth of the feelings that they had for each and quit beating around the bush.
"Lt. Roberts," she called out as Bud walked by her office door, "can you drop this in the mail for me on your way out, I have some things that I still need to do and it is important that it go out today."
"Sure, Ma'am, is there anything else I can do for you?"
"No, but thank you for asking."
Bud really was confused at some of the things that were going on around the office. He wondered if he would ever figure out what had been going on in the break room earlier that day.
Successfully getting one letter in the mail, Carolyn went off to deliver the other letter that she had written. P.O. Tiner was still sitting at his desk finishing up what was left of the paperwork of the day. "Is he busy?"
"No, Ma'am, you can go right in," came the always courteous reply from Tiner.
"Thank you"
"Excuse me, Sir, I need to have a word with you for a moment.
A.J.'s heart skipped a beat at the sound of her voice. "What is it, Commander?" he asked genuinely curious.
"This, Sir," she said as she handed him the other letter and then stood at attention in front of his desk.
"I see, is this what I think it is?"
"Yes, Sir, it is my resignation. I have been offered a very lucrative position in one of the local civilian firms and I have decided to accept the offer."
"Is this truly what you want, Car... Commander?"
"Yes, it is."
"Very well then I will send this on to SECNAV, first thing in the morning. I don't foresee any problems with this so at my guess by the end of the week you should be civilian."
"Thank you, Sir," she replied.
"Hey, you just resigned forget all that 'Sir' and 'Admiral' stuff and just call me A.J."
"OK, A.J."
Carolyn Imes Apartment
5 days later
2130 ZULU (1630 EST)
It had been a fairly uneventful Saturday so far, yesterday she had gotten a reply to the letter she had written to the firm stating that they were pleased that she had been willing to join their team. Mentioning that if she could just stop by the office in the next week and get all of the paperwork done, so she could get to work as soon as was to her liking.
She checked her clock, *1635*, no wait 4:35 she was civilian now. She wondered when Thomas and Stacy would be back, although she liked the solitude. This past week she had spent at JAG getting her office cleared out and finishing some paperwork on her cases so that they could be handed off to some of the other talented lawyers that worked there. She had been avoiding A.J.'s office not sure what would develop, because of her actions.
She saw the mail carrier across the street so she decided to go down and check hers knowing that they always come here first. There were several things in her box, but only one that caught her attention. A white envelope with the Navy seal in the left hand corner. She was almost afraid to open it, afraid that they had not accepted her resignation.
Taking a breath she tore the seal.
'Lt. Cmdr. C. Imes
We are sorry that you have decided to leave the Navy. Your talent will be missed.... We are pleased to inform you that your request has been granted....' the letter continued on for several boring paragraphs before it was signed.
"Well, there you have it, now I am officially a civilian. Funny I don't feel any different." What in the world am I doing talking to myself, there I go again. Now what do I do? There was no one whom she wanted to share this moment with *except maybe A.J.* I suppose that I am going to have to tell Thomas now, she thought. That is something that she had been avoiding. Just as she walked back into her apartment the phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Carolyn. Its me A.J. I was just wondering if you would like to have dinner tonight? I know that you should have gotten a letter today or maybe yesterday, so how about we go out and celebrate?"
"Wow, how do you do that, I just picked up my mail and the letter was in it. Sure that sounds like fun I was just wondering what I would do now that I knew for sure."
"Lets say I pick you up in about two hours and we go and paint the town red."
"Alright, see you later."
Epilogue
Six months Later
Somewhere out in the Country
1020 ZULU (0520 EST)
A.J. and Carolyn were sitting on a cliff overlooking the ocean, watching the sun rise. It was a sight that neither would ever tire of. Some of the brilliant colors dancing across the sky reminded A.J. of Carolyn's hair and how the many different shades of red blended together perfectly.
"Oh, isn't it beautiful," she said leaning comfortably against his side.
"Beautiful," he replied no longer looking at the sun rise. "Carolyn, there is something that we need to talk about."
"What would that be?"
"Where we are going to live."
"What are you talking about, A.J.?"
"Well, I'm trying to ask you to marry me, but it isn't working quite the way that I had it planned."
"Marry you?" A.J. nodded. "Yes, oh yes."
"Yes? I was a little worried there for a moment."
"Worried? The big tough Admiral. I don't believe it."
He silenced her with a kiss, a kiss full of passion, promise, and a future.
THE END