Chapter Twenty - "It's Not Good-bye, It's See You Later"

In the car under NCIS protection

Harm looked over at his newlywed wife. Meg looked petrified yet a hint of determination flitted across her face. "How long are you with us?" Meg asked DiNozzo who sat in the passenger seat while Todd drove.

Tony turned around to look over at both Harm and Meg and met two sets of eyes staring hard back at him."That's hard to say. We've been tasked with your protection for as long as it takes to put Koloshenko down. According to Gibbs we're detached to protection duties as required."

"So that means you have to go anywhere we ask you to take us?" Harm asked, one eyebrow raised, a tone of disbelief in his tone. Having had to deal with DiNozzo before, an arrogant ass of a human being if there ever was one, with the Singer murder case, Harm was not averse to the idea of giving DiNozzo a major league headache whenever possible.

"Yeah…any idea of where you plan to go?" DiNozzo asked; looking at Harm with a guarded expression, sure that Harm was going to ask something impossible.

"Not as of yet. But I do have a plan. Unfortunately, we needed to deal with a court-case matter before we had to head for our honeymoon, but since plans change."

"Rabb, what sort of trouble have you gotten yourself into this time?" DiNozzo enquired, his tone mockingly pleasant. Rabb had not gotten on his good side since the missing Lieutenant Singer incident.

"Not trouble, per se." Harm prevaricated as he tried to assemble his thoughts in some semblance of order. "We're in the process of adopting a teenager and we had hoped to have the court rule on that." He looked out the window of the car at the landscape.

"Hate to tell you this, Rabb, but the fact that Koloshenko has a hit out on you, is going to affect whether or not you can adopt this kid you're talking about. You think the judge is going to react to this favorably?"

Harm and Meg looked at each other. DiNozzo, for all his egotistical abrasiveness, was right. The judge wasn't going to react favorably at all, but they had to try for Mattie's sake. Harm's mind raced. Maybe she could stay with his mother, after all, until they got the Koloshenko situation sorted out, but that was out. Anybody who Harm knew was on the hit list, that included his friends and his associates. "Are you going to let whoever I associate with know about the possibility of them being targeted or are you leaving them vulnerable so that you can draw Koloshenko out? Because you know how I feel about that. I want them notified so that they can take proper precautions."

Agents DiNozzo and Todd looked at each other. Trying to draw Mikhail Koloshenko out by leaving him a juicy tempting target that would be too hard to resist was an idea they had tossed around – it would be the quickest way to end this but there were two reasons that this idea would be rejected; a. Koloshenko was too damned smart (being trained by his KGB father) to fall for that and b. Rabb would reject it out of hand for his damned savior complex, he wanted to keep everyone cocooned in a cushion of safety that he provided.

"You can't save everybody, Rabb." DiNozzo said.

Harm flared. "Well, I don't want anyone getting hurt as a result of Koloshenko wanting me. I'm not going to run and hide while everyone around me is targeted. If that's the case, give me a sidearm and I'm going to go find him."

"And you know what he'll do to you?" DiNozzo snapped back glaring at Harm. "Are you fucking stupid? Rabb? His father wasn't just an assassin, he was a butcher. Two of our deep-cover intelligence agents we got back in body bags, skin hanging off of them in strips. He used them for his own sadistic amusement to see how sharp his knives were. Rabb. You wanna end up like that? Leave your newlywed wife a goddamned widow?" DiNozzo eyeballed him with disdain.

Meg's eyes were wide open, pupils almost floating in a sea of white, her skin even paler. "Don't do this, Harm." She pleaded with him.

"Then you make goddamned sure that you inform everyone to take appropriate precautions." Harm snapped out. "That's the only damned concession you're going to get from me."

DiNozzo grudgingly acknowledged that concession. He knew the NAVAIRSYSCOM admiral would take proper precautions with regards to that matter as he was present when DiNozzo took Harm and Meg aside.

Navy Chapel, 121 Blake Road, United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD

Animal ushered Harm's fellow JAG associates and friends who were there into a group as Leroy Jethro Gibbs approached. "Admiral." He acknowledged Animal.

"Gunnery Sergeant Gibbs." Animal nodded, his face dark, acknowledging the NCIS agent by using his Marine Corps rank – Gibbs read correctly into that address that Animal was not pleased. In Animal's place, Gibbs felt that he wouldn't be either.

"I see you got the memo from DiNozzo" Gibbs said looking at Animal's face and seeing the dour expression. "…sir." He added.

"You can say that again." The admiral retorted, his tone sarcastic; "You guys keep track of those felons you put into Leavenworth? Or do you have to always tag them with 'return to sender'?"

Gibbs snorted. "If we were able to implant them with GPS microchips without the hug a tree crowd getting all up in arms about personal violations, we'd do so." He looked around, scanning the trees for any signs of a threat. "I need you to tell your people that we have a situation that anybody connected with Rabb is in danger. Take the appropriate precautions."

"You know about gun-carry laws?" Animal retorted fastening a withering look on his face directed at Gibbs. "DC and DC police aren't going to be thrilled seeing us Navy boys carry."

"We'll draw up the proper official orders allowing those who are affected by the threat that are in the military to carry at all times." Gibbs replied.

Animal aimed a disgusted look at Gibbs "Just make sure you have them on our desks in the morning. I trust you Navy's Clueless In Service about as far as I can throw you physically. You got the fax numbers for each and every member of this wedding party who wears a military uniform? Because I want them faxed out before each member leaves their office on Monday!" He paused for a long moment as Gibbs regarded his ribbon rack. "Gunny!"

"You got it." Gibbs didn't let the challenge go unheard. Evidently RADM Nakamura was a hard-ass and Gibbs knew that if he didn't show a backbone, that the admiral wouldn't hesitate to walk over him. And as a commissioned NCIS agent, he wasn't about to back down as he turned to walk away.

"If it ain't there Monday, I'll be on your doorstep Tuesday!" Animal gave him another one of his patented Admiral Asshole looks. "Make sure it's there Monday if you don't want to see me face to face again."

Gibbs nodded, waving his hand dismissively as he paced away. Frank came over to Animal. "You sound worried, son."

"Pop, I am." He replied turning to look over at Harm's father.

Pop Burnett had been a sounding board since Animal's time as a East Coast RAG instructor temporarily detached to the West Coast for a training mission. He'd always been invited over to Harm's home to eat. His wife knew all too well how little single fighter pilots abused their bodies and ate and drank. Animal's diet was fast food all too often and Trish decided that if she was going to cook for Harm, she might as well cook a little extra for Animal and make sure he ate decently too. Frank knew all too well that Harm's friends became Trish's responsibilities too. It wasn't that she had to; it was because she wanted to and Frank did little to dissuade her from taking on that extra responsibility. On top of that; she had worked at her art gallery. Taking care of a few jet jockeys who liked to fly at the edge of the envelope and party at the very edge of that as well, was an stressful addition, but she felt close to Harm and in connection to Harm Sr. when she did that.

Not to mention, Animal had lost his parents soon after graduating from flight school, first his father to a heart-attack, and then his mother to cancer. Trish must have recognized the lonely look in Animal's face when he had come over as a fresh-faced O-4 when Harm was going through flight school and had all but adopted him. Animal did have his own life, having met Lia, not too long after he had received the Medal. The two of them took an instant dislike to each other and Animal was pretty thorny as well considering the fact that the Joint Chiefs had yanked him off operational flight status and relegated him to training command. But eventually; though, Lia and Animal mended fences and they had involuntarily fallen in love. Trish and Frank had come over for the wedding because Animal considered them as surrogate parents.

"…something that NCIS agent said with regards to the guy aiming to go after Harm." Animal continued, the hard-edged tone still in his voice. "He said that the guy is planning to go after as many people connected to Harm as possible. Is there a way that you can keep Ma safe?"

"I'll do what I can." Frank replied, a grim look crossing his normally affable visage as he racked his mind over what sort of things he could potentially do to secure Trish and his own safety.

"That's all we all can do." Animal response was sobering. If a naval aviator didn't seem positive about the situation, then it was something that was dire indeed.

2604 Babcock Road, Vienna, Virginia, 1900 hrs

Mikhail Koloshenko, formerly known as Teddy Lindsey, smiled grimly as he surveyed the residence of the former Rear Admiral Albert "Al" Brovo. Having retired in disgrace after the Lieutenant Angela Arutti case, the former admiral had retired to Vienna to live a life of relative obscurity. The house was a one-level, with a roughed in basement, the exterior entranceway columns were painted dowels which lent a touch of homey sophistication to the front main doorway area. Painted white, it was meticulously maintained. Having retired to save face for the Navy, he had retained his pension. "Hello, Admiral." Koloshenko hailed as Al Brovo came to the door, curious as to who was standing on the road outside his property staring in.

"Well…" boomed Brovo, "How are you, Teddy. Come to see this old sea-dog, have you, Ha ha…" He turned as Koloshenko nodded quietly and followed him. Contrary to the incompetent chief of staff that Brovo still thought of him as; Koloshenko was checking out the layout of the house. "A drink for old times sake, Teddy?"

Koloshenko shook his head smiling wanly. "I don't drink, at least not anymore, Admiral."

"It's been quiet, Teddy, too quiet as of late. How are Rabb and the rest of the bunch doing? Ever since I retired, the grapevine is quiet; none of the other admirals talk. I guess I'm persona non grata, haha." He chuckled garrulously as he poured a Johnnie on the rocks throwing in some ice cubes as he poured a Johnnie Walker Black Label into a glass. His careless laughter grated on Koloshenko's nerves. He had to make at least one appearance as Commander Teddy Lindsey to this buffoon of a commanding officer. "You seem different, Teddy, you're not the affable young Lindsey, I remember." Brovo ventured as he gazed at the man in front of him through the haze of alcohol.

"Probably having need of the washroom. Bladder tends to get to one as one ages." Koloshenko replied, hoping his tone was affable. "Do you have a bathroom?"

"Certainly. Just down the hall and to your left. Take your time. I'll just enjoy my Tennessee Gentleman's drink."

His instructions pretty much fell against Koloshenko's back as he headed for Brovo's washroom. Shutting the door quietly, he reached into his jacket's inner pocket. Withdrawing a cylindrical object, he screwed it into the barrel of a Rohrbaugh R9, he slid the sidearm back into his pocket. When he was certain that the drink had pretty much rendered Brovo inebriated, he returned back to the living room, where Brovo was seated.

"It's good to see you again, Teddy, really it is. The Navy discarded me after that Arutti case. They thought I was a liability to the Navy and ushered me out." The drink had loosened Brovo's tongue and he was chatting up his version of the events prior to his retirement. As Koloshenko listened, he moved around behind Brovo as he seemed to look around at the retired admiral's "love me" wall full of mementos of his time in uniform. "I guess this old sea dog wasn't worth retaining for Vice-Admiral." Brovo said bitterly.

"The way I see it, sir." Koloshenko replied looking at him carefully with emotionless blue eyes, measuring Brovo's response as the retired admiral returned the gaze. "The Navy may have done you a disservice, but you have to admit it, sir; that you suppressed evidence crucial to the Arutti case and that was summarily why the Navy cashiered your retirement."

"Is it fair? Teddy? Everyone makes mistakes." Brovo said turning around to look out at the window, as he slumped defeated in his chair.

"Yes," agreed Teddy as he slipped out the silenced Rohrbaugh R9 loaded with 9mm x 19 Parabellum Hollow Points. "But you also made a mistake today, sir…" he raised the Rohrbaugh in one fluid motion, firing twice at the back of Brovo's neck right at the cervical juncture, silenced, there was barely a sound other than two coughs of the pocketgun. Brovo collapsed to the floor, face up, blood streaming from the two wounds to the back of the neck and seeping into the carpet. "…when you let me in here." Brovo was alive and conscious but unable to speak as Koloshenko lined up his pocketgun's muzzle with the bridge of Brovo's nose and fired one last round into Brovo's brain silencing his former superior's mute questions as to why. "Proshchai, Admiral. Bylo ochen' priyatno videt' vas. [Farewell, Admiral, It was good to see you.]"

Wiping down the crime scene and unscrewing the silencer from his wiped weapon with gloved hands, he slipped the Rohrbaugh 9mm into Brovo's unclenched right hand. Depositing the silencer back into his pocket, Koloshenko made sure that his clothes were clean of blood spatter. He was far enough away that the bullet impacting Brovo had not spattered his clothes. Getting a handkerchief out of his pocket for especially this, he used it to grip the back door to open it. Checking to see the coast was clear he made his way out the door, first locking it and drawing it closed.

As far as he knew nobody saw him leave and he made his way rapidly to a main street and flagged down a taxi. He did have a secondary backup sidearm strapped to his ankle covered by his jeans. No alarms and no passing policemen hailed him to stop and his getaway was clean.

Virginia Courthouse, US Federal Courts - Roanoke Division, Courtroom 3

"I don't know what the hell is going on, Rabb." DiNozzo muttered as he took in the civil courtroom. "You do know that this isn't going to look good on your chances."

"I know that. But I want to put in a petition that Meg and I will be able to reapply for custody once the dust settles on the whole matter with Lindsey…er…Koloshenko." It had not been a pleasant topic of conversation with Mattie that previous night after meeting up with his mother; trying to make her see the point that it was her safety that was paramount – Mattie had protested that both Harm and Meg were in the line of fire and wasn't a family supposed to protect each other? Harm did not want to sound condescending when he said that it might be better that she take a temporary family that would be able to protect her by not being a part of the people being targeted by the stalker in question. And it was under protest that Mattie was here this morning in judge's chambers. And judging from what could be seen, Mattie was having a difficult time keeping her mouth shut, but she performed admirably though working her jaw soundlessly.

And it had been a heck of a way to start the morning after notifying Judge McLennan of the need to see her in private chambers. Needless to say, Judge McLennan wasn't too pleased with the sudden turnaround of events.

"Captain Rabb. Are you now saying that you cannot guarantee the safety of this young lady? Am I correct to see that there have been several times in your life that you have been targeted by an individual? And why was this not disclosed before."

"Your Honor, the first man who targeted me is in jail and in maximum security under lock and key in Leavenworth. The second…" Harm stopped his flow of words as Judge McLennan arched an eyebrow.

"is a killer that was planted deep cover by the Russians in the United States Navy, according to Agent DiNozzo, whose family was in the business of killing for well over sixty years and is loose right now." The disgust in her voice was palpable as she leveled an emotionless stare at Harm. "Right now, Captain, I'm tempted to toss the application for custody into the shredder and remand Mattie to CPS custody. Do you have any arguments that could potentially sway my decision otherwise?"

There was dead silence. Meg looked crestfallen and Harm looked smaller than his six foot four frame.

"Do you have anything to say, Ms. Grace?" The judge fastened her eyes on Mattie who looked directly at her.

"Your Honor, Captain Rabb and Commander Austin-Rabb have been the only two people who have cared as much as they could about me. If I'm in CPS there is a chance that I could be shuffled from home to home and none of those families would care for me as much as Captain and Commander Rabb do. I want to stay with them. I know they're in danger, but I'm capable of helping them."

"Ms. Grace, you are a fourteen year old who has had to grow up too quickly in your short life." Judge McLennan reiterated. "Your ward-applicants are in a situation where their lives are in danger and you feel that you can help to protect them? They need to be in a safe situation before they can undertake your guardianship. The simple fact that they are putting your safety first and foremost speaks well on their ability to parent. However even in the most stable of families, CPS has to always look at the safety of the child first and foremost and we have removed children from families where an outside threat has made the safety of the child tenuous." Judge McLennan removed her glasses and rubbed her forehead as she fastened her gaze upon Mattie yet again. "It is not something we like doing or get a kick out of but our actions are strictly to benefit the child. It is because of their attempt to secure your safety rather than letting the situation stand as status quo, that I am considering keeping the application open so that you will be able to return to them when their situation improves."

"And what would those improvements be?" Mattie challenged…then quickly added "…your Honor?" as Harm shot a look of displeasure at her for what he thought was disrespectful behavior towards the judge.

Judge McLennan chose to ignore the apparent disrespect and tempered her words due to the emotional fragility of a young girl who had just had the rug swept out from under her feet. "Ms. Grace. When your guardianship applicants manage to remove this threat against their lives and those of their loved ones, we will revisit the application. Your guardianship applicants have married according to my counsel, have shown that they are worthy applicants by ensuring your safety and according to how you react to them and how closely you are attached to them, they care about you and your emotional well-being. All that points to approval of your case, but the case will have to be revisited when your safety can be assured." She then looked at DiNozzo. "Agent DiNozzo. How long do you think it will take to apprehend this stalker?"

"It's hard to say." Tony replied feeling the heat for the first time from Judge McLennan.

"Well, why don't you give me a ballpark figure?" she said with a wry expression on her face but her tone lacked the humor evident in her look. "Surely for your organization, such a problematic individual should jump to the top of the queue to apprehend." She raised her eyebrow in a questioning glance at the NCIS agent who wanted nothing more than to find the nearest hole to dive into.

"I would say…" DiNozzo shrugged his shoulders. "Perhaps six months; at the most, nine."

"Very well, then. I will keep the file open for twelve months; We will revisit the application in twelve months where you will inform me of whether or not you have been able to capture said individual and brought him to justice." Judge McLennan stated calmly as she looked over the papers. She paused for a long moment. The CPS social worker looked up at the judge questioningly.

"Adrienne, you look a bit concerned."

"You state that he's had stalkers before that have tried to kill him? I don't regard that as a very safe place to place a fourteen year old child." The social worker looked over at Captain Rabb with a cursory inspection.

"Captain Rabb." The judge asked. "Do you have any other enemies that might crawl out from the woodwork?" this time there was some humor in her voice.

"Perhaps a few of the people I've put behind bars." Harm aimed a sharp look towards the social worker who looked aghast, "And I'm sure Meg has a few of those as well."

"That's not helping any." Mattie muttered morosely.

"…but they're pretty much all behind four feet thick walls of reinforced steel and concrete monitored by armed guards." He finished giving Adrienne a smug look.

"…do you happen to recall a Jack Lambert?" the CPS social worker said. "I found out from your files. They are public information, as you are well aware."

"Yes, he's a militia member I put away for life for stealing an F-14 and trying to shoot down Yasser Arafat." Harm replied.

"Did you know he's out?" the CPS social worker replied. Harm and Meg looked at each other. "That was verified to me by your very own Navy's Agent DiNozzo here. It seems as though you, Captain Rabb, have a very big target on your back."

"Well, is it not the same for your criminal lawyers? And I've switched from criminal prosecution and defense to civil law of a sorts. I do contract law now for the Navy." Harm replied. "I'm sure that between NCIS and myself, we will be able to put both of them behind bars."

"I'd hope so." Shot back Adrienne. "Your application hinges on the fact that you do."

Judge McLennan stated. "Unfortunately, I am going to have to remand Mattie Grace into the custody of the Commonwealth of Virginia's Child Protective Services until such time as either you get rid of the two stalkers that you have targeting you or Mattie Grace turns the age of majority as you know twenty-one. We will expect to see you back in twelve months to deal with the matter of guardianship. Let's hope that you have either returned those two to custody or have managed to deal with them with some measure of finality."

This was not the way that either Harm nor Meg had expected and Meg wasn't too surprised as she felt her heart break. She reached for Mattie and both had tears in their eyes when they separated from that embrace. Mattie had tear streaks down her cheeks and her eyes were red as she reached up to Harm and clung to him. "Make it fast…Harm."

Harm could only choke out. "I will, Mattie. It's not good-bye, Mats. It's see you later because we'll get this done, no matter what it takes." Meg reached for his arms as Mattie was led out of the courtroom by the CPS social worker. It was only after the door closed behind them that Harm crumpled back into his chair, his face, sodden wet as both Meg and he cried.