Title: A Letter to Mike
Fandom: Honor Harrington Series - David Weber
Rating: PG
Length: 550
Content notes: Takes place during Chapter 7 of "The Honor of the Queen".
Author notes: In the nature of a missing scene; part of my "Mike's Honor" series beginning with Mike's Introduction and taking place about halfway through Chapter 7 of The Honor of the Queen, after Admiral Courvosier calls Honor on why she's sparring with Sergeant Major Babcock.
Summary: Post sparring and Admiral Courvosier's discussion with Honor over the Graysons' behaviour.

Honor curled up in her day cabin's most comfortable chair, pulled the tiny personal recorder out of her kimono's pocket and set it down gently on the coffee table before coaxing Nimitz down into her lap, sitting there for a long moment, enjoying his warmth and the deep subsonic purr. He was worrying away at the deep well of anger that was accumulating at the pit of her stomach and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead.

"I don't know what I'd do without you, Stinker …" Honor shook her head lightly. "… no, that's not true. I'd want to do something spectacularly undiplomatic and would probably be lining up the rest of the Marines to beat on to give me enough of a release valve to stop myself doing so." She brushed a couple of fingers lightly over the bruises that Sergeant Major Babcock had left her with in their earlier training bout and pressed them, savouring the ache and Nimitz's buzzing purr picked up an edge.

"Ok, ok, I'll stop it!" His purr lost the edge and his tail batted at the small recorder on the table. "Who am I recording a letter for today, Nimitz. Momma? Papa?" He shook his head slowly, and held up a stick of celery, which made her giggle - and she hated the sound of her giggle - it made her sound like an overgrown schoolgirl.

"Mike did a good job of buying your loyalty at the Academy didn't she, Stinker?" He nodded and crunched happily on the stalk of celery he'd pulled from somewhere. MacGuiness had definitely fallen for the 'cat if he'd started concealing random stashes of celery round her cabin.

"A letter for Mike it is then, Stinker." He bleeked happily, and Honor blinked in surprise when he successfully smacked the recorder and turned it on. "What am I going to do with you, Nimitz?" His grin was cheshire-cat-like, and she felt it's echo twitching at the corners of her mouth.

"Hi Mike. At his Nibs insistence, it appears I'm dictating a letter for you today." The 'cat perked his head up, and waved at the device, his purr quieting down and smoothing out.

"Be glad you didn't pull this duty, Mike. The Graysons are a bunch of bigots." She almost spat the last word, and then shook her head. "Oh, the Admiral called me on that when he realised what I was doing spending quite as much time sparring with the Gunny, and some of them, including their High Admiral are trying, but I think I better be elsewhere for a while - I do have the rest of the convoy to take to its destination, and the Admiral agreed to let me take them rather than keep me in system to fly the flag, even if it was a bit reluctantly …" Honor settled lower into her seat, and her hands absently petted and stroked at Nimitz's fur while she talked to her best friend.

She'd get this and her letters to her parents on the dispatch boat that was detailed to play postman for them. It would be back in another three weeks or so, and perhaps the kick in the pants Mike would deliver in reply, along with the progress the Admiral would hopefully have made, would allow her to keep her temper with the Graysons.