Introductions & Early Morning Runs

A/N: This is the third story in the series that began with 'Brownies and Surprises' and continued with 'Spinach and The Third "Mission Mom"'. In this one, Mac's pregnancy has reached the six month mark, and Mattie brings home a new friend.

I've taken some license with this story… especially with the age difference between Mattie and the older characters, which is different than in the series. This will have three chapters – here's the first. Thanks in advance for reading and reviewing!

Disclaimer: Yep, just checked, still don't own anything.

Chapter One

Harm's POV:

I know it's trite and cheesy, but sometimes life's "mistakes" and "accidents" really are blessings in disguise. People have called me impulsive and reckless in the past, but perhaps there's a reason why I'm not afraid to take chances. Experience has taught me that split-second decisions, made on the basis of good instincts, very often turn out for the best. Planning everything ahead, down to the last detail, is nice, but not always practical… or even necessary. When you have to think quickly, your instincts kick in – and the gut is much more powerful than people realize. Sometimes your subconscious knows what you need before the rest of you does… sometimes you need to go out on a limb in order to fly.

If there's one thing my relationships have taught me though, it's the importance of sharing your feelings with the people you love. The thought of talking about my feelings used to send me running for the hills, but not anymore. I've learned the hard way that in a relationship, keeping emotional truths tightly locked up leads to doubts, mixed messages and resentment. Being open allows relationships to deepen and mature. It's another kind of risk-taking. As scary as it can be to lay it on the line and be truly vulnerable with another person, it pays off big time, when that person is truly worthy of your trust. Not everything always needs to be shared, though, and striking the delicate balance between saying too much and holding too much back takes a great deal of wisdom… it's something I'm still trying to learn.

You're probably wondering why I'm philosophizing all of a sudden… these are some of the life lessons I share with the people I love; the ones I want to pass on to my children, and sometimes I have to teach them to myself all over again.

Jack's POV:

My baby brother is taking longer than I thought he would to come out of Mom's big belly. He's started to kick around in there now, which is a good sign I guess – he'll probably be a good ball player. Sometimes, Mum lets us feel the baby kick… it feels weird. Dad touches Mom's belly all the time, and when the baby kicks, he gets really happy. One time, he almost started to cry though. When I asked him why, he said he was just really happy. I'll never understand why grown-ups want to cry when they're happy.

Katie and I are on summer vacation now. Mom stopped going to work a while ago, because the doctors said she needed to rest more. So now she's home with us. Every afternoon, a nice lady called Charlie comes over to help Mom around the house. Sometimes a nurse comes to check on Mom. Even though Mom can't play with us too much because of the baby inside her, it's nice to have her home.

My big sister Mattie called us on the phone today, and she says she's coming home soon, with her new friend, Josh. I hope Josh is nice and likes to play outside.

Three days later

Mac's POV:

My first impression of Josh is that he's polite, quiet and slender. Behind his glasses are dark, gentle eyes that immediately give the impression of deep thought and steely strength. I like him… a lot, almost instantly… he feels like a kindred spirit. He seems solid to me, trustworthy. He and Mattie arrived about an hour ago, and now we're sitting in the kitchen eating sandwiches and fruit with Katie and Jack.

Suddenly, Mattie gets to her feet and beckons to the kids. 'Come here guys, I want to show you what I got you.'

'Don't you and Josh want to get some rest after the long drive?' I ask.

'I think we're good. Right, Josh? Besides, I want to give you and Josh a little time to get to know each other.'

I watch Mattie as she slowly makes her way to her bedroom, Jack and Katie bouncing around in front of her. Her walk is slow, impeded by her limp, but it is always so good to see her walk. Once upon a time, it was a blessing we could only hope for. Her sun-streaked hair pours in waves over her back – it's beautiful. She looks good – tanned and happy, with a sparkle in her eye… a sparkle I'm guessing that Josh has helped put there. Speaking of Josh, I turn to him and catch him following Mattie with his eyes too, and the puppy-dog expression on his face almost makes me laugh out loud.

'You've got it bad, young man.'

He looks up at me, smiling. He looks me straight in the eye – I like that. 'She's amazing.'

I rise to pour him another glass of juice. 'I agree. You're obviously serious about her.'

'I am,' he says, rubbing the back of his neck. 'I have to admit I begged her to bring me here. She wasn't quite ready for me to meet you, the Admiral and the kids, and she still has some misgivings, but I've heard so much about you that I just couldn't wait to meet you all.'

'Tell me about yourself, Josh.'

'Well, I've been working with kids for several years now. I'm 26. I have a degree in Child Psychology and usually work at Ellesmere Hospital in Philadelphia. I took a leave of absence to work at the summer camp – it was founded by one of my mentors a couple of years ago. And…,' he says, smiling warmly, 'I'm in love with Mattie Grace Johnson.'

'Ah, but you've only known her for a few months.'

'True, but I knew I loved her after about two days. We had a really strong connection from the moment we met. The great thing about camp was the lack of distractions – it was just us and the kids, and when they weren't running us ragged, we spent all our time together. I feel like I've known her all my life. It's not just infatuation… this is the real deal for me.'

'What made you fall for her?'

'Her strength, her sensitivity, her stubbornness, her sense of humour, her passion, her love for kids, her optimism. She's beautiful of course, but what attracted me to her is how down-to-earth she is, how she's been through so much but still has such a zest for life.'

I find myself nodding as I listen to him talk about Mattie. I marvel at how comfortable I feel with him – we've skipped the small talk and gone straight to the nitty-gritty, and it doesn't feel at all awkward. I'm impressed at how open he is about his feelings for Mattie. I smile to myself as I realize that Harm and I could have used some lessons from him back in the day.

He speaks up again. 'Ma'am, I'm sure you've figured this out, but Mattie has a strategy here. She thinks the Admiral won't take a liking to me, and she is hoping that I get into your good books so that you can have a word with the Admiral on my behalf.'

'First of all, "the Admiral" is Harm in this house – and I'm Mac. And yes, I know what Mattie's up to. Harm is very protective of Mattie. He just wants to look out for her, like any father.'

'Mattie thinks he'd prefer her to be with someone in the military.'

'She's mistaken there. We might be a military family on both sides, but the truth is, as far as Harm is concerned, no one is good enough for our Mattie. Harm doesn't discriminate – his respect is always won on merit. The fact that you work with kids will impress him – he loves children. But it might be a little rough at the start.'

'I can handle that. Mattie makes me feel like I can handle anything.'

Ahh… nothing quite like young love, I think to myself. 'Well, I know I'm speaking for Harm and myself when I say that all we want is for Mattie to be happy. As long as you make her happy, we'll be happy. And you seem like a smart guy – which means you've probably figured out that we will come after you if you break her heart. And I'm only half-kidding.'

Josh laughs. 'Thanks Mac, but I have no intention of doing any heart-breaking where Mattie's concerned. I guess we'll have to see how things go when she and I get back to our regular lives in Philly, with school, work and everything else, but I might as well tell you right now – if everything goes well between us, I plan to marry her someday, if she'll have me.'

'Whoa… that's… direct!'

'I guess…,' and he looks a little sheepish as he says it. 'I really wasn't planning to tell you that today.'

Mattie emerges from her bedroom just as Josh finishes speaking, and turns to Josh. 'I guess we should go get you settled at your hotel.' Turning to me, she adds, 'I've invited Josh over for dinner, I hope that's ok.'

'Mattie, you know your friends are always welcome here. And what's this talk of hotels? Josh is staying right here with us. We've got the guest room ready and everything.'

Mattie looks doubtful. 'Are you sure? I mean, Josh doesn't want to be an inconvenience….'

'Nonsense… it's absolutely fine.'

Josh looks doubtful too. 'Uh, Mac, I would feel more comfortable staying at a hotel until you all get to know me a bit better.'

'Ok,' I respond, 'but you'll get over that feeling, trust me. And we'll feel more comfortable having you stay with us. You're staying here, Josh, and that's final.'