A/N: Last chapter's theme was "Haunted" by Evanessence and this chapter's in "I'll Make a Man Out of You" from Disney's Mulan (I know I'm weird) Enjoy :) and read and REVIEW

Chapter 11: I'll Make a (Repo) Man Out of You

Maybe if he hadn't had so much time to himself the idea would never have occurred to him…

Things had initially been rocky when he moved in with Nathan but considering the circumstances they were under at the time it was understandable. Their introduction to one another was supposed to be mediated by Marni who would stay with them until after dinner at which time she hoped both would be fairly comfortable with the other but Rotti's limo had been waiting outside of Mag's apartment complex and Marni had been too scared to go outside. Mag had led them out to the back of the building where Marni had directed a taxi to be. She told Matt that she was sorry but she couldn't risk leaving the apartment and that he'd have to go to Nathan on his own. Their initial meeting had gone bad when Matt showed up without Marni and Nathan had been so worried that he'd spent the rest of the day talking to her, trying to figure out what was going on and how he could help her. She'd told him several times that Nathan needed to get off the phone and get to know him but he wouldn't hear of it. In the end Matt helped himself to whatever was in the fridge and fell asleep on the couch just a little resentful of the surgeon. After that Nathan tried desperately with little success to be a paternal figure to Matt but had no experience with children which often led to him making things worse.

It had gotten especially difficult when Matt started going to school again. He was in the sixth grade but had to catch up on a month and a half of missed work which required him to work at school and at the house. He was more than a little stressed by all the extra work which was taking forever to get through. It didn't help that he wasn't the most popular person in the school. In fact he was probably the least. He didn't approve of unnecessary surgery, he wasn't wearing the latest fashion, and the worst social sin he committed of all was that he actually liked to read. Most people associated that with a love of learning but in truth he couldn't stand listening to those teachers ramble on and on as though by saying what they wanted you to know you automatically learned it.

He was often bored at school and often fell asleep in class. He'd even fallen so fast asleep once that he started dreaming. That of course had led to his least favorite nightmares and waking up screaming. That had led to a visit to the principal and a call to Nathan who had told him that he needed to find something to keep himself awake. He took that advice to heart and to keep himself up he may or may not have instigated a few incidents in a couple of classes. To say the least Nathan, as his guardian, felt that it was a failing on his part and sought to correct the problem by grounding Matt and making him use the free time he'd had before to do more of the work he'd missed. That only ended up making things worse. If Nathan had suspected his charge was trouble before he was convinced by the time Matt was through his school. The building had become more of a boxing ring to him. He'd have several fights a day but the teachers usually overlooked it in favor of heading to the lounge. Enough was enough, however, when one of the teachers got caught up in a fist fight he was in with an eighth grader. It took Nathan two weeks to find a school that would take him after his expulsion and Matt had to transfer to that new school right in the middle of a grading period on top of it all. It might have gone on longer except that they finally came to an understanding.

"I don't get it Matt, I never did anything but what I thought was best for you this past month and what do you do? You've been getting in fights constantly, you drove one teacher to an early retirement and forced me to transfer you to a new school. Is behaving too much to ask of you?"

They were in the kitchen making dinner, meatloaf, which was not a favorite of Matt's. Nathan had asked him how his first week at West Crucifixus Middle School went. Matt had, with no thought to the consequences, told Nathan of his recent fight just that day at his new school and the doctor was unhappy to say the least. What he didn't seem to understand was that there was a reason he was doing this and Matt was getting sick of holding his tongue on the matter. He knew something was wrong with him and Nathan was just going to have to hear it whether he liked it or not. Matt had heard that sometimes kids acted out the way he was behaving to get attention or as a "cry for help" and he'd been thinking on his actions quite a bit. He'd done what he did to get attention he wasn't getting from Nathan which made perfect sense to him. Dr. Wallace was more than a little aloof sometimes and spoke so little that Matt often felt alone in the apartment he called house not home.

"It's not that, Nathan," he said in an attempt to explain.

"Then what is it?" He asked with his arms crossed over his chest.

"I…," he looked down at the floor for several seconds and his head felt ready to exploded as he racked his brain to find the root cause for why one day when some kid had given him some kind of look he couldn't identify as either being good or bad he decided to teach him to make better facial expressions with his fist. He wasn't sure why after that he hadn't stopped getting into fights either. The answer was elusive and every time it was right in front of him it would jump away when he reached out to grasp it. After several more seconds of unintelligible sounds coming from his mouth he managed to figure some of the answer out and said, "I'm… I'm alone Nathan and you don't notice."

Nathan's body language spoke of the affect the revelation had on him. He put his hand on his forehead as though to say "how could I have missed that" without really admitting he'd missed something. He rolled his eyes in a self-depreciating sort of way which spoke of phrases like "you idiot" to Matt. When he lowered his hand he raised the other to rub his temple which seemed to say "this is just going to get worse" in reference to what ever else Matt had to say.

Matt continued as the answer, though difficult for him to understand, poured out using the best words he had in his vocabulary, "I haven't made any friends, all my old friends and me don't really get along anymore, you're never here long and when you are you ignore me, and Miss Marni hardly ever leaves Miss Mag's apartment cause Rotti's been sending her threats so she can't be here either."

Nathan looked at him stunned that he hadn't realized Matt had been eavesdropping on the phone conversations that had become more and more frequent between him and Miss Marni. He seemed to stumble for something to say before finally squeaking out, "You do understand that I have work, right?"

"I know there are lots of organs to repo, right?" He wanted to remind Nathan he knew that bit of information about him so he wouldn't get any ideas of being anything other than truthful with him.

"That's more of a side-job," he said defensively than calmed and said, "I'm a surgeon. I have patients that could die without me. I'm sorry if I haven't made time for you but I am very busy."

"I get it," and he really did despite the skeptical look on Nathan's face, "what you do is serious but you don't even try."

"Try what, Matt?," he asked with puzzled look on his face, "You're going to have to explain."

"To… understand, I guess is what I'm trying to say."

Nathan hanged his head. To Matt it looked like he was coming to a conclusion of some sort in his mind. He shook his head a couple times than looked up with renewed determination, "Okay Matt, I think I've finally figured out where I went wrong and how I can make this right. I think what you need is a… not a hobby but something to… you've made a lot of headway on your missed work these past two weeks and you should be able to finish up the rest of the missed work in a week or so. I think what you need is something to occupy you after you finish your school work, would you like to learn a little about medicine?"

"I'm eleven," replied Matt thinking that it was all the explanation that was needed.

"Are you interested?" Nathan asked as though he was trying to extract something more.

Matthew couldn't think of what more there could be to extract though. He was eleven, you didn't learn about being a doctor when you were eleven. The idea was admittedly appealing and the things he'd be able to brag about after learning medicine for a while would be interesting to tell his classmates and he could only imagine what sort of things they'd say. He couldn't lie to Nathan about how much he wanted to learn so he replied, "Yeah," enthusiasm loud and clear in that single word but then there was the cold hard fact that kept him from learning anything from Nathan, "but I'm eleven."

Nathan only smiled at him and said sagely, "You can learn anything you set your mind to learning. It's the only thing worth passing on that I know and if you want to learn then I'd be more than happy to be your teacher."

His age didn't matter? He could learn anything? Why hadn't someone informed him of this sooner when there was so much he wanted to learn and he'd thought he couldn't because he was eleven? They really ought to tell these sorts of things to kids who actually want to learn. He wasn't a nerd or something. Matt just liked new things, people, and experiences. He detested falling into ruts. With his enthusiasm renewed he said with a broad smile, "So that's what we're gonna do then, you're gonna teach me some stuff about medicine."

"Yes."

After that they developed a routine for the weekdays and weekends. Weekdays he'd come home after school, get something to eat, do his homework, learn from Nathan, have dinner, shower, then go to bed. The lessons on the weekdays were only an hour long and started off with first aid but Nathan said they might move into more complicated stuff. The weekends consisted of a slightly less strict schedule. He'd get his homework done Saturday morning, lay around and watch the TV or go somewhere, lunch, lessons with Nathan, dinner, stay up and watch TV, go to bed and repeat the next day. Nathan had said several times that he was adept at medicine and that maybe he should become a doctor like him, but Matt didn't want that. He wanted to do something else, something that he knew normal eleven going on twelve soon year olds wouldn't normally want. He wasn't normal. To him the most enticing job, the only thing that really seemed like a worthy vocation was repossessions. The idea had formed as he thought about his Mom and Dad and all the things they were missing out on, it resulted from an onslaught of nightmares so horrible that he'd wake the entire apartment complex up from screaming in his sleep, and it made sense. His parents had died because a man ran from his fate, a man tried to escape the law that said his organs were not his. He had no right to them anymore. That heart should go to someone deserving if he wasn't willing to pay for it. When that thought occurred to him Matt realized the only proper way to honor his parents memory was to make sure what happened to him never happened to anyone else. He knew repo-man was the only job for him.

Nathan on the other hand seemed to blanch at the idea of Matt doing repo for a living when he brought it up. Matt didn't see anything wrong with it but he was willing to hear Nathan out on this one on a condition of course. His Dad had taught him through many years of haggling bedtimes, snacks, how much of his vegetables he had to eat, which TV shows he could watch, and what junk foods he was allowed to eat. Nathan could clearly be just as easily manipulated as his step-Dad had been. The condition was simple. Nathan could say "yes" or "no" but only after hearing Matt's thoughts on the matter and why he wanted to do this. Why he wanted Nathan to teach him. He thought he had a very sound argument. Nathan put up quite the argument himself but slowly his arguments crumbled in the face of a well thought out argument. Matt had been planning on what he'd say for weeks and was manipulative enough to act a little apprehensive about presenting his argument to generate sympathy from Nathan after he'd presented his.

"I just really want to do this, Nathan, I really think it'd be the best way to honor my parents."

Nathan paced the sparse living room while Matt sat on the couch and watched him.

"I really think it's a bad idea, Matt."

"Why's that?"

"You're eleven. You can't possibly know what it is you want to do with your life yet. A repo-man, of all things! I don't think that your parents would want you to extract organs for a living."

"Probably not, but it's my life and my choice," Matt said determinedly.

"But you are asking for my approval," Nathan shot back with a finger pointed at himself.

"No, I'm not," Matt said pointedly.

"Then what is it you want from me?" Nathan asked in a soft tone, as though sensing he was about to be asked to do something that didn't entirely appeal to him, and Matt supposed that he was.

"Teach me."

"Just because you never want what happened to you to happen to anyone else doesn't mean that this is the way to do it."

"If there's another way than tell me."

Nathan stumbled for words making it apparent that he hadn't expected to have to tell him what other jobs there were. His face scrunched up in frustration before his features finally relaxed and he sighed, "I can't think of any other job, unless you want to be a Gentern."

"I wouldn't look good in a dress and high heels."

"No," Nathan said and finally smiled, "No, you wouldn't. I guess not every repo-man's messed up in the head so… I don't know, it could work but you have to be very mature about this if you're really so determined to do this."

"I can be mature and I want to do this."

"Fine, training takes about three years, we can start when you're eighteen."

Matt's eyes bulged. Eighteen wouldn't come fast enough for him. He wanted to get started right away. His worst imaginings were filled with kids like him, parentless and jaded because some jerk couldn't keep up with his organ payments.

He decided to give Nathan a piece of his mind, "Nathan, I know you think I'm just a kid. You think that I couldn't possibly handle this but I'm telling you I can! After what I've seen, I can! I don't want to have to think about kids ending up like me. I want to be out there as soon as possible to keep it from happening! Can you see where I'm coming from, can you Nathan?"

He seemed to mentally debate for an eternity before he asked, "When do you want to start?"

"After my thirteenth birthday," Matt automatically replied knowing compromise was in order in the current situation.

"But you'd be sixteen by the time you'd start actual repo. Matt, I don't want to see you get messed up cause' you started before you were ready!"

"Then why are you a repo-man?" He asked as a defense and out of sheer curiosity.

"I have things I need to pay for and some people who I owe money to. Rotti knew I needed the money so I got a crash course in repo. I guess I am one to talk. It's an ugly but necessary job. Fine, I'll teach you, I want you to learn this in the least mentally scarring way possible and that can only happen if you learn from me. Matt, I…" he heaved a heavy sigh and covered his eyes with one hand. He looked like he was either getting a migraine or about to cry. Matt really hoped it was the first. Finally Nathan spoke again, "I can't believe this. Matt, you're eleven and while you may be sure I don't think that I am but I know that kind of determination and I know one way or the other you're going to do this so I might as well help you to your goal."

That night Matt thought about what he'd soon be learning. Not with the kind of childish excitement characteristic of kids his age but with a maturity well beyond his years. His ordeals had aged him. There were things that had been happening to him that he hadn't told Nathan. These things typically cropped up in school. He hadn't said a word about the bullying or how his lack of friends was truly depressing. He didn't tell him how he had a hard time understanding what he was being taught sometimes or that his teacher's had said directly to him that his parents' death was no excuse to be doing poorly academically. He didn't tell Nathan about the stress that felt like a boulder on his shoulders. But he especially didn't say anything about the thing that scared him most, how easily angry he often was given the right circumstances. It left him just shy of hurting the source of his ire by the time he managed to get away from it. He wasn't sure what this anger would mean for him and if the anger was why he chose to pursue the vocation he was pursuing but he knew that the anger was affecting him in a bad sort of way.