Chapter Ten

Outside C.J.'s apartment

Harm parked his SUV in a vacant spot in front of C.J.'s apartment. He didn't have to wait long until C.J. exited the building. She wore a UC Berkeley ball cap and carried two bags.

For someone who had griped about the early departure when they had spoken during the week, C.J. looked rested, and she radiated an air of excitement.

Harm walked up to her, and they embraced each other with a kiss on their cheeks. They stowed her luggage in his car, then Harm walked around to the passenger side of the car and held the car door for her while she slid into the seat.

"So, tell me about this flying machine of yours."

"'Sarah' is a Stearman Bi-plane built in the 1930s. It's a type of plane that was used to teach navy and army pilots to fly. I restored it during my convalescence after the ramp strike. I keep its service history up-to-date, and I try to take her up a couple of times a year. You know I love flying F-14s, but there's something special about flying that old plane," Harm told her.

C.J. wasn't a fan of letting anybody else drive her, and anybody who knew her wasn't a fan of having her drive shotgun. She was one of those people that gave navigation instructions, or demanded that the driver should slow down, speed up or watch out for potential hazards on the road. But she realized early on that she didn't mind being driven by Harm. He had the car under full control, and despite talking to her, had his concentration fixed on the road ahead.

During their drive to the airfield, they updated each other about what had happened since the medal ceremony. Harm told her about the visit of his family, that they spend a lot of time together. They had gone to the Jeffersonian Institute and an art gallery because Frank and Patricia had wanted to see a specific exhibition. They also had gone to the Wall.

Talking about his family gave C.J. the chance to bring up his grandmother. Harm confirmed that she had died earlier in the year, leaving him the Rabb family farm in Pennsylvania. Sadly, he didn't have time to even think about what he wanted to do with it. He hadn't been there since the funeral but had some vague plans to go there later that year. He needed to make an in-depth check on the house and everything else on the farm and make some decisions about it. For now, a neighbor managed it.

Blacksburg Municipal Airport

Blacksburg, VA

When they reached the airport, Harm looked around, surprised, as several things had changed since his last visit. Not the least, that the sign above the hangar did not show the usual owner to be Pop Walchowski. Instead, there was a sign proclaiming the owner to be 'Grace Aviation and Crop Dusting'.

A young girl greeted them with a casual but cheery, "Hey."

"Hey yourself," he nodded, "Pop Walchowski still around?"

The girl let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She had seen the car driving up to the hangar. She hadn't known what to suspect of her visitors, hoping that they weren't here for payment. That he asked after the previous owner and not after her father let her breath more easily–and got curious. Hence, she answered his question with one of her own.

"How long since you've been here the last time?"

Harm hesitated for a moment, and admitted gesticulating, "Too long, by the looks of things."

The teen smiled. "Pop Walchowski sold out. This is Grace Aviation's hangar now. I'm Mathilda Grace. Friends call me Mattie..." she said and offered him her hand.

"Hey. I'm Harmon Rabb and my friends call me Harm," he shook the offered hand.

"And my friend here is Claudia Jean," Harm said.

"And my friends call me C.J.," C.J. stated, greeting the girl.

Mattie recognized Harm's name. "Well, Harm," she grinned when she put just the slightest emphasis on his name. "We got one thing in common–we've both got goofy names!"

C.J. chuckled at that. "You don't think Claudia Jean or C.J. is a goofy name?"

Mattie pretended to think about the question for a moment and then replied, "Nahhh."

Harm and C.J. chuckled at that.

"Well, back to business. We've got your message and pulled your plane up," Mattie pointed to Harm's plane. "She's a beauty. You're here to take her up?"

Harm nodded his head, "Yes. First, I'm gonna do some maintenance though. Checking everything out."

"Want a hand?"

Surprised at her question, he turned to look at the young girl more closely. "You want to help?"

"Sure. I love to work on planes. My dad has been teaching me since I was six."

"Why would he do that?"

"I wouldn't take 'no' for an answer," Mattie answered mischievously, but then her attitude sobered when she added, "And he needed the help."

Harm and C.J. noticed the change in her attitude. Although they were curious, they asked no more questions.

"Sure, you can help." Harm and C.J. couldn't help but chuckle when he saw the huge smile on the girl's face.

A couple of minutes later, C.J. watched as Harm and Mattie checked out Sarah. It surprised her to see how calmly Harm showed Mattie what to do and patiently answered her multiple questions. And there were a lot of questions, as Mattie didn't seem to stop talking.

Harm had a lot of fun, too. He knew many people wouldn't believe how much he enjoyed spending time with kids. While his godson was still too young for any meaningful conversations, he remembered fondly the time he spent with his godson. Josh had been as interested in flying and airplanes as Harm had been in his youth. They had spent a lot of time talking about Sarah and they had even gone out a few times before Annie broke their relationship off.

Josh recently celebrated his fifteenth birthday, and Harm had sent him a gift. He was thrilled that Annie seemed to have cooled down at least a little and allowed him to stay in contact again.

Thinking about Josh, his curiosity took the better of him and he asked her, "How old are you, anyway?"

"Old enough to know not to answer that question," she replied point blank, not stopping what she was doing. C.J. snorted at that response and gave the girl the thumbs up when Mattie looked at her.

Neither did she see the small smile on Harm's face. Then Mattie turned and asked for the three-quarter open-end.

After Harm had given her tool, she asked unexpectedly, "I don't suppose you want a job crop-dusting?"

This question caught him completely by surprise. He turned to C.J. only to see his look returned.

"Not really. Why?" He asked amused.

Mattie finished her work, stepped back from the airplane, and answered carefully.

"I figure you know how to fly a Stearman and we are a pilot short. One of our regular guys had a wire-strike two days ago."

Harm's forehead creased in a frown of sympathy for a fellow pilot's misfortune and asked with genuine interest, "Is he ok?"

"Well... Let's just say it didn't do him any good," Mattie replied sarcastically.

However, it was clear to the adults that the girl was concerned about her pilot.

"Sorry to hear that. And again, sorry, but I am not looking for a job."

At her dejected look, Harm assumed that the girl–or more precisely, her parents - needed some help.

"However, let me think about it for a while, maybe I know somebody who could help."

Mattie let out her breath and nodded. She really needed another pilot. "Tell your parents to give me some information about the requirements and what the job would entail."

Mattie hesitated. "Ah, my dad... uh... he is dusting the back over on the, uh… Pearson ranch."

Harm had noticed her hesitation and deflection. He didn't need his experience with witnesses to know that Mattie was lying. Again, he checked with C.J. who nodded.

Because she had seen their looks and Mattie continued quickly without thinking. "But you can talk to me. I handle all the hiring and the paperwork since my mom ..."

She stopped talking and turned her back to them.

Once again, he could not contain his curiosity. "What happened?" he asked her gently.

"Precisely none of your business," she replied sharply.

She put a small distance between them before adding. "Besides, I… I don't know either of you well enough for you to see me cry."

C.J. thought about how to handle the situation and gave Mattie a few seconds to compose herself. She couldn't help but feel her pain–a pain she knew too well. She stepped a little closer to Mattie.

"You know, I may know exactly how you feel." C.J. said to her while going towards Mattie, who was now cleaning the tools she had been using.

"You lose someone, too?" Mattie asked in a subdued voice that reminded her of a small child.

"Yes," C.J. replied. She looked to Harm, asking him silently for permission. He nodded. "So, has Harm, by the way."

Mattie looked from one to another. "Who did you lose?"

"My mother when I was seventeen," C.J. replied.

Mattie looked to Harm. "My dad died when I was five. He was a pilot, too."

"Did you ever get over it?" She choked out a whisper.

"No!"

In a split second, C.J. had told her the truth. Surprised at the blunt answer, the teen looked to Harm who silently shook his head.

"Hmmpff. That's comforting," Mattie said in a voice laced with irony.

C.J. stayed quiet for a few seconds before she replied. "Well, I figured you could handle the truth."

"Sometimes." She agreed. "Sometimes, I have a hard time sleeping at night," she continued in a more subdued voice.

"Dreaming about her?" C.J. asked in a gentle voice.

Mattie looked up to her, said "Yeah". Then she looked straight ahead. With a faraway look, she continued. "Then, when I wake up in the morning, it's like she dies all over again," she whispered. "Now see what you've done!" Mattie said when she dried the unshed tears in her eyes.

"Hey…" C.J. felt guilty for making the girl lose her composure. She took a step towards her and reached out a hand.

However, Mattie stopped her with a raised palm. "No, don't! That just makes it worse!" she snapped at her.

C.J. raised her own hands in a gesture of surrender and stepped back, "Sorry."

Mattie breathed heavily.

Now that the previous cheery mood was dead, Harm got the show on the road again.

"Alright. Let's do a final check-up. then C.J. and I can take Sarah up."

"Okay."

During the pre-flight check, C.J. had taken her time to inspect the ancient airplane more thoroughly. She hadn't known what to expect, but the machine fascinated her.

"Leo would love flying in Sarah," she told Harm.

"Leo McGarry? Your boss?"

"Yeah, he's an Air Force pilot."

"Right. I remember reading that he flew F-105 Thunderchief in Vietnam."

"Ah, if you say so," she said with a smile. Of course, she knew that Leo had flown in Vietnam, but she didn't know what kind of plane.

"You really think he would enjoy flying in Sarah?"

"Sure. You don't?"

"I don't know. From all your colleagues, I have spent the least time with Leo."

"Well, maybe you get the chance in the future? Then you can share your love for flying."

Harm instantly understood the meaning of her words. If they started a relationship, he would spend more time with her colleagues. "I look forward to that."

Harm climbed onto one wing and looked inside the front cockpit. From there, he removed a spare pair of gloves, leather cap, and goggles. He then jumped down and held them out to C.J.

"Here, put those on."

C.J. took the offered things. "Uh, wait a moment," she said and pulled her hair back, twisted it, and tucked it into the collar of her coat. Then she put on the leather cap.

"You ready to go?".

"As ready as I'll ever be."

"Alright, come on, I help you to get in."

After fastening her seat belt, he showed her the various instruments.

Then he climbed into the rear cockpit and put on his goggles and headset. He brought the huge radial engine to life and taxied Sarah to the end of the runway. After a last check of the instruments, he winked a watching Mattie.

"Here we go!"

Harm released the brakes and opened the throttle, sending his beloved biplane down the runway until he eased back on the stick and they were airborne. For the first few minutes, he held Sarah steady, getting a bit of distance from the airport.

After a while, he performed some gentle aerobatics to see how C.J.'s stomach would react.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," C.J. replied.

"Do you want me to do something more advanced?"

"Absolutely."

Harm carried out some more ambitious maneuvers. He sent the plane into a roll, followed by a steep climb, and then dived for the ground. C.J. was elated. The sensations of flying in an open cockpit were thrilling. She knew she could give him a sign and he would immediately stop his acrobatics. She whooped with pleasure as Harm took the plane through another series of loops, rolls, and corkscrews. The sound of her enjoyment carried clearly to him, and Harm smiled, hearing C.J. shouting and laughing happily.

They had a pleasant picnic in a field that Harm had discovered a few years back. Because of their full stomachs, Harm abstained from too ambitious maneuvers on the back to the airport.

He climbed out of the rear cockpit with the ease of long practice. A still smiling C.J. stepped on the lower wing and slid down to the ground, where Harm was waiting to catch her with both hands. When C.J. regained her balance, she threw her arms around Harm and, without thinking, gave him a sensual kiss. They broke when they heard someone clearing her throat. They looked around and saw a red-faced Mattie.

"Sorry, Mattie. Didn't see you there," Harm apologized.

"And even if you did, you wouldn't have cared?"

"Yes, I'd mind."

"So would I, Mattie," C.J. said. "I know from my niece Hogan that she doesn't like to see what she calls 'old people kissing'. I just was overwhelmed with emotion. I've flown before, but this was very different."

"Oh, okay. I understand, I guess," Mattie said, looking at Sarah.

Harm saw the longing look and decided. "Maybe, one day I can take you out for a fly."

"I'd love that," said a smiling Mattie. A smile she lost when Harm added that he'd had to talk to her father about it.

While they saw it, neither adult commented on her reaction.

"Great," Harm said and turned to C.J. "Are you ready for a hot shower and a pizza?"

C.J. stared at him. "Listen buster, I take the hot shower, but I hope you will come up with a better idea as pizza for dinner!"

She mock threatened him with a finger, pressing him on his chest.

"Claudia Jean, I didn't know you were a snob!" Harm replied with a note of mockery in his voice, giving Mattie a wink.

The young girl chuckled. "Don't worry, C.J., I heard the inn has nice food."

Forest Hills Inn

Blacksburg, VA

After a thirty-minute drive, they reached the inn. The building's lights offered a warm welcome against the now chilly evening air. C.J. had stayed in many smaller hotels and inns, especially during the first campaign trail. Some were better than others, some she was happy to leave as soon as possible.

However, looking around, she instantly liked what she was seeing. They checked in and made their way to their two adjoining rooms. Reaching their rooms, Harm checked his watch.

"So, it's couple minutes before seven p.m. Our dinner reservation is for eight. p.m. Will an hour be enough for you to get ready?" Harm asked her with wide-eyed innocence.

She threw him a filthy look before she put her nose in the air and ostentatiously entered her room. Chuckling, Harm walked into his room and took a shower. Harm grinned; he had gained some small measure of revenge, at least.

They met a few minutes before their dinner reservation and walked to the restaurant.

"It's beautiful out there, Harm."

Harm knew that she was talking about the lake behind the inn, which was laminated with some beautiful lights.

"I know. I always stay here when I come out flying for the entire weekend," Harm said, glad that C.J. liked the accommodations.

For the rest of their evening, they enjoyed each other's company. C.J. was the first person to feel her fatigue. Soon after her first yawn, they called it a night.

Harm waited in to make sure that C.J. was safely back in her room. After opening the door, C.J. turned around and looked at Harm. "Thank you, Harm, for a beautiful and relaxing day. It was fun," C.J. said and softly kissed him again. "Goodnight, Harm."

"Night, C.J."

They hadn't explicitly talked about it, but they silently acknowledged that this weekend wasn't the time for any more sexual activities. There was an unspoken but mutual consent: they would take things slow.

The next morning, they enjoyed a great breakfast buffet and checked out. Sadly, it started to rain on their way back to the airport. They waited for a while, hoping that the weather would clear.

They spent some time talking to Mattie again, who was thrilled to see them again. When they realized that the weather wouldn't get any better, they cut the Sunday short and drive home.

Before they left, Harm promised to check his contacts to see whether some of them would be interested in a job as a pilot. He also left Mattie with his phone number and told her to call him when something changed or they needed additional help.

On their way back, they talked about Mattie and the fact that they hadn't seen or heard her father on both days. They agreed that Mattie had lied about her father's whereabouts. For all they knew, her father was absent most of the day and would come back later to pick her up. They were both uncomfortable with the thought of a teenage girl mostly alone at the airfield. Even more troubling was the fact that C.J. had seen an enormous tower of pizza boxes that made her think that the girl and her father had eaten nothing else for a while.

When Harm dropped C.J. off at her apartment, she kissed him again and went into her building. They were both thrilled that they enjoyed their prolonged time together. And both were looking forward to what the future would bring for them.