CJ looked over at Simon. "So, you brought her here," CJ stated.
"Yes, that I did do," he said, smiling softly.
"Well, thanks. I just wonder why she didn't call me. I mean, she knows I would have come and gotten her in two seconds."
Simon raised his eyes at her. "Oh really? And just how calm would you be?"
She leaned forward. "What do you mean?"
"I mean did you hear what you said just a few minutes ago? You were completely flipping out. You would have scared her to death."
"Look, she's my niece and I love her. I look out for her...I mean, all I want is for her to be happy." CJ said as she stood up.
"CJ, I know you love her, but I don't think you would have helped the situation by going nuts over it," he stated simply.
She sighed and turned to him. "Look. *I* am her aunt. You are *not* her uncle or her father. You're just a Secret Service agent." She said, her voice rising.
Simon stood as well, "I'm sorry, CJ but it was her who called me, not the other way around. She probably knew that you were going to act like this!"
"Act like what?!"
"Like an overbearing parent or something."
She put her hands on her hips. "Don't you go telling me how to act around my niece. She is almost seventeen years old. She's almost an adult for crying out loud!"
"Yes, and yet you're treating her like she's five!"
"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," CJ snapped.
~*~
She had heard everything. Every single word out of both of them. 'How could I have been so stupid?!' Hogan thought to herself. All she wanted to do was get a ride home.
~*~
"Okay, you know what? I think you should leave now," CJ said as she picked up Simon's coat.
"CJ, I was only trying to help her," he said as he caught the coat that was thrown at him.
"It was my choice! I called Simon, Aunt CJ! I could have called you, but I didn't!" Hogan yelled as she nearly ran into the living room. I'm sorry, okay? Is that what you want to hear?"
CJ was speechless. "Hogan, I-I'm sorry...I was just--"
"Looking out for me? Yeah, that's what you said before. Simon was doing the same thing! Why else do you think he got out of bed and drove all the way to my school and then drive all the way back here?" She now had tears in her eyes again. "Just...quit blaming him! It's not his fault for watching out for me!" She ran back to her room and slammed the door.
CJ sat down on the sofa. "Great," she muttered.
Simon remained standing. "I'll be right back," he said as he walked towards the room in which Hogan was staying. He knocked on the door.
"Go away, Aunt CJ. I don't feel like talking to you right now!" She yelled from the bed.
He opened the door. "It's not CJ, and I think you *should* talk to someone right now," he said as he walked into the room.
She looked over at him. "She always does this. She acts just like my father and treats me like I'm three years old." She still had tears falling down her face.
Simon grabbed a couple of tissues and handed them to her. "I know she can be a little overbearing sometimes, but she's only doing that because she loves you."
"If she really loved me, she wouldn't watch my every move. She'd be a lot more lenient if she loved me." She wiped her eyes.
"Hogan, she does that because you're very special to her. I mean...you're her only niece."
Hogan looked up at him. "How did you know that?"
"I was protecting her for nearly a month. I learned a little bit about her background while doing so."
"Oh...right." She smiled very softly. "Now I've probably made her lose all of her trust in me," she said as the tears started again. "She is probably on the verge of hating me if she doesn't already."
He shook his head and sat down on the bed. "No, she doesn't hate you." He chuckled a little.
"What's so funny?"
"You and her are so much alike. You don't want her following you around everywhere and so you yell at her. She did the same thing to me."
"Yeah but you were ordered to protect her."
"In a way, she has been ordered to do the same thing with you, at least while you're here." He looked at her, knowing that what he just said was right.
She shrugged. "I guess..." She took a deep breath. "Simon?"
"Yeah?"
"Will she forgive me?"
"Of course she will. I don't think she's even mad at you to be honest."
She nodded, "Yeah..."
CJ stood outside the door, having heard the entire conversation. Was she really like that? Did she really treat her niece like a little kid? She sighed and went back into the living room, trying to think of the right thing to say to both Hogan and Simon.
TBC...
"Yes, that I did do," he said, smiling softly.
"Well, thanks. I just wonder why she didn't call me. I mean, she knows I would have come and gotten her in two seconds."
Simon raised his eyes at her. "Oh really? And just how calm would you be?"
She leaned forward. "What do you mean?"
"I mean did you hear what you said just a few minutes ago? You were completely flipping out. You would have scared her to death."
"Look, she's my niece and I love her. I look out for her...I mean, all I want is for her to be happy." CJ said as she stood up.
"CJ, I know you love her, but I don't think you would have helped the situation by going nuts over it," he stated simply.
She sighed and turned to him. "Look. *I* am her aunt. You are *not* her uncle or her father. You're just a Secret Service agent." She said, her voice rising.
Simon stood as well, "I'm sorry, CJ but it was her who called me, not the other way around. She probably knew that you were going to act like this!"
"Act like what?!"
"Like an overbearing parent or something."
She put her hands on her hips. "Don't you go telling me how to act around my niece. She is almost seventeen years old. She's almost an adult for crying out loud!"
"Yes, and yet you're treating her like she's five!"
"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," CJ snapped.
~*~
She had heard everything. Every single word out of both of them. 'How could I have been so stupid?!' Hogan thought to herself. All she wanted to do was get a ride home.
~*~
"Okay, you know what? I think you should leave now," CJ said as she picked up Simon's coat.
"CJ, I was only trying to help her," he said as he caught the coat that was thrown at him.
"It was my choice! I called Simon, Aunt CJ! I could have called you, but I didn't!" Hogan yelled as she nearly ran into the living room. I'm sorry, okay? Is that what you want to hear?"
CJ was speechless. "Hogan, I-I'm sorry...I was just--"
"Looking out for me? Yeah, that's what you said before. Simon was doing the same thing! Why else do you think he got out of bed and drove all the way to my school and then drive all the way back here?" She now had tears in her eyes again. "Just...quit blaming him! It's not his fault for watching out for me!" She ran back to her room and slammed the door.
CJ sat down on the sofa. "Great," she muttered.
Simon remained standing. "I'll be right back," he said as he walked towards the room in which Hogan was staying. He knocked on the door.
"Go away, Aunt CJ. I don't feel like talking to you right now!" She yelled from the bed.
He opened the door. "It's not CJ, and I think you *should* talk to someone right now," he said as he walked into the room.
She looked over at him. "She always does this. She acts just like my father and treats me like I'm three years old." She still had tears falling down her face.
Simon grabbed a couple of tissues and handed them to her. "I know she can be a little overbearing sometimes, but she's only doing that because she loves you."
"If she really loved me, she wouldn't watch my every move. She'd be a lot more lenient if she loved me." She wiped her eyes.
"Hogan, she does that because you're very special to her. I mean...you're her only niece."
Hogan looked up at him. "How did you know that?"
"I was protecting her for nearly a month. I learned a little bit about her background while doing so."
"Oh...right." She smiled very softly. "Now I've probably made her lose all of her trust in me," she said as the tears started again. "She is probably on the verge of hating me if she doesn't already."
He shook his head and sat down on the bed. "No, she doesn't hate you." He chuckled a little.
"What's so funny?"
"You and her are so much alike. You don't want her following you around everywhere and so you yell at her. She did the same thing to me."
"Yeah but you were ordered to protect her."
"In a way, she has been ordered to do the same thing with you, at least while you're here." He looked at her, knowing that what he just said was right.
She shrugged. "I guess..." She took a deep breath. "Simon?"
"Yeah?"
"Will she forgive me?"
"Of course she will. I don't think she's even mad at you to be honest."
She nodded, "Yeah..."
CJ stood outside the door, having heard the entire conversation. Was she really like that? Did she really treat her niece like a little kid? She sighed and went back into the living room, trying to think of the right thing to say to both Hogan and Simon.
TBC...