Ah!! Thank you so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Pissed Off Poet: Yes, that part was interesting to write, with Grace's fear of needles (also since 15 years from now, needles probably wouldn't even exist). Hehe, well, I'm still working out the kinks as far as how the 8th season will affect the story. I'm still tossing around the idea of bringing Singer into this since Grace would know about her murder. I guess you'll just have to see for yourself! Thank you for reviewing!
CharmedMummy: Heeheehee, when the results for the test get in, it's going to be quite interesting to write (I'm writing this reply when I haven't started chapter 5 yet). Jen Coates, of course, I have to put her in there too. There are just so many characters!!!!! You're right though, she was stationed at JAG during the 8th season. Thank you for reviewing!
NadaZimri: LoL, stop fussing! He's going to be in it soon, okay??!!! LoL, btw, is there any leftover chicken...I'm hungry!!! :D Thanks for reading! ;)
Lisa Brown: LoL, really, a week is good for me to write and proofread the chapter. You want it to be spick-and-span, right? :D Ahhh, it was a lot of fun to write that part, hope ya enjoy it! Thanks for reading!
Pennithil: Heehee, look below and find out!!! :D Thank you for reading!
Chloe1: LoL, yippee! I inspired! And their reactions are gonna be interesting!!! Thank you!!!
Moltron1: Yay! Me glad you like! I hope I updated fast enough!!!!! Thanks for reading! Ah! And you're lucky number 90 on the review list!!! *does happy dance* THANK YOU, MOLTRON!!!
ArwenUndomial: Ah! And I am obsessed with writing it!! So that's a good combination! :D Oh, you better believe I've got somethin' up my sleeve, and it's ready to come out!!!! Thank you so much for reading! Ah! I'm glad you got some sleep! LoL!
sunchaser2: Yay! Another 'outstanding'!!!! Thank you!!!
pendray: Oh, thank you! Grace is quickly becoming my most favorite character I've ever written. Thank you again for all your support!!! See ya next week!!!!
Shannon S.: Oh, the dialogue is my favorite part to write. I love imagining how they say things and then actually putting them on paper. Thank you for reading!!
mmselle: Yay! It's my pleasure! And thank you so much for reading it!!!!! I'm glad I can share my ideas with other great writers! Thanks!!
emokid: Thank you!!! "Rock and Roll" was fun to write and this chapter is similar, but is going to be a little more serious. Thanks again!
aggiegirl19: Thank you very much! Love the little face :o) ....... 8^)
Hazel: LOL, the "Bald Brothers"???? Omg, lol!!!!! Well, considering when Grace will be back in the future, I'm going to—wait, I'm not gonna tell you the ending....:D Thanks for comin' back and reading!!!!
Emma: Oh, thank you so much. Writing it has been so much fun and I love that you guys like the idea as much as I do! You shall see the next chappy November 14th! Thanks again!
marineJAG: heeheehee, you'll hafta read to find out!!!!! Ah!!! Look, you're lucky number ~*100*~ on the review list!!!!! *does happy dance* THANK YOU, MARINE!!!!
beegirl: LoL, oh my, do I have ideas! And that's good! That way, you'll be surprised!!! Thank you for reading!!!
beegirl: You get two responses since you reviewed twice ;) lol, yes, Webb is such a funny, diverse character and so much fun to write about. Thank you for reading!!!
Mia: First of all...wow...I love it when ppl comment on certain aspects of the story. Thank you so much for that. Now to answer the things you said. Okay, you get exactly what I mean....yesssss!!!! I want Grace to have her questions answered about how her parents (specifically Harm) have changed. But to have her interfering with the timeline would be too much. I don't want to change the time and place where Grace came from. At the end of the story, you'll see exactly what I mean. And I'm not just saying that. I've already starting writing the last chapter so I know what I have to work up to. Clayton Webb is so fun to write about. His character is different and diverse and you can bet there's going to be more of him in here. I have a scene worked out with him and Grace in a verbal fight and her blurting out something about Junior, so I'm hoping that will be interesting. The JAG gang is so fascinating with its unique characters that making up their futures is a blast. And hey, ramble whenever you like! Thanks again!
jagchick105: Hiya, jag. Thank you so much, it has been a lot of fun to write! LoL, when I thought...why not have Grace live with him, I just couldn't resist, because it's something Harm's never had to deal with, taking a child under his roof, especially if it's a teenager (though the events in season 9 may just change that...). So many funny, funky possibilities can come from it! And you are very welcome! You deserve it!!!! Thanks!!
maggie: Thank you! I loved writing it!!! Thanks for coming back!!!!!!
Deb: As I said, this will be updated every Friday!! Thanks for coming back and giving your support!!!!!!
AN: I'd like to take this moment to extend my great thanks to everyone who has read this. I truly believe that I wouldn't have gotten very far if it wasn't for everyone's support. It means *so* much. Thank you. And a quick shout-out to my bestest bud, Ellen (aka, NadaZimri), who reads the chapters over the phone and gives advice and support. You rock!!
~sancti
Disclaimer: The title of this chapter was borrowed from a verse in "Complicated" written by Avril Lavigne.
Chapter 5: "Whydya Hafta Go And Make Things So Complicated..."0130 ZULU
Harm's Apartment
North of Union Station, Washington D.C.
Grace pushed the food around on her plate, keeping her head down. She sat at the end of the table, and her parents were across from each other. They all ate silently. The afternoon's events were enough to keep them all quiet, especially Grace. Not only did they need two assistants to hold her down when her blood was being taken, but she'd also fainted. So they all had to spend another hour at Bethesda for the doctor to approve her discharge. Now since all of them were tired and hungry, Harm broke down and bought take-out Chinese. But no one seemed to be enjoying it.
Grace accidentally dropped her knife, stirring her parents in their seats. She shrugged a shoulder in silent apology and continued to eat.
"Doctor Winslow said he'll have the results by tomorrow." Harm murmured.
Mac pretended she didn't hear him and stuck sweet-and-sour pork in her mouth. Grace clenched her jaw, deciding to ask the sixty-four thousand dollar question.
"What will happen if the results...you know..."
Mac grabbed her glass and drank. Harm put down the chopsticks and leaned back in the chair, his expression placid. After a moment, he looked her right in the eye. "I'm fairly certain what the results will be. And if I'm right...then we're going to have to figure out how to...send you back."
Grace knew he felt weird saying all this. She had to put herself in her parents' shoes. In less than twenty-four hours, they were going to be forced to believe in something radical and unexplainable. Not a good mix for lawyers.
Another realization hit Grace. Would they send her somewhere? Webb had remarked that she was a threat to national security. If she were considered something supernatural, would she be kept in a high security facility in the middle of some desert? Would her parents abandon her?
Feeling she was being stared at, Grace lifted her head and took in her parents' expressions. They looked concerned.
"What?" Grace managed to say barely above a whisper.
Mac blinked when the girl spoke. "You were...mumbling."
Of course, she was talking to herself. It was a habit Grace had since she was little. She'd zone out and talk to herself without even realizing it. It concerned her parents for a while, but then they just got used to it.
"Oh...I do that sometimes...sorry."
Mac picked up her plate and put it in the sink, Harm took his and Grace's and followed her. Grace stayed at the table.
Now what...
She heard her father murmur behind her to Mac about just leaving the dishes there and that he'd get to them later. He then walked with her to the door and helped Mac with her coat. They exchanged a few words and then she gave a small wave to Grace.
"See you tomorrow." She said, her voice hollow.
Grace just nodded.
"I'll walk you to your car." Harm said, reaching for his jacket.
Mac scoffed as she opened the door and stepped into the hallway. "I'm fine, thanks. 'Night."
"Good night."
It was like watching the last few moments of someone's life. Her parents knew that by this time tomorrow, their lives would be different, and they were trying to act as calm and normal now before things were turned upside down.
Harm closed the door and locked it, leaving his hand on the door. Was she supposed to do something? Say something? He just stood there with his head bent down. Grace played with the edges of her napkin, trying to figure out what would happen next. Finally, he straightened his spine and walked back to the kitchen. He rolled up his sleeves and started to wash the dishes.
It was clear that if Grace wanted entertainment, she'd have to find it herself. She looked around the apartment, her eyes constantly coming back to the stereo, but this was clearly not a place for teenagers to hang out in. Grace stood and went over to the counter, standing next to her father. He stopped washing a plate and looked down at her.
"Yes?"
Grace crossed her arms. "What do you do around here for fun, anyway?"
Harm continued to wash the plate. "You mean when I have free time?"
She understood. People like him, with a job like his, hardly ever had fun...
"You bored?" He asked.
Grace leaned her back against the counter. "A little."
Harm turned off the faucet and dried his hands. He then looked at her curiously. "What have you been doing in school?"
Is he joking?
"Uh...chemistry...and geometry."
"You like it?"
"No, I hate it."
Harm nodded, staring at the floor.
"You're not gonna, like, make me go to school...are you?"
"Well, it would keep you busy."
Grace flopped her arms to her sides. "What happened to me being a threat to national security?"
Harm shrugged. "I trust you."
She blinked. "You do?"
"So far."
The answer scared her because it meant there was still room for mistake, on her part. She wasn't completely enclosed in the "Rabb Circle of Trust." It was a small circle, but Grace was determined to be a part of it.
***
1530 ZULU
Fairfax High
Fairfax, Virginia
Unbelievable.
With all the complicated, inconceivable things going on her life at the moment, Grace still had to attend a high school.
Unbelievable.
Grace sat slouched in a chair outside the principal's office. Her father had been in there for seventeen minutes now. What could they possibly be talking about?
The door to the front office swung open and an attractive boy entered, shouldering his backpack over his brown leather jacket. He looked to be about seventeen, but it was often hard to tell with boys in high school. A pale orange Nike T-shirt rested inside the coat and over his baggy blue jeans. The secretary sighed and dropped her pen. The boy flashed an amazing smile and leaned his palms on the edge of the desk.
"Good morning, Deloris, how are you? Say, is that a new hairdo?"
The secretary seemed less than enthused with his charms and reached out her hand. His smile disappeared and he handed her a yellow slip of paper.
"Go sit over there," the middle-aged woman said, "Mrs. Calloway will be with you in a moment." She added dryly.
With a sigh, the boy backed away from the desk and lowered his backpack into his hand. He then slumped down into the chair next to Grace. She tried not to look at him, but still found herself stealing glances. Finally, he turned his neck and looked over at her.
"What are you in for?"
Grace made a soft chuckle. "I'm...not, I'm enrolling...into the school."
His dark eyebrows climbed. "Ahhh, okay," he stuck out his hand, which she shook, "then let me be the first to welcome you to Hell." He said cheerily.
Grace laughed, which seemed to please him. "I'm Eric Stiles."
"Grace...Rabb...why are you here?"
Eric shrugged. "Set the girls' bathroom on fire."
When he didn't laugh, Grace cocked an eyebrow. Eric smirked. "Gym teacher told me to do 50 pushups and I told him to stick it. So even though Mrs. Calloway is going to give me a long, boring lecture about respecting adults, I can be thankful I don't have to do those pushups."
Grace liked him in an odd way. He may have had no respect for adults, but his personality was interesting.
"So, where were you before?"
Grace told the truth. "Georgetown High. I had some...problems with the students, so I'm transferring here."
"Ah, okay. When are you starting?"
"Tomorrow...maybe. Depends on what happens this afternoon." Grace mumbled, and then she instantly wanted to slap herself.
Eric narrowed his eyes. "What happens this afternoon?"
She knew he was going to ask that. As a lie formed in her mind, the door to the principal's office opened and her father stepped out, and Grace stood, fortunate for the unintentional save. Eric stood as well when Mrs. Calloway curled her index finger signaling for him to come.
Eric nodded at Harm and then lightly patted Grace's shoulder. "See ya around, Rabb."
As Grace and her father left, she could just make out Eric saying, "Mrs. Calloway, did you lose some weight?"
***
1540 ZULU
Falls Church, Virginia
Harm gave her another sidelong glance as he drove, knowing full well that she knew he was looking at her. Finally she groaned and leaned her head back against the headrest.
"What?"
"Who was that guy?" Harm asked with a jesting tone.
Grace rolled her eyes. "Just a guy."
"Mmhm."
His response seemed to bug her and she sat up in the passenger seat. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Harm honked at the slow-moving Corolla in front of them. "It didn't mean anything...just that I observed you looking quite comfortable next to someone who was...just a guy."
Grace narrowed her eyes and scoffed. "Un—freakin'—believable."
Harm cocked an eyebrow and chuckled. "Oh, and what's that supposed to mean?"
Grace balled her fists and shook her head. "You're exactly the same. You know, I always thought that somehow you majorly changed after having kids, and that you were once a completely different person who did all these amazing, dangerous things! But now...now I realize you didn't change one bit...you just got old!"
With that, she huffed a sigh and slumped back down in the bucket seat, leaving her father speechless.
"I...I just asked who that guy was..."
After a minute of silence, Grace looked down at her hands. "I'm sorry."
Harm brought the Corvette to a stop in the parking lot of JAG Headquarters, but didn't get out. "What's wrong?"
Grace stared longingly at the entrance to the building, but she knew she wasn't leaving this car until her father got the information he wanted.
"Is this about the blood test?"
It's exactly about the blood test. "Sort of."
Harm sighed and continued to stare at her. The ball was still in her court. "It's just—I know what the results are and...I'm afraid what you and...Mac's reactions are going to be..."
Harm understood. If it turned out she was his and Mac's daughter, the information would have to be traced back to Webb. And who knew what he'd do? The fact was, she was afraid of being put away. Harm met her gaze. "Grace...you are not going anywhere. I promise."
She smiled and wiped away an unwelcome tear. "You always did keep your promises...including the baby deal."
That took him off guard and his mouth hung agape for a moment. "How did you know—"
She smiled again. "I'm the result."
***
1552 ZULU
Admiral Chegwidden squinted his eyes as he listened to the Commander. "Rabb, I gave you the morning off simply because we're not busy. Now you want the afternoon to yourself too? Hell, why don't I just give you whole day off?"
Harm raised his eyebrows hopefully. "That...would be good too."
A.J. rolled his eyes. "That was a joke, Commander."
The Commander straightened his spine in the chair. "Of course, sir." Mac gave her partner a sidelong glance.
The Admiral leaned forward in his chair, crossing his hands on the desk. "This wouldn't happen to be about that girl you brought in yesterday, is it?" He paused, still working out the situation in his mind, "the one who's...living with you?"
Harm nodded slightly. "Pretty much, sir."
A.J. narrowed his eyes again, looking from one officer to the other. "You know, I can't help but think I'm being kept out of the loop of something."
Mac and Harm exchanged glances.
"Commander...if you're hiding something..."
Mac crossed a leg and tucked a hair behind her ear. Harm sighed. "The truth is, Admiral...Grace is...the daughter of..." Mac stared at her partner with a look of sheer terror, "the daughter of...a friend."
A.J. cocked an eyebrow and Mac leaned an elbow on the arm of the chair, fully expecting an explanation.
"And who might this 'friend' be, Commander?" The Admiral inquired suspiciously.
"That's classified, sir. See, Grace's...um...parent...worked for the CIA. And that parent was...recently killed in action. And, apparently, in my friend's will, I'm listed as Grace's...guardian in the instance that her...parent...would...die."
Mac bit her tongue while the Admiral was hanging on every stuttered word that came out of the Commander's mouth.
"So you lied to me." Chegwidden said flatly.
"Well...yes, sir. But Grace's situation was still very delicate at the time and only after much discussion with the CIA, was I even able to bring her home."
The Admiral made a cocky smile and leaned back in the leather seat. "So you just don't think I can keep a secret?"
Harm's eyes widened. "No, sir—I mean yes, sir—I mean—" Harm sighed, knowing full well he walked right into that one. "Sir, I'm sorry I lied...but Grace's situation kind of just...fell into my lap."
Mac stared at the floor, trying to contain her anger. The Admiral took notice and shifted his gaze to the Colonel.
"Did you have any part in this, Colonel?"
The marine stirred in the chair and immediately sat up straight. "Uh, well, sir, I believe the Commander had lied to us both." She shot her partner a nasty look as she finished the sentence.
The Admiral put his spectacles on and opened a file. "Well, I'll spread the word around the office. Quite a few people have gotten curious as to the...origin...of Grace. And permission to have the afternoon off is denied. Dismissed."
***
Mac followed Harm through the bullpen, talking a mile a minute, but softly enough for no one else to hear. "Do you have any idea how lucky you are?" she hissed, "If that were any other admiral, your six would be at an Article 32 right now for lying to a senior officer! Not to mention the fact that you just lied to him again!"
Harm shrugged. "I had no choice, Mac!"
Sturgis suddenly bumped into them, his expression one of confusion. "Harm...are you aware there's a child in your office?"
Harm nodded. "Yeah, Sturgis." Commander Turner had arrived back at JAG that morning, and wasn't aware of the office's new guest.
"Who is she?"
Mac rolled her eyes. "It's classified!" She said huffily and she stormed into her office.
Sturgis eyed his friend and then watched as the marine slammed her door and closed the blinds.
"...What's wrong with Mac?"
Harm forced a smile. "She's a woman, Sturgis. Do we ever know what's wrong with them?"
He narrowed his eyes. "...Right...listen, I know I'm still new this place, but do we allow kids to do our filing?" Sturgis motioned to Grace who busied herself in Harm's office with the files.
Harm clenched his jaw. "Right, about the kid...Grace...I've been given guardianship over her..." He proceeded to fill his friend in with the same "details" he'd told Admiral Chegwidden, only this time without as much stuttering.
***
1900 ZULU
Mac stared at her computer screen, watching the curser blink, deciding how to answer the email to Chloe. Her little sister had sent her a desperate email, claiming the "man of her dreams" was about to go out with the "wrong girl." She then again asked that question that Mac never seemed to have an answer to: Why don't men get any smarter with age?
"Hey Chloe. From what it sounds like, this Nathan character doesn't have very good taste in women if he hasn't asked you out yet. Perhaps he's nervous about asking you? Or maybe he just doesn't deserve you. But something I've observed about men is that they never tell you how they feel, but it's easy to read their emotions...and they never admit when they're wrong...or admit that they love you and keep you hanging around waiting for them to finally admit that they love you but then they leave you because they're afraid of commitment and losing their great "freedom" and—"Mac stopped when she realized she was talking about someone she knew. She erased the email and started over.
"Hey Chloe. Nathan obviously doesn't deserve you if he hasn't noticed you yet. I suggest you move on and find someone who actually listens and pays attention to you. Trust me...you'll know when you'll find the right guy.
Love and hugs, Mac"
Mac clicked "send", satisfied with her advice. But her thoughts drifted to Harm...and Grace. Mac had avoided her the whole day. The hospital was supposed to call today with the results of the test. It was now 1400 and no phone call. But she already knew what the results were. It would be impossible for Grace to be her daughter. Simply impossible. So why did her palms sweat every time Harm's phone rang? Because she was afraid that there was a small chance Grace was telling the truth. Then how could Harm be so calm about it? He acted like it was any other day! Why wasn't he as nervous as her? Or was it that he knew something...something he didn't tell her...
Mac pushed away from the desk and stormed out of her office. She breezed past the other personnel and opened her partner's door. Harm glanced over from his computer, ignoring the anger that was plain on her features.
"I see you still haven't quite perfected the simple art of a knock." He said impishly.
Mac closed the door and sat down in one of the chairs opposite the desk. "We need to talk."
Harm tapped something on the keyboard and then leaned back in his chair. "About what?"
"You know damn well what."
Finally taking notice that she was serious, Harm changed his cocky expression into a concerned one. "They haven't called yet."
"It not about that—well, it is, but it's not."
Harm didn't try to decipher what she just said and let her continue. "How come you're so calm about this? Doesn't it bother you the least bit that this girl has suddenly entered your life, is living under your roof, and claiming to be...our daughter?"
Harm bit his lip and gathered a breath to speak, when the phone rang. "Hold that thought." He then picked up the receiver before Mac could protest, "Rabb...yes, this is Commander Harmon Rabb...yes...really...all right, thanks...you too...bye." Harm softly placed the receiver on the cradle, glancing up at Mac. The color had already drained from her face.
"That was Bethesda," as if Mac didn't know, "...they made a positive match between Grace's DNA and ours."
The marine's face was a mask that covered the million emotions swimming around under it. Harm rested his hand over his mouth, staring at the phone. Mac was the first to make a sound. It was something between a gasp and a desperate wheeze for air. "But it's—it's impossi—it can't." Mac shifted her crazed gaze to Harm, who looked less than surprised. In fact, he looked like he'd just won a case. It was a relieved expression. And it scared the hell out of Mac.
"Aren't you—" She had trouble finishing the sentence; her head was being pulled in a thousand different directions. That's when a realization hit her, and she stood, her getting knees weak.
"You wanted this to happen." She accused, her voice shaky.
He didn't deny it. He looked out the window of his office into the bullpen, watching Grace maneuver in between all the people. Mac stepped in front of his view and he sat up in the chair.
"Why would you say that, Mac?"
She shook her head at her partner's denial. "Because...ever since you saw that photograph, it's convinced you. You want that family, Harm! You want to be Grace's father! Why else would you take her in?"
The former aviator tried to think of a retort but nothing escaped his lips. Mac knew she was right when he couldn't reply. Mac sat back down, leaning her elbows on her knees with her chin on her crossed hands. "What do we do, now?"
Harm watched his daughter again as she struck up a conversation with Tiner. "I suppose we should tell her."
***
Harm, Mac, and Grace sat quietly in Harm's office. It had been like this for about a minute. Grace wasn't sure what how to comfort her parents with the disturbing news. Her mother was in obvious denial. Grace figured she couldn't believe she actually married Harm much less have three children with him.
"How did it happen?" Mac finally asked.
Grace shrugged, staring at her hands as she always did when nervous. "I went to this old house on Halloween with a few friends. I was dared to spend an hour in it...I fell through the staircase and woke up in 2002. I don't know how it happened. It just did."
More silence.
"You didn't see anything? Hear anything?" Harm asked.
Grace shook her head. "I blacked out. I'd fallen into the basement and just blacked out."
Harm was starting to put the pieces together. She came to CIA headquarters afraid, alone, and utterly confused. Desperate could be thrown into the mix as well. She was lucky though. Who knows what would have happened to her if she went anywhere else?
***
1300 ZULU
Fairfax High
Fairfax, Virginia
The Next Day
Harm stopped the Corvette at the entrance to the high school and observed Grace's reaction. She stared out the passenger window, watching all the students on the front lawn as she tightly hugged her backpack. Harm nudged her arm, making her start in the seat.
"Go on, they won't bite."
Grace widened her eyes. "Are you sure?"
Harm pointed at the school. "Go...and...try to have a good time."
After gathering a deep breath, Grace opened the door and put a foot out, but turned back to her father. "Thanks...for everything."
Harm smirked. "Don't act like you're going to your death...now get outta here." He said playfully.
Grace stepped fully out of the Corvette and closed the door, giving a little wave to her father. She then hoisted the strap of the backpack on her shoulder and walked towards the school, feeling a surge of anxiety form in the pit of her stomach. Students surrounded the front lawn on all sides. Some were sitting working on last minute homework, others entered the school in thick crowds. Grace headed for the densest crowd, squeezing herself between the bodies to get inside the school. Everyone was talking and Grace could only make out bits and pieces of conversation, and eventually, it all just turned into a loud hum. The crowd thinned out as each student went to their own destinations and now Grace had the unpleasant task of finding her locker.
Harm drove away from the school and thought about the conversation he'd had with Mac the day before. She was right. He did want a family. And Grace seemed like the perfect start to one. But who was he kidding? She didn't belong here, no matter how much he wanted her to stay.
***
Grace sat in the last row of her geometry classroom. The room started to fill up as the 0810 bell rang out. A couple of students did a double-take when they saw her, but otherwise ignored her. Grace then spotted Eric on the other side of room talking to another guy. He nodded and winked at her. Grace made a half-smile.
The teacher finally entered the room and told everybody to quiet down and go to their seats. Grace had to restrain herself from yelping.
Clayton Webb?! What is he doing here?!
"All right, kids, sit down, we have a lot to do and only an hour in which to do it," he snapped bitterly, "I'm Mr. Webb, your new geometry teacher."
"What happened to Mrs. Curry?" Eric asked.
Webb shrugged. "From my understanding, Mrs. Curry has won a fully paid vacation to the Bahamas until February."
Grace stared at the CIA agent, her head shaking slightly. So this was how she'd be kept under surveillance.
***
2117 ZULU
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, Virginia
Same Day
Grace stormed out of the elevator, not bothering to thank Webb for giving her a ride. She then breezed past her father who had to curtly to step out of her way before she walked into him.
"How was your first day?"
"It sucked!" She yelled over her shoulder, escaping into the conference room. Her response initiated a few curious looks from other passing personnel. Webb emerged slowly from the elevator, a frown on his face. Harm looked at the conference room doors, then back at Webb.
"What happened?"
Webb sighed and signaled for Harm to follow him into the break room. Once there, they waited for a petty officer to leave, and then Webb started in on his story.
"Well, she missed the last of her classes, because she got into a fight at lunch break."
Harm stopped pouring coffee into his mug. "What?"
Webb leaned his back against the wall, crossing his arms. "Apparently, someone learned you were in the Navy and started verbally bashing her for it. She punched him...he punched her..."
"A guy punched her?"
"She's sporting quite a shiner, but she'll survive."
Harm shook his head and put the coffee pot down. "Unbelievable. Anything else happen?"
Webb hesitated, biting his lip. "Well...I've discovered that teaching geometry to the average American teenager is like getting teeth pulled."
"I meant with Grace."
Webb opened the fridge, eyeing each shelf. "Well, she's behind in chemistry already because she spent her class time in the nurse's office and the principal's. She's been dubbed 'Grouchy Grace' for punching that guy, and in her own words, her social life is 'now the equivalent to that of a cockroach.' " Webb picked up a Ziploc bag that contained a green and fuzzy organism, his face twisted in disgust. "My God, don't you people ever clean this thing out?"
Harm took a sip of the coffee, but cringed and dumped it into the sink. "So that was it for day one?"
Webb examined a sandwich, but scowled and put it back into the brown paper bag. "Uh, well...there is one more problem..."
Harm snatched a celery stick from Webb's hand. "What?"
Webb clenched his jaw and tapped his fingers on the counter. "She's refusing to go back tomorrow."
***
Grace dumped her backpack into the chair at the head of the table in the conference room. She then sat in the chair next to it, and felt a tremble through her body as tears threatened her. She didn't deserve this. With all that was going on, the last thing she wanted to worry about was fitting in. The first sob racked her small frame and she dropped her head onto her folded arms on the table. It was only a moment later when uneven footsteps sounded from the bookshelves on the other side of the room. Grace sat up, wiping away the streaks of tears. Bud placed the two thick books on the table and limped over to her.
"Bud—Lieutenant Roberts, sorry, I didn't know anyone was in here."
He didn't seem to hear her and instead sat down next to her. His childlike features filled with concern.
"Are you all right," his expression dropped a few degrees, "is this about your...parent? Admiral Chegwidden told us what happened."
Grace admired the fact that Bud always considered everything that was happening to someone. "No. I had my first day back at school today...everything just went wrong." Grace brushed away the lock of hair that covered her bruised eye. Bud's eyes widened at the sight. "How did that happen?"
Grace groaned, leaning her head back down on her arms. "I don't wanna talk about it."
Bud nodded in understanding and then thought about how he could offer any comfort. "...well, think of it this way. Stuff like this happens in high school. Now, you'll probably never have a day like this again. So maybe you can look forward to the fact that things can only get better?"
Grace slowly turned her head to face him, the tears now dry. "Thanks, Bud."
He smiled, lighting up his face. "You know, ice cream always works too."
She laughed, remembering that he'd given her that advice once before.
***
TBC
***
oh, I hope this came out right. I worked on it all last
night, brushing it up, re-writing and rearranging, omg, I hope the fuzziness of
my lack of sleep didn't make this chapter come out all goofed up. Hope it came
out right! C ya next week!
~sancti