22
Harm was slightly distracted. The battered old leather couch that had, over the years, inflicted so much torment on his back was supposed to have stayed in the old loft apartment, yet here it was, catty cornered to the three seat modern couch that made up part of Catherine's living room suite. But what was concerning him more at the moment was the sight of Mattie, curled up in the corner of the old couch and trying unsuccessfully to smother a gargantuan yawn.
"Why don't you head of to bed, Mats?" he suggested gently, "We've all had a long, hard day, and tomorrow's not going to be much easier!"
"Can't," the teenager grumbled in reply, although she was by now knuckling her eyes, "You'll need a hand with all this cra… uh… rubbish," she indicated the wreckage of the Chinese order-in that strewed the mover's box that had done temporary duty as a table, "Besides, it's not even nine yet! If I go to bed now, I'll be awake by four!"
Catherine raised her head from Harm's shoulder. "That's probably all too true, Mats, but there's nothing to say that you can't try out your new, private, bathroom. There's nothing quite so soothing or relaxing as a long hot soak in beautifully scented water… with maybe just a single night-light in the corner of the bathroom…" her voice drifted away dreamily.
Mattie wrinkled her nose, "It's all a bit… girly, isn't it?" she objected.
Catherine gave a soft laugh, "I've got news for you kiddo, you are a girl! And anyway, I think I must insist! I want a soak a bit later, and we need to give the furnace time to reheat the hot water tank, so off you go… and no more arguing!"
"But what about the trash?" Mattie asked, but already Harm could hear the suggestion of hope in her voice that she wouldn't be asked to deal with it.
"Do it, squirt, I'll see to the wreckage, you go and have your soak – but don't drown!"
"'Kay… thanks, you guys…" Mattie hauled herself to her feet and with a pale, tired version of her usual sunny smile, she walked past the back of the couch, letting her hand trail along Harm's upper arm, Catherine's head and then Harm's shoulder as she yawned her way through a "G'night."
Harm waited until he heard Mattie's footsteps trailing along the as yet uncarpeted second floor hallway before he gave Catherine a slight squeeze, smiled down at her and said, "Nicely done!"
"What? You think I handled her?" Catherine was mildly surprised and twisting her head up and back she looked up into his face and seeing there the look of scepticism, "No way! I meant what I said. In about ten minutes I'm going up to check on her, because if I know Mats, she won't have any bath salts, or essential oils, or night lights…"
"Or candles?" Harm asked wickedly.
Catherine giggled, "Well, I didn't think we'd want the house burned down the first night we moved in!"
"No! So thank you for not mentioning them!"
"Anyway, I was about to say that Mattie's such a tomboy that she's never had the chance to explore her 'girly' side, and never had the luxury of her own bathroom! So… give me a hand up please, I'm going up to her now, and in about half an hour when I hope the water's re-heated, I'm going to have my own soak. In the meantime and her eyes danced with laughter, "Once you've cleared up all this crap – don't you look at me like that Harmon Rabb, I'm allowed to use that sort of language if I want! Once you've cleared up, you'll find a bottle of beer in the fridge for you!"
"Oh, well, if there's a beer in the fridge, I'll let you slide on the language – as long as Mattie's not in earshot!"
"M'mm…" Catherine stretched up and kissed him lightly, "just don't be too long; about fifty minutes should be long enough… I might need a hand getting out of the bath…"
As he watched her go Harm he felt a frisson of excitement at the thought of Catherine needing his help to get out of the bath. Their bedtime explorations had gradually become more intimate, as lips and hands explored hitherto unknown territory, but they had stopped short of the final act of consummation, not through any misplaced sense of prudery, but just that neither had felt that the time was quite right, although they had come very close a few times, especially during the last week or so. Similarly neither of them had felt it quite right yet to be totally nude in the other's presence, so for Catherine to practically invite Harm into the privacy of her bath meant that she was definitely pushing the envelope, and Harm felt a tingle of anticipation at the prospect that he hadn't felt since he'd been a hormonally charged teenager.
Xxii-xxii-xxii-xxii-xxii
Catherine plodded up the stairs to the second floor, half wishing that she'd opted to make the downstairs office into a temporary bedroom – in fact she and Harm had discussed just such a project, but on the grounds of practicality – Catherine would still have had to negotiate the stairs for access to a bath or shower – the idea had been vetoed. So, now, after pausing to catch her breath at the top of the stairs, Catherine took a stately waddle along to the bathroom she would be sharing with Harm, and pursing her lips inspected the various jars that she'd already unpacked. At last selecting one jar she turned and waddled the length of the hallway to Mattie's room, where she tapped on the door, receiving no answer, but seeing the light shining under the foot of the door, she trapped a bit harder and then cautiously opening the door saw Mattie sitting cross-legged on the bed, staring down at a book held open on her lap while nodding her head in time to the music she was listening to on her I-pod via the buds pressed home in her ears, her hair was wrapped in a towel, and she was dressed, ready for bed, in a pair of dark green, white piped, flannel pyjamas.
Crossing the few feet of space between door and bed undetected, Catherine gently tapped Mattie on the shoulder and was rewarded by seeing the teenager physically jump and give a squeal of surprised protest, "Catherine!"
"Sorry, kiddo, I didn't mean to make you jump, but I did knock… I just thought after you came up that you probably didn't have much in the way of bath-salts, so…" Catherine offered the jar to Mattie, "I know it's not a new jar, but it is one of my favourites, so try it, and if you don't like it, then no harm, no foul, OK?"
"Umm… yeah, thanks Catherine, but… ya know, I prefer just to take a shower?"
"Like you just did?"
"Umm… yeah…"
"OK… I'll tell you what… the next time you're feeling down, or stressed or… well… just out of sorts… or even lazy, dump a handful of this into the bath then run the water as hot as you can stand it, and then just lie back so the water comes right up to your chin. Don't move, just lie there, OK?"
"I dunno Catherine… it's… it's not just really me…"
"Try it, Mats… just once… it's something you owe yourself…you've been so busy being all grown up, you need to remember how to be a teenager again," and seeing Mattie's sceptical expression, Catherine smiled, leaned in and dropped a gently kiss on her forehead, "Once you get back to school and start making friends of your own age, it'll seem much more normal… I promise. And now I need you to promise me something?"
"Oh yeah?" Mattie's voice betrayed the suspicion that she was being set up.
"Yeah, don't sit up frying your brain cells with this... 'Dynamics of Flight Stability and Control'…? Phew, that's heavy stuff, Mats. Remember we've got a full day unpacking and sorting to do tomorrow!"
Mattie grinned, "Yes, mom!"
Catherine was a bit taken aback by Mattie's form of address until she saw the gleam of mischief in the teenager's face, "Not quite, give me another month or so before you call me that!" she smiled and then winced, "Ooh! Quickly, give me your hand!" She took Mattie's hand and held in place on her swollen stomach, "There! Did you feel that?"
Mattie's expression changed to one of awed disbelief, "Wow! Was that, Elizabeth?"
"Yep, seems like she's just starting her nightly exercises – that's generally my cue to go and unwind in the bath! Goodnight, kiddo!"
"Yeah, goodnight, Catherine."
Catherine levered herself to her feet and left the teenager still sitting cross-legged with a stunned expression on her face, and as she closed the door, Catherine was almost sure she heard another amazed whisper of "Wow!"
xxii-xxii-xxii-xxii-xxii
Harm took a final look around the living room, although it was still cluttered with unpacked boxes and folded flat boxes, the contents of which had been stowed in various places about the house, it was at least clear of the wreckage from dinner. He had no illusions; although he was pretty well satisfied with the progress they had made today, there were still more boxes that needed unpacking than had been unpacked, but enough was enough for the day; banking the fire he made a quick tour of the house, ensuring that all windows and doors were locked for the night, before heading for the stairs.
The second floor landing was dark enough – lit only by the overspill of light from his – their, his and Catherine's bedroom, to see that there was no line of light shining from underneath Mattie's door signifying that the teenager had either fallen asleep, or was reading by the aid of a torch under her blankets. Harm grinned at that last thought; there was no reason, until Mattie started back at school after the holidays, that she couldn't sit up all night reading, but he suspected that even with a teenager's seemingly boundless energy, Mattie had found today to be hard work and with the prospect of more to come tomorrow.
Harm moved quietly into the bedroom on the chance that Catherine was already in bed, to find that the bed covers had been turned down, but the door to the bathroom was closed and listening carefully he could hear gentle splashing as Catherine completed her bath.
Stripping down to his boxers, he sat on the edge of the bed, letting his mind rove back over the events of the day. With years of naval service behind him, early rising was no problem for Harm, and not much of a problem for Catherine, in addition to her newly acquired habit of swimming each morning, the weight of her pregnancy on her bladder had her up at least twice during each night and again early in the morning, so they were up and showered and their bed stripped in a very few minutes. Hauling Mattie out of bed had been another matter entirely. Energetic she may have been once she was up, but getting her up and out of bed so early in the morning was no easy task and, despite having showered, it was a still bleary-eyed and grumpy teen that eventually dragged the black refuse sack containing her bedding out into the living room. The last box containing the used bedding was sealed shut and the three victims – as Mattie insisted they were, headed out to breakfast.
Fortunately for all, Mattie's mood lightened with the coming of the sun and the prospect of breakfast at the local IHOP, and by the time breakfast was finished at about oh seven thirty hours – rounded off by what even Harm considered a good cup of coffee, the hitherto taciturn young woman had been transformed into a sunnier version of her early morning self.
According to the plans made and by arrangement with the movers, the contents of the loft were to be the first to be collected, so dropping Catherine of at the new house – with strict instructions that she wasn't to lift as much as a finger - and Mattie at Catherine's apartment Harm headed across town to the neighbourhood north of Union Station to open the loft, meet the movers and ensure that what was to be taken was loaded onto their truck and what was to be left behind remained in situ. He shook his head at the memory – how the heck had that battered old couch sneaked itself on to the mover's truck?
The removal of the loft's contents organised – or so he'd thought – Harm had dashed across town to the Georgetown apartment where suitcases and overnight bags were hastily thrown into the Lexus and he and Mattie awaited the arrival of the movers
The emptying of Catherine's apartment was much less complicated than had been the removal of only part of the contents of the loft. In the case of the apartment it was simple; everything was to go, so once the movers had arrived it was sufficient for Harm to hand over the apartment key and then for he and Mattie to head for Vienna, where he warned her with a grim smile they were about to earn their dinner.
It wasn't until they had started to 'earn their dinner' that both Harm and Catherine appreciated the forethought and planning that Mattie had devoted to the move. Each box, each piece of furniture had a label attached; blue for the first floor, red for the second, and green for the loft. Each label was prominently marked with the room, the number of the item and the total number of the items for that room. As a result Catherine was able to sit in a kitchen chair in the hallway and direct the movers where to deposit each load while Harm and Mattie took on each room in turn, and unpack the boxes.
But despite Mattie's planning ahead there was just too much more to be done than could be achieved in one day, no matter how enthusiastic the workers, and by six pm even Harm's enthusiasm was waning, so by six-thirty, by some unspoken but mutual consent the work ground to a lackadaisical halt and although energies were re-ignited in a passionate but brief discussion on the merits of Chinese take-out versus pizza for dinner. Mattie had argued her case eloquently, brilliantly even, and her face had lit up as Harm and Catherine stipulated to point after point. They listened carefully to her impassioned closing argument and then with just the quirk of a grin on his lips, Harm has simply said, "Veto – and that's Latin for I forbid!"
"Oh! That is so not fair!" Mattie cried out in frustration.
"Maybe so, but it's a whole lot healthier for everybody – including Elizabeth!" Harm reminded her, but not unkindly.
Mattie scowled, but without putting much effort into the expression, "One day, I'm gonna get myself knocked up," she threatened, "And then I'll play the pregnancy card for all it's worth – just like someone else I know!"
"But the sad thing, Kiddo, is that you are bright and intelligent, and when that day comes you're gonna put your baby's welfare first!" Catherine smiled at her.
"Damn, I am so busted," Mattie exclaimed mournfully, "Maybe I shoulda stayed in Charlottesville with Beth and her girlfriend – at least I coulda got a pizza every once in a while!"
Harm looked across at Mattie, "Who said anything about Beth having a girlfriend?" he asked nonchalantly – perhaps too nonchalantly.
"Oh… puhleease!" Mattie groaned. "I'd have to have been like blind not to see it!"
Catherine and Harm exchanged a perplexed look, which didn't go unnoticed by Mattie, "Look, I know the Navy have got all sorts of rules, like don't ask, don't tell, and… Well, for just this one time, I'm trying not to be cheeky… I mean I'm not saying you're old… but things change, the way people see things change, and people my age see things differently from people your age… and being gay for me, for kids my age, doesn't mean you're bad. I mean like, yeah, there are bad gays, but there are bad straights as well, ya know….?"
Harm grinned at the memory of the dumbfounded expression that had crossed Catherine's face at Mattie's words, and was pretty sure that his own face had mirrored her stunned expression.
"Something tickled your funny bone, sailor?" Catherine's light voice drew him back to the here and now.
"Just remembering the look on your face, when Mats was talking about how her generation was more tolerant of gays than ours!"
"Huh! I'll bet my face wasn't any more of a picture than yours!" Catherine huffed as she lowered herself onto the chair in front of her dressing table, and started to pat the ends of her hair dry.
"No… that thought had also crossed my mind!" Harm admitted with a broad grin, as he swivelled across the bed, ending up sitting on the opposite side, and looking over Catherine's shoulder at her reflected image in the mirror.
As his face came into her view she smiled and then gave an exaggerated sniff, "If you think you're going to share a bed with me tonight sailor, then I strongly recommend that you get yourself under the shower and unsmellied!"
"M'mm… I might just do that," Harm agreed as he leaned forward and deftly parting her hair with his nose, exposed the spot where the column of her neck merged almost imperceptibly with the smooth skin of her shoulder, and with deadly accuracy he planted a moist kiss on that spot and followed it up with infinitesimally small, gentle, rapid, nibbling bitelets, the effects of which caused Catherine to drop her hands and sag backwards into her chair, uttering a groan of pleasure as she did so.
"Go…shower…" she groaned, "before I jump your bones right here and now…"
"Hold that thought," Harm replied huskily as he stood, making no attempt to hide or disguise his arousal as he edged past Catherine and headed for the bathroom.
Emerging from the bathroom having completed his pre-bed ritual, Harm found the bedroom in darkness, except for one votive candle burning in its holder at the corner of the dressing table furthest from the bed, in which Catherine lay on her side, facing Harm's side of the bed, and the covers pulled right up to her shoulders. Harm dropped his towel, and lifting the covers slid into bed facing Catherine. Again, by mutual if unspoken consent they inched towards each other, until they were close enough that each could feel the other's warm breath on their faces. Catherine raised herself to a half-sitting posture and then leaned in towards Harm, her mouth seeking his in a kiss that started gently and then became more demanding, as her hand sought and found evidence of his need.
Catherine increased her pressure on Harm's upper body until he lay flat on his back, and then she broke the kiss with a ragged gasp for breath.
"Catherine?" Harm asked gently as he looked up into her blue eyes, now smoky with desire.
"Oh, yes. Oh, so very yes," she replied as she swung her leg over his hips, allowing the covers to slide down her back as she straddled him, taking him into her body and began to move on top of him.
Some ten minutes later and some sixty feet away, behind two closed doors a drowsy Mattie, on the very edge of sleep, thought she heard a soft wavering cry of "Haaarm!" and smiling, snuggled down into her pillows.
xxii-xxii-xxii-xxii-xxii
Harm awoke to a strange feeling of absence. Eyes still closed, his forehead furrowed in thought as he tried to work out what – or rather who – was missing. Then it came to him; he had so quickly become accustomed to waking with the weight of Catherine's head on his shoulder and the feel of her pregnant belly propped against his side that the absence of those contacts had been enough to wake him. At the same moment as recognition of the loss came a moment of fear that something was wrong. His eyes shot open and he propped himself up on his elbows, to the accompaniment of a soft chuckle, and a whisper of "Easy, sailor…"
Breathing a sigh of relief, Harm subsided onto his pillow and turned his head to the side where Catherine lay on her side propped on one elbow as she studied him.
"See anything you like?" he asked quietly, straining to make out her expression in the pre-sunrise gloom.
"Not much to see," she teased gently, "but what there is seems OK…"
"OK? Only OK?" he demanded with a pretence of being affronted, "Well… I was going to say things like wunderbar, bella-bella, fantastique… but if the best you can come up with is 'OK' then I guess I'll have to cool my jets a little bit too…"
"Oh, OK isn't bad, sweetheart, it just means that I figure we need just a little more practice…"
"You do, huh?"
"Oh yeah, after all practice makes perf…" whatever Catherine had been about to say was silenced as Harm's mouth stopped her breath with a gentle yet passionate kiss.
xxii-xxii-xxii-xxii-xxii
Mattie stood at the kitchen range, still in her pyjamas but with a nubbly multi-coloured – reds and oranges predominated – sweater over her jacket and her feet shoved into a pair of well-worn and down at heel red and yellow plaid carpet slippers, and with her hair pulled back into a riotously curling and dishevelled pony tail carelessly thrust through a dazzlingly lime-green scrunchie. Harm and Catherine had plenty of time to observe the spectacle Mattie afforded as Harm, with his hand in the small of Catherine's back guided and supported her through the living room and into the kitchen, as the teenager's attention was totally taken up with the eggs she was gently stirring in one pan, while the combined aroma of maple smoked bacon and fried tomatoes rose from a large skillet on one of the other burners.
Mattie eventually became aware that she wasn't alone and spun on her heel spatula and eyes levelled accusingly at Harm and Catherine, "Just how long have you two…" she began before she let her voice trail off in to silence and allowed a sappy smile to spread across her face as she noticed that Catherine was leaning back in the circle of Harm's arms, her back against his chest and her face turned up and sideways so that she could look into his eyes, while he returned her look with one of his own, so intense that Mattie caught her breath, realising that she had in fact heard Catherine's soft cry of the night before, but it was only now in the cold light of day that she came close to understanding the cry and placing it in context. So it was with averted eyes and crimson cheeks that she coughed to catch Catherine and Harm's attention, "Eggs, toast, fried tomatoes – and for those who want it, maple-smoked Canadian bacon!" she announced gruffly.
"M'mm… sounds good, Catherine remarked as she allowed Harm to help her onto one the kitchen bar-stools, "Any chance of a cup of tea to go with that?"
"Hey, I've only got like one pair of hands!" an indignant Mattie yelped.
"And you've done really well with them, Squirt!" Harm hastened to reassure her, "This is an unexpected, but very much appreciated surprise, Mats. Thank you! But I think I can manage the tea!"
Breakfast was a much quieter affair than was usual for a weekend meal with Mattie at the table, and although it couldn't be said that the atmosphere was strained it was subdued. So it was with a feeling of almost relief that Catherine heard Mattie say that she was going for a shower and to get dressed in working clothes.
"Hey what about the washing up?" Harm challenged.
"You know the rules," Mattie grinned, "Them's that cook don't get to clear up afterwards!" she reminded him.
"That's true," Catherine seconded her as she slid off her stool, "Come on, you wash and I'll dry."
"Dammit! That's the first on the jobs list today!" Harm muttered.
"What's that sweetheart?"
"Plumb in the dishwasher, the dryer and the washing machine!" Harm replied. "Three of my favourite things to do!" Harm grumbled as he took a handful of plates from Mattie.
"Couldn't you have got the movers to do it?" Mattie asked.
"No… they wouldn't have been board-certified, so they would have had to call in a plumber to do it and that would have cost more than their already exorbitant fees. And," he finished heavily with a quelling glare at both the women, "I said it's something I don't like doing, not that it's something I can't do!"
Catherine and Mattie exchanged a hasty glance, and then afraid they would start giggling hastily looked away from each other, Catherine reaching for another plate of the drainer, and Mattie turning to put away the condiments, before she half turned and looking back over her shoulder said, "OK, that's me for a shower and getting dressed!"
Catherine leaned back against the work-top and waited until the teenager had trotted upstairs before she smiled, and toying with the top button Harm's shirt she said, "You do realise that we are so busted, don't you?"
"Huh? What do you mean?" Harm responded, already losing himself in the clear blue pools that were Catherine's eyes.
"I mean that we've given ourselves away… Mattie knows!"
"Knows what?" A baffled Harm persisted.
But before Catherine could answer the strains of Olivia Newton John's 'Physical' blasting out of Mattie's music centre could be heard quite clearly in the kitchen. Catherine gasped, "Oh… listen!"
Harm frowned as he concentrated on the lyrics, and then his brow cleared and he gave a crack of laughter, "Yeah… I guess we are!" he conceded, "but does it matter?"
"No… I don't suppose it does," Catherine agreed as she led him by the hand to the old black leather couch, "In fact, it might be even be helpful for the hearing…"
"How so?" Harm inquired an eyebrow heading for his hairline as he lent Catherine the support of his arms as she lowered herself onto the couch.
"Well when ICE check for fraudulent marriages for Green Cards…?" Harm nodded, "One of the things they look for are signs that the supposed husband and wife are involved in a full marriage, not just in a mariage de convenance!"
Harm nodded again. It wasn't something he had previously considered, but Catherine had raised a valid point. But even so, the intimate details of his relationship with Catherine wasn't something that he would like to hear being discussed. "Yeah, maybe…" he ran his fingers through his hair, "but it's not something I would open the door on…"
"Oh God, no!" Catherine was almost equally mortified at the thought, "but if it does come up we can at least say with hands on hearts that…"
"Yeah, yeah, we could," Harm interrupted hastily, becoming more uncomfortable with the subject matter almost by the second, "but let's leave that evil until we have to tackle in court – if we do! Now, I believe we stowed the toolbox under the sink…"
Catherine giggled at Harm's somewhat less than subtle attempt to change the subject, but smiled fondly at him as he wrestled the dishwasher out from under the work-top.
"If you're going to bury yourself in the macho stuff like that, I'm going to co-opt Mattie and we'll make a start on the living room!"
Harm re-emerged from under the work-top and levered himself up into a sitting position, a stern expression on his face. "OK, but no lifting!" he warned her. "I mean it, he added when he saw the stubborn expression settle on her face. "You can lift individual books, but no higher than your shoulders, and preferably from a sitting down position. Anything else leave it for Mattie, and if it's anything she can't manage safely, then either call me if it's urgent, or wait until I've finished this couple of jobs!"
Catherine bit back a sharp retort at Harm swinging into a full-blown overprotective posture, and contented herself with a long-suffering, "Yes, dad!"
Harm swung himself back onto his feet and taking her gently by the hips, he drew Catherine toward him as far as her belly would allow, and looking earnestly into her eyes said in a gentler tone, "I know I keep on at you, but it's only because I worry about you and Elizabeth. You've come so far, a lot of it by yourself, and I wish I could have been there for from day one, so maybe I'm over-compensating, but I couldn't bear it if anything were to happen to you, or our baby."
Catherine leaned her head forward until it was resting against Harm's chest, "I know, I know," she sighed, "but really this has been an easy pregnancy – according to the horror stories some of the other moms have told me in ante-natal classes or in the locker room, and I know a lot of that, a lot of it," she repeated for emphasis, "has been the care you – and now Mattie – have taken of me. But because it has been so easy, I feel I can do so much more, and it frustrates me when you put an arbitrary limit on what I can and can't do…."
"Oh, Catherine, it's not arbitrary… it's sensible!"
"Ohhh!" Catherine ground out in frustration, "I know! I know! It just seems arbitrary! Ow!"
The cry was occasioned by a sharp kick delivered by Elizabeth somewhere in the general vicinity of Catherine's spleen, in response to her stamp of a frustrated foot.
Both Catherine and Harm froze for an instant, before Catherine mustered a weak smile, and taking Harm's hand placed it on her bump, and in response to his raised eyebrows said, "Your daughter apparently does not like it when mommy becomes frustrated!"
"My daughter?" Harm echoed, entering into the spirit of the conversation which had suddenly taken on a bantering tone.
"Of course," Catherine replied smugly, "My daughter would never be so ill-mannered as to reprimand her mommy!"
Harm's grin broadened, "I walked right into that, didn't I?"
Catherine's return smile was eighty per cent mischief and twenty per cent victory as she said sweetly, "Oh, yeah!"
Harm's smile was even broader as he leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "Sit."
It was only then that Catherine realised that Harm had subtly manoeuvred her out of the kitchen and into the living room and had now backed her up against the black leather couch. Letting out a groan of frustration, at being so effortlessly handled, Catherine grasped Harm's hands and allowed herself to be lowered into a nest of throw pillows, but cast a darkling glance up at his smiling face and said, "I am so going to get you for that!"
xxii-xxii-xxii-xxii-xxii
By the time Harm had finished plumbing in the dishwasher the washing machine and the tumble dryer, Catherine had fixed a platter of sandwiches for lunch, and hauling herself onto one of the barstools she called the other two for lunch.
There was a bit of jostling at the sink as a grimy Harm battled for access to soap and water with an equally grimy Mattie. Harm looked at her, noticing the streak of dirt down her cheek and her filthy hands and asked in surprise, "What have you been up to? I thought you were helping Catherine in the living room!"
"Oh, I did, we've unpacked all the living room boxes, and we've shelved the books and ornaments and things, and we've put the pictures on the floor, against the walls where Catherine wants them hung."
"So… the dirt? Hold still," he wiped the smear of dirt from her cheek, "Where did that all come from?"
"Oh I spent the last forty minutes or so crawling around under your desks in the den - wiring up the computers. You and Catherine now have a fully functional two computer LAN, all hooked up to a printer, scanner and fax machine." She tilted her head, and looked at him quizzically, "In fact, if you had decent security software, you could as easily work from home!"
"Oh, I think my boss might have something to say about that!" he laughed as they made their way to the breakfast counter.
"Yeah, probably," Mattie agreed, "But you do need to get someone who really knows what they're doing, to review your computer security. Some of that so-called protection you've got installed is three or more years old!"
"Is that a bad thing?" Catherine asked, joining the conversation as she, much to Mattie's disgust, poured a glass of milk for the teenager.
"Hell, yeah! Most computer security programmes are out of date by the time they're installed!"
"So why do people buy them?" Catherine wrinkled her nose.
"Well, when they're designed, they're designed to meet specific threats, but the first people who buy them are the sickos who enjoy screwing with…"
A reproving duet of "Mattie!" brought a flush to her cheeks and a muttered "Sorry!" as she bit into her sandwich.
Harm and Catherine waited until she'd chewed and swallowed, and then with a look at Harm, Catherine continued, "You were saying about the people who first buy this software?"
"Oh yeah. They buy it just to see what the designers have done to make it more efficient, and then they set out to write programs specifically to get around the new security protocols."
"But if they're that good at what they do, why don't they apply for jobs at these software companies?" Harm asked.
Mattie shrugged, "Who can tell? Sickos and weirdos all of them." She took another bite of her sandwich and chewed thoughtfully before she swallowed and then said, "Look you two work for the government, isn't there some sort of government surplus software you could buy? After all, the military and the State Department must have thousands of highly protected secrets."
"It doesn't quite work like that, Mattie," Catherine said, with a note of regret in her voice, "but maybe I could ask one of the techs at work for his recommendations..."
"Or, I could ask Bud to take a look," Harm suggested.
Catherine paused her sandwich poised in mid-air between her plate and her mouth, "Bud?" she asked incredulously.
"Yeah, Bud." Harm grinned, he was enjoying this, "Underneath that bumbling pseudo-minister, is one of the sharpest, most computer-savvy minds in the whole of the DC area. I'll bet he could even give your Langley techs a run for their money, especially when dealing with a small scale network."
"Well… if you say so…" Catherine said doubtfully, "although I'm not convinced. Remember he did download the wrong marriage ceremony for us!"
"Wait a minute!" A thoroughly baffled Mattie broke in, "You two are married already?"
"No!" Catherine retorted at the same time as Harm said "Yes!"
"OK, that's it, I'm now officially confused!" Mattie complained, "Officially confused teenager here!" she took a swallow of milk, and glared across the counter at Harm and Catherine, both of whom showed signs of breaking into hysterical laughter.
And it was with a great deal of laughter that Harm and Catherine related to Mattie the full tale of the whirlwind of events that led up to the fake marriage at Esther's bedside, and by the time they'd finished certain past elliptical comments suddenly made sense to Mattie and she too was mopping her eyes to free them from the tears of laughter that the story of the same-sex order of service had produced.
"Only you, Harm!" she gasped through her laughter, "It could only happen to you!"
"Hey I was there too!" an offended Catherine reminded her.
"Yeah, but if Harm hadn't have been there it wouldn't have happened at all, would it?" Mattie asked reasonably, but with the air of one presenting an irrefutable argument.
Harm pushed his plate away, took a gulp from his bottle of water, leaned his elbows on the counter and said musingly, "You know Catherine, she's only been with us a little while, but I think we're already having a positive effect on her. I reckon she's going to make a great attorney!"
Mattie almost choked on the last of her milk, "Me? An attorney?" she squeaked, "Never happen!"
Harm suddenly lost his joking attitude, "What do you want to do with your life, Mats?" he asked her gently.
"I dunno…" Mattie wriggled slightly, uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was taking.
"Well, that was some pretty serious aeronautical reading you were doing last night," Catherine hinted with a sidelong glance at Harm.
"Oh?" Harm looked back at Mattie, "One of my books?"
"No… I got it from a second-hand bookshop off Wisconsin, in Georgetown. It was a steal, only eleven bucks twenty five!"
"Uh-huh, which book?" Harm asked, now really interested. If Mattie was spending half her weekly allowance on a single book, then the subject must be important to her.
"Umm…'Dynamics of Flight Stability and Control'," Mattie mumbled, slightly embarrassed.
Harm raised his eyebrows in surprise, "Etkin and Reid? That is pretty heavy, Squirt." And although he didn't ask the question hung in the air between them.
"Well, I figure that if I want to fly jets for the military then I need a degree that's sort of applicable, and I figure that aeronautics or aircraft engineering is the way to go," Mattie explained defensively.
"Fly for the military, hey?" Harm asked teasing her gently.
"Yeah… depends on which branch has the coolest jets at the time…" Mattie gave back as good a she got.
Harm looked at her thoughtfully. If Mattie determined on a military flying career he would support her every step of the way, and he could do much worse than gradually introduce her to his circle of friends – particularly female friends – in naval aviation.
But… "The military aren't the only people who fly jets," he reminded her.
"No… but they're the only ones who fly fast jests!" she shot back at him, and then with a grin aimed at softening her reply she quoted, "and I feel the need, the need for…"
"Speed!" Harm and Catherine chorused with her.
Harm and Mattie just sat open-mouthed and stared at Catherine who flushed under their scrutiny and said somewhat defensively, "What? A girl can't like 'Top Gun'?"
"Well… it's just that it's all about fast jets and fighter pilots, Catherine…" Harm began.
"Yeah, but one of those pilots just happens to be Tom Cruise!" Catherine replied tartly.
"Oh, yeah…" Mattie breathed ecstatically.
Harm looked suspiciously at the teenager, "You do know that Tom Cruise isn't really a Tomcat driver, don't you? I mean if Top Gun is influencing you towards military flying, that's fine, but if you're hoping to meet Tom Cruise at Miramar or Fallon, nowadays, you're going to be disappointed!"
Mattie slid off her stool and walked around the island where she threw her arms around as much of Harm as she could reach, "Nah, what would I want with a fictional hero, when I've got a real one living in the same house!" And before Harm could react, she slipped from his embrace and with a saucy wink over her shoulder started clearing the lunch time wreckage.
Harm gave himself a shake, determined to discuss Mattie's last revelation with Catherine, and then stood in to the sink to give her a hand, saying over his shoulder to Catherine, "What's the plan for the rest of the day?"
"Well, Mattie and I have still got a load of clothes to unpack and sort out, but somebody needs to go to the grocery store, we're about out of everything except dry goods!"
"OK, I can do that. I spotted an organic store down on the Leesburg Pike, and if I can't find what we want there, I'm sure they'll be able to tell me where to get it!" He paused a moment a two, before he asked "Has anyone any special requests for dinner tonight?"
Catherine and Mattie looked at each other before Mattie said slowly, "Well… you did a pasta sauce one time, with prawns and clams in it…"
Catherine nodded, "Yes it was like seafood Carbonara! And you did it with garlic bread, too…"
"Yeah and with tutti frutti ice-cream to follow," Mattie finished off.
"I should have known you'd remember the ice-cream, Squirt!" Harm objected.
"Yeah, well, it wouldn't be me if I didn't, would it!" Mattie challenged him.
"No… No… I guess it wouldn't!" Harm agreed with a smile before he turned to Catherine, "Just a reminder that we're expected at Bud and Harriett's for lunch tomorrow, so look out something decent for Mattie to wear…" he held up a hand to stop her imminent protest, "Jeans are fine, Mattie, as long as they're one of your new pairs."
Mattie looked a little concerned, all of a sudden she felt like she was receiving mixed messages, "Uh… Harm… I'm not sure about this…"
"About what Mats?"
"About lunch with your friends…" she cast an anxious glance at both Catherine and Harm. "I mean it sounded like a great idea, but now it sounds as if it's getting all heavy and formal…"
Harm led Mattie to the couch, and stopping only to make sure that Catherine was safely and comfortably installed in one of the armchairs sat down next to Mattie and taking both her hands in his, "Mats, Bud and Harriet are two of the kindest people I know. Harriet's kind of nosey, and she'll probably want to get your life story in the first five minutes, but she's also gonna be kind of busy with little A J and Jimmy. AJ is about five years old, and Jimmy's still a baby. They're real down-home folks, it's just that, well… when you're visiting someone's house, especially for the first time, it's kinda nice to show some respect by making a little bit of effort, you know?"
Mattie frowned and bit her bottom lip, "OK, I'll do it," she said reluctantly, "But if she gets too nosey, I'm bailing!"
"No… don't do that Mats," Harm corrected her gently, "Just say… oh… that you could tell her the answer, but then you'd have to kill her!"
"Harm!" A shocked Catherine interrupted.
"Well, alright, maybe not that extreme, but although Harriet can be persistent, she won't be upset if you tell her that you don't want to answer any more questions, especially if you're polite about it!"
"OK… I suppose I can do polite…" Mattie conceded.
"Good girl!" Harm said warmly.