AN: Long time no writing I apologize. Sometimes the writing magic runs out. Anyway one more chapter to go, I will finish don't worry! It is a short update, sorry. R&R
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Sometimes being scared was okay. Other times it made you feel like an idiot. Meg felt like an idiot. Well I mean, hello she had just had a complete breakdown in front of her entire family. She mentally hit her head against a wall. Then there was Harm and her mother, she had heard them alright, arguing over the fact that it was Harm's leaving that sparked this nightmare. Yeah right? Well maybe, but she wasn't totally reliant upon him. Meg could deal with her own problems dammit. She could confront her own fears. That is why she was sitting in her room and not down a breakfast with the family. Meg sighed. Yeah, being scared sucked.
Someone knocked on her door. Meg sat up. She didn't want anyone to come in. She chose to keep quiet. The person paced. By his footsteps it was Harm. He has that bouncy stride, like he was nervous.
"Okay so I know you are in there Meg."
She sat like a statue on her bed. Okay well silence was good. He should probably say what he wanted to say and go away.
"Well, I almost know. You could have sneaked out and I could be talking to an empty room. I don't do this kinda stuff…" She heard him shuffle. Meg could see him wringing his hands. "You can't stay in there forever!" It sounded like a plea. He muttered to himself. Meg caught the words, "she can't stay silent for life also." Meg caught herself about to speak. No. She was stronger than this. He had to be leaving to DC soon anyway. All she had to do was wait. "Well I have a day. One more day here Meg. And you are wasting it by sitting in your room." He turned around and walked off. Meg sat a little shocked. Now she had to leave her room, or starve out. Which was not an option. She gave Harm half an hour before he burst in here. He just had to try fix everything. Well now she was broken again, what was he going to do about that?
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Harm gave up. Meg was understandably in a bit of a mess. She had been trying to keep her experiences from her family. So somehow he found himself wandering into the barn. Jack silently handed Harm a fork. Harm set to work helping him move the hay. Jack and Harm had developed a respect for each other. They worked silently for a few minutes.
"How often did that happen?"
Harm looked up at Jack. He stopped working. "The nightmares?" Jack nodded, his eyes full of brotherly concern. "Before we came here they happened multiple times a night." Harm looked at his boots. "I had thought it had stopped."
Jack mumbled something. Harm could tell that nightmares hadn't even occurred to him. Aftereffects from her time in the cellar were unexpected to her family. "Anything else?"
The wind blew some of the hay around. "She couldn't be near strangers. That was why they didn't want to give her back her job." Harm sighed. "Every lawyer has to deal with men, but JAG lawyers, these men are often brutal."
Jack winced. "That must have been hard to tell her."
"Well the doctor did the telling, I did the yelling." He grimaced. "Big mess-up on my part." Jack nodded.
"She going to be okay then?"
Harm hesitated. "Doctors say she can be. She refuses to talk about what happened. I mentioned a therapist…" Harm drifted off.
Her brother face changed, "No therapists."
"Meg and I came to the same agreement. Don't worry." Seems the whole family hated therapists. Well, if only he could sort this whole mess out. Harm ran a hand through his hair. Sometimes he felt so very useless.
Jack watched Harm. "She loves you."
Words couldn't describe the shock. Hope. "Does she?" Harms let the feeling dwindle. "She knows I love her. Read a letter that I wrote. But she hasn't said anything."
Jack grinned at Harm. "I know my sister. This whole leaving thing is what has her upset. My mother agrees with me."
"I know she was very vocal about it this morning."
Both boys grinned. Jack smiled. "She has only one daughter, she can be a little overprotective."
"A little?" Harm said overdramatically. Both smiled.
"Anyway, the real question is how much do you love her?"
It was a hard question. Harm thought a while. "Enough to wait until she is ready. I love her enough to leave her if that is her wish." Harm's eyes grew pained. "And that would be hard, giving Meg up." Jack smiled. "But I want her to be happy."
The big brother in Jack was very satisfied. "Then I better leave you two alone."
"What?" Jack pointed behind him.
Meg smiled nervously from the door of the barn. "Hiya Harm."
