Author's Note: My thanks for all the wonderful feedback. It give me the motivation to get new chapters out as quickly as I can, knowing there are people enjoying my work and waiting on the next part.

November 21, 2003

JAG Headquarters – Falls Church, Virginia

1758 Eastern

Harm got up from behind his desk and picked up the two full file boxes, containing all of the reviews for the cases that Commander Imes had been responsible for. He had finished the last review only minutes before and was now prepared to hand them back to the Admiral. Having a goal had definitely helped and while he was extremely tired, he was also ecstatic. Harm planned to spend the weekend with Mattie and was planning to drive down to Blacksburg as soon as he was finished here.

Walking through the bullpen, Harm entered the Admiral's antechamber. Coates had obviously secured for the day, so Harm knocked on the door and waited for a response.

"Enter!"

Harm carefully opened the door and walked into the room. Approaching the Admiral's desk, he placed the boxes on one of the chairs, then came to attention.

"I've completed all the case reviews concerning Commander Imes, Sir," Harm reported.

AJ just raised a silent eyebrow as he looked from Harm to the boxes, then back.

"I'm certainly impressed, Commander. I fully expected that to take at least another week."

"Thank you, Sir."

AJ chose to remain silent, wondering if Harm would turn matters to his release. Unfortunately for the Admiral, Harm had already elected to say nothing in the direction. So it was that the two men just silently looked at each other, both waiting for the other to begin. Only when the silence became uncomfortable did the Admiral speak.

"I'll forward your recommendations to both the CNO and the IG for their review and consideration, Commander. Dismissed."

"Aye, aye, Sir," Harm said, snapping back to attention before executing an about-face and leaving the office.

AJ was left to wonder if perhaps Harm was beginning to accept being back at JAG. He certainly hoped that that was the case. While the man was certainly not a team player and definitely controlled by his emotions, AJ also grudgingly realized that it was those very qualities that had made Harm the lawyer he was. He went out of his way to protect the innocent and find the guilty, often at great risk to his life and career. Truthfully, it just wasn't the same without Harm here.

Harm, on the other hand, wasn't giving JAG or Admiral Chegwidden a second thought right now. As soon as he'd left the Admiral's office, he'd headed directly for his office. Grabbing his cover and briefcase, he then went straight past the elevators and took the stairs down. Putting his cover on as he exited the building, Harm made right for the Corvette and practically peeled rubber racing out of the parking lot. An overnight bag was already in the small trunk of the car, so he headed straight for Interstate 66 and the long drive to Blacksburg.

November 22, 2003

Blacksburg Airport – Blacksburg, Virginia

0858 Eastern

Harm smiled as he got out of the Corvette and saw Mattie sitting on the bed of the old pickup. Mattie just waited until he got close, then launched herself into his arms. The pair of them spent the next several minutes just hugging each other, not caring at the sight they must have presented to anyone passing by. Finally, Harm unwrapped his arms from around the teen and held her out at arm's length, giving her a careful appraisal.

"How are you, Boss?" Harm asked.

"A thousand percent better now that you're finally back here. What are we going to do today?" Mattie asked.

"Well, we've got a few things to do this weekend. First, we need to look for someplace for us to live. We also need to talk about the business and my being on active duty. And then there's the matter of a celebration I remember promising you."

"What do you mean, talk about the business?"

"Mattie, right now I'm in the Navy. I don't know when I'll be released from active duty and until I am, I'm stationed in Falls Church. The drive from there to here is just too much for a daily commute. So, I think we need to discuss options for the business. Now, I've had an official check sent to the bank holding the loan against the house and business, so the company is totally debt free other than current expenses. As I see it, there are several options available. Firstly, we can close the business but keep the hangers and planes. Basically mothball Grace Aviation until you're 18 and can legally run the company. We'd have to come out and fly the planes, also make sure we keep up on their maintenance so they're in good shape."

"That would cost a lot of money, though," Mattie cut in. "Like I told you, the business is in good shape, but it only stays that way all long as the planes are bringing in money. Planes just sitting on the ground are money losers, Harm."

"Yeah, I know that, Boss," Harm told her with a smile. "It's not an ideal solution, but it does allow you to get back to school and get an education. Option two would be to find someone we can trust to run Grace Aviation for you. My worries with that approach are the distances involved. It would have to be someone we could absolutely trust not to rob you blind or run the company into the ground."

"I don't know anybody I'd be willing to trust like that."

"Well, I may have a few ideas in that regard, some people I could talk to. If you want to do that, I can make some calls. Option three would be to move the business somewhere closer to Washington, where we'll be living for the moment. The problems with that idea are a few, though. If your father comes back and is given custody, you'd have to move all over again. Also, there's no guarantee the customers you currently have would want you if you move too far away and there would be the added time and fuel cost associated with the longer flights to get down here."

"I don't like that idea, Harm. This is where home is, at least for me. My mom's house is here, my friends," Mattie said quietly.

"I know, Mattie. But the deal with the guardianship is that I take care of you and I can't really do that if you're living in Blacksburg and I'm in Washington. Now, if you want to live down here when I get released from the Navy, that's something I would be more than agreeable to. But, I don't know when that will be, so we need to at least be thinking about this. Fortunately, winter's almost here, so we've got some time before we need to actually do anything."

Harm looked over at Mattie, who was trying to cover her dismay at the prospect of leaving everything she knew. So, Harm decided to do the only thing he could think off, wrapping an arm around her and gently pulling her to him. The pair of them sat that way for several minutes, with Harm quietly passing strength and comfort to the teen.

"Mattie, have you thought about what you'd like to do to celebrate?" Harm asked softly.

"Well, you could let me drive that Corvette of yours," Mattie replied with a grin.

"That is definitely not going to happen. Be serious, Mattie."

"Alright, you could take me flying, I suppose. Your Stearman is already out and gassed up, Harm."

Harm just grinned at the teen, before leading her over to the airplane. Mindful of his passenger, he took his time with the preflight checks. Only when he was assured that everything was right did he load Mattie into the front cockpit, before settling into the rear one. Calling the tower, he quickly got permission to taxi to the active runway and then take off.

Once they were safely in the air, Harm headed northwest for a while, just flying away from the airport. Mattie for her part, just relaxed and enjoyed the feeling of the wind in her face. It was only when they were well away from the airport that Harm began to play with the Stearman. He started with a roll to the right, followed quickly by another to the left before pulling up into a steep climb that turned into a stall. Dropping from the sky, he let the speed build back up before recovering and then performing a loop.

Mattie's shrieks of joy could be plainly heard for the intercom and Harm laughed.

"Hey, Boss," Harm called to her. "Have you ever flown before?"

"Sure."

"No, have YOU ever FLOWN?"

Mattie caught the emphasis and realized what Harm was actually asking.

"No, I haven't," Mattie said.

"Do you want to?"

"SURE!"

"Alright, Mattie. Take the stick, it's your airplane," Harm told her.

Mattie grabbed the stick and once he felt her pressure on it, Harm released his hold. The plane wallowed through the sky as Mattie fought to control it. Harm made sure to keep aware of their surroundings and seeing there were no airplanes anywhere near them, he left the teen to figure things out. Eventually the plane seemed to become more stable as Mattie learned to be gentle in her control inputs. It was when Mattie tried a turn that Harm realized she must have been watching the controls while he had been the one flying. While the turn wasn't as smooth as the ones that he had done, it was a turn and it brought a smile to Harm's face.

Finally, it was time to head back to the airport and Harm resumed control of the Stearman. Landing was never an easy task with an old tail-dragger and Harm settled for his usual front two wheels down first, then gently lowered the tail wheel. Taxiing quickly over to the hanger, he shut down the engine and then leaned back into the seat for a moment, feeling the old familiar euphoria that came from flying.

Unstrapping himself, Harm climbed from the rear cockpit and helped Mattie with her seatbelts. Once she was free, he stepped down to the tarmac and waited for her to join him. Seeing the expression on her face, he elected to keep quiet and just enjoy the moment.

"That was so awesome, Harm!" Mattie cried as she launched herself at him.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it, Mattie," was Harm's reply, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

"That was miles beyond simple enjoyment. I mean, I've been flying before, but that was just someone flying me. This, this was me flying. When can we do it again? Tomorrow?"

"Well, if you enjoyed it that much, I suppose we could do it again some time."

"Please, Harm?" Mattie begged.

"Oh, God. I think I've created a monster," Harm moaned, while leading Mattie away from the plane towards the Corvette. Harm knew that they still had a lot to do this weekend, starting with looking at some houses that would be suitable for the two of them. Last night, while at the hotel, he had spent a couple of hours thinking about what he wanted and needed from a potential house. Then, he'd considered what Mattie might like. Now, they would go and look at some houses that he felt had potential.

Sycamore Street – Falls Church, Virginia

1737 Eastern

Harm and Mattie stepped out of the Corvette and looked at the sign in the front yard. This was the third house they had stopped at today and Harm had decided that it would be the last. The previous two, while looking great on paper, had not been what he was looking for in a house. The first house had been huge, far too much for just him and Mattie, even if he had his mom and Frank visit along with his Grandmother. The second house was musty and made him worried about the potential for mold or other issues, so they hadn't stay too long at either.

Fortunately, that meant that there was still time for the open house that was advertised for this property. Harm had actually had it on his list to see tomorrow, but they'd been in the neighborhood and he'd elected to stop today rather than wait. As they walked up to the front door, they were greeted by a smiling young woman who held the door open for them.

"Please, take a look around and let me know if you have any questions," she told them, allowing Harm and Mattie to find their own way.

The pair went upstairs first, with Harm leading the way. Looking out back, he was slightly disappointed in the seeming lack of a backyard. Yet, he could see the beginnings of a smile on Mattie's face. The master bedroom had an attached bath, while a second bath was situated about halfway down the hall for the other three bedrooms. The walls were all freshly painted in neutral colors and the carpeting was also fairly new or newly professionally cleaned.

It was when they were walking through the downstairs that Harm began to be sold on the property. The kitchen was well laid out and the appliances were professional grade, while both the dining room and family room directly connected to it. But it was when he looked out the back door that Harm realized why the backyard was lacking, for there was a four car garage taking up most of the space between the house and the fence line.

Harm was also happy to see that there was a downstairs bedroom as well as both a full bathroom and a half bath. That would certainly be useful as a potential guest room. He turned to look for Mattie, only to see her disappearing into the basement. Following her down, he was happily surprised to find that the basement was fully finished, with a laundry room at one end along with a separate room for the hot water heater and furnace. Going over to take a look at them, he saw that they were both natural gas, which he felt was a plus.

Coming back out into the basement, Harm saw that Mattie was excitedly rocking from foot to foot. Obviously, she had liked the house but he still needed to talk with the realtor about the property before he was willing to make a decision. So, taking a hold of Mattie by the shoulders, he guided her to the stair and also attempted to calm her down.

Once back on the first floor of the house, Harm led the way to the entryway, where the young lady in question was clearly waiting for them. It was only then that Harm remembered when the open house was scheduled to end at. A glance at his watch showed they were almost forty minutes past that time, bringing a guilty look to his face, one the realtor saw and noted.

"It's quite all right, Sir," she said smoothly. "Take all the time you need to look around."

"We're pretty well finished looking, but I was wondering if you happen to have the property tax information for the house. Also, what school district we would be in," Harm replied, looking over at Mattie when he asked about the schools.

"Of course. Let me get you a copy of the prospectus, all the information should be there."

The realtor quickly left them and was back in a moment with several papers stapled together. Handing them to Harm, she waited while he read through the information. For his part, Harm slowly read through the document, which did answer almost every question that he'd had as well as several he hadn't really thought about. Seeing the price, he carefully hid a smile, knowing that the price was slightly at the higher end of the range he'd set for himself. Still, he could definitely afford it and was certain that he wouldn't lose money on the deal.

"What would be the time frame on closing?" Harm asked.

"It would depend on you, Sir. The owner moved out last month, his job transferred him to California. So the house is vacant and ready to move in," was her reply.

"Well, I can have a cashier's check ready by Tuesday, subject to a home inspection."

"The owner has already had two done and I can give you copies of those, if you wish. Both companies are ones that we've used in the past and rated A+ by the Better Business Bureau."

Harm frowned slightly at that. He wasn't entirely keen on accepting an inspection done by the home owner, because the companies may have not reported issues that could have hurt the seller's interests. Still, Harm had seen the quality of the home during his walk through.

"Well, Mattie, what do you think?"

"I really like this house, Harm. It reminds me of my mother's house," Mattie told him, a smile reaching from ear to ear.

"Then I guess we'll just have to buy it," Harm said with a grin, before turning to the realtor. "I'll have to work on Tuesday, so would it be all right if we do the closing that evening?"

"Absolutely, Sir. Would here at 6:30 be a good time?" she asked, trying to cover her shock at the swiftness of action. Most buyers wanted to haggle over the price or needed to talk with their spouse or bank. This man had simply seen something he wanted and bought it.

"That should work," Harm replied.

"If that changes for some reason, here's my card. Just call me so we can reschedule."

"Thank you very much. Come on, Mattie. Let's go get some dinner."

"Definitely. Hungry teenager here, Harm," she said with a laugh.