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Thank you also to GibbsFan who had a little input into this chapter :)
I hope you all enjoy this chapter :)
Chapter 23
As Harm pulled the car up to Andrews Airfield Base, Josh winced. NOW he knew what Harm was doing.
Harm unclicked his seatbelt but noticed that Josh didn't move.
"Come on." he said. "Let's take a walk." Josh shook his head.
"S'ok." he said. "I'll wait here."
"Why?" Harm said. You LOVE this place."
"LOVED..." Josh said. "Past tense."
"Really..." Harm said. "Get out of the car...I'm not asking."
Josh begrudgingly unclicked his belt and ever so slowly opened the door.
"It won't work." he said. He hoped that what he said was true but he knew it wasn't...he couldn't help but be affected by this place. His heart beat faster and his senses were all sharpened, the closer he got to the hanger. The smell, the sound, the very essence of this place screamed the past and it hurt ...physically hurt. "I wanna wait in the car."
"Not unless you tell me why." Harm said.
"Because."
"That's one word...it won't do it Josh." Harm could see the hurt the young boy was feeling and he hated doing this but he had to know what the problem was here. He'd thought this would help...Josh had stopped in his tracks...just short of actually entering the hanger.
"Please Harm..."
"What...? What is it?"
"It hurts too much..." Josh said. Harm immediately pulled him into his arms.
"What does...? Your Dad?" Harm could have slapped himself. What had he been thinking? He dragged the kid in here to rub in his face the loss of his father...
JAGJAGJAGJAGJAGJAGJAGJAG
"Let me get this straight..." Mattie said. "We're here unpacking and 'straightening' this place that we're now sharing...while Josh has gone on some kind of trip down memory lane?" Chloe smiled. This was great. She loved when this pissed side of Mattie surfaced.
"Uhhuh." Chloe said. "SOOO Unfair."
"It's more than unfair..." she said flopping on her bed with her arms folded. "Well I'm NOT doing it."
"You go girl...go on strike." Chloe said sarcastically, until she had a chance to really think about it. New school...new friends...the last thing she needed was to be grounded.
"I will." Mattie said. Turning on her side for a nap. Chloe tried to shake her awake.
"You know...this might not be such a great idea." she said. "Mattie?"
"Not listening."
"You're serious!" Chloe said. "Come on Mattie..." She looked around at the mess and knew that Mac was gonna be anything but pleased. She needed to get back in the good books again.
"Well I guess I'll have to do it on my own then."
"Guess so." Mattie said. She was NOT in the mood for being made to feel guilty. This was after all HER room. She wasn't gonna have Chloe tell her what to do as well as Harm and Mac...
"Well I'm not!" Chloe said. She'd had no intention of cleaning this up by herself, she'd only said it to guilt Mattie into helping.
"Then don't!"
"Get UP!" Chloe yelled before pounding Mattie with a pillow.
"Make me!"
The door flung open and Mac stalked in.
"What's all this yelling about?" she asked, her hands on hips.
"Mattie won't help." Chloe tattled. Very mature, Mattie thought.
"Oh? Is that true Mattie?"
"I'm trying to sleep here." she said.
"She is not!" Chloe said. "She just doesn't wanna do it."
"Mattie get up and start cleaning this room."
"No." Mattie said. It was mostly Chloe's stuff anyway...well except for the stuff she'd left when she was packing to go away...and for a few other things. Anyway...she'd clean it when she had a mind to. Mac moved in closer.
"What did you say?"
"Um...pretty sure I said NO." Mattie repeated with a little extra sass besides. Mac narrowed her eyes. She sooo doesn't want to go there.
"Right. I'm not going to tell you again..."
"Good...cos I'm tired of hearin you say it." Mac raised her hand and brought it down on Mattie's bottom hard several times.
"Watch your sass Mattie." she said. "Now get up and clean this mess up...now." Mattie slowly got up not giving Mac the pleasure of seeing her rub the sting out. She did narrow her eyes.
"I'd do as I was told if I were you. I don't think Harm's gonna be too happy as it is... is he?"
JAGJAGJAGJAGJAGJAGJAGJAG
"No Harm..." Josh said. "You don't get it...you think I don't remember my own dream... you think I needed you to remind me? I can't do it..." Harm was confused.
"Why not?"
"I'm dumb Harm...stupid... I can't remember the last time I was in school properly."
"Ohhh Josh..." he said. "You think you're too behind to catch up?"
"I KNOW I am...I'm not gonna go to school and be the biggest dumbest kid in class."
"You won't have to be." Harm said. "We'll help you to catch up." Josh rolled his eyes...why couldn't it just be left alone.
"It's too much."
"How hard would you be willing to work to achieve your dream?"
"If I believed in magic...then hard...real hard."
"Well then that's what we'll do." Harm said. "I have to talk to Mac...but I'm thinking that maybe...with some tutoring and a semester of intense home schooling, we could catch you up in no time, and then you could go to regular school and eventually...the Academy." For the first time since he'd found him, Josh had a light in his eyes. It wasn't exactly burning desire, but it was the start...Harm could finally see a glimmer of hope sparking there.
"First thing we have to do is get you tested. See just how far behind you are."
OK I guess." Josh said. He wanted to believe it was possible, he really did... "Can I still go in there and have a quick look?"
"Sure you can." Harm said. "Take a seat up in there...close your eyes and ask yourself will the work be worth it."
JAGJAGJAGJAGJAGJAGJAGJAG
Mattie got up and begrudgingly started picking up... her bravado put on hold...but when Mac had left and closed the door behind her, and when Mattie judged her to be out of earshot, she threw a shoe at the door.
"Dumb bi..." she started.
"Hey!" Mac yelled through the door. "I'm not that far away!" Chloe collapsed onto her bed in a fit of the giggles until the next shoe hit her.
Mac blew out a breath in frustration as she reached the bottom step, just as Harm and Josh arrived.
"Tag." she said.
"They been giving you a hard time?" he asked.
"Not they..."
"Chloe strikes again..." Josh said with a smirk.
"No actually it was Mattie this time...she's in a foul mood." Harm frowned. It'd been a while since Mattie had had a meltdown...
"What's the problem?"
"I asked her to clean up and apparently she didn't feel like it." Harm listened knowing it had to be more than that... Mac explained with great gusto right down to something being thrown at the door. Harm pulled her into a hug.
"I'll talk to her." he said.
"Yeah well make sure you duck."
Harm knocked on the door of the girls room. "Everyone decent?" he asked.
"Yeah." Chloe said. Mattie again was feigning sleep. She didn't feel like talking to Harm at the moment. Besides Mac had already smacked her. As far as she was concerned the subject was closed.
"Hey Chlo." he said. "Could you give us a minute?"
"Yeah sure...where's Josh?"
"Downstairs a few minutes ago."
"Ok. Chloe went in search of a snack and some company, grateful for once that she wasn't the one in trouble.
Harm sat on the edge of the bed and patted Mattie gently.
"I know you're not asleep."
"I might be." she said.
"Uhhuh." Mattie slowly sat up, making no attempt to brush the hair from her eyes.
"You wanna tell me what the problem is?" he said.
"Not really." Mattie said grumpily. "I'm just sick of being bossed around all the time."
"I'm sorry honey but that's how the totem pole works."
"Of course you're gonna say that...you perceive yourself to be at the top."
"Well not by myself...Mac's up there with me." Mattie rolled her eyes.
"Of COURSE she is..." she said sarcastically. "How about you tell me something I don't know...really..."
"Anything...but watch your mouth cos you are so, so close to being in REALLY big trouble."
"Sorry."
"Ok...now...what's the question?"
"Where's Josh fit on this totem pole?" Harm looked at Mattie's face...she was jealous.
Chloe found Josh and Mac in the kitchen. Mac was starting on dinner and Josh was in the middle of constructing a tower of a sandwich.
"Oooh that looks good." Chloe said deciding to join him. She started building her own version as she spoke.
"So...where'd ya go with Harm?" she asked.
"Andrew's Airfield Base." he said around the first bite of his sandwich.
"Oh?" she asked.
"Yeah...I always wanted to be a pilot...like my Dad." he said. "Harm thought by reminding me of that it might make me want to go back to school."
"We get to decide whether or not to go to school?" Chloe asked with a twinkle in her had been quietly listening.
"No honey you don't." she said.
"Well actually, Harm said that I could probably be home schooled until I catch up..." Mac's eyes widened as the enormity of what Josh had just said hit her...
"NO WAY!" Chloe said with outrage.
"Hold off until I talk to Harm." Mac said with a panicked expression, she had a bad felling about this. Josh took a bite of his sandwich. That's what Harm had said.
Josh fits on exactly the same level as you. Mattie scoffed.
"I'm sure he does." she spat. Harm frowned.
"Mattie you don't have any need to be jealous of Josh."
"I'm not."
"You obviously are..."
"What ever." Mattie said.
"I'm gonna tell you one more time and then your' not gonna like what happens if you don't lose your attitude Mattie. AND, as far as that goes...I'm not impressed about the way you treated Mac today. Consider yourself grounded for a week..."
"I told you Harm..." Mattie whined. "It wasn't fair."
"If you think something isn't fair then you have to speak not be rude."
"Fine." Mattie said. She realised that she'd just avoided getting a spanking and she wasn't going to push her luck.
" Now...I'm giving you the opportunity here to tell me what your problem is so I can help you to understand...please...just talk to me."
"It isn't fair. You spanked us and you didn't spank Josh and then we had to stay here and clean up while you took JOSH out for some BOY time."
"Ok...you are way off mark there." he said. "I didn't spank Josh because his behaviour came from deeper stuff. Stuff that he had believed to be true for a long time. He didn't trust me Mattie and I understood that and had to get HIM to understand the truth."
"That sounds like an excuse to play favours."
"It isn't..but you're just gonna have to trust me hon, I have EVERYONE'S best interests at heart."
"What about today then...?"
"Today was about me reminding Josh about something. I needed to find a way to get him to WANT to go back to school."
"Did it work?" she asked, genuinely interested. Before he could answer, the door hit the wall and Chloe stood in the doorway.
Harm's head was hurting and he squeezed the bridge of his nose.
"You should knock Chloe..." he said. "You're interrupting."
"This couldn't wait." Mattie was intrigued to see what had happened now.
"Ok...what happened?" Harm asked.
"It's not what HAS happened it's what's GOING to happen." she shouted. "How come Josh gets to be home schooled?"
Mattie glared at Harm with anger simmering in her eyes. THIS was the final straw.
"Mattie...there's more to the story than you realise..." he tried to explain.
"So it's true?" Chloe demanded, loudly.
"Chloe...go and wait downstairs." Harm said. Chloe turned on her heel and stormed out.
"Mattie..."
"Save it Harm."
Harm was at a loss...he had monumentally messed this up and he had no idea how to fix it. BUT, fix it he must...there was nothing else for it.
Okay...he said as he walked through the house. Family meeting in ten minutes in the FAMILY room." he yelled.
Finally he got to the kitchen and found Mac. She was obviously not too pleased and he didn't blame her.
"Hi." he said.
"Seems you've had an even more eventful day than I have?" she said.
"I did tell him I'd have to talk it over with you first."
"Uhhuh."
"This is a bit of a mess isn't it?"
"Seems that way..."
"So what do we do?...I called a family meeting..." Mac chuckled. "You have some stuff to learn about girls Harm."
"Yeah... I'm getting that."
"So...what...can I fix this?"
"Of course you can." she said. "But you have ten minutes until your meeting to tell me why on earth you think it's a good idea for Josh to be home schooled..."
TBC