As always I would like to thank you all for your lovely reviews and alerts. I hope you all like this chapter :)

Chapter 24

"Right flyboy..." Mac said. "Start talking. Tell me how we got from 'Josh has to go to school' to 'stay home ...you can be home schooled' ?" Harm grinned and attempted to pull Mac into a hug.

"I had my reasons." he said when she didn't encourage his advances.

"Which are Harm? Times a ticking...those girls are going to be sitting on that sofa waiting for your answer. I hope you have one." Harm winced. He knew he was right about this. He just wasn't sure how he was going to explain it.

"Well I do." he said. "I'm not so sure I'm gonna be able to tell the girls though...Don't they just have to accept what we say...we ARE the adults?"

"There's that...and there'a also the fact that they will see it as you playing favourites."

"Hmm yeah there's that."

"Well you better tell me." she said.

JAGJAGJAGJAGJAGJAGJAG

"Time for Harm's family meeting." Chloe said.

"Not going." Mattie grumbled. Why should she. She was sick of all this. Josh was all Harm cared about now. It wasn't fair.

"Um...when he went bellowing through the house about a family meeting... I'm pretty sure that was as close to a gilt edged invitation as you're gonna get."

"Very funny." Mattie said. "He can stuff it...I'm not interested in hearing all about what's best for Josh!" Chloe grinned.

"Is that a quote?"

"Tell him what ever you want."

"Ok then...that should get the family meeting off to an electric start."

JAGJAGJAGJAGJAGJAGJAGJAG

"Josh hasn't been to school often...not much at all." Mac rolled her eyes. Mostly at herself. How could she have been so thick.

"So that's why he doesn't want to go to school..."

"That's it. So I took him to the hanger to remind him you know...of when he told me he wanted to be a pilot, when he was little. Only it turned out I was rubbing his nose in it."

"Oh Harm."

"Yeah...but I've convinced him that with a semester of home schooling, he can catch up. THEN go to regular school." Mac sat on the kitchen stool and put her head on her hands.

"Poor little thing." she said. "But Harm...how would we make this work? WE have to work...Are we smart enough to be teachers and when would we do it?"

"I don't know..." Harm said. "I haven't thought that part through... Maybe he'll have to come to JAG with us every day."

"The girls are NOT going to be happy."

"We'll make them understand."

"Oh NOW we're a we..." Mac said with a grin.

"We always have been."

JAGJAGJAGJAGJAGJAGJAGJAGJAG

"Isn't Mattie coming?" Josh asked. He had the feeling Mattie didn't like him. It really wasn't that she didn't like him...well she WAS a little pissed that he came in and took over Harm like he was his personal property.

"Cos of me?" He asked. Mattie shrugged.

"In a round about way sort of, but most of her hostility she's saving for Harm."

"Why's she mad at him?" Again Chloe shrugged but the look on her face said it all.

"Great." he said.

"Where's Mattie?" Harm asked as he came into the room.

"Not coming." Chloe said.

"Yes she is." Harm said. "Go get her would you Chloe."

"I already asked her and she said she wasn't coming."

"I'll go." Mac said.

"It won't help...she sent you a message..."

"Oh?" Harm said. This should be good, he thought. Josh nudged Chloe as discretely as he could.

"Um...she's not feeling well." he said "A headache." Harm looked from one to the other.

"Really..." he said.

"Uhhuh." Josh said. Harm glanced at Mac.

"I better go see if she needs something then." Mac said. Chloe rolled her eyes. This wasn't gonna end well, but at least it wasn't her for a change.

"No Need Mac." Josh said jumping to his feet. "I'll go see if she's well enough to come down." Mac smirked at Harm. Neither of them believed a word.

"Sit." Harm said. "Chloe? Want to give me Mattie's message?" Chloe tried not to smile, but the opportunity to mouth off and not get in trouble only came along when you were repeating..."Now?"

"She said you could stuff it." Chloe said. "She said..." She looked over at Josh and didn't finish the sentence she'd started. He'd been good to her. He'd looked out for her and she couldn't bring herself to actually say to him what Mattie had said. Mattie was jealous but she really wouldn't have meant to hurt Josh either.

"She's just joking Harm." Josh said.

"No she's not. And you'd do well to not lie to me young man." Harm said giving the young boy look that made him shift uncomfortably in his seat.

"Ok." Josh said. "Sorry." He almost let it go and then changed his mind.

"Can I go talk to her though Harm?" he said. "The reason she's not down here is cos of me. I just wanna explain." Mac touched harm's arm and nodded.

"Go on." Harm said. "Tell her she has five minutes or I'M coming up to get her."

"Kay." Josh said before taking the stairs two at a time. He had no idea what he was gonna say when he got there but he had to try.

"So kids..." Chloe said with a grin. "It's just the three of us...anyone know any jokes?" Harm chuckled.

"Why don't you go get a drink or somethin to eat while we're waiting."

"Ok then." Chloe said. "Guess I know when I'm not wanted.." she grinned. "No makin out in here...you never know when the kids might pop back in..." Harm went to give her a whack but she dodged him and giggled at her own joke.

Harm pulled Mac in for a hug. "Do ya think we did the right thing...letting Josh try to work it out with Mattie?" Mac leaned up and kissed him.

"Who knows...I think playing it by ear is about all we can do here." she said. "This whole family thing certainly is a roller coaster..."

"That it is." Harm said deepening the kiss... "It has it's exciting moments..."

"Hmmm. Would that be the bits that involve us kids?" Chloe asked with a twinkle in her eye. She'd snuck back in unnoticed with a tub of yogurt and plonked on the sofa again.

"Ever heard of knocking Miss?"

"Yes...ever heard of getting a room?"

JAGJAGJAGJAGJAGJAGJAGJAG

"Go away!" Mattie said when she heard the knock on the door. Josh sighed. He didn't know what to do really but his only other choice was to go back down and Tell Mac and Harm that Mattie wouldn't talk...then Mattie would get in trouble again and she'd blame him even more. He opened the door and stepped quietly inside. "What do YOU want?" Mattie muttered.

"Nothing." Josh said. "I just...I wanted to talk is all."

"Yeah well I don't feel like talking so..."

"Look...I know you're not exactly thrilled with me being here." Mattie shrugged.

"It's not EXACTLY you." she said honestly. She wasn't a horrible person she didn't want him to have to go live on the streets again or anything.

"No?" he said with a smirk. "You're doing a pretty good impression of a person that's pissed off about something."

"Well that's because I AM pissed."

"What about?"

"It's complicated."

"Hmmm. Well why don't you break it down and make it really simple for me."

"I'm NOT against having you as ...well as a brother."

"Ok..." Josh wasn't seeing the problem here. "Then what ARE you against?" Mattie didn't answer. "Mattie?"

"Harm treats you different than he treats us."

"Us as in you and Chloe?"

"YES!" Mattie shouted. "NOW Chloe says you're getting HOME SCHOOLED!"

"Ahhh that." Josh said, realisation hitting him all of a sudden like a ton of bricks.

"Yes that!" Mattie said. "While you're home doing your work whenever you feel like it...we'll be at REAL school, getting homework and detention and getting told what we can and can't wear..."

"So I guess then that Harm didn't tell you the reason huh?"

"Nope...I guess that's what his stupid family meeting was about...to explain...why it is that you need special privileges."

"This school thing isn't about special privileges."Josh said. "And it's only for one semester."

"Hmmpfft." Mattie huffed.

"Really...Mattie...I'm behind. A long way behind." Mattie chewed her lip while she listened.

"With school?"

"Yeah...if I went to school now I wouldn't be able to keep up in my grade. I'd probably have to be in a grade with much younger kids..."

"Oh that'd suck." Mattie conceded.

"It'd more than suck...it just wouldn't happen. Would you go to school and sit in with little kids?"

"No." Mattie said with a wince. "That wouldn't happen." She shuddered. "Not at all."

"So...will you come down and listen now at least." Josh asked..Mattie rolled her eyes.

"Oh alright." she said swinging her legs off the bed. "I'll listen...but I still think you're the golden boy." Josh whacked Mattie over the head with a pillow. She smiled and tucked her foot underneath his leg effectively tripping him over.

"I'll let you have this one." Josh said.

"I took it Golden Boy." Mattie said. "You didn't let me have anything."

JAGJAGJAGJAGJAGJAGJAG

"I'm gonna have to go up there aren't I?" Harm asked.

"Give them a minute." Mac said. "Chloe I saw that." Chloe had discretely tucked the empty tub from her yogurt down the side of the cushion on the sofa.

"What?" she asked innocently.

"Go put it in the trash." Harm said. "And silverware isn't disposable it goes in the diswasher." Chloe rolled her eyes as she was forced to walk all the way back to the kitchen again.

"I'm not stupid." she said resisting the urge to poke out her tongue.

"No. Just a tad lazy." Harm said.

"More than a tad." Mac said.

"I'm truly wounded." Chloe said. "This ganging up thing is not nice."

Mattie and Josh came down the stairs and settled on the sofa.

"Nice of you to join us Mattie." Harm said with a smile. Mattie came down to what she still considered to be his stupid meeting, but her mood wasn't really much better than before. A filthy look was his only reply.

"Hey!" Chloe said when she came back from the kitchen. " You stole my seat."

"I did not." Mattie said now turning her filthy look to Mattie. "There was no one sitting here ...sit somewhere else."

"No...I was sitting there...move."

"No."

"You are such a bitch today Mattie." Chloe grouched, immediately recognising her mistake.

"Unless you sit in another chair right now...I see a bar of soap in your future." Mac said sternly.

"Bite me." she mouthed to Mattie with her back to the folks. Mattie of course responded in turn, but she was really spoiling for a fight now. She leaned over towards Chloe and flipped her the bird.

"Ok...everybody stop right now!" Harm said.

"What Harm?" Mattie said sweetly. "I was under the impression that flipping the bird wasn't against the rules anymore."

"Well you were wrong." Harm said. "So wrong." He was really starting to lose it here. His patience, his respect and any sort of order. "I realise there have been some misconceptions."

"Hmmm." Mattie said sarcastically.

"Mattie this is the last time I'm going to tell you. I'm not playing here." Harm said sternly. Mattie flushed a little with embarrassment but she was still mad. "The biggest misconception is the order of things around here."

"Not the totem pole again." Mattie said. Harm shot her a look to make her be quiet.

"Ok...here's how this is gonna go." he said. "Simply...Mac and I are the parents." Mac grinned.

"You three are the kids."

"We tell you what to do...and you do it." he said. "We make the rules...and you follow them."

"You can ask questions if there's something you don't like or you don't agree with...but the final decision rests with us."

"So that means you can decide to home school Josh and we get no say?" Chloe said.

"Yes that's right." Harm said. "Any questions about that?"

"Yes. How is it fair for Josh to stay home and have fun while we have to go to school?" Chloe asked.

"It's fair because it's only for one semester. During that time he will be supervised at all times and have to catch up more than a years worth of work." Harm said. "You've all come from different circumstances and sometimes that has to be a consideration. And because that's what the adults have decided is the best AND FINAL decision."

"How come it's ok for Josh to flip the bird and no one else?" Mattie asked.

"That isn't ok for Josh or any of you." Harm said. "Josh had one get out of free jail card and he used it.
"Where's my get out free card?" Mattie asked.

"You just used it honey or you'd be sucking a bar of soap right now." Mac said.

"So I still have one up my sleeve..." Chloe mused.

"I guess you do." Harm said mentally kicking himself. Mac started coughing to cover the laughter that nearly bubbled out of her mouth.

"Now...after dinner I'm gonna post a set of rules up on the fridge. I'm sure you'll all look at them often."

"So...same punishments for everyone?" Mattie asked.

"Yep."

"Good." Mattie said.

"Now can I have a hug?" Harm asked. Mattie walked into Harm's outstretched arms.

"Hey what about me?" Chloe asked. Harm waved her over.

"Group hug!" he yelled. They all fell into a quick group hug after Mac propelled a reluctant Josh into the throng.

"This is so lame." he said with a giant smile.

"Harm when you write the rules.." Chloe asked.

"Yes Chloe..." he said. This outta be good, he thought.

"Make sure you put on the bottom that CHLOE HAS A GET OUT OF JAIL FREE card." Harm rolled his eyes. That was gonna end badly, he could just feel it.

TBC