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Chapter 31

"Harm?" Chloe asked. She'd been the elected one to ask. She WAS the baby after all. Sort of.

"Yes honey."

"Can we go to church tomorrow?" she asked. Harm looked at Mac and she shrugged.

"I guess so. Is there a reason? Are you worried about something."

"No." Chloe said with a sigh. "No not really."

"Are you sure?" Mac asked a little more intuitively.

"Does there have to be something wrong for me to want to go to church?" she asked, her hurt expression formed perfectly on her angel face.

"Of course not." Mac said. "But usually if we suggest church you suddenly get an attack of some exotic disease."

"I'm not a heathen Mac." she said testily.

"No." Harm said. "But you are a typical teenager that would rather spend half of Sunday in bed given the chance."

"I NEED to be closer to God Harm!" she wailed.

"Ok ok." Harm said holding his hands up in mock salute. "If you don't want to tell me what's wrong..."

"I can't tell." Chloe said looking at Harm out of the corner of her eye.

Mac rolled her eyes. Now she was SURE something was up. Still she couldn't wait to hear the rest of this dramatic story.

"You can tell me anything." Harm said. "But you better tell me quickly cos I didn't fall down in the last hail storm."

Mac giggled. She was somewhat relieved, she actually was starting to believe he was falling for it. His smile told her that he wasn't even close to believing a word their dramatic one said.

"Pardon?" she said innocently.

"Spill." Harm said dryly.

"Oh all right." Chloe said. "It's just. This is so hard Harm. I don't want to hurt your feelings."

"I'll survive Chlo I swear."

"OK. I'm a little worried about our souls." she said in a whisper.

"Oh really." Harm whispered back. Half of him wanting to smile and the other half frowning.

Oh Brother! Mac thought.

"Uh huh." Chloe said. Her eyes even huger than usual.

"And why all of a sudden is your soul in such danger?"

"Can I talk to you alone?" she whispered.

Harm looked at Mac and she gave him a minuscule nod.

"Come on." Harm said getting up to go outside, Chloe hot on his heels.

When they'd settled themselves on the porch he patted her leg.

"Ok. What's all this about?" he asked.

"Well." Chloe said. "I'm a bit worried about the fact that you and Mac aren't married."

Harm's head shot up. He hadn't expected that.

"That worries you?" he asked.

"Kind of." she answered. I mean not REALLY worried. I don't think anything. I'm not ashamed of you or anything."

"Oh thanks." Harm said with a crooked grin. "I'm so pleased."

"But it's not really about what we kids think."

"Uh huh." Harm said.

"No. It's about what GOD thinks." Harm ran a hand over his face.

"I'll take what you've said on board." he said a little more crisply than he meant to.

Chloe got up and went to go inside but he yanked on her sweater and she turned. "Sorry if I made you mad." she said.

"You didn't." Harm said pulling her into a hug. Truth is he hadn't thought of he and Mac being a bad influence but it was something to think about. "You can go and tell the others that the message has been received." he added with a grin.

"Um.."

"Save it." he said. "Oh and I think church tomorrow would be an excellent idea."

"Not if you don't want to." Chloe said. After all church was a means to an end. If it wasn't necessary...

"I want to." Harm said. "In fact I think we should go every week."

JAGJAGJAGJAGJAGJAG

Mattie and Josh were laying on Mattie's bed watching TV waiting for Chloe to come back and tell them how she did.

She winced. "You want the good news or the bad news?" she asked.

"The bad news." Josh and Mattie said together.

Chloe plonked herself on the end of the bed. "You know you teo told me to make him feel guilty. You didn't tell me exactly what to say."

"Oh God...we're not gonna like it are we?" Mattie asked.

"Probs not." Chloe said. "But it won't be so bad."

"Chloe." Josh said trying to get her back on track.

"We're going to church tomorrow."

"Oh." Mattie said.

Josh smiled.

They both thought it was going to be worse than that. "That's not so bad." Chloe said.

"Nah, I don't mind church." Josh said.

"Good cos Harm says we're going every week." She said.

Good work Chloe." Mattie said."We may never get to sleep in on Sunday again."

"It's not that bad." Josh said. "What did you say?"

"I told Harm that we were worried about them not being married. That we were worried about all our sous."

"Well that was subtle. Not." Josh said doubling over with laughter.

"Every Sunday?" Mattie said, shaking her head. She couldn't help but smile at Chloe's dramatics though. She would have loved to have seen Harm's face.

JAGJAGJAGJAGJAGJAG

"Church tomorrow?" Harm said to Mac when he found her in their bedroom.

"Yeah sure." she said with a frown. "What's got into Chloe?"

"It was a set up." he said. "She was obviously the canary sent into the mine."

"Uh huh." Mac said with a giggle. "But what did they want?"

Harm sat on the end of the bed where she was laying. "To tell us that their souls were hanging in limbo because we're living in sin."

Mac's eyes widened. "They really think that?" she said.

Harm shrugged. "Who knows." he answered. "It is something to think about though. I guess I think of us being married already."

"Yeah."

Harm playfully ran his hand up her leg. "Would you want to marry me Mac?"

"Not because the kids want us too." she said "I think I'd like a bit more romance and thought thrown into my proposal too."

"That wasn't a proposal Mac." he said. "I know you deserve better than that. I was just thinking out loud."

"And I was just answering you out loud." she said tossing pillow at his head.

"When I do propose? You won't be able to say no."

Mac blushed. "We'll see what you can come up with Fly boy."

"Yes we will." he said.

JAGJAGJASGJAGJAGJAG

"Mattie!" Mac said for the third time. "Put that phone away at the table."

Mattie rolled her eyes. As if it wasn't bad enough that they were up at the crack of dawn on a Sunday, now she couldn't even set plans up for the afternoon. She hadn't seen Max in ages.

Mac snatched the phone and moved it away from Mattie. "Eat." she said.

Mattie spooned a mouthful of cereal into her mouth and chewed dramatically. The others ate fast, Mattie was clearly pushing it this morning and they didn't want to be involved.

"Knock it off Mattie and eat your breakfast." Harm said. "We're out of here in fifteen minutes."

"I am." she grumbled. She just wanted Max to reply. Of course he was probably asleep. EVERYONE normal was still asleep.

When they were about to leave Mac passed Mattie back her phone. "Leave it off while we're in church ok?"

"Of course." Mattie said. "That goes for all of you."

"I didn't even bring mine." Josh said. He didn't understand what the obsession was with always carrying a phone.

JAGJAGJAGJAGJAGJAG

Mattie had turned her phone off when they got out of the car like Mac had asked her to but as the second hymn started curiosity got the better of her. It had to be ten fifteen, maybe Max was up...

"I'm just going to the bathroom." she said. Mac nodded.

The second Hymn finished and the Minister started his sermon. He was a good ten minutes in when Harm realised Mattie was still missing. He looked at Mac and she nodded. He would have gone himself but he could hardly march into the ladies rest room to find her.

JAGJAGJAGJAGJAGJAG

Mattie had totally lost track of time. Max was finally up and as soon as she'd turned her phone on it bleeped several messages. She put down the lid and shut the door making herself as comfortable as possible under the circumstances to enjoy herself for the first time that day.

JAGJAGJAGJAGJAGJAG

Mac walked into the ladies room and narrowed her eyes. One of the stall doors was closed and she could hear giggling coming from within.

"Mattie?" she called.

"Um...Mac." she said. "I'll be out in a minute."

"You'll be out now!" Mac said. "Are you on the phone."

The door opened and a less than sorry looking Mattie marched out.

Mac held her hand out. "Give it to me." she said. "I specifically asked you NOT to turn it on in Church." she said.

"I didn't." Mattie said.

"Pass it over Mattie." Mac said. "Seeing as how you can't resist the temptation for an hour, I'll keep it until after church."

"I'll leave it off." Mattie said.

"You told me you'd leave it off before." Mac said. "Come on, they'll send out a search party for us."

Mattie moved passed her without making any attempt to hand over the phone.

"Mattie?" Mac said holding her hand out as Mattie passed her.

"Are you serious?"

"Very."

"You suck." Mattie said tossing her treasured possession to Mac as she walked past. "Ass." she added under her breath.

Mattie jumped a mile high when Mac's hand connected hard with her skirt covered backside.

"Oww!" she yelped.

"Watch your mouth, AND your attitude." she said.

"Sorry." Mattie said begrudgingly as the two made their way back inside.

TBC