Duty of Care

by byrhthelm

A sequel to 'London', in which Harm and Catherine and Mattie face up to the challenge of adopting Susan and Simon. H Rabb/C Gale/M Grace-Rabb

2. Chapter 2

Duty of Care

Chapter 2

Harmon Rabb really enjoyed his weekends these days. After the tussles at work, trying to juggle too many tasks among too few attorneys, the chance to kick back and relax with his family was something he really relished.

In the nature of things, Saturdays weren't quite as restful as Sundays, there was grocery shopping to do – a chore Harm really hated, but was necessary. And only once that had been completed could he sit back and enjoy his family. Mattie of course was growing more and more into a young lady every day, Beth had finally, thank God, finished teething and seemed to be developing into a sunny-natured child, although both Harm and Catherine were well aware that the 'terrible twos' lay only a few months into the future.

And of course he and Catherine still had temporary care of the liddlies, Susan and Simon. The application for adoption had gone to CPS in Virginia, as had an informal letter to Donna Le Moyne, who had been Mattie's Guardian ad Litem for her adoption and so far there had been no response from across the Atlantic. This morning's mail, however, included an official looking envelope addressed to Harm and bearing the return address of Virginia CPS.

Catherine and Mattie watched with interest as Harm sliced open the envelope and pulled out its contents, and began to read. His brow knitted at one point and the two women of his family shared a quick, anxious glance, before Harm's expression cleared and he gave a grunt of satisfaction.

"Well?" Catherine asked as Harm folded the letter and slid back into the envelope.

"Oh… You'd better read this as well," he said with a slightly embarrassed grin, "But it's not all bad news, in fact it's pretty neutral in most ways, but with a slight positive twist."

"How so?" Mattie demanded.

"Well, Virginia CPS have agreed in principle that because Susan and Simon – yes, you two!" he shot a grin across the table to where the liddlies, with varying degrees of success on Simon's part were attempting to cope with eggs and toast, "are the children of US citizens and that because their father was an active duty officer and that JAG HQ is in Virginia, that they, the Virginia CPS, are competent to handle the adoption process. However, they have laid down certain stipulations. Firstly they are not too happy about having Donna LeMoyne testify to our suitability as adoptive parents…"

"That's dumb!" Mattie exclaimed impatiently.

"Their objection is based on the amount of time that has passed since Mattie's adoption. However…" he quelled Mattie's next protest with a raised eyebrow and a meaningful glare, "They are prepared to listen to her, provided we can produce a statement from Wimbledon Social Services that would back Miss LeMoyne's statement. They also want a portfolio of photographs of the house, and a home visit report from Social Services, both to be notarised by an independent notary public. Once they have those reports and photos, then they will decide if we are suitable candidates for adoption and set a date for a court hearing in Virginia."

"Of all the nerve!" Mattie exploded.

"No, kiddo, Harm's right, it's not all bad news. They've sent a copy of this letter to Wimbledon Social Services, so everybody in the mix now knows what's to be done. What we need to do, for example, is to arrange a home inspection and an interview, and for Harm to find a notary public to authenticate the reports and photographs. That doesn't sound too bad, does it?"

"No… I s'pose…" Mattie conceded grudgingly.

"So the only worry now is the time scale. The court hearing has got to happen either in the next five months, or after ten months. And given the speed at which bureaucrats work, I'm betting that we won't hear anything on that front until it's too late for Catherine to travel, so we will then be put in a position when we'll have to ask for a continuance until after the new baby is born and is able to travel."

"Oh, won't that be fun!" Catherine exclaimed sarcastically. "A new baby, the liddlies and Beth, all cooped-up in an airplane for however many hours it will take to fly from London to… to Richmond?"

Harm shook his head, "No, our best bet is to fly to DC, although you do have a pretty good point about travelling with this mob!"

"Fun? What fun?" Susan interjected as she raised expectant eyes to Harm.

"Oh, we are all going to have to go to America on holiday," Catherine said, with a quick sideways glance at Harm and Mattie, "and we'll get to fly in a huge airplane to get there. So that will be fun and an adventure just by itself!"

"Don't like airplanes!" Susan said flatly.

"Why not, Sunshine?" Harm asked with a twinkle.

"Not Sunshine, I'm Susan!" the girl replied with a giggle that was half disguised by an exasperated sigh, "And I don't like airplanes because they make my ears hurt!"

"Well what would you say if I told you that I knew a way that would make your ears stop hurting?" Harm asked.

"I thought that had stopped through over pressurisation?" Mattie said with a puzzled frown on her face.

"It's prevented most of it, but some people, especially little people," he reached out and gently tousled Susan's hair, "Are still susceptible to pressure variation. It may be because their eardrums are still more flexible than those of adults."

"Huh… makes sense I suppose," Mattie conceded.

"You know how to make my ears stop hurting?" Susan asked suspiciously.

"Sure do," Harm smiled.

"How?" Susan demanded bluntly.

"Ah… Now, that's a secret and you're going to have to wait until the day we fly to find out!" Harm grinned at the youngster.

The look he got in return to his claim was anything but juvenile, and reminded Harm uncomfortably, of the looks Catherine gave him whenever they had one of their occasional fallings out.

"I like airplanes!" Simon interposed from across the table.

"How do you know?" Susan asked scornfully, "You were just a baby when we came here!"

"Was not!" Simon denied hotly.

"Was too!" Susan's rebuttal of Simon's statement was just as hot.

Catherine looked at Harm and saw to her annoyance that he had the beginning of smile on his face, and she cut sharply across what promised to become a full scale row between the siblings. "That's enough of that, you two! Remember what I've told you about arguing at the table!"

Susan and Simon both look abashed and had difficulty meeting Catherine's cold, blue-eyed glare and dropped their heads, "Yes, ma'am," they both mumbled, if not quite in chorus.

"And?" Catherine prompted.

This time the chorus was a little more synchronised, "Sorry, ma'am."

"So I should hope!" Catherine said, still keep an iron gaze on the two offenders. "Any more of that sort of nonsense and someone will be re-acquainting themselves with the naughty step. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Very well. If you're finished, you may get down from the table."

The liddlies scrambled down from the table with evidence of relief on their faces and almost ostentatiously quiet, made their way to the living room, where Simon scrambled onto the couch, clutching his favourite Winnie the Pooh book, while Susan busied herself at the window sill, realigning her formidable collection of Barbies.

Back at the kitchen table Mattie made a valiant effort to fight down her giggles and merely said, in a mock admiring voice, "Wow! Way to go, Mom!"

"Well, somebody had to," Catherine replied, casting a glance of loathing at Harm. "He spoils them to pieces and you're not too far behind him! Somebody's got to keep the little monsters in hand!"

"Monsters!" Beth crowed happily, and Catherine winced. She still hadn't quite got used to her daughter's propensity to pick up on new words and blurt them out at the most inappropriate times.

"Now see what you've done!" she accused a suddenly nonplussed Harm, who although not quite sure what, if anything, he had done to deserve such opprobrium, decided that his wisest course of action was to remain silent.

xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx

Catherine shrugged into her coat and looked doubtfully at Mattie, "Are you sure you can handle all three of them, given the mood that Simon and Susan were in?"

Mattie grinned, "Of course I can handle them. They've got over their anxiety separation, and if they start anything I'll just remind them as to who's got the DVDs and the computer!"

"That's blackmail!" Catherine laughed shakily.

"Hey, it works for me!" an entirely unrepentant Mattie replied cheerfully, "So you get going. The sooner you start, the sooner you'll be back!"

"Much as it grieves me to admit it, but the Squirt is right!" Harm grinned from where he stood by the front door, and then he raised his voice to be heard in the lounge, "You three be good for Mattie, and Susan, give Mattie a hand if she needs it!"

A ragged chorus of "Yes, Harm," from Susan and "Aye, aye, Skipper!" From Simon brought a smile to Catherine's face and with as much good grace as she could, she stepped out onto the front yard and leaving the gate open for Harm to close, she turned right towards the bus stop for the bus that would take them into Kingston Upon Thames.

xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx

Harm put down his four bulging carrier bags on the doorstep, while he fumbled in his slacks pocket for his keys, while Catherine, a look of determination on her face tried not to wilt under the weight of the two carrier bags she carried.

Harm unlocked the door and stepped back to let Catherine rush through to the kitchen, while he stooped to take up his burden, he was interrupted by two smaller hands grabbing two of the bags and Mattie saying, "Okay, Harm, I've got these two!"

"Thanks, Squirt!" Harm puffed as he picked up the last two bags and followed his adopted daughter into the kitchen, which was overflowing with small people, all eager to see with what Harm and Catherine had come from the stores.

Burdened as he was with the shopping, Harm could do little to deflect the onslaught as Susan grabbed him by one wrist and Simon threw his arms around Harm's leg. "Okay, okay. I get it! You're glad to see me, but let me through! Okay, people," Harm repeated, "Let the hounds see the rabbit, make a hole! Mattie, can you herd these three back into the lounge for ten minutes while we get unpacked?"

"Sure thing… Just give me a second!" she added as she poured water into the coffee percolator and plugged it into the wall socket. "I figure you need this more than a little elbow room at the moment," she grinned. "Come on, liddlies, and you Beth, give the big people some space – before they tread on you!" the last few words she uttered in a growl that caused Susan to roll her eyes, but made Simon burst into giggles, setting off Beth's crow of laughter in turn, nevertheless Mattie succeeded in returning the brood to the living room, where she took Beth on her lap, and picked up the by now battered copy of 'The Cat in the Hat', and began reading the story out loud.

Susan pretended the story was far below the dignity of a big girl like herself, and headed for the corner window and her Barbies, but Simon sat cross-legged on the floor, listening intently to the story, as did Beth, who persisted in pointing to each illustration of the eponymous feline and sternly pronouncing "Cat!" as she did so, while a quick sidelong glance towards the corner of the room showed that although Susan held one of her dolls in her hands, she was sat back on her heels, her eyes fixed on Mattie, and evidently following the story with as much interest as the two younger children

Harm listened gratefully as a peaceful silence fell on the lounge and turned to with Catherine to stow away the groceries and other items they brought back from their shopping expedition, before he gratefully sank onto one of the kitchen chairs and as gratefully accepted a mug of steaming coffee that Catherine poured just as soon as the characteristic gurgle from the percolator announced that the coffee was brewed.

Sipping at his brew and breathing a satisfied sigh, Harm looked across the table, "Do you remember, back in DC, before Mattie moved in, that an occasion like this would have called for us to share a bottle of wine?"

Catherine looked stunned for a second and then a slow grin spread across her face, "I can't believe you just said that!" she accused him.

"What?" Harm asked defensively.

"I can't believe that you have forgotten that before Mattie moved in, I was pregnant, and so if there was any wine drunk it was a solo effort on your part!"

"Oh, lord!" Harm groaned, "And I just had a mental picture of you sitting at the kitchen counter in the loft, with a glass of red in your hand, and desperately trying not laugh at one of my jokes!"

"Probably because it was so corny!" Catherine teased him, "And if I was drinking something red out of a wine glass, you can bet it was just grape juice!"

Harm shook his head, "Funny how the memory plays tricks!"

Catherine's eyes sparkled with sudden mischief, but for once Harm beat her to the punch, "And don't even think about saying it's down to old age!" he warned her, but the sternness in his voice was betrayed by the bubble of laughter hidden beneath it.

"I would dream of saying anything like that!" Catherine denied.

Harm gave his loving wife a close scrutiny and then, although not believing a word of her denial, grunted "Good! And now, for something completely different!"

"Like what?" Catherine asked with lively curiosity, resting an elbow on the table and propping her chin on her hand as she gazed wide-eyed at Harm.

"This time, do you recall me saying that with the addition of the liddlies and with the school vacation coming up, we needed a car?"

"Vaguely," Catherine agreed,

"Well… it's going to have to be a big car, a seven seater. There, the six of us already, plus whoever's hiding under that little bump of yours. And it's more than just the holidays. Look at today, a twenty minute wait for the bus. Half an hour into Kingston. An hour struggling around the store, then another wait for the bus, with my arms, and yours probably even more, feeling the strain, then another half hour on the bus and then the walk from the bus stop back here. We… you certainly… can't keep up that sort of thing, not as you grow bigger."

"That's true…" Catherine said almost dreamily.

"Think how much simpler it would make even as routine shopping trip, like today!" Harm insisted.

"Hey, don't gild the lily!" Catherine smiled, "I'm sold on the idea!"

"The only worry I've got, is once we've got a car is Mattie pestering me to teach her to drive!"

"Well you don't have to worry about that for another year. As I understand British law she has to be seventeen years old before she's allowed to drive, even under instruction, and she must always be under instruction whenever she drives until she passes a driving test."

"Well, that's one consolation, I guess," Harm conceded, "But…she is going to have to learn to drive, and even then she'll be at least a year behind her contemporaries," he sighed.

"But even allowing for Mattie learning to drive, by and large, the pros outweigh the cons?" Catherine asked.

"Yeah, I reckon they do. But cars that size are expensive. I've done a little bit of accounting, and I reckon I can afford a good used car from a reputable dealer!"

"H'mm what are you thinking of?"

"The Vauxhall Zafira is a seven seater, so is the Ford Galaxy, but a used Vauxhall has slightly more bang for your buck…"

"And how much are we looking at?"

"Looking around, for the age I'd consider, and with automatic transmission, no more than three years old, then, somewhere between five and seven thousand British pounds."

Catherine winced, "Can we afford that?"

"Can we afford not afford that?" Harm replied. "It's mostly you, I'm thinking of. Once we get things settled with the liddlies, there's going to be school runs, plus trips to the grocery store, or do you really fancy a repeat of this morning's trip in about four months' time?"

Catherine shook her head, "Of course not, but it seems such a lot of money…"

"It's not cheap, not in absolute terms. But weigh our needs up against cash, and I think yeah, we go for it."

Catherine nodded glumly, "I suppose this means we'll have to tighten our belts a bit."

"Not too much, and only for a short time. I've got most of what we need on deposit, and maybe I can get a deal."

"Okay then, go for it! But I retain the right to veto!"

"Of course you do. So…" Harm pulled himself to his feet with a grin, "shall we go and join the little people?"

Catherine looked up and smile, nodding, gratefully accepting the helping hand Harm extended to her and allowing him to pull her to her feet. She gave a small squeak of surprise, though, when he pulled her into his arms, and gave her a deep kiss which left her weak kneed and almost gasping for breath.

Catherine leaned back against the support of Harm's hands on her upper hips and her hands linked at the back of his neck. "Wow!" she breathed, "What was that for?"

"That's just because I love you," Harm smiled.

"Oh… I do like it when you say that!" Catherine smiled back, "Oh, and by the way, I love you too!"

"That's pretty nice to hear, too," Harm smiled, and turning slipped his arm around Catherine's waist and gently urged her in the direction of the living room.

Mattie looked up from "Winnie the Pooh and Tigger" – she had finished with Dr Zeuss' feline creation, and gave a theatrical sigh which was cancelled out by the grin on her face. "Hey, pas devant les enfants!"

Harm looked first at Mattie and then at Catherine. "Have you been teaching her to talk foreign?" he asked.

"Nope, not me," Catherine denied, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Well, as it was in foreign – which I don't speak," Harm said with the air of a professor explaining a tricky problem to his students, "Then I have to confess, I didn't understand what she said, so I'll just keep right on doing what I was doing!" and dropped a gently kiss on Catherine's forehead.

Catherine squirmed in mock ecstasy and then grinned at Mattie. "Was there something you wanted to say?" she asked archly.

Mattie just grinned and shook her head, "You two are incorrigible!" she complained, and then in response to an indignant tug on her sleeve she returned her attention to the book and Beth and the liddlies, including Susan who had given up any pretence of playing with her dolls and was openly listening to Mattie read, "Sir! I beg your pardon!" she apologised to Simon and then carried on with the story, "The most wonderful thing about Tiggers, is Tiggers are wonderful things!" she sang out in a passable imitation of the film sound track.

Catherine stood still fort a moment, Harm's arm still around her waist and her had resting against Harm's shoulder, then she gave a little sigh. "Time to start thinking about lunch!" she said.

"I'll give you a hand," Harm offered.

"Better not," Catherine glanced up at him, her eyes alight with mischief, "The mood you're in, we'd be having lunch at about eight this evening!"

Harm looked down at his wife and for a moment he felt a pang. The mischief in her eyes and the birdlike way she tilted her head reminded him so much of her mother, an old lady whom he hadn't known very long, but whom he had come to love.

"Well… what should I do?" he asked.

"How about going to the office and starting a serious search for this car you've been talking about?"

"Good idea!" Harm enthused.

"I know," Catherine smiled demurely, "After all, I thought of it!" and with a light chuckle, she turned away to the kitchen.

"Damn! I asked for that!" Harm said quietly to himself and made his way across the lounge to the room that had been turned into a joint office for himself and Catherine.

xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx

Dinner made an appreciable dent in the mountain of supplies Harm and Catherine had brought back from their trip to the store and Harm mentally consigned himself to another Saturday (at least) of purgatory before he could reasonably expect to be in possession of his own vehicle. But as the family took its place at the kitchen table – one experimental try at dining in the dining room had resulted in a rapid change of mind. Simon and Beth were both far too clumsy to be able to eat and drink in an area that was difficult to clean. At least in the kitchen, there was no expensive linen table cloth or fitted carpet to worry about, just a plain wooden table and a tiled floor – both much easier to clean of the residue of fallen food or spilled drinks.

Catherine, was the food was served sent a querying glance at Harm and then turned her attention to Mattie, "Harm is seriously thinking about getting a car. Shopping trips like this morning are going to murder me in a couple months, as I get bigger. But that, young lady does not mean that you can pester him for driving lessons!"

Mattie frowned, "Yeah, and I have to wait until I'm seventeen to get a learner's licence anyway. There are times when the laws in this country…"

Harm jabbed a fork in her direction, "Don't even think about finishing that sentence in front of so many little ears!"

"Oops! No! I nearly forgot, sorry!"

"Anyway, I'm more inclined to get a car with an automatic transmission, and ideally, I think you should learn, when you're old enough, to drive a shift stick! With a shift stick licence you can drive an automatic, but the reverse isn't true!"

"Uh… You haven't forgotten that I'm seventeen on my next birthday, have you? In November?" Mattie reminded Catherine and Harm.

"No, I haven't, and neither has Catherine. But that does not mean you can start driving lessons immediately. You'll have to make some contribution towards their cost. But for every pound you pay towards your lessons, I'll match it!" Harm offered.

"So, what's wrong with you teaching me?" Mattie complained. "That way it wouldn't cost us anything!"

"Nice try," Catherine interposed dryly, "But apart from the shift stick option, look around this table. How many faces do you see?"

Mattie frowned, "Uh… six, but what's that got…"

"And it will soon be seven!" Catherine reminded her. "Now, what sort of car are we going to need to transport all of us?"

"Uh…" from the expression on her face it was plain to see that the thought had obviously never occurred to Mattie. "A big one?" she ventured.

Harm nodded, "Yeah, and powerful – not the ideal car for a student driver. Look around while you're out; look at cars with driver school livery, take note of their size, make and model. These driver schools know their business, otherwise they wouldn't stay in business very long, and they use the most suitable cars they can for teaching student drivers."

Mattie coloured slightly, "Yeah, okay I got it. Honestly. There' no need to use a club to beat me around the head, I can take a hint."

Harm nodded again, satisfied that he had got the message through to the sometimes headstrong teenager. "Good… Now, if everyone's finished, Mattie, herd the little people back to the living room and supervise them tidying their things away while Catherine and I deal with the kitchen. After that, I've got some more research to do."

"About?" Catherine asked in mild surprise.

"Well… Susan's been off school for a while, her old school is too far away for daily travel, and she can't go on public transit on her own. And if we don't get her enrolled in a local school pretty soon then Social Services are going to want to know why, and that won't help our adoption case!"

"True," Catherine agreed as she started to gather up the debris left from dinner.

"So, now we've got the go ahead from CPS, we can start to take action. I'll also be drafting a letter to Wimbledon Social Services asking for home visits and an interview."

Catherine smiled, "And I guess I could take the photographs you mentioned?"

Harm turned on the hot water faucet and squirted a dash of washing up liquid into the water, watching as it began to foam, and then turned to smile at Catherine, "Yeah, you could do that," he agreed.

xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx

An hour later saw a distinctly damp Harm, having just bathed Beth, in the bedroom and pulling on a clean, dry t-shirt, while Catherine supervised Susan and Simon's bath.

For a moment he stood still, realising that by offering to adopt the liddlies, he and Catherine were faced with a few more years of night time bathing and bed rituals, to be extended of course by the new baby. As he contemplated that future a slow smile crept across his face until he was jerked back to reality by Catherine calling him.

Still roughly drying his hair on a towel, he crossed the hall to the liddlies' room where Catherine, Beth in her arms was supervising as Susan and Simon scrambled into bed. "All set?" he asked Catherine as he walked into the room.

"I think so, but you'd better check," Catherine replied gravely, her eyes shining with amusement as the nightly ritual got underway.

"Well then…" Harm looked grave, "Are you ready for sleep, Sunshine?" he asked Susan, who lay 'at attention', the coverlet pulled up to her chin.

"Not 'Sunshine'" she giggled, "My name is Susan!"

"Very well, Miss Susan, are you ready for sleep?"

"Yes, Harm."

"Good, how about you sailor?" he turned his attention to Simon, who, in marked contrast to his sister lay already curled in a foetal position.

"M'mm… Skipper…" Simon said drowsily, already half asleep.

"I think we can safely take that as a 'yes'," Catherine whispered to Harm, as the two of them backed out of the room, Harm turning off the light and closing the door as he did so.

"Now… time to put the monster to bed," Catherine said cheerfully, handing Beth off to Harm.

Harm took his daughter carefully in his arms and carried her into the nursery, where he took his usual seat and supporting Beth with one strong arm he began his part in his daughter's nightly routine, "One upon a time there was a girl. She had a loving father, but a wicked stepmother and two cruel step sisters…" he began in a quiet, soft voice as he started the traditional Cinderella fairy tale, while Beth lay quiet, gazing up at him attentively with big, blue eyes, so like her mother's. But by the time Harm had gotten to the part of the story where the step sisters had received their invitations to the ball, Beth's eyes had begun to droop.

Harm gently stood, so as not to disturb his daughter and held her so that Catherine could bestow a goodnight kiss on her, and then he laid her gently in her crib, drawing the blanket over her before he leaned over and added his own kiss, smelling the sweetness of her hair and her bathed and powdered skin. Once again the light was switched off, and Harm and Catherine stood in silence for a minute or two on the landing, their arms around each other's waist as they reaffirmed their shared bond.

"Another day, another dollar!" Catherine sighed at last, her head still resting comfortably against Harm's shoulder

"M'mm… What we need is a mug of hot chocolate and a half hour or so to ourselves," Harm decided.

"It's not a school night, so Mattie will probably be in the living room watching TV," Catherine reminded Harm, "And it's far too early to send her to bed!"

Harm grimaced as he thought of the rebellion that would follow such an order so early on a Saturday evening. "Well… I've still got some research to do… we could always have our chocolate in the office?" Harm suggested.

"Not very comfortable… I'd prefer the lounge," Catherine objected.

"Well, if Mattie behaves herself…" Harm said a little doubtfully.

"We can but hope," Catherine grinned as she disengaged from Harm's arm, instead grasping his hand and tugging him gently towards the stairs.

The lounge was empty when they reached it, but there were sounds of activity from the kitchen, notably the clink of spoons against ceramics. Harm raised his eyebrows slightly and smiled at Catherine and both sank gratefully in to the couch, where a tray burdened Mattie found them three minutes later when she emerged from the kitchen. "Hey, you two," she smiled. "I thought you might appreciate these…" she indicated two of the three mugs on the tray, taking the third one for herself and curling up in one of the armchairs, her feet tucked up sideways under her butt. Her mug of chocolate in one hand and a book in the other.

"M'mm…Nutmeg!" Catherine sighed happily as she raised her mug to her lips.

Mattie looked up from her book, "Yep, only the best for super mom!" she grinned.

"And just you remember that, young lady!" Harm told her, but with a smile as he swallowed his first sip of the hot drink.

"Sure will!" Mattie's grin broadened.

"Now… why don't I believe that?" Harm mused, just loud enough for Mattie to hear, but with an outward show of unconcern the teenager pretended that she hadn't hear and returned her concentration to her book.

"That's quite a hefty book you've got there, Mattie, what is it?" Catherine asked, shooting a warning glance at Harm.

"Uh… it's called 'Battle Cry of Freedom', about the causes of the war of northern aggression," Mattie replied being deliberately provocative.

"War of northern aggression?" Harm queried, "Do you mean the Civil War?"

"Well… you might call it that," Mattie conceded, "But I am a Virginny gal, remember?" Mattie grinned mischievously.

Harm gave a snort of chagrined amusement, "Okay, pain, you got me back with that one! Schoolwork?" he indicated the book again.

"Sort of," Mattie agreed and then went on to explain, "It's not an official text book, but Mister Peake, our American History teacher, recommended it as further reading. He says that in the early chapters it gives a balanced picture of the tensions on both sides that led to the war."

"Sounds pretty heavy going to me," Catherine observed.

"Well, it's not the easiest read I've ever had," Mattie allowed.

"No, that would be 'The Cat in a Hat'," Harm grinned.

Mattie pulled a face and then ostentatiously turned her attention back to her book, even as Catherine gave Harm's forearm a warning pinch to let him know that it was time the teasing stopped.

Harm nodded, "So… are you really interested in the Civil War, or is it just school work?"

Mattie put the book down in her lap and considered the question for a few moments and then replied, "I guess I am interested. All over Virginia you can see the old Confederate battle flag of the Army of Northern Virginia, and bumper stickers saying that the South will rise again. I mean the war was a hundred and fifty years ago, how come it still raises such strong feelings? I reckon you've got understand the past, not just know about it, to understand the present…"

Harm nodded, "That's a pretty good answer, Mats."

"Thanks," Mattie mumbled, and picked up her book again.

"And your official homework?" Catherine asked.

Mattie took a deep breath. "I've finished the math – quadratic equations – and I don't get it. Oh, I get the math, but people reckon quadratic equations are difficult, huh! Compared to simultaneous equations they are dead easy. The only problem is that you have to work them out twice. Once to get a positive answer and once to get a negative answer, but it so easy. It's just following a logical sequence of steps until you end up with the right answer!"

"And do you get the right answers?" Harm asked.

Mattie nodded, "M'mm, ain't got one wrong yet!"

"You say you've finished the math, that sort of implies that you have other homework to do?"

Mattie nodded, "Uh-huh. I need to write up the experiment we did in chemistry. I've got my notes, I just need to re-write them so they can be understood. And then I have to plan a history essay, that's the reason for this…" Mattie gestured with the book she was holding.

"And when were you planning to do all this?" Harm asked with a slight edge to his voice.

"Well… I wanted to finish chapter nine of this book… that takes events up to the convention that formed the Confederacy and the secession of the first seven states of the Confederacy – eight if you include Missouri."

Harm nodded approvingly and then grinned at Catherine, "Look like we've got an unreconstructed reb on our hands!" he quipped.

"No such thing!" Catherine objected, "Mattie don't you-all pay him no never mind!"

Mattie assumed an expression of outraged dignity, "If you Yankees are going to act like this, then I am seceding from the lounge, and declaring my bedroom an independent State!" And then spoiled the effect by giggling as she stood. "Goodnight you two!" she smiled.

"Goodnight, Squirt!" Harm replied, while Catherine raised a hand in a farewell salute.

Catherine waited until the door had closed behind Mattie, and then with that impish grin, that Harm always felt was so like her mother's, said, "Mattie's bedroom as an independent State?" And then gave a mock shudder. "It would take a brave Yankee soldier to invade that nest of horrors!"

"That bad, huh?" Harm inquired

"Oh, Harm you have no idea!"

"H'mm… maybe I ought to institute a programme of Captain's rounds…"

Catherine squinted up at him, "That might not be a bad idea! But no white gloves!"

"I wasn't going to go that far, but if Mattie wants to go to the academy then she needs to learn to keep her gear and her personal space squared away!"

xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx

Sunday dawned with a flawless blue sky and the promise of a fine summer's day. When Harm came down to the kitchen, he checked the thermometer hanging just outside the kitchen door and whistled softly in surprise. At seven thirty in the morning, it was already registering a temperature of seventy eight degrees.

He was soon joined by Mattie, who busied herself with filling the coffee percolator and setting the table, while Harm whipped up a batch of pancake batter and a bowl of eggs for scrambling, or an omelette, whichever was wanted.

He had just about finished and had the skillet on the burner, when Catherine, Beth in her arms and trailed by the liddlies swarmed into the kitchen and took their places at the table. The next ten minutes were busy as Harm started cooking and Catherine fussed around the liddlies and Beth, making sure that her daughter and Simon had bibs around their necks. Past experience had shown that with pancakes and maple syrup on the table, Simon could cover himself in equal parts syrup and crumbs in very short order.

Once everybody was settled at the table and were busily occupied in feeding themselves – excepting of course Beth, who was being fed by Catherine, Harm remarked, "Beautiful day. Started well, and it's going to get warmer."

Catherine paused, a forkful of pancake poised to deliver to Beth, "And?" she asked with a hint of suspicion.

Well… I was thinking, it's Sunday, the weather's good. The kids have been cooped up most of the week, so maybe we could go to the P, A, R, K?" he suggested, deliberately spelling out the word.

Catherine nodded, "Yeah, and this time I do have a bag of crusts for the ducks!"

Mattie shot an alarmed look at the liddlies, who, engrossed in their breakfasts, had missed the reference.

"So… that's settled then," Harm said with satisfaction. I'll sort out a picnic lunch, if you can pack the rest of the stuff we'll need."

"So… I get the dirty end of the stick, then?" Catherine challenged Harm.

"Well, unless you want to spend the morning making sandwiches and baking a quiche, then… well… yeah."

"I'll settle the liddlies with their stuff," Mattie volunteered, "and then I'll give you hand, Catherine."

"Thank you, Mattie!" Catherine replied, well aware that apart from preparing for the picnic and packing Beth's necessaries, there were still beds to be made down and other minor chores to be completed before the family could escape to the park.

xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx

The fine weather Sunday trip to the park had become a family ritual. Harm and Catherine spread their picnic blanket not too near the water and they and Mattie carefully supervised Berth and the liddlies as crusts of bread were thrown, with varying degrees of accuracy and much giggling, to the ducks and other waterfowl. Simon in particular deriving great enjoyment from the way in which some of the birds wagged their tail feathers.

"They're happy, acos we're feeding them! See? They wag their tails just like doggies!"

Mattie who took primary responsibility for Simon, while Catherine guarded Beth and Harm hovered near Susan, had her work cut out to prevent the little boy from over-balancing in his enthusiasm as he threw his share of the crusts, and prevent him from following the bread into the water.

Bread crusts (and grown-ups) exhausted, Harm and Catherine took Beth back to the picnic blanket for a short rest while Mattie supervised the liddlies on the adventure playground, responding with glowing cheeks to Simon's demands of "Higher! Higher!" as she pushed his swing and then propelling the roundabout as fast as she could with both the liddlies on board. Once again Mattie managed to exhaust herself while Susan and Simon seemed as if they could carry on playing until the last trumpet. So it was with every evidence of relief that a perspiration damp teenager rounded up the liddlies and herded them back towards Harm and Catherine when Harm called them in to eat.

"There's one consolation, Kiddo," Catherine smiled as Mattie eagerly bit into her cheese and tomato sandwich.

Her mouth full, Mattie could only cock an inquiring eyebrow at Catherine.

Catherine smiled, "If we can keep them awake until after dinner, we'll have no trouble in getting them to bed this evening!"

Catherine insisted that everyone have a brief rest after they'd eaten, but the liddlies with the boundless energy of the young very soon became restless and started to cast longing looks back at the play area. Ham shook his head and said, "Okay, Susan and Simon… off you go…"

Scarcely were the words out of his mouth than the two youngsters were haring across the grass. Mattie groaned and cast a despairing glance at Harm as she started to lever herself to her feet only to be forestalled by him.

"No, you stay put, Squirt. I'll take Beth over there and keep an eye on the liddlies. Hey, Beth… would you like to go on the swings and the slide?"

The toddler looked around at him with her big blue eyes, "Sli!" she said with a definite emphasis.

Harm smiled and bent to pick her up, her arm automatically going around his neck as he hoisted her to almost shoulder height, and just that act had her chortling. Catherine squinted up at Harm, silhouetted as he was against the blue sky, and turned to Mattie with a helpless shrug as he carried Beth off, bouncing her slightly with each step, and causing mire toddler sized giggles. "I sometimes wonder which of them is the child!" she said amusedly.

Mattie propped herself up in her elbows, "Yeah… But on the other don't you reckon it's great that he's stayed so young at heart?"

Catherine grinned, suddenly looking no older than the teenager, "Damn straight!" she replied, and both of them collapsed back onto the blanket and erupted in giggles of their own, while Beth and the liddlies made ever more determined efforts to tire themselves out.

xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx

Catherine's prognosis was deadly accurate, the liddlies and Beth were all fighting tired eyes by the time they ate their dinner, and in the manner of all over-tired children everywhere were grumpy and grizzly, and complained about everything.

So it was a slightly frazzled couple who finally got all three bathed, into their pyjamas and into bed, where despite their protests that they were not tired, Susan and Simon were asleep before Harm had finished reading a scant two pages of Simon's favourite, "Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day". Beth too took a little bit of coddling, but a short spell in Harm's arms while he crooned a soft tune, was enough for her to nod off, barely registering it seemed, the pair of loving kisses that her parents bestowed upon her before placing her gently in her crib.

Switching off Beth's bedroom light and softly closing the door, Ham slipped his arm around Catherine's waist and held her close as she with a grateful sigh leant her head against his shoulder. Once again, they stood for a minute or so, silently re-affirming their bond, until Catherine shifted and lid out of Harm's embrace.

"Thank God that's over!" she said quietly but emphatically. "I thought we were never going to get through the evening without a major tear-storm!"

"Our own fault, though," Harm pointed out gently, "If we hadn't stayed that last hour or so, when we knew they were getting tired…"

"Oh, I know," Catherine answered, "But all week they've been cooped up in the house and garden, and they were having so much fun…"

"M'mm... a little too much, as it turns out! But never mind, they're all safely tucked up in bed, and I for one, feel that we deserve a little reward!"

"What have you got in mind?" Catherine asked as Harm, his hand in the small of her back, urged her towards the stairs.

"Well… there's that bottle of Burgundy, and it's beginning to look at me, accusing me of not appreciating it…" Harm ventured.

"On a school night?" Catherine asked with raised eyebrows.

"Why not, let's live dangerously for once!" Harm grinned.

"Why not?" echoed Catherine, "but first I need to put on something dry," she finished wryly, indicating the soaking t-shirt she wore, courtesy of Beth's bath-time.

Harm perched on the end of the bed while Catherine quickly divested herself of her wet clothing, and pulled a fresh t-shirt on over her head, and quickly dragged a brush through her now disordered blonde hair. Finished with her quick change she smiled at Harm. "Ready!" she declared.

"Ready to live dangerously?" Harm smirked as he led the way into the lounge, where Mattie sat in her usual chair, her feet tucked up under her butt.

"You bet your six!" Catherine grinned and then turned to Mattie, "Hey, Kiddo, what's on?" she asked as she dropped on to the couch, indicating the TV screen, on which Mattie's attention was focussed.

"Oh… that period drama… you know the one with the sailing ships, and all those guys with the weird accents," Mattie grinned, but her eyes not leaving the screen

Harm paused at the kitchen door, "Mattie, Catherine and I are going to have a glass of wine to help us unwind after putting the little ones to bed, would you like anything?"

"Um… Apple juice, please?" Mattie replied after a moment's thought.

"Coming right up!" Harm promised and continued on his way to the kitchen. Reappearing with a small try on which were three glasses, one filled with apple juice, and the newly opened bottle of red wine.

"Thanks…" Mattie murmured, her attention not wavering a jot from the screen, while Harm gave her a speculative look and then grinned and gave a helpless shake of his head as he placed the tray on the coffee table in front of the couch and sat down next to Catherine, his arm draped along the couch's back, enabling Catherine to rest her head on it with a sigh of contentment.

xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx

"Welcome to another day!" Catherine remarked, only half-jokingly, as she buttoned her blouse, watching as Harm, dressed only in his boxers, stood shaving in front of the bathroom mirror.

"Yup!" he grunted, grinning as much as he dared while running his razor over his throat.

"I'll go get the children up," Catherine said.

Harm stopped shaving for a moment, "Okay, while you're doing that, I'll start breakfast!"

Catherine nodded, "That's what I figured. Oh well, onward and upward!" she threw over her shoulder as she headed for the liddlies' room.

An hour later Mattie finished throwing her breakfast down her throat, and as she pushed her chair back from the table grinned and said, "Thanks Harm… I'd stay to help you clear up, but school calls!"

Harm looked up, from where he was gently feeding Beth her scrambled eggs and gave Mattie what she privately called 'that look'. "Yeah, right!" he drawled and the teenager had the grace to blush.

"Go on then, get!" Harm commanded, "But before you do…"

"As if I'd forget!" Mattie defended herself and leaning over the table dropped a soft kiss on Harm's cheek. "I do love you," she said equally softly.

"Yeah… I know, now…?"

"Of course!" Mattie enthused, dropping to one knee to drape an arm around each of the liddlies and give them a squeeze. "You two behave yourselves today, and don't give Catherine any trouble, or there'll be no Winnie the Pooh this evening! Catherine…"

Susan and Simon, round eyed, shook their heads, "We won't!" they chorused.

"Fine!" Mattie enthused and turned to say something to Catherine, but the blonde forestalled her.

"Oh… come here, Kiddo and reduce altitude!" Catherine told the teenager, "Take care," she admonished her, as Mattie planted a kiss on her cheek.

"I will! I will!" Mattie promised as she straightened up with a dazzling smile on her face, "Love you all!" she cried and whirled put of the room. Thirty seconds later the front door closed behind her.

Catherine shook her head, "Where does she get the energy from?" she asked aloud.

Harm looked at Mattie's plate which almost looked clean enough to be stowed away without being washed. "I'd say from two large spoonfuls of eggs, three slices of toast, mushrooms and tomatoes!" he observed. "Where that girl puts it all and how she stays so thin, I'll never know!"

"It's not the amount she eats that concerns me," Catherine objected, "It's the speed she eats at. How she never suffers from indigestion, I just don't know!" Catherine sighed and glanced at the kitchen clock, "Now, give Beth to me. I'll finish off here. It's time you got dressed, your driver will be here any minute!"

xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx

Harm walked into his outer office where Amanda Porter, his Yeoman leapt to her feet as she did every morning on first greeting him, "Good morning, sir!"

Harm's return greeting, "Good morning, Yeoman One," was somewhat half-hearted as he was distracted by the other figure perched on one of the two chairs that flanked his office door.

That figure, too, sprang to her feet, and her "Good morning, sir!"

"Good morning, Commander," Harm replied to his XO's greeting and grimly eyed the bulky file held in her hands. "You waiting to see me?"

Meg Austin ventured a smile, "Well, yes, sir. That is if you can spare me ten minutes?"

Harm opened his inner office door, "Of course, come on in! Yeoman One… can you rustle up a couple of cups of coffee, please?"

"Two coffees, coming right up, sir!"

Harm nodded an acknowledgement, and with Meg at his heel he crossed the room to sit behind his desk and once he'd seated himself, he indicated the pair of wing chairs in front of the desk, "Take a seat, Meg, and tell my why you're so all-fired eager to see me so early this morning!" Then he paused, and nodded at the buff coloured file in her hands, "I'm not going to like this, am I?"

"Oh, I don't think I'm the bearer of bad tidings, sir!" Meg twinkled, "Quite the opposite in fact!"

"What have you got, then?" Harm asked.

"This? This is the record of the committee of adjustment for Commander Grant, and to a less formal degree his wife. The good news is, we have their passports, and the children are listed on both…"

"That doesn't really help if both parents are dead!" Harm growled.

"No, sir! But in searching through their papers, we found their marriage licence and the children's certificates of live birth, so I figure getting them passports here at the embassy shouldn't prove too difficult, and at least they'll be able to get back to the States!"

"H'mm… Yeah, that's good news. Do you have the documents here?"

"Yes, sir." Meg opened the file and pulled out a brown manila envelope but hesitated before she handed it over to Harm, who raised a surprised eyebrow at Meg's hesitation but before either officer could say anything further a double tap at the door announced the arrival of Yeoman One Porter and the promised cups of coffee.

Harm waited until his Yeoman had quit the office, and then, idly stirring his coffee he looked across at Meg, "Something else, something that you don't want to tell me?"

"Well, sir…" Meg took a deep breath. "The Scuttlebutt is out that you and your wife are filing for adoption of the Grant children."

"And as usual, and as we both know, scuttlebutt is bang on the nail," Harm grinned, "But what has that got to do with anything?"

"Sir, while the committee was going through the Grant papers, we came across two life insurance policies, one for Commander Grant and one for his wife. Each named the other as the beneficiary, with the proviso that if the spouse predeceased the policy holder, then the children would become joint beneficiaries."

"That seems reasonable," Harm agreed, "So where's the problem?"

"Uh… it's just that each policy pays out two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, sir, and there is a danger that people might think – oh, not anyone who knows you – but people might think that you're only adopting the children to get access to the money, sir…"

"That's easily sorted out, Meg! The money, when it is paid out can go straight into the trust fund that Admiral Tucker's people back in DC are setting up for the death in service benefits and the Commander's GI insurance!"

Meg gave a shaky smile of relief. Not that she had doubted for one second Harm's reasons for offering to adopt the two children, but scuttlebutt could turn vicious, and in this case could have a severely detrimental effect on Harm's future career. She had already briefed the junior attorneys in the office to keep an ear open for any such slander and to crack down on it immediately. "Anyone," she had said, "repeating such a slanderous rumour is to be charged with uttering contemptuous words."

"It looks like you've got all the bases covered, sir," Meg now said.

Harm gave a grave smile, "Nearly all, Meg. We're just waiting for the coroner's court to release Mrs Grant's remains and then we can make arrangements to ship her home."

Meg nodded, she had read up on the British law, which stated that sudden deaths, especially those caused by acts of violence were to be ruled on by a coroner's court. A coroner in the UK being a very different animal to a coroner in Virginia, or as far as Meg knew, any of the states of the union.

"What's the hold up, sir?" she asked, "I mean it was a robbery gone south. Pretty straightforward, I'd have thought?"

"A backlog of cases to be heard," Harm grimaced, "Like you say, it's a straightforward, open and shut case, but the British do love their ancient rituals!"

Meg nodded, like many American visitors to London, she had, in her early days in post, allowed herself to be swamped by British traditions, courtesy of the various guided tours that took visitors around some of the oldest buildings she had ever seen and had certain rituals and traditions explained to her by what were, on the whole, extremely knowledgeable tour guides.

"So…"Harm smiled as he realised that Meg had zoned put for a few seconds, "are you going to hand over the documents or not?"

"Oh! Oh, yes! Of course!" Meg passed the envelope to Harm, "The passports, marriage licence, certificates of live birth and the insurance policy documents are all in there, sir.

Harm nodded, "Fine, thank you. Now, seeing that the children are the only surviving kin of Paul and Myfanwy Grant, what about their personal effects?"

"All boxed up, sir. And ready for storage, or whatever is eventually decided to be done with them. There's not much. There's uniform and civilian clothing, and a few books, a television, music centre – that's practically brand new. Obviously bought since they arrived in Britain, and of course the car, which is still being held by the London Police…"

Harm chewed his lip for a moment, "Well… I can't touch any of that stuff until I'm legally recognised as being in loco parentis. Where are the boxes now?"

"In the basement, sir."

"Well, they should be safe enough there. Anything else Meg?"

"No, nothing, sir."

"Okay, finish your coffee, and then we can both get to work!"

"Aye, aye, sir!" Meg agreed, and picking up her coffee mug, drained it in three heroic swallows and pushed herself to her feet, "By your leave, sir?"

"Yeah, g'wan, git! And Meg…"

"Sir?"

"Thanks for all your work on this!"

"Yes, sir!" Meg replied.

Harm sat back and watched Meg close the office door behind her, waited ten seconds and then leaned forward, a long finger stabbing the call button on his desk top intercom,.

"Sir?" Amanda Porter answered the buzzer almost immediately.

"Yeoman One, get me Social Services at Wimbledon Council, please!"

"Aye, aye, sir!"