Celia's Oy Vey Verklemptedness:  Two stories in two nights...sheesh, you'd
think I had no life.  That was rhetorical, don't answer that.  Anyway,
there's not much to say (dude, Nic, if I can do that in the poetry aspect of
my creative writing class, I'm SET!)...this was fun, as they all are.  We
rule, we rule, it's our birthday...sorry, she kept me up late again.  I'm
tired of thanking the regular people, so this one is for my dog, Sassy
Cassie, and my two cats, Bronco and Tigger, whose nightly fights amuse the
heck out of me.

I'm going to bed now.

Nicole's schtuff:  These kids are more me and Celia than Harm and Mac....but
I thoroughly enjoyed tormenting our Muses with them.  I'm having way too much
fun with vignettes, I may never go back to novellettes again.....KIDDING!  I
love you, dudette, you keep me sane.  Thanks.
-----------------------------
The sky was impossibly blue that morning, Shannon Rabb realized with delight.
 Normally, she wouldn't have been too thrilled about waking up at seven in
the morning on a Saturday, but today was special.

She rubbed her eyes and couldn't keep the excited smile from spreading across
her face as her mother opened the door and stuck her head in.

"Your father's waiting, Shannon."  was all Mac said, and even those four
words sent Shannon into a squeal of delight.  She quickly dressed and brushed
her teeth, then dashed downstairs, taking the steps two at a time.  She
skidded into the kitchen and grinned at her father.

"Let's get this show on the road, Dad!"

"Whoa, cowgirl.  First, breakfast."  Harm pointed at the plate of eggs and
soy-bacon-substitute awaiting her.  "I can't believe I'm telling a child of
*Mac's* that she has to eat."  He shook his head, disbelievingly.

Shannon sighed dramatically and hopped up to the counter, wolfing her
breakfast hurriedly.

"Shannon Shelby Rabb, you will eat your breakfast like a lady and not some
rabid beast, am I clear?"  Mac looked over from where she was standing
feeding her other daughters, donning the infamous Marine glare.

Shannon's shoulders slumped as she replied, "Yes, ma'am."

Mac shot a look at Harm and simply smiled, turning her attentions back to the
children that were, thankfully, more Mackenzie than Rabb.

As if proving her mother's point, Michaela took a handful of egg and smashed
it into her mouth.  "Momma, lookie!  I Shannie!"

"Michaela!"  Mac sighed, grabbing a wipie from her nearbly stash.  She
quickly wiped off the baby's hand and shot a stern look to the highchair next
to her.  "Alexandra Grace, do not even *think* about making this mess a
threesome, you understand?"

Alex sighed and put her handfull of egg back on her Pooh Bear plate.  Mac
handed both girls their baby forks and went to the other side of the counter.

Shannon, meanwhile, contritely finished her breakfast and then eased her head
up to look at her mother.  "I'm finished, Mom."

Mac turned and smiled.  "All right.  Did you make your bed?"

"Yes, Mom."

"Cleaned your room?"

"Yes, Mom."

"Removed your earwax buildup?"

"Mom!"

"Solved world peace?  Created a new chemical?"

"Mooooom!  Can I *please* go now?"  Shannon shifted her weight from foot to
foot in anticipation.

Mac smiled brightly even as Alexandra decided Michaela needed blond egg
highlights in her hair.  "If your father's ready.  Have a good time."

"Yes!"  Shannon jumped in the air once and kissed her mother goodbye.  "Come
on, Dad, I'll race you!"

Harm laughed as Kayla stuck a piece of sausage in Alex's ear.  "Bye, girls,"
he said.  He kissed the toddlers quickly, taking a little longer with Mac.
"Next time, it's your turn," he murmured.  "I'm coming, Shrimp!" he yelled as
he heard Shannon whining in the foyer.  "Go get in the car."  He followed his
daughter out to the SUV and climbed in, heading for the airstrip./

Shannon buckled herself into the front seat quickly and as soon as her father
put the car into drive, her hands and face were plastered against the cold
glass window, watching the world whiz by.  She and her father had been flying
together for about two years, every other Saturday, if their schedules
allowed it.  And even though they had been on hundreds of flights in "Sarah",
it still made for quite an exciting day, just the two of them, up above
everything, away from it all.  Away from work, away from two-year-old baby
sisters, away from homework...it was just them, and Shannon reveled in it.

Harm turned his head briefly to glance at the girl and he smiled
nostalgically.  "Do you remember the first time we went flying?" he asked as
they made the turn-off for the airfield.

Shannon turned to look at her father, the Rabb sparkle in her blue eyes.
"Yeah, I remember.  It was a crazy day...you and Mom were running all over
the place, Michaela was sick and Ally had managed to break the VCR
somehow...and then you just looked at me and said, 'Shannon, let's get out of
here.'"  She smiled, looking back out the window.  "That was the greatest."

"You've got a memory like your Uncle AJ," Harm teased Shannon.  "That wasn't
the first time."

Shannon looked curiously at her father.  "What, you took me when I was still
in Mom's stomach?  That must have been pretty."

"Nope."  Harm grinned, tapping the steering wheel with his fingers.  "You
were five years old, about to start kindergarten."  He glanced at Shannon,
looking for any sign of recognition.  "You were terrified of leaving your mom
and going to school, so I told you that if you were brave and went to school
for one whole day, I'd take you flying."

Shannon leaned back in her seat, a continued smile on her face.  "I remember
that now.  I was so scared you weren't going to come back for me...and then
we walked into the classroom and there were lots of pictures of airplanes and
stuff, and I knew it was a sign, or something."

Harm laughed, a deep laugh that made his insides feel warm.  "Yeah.  You
grabbed my hand and said, 'Daddy, look!  Planes!'  Then the teacher made the
mistake of asking if you liked airplanes, and it was all over."  He paused,
thinking.  "I still have the picture you brought home that first day.  It was
an F-14, with your mom and me in it, and Aunt Harriet and Uncle Bud and
AJ...and the Little Mermaid."  He started to chuckle.

"Hey, I felt bad for Ariel...sure she got the guy, but they never said if she
was able to join Scuttle in a little adventure."  Shannon shrugged with a
grin.  "And, P.S., Dad, it wasn't an F-14.  It was a MiG."

Laughing until his sides ached, Harm pulled up in front of the hangar and
climbed out of the car.  "Come on, slowpoke," he said, walking quickly, his
long legs giving him a huge advantage.

Shannon hopped out of the car and took off at full speed, trying to catch up
with her father.  She smiled at the attendant and gazed lovingly up at the
antique plane.  She watched her father prepare to take Sarah for another ride
and decided to ask, for what had to be the millionth time she guessed, "Dad?
Can I fly Sarah today?"

Harm straightened, wiping his hands on a nearby rag.  A slow, thoughtful
smile crossed his mouth.  "Not unless you help me with the pre-flight."

Shannon's prepared reply of, "Aww, come on, I'm ten now" went flying out the
window and she could only stand with her mouth hanging open.  "What did you
say, Dad?"

"I said, get your six over here and check the hoses for leaks."

Shannon's mouth tried to form any coherent words, and when they couldn't, she
simply grinned in astonishment and went to the front of the plane to check
all the lines for any punctures and holes.  "All clear, Dad," she finally
said.  "Did you fill her up with gas yet?"

"Nope, that's the co-pilot's job."  Harm handed her the full, red can and
went to double-check the hoses.  Two pairs of eyes were better than one, any
day.  After everything was secured, he leaned in and peeked under the seat.
*Good, no one moved it.*  Harm grabbed the package and hid it behind his back
as he came around to Shannon side of the plane.  "This is for you."

Shannon set the gas can down and wiped her hands on her pants.  "What is it?"

"Open it and see, dork," Harm grinned at his daughter.  He couldn't wait to
see the look on her face...

Shannon sat on the ground and ripped the rather large box open, revealing a
miniature bomber jacket identical to her father's.  Her name was emblazoned
in gold glory across the front.  Her tiny fingers outlined her name as she
looked at her father.  "Wow, Dad!  I don't even know what to say."  Shannon
shook her head and then leapt up to hurl herself at her father's waist.
"Thank you."

Harm picked Shannon up and squeezed her tightly.  "Thanks just about covers
it," he kidded.  "The rest of it's in the plane."

"There's more?!"  Shannon squealed, going on tiptoe to see inside the
antique.  "Dude!"  She cried as she picked up her helmet.  "Dad, this
*rules*!"  She flattened herself and began to admire the professionally
painted helmet of moons and stars, signifying her love of the heavens.
"Phoenix."  She read, then tilted her head up to look at her father.  "Why is
that my call sign?"

"That's where your mom and I were when we found out she was pregnant with
you."

"Cool."  Shannon smiled again and then looked at her father expectantly.
"Well, old Sarah here isn't going to fly herself...can we go now?"

Harm chuckled.  "You're just like me.  And your mother.  God, that's spooky."
 He wrapped his arms around Shannon's waist and lifted her onto the wing of
the small biplane.  As soon as she was settled in her seat and strapped in,
Harm climbed into the front, grabbing the controls.  "Up we go."  He waved to
the guy, who opened the bay doors.  Harm puttered out onto the runway and
within minutes, they were taxiing down the runway, gaining speed.  The wheels
left the ground and Harm inhaled deeply.  The smell of the sky...

"Yeah!" Shannon screamed as they took off.  She could see the ground getting
further and further away and sat back in her seat to feel the rushing wind.
She had never been scared of flying, especially with her father, for she knew
he would never let anything happen to them.  She looked over the side of the
plane and waved.  "Hi, Mom!"

Harm laughed, tilting the microphone down to his mouth.  "Can you hear me?"
he called over the wind.

"Loud and clear, Pappy."

Rolling his eyes, Harm tipped the plane on its side before bringing it up
again.  "Pappy, my ass," he muttered.  "Okay," he said as they approached the
airspace over the woods.  "You ready?"

Shannon nodded, even though she knew her father couldn't see her.  "I think
so."

 "Okay.  I'm transferring control to you, but if anything happens, anything
at all, just let go, and I'll take over again, got it?"

Shannon took a deep breath and paused a minute before replying.  "Yep, I got
it."

She latched her hands onto the black levers and maintained them on an even
horizontal plane.  After a second, she let out a woosh of air and an
ear-splitting grin spread across her porcelain cheeks.  "I'm flying, Dad!
I'm really flying!"

"Yes you are, baby girl."  A proud-papa grin nearly split Harm's face in two,
almost matching the one he'd had when Shannon was born.  "Just keep the red
line even with the fake horizon, remember.  That's good.  You're doing great,
Shan."

Shannon simply chewed on her lip in concentration, trying to calm her stomach
at the exhileration she was feeling.  "Hey, Dad, can we do loops?"

"Carefully," Harm warned.  "You remember everything I taught you about them?"

"Yeah," Shannon replied slowly, reciting her father's words in her head.  She
pulled the controls back far enough and increased the pressure until the
plane's nose went vertical.  In a heartbeat, Sarah had done a loop, and
Shannon screamed in delight.  When the plane was back level, she continued to
grin and asked her father over the mike, "So, Dad, are your pants wet yet?"

Harm grinned, crossing his arms.  "Honey, did I ever tell you about the time
Mom and I crashed the plane on that field down there, and were chased by men
with big guns for two days?"

Harm took the controls back, much to Shannon's dismay, and guided the plane
back to the hangar.  As they climbed out and began to do the post-flight
work-up, he glanced at his watch.  "Your mom's gonna wonder what happened to
us."

Shannon's face dropped immediately, but she climbed dutifully out of the
plane.  She tapped its side twice and bid Sarah goodbye, then headed back out
to the SUV, continuing to ask questions about her parents'  history.  The
story about the crazy hunters and her mother getting shot had intruiged the
young girl, and she desperately wanted to know more.  "So, like, Dad, when
did you know you loved Mom?  Like, *really* loved her?"

"Honey, I knew I loved your mom the first time I met her.  I *really* knew I
loved her when she pulled me into a helo over the desert.  But I knew we were
going to spend the rest of our lives together the first time she saw me cry."
 Harm smiled a little at the memory, a bittersweet smile.  "It was in Russia,
when I found out where Grandpa had died.  I told you about it, didn't I?"

Shannon nodded.  "Yeah."

Still smiling slightly, Harm pulled off the dirt road onto the highway.  "You
wanna hear about the time your mom saved my six on a submarine with a
psychopath?"

"Well, of course I do.  Any story in which your manhood is called into
question is my kind of story!"  Shannon replied with a grin.

"My manhood was *not* called into question, thank you very much.  I was
drugged."  Harm began to explain the situation, and by the time they pulled
into their driveway, he was halfway through the third story of his and Mac's
escapades.

Shannon hopped out of the car, laughing but still entranced by her father's
words, and hopped up to the front door.  Before she could reach for the
handle, Mac opened it and put a finger to her lips, signifying the twins were
asleep.

Harm didn't notice Mac right away, and kept on with his story.  "So your mom
pops out of bed and proceeds to dress down these four sailors in nothing but
her skivvies, a tank top and socks!"

Mac's mouth was poised to say something, but instead she cocked her head to
the side and said, "What on earth have you been telling her all day?"

"Nothing," Harm replied immediately, lowering his voice as they entered the
house.  "Nothing at all."

"Shannon?"  Mac asked, looking sternly at her daughter.

Shannon immediately shook her head.  "Nothing, Mom," she echoed.  She turned
and gave her father a hug.  "Thanks for a great day, Dad.  I really had a
good time.  I'm going to go email Mackenzie and tell her all about it."

"Anytime, Princess," Harm said, kissing the top of Shannon's head.  "When
you're done, go get washed up, it's almost dinnertime."

"Yes, sir!"  Shannon skidded down the hallway and then bounded up to her
room, leaving her mother staring openly at her father.

"Harmon Edmund Rabb, Jr., what on earth was she wearing?"

"A flight jacket."

"And why, pray tell, was our ten year old wearing a flight jacket?"

"Because she was flying," Harm answered reasonably.

"You mean, flying as in passenger flying, not *flying* flying, right?"

Harm cleared his throat, heading into the kitchen and getting the dishes
ready for dinner.  "So what are we having?"

"Your head on a silver platter."  Mac muttered, following him.  "I can't
believe you did that."

Harm set the dishes down and turned to Mac, a serious expression on his face.
 "Come on, Mac, she's ten years old.  I was eight when I learned to fly.  I
was right there the whole time, nothing bad happened."

Mac sighed, propping her chin on her elbow.  "Is she hooked?" she finally
asked, knowing the answer.

"Completely."  A flyboy grin spread across Harm's face as he crossed the
kitchen to take Mac's free hand in his.  "Oh, god, Mac, I wish you could've
seen her.  She's a natural....she flew like she'd been doing it all her
life!"  His bright blue eyes looked just like Shannon's as he excitedly told
her mother about the afternoon.  "She rolled us, carefully," he added as
Mac's eyes widened, "and only once, but she did it *perfectly*!  You would've
been so proud."

Mac's expression softened.  "Well, I'm glad she had a good time."  Looking at
the clock, she called up to Shannon, "Shan, honey, dinnertime.  Can you get
the girls up for me?"

"Sure, Mom!"  came the bellowed reply, and a few minutes later, Shannon was
walking her little sisters carefully down the stairs, saying, "And then Daddy
pressed the gas and we went zoom!  Over the houses, over the birds, over the
clouds, it was *so* cool, girls!"

Alexandra looked from her older sister to her twin, a mischevious grin
crossing her face.  "I fwy too, Shannie!  Watch me!"  She separated her hand
and ran through the living room into the kitchen, arms outstretched, making a
buzzing sound.  "Now I come back for Kaylie!  Come on, Kaylie!"

Kayla giggled, grabbing Alex's hand so they made one big plane.  "Vroom!" she
yelled, dragging her sister through the kitchen, skidding across the tile.
"Wheeeeeeeee!"

Mac watched her two youngest girls running around the kitchen and simply
looked at Harm, her mouth contorting in her disbelief.  All her hopes and
dreams were down the toilet; all of her children were Rabbs.

Harm grinned mischeviously and reached down, lifting one twin under each arm.
 He ran into the living room, crying, "Look out!  It's the Rabb family in
their F-14s!"

Mac groaned loudly, laying her head on her folded arms.  After a minute, she
sighed again and started putting out the plates for dinner, one for herself
and one for each of her *four* children.

Harm fell onto the carpet and as his three girls pounced on him and started
tickling, all Mac could hear from the kitchen were his deep chuckles and
pleading cries.  "Get off!  No!  No!  Stop!  Girls, quit!  No, no, not
Daddy's feet!  Maaaaaaaaac, heeeeeeelp!"

In the kitchen, a self-satisfied grin came over Mac's face.  "Pappy, this is
the Tower, over...we seem to have lost radio transmission.  Sorry we can't
help you.  Have a nice day."

THE END
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the house yelling:: "Vroom!"
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