Chapter 6: Resolutions

JJ drove to her home, only about six blocks from Caleb's condo, in a daze. She wondered, after pulling into her drive-way, if she should have been driving. She didn't remember the trip home. She simply sat behind the wheel after turning the engine off, thinking about the last twenty-four hours.

She wondered about the confusion she felt when examining Caleb Connor last night, and her weird and wonderful attraction to him. She remembered the pleasure of the conversation on the bus, and at the coffee shop. She also remembered the dreams on the bus. They seemed more vivid than any dreams she ever had before, and they didn't seem to fade. It almost seemed like they were real memories ... but, that was impossible!

Then her thoughts turned to their kiss. All Caleb had done was kiss her! Her heart was still in her throat, and it was still beating fast. It wasn't even a particularly passionate kiss, and was much less physical than some of the wrestling matches she had encountered on previous dates.

Slowly she got out of her car and, after grabbing her go-bag from the back seat, walked towards the front door of her home. She still felt dazed and amazed at Caleb's effect on her.

The door opened and her son stuck his head out, calling, "Need any help, Mom?" Then, looking over his shoulder, he yelled, "Mom's home."

JJ smiled at her son in a distracted way, and said, "Hi, Honey. How was your Thanksgiving?" she asked as she edged past him in the entry way.

Blake, JJ's sixteen year old son, grinned and said, "I think we're driving grandma nuts. It's a good thing that you're home. She keeps talking about selling us to gypsies. Aren't we a little old for that, Mom?"

"You're never too old to be teased by your grandma," JJ replied with a kiss on his cheek. "I put up with it for thirty-six years. It's about time for you to step up and deal with your grandma's version of humor."

"Hi, Mom," Kim, her seventeen year old daughter greeted her before giving her a one arm hug. She looked at her younger brother and asked, "Why didn't you take her bag? Sheesh. You're supposed to be a gentleman!"

"I asked her," Blake defended himself. "Didn't I, Mom? Didn't I ask you?"

"He asked, but since you're here..." JJ said, swinging her bag off her shoulder. "Kim, would you get rid of the dirty clothes, and restock my go-bag, please? I don't think Blake would be comfortable pawing through my underwear drawer. The way this weekend has gone so far, I could be called at any time. I'd better be ready."

Kim accepted the bag hesitantly. She started to say something, then turned around and walked away to take care of the bag. She didn't mind helping her mom, most of the time.

JJ turned to Blake and said, "Take me to your leader."

"What?" Blake asked in confusion.

"Never mind," JJ said with a smile. "Where's your Grandma?"

"In the family room, playing pool," Blake replied, still trying to figure out what JJ had meant.

He shook his head, dismissing the thought as simply another example of ABD: Adult Brain Deterioration. It was a new texting term that he had learned this week.

"Well, you got away from them again, Mom," Blake said smiling.

"Almost didn't, this time," JJ replied, returning his smile.

The mother and son had a running joke, that the Army would keep JJ one of these times. The Army's justification would be because she was so much prettier than anything else on the base.

"They dropped a missile on some poor camper's truck, and we had to take care of him."

"Really?" Blake blurted. "What happened to the people?"

"It was just one guy," JJ assured him as she walked towards the family room. "His truck was destroyed, and I shared a seat with him on the trip back from the base. He's a pretty interesting guy," she nonchalantly told her son.

"Hi, Mom," JJ said as she entered the family room. "Thanks for watching the monsters for me."

JJ didn't see Blake's open-mouthed stare. Usually, when his mom came back from a drill weekend, half her anger was directed at whoever she had shared a seat with on the way back. There was always some guy that figured his mom just couldn't do without his company on the ride home.

"You shouldn't call them monsters, honey," JJ's mom said, smiling, in rote reply. "They don't need anyone to watch them. They're old enough to stay by themselves."

"I know, but they like having you around," JJ said with a smile. "It gives them an excuse to have your undivided attention. Do you want to watch them again tomorrow night?"

"Why, dear?" Collette Parker asked. "Aren't you eating at our house? Bran is coming in tonight. I plan on having a family meal, tomorrow night, kind of like a late Thanksgiving meal."

"Sorry, Mom, change of plans. Apologize to Uncle Bran for me, too. I promise I'll see him before he leaves," JJ explained.

"Don't stop there, Mom," Blake complained. "What happened to him? Did you have to peel him off the desert? Will he live? Were you escorting his stretcher back to Phoenix?"

"What are you talking about?" Kim asked, entering the family room.

"The Army dropped a missile on a guy in the desert," Blake explained. "Mom rode back to Phoenix with him, and said he seemed like an interesting guy, according to her."

"Really?" Kim asked, her eyes widening at the news. "Do you think he's boyfriend material, Mom?"

"Hardly," JJ said laughing, and blushing as the dream memories flashed through her mind. "He was up a canyon, and only got singed a little. He lives in Phoenix."

JJ's mom looked at her shrewdly.

"Well, what happened," Blake demanded.

"We gave him a physical, and he rode back to town on the bus this afternoon. Since his truck was destroyed in the incident, I gave him a ride to his condo from the VA Hospital. End of story," JJ concluded with a shrug.

"So he lives in town? What does he do for a living?" Blake asked.

"He's an investigator for DES," JJ replied, blushing again at the thought of the kiss.

"What's his name," Kim asked?

"Caleb. Caleb Connor," JJ replied, trying for nonchalance, as she began looking through the pile of mail on the counter. "I'm supposed to check up on him to ensure that he doesn't have any after effects from breathing the fuel fumes from the rocket," she explained as she tried to use the mail to distract herself from the dream memory, and the kiss, but she couldn't hide the blush.

"You have met a man," JJ's mom declared emphatically.

JJ rolled her eyes before dryly saying, "That is what we are talking about, Mom. Try to listen if you're going to eavesdrop."

"No, I mean you have met a MAN! Capital letters my dear," her mom said smugly. "When are you going to see him again?"

Kim and Blake looked from their grandma to their mom, waiting for an answer.

Kim believed her mom should have a boyfriend. It wasn't natural for a girl, or a woman, not to have one. It was like ... It was one of the rules of nature.

Blake, on the other hand, was suspicious of any guy that hit on his mom. He wanted her to be happy, but he knew how guys thought. The brief relationships she had tried to establish since his father died had her caused more grief than happiness. Nobody was going to hurt his mom if he had anything to say about it.

"Um, Mom," JJ hesitated, then threw up her hands. "Okay, okay. We're going to dinner tomorrow night. That's why I can't go to Uncle Bran's dinner."

Her mom just smiled smugly and nodded her head.

Kim squealed and hugged her mom.

Blake just stood there, with a wrinkled brow, and asked, "What's he like, Mom? Is he another jerk that just wants ... um ... to have a good time?" he finished lamely.

"No, Blake. He isn't 'just looking for a good time.' He's a nice guy, and he just wanted to thank me for helping him last night and today," JJ said defensively.

She wished that she could quit blushing. She had nothing to blush about. The sensations she had felt when they kissed flashed through her mind again. Maybe she did have something to blush about!

"Yep, met a MAANN!" her mom chortled as she picked up her bag to go home. "It's about time, too. It isn't healthy going this long without someone in your life."

"Now what does that mean," JJ demanded blushing furiously?

"Not in front of the kids, honey," JJ's mom said, grinning as she hugged and kissed her daughter, winked at her granddaughter, and ruffled her grandson's hair.

"You kids can stay at our house tomorrow night. Bran will probably talk until two in the morning, anyway. Got to go," she said, before closing the door behind her, still chuckling.

"I worry about her, sometimes," JJ muttered to herself as she turned towards her bedroom.

"Are you really going out with this Connor guy," Blake asked tentatively.

"Yes, dear, but it is just dinner because he wanted to thank me for my help," JJ replied, walking towards her bedroom.

"But, isn't there a rule about dating people that you meet at the National Guard?" Blake asked. "Is that legal?" the boy asked uncertainly.

"Sure it is, honey," JJ replied, walking into her bedroom. She whirled on her son, with a serious look on her face, and whispered, "Do you think that he's a secret agent? Maybe he's trying to steal the secret of penicillin?"

"Mo-om!" Blake said, rolling his eyes, and leaving the bedroom.

They all got ready for bed, and, as usual, JJ tucked her children in before retiring herself. She had talked to them about the tradition when they each turned teenagers. Both Kim and Blake agreed that they wanted to continue it, even though they agreed that they were too old to be tucked in. It was the time of day that each of them had JJ's complete, undivided attention. Mother, and children, valued the bond formed by these times.

Kim and Blake weren't perfect kids. They had both received spankings, and more than a few. Both had been grounded in various ways for infractions. Grounding from television, or the phone, or going out with friends were the most common. Despite the normal friction that inevitably forms between a teen and their parents, the three of them were very close. No matter how angry they made JJ, or how angry JJ made them, each day was ended with a hug, a kiss, and an 'I love you'. That made a difference in all their lives. It was also a testament to JJ's parenting skills, for being able to navigate the minefield of their evolving parent/child relationship, as the teens struggled for their own identity.

"I hope you have fun tomorrow night, Mom," Kim said after she hugged JJ.

"I'm sure I will, Honey," JJ said, pushing her daughter's hair back behind her ear. "He really does seem to be a nice guy. Right now, we're just planning on going to dinner. Tomorrow night is the annual opening of the Christmas light exhibit at Papago Park. If the weather stays nice, we may decide to extend the evening and drive out to watch the light show. They usually do something to make the first night special."

JJ hadn't mentioned anything to Caleb about any after dinner activities. It wasn't impossible that he might want to spend a little extra time with her. Watching Christmas lights illuminated for the first time of the year was an innocent activity. She blushed again, thinking about their kiss, and was thankful for the dim lights in the room.

"Will we get to meet Mr. Connor, before you go out?" Blake asked suspiciously, a few minutes later when JJ was tucking him in.

"Yes, honey," JJ replied, smiling slightly, understanding that her son's protective instincts were kicking in. "I'll make sure that I arrange it so that you can meet him, before you go to Grandma's."

"Are you sure that he's a good guy, Mom?" Blake asked guardedly.

JJ let out a breath and said, "I know I haven't had the best track record, in the last few years, Honey. I'm as sure as I can be. I've seen the man in a very stressful situation. He faced the situation with presence of mind, and even managed to maintain a sense of humor through it. I've read his personnel jacket from his years in the Army, and his personnel jacket from DES. Actually, I know more about Caleb than I do about last Friday night when you were supposed to be at Bill Sharp's house. I saw his mom at the store, and imagine my surprise when I found out that Bill stayed at our house. I don't want to talk about it tonight, but we do need to have a talk in the morning. You know that lying is forbidden."

"Mom, I really didn't lie to you," Blake said, hesitantly. "I ... um ... I said..."

"I said not tonight, and splitting hairs will not help your case in the morning," JJ said, cutting him off. "Besides, thinking about it will give you something to chew on, rather than about me going to dinner with a guy tomorrow night."

JJ bent over and kissed her son on his forehead before saying, "Now, go to sleep. I love you, Honey."

JJ was smiling when she left the room, and closed his door. She had known about the breach of trust last Monday. She even knew what he did, instead of staying at Bill's house, and it wasn't terrible. It was a teenager's stunt, and she had done worse when she was a teen. JJ knew that she had to punish her son for the infraction, but she had learned long ago that the timing of punishment was nearly as important as the punishment itself. The goal was not to provide punishment for misbehaving, but to create a learning experience for the child while strengthening their bond ... or, at least, not weakening it.

Moments later, JJ's mind drifted back over the last twenty-four hours as she drifted off to sleep. She thought about the excitement of flying over the desert on a mission for a possible first encounter with an extraterrestrial species. Then the excitement gave way to concern for the poor man that had gotten caught up in all the military bull, and the General's national security paranoia. She thought about the bus ride back to Phoenix, and the amazing dreams she had experienced while napping on the bus.

She thought about that kiss that was only a kiss, but at the same time seemed to be so much more. Her mind sank into the oblivion of sleep with images and sensations of Caleb gently kissing her.