<IMG SRC="http://webpages.charter.net/jff/Reel%20It%20In/Things Change.jpg" ALT="The More Things Change"> -- The "Reel It In" JAG Ficathon

[ Show ]

Support VoyForums

[ Shrink ]

VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

[ Login ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 17:44:17 04/06/09 Mon
Author: .
Subject:

Title: The More Things Change�

Word Count: 5943

Prompt: From Miss Congeniality, submitted by Staz

Gracie Hart: "I am in a dress, I have gel in my hair, I haven't slept all night, I'm starved, AND I'm armed! Don't MESS with me!"

Prompt 2: From The Wedding Date

Quote: I'd rather fight with you, than make love with anyone else.

Prompt 3: What we have here . . . is a failure to communicate. - Cool Hand Luke.

Author's Notes: Reminiscing an afternoon away, Mac remembers a few moments of her life

********************

�Go back upstairs, take that stuff off your face young lady, and while your up there, put something decent on or your staying home tonight.� Lee Ann Rabb heard her father roar as she fled the room. Her life was ruined because her father was so old fashioned. Why did she have to have such old parents?

Stomp, stomp, stomp was all that was heard in the house as she reluctantly obeyed her father. She would be the only one at th e dance that was not wearing the latest in style and fashion because her father was so old-fashioned. Why did her dad have to be so old? What she couldn�t see was her mother�s face during the argument. Her mother was remembering her own disagreements with her own father over the same subjects. Unlike her father, her husband was saying it with love. Mac was in agreement with Harm, Lee Ann�s make-up had been applied too heavily; and her skirt and top was far too suggestive for a young teen to wear. She remembered her own defiance in matters of clothing and make-up, how the boys had treated her differently because of her choice in defying her father. Joe McKenzie had continually called her a whore, wearing what she had; only reinforcing her low self-image. She knew now, this had contributed to her �wild-child� ways. She hoped and prayed her daughter would be spared that agony. Unlike with Lee Ann t here had been no compromise in either what she wore or had on as far as her father Joe McKenzie was concerned. Mac was sure that Harm would be a bit more understanding. It didn�t help that the �natural� look was out, for most teens. To her amusement and horror Mac, thought that it seemed every film or TV star wore more make-up than she had ever worn at that age. The popular skirt length, which had been closer to the knee for a few years, was now headed back to miniskirt length. More than one school district was forced to enforce dress codes that hadn�t been needed for years because of the trend popularized by the media

A few minutes later, Lee Ann Rabb came down the stairs, having changed into black jeans and a plain pink t-shirt. She left the eye shadow as it was, but wiped off most of the other make-up. Harm gave his daughter a smile, and opened his arms to give her a hug. �I know you are not happy with me, but I was a boy, once upon a time, and I still know how they think.� This was what she needed to hear. Lee Ann accepted the hug, knowing, deep down, that her father was looking out for her; she listened to her classmates, heard several boys in her class talk amongst themselves heard their opinion of those girls in her class that dressed the way her father had just nixed. Two years ago, when they had �the talk� Mac had explained about her own teen years, how Lee Ann needed to be her own individual, not be a slave to fashion and �everyone� is doing it. Having heard about her mother�s childhood, Lee Ann had made a promise to herself she would wait until she was of legal drinking age to have alcohol, even if it made her an outcast to her friends and classmates. She planned to keep that promise to herself.

Five years later it was time for Lee Ann�s senior prom; she�d kept the promise to herself regarding alcohol. Fortunately, her four closest friends were of like mind, so there were times in junior and senior high when they would be elsewhere when the rowdier parties took place. She was planning to go to the prom with her best friend, but not boyfriend, Tyler O�Neill. Both Harm and Mac saw a lot of her and Harm in the two teens. The two were obviously meant for each other. Harm hoped they would wait a few years though, like when the two graduated from graduate school. Even with him soon to turn sixty, he wasn�t old enough to be a grandfather.

Mac was grateful her husband had been more understanding of the female psyche during the teen years than her father had. It was in large part to the fact the lines of communication had always been there between them, it wasn�t the dictatorship her father made his marriage. Harm and Lee Ann were close, because he would at least try to listen to his daughter, even though there were times it seemed to him she was from a different planet.

It took one specific argument, during a sometimes-rocky start to their marriage, after that both Harm and Mac made sure that they kept the lines of communication open. Both Harm and Mac had spent a majority of their adult lives living on their own, even accounting his tours of duty on ships, Mac had spent more time living by herself. They were both used to having autonomy in scheduling their free time and occasionally forgot the fact someone else was now in the equation. Getting past that diminished the frequency of their fights. Their first Christmas together had nearly been their last Christmas together. Mac thought about that time as she and Lee Ann went shopping for the right dress. While they were in a trendy boutique, Mac waited for her daughter to try on several of the dresses and thought about her first several months of her marriage to Harm.

***Flashback***

2005 London England

�What we have here�is a failure to communicate� Mac said as she hissed at her husband of six months. They had had made tentative plans to go to Paris for the weekend, to celebrate Christmas early, as both of them were working their first major holiday since marriage. Harm had just told her he had made plans to go flying with one of the RAF officers he worked with. Harm and his counterpart Julian Montgomery were good friends, but the same would never be said for Mac and Julian�s wife, Adriana. The two were polite with each other, but had little to do with each other. This was in part to Adriana�s initial refusal to cooperate with Mac. Adriana Lewis Montgomery had long been the spouse �in charge� of the office, and had enjoyed the perks her position gave her within the community of the military. With Harm�s promotion to Captain and his position as Force Judge Advocate, Mac was now the other woman�s equal.

It took Julian repeated reminds that Mac was a military officer, with her own high ranking, who deserved the respect due her husbands rank as well as her own. When the coin toss had ended in Harm�s favor Mac had offered to resign, but Creswell had arranged for her to work with the court of Saint James, utilizing her language skills as well as her legal skills, with it was a very recent promotion to full Colonel.

�Is it this weekend?� Harm asked. When Julian had asked him to go flying that morning, he was considering the decent weather, forgetting that Mac had already arranged the weekend away. They had agreed to a quiet holiday, as it would be just the two of them with Mattie staying stateside. Tom Johnson�s health was failing and she knew she should spend her free time with him instead of the couple she thought of as her parents. Besides, it was their first Christmas as a couple, much less a married couple.

Tom Johnson had been diagnosed with terminal cancer shortly after Mattie�s recovery from her accident. When the commonwealth turned down Harm�s proposal to take her to London, Bud and Harriet had come up with an ideal compromise for all concerned, the teen could stay in Virginia with the Roberts, babysitting in exchange for room, so she could be with her father before his death. She had changed her mind about going and was about to buy the tickets when Tom took a turn for the worse and she decided to stay in the States. Harm had been more disappointed by the decision than he�d let on, and was a big reason he�d agreed to the offer to go flying, forgetting the plans that were already made. Mac completely understood Mattie�s decision, knowing that in the future she would have the memory of being able to talk to her father, and her father able to hear what she had to say. She�d waited too long when her father was in hospice to have Joe McKenzie hear what she had to say.

�I�ll let Julian know, we can go flying whenever we have a good weekend,� Harm placated his wife, as he was looking forward to his first Christmas as a married man, even if it were early. He�d had to work the holiday before, and would again in the future. He just wanted it to be perfect. Paris would be a romantic location for them. Maybe without interruptions caused by their jobs they could spend some quality time and work on making a baby. The doctors had told them that chances were slim they could conceive a child, but they wanted to try. So far, each month had been a disappointment.

�Good thinking� Mac said, she didn�t know why she was so emotional about Harm�s making plans without checking with her. She�d been short with people all day, thankful she�d been holed up in her office getting a report finalized that Creswell wanted done by the next morning his time. Her period was late, but with the stress she�d been under the past few weeks, she�d not given it another thought.

One reason she�d been upset at Harm�s weekend plans was the fact they were, by order of the ambassador, to attend to a fancy party, it was a ball for goodness sake, on New Years Eve. Mac didn�t have a dress appropriate for the occasion. She�d had exactly two ball gowns in her wardrobe both had bad memories attached to them. The embassy take-over had forever tainted the one, not factoring in that Clay bought her dress; without her input. That should have been a clue about the man, and his presumption that he knew what she wanted. The other dress would have had better memories, if Mic had not had the temerity to show up unexpectedly at the Surface Warfare Ball.

Harm had told her, after their marriage �I was going to break things off that night, with Renee.� Harm had changed his mind when the Australian had come to DC to be with Mac. They would have been married by 9/11 if the Australian hadn�t scuttled Harm�s plans to pursue a relationship with Mac. Harm knew he would never knowingly date, nor intentionally chase after another mans woman. To him that meant she was off limits, as far as any possible romance was concerned. A friendship could continue. It didn�t help the situation when the Australian, gave Mac a ring. Even if it was at first considered just a friendship ring, A ring was a ring and that meant hands off to Harm.

Mac had worn the dress worn that night, as needed, when Mic�s business obligations had required she wear a gown but she had given both that dress and the �embassy dress� to charity several years ago.

The newlyweds had originally planned to spend New Years Eve by themselves in their apartment, or locally called a flat, located close to Harm�s office. Now she had to buy a gown, and shoes, maybe if Harm hadn�t bought her a Christmas present, he could buy her a dress from one of the fashion houses. She wasn�t sure they had the bank balance for a dress like that. A girl could hope. She�d always wanted a dress from Paris. A part of her reasoning to get a dress in Paris was in her own head, she wanted to rub it into her rich high school nemesis who was always wearing name brand clothing, and rubbing it in her face repeatedly. The last she heard the woman had to declare bankruptcy and drastically downscale her standard of living after her husband was convicted of fraud, besides the fact the harridan had gained a hundred fifty pounds since high school. Mac could wear the dress she chose to their high school reunion this coming fall; they had received an set aside this date note from the reunion committee in late November, and she�d have had the baby by then. She would show them that you could rise up from the ashes of a terrible childhood, with the right people behind you.

A few days later, the couple was happily ensconced in their hotel room, in Paris. They decided to make the most of this visit in their room, as they wouldn�t have any interruptions by phone or neighbors, besides room service would be their outlet to the outside world until Sunday morning. Living in London, they could visit the city often. This visit was just for them, other visits they could sightsee more.

�After we check out, there are a few stores Mom suggested we stop at. I can�t have Cinderella dressing in rags for the ball.� Harm said as they packed what little they need to pack.

�As long my ride doesn�t turn into a pumpkin at midnight. If I can make it to midnight� was Mac�s wry reply. More than one night lately, she�d gone to bed early, utterly exhausted. Harm had a suspicion as what was the cause, but he didn�t want to jinx his chances if he was not correct. �I�ll finish getting ready; let me get my cosmetic bag.� Harm gave her said kit and she went into the bathroom to �put her face on� as Chloe had called it. In the cosmetic bag was a pregnancy test, and Mac had finally worked up the nerve to take it. All the signs were there. She�d assumed she hadn�t agreed with what she�d had for lunch for a few days.

Knowing she would have to wait, she took the test and nervously applied her make-up. Using her innate time sense, she was finished when the test said it was okay to look. Positive. She was pregnant. That explained many of her emotions of the past few days. �I�m ready Harm,� She said as she left the spacious bathroom. The one thing she missed about her Georgetown apartment was the size of the bathroom. When they transferred back to the States her wish for their next residence was a large master bath. She had his Christmas gift already, but this would be the topper.

She was able to keep the news to herself, barely, until they were done with dinner and waiting for their dessert. �Harm, I�m sorry if I�m been twitchy lately, but there is a reason, I�m pregnant. I�ve not confirmed by a doctor, but I took a test in our hotel room.

As expected, Harm was thrilled with the news of her pregnancy. He had suspected that the cause of Mac�s recent moodiness was her being with child. It explained many of the emotional outbursts she�d displayed lately. �I don�t care if we have a boy or a girl. This may be our only chance. And so we don�t have any more fights, from now on, I�m going to double check with your schedule before scheduling any flying time with Montgomery.� Harm knew his wife didn�t care for the couple, but he felt the same way about some of her co-workers. He grinned �too bad you aren�t showing yet.�

Mac looked at him questioningly; �Huh� She wasn�t sure if she should be offended by his remark.

It was obvious by her facial expression because Harm quickly explained. �I think you look sexier than ever, what they say about pregnant women is true.� He leaned over and kissed her. He would have kissed her again, but the waiter brought their dessert at that moment. �I just found out my wife is pregnant with our first.� He blurted out.

�Tres Bien, Monsieur� t Jean Paul commented. �Congratulations.� Hearing news like that always made his day. It didn�t hurt his pocketbook that good news imparted usually meant better tips for him. Tense couples usually meant for minimal tips, no matter how good the service was. He had already decided to do a paper for one of his psychology classes on this phenomena and decided he�d use this couple as one of his �subjects� They must have been trying for years, since the man looked the same age as his eldest brother who was nearly twenty years his senior. Jean Paul was correct the tip was very good. He hoped they returned to the restaurant in the future.

As they were finishing their tiramisu, Harm surprised Mac by confessing, �I'd rather fight with you, than make love with anyone else. We might been married years ago, if I hadn�t tried to fight my feelings for you. If I had just explained to you why I said what I said in Sydney instead of not yet, we would have prevented a boatload of heartache on both sides. No Mic No Renee, or a lot of what happened later on. I wasn�t ready to talk that night; my mind was on that case. After the case, we could have talked all the way home on the plane.� Harm confessed as he motioned the waiter over for the check. �We need to go, if we want to go do any shopping today.� Mac would have liked to stay and talk more, since Harm didn�t get philosophical that often, but she couldn�t complain, she had the guy, and was going to spend the rest of her time in Paris looking for the dress and the shoes.

They were not able to find a gown in the first three stores, but the fourth one had the perfect one for her, it was a Marine green strapless dress with an empire waist. When she saw it, she hoped that it would fit, and it did, without needing any alterations whatsoever. Even better, the price didn�t break their bank account either. The designer was up and coming and her dresses were not as expensive. They had shoes that matched the dress, but Mac insisted on paying for those. Harm didn�t mind, shoes were Mac�s addiction.

Christmas Day sped by, with the time difference; they were able to talk with Mattie on Christmas Eve. They heard from Mattie that her father would likely see only a few weeks of the coming year. They called other family members as well, but didn�t let anyone know about the pregnancy, as both wanted to wait until after the first trimester was over. It was highly likely that Mac would have to go on bed rest at some time during the pregnancy and they wanted to keep things as low stress as they could, and Mac told Harm on Christmas Day �I know it sounds weird, but I don�t want anyone else knowing, other than you, me, and the doctor of course. Somehow telling everyone before the first trimester is over is going to jinx this pregnancy and this may be our only time, so do this for me,� she pleaded.

Harm wanted to tell his mother and grandmother, but he understood where Mac was coming from, and agreed to wait, �But as soon as we hit that date, we are calling them, no matter what is going on here in London.� Harm grinned when Mac smiled. He didn�t want to jinx this either.

The party went better than Mac expected, and inadvertently gave both of their careers a boost with the contacts they made that night. When Lee Ann was born, on July 4th,, her arrival six weeks early, but otherwise healthy, Mac decided she would put her twenty in and resign her commission. With her twenty-five year reunion coming up shortly, Mac was determined to loose what little baby fat she�d gained.

***End Flashback***

As a little girl Lee Ann had never been a �girly girl�, which at times annoyed her mother, who wanted her daughter to be just a little bit less of a tomboy than she had been at the same stages of life. But that changed as she grew up, and the two had early on bonded when it came to shopping for clothes. To Harm�s bank account�s dismay.

Despite the fact that Lee Ann never had to worry about wearing castoff clothing, like her mother had, she never lorded it over the less fortunate girls at her school. There were times she would intentionally not wear the �in� clothing for that reason. In fact, Lee Ann had started a gently used clothing store at the school. Upon her retirement from the Marines Mac worked occasionally defending American�s accused of various crimes until they returned to the U.S. There she started a small practice, working on a case-by-case basis until Lee Ann started elementary school. By that time, Harm had left the military as well and he joined the firm. They wanted the stability of their daughter being in one school district, Harm knew there was little chance for him to become an admiral; he�d skated on thin ice too many time in his legal career and ruffled a few feathers in his pursuit to find out the truth about a case. They were able to be select in the cases they took, thanks to the inheritance Harm received when Frank died shortly before Lee Ann�s birth. A grieving Trish was stunned when she arrived in London to meet Lee Ann Franklynn Rabb and gladly babysat her granddaughter when her parents went to Mac�s reunion.

October 2006
Phoenix, Arizona

With Lee Ann happily ensconced in her grandmother�s hotel suite, Harm and Mac left for the reunion. Mac was at pre pregnancy weight and was ecstatic to see that the dress bought in Paris fit with no alteration. In anticipation of future needs, Harm bought himself a tuxedo while on a spring trip to Paris with Mattie. She wanted to stay in Virginia and finish school, and had already lined up a job for the summer, thus she was getting an early graduation gift. The three of them had seen the sights, and between the two females, they had persuaded him to get the tux, despite the fact he currently didn�t need one, his mess dress uniform would do.

The hotel ballroom was set aside for the reunion; they had decided to stay here in case there were any problems with Lee Ann, as this was just the second time they had left her for the evening.

Outside the ballroom they had several tables with name tags for all attending. Mac was relieved to see a good friend from high school at the L throu O table. They went to that one and Mac said to the woman who seemed to be only a few pounds from her high school weight, �Hi, I�m Sarah McKenzie, and this is my husband, Harm Rabb.�

�Sarah, you look great, make that fantastic,� Susan said perkily, �Here is your nametag, with your senior picture on it� she gave that to Mac, �and here is yours� the spouses and significant others who didn�t graduate at that high school were plainer, with just the name. �So what are you doing, and where are you living Sarah?�

�We currently live in London with our daughter, who is upstairs with her grandmother. I am a Lieutenant Colonel with the Marines and am currently on attachment with the US Embassy.�

�That�s great to hear, we can talk later, and catch up, I married Steve and we still live here in Phoenix. See you when I get done here.�

Mac had been dreading attending the reunion, as that had been a very bad time in her life. She always felt like she was out of place in the academic classes her counselor insisted she take, feeling like the poor cousin. She knew she wouldn�t be able to attend college or university unless a miracle occurred. Her father had made that abundantly clear; he was not paying for her to go on to school. Her grades had suffered the more she drank, and she didn�t graduate with honors, but she�d graduated with a B average.

They walked over to the tables that had a nice spread and had a bite to eat, and calm Mac�s stomach. She saw several people that she recognized, but not all recognized her, despite the notoriety of the People article years earlier. Her hair was longer now, and up in a classic Grecian look. Trish had given her pieces of jewelry upon the marriage and she wore them tonight.

After a few minutes one of the nerdy guys, came up to her, she didn�t recognize him at first as he now wore contacts and looked quite stylish, �Sarah it�s great to see you, I remember you from government class.�

�Ben, you look good, what are you doing?�

�I was in computers, got out before the dot com bust; thankfully, I parlayed that into real estate. Last I heard you were in DC with the�Marines�

�Still with the Marines, but we are now in England, this is my Husband, Captain Harmon Rabb, he�s the Navy. Force Judge Advocate. I was with JAG but transferred to the state department when we married.�

�Pretty good, my wife was naval reserve, so we�ve kind of kept up with both of your careers. You remember Natalie.� Mac nodded. �She�s one of the organizers tonight. I am amazed at how many people were able to make it, or at least let us know what they are doing. I know she wants to see you.�

There were people who looked at Mac with disdain, but they were the ones that had been the bane of her existence twenty years earlier. However, most of the attendees had grown up, or at least now had the maturity to hide it. That or time had given them the wake up call that life was not all about what was in or who was in during the high school years. Thus for the first hour of the reunion Mac was in a great mood,. People were being amazingly genuine, and several asked what it was like living in London.

She was talking with Ben and his wife Natalie, along with Susan and Steve when a loud voice interrupted them, a voice she could have gone without hearing. �Well if it is the lush of our class, Sarah MacKenzie, she probably got that rag she has on from the local thrift store.� Her words were ironic as they were slurred, it was obvious to all that the woman had partaken in more than one alcoholic drink that evening and all had seen that Mac had not taken anything stronger than herbal tea. Several people started to come to Mac�s assistance, but she held her own.

�Renee, it�s nice to see you, I have been looking forward to this night since I got the invitation, I wanted to let every one know that I turned out okay. I married a man that I adore and would die for, a great career, I live in England, a country I never thought I�d visit, much less live in, and I have a family that I love and loves me back. My husband bought me this little old thing in Paris for a ball at the Ambassador�s last Christmas. How are you?� Mac was genuine in her answers and anyone who heard, which was most of her classmates, as Renee had been quite vocal in her harangue. Some of the women who were into fashion looked a little closer at her dress.

�Renee, she�s wearing a Deanna Marquez, she�s an up and coming designer with Versace,� Molly told her friend, rubbing it in knowing that Renee could no longer afford, nor no longer fit into designer labels. It was quite apparent that Renee had fancied herself a designer and had made her own dress, which showed every one of her pounds.

�It must be nice, have you run into Madonna?� Molly asked Mac, clearly impressed that the girl she�d looked down on all through out school just because she was from the wrong side of town and had ran with some of the undesirables in the school.

�She was in attendance at the ball, I think; we were there at the Ambassador�s request so it was more business than pleasure that night.� Mac confessed. �Harm would know more, as his yeoman is a big fan.�

�Do they still have those?� Molly�s husband Gabriel asked.

�Yes they do, and I trust the Petty Officer with my husband, after all she helped raise our eldest daughter.� Mac went on to explain that they considered Mattie to be their eldest child, the teen unable to miss school in England for the visit. Renee fumed hearing that Sarah MacKenzie was doing well. It was also apparent she no longer drank alcohol. Or did she? Renee decided to corner the very good-looking husband. She could see that she no longer was the queen bee of her class and left before someone threw her out. Renee went over to the dessert table and loaded her plate. A few minutes later, her target came over to the table she was still standing next to.

�So you�re Sarah�s husband, how long have you been married?� She decided to play the nice card.

�For a little while, but we�ve known each other for over a decade.� Harm could see that the woman was trying to interrogate him, but she didn�t know he was a master litigator, this woman was easy pickings, he could tell her the least amount, and still tell the whole truth.

�Did you know your wife was the class drunk?�

�Yes, I was, she told me almost from the first day we met, and I know Mac, she�ll do her best to never drink another drop of alcohol. You might want to lighten up on what you�re drinking Renee; I don�t think you want everyone�s memory of you at this reunion is you falling down drunk. Mac went up to the room to nurse the baby, and give my mom a few minutes break.�

�Humph� was all she could say, she was not getting any bad info on Sarah, and this was making her mad. She�d been able to be the center of popularity all her life, until her louse of a husband was found guilty of fraud and they�d had to move into a much smaller house and she�d had to scale back on all her activities. What friends she had seemed to vanish when the money did. It was obvious they had only wanted to be friends because she was from money. If they were staying at this hotel, and they had traveled from England, she must have married into money.

Renee stayed at the party glaring at Mac and the others who seemed to have deserted her until she had to return home, her eldest daughter had a court mandated curfew and she needed to be home to account for her whereabouts. She didn�t see that Harm and Mac left moments after she did to go to their suite.

That night Lee Ann was colicky so Mac, in her effort to keep the baby quiet and not disturb the other guests, stayed up with her. She�d changed from the gown she�d worn into a comfortable sheath, when it was apparent she would not be going to sleep soon.
By six thirty the next morning she was ready for a cup of coffee, despite the fact it was off her diet until she was through nursing. They decided on going down to the restaurant, and took a now sleeping Lee Ann with them, allowing Trish some peace and quiet. A few of the class of 82 had stayed at the hotel, and some were already up for breakfast. Mac had decided she would eat breakfast and nurse Lee Ann before going to bed for a few hours.

They were quickly sat down, the wait staff being quiet as they noted the sleeping infant. Most of the other patrons were as well. They ordered breakfast, Harm got the vegetarian omelet and Mac got the steak and eggs special. They talked about what they were going to do for the rest of their leave before returning to England while they were waiting for the food to arrive, which at this hotel was very quickly. Mac was just about to dive into her omelet and began to slice her steak when she heard an unwelcome sound once again.

Renee was back, this time she was with Bill Johnson the quarterback, and if Mac remembered through her sleep deprived brain, the married father of six. It looked like he was not happy with her either. �Renee, all I see is a bunch of people eating breakfast, I do not see any lushes, except the one in front of me,� he hissed but loud enough for them to hear. �Sarah grew up, why can�t you?�

�Bill, I�ll tell Martha about your golf weekends if you don�t get back here right now.� Renee said as he turned to leave. Her strident tone woke Lee Ann up.

Harm quickly took Lee Ann out of her carrying seat and quieted her down. Mac on the other hand stood up, still carrying her steak knife with her as she went over to the bickering couple. �It�s not quite seven in the morning, and because I have a colicky baby that you just manage to wake up after getting her to sleep, I am in a dress, I have gel in my hair, I haven't slept all night, I'm starved, AND I'm armed! Don't MESS with me!" She said this in an even tone, holding the knife in a very non-threatening manner and then went back to her seat, and took a still whimpering Lee Ann in her arms. Renee left the room stomping her feet, and a member of the security staff went to intercept her to oust her from the premises. A moment later, the baby was asleep. Bill sat down, but the glares he was receiving from the patrons told him he had better order it to go.

***End flashback***

The hunt for the perfect prom dress was over, and Mac was amazed at how quickly the afternoon had gone, it seemed she�d spent most of it thinking back to the time when she wore a very special gown. Lee Ann had to wonder why her mother laughed when she saw the dress she�d finally chosen until they got home and her mom got out the cds with the pictures from 2006. Other than the spaghetti straps, it was identical to Mac�s dress.

Post script

Tyler and Lee Ann married the day after graduating with honors, from the Air Force Academy.

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Replies:

[> Doing all three ---good for you -- rosie, 20:25:24 04/06/09 Mon [1]

[ Post a Reply to This Message ]
[ Edit | View ]

[> Great use of all three prompts! I enjoyed this very much. -- Mandy, 21:38:15 04/06/09 Mon [1]

[ Post a Reply to This Message ]
[ Edit | View ]

[> Three for one! -- wish I could go to Paris for the weekend, 22:40:58 04/06/09 Mon [1]

[ Post a Reply to This Message ]
[ Edit | View ]

[> At least Renee was wise enough not to mess with mac....Nicely done! -- Kim, 02:43:24 04/07/09 Tue [1]

[ Post a Reply to This Message ]
[ Edit | View ]

[> Great use of the prompts. -- JagfanNat, 04:39:23 04/07/09 Tue [1]

[ Post a Reply to This Message ]
[ Edit | View ]

[> You used one of my prompts! I'm excited and grateful. Of all the movie lines suggested I think this one described Harm and Mac to a tea at times - -- usmgrad, 08:49:50 04/07/09 Tue [1]

'what we have here is a failure to communicate'. Especially in the timeframe you used it. Perfect! Well done using three totally unrelated prompts in one story. You're title is correct, 'the more things change', I'm just glad Harm and Mac's daughter was able to learn from them and not complete that saying 'the more things stay the same.'

Thanks

[ Post a Reply to This Message ]
[ Edit | View ]

[> Another great story. -- Bev uk, 16:34:21 04/07/09 Tue [1]

[ Post a Reply to This Message ]
[ Edit | View ]