I have been editing this for a week now and it's time to post it before I tinker with it too much and it falls like Sue Ann Nivens' chocolate souffle. Thank you to ShiksaWithChutzpah1 on youtube for posting "Centennial", without which this story would not have been written. The following is brought to you in semi-living color and without the benefit of canon.

A Lesson in Fashion History

Prologue

Martha and the kids returned from the kitchen with their wraps to witness the dancing couple in the parlor. Martha was surprised to see Carolyn's eyes sparkling so; she had never before seen any evidence that Carolyn had a partiality for Claymore. She had assumed Claymore to be the cliché choice of escort due to the Gregg connection and nothing more; after this she thought she might have to change that assumption. Candy thought they made a pretty couple but secretly wished her mom could be dancing with the Captain instead. Jonathan was just bored and wanted to get out of the house.

Carolyn noticed the trio out of the corner of her eye and with regret knew she had to bring this dance to an end. This was contrary to what she really wanted to do which was send them off to the ball and spend the whole night here dancing with "Claymore". But, there were duties the Honorary Grand Admiral had to preside over at the festivities and the kids were really excited about the whole event, so off they had to go. She stopped the dance and looked up into Claymore's eyes. A silent, "I'm sorry I have to end this" was conveyed. She broke apart from Claymore's arms and told the kids to head out to the car on the pretense of locking up. Martha would drive the kids and she would go with Claymore so they could stay past the kids' bedtime.

Alone with Claymore she thanked him for allowing – whatever it was he had just allowed. She didn't want to delve too deeply into the mechanics of the…possession…she guessed was the correct word.

Claymore beat a hasty retreat to the car; three was now definitely a crowd. He himself wasn't too sure what had just happened, but he did have the faintest glimmer of a thought that this, finally, gave him some power over the Captain.

Carolyn felt her wrap being softly placed on her shoulders. She closed her eyes and reveled in the sensation. If there was one thing she could never tell the Captain it was how much she loved it whenever he draped a wrap, shawl, coat, blanket or anything else over her shoulders. It warmed her heart and she felt enveloped by love. To her, in short, the action said, 'I love you'.

She looked up to smile at the Captain. "Thank you," was all that she could say. The words were a paltry token of what she was currently feeling. The dance was such a surprise it might take her all night to come to terms with it. She tried not to think that that was as close as they were going to get to dancing together. The stars in her eyes started to fade the more she thought about that. She dropped her gaze, trying to sort through everything that had just happened.

Claymore had just given the Captain and herself a beautiful gift. It must have been difficult for the Captain to ask Claymore for permission (assuming, of course that he had asked.) Claymore must have had some conflict with the situation. The Captain was now obliged to Claymore because of her and that could make matters uncomfortable in the long run depending on how much Claymore wanted to milk this. But these were thoughts for another day; tonight was their chance to enjoy a moment they thought they couldn't have.

She regained control of her dance muddied faculties. She tried to find the words to say, but they would not come; so they spoke in silence. She found the courage to look him in the eye, and tried to convey to him all that she was feeling. This was quite a feat because she wasn't sure what she was feeling. Tenderness, gratitude and friendship were all in there. Definitely love; she had no problem acknowledging that. There was also some sadness that they would be going to the ball; but would not be able to dance with each other. Using Claymore as a dance partner was not a line that could be crossed very often.

What she saw in his eyes made her curse their fate even more. They may tease each other and flirt all the time but they both knew that underneath it all was a love that would never be truly realized. They did their best to pretend it wasn't as strong as it was; it was the only solution to their problem.

She broke away, "I suppose they are waiting for me."

"Of course."

"We'll see you there, yes?"

"Yes, I will stop by to make sure Claymore is being dashing enough; Heaven knows he needs the tutelage."

She smiled and laughed and headed for the door. She opened it and looked back one last time to give him a sad smile, "I'll see you there, then.

"Certainly," he answered as she shut the door behind her. He wished he could keep her here with him tonight and send the others off to the ball. The house was empty and quiet. If he didn't get over to the ball he might run the risk of dwelling too much on thoughts that had no peaceful resolution.