AN: Sorry I haven't been posting this past week, but I've been

out of town. I'll make it up to you all by updating again, later

tonight and then again twice tomorrow.

My other story, 'Homeward Bound' is currently undergoing some

tweaking, I'll get that out as soon as I'm done with it. Thanks so much

for your patience...Jules

OOOO

Ch. 5

Dear diary,

This is the chance I've been waiting for. Mac is going to come up

and visit in a few weeks time. Tomorrow I'm going to try and get a

note to her, but I won't really be able to tell her anything in the note

and I won't be able to put her name on it, in case the postmaster gets

suspicious and reads it. No doubt Jim is still telling him lies about what

a 'problem child' I am. The last thing I heard was that he was telling him

that I kept trying to run away. I know better than that, because Jim would

just send the town's sheriff after me. There is no way that I'd get very far.

And Jim knows which way I'd head; straight for D.C. In case any word gets

back to Jim, I'll just put Linda's name on it and make up some excuse, if he asks about it.

OOOO

A couple of days later...

As Mac sorted through her mail, the name on one of the

envelopes jumped out at her.

"Linda Jamison? What on earth?"

The address was hers, but the name wasn't, perhaps it was a

mistake. She recognized the handwriting as Catriona's and

thought that it would probably be okay for her to open it. If

it wasn't meant for her, she'd simply send it back, no harm

done. Cathy had probably just written the envelope out wrong.

Opening the letter, she realized it was indeed meant for her.

Dear Mac,

I'm sorry, but school hasn't given me much of a chance to get

back to you. I can't wait for you to come up here. I wish Harm was

coming with you, but hopefully he'll manage to get up here

later in the week. You'll have to tell me how your trip to

Australia went and about that new guy in your life! Mic is it?

The only trouble is, I think you might have a bit of difficulty

finding Jim's house, because it's a bit far off the beaten

track. Why don't we meet up at my school? It's in the middle

of town, right near the guest house you're staying in, so it'll be

more convenient for you. On that Tuesday, I'll have a

softball game (students vs. teachers!) so you'll be able to find me on

the practice field at the front of the school from about

six thirty. I can't wait to see you again, I'm counting down the days,

hours, minutes and seconds!

Miss you more than words can say!

lots of love, Cathy XXX

OOOO

At dinner that night, Jim brought up the subject of the letter

Cathy had sent from the post office.

"Bill tells me that you sent a letter to Linda in the post

office today."

"Yeah," Cathy quickly explained, "I just wanted to find out how her

Mother was doing. Linda said she hadn't been doing too well after

that last stroke..."

"Listen to me, I don't want you blabbering your mouth off to

her! She walked out on the both of us, washed her hands of us. She

made her choices, now she'll have to live with them, Mother or no

Mother."

"Mmm... Besides," Cathy continued, feigning indifference, "I

don't think I wrote her Mom's address on right, she probably

won't get it."

"Huh! You always have been good for nothing!" Jim criticized

"Because of you, your whole family is dead! And now I'm

burdened with you. It's the biggest mistake I made in my whole life!"

Cathy just blocked his words out while she emptied and cleaned off

her plate, drying it and stacking it in the kitchen cupboard.

After she was done, she retreated to the solitude of her room.

"And don't get any big ideas about talking to your precious

Marine. She won't want you either," Jim shouted after her.

OOOO

The next couple of weeks passed slowly for Cathy, but finally,

Tuesday the 20th of March rolled around.

The softball game went well for the students, who were by far

beating the teacher's team. The stands were packed with enthusiastic parents,

teachers and siblings, so Cathy didn't see Mac as she pulled up in

the school parking lot. Due to the obvious victory of the

students over the teachers, it was agreed that they would go

through the batting order once more, with the teacher's team

fielding, before calling it a day.

Mac took a seat at one end of the spectator stands, watching as Catriona got

ready to bat. Mac noted how happy she looked as she talked to her teammates

and good-naturedly ribbed the teachers on the opposite team.

Cathy didn't spot Mac until she finally got up to bat, then

waved at her. Mac blew her a good luck kiss and Cathy laughed

as she mimed catching it and sticking it onto her bat.

After striking out on her first pitch, Cathy decided to give up trying so hard

and just to go for it, trusting her gut instinct. She tried to block out the players

on every one of the loaded bases, the pitcher, the fielders, even the chattering

crowd to her right. All that existed was herself and the ball, just as in she was in the

batting cage, practicing her swing. As the ball was pitched to her, time seemed to

move in slow motion. The crowd was silent until Cathy's bat hit the ball squarely,

emitting an ominous 'CRACK.' The ball soared into orbit and everyone on and around

the field let out a deafening cheer, standing from where they were seated. Cathy hesitated

but a moment, dropping her bat and legging it to first base. As she rounded second, she

spotted, out of the corner of her eye, the ball fly over the fence and land far beyond the field.

Teammates, as well as a couple of teachers, were cheering her on as she

ran into home base.

After the game wound up, Cathy sat beside Mac, filling her in on all that she had been

doing in school. All seemed to fade away as they chattered away like old times, until

Mac asked how Uncle Jim was doing. Almost reluctantly, Mac noticed, Cathy told her

that he was doing fine.

Afterwards, the two of them went back to the guesthouse where

Mac was staying, for lunch and a celebratory ice cream. There, Mac

filled Cathy in on how everyone at JAG was doing, including Harm.

However, Cathy could tell from Mac's voice that there was something

she wasn't mentioning.

"Have things changed since Harm got back from flying?" Catriona asked

her.

"Yeah, perhaps a little bit," Mac replied, trying to play it

down in front of Catriona.

"You feel like he left you to go back to flying, don't you?"

From the look on Mac's face, Catriona knew that she had hit

the nail on the head.

"Is there nothing this girl doesn't pick up on?" Mac wondered

to herself.

Reading her thoughts, Cathy told Mac, "There's very little I

can't pick up. I can be very perceptive at times!"

This made Mac laugh out loud and Cathy laughed along with her. Cathy

eyed the ring on Mac's left hand with interest, but asked nothing.

She decided that she had put Mac through enough interrogation for one day.

She knew she should be getting home, but resisted Mac's offer to give her a ride.

"Nah, there's no point in you going out of your way."

However, Mac insisted, steering Cathy outside to where her car

was parked. Before they got to the car though, who should

approach them, but Uncle Jim.

"There you are, I was beginning to get worried about you," he

told Cathy.

"Sorry, we kind of lost track of time," Cathy apologized, as Jim put

an arm across her shoulders.

Mac smiled at the scene, but Cathy understood the more sinister

implications of the hand which was gripping her shoulder.

They bid Mac goodnight, then Jim drove them back to The House,

remaining unnervingly quiet throughout the journey. Country

music blasted eerily through the radio. Once they got back, Cathy dashed

from the vehicle and ran up to her room, locking the door behind her, with Jim

close on her heels. The night was spent with Cathy holding the door closed,

praying that the deadbolt wouldn't give way, as Jim hammered and screamed on the other side of it.

OOOO