AN Going out of town tomorrow, so won't have time to post then.I'm taking my trusty thumb-drive with me, though so I'll try my best to post regularly after tomorrow.

OOOO

Part 4

The fates (mainly Harriet!) finally conspired to let Mikey and Cathy meet on the Friday night, when they were both up at Arlington National Cemetery, visiting their loved ones.

Beforehand, as Cathy let herself into her and Mac's apartment, she called out,

"Honey, I'm home!"

"Hey there," Mac greeted her, as she came out of the bedroom, "How did the summit go?"

"Excellent!" Cathy told her, "All of the ambassadors were really impressed. Best of all, all the countries finally came to a decision that will benefit all parties. I even got to talk to the Nigerian ambassador about the problems of anti-personnel mines and the poaching and ivory trade in Africa. He was really interested in what I had to say and really knew his stuff. He's really smart, used to be one of the presidents of a UN peacekeeping force in the Congo."

"Wow," Mac commented, enthusiastically.

"And he told me that he knows a lot of journalists who would be really interested in interviewing me. You get that? ME! Somebody wants my story! And not in the whole 'family context,' either! They want to know about my life in Africa."

"What a star!" Mac exclaimed, "They obviously see you for the passionate, intelligent, wonderful girl that I do, the one you truly are."

Cathy gave Mac a big hug, then told her, "I'd better get going, I still need to get up to Arlington before dinner. If you give me the cleaner's receipt, I'll pick up our dresses on my way back."

"Are you sure you don't mind?"

At Cathy's assurance, she reminded her, "Just be sure to check the dresses over first, before you pay him. We don't want there to be any scorch marks on our dresses."

"Okay," Cathy replied, before heading out to the elevator.

OOOO

Bud, Harriet, Mikey and little AJ stood at baby Sarah's grave in Arlington National Cemetery, all near tears as they gave thanks for being blessed by a little angel, sent by God, but taken again after only eight months.

"I don't know why we could only be blessed with such a short time with our baby girl," Bud said, "but the Lord must have a greater plan for her, up in heaven, under His watchful gaze."

Harriet nodded and sniffled, blotting her tearful eyes with a sodden tissue.

"Yeah," Mikey agreed, "God has a special purpose for my little angel-niece."

At this point, little AJ got particularly upset and Mikey could tell by the way he kept rubbing his eyes that he was really tired.

"Okay, buddy," Mikey told him, lifting him up into his arms, "Why don't we go and get you all strapped up in your car seat while Momma and Daddy say 'night 'night to baby Sarah?"

A grateful Bud and Harriet then began to arrange the flowers they had brought, in a vase in front of baby Sarah's gravestone. After a few minutes, they turned around as they heard the sound of footsteps echoing off the pathway, breaking the evening silence.

They saw that it was Catriona, who had her arms full with a big bouquet of assorted flowers and a smaller one of peach roses.

"Good evening Bud, Harriet," she greeted them.

"Hi, sweetie," Harriet replied, pulling Cathy into a motherly hug, "Bud and I didn't expect to see anyone else up here, with Sunday being July 4th."

"Yeah," Cathy replied, "neither did I, but since we're going to be so busy tomorrow, with the celebration then Independence Day on Sunday and all, I thought I'd better come up tonight."

"Harriet and I thought the same," Bud told her.

"Yeah, well, I still might come up, since it's the anniversary tomorrow."

She turned to admire how well the tiny grave of Baby Sarah was attended.

"These are beautiful roses," Harriet commented to her, admiringly.

"Yeah," Cathy told them, "they were my Mom's favorite."

She paused, then threaded out one of the long stems and turned to Harriet and Bud.

"May I?" she asked them, gesturing towards the vase of flowers on the headstone.

"Please do," Harriet told her.

Cathy bent down and arranged the rose amongst the other flowers.

"A beautiful rose for a beautiful little girl."

She turned and gave Bud and Harriet a hug, then picked up her flowers and walked up further, to where her own family was buried.

Just as they were turning to go, Mikey walked up to Bud and Harriet.

"AJ's sound asleep in his car seat," he told them, "Were you talking to that girl up there? I ran into her in JAG, the first day I was back."

"That's Cathy. She lives with Mac. She and Harm are her guardians," Bud told him.

"I never knew that she knew Harm and Mac…I saw her outside the court, too. Was she there with Mac?" Mikey asked.

"No, she works there, some of the time," Harriet told him.

"She doesn't look that old. She has a full time job?"

"She's a full time student at the Washington Language Center. She translates at governmental meetings. She's the same age as you, nineteen."

"Who is she laying flowers for?" Mikey asked

"Poor child," Harriet empathized, "she was just sixteen when she lost her parents. Her entire family was killed when that hurricane hit Florida three years ago. She's the only one left, out of a family of twenty-one. I'd forgotten that it was the anniversary tomorrow."

"That's awful!" Mikey exclaimed, softly.

"That's right," Bud recalled, "The day before Independence Day."

"Why don't we stick around here," Harriet suggested, "Perhaps she'd like a lift home."

OOOO

Cathy exited the dry cleaners with the dresses, in plastic laundry bags, over her shoulder. Bud and Harriet had dropped her off on their way home. She had been amazed when they had introduced the blue-eyed sailor, whom Cathy had run into at JAG, as Bud's brother, Mikey.

Things were definitely looking up for the ball the next night, after Harriet had told Cathy that Mikey would be there too.

"Well, I'll see you all there, tomorrow night," Cathy had bid them goodnight.

Mikey had given her one of those heart-stopping smiles as she had closed the car door. Yep, tomorrow was definitely looking up!

OOOO

As Cathy let herself into the apartment, she left the dresses over the back of the couch, when Mac walked in from the bedroom.

"Did you have any trouble at the cleaners?" She asked.

"Nope," Cathy told her.

"Was your visit to the cemetery okay?"

"Yeah…it wasn't any easier, but I think it went okay. I ran into Bud and Harriet. They gave me a ride home."

Cathy smiled to herself as she remembered the heart-stopping smile Mikey had given her.

"Hey," Mac suddenly asked her, "what are you smiling about?"

"Uhhh…nothing."

Mac gave her a look, as if to say, "Yeah right!"

"By the way, you never told me that Bud had a younger brother," Cathy confronted Mac.

"Who, Mikey?" It clicked with Mac what Harriet had been up to, during the week before.

"He's really cute, isn't he!" she grinned to Cathy

"Yeah! It looks like I'm going to have a date for the ball, after all! Now, we just need to find you one."

Mac however, expressed great doubt about this, so Cathy just hooked a comforting arm through Mac's and told her, "C'mon, let's go and try our dresses on!"

OOOO

Mac and Cathy stepped from the hired vehicle and paused at the entrance to the embassy. First, they slipped on the porcelain masks they had brought with them and made their way up to the party. Harm had already arrived, along with Bud, Harriet and Mikey and stood chatting to the Admiral.

"Ladies," AJ told them as they approached, "you look stunning this evening."

"Thank you, AJ. You look dashing, as usual," Cathy told him.

"I believe that the band is finished warming up. May I have the first dance?" He asked, holding out his hand to Cathy.

She took it and AJ walked her over to the dance floor. Mikey watched in complete amazement, completely gob-smacked. She did look stunning, like a dream, in fact. Her long, curly hair was left to spiral down her back, but her bangs were held back off her face by a couple of sparkling butterfly clips, with wings that fluttered in the gentle breeze. Her dress was a strapless, floor length, sweeping satin number, in baby blue, which hugged her figure in all the right places. Mikey quickly diverted his gaze as Harriet looked over at him.

"Man," Mikey sighed to himself, "I can't wait until we can finally take these masks off."

OOOO