AN: Sorry I didn't post this week, but could for the life of me sign in here! I'm going to post twice today to make it up to you!

OOOO
Part 6

Once they were in the department store, they picked out a couple of
outfits for Carol-Anne to wear to school, but had more trouble with
finding something for her to wear to the school dance.

"What about this?" Carol-Anne asked pointing out a skirt.

"Isn't it a bit um…formal for a school dance?" Mac asked, biting back
the urge to use the term short,' "You'd probably be a bit more
comfortable in jeans or a pair of pants."

"Okay," Carol-Anne nodded in agreement, "But nothing in pink, okay?
I can't stand pink."

Mac laughed and gave her a quick hug before pulling her in the
direction of the junior-wear. This section was just a bit mature for
Mac's liking.

OOOO

"What's up?" Harm asked as Mac sorted through a bag of products she'd
picked up from the make-up counter at the store.

"Uh, just about to help Carol-Anne get ready for her school dance,"
Mac told him, "What are you still doing here? It's nearly six-
thirty."

"Just playing catch-up with the paperwork," Harm told her, reaching
to pick up some of the items that Mac had tipped out of the plastic
bag.

"Lip-gloss, eye-shadow, blush and make-up brush," Mac supplied for
him, "You don't think it's a bit too much for a twelve-year-old, do
you?"

"You're asking the wrong person," Harm told her, "Mattie's a lot
older than Carol-Anne. But no, I don't think so. This is just for
this dance, isn't it? She's not planning to wear this to school
everyday, is she?"

"No," Mac shook her head, firmly, "definitely not."

"Then I suggest you lock it up in your dresser drawer after tonight,"
Harm recommended, "Mattie had this friend called Hailey who used to
bring it with her to school and put it on there, then take it off
again before she came home. She knew her parents would never let her
out of the house with any of that stuff on her face. They were a
little over-the-top strict, though."

"Do you really think she'd do that?" Mac asked, worriedly.

"No," Harm assured her, "Just be prepared to make some small
concessions and she'll feel that she won't have to hide stuff from
you. Kids like to be listened to."

"I guess I can negotiate," Mac smiled, "I am a lawyer, after all."

"The best one I know of," Harm smiled back.

"So, what do you think?" Carol-Anne asked, from the doorway.

Harm and Mac turned around and smiled at the girl.

"You look great, Sweetie," Mac told her, "Those jeans look great on
you. Much better than the low-cut pair."

Harm remembered a similar conversation with Mattie.

"Nice blouse," Harm commented, "Mattie would love something like
that."

It was obviously the right thing to say, if Carol-Anne's reaction was
anything to go by.

"She would?" her eyes lit up, "And Mattie's sixteen? How about you?
Do you like it?"

"It's great," Harm nodded, "Did Mac help you, or did you pick it out
on your own?"

"I saw it and I loved it, instantly," Carol-Anne told him, "But Mac
liked it too."

"Yeah, Mac's got good taste," Harm nodded, adding, "I wouldn't
discount everything she tells you, if I were you."

"No," Carol-Anne smiled, "she is pretty cool, isn't she?"

"Thank you," Mac mouthed to Harm and he answered with a quick wink.

OOOO

Mac was at the school at the appointed time, along with Harm who was
catching a ride with her, because his car was in the shop. They
found Carol-Anne and her friend Sunny sitting on their own at the
steps to the school entrance. Sunny's mother and father were working
late shifts at the hospital in Georgetown and Mac had offered to drop
the girl at home, where her older brother and sister were waiting,
that evening.

"Hey there," Mac greeted them through her open window as she shut off
the engine, "How was it? Did you two have a good time?"

"Yeah," they both replied, non-commitally, "It was okay…"

At that moment, a group of girls came out of the building, all
dressed much older than their twelve years. The girl Mac supposed
was the leader of the pack, dressed in a short, short denim mini, a
tank top and was perched on tall, high heels gave a brief look to
Carol-Anne.

"Cute blouse," she commented, but the tone of her voice belied the
true sentiment.

Mac's eyes narrowed as she remembered just how badly some of
the popular girls' at her own school had treated her, when she had
been in Carol-Anne's place. With only a glance at Mac, Harm knew
what he was to do.

"Hey Carol-Anne?" he got out of the Vette and leaned over the
hood, "You feel like going out somewhere? We could go downtown…"

Mac got out and together she and Harm strode across to where Carol-
Anne and Sunny, and the now rooted young girls from their year were
standing. It certainly helped that Harm was now dressed in a pair of
jeans and a shirt that showed off his muscular upper body. Mac tried
to suppress a smile as she saw the deer-in-headlights look upon the
face of every one of the young girls, even Sunny.

"Can Sunny come too?" Carol-Anne asked, not even missing a beat.

"Sure," Mac replied.

With a last haughty wave to the snotty girl they were leaving behind
them, Carol-Anne and Sunny strode off towards the Vette.

"Did you see the looks on their faces!" Sunny exclaimed once they
were far enough away, "I thought Kerry was going to swallow her
tongue!"

Carol-Anne laughed.

"Thanks, Harm, Mac. You have no idea how sweet that felt! I've been
waiting since the third grade to do something like that to her! So,
where are we going downtown?"

Mac gave Carol-Anne a warning look.

"What?" the girl laughed, innocently, "Harm said we're going downtown…
Where are we going?"

"How about the ice-cream parlor?" Harm asked, "That's about the only
place downtown suitable for two twelve-year-old girls, at this time
of night!"

"Hey, that's fine with me!" Carol-Anne exclaimed, "I'm just glad that
Kerry and the hive' heard what you said and jumped to the wrong
conclusion."

Sunny laughed and nodded in agreement.

OOOO

"Can I wear one of my new outfits to school, tomorrow?" Carol-Anne
asked, on Sunday night.

"Uh, why don't you wait until mid-week," Mac suggested.

"Uh, okay…why?" Carol-Anne looked at her, curiously.

"You've got to know how to play the game, Sweetie," Mac
explained, "You just start wearing new clothes to school the first
day back after the school dance and those girls are going to have you
figured out. Wear them mid-week and only wear one new item with
something old, or it'll be too obvious. Don't wear all your new
clothes in the first week, or it won't last very long. This way, you
keep people guessing and they'll be dying with anticipation to see
what you pull out of your hat next."

"That's great!" Carol-Anne exclaimed, "where did you learn all of
that? You wear a uniform to work everyday…"

"Just because I'm a marine, doesn't mean that I don't know how to
make my clothes work for me," Mac told her, "But I was much more
timid than you, when I was your age. It was a long time after that I
learned anything about clothes."

"Then who taught you this kinda stuff?" Carol-Anne asked, "and where
can I find her?"

"It was just trial and error," Mac shook her head, "And bits and
pieces of advice that I got from friends."

OOOO

Before too long, Carol-Anne was allowed to resume her visits to her
Mom, in the rehab center. Carol-Anne immediately noticed the change
in her Mother and that gave her cause for hope. Her mood swings were
much better, her concentration had improved, but she was incredibly
self-conscious, not wanting to leave her room, not even for meals.

"Why don't we eat lunch out in the dining room?" Carol-Anne
encouraged, gently.

"I like to eat here," Mrs. Bailey insisted, quietly, "I don't know
any of the other patients here and I don't want to."

"I'm sure that they're nice people," Mac attempted to help, "They
seemed very friendly to me. Maybe you could get involved in some of
the activities going on here? It'll be fun and will get you out of
your room. It can't be easy, spending all this time on your own."

"I'm letting these doctors help me," the woman shook her head, "but
that's it…"

She turned her attention back to her daughter, "I'm so glad you're
here, Honey
My doctors said you can come visit whenever you want to, now. Are
you going to be able to come tomorrow?"

"I've got Kung Fu practice, tomorrow," Carol-Anne shook her head
ruefully, "but I'll make sure to come on Wednesday."

"Carol-Anne's been doing really well with school," Mac told the
woman, "She's working really hard. Her teachers can't wait to tell
you all about it, the next time you go to a teacher-parent
conference."

"That's not soon, is it?" Mrs. Bailey looked worried, but Mac
reassured her, "No, there's no time when you have to go. Whenever
you feel up to it, Carol-Anne's teachers would be glad to set up a
meeting with you, some time outside school hours."

This settled Mrs. Bailey again, so Mac took a seat and allowed Carol-
Anne to spend some alone time with her Mother.

OOOO