A/N: Hey again, everyone! Thanks again for all the wonderful reviews, I really love them::gives everyone a hug again: Anyway, on to the chapter, because I know you're ready to figure out the costume plan! Still don't own anything, by the way. Onward...
At promptly 1500 the next day Sarah Mackenzie made her way into the hair salon. After the surprises of the night before, she was certainly less apprehensive of what lay ahead, but still a little interested in what Harm had told them to do. He didn't exactly strike her as the expert on hairstyling. She made her way to the front desk and a pleasant older woman. "Yes, dear?"
"I'm Sarah Mackenzie and my partner made me an appointment for today. I honestly have no idea what I'm supposed to do, but he assured me that it's all taken care of." Despite the calmed feeling about the hairstyle, Mac still wasn't really thrilled with being out of control, and she certainly felt uncomfortable admitting her disadvantage to other people.
"I have you down for an up-do with Jenny. I suppose your partner is getting you ready for Halloween?" The woman smiled warmly as she stood, gesturing for Mac to follow her into an adjoining room. In the room was the typical line up for a hair salon – rows of chairs and mirrors along each wall, with pleasant looking women and men chatting amicably while snipping, coloring, and styling. Jenny was the 20-something brunette at the end of the row who smiled warmly as they approached.
"You must be Sarah Mackenzie." Mac smiled slightly and nodded, sitting down in the chair and turning toward the mirror. "I've been told to do an old-fashioned, romantic up-do on you, with plenty of curls and sparkling clasps. Is this what you want?"
"In all honesty, I have no idea what I want, because my partner was the one making all these brilliant plans. Just do what it says, and I'll deal with him accordingly." Humor laced her sarcastic words, because she was really beginning to love the way this costume was turning out. Old fashioned…romantic…curled…this is going to look beautiful. Harm's assurance that she was always beautiful rang in her ears, but before she could dwell too much on it, Jenny interrupted her thoughts.
"Trust me, this will look wonderful on you. You're partner knows what is right for you, I think."
"Yeah, he tends to…" The phrase slipped out more wistfully than Mac intended, and had she been afraid of running into the young hairstylist again, she would have tried to work damage control. At the moment, thought, it just didn't really seem worth it.
Jenny grinned and reached for her comb, beginning to pull her short hair up into clips. Mac watched the process carefully, more out of interest than any lingering apprehension. It was more precise than Mac could have imagined – Jenny was somehow managing to get even her short hair into small clips and curls, securing it all into small sparkling clips. About an hour of amicable chatting later, Jenny curled the last bit of lingering hair around her face, and stepped out of the way of the mirror. "So…what do you think?"
Even watching the entire process didn't minimize the wonder Mac felt at the finished product. The upswept hair was fixed in a perfect style that crossed many different small sections of hair until all was finally met at the crown of her head. The hair left at the top was curled perfectly, and all the places where the sections crossed were clipped with sparkling flower-shaped ornaments. The hair left around her face was curled as well, leaving her feeling like the ultimate in old-world chic.
"I absolutely love it." The effect of this style along with the dress hanging in her room was already running through her mind, making her more eager than ever to get home and get ready for Harm. "Thank you so much. How much do I owe you?"
"That's already been taken care of, ma'am. Your partner dropped off the payment when he made the appointment. He also supplied those pretty little clips you have." Mac nodded and smiled graciously, but as she left she couldn't help but feel a sense of wonder. Harm must have spent a fortune on all this…how could I have not thought of this before? As she walked the short distance back to her apartment, she fumbled for her phone and dialed the same number she had the night before.
"Rabb."
"Hey, it's Mac. I just got done with the hair appointment."
"Did it turn out alright? I left as specific instructions as I could, but I let them make the general decisions. I'm not exactly a hair expert." Mac laughed good-naturedly. Well, she had been right about that.
"It's wonderful, Harm. Just perfect. You did good, flyboy." She heard his appreciative chuckle on the other end.
"I'm glad. I can only imagine how amazing you're going to look tonight." The same awkwardness that flooded them last night returned, and Mac actually stopped on the sidewalk to recover enough breath to change the subject. She chose the one that she had originally intended to broach.
"So…exactly how much do I owe you for all of this? The lady at the salon said you'd taken care of the tab, and there was no bill in the package I got last night…"
"That's because it's all taken care of, Marine." The warmth in his voice surprised her, though the words were basically what she had expected to hear. For some reason, she knew he had taken care of everything, even if she wasn't going to let it go.
"Harm…I can't take all of this…I mean, you've helped me by just finding a costume, I can't expect you to pay for all of it…" While more stammered that she would have liked, she was at least glad that the words came out coherently.
"But I'm still going to. Listen, Mac, I want to do this for you. Don't feel obligated to repay me. I'm going to have the best looking woman on my arm at the party tonight, and you'll be enjoying yourself when you thought you wouldn't. That's enough repayment for me."
The absolute honesty of the statement floored Mac, and she was left grappling with words for more time than she would have liked. To have Harm saying something like that… the one who ran and hid from situations that even resembled deep emotions between the two of them…Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she finally spoke. "Thank you, Harm. For everything."
"You are very welcome, Marine." The warmth in his voice hadn't faded. "Now, don't you have a party to get ready for?"
Mac smiled as she headed up the stairs to her apartment. "That I do. My escort had better not be late, or he will see how little wearing a dress can affect a Marine's performance in battle."
"I'll be there Mac. See you then."
"Bye, Harm." Still smiling like a schoolgirl, Mac led herself into the apartment and made a beeline for her bedroom. Carefully maneuvering around the perfectly set hair, she changed into her dress in record time, twirling once in the mirror for good effect. 30 minutes of applying the perfect make-up and a search for the perfect shoe later, Mac was finished. Standing in front of her bedroom mirror, she could not honestly remember a time that she felt this beautiful. It seemed to her that she had almost stepped out of another time entirely, and ended up in her apartment waiting for her prince (or whatever he was going to be) to come.
Looking at the clock, she realized that she was still done earlier than expected, so she headed to the living room to enjoy one of the books she'd been reading. Losing herself in the fictional characters, she almost didn't hear the knock on the door a while later. Looking at the clock again, she smiled. 1814.
Mac swished her way to the door, almost giddy with anticipation of what was going to be on the other side. Weeks of waiting had finally come to this. Opening the door slowly, she gasped in surprise and wonder at what stood on the other side.
The man (she knew it was Harm, but at the moment her mind wasn't registering much of anything) was clad in fitted black trousers and a dipping white ruffled shirt that would send any woman swooning. A black hat was tipped over the head, and a cape swished gracefully to the floor, trimmed in blood red silk. The face held the definitive costume piece– a white mask covering the upper left side of his face.
"Oh, Harm…" It was all she could trust herself to say at the moment, but it seemed to be alright – it looked as if he were under the same spell. He stood still in the hallway for a long moment just staring at her, before smiling brilliantly under the mask.
"You look absolutely beautiful, Mac." His words brought Mac quickly out of her stupor, and she motioned for him to come inside.
"And you look positively handsome, flyboy. Or, should I say, the Phantom?"
Harm smiled again, nodding in confirmation of the obvious. "Do you get the hint now, Christine?"
You will understand in time. "Of course! The song! Harm, you are too brilliantly devious for your own good."
He laughed outright at that. "You would have figured it out eventually, Marine, I have no doubt. That's why I only gave you one day."
"How kind of you." There was no sarcasm in the tone, only pure amusement. "Where did you come up with this idea? It never would have crossed my mind."
"That picture on your desk of Bud, Harriet, you and me. It was taken that night after we had gone to see Phantom at that theatre, remember?"
All the pieces were falling together in Mac's mind, and she nodded. "Of course I do. That night was so much fun…I love Phantom of the Opera."
"I know." The look on his face sent shivers down Mac's spine, and all she could do was smile back in response.
"Oh, wait! How could I forget?" Harm's eyes suddenly lit up. He reached into his back pocket under the cape and brandished a single red rose, tied up perfectly with a black silk ribbon. Handing it to Mac with a slight nodding bow, he whispered "Happy Halloween, Christine."
Taking the rose and running it through her fingers, Mac beamed up at her Angel of more than just Music. "Happy Halloween, my dear tutor. Shall we head on the party, then?"
"Absolutely, my dear pupil." Taking his arm, Mac glided toward the door, feeling more like Christine with each passing moment. It was turning into the best Halloween she could have possibly imagined.
A/N: Well, there you go::does a happy dance at finally getting the chapter done: A thousand kudos to the two of you that figured it out, and thanks again for all the lovely reviews! It's really nice to know people are reading my story. Anyway, I'll get the party chapter up as soon as time allows, and I love you all.