A/N: OK, first the groveling apology - I am so sorry it has taken me so long to update. I would give you the litany of excuses I have, but I know no one cares. You're all probably spent with me anyway. The point is, I have it now, and I promise you the next and final update will be quicker. :looks around at the skeptical raised eyebrows: Seriously! Ok, going to hide in my hole now. :pokes head out: Oh yeah, own nothing, never will. :hides again:
For those who know little about Phantom of the Opera, here's a quick recap - The Phantom is a tortured, disfigured musical genius living below the Paris Opera Populaire in the nineteenth century. He falls in love with the young soprano Christine, and becomes her musical tutor and her so-called Angel of Music. When her childhood sweetheart comes back and falls in love with her, there is a fantastic love triangle with some of the most amazing music ever. The Phantom is a stalkerish sort of dark romantic, but he is a thousand times sexier than Raoul, in my opinion, and makes for a better costume.
The party seemed to already be in motion by the times they got there, despite the fact that they were only a few minutes late. Mac followed Harm carefully to the doorway, the happiness she felt competing momentarily with the worry that she would fall on her face or tear the dress. After tackling the cobblestone pathway and the steps, she found herself at the door close to Harm, waiting for the doorbell to be answered.
The wait wasn't that long. The door opened on the third ring to a man in a toga, laurel leaves ringing his head. "Sir, Ma'am! Come on in..awesome costume by the way."
"Thanks, Bud." They answered in unison, going into the carefully-decorated living room. Spider webs hung from the ceiling and dull lighting created a perfectly creepy mood for the party at hand. The hostess responsible didn't take long to appear.
"Sir! You look so handsome!" Harriet, dressed perfectly as Cleopatra, complete with wig, giggled as Harm leaned down to kiss her cheek. She turned to Mac and smiled even more broadly. "Oh, Ma'am! You look amazing! It ended up wonderfully!"
"It did, didn't it?" Mac returned the smile and glanced over Harriet's shoulder, where Harm was watching her with a small smile. "Where's my godson, by the way? Shouldn't he be invited?"
"He's gone trick-or-treating with his Uncle Mikey. They'll be back soon, though I'm pretty sure he'll be ready for bed. He's been a little over-excited today."
"And he has a right to! It is Halloween after all!" Harm laughed outright at Mac's outburst, and Mac gave him a smirk. If he didn't say anything about her previous hate of the holiday, neither would she.
They moved further along into the party, greeting fellow officers and friends and smiling modestly at the praise of their costumes. Meeting Singer was probably the hardest thing they did, not because of her general unpleasentness, but because of her choice of costume. Red from head to toe, complete with horns and a tale, stood Satan Singer, tight-lipped smile and full wine glass. "Nice costume, Singer." Mac said as evenly as she could.
"And you, Ma'am. You and the Commander look perfect together." Turning on heel, Satan wandered off into the crowd, leaving a very awkward silence in her wake. No doubt her plan. Mac bitterly thought.
After a very long moment, Harm broke the silence. "Well, at least she's embracing her true self. Acceptance is the first step, is it not?" Laughter dispelled any remaining awkwardness, and they stood there for a moment imagining Singer ruling the Underworld.
"Anything particularly amusing, Colonel, Commander?" The voice of their CO came from behind them. Turning around, they both started to straighten up, only to collapse into giggles again. The Admiral's head was shining with a particular gleen tonight, and he was wearing yellow rubber gloves. "Mr.Clean" was pasted across his shirt.
"Nothing I can see, Admiral." Harm managed. The Admiral gave him a stern look that didn't mask the twinkle in his eyes.
"I just came over to commend my officers on a superb execution of costumes. You look wonderful, Colonel, no doubt thanks the Commander." The two junior officers exchanged a look of amusement that their bickerings had made it up to their CO's ears.
"Well, sir, I merely provided the costume. I'm afraid I wouldn't look half as good in it as the Colonel does." Laughter enveloped the group again, but inwardly Mac marveled at Harm's continued insistence that she was beautiful. It usually took an act of Congress and two of God to get the idea that she was female out of him, much less beautiful.
"I will second you on that, Commander. Now, you must excuse me. I think I'm obligated to make my rounds. I think I'll start with Satan over there…." Nodding, the Admiral followed the path Singer had used moments before.
The Admiral's departure left a more comfortable silence than Singer's, and the duo watched the people around the room with a mild interest. As they stood watching the people mill about laughing at each other, a slow song filled the room, and atmosphere changed to something decidedly more intimate. Couple paired off and moved closer, and Mac smiled slightly at the people she had come to call family. Her thoughts were cut off by a voice tickling her ear. "Care to dance, my angel?"
It never ceased to amaze her that a voice could send shivers down her spine. But it just had, and she turned to the source of the invitation a little more breathless than a Marine should be. "Yes." Intelligent. Really fantastic, Mac. Her inner voice didn't have much time to berate itself, though, because all thoughts fell silent as Harm pulled her further into the center of the room and into his arms.
His arms wrapped comfortably around her waist, and hers snaked around his neck as her head fell comfortably on his chest. She felt his head rest lightly against her hair, his breath brushing the curls gathered at the top of her head. The song faded into the background of her subconscious until all she could really do is feel. She felt the warmth of his hands where they lay on her waist, felt his smooth cheek against her temple, felt his heartbeat dangerously close to hers…
It frightened her really, how right this felt, how at home being in his arms made her feel. Not because she didn't want this – as his hands shifted and pulled her a little bit closer she knew that there was nothing she wanted more – but because in the back of her mind she knew this would end. The song would fade out, the lights would come up, and Harm would move away with a flyboy smile and she would feel more lost than she was before the song started.
The song seemed to last an eternity and an instant, but it did end. As the lights came up and couples moved away, Harm and Mac lingered in an embrace a half-second longer than was probably socially proper, but neither cared. Harm's soft smile matched Mac's as they finally pulled away, and his hand lingered on her waist as they wandered over to the punch table.
The rest of the party passed in a blur, highlighted by Little AJ screaming when he saw Satan appearing out of the hallway bathroom as soon as he arrived home. Harriet and Bud managed to get the terrified child into bed while the rest of the room collapsed into uncontrollable, slightly unprofessional giggles. Singer disappeared soon after.
There were four more slow songs, all four of which found Harm and Mac in another warm embrace, an arrangement neither of them contested. No one else in the room said a word either, except to exchange smiles and knowing nods. As people trickled out and everyone said their goodbyes, Harm leaned over to Mac and wound his arm through hers. "Ready to go home?" The various meanings behind that didn't escape either of them, and they stood for a moment allowing every feeling they were fighting to surface behind their eyes.
"I'm ready."
Ok, party DONE! The next chapter will be the last, and will involve the conversation back that the apartment. Yay, I'm excited. If you like fluff, stay far away. Actually, if you don't like fluff, why the heck have you come this far?