Author: CM>^.,.^<
Subject: Shoes, Glorious Shoes

A very short story using the March challenge lines...well, sort of. Kinda.

No, I don't own them, and if I did, they would have been making littlenavymarinepilotlawyers shortly after little AJ was born.

This combines two of CatMom's favorites, Harm and Mac Shipperdom and designer footware. If I could have managed to fit in a cat, it would have been perfect. Cec will hopefully post a pic of "the shoes" again, lol.

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Shoes, Glorious Shoes


The group of women sat on a circle of chairs in the small ballroom. Mac was already wearing a "charming” hat made of ribbons and bows. She’d hoped that since her bridal shower was being held at the ultra elegant Mandarin Oriental hotel where Trish and Frank were ensconced, the paper plate hat might have been dispensed with. Of course, she’d underestimated Chloe. Her little sis brought her own paper plate.

Since Mac would be deploying to Iraq in little more than three weeks, the shower guests were adding to the trousseau she would take on her two week honeymoon rather than supplying household items she wouldn’t use for at least a year.

She had laughingly suggested a kitchen shower for Harm but the traditionalist in Trish said showers were for brides. Harm could have a bachelor party. A very quiet, sedate bachelor party, since the only night available to have one was the night before the wedding.

While Harriet, Chloe and a couple of Mac's lawyer girl friends were listed on the invitations as hostesses, she was pretty sure Trish was footing the not insubstantial tab. At the prices in this hotel, the champagne bill alone would have bankrupted the younger women.

She and her groom to be managed to carve out a fourteen day honeymoon together by virtue of Harm leaving for London the night after their engagement and her taking a 30 day pre-deployment leave. The wedding plans were being handled by Trish, who absolutely nixed the idea of an elopement. She and her able assistant Frank had planned a very quick but elegant wedding that was to take place in a few days.

Mac had joined Harm in London after getting Trish and Frank started on wedding details. Her groom had been told all he needed to do was get his mess dress cleaned, buy a ring and show up. He was due in town two days before to get the license and attend the rehearsal dinner. Mac had come back to DC a few days earlier for the shower and a couple of final fittings on her dress.

Her orders to Iraq had effectively nixed the idea of either Harm retiring or her resigning. One didn't get to turn down a combat assignment. General Cresswell heard about the change on his way home the day she and her clueless flyboy had finally gotten together. He'd grabbed Bud's coin out of the air before it hit the floor, telling them he needed to speak to both of them before they made any decisions.

Since they were going to be separated for a year no matter what, they decided they might as well wait and see what their detailers could manage. Once they had been married and apart for a year--a fait accompli with her new posting--they would be eligible for joint orders.

If getting assignments close enough to live together after that wasn't possible, Harm said he wouldn’t mind retiring. He had twenty, had never expected to make captain and had no desire to be an admiral. Too many political behind the scenes machinations went along with being either JAG or deputy.

She was about to open a package that look suspiciously like a shoebox. Looking at the card, she was surprised by the gifter. “I didn’t know the groom gave the bride shower gifts!”

Someone, she was pretty sure it was one of the younger lawyers from the office yelled from the back, “Kinky!” There was a laugh from all present.

“Yellow light, Ladies!”

"Oh, come on!" There was a titter, Mac was pretty sure from a schikkered Harriet. "Haven't we reached the point where we can drop the traffic signals?" Another voice called out, "ABSOLUTELY!"

Since the gifts so far had mostly consisted of skimpy "unmentionables" or things usually sold in stores with XXX's on their front doors, that got a laugh.

Pointing to the box on Mac's lap, Trish said “My son promised me it was nothing embarrassing, and that you would understand…although no one else might!”

When she opened the box, Mac found a pair of Keds. White leather Keds, decorated with pearls, crystals and other bling, tied with organdy ribbons instead of shoe laces.

The card read, “You have a great career, I hope I’m a good man, and I think you’ll need some comfortable shoes for the reception.” Truth be told, while the Christian Louboutin white and silver brocade slingbacks she’d bought to wear with her wedding gown were fabulous, the four inch heels would probably be killing her after a few hours.

Elizabeth Hawkes piped up from the back. "I hope they're the right size. Hammer had his Mom look in your closet."

Mac indicated they were, and said "I can't believe he thought of this!"

"When I called to congratulate him on making captain and he told me you were getting married I said that the best wedding gift I got were a pair of bridal sneakers from my sister. He asked me to get a pair for him to give you."


There was a chorus of "Awww!" from the ladies. One of them yelled out, "Hot, and thoughtful too!"

Mac looked towards Trish, Grandma Sarah, Chloe, Mrs. Anderson and Mattie, but they seemed to be taking the semi-rowdy ladies in stride.

There was one last gift to be opened, a large box that looked professionally wrapped. Mac was pretty sure it was from Trish.

Inside, under mounds of tissue paper, was a beautiful silk and lace robe in a color that could almost be called marine green. Of course, with the huge quantity of beige lace dripping from the sleeves and hem, most Marines wouldn't be caught dead in it. It was accompanied by a set of gorgeous La Perla lingerie in a coordinating pale coffee color, and a Manolo Blahnik shoebox. Inside the shoebox was a pair of satin and rhinestone stilettos. Camouflage satin stilettos.

Mac started to laugh. Trish joined her, saying, "Well, my son did say you were the only woman he ever knew who could look hot in Marine green or cammies, so I figured you should give him a thrill now and then!"

The party gradually drew to a close. Harriet had thought up some semi-embarrassing games, but most of the ladies were a little too tipsy to make sense of them. They simply drifted off into hilarity. Fortunately, those who seemed to have imbibed the most hadn't driven, preferring Metrorail or a cab to the nightmare of parking in downtown DC. Even Harriet was being fetched by Bud.

Taking his job as best man seriously, especially in absence of the groom until about 48 hours before the vows were exchanged, Jack Keeter came along to help Mac and Trish haul all the packages up to the suite where Mac was staying.

He'd been very well behaved in the last few days, "Yes Ma'aming" and "No Ma'ming" Trish, who he and Frank had christened the wedding commander. It kind of made Mac wonder what he was up to. Her experience with FJ's being what it was, sweet and well behaved were reasons for suspicion.

He was alone in the elevator with Mac and a huge pile of boxes, Trish having stayed behind to talk wedding with the hotel concierge, who seemed to be her right hand man.

"Hey, Mac, can I ask you something?" His demeanor and voice led her to think something fairly serious was involved.

"Sure, Jack, you can ask me anything. You're my "brother," remember?" During their foray in the desert, the sheik had told his less enlightened followers that Jack was Mac's brother and Harm her intended. It got them over the rough spots.

"So, do you think after all this time, Hammer will finally be able to tell me why a female Marine is like the Energizer Bunny?"

Fortunately, she had the box with the Keds in her hand. She promptly used it to hit Jack upside the head. "On second thought, no, you can't ask me anything, and he darn well better not!"

End