Written: 28.10.2000 - 7.10.2000

Category: Humor/Shipper (H&M)

Rating: PG

Spoilers: none (follows on from my fic "Party Talk")

Disclaimers: I don't own anyone but myself. Everyone owns themselves and DB and CBS own our hosts.

Archiving: You'd want to??? Sure, just drop me a line.

Authors notes: Firstly my apologies for the time delay in posting this since Halloween. Unfortunately Webb had a few problems and I seemed to get caught up in one of his missions. Well we all know what *his* missions can be like! Needless to say, I've only made it back home! (Or read this as - I haven't been well, it has taken a bit longer). Thanks everyone who has wished me a speedy recovery. I hope this story doesn't disappoint.

Thank you to everyone who contributed food for the party. <g>

Please forgive me if I left anyone out who wanted to be in this one. I hope I kept track of all the email requests.

Please don't ask me for another one of these!

Dedication: For my Ratpak buddies. For our fun in Sydney and just being there for me the last few weeks.

~*~

Mac sighed. The scene was beautiful. This week, as she headed for Harm's apartment, she was prepared for a little walk. Word was there were more people showing up at Harm's for the Halloween party, than the impromptu one the week before.

What she wasn't prepared for was this. She was greeted by small brown paper bags, filled with sand to hold them and tealight candles shimmering from within. They lined the footpath to the front of the building with an illuminating glow. Someone had been busy she mused.

Mac thought about asking if she could help with the preparations. But one of the organizers, Jaye she thought, had emailed during the week to say it was all under control. As it turned out, she wouldn't have been able to help anyway. She was caught up with some missing paperwork from a file at the office. It was already late when she arrived home to change. Then there was the phone call from Mic wanting to come over. When would that guy take the hint? What part of '...it's over...' didn't he understand? He's even starting to bug me, she chuckled to herself.

And besides she had reminded him, one - he was Australian so Halloween meant nothing to him, and point two - the shoot on sight order still stood.

~*~

Mac caught up with several others that she recognized from the week before, as she approached the main door.

"Jami?" she called.

"Hey Mac!" Jami replied brightly.

"How was the headache?" queried Mac.

"Bad," Jami answered with an embarrassed grin, before indicating to the person beside her, "you remember Maggie from last week?"

"Yes! Chocolate milkshakes," laughed Mac. "I think you might need them by the bucket rather than jug full tonight!"

"No, making Shirley Temples tonight," Maggie smiled, before noticing some others. "Kathryn... come over here and met Mac."

"Hello. Looks like this is going to be a fun night," said Kathryn as she caught up to them. "This is my friend Betsy by the way. Are we really to party?"

"Party sounds good," said Mac, "let's go."

~*~

They made their way into the building and up to Harm's apartment via the stairwell. The elevator had what was almost a permanent 'Out of Order' sign pasted to the front. The hallway had been decorated with black steamers and balloons, with cut out paper bats and rubber spiders hanging from the streamers.

"Harm has the music up so loud," said Mac.

"It's not the stereo it's the band," commented one of two women, standing in the hallway.

"Band?" asked Mac, "in there?"

"Yeah, they're really spiff. Someone... Mattie organized them I think. Or was it Milady? I don't know exactly. Time differences you know," continued the young woman with an Australian accent. "I'm Jules, this is Sarah. We're friends of Jaye's. We told her that she had to invite us to the next one after all the fun we had in Sydney."

"Sydney? I've been there," said Mac.

"Well, I live near there. Sonia, she's from Sydney. She'll be back soon. She's gone to collect ahhh... Becky... Elke... Tina and Lucy from the airport. By some quirk of fate, they managed to get international flights in around the same time from their individual parts of the world."

"It's going to be quite a league of nations," said Mac. "Let's go in."

~*~

As reached the heavily decorated doorway, Mac smiled at the kiddy photo poster for Halloween stuck to the middle of the door. It reminded her of those cute black and white greeting cards of children.

Opening the door, the music hit them. It was almost deafening, but no one seemed to mind. She saw Harm only a few feet away and she called out to him as she stepped inside.

"Hey Harm, cute poster. Where did they..."

She saw his cheeks flush red and she took a few steps backwards, opening the door to take a closer look at the poster.

A broad grin spread across her face as Harm crossed to her.

"My my... sailor boy. It *is* you isn't it? You've been a pin-up poster kinda guy for longer than I thought," she laughed.

He merely nodded with embarrassment.

"Who discovered this little gem?"

"I've heard that Margie suggested to Jaye to phone my Mom... who was more than happy to supply them with a Halloween picture, apparently."

"Well I think you made a really cute Dracula," said Mac teasingly as she put her arm around his waist.

"I was *actually* Frankenstein Mac. Those were my *real* teeth when I was a little kid until they fell out."

"Oops... sorry," she grinned.

"No you're not!" he laughed.

"Hmm... who else is here then?" she asked as she stepped back inside the apartment, changing the subject.

"I have no idea exactly," he replied. But at least they're all wearing name tags this time." He led Mac over to where another young woman was handing out sticky labels and marker pens to write on them. "I guess we need one of these?" he said to her.

The woman shook her head at him with a bemused grin. "Ya think?" she asked mockingly. And Jaye said this guy was intelligent? Must have something to do with the close proximity to the woman he was standing with, she thought.. "Hate to tell ya, but I don't *think* that will be necessary. Anyone who doesn't know who you guys, are obviously at the wrong party!"

"You might be right actually... Erin," said Mac looking at her name tag, before turning to Harm. "I think this place is going to get very hectic."

"And loud," he laughed as the band started a new song.

"I can smell food," said Mac with a grin.

"Well there's plenty of it," replied Harm. "I think everyone brought something."

Mac wandered over to the table. There was a small contingent of women gathered trying to talk over the sound of the music.

"Hmm, I can see a serious chocolate indulgence happening here," said Mac picking up a piece of fudge.

"Nothing like a sugar high on Halloween," said one of the group with a chuckle.

"I couldn't agree more," replied Mac with a smile. "Were you at the party last week?"

"No, we all missed it unfortunately. That's why we jumped at the chance to come to this one. I'm Erica," she said indicating to her name tag. "and this is Raven, Chrissy and Sammie."

"Hello," they all chorused.

"Hello," Mac replied. "This is such a large group of friends, how do you all know each other?"

"Let's just say it's a long story," said another woman, overhearing the chat. Mac remembered her as Bridget from the party the week before.

"Are your group of friends here again? It was a very *interesting* conversation we had last week," Harm said grinning at Mac. She fought back the glow rising in her cheeks.

Real marines didn't blush she told herself.

"Oh yes... we're all here... somewhere," laughed Bridget looking around. "Margie must be here because that is *definitely* the fudge she made. Pat and Anne are fighting for some space in the kitchen to cook the hotdogs Pat brought. I think Amy is in there getting the fajitas ready, along with Mary who brought barbecue meatballs. It's a bit crowded in there."

"Harm, you might have to add on an extension before the next party," grinned Mac.

"Hang on... What *next* party? I thought Jaye said that you guys would find another venue if the mood took you all again? Not that I mind really... but I'm surprised the neighbors haven't called out the National guard because of the music!"

"You're such a party pooper Harm," scolded Mac.

"No I'm not," he pouted.

Bridget shook her head at their exchanges.

"Anyway Flyboy... hotdogs, meatballs... sounds like one sailor I know is going to get mighty hungry," Mac said, jabbing a finger into his ribs.

"Hey no way! I was talking to... ah... Terri, who brought vegetarian hotdogs and the other Pat that is here, who brought amongst other things, fried mozzarella sticks."

"And I brought vegetarian lasagna," said Carolyn overhearing their discussion, as she put her dish of food on the table.

"See Mac, they didn't forget that some people don't eat dead cow!," he responded jovially.

"Come on you two, no arguing," said Anne as she and Liz put more food on the table.

"We weren't arguing," defended Mac with a smile.

"Good," replied Liz.

Suddenly the room went quiet. The music suddenly stopped and the revelers were silent, all looking towards the open door.

*Someone* was standing there, and the sight was rather hideous.

Feet too large squashed into stilettos, fish net stockings with rather thick hairy *male* legs sticking through. It was the whole Frankenfurter look from the Rocky Horror Picture show, from head to toe. The heavy makeup made him almost undistinguishable.

And it wasn't pretty.

Those who had brought their own weapons, including an AK-47, had them prepared for action.

"I swear you're got 10 seconds to identify or retreat, before this lot paste you to the back wall in tiny pieces," stated Harm clearly. The last thing he wanted to do was spend the next day filling up all the bullet holes in the wall.

"Mother..." the visitor whimpered.

A collective sigh went around the room. Weapons were lowered, safety catches replaced. The music and conversation started again as if nothing had happened.

The voice was unmistakable.

"I thought this was a Halloween party?" said Clayton Webb tentatively, as Mac and Harm approached him. Harm closed the door. The last thing he needed was anyone else seeing Webb in his apartment dressed like *that.*

"It is. But fancy dress meant they wouldn't know if Mic or the vid... Renee showed up," said Mac, trying not to look too hard at Webb. There were things a girl, even a marine, just didn't need to know.

"And that's the reaction *they* would have received too?" asked Webb.

"Yes," said Harm.

"Well... the CIA could do with this crowd. They're good," said Webb.

"And speaking of CIA, if you were so with it Clay, you'd have known it wasn't fancy dress," said Harm.

"Oh well, two out of three isn't bad," he replied.

"The two you *did* get right?" asked Mac.

"Well one, I knew the party was on, but one of the organizers told me. Because two, she was having trouble tracking down this," he replied taking a video from a bag he was carrying.

"Evil Dead? You're kidding me right?" said Mac.

"It was one of the classic's in it's day," said Harm.

"It was over-rated," chipped Mac.

"You think *everything* is over-rated," smirked Harm.

"Well she was having trouble tracking down a copy of the first one back in Australia apparently, so she enlisted my help," said Clay.

"Ah Webb... you've found your true calling in life," laughed Harm.

~*~

The band played until the neighbors finally complained.

It was time for everyone to get comfortable and watch the horror film.

"How bad is this?" asked Bridget as it started. "I'm not really good with horror films."

"Bad," said the Tina, who had been at the first party.

"Not it's not, it's hilarious," replied Jaye. "I first saw it when I was sixteen and I laughed through most of it."

"You have a warped sense of humor though Jaye," said Sonia who had returned earlier with the European contingent of the party. Everyone was still marveling how Sonia managed to get them through customs with so much vodka and German beer. She said she had her contacts, that was all they needed to know.

They settled around the apartment, all focussed on the large screen television that had been hired for the occasion.

Mac and Harm commandeered the sofa while others found chairs or floor space with cushions.

The group laughed and gasped all the way through the film. Cries of '...I can't watch this...' and '...you've gotta be kidding...' filtered the air. Warped senses of humor abound as the request for 'biscuits and dip' went up during a scene with green oozing from the eye sockets of a shriveled up corpse. Someone else commented they were never going near a forest again, unless armed with a chainsaw!

The movie finally finished and it was noted by most, just how close Harm and Mac had moved during the film. Not that the tough marine or heroic pilot would have admitted any fear during the movie, needing to seek out comfort from each other.

"Who's for trick or treating?" asked Anne-Kathrin.

"We're not dressed for it," said the other Tina.

"We have Webb," said Elke.

"Hang on..." he started to protest.

"Come on Clay," said Becky, as she, Roni and Kelly dragged him to his feet. "It'll be fun!"

"I'm feeling a bit tired," said Harm, looking at Mac. "We might just stay here."

"Thought you might," said Jaye.

"But... but..."

"Clayton, stop complaining will you! You have a lot of people to collect candy for," said Dixie opening the door so everyone could file out.

~*~

"Do you think it will be safe out there?" asked Mac after they had all left.

"Safe for who?" laughed Harm. "Did you *see* what he was wearing?"

"Please, that is *not* a vision that I *ever* want to see again!" she replied, snuggling into his side. "However I could think of a few visions I want another look at."

"Really?" he smirked, reminding himself of their activities after they left the party the week before.

"Yes. Do you think they will be gone for long?" she asked.

"I think we have plenty of time," he grinned. "It's gonna take Clay all night to collect enough candy for that lot!!"