Eloquent - Forgiven (2/7) - Mac Taylor/Michelle Dessler (CSI:NY/24)
Title: Forgiven (1/7)
Author/Artist:
failegaidin
Claim: Mac Taylor/Michelle Dessler (CSI:NY/24)
Theme: Eloquent
Theme Set: Romance
Rating: FRT
Warnings: Spoilers for S5 of 24, but that's about it.
Disclaimer: Neither 24 nor CSI:NY belong to me. They belong to other people, whose names I don't know off the top of my head, but who generally upset me with their storylines.
A/N: This story is in seven parts. I used each prompt for a chapter.
"Hey."
Mac looked up to see Don standing in the doorway to his office.
"Flack," he greeted. "What can I do for you?"
"We're headin' out to get some food and a drink - celebrate gettin' that scumbag off the streets. You wanna come?"
Mac smiled. "You know what? I'd like that."
"Good. I’m gonna go invite Dessler, too. She really helped out on this one."
"I'll go get her," the older man offered. "I have some paperwork to give her anyway."
Flack shrugged. "Okay. Meet you outside in ten?"
"Yeah."
When Don left his office, Mac looked down at his desk. He didn't really have a file that he needed to take down to Michelle…but something about Flack asking her to go with them bothered him. He debated picking up a file anyway, to make it look like he had to go see her, but on further thought, he decided against it - she'd see through the ruse in a heartbeat, and Mac would just be left more embarrassed and nervous than he already was.
As he walked down to her desk, Mac wondered at that. He was definitely a little nervous about asking her to go to dinner with them, but he knew that he shouldn't be. She was just another member of the team, another friend.
She was putting on her coat when he reached her desk. One of her sleeves was almost inside out, and she was having trouble getting her arm in. Mac came up behind her quietly, taking the coat and guiding her arm in gently. Michelle turned in surprise at the contact, smiling when she saw who it was.
"Hey, Mac," she said warmly.
"Hi. Are you leaving?"
She nodded. "Finally. It's been a long day."
"A good one though."
Her smile broadened. "A very good one." She paused, waiting for him to speak. "Was there something you needed?"
His stomach tightened, and he stuck his hands in his pockets, trying to look nonchalant. "The others…we're all going out for some dinner…to celebrate closing the case. I thought maybe you'd like to come."
Michelle stopped, completely caught off-guard by the invitation. The others had been nothing but kind to her, but it was still a pleasant surprise to have them reach out to her.
"I don't want to intrude…"
"You're not," Mac interrupted. "The invitation came straight from them."
Her smile appeared again. "Then I would love to come."
Mac couldn't help but smile in return. "Great."
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The atmosphere at the table was light, as they sat around, joking and telling stories. Michelle couldn't remember the last time she had laughed so hard - or at all, really. But these people had accepted her quickly, and she was starting to feel…at home with them.
"The thief rappelled down the side of the building?" she asked, listening to Danny tell stories about old cases.
The C.S.I. nodded. "And the best part? Donnie was there. The thieves had managed to hit his girlfriend's apartment." He turned to his friend. "That was Devon, wasn't it?"
Flack rolled his eyes. "Yeah."
Michelle looked around. "Do we not like Devon?"
"That was when Don was…slumming it with the rich crowd," she laughed.
"Yeah, until she realized she could do a hell of a lot better than a cop," Danny added.
"Hey, hey, hey…" Don interrupted. "I'll have you know that I broke up with her, thank you very much."
"And why was that?" Lindsay asked.
He shrugged uncomfortably. "I realized how…vapid…she could be."
The table erupted into laughter, Michelle included. She watched as Stella laid a hand on Don's arm as she leaned into him, still laughing. Danny and Lindsay were sitting close as well, and their level of comfort with each other began to confirm some of the detective's suspicions.
"So Michelle…" Flack asked, interrupting her thoughts. "Let's talk about you."
She quickly swallowed the drink she had in her mouth. "Me?"
"Yeah, you. You've been here three months and I feel like we don't really know anything about you."
Lindsay chuckled. "Don't worry, they did this to me when I joined the team, too."
"As long as I'm not the only one." She looked around warily. "What do you want to know?"
Stella posed the first question. "Where are you from?"
"L.A. Born and raised."
"Do you miss the weather?"
Michelle shrugged. "Not really. I like that you guys have actual seasons."
"Were you a cop out there?" Flack asked.
"Not exactly."
He frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
She glanced over at Mac. She could see the curiosity in his eyes, as he wondered how much she was going to share. Usually she sidestepped any of his questions when it came to her past in L.A.
"I was a federal agent," she finally answered. They opened their mouths to ask more questions, but she held up a hand, stalling them with a smile. "But that's all I can tell you. At least for now."
Danny grumbled - he had never expected the federal agent route. But with that door closed, he came up with another question.
"You married?"
Michelle could feel Mac tense beside her. He had studiously avoided the subject since the first case they worked together. He remembered the pain in her voice, and in her eyes; whatever had happened, it had obviously been hard, and he hadn't wanted to push her into telling him. But now the question was out there, and the table was waiting for an answer.
She gave them all a sad smile, her gaze dropping down to her nearly-finished plate. "I used to be."
"Divorced?" Danny asked, not catching her body language.
Michelle shook her head. "No. He died."
The table went silent. Danny closed his eyes, cursing his big mouth - if he had just paid attention, he would have been able to see that he was walking on dangerous ground. Swallowing hard, he opened his eyes again and looked right at Michelle.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I didn't mean -"
She waved is apology off. "I know you didn't. It's okay, Danny. It would have come out eventually." She could feel Mac looking at her, but she couldn't bring herself to meet his eyes. "It's just still a sore subject."
The C.S.I. nodded, biting back any other questions that they had. The team sat without talking for a few minutes, the air tense.
"Well congratulations, Messer - you managed to officially kill dinner," Flack finally said.
That broke the tension, and they all chuckled.
"I think we were all done anyway," Stella pointed out.
"What about dessert?" Danny asked.
Lindsay shrugged. "There's an ice cream place a couple blocks over."
They all agreed, and stood up. Mac and Don took care of the bill before heading outside with the rest of them. Seeing Michelle hanging behind slightly, Mac joined her.
"Are you okay?"
She gave him a small smile. "I'm fine. Nothing a little ice cream won't fix."
He laughed at that, and without thinking about it, placed his hand on the small of her back as he led her out of the restaurant.
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Michelle quietly enjoyed her chocolate ice cream cone as the six of them wandered down the sidewalk. She and Mac had fallen to the back, while the others walked closely together, chatting and laughing.
"So…" she finally said, pointing forward with her ice cream cone, "tell me about Danny and Lindsay."
"What about them?" Mac asked, enjoying his own cone.
"They're together, aren't they?"
He nodded. "For almost a year now. They've had a few rough patches, but…I think they're good together."
"They seem happy." Mac heard the catch in her voice, but she was already moving on before he could ask. "What about Flack and Stella?"
He smiled at that. "That hasn't happened…yet."
"Yet?" she asked, looking at him with a sly smile.
"It's been building for a while now…I think they'll get together soon."
"And that doesn't bother you?" she asked. "That your team is pairing off?"
Mac shrugged. "I know it's against department rules, but…they're all really good at keeping it off the job. And who am I to deny anyone the little happiness they can find?"
She watched him for a minute, weighing her options. It seemed that Mac Taylor was just as protective about his past and feelings as she was, but she was dying to know more about him.
"What about you?" she finally asked. "Are you married?"
His eyes grew distant. "I was." Looking over at her, he answered her unspoken question. "She died."
Without thinking, Michelle reached out for his hand, squeezing it. "I'm sorry," she said quietly.
Mac smiled at her sadly, surprised at how cold his hand felt when she let go again. "It's okay. It was a few years ago."
They walked in silence then, both wrapped in their own thoughts. Michelle now understood one of the reasons she felt so drawn to the man beside her - he shared her pain.
"What was her name?" she asked, needing to talk to push away her own dark thoughts.
Mac smiled as he pictured his wife. "Claire. She was…amazing. She put up with me like no one else could. She used to tease me...that as take-charge as I was in the military, and on the job…I was never good with making speeches; I was never eloquent. I even stumbled through my wedding vows."
"You still miss her."
Mac looked over at her again, feeling the unspoken question. The pain was in her eyes again, and he knew that she needed some kind of answer.
"I don't think that ever goes away," he said quietly. "But…you can miss someone and still live your life."
"Are you sure?" she asked, and she sounded so small right then that Mac had to fight off the temptation to embrace her. Instead, he walked just a little bit closer, letting his knuckles brush against hers.
"I'm sure," he whispered.
Author/Artist:
failegaidin
Claim: Mac Taylor/Michelle Dessler (CSI:NY/24)
Theme: Eloquent
Theme Set: Romance
Rating: FRT
Warnings: Spoilers for S5 of 24, but that's about it.
Disclaimer: Neither 24 nor CSI:NY belong to me. They belong to other people, whose names I don't know off the top of my head, but who generally upset me with their storylines.
A/N: This story is in seven parts. I used each prompt for a chapter.
"Hey."
Mac looked up to see Don standing in the doorway to his office.
"Flack," he greeted. "What can I do for you?"
"We're headin' out to get some food and a drink - celebrate gettin' that scumbag off the streets. You wanna come?"
Mac smiled. "You know what? I'd like that."
"Good. I’m gonna go invite Dessler, too. She really helped out on this one."
"I'll go get her," the older man offered. "I have some paperwork to give her anyway."
Flack shrugged. "Okay. Meet you outside in ten?"
"Yeah."
When Don left his office, Mac looked down at his desk. He didn't really have a file that he needed to take down to Michelle…but something about Flack asking her to go with them bothered him. He debated picking up a file anyway, to make it look like he had to go see her, but on further thought, he decided against it - she'd see through the ruse in a heartbeat, and Mac would just be left more embarrassed and nervous than he already was.
As he walked down to her desk, Mac wondered at that. He was definitely a little nervous about asking her to go to dinner with them, but he knew that he shouldn't be. She was just another member of the team, another friend.
She was putting on her coat when he reached her desk. One of her sleeves was almost inside out, and she was having trouble getting her arm in. Mac came up behind her quietly, taking the coat and guiding her arm in gently. Michelle turned in surprise at the contact, smiling when she saw who it was.
"Hey, Mac," she said warmly.
"Hi. Are you leaving?"
She nodded. "Finally. It's been a long day."
"A good one though."
Her smile broadened. "A very good one." She paused, waiting for him to speak. "Was there something you needed?"
His stomach tightened, and he stuck his hands in his pockets, trying to look nonchalant. "The others…we're all going out for some dinner…to celebrate closing the case. I thought maybe you'd like to come."
Michelle stopped, completely caught off-guard by the invitation. The others had been nothing but kind to her, but it was still a pleasant surprise to have them reach out to her.
"I don't want to intrude…"
"You're not," Mac interrupted. "The invitation came straight from them."
Her smile appeared again. "Then I would love to come."
Mac couldn't help but smile in return. "Great."
88888888888888888888888
The atmosphere at the table was light, as they sat around, joking and telling stories. Michelle couldn't remember the last time she had laughed so hard - or at all, really. But these people had accepted her quickly, and she was starting to feel…at home with them.
"The thief rappelled down the side of the building?" she asked, listening to Danny tell stories about old cases.
The C.S.I. nodded. "And the best part? Donnie was there. The thieves had managed to hit his girlfriend's apartment." He turned to his friend. "That was Devon, wasn't it?"
Flack rolled his eyes. "Yeah."
Michelle looked around. "Do we not like Devon?"
"That was when Don was…slumming it with the rich crowd," she laughed.
"Yeah, until she realized she could do a hell of a lot better than a cop," Danny added.
"Hey, hey, hey…" Don interrupted. "I'll have you know that I broke up with her, thank you very much."
"And why was that?" Lindsay asked.
He shrugged uncomfortably. "I realized how…vapid…she could be."
The table erupted into laughter, Michelle included. She watched as Stella laid a hand on Don's arm as she leaned into him, still laughing. Danny and Lindsay were sitting close as well, and their level of comfort with each other began to confirm some of the detective's suspicions.
"So Michelle…" Flack asked, interrupting her thoughts. "Let's talk about you."
She quickly swallowed the drink she had in her mouth. "Me?"
"Yeah, you. You've been here three months and I feel like we don't really know anything about you."
Lindsay chuckled. "Don't worry, they did this to me when I joined the team, too."
"As long as I'm not the only one." She looked around warily. "What do you want to know?"
Stella posed the first question. "Where are you from?"
"L.A. Born and raised."
"Do you miss the weather?"
Michelle shrugged. "Not really. I like that you guys have actual seasons."
"Were you a cop out there?" Flack asked.
"Not exactly."
He frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
She glanced over at Mac. She could see the curiosity in his eyes, as he wondered how much she was going to share. Usually she sidestepped any of his questions when it came to her past in L.A.
"I was a federal agent," she finally answered. They opened their mouths to ask more questions, but she held up a hand, stalling them with a smile. "But that's all I can tell you. At least for now."
Danny grumbled - he had never expected the federal agent route. But with that door closed, he came up with another question.
"You married?"
Michelle could feel Mac tense beside her. He had studiously avoided the subject since the first case they worked together. He remembered the pain in her voice, and in her eyes; whatever had happened, it had obviously been hard, and he hadn't wanted to push her into telling him. But now the question was out there, and the table was waiting for an answer.
She gave them all a sad smile, her gaze dropping down to her nearly-finished plate. "I used to be."
"Divorced?" Danny asked, not catching her body language.
Michelle shook her head. "No. He died."
The table went silent. Danny closed his eyes, cursing his big mouth - if he had just paid attention, he would have been able to see that he was walking on dangerous ground. Swallowing hard, he opened his eyes again and looked right at Michelle.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I didn't mean -"
She waved is apology off. "I know you didn't. It's okay, Danny. It would have come out eventually." She could feel Mac looking at her, but she couldn't bring herself to meet his eyes. "It's just still a sore subject."
The C.S.I. nodded, biting back any other questions that they had. The team sat without talking for a few minutes, the air tense.
"Well congratulations, Messer - you managed to officially kill dinner," Flack finally said.
That broke the tension, and they all chuckled.
"I think we were all done anyway," Stella pointed out.
"What about dessert?" Danny asked.
Lindsay shrugged. "There's an ice cream place a couple blocks over."
They all agreed, and stood up. Mac and Don took care of the bill before heading outside with the rest of them. Seeing Michelle hanging behind slightly, Mac joined her.
"Are you okay?"
She gave him a small smile. "I'm fine. Nothing a little ice cream won't fix."
He laughed at that, and without thinking about it, placed his hand on the small of her back as he led her out of the restaurant.
88888888888888888888
Michelle quietly enjoyed her chocolate ice cream cone as the six of them wandered down the sidewalk. She and Mac had fallen to the back, while the others walked closely together, chatting and laughing.
"So…" she finally said, pointing forward with her ice cream cone, "tell me about Danny and Lindsay."
"What about them?" Mac asked, enjoying his own cone.
"They're together, aren't they?"
He nodded. "For almost a year now. They've had a few rough patches, but…I think they're good together."
"They seem happy." Mac heard the catch in her voice, but she was already moving on before he could ask. "What about Flack and Stella?"
He smiled at that. "That hasn't happened…yet."
"Yet?" she asked, looking at him with a sly smile.
"It's been building for a while now…I think they'll get together soon."
"And that doesn't bother you?" she asked. "That your team is pairing off?"
Mac shrugged. "I know it's against department rules, but…they're all really good at keeping it off the job. And who am I to deny anyone the little happiness they can find?"
She watched him for a minute, weighing her options. It seemed that Mac Taylor was just as protective about his past and feelings as she was, but she was dying to know more about him.
"What about you?" she finally asked. "Are you married?"
His eyes grew distant. "I was." Looking over at her, he answered her unspoken question. "She died."
Without thinking, Michelle reached out for his hand, squeezing it. "I'm sorry," she said quietly.
Mac smiled at her sadly, surprised at how cold his hand felt when she let go again. "It's okay. It was a few years ago."
They walked in silence then, both wrapped in their own thoughts. Michelle now understood one of the reasons she felt so drawn to the man beside her - he shared her pain.
"What was her name?" she asked, needing to talk to push away her own dark thoughts.
Mac smiled as he pictured his wife. "Claire. She was…amazing. She put up with me like no one else could. She used to tease me...that as take-charge as I was in the military, and on the job…I was never good with making speeches; I was never eloquent. I even stumbled through my wedding vows."
"You still miss her."
Mac looked over at her again, feeling the unspoken question. The pain was in her eyes again, and he knew that she needed some kind of answer.
"I don't think that ever goes away," he said quietly. "But…you can miss someone and still live your life."
"Are you sure?" she asked, and she sounded so small right then that Mac had to fight off the temptation to embrace her. Instead, he walked just a little bit closer, letting his knuckles brush against hers.
"I'm sure," he whispered.