"With Each Passing Day" // Dimgwrthien714
Title: With Each Passing Day, Part 4
Author: Dimgwrthien714
Fandom: CSI: NY
Pairing: Mac/Claire
Rating: PG
Word Count: ~1700
Summary: Part 4: Minor stories lead to larger arguments.
Their eyes met as papers switched hands between the two coworkers. Stella gave Mac a small smile, then shrugged in the direction of the lab. "Need anything else processed?"
Mac looked down at the results and sighed. No sign of drug use in the victim. There went the suspect and motive. "Not yet. I'm going to look over the evidence once more and see if there's anything we missed."
"Need help?" she asked. Mac looked at Stella, confused, but didn't answer yet. "I know that I'm only good for a little bit of evidence but…" Stella raised her eyebrows and shrugged. "I've always been interested in the actual detective part."
He considered her for a moment. It wasn't unusual for people to leave their departments to help around in other areas, or at least it wasn't in Chicago. "Sure. Extra eyes help."
Stella grinned and carefully pulled off her lab coat. Mac looked and was interested to see that she wore a dressy suit under the coat, something that he hadn't seen from any of the lab techs yet. He averted his eyes, though, knowing that nothing good would come out of him looking at her clothes.
She seemed to have noticed his eyes, but she didn't comment. Her only response was a small smile as she started to follow him towards the evidence room. Even as they spoke about the case on the way, Mac kept his eyes far away from her.
You've done a stupid thing, Taylor,
some voice whispered in his ear. A very stupid thing.
He picked up the evidence box, looking over the packages with red tape around the folds and edges. Big bag of clothes, several small bags of trace, fingerprints, a see-through bag with the empty pill bottle that came from the bedside of the victim. With a quick glance at Stella, he started towards his office.
Stella jumped forward a few feet when they reached his office, holding open the door for him. Mac muttered a quick thanks and got in, setting the box down on the table. Stella followed him, letting the door swing closed.
Standing on one side of the desk, Mac started to unpack the box, looking at each bag as he went. Stella looked around them for a moment, not touching anything yet.
"Is this your wife?"
Mac glanced up, seeing that Stella had bent enough to look at a picture on his desk. It was a picture of Claire that couldn't have been more than a year old.
Stella straightened up. "Sorry. I just noticed - wedding ring." She pointed at his hand. "Just assumed -"
Mac nodded. "That's her. Her name's Claire."
"She's pretty." Stella smiled and looked up at Mac, then down to the evidence. "What do you we have here?"
(With Each Passing Day)
The phone rang close to eleven at night. Mac blinked tiredly, reaching out for the phone. "Taylor."
"Mac?"
Mac glanced at Stella, who looked back down at the photographs from the crime scene, looking concentrated on them as she wrote down a few notes in her notebook.
"Hey, Claire." Mac rubbed his forehead.
"Are you still at work?" Claire sounded tired but worried. Mac glanced at the clock and felt a surge of guilt.
"I'm sorry. I just -" Mac sighed and turned his chair to the side so that he didn't face Stella. "I just got wrapped up in a case. I'll be home soon."
"Alright." Claire was silent for a moment, then sighed. "I've seen you do this before, Mac. Just - just come home soon, alright?"
"Yeah."
"Love you," Claire prompted.
"Love you, too." Mac smiled to the phone, said goodbye, then hung up.
Stella looked up at him. "Do you need to go?" She reached behind the chair for her jacket, keeping her hand there, prepared to go.
Mac nodded and looked over the evidence. "Maybe we should start putting this back. It's late already. Better get some sleep for tomorrow."
Stella nodded and closed the notebook. "I think we'll have it all tomorrow."
"That's good." Mac smiled as he started replacing the bags into the evidence box. "We just need to finish printing off the reports after that, and we'll have all the proof we need."
"I never knew that detective work was this much… well…" Stella smiled. "Fun, I suppose."
"After a hundred cases, it's not as fun." Mac laughed quietly and closed the box. "Always a challenge, and that's the fun part." He picked up the box. "I'll run this back down."
As he left the office, holding the door open, he turned off the lights. Stella walked a few steps past him, then followed him down the hall. Mac pulled down his keys with his free hand, then unlocked the door into the room. The desk had a gate over it which he opened, slipping the box inside before closing it again. The man at the desk would put it back into its place the next morning.
"Thanks," Mac said, smiling at Stella.
She ran a hand through her hair and let it stay there. "No, thank you. I've always considered changing to a detective status."
"You'd be well qualified." Mac shut the door after them and looked around at the empty hall. Night shift would be in the labs now, but he didn't see a light from where he stood. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Good night." Stella gave him a last smile before walking off in the direction of the parking lot. Mac remained in the hall for a moment before following her outside.
(With Each Passing Day)
Mac quietly crept into his bedroom, leaving the door open because he knew that even that sound could wake Claire. He slipped out of his shoes and clothes, pulling out a shirt and pajama pants that he slipped into with as little sound as possible.
When he slipped into bed under the covers, he saw Claire's head move. "Hey," she whispered, her voice laced with sleep.
"Hey." Mac leaned over and kissed her forehead. Claire didn't move to catch his lips, but put her head back down on the pillow. "Sorry I'm late."
Claire breathed in deeply, moving her arm over Mac's chest. "It's alright," she whispered. "I was just worried about you." She moved closer to him, laying her head on his shoulder. Mac curled an arm around her.
Mac closed his eyes, rubbing her back with one hand and trying to breathe deep. He was tired, of course, but something wouldn't let him sleep.
"What were you doing?" Claire asked.
"Finishing up a case." Mac shifted the pillow so that it wasn't bent against the headboard. "We almost have it figured out. By tomorrow, it should be in court."
"Who're you working with?"
"Stella, the girl from narcotics. She was interested in working on a crime scene, and I couldn't see any answers."
He felt as though a weight were taken off his chest as he spoke. There was nothing, he felt, that warranted that grief. Once he looked at Claire's face through the dark, though, he understood why, and he felt his chest tighten again.
"She good at it?" Claire asked quietly.
Mac nodded, keeping his movements shallow and soft. "She is. She's a nice girl and smart, too. Wants to apply to be a detective sometime soon." He felt her breath catch in her throat and knew that he had said something wrong. Barely thinking, he wrapped his other arm over her shoulder, planting another kiss on her forehead. Claire struggled and sat up, staring down at him.
"Don't start that," she whispered harshly.
"What?" Mac pushed the covers off, sitting up to meet her eyes.
"Every time you do that -" Claire hissed, shoving the covers off of her legs fiercely. "Every time you say something you didn't want to say, you try to make it up with a kiss! Don't think you're doing it again!"
Mac met her gaze. "What am I doing?"
Claire breathed deeply and her voice sounded broken. "You don't come to bed and talk about your coworker, then kiss me." He could see her close her eyes and sigh, her body tense. "Just - please don't do that, Mac."
"I never thought you were that jealous -"
Claire hit a fist against the pillow. "Don't use that word!" she hissed again, her words cutting through the dim night. "I'm not jealous of anything because there's nothing." She shook her hands, looking for words, trying to calm herself. "I'm not being jealous. I'm trying to make you understand that you can't do that with me."
Mac grabbed her shoulders, but Claire shook herself out of his grip.
"I'm not trying to do anything or imply anything," Mac answered, fighting to keep his voice even. He watched Claire as she tried to find something else to look at, anything but his eyes. "I'm not trying to do anything. You asked, and I answered. I'm not a liar, and I won't hide the fact that I have a female coworker."
Claire laughed, but it wasn't the same laugh Mac was used to. "If it was the fact that she was female that bothered me, I'd have forced you to quit every job you've had a long time ago. Just listen to how you're talking about her."
Mac's mind jumped to the day with Stella, the way he remembered looking at her, each detail he remembered about her.
Slowly, Mac reached out to grab Claire's shoulders again, his hands only shaking a little as he found her arms, embracing them slowly. Claire sniffed, then fell forward into his chest, head bowed against his.
"I'm sorry, Claire," Mac whispered. He held her tight, breathing in her shampoo. "I'm sorry."
"What's she look like?" Claire asked hoarsely.
"Does it matter?" Mac felt Claire slowly relax, then held her still, slowly sinking back into the bed. Once he felt the pillow against his head again, he kissed her gently, again and again, whispering to her whenever he couldn't feel her flesh against his lips. Claire let out a shaky breath that he knew she had been holding.
By midnight, both were pleasantly tired.
Author: Dimgwrthien714
Fandom: CSI: NY
Pairing: Mac/Claire
Rating: PG
Word Count: ~1700
Summary: Part 4: Minor stories lead to larger arguments.
Their eyes met as papers switched hands between the two coworkers. Stella gave Mac a small smile, then shrugged in the direction of the lab. "Need anything else processed?"
Mac looked down at the results and sighed. No sign of drug use in the victim. There went the suspect and motive. "Not yet. I'm going to look over the evidence once more and see if there's anything we missed."
"Need help?" she asked. Mac looked at Stella, confused, but didn't answer yet. "I know that I'm only good for a little bit of evidence but…" Stella raised her eyebrows and shrugged. "I've always been interested in the actual detective part."
He considered her for a moment. It wasn't unusual for people to leave their departments to help around in other areas, or at least it wasn't in Chicago. "Sure. Extra eyes help."
Stella grinned and carefully pulled off her lab coat. Mac looked and was interested to see that she wore a dressy suit under the coat, something that he hadn't seen from any of the lab techs yet. He averted his eyes, though, knowing that nothing good would come out of him looking at her clothes.
She seemed to have noticed his eyes, but she didn't comment. Her only response was a small smile as she started to follow him towards the evidence room. Even as they spoke about the case on the way, Mac kept his eyes far away from her.
You've done a stupid thing, Taylor,
some voice whispered in his ear. A very stupid thing.
He picked up the evidence box, looking over the packages with red tape around the folds and edges. Big bag of clothes, several small bags of trace, fingerprints, a see-through bag with the empty pill bottle that came from the bedside of the victim. With a quick glance at Stella, he started towards his office.
Stella jumped forward a few feet when they reached his office, holding open the door for him. Mac muttered a quick thanks and got in, setting the box down on the table. Stella followed him, letting the door swing closed.
Standing on one side of the desk, Mac started to unpack the box, looking at each bag as he went. Stella looked around them for a moment, not touching anything yet.
"Is this your wife?"
Mac glanced up, seeing that Stella had bent enough to look at a picture on his desk. It was a picture of Claire that couldn't have been more than a year old.
Stella straightened up. "Sorry. I just noticed - wedding ring." She pointed at his hand. "Just assumed -"
Mac nodded. "That's her. Her name's Claire."
"She's pretty." Stella smiled and looked up at Mac, then down to the evidence. "What do you we have here?"
(With Each Passing Day)
The phone rang close to eleven at night. Mac blinked tiredly, reaching out for the phone. "Taylor."
"Mac?"
Mac glanced at Stella, who looked back down at the photographs from the crime scene, looking concentrated on them as she wrote down a few notes in her notebook.
"Hey, Claire." Mac rubbed his forehead.
"Are you still at work?" Claire sounded tired but worried. Mac glanced at the clock and felt a surge of guilt.
"I'm sorry. I just -" Mac sighed and turned his chair to the side so that he didn't face Stella. "I just got wrapped up in a case. I'll be home soon."
"Alright." Claire was silent for a moment, then sighed. "I've seen you do this before, Mac. Just - just come home soon, alright?"
"Yeah."
"Love you," Claire prompted.
"Love you, too." Mac smiled to the phone, said goodbye, then hung up.
Stella looked up at him. "Do you need to go?" She reached behind the chair for her jacket, keeping her hand there, prepared to go.
Mac nodded and looked over the evidence. "Maybe we should start putting this back. It's late already. Better get some sleep for tomorrow."
Stella nodded and closed the notebook. "I think we'll have it all tomorrow."
"That's good." Mac smiled as he started replacing the bags into the evidence box. "We just need to finish printing off the reports after that, and we'll have all the proof we need."
"I never knew that detective work was this much… well…" Stella smiled. "Fun, I suppose."
"After a hundred cases, it's not as fun." Mac laughed quietly and closed the box. "Always a challenge, and that's the fun part." He picked up the box. "I'll run this back down."
As he left the office, holding the door open, he turned off the lights. Stella walked a few steps past him, then followed him down the hall. Mac pulled down his keys with his free hand, then unlocked the door into the room. The desk had a gate over it which he opened, slipping the box inside before closing it again. The man at the desk would put it back into its place the next morning.
"Thanks," Mac said, smiling at Stella.
She ran a hand through her hair and let it stay there. "No, thank you. I've always considered changing to a detective status."
"You'd be well qualified." Mac shut the door after them and looked around at the empty hall. Night shift would be in the labs now, but he didn't see a light from where he stood. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Good night." Stella gave him a last smile before walking off in the direction of the parking lot. Mac remained in the hall for a moment before following her outside.
(With Each Passing Day)
Mac quietly crept into his bedroom, leaving the door open because he knew that even that sound could wake Claire. He slipped out of his shoes and clothes, pulling out a shirt and pajama pants that he slipped into with as little sound as possible.
When he slipped into bed under the covers, he saw Claire's head move. "Hey," she whispered, her voice laced with sleep.
"Hey." Mac leaned over and kissed her forehead. Claire didn't move to catch his lips, but put her head back down on the pillow. "Sorry I'm late."
Claire breathed in deeply, moving her arm over Mac's chest. "It's alright," she whispered. "I was just worried about you." She moved closer to him, laying her head on his shoulder. Mac curled an arm around her.
Mac closed his eyes, rubbing her back with one hand and trying to breathe deep. He was tired, of course, but something wouldn't let him sleep.
"What were you doing?" Claire asked.
"Finishing up a case." Mac shifted the pillow so that it wasn't bent against the headboard. "We almost have it figured out. By tomorrow, it should be in court."
"Who're you working with?"
"Stella, the girl from narcotics. She was interested in working on a crime scene, and I couldn't see any answers."
He felt as though a weight were taken off his chest as he spoke. There was nothing, he felt, that warranted that grief. Once he looked at Claire's face through the dark, though, he understood why, and he felt his chest tighten again.
"She good at it?" Claire asked quietly.
Mac nodded, keeping his movements shallow and soft. "She is. She's a nice girl and smart, too. Wants to apply to be a detective sometime soon." He felt her breath catch in her throat and knew that he had said something wrong. Barely thinking, he wrapped his other arm over her shoulder, planting another kiss on her forehead. Claire struggled and sat up, staring down at him.
"Don't start that," she whispered harshly.
"What?" Mac pushed the covers off, sitting up to meet her eyes.
"Every time you do that -" Claire hissed, shoving the covers off of her legs fiercely. "Every time you say something you didn't want to say, you try to make it up with a kiss! Don't think you're doing it again!"
Mac met her gaze. "What am I doing?"
Claire breathed deeply and her voice sounded broken. "You don't come to bed and talk about your coworker, then kiss me." He could see her close her eyes and sigh, her body tense. "Just - please don't do that, Mac."
"I never thought you were that jealous -"
Claire hit a fist against the pillow. "Don't use that word!" she hissed again, her words cutting through the dim night. "I'm not jealous of anything because there's nothing." She shook her hands, looking for words, trying to calm herself. "I'm not being jealous. I'm trying to make you understand that you can't do that with me."
Mac grabbed her shoulders, but Claire shook herself out of his grip.
"I'm not trying to do anything or imply anything," Mac answered, fighting to keep his voice even. He watched Claire as she tried to find something else to look at, anything but his eyes. "I'm not trying to do anything. You asked, and I answered. I'm not a liar, and I won't hide the fact that I have a female coworker."
Claire laughed, but it wasn't the same laugh Mac was used to. "If it was the fact that she was female that bothered me, I'd have forced you to quit every job you've had a long time ago. Just listen to how you're talking about her."
Mac's mind jumped to the day with Stella, the way he remembered looking at her, each detail he remembered about her.
Slowly, Mac reached out to grab Claire's shoulders again, his hands only shaking a little as he found her arms, embracing them slowly. Claire sniffed, then fell forward into his chest, head bowed against his.
"I'm sorry, Claire," Mac whispered. He held her tight, breathing in her shampoo. "I'm sorry."
"What's she look like?" Claire asked hoarsely.
"Does it matter?" Mac felt Claire slowly relax, then held her still, slowly sinking back into the bed. Once he felt the pillow against his head again, he kissed her gently, again and again, whispering to her whenever he couldn't feel her flesh against his lips. Claire let out a shaky breath that he knew she had been holding.
By midnight, both were pleasantly tired.