A Series of Unfortunately Fortunate Events [CSI Ensemble Cast] PG-13
Title: A Series of Unfortunately Fortunate Events
Author: torncorpse/insomniacs_home
Characters: Angell, Bonasera, Driscoll, Flack, Hammerback, Hawkes, Maka, Messer, Monroe, Ross, Taylor.
Pairings: Bonasera/Hawkes, Driscoll/Taylor, Maka/Ross, Flack/Messer, Messer/Taylor, Flack/Messer/Taylor, one sided Monroe/Taylor
Rating: PG 13
AN: Started out as a madness of prompts from a friend. Resulted in a madness of random but connected drabbles equalling a whole.
Side Note: I’m not a Lindsay fan. I never have been. So I may be somewhat mean to her. Opps.
Summary: A series of events, at the time very unfortunate, lead to a rather wonderful outcome for most.
>
Driscoll // Messer -- sexual harassment seminar
It wasn’t that the seminars were unimportant. Danny just felt that they were a complete waste of his time. He didn’t have time for a girlfriend outside of work, why on earth would he choose to attempt to maintain a relationship with someone at work.
“What did you do?” Danny glanced to his side, frowning at a smirking Peyton Driscoll.
“What did I do to who or what?” Danny whispered back, not quiet sure what the ME meant.
“To get sent here? What’d you do to annoy Mac?” Peyton asked it with a smile, so Danny was fairly certain that she wasn’t pissed with him or accusing him of doing something wrong to upset her boyfriend.
“I think it Stella I annoyed.” Danny answered, vaguely remembering a comment or two he may have made over the past week or two. And Mac was somewhat protective of Stella ever since the Frankie incident. “I mean, sure, probably not the best thing to say or what, but that’s what me and Stella are like, y’know?” Peyton gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. “What’d you do?”
She fixed him with a completely unrepentant smile before saying “I goosed Mac at work.” Danny couldn’t help but laugh at that.
Hawkes // Messer -- chinese food
“So we have no suspect, two unknown sets of fingerprints and a strange dust?” Hawkes asked as he tucked into his chow pow. He and Danny sat in the break room, grabbing a quick bite to eat while talking out the case.
“Dust came back as honey dust. Y’know, sprinkle it on your partner, supposed to heighten the whole experience and what not. So our perp was kinky.” Danny answered, popping his own sweet and sour chicken into his mouth.
“Honey dust?” Sheldon recalled an interview earlier with one of their prime suspects, remembering noticing something similar to the power on a cabinet. “Our suspect, Mr Walliams, had what looked like honey dust in his kitchen.” Hawkes dropped the chopsticks into the take-away tub, a smile spreading on his face. “Mr Walliams has a wife.”
“I’m sure she’d be very upset to know how her husband was spending their money.”
“I’m going to fill Stella in.” Hawkes was already halfway to the door before he stopped and turned around. “Unless, you made the find, you should tell Stella.” Danny grinned his usual grin before waving at Sheldon to say no.
“You go, be all knowledgeable, I know Stella digs it.” Danny laughed a little at Hawkes’ blush. As if Danny didn’t know about Sheldon’s crush on Stella.
Hammerback // Messer -- dust yourself off
“Why do these things always happen to me?” Danny sat against a set of filing cabinets, trying to ignore the flashing red light.
“Well, maybe you’re just naturally lucky.”
“Naturally unlucky is more like it.” Sid seemed to take offence at the suggestion. “Last time it was a panic room with a deceased victim. This time it’s a morgue office with my DB out there, and the evidence is probably completely contaminated because of whatever gas was released and whatever anti-toxins are now fighting that.” Danny sighed and banged his head back against the metal. “Mac’s sure gonna love this.”
“Well, we still have the trace from his nails and the metal shards from the wound tract. Doesn’t that help?” Sid lowered to sit across from Danny, leaning against the leg of the desk.
“Yeah, probably.” Danny tried to focus on not thinking, not letting himself worry. But he really hated small spaces. “I hate this.” He muttered.
“Claustrophobic?” Why did people always ask him if he was something-a-phobic?
“I’m not anything-a-phobic. I just don’t like small spaces.” He managed to keep the venom to a minimum, since he really didn’t know how long he’d be trapped with Sid; he didn’t want to annoy the other man. “Maybe I can talk Peyton into softening Mac up a little, y’know? She can be all cute and stuff.”
“Umm, Peyton and Mac broke up.”
“What?” Again, he was probably the last to know about that too.
“Yeah, four days ago Peyton came in, a little torn up and almost crying. She’s getting better now. From I’ve heard Mac’s gotten pretty reclusive again too.”
“Geez Sid, do you know everything that goes on around here?”
“You’d be surprised.” Sid smiled a little and Danny figured that if Sid told him most of the little gossips going around the lab, maybe this would be so bad. “Did you know…”
Bonasera // Taylor -- hear me out
Mac had rarely went out for drinks with the team, more often than not he’d stayed in the office, working on reports or just finishing up old case files. Even when he had nothing to do, he found the office at the lab quiet enough for him to just think.
During his relationship with Peyton he’d come out of his hole more. Going to the theatre, movies, having nice dinners at fancy restaurants with her. Even just going home more often to sit and watch some TV before bed became a nice change. Now that he and Peyton were finished he’d tried not to fall back on old habits.
Which took him to now, sitting at a bar with Stella, listening to his long term colleague and friend ramble insistently about this ‘new’ guy that she wouldn’t name.
“Why did you insist on bringing me out to talk about this if you weren’t going to tell him his name?” Mac asked light heartedly, smiling as Stella stuttered through an answer. It was nice to see her flustered, it only happened once in a while, but when it did it was a welcome change.
“Actually I asked you out to talk about your love life.”
“Stella, I appreciate it, but Peyton and I…it wouldn’t work.” Stella downed the last of her drink and laughed.
“I knew that from the start.” Stella would’ve known, Mac thought. As if she could’ve told him though. “I was thinking something a little different. Tell me Mac, how do you feel about Danny?”
Maka // Ross -- hurt
“I am never going out in the field ever again.” Adam hissed into Maka’s ear.
“Really, that’s nice.” Kalie perched up over the bar slightly and returned fire at their attacker. “Why’re you out here anyway?”
“We’re being shot at and you want to make small talk?” Adam asked, Kalie had to admit, he was cute when he was shocked or scared. “Mac said he needed more control samples but everyone else was busy, I stupidly volunteered to stop by.” Kalie nodded before shooting back at their new official suspect.
“Well, he’s trapped. We’ve got the door covered and I’m sure back ups on the way.” Three more shots fire above their heads, glass shattering around them.
“He’ll run out of bullets soon, right?” Maka laughed once and shot again, just as back up kicked down the door.
“NYPD! Freeze!” Adam saw the suspect pop up, gun aimed at Maka.
“Look out!” Adam pulled Kalie down just as the shot was fired and the two officers at the door stormed the shooter, pushing him against the wall harshly and cuffing him none too gently.
Slowly Adam pulled back from his position atop Maka. “You alright?” Kalie was dazed, looking up at the lab tech with surprise evident. Adam thought that the dear in the headlights look worked for the homicide detective. “Are you hurt?”
“No but…thanks.” Adam managed a weak smile before pulling away and standing up. Maka took the offered hand, standing beside Adam and smiling. “Umm, would…would you like to get some coffee?”
Adam’s smile was almost blinding.
Angell // Maka -- chivalry is dead
“So you and Ross?”
“He’s funny, and sweet. He’s not a total leech and he makes me laugh.”
“Whoa there,” Angell laughed slightly, smiling at her friend. “I was just asking.”
“Sorry, I’m defensive. Flack was taking the piss earlier.” Kalie sat on the locker room bench changing her shoes.
“You two going out tonight?” Jennifer tried not to sound intruding, merely interested in her friend’s welfare.
“Yeah, he’s taking me out for dinner and then we’re going to the movies.” Kalie smiled, looking over at Angell. “He even lets me pick the movies. And doesn’t complain when it’s a chick flick.”
“Well, you have fun.” Angell closed her locker door, strapping on her weapon and badge. “I wanna hear all about it tomorrow.”
Flack // Messer -- primary suspect
“We have your prints. We know you were there.”
“Why’d you lie? Huh? Why not just cop up to being there?”
“I didn’t do nothin’ there, you can’t pin nothin’ on me.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. We have DNA; we got your prints on the murder weapon. Wanna change your story now?”
There was no answer, and neither Don nor Danny could anticipate the perp’s actions. In an instant he was up and across the table in seconds, beating both Flack’s reflexes and Danny’s dodging. Danny took the full brunt of the perp, his chair toppling over and taking them both to the ground.
Marc Dobson, their killer, got two punches into Danny before Flack had him up before slamming him into the table. The force behind Flack’s push was probably enough to bruise the perp, coupled with Flack’s hand around his throat and the whack of Dobson’s head against the table he would likely have a concussion if he was lucky.
“You just made an even bigger mistake, punk.”
Dobson was put into holding and Flack sat Danny down in one of the interrogation rooms. “Damn, he got a lucky shot in.” There was one cut above Danny’s eye, although it seemed to be bleeding profusely. Danny hissed when Flack put the ice he’d get over it, Danny’s glasses on the table with the bent frame and busted lens.
“Y’know, it didn’t hurt until you put the ice on it.” Danny half heartedly bitched. Don just laughed, kneeling in front of Danny and holding the ice pack, even if Danny tried to take it for himself.
“What am I gonna do with you Messer?” Danny didn’t understand the question, so he opted not to answer it. Don’s other hand, the one that wasn’t holding the ice on Danny’s eyebrow, moved to cup Danny’s cheek, slowly stroking at the jaw line. “Want me to take you home?”
“Yeah.” Danny figured that maybe Don could work out what to do with him on his own.
Hawkes // Messer -- locked in
“I think someone follows you and locks you in places on purpose.”
“It would make sense, yeah.” Danny answered. They were stuck in the storage room. Having needed an old case file for referencing they’d both decided it was easier to just go together, sift through the files, reacquainted themselves with the information and then put it back. However, Danny and locked doors didn’t have a good track record, and here they were.
“How long do you think we’ll be here?”
“Well, Don and I are heading out tonight, so he’ll probably stop by in three hours if I don’t show.” Danny sighed, sitting on the floor and making himself as comfortable as possible.
“I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something. But I don’t really know how to say it without making an idiot of myself.”
“You’re welcome.”
“What?” Hawkes stared at Danny, mildly relieved that the other man had chosen to close his eyes in his bid to get comfortable.
“I took a guess. You wanna thank me for telling you that Stella digs you. Right? I knew you had a thing for her, didn’t realise you didn’t know she felt pretty much the same.” Danny opened his eyes and smirked. “She’s been sorta crushing on you since that weird case with the jello girls.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Thought you’d have to be blind to see it, but I think you and Mac were the only two to miss it.” Sheldon laughed then, remembering tales from Stella about how Mac was still oblivious to their relationship despite the numerous hints and innuendos from Stella about them. “Did you know that Sid is as much of an encyclopaedia of useless information as you are?”
“No, I did not.” Sheldon welcomed the change in topic, not really wanting to talk about him and Stella and still not man enough to broach the issue of Danny and Flack, talking about Sid seemed to be the neutral territory with Danny.
Bonasera // Monroe // Taylor -- matter of ethics
“It’s a matter of ethics, that’s all I’m saying.”
“How is this ethics? This is just cruel and unusual.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Nothing.” “Who I’m dating.” Mac glared at Stella, ignoring Lindsay almost completely.
“It is not a matter of ethics. I tell you things when you ask; it’s just cruel that you keep this one thing from me.”
“Why won’t you tell him?”
“Because, it’s…okay, it’s fun. That’s why. I’m having fun.” Stella laughed at the stricken look on Mac’s face and the small smirk on Lindsay’s. “Fine, if it’s that big a deal to you, it’s Sheldon. Okay, I’m dating Hawkes.”
“I think I need another drink.” Mac got up from the table and headed to the bar, making Stella laugh more.
“Did you have to tease him with it this long?” Lindsay asked. “Well, maybe…I mean I just. Well, you and Hawkes are dating; Adam and Maka are an item. Flack and Danny seem to have…something. You think there’s a chance for me and Mac?” Stella fought with her initial reaction to laugh, and instead focused on something else.
“What do you mean Danny and Flack?”
“Well, you remember last week, with the Dobson case?”
“When Danny came back from interrogation with a cut above his eye and Flack was hovering around him?” Stella asked, mildly confused. She’d heard from Sid, who’d heard from Hawkes, who’d heard from Adam who’d been told by Maka, that their suspect had leapt across the table and landed two punches into Danny before Flack had pretty much body slammed the idiot onto the table. Danny had come back to the labs, filed the paperwork, sealed the case files and then took off with Flack, mentioning to Mac that he’d been injured and was taking the night but would make up the time in the morning.
Stella knew this because Mac had been beside himself with worry until Sid told him and Stella that Flack went home with Danny, just to be sure there wasn’t a concussion.
“Seems they’ve been closer since then. Although with those two, closer would be joined at the hip.” Lindsay commented.
“Well, after Aiden and then after the bomb, I think both have come to appreciate that life throws too many curve balls.” Lindsay just nodded.
“So, me and Mac? Do I have a chance?” Stella didn’t know how to tell the other women that Mac had already discovered where his feelings went. And if things were developing between Danny and Flack, then Mac had better move fast or work a new scenario into his world view.
Messer // Taylor -- not by choice
It was a crazy assignment, one that Danny failed to understand. Why he was there, why Mac was there, why they’d been giving the whacked out assignment in the first place. He was a CSI, not an undercover cop. Jeez, you’d think he’d been through this all before, but no. They were told to do it so here they were.
It would be one thing if he was here with Don, then he’d be able to at least get rid of the tension in his body. But every time Mac touched him he’d tense up for a full five minutes before Mac managed to coax him into relaxing. But anytime he tried again it would be repeated. And if Danny didn’t stop it they’d both have their cover blown. Damnit, he was not cut out for this shit.
When their mark started to move towards them, way before schedule and looking far too pissed off to be normal; Danny had to fit the instinct to run. Mac took the opportunity to kiss him. Tensing up wasn’t an option and Danny forced himself not only to relax into the gesture but to return it.
Which wasn’t as difficult as he’d believe. Mac’s hands were placed on his hip and the back of his head, effectively holding him in place. Mac kissed with the same focus he put into everything else. It was a slow, tender, exploration and Danny ended up pressing into Mac’s body, forgetting that there was a man dealing in sex slaves no more than twenty yards away from him. Eventually they had to break for breath, but Mac didn’t move back, instead moving down to bite at Danny’s neck, forcing Danny to tip his head back and give Mac better access.
It was crazy. It was a crazy assignment and a crazy situation and God, if Don held this against him he’d have to scream. But damn did Mac know how to kiss.
Flack // Taylor -- hear me out
After bringing down the sex slave ring and arresting more than forty dealers and traders, Flack felt like his eyes were going to burn. He’d been staring at the computer screen for nearly four hours before he was able to power down, and now he was looking forward to a lonely night in front of the TV. Damn Danny and overtime.
“Hey Flack, wanna grab a beer?” Now, Mac going out for drinks wasn’t unknown, not now. Mac asking to go out for drinks was. Mac wasn’t an asker, he was an askee. He never took the first step, so Flack knew to be wary.
They didn’t go to Sullivan’s. Mac didn’t feel like sitting in a cop bar and to be honest neither did Don, spending all day around his fellow cops and then all night drinking next to current and former cops was too much in his book.
“This is gonna be pretty out of the blue, but I heard a rumour about you.” Mac started the ‘talk’ as it would be forever remembered in Flack’s brain, after three beers and two shooters of vodka. Smart man that Detective Taylor. “When did you and Danny hook up?”
He and Danny hadn’t so much hooked up as fallen into bed together. After Dobson got those punches in on Danny and Flack had taken him home one thing really had led to another and soon Flack was fucking Danny against his apartment wall while Danny bit into Don’s shoulder so that old Mrs Henders didn’t come knocking. After that it was a case of their usual antics with some sex thrown in.
He didn’t tell Mac that, instead he shrugged and said, “three weeks ago, give or take.” Now, Don wouldn’t call Mac a father figure, not in the least, Danny probably wouldn’t either. But Mac was the elder that you looked up to, the man with more wisdom that you sought approval from. Danny really did seek approval and Don had figured that they’d reached that level already. So sitting there, waiting to have the ‘if you hurt him I’ll kill you and get away with it because I know where to hide the body and the evidence’ talk from Mac Taylor about his non-relationship relationship with Danny Messer was just a little nerve racking.
“Okay, I have a proposition for you.”
This was not the talk Don expected. In fact, how his brain managed to function from then on out was still a mystery to him.
Driscoll // Monroe -- in the past
“I hear you’re interested in Mac.”
“Well, he’s single, fair game, right?”
“Not exactly.”
“You’re not dating him. He hasn’t mentioned anyone. Stella said he was single.”
“Doesn’t mean that he is.”
“You and he aren’t together. And as much as I respect you, I’m not about to stop feeling how I feel because you can’t let go.”
“I’ve let go, Detective Monroe, but I felt it prudent to let you know why Mac and I didn’t work.”
“It happens, I understand that. But it doesn’t mean that Mac and I wouldn’t work.”
“Yes, it does. He’s not interested. Unless you’ve suddenly become Danny.”
“What? No. Mac’s not interested in Danny. Besides, Danny’s with Don. I know he is.”
“I doubt that’ll stop Mac.”
“But…you’re wrong…”
“My information comes straight from Hammerback.”
“Damn.”
CSIs // Flack // Ross -- bubble
Lindsay liked the labs. She’d often heard Mac and Danny complain on and off about living in a bubble, but she thought they were nice. Bright and open, letting everyone see where everyone was and not leaving people dull and depressed. Danny said he missed the basement storage rooms, the cold interrogation rooms like dungeons and the old ME’s office.
Mac apparently hated his windowed office. Lindsay could see that point. Everyone had a clear view of what Mac was doing. She had the occasional fantasy that one day everyone would see him kiss her tenderly during work, or that he’d call her in there to ask her out on a date and never mind the rest of the lab.
“So I asked her, what’cha think of June.”
“What’d she say?” Adam and Hawkes were walking past Lindsay’s work station, too caught up in their conversation to bother with her.
“She likes June, so I think we’ll be going for a June wedding.” Wait. What? Adam and Maka were getting married? She didn’t get to hear the rest of the conversation, but she watched as Adam and Hawkes continued talking, Adam seemingly very excited while Hawkes just gave him smiles and patted his shoulder.
“Did you hear?” Flack’s voice was easily heard but she struggled to locate him in the throngs of all the lab workers, until she saw his head, towering over most of the white coated workers.
“About Kalie and Adam? Yeah, Sid broke the news. I think we should get him a bulletin board, that way he doesn’t have to say the same thing over and over.”
“No, Stella, not Maka and Ross. Peyton, she’s left. She’s flown back to London. You remember Jane Parsons in DNA?”
“Of course, what’s happening?”
“Danny and I were just down talking to Sid, he says Jane and Dr Giles hooked up and Peyton flew back to attend the wedding and instead she’s ended up joining in and their making it a commitment ceremony.” Lindsay didn’t know Dr Giles or Parsons, she didn’t see how this would be anything like interesting so she focused back on her work while Flack and Stella continued to talk about the ceremony while walking around the lab she was in.
Looking up again she smiled, noticing Mac getting off the elevator with Danny. Mac had on the darkest blue shirt she’d ever seen, it rippled across his chest and settled well with his skin tone. Even with the serious expression and strong set to his jaw, Lindsay wished all that attention was focused on her.
“I’m not saying it’s a bad idea, Danny, I just think that we should wait a little while, talk it over.” Messer was probably jumping to more conclusions in the investigation. He always did that, and Lindsay knew that one day Mac would realise he’d made a mistake and fire him. “How about take out? You two come over to mine tonight and we’ll talk it out, the three of us.” Lindsay and Danny were both working the case with Mac; did that mean he was inviting them all to come over? Lindsay felt the butterflies in her chest pick up, her heart was thumping.
“Okay Mac, you want it from that little corner deli you love so much?” Danny had a smile on his face, what sort of idiot smiled through a reprimand?
“Yeah, you pick it up, I’ll drag Don home and we’ll talk.” Danny nodded again and Lindsay just stared. They were working with Angell, not Flack. Why would Flack be involved? “Get back to work Messer.” The words were said with affection instead of the usual anger that would follow a Mac and Danny bust up. When Lindsay saw Mac brush his fingers through the back of Danny’s hair, just that side of far too intimate for co-workers, she felt her carefully constructed little bubble burst.
“I don’t believe this.” Even in the back of her head, with the other women in a different country, she could hear Peyton Driscoll’s voice in the back of her head ‘I told you so’.
Bonasera // Messer -- sexual harassment seminar
Did these things ever change? She’d been to four in the last six years and she was sure it was the same thing every time. Same words, same examples, hell, same people. Sighing heavily she looked to her left, smirking just a little.
“What’d you do?”
“Went down on Don in the locker room.” There was no sign of remorse, something she’d expect from Danny. “You?”
“Asked about pictures of you three.” Danny chuckled slightly.
“Play nice and I might be able to hook you up.”
“Really? Sweet.” These seminars really didn’t do much difference, did they?
-----
Comments are always yummy.
Author: torncorpse/insomniacs_home
Characters: Angell, Bonasera, Driscoll, Flack, Hammerback, Hawkes, Maka, Messer, Monroe, Ross, Taylor.
Pairings: Bonasera/Hawkes, Driscoll/Taylor, Maka/Ross, Flack/Messer, Messer/Taylor, Flack/Messer/Taylor, one sided Monroe/Taylor
Rating: PG 13
AN: Started out as a madness of prompts from a friend. Resulted in a madness of random but connected drabbles equalling a whole.
Side Note: I’m not a Lindsay fan. I never have been. So I may be somewhat mean to her. Opps.
Summary: A series of events, at the time very unfortunate, lead to a rather wonderful outcome for most.
>
Driscoll // Messer -- sexual harassment seminar
It wasn’t that the seminars were unimportant. Danny just felt that they were a complete waste of his time. He didn’t have time for a girlfriend outside of work, why on earth would he choose to attempt to maintain a relationship with someone at work.
“What did you do?” Danny glanced to his side, frowning at a smirking Peyton Driscoll.
“What did I do to who or what?” Danny whispered back, not quiet sure what the ME meant.
“To get sent here? What’d you do to annoy Mac?” Peyton asked it with a smile, so Danny was fairly certain that she wasn’t pissed with him or accusing him of doing something wrong to upset her boyfriend.
“I think it Stella I annoyed.” Danny answered, vaguely remembering a comment or two he may have made over the past week or two. And Mac was somewhat protective of Stella ever since the Frankie incident. “I mean, sure, probably not the best thing to say or what, but that’s what me and Stella are like, y’know?” Peyton gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. “What’d you do?”
She fixed him with a completely unrepentant smile before saying “I goosed Mac at work.” Danny couldn’t help but laugh at that.
Hawkes // Messer -- chinese food
“So we have no suspect, two unknown sets of fingerprints and a strange dust?” Hawkes asked as he tucked into his chow pow. He and Danny sat in the break room, grabbing a quick bite to eat while talking out the case.
“Dust came back as honey dust. Y’know, sprinkle it on your partner, supposed to heighten the whole experience and what not. So our perp was kinky.” Danny answered, popping his own sweet and sour chicken into his mouth.
“Honey dust?” Sheldon recalled an interview earlier with one of their prime suspects, remembering noticing something similar to the power on a cabinet. “Our suspect, Mr Walliams, had what looked like honey dust in his kitchen.” Hawkes dropped the chopsticks into the take-away tub, a smile spreading on his face. “Mr Walliams has a wife.”
“I’m sure she’d be very upset to know how her husband was spending their money.”
“I’m going to fill Stella in.” Hawkes was already halfway to the door before he stopped and turned around. “Unless, you made the find, you should tell Stella.” Danny grinned his usual grin before waving at Sheldon to say no.
“You go, be all knowledgeable, I know Stella digs it.” Danny laughed a little at Hawkes’ blush. As if Danny didn’t know about Sheldon’s crush on Stella.
Hammerback // Messer -- dust yourself off
“Why do these things always happen to me?” Danny sat against a set of filing cabinets, trying to ignore the flashing red light.
“Well, maybe you’re just naturally lucky.”
“Naturally unlucky is more like it.” Sid seemed to take offence at the suggestion. “Last time it was a panic room with a deceased victim. This time it’s a morgue office with my DB out there, and the evidence is probably completely contaminated because of whatever gas was released and whatever anti-toxins are now fighting that.” Danny sighed and banged his head back against the metal. “Mac’s sure gonna love this.”
“Well, we still have the trace from his nails and the metal shards from the wound tract. Doesn’t that help?” Sid lowered to sit across from Danny, leaning against the leg of the desk.
“Yeah, probably.” Danny tried to focus on not thinking, not letting himself worry. But he really hated small spaces. “I hate this.” He muttered.
“Claustrophobic?” Why did people always ask him if he was something-a-phobic?
“I’m not anything-a-phobic. I just don’t like small spaces.” He managed to keep the venom to a minimum, since he really didn’t know how long he’d be trapped with Sid; he didn’t want to annoy the other man. “Maybe I can talk Peyton into softening Mac up a little, y’know? She can be all cute and stuff.”
“Umm, Peyton and Mac broke up.”
“What?” Again, he was probably the last to know about that too.
“Yeah, four days ago Peyton came in, a little torn up and almost crying. She’s getting better now. From I’ve heard Mac’s gotten pretty reclusive again too.”
“Geez Sid, do you know everything that goes on around here?”
“You’d be surprised.” Sid smiled a little and Danny figured that if Sid told him most of the little gossips going around the lab, maybe this would be so bad. “Did you know…”
Bonasera // Taylor -- hear me out
Mac had rarely went out for drinks with the team, more often than not he’d stayed in the office, working on reports or just finishing up old case files. Even when he had nothing to do, he found the office at the lab quiet enough for him to just think.
During his relationship with Peyton he’d come out of his hole more. Going to the theatre, movies, having nice dinners at fancy restaurants with her. Even just going home more often to sit and watch some TV before bed became a nice change. Now that he and Peyton were finished he’d tried not to fall back on old habits.
Which took him to now, sitting at a bar with Stella, listening to his long term colleague and friend ramble insistently about this ‘new’ guy that she wouldn’t name.
“Why did you insist on bringing me out to talk about this if you weren’t going to tell him his name?” Mac asked light heartedly, smiling as Stella stuttered through an answer. It was nice to see her flustered, it only happened once in a while, but when it did it was a welcome change.
“Actually I asked you out to talk about your love life.”
“Stella, I appreciate it, but Peyton and I…it wouldn’t work.” Stella downed the last of her drink and laughed.
“I knew that from the start.” Stella would’ve known, Mac thought. As if she could’ve told him though. “I was thinking something a little different. Tell me Mac, how do you feel about Danny?”
Maka // Ross -- hurt
“I am never going out in the field ever again.” Adam hissed into Maka’s ear.
“Really, that’s nice.” Kalie perched up over the bar slightly and returned fire at their attacker. “Why’re you out here anyway?”
“We’re being shot at and you want to make small talk?” Adam asked, Kalie had to admit, he was cute when he was shocked or scared. “Mac said he needed more control samples but everyone else was busy, I stupidly volunteered to stop by.” Kalie nodded before shooting back at their new official suspect.
“Well, he’s trapped. We’ve got the door covered and I’m sure back ups on the way.” Three more shots fire above their heads, glass shattering around them.
“He’ll run out of bullets soon, right?” Maka laughed once and shot again, just as back up kicked down the door.
“NYPD! Freeze!” Adam saw the suspect pop up, gun aimed at Maka.
“Look out!” Adam pulled Kalie down just as the shot was fired and the two officers at the door stormed the shooter, pushing him against the wall harshly and cuffing him none too gently.
Slowly Adam pulled back from his position atop Maka. “You alright?” Kalie was dazed, looking up at the lab tech with surprise evident. Adam thought that the dear in the headlights look worked for the homicide detective. “Are you hurt?”
“No but…thanks.” Adam managed a weak smile before pulling away and standing up. Maka took the offered hand, standing beside Adam and smiling. “Umm, would…would you like to get some coffee?”
Adam’s smile was almost blinding.
Angell // Maka -- chivalry is dead
“So you and Ross?”
“He’s funny, and sweet. He’s not a total leech and he makes me laugh.”
“Whoa there,” Angell laughed slightly, smiling at her friend. “I was just asking.”
“Sorry, I’m defensive. Flack was taking the piss earlier.” Kalie sat on the locker room bench changing her shoes.
“You two going out tonight?” Jennifer tried not to sound intruding, merely interested in her friend’s welfare.
“Yeah, he’s taking me out for dinner and then we’re going to the movies.” Kalie smiled, looking over at Angell. “He even lets me pick the movies. And doesn’t complain when it’s a chick flick.”
“Well, you have fun.” Angell closed her locker door, strapping on her weapon and badge. “I wanna hear all about it tomorrow.”
Flack // Messer -- primary suspect
“We have your prints. We know you were there.”
“Why’d you lie? Huh? Why not just cop up to being there?”
“I didn’t do nothin’ there, you can’t pin nothin’ on me.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. We have DNA; we got your prints on the murder weapon. Wanna change your story now?”
There was no answer, and neither Don nor Danny could anticipate the perp’s actions. In an instant he was up and across the table in seconds, beating both Flack’s reflexes and Danny’s dodging. Danny took the full brunt of the perp, his chair toppling over and taking them both to the ground.
Marc Dobson, their killer, got two punches into Danny before Flack had him up before slamming him into the table. The force behind Flack’s push was probably enough to bruise the perp, coupled with Flack’s hand around his throat and the whack of Dobson’s head against the table he would likely have a concussion if he was lucky.
“You just made an even bigger mistake, punk.”
Dobson was put into holding and Flack sat Danny down in one of the interrogation rooms. “Damn, he got a lucky shot in.” There was one cut above Danny’s eye, although it seemed to be bleeding profusely. Danny hissed when Flack put the ice he’d get over it, Danny’s glasses on the table with the bent frame and busted lens.
“Y’know, it didn’t hurt until you put the ice on it.” Danny half heartedly bitched. Don just laughed, kneeling in front of Danny and holding the ice pack, even if Danny tried to take it for himself.
“What am I gonna do with you Messer?” Danny didn’t understand the question, so he opted not to answer it. Don’s other hand, the one that wasn’t holding the ice on Danny’s eyebrow, moved to cup Danny’s cheek, slowly stroking at the jaw line. “Want me to take you home?”
“Yeah.” Danny figured that maybe Don could work out what to do with him on his own.
Hawkes // Messer -- locked in
“I think someone follows you and locks you in places on purpose.”
“It would make sense, yeah.” Danny answered. They were stuck in the storage room. Having needed an old case file for referencing they’d both decided it was easier to just go together, sift through the files, reacquainted themselves with the information and then put it back. However, Danny and locked doors didn’t have a good track record, and here they were.
“How long do you think we’ll be here?”
“Well, Don and I are heading out tonight, so he’ll probably stop by in three hours if I don’t show.” Danny sighed, sitting on the floor and making himself as comfortable as possible.
“I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something. But I don’t really know how to say it without making an idiot of myself.”
“You’re welcome.”
“What?” Hawkes stared at Danny, mildly relieved that the other man had chosen to close his eyes in his bid to get comfortable.
“I took a guess. You wanna thank me for telling you that Stella digs you. Right? I knew you had a thing for her, didn’t realise you didn’t know she felt pretty much the same.” Danny opened his eyes and smirked. “She’s been sorta crushing on you since that weird case with the jello girls.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Thought you’d have to be blind to see it, but I think you and Mac were the only two to miss it.” Sheldon laughed then, remembering tales from Stella about how Mac was still oblivious to their relationship despite the numerous hints and innuendos from Stella about them. “Did you know that Sid is as much of an encyclopaedia of useless information as you are?”
“No, I did not.” Sheldon welcomed the change in topic, not really wanting to talk about him and Stella and still not man enough to broach the issue of Danny and Flack, talking about Sid seemed to be the neutral territory with Danny.
Bonasera // Monroe // Taylor -- matter of ethics
“It’s a matter of ethics, that’s all I’m saying.”
“How is this ethics? This is just cruel and unusual.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Nothing.” “Who I’m dating.” Mac glared at Stella, ignoring Lindsay almost completely.
“It is not a matter of ethics. I tell you things when you ask; it’s just cruel that you keep this one thing from me.”
“Why won’t you tell him?”
“Because, it’s…okay, it’s fun. That’s why. I’m having fun.” Stella laughed at the stricken look on Mac’s face and the small smirk on Lindsay’s. “Fine, if it’s that big a deal to you, it’s Sheldon. Okay, I’m dating Hawkes.”
“I think I need another drink.” Mac got up from the table and headed to the bar, making Stella laugh more.
“Did you have to tease him with it this long?” Lindsay asked. “Well, maybe…I mean I just. Well, you and Hawkes are dating; Adam and Maka are an item. Flack and Danny seem to have…something. You think there’s a chance for me and Mac?” Stella fought with her initial reaction to laugh, and instead focused on something else.
“What do you mean Danny and Flack?”
“Well, you remember last week, with the Dobson case?”
“When Danny came back from interrogation with a cut above his eye and Flack was hovering around him?” Stella asked, mildly confused. She’d heard from Sid, who’d heard from Hawkes, who’d heard from Adam who’d been told by Maka, that their suspect had leapt across the table and landed two punches into Danny before Flack had pretty much body slammed the idiot onto the table. Danny had come back to the labs, filed the paperwork, sealed the case files and then took off with Flack, mentioning to Mac that he’d been injured and was taking the night but would make up the time in the morning.
Stella knew this because Mac had been beside himself with worry until Sid told him and Stella that Flack went home with Danny, just to be sure there wasn’t a concussion.
“Seems they’ve been closer since then. Although with those two, closer would be joined at the hip.” Lindsay commented.
“Well, after Aiden and then after the bomb, I think both have come to appreciate that life throws too many curve balls.” Lindsay just nodded.
“So, me and Mac? Do I have a chance?” Stella didn’t know how to tell the other women that Mac had already discovered where his feelings went. And if things were developing between Danny and Flack, then Mac had better move fast or work a new scenario into his world view.
Messer // Taylor -- not by choice
It was a crazy assignment, one that Danny failed to understand. Why he was there, why Mac was there, why they’d been giving the whacked out assignment in the first place. He was a CSI, not an undercover cop. Jeez, you’d think he’d been through this all before, but no. They were told to do it so here they were.
It would be one thing if he was here with Don, then he’d be able to at least get rid of the tension in his body. But every time Mac touched him he’d tense up for a full five minutes before Mac managed to coax him into relaxing. But anytime he tried again it would be repeated. And if Danny didn’t stop it they’d both have their cover blown. Damnit, he was not cut out for this shit.
When their mark started to move towards them, way before schedule and looking far too pissed off to be normal; Danny had to fit the instinct to run. Mac took the opportunity to kiss him. Tensing up wasn’t an option and Danny forced himself not only to relax into the gesture but to return it.
Which wasn’t as difficult as he’d believe. Mac’s hands were placed on his hip and the back of his head, effectively holding him in place. Mac kissed with the same focus he put into everything else. It was a slow, tender, exploration and Danny ended up pressing into Mac’s body, forgetting that there was a man dealing in sex slaves no more than twenty yards away from him. Eventually they had to break for breath, but Mac didn’t move back, instead moving down to bite at Danny’s neck, forcing Danny to tip his head back and give Mac better access.
It was crazy. It was a crazy assignment and a crazy situation and God, if Don held this against him he’d have to scream. But damn did Mac know how to kiss.
Flack // Taylor -- hear me out
After bringing down the sex slave ring and arresting more than forty dealers and traders, Flack felt like his eyes were going to burn. He’d been staring at the computer screen for nearly four hours before he was able to power down, and now he was looking forward to a lonely night in front of the TV. Damn Danny and overtime.
“Hey Flack, wanna grab a beer?” Now, Mac going out for drinks wasn’t unknown, not now. Mac asking to go out for drinks was. Mac wasn’t an asker, he was an askee. He never took the first step, so Flack knew to be wary.
They didn’t go to Sullivan’s. Mac didn’t feel like sitting in a cop bar and to be honest neither did Don, spending all day around his fellow cops and then all night drinking next to current and former cops was too much in his book.
“This is gonna be pretty out of the blue, but I heard a rumour about you.” Mac started the ‘talk’ as it would be forever remembered in Flack’s brain, after three beers and two shooters of vodka. Smart man that Detective Taylor. “When did you and Danny hook up?”
He and Danny hadn’t so much hooked up as fallen into bed together. After Dobson got those punches in on Danny and Flack had taken him home one thing really had led to another and soon Flack was fucking Danny against his apartment wall while Danny bit into Don’s shoulder so that old Mrs Henders didn’t come knocking. After that it was a case of their usual antics with some sex thrown in.
He didn’t tell Mac that, instead he shrugged and said, “three weeks ago, give or take.” Now, Don wouldn’t call Mac a father figure, not in the least, Danny probably wouldn’t either. But Mac was the elder that you looked up to, the man with more wisdom that you sought approval from. Danny really did seek approval and Don had figured that they’d reached that level already. So sitting there, waiting to have the ‘if you hurt him I’ll kill you and get away with it because I know where to hide the body and the evidence’ talk from Mac Taylor about his non-relationship relationship with Danny Messer was just a little nerve racking.
“Okay, I have a proposition for you.”
This was not the talk Don expected. In fact, how his brain managed to function from then on out was still a mystery to him.
Driscoll // Monroe -- in the past
“I hear you’re interested in Mac.”
“Well, he’s single, fair game, right?”
“Not exactly.”
“You’re not dating him. He hasn’t mentioned anyone. Stella said he was single.”
“Doesn’t mean that he is.”
“You and he aren’t together. And as much as I respect you, I’m not about to stop feeling how I feel because you can’t let go.”
“I’ve let go, Detective Monroe, but I felt it prudent to let you know why Mac and I didn’t work.”
“It happens, I understand that. But it doesn’t mean that Mac and I wouldn’t work.”
“Yes, it does. He’s not interested. Unless you’ve suddenly become Danny.”
“What? No. Mac’s not interested in Danny. Besides, Danny’s with Don. I know he is.”
“I doubt that’ll stop Mac.”
“But…you’re wrong…”
“My information comes straight from Hammerback.”
“Damn.”
CSIs // Flack // Ross -- bubble
Lindsay liked the labs. She’d often heard Mac and Danny complain on and off about living in a bubble, but she thought they were nice. Bright and open, letting everyone see where everyone was and not leaving people dull and depressed. Danny said he missed the basement storage rooms, the cold interrogation rooms like dungeons and the old ME’s office.
Mac apparently hated his windowed office. Lindsay could see that point. Everyone had a clear view of what Mac was doing. She had the occasional fantasy that one day everyone would see him kiss her tenderly during work, or that he’d call her in there to ask her out on a date and never mind the rest of the lab.
“So I asked her, what’cha think of June.”
“What’d she say?” Adam and Hawkes were walking past Lindsay’s work station, too caught up in their conversation to bother with her.
“She likes June, so I think we’ll be going for a June wedding.” Wait. What? Adam and Maka were getting married? She didn’t get to hear the rest of the conversation, but she watched as Adam and Hawkes continued talking, Adam seemingly very excited while Hawkes just gave him smiles and patted his shoulder.
“Did you hear?” Flack’s voice was easily heard but she struggled to locate him in the throngs of all the lab workers, until she saw his head, towering over most of the white coated workers.
“About Kalie and Adam? Yeah, Sid broke the news. I think we should get him a bulletin board, that way he doesn’t have to say the same thing over and over.”
“No, Stella, not Maka and Ross. Peyton, she’s left. She’s flown back to London. You remember Jane Parsons in DNA?”
“Of course, what’s happening?”
“Danny and I were just down talking to Sid, he says Jane and Dr Giles hooked up and Peyton flew back to attend the wedding and instead she’s ended up joining in and their making it a commitment ceremony.” Lindsay didn’t know Dr Giles or Parsons, she didn’t see how this would be anything like interesting so she focused back on her work while Flack and Stella continued to talk about the ceremony while walking around the lab she was in.
Looking up again she smiled, noticing Mac getting off the elevator with Danny. Mac had on the darkest blue shirt she’d ever seen, it rippled across his chest and settled well with his skin tone. Even with the serious expression and strong set to his jaw, Lindsay wished all that attention was focused on her.
“I’m not saying it’s a bad idea, Danny, I just think that we should wait a little while, talk it over.” Messer was probably jumping to more conclusions in the investigation. He always did that, and Lindsay knew that one day Mac would realise he’d made a mistake and fire him. “How about take out? You two come over to mine tonight and we’ll talk it out, the three of us.” Lindsay and Danny were both working the case with Mac; did that mean he was inviting them all to come over? Lindsay felt the butterflies in her chest pick up, her heart was thumping.
“Okay Mac, you want it from that little corner deli you love so much?” Danny had a smile on his face, what sort of idiot smiled through a reprimand?
“Yeah, you pick it up, I’ll drag Don home and we’ll talk.” Danny nodded again and Lindsay just stared. They were working with Angell, not Flack. Why would Flack be involved? “Get back to work Messer.” The words were said with affection instead of the usual anger that would follow a Mac and Danny bust up. When Lindsay saw Mac brush his fingers through the back of Danny’s hair, just that side of far too intimate for co-workers, she felt her carefully constructed little bubble burst.
“I don’t believe this.” Even in the back of her head, with the other women in a different country, she could hear Peyton Driscoll’s voice in the back of her head ‘I told you so’.
Bonasera // Messer -- sexual harassment seminar
Did these things ever change? She’d been to four in the last six years and she was sure it was the same thing every time. Same words, same examples, hell, same people. Sighing heavily she looked to her left, smirking just a little.
“What’d you do?”
“Went down on Don in the locker room.” There was no sign of remorse, something she’d expect from Danny. “You?”
“Asked about pictures of you three.” Danny chuckled slightly.
“Play nice and I might be able to hook you up.”
“Really? Sweet.” These seminars really didn’t do much difference, did they?
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