Disclaimer: CSI NY and the characters don't belong to me - just the ideas in my story. No copyright infringement intended; no profit being made.
A/N: This story is for Quille. Happy Name Day. Sorry – my fluffy little holiday one shot took on a life of its own until I was pretty much obligated to turn it into a few chapters. Either that or risk everyone falling asleep and knocking themselves out on their keyboards as they attempted to read the whole thing in one shot. So two more chapters to go – posted over the next couple days until Christmas.
FYI: There are some minor references to a couple story arcs in Season 9, most notably from Ep 9.03 - "2,918 Miles" - but I don't think it's anything that wouldn't have been evident from the promo material.
The Colors of Christmas
Chapter 1: "White" – a color used by most churches as the color of Christmas, representing innocence, purity, joy and peace, as well as Christmas snow and snow flakes.
Mac Taylor stood in the break room at the Lab, gazing out at the dense whiteness that he was pretty certain had been New York City a mere three hours ago. If he squinted, he could just barely make out the lights of the building across the street despite the thick sheets of snow and sleet that had been pummeling the city for the past few hours. He couldn't help but marvel at the thought that virtually every single one of those flakes blanketing the city would have a completely different hexagonal crystalline structure if he were to examine them one by one under a microscope. He wondered vaguely if EDNA had some sort of sample reference for snow crystals based on the atmospheric conditions in which they were formed.
He shook his head, slightly embarrassed at having gotten so caught up in such a silly reverie. Perhaps he'd been in the Lab too long. He glanced down at his watch. It was nearly 9:30 p.m. Christmas Eve. He took a sip from the cup of coffee he'd just brewed and sighed long and hard. A rare show of emotion for him at work, but he was fairly certain that everyone else in the Lab had gone home hours ago, once the first reports of the true severity of the storm heading their way had hit the news. He'd resigned himself to the fact that he'd most likely be spending the night in his office tonight – no use in braving the weather now just to be called back in as soon as the next crime occurred. Assuming any miscreants were even stupid enough to be out in this chaos. With one last glance out the window and a sip of his steaming coffee, he turned to head back to his office, taking the long way just for a change of pace.
He had just passed Jo Danville's office when he stopped suddenly and frowned. Her office had been swathed in darkness, as were most tonight; not even the usual reassuring glow from the computer monitors. Nonetheless, he was certain he'd seen her figure seated at her desk. He shook his head; his eyes must be playing tricks on him. He'd barely slept last night and had every intention of taking a nap later on the couch in his office. He turned around, taking a few steps back to glance into her office. She was indeed seated at her desk, in complete blackness, the chair at an angle so that she was facing the window. She was so still, he wondered absently if she hadn't fallen asleep in her chair.
He lingered in the doorway a moment, just staring at her. The dim hallway lighting reflecting off the pale skin of her right cheek. He couldn't see the rest of her face. Couldn't even tell if her eyes were open. Yet somehow she seemed so . . . peaceful? Serene? He was almost tempted to turn back and continue on his way, leaving her undisturbed. Or perhaps he should leave her a note telling her to come by his office when she awoke.
But he didn't. He glanced again at his watch, wondering if he'd misread it earlier. He was sure she'd said her flight to Virginia left at 7:50. Yet here she was. And it was indeed well after 9:30 p.m. Fearing she really had fallen asleep and missed her flight, he entered quietly, not wanting to startle her.
"Jo?" He said, his voice barely above a whisper, a tentative hand reaching out to touch her right shoulder ever so lightly.
But before he even made contact with her body, his fingertips managed to catch in her hair and she jumped, swatting blindly back towards him. He abruptly drew back his hand, nearly as startled as she was. It was clear she'd been awake after all because now he saw she'd been holding a steaming cup of tea in her hand. Half of which had just sloshed out of the mug and onto her jeans.
"Oh!" She exclaimed, turning her head and looking at him wide-eyed "Mac! Good Lord." She leaned over and after pushing a pile of file folders and two other, empty, tea mugs out of the way, she set the dripping mug onto her desk. "You scared me half to death." Her hand pressed against her chest, trying to quell the frantic beating of her heart. She glanced down at her pants, sighing. "Oh, I'm a mess." She began brushing haphazardly at the sodden leg of her jeans, before turning her chair around to face him. "I thought you'd gone home already."
"I could say the same about you." He smiled slightly. "I actually thought you were asleep in your chair."
She scoffed. "Nah. I don't share that talent with you. Fortunately . . . or unfortunately, as the case may be." He frowned but she continued before he could think of a proper retort. "Actually I was just looking at all that snow. Wondering how it's possible that every little flake could be made up of such innately beautiful, yet completely unique, formations. It's like a tiny little miracle, Mac." She smiled up at him, her face the picture of childlike wonder.
He simply stared at her a moment before a slight smile began to break out across his own face. He found it rather wondrous in itself that she could so easily turn something he'd been thinking about so analytically earlier into something so purely innocent, so . . . magical. He flashed her a genuine, heartfelt smile and found himself nodding his head in agreement. "It is amazing isn't it?"
He suddenly remembered his reason for interrupting her dreamlike state in the first place. "Hey what happened to you? I thought you'd be up in the air by now?" He noticed she was still mechanically rubbing the wet spot on her leg and he leaned over her to grab a tissue from the box on her desk to help wipe up the spill. As he hovered over her, she caught a whiff of his cologne, mixed with a subtle hint of his deodorant and an undertone of just . . . him. She tried to quash a smile as she realized how she'd come to love this particular potpourri that she automatically associated with him. He smelled exactly the same everyday – uniquely him, like each little snowflake - and she found it incredibly comforting.
But looking more closely at him, she noted how he'd apparently discarded his suit coat since she'd last seen him, well over three hours ago. How the sleeves of his dress shirt were rolled up past his elbows despite the definite chill in the Lab. How the top two buttons of his shirt were undone, his shirt tails threatening to escape any moment from the waistband of his dress pants. The steaming cup of coffee in his left hand. He must have just brewed it; when she'd made her tea a short while ago, the coffee pot had been empty and the kitchen clean.
She shook her head slightly. She knew that overly casual look by now. He was either heavily engrossed in a particularly perplexing case, or he was spending the night here. They had only one outstanding case; awaiting transfer of evidence from a similar case in Georgia. She smirked, albeit rather morosely. He was going to spend Christmas Eve at the Lab.
Mac felt the weight of her gaze on him and let out a silent sigh. Damn her. She was always staring at him in that 'way', figuring out what he was up to; occasionally even when he wasn't too certain himself. He handed her the tissue so that she could dab at the wet spot from her spilled tea, avoiding her look as he did so. She hadn't answered his question so he continued, staring blankly at the chaotic piles on her desk. "So was your flight delayed?"
His inquiry was met with silence for a moment, and he hazarded a glance towards her face. A mask of sadness clouded her expression. She frowned and shook her head. "Cancelled. Airport's closed for the next 24 hours at least."
"Oh." He nodded, glancing again out the window. "Of course it is." He thought a moment. "You can't get another flight out tomorrow?"
She shrugged as she tossed the tissue into the waste bin, her brow wrinkling. "I was only going down there for a couple days. Flying back the day after Christmas." She shook her head then glanced up at him. "The airline's a madhouse Mac. It took me nearly forty-five minutes just to get through to customer service on the phone. I can't imagine what it's like out at JFK right now. A whole day's worth of stranded passengers trying to get on the first flights that 'might' open up tomorrow. Flights that have probably been booked for weeks already. Months even. I'd be on standby with half of New York City. On Christmas Day no less." She paused, the crease in her brow deepening. "It didn't seem worth it. Even if I was lucky enough to somehow get a flight out tomorrow night, I'd just end up turning right back around and heading back home the next morning. We'll just celebrate later." Her voice sounded rather nonchalant, but he could detect a slight waver in her tone. She was crushed; she just didn't want him to see.
He shook his head slightly, a deep frown evident on his mouth that carried over into his eyes. "Oh Jo. I'm sorry." He moved slightly closer, looking around for a chair to pull up. Seeing none, he eyed her desk to determine if he could possibly find enough space to sit down on its edge. Deciding that that would be expecting too much (he hadn't seen the surface of her desk since she'd joined the team), he decided to remain standing next to her chair. He reached out and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder and paused a moment, not certain what more to say. It had been so long since he'd spent the holiday with someone he truly cared for, he'd almost forgotten the joy that came of that seemingly simple tradition. He drew his hand back slowly, and looked around, catching sight of the photo of Ellie as a little girl in the far corner of her desk. "Tyler and Ellie are already there with your mother, right? They made it down safely?"
She nodded slowly, her eyes glistening as she followed Mac's gaze to Ellie's photo. Her voice was noticeably shaky when she finally spoke. "They've been down there a week already – left together the day after school break started." She smiled softly up at him. "They wanted to catch up with some old friends, spend some time with Grandma. My mama always made the best ginger cookies. Every shape you could imagine . . . every color of frosting, every candy decoration in existence. . . " She trailed off as a single tear slid down her cheek. He eyed the box of tissues on the far side of her desk, decided it would be too awkward to lean over her yet again to reach for one. Instead, he leaned towards her and reached out his hand to wipe away the teardrop with his finger.
She closed her eyes, embarrassed at her sudden inability to control her emotions. She took a deep breath and sighed long and hard, opening her eyes again and looking at him. "You know. I've never been away from my kids on Christmas. Even after Russ and I divorced. After I adopted Ellie. We always agreed Tyler and Ellie should be together on Christmas morning. He'd take Tyler the day before; bring him back in time for dinner on Christmas Eve." Another tear slid down her cheek and she cast her gaze down, causing a small rivulet to stream down her other cheek.
"Jo, come here." He said softly, opening his arms. She hesitated briefly before standing up and leaning into him. His arms reached gently around her and he pulled her closer, methodically stroking her back with one hand. A moment later her arms snaked up around his waste and she buried her face in his neck. He could feel the dampness soak through the shoulder of his shirt. But he didn't care. She was warm and soft and smelled . . . fruity? Probably just the tea, he thought. But still. He decided he liked it. All of it. He realized he should pull back as he began feeling something stronger than just compassion. But he didn't. And suddenly he began to think that perhaps he didn't really want to spend the whole evening alone in the Lab.
Finally, she sniffed loudly and lifted her head from his shoulder, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "I'm sorry Mac."
"Don't apologize for loving your family Jo. Family is to cherish. It's the most important thing you can have."
She stifled a giggle. "No. I meant sorry for getting your shirt all wet."
"Oh. Of course." He pulled back slightly and glanced down at his shoulder, then down at her tea-soaked pants leg. "We kind of match." He quipped.
"Well, it's not like I have anyplace to be." She said forlornly and moved a few feet back from him, instantly feeling the loss of warmth from having been so close to him.
Mac nodded but said nothing. He felt suddenly … guilty. She hadn't asked for any days off around Christmas. In fact, since his shooting, he couldn't recall her ever asking for specific days off, holidays or not. He'd intentionally given her Christmas off this year, just as he always tried to do with everyone that had children. But he hadn't thought twice about scheduling her on Christmas Eve. And she'd said nothing about it, only mentioning to him earlier that week, after the schedule came out, that she'd decided to fly out tonight to be with her kids and mother during the couple days she wasn't on shift. They stood together in silence for a moment, both staring out at the weather.
She glanced over at him suddenly, narrowing her eyes. "Hey, what are you still doing here anyway? You're shift was over hours ago." She hesitated only a second before continuing with a question she had a sneaking suspicion she already knew the answer to. "Don't you have big plans with Christine for the holiday? She probably cooks up a mean Christmas dinner!"
Mac, in turn, hadn't expected that topic to come up so suddenly, although, he realized, he should have known. This was Jo. He eyed her a moment. "No." He stopped, then added a breath later: "Nothing special planned." He knew he'd hesitated just enough before answering so that, if she wasn't already, she would certainly be suspicious now. He eyed her uncomfortably for a split second before turning to gaze back out the window, trying to think of some way to change the subject. The last thing he wanted was for her to find out he'd been contemplating spending the night at the Lab, catching up on some paperwork and avoiding the cold, emptiness of his apartment.
Mac cleared his throat. "You going to head home soon yourself then?" He glanced around her office. "Doesn't look like you're accomplishing much sitting here in the dark."
A weak smile tugged at her lips. She decided to let him off the hook as far as Christine was concerned. At least for now. "Nope, I don't suppose I am getting much done." She laughed softly. "I was just trying to figure out how best to get home."
He looked curiously at her.
She rolled her eyes. "I took a cab this morning, assuming I'd be doing the same to get to the airport tonight. Didn't want to leave my car in the Lab garage while I was gone and didn't particularly want to drive myself to the airport on Christmas Eve to find no parking available at the last minute. Now I'm kind of wishing I'd driven in. It'll be impossible to get a cab in this. And I'm not certain I really feel like braving the subway now." She nodded her head towards the snow outside and sighed, her earlier enjoyment from the friendly banter between her and Mac falling to the wayside as her current situation reared back into the forefront of her thoughts.
Mac thought a moment, staring at her. Without even thinking, he opened his mouth. "Why don't I drive you home?"
"And I should trust you to get me home in this?" Her voice was serious as she waved randomly at the window, and her eyebrows quirked, awaiting his response. But the slight sparkle in her eye indicated that she was simply toying with him.
He knew she was kidding but decided to play along anyway. He shot her an exaggerated frown, crossing his arms in front of his chest, a look of wounded pride taking up residence in response to her 'challenge'. "Oh come on Jo. This is nothing. I grew up in Chicago. I've lived here for nearly twenty years. You think I can't maneuver the Avalanche through a couple of snowbanks?"
She rolled her eyes. "Ugh. Men. What is it with your masculine bravado when it comes to things like asking for directions, grilling steak, driving through inclement weather."
Mac scrunched up his face. "Oh please. Despite your tasteless insistence on stereotyping me tonight, I'm still more than happy to drive you home Jo. Regardless of what natural disasters may befall us. That is, if you can stand being in the same car with all my 'masculinity'."
A huge grin exploded onto Jo's face and she raised her hand, trying to stifle the choked laugh that threatened to sneak through her lips. Mac felt his face redden and he quickly turned his gaze from her as he realized that had not come out at all the way he'd intended.
He frowned at her but she merely smiled back at him, a subdued chuckle prefacing her words. "Well, I do appreciate the offer. And the prospect of spending the evening with . . . your masculinity . . . is quite tempting, I must say." She paused to waggle her eyebrows at him, causing the tips of his ears to turn a bright crimson shade. "But . . . seriously, Mac. I don't want to put you out. My place isn't anywhere near yours. You'll be out driving around the city all night in this storm."
Recovering quickly, he smiled. "Come on Jo. You got stuck with the Christmas Eve shift and missed out on spending the holiday with your mom and kids. The least I can do is drive you home. Better than waiting hours for an empty cab. Or worse, staying at the Lab all night."
She eyed him askance. His smile faded instantly as he saw that look on her face. "Oh please Mac. You and I both know you were planning on spending the night here yourself until you came across me sitting all forlorn in my office."
He frowned at her. "I never said that."
"You didn't have to." She shot back. "It was obvious." She smiled internally as he shifted his stance, suddenly uncomfortable. "I tell you what. I'll let you drive me home only because it'll get you out of your damned office for the night. No coming back here, you got it?"
"Jo, I'm on call. I may not have a choice."
"Fine, but you wait until the choice is made for you. In fact, you can stay at my place if you want. That way you don't have to come all the way back across the city to your place in this." She paused, eying him. "Your masculinity's always welcome in my apartment."
He rolled his eyes and shook his head. He was never going to live that one down. "That's really not necessary Jo. But I will drive you home. As long as you stop discussing my 'masculinity'." He glanced over at her desk. "So, you ready? Or were you actually working on one of these files?"
She moved to stand in front of her desk, glaring at him the entire time, as she reached out and deftly grabbed three different file folders from three separate piles. "I just need to bring these with me." She smiled at his expression of disbelief. "You thought I didn't know where anything was, right? See. I do actually have a system going here."
Mac shook his head. "I don't even want to know what it is."
She smirked as she jammed the folders into her bag, nearly knocking over one of the three nearly empty mugs of tea on the edge of her desk. Mac stared at them. He raised his brow. "Thirsty tonight?" He asked.
She shook her head. "Not particularly. I was just cold."
He smiled. "I expect they've turned down the heat for the evening, given no one's actually on shift."
She glanced at him.
"Who is on call anyway? You and who else?"
"Actually, Sheldon and Adam are on tonight. I'm secondary. Primary tomorrow."
She nodded. "Fun holiday for you. But maybe we should add me, since I'm stuck here anyway. I'll need something to keep me busy."
Mac shrugged. "We'll see. If we get in a bind, I know where to find you."
She laughed. He nodded his head towards the door. "Off we go?"
She downed the last of her third cup of tea, grimacing at its coldness, and walked over to grab her coat from the rack. She nearly jumped when Mac appeared behind her to help with an unruly sleeve. She glanced back at him. He merely smiled. "Thanks." She murmured.
"Let me just get rid of these." She said, as she walked back to her desk and gathered up the two other tea cups from her desk.
Mac nodded. "I've got to get my coat. I'll meet you in front of the elevators."
She smiled and headed down the hall, in the opposite direction. Once in the break room she placed her tea cups in the sink. She chuckled as she eyed the sprig of mistletoe Danny had mischievously hung directly over the coffee maker. With a sly smile she plucked it from the piece of tape securing it to the cupboard and stashed it into the pocket of her sweater. It couldn't hurt to have a little fun tonight.
Walking back down the hallway, she noticed Mac already waiting in front of the elevators. Staring at her as she walked down the hall.
She frowned as she approached. She slowed, looking down at herself. "Something the matter?"
He averted his gaze, realizing he'd been staring right at her. "No. I'm . . . just sorry you got stuck here."
She shrugged. "Well, I guess I'll just have to take advantage of some quiet time in my apartment. Not too often that that happens."
He laughed. "I suppose not. I am sorry though."
The elevators pinged open and she smiled over at him as he held the door for her. "Thanks Mac. For tonight."
He nodded as he pressed the button for the garage, then he turned and, reaching out hesitantly, squeezed her arm softly. "Well, it's the least I can do. For you. I may not be able to get you home to your family in Virginia, but I can certainly get you to your home here."
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Nearly an hour later, they were seated in the Avalanche exactly two and a half blocks from the Lab.
Mac turned to Jo and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry Jo. I don't think I can get you home tonight."
Jo turned slowly to look at him. She merely nodded and turned back to staring out the window. She'd pretty much figured that out shortly after they'd left the Lab.
Traffic had been snarled since they pulled out of the garage. Even a snail's pace would have rivaled the progress they seemed not to be making. Then, a half an hour ago, a semi had jackknifed a few feet in front of them, nearly taking out the Avalanche as it did so. Mac had gotten out to make sure everyone was ok, but other than frayed nerves, nothing had changed other than the fact they would likely remain stationary for even longer now.
As they sat and waited, Mac glanced over at Jo. She was lost in thought, the fingers of her gloved right hand drumming out some unknown rhythm on her jeans as she sat huddled in her seat, still staring out the window. Presumably thinking about her family, together, without her.
He tried to think of something to take her mind off the disappointing turn her holiday plans had taken.
He started with the first thing that popped into his mind. Something he'd been mulling over for a while now. "So how is Agent Conover these days, anyway?"
Jo abruptly stopped thrumming her fingers and turned slowly towards him. A blank look fell into place as she faced him, but he hadn't missed that look of surprise when her head first wrenched itself away from the window. She eyed him curiously, not certain in exactly what direction he was heading with that particular comment.
Seeing her obvious surprise, he cleared his throat. "Was that supposed to be a secret?"
She pursed her lips. "Was 'what' supposed to be a secret?" She tried to sound innocent, but failed and her question took on a more defensive tone.
He chuckled. "Come on Jo, I spent six hours on the plane to San Francisco and most of the day there with the two of you. I'm not that obtuse."
Jo was silent a moment, desperately trying to remember what she or Cade might have said or done on that trip to make it so obvious to Mac that they were more than just old work acquaintances from the Bureau. She fiddled nervously with her gloves, removing them and turning them over in her hands.
A subtle smile began to creep across Mac's face. She frowned. "What are you playing at, Mac Taylor?"
He chuckled and looked away, staring out at the semi in front of them. "Actually, Christine and I saw the two of you coming out of Alfonso's Trattoria and getting into a cab. The night we caught the Ethan Grohl case. That eventually led us to Mary out in California."
Jo thought back to that night. A smile toying at the corners of her mouth as she recalled her evening out with Cade. Suddenly, her eyes widened, her smile disappeared and she felt her cheeks heat up as she continued thinking about exactly what had transpired as she and Cade had left the restaurant that evening. There had been no question about where they were heading or what they were planning on doing once they arrived, given their behavior on the sidewalk while awaiting a cab. It had been only mildly more restrained than what had transpired in her bedroom a short while later.
"Ooohhh." Jo replied rather slowly, the full implication of Mac and Christine having witnessed that hitting her rather hard. "Well . . . "
Mac smiled slightly, trying to recall the last time he'd seen Jo embarrassed about anything and having a hard time pinpointing it.
Jo sighed, feeling her cheeks flush bright red as her hand rose up to cover her mouth. "Lord, what did Christine think about all that?"
Mac shot her a look, a twinkle in his eye. "You don't wanna know what I thought?"
Jo merely huffed in response.
He chuckled. "Christine was happy that you seemed . . . happy." He chuckled, and continued, albeit much more softly. "Although I'm not sure 'happy' would even do justice to what you were clearly experiencing there."
Jo's mouth shot open and hung that way for a few moments before she regained the presence of mind to force it shut. Her face paled considerably and she merely glared back at him, before turning back to stare out the window. "That was . . . what it was. He lives too far away to make anything else practical."
Annoyed with Mac's earlier amusement at her expense, she couldn't hold her tongue before her next question popped out. "So, how is Christine, anyway? She must be busy at the restaurant if you were planning on spending the evening at the Lab."
Damn. He'd walked right into that one. He sighed. "All right. We're even." He paused a moment and she turned to look at him. "I don't know Jo. She and I aren't . . . together anymore."
She nodded and gave him an apologetic smile. She wasn't surprised in the least. The team had had a holiday dinner at Christine's restaurant at the beginning of the month. And while Christine and Mac had played the diligent hosts, there had definitely been an undercurrent of tension that didn't escape Jo. "I'm sorry to hear that, Mac."
He clenched his lips slightly. "I take it you're not surprised."
It was clearly a statement and she hesitated before responding anyway.
"Mac. Look, I'm sorry. I held my tongue this time. I didn't say anything to you. Or anyone else. I was trying to respect your privacy. Stay out of your personal business." Mac winced slightly upon hearing those words, but let her continue. "But I can't help it if I'm good at reading people. My perceptiveness is what makes me good at what I do. I can't just turn it off or ignore what I see."
He gazed at her a moment before a slight smile finally turned his lips upwards. "I know Jo." She scoffed. That was not the response she'd been expecting. He grinned and reached out, placing his hand over hers in her lap, squeezing it lightly. She wondered how he felt so warm despite the freezing temperatures outdoors. "It's just rather unnerving sometimes."
The semi blocking the street finally managed to straighten out just enough to pull up a half a block or so, where it fell back into line with the rest of the traffic inching through the blinding snow.
Mac removed his hand from Jo's and accelerated ever so slowly. He glanced over at her. "Why don't I take you to my place? It's a lot closer. I think if I could just pull up about another 10 feet I can head down the alley there and if I take the side streets from then on, we should be able to make it to my building without too much difficulty."
"Your place?" Jo looked at him skeptically.
He shrugged. "I'm not sure what other option we have."
She frowned. "Mac, I could just get on the subway and head home that way."
It was Mac's turn to frown. "Jo, it'll be havoc down there now. You sure? I heard some of the lines are already shut down because of the storm."
Before Jo could answer they both started as a huge boom echoed around them and every light on every block as far as they could see was suddenly extinguished.
Jo groaned. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me. Now there's a power outage?"
Mac let out a long sigh. "I suppose it's to be expected."
She glanced over at him, her shoulders drooping. "I guess you're right." She frowned. "Ok. Your place it is." And she sighed heavily. "Not like I have much choice." She grumbled as an afterthought.
He raised his eyebrows at her. "Well gee thanks. I'm glad you're looking forward to my hospitality." He quipped, his tone one of mock affront.
Jo shook her head. "Just keep your eyes on the road, Taylor. I'm counting on that masculine bravado to get us there in one piece."
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Chapter 2: "Red" Should be up tomorrow. Rating will probably change depending on how lazy I am about editing ;)