Author's notes and summary: Welcome back to Zelda's CSI:NY Superstore! It's been a while—a very long while—since I finished the second story of this trilogy, and I'm not sure if anyone is still interested in the outcome. I am, though, and so the story continues J
And what a story it will be! With some spoilers from seasons 2 and 3, this is the big blockbuster finish, chocked full of old storylines and new ones. If you think you know how it's gonna end, maybe you do because you've read the first two (if you haven't, you might want to in order to get the full breadth of this one). But the journey there will be twisty and turny, providing detail and explanation for the original events and adding new ones along the way. If you're looking for humor, romance, angst, fluff, drama, joy, sorrow, reality, or a little fantasy, you've come to the right place.
If you're looking for an extra added challenge, pay special attention to the chapter titles. Music has always been an important part of my life, and many of the titles of chapters in my other stories have musical themes. This time they all will, whether it's a song title, a lyric, a piece of a lyric, or a mutation of title or lyric. Bonus points will be awarded to those of you that correctly identify the song or artist from which each chapter takes its name ;-)
Baby, One More Time will also feature as much of the entire cast as possible. Danny and Maddie will be here, of course, along with Mac, Stella, Aiden, Don, Sheldon, and the other OCs I've created. Also included this time around is Lindsay, in what I hope is a better setup for her character than what they've done with her on the show (like her, hate her, or indifferent, you have to admit they have not done very well by her), making this now officially AU (or should I say ZU: Zelda's Universe). Adam will make a few appearances too, as, I think, will Sid—they're too much fun not to include. The newly revealed Reed Garrett will also turn up here and there. The only regular or semi-regular cast member that won't be appearing is Peyton, and I'm a little sad about that. She and Mac play so well off each other on screen, and I've grown attached to her, but she doesn't fit with this story (can you imaging a Mac/Stella story with Peyton around?!).
None of this would be happening without the support of my very good friend, editor, beta reader, sounding board, and hand-holder, Sarah, for whom Sheldon's OC girlfriend is named. She encourages me when I need it, calms me down when my perfectionism kicks in, and compliments me far more than I deserve. I wasn't even sure I was going to write the third story in this series—I was exhausted and uninspired, and considering moving on to something different. It was Sarah who reminded me of my love for this story and these characters, and who was excited enough for the both of us in the beginning. She sparked my imagination and got my mojo working again, and is the biggest reason I dove back in to complete the series. This one is for her.
Now that you've waded through all that, lol, on to the good part! Please R&R, and above all, enjoy!
So much can happen in a year, Dantrell mused. A year ago I was just some schlub bussing tables and shelving books, trying to pay tuition and take care of Gran and Trina. His eyes wandered up to the stands where his family sat, proud smiles on both their faces. And now I'm graduating from college, magna cum laude in chemistry and biology.
He flashed his sister a smile, his heart swelling at the sight of her. A year ago, she was just a little girl, he reminisced. Now she's sixteen, finishing up her sophomore year in high school already, becoming a responsible young woman. I'm so lucky to be her brother.
His eyes shifted to Shayla, beaming just as proudly beside Trina. A year ago she was still very much a scared kid—Shayla Green, not knowing who she really was or what she was going to become. He grinned up at her, more excited about the way her life was shaping up than he was even of his own. Now she's Shayla Messer, Business major at NYU, daughter of Detective Messer and Miss Parrish, and my best friend. That punk ex-boyfriend of hers robbed a man at gunpoint when he got out of Rikers, too, so he's locked up at Fishkill where he can't hurt her anymore. She's safe and happy, and on the right path.
On Shayla's lap sat her little sister Carrie. A year ago Carrie was a miracle baby, Dantrell remembered, brought to full term by the grace of God and the sheer will of her parents. Now she's a healthy toddler, running around the house learning to say more new words every day.
As if thinking the same thought, Maddie reached over and smoothed the little girl's hair, squeezing Shayla's shoulder affectionately before reaching for Danny's hand. A year ago they were still mourning the loss of their first child, Dantrell thought sadly, and were fighting so hard for the two that came into their lives. Now they're a contented little family, in it together for the long haul. And I'm honored to be a part of that.
His eyes lingered on his family in the stands for a moment longer before he was brought back from his thoughts by the faint sound of singing.
"Hit me, baby, one more time…"
He turned and smiled at the woman next to him. A year ago I didn't even know Sayeeda Bertrand, but now she's closer to me than anyone else in the world after Shayla. My lab partner, my classmate, my friend. Aloud he simply asked, "Why are you singing Brittany Spears songs?"
Sayeeda chuckled wryly. "My neighbor had that cranked up this morning and played it over and over, so it's stuck in my head now. But it is kinda fitting."
"How's that?"
"Well, how many graduations are you attending or have you already been to lately?"
He ticked them off on his fingers as he spoke. "There was yours at Christmas when you finished your first bachelor's degree, there was my high school friend's last week over at Rutgers, ours today, Detective Burn's next week in Virginia…"
"See?" she interrupted. "A ton. So let's just do this…hit me with the speeches and the cap and gown and the celebrations, baby…"
Dantrell grinned at her as the keynote speaker took the stage in front of them. "…one more time," he finished.
She laughed. "You got it, darlin'."
∞∞∞
Mac opened the door wearily and dragged himself inside his apartment. It had been a long, exhausting day and all he wanted was to rest and unwind in front of the TV. He pulled off his suit jacket and draped it over a kitchen chair, retrieving a bottle of beer from the fridge and kicking off his shoes.
Then he heard noise coming from the bedroom. What was that?
He moved slowly down the short hallway, leaving the beer on the kitchen table. The noise repeated itself and he recognized it immediately—someone moving around, walking, opening drawers. He caught a glimpse of a figure as it passed by the doorway and knew instantly what was happening.
"Mac, is that you?"
A smile broke his tired expression. "Yeah, Stella. It's me." He slipped into the room and slid his arms around her, kissing her gently. "What are you doing here?"
Her arms went around his neck and she grinned. "A girl can't come visit her boyfriend?"
"I wish you wouldn't call me that," he shuddered. "You know how much I love you, but the word 'boyfriend' doesn't exactly fit me."
It was a complaint she had heard many times before. "What should I call you then?" she asked, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "My gentleman caller?"
"Since you came here, that would make you the caller," he reasoned, hints of a smile pulling again at his lips.
She nodded her head with a laugh. "I guess it would." Kissing him once more before releasing him, she turned back to the dresser drawer she had been looking through.
His hand brushed over her shoulders, unwilling to break contact with her until the last possible second. "I thought you were packing for Virginia," he continued, still trying to figure out why she was standing in his bedroom.
"I was—am," she informed him. "We're leaving tomorrow for Aiden's graduation, but there were a few things I needed that were here."
The smile returned to Mac's face as he plopped down on the bed. "I see."
"So how was your day?" Stella asked, folding a shirt as she spoke.
"The usual," he replied. "Busy." He swung his feet around and stretched out, lacing his fingers behind his head, his eyes following her as she moved around the room.
"Anything exciting happen after I left?"
He thought back. "Maddie stopped by with little Carrie, who has now learned to say 'everything's connected'," he chuckled, "at least in a very toddler way. And Dantrell came to see me."
She paused in her packing. "Dantrell Baker? What did he want?"
"He graduated yesterday from City College," Mac explained, "and wanted to remind me of something I said to him a few years ago."
Stella put two and two together. "'I might have a place for you in my lab some day'," she remembered. "You told him that at the Eastside High science fair five years ago."
"Good memory," he smiled. "And now he wants to know if I meant it."
"What did you tell him?"
Mac sighed. "I told him if he put his application in the same way everyone else did, I'd be happy to consider it, but that he shouldn't expect any favors just because I know him."
"And?" she prompted.
He chuckled again. "His was practically beaming, Stella. He told me that all he wanted was a chance, and that he was going to earn everything on his own merits."
"He's a good kid," she smiled, placing the last item in her suitcase. "His grandmother raised him with strong values."
"That she did," he agreed.
She zipped the piece of luggage shut. "Okay, that's everything I need from here. All I have to do now is pick up Aiden's graduation gift."
He rolled over onto his side and took her hand in his. "Give her my best when you see her."
Stella sat down beside him on the bed and caressed his face. "I will." She leaned down and kissed him softly, delighting in the shy smile that formed on his lips when she pulled back. "I love you, Mac Taylor."
He noted the happiness in her eyes and felt it wash over him as well. "I love you, too, Stella Bonasera."
∞∞∞
"Out of all the places in Charlottesville you could have taken us," Danny grinned widely, following Aiden into the little family diner, "you picked this place?"
The newly minted Master of Arts in Cultural Anthropology swatted her former colleague's shoulder. "I love this place!" she retorted. "It's clean and inexpensive, the staff is really friendly, and they have the best barbeque…"
Don pulled a chair out for her at the table she chose and seated himself beside her, rolling his eyes. "The best barbeque? Come on, Aid, you're going Dixie on me," he teased. "What happened to that tough Brooklyn girl that I used to know?"
"Oh she's still in there," Aiden insisted with a twinkle in her dark eyes. "She's just…developed an appreciation for southern culture, that's all."
"Ah, but the true test of southern-ness is the affinity for grits," Maddie grinned.
"So?" Sheldon questioned. "How often do you eat 'em, Aiden? Be honest!"
A faint pink crept into her cheeks. "Only once or twice…a week…"
The little group laughed merrily and Aiden quickly changed the subject. "So Shayla, how was your first year at NYU?"
The girl smiled, a touch of awe in her expression. "It was…just…wow. I still can't believe I go there," she replied.
"It's an amazing opportunity," Stella chimed in.
"It is," Shayla agreed. "And a lot of work. We went through everything I learned in high school biology in the first two weeks of the semester. If it weren't for Maddie and Danny and Dantrell, I'd have never made it."
"Yeah, well, if you want to take Anthropology like you were talking about, you're gonna have to find someone else to help you study there," Danny chuckled, bouncing Carrie on his knee as he spoke. "That's an area none of us ever got into."
"I gotcha covered," Aiden promised cheerily. "It's one of the things I can do with my degree."
"Teach?" Sheldon asked. "You could do that at the college level now."
Aiden nodded. "Some classes I can."
"Or work in a museum, right?" Stella wondered.
"Right," Aiden confirmed.
Don tried to put on a casual face and found he couldn't quite meet her eyes when he posed the next question. "So what are you going to do? I mean, now that you're graduated and everything."
An uneasy hush fell over the table, all minds having wanted to ask the question and all ears waiting to hear the response.
Aiden twisted her napkin in her lap and forced a smile. "Well, I don't know," she began slowly. "I originally enrolled at UVA to do something useful with my life while I wasn't in New York for a while, and I always intended to go back home. But now…" She took a deep breath and sighed. "I've been offered a research assistantship in the Anthro Department here."
Maddie was the first to find her voice. "That's wonderful, Aiden! Congratulations!"
"Thanks," the former detective smiled. "It is pretty cool, actually. It's a good-paying job, and I'd get to keep working in my field instead of waiting tables or something. Plus, the department chairman said I'd be a shoo-in for a spot in the PhD program if I stayed here and put an application in."
"Then we could both be doctors," Sheldon quipped lightly.
She giggled. "Yeah, 'Dr. Burn'…can you imagine?"
Stella reached over and took her hand, squeezing it happily. "Definitely. You've got the brains, Aiden, and the drive. I can totally see you as a PhD."
"You're certainly bossy enough," Danny winked. "All ready to keep those college kids in line."
Aiden turned to Don, who sat beside her quietly still absorbing the new information. "What do you think?" she asked quietly, brushing her fingers gently over his arm. He was the only one yet to speak, and it was his opinion that she was most interested in.
He cleared his throat and smiled. "I'm really excited for you," he told her. "This is a big opportunity."
She studied his face as he spoke, trying to decide if he meant what he said. The smile, though not quite sparkling in his eyes, was indeed genuine and the tone of his voice, though a bit muted, was undeniably happy.
"Well, nothing's been decided yet," she continued, relieved that his initial reaction had been positive. "I still have a few days before I have to give them an answer." Her fingers continued to travel down Don's arm and secured themselves around his hand. "But it's good to know I have so much support."
"Of course you do," Danny told her.
"No matter what you decide," Stella added.
The last remaining drops of tension evaporated with the sound of Carrie's voice calling from Danny's lap. "Hungry, Daddy!" she informed the table, rocking back and forth and nodding her head emphatically.
The group laughed and Aiden distributed menus from the cache between the napkin holders. "Me too!" she grinned. "Let's eat."