29 Years

This is my second Mac/Jo fic that I mentioned on my last chapter of 'More Than a Lab Rumour?'. This is pretty much a really long summary and background info that I think you needed to know before I could start their story. There are some things though that I haven't mentioned that you need to know; Peyton never existed, Claire Conrad-Taylor is just Claire Taylor and she was never Mac's wife, Russ isn't Tyler's Dad – he's just an old colleague from the FBI, and Tyler's name is now Eli Taylor. He looks the same as Tyler but he's got a twin sister – if you don't know what Tyler looks like then the actor that plays him is called Cody Longo. I've also de-aged him, Mac and Jo to fit the time-line I created. The date of Beirut is what I got from the show and I've no idea how old Mac was then so I decided to have him quite young. Okay, well I own nothing & I hope you like the idea of this. A couple of events are going to take place but I don't know when I'll be updating any fics again as I start school tomorrow and this is all I have written at the moment! Please R&R as I really appreciate all reviews and if you have any ideas just let me know! Thanks x

Mac Taylor was a very private man. He'd always been that way. He liked to keep his work life and home life separate and that's how it had been for the last 29 years. The people whom he worked with had no idea what kind of man he was or life he really led outside of work. However, there was one exception and she knew him better than anyone else in the lab. Her name was Jo Danville-Taylor. Their colleagues knew her as Jo Danville and as far as they knew, she had only been in New York for just over a year and she had no connections to New York before she moved from Washington. They knew about two of her children; Eli & Ellie but were clue-less about her other two. Sinclair and Stella knew about Mac and Jo's situation and private life. Sinclair knew when he had approached Jo about the job and he uncovered the truth and for some reason beyond Mac and Jo he approved and thought it was a good idea for her to take the job, still. Stella knew when she became Mac's partner in 1996 when he was head of the crime lab. She was good friends with the family and she and Jo were actually best friends. When she took the job in New Orleans she suggested Jo for her replacement and Sinclair took her advice despite protocol.

As well as the team being oblivious to Mac and Jo's relationship and their children, they were also oblivious to the family's wealth. Mac's father was an accountant after he was in the marines and his larger share of the company was given to Mac and his family. In Chicago they were a well-known famous family and the business was still going strong with Mac's Uncle owning the smaller share and keeping it on its feet. Mac's father had encouraged Mac to take the job in New York but to keep the company in the family. Mac had promised his father and he was going to keep that promise for the rest of his life.

As they had so much money Jo didn't work until 2000 when she did part time work for the FBI. She was based in New York most of the time but every few months she would have to go to Washington for a few meetings and conferences. She was only ever gone for a few days at a time and it suited both of them well. They adopted Ellie in early 2001 after her mother was involved in a case that Jo was working. She was only two and was going to be put into foster care. Jo had instantly fallen in love with the little girl and knew she couldn't put her into the damn system, so she and Mac decided to adopt her and bring her up as one of their own. The whole family loved her and she fitted in well. She was treated the same as her older brothers and sister and she still is today.

The family lived in a luxurious mansion on the outskirts of the city. It had a total of four floors; basement, ground floor, first floor and loft space leading out onto a roof terrace overlooking the garden. The house had modern elements as well as original features and had a mix of décor. The formal space downstairs was traditional and the parts they used every day were modern and suited the family well. In the basement there was a gym and inside basketball court as well as a home cinema with a bar fitted in the back. On the ground floor there was a large family kitchen with an open plan dining area and family room. On the left, front-side of the house was the formal lounge. Behind that was the modern lounge with huge glass folding away doors leading onto the deck. At the back in the middle was the formal dining room which had a door to the kitchen. All the doors off the hallway to the main rooms had double doors. In the middle was a large staircase leading to the first floor. The staircase to the basement was accessed in the small family room at the front right-side of the house.

On the first floor there were 5 bedrooms. The master bedroom was above the kitchen, overlooking the garden. It had a private side terrace that could only be accessed or seen from that room. There was also a large en-suite attached. Next to it was the guest bedroom which had a large window onto the driveway. Above the dining room was another staircase leading to the top floor, but a lot less grand, and there was also a linen cupboard and a bathroom for the guest room. Above the two lounges were three bedrooms, all equally sized and all had en-suites. The one on the back was Eli's, the middle one with windows looking onto the outside basketball court was Mac Jnr's and the one on the front was Ellie's. The top floor wasn't quite as deep as the rest of the house as there was a garden, roof-top terrace. There was a little landing and then a door that lead into the large open space. On the right there was a modern, hi-tech recording studio and on the right there was a luxurious bedroom which belonged to Cameron. There was a private en-suite off the bedroom and there were the same large panel glass windows looking over the terrace. In the sloped roof there were 3 large skylights.

In the garden there was a large pool and Jacuzzi which had an electronic roof so could be used in any weather. There was a large deck with a table and chairs, as well as a built in BBQ. There was also a small football pitch on the grass as well as just some free space. At the front of the house were the large garages and electric gates with a large wall, ensuring it was all totally private.

The team had no clue that their two bosses lived in such an extravagant and expensive house, presuming that they both lived in apartments of some description in Manhattan or somewhere else nearby the lab.

Mac was born as McCanna Boyd Taylor Jnr. in 1963. He had a little sister called Claire who was 3 years younger than him. His father was a marine until Mac was 11, he then trained to become an accountant and eventually had his own company. Despite his father wanting him to go into the business Mac joined the marines when he was 16, in 1979. It had been a childhood dream of his as he wanted to be just like his Dad. He was Mac's hero. Three years later when he was visiting Virginia he met and fell in love with a woman aged 17, called Jo Danville. They started dating even when Mac had to go and fight in Beirut they would send as many letters to each other as possible. They had been going out for about a year when Mac was injured in the bombing in Beirut. They both could still vividly remember that day. It was the 23rd October 1983. Mac remembered it so well because he watched Corporal Stan Whitney die in his arms and he was badly injured himself. He was worried that his life was going to end just like that, but he'd been lucky and gotten away with just a few scars. Jo remembered it so well because when she was informed about the incident they hadn't said whether Mac was okay or not. She only knew he was involved in it. She remembered feeling sick to the stomach at the thought of losing her only love. She found out a couple of days later that he had survived it but would be coming home to recover. That's when she moved to Chicago to be with him.

2 years later in 1985, when Mac was 22 and Jo was 20 they married. It was one of the happiest days of their lives. Mac was still in the marines but he never had any other injuries which were that serious. In 1991 Jo gave birth to their first child; a little boy. They both decided to name him McCanna Boyd Taylor 3rd, making Mac McCanna Boys Taylor 2nd. As a result of not wanting to be away and miss his son's growing up, Mac moved to a position which allowed him to work on a base and live at home with his family. His father was proud of how well Mac had done for himself and when he was dying in early 1994 his father made him promise three things. To take the job with the NYPD, to never let the accountancy business out of the family and to take care of his growing family – including spending some of the money he had saved for them. Mac kept all three of those promises and so joined the NYPD a few months later after his father's death. It had hit the whole family and so as well as Mac leaving Chicago, so did Claire to work at the World Trade Center.

In 1995 Jo gave birth to twins. The eldest was a little boy who they named Elijah Richard Taylor and the younger one was a little girl who they named Cameron Arianna Taylor. Both of their middle names were Jo's grandparents' first names, and Arianna was Jo's middle name as well. Only a year later and two years after joining the NYPD Mac was made Head of the Crime Lab and that's when he met his partner and second-in-command, Stella Bonasera. The two got on well and Stella became very good friends with Jo and the family. She knew all about Mac's life and wealth but she kept it a secret as of Mac and Jo's request. Jo started working for the FBI in 2000 and helped the NYPD with some of their cases. In early 2001 they met Ellie and by June she was adopted and now known as Ellie Taylor. Sadly only a few months later the towers fell and Claire's body was never found. Mac and Claire had always shared a strong bond and ultimately this put him into a form of depression. He became a workaholic and couldn't cope with the fact he had no closure for his little sister. Jo and Stella helped pull him out of it to some degree but Mac wasn't ever quite the same. He worked a little more than he used to and Stella would try and break down his walls a bit more but the only one who could do that was Jo. After almost 2 years Mac had returned to his normal self… well at home he had, much to his family's relief. In 2010, Stella announced her departure but never mentioned her recommendation to Mac. Jo kept the job offer without telling Mac, knowing he'd say it wouldn't work but she was determined. Their children were growing up and most of the FBI work was in Washington. She didn't want to move or leave her family for long periods of time and so this was the best thing she could think of. McCanna was 19 and in the marines, following his father's footsteps, Eli and Cameron were just 15 and both taking exams and Ellie was 11 and starting the same private school as Eli and Cameron were at. They didn't need their Mom to be at home all the time anymore but they didn't need her in a different state either.

Mac's expression was priceless when she announced her arrival on the balcony in the crime lab, as Jo Danville. They worked the case like they were strangers before finally at the end of the day going home separately and having a heated argument over what Jo had done. At first he was angry at her for going behind his back and not telling him or even consulting him but then she explained her side of the story. She had told him how she knew he would say it was a bad idea and that everyone would find out and eventually he gave in; even if that was at 2 o'clock in the morning. They never minded arguing as they knew that everything would be resolved in the end and often they would make it up to each other by getting hot and steamy in the bedroom the same night, as well as many nights after that. Jo was right about this though, it was now 2011 and almost the twins 16th birthdays and the team were still totally unaware about Mac and Jo being married for now 26 years, having 4 children and even oblivious to the two bosses having office sex… on more than one occasion. But after today's events how will Mac and Jo keep everything secret from their team now? Acting suspiciously and out of character towards the team will spark off questions that sooner or later they will want answers to. How will their lives change in the aftermath of a disaster that effects many more families than just the Taylor family?