Mac looked up from the paperwork as Lindsay and Stella walked by, Lindsay's hands flying animatedly as she spoke.
He had to smile, glad to see the younger woman's enthusiasm returning. They needed that around here. Stella was the caring, big sister presence, Hawkes was the calm steady anchor, Flack and Danny the smartass protectors, but Lindsay—Lindsay was the heart, the lover of life. The reminder that there was good outside the lab's glass walls.
That whole business she'd dealt with in Montana had concerned Mac more than he cared to admit. Plus, everyone sure had missed her while she'd been gone, some more than most.
He watched as Danny hurried up behind the two women, one hand automatically wrapping around Lindsay's arm. Mac wondered if Danny even realized his heart was on his sleeve for everyone to see.
He smiled, almost sadly, remembering how he'd been just as fascinated by Claire when they'd first met. That magnetic pull that was so hard to resist. Mac loved watching the youngest members of his team as they tried to deny their feelings. Of course, Mac didn't expect that to last much longer—not since they'd both returned together from Montana.
Oh yeah, he knew where Danny had disappeared to. He'd made it a point to keep up with his people—especially since they'd lost Aidan, so he'd watched the Montana news online everyday. He'd seen the pictures of Lindsay and the mystery man holding her close in the courtroom. Did Danny really think he'd be able to hide it?
For a moment Mac envied Danny. Lindsay was so much like Claire that it didn't seem fair that he'd spend his life without that special joy that Lindsay exhibited—especially when around Danny. Mac had thought they'd have forever, and then in just one day it was over for him. He hoped that didn't happen to Danny and Lindsay. It almost had a few months ago with that warehouse hostage situation. Mac shuddered to think what would have happened if Danny and Lindsay hadn't switched shifts.
Mac wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he'd been just as fascinated with Lindsay when she'd arrived as Danny. Of course, his feelings were more…paternal…now. But it had taken awhile for that to happen.
She'd been so full-tilt, hands-on in her first few months on the job. Danny had been jerking her around, telling her to call Mac sir, giving her the nickname Montana. She'd stood right up to him. It had reminded him of Claire giving him what-for. Lindsay reminded him so much of Claire that he'd spent the first six months in love with the younger woman.
He hadn't acted on it, of course. There was a good twenty-plus years separating them in age, and Lindsay had some special spark with Danny that Mac hadn't wanted to interfere with.
He wasn't sure exactly when his feelings had changed; he just knew it had happened. He'd worked alongside her, and the physical attraction had lessoned and the emotional admiration had grown.
He remembered her cajoling him into helping her with a small experiment, rubbing some experimental gel under his nose. Nobody else could have gotten away with that, not with him. Except Lindsay. He'd not missed the speculative look in Stella's eyes as she laughed at him.
Then there was the time he'd needed her to add context to an investigation. He'd had her shoot a bow. She'd loved it and he'd had to promise her that he'd let her shoot it again after shift. They'd spent two hours at the range, laughing and talking. He'd not had that much fun in a while.
Several months had passed and his admiration for the girl had grown. He'd had to laugh when he'd found out that after the Jamalot case she'd cajoled Stella to try out roller derby. They'd walked around the next day stiff and limping. She really was so much like his Claire. Stella had always given in to Claire's urging, and now she was the same way with Lindsay.
As Danny's feelings became more evident, Mac had forced his own to slough off. It wouldn't be right for him to interfere with whatever was happening between Danny and Lindsay. It was becoming increasingly more obvious that Lindsay was starting to share Danny's feelings. What kind of man would Mac be if he'd gotten between that?
So he'd forced himself to suppress any physical feelings that arose, and it gradually became easier, until he could almost tell himself his feelings had always been slightly fatherly.
That's another reason why he'd kept up with the Montana news. He'd wanted to know what was going on with his girl.
Stella and the younger couple kept walking, Danny and Lindsay turning toward the break room. He watched for a moment longer, this time focusing on his best friend as she continued on down the hall, stopping just outside his office.
"Mac, you up for lunch?" She asked.
"Sure, you buying?" Mac smiled, sure this was another attempt on her part to ensure he took care of himself. He half-suspected she'd made some sort of pact with Claire's ghost to take care of him. She did a good job of it, he had to admit. What would he do without her?