Trust.

Summary: When Ellie gets herself into a little bit of a sticky situation, she calls Mac for help.

Disclaimer: All CSI:NY characters are the property of the writers of the show.

Mac was just finishing up paperwork and was about to finally leave the office when the phone on his desk rang.

'Mac Taylor,' he said, hoping it wasn't a call out to a crime scene.

'Um...Mac? this is...Ellie. Danville.'

'Ellie? Your mom's not here. She's still in D.C. testifying, she gets back tomorrow. Aren't you up kind of late?' He glanced at his watch, it was almost two a.m.

'Um, yeah. See, that's kinda the thing. I'm kind of not at home, and I really *can't* call my Mom,'

Mac realized that Ellie sounded very young, and also very scared.

'Ellie,' he said softly, 'what's wrong?'

'Um, well, I kinda did something stupid. Please don't be mad, Mac.'

'What did you do?' Mac asked, keeping his voice soft and patient.

'I, um, snuck out of the house and went to a party, only my friend left me there alone, and I left but now I'm not sure where I am and I think maybe the punch was spiked, 'cause I really don't feel good, and I don't know anyone else there, and they're all lots older, and someone took my cell phone, and I only have like two dollars, and...I really screwed up.'

She was sobbing now.

'Ellie, it's okay. I'll come and find you. Where are you calling from?'

'Um, some phone booth.'

'Okay, is there someplace safe nearby you can go? Somewhere with adults?'

'Um, there's an all-night diner across the street, there are grown-ups in there.'

'Okay, what's the diner called?'

'Charlene's.'

'I know it,' Mac said, 'I want you to go in the diner and wait there. I'll be there as soon as I can, okay?'

'Oh god, thank you, I'm so sorry, I...'

'It's okay, Ellie,' Mac said, reassuringly, 'I'm coming to get you right now, okay?'

'Okay,' said Ellie, her voice, though somewhat reassured, still very young and lost.

Twenty minutes later, Mac pulled up outside the diner. He only had time to get out of the car before the door opened and Ellie came rushing out, and seconds later, to Mac's surprise, she was hugging him, clinging to him really, her face buried in his chest, her body heaving with silent sobs. Instinctively Mac held her close, stroking her hair. He didn't speak, just let the teenager cling to him and let out her fear and confusion.

Finally, Ellie seemed to calm down somewhat and pulled back from him. She looked up at him. Her eyes were red, and she'd put on make up which was smudged and stained from her tears.

'Th...thanks for coming for me,' she said.

'You're welcome. How are you feeling?'

'Kind of light-headed and sick,' she admitted, hugging herself.

'The punch probably was spiked then. Get in the car, and I'll take you home. Do you have a sitter?'

Ellie scowled as she buckled herself into the passenger seat. Mac started the car.

'Yeah, even though I'm way too old for one. Normally Tyler takes care of me when Mom has to work, but he's down in Florida with some friends from college, so I have to put up with Mrs Davies from across the street. She's, like, a hundred, and she eats these disgusting sweets that she sucks on real loud, and she smells of mothballs.'

'So I guess sneaking out wasn't too tough, huh?' Mac said, unable to keep the hint of amusement from his voice.

'No, it was easy. I could never get away with it if Mom was here. She has bat hearing.'

Mac chuckled.

'I think that's an inbred parent thing. I used to have to be really sneaky if I wanted to go out at night without my folks knowing.'

'You snuck out?'

'Oh yeah, I used to hang out with my friends, meet girls, that kind of thing. It's what teenagers do, Ellie. I'm not saying it's right, it's just what happens.'

Ellie nodded, leaning her head against the passenger window and closing her eyes.

'I just thought I'd have some fun,' she said, 'It was so cool to be invited to a party. Then I started feeling sick, and my friend had left, and I didn't know anyone, and the cute guy I like was kissing some other girl, and someone stole my phone...I feel so stupid. It was so embarrassing.'

'You made a mistake, Ellie,' Mac said, 'This kind of thing happens.'

'But everyone at school might find out and make fun of me,'

'I doubt it. So you got a little sick from the punch. There'll be some kid who'll get drunk and puke, or get in a fight, or argue with their girl or boyfriend, and *that* will be all over your school. If you didn't know anyone except your friend, and they were all older than you, they won't have noticed anything much that you did.'

Ellie opened her eyes.

'You...you think?'

'I do,' Mac said.

'I just wish I'd listened to my Mom when she said I couldn't go to the party,' Ellie said, then scowled, 'I hate it when she's right.'

Mac chuckled, remembering very similar incidents happening to him as a teenager, when he'd gotten himself in some trouble and had to admit his parents were right in telling him not to do whatever it was he got caught doing.

'Oh, my god, my mom's going to kill me,' Ellie groaned.

'She will be mad,' Mac said, 'But she loves you Ellie, she'll mostly be glad you're okay,'

'Yeah, but she'll ground me for like a month. Crap. I wish I'd never listened to that stupid Jenna when she told me I *had* to go to the party. Then she dumps me there so she can go off with her boyfriend.'

'Jenna doesn't sound like a very good friend to me,' Mac said, carefully.

Ellie sighed.

'Yeah, I know,' she said, sadly. 'It's just it's been kinda tough for me to fit in here, you know? I have friends, but I've never been one of the cool kids. I thought maybe I'd make more friends, or at least fit in better if I went to this party.'

Mac nodded. He heard the loneliness and confusion in Ellie's voice, and understood it.

They drove in silence for a while, then Mac said,

'Can I ask you something?'

Ellie nodded.

'Sure, what?'

'How come you called me for help?'

'I couldn't call my mom, and Tyler's in Florida. Mom gave me your office number and your cell, and Danny and Lindsay and Don's and Dr Hawkes' numbers, in case I can't reach her. I like all the others, but you're the only one I trust enough to call with something like this.'

'Really?' Mac said, touched at her words.

'Yeah. I guess I would have called Don if you hadn't answered your phone, he's pretty cool too. But Danny always talks to me like he's trying to sound cool, when he's, like, *so* not, and Lindsay and Hawkes talk to me like I'm about six! But you always talk to me straight and like I'm actually a teenager and not stupid and not a little kid, and you don't try to patronize me. You *listen* too, and not a lot of adults do that with people my age. '

Mac smiled.

'I'm glad you trust me,' he said, 'And you can always call if you need help, and for whatever reason your Mom or Tyler aren't around,'

'I know,' Ellie said, 'Thanks.'

When they reached Ellie and Jo's house, Mac helped her out of the car. She was exhausted, and clearly feeling the effects of whatever alcohol had been used to spike the punch at the party. Mac rang the doorbell, and explained to the sitter a bit of what had happened. The old lady seemed very relieved when Mac gently suggested she leave and he would stay and watch Ellie. Once she'd gone, Mac said,

'Okay, I want you to go upstairs and wash your face and get changed, okay? Call if you need anything.'

'Okay,' Ellie said.

Fifteen minutes later, from upstairs, he heard a very uncertain little cry of 'Mac?'.

He went upstairs and found her, dressed in pajamas, sitting shivering on the bathroom floor, her head resting against the side of the toilet.

'I puked,' she said, miserably.

Mac grimaced a little in sympathy, then said, simply,

'Don't worry about it,'

He flushed the toilet, then helped Ellie stand and go over to the sink. She splashed water on her face, and he poured a bit of mouthwash into a cup for her to freshen her mouth with.

Then he followed her directions to her room. He helped her into bed, and adjusted her bedside lamp so it was on, but on the lowest setting, and pointing away from her face, giving her enough light to see by if she needed to get up, but not enough to keep her awake.

'I'll leave your door a little open and the bathroom door open and the light in there on, if you need to puke again, okay? And I'll be right downstairs if you need me. I brought you a bottle of water up, too.'

'The ceiling's spinning, and my head is killing me,' Ellie huffed.

'Alcohol will do that to you.' Mac said.

'Ugh, it's horrible, I'm never ever gonna drink it again,' Ellie said.

Mac chuckled.

'You going to be okay?' he asked.

'Yeah,' Ellie said, 'Thanks, Mac, for being so cool about all this.'

'You're welcome.'

'What are you going to tell my Mom?'

'I'm going to call her in a bit to tell her you got in a bit of a situation but you're safe now,' Mac said, 'You're the one who's going to have to actually explain it all.'

'Okay,' Ellie sighed, then closed her eyes.

Mac headed downstairs, making sure to leave the door to the living room open so he could hear if Ellie called him. He settled down on the couch, and called Jo's cell number.

'Mac? Is everything okay?' she asked.

'Ellie got into a little bit of trouble,' Mac said.

'WHAT? Is she okay? Is she hurt?'

'It's okay, Jo. She went to a party, and someone spiked the punch. She started feeling sick, and she didn't know where she was or anyone at the party. She called me, and I went to get her. Now we're back at your house, and she's sleeping. She's not going to feel good tomorrow, but she really is fine. Whatever was in the punch, she didn't drink enough for it to be dangerous. I'm going to stay here, and I promise I'll look after her and take her to the hospital if I even suspect something might be wrong.'

'I'm going to catch the red-eye to New York,' Jo said, 'I'll be back as soon as I can. God, I could...that girl makes me so *mad*. I told her there was absolutely no way she was going to that party! But she's okay?'

'Yes, Jo.'

'Thank you, Mac,' Jo said, softly.

'You're welcome,'

At some point, Mac must have fallen asleep, because the next thing he knew, Jo was shaking his shoulder, and when he opened his eyes, early morning light was pouring through the windows.

'What time is it?'

'Just after six,' Jo said.

Mac stood up to stretch.

Jo stepped in and hugged him.

'Hey, what's this for?' he said, hugging her back.

'For being such a wonderful friend, for taking care of Ellie, for staying with her when you didn't have to. You could easily have sent a patrol car for her last night.'

'You know I care about Ellie,' Mac said, 'She's a great kid, Jo. And you're my friend, there's no way I'd let anything bad happen to your family.'

'I really do appreciate it, Mac,' Jo said, pulling back from the hug and squeezing his arm gently.

Mac nodded.

'I better get out of here,' he said, 'Do you need the day off?'

'That would be good. Thanks, Mac.'

'Sure. Let me know how your...conversation goes with Ellie, and tell her I hope she feels better soon,'

'Oh, I'll let you know, all right. That young lady and I will be having a lengthy conversation.' Jo said.

Mac couldn't help a chuckle. Jo scowled.

'This is not funny, Mac Taylor,'

'No, it isn't, but she made a mistake, Jo. How old were you the first time you sneaked out to a party or to meet friends or whatever when your parents had absolutely forbidden you from going?'

Jo scowled again, but couldn't help a little smile of her own.

'Thirteen,' she said. 'You?'

'Sneaking out? Thirteen, too. But I got caught sneaking into Wrigley Field when I was eleven.'

Jo grinned, and laughed.

'The strait-laced Mac Taylor, sneaking into a baseball game? You know, some people would be shocked, but I'm not at all surprised,' she said.

'You're not?'

'Mac, even now, you're not exactly big on following certain rules and regulations, and I've talked to Don. He tells me you can be quite sneaky,'

Mac frowned, then chuckled.

'Oh, he is *dead*,' he muttered.

Jo just laughed.

'I better go,' Mac said, 'Good luck with Ellie. I'll see you tomorrow, then?'

'Yes,' Jo said, 'and thanks again, Mac.'

'Hey, that's what friends are for,' Mac said.

The End.