A/N: This is a sort of follow on from my previous story "All Right" that has been sitting on my computer for a while. But I decided it wasn't as bad as I thought so I may as well post it. It's Taggart's POV on Michael and Jackie's relationship. Again it makes mention of the episode Gingerbread. Set after Hellfire.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

One Of Those Girls

Of the two young people on his team Michael was the one that Taggart worried about the most. It wasn't that he didn't worry about Jackie as well; it was simply that of the two Michael was the one more likely to get hurt.

Not physically of course, but emotionally.

Despite his gruff exterior and almost dismissive attitude, Taggart really did care about what happened to Michael. In many ways he was like the son he had never had, which was why he was often hard on him or meted out the sardonic, almost fatherly advice.

However, watching from the window as Michael consoled Jackie; he wondered whether he had been right to be so concerned about Michael rather than Jackie. He had always assumed that Jackie would never let a romantic entanglement get in the way of her duty and that it would somehow prevent her from being hurt.

It had been one of the reasons that he had warned Michael to be careful when the two had first met and Michael had been fairly open in his appreciation of the then WPC Reid. He had been concerned that the young detective would soon find himself heartbroken due to Jackie choosing her career over a romantic entanglement with a colleague. Or even that she might use Michael as a means to an end.

That she was unlikely to hurt Michael soon became apparent as a strong friendship swiftly sprung up between the two; but he still believed that she was devoted to her duty. Because of this he had never thought that she would be charmed to such an extent by Greg Martin.

Now as he considered the state that Jackie was in he realised that he had forgotten that she was a woman as well as a detective. Not that he meant it in a derogatory way, simply that it was often easy to forget that Jackie wasn't simply 'one of the boys.' Something that he noticed Michael rarely did, but perhaps that was because he had complex feelings when it came to Jackie.

Taggart grinned when he saw Michael offer Jackie his hand, such a gentlemanly gesture and Taggart wondered whether it accompanied an offer of a lift home.

That was Michael's way; he was always such a gentleman when it came to women. It was part of the reason that he worried about him so much; worried that he would be carried away on a wave of chivalry only to have it come crashing down on him.

Gemma Normanton had been a case in point.

Yes, Michael had known her at school, but she had barely been back in his life for a fortnight and he was ready to propose. Though, privately, Taggart had considered it only a matter of time before he realised he had made a mistake and opened his eyes to what was standing in front of him in the form of Jackie Reid.

Whether he ever would or not was still a matter of debate, but there was no doubt that the two cared about each other above and beyond professionalism, possibly even mere friendship. It had been for that simple reason that Taggart had effectively kicked Michael out to go and talk to Jackie, because he knew that if there was one person she needed right now it was him.

Just as Jackie had been the one Michael had needed after Gemma. Both had needed to be reminded of the other, that the others had been mere aberrations in the grand scheme of things.

Taggart shook his head, how Jean would laugh at him if she knew about his underhand dealings in trying to manoeuvre the two towards each other. Though she, too, would want them to be happy; she would just be amused and probably surprised to learn that he felt the same way.

He smiled a rare smile as he watched Michael lead Jackie, hand in hand, to one of the cars. It looked like his assumption had been correct, if Jackie's face was anything to go by: Michael was the one to help her through this.

He had assumed that Jackie would be one of those girls and end up hurting Michael. Instead she had turned out to be the best thing for him and him for her.

He had never been more pleased to be wrong.