Home Truths.

Chapter 1

I would like to dedicate this story to Quille & UrbanMuse. Even if they don't see this, it was them that re-inspired me to write a JAC fiction. This is also for my friend, who helped with the chapter.

I hope you enjoy!

The dark, strong elixir swirled in the deep blue mug, the aroma of the liquid delicately rising up, enchanting her taste buds and enhancing her tiredness.

Placing her thumb and index fingers on the bridge of her nose, Detective Josephine Danville blinked a few times willing her mind to wake up. Her mind cast back to the previous night, to her daughter, Ellie:

"Mum...my throat...it hurts so much..." Ellie managed to splutter between the deep throaty coughs.

"I know my darling, I know." Jo soothed her daughter, stroking her hair tenderly. She handed her another glass of hot water with honey and lemon of which the young girl sipped and murmured her thanks.

"Sit back El, rest your eyes, try to sleep." Jo encouraged, and her daughter did so. After about twenty minutes, Jo noticed her breathing became heavy and she finally drifted off. Grateful for her daughter primarily, as she was exhausted, but so was Jo. This had been the forth time her daughter had been disturbed by her cough. It was now two o'clock in the morning, leaving Jo with only around four hours left to sleep. It seemed that as soon as Jo had rested her head on the pillow, her alarm rang and light was spilling into her bedroom.

"Do you want some cream with that?"

Jo lifted her head and spun round, startled slightly at being taken out of her thoughts so abruptly. "Oh, Mac, gosh you startled me!" Jo said with a smile and a slight giggle. "Yes, that would be lovely, thanks." He smiled and leaned across her to pour a little cream in her mug and stirred it with a teaspoon and then handing the mug to her. As his arm brushed against her's lightly, a tingling sensation travelled across her skin, a sensation that occurred regularly around her boss, which she frequently, albeit unsuccessfully, tried to ignore.

"Did you have a rough night?" Mac asked, looking at her, concern etched on his dark and clean-cut features.

"Yes, I did. Poor Ellie is suffering still with her chesty cough. She was up most of the night coughing. It's heart breaking to see." Jo said with a sigh, running a hand through her hair, upon which her various bracelets cascaded down her wrist. "I barely got any sleep." Jo added, taking sip from her coffee and sighing pleasurably at the taste and familiarity of the caffeine running through her veins.

"Aww, bless the both of you," Mac said sympathetically. "You didn't have to come in so early, you know. Your and your daughter's health comes first in my book as well as your's." Mac added, to which he received a appreciative smile from his colleague. Gosh, her smile. It always brightened his day and he was glad to see her perking up a little.

"You're kind Mac, but I said that I would check on her during my lunch hour. When I left, she was asleep. So, I left her a note, thought it was best for me to leave her in peace than risk waking her." Jo said, while her tone didn't waver, Mac could see from the very slight frown that she was unsure if she had done the right thing.

Mac moved closer to her and rubbed her forearm gently. "Don't worry, Jo. She'll be fine, you're right to leave her to rest. If she needs to contact you, she can. She also has my number so there is no need to worry." He said calmly, with a slight smile at the corner of his mouth.

"Thanks Mac" Jo said. Just then their phones buzzed simultaneously.

...

Both detectives were now in the SUV, making their way to the crime scene. Jo had initially said she would drive, but Mac refused, saying she was too tired. While Jo was usually as stubborn as anything, on this occasion she didn't protest, he was right. So, she had climbed into the passenger seat, the door held open kindly by Mac. They were driving in silence. Jo was resting her head against the cool glass of her window. Mac was concerned, for it was very unusual for Jo to be completely silent. He stopped at a red light and glanced at her, not wishing to come across as staring. She appeared lost in thought, absentmindedly fiddling with her long pendant necklace, her fingernails painted with a French style polish catching the sunlight occasionally as her fingers ran up and down the sliver train.

Mac was puzzled. Of course he knew Ellie was on her mind, her focus was on her more than anything else. Her tiredness was definitely evident in her features: the slightly smokey black circles under her eyes and her skin being paler than usual. Was there something else? Mac thought to himself, as the light turned green and he began to drive again.

He thought about the scene that awaited them. A young mother, by the name of Fiona Kiddley had been violently attacked in her apartment by an unknown assailant. Mac did know that the victim was single at the moment and that she had a seven year old daughter Georgiana, but that was all Flack had managed to find since they last spoke. Flack had already told Mac that the scene was messy, and that the victim had been taken to the hospital. Perhaps it was the thought of the scene making Jo quiet? Maybe. They arrived at the apartment block the crime scene was situated and the slight jolt of vehicle stopping brought Jo out of her deep thoughts.

"Hey," Mac said gently. "You alright there?" He asked.

"Yeah, sorry," Jo apologised. "I couldn't tell you where I was just now. Come on, lets get going" Jo said, flashing him a smile and then getting out the car.

Mac watched her walking away for a few seconds, she had a certain exuberance about her as she moved, despite her exhaustion. Her bracelets gangling around her wrists and her healed boots making her hips sway slightly as she walked. In that moment, she looked very attractive. God Taylor! Snap out of it! Mac scolded himself as he got out the car to follow her.

...

"Morning guys," Don said after taking a gulp of his coffee. "It's apartment number 20, just down the hall. Brace yourselves, it's not pretty" He warned them with a grimace.

They both thanked him to the warning, put their gloves on and entered the apartment. Gosh, Don wasn't kidding! Jo thought to herself. The apartment appeared to have been turned upside-down five times over. From the entrance of the apartment, you had an open plan kitchen, dining and living space. The kitchen had smashed crockery on the floor, most of the cupboard's were wide open as was the dishwasher door which had blood on the edge of it, presumably either the victim or attacker tripped over it during the struggle.

Mac walked into the living space. The mahogany dining table had been pushed over, along with the matching chairs, a crystal vase had smashed, shooting shards of the decretive material across it. The sofa had been pushed out of the way and was diagonally facing the front door. He knelt down by the faux fur rug, it had obviously been tripped over as there were marks on the wooden floor, from what looked like a slim healed shoe.

Jo slowly walked towards him, a camera in her hand. He had his back to her, so he wasn't aware she was behind him until she placed a hand lightly on his shoulder. "Here's the camera Mac, if you start collecting in here, I'll go and look the bedrooms and see if I can find out where this fight started.

"Sure thing." Mac said quietly taking the camera from her. He was still knelt down and he looked up at her smiling. He couldn't help noticing that her shirt perfectly and elegantly hugged her curves. Again as she walked away, he noticed the rhythmic move of her hips and physically shook his head. What is wrong with me?

Jo went through to the back of the apartment. She was faced with two rooms. She chose the one on the left of her and entered the victims bedroom. It didn't look too disturbed. The curtains were drawn slightly, the bed unmade, a chair by the windows had a pile of clothes on them, unfolded and there were a few cosmetic items on the floor such as hair bobbles, grips and a comb. Jo took photographs of it anyway, just incase some areas become significant upon an examination of the victim. 'This doesn't look too different from my bedroom' Jo thought to herself, but she then pushed the thought away, under these circumstances, it was quite an unsettling thought. It was her turn to shake her head now, embarrassed she had thought such a silly and inconsiderate thing.

After collecting evidence from the bedroom such as the bedsheets, fingerprints and the comb which could be used for DNA, she went into the en suite bathroom. If the bedroom seemed to be a docile environment, the en suite bathroom certainly didn't. It was a mess. There was a used and now soaked towel in a crumpled heap on the floor. A tall bottle of hairspray was lying down on the counter, a lipstick had fallen into the sink marking its path into the bowl in a deep and rich red colour.

Jo was puzzled, how can the bedroom be virtually undisturbed, but the bathroom appear to be where the struggle started? Perhaps the attacker came in while Fiona was in the shower? Did the attacker have a key then? Did he surprise her in the shower and then they just ran through to the main living area to start the struggle? Why was she the target? Was there a relationship between the two parties? So may questions, few answers. There were no pictures of a couple throughout the house, but many of her daughter. There was one of her on the bathroom wall. She was a very pretty girl. She had long light brown hair, green eyes and a beautiful smile with innocent rosy red cheeks. Jo smiled, the spirit that was evident in this photo reminded Jo of Ellie. She hoped her daughter was okay, concern taking over her features again. She got out her phone to check it, she hadn't received any contact from her. No news is good news, I suppose. Jo thought.

After collecting all necessary evidence from the bathroom, Jo walked out of the bathroom, through the bedroom and back out into the hallway. Mac met her there.

"What does it look like in there?" Mac asked.

"Confusing. The bedroom is fairly docile but the bathroom is the opposite. It looks manic and is in a complete mess. There are so many questions and very little answers so far, from my perspective anyway. What about you?" Jo asked.

"Same as you really, a lot of evidence collected, but I've got more questions than answers at the moment." Mac agreed with her. "Have you checked the second bedroom yet?" Mac asked her.

"No, I haven't, have you?" Jo returned the question to which Mac shook his head.

"Come on then, I'm assuming this is the daughter's room." Jo said

Jo opened the door and was met by a immaculate and untouched pink filled bedroom. It was quite a small room but very cosy and filled with comforts for a seven year old such as an abundance of cuddly toys and pictures, some drawn by her and others of her mum and some friends of hers. He heard Mac smile behind her and chuckle slightly, which made her turn and raise her eyebrows in a questioning look.

"Sorry, this just looks almost identical to Lucy's bedroom" Mac said, fondly thinking about his God-daughter.

"I know what you mean" Jo replied. Suddenly, the two detectives heard a thump from somewhere in the room. Mac instinctively put his hand on his gun and the other on Jo's waist because she jumped at the sound. They looked around, but nothing more was heard.

"What on earth was that?" Jo asked.

"I have no idea." Mac replied. Neither of them had noticed that his hand was still placed protectively on her waist.

"...Mummy...is that you?" A sheepish little girl's voice said from somewhere within the room. Despite her obvious presence, the girl didn't reveal herself.

"Hon...I'm Josephine...I'm a police officer, it's alright, you're safe, where are you?" Jo asked gently.

Slowly, the young girl from all the photos crawled out from underneath the bed that was up against the left hand wall. She didn't stand, but chose to stay siting on the floor.

"Hey there sweetheart," Jo said, bending down to her level. "Are you Georgiana?" The little girl nodded sheepishly.

"Where is my mummy?" She asked. "I heard screaming and a lot of banging...so I hid and...I...I..." Georgiana couldn't hold back the tears any longer and she began to sob, upon which Jo pulled her in for a hug, stroked her hair and began to 'shhh' her gently. "It's alright, shhh, it's alright." Jo soothed. "Look, me and my friend Mac here will get you out of here, OK?" Jo asked and the girl nodded.

Mac then knelt down beside Jo giving the girl a kind smile. "Hi Georgiana," he said gently.

The young girl paused and slowly began to shake uncontrollably. "I want my mummy...I'm scared." She almost wailed and began to cry again.

Mac's heart melted. He felt so sorry for her, the poor girl, she couldn't understand this. Jo squeezed his shoulder, he looked at her and she grimaced, understanding completely.

"Let's get you out of here darling." Mac soothed. "We'll keep you safe. Do you want me to carry you?" The girl only nodded in response, tears pouring down her face. Mac then lifted her into his arms and she wrapped her arms around his neck. Jo then moved behind him so that she could see Georgiana's tear stained face, brushing a few strands of hair away from her face. "Sweetie, can you do something for me?" The young girl nodded. "Can you cover your eyes for me? Mac's shoulder is very comfy, trust me." Jo said with a smile and a wink. This made Mac smile, despite the circumstances. He had always been there for his team, but he had to admit, Josephine was definitely the most complimentary. Georgiana nodded and she did as Jo had suggested while Jo gently stroked her hair. Then, after Jo had got all the evidence bags, they swiftly walked out of the apartment, Mac cleverly avoided the tiny glass shards that couldn't be collected so that he didn't startle Georgiana.

When they exited the apartment, Don had a puzzled look on his face, seeing a young child. Jo hung back from the two of them to explain to him the developments and course of events he had missed.

When Mac got to the car, he gently placed his free hand on the back of Georgiana's head. "Sweetheart, it's okay. You can open your eyes now." Mac whispered gently. She did so, and straightened so she could look at Mac, rubbing her eyes, a little disorientated. "Where are we going? Can I go and see Mummy?" She asked.

Mac swallowed. "We're going to go to where me and Jo work first darling, you can sit with us and have a little rest. Your mummy is in the hospital and as soon as Doctors say it is okay for you to see her, me or Jo will take you there. Okay?" Mac said. The girls shoulders drooped and she did pout a little, but nodded in agreement.

Just as Mac had gently placed her in the back of the car and closed the door, Jo came out with Don. Jo just handed him a hand written note rather than talking about developments, of which Georgiana might overhear.

Her mother, is now in the ICU. The doctors determined that she had broken all her ribs and her cheekbone as well as her lower leg. The injuries to her ribs resulted in her lung collapsing. While they managed to re-inflate with a lung drain, they've put her into an induced coma in order for her to heal a little. So, she's not suitable for visiting or interviewing, obviously.

Mac only nodded in response after reading the note. Mac and Jo then got into the car, and realised that Georgiana had fallen asleep, emotionally and physically exhausted. They two detectives drove in silence, not wanting to wake her. Jo then got out her phone and read a text. At a red light Jo showed him the text, showing that Ellie had been in and out of sleep while she was gone, still feeling like crap and coughing but she was definitely feeling more rested and thanking her for leaving an abundance of honey and lemons at home. Mac smiled, seeing Jo's features relax a little. He tentatively placed a hand on her knee and squeezed lightly, silently letting her know that he was there for her. What was more profound though was the sensation the contact gave Jo. That feeling again! The warmth of his hand, the gentle pressure, so caring, supportive and telling. It took some effort not to sigh pleasurably, and a considerable amount more not to blush, but the attempt at concealing that were less successful as Mac noticed her cheeks flushing slightly.

"Umm..Mac...the light has turned green." Jo informed him, her voice slightly quieter than usual, whether for Georgiana's sake or due to shyness, Mac wasn't sure. In any case, he removed his hand, cleared his throat, murmured his thanks and continued to drive to the lab.

...

Back at the lab, Jo had assured Georgiana that she would not leave the lab, but that she had a lot of work to do. She had briefed Lindsay on her situation and they were sitting in their shared office colouring.

Meanwhile, Jo had been processing all the fingerprints and blood that had been found in the apartment and there were a lot. The computer finally bleeped, signally that a match had finally been found. Upon seeing the result, Jo's eyes had widened in disbelief. She grabbed the reports, and some of the other evidence as well, as she had to deliver some of it to other members of the team, and went to find Mac.

She saw him on the floor below her, reading a lab report, she quickened her pace towards the stairs "Mac!" Jo called, to which he looked up.

"Yeah Jo, you got something?" Mac called.

"You're not going to-" Jo began but she was stopped by a loud SMASH. "What the?" Jo asked, turning, but the momentum of her fast pace kept her moving, she lost her footing and she began to tumble, with ever-increasing speed down the stairs. All Mac could do was watch in horror as her feet, head and arms were increasingly assaulted by the stairs.

"JO!" Mac shouted, running to her as she reached the base of the staircase.

Cliffhanger! Haha, I'm evil, I know! Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. All reviews are much appreciated. Thank you.