The Christmas party was starting to be too much for him, so Mac wandered through the lab and away from the noise. He knew he was almost drunk, that he should probably just get in a cab and go home, but he didn't. Instead, he just kept walking.
He found her crying in her office. It had been obvious to him that something was wrong for the past few days, but she had just continued to do her job, brushing off his concern. He couldn't ignore it anymore, though, and he rested a hand gently on her back.
"Lindsay?"
She looked up at him, her tear-stained face breaking his heart. Instead of trying to hide the fact that she had been crying, her hands stayed at her sides and she looked him in the eye. Mac didn't like the way she seemed to be looking straight through to his thoughts, but he couldn't look away, either.
"So," she finally said. "You heard about Flack and Stella too?"
He had no idea how she knew, but he nodded anyway. Lindsay shrugged.
"Merry Christmas to us," she murmured, her voice laced with bitterness.
Silence settled over them, and they stood there, both seemingly lost. Mac shoved his hands into his pockets; he wished he could comfort her, but at the same time, it was comforting to know that he wasn't alone.
"Look," she finally whispered, her eyes set on a spot above him. "Mistletoe."
He raised his eyes to the plan hanging above his head - obviously someone's idea of a joke. But when he brought his gaze back down, he found Lindsay standing closer, mere centimeters left between them.
"Lindsay?"
She didn't say anything. Pushing herself up onto her toes, she kissed him softly, slowly. Mac knew that he should pull away, his mind screamed it. But it had just been so long since he had felt...anything...and his body was responding of its own volition.
Between the alcohol and tears, the pain and the false Christmas cheer, things got heated quickly. Mac walked her backwards until she hit her desk, and then he was lifting her up onto it, forcing her to wrap her legs around his waist. Her tongue was in his mouth, dueling with his own, and all he could smell, all he could taste, was her.
Lindsay moaned as his hand slipped under shirt and the sound just drove him on. He yanked her body against his, moving his lips down to her neck.
"Mac," she breathed.
Somewhere in the lab, a door opened, bringing back the noise of the party. Both of them jumped back, suddenly realizing what they were doing, and where. Slowly, Mac let go of her, unwrapping her legs and taking a step back. Lindsay sighed, her face in her hands.
"I'm so sorry," she whispered, her voice breaking.
He was back in an instant, holding her gently and kissing her forehead. "You did nothing wrong," he assured her. "But we can't do this."
"I know." She hugged him tightly. "I should go home."
"Let me get you a cab."
Lindsay shook her head. "I think its better if we left it here." She kissed his cheek. "Thanks, Mac."
Gathering her things, she slowly made her way out of the office and down the hall. Mac watched her go, knowing that by tomorrow, he'd be the only one who knew how broken she really was.