This is inspired by the posts at the SMACked thread over at Talk CSI. We were talking about power outages in New York and being trapped in the elevator became an interesting venue for some smexing hahahah! I couldn't take the heat, so I placed it in the gutter – now, I can't get out hahahah!
So here we go (like I said lol). Read on and review! Thanks!
Trapped – SMACked Style
© Cate
It was a very warm day in New York City. You can feel the heat emanating from the sidewalk, from the concrete buildings, through the glass. Air conditioning units in every building are running full blast, but still it wasn't really enough to stop people from sweating.
Stella Bonasera and Mac Taylor, but crime scene investigators are very thankful to be inside their office building after processing a crime scene in Central Park for almost six hours. The body was in the middle of a tree-less field; so no shade and the nearest water fountain takes a five-minute walk to reach.
All their evidence was already in the lab, thanks to their co-worker Danny Messer, who wasn't willing to spend his early morning drenched in sweat. Stella was dressed in a blue tank top showing just enough cleavage – and still she was sweating bullets. Mac, on the other hand, was still in his long-sleeved dress shirt, looking as fresh as ever.
"How do you do that, Mac?" she said pushing the number 35 on the elevator panel. It was the only empty car and they needed the space… and the air.
"Do what?" he said looking at her with his eyebrow up.
Stella fans herself with both her hands as she answered, "Keep your cool. I mean, it's crazy hot outside – and inside – but it's like you're not sweating a bit. Come on, I know how these deodorants and what-have-you works."
He looks at her again and smiles. "Some people don't sweat as much," he simply said with a chuckle. They were on the 15th floor now; a few people went in and got out at different floors. But right now, they're alone once more. "You'll get used to the heat."
"That's coming from a man previously from Chicago," she whispered under her breath but loud enough for him to hear. He chuckled. "Geez, is it just me or is this elevator running slower than usual?" she commented. It was, in fact, having a hard time doing its job. Maybe it's the heat or overload in the mechanism plus the added work the system has to do with the extra AC.
"Just as long as we get to the lab and into the layout room," he said sighing. The layout room is one of the coolest rooms in the laboratory, second only to the A/V room. Both of them could see Danny already lounging over there, waiting for them. "Uh Stella…" Mac started when the car suddenly jerked to a stop. "What the hell," but that thought wasn't finished, too, when the lights went out and the cold air stopped filling the car.
"Great, this is just great!" Stella cried out. They were stuck between the 28th and 29th floors. Sweat began to break out of her forehead once more – a mixture of the humid heat and the tension of the situation. They could her the exasperated groans and complaints of the people outside. She looked at Mac; he was on the phone with Danny.
"Alright, keep them in order," he said slowly before clicking off. He faced Stella and said, "Danny. Frantic because first of all, the generator only powers the freezers and all the lights, meaning no air conditioning," Stella let out a great laugh. Mac smiled at that. He liked – no, loved hearing Stella laugh. "And then, he has to process everything on his own with minimal power in the lab."
She sat down and he followed suit. "He's processed evidence with less, believe me," she said, folding her legs and hugging her knees. It's a little mannerism she adopted back in her days in the orphanage when she feels unsafe. "Speaking of Danny – Mac, we're trapped in here." It's not that she doesn't feel safe with Mac; heck, she feels most safe with him around. Dark and confined spaces freak her out a bit. Good thing she's not alone.
Mac scooted closer to her and took her hand. He knows she's a bit scared; he knows about her claustrophobia. She does well to hide it but he knew better. "Stella, I'm here. Danny said Flack's on his way to get help. We'll get out of here in one piece, I promise."
Stella's hands were sweating partly from the heat and her fear. She's grateful that she's stuck with Mac, and not some stuck up CEO who is a week from retiring. She leaned into the touch and started the age-old mantra of "wide open spaces" in her head. Mac's hand traveled up and down her back soothingly.
After a few moments, Mac's phone rang. This time it was Flack. Stella was still out of sorts when he finished the call. "It's going to take a little time, according to Flack. Power's out the whole of Manhattan, all the way to Jersey. But power will be supplied in our building in about four hours. Being up 30 floors isn't always an accessible area after all. So, well…" he hesitated for a moment as he felt Stella's hand grip his tighter, "I said we could wait it out over here."
"WHAT?" she screamed. It rang inside the narrow room loud enough to shake the mirrors on the door. "Wait this out? Are you trying to kill me, Taylor?" she continued screaming. There was an angry flush on her cheeks and the hand holding Mac's was threatening to turn into a vice grip.
He managed to free himself from a potential "hand-in-a-cast" situation. "No, Stell," he said trying to calm her down but all he could manage was a slight laugh. He got a mock punch for that. "Sorry. The lab's generator is only strong enough for the lab, nothing else. Flack and the others are doing all they can. At least, we're together in this car. Unlike Hawkes… stuck in the other elevator car all by himself." That brought a genuine smile from Stella. She eased back to Mac's embrace.
Mac thought to himself, "Why does this feel so right?" Stella in his arms felt like the missing piece in a 500-piece puzzle. He placed his chin on her shoulder. He never before thought of Stella as more than a friend but it has crossed his mind that sooner or later their relationship could get that way. Sooner might be the option this time.
"Maaaaaac," she squeaked but sounding a bit more relaxed, "I'm hot." As simple and innocent as that sounded, Mac had to swallow a lump that formed in his throat.
No smexing here yet. Not even something worthy of an "M" rating.
So what do you think?