How you rise in the morning sets the tone for the rest of the day. Anon.

Jo Danville was late. Very late. This was not a good way to start the day. She swallowed a mouthful of tea hissing as it burnt her tongue. Abandoning the mug next to the sink of dirty dishes, she dashed into her bedroom pausing only briefly to bang on the bathroom door as she went past. "Ellie! Hurry up in there!" she yelled, receiving only a muffled exclamation in return that seemed to be a standardized, teenager-speak abbreviation that covered anything from 'Okay, keep your hair on.. I'm almost finished!' to 'Quit nagging … and before you ask, yes I've done my homework!'.

Pushing her door closed behind her, Jo looked around her bedroom in dismay. The bed was unmade. There were discarded jackets on the back of the chair, unmatched shoes on the floor and she swore that she could write her name in the dust that had amassed on top of the dresser. Work had been so busy lately that she felt she must be at least a month behind on chores. Flinging open the closet door she grabbed a pair of jeans and a blouse and threw them on the pile of bed-clothes that were threatening to tumble onto the floor. She dragged open the top of her dresser and noting it's lack of contents she pulled out the remaining underwear making a mental note that chore number one was to tackle the over-flowing laundry basket in the bathroom.

Jo threw off her pyjamas and wriggled into the panties. She was reaching behind her back to do up her bra when she heard the distinct sound of ripping and the two cups flew apart. "Dammit!" she swore as she glared in disbelief at the two halves of the offending garment dangling uselessly in her hands. This was not going to be a good day! Tossing them into the waste basket beside the dresser she yanked open the drawer again and rifled through what few items were left knowing full well that she wasn't going to find another. "Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!" She slammed the drawer.

"You okay Mom?" Ellie's voice came from just outside her door. Jo took a deep breath.

"Fine!"

Ellie rolled her eyes clearly recognizing standard parent-speak for 'No clearly everything is not fine as I'm currently having a crisis but it is best for you not to interfere just right now.' Ellie sighed. "Okay! Bathroom's free," she yelled in as cheery a voice as possible before making a quick getaway and disappearing into the sanctuary of her bedroom. Jo carefully opened the bedroom door and glanced up and the corridor before making a dash for the bathroom. There was nothing for it other than to have to rescue a dirty one from the laundry basket. Jo opened the bathroom door and froze as an intense wave of steam hit her. "Ellie!" she muttered under her breath as her vision cleared enough to make out the indistinct shape of the laundry basket. She stuck her hand in and recoiled in disgust. "What the...?" Jo dragged a soaking wet towel from the top of the laundry basket and stared in horror at the sodden clothes beneath. Ellie! She groaned in frustration and dumped the heavy wet towel back where she found it.

Making another dash across the corridor, Jo surveyed the carnage that was her bedroom. As she did so her eyes fell on a bright blue sleeve peeping out from a hanger in the still open closet. Pushing the hangers apart she grabbed the top. A little fancy for the office perhaps but … what the hell? It wasn't like she had a lot of choice. She wriggled into the garment adjusting the neckline and slipped on the jeans. She grabbed socks and ankle boots and danced her way back to the bathroom to brush her teeth. She had just stuck the brush in her mouth when the laundry basket began to ring. It took several seconds for her sleep-starved brain to realize that she must have left her cell phone in the pocket of the blouse she was wearing the previous day. Items from the basket flew all over the room as she scrabbled for the phone. An irrational thought entered her head as she found the blouse in question and tried to extract the phone from the pocket. Logic dictated that the item she had put in the basket only last night should be at the top of the pile so why had she to dig two-thirds of the way down to find it. She wondered if it was similar to the reason that cereal packets had all the nice large lumps at the top and all the powdery inedible bits at the bottom.

"Yash! Dunval!" she answered only then realizing how badly she needed to spit out the mouthful of minty froth that was filling her mouth.

"Jo?" came Mac's voice from the other enter the phone. "You okay?"

Jo spat out the toothpaste. "Fine! What's up?"

"Look I'm sorry to do this. I know you must be nearly at the office but I need you to turn around. We've got a crime scene a few blocks away from your place and I could really do with an extra pair of hands. Sheldon's on the other side of town and he can't clear. I've had to send Adam over to help him. I'll text you the address. Okay?"

Jo looked up and mouthed a silent thank you. "No problem. Be there as soon as I can." She tapped the screen to hang up. "Yes!" she screamed. She heard the sound of the bedroom door opening and Ellie's voice asking her if she was all right. "Fine," she yelled and the door closed again. Jo looked at the laundry. She might even have time to put some in the washing machine.

Twenty minutes later, she serenely pulled her car over, and locking her purse in the glove compartment, she grabbed her case and stepped out of the car. She made her way over to the old school-house that was now surrounded by high wire fences. She ducked under the tape glancing at the demolition notice attached to the gate that appeared to be hanging at an impossibly odd angle. As she walked up the steps and entered the wide hall, the first person she saw was Don, his notebook open, talking to a construction worker. He glanced up as she entered and snapped closed the notebook indicating his conversation was at an end.

He beckoned for her to join him. "First body is in there." He pointed to an empty classroom. "Demolition crew found him when they turned up to start laying the charges. It's a specialized job that requires a few days set-up; they're going to make the building collapse in on itself apparently. Anyway it looks like it might be a local kid. Blunt force trauma. Evidence of drugs."

Jo peered through the door where Danny and Lindsay were processing. She sighed as she looked at the body of a youngish man with an unruly mop of fair hair wearing a rather awful mustard yellow sweater who was sprawled in the centre of the empty room. She walked over to Lindsay.

"Morning Jo."

"Morning Lindsay."

Lindsay looked at Jo. "Wow Jo! You look nice. I love that top. Is it Victoria's Secret? I just love Victoria's Secret don't you?" Jo looked at Lindsay surprised by the young woman's greeting. It was unusual for Lindsay to act so unprofessional at a crime scene. Jo thought about the unusual intonation and how Lindsay glanced over at her husband then the penny dropped.

"Why thank you Lindsay. Yes it is. I think Victoria's Secret makes you feel so special, don't you?"

"Yes I do." Lindsay replied pointedly with a big smile. Danny looked up from the powder he had been collecting from the floor to see them both staring at him. He glanced at Flack who was looking as puzzled as he felt.

"Er … could you pass me the narco test kit please babe?" he asked tentatively.

Lindsay rolled her eyes at Jo as she walked back to the door to get her kit. Don looked at Lindsay and then at Danny and decided he had definitely missed something but wasn't sure what. He looked at Jo and had to agree with Lindsay. The tight-fitting electric-blue top was definitely nice. He cleared his throat. "We're running his prints now and I've got guys canvassing the area. Mac is with the second body. He asked if you could join him..." Don pointed his pen over his shoulder. Jo threw him an enormous smile as she walked past and headed back to the corridor immediately seeing how Mac must have found the second body. They both turned as Flack's name was called from the other end of the corridor.

"Go ahead Don. I take it Mac's at the other end of the blood trail?" Don nodded with a smile and turned away. Jo clicked on her pen light and followed the blood droplets noting immediately from their shape that they led away from the first young man. She swept the light back and forth. Whoever had come this way had been running judging from the spacing between the drops. She turned left at the end of the hall and into a narrower corridor. The drops stopped at a door that had been wedged open. A little yellow marker was stuck just above the handle. She looked at the door handle and noted a fine black dust. "Mac!" she smiled as she realized he had already dusted the door for prints. She stepped into the stairwell wondering whether to go up or down. She shone the light around and spied another little yellow marker. "Down it is!" She passed the marker noting more finger-print dust the length of the hand-rail. Further down she stepped around a discarded sweater that had a yellow cone with the number three next to it. As she came to the bottom of the stairs she looked both ways. The dark musty corridor with pipes running overhead smelt stale and she wrinkled her nose at the lingering scent of urine. Dodgy plumbing. "Mac?"

"Down here." Mac's voice echoed down the corridor. A flash from a camera indicated his position in a room about half-way down the right-hand branch. "Watch your step!"

Jo pointed her flash-light at the ground and was astonished to see a huge crack running along the floor. Dodgy foundations! A slight rustling behind her made her spin. She peered into the darkness but couldn't see anything. She shuddered and fervently hoped there weren't any rats. She hated rats. She picked her way down the corridor and turned into a small musty smelling room with several large control boxes arranged on the far wall, evidently the mains breakers for the electricity to the school. Mac was bent down examining something on the floor, with his shirt sleeves rolled up and his camera in his gloved hands. "Hey!"

"Morning Jo." Mac smiled up at her, his eyes sparkling in the torch-light and gestured over his shoulder. "Meet Jack Black."

"Huh?" Jo stepped over to the body of a man in his mid-thirties with short dark hair and a Mediterranean complexion, a large hole in his chest. "Jack Black?"

"Yep, almost as well-known as his namesake just not for his acting ability. He's known to everyone down at the precinct. DUI, drug possession, theft, assault, causing a public disturbance ..." Mac twirled his finger in the air to show he could continue.

"So where do you want me?" Jo asked.

Mac couldn't help a small smirk at her turn of phrase. "A little more light would be nice," he said gesturing to the item he was examining. Jo arched an eyebrow as she looked up at the flash-light that had been wedged in the pipes above him before she bobbed down opposite him and lifted her flash-light.

"Is that the best you can do?" Jo gestured to the badly placed flash-light. "You do realize the main control panels are right over there?"

Mac huffed. "Yeah! Don's trying to rustle up some better lighting for us but the electricity was cut off ages ago. You made good time. Everyone else seems to be caught up in the traffic." Mac glanced up. Jo was directly under the light. She gave him a smile that immediately made his day better and despite the early hour and the awful surroundings she looked radiant. His eyes travelled downwards and halted, his pupils widening slightly at the generous cleavage accentuated by soft folds of electric blue jersey that were gathered around a circular opening that if he had known more about women's fashion he would have recognised as a keyhole neckline. "Fascinating." he unwittingly muttered aloud as he pondered the purpose of such a design.

"Pardon?"

Mac looked up. "Oh … er … nothing. It looks like our Mr Black here killed Colonel Mustard with the lead piping in the classroom." Mac flashed his pen light at a metal bar lying on the floor mere inches from the out-stretched hand of the body behind them. "... before he was killed with the revolver in the basement. The question is by whom?" Mac suddenly grinned wickedly. "Don thinks it's Miss Scarlet. I'm going with Professor Plum."

Jo grinned. "Someone's in a good mood this morning." Mac gave her another one of his adorable smiles. "What's this?" They both returned their attention to the item on the floor at their feet. "A lens?" Jo peered more closely. "On top of a blood-drop! So it must have been dropped by the perp."

Mac nodded as he reached into his kit for tweezers and a small cardboard box. While Jo held the light he meticulously picked up the broken pieces and placed them onto the layer of gauze trying to keep them in the same pattern. He carefully put the lid on and marked up the box and placed it in his case. He smiled his thanks at Jo. "Now I just need to bag up the metal bar and the shell casings then we can see if we can find where the other bullets went and if there's any further trace of the killer down here."

Jo looked down at the three metal casings lying on the floor. "So our third man chases Jack Black after he's killed John Doe upstairs. Shoots at him three times hitting him only once. He then drops his glasses and accidentally steps on the lens before making his escape?" No sooner had the words left her lips than they heard a hollow clanging sound from the corridor. They both stood.

"Flack? That you?" Mac called. There was no answer. Mac pulled off his gloves and threw them on his case before reaching up to grab the flash-light. He stepped out into the corridor. A faint sound reached his ears. "Hello?" he called his voice echoing slightly.

Slowly they made their way down the corridor, Mac leading the way. "You armed?" whispered Jo.

Mac shook his head. "You?"

"No my piece is in the car. Has the scene been cleared?"

Mac nodded. "Yeah the building was swept while I was still upstairs. But look at the size of it." They proceeded cautiously looking into each of the rooms but all were quiet and empty. As they reached the end of the corridor they peered into the last room. Unlike the others this one wasn't empty. It was full of junk. Broken desks, chairs, an old blackboard, piles of discarded boxes. Mac stepped forward into the room and started looking behind the boxes. Suddenly Jo screamed and Mac spun around as she was propelled into his arms. He dropped his flash-light as he caught her and they both tumbled back into the boxes. "Jo?"

"I'm okay. Stop him." Jo muttered as she struggled to get to her feet. However they both froze as the door to the room slammed shut and they heard the sound of a key turning in the lock. "Shit!"

"..."

Don made his way back into the classroom where Danny and Lindsay were finishing up. "Okay so it turns out out our vic is James Nelson known as Jimmy to his friends. According to the bodega owner on the corner he's a good kid. Not known as a trouble maker. He lives with his Mom and brother about three blocks away. I've got a couple of my guys going over there now. "

Danny looked up, his brows drawn together. "Nelson?"

Lindsay looked at him. "You know him?"

"No but I know a Max Nelson. Picked him up in connection with an assault case not far from here about two years ago. Him and a bunch of lads beat some local drug pusher half to death. Wonder if he's any relation?"

Don nodded and picked up his phone. "Let me check," he muttered before wandering out into the hallway. He wondered how Mac and Jo were getting on. Don wandered down to the end of the hall and peered at the corridor. The door still stood propped open. He wandered over into the stairwell. No sign of them. Don wrinkled his nose in distaste at the recollection of the disgusting smell down in the basement. Besides there was no cell reception down there. He moved back out into the corridor as his call was answered. "Yeah Joe, could you run a quick check on a Max Nelson? Messer said he had him in on an assault charge two years ago. I wanna' know if he's any relation to Jimmy Nelson? Yeah I'll hold." Don looked down the hall to see Lindsay walking away and he sauntered back to where he had left his friend working.

A few moments earlier Danny smiled at his wife. "Okay Babe. I'm about done. You?"

"Yep. I wonder where the coroner's van has got to? I'm going to go check. I was kinda' hoping to get this cleared up quickly. It would nice to get off on time tonight, wouldn't it dear?" Lindsay looked at him pointedly before briskly walking out of the room.

Danny closed his case and stood up staring at the spot his wife had previously occupied. What had got into her today? His brow furrowed as he contemplated her words. What was so special about today anyway? He glanced automatically at his watch and then looked again but it was not the hands that caught his attention, it was the small number in the window just above the six. Twenty-one. "Oh shit!"

Don froze in the doorway as he caught Danny's last words. "What? Sorry say again Joe. They are related. Jimmy is Max's little brother. Okay thanks. Looks like you were right Messer. What's up with you?"

Danny ran his hands through his hair and rocked back on his heels. "I'm screwed." Don looked at him pointedly and gestured to him to explain. "It's the twenty-first," he hissed as he looked past Don's shoulder. Don looked at him uncomprehendingly. "It's our anniversary!"

"Oh! And let me guess you haven't got her anything." Danny looked frustrated as Don sniggered and patted him on the back. "Yep. You're screwed."

At that moment Lindsay put her head in at the door. "I don't believe it. There's a burst water main over on 5th. Traffic is backed up something crazy and the coroner's van can't get here for at least another half an hour maybe longer. I'm going to tell Mac." And with that she disappeared.

Both men stared at the door. "What am I gonna do?" muttered Danny.

Don pulled a face. "Judging by her conversation with Jo earlier, I guess you'll be paying a visit to Victoria's Secret during your lunch break."

Danny looked at him in horror. "What? Oh crap! The laundry!"

Don arched an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"This is pay-back." muttered Danny angrily as he stuck his hands in his pockets. "Lindsay asked me to put the laundry in the washing machine. How was I supposed to know that silk and lace go on a different setting?" He glanced at Don. "Just don't go there." Don attempted to smother his laughter. So that's why Lindsay was dropping hints!

Don patted his friend on the shoulder. "Hope your credit card is feeling generous," he commented much to Danny's disgust as they made they way back to the hall. "So what do we do now?" As if in answer a yell of 'Stop NYPD!' came from the direction of the corridor. Don immediately pulled his weapon and took off with Danny hot on his heels.

The sound of two gunshots pierced the air. "Lindsay?" Danny yelled on the verge of panic as the sound of the shots echoed in his ears. As they reached the door that led to the stairwell, he spied Lindsay sitting on the floor clutching her knee.

"He went up! Go!" she ordered. Don sped off up the stairs but Danny hesitated. "I'm fine! Go! Go!"

Don pounded up the stairs. He heard a door bang just above him. "Danny! Fourth floor. Cut him off!" Danny pulled open the door on third and looked up and down the corridor of empty classrooms. He cut right and pounded to the fire escape at the other end. Don approached the fourth floor door and, crouching down, carefully eased it open. He stuck his head out cautiously. A bullet twanged off the wall just above him sending bits of plaster flying all over. Don swore under his breath and pulled back.

"NYPD. Drop your weapon!" he yelled only to be answered with another two bullets. He stuck his arm out and fired off four shots in the general direction of the shooter. He was rewarded with two more shots. Don wished he knew what weapon the shooter had and how many more shots he had left. He risked another quick look but the corridor was empty. Carefully he stepped out and ran to an open door on the other side. Looking in through the windows of the classrooms he could see nothing but empty rooms. Then he spotted the shell casings on the floor at the end of the corridor. The building had three sets of stairs, the main set he had just taken and emergency exits on each end. Don ran to the emergency exit and pushed open the door. Up or down? Don peered at the handrail. There was a smudge of black. Don swiped a finger over it and rubbed it against his thumb. Fingerprint powder. The perp must have picked it up from the handrail Mac had dusted earlier. Up! Don climbed the stairs as quietly as he could and pushed open the door to the roof. He took a deep breath and raised his gun. The man he was chasing was at the far side of the roof pulling at the door to the extra half-floor at the other side of the building. The man turned to fire at him but the bullets went wide as the other door suddenly swung out catching their perp on the back. Danny burst out through the door and tackled the man wrestling him to the floor. The gun spun out of his hand. Don raced across the roof and kicked the gun out of his reach.

"Stay down," spat Danny twisting the man's arm up behind his back. Suddenly the fight seemed to go out of him and he went limp. Danny dragged out his cuffs and pulled the man's hands together firmly clicking the cuffs around his wrists.

"He killed Jimmy. That bastard killed my little brother," he wept.

Don holstered his weapon and helped Danny pull the man to his feet. "Let me guess. Max Nelson?" Danny nodded.

"Jack killed him because he owed him money. First he gets them hooked, then he gets them in debt … for life!" Max looked at them with tears in his eyes. "My baby brother was a good boy and look what that bastard did to him. He deserved to die. He deserved to die..." his voice trailed away as his head fell to his chest, his breathing ragged. For a moment Danny and Don just looked at him. It was impossible not to feel just a little pity as the man cried for his brother.

"Come on Max. Let's go." Danny said softly. Don pulled out a handkerchief and picked up Max' weapon. Together they made they way down to the front entrance. When they arrived they found an additional squad car and an ambulance. Don took Max to the uniformed officers while Danny ran over to Lindsay who was being treated by a paramedic.

She looked up at him and her heart almost broke at the look of sheer panic on his face at the sight of her trouser leg cut up to her knee and the blood pouring down her leg. "It's okay." she tried to reassure him. "It's just a scratch. A ricochet from the stairwell."

"It's going to need a few stitches, I'm afraid." The paramedic smiled apologetically as she taped a dressing over the wound. Lindsay shrugged her acknowledgement having worked that out for herself. Danny seemed to be frozen to the spot.

"Danny!" Danny looked at her. "It's fine. I'm going to get patched up. You finish up here and get my kit. I left it by the classroom door and my jacket's by the window. I'll call you and you can come pick me up okay?" Danny nodded dumbly. "It's okay. Go finish up." Danny gave her a half-smile and the paramedic prepared to load her into the ambulance. Danny stepped back to allow the paramedic to stow her gear. "Oh and Danny, I think you should go check on Mac and Jo. I can't imagine where they've got to."

Danny felt Don step up behind him. "She okay?" he asked looking at his friend's pale face.

Danny ran a hand through his hair. He took a deep breath to try to calm his heart-rate. "Yeah it's just a scratch, a ricochet. She just needs a few stitches but she's gonna be fine." Danny watched as the paramedic closed the doors and the ambulance pulled away. "She wants me to finish up here and then go pick her up."

Don put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "We could have handled that. You could have gone with her."

Danny smiled. "Yeah I know ..." he broke off suddenly and looked around. "Speaking of we, have you seen Mac and Jo?"

Don felt his stomach clench. "No, they were in the basement. Oh God ..." Don looked over at the squad car where a uniformed officer was searching Max Nelson's pockets. The officer turned around as Don and Danny rushed over.

"Detective Flack. I found these in his pockets." Officer Holby held out a small cardboard box, a pair of glasses with a missing lens and three shell casings.

"What did you do with them?" screamed Don making both Max Nelson and Officer Holby jump.

"What? Who?" stammered Nelson as Don, Danny and Officer Holby glared at him.

"The two police officers processing the crime scene. Mac Taylor and Jo Danville." Don picked up the cardboard box that was neatly labelled with the date, place and Mac's signature.

"Nothin'! I didn't do anything … well other than locking them in the basement. I didn't hurt them if that's what you mean."

"Shit!" muttered Danny. "Come on Don. Mac is gonna' be so pissed." As Danny and Don both turned back to the front door, they were astonished to see Mac and Jo appear at the top of the steps.

"Well I be damned. How the hell did they get out?" muttered Nelson behind them. That, however, was not the first question on either of their minds as Don and Danny stared at Jo as she stormed down the stairs towards them.

"Where the hell have you been?" she demanded. "What's going on?" The two men didn't answer as they were both clearly distracted by her appearance.

Don raised a finger and pointed at Jo's mid-riff, a look of pure confusion on his face. "Why are you wearing Mac's shirt?"

Jo's face turned a delicious shade of pink and she pointed an accusatory finger at Mac. "Ask him!" she spat as she stormed off towards her car muttering something about going home to get changed. Don and Danny watched her for a few seconds then turned back to look pointedly at Mac who was now looking a little disconcerted standing in full view of everyone with one hand in the pocket of his black pants and the other firmly gripped around Jo's top.

Mac looked at Jo's retreating back and then at Don and Danny. He straightened up a little and then with as much dignity as he could muster he waved the bright blue material gripped firmly in his left hand. "I had to pick the lock."

"..."

Don stepped out of the car onto the pavement beside Mac and Danny. "You're coming with us?" asked Danny in astonishment.

"Wouldn't miss this for the world." Flack grinned much to their discomfort.

"Come on." grumbled Mac as he led the way into the pink fronted store. The doors swished quietly open at their approach. As they stepped inside the cool, air-conditioned interior, they were greeted by soft gentle music and the fragrant scent of silk, satin and lace. The three men stopped and glanced around. Two of the store's customers froze and stared at the unlikely trio. The two young women looked at one another and giggled. Danny could feel his cheeks redden. At that moment he envied his boss who didn't seem to be in the least bit perturbed. A tall brunette with a badge identifying her as Dawn walked up to them. "Good evening gentlemen. How can I be of assistance?" There was only the faintest trace of amusement in her voice but her face was a mask of professionalism. She was used to nervous gentlemen customers though it was rare that they came en masse.

Flack grinned from ear to ear. "Oh I'm … er... just window shopping but these two definitely need help." Mac glared at him while Danny shuffled around nervously.

"Is Rose here?" Dawn turned to stare at Mac in surprise though not as much as Don and Danny. As though hearing her name, Rose appeared through a door at the back of the shop.

"Mac!" she cried in delight as she walked up to him. She threw her arms around him. "It's been ages. What brings you here?"

"Hello Rose." Mac smiled as he returned the hug. He pointed to Danny. "First of all, my young friend here needs a wedding anniversary present for his wife. A generous one!" Mac grinned at Danny who was still in a state of shock.

"Dawn, why don't you show the gentleman our new collection? And secondly …?" She looked at Don admiringly as Dawn led Danny away.

Mac grinned. "You can ignore him," he quipped. "I … er … need a replacement for this." Mac held out the bright blue material that had once been Jo's top. Rose took it and held it up to inspect it.

"Oh my goodness Mac! What have you done to it?" she exclaimed as she stared in horror at the remnants of the torn and soiled bra-top that had been one of their best sellers.

Mac caught the looks of the other two customers who were gawking at him from behind a display of black satin camisoles. "It wasn't me …", he muttered. "Well … it was me … but it's not what you think."

"Frankly Mac I'm not sure what to think ..." Rose glared at him. "... but you have to learn to be a little less rough," she admonished as she led them to the back of the store.

"I had to pick a lock!"

Rose spun back to look at him. "With a bra-top?"

Don fully expected this to engender further discussion but Rose merely shook her head and told them wait while she checked her stock. "You a regular here then?" he asked only to receive a glare in reply. "String of girl-friends with expensive taste in lingerie? Cross-dressing?" Don grinned as Mac tried to look annoyed.

"Rose is my sister-in-law if you must know." Don frowned. "She was married to Claire's brother. They divorced a few years back before David remarried and moved out West. We still keep in touch from time to time." Rose came back and waved a packet at him as she stepped behind the counter.

"You're in luck. I have one left in the same size. I expect you want it gift-wrapped?" She didn't wait for an answer. Don leaned against the counter as Mac paid and collected his package still unable to believe that he knew so little about his friend. The man was just full of surprises. "There's a special on this week so there's a little something extra in there for the lucky lady." Rose smiled at Mac. "Now don't be such a stranger. We'll have to have brunch and catch up. Perhaps you can introduce me to your friend?"

"It's not what you think." Mac said quietly.

Pity, thought Rose to herself as she waved goodbye. Outside Mac and Don were looking at Danny clutching a large bag. "Do you think we ought to buy him a drink? He looks a little pale."

"With those prices what do you expect?" exclaimed Danny. Mac and Don chuckled as Danny's phone rang. "Babe, are you okay? You're sure? Yeah I'll be right there."

"Come on, I'll drop you off at the hospital before I take Mac back to face the music." Don laughed as he got in the car.

Forty minutes later Adam was standing in the AV lab animatedly explaining his latest findings to Sheldon when Mac stepped out of the elevator and headed past them towards Jo's office. They exchanged glances. "Was he carrying what I think he was carrying?" Adam waved his pen in the air. Sheldon nodded slowly having noted the same distinctive pink-striped bag. For a moment neither of them moved not quite able to come to terms with the fact that their boss was brazenly walking through the lab with a bag of ladies underwear. The same thought struck them at once. For whom? They both rushed to the door and peered down the hall.

Mac walked into Jo's office and placed the bag on her desk. She smiled at her. "Am I forgiven?" Jo leaned back in her chair and, unable to help herself, returned his smile.

"You got one?" She stood up and reached into the bag as Mac perched himself on the edge of her desk unwittingly giving his two employees an even better view of what was happening. "Ooo! And gift-wrapped too!" Even though she knew what was in it, she couldn't help a little shiver of excitement as she pulled off the ribbon and opened the box. Carefully lifting the tissue paper, Jo's eyes opened wide. "And a little something extra!"

Mac's smile broadened at her obvious delight as he wondered what Rose had added. However his smile faded into an open-mouthed look of sheer surprise as Jo lifted out a little scrap of material. Jo jiggled the matching little lace thong. "Mac Taylor, you naughty boy!" Mac's mouth opened and closed like a gold-fish but no sound came out. He was going to kill Rose! "I tell you what, you take me out to dinner ..." Jo grinned as she repacked the box into the bag. "...and I'll model them for you afterwards," she whispered wickedly causing Mac to blush nicely. She grabbed her purse and scooping the bag off her desk she made for the door. "Oh and I almost forgot … this is yours!" Jo picked up his shirt from earlier and dangled it from a perfectly manicured finger.

Mac took it and followed her down the corridor. Jo waved to Sheldon and Adam who were rooted to the spot quite unable to believe what they had just witnessed. She grinned at them as she pressed the call-button for the elevator. They looked questioningly at Mac as he passed.

Mac winced as he realized they had seen everything and were probably already embellishing the story for the rest of the lab-techs. "Wardrobe Malfunction!" he announced nonchalantly as he passed and stepped into the elevator with Jo.

As the doors closed Jo grinned at Mac. "You know this is going to all over the lab by tomorrow."

Mac chuckled. "Yeah I know. But at least everyone got some good out of it in the end." Jo raised an eyebrow. "We caught the bad guy. Lindsay will have a romantic evening at home being thoroughly spoilt by Danny. You get a new top and … er accessory! I get to have dinner with you ..." At this Jo smiled hooking her arm through his. "And Don gets a new challenge..."

"What do you mean a new challenge?"

"Well we're at a stalemate when it comes to the locker room with a conventional kit … we're both on twenty-two seconds. Now he has to beat me picking a mortice lock with an under-wired bra in less than six minutes and forty-three seconds!"

Jo rolled her eyes. Men!

"Of course his first challenge will be getting an under-wired bra!" chuckled Mac.

"Oh I might be able to help him with that." Jo smiled at Mac's look of horror. "It's not what you think. I'll explain over dinner." Perhaps it wasn't turning out to be such a bad day after all.