Disclaimer: I don't own CSI: New York. And the Lost Trailers own Holler Back. I do own Caroline, Emily, and William Palmer, Boone, Haley Oakley, and Jen and Jess Hennessey.
Something was stabbing me in the chest. Something small, sharp, and pointy. Obviously it was pointy, Caroline, if it's stabbing you. But the pounding in my head was helping matters either.
I groaned, rolling over. Suddenly the sharp pain on my up chest was gone, but my shoulders felt constricted. And my face was being showered in dog saliva. Just what I wanted. I shoved my puppy's head away from me.
"Quit it, Boone," I mumbled, slowly letting my eyes open. Only to close them again. I tried to remember what happened yesterday, anything that happened yesterday. Well, anything except for the one single solitary thing that I could remember.
It never ceased to amaze me how things that couldn't ever bother you in the moment would haunt your vision while you tried to fall asleep. Maybe that was why I had a pounding headache. I liked turning to whiskey. I remembered snorting at Mac when he asked if I wouldn't rather have a glass of wine.
I sat up, my eyes opening.
What the hell did I do last night?
Ugh. I fumbled on the night stand for my phone, rubbing my eyes all the while, and pushing my brunette locks from my face. I bet my hair looked fantastic. Really. You should see some of the masterpieces I've created in my sleep. The screen of my phone woke me up. I had five missed calls.
Do you know how hard it is to sleep through 'Holler Back'?
Suffice to say, I was dead to the world last night.
I rolled the other way, wincing as Boone whimpered, jumping up before jumping off my bed. I leaned over the edge, squinting to read the number on my answering machine. Six. Someone just shoot me now.
I rolled over again, back to the position I woke up to. And there was that stabbing again. Christ that hurt. I looked down at myself, finally realizing the problem.
There was an oddly shaped pin, attached to the clean cut collar of a suit coat, which was on me. That was weird. I definitely do not remember that. I think I would remember something like that. Because this was definitely Mac Taylor's coat. And, well, you know me and Mac Taylor.
I'm vaguely surprised I didn't keel over on the spot when it happened. But, then again, it's difficult to say what I was thinking at the time, as I didn't quite remember it. For all I know, I could've spilled my guts to him.
And I sure as heck hope I didn't do that.
The Lost Trailer's blared at me. I looked down at my phone. Like I needed to make sure it was my phone that was ringing. It's nice to know that alcohol intake doesn't really change me that much.
"What up?" I mumbled into the phone, cutting off the ring tone just before it could start all over again.
"What up? Really? That's the best you've got for me? Why weren't you answering your phone? You just stopped texting me last night and I-"
"Hales, I'm engaged," I gave a lazy smile into my phone. Silence on the other end. "You know I'm joking, right?"
"You just be glad that I haven't come over there to give you a good-"
"Please refrain from swearing, Haley. I'm not in the, uh, best frame of mind to listen to someone else swear. If anyone gets to swear, it's me."
"What'd you do?" I sighed, looking up at my plain white ceiling. I should put something up there. It would give me something to look at all those mornings when I was rudely awoken by someone calling me. Which seemed to be happening a lot lately. "Liney, you worried me."
"I'm fine," I mumbled. "Just a little bit of a hangover, and only a vague blur of whatever I did last night. And, apparently, a suit coat. Because that sort of stuff happens, you know?"
"I'm not going to pretend to know what you're talking about," Haley muttered. I could just see her rolling her eyes at me. That image came into my mind a lot recently, too. "But it's a Saturday, and you had me worried last night, and Jess and Jen couldn't get you to answer either, and-"
"Really, Oakley. Stop. I know," I brought my free hand up to my ever growing headache. "I'm going to put something of substance in my system, and you and Jen and Jessie'll all be here in a few hours. I know."
"Good." She hung up on me. I muttered a few impolite words as I dropped my phone back into the mess of bed sheets I was currently residing in. I attempted pulling myself out, but the moment I made to stand up, I fell flat on my face instead. And, I guess, by that point in time, Boone wasn't mad at me anymore, as she promptly stuck her wet nose right up next to my ear.
I reached a hand up, still lying on the floor, scratching her behind the ears. She licked my nose. Thanks, again, Boone. Just what I wanted. Again. Really. I picked myself up and dragged my feet through the apartment. I stopped briefly at a mirror, giving myself a one over. Wow. Was I something to look at. But, I mused, even in an over sized suit coat, a t-shirt, and athletic shorts, along with my crazy mess of hair flowing every which way, I probably still wouldn't raise any questions in the streets down below me.
Again, New Yorkers are strange. No doubt.
I pulled a bottle of water out of my fridge, and then leaned back on it. And I was just about to put a little bit of good old h-two-oh in my system when I saw the note. The messy, but not, at the same time, handwriting on my white board belonged to none other than the owner of the coat I was currently wearing.
Caroline,
I hope you're feeling better this morning. I'll bring your spare key back by later. No whiskey tonight, right?
Mac
"Oh, you're a real comedian, Detective Mac Taylor," I stated to the white board. Or to Boone, if that makes you feel more comfortable. I realize that me talking to myself is a little odd. And so is me talking to inanimate objects. And-
Wait. Did that say he was coming back?
I read the board again. Yep, sure enough. I needed to remember to text Haley and let her know the key wasn't outside anymore. Or she'll probably yell at me some more. And, call me insensitive, but I really wasn't too keen on listening to her rant about how I really wasn't being there for her. I never understood why my key not being in its usual place meant that I was being a horrible friend, but, hey, I guess friendship means different things to different people.
I thought back to yesterday again, as I got myself into the shower. What I could remember of it, anyway. I relaxed as the beads of hot water rushed over my skin. You have no idea how amazing that felt at that exact moment. No idea.
I grinned as I remembered meeting the various detectives, and CSIs, and lab techs that worked in Mac's lab. Although, yeah, I'll be honest, aside from Mac and Flack, and, yes, that still made me laugh, by the way, I only remembered two names. Danny Messer, because he might have taken the title of sexiest man ever away from Don Flack, had I not noticed a ring on a certain finger. He was undeniably hot, though, with a ridiculously sexy voice that spilled out the phrase 'How ya doin'?' with no effort what so ever and in the single most attractive way I've ever heard anyone speak. Ever.
And Adam Ross, because, hey, that was one heck of a head of hair and he was just dorky enough to be beyond adorable. And I realize that no man in his twenties wants to be called adorable. But sometimes, you just can't help that.
I remembered the other people, too. Like the wife. I smiled as I rinsed shampoo out of my hair. I liked that. 'The Wife.' I'm definitely calling her that from now on. She'd smiled at me, saying her name, which I can't recall, although I'm sure it ended in Messer, call me a genius like that, and resting her hand on her husband's arm. She was the one that had picked up the Browning in the alley. And she wanted to know more about how I knew, and then we just talked.
And when she left and Mac came back I started talking about my mother and the day's events and my life and his life and, really, it all blurred together after that.
--
Okay, I'll admit it. I put his coat back on again after I'd gotten out of the shower and changed into a nicer shirt and blue jeans. Could I help the fact that it smelled amazing? Which was vaguely surprising, considering that Mac worked with dead people.
I really hope I never bring that up in conversation. Ever. Because that's a pretty lame joke. Even for me. And I know lame. Kind of like the conversation that ensued when the girls arrived.
"Hey, sorry we're late," Jen greeted me.
"It was all their fault. Making stupid remarks about wanting to go down back streets because back street boys are hot," Haley rolled her eyes. I don't think I've ever had a single conversation with her, in the entire twenty or so years I've known her, without her rolling her eyes.
"Oh, yeah," I mumbled, lazily falling into a hug with Jen. I hadn't seen her in weeks. That was the problem with her going to Julliard, didn't get to see her quite as often as I'd like. That, and she did kind of have a real job. "Did you say that in sync, too?"
"Nice," Jess gave me a high five. "Here I thought we were the only ones with lame jokes about boy bands."
"At our age, anyway," Jen added. I backed up to get a look at them. They were definitely twins. They both even moved their bangs out of their face just before they could catch on their eyelashes. That was kind of creepy. Being like mirrors.
Maybe that was last night's whiskey talking.
"So no whiskey, tonight, huh?" Jess asked, pointing at the white board as she settled herself onto my couch.
"Bummer," Jen stated. "Is Mac the owner of the coat you're wearing?" I blushed, looking down at the realization that I was still wearing it, but nodded, slipping it off and draping it across the back of Jen's chair. I fell into the couch next to Jess.
"Okay," Haley waltzed back in the room with Boone in her arms. "So, I've got two pizzas and you've got beer and there's a hockey game on in an hour. You can either spill about last night and boys, or you can listen to my future in law trouble."
"Trouble, really?" I asked. "I thought you loved Physics boy's parents, and vice versa."
"That really wasn't an option, Liney, I was just being polite," she glared at me.
"There's really not much to talk about," I replied. "I just, uh, I guess I just fell asleep while Mac and I were talking and he gave me his coat. Besides, we all know he's twice my age and nothing would ever happen there, because he's an upstanding citizen of the law and a Marine and-"
"We don't know all that," Jen cut in. "Because we're not from Tennessee."
"Although, I kind of wish we were," Jess added. "Because your boy stories are so much better than any of ours."
"What's there to know?" I asked, lifting an eyebrow. "Because I'm sure that Haley's told you pretty much anything of importance."
"I want to know what he looks like," Jess replied. "I'm gonna get to, though, if he's true to his word." She nodded toward the white board again. Why did I not think to erase that? I should've known that they would never leave me alone about it. And I wasn't really looking forward to it, not that it would be a big deal. But it still made me nervous, especially with my own trio of annoying friends here.
At least Emily wasn't here, too. Or the high school jokes would be back. She and Haley were ruthless. Family knew how to hit you the hardest.
We were ten minutes into the Hurricanes-Rangers game, each with a slice of pizza, and Haley and Jess with a beer in their hands. Jen declined a beer, having water instead, stating that she was designated driver, and I'd gotten a glass of sweet tea, in true southern fashion. And that's when my doorbell rang.
"Oh, Liney," Haley stated, taking a swig of her bottle, "Don't let your legs fall out from underneath you when you see him." Unfortunately, this gave Jess plenty of time to scramble toward the door to get a good look through the peep hole.
"Damn, Caroline," she whistled as she leaned back. "That's one fine specimen of the male species at your door."
"What?" I knew Mac was hot, but, considering the fact that he was old enough to be my dad coupled with the knowledge of the kind of men Jessie normally went for, I wouldn't have pegged her for liking the view. I vaguely heard Jen making a joke in the background, Jess and Haley laughing, all three poised over my shoulder.
It was Flack. It was Flack standing outside my door. He told me to call him Flack yesterday. I remember that. When I asked him why, he said it made him feel old. I responded with the statement that I felt incredibly old when people called me Carol. And that, of course, left me with the imagery of the two of us sitting in rocking chairs in our eighties or nineties with children running around the yard in front of us.
Then I slapped myself, because I couldn't be thinking of things like that. And despite the fact that he chuckled, I was still betting on the fact that he thought I was a crazy.
But, I mean, what the hell was going on with the world these days? Someone upstairs was really trying to make me have a heart attack. I shot a glare over my shoulder, silently telling them to back away from the door, before opening it.
"Flack?" I questioned, looking him up and down. Nice suit, though today his tie, while still not entirely matching, was just plain ugly, I couldn't help but give him a grin. He would probably be sexy in anything he was wearing. That, and his eyes, which were locked on mine.
"Hey," he stated, sticking his hand out toward me. I looked down, seeing a key in it. Oh. Well, that's boring. "Mac asked if I'd drop this off. He got tied up at work."
"I hope you don't mean literally," I mumbled, taking the key from his hand. Silently, I wondered if Mac had specifically asked him or if he'd volunteered or something. But, despite the fact that I really wanted to know, I knew I'd never ask. That would also trigger awkward conversation.
Or it might trigger wild sex.
I wouldn't know, it's never happened to me.
I stepped out the door to put the key back in its spot under the small porcelain hunting dog that William had given me the last time he'd visited. I loved my brothers, but sometimes they had crappy gifts. Although, this piece of crap did come in handy. When I finished, the girls were pulling on their coats and heading out the doorway, while Flack stood awkwardly to the side.
"Where are you going?" I asked. What I was really saying was 'What the eff?' Haley grinned at me, as the twins had already made it to the elevator. She was already halfway drunk.
"We're going to watch the game at Jess's," she stated. What she was really saying was 'Hey, Flack. Caroline's watching the Rangers game, and we're going to leave so you can both watch the Rangers game, together.' I hoped he didn't follow her language. "Bigger TV." She added as the elevator doors closed. Which, of course, meant 'We're the first to know if you have sex.' I found the added bit kind of insulting, because she knew I wasn't that kind of person.
And I can't believe I just analyzed a conversation like that.
Flack cleared his throat, as I was still staring at the elevator doors, completely dumbfounded. I'm sure my expression was absolutely attractive, too.
Not.
"I've, uh, got something for Mac, too," I murmured, turning back into my apartment. "And, uh, you can come in if you want," I added. I was really bad at attempting to flirt. If you could even call said attempts flirting. You probably wouldn't. But he followed me in.
So that was a good place to start, right?
As always, x-posted at LJ.
I realize nothing really happened in this chapter. But, I didn't really know how to actually write someone that's actually working the lab at the lab. And if I'd continued with Flack and Caroline first unofficial date, it probably would've gone on forever, so. This is roughly the self-imposed word limit I put on my chapters.
Please drop a review to let me know what you think. Is there something I'm doing wrong, something I'm doing write, something you want me to write about, specifically? Is there not enough actual substance? That probably won't change much through the story, but it might if you guys feel like there's not enough happening. It is supposed to have a lot of randomness in it, though, hence the title.
Yeah, so, anyway, let me know! And thanks for reading! :)
-Piper
