HEY :)

SO HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER. I FELT RATHER DEPRESSED AFTER WRITING THIS ONE.

You guys are so lovely to review my chapters like you do. It means so much :)

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End Of Previous Chapter.

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. . . The moment they were naked, wild reckless energy burst inside them and Jo couldn't move quickly enough, her hands weren't fast enough to satisfy the craving.

It was building so fast, the need like teeth grinding inside him. His hands raced over her and her body arched fluidly back so that his lips could taste where and how they liked. Then her climax suddenly ripped through him and he drove himself inside her.

His rhythm was slow now, with long, deep strokes that stirred her soul and her breath quickened at the fluid slide of his body in hers. Then his fingers linked with hers, his lips curved on hers and she felt his body tighten an instant before he buried his face in her hair.

They lay quiet for a long time, their bodies meshed,but still.

Finally Mac rose and gazed down at her. "I'm going to stay with you tonight." He whispered softly.

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CHAPTER 4.

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Mac woke up from a dead sleep. His eyes flew open and he stared at the ceiling for several seconds. Suddenly he became aware of her soft body sleeping beside him and he allowed himself a moment to relish the feel of her nestled against him. To remember how incredible it was last night. To remember the way he'd shattered in her arms.

As much as he wanted to bury himself back inside her, he stayed where he was and gazed down at this soft, strong woman that made him feel so whole, so alive. Christ. Look at her. He dragged a hand through his hair. Even sound asleep and wrecked on sex, she looked so damn beautiful, like a princess.

It was time for a reality check. Only it felt more like a gut check, because this hadn't been all about sex. Yeah, it had been great sex. Okay, unbelievable sex. But it had also been more. At least for him it had. It had been about . . . Love. Damn it Mac!

He eased carefully off the couch so he wouldn't wake her. Then he grabbed his clothes and headedfor the bathroom to get dressed.

He was soaking up his hit of caffeine and squaring away the arguments in his head when he heard her walk in ten minutes later.

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Right about now Jo's emotions were racing like a high flying roller-coaster. Deep down she'd known that sex with Mac Taylor would not be the pristine, polite sex of her limited experience. Sex with Mac Taylor would be of the messy, hot and sweaty variety. Sex with him would be incredibly intense and boy was she right. She'd been absolutely defenceless last night. This woman who tackled corruption on the streets for a living, had been 100 percent defenceless against him. Well what had happened between them, had nothing to do with power and positioning and who had the upper hand.

She closed her eyes. . . like she'd been closing her eyes on the truth for so long. . .From the moment she'd first set eyes on him. From the moment she'd looked down from that balcony and saw him gaze up at her. She would never forget that moment for the rest of her life. She swallowed hard and gazed back at him. "Hey." She squinted against the sun beaming in through the window. "Great morning."

He turned to face her. God. She had that thin robe wrapped so tightly around her and he could see by the way it was plastered against her body that she wasn't wearing anything else. He released a slow, unsteady breath, grabbed the mug of coffee and placed it on the counter next to her. "Barely that. It's almost eleven. How's your hand?"

Her eyes widened. "It's eleven o'clock?"

"Yea I guess we were . . . pretty tired." and totally spent on the best sex he'd ever had. "How's your hand?"

She looked across at him for a long moment, then sighed inwardly. "It's fine. Mac. . ."

It killed him, but he jumped in quickly anyway. "Look, Jo. About last night."

Her hand paused mid-air. She looked at him, hard. "Wait. You're not really going to give me an about last night speech, are you?"

Damn it. "Fine. I'll cut to the chase. The sex was great. Are you on the pill?"

She looked stunned, but nodded.

"Then we're good. . ." He stopped himself at the last second, cursed inwardly, turned and tossed his coffee down the sink.

"Well I'm just bowled over by your morning-after love talk Romeo."

Mac whirled back around to her. "Look you came to me remember? I gave you what you wanted. Now we need to . . . reassess the situation."

She pushed back the hurt and searched his eyes. "Reassess the situation?"

He steeled himself against her wounded look. "Distance. . . We both need . . . some space." He looked back down at her hand. "You had a lousy day yesterday. Take today off."

Reeling with shock and pain, Jo turned and watched him bolt passed her and disappear out of the kitchen, a split second later she heard her front door slam shut behind her. She swallowed into an aching throat and blinked back the tears. "That's fine Mac." She turned back and stared out of the window. ". . . I cant do this any more." She whispered.

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Seven hours later, Mac was sitting at Don's desk down at the station with the report back in his hand. He had no idea why he was putting himself through this. He'd lost count of how many times he'd read the damn thing. My God. That apartment building was fifteen storeys high. If Don hadn't got to Jo in time she would be dead right now. He'd tried not to think about it. Tried to busy himself with other things, but then he'd gone and pick it up, looked through it again, and images of her lying dead in a pool of blood resurfaced in his mind, eating away at him like a bad cancer.

Don had been questioning Aaron Collins when Mac had charged into the interrogation room hours earlier. He'd come close to punching Aaron's lights out, but Don and another Officer had pulled him out of there just in time. It had taken Mac a good hour to calm down after that. Aaron had confessed that he'd taken the V.I.P Pass from Petrov and was watching Ryan's fight from the bleachers the other night. That it was him who'd been stalking Ryan all these years and sent him all those death threats, but Aaron denied adamantly that he'd killed him. Mac and Don checked with the half way house. Aaron had made curfew. He'd gone back there straight after the fight. There was no way he could have killed Ryan Richards.

Mac leaned back in the chair and checked his watch. It was already 16:00 and he'd eaten nothing all day. His mind drifted back to Jo. Back to all those times they'd gone out at lunchtime and eaten together. God he'd missed that. Missed her company. Missed her smile. . . His heart melted as other images crashed into his mind. Her rosy lips parted, inviting, so ripe he had to taste her. Her fingers diving into his hair, as she dragged his mouth closer for a kiss. Her tongue flickering out to meet his. Her body quivering beneath his touch . . .

"Earth calling Mac. Come in Mac."

He sat bolt upright in his seat and saw Don standing there, leaning back against the filing cabinet with that amused look on his face.

Mac muttered under his breath, gazed back at the computer and pretended to look busy. "Yes Don?" It was then that he realised the report on Aaron Collins arrest was still wide open in front of him.

Don's smile faded. "How many times are you going to look over that report?"

Mac cursed inwardly, slammed it shut and chucked it back in Don's tray. "I've finished looking at it." He murmured. He got Marty Bosch's profile up on the screen. "You're right. This kid has a clean record. No minors, nothing."

Marty Bosch had come staggering into the police station a couple of hours ago covered in Gasoline and blood. He'd told Don, he thought he'd killed someone the night before last. Had he killed Ryan Richards? That's what Don and Mac had been trying to find out all afternoon.

Mac glanced back at Don. "Does he remember anything yet?"

Don sighed. "Nope. All he remembers is getting wasted down at Gerry's on Sixth. He vaguely recalls walking out of the bar. The next thing he remembers is waking up in his dorm covered in blood."

"That's just great." Mac muttered. He pushed out a frustrated breath and rose out of the chair. "I'm going to get back to the Department and see if Lindsay's finished processing the blood and gasoline from Marty's shirt." He started to walk passed him.

"How's Jo by the way?"

Don's question hit him like a gut punch. He froze momentarily, then somehow managed to cast a benign glance back at him. "She's fine. But she's still a little rattled after what happened yesterday, so I've given her the day off. I'll see you later."

Don let out a heavy sigh, as he watched Mac cross the precinct and disappear through the main doors.

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Lindsay walked to Mac's office. It was still empty so she pulled out her phone.

"Have you found anything on Marty's clothing yet?"

She turned around and saw him exiting the elevator. "Yea. I was just about to call you." She smiled.

He didn't smile back.

She cleared her throat. "Uh. . . Marty's shirt was covered in human blood, but it wasn't Ryan Richards. And this isn't the same gasoline. Marty didn't burn up our vic."

Mac muttered under his breath and pulled out his I pad. "Well. We're at a dead end on the Richards case right now. . ." He brought up Marty's profile and showed her his address. ". . . I want you and Danny to go ask around the neighborhood. Maybe someone saw Marty that night. Maybe someone even knows what he got up to."

Lindsay took a note of the address. "Sure." She handed the I Pad back to him. "Uh Mac? Is Jo okay?"

Oh for God sake. He rubbed at his forehead. "Jo's fine."

"It's just that. . . She looked a little upset when I saw her an hour ago." Lindsay said hesitantly.

Mac's eyes flashed back at Lindsay. "She did?"

"Yea. I'm just a little worried about her. I called after her but she just rushed out of the Department."

He inhaled sharply as the guilt swept through him and that raw, dull ache gripped his heart once again. It had taken him years of conditioning to successfully shut the emotional systems down, and yea, he thought he'd finally done it. Only it seemed he wasn't quite dead of feeling love after all. Jo Danville wasn't going to allow it. Couldn't she see he wasn't good enough for her?

Suddenly he frowned and looked back at Lindsay. "Wait. She was here?"

"Yes. She came rushing through the elevator, dropped something on your desk and bolted out of here without saying a word."

His breath stalled in his chest. God No! He pushed passed Lindsay, strode quickly into his office and rounded his desk. He snatched up the envelope, tore it open and pulled out the letter. He scanned the page and had to steel himself to keep from going numb with shock and disbelief.

Lindsay followed him into his office and came to an abrupt stop when she saw the sharp sorrow and regret in his eyes. Oh my God! "Mac?"

Slowly he met her concerned gaze. He drew a steady breath, let it out and shoved the letter under a stack of files. "I. . .have to go out for a bit. Call me if you find anything on Marty Bosch." He ushered her out of his office and shut the door behind him. "I'll be back soon."

Lindsay whirled around and watched Mac race across the corridor and disappear back in the Elevator.

Danny frowned and walked quickly up the corridor toward Lindsay. "What's going on with Mac?"

Her eye's flashed to his and Immediately he saw the anxiety in her expression. "Linds what's wrong?"

"I don't know but we've got to find out."

Danny's eyes widened when Lindsay slapped her I Pad into his hand and ran into Mac's office. He looked around to check no one had noticed and followed her in. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Danny just keep watch, in case Mac comes back."

Danny looked back at the corridor. "You're clear."

She rummaged through the files and finally found the sheet of paper. She pulled it out and looked down at it. Her eyes widened.

Danny moved quickly toward her and snatched it out of her hand.

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Adam and Sheldon walked around the corner and Immediately caught sight of Danny and Lindsay in Mac's office.

"What are they doing in there?" Sheldon asked perplexed.

"I don't know, but Lindsay looks upset. Come on. Let's go and find out."

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Danny scanned the page. "Ah Crap! This can't be happening."

Adam and Sheldon came rushing through the door.

"What can't be happening?" Adam asked anxiously.

Danny eyes flashed up at them. He sighed heavily and looked back down at the letter.

Lindsay swallowed back a lump in her throat. "Jo's just resigned."

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Mac looked up the road and saw that fifth Avenue was clogged with traffic. "Dammit!" He cranked the steering wheel hard to the right and skidded down the side street on two tyres. Then he buried the gas pedal, and floored it. When he got onto the next road he had to slam down hard on the brakes and he barely avoided rear-ended the BMW in front of him. He looked ahead and saw a dozen other cars clogging the lanes as a freight train creaked slowly across the intersection. A long bloody train. He muttered a curse and thought of Jo. Wasn't this what he'd wanted? Distance? God. He'd been so damn selfish. So damn stupid.

The train eventually passed by and he slammed down on the gas pedal speeding off once again, as he hopped from one lane to another, weaving his way through the line of traffic.

Finally he made it the last two blocks and skidded to a stop outside her apartment building.

He dashed out the car, flat-out ran across the asphalt and burst through the main doors.

He sprinted across the foyer to the elevators, skidded to a stop and impatiently stabbed at the button, but the damn elevator was coming down too damn slow. He cursed loudly and sprinted for the stairs. He took the steps two at a time, his thighs were burning and his lungs felt like they were on fire by the time he made the tenth floor. He forced himself to slow down when he turned the corner and saw her door at the end of the hallway. His labored breath and the pumping like pistons of his pulse racing through his ears were the only sounds he could hear. He stopped and leaned back against the wall. Okay Mac. You need to calm down.

He took a moment to get his breath back, then walked to her door, knocked and waited. There was silence. He knocked again. "Jo. It's me. Look I'm sorry. . . Please. . . just open the door." He waited another moment. "Jo. Please just let me in." He sighed and pulled out his keys. He found hers, the key she had given him for emergencies. "Jo. I'm coming in." God. She going to be even more pissed at him now. He pushed the key in the lock and opened her door.

When he walked into her apartment, his throat constricted to the size of a very thin straw. NO! He dashed through the main room, flung open the doors and checked every room. "Jo!" He yelled her name again, praying that she would suddenly appear in front of him . . . even though that sick feeling clawed in his stomach and he already knew.

Finally he slowed to a stop, turned and began to walk shakily back to the main room. Everything was gone. The place was empty. He leaned against the wall and tried to steady himself as he looked around. Every piece of furniture. . . He gazed across the front room and his heart broke. She'd left the couch behind.

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A couple of hours later Lindsay and Danny still didn't have any new leads. They'd scouted Marty's neighborhood, knocked on doors, asked questions, but nobody had seen Marty that night.

Lindsay checked her watch. "It's past seven. I think we should call it a day."

"I'm trying to call Mac, but his phone's going directly to voice mail."

Lindsay turned around to Danny. "The only time Mac hasn't answered his phone, is when he's been in some kind of trouble." She replied anxiously.

"Lindsay. He legged it out of the department when he saw Jo's resignation letter. I'm betting you he's over at her place right now, begging her to come back."

"Well. I hope he succeeds." She let out a heavy breath. "I really love Jo. I don't want her to leave."

Danny took her in his arms. "Hey. I'm sure everything's going to turn out fine, but I think we should let Don know what's happened."

Lindsay brought her arms around him. "Yea, we should." she murmured.

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Mac slouched in a chair on the balcony and looking out at the city, his hand wrapped around the neck of a half-full bottle of scotch.

The moon hung like a damn china egg as it rose from the east. He lifted his bottle in salute. Bad egg, rotten egg, the yokes on you. God, he was funny. And the scotch tasted great. God damn great. Even if it wasn't as great as he remembered. Even if it didn't numb nearly as fast as he needed it to. He gazed back at it. I'm only half way through. Just need to finish this up then I'll be well and truly piss faced drunk. Fan-bloody-tastic. He lifted the bottle and swallowed deep, trying to get her out of his mind.

He swiped away a stray tear with the back of his hand. Gone. The one woman who had managed to peel away his defences and mattered more than anything else in this world, was gone, and he'd gone and driven her away.

But away from him she was safe.

At least she was safe.

Please God. Let her always be safe.

And please let him get so drunk, he could forget that hurt look on her face. The one that was bringing these bloody wimpy-ass tears to his eyes and proving what a poor excuse for a man he really was.

He was dragged from his thoughts of self pity, by the sound of a persistent rapping on his door.

"Mac! I know you're in there! Now open the damn door or I'll ram my way in here!"

Oh for God sake. Mac muttered a curse and turned his head back. "Go away Don! I'm in no mood for company!" He sighed heavily looked back at the crazy egg moon and chugged down some more Scotch.

Don could hear by the slight slur in his voice, that he was doing a good job of getting himself well and truly drunk right now. Jesus Christ Mac! He looked down at the beers in his hand and chucked them on the floor in the hall. "I guess we wont be needing these." He sighed heavily, reared back and slammed himself against the door. Damn it!

It took several more attempts, but finally Don managed to break the lock and burst through into Mac's apartment. He grunted in pain, straightened slowly, and found himself staring across the room at a very pissed off Mac. Unperturbed and still totally pissed off himself, he moved quickly toward him. "Where the hell is Jo?!"

Mac glared back at him. "Get the hell out of my apartment!" He turned around and walked unsteadily back to the balcony.

Don pushed out a breath, and took a moment to try and calm down. Then he grabbed a chair and went after him.

Mac cursed inwardly when he heard Don walk up behind him. "I said, Go away!"

Don dragged the chair onto the balcony and sank down into it. "Yea I know. Ain't going to happen though." He reached across and grabbed Mac's bottle of Scotch. "I need some of that."

Mac went to grab it back, but he was too slow. His reflexes too sluggish. God. He'd had way too much of that Scotch. He sighed heavily. "Fine. Finish it up. Then disappear."

Don suddenly caught sight of a large box next to Mac's chair. He looked closer and frowned. "Mac. What are you doing looking at photo's of Clare?"

Mac cast him a warning look, then grabbed the lid and slammed it down on the box. "That's none of your damn business."

Don glanced back at him for several seconds. He knew Mac never liked to talk about Clare, but Don had never seen so much guilt and regret in Mac's expression as he did right now. He leaned back in the chair, gazed at the bottle. Ah what the hell. He lifted it to his mouth and swallowed some down. "You closed yourself off after Clare's death. I already know that. Then Jo came along and tore down your walls. You two have suddenly become more than friends?"

Mac drew an unsteady breath, let it out. He leaned forward in his seat and glared across at Don. "You're barking up the wrong tree. There is nothing going on between Jo and me."

Don shook his head and gazed up at the sky. "Mac. Danny, Lindsay, Adam and Sheldon, along with half the precinct, have already figured out that you and Jo have become a little more than friends Mac." He turned back to him. "And I know that you've suddenly realised that you've fallen in love with her."

Mac launched out of his seat. "That is not true!"

Don got to his feet and stared back at him. "Yes it is! But for some reason you're so damn scared of being in love again, that you've become a heartless sonofabitch and driven her away! You're not the only one who cares about her you know! You've hurt me best friend Mac!"

Slowly, he turned back around and leaned wearily on the railings.

Don took a moment, forced himself to calm down. He looked back at the box, then walked up beside him. "What are you afraid of Mac? You afraid of losing Jo, like you lost Clare?"

Mac continued to gaze across at the city. "You don't know when to quit do you?"

"Occupational Hazard. It's what makes me a good Cop." Damn it. Mac wasn't going to talk about this. Don blew out another long breath and glanced back at the night sky. "Okay fine. Look I know Jo resigned from the department and she's cleared out of her place. Do have any idea where she could be?"

"No." Mac answered quietly.

"You're gonna help me find her right?"

In that split second it hit him like a sledgehammer right through the heart. "I never wanted this to happen. . . I don't want to lose her Don."

Don glanced back at him. "We'll find her."

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THAT WAS A REALLY DIFFICULT CHAPTER TO WRITE. I HOPE IT WAS OK.

IN THE NEXT CHAPTER MAC, DON AND THE REST OF THE TEAM TRY AND FIND JO.

He looked back up at Don.