CSI NEW YORK FANFICTION - PARADOX

Summary:"McKenna Taylor Junior, you are under arrest for the suspicion of murder," A cold voice informed him. The Boss of the NYPD Crime Lab faces losing it all. His job, his friends, his sanity and even his life are in grave danger as an unexpected lead in the evidence makes him the prime suspect in a murder investigation.

Chapter Eleven – The Wall.

"HEY! It's the guy of the Telly!" Someone yelled as Mac crossed the street, allowing his feet to carry him wherever they pleased. Mac at first didn't realise they were talking about him. He glanced back to see what all the commotion was about as a small crowd of about ten people were gathering.

Some guy that just wanted to start a fight puffed his chest out and pranced over to Mac. His ears pricked to hear the disheartening shouts of the growing interested parties, again just wanting entertainment from Mac's life. "You should be in jail!" "Look what our police force has turned into"
"The police can't see what's right in front of their noses!"
"The NYPD are training Murders!"
"You've let your wife down!"
This comment hit Mac hard, it was a low blow. He hoped that wherever she was, she knew that this was a set up. He sometimes caught himself looking up at the sky, hoping that she could see him, hoping that she was watching over him. This wasn't his idea of being kept safe. Maybe she wasn't anywhere, perhaps she had just gone.

The shouts kept tormenting him; they were trying to get him to retaliate, trying to get him to lash out. They wanted to see first hand how dangerous this suspect was and how they could go home and tell their families about their close encounter with what was perceived to be one of the most dangerous men in the whole of America. Or at least that was the way that McKenna Taylor Junior had been painted in the press, hours after his initial arrest. Since then they had dug up every single trace of dirt they could on him. Somehow they had failed to mention his good fortunes, his acheivements, the involvement he had with the Brooklyn wall of remembrance, his rank in the marines, all the criminals he had brought down in all the years he'd been on the NYPD.

When he failed his maths paper in 5th grade – A troubled child, when he had locked up the wrong person in the past – Deliberately causing a miscarriage of justice, the Clay Dobson case – A murderer, and anything that they could lay their grubby little hands on was included in their tornado of libel and slander.

Mac hadn't been there 3 minutes before photographers and News cameramen and reporters were there.

"Feel proud of yourself now, Detective Taylor? That Missing girl is still missing! She'll never be found thanks to YOU!"
"Who gave you the right to play god?"
"Why aren't you man enough to admit what you did?"
"Are you expecting a 'get out of jail free card?'"
Mac gritted his teeth, this was no game, the allegations against him were serious, and these morons were comparing this situation to a board game!

With a deep breath Mac calmed himself and thought of the most peaceful thing he could, he thought of still water, of flowers, and although it shocked him he though of Jo. He chuckled at himself slightly, 'Jo and peaceful in the same sentence, who are you trying to fool?' But he was thinking of her sleeping, of her in his arms while watching a chick flick, of her in his coat, Mac had in fact had seen her peaceful side, a side of her that she didn't broadcast to the world.

Mac did his best to push past them; he didn't want to have a throwing fists competition in the middle of this mess to complicate things further. He didn't want to give the media more ammunition to hate him. If anything, he would later need the media on his side. Now however that was the most unlikely thing to happen. He wanted to keep his head down and stay alive. He was in survival mode. Fight or flight. Mac was not a coward; it went against his entire being to take the flight human instinct option of the two. In his head he was already calculating how he could take out each and every one of the threats efficiently and effectively. More men came up to him in a threatening manner but he didn't think that they were stupid enough to try anything, they were being filmed and while he had been suspended of all duties, he was innocent until proven guilty by law. If anyone wanted to take a swing at him, they would face assaulting a law enforcement officer.

Mac was logical in his thinking, however some of these people were not, a stubbly guy in his late 20's tapped Mac on the shoulder and Mac turned, the attacker drew back his fist and swung with almighty force.

Mac smugly hid his smile, he had predicted just that and blocked accordingly, the man did not have a chance. But this point of course the media were going crazy, Mac had just disturbed a wasp's nest, they were all buzzing with excitement. Swarming around the altercation. Mac wondered if it would have been any different if he'd started this. No, probably not.

The man Mac had defended himself from was cradling his arm and looking sorry for himself. Mac had not done anything to seriously injure the illogical man; he had just twisted it slightly. Mac had not done anything wrong but he knew that the last few moments would be twisted in the media; he would be portrayed as the assailant, praying on the weak. He hoped that with Reed's influence in the media, they could form an equally strong counter argument for the public, but that was only one paper. One paper against the world.

While the crowd and the media were focused on the drama queen, Mac slipped away and hid himself in the comfort of the Penny, a pub-like bar that he and the team often found themselves in after a particularly hard case.

As Mac walked in, his eyes were caught on the new flat screen TV that was mounted on the wall where a fireplace should have been, the chimney had been taken out but the decoration around the bottom remained. The bartender always argued that it gave the place character.

The TV was presenting the News, and of course 'Breaking News' 'Taylor Turns Violent again.' Quickly gaining sympathy for the thin stubbly man.

Mac sat at the bar,

"I don't want no trouble." The bartender's voice was laced heavily with a New York accent and the emotions were of pure betrayal, Mac was taken aback with the unwelcome sense he was overpowered by, he had been coming to the Old Penny for years. He even used to come here on the odd occasion with Claire. His loyalty had never faltered.

Mac swallowed his pride, and tried to accept the realistic terms that he couldn't expect anything else. He was still the prime suspect in a murder investigation – Hell he wasn't even the suspect any longer, he was being tried for the crime! Everyone was going to treat him in such a way.

He sat down at the bar; alone, and felt many disapproving glares fixate upon him. The media, the news, and Sinclair had all indoctrinated the public. They all now truly and whole-heartedly believed that he was a deadly monster. Mac wasn't the monster; he was the prey of their entertainment. He ordered a whiskey, it was a little early to drink but in all honesty he had no idea how he had come this far without turning to alcohol. He suspected without Jo being around, he would have gone straight for the bottle after his initial appearance. Prison would have no alcoholic beverages and so, for now, he did not see the harm. He just hoped that the media did not find him here and start reporting that he was an alcoholic, drowning his sorrows. This was not the image he wanted for himself.

The bartender felt slightly sorry for a man he barely knew, but saw on a regular basis. What if Mac was innocent like he claimed? He finished drying a glass and neatly put it away under the bar, glancing up again just to watch Mac toying with his untouched drink.

A tall woman walked in and sat down on the bar stool next to Mac. She had green eyes, olive skin and red hair. Breanna. The very witness Mac was forbidden to see.

What was she doing here? He wasn't allowed within 50 feet of her. A million things began to circle in his head, if jail time was unavoidable; he wanted to know why he would be there. He was angry – No, angry was an understatement. Firing lightning rampaged through his veins, rage exploded in his head, a swelling storm of darkness clouded over his heart until every ounce of his good being was eliminated. Roaring outbursts of madness hammered at his defensive mechanisms, ordering him to retaliate to the injustice of the accusation.

He felt betrayed; he had done nothing but good for his country, for New York City. It didn't seem to matter; it carried no trace at all to the reason behind this monstrosity. This perjurer didn't care that he was a kind hearted man from Chicago, she didn't care that he had reached the ranks of sergeant major in the Marines, or that he was a well respected man through other capacities. And she certainly didn't care that he didn't commit the crime of which she was framing him for.

Mac slammed his glass back down on the bar, having not really wanted it. A splash cascaded over the edge and splattered on the varnished surface. Mac did not want to breach his bail conditions, he wanted his freedom, and he wanted Sid to have the bail agreement of $1 Million returned.

He nodded at the barman "If you'll excuse me." He said, standing up sliding he glass back slightly.

He looked over at the woman, having no consolation of whom she was; he smiled and simply replied with "Take care."

This woman was impossible; she had tracked him down, and found him here. There was no way this was a coincidence. In Mac's world it wasn't often that coincidences occurred, everything was and always will be connected.

As Mac took a step away from the bar, he felt taps on his shoulder. He shrugged her off.

"Wait." She said, "Don't you want to know?"

Mac's heart stopped. Of course he wanted to know. No question.

Mac, still with his back to her, moved his head to see her motive. Was she also a victim in this? Or was she playing on his emotions for kicks? Mac couldn't describe the feeling in which he felt. She looked innocent, she sounded innocent, but she was a good liar and convincing in court. She was deceitful and he didn't trust her.

"It's time justice is served." She said finally when not receiving the reaction that she was looking for. She was bitter, her words curt and cruel.

Mac still had no idea what was going on, but what he did know was that Breanna Martin had already broken the law. Mac saw it in her eyes, she knew Mac was innocent; she shouldn't have lied in court, and one day he felt sure that she would regret that she had.

It took all the strength he had not to respond, in fact he was surprised with the level of self-control he seemed to have. Maybe he still felt he had a lot to lose. All he knew was that this was far from over.

• • •

It wasn't long before Mac made his way to find Jo, already at his apartment, watching the news.

"I-I Didn't" Mac begun, startling her a little, nodding at the TV with a bystander explaining the rage she saw in Mac's eyes during the 'fight'.

"I know." Jo sweetly smiled sweetly at him, doing her best not to show the pain she felt in her own chest. He wasn't the only one being effected by this nightmare, it was killing her too. Mac hung up his coat and joined Jo in the kitchen, who had somehow found enough to make a couple of tuna sandwiches.

"I had tuna?" Mac asked, slightly confused.

"Tinned, yes."

"Did you check the date?"

She looked sarcastically at him, tilting her head. "No, I thought that I'd poison you before…"

She trailed off, still not wanting to admit the reality, so Mac continued. "Before I get locked up." He smiled. "You know, it's not a bad escape plan. I get ill and you can bust me out while they treatin' me in hospital," They both laughed, making light of what situation they were faced with, what seemed like together, helping one another though the tough times.

Mac expressed the wish to go and visit the memorial of Claire that he and Reed had put together after they found each other. Jo thought that she was supposed to feel a certain way about Claire, but in truth she felt nothing but sympathy for Mac. She assumed she was supposed to feel as if whoever ended up with him was almost like a second choice. Instead she wanted to take away his pain. Because she knew that to this day, it still affected him. She knew that he had changed the day she died. When she died, a part of him died too. A saddening truth that would never fade. If Mac ever found anybody else, they wouldn't be a replacement, they would be apart of the healing process.

Mac held out his waterproof coat for her to wear and found a not so waterproof one of his own, although it wasn't far from Mac's apartment, they got a cab to Rector Park where stood a marble memorial for Claire.

As they went past the site where the word trade centre used to be Mac took a deep, sharp breath, seeing how the renovations for a new building were now underway, made him hurt a little more inside. In some ways he was glad that people were moving on, the area would no longer be a gravesite of the many people that were lost that day. But he'd never found any trace of Claire and renovating the area made it seem as if the rest of the world were giving up.

He had wanted the memorial to be close by; when it wasn't raining he would often walk or jog the short distance. Mac wasn't sure what Jo thought about all this. He guessed that she knew he just had to say goodbye.

Mac in fact had been to this memorial every week since he and Reed put it in the park. He knew that he had to let go; he had tried on many occasions but he never seemed to be able to fully move on. Now there didn't appear that he had any choice in the matter. Claire was just going to be pushed further out if his reach.

That was why he was thankful he had Jo who stood next to him under the trees in the shelter of the dark cloud above and the heavy rain that descended to the earthy ground. Jo decided to morn with Mac, not for Claire in particular but for all the people that died on that tragic day. She clutched hold of Mac's arm.

"We will never forget." she whispered.

"I never told anyone this before," Mac said out loud, at first Jo wasn't sure whether he was talking to her or Claire. Mac twisted to face Jo slightly. "When I got shot, I saw Claire."

Jo realised that her death must have come crashing back to him. He'd been suddenly faced with the one person that he would leave this world for. With Mac's other hand, he rubbed Jo's arm to get her attention.

His touch sent impulsive tingles throughout her body, she desired him, she lusted for him, she needed him.

Her eyes met his caring gaze. Of course he would have seen Claire while he was hanging on for dear life.

"I saw the team, I saw you."

Jo smiled, but she didn't want to think of almost loosing him. It was too painful, she'd rather think that he was still there with them. It had taken almost losing him to realising how unconditionally in love she was.

"I didn't see Christine."

Jo didn't particularly want to think of her either, not after the way she treated Mac. She just didn't know how lucky she was to be with him. "I didn't think about her at all during the time I was under."

"Mac, why are we talking about this now?"

Mac ignored her question and reached his hand down to hers. "I told Claire that I met someone..." Mac paused, searching for any reasons for him to stop. He didn't want to push Jo away if he were being untoward in any way. "I wasn't talking about Christine." Mac brushed a stray, damp strand of Jo's fringe out of her face. "I was thinking of you."

Jo's teary eyes now meant something completely different. She had no idea that an event could take such a turn.

"Wh-what did she say?" Jo asked nervously, not wanting her short lived happiness to be swept out from under her before she had chance to enjoy it.

"She told me, she liked you." Mac said as a matter of fact.

Mac pulled Jo closer to him. I wanted to bring you here to see if it felt right. "I'm so so sorry I didn't realize until now." he cupped her face in his hands. "I held on for you." Faintly he heard the desperate words of his dream. I need you to hold on, Mac.

Jo was a little stunned. He felt the same way too! Mac moved his hands from her face and slid them around her waist, pulling her in.

Mac leant down tenderly, brushing his lips over her. Jo's breath hitched as she could feel his presence. She couldn't help but smile.

Jo's heart thudded so fast she thought it could explode, sparklers danced through her soul. She was in a complete state of happiness. As Mac's lips collided with hers in unison, he felt the pace of his heart quicken. He had finally let the walls around his heart down, and Jo was there for him.

Mac held the keys to Jo's heart from the first moment they met; in some ways it was perfect. She was on a balcony in the lab, and he walk in with a strong look of determination on his face, ready to face the day. She had been taken in and captivated from the very first time she saw him and she almost forgot to speak. "Hi" Was the first thing that came to mind. "I'm Jo… Danville." She cursed herself for not appearing more professional. "I'm your new crime scene investigator…" Then everything comes crashing back to reality. "And this young woman is dead."

She was instantly attracted to him, as he was her. That did not mean that they had fallen in love a first sight. Jo remembered the look of confusion fall on his face as she stood over the pale young woman. When they had their first conversation she'd gone all Sherlock Holmes on him, trying to make up for her delayed speech earlier. All she wanted was to impress him, but soon she dropped the attitude, she didn't want to come across, as miss know it all.

It was a beautiful twilight as the sun spread pinks and purples into the clouded sky, it was perfect because both Mac and Jo had Claire's blessing and Jo had the chance to help heal Mac's wounds. Mac ever so slowly slide his hand to where the necklace was kept in the pocket of his coat that she was wearing.

A magnetic energy drew the two together, not just in body and mind, but in soul. A fluttery dance of flirtatious comments and smiles dived in unison into one true feeling. Love.

Jo was able to make Mac forget about the prison sentence looming over him. She was his shred of peace, his inner harmony.

A man coughed, "McKenna Taylor. We're not interrupting anything are we?"

Not again. Mac groaned to himself, but he knew full well why a detective would be looking for him. Breanna Martin, that was what this was about. And his series of unfortunate encounters with trouble – Trouble that he couldn't get in with Jo gone.

"Yes." Mac growled, frustrated. "Actually you are, come back in ten minutes."

Jo stepped back and looked at Mac with wonder. Never before had she heard Mac rebel about something this important. But then she'd never been involved with a situation quite like this one.

The next thing she knew Don appeared, completely oblivious to what had happened with Mac and Jo prior to his arrival.

"You know that can't be done." The first detective continued and begun to walk towards the couple.

"No handcuffs." Jo pleaded with him.

"Sorry love, rules are rules." And with the last word he harshly pulled Mac away from her.

"Left pocket," he told her and before she could respond he was what seemed miles away, being helped into a police marked car. She stood stunned, was he being arrested? Again? she fumbled with the zip of the waterproof, and found the rectangle box. She now knew where Mac's hand had been heading. Quickly she snapped the lid open. She gasped with joy, but then almost as quickly as she opened the mystery box, she snapped her own head up to watch Mac be driven away from her. Clouds circled above the city, threatening rain once again. With every cloud came a silver lining. Thunder roared overhead and shortly after the rain became heavier and the large droplets thrashed to the ground. Her Silver was the necklace, but the admission of their passion between each other had been worth more than any amount money could buy.

Mac never did break his word.

Jo lifted her new necklace out from the box; she suspected that she would never take it off. Her other necklaces where quickly disregarded and replaced with her new treasure. She loved it, and yet those words didn't seem to cover it. She adored both Mac and her gift, more than words could express.

Jo frantically ran to the edge of the park. She had hoped that she might be able to get a ride with Flack who was still there, but he was looking far too serious. 'Why were they taking Mac in now?' thoughts ran through her mind, not wanting to expect the worst. A mixture of the rain and her own tears did a superb job of destroying her make-up.

Jo clutched to the coat in an attempt to stay warmer and drier but she only inhaled the sweet scent of Mac that was imbedded in his jacket.

Jo's eyes were enraged with determination. Frenzied, she was a woman on a mission. She stepped out into the road, causing a car to swerve around her. She distantly heard the shouting's of a man and the sharp sound of an angry horn, but she didn't pay attention. Ordinarily, she might have apologized but not today. There was only one thing that concerned her. Mac.

She hailed a cab and demanded to be taken to 12th precinct. The evening's duration had been like a dream. Every thing she thought a kiss from Mac would feel like was everything she had dreamt of and so much more. Their connection went deeper than she'd ever imagined. Him being taken away was like ripping her in two. There was nothing that she could do about it. They weren't the 'Bad Guys,' they were on the same team. It wasn't a case of pulling out her weapon and firing these people to oblivion. They weren't the people responsible for this. Jo however, did intend to find the people who were.

Author Note:

Well I hope you all enjoyed that. My bad that it wasn't uploaded quicker... I hope I made up with this chapter.. Let me know (:

I Hope everyone had a superb summer (: