Okay, I know you all want to scream or something, but uh... -covers ears- All right, scream. I updated early.

Thanks for the kind reviews SciFiNutAlways1999, ImaSupernaturalCSI, Carrro, lily moonlight, Blue Shadowdancer, special agent kibbs, Mouse, CSIBabs

Saki wo mitooshi sugi nante
Imi no nai koto wa yamete
Kyou wa hishii mono mo tabeyou yo
Mirai wa zutto saki da yo
Boku ni mo wakaranai

-Hikari, Hikaru Utada

12. The Alchemy of Plotting and Kidnapping

He had waited a long time for this day. Far too long, to be frank.

The man stared at the clock, rubbing his head in frustration and grabbing the cell phone off the counter. He dialed in the number and waited, tapping his foot and trying his best to look professional in a work environment. A hushed voice answered on the other end. "What do you want now?!"

"I'm getting impatient," he snarled. "It might only be 12:45, but I'm getting very agitated about the girl. You got her upset, you idiot. Now what's going to happen when I try to 'date' her?!"

Gerrard growled back in exasperation. "Oh, put a sock in it, Dobson. It'll all work out fine. Besides, Taylor can't come near the lab. You'll be fine. Must I remind you that I was in the Army for a couple of years?"

Dobson rolled his eyes, glancing around and pretending to write on a sheet of paper. "Only the last five times I've seen you. Look, I'm going to be a prying person and ask you how the hell you got that feed of Bonasera and her dead boyfriend. Or do I even want to know?"

The Internal Affairs agent laughed on the other end of the line. "The team had a little bit of video feed that they were missing from a security camera around the time of Frankie's death. hey had kind of not seen the hidden device and, well... I knew where it was. I'm Internal Affairs, so I asked if I could have a glance at the feed. Well, I did... and I hated to see Bonasera in a lot of pain. But compared to what Frankie did to what you could do..." He laughed again. "Don't kill her. But you might want to make her suffer a little- enough so I can see the pain on Taylor's face when she dies in the hospital."

"You're talking torture?"

Dobson had plenty of experience in the torture department, sure. But he had never actually taken a person hostage, given them the time of their life, (BIG LIE) and then allowed them to be found by someone to emotionally wound their friends and family for life. He sat in a chair and rolled his eyes. "Torture, Gerrard, is something I do... but nothing like what you're suggesting."

His ally sighed. "True. All you serials have to have some sort of signature to show you were there, and yours is indeed killing the victims and cutting off their eyelids." Dobson heard an audible shudder. "Granted, I still don't understand why you do that. It's absolutely disgusting, to say the least."

This was not the time to be discussing his methods of death. Dobson leaned forward and rested his head in his hand. "Listen to me, Gerrard. Quit bossing me around already. I've been following your orders for these past couple of weeks now. Don't you think you need to have a little bit of trust in me? I've been trying to get back at you, but no- you've just been being an old fossil and crap. That's why I haven't been exactly listening to you these past few days."

He shut the phone and looked at the pen he was fingering, his mind racing and the feeling of the kill overtake him yet again. He hadn't felt like this for a while... ever since Selena Maridel's screams of mercy had overtaken the silent room where they were... together. HIs lips curled into a devilish smile as he stood up from the chair and glanced over at the clock.

12:50.

Damn, the time was passing slow right now...

Coffee. That was all she wanted.

Stella reached the counter at the Starbucks, looking harried and agitated. The waitress blinked. "What can I get for you?"

"Just a coffee," she muttered, gritting her teeth ever-so-slightly. "That'll be all."

"Make that two," a familiar voice behind her wearily acknowledged. "Two regular coffees. I'm paying."

The female turned around and gasped, seeing Mac in typical attire. She raised an eyebrow and smiled weakly. "What are you doing here?! If anyone sees you with me..."

Mac closed his eyes and suddenly embraced her, almost as if protecting her from some sort of great evil that was about to take over the world. Stella had never felt this close to him before- figuratively and literally. She slowly melted into the hug, sighing with relief and feeling... a new sort of aura around him. It wasn't one she liked very much. She looked up at Mac, fear swirling like a cloud in her head. "Mac? Are... are you okay?"

His voice sounded hushed, worried. "I'm never okay when your life is on the line, Stella. And I'm very worried that something bad is going happen tonight. I just..." He took the two coffees and nodded his thanks after paying the tab. "Stella, I just got a message on my phone when I picked it up, and it wasn't something I just liked hearing some recording or something. Someone's setting you and me up. And I need..." He closed his eyes in pain. "I need to ask if Frankie abused you, Stella."

She froze in fear. Stella had never heard her boss ask anything like this. It was always Don that had asked her these types of things, but never Mac. She clenched up. "Why?"

"I got a phone call this morning from someone whom I think might be your date for tonight," he explained lowly, looking around in worry. "It was the sound of you and apparently Frankie, and I could..." He put his hand over his mouth, tears sliding down his face slightly. "...I could hear you screaming, Stella. I could hear the sound of a smack or something worse. And the sound of you sobbing... I could have broken the phone in two with my hand, Stell."

The woman stared at Mac. "You're overreacting, Mac. I swear, ever since a couple of days ago when he asked me out, you've been snapping at everybody. I know you want to catch him, Mac, but you gotta..." She bit her lip. "You gotta keep your cool around the lab and stop snapping at us."

He turned away, his jaw slack. "I'm worried about you. He said that..."

"You worry too much sometimes," she told him soothingly. "Listen. I'm going to be all right." She smiled slightly. "You know I'm a big girl now. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself against a serial killer. I've got my weapon on me. It'll be hidden. Don't worry at all."

Mac looked into his coffee cup. Did he really worry too much? Was he overreacting in a situation like this? Or was this one of those times where it was perfectly fine to be doing such a thing?

Stella's hand slipped into his own, and he shook his head, laughing bitterly, quietly. "I can't do that, Stell. I have to worry. If I don't, who will?"

Bleh. I'm not very happy with the ending of this chapter. I'm not sure why, but for some odd reason... -shrugs- I dunno. Hope you liked it. We're in the calm before the big storm. Thanks for reading, and feel free to review