A/N: This is the last chapter before the EPILOGUE. Our journey is coming to a close. :( So how was it for you guys? Me, I enjoyed sharing my vision, my little story with all of you and most of all, I am so happy that a lot of you liked it.
Well, I'm not saying goodbye as of yet. One more to go.
Enjoy!
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Can they find their way home
"Oh the weather outside is frightful/but the fire is so delightful…" that was the music playing at the lobby of the hotel we checked-in to.
"Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow," Dylan sang happily. An elderly couple passing by smiled at him and the man ruffled his hair. "Merry Christmas, grandpa and grandma," he said to them.
I was kneeling on the plush carpet, to his level, trying to secure his green Christmas mittens on his hands. Two pompoms hung from the ties that secured it. He looked so cute in his brown snow boots and blue parka and green mittens. I, on the other hand, was in my trusty trench coat and leather gloves. Oh yeah, I could still remember and withstand a typical New York winter. But I wasn't sure if Dylan could. After all, this was his first time out of sunny California.
We flew to New York three days before the Christmas congestion. The university managed to get us two tickets (and not to mention a vacation leave for me) to NYC over the Holidays. I haven't told Mac that we're here – that's our surprise. Now, we are on our way to the NYPD Crime Lab.
Dylan has not seen real snow yet – apart from the Winter Wonderland Resort. Last night, we were out in Central Park and it has not snowed yet. Today, however, it has. But he doesn't know that yet.
"Mommy, why the mittens?" he asked. He was clapping his hands with them on, making a slight thump-thump sound. I said nothing but led him through the revolving doors of the hotel. I didn't need to ask him what he's thinking. His hazel eyes were as big as saucers when he saw the streets of New York covered in snow. There was snow falling all around so I led him out from under the awning to feel it first-hand. "Snow!"
He held out his hands and let the snowflakes fall on his mittens. Then he crouched down and collected some of the snow by his feet and made it into a small ball. "Hold out your tongue, baby," I said to him. I remember all those days before, in the orphanage – Andrea and a few others would let loose in the playground, tongues out and trying to catch snowflakes. "Like this…" I showed him. He did it a moment after.
The ball in his hand melted already. He pulled off his right mitten and tried to make a new one. "Cold," he whined when he reached down and pulled his hand away.
"Yes, it is. That's why you have mittens on," I said, slipping them back on. Hey, the cold was getting to me – I guess I should get used to this again. "Come on, Dylan – the cab's waiting."
The drive to the crime lab was nerve-wracking. I couldn't stop wringing my hands all the way there. I know Mac had told them where and how we are but I haven't really kept in touch with them. Mac and I have been talking over the phone a lot; it has compensated for the distance between us.
Dylan was enjoying the ride. He was kneeling on the seat and looking out the window. The cab we got had a radio and it was playing "'Tis the Season" and he would sing along in the 'fa-la-la-la-la' part. The driver would smile when he did. He would then point to the signs that he could read and remember such as Coca-Cola and Dunkin' Donuts.
"Here you go, lady," the driver said, stopping in front of the building where the crime lab is. "Merry Christmas to you and to your cute kid." He drove off and Dylan waved after him.
"Mommy, what's this place?" he asked as he took my hand and we went inside the building and into the elevator. I punched the 35th floor button and waited for the car to go up.
"We're going to meet some of Mommy's friends," I explained as the doors closed. It was just he and I in the car. He held tightly on my pant leg going up; he wasn't that fond of elevators. "And we're going to surprise someone."
"And who would that be?" he asked. I removed his mittens and put them in my pocket. The doors opened and there I was again… the NYPD Crime Laboratory. Everything still looked the same way I left it with a few additional vending machines beside the break room and by the washrooms. There were some familiar faces – I wonder if they still know who I am. I took Dylan's hand in mine again and made my way through the lab.
A few people greeted me with a hug and/or smile when they saw me. But there were a few who were busy with their work, hunched over the layout table and case files wide open beside them. I looked for other familiar faces and luckily, I found them all in the break room.
Danny, Don, Lindsey, and Sheldon were obviously taking a break and having a late breakfast in the break room. All of them were watching the news, backs to the glass doors. Danny was, as usual, commenting on something and then Sheldon said something also. Back in LA, I have shown Dylan a lot of pictures of the team and as he was looking at them through the glass, biting his lower lip; I could tell that he's remembering their names.
Very slowly and silently as I could, I cracked open the door enough to hear what they were talking about. "No such thing," Lindsey said, flicking a peanut at Danny. "Where have you heard an incident like that?"
"What proof do you want, Montana?" he said. Well, that hasn't changed. "It's all over the news and not to mention the papers."
"Tabloids, Messer," Don said in his smooth voice. He took a sip of coffee and flicked another peanut at the shorter man.
Dylan had to stifle a chuckle. He was watching them from between my knees. "Hey, hey, what do you guys have against peanuts?" Danny said, brushing off the said food item from his jacket. "Anyway, I'm just saying that if Miss Spears wants to do that, let her. We have enough crap in our lives to meddle with hers."
Before any of them could answer to that, I made myself known. "I hear you, Danny. I've always figured you to be the gossiping type."
The looks on their faces were priceless. Danny had to wipe his glasses while Don almost crushed the steaming paper cup in his hand. Sheldon nearly fell off the barstool. Lindsey practically flew over to where I was standing and threw her arms around me.
"Stella!" she cried out. "Oh my gosh, Mac has told us everything about you. How have you been?"
"Well, I've been doing pretty well," I said to the smaller woman. Her smile was enough to replace the sun. "Teaching college students and such. And how about you guys?"
By that time, the men regained consciousness and crowded over to me. From the rumble of "We're a-okay" and tangle of arms, I heard Sheldon say, "And who might this fine young man be?" He was kneeling down to Dylan's level, holding his hand.
My little boy looked up at me and broke into a big shy smile. I heard Lindsey sigh behind me – I must admit, it was so cute. Danny kneeled down as well and took his other hand. "I know you," he said to him. "An' you too," as he turned to Sheldon. "Dammy and Shewdun."
"That's right," Sheldon said, shaking his hand. Danny did the same, ruffling his hair. Dylan chuckled and shook their hands as well.
"He's so cute, Stella," Lindsey said.
He looked over to me again and exclaimed, "Lindey." She waved and he did, too.
Then he cried out as a pair of arms carried him up, "How about me?" Don said, placing him against his hip. "You're Dylan, are you?" he said in his 'cop voice'.
"Yessir!" he said in a mock salute, something Margot taught him. "An' you are Don, are you?"
All of us laughed; Dylan managed to somehow mimic him. "That's right," the homicide detective said putting him down again. "And how about him?" he said, going down to his knees and pointing somewhere outside. Dylan's eyes lit up and he started jumping up and down. I heard Lindsey sigh again.
"Come on, baby. Go to him," I said. Danny opened the door for him and he ran out to meet his father.
I'll never let you go
"Detective Taylor," the receptionist said as I passed by her, "these forms need your signature. The sheriff also wanted to know if you will be bringing anybody to the fundraising this weekend."
The day has been pretty dull. I've been doing paperwork for three days straight and there has not been an interesting case for the past week. Ever since my visit to LA, the highlight of my days has been my phone calls from Stella and my boy Dylan. Their pictures have earned a special spot on my desk. I wondered how long it would take for the team to notice it. Turned out, it wasn't that long. Sheldon saw it first, snatching it off my hands when he caught me staring at it whilst we were briefing a case. There was a game of 20 questions until Lindsey came in with Flack in tow. Then another round of 20 questions commenced. Danny, as always, was the last one to find out.
As I was signing the last pages of the document, the receptionist stammered, "Uh… sir. Sir, a kid..."
I glanced up at her and was about to reply when something – someone – wrapped around my legs and exclaimed, "Daddy!" It took me a short while to register who that was but when I looked down; I was met with a familiar pair of eyes.
"Dylan!" I exclaimed, hunkering down and scooping him up. From my peripheral vision, I could see the expression on the receptionist's face as if saying, "Detective Taylor has a son?" I cuddled him a bit as he kissed me on the cheek. I faced the puzzled woman again and said, "Is that all? If it is, you know how to reach me." She nodded and then I turned my full attention to my son.
"Suprize!" he said, raising his arms.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, chuckling. I bopped him on the nose lightly.
He pouted, lower lip trembling. "You don't like?" he bleated. Oh I didn't mean it to come out that way.
"No, I love the surprise," I countered, tightening my arms around him. "Where's Mommy?" I also want to see Stella, of course. Dylan pointed to the general direction of the break room and when I wheeled around, there she was – smiling and waving at me. The others were around her, looking at us, smiling as well. I know they are happy for me… for us.
I entered the break room and Stella jumped into my arms. "Missed you," she mumbled. I said the same to her. Dylan slid down to the floor and went straight to Lindsey and kissed her cheek. When I let go of the woman in my arms, we had to chuckle because the rest of the team's attention was to Dylan. He was sitting on one of the couches, Lindsey on his left and Sheldon on his right, Danny kneeling nearby and Don standing behind him.
Dylan was starting on an apple Don handed him and his eyes were shining as he was talking to them. They were asking him questions, "how old are you", "are you going to school", "what is your favorite thing to do" – and he would answer each one with enthusiasm. We stood there, arms around each other… and probably thinking of the same thing. Permanence.
I looked at Stella – in her eyes, how happy she was – and then at Dylan and how he was enjoying himself. And I realized, "This is Happiness."
Like what Stella did for me in LA, I invited them to stay at my place for the remainder of their 'vacation'. Turned out, they stayed at Parkview. "Of course," Stella laughed on our way home, Dylan was dozing off in the backseat after a nice dinner, "I was super sure that you'll be offering your place so we check-in at Parkview for a day. I hope you don't mind us, Detective Taylor."
Little did she know… I was ready. In fact, I was planning to ask her to move in with me as soon as the semester ends. I told her that I want her back, and now that we have a son, we agreed it would be better if we settled together – raised him together. Although their arrival wasn't expected, I already had a room prepared for Dylan.
"Oh Mac," Stella gasped when she saw it. It wasn't finished yet but it's livable. There was a big boy bed against the far wall and a play area on the opposite. I was still putting up the wallpaper and some of the furniture, though. Danny suggested that I stick glow-in-the-dark stars to the ceiling. I have put some above the bed. Stella stood there admiring the kid's room.
I felt myself blushing. This was one of my DIY projects – a labor of love, if you may. "It's not finished yet but he can sleep here…" I didn't get to finish that sentence because Stella gave me a soft kiss.
"I love it," she whispered. I want her to feel at home here… to feel that this is where she – they belong. I placed our son gently on the bed and pulled the comforter over his shoulders and kissed him goodnight. We then went into my room – where she will stay – and made love.
"When are you going back to LA?" I asked her after we flew to the moon and back. When she didn't answer right away, I assumed she was already sleeping.
"Second week of February, just before Valentine's Day," she mumbled against my neck. She looked at me and smiled, "Sorry… dozed off. Anyway, I went out and used half of my allotted sick leaves to spend time with you here. Besides…"
She paused as if thinking and then she colored slightly, "Besides, I reckon this will be my last semester at the University." Stella smiled shyly at me, gauging what I might be thinking. "After all, we have agreed that we should live in one place for Dylan. And I don't see you moving out of New York anytime soon."
"You're coming back to New York?" I asked her timidly. Stella nodded and kissed my chest. She also said that she might look for a job teaching here since coming back to work at the crime lab is a long shot considering our circumstances. I hugged her tight and said, "Love you." She mumbled something again – something which started with 'L' – and dozed off.
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Mandi – lol, I let Stella come back. That's where she belongs.
Paly – me too, I want my own Mac. And Dylan!
Moriel – yeah, Dylan's a mommy's boy. But he loves his dad and is excited to be with him. Be like him.
csi-ds9 – epilogue's coming next. I agree, there are some fics – okay, A LOT – that seem to go overboard and unbelievable.
hey-spitfire – thank you!
Mj – funny you mention chainsaws. Hahaha, I'm in the middle of watching gory horror movies haha. O ayan, pinapunta ko na sina Stella sa NY.