A/N: I'm sorry for the wait. The good news is that I have a much better idea on where this is going to go now. So, the next update should be quicker. :)
Michael rang the doorbell to Jackie's flat and smirked when she opened the door.
"You look very nice," he said as he eyed her up.
"You don't look so bad yourself," she replied, with a slight teasing lilt to her voice.
"Are you ready to go?" he asked. Jackie nodded before she put on her coat and picked up a bottle of red wine. "I'm sure Jean will like that," he said looking at the wine.
Jackie smiled, "The last thing I wanted was to turn up empty-handed."
Michael smiled in reply before they made their way to his car. The first thing Jackie noticed when she entered, was a bouquet of flowers in the back seat.
"Neither did you, I see," she said, realising that she couldn't remember the last time someone had bought her flowers. "They look nice," she added.
"I figured you'd buy her a bottle of wine, I didn't want to get her the same thing," he said before he started the engine.
Most of the drive was spent in a comfortable silence. Though Jackie noticed a few glances from Michael, causing her to stifle a smile.
"What?" he asked as he noticed the look on her face.
"Nothing," she said shaking her head. "Just looking forward to this."
"Me too," he said, just before they pulled up to Jean's street. He parked the car, and they made their way to Jean's front door with their gifts in hand. He took a flower out and handed it to Jackie. "For you," he said.
"Thanks," she said, a little surprised, but not displeased.
Michael rang the doorbell and Jean answered a moment later. A smile lit up Jean's face as she warmly greeted them. Jackie gave her the wine before she kissed Jean's cheek, and Michael handed her the flowers.
"You didn't need to, but thanks," Jean said before Michael and Jackie entered the house.
"That smells nice," Jackie said after she hung her coat up. "Do you need a hand?"
"Don't be silly, Jackie. You and Michael are guests," she said as they entered the living room. "It should be ready soon."
"It's a nice home you have," said Michael.
"Thanks, I'm still getting used to the place if I'm honest. But I like it," said Jean before they heard a sound in the kitchen. "I'll just be a moment, make yourselves at home," Jean said. Michael and Jackie smiled in reply before she wheeled herself to the kitchen.
Jackie scanned the room and smiled when she noticed a couple of pictures of Jim Taggart. She took a seat with Michael on the couch while they made some small talk until dinner was ready.
The meal was lovely, all three of them were enjoying reminiscing on old times and catching up with each other.
At one point, Jean had asked if they were seeing anyone. Jackie knew that Michael was currently single, she wasn't sure if he had been with anyone since his last break-up.
As for Jackie? The closest she'd gotten to any romantic entanglements recently was that disastrous date with Robbie. There were no regrets though, the whole thing made her realise that she didn't want Robbie, not really.
Michael on the other hand…
No, not the time to dwell on that.
This was supposed to be a fun occasion after all.
She was pleased when the conversation reverted to more stories of Taggart.
"You wouldn't have heard about the time we went to Germany on a case," Michael said to Jackie.
"No," Jackie said, her eyebrows raised in interest.
"I was there too," said Jean. "I'd been going on at Jim about a holiday. He saw it as the perfect opportunity for the two of us to go away."
"You mean he took you to Germany in the guise that it was a holiday, when he was actually there for a case?"
Jean nodded, "I was a bit suspicious, then Michael showed up and talked about their case. That gave the game away."
Jackie tried to stifle a smile, that sounded just like Taggart. "I'm sorry," she said after a smile broke out on her face.
"It's okay. It was a long time ago and I can see the funny side now. Though I didn't at the time," Jean smiled.
"Must have been a hell of a scene," said Jackie.
"Oh, it was," Michael said, sharing a smile with Jackie.
"Before I forget," Jean said. "I came across something recently the two of you might like. Just give me a moment," she added before she left the room.
A moment later, she came back with a single photograph. "I'm not even sure how I have this," Jean said before she handed the picture to Jackie, a smile crossed her face as she looked at the picture.
"What?" asked Michael.
"I don't think I remember this photo being taken," she said, before she handed the picture to Michael.
He looked at it and smiled. It was a photo of him and Jackie, from what was obviously a Christmas party. He guessed that it was Jackie's second Christmas with the team, back when her hair had still been a mop of curls. Michael had his arm around her, big smiles on both of their faces.
Like Jackie, he couldn't remember the picture being taken. But he could remember the party.
A wave of nostalgia hit him. God, life seemed much simpler then.
"Can I keep this?" he asked Jean.
"Of course," she said before she went to get more drinks.
"Why do you get to keep the picture?" Jackie asked teasingly.
"I asked," he said nonchalantly. "Anyway, I gave you a flower," he smirked.
Jackie stuck her tongue out at him.
Michael chuckled, "How about I make a copy and give it to you?"
"That sounds fair," she said before a smile broke out.
A while later, the dinner wrapped up and all three were sorry for it to end. They both left Jean in a relaxed state, but not before they promised to keep in touch.
"That was really nice," Jackie said as Michael drove away.
"It was," Michael agreed. "It's good to see she's doing well."
Both had been surprised when Jean had announced she was leaving Glasgow. That had been a couple of years after Taggart's death. Though on reflection it shouldn't have been. There had been plenty of times that Jean had briefly left the city for various opportunities. With Jim gone, a chance to do something on a more permanent basis away from Glasgow had arisen, and she took it.
It had been interesting to hear her tales of what she'd been up to the past few years. The experiences had seemed to do her good. However, she had started to realise how much she missed Glasgow, and more importantly Alison.
Her daughter had now become a parent, and Jean wanted to have a bigger part in her granddaughter's life and not just have irregular visits.
Neither were surprised that while Jean had moved on with her life, she clearly still missed Jim. Which was only natural. They had both driven each other crazy, but they had loved each other. Neither Michael nor Jackie could even begin to comprehend how difficult it must be to go on without a spouse.
But Jean had been able to go on, and it was wonderful to see.
After a short while, Michael had reached Jackie's flat.
"Thanks for the lift," Jackie said after he parked the car.
"It's no bother," he said just before Jackie yawned. "Someone's tired," he smiled.
"I guess so," she smiled tiredly.
"Goodnight, Jackie," he said.
"Goodnight, I'll see you in the morning."
Michael smiled in reply before she left his car. Jackie yawned again as Michael drove away. She hadn't realised how tired she was, and her bed was suddenly very appealing. Deciding to go to bed as soon as she got changed, she entered her flat, smiling over the day's events.
The body that had been a suspected suicide hadn't been a suicide at all. The post-mortem revealed that it had been natural causes. An open and shut case.
Jackie had kept her promise to stay in touch with Jean. They had even met up for a coffee. But that had been before their latest case.
The case had taken its toll on everyone. And though it had been solved earlier that day, no one's spirit's had really brightened.
Sitting at her desk, Jackie realised she couldn't remember the last time she'd seen Michael. She remembered him leaving the station, but she couldn't recall him coming back.
A quick word with Stuart confirmed he hadn't returned. This concerned her a little, usually he'd be in his office, maybe even on the roof. After a moment, it dawned on her where he might be.
Well, there wasn't much to do. Nothing that couldn't wait until tomorrow anyway. She fetched her jacket, deciding to seek him out.
Robbie, who had been going over some paperwork, noticed her getting ready to leave. "Do you fancy a drink with Stuart and me?" he asked.
Jackie turned to face him, "Maybe in a bit. I just want to see how Michael is."
"Good luck," said Robbie.
Jackie gave a half-hearted smile. No, she didn't need luck. Having a good idea of where Michael was, she just hoped he wouldn't fob her off.
The rain reflected the miserable day, thought Michael as he stood at the graveside. Solving the case hadn't changed that fact.
It had been a while since his last visit. Seeing Jean again had reminded him of that. And right now, this seemed like the perfect place to dwell on his melancholy.
How would Taggart have handled the case? Michael supposed it didn't really matter. But he couldn't help but feel that his best hadn't been enough this time.
Despite himself, he smiled slightly as he heard a set of familiar footsteps.
"I thought you'd be here," Jackie said before he turned to face her. "That was a rough case," she added before Michael nodded in reply. "I'd ask how you are, but you look like how I feel at the moment."
A humourless smile crossed his lips. "I thought this would clear my head a bit," he said.
"Has it?" she asked.
"Not as much as I'd like it to," he replied.
"I miss him too," she said after a long moment.
True, Taggart's death hadn't affected her in quite the same way that it had affected Michael. The adjustment hadn't been as difficult, she hadn't been the one who had been faced with taking over from him.
But that didn't mean his death hadn't saddened her. Life working under Michael was certainly different compared to working for Taggart. But both leaderships had drawbacks – and benefits.
"It's scary to think of how quickly the time's passed," he said.
When he had started working for Taggart, he had just passed his mid-twenties. Now he was pushing forty, and his body was starting to feel the effects of that. Not that the long days working on cases helped.
"It doesn't seem like five years," she commented.
Michael shook his head. "He'd be proud of you," he said after a moment.
"Not as much as he'd be proud of you," she smiled.
That was probably true, if what Jean had told him after the funeral was anything to go by. Still, he could tell that Taggart had been fond of Jackie. He remembered Taggart being quietly proud of her promotion to sergeant.
They were silent for a moment, as memories of the case haunted them.
"You did all you could," she finally said.
Michael resisted the urge to scoff, "Did I?"
"Yes," she said firmly.
"That doesn't feel like enough today," he admitted.
Jackie let out a breath, "I know."
"It's funny how things become clearer in hindsight. That's life I suppose," he said before he turned back to the grave.
Away from her.
Jackie frowned, from his demeanour it looked like he was expecting her to leave. Almost like he'd stopped acknowledging her presence.
"Don't shut me out, Michael," she said.
Michael turned around to face her again, "Excuse me?"
Jackie sighed, usually when things went wrong Michael would let her in (though occasionally she'd have to coax him). But sometimes, particularly if he blamed himself for something, he'd push her away. She desperately hoped this wasn't one of those times.
"I know it's hard. I know you probably blame yourself. But it's not your fault," she said. Michael didn't look like he believed her. "Look, Robbie invited me out for a drink with Stuart. Why don't you come?"
"No, thanks," he said.
"We could do something together. Maybe have a takeaway?" she suggested.
"I don't really feel hungry," he said. Jackie was about to protest when he stopped her. "I'm fine Jackie. Just leave it, eh?"
With disappointment evident on her face, she squeezed his shoulder, "I'll see you then," she said.
"Sure," he said before he turned back to the grave. The sound of her footsteps confirmed that she had left.
Michael sighed; he'd handled that well, hadn't he? Regret filled him as he realised he didn't really want to be alone, and more importantly, he'd hurt Jackie's feelings.
Deciding to rectify that, he left the grave and sped up to catch her. Jackie stopped in her tracks when she noticed him.
"I'm sorry," he said when he caught up to her. "I know I'm not the only one affected by this."
"No, you're not," she said.
"Maybe a drink with the others wouldn't be such a bad idea," he said.
Jackie smiled, "I'd like that."
Michael returned the smile. "Are you alright?" he asked after a moment.
"Not really," she admitted. "I don't think I want to be alone right now."
And for the first time that day, Michael noticed the sadness lurking in her eyes. He never did like seeing her unhappy.
"Well maybe after a couple of drinks, we can get a takeaway," he offered.
"Now that, I'm holding you to," she said.
Michael smiled, "I'll see you in a bit."
Jackie nodded before they went to their cars, both grateful that things were okay between them.
A few days later, Jackie was sitting in a café with Jean, drinking some coffee. Jackie talked a little about their last case and how emotionally taxing it had been.
"It must have been tough for all of you," Jean sympathised. "How was Michael?"
"He's okay. He wasn't at first, but we talked about it, we're both feeling better. As is the rest of the team," said Jackie.
"That's not surprising. Michael's always needed you," Jean said offhandedly.
"What do you mean by that?" asked Jackie.
Jean smiled slightly, realising how her comment could be misconstrued. "What I meant is that you both do a difficult job and you've both seen some dark things. You've always been there for him, so I'm not surprised that he'd feel better after talking to you about it."
Jackie took a moment to digest this, while Jean thought back on her marriage to Jim. Most nights he'd come home and talk about a case he was on. Usually she'd rush him so they could go to bed. It took her too long to realise that perhaps he'd needed those moments, to share with her what he'd been going through. A wave of guilt washed over her. Jim may not have been a perfect husband, but she hadn't exactly been a perfect wife.
Jean also couldn't help but think about Jackie and Michael. After seeing them together at her dinner, she got the impression that their relationship could be viewed almost like a marriage. They spent a lot of time together, not always work-related. And Jean wouldn't be surprised if they shared things with each other that no one else was privy to.
It was plain to see that they cared about each other, something that had been evident since they'd started working together.
"And I think you need him too," Jean said after a moment. "To talk to," she clarified at the bemused expression on Jackie's face.
From Jackie's pensive look, Jean wondered if maybe they did need each other on a deeper level. One thing was certain, Jean mused, whatever Michael and Jackie shared was special.
Jean just hoped they realised just how special that was.