Thank you dark rolling sea! You can only make me better! (And I'm pretty sure you have)

Here we go again…

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CHAPTER 7: Of Plans, Caring and Airports

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It was a beautiful night in Montana and Lindsay sat on the porch steps of her parents' house. She stared into the fields that spread before her and smelled the air; it was warm and soothing. For a moment she became aware of the silence and figured everyone else had gone to bed. Relaxing and falling deep into thought, her mind started drifting. She played the last two days in her head from how she had arrived back home to this very moment. Lindsay had been grateful to see her mother's condition had improved and she was now at home. Her sister Anne was there too with her daughter Hannah and of course Lindsay's father was there as well. She'd spent a lot of time helping out, just like before she had left to go and work in New York, and Hannah demanded she got her fair share of time. She smiled at the thought of the little eight year old girl. She couldn't help it, no one could – she is so full of life and excitement. They had played hide and seek just two hours ago, but the game ended quite effectively when Lindsay found Hannah asleep under a desk in the study.

She wondered what she'd be doing if she was back in her little apartment. Or maybe she'd still be at the lab… 'Nah, Mac would've sent me home by now,' she reasoned. She hoped he himself wasn't sitting in a lab, peering through a microscope. 'That man needs to learn how to relax and have fun more often than once a week in a jazz club,' she continued to debate with herself. She hoped she could be the one to help him and decided she would ask him to do something together. Lindsay thought about it for a moment and came up with baseball. They both like it so it could turn out to be really fun. Or maybe she could just ask him out for coffee after work. She was pleased with her ideas and at least one of them would be put to good use when she got back from her extended weekend. And so, with a tiny smile of anticipation on her lips, she got up and quietly got ready for bed.

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Mac was bending over a table, looking for anything out of the ordinary. He wasn't sure how long he had spent doing this, but deep down he knew the answer – for too long. He barely had time to finish the thought when he heard the door open and Stella's voice sounded in the room.

"Hey," she said in a stern voice. "Time to go home!"

"In a minute," he replied. "I'll just finish this…"

Stella placed her hands on her waist in a swift move. "Finish what?" she demanded, clearly implying there was nothing to finish. "You've worked for two days straight… Slept in your office for crying out loud!"

"I can take care of myself," he said, turning his attention back to the items on the table.

"No you can't. Someone needs to make sure you eat and sleep… Lindsay's very good at that but she's not here right now so… That's why I'm here!"

Mac looked up when Stella mentioned Lindsay. "I'm fine," was all he could come up with.

"You're so wrong… You know what I've noticed?" she asked. "You don't listen to me or the guys when we tell you something, not very often at least, but you do listen to Lindsay. She always makes sure you're taking care of yourself. You have a soft spot for her and I'm pretty sure she has one for you," she stated, poking him in the arm with a file folder. Mac stared at her with an open mouth. "I'm not saying there's anything weird and funny about it… But I do think you should at least hint her that you appreciate it,"

"Weird and funny?" Mac looked at Stella with a questioning expression.

"Yeah, you know…"

"No, I don't," he continued.

"Well you figure it out while you go home," Stella said, giving him a push.

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Lindsay was cooking dinner with her sister and Hannah in a crowded kitchen. The neighbours had come for a visit and Mr and Mrs Johnson were now seated at the table with Lindsay's mom and dad. It was noisy but it was the good kind of noise. She was in the middle of chopping a carrot when her cell phone rang.

"Aunt Linds! You're phone's ringing!" Hannah yelled from her spot on the other side of the kitchen where Lindsay's phone was.

"I heard," she said kindly and wiped her hands on a towel.

"It's a Mac Taylor," stated Hannah.

Lindsay rushed to the phone, picked it up and answered. "Hey!" There was a loud bang and several similar sounds followed. Lindsay turned with the phone on her ear to look at what was happening.

"What is going on in there?" Mac queried after hearing the loud clangs which resumed after a little pause.

"Eh, I'm in the kitchen, wait a second…" Lindsay said, leaving the kitchen and making her way to the study. It should be quiet in there. "OK, this is better. What were you saying?"

"I asked what was happening in there," he repeated, moving a couple of sheets of paper on his desk.

"Oh, making dinner… Seven people in the kitchen already making noise and my niece started banging on the pots and pans," she laughed. "She's as loud as they get but very sweet."

"Sorry for the interruption,"

"No problem. What's up? Do you need me there?" she asked and sat on the chair behind the desk under which Hannah had fallen asleep.

"I think we'll manage."

Lindsay sank deeper into the chair to get more comfortable. "Got a case?"

"Yeah, a woman in her forties with a gunshot wound to the head. It's the husband, we just need to gather enough evidence," Mac alleged, leaning back.

"Sounds like you've been busy," Lindsay established and started fiddling the things on the table, settling on a pen.

"If we're lucky we'll be done tomorrow," Mac added hopefully. "So do you need more vacation days?"

"Nah, things are pretty good, I'm catching a flight back on Sunday and I should be back in New York around 9 pm." Lindsay said, shifting in her seat.

"Good, that's good. How are you holding up?"

"Things are looking up and even the neighbours came for dinner and right now it's all pretty good. One of the good days!" she exclaimed quietly.

"Yeah…" Mac muttered knowingly.

The conversation strayed to happier subjects and they did indeed talk about all things trivial and as it turns out, it was fun. It was easy and comfortable and in no way forced. Mac realized this was one of the best ways to unwind as he listened to Lindsay explain the things that had happened. Mac told her how Sheldon and Danny had gotten into a friendly argument during a car ride and how after 10 minutes of bickering they came to the conclusion that it was Mac's fault. Lindsay laughed at the other end and it was music to Mac's ears. Maybe Stella had a point. He had never thought of it – how he and Lindsay seemed to lean on each other.

The conversation was once again cut short when there was a loud squeal at the door of the study. "I'm assuming that's Hannah," Mac chuckled.

"Yep," Lindsay said, listening to what the girl had to say.

"The dinner's all ready! Mom wants to know whether we should start without you or not," Hannah stated firmly.

Mac heard her and quickly spoke, "Go! I'll talk to you later,"

"Oh, ok," Lindsay replied reluctantly. "Bye then. Take care!"

"Thanks, bye."

Lindsay's hand was grabbed by Hannah who dragged her to the dining room where the dinner was set. She didn't notice that she had a big smile on her face, nor did she see that her sister was eyeing her with a curious look.

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Mac was thinking about what Lindsay had said. 'Take care.' He knew it was really nothing, but after what Stella had told him, he ran it over and over in his head, realizing that indeed it meant a lot. He thought of Lindsay and it made him smile and at that very moment he knew he was in for something good.

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Lindsay was collecting the cutlery off the dining room table and Anne came to help her. They continued on in silence for a minute, but then Anne couldn't keep quiet anymore.

"What's with the smile?" she demanded.

"What? Can't I smile?" Lindsay asked innocently.

Anne looked intently at Lindsay. "Oh, I know you better than that… So spill it!"

"There's nothing to spill!" Lindsay defended herself.

Anne rounded the table and decided she would keep on trying. "Come on…"

"There's nothing to tell! I'm just feeling good at the moment. That's not a crime, is it?"

"You're too stubborn for your own good…" Anne concluded and grabbed a couple of more plates before going into the kitchen.

Lindsay pondered for a moment. Just when did she start smiling after seeing or hearing about Mac?

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It was 9:35 pm on Sunday night and Lindsay was making her way through the enormous airport. There were a lot of people, creating a crowded atmosphere, and it was making her a little nervous. She switched her medium sized travel bag to the other shoulder, because it was becoming quite heavy. Looking at the signs above the stream of people she found the way that would take her to the main entrance. Since her flight had arrived at the gate furthest from the front, it was another five minutes of walking before she reached the pickup point. She was hoping to catch a cab right away but new it was only wishful thinking.

She stumbled forward, yelling an angry 'hey' at a man who pretty much elbowed her. Boy, did she hate airports. Soon she reached the doors and as she stepped outside, and all the annoyance and anger quickly faded, as she spotted Mac. A smile appeared on her lips and Mac closed the distance between them.

"You didn't have to do this," she said and Mac offered his hand so she could give her bag to him.

He took her luggage, the little she had, and they started walking towards the car. Mac's hand once again guided her to the right direction, this time resting completely freely but steadily at the small of her back. "I know, but I wanted to."

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I received interesting feedback on the last chapter and I have to say I was surprised it drew in almost twice as much reviews as the other chapters usually have. So what do you think of this one?