Thanks for the reviews so far. They've been amazing, I love that a few of you thought the last chapter was going to be a dream of some sort. It was just a taste of how much darker and dangerous this story is going to get for not only Jo but the other characters as well.
I love action and suspense and keeping you guys on your toes. Hope you're all enjoying this story as much as I am writing it.
This chapter contains song lyrics. If you can, listen to the song when it appears in the story, I think it works really well. The song was actually used in the episode Means To An End. (When Jo kills John Curtis). It only seemed appropriate to use it. It will be used again later on. The lyrics are perfect for this story I think. The song is Never let me go buy Florence and the machine.
I kinda found myself re-writing this chapter a little, so I can only hope you like where it ultimately leads. It was a surprise for myself but I just found myself typing it and…well….liked what I wrote. Hope you do too. :D This is kinda a long chapter, so be prepared.
Disclaimer: Characters, song and lyrics all belong to their respective owners which, for the record, isn't me. : (
Chapter 4
Lindsay, Hawkes and Danny all walked into Mac's apartment. It was early the next morning and the sun shining in through the windows cast shadows, making the smoke damaged walls look blacker and angrier than they actually were. The smell of smoke, fire and fear hung around them all like a thick blanket.
"The worst of the damage is in the bedroom. That's where the fire was started; that's where Jo was." Hawkes said.
Lindsay looked around, shaking her head as a cold shiver shot down her spine. "I can't believe how lucky she's been, just burns to her leg. God, they both could have died." she said as she scanned the ruined apartment.
Danny wrapped his arms around her and gave her a reassuring kiss on the cheek. "Hey they're both fine. We just need to make sure we find something that will help us nail the bastard who did this." Danny said to her.
"Lets make a start then." she said.
Immediately they all set to work, taking pictures and finding evidence. All of them still worrying about Jo and Mac. The team was close, more like family than colleagues and when one of them was threatened they all came to fight back like a pride of angry lions. Right now they were just making the first move on going in for the kill, they were determined.
~0~0~
They all found different pieces of evidence as the worked for over an hour and a half.
"So, why do you think Jo was staying here?" Danny asked. "I mean, I get why she couldn't stay at her place but why not check into a hotel?"
They were all thinking it but it was Lindsay who said, "I can understand why Jo would rather stay with a friend than in a random hotel room. Besides, it's not really any of our business." she said, giving her husband a smile that said "drop it!"
Danny knew well enough to take his orders and immediately went back to work. Hawkes just laughed at them and continued to search for more evidence. It was him who came upon deep scratches in the wood on the outside window-sill, clearly made by some sort of sharp blade. The scratches were just by a splinter of wood that was stuck up and on the splinter was a smear of blood. He didn't hesitate to picture it and then take a swab. He imagined how it had got there.
The attacker was perched on the fire escape, looking in through the window he could see Jo, lying asleep in the bed, which was just a few feet away from the window. The attacker used a knife to inch open the window, causing the scratches in the wood. He then hooked his fingers into the small opening and pulled the window open, but not before snagging the tip of his finger on the splinter of wood, leaving behind the telling smear.
~0~0~0~0~
Mac was stood watching as the nurse changed the bandage on Jo's leg. He couldn't help but think how nasty the burst blisters looked. He had to smile as he thought that, even though Jo would ultimately have an obvious scar on her leg, her legs were still stunning.
"What?" she asked, seeing him smiling.
"Nothing." he lied.
She half smiled at him and then noticed the bandage on his right arm. "How is that?" she asked him.
He knew she was referring to the burn on his arm. One he had got trying to get closer to the bed to help her, he hadn't even noticed it until a nurse at the hospital had pointed it out. "It's fine." he said, brushing it off. It was nowhere near as severe as her burn was.
The nurse took just a minute or two to bandage Jo's leg up again. "That looks good but Doctor Pierce wants you to stay in a little longer, for observation. But, then you should be free to go."
Jo nodded, happy at the thought of getting out. She hated hospitals, even more so when she was a patient in one. The nurse left and Mac pulled up a chair and sat down next to the bed where Jo sat, holding her leg.
"Do you need something for the pain?" he asked her.
"No, it's fine." she said with a smile, letting go of her leg and letting it lay flat on the bed.
They were silent for a moment before Jo had to say what was on her mind. "Mac, I want to thank you. You probably saved my life back there."
"You helped save yourself." he reminded her.
"You could have left me, I wouldn't have blamed you if you had."
"If I had left you, you would have died."
"I still wouldn't have blamed you. I can't believe you stayed there with me." she said looking him in the eyes.
"I would never have left you there, Jo." he said, looking right back at her.
She found herself becoming lost in his eyes before she asked, "Why?"
He knew just how deep her question was aiming. She wanted to know if he felt the same things she felt for him. Had it been the other way round, Jo would never have left him either.
Mac was about to answer when the door burst open. They both looked up to see Adam walk in. Both Jo and Mac were now dressed in blue hospital scrubs but they were both stained black from the smoke and the smell clung to their hair, they looked a mess and both felt it. Visitors were the last thing they wanted.
"How are you both feeling" Adam asked as he walked over to the bed carrying a balloon, a bunch of flowers and a box of chocolates.
Jo cocked her head to the side as she studied the balloon. She couldn't help but comment on the blue congratulations-its-a-baby-boy balloon. "Adam, I haven't given birth, I burnt my leg." she informed him.
"I know….but it was the only balloon the gift shop had left so I figured it was better than none."
Jo just laughed, she appreciated the gesture and was reminded of why she liked Adam so much. "That's sweet. And those flowers are beautiful!" she said seeing the huge bouquet in his hands.
"I didn't actually get you them….or the chocolates. They were delivered to the lab for you. They're from your son…I read the card." he confessed as he passed her the flowers.
Jo had to smile as she dug into the huge bouquet of bright flowers. She found the card and read it out loud."Mom, all my love. Tyler."
Mac took the flowers from her so she could take the chocolates from Adam. She studied them for a second, looking puzzled. "He must have forgot." she thought out loud.
"What?" Mac asked.
"These are all strawberry-creams. I hate strawberry-creams, always have." she said, feeling a little guilty.
Adam had taken a few steps away from the bed when he heard Jo. "Are you…not gonna eat those then?" he asked her.
Jo smiled and shook her head. "Knock yourself out." she said as she passed him the box.
Like an excited child he grabbed the box from her and broke his way into it. "I'm a sucker for strawberry-creams." he said before putting a full one into his mouth.
Jo and Mac both had to laugh at him. Mac refused when Adam offered him a chocolate. He just watched as Adam tucked into another one like a hungry pup.
"You keep them to yourself." Mac said as he turned to face Jo. However, they quickly turned to face Adam when they heard a choking sound. They saw him, red faced and wide eyed.
The box of chocolates seemed to suddenly fall from his hands in slow motion. They hit the floor and scattered. Mac dropped the flowers to the floor as he and Jo both made their way over to Adam. Mac got there just in time to catch Adam as he fell forward, clutching his throat.
It shocked them both when Adam coughed up a load of blood but it was Jo who let out a stifled sob before calling for help. Desperately, she jumped up and limped over to the door. She practically threw herself out of it, "Help! I need help!" she shouted at some nurses who were stood down the corridor.
She looked back down to see Adam had gone still and that Mac was now performing CPR. She was shocked, shaking. She looked down at one of the chocolates on the floor. Just then a bunch of nurses came running in, stomping all over most of the chocolates. They quickly moved Adam onto the bed and then pushed him out of the room towards the ER.
Jo leant back against the wall and continued to look at the now squashed chocolates. she then looked up at the flowers and back to the chocolates. It was then she knew they were never from Tyler. It was another gift from John Curtis, meant for her.
~0~0~0~0~
Flack was the last one to arrive at the hospital. He was met by Jo and Mac who were sat, with equally gloomy expressions, in the corridor.
"What the hell happened?" Flack asked.
"He was poisoned. He ate some chocolates…"
"…That I gave him. That were meant for me, not him." Jo said angrily as she stood up and began pacing.
Both Mac and Flack watched her before they turned to face each other again. "He's doing fine now. Why don't you go in and see him. Everyone's in there." Mac said to him, pointing to the room behind him.
Flack nodded and patted his friends shoulder before he disappeared into the room. Mac wandered down the corridor to where Jo now stood, looking out of the window.
He placed his hand supportively on her lower back. "This isn't your fault."
"Of course it is, Mac. I was supposed to eat those chocolates, not Adam. I thought they were from Tyler. I should have known."
"This is because of John Curtis."
"No, Mac! John Curtis is dead. This is someone else. Someone who wants to hurt me, make me suffer. Yet the only people getting hurt are innocent women and now my friends."
"Adam isn't going to blame you for this."
"He doesn't have to. I blame myself for this, for those murders and for your apartment getting almost burned down. Damn-it, you got hurt Mac." she said looking at his bandaged arm.
"Jo, I'm not the only one who got hurt. Look at the burn on your leg; the stitches in your head, the bruises and scrapes on your back…" Mac began.
Jo just shook her head, "Mac, nothing that has happened to me compares to what you, Adam and those women went through." she said before she pulled away from him and limped off down the corridor. "I need some air." she told him. She did need air but also some space to clear her head.
She had just made it outside when her cell phone began to ring. "Jo Danville." she said as she answered, no bothering to check caller ID.
"I have something you may want to see." an unfamiliar male voice said to her.
"Who the hell is this?" she growled through gritted teeth.
"Someone you need to start listening to, you little bitch!" they snapped back at her, "Now, I'm a hundred percent sure that I told you to come alone yesterday. Yet I saw you at the parking lot with four other people."
"You really think I'm stupid enough to…."
"I'm giving you one more chance!" he yelled, interrupting her. "The black van you can see across the car park from you…." he said.
Jo immediately scanned the car park. She saw a black van parked about 25ft away from where she was standing.
"I see you looking!" the voice sang at her down the phone.
"What the hell do you want from me?" she asked angrily.
"I want you to walk over to the van. Alone! There's something I want you to see, in the back of the van."
"Give me one good reason why I should?"
It all went quiet. Jo was beginning to think the person had hung up on her. "Hello!" she said, "Hello!"
~0~0~
Mac had quickly realised he didn't want Jo standing outside on her own. He was almost jogging down the corridor as he made his way to the front of the hospital.
~0~0~
Jo was staring at the black van, waiting for the caller to answer her back. Finally, unable to take the silence anymore she asked, "Are you still there you asshole?"
"Mommy!"
Jo froze, her heart beating wildly, punching her chest so hard she thought it may break through it. "Ellie, sweetheart?"
"Mom!"
Jo felt sick when she heard Tyler's voice also come over the phone. She began charging towards the black van. "That a girl!" the voice said to her.
She was a few steps away from the van when the side door flew open. She froze and looked into it, saw Tyler and Ellie lying in the back. They were both tied up and now had tape over their mouths. She was about to move towards the van again when someone stepped in front of her. She never saw the gun, just heard the bang and felt the punch of the bullet as it hit her shoulder.
She stumbled backwards and fell flat on her back. She could hear Tyler's cries of protest, muffled through the tape. The pain in her shoulder and the fear for her children brought tears to her eyes. Through blurred vision she saw someone stand over her, pointing a gun at her.
She could hear both Ellie and Tyler screaming as she glared up at the mask wearing figure. She wished the door to the van would close. She didn't want her children to see her shot and killed. Another shot rang out, she waited to feel pain, but it never came.
Her head was spinning with pain so what happened next seemed to happen in a total blur. She heard the door to the van slam shut and tires screech as the van sped off. She tried to push herself up as quick as she could.
~0~0~
Mac came to a stand still in the front entrance of the hospital and immediately saw Jo across from him. He saw the van turn and then come racing towards her. He wondered why she was just standing there. Without thinking he began running towards her.
~0~0~
Jo steadied herself and then stood there and just watched as the van sped towards her. She stood there like her body would act as a wall that would stop the van, she hoped that Ellie and Tyler may be able to get out then.
The van was just inches away from her when she felt the ground hit her body at full force. She barely had time to work out what had happened before she pushed Mac off of her and tried to crawl from between the two cars she had landed between when he had tackled her to the ground. She saw the back end of the van for just a second, then it disappeared out of the car park.
She tried pushing herself up but her arm gave beneath her and she fell flat on the floor again. "Tyler!" she screamed, "Ellie…. Bring them back..!" she yelled before her voice broke as sobs began to choke her.
Mac helped her to her knees and held her against him. She wrapped her arms around him, looking over his shoulder, wishing the van would return, as she cried.
~0~0~0~0~
Jo stormed into her apartment and kicked the door shut behind her. Mac managed to catch it before it slammed shut in his face. He walked in behind her and shut the door behind him. Jo heard him and stormed over to him, her body radiating with anger, her face showing it.
"Get out!" she yelled. Mac didn't answer her he just stood there, looking at her. "I said get out! I don't want you here, Mac! I don't want you anywhere near me!" she yelled.
He could see the tears in her eyes. It had been three hours since the incident in the car park and although they had dozens of teams searching for the van they had nothing, but the search continued.
Jo now had over a dozen stitches on the top of her left shoulder which had closed up the wound where a chunk of flesh was missing. The bullet Jo had been hit with had skimmed the top of her shoulder, and was just a through and through flesh wound, but it still hurt like hell. Even if she wouldn't admit it. A few inches lower and Jo would still be in surgery right now.
"Did you hear me? Get out!" Jo yelled at Mac again.
Mac continued to just stand there, then silently he shook his head. Jo let out an angry sigh before she turned her back on him and walked towards the bathroom. He heard the door slam shut and waited. He then heard the spray from the shower. Deciding he would wait he went and sat on the couch. He wasn't about to leave Jo, they needed to talk.
In the bathroom, Jo had striped and was now stood in the shower under the hot spray. She sank down into the cubicle with the water still hitting her body. She brought her knees up against her body and rested her head on her knees and cried. Cried for her children who she prayed were okay.
~0~0~0~0~
It was just under a half hour later when Jo came out of the bathroom. She exhaled angrily when she saw Mac sitting on the couch. She gripped the towel around her body tighter and walked towards her bedroom, Mac followed after her.
"Mac, I thought I told you to go."
"We both know the second I leave here you will go looking for Tyler and Ell…."
"Don't you talk about them!" Jo snapped as she spun on her heels to face him, they were both now standing in her bedroom doorway. "Don't you dare say their names." Jo said as fresh tears stung her eyes.
"Jo…" Mac began to say.
"Mac! Why did you do that?" she yelled.
"Do what, Jo?" he asked in confusion.
"Push me out of the way of the van. Tyler and Ellie were in it." she cried.
"And you think that you getting mowed down by that van would have saved them somehow?"
"They're my babies, Mac! I have to save them somehow!"
"And you can only do that if you're alive." Mac pointed out to her.
Jo glared at him for a moment more before she felt her tears begin to fall faster, rebelliously. She turned, too exhausted to argue anymore. She went and sat on her bed. She sat there in silence for a moment before she covered her face with her right hand and began to cry. She kept thinking about Tyler and Ellie and thinking about them being hurt, or worse, and all because of her.
Mac walked over to her and slowly sat down next to her. Part of him felt like he was totally invading her private space, another part told him to hold her, comfort her. Another part of him thought maybe he should give her some space because she was clearly pissed at him.
But instead he found himself resting his hand on her knee. He could feel the warmth from her shower radiating from her skin and through her towel, it felt incredible against his hand. He was shocked when she rested her hand on his even though she continued to cry, she just looked away. Her right hand was the only one she had, it hurt too much to use her left arm - the one on which her shoulder had been injured.
Mac had to reach up and gently turn her head to face him. "I promise you I will help you get Tyler and Ellie back safe."
Jo appreciated his words and she knew Mac well enough to know he meant them. She moved her hand from off his and turned slightly and then placed her hand on his face. She buried her face against his chest as her tears continued to fall.
Looking out from underneath,
Fractured moonlight on the sea
Mac gently reached up and held her face, softly brushing his thumb over her cheek. Jo pulled back slightly to look him in the face. Mac looked straight back at her, getting lost in her eyes. It was only when he tried to look away that he noticed Jo was looking back at him the same.
Reflections still look the same to me,
As before I went under.
Without even knowing it their faces moved closer together. Mac felt Jo's lips brush against his, soft and enticing. He quickly found himself deepening the kiss, his body reacting the same way, wanting more. Jo felt the same thing.
And it's peaceful in the deep,
Cathedral where you cannot breathe,
No need to pray, no need to speak
Now I am under.
It had been a while since someone had kissed her, it had been even longer since she had kissed someone back. She found her body aching for more of Mac. She couldn't hold in the quiet moan when she felt him slip his hand under her towel, onto her thigh.
Oh, And it's breaking over me,
A thousand miles onto the sea bed,
Found the place to rest my head.
This kiss went on, getting more and more passionate. Jo suddenly found herself falling backwards on the bed, Mac's body was on top of hers and it felt amazing.
Never let me go, never let me go.
Never let me go, never let me go.
She tangled her right hand up in his hair, her left hand held onto his side, nowhere near as encouraging as her right hand was. Mac found himself desperate for Jo, for more of her touches, more of her body.
And the arms of the ocean are carrying me,
And all this devotion was rushing out of me,
He moved his kisses from her mouth and onto her neck, then down onto her chest, heard her moan in pleasure.
And the crashes are heaven, for a sinner like me,
The arms of the ocean deliver me.
He moved his kisses back up her neck and along her jaw, it was then he got a taste of her salty tears.
He pulled away from her and sat up straight, rubbing his eyes, trying to will away images of what he wanted to happen between him and Jo. Jo sat up and rested her hand on his chest, placing soft kisses on his shoulder. For a moment he didn't put up a protest, not even when she began unbuttoning his shirt. However, once she had fully unbuttoned it and placed her hand on his bare chest he had to stop her.
He peeled her hand away from his chest. "No, Jo." was all he said.
Jo ignored him as her tears continued to roll down her cheeks. She continued to kiss his shoulders, tried to put her hand back on his chest. She needed to feel the warmth of his skin against hers. She needed him so badly she could cry even harder than she already was.
"Jo, stop." Mac said as he stood up.
Though the pressure's hard to take,
It's the only way I can escape,
Jo sat on the bed and hid her face behind her hands. Mac could see she was still crying. He moved closer to her and grabbed her hands, carefully pulled them away from her tear stained face. "Jo, I can't let you and I do this. You're emotional. I won't take advantage of you while you're like this."
It seems a heavy choice to make,
Now I am under.
Jo had to laugh slightly, "What about if I beg you?" she asked. She felt pathetic doing so but she did anyway. "I need you Mac, I…I really don't want to be alone." she said as she looked up at him.
Oh, And it's breaking over me,
A thousand miles down to the sea bed,
Found the place to rest my head.
Mac cupped her face, one more brushed her cheeks with his thumb. Jo moved her face to kiss one of his thumbs. It was like an electric shock through his body. He reached down and met her lips with his. He kissed her lovingly as she unclipped his belt and unzipped his trousers.
Never let me go, never let me go.
Never let me go, never let me go.
They lay next to each other on her bed, Mac's body slightly covering hers, just kissing for a while. Mac's kisses seemed to heal her bruised and aching body. Each time a tear fell Mac would kiss it away and Jo soon found herself needing his body more than she had ever needed anything before.
And the arms of the ocean are carrying me,
And all this devotion was rushing out of me,
When she felt his hands slip inside her towel she put up no protest at all. His hand left a burning trail of pleasure as it travelled up the inside up her thigh and came up to rest on her hip, pulling it against his body. Jo felt him against her, hard and ready.
And the crashes are heaven, for a sinner like me,
"Mac, please." she begged, whispering into his ear as he kissed her throat and continued to move against her. Mac knew what she wanted. Throughout their kissing session Jo had removed his shirt, his trousers were undone and he felt her push them down his body, she wanted him and he wanted her just as badly.
The arms of the ocean deliver me.
He shuffled down the bed and pulled the towel that was wrapped around Jo's body apart. He took a second to just stare at her body, memorizing it. It was perfect. Her stomach was as perfectly toned and caramel coloured as her legs and he was surprised to see a small butterfly tattoo on her hip. He had to kiss it, he loved it. There was also a small scar on her stomach, he knew it was from an appendectomy. He kissed that too.
And it's over,
And I'm going under,
But I'm not giving up!
I'm just giving in.
He felt Jo's stomach buck against his kisses. Her skin smelt of her body-wash, floral and completing enticing. He gently gripped her sides as he pulled her torso up to meet his kisses. He moved his hands away from her sides and let his right hand trace up the inside of her thigh again, let it brush between her legs, making her moan and letting him know just how ready she was for him. He kicked his trousers and boxers off and moved to position himself above Jo.
Oh, slipping underneath.
Oh, so cold, but so sweet.
He looked down at her beneath him, kissed her on the lips as he pushed himself inside her, softly but enough to make her moan into the kiss. They fit together perfectly, like a puzzle. It was a total turn on and he pushed into her again, slightly harder. He felt her legs wrap around him and thrust harder into her. It was passionate but it was full of emotion.
In the arms of the ocean, so sweet and so cold,
And all this devotion I never knew at all,
Their kisses stopped and Jo rested her forehead against Mac's chest as he moved inside her, harder and faster. She'd never been so pleasured by a man this way and felt herself quickly falling deep over the edge.
And the crashes are Heaven, for a sinner released,
And the arms of the ocean,
Mac felt her body tighten around him and it was all he needed he needed to take him over the edge with her.
Deliver me.
They climaxed together, both moaning and gasping in pleasure. Mac reached down and kissed her as he spilled into her. He felt so complete inside her.
Never let me go, never let me go.
Never let me go, never let me go.
He never wanted this moment to end.
And it's over,
And I'm goin' under,
But I'm not givin' up!
I'm just givin' in.
Jo could only look up at him, out of breath. After a moment she reached up and pulled his mouth back to hers and began kissing him again, she too wasn't ready for the moment to end.
Never let me go, never let me go.
Never let me go, never let me go.
Oh, slipping underneath.
Oh, so cold, but so sweet…
TBC
Hope it wasn't too graphic but by God these two need to get it on and since the show hasn't done it I figured I would. I know it might seem inappropriate timing but sometimes emotion wins over what is appropriate and what is not and that's what I wanted to show here.
Thanks for reading, please review.