A/N: Sorry this is so long but I couldn't find a good place to cut it.
Also, there is a small reference to the new Batman movie towards the end – I'd already written it before the terrible tragedy at opening night in Colorado, US – I considered taking it out, but finally decided to just leave it . . .
End of Previous Chapter:
She sighed contentedly, burrowing back into his warmth. "Oh Mac, it's so nice to go to bed in someone's arms. I've missed that."
He kissed her shoulder ever so lightly. "I know."
Within a few minutes, he felt her breathing slow, her chest rise and fall more regularly under his arm, her head lean more heavily into his chin and he knew she was sound asleep. He smiled to himself. And the last thing he remembered, before succumbing to sleep himself, was the feel of her soft skin as he stroked her arm lovingly with his finger.
A Nice Dinner 5 – Fourth Course: Dessert (A course typically coming at the end of a meal generally serving to sweeten the palate)
Shortly after 7 a.m. the next morning, the first rays of sunshine broke through the windows of Mac's bedroom, gently warming his cheek and causing his eyelids to flutter. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he wondered whether he'd left the shades open last night and whether any of his neighbors had been witness to their coupling last night. He pushed the thought away, forcing his eyes to stay closed, trying to savor the moment.
He could feel Jo's warm body still nestled into the curve of his own, he could still faintly taste her on his lips, he could smell her own intoxicating fragrance, mingled with the scent of their union last night, and he smiled softly. He felt other parts of his body begin to awaken and he shifted back slightly. That was not really what he wanted right now, despite his body's reaction to the contrary.
Opening his eyes, he looked at her beauty. Her face looked like a child's – completely at peace in her slumber. Her hair completely disheveled, whether from sleep or their activities last night, or perhaps both, he wasn't certain. There was a slight black smudge under her eyes, from her eye make-up. He realized with regret that he had never even offered her a washcloth or toothbrush last night in case she'd wanted to wash up.
He glanced over at the clock on his bedside table – he couldn't recall the last time he'd slept that late. Turning back to the bed, he noticed that the sheet had tangled around her knees during the night and he let his gaze wander over the length of her body. He lay there for nearly a half an hour, staring at her unabashedly, until the morning urge to relieve himself took precedence and he quietly slipped out of bed.
Approaching the bathroom, he grabbed his robe from the floor and suddenly decided to detour to the hall bathroom instead, to avoid the possibility of waking her.
After finishing, he padded quietly through his apartment to the kitchen just to check if by chance he had anything he could make them for breakfast.
He opened the fridge and closed it mere seconds later. He'd not expected to find anything; he couldn't recall the last time he'd been out grocery shopping. They'd have to go out.
He made his way back to the bedroom. She was still sound asleep so he shrugged off his robe and gently climbed back into bed beside her. He tried untangling the covers from her legs, but was unable to so he grabbed the bedspread instead and pulled it over them. Despite his efforts not to wake her, his movements wrangling the covers had caused enough of a disturbance that she began to stir.
Still half asleep, Jo gradually became aware of a body pressed into hers, felt an arm draped heavily over her, sensed someone's breath on her neck. Her first thought was Russ. No, that was a long time ago. Her conscious mind, still dim from the fog of sleep, allowed some of her more primal memories begin to escape to the surface. John Curtis . . .
She gasped, jerking suddenly awake, then realized it was Mac holding her lovingly in his bed. The more pleasant memories of last night flooded her brain and she relaxed back into the pillow, her breathing calming again almost as quickly as it had spun out of control. "Oh Mac, you surprised me for a minute."
"Forget who you were sleeping with?" He quipped, jokingly, but one look at her face and he realized that she had truly been frightened for just a moment. "You ok?"
She nodded and turned over to face him, smiling and pushing the earlier thoughts back to the deeper crevices of her mind. "I'm wonderful." And she yawned languidly, stretching her arms above her head, the bed spread slithering down her body as she did so. "Haven't woken up next to anyone for a little while. For a minute I was just a little confused."
"Well, gee, thanks, I'm glad I made such a lasting impression on you last night."
She slapped his arm playfully and rose up onto one elbow. "Oh, be quiet. Believe me, last night's impression will last for a good long time." She smiled down at him and he lifted a hand, tucking another stray lock of hair behind her ear so he could see all of her face.
"You know, I have to say, contrary to your comments last night, you look pretty damn presentable first thing in the morning Jo Danville."
"See Mac Taylor, I've known all along that deep down you were a ladies' man. All the right lines, all the right moves. . .
He rolled his eyes and she giggled. Then he smiled. "What shall we do today?"
She glanced at the clock. "Uh, sleep? It's only 7:30." She looked over at him hopefully.
He frowned and she pouted a bit. "Mac, don't you ever sleep in?"
"I did – it's late already. I never sleep this late."
Now it was her turn to roll her eyes. "You think this is sleeping in?" She sighed loudly. "You've clearly never shared your home with a teenager – completely changes the definition of sleeping in."
Mac laughed. "Ok, I'm sorry I woke you up at such a God-awful early hour." He stated with mock drama. "But since we're both awake now, maybe we could go out and grab something for breakfast. I checked out my kitchen earlier – pretty bare. Plus," he continued, glancing out the window, ". . .looks like it's going to be nice and clear today. We could take a stroll around the neighborhood?"
"A 'stroll'?" She smirked at him playfully. "Sounds like somethin' my mama used to make us do on Sundays after church." Her accent in full force.
He shrugged, looking slightly disappointed. "Well, I'm open to other ideas."
She sat up. "No, I'm kidding. I think that's a perfect plan. And seeing as how neither of us has a shift today . . ." she winked playfully at him, ". . . maybe we'll actually have a bit more uninterrupted time together." And she leaned over and began kissing him tenderly, slowly, her fingers running through his sleep-disheveled hair. He felt his body beginning to respond almost immediately – the relaxed mood of the morning, the sensuality of her presence, the vivid memories of last night, all combining to pique his interest rather quickly.
She could suddenly feel him grinning within the kiss and pulled away to stare at him. "What? You're laughing NOW?"
He shook his head, his eyes glinting, and leaned back over to her, giving her a quick but thorough kiss in return. "I wasn't laughing. I just wanted to remind you I only had that one condom. We don't want to get too carried away."
She frowned at him. "Come on Mac, we're adults. You don't think we're mature enough to stop before it gets out of control?"
He reached out and stroked her cheek before replying. "Of course we are, but I'm not really sure I'll want to." It sounded like some cheesy comment, but he really did mean it and looking at his expression she could see his honesty.
"Oh you. Rain check then?" She suddenly sat straight up in bed and stared seriously at him. "Your mission before tonight, Mac Taylor, should you choose to accept it, is to go out and buy some condoms."
He laughed heartily, then looked at her askance. "Oh, and why does that have to be my job? You're a modern woman – too embarrassed to buy a box of rubbers at your local pharmacy?"
"Oh please. Believe me that did not even cross my mind." She flipped her head, sending her hair bouncing from behind her ears. "I just don't know what you like. I want you to be comfortable."
"If you want me to be comfortable, let's get up so we can get out of here and get some breakfast. You know I'm not one to lounge around in bed all day."
She sighed. "Oh Mac, you have so much to learn . . ." but he cut her off before she went into details. "And I'll bet you're ready to educate me," he replied, his eyebrows raised.
She smiled conspiratorially over at him. "How 'bout we start by taking a shower together? That'll get us outta here faster."
He had doubts about that but smiled as she grabbed his hand and pulled him off the bed and towards the bathroom. Didn't I just stop her from heading in this direction? He had a feeling this might not be the smartest idea right now, but decided he'd reserve judgment a bit longer just to see exactly what she had in mind.
Once in the bathroom, she let go of his hand to stare at herself in the mirror. "Ugghh. You have any idea where my purse is?" She asked, distracted by the state of yesterday's make-up on her face.
Mac thought a moment as he turned on the shower head. "I think it might still be in the entryway. You want me to get it for you?"
"That'd be great." She smiled sweetly at him.
"What for, you carry a spare set of clothes in there or something?" He was smiling but had to admit he had always been curious what all she kept in her shoulder bag. She always seemed to be pulling some random item haphazardly from it's depths and he assumed the state of it's interior rivaled that of her desk.
"No, just my make-up, which I'll redo after our shower." She smiled coyly at him and he nodded, heading down the hall to retrieve her bag.
Upon his return, he was marveling at the weight of her bag as he walked back into the bathroom, stopping short when he realized she was sitting on the toilet. "Oh, sorry. You want me to . . . ." He blustered, turning to leave.
"Mac, we just slept together – you don't think you can be in the same room while I use the toilet? Please."
He shrugged, placing her purse on the counter next to the sink and busying himself checking the water temperature.
She finished and sidled up behind him, reaching around to test the water herself. "Perfect. Shall we?" And she stepped past him to stand under the water stream, smoothing back her hair and letting the water rivulets drip over her head and down the rest of her body.
Mac stood transfixed, watching one particular water droplet in particular that seemed to have a mind of its own as it dripped down from her chin, onto her chest and slowly coursed it's way down the curve of her breast just skimming the rise of her nipple before plummeting downwards, at which point he lost track of it.
He groaned inwardly as he began to feel the familiar heaviness in his groin signaling imminent arousal. This is such a bad idea, he thought.
She opened her eyes, squinting at him through the water spray. "You coming in?"
He nodded slightly and entered, closing the shower door behind him and standing, somewhat off to the side, out of the water's reach, just watching her.
She opened her eyes again, scanning the small shelf and the couple bottles of shower products Mac had lined up. She quirked her brow at him. "Am I gonna smell like a man?"
"That's all I've got, I'm afraid your choices are somewhat limited." He moved slightly closer. "Don't you have anything in that bag of yours? You must have pretty much your entire life stowed away in there. It weighs at least 15 lbs."
"Veerrryyy fuunnnyy," she drawled, picking up one of the bottles and squeezing out some of the shampoo onto her hand. "Believe me my life weighs more than 15 lbs." And she reached out and pulled his arm, moving him closer to her under the water stream. "It's gonna be hard to get clean standing way over there." She beamed at him as she began lathering up first his hair then her own. He found himself wondering when she would move on to their bodies, not sure whether he was looking forward more to her washing his or watching her do her own.
A moment later she pulled him closer to her yet, trying to rinse out the shampoo. The feeling of her fingers lightly massaging his scalp, the stream of water flowing gently over his hair and down his face, the way her body kept brushing against his as she worked to rinse him was setting off a network of fireworks in his brain, as well as in his groin.
She turned slightly, reaching for the soap on the shelf and her hip brushed ever so slightly against the tip of his penis, causing his eyes to droop shut and his breath to catch in his throat.
She turned back to him, eying him a moment, glancing down to see the very beginnings of his growing arousal, and she slowly put the soap back on the ledge, a slight smile curving the corner of her mouth upwards.
She reached out slowly with her right hand, eventually cupping his balls in her hand – his eyes shot open but closed again almost immediately as she began stroking them gently with her fingertips. He let out a long, ragged breath, as her manipulations became more persistent and she leaned in closer to his face.
Her mouth was right next to his ear. "Please Mac, let me do this for you – don't stop me this time, ok?" She whispered, and moved her face slightly so that her mouth was now directly in front of his. She didn't wait for a response but instead placed a soft kiss just at the corner of his lips and his mouth opened suddenly, hungrily to hers. Startled somewhat, her hand slipped, losing contact with him for the briefest of moments. His hips moved forward seeking out her touch again and she recovered quickly, this time moving her fingertips even further back, gently stroking the skin just behind his balls.
Mac moaned into her mouth, his eyes still closed, the fireworks spreading further throughout his body. He'd always found it slightly unnerving to feel so completely out of control and at the mercy of another. But he had to admit at the moment it was feeling highly erotic as well. He felt her suddenly break their kiss but before he could protest, he felt her dropping downwards, her hand still massaging his perineum, and he braced himself against the back wall of the shower.
His slight movement backwards had opened a clear path for the shower stream and Jo's eyes, mouth and nose were suddenly inundated by water spray. She sputtered and moved her head back a moment. "Mac, move the shower head please, so I don't drown."
He smiled slightly, glancing downwards at her kneeling in front of him, catching a wondrous overhead view of her breasts, shower spray dripping down them both onto her thighs. He stared, entranced, until she coughed and he quickly reached over and redirected the shower against the wall. His last image before he closed his eyes again was of her head moving slowly towards him, her lips parted slightly, on a direct course for his erection.
As her mouth enclosed over his arousal her hand moved to grasp it's base, holding it steady as she slowly, languidly began to suck his length. Feeling him grow steadily in her mouth, she picked up the pace slightly. Her hand moved back to cup his balls again, then as her mouth moved outwards to his tip, her fingernails trailed behind, grazing his sensitive skin. She heard him groan loudly from above and thought perhaps she should change tactics for a moment.
This time as her mouth slid over him to the head, she remained there, her tongue lathing the underside of his tip once, twice. His breath seethed and his hand scrabbled against the shower wall, trying to find a purchase. His mind spiraled into overdrive, the edges of his brain taken over by a black fog. She continued a third and fourth time and Mac's eyes shot open. "Jo. . . I can't . . .fuck." He sucked in another breath. "Too much." He finally managed to utter, and he moved back slightly from her; she got the message, removing her mouth a moment and stroking his base a few times while he calmed down. She smiled to herself, thinking she'd just about made him lose it.
He sighed, the dense storm cloud that had suddenly reared up in his head, threatening to engulf his consciousness, now diminishing to reveal once again the fireworks display that had been growing steadily since they'd stepped into the shower together.
A few moments later and she resumed, first licking his member a few times, then engulfing him once more. Another minute of her stimulation and Mac could feel the pressure building inside him. He was fighting the urge to thrust his hips forwards all the way and plunge entirely into her mouth. Just a little more, he thought. He placed his hand ever so gently on the back of her head, trying not to exert too much pressure but indicating to her that he wouldn't object to her taking him even more deeply.
She felt his hand on her, knew what he wanted, but wasn't sure she was going to be able to comply. He was rather long, and she was already struggling somewhat to take him inside her. Her jaw was beginning to tire, and her gag reflex was starting to kick in even though he was clearly restraining his movement. She felt his body shudder, his hand gripping her hair, his breath coming across in ragged gasps. Damn, she thought. She'd been the one who so desperately wanted this - she didn't want to fail now.
She tried to relax herself. She opened her mouth, blowing air across his shaft and allowing her to take a few deep breaths herself. She thought about last night, his strong body leaning over her, how he'd felt inside her, the glorious sensation when she'd climaxed. She took him into her mouth again, slowly at first, then gaining not only momentum but depth.
Mac felt his balls tighten, felt them draw nearer to his body, felt the pressure in his head and in his groin reach an unfathomable level and suddenly he grabbed her hair with his other hand, threw back his head against the shower wall and cried out as he came in a violent series of shudders that wracked his entire body.
She kept him in her mouth until she felt his hands release her head and his body shiver slightly as her tongue touched him. She withdrew, wiping her mouth with a handful of water from the shower and sat back onto her feet, gazing up at him.
Mac's eyes were closed, his head and shoulders leaning back against the shower wall. His chest was heaving, his arms hanging limp against his sides. She smiled and slowly stood up to face him.
Mac felt her move in front of him, but wasn't yet able to open his eyes. Somewhere in the dim fog surrounding his brain, he registered that she was being left unsatisfied, but he wasn't sure that right now he was going to be able to do much about that. In fact, he was pretty sure that right now the insides of his limbs resembled the consistency of ballistic gel and his brain didn't seem to be completely connected to any other part of his body, as he was unable to perform even the most simple task of reaching out to touch her.
He finally managed to open his eyes slightly and gaze at her. She had a cocky grin on her face. "That seem impersonal to you?" She asked, referring to his comment the night before.
He managed only to shake his head, unable to speak just yet.
She reached up and redirected the shower head to the center of the shower. "Come on, we might need to wash again."
-/-/-/-/
A few minutes later, they'd exited the shower and dried each other off. While Mac pulled out some pants and a shirt to put on, Jo walked around his room, gathering up various articles of yesterday's clothing from the floor, throwing his at him playfully and tucking hers under her other arm.
"Hey Mac, do you think if I get called out this afternoon, anyone will notice I'm wearing the same clothes as yesterday?"
Mac, clad only in boxers at the moment, shrugged, staring as she put on first her bra, then her panties. "Who cares?"
She stopped and looked at him. "Well, I certainly do. Come on." She rolled her eyes, then scoffed. "Why am I even asking YOU that. You wear the same suit, everyone just assumes you spent the night in the office. Big deal. Any other man on the team – 'oh he must've gotten lucky, check it out'." She snorted slightly. "But a woman comes to work the next day in the same clothes, everyone's talking behind her back, she gets 'a reputation'. I don't want that." She sulked.
Mac eyed her, shaking his head. He sensed a possible rant coming on and smiled slightly. "Jo, no one's going to think that about you."
"Oh really. And why is that? What, they're just going to assume I didn't have time to do the laundry?"
"You're too classy to take on a reputation of that sort." He was rummaging around in his dresser, not paying a great deal of attention to her tirade.
She stopped short, placing her hands on her hips yet again and glaring at him. Finally he stood up, a light brown piece of material in his hand, his face upbeat, until he saw her look.
"What?" His smile faded.
She merely sighed in response and turned back to look at herself in the mirror.
He walked up behind her and shook the brown thing in front of her. "Try this," he stated matter of factly. She simply eyed him warily before she finally took it and held it up in front of her. It was a brown short-sleeved women's t-shirt, a nice brand Jo noticed, with a fairly low neckline and decorative trim around the sleeves and décolleté.
She looked up at him suspiciously. "Now why on earth do you have this Mac?" She suddenly hoped it hadn't been Claire's and that he'd kept it all this time. Surely not. He'd hardly kept anything of hers as far as she knew. . .
"A few months before you joined the Lab, I was injured and Stella spent a couple nights at my apartment just to make sure I was ok." Jo raised her eyebrows slightly and he shook his head in response. "No, not like that. I had a concussion, broken ribs, sprained wrist. Basically she spent the night to make sure I didn't lapse into unconsciousness after I was released from the hospital."
" 'Released'." She scoffed. "More like 'escaped' if I know you." She finished.
He glared at her before continuing. "Anyway," he continued pointedly, ". . . she must have dropped it, I found it a few weeks later under the dresser in the spare room. I thought I'd be nice and wash it before returning it to her, but somehow it ended up way at the bottom of the laundry hamper. I kind of forgot about it and by the time I actually got around to dealing with it, she'd handed in her resignation and I had other things on my mind at that point."
"Well good Lord Mac, you just have a treasure trove of useful items stashed away in your apartment. Condoms, women's t-shirts. The things that must go on in your spare room. Remind me to call you the next time the elastic on my panties rips – you have an extra pair of those you can loan me?"
She realized he wasn't laughing, but rather was lost in thought. "It was hard on you when she left, wasn't it?"
He shrugged slightly and gave her a half smile. "We'd worked together a long time; we were close. Of course it was difficult. But we seemed to be reaching a point in our relationship where we were butting heads on a regular basis - if we'd worked together much longer I think it would have been uncomfortable for us and unproductive for the Lab. She needed to be out on her own and in charge. In the end, it was the best move for her career and I think for her life as well." He smiled fully now. "And I ended up with you."
"In more than one sense of the word, I guess," she quipped and peeled off her own t-shirt to try on Stella's. "You don't think anyone will recognize it as hers do you?" She asked hesitantly as she pulled it over her head.
Mac just shrugged. "I doubt it – maybe just Lindsay." He grinned as he saw the look of fear shadow her face. "But she's gone this weekend, so you have nothing to worry about."
Jo shook her head slightly and turned to the mirror. It wasn't a bad fit – but she certainly wouldn't be wearing it again, and certainly not around Lindsay. She could just imagine the saucy comments she'd hear if Lindsay realized it was Stella's and that she'd gotten it from Mac.
Mac smiled. "It looks fine on you."
"I don't suppose she left any deodorant or cream that smells like something other than 'Musk' or 'Mountain Spring'?
He laughed. "Sorry, you're stuck with mine I'm afraid."
"Maybe I'll just go without." She mumbled as she pulled her jeans up and over her panties, causing Mac to sign inwardly as he lost the view of her beautifully long legs. He finished dressing and watched her as she applied her makeup.
"Speaking of getting called out, when are you on call this weekend, anyway?" She continued.
He stiffened slightly. "Noon to 8"
She nodded, then slowly looked up. "Huh, so am I." She paused, her eyebrows furrowed in thought. "Why on earth would they put us both on at the same time?"
She suddenly narrowed her eyes, staring at Mac. "Wait. You make the schedule, or at least have last say on the final version." She pursed her lips and glared at him. He looked back at her innocently.
"Mac Taylor, you walked out on that tiny little kiss I gave you at the restaurant last night, yet barely a week ago you were sittin' in your office plotting whether you could get away with putting us on call together so you might have a chance of seeing me over the weekend. You sneaky scoundrel."
Mac was shaking his head repeatedly. "Well Danny and Lindsay are gone the whole weekend and Hawkes asked for today off – that doesn't leave a lot of choices."
"Yea, but both of us the exact same hours? Please, that is not a coincidence."
Mac merely threw up his hands in defeat. By now Jo was biting back laughter; she'd caught him and he knew it. And she was flattered as all hell that he'd been thinking about the two of them, together in a sense, before she came on so strongly this weekend. She turned away, not wanting him to see her sly smile, and glanced at herself again in the bathroom mirror, messing with her hair for the umpteenth time.
He eyed her, still somewhat flustered. "Why don't you finish getting ready so we can go eat. I'm starving."
She turned to him. "Well maybe you should've stuck around last night for that dessert," she retorted, exiting the bathroom and pouting in his direction.
"Is that why you're grumpy now? Because I deprived you of your chocolate mousse?" A smile tugged at his mouth.
She looked down at the floor, guilty. "Maybe." She muttered.
He chuckled and gently grabbed her hand, leading her out of the bedroom as she grabbed for her bag. "Come on – I have an idea of how I can make it up to you during breakfast. I just thought of the perfect place to go." And they headed outside his apartment, closing the door behind them.
-/-/-/-/
Just over an hour later, they exited a small French café. Jo eyed him as he placed his arm gently at the small of her back to guide her down the street. "Mac that was absolutely perfect."
"Best chocolate croissants in the city." He smiled. "Chocolate mousse doesn't really work as a breakfast item so that was the next best thing."
She smiled at him. "Mac Taylor, you are too sweet."
They wandered the streets for a bit, through a small open market, chatting and laughing until Jo eventually decided that she was regretting not having put some sort of deodorant on that morning, even if it was Mac's. Mac directed her to a small drugstore nearby, where Jo pleasantly reminded him that they should also check out the condom section while they were there. A short while later, as they walked out, purchases in hand, Jo spotted a tiny storefront near the corner.
"Oh Mac, we have to look. I can't pass up a jewelry store."
"Really? I'd have never guessed." He quipped as held the door for her to enter.
She spent at least 30 minutes looking through the shop. Despite it being a space no bigger than my bathroom, Mac thought to himself at one point. While she was engrossed in examining a particular bangle bracelet in the window display, Mac noticed an item somewhat hidden behind a ring case, way back in the corner next to the register. The proprietor looked up from his book and glanced up at Mac.
Mac cast a glance over at Jo and looked meaningfully at the shopkeeper, his eyebrows raised. The shopkeeper smiled and nodded knowingly at Mac; 30 years in this business he knew how to recognize a man wanting desperately to buy the perfect gift for the love of his life – who just happened to be 5 feet away from him at the moment.
Keeping an eye on Jo across the store, Mac pointed at the item and the shopkeeper nodded, reaching for it and setting it down in front of Mac. Jo shifted slightly but the shopkeeper quickly got up and moved towards her, pulling out several more bracelets for her to look at. He returned behind the register, winking at Mac, who smiled in return.
With Jo clearly distracted for the next several minutes, Mac picked up the piece and turned it over in his hands several times before placing it back in the small box it had been in. It was a bit more expensive than he'd expected, but he had to get it. It was perfect. He glanced at the man and nodded his head. He pulled out his credit card and handed it to the man, then went over to stand next to Jo a moment.
"Oh, she sighed. I probably have enough already."
He smiled and gently took her arm in his hand, holding it up in front of him and sending the many bangles cascading down to her elbow. "You think?" He replied smugly but she just glared and snatched her hand back. She busied herself putting them back in order and Mac snuck away to sign the credit card slip and slide the small box into the drugstore bag, along with the condoms.
As they exited, Mac shot a thankful glance back at the shopkeeper who smiled serenely in return. Mac realized that they had never exchanged a single word, but everything had worked out seamlessly.
Something seemed to catch Jo's eye across the street and Mac followed her gaze. A small deli seemed to be the focus of her attention.
He laughed. "You hungry already? It's not even noon yet."
She glanced at her watch. "10 minutes 'til!" She smiled. I am actually kinda hungry, but I also have to use the bathroom – maybe we can take care of both?" She looked at him hopefully.
He nodded and they crossed the street, entering the small space.
Jo told Mac what she wanted and he approached the counter, ordering for them as she stepped away to use the ladies' room.
She returned a few minutes later and sat next to him on the small bench as he handed over her sandwich.
"Hey, is that new Batman flick out yet? I keep seeing ads all over the place." She took a huge bite of her sandwich and chewed a moment before her mouth stretched out in a silly grin. She leaned towards him conspiratorially. "You know, I've always had a secret crush on the Dark Knight, ever since I was a little girl." Mac raised his eyebrows.
"I'm serious, she continued. "You know, the strong, sexy, silent type. Kinda reminds me a little bit of you."
"Jo."
"And come on, don't tell me you didn't have at least one wet dream involving catwoman when you were young. She was pretty damned sexy if I do say so myself."
He glanced sideways at her, looking a bit uncomfortable. "I may have thought about her once or twice," he stated timidly.
She smiled and slapped the table with her hand, causing Mac to jump. "Ha, I knew it. So let's go see it. It'd be fun."
"Sounds to me like seeing this movie together is just your idea of foreplay."
She merely gave him a salacious grin and waggled her eyebrows. "Well, we do have more condoms," she grinned as she picked up the bag and shook it in front of him.
He sighed, wondering if anyone at any of the neighboring tables had overheard her. "You are incorrigible, Jo Danville."
"Ah, but ya gotta admit I'm fun."
"That you are."
Suddenly Jo's phone buzzed, followed a few seconds later by Mac's. They both glanced down, seeing the familiar code for NYPD dispatch. Jo looked slowly up at Mac, disappointment written all over her face. "Oh, darn," she sighed, not wanting their time together to end so abruptly. Mac's gaze was frozen downwards, staring at the screen. The insulated little bubble in which they had been existing for the past several hours finally bursting and the reality of their time together suddenly setting in. Just as Jo answered her phone, Mac finally looked up and stared at her, his expression nothing less than one of abject fear as he pressed the 'answer' button and raised his phone to his ear.
A/N: My plan is to have another chapter showing how Mac will (or will not) deal with being around some of the team after his time spent with Jo, followed by a short epilogue. Although I'm not very good at "short" so we'll see. Thanks again for all the positive reviews and for sticking with the story.