One Month Later
Stella glanced at the clock on the wall. She'd been sitting with her young companion almost an hour in complete silence. Marcy on the other had, seemed content to let her time dwindle aimlessly as she, too, watched the clock. It wasn't so much she wanted to be rid of Stella…she would just prefer it if she was no longer there.
Clearing her throat, the detective stood. "Well, Marce, this' been…fun, but I really should be going."
"'Kay." Marcy said, sighing slightly in relief as she accompanied her to the door. Stella turned to face her, flexing her fingers before wringing her hands together.
Nervous, Marcy noted, undoing some of the locks on the door so the detective could escape. It opened after a firm tug, and she rested against the door way. Staring at her with tired blue eyes, she asked the woman, "Do you have any idea when you'll be done with the evidence?"
"Evidence?" Stella asked, dropping her eyes as the younger woman nodded.
"I called Mac a few days ago. He said the lab would be processing Harrows' house." She explained, watching her friend flush. "I assumed you didn't mention it to avoid my discomfort."
"Marcy, I would've told you but…" Stella's voice trailed as Marcy stared at her.
"It doesn't bother me. Although when I inquired the reason, he was quite hesitant. Apparently agent Grey has resigned and agent Booth is emotionally compromised." Marcy tilted her head, "but as most of the CSIs in your department are as well, I was wondering why the FBI would pass the case on to you."
Stella blanched. "I don't know." She confessed, "but we're doing all we can."
"Okay."
Watching the young woman's stoic features Stella spoke again. "Do-do you want to know any thing or-"
"No, Stell. It'd go against your confidentiality oath." Marcy said, "Besides, I think I'm happier not knowing what he's done."
This wasn't true. She knew far more than what Stella did. She had been the one to process ever case file. They were reviewing her notes, though the team probably wasn't aware of it. Patting her on the shoulder, Stella smiled. "Thanks."
"No problem." Marcy glanced at the door, "you should go. You'll be late for your shift if you don't."
She left without a good bye, and the woman was quick to lock the door once she was gone. Quietly retreating to the living room, she sighed as she sat on the tan couch. Looking around the room, she smiled to herself as she laid back on the uncomfortable furniture. Flipping on the television, she was quick to put it on a cartoon channel.
"It's time for the wheel of morality!"
Marcy's brows rose slightly at the off-beat characters. She'd never seen this show before.
-
"You're late."
Stella spun to face her boss. "Mac! Hey! Uh-"
"Well? Spit it out." The man smile tightly at her anxiety. Nodding toward his office he said, "Come on, let's go."
The moment he shut the door she was on him.
"Did you tell Marcy we were assigned the Harrows case?"
His blue eyes widened, "of course I did."
"Why would you do that? Don't you think the girl's under enough stress as it is? How would you like it if you knew your friends were examining one of the most private, humiliating moments of your life?!" She snapped, a fire he hadn't seen before in her hazel eyes.
"Because she had the right to know, Stella." Mac said, a glare set over his worn features. "She's not some kid, she's an adult, and when she asked who would be taking care of it, I told her."
Stella shook her head in disgust, "she's too fragile-"
"She's not!" Mac said, "She's been to hell and back and you have the nerve to call her weak?! Stella, you of all people should be able to relate to her right now!"
"What the hell is that supposed to mean!?"
He took a step towards her, not noticing the younger man outside his office door. Adam hung his head as Mac went on. "You know what it's like to be trapped in your own home. How the hell do you think she feels? She's alone all the time, her brother said she can't sleep unless every closet in the house has been checked, repeatedly." Mac sat on his desk as he sighed, "Not to mention how half of us, who were so concerned when she was missing, hasn't said a word to her since Danny spooked her. And to top it all off she can't-"
His sentence broke off as he noticed Adam just outside his door.
"Can't what, Mac?"
He shook his head at Stella's question. "Never mind. It's none of our business any way."
"What'd you know that we don't?"
Mac stared at the door, nodding towards it. "I said never mind, Stella. Get to work."
As Stella exited, Adam entered. Keeping his eyes on his boss, skeptically, he sat in the chair across from him. The two men watched each other a moment. Mac's blue eyes cold and cautious while Adam's were tense and maybe even a little hostile.
"What do you know?" He demanded, never once breaking eye contact. Mac crossed his arms.
"You know I can't tell you that, Adam."
"Well I'm not leaving this office until you do." The younger man mimicked his defiant gesture as the boss' eye brow rose.
He chuckled, "really?"
Adam's face didn't change as he nodded. "Really. What's wrong with her?"
"Apart from being abandoned by her friends, co-workers, boss and apparently, older sister…?" Mac shook his head, "nothing I can disclose with certainty."
"Well," The lab tech cleared his throat as he sat up a little straighter, "what does that mean? What, uh, what's uncertain?"
Mac turned his eyes to the ground, then his back to the man as he stood from the desk. Looking out his window, he stayed silent a moment. As he pondered the best way to tell the young man something could seriously tarnish, well, perhaps not tarnish, but most definitely modify his view of Marcy.
"Mac?"
The detective closed his eyes as he heaved a sigh. "It's not my place to tell you, Adam." He turned to look at him, Adam's face now dampened with annoyance, and perhaps some misplaced shame. "You'll just have to wait for her to tell you on her own."
"I can't." Adam said, shaking his head as he raked a hand through his hair, "I can't just keep waiting for her, she doesn't even want me around, Mac. She won't talk to me."
His boss let out a humorless chuckle. "Hard to talk to someone that isn't there."
-
Marcy glared at the TV. "Seriously, Ri, what are they?"
"I have no idea." Erica tilted her head as the small animated characters bounced and hopped all over Kira's oversized television screen. "Dogs? Goofy was a dog."
"Goofy was a mutant hybrid between animal and man that Disney set about to create in order to fulfill his anti-Semitic doings."
Erica popped a brow, as she bit in to her cream cheese covered peanut butter cup, "get that little tidbit from your dad, did ya?"
"Maybe." The woman shrugged, scrunching her nose in what was clearly disgust as her friend dunked the cup in the plastic Philadelphia container, "look I know you're-"
"Shut up! They're amazing!" Erica snapped, resting the package on her protruding stomach. Patting it affectionately, she grinned, "besides, she likes it."
"I thought you said it was a boy." Marcy asked, smiling slightly at her friend.
Erica held up a finger, "A-don't call my baby an it, B-Fuck the doctors, look what they told you. And we all know-"
"Don't."
"What?" Erica shuffled up from her laying position next to Marcy, "it's gonna happen for you, Marce. And you have to believe me, 'cause in my knocked up wisdom, I know this."
"Hm." Marcy smirked as the door bell rang, glancing at it, she stood, "do all the women in your family suffer this kind of psychosis when they've been inseminated?"
Erica stared at her. "Just go get the fuckin' door."
Doing as she was told, the Kiwi made her way down the hall with a slight strut in her step. It was a good day. Erica had arrived home from her trip (with Eric, of course) almost three weeks ago, and had, for the most part, taken up residence in the Allerdyces' home. Since her stay, Marcy had found herself considerably calmer than the previous weeks. A few phone calls between her and one Lance Sweets (aka Dr. Sweet-face) had confirmed that she was most likely finding comfort in the maternal woman that she couldn't (or at least wasn't,) getting from her real mother. He called this transference.
Marcy decided she liked this. Checking the peep hole, her lithe figure froze as the young man shuffled out in the hall way. Popping it open with ease she stared at him.
"Hi."
"Heya, Marce." Danny grinned at her. "Lookin' good, kid."
Taking a quick down at the wife beater and boxers she was wearing, Marcy tilted her head. "Are you on drugs?"
"What? Me? Get outta here." He bent his knees as he continued to smile at her. Glad she was in happier spirits than their previous meeting. "Gonna let me, sweetheart?"
Noting the stun gun on the end of the hall table, she nodded, and pulled the door further open for him. "How's Montana?"
"Good. How's Ella?" Danny hung his coat up.
"Good." Marcy rubbed her cheek, just putting slight pressure on the healing scar, "look, Danny, I know I kinda-"
"It's okay, Marce. I know ya didn't mean it." He moved to put his arm around her, then quickly dropped it. Instead he offered his hand, and Marcy was quick to give it a gentle shake.
"Thanks." She muttered, nodding toward the den, "me and Erica are watching…well, I don't know what we're watching, but it's been on for almost four hours."
Danny watched with amusement as she pulled him a little closer, as she had yet to let go of his glove covered hand, "now, Erica's all hormonal, but she's still real sweet, so if she refers to her fetus in conversation, do not refer it as an it. She doesn't like that." Marcy shook her head, "I don't know why."
"Oh god, you didn't refer to it as a fetus did you?" He laughed at her perplexed features.
"Of course I did. That's the clinical term for what is growing inside her womb right now."
"Well, is it a boy fetus or a girl fetus?"
Marcy shrugged, "doctor's test confirms it's a male, Ri insists female." She dropped his hand and made her way back to her living room, "personally I'm kind of rooting for hermaphrodite."
"Ya can't do that, Marce!"
As Danny jogged into the room, he beamed at the women. Marcy was sitting cross-legged on the floor now to a woman visibly in the third trimester. They were nothing alike in appearance. Marcy, tall and dark haired, this Ri, fair haired and petite…well, except for the beach ball she apparently had stuffed under her shirt. Which she was using as a table. Smirking down at her, he said, "You must be Erica."
"And you must be…Flack?" She hesitated.
"Danny." He corrected, glancing down at Marcy. Slightly annoyed.
Erica leaned a little closer to the woman next to her (who was completely transfixed on the screen), "I thought Danny had glasses?"
"He did." Marcy said, "He got rid of them."
"Oh." Erica nodded, patting the ground, "Have a seat."
"Because he's an idiot."
"Hey!" He snapped, looking at the smirking girl.
Marcy shrugged, "you looked better with them."
-
About an hour past before they were interrupted again.
"Seriously, what the hell are they?" Danny asked, completely absorbed in the cartoon.
"I think they're dogs-" Erica repeated, rolling her eyes as Marcy scoffed.
"They can't be dogs! This is Warner Brothers not Disney!" She huffed, "and for the last time-"
"I don't think Disney had the technology to create a mutant in the fifties, Marce." Danny said, taking a bite of his peanut butter cup.
Marcy rolled her eyes, "that's exactly what he wanted you to think."
The pair chuckled before a shrill ring went through the air. The women turned to the man, who shrugged as he pulled his phone out. "This'll just take'a sec."
"Messer." He said, shooting them a thumbs up as he listened.
Erica swung an arm around Marcy, completely ignoring her discomfort. "Ya know, Harper and Josie have been getting along lately."
"Really?" Her brow quirked as the blonde smirked.
"Well," Erica rolled her eyes, "it may have something to do with the fact that Josie's moved out to California, but that's not the point."
"Really? When?" Marcy shifted under the arm, but didn't remove it from her shoulders.
Erica squinted in concretion, "uh, 'bout three weeks ago, school, ya know?"
"Good for her." The anthropologist nodded, "and I take it-"
"Harper's continuing her studies at NYU." The other finished.
"Hm." Not entirely sure where this conversation was going, the New Zealander took a bite of a peanut butter cup. "Too bad Ella didn't get a chance to see her before she went home."
Nodding, Erica agreed. "Yeah, Josie was a bit bummed, but she got over it. Besides, they text each other like every hour, so it's not like they really miss each other."
"True."
"Anyway," the woman snapped out of her daze, Marcy had a weird way of changing the topic of conversation without her noticing, "I was wondering if you'd like to fill Josie's place."
"Be a waitress?" Marcy asked, "At Puffs?"
"Just until you know, you decide you wanna go back to…wherever it is you wanna go, back…to." Erica's green eyes rolled up to the ceiling. That maybe, kinda made sense. Right? Of course right.
Danny closed his phone, and watched the two women a moment.
Marcy rolled her uneasy shoulders. Certain parts of her, such as her social skills, were still quite stiff. "Um, I suppose I could pick up a few hours, if you need the help."
"Great!" Erica grinned, tightening her arm around her. Danny shook his head before standing.
"Well, hate ta break it to ya ladies, but," He held his hands out, "duty calls."
Smiling up at him, Marcy pulled away from Erica. "I'll walk you."
As she watched him pull his jacket from the coat rack, the Kiwi couldn't help herself. "Danny?"
"Yeah, sweetheart?"
"What're you doin' here?"
Shooting her his trademark smirk, Messer's caring tone didn't channel it. "I missed ya, Marce. We all do."
Her bottom lip quivered
briefly before she slipped her arms around him. Clutching him
tightly, a few tears slipped from her blue eyes. Gentling rubbing her
back, Danny sighed as she began to sob.
-
"This is a bad idea."
Kendall glanced at him, "what? Why? I thought you liked this place."
"I do." Of course he did. But this was his and Marcy's place. Not his and Kendall's. Adam froze at the sight of Eric, who did the same when he noticed the lab tech. Light hazel eyes switching from him, to the blonde, they narrowed distinctly. Tossing the towel, which had been resting on his shoulder, on the counter Eric stomped in to the back room.
Adam dropped his eyes to the floor with shame as Kendall took his arm.
"What was that about?" She asked, eyes flickering to the room as they sat down. "And why is that boy glaring at us?"
(Several seconds prior)
Harper nudged him, "Hey, Nik isn't that Marcy's boy?"
Nikki turned around, grey as darkening as they locked onto the couple. They darkened further when Kendall placed her hand on Adam. "Son of a bitch!"
(Present time)
"Oh, fuck." Adam muttered, waving at the young man.
Kendall faked a smile, waving as well, "you know them?"
"Hey, Nikki." He called, ignoring the woman's curious gaze.
Three quick strides and the man was in front of them. Looming over the two of them, he crossed his wiry arms. Tapping his foot insistently, he stared at them, shooting his glare from one to the other while Harper stood behind him. Calling out for Eric, she returned her focus to them when Adam spoke.
"Nik-"
"Shut the fuck up Adam." Nikki snapped, jerking to look at him, "I thought you said-"
"I know what I said!"
Kendall appeared shocked, as did Eric, who had just popped out of the back room when Harper had summoned him.
"Adam…" She whispered, and Harper was quick to step up to Nikki's side.
"Stay outta this, Blondie!"
"Excuse me?!"
Adam stood, as Nikki spoke again, "what kinda fuckin' head games are you playing?!"
"Me?!" Adam scoffed, "I'm playing head games?! It's your goddamn sister who-"
"You shut the fuck up about my sister!" The Allerdyce snapped, and Eric took his place between the two men.
"Hey-" when the peaceful hippie was ignored, he growled before screaming. "SHUT IT!"
The men quieted as the women were content to glare at one another. Inhaling deeply, the sandy haired man cleared his throat. "Look, I know we're all a little tense about the current situation, but I think that we should all just count to ten and calm the fuck down before ya go screamin' in my goddamn restaurant."
"This is a restaurant?" Kendall glanced around with skepticism.
Eric's eyes widened to a maniacal state, "yeah, it is. Fuck up."
"What?"
Harper raised her hand, explaining, "Means shut the fuck up."
"Oh." Kendall crossed her arms, indignant.
Adam looked up at Nikki. "I'm sorry."
"Whoa-whoa, whoa," Eric held up his hands, a smile playing on his features, "I didn't call for apologies."
A few chuckles broke through the group as tension eased slightly.
"Me, too," Nikki sighed, "I guess…still think I should get to pop ya one."
Adam rubbed the back of his neck as Nikki uncrossed his arms. Eric was the one to speak, looking at Kendall for a moment, he asked, "why'd you bring her here?"
"Actually," Kendal interjected, clearing her throat with a flush, "I kind of dragged him here. Thought it might cheer him up."
Three unnerving sets of eyes gawked at her before letting out a simultaneous "Why?"
"I don't know." She said, cringing away from them. Clearing her throat, she asked, "Why, what's the big deal? He talks about this place all the time."
Eric beamed at the man in question, "you do?"
"Yeah?" Adam smiled a little, "I like it here."
"Sweet!" Eric high fived the young red head next to him, "free advertising!"
Harper's smile dampened a moment, "but wait-" Her green eyes set into a glare, "that means you're a cop, too!"
"I'm not a cop!" The lab techs echoed.
Nikki stared at them, still unimpressed with the whole situation. Grabbing his leather jacket from the chair behind him, the teenager left the group without a word. Harper followed him out with her eyes a moment, sighing as she turned back to the counter. She imagined it would be the worst day of her life when he went back to New Zealand.
A/N: Anyone able to guess the show? Review with the correct answer and I'll see what I can do about a brief cameo. Sorry for taking so long with the update, I couldn't figure out a way to end this one.