Literature Between Friends III
A/N – Ok so I've decided to bring the girls in on this. Which means OC's for Flack and Adam. I have an OC already Roxanne York, from another story, and was exploring the idea of her and Adam, but thinking on it, she's more Flack's kinda girl. Adam's girlfriend is new :) Obviously Danny/Lindsay too and Jo makes an appearance here. I like Jo :) It kinda ran away with me this one too!
…...
Don and Danny leaned on the bar, attempting to gain the bar tenders attention, looking round, Danny grinned at Lindsay, she grinned back.
"Where's Rox?" Danny asked Don.
"Coming with Sid" he replied "They had a body to finish carvin' up"
"Nice" Danny replied "Here's Adam and the famous Lou" he raised his hand in greeting as Adam and his girlfriend, Louise walked up to the table their party were gathered around.
"Uh hi" Adam coloured as Jo and Lindsay greeted him with a kiss on the cheek "Louise, this is Lindsay Messer Munroe, and Jo Danville from the lab" he explained, continuing as Mac and Hawkes stood to greet her "And Sheldon Hawkes and Camille, and my boss, Mac Taylor"
"Can I get you guys a drink?" Don asked placing a tray of drinks on the table.
"And uh, this is Don Flack, works homicide" he stuttered as Danny approached "And that's Danny Messer, Lindsay's husband. This is Louise Taylor, my um, girlfriend. No relation" he said quickly to Mac.
"Pleased to meet you" Don smiled.
"How you doin?" Danny greeted the new comers, sliding himself along beside Lindsay again.
"So drinks?" Don asked again.
"Oh right" Adam coloured again "You just been to the bar" he protested "I'll go"
Don held out his phone "I got my orders" he explained "Sid and Roxy are on their way, so I gotta go back anyway"
"Uh, I'll have a beer thanks, Lou?"
"A Cosmo please" she said shyly. Jo caught Lindsay's eye, smiling. They'd all heard a lot about this girl, and she seemed perfect for Adam.
…...
Jo reached into her mammoth sized handbag, digging around for a tissue.
"Wow" said Roxy "That's a serious bag"
"Oh I need a lot of stuff" Jo waved her hand laughing, taking her concentration off it for a second, the contents spilled onto the floor "Damn!" she swore lightly.
Lindsay bent to help her retrieve the objects "Gee, Jo" she laughed "This looks like your desk!"
"I know!" Jo smiled back "I'm an untidy Tommy!"
The table laughed, "It's a wonder you can find anything" Mac offered with a rare smile from across the table. Jo looked at him, he looked softer, comfortable, she was glad.
With the addition of more people, the group had grown, spread and migrated. The women, and unaccountably Sid, seemed to be around one table and the men at the other. Sheldon and Camille bridging the gap between the two.
"Hey" Lindsay picked up a book that had fallen from Jo's bag, turning it over "Have you read this?"
"In the process" Jo told her "Have you?"
"I'm on the third one" Lindsay replied.
"What's that?" Roxy asked.
"This" Lindsay showed her the book.
"Oh" Roxy grinned.
"You've read it then?" Lindsay asked.
"Oh yeah" Roxy confirmed.
"Me too" Lindsay grinned, casting a look at Danny.
"It's ….entertaining" Jo said as she looked at the two other women.
"Is that...?" Lou asked shyly, seeing it was she continued "Adam bought me those, I've only read the first one"
The three older women laughed in unison "Yeah, Don bought me them. I dunno how he found out about them, but he showed up with them one night, I already had them"
Lindsay laughed "Danny has put them on the top of the bookshelf, in his pile of 'keep forever' books"
"Have they read it then?" Jo asked, slightly shocked.
"Danny has" Lindsay said.
"Adam won't" Louise smiled shyly again "He said he'll let me fill him in"
Laughter exploded around the table again.
"Don swears he hasn't" Roxy said "But I think he has"
"How do you know?" Jo asked her.
"He wants to paint the bedroom red" she said, laughing along as the others burst out.
"Oh stop" Lindsay grabbed her face "My cheeks are aching!"
…...
Danny caught Don's eye "Your ears burnin'?" he asked, nodding to the far end of their group.
"What?" Don had been talking to Sheldon.
"The coven up there" Danny laughed "I think we're the topic of conversation"
…...
"May I see?" Sid looked intrigued, holding his hand out to Lindsay for the book.
He read the back cover, then flicked through the book slowly, his facial expression changing slightly with each snippet he read.
"Hmmm" he intoned "Oh my!"
Mac leaned over to Sid, looking at the book, holding his hand out he took it from Sid, flipping it over.
"So" he held it up "This is the reason that half my staff have been exhausted recently?"
Don and Danny shared a look with Adam, Sheldon looked interested. Lindsay and Roxy looked away, Lindsay trying to avoid Danny's eye. Roxy wasn't so lucky, Don caught her eye and they both started laughing, setting off Danny and then Lindsay. Adam looked horrified, Louise looked at her feet.
"Mac Taylor!" Jo rescued the situation "I didn't think you'd know about that book!"
"Why?" he asked, a small smile forming.
"Because" she sighed, buying time "I wouldn't have said it's your type of read"
"Maybe it isn't" he turned the book in his hands slowly "But as you all know, I make it my business to know what makes my team tick"
A few seconds of silence were followed by Danny losing the battle with his laughter, which broke the dam, everyone joined in.
…...
Jo and Mac sat alone at the table watching everyone else dance. The end of the night was approaching, and both Jo and Mac were relaxed.
"It's nice isn't it?" Jo asked him.
"What?" Mac replied.
"Watching your kids be happy?" she smiled at him.
"Kids?" he raised his eyebrows.
"Oh come on Mac!" she laughed "You're the father figure here, and I'm the Mommy"
"Is that how you see us all?" he asked her, genuinely interested in her take on the team, Jo was usually spot on with these things.
"Don?" she pointed to him "All grown up, moved in with his girlfriend, on track for promotion, he's happy. I've seen the way you look at him sometimes, admiration and pride"
"He's had a tough ride" Mac said "And he's got through it, come out the other side, I am proud of him"
Jo nodded, pointing to Lindsay and Danny twined around each other "Danny and Lindsay? A strong couple, been through a lot, got their little family. They wouldn't be where they are without you Mac"
"Lindsay is a strong woman" Mac disagreed slightly "She would have gone after what she wanted"
"But without you" Jo retorted "Would Danny have been what she wanted"?
Mac shrugged, feeling slightly self conscious.
"Adam, look at the change in him. He was nervous as a new born kitten when I started here" Jo continued "You've helped him to grow, not just professionally, but as a person, he looks up to you"
She eyed Mac, he didn't respond.
"And Sheldon, you guided him when he needed it. Helped him find the balance between Doctor and man" Jo placed her hand on his arm "And me? Always supportive, backing me up, keeping me straight" she grinned "Even if you haven't managed to organise me yet"
"I'm proud to serve with them all, you all" he told her sincerely "I could not ask for a better team, I'm privileged"
"So are we, Mac Taylor" she kissed him gently on the cheek.
…...