Meadow567 - their relationship is new(ish), and they're going to iron out the kinks. It won't all be make up sex after that! And pregnant? I hadn't even gotten that far along in my mental plot-line. I have them living together... thats about it.
SparkyCSI - Gutterville is a beautiful place to live... glad you embraced that! Yeah, he really does have beautiful eyes! (:p)
demolished-soul - you are very right about that! And I winced too!
UnspokenFaith - My friend thought it was lovely - I thought, how long til Stella throws it out! I think they should put playful Flack on the show. And the Winchester brothers. That would be nice.
Dybdahl - I hope you got your homework done. Ugh, homework! Glad you liked!
sarramaks - I'm glad to hear that, (about Flack, I mean) it makes me happy! (:D) I'm biased for Manchester as well - I'm from there too! Well, Buxton-ish... but Manchester is the closest city.
snowbear96 - he's slowly learning! Thank you!
Alana Xavier1 - That really sucks. I'm already fretting about how I'm going to watch the new season. I don't expect it to be out in England until after Christmas (:()
Swede85 - yay, glad I made you smile! And I'm sorry for the spoilers. I think I'm only going to use All Access from season 2 now. Although, I have used a fair chunk of them (:s)
Spoliers: All Access, which is 2x21... I think!
Well, this chapter didn't turn out how I expected. But oh well!
And many thanks to the fabulous SparkyCSI for beta-ing!
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What The Eyes Can't See
Chapter 87: People die, but real love is forever
Taylor awoke to the sound of her phone vibrating on her wooden bedside table, blaring out You're So Vain. She groaned, and flicked it open. 'What's up, Messer?'
'What are you doing?'
'I was enjoying a lie-in,' Taylor told him dryly.
'So you're awake, now?'
'Yeah,' Taylor grumbled, pulling herself into a sitting position.
'You busy?'
'What do you want, Danny?'
"Your help.'
'Of course, what do you need?' She asked, slightly alarmed.
'…Help shopping.'
'Shopping?' Taylor looked at her clock, 'you woke me up at 8am for help shopping?'
'…yeah.'
'And Don can't help you wi-'
'No, I need a woman's opinion.'
'Lin-'
'Definitely not,' Danny cut her off.
'Danny,' Taylor frowned, 'I am not helping you buy Lindsay underwear.'
Danny sighed. 'It's not underwear.'
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Taylor stood opposite the Newspaper stand in Grand Central and hugged her coat tightly around herself. The snow had gone, but it was still bitterly cold outside. Taylor found herself wishing, for a countless time, that she had a car she could currently be sitting in with the heat on full. As she turned her thoughts to cursing Danny for waking her up at such an unearthly hour (well, it wasn't that early, but she had wanted to stay in her warm bed for a few hours longer), the devil himself appeared.
'Drew,' he called, hurrying over.
'This had so better be good, Danny,' she muttered under her breath.
'Thanks for coming,' he added, sheepishly.
'You gonna tell me what the emergency is?' She asked him as she followed him out onto the street.
Danny looked at her from the corner of his eye as the two of them walked down 5th Avenue, however, he didn't reply, only turned his attention to the sidewalk he was walking on.
It wasn't until the two of them turned onto West 47th Street, that Taylor stopped, causing Danny to do the same, 'Danny, this is Diamond Row,' she said slowly.
Danny nodded, still not looking at her.
'Danny,' Taylor repeated. 'Why are we heading down Diamond Row?'
'To buy a diamond?'
Taylor's jaw dropped open, 'Danny!' She let out an excited squeal and wrapped her arms around him.
'I knew I should have come by myself,' Danny muttered, but he couldn't keep the grin off his face.
'When?' Taylor asked him, releasing him from the embrace. She stopped and punched his arm.
'What was that for?' Danny objected.
'For sending me halfway across the city to tell me what the hell was going on,' Taylor told him.
Danny rolled his eyes. 'I didn't expect you to guess what we were doing until we walked into the first jewellers,' he muttered, rubbing his arm, 'I was hoping that being inside a store would have protected me from your violence.'
Taylor let out of an exasperated sigh. 'Just because I spend far too much time at the Crime Lab to get a decent manicure every once in a while, does not mean that I wouldn't recognise Diamond Row if I was taken down it. Do you have any idea how many hours I have spent window shopping down here?'
'Probably about double what you'd admit to,' Danny said, carrying on and into the first store.
'So, when are you going to pop the question?'
Danny smiled, 'I was thinking, Valentines Day.'
Taylor frowned. 'Is that because you think it's the romantic thing to do, or because it feels right?'
'Both,' Danny offered, as he headed over to one of the displays.
'Danny,' said Taylor gently, laying a hand on his shoulder. 'Don't do it because you can't think of anything to get her for Valentine's Day.'
'I do love her, Drew,' he told her earnestly. 'She makes me feel-'
'Different,' Taylor finished.
Danny nodded, 'I want her to be the mother of my children.'
Taylor arched an eyebrow. 'Spawn of Messer? I hope they take after Lindsay.'
Danny gave her a playful shove as he pulled a face at her.
'Can I help you?'
Danny and Taylor calmed down as a man, who Taylor desperately wanted to call Jeeves, stood waiting for a response.
'I want an engagement ring,' Danny told him.
"Jeeves" smiled, 'Congratulations,' he told both Danny and Taylor. 'Platinum, white gold, yellow gold, two golds, one diamond, two diamonds, a trilogy, other precious stones,' Jeeves began to list before either Danny or Taylor could correct him.
Danny held up his hand to stop the assistant. 'Whoa… what?'
'What kind of ring are you looking for?' He looked expectantly at Taylor, as though she would have the answer.
Taylor sighed. 'The ring is not for me. I'm just helping.'
'Oh,' said Jeeves. 'Well, um… would you like me to give you a few minutes?'
Taylor nodded, 'We'll have a look.'
Jeeves nodded and stepped back to allow them to look.
Danny gazed over all the rings. 'I didn't think it would be that difficult to pick out a ring.'
Taylor smiled sympathetically. 'Just ignore his barrage of questions. Look around – the right ring will find you. You don't have to get it from this store, either. this is Diamond Row, after all – there is more than one jeweller on this street.'
Danny stared at her and then nodded, before looking at the hundreds of rings on display.
Taylor turned her attention to an earring display as Danny surveyed the rings. A good half hour later, his excited cry broke the comfortable silence of the store. 'Drew! This is it!'
Taylor hurried over and looked at the ring he was pointing at, letting out a low, impressed whistle. 'Damn, Danny. That's a half carat diamond.'
Jeeves was over in seconds. 'Would you like a closer look, sir?'
Danny nodded and Jeeves unlocked the display, pulling out the velvety hand the ring was on, handing it over.
Danny turned it over, inspecting it. 'Yeah, this one.'
Taylor looked at the yellow gold ring with the solitary Leo-cut diamond and smiled – Lindsay was going to be happy with his choice.
'And what size would you like?'
'Huh?' Danny asked, staring blankly at the assistant.
'Ring size, Danny,' Taylor explained, wiggling her fingers.
'I don't know,' shrugged Danny.
The assistant let out a harassed sigh.
'I brought one of her rings though,' Danny said, pulling out a small gold band from his pocket.
Jeeves took it off him and slipped it onto the special measuring stick he had.
Half an hour later, Danny and Taylor were heading back to Grand Central, with Danny clutching tightly at the ring in his pocket.
'I'm impressed,' said Taylor.
Danny grinned at her.
'But one question?'
'Yeah?'
'Are you going to announce your engagement before, or after, you tell the everybody that you're actually dating?'
Danny rolled his eyes. 'Let me ask Lindsay first. If she says yes, we'll deal with this then. And not a word of this to anyone! Or else!'
Taylor laughed, 'I'm saying nothing, Messer.'
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That was Monday. Friday, which was the thirteenth, was slowly living up to its reputation.
Taylor hit the send button, waited for the confirmation that her article had made it in, and then turned off her computer. Instead of leaving her desk, however, she pulled out an envelope from her drawer and stared at it. It had arrived that morning and even if the return address hadn't given it away, Taylor would have recognised the name emblazed in gold across the top of it in an instant.
She glanced over at the clock and groaned. It was nearly eleven already. Which was bad for three reasons. The first being that she had missed the Kid Rock concert. Not her first choice of star, but Michelle in Entertainments had tickets and had convinced Taylor to come to it with her. After the Daily had reopened a fortnight ago, Taylor hadn't been in, and Michelle, the two of whom had had adjacent offices had gotten along well, decided she hadn't seen her colleague in far too long.
The second was the fact it was an hour away from being Valentines Day, and Flack was still at work.
The third (and in her opinion, the worst), was that it was also an hour away from being her birthday. Not that growing another year older was the worst thing in the world. No, it was the fact that her birthday was on Valentines Day. Admittedly, she had told everyone since she moved to New York that it was on the fifteenth, including everyone at the Crime Lab, but the fact was Valentines Day wasn't her favourite day of the year.
Pushing all three thoughts aside, she turned her attention back to the envelope and with much reluctance, opened it. Inside were two items. The first was an official looking letter which she read twice. The second was a plane ticket.
Feeling a knot forming in her stomach, she placed the items onto her desk and hung her head in her hands, staring down at them. And then the room temperature dropped.
'Hi Maddy,' she muttered.
'Um, Taylor, I, uh… you're not going to like this one.'
Taylor whipped around, her heart close to leaping out of her throat, spotting Frankie, and the three bullet wounds in his chest.
'Stella killed me,' he said, somewhat mournfully.
Taylor's mouth dropped open.