KiPpiEj - Lol - all jokes are forgiven!. I'm trying everything in my power to like Mac at the moment. Me and him fell out a while back. But I've never been a Smacked fan:s

demolished-soul - I know it's been done to death. To be honest, when I wrote it, I never expected it to have taken this long to be used. Hopefully I'll keep it original though!

Trizzy - I have three days off this week! I can't believe it! Admittedly, I have so much housework to catch up on! I don't like Mac, but I like Gary Sinise too - it was Ransom that did it for me - he was soooo evil in it, it was brilliant.

RK9 - You know, I was looking back, it actually didn't. I think I was sleep derprived and imagined it! I think in the next chapter in particular, maybe the one after, there's a fair bit of Tay/Flack interaction! Hi Seymour!!

sparkyCSI - I actually did fall asleep with the laptop on my lap last night! Ha ha! I have to go get caught up again! I shall explain all as soon as I remember why I wouldn't let them translate in the first place.

TBD - There is relief to hear that! I'm glad you're still reading. I'm trying to get as much writing done as possible, and it kills me not to, so I'll be writing away for a while yet!

miss wizard of oz - Um, well, Danny won't get hurt as such, but he won't be a happy chappy. You're doing better than me! I learnt it at Brownies. I can spell my name and say good morning/night. In other words, I suck at it! lol

meadow567 - I didn't. But I got it through in the middle of the last chapter's reviews - after this one. I'm now responding via the fanfic page, rather than my emails! I'm sorry about that! I now know who you're on about - with Joey. I swear my brain has melted.

There are still spoilers for Silent Night. And all mistakes are my own, because I never sent this chapter to my beta! Sorry!

What The Eyes Can't See

Chapter 136: In a moment new voices could be heard

She found Mac in the interview room talking to a woman, another officer at his side. Judging from the fact the other officer was signing at the woman, Taylor had figured that the woman was the ghost's mother, long before it was brought up in conversation. And as she watched the interpreter's hands move, she came up with a plan.

As the interview finished, she slipped out and cornered the interpreter as Mac continued to talk with Gina Mitchells, the ghost's mother.

'Hi!' Taylor greeted him chirpily as she bounded to a stop in front of him.

The officer blinked, slightly stunned at her bouncy demeanor. 'Hi?'

'Hi,' Taylor repeated. 'I'm Taylor-'

'I know who you are,' the officer responded. 'Your face goes past me several times a day. The bus,' he added at her puzzled expression.

'Yeah,' Taylor sighed. 'Nothing to do with me. But anyway,' she paused, staring expectantly up at him.

'Marty. Marty Santucci.'

'Anyway, Marty, I have a question for you.'

Officer Santucci frowned. 'Okay?'

Taylor bit her lip as she worked out in her head how was best to ask this. 'So, I've been set a task. I was shown something, in sign language, and I have no idea what it means.'

'Oh,' said Officer Santucci, looking somewhat relieved. 'Well, show me what they signed and I'll translate.'

'Um, okay.' With a frown, Taylor began to repeat what the ghost had shown her.

And Officer Santucci looked even more confused.

'So, what did that say?'

'Be my waterfall. Help you to eat lettuce. Draw my baby,' Officer Santucci told her.

'Well that makes no sense,' Taylor muttered. 'Not that that surprises me with ghosts anymore, but seriously?'

'Excuse me?'

Taylor looked up at Officer Santucci, who had caught some of her mutterings. 'I, um, I have to… go.' She gave him a bright smile. 'Thanks, Marty! Maybe I'll see you around!' She dashed off before she could be questioned further.

'Eat lettuce?' Taylor muttered to herself. 'I'm pretty certain the hole in her stomach was from a gunshot, not where some lettuce had stabbed her. Or maybe she was killed by some evil rabbit of doo-' she trailed off when she noticed she was being watched.

It was Gina Mitchell. And she was staring intently at her. Taylor gave her a smile.

'You're talking about my daughter?' Gina asked her.

Taylor looked around, trying to see something as an excuse to leave. 'No,' Taylor began, but stopped abruptly when Gina grabbed her chin.

'You are a bad liar too.'

Slowly, Taylor nodded.

'Do you know her?' Gina asked.

'That's an interesting question. I suppose you could say that, of sorts. I mean, we've met,' Taylor began rambling at lightning speed.

Gina placed her hand over Taylor's mouth. 'Please talk slower.'

Taylor took a deep breath. 'We've met.'

'You seem too old to be one of her friends. And I've never heard Alison mention you.'

Taylor took a step back. 'Look, I can't tell you. And I don't mean to be rude – I just don't want you to think I'm being blasé about your daughter.'

Gina stared at her for the longest time, before nodding. 'Alright. But I hope you will be able to tell me.'

-------------------------------------

Taylor stood in the store, staring at the item in front of her. She had spent a large part of the day hovering around Mac and Hawkes, trying to see how lettuce and waterfalls related to Alison and a baby, and hadn't found anything.

By the late afternoon, whilst Mac had taken Gina back to her house to test fire some guns, an idea had sprung into Taylor's head. Clearly, she hadn't worked out what Alison had been signing, and she also wasn't about to go back to Santucci to try to repeat it again.

So there she was standing in front of a certain item in a toy store. Shaking her head, wondering if it was going to work, Taylor picked it up and paid for it, heading back to the crime lab – just in case something resembling a lettuce leaf got brought in.

Sitting crossed leg in the middle of the break room floor, Taylor pulled of the packaging and placed the Ouija board in front of her.

'Alison?' she called softly.

Alison, accompanied by Maddy and Eirik appeared in front of her. 'Tay, what's that?' Maddy asked her.

'Considering you're dead, I'd have thought that would be pretty obvious.'

'We can't use that,' Eirik pointed out.

'No, but Alison can,' Taylor replied.

'But-'

'Now, before you say anything,' Taylor cut Eirik off. 'I think I have this worked out. When you first die, you don't really accept it – that's why you're still here,' she shook her head, 'well, you two are a whole different ball game, but the ghosts who come to visit me – they don't know they're dead. So they still cling to all those pesky emotions us living folk have, and as such, they have the energy to move things.'

Taylor glanced up at Eirik. 'Okay,' he drew out.

Taylor smiled. Whilst he wasn't agreeing to that, he certainly wasn't denying it. 'I think that's why some ghosts can launch things at me – they're the angry ones. But I figure, whilst Alison isn't angry, and probably can't do all that much, she still got to be able to move something. Even just a little.'

'So why the Ouija board?'

Taylor took a breath. 'I know you can't tell me anything, but she can. Even if it's just what she's signing at me. So, I think it's time to see if these things can actually do what they're supposed to, and maybe I'll get something slightly more understandable than lettuce.' Taylor frowned. 'Ok, thinking about it, I've had aliens, but I'm willing to try.'

She looked expectantly up at Eirik who… nodded.

Taylor beamed and offered the floor to Alison. The two of them placed their hands on the marker and slowly it began to traverse the board. Ignoring how cold her hands had gone, Taylor watched, spelling out the words in her mind, until she eventually got, 'be my voice. Help me find my killer. Protect my baby?' she asked Alison.

Alison nodded.

Taylor beamed at her. 'Well that makes more sense!' She froze as she noticed the expression on Alison's face. 'Oh how I wish that didn't make sense.'

She got to her feet and tore out of the break room, charging full pelt down the corridor until she collided with someone.

'Watch where you're going!' Lindsay snapped at her.

Taylor brushed herself off. 'I'm sorry, Lindsay.'

'You're not supposed to be running in the lab,' Lindsay fumed.

Taylor blinked. 'I'm sorry,' she repeated. 'Linds, are you alright?'

Lindsay narrowed her eyes. 'Don't.'

Taylor took a breath. 'Okay, I'd love to stick around and have you snap at me all evening, but who am I kidding, I don't. If you want to actually tell me what the hell is the matter with you, then do so. Later.' Taylor stepped around her, continuing in the direction she had come until she found Flack. 'It's about the baby,' she told him.

Flack nodded, indicating she should follow. 'I know,' he told her stepping into Mac's office. 'Okay, here's the deal,' Flack explained to Mac. 'Cole Rowan didn't go to the Mitchell house to kill Alison, he went there to kidnap Elizabeth.'

Mac looked at them. 'How do you know?'

'We hit Cole's apartment – he wasn't there. But we found a lot of new baby stuff – a crib, diapers, formula. Cole was getting ready to play daddy.'

Mac nodded and pulled out his cell phone. 'Gina's not answering at her hotel.'

'Much as I'd like to suggest it's probably because she can't hear it, I think something's wrong,' Taylor told them, staring past Flack to where Alison was signing at her.

Which was when Mac's phone rang. 'It's Gina,' he explained as he put his cell onto speakerphone.

'I want Elizabeth. My daughter comes with me. Now drive.'

'Who's that?' Taylor asked.

'I would hazard a guess that's Cole,' Mac told her. 'Flack, call Sheldon. Give him Gina's number and try to triangulate a location on her cell signal – get us a location. Cole Rowan has Gina and the baby.'

Flack nodded and pulled out his phone.

-----------------------------

Barely five minutes later, the three of them were in Flack's truck, siren's blazing, as they tore down the streets.

'Repeat, we've got a hostage situation,' Flack barked into his radio, shooting glances in the mirror at Taylor who was sitting wide eyed as she listened. 'Notify highway and a hostage negotiator. Standby for further instructions.'

Taylor bit her lip, staring at the phone Mac was holding. She had followed them out to the car and originally had been told she wasn't coming. But when she had informed them she would follow them in her car anyway, Mac had told her to get in the back, shut up and stay there. So there she was.

'I'll let you go, but you have to promise me something. You have to tell the police that I didn't mean to kill Alison. It was an accident. We were fighting. I'm sorry. It didn't have to come to this.' Cole's voice came through.

As Flack's phone rang, Taylor turned to Mac. 'Are we going to … he wouldn't kill his child, would he?' she asked him hesitantly.

Mac turned. 'I hope not.'

Flack hung up. 'Just got a 911 from Dennis Mitchell – Gina's husband,' he added for Taylor's benefit. 'He reported the abduction. I've sent two uniforms to pick him up.' Flack's phone rang again. 'Flack… yeah… great, where?' he hung up. 'We got him. Just got off the FDR northbound.'

Taylor sat back as Flack pressed his foot down, staring at the passing scenery which was turning into one big blur. She wasn't sure she wanted to be there, but staying at the lab would have been even harder. She glanced up, focusing on the grim frown that had set in on Flack's forehead, his eyes sparkling in determination.

He glanced up and caught her staring. 'You alright?' he asked her.

Taylor nodded, giving him a bright smile. It quickly dropped from her face when he returned his eyes to the road – he needed to be focusing on finding Cole, not her.

Finally, the SUV squealed to a stop and the two detectives leapt out. 'Alright, listen up!' Mac called as officers surrounded them. 'Our shooters got two hostages. The mother and a little girl. I want you guys to hang tight until we're in control.'

The window of Gina's car went down and something came sailing out, skidding across the road.

'What's that?' Taylor asked.

'It's an external transmitter. Cole can't hear without it,' Mac explained.

Flack stared at the item. 'Come with me. I've got an idea.'

Taylor took a step. 'Where?'

Flack stopped. 'Not you.'

Taylor stopped as an officer walked around her.

'Stop!' Cole's voice called from the car, causing Taylor to switch her attention to Mac who was slowly making her way to the car. 'Give me transmitter.'

Mac stopped. 'First, you give me the baby.'

'I'll shoot her as well.'

Taylor didn't realize she was holding her breath until Alison appeared with Maddy and Eirik and she let out a small yelp of surprise. 'I don't understand you,' she told the ghost who was signing urgently at her. 'And I didn't bring the Ouija board with me,' she told Maddy and Eirik. 'So, if you want me to do anything, you had better get translating pretty sharpish.'

Maddy glanced at Eirik, who sighed heavily. 'Alison wants you to relay a message to Cole.'

Taylor's mouth dropped open. 'I don't understand what she's saying!' she exclaimed.

'You don't have to. You just have to copy her.'

'How do I know she's not going to tell me to tell him to shoot me?!'

'Taylor!' Maddy exclaimed impatiently.

Just so y'all know in advance, I'm working, pretty much, all day and night Wednesday, so the next update should hopefully be Thursday!