RK9 - Yeah, a while yet. (And would it kill you to know I have a winter wedding planned out?)

sparkyCSI - Lol, I think I could use her too! I'm hopefuly about to move house! I have no idea what I've sent you so far but I'm on the parent's computer so I can't send any other chapters anyway!

demolished-soul - I've had a lot of fun with the past few chapters (and the upcoming ones) so I'm glad that's shown through! I really want Cordy to be able to stay with her, but I think she needs to end up with her actual dad

Alana Xavier1 - I'm old enough to remember the show the first time around - Wolf was the best! I think there's talk of bringing the show back in England!

meadow567 - Actually, I may have overstepped that myself and had it pointed out to me - I'm becoming as inconsistent as the show writers!

Aphina - lol, I forgot too! And that was probably my fav part of the chapter!

Mauveine - I'm with you on that, and I really need to get more in! At least you have an end date! I have a second round of an interview tomorrow - I just can't decide if an hour and a half commute is worth it!

Madison Bellows - Lol, I know what you mean! I disappear and come back and I'm chapters behind and have no clue as to what's going on!

laplandgurl - I'm not sure where I stand on that. I'm not too bad in the kitchen (if I do say so myself) but I'm not terrified at the thought of an Ikea flatpack!

Forest Angel - I've had so much going on (and about to) that I've had to 'normalize' everything! I think I have another couple of chapters like this, and then I'm bringing back some old friends and stepping up the pace again!

Big thanks to my beta, sparkyCSI!

What The Eyes Can't See

Chapter 173: Life is a highway

'It's all set?' Taylor asked. She was busy hanging wallpaper in what would be Cordelia's room (and coincidentally the one which needed the least amount of work doing to it) whilst talking on her hands free with Sasha.

A loud wail from the circular saw in the room next door blocked out the response from Sasha.

Taylor sighed impatiently. 'Sorry, Sash. I'm going to murder them. They're already two days behind,' she added. She listened to what Sasha was saying and was about to respond when there was another wail. 'I give up,' she muttered. 'I'll call you later.' Using her shoulder, she hung up and began leveling the final piece of paper.

'Damn!' Flack exclaimed, stepping into the room.

'Hey,' Taylor greeted him without removing her eyes from the paper.

'I have to confess, when you said that you could decorate, I didn't completely believe you,' Flack told her, staring at the room in awe. The woodwork was painted immaculately in white gloss, and there wasn't a single bubble in the paper.

'I know,' Taylor admitted. 'I'm surprising like that.'

'Your brother again?'

Taylor nodded as she crouched down to trim the last bit. 'Brother and father. I actually enjoyed helping decorate the house.' Finally she rose to her feet. 'You should see me with plaster, because that's verging on artwork.'

'Not abstract, I hope,' Flack told her, staring down at the skinny frame whose clothes were covered in white paint, and skin was covered in blotches of paste. 'You sure there's enough paste on that paper.'

Taylor glanced down at her arms. 'Yup. I was trying to see how much it would take to keep me up there.'

Flack grinned as he leant down and kissed her nose. He pulled away pulling a face. 'You got it on your nose?'

'I had an itch,' Taylor pouted.

Flack was cut off from responding by another loud wail. 'Aren't they done yet?'

Taylor shook her head. 'Nope. Although they did try to convince me that the bathroom needed re-flooring.'

'Does it?' Flack asked, concerned.

Taylor shook her head. 'Are you kidding? They saw me and thought they could take me for a ride. I tell you, God Bless brothers.'

Flack grinned. 'Cordy is with Rikki and Ruben. Apparently they're going to watch Transformers, again.' He glanced down at his watch. 'And we need to get you home so that you can get showered.'

Taylor nodded and surveyed the room. 'I've just got to rinse this brush.'

Flack smiled, helping her gather the things into the corner of the room, before following her into the bathroom.

'The carpet fitters are coming to measure tomorrow morning so we can get a quote,' Taylor told him as she rinsed the paste from the brush. The pipes made a creaking noise. 'And the plumber is coming in the afternoon.'

Flack sighed, looking around the dated bathroom. 'Are we crazy?'

'Well, I am,' Taylor shrugged. 'And you're marrying me, so I guess you are too.' She reached over and grabbed a rag to dry her hands. 'Three of us can't stay in a one bedroom flat for much longer.'

Flack nodded. 'You still think that we'll be alright for moving in this weekend?'

Taylor shrugged. 'We knew that the only thing that would be completely ready was going to be Cordy's room.'

'You do remember that we agreed to have Ruben for Halloween, don't you?' Flack reminded her.

Taylor frowned. 'No, I hadn't, actually. Oh well,' she sighed. 'He was going to stay in Cordy's room anyway.'

'This isn't getting you home and showered and quicker,' Flack moaned after they had checked on the builders.

'That an offer?' Taylor asked, grinning wickedly.

They were late for the restaurant. Which was inevitable, really. They dashed from the taxi to the door, trying to avoid the rain, and waited to be led to the table.

Danny and Lindsay were already seated with Louie, Sheldon, Stella and Ikaia, Adam and Kendal as Taylor and Flack slid into the two vacant seats. 'Sorry,' Taylor apologized. 'We got caught up at the house.'

'How are you managing to decorate with a cast on your arm?' Adam asked, amused.

Taylor shrugged. 'Easily, actually.'

'You're not, um, destroying the place?' Stella asked.

'Actually, she's quite handy in the DIY department,' Flack announced proudly.

'I'll bet she is,' Danny sniggered, earning a thump from Lindsay.

Taylor rolled her eyes. 'You are all invited for dinner as soon as we're in and done,' she told them all. 'And I won't be cooking,' she added with a sigh.

'I can't wait that long for food,' Ikaia laughed as his stomach grumbled. 'I think it's time we ordered.'

'Already done,' Lindsay smiled as the food was brought over. 'I told them to bring me a banquet.'

Taylor looked on in disbelief as bowls of Chinese food was laid out in front of them. 'A banquet for how many?' she asked.

'You're forgetting Flack can eat for three,' Stella laughed.

'You don't exactly pick at the food yourself, Stell,' Flack responded as he busied himself with piling some fried rice on his plate.

It took a very long time for everyone to finish eating, but finally (with the exception of Flack who was still eating Spring Rolls) they were all settled back into their chairs, comfortably full.

'I think it's time for presents,' Kendal declared, pulling out an elaborately wrapped gift and handing it over.

'Guys, I wasn't expecting anything,' Lindsay objected. 'I just wanted some food with my friends.'

'Tough,' Kendall grinned. 'Open it.'

It turned out to be a box set of NuWoman bath accessories.

'This stuff is brilliant,' Kendal told her. 'It was developed by some genius CSI in Miami who I went to college with. It actually gets the smell of dead bodies out of your hair without you smelling of lemons.'

Lindsay gaped at it. 'That's not possible.'

'That's what I said,' Stella said. 'And then I borrowed Kendal's body wash.'

'Really?' Danny asked, leaning over to try and grab a tube… until his hand was slapped away by Lindsay.

'Moving on,' Adam muttered, handing over a bulky package.

As the wrappings were ripped off, Lindsay burst out laughing.

'What is it?' Kendal asked, leaning over.

Lindsay, still laughing, opened the box and pulled something pink out.

'Is that a remote?' Stella asked.

Lindsay nodded, holding the box up. 'It's a Control Your Man remote.'

'Don't you need a man first?' Hawkes asked.

Lindsay smirked. 'Maybe it will work on any old guy?' she asked, sending a knowing look in Danny's direction that no one seemed to catch.

'Maybe you'll like this then,' Hawkes laughed, handing her another box.

Lindsay again started laughing as she opened it. 'I'm beginning to feel a theme here,' she said, pulling out a Grow Your Own Man kit.

'Well here's a little something different,' Stella told her, handing over another present. 'I noticed you flicking through some photographs on your computer one day,' she explained as Lindsay unwrapped a digital photo frame.

'Thanks, Stella,' Lindsay smiled.

'Our turn,' Taylor declared, handing over a brown envelope.

Flack gave his fiancé a sideways look. 'For the record, I have no idea what she's been scheming for the past week,' he told Lindsay. 'So if it's lame, it was nothing to do with me.'

'And when she realizes how great it is?' Taylor demanded.

'Then I take it back and will take credit for it, of course,' he told her.

Taylor pulled a face at him and then looked over at Lindsay. 'He gets no credit now. And for the record, it rocks.'

Lindsay smiled and pulled the envelope open. 'Taylor?' she frowned. 'Is this what I think it is?'

Taylor nodded. 'Lone Star Bar is, admittedly thanks to Sasha, having Big & Rich grace its stage. Now, I realize it's the middle of November, but that was the closest I could get it to your birthday,' she frowned.

'Taylor?' Lindsay repeated, staring in awe at the flyer in her hand.

'Alright, so there's a little more to it than that,' Taylor admitted. 'It's open to the public, but we do get the VIP area.'

'Is that what you've been planning?' Stella asked.

Taylor nodded.

'Taylor!' Lindsay exclaimed, leaping up from her chair and running around to hug her friend.

Taylor grinned as she hugged the woman back. 'Yeah, my present rocks,' she told the others.

Flack rolled his eyes and turned to Danny. 'Messer, your present had better beat that, or I'm not going to hear the end of it.' He gave Taylor a sideways glance. 'Ever,' he added.

Danny shifted uncomfortably in his seat. 'I don't know if it's gonna beat that.' He waited for Lindsay to sit back down before handing over a large envelope which had been leant against his chair for the evening.

Lindsay carefully opened it and gasped as she read that Danny had a star named for her.

'What is it?' Taylor asked.

Lindsay looked up. 'Oh, a gift voucher for a day at a spa,' she told them.

Underneath the table, Danny gently squeezed her thigh.

'I so rule the present giving,' Taylor grinned, winking at Stella.

'Great,' Flack groaned. 'Way to go, Danny.'

'You didn't tell them what I got you,' Danny muttered as they walked home.

Lindsay glanced upwards at the clouds which kept hiding the moon and stars. 'I didn't want them to know.'

'I'm glad you didn't,' Danny told her softly, slipping his hand into hers.

'Really?' Lindsay asked him.

Danny nodded. 'Yeah. I don't want to jinx what we have.'

'Daniel Messer, the romantic,' Lindsay laughed.

So the show may be about to blow up the tracks of the DL relationship, but I'm sorry - I'm not ready for that one... yet? They're stuck together here (although this chapter was written when the strike was still on!)