Thoren - you don't have to apologise! I know RL is a pain! And you're still reading, so that makes me happy! I hope the router is working - mine was a pain to sort so I'm glad I don't have to connect that all over again
demolished-soul - It was nice to write them enjoying themselves for once! I don't hold up much hope for having a star named after me either!
daytimedrama - I'm not ready to give that one up yet so no worries there (although that's not to say there won't be a little bit of angst (:P)) I have given up with the writers - I don't see this ending well!
sparkyCSI - I think I need a moment to catch back up on the writing, but evening races have started again - boo! You're right - they could have gone about it so much better! (I think I want a Danny)
Aphina - (:P) I'm hoping I will turn out to be as handy with a hammer when I move... I have to buy a bed and put it together!
miss wizard of oz - I am actually completely up to date with the show! I'm just in denial!
meadow567 - You're right. I'll give them points for the slight continuity in the last episode, but other than that, I can't wait for the next season either. And it started out so well!
Madison Bellows - I think this the last chapter of fluff... I am about to be mean. I was going to be a hell of a lot meaner, but I've decided against that (and trust me when I say what I've got coming up isn't nice!) All is well... got a promotion in the job I like, and I'm hopefully moving house. The problem is I've now had to cancel my holiday, because a bed is more important (apparently) and I'm devestated about that! Hope all is well with you!
Okely dokely, there aren't any spoliers... actually, I don't think there are any for a while! There are, of course, thanks to my beta, sparkyCSI!
What The Eyes Can't See
Chapter 174: Time is a valuable thing, Watch it fly by as the pendulum swings
Taylor leant back against the wall with a sigh. The bunk bed was finally together and already making groves into the newly laid, fluffy carpet. The curtains were hanging and even the lightshade was fitted. Short of Cordelia actually moving her things into the room, filling up the empty shelves and closet, the room was ready.
Taylor smiled feeling insanely satisfied. One down… just another nine to go (if you counted the hall and landing).
She had insisted that the first room to have the window fitted in Cordelia's room first and the window fitters were slowly finishing off the bay window in the living room.
She yawned. It was time to head for her old apartment. Flack was already there with Cordelia packing up the rest of their things.
Only, by the time she had gotten to the bottom of the stairs, the window men announced that they were just about done. Quickly she typed out a text to Flack telling him that she would wait for the first moving van and direct the items to the correct room.
Which was a good thing, considering a man had turned up to measure up the kitchen.
By the time Louie and Danny arrived with the first truck load, Taylor's head was spinning.
'You alright?' Louie asked her – she was clearly showing signs of being flustered.
'What the hell am I doing, Lou?'
'Telling us where you want this sofa?' Danny muttered.
Taylor looked at it. It was the uncomfortable one from Flack's. 'What is that doing here?' she asked.
'Yours is a health hazard,' Louie informed her. 'Your fiancé told us that we had to go to his and get this thing.'
Taylor just shrugged. 'They're still packing up in the front. I guess it had better go in the back,' she told them, pointing to a door slightly down the corridor.
By the end of the day, virtually all the furniture that belonged downstairs was piled into the back room, and everything that belonged upstairs (short of the bed they were to sleep on) was crowded between the two spare rooms. With Cordy tucked up in bed, exhausted, Taylor was lying on the freshly laid floorboards in the living room with Danny, Louie, Flack, Sheldon, and Lindsay (the latter of who had turned up with beer and pizza.)
'I didn't realize you had so much crap, Drew,' Danny moaned.
'And to think you were only moving the furniture,' Taylor drawled at him.
Lindsay looked around. 'It looks a little better in here.'
'You should see Cordelia's room,' Flack said proudly.
Louie arched an eyebrow, ready to comment, but Taylor cut him off before his mouth was half open. 'I can decorate,' she told him. 'Hard as that is to believe, I'm not a stranger to a power tools and spirit levels.'
'Not that I'm complaining,' Sheldon laughed, 'but why is there no furniture in here?' he asked, tapping at the bare floor.
'We're gonna knock that wall through and have one big room,' Flack told him, pointing to the wall that was adjoining the back room. 'There's gonna be builders in and out of here for weeks.'
Lindsay frowned. 'That's gonna cost a fortune.'
Taylor shook her head. 'Actually, the majority of the building work is being fronted by Alex. He never spent the insurance money on the place, and as he's our landlord, he has a legal obligation to make this place inhabitable.'
'And he's covering a hole being knocked in the wall?'
Taylor shook her head. 'No, that would be us. And we have to cover the new bathroom suite as the one we have is perfectly fine. Although, that room is way down the list of priorities. He's paying for the kitchen done though.'
'What?' Danny laughed. 'So you can burn the house down and start again?'
He was quickly rewarded for that comment by a slice of pizza to be flung at him, which slowly slid down his face and fell to the floor.
'That was a waste of a perfectly good slice,' Flack complained.
It was late by the time everyone left and Flack and Taylor finally made it to the bedroom.
'I can't believe we've done this?' Taylor muttered as she slid under the sheets.
Flack looked over at her. 'You're not having second thoughts are you?'
Taylor met his eyes. 'Only over what color we should do the kitchen.
Flack gave her a relieved smile. 'That's good to know.'
'Dude, you're stuck with me,' Taylor grinned.
Flack's expression turned to one of disbelief. 'Did you just call me dude?'
The following morning, after Cordelia had been dropped off at school, had been spent ushering the builders around. By lunchtime, Taylor had abandoned the house and headed to a café near Cordelia's school. She had a column to work on and all she could hear was a wall being knocked down, combined with the radio.
Thankfully, when she realized what time it was, she wasn't far from the school.
She was hurrying down the street when someone grabbed the arm which wasn't in a cast, and hauled her down an alley, a hand covering her mouth.
Terrified, Taylor stared up at man's brown eyes as she tried to keep her heart from leaping out of her throat.
'You think you've won,' he hissed at her.
Taylor just stared at him, too scared to even begin to contemplate what he was talking about.
'You haven't. This is your last chance to help him. After that, it won't be as simple as drugs.'
Taylor blinked, trying to clear her vision from the tears that were spilling down her face.
'We know all about you, Taylor Turner. And we know we're gonna get what we want. The question is; are you going to realize too, or is someone going to have to die before you do?' With that, he shoved her backwards sending her flying as he took off running down the alleyway.
From her position on the ground, Taylor finally burst into tears, shaking uncontrollably.
By the time Taylor managed to get to school, she was looking slightly more controlled, although she had accomplished that by being a good twenty minutes late. There were, however, two disgruntled children waiting for her.
'Oh, it's Halloween, isn't it,' Taylor frowned. The fact that there were Jack-O-Lanterns everywhere meant nothing – they'd been up for weeks.
'Did you forget?' Cordelia asked her.
Taylor smiled. 'Of course not,' she lied. 'But we're going to have to go to the station first to see Don. Is that alright?'
'We get to go to the lab?' Ruben cried excitedly.
Taylor winced knowing that both Rikki and Danny had probably told him it was one place he'd never be going. 'Yeah,' she smiled. 'But you guys are sitting in the break room, I'm afraid.' It was clear from the cheers that even that excited them.
She was on the elevator, still shaking as she rode it down. The kids had been left in the break room with a disapproving Danny (he'd told her that a crime lab wasn't a place for the children, which she agreed with, but when he'd taken a good look at her, figured it was something important.)
It didn't occur to her how shaken up she was until she was stopped by Louie. 'Taylor?'
Taylor looked up and realized she'd hit the wrong floor. 'Oh, hi Louie.'
'Taylor, what's the matter?' he asked her, concern in his eyes.
'I, uh, nothing,' she said, shaking her head.
Louie stepped in front of her grabbing her by the shoulders. 'Taylor, what happened?' he asked her calmly.
Taylor looked down at the floor. 'It's not over.'
'What's not?'
'Sassone. He's not done with me.'
'Sassone?' Louie cried, outraged. 'Are you still talking with him?'
Taylor's head whipped up as she threw Louie's hand from her shoulders. 'No, I am not. He decided to send one of his friends to deliver a message.'
'Why couldn't you have just stayed way clear of him?' he demanded.
'Louie, I had done nothing wrong. I thought he wanted to give me some information for a story!' she shouted back.
'It's Sassone,' Louie told her. 'He was never going to give you a story, and you know it.'
'Oh, go to Hell, Louie!' Taylor shouted at him. 'I didn't set out to get in this mess.'
'Of course you didn't, and yet here we are again.'
'What the hell do you mean by that?' Taylor demanded.
Louie glared at her. 'You know what, Taylor, we're done. I'm sorting this out and that's that.'
Taylor stared at him. 'I don't need you to fight my battles, Louie.'
'No?' he questioned. 'Because if someone doesn't someone is going to end up dead.'
'You know what?' Taylor asked. 'I stand by my earlier statement; GO TO HELL!' she bellowed before turning on her heel and heading back for the elevator.
By the time Flack arrived back home later that evening, Taylor had vented all of her frustration into making decorative bags with Cordelia and Ruben so they could go trick or treating.
'Taylor?' Flack questioned her, sensing something wasn't right.
'I'm glad you're back,' Taylor told him. 'I need you to watch these two so I can get changed into my costume.'
Flack cocked his head as he looked from the kids (Cordelia was a pig, and Ruben was dressed as something which looked like it should have been a transformer, but only just pulled off robot) to Taylor. 'You don't need to dress up, you know. We're just making sure they're supervised.'
Taylor looked at him wearily. 'We had to buy me a costume as we came home. Say hello to Little Bo Peep,' she told him dryly, pulling a stuffed sheep from a bag and holding it up.
Flack tried to bite back a laugh, but failed. 'Seriously?'
'Oh, you can laugh, but you're gonna be a pirate,' she told him, pulling out a toy parrot and flinging it at him.
'A pirate?' he choked.
Taylor grinned. 'That will teach you for bringing Pirates of the Caribbean back home with you, Mr. Sparrow.'
'His name is Captain Jack Sparrow,' Cordelia and Ruben chimed up, correcting Taylor.
Taylor just looked pointedly at Flack. 'Be thankful I stopped them from turning you into the pirate with octopus tentacles for a beard.'
'He's called Davey Jones!'
Flack stared at the three before him and sighed resignedly. 'Fine.'