Karen - Sadly, finding the time to write has become somewhat problematic of late, although, at the rate I'm going, I'll be off sick with stress in no time! I'm so glad you're enjoying this, and thank you!
Trizzy - No, the guy looks really creepy with no hair - i hope it's grown back (although it did really suit the character). If you can come up with any, do send them me!
Madison Bellows - Oh no, I'm most definately counting!! (30!!) and I'm also a geek and counting down to the release of HSM3 - yeah, I did just admit to that! Their relationship is actually one of my favorite to write, so I'm glad it conveys well!
laplandgurl - No, he's not, although I would be slightly miffed is someone told me I was going to kill someone! lol
RK9 - I did double check, because I thought you didn't love me anymore (over-melodramatic sob!) Dallas was the woman from the Bond episode (in my story at least. She worked in the Museum - she was Devon's friend. Marty obviously has no morals, lol)
demolished-soul - sadly the workload feels like it's always increasing, with the occasional dip. A 40 hour week is a quiet one to me! It has been fun, whilst difficult, and I'm almost convinced I have it all played out in my mind, although there won't be a reason for a while, that i do know!
meadow567 - I was very pleasantly surprised by that film - I was convinced everyone was hyping up Ledger's performance, but he really was good. Go for it! And then let me know!!
sparkyCSI - Yeah, I want to be able to like Mac again! I have another chapter for you, I think, so I might send that with your beta'd chapters!
Big thanks to my beta, Sparky!
And we've still got spoilers for... oh, whatever they've been for the last few chapters (my brain is frazzled and I can't actually remember the episode name!)
What The Eyes Can't See
Chapter 192: I'm a fire and I'll burn, burn, burn tonight
Taylor was back outside in the wind, nursing a cup of coffee, watching the wisps of steam blow away before they had chance to curl upwards.
'Can you make that Irish?' a voice mumbled morosely.
Taylor half turned and saw Adam looking a little sorry for himself. 'You okay?'
Adam sighed. 'Mac came in and chewed me out. But it was kinda my own fault.'
Taylor licked her lips. 'So that might have had something to do with me.'
Adam eyed her warily. 'Why?'
'Well, Gerrard isn't too impressed, Dobson is clearly bothering him, and I don't help by wandering around the lab and accusing him of things he hasn't done yet.'
Adam gave her a puzzled look. 'What are you accusing him of doing?'
Taylor gave him a weak smile. 'I'd tell you, but I've already had enough weird looks today.'
'Does it have anything to do with why you're always in the lab?' he asked her curiously.
Taylor sighed. 'Not today.'
'Can I ask you something?' Adam asked her.
'Sure,' Taylor nodded.
'Why are you always in the lab? I mean, none of the cases end up in your column.'
'You read that?' Taylor asked, surprised.
Adam blushed and looked down. 'I did before I knew who you were.'
Taylor held her hands up. 'I didn't mean anything by it,' she said. 'I just didn't know.'
Adam looked down at the floor. 'I like it.'
'Thank you,' Taylor smiled, feeling as shy as Adam looked.
Adam glanced back at her. 'So why are you always here?'
Taylor turned, watching a patrol car pull up and an officer get out and escort a prisoner into the building. 'I don't think I can tell you,' she told him eventually. 'I don't think I could handle it if another person looked at me like I had lost my mind.'
'Is it that bad?'
Taylor sighed. 'Sometimes.'
Adam gave her another look. 'You coming back in?'
Taylor shook her head. 'Mac will kill me if I'm unescorted.'
'I'll escort you,' Adam told her.
'You'd do that?' she asked him, amazed.
Adam nodded. 'Mac clearly doesn't see it, and I don't know how you do it, but things get done quicker. That and you clearly don't publish anything you shouldn't.'
Taylor gave him a grateful smile as she resisted the urge to leap on him and hug him.
--
Instead of heading back upstairs with Adam, Taylor decided that the best thing she should do was not. Adam had already been shouted at, and the last thing Taylor wanted to do was have him at the receiving end of Mac's anger again. So she found herself braving the whipping wind again. Until she decided to head to the parking garage and wait there.
She was pacing between Mac's company Avalanche and Flack's company Buick when they both appeared with Stella. Suddenly feeling scared, Taylor ducked down behind Flack's car and snuck in as soon as he had seated himself.
'Argh!' Flack yelped.
'Shhhh,' Taylor shushed him. 'I'm coming with you.'
'And you had to sneak into my car to accomplish that?' Flack asked her.
Taylor nodded. 'Probably for the best.'
'Tay, what is going on?'
'I told you,' Taylor sighed. 'I seem to be reliving yesterday… today. And the last today I had didn't turn out so good. I'm not going in. I'll wait outside. You just have to promise me that you won't let Mac go up any stairs.'
Flack gave her a searching stare before nodding. He quickly slipped the car into reverse and peeled out of the garage to catch up with Mac and Stella.
It didn't take them long to arrive at their destination – the Weddington Hotel. 'I'm staying here,' Taylor told Flack as soon as they had pulled over and he had sent another worried stare in her direction.
It took every ounce of will power Taylor had not to follow into the building, and to instead wait outside. But she did. Even when the paramedics arrived. 'Tell me it's not an officer,' she asked Doc as he unloaded the stretcher.
He shook his head. 'They found a woman. I don't know much more than that,' he apologized.
Taylor let out a sigh of relief and leant back against Flack's car. Minutes later, Mac ran out of the doors.
Taylor charged off after Mac before Stella and Flack had even realized what was happening. She could hear Flack shout after her as she leapt into the backseat of Mac's car, but ignored him, only just slamming the door shut as Mac squealed off.
'What are you doing, Taylor?' Mac barked at her as he weaved in and out of the traffic.
'Trying to stop you from doing something stupid,' she told him, holding onto the headrest as they squealed around a corner.
'I should stop this car right now and have you arrested.'
'Do that!' Taylor told him, actually hoping he would.
He did the opposite and put his foot down.
'I really think arresting me would be a better option!' Taylor shouted as they pulled up outside another building.
'Stay here!' Mac ordered as the two of them leapt out of the car.
'Not likely,' Taylor muttered. And then in a movement so quick it left no doubt in Taylor's mind that the ex-marine still had it in him, Taylor's wrist was handcuffed to the door handle of the building. 'What?!' she exclaimed as Mac looked at her.
'Stay here,' he repeated.
'And what are you going to use to handcuff Dobson?' she yelled as he took off into the building. Taylor began yanking at the cuffs before slumping back against the door in defeat. Suddenly, she stood upright. 'Maddy?'
'I can't let you go,' Maddy told her as she appeared.
Taylor shook her head. 'No, I need you to go up there and keep an eye on Mac. I need to know if he listened to anything I said. Please!' Maddy stared at her and nodded before disappearing. Taylor returned her attention to trying to pull the cuffs off her wrists as the distant sirens grew closer. 'Don!' Taylor cried as his car squealed to a halt and he leapt from it.
'Taylor?' he questioned, hurrying over and pulling his key out.
'Mac took off upstairs,' Taylor told him in a panic.
'Two of you go around the front, mark off the street,' Flack turned to the two uniformed officers who were with him.
'We have to-' Taylor screamed as she was cut off by a body slamming onto the roof of Mac's car. She, Flack, and a few other officers looked upwards to find Mac peering over the edge of the building. Taylor turned to Flack, her mouth hanging open in shock.
'He's cuffed!' one of the officers cried.
--
Taylor was leaning morosely against the wall, sat in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs in the busy precinct reception.
'Miss Turner.'
Taylor snapped her eyes up and stared at Sgt. Flack. 'Are you kidding me?' she asked wearily.
'Mac Taylor pushes a suspect off a building and you're surprised that IAB is investigating?'
'No,' Taylor retorted as she rose to her feet. 'I'm surprised that someone who is out for Mac's blood is investigating.'
'You want to make a move to the interview room? I'm sure you know where it is by now.'
Taylor inhaled sharply. 'No.'
Sgt. Flack's eyes narrowed. 'No?'
'No,' Taylor agreed.
'Do you want me to arrest you again?'
Taylor shook her head. 'No. I want you to find another officer to interview me. Which I believe is one of my rights.' She smiled smugly. 'I think there might be too much conflict of interest here.'
The creases in Sgt. Flack's forehead deepened but he left. Taylor sighed, her legs feeling like jelly as she sank back into the chair.
'He didn't do it.'
Taylor's head whipped around. 'Really?'
Maddy nodded. 'The guy jumped. He didn't want to go back to prison, and he figured he would bring Mac down with him.'
'Oh thank God,' Taylor muttered as she leant her head back against the wall and closed her eyes.
--
'You done?' Flack asked her wearily.
Taylor exited the interview room and walked over. 'Can we go to bed now?'
Flack nodded and wrapped his arm over her shoulder as he led her outside to his car. 'How did it go?'
Taylor sighed. 'Well, once I'd managed to convince the officer that the reason the cuffs were on me were because I was playing around with them, and then that the reason I was there was complete coincidence, I don't think it went too badly.'
'You managed to convince IAB of that?' Flack asked her in disbelief.
Taylor shrugged. 'Probably not, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it. When they realized I wasn't near the roof, they lost interest anyway.' She sighed. 'I'm going to hell. Or jail. Or both.'
Flack laughed. 'Let's pull out the violins.'
Taylor returned a smile. 'Alright, so a little melodramatic, I know.'
They arrived home and headed in. Which was when Marty pounced on them. 'And what time do you call this?' he demanded.
Taylor glanced past him at the clock and winced. 'Six am?'
'Yeah, six am,' Marty snapped. 'Not only have I been waiting all night, worried about where you were, the dinner is spoilt and you owe me babysitting money.'
Flack coughed to cover up a laugh. 'Sorry, mom,'
'I'm not mad at you,' Marty told him. 'You were on call. You, on the other hand,' he turned to face Taylor. 'You were supposed to be learning, and you certainly weren't working. And don't you dare give me a ghost as an excuse.'
'Can we move this discussion into the living room?' Taylor asked. 'Before we wake Cordelia up?'
'So now you're concerned about Cordelia?' Marty sniped.
'That's not fair, Marty,' Taylor retorted, storming out of the hallway and into the living room.
Marty followed her in and sighed. 'You're right, it's not. But that doesn't explain why you ran out on me.'
'No, it doesn't,' Taylor agreed as she settled wearily onto the couch and then proceeded to explain everything.
I just wanted to say a HUGE thanks to everyone who is reviewing. I'm having a bit of a stressfull time at the minute (I no longer like the job I used to, as well as the one I never did, and I have unwelcome housemate issues - one who isn't paying his way or doing any form of housework. I just wanted y'all to know that your reviews keep me going with this story (and bring a smile to face to boot!))
So again, Thank You!!