gracefullygothic - That's alright. I love randomness! Yes, I believe they were from My Immortal. The majority of the titles are song lyrics, although some are a little more obscure

TVjunkie323 - You're always going to be the first to sample my chapters, and you're the only person who has read everything so far! So thank you for that! And thank you for still loving this!

Aphina - I'm glad you're still enjoying it! And thanks again for finding 'me' over on Mibba. Yeah, I'm still laughing!

KansReader - Hey! Have you made it to the end? Thanks for reading & reviewing!

natabrains - Wow, again! Thank you for all your reviews. I won't say anything else, I won't. I'll give too much away! But thank you!!

ambercsiny - It's been ages, but are you finally feeling better? How's the writing going?

demolished-soul - You reminded me that I haven't mentioned her in a while. She's off having fun! But I love her and Maddy, so I'll be bringing her back into it soon. Thank you!

sparkyCSI - It was on the news, which I didn't realise and didn't tape. But I was in the background, carrying a CD deck. That was it. They didn't focus on me later (:c). I pout, but I'm glad, really. I did get a mention on another DJ's radio show - at 4 in the morning. He remembered me because I was the 'DJ who kicks her shoes off before she pulls her CDs out'!

meadow567 - Elope? I have their wedding written already, and there isn't any eloping involved. I just need to type faster so I can get it posted sooner!

Nienne Tinehtele - It was long overdue, wasn't it? Thank you!

Trizzy - lol, You're talking to the person who has just watched every single episode of SN again (strangely, watching that befor bed has become a ritual). I know what you mean about the pairing though! I don't understand how that is so popular. But go for it!! That's what I say!

Forest Angel - Thank you! I'm going to keep writing. Hopefully other people will realise that simple thing too!

LexiLoLo200 - I'm glad you liked, although I'm sorry for the wait on the update! But I'm very glad you're enjoying it!

The Corrupter - Britney was ace! Thanks for your support, hun. How's Canada/your mom treating you? When are you returning to the UK? Any news on your uni?

twilightgirl00000001 - I haven't heard the slow version, but I do know the dance version and I like the lyrics! Thank you!

DreamerChild88 - You've changed your name! I'll keep my fingers crossed, but hopefully you'll find a job too, and then you won't need to worry about that! Mmmmm, marshmallows. That's a fantastic idea!

Maraena - It was delightful, wasn't it?! Thank you, though. And I certainly hope the same!

Bmangaka - Yup yup, I'm rich and famous. Wait, wake up Cheryl... no, I'm not. But I am on the Radio1 website! lol. And I certainly haven't forgotten that idea - it is certainly getting used. I just want Stella there, and I don't think she can be running around pregnant. But it will be in there - I like that idea!

RK9 - I'm sorry, this is the first time I've been on FF for ages! I shall try to get some reading done tomorrow when I'm at work - just don't let my boss know (:P)

yellowpea - As you can tell, I have blocked you. Whilst I appreciate the time you took to leave a review, I have grown tired of your unnecessary nastiness. Yes, you don't like my story. No, your opinion is not going to stop me writing.

Spoilers... any spoilers? Hmmm, well, there are still references to the taxi cab killer - does that count?

There are, as always, thanks to my amazing beta, who has again lent me her OC, Cory (who I still haven't done justice to!)

What The Eyes Can't See

Chapter 224: And when the worrying starts to hurt and the world feels like graves of dirt

After leaving the parrot sitting in the middle of Riley's room on a makeshift perch, plenty of newspapers lining the floor, Taylor and Riley finally left the house and headed for the nearest subway stop.

Frankly, Taylor didn't have a clue what to do with that one. But, the fact that it was the first time she had seen Riley smile was working in its favor. Instead, she focused on spending her money on essentials, clothes, and things for Riley's new room (ignoring the fact she was going to freak when she saw the credit card bill).

By the late afternoon, their arms were laden with bags and both girls had tired feet. 'Ready to head home?' Taylor asked her.

Riley nodded. 'Have you decided what to do about Mikey?'

'I told you, that one's up to Don.'

'And is he likely to say no?' she pressed.

'I honestly couldn't tell you, Riley. I wouldn't want to say one thing and have him say something completely different.'

'Fine,' Riley pouted.

'What do you want for dinner?' Taylor asked, changing the subject.

Riley shrugged.

Taylor closed her eyes, counting in her head. And, as such, didn't see the other woman walking out of a shop and smacked straight into her. 'Crap,' Taylor muttered, gathering her wits. 'I'm sorry. I didn't see you – SSA Reid?'

The auburn haired Texan frowned as she adjusted the many bags she was carrying. 'It's just Cory,' she told her.

Taylor blinked, her eyes dropping to Cory's hands and the eight Jimmy Choo cardboard bags in them. 'Jesus Christ!' she exclaimed, not so subtly. 'How the hell much does the FBI pay?'

Cory shifted uncomfortably, the bags moving behind her legs. 'They don't.'

Taylor's eyes snapped up to meet Cory's hazel ones. 'What do you mean?'

'I don't work for the FBI anymore,' Cory admitted.

'Why?' Taylor asked in surprise. 'If nothing else, I thought you loved your job.'

'Things change,' Cory told her simply.

'So what do you do now?' Taylor asked.

Cory shrugged. 'Nothing.'

Feeling the ex-FBI agent clam up, Taylor frowned and glanced at Riley who was watching the pair, bored.

'Is that your niece?' Cory asked, seeing Taylor smile at the teen.

Taylor shook her head and then frowned. 'How do you know I have a niece?'

'I did an extensive background check on you,' Cory explained, reddening a little. 'I needed to have as much information on the person running around the crime lab.'

'You say that like I'm a common criminal,' Taylor frowned. 'I have never once-'

'I was perfectly justified in my actions,' Cory interrupted. 'I was just doing my job.'

'I know you were,' Taylor admitted. 'I'm just a little bitter about being shot over it.'

'I'm sorry I didn't visit you in the hospital,' Cory blurted out.

Taylor shrugged. 'Why not? It's not like we're friends.'

Cory's eyes dropped briefly, but she kept her head held high. 'I would have done – I wanted to see how you were, but things got… a little crazy.'

'You don't have to apologize,' Taylor shrugged.

'I know,' Cory sighed. She took in a breath, her gaze drifting to the taxis that still littered the street, despite the fact it was common knowledge that the serial killer plaguing New York was driving one of them. 'They demoted me right back down to "agent", you know,' she told the journalist, unsure as to why she was sharing that information.

Taylor pursed her lips. 'And that's why you quit?'

Cory snapped her attention back at the raven haired woman, her eyes full of passion. 'I quit because the people in charge at the FBI are nothing but petty bureaucrats that couldn't find their asses with both hands, a SatNav and ten foot signs, never mind an actual criminal.'

'Right,' Taylor blinked.

Cory exhaled softly. 'Just call it a difference of opinion.'

Taylor glanced over at Riley, who was staring intently at Cory. 'I think we should be going,' she told the ex-agent.

'Taylor,' Cory called after her as the pair walked away.

Taylor stopped and turned. 'Yes?'

Cory opened her mouth, as if to say something, but instead shook her head gently. 'I'm glad you're alright.'

'Thanks,' Taylor muttered. She turned back in the direction she had been heading and walked away.

They had barely turned the corner before Riley came alive with questions. 'Who was that?' she demanded. 'Is she really a real FBI agent? And were you really shot?'

Taylor cocked her head to look down at the teen. 'That was Cory Reid, and by the sounds of things, she was an FBI agent. And yes, I was shot.'

Riley's eyes widened. 'That's so cool! Where?'

'My… stomach,' Taylor faulted.

'Why?'Riley demanded. 'What did you do?'

Taylor frowned. 'Wrong place, wrong time.'

Riley looked a little disappointed. 'Oh,' she muttered. And then she perked up. 'Does Cory have a gun?'

Taylor's frown deepened. 'Probably. Why?'

'I want a gun,' Riley admitted.

'Excuse me?' Taylor questioned in alarm, praying she hadn't heard that correctly.

'Not now, of course,' Riley shrugged. 'When I'm older. I want to be the American equivalent of James Bond. I want a gun and gadgets and a really cool car!'

Taylor felt her heart skip a beat. 'Are you sure you wouldn't rather do something a little safer, like be a teacher?'

Riley looked up at her, sending her a look which clearly implied she thought Taylor was stupid. 'Are you kidding? I'm probably more likely to be shot that way. At least if I'm a secret agent I can shoot back. They frown upon teachers doing that.'

'You'd be a teacher,' Taylor told her. 'You wouldn't need a gun!'

Riley laughed. 'Yeah! Right! Do you know how many kids bring weapons into schools these days?'

Taylor frowned. She'd done the research on that one, and the figures weren't reassuring. However, at fifteen, she was hoping that Riley had been a little more ignorant to the fact.

'There's a boy in my class who carries a Ruger in the belt of his jeans every day,' Riley continued.

Taylor's heart stopped again as she chocked on the information Riley had just supplied. 'How do you know what a Ruger looks like?' she managed in a strangled voice.

Riley shrugged. 'A secret agent needs to know their own weapons as well as the enemies,' she told her, matter-of-factly. 'Besides, if I don't manage to become a secret agent, I want to go into ballistics.'

'Ballistics?' Taylor squeaked.

'Yup,' Riley nodded. 'I was cleaning the windows for the ballistics lab last week, and it looked really interesting. Sheldon explained all about rifling and striae.'

'Oh, he did, did her?' Taylor muttered. 'I shall have to see Sheldon about that.'

---

By the time they had gotten home, Taylor had grown quiet. Riley had shot straight upstairs to see Mikey, whilst Taylor headed into the kitchen and dropped her bags on the counter.

Flack looked up from where he was stirring something meaty and tomatoey in a pan and arched an eyebrow. 'So, I got in earlier and headed upstairs to change. And as I was walking past Riley's bedroom, someone told me this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya punk?' Flack frowned. 'When a voice tells me that there's a magnum pointed at my back, regardless of whether they're quoting Dirty Harry at me, I tend to panic. You should know that there was very nearly a dead parrot in Riley's room.'

Taylor glanced sheepishly at him. 'I was going to tell you. I just thought we'd be back before you.'

'So, why is there a parrot in Riley's room.'

'His name's Michael Jackson, or Mikey,' Taylor explained. 'And apparently that is what she was doing when she should have been in school. And more importantly than that, we need to get her out of that school.'

Flack leant over the simmering meat bolognaise and gave it a stir before pulling the spoon out. 'Which we agreed we were going to when her semester finished.' He blew on the spoon and held it out for Taylor.

'Because a boy in her class carries a gun instead of books,' Taylor told him.

The spoon was all but slammed on the kitchen counter – the sauce splashing up the still-to-be tiled walls. 'What?' he demanded.

'Exactly,' Taylor fumed.

Flack's eyes narrowed. He glanced at the clock. 'Did Riley tell you the boy's name? Because I'm gonna get Angell on the case. She's on shift tonight.'

Taylor shook her head. 'No, sorry. I was kinda in shock over that revelation.'

Flack nodded. 'I'll go up and speak to her.' He glanced at the bolognaise. 'Do me a favor and put the oven on. I'll get the garlic bread in as soon as I've called Angell.

---

At the knock at her apartment door, Stella hit the pause button on her TiVo, cutting Simon Cowell off mid-sentence, and groaning, eased herself out off her couch and to her feet. With ankles feeling like they were as thick as tree stumps, she shuffled to her front door and peeped out the spy-hole. Grinning, she drew back and opened the door. 'Mac!'

Mac gave her a warm smile. 'Hi, Stell.'

'What are you doing here?' she asked him, stepping back to let him in.

Instead, he stood there, rubbing his neck awkwardly.

'What's the matter?' she asked him with a frown.

'I have something for you,' he admitted. As she gave him a puzzled look, he hesitantly leant in and grabbed her hand, gently pulling her out into the hallway.

Stella's mouth formed an 'oh' as she stared at the present. 'Mac, it's beautiful,' she managed as tears suddenly lined her eyes.

'It's not new,' he told her, glancing at the present. It was a dark mahogany, swinging crib with green bedding. 'But the bedding is. The woman in the store said it would be better with a new mattress in it.'

'It's beautiful,' Stella repeated.

'I just wanted to get you both something. You mentioned you were struggling to find one you like.'

Stella looked at him, surprised that he had been paying attention to the talk she had been having with Lindsay a week ago. 'You were listening?'

'I'm always listening,' he confessed.

'Thank you, Mac,' Stella beamed, leaning over and kissing his cheek. 'It's perfect.' She stared at him, her eyes twinkling. 'Be my baby's godfather.'

Mac's eyes widened. 'Me?'

Stella nodded. 'I can't think of a more perfect person for the job.'

'Stell, I would be honored,' he agreed. 'I guess I should get it inside?' he offered.

'I'm in no condition to be lifting,' Stella grinned. 'You want a coffee and to join me in watching American Idol?'

'You watch that?' Mac asked in surprise as his phone rang. He answered it and within three seconds, Stella knew he wasn't staying.

'You need me?' she asked. 'I'm not on maternity leave yet.'

Mac shook his head. 'We've got a body in a school. But it looks like chemicals were involved and I don't want you nor my godson anywhere near that.'

Stella nodded. 'That's fine. I have my evening entertainment planned out anyway.'

Mac laughed. 'Maternity leave is going to kill you,' he told her as he carried the cot into the nursery.

---

Flack had called Angell straight away she had promised she would find the boy and have him charged before the end of her shift.

By nine o'clock, he, Taylor and Riley, as well as Marty, were in the living room, watching one of the Scary Movie's. Taylor was in the kitchen filling up the popcorn bowl when Maddy appeared, accompanied by a new ghost, as well as those killed by the Taxi Cab Killer.

Unlike the others, this one looked like he had put his face into a blender. Taylor's stomach churned as the ghost managed to tell her to 'stop them.'

'What the hell is he doing to them this time,' she muttered as she put the bowl on the side.

'Um, actually, chica, it's a different he,' Maddy told her. 'But the others are here until you can give them some closure. And it's better that they're all with me than wandering around by themselves.'

Taylor looked over at the three ghosts whose bodies had been pulled out of the sea and sighed. 'Couldn't Aiden look after them?'

Maddy shook her head, her fake-blonde tresses shaking over her face. 'Nope. Her job is to protect you, and these guys aren't going to hurt you. Besides,' she added. 'She's on a date.'

Taylor's mouth dropped open. 'She's what?'

Maddy grinned. 'Yup, although she's given me strict instructions not to bug her. Spoil sport.

'Who with?' she asked. 'Eirik?'

'Nope,' Maddy replied. 'Don't get me wrong, Eirik's a hottie in his own right, but this chico is mucho hotter. In that dark and brooding self. He's kind of one of those Guardian Angels type.

'What's taking you so long with the popcorn,' Marty asked, joining her in the kitchen. He stopped when he saw her staring at "nothing". 'Ah,' he sighed. 'I guess I'm babysitting tonight?'

'Don's still here,' she told him.

'Don's gotten the call,' Flack told her from the doorway. 'I'm off to Nathanson Academy.'

Taylor turned back to Marty. 'Yeah, you're babysitting.'

Right, first of all, sorry for the disappearing act, guys. You know how real life gets. Plus, the muses have been urging me to write on my orginal pieces.

Which kind of leads me to something - bear with me on this.

I have recently discovered that someone had been posting this story as their own on Mibba - and managed to get away with nearly 100 chapters. You'd think I'd be pissed, but I'm not. I'm really finding it amusing. And flattering. Because with all the 'jokes' that have been going on this site, it at least showed that she liked it. So if you've appeared from Mibba - welcome, and no I'm probably not going to be posting this over there for a good while yet. Sorry. And no, I didn't steal the story from her. It's mine.

In terms of Mibba, I'm using it to post my own original pieces - not by big epic (yup, I have an original one of those going too!) - because that's being saved for hardback publication. Hey, I'm determined, lol! However, if you want to have a gander at the stuff, there's a link on my profile page. Also, there's a link to my account on FictionPress (the sister site to this one) where the stories are also posted if you prefer to read it in FF format.

Okay, enough twittering on. I bid you adeu, and I shall try to wirte plenty more for you!

Oh, wait, I've just realised something - a lot of you might be getting your exam results in the next couple of days - GOOD LUCK!!!