Black Monday 1
Jul. 26th, 2005 04:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bedlamsbardYeah, I bet you guys thought this would never come. *grin* Black Monday takes place in late July, between New York Minute and Omerta, and actually doesn't deal with Danny's Problems at all. No, we have Mac's Issues instead. It'll probably be a lot shorter than most of my other stuff, since there's no case and it's basically a "what if?" scenario. Stella's been out of her wheelchair maybe two weeks by this point. Maybe more, maybe less. And she's very happy about that.
"Mac, I cannot believe you!" Stella said, darting up from where she'd been sitting on the steps of his office. "I - you - argh!"
Mac caught her wrist as she tried to shove the envelope she was holding into his face. "Stella, what -" He frowned at the return address. "Were you going through my trash?"
"The ICSIA, Mac!"
"Srella, I can't believe you." He pulled the envelope out of her hand as he pushed open the door of his office.
Stella followed him, breathing quick and shallow and only limping a little. "The ICSIA, Mac! The International Crime Scene Investigators Association, and they're asking you to come speak at their next convention. Are you crazy or just insane?"
"They can find someone else to speak," Mac said, tidying the case files on his desk. "There are hardly a lack of volunteers waiting for just this chance."
She made a frustrated sound. "Not to talk about the NYPD there aren't!"
He offered her the envelope. "Well, would you like to take the ICSIA up on their offer?"
"If you haven't noticed, it's addressed to you." She pulled the monogrammed letter out of the envelope and tapped the Dear Detective Lieutenant Taylor heading. "And I don't think I look like a Mac Taylor, or a detective lieutenant either. What's the real reason you don't want to go?"
"CSU -"
"- has a light caseload right now. We can take care of ourselves for a couple days. And it's not like you don't have the leave time, you've never taken a day off in all the years I've known you." Not even after September 11, she almost added, but bit her tongue on the words.
Mac sighed, began going through his mail. "The convention's being held in Chicago, Stella," he said quietly.
Stella's face changed slightly. "Oh," she said, and dropped into the chair in front of his desk. "Come on, Mac, live a little. Nobody has to know you're there. And -" She made a not-entirely-wild guess "-you dont' ahve to go see your parents."
Mac sat down heavily behind his desk. "I swear, sometimes you read my mind, Stella," he said. "Am I that obvious?"
"Just a little. But seriously, Mac, I think it'd be a good idea for you to take some time off, get out of the city for a little while." She leaned forward earnestly. "You know?"
Mac reached over and plucked the letter from her hand. "You noticed, I assume, that the invitation's for more than one person?"
"Yeah, but I assumed you were going to bring Hawkes or Aiden or - I dunno, Danny or Flack."
He pointed the letter at her, crisp cream sheets of stationary sliding between his fingers. "If I'm going," he said, "and I'm not saying I am, then you are most certainly coming too."
"What?" Stella grinned. "Afraid of the big bad CSIs from Vegas and LA? Or of running into the freak from Miami again?"
Mac shook his head. "I really have no idea why my entire lab is against Lieutenant Caine -"
"Because he's a freak from down South who never took off his sunglasses and an elitist bastard. Plus, he was totally hitting on Danny. And he walked straight into a closed crime scene. So much for NYPD security."
Mac blinked. "He was hitting on Danny?"
Stella reached over his desk to pick up the tox results in his in-box. "You might not remember. I think you were drugged up."
*ahem* I never did have a high view of Horatio Caine, and it's going lower and lower as I watch the show. Drama queen.
"Mac, I cannot believe you!" Stella said, darting up from where she'd been sitting on the steps of his office. "I - you - argh!"
Mac caught her wrist as she tried to shove the envelope she was holding into his face. "Stella, what -" He frowned at the return address. "Were you going through my trash?"
"The ICSIA, Mac!"
"Srella, I can't believe you." He pulled the envelope out of her hand as he pushed open the door of his office.
Stella followed him, breathing quick and shallow and only limping a little. "The ICSIA, Mac! The International Crime Scene Investigators Association, and they're asking you to come speak at their next convention. Are you crazy or just insane?"
"They can find someone else to speak," Mac said, tidying the case files on his desk. "There are hardly a lack of volunteers waiting for just this chance."
She made a frustrated sound. "Not to talk about the NYPD there aren't!"
He offered her the envelope. "Well, would you like to take the ICSIA up on their offer?"
"If you haven't noticed, it's addressed to you." She pulled the monogrammed letter out of the envelope and tapped the Dear Detective Lieutenant Taylor heading. "And I don't think I look like a Mac Taylor, or a detective lieutenant either. What's the real reason you don't want to go?"
"CSU -"
"- has a light caseload right now. We can take care of ourselves for a couple days. And it's not like you don't have the leave time, you've never taken a day off in all the years I've known you." Not even after September 11, she almost added, but bit her tongue on the words.
Mac sighed, began going through his mail. "The convention's being held in Chicago, Stella," he said quietly.
Stella's face changed slightly. "Oh," she said, and dropped into the chair in front of his desk. "Come on, Mac, live a little. Nobody has to know you're there. And -" She made a not-entirely-wild guess "-you dont' ahve to go see your parents."
Mac sat down heavily behind his desk. "I swear, sometimes you read my mind, Stella," he said. "Am I that obvious?"
"Just a little. But seriously, Mac, I think it'd be a good idea for you to take some time off, get out of the city for a little while." She leaned forward earnestly. "You know?"
Mac reached over and plucked the letter from her hand. "You noticed, I assume, that the invitation's for more than one person?"
"Yeah, but I assumed you were going to bring Hawkes or Aiden or - I dunno, Danny or Flack."
He pointed the letter at her, crisp cream sheets of stationary sliding between his fingers. "If I'm going," he said, "and I'm not saying I am, then you are most certainly coming too."
"What?" Stella grinned. "Afraid of the big bad CSIs from Vegas and LA? Or of running into the freak from Miami again?"
Mac shook his head. "I really have no idea why my entire lab is against Lieutenant Caine -"
"Because he's a freak from down South who never took off his sunglasses and an elitist bastard. Plus, he was totally hitting on Danny. And he walked straight into a closed crime scene. So much for NYPD security."
Mac blinked. "He was hitting on Danny?"
Stella reached over his desk to pick up the tox results in his in-box. "You might not remember. I think you were drugged up."
*ahem* I never did have a high view of Horatio Caine, and it's going lower and lower as I watch the show. Drama queen.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2005-07-27 12:59 am (UTC)"freak from Miami" still cracks my shit up. And he was *so* hitting on Danny.
Mac was definitely drugged. Someone gave him the *good* cough syrup.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-07-27 01:26 am (UTC)Yes, and even more unfortunately, Stella's about to meet them. Not to mention try and figure out why nobody liked Jefferson Taylor. The other Jefferson Taylor, that is.
"freak from Miami" still cracks my shit up.
Horatio Caine freaks me out. I think I've mentioned this before.
And he was *so* hitting on Danny.
Man, if he ever sees Danny again and tries to pull his tricks, Flack will kill him.Mac was definitely drugged. Someone gave him the *good* cough syrup.
Personally, I think he stole
Danny'ssomeone's pain meds.(no subject)
Date: 2005-07-27 01:34 am (UTC)His... uncle, right?
Parents who are charming to everyone else while blithely terrorizing their child or children should be banished to endure public ridicule.
Man, if he ever sees Danny again and tries to pull his tricks, Flack will kill him.
And rightly so. Not that I wouldn't, if I had the inclincation, have a hey old time writing a porny, bad-sex one-off between Danny and Horatio. Hey, Mac's ignoring him/on drugs, and Horatio's giving him a "I'm going to eat you for dinner, little boy" look... why not?
Besides, it was springtime, and that, in my timelines, means the gypsy cab anniversary, so Danny's not all *that* stable...Personally, I think he stole Danny'ssomeone's pain meds.
Maybe he got hold of butalbital? That stuff's *grand*.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-07-27 01:49 am (UTC)Heh. Yep. The black sheep of the Taylor family, and his brother's family fears Mac has followed in his footsteps. Well, not exactly...
Parents who are charming to everyone else while blithely terrorizing their child or children should be banished to endure public ridicule.
Yes. I've always thought of Mac as an only child, but for some reason I really want to give him a younger sister right now. And I have no idea where this is coming from, or how it could tie in to anything else. But it has me intrigued. And confused.
And rightly so. Not that I wouldn't, if I had the inclincation, have a hey old time writing a porny, bad-sex one-off between Danny and Horatio. Hey, Mac's ignoring him/on drugs, and Horatio's giving him a "I'm going to eat you for dinner, little boy" look... why not?
Dude. That would be fun. And scary. But fun.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-07-27 01:56 am (UTC)I can't imagine it takes a lot, in this family, to be the black sheep, but somehow I take it Jefferson was, shall we say, an overachiever?
I've always thought of Mac as an only child, but for some reason I really want to give him a younger sister right now. And I have no idea where this is coming from, or how it could tie in to anything else. But it has me intrigued. And confused.
You know, we really might be the same person. Only I, a *looong* time ago, had Flack with a younger sister. Who I think died. Or something. Anyway, in all seriousness, I definitely see Mac as an only child. Or if he has siblings, they're older than he is. I mean he... he just seems to lack emotional recourse. It's easier to grab at normalcy when you have siblings who know that the world is saner than your parents would make you believe.
Dude. That would be fun. And scary. But fun.
It *would* be fun, though I'm kind of inclined to stick with, if anything, Miracle for the moment. If only because they're comparatively well adjusted and hell, I'm within walking distance of Charlestown so it feels like... hey, might as well take advantage of the environs.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-07-27 03:22 am (UTC)Of course Stella would pick the invitation out of his trash. It makes sense, too, that she would be the only one he'd dare to take to Chicago. Given what his parents are obviously like (and I'm looking forward to seeing the details of that), I can't see him wanting to risk taking anyone else, even if he's bound & determined not to see the senior Taylors, or even to let them know that he's in town.
And Horatio snark is always a delight.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-07-27 11:37 pm (UTC)Unfortunately, so it would appear. Because luck is for losers, and Mac's not a loser.
Of course Stella would pick the invitation out of his trash.
I have no idea why Stella was going through Mac's trash. At all. Maybe she does it to make sure he doesn't throw away anything important, like the prank letters Danny sends him signed "Yura Suker."
It makes sense, too, that she would be the only one he'd dare to take to Chicago. Given what his parents are obviously like (and I'm looking forward to seeing the details of that), I can't see him wanting to risk taking anyone else, even if he's bound & determined not to see the senior Taylors, or even to let them know that he's in town.
Right, because Mac's paranoid and even if he does everything he can to avoid his parents, he still can't help feeling that he's going to run into them somehow, so he'd better plan for the worst. Therefore, don't bring anybody but someone he can trust absolutely (or as much as he can trust anyone), which would be Stella. Plus, she can cover up for him when he gets up on stage and realizes he has no idea at all what to say (because really, asking Mac Taylor to come talk about how the NYPD has bridged the gap between conventional detective-work and forensic science is just dumb).