Chapter 24: You took the Words Right Out of My Mouth

And then you took the words right out of my mouth

Oh, it must have been while you were kissin' me

You took the words right out of my mouth

Oh and I swear it's true, I was just about to say-ay I love you

Mac looked out of his office, overseeing his lab. Damn, he hated being wrong. A busy, vibrant lab was better than a quiet, unhappy one. After the past few months, the lab seemed to have brightened up. People were talking, arguing, sharing lunches, playing practical jokes. It felt good, he realized, to have people come to work content. The job was hard enough.

He noticed Stella and Don Flack walking through the lab, talking about the case they had just caught. Stella was trying to explain to Flack that the suspect he favoured couldn't possibly have done it.

"But he's an asshole, Stella. Couldn't you find a way to make him the one?"

"Just because he checked me out, it doesn't make him a killer, Don."

"It could make him a dead man, though." Flack growled under his breath, so Stella could hear him. She laughed and smacked him.

Good thing Mac could read lips, or he'd miss a lot more of what went on under his nose.

In another section of the lab, Lindsay was excitedly telling Danny the results of her tests. She was bouncing from side to side, practically throwing paper at him, trying to force him to see it all the way she did. He was sitting on a counter, laughing at her. When she grabbed his hand to make him come and examine her results, he looked around and sneaked a kiss. She wriggled away, but threw him a smile over her shoulder designed to keep him interested.

Mac sighed. He'd have to cut those two a little slack this week, he guessed, although he still hated to let personal relationships interfere with the work of the lab.

He stood at his window for another moment. Actually, he had to admit, personal relationships almost ran the lab. His favourite line about "evidence without context" applied even here: without the context of personal relationships, the evidence was not complete.

He turned back to his desk. Usually paperwork was something his tidy mind only accepted as necessary, but the top document was pure pleasure. With a smile that lit up his eyes, he signed the form Lindsay had filled out that morning.

Request for Name Change

Original Name: Lindsay Monroe

Change to: Lindsay Messer

Signed, Mac Taylor, Captain