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frenchy_chicksTitle: A Different Kind of Man
Rating: FRK
Pairing: Mac Taylor/Claire Conrad Taylor, Reed Garrett
Summary: Mac finds out that Stella's stalker has more connections to him than he thought.
Word count: 1120
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters... just the lovely situations I force them into
Author's Note: This little PWP jumped into my head after watching S.03 episode, 'Consequences'. We know Mac Taylor tells Reed Garret that had and Claire didn't have any other kids, and then a little bunny hopped along and whispered, "But what if he'd said yes?"
When Stella had first told Mac that she thought someone was stalking her, he had been angry for her. His friend had already gone through so much, this was the last thing she’d needed. When Stella pointed out the person to him, just outside the precinct, his anger turned into concern. Her stalker was just a kid, what could he possibly want with her? And when the stalked turned out to be following Stella because he’d thought she was Claire Conrad, his late wife… his concern had turned to sadness.
Now Mac had Claire’s son, Reed sitting across from him in a diner. He’d thought it was best to talk about this in a place where they could both sit down. He broke the news to Reed that Claire had died during the terrorist attacks on the eleventh of September, and he watched as the young man’s face fell, and how he hid himself with his arms. He clearly didn’t want anyone to see him so vulnerable, and Mac could relate to that.
He asked why Reed had thought Stella was his mother, and listened as he explained. He couldn’t begin to imagine how hard it must have been on Reed – to see someone coming out of an apartment complex, to assume that person was his mother, only to find out a week later that she was dead. Reed asked Mac what Claire had looked like, and he felt his heart ache and his throat constrict as he began to describe the woman he loved… the scientist in his brain took over first, but he knew Reed didn’t want facts… he wanted to know who his mother was.
“You know,” Mac said, “Claire… talked about you a lot. She always talked about how she wanted to find you when you were eighteen.”
“Yeah well, then why’d she give me up for adoption?” Reed asked angrily.
Mac wasn’t sure if he had all the answers, or if the answers he had were the one’s Reed would want to hear, but he deserved to hear it, and Mac was the only person left who could tell him.
“She got pregnant very young. Your father was her high school sweetheart… An abortion,” Mac struggled to regain his composer, “uh… she wouldn’t have one. And, she… wanted you to have a chance at a better life.”
Reed nodded, playing with the straw in his soda that Mac had bought him. He couldn’t believe he’d been too late… he only wished he’d have tried to reach out earlier. He’d been wanting to know who his Mom was since he was twelve… and she’d died when he was fourteen, without him ever even knowing her. He felt lost… and alone.
“Your parents know you’re here?” Mac asked.
Reed nodded, “Yeah, they’re uh, they’re really great about all of this.”
He took a shuddering breath and glanced over at Mac, knowing the an was studying him, watching his every move. Once a scientist…
“So, what then, so do I have any half brothers, half sisters? Did you guys ever have any kids?”
Mac licked his lower lip, biting on it. Claire was a sensitive subject, one he rarely talked about. He hadn’t opened up this much about her, not to anyone… and even though he didn’t really know Reed, he knew he was no threat. He didn’t have to say what was needed to keep his family safe in this situation.
“Umm… yeah. We uh, we have two boys. I have two boys,” Mac corrected himself. “Alex is eight. He looks, he looks a lot like you, actually. And Henry… Henry was almost two months old when Claire died. Neither of them really… really remember her.”
Reed nodded. Part of him had been expecting Mac to say that they hadn’t had any kids, that there was absolutely no connection left between them and his mother. And now that there was? Now that he knew he had two younger half-brothers? He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know what the next step was going to be. There would be no sense in asking to meet them – they didn’t remember their mother – and he was sure Mac wouldn’t agree to letting someone who was a complete stranger just hours before, into his apartment and around his kids.
Thankfully, Mac’s phone went off and he watched as the older man looked at the screen, then back up to him.
“I have to take this. But… listen. I’ll give you my number… or, you can give me yours?” He said.
“Why? I mean, we’re not related…” Reed started.
Mac shook his head. “You may not understand why now, but… at some point, you might want some closure. And… maybe I can help to give that to you,” he said, pushing his card across the table.
Reed stared at the card, Mac’s phone still ringing, and he picked it up. “You should answer that… thanks for the soda,” he muttered, getting out of the booth and walking out of the diner.
Mac watched him go and sighed, leaning back against the chair. His phone was still ringing, and he brought it to his ear.
“Taylor.”
“Daddy, when are you coming home? You said you were going to help me with my science project,” Alex whined on the other end of the phone.
Mac smiled softly. “I’ll be home late tonight, Alex. You’ll probably be asleep by the time I get there. But I’ll help you tomorrow, okay? I promise.”
He heard his son huff on the other end of the phone. “That’s what you said yesterday, Daddy… and the day before that.” The line went dead.
Mac gulped and put his phone away. Being a single Dad wasn’t easy, but it was made even harder when you were a single Dad to two boys under the age of ten and you were also the head of the New York Crime Lab. He couldn’t be too careful about who knew about his kids… his own life had been in jeopardy one too many times. The last thing he needed was for his boys to be involved in something. At least, that was what Mac told himself. The truth of the matter was, as much as he loved his kids, when Claire died, he’d changed. He wasn’t the Dad who helped with school projects anymore, or who read them bedtime stories or dropped them off at school. He was the Dad that stood outside his apartment door every night with his eyes closed, getting his emotions under control so he would be able to face his children… his constant reminders of what he’d lost. And it felt… wrong. It all felt wrong.
END
Rating: FRK
Pairing: Mac Taylor/Claire Conrad Taylor, Reed Garrett
Summary: Mac finds out that Stella's stalker has more connections to him than he thought.
Word count: 1120
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters... just the lovely situations I force them into
Author's Note: This little PWP jumped into my head after watching S.03 episode, 'Consequences'. We know Mac Taylor tells Reed Garret that had and Claire didn't have any other kids, and then a little bunny hopped along and whispered, "But what if he'd said yes?"
When Stella had first told Mac that she thought someone was stalking her, he had been angry for her. His friend had already gone through so much, this was the last thing she’d needed. When Stella pointed out the person to him, just outside the precinct, his anger turned into concern. Her stalker was just a kid, what could he possibly want with her? And when the stalked turned out to be following Stella because he’d thought she was Claire Conrad, his late wife… his concern had turned to sadness.
Now Mac had Claire’s son, Reed sitting across from him in a diner. He’d thought it was best to talk about this in a place where they could both sit down. He broke the news to Reed that Claire had died during the terrorist attacks on the eleventh of September, and he watched as the young man’s face fell, and how he hid himself with his arms. He clearly didn’t want anyone to see him so vulnerable, and Mac could relate to that.
He asked why Reed had thought Stella was his mother, and listened as he explained. He couldn’t begin to imagine how hard it must have been on Reed – to see someone coming out of an apartment complex, to assume that person was his mother, only to find out a week later that she was dead. Reed asked Mac what Claire had looked like, and he felt his heart ache and his throat constrict as he began to describe the woman he loved… the scientist in his brain took over first, but he knew Reed didn’t want facts… he wanted to know who his mother was.
“You know,” Mac said, “Claire… talked about you a lot. She always talked about how she wanted to find you when you were eighteen.”
“Yeah well, then why’d she give me up for adoption?” Reed asked angrily.
Mac wasn’t sure if he had all the answers, or if the answers he had were the one’s Reed would want to hear, but he deserved to hear it, and Mac was the only person left who could tell him.
“She got pregnant very young. Your father was her high school sweetheart… An abortion,” Mac struggled to regain his composer, “uh… she wouldn’t have one. And, she… wanted you to have a chance at a better life.”
Reed nodded, playing with the straw in his soda that Mac had bought him. He couldn’t believe he’d been too late… he only wished he’d have tried to reach out earlier. He’d been wanting to know who his Mom was since he was twelve… and she’d died when he was fourteen, without him ever even knowing her. He felt lost… and alone.
“Your parents know you’re here?” Mac asked.
Reed nodded, “Yeah, they’re uh, they’re really great about all of this.”
He took a shuddering breath and glanced over at Mac, knowing the an was studying him, watching his every move. Once a scientist…
“So, what then, so do I have any half brothers, half sisters? Did you guys ever have any kids?”
Mac licked his lower lip, biting on it. Claire was a sensitive subject, one he rarely talked about. He hadn’t opened up this much about her, not to anyone… and even though he didn’t really know Reed, he knew he was no threat. He didn’t have to say what was needed to keep his family safe in this situation.
“Umm… yeah. We uh, we have two boys. I have two boys,” Mac corrected himself. “Alex is eight. He looks, he looks a lot like you, actually. And Henry… Henry was almost two months old when Claire died. Neither of them really… really remember her.”
Reed nodded. Part of him had been expecting Mac to say that they hadn’t had any kids, that there was absolutely no connection left between them and his mother. And now that there was? Now that he knew he had two younger half-brothers? He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know what the next step was going to be. There would be no sense in asking to meet them – they didn’t remember their mother – and he was sure Mac wouldn’t agree to letting someone who was a complete stranger just hours before, into his apartment and around his kids.
Thankfully, Mac’s phone went off and he watched as the older man looked at the screen, then back up to him.
“I have to take this. But… listen. I’ll give you my number… or, you can give me yours?” He said.
“Why? I mean, we’re not related…” Reed started.
Mac shook his head. “You may not understand why now, but… at some point, you might want some closure. And… maybe I can help to give that to you,” he said, pushing his card across the table.
Reed stared at the card, Mac’s phone still ringing, and he picked it up. “You should answer that… thanks for the soda,” he muttered, getting out of the booth and walking out of the diner.
Mac watched him go and sighed, leaning back against the chair. His phone was still ringing, and he brought it to his ear.
“Taylor.”
“Daddy, when are you coming home? You said you were going to help me with my science project,” Alex whined on the other end of the phone.
Mac smiled softly. “I’ll be home late tonight, Alex. You’ll probably be asleep by the time I get there. But I’ll help you tomorrow, okay? I promise.”
He heard his son huff on the other end of the phone. “That’s what you said yesterday, Daddy… and the day before that.” The line went dead.
Mac gulped and put his phone away. Being a single Dad wasn’t easy, but it was made even harder when you were a single Dad to two boys under the age of ten and you were also the head of the New York Crime Lab. He couldn’t be too careful about who knew about his kids… his own life had been in jeopardy one too many times. The last thing he needed was for his boys to be involved in something. At least, that was what Mac told himself. The truth of the matter was, as much as he loved his kids, when Claire died, he’d changed. He wasn’t the Dad who helped with school projects anymore, or who read them bedtime stories or dropped them off at school. He was the Dad that stood outside his apartment door every night with his eyes closed, getting his emotions under control so he would be able to face his children… his constant reminders of what he’d lost. And it felt… wrong. It all felt wrong.
END
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