"Detective Taylor," Ellie said softly.

"What's up, Ellie?" Mac asked, looking up from his paperwork, which was strewn about on Jo's coffee table.

"I'm working on my chemistry homework, but I'm stuck. Can you help me with something?"

"I thought you'd never ask," Mac said with a smile, standing and walking over to the table where Ellie was sitting. "Your mom's not going to be mad if I help you instead of her, is she?" he jokingly asked.

Ellie laughed; "I think she'll get over it."

She pointed to the problem before her and watched as Mac nodded before beginning an explanation. She was working on a catalytic equation, a fairly basic one. It would have been simple for a seasoned chemist, but Mac could see why she'd requested his assistance.

"These were never my favorite," Mac said, as Ellie finished the last conversion.

Ellie looked at Mac with surprise. "But you run the lab!"

"I do," Mac nodded, before bending down to whisper, "But I'm better at chasing the criminals and putting them in jail."

Ellie began laughing loudly just as Jo walked back into the apartment, having just returned from taking Tyler back to campus.

"What's all this?" Jo said in mock sternness, hand on her hip. "You, sir, are supposed to be working. And you, mademoiselle, are supposed to be doing your chemistry homework."

Mac saluted as Ellie's laughter grew louder.

"I just can't leave you two alone, can I?" Jo smiled, before heading into the kitchen to finish cleaning up.

-

Chemistry homework finished and double-checked by Mac, Ellie headed up to her room to read before bedtime, leaving Mac and Jo to themselves in the living room. Jo joined Mac with a glass of wine, pushing out of her mind the strange feeling of having her boss in such an informal setting. Or at least trying to push it out of her mind, which seemed set on playing tricks with her. Maybe that was her heart...

Mac cleared his throat, snapping Jo out of her reverie.

He chuckled: "Where'd you go?"

"Oh. I was just thinkin'," Jo answered, hoping the heat she felt in her cheeks wasn't turning to the signature blush that Ellie always said was her mom's only tell.

Mac looked at her, skepticism written all over his face, but decided to let it go. He'd learned long ago that women like Jo - women like Claire - would talk when they were ready and not a moment earlier.

"Thanks for helping Ellie with that homework," Jo said, with a smile. "I'm sure she appreciates your genius."

Mac rolled his eyes and said, "I let her in on my little secret."

"And what might that be?" Jo questioned.

Mac looked to his left and right, as if to make sure no one else would hear him, and said in a low voice, "I'd rather chase the bad guys than do chemistry."

Jo let out a burst of laughter and rolled her eyes. "Mac... that's no secret!"

Mac feigned shock and exclaimed in whisper, "You mean they're on to me?"

Jo gave him a smack on the arm. "We've all seen you chase suspects into alleys with abandon," she began. "And we've seen you hunch over a microscope. It's pretty clear which one you enjoy more. Your 'I'm-Mac-Taylor-and-no-one-can-stop-my-pursuit-of-justice' face only comes out when your feet are on the ground, not when you're doing all the other stuff."

"I have a face that says all that?" Mac asked incredulously.

"Are you kidding me?" Jo chuckled. "Yes, yes you certainly do."

Mac looked skeptical, so Jo continued: "You get all serious, your eyes darken, you look like you could strangle someone with your bare hands. The muscles of your jaw clench and your eyebrows come in toward each other just a little bit, as if you were staring someone down. That, sir, is the definition of a furrowed brow. Sometimes your fists go tight until you're white-knuckled. Shall I go on?"

"No, no. I get it," Mac said, nodding. "How do you see all this?"

Jo smiled softly, "Mac, I'm a trained investigator. Plus, in order to work with you, I needed to learn when to stay out of the way, and I knew you wouldn't actually tell me, so I watched and learned."

"Wow. I'm impressed, Jo Danville."

"Thank you, thank you," she said bringing her hand to her abdomen and bowing with her torso.

"So, I really am a hard-ass?" Mac asked, looking toward Jo with an eyebrow raised and a slight smirk.

"No way," Jo shook her head as she answered. "On the outside, maybe. But I know you're just a big softy on the inside."

Mac chuckled: "You really are on to me. Just don't tell anyone else."

"Don't worry; it's our secret," Jo whispered with a wink.

Leaning back into the plush pillows of the couch, they sipped at their wine in silence. The extrovert in Jo was working very hard to keep its mouth shut, and even though her tolerance for silence was low, she was doing a fair job. Mac seemed to be comfortable with just enjoying each others' presence, and she didn't want to ruin that by running her mouth incessantly. Still, it was awfully quiet; should she think of something to say? Turn on some music? Offer to help with his paperwork?

Mac, on the other hand, was dying to say something, anything, but he felt like his tongue was stuck to the roof of his mouth.