Title: They Say a Stone Is a Marker
Author: stellaluna_
Rating: PG for language
Pairing: Mac/Danny
Summary: He knows that he forgot.
Disclaimer: None of these are mine. Characters are the property of Anthony Zuiker, Jerry Bruckheimer Television, CBS, and Alliance Atlantis.
Notes: I said: Name three fics that you think I will never, ever, ever write. In return, I will attempt to write a snippet of one of them. scarletts_awry said: Mac has amnesia!

***

"Keep an eye on him," Hawkes says to Danny. "You don't need to crowd him, and don't try to goad him into any kind of reaction, but talk to him. See what he might remember. If he seems like he's trying to recall something, talk him through it. Just try not to let him get upset."

"How come I'm the one stuck with babysitting duty?" Danny asks. Not that he minds, exactly, but he's never had to do this before, and it seems like there are too many fine gradations in the situation that he might not know how to deal with when the time comes. If he fucks this one up, it won't just mean more paperwork or even a tense visit from the national office; it could mean he'll fuck Mac up for good.

Hawkes shrugs. "I think you could be an anchor for him. Or a lighthouse, if you prefer." Danny opens his mouth to protest, but Hawkes is talking over him. "If you notice any radical changes in his behavior, give me a call."

"Right." He would like to ask a lot more questions, but Hawkes is already walking off down the hall. Danny takes a deep breath, then goes to collect Mac.

Mac is quiet on the drive home, and disturbingly serene. If it were him, Danny thinks, if he were the one who couldn't remember much of anything and he knew he couldn't remember, he'd be going out of his mind with panic and anger. They'd have to put him in a straitjacket to calm him down. But aside from the first few minutes after he regained consciousness, Mac hasn't even raised his voice. He just sits in the passenger seat, looking out the window.

"Any of this look familiar yet?" Danny asks when they're stopped at a light.

"No." Mac pauses. "I don't think so. Some of it, maybe, but..." His voice trails off.

"Right." Danny taps his fingers on the steering wheel. "You know who I am, though, right?" He keeps his gaze fixed on the road, but out of the corner of his eye he sees Mac turn to look at him.

"Of course." Mac sounds surprised. "Danny Messer. You -- you work with me."

"Well, that's a start."

"You work for me." The note of surprise in Mac's voice grows sharper. "That's right, isn't it? You're on my team."

This is not the time for double entendres, Danny tells himself. "Yeah," he says. "I mean, we all are, since you're in charge, but yeah. I'm -- I'm one of your main people."

"For how long?"

Danny considers. "Five years now?" he says. "No, almost six. Lotta water under the bridge." He takes a quick look at Mac, who's still staring out the window, but is looking thoughtful now, a little frown line between his eyes like he's trying to make himself remember something. Danny stomps on the gas, maybe a little harder than he really means to, but they've only got a couple of blocks to go now.

He manages to find a parking space just a few doors down from Mac's building, and it's not until they've climbed the stairs and are standing in front of his apartment that Danny remembers about the wards on the place. There are some he can trip, but the main one is one that only Mac knows the code for, and that's a problem; if they try to open it and get it wrong, there's going to be two of them with scrambled brains, and that's pretty much the opposite of what Hawkes had in mind when he told Danny to take care of things.

Danny is just about to suggest they go back to his place, instead -- or, hell, maybe he should just bring Mac back to the lab and let everyone else worry about it -- when Mac puts his hand on the doorknob and does something, and the lock clicks open.

"You remember the pass," he says. "That's good."

Mac looks down at his hand, flexing his fingers. "I didn't know I remembered it." He walks inside and Danny follows. This serenity routine is still freaking him out, but he tries to remember what Hawkes said about not pushing Mac into anything.

"Home sweet home," he says, and rocks on his heels. "Any of this look familiar?"

"Sure," Mac says. "I live here." He walks around the living room slowly, and Danny stands and watches, not saying a word. Maybe this will help.

Mac is studying the bookshelves, a few minutes later, when he suddenly turns around. "Danny," he says.

"Yeah."

"I think I..." He frowns a little.

"You remember something?"

"I think I do," he says. "You and I...we're -- in a relationship?"

"I -- I wouldn't say relationship," he says. "I guess you could say we're, um, involved. And stuff. Sometimes."

"Involved." Mac takes a step closer to him. "You've been here before, then."

"Sure," Danny says. "Lots of times."

"I remember that." Mac's voice rises a little now, a note of excitement or realization creeping into it. "I remember -- you, standing right there and..."

"And what?" Danny asks. His own voice is strung tight with tension; he can hear it.

Mac steps toward him again and puts a hand on his neck. Danny swallows hard. He should protest, or step back, something, but Mac's mouth touches his and he can't seem to bring himself to move. He tries to sort through everything Hawkes told him, tries to make an on-the-spot decision about whether this is a very bad idea or a very good one -- about whether it'll hurt or, possibly, help -- but he's trying to pull Mac into an embrace at the same time he's trying to decide about all of this, and this isn't making it easy.

One thing's for sure, he thinks; Mac hasn't forgotten how to kiss.

***