Title: Watching over Lucy
Summery: The Messer's convince Mac and Stella to watch Lucy for the weekend.
Disclaimer: The characters belong to CBS, Paramount & Jerry Bruckheimer and Anthony Zuiker however the storyline is something I came up with and it is purely fan fiction.
Friday afternoon
"You want me to what?" I asked looking at the smiling Messer family before me.
"C'mon Mac, Lucy would love it and we could really need some alone time. This case was hard on all of us and we just wanna get away from the city for a bit. We figured you wouldn't mind spending some alone time with your Goddaughter." Danny said looking at his daughter.
I looked between the three of them knowing he was right but me caring for Lucy for longer then a few hours was a scaring thought. How would I know what to do?
A soft knock was hard on the glass door making us all look up. Smiling at us Stella pushed the door open, walking inside to have a squealing three year old running up to her, throwing her arms around her neck.
"Hey Lucy, what are you doing here?" she looked up at the little girls parents in wonder.
"Lucy play with Uncle Mac." the girl happily announced, clapping her hands. Stella looked in wonder at the three adults.
"We're trying to get Mac to take Lucy for the weekend." Lindsay tells with a somewhat pleading look at her boss.
"The whole weekend? You sure he'll live that long?" Stella counters getting a chuckle from her two happily married friends. Looking at her best friend, she only gets a brief glimpse of his inner struggles before he smiles at her.
As I turn around to take a seat behind me desk I hear Lucy wanting to get down from Stella's grasp. It doesn't take long for her to stand before me asking to be lifted and sit on my lap. I happily place her on my knee hearing her talking away as I feel her parents scrutinizing eyes upon me. Not looking up at my friends in front of me I settle with listening carefully to Lucy's rambling about all the things we wants to do during the weekend.
I can hear the other three in the room softly talking, not wanting me to hear their planning, however the words we'll see you tonight catches my interesting making my eyes shift to the girl on my knee to the people standing before me. Looking between the three my eyes locks with my partner who only smiles back at me.
"Time to say bye-bye to uncle Mac for a while Lucy, we need to go home and pack." Danny says as he walks around the desk to retrieve his daughter. The little girl scoots up and hugs my neck, kissing my check to which I only smile at her.
As the family leaves my office I look at the only person left in the room with a questioning stare.
"What just happened?" I ask
"You just agreed to spend the weekend with your Goddaughter and best friend. Danny and Lindsay will be dropping Lucy off at your place tonight at seven. And since it's almost five now I'll take an early leave, as will you, go home, get some stuff and I'll be at your place around six. Do you have any food at home?" I hear Stella state a matter of fact, not giving me a chance to intervene.
"Oh that's right you don't cook." she says chuckling as she turns around to leave.
"I'll stop by the store to pick something up on my way over. Go home Mac, you need to turn your apartment childproof." She opens the door and walks out leaving me alone to dwell on what exactly just happened.
As I get to my apartment I look around thinking there isn't really anything in here that Lucy can break. I take pride in not having a cluttered home even though I wish it had a woman's touch to it. Not long of Claire's passing I had cleared the apartment of her things, only keeping a few photos and her wedding band that by a miracle had been found months after the attack.
Time passed quickly as I was putting things together in the spare bedroom. I could feel her presence before hearing the knock on the door. Opening the door I'm greeting with a bunch of grocery bags and a small suitcase, Stella's face no where to been seen."Are you just gonna stand there or help me out?" I hear her mumble behind the brown paper bags. Taking the two bags from her I finally see her face and smile at her as I turn around back into my apartment. I hear her walking behind me closing the door and putting away her suitcase before following me into the small kitchen.
As I start putting the groceries away I look at her and am slightly puzzled as she starts explaining.
"I'm sorry if I went to far this time but you know Danny and Lindsay wouldn't ask this of you if it wasn't absolutely necessary. This last case took a toll on us all but mostly on them, you know that. Getting away for the weekend, just the two of them will give them both time to unwind and re-charge. Being parents to Lucy can't be easy, she's a stubborn little girl. Must've been spending too much time with her Uncle Mac." she smiles at him.
"How come you know what I'm about to ask before I even get a chance to open my mouth?" I ask her in wonder.
She just smiles at me as she's handing me the stuff that needs to go into the refrigerator."You're not expecting me to cook any of this are you? I'm more then happy to just order in or take her out. I don't even know what half of these things are Stella!"
I feel her hand on my back as she stands beside me.
"Don't worry, you don't have too. I'll do the cooking and you can play dress up and tea party with Lucy."
Rolling my eyes at her answer, inside I'm glad she's here with me, knowing I couldn't do this without any help and there is no one I rather have helping me then my best friend.
Things put away Stella walks into the living room looking around. I watch her from a distance as she starts picking up a few things here and there. I can't help but think that she looks at peace and at home, like she belongs here, as she's putting away a few books and odd things that I hadn't seen previously. As she nears the spare bedroom I walk over to her.
"Mac, why haven't you told me about this?" she says as she enters the room, her eyes wandering around, looking at all the pink and white furniture's and stuffed animals.
"Does Danny and Lindsay know about this?" she asks turning around looking at me.
I can only shake my head no as I join her inside the former spare bedroom now turned into Lucy's room. It had taken me a week or two to get everything in place.
I feel her arm around my waist pulling me closer to her, my arms automatically wrapping around her. She softly kisses my cheek and whispers.
"She'll love it." I turn slightly and look into her emerald green eyes, feeling lost instantly. Without thinking I lean in and brush my lips to hers in a brief kiss.
"Thank you for being here." I say in truth as a knock is heard and a three year old little girls voice screaming for her Uncle Mac.
Pulling apart we both walk to open the door. Lucy charges into the room, throwing her arms around my legs as I bent down to pick her up.
Her parents walking into the apartment as me and Lucy walks over to the couch to have a seat. Danny walks into the spare bedroom to put up the travel bed they brought.
"Hey big Mac, what's this?" I hear my younger protégée ask from inside the other room. I watch as Lindsay walks to see what her husband is talking about, looking up at Stella smiling. Seeing the two walking back out watching me I just simply shrug my shoulders.
"Was bored and wanting to do something special I guess." I simply answer.
I watch as they both shake their heads in disbelief knowing there was more to why their daughter had a room of her own at my place.
After talking for a while longer Danny and Lindsay heads for the door. Lindsay hugs her daughter goodbye as Danny shakes my hand.
"Remember what daddy and I said Lucy, play nice and do what Uncle Mac and Aunt Stella tells you, ok?" she gives the girl another hug and a kiss as she stands up thanking me and Stella for helping them
Danny picks up Lucy and hugs her close, telling her he loves her and hands her over to Stella before he takes his wife's hand and walks out.
I close the door behind them and turns to look at the two females that is left in my apartment, smiling as their laughter fills up my home.
Outside Lindsay squeezes her husbands hand smiling up at him.
"You think this will work?" she asks as he opens the passenger door to their car.