Title: Of Friends and Fear By: ForensicsFreak1988

Disclaimer: If I'd owned them, Frankie wouldn't have gotten anywhere near Stella.

A/N: This is just something I wrote after the last episode (obviously). I couldn't stand to leave Stella to deal with the attack by herself, so…

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Stella Bonasera took a deep breath and, ignoring the pain in her fingertips, used her key to cut the evidence tape on her apartment door. Opening the door, she realized that she'd grossly underestimated the flood of images that would forever be connected to the place she'd called home. She bit her lip, and went straight to the bathroom, wanting/needing to get the, thanks to the hospital visit, non-existent grim from her body. But she saw the blood from her escape, and turned around. She'd have to settle for a nice, cold drink. But then, she saw the champagne that Frank had been opening. So she decided "to hell with it" and went into her bedroom to go to sleep. Unfortunately, she'd forgotten the blood stains on her innocent white carpet, and tears filled her eyes. She had actually liked, maybe even could have learned to love, Frank before she'd found out who he really was. She'd been happy with him. It just wasn't fair that she'd had to shoot someone who'd been entering the ranks of the few people Stella trusted. Angrily, she wiped the tears from her eyes. Sighing, she realized Mac had been right, which made sense, because he was the single person (aside from herself) who knew her. At least until crime-scene clean up came, she needed to find someplace to go. Quickly she grabbed some clothes out of her dresser, carefully avoiding the bloody statue that would eventually find it's way back to the trash. Her bag full, she turned off her light. As she went to find her keys, and cell, and such, her phone rang, causing her to jump. Calming herself down, she followed her ring tone to where Mac must have set her phone on the table in the front hall. Checking the caller id, she gave a little half-smile. It seemed that in the short time that the younger woman had been in the City, Lindsay had grown to view Stella as a close friend. As Stella had her.

"Hey Monroe," she answered, willing a friendly smile into her voice. She heard a heavy sigh on the other end of the line.

"Stel…" there was a pause as Lindsay choose her words. "How you holding up?" she asked, having found nothing better to say. Stella smiled a little.

"I'll get through. How'd the case you and Danny where working on go? Did you close it?" Lindsay chuckled.

"Danny said you'd be more interested in us solving the Kid Rock case, then if we'd fought Mac to let us help Flack and him." Again, Stella's mouth twitched.

"You know he's right."

"Isn't he always? Anyway, it turned out to be this crazed fan."

"Isn't it always?" Stella's mind flicked to Frank for a second, but she quickly shook it off.

"She 'only wanted to give Kid my CD'. Puh-lease. Like he'd actually listen to it anyway? But I guess show biz can be murder sometimes." Stella smirked. "Yeah, that was pretty bad wasn't it?" Stella gave a soft chuckle.

"Yeah, but I've heard worse." It was Lindsay's turn to chuckle.

"Hey, did you want to come over for a while? Get away from… We could watch a movie, make some popcorn…" Stella bit her bottom lip as she willed the tears to stay put.

"Thank you so much for not making me ask." Lindsay sighed.

"I just…I felt so helpless, working on this other case, Stel. The least I could do."

"I'd be saying the same thing in your position."

"Well it's not like I have anything planned. Come on over."

"See you in a bit." Stella closed her phone, and thanked god for friends like Lindsey and Mac. Even if he didn't see through my façade. Setting her phone back on the table, she grabbed her bag, and walked out of the flood of memories.

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The minute she opened the door and saw the tortured expression on her new friend's face, Lindsay was glad she'd called Stella. There was no way she should be alone tonight. But she'd thought Mac would have invited Stella to stay with him as close as the two were. As she stepped aside to let Stella in, Lindsay voiced her thought out loud. Stella gave a sad little smile.

"He offered to get me a hotel room. Does that count?" Lindsay's eyebrow's shot up.

"You are kidding me." Stella chuckled, and rolled her eyes. Simultaneously, they both muttered "Men." Stella laughed. As she took off her coat, she sighed. "Thank you for this Linds." Stella realized she felt a little guilty about imposing on Lindsay.

"Stella…" Lindsay's firm tone caused Stella to look at her, as it was meant to. "I…I have a pretty good idea what you're going through. Granted I never had to kill…I mean…he was just one of my college friends. But he, well…he…you know. Anyways, afterwards, I avoided him, of course. None of my friends knew why, and most of them sided with him… I just didn't want you to be as alone as I was." Stella pulled Lindsay into a hug, taking comfort in her friend.

"Thank you Lindsay."

"Let's get some popcorn. I'm starved." It was her way of saying 'let's not talk about it' and Stella read her loud and clear. After the popcorn was done, they made their way into the living room of the small, yet neat, clean apartment. After some discussion, they settled on the humor of Bruce Almighty. As they were laughing at how hard the actress playing Susan was trying not to laugh as her co-anchor spat gibberish, Lindsay's phone rang. Still laughing, Lindsay picked it up.

"Monroe," she said, trying not to laugh,

"Glad someone's in a good mood. Stella's missing. Mac said she's not answering her cell, or her door." Lindsay, finding everything funny at the moment, burst into another fit of giggles.

"Oh god. She's here with me. We're watching a movie."

"Let me guess, a comedy? Mac's scared shitless Montana."

"I'm sorry. I'll have her call him." Danny heard Stella laugh in the background, and smiled.

"You're a good gal Montana. How is she?"

"She's been better, but she'll 'get through'"

"Tell her I was worried about her." Danny said, hanging up. Lindsey walked into the living room with a mock stern look on her face.

"You are in big trouble young lady."

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"Taylor." Mac answered, not one to bother checking caller id.

"Hey Mac."

"My God Stella. Seeing you unconscious on your bedroom floor was enough fear for a lifetime, much less a week. Where the hell have you been?" Stella, normally a calm person when it came to Mac, was not about to take getting yelled at because she'd needed a friend.

"Well, let's see. First I was hospitalized after having to shoot a man I'd been falling in love with. Then, the one person I trust in the world decided he was going to pick the time when I needed him most to push me to the other side of the walls he fells he needs. Oh, and then I found a friend I didn't fully realize I had in Lindsay, and just when I was starting to forget about all the crap that's happened, you yell at me for not seeking your support. Well Mac, I'm sorry if I need more than the comfort I can get from a brick wall. And since when do you care were I am and what I feel anyway?" And straight out of an angst-ridden romance film, Mac was facing a dial tone. He let out a huge sigh "I probably deserved that," he said, his tone resigned. But Stella wasn't so sure. Despite her best efforts to appear cheery as she walked back into Lindsay's living room, there were wet streaks on both cheeks. Lindsay was, of course, a trained investigator, and held her arms out as soon as she saw her friend's face. Stella needed no more prompting. For a minute or two, Lindsay simply held her, allowing her to cry (aside from a single tear or two), for the first time since the attack had happened. As Stella pulled away, wiping her tears with her hand, Lindsay reached over and grabbed the tissue box on the end table, angling it in Stella's direction.

"Thanks," muttered the normally controlled Stella. "And if anyone, and I mean anyone hears about this…" she added, trying for some humor. Lindsay raised her eyebrows.

"About what?" Stella smiled.

"That I ever watched a goofy movie like Bruce Almighty." Lindsey laughed.

"Well, then I can say the same."

"Deal," Stella said, smiling, albeit half-heartedly. "Look Lindsay, I really appreciate you inviting me over, and I hope you realize how much help you've been in helping me deal with this, but I…I have to…he's all I have Lindsay… Yeah, he frustrates the hell out of me, but I need to apologize…" Lindsay shook her head.

"No sweat Stel. Thanks for keeping me company." Stella gave her new friend a quick hug before grabbing her coat, and going to patch things up with her closest friend.

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So…did you like it? Yes, no? If no, why not? Reviews will help me write faster. Actually, no they won't really, but they can make what you do get better.