A/N Due to the popular deamand in the reviews for the last story...here it is...the sequeal to "Sharpie Experiment"!!! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I own nothing!
Stella slowly opened her eyes. It was her day off and she planned on reorganizing and redecorating a few things around the apartment. As she tried to get up she was hindered by an arm possessively draped across her midsection. She rolled over to find Mac still in bed. Stella couldn't help but smile at the sight of him. He was sleeping soundly, something he didn't do often enough; his thin white t-shirt was twisted around his torso, exposing the underside of his abdomen. Careful not to disturb him, Stella slipped out of his grasp and went to take a shower. After her shower she tossed on her favorite pair of jeans and her Marines t-shirt.
Following the scent of coffee down the hallway, she found Mac in the kitchen. His t-shirt still wasn't exactly straightened out and his sweats hung low on his hips.
"Morning" He greeted, handing her a mug of coffee. "Nice shirt" He added.
"Good morning! Thanks, I got it at fleet week when we worked that case" She smiled, glancing at the clock. "Aren't you supposed to be at work?" She asked.
"I took the day off" Mac disclosed.
"Excuse me?" Stella wasn't sure she heard him correctly. She swore he said he took the day off. He never took the day off. Mac smiled.
"Yes Stel, I took the day off. I figured I could help you around here today" He reinforced. He kissed her cheek as he went to ready himself for the day.
Mac sat on the ground, leaning against the couch, and assortment of photos strewn out in front of him.
"Stel, where did you get all these pictures?" He laughed.
"I've just collected them over the years" She replied. Mac dropped the stack of pictures he had with a defeated sigh. He watched his girlfriend flip through photos across the room. Her wild curls hung in her face.
"What are we doing?" He asked, still confused as to why they were sorting through pictures. Stella looked up at him; a smile broke across her face.
"Mac Taylor can solve crimes all over New York, but can't figure out what pictures to hang in his living room?" She teased playfully.
"Our living room" He corrected. She grinned and scooted across the floor until she was sitting next to him.
"Look at these" Stella urged, handing him a few pictures. The first picture was of Stella's hand and the promise he'd written on it months earlier. He smiled inwardly. It had taken him nearly half a year, but he finally found the perfect ring for Stella. Now all he had to do was give it to her. Mac pulled himself from his thoughts and flipped to the next picture. It was of Stella taken at her graduation from the academy. He ran his finger over the burnt edges of the photo from where it survived the fire in her apartment years back. The following picture was Mac in his fatigues. His expression changed to one of surprise.
"Where did you get this one?" He inquired curiously.
"Oh, I've had that one forever" She blushed. " I think Claire left it at my place once" She added. Mac nodded and moved to the next picture. Both of them stood in their Police issued dress blues. It was from a parade they had volunteered for years ago.
"We clean up pretty good" He commented.
"Sure do" She agreed, dropping a kiss behind his ear. The last picture was taken in the lab. Stella and Mac were both laughing about something.
"I think we should hang all of these" Mac decided. "We need more pictures of the two of us together" He noted.
"That will be much easier when we tell people we're actually together" Stella pointed out, leaning into him. He kissed her temple.
"How about we take a break, go for a walk?" He suggested.
"Ok, sure" Stella shrugged, setting the pictures next to the collage frame they were trying to fill. Mac stood and helped her to her feet.
"I'll grab our jackets, which one do you want?" He offered.
"The grey one" Stella answered. Mac soon returned with his black zip up sweater and handed his girlfriend her grey jersey knit jacket.
"Thank you, sir" She said, taking it from him. She couldn't help but stare at him. She loved seeing him casually dressed in jeans and a tight black tee as opposed to the suit he wore to work everyday.
"Ready?" He asked. Stella nodded and took his hand.
The couple walked along the somewhat busy street. They share light conversation and laughter.
"Do you know what a love knot is?" Mac asked casually.
"Like a stylized knot symbolizing the bond between two lovers?" She answered as if she were reading from a dictionary.
"Yeah, and it has no beginning and no end" Mac added.
"A classic symbol of never ending love" She mentioned in the tone she used when finding a link between evidence.
"Ok, ok" He laughed, sitting down on a bench, pulling Stella down with him. "so did you know they were used as a way to propose?" he challenged. She raised an eyebrow, clearly not knowing that fact. "A man would leave a love knot on the door step of the girl he wanted to marry. If she picked it up she was ready to get married, if she didn't the man was rejected." Mac informed her.
" I can honestly say I didn't know that" Stella admitted with a laugh. Mac fished around in the pocket of his jacket.
"Would you pick this up off your doorstep?" He wondered, holding up a white gold ring twisted into a knot at the top and entangled in the knot was a small diamond.
"Mac!" Stella gasped.
"Will you marry me?" He popped the question.
"Of course" She choked as she began to cry. Mac leaned in a kissed her slowly.
"I love you" He whispered, sliding the ring on her finger.
"I love you too" she breathed. Mac pulled Stella into his arms.
"You know what's special about that ring?" He started. She shook her head. Besides the obvious reason of him giving it to her, she had no idea. He gently took her hand and flipped it over so she was looking at the band. For the first time she noticed the engraved filigree on the underside of the band. "If you look closely you can see where the ring was damaged and repaired. They added the engraving to cover it up. This ring has been through a lot, but it's only more beautiful because of it." He explained, making eye contact with his now fiancé. "Just like you" he exhaled. Stella wiped the tears of her cheeks and kissed him again. She extended her left arm to look at the ring.
"I love it Mac" She expressed with a watery smile.
"I bought it at this little antique shop, there's not another one like it." He smiled. "It's unique and beautiful and I know it took me a long time to find it but" He was cut off.
"I would have waited forever, but I also would have accepted a ring from a Cracker Jack box. This though, this is amazing! Thank you" She disclosed.
"Thank you for saying yes, for picking the knot up off your doorstep" He finished with a smirk. Stella wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into another kiss.
A/N this may end up as a companion fic to one of my F/A fics, but I don't know!