Hey guys! This is just a little story I wrote yesterday after I walked home from my sister's home. It was dar´k outside and no single star was shining on the sky and it was windy. No persons were outside. It was a bit spooky and frightening... and so I wrote this story.

And: Thank you for all the nice and lovely reviews to my Christmas story! I really made happy! :)

Before I forget it: I don't own anything! I just borrowed Mac Taylor and Stella Bonasera.

I thought this story will be too long to be a one shot and that's why I devided it into two chapters.

It was a few days after Christmas and Mac and his team had returned to work again after spending a few days at home to celebrate Christmas.

Stella closed her locker. Her shift had just finished and she was about to go home. She had gathered all the things together she normally took home with her. She had put all the things into her bag and now she pulled it up and left the locker room. On her way to the elevator she passed Mac's office and to her surprise he already had left his office. She didn't see him in the locker room and the different rooms of the lab were dark, too. At least the rooms Stella could see from her position. So he must have left the building and that was very surprising because normally he was the last person who left the lab if he left it. She knew that he sometimes didn't go home and he sometimes stayed there but she also knew that he stayed there when he was down or had a hard case with no development. But mostly she could convince him to go home and rest. If he really went home and slept was something she didn't know but it was calming to know he had left his office and the building.

Now she stepped into the elevator and made her way out of the building. She didn't go by car this morning so she would have to take a taxi to come home or she would have to walk.

As she stepped outside she stood for a second. Inside the NYPD building were only a few officer left who had to do the nightshift but outside it seemed like New York was abandoned. There were only a few lights behind the windows of the big skyscraper and the only thing that reminds her that she was in a big City were the big and colorful advertisements. She wondered. There was nearly no car on the streets no people were on the pavements. She was all alone outside this building. Stella was a bit scared. It was cold outside and there was no single star on the sky and no moon but it was windy. A cold wind blew through the streets of the city. It was kind of spooky. Stella pulled up the zipper of her jacked and pulled the collar of it tighter around her neck.

Stella didn't see a taxi so she decided to walk a little. Maybe she could find a taxi at central park which she had to pass on her way home. So she made her way through the streets. She passed a small shop near the NYPD which was still open. It was one of these shops which where opened the whole day and the whole night. She knew that Mac sometimes went to such a shop after his shift to buy the things he needed. A little smile played around her lips as she thought about that, as she thought about Mac.

Another gust of wind blew through the streets and Stella heard the sound of moving trees and paper which was moving on the streets. She started to walk a bit faster. She was a little bit scared though she knew she had her gun with her but this city was spooky tonight. She nearly had passed the block when she got the feeling that someone was following her. She walked a bit faster.

"Stella!" She heard someone call her name after she arrived at the corner of the block. She stopped and turned around to find that someone who had called her. The only person on the pavement besides her was a man who must have just left the shop Stella passed a few seconds before. After the man had come closer to her and passed the light of a lamp a smile came up on her face. It was Mac.

"Hey Stell. What are you doing here?" He said after he caught up with her.

"I'm trying to find a taxi that brings me home but as you can see this city seems to be abandoned." Stella answered. "I thought you were at home already."

"As you can see I had to do some shopping because if I didn't I would have to starve." He said with a smile on his lips. She chuckled lightly.

"It's kind of spooky here…" Stella said additionally. Mac glanced at her.

"Are you scared?" He asked half seriously and half sneering. They had walked together and were now in the middle of the next block. She stopped and looked into his eyes as he stopped, too and turned around to her.

"What?" Mac asked as he saw her peering at him.

"Are you just mocking me or was that a serious question of a concerned friend?" She asked him.

"Both but more the concerned friend. So are you?" He looked at her with a serious look on his face. Even his beautiful blue eyes were looking seriously at her.

"I was kind of before you came out of that shop and called my name."

"I can walk the way to your apartment with you if you want." He offered.

"Mac… I don't want to keep you from going home and get some sleep." She said a bit shyly.

"I don't mind spending some time with you and escort you to your home."

"Really?"

"Stell since when were you that shy and decent that I have to bag you for bringing you home?" Mac asked confused.

"It's nothing. It's just that…"

"You didn't expect me to do that?" he interrupted her.

"Yes. And that I'm not used to it."

"Maybe you should get used to it…" Mac said thoughtful and after he realized that he said that aloud he regretted it. He glanced at Stella who just looked a bit surprised and confused at him.