Somebody Special.
Legal Stuff: Never was and never will be mine.
A/N: This is actually something I wrote ages ago and never posted because the whole hideous Adam incident occurred and at the time I couldn't stomach the idea of a fic of mine even vaguely alluding to Stella being romantically involved with anyone other than Mac (incidentally I've still not forgive or forgotten the whole Adam thing was downright insulting in my book but I digress.) I came across this story again recently and decided perhaps the time is now right although I have to admit it does feel to me anyway like it belongs to a CSI: NY that no longer exists unfortunately, pre season 6 when the lunatics well and truly took over the Asylum. I don't know if a season 8 will happen but the one and only thing that would make me happy if Exit Strategy is to be the last ever episode is to see Mac go off happily ever after into the sunset with our Stella. Anyway enjoy the story and LONG LIVE SMACKED!
From his office window he watches the pristine New York Snow falling softly and sighs, fretting about what is to come; although his knuckles are grazed and his bottom lip stings it's nothing compared to the discomfort he feels at the thought of facing her. From behind him he hears his office door swing open "Mac are you alright" Stella asks her voice filled with concern, "Danny said you and Flack had been fighting."
"It's nothing really…." He says turning to face her.
"Doesn't look like nothing to me" She insists, "I think you had better let me take a look see."
That's when he notices the first aid kit in her hand. "I see you came prepared" He chuckles sliding into his chair.
"Well you know me Mac a regular little girl scout but if you prefer Sid Hammerbacks tender ministrations I'm sure it can be arranged" she smiles in return and walks around the desk to face him.
Opening her first aid kit she pulls out what she needs then with the gentlest of touches imaginable tilts his face so it's almost touching hers "Ouch" She winces in sympathy, "So are you going to tell me what this is all about" she asks bathing his lip.
Here it is the moment he's been dreading "Flack didn't tell you then?" He asks dolefully.
"I haven't seen Flack today" She replies, "So are you going to tell me or not?"
He could lie he supposed but she'd know, Stella always knew so staring into those beautiful green eyes of hers he takes a deep breath and begins "A woman we were fighting about a woman….." He explains "Some one we both care a great deal about."
"Oh I See" Is that sadness in her voice? Disappointment maybe? Or just wishful thinking on his part, "She must be really something" Stella finishes.
"She's somebody special alright" He nods "….And that's how things started to get complicated with a bouquet of roses, a bouquet of long stemmed red roses for somebody special."
Forty eight hours earlier…
It had been a normal sort of day for Mac or as normal a day someone in his line of work got at any rate, he'd been working on the Atkinson case (Dwayne Atkinson a known drug dealer freshly released from Attica had been found with two gunshots wounds to his chest and half his brains splattered along a subway wall. "How would you tell the difference" Flack had joked.) Anyway Mac had arrived back at the office around 3.30pm that afternoon just in time to see a medium sized white van emblazoned with the logo "TEGAN'S FLOWER SHOP" pulling away. Walking through the building he spotted Lindsay with a very large, very expensive looking bouquet of red roses on her desk taking to Hawkes.
"I don't know what you did for this guy Lindz but I wouldn't tell Danny" Hawkes teased.
"Not me Stella" Lindsay grinned "Who says romance is dead!"
"I wonder who sent them anyway" Hawkes put in to words the exact question running through Mac's mind.
"Dunno she's not mentioned having a new guy to me" Lindsay said picking up the attached card to open it.
"I think we'll leave that for Stella to open don't you" Mac interrupted taking the card from her. "In fact I think I'll take charge of these till she gets back from the Jensen place" with that Mac gathered up the roses and marched off into his office slamming the door behind him
"What was that all about?" Hawkes wondered.
"Simple" Lindsay shrugged. "He's jealous."
Mac stared at the roses more specifically the attached card; it wasn't any of his damn business was it? Just because Stella was his best friend and just because she told him everything (well usually) didn't mean she had to detail her more intimate liaisons with him this time did it? Hell really and truly he shouldn't be bothered by this at all; even so if it was driving him crazy and had been for the last twenty minutes, this time was different somehow why would she keep a new relationship secret from him? Not just him but Lindsay too – that wasn't like his Stella at all, but then again she wasn't really his Stella was she strictly speaking. Maybe the flowers were from a victim's grateful family or a long lost Aunt she'd recently discovered; neither very likely scenarios he conceded but a whole lot more comforting than what was most probably the truth that Stella Bonasera had found herself a new boyfriend. He could know for sure of course all he had to do was read the card he was currently turning over in his hands (over and over) but since he had already told off Lindsay and Hawkes he really couldn't do that could he? Two minutes, thirty three and a half seconds exactly that's how long his self control had lasted (according to his watch) till he found himself sliding the small peace of card out of its envelope.
"Darling S" It said, "Thank you for last night and every night, you're my shining star always DF."
"Flack? She's dating Flack?" Mac groaned, things had just gone from bad to downright terrible.
Twenty four hours earlier …
The following morning Mac found himself sharing a new crime scene with both Flack and Stella the team had been called to the scene of a double homicide; two teenage gang busters had been found with their throats slit in an abandoned warehouse down by the docks. Somehow and Mac wasn't exactly sure if it was a coincidence or by design but he and Angel had been paired up to process the younger of the two bodies whilst Stella and Flack examined the elder. For a split second Mac allowed himself the luxury of watching them together Flack said something that made Stella smile one of those 1000 kilo watt beams of hers that lit the room up.
"Flack you are one lucky sonofa…."His muttered under his breadth only to have his train of thought cut off by Angell "What?" He asked snapping back to reality, back to business as usual.
"Blood spatter pattern, I was asking about the blood spatter pattern" Angell rolled her eyes impatiently.
In the time it had taken for Mac to go through the blood spatter pattern with Angell, Stella and Flack had finished their examination of the older boy and were making their way out of the warehouse. His work done Mac followed Stella and Flack outside; they were standing by Flack's car when he spotted them again, facing each other completely unaware anyone was watching. He was too far away to eavesdrop but Stella was giggling at another one of Flack's corny jokes her head shaking with laughter then she said something to him and standing on tip toe she kissed his cheek. If Mac hadn't known better he could have sworn Flack blushed, Flack then said something to Stella and sliding into his car seat he drove off with a huge grin plastered all over his face. Still laughing Stella got into her own car and drove away waving to Mac as she passed, She was happy that much was obvious to Mac and there was nothing in this world as important to the ex-Marine as Stella's happiness so why did it feel like he'd been cut by a knife inside?
Twenty minutes earlier…
Mac's journey to work had been freezing the weather forecast had been predicting below zero temperatures and heavy snow fall any second now, leaving his coat and laptop in his office Mac headed off in search of coffee preferably steaming hot and black to match his mood. The door to the staff's break room was ajar when he got there and Mac could here voices specifically Flack, Danny and Hawkes.
"So Donny boy don't leave us hanging she kept you up all night then huh" Hawkes chortled.
"I'm telling you boys she's got moves even I ain't never heard of" Flack boasted to his friends, Mac couldn't believe what he was hearing Flack had to be talking about Stella didn't he?
"So what's her body like?" Danny asked "What's she like completely stripped down."
"Absolutely Beautiful, curves in oh so right places" Flack almost purred, Mac bristled this was stopping right now.
"What she sound like?" that was Hawkes again.
"Screams like a banshee…" Mac saw red and Flack for his part never saw it coming, the fist aimed straight at his nose not till it impacted and his face exploded in pain and blood. Somebody had sucker punched him that much had registered in Flack's now addled mind so he did what came naturally and smacked that somebody back straight in the chops.
"By dose" Flack bellowed out.
"Mac what the heck are you doing?" Danny yelled and then Flack realised that Danny and Hawkes were pinning an incredibly pissed of Mac Taylor to the nearest wall. Mac had hit him? Mac 'completely unflappable even if aliens invaded and Elvis appeared as a drag queen' Taylor had hit him?
"Whaddya do that for …." Flack spluttered in sheer disbelief.
"I wasn't about to let you continue humiliating Stella…." Mac snarled lunging forward in an attempt to dodge Hawkes and Danny.
"Humiliate Stella? Why would I ever do anything to hurt her?" Flack asked genuinely mystified.
"I heard the three of you comparing notes ….." Mac growled "…..And nobody talks about my Stella like that."
"Comparing notes?" Hawkes said, "You though …. No we were talking about the Ice Maiden" He explained.
"The what?" Mac didn't understand at all.
"Flack's new toy" Danny said as he and Hawkes released their now hopefully rational boss; "He's bought himself a boat well he calls it that anyway floating garbage heap would be closer."
"Hey! So she's a fixer upper" Flack pinched his nose trying to stem the bleeding.
"I saw the roses" Mac was adamant.
"Roses? That's what this is all about? Mac my boiler burst Stella's been letting me shower at her place whilst it got repaired they were a thank you to a friend that's all." Flack explained.
Macs head hurt "So you're not dating?"
"Him dating Stella he must have hit you harder than we thought" Danny grinned, "Trust me boss the lady's got far too much class."
"Besides you and Stella are usually too busy making goo-goo eyes at each other over the cadavers to notice anyone else" Flack harrumphed.
"I think I need to lie down in a darkened room" Mac muttered to himself and walked out of the kitchen straight into his office closing the door behind him.
The others watched whilst the blinds slid shut "He really has got it bad for her hasn't he?" Hawkes grinned.
"Head over heels" Danny agreed.
Now…
"So now you know" Mac anxiously watched Stella's face for any clue to what was going on her head, without saying a word she finished her patch up job of his face and hands then tied away her equipment.
"So let me get this straight "She began, "Firstly you invaded my privacy then you spied on me and finally you clobbered Flack …"
"Not to mention making complete and utter fools of us both in front of the entire Lab, that about covers it yes" He finished of his catalogue of misdemeanours for her.
"For me?" She asked.
"I told you you're somebody special" He nodded solemnly "There is nothing I wouldn't do for you Stel."
"In that case there's only one reasonable course of action then isn't there?" She pointed out.
"My resigna….." he began but never got to finish his sentence .Stella lean't forward and kissed him fully on the lips the whole thing couldn't have lasted more than a few seconds but to Mac it felt amazing like a fresh May morning or every Christmas and birthday all at once.
"Why did you just do that?" He managed to muster enough strength to ask
"Well" She smiled sweetly,"One of us had to and you Taylor were taking your own sweet time a girl can't wait forever you know" Stella teased "Besides I happen to think that your somebody special too."
"Oh is that so c'mere and I'll show you who's taking his sweet time" He retorted pulling her on to his lap and into his embrace "And just for the record from now on if Flack sends you so much as an e-mail …"but Stella stopped him mid flow placing a finger on his lips causing Mac's voice to trail off.
"Shut up and kiss me you fool" Stella whispered, Mac caught her lips with his own and they continued what Stella had begun.
Finis.
A/N: So what do we think all feedback welcome as always.