Summary: When a close friend of Stella's moves to the city to start her new job as a kindergarten teacher, she tries to welcome her into her group of friends from the lab. By complete accident, she manages to set off a spark between her friend and her partner, Mac. Please R&R!

Disclaimer: I don't own CSI:NYor its characters. I only own my OCs.

A/N: Hi! This fic has been planned up to chapter forty-five. So I hope you guys like it enough for me to continue it. Please let me know if you do, and I'll carry on with it. I'm going through a bit of a Gary Sinise phase at the moment. There's another fic I'm writing too, but I'll finish that before I publish it.

This won't follow any real timeline in the CSI:NY plotline, but the story has a timeline plot. I don't get the opportunity in my house to watch any CSI show, so all I can do is a bit of research. Anyway, please enjoy it and if you want more, let me know. I'm writing as much as I can as soon as I can. Happy reading!

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An Accidental Spark

Chapter One: New York, New York

"Ready? One, two, three..."

Two strained voices gasped out as their owners hauled a massive, extremely heavy box into the newly decorated apartment. Stella, setting the box down, looked up at her friend and gave her a near death glare as she brushed her hair out of her face, regaining her breath.

"You so owe me, Kate."

The twenty-six year old in front of her chuckled and closed the apartment door, pulling her into a warm hug. They'd been friends for a long time and Kate knew that Stella could neverbe mad at her for too long. Stella smiled, rubbing the young woman's back and patting it affectionately before turning to have a sip from the bottle of Dr. Pepper that sat on the glass coffee table as she ran the back of her hand across her forehead.

"I'll tell you what...It's your day off, right?" Kate asked, grabbing her bottle of water to have a drink, as Stella nodded in response, one hand on her hip, "Why don't I treat you to lunch, and I'll unpack myself this afternoon?"

"No, I won't leave you to unpack by yourself. You could be here hours." Stella answered, grinning and her friend, "How about, this? I'll go out and buy us some lunch, and then we'll unpack this afternoon. You can pay me back by meeting all my work friends tonight."

Grabbing her purse from where it lay upside down on the couch, Kate pulled out a twenty dollar note and handed it to Stella, arching an eyebrow as though daring her to refuse. Stella knew better than to turn down her friend's generosity and took the note, thanking her with a wink before heading out to to get them both something to eat.

She'd met Kate Walker five years ago in Washington DC because of a mutual friend's birthday celebrations. The group of six spent the weekend there and Stella and Kate had been in touch ever since. Now that Kate had taken a job as a kindergarten teacher, she and Stella could spend much more time together. Drinks at Cozy's would be great. Stella would be able to set Kate up with a trustworthy network of friends, and at least she would have someone to turn to if she needed anything.

Back at the apartment, Kate started the simple task of putting her clothes away in her bedroom. Catching a glance at herself in the mirror, she pulled her hair out of the messy bun, revealing her loose auburn curls as they cascaded elegantly down to her shoulder blades. Quickly, she scooped them back up, tightening the bun a little more so her hair wasn't falling out every five seconds.

"A new start, Kate..." She told her reflection, "Make the best of it."

Ten minutes later, Stella returned with water and hot dogs, and the pair ate their lunch together discussing when Kate could get the grand tour of New York. There were so many places she wanted to visit. The Museum of Natural History, the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State building, Rockefeller Centre...The list was endless. Stella didn't know how she'd get Kate into so many places in the week before she had to start her new job.

"You know..." Stella began as she finished her hot dog with a gulp of water, "I think you should spread your grand tour out over the weekends. It'll give you much more time to love and appreciate the city."

"That's a good idea, actually." Kate replied, brushing a loose curl behind her ear, "I think I'm going to start a photo album of the sights around New York."

"Hey, if you like the guys I work with, maybe they could show you places." Stella suggested, smiling as Kate nodded in response, "Don't be nervous about tonight. They're all great people."

"I trust you." The young woman chuckled, taking the packaging from their lunch and moving to the kitchen to put it in the trash, "Okay...if it doesn't all get done by five-thirty, just get yourself home and ready for later."

The two women continued to discuss their plans for that night as they gradually turned Kate's apartment into a home, while Stella secretly hoped that the group would accept the shy, but secretly enthusiastic kindergarten teacher into their circle of friends.

Kate couldn't help but feel incredibly anxious when she entered the bar and everyone's eyes were on her. It was like the place had gone dead because a new girl had walked in. There was nothing worse than walking into a room and having everyone stare at you, so Stella, who sensed her friend's nervousness, hurried from the group's table and greeted her with a hug. Kate's hair was tied into a high ponytail and she had just two loose strands of hair hanging by her face, making her look much younger than twenty-six. The light dusting of make-up couldn't fail to add to the effect of making her look younger. Kate was never one for wearing too much make-up. Just enough to make her look elegant and not like she'd just opened her make-up bag and thrown the contents onto her face.

She'd put on her lucky shirt, Stella noticed. A dark purple satin shirt with short sleeves and a waist tie. She looked gorgeous. Her black pants made her legs look even longer than they were, and the black heels she was wearing also added to her stunning look.

"Hey, Kate." Stella beamed, "You look amazing! The guys are over here..."

Stella led her to the table, and Kate was met with a group of guys and a girl who all smiled at her and greeted her as she sat herself down. Stella introduced her to the group and Kate was made to feel more welcome than she ever had been before. It was no secret that she was shy, and before meeting Stella, socialising had been something Kate found incredibly difficult. A little while into the evening, as Lindsay went to go and get drinks, she hinted to Stella that they needed to talk by asking her for help with the drinks. So, the pair steadily made their way over to the bar, leaving Kate at the mercy of the guys.

"You see what I see?" Lindsay asked after Stella made the order, "Look at Mac..."

Stella turned and couldn't contain the almost smug grin on her face. Kate and Mac were sat next to each other, almost turned away from the others, and the pair were locked in a deep conversation. The girls figured that they were talking about either Mac's job, or music, because Mac was clearly really enjoying the conversation.

"Oh dear..." Stella said with a soft sigh and a fond smile, "What have I done?"

Lindsay chuckled as the pair turned around to collect the drinks, and they made their way back over to the table, receiving grins and waggling eyebrows from the boys. Mac and Kate had been so lost in their conversation they hadn't noticed that the others had been sat in silence listening to them. While they were having a staring contest, they realised that the group had gone very quiet, and they both coughed and cleared their throats awkwardly as the others started up a conversation again.

"So, Stella tells us you wanna see New York in all its glory." Danny said as he took a drink of his beer.

"Yeah, I want to see everything the city has to offer." Kate replied, "The landmarks, the museums, the nightlife. Everything."

"You know, Mac really loves this city. I'm sure he'd love to give you a grand tour on one of his days off, right, Mac?" Flack grinned, looking at the flush on both their faces.

"Oh...I'm sure Mac has better things to do than take me around New York..." Kate said quietly, picking up her purse, "Excuse me..."

She stood from the table and smiled shyly at the group before making her way towards the ladies' restroom, shoulders tense and head bowed. Stella glared at Flack, and he knew that if looks could kill, she'd have put him six feet under. She recognised that body language. It meant that Kate felt embarrassed and uncomfortable. It also meant that she thought that the group was making fun of her and Stella really felt bad for it turning out this way. She wanted to go and see if Kate was okay, but she was stopped by something unexpected.

"I might just do that." Mac suddenly said, startling the group.

Every person's eyes moved to where he sat, each of them staring at him with disbelief. Did Mac Taylor seriously just openly suggest asking a girl out? He would excuse it as being a helpful friend to a newcomer, but the others could see that he clearly liked Kate. So, offering to take her around New York screamed one thing to the group. Date.

"Huh?" Flack asked, watching his boss take a sip of his beer.

"I might take her on a grand tour of New York on one of my days off." Mac replied, "You were right. I do love this city. Thanks, guys."

Everyone watched him stand and leave the table, and their eyes followed him as he met Kate near the bar. What the hell? Where did that come from? How did he just stride up to the woman to ask her out in front of his work colleagues? The group were curious as to what was being said between the two, but judging by the smile on Kate's face, they were having a nice conversation. Kate blushed as Mac ordered another round of drinks, and the pair remained quiet for a few moments before the detective got up the courage to speak again.

"I could give you that tour if you wanted." He said to her, "It wouldn't be a problem, and I'd like to show you around."

'Why the hell am I suddenly so brave?' He thought as he looked into Kate's stunning blue eyes.

"Well...If you're offering..." She smiled at him and he felt all the air leave the room.

She was so beautiful. The colour of her hair, her porcelain skin, the shade of her eyes, her voice, and her gentle mannerisms were all so beautiful. Now, Mac felt like a teenager all over again. But as soon he realised that, Claire crossed his mind and he felt that same guilt that he felt every time another woman he liked came into his life.

"I'd love it if you would..." She said quietly, "If that's okay..."

Back at the table, Stella's eyes widened as she saw Mac and Kate exchange numbers and she couldn't help but grin at the two of them. She wondered what would come of this. With her two close friends suddenly connecting in such a way, Stella couldn't help but feel panic. What if they ended up dating? What if it all fell apart? How would she be able to continue close friendships with both of them if they couldn't bear to be in the same room?

"You okay, Stella?"

Stella snapped out of her thoughts as Kate handed her a drink, and as Mac went back to the group, who were all being incredibly boisterous, Kate took the chance to speak to Stella privately about her work partner.

"Mac's taking me around New York on Thursday." She said quietly, "He seems nice."

"He is nice." Stella answered, "He's a complex guy, but he's certainly a guy worth making time for."

"Thanks for all this." Kate said after taking a sip of her beer, "It's so great to have people I can talk to."

With a gentle smile, Stella reached an arm around her friend and pulled her into a one armed hug, patting her on the back affectionately.

"Anything for you."

-TBC-

Hope you enjoyed!

Thanks for reading so far!

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