Title: Chat Session

Summary: You know Mac you and the virtual world just don't get along. Stella let me tell you about the guys I talked to today. SMACKED One-Shot. Based on spoilers from eppy 7.02 Unfriendly Chat

Disclaimer: If you don't know by now you need to read my other stories! Lol

A/N: Well you know how much I loved doing eppy one shots for you all last season and with much cattle prodding am going to try to write a few more for you this season. I blame the fact that I still love my Mac (sigh Gary). So a special thanks to friends and spoilers (grin) for this and I am going to try to make some happy smacked eppies so you don't have to watch the eppy to enjoy the story or have watched the eppy to understand. But if you watched the eppy then hope this helps with the lack of smacked!

Gosh am nervous about this but am taking a deep breath, posting and hope you all like it.

This is getting frustrating

Mac you just need practice

Stella this is very unnatural

You were able to master it before

Are you sure no one else can see us

Well there are cameras everywhere. lol

What is lol

You're right, this isn't working

Very funny

lol = laugh out loud

That is silly because no one can hear you

lol

That's it I'm ending this now

Party pooper

Are you even allowed to say that

lol

XXXXXXXX

"Stella?"

"Can't believe you caved Mac," Stella playfully snickers.

"You have to agree this is much better."

"Mac you were just getting the hang of the chat room. I liked your smiley faces."

"They were by mistake," Mac huffs as he closes the computer and picks up the phone. "Next time."

"I will hold you to that."

"I'm sure you will," he smiles. "Okay so where were we?"

"Another case that took you back into the virtual world."

"We can talk about something else," Mac suggests.

"Come on Mac it couldn't have all been that bad," Stella's musical laughter lightly tickles his ears, sending small shivers of delight down his spine.

It was late Friday night and both were done for the day and now settling in for their regular nightly chat. This weekend she said she had to work, otherwise she would have been there. It was her turn. He had told her after Peyton he wouldn't do another long distance relationship. But after some careful discussions and a few personal compromises both were determined to make it work until one of them went to be with the other for good. He loved her too much to just give up altogether.

"It was worse than Second Life," Mac references a case from a few years back that gave him his first real taste of the virtual world; one he did not relish or want to revisit anytime soon.

"Worse?"

"I had less game this time around," he smirks, once again referring to a comment she had made when she happened upon him and Adam in the lab while Mac was first trying to get the attention of their first virtual suspect. To no avail; she had to take over.

"Come on it couldn't have been that bad. Any details you want to share?" She gently pries.

"Promise not to make any comments?" Mac counters with a small smile.

"I promise. And if I break that promise I get to punish you when I see you next."

"Pardon?" He asks in haste, another bout of musical laughter filling his head. "If you break your promise I get to administer the reprimand."

"Well normally you do deserve it."

"I do?" He asks with a smile, always delighted when their conversation that his case based deviates to something flirty and more personal. A sexual undertone of course always the most welcome.

"You most certainly do," she giggles. "But I promise not to laugh."

"Okay so mostly at Adam's incessant prodding, both Jo and I gave it a try. First guy was some two bit loser smoking weed."

"What? Are you serious?"

"Unfortunately I am not making this up. Worse, he asked me if I wanted to smoke with him."

Mac hears Stella's giggle and can't help but offer a chuckle in return.

"Oh I'm sure that went over well."

"I think the look on my face said it all."

"Yeah? What did he do?"

"Immediately closed the window and he was gone."

"You probably scared him straight. I've seen your less than amused expression."

"Scary?"

"Angry Mac is a force to be reckoned with."

"Well he didn't give me any opportunity to give him my lecture on the danger of smoking illegal drugs."\

"Yeah wonder why," she teases in light sarcasm.

"You said you wouldn't laugh Stella," Mac gently reminds her.

"I'm ready for the or else," she goads.

"Ah that'll have to wait until you are here in person," Mac reminds her in a softer tone, before offering a few minutes of silence.

"We talked about this Mac."

"Allow me my weak selfish moment," he quietly pleads. "I love you and it's uh…well just not the same as discussing cases with you in person. I miss that on a daily basis."

"I do too," she admits warmly. "Okay now the second."

"You know it can wait until next weekend," Mac informs her with an unseen smirk.

"Next weekend we'll have new things to discuss. Now fess," she playfully demands, once again setting his mind at ease.

Being apart the one thing they both needed from the other when not in person was that reassurance that they were the only one they wanted to confide in; that they were the only one the other was thinking about and of course that they were the only recipients of each other's love; spoken or shown.

"Actually the second was a kid who was supposed to be doing his homework."

"Uh oh," she tries to suppress her laughter.

"What?"

"Your tone. What happened?"

"Well yes I was going to lecture him about being online instead of doing his homework…" Mac pauses.

"But what?" Stella interjects.

"But then he asked me what I do and I said my job was science related and then he asked me a question about science."

"And that was it?" Stella presses.

"And then I told him to get off the computer and go and do his homework and that I wasn't an excuse for being online and being distracted."

The exasperated tone in his voice, causes Stella to break into a small bout of laughter.

"Damn it Stella, you promised," Mac lightly moans, just shaking his head as his lips slightly curl upward.

"Can't help it Mac. I'm sure you probably scared another person away from the net for good."

"A guy smoking pot and a kid not doing his homework. I am just saving my team the hassle of working on our two future crime scenes," Mac tries to explain, his futile words still falling on deaf ears as she delights him once again with warm laughter.

"Always a big picture thinker Mac," she smirks.

"I will pay you back for breaking your promise."

"Mmm a little sexy payback maybe?"

Mac feels his face instantly warm and his heart beat faster.

"I love how I can make you blush even from here," she whispers into the phone.

"I missed your voice. I will admit the chatting was fun but I uh…"

"Yeah you're old fashioned in a few ways."

"Is that bad?"

"Not at all."

"Well there are probably a few areas I might surprise you in."

"Oh do tell?"

"Next time."

"That isn't fair Mac."

"You laughed at my case retelling."

"Not the case itself, just the uh…commanding tone in your voice," she stammers with a happy tone. "Fine I'll take that as my punishment. Next time. Unless you can become a bit more creative?" She urges.

"Maybe. Stella?" He asks after a few more minutes of silence.

"Just thinking about you being more creative."

"Well I did try chatting tonight right?"

"Yes that is true. So that means anything is possible right?"

"For you anything," he promises warmly, her smile widening at the other end of the phone.

"Mac I gotta run for a bit. Can I talk to you later?"

"I know it's late there so…"

"I'm an hour ahead," Stella reminds him.

"So…"

"So it's not that late and we can talk later," she suggests. "Unless you have something else you have to do?"

"No I…one hour?"

"Maybe sooner," her voice lightly purrs and his lips curl wider.

"Just call me when you can," Mac tells her; not wanting to put any undo pressure on her if she indeed has something important she had to do. "What are you going to do?"

"Mac…"

But just before he's about to answer a knock is heard at the door and he looks at it with a heavy frown. "Stella, hold on a minute I have someone at the door."

Mac heads for the door, pulls it open and then stands and looks at the person in shock.

"Told you we'd talk in person," Stella greets; Mac hanging up the phone and pulling her into his strong embrace.

"I missed you," Mac whispers in her ear, his lips brushing the tender skin and sending small shivers down her spine. He moved his face in front of hers once more, teasing her lips with a soft kiss before her fingers grasp some dark strands and force his mouth back to hers.

"I missed you too," she admits softly.

He takes the small overnight bag from her waiting grasp and leads her to the couch as per their custom. She always needed just to unwind a little after a hectic week and flight, much as she did for him at their home when it was his weekend to visit.

As they sink into the couch Stella notices a strained look on Mac's face and is quick to call him on it. "Something more about the case you want to share?"

"Adam was also targeted," Mac mentions softly.

"Is he okay?"

"A little shaken up but he'll be fine," he relates with a tight lipped smile.

"But…" she urges.

"Well I mean I said a few things to him but…but I just miss having your…your empathy and insight into what the team is thinking. Just not the same anymore," he confesses with a morose tone before turning to her, his hand resting on her leg. "Just missed you after this one."

Stella's body leans into his, her fingers tenderly rubbing his cheek, her smile warm and loving. "I'm always with you Mac, you know that."

"Just not the same," he frowns as he looks at her with a slight swallow of emotion.

"Mac?"

"I don't want to spend the night talking about work Stella, that isn't fair to either of us."

"But you still sound like you have something you want to say."

"Talking to those people; the middle aged man and the young boy; even the fellow that Jo talked to or the girl that Adam watched die…it uh…well it just shows how lonely people can get and will even resort to talking to strangers for any kind of human companionship."

"You'll never be alone Mac, not like that," she tries to assure him firmly.

"I know," he answers, his gaze quickly dropping to avert her questioning stare. "Did you eat on the plane?"

"You do believe that right?" Stella presses.

"Just seemed like they had no one that cared about them. Jo, she got this guy, was in Afghanistan and…they all seemed so alone. Instead of talking to those that cared about them, here they were on-line, trusting their very souls to complete strangers. Just sad it has come to that."

"Come here," Stella instructs as she gently pulls his head onto her shoulder, her fingers gently stroking the side of his flushed face. He had admitted to her on her final night together in New York that he did fear being alone; something happening to make them drift apart. She had assured him that would never happen but now sees that he might need a bit more convincing.

"I love you Mac, I hope you believe that."

"I always will," he promises as his hand slowly reaches out and grasps hers, giving it a gentle but firm squeeze. "I don't want you to be alone either. Never like that."

"Mac…"

"I guess I sometimes worry that at the end of the day I'm not there when you need or want me to be."

"We talk every day Mac, no matter what and we are both committed to that."

"I know but…is it enough?"

"Well you know we could always try the webcam thing?" Stella suggests as Mac lifts his head to look at her with a slight twist of his lips. "Ah thought you'd like that."

"Might have promise," he smiles as he leans in and kisses her lips once more. "I love you Stella."

Her grasp around him tightens as his head retreats back to her shoulder as her lips rest on the top of his head. "I love you too Mac. Now let me tell you about my case."

"Please do," he entreats with a warm smile; the evening unfolding as it has every Friday for the past few months; each held tightly in the others embrace while they recalled the week behind and then make up for lost intimate time during the weekend ahead.

THE END!

A/N: okay so how was it? Want any more like this this season? Please review and let me know. Also random one shots will still also be written and posted so hope that's okay also! :D