Mac stopped as soon as he walked into the diner. Almost every chair at the counter was taken, and every booth was occupied. He sighed as he realized that it was a holiday week - the fourth of July was only a couple days away - and Manhattan had once again become a tourist trap.

"Do you need a seat?"

He looked down to see a blond, middle-aged woman looking up at him from a booth. Her eyes were a light color, though he couldn't tell right away if they were blue or grey. He had seen her before, sitting in the same booth for the past few weeks. She was always alone, always quiet, and he was surprised that she was now speaking to him.

"I don't want to take your spot," he said.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "I wasn't offering my seat," she explained. "I was offering to share the booth."

Mac smiled, ducking his head. "Well in that case, how can I refuse?"

He slid into the seat across from her, and for a minute, they just sat there staring at each other. Finally, the woman smiled and extended her hand.

"I'm Juliet."

Shaking her hand, Mac's grin widened. "Mac Taylor."

"You're a detective." When he raised an eyebrow at her certainty, she shrugged. "I've seen your badge. You come in here almost every day."

"So you've been watching me?"

"Not in a creepy way. I'm sure you noticed me as well."

Mac nodded. "You always sit in this booth. Why?"

She shrugged again. "I like the view."

The waitress came over and took their order. She looked harried, barely sparing either of them a real glance as she wrote down what they wanted and took their menus. When she had gone, Mac turned back to Juliet.

"So you know what I do. What about you?"

"I'm a doctor."

"Any speciality?"

She smiled faintly. "Fertility."

Mac nodded. "Interesting field."

"It certainly is."

"Did you just move here?"

Juliet smirked. "And why would you guess that?"

Their coffee came as Mac explained. "Because you started coming to this diner about three weeks ago. I'd never seen you before, and like you said, I'm here almost every day."

"Maybe I just needed a new diner."

"Are you in the habit of having falling-outs with your food establishments?"

That made her laugh, and Mac smiled at what a pleasant sound it was. "For all you know," she said, "I had a bad break-up, and my ex-lover refused to stop going to our favorite diner."

"That's possible," he conceded. "But is it true?"

Juliet smiled and shook her head as the waitress brought their food. "No," she admitted. "The truth is that I just moved to New York and this is the cleanest, closest diner to my apartment. And you? What's your reason for coming here?"

Mac shrugged, cutting into his pancakes. "I like the view."

888888888888888888888

"Fancy meeting you here."

Juliet hurriedly swallowed her coffee and smiled. "Hey."

"Hey."

"Do you want to sit?" she asked after a moment.

"I'd love to."

He sat down, ordering a coffee when the waitress came over. Juliet watched him closely, noting the dark circles under his eyes and the way his shoulders sagged just a little.

"It's been awhile," she said quietly.

Mac nodded. "I'm sorry about that. Things got hectic at the lab."

Juliet smiled. "You don't have to apologize, Mac. I've seen the news. I know you were working on the Cabbie Killer case." She paused. "Congratulations on finally getting him."

"Thank you."

"It was rough," she said.

"One of the worst. I..." He paused, wondering why he was about to tell a virtual stranger this, but at the same time unable to stop the words. "He almost killed my wife's son."

Her hand twitched as though she wanted to reach out and touch him. "I'm sorry. Is he alright?"

Mac nodded. "His throat was cut. But he's out of the hospital. He's going to be okay."

"I'm glad." She paused, glancing out the window and watching the people walk by. "I didn't know you were married."

He took a sip of his coffee. "Widower."

"I'm sorry."

Mac shrugged. "What about you? Have you ever been married?"

She nodded. "Once. A long time ago."

"It didn't end well?"

Juliet smiled ruefully. "Not at all. He was a narcissistic ass. He left me, but it was a relief. He died a couple years later."

"I'm sorry."

She shrugged as well. "Some things are for the best."

Mac noticed that she didn't sound bitter, only tired. "Any kids?"

"No. You?"

"No."

"But your wife's son...?" Juliet shook her head. "I'm sorry. This really isn't any of my business is it?"

Mac chuckled. "It's alright. My questions have been just as personal." He paused, thinking. "Reed is my wife's son. She had him before we met and put him up for adoption. He didn't find me until after Claire had died."

Juliet watched him closely, noting the pride in his voice when he talked about Reed. "How old is he?"

"Nineteen going on twenty-five."

"Ah," she smiled. "A handful, then."

Mac nodded, and Juliet glanced down at her watch. Her hand flew to her mouth. "Oh God! I'm late! I hate to eat and run..."

He smiled. "Don't worry about it. I'll grab the check."

"Mac..."

"Go," he said gently. "I'll see you next Tuesday?"

Juliet couldn't help but smile as she nodded. "Next Tuesday," she agreed.

88888888888888888888888

"What is this?" Juliet asked as Mac slid a piece of paper across the table.

"My cell phone number."

She frowned. "What for?"

He shrugged. "In case you ever need help...or if you're not going to make it to breakfast...that way I don't have to worry about you."

"You worry about me?"

"We've been having breakfast once a week for almost three months now. I'd say that makes us friends."

Juliet smiled. "Yeah, I guess it does. You know, Mac, you're my first friend in New York. You're my first friend in a long time, actually," she added quietly.

"Believe it or not, you're the first friend I've had outside of work in a very long time," he told her.

"Tell me about them."

He frowned. "The people I work with?" She nodded. "I'm not sure I know where to start."

"Who are you closest with?"

He smiled. "Stella. She's been my right hand for years. I couldn't do my job without her."

"You care about her."

Mac nodded. "She's my best friend. Actually, she just got engaged, and she asked me to give her away."

Juliet smiled. "That's sweet."

"I was surprised at how much it touched me when she asked. She's marrying one of the detectives in our unit. Flack's a good man. The only one I trust with her heart."

"What about the others?"

"Well, there's Danny and Lindsay. They're...in a rough patch right now. But they're good C.S.I.s. Hawkes used to be our medical examiner before he started working out in the field. And then there's Sid and Adam...good people, all of them."

"That sounds nice," Juliet murmured. "I'd love to meet them."

Mac looked at her for a moment. "I'd like that too," he said quietly.

88888888888888888888888888888

"Juliet?"

She stopped at the sound of her name and turned around. She had just finished delivering a baby, and that always left her with an emotional high. But when she found herself staring at Stella Bonasera, a cold feeling settled into the pit of her stomach.

"Hi, Stella...is everything alright? What are you doing here?"

"I was about to ask you the same the thing," she said, nodding at Juliet's scrubs. "I thought you had a private practice."

"I do. But one of my patients went into labor last night. Is Flack alright?"

Stella rolled her eyes. "He's fine. We're here for Mac, actually." When Juliet's eyes widened, Stella reached out and rested a reassuring hand on her arm. "He's fine," she said firmly. "A perp pulled out a knife and sliced his hand. It's no big deal."

Juliet sighed. "How many stitches?"

"Six."

"Where is he?"

Stella pointed to a room and Juliet went over, opening it slowly. She saw Mac inside, sitting on the bed and staring at his bandaged hand, deep in thought. Letting the door close behind her, she crossed her arms.

"I thought you were supposed to cuff the bad guys before they pulled a weapon?"

He looked up, surprised to see her. Seeing the look on her face, he smiled sheepishly. "Wish it was always that easy. What are you doing here?"

She shrugged, walking over. "Baby delivery. How's the hand?"

"I'll live. How did the birth go?"

She couldn't help but smile. "Healthy baby girl. You know what my favorite part of this job is, Mac?"

"What?"

"Watching a new mother look at her baby for the first time. That kind of love...it must be amazing." She stopped, realizing that he was staring at her. "Mac? You okay?"

He nodded. "I was just thinking how nice it is to see you at a time other than breakfast. Maybe...we could try dinner some time?"

Her smile turned into a grin, no matter how hard she tried to stop it. "Are you flirting with me?"

"Asking you out on a date, actually."

She stared at him for a moment. "You can pick me up at seven. Now let me have a look at that hand."

He lifted his bandaged left hand for her to look at. But as she bent over, Mac used his other hand to catch her chin, lifting her head up and drawing her lips to his. The kiss was light and gentle, but it stole her breath away. When he pulled back and her eyes fluttered open, she found him staring at her intently, his eyes dancing. Juliet blushed furiously and bent back over his hand, still grinning like a fool.

"Flirt," she mumbled.