Title: True love

Summary: Stella saw the kiss between Mac and Peyton in 3x01 and gets mad/angry with Mac. She's jealous too. If things had gone another way…

Oneshot

No. Stella couldn't believe what she saw at this moment. Mac kissed Peyton. She didn't even know that he had a girlfriend, and then the new pathologist of the lab. She couldn't see this any longer and ran away.

After she had done a walk through Central Park, she finally arrived back at her home and safe place. After the thing with Frankie, she moved to a new flat, a new place to start to live again. After making herself a cup of tea, she sat down on her couch and started to watch her favourite movie "Into the fire".

A few hours later – Stella had fallen asleep – her pager went off. She recognized the number from the lab. No, it was the number from Mac's office. She wasn't interested in a new case and decided not to call back. She didn't want to talk to Mac, to look into his face. How could he do this? She was the one who was there for him every time. After the thing with Claire, after the shooting in his Deli, and the only thing he did was reject her. Last year when she needed him most after she was almost killed and raped, he only offered her a hotel. Her pager went off five more times, but she didn't take notice of it. He could think what he wanted.

Meanwhile at the crime scene

"Did you hear anything from Stella yet? She should have been here 30 minutes ago," Hawkes said.

"No, not yet. I'll drive to her apartment after we've collected the evidence here. Maybe she's just ill and didn't hear her pager. I'll check it," Mac said.

Half an hour later they were done, and Mac went straight to Stella's apartment.

Surprised that the doorbell rang Stella opened her door without checking who was there. As she saw Mac, she was shocked. She didn't expect him, and she almost closed the door, but didn't see that Mac had his foot between the door and the frame.

"What do you want here?"

"Huh? What's up, Stella? No "hi", no "how are you"? I didn't do anything to you, and you treat me like an idiot. I'm your boss and called your pager six times. You didn't appear at the crime scene and with no reason. That's a reason I could suspend you, you know that. Maybe you should just think about it. And now I want to know what has happened."

"No, leave me alone."

Without respecting her wish, he opened the door completely and went into her apartment.

"I'll call the police," Stella said.

With a big smile on his face Mac answered, "Maybe you should do that. It would be interesting how they solve a little fight between two detectives in a private thing."

Stella gave up and closed the door.

"Take a seat. Can I get you something to drink?"

"No, thanks."

"Okay, so what do you want to hear?" Stella said.

"What's wrong with you? I mean the past few days you were so friendly to me and the team, and now in the evening you're like a completely new person."

"Maybe you should just think about it. I mean finally it's your fault."

"What? I don't understand what you mean."

"Oh, no? Really? Think a little bit about what happened this evening."

"I can't remember. I don't know what you mean. Please, Stel, talk to me."

"My name is Stella, not Stel. Not for you." She made a pause then she talked again. "I saw you this evening with Peyton. You kissed her."

"Um, Stella... I didn't know you saw that. But it's not what you think. Okay, maybe a little bit but I don't know why you'd flip out because of it. I mean, we both have our own life. You have your relationships and I mine. I know you take care of me in every little thing but I've moved on. I wouldn't say I'm over what happened with Claire, but I try to do a step in the right direction, forwards. And you talk to me like this is a drama. I know that I wasn't a big help last year when the thing with Frankie happened, but I didn't expect that you were ready for a new relationship. I mean we're really good friends, we should talk about it."

While he had talked, Stella had started to cry.

"Shut up, Mac. We already talk, and I don't want to hear it. I say you know something I haven't said yet, maybe I was too shy or something. I loved you from the first moment I saw you. And I know how sick that has to sound with what I'm going to say now, but I was so damn relieved when Claire died at 9/11. I thought maybe that you would open your eyes, that you'd realize you really love the woman you work with. I was with you so many nights after work. Just to talk and to be with you. I know I had some other relationships, but you didn't even take your wedding ring off so I thought you weren't really over Claire. And now you have a girlfriend without telling me. It doesn't matter you know her from the academy or anywhere else. I really hope you understand my opinion and don't be angry with me."

"Come here, Stella, please."

Stella moved closer to him, and he hugged her.

"I understand you, of course, but it's difficult right now to say anything about it. I mean I don't want to quit the relationship with Peyton, but I also don't want to loose you as my friend. Maybe we should sleep now and talk tomorrow about it again?"

Stella only nodded. She was too weak to say anything against it. It was 2am and she was really tired after her day. They both fell fast asleep on Stella's couch and only their pagers woke them up the next morning. They had found a suspect in their new case.

A few days later

The whole team was still working on the case when Stella decided to go to Mac to talk about her problem. She knocked on his door and poked her head into his office.

"Can I come in please?"

"Of course Stella. Any news on the case?"

"Not yet, but that's not the reason I came here."

"Um, okay. Sit down."

"I thought again about our conversation a few days ago. I'm so sorry. I freaked out. It was not right to say all those things, especially about Claire. It was just like I said… I never thought you would have a new girlfriend after Claire. I'm sorry. Please forgive me."

"Stella, come here, stand up. It's okay. I ended it with Peyton yesterday. We had a big fight because I slept over that night in your apartment, and I think maybe she thought we slept together. I realized now she was never the right woman for me. I'm sorry if I hurt you."

Mac couldn't say any more as Stella gave him a very passionate kiss.

"I love you, Mac. And of course you can call me Stel."

"I love you too, Sweetheart."

It was Stella like she was in 7th Heaven. Her dream about a relationship with Mac became true.

The happy end

A/N: Sorry if some M/P shippers are now angry with me…but I still believe that one day Stella and Mac will realize they love each other. Nothing more to say… wrote this after I had a big fight with my mom… so I think it's not very good. Hope you like it anyhow so far. Please review! Thank you.

Oh and thank you to my Beta Reader :)