Disclaimer: Yadda, yadda, yadda – not mine. Needless to say, all the glory goes to CSI:NY and all involved.

Rating: K+

Spoilers: Boo 4x06

Category: Filler scene. Mac and Stella UST and friendship – which with them is one in the same hehe.

Author: Traci

Summary: Takes place during the cemetery scene in the ep. – which I took some liberties and made that scene happen at night.

Author's Note: Er, maybe growing up in the 70's and 80's when we had truly scary movies spoiled me but well, this ep was just not really that scary in the least. So I'm fixing that sort of :D. All glaring errors are strictly mine. Maybe a bit out of character going on too.

Things That Go 'Bump' in a Cemetery

Mac and Stella walked into the cemetery with only their flashlights and guns. They knew backup was around but it did not help to make it any less creepy.

"The reason we couldn't have waited till morning was…?" Stella asked.

Mac chuckled. "Jumpy?"

"No!" she responded a bit too quickly. "It's just, well… Mac, it's Halloween, it's a full moon and we're walking around a cemetery in the middle of the night to dig up a grave. That doesn't creep you out at all?"

He stopped walking and looked at her, grinning. "You are scared!"

She, too, stopped walking. "Why the hell shouldn't I be? Last we heard a zombie came crawling out of these grounds."

Mac took her hand in his. "Want me to hold your hand till we're done?" he teased.

Quickly yanking her hand from his, she started walking again. "Shut up, Mac." She took only four steps before something rustled in the leaves to her right then jumped out and ran in front of her.

Stella tried to stifle a screamed.

Mac laughed.

Stella glared at him.

"It was only a cat, Stel." He walked up beside her and started to feel a little badly about laughing at her when he saw her body was shaking. "Come on, let's get this done and over with."

They reached the gravesite as the crew was finishing lifting the coffin out of the ground. It was pretty obvious someone, or something, had clawed their way out and that sent shivers down Stella's spine.

"Get this back to the lab," Mac ordered two of the officers. "We'll stick around here for a bit longer."

They nodded and within moments, Stella and Mac found themselves alone in the cemetery – even the crickets were silent.

"Are you okay?" he asked, genuinely concerned. "You're not usually this jumpy."

"Yeah. Just, next Halloween can we stay in and watch horror movies from the comfort of one of our couches?"

With a smile, Mac got to work at the scene with Stella following suit.

Nearly half and hour had passed and Stella was so engrossed in looking for evidence in the grave itself that she failed to notice Mac was no longer around – until she heard him call for her with a hint of panic in his voice.

Climbing out of the open hole, she looked around and saw nothing. "Mac?"

"Over here!"

Running towards his voice, she stopped just outside of the tree line. "Are you in there?"

"Stella, I could really use your help here," he answered still sounding a bit stressed.

She carefully made her way through the overgrowth and froze when her flashlight fell upon Mac. His face was pale and she could see signs of perspiration on his brow. Walking closer, she lowered her flashlight to his feet and covered her mouth to prevent another scream.

"I know it's got to be a prank of some sort but…"

Kneeling down, Stella gently pried the skeletal hand off of Mac's ankle, looked at it then glanced up at Mac. "It's human, Mac."

He sighed. "I'm sorry for laughing at you earlier, however I could have done without the payback."

Stella grinned at him. "Well, you do know what they say about payback… Do you think we have a separate crime scene here?"

An owl hooted from its perch above them, causing Mac to jump and Stella to look amused.

"You win. We'll secure the scenes, leave a couple guards and come back when it's daylight," Mac said as he held an evidence bag open for her to put the skeletal arm and hand in.

Standing up, Stella removed her gloves and whispered in Mac's ear, "Happy Halloween, Mac."

Mac watched her walk away, shaking his head and smiling. "The haunted asylum's still open if you want to go," he shouted after her.

Laughing loudly, she waved her hand, silhouetted against the spotlights of the police lights, and responded, "In your dreams, Mac."

He ran to catch up to her. "Then how about our traditional horror movie at my place?"

Stella stopped walking and looked at him, using her hand to cover a yawn. "Make it my place and you have a deal."

"Your place it is." Holding the flashlight under his chin, he grinned and said, "Happy Halloween, Stella".

She shook her head in amusement while walking away.

The End