Title: Eyes of a Stranger
Author: southoffebruary
Rating: K+

Summary: He didn't notice her at first, she was just another face in the flow of passengers
Disclaimer: Not mine. Don't sue, ect, ect.
Notes: Thanks always go to Tracy for all her help, she rocks.

xXx

The subway under New York City was still something that amazed Mac Taylor, even after all the years he'd lived there. How people liked being crammed into a tin can like sardines was beyond him. He always took a taxi around the city or better yet, his own car. Not the most time convenient mode of transport, but it certainly saved him from the pushing, the potential pick-pocketing and the seemingly always sticky subway safety poles.

But for all the things he disliked about the subway, he did have to admit that once – the time that he had been naïve enough to take it – something happened that he would always be grateful for.

He'd never forget that day. He had been living in New York exactly one week and was about as green to the city as a person could be. It was his first day working for the NYPD and as luck would have it, he came across a four car pile-up that threatened to leave him sitting in his car for hours. Cursing to himself as he found somewhere to park his car, he made his way to the nearest subway station. He then rushed to catch the 7:25 train in the hopes it would get him to work with at least two minutes to spare.

It was on the third stop into the journey that she must've stepped onto the train. He didn't notice her at first, she was just another face in the flow of passengers getting on and off. But when the doors shut, and everyone settled for the ride, that's when he noticed her.

She was standing towards the end of the carriage, looking up at the man who had his arm around her – her boyfriend, he guessed. Her dark curly hair flowed down her back, sitting neatly in perfect ringlets. Her thick winter coat hugged her body, showing off her subtle curves.

Through the voices, phlegm-filled coughs and a child crying loudly next to him, he could hear her laugh. It was without a doubt the most infectious laugh he'd ever heard. The noise around him was drowned out by her gentle chuckle, it sent a shiver racing down his spine and put a smile on his face – it was beautiful.

She looked in his direction then, as if she felt his eyes on her, admiring her. And instead of the usual icy stare he found New Yorkers gave if they were looked at the wrong way, she smiled at him, wide and beaming. It was for the briefest moment, but it was enough to make him feel like he'd won the lottery.

It was ridiculous, he told himself, he didn't know this woman, and yet he was so captivated by her presence, so drawn in with her smile and laugh. The idealistic and less jaded part of himself would have him believe that – if he didn't know any better – he was staring at an angel.

He was so distracted by her that he almost missed his stop. As he moved through the carriage to reach the doors before they shut, he walked right passed her and their eyes met for a slight moment. She smiled at him again and this time he couldn't help but smile back at her.

When he stepped onto the platform and the train sped away, he knew that even though he'd never see her again, he'd always remember her, remember that smile. And even after he'd met and married a woman he'd loved with all his heart, he thought of her every so often, that laugh on the subway.

Fifteen years later, Stella still smiled at him the same way, only now with even more warmth and affection. He couldn't believe his eyes when they were partnered together in the crime lab. If he believed in that kind of thing, he would've said that fate was sending him a message.