A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed my first fic. This is more SMacked fluff, hope you all like it Rated M to be safe.
Disclaimer: I own nothing, just borrowed them for a while.
It didn't matter how fast she ran, or how many times she changed direction he was right behind her, stalking her with frightening ease; it was as though he could anticipate her every thought. She had made it to the woods on the corner of central park and was using every bit of cover the trees provided to try and get away from him, she knew what would happen when he got a clear shot at her and the very thought of it sent icy shivers down her spine.
She was out of breath and could hear her heart pounding hard as she stopped abruptly behind a thick tree trunk and tried to hear where he was. Normally footsteps here would snap fallen twigs alerting her to the presence of anyone nearby, looking down at the powdery snow at her feet she knew it would help him get close without her hearing him.
A second too late she wheeled to her left and saw him, the look in his eyes told her she wouldn't escape this time and she accepted her fate. A heartbeat later it hit her square in the chest, sending cold tendrils radiating outward as she looked down in disbelief. He had done it, he had actually done it.
She staggered backwards and leant heavily against the tree trunk, trying to slow her breathing as her attacker moved closer. Despite the cold numbness in her body she wasn't giving up without a fight. As he got within a few feet she launched herself at him, taking him completely surprise and causing him to fall backwards into the snow with her landing heavily on top of him.
She briefly enjoyed the look of shock in his eyes; he obviously wasn't used to being overpowered like that. She leaned down and whispered in his ear 'Game over'.
He didn't try to move her; frankly after the initial shock of her knocking him over he quite liked feeling her weight on top of him. If she'd known what was going through his mind at that point she would've slapped him for certain.
'Stella…' he said, about to tell her something he should have a long time ago, but she spoke and the moment was gone.
'Mac, this is crazy, what the hell are we doing?' she giggled then carefully got up, much to his displeasure.
'You threw the first snowball, not me!' he retorted, getting to his feet and shaking the snow from his coat.
'You dared me too! Come on let's go and get a coffee or something, I'm freezing.' she said taking his arm and pulling him back towards the path.
-x-
Sitting in the café on the corner of Stella's block they ordered Hot Chocolate and shared a large slice of Carrot Cake, Mac would've preferred a muffin but what Stella wanted she got, particularly when she did that cute little pout of hers followed by a killer smile. She knew she could wrap him round her little finger but luckily for him only used her powers for good.
'Mac, can I tell you something really personal?' she asked with a mischievous look in her eyes that made him curious.
'I suppose so, we've known each other long enough.'
'Half of that snowball ended up in my bra, it's soaking wet' she said leaning closer so she didn't have to speak too loudly and wriggled in her seat to illustrate her discomfort.
He knew he was blushing, which was rather pathetic at just the mere mention of her bra. 'Why don't you take it off?' his mouth replied before his brain had any hope of stopping him.
'Mac Taylor! What has gotten into you tonight?' she replied with smile.
'Sorry, are you ready to go? I'll walk you home.' He said getting up and pulling his damp coat back on. He couldn't believe he said that to her and just wanted to deliver her home safely and leave so he could kick himself some more.
She fell in step beside him as they walked along the sidewalk, but was finding it hard to keep up with him. Mac had a habit of marching rather than walking when he was annoyed with himself.
'Mac, will you slow down please? I can't keep up with you!'
He stopped and turned to face her, the look in his eyes undecipherable. He didn't know what to say to her for the first time since they'd met. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves - now or never.
'Stella…'
Out of the corner of his eye he saw a car mount the pavement and in a split second he reacted pulling her to him and spinning round so he was between her and the potential danger. She was pinned between him and the wall of her local bodega as the car crashed along the sidewalk missing Mac by no more than a few inches.
'Stella, are you okay?' he asked breathing heavily as adrenaline pulsed through him.
'Yeah, are you?'
He nodded. For the second time in as many hours her body was pressed up against his and the thoughts he shouldn't be thinking about his partner re-emerged. He was only a matter of inches from her and didn't move.
It was Stella's turn to act on instinct and she did just that, putting her hands on either side of his face and kissing him. He was stunned and pulled away from her like he'd been scalded by her lips.
'I thought…oh God what have I done?' she said pushing past him and running off towards her apartment.
Mac ran a hand over his face, and touched a finger to his lips which were still tingling. Finally his internal battle with his long held and long hidden love dissolved and a soft smile settled on his lips. He could see from where he was that Stella was just entering the main lobby of her apartment building, and from the way her hand swept across her cheek he suspected she was crying. Damn it!
-x-
Mac arrived at her door less than five minutes after she had slammed it shut. He looked at the keys in his hand, four keys hung from a key ring bearing the Marines motto Semper Fi. There was the key for the Avalanche, his desk, his apartment and hers. He considered opening the door and letting himself in, but that didn't seem the right thing to do. He knocked and waited for an answer.
'Stella, please open the door, we need to talk' he pleaded after patiently waiting for her and getting no reply.
'I don't want to talk Mac' she called towards the door from her position on her couch.
'Okay, I'll be waiting when you do want to.' He said with a sigh. He hated that his reaction had upset her and didn't want to leave until she let him put that right. He sat down and leant against the wall hoping she'd change her mind soon.
Stella sat replaying the evening from Mac suggesting a walk in the park, to him daring her to throw the snowball she'd scooped together from the back of a bench as they'd passed, and to lying in the snow with him. She recalled that look in his eyes, and that he'd been about to say something when she'd interrupted him…
And again just before he'd pulled her out the way of that car, that look she couldn't figure out at the time, had it been…
Stella grabbed her phone and sent Mac a message, mindful that it was long past 1am now. She didn't want to wake him if he was actually sleeping for once.
Mac, I want to talk the message said simply, she pressed send and waited. A few seconds later she heard a quiet beeping seemingly coming from her front door. Intrigued she followed the beeping and opened her apartment door just a crack.
She noticed first a pair of shoes neatly sitting next to her door, and peering out a little more saw the feet that belonged in them. She opened the door wide and a smile crept across her face as she stood over a sleeping Mac Taylor, curled up as best he could under his undoubtedly still damp coat.
She knelt down on the floor beside him and stroked his cheek gently to rouse him, 'Mac, wake up'
'Stella…' he said as he opened his eyes and sat up.
She put a finger to his lips to hush him 'It's okay, I already know'
-x-
Mac followed Stella into her apartment and helped her make coffee for them both. They didn't say a word as he took the cups from the cupboard and she poured the coffee, he added one sugar to his cup then one and a half to hers, she put a splash of milk in her coffee and left his black.
Mac led the way to the couch and sat in his usual corner, expecting her curl up in her armchair as she always did; he was quite happy to be wrong for once when she sat next to him, leaning her head on his shoulder tiredly.
He turned his head and planted a kiss in her curls. All the things he thought he had to tell her and actually no words were needed at all.
They finished their drinks and Mac took the cups through to the kitchen and washed them up. Anyone looking in on that scene would've seen a loving husband finishing up the days chores before retiring for the night. The gentle smile on his lips told of utter contentment, and his relaxed demeanour was that of someone who felt at home.
Stella watched from the doorway as he dried up and put the cups back in the cupboard, she knew he didn't realise she was watching him as he twirled the tea towel on his way to putting it back next to the sink. Stella sighed as she watched him, falling a bit more in love with him. She closed the gap between them and touched his arm, making him turn to face her and causing all the hairs on his arm to stand on end. The electricity between them was undeniable now they have both given in to their feelings.
Stella backed him up against the counter and leaned her body against his, giving him a kiss and this time knowing he wanted her.
'I…' he started, only to be interrupted by her again.
'Mac, tell me later' she whispered into his ear, her breath tickling is neck as she spoke. At the same time she took his hand in hers then led him out of her kitchen. Instead of going left towards the lounge she turned right. There were only 2 rooms to the right of the kitchen door, the bathroom and her bedroom. He stopped.
-x-
'What's wrong?' Stella asked turning to face him. She thought she knew what was coming; he was pulling away again, closing off his emotions like he always did when she got close to him.
'I just think…'
She let go of his hand and took a step back 'I thought this was too good to be true.' She walked past him and was half way back to the lounge when he reached for her, grabbing her wrist and stopping her.
'You didn't let me finish…' he said, his tone a little sharper than she was used to. '…I don't want you to do this because you think I expect you to. Just because we're so close already doesn't mean we have to rush into anything. I love you Stella, and whether we sleep together tonight or not I'm never going anywhere, okay?'
She looked into his eyes as he spoke and could see that his words were honest and heartfelt, and that made her love him more than ever.
'Mac Taylor, you've made me wait long enough.' She said closing the gap between them and planting her lips squarely on his. Any hesitance in Mac disappeared with her passionate kiss and he stopped holding back from her. Stella squealed in surprise as he swept her off her feet, then giggled nervously and put a hand over her face; how embarrassing.
Mac laughed and told her she was beautiful when she blushed as he backed through her bedroom door, then he set her back on her feet at the end of the bed and their lips met again. Mac tried to undo the buttons on her blouse with hands that were trembling with excitement, he sighed in frustration and wondered if Stella thought he was as big of an idiot as he did.
Stella put her hands over Mac's, making him pause and look into her eyes. 'Are you nervous?'
He nodded, 'It's been a long time, I don't want to mess this up.'
'Mac, just relax.' She said pulling her blouse off over her head.
'Why didn't I think of that?' he smiled, wrapping his arms around her again and kissing her hard as his hands wandered across her bare skin. She shivered under his gentle touch, each tickle of his fingertips making her want more.
After helping him out of his shirt she leaned against him heavily, pushing him over onto the bed and landing on top of him. The thoughts he'd had in the park earlier flashed back into his mind and he realised he could act on them now. Mac rolled so she ended up beneath him, her shallow unsteady breaths, dilated pupils and red cheeks giving away her state of arousal. He kissed her neck and continued along the line of her shoulder, then worked his way back to her lips.
She was enjoying every moment more than the last and wanted him so much her body ached. While he kissed and caressed her they shed their remaining clothes until they were finally naked together for the first time.
'You are perfect Stella, in every way.' He whispered into her ear as they made love, each movement slow and deliberate, each sensation better and stronger than the last, and every moment that passed bringing them closer to ecstasy.
-x-
Light flooded in through the curtains which hadn't quite been pulled shut, Stella had had other priorities last night. She opened her eyes and smiled, not only was he still there, he was sleeping soundly long past the time he'd usually be in his office. She didn't want to wake him, but thought he might be annoyed if she let him sleep too long.
'Mac, wake up…its 8am.' She said softly. He rolled over towards the sound of her voice and still half asleep wrapped an arm around her waist and shuffled closer so he could hold her.
'It's my day off…and yours.'
'Mac, you hardly ever take a day off.' She said with another smile.
'I can go to work if you like.' He said moving to get up
'NO! Stay exactly where you are Mac Taylor…' she responded, wrapping a leg round his to stop him '…I'm not done with you yet.'
She treated him to the best wake-up sex he had ever had and he made her whole body tingle in return. He loved it when she called his name in the height of passion and the way her fingernails dug firmly into his back.
Mac had worried about getting so close to her, concerned that taking that next step with her would bring awkwardness and regret to their relationship, but what he felt and what he could see reflected in her gaze was a completeness neither had ever thought they would find. If anything the admission of their feelings and the night they'd shared had dissolved the almost palpable tension that had stood between them for so long they'd nearly forgotten it hadn't always been that way.
Stella had got up before Mac and taken a shower while he dozed a little; he'd thought about joining her, but decided to save that surprise for another day. Once she was done he took his turn and put back on the clothes he'd been wearing the night before, he felt like a dirty stop-out and he kind of liked it.
Smiling broadly he left her bedroom and wandered down the corridor towards the kitchen. Stella was singing quietly along to the radio and making some lunch for them; not noticing Mac standing a few feet away watching her she moved to the music, letting its upbeat tempo guide her as she thought about nothing outside this apartment and the man she loved.
Mac took her completely by surprise; he lightly rested a hand on her left hip and as she turned to face him took her in a perfect dancing hold, one hand in the small of her back and the other holding her hand.
'Mac…'
'Shhhh, let's just dance.' He said as he started to move around the floor with her. She knew then that this was it. This was their song, this was their future, and she would be his until the very last song, the very last dance.