Title: A Scary Moment

Disclaimer: I don't own CSI:NY Anthony Zuiker and CBS do.

Author's Note: Hey guys I am back from my trip! This story comes from a prompt given to me by lily moonlight and written while on my trip. Here Giovanna and Anthony will go by their nicknames Gia and Tony respectively. Takes place eight months after the ending of "How Their Lives Changed".

Beta'd by: lily moonlight

Genre: Family/Angst

Rating: K+

-Early December 15, 2015-

Stella had picked Gia and Tony from preschool up, collected Lucy (as Lindsay and Danny were in the midst of a complicated case) from PS 3 in Chelsea and Daniela from Geneva School. The plan was to take them all to the mall to get some Christmas shopping done. As Stella drove the minivan, she could hear the kids chatting excitedly about the afternoon activity. When they arrived at the mall, all of were buzzing with excitement and even Stella herself was feeling some of the thrill.

Once in the mall, she decided refreshments before shopping would be wise. She got a large coffee for herself and bought Dani, Lucy, Gia and Tony a snack and soda each. Before setting off from the coffee shop she reminded them of a few things.

"Okay, kids, I need to repeat the basic rules and that is to…"

"…to stay together!" all four answered.

Stella smiled. "Right then, let's go!"

For most of the two hour shopping excursion, everything was uneventful and Stella found she was able to keep her eye on the kids for the most part. Then came the unthinkable. Stella and the kids had reached the store where Stella knew she could get the perfect gift for Lindsay and it also happened to be next door to the toy store. As they walked past the toy store with all the window decorations and the toys that were in the window the twins' eyes lit up and Tony looked into Gia's eyes and the twin connection led to a nonverbal agreement what they would and when they would do it. What they hadn't counted on was Lucy Messer to note her cousins' sudden mischievousness; as Dani's second in command she would do everything she could to help watch the twins and make sure they didn't get into too much trouble.

Finally, after a few hours, with all of them tired but happy, Stella decided it was time to leave. Distracted by trying to hold on to all the bags she was carrying and trying to avoid being jostled by the crowd, she spotted the entrance and started to push through the crowd towards it.

"Okay is everyone ready to go home?" she asked as they came in sight of the entrance to the mall.

However, she felt a tug on her sleeve and when she looked down, she only saw Dani in her school uniform. A horrible cold feeling crept over here, even though she knew she had to keep calm.

"Dani, where are your siblings and Lucy?" she asked in as even a voice as she could manage.

Dani looked just as scared and worried as Stella felt. "I think they might have gotten separated when they were looking at the toys in the window…"

As she looked round wildly, trying in vain to spot the missing children, Stella found it increasingly difficult to stay calm. She thought back to all the stores with toys in they had been in and when she had last seen the other children for sure. At last she realized that there was a toy store nearby and that it must have been while she was paying for Lindsay's present and getting distracted by the cashier asking if she wanted it gift wrapped that the children had wandered off. The relief lasted for a moment, then her calmness turned to fear; her babies were missing and so was Lucy. What if they had been taken while looking at the window? She didn't even want to think what Mac would think if he found out let alone Lindsay and Danny.

Not wanting to waste a moment, she took hold of Dani's hand and started to almost shove her way back through the crowded mall.

Even though she was frightened as well, Dani seemed to sense that her mom was scared out of her wits by now.

She squeezed Stella's hand. "Mom, Lucy will be keeping them safe. If they're not at the toy store, then we can go to the security station and ask them."

Though Stella was worried to death she was glad that she had now eleven year old Dani to help keep her nerves calm.

"Good idea," Stella said after taking a deep breath, "Let's go."

It felt like her worst fears were confirmed when there was no sign of the children at the toy store. But managing to keep her fear under control, Stella and Dani headed straight for the security station. No sooner had Stella shown the security guard on duty her badge when she and Dani heard a jumble of, "Mommy! Sissy! Auntie Stella! Dani!"

Stella turned around and felt her heart soar with relief, so much so she felt her legs weakening under her; she had found her babies and niece. She and Dani ran towards the two security guards who were holding the kids' hands. The kids saw Stella and Dani run towards them and let go of the kind security guards' hands and ran right into Stella's and Dani's arms. All of them were crying and mumbling how sorry they were, and Stella kissed all of them, glad they were all safe nothing bad had happened and her fears of them begin taken were unwarranted.

After making them promise to stay close, they thanked the security guards and were on their way home.

As she drove home she noted how quiet the kids were now as compared to earlier. She also thought next time it would be a good idea to have extra reinforcements an adult with her, someone like Lindsay.

A/N 2: Thanks for reading 'A Scary Moment'. Reviews are appreciated!