Well, hi! Sorry it has been so long but I've got this new fic that kinda follows closely with "Just Sayin" and "Go Fish" except the roles are reversed. Enjoy and thanks for reading!
Stella grinned as she pushed open the large wooden door and entered the familiar Irish bar. She caught Jim's grin from behind the counter as he nodded his head towards three familiar figures in the corner who were laughing loudly. She mouthed a thank-you before walking to collect her three goof balls. As she approached them, Flack leaned back in his chair and grinned.
"Stella! Hey, Stella!," he waved as he called her over. Her smile spread as Mac and Danny turned to face her.
"You guys causing trouble?" She asked as she stood in front of them, trying and failing to look stern.
"Us? Trouble? Nah," Danny grinned as he waved his arm in the air dismissively.
"Oh, you created the meaning of trouble," an amused voice spoke behind Stella. She didn't have to turn around to see who it was because the surprise on Danny's face said it all.
"Hey, babe," he smiled sheepishly at Lindsay as she stood next to Stella.
"Don't you 'hey, babe' me...you're in big trouble, pal," she scolded with her arms folded, but Stella didn't miss the amusement tugging at the corner of her eyes.
"Hey, Linds," Mac grinned and both women shared a smile as they stared at the unusually disheveled appearance of their boss. Not only was Mac's tie dangling loosely around his neck along with his half unbuttoned collar, but his hair was ruffled and he was sporting a dark 5 o'clock shadow. The cheeky and blissful grin he had on his face as he leaned back in his chair was a welcomed surprise.
"Hey, Mac," Lindsay lightly tapped his shoulder as she stood next to him, glaring at her husband. Danny frowned at her.
"How come he's not in trouble?" He asked, pointing accusingly at Mac. Lindsay grinned as she leaned her arm casually on Macs's shoulder.
"Because Mac's my favorite...plus, it's not my place to scold him," she grinned at Stella before turning back to her husband.
"You're coming with me," she said and then turned to Flack, who was watching the scene before him with a big grin. "You too, bucko," she said as she gave him a stern glare.
"Why can't I hang out with my buddy some more?" Flack asked as he slung an arm around Macs's shoulder.
"I think you and 'your buddy' have had enough fun for one night," Lindsay argued as she grabbed Danny's arm lightly and held a hand out for Flack.
"Okay, okay, no need to get attitude," Flack stubbornly refused her hand as he staggered to his feet. As Danny and Flack swayed to the door, Lindsay turned and gave Stella a smile.
"You got this hooligan?" She asked, nodding her head towards Mac.
"Yeah, he'll be crashed in a couple of hours," Stella said. Mac stood suddenly and both women had to grab his arms to keep him upright.
"Whoa," he grinned as he tried to regain balance. "I think I may have had too much to drink," he said.
"I think you might be right there, Mr. Taylor," Stella laughed lightly as she kept a hand on his arm.
"You're so smart and nice...you're really nice," he said as he smiled at her. Lindsay laughed as she gently tapped his cheek.
"You've got the sweet one, while I've got Beevus and Butthead," she said to Stella.
"Have fun," Stella said as Lindsay moved to the door, where Flack and Danny were laughing again. Before Lindsay pushed them out the door, Stella heard Flack.
"Did you know Mac and Flack rhyme...isn't that-" the rest of Flack's sentence was cut off as the door closed. Stella smiled and turned to Mac.
"Looks like its just you and me," she as she looped her arm with his. He allowed her to pull him towards the door and even in his drunken state, her managed to hold the door open for her. Stella managed to get her unsteady partner into her truck and headed for his apartment.
Twenty minutes later she was pulling Mac along a long hallway to his apartment. She stopped him in front of his door and held out a hand.
"Gimme your keys," she ordered as he hummed quietly to himself and bounced on the balls of his feet. He stared at her in confusion for a moment before he slowly reached into his pockets. Impatient, she swatted his hand away and pulled his keys out of his jacket. He chuckled and pulled away.
"You gonna frisk me?" he grinned and she rolled her as she unlocked the door. She pushed him through the doorway lightly and closed the door. As she tossed the keys on the counter and moved to the kitchen to brew some coffee, Mac pulled off his jacket and shoes and dropped onto the couch.
She had never in all their years of friendship seen him like this. He didn't drink often and when he did it was only a couple of beers with the team.
"I'm drunk," he stated matter of factly as he slumped against the cushions.
"I can see that," she grinned and folded her arms across her chest as she leaned against the archway separating the kitchen and living and failing to look stern. "Any particular reason why?" she asked.
"Life," he replied vaguely as he shrugged casually.
"So, it has nothing to do with the big budget meeting you have tomorrow?" she asked.
"Nope," he said and suddenly stood up quickly as if having an epiphany. "I need to call him," he started as he reached into his jacket pocket.
"Call who?" Stella watched as he struggled to find his phone.
"Sinclair, I need to give him a piece of my mind..." he frowned in frustration. Stella quickly moved forward and pulled his hands away from their search.
"No, you're not," she reached into his left pocket where she knew he always kept his phone.
"Hey, hey, hey," he grinned and tried to pull away. "Keep your...you keep your hands to yourself, young lady," he slurred as he tried to swat her hands away. She pulled his phone away from him and shoved it in her pocket for safe keeping. "Are you trying...you trying to take advantage of me?" he asked as she reached back in his pocket and pulled out the card that she had felt while searching for his phone. Flipping the red card in her hand she saw a phone number written in sloppy handwriting with a name underneath.
"Who's Sparkle?" she raised her eyebrows as she held the card out for him to see. He squinted to read the words and grinned.
"She bought me a drink...very nice girl," he said as he concentrated hard on his thoughts. "Wanna know a secret?" he whispered as he leaned forward slightly. She grinned and nodded. "I think she was a prostitute," he said quietly and Stella let out a loud laugh, unable to hold it in any longer.
"You might be right, she does have a lovely name though," Stella teased as Mac sat back on the couch and leaned his head back against the cushions with a content sigh. His face turned serious as he stared at her for a long moment.
"Are you happy?" he asked suddenly. Caught off guard, Stella raised her eyebrows.
"Am I happy?" She repeated and he nodded. She paused for a moment. "Yeah, I'd say I'm happy," she smiled slowly. "Are you happy?" she countered.
"I'm feelin pretty great right now," he grinned and stretched his arms along the couch.
"I bet you are," she crossed her arms across her chest with a soft smile. She wondered if he was really happy. She teased him about the budget meeting, but she had a suspicion it wasn't the cause of his drinking. Claire's birthday was less than a week away and it always took a toll on him.
Mac must have read her thoughtful expression as one of sadness because he stood again, barely balancing properly on his feet.
"Do you need a hug?" he asked softly. "You look like you need a hug," he took a step closer to her with his arms outstretched.
"I'm okay, Mac," she chuckled as he reached out for her.
"No, no, no," he shushed her and slowly wrapped his arms around her. She grinned into his shoulder as she hugged him back. "This is nice," he said, his breath tickling her neck as he gently rubbed circles on her back. She tried to pull away, but his arms were wrapped tightly around her, holding her to his chest.
"Okay, Mac," she laughed. "Thank-you for the hug, I feel better," she said and he released her, but kept her at arms length.
"That's good," he slurred and tapped her nose lightly. "You deserve...to be happy,"he said softly and though his words were slurred and drunken, they still warmed her heart. His eyes moved to her hair and he reached out and took a single curl in each hand, lifting them above her head. "You have nice hair," he focused on the curl's as he twisted them around in the air. He dropped them suddenly and they fell into her face. She blew them out of her way with a smile and stared up into his strong blue eyes that were shining with humor.
"Okay, tough guy, lets get you to bed," she said, gently pushing him towards his bedroom. She placed her hands on his back and guided him towards the room as he stumbled on his feet.
"I know how to walk...I can walk," he huffed as he pulled away from her.
"Okay, go then," she grinned as she watched him. He struggled to take off his jacket and then held it out to her. "Hold this," he muttered as he stared determined at the door. She grabbed the jacket and folded it over her arm as she waited expectantly. Slowly, he stepped forward and wobbled on his unsteady feet. He walked forward and nearly ran into her side table as he grabbed the doorway. He looked back at her with a grin and she shook her head in amusement. Carefully he staggered forward and dropped onto his back on the bed.
"That was quite impressive, Mr. Taylor," she teased as he stretched out on the bed.
"I've been known to impress," he said as he kicked off his shoes. Stella gently tugged on his feet.
"You impress me all the time," she said with a playful roll of the eyes.
"It's a Mac thing," he grinned lazily as he loosened his tie further. She crossed her arms.
"Oh, I see...it must be all that killer charm," she grinned.
"Well, it worked on you didn't it?" his voice was casual as he tugged on the top buttons of his dress shirt. She raised her eyebrows and chuckled, moving to sit next to him on the bed.
"It's the only reason I stick around," she smiled softly as she tapped him lightly on the chest.
"I'm glad you do," he sat up and smiled at her with a sly grin that she had never seen before, but found she really liked. "I like having you around," he added. She couldn't help but laugh at his wording, though they warmed her heart.
"Well, I would hate to be a hassle," she teased, but he turned serious.
"I'm serious, Stel, you make me happy," his words were slightly slurred, but his eyes shone with the truth that they held.
"You make me happy too," she whispered as she stared mesmerized into his bright blue eyes. Her eyes drifted close as his fingers gently touched her cheek and he moved closer to her. A sudden silence filled the room and her pounding heart seemed to be the only sound available. Some invisible force pulled her forward slowly and she let out a content sigh as his lips pressed against hers. His hand tangled in her hair as her heart nearly burst in her chest and her thoughts blurred. The feel of his lips on hers almost had her hypnotized, but suddenly she pulled away as the guilt ripped through her hazy mind. His surprised look of hurt and confusion only increased the guilt.
"I'm sorry," he said and she could tell he was confused as to what he was supposed to be sorry about. She smiled lightly as she let her fingers dance around the stubble shading his jawline and cheeks.
"You have nothing to be sorry for," she said, but his frown only deepened. She sighed and let her hand drop as her eyes met his once again. "It's just...you're not thinking clearly and It wouldn't be right for me to take advantage of you while you're drunk," she explained.
"I'm not drunk," he argued.
"You admitted you were less than ten minutes ago," she felt a smile pull at her lips as she noticed the mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Well, I've changed my mind," he grinned and she felt that sudden warmth in her chest again.
"Well, just to be safe you're going to sleep it off," she stood and pulled the covers of the bed back. He stared at her awhile with playful eyes that she was sure could break her will again, but he simply moved under the covers and closed his eyes.
"I'll be back in the morning," he mumbled as his body relaxed and he started to drift asleep. She smiled lovingly and bent to place a soft kiss on his cheek.
"I'm counting on it," she whispered.
I hope you enjoyed this fic cause I had a lot of fun writing it! Please review and make any suggestions for future fics!