Title: Only Human

Summary: After getting in trouble for her aggressive actions Stella leaves work as soon as the case is done; prompting Mac to seek her out & lend a loving shoulder; a new understanding ensues. SMACKED One-Shot. Based on eppy 1.20 'Supply & Demand'

Disclaimer: If you don't know by now you need to read my other stories! Lol

A/N: Well I hadn't planned on this but watched this eppy and just let Alice go with it so hope you like it.

Note: Words in italics surrounded by double quotes taken from the eppy

The case had angered her right from the start, but even from her first meeting with Jordan Benson, Stella knew that something about the precocious teenager wasn't right; and hiding behind her wealth and privilege wasn't going to help save her in the long run. She was a cold blooded killer; a calculating menace; a heartless bitch.

But it wasn't the case itself that had her needing to escape the confines of the lab, it was a conversation she witnessed - about herself and her less than professional dealings while on the job; her beloved partner taking the brunt for her aggressive actions and sticking up for her although she knew she had crossed the line.

She leans back in the dimly lit locker room, closes her eyes for a few brief moments and allows her mind to replay the scene with Mac just after he had spoken to Chief Hilbourne.

"You should have told me. You know how I hate getting surprised by Hilbourne."

"Lipstone is just trying to get us on the defensive," Stella had tried to argue her point.

"You handed her ammunition. Benson is just trying to protect his daughter like any father would."

"Yeah well I was thinking of Wil's father. How long that drive back to Jersey must have been after what we said to him."

"You should have been thinking about Lipstone. She's an expert in turning a trial into a referendum on how cops screw up."

"I know how trials work, Mac!"

"Good. Act like it!"

It was then that Aiden had interrupted and the case was back in progress; the brief but heated stalemate pushed aside for now. But not for Stella, she was only human and to have been snapped at by Mac like that in public stung. But she was partially to blame for her actions and she knew that; the truth did hurt and she was always one to face the truth. However, it was the hurt, almost sad look of disappointment in his warm sapphire eyes as he gave her her small reprimand that hurt the most. She had let him down and that was something she was more than angry at herself because of. She didn't care at times about her own personal repercussions but do have Mac face them out of her own actions always felt like a sense of betrayal.

Even the moment later in the hospital or working the rest of the case did little to completely erase the underlying tension that she could feel coming from her partner. Her confession to him, while soft and tender and warmly received were spoken because she had to; Mac's professional integrity and loyalty were everything.

"I'll step off the collar, because of the complaint."

"You ran with it, finish it."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Thanks."

He had then surprised her by stepping aside and letting her finish the case but even as she uttered her thanks, she felt inside that things weren't back to normal just yet. So for the rest of the case, she forced herself to shelve her disdain for Jordan and worry about bringing the young female killer to justice - and that's what she did and it worked. However, the lingering tension from earlier was still there - even convicting Jordan did little to quel the stress her system was now wracked with. She had to get out of there and just breathe.

She had passed by Mac's office just as the case wrapped but he was embroiled in a heated discussion with Lipstone, the Benson's lawyer and knew it wasn't a good idea to interrupt. Besides she knew that even waiting for Mac to finish his call would have only resulted in another unpleasant argument and to see the disappointment in his handsome face wasn't something she wanted to face twice in the same day.

'I'm disappointed in you Stella.'

Mac hadn't said those words, but he didn't have to; his eyes, the window to his soul told her the whole story; at least that's what she told herself. And having him disappointed in her wasn't something she wanted to face again. She had to leave.

"Damn it!" Stella curses as she pushes herself up from the bench and pulls open her locker door. With an angry huff she literally yanks her jacket from the inside and slams the door so hard, that a fellow employee a few feet down literally jumps when a metal object clatters to the floor, filling the silence with angry rattles.

"Sorry," Stella offers them as she tugs on her jacket, grabs her purse and then heads for the exit doors, not wanting to face Mac or the team the rest of this day. She just needed to get home and get some space between her and the lab; pour herself a glass of wine and try to forget day ever happened. Stella didn't stop until she was in the back of a cab, giving the driver her home address and just praying that she could get her heart rate to slow long enough for her to at least have something to eat, take a shower and then try to get some sleep at call the day a memory.

"I'm sorry Mac," she whispers as she closes her eyes for a few seconds, opening them quickly when she feels them starting to wet.

XXXXXXXX

After he had told Wil's father the truth about his son and that Wil was just an innocent victim and had cleared his name, Mac had helped carry some boxes down to the truck, said his goodbyes once more and then headed back to the lab. He had felt the same tension Stella did after their heated showdown and now regrets reacting so harshly in such a public environment, especially with Aiden witnessing even some of it. It was true that Hilbourne had ambushed him but he still had no right to react in public, especially in front of the team the way he did - not to Stella, his best friend and right hand. He owed her more; he owed her respect and he had failed her in that. He knows that is the main reason that after they left the hospital he had avoided her - he was ashamed for his petulant actions. He had to make amends. But how?

He would at least apologize for raising his voice in public; he owes her at least that much. But is that enough? She has been with him through so much and at the first sign of trouble he renegs on the loyalty pact by taking out his bruised ego scolding on her. I have to make amends, he keeps telling himsef as he enters his quiet office.

But just as he was about to go in search of his beloved partner, a phone call from the Benson's lawyer was well under way and he failed to notice Stella hovering in his doorway; his back to her and only turning around to watch her leave; golden curls bouncing around her shoulders as she offered him her back; his curse dying in his throat before it even reaches his lips.

Apart from his apology, he had wanted to thank her for being thorough on a case that was so emotionally charged but when he went to seek her out she had already taken her leave. I have to make this right, he reminds himself. Can't let this fester overnight.

"Have you seen…Stella around?" Mac asks Aiden as he enters the DNA lab; his junior CSI finishing up a few things before she too called it a day.

"Think she left," Aiden offers with a small shrug. "Was a rough day, you know?"

"Yeah it was. Thanks."

"Hey Mac."

"Yeah."

"Go easy on her this time," Aiden tells him, her face displaying a small frown.

"Aiden..."

"Hey I know you guys are friends and all but um...well it hadda hurt you know?"

Mac feels his face wince at her soft reminder but she was right. Despite the fact that Stella did cross the professional line, he was the boss and had to set the example and that meant offering his reprimands in private so that respect among the team could still foster.

"I know, thanks," Mac nods with a deep frown before he turns and heads for his office. He quickly collects his coat and then heads for the basement parking, wanting to take the Avalanche just in case he got a call.

"Stella I'm sorry," he whispers to himself as the thick silence of the vehicle's cabin starts to suffocate him. Normally he would have Stella sitting beside him, animatedly chatting away about something, delighting his mind in ways that he wasn't even fully able to comprehend.

Yes she had crossed the line but Stella's integrity to the job was without question; she was human and sometimes human's let their emotions dictate their words and actions. But he should have seen part of it coming, she had always confessed that cases involving young people with somewhat troubled families or those that didn't appreciate what they had always affected her more than anything an adult might do.

'Blame my past Mac.' She had told him at one time.

So for him to come down hard on her when she was already emotionally charged due to a case, was something the he should have reserved for a private discussion to respect her feelings. As he sits at the traffic light, Mac's mind mulls over his conversation with Chief Hilbourne, a tense conversation that had caught him totally by surprise.

"We must get a dozen civilian complaints a day; Bonasera pushed the buttons of a potential suspect. Why is hers marched over by a brass band?" Mac had demanded his superior.

"She pushed the autopsy photo into the face of a teenage girl."

"She was trying to save another kid," Mac pleaded in her defense.

"This is Bonasera's fourth complaint in three years."

"Two of those complainants are felons…"

"Taylor there are only so many grenades you can jump on for your people."

"I don't need management tips from Internal Affairs, Chief. You run your staff, I'll run mine."

"Your department is not above scrutiny."

"No department is," Mac agreed.

"Keep Bonasera…away from the Benson's."

And that ambush just forced another and when he confronted her and snapped he could see the remorse behind her emerald orbs and felt his stomach tighten in the moments afterward when she was tense and standoffish around him. He had scolded her in public and while he wanted to make a public apology knew that a private one would have to suffice; he wanted to end the night on a good note, his apology couldn't wait.

Mac pulls up to Stella's building and just sits in the truck for a few seconds, praying for his heart rate to lower a little, and collecting his thoughts before he goes to see her in person; not wanting to make a tense situation any worse than he fears it is. As he heads inside he prepares himself for a cool reception, already ready for her to just give him a firm smile and say she's okay and then send him on his way. But at least he will have said his piece; she was only human and now he had to make sure she knew he was aware of that and that he was very sorry.

A soft knock on her door, brings determined footsteps hurrying in his direction.

Silence.

"Stella, it's me," Mac offers as he notices the peephole darken but the door not open. A few more seconds; a just torture for the pain he has caused her earlier; then the door finally opens. He quickly notices the tense look on her beautiful face but offers only a small nod in greeting.

"Sorry it's late," Mac tells her softly.

"Its okay, what's going on?"

"I just wanted to say that I uh…can I come in?" Mac asks nervously, a tenant coming down the hall just adding to his already heightened tension. The tenant eyes Mac but keeps going, prompting Stella to give him a small gesture to enter, to which he does.

"You okay?" Mac asks in a quiet tone.

"Yeah fine. You?"

"Right. Well I just wanted to say that I uh…that I'm sorry for being so harsh in public."

"We always fight behind closed doors…well the few times that we have," Stella mutters with a note of anger in her tone.

"So that we always maintain respect for each other especially in front of the team," Mac concludes in remorse. "And I failed that code of conduct."

"I guess we were both caught off guard today," Stella mentions in a gentler tone, prompting Mac to look up and offer a small smile and nod.

"I'm sorry," Mac humbly admits.

Stella hovers under the remorseful gaze that is now being displayed in her warm sapphire eyes and feels her heart starting to soften. The look of sorrow his handsome face was displaying was also adding to her overall emotion; how could she stay mad at him when he was the one now looking so vulnerable? She can't, she knows that; she cares just as much as he.

"I'm sorry too," she also admits, her warm smile growing; this time putting him a little more at ease.

"Okay I guess then…" Mac starts only to have Stella's hand quickly reach out and touch his arm, forcing him to turn back instantly.

"Did you eat yet?"

"Not very hungry," Mac confesses in truth.

"Yeah I guess I can understand that. I heard you got ambushed by Lipstone when you got back from talking to Wil's father."

"That woman could take on the world's toughest army and win," Mac smirks.

"I agree. But I have a bit extra and wouldn't mind if you shared."

"Are you sure?" Mac asks in hesitation.

"I am," Stella assures him in haste.

"Stella..."

"It's not a pity request Mac," she retorts and his face softens further.

"You haven't poisoned it have you?"

"Ohhh shoulda thought of that," Stella smirks. "Promise, you will walk out of here in tact."

"Okay," Mac agrees as he slowly starts to unbutton his coat, remove it and then his suit jacket. He follows her into the kitchen but doesn't say much; still wondering if he had perhaps pushed her past a personal boundary from which there was no return. Would it always be tense now between them? Silent seconds turn into tormented minutes and both soon start to wonder.

"I hate this tension between us," Stella mentions, her back still to Mac as she works on their dinner.

"I know it was a tough case for you Stella; I know anything involving minors is always tough."

"Over privileged children really to bug me but Jordan got what she deserved and I feel no remorse for her. Her father gave her everything. Damn she should have been happy to have such a generous and caring…father," her voice dies out.

Mac takes a hesitant step closer, his hand coming to rest on her shoulder. "Maybe it was an oversight on my part to have you…"

"No," Stella brushes off his hand as she turns to face him. "That's just it. You shouldn't have pulled me from the case I need to learn to keep my emotions in check, especially with these kinds of cases."

"You are only human Stella," Mac quips, forcing a small smile to form on her lips.

"So I figured," she huffs as she turns back. "I'm sorry I let you down."

"Stella you are one of the best and have damn good instincts. You took a hit, got back up and caught our killer, how did you let me down?"

"I don't have to remind you of my stellar track record when it comes to complaints," she groans.

Mac moves in a bit closer, eyeing the poor vegetable in her hands that was now bearing the brunt of her anger and frustration. Without saying a word, Mac's fingers gently push hers to the side and takes over; skillfully cutting up the rest of the carrot and placing it into the nearby bowl.

"Thanks," Stella offers weakly.

"I'm not mad at you or disappointed in any way. IAB's job is to hate us all in a professional way," Mac tells her, his eyes still kept down as he works on the second carrot. But as soon as her fingers come to rest on his, he stops and looks up; his hand making no attempt to brush hers off, and his mind now delighting in the warmth her nearness was creating.

"You were mad earlier."

"I should have known better," Mac huffs.

"I guess you are only human too."

"Is there any hope for us?" Mac inquires, not realizing the double meaning of the question he was asking. In fact it wasn't until Stella arches a brow and his face warms does he realize what he's mentioned and tries to clear his throat. "So…" he starts only to have her lean in closer and his words stop.

"Is there hope for us?" She then counters and pulls back, her face displaying a soft smile.

"There is," Mac mentions quietly and then he too pulls back; allowing her to finish what she had initially started.

"Good," she whispers as she leans in and kisses him on the cheek, forcing his face to flame and his core to sear. Before she can pull back, his hand rests on her arm and holds her in place, their eyes locked in a heated showdown of newfound understanding.

"Good," he whispers in return as his flesh continues to burn hers, the heat between them growing. He leans in, his heart rate about to skyrocket as his lips near her fragrant skin. For a few blissful seconds his lips brush her cheek and the rest of her face enflames; it was a start, the start of something new and wonderful. He pulls back with a soft smile. "Good," is all he can repeat, his mind a mush of melting passion and racing emotion. He didn't think; he had just acted, and it was the right act. Something to build on.

Even a small emotional confession or romantic gesture from Mac was enough to send her mind into a tizzy and her core to tighten further. But the kiss? Even a small one for a few seconds forced her brain to acknowledge that there was hope for them. They had been giving off chemical sparks practically since they had started working together but for Mac to even entertain something more than mere friendship meant that her feelings inside could be justified.

The longer she continues to stare at the handsome man before her, the more her mind shows her just pulling him into her arms and devouring his temping lips a little more. However, not wanting to push the romantic boundaries too far just yet, she decides to throw him a lifeline; praying that maybe tomorrow things would be back to normal and they could then start working on something new. A growing relationship; that searing kiss would come, it would be worth waiting for.

"But you know I didn't mind some of those designer knockoff bags," Stella breaks the silence; noticing it was the right thing because Mac's face immediately softened and he seemed to settle his frame from it's original tension-filled stance.

"Yeah which ones did you like the best?"

"Want to spend five bucks on your best friend?" Stella teases, the tension ebbing faster than expected.

"How about ten?"

"Big spender," she smiles; tension gone.

"Any color you liked best?"

"Well actually..."

And that was it; the evening was set. The kiss was the hurdle they needed to get past and they had done it in the face of a heated battle that at the onset was promising no winners - certainly not the victory spoils that were now being cemented into memory.

Mac looks at his partner and smiles; she was a marvel to say the least. Human and flawed just like him; just like the rest, but resilient and able to bounce back to her old self with just a few words and some tender gestures. Was there hope for them? There was; both of them had readily acknowledged that. A hope beyond the boundaries of a solid friendship? The kiss and non verbal understanding told them both that there was and it was worth taking a risk on. And while tomorrow would be a brand new start for them both with a brand new understanding between them, right now he was just going to enjoy the moment with her.

THE END!

A/N: Okay so yes am very rusty at these so it's not as long as some but still hope you liked it. Please review as it'll really encourage Alice and let us know if you'd like a few more.

PS: Smackies – I just updated NY Stories II and I really hope you are enjoying our smacked in there just as much. Please review if you haven't gotten a chance. Thanks