Disclaimer - Anthony Zuiker in all his genius owns everything.

Paring - Eventual Stella/Mac. Hints of D/L.

Set - Month after Snow Day.

AN - First stand alone Stella/Mac fic! I've been wanting to write one of these for a while, since I always tend to stick with D/L. Also the first time I've written this pairing by myself, and writing them as the centered characters. All in all, this is unfamiliar ground. So bare with me.

Oh and this fic only exists because Brittney dared me to write it. Damn her. :p

Read and Review (:

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Post-it Notes

There was no denying that the Break Room coffee was indeed, horrible but it wasn't bothering Stella as much as it did somedays. She sat on one of the stools, tracing swirls in the sugar she had torn open and spilt onto the table. Even though she was doing it in an absent minded action as her mind was somewhere else. All the sounds around her, lab machines, various footsteps, occasional telephone ringing, all seemed to fade as she sat there.

Then as if someone had pressed play, Sheldon, Lindsay and Danny came in absorbed in conversation, that Stella couldn't quite figure out its subject, not that she was back to the real world as she stared through the glass walls in the direction of Mac's office, which was currently unoccupied by the person she was hoping to see. At first it was just little things, she'd be on the phone, Mac would stop by, she'd say the phone call was important, and he'd say he'd see her later. Over the last month it turned into, lately she hardly saw Mac at all. She'd stop by his office to hand him a case report, or something of that nature. But somehow their shifts were opposite, so she'd just have to leave it on his desk.

Stella watched Lindsay lightly shove Danny for stealing her fruit bar. A small smile peaked at the corner of her mouth, since after the day of the incident day with the drug attempted heist at the lab, everyone saw the change from the two bickering 'friends' - to the care-free couple they were now, not that they didn't have their bickering sessions here and there. Stella remembered talking to Mac about it on the phone as he was packing at his apartment for his sudden trip to London, with Peyton.

"... I see trouble."

"Mac, lighten up. Look how happy they are."

"Hmm."

"You really don't have a romantic bone in your body, do you," she wryly commented.

"As long as—"

"... They keep it out of the lab." Stella finished systematically in a stern voice.

A faint breathing then a chuckle echoed through the phone. Then his voice got a gossip like tone to it. But slightly judgmental. "He came in for Lindsay's shift. Shirt half untucked."

"Mac Taylor. You are worse than a Greek woman at a wedding."

After some shuffling filtered through the phone Stella paused and her brow wrinkled. "What are you doing."

"I haven't packed anything, ever, even after college I threw everything away and bought new things to save myself the trouble."

Stella let out a laugh at his comfortable comment about his habits, it was the side of Mac, the relaxed and more open him that she had the privilege to see, it took years of friendship building on both their parts for it to get there. But still, Stella cherished it. Her voice quietened as she started to, automatically offer to help. "I could come over, help you organize it properly–"

But her voice faded on the words when she winced as she reminded herself, it was different now, it wasn't just her and him, it was her. And Mac and Peyton. After telling him to travel safe she rushed toward hanging up, a sudden feeling of intrusion coming over her, as if there was now a line between them now. Work, sure they could be partners. But as people, this line just kept getting in the way.

And then as she still sat twirling patterns into the sugar she realized she hadn't worked a case with Mac in two months now, sure it wasn't a impossible thing to happen; but since she was as high up and qualified as Mac now, they tended to both go with one of the others, since it evened things out.

Maybe it only got to her because he was her best friend, she had leaned on him when it was only him to lean on. During the HIV ordeal, she had, under the surface, been scared to the core. Mac was the only thing that was there when she felt her self control slipping. And now, it was changing. There were rumors of Mac and Peyton getting married circulating around the lab staff. But as with most rumors, they died down, and changed to the next exciting subject, like the morgue was haunted.

Back in the Break Room, her thoughts faded out of that phone call.

"Stell... Stella."

Blinking, Stella lifted up her head to look at the three who were now focused on her, Danny happily eating Lindsay's fruit bar, Lindsay's curious gaze mixed with underlining concern, Sheldon's questioning tone.

How long have I been sitting here. Shaking her head slightly, stray curls swayed in her face. "Sorry. Not really here today, my mind is miles away," she came to reply as she cleared up the sugar and the coffee mug off the table.

"Sure is, I think I said your name twenty times. I even slipped in Stella Bella, that didn't even grasp your attention." Sheldon replied as he seated himself on one of the stools.

"Just one of those days, I guess," she said, before sending a fleeting glance and faint smile at the three faces looking at her as she vanished out of the doorway.

Danny, Lindsay and Sheldon shared a look.

Fifteen minutes later, with files piled in her arms Stella maneuvered down the long halls, passing only a few people, as it was growing later into the afternoon, and it was a quiet case load that week. Once she arrived outside Mac's office door she wasn't too surprised to find it empty, so with her back she opened the door and headed in, placing the files in the middle of his desk.

With a tired breath she walked around his desk and dropped into his chair. Running her fingers over the range of things that sat on his desk. Her eyes falling onto a yellow post-it note pad. Pouting her lips in thought she reached for a pen and wrote a quick message, then stuck it on the front of the photo frame of Mac and her at the Chief of Police's charity event last christmas. Sliding out of the chair she made her way out, and off to get done what work she had yet to do that day.

You've become invisible, Taylor.

Do I really have to dust you with fluorescent print powder?

TBC