Okay, I had this idea a couple of weeks ago and decided to hold off a little until it was actually December. So have a little smacked Christmas cheer on me.
Disclaimer: I don't own Mac Taylor, boo. I don't own Stella either, but she get's Mac so if you ask me she got the better deal. Dr Adams doesn't belong to me either, he appears with the agreement of AIP.
Dedicated to AIP, for letting me borrow the good doctor, but also for being generally awesome.
Merry Christmas everyone!
I Saw Stella Kissing Santa Claus
Mac Taylor's office was empty.
That fact in itself was nothing unusual, Mac was often absent from his office; out at a scene or in a meeting with the Chief. The trouble was that Stella knew he was doing neither of those things, not right now. It was two hours until the end of shift and there was a pile of papers on his desk which needed seeing to, but Mac was nowhere to be found.
Mac had been edgy the last few days, quiet. Christmas was fast approaching and the holiday season had never been his favourite time of year. She had been thinking of inviting him for a drink, dinner maybe, just something light and informal to take his mind off things and unwind. But when she had gone to ask him he was nowhere to be found.
Deciding she'd catch him later she went back to her office, but when she went looking for him afterwards he was still missing. Her concern growing she called Sid, but Mac was not in the morgue.
Don and Danny hadn't seen him either.
Worried now, she let herself into his office and switched on the computer. Opening up the calendar she scrolled down until she found the day's entry. There was one note.
"Angel of Mercy, 3:30pm, Ward 203, ask for Dr Pendleton."
Stella frowned. Was Mac sick? Was that why he had been so quiet lately?
She thought it had just been the usual holiday blues, but perhaps she was wrong. Maybe there was something really wrong with him.
Stella chewed her lip and leant back in the chair. Should she go over there? It was almost four o'clock now, would he still be there? If Mac was sick she had to know.
Getting up she went back to her office and grabbed the keys to her truck.
Making her way down to the garage her mind was a whirl. She felt sick in the pit of her stomach. As she drove across town she kept going over every conversation she and Mac had had in the last few weeks, analysing his behaviour, how he had looked. Had he seemed ill? She wasn't sure.
Pulling into the hospital parking lot she dumped the truck and dashed through the doors. Looking at a chart in the reception area she found the sign for ward 203 and frowned again. The children's ward? What was Mac doing in the children's ward?
Maybe he wasn't sick after all. She paused. If Mac wasn't ill then could he be visiting someone? Who did Mac know that would be in the children's ward? They hadn't had any cases involving children in the last month or so and she couldn't think of and, apart from Lucy, she couldn't think of any other children that Mac knew well enough to visit in hospital.
Moving more slowly now she took the stairs up to the floor of the ward. There were clouds painted on the walls and rainbows on the ceiling. Someone had put up decorations in green and gold and somewhere down the hall she could hear young voices singing Christmas carols.
She walked over to the desk. A young woman in scrubs smiled at her.
"Can I help you ma'am?"
"Yes, I'm uh, looking for a Doctor Pendleton?"
"That would be me"
Stella turned around and was met by a middle aged woman with honey blonde hair, dressed in white coat. A pair of Christmas tree earrings dangled by the sides of her face.
"Oh, um hi."
She smiled gently.
"Is there something I can do for you?"
"I'm looking for Detective Mac Taylor?"
The doctor's smile widened.
"Of course. Are you a friend of his?"
"I'm his partner, Stella Bonasera."
"Ah yes, Dr Adams mentioned you. Please, come this way."
She beckoned Stella down the corridor and the younger woman followed, now even more confused. This woman knew Doctor Adams. That wasn't terribly strange, they worked at the same hospital. But why would Doctor Adams have mentioned Stella to her? And where was Mac?
"He's just in there"
Breaking out of her reverie Stella nodded and moved towards the open doorway. There was a small crowd if people in front of her, parents of the kids in the playroom before her. Peering over their shoulders she looked in at the scene.
It was a party; a Christmas party for the children in the ward. They were sat around on the floor; kids with broken bones, kids in wheelchairs, kids with tubes in their noses and IV bags trailing behind them on stands, but none of that seemed to matter because it was Christmas, and this was their day. They were sat around, their attention wrapped by one man, a man in a red suit, with bushy white whiskers and little wire-rimmed spectacles.
Stella squinted. Behind those spectacles were a pair of familiar blue eyes.
"Santa, can I sit on your lap?" asked a little girl with a cast on her arm.
"Sure you can honey. Come on, up you come."
Mac picked up the tiny child and cradled her in his lap.
"What's your name?" he asked her.
"Melissa."
"And how old are you Melissa?"
"Six."
Six? Wow, you're a big girl huh? What happened to your arm?"
"I fell'd off my bike. A man hit me with his car."
"Oh no."
"S'okay Santa, mommy says I'll getst a new bike for Christmas."
"Really, well I'll be sure and take note of that."
The little girl pulled herself up in his lap and pressed a kiss to his cheek, on the patch of exposed skin just above the beard.
"Fank you Santa."
"You're welcome Melissa."
He put the kid back down onto the floor once again, reaching behind him for a large red sack.
"Okay, who would like a little present now, just to last them until Christmas?"
An army of voices began shouting. Stella heard Mac laugh and turned away with a smile.
She made her way back towards the exit.
"You're not waiting for him?" asked Dr Pendleton as she passed.
"It's okay, it can wait."
Stella got into the elevator and pressed the button. A plan was forming in her brain; perhaps Mac could get his Christmas present a little early this year.
* * *
Mac was exhausted. He hadn't realised that playing Santa would be so draining. Draining; but fun.
When Doctor Adams had called him earlier in the week, he had been reluctant to take his friend's offer.
"Me, play Santa? Seriously?"
"I was supposed to do it," Dr Adams had told him. "But my mom's sick so I'm flying out there tonight to be with her."
"I'm sorry about your mom. But, isn't there another doctor who could do it?"
Dr Adams had sighed heavily.
"At Christmas? Time off is sacred to them. Besides, I think it would be good for you, get you out of that lab of yours for a while, spread a little good cheer."
It was Mac's turn to sigh.
"I don't know."
"Mac, it's an hour out of your day, is that so bad?"
"I suppose not."
"Besides, it's for the kids."
"Okay, okay, I'll do it."
Dr Adams had given him the time and the ward number and told him to find Dr Pendleton.
"She'll see you're alright," he said.
He had been dreading the event ever since. But when he'd arrived at the hospital and had been shown up to the ward he had felt a little spark of excitement as he saw the kids all arranged in the playroom at the end of the corridor; waiting for their special visitor.
He had been given Dr Pendleton's office to change in; the red suit and false beard already laid out for him. It was one of the expensive suits you see on uptown department store Santas. He hated to think how much it must have cost the hospital to rent the thing.
It was hot inside the costume, the fake beard itched and the wire spectacles pinched his nose, but he certainly looked the part. The kids seemed to enjoy it which was the point.
As he handed around toys and consoled with kids in wheelchairs he felt a warmth grow inside of him that had nothing to do with the suit. Dr Adams had been right, this was good for him; listening to children laugh and chatter and sing, getting involved, allowing himself to be infected with their joy.
When the party was finished he was reluctant to take off his costume. He had had more fun in the last hour or so than he had done in quite some time.
"Why don't I take this to be dry-cleaned, save you the expense?" he suggested to an amused Dr Pendleton.
"Sure. That would be really sweet of you. Just bring it back when you have time."
"Okay."
He grabbed his own clothes from the chair where he had left them, pulling his overcoat on on top of the Santa suit, blushing as the doctor raised a fine eyebrow at him.
"I uh, I'm in kind of a hurry," he lied.
She smiled kindly and patted his arm.
"See you later Santa, we appreciate the visit."
"My pleasure."
He didn't see her dial Dr Adams mobile on her office phone as he left.
"Michelle? How did it go?"
"You were right, he had fun."
"Good."
"She turned up too."
"She did?"
"Yup. Didn't stay, but I see what you mean."
"I told you so."
"Merry Christmas Ben."
"Merry Christmas Michelle, kiss your kids for me."
* * *
It was too late to go back to the lab so Mac headed home.
Pulling up to his apartment block he jumped out of the truck, his normal clothes bundled under his arm.
"Hey there."
He turned around at the sound of the familiar voice.
"Stella?" he said with surprise. "What are you doing here?"
She was leaning against the wall of his building, her own overcoat buttoned up against the chill.
"I missed you this afternoon," she said simply.
Mac blushed.
"Yeah, uh, sorry. I had a thing, I had to…"
"You know you're still wearing the suit right?" she asked, cutting him off.
His eyes widened. Of course he knew he was still wearing the Santa Claus costume, he had just been hoping that Stella wouldn't notice. But not only had she seen she also seemed to know what he had been doing all afternoon.
"I uh, uh," he stammered.
"Mac it's okay," she told him soothingly. "Actually, it's kind of sweet."
"You know?" he spluttered finally. "You saw?"
"I hid at the back for a while."
"But how did,"
"I saw the note in your calendar and I was worried," she said, her smile disappearing for a moment. "You really had me scared for a while Mac, I thought there was something wrong with you."
He blushed again.
"Sorry. I just didn't want it getting around the lab. It was just a favour for Dr Adams."
Stella laughed.
"How did I just know he would have something to do with this?" she said.
They stood in silence for a minute, just looking at each other.
Mac noticed that Stella's legs were on show beneath the edge of her coat. Was she wearing a skirt under there? Had she been wearing one earlier that day? Surely not, he would have noticed. Stella had great legs but she rarely showed them off; only on special occasions.
Sometimes, late at night, he would conjure up an image of his partner in one of those little black dresses she wore to parties: long, tanned legs going on forever, black fabric hugging her curves. Oh he had it bad alright.
He blinked, realising that Stella had said something. He had been far too busy staring at her legs.
"Sorry, what?"
"I said it's cold out here," she repeated, smiling at him from the corner of her mouth.
"Oh, yeah. Um, do you want to come up? I'll make us some coffee."
"Coffee sounds good," she said, allowing him to hold the door open for her.
They rode up in the elevator in silence, Mac's mind still trying to rid itself of images of Stella in revealing dresses. Beside him Stella nibbled on her lower lip, worried that, now she was here, she might not have the guts to pull off her surprise.
They entered Mac's apartment and he moved to take her coat.
"Actually, I think I'll keep it on for a while," she said quickly, gripping the lapels tightly.
"Oh, okay," he said, confused. "Grab a seat and I'll put the coffee on."
He made his way to the kitchen and started pottering about, switching the machine on, getting mugs ready.
In the living room Stella perched gingerly on the arm of the couch.
"Come on Stella," she muttered to herself, "you can do this. You've been dancing around this for months now."
Of course, it was more like years. If she was honest she'd always had a thing for Mac Taylor. When he was married she had simply accepted the fact and learned to suppress her attraction to him, appreciating their relationship for what it was, that of good friends and colleagues. For a long time she had thought that was all there ever would be between them, but things had changed.
It wasn't just Claire's death; it was a whole bunch of things, big and little. It was their row over the horse, the way he blushed when she removed his tie. It was the time the medic had ripped his shirt off in front of her and she had seen his scar, the way he had been there for her after Frankie and the AIDS scare and the fire, the way he smiled when she talked him into going for a drink after work. Their trip to Greece had solidified things for her but it was still difficult. A small part of her still worried that the reason nothing had ever happened between them was because he didn't want anything to happen.
"Stella?"
She jumped.
Mac was standing in front of her, holding out a mug, a look of concern on his face.
"Are you okay?" he asked gently.
"No," she said with a gasp. "I'm sorry Mac, I have to go."
She jumped up and made a line for the door but he caught her arm.
"Stella, wait," he said. "What is it? What's wrong?"
"Nothing," she insisted. "Nothing, I just… I shouldn't have come. It doesn't matter."
Frowning he put the coffee down on the nearby table.
"Stella, talk to me," he pleaded. "What is it?"
He caught hold of her other arm as well, holding her close so she couldn't run away.
Stella's heart was hammering in her chest. He was only a few inches away, she could feel is breath on her cheek, could feel the heat from his body.
She gave in.
Leaning into him she allowed her lips to graze his briefly before pulling back.
"It's that," she said, very quietly. "Just that."
Mac let out a long breath.
"Oh," he whispered.
And then, much to her surprise, he leant forward and kissed her again. His hands let go of her arms so that they could wind around her waist.
Stella's own arms wrapped around his neck as the gap between them disappeared, both of them lost in the kiss.
When they broke apart he rested his forehead against hers.
"Now will you stay and have some coffee?" he asked and she laughed.
"I think you might have convinced me," she said.
Grinning, he pulled her back over to the couch, allowing her to nestle into his side, one arm still wrapped around her.
They drank their coffee between more soft kisses until eventually Mac pulled away and frowned at her.
"Why won't you take that coat off?" he asked.
It was Stella's turn to blush.
"Oh," she murmured. "I uh, well, it was going to be a surprise but then I kind of chickened out."
"And now?" he asked, placing a tender kiss just below her ear.
"Only if you promise not to laugh," she said and he smiled at her.
"I wouldn't dare."
Wriggling out of his embrace she stood up and turned her back, fumbling with her buttons until eventually her coat was undone. Then she turned back around, dropping it to the floor as she did so.
Mac's eyes went wider than she'd ever seen them.
She shifted nervously.
"I uh, I figured Santa could use a little TLC," she said.
She was dressed in a sexy Mrs Santa outfit; a strapless red dress with white furry trimming and a black belt. It was the shortest dress Mac had ever seen.
"There's a hat too," she rambled, "but I figured that might give the game away. Do you um, like it?"
"Stella." It was more of a groan than anything else and her smile automatically brightened.
She gave a little wiggle.
"Can I sit in your lap Santa?" she asked sweetly.
"That," he replied huskily, "is the best offer I've had all day," he said, opening his arms to allow her to sit on his lap.
His hand slid up the bare expanse of her thigh and she nibbled on his ear lobe.
"Do I get a present?" she whispered.
"That depends," he murmured in return. "Have you been a good girl?"
"No." Her hand slid down his chest to pass lightly over his groin. "I've been very naughty."
He gave a slight moan at her actions.
"I'm afraid," he gasped, "that naughty girls don't get presents."
"What do naughty girls get then?" she asked.
"Naughty girls get punished," he rasped, grasping her thigh more tightly.
"Mm, in that case, you better get on with it hadn't you."
She kissed him, her soft body pressing into his as he groaned once more, his own body happily betraying his state of arousal to the woman in his lap.
Breaking the kiss he looked up at her with pleading in his eyes.
"Stella, if your plan didn't include us having sex then you have to tell me right now," he said, his voice strained.
Stella laughed lightly.
"You thought I was going to get you all riled up and then tell you to stop?" she asked in disbelief. "Trust me Mac, I want this as much as you do."
"Good."
Without another word he picked her up and carried her through to the bedroom, straddling her and kissing her passionately as his fingers searched for the zipper on her dress.
"Mm, Merry Christmas Santa Claus," Stella panted.
"Merry Christmas Mrs Santa."
Merry Christmas to all and, to all, a good night.