Disclaimer: I don't own Mac or Stella. Sigh.

Stella sank into her office chair and let out a sigh. This was the first time in months that she had some downtime and could catch her breath. The stress of moving to a new city and running a lab often left her with little energy at the end of the day. But now she found she wasn't as exhausted as she normally was; maybe it was the drop in humidity. Whatever it was, she was glad she now had the time and motivation to get caught up on a few things. At the top of her list: tidy up her office.

Manila file folders and boxes had become the common décor for her office. She had plans to make it feel more homier but hadn't gotten the chance to do so. So with the remaining time on her shift, she began to sort through her stack of files and papers. Hidden under a mountain of papers was a stack of mail that was a least a week old. She was going to dismiss the letters when one caught her eye. She pulled out a small envelop with the New York crime lab's address in the left hand corner, indicating the return address. Mac's distinct hand writing made her lose all focus on what she was doing to wonder at what the contents of the envelop might be.

Since her move to New Orleans, Stella and Mac had frequently chatted, so it wasn't a surprise to hear from him. However, there was something about having his thoughts captured in time on a piece of paper that made her heart beat faster; she now had a tangible piece of Mac that she could treasure.

She carefully opened the letter, not wanting to rip it in her excitement. As she began to read its contents, she realized the effect that Mac's handwriting had on her, even though he was in another city, another state, hell, another world away. God she missed him.

"Stell,

I find there are many times a day where something reminds me of you or I find myself smiling because I am thinking about you. I thought I'd write those moments and memories down and share them with you but realized it was kinda awkward because-you know me-I am a man of few words. So instead, I'd offer these few words.

Even though you are 1305.96 miles away (blame my attention to detail), you still have an effect on me, daily. I find some little reminder of you and my mood is instantly lifted, a smile displayed on my lips. Or I am chuckling to myself at something you did. Looking at the picture of you and me on my desk causes me to whisper your name. By the way, the cleaning crew is forbidden to even move the picture to dust. So you can only imagine the effect you have on me when I am in your presence. I miss you but I know we share a special bond that allows us to communicate and be in each other's presence even though we are separated.

I know you feel it too. And I will always treasure it.

All my love,

Mac"

Stella spent the next 10 minutes reading and re-reading Mac's words. "I treasure it too, Mac," she thought. She sat back in her chair and looked out the window. It was now dark and the stars were out. That was one thing she loved about New Orleans; you could see more stars than in New York. She thought of all the times she and Mac would gaze up at the stars, unwinding after a tough case. He would often quiz her on the constellations. He told her his favorite was Orion, the Great Hunter, because he always felt he was looking for something. Stella smiled at the memory and got up and wandered over to the window and began searching the sky to see if she could find Orion. After a few minutes, she found the constellation. She turned around and eyed the state of her desk which quickly reminded her of the task she had set out to do nearly 30 minutes ago. But that no longer mattered because all she could think about was Mac.

She made her way to her desk and did tidy it up a bit, only so that she had enough space for her to write a letter. She took out a piece of paper and pen and wrote a reply to the man that had the same effect on her, miles way. Through that special bond, Stella could just sense that Mac was looking at the stars and thinking about her. She smiled as she sealed the envelope and picked up the phone to see if Mac too had spotted Orion.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed this little one shot. Please R & R. Have a great weekend!