Disclaimer: I do not own them, just borrowing them or previous events for a while to have some fun.

AN: For anyone reading Chain of Custody (Chapter 6) this was what happened at the Mayor's party the year before. If you're not reading CoC this can be read as a stand-alone.

Lily this is for you as you wanted to know what happened and thank you for the read through and suggestions.

Gracie Mansion

Stella looked around, it wasn't the first of these political parties she had attended, and just like Mac she hated them. All the wheeling and dealing the politicians and businessmen thought they could do made her sick just to be in the vicinity. She would rather be anywhere else with more congenial company talking about real things than buttering up the next person of the mayor's choosing, in the hope of being given a crumb of a donation to support the city's finances and ultimately to keep the lab running.

She had been there for about 40 minutes and so far there had been sign of her supposed escort since the moment they had arrived, he had been whisked away to meet some VIP. She could imagine how thrilled he was by that prospect. However she was an independent woman, she didn't need to be told what to do, she just hoped that she could pace herself with all the free drink around. It was her first real night off in weeks and she had already downed one large glass of wine which was beginning to go to her head.

She looked around again and still there was no sign of the man she had arrived with causing her to give an exasperated sigh.

"You had better still be here Mac, if you've found some magic crime scene to go to you're a dead man," she muttered as she made her way through the empty garden, another glass of wine appearing in her hand from an efficient waiter as she stepped outside.

---

Mac was becoming increasingly frustrated as he tried politely to excuse himself from the mundane discussion he had inadvertently become embroiled in. He was all for greener fuels or something, but he would be quite happy for someone to do it and tell him after , rather than listen to every detail of how they planned to save the world. He studied several dark haired women, however none of them were the one he was looking for. He felt a little guilty, after all she had agreed to come to support the lab and he'd barely seen her since they arrived. They should be circulating together, talking to the right people, seeking additional funding for the new technology on the horizon which would enable them to do their jobs better.

Finally he was able to break away on the pretext of using the men's room, although he thought for a moment that his talkative companion might insist on accompanying him in order to continue his oration. Mac heaved a sigh of relief when, along the way, the bar became a more attractive option, leaving him to his quest to find Stella and apologise. He wondered if they had stayed an acceptable length of time and if when he found her they could gracefully make their escape.

Stepping outside for some air he wondered if somehow she had been called away, but he was certain that she wouldn't have left without letting him know, or at least sending him a text, and she had done neither. He pulled his phone from his pocket and checked it again just to be sure, but there were still no messages. He took a sip from the glass he carried, praising one thing about the Mayor's party; he did serve a rather good whiskey. As he stood on the verandah looking out over the garden he caught sight of the fountain ....

----

Stella swallowed the last of her third glass of wine then inhaled deeply, enjoying the scent from the early summer flowers that wafted around her She had escaped the boring bureaucrats inside and was enjoying herself in the peaceful gardens. Having been out once in her search for Mac she had ventured back inside, claimed that third glass of wine and seen a few people she knew, but the attraction of the gardens had drawn her once again outside. Mac was still proving elusive and as it had now been almost two hours since they arrived, she hoped he would find her soon so that they could leave. They could stop for dinner somewhere on their way home and compare notes about all the boring people they had met. No doubt they would also have a laugh about a few of them too. The guy with the deal to produce green fuel for instance; fortunately she had been able to extract herself from his lecherous looks pretty quickly when she saw a friend from the DA's office across the room.

Realising she had wandered across the lawn to the fountain at the end of the garden, she circled around trailing her fingers in the cool water as she consumed her wine, each mouthful feeding her bloodstream. She hadn't eaten much all day and wine on an empty stomach was a bad idea, but it was a bad idea for them to have to be here in the first place. She let the water run through her fingers as the evening light seemed to reflect back at her. It had been a warm day and although night was drawing in it was still rather stuffy and the water looked so inviting. What harm could it do if she sat on the edge and dangled her feet for a while? Hopefully Mac would show up soon and they could get out of there.

----

Mac wandered across the lawn, drawn by the giggles and splashes he could hear from the other side of the fountain, the side hidden from the house by the giant statue in the centre. For the first time that evening a smile graced his lips. He had a good idea what was happening, sometimes his partner was just too predictable. Rounding the structure his grin widened, she was standing in the water, waving her shoes around her head as she appeared to dance in the water, all while singing to herself.

"Stella, are you sure that's a good idea?" he asked clearly amused at the sight before him.

"Ah Mac, don't be an old fuddy-duddy, come on in the water's lovely. Wish I'd have brought my bathing suit."

"I'm not sure the Mayor would appreciate you swimming during the party." He answered sombrely, wondering how he could extract her without both of them ending up soaked. She was now wading up and down none too steadily in the knee deep water and he needed a plan.

"Mayor's too busy he won't notice," she scoffed then looked around, wobbling closer to Mac, she put her finger on her lips and smiled. "I know, ... Shhh, don't tell, .... we could always skinny dip," she giggled quietly.

Mac sighed and reached out to take her arm, only to have her pull back and stumble. Thankfully she remained on her feet, but as violently as she went backwards she careered forwards again, her arms sliding around his neck as she fell into him. Seizing the opportunity he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her from the water and sat her on the side, a puddle appearing instantly at her feet from her wet legs.

"I've got a better idea, we're going to get out of here and go get something to eat, you need it to soak up all the alcohol you've consumed," he stated firmly, his eyes darting towards the house, hoping they could escape before anyone saw them.

"I've only had three," she hiccupped then started laughing, "but it feels good." Mac watched as the smile faded and she seemed suddenly deflated, "... I need to feel good, so much has happened, the team's broken Mac, I'm broken and I don't want to be, but I don't know how to fix it," she continued, the alcohol causing her to slur her words a little, earning a sobering look from Mac; he knew what she was referring to, the tragic loss of her long time mentor, discovery of information on her mother, Angell's death and Danny injured in the bar shooting all took their toll. Stella, in her usual way had ignored her own problems and had been the strength holding all of them together, until now; he should have realised that at some point the cracks would appear, it was unfortunate that it had happened where they were.

He tried to reassure her as he wondered how to get her out of the house. "It'll get better, we've had bad times before and come through them, this is no different. The team are all doing better, Danny's at least out of the hospital and IA cleared Flack of any wrong doing over Simon Cade and he's on vacation, things will improve and when we catch those responsible for shooting up the bar we'll all feel a whole lot better."

"It's been nearly a month and we've got nothing." She complained shrugging her shoulders, her shoes almost flying out of her hands, Mac rested his hand on hers and took her shoes.

"That's not true Stella," Mac voiced forcefully, "we've still got each other and I'm not going to let you fall." He answered more softly as he relieved her of her shoes and slipped them back onto her feet, before helping her to stand up and escorting her across the grass. As they approached the verandah Sinclair appeared before them, standing at the top of the steps, a glass in hand and looking rather smart in a suit and tie. Mac sighed, any chance of escaping undetected had just disappeared.

"Detective Taylor, I wondered where you had vanished to, the mayor wishes to introduce us to a few more people." Mac wondered whether the tone in the Chief's voice was an indicator of what he was thinking of the necessity to attend functions like this.

"Normally Chief, I would have no problem, but I'm afraid Stella has been taken ill and I'm going to see that she gets home safely." He caught the hint of a smile on Sinclair's face and waited for the suggestion to palm her off to some unsuspecting cabbie, hoping fervently of course at the same time Stella would remain quiet and not give away the true nature of her ailment. He could feel Sinclair scrutinise them before he spoke again.

"That sounds like a very good idea. I'll make your apologies to the Mayor," he answered, "and I suggest you use the side gate and leave quietly." He added tipping his head towards a secluded gap in the hedge. With a nod of acknowledgement Mac turned himself and Stella around and headed towards the gate.

"What a nice man!" Stella giggled as they reached the exit. "I should thank him sometime and maybe you can tell me how he knows you."

"I don't think that would be a good idea. Just promise me next year when we come you'll behave yourself," Mac commented as he assisted her into the front passenger seat of the department Avalanche.

As he pulled away from Gracie Mansion he glanced at Stella, who appeared to be falling asleep, her head resting against the window, he smiled and shook his head, glad that he hadn't taken advantage of the Mayor's generosity in the alcohol department. Turning his head to concentrate on driving he heard Stella shuffle at his side.

"Thought you'd never get the hint Mac, now you can take me to dinner, .... I've booked us a table at Giovanni's."

Hope you liked this, please let me know what you think.