Spoilers: Some slight ones for Grounds for Deceptions. Nothing huge though.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, never will. I'm only doing what my heart tells me and right now it's tell me to write this.

"What did you mean earlier?" Stella Bonesara asked the man sitting beside her on the place as it took off down the runway, heading back to New York.

Mac Taylor glanced at her as she squirmed against the seat. He was slightly distracted by the small bump that was now lodged in his back and so had missed what she said. "What?" He asked back, turning his head to stare at her.

Stella chuckled, a soft smile on her face as she listened to the flight attendant go on with their normal spiel. When they were safely in the air she undid her belt, hating the way it was sticking in her side and said again, "Before everything went down. You said something to me. Before you showed me the picture of my mother." She reiterated, her hand moving to her coat, where said picture now lay.

His eyes remained on her face as he shifted once more, now uncomfortable for another reason. "Well, um…" he stalled. Did he really want to say what he meant now in front of everyone, or was he going to tell her in private. "I meant it." He stated instead, his head lowering as he glanced everywhere but at her.

"Okay." She replied nodding at his obvious unnerve. "I meant what I said too Mac. I was wondering though; why did you follow me? You said you'd never leave the States again." She wondered, now full of curiosity.

He leaned back in his seat, his legs cramped at the weirdest position as he turned to face her fully. "I was worried about you Stella. You left without a word. Someone told me they heard glass breaking in your office. I walked by and saw the broken picture frame." He paused, his blue eyes light. "I didn't want you going by yourself." He said honestly, his voice soft, with a hint of unease. He didn't want to accidentally start an argument here of all places.

She nodded slowly, her brain processing the information, digesting his words before turning to look at him full on. "Which is where your statement earlier came from. You know I can take care of myself." She took a breath, placing her hand on his. "Thank you for coming Mac. If you hadn't, things would have been different." She stated softly, so low she wasn't sure he'd hear.

He heard. Turning his hand to lace his fingers with hers he smiled gently "Stella, if anything had happened to you I'd never forgive myself. To know our last words spoken were full of anger." He shook his head, shaking imperceptibly. "I can't loose you Stel…not now, not ever." He said with such passion it stilled her heart.

"Mac…" she murmured, words escaping her as he practically gave himself away. She felt the sudden urge to hug him, to hold him until they both grew faint from the need of oxygen.

Instead she squeezed his hand.

In that instant things changed between them. No longer were they Mac and Stella, crime fighters by day, crime fighters by night. Now they were Mac and Stella, the beginning of something more. Keeping her hand in his, she lay her head on his shoulder, wanting to be close to him. If this was a dream, it was a cruel one she thought as she stopped fighting the need for sleep, closing her eyes. As she fully relaxed as the pressure and stress left her body, she felt his head lay on top of hers; his body relaxing as they both drifted to sleep.

Hours later they were back in his office, sitting down to a cup of coffee. They didn't say anything about the plane ride home, both content to let things go as they should. They joked together over the grounds in Stella's cup and he gave her badge back to her, squeezing her hand gently before letting go. She placed her empty cup back on its saucer and smiled sheepishly at him.

"I don't need coffee grounds to see how lucky I am to have you in my life Mac." She said

tilting her head up at him.

He just smiled shyly and cleared his throat, eliciting another small grin from her as she scooted closer, laying a hand on his shoulder to read his cup. She joked around with him for a few more minutes, chuckling when he shook his head. Glancing up at the clock she pulled away from him, her eyes looking tired.

"Well, I think I'm going to head home now, get some sleep." She said in a calm voice as she stretched a bit.

Mac stood as well, his face serene. He nodded, stepping up to her. On impulse he pulled her into an embrace, his head buried in her shoulder. He felt her tense for a brief second before wrapping her arms around him, pulling him closer as she nestled her face into his chest, breathing in. It was late, no one was around so he pulled away, looking into her eyes. She stared back, a soft smile on her face.

"I really do care for you Stella." He whispered softly to her, his hands moving down to her waist.

She blinked up at him, slightly confused until their previous conversation came back. Smiling a full smile she nodded, "I know Mac. Thank you for saving me." She replied gently, her eyes moistening slightly.

He half smiled before turning serious, never taking his arms off of her. "You saved me." He replied, leaning into her personal space to place a gentle, tentative kiss on her lips before pulling back. "Good night."

"Night."

Holding him tight for an instant she pulled away, her eyes twinkling as she grabbed her coat from the back of his couch and walked towards the door. She turned back, her hand moving to her lips where the memory of his kiss still lingered before turning and walking away.

Mac stood there for a minute, watching her retreating form disappear towards the elevator before turning towards his desk and sitting down. His body felt lighter, as if the one burden on his chest had finally been lifted. Mac smiled before turning his chair around to face the window, watching the stars twinkling above.

It was the start of something new, and this time it would work.

A/N: I hope this wasn't too OOC, I didn't realize how hard it was to get inside their heads lol. This is just something I was thinking about.