Summary: When a close friend of Stella's moves to the city to start her new job as a kindergarten teacher, she tries to welcome her into her group of friends from the lab. By complete accident, she manages to set off a spark between her friend and her partner, Mac. Please R&R!

Disclaimer: I don't own CSI:NY or its characters. I only own my OCs.

A/N: I would really like to know what you all think of this so far. I really hope you're enjoying it. Thanks for reading and following so far! Happy reading!

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An Accidental Spark

Chapter Three: Duty Calls

Kate and Mac were the talk of the lab, unbeknownst to Mac of course.

If he knew they were being talked about he'd feel extremely uncomfortable, and Stella knew that those feelings of discomfort could cause him to cancel on Kate. Being the one member of the team closest to both Mac and Kate, Stella was given the responsibility of finding out the ins and outs of the developments of their relationship by the others. After her chat with Kate, Stella had to ask Mac how it went, and she had to know if he'd reveal he was taking Kate out to dinner.

She chose her moment at a crime scene. The body of a young woman had been found near Central Park with several stab wounds, so the CSI team went on the hunt for any evidence of a weapon as well as collecting evidence from the scene. This led to the two having some space away from the others, so Stella took her chance. When the conversation died down, Stella seized the opportunity.

"So...How was Thursday?"

Mac looked up at his colleague, trying to decipher the tiny quirk of her mouth as she asked him that question. If he was honest with her, which he wouldn't be totally, Thursday had been amazing. Thursday had made him feel alive and free again. Thursday was wonderful.

"It was...nice..."

That was all Mac could manage. Stella knew not to push him about it, so she took that answer to mean he enjoyed it, and she took a deep breath, trying to find the best way to ask him if he was taking Kate out.

"Good." She began, "You gonna see her again?"

Mac gave her the smallest smile and nodded, moving back towards his team like they were a comfort blanket. Little did he know that they were trying to get every little bit of information possible about his new friendship-stroke-relationship with Stella's friend. If he'd have known he wouldn't be saying as much as he was.

"Yes...I've invited her out to dinner on Saturday." He began, "And before you say a word, she said yes."

Stella grinned at him and patted his shoulder, watching his cheeks flush a deep red colour. As Danny called them over to some bushes near the victim's body, Mac could barely clear his mind of thoughts of Kate. He didn't know whether that was a good thing or not, but strangely, for once, he didn't feel guilty about what he felt.

He let out a half smile and bowed his head so no-one would see. He knew then and there that he was in trouble.


"What colour scheme are you planning on?" Stella asked Kate as the pair set off on their mission to get Kate kitted out with something new for her date with Mac.

Kate almost choked on the coffee she was drinking as she gazed at her friend with wide-eyes. She laughed nervously and cleared her throat as she went to speak again, finding herself coughing a little more before she could say anything.

"C-colour scheme?" She stammered, "I didn't realise I needed to plan a colour scheme..."

"Well, you need to match don't you?" Stella replied, "Have you decided on any particular colour you want to wear? You always look good in blues, pinks and purples."

"Isn't this a little excessive for a meal between two friends?" Kate asked as panic began to settle itself in her gut.

"Kate...How can you not see it?" Stella breathed with a frown, "This is your first real date with Mac."

"You really think it's a date?" Kate murmured nervously, earning a nod from her friend and a kind smile, "Maybe blue..."

"A smart-casual dress or dress pants and a nice shirt should do it." Stella chuckled, "Don't worry."

Heading into the first store, the girls headed first for the dresses, finding nothing really that was suitable. It was all too formal or more suited to going to a nightclub rather than going out to dinner. Kate felt some of her hope beginning to drain away. Stella dragged her over to the tops and pants, and Kate found a nice baby blue short-sleeved top that would look nice with a pair of grey dress pants. Biting her lip, she looked up at Stella and smiled sheepishly.

"Let's stick to dresses..."

Around an hour later, Kate stepped out of a dressing room in a dusky blue short sleeved dress with a floaty, knee-length skirt and a darker blue waistband. Stella looked stunned, and with a flush of embarrassment, Kate moved to go back into the cubicle to change and put the dress back.

"Kate, that dress is perfect..." Stella breathed, "That's the one."

"Really?" Kate asked with a soft smile, looking down at herself.

"You look beautiful." Stella reassured her, "You need to get this. He'll adore you in it."

"Good." Kate whispered, looking at her reflection in the mirror.

"The most important thing is how you feel in it, though." Stella said knowingly, "You feel good wearing it?"

Kate nodded and smiled softly as she looked at reflection. She felt wonderful in it. She felt beautiful. She thought she looked good, for once. Kate's self esteem was so low that sometimes she couldn't bear to look in the mirror at herself because she felt sick. And to everyone else that was so silly, but to Kate it was deadly serious. She hated herself.

"This is the one." She beamed, "I have white shoes and a white clutch bag I can put with it."

Stella grinned as Kate closed the curtain to change back into her other clothes, and she thought of the expression on Mac's face when Kate would show up in that dress. She imagined him having hearts for eyes like cartoon characters do when they fall in love and couldn't fight the giggle that escaped her lips.

She and Kate were due to go for lunch together following this shopping escapade, and Stella wanted to talk with Kate about Mac and their job, just because she wanted her friend to know what she was getting into. The thing about working for the crime lab was that you could get called in at any time for anything. Kate deserved a really good relationship, and Stella had no doubts that Mac could give her that, but she just worried about the fact that Kate had an abandonment fear, and that she wouldn't have the stability she needed.


"I think I must be living solely on pizza..." Kate muttered as she took a bite of her slice of margherita pizza.

"Listen, Kate..." Stella began, "I'm thrilled that you and Mac are getting along so well...I just want you to know that Mac is in a job that requires him to go at the drop of a hat...He could have to leave you at any time if he gets the call."

"I know." Kate mumbled, "It'll take some getting used to if things should get to that stage...I understand that he has to work whenever, though."

Stella nodded, watching the sadness cross Kate's face as she bowed her head. So, the older woman reached and touched Kate's hand gently, squeezing it reassuringly. She could tell that Kate was doubting herself. She was over thinking things, and Stella felt guilty for planting worries in her head.

"Mac will make time for you." She assured her, "He'll do his best. You're worth making the time for, no matter what you might think of yourself. Okay?"

Kate nodded and returned to eating her lunch, leaving Stella feeling relieved that at least Kate was trying to take in what she was saying. Mac had no idea that Kate's self worth and self esteem were so low. Stella wasn't about to tell him, either. It wasn't really her place.

While trying to control her fears about Saturday night, Kate did her best to push negative thoughts away and find the positives. If she wanted this to work out and to progress into something more than just dinner, she needed to be positive.


As Kate opened her door to Mac, she said her hello to him quickly before grabbing her clutch bag from the coffee table, turning back to see him looking rather shocked.

"You look..." He began, eyes tracing her whole body, "You look beautiful..."

Kate smiled shyly and mumbled quiet words of thanks as the pair stepped out into the hallway. Mac looked handsome in his green dress shirt and black suit jacket. He looked handsome in anything he wore, so Kate decided to return the compliment he'd given her.

"You look handsome." She smiled, "As usual."

Mac actually felt his cheeks burn up as she said that to him, and as she locked her door he tried to will it away before she noticed. When she looked back at him he felt slightly awkward, but decided to extend his arm to her which she linked with her own, her hand patting his softly. She switched hands so her clutch bag was in the hand she'd patted Mac's with, and the pair set off walking.

"So...Where are you taking me?" Kate asked, shivering slightly as the colder night air hit her body.

"It's a surprise." Mac told her, moving to take his jacket off, "Here..."

"Oh...No, it's okay." Kate smiled, "I'll get used to it. Thank you, though."

"Are you sure?" The detective asked her, noticing the goosebumps on her arms.

"Is the restaurant far?" She asked him, earning a shake of the head.

"No."

"I'll be fine then." She said quietly, "How was work?"

Mac let out a soft huff at the question. Work had been tough, but nothing they couldn't handle. They were still running through some of the findings from the crime scene, but they had a pretty good idea who'd killed the girl.

"It was productive." He said with a smirk, causing the young woman to giggle, "How was your day?"

"Oh...Productive too." She told him, "Planned my classes up until Christmas with room for adjustments."

"That's great. Better to do it in advance." Mac said with a smile, "Will you keep planning until the summer so it's out of the way...? Or will you have to wait?"

"I could, but the staff have meetings every week to discuss new discipline strategies and new curriculum topics...So, if I plan it all I'll probably have to change it by the end. It's not worth the trouble."

Mac nodded and linked arms with her again, smiling a little as she leaned on him slightly as they walked. Kate wanted to ask if Mac if he was on call but she didn't want to seem rude or cloud the evening with an atmosphere. She hoped he wouldn't have to leave her but she had a feeling in her stomach that he'd get called in.

After arriving at the restaurant, the two got set at a table and were happily chatting away, talking about their college years and Mac's years in the Marines. They even managed to get through their starter without a hitch, apart from Kate almost choking on her wine at a funny story Mac told her. But before they could order their main course, Mac's cell phone rang. The detective met eyes with his date and grimaced, letting out a sigh which replaced the curse he wanted to spit out because of the interruption.

"What is it, Flack?" He said as he answered the phone, rolling his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose, "Of course...Give me twenty minutes."

He looked up at Kate as he hung up and saw the sadness rippling over her face. He hated it that he had to leave her, but he didn't have much choice. He thought he saw her eyes sparkle, and not because of the candlelight from their table, so he immediately felt anxious. He asked for the bill so he could at least pay for the meal, and he carefully reached out and touched Kate's hand, causing her to startle. The limb was soft, yet cold, and he felt it tense as he touched it which caused his chest to constrict. He knew she was upset.

"I'm sorry." He said quietly, "I promise I'll take you out again. I'll make this up to you."

"I understand." Kate said in an almost whisper, taking a drink of wine to stop the tears flowing, "It's your job, Mac. It's okay."

"It isn't okay." Mac told her, "I'll make it up to you."

He paid the bill and as the pair left the restaurant, Kate hailed a cab. The lab was only a couple of blocks away so Mac decided to walk it, but he wanted to make sure Kate was safe in the taxi before he went anywhere.

"Can I call you tomorrow?" He asked her, earning a weak smile and a nod in return before he leaned down to gently kiss her cheek, "Let me know you're home safe."

He'd surprised both Kate and himself by kissing her cheek like that. He wasn't one for contact, and hadn't really ever been the hug and kisses type, especially since Claire passed away.

"Thank you, I will." Kate replied, squeezing his hand gently, "Thanks for tonight."

"Sorry it was cut short." Mac told her as she went to get into the back of the cab.

He closed the door for her and watched the taxi drive away before turning on his heel and heading towards the lab. He was so disappointed that their date had been spoiled. He knew Kate had been excited for the date. He also knew that he had to make sure next time someone could cover for him so he wouldn't have to leave her like that again.

Arriving at the lab, Mac checked his phone to see a message from Kate telling him she was home safe. She also told him she was looking forward to his call the next day and she'd said goodnight to him. There was even a kiss on the text. Mac smiled to himself.

Maybe things hadn't ended so badly after all.

-TBC-


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