A/N: Still don't own them. This is the continuation of the "angsting/unangsting" of Mac and Stella as Lisa put it. Obvious spoilers for 3x19 "A Daze of Wine and Roaches." Let me know what you think. Reviews = happiness, and I'll try to respond to each one I get!

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Mac glanced at the woman seated beside him in the Avalanche. She had been more subdued around him lately, more reserved and he didn't like it. It was her bubbly nature that made him feel alive. It was her enthusiasm for life that drove him on. He wondered briefly if it had something to do with his relationship with Peyton, but quickly shook his head to dispel the thought. There was no chance that someone like Stella would ever be interested in him like that. They were friends, best friends. No it had to be her nerves and waiting for the test results to come back to know if she had contracted the virus. Mac felt a wave of guilt wash over him. He'd been so wrapped up in his relationship with Peyton that he hadn't been checking on Stella like he had wanted to. Oh she had been putting on a brave front around those that knew of her situation, but she had told him herself that she was struggling with gravity of the situation. As he pulled up to the sidewalk in front of the UN building, he opened his mouth to say something, but Stella was out the door of the truck before he could even think of a word to say. He sighed as he watched her walk towards Don. Mac watched as a small smile tugged at the younger detective's face. He saw him say something to Stella before Don raised his eyes, meeting Mac's gaze as the smile fell from his face before turning around and following her inside.

Confused, Mac shook his head to try and clear his mind of everything but the scene to process. There would be time later to try and sort out the other issues clearly at hand. Grabbing his kit from the backseat, he made his way into the building.

Stella took a deep breath to calm her racing heartbeat as she started processing the scene. She knew Mac had been about to say something to her, and her frazzled nerves weren't ready to deal with him yet. He had been stealing glances at her on the drive over but she just stared out the window, pretending not to notice. Things between them had definitely become more strained. Stella was immensely grateful for Don and Ava and their support through everything. He had become her rock, giving her the strength to get through the day; which is why she jumped at the chance to leave the scene with him. She felt the tension in the atmosphere, and was happy to escape it.

"You doing ok?" Flack asked as they headed out of the building back to his car.

Stella looked over at him, slightly shrugging her shoulders in response. Truthfully she didn't really know how she was feeling and how to put it into words. For now she would focus on the case and worry about everything else later.

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Stella stormed into the locker room, hitting her hand against an open door, slamming it shut with a satisfying bang. Still furious at Mac, she paced back and forth in front of the door to the showers, trying to decide if she had time to cool off under the cold water. He was just so frustrating! Any time she would go to him with a theory in the past he would always tell her the same thing; 'Find the scientific proof to back it up, then you can run with the idea,' but as soon as she found that proof, he still dismissed her. It was like he didn't trust her anymore. She sank down onto the bench, letting her head drop into her hands as she wiped a lone tear that had escaped her clutches. Maybe trying to prove her theory by analyzing tears didn't provide the most compelling case, but the way he had dismissed her hurt.

Taking a deep breath Stella stood and walked over to the sink, splashing the cool water on her face. Feeling slightly more in control, she headed out of the locker room back towards the lab. If concrete evidence was what would satisfy Mac, then that's what she was going to find, no matter how long it took her.

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Stella shook her head, trying to dispel the image of Luther as he was escorted out of the interrogation room in handcuffs. Soon he would be in booking and would await trial for the murder of Simone DeLille. Her suspicions about Evie had been validated when Luther started telling them to look at her. She had manipulated everyone around her, letting them do all the dirty work while she remained safe in the shadows.

Normally after a case like this Stella and Mac would end up at one of their apartments, or maybe a small diner and just decompress. He would sit there; listening patiently while Stella vented her frustrations about the case, a lack of evidence, or whatever it may have been that went wrong with the case. She in turn would buy him Irish coffee. It was what they did; they took care of each other, especially after the hard cases. But as Stella turned the corner, headed for Mac's office, she stopped in her tracks. Peyton was in there, his hand in hers as they headed out of the office. Mac looked up, his eyes connecting with Stella's, an almost guilty look flashed in his eyes at her look of surprise.

"Stella," Peyton said cheerily, "Mac and I were just headed out to grab a bite to eat over at Sullivan's, would you care to join us?"

Stella looked between the two, the eager expression on Peyton's face and the sheepish look on Mac's face. She felt her heart fracture a little more as she pasted on a smile. She couldn't imagine anything more awkward than dinner with the man she loved, and his girlfriend. "I'd love to but I was just heading home. Just wanted to drop these files off on your desk," she finished turning to Mac. They locked eyes again and for a moment Stella feared he could see past her fake smile, that he knew her heart was being ripped apart. She watched as he narrowed his eyes for a moment, not quite buying her overly cheerful demeanor. Stella could see his mind computing all the incoming data, but the process was interrupted when Peyton spoke up, oblivious to the tension between the two detectives.

"Well if you're sure then. We should probably get going Mac, it's already getting late. Have a great night Stella," she called out as she led him toward the elevator. Stella watched the couple get into the elevator, Peyton leaning her head on Mac's shoulder, his eyes rising back to Stella. As the doors shut, Stella felt her heart crumble. Steeling herself to stay strong until she reached the safety of her home, she quickly dropped the files onto Mac's desk and hurried to make her own escape.