Title: How Their Lives Changed

Disclaimer: I do not own CSI:NY it belongs to Anthony Zuiker and CBS.

Author's Note: Sorry for the long delay, but this length of this chapter will hopefully make up for it!

Beta'd by: lily moonlight

Rating: T

Chapter 3: What Happens Next

No sooner had Mac and Stella made the decision that they would face all challenges together, the phone rang...it was the lawyer representing the Myersons. Mac worked out some details with him and gave him the number of his and Stella's lawyer. After that, Mac contacted her to let him know of the new development.

Once Mac and Stella had worked out the first few important things that they needed to do, they turned their attention to how to spend their first night together as a family. After vowing to do more home cooked meals in the future, they had to order take out. It didn't take long to arrive and then during dinner, both Mac and Stella were able to elicit a few cute giggles from Daniela by making funny faces at her.

After dinner was done and no dishes needed to be washed, they both played with Daniela a little while longer before deciding to turn in early so as to get a head start with what needed to be done the next day. As Stella gave Daniela a bath, Mac changed the sheets and got out an extra pillow for their unexpected new daughter.

Due to the fact that they didn't have a child's bed for Daniela, Mac and Stella decided to let her sleep with them, sensing that the little girl longed for comfort. By the time Mac had gotten the pillows fluffed up and ready, Stella came in with Daniela, holding the little girl by the hand who was already yawning and half asleep. Mac lifted her up and carefully they got her into the bed where she was asleep in moments. As quietly as they could, they then got ready themselves; the moment their heads hit the pillow they were in dream land as well.

-x-

The next morning, Mac called in and took the day three days off from work and then he and Stella set to work on all the official business that they had to do. The first thing that they decided on was their future living arrangements. Right now they were living in a one bedroom, one bathroom apartment which worked for just the two of them, but now they had Daniela, they would need some extra space. Since their current lease was almost up they could go now go for the two bedroom apartment the super had told them about and would let them to get first pick should they need it. They phoned him and the deal was soon arranged - they would be allowed to move in when they were ready.

Their first outing was to purchase a car seat for Daniela which they managed to find in a store close from home. Once that was installed, the new family went and met with their lawyer, Vanessa Nielson. Whilst Daniela occupied herself with the toys that were there for entertainment, Mac and Stella worked with their lawyer reading all the documents and paperwork that the Myersons had given them — who and where Daniela's pediatrician was, and where she was attending kindergarten. After doing some quick research on the school and seeing that the tuition was reasonable, they decided it would be best to let her stay at the same school until she had at least finished eighth grade. The last thing was to fill out paperwork stating their intention to adopt Daniela and changing her name to Daniela Myerson-Taylor, once that was done their lawyer assured them that she would take care of all the legal side of things and would only contact them if necessary.

After that was settled, Mac and Stella headed to Geneva School to see if there were any staff members—they were in luck. Not only were there were a few workers but the principal was there as well. Mac and Stella let her know of the situation and filled in more paperwork. With that done, they made an appointment with Daniela's pediatrician and got her an appointment for that afternoon. They then went to lunch, relaxing for a couple of hours and eating leisurely, before they headed towards Daniela's doctor's appointment.

They notified her pediatrician of the situation and filled in more paperwork so that the staff could make the necessary adjustments. Both Mac and Stella were happy to be told that Daniela was developing on schedule and had no physical or medical problems. Their busy day continued after the appointment when they headed towards Brooklyn to get clothes for Daniela and then to the grocery store to make sure their fridge and pantry was stocked and had food that was suitable for her.

After a very exciting day Mac, Stella and Daniela headed home where Mac insisted that Stella take a rest while he made dinner. Although she wouldn't admit it, Stella was worn out and was happy to let Mac do that. He included Daniela and let her help, too, which both of them enjoyed very much. Once dinner was done and dishes had been washed and put away they decided to call it a night because they had to pack up their belonging and prepare to move into their new apartment on the seventh floor. All of them fell asleep immediately, tired out after a busy but happy day.

As soon as they were up and ready the next morning, Mac got a dolly from the super to help him move their stuff and they began packing all their possessions. It was another long and tiring day, but when they were moved into their new, bigger apartment, Mac and Stella looked at each other and at their new daughter fast asleep on a little heap of cushions and knew that they were happy.

-x-

The next morning, Mac made Stella promise that even when he returned to work, she would stay at home for at least a week and would rest and recuperate as much as possible. Under normal circumstances staying home when it was not her day off would cause Stella to go stir crazy, but now she had Daniela and the little girl needed care and attention, not to mention a few more practical things such as a bed, furniture, books and toys, so she agreed. After Mac made plans to meet with Stella and Daniela at Angelo's Pizza for lunch he kissed his family goodbye and received a sweet hug from Daniela.

For the rest of the morning, Stella played with Daniela and taught her some games she had learned from the Sisters whilst she was at St. Basils and then together, she and the little girl ordered toys and books off the internet. Stella then decided to take Daniela out for some fun in the sun. After getting ready and before they headed out Stella made sure she had taken her meds.

At the Hudson River Park at Chelsea Piers, Stella took Daniela to the famous carousel and they rode it twice. During the ride, Stella realised she loved the joyful look on Daniela's face and thought the girl probably didn't have as much fun when she was the Myersons. After that Stella could tell that Daniela was bounding with extra energy so she took Daniela to Pier 84 at the West Village where they could explore the hands on science exhibits together.

Just as they were leaving Chelsea Piers and were heading to Angelo's for lunch, Stella got a text from Mac saying he could not make lunch because of a last minute emergency meeting with Sinclair, and that he sent his regrets to Daniela.

Stella let out a sigh, she knew that Daniela was looking forward to lunch but she had to break it to her. Kneeling down to Daniela's level, she said, "Sweetie, I'm sorry but Mac won't be able to meet us for lunch." Seeing Daniela's disappointment, she added, "But how about we go get lunch and then take some to Mac? I bet he'll be hungry later. What do you say?"

Daniela's face lit up instantly and she nodded enthusiastically. At Angelo's Pizza, Stella got a Calzone while Daniela had a small pizza and they shared a bottle of water. As she and Daniela ate lunch there was one thought that went through Stella's mind, how much she missed Professor P. She knew that Professor P. would have loved his honorary granddaughter and how much Daniela would have loved her grandfather. True, she was glad that whole incident in Greece had occurred before Daniela came into their lives, because the thought of Tasso, Kolovos or Diakos hurting the little girl would be too much to bear.

Stella was lost in thought when she felt a tug on her sleeve. Looking down at Daniela, she smiled when she saw cheese sauce smeared around the little girl's mouth and wiped it away with a napkin. After Stella had done that, she was faced with a serious question from Daniela.

"Stella, may I call you and Mac mommy and daddy?"

When Stella heard the little girl's request, her heart melted: she knew what it was like to not to be able to have parents. So she leaned in and gave the little girl a hug.

"Yes, yes you can Daniela. And I want you to know that Daddy and I love you very much."

Feeling Daniela's arms around her and hearing her say, "I love you, mommy." genuinely made her day.

Once they got to the lab, and Stella had gotten Daniela signed in and wearing a visitor's badge, they headed up to the 35th floor with the large calzone they had got for Mac. He wasn't back yet, so they went to his office and sat on the couch and waited, Stella keeping Daniela occupied with some story books and games she had brought with her. As soon as Mac arrived, Daniela leapt off the couch and exclaimed, "Daddy!"

Mac was a bit confused at first at who was calling him daddy then quickly realized it was Daniela and when he saw her he opened his arms wide and she jumped right in and buried her head in Mac's neck. The sight in front of her made Stella grin widely—she loved how close Daniela was with Mac already. Soon the three of them were sitting on the couch and while Mac was eating both he and Stella were listening to and enjoying Daniela's chatter about her morning. At the same time, Mac realized that their team would have to know sooner or later, and better sooner than later.

Mac looked at Stella and she immediately got what he was thinking and nodded. Getting out his phone, Mac paged each one of the team, including Sid to have them to come to his office pronto.

-x-

Lindsay was hard at work when she heard her phone beep and saw that it was from Mac. Immediately, it made her wonder what was going on. After meeting up with Danny (who had Lucy strapped to him) along with Hawkes and Adam, they walked to Mac's office in a group. When they saw that Sid was there as well, their curiosity was really piqued and it grew exponentially when they all saw an adorable little girl with their bosses. Before going in Lindsay asked no one in particular, "What do you think is going on, you guys?"

They all shook their heads because they were just as clueless about the situation as Lindsay was. Lindsay also realized that Don was not present but then remembered that one, it was his day off and two, Mac was still probably mad at him for what had happened to Stella. When they stepped in and sat down where they could find seating. Stella began.

"Okay, everyone, I know you're all wondering what on earth is going on. Hawkes, do you remember the autopsy you performed on Sandra Lopez four years ago?"

Stella saw Hawkes think hard and then remember as he was nodding before she continued. "Well this little girl in Mac's arms is Daniela Myerson who was a baby and Sandra's charge at the time. Now it seems her formerly wealthy parents, Roland and Raquel Myerson, are bankrupt and have signed their parental rights over to us."

Mac continued. "All paperwork has been put forward and we will be adopting Daniela officially. Now that you guys have a basic explanation, Stella and I would like you to formally meet the newest member of the Taylor family - Lindsay, Danny, Adam, Sheldon, and Sid this is Daniela." He then turned to look at the little girl who was staring at everyone with huge eyes. "Sweetie, I would like you to meet your Aunt Lindsay, Uncles Danny, Adam, had Sheldon, and Grandpa Sid."

Daniela was now feeling shy again as she buried her head in Mac's neck, but Stella smiled and gave the little girl a gentle back rub. "It's okay sweetie, can you say hi?"

Reassured by Stella's gentle voice, Daniela lifted her head and looked at the new group of people and with a shy smile waved at them causing the team to smile and aww.

After the initial shock slowly wore off, each member of the team took their turn and chatted with little girl who began to warm up to everyone, including 'Grandpa Sid'. Right then, baby Lucy stirred and began gurgling which got Daniela's attention and she inquired, "Baby?"

Danny, who smiled, crouched down to Daniela's height. "Yes, this is baby Lucy. You want to give her a little kiss?"

Daniela looked at Stella and Mac for approval and when she got it she did it gently. Right now she seemed to be amazed at how quickly her family had grown, and she had not even met her Grandma Millie yet.

As the crew continued to talk and get know the newest family member of the team, Mac got a call from the Deputy Commissioner requesting a meeting with him. Mac of course groaned: he would have preferred to spend more time with Daniela, but knew that when duty called, he had to answer.

Once everyone had gone back to work, Mac walked with Stella and Daniela to the car and gave them a ride to the furniture store that was en route to 1 Police Plaza.

Stella and Daniela had been at the furniture store for about a half an hour and had picked out the dresser and the bed that Daniela wanted and was also perfect for her height. Once the purchase had been made and the store had promised to deliver in three days, they left and were on their way to catch a cab home, as Stella was starting to feel weary, as was the little girl. Just outside the store, Stella heard a distinctive male voice calling out, "Hey, Stella!"

Holding Daniela's hand tightly, Stella turned and saw Flack heading towards them.

When he reached them he gave Stella a friendly hug but quickly pulled back looking embarrassed and said. "It's good to see you, Stella and I'm glad to see you up and about. I see that Greek spirit hasn't been affected at all and I am profusely sorry for what happened and…"

"…and I forgive you for what happened, Don."

Don had opened his mouth to continue, but closed it when he took in what Stella had said. There was a moment's silence before he spoke in a quiet voice. "Thanks, Stell. I appreciate it but I don't think that Mac thinks or feels the same way."

Stella placed her hand on Don's shoulder. "He'll come around eventually. You've just got to give him time."

Flack was doubtful about that, but in an attempt to break the awkwardness, he decided to change the subject. "So who's the little miss standing with you, Stell?"

Stella explained quickly, and then Don kneeled down to Daniela's level, who right now was hiding behind Stella's and asked, "Is this baby Daniela?"

Stella smiled. "Yes she is." Kneeling down carefully as well, she spoke gently to Daniela. "Sweetie, can you say 'hi' to Uncle Donnie? He's mommy and daddy's best friend."

As Daniela came out a little bit, Don smiled and put out his hand and said, "It's good to meet you, Miss Daniela."

Before long, Daniela had come out from hiding and placed her small hand in Don's big hand and giggled. Stella could only smile and think, the Flack charm strikes again.

Don and Stella chatted a bit before heading in the opposite directions. Don, however, paused and watched his friend and the little girl walk along the street and start to cross. Doing so meant that he saw the car that came barrelling along the road, ran a red light and came heading towards them. He dropped what he had in his hand, pushed through the crowd and bolted towards them. Right as he was close to them he yelled, "Stella! Daniela!"

Stella had barely seen the car in the corner of her eye when she felt something crash into her, sending her flying along with Daniela onto the hardness of the concrete street.

A/N 2: Thanks for reading the third chapter! As always reviews are appreciated!