A/N: Halloo! My back hurts haha.

But all them reviews made me feel better. Keep them coming, will you?

Thanks very much and enjoy!

CSINYCSINYCSINY

I'm not running from

No, I think you got me all wrong

I don't regret this life I chose for me

"I'm coming home," was all I heard from the other line before it went dead. Without looking at the screen I knew who that was. Albeit his message was short, I heard the sadness in it. Something happened and it wasn't good. But I won't push. The important thing is… he's coming home.

Flack was silently driving to our crime scene. "Who was it?" he asked. It had a different ringing tone than my usual. I assigned another sound for Mac's calls so I would know it's him and I never dared to turn down his calls. His were always important… always worth my time. "Okay, go ahead, Stella and all your secrets," he chuckled when I didn't answer. "You're still buying the burgers."

"Is that all you think about, Flack? Food?" I joked back, punching him lightly on the arm. I tinkered more with my phone until I reached the message function. I wanted Mac to know that I'm here.

"Nah…" he said more with his hand than his voice, "you know me better than that." We reached the scene before he could say anything else. "Damn it, I told the first officer to keep the vultures away…" he said charging out of the car.

I let him take care of that for a while. After all, the scene wouldn't go anywhere. I sat there, my fingers hovering over the keys of my phone, thinking of just the right thing to say. Then it hit me.

I'll be waiting for you.

All of it went by so fast that the only thing I could remember was seeing 'Message Sent' on the screen of my phone. I must've had a goofy smile on my face because the next thing I knew, Flack was opening the door for me and almost dragging me out.

"What's the matter, Stell?" he chuckled when I found my feet and stood on my own. "Should I call Messer to help? You're a little bit distracted over there."

I felt myself redden. Times like these, I was thankful of my wild curls. I hid behind them as Flack escorted me to the prone and bloody body in the middle of the alley. "So… what do we have here, Detective?"

He laughed out loud. "Evasive, Stella. That should be your middle name."

"Care to baptize me, Donald, Jr. sir?" I said, crouching down and picking up the victim's purse. "After all, you do hold some kind of prestige in this city with that big and shiny commendation medal of yours."

He scribbled something on his notepad. "Hey, you're the boss," he said with his hands up. "For what, three more days? Five if you count the days off the higher ups gave Mac." He lingered around me, taking his notes. "And speaking of Mac, he has the shiny medal, too. Why not let him 'baptize' you?"

I shot him an amused look. One that said both, "Stop that," as well as, "Mac can christen me with more names than that." And apparently, Flack got them both. The mischievous glint in his blue eyes said it all.

"It's bound to come out sooner rather than later, Stella, my dear," he chuckled as he walked off to interview witnesses.

You can add 'transparent' to that list of potential middle names. Only when it's about him that I let my guard down. And with him, my walls crumble. I become a totally different person with him and actually… for him.

When I'm with Mac, I cease to be 'Stella'. To him, I can be his 'most annoying employee' (but probably second to Danny) or his 'best-est friend'. I once heard him say that I was, "such a kid, Stella. Seriously."

But from all those, one stood out… "You're the strongest person I know." When he said that, hairs on the back of my neck stood up. The way he said it… to me, was near reverence. It rendered me speechless for a few moments. When I touched his skin not long after that, it was warm... welcoming. I actually held on longer than deemed appropriate for a handshake.

I sat back on my heels as I bagged the tape lifts and hair samples. I work well even with half my brain running elsewhere. I was only too happy to hear another voice in the background. Apparently, Flack saw it fit to call Danny Messer to help me. Gee, was I spaced out that much?

"I'll meet you guys back in the lab," I said, tapping Danny on the shoulder and momentarily interrupting his guy talk with Flack.

"Uh yeah, Stella," he mumbled with a sideways glance. "I'm telling you, Don, they don't stand a chance against the Nicks…" Flack didn't look convinced.

Back at the lab – in Mac's office – I started to clean up. Not that I cluttered the place up too much during my one-week's stay. I knew Mac didn't like leaving Post-It notes all over his blotter, so I took them away first. Next, I removed the Mickey Mouse screensaver from the computer. Mac was smart enough to password-protect everything apart from active case files. And finally, I straightened up the pictures on his bookshelf. I had fun moving them around and trying to remember the story behind each snapshot.

I was proud to say that I was in all nine frames. They were either of him with the team – Lindsey and Aiden, or in some official NYPD function where we're all dressed in the blue. I loved seeing him in full uniform. I haven't had the privilege to see him in his USMC gear in person though. But if his pictures were any testament to that…

"Stella," Lindsey's voice interrupted me from my rearranging, "Danny and Flack are back from the scene and the front desk wanted me to give this to you." She handed me a slip of paper with something written on it. She stayed for a while, looking at the pictures. "Hmm…" she mumbled and I looked up from the memo. "In all of these, Stella… Mac's always beside you."

It wasn't what she said that startled me; it was the way she said it. It was a cross between amusement and suspicion. She took one frame – it was taken last Christmas, Lindsey's second with us. "I remember when this was taken. Adam said we should try and squeeze into the frame. I remember thinking I'd sit beside you on the loveseat and all the guys can stand around us. But Mac beat me to it; sat and immediately tapped the spot next to him whilst looking at you," she smiled at the memory. And I went with her on that.

Danny gave us hell afterwards that he tried to lure us under every mistletoe hung inside the lab. He was unsuccessful but did manage to catch me under one. I didn't want to bust his ego by saying that Flack and Sheldon were successful at it – Flack hung one himself over Mac's office door and Sheldon tricked the both of us to get eggnog for everybody from the beverage table. We didn't know at that time that they lined the whole table with that plant.

Both kisses were chaste ones on the cheek. Yet the fact that Mac blushed every time didn't go unnoticed by me.

"A good thing, Peyton wasn't there," Lindsey said with a smirk on her face. I didn't realize that she was looking straight at me, the picture frame back on its perch. She went back to work, exiting the office silently.

As fun as it was to play boss for a week now, he'd got to get his ass back here. Not only that it's stare-worthy – hey, I'm only human and I'm sure several female lab techs and receptionists here were guilty of that as well. But seriously, I might be an effective boss figure but the difference was felt. Mac was the iron hand around here but he's also everybody's friend. You can count on him.

I could see how hard it is not to be attracted to him. Well, for me anyway. It's stupid, really. A lot of my female colleagues and friends are 'jealous' of me because I work so closely with the Mac Taylor. The questions, "How could you concentrate with such a fine male specimen breathing down your neck? Has he made any moves on you? Or have you made any moves on him?" became routine for me after some time.

I brushed them off for the longest time. The guy just lost his wife and was trying to be strong. But later on, I started asking myself as well. "I've been taking care of Mac for a while now… was I doing that just because he's a friend? Or is it because of something more? Something deeper than that?"

My eyes fell on the picture Lindsey was studying earlier. Even if Mac didn't invite me over to sit beside him, I would've done it anyway. To hell with the rumors and the bets circulating around the lab (thanks, Adam)! He never did question my intentions on 'helping' him or being there for him. And I never asked for anything in return.

I've invested a good part of my life for this man. He started to go out again while I retreated back to the sidelines. I was happy when he found Peyton – he would always tell me that. His eyes would light up every time she enters our conversations. But when I start to say that I was happy for him, he would recoil and smile shyly. Then he would discreetly change the topic.

Mac had avoided talking about Peyton with me recently. I was the first one to find out about the budding relationship that had apparently started at a Forensics convention a few years ago. Although he did tell me about this trip to London with her. In my opinion, he needed the time off – the time alone with her. I've always teased him that he spent more time with me than her… come to think of it, than anyone else. Work was his life. I was part of 'work'. Which means…

I'm also part of his life.

CSINYCSINYCSINY

MJ – lol, not like I'm going to kill of anybody hahaha. I don't deal with "case stories" XD

Magic-munchies – the only episode I watched of Midsomer was the one with Orlando Bloom in it haha

Mandi – yeah, when I read back, the guy pissed me off, too.

Moska – hi! Wow, I'm glad to hear that. Means so much. Now, I'm scared that I won't be up to par haha. But I hope you're enjoying this.