I'm so behind with responding to reviews which I feel terrible about - along with taking so long to get this written and posted! A huge thank you to everyone who reviewed - it really helps the writing process :o) By the way if anyone is in need of another good show to watch, check out the Mentalist (very addictive I should warn you!)

Chapter 4 - Content

Their slow walk back to their vehicle had been an awkward one, at least to Stella's perception. There had been no mention of the sales-girl's mistaken assumption or Stella acceptance of it, and the more the silence continued, the further she managed to rationalize that it had been out of simple politeness that she hadn't corrected her. The warm feelings within her hadn't been provoked by the assumption and neither has the ominous silence that followed. They hadn't. She was overreacting, she was sure of it, and thinking that Mac had so much as given it a second thought was purely her own overactive imagination. Gauging his mood now was nearly impossible, though he hadn't lost the pensive, almost calculating expression as he alternated between avoiding her casual gazes and watching her. His hand hadn't found its way to the small of her back like before, and she was surprised to find she missed it already.

She glanced over to her left and just about managed to hide her surprise when she found him gazing straight back at her, grey eyes suddenly clearing as he stopped walking, grasping her forearm gently. "Stell - I just - does that happen often?"

She felt the heat rush to her face and hoped beyond hope that her skin didn't betray her. "I -" A nervous laugh formulates before she can stop it, rationality grounding her once again. This was Mac, he was just curious and she didn't need to lie. "Actually more than you'd think."

Mac's face broke into a smile, relief evident in his expression. "I thought it was just me, I've had more than a few comments about 'my lovely wife' before I introduce you as my partner. I was beginning to think it was something I was doing wrong making people think that."

Atmosphere finally free of tension, Stella grinned widely at her friend, green eyes sparkling with laughter as she envisioned Mac's face as such a thing happened. He held her gaze as they gained their equilibrium again, the tense air dissipating as they stood watching each other over several long moments of quiet.

"I'm sorry if it made you uncomfortable, Mac." She told him sincerely. Looking back over her shoulder at the evening shoppers bustling from store to store, she caught sight of a coffee shop she'd failed to notice on their way past before. Though the tension had eased, she really didn't want to end the evening feeling like she'd hurt him somehow. "I could really use a coffee - my turn to buy?"

To her relief he smiled back at her, expression open and friendly once more. "I have some of that Columbian blend you like so much at home - I'm sure I owe you more than a few coffees."

"I'm not sure I can say no to an offer as good as that," Stella teased, belatedly realising his hand still held her elbow loosely as though ensuring they stayed connected, grounded.

"Then don't say no," Mac replied simply, smile gone and an air of seriousness suddenly enveloped the moment. She wondered if coffee had become a euphemism all of a sudden for all the things unsaid between them.

"Guess I have no choice." Turning again to towards the exit, she tried her best to ignore the swell of irrational joy within her when she felt Mac's hand replace itself on her back.

***

Stella hadn't visited Mac's apartment more than a handful of times in the last six months; in fact not since the fire that had claimed her own apartment. The memory of stopping at his apartment for lunch while he dutifully helped her search for a new place to live was very clear in her mind, the repeated offer of staying with him instead of the hotel she'd chosen had become almost an order as his worry for her had become more evident than ever that day. As luck would have it they'd managed to find a place later on that afternoon and so the discussion hadn't been reopened, but it had taken close to a fortnight for his less-subtle-than-he-believed-it-to-be hovering during work hours to subside.

Mac led the way into the open-plan living area, placing the mysterious bag down behind the sofa before turning to his friend, obviously catching her eying whatever her penance was to be for talking him into this pink shirt bet. "I'll know if you've peeked in that bag, Stell," he warned her with mirth reaching his grey eyes. "You make yourself comfortable while I make the coffee."

She grinned mischievously at him and then scanned the room; it was comforting to see that nothing big had changed, same smokey-grey couch and matching armchairs along with the large mahogany coffee table set on the centre of the rustic rug. All so simple, yet so Mac. But then up on the wall...

"Mac," she exclaimed in unrestrained surprise, " do I see a new flat-screen television on your wall?"

His laugh was heart-warming as he shot her a sheepish grin, still busy setting two mugs on the counter-top and searching for the coffee grounds. "I'm afraid so. I couldn't stand the comments from Danny and Flack anymore."

Stella didn't reply, instead shooting him a questioning look as she wandered over to the deep leather sofa and sank into the cushions with a contented sigh.

"I got talked into hosting one of their ball game nights while Sid was out of town, and apparently my old television wasn't good enough compared to the forty-inch plasma Sid owns."

"Peer pressure, Mac. Those two are champions in that game."

"That may be so, but I can only get named as a geek without the gadgets so many times."

Stella burst out laughing, immediately knowing who must have said that; there was really only one person who could be so eloquent with his insults. "Flack, I assume?" She caught his eyes in the reflection of the sleek black Samsung as he approached with two steaming mugs of the delicious beverage she looked forward to any chance she got to consume it. Maybe that was a little sad, but she rationalized that coffee as bad as that she lived on day-to-day at the lab would drive anyone to seek out and crave really good coffee.

Taking the large mug from his proffered hand, she toed off her high-heeled pumps and curled long legs under her as she watched her friend take a seat next to her. It had been an odd evening, an immensely enjoyable one, but one unlike their usual time spent together. Still niggling at the far corners of her mind was the feeling that something had shifted between them, not just tonight but over the last year or so. A slow, steady change that had begun with their time together outside of the lab increasing, phone calls that weren't for anything more than checking up on each other had suddenly become expected rather than rare until suddenly spending entire evenings like this one weren't all that uncommon.

"You look sleepy," he told her with a contented half-smile, his intense blue-grey eyes continuing to study her.

"Its been a long time since I've felt this relaxed," Stella confessed, sipping her coffee to cover her embarrassed smile as she realized she'd let that slip aloud.

Silence settled for a few minutes as she felt Mac continue to scrutinize her. "If you want to sleep, Stell, I'm sure we could find you somewhere..."

She looked up from watching the steam rise from her mug in surprise, trying to decipher the tone he'd used to say that. He gave her no clues, only a warm smile. The man was an infuriatingly closed book sometimes. He was only being a caring friend, she reasoned to herself, and he knew she'd pulled a couple of doubles in the past week and it was getting a little late.

"You wanna watch a movie?" Mac asked quietly, gaze finally leaving her to glance over all the small cabinet below the wall-mounted television.

Not quite trusting her voice yet, Stella simply nodded, glad of any distraction while her friend seemed to be determined to confuse her usually well hidden feelings. She really tried not to notice the way his shirt pulled across his shoulder blades as he kneeled to place a chosen DVD in the player, but didn't succeed. He smiled at her as he reclaimed his seat next to her, placing his right arm along the length of the sofa cushion, his hand settling millimeters from her left shoulder.

Stella kept a watchful eye on her friend throughout the film, a habit borne years ago out of concern that quickly transformed to an addiction that was as much for her as it was for him. Mac had always been a wonderful friend to her and in return she made sure several of his more self-destructive tendencies didn't snowball out of control. Ironic really, for a man who's life was ruled by control. Their friendship had withstood a number of obstacles of a long and often troubled time they'd known each other, but they always managed to fight it out, make up and become stronger from it.

His hand shifted slightly, bringing her musings to an end as she focused again on her surroundings, the touch of his long fingers playing over the bare skin of her shoulder absently. For some reason it made her wonder if he ever felt as lonely as she did sometimes; whether his job provided enough of a distraction. She knew Peyton had hurt him, leaving the way she had sent Mac straight back into his shell. Stella remembered hugging him that night after he'd finished his set on stage, right there in the middle if the crowded bar. He'd accepted her embrace and listened to her offer of a sympathetic ear should he want to talk about it, but never taken her up on the offer.

She looked over at her friend and found him looking straight back at her, the low light of the room casting his eyes in a dark blue. "What are you thinking, Stell?"

Stella shook her head at him, a fond grin spreading her lips. "I was just thinking I should check my phone - not a single call from work all night seems almost odd these days."

"That probably means you've been working too hard," He admonished gently, his tone lowering the deep tenor of his voice further as his hand crept downwards slightly, palm resting against the fabric of her sleeveless tank top while his thumb caressed the top of her arm.

Shooting him an incredulous glare at his words, she frowned at him in playful indignation. " Mac Taylor, are you accusing someone other than yourself of overworking? Just a bit-"

"Hypercritical, I know," He ducked his head, pretending to be suitably chastised. "You want another coffee?"

"I'll make it if you want to try your new shirt on..." Stella grinned at him, ready to thoroughly enjoy his pink-clad embarrassment.

"Or I can leave that until tomorrow and you can try this on." Mac lifted the large red store bag from the floor, looking a little bashful again. "I thought it would look - it seemed like something you might like."

Stella smiled beautifully at him, closing the distance between them and cupping his face to press a lingering kiss to his cheek.