The case had finally wrapped. The team was gone, and Mac was in his office, getting ready to actually head somewhere other than his office for the night.
He and Stella hadn't had a chance to see one another since they had gotten Sara Rivers to confess. They both had paperwork to do and he had to make sure all of the days' other cases were ready to be closed as well.
He was thinking about Sara Rivers' motive as he sat at his desk. She was going to kill herself because she couldn't be with the man she loved. Because it wouldn't be professional.
He had to admit, the idea of unprofessionalism was hanging around in his head, considering the decision he and Stella made earlier that very day to start a relationship. Would there be consequences for them? Maybe. He checked policy, and there was no rule strictly forbidding office relationships. Still, he knew they would catch shit from Sinclair.
But, God, did it really matter? He was handed a gift today. "I am in love with Stella. And she is in love with me," he thought to himself. "Fuck everything else."
Just then a knock on his door brought him back to his senses. There was Stella, leaning against the doorframe with the most beautiful expression on her face. She looked shy and happy at the same time. And his heart melted. She was holding two champagne glasses in one hand, and a bottle in the other.
"I found it in the fridge. It's left over from when Adam passed his last certification," she said as she walked around to his desk and sat on it, right in front of him, crossing her legs. One of his hands went to the back of her calf and began drawing small circles. He dropped his head into her lap and she ran her fingers through his hair.
"You okay?" she asked softly. He looked up, into her eyes.
"You are the woman I love. And we work together. And that is unprofessional. But I will not let this slip by because I have never felt this way before, Stel. And I never want to stop feeling it." He kissed her knee just below where her skirt ended.
She reached under his chin and pulled his head up to look at her. Smiling at him softly, she nodded.
"You are everything I need." It was all she could say, but he knew what she meant. Even if the world came apart around them, they would have each other. They'd have their jobs threatened, probably. They'd face inquiries, probably. But they would live, because they had one another. And that was certain.
So as Mac poured what was left of the champagne bottle into the two glasses and stood up, handing her one of them, he felt ready to take on whatever would be thrown their way.
"To you and me. Finally," she said, laughing.
"Yeah, finally."
They touched glasses, took a sip, and he kissed her right there, in his office. He kissed her with as much passion as he had in him, and she felt it, and reciprocated.
"Hey, wait a second," he said suddenly, breaking the kiss and shooting a jokingly suspicious look at the champagne. "This is all a bit too familiar. Are you trying to poison me, Stella Bonasera?"
She laughed and nestled her face into the crook of his neck.
"Not a chance. Take me home, Mac. I am not done with you yet."