AN: I know it's been a long time since I updated this story, but I hope this longer chapter makes up for it. I really hope you guys like it.

Also thank you so much for all your review, they are great so please keep them coming:)

Mac looked around the crime scene to compare it to the previous one. After some time he called Gibbs over to him.

"Do you see what I see?" Mac asked as he showed Gibbs the note the offender left on the body. Gibbs read the note and took a look around the crime scene. As his eyes went back to Mac he had an expression on his face that told Mac that he knew what he meant.

"Do you think that's what he's trying to say?" Gibbs asked.

"I don't know, but it makes sense. The last crime scene was your past and this is mine. " Mac said.

"It makes sense. So what do you think he means with this note? The next will be the present..." Gibbs stopped in the middle of the sentence and looked at Mac who looked like he had just thought the same thing.

"The girls." They said at the same time and ran for the truck. They ran past Flack who looked at them and was about to say something when Mac yelled over his shoulder.

"Flack, call Danny to process this crime scene. We might need your help later, but make sure Danny processes this scene down to every little detail. The offender might have left something this time and meet me back at the lab if you don't hear from me before that" Mac finished and climbed into the truck. When he was inside the truck they left the scene.

A little while later they were at Stella's apartment. They walked up to the apartment building and tried Stella's intercom, but she didn't answer. Mac looked at Gibbs and could see that he was just as nervous as he was. Mac got his keyring out to look for Stella's key so he could open the door, but before he got that far someone opened the door. Mac looked up and saw Stella's neighbor holding the door open.

"Hi Mrs. Jones, have you seen Stella leave this morning?" Mac asked Stella's neighbor, an old woman who was really sweet.

"I didn't see her leave, but I heard noises from her apartment a little while ago. Have you tried the intercom?" Mrs. Jones asked Mac.

"Yes we have. Anyway thank you for your help Mrs. Jones." Mac rushed into the building with Gibbs. Mac decided that the elevator took too long and ran up the stairs with Gibbs right behind him. When they came to Stella's door they knocked, but when they door opened by itself they reached for their guns and walked inside quietly.

They slowly walked into Stella's apartment. They couldn't hear anything so if the offender was after the girls he could already have been here. They came to the opening of the living room and looked inside. At first they couldn't see anything, but as they were about to move further into the apartment they saw a foot at the end of the couch. When they got closer they could see the foot belonged to Kate and Gibbs ran over to her. He gently kneeled beside Kate and shook her a little.

"Katie wake up, come on open your eyes" Gibbs said and not to long after Kate opened her eyes. Gibbs couldn't stop smiling when he saw her beautiful eyes locking with his.

"Hey there, are you okay?" Gibbs asked to make sure she was okay. It didn't look like there was any harm done to her, but he had to make sure.

"Yeah we're both fine." Kate said as she looked at Gibbs, before looking around the room to see if she could see Stella anywhere.

"Jethro where is Stella?" Kate asked with worry in her voice. Gibbs looked at her shocked for a moment before he answered her.

"I.. I don't know. I thought you said you were both fine." He stroked her cheek lovingly.

Mac left the living room when he saw Kate on the floor, the only thing he had in mind was to find Stella. He went into the kitchen to see if Stella was there, but he found no one. After checking the kitchen he went into the hallway again to check the rest of Stella's apartment. He walked down the hallway and checked the spare bedroom and the bathroom, but with no luck finding her. After checking the bathroom he now stood in front of her bedroom. He hesitated before entering. Please God, let Stella be in her bedroom, Mac thought. He put his hand on the doorknob and slowly opened the door. When the door was halfway opened he took a deep breath, to prepare himself for what he could expect, and pushed the door all the way open and walked inside.

He was terrified when he walked inside the bedroom and didn't see Stella there. He checked her bathroom, but that was empty like the rest of the apartment except the living room. He has her, the bastard has her. Who is he and what did I do to deserve this? Mac asked himself as he walked back to the living room. When he got to the door opening he heard some of the conversation and stopped.

"Yeah we're both fine."

"Jethro where is Stella?"

"I.. I don't know. I thought you said you were both fine."

"What do you mean you don't know where Stella is... he has her, doesn't he?"

"I don't know. I think Mac is looking for Stella right now, maybe she's in one of the other rooms. Katie what did you mean by 'We're both fine'?"

"Me and our child."

"Yo.. You're pregnant, we're pregnant?"

"Yes, we're pregnant. I'm sorry I left the way I did..."

Mac had heard enough. He was really happy for the both of them, but he couldn't be happy if Stella was missing. It was too much to think about being happy when the one person you love is gone. You will find her, Mac said to himself. He left Gibbs and Kate to talk some more and walked into the kitchen. He looked around and saw three picture frames on the kitchen table, he walked over to them and looked at them. The first one was of Lucy, his godchild, it was taken a few weeks back when he and Stella had babysat for the Messers.

"Mac look at her, she'sso adorable. You can't do anything but love her." Stella said, talking about the little girl who was covered in food not to say Mac too. Mac had looked away from feeding Lucy for only a minute, but it was enough for Lucy to take the plate from the table and throw the food all over herself and Mac.

"Yeah, you're right. I can't be mad at her, she's too cute" Mac said and heard Stella laughing, it was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard so he couldn't get mad at her either. Here he was with the only two women in this world he couldn't get mad at, and they gangedup on him, because when Lucy heard Stella laugh she did too. Mac looked back at Lucy and couldn't resistthe child's laugh and joined them.

It had been a perfect day for Mac. Not so much the food covered clothes, but being with the two women he loved. Lucy being his goddaughter was great, he got to spoil her, like the daughter he never had. And Stella being there made the day perfect, because she's his best friend and partner, and so much more. And that day he saw what it would be like to have a family with Stella, it was something he dreamed about every night and now that might never come true.

The next picture was of the team. It was taken before Jessica's death, which took everyone by surprise. It was taken at the bar they always went to after a tough case Mac remembered.

"I think we should toast to great friendship, something a lot of people envy" Flack said and brought his beer to his mouth.

"I hear you on that one. But not all of us can have a friendship like Mac and Stella." Danny said and laughed together with Flack.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Mac and Stella asked at the same time, they looked at each other and laughed a little before looking at the group again.

"Don't take it the wrong way, but there'sgot to be more to your friendship. I haven't seen anybody who could work that great together without having feelings for each other." Jessica said

Stella said defensively,"There is nothing going on between Mac and me. We're great friends and have been for 10 years."

"Yeah, but you always know what the other one is thinking without talking, that hasalways freakedme out." Hawkes joined the conversation.

"That comes from agreat partnership over a long period of time. There is nothing more to it. End of conversation." Mac changed the subject to something else.

Later that evening Flack had made someone take a picture of them. Mac didn't know why, but Flack always made sure to have a group picture taken when they went out together, maybe because they never were together at the same time or because it was so rare. The team went out to get drinks often, but Mac and sometimes Stella stayed at the lab to do paperwork. Not that he liked doing that, but he thought it was better than to answer personal questions which people always thought they could ask him at their night out.

The last picture was of Stella and himself. He remembered the evening that the picture was supposed to be taken, but he didn't remember there was a camera.

They were at the silver wedding anniversary celebration for Sid and his wife. Stella was wearing a beautiful dress, which fit perfectly. It was a beautiful dark blue. They were sitting close together on a bench outsidethe ballroom surrounded by roses and other beautiful flowers.

In the picture Mac could see that they were looking each other in the eye with such intensity that he could read his love for her in his eyes and if he wasn't mistaken she was showing the same thing. Before he could think about that evening any more he was interrupted by Gibbs.

"Are you okay Mac? When you didn't come back we went looking for you and found you here. Maybe we should call the teams and start looking for Stella" Gibbs knew how much Stella meant to Mac even thought Mac never said anything, but the last time Gibbs saw Mac and Stella together he could see how much they loved each other. He would help Mac find her. She wasn't just important to Mac, but to Kate too, they were best friends and Gibbs wanted to help Kate and Mac, no matter how much he had to do.

Mac just nodded, he knew he didn't have the strength to talk and left the room. He went into the living room and got his cell phone out to call Flack. They have a crime scene to process.