Chapter Nine

It was all he could do not to scream and shout for joy. Stella was alive and safe, right in his apartment. It was hard to fathom. Why would Hawkes let her go? It was unexpected and Mac couldn't help but wonder if the man had something up his sleeve. Mac, you're overreacting. Just concentrate on getting to Stella. He took a deep breath, ducking into his apartment building and heading for the elevator. A man with his head buried in a newspaper joined him and he didn't give it a second thought when the man hit the same floor button as him. Coincidence. Maybe the man was a new neighbor-- Mac didn't care. He just wanted Stella.

While waiting for the elevator to stop, Mac noticed the man glancing at him several times. And the weird thing was.. he looked damned familiar. It put Mac on edge slightly, though he smiled and nodded in a friendly manner.

Meanwhile, Charlie was smirking on the inside as he watched his brother. He was so happy.. if only he knew that when he got to his apartment, Stella wouldn't be there. In fact.. she might even be dead depending on what Sheldon had done to her. He couldn't help but smile at that thought, though his brother probably thought he was just being 'nice'.

The elevator finally opened and they both stepped through, Charlie following Mac. The older man glanced nervously over his shoulder, once again making Charlie smile. They were nearing Mac's apartment when Charlie pulled out a gun, jabbing it into Mac's back.

"Hey, big bro." He grinned, shoving Mac into the apartment.

CSI NY

"Guys? Where's Mac?"

Don and Danny looked up. The two were in the break room, sipping coffee and playing a nice game of poker, pieces of gum, tic-tacs and candy replacing money.The two had nothing to do but sit and worry so they had decided to at least try and get their minds off of it. Don frowned. "I don't know. I thought he was in his office."

"Yeah, said he was gonna find a way to Stella if it killed him." Danny offered, glancing at the door.

Lindsay gave a heavy sigh, crossing her arms across her chest as her frown deepened. "He's not there, he isn't answering his cell phone or his home phone. I don't know what to do."

"Relax, babe. He's probably just breaking down somewhere-- he might need his privacy. If he still hasn't showed his face or voice in an hour, we'll go lookin'." He wrapped his arm around her legs and pulled her to him to hug her.

Lindsay sighed again, her sad eyes going to the window. "Promise me, Danny?"

Danny smiled. "I promise, Montana."

CSI NY

"YOU BASTARD!"

"Ouch! Stop it, or I'll rip your hair out!"

" I don't care! You can't kill Mac!" Stella fought as hard as she could, jerking and kicking as she bit at Sheldon's hand.

"Too bad! I am and you can't do anything to stop me!" Before she could do anything, he'd duck-taped her mouth. He grinned at her, putting her struggling body in a corner. "See you later, Stel."

CSI NY

Mac blinked. No, this was impossible. Charlie was dead. He'd been shot in a drug raid, killed.. dead. But yet here his brother was, standing in front of him with a gun on him and smirking. He shook his head. He'd deal with this later. Right now, he needed to concentrate on getting Stella.

"What did you do with her?" He growled.

"You mean Stella?"

"Of course."

Charlie laughed. "By now? Probably at the bottom of the Hudson."

Author's Note: The last short chapter! Sorry for the delay, I was having some trouble on here but now its fine. I also am very sorry this is short and also a cliffhanger, but the next chapter is the last and will be long (I swear) nerve-wracking, and probably make you sit on the edge of your seat and bite your nails as you read it. I'm already working on it and it should-- emphasis on should-- be up sometime late this week, or early next week. Happy Early Easter and Happy Late April Fool's day! And thanks for all your great reviews.. you guys really make me go on an ego ride!

Jade