AN: Okay here's another chapter. I found out what was wrong with my back... gallstones. It wasn't really anything wrong with my back afterall, silly me. The pain just happened to radiate into my back hence the misdiagnosis on my part. I'm fine now that I'm taking the right medicine for it. Thanks for being patient with me and I hope to churn out more chapters sooner from now on. Have fun reading and I hope you enjoy. Yes, I know Stella hasn't found her real benefactor but she will soon I promise but not before Mac does... probably. You have to keep reading to find out more. Stay tuned!

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Chapter Ten: Lost and Found

Stella couldn't wait to get into work the next morning even though she barely slept the night before. She had called Sheldon to ask him where Sid lived only to find out he was due back at work this morning. That was the best news she'd heard in a long time. By the time she made it to work she could hardly contain her excitement but she was also nervous. After all this time she had finally found her benefactor.

Stella paced outside the M.E.'s office unable to go in. Even though she had a million questions she wasn't sure where to start first. For the fifteenth times she started for the door but this time before she had a chance to back out again someone came through the doors. Stella was just as shocked as the other woman was as they had never seen each other before.

"Hello, can I help you?" the woman asked curiously with a decidedly English accent.

"I was looking for Sid." Stella informed her. "I don't think I've ever met you before. I'm Stella Bonasera." She introduced herself.

"Peyton Driscoll, Sid's not here at the moment. Is it something I can help you with?" Peyton asked curiously.

"No thanks I just needed to talk to him about something personal I'll come back later." Stella replied.

"I can give him a message if you'd like." Peyton offered. "I haven't seen you around before how long have you been at the crime lab?" She wanted to know.

"Just a few weeks. I transferred in from the twelfth precinct's crime unit." Stella offered. "And you?" Stella was also curious to know.

"I'm here to help out on the private school murder case. Sid's too close to the case so they asked me back. I've worked here for eight years or so until recently, I took a job teaching in London. I have family there." Peyton Driscoll explained. Stella felt a bit relieved though she couldn't explain why.

"It's really great of you to come back and help like this." Stella told her.

"Well I also wanted to see Mac. I don't get to see him as often since I took the job back home." She added causing Stella's breath to catch in her throat. In her excitement she had nearly forgot about that kiss with Mac. Stella kept her features as emotionless as possible while trying to recover from the inner turmoil she now felt.

"Are you and… Detective Taylor an item?" Stella asked trying to sound as innocently curious as possible. Peyton smiled and nodded in response. "How long?" She wanted to know.

"Six years. I've been back in England for the last year but we're working it out the best we can." Peyton told her as though trying to convince herself as much as a possible rival.

"That's nice," Stella told her causally wanting to be out of there quickly. "Just… tell Sid I'll catch up with him later." She added and started for the door.

"I can give that to Sid if you'd like." Peyton offered seeing the folder in Stella's hand.

"Thanks I'll hang on to it. I wanted to go over some of his notes from the last case we were working on." Stella lied. "See you around." She added and made a hasty retreat. She bit her lip feeling disappointed and a little upset. She was a bit unsure which bothered her more the revelation that Mac already had a girlfriend or that Sid wasn't around. Stella wondered if one impromptu kiss could be considered cheating. She felt guilty nonetheless.

Not wanting to face Lindsey at the moment she went in search of Hawkes hoping to talk to someone but sneaking past Mac's office was going to be rather difficult. She took the stairs and hid around the corner peaking into the glass room Mac called home while at work. She sighed in relief when she didn't see him; she was certainly not willing to face him yet.

She made a bee line to the space Sheldon shared with Danny but found the two of them out in the field. She sighed and shook her head in disappointment. She wanted to talk to someone. She went back to her own cubicle and set the file she'd accidentally brought home with her on her desk. She sighed and took the note out of the file where she'd been hiding it in case she had run into Mac.

Stella took the birthday wish to hand writing analysis once more only this time she had a reference sample and it came back to a perfect match, further proof that her assumption had been right. She printed off the computer results and took everything back to her office to study. She was lost in thought when she felt a hand alight on her shoulder and she jumped.

"Sorry I didn't mean to startle you. Peyton said you were looking for me." The very man she wanted to see said from her elbow.

"Sid!" She exclaimed jumping to her feet. For lack of knowing what else to do she hugged him.

"Okay, not that I don't enjoy being hugged by extremely beautiful women but did I do something to deserve this." Sid spoke up.

"I can't believe it's you! I mean you're really here. You don't know how long I've been waiting to meet you; how many hours I've searched and here you are. What are the odds of that?" Stella enthused pushing away to get a really good look at the man she knew only as Boyd Jenkins. "I found you!" She exclaimed happily. He frowned in confusion and shook his head.

"I only went to grab a cup of coffee." Sid told her unknowingly. She guided him to the couch in the shared office before closing the door and taking a seat beside him.

"I'm Stella." She told him excitedly.

"Yes I know, are you feeling alright?" He asked putting a hand up to feel her forehead. She laughed and pulled his hand away holding the back of his hand to her cheek.

"It's me Sid, I know I've grown up so you probably don't recognize me. I'm that little girl you saved thirty-eight years ago in Maine. I've finally found you!" She revealed her own emotions too tumultuous to consider what he might be feeling at the moment. He stared t her in disbelief for the longest time before using his free hand to brush her hair out of her face.

"I thought perhaps… it can't be." He whispered in an awed tone.

"It is true it's really me." Stella confessed.

"But how? When we found you they said your name was Stella Wentworth." Sid questioned not bothering to deny the truth.

"Edward Wentworth was just a friend who offered to drive us home. He and my mother weren't actually married." Stella explained.

"I considered that a possibility but yours and your mother's belongings were found in his apartment here in the city." Sid wondered about information he'd received.

"He was letting us stay with him until we found a place of our own. Mama traveled around to different museums helping with Greek artifacts." Stella told him. "The last place we stayed was Toronto before coming here. Mama had to wrap up the antiquities collection up there before coming here to oversee the move." She added what little information she knew on the subject. At six years of age there were a lot of things she didn't understand about her mother's job.

"Stella, my Stella. What are the odds of that?" He asked the same thing she had a few moments before. They shared a laugh and took several minutes to just look each other over. "Oh but there's something you need to know I'm not…" Sid began.

"Please don't try to deny it. I know you're Boyd Jenkins I have your handwriting to prove it." She pleaded with him jumping up to get the note card as well as the rest of her evidence. She handed it to him and he looked at it in stunned silence for several minutes.

"Did you like the pearls?" He asked after several minutes.

"Of course I love them. How could I not you picked them out for me. It's the most precious item I own." She replied kneeling down before him.

"But Stella there's something you need to know I'm not…" Sid began but frowned and stopped. "Have you told Mac about this?" He asked curiously. She also frowned and shook her head looking up at him.

"I wanted you to be the first to know. I thought maybe you didn't want every one else to know how rich you really are. But then if you're a doctor that makes sense why you'd have so much money. Why, Sid? Why me? Why did you pick me out of all the other people you could have helped?" She asked tears streaming down her face. He brushed the tears away and smiled down at her.

"Why not? How could anyone ignore such a beautiful girl as you? You inspire others to want to protect you and that night you needed protection. Stella you really need to know… Mac's not…" Sid tried and failed to say something. Stella stood up and moved away from him not wanting to hear about Mac Taylor at the moment. "We thought you were dead." Sid said at last.

"What? Why?" She wanted to know turning on her heal to face him.

"Because the letters stopped coming. We didn't know what to think." He replied obviously talking about the lawyer who set up her trust fund but she frowned knowing that couldn't be right because she still got a stipend every month. Then she remembered Sid was married, maybe he was referring to his wife.

"I have them. I'm not sure what happened but I sent you the letters, lots of them," she laughed sheepishly. "Somehow the post office box place messed up and instead of passing them along to you they just stayed there gathering dust in the box. It must have been a terribly big box is all I can say because there were at least a hundred in there. How long haven't you gotten them?" Stella inquired.

"The last letter we got talked about your trip to Naousa, Greece." Sid revealed an even larger gap than accounted for and she sank into her office chair.

"Then you didn't know I joined the force, but wait if you didn't get the letters who did? The earliest date I have is the letter with my police academy photo in it. Where are the other letters?" Stella wondered. "You don't think your wife would have taken them do you? I mean if she were jealous or something…" She began but Sid shook his head.

"I've always been upfront with Mary. She's always been fine with it. There is another possibility but I'll have to let you know. Do me a favor and don't tell Mac yet. I should be the one to tell him." Sid told her. She huffed thinking he didn't need to be told about it at all since it was personal, just between her and Sid. "Look Stella I know about the kiss." Sid revealed making her look up at him in surprise. "Mac told me about it. He feels just as badly as you do Stella. I'm sure you're both blaming yourself just give it some time. Everything will work out for the best you'll see." Sid assured her.

"How can it Sid? For one thing he's my boss and for another he's already seeing someone." Stella objected.

"He's also twelve years older than you are." Sid reminded her but Stella shrugged it off. "That doesn't bother you?" He was curious to know.

"Why would it? Age doesn't matter to me as much as his being in a relationship." She replied. Sid gave her a smile and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Peyton is a good friend of mine, Stella, but I've known Mac a lot longer. He isn't serious about her. He may think he is but he hasn't been serious about anyone since Claire died, until now of course. I haven't seen him like this in a very long time, Stella, he really does care about you." Sid assured her. Stella felt her heart flip at the thought but shook her head.

"I forgot about Mac's wife." She replied. "Don told me about her." She explained when she noticed the look of confusion on his face.

"Yes, Don was with Mac when he got word of the towers falling. It was hard on all of us, but Mac most of all." Sid explained. Stella nodded in understanding.

"I'm sure you did everything you could for him." She told him thinking Mac was another one of Sid's rescues like she was which made the most sense.

"Mac has been like a son to me," Sid nodded his head confirming her theory.

"There are so many things I want to tell you, so much I want to say." Stella told him. He nodded his head and pulled her into another hug.

"I'm not going anywhere Stella. We have all the time in the world to catch up. I want to hear all about your life from the time I lost touch until now. I have to talk to Mac first can we get together after work?" Sid requested.

"Of course, we both have work to do I should have thought." Stella agreed shaking her head. She shouldn't have allowed her excitement to override her judgment.

"Yes we do. Just promise me you'll let me tell Mac first okay." Sid asked. Stella frowned but nodded her head. "Trust me Stella, Mac wouldn't have woken me up at six this morning if he hadn't been as affected by the kiss as you seem to be." He added. Stella blushed but looked up at him in surprise.

"He did that?" She wanted to know. Sid smiled and nodded his head.

"Oh yeah, Mac even fixed me breakfast. He might be trying to deny it but he can't fool me even if he can convince himself otherwise. He was lost the minute you walked into this office Stella." He told her. She laid her head on Sid's shoulder to cover the smile that slipped onto her face.

Even though she knew it was inappropriate it made her feel good to know that Mac felt something for her after all. Then maybe it was guilt on his part that put the look of loathing she'd seen in his eyes, self loathing. It mattered a lot to her what Mac thought, a lot more than she thought it would.

"Mac's really that much older than I am?" She asked blushing and burying her face deeper into his chest. He chuckled and pulled her chin up to meet her gaze.

"You don't look your age either. We thought you were only four or five." Sid told her she smiled and nodded her head. She had been graced with a youthful appearance.

"I was six." She informed him. "That's why I got the strand of pearls on my seventeenth birthday." Stella figured out.

"Sorry about that. It was my fault I guess I should have found out from Fred what your real age was. We just assumed and never bothered to confirm it with the lawyers." Sid apologized.

"That's okay Sid, I'm just glad I found you after all these years." She replied.

"You've been looking for me?" Sid wanted to know.

"All my life." She answered.

"I'm glad you found us, Stella. I kept saying you would be curious to know who your benefactor was. Especially after you requested that detective kit at eight… sorry nine years old. Most girls ask for dolls not a finger printing kit." Sid observed. "That reminds me you have to come to dinner when the girls are back. I want you to meet Mary and my daughter Annabelle." He offered.

"Are you sure that's good idea?" Stella wondered.

"Of course! Why would you think other wise?" Sid inquired before catching on to what caused her reluctance. "Stella I already told you Mary knows everything and she's fine with it. I haven't lied to her or my daughters. I know they would love to meet you." He reassured her.

"Then why did you never try to contact me? Why did you throw me away?" Stella cried. He pulled her into his arms and held her tightly to her.

"Oh, Stella is that what you thought? I'm so sorry. That's not what… We didn't mean to… That was never our intent, believe me. I wanted to tell you but there are things you don't know. I can't tell you why, not yet but I will soon. I promise I'll explain everything before long." He vowed in a soothing tone. She held on to him letting the years of frustration and pain drain out of her.

"I guess if I've waited this long I can wait a little while longer for all the answers." Stella allowed. She smiled up at him and he kissed her forehead.

"I can't believe you really found us." Sid exclaimed memorizing every detail of her face.

"Of all the people I imagined you'd be like I'm really glad it's you." Stella told him. He smiled at that but had a strange look on his face.

"I have to go, I'll see you later." Sid told her. Stella nodded her head and let go of him. For lack of anything better to do she hugged her arms to herself and watched him walk away. It wasn't exactly how she had imagined it would go but she had found Boyd Jenkins and he hadn't rejected her; that was all that mattered. After so many years of looking she had finally found her benefactor.