Chapter 11: Kidnapped Again

In the end

Everyone ends up alone

Mac helps her get into his truck the following morning after stopping by her apartment to pack her a bag for a couple nights, "Do you feel up to stopping by the lab for a little bit? I just want to see if they learned anything and hand out the new cases."

"Yeah, that's fine, Mac," she reaches for her seatbelt but he already has it. He leans across her to buckle it. "I'm perfectly capable of buckling my own seatbelt, Taylor."

"You don't seem all that ill to me," he smiles. "Were you faking it?"

"Watch, now I'll crash in five minutes," she smirks at him.

On the way to the lab, Mac has a hard time keeping his eyes on the road and off of Stella. "So… were you serious about going out on a date with me?"

She turns her gaze from out the window to him. "Of course I was. As soon as I have enough energy to spend the evening out."

"We don't have to go out… I could cook us dinner tonight."

"I… I… Maybe we could wait a couple days and give ourselves a little more time to get used to this."

After a moment, he nods. "How about we have our first date on Sunday, whether we go out or I cook?"

"Three days from now… okay."

He reaches over and places his hand on top of hers. She jumps at the contact and pulls her hand away. "I… sorry, Stella," he quickly turns back to the road, not sure what just happened.

"Mac… I really didn't mean to do that. You have to understand that… I just got away from someone whose touch meant pain. I know you don't intend to hurt me, but… it's a reflex. It'll go away with time," she tries to explain. "And the fact that Frankie was… the last guy I went on a date with probably doesn't help."

"I… know. It just feels like you don't want to be close to me. But I'll try to be patient," he gives her an understanding smile. He parks the truck and walks over to her side to help her get out. "So… we're not going to tell the others yet, are we?"

She shakes her head, "They don't need to know right now. I mean, we aren't officially dating until Sunday so…"

He holds his hand out to her, and she takes it before stepping out onto the curb. As they begin to walk into the lab, he puts his arm around her waist to keep her steady in case she becomes weak. He glances down at her, and she doesn't seem to mind the contact. "I'm sure they'll all be excited to see you."

As soon as the couple walks out of the elevator, they are bombarded by their coworkers. Lindsay hugs Stella while Danny says, "What are you two doing here? I've got the lab under control; go home and rest."

She laughs, "Mac couldn't stay away; and I'm sure you being in charge is part of the reason."

Hawkes joins the group as they walk to Mac's office. "How are you feeling, Stel?"

"Better. Actually I feel semi-normal right now, but it's probably just whatever they did at the hospital."

While Mac is looking through the files on his desk, Don enters. "Stella, what are you doing here? You're sick. And Mac should know better than to let you in here," he teases her.

"Hi, Don. Did you have any luck finding him?"

"No. The feds are going to take the case though. And since you're the only victim who has survived, they're probably going to want to talk to you soon. And Mac since he is a witness. And… the NYPD should probably have a statement from both of you."

Mac looks up, "I can give you mine now if you guys will keep on eye of Stella for me." She frowns at him for making her sound like a little kid. "There's only one case, a breaking and entering. So if a couple of you want to go process that scene…"

Danny and Hawkes offer to go, leaving the two women alone. "So… did Mac feed you breakfast this morning?"

"No… he said he'd make me breakfast when we got to his apartment but… I guess his plans changed a little."

"Do you want to go? We can leave him a note."

"Okay."

You Found Me

When Mac walks into his office forty-five minutes later, he finds a note; the handwriting is Stella's. He looks around his office again before heading to the elevators to meet them at the diner. As the elevator makes its descent, his phone rings, "Taylor."

"Mac, we just got another report on the stolen SUV; a couple officers went to check it out, and it's still there. He left it a couple blocks from the lab."

"Where?" he asks, frowning. Flack gives him the address. "That's only a block away from where Lindsay and Stella were going to eat."

"And get this: another car was stolen two blocks away from where he dumped the SUV," Don says, giving him the specific location.

"That's on the other side of the diner. I've got to get over there," Mac hangs up and jogs to his truck, hoping that Stella hadn't been kidnapped again.

A/N: And from the title of the chapter, you all should know where Stella now is. Unfortunately. However, when Mac finds Stoneberg, I assure you that Mac will make him regret taking his best friend. So... if you send me six reviews for this chapter, I will update again tomorrow. And I'm sure you're all eager to know whether Stella is going to survive this time. So... I encourage you all to hit that little button and make me happy.