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"You want to come out? Have some Tiramisu?" Mac asked into Stella's hair. He still drew patterns with his fingers up her arm.

She felt herself shiver slightly. Having a mans arm around her, saying words into her hair had an effect she wasn't conscious over. "Um, no" she sighed "I think I'm just going to lie down for a bit"

"Okay" he retracted his arm, and stood up "I'm going to head home then"

"No you're not" she looked up to him

The words stuck at the back of his throat, coming out as random sounds, before finally a coherent "What?"

"You've had to much to drink tonight. We had that bottle before Anatoli even came over, then a glass or two with the meal…I cant let you drive." She suppressed a smirk from Mac's gibberish reply, moving to her closet to get the spare linen. "You can sleep on the couch"

"I can call a cab"

"Why spend the money? Just sleep it off here tonight and drive home tomorrow" She draped a duvet over her arm and reached up for a pillow from the top shelf. "It's not like you haven't slept over before"

"You make it sound like a slumber party"

"You grab the popcorn and it could be" she sassed, walking through the door to the couch. She put the pillow on the arm and took the throw-cushions from sofa, making a small pile on the floor. She then put a sheet over the seat and straightened the duvet over the top. "There" she turned to face Mac.

He'd accepted defeat, not the first time since knowing Stella, and thanked her for the effort. It was true that he'd slept over before, in the months after Claire died. He couldn't face going home to that empty, quiet house, so Stella offered her couch. Actually, on that night, the eleventh, he'd 'slept' on her bed with her. Neither had actually slept a wink, but they needed to know the other was there. That was a long night.

Stella smiled, stepping over the cushions to reach him. "G'night" she said, loosening his tie. She leant forwards and kissed him on his cheek, "and thanks for tonight"

Mac didn't need to say anything more. She knew by that little smile he always gave when she did that, that he would always be there for nights like this. And he knew by that similar smile that she gave that the promise was reciprocated.

---

Mac Taylor didn't sleep. He just closed his eyes and rested. It had been the same way for over 4 years now. He'd come to accept and expect it now. What he didn't expect was that faint shuffling noise coming from the right. He didn't open his eyes, just listened. He always joked that had he been a dog, his ears would be standing to attention and swivelling around about now.

The noise carried on past his head. "I knew you wanted some of that Tiramisu"

Stella scoffed, her body relaxing, "You're supposed to be sleeping"

"You too" he swung his legs over the side of the couch, sat up and rubbed at his tired eyes.

"I couldn't" she sounded disappointed. She sat next to him "I just kept thinking about Anatoli. What's your excuse?"

"Mac Taylor doesn't sleep" he gave a chuckle

"Well, does Mac Taylor want some Tiramisu?"

"Sure" he yawned as Stella went to the kitchen. She was still in her grey NYPD sweat pants and white tank top, while Mac wore his white wife-beater vest and work pants. "What time is it?"

"About three" she said, coming back to the living room with the bowl of dessert and two spoons.

"Did you sleep at all?"

Stella shook her head, pulling the duvet over her legs. She scooped some of the cream into her mouth, asking "you?"

"As I said, Mac Taylor doesn't sleep" he copied, spooning some of the cream. "Have you decided what you're going to do?"

Her hand fell onto her knee, "no. I just keep thinking that we have to squeeze 38 years of a relationship into 3 months"

"Well, don't think of it like that" he told her. "3 days ago, you didn't think you'd ever have the opportunity for 3 months with your family. Think of what you can do together, not what you cant"

Stella didn't need to say anything. She didn't need to curse herself for lying awake, staring at the ceiling for 5 hours and still coming up with nothing. And she certainly didn't need to curse Mac for making it all seem simple again. Mac knew what she was thinking.

Stella did get to sleep that night. Her eyes grew more and more heavy, until finally shutting. Her head flopped to the side, and rested on Mac's shoulder. He thought about waking her, taking her back to her bed, but he just smiled. Smiled, and snuggled into the couch more and rested his eyes.

---

Stella knocked on the door to room 207 of West Park Heights. She could hear the clinking of a chain coming across the door, then it came open. She took a breath, "hi"

"Stella" Anatoli smiled, he opened the door wider "Come in, c'min"

"Actually" she stopped him, "Mac gave me an extended lunch hour, I was hoping I could make up for last night?"

"Did you drive here?"

Stella nodded, confused slightly

"Then I want to show you somewhere instead. I'll show you the way" he smiled, excitedly.

"O-kay then"

-

Anatoli directed his granddaughter through the streets of New York. He still hadn't told her the overall destination, just that it was "Left here" or "Right there".

"Pull up there. By that white house" he pointed ahead to a looming structure. It jutted out into the sidewalk more than the others did, making itself more noticeable.

Stella pulled the car to a stop and unbuckled her seat belt. She barely knew the neighbourhood, let alone the reason he brought her here. Seeing Anatoli leave the car, she opened the door, casting her eyes up and down the road, and up and down the impressive two-story town-house.

"Where are we?" She asked, leaning back onto her closed door. Anatoli joined her.

"We used to live here" he stated simply. He kept his focus on the house, seeing Stella's head snap to him from his peripheral vision. "Well, your grandma and I did. Katrina grew up here. You lived here after…the accident, before they took you from me."

Stella walked, trance-like, to the metal-spiked fence and gate. She wrapped her fingers around the black and gold ornate spoke as Anatoli told her "I'd show you to where your mom and dad lived with you, but they tore it down a few years back. It's a Starbucks now" He said it with a humourless chuckle.

"Come here" he whispered, stepping away from the car. "You see that window? Up there?" he pointed to a small window on the second floor. It was on the side of the house above a small gated alleyway that lead to the back of the house. "That was your moms room"

Stella's eyes moved from Anatoli's to that of the small piece of history shining in the afternoon sun. He moved his arm around her shoulders.

"I lost this place, not long after I lost you. I spent most of my savings on trying to get you back, that I couldn't keep up with the mortgage payments"

"I'm sorry"

"It's only a house, child. Getting you back was more important"

"But it didn't work. It didn't work and you lost everything. All your family and your house"

Anatoli shrugged, "Some things in life are sent to try us"

"You're not lying". If she looked hard enough, she almost believed she could see her mom, that girl from the picture, walking past the window to her closet. Her curly hair bouncing behind her as she got ready for a date with Arturo…

Anatoli's grip tightened on her shoulder. She almost smiled, until he heard raspy breaths coming from him, "Anatoli? Anatoli! Grandpa!"