Chapter 3

A/N: Y'all probably know where this is going, but come along for the ride anyway on the fluff train! Thanks for the feedback folks!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the CSI:NY characters, but Iris is mine!

As he approached Tiffany's for the second time, Mac's confidence began to wane. He'd never bought anything from the high class jewelry store. In fact, the last time he had bought any jewelry at all had been...Claire.

He sighed and leaned against the cold brick of the building, shoving his hands in his pockets. He missed his Claire so much sometimes, he could barely breathe. He knew she would always have a special and prominent place in his heart. But he had also come to terms with the fact that she would want him to move on with his life.

This was not a revelation that had come to him easily. After Claire's death, he had locked himself away, literally and figuratively. He hid his raw, bleeding, sobbing heart behind a steel wall. He went to work, he went home. He no longer socialized with friends, and kept his family at bay as much as possible. It was a bulletproof, foolproof plan to ignore the fact that life was going on without his beloved wife.

But Stella Bonasera had other plans. His steel wall and stubborn isolation were no match for her tenacity. She hammered at that wall and dragged him from his isolation despite his angry and often hurtful resistance. Slowly, and without him realizing it, she worked her way into his soul. Before he knew it, he was healing. Because of her.

Claire and Stella had been friends, and he knew Claire would be happy to see him move on with her.

He gathered his courage once again, pushing himself off the wall and into the store.

Whether it was his poorly concealed bewildered expression or his purposeless wandering he didn't know, but just as he was about to pull his badge and demand assistance, a young saleswoman appeared in front of him.

"Can I help you sir? Is there something I can assist you in finding?"

"Uh," Mac answered tentatively, "Yeah. I'm...uh...looking for some...uh...jewelry."

The young woman tilted her head slightly and smiled at him knowingly. Mac had the distinct sense that she had considerable experience with the clueless male population.

"Okay sir..."

"It's Mac, actually. Mac Taylor. And, uh...look I really need some help here...I don't really know..." Mac was becoming increasingly agitated about this whole situation. After so much time spent bottling his feelings, the rush of them was now overwhelming.

"Okay Mac," she said calmly, sensing his frustration. "My name is Iris. Don't worry, your first time will be quick and painless, I promise." She winked at him and nodded over at a nearby glass case. "Let's start over there, shall we?"

Her decisive attitude actually put Mac at ease. He was most comfortable in clear cut, take charge situations. Of course, he was usually the one taking charge, but in this situation, he didn't mind conceding that position one bit.

Iris had led him to a case of various silver jewelry.

"Don't worry Mac. I just brought us over here as a starting point. Let's talk about who you're buying for. Who is she to you?"

Iris had unwittingly stepped into some very murky territory, and she could sense it almost immediately. She was a younger associate, but in the last few years, she had learned to read her customers, especially the uncertain ones. The man before her grew rigid again, and his face looked almost pained by her seemingly simple question. She decided to put the poor man out of misery, at least for the time being.

"Someone special, obviously," she ventured, "or you wouldn't be here." Mac was grateful for the reprieve and let out small breath.

"Yes, she's...she's very special. And I don't...I haven't told her that, I don't think. Not how I'd like to. I'm not good with...emotional...issues. I've known her for a long time, seems like forever sometimes, and we're...connected somehow, in so many different ways. I just never realized all that I felt for her, it just hit me..." Mac couldn't believe he was sharing these personal details with a stranger! But, as before, he found himself unable to stop his feelings from flowing now that he'd released them. And, if this was the person who was going to help him win Stella's heart, he needed her to have all the facts.

Iris could see how much this woman meant to Mac. His face had softened and a small smile played on his lips. His body was relaxed and he looked almost peaceful. She was sorry to break him out of his reverie by asking her next question.

"What kind of jewelry does she like? I mean, what does she usually wear?" Iris tried to ask the question as nonchalantly as possible, though she knew his answer would be vital.

"Uh, well in our line of work, she'd have to be careful...," Mac said slowly.

"What is it that you do?"

"We're cops. Detectives. With the Crime Lab."

"Okay...," Iris started, "we can work with that. So nothing that would get in the way of...uh, that. Rings, long earrings, dangling bracelets or necklaces. Unless...do you want this to be something she can wear every day, or just for special occasions?"

"Um...both?...I guess," he answered uncertainly. "If it's something simple, she'll wear it more often. Simple and elegant is Stella's style. I think."

"Stella? What a beautiful name. Mac, I think I have something that would be perfect. Let me show you over here." Iris led him to a case across the room. She unlocked it and removed the piece that she thought would be a match for Stella.

"It's called a cuff bracelet. She can slide it up her arm to wherever it's snug and it won't get in the way. Or she can keep it on her wrist loosely. And this one is thicker because it's made up of a few different strands that connect together in a few places to form knots. What do you think?"

Mac was speechless. It was as though Iris had found Stella in jewelry form! The bracelet was just as he described her, simple and elegant. Not to mention beautiful, which of course suited Stella as well. And the knot design was a perfect representation of their relationship. Mac knew that Stella would be able to understand the intricacies of this choice.

"I'll take it," he whispered. Iris grinned. She knew it!

"Great! I'll wrap it up and ring you out."

"Uh, you have those little blue boxes right?" Mac asked carefully.

Iris managed to suppress a giggle when she saw Mac's serious expression.

"Of course we do. It's our trademark." She winked at him again.

In no time, Iris had scanned Mac's credit card, presented him with the box in a small bag, and was walking him to the exit. Mac paused at the door and turned to Iris.

"Thank you," he said, looking straight in her eyes. "Here's my card, if you ever need anything that I might be able to help you with..."

Iris smiled at him again and took his card graciously, though hoped that it would never be of use to her.

"You're very welcome si...Mac. Good luck with Stella. She's a lucky lady. You'll do great, I know it. She'll be so excited. I promise, she'll love it. And you too, if she doesn't already."

A shocked expression came over Mac's face. Had he been that obvious? How had Iris guessed...?

"Don't worry Mac, it's the job. You're secret is safe here," she said teasingly, "Now go!"

Mac grinned, putting the package inside his coat.

"Thanks," he said again. It was his turn to wink at her as he headed out the door. "I'll let you know how it turns out," he added with a chuckle.

He continued to smile as he quickly began the long walk back to the lab. His smile faded slightly, however, and his pace slowed considerably as the thought of the task he was about to undertake started to dawn on him again. What was he going to say to Stella? "Hi, I know I've never even hinted at the slightest possibility of this, but would you mind if I totally upended your life by telling you I have feelings for you?"

How on Earth was he going to pull this off?

A/N: To prove what a dork I am, this bracelet actually exists! It's on Tiffany's website. Find it and prove what a dork you are too! The 'conversation' is coming. Fluffy stuff!