A/N: If you see a bit of conversation near the end that looks familiar, that's because it is. The bit about the super-hero case is from the episode "Super Men", and not from the deep recesses of my brain. The rest, however, is, including--da da da da!--a dash of the long-awaited Mac/Stella that I promised :-P

It had become their ritual—Dantrell rode the subway to Eastside High to pick up Shayla after school and escort her to the library at City College, where they could work on homework together until Maddie or Danny made it home from work. This way Dantrell himself could keep an eye on Shayla so she wasn't alone for Antwan's friends to prey on her.

It was odd, really, that they should spend so much time together. They had barely known each other when they were schoolmates, since she was a freshman when he was a senior. It wasn't until Maddie and Danny took Shayla into their home after Antwan's last attack that they grew to be friends. Dantrell had become a bit protective even then, wanting to look after the girl who was so close to the hearts of two people who were so close to his.

She was sitting beside him now at a table in the back corner of the library, working on her anatomy homework as he should have been doing, too. Instead he simply watched her for a few moments, noticing how much she had grown up since he had met her, yet how much of a child she still was.

Her voice brought him out of his reverie. "Yo, Dantrell…" she called softly, waiving a hand in front of his face. "Are you in there?"

He smiled and shook his head a little as if to clear it. "I was just thinking, that's all."

"You were staring at me," she informed him.

"I was just noticing the bruises on your face…you almost can't see them anymore…" he covered quickly.

"You can't see them anymore," Shayla corrected. "You just think you see them because you know they were there."

He picked up his pen and went back to his assignment. "You're probably right." They worked in silence for a few more moments before he spoke again, keeping his eyes trained on his notebook, trying to keep his temper in check. "So I heard Antwan was sentenced this afternoon."

She looked over at him and studied his face, not quite succeeding in reading his expression. "Yeah," she replied. "He pled guilty to battery and got a year in jail."

Dantrell shook his head. "A year. What a crock—he'll be out in six months."

"Yeah," she repeated, "probably. But the judge made the restraining order permanent, so he isn't allowed to come near me ever again."

"Assuming he actually cares about the restraining order. I know this guy, Shayla. I remember him from when I was in school there. He was a dumb little punk then, acting like he was all big and bad, but he was just a stupid kid. Now he's gotten into some hardcore stuff, mixed up with some nasty gang, and he's scary. He's really someone to be afraid of."

Shayla sighed and rested her elbow on the table, propping her head up in her hand. "I know. That's why I broke up with him last year. But you know, he never used to hurt me—he was real sweet when we first got together…used to bring me flowers and take me out on the weekends. He even gave me this…"

She pulled the necklace out from under her collar and showed it to Dantrell, and his eyes widened in surprise. "You still wear the necklace he gave you?" he asked angrily. "What's the matter with you?"

"Shh," she cautioned, glancing around the library and hoping they hadn't disturbed anyone. "It's just a necklace. It's pretty and I like it…and besides, it reminds me of the good times Antwan and I had together, before he got to be so dangerous…"

"Shayla, he's gonna think you want him back…or his friends will. You're givin' everybody the wrong idea here, and it isn't a very smart thing to mess around with this guy. Unless…you want to go back to him…"

She could see the fear in his expression at the thought of his new-found friend getting back together with her vicious ex-boyfriend and looked away. "After what he did to me, I'll never go back to him," she said, her attention focused on the textbook in front of her.

He laid his hand over hers and squeezed it supportively, smiling a little when she squeezed back.

"I owe you," she continued, lifting her eyes to his. "You spend so much of your time keeping me safe when you have your sister and grandmother to worry about…"

"You don't owe me anything," Dantrell assured her. "I'm happy to do it, and Gran and Trina love having you around the house. Just promise me that no matter what happens, you'll stay as far away from that creep as possible."

"I promise."

He released her hand and reached for the clasp of her necklace, removing it and closing his fist around it. "And I'm taking this with me," he told her. "You can't move past him if you keep wearing it."

"Dantrell!" she cried in a harsh whisper, reaching for him to try and retrieve her property. "You can't take my necklace!"

"I can, and I will." He smiled as she attempted one more time to get the necklace back from him before he shoved it into his pocket. "Don't worry, I'll get you a new one for Christmas. You deserve better anyway."

She sighed and became still, knowing he was right. "Yeah, okay. But it better be a nice one," she informed him semi-seriously.

He laughed at that. "I'll do my best."



"Is this as weird for you as it is for me?" Danny asked as they walked down the sidewalk toward the restaurant.

"It's just weird for you because he's your boss," Maddie replied with a grin, squeezing his arm. "I'm perfectly comfortable going on a double date with Mac and Stella."

They entered the lobby of the restaurant and scanned the dining room for their friends, finding them already waiting at the reserved table.

"There they are," she pointed out, loosening her grip on his arm to take his hand for the walk over.

Danny rolled his eyes. "Look at 'em…holdin' hands, smilin' at each other, bein' all goofy…I don't wanna watch that all night…"

Maddie's eyes returned to Mac and Stella sitting kitty-corner from each other at the small square table. He held her hand in his, leaning forward with a silly grin on his face. She was leaning forward as well, an equally silly smile on her lips as she listened eagerly to what he was saying.

"Oh come on—they decided it was time to go out and get used to being together in public, and we're the ones they wanted to go out with, so deal with it," Maddie reprimanded her husband. Then she giggled. "And really, it isn't like you and I don't do the exact same thing when we're alone together…or when were not alone for that matter…"

A sly grin crept across Danny's face as he stepped closer to his wife. "I just can't help myself when I'm around you," he whispered in her ear.

She laughed again as his warm lips made contact with her neck and squeezed his hand. "See? I think you'll be okay tonight."

The couple greeted their friends cheerfully and sat down to dinner, allowing the conversation to jump from topic to topic. They talked about Shayla and the first visit Child Services had made to the Messer household for their pending adoption application, about Antwan's plea, about Don and Aiden and the odds of the two of them getting back together, and about Maddie's pregnancy. But, as usual, the conversation eventually turned to work.

"So this guy dressed up like Super Man?" Maddie asked, skeptical about the case the three CSIs were describing to her.

"He did," Mac assured her. "He had the tights and cape and everything."

Stella grinned mischievously and turned her attention to her date. "Did you ever do that when you were a kid?" she asked. "Tie a towel around your neck and play super hero? Little 'Mac Man' maybe?"

The older detective chuckled. "You couldn't get me out of fatigues when I was a kid."

"I bet you were adorable, too," Maddie grinned, laughing a bit as she caught Danny's embarrassed expression out of the corner of her eye.

"How about a walk in the park?" Mac suggested, taking Stella's hand in his and giving it a gentle squeeze as dinner wound down.

Stella was obviously game, so Maddie answered quickly. "Great idea."

"Yeah, sure," her husband echoed amiably.

The sun had set long ago, but the full moon coupled with the city lights shone brightly enough to illuminate their path from the restaurant to the park. Mac's hand found its way to the small of Stella's back as they crossed the street, a gesture that always brought a small smile to her lips. Her smile widened as they reached the park and she turned, sliding a hand down his arm and lacing her fingers with his.

They strolled along in comfortable silence for a few moments, a handful of steps behind Maddie and Danny, when Stella spoke.

"Is it just me," she began, "or is this kinda of a contradiction?"

Mac trained his blue eyes on her curiously. "Is what a contradiction?"

"This," she replied holding up their clasped hands. "Us. Sometimes we're still kind of awkward and nervous with each other, with the whole couple thing…"

"…and sometimes being together is the most nature thing in the world," he finished with a gentle smile.

"Yeah."

He shook his head. "It isn't just you. It's our history, Stella. We've known each other for so long…"

"…it just takes time to adjust," she grinned, dropping a small kiss on his shoulder. "But at least we already have the finishing-each-other's-sentences thing down. Maddie and Danny do that, too…"

The two CSIs let their gazes settle on the newlyweds in front of them, watching as Danny leaned closer to Maddie and spoke quietly to her.

Mac chuckled. "Yeah, but knowing the two of them, they're finishing sentences about last night's Ranger game."

Danny, unaware of his colleagues' discussion, asked a question very different from what they had in mind. "Do you remember the first time we went for a walk in the moonlight?" he said softly.

Maddie looked up at him, a bit surprised. "Getting sentimental on me?" she teased.

"No," he replied quickly. "There's just a few things that always remind me of you, no matter where I am or who I'm with, and walkin' in the moonlight is one of 'em."

She grinned and squeezed his arm. "Well it should. We've…" She broke off her sentence and stopped walking, releasing Danny's arm and moving her hand to her abdomen.

"What? What is it?" he asked anxiously.

Mac and Stella covered the few feet between the couples quickly and had the same thoughts.

Stella spoke first. "Is everything okay?"

Maddie smiled before the little group could get too worried. "Everything's fine, everything's fine. I didn't mean to get everyone all worked up, I just…" She paused again and took Danny's hand, placing it against her softly rounding stomach and covering it with her own. Within a few seconds, an identical smile spread across his face, too, and the pride and joy were evident.

"What is it?" Mac asked.

Danny answered, grinning. "The baby moved."

"Isn't it a little early in the pregnancy for that?" Stella wondered.

Maddie shook her head. "It's earlier than I noticed last time," she explained with a note of sadness in her voice, "but now I know what to pay attention for."

The four remained still for a moment before the younger couple exchanged glances, speaking to each other without words. Maddie released Danny's hand and reached for Mac's with a happy grin.

"C'mere Mac," she instructed, placing his hand against her belly.

She surprised him with her swift movements, leaving him no time to protest. Instead he stepped closer to the mother-to-be and rested his calloused palm against the silky material of her dress, waiting for something to happen. Then he felt it. A gentle fluttering rippled through Maddie's abdomen as the baby inside her changed positions.

"Was that…?"

She laughed lightly at his wide eyes and nodded. "That was your little niece or nephew."

He kept his hand still for another moment and was rewarded with another flutter. His awestruck expression made Stella giggle when he glanced over at her.

"Pretty cool, huh?" she smiled, having been a big part of Maddie's first pregnancy.

Mac was still nearly speechless. He had been less hands-on the first time around, feeling both a little out of his element and a little saddened. He had experienced so many things in life, and some of them—like love—he had been fortunate enough to find twice. But he had never been lucky enough to have children of his own.

The baby moved one more time before Mac slowly removed his hand, still captivated by the experience. "That's…amazing…" he said almost reverently, recovering some of his powers of speech.

"You're turn's comin'," Danny teased, patting his superior on the shoulder.

Mac shook his head. "Not just yet, Danny," he chided. "Baby steps, remember?"

The younger man chuckled, recalling the day he had offered those same words to his boss. "I remember."

Stella laughed merrily as she took his arm and smiled into his eyes. "So someday there might just be a little 'Mac Man' running around?"

Mac blushed faintly as he returned her smile, but managed to surprise Stella nonetheless. "Maybe," he told her. "And maybe a little 'Stella Woman', too…"