A/N: The first part of this section could be considered an alternate viewpoint to my oneshot Baby Steps. If you've read it, yay! If you haven't, what are you waiting for? ;-) Seriously, though, the two pieces go well together, but you do not have to have read Baby Steps to understand this one.

A/N 2: I've been seriously remiss in replying to your wonderful reviews--all five of my classes took tests and turned in a bunch of stuff last week, and I've been drowning in things to grade until today. But let me just say a general thank you--at least for the moment--to everyone who has left reviews. I'm blushing to the roots of my hair--you guys are spoiling me big time!

Now go read :-D

Stella and Mac actively avoided each other in the days that followed their first fight, both too stubborn to admit that there was no winning this argument. They spoke to each other only when necessary, and only about matters regarding the Lab.

Then a few days into the standoff, Mac had arrived at work a changed man. Even the other CSIs noticed the difference, though no one could figure out what it was. Nor did they ask, knowing instinctively that it was something personal and that if Mac wanted them to know, he would tell them.

Stella headed toward his office that afternoon, needing to consult him on a matter pertaining to the case she was working. She was reading though a lab report as she walked and almost knocked down a tech halfway to his office, deciding then that she had better pay attention to where she was going. She lifted her eyes from the folder she carried and spotted Mac in his office, standing behind his desk as she knew he would be. Something in his demeanor was unusual, though, and her instincts told her to wait a moment before going in.

She paused in the hallway and watched him staring down at his wallet, wondering what it was he was doing. She wracked her brain for the contents of that wallet, having gone through it several times herself. It wasn't until he set the wallet down on his desk and began twisting his wedding band that Stella knew what he was so fixated on. He was looking at the picture of Claire he kept with him, twisting his ring the way he did sometimes when he was thinking particularly deep thoughts.

As she watched, Mac stopped twisting his ring and gently slid it off his finger. Stella read his lips as he placed the ring in his wallet with the picture, seeing the sadness in his eyes as he told Claire "I love you". He paused a moment longer, taking in the sight of his wedding band in a new resting place for the first time, then folded his wallet up and placed it back in his pocket.

When he looked up from his desk, his eyes met Stella's and he smiled softly. She returned the smile with all the love in her heart spoken in her eyes, and the two of them silently apologized to each other from across the lab.

They didn't, however, get to actually talk to each other at all the rest of the day. Mac, of course, ended up working a double shift and Stella herself wound up staying lat into the night, scrutinizing evidence for a different case in an effort to put away the bad guys.

In the middle of the night she lay in bed in her apartment, having finally drifted off to sleep, only to be awoken by a loud banging on her door.

"Stella!" a male voice called. "It's me…open up…"

Her sleep-numbed brain tried to think rationally as she crawled out of bed and flipped on the living room light. "Mac? Is that you?" She peered though the peephole and unlocked the door, swinging it open with confusion. "What are you doing here?"

He wore an apologetic but pleased smile as he stepped into her apartment. "I'm sorry I woke you up…I know how late you stayed tonight, and how little sleep you were going to get without me knocking on your door at three in the morning, but this couldn't wait."

She closed and locked the door behind him, turning to face him with a concerned expression on her face. "What? What is it that couldn't wait until tomorrow?"

"I love you, Stella," he told her, smiling as he spoke.

She smiled, pink creeping into her cheeks. "You over here in the middle of the night to tell me you love me?"

He nodded. "And because of this…" He held his left hand in front of her eyes, waiting for her to discover the missing piece of the puzzle.

She took his hand in hers and inspected it more closely, forcing her mind to think clearly. Then she noticed the faint tan line on his third finger where a gold band used to sit and remembered the moment in his office earlier that day. "You took it off," she said quietly, her eyes shifting to his.

He nodded again, more slowly this time. "I took it off."

Stella instantly felt guilty, wondering for the thousandth time in their relationship if she had pushed him into something he wasn't ready for, and opened her mouth to speak. Before she could get the words out, though, Mac interrupted.

"It was time," he said. "You were right the other night, Stella. You and I can't be together until I come to terms with Claire's death and get things sorted out."

She turned his hand over and squeezed it. "And you were right that night, too. I do need to be patient with you. It's hard to let go of someone so close to you." She paused and glanced down at their hands clasped together. "You're sure about this?"

"I'm positive. And so is Claire. We sorted some things out." He slid his arms around her and pulled her to him, his lips grazing her ear. "I love you," he whispered.

She felt the tingly feeling he always gave her begin to spread over her body and smiled, holding him tightly as she rested her cheek against his. "I love you too."

They remained still for a few moments, until Stella's wisecracking side decided to make its presence known. "So are we gonna kiss and make up?" she asked with a smirk. "'Cause I need to get back to sleep…"

Mac leaned in and kissed her gently, savoring the feeling of her mouth on his. When he pulled away, he grinned a little himself. "You know, I might take offense to that if I was anybody else," he chuckled. "You're lucky I love you so much."

Her smile softened and she kissed him again. "I know."