Author- Officer-In-Blue

Title - Little Orphan Darling

Summery - A short little fic telling first of Stella's plans for her future from the point of view that Saint Basil's Orphanage gives herand second of meeting Mac Taylor.

Disclaimer - Miss Manten, temper tantrum child, and the police chief belong to me... the rest belongs to the people of NY and Jerry Bruckheimer and associated media personel.

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"Hey, sweetheart, do you want to grab something to eat and walk through the park?" The voice did little to pull Stella Bonasera out of the bottomless pit she had slipped into. She was staring at a crack in the window of the small fourth floor bedroom she shared with 5 other girls. The orphanage was growing daily, both physically and by number.

17 years old with bright eyes and dark curly hair. Fair skin and a beautiful smile. She'd lived her entire life in that orphanage with the nuns and the other girls her only companions. There was one particular nun who reminded her much of Miss Clavelle of the classic tale "Madeline". A tall woman, who dressed in the respectable Catholic black and white, completed by the long vale like fabric that flowed down her back. Her voice was soft and she was a well-mannered woman who had taught Stella much of what she knew about love and kindness… and most importantly forgiveness. That was who was trying to get her attention now.

"Stella?" Miss Manten lifted her robes slightly as she sat gracefully down on Stella's bottom bunk. It was made neatly as all the girls were expected to do every morning at 6:30 when they woke up. She slipped her arm over Stella's small, but strong shoulders and held her for a minute. "Is everything okay?"

"I don't know the Greek word for hate." Stella whispered. Her voice cracked with anger.

"You do not hate easily, dear, what is it?"

"I just found out exactly why I'm in this orphanage."

Miss Manten sighed heavily. "The others had lied to you, yes. No one wanted you to hear that-"

Stella cut her off. "That my parents ditched me? Didn't want me anymore? I was inconveniencing them? God, Miss Manten… what possesses someone to despise their own child to the point of just throwing her away as if I were some… broken piece of garbage." The anger slipped away as quick as it had come, turning instead to tears. "I'm sorry. I have no right to complain or to be angry. I do not know the situation they may have been in."

"They're gone now, so you can believe whatever comforts you most." Miss Manten added quietly as Stella slumped her head down.

"I read that too. A car accident the year I turned twelve. They never intended to come back for me."

"Perhaps that was a punishment of sorts for what they did to you or rather what thy didn't do for you." Miss Manten suggested hopefully. "How about that walk?"

Stella smiled, her eyes shining through the tears. "Sure would appreciate that, Miss Manten." She hugged the woman tightly.

As they headed down the busy New York streets toward Central Park, Stella was silent. She watched the business people in fancy suits and the children who yelled at their parents. "If only they knew." Stella mumbled wistfully.

Miss Manten followed Stella's line of site and saw a spoiled child throwing himself against a car door. "I don't want to go get pizza!" He was screaming loudly. "I want hot dogs!"

She shook her head. "No… they don't know. And I'd take pizza over hot dogs."

Stella looked at the nun who bore a silly grin. She shook her head and laughed. "Not me, but to each his own."

Miss Manten slipped her arm around Stella's shoulder as they kept walking. "You don't know what your missing and it's probably better that way."

Stella stared at her, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Stella, did you know I was an orphan too? Grew up in the very same room you have now."

Stella shook her head. "No, but I always imagined you might have been. Not a lot of people want to deal with troubled, angry children with no parents."

Miss Manten nodded. "Well, I didn't get there until I was nearly 15. I didn't know my mother, and my father eventually grew sick of me. It's better to not even know what you've lost."

Stella digested what her mentor was telling her. True as it was, Stella still found herself stuck on the old quote. "Better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all."

Miss Manten didn't respond, but her arm tightened around Stella's shoulder as they arrived at the southwest end of the Park near Columbus Circle. They grabbed soft pretzels coated in a signature mustard sauce that sizzled on the salty goodness. They continued on toward a bench neat a playground where children were racing higher on the swing sets and toddlers were playing in sand boxes.

"Better to have lost before loving than to lose something that'll break your heart."

Stella thought about that for a long moment. Swallowing another bite she smiled. "Touché.

"What should I do with my life, Miss Manten?"

"Whatever you want to. You are a bright, smart girl. You're nearly done with high school, and a year early to boot. Any college will accept your transcripts and you can get quite a few scholarships and a lot of financial aid being an orphan."

Stella smiled. "I've always wanted to work with the sciences. Maybe forensics or something."

"Go for it, Baby!"

Stella grinned and wiped the mustard that had dripped onto her hands before hugging Miss Manten tight with both arms. "Thank you for everything, Miss Manten."

"Hey, Detective. I want you to meet your new boss!" Stella looked up to see the Chief of Police leaving without waiting for her response. She stood to follow; leaving her lab coat on the stool she'd been perched on far too long.

Standing in the doorway was a handsome man just a hair taller than her if that, wearing a suit and tie. Formal. She thought as she extended her hand. "Detective Taylor?"

"Yes. You must be Detective Bonasera." He took her hand and shook it.

"Yeah, but I'm more comfortable with Stella."

He smiled at her and nodded. "Okay, Stella. I prefer Mac."

"Okay, Mac." She mirrored his enunciation. "I'm pretty sure I met your wife a few nights back. Claire?"

"Yeah, that'd be her. We just moved up from Chicago."

"So you're not new to the whole city thing? That'll be good."

"I suppose. I had wanted something smaller, less death, but she got an offer up here we couldn't refuse. Because she didn't have to re-test for her rank as a lieutenant."

Stella nodded knowingly. "I've never worked anywhere else… here in this lab, on that stool."

He laughed. "Yeah, moving just kind of stinks sometimes."

She smiled. "Wouldn't ever hope to find that out first hand."

"I'll let you get back to your work. If you're not busy later, perhaps you'll join my wife and I for dinner? Maybe suggest someplace good?"

"I would love to." She grinned as she pulled her lab coat back on and returned to her blood samples.

And that's all She wrote - MAYBE More COULD quite POSSIBLY follow if I get inspired- Written by Officer-In-Blue --Support the troops, they're protecting your ass.