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Here's chapter 18!

Once I'd made my way out of the lab, had to take a bit of time out for myself to process everything I'd heard… OK, fine, overheard. Safe to say, I had not expected all of that. I mean, having it confirmed they were in a relationship. Wow. Made me wonder how they'd managed to keep it from everyone up to now, and whether what I'd said to Mac in his office had made a difference. Be nice to think it had, but even if not, I was more than happy with the outcome.

I wouldn't be the only one happy with it - Dalia was also going to be stoked to hear. Maybe even as much as I was. Almost skipped down the steps of the building and I had a grin plastered over my face all the way back to the precinct, the embarrassment I'd suffered forgotten for the time being.

Wasn't easy keeping everything to myself, especially later when I saw Messer at a scene. Tried to call Dalia a couple times during the day but got interrupted. By the time I got to her place after work, I was almost bursting with impatience to tell her about it. Hoped, too, for a little sympathy about the whole bathroom incident…

'Oh, honey, oh no.' Dalia failed completely to even look sympathetic. 'Of all the places to be trapped and then found out.' She burst out laughing.

'You could've at least tried not to laugh out loud,' I grumbled, and she patted my cheek.

'I'm sorry, honey, but you got to admit, it's pretty funny. I wish I'd been there.' She doubled up with laughter again.

'Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. Least I got some pretty sweet information out of the ordeal.' Weighing it up, I reckoned it had been worth it overall. Just about. 'Even if I did sacrifice my dignity.'

'Your poor dignity,' she said soothingly, although still giggling, and I rolled my eyes.

'I've barely recovered it. Only comfort I got is they're likely not going to tell anyone else about it 'cause they'll give themselves away if they do.'

Dalia nodded mock-seriously. 'You got to count your blessings, honey.'

Sure enough, as I predicted (and hoped) in the following days, neither Mac nor Stell mentioned the bathroom incident to anyone else, so I did indeed count my blessings. But, disappointingly, neither did they say anything to me about whether they'd talked to Tony, so my curiosity, along with Dalia's, burned.

Gave it a week or so before I started to try and prise some information out of them.

Got my chance at a scene in Central Park they both attended. Had to hand it to them for concealing any kind of romantic relationship between them. Unless you were in the know (like me) you wouldn't have guessed. Other than the occasional touch between them, glances that lasted a few seconds too long, they revealed nothing.

While Mac spoke to the coroner, I strolled over to Stell.

'How's it going? You enjoy your day off yesterday? Go someplace nice or see anyone?'

Stell grinned. 'Subtle, Don. Very subtle.'

'What do you mean?' Shrugged. 'Just asking, being polite, one co-worker to another.'

She squinted at me. 'Uh huh. You have no ulterior motives whatsoever, right?'

'That's cold, Stell. Real cold.' Put a hurt look on my face, and Stell laughed outright.

'So you won't be disappointed when I tell you that yes, I enjoyed my day off yesterday, Mac called round with lunch and we went to the movies in the evening?'

'I'm very happy to hear that,' I said, quite truthfully. Stell grinned and switched the conversation to what I was doing on my next day off and I knew I'd have to leave it for another day to find out more about Cousin Tony's offer.

Over the following weeks, I tried several times to discover what was the deal - if there was any deal, or whether anything else had happened. Subtlety didn't work, so in the end, frustrated, I asked Stell point blank if she was taking a job at Columbia. Only response I got was a cryptic, 'I can't say anything about it at the moment.'

Cousin Tony himself gave us nothing either. After more than a month, curiosity got the better of both of us and Dalia asked him outright; only to be met with the response that he couldn't talk about hiring decisions beyond the faculty.

'What's the good of having a relative on the inside if they don't give you any inside information?' I growled as we finished breakfast.

'I am so disappointed in Tony.' Dalia shook her head with an exhalation. 'I can't figure out why he's being so tight-lipped. Even tried to bribe him with a box of his favourite pastries but he still wouldn't spill the tea.'

'Should have known you can't rely on a Mets fan,' I said darkly.

Dalia took a sip of her coffee, frowning, before she looked up. 'On the other hand… if he says he can't talk about it, that could mean something actually is happening,' she said with a hopeful lift to her voice.

I considered. 'Could do. But in that case, we're likely going to have to wait until Mac or Stell say something, and who knows when that might be.'

'Likely so, but it couldn't hurt to ask them again when you next see them, could it honey?' Dalia said and I considered.

'It couldn't hurt, sure, but whether it would do any good is another matter.'

Even so, I kept it in mind.

At work, I got called out to a home invasion case gone wrong. Neither Mac nor Stell were at the scene, but I did hear from Lindsay and Hawkes that they'd both been meeting a lot with Sinclair recently.

'…And they appeared to be pretty upbeat afterwards,' the Doc remarked with a brief shake of his head. 'That is not something I ever thought I'd see.'

Lindsay nodded, backing him up. 'Definitely not how they usually look when they've had a meeting with him.'

'What have all these meetings been about?' I asked. 'And how many exactly have there been? Surely they can't all be about budgets.'

'I have no clue,' the Doc said regretfully. 'They met with him twice last week, and once this week.'

'And any time they've been talking about it and we've approached, they've clammed up,' Lindsay added and I had to laugh at the look of annoyance on her face.

'Could be that Sinclair's told them to keep whatever it is they've been discussing to themselves? Take it he's the one who's called the meetings?'

'From what I hear, they've initiated at least one of the meetings,' Hawkes said. 'Mac met with him on his own last week, but Stella's been at the last couple. In fact, she might even have met with him on her own two days ago.'

'Oh really? Interesting. Very interesting.' Debated for a second whether to share with them what I knew but I couldn't. Meanwhile, my brain was ticking over with theories – could all these meetings be something to do with jobs? It was possible… I hoped there might be more information forthcoming, but one of my guys called me and I had to leave it there. Got caught up in paperwork for the rest of the day which meant I had no chance to pursue it any further.

Next day, however, brought an even more interesting development.

Late evening, while kicking back at home, watching yesterday's game and eating a slice, someone knocked at my door.

Dalia was in the middle of a shift, and I couldn't think of anyone else it was likely to be – Sam was out of town, so it wouldn't be her… Anyway, after reluctantly putting my half-eaten slice down, I got up, peeped through the spyhole and saw a couple people I did not expect to see, which was my excuse for greeting them the way I did when I yanked the door open.

'What are you two doing here?'

'Hello to you, too, Don,' Mac said dryly. Stell smirked as she folded her arms across her stomach.

'Not interrupting you are we?' she asked, and I shook my head.

'Nah, just didn't expect to see you here.'

Two of 'em looked at each other before Stell said breezily, 'Oh, we were in the neighbourhood so thought we'd drop by if you were home.'

Obviously there was more to it than that, but I played along for the time being.

'Sure. Come on in.'

'Thanks.'

Hastily paused the game on TV, cleared some magazines and clothes off of the couch before offering it to them and offering them a drink. I'd left the slice on the coffee table and Stell saved it from being crushed by a vacation brochure at the last second.

'Thank you, coffee would be great,' Stell said. 'But we don't want to keep you, or your slice, for too long.'

'No problem. You'll have coffee as well, Mac? Or a beer?'

Mac opted for coffee, and I headed over to the kitchen. Couldn't hear them talking while I made it so had to restrain my curiosity a while longer.

Handed Stell her coffee and her expression changed to puzzlement suddenly. After digging around behind her, she pulled out a bra and with wide eyes, laid it on the back of the couch.

'Yours?' Mac asked with raised eyebrows and a poker face, and I smiled sweetly.

'Not my size.'

'How's Dalia? Is she working tonight?' Stell asked with a twinkle in her eyes.

'She's good, and yes, she's on night shift today.' Don't know if it was my face that had heated up, or if it had just gotten warm in the apartment…

'Are you seeing her later?' Stell asked and Mac side-eyed her, but with definite affection.

'Most likely.'

'Got a vacation to plan, huh?' Stell gestured to the brochures which I should have swept under the couch. Picking one up, she glanced over it with approval. 'Looks like a fabulous place.'

'We're thinking about it, long as we can both get time off,' I said, not liking the way the tables had been turned regarding relationships as I removed the brochure from Stell. 'Anyways, never mind all that, not to be rude but, what exactly can I do for you? 'Cause I ain't buying that you're here simply because you were in the neighbourhood.' And given that they'd rocked up to my apartment at this time of day, it had to be something important.

'They don't give you a badge and call you detective for nothing, right, Don?' Stell said with a glint in her eye.

'You said it. So, don't keep me in suspense. What's the story?'

'Couple things actually,' Mac said, before glancing at Stell with a rare moment of uncertainty. Made me wonder if it had been more Stell's idea than his to call on me.

'Go ahead, I'm listening.'

'Before we say anything else, you're the first person we've told this to, so we'd appreciate it if it didn't go any further until we give you the go-ahead,' Mac said fixing me with a look.

Didn't think it was possible for my eyebrows to rise any higher, but they did.

'Uh, sure… whatever you say. Goes no further than here. You got my word. Although, I assume I'm good to tell Dalia?'

'Of course,' Stell said, and I nodded.

'Thanks. She'll appreciate that. So, hit me with it.' How much longer was I going to have to wait for the big reveal, whatever it was. Better be worth it after all this.

'I'm resigning as head of the crime lab,' Mac said, totally deadpan and I burst out laughing.

'Man, that's some funny shit.' Shook my head, still chuckling. 'Anyone who says you ain't got a sense of humour doesn't know what they're talking about. Mac, you're hilarious.'

Mac's lip curled. 'Leaving aside the part about me not having a sense of humour, on this occasion I'm serious.'

'Oh, come on,' I scoffed. 'You resigning from the crime lab? Sure. You think I was born yesterday? Seriously, what did you really come here to tell me?'

'Don, this is not a joke.' Something about the bewildered expression he and Stell shared made me bite back my retort.

Instead, I blinked at him, as I realised neither of them looked even faintly amused.

The truth dawned on me. 'Oh my God. You're kidding me… You actually are resigning?'

'For the last time, I am not kidding you, Don.' Mac said, exasperated. 'Yes, I'm resigning. Sinclair has accepted my formal resignation and I'll be leaving in a little over a month's time.'

'Wow…' I said weakly. 'I mean… wow. That – that wasn't what I expected you to say.'

'So I gather,' Mac's voice was bone-dry, and I saw Stell's mouth quirk. 'You really had no idea?'

'Why would I? Far as I knew, it was Stell looking for a different job not you. What happened?'

Two of them looked at each other while I stared between them, still trying to process everything.

'Actually,' Stell said, 'It was the information you gave us from Tony that made the difference. We reached out to him, discussed all the possibilities, and it worked out that it suited Mac more than me to take the position he was offering.'

'Well, great. That's great. I'm honestly happy to hear that and I know Dalia will be, too. But… what about the lab? Who's going to replace Mac?'

'We're not sure yet – Sinclair and the brass were interviewing last week.' Stell flushed slightly, brushing her hair behind her ear as she glanced at Mac, who looked more than proud. 'He actually encouraged me to apply, so I did and they interviewed me on Friday.'

A huge grin broke across my face. 'You'll be a shoe-in. That's awesome, Stell.' That certainly explained all the meetings with Sinclair.

'Thanks, Don,' she said, beaming. 'I'm hopeful, but it's still got to go through all the proper channels.'

'Of course.' I nodded, understanding. 'Even so, we got to celebrate this,' I said, but Stell held up her hand.

'Before you get too carried away, you might want to hear what else we have to tell you.'

'There's more?' I sat down. 'Oh God, I don't know how much more I can take.'

'Really? In that case, you think maybe we ought to wait until tomorrow or another day?' Stell said with a wide-eyed look at Mac, who smirked.

'Hell no. You tell me what else you got to tell me, or I ain't letting you leave, either of you.'

'Again, this goes no further than you and Dalia for the time being,' Mac warned, and I nodded.

'You got it.'

Clasping her hands, Stell suddenly had a shy look on her face as she glanced again at Mac. 'So, Mac and I are moving in together. Moving into a new shared apartment in fact.'

It was too much to take in. I sat there gaping like a stranded fish, managing to choke out, 'Wait… You… You're what? Really?'

'Really.' Stella beamed.

'No way. You've kept that awfully quiet, I had no idea.' Damn.

'You didn't? Even with your unorthodox surveillance methods? You surprise me,' Mac said with a quirked eyebrow.

'Low blow, Mac. Low blow,' I mumbled, before adding, 'When did this all happen?' How had I not picked up on that from all the conversations with them?

'Last week,' Stell said, sparkles in her eyes as she turned to smile at Mac, who was smiling as well. 'We found a place we both liked and signed the contracts the next day. We've actually just been to take another look at the place and take a few measurements – it's only a few blocks from here.'

'Two of you sure don't hang around,' I said, still trying to process everything I'd been told. Felt dazed.

'No time like the present, right, Mac?' Stell said, casting a knowing look at Mac.

'You said it.' Looked pointedly at Mac myself as I continued, watching him shift slightly and rub the back of his neck. 'Got to seize opportunities when you get them, right? In case you don't get them again.'

He met my gaze levelly. 'Yes. Yes you do.'

'Absolutely.' Stell nodded firmly, clasping Mac's hand as she did. Had a hunch that she had at least an idea of what had been said between me and Mac while she was in DC.

'What can I say but congratulations, again.' Something else occurred to me and a grin spread across my face. 'Hey, we'll be neighbours, near enough. That's cool. Can call in and borrow cups of sugar from you. Seriously, though, best news I've heard in… well, since you told me about the job.'

'Thanks, Don.' Stell beamed at me. Couldn't stop myself from getting up and hugging Stell. Mac looked kind of wary about a hug, so I settled on a handshake instead.

After Mac mentioned that they ought to be heading off soon, Stell asked to use the bathroom and Mac and I sat back down.

All of a sudden, I felt awkward, unsure what to say.

Mac sipped his coffee, I picked at a loose thread on the arm of the chair.

'Sorry we interrupted your game,' Mac said suddenly, gesturing at the frozen TV screen.

Grateful for the conversation starter, I waved my hand to dismiss his concern. 'No problem. It's good to see you.' Gestured at the screen as inspiration came to me. 'I heard a rumour the Cubs were looking to trade one of their pitchers with the Jets. Any truth in that?'

Figured with sports talk we were on pretty safe ground.

'It's been rumoured for a while,' Mac said. 'Not sure if there's much truth in it as it hasn't happened yet. Could be interesting.'

'Oh sure.' I nodded, before asking, 'You and Stell planning on going to any Jets or Cubs games this season? Could be nice, time off together, few days' vacation in Chicago?'

Reserve came over Mac's face and I was reminded of the discussion we'd had in his office centring on the Cubs keychain Stell had given him (which, by the way, I still hadn't discovered the significance of) and I felt a certain satisfaction that given the current situation, some of what I'd said then had obviously got through to him.

'Possibly,' Mac said. 'We haven't arranged anything yet.'

Stell returned at that point and made some comment about the towels in the bathroom. I had to tell her they were Dalia's choice and she'd have to ask her where she'd bought them as I had no clue.

Led on to conversation about house stuff and furnishings, and I got a few more details about their new apartment, including the address. Didn't say anything about it at that point, but I was hoping I'd at least get an invitation to see the place soon, and that there might even be a chance of an apartment-warming party once they'd moved.

They'd been there almost an hour when Mac turned to Stell after glancing at his watch. 'We'd better go, our table's booked for 7pm.'

'Dinner out? Nice. Spare a thought for me with my cold slice from yesterday evening,' I said with a shrug and sigh. Mac rolled his eyes and Stell gave me a look of fake concern.

'Don't you eat hot food if Dalia isn't here? We can bring you back a doggy-bag if you need it.'

I shook my head, sighing again. 'No, I'm good. Actually, I'd rather wait and cash in on your long-overdue offer of lunch.' It occurred to me that that could be an ideal opportunity to quiz Stell and find out more details about everything they'd just told me.

She shook her head, amused. 'I see my offer's been upgraded from buying you a pretzel to lunch, huh?'

Smiled broadly at her. 'I've waited a while. Seems fair.'

'Let me check my schedule and I'll text you, OK?'

'Sure thing. Enjoy dinner.'

'Enjoy your slice.'

They stood up to go and at the door Stell hugged me again, and even Mac thawed – stopping short of an embrace but shaking my hand warmly.

'Don't forget,' I called out as they made their way down the hallway. 'Lunch on you soon.'

Stell waved back at me. 'You got it.'

I shut the front door, waited a couple seconds for them to go out of earshot then punched the air with a shout of triumph.

Thank you for reading! Please do let me know what you think with a review, I love to know :D See you soon with the next chapter! Lily x