So, I got the feeling you didnt exactly like Stella's choice last chapter? lmao :p I wasnt planning on posting this for another day or so, but if I post it now, I just might work on my essay...yeah, I didnt believe me either.

"Mac? You here?" Stella called, twisting the key back out of his door. "Honey, I'm home!"

"Coming darling," he sassed back, passing her in the hallway.

"Hey," She smiled, following him into the living room. He sat down on the couch and flipped through take out menus, while she leant against the door frame. "I'm on my lunch, you want anything?"

"No, I'm good. I was thinking of abusing Massimo's for dinner tonight. You fancy Italian?"

"I fancyAntonioSabato Jr, but that's beside the point," she smirked, before turning serious, "I wont be making dinner tonight."

"You wont?"

"No, I have a date," she called over her shoulder, walking into the kitchen. Why was she so nervous?

"…Oh," Stella heard him say.

"Well, it's not so much a date," she took a bottle of water out of the fridge, "as a sight-see."

"A sight-see," Mac wasn't sure himself if that was a statement or a question. He came into the kitchen, putting the menus on the table.

"It could be a date. He said that was up to me. Either a sight-see or a date."

"Oh," he said again.

"He's new to New York. Wants to eat in an authentic restaurant before he leaves."

"It isn't…?"

"…Carl."

"Carl." he pulled a chair out and sat down.

"So I wont be here." she sat opposite him.

"Wont be here…" he reiterated, trying to get the notion of Stella and Carl through, or really out, of his head.

"Sausages."

"Excuse me?" What?

"I wanted to see if you'd repeat everything I said," she smirked, trying to lighten the atmosphere which had gathered.

"You cant date Carl." Well, he definitely didn't repeat that from her.

"What? Why's that?"

"He's not good enough for you," he stalked back into the living room.

She followed quickly asking, "And you know this how?"

"I spent 24 hours with him for nearly 2 months, Stella. I know him."

"That isn't a reason, Mac, and you know it. You cant tell me who to date." She was starting to get a little annoyed, and louder, at his evasive answers.

"I have never told you who to date, ever," He spun to face her. "I stood idly by when you dated Michael, Carter, Billy," he counted them on his fingers, "and I stood idly by when they hurt you. For that I apologise, but I'm not doing that anymore."

"You know Carl's going to hurt me," she said disbelievingly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I know his type, the military's full of them: among other things, he has a girl at every port, left hanging by a whirlwind romance. He's not good enough for you, Stella, just like Michael, Carter and Billy weren't good enough for you."

"Is anyone good enough for me, Mac?" She couldn't believe he was coming out with this. She wasn't completely inept when it came to choosing partners. Michael, Carter and Billy, yes they'd hurt her, but they were just a few anomalies in a long list of decent men.

"No. No-one is good enough for you." He walked the room, still ranting. "Even I'm not good enough for you, and I love you."

Silence.

Mac stopped dead in his tracks. Had he said that out loud? Had she heard him?

"You're not good enough for me?" she said, barely above a whisper.

She'd definitely heard him. His head drooped and a sigh escaped. "No." Mac turned to face her, though he couldn't bring up the courage to actually look at her, afraid of what he might see. "I'm a 45 year old widower who's still not sure he's ready for another woman in his life. I have a demanding job with no set time shifts, little or no social life and a bum arm. You deserve a lot more."

The proverbial tumbleweed swept through the room. He couldn't believe he was explaining his feelings to Stella. Stella. She was probably trying to think of the quickest way out of the house. Probably the labs as well. If he had made her leave, he'd never be able to live with himself.

"What if I don't want more?"

"What?" His head snapped up.

"Mac, I'm a 38 year old woman with no family and no particularly serious relationships to date. The only friends I have, I work with. I don't talk to anyone from my childhood. I have a 24 hour job and I'm about to get demoted in a couple of months. If anyone's not good enough for anyone, I'm not good enough for you."

"You don't actually believe that, do you?" He took a step closer to her.

"What am I suppose to believe? I thought I knew everything I needed to know, and now it feels like it's all being thrown into a blender and mushed for about an hour."

Mac grabbed her arm and sat her down next to him on the couch.

"When we went to see Claire a few days ago, I was so convinced you weren't ready. And now you tell me you love me?"

"You'd rather I hadn't told you?"

"No, no, Mac, I'm glad you told me. Very glad. It's just…why did you tell me?"

"I don't know if I could answer that. I wasn't expecting to tell you. It just slipped out. I knew for sure when I got back and you were in my kitchen making sandwiches."

"I've snagged so many men that way," she chuckled.

He chuckled too.

"What now?" Stella asked.