The following three days and nights saw a lot of tears, a lot of nightmares and a lot of hugs. Stella had not felt up to really talking yet and Mac respected her time and space to deal with everything. He had only left her place to visit Peyton once he was sure Stella was comfortable on her own.

The day came when Peyton was being released from the hospital. Stella knew Mac would be gone most of the day for that so she made him a big breakfast.

As they ate, he looked over at her. Her bruises were healing nicely but her eyes were still lost and scared. "I'll be back once Peyton is back home."

She smiled at him. "Mac, she's your girlfriend. I'm fine. You need to be taking care of her now."

"You're not fine, Stel. Peyton was shot. You've just been through a hell of a lot more." When he saw the tears forming in her eyes again, he placed his fork down and knelt before her. "And that flu is coming back and I'm not leaving you."

"Why didn't she ever look for me?"

When her eyes met his, he wished for nothing more than to have all the answers she needed, but he didn't. No one did.

"She's dead too. Angie told me. She was murdered by a dealer when she didn't pay." The tears streamed down her cheeks and Mac did his best to wipe them away as quickly as they appeared. "Why didn't she ever try to find me, Mac?" She wrapped her arms around him.

"I don't know. But she was a fool not to," he whispered as he held her. Inwardly he was grateful. Grateful that even though Stella's childhood had not been the most ideal, it would have been far worse if she had had to grow up with an abusive mother. Selfishly he was also grateful because if things had been different, he may never have met her.

Mac placed Peyton's overnight bag on the floor of her bedroom. "I'm sorry, Peyton, I'll be back but…"

"Stella needs you more." She climbed under the blankets of her bed and reached for his hand. "And she does. I'll be sleeping most of the time anyway so go. Don told me she hasn't been herself in days and he and the rest of the team are at a loss. If they're worried I know it's bad."

"She wanted to see you in the hospital but she was afraid it would bring up bad memories – especially since we didn't know who was behind it at that time."

"I'm sorry I doubted her." She kissed his lips softly. "And I'm sorry I doubted you."

"There's nothing to be sorry about. I'll be back before you know it." He leaned over and kissed her again.

"Mac, don't rush back. I will be fine. Sheldon offered to come over to change the bandages if need be. Take care of Stella."

The moment Mac closed the bedroom door Peyton buried her face in her pillow and cried.

Mac found Stella on her couch in a near catatonic state when he returned in the late afternoon. The first night there he had spent on the couch but, when they both realized it was going to be a bit longer, he found an air mattress and set it up on the floor of her bedroom so he could be closer when she had the nightmares.

"Stel?"

She continued to stare blankly at the television.

Mac sat beside her and gently touched her shoulder. "Stella?"

She slowly blinked then looked at him. "Hi. How's Peyton?"

"She's good. She's worried about you too."

Stella weakly smiled at that. "She's a good person, Mac. I couldn't have picked anyone any better for you than her."

Mac felt uncomfortable with her statement for at that moment he realized that Peyton was not foremost in his thoughts and had not been for some time. Giving Stella a quick hug, he went to the kitchen to make dinner for them.

2 Weeks Later………

Stella sat in Mac's office while they waited for the results of an autopsy. They were discussing the case when Peyton walked in, not realizing Stella was there.

"Mac, I was wondering if…" Peyton froze when she saw Stella. "Nevermind, I'm sorry. I can come back later." Before Mac could even respond, she was out the door.

Stella got up. "Let me talk to her."

She ran down the hall and found Peyton leaning against the wall trying to catch her breath. "Peyton!"

Looking over at Stella, she grimaced. "Hi, Stella. I didn't mean to interrupt…"

With a small smile, Stella opened the nearest door that led to a conference room. "We need to talk."

While trying to ignore the irrational fear that gripped her heart, Peyton nodded and followed.

"How are you feeling?" Stella asked. "Mac said you've made quite the quick recovery."

Peyton stared at her for a moment. "Y… Yeah. I'm doing well." She desperately tried to hide the way her body was starting to shake.

Stella sat down. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what she did to you."

For the first time since returning to work, Peyton smiled at Stella and sat down as well. "It wasn't your fault."

"But you relive it every time you see me," she stated gently.

"Yes," she admitted. "Stella, it's not you. It's just… It will take time." Peyton began to breathe a little easier.

"I haven't told Mac yet but…" Stella paused. "I'm leaving the lab."

Peyton's eyes went wide. "What? Why?"

"You're a friend, Peyton, and I see what me being around is doing to you. It's not fair to you. I'm looking at applying for a job in Jersey or Connecticut."

"You can't leave, Stella. Not because of me."

"Hey, I'll still be around."

"No, Stella, you can't leave because Mac needs you here."

Standing up, Stella went to the door then turned and smiled at Peyton once more. "He's got you here. That's all he needs. Just please don't tell him yet."

Peyton surprised them both by jumping up and grabbing Stella's arm. "You can't leave because I already am."

Both women stared at each other, unsure what to say. Finally Peyton broke the silence by letting go of Stella and leaning against the conference table. "It has nothing to do with you. Well, maybe a little. But even if it had been someone that didn't look familiar to me, I'd still be making this decision. I'm going back to London."

"What about Mac?"

"I haven't told him yet. I only decided last night for sure. New York has been great. It's been wonderful for so many reasons but… It's just not for me." Tears filled her eyes as she looked at Stella. "I love Mac. I never thought I'd ever find someone like him but I just can't stay here."

"Peyton, I'll move out of state if that would help," she desperately offered. "You never have to see my face again. I know Mac loves you, too."

Nearly losing it, Peyton replied, "That's why you have to stay. Mac will need you and I know you will take care of him."

In two steps, Stella was hugging Peyton as both women cried.

On the park bench, Stella quietly watched the world go by. A week had passed since Peyton had announced she was leaving. Mac had tried to be there for Stella during that time, but she insisted he spend as much time as he could with Peyton, that maybe they could find a way to keep their relationship. In the end, he had confided in her that he and Peyton had reached a mutual agreement that a long-distance relationship wasn't going to work for either of them. Glancing at her watch, she knew Peyton's plane had taken off and Mac would be on his way back from the airport by now.

A large, red, bouncing ball landed at her feet and she reached down with a smile and handed it back to the small blonde-haired girl shyly running over to retrieve it. "Thank you, Ma'am," the child said running back to her friends. Happy and carefree, Stella thought. I miss those days sometimes.

Life had been pretty crazy for her lately. She had had a twin sister and found out her mother always thought about her yet never looked for her. Slowly she had accepted that she had, in fact, been better off in foster homes and the orphanage. It may not have been the best life, but in her job she had seen the effects of abusive homes.

Then she smiled. While not related by blood, she had also realized she had the best family anyone could have ever asked for. Flack had picked up where Mac was not able to and showed up at Stella's place every night with dinner. They had talked about what had happened and he had admitted to having some nightmares where it was Stella he killed and not her twin. They cried, they hugged, and they healed. Lindsay and Danny had called often and Sheldon had followed up on her health after the flu had returned with a vengeance. Mac, however, was the one constant in her life that she knew would always be there no matter what. He would be the one to give her away at her wedding. She would be the godmother of his children. That thought brought a larger smile to her face.

"Thinking of anyone in particular?" came a hoarse voice.

She looked up to see Mac, red-eyed and weary, standing before her. In an instant she stood up and took him in her arms. "My family," she whispered.

He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. "She's gone."

"I'm sorry, Mac." Tears fell from her eyes – a mixture of loss of one friend and the pain another friend was going through. "I'm so sorry."

"Can we get out of here?" he mumbled into her hair, not quite ready to let go of his living and breathing strength.

"Anything you want."

A short moment later, he released Stella but kept one arm around her waist.

"Sullivan's?" she asked.

Mac shook his head. "I'm not ready to be around people yet."

She was about to suggest his place when she realized that it held not only memories of Claire but now also Peyton so, instead, she said, "My place then. I've got bad movies and even worse wine."

That got a smile out of him.

An empty pizza box lay on the floor and two glasses with only small remnants of wine in them sat on the table.

"I still can't believe you actually own this movie, Stella," Mac chuckled while reaching for the half-empty bottle of wine.

Picking up the two wine glasses, she held them out for him. "As I recall, I did not actually purchase this movie."

"I didn't think you'd keep it, though!" He carefully poured the remainder of the wine equally between them. "It was a joke. Just seemed appropriate after that tomato case." He put the empty bottle of wine on the floor and sat back on the couch once more.

Stella laughed, sitting back and leaning against his side, slowly sipping the wine. "Our very own Attack of the Killer Tomatoes. I never knew Flack could come up with so many bad jokes until that case."

"At least you didn't walk into your office to find it filled with smiling tomatoes," he reminded her.

Nearly spitting out her drink at the memory, she grinned and looked at him. "And I don't think I ever will. Danny seemed to have learned his lesson after you put him on dumpster diving duty for two full months."

Once again they sat in companionable silence, enjoying one of the rare moments in their lives where nothing was expected of them – where they could just be.

Mac slid his arm around Stella and she snuggled in closer, still sipping wine but also stifling a yawn. In that moment that Mac began to realize something. No one in his life had ever made him feel so comfortable. Claire had been the love of his life once and she always would be a part of him but, even with Claire, there were times when he felt he needed to be more. He had loved Peyton and still did; but with her he was always guarded. He knew she saw what he saw at work yet he still felt a need to protect her from the worst of the world. Then there was the woman currently next to him, laughing at a movie about oversized tomatoes taking over the world. The woman who had brought him back from the edge countless times after 9/11. The woman who had encouraged him to move on. The woman who he could talk to about anything – who shared memories of his life. The woman he would lay his life down for without a second thought. The woman who he knew trusted him and him alone without question. The woman with whom he never once felt like he needed to be anything more than just himself.

A sleepy voice brought him out of his thoughts.

"Mac?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm going to go to bed." She yawned again. The events of the past few weeks had finally hit her and she was even struggling to sit up on the couch.

Smiling, Mac took her glass from her and set it on the table next to his own, then stood up and pulled her off the couch. He watched her fight to keep her eyes open.

"Are you sure the couch is okay for you?" she asked.

"I'm sure," he said. "Off to bed with you. I'll take care of the lights."

She pulled him into a hug, sighing when he hugged her back. "Goodnight, Mac," she mumbled into his shoulder.

"Goodnight, Stel."

When she pulled away, he stopped her and looked into her eyes. "No getting up early tomorrow."

Stella groggily nodded then climbed into her awaiting bed.

Mac waited until she was settled, amazed at how quickly she fell asleep, then turned off all the lights. As he stretched out on the couch, adjusting the pillow beneath his head, memories flooded his mind. Meeting Stella for the first time at a crime scene when she was a rookie just out of the academy and amazed how well they clicked. Introducing Stella to his wife, Claire, and how quickly they became friends. Bringing Stella onto his CSI team. The days and weeks he spent crying on her shoulder and her taking care of him after Claire died. How she could always make him laugh when he needed it most. The sparkle in her eyes whenever she saw him. The warm feeling he got whenever he was able to make her smile. The way she stayed with him all night in the hospital waiting for word on Flack's condition. Frankie. HIV. His I.A. hearing and standing up to the commissioner. The lab under siege. Peyton being shot. Stella being framed. Peyton leaving.

Through his tears, he smiled. It had not been an easy road in either of their lives yet, no matter how bad things were for either of them, they always managed to get through anything and everything - together.

The End