A/N: A short one today, guys. Sorry – but I'm neck-deep in research work and analyses. And I'm not even WORKING yet! Communication Research, go! Hahahahah….

Anyway, I'm stuck in this story. Damn that writer's block. I'm trying to get over it, I promise. So far, I'm two or three chapters farther from this one. But I got stuck….grr… I need my SMACked-on-TV fix.

But I hope you enjoy this one.

No, Peyton. He is very proud. You better start seeing that because you don't know how lucky you are.

Stella just said that. I faintly heard it through the door. It stopped me dead on my tracks. She didn't just say that. After what I have done to her, she defended me.

I look behind me and there was Stella trying to collect herself. She's leaning against the wall and counting her breaths. She does that to calm her nerves. Her face had an angry expression but when she lifted her head up to me, she was smiling. I couldn't help but smile back.

"Are you okay?" we both say at the same time. None of us answered – we just laughed.

I took the cab to the ME's office so I hitch a ride with Stella back to the lab. Things are still a bit stiff between us so it was very awkward sharing the car with her. I offered to sit at the back but she cluttered it up with her kits and other stuff.

When Stella drives, no one eats. That means she doesn't stop to have a burger or a hotdog from the deli or kiosks. Flack and Aiden are not fond of that since they tend to eat every time they go out to get something or someone. Flack still doesn't like it. But knowing Stella, she just wants to get stuff done right away – no side trips and stopovers.

She also has a tendency to change radio stations after every song. By the time we get to the lab, she would've breezed through all the available stations in New York City. Traffic was pretty heavy that day. It didn't help that the air around us is very tense. Stella being silent worries me. When I would try to spark up a conversation, she would end it with one answer. She doesn't even look at me.

At the last traffic light before we reach the lab, I placed my hand over hers on the steering wheel, and said loud enough for her to hear, "Thank you… for defending me back there." She finally looked at me with those big eyes of hers. "You know how she can be."

"Are you thanking me for not blowing up and hitting her again?" she chuckled. But I was serious.

"And that, too." The look in her eyes told me that she didn't expect me to be this serious even after her supposed joke. "Stella, you could've pulled her hair out for all I know but you didn't. You didn't even raise your voice."

She heaved a sigh. "Well, Mac… I did what you would've done had I been in the same situation. Don't worry about it." She placed her warm – and shaking – hand on my left cheek and smiled. "That's what partners do."

Partners. Would I have done the same? Wouldn't I yell and scream at the person who's bugging her until I'm blue in the face? Wouldn't I beat that person up senseless? Or would I talk it out calmly as she did? I don't know, not sure.

When the light turned green, I grabbed the hand on my cheek and said, "That's what friends do, Stella."

Very short one. Apologies.

Princess-Leasel – really? That's great! My season1 original DVDs are having a beating as well as my er… bootleg season2 set. Hahahahah… yeah, it's great that they're all good again.

mj0621 – I'm with you there! Hahahaha… yeah, I'm on sem break but I still have a lot of crap to do.

Lu78 – actually, I took that off something that really happened. One of my friends has a male friend – although she loves him only as a friend really – then his girlfriend doesn't appreciate the little things he's doing. So my friend comes in between and puts the girl right. Very brave and classy.