-1Disclaimer I own very little, especially not CSI NY, wish I did though.

Notes Thank you for all the reviews, please add more! I really like to know what people think of my writing. Last chapter. What has she done?

Watching - Chapter Three

She sighs and puts the phone back into her pocket. I am two steps behind her as she reaches into her pocket again.

Softly, I say her name, "Stella."

As she whirls round I raise my hand and lunge forward. Metal hits skin and bone with a dull sound. Without a word she drops to the floor, hitting the tiles hard. I lower my hand and look down at her. Her eyes are closed, her hair spills out behind her. Where she has fallen a bright circle of blood begins to spread across the white tiles which I will need to clean later. The blood is running from the gash that I have made down the side of her head. It seeps into her hair.

My heart beats fast. I have done what I wanted. And now the door swings open for him to enter. All in the tick of a second he looks at me, and then sees what I have done.

"Stella!" Suddenly he is beside her and his gun is pointed at me, "Drop your weapon! Drop it now!"

I let it drop to the floor with a crash. A tile splinters. His aim does not waver from me as with his other hand he reaches for his radio and calls for help. Over and over he says her name, but she is silent, she cannot speak his name.

In only minutes the door shakes on its hinges and two men burst through. I have time to see that one is tall with eyes of ice blue; the other is shorter, no tie, glasses that I cannot see his eyes through. The blue eyed man grabs me, pulls my hands behind my back, something closes around my wrists. He yells a torrent of words at me. They wash over me. I don't resist as he moves me back roughly.

The other man is next to Mac, he is angry, I see it in his movement.

He strides over to me and his face is in mine, "What the hell did you do to her?"

I look down. He follows my eyes and sees what is lying at my feet. He picks up the brass paperweight with a gloved hand. There is blood on it.

There is disbelief in his voice, "You hit her with this thing? Are you fuckin' crazy? You could have killed… "

He snaps back round to Mac who is still trying to wake the woman lying on the floor. He fails. The circle of blood creeps over the tiles. He is holding her head between his hands. Her eyes are still closed, dark lashes on white skin. Red on white. Mac looks at me and I almost stagger back at what I see in his eyes. Hatred. His face radiates anger and hatred. He doesn't understand.

"Get her away from here." His voice is cold rage.

Around me the scene begins to break up, words crack and shatter. Voices rise and fall. Someone pushes me through the door, onto the street. I stumble, and am pulled back up to my feet. Far away, coming closer, a siren wails. I am driven away.

I sit and wait in a cold room. Black lines around me. A clock beats past the minutes and then the hours. Many hours. I speak to no one. Words wait in my head. I sit still, feet together, hands in my lap, until the door clangs open and I am led to another room. There is a table and two chairs. I sit down.

………………………………...

We have sat for a long time in silence. He asks me again, "Why? Why did you want to?"

I reply, "Because I wanted to hurt her."

"Why?"

"Because I wanted you." My hand flies to my mouth, they were secret words.

He stares. Then I jerk in shock as his hand clamps round my wrist and pulls my hand down to the table. The other detective moves closer behind him. Puts a hand on his shoulder, "Mac…"

"Do you understand what you've done?"

I do and I lie, "I'm sorry she's dead."

The other detective slaps the table, "Like hell…".

Mac's eyes are darker than the night, "No. I don't think you are." My eyes are fixed on him. He continues in a low voice, "But whether you're sorry or not doesn't matter. What you think doesn't matter." His words cut me. "You don't matter. Shall I tell you why?"

"Why?" I am an echo.

"Because she isn't dead. You damn near could have killed her, you nearly did, but you failed, thank God. She regained consciousness an hour ago which is the only reason I'm sitting here now. Because if you had killed her…" He leans across the table, his face inches away from mine, "You would not be sitting here now, believe me."

I want to choke, I want to scream, my mouth opens silently.

"Is there anything you have to say now? Before we charge you?"

I am paralysed.

He pushes the chair back and stands, looks with pity, yes pity, at me. "Very well, if you have nothing more to say, I'm done talking to you. I have someone I need to be with." He looks at the other detective, "Danny, you and Flack can finish up here. I'm going back to Stella."

"Give her our best, Mac."

He walks out of the door and does not look back at me. My mind fills with blackness, black words buzzing and pressing down. The room closes in. My world closes in. All is lost.

THE END

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