A/N: I decided a conversation between Mac and Stella was in order :D In the mean time, thanks for your patience and your kind reviews. I'm going to start winding this story down as a new story involving Mac is in the works, a special collaboration I hope to have posted by the middle of next month. Keep an eye out for it as I'm sure you'll all like it.

Chapter 33

"Hey Mac, what gives?" Stella asked.

Mac raised an eyebrow in confusion as his partner caught up to him as they headed down the hall at the crime lab. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"You've been looking a lot happier and a lot more content these days, like you've actually been sleeping well lately," she replied. "What's your secret?"

He smiled. "I've been staying with Randi a lot lately."

"Ah, that'll do it," she quipped, grinning. "You two getting serious?"

"I'm thinking about it. I don't know what she thinks but I'm seriously thinking about it, especially considering how much time I've been spending at her place lately."

"How much time?" Mac's face went red and Stella grinned broadly. "Let me guess, a lot."

They stopped at the staff breakroom and grabbed a cup of coffee.

"I'm serious, Stell, Randi is… in a lot of ways she's nothing like Claire in terms of looks and personality, but in some ways she is. She loves life, grabs it with gusto, and she cares," he admitted. "I've lost track of how many people call her a friend. She's determined, gentle, wild, crazy…"

"And you're head-over-heels in love with her," she finished.

"Yeah, I am," he admitted.

"Are you going to do anything about it?"

"I'm afraid to."

"Because of Claire."

"Yeah. When I lost Claire, when we couldn't find her body, it hurt like crazy and I just… I don't know. I don't want to go through that again but at the same time, not having Randi in my life would probably hurt just as much. I'm starting to look forward again, Stell, and I'm afraid."

Stella studied the man who had been her friend and her partner for a number of crazy years. They had seen the worst and the best of each other and had been there to help each other as much as they possibly could. They had fought, sure, but they had also forgiven, backed, and supported.

9-11 had been hard on everyone, more so on those who had lost someone in the Towers and whose remains were never found. She remembered how devastated Mac had been after the loss of Claire and how much effort it had taken for him to pick up the pieces again, knowing how much he had loved her. There were some days she'd sworn she was going to have to haul him out of bed and hit him just to help him try and start living again.

But he had. Slowly but surely he'd begun to pick up the shattered remains of his life and move on. She'd been there for him as best as she could, both as a friend and as a partner. And now, knowing that he was finally trusting his heart to someone new, someone special, she was mentally cheering him on. She wanted nothing more for him to be happy, something he deserved as far as she was concerned.

And Randi? She liked the woman. She was eccentric, sure, especially with her clothes and with Fabio, but she was a good friend, one who could be counted on to lend a hand without asking, protective, loyal, and Stella genuinely believed Randi honestly cared about Mac. She had seen the way Randi was around Mac, fussing over him, arguing with him, even standing up to him, and she knew that's what Mac needed. Sure, Randi came from big money if the rumors were true, but she didn't flaunt it the way her sister, Catherine, had. Instead, she preferred to make an honest living with antiques. And Candy and Angel? Randi had given the former prostitute a second chance, one few people would have offered her. Randi had also taken the Goth girl under her wing and, from what she was hearing, had turned Angel in to a very-well respected business manager. Word had it too that all three women were fierce friends, as evidenced by the way Randi had gone after the cop who had gotten mouthy with Candy on her first day working at the NYPD.

Stella chose her words carefully.

"Let me ask you something; do you regret the time you spent with Claire?" she asked.

"No, I don't."

"Even though it caused you a lot of pain?"

Mac thought about that for a moment. "I have no regrets," he admitted.

"So if you could change the past, change it so that you never met Claire, would you?"

Mac thought about that. "No, I wouldn't. I wouldn't change a thing, except try and stop her from entering the Towers."

"And if you couldn't?"

"Then I wouldn't change a thing. I have no regrets over that."

"And what about Randi? What if we get hit again and Randi dies?"

"We don't know what will happen," he protested.

"Exactly. We don't. None of us saw 9-11 coming, Mac, no one. All we can do is live one day at a time and cherish those special moments as they come because we know they may never come again. Randi's special. She's a good person with a kind heart and I know she cares about you." She looked at him and asked, "You want my advice?"

"Always appreciated."

"Grab Randi and hold on to her. Don't let her go and cherish every moment you have with her. Don't look at the Iffies and Maybies and Whatifs because they can take you down a dark, lonely road. Look at the here-and-now. Look towards the future with hope, not with fear, and look towards it with Randi."

Mac nodded, thinking hard. As he left the room, Flack and Danny joined Stella.

"What's with the boss?" Danny asked, noting the preoccupied look on Mac's face.

"He's head-over-heals for a certain antiques appraiser and is afraid of being hurt again," Stella said.

"What did you tell him?" Danny asked.

"To grab Randi and hold on to her and to take one day at a time," Stella replied.

"Who wants to place bets on how long it takes before we're attending their wedding?" Flack quipped, grinning.