Thanks for all the support. Sorry for not updating sooner. Enjoy!

VVVVV

Frustrated by the unnerving events of the morning, Stella made her way to the phone and dialed Mac's number. After hearing one ring in the earpiece, she heard the familiar trilling of his phone. His phone, unfortunately, was in their bedroom.

"Damn it," she said aloud, though no one was in room to hear. She ended the call and went back to the bedroom, upset that Mac had left without her. She finished getting ready, slamming shut the closet door with more force than necessary. Then she grabbed the two cell phones and left the apartment, stopping only to get her keys off the other key hook by the door.

VVVVV

Stella stalked down the halls of the crime lab, a woman on a mission. Mac's office was empty--much like their apartment--and she hoped to find him somewhere else in the lab. Spotting Lindsay in one of the glass-enclosed lab rooms, she quickly pushed open the door.

"Have you seen Mac?"

Lindsay jumped, startled by Stella's sudden appearance.

"Sorry," Stella replied, features softening a little.

"It's okay. I was in 'the zone' and had blocked out all noise. But, no, I haven't seen Mac this morning."

Stella sighed. "If you see him, could you tell him I need to talk to him?"

"Um, sure," Lindsay told her. She studied Stella momentarily. "Is everything okay?"

"I hope so," Stella replied cryptically.

"If you need to talk or anything…" Lindsay began.

"Thanks," Stella said, the smallest hint of a smile on her lips.

They said their 'see you laters,' and Stella headed off to continue her search for Mac. Fifteen minutes later, frustrated and unproductive, Stella made her way to Mac's office, deciding to wait for him there. She sank into his chair with a heavy sigh and stared straight ahead, eyes unfocused and seeing nothing.

That was exactly how Mac found her. "Thought I'd find you here," he told her, his tone light, but forced. "We need to talk."

Stella should have been mad at Mac for leaving their apartment without her, but all she felt was relief upon seeing him and concern because something was troubling him. Stella rose from Mac's chair and joined him on the other side of the desk. "Uh-oh, no good conversation starts with those words. What's going on?"

He sighed and rubbed his face. "I have no idea."

"Mornin', you two," Danny said as he bounded through the door. Easily picking up on the tension between Mac and Stella, he halted and the grin slid from his face. "How's about I just come find you later? Yeah, that's fine," he finished, answering his own question. He was gone as quickly as he appeared.

Stella's eyes tracked back to Mac's, only to find his were already on her.

"I don't want to do this here," Mac said. "Coffee?"

"Are you sure the boss won't mind us taking a coffee break so early?"

His face remained neutral.

"Joke, Mac," Stella sighed as she walked past him out of the office.

He followed silently and they left the building, a mutual understanding that 'coffee' meant the real stuff from a small café around the corner, not the sludge in the break room.

Minutes later, Mac ordered their coffees as Stella waited for an empty table. It seemed as though a big portion of the eight and a half million New Yorkers had decided to have coffee at that moment in that coffee shop, and by the time Mac joined her, she'd all but lost hope of finding a table.

"Walk with me," Mac said as he handed her the coffee.

They zigzagged their way through the maze of people and out into the normal craziness of the New York City morning, merging into the flow of human traffic.

"What about work?" Stella asked as their steps took them in the opposite direction of the lab.

"This needs to be dealt with first," Mac told her.

There were few things in life that made Mac Taylor postpone work. Their current situation definitely qualified as one of those things.

They walked in silence again, sipping their coffee but not tasting it.

"You want to tell me what I did to run you off this morning?" She knew she wasn't at fault--at least, not completely--but in pointing the finger at herself, she hoped he would open up about what was bugging him.

Mac sighed. "It wasn't you. I'm frustrated and confused by what happened this morning. I'm sorry for taking it out on you."

Some of the tension eased, and a small smile graced Stella's face. "Apology accepted. I know you're upset, Mac, but the only way we can work on this is if you talk to me." A thought struck her and she pulled his phone from her pocket. "You left this at home."

Their pace slowed and people hurried around them.

"Thanks," he said as he took the phone from her. "It's just so awkward." Mac paused trying to collect his thoughts. "I don't know where to start. I mean, Claire…was my wife."

"Is," Stella corrected, the single word sending an array of emotions coursing through her.

"She's legally dead."

"Yet very much alive."

The words hung heavy in the air, and Mac stopped walking altogether.

"Mac?" Stella questioned, turning when she realized Mac no longer matched her steps.

"For the first time in my life, Stella, I have no idea what to do."

His raw, emotional honesty caught her off guard, and she paused momentarily. "We," she waved her hand between them, "are going to figure this out. Together."

Cell phones buzzed, work suddenly becoming more important than their personal lives. Thout they parted with a quick kiss, each felt that their dynamic was different. Strained. They weren't finished talking.

The rest of the day was a hectic jumble of various cases, though the work had been a welcome distraction for both. Paths not crossing until after midnight, they found themselves staring awkwardly at each other, unsure of what to say.

It was going to be a long night.

VVVVV

Thanks for reading!