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For lily moonlight and piper maru duchovny.

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VVVVV

"So what have you got for me, Sid?" Stella said upon entering Autopsy.

"Good morning to you, too, Stella," Sid replied lightly, his eyes still focused on the 23-year-old male on the autopsy table between them.

When the usual cheery response didn't come from Stella, Sid glanced at her over the top rim of his glasses. "Are you okay? You look…like something's bothering you."

"The vic?" Stella asked with a sigh.

"Right," Sid replied, clearing his throat. "I'm just getting started here, so there's not much to tell you at the moment. Did manage to get an I.D.," he told her, indicating a file folder on a nearby table.

She walked to the table, picking up and opening the folder, quickly scanning what little information there was. "Thanks anyway, Sid. Call me as soon as you know more," she said as she laid the folder back on the table and headed back toward the exit.

"Stella…" Sid called before she reached the door. "I'm not one to pry, but if you ever need to talk or anything, my door's always open. In the metaphorical sense, of course, given that the actual odor in Autopsy can be quite wicked."

"Sid!" Stella exclaimed curtly, not in the mood to listen to one of his eccentric tangents.

"Uh, sorry," he mumbled hastily. "Forgive the terrible analogy. My point is that one's olfactory sense has nothing to do with me being a good listener."

Sensing that Sid was taken aback by her snippy reprimand, she quickly muttered her own apology as she turned to face him. She studied him as he studied her, then, before she realized what was happening, the words began tumbling from her lips. "Claire showed up at our door yesterday morning," she said softly.

"Claire?"

"Claire Taylor. Mac's wife."

"You saw Claire's ghost?"

"Not a ghost," she told him.

Mouth agape, Sid struggled to find words. "But she's…"

"Alive."

"Wow," Sid whispered, leaning against the autopsy table in an effort to steady himself. "That's quite the bomb you dropped there, Stella."

"Yeah, tell me about it," she huffed, forehead crinkling as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I opened the door and saw her standing there, then proceeded to drop and shatter my coffee mug."

"That's understandable. What I don't understand is how or why she's back."

"No one knows yet, but Mac's meeting her for lunch today. I'm sure he'll find out then."

"But you and Mac are okay?" he asked, removing his gloves and joining her on the other side of the autopsy table.

"I don't know what Mac and I are, Sid," she told him honestly, voice shaky. A tear quickly made its way down her cheek, and she swiped at it furiously. "Damn it!" she exclaimed as another tear tracked down her cheek, then another, and another.

Then Sid pulled her into his embrace and held her as she cried.

Eventually, Stella pulled back, wiping at the wetness on his scrub top. "Sorry about that, Sid," she said with a sniffle.

"Hey, I'll take tears over blood and brain matter any day. Those last two are murder on clothing."

He always knew what to say to make her laugh, even if it was macabre. Then he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and ushered her into his infrequently-used office so they'd have somewhere to sit.

Stella sniffled again as she sat in one chair, Sid in the other.

"Okay, so what's going on with you and Mac?"

Stella filled him in on all of the events since the previous morning. Sid listened intently, nodding in understanding, but remained silent.

"And I don't want to be pushy, you know?" she said.

Sid bit back a chuckle, but not before Stella saw his tiny grin. "What?"

"Nothing, just thinking," he lied.

"Sid Hammerback…" she warned.

"Okay, okay. Now don't get mad, but in all the years we've known each other, I've never known you to not be pushy."

"This is different, Sid. Very different."

"The situation might be different, but the 'Rules of Stella' still apply."

A mini-eye-roll and a tiny smirk later, she scrutinized him, amused.

"You're fiery and passionate about everything you do, Stella," Sid continued. "That's how you got to where you are today. You got the things you wanted because you worked for them, and you didn't let people stand in your way."

"But she's Mac's wife…"

"Was," Sid stressed. "Okay, it's admittedly a little more complicated now that we know she's not dead…" he offered upon seeing the look on her face. He shifted in his chair and tried a different tactic. "Think of it this way: what if you'd been…away, and came back to find Mac with another woman. Do you think she would be so quick to give him up?"

"I…"

"Once you found out there was another woman, you'd expect a fight, an epic battle, vying for the man you love. She wouldn't throw in the towel just because you're back in the picture." He paused, his demeanor softening as he allowed his words to sink in. "If you want a future with him, you've got to fight, Stella. Show Mac that you love him."

"He knows I love him."

"But you have to show him. From what you've told me, it sounds like he's made the decision to be with you, that he's 'not giving up' on the relationship the two of you have. And if he's fighting for you, shouldn't you do the same for him?"

Stella cocked her head to the side and studied him. "You know what, Sid? You're absolutely right. Why am I not fighting for the man I love?" She smiled--really smiled--for the first time since the previous morning and stood, pulling Sid into a warm, thankful embrace. "You're a real friend, Sid," she said as she pulled away and moved toward the door. "I'll let you know how it turns out."

"I'm sure you will," he smiled after her. "Hey, Stella, I know people think I only observe the dead, but I watch the living, too. I've known you and Mac for quite some time, and I can say that I've never seen either of you so happy as when you're together."

Stella smiled again. "I know. And thanks for reminding me. I still want to know when you've got something else on the vic."

"That's the 'pushy Stella' I was talking about," he smirked as she rolled her eyes again and left his office, pulling her phone from her pocket.

Sid listened to the staccato click of her heels as she crossed the main room in Autopsy and opened the door leading into the hallway. He smiled to himself as he heard her speak.

"Mac, it's me."

VVVVV

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