Okay, here's the last chapter for this story – but as I promised, there's going to be a sequel that I'm currently working on. That one will be pretty fluffy ;-) I hope to be able to post it between Christmas and New Years, but my internet at home is refusing cooperation right now, so it may have to wait till beginning of next year. Keep watching out for it!

Thanks for the reviews – please read and review again.

Parts in Italics are again from the song "White White Christmas" by Jane Comerford (see introduction chapter 1).

Chapter 4

"Got a little confused by all the Santas?" Stella solicitously joked.

"I just think they all look the same with those costumes and beards…"

"I think the beards make them look cute, well, most of them," she returned.

Mac looked pensive for a moment.

"You think I should grow a beard?" he wondered without second thoughts, seriously thinking about a little change.

"I don't know. It's not nice to kiss someone with a beard. That itches and scratches," Stella, on her way out of the room replied without thinking about it.

Danny looked up in surprise, first after Stella, then over to Mac.

"Um... Can you tell me why the first thing she automatically comes up with would be kissing instead of maybe saying it wouldn't suit you or so? Okay, okay, none of my business, got it. C'mon, Montana…" he hastily grabbed Lindsay's arm and pushed her out of Mac's office.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked when they were around the corner where Mac couldn't see them while she freed herself from Danny's grip.

"Don't you notice what's going on here?" he asked, looking back at Mac's office.

"What?" she frowned.

"Mac. Stella. Mac AND Stella. Christmas spirit is spreading its wings… I got an idea, come with me!" he announced, heading off to the elevator.

Lindsay tried to follow his thoughts – without success – and decided that it would be better to check on him, whatever he was planning.

XXXXX

Around 7 p.m.

Mac was on the way to his office when he spotted Stella at her desk. After a short moment, he decided to go in.

"Still working?" No reaction. "Did you already eat?"

"Dinner?" she asked back.

"Dinner, lunch, breakfast... anything at all?"

She looked at him as if he had come from Mars.

"Anything today?" he tried to figure out. Still no reaction.

"This week?" he went on. Nothing.

"Recently?" Still no reply.

"Okay, that's it!" he stated. "Put whatever you were doing away, you're coming with me now and I'll get you something to eat," he firmly ordered.

Stella tried a weak protest.

"I'm responsible for the lab and the staff and I can't let you starve in here..." Mac explained in full seriousness. "Do you have any idea what a torturous questioning I would have to go through if they find you in here later and I didn't do anything about it? And besides – it's Christmas Eve and the shift is over!"

Finally she got up with a sigh and followed him to his office.

"Where are we going?"

"Wait a second…" he mumbled while he reached for his desk drawer. For a second he wished he could just hide there behind his desk, but he knew Stella was watching him, so he had to come out again anyway. He blinked a little abashed.

"I got something for you…"

Stella looked surprised when he handed her the little red box. On the outside of it she read "Thanks for being there", in white letters, along with two little hearts.

She gave him a questioning look which he returned with an encouraging nod.

"There's also something in it," he smiled.

With trembling fingers, she carefully opened the cover and revealed a little angel. She picked it with two fingers and watched it closely. It had bright green eyes and … brown curls. A shiver ran down her spine.

"Thanks, Mac…" she whispered with a lump in her throat, trying to fight back the tears that wanted to come. "This is … beautiful…"

(spoken)
Christmas is a special time for peace and harmony
I feel the joy of giving deep inside of me
The biggest wish that's on my list
I've placed beneath the tree
Is that you come and spend

This Christmas time with me

XXXXX

Before he could think about how to move on from there, Stella got up and walked to the door.

"Would you excuse me for a second, I gotta go to the Ladies' room…" she mumbled after she figured that she didn't have a tissue in her pockets.

Mac got up as well and was just about to open the door for her, when he saw Lindsay and Danny coming along the corridor.

"Hey, look..." Lindsay gestured to the doorframe above them. "You're standing under the mistletoe..."

Mac followed her gaze and frowned. With an inquiring look around he asked "Who put that up there??"

Everyone pretended to look somewhere else. Finally he looked at Stella.

"Hey! Don't look at me..." she protested.

"Come on, Mac," Danny insisted. "It's tradition, you can't sneak out of this!"

He and Lindsay looked expectantly at Mac, while Stella felt a bit uncomfortable, yet still pretty amused. And excited…

What if he decided to play along? Would he really kiss her? Or should she help him out and kiss him on the cheek?

Mac stared down at her for a moment, their bodies just inches from touching... their eyes locked to each other.

"Merry Christmas, Mac..." Stella softly breathed and gave him a soft and quick kiss on the lips before he could do anything about it.

Both of them felt the electricity deriving from this short moment and before he could even think about what he was doing, he pulled her back into his arms and kissed her back, totally forgetting that they were not alone.

Lindsay grabbed Danny's arm and pulled him away from the door.

XXXXX

"I think we should take a cab and leave the cars here, hum?" Stella giggled, more tipsy from the intensity of his kiss than from the small amount of eggnog they had drank together before.

"Stella?"

"Yeah?" she looked at him.

"You look like a little puppy, you know that?" she smiled when she noticed his questioning look.

"If I follow you home, will you keep me?" he grinned on her comment.

She tilted her head and gave him a pensive look.

"I mean… I thought, you know – if you don't have plans, I thought we could maybe…"

"No! No, I don't… But, um, my place is pretty deserted. No Christmas atmosphere there…" Stella tried to help him out.

Mac thought for a moment, wondering if she had just really affirmed his unspoken question. Then he had an idea. He unplugged the little tree that Stella had placed in his office and put it in a box he found behind the closet. Then he walked over to the door, picked the mistletoe from the doorframe and put it in the box with the tree.

"Ready to go!" he announced with a smile. He gently put his arm around her shoulders and led her to the elevator.

XXXXX

"See? I told you it would work…" Danny whispered to Lindsay as they watched them leave together.

It's gonna be a white, white Christmas
A starry night so bright this Christmas
That twinkling light
To light up the night

To be with you at Christmas feels so right

The End