After a compelling arguement from my totally awesome readers(whom I love very much) I have decided to start working on a second segment of chapter 8. It will be up in a little while. This is not it. This is a totally seperate moment fic that will also have a second chapter if you deem fit. I like doing role reversal...so this is essentially a role reversal of Stella and her gynecological endevour. This time it's Mac. I hope you like it. Please review and tell me what you would like to see in both the continueing of chapter 8 as well as this fic. Love you people!

Stella clicked the mouse aimlessly as she closed all the documents on her computer for the night. It had been two long days since she, or any of the team for that matter, had gone home. But as usual, their hard work paid off and there was no longer a serial killer on the loose in New York. Now her mind shifted into priority mode: the first of which being Mac Taylor. She could tell he hadn't been feeling well for the past few days, but it was his lack of connection with her that had put him at the top of the priority list; not that he wasn't up there anyway, but right now he came even before sleep and eating.

Flicking out the lights in her office she rolled her shoulders as she walked through the vast corridor of the lab, trying to relieve the tension the past few days had installed there. All the analyzing machines purred happily in their sleep state, blue lights flickered on and off making the entire lab look like an airport seen from high above on a pitch black night. She passed Mac's office where files sat askew on his desk, two post-its stuck to his phone, a reminder that with serial killers, came the media. The light switch was on, but the motion sensing lights that conserved energy were off, signaling that he'd been gone for a few minutes. Stella reasoned he was most likely in the bathroom in light of his recent frequent trips.

Mac heard the clicking of Stella's shoes long before she entered the communal locker and bathrooms. He carefully zipped his pants and moved away from the urinal, his body protesting his every move. The cool water of the sink steadied his mind and he wished he could splash it elsewhere, where a tender ache had set in. He drew in a shaky breath and stepped out into the locker room where he knew Stella would be waiting for him.

She sat on the floor up against the far wall, ankles crossed. He had expected her to immediately start analyzing him; after all she always knew when something was up. But all he saw was a warm smile, tired green eyes and his grey marines sweat shirt adorning her features. He felt himself loosen up slightly, a warm feeling in his chest helping to distract him from the pain that plagued him below the waist. She patted the tile floor beside her, and he hesitated momentarily before joining her. But that was the giveaway. Stella watched as he winced when he sat, her mind immediately tallying up what that meant.

"What hurts Mac?" He sighed and rubbed his left hand along the calluses on the palm of his right.

"I'm fine Stell." It was a lie and she would see right through it, but he had to try.

"Bull shit." Mac's head reared up, momentarily brought out of his own musing by such a foul word coming from her pretty mouth. She interrogated suspects with that mouth, but never did she talk to him with it.

"Excuse me?"

"Mac I want to know what's bothering you. You clearly haven't been feeling well and you've been acting strange as hell. Usually when that happen you need someone to listen. So I'm here. Talk." She angled her body towards him and pinned him with glassy green eyes. He stared right back for a moment before his eyes fell to his lap, where the problem lay.

"I'm just a little tired." She knew he had insomnia, but that wouldn't be enough to cause Mac Taylor to wince.

"Come on Mac, please. Whatever it is, if it's bothering you it merits being talked about."

"Stella…it's just…look its personal." He ended softly.

"I know."

"You know?" Mac felt a heat wave of embarrassment wash over him. Stella chuckled softly and took his hand.

"It's ok Mac. I just know it's you we're talking about, you're obsessively private which is ok, I don't blame you at all for it. But today when Lindsay called your name in the hall you had a haunted deer in the headlights look. What's up?"

Mac stared at her hand in his. He drew a line from her knuckle to her index finger and back slowly.

"I've been having some pain in my lower abdomen and in my…well…never mind." He went to remove his hand from her, but she clamped on and wouldn't let go. A soft smile played on her lips before she turned clinical.

"How much pain?" Mac sighed and resigned himself to asking the questions.

"A little more than some."

"Mac you're the strongest most stubborn person I know, if it's enough pain to make you wince than this is something you need to get checked out. Do you have any other symptoms?"

Mac basked momentarily in her compliment before the blush crept across his nose and cheeks.

"A few." Stella raised her eyebrows at him, clearly wanting him to continue. Now they were really in uncharted territory. He looked at her comfortably wearing his marine sweatshirt. She did this from time to time when she got cold or was in a cuddly mood, she would steal it from his locker and put it on, pushing up the long sleeves and playing with the hood ties. He would never admit it to anybody but he loved when she did this, leaving it in his locker nicely folded and smelling like grapefruit and watermelon, the smell that he had come to know as uniquely her. If there was anyone he was going to confide in, it would be Stella.

"Some tenderness and swelling, and some weird discharge after I took a nap this afternoon." He mumbled softly. Admitting to Stella that he had essentially had what seemed to be a wet dream at his age on the couch in his office was not something he enjoyed much, but sharing his worries with someone else felt like an immense weight lifted off his shoulders. Stella raised her left hand to turn his cheek towards her, so they were staring eye to eye. She ran her thumb over his check bone before dropping it down to her side again.

"Thank you." She stated softly. A look of confusion passed over his face.

"For what?"

"For trusting me enough to tell me all that. It's one of the biggest compliments I'll ever get Mac. It means a lot, so thank you." He smiled softly for the first time in three days. Stella stood, pulling a stiff Mac with her. She began to lead him out of the locker room.

"Where are we going?" He asked, not exactly caring at the moment.

"Internet research."

Mac leaned over the computer, the colorful letters of Google gleaming at him. Stella flowed into the room with two cups of coffee; placing one in front of him she pulled a chair next to him behind his desk. His finger stayed motionless above the keyboard. Taking a sip of her still steaming coffee Stella narrowed her eyes at him before asking.

"Why the intermission Mac?" He pulled his hands back into his lap and looked at her.

"Sorry Stell, it's just a little hard to Google 'causes for enlarged groin' with you sitting next to me."

Stella chuckled softly and placed her coffee mug on the desk. She curled her feet under her after kicking off her shoes. Slowly she reached for Mac's hand, the soft pressure of hers pulling him to a standing position and then to kneeling in front of her. Mac closed his eyes and leaned into her touch as she caressed his cheek. Opening his eyes to the most beautiful woman in the world he pulled Stella into his arms and held her. She rubbed his back in small circles as she hugged him back.

"What if I'm sick Stell? What if it's cancer or something else…" His voice was hoarse against the curve of her neck.

"Then we'll handle it together Mac. You and me ok? No secrets, no withholding things, we can do it. I promise I'll be there the whole way." She pulled back slightly and kissed him lightly on the mouth. Surprised when he lengthened the kiss, but not at all unhappy. Mac let his lips linger over hers as long as he could before he felt they both needed to breathe. Stella embraced him again, but was careful not to put too much of her weight against him, wary of causing him pain.

"It's ok Stella, I want to be able to really hold you." He whispered against the top of her curls.

"Will you show me where it hurts?" She asked, pulling away from him slightly, just in time to see him redden and look down. She laughed slightly.

"Not that Mac. I mean you stomach." He nodded and placed two fingers over the lower left side of his abdomen. She placed her hand in the same place and massaged softly, with each stroke adding more pressure. After a few minutes Mac stopped her hand.

"It hurt like hell when I touched it earlier, what'd you do?" He was amazed, the tightness in hisgroin was still present, but his stomach ache was gone.

"You were having small muscle spasms in the soft tissue." She answered clinically

"How in the world did you know that?" Mac asked with raised eyebrows, very much amused.

"I'm a woman Mac. Twenty years of menstrual cramps and you learn a thing or two." She smiled teasingly.

"You're telling me I have PMS?" Stella and Mac both chuckled.

"You can get muscle spasms from just about anything: stress, sitting or sleeping in a funny position, injury…and tons of other stuff. I have no idea what's going on for you further south. But your stomach should be fine." She returned to leaning her body against him, feeling him wrap his strong arms around her frame.
"You'll make a doctor's appointment right?"

"First thing tomorrow morning. No more secrets I promise."

He kissed her softly on the cheek. They both once again headed for the locker room, marveling at just how many secrets, revelations and connections had been revealed and made tonight. Mac still felt the twisting fear in his chest, but now he knew that he wasn't alone in handling it. For the first time in years Mac silently prayed that he would be ok. He had something to live for now. He had someone to live for.

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