Hope you liked the previous chapters, here's the next one. I still don't own any of the CSI: NY characters.
This takes place about six months after the Dantana proposal so it's the anniversary of Mac and Stella (sorry, I seem to have a fascination with six months)
"Do you even have any idea, any idea at all; of what day it is today, Mac?" Stella pleaded, realising that Mac had forgotten their first anniversary. Maybe he wasn't so different to every other man (or waste of space as she called them).
"No" Mac responded, playing dumb. Of course he knew what day it was, he was just saving her present for later.
"Fine, I'll see you at the lab." Stella replied, walking away with tears forming in her eyes that she didn't want Mac to see.
Despite what Mac had said previously about the team not being as good as he thought, they immediately noticed when Stella arrived 10 minutes early for shift alone and gave Stella a wide berth to avoid her temper.
Mac arrived 5 minutes later and went straight into his office without saying hi to the team, seemingly preoccupied with something.
Half an hour into shift, a florist arrived with a single red rose and a card with the single letter 'Y' on it, which he gave to Stella who said thanks and gave him a puzzled look after she asked who had sent her the flower and he replied "Mr. D. Williamson".
Every half an hour after that, all through shift, Stella received another single red rose and a card with a single letter on it, even when she was out on a scene. By at the end of shift, she had 16 roses, all with cards still attached to them laid out on a table in the layout room and was examining like she would evidence from a scene when Mac walked in.
"Whoa, somebody's popular today." Mac said. Stella just ignored him.
"Let me come over and help with this evidence. Which scene is it from?" he said, though he already knew the answer.
"None, someone's been sending me them all day, but I can't figure out what they say." Stella responded, tears forming in her eyes for the second time that day.
"It's ok." Mac told her soothingly.
"No it's not, what if it's another Frankie or Drew and they've chosen our anniversary to start?"
"It won't be. I said I'd help you, so I will." Mac said as he started to rearrange the order of the flowers.
"What are you doing?" Stella asked
"Maybe they're in the wrong order. Just an idea, mind."
"Oh"
"Here, look at this." Mac said after he had finished fiddling with the order of the roses and just as she leant over the table to read the message, Mac got down on one knee and got out a ring from his pocket.
"That's weird… who would send me that message… Mac, what are you doing…? Oh Mac!" Stella said as the penny dropped.
"Will you, Stella Bonasera- love of my life, marry me?"
"Of course, yes… I'm so sorry I was off with you earlier. You must have gone to so much trouble. Oh, now I mumbling." Stella said, tears now falling freely.
"Come here," Mac said, holding out his arms for her, "you've made me happier than you'll ever know and I want to spend the rest of my life with you." He whispered in her ear.
By this time, the noise had meant that the rest of the team had come to the layout room and so had seen the events unfolding. Consequently, a round of applause broke out just as Mac finished talking, making Stella and Mac turn round with a look of shock and happiness.
"Oh, can we see the ring?" one of the female lab techs called out
"He hasn't given it to me yet!" Stella responded as Mac turned beetroot red as he put the ring on her finger and the ladies ran into the room to admire the piece of jewellery.
"You know, between you two, the rest of us males have a lot to live up to." Don said referring to Danny and Mac.