Hi guys! I'm SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SORRY for the long wait../: I've been very unmotivated lately, and my first draft was a piece of crap! (Just ask my beta, she'd know. :b )

Thank you guys for sticking to my story! I hope it still has it's spark (; If it doesn't, and it totally sucks, you can just comment or message and be like "Your story sucks, kick it up a notch!" Haah, don't be too harsh though (:

Special thanks to my beta, Brii Taylor, for reading and re-reading my stories! You are phenomenal(spellcheck?) and thank you for dealing with my lack of grammar knoweledge (; This will be the 2nd beta'd chapter, and Brii has done a fantabulous job XD

Since the previous chapter was a little dramatic, I thought I'd lighten up the mood a little with this chapter! Though I love reading the angsty/dramatic stories, it's not really for me in the writing area. :b (Maybe you thought otherwise, in that case, yay! (: )

I do not own CSINY, CBS does. But both of them are idiots because they allowed Melina Kanakeredes to leave.

Man, that^ was long. :b Enjoy! (:

Mac was leaning against the Avalanche with his hands in his pockets when Stella walked out of the hospital doors. He felt the need to apologize, and to assure her that it would never happen again. Mac opened the passenger door of the truck when Stella got closer. Sure, he lost his self-control back in the hospital room but it didn't mean he lost his chivalrous charm that he knew she loved. Mac waited for her to get in but she seemed to have other plans for them.

"Stella…?" Mac asked as she marched over to the other side.

"I'm driving this time, get in," Stella ordered, a steely glint in her eye.

Mac was thinking of refusing and trying to talk her into letting her drive, but thought better of it and stepped into the passenger seat. He didn't need to add 'making Stella mad' to his list of things he needed to apologize for.

As soon as they got out of the parking lot, Stella turned to him, her expression serious.

"Mac, what happened back there?" She asked him.

"Stella… I'm so sorry," He stated, not making eye contact with Stella.

Her eyes went back and forth from his face to the road, though it seemed like main focus was on Mac

"You're sorry?" Stella asked, raising her eyebrows in surprise.

"You know, for… losing it," Mac mumbled softly, the shame clearly showing on his face.

Stella quickly grabbed his hand, and Mac, surprised, pulled away a little. But Stella had already anticipated his reaction, and held on tightly to keep his hand in hers. She squeezed it and gave him a small smile.

"Mac, you have nothing to be sorry about," She said, their hands still intertwined.

"He would've…" Mac started saying, his eyes glued on their hands. He was ashamed of his actions but didn't want Stella to see.

"No, he wouldn't. You wouldn't let him," She said quietly, giving Mac a small smile.

Mac returned the gesture and finally made eye contact with Stella. What she said was true, he definitely wouldn't let Markes get anywhere near Stella. He would rip Markes limb from limb before he could even think about touching Stella. Mac chuckled darkly at the thought which earned him a confused look and a raised eyebrow from Stella.

Mac shook his head and smiled grimly as he said, "You're right about that."

Stella was glad to see him smile again, even if it wasn't a full smile. When he smiled he was enjoying himself, and that didn't happen often. But she had 6 more days left in the Big Apple and Stella was going to make sure he smiled again.

XXXXXX

Stella pulled up in front of Mac's apartment, purposely forgetting about the paperwork that is needed to be filled out. Mac had fallen asleep on the ride back, and Stella was fighting to stay awake; that was excuse enough to skip the paperwork for now.

Just as Stella was going to wake up Mac, his eyes slowly opened and he looked around. When he realized they were at his home, not his lab, he turned to Stella to say something, but she had apparently read his mind, putting a hand up and shaking her head before he had a chance to say anything.

"I'm tired and you're tired, Mac. We're going to bed," Stella demanded.

Mac thought about arguing against that but he really did need his rest. So he gave up and led Stella into the apartment complex and into the elevator.

"We forgot your bags in the truck," Mac said suddenly, his mind moving slowly due to the lack of sleep.

The elevator dinged, signaling that they were on Mac's floor. Stella grabbed his hand and dragged him down the hall towards Mac's apartment door.

"Forget about the bags," Stella ordered.

Mac complied, unlocking the door. Being ever the gentlemen, he let Stella in first.

"Do you want a shirt or something?" Mac asked. Sleeping in work clothes was uncomfortable; he would know.

"That'd be great, thanks," Stella answered, while pulling her curls into a messy pony tail.

Mac tossed her an old "Marines" shirt and she went to the bathroom to quickly change. When she came out, all Mac could do was stare. The shirt was perfect on her. It went to the middle of her thighs, showing off miles of smooth, perfectly tanned legs.

He caught himself staring and made himself look back up at Stella's face, watching her fix her unruly hair. She walked over to him, kissed him lightly on the cheek, making Mac blush.

"Thanks for the shirt, Good night," She said, smiling at him before walking towards the guest room.

Mac gently grabbed her wrist and turned her around; Stella's eyes going wide in surprise. He dipped his head a little, and hesitantly placed a kiss on her cheek. His face lingered by hers a little longer than necessary, and whispered in her ear, "It's light out Stell, it would be more of a good morning then a good night."

They gazed into each other's eyes for a while, unable to break eye contact; but then Stella mumbled "Smart ass" and continued walking towards the guest room. She turned around after opening the door, seeing Mac still standing in the exact same position he was in when she left the gaze.

"Well, good morning then," Stella said with a sarcastic smile, and she turned back and closed the door.

After he heard the door closed, Mac turned around heading for his bedroom. Mac went to be happy, satisfied, and with a smile on his face, something that hadn't happened in a long time.

XXXXX

Stella woke up to a shirtless Mac leaning against the door frame, holding a cup of coffee, inspecting something on the door. While he wasn't looking, she took some time to admire his toned chest through half-closed eyes, and she had to admit she was surprised. Though Mac was getting older, he was easily in better shape than half the 20 year olds in New York City.

"Good morning," Stella mumbled, still a little drowsy from her sleep.

"The Messer's are having a small team dinner, and Lindsey demanded that we show up. We should leave as soon as possible; it starts at 7:30," Mac said when he saw she was awake.

"Jesus Christ, what time is it?" Stella yelped, her eyes darting around the room in search for a clock.

"7:15…pm.," Mac answered, checking his watch.

"And you couldn't have woken me up?" She asked him, while rubbing her eyes.

Mac shrugged, walked over to the front of the bed and said, "You needed your rest. I'm sure Lindsey and Danny won't mind if we're late."

Stella threw her covers to the side, and crawled across the bed to where Mac was standing. She carefully grabbed his cup and took a sip.

"I would've made you a cup, you know," Mac said, laughing.

"But that would've taken too much time. As you said, we should leave as soon as possible," Stella said with a playful, half-sleepy smile.

Mac nodded in agreement; he didn't mind that she took a sip of his coffee. He would've given her the whole thing if she wanted.

He set his still full coffee mug on the nightstand, and pointed at Stella's bags, which she hadn't noticed before, now sitting in the corner of the room.

"I got your bags out of the truck. I'll let you get ready," Mac said, going towards the door.

She walked towards the coffee, a silent nod thanking him for both her bags and the coffee. Mac quietly left the room and Stella smiled happily and said to herself, "Looks like we're gonna have a little family reunion tonight."

I hope you guys liked it! (:

Thank you so much for reading and make sure you click that little button and review XD Start typing away that little review of praise and give me some motivation in my nonmotivational state. Hah, jk. (:

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