Hey everyone, thank you for all the reviews, it means a lot!

Now, I need your help again. I have a sequel planned but I can just as easy turn it into one long story. What would you prefer? Let me know!

x

Disclaimer - I do not own CSI New York or its characters.

Chapter Ten

The rest of the day went by without much of a problem. Madeline eventually came out of the bathroom and they both apologised to each other. Occasionally Madeline would catch Stella looking at her and she'd make sure that her shirt was pulled down so that the bruises weren't showing.

Stella couldn't stop thinking about the bruises and when they went to bed Monday night, Stella lay wide awake thinking about the marks. She couldn't shake off the feeling that they weren't there by 'accident'. She gave Madeline the benefit of the doubt over the small ones, but the big ones? There was no way they would be caused by walking into a kitchen counter.

Mac had agreed that Stella could start work later the week that Madeline was there; he figured that she would need the extra rest. When Stella woke up, it was almost 8 o'clock. Madeline was already up; Stella could hear her walking around in the living room. She could also hear voices, she was either on the phone or the TV was on. Stella listened carefully. She heard Madeline walk into the kitchen. Madeline was definitely on the phone. Stella got up and walked towards the door. She wasn't eavesdropping exactly; she was just curious. Mainly to figure out how much this call was going to cost. Madeline didn't know anyone in New York; it had to be a long distance call. She listened closely.

"No, I haven't told her. She knows something though. I left London to get away from annoying questions, not be bombarded with more!"

Stella felt her heart start to beat a little bit faster. Madeline had gone quiet. The person on the phone was talking but Stella couldn't hear them. She waited for Madeline to start talking again.

"I didn't know she was a bloody detective! No, Rosie I'm not joking. She is actually a detective; she has a badge and a gun and everything. Stella's really good at what she does. I'm in so much trouble. Jack still doesn't know where I am does he?"

There was a pause. Madeline was waiting for a reply. Stella felt shaky. What had Madeline done that had caused her to run away to New York?

"Make sure he doesn't find out. Rosie, apart from mum and dad, no-one else knows where I am. And you are the only one who knows why I'm here. Don't tell anyone, promise?"

Stella's heart was beating erratically now, it felt like her heart was bouncing up to her throat and dropping back down to her stomach.

"Okay, bye, love you too." Madeline hung up the phone.

Stella stumbled back to her bed; she sat down on the edge and tried to get her breath back. Stella hadn't been listening long but there was so much of that conversation that left her head reeling. So, Madeline had run away from something; or someone. This trip was a whole lot more than meeting Stella; it was about escaping her problems. Thinking about this made Stella feel strangely hurt. She couldn't decide whether Madeline was just using her or whether Madeline really wanted to see her. After thinking about her next step for a while, Stella decided that she would leave it for now and talk to Madeline later. In the mean time, Stella would talk to Mac about it.

Just then, Madeline opened the bedroom door and walked in. She seemed surprised to see Stella sitting up on the edge of the bed. Stella smiled and stood up.

"Morning, kiddo! Have you had breakfast yet?" Stella asked cheerily.

"Um, no not yet. Have you...uh...been up long?" Madeline asked, trying to keep her voice neutral.

"Nope, just got up, why?" Stella questioned, as she put her arm round Madeline's shoulder and steered her towards the kitchen.

"No reason." Madeline smiled back. "Are you not going in to work today?"

Stella grabbed a mug from the cabinet and started to make some fresh coffee.

"I will be, but not until 10:30, so I have a while yet. Is there something you wanted to talk about before I left?" Stella asked. She tried not to look at Madeline; she was hoping she could coax it out of her.

"No, I was just wondering. Is it okay if I go out while you're at work?" Madeline looked a little defensive at Stella's question, but she worked hard to maintain her composure.

"Yeah of course you can." Stella replied. Obviously she was getting nothing out of Madeline this morning. "Where are you planning on going?"

"I'm not sure yet. I'll probably go shopping or something." Madeline shrugged.

"That's fine. Do you want to go out for lunch? I get an hour at around 3."

"Sure, I'll come down to your office and meet you."

"Great." Stella smiled and she left the room.

Stella got ready slowly and made her way into work. First stop was Mac's office. She needed advice on what to do about Madeline and Mac was the most level-headed person she knew.

When Stella got to Mac, he was sitting at his desk going through some paperwork. Stella knocked on the glass doors. Mac lifter his head up and gestured for her to come in.

"Hey Mac, you got a minute?" Stella said as she pushed open the door.

"For you Stella, I have plenty. Sit down. What's going on?" Mac asked; the tone of concern was already noticeable in his voice.

"I'm not really sure, I just need some advice. It's about Madeline." Stella sat down on the chair. She looked uncomfortable and she couldn't stop fidgeting.

"What did she do?" Mac asked. He raised his eyebrows.

"Well, that's thing. I don't know what she's done; or rather I don't know what's been done. Yesterday she was getting something from one of the cabinets and I noticed bruises on her hips. I asked her about them but she flew off the handle. She said she got them from 'walking into a table' but there is no way that's what happened." Stella could feel herself getting worked up.

Mac could see the panic fill her eyes, so he pushed a glass of water over towards her. She picked up the glass and took a huge gulp of the water. Her breath steadied and she carried on talking.

"And then this morning, I overheard her on the phone to someone called Rosie. She was talking about how she didn't know I was a detective, that she came here to get away, I think from someone called Jack, and she said that she hadn't told me something. She said she was in trouble. Madeline didn't realise I was awake, and when she came into my room and saw me sitting on the bed, she looked worried."

Stella grabbed the glass of water and took another drink of water. Telling all this to Mac felt like a huge weight had been lifter off her shoulders. Now she had said it out loud, it felt like she could make sense of everything. Stella looked at Mac, he had his fingertips held together, and he was looking off into the corner. He was trying to make sense of everything Stella had just spouted out.

"So you're thinking that this 'Jack' guy has something to do with the bruises on her hips. What did the bruises look like?" Mac said.

"They were pretty much identical. It didn't look like they'd been there long. They were almost round; they definitely didn't look like grab marks, which is what I first thought. I know I need to pick my battles but I can't just let this one go." Stella sighed. She leant back in her chair and let her head flop backwards.

"No, I don't expect you too. Unless she says something, we can't know for sure what's going on. Have you spoken to her parents? Maybe they can give you an idea of what's been happening."

"Not yet, but if she doesn't talk to me soon, I don't know what else I can do. Thanks, Mac." Stella hugged Mac and left his office.

Mac sat back and smiled at Stella as she walked away.