Author: Merrianna

Story: From Tragedy Love: 2 of ?

Series: A Crime Lab Romance

Spoiler: Anything that has happen before "All Access".

Disclaimer: I don't in any way own the series CSI: NY. Those are the sole property of Anthony E. Zuiker, Jerry Bruckheimer, CBS and Paramount Home Entertainment.

Feedback: Yes, please? Especially constructive. samwise_baggins@yahoo.co.uk

Webpage: http://www.geocities.com/samwise_baggins/index.html

Mac prowled restlessly around the confines of his apartment, Stella's case still nagging at him. The attack he'd seen many times before, but the people involved in this particular one were what bothered him now. The crime had involved Stella and her now deceased boyfriend Frankie. The man had terrorized and almost killed Mac's partner for apparently the only reason that she'd wanted out of the relationship. Mac had processed the crime scene: his friend's apartment, a place that he had been to on any number of occasions. Even though he'd wanted to be at the hospital with his friend, in the end he knew that Stella would be more comfortable with Mac himself going through her home than any of the others. It had been one of the most difficult things the investigator had ever done.

He was abruptly jerked out of his thoughts with a buzzing of the doorbell. Opening his apartment door, Mac's blue eyes widened slightly in surprise as he found his partner standing there. He took in, at a glance, her drenched hair and clothes, a knapsack slung over one shoulder along with her purse. The pretty brunette's head was down so that she wouldn't or couldn't meet his eyes. All in all, it was almost as bad as when he had found her after the call had gone out about an officer down, and the subsequent discovering of her apartment in shambles with no clue where she was.

Without a word, Mac opened the door wider and stepped aside to allow the emotionally fragile woman in. Somehow he knew that, despite his own instinct to shut down emotionally, he should have taken better care of his friend... partner... she was something more and that was exactly the reason why he had made the offer he had at the hospital, even though he had seen the expression in Stella's green eyes before she quickly hid it and insisted on going home.

"I'm sorry to barge in like this." The apology was made in a rush. Stella reflexively wrapped her arms around herself as she walked through the front entrance.

"It's alright, Stella. I should've offered to let you stay here when we were still at the hospital. I just didn't think you would have accepted." Mac shrugged uncomfortably as he shut the door, still looking after his friend.

Stella looked over at her partner and a small, sad smile flitted across her face. She knew that her friend was still trying to work through the fact that his wife had died in the 9-11 terrorist attacks. "I more than likely would've still gone back to my place, Mac. It's nice to know that you were thinking about it, even if you weren't able to ask."

Now that she finally looked at him, he took in the streaks of tears and smudges of what he took to be blood. "Uh... Stella, why don't you freshen up? You don't look too comfortable, and we should have a look at your hands." Mac moved away from the door reaching out to take Stella's bags.

Stella tentatively relinquished her stuff; with a glance at her hands she realized that the bloody rivulets were running down creating spots on her shirt. She had been so out of it that she hadn't even realized that some if not all, of the cuts on her hands had reopened.

“Jeez, I’m a mess.” Tears wanted to come again; Stella fought to not break down in front of Mac.

“It’ll be alright Stella. You’ll get a shower and then we’ll bandage those hands up. And after all that, if you’re hungry, I’ll fix you something to eat.” Mac put a reassuring hand on her back, leading her in the direction of the bathroom. He felt her stiffen a little before she relaxed at the contact. Inside Mac had to control the anger that was building against a man he was no longer able to punish.

Removing his hand, he opened the bathroom door and turned on the light switch. He let Stella move past him into the room, which was unlike the rest of his apartment. Here it looked like it was used on occasion, displaying a toothbrush, hairbrush and other hygiene products.

Placing her bag on the counter top, Mac went to get a few things for Stella to use while taking her shower.

Mac heard Stella rummaging through her bag looking for something to wear. When he turned around to place the items for ready use, he saw, on his friend’s face, a look that was between embarrassment and hysteria. The brown-haired man glanced at what had made such a look come over her face; from what he could see, at least the items on top had been handled by Stella just recently, for they had traces of blood on them. There were enough spots that if they weren’t cleaned up soon, they’d end up stained.

“Stella, don’t worry about it. I’ll get you something of mine. It’s alright.” He hesitantly put a comforting arm around her shoulders and gave her a brief squeeze. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to comfort Stella; it was just that it had been a long time since he’d done so for a woman.

“Thanks, Mac. I guess I really didn’t think about much beyond getting out of my apartment. I didn’t realize that my hands were that bad.” She sniffled, trying hard not to show how much things were affecting her. Mac for his part didn’t mention anything; he just gave her another comforting squeeze before he headed out the door; on the way he took the bag with him.

“Just get ready for your shower, Stella. I’ll be back with something for you to wear.” He closed the door as he walked out.

Feeling a little self-conscious, Mac went through Stella’s clothes, trying not to linger over any too long, especially her undergarments.

Mac threw most of Stella’s clothes in the laundry, having been able to pick out only a few pieces that didn’t have blood on them. He went through his closet and found a robe and a button-down shirt, of which he left the top two buttons undone. It would be easier for her to put on over her head.

As Mac went back to the bathroom to hand over the items, he heard muffled noises that sound suspiciously like a sob. “Stella?”

“Mac, I... ah... need a little help here,” came the frustrated whimper.

The sound tore at his heart. As he opened the door, Mac stopped short, taking in the vision before him. Stella had white socks on her feet and plain a pair of pants, but what had made him almost lose his ability to talk was that lying on the floor was her pink shirt, spotted with blood, leaving the curly-haired woman in only a cream-colored lacy bra.

Slightly ill-at-ease, Mac looked away, a faint blush creeping into his cheeks. He looked back when his ears picked up on a giggle that emanated from the half-dressed woman. It brought a smile to his face, as this was the first sign of the old Stella Bonasera coming to light.

“I suppose my discomfort is cause for amusement.” He couldn’t help teasing her.

Stella giggled again as her own cheeks began to redden. “This might be a bit awkward if we can’t get around the fact that to have a shower I’ll need to be naked.”

“Hmm… I suppose it would work best that way.” Mac’s blue eyes twinkled, the only way to tell that he was still joking with his co-worker.

“Mac!” Stella gave an exasperated cry.

“Just kidding, Stella. Turn around, and I’ll get that off of you.” Mac came forward, beating down his body’s reaction to the woman.

She turned around hesitantly, trying to overcome the sudden urge to run. When the back of his fingers grazed over her sensitive flesh, an unexpected shudder went down her back.

“Are you cold? I can turn up the thermostat.” Mac hoped it was that, rather than a reaction caused by the aftereffects of the attack. Stella was a strong woman and it killed Mac that Frankie had done this to her.

"Maybe a little." Stella agreed, not wanting Mac to know the real reason.

Mac studied the woman for a second, he had the feeling that she wasn't being completely truthful but wasn't going to call her on it unless it looked like it was going to endanger her. Without a word he went out; only a few seconds later he was back. "It'll take a few minutes."

The brief interruption made the tension even greater than before. Stella still had her back to the door, and the sight again took Mac's breath away. Now was not the time to be thinking the thoughts that had just recently been spring up in his mind when the pretty brunette was in sight.

Taking a controlled breath, Mac went back to finish undressing Stella. He could detect that his friend was still nervous. "Relax, Stella. I'm not going to bite you."

Stella giggled again and the tension eased as she began to relax once more.

Mac gave a small smile at the sound, "Seeing as you were right about needing to be naked to take a shower, I'll finish undressing you. Your hands are in no shape to be used. Which, umm... also brings to mind how you'll be able to wash yourself." Mac could feel his cheeks starting to redden once again and fought hard to keep his voice calm and even.

Stella froze at the mention of not being able to wash her-self. 'Was Mac really offering to do that or was it her imagination?'

From behind Stella, Mac crouched down to gently remove her pants, underwear and socks. He made it all seem caring but non-sexual. Standing back up, he turned on the water and waited a moment for it to heat up to the right temperature.

Mac helped Stella into the stall letting the water release the stress that was flowing off of his partner. Mac removed his clothes quickly, except for his boxers, and followed the curly-haired woman into the spray of water.

Through the whole procedure Mac remained in control and though it had been difficult. Stella was an attractive woman and however people might think he had no emotions he had been thoroughly tested today.

"Umm... Stella you might want to get out now." Mac tried to put a teasing tone in his voice as he slide the glass barrier away after shut off the water. Stella was once again looking at the floor. Blue eyes took in her body language and knew that though the shower had helped. There was still something that was bothering the pretty young woman.

Mac took a large towel and wrapped it around Stella, enveloping her in its depths; with great care he dried her from head to foot. He wrapped the towel around her; he'd left her hands for last. "Why don't you sit down Stella? We'll get those hands of yours bandaged. Did you get a pain med from the hospital?" Mac inquired as he got out a first aid kit, which held gauze, bacterial cream and peroxide.

Stella sat down on the covered toilet holding out her cut bleeding hands. The warm water kept the blood from clotting, but had also helped her hands to stay cleaner. "Yeah, I have them in my purse. They're supposed to be taken with food," Stella answered, trying not to look at him.

Mac nodded, trying to not let her actions effect him, knowing that he was the cause of them. The shower had been good for her but, he wasn't sure that either of them would be able to forget the experience. He went to work accessing the damage to see if she needed to return to the hospital to have her hands looked at by a professional. From what he saw, some maybe should have had stitches, but he had a feeling that they would have to be pretty much chopped off before Stella would go back to the hospital. So he carefully applied peroxide and anti-bacterial cream then he wrapped them in gauze, making sure that they were loose enough so that she wouldn't lose circulation, but tight enough that they would stay in place.

When Mac was done bandaging Stella's hands, he put the supplies away, "Well, I'll ahh... leave you to get dressed. You don't have to worry; you'll be able to do it without needing help. Though if you do need help, I'll be right outside the door."

Stella watched as he left. She rose, letting the towel unravel and slide to the floor. She took the button-down shirt, feeling a little flushed at the thought of wearing Mac's shirt. The material smelled of the laundry detergent he used but also a little of the bathing soap he preferred to use. She slipped the material over her head; it slithered down her body the bottom coming to mid-thigh; the buttoned-up front was higher on her neck than her normal, which in retrospect made her feel a little less exposed... Not that it was really a big concern, considering Mac had already seen everything. Circumstances had changed, as the last few minutes could attest. For the finishing touch to her attire, she donned a terry cloth robe that went well past her knees. Stella peeked into the mirror before turning away, not willing to acknowledge yet the events that had lead her to Mac's apartment; instead she opened the door to once again face her partner.

Mac grinned slightly at the sight of his partner in such an unfashionable robe. Stepping up to her, he suppressed a small laugh, even after the situation they had just been through.

"What?" Stella lifted an eyebrow, puzzled at her friend's reaction.

Still grinning, Mac replied "I don't think I've ever seen you this dressed down before."

Crossing her arms, Stella flushed slightly, looking away and mumbling. "Like I wasn't dressed down in the bathroom."

Mac's grin faltered as he caught what his friend had said. Apprehensively he placed a guiding hand on Stella's elbow, leading her to the main part of the apartment.

Still a little uncomfortable around each other, Mac and Stella went to the kitchen of the apartment. Silence reigned as Mac went about making them something to eat. Stella sat at the table watching as he moved around the kitchen in only a pair of sweat pants. She supposed he didn't realize that he'd forget to put a shirt on. Stella let her mind drift, sometimes it went back to her apartment or back in Mac's bathroom, only the steam in there would not only be from the water. Mac ended up making some sort of noise that drew her attention back.

Stella eventually cleared her throat, "So, Mac, what are you making?"

With those causally expressed words, his partner helped to bring the atmosphere back on a normal level. Mac was grateful as he answered the question, "Oatmeal."

"Oatmeal? Mac, that's not a meal that's breakfast," Stella whined.

"Oatmeal can be eaten at anytime. Besides it's easy to eat and not overly heavy so that you'll be able to sleep," Mac defended one of his favorite foods.

"Ok, I shouldn't complain: it's not take-out and I didn't have to cook so... oatmeal it is. Just how long does it take anyway?" Stella was starting to get tired but in truth didn't want to succumb to Morpheus' web just yet. The curly-haired detective knew that when she fell asleep at last it wouldn't be for long.

"Just now," Mac answered as he brought over two bowls full. He placed one in front of Stella and the other across from her. He returned back to the kitchen coming back with a tray on which were two spoons, milk, sugar, maple syrup, and raisins.

"Wow, Mac, you know how to show a girl a good time," Stella comment which she immediately wanted to take back at the expression on her best friend's face. With a frustrated sigh, she added, "Don't mind me, Mac. I'm getting tired and, when I'm tired, I get cranky."

Mac nodded, hoping that was really what the problem was. This relationship was important to him; Stella had been there when he needed a friend after Claire had died; he didn't think he could handle it if something happened to damage their friendship. The thing with Frankie was hard enough; it was the closest he'd been to losing someone since his wife. He was patient; he wouldn't push Stella, through he was starting to think helping her with washing-up had been an extremely bad idea.

"Don't worry. I won't hold anything against you," Mac reassured as he went about putting raisins and maple syrup into his oatmeal.

Stella nodded and once again silence fall over the couple; this time it wasn't sexual tension, but the uncertainty of what the future would be that caused it.

Stella sighed in satisfaction and gave Mac a smile. "I'll admit it was good. Thank you."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it." His voice lightened with the pleasure that Stella had sincerely meant want she said. Mac smirked as he saw her try to stifle a yawn. "I guess it's time for bed."

Stella gave the brown-haired man an irritated look. "Going to tuck me in?"

"Yep." was his only reply as he took the dishes back into the kitchen.

"Mac, I'm a big girl. I don't need to be tuck in. Just get me a pillow and blanket so I can bunk out here on the living room couch."

It was Mac's turn to look irritated. "What makes you think I'll be letting you sleep on the couch?"

"Well where else am I going to sleep?" Stella looked at him expectantly.

"I'll be sleeping on the couch; you'll be getting the bed. It's not debatable." Mac's face was set.

"Well, don't complain in the morning if you’re stiff from sleeping on that thing." Stella groused.

"Don't worry I won't." For once, Mac got the last words on his partner.