One Year Later….

Stella opened her apartment door and stepped aside to let Mac in.

He took in the site before him. Her hair was done up with a few locks of curls hanging down and framing her face. Her dress… Her dress was killing him. Hanging just above the knees, it was black and sleeveless and accented with cubic zirconia studs. While not as low cut as most of her outfits, it certainly did not leave much to the imagination.

She twirled around for him. “You like?” she asked, grinning.

“You look beautiful as ever,” he told her before kissing her.

“Keep that up and we’ll never make it to the premiere on time,” she said slipping out of his arms to get her jacket.

“I hate pretending to still be ‘just friends’ after all this time,” he complained, opening the door for her.

She turned back to him and kissed him once more. “It’s better than the alternative. I’m just glad George was able to ‘convince’ the photographer to admit he ‘faked’ that picture of you and me.”

Mac laughed as she locked the door. “Who knew he had such an influence over the New York Police Commissioner?”

Walking to the elevator, Stella wrapped her arm around his. “I think a lot of that influence came in the form of the Commissioners wife and two teenage daughters having quite the crush on Mr. Clooney.”

Once inside the elevator, Mac whispered in her ear, “How am I supposed to keep my hands to myself all night?”

“Because after the premiere you will have the rest of the night not to,” she replied seductively, kissing him deeply once more before the elevator doors opened and they would have to pretend to be only friends.

---

Danny and Flack sat as far away from Stella and Mac as they could in the theatre - still more than a little afraid of them after learning the hard way that payback truly was a bitch. Stella had returned to her office to find not only the poster size picture of her and George Clooney hanging in her office but also more than a few smaller, hidden ones of her and Mac with comments such as ‘teacher’s pet’. Mac, on the other hand, had been spared the pictures but had received quite a few complaints about having lost the lab’s bet on when they would get together – a bet started by Danny and Flack. Neither of them had been angry at their friends knowing it was done out of fun, but that didn’t stop Mac and Stella from plotting together against them.

A year later, Flack was still receiving graphic calls from transvestites and Danny was sure the smell of old, rotting trash would never leave his nostrils after spending five full months on dumpster-diving duty.

Sheldon and Lindsay had managed to keep their names unassociated with the whole mess, so they were still in good graces and Lindsay had finally confided in Stella about her relationship with Danny. Given her and Mac’s positions as their bosses, Stella felt bad about not being able to confide in Lindsay about her and Mac.

The team sat in the same row of the theatre as the lights went down. Mac sat on the end seat with Stella next to him. Sid and his wife were beside Stella with Sheldon, Lindsay, Danny and Flack further down.

---

With the movie nearing it’s end, and Mac having managed to keep hold of Stella’s hand throughout without anyone noticing, he leaned over and whispered, “Not as bad as I thought it would be.”

On the screen, a building blew up with ‘Mac’ inside and ‘Stella’ helpless watching from the street.

Stella squeezed his hand, the memory of him being trapped in an explosion, twice, still fresh in her mind.

They finally rescued ‘Mac’ and, as the stretcher came out, ‘Stella’ ran over to him and held his hand in her with tears streaming down her face. “Mac, don’t leave me. You have to hang on, please. I can’t lose you.”

Mac wished he could comfort her when he saw her wipe away some tears.

A few scenes later ‘Mac’ was lying in the hospital in a coma with ‘Stella’ by his side. “Mac, I won’t let you leave me. We have too much left to do.” She kissed his hand. “I love you, Mac. Do you hear me? You can’t die on me because I love you.”

Becoming a little angry that no one had warned them of this scene, Mac didn’t care what anyone thought or said. He slipped his hand out of hers and slid his arm around Stella’s shoulders, pulling her close as she cried. The scenes being played out on the big screen hit far too close to home for both of them.

Sid touched her arm gently for a brief moment to let her know he was there as well. The others shifted uncomfortably in their chairs irritated at how these scenes were bringing back so many bad memories for themselves but, more so, for Mac and Stella.

‘Mac’s’ eyes fluttered open and he smiled at ‘Stella’. “Couldn’t leave you if I wanted to. I love you too.”

And they kissed.

Mac glanced over at the commissioner, who showed no sign of disapproval but rather sympathy and understanding as to why Mac was holding Stella at that moment. Turning back to Stella, he whispered, “Let’s get out of here before the movie ends.”

She nodded, wiped away her tears as best she could, and walked out with him.

---

Foregoing the after party, Mac took Stella back to her place. “I can’t believe they did that! They could have at least warned us!”

Stella looked up at him from her couch. “Mac, it’s not their fault. They needed to do something to keep the audience interested. How boring would the movie, or any movie or TV show, be without at least some romance or insight into the characters personal lives?”

He stopped pacing at sat beside her. “I don’t care. It upset you. It upset me. All I could remember was seeing you lying face down in here, unresponsive, covered in blood…”

She held his hand. “And all I could remember was showing up when you and Flack were trapped in that bombed out building and not knowing… or when the lab blew up…” Tears fell from her eyes once again and they clung to each other.

“We’re both here and we’re both alive,” he reassured her as well as himself.

Pulling back to look at him, she began, “Mac, about tonight…”

He smiled at her. “Just promise to wear that dress again so we can have a proper romantic night out or, better yet, candlelight at home.”

“I don’t think that will be a problem,” she grinned.

Without letting go of her completely, he reached to the side of the couch. “By the way, I got you a little something.”

“Really?”

“Close your eyes.”

She did as he requested then felt something furry touch her nose. Her eyes opened and at first all she saw was grayish fluff. It took her only a moment before she grabbed it and giggled. “Where in the world did you find this?”

“Last year at the aquarium. I managed to sneak off while you were in the ladies room.”

Her eyes met his. “And you were able to keep it hidden from me all this time?”

Mac nodded.

“Impressive, Detective Taylor.” She held her stuffed sea otter close and kissed him softly on the cheek then settled back against him on the couch. “Thank you. I love you.”

Placing a kiss on her temple, he whispered, “I love you, too, Stella.”

The End

---

Ending note: Inspired by the X-Files episode ‘Hollywood A.D’ for those that hadn't figured that out already.

A big thanks to everyone who read this and especially those who posted feedback :). Sorry if this last bit seems a bit rushed - truth is, this was only supposed to run me about 4 or 5 pages!!