Okay... so a long time ago I posted my story "A Red Rose" and I said that I wrote a sequel to it and Lindsay asked if I could post that here and FINALLY I decided to do that.
So this is dedicated to Lindsay and Stella and Mac! 
And everyone who wants to rwead this
PS: I also posted that story on fanfiction.net with my account there. So maybe some of you already know it.Never thought I would
~ After the shift ~Stella had finished her work and was about to go to the locker room to grab her things and leave to get ready for her dinner with Mac. Even before he admitted it to Lindsay and the others that it was a date and not only a birthday dinner with her she had guessed that there was more about his present. She still wore the neckerchief that she got from Mac. She really liked it. He had a good taste for those little accessories, at least from that what she knew of him. He went shopping with her one day, when he had this romance with Peyton and he wanted to buy a little birthday present for her. He was looking for something nice and special but not too expensive and when he chose a small necklace and asked for Stella’s opinion he passed the test successfully. But that was another story. She knew that something was behind this when he gave her the rose. It was a single red rose and she knew what that meant especially because she had told him something about that earlier. She was happy that he had asked her out that way and that he didn’t made a secret of that but she was also a bit nervous. She hadn’t expected that for today but she knew that sometime he was a big surprise. Sometimes she wasn’t able to read what he was planning when he didn’t want her to know it. That was the only time when he was a good actor to her. Every other time when there was something wrong and he acted like everything was okay she quickly got behind it and tried to get something out of him. Sometimes it worked and sometimes he retreat into his shell and didn’t say a word. But that was another story, too.
She looked at her watch. It was 5 pm and she would at leas need half an hour to get home. So she had one and a half our left before Mac would pick her up. On the way to the locker room she met Mac. He was also on the way to his locker.
“Hey birthday girl!” He greeted her with a smile.
“Hey Mac. I thought you would be at home before me.” Stella replied.
“No way. I had to do quite a lot of paperwork and I had to plan the next vacation for the team and so on… and Sinclair called and told me that you worked to may times last month and that you’ll have to go on vacation during this month.”
“What? He ordered to put me on vacation this month?”
“Yep. But I told him that I wanted to do that anyways. You need some time off, I know it.”
“Seems that I can’t do anything. But you’re the boss. I’ll be a nice employee and go on vacation when you want me to.” She said and smiled.
“I know, Stell. You’re always a nice employee.”
“Always? Are you sure ‘bout that?”
“Okay… mostly. I just wanted to be nice.”
“You’re always nice, Mac.”
Now it was his turn to ask her if she was sure about that and it was the same answer he gave her to that question when she asked him. They both smiled.
They had reached the locker room and they both went to their locker and grabbed the thinks they needed and left the things they didn’t want to take with them. On their way out of the room they met again at the door, both smiling.
“Perfect timing, hu?” Stella asked him.
“So it seems. Um… shall I take you home?” He asked a bit shy. It was the first time this day that he really was shy. He was quite cool when he said that he asked her out on a date and now that he asked her if he could take her home he was shy? That was something that surprised Stella but she didn’t say anything.
“Yeah, would be nice.” She said and gave him a smile. And so they made their way out of the building and first to Stella’s place where he dropped her off and then Mac drove home to get ready.
~ That special feeling ~Stella was still nervous. She had taken a shower and then she had decided for a dress. She wanted to wear the neckerchief that Mac gave her and that’s why she had to choose a dress where a lime neckerchief would fit to. So she decided for a green dress. It was a bit darker green then the neckerchief. It was olivine and had a short crinkle chiffon dress with a charmeuse braided neckline and back criss cross straps. The skirt ended above her knees. She also chose green stilettos which haven’t very high heels. She let her hair fall to her shoulders and put on some make up. She had just finished when she heard a soft knock on her door. She picked up her purse from the sideboard next to her door and opened it. Mac looked at her and he seemed to like what he was seeing.
“Hey Mac. Satisfied?” She asked him.
“Absolutely. Are you ready to go?” he asked back.
“Yep.” She closed the door behind her and locked it.
“You look beautiful, Stell.” He said on the way to the car.
“Thank you. Just like you, Mac.” She answered and gave him one of her lovely smiles that made him melt like ice in the sunshine. Normally, but he kept his condition because he always thought he has to. He learned that through the years. But he promised himself to change that a bit and to show some of his emotions to Stella. If they would work out like he wished it would. He knew that he can trust her and he tried to show that to her, but it was a bit hard for him after Claire died and Peyton left him. Peyton had been right. There wouldn’t have been a way for them and their love but still he thought she chose a bad way to tell him. But that was another story and now he would concentrate on the only woman left in his life. Or at least the only woman he would like to live with and he would do anything for. He finally managed to ask her out on a date.
“Thanks.” He said and smiled back. When they reached his car he opened the door on the passenger’s site and helped her to get in. After he closed the door he went to the driver’s seat and got into the car, too. Then he made their way through the traffic and to their destination.
On the way to the little restaurant where he wanted to have his dinner with Stella they talked about all the world and his brother. But after a while of having small talk she was curious.
“Mac… how long were you planning this?” She asked him. This question bothered her the whole day.
“To be honest Stella… I thought about that quite a long time before I was brave enough to ask you today. But I planned this last week or so. Why do want to know it?”
“I’m just curious, because… it seemed that everybody was surprised by that but it also seemed like they expected something like that from you.”
“Um… actually I planned this alone and… I just told Lindsay about it because she was in that restaurant the day I made the reservation. She heard that I reserved a table for two for today and she was curious and asked me. I just told her that I wanted to have dinner with you because it’s your birthday. She didn’t know that I would ask you out and she promised to tell nobody. That’s all. Maybe she told Danny that I had planned something for you and you know what they are like.” He said with a grin.
“Yeah… whenever one of us has a date and one of them figure out a few hours later everyone knows. But can you resent them talking about it?”
“Honestly? No. We’re the most important persons for them. I’m their boss and you’re my best friend and we are their friends. It’s normal that they want to know everything.”
“And they just want the best for us.” Stella said with a smile. They looked at each other for a few seconds before Mac concentrated on the traffic again.
“I think… when I remember the thing with Frankie years ago… if you wouldn’t have killed him in self defense… some of us would have killed him for doing that to you what he did.” Mac said thoughtful. Actually Stella didn’t want to talk about Frankie and what happened that day but she knew that Mac was right. One of her friends would have killed him. Or at least would have taken him to task for that.” She said. She wanted to sound as normal as possible but the images of that night were still strong enough to bring up emotions that made her feel like she wanted to cry even though it happened many years ago. Mac heard and felt it while she was talking.
“I’m sorry Stell. I didn’t want to remind you of this if it still hurts you or make you sad.”
“You don’t need to apologize, Mac. This happened many years ago and I didn’t think about it for a long time to get over it.” The rest of their way they drove in comfortable silence. When they finally arrived at their destination and they were walking into the restaurant Stella broke the silence.
“You know… you have that special feeling for me… you know me that well that you can feel it when something is bothering me. I’m really happy to have a friend like you, Mac.” She said.
“It’s the same with you and me the other way round and I’m happy to have you as my friend, too.”
~ A Greek lesson ~Mac and Stella were now sitting at the table in the beautiful and nice arranged Greek restaurant. Mac knew that Stella like to come here and have dinner with a friend and so he chose this restaurant. He had reserved a table in the back of the restaurant from which they could see the door and the frond area but they were nearly alone not interrupted. They had ordered what they wanted to eat and Stella had taught Mac a little bit Greek. He knew a few words already but Stella wanted to remind him of them and wanted to teach him some more words.
It’s not that he would have thought it was necessary to learn Greek but he thought it was fun. He didn’t want to hurt Stella and he also thought that Greek was a nice language even though it was a bit hard for him to learn it, because he hadn’t that Greek accent and Stella had very high requirements. But she was a great teacher.
“You remember the words I taught you the last time we went here?” She asked him.
“A few… I guess I don’t remember all of them but I know a few of them.” He answered honestly.
“Okay… how about learning a few more words then?”
“I’ll be fun.” He smiled.
“Good. I’ll ask you a few things to make sure you remember everything and if not I’ll tell you what’s missing. Are you ready?”
“Ready if you are.” Now Stella was smiling at him.
“Good. What does ‘yes’ mean in Greek?”
“Aw… that’s easy: ναι (NE)”
“Yeah that was really simple. So… You want to do something more difficult, hu? Tell what you say when you ask someone how he feels.”
“Um… Oh, I know that, too: Τι κάνεις? (TI KÁNIS?)”
“Good. And… How are you, Mac?”
“Me? I’m fine, thanks… um… ÍME KALÁ”
“That’s too easy for you isn’t it?” She asked with a smile.
“Hey, I’m very proud that I remembered all these things.” He acted hurt.
“I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to hurt you, Mac.” She said and stroked his cheek with her hand. He smiled satisfied and a bit shyly.
“Okay… let’s teach you something new, okay?” she started after a few seconds.
“I’m ready to.”
“Good… you want to say what your name is?”
“Tell me. You know, I’m curious.”
“Here you go. με λένε (ME LÉNE) Stella. That means I’m Stella.”
“So… με λένε Mac. That’s easy.” He repeated.
“That’s why I love the Greek language.” She said and smiled at him.
“So what means happy birthday in Greek?”
“Χρόνια πολλά (KRÓNIA POLLÁ). That means happy birthday.”
“Good. Χρόνια πολλά Stella.” He said and raised his glass of wine to her. She raised her glass as well and they clinked the glasses.
“ευχαριστώ (EFHARISTÓ) Mac.“
“You’re welcome, Stell.”
“You think you’ll keep that till our next ‘lesson’?” Stella asked him.
“I think so.”
“You’re a great student Mac. Do you know that?”
“Now that you’re telling me. But I have a great teacher, too.” He said with a smile and she smiled back at him.
Then the waitress brought their food and they started to eat. While they were eating they talked about a few things that came to their minds.
~ You know me ~After they finished their dinner they sat in the restaurant for a while, drinking some wine and talking about everything and nothing. They were talking about some cases they solved together and Mac and Stella compared the way they’re handling things now and how they handled them first. Stella came to the point that she had changed a lot. First she couldn’t control her emotions that good as she could now and she was much more professional than she was when she started to work at the lab. It was nearly the same with Mac. He had improved his sense for knowing when a suspect was lying and when he was saying the truth. Of course they also realized how their relationship had changed during that time of working together. Stella remembered a scene when she was examining a dead body and then Flack came in and Mac was coming in and they were asking the same question at the same time. The answer that Don had given to them was just that he thought they were working together a way too long. But then he used the word ‘Boom’ that Danny often used when he found a match. And then Mac only said: ‘You and Danny were working together a way too long.’
Sometimes when Mac and Stella were talking about something they ended the sentences of the other. They knew each other for such a long time that they had a special sense for each other. Stella was thinking of some other situations but she didn’t want to talk about them but Mac could see that she was thinking about something.
“What are you thinking of?” Mac asked Stella. Stella looked at him in surprise.
“Nothing.” She said.
“Come on Stell… I know that something bothers you. What is it?”
“Really Mac it’s not important.”
“But you want to talk about it. I can see it in your eyes, my dear.”
Stella sighed. “You know me too well, Mac…”
“I know. So… what are thinking of?”
“I was just thinking about that special sense and feeling we have for each other. Sometimes you know when the other enters the room you’re staying in without looking at him. You just can feel it. And sometimes you know me better than I do.”
“But it’s the same way with me. Sometime you know me better than I do, too. Τί δύσκολον; Tὸ ἑαυτὸν γνῶναι. (What is hard? To know oneself.)” Mac said.
“Wow, Mac! Someday you’ll talk to me in Greek hu? Did I teach you to say that?” Stella asked surprised.
“Stell, I don’t think that I’ll ever talk to you in Greek for a whole conversation. I just read that somewhere.”
“You’re really good, Mac. But you’re right. It’s really hard to know oneself. But I have you who know me and you have me who knows you.” Stella said with a smile.
“You know what? That why I can honestly say that I trust you. And I know that there is more behind it than trust. You know… I haven’t said that a long time and I think it’s hard to say it know, but… see… I think we… could take a step and try something new. If you want to and you’re ready to.” Mac said and he sounded very shy this time. Stella was a bit amused by that. She had never seen him that shy and nervous. But she had been nervous, too.
“You know… I know why you wanted that dinner. I know it was a date and it still is and… I was thinking about something like that earlier. You know… I haven’t had a boyfriend the last two years and I think I’m kinda sceptic after my last boyfriends. But you’re the one that I trusted in. And… I think I want to take that step but you have to promise that you’ll be patient with me and that we’ll be friends if this doesn’t work out the way we want to.”
“I promise. That’s just what I want to. You’re the best friend that I ever had you know that?”
“Now I know. And you’re the best friend that I could ever have. I really love you, you know that?”
“I guessed it first and now I know it. I love you, too.”
“You know… when we met the first time I never thought I would fall in love with you like I had.”
“Maybe it’s because you were married then. Claire died after we met the first time… and you were luckily married to her.” Stella reminded him.
“Maybe… but still I never thought I would go out with you and be just like we’re now. But I’m really happy now.” He said.
After that they sat in the restaurant for one and half hour again and then they decided to leave, because it was almost midnight now and they had to get up early the next morning. Mac escorted Stella to her apartment when they arrived at her place.
“Thank you Mac. This was the best birthday ever. It was a really nice evening.” Stella thanked him.
“Can’t say something else. So… have a good night then, Stell.” He said and then she hugged him.
“Have a good night, too.” Stella whispered in his ear and kissed his cheek before they broke apart. They stood and looked into the other’s eyes for a few moments before she finally leaned over to wrap her arms around him and kiss him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her back. And it felt so good to kiss someone you love again.
The End
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