Post by shinydream on Aug 19, 2009 15:09:49 GMT -5
Title: Home
Author: Sabi aka shinydream
Pairing: Stella/Mac
Rating: FRT
Spoiler/Content Warning: The story takes place after episode 5x16 "No Good Deed"
Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for the neighbors. All other Characters belong to Anthony Zuiker and CBS.
Authors Notes: This story was originally written for the csi_bigbang Challenge at livejournal. I enjoyed writing the fic very much so I really hope that you like reading it
I know it's a long story and I thought about posting it in chapters but decided against it because I never intended for the story to have chapters so I'm not gonna divide it now. Anyway. I hope you like the story
Chapter 1
It was a quiet afternoon in the New York crime lab. Mac sat in his office, working on the paperwork of the most recent case, desperate to get it done. His team was either processing evidence or out in the field. The cases they had weren’t big ones, and so he and Stella were the only ones left in the lab, both working to get the files off their desks.
It was 3:17 p.m. when the phone on Mac’s desk rang, and he set down his pen to answer it. For a while he just sat there and listened to what the person on the other end told him. He nodded a few times, although he knew the person speaking to him didn’t see it. After half an hour, the phone call was over.
Mac sat in his chair and stared through the glass walls out into the crime lab, watching a few lab techs working. Leaning forward on his desk, Mac grabbed the phone and dialed a number. After a few angry words, the person on the other end cut him off, gave a few decisive words in response, and ended the call. With a sour expression, Mac hung up and stared out into the hall again. It took him a few minutes to calm down again.
When his coworker and friend walked by his office, Mac called, “Hey, Stella, could you come to my office for a moment?”
Stella turned around, took a few steps backwards, then entered his office. “Sure,” she replied as she stepped in. “What’s up?”
“Close the door, please,” Mac ordered without moving an inch.
“What’s wrong, Mac?” Stella asked, eyeing her friend in concern. After she had closed the door, Stella sat down on the chair in front of Mac’s desk.
“Chicago PD’s deputy inspector just called,” he replied.
Stella pulled her eyebrows together as she got more concerned.
“Mac, you’re worrying me here,” she finally said when Mac didn’t make an attempt to add further explanations.
Mac smiled at his partner. “There is nothing to worry about, Stella. Nothing’s wrong with me or my family or something like that. And before you ask, no, I’m not in trouble, and neither is anyone from my family.”
“What’s going on, then?” Stella asked again.
“Chicago PD asked for help on a case,” Mac explained. “They have an unsolved serial they’ve been working on for a few months now. They aren’t making any progress in the case, so they want me – or rather, us – to give them a hand.”
“Okay,” Stella replied slowly and looked at Mac, waiting for him to give her more information. When that didn’t happen, she raised her eyebrows and asked, “Where’s the catch?”
“They want us to go undercover,” Mac returned.
“Why?” Stella asked, confused.
Mac raised his eyebrows. “Why do people go undercover?” he asked pointedly. “They need to get someone close to their suspect. Someone who knows what they’re doing.”
Stella rolled her eyes. “I know why people go undercover and what they’re doing, Mac,” she replied. “What I meant is why us?”
“Well, they need someone who knows their way through the city but isn’t known very well there,” Mac said. “The deputy did his research and came up with me. He knows I’m from Chicago, and he knows that I have a good team.”
Stella nodded. “Okay, so who exactly do you mean when you say ‘us’?” she asked. “And what is it that Chicago PD expects from us?”
Mac sighed and leaned back in his chair again. “By ‘us’ I mean you and me, Stella. They told me to bring someone with me – someone I trust, someone I know well, and someone who’s willing to do that with me,” he replied, looking at the woman on the other side of his desk. “And you are that person, Stella.”
Now it was Stella who sighed. “I don’t have much of a choice here, do I?”
Mac chuckled. “As much as I have,” he replied. “Apparently, Deputy Inspector Shepart made sure to clear this mission with our bosses first. They told me I could do this job or I could pack my bags and look for a new one.”
Stella snorted. She was about to reply when Danny knocked on Mac’s office door and stuck his head into the room.
“Hey, sorry to interrupt—I have some interesting news on the case,” he said.
“Not now, Danny,” Mac said.
“Is everything okay?” the younger CSI asked.
“Everything is fine, Danny,” Stella replied. “There are just a few important things we need to talk about.”
“Okay then,” Danny said and left the office again.
Stella turned back to face Mac. “How much are we allowed to tell the team?” she asked.
“As far as I know we can tell them what we know so far. We’ll probably need them, anyway,” Mac replied.
“How so?” Stella asked.
“The deputy inspector suspects someone on his team is giving information to their serial killer. He’s not sure about it, though. That’s why we’ll probably have to work alone or send all the evidence we collect back to New York,” Mac explained.
“Great,” Stella replied sarcastically and leaned back in her chair. “You already got the file?”
“No,” Mac returned. “I’ll get it later today.”
“Okay, so no further information on the case until tonight,” Stella stated.
“Yeah,” Mac said. “How about having dinner together tonight so we can talk about the details?”
“Sounds good,” Stella replied. “When do we have to leave anyway?” she added, suddenly remembering he hadn’t mentioned it.
“Tomorrow,” Mac answered.
“Tomorrow?” Stella asked, stunned.
“I know it’s short notice,” Mac replied. “Look, I’m not happy about this, either, and I can understand if you’re telling me no, but I’m not gonna lie to you, Stella: you’re the only one I can do this with. You’re the only one I want to do this with, but I’m not gonna force you into going with me.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Mac. I’m not gonna let you down on this. I won’t make you go with someone else. I’m in with you on this,” Stella reassured him.
“Maybe you should know something else before agreeing,” Mac said with a sheepish grin. “We sorta have to act like a couple.” When Stella raised her eyebrows, Mac continued. “Well, their suspect lives a little outside of Chicago, and they want us to move to the neighborhood as newlyweds.”
“Mac, couple or not, I’m in with you on this,” she replied, stressing her last words.
“Don’t you wanna talk with Brendon before you agree?” he asked confused.
Stella sighed. “I broke up with him last week,” she admitted. “He’s nice and all, but… well, he’s just not the one for me.”
Mac nodded. “I’m sorry it didn’t work out with you.”
“Don’t be,” Stella said and sighed again. “At least he wasn’t some creep who tried to kill me or any of my friends.”
Mac chuckled. “I’m glad you can joke about that now,” he returned and gave Stella a smile.
She returned his smile. “Okay, back to this undercover thing,” Stella said. “How is this going to be? I mean, is the flight booked? Do we have rings? Do we have a car in Chicago? Is there anything important we need to know?”
“Yes, there is a flight we need to catch tomorrow. No, I’ll get them tomorrow. As far as I know, we’ll rent a car in Chicago, and everything else we need to know is in the file I’ll get soon. Hopefully,” Mac replied.
“Okay. Now, how about the team?” Stella asked.
“We’ll set up a team meeting in half an hour and tell them all they need to know. I’ll make Danny head of the lab as long as we’re gone since he’s got the most seniority.”
“Did you just come up with all this, or did you know about this longer without telling me?” Stella asked teasingly.
Mac chuckled. “Maybe I’m just smart like that,” he replied.
Stella raised her eyebrows. “I’m not gonna boost your ego by agreeing to that,” she said. “Anything else you need me to know?”
“No, that’s all for now. That’s all I know. No, wait—actually, I know one more thing. We’ll get new cell phones in Chicago so the deputy inspector can get in contact with us. The numbers and stuff are in the file,” Mac said.
“Good,” Stella replied. “I’ll go back to work, then, I guess.” Stella was about to get up when Mac held her back.
“There’s not much work left for us today,” he said. “We’ll just have the meeting, arrange duties and responsibilities, and then we’ll have the rest of the day off to prepare for our trip. We still need to pack our stuff and maybe get some things.”
Stella nodded. “That’s true,” she said. “Well, I’ll go tell the team to meet us in the conference room in half an hour.”
“Okay,” Mac replied.
Author: Sabi aka shinydream
Pairing: Stella/Mac
Rating: FRT
Spoiler/Content Warning: The story takes place after episode 5x16 "No Good Deed"
Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for the neighbors. All other Characters belong to Anthony Zuiker and CBS.
Authors Notes: This story was originally written for the csi_bigbang Challenge at livejournal. I enjoyed writing the fic very much so I really hope that you like reading it
I know it's a long story and I thought about posting it in chapters but decided against it because I never intended for the story to have chapters so I'm not gonna divide it now. Anyway. I hope you like the story Chapter 1
It was a quiet afternoon in the New York crime lab. Mac sat in his office, working on the paperwork of the most recent case, desperate to get it done. His team was either processing evidence or out in the field. The cases they had weren’t big ones, and so he and Stella were the only ones left in the lab, both working to get the files off their desks.
It was 3:17 p.m. when the phone on Mac’s desk rang, and he set down his pen to answer it. For a while he just sat there and listened to what the person on the other end told him. He nodded a few times, although he knew the person speaking to him didn’t see it. After half an hour, the phone call was over.
Mac sat in his chair and stared through the glass walls out into the crime lab, watching a few lab techs working. Leaning forward on his desk, Mac grabbed the phone and dialed a number. After a few angry words, the person on the other end cut him off, gave a few decisive words in response, and ended the call. With a sour expression, Mac hung up and stared out into the hall again. It took him a few minutes to calm down again.
When his coworker and friend walked by his office, Mac called, “Hey, Stella, could you come to my office for a moment?”
Stella turned around, took a few steps backwards, then entered his office. “Sure,” she replied as she stepped in. “What’s up?”
“Close the door, please,” Mac ordered without moving an inch.
“What’s wrong, Mac?” Stella asked, eyeing her friend in concern. After she had closed the door, Stella sat down on the chair in front of Mac’s desk.
“Chicago PD’s deputy inspector just called,” he replied.
Stella pulled her eyebrows together as she got more concerned.
“Mac, you’re worrying me here,” she finally said when Mac didn’t make an attempt to add further explanations.
Mac smiled at his partner. “There is nothing to worry about, Stella. Nothing’s wrong with me or my family or something like that. And before you ask, no, I’m not in trouble, and neither is anyone from my family.”
“What’s going on, then?” Stella asked again.
“Chicago PD asked for help on a case,” Mac explained. “They have an unsolved serial they’ve been working on for a few months now. They aren’t making any progress in the case, so they want me – or rather, us – to give them a hand.”
“Okay,” Stella replied slowly and looked at Mac, waiting for him to give her more information. When that didn’t happen, she raised her eyebrows and asked, “Where’s the catch?”
“They want us to go undercover,” Mac returned.
“Why?” Stella asked, confused.
Mac raised his eyebrows. “Why do people go undercover?” he asked pointedly. “They need to get someone close to their suspect. Someone who knows what they’re doing.”
Stella rolled her eyes. “I know why people go undercover and what they’re doing, Mac,” she replied. “What I meant is why us?”
“Well, they need someone who knows their way through the city but isn’t known very well there,” Mac said. “The deputy did his research and came up with me. He knows I’m from Chicago, and he knows that I have a good team.”
Stella nodded. “Okay, so who exactly do you mean when you say ‘us’?” she asked. “And what is it that Chicago PD expects from us?”
Mac sighed and leaned back in his chair again. “By ‘us’ I mean you and me, Stella. They told me to bring someone with me – someone I trust, someone I know well, and someone who’s willing to do that with me,” he replied, looking at the woman on the other side of his desk. “And you are that person, Stella.”
Now it was Stella who sighed. “I don’t have much of a choice here, do I?”
Mac chuckled. “As much as I have,” he replied. “Apparently, Deputy Inspector Shepart made sure to clear this mission with our bosses first. They told me I could do this job or I could pack my bags and look for a new one.”
Stella snorted. She was about to reply when Danny knocked on Mac’s office door and stuck his head into the room.
“Hey, sorry to interrupt—I have some interesting news on the case,” he said.
“Not now, Danny,” Mac said.
“Is everything okay?” the younger CSI asked.
“Everything is fine, Danny,” Stella replied. “There are just a few important things we need to talk about.”
“Okay then,” Danny said and left the office again.
Stella turned back to face Mac. “How much are we allowed to tell the team?” she asked.
“As far as I know we can tell them what we know so far. We’ll probably need them, anyway,” Mac replied.
“How so?” Stella asked.
“The deputy inspector suspects someone on his team is giving information to their serial killer. He’s not sure about it, though. That’s why we’ll probably have to work alone or send all the evidence we collect back to New York,” Mac explained.
“Great,” Stella replied sarcastically and leaned back in her chair. “You already got the file?”
“No,” Mac returned. “I’ll get it later today.”
“Okay, so no further information on the case until tonight,” Stella stated.
“Yeah,” Mac said. “How about having dinner together tonight so we can talk about the details?”
“Sounds good,” Stella replied. “When do we have to leave anyway?” she added, suddenly remembering he hadn’t mentioned it.
“Tomorrow,” Mac answered.
“Tomorrow?” Stella asked, stunned.
“I know it’s short notice,” Mac replied. “Look, I’m not happy about this, either, and I can understand if you’re telling me no, but I’m not gonna lie to you, Stella: you’re the only one I can do this with. You’re the only one I want to do this with, but I’m not gonna force you into going with me.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Mac. I’m not gonna let you down on this. I won’t make you go with someone else. I’m in with you on this,” Stella reassured him.
“Maybe you should know something else before agreeing,” Mac said with a sheepish grin. “We sorta have to act like a couple.” When Stella raised her eyebrows, Mac continued. “Well, their suspect lives a little outside of Chicago, and they want us to move to the neighborhood as newlyweds.”
“Mac, couple or not, I’m in with you on this,” she replied, stressing her last words.
“Don’t you wanna talk with Brendon before you agree?” he asked confused.
Stella sighed. “I broke up with him last week,” she admitted. “He’s nice and all, but… well, he’s just not the one for me.”
Mac nodded. “I’m sorry it didn’t work out with you.”
“Don’t be,” Stella said and sighed again. “At least he wasn’t some creep who tried to kill me or any of my friends.”
Mac chuckled. “I’m glad you can joke about that now,” he returned and gave Stella a smile.
She returned his smile. “Okay, back to this undercover thing,” Stella said. “How is this going to be? I mean, is the flight booked? Do we have rings? Do we have a car in Chicago? Is there anything important we need to know?”
“Yes, there is a flight we need to catch tomorrow. No, I’ll get them tomorrow. As far as I know, we’ll rent a car in Chicago, and everything else we need to know is in the file I’ll get soon. Hopefully,” Mac replied.
“Okay. Now, how about the team?” Stella asked.
“We’ll set up a team meeting in half an hour and tell them all they need to know. I’ll make Danny head of the lab as long as we’re gone since he’s got the most seniority.”
“Did you just come up with all this, or did you know about this longer without telling me?” Stella asked teasingly.
Mac chuckled. “Maybe I’m just smart like that,” he replied.
Stella raised her eyebrows. “I’m not gonna boost your ego by agreeing to that,” she said. “Anything else you need me to know?”
“No, that’s all for now. That’s all I know. No, wait—actually, I know one more thing. We’ll get new cell phones in Chicago so the deputy inspector can get in contact with us. The numbers and stuff are in the file,” Mac said.
“Good,” Stella replied. “I’ll go back to work, then, I guess.” Stella was about to get up when Mac held her back.
“There’s not much work left for us today,” he said. “We’ll just have the meeting, arrange duties and responsibilities, and then we’ll have the rest of the day off to prepare for our trip. We still need to pack our stuff and maybe get some things.”
Stella nodded. “That’s true,” she said. “Well, I’ll go tell the team to meet us in the conference room in half an hour.”
“Okay,” Mac replied.
well i think that is normal for such a long story! xD