Just a game?

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Spoiler: None

Raiting: T

Summary: Mac, Stella, elevator and 20 questions. Do the math!

Feedback: Please!

THANKS to lily moonlight for her wonderful beta-services.

Part one

With a sigh of exhaustion Mac closed his last file before he rose from his wheel chair in front of his desk, which which was nearly breaking under the weight of the many papers on it. It had been a long day in the lab this Tuesday. A long day filled with hours and hours of annoying paper-work. All that reading, writing and correcting of reports had given him a headache. Growling he pressed his cool left hand against his forehead while he grabbed his coat from the coat hook on his way out of his office.

He had just pressed the elevator button as Stella caught up to him. His mood lightened up as he saw her cheery face.

"Hi Mac." she greeted him in her usual friendly way. "Heading home too?"

He nodded. "Yeah... I intended to grab some dinner and then go home to catch some sleep..."

"Sounds nice... How about you invite me to join you for dinner?" Stella replied with a smile while they both entered the lift to drive downwards. "I would allow you to pay for me..."

"How generous of you." Mac snorted but smiled too. "Why should I do something like that?"

"Because I was such a good cop today and helped you with your reports?" she suggested. The elevator doors closed behind them with a smooth 'Wush'.

"Hm..." Mac rubbed over his chin with his left hand, pretending to think about her words as the elevator started moving. Then he smiled at her. "Ok, consider yourself invited, good cop." She was right. This day she had been a good cop. It was worth it to her, that a cruel stalker, who had first tracked his former girlfriend and then had broken into her apartment to rape and kill her three weeks ago, was now arrested and probably would never get the chance to hurt any other woman again ever.

She smirked at him, a smart reply already on her tongue but an abrupt stop of the elevator left it stuck in her throat. "What the heck was that?" she demanded to know instead.

Frowning, Mac pressed a few buttons but the elevator remained still. "Seems like we´re stuck..." he uttered.

"Really?" Stella wondered in fake surprise. "Seems like I´m not the only good cop.." she teased him, then gave in into a giggle while she took out her cell to give Danny, who was still working at the lab, a call.

"Hi Danny." she greeted him as soon as he picked up. "Look, Mac and me are stuck in the elevator... Yeah, Danny, I said Mac and me... stuck in the elevator, right. Why is that funny? No, I want you to get us out of here as soon as possible? Why should I...?"

Mac watched Stella pull a face as she listened to Danny´s reply. Too bad, he couldn´t listen to it too...

"You´re such a kid, sometimes, Danny... " Shaking her head but grinning, Stella hung up on Danny. Noticing the curious look on Mac´s face, her grin brightened. " You don´t wanna know, trust me." she told him.

Ten minutes of waiting later, Stella let herself sink to the floor with a sigh. Mac frowned.

"What?" she looked at him.

"The floor...?"

She rolled her eyes. "I stood the whole day in the lab today, my legs are tired, so am I. And it might still take at least an hour till they rescue us. I don´t see any point in standing the whole time."

Sighing also, Mac sat next to her.

After a few minutes, Stella started to drum her fingers at the floor.

"Could you please stop that? This is distracting..."

"Distracting?" Stella chuckled, holding her fingers still. "Distracting from what?"

"Focusing." Mac answered her cryptically.

She snorted. "Focusing your gaze at the doors to burn a hole into the metal with your x-ray-eyes?"

"Haha."

They sat in silence for another ten minutes. Then Stella spoke up again. "I´m bored... Want to play twenty questions with me?"

Obviously lost in his own thoughts Mac made a small sound in the back of his throat, which could mean 'Yeah, why not' as much as 'Sorry, can´t hear you'

He turned his head, staring at her in disbelief. "Twenty questions? Are you serious?"

"Yeah." she shrugged her shoulders. "Why not? Could be fun!"

Mac looked at her in question. "Couldn´t you just ask me what you want to know?"

"No." Stella shook her head grinning. "You´re too uptight... "

A bit shocked, Mac took a deep breath. "I am NOT uptight!"

She snorted, placing one hand in her hip. "Tsk, You´re even so uptight, you wear ties all the time to keep the words in your throat from escaping you!"

"Excuse me?" Not believing his ears he stared at her.

The look on his face was priceless. Stella fought hard to suppress a smirk "Hm..." Pretending to be in deep thoughts, Stella tugged at Mac´s tie with her left hand. "Can you even breath with those around your throat?"

"Yes." Mac scowled.

'Oh, he is so sweet when he is flustered like that', Stella thought, trying to keep the stern look on her face.

"And only you´d know." Mac added eventually. "That was your first question. Nineteen questions left."

'What?' Stella´s eyes grew wide. "No fair!"

"Sure it´s fair." Mac replied, the smile of victory on his face. "It was a question, so it counts. Of course I wouldn´t demand it, if I wouldn´t be so uptight."

She arched a brow. "You´re enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Yes." Mac grinned satisfied. She should´ve known, that a smart man like him would´t let her mock him without some resistance... "Only eighteen questions now, Stella." he reminded her.

"Fine." Arrogantly Stella arched a brow at him. "If you want to play tough, we play tough. My next question is: " She made a little dramatic pause. Mac could see on the expression on her face that she wasn´t up to something good. Nervously he gulped before she continued...

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