**The final chapter... ENJOY!**

The three of us stand still, frozen with fear as we hear the loud crackle of the second gunshot. We only remain frozen for a brief moment, but it feels like an eternity as I actually have to tell myself to breathe. After a deep breath I quickly snap out of my horrified daze, and turn back toward the house and continue running; Flack and Danny beginning to follow closely behind again with the S.W.A.T. team also now in tow.

Sure, now they help...

"MAC?!" I yell frantically as I reach the front door.

Before I have the chance to push myself inside, I'm practically trampled by the S.W.A.T. team who have now caught up to me and charged their way inside the house, barrelling right past me like a herd of buffalo. I'm quickly swept aside and away from the door, nearly losing my footing I grab onto the railing by the door to keep myself from being knocked over. As about two dozen of them run past me and tread inside the house Flack and Danny finally find room to make their way up the steps to the house.

"You okay?" Flack quickly asks me before pulling me upright.

"Yeah, I think so..." I tell him, slightly out of breath.

We try to push ourselves inside the door, but we are crammed in the heavy traffic and forced to wait in the busy front hallway of the house that is now swarming with S.W.A.T. officers as a few of them frantically scatter to every room to inspect it.

"Clear!"

"Clear!"

"Clear!"

I hear about 8 times while they check each room.

"Medic!" One finally yells and I feel that familiar lump in my throat. I still can't see past the sea of the black vests, helmets, and shields that armour them.

I desperately try to peer around to see anything at all, and try my best to fight my way through the crowd but don't get very far.

"Paramedics, coming through!" I hear from behind me and see two young paramedics entering the house with a stretcher and the S.W.A.T. team make a path for them to get through so I quickly get behind them and follow.

We get down through the hallway and as we start to turn the corner into an open living room, I spot a pool of blooding on the floor and another breath doesn't escape my lungs until I completely round the corner to see Mac; alive and being helped to his feet.

Thank God I tell myself as I finally allow myself to exhale. Flack and Danny both rush to my side and each place a hand on my shoulders as we watch the paramedics force Mac to sit on the stretcher.

A few feet beside me I see the source of the pooling blood, Mason Campbell. An officer is crouched down, feeling for a pulse before he pulls out his radio to inform his captain that the perimeter has been cleared and that both suspects are D.O.A.

"Detective Taylor, please" the paramedic lightly begs Mac as he tries to keep him seated on the stretcher. The other grabs some gauze and applies it to the gash on his forehead.

"I'm fine." Mac quickly snaps as he pushes her hand away from his head.

"Where's my son, I want to see my son!" He demands as he pushes himself up off the stretcher, but they grab onto his arms to hold him still.

He hasn't even noticed the three of us watching him yet as there are still a hefty number of S.W.A.T. officers crowding the room.

"It's okay!" I finally pipe up as I push myself past a couple officers.

"Stella! Where's Reed? Is he alright?" he asks with an overwhelmingly concerned tone.

"I think he's fine, he's with some paramedics right now. Which is where you should be" I lightly demand as I reach for a fresh gauze pad and press it to his forehead.

"I'll take him out to the other ambulance" I assure the paramedics with a nod as I take my free hand and use it to bring Mac's left hand up to hold the gauze in place. I quickly throw Mac's right arm around my shoulder and grab onto his hand, then wrap my other arm around his waist to offer him enough support to walk out of the house.

...

[Mac's POV]

Besides being slightly bruised and battered, I think I'm perfectly fine. However, the gash on my head that I received after Mason had clubbed me with the butt end of his gun left me feeling slightly dizzy, and my vision a little impaired, so I allow Stella to help me as I make my way outside.

As we step outside the house, dozens of cameras start snapping photos, and reporters are yelling questions that I can't even comprehend as they all shout at the same time. I don't even offer them a glance; I just continue walking in the direction Stella leads me. As we get through the clearing of police trucks and squad cars I finally see an ambulance parked on the opposite side of the street, and Reed is sitting in the back of it with a blanket draped over him, and a concerned Cassie sitting next to him, gripping his hand tightly.

"Hey, Mac!" we stop and turn slightly to see Jack coming towards us.

"Jack" I greet him as I lift my arm off of Stella's shoulder and extend my hand to him.

"Well, not exactly how I saw this all going down, but I guess 'all's well that ends well', right?"

"Yeah, I guess so" I respond with a nod and an appreciative smile.

"Reed is one tough kid Mac, but stubborn, like you. It wasn't until I told him you were safe that he finally complied with the paramedics."

"Gee don't know where he gets that from" Stella throws at me with a playful roll of her eyes.

"Well, speaking of Reed, I guess you're anxious to see him, so I'll leave you to it. It's been a pleasure Mac, Stella." Jack tells us both with a nod and turns away and back towards the chief.

Feeling slightly less dizzy now I walk on my own the rest of the way to Reed.

"Mac!" he exclaims as he sees me approaching.

"Are you alright?" I quickly question as I watch the paramedics carefully examining him.

"I think so... A little banged up maybe"

"Is he okay?" I ask again, this time directing my question to the paramedic.

"Vital signs appear normal" he begins as he examines Reed's pupils with a small light.

"But we have to take him to the hospital for further observation. It's standard protocol. We need to be certain that there is no internal bleeding."

"Can we have a minute?" I ask him as he finishes up his initial quick exam.

"Yeah, sure" He tells me with a smile; then backs a few feet away.

"You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, Mac I'm fine. How about you? Are you okay?"

"Me? Come on" I reply with a scoff and tousle his hair slightly.

"Just another day at the office" I tell him and flash a quick smile but his facial reaction turns into one of remorse.

"Mac, I'm so sorry, I know I screwed up, I should have told you and..." he begins with tears starting to fall again and I quickly take a step closer to him and pull his head against my chest and he wraps his arms around my waist, letting out a few quiet sobs. I rest my chin on the top of his head and stare up towards the sky and silently thank God, and my overwhelming look of relief isn't lost on Stella as she places her hand on my shoulder blade and rubs small circles around it.

"It's okay. It doesn't matter now, as long as you're safe" I begin while still holding him. "Having said that... If you ever do it again, you're grounded Mister!" I tell him and he lets out a small chuckle as he pulls back from me and wipes the tears away from his face, finally revealing his smile.

"Yes sir!"

"That's my boy!" I reply with a wink.

"Detective..." The paramedic interrupts and I give him my attention.

"Right, sorry. Ok, let's pack it up I guess. I'm going with Reed, Stella can you take Cassie home? It's starting to get late, and Reed will need his rest tonight" I tell them and they both nod in agreement.

"Call me tomorrow?" Cassie asks, looking at Reed.

"Absolutely" he replies with another smile.

The paramedic instructs Reed to lie down on the stretcher so that he can strap him in and he complies.

"I'll meet you at the hospital" Stella tells me and I could tell her that I'll be fine until I'm blue in the face but I know it wouldn't stop her from coming to lend her support, so I don't even bother bringing it up; instead I just comply with a nod and hand her my keys.

"Flack can take you back to the lab to pick up my truck, and I'll see you in a bit."

Stella and Cassie take their leave and the paramedic finishes strapping Reed into the stretcher and I quickly hop into the back of the ambulance.

The ride to the hospital is spent mostly in silence, as I try my best to keep my composure in front of Reed. He's been through enough, and I wouldn't want to upset him any further so I keep the whirlwind of emotions I'm feeling locked away inside.

...

[Reed's POV]

I'm not quite sure what Mac's deal is, but I think I can safely assume that he's putting his brave face on for my benefit; as usual. After the hell I put him through today, I wouldn't bother pushing anything so I don't say much of anything on the ride to the hospital. I'm sure we'll talk about it later, but for now I'll just take these few moments to remind myself how lucky I am to be able to consider him my family.

...

[Mac's POV]

We finally reach the hospital and Reed is quickly wheeled away by a doctor and a few nurses who were already informed and awaiting his arrival.

"Detective Taylor?" I'm greeted by another doctor who was also waiting for us.

"Yes?" I question him, but don't take my eyes off of the stretcher carrying Reed that is being pulled down the hallway.

"Don't worry, he's in good hands. He'll have to be checked out, but they'll let you know as soon as you can see him. I'm Dr. Simmons, by the way. And I'm going to have to take a look that gash on your forehead."

"I'm fine, it's nothing" I grumble.

"Please, detective. Just come with me, it will only take a couple minutes, I'll get you stitched up and then take you to wait for Reed's doctor."

I know he's right, my head is pounding and the gauze pad that Stella had given me is already soaked through with fresh blood, I'll need stitches for sure, and I'm still feeling slightly dizzy. So I finally comply and follow the doctor towards an exam room, now that I am certain Reed is being looked after.

...

[Stella's POV]

After Flack had driven me to take Cassie home, it's now just him, Danny and I as we approach the parking lot of the lab.

"You sure you don't need us to come with you to the hospital?" Flack asks.

"No, no. It's fine. You guys can go home and get some sleep. I'll let you know how everyone's doing; I just have to check on Mac."

"Yeah, I can't imagine..." Flack begins with his voice trailing off and he shakes his head slightly.

"Give him our best okay?" Danny asks and I nod.

I step outside the car and get into the truck and head towards the hospital.

Once I arrive at the hospital and make my way inside, I reach the reception desk and ask for Reed. The nurse directs me to the hallway where his room is, but informs me I will have to wait outside for the doctor.

I round the corner towards Reed's room and find Mac sitting in a chair outside the room. He has a pensive look on his face, and hasn't even noticed me yet as I continue towards him.

"Hey" I greet him softly and he rises to his feet, but keeps his gaze to the floor.

"Hey."

"How's he doing?"

"No word yet, doctor hasn't come out."

"How about you?"

"I'm fine. Mild concussion, couple stitches, no big deal."

"That's not what I meant" I tell him quietly as I lift his head up to bring his gaze to me.

His eyes are cloudy and slightly red, and as I look into them I know he's on the brink of his emotional sanity. I don't bother saying another word, I just wrap my arms around him in an embrace and he rests his chin on my shoulder and grips his arms around me tightly.

We spend the next few moments in silence, and locked in our embrace until we finally hear the door to Reed's room open up.

"Detective Taylor? Dr. York, It's a pleasure to meet you." He greets us and Mac and I quickly part.

"How is he?" Mac immediately questions.

"He's holding up pretty good, he took a bit of a beating, and there's some bruising and swelling, but no internal damages. He'll be pretty sore for the next couple of days, but I've given him a prescription to help with the pain. He might be a little groggy, but the medication is supposed to help him sleep.

"So I can take him home?"

"Yes, just make sure he gets lots of rest, and takes it easy the next few days."

"Of course, thank you doctor"

"You're welcome. I'll have an orderly bring a wheelchair for him. It's hospital policy that he is escorted out in a wheelchair, because of the medication I've given him."

"Sure doc" Mac complies with a nod and the doctor heads down the hallway.

"Well, I'll let you have a minute with Reed. I'm going to go down the hall and grab some coffee. You're going to need it since you can't go to sleep if you have a concussion."

"Right. Thanks Stella. Uh, for everything" He responds with his warm smile that I've been waiting to see all night.

"You're welcome"

...

[Mac's POV]

As Stella takes her leave I turn to Reed's room and push the door open. He's sitting on the edge of the bed, so I walk over and plunk myself down beside him.

"How you feeling?" I ask him while placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Kinda tired... You? How's your head?"

"I'm okay. Just a mild concussion, nothing major"

"All in a day's work right?" he asks with a slight grin.

"That's right"

"Well I'm glad you're okay. Can we go home?"

"You bet. Just waiting for the orderly to bring a wheelchair. And before you fight me on it, it's hospital policy."

"Something tells me that's a fight I wouldn't win anyway" he counters with a smile. "Does anybody ever win in a fight against you?"

"Just me" we hear a voice call from the doorway and I smile when I see Stella leaning on the doorframe with 2 coffee cups in her hands. I'd like to throw a smart and witty comeback at her, but can't come up with anything because... well, because she's right. I know it, she knows it, hell Reed probably even knows it by now.

"Hey Stella" Reed greets her as she walks into the room and passes me one of the coffees.

"Hi Reed. How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay. A little tired and sore, but other than that, I'm good. So, what's the deal here, Mac takes care of me, and you take care of him?" he asks her with a slight grin.

"Well, somebody has to. God knows he won't take care of himself" she counters as she nudges me with her elbow.

"So, we're back to you two ganging up on me again?" I ask them and they both chuckle.

"It's good to be back though, isn't it?" Stella asks with her voice soft again and I feel my heart wrench again.

"Yeah..." Is all I can manage to say while I pull Reed's head against my shoulder and let out a heavy sigh of relief that this mess is all behind us. Stella smiles at me and places a warm hand on my other shoulder.

"Okay, giddy up!" The orderly bellows a few seconds later as he enters Reed's room with the wheelchair and pats the seat, interrupting what will probably forever be one of my most precious memories.

Stella offered to drive Reed and I home because first of all, her car is still at my apartment, and second of all I am in no physical condition to be driving.

The ride back to my place is one of silence mostly; none of us really sure what to talk about. Truth be told I think we're all a little too emotionally drained to talk about today's events so we opt not to talk about anything at all.

We finally reach my building and I hop out of the truck and open Reed's door and help him out. He lets out a slight wince of pain as he climbs out.

"You alright?" I ask him concerned.

"Yeah, fine" he assures me as he holds one hand to his stomach. "I just want to get upstairs. You coming up Stella?"

"Oh, uh, no I don't think so. You need your rest" She explains politely and I look back to Reed, wondering if he's already back on his delusional theory of there being something going on between Stella and I that I'm not telling him.

"Oh believe me, I plan on getting my rest; which is why you should come in. Somebody's gotta keep Mac awake and it aint gonna be me" He tells her while letting out a long yawn and rubs his tired eyes.

"Well, I did just pump myself full of caffeine" she replies, looking back at me with a shrug.

"Okay you two, come on, it's settled" Reed exclaims before I even have a chance to get my own two cents in. I offer a shrug in Stella's direction to which she smiles and we all head inside.

Once inside I help Reed to his room and let out a soft sigh as I turn on the light and see the trashed room I left behind this morning. Large fist sized hole in the wall, and clothes scattered all over the floor.

"Oh, yeah, sorry about all this..." I mumble with my voice trailing off.

"No, it's fine" Reed assures me.

"I'll pick all these clothes up, and I'll get the wall fixed tomorrow" I tell him with another sigh.

"Don't worry about any of that now, I'm tired I just need to go to sleep" He replies with another yawn as he slowly crawls into his bed, not even bothering to change into sleeping clothes. He lets out another small wince of pain as he curls up on the bed and clutches onto his pillow, and his eyelids fight to stay open.

I pick his extra blanket up off the floor and throw it over him and he pulls it up around his neck.

"Goodnight Dad..." he manages to mumble through a yawn, and his eyes finally close. Whether it's the drugs talking or not, hearing him call me that puts a warm smile on my face.

"Goodnight son" I reply in a soft whisper and turn off the light to head back into the hallway, closing his door behind me.

...

[Stella's POV]

The pot of coffee I had put on finally finishes brewing, so I take two mugs from the cupboard and pour us each a cup. I let out a heavy sigh and give my head a quick shake before walking back out to the living room with the coffee where I find Mac sitting on the sofa.

"Here you go" I offer him one of the mugs and sit down next to him.

"Thanks, but really you don't have to stay. You can go if you're tired, I'll be fine"

"I know you would be, but I'd like to stay, if that's okay?" I tell him, trying to hid my slightly shaking voice.

"Of course it is. Is everything alright?" He asks me, and I know I could try and lie to him but he knows me too well and would see right through it. The truth is the emotional day is starting to catch up to me as well, and Mac has just always been the one that's there for me. So now I'm torn because in this situation it should be me being there for him, but I've felt an uneasy knot in my stomach since he went tearing into that house a few hours ago because I thought for sure I had lost him.

"Stella, what is it?" He shifts on the sofa to turn towards me and pulls me out of my thoughts.

I can't even manage to come up with any words, other than mumbling "I'm sorry" as a tear falls down my cheek and I quickly wipe it off and turn away from him.

"Hey, hey" he begins softly, as he brings his hand to my face and turns it back towards him. "What is it?"

"It's nothing, really, it's silly" I try and convince him, while wiping away another tear.

"Come on Stella, I've got all night, remember? Now tell me what's going on"

"It's just..." I begin quietly then clear my throat before continuing. "Earlier today, when I was with Cassie, after you had left to talk to Jack. She was really upset and concerned about Reed, and she asked me how I dealt with it, and how I managed to keep myself together so well. So I told her that in situations like this that are beyond your control, you just have to be strong for those around you, to offer support when the people you care about need it most."

"Okay..." Mac responds in a confused tone as if he understands, but is wondering where I'm going with this.

"Mac, it was all just talk, but in the moment I actually believed myself. The truth is, the second you ran through that door, I fell apart. I've always prided myself on being a strong person, but when your fate was up in the air, and I saw Reed walk out of that house without you, I just... If things didn't turn out the way they did... Mac, if I had lost you..." I try to complete a sentence but can't, my voice just continually trails off and more tears make their way down my face.

Mac lets out a soft sigh then takes his hand and gently brushes a few of my tears away.

"Hey, you're not going to lose me, okay? I'm right here. I'll always be right here." He tells me with a warm smile as pulls my head against his chest and wraps his arms around me. He kisses the top of my head and gently strokes my hair and I let out a sigh of content as I feel the safety and security that he offers me when he holds me in his arms.

Just like Mac, always there to be my rock when I need one to lean against.

...

[Mac's POV]

Just when I thought I was emotionally spent, I see Stella so upset and vulnerable and it causes my heart to strain for probably the millionth time today. Although that's not a complaint, she knows my arms will always be here to hold her whenever she needs them to. She might think of me as 'her rock' but truth be told she's mine, and I wouldn't be half as strong as I am without her.

We've seen each other through just about everything and I can easily take solace in the fact that she will always be there for me, and vice versa.

As for Reed, I'm just glad he's back and can safely assume he's here with me to stay. And I'll have him for as long as... well, for as long as he will put up with me. I don't know how I got so lucky.

When Claire died my world came crashing down around me, and I lost the only family I had left; as I'm sure the same was with Reed when he lost his adoptive mother. And if you would have asked either of us a week ago, we would have never thought we'd be given a second chance at having a family. But, as fate would have it, that is exactly what happened, and I wouldn't change it for anything.

THE END

**Okay, what do you think? Please review :)

I've had a few requests for a sequel, so this will definitely be a story that I would like to branch off from. So, if you liked this story, stay tuned for more, add me to your author alert :) I will definitely do another story, and possibly a few one-shots in between just to keep your interest peaked while I come up with the sequel. Sound good?

Thanks for all the support my faithful reviewers have given me, and a special thanks to the following people for not only their kind words and encouragement, but great advice as well. You guys are awesome!

Thanks to: Andorian Ice Princess – AIP, doyleshuny, and Mrs. Darcy1234

And thanks to everyone else for reading!!!**