Disclaimer—I don't own the CSI: NY Characters

Note From the Author—Fluff warning! This may be the sickliest sweet story I've written in a long time. I was feeling the need for the cotton candy fluff and this is the result. Even though you may feel the need to call your dentist at the end, I hope you enjoy.

Moments, they have amazing potential. One single moment can make or break a day; a moment can make you instantly happy, sad, or excited. For Stella Bonasera, the moments that made her happiest were sometimes the strangest.

Finding surprising blood evidence or a hair could lift her spirits for an entire day. A breakthrough interrogation could leave her smiling for hours; and solving a case, watching the guilty party being led off in handcuffs and eventually headed to prison made her feel absolutely amazing.

With such exhilarating moments in her past and the knowledge that there would be so many similar moments in her future, she never thought that anything would come close to making her feel the same. She certainly never expected to find the same kind of elation in someone's arms; and yet she did.

Stella hadn't planned on getting involved with Detective Don Flack, it had just sort of happened. Late night paperwork exchanges had turned to drinks, drinks had turned to dates, and things had logically progressed from there. They took things slow, but it wasn't long before they'd each become one half of a twosome. They made each other happy, and they both felt a sense of completion and fulfillment that was entirely unique.

Realizing that her relationship with Don Flack made her feel as happy as her work wasn't a gradual process for Stella; it just hit her one morning. That particular morning she woke slowly, sunlight filtering in and gently rousing her. She woke feeling warm and content, with the comforting weight of Flack's arms around her. He was still sleeping, and after checking the time and remembering that they both had the day off, she smiled and settled back in against him. With her head tucked in against his shoulder and her hand pressed to the strong beat of his heart, she suddenly felt an almost giddy joy overtake her. Her breath caught in her chest, and she let herself ride on the wave of happiness. It certainly didn't escape her that the only other time she'd felt so elated, she'd been working a case.

Considering her past, the moment had the potential for panic, but Stella felt completely calm. She'd lived enough to learn that she should be cautious, but that she couldn't shut people out. She figured that Don Flack making her blissfully happy was no accident; so she went with the feeling. A smile still playing at the corners of her mouth, she pressed a kiss against his shoulder. His arms tightened around her in his sleep and she closed her eyes. It wasn't long before the rhythmic beat of his heart under her hand soothed her to sleep, and the last thought that flitted through her sleep hazy mind was that she was lucky to be able to find happiness; and that maybe, even if it wasn't quite the same feeling that she got from her work, it was damn close. And that was a truly beautiful thing.