Title: Free to Dream Again
Author: Spontaneity
Disclaimer: If they belonged to me, this sexual tension would NOT still be here! C'mon, people!
Pairing: Flack/Stella (Shocking, I know, that I pause on the DL love for a moment)
Summary: Stella's negative news bring positive results when she tells the man she truly loves.
A/N: This does contain spoilers for Episode 3.21, Past Imperfect… if you don't want to know, don't read! I WARNED YOU!!
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Negative. Negative! The Hallelujah Chorus in Stella Bonasera's mind was singing the words as a mantra while she walked through the busy hallways of the NYPD Crime Lab. A small smile crept over her lips as she maneuvered her way around lab techs and other CSI personnel. The small feeling of guilt of being happy over such news when so many other people were suffering from HIV was quelled by her sudden desire to do something drastic; Stella was free to live again! She straightened her back a little bit more, adding a bit of a bounce to her step. She was a woman with a life ahead of her, and she wasn't going to waste one moment of it. She had just saved a woman from a horrible fate, and the girl was going to be reunited with her mother after a few tests and an evaluation. She had helped a mother find her daughter. Most of all, she had tested negative for HIV after weeks of sleepless nights and nail biting phone calls.
Her beeper went off suddenly, cutting through Stella's joyous mood. She read the view screen quickly before straightening her smile into a grim line. Celebrations were going to have to wait. It was time to work.
She arrived at Mac's office about the same time Lindsay did, smiling briefly at the younger woman before stopping short in the doorway of the head CSI's office. Mac's face was downright pale, and he sat in his desk chair uncomfortably. By the look of his body language, and the color of his skin, Stella could tell something was seriously wrong, and it put her whole body on alert. She caught Flack's eye and waved him over, biting her lip when his brow creased with anxiety. Something's definitely not right, Stella thought to herself, and Lindsay folded her arms apprehensively, as though agreeing with Stella's mind.
"What's going on, Don?" Stella whispered, pulling Flack away from the younger woman. She watched with observant eyes as Danny came up behind Lindsay, whispering words into her ear that clearly made the younger woman relax. Stella flashed a quick smile at Danny before focusing back on Flack's cool blue eyes. She noticed the detective looked exhausted and her suspicions were confirmed when he rubbed his face wearily.
"Well, what we've got so far is what looks like police brutality. It looks like Mac pushed Clay Dobson off the roof of a building." At Stella's flabbergasted expression, Don nodded, pushing on. "Dobson was handcuffed and the way he fell suggested that he was pushed." Turning to look at Mac in his office, Flack's shoulders tensed. "The evidence is all there, Stel."
Stella nodded slowly, wringing her hands. "How exactly did this happen?"
"Well, after we found the girl, Mac rushed out, and I followed him." Flack studied Stella's face and she nodded to let him know that she knew that much. "Well, when we got to Dobson's office, Mac was already in pursuit. So I called for backup, and me and the squad cars go around back, to head off any escape route. Before I know it, boom," he slammed his fist into his hand to emphasize his point, "Dobson's lyin' dead on a squad car in front of me, and Mac's on the roof, lookin' down at the dead body." Flack sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "It looks like a killin' to me, Stel."
"What will this mean for Mac?" Stella looked over the tall detective's shoulder to survey her boss and friend. Now that she knew the whole story, she understood why Mac looked so terrible. She'd be devastated if she had pulled the integrity of the lab into question, and Mac was even bigger on honor than her. She attempted to brush past Flack, to go to Mac, but he held her back, silencing her protests with a single look. "They're gonna want to run an inside investigation on this," he whispered into her ear, and Stella chewed the inside of her cheek thoughtfully. "So, I can't talk to him?"
Flack shook his head. "No. You know procedure." He sighed. "I hate to do this Stel, but no one can talk to Mac until they get someone in here. Gerard's orders, not mine." He held up his hands helplessly. Stella nodded and watched as Danny led Lindsay away, both of them glancing over at her and Flack's quiet conference: Lindsay with a look of worry and Danny with anger on his handsome features.
Stella could understand how Danny was feeling. He must feel like he was being left out of the loop, and if there was one thing Danny detested, it was being uninformed. "Well," Stella ran a hand through her curly hair, thinking out-loud, "I guess I'm going to have to tell the team what's going on." Damn, she thought. "I was going to tell him first."
"Tell him what first?" Flack's voice cut through her thoughts and Stella very nearly clapped a hand over her mouth. She had spoken that thought; now there was no avoiding the look of curiosity on Flack's face. Stella sighed and made up her mind: he deserved to know the truth anyway. "You know the case we did a few weeks back, with the music exec that had HIV?" Flack's eyes bored into hers and Stella flinched at the intensity she saw there. "Well, a piece of glass that had his blood on it slipped and cut me while I was processing the scene."
"Fuck, Stel," Flack mumbled, and Stella smirked. "Yeah, well, I just found out the results."
"And?" So much for patience, Stella thought, snorting at Flack's uneasy expression. "My test came back negative."
The famous Flack grin popped onto his face, crinkling his eyes and making him look like a carefree schoolboy. "Stella, that's terrific news!" Before she knew what was happening, he had swept her up into a tight hug. She found herself giggling softly and sighed with contentment when her feet finally touched the ground again. She looked up into Flack's happy face and couldn't help but smile back. Now that the scare of disease was out of the way, she could get back to what she had been planning before the whole mess began: a romantic evening with Don Flack Jr. But first…
"I'll go tell the team. You see when the investigator's coming?" Stella flipped into in-charge mode, smiling at Flack again as he flashed her the thumb's up sign before leaving quickly to do as she asked. She would get the nerve up to ask him out, but work always came first.
At least she was free to dream again.
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So, yes, Stella is HIV negative! I love Adam for doing that test for her! I just watched the episode, and I thought it should produce something good, so I came up with a bit of fluffy moments between Flack and Stella. As always, comments and critiques are loved!