Don's mouth almost crashed to the floor when he walked into the locker room. Standing in front of her locker, Stella was dressed in a short red dress, one that hugged every curve while still being tasteful and classy. His eyes were glued to her as his gaze moved up and down - he didn't even try to look away.

"Holy shit," he breathed.

At the sound of his voice, Stella turned sharply. When she saw Flack standing there, she rolled her eyes, turning back to her locker.

"Thanks."

Flack swallowed hard. "At the risk of gettin' in trouble Stell…I meant that. You look…wow."

She blushed at that, and Flack finally moved away from the doorway and towards his locker. With his back to her, he began to rifle through his things.

"Your date is a lucky guy."

Stella thought about letting that comment go. There was no reason for her to tell Don what was really going on. But she needed to tell someone, and Flack had already proven himself to be a good friend. Sighing, she decided to bite the bullet.

"I don't have one."

The words and the bitterness in her voice made him turn around in surprise. "Then why –"

"I had a date," Stella gritted out, not meeting his eyes. "But then he decided that he'd rather work things out with his wife."

Flack winced, his heart going out to his friend. She didn't have the best luck with men, and he was sometimes amazed that she hadn't just thrown in the towel.

"I take it you didn't know he was married before this?"

Stella turned to glare at him. "Of course not. Do you really think I'd date a married man?"

He held up his hands in surrender as he laughed. "Just checking." His expression grew serious again. "Look, Stell…you deserve better than that bastard."

Her laugh was bitter. "Yeah, I'm sure my prince is on his way. He's just stuck in traffic somewhere." She started to shake her head, but then stopped as a thought occurred to her. She looked at Flack for a moment before speaking again. "Do you have a date tonight?"

He shook his head as he pulled his gym bag out of his locker. "Nope."

Stella frowned. "How is that possible? I heard Angell ask you out the other day."

Flack shrugged. "Not interested."

"In her or anybody?"

"In her."

Buoyed by his response, Stella took a deep breath. "Do you want to have dinner with me tonight?" she asked. "I already have the reservations, and the dress…"

Don straightened up slowly, surprise clear on his face. He looked at Stella for a long moment, trying to decide if she was serious. "Really?" She nodded, and he gave her a smile. "I'm not sure I look good enough to take you out, Bonasera."

Stella smirked. "I don't think you give yourself enough credit, Flack." She looked down, trying to quell the nervousness in her stomach. "So do you want to go?"

His smile was blinding. "I'd love to."

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"This is a swanky place, Stell," Don commented as they sipped their wine and waited for their food.

"Richard picked it out," she said wryly.

"The guy with the wife?"

Stella nodded. "When he called to cancel, he told me I could keep the reservations. I think he was trying to soften the blow."

Flack watched her carefully, seeing the hint of pain in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Stella," he said sincerely.

She gave him a smile. "You know what, Don? It's okay. I think I'd rather be here with you anyway. You're certainly better company."

"I'm glad you asked me."

Their dinner came then, the waiter setting down the steaming plates down in front of them. Before grabbing his fork, Don lifted his glass and held it out to Stella.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Stell."

She clinked her glass with his, a wide smile on her face. "Happy Valentine's Day," she echoed.

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"That was nice," Stella murmured as they slowly walked down the sidewalk.

Flack nodded. "Yeah, it was."

Looking around, Stella tried to think of a way to word her thoughts. She wasn't ready to go home yet, but she wasn't sure if Don felt the same. Maybe he wanted to call it a night, get some sleep…

"You okay, Stell?"

She shook herself out of her reverie to find Flack standing in front of her, a worried expression on his face. Resting a hand on his arm, she gave him a reassuring smile.

"I'm fine. I was just…do you want to do something else? I mean, if you want to go home, I'll understand –"

He grinned. "What did you have in mind?"

"I don't know. Maybe we could catch a movie or something?"

Flack looked at his watch. "It's almost eight…movies usually start at 7:30 and 9:30." Seeing her face fall, he quickly thought of another solution, hoping that he wasn't crossing the line. "My place is only a couple blocks away, though. We could watch a movie, have a couple beers…"

Stella's smile returned. "I like that idea."

"Me too," he murmured as they headed toward his apartment.

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When they walked into his apartment, Don gently helped her out of her coat, hanging it in the hall closet. Stella found herself touched by the gesture, more so than she would have expected.

"I'll go get the drinks," Flack told her. "And you go pick out the movie. Anything you want."

She smirked at him. "Anything?"

He laughed. "Yeah, I trust you, Stell. Anything you want."

As Flack moved into the kitchen, Stella made her way into his living room. She found his movies in a case by the television, and she perused them as she waited for him to come back with their drinks.

She stared at the movies, but she wasn't actually looking at them. Her mind wandered back over their evening, and Stella thought about how much she was enjoying herself. She knew that Don was good company, but this was the first time that they did anything real outside of the office. Smiling, she realized that she was thankful Richard had turned out to be scum.

"So what'd you pick?" Flack asked, interrupting her thoughts.

Reaching out, she snagged a movie and handed it to him. When he saw the title, Don burst out laughing.

"Die Hard? Really?"

Stella shrugged. "I like action movies."

He shook his head as he set up the DVD player. "Another reason why I adore you so much."

His back to her, Flack missed the blush that crept up Stella's face at his compliment. Shaking her head, she took a seat on the couch and grabbed the beer he had set down for her.

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Don couldn't remember much of the movie. He knew that he saw Bruce Willis get out of the limo, and go into Nakatomi Towers. He even vaguely remembered the first gunshots. But after that the movie became a blur.

Slowly, his eyes opened, and he saw sunlight streaming into his apartment. His neck ached, and he knew that he had fallen asleep on the couch. He stretched his legs, but stopped when he realized that there was another body on the couch with him. Looking down, he saw Stella stretched out next to him, her eyes closed. Flack smiled as he watched her – he was glad that they had spent Valentine's Day together. He hated that a guy had hurt her, but in the end, he thought that they both had a better time with each other than they would have had with someone else.

It was then that he realized where his left hand was. At some point in the night he had pulled Stella close against him, and now his hand rested on her bare thigh. He stared at it for a long moment, oddly unsure of what to do. Slowly, he let his thumb move against her skin, seemingly transfixed by the contact.

"Are you trying to feel me up?" Stella asked, her eyes still closed.

Flack jerked his hand back as though it had been burned. He could feel a blush creeping up his neck and he swallowed hard. Stella laughed, feeling the tension roll of him in waves, and opened her eyes.

"Good morning, Don."

"Hey Stell."

"Don't worry. I know you weren't getting fresh." She stretched, just as he had done moments ago. "You know? I think this is one of the better mornings after that I've had for Valentine's Day."

Don raised an eyebrow at that. "Oh really?"

She shrugged. "I hate mornings after. You wake up next to someone that you either don't know well, or whose feelings you're unsure of. So you wake up with this sick feeling in the pit of your stomach, wondering if you should stay, or go, or if you should just try to play the whole thing off as casual. It sucks."

"What's the alternative?" he asked.

She looked at him for a long moment before answering. "Maybe we need to actually talk about what we're feeling before jumping into bed. I think it would spare a lot of heartache in the end." She yawned, placing a hand on his chest. "But this is fine," she murmured. "I know that I'm safe with you."

Fighting his nerves, Flack placed a gentle kiss on her brow. "Always, Stell."

She gave him a dazzling smile before her eyes caught sight of the clock and she frowned. "I have to go."

"Got somewhere to be?" he asked, his tone purposefully light.

Stella nodded. "I'm meeting Lindsay for lunch, and I'd like to go home and change first."

"I've some sweats if you want to wear those home," he offered.

"Thanks, but I think I'm okay."

Flack got off the couch slowly, and then gave her his hand as he helped her up as well. They stood there for a minute or two, before Stella reached up and embraced him, kissing him on the cheek.

"Thank you, Don," she whispered. "I had fun."

"Me too."

He walked her to the door, closing it behind her. When she was finally gone, he went back to the couch, collapsing onto it with a sigh. He wasn't entirely sure why, but his apartment suddenly felt empty.

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A week later, Don pushed open the locker room door, exhausted from the day's events. They had managed to get a child molester and murderer off of the streets, but it had been a long road, and too many kids had been hurt before they got the guy. Words couldn't express how much he just wanted to get out of the precinct and find something to take his mind off of the filth he had just arrested.

He moved towards his locker, but noticed Stella sitting on the bench that went down the middle of the aisle. Her head was in her hands, and she was breathing deeply – as though trying to keep a hold on her self. He watched her silently for a minute, unsure of whether he should turn around and leave, or see what was wrong. Finally, he opted for the latter and sat down next to her, resting a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Stell? You okay?"

She wanted to push him away. She wanted to tell him that she was fine – just exhausted from their last case. But instead of those words coming out of her mouth, Stella found herself leaning into his shoulder, letting her head rest in the crook of his neck. Trying to calm his racing heart, Flack slid his arm around her shoulders, holding her close.

"Talk to me, Stell," he murmured.

"Richard called." Flack inwardly cursed. "Apparently things didn't work out with his wife and he wanted to see me again."

He closed his eyes. "Please tell me you didn't agree to that?"

Stella picked her head up off of his shoulder and glared at him. "Do you think I'm a complete idiot?"

"Sorry," he said quietly.

She shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that." She rested her head back on his shoulder, her arms wrapping around his torso. "I'm just tired of all the crap, you know?"

He nodded, hugging her tighter and kissing the top of her head. "I know." Don paused then, unsure if he should ask his next question. "Stell…why don't you and me go get some dinner?"

She lifted her head again, studying him closely. "I know you're exhausted, Flack. You don't have to do that."

"I want to," he whispered. "Besides, we had fun last time."

She smiled. "Yeah, we did." Nodding, Stella's smile grew. "Okay, then. Let's go."

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This time they went to a little diner on West 55th Street. Neither had the energy or desire to go somewhere fancy – all they really wanted was food and the other's company. After the waitress brought them their meal, Stella reached out and squeezed Flack's hand.

"Thanks," she said sincerely. "I needed this."

"So did I," he replied, entwining their fingers so that she wouldn't let go.

"Mac told me about your case," she continued, beginning to eat with her other hand. "It was a tough one."

Flack nodded. "I can handle almost any kind of perp. But I just can't understand someone who likes to hurt kids. I just…I just don't get it."

She squeezed his hand again. "But you got him. He won't hurt anyone again."

"I hope so."

Don kept telling himself that she would eventually pull her hand away, but dinner came and went, and she still kept her fingers locked with his, despite having to eat with her left hand. They talked about anything and everything, just enjoying the fact that they could be honest and relaxed.

After dinner, Stella ordered a slice of chocolate cake, telling Flack that chocolate was really the only appropriate response to such a difficult day. But when the waitress set it down in front of her, she realized that it was far too big for one person.

"You know you're going to have to help me with this right?" she asked.

Flack smirked. "You ordered it, you gotta eat it."

She gave him a mock glare before taking a piece of the cake onto her fork and putting it into her mouth. As soon as the chocolate hit her tongue, her eyes closed, and she let out a little moan. Flack found himself transfixed by the sight, his eyes locked on her mouth as she pulled the fork back out.

"You have to try this," Stella said.

Before he knew what was happening, she had cut another piece and was holding the fork in front of his face. He opened his mouth without thinking, and she promptly placed the cake inside. As he slowly chewed, he noticed that Stella's eyes were locked on his mouth, the cake in front of her all but forgotten. She leaned forward cautiously, and Flack quickly swallowed just before her lips met his.

The kiss was slow and gentle, both of them testing the waters. Stella dropped her fork onto the table, letting her hand come up cradle his face. Flack tightened his grip on her other hand, bringing the other under her chin.

Leaning forward even more, Stella tilted her head to take the kiss deeper. But Flack pulled away before she could coax his mouth open, staring at her in shock. Hurriedly, he stood up from the table, rifling through his wallet for money. Stella stood up as well, surprised and hurt by his reaction.

"Don, wait…"

He threw the money on the table and grabbed his coat, throwing it on. Stella did the same, hoping that she could talk to him before he ran off. But instead of sprinting out the door, he turned and grabbed her hand, pulling her after him as he walked out of the diner and onto the sidewalk.

"Don, please, I didn't mean to upset you –"

Before she could finish, Don had spun her around and brought his lips crashing into hers. He deepened the kiss almost immediately, pulling her body flush against his as he drank her in, one hand around her waist and the other tangled in her long curls. When they finally pulled back, both were breathing hard.

"Sorry," he mumbled, his forehead resting against hers. "I just…if we had kept kissing in there, I was gonna pull you right over the table. And I thought that might be a little embarrassing."

Stella smiled, finally understanding. "I'm not sure the waitress would have enjoyed it."

"Probably not."

She looked up at him for a long moment before reaching up and kissing him again. "I was hoping you'd do that last week."

He smiled ruefully. "I wasn't sure you felt the same."

"For the record, I do."

"That's real good to know, Stell."

They kissed again, slower this time as passersby continued to stream by them. Finally they pulled away again, and Don wrapped his arm around her waist as he began to lead her down the street.

"Are we going back to your place?" she asked.

"If that's okay with you."

"I think it sounds like a wonderful plan."

He watched her as they walked, taking in the relaxed smile and the way she leaned against him. "Hey Stell?"

"Mmm?"

"I don't want to have an awkward morning after with you."

She stopped then, turning to face him. "Neither do I."

"Promise me you'll be there in the morning?"

Her smile almost blinded him. "And every morning after that you'll let me."

Heedless of the people that had to walk around them, Don pulled her into another kiss, one longer and more passionate than the others before. Pulling back slightly, he moved his mouth to her ear.

"Remind me to send Richard a thank-you note."

She giggled, and Don decided right then that he would do whatever he had to to hear that sound again and again. Tucking her into his side, he wrapped his arm around her and they headed home.