Disclaimer-- I don't own the CSI NY characters
Note-- Enjoy the sequel to Sober
When Flack's phone alarm went off and he woke he was immediately confused. He'd had some pretty interesting nights in his life but it had been a while since he'd woken up with his face pressed against the hardwood. He turned over and swore creatively when he rapped his elbow against the leg of the coffee table. For a moment he couldn't remember what had happened, then he sat up, saw Danny and remembered; then he grinned. He had some pretty vivid and incredibly pleasant memories from the night before that involved Stella. With a smile that wouldn't seem to budge he stood and glanced over to see Danny sprawled out on the couch, precariously close to falling off. He knew they had to be at work at the same time and he saw no other option to wake him up.
"Danny!"
Said CSI started and rolled off of the couch, landing hard on the floor. "What gives Flack?"
He shook his head. "Gotta be at work. How's the head?"
Danny stood slowly and fought back a moan. "Not so good." It wasn't a lie; he may not have had a hangover but his head was throbbing after it'd made sudden contact with the floor.
"Yeah well considering how drunk you were last night that's not really surprising. Can you make it or do you need me to make sure you keep going?" he asked as he found his jacket and cell phone.
"Your wit astounds me, but no I'll be fine on my own."
Flack gathered his jacked and headed for the door. "Whatever you say, and Dan, I'm sure you and Lindsay can work out whatever happened last night."
As he left Danny sighed; Flack was really a good friend. He kind of felt bad about lying to him and Stella, but the ruse had worked; and the end had certainly justified the means. With a grin he picked up the phone, dialed and waited.
"Montana? Yeah, listen; I deserve an Oscar for my performance last night. Did it work? Boy have I got a story for you."
Stella wasn't sure if he smile had ever gone away through the night. Certainly she was smiling when she woke up, and hadn't stopped since. If she had known what testing the waters with Flack would be like she'd have dived in a while ago. Her good mood was persistent and she was still feeling fantastic when she got to work. She sailed through the first part of the day feeling a bit like a happy peppy cartoon character and she wouldn't have been surprised if she was aggravating everyone around her. Clearly regressing to her teenage years and making out in public had done her a world of good.
"Stella."
She turned smiling. "Hey, what's going on?"
Flack somehow managed to turn his look down from grinning like an idiot to charmed smile. "Got something on that double homicide you and Danny have been working on."
"He's in trace. Come on, you can share the news and we can ask about his hangover."
They walked in content silence to the trace lab and saw Danny and Lindsay bent over with their backs to them. Flack was about to walk in when Stella caught the whispers and grabbed his arm to stop him. She held a finger up to her mouth and they both tuned in to the conversation.
"I still can't believe it," Lindsay said incredulously.
Danny grinned. "Believe it Montana, besides it was your plan."
"I know, I just didn't think it would work that well."
"Well yours truly put on a pretty impressive show," he told her smugly.
She shook her head. "You must have Messer if what you're telling me is true."
"Every word; they were all wrapped up in each other," he said with a grin, crossing two fingers to demonstrate.
"About time," Lindsay muttered.
Flack and Stella stood slack jawed for a moment before they moved quietly out of the lab. Once they were out of ear shot Stella shook her head. "They set us up!"
Flack leaned against the wall casually. "I'm not complaining about the results, are you?"
Stella grinned again. "No, not complaining." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "But I think I have a way to beat them at their own game."
"I'm all ears."
Twenty minutes later Flack and Stella were reviewing their file in the break room when Danny and Lindsay sidled up.
"Hungover?" Stella questioned casually.
Danny shrugged. "Not too bad, took some painkiller, head pretty much stopped hurting."
"That's impressive considering how much you downed last night," Flack told him before he grinned. "You two kiss and make up?"
Lindsay blushed prettily. "Yeah, you could say that." She slid into a seat and motioned for Danny to do the same. "So, anything interesting happen last night? I mean, other than Danny getting falling down drunk."
Flack shrugged. "Not really, we poured his drunk ass into bed and Stella went home, I slept on the floor."
Danny's eyes widened. "That's all the two of you did with your night?"
"Yeah, just brought you home and called it a night. What else would we have done?" Stella asked.
Lindsay shot Danny a look and considered her words carefully before she spoke. "So nothing… happened with the two of you last night?"
"How do you mean?" Don asked, his eyes deceptively innocent.
"Well, I mean…" She blew out an exasperated breath. "Nothing happened between the two of you?"
Stella flashed a bemused smile. "No, what would give you that idea?"
Danny's mouth dropped open. "Are you kidding me?"
"Probem Dan?" Flack asked, suppressing a smile.
"You…"
"Yes?" Stella asked.
Danny positively vibrated with the struggle. "Come on you guys I know you hooked up last night! I saw it with my own eyes!"
"How's that Danny?" Flack questioned. "You were passed out on the couch."
"I was…." He trailed off when he saw the satisfied smirks on their faces.
Lindsay regarded them both amazedly. "You knew. You knew when we walked in here."
Stella nodded. "We thought we'd return the favor."
"When did you figure it out?" Danny asked.
Flack closed the file and stood, Stella following suite. "Be a little quieter next time you decide to discuss your schemes in the lab," he told them.
He and Stella were out the door when she turned back to grin at them. "Oh and thanks guys."
They managed to make it away about ten feet away from the break room before they burst out laughing. "I don't think I'll ever forget the look on Danny's face."
She shook her head. "I know I never will."
He straightened up and tucked the file under his arm. "So, meet me after work? We'll grab some dinner."
"Sounds fantastic; we going casual?"
His smile was entirely disarming. "I'm thinking not so much casual."
She nodded. "See you then."
Stella was waiting outside the station when Flack's shift ended. She was the first thing he saw when he walked outside and it took a minute for him to roll his tongue back into his mouth so he could speak. The dress she wore was a drape of some slinky black material that clung to every curve as it dipped dangerously towards her belly button. He let out a low whistle. "Hello there Bonasera," he managed. "You look amazing." She couldn't resist the girly urge to execute a little turn and Flack's mouth went dry when he saw that the dress was completely backless. "Glad I wear suits, I'd look like a peasant next to you otherwise."
She smiled. "Thanks, you ready to go?"
He nodded. "Yeah, but just one thing first." He closed the distance between them and captured her mouth, his hands pressing against the warm bare skin of her back. Her arms wound around his neck as they went deeper. When he pulled away it was to catcalls from the boys coming out of the station. They both ignored them. "I've been waiting all day to do that."
"Feeling's mutual." With a smile she tucked her hand through his arm. "Where are we going?"
He smiled. "Does it really matter?"
She regarded him a moment, looking into his entirely honest intense blue eyes, before she burst out laughing. "No, it really doesn't."
He hailed a cab and as they waited he bent to kiss her languorously. They broke apart when the cab came and as they slid in and his arm slid over her shoulder she smiled. "Remind me to send Lindsay some flowers."
The cabbie could only look curiously into his mirror as their laughter eased into another kiss.
"Remind me to buy Danny a beer."