"I'm glad you called," Flack said quietly after they were seated.

Ava shrugged. "Well...you did kiss me first. I figured it was my turn to make the next move."

Looking across the table at him, she saw the relief in his eyes, and a hope that she had seen flashes of in the past few days. She knew that she had hurt him a lot when she pulled away, but she was determined to fix that.

"I didn't meant to push you too fast."

She gave him a small smile. "You didn't. I just...I never saw you coming, Don." Reaching out, she placed her hand on top of his. "Doesn't mean I'm not happy that I've got you, though."

He chuckled at that as the waiter brought them their wine. "I wanted to hate you, you know. When you first started."

"Because I took Angell's place?"

Flack nodded. "I was so pissed."

She looked at him thoughtfully. "So why were you so nice to me?"

He shrugged. "Guess my ma raised me right."

"Damn good thing for me," Ava whispered.

He blushed and ducked his head, making her smile even more.

Dinner was quiet and comfortable, without any of the awkward silences she had feared. Conversation between them was easy, talking about their friends and their dreams, and anything and everything that came to mind. Ava didn't even notice until the bill came that she had never taken her hand off of his, and it amazed her how at ease she was with him. It had been a long time since she had felt that way.

"Walk me home?" she asked as they walked out of the restaurant.

"Of course."

Giving him a shy smile and trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach, Ava slipped her hand into his as they started to walk down the street. The night air was cool and fresh, a breeze moving across her face and making her take a deep breath. This was about as close to perfection as it could get, and she didn't want the night to end. But eventually they came to her apartment.

"I guess this is where I leave, huh?" Don asked.

Biting her bottom lip, Ava shook her head. "You're supposed to walk me home, Detective. That means to my door."

He grinned. "Of course."

The elevator ride was silent as they stood close together, their shoulders touching. When the doors opened, he walked her down the hall to her apartment and they stopped outside, finally facing each other.

"We have work in the morning," she finally said.

"Yeah."

"So we should probably get some sleep."

He nodded, stepping a little closer. Then he slipped his free hand behind her head, tangling his fingers in her hair and he kissed her. It was soft and perfect, just like the last time, but Ava had no intentions of running away this time. Instead, she let go of his hand and ran her palms up his chest until she reached his face, pulling him closer. His hold on her tightened and he lifted her off the ground just a little as he deepened the kiss and sent her head spinning.

By the time he finally set her back down, resting his head in the crook of her neck, Ava didn't know which end was up.

"Wow," she breathed. "That was one hell of a good night kiss."

She felt him smile against her neck, and then gasped slightly as he pressed a soft kiss to the skin there before standing up straight again.

"Have dinner with me tomorrow night?"

Ava grinned. "Oh yeah."

Flack kissed her one more time and then headed back toward the elevator. "'Night, Connelly," he threw over his shoulder.

She just shook her head and pushed her key into the lock. "Good night, Don."