Disclaimer:Do I really need to do this? Fine. I am obviously not Jerry Bruckheimer or Anthony Zuiker…Do not own…Blah, Blah, Blah…And if you think that I'm getting paid for this, I can recommend a good psychiatric hospital if needed!

AN: This is the first in a series of one shots that take place between chapter 50 and 51 of my other story: A Time to Heal. It might be helpful to read that first! As always, please read and review! My muse has been temperamental lately and she needs some cheering up!

Many, many, many thanks to the completely awesome princessg for being my beta! I don't know what I'd do without you!

Valentine's Day

Special Agent Corinne Reid groaned as the alarm clock blared in her ear. She slowly dragged herself out of bed, cursing what ever brain cells she had left for convincing her to go out the previous night with Stella, Lindsay and Lydia. She wasn't hung over, but getting only three hours of sleep made her grumpy.

She walked into the bathroom, rubbing her eyes to get the sleep out of them and glanced at herself in the mirror. Damn. I look like shit today!

Sighing, she got into the shower and laid her head against the cool time. The temperature difference between the tile and the hot water was helping to alleviate her headache. It wasn't until halfway out of her shower that she realized what day it was. It was Valentine's Day.

Cory smiled and put a little more effort into getting ready. If everything went as planned, she and Danny were going out to dinner that night. She smiled as she got ready. She grabbed the clothes that she had put out the previous night, put her make-up in her briefcase and walked out the door. She put everything into her car and was just buckling her seat belt when her phone rang. Cory smiled when she saw the number.

"Hey, chica. How are the kids?"

Nicole groaned on the other end of the phone. "Trust me to have kids that seem to know when Mom and Dad are going to get some alone time! They're doing a little better. Kim has an ear infection, Doug a cold and Samantha has bronchitis. Why did they all have to get sick at the same time? What did I do to deserve this punishment!"

Cory chuckled lightly. "You had kids. You know something like this always happens. I'm just sorry that you had to cancel your trip. I was looking forward to seeing you up here."

Nicole just sighed again. "I know. Maybe during the summer. Or you know? You can come down and visit me? Would that be such a bad thing?"

Cory pretended to be offended. "I have an important…" She trailed off as Nicole snorted into the phone. "Alright. I'll try to make it down before Lindsay and Don's wedding. Speaking of which, I know what I'm doing for the bachelorette party."

"What?"

Cory smiled this time. "What did we do for your party?"

Nicole began to giggle. "A toy party? Count me in! When are you going to have it?"

"Early May. That way the um...goods have a chance to arrive."

"That's just too perfect! Has Danny seen your new tattoo yet?"

"Nope. I'm going to surprise him with it tonight."

Nicole gasped in shock. "Are you crazy? You better remember your CPR! You are wearing…" Nicole trailed off.

Cory nodded. "Yup. I'm wearing the satin corset, with the backseam stockings under the red dress with the 4" stilettos."

Nicole couldn't help herself. She started laughing. "Please get me a picture of his face when he sees you! I just have this image of the cartoon wolf with his tongue rolling out of his mouth and his eyes jumping out of his head!"

Cory laughed. "That's the image I'm going for."

"Frederick's. Right?"

"Of course! Where else can you get scandalously sexy underwear? Listen, I'm at work now, so I'll call you tomorrow."

"Bye!"

Cory hung up the phone, still laughing at the picture of Danny she had in her head. She grabbed her things and walked into the building.

(Crime Lab)

Danny was working on processing the evidence in a brutal rape case. He was hoping to complete the case today, but wasn't feeling lucky. He smiled to himself, letting himself become distracted by the thoughts of the romantic dinner he had planned for Cory. He still had that dopey grin on his face when Hawkes walked in.

"Why are you grinning, Messer?"

Danny looked up. "Just thinking about tonight and the alone time I will have with Cory. Speaking of which, have you asked Lydia out yet?"

Hawkes smirked and shook his head. "Yeah. Our first date is tonight. What the hell was I thinking having a first date on Valentine's Day?"

Danny laughed. "I don't know, man. That just seems like it's asking for a lot. You know women expect the moon on this day!"

Flack walked in just as Danny said that. "Complaining about having to plan something for Valentine's Day, Messer?"

Danny just rolled his eyes. "Naw. I was just picking on Hawkes for having his first date with Lydia today."

Flack rolled his eyes. "Hawkes. Why would you do that? You and her have been talking for months. Why wait until today?"

Hawkes just looked at both of them. "Unlike you cavemen, I actually have a romantic streak that I like to use with women. It just seemed right."

Both Flack and Danny laughed at that. Finally, Danny caught his breath. "Man, you have it bad!"

Hawkes just ignored them and began to help Danny process what little evidence that they had.

Meanwhile, Stella was working on a robbery case down the hall. She looked down at her pager when it went off. She was expecting it to be DNA and was surprised when she saw that it was Mac. The page simply said, "Meet me in my office."

Drawing her eyebrows together, she turned to walk down to his office. When she got there, she noticed that Mac seemed a little nervous. "Mac? You okay?"

Mac looked up at her. He smiled a tiny bit. "I'm fine. I have a question for you."

Stella stared at him. "Okay. What?"

Mac looked a little nervous. "Um. Would you like to have dinner with me tonight?"

Stella shook her head. She was in shock. "Like a date?" She could see that Mac was getting even more nervous, so she decided to spare him a little bit. "Sure. I don't have any plans and wasn't looking forward to spending Valentine's Day alone. I'd love to."

Mac told her that he would pick her up at eight, at her apartment.

Smiling, Stella walked out of his office. She felt like she was floating on air.

(FBI Headquarters)

Lydia paced nervously in Cory's office. Cory watched her for about fifteen minutes before she couldn't take it anymore. "Lydia. Stop pacing. Geez! You're making me nervous!"

Cory glanced at the woman. She was evidently of Latin descent, with dusky skin and long straight black hair. Her hair wasn't as long as Cory's but it was still beautiful.

She looked at Cory. "I'm sorry. But…My first date with Sheldon on Valentine's Day? I'm in shock and speechless. I…" Lydia trailed off and began pacing again.

Cory smiled. She remembered the nervousness of a first date. To calm her nerves before her first date with Danny, she had completely disassembled and cleaned her gun. "Look. Lydia. Hawkes is a great guy. I think it's romantic. Where are y'all going?"

Lydia bit her lip. "Dinner. I don't know after that. He's going to pick me up from here."

Cory nodded. "What are you going to wear? What time is he picking you up?"

Lydia smiled. "I brought a nice dress to change into and he'll be here at seven. When's Danny going to pick you up?"

Cory felt her smile grow. "Seven. I wonder if they are going to come together. I happen to know that Danny likes to drive my car. What is it with men and cars?"

Lydia laughed as she rolled her eyes. "Cory. You have a Beamer. A Z4 at that! Of course he wants to drive it."

Cory giggled. "I think he prefers to see me drive it. He said something about there was something about a woman driving a stick shift." Cory rolled her eyes. "I mean, come one. Of course I know how to drive a standard. I had to learn before my mom would let me taking the driving test!"

Lydia nodded her understanding. "I think he's just floored by how well you handle the...um...stick." Lydia couldn't keep the laughter in any longer.

Cory felt heat creep into her cheeks. "Oh, you did not just go there! I'm shocked…" Cory tried to stifle her laughter, but was unsuccessful. She began laughing so hard that tears were coming out of her eyes. "Oh, God! We need to get our minds out of the gutter. It's a fun place to visit, but living there is getting in my way of having a real life."

Lydia tried to get control of herself. "It's six o'clock. I'd better go get ready."

"I'll come with you. It's going to take me a while to create the look I want."

The woman grabbed their clothes and make-up and made their way to the bathroom to change. Cory let Lydia change first, to take time to plug in her curling iron.

When Lydia walked out of the stall, Cory felt her eyes widen in amazement. "Wow. You're gorgeous. That dress is very dramatic."

Lydia's dress was a deep burgundy, almost black and floor-length. It had three-quarter sleeves that were fitted to the elbow and flowed around her lower arms. The neckline plunged down, exposing a bit of cleavage. To go with it, she had matching stiletto heals that added at least three inches to her five-six frame.

"Really? You don't think it's too much?"

"No. Sheldon's tongue's going to be wagging when he sees you. Where did you get it?"

Lydia shrugged. "Neiman's. In an after Christmas sale a couple of years ago. This makes the second time I've worn it. How should I do my make-up?"

Cory pursed her lips as she thought about it. "Dramatic eyes, natural lips. That would be best. I'd better go get ready."

Cory quickly got dressed in the corset and matching G-string. She carefully put on her red dress over it. She found she couldn't quite zip it all the way up, so she put on her pumps and walked out of the stall. "Lydia? Can you zip me up?"

"Sure." Lydia turned to look at Cory. "Oh, my. That's an amazing dress! Are you trying to give Danny a heart attack?"

Cory smiled mischievously. "Not with the dress. What I have on underneath, maybe a little."

Lydia raised her eyebrows. "What do you have on underneath?"

Cory smiled like the Cheshire cat. "A corset and matching G-string from Frederick's." She turned and Lydia quickly zipped the dress up the rest of the way. Cory dress was a sleeveless fitted dress with a heart-shaped bodice. It was also floor length, with a slit up to mid-thigh on her left leg.

Lydia continued to admire her dress. "Where did you get yours?"

Cory thought a moment. "I don't remember the name of the store. But it was in the Galleria in Dallas. I just saw it, right before I moved here, and knew that I had to have it."

Cory turned and walked to the counter. She tested the curling iron and found it the right temperature. She pulled her hair back into a pony tail, leaving a couple of sections to frame her face. She curled her hair so that it was wavy, both in the pony tail and the sections framing her face.

Both women quickly did their make-up. Both chose to do dramatic eyes, Cory's in earth tones and Lydia with matching burgundy eye shadow.

Cory chose a red lipstick to match her dress and Lydia just used lip gloss. When they were done applying the make-up, both women dabbed a little perfume on their wrists and neck. Cory checked the time at that point. "Ten minutes to spare! And men think that all women take forever to get ready!"

Lydia nodded. "Just because some women can't organize their time, do they have to blame all of us?"

The two women laughed as they walked back to Cory's office. The few remaining employees there turned and stared at them. Some of the men greeted them with wolf whistles. They just let the praise flow off of them.

Once they had gotten everything packed back up, Cory's assistant Dean came in to tell them that the guys were there. Cory told him to let them in.

(Hawkes and Lydia)

When Hawkes walked into Cory's office, he thought his jaw was going to come unhinged. From Danny's quick breath in, he obviously felt the same way. Hawkes glanced at Cory and realized that she had pulled out all of the stops for Danny. When he got a good look at Lydia, he thought his heart had stopped beating.

"Lydia, you look gorgeous. I feel under dressed."

Lydia smiled at Hawkes. He was dressed in a conservative black suit, with a white shirt and a matching blue and white tie. "You underestimate yourself. You look absolutely handsome. Let me get my coat and bag and I'll be ready to leave."

She turned to look at Cory and saw Danny ogling her friend. She smiled briefly at Cory. "See you tomorrow. Have fun tonight."

Cory nodded.

When Lydia walked out of the office, Hawkes offered her his arm. She took it and then was surprised when he gave her a single red rose. "This rose pales in comparison to your beauty tonight."

"Thank you, Sheldon."

As they exited the building, Lydia found a black limo waiting for them. Hawkes smiled, bowed a little as he opened the door and said, "Your carriage awaits, madam."

Lydia smiled. "Why thank you, kind sir." She slid into the car and settled into the plush leather seats. "This is amazing. Where are we going for dinner?"

Hawkes smiled. "Aureole."

Lydia gasped. "Sheldon, you didn't have to." She knew how expensive that Aureole was.

Hawkes looked at. "You're right. I didn't have to. I wanted to."

Lydia just shook her head and leaned back to enjoy the ride with Hawkes' arm around her. When they got out of the limo, he again offered her his arm. He was being the perfect gentleman. He led her into the restaurant and they were seated at a small, intimate table.

The waiter was prompt in greeting them and offered them a wine list. Both chose a Pino Noir wine to go with their meal. After pursuing the menu, the both decided on the Farmer's Market Heirloom Tomato Salad for their appetizer. Lydia chose the Roasted Pepper and Goat Cheese Ravioli for her main course and Hawkes chose the Fine Herb Crusted Salmon.

With their orders placed, they began to talk. Hawkes looked at her. "Where are you from?"

Lydia looked at him. "My parents are from Barcelona, but I was born in New York. We traveled back to Spain every summer. My dad owned his own business, so he had the ability to take the entire summer off. My mom taught Spanish in a school in Harlem. What about you?"

"I'm from here, too. My dad is a doctor and my mom a veterinarian. It was a given that I would be a doctor. Although the big fight was would I be an animal or people doctor. I finally chose to be a surgeon."

"How did you end up a CSI?"

Hawkes smiled and refrained from answering until the salads were placed in front of them. "I worked at Trinity hospital for about five years after med school. It just got to be too hard not being able to save everyone. So I became a medical examiner. That was fine, but I found myself wanting to be the one who help to put the criminals behind bars. So last year, I requested a transfer and it was granted."

They continued to talk throughout the dinner. Lydia telling Hawkes what it was like to spend the summer in Spain and Hawkes talking about growing up in New York.

When their main courses were served, Hawkes glanced at her and realized how lucky he was to have found someone like her. "So why the FBI?"

Lydia thought about it. "I knew as a little girl that I wanted to work in law enforcement. So I went to college and got my degree in political science. I started looking around and just fell into the FBI. I've worked there for ten years now. I love my job, although…" She trailed off as she thought about how Travis had sold out his country.

Hawkes picked up on her hesitation. "Although what?"

"When Travis was identified as the mole, I almost quit. I was just so disillusioned at that point. Thankfully, Cory was there and we had a long talk about it and she convinced me to stay. I'm glad she did. I can't imagine having another job."

Just as they finished their main course, their waiter appeared like magic. "Would you like to look at the dessert menu?"

Hawkes nodded.

Lydia looked at him. "Sheldon? I don't think I can hold anymore."

Hawkes looked at her and smiled. "Trust me. We can share." He looked over the menu and pointed to the Tasting of Chocolate dessert. "Can we have this, but with two forks?"

"Of course, sir."

When they were done, Hawkes discreetly paid the bill and ushered Lydia out of the restaurant. They got back into the limo and Hawkes instructed the driver to go to Lydia's apartment.

Once there, he insisted on walking her to the door.

Once at the door she turned to him. "Sheldon. I had a wonderful time tonight."

Hawkes nodded. "Me, too. Can we do this again some time?"

Lydia nodded. "I'd love that. Although, maybe something a little more low key, next time."

"Sure." Hawkes leaned down and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. "I'll call you in a couple of days. Good night."

Lydia smiled. "Good night." She walked into her apartment and gently closed the door.

(Mac and Stella)

Stella found it very hard to concentrate on closing her case the remainder of the day after Mac asked her out. She was mentally going through her wardrobe to see what she could were. He's seen me in the black dress, the green dress...Hmm. I wonder about the purple dress. I don't think that I've worn that around him before. Wait. Should I dress up or is this going to be a low key event. Damn. I'm the one person that knows him and I can't even think straight. What the hell is wrong with me?

Stella took a break from her mental soliloquy. She was intently printing a piece of glass from the robbery when she felt the hair stand up on the back of her neck. Furrowing her eyebrows, she turned and saw Mac staring at her. He nodded his head and then touched his watch. Confused she looked at the time and realized that it was almost seven.

She nodded her understanding and got everything ready to leave. She left ten minutes later and broke her record for getting home quickly. She didn't allow herself time to think, she just got ready and had five minutes to spare. She was trying to calm her beating heart when there was a knock on her door.

Inhaling deeply, she grabbed her coat and purse and went to the door. She smiled as she saw Mac standing there. He was wearing a dark suit with a blue shirt and tie. She smiled nervously.

Mac stood outside of the door. When Stella answered, he forgot to breath. She looks so beautiful. Why did I push her away for so long? That dress…

He looked at her dress, a simple purple sheath that ended just above her knees. It had long sleeves and a simple scoop neckline. She was wearing a simple silver chain necklace to go with it. He smiled. "Hi."

Stella noticed his appraisal of her. She felt a blush creep into her cheeks. "Hi. So where are we going?"

Mac smiled. He like the fact that she spoke her mind. It reminded him a little of Claire. "It's a surprise." With that he offered her his arm and led her out of the building, to his waiting car.

Once in the car, he deftly wove through the traffic. They talked about common place things, nothing to personal. Both were unsure of how to proceed. Of how the evening would change their working relationship.

Stella looked up when Mac stopped. "Mac? Why are we at your apartment?"

Mac just smiled. "Surprise. I thought that this would be more comfortable for us both."

Stella nodded her understanding and waited for Mac to open her door. He did and offered her his arm again.

Stella took his arm gratefully and allowed him to lead her into the apartment building. He walked her to his apartment and then nodded, as he opened the door, for her to precede him.

She walked into the apartment and found it lit by soft candlelight. She could smell the spices in the air, a promise of the elegant meal to follow.

Mac exhaled nervously as he took her coat, hanging it in the closet. "I cooked dinner for us. Pot roast with baby carrots, pan fried potatoes and a salad. I'll get you a glass of wine."

Stella followed Mac into the kitchen and noticed that the table was set in an intimate setting. She sniffed the air, appreciatively. "It smells good. Thanks," she said as she accepted a glass of white wine. She took a small sip. "This is good wine. So…" She trailed off, a little unsure of herself.

Mac felt her unease. "So…Why don't you sit down and I'll get dinner." Why is this so hard? I feel like I'm fourteen and this is my first date.

Stella accepted his offer and watched him putter around the kitchen. Why am I so nervous? This isn't like it's my first date. She was arguing with herself again. Then her heart decided to butt in. It's Mac. That's why this is so hard.

She decided to confront her problem straight on. "Mac? What made you decide to actually ask me out?"

Mac was expecting the question but still had not figured out the answer for himself. "I don't know, Stell. I just couldn't not ask you out anymore." He turned to her, unaware of the emotion showing in his eyes. "It was hell when Flack was injured. But you stayed with me. Why?"

Stella looked taken aback by his question. "Because you needed me. You didn't need to sit at his bedside, alone. I knew that there was something else going on with you. Then you told me about Beirut. And I understood."

"That's just it. You understood me without me saying anything. I think that was a turning point for me. It made me consider all that I had lost by keeping you at arms length. When you were unconscious, after you had killed Frankie, it was probably a good thing. I wanted to find a way to resurrect him and kill him myself."

Stella felt a shadow come over her at the mention of Frankie. Then she comprehended exactly what Mac had said. "You would kill someone who hurt me?"

"Without a doubt and with no guilt."

Stella felt tears come to her eyes. "Wow. I had no idea you cared so much."

Mac paused. "Neither did I. But I don't want to lose you. I don't know what I would do without you."

Stella seemed to sense the tension in Mac and got up. She walked to him and put her arms around him. "Mac? I'm not going anywhere."

Mac looked up, looked into her eyes and gave into temptation. He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, lightly. She responded by wrapping her arms around his neck and drawing him closer to her. We fit together like a puzzle, they both thought.

Mac let his hands come up to her face. He drew back slightly. "Stell? I don't want to move to fast. I want this to be perfect."

Stella smiled. "You're right. Let's eat dinner and then you can drive me home." She was a little relieved. She didn't want to screw this up either.

(Flack and Lindsay)

When Flack and Lindsay left their apartment on Valentine's morning, Flack made sure that he had left something behind. "Linds? I'll meet you at the car; I left my notebook on the table. I'll be right back."

"Sure, Don. Don't take too long."

Flack grinned as Lindsay got in the elevator. Quickly he made his way to his neighbor's apartment and knocked on the door. He thought about the surprise that he had planned for Lindsay. When the door opened his was staring at Mrs. Augustine. She was a sprightly grandmother who treated him like one of his grandchildren.

"Donald!" she squealed as she gave him a hug. "Are you and that wonderful young woman of yours leaving for the day?"

"Yes, ma'am. Here is the key to the apartment. You'll set everything up for me, right?"

She clucked her tongue at him. "Of course, dear. This is so much like what my Harry did for me one year. That was the best Valentine's Day. You run along. Go catch the bad men, so I can sleep safely at night. I'll make sure everything is ready for when you get home."

Flack gave her a conspiratorial wink and a quick hug. "You're the best, Nana. I don't know what I would do without you."

"Pish-posh. You would do just fine, Donald. Now run along before she gets suspicious."

"Yes, ma'am.

Flack quickly made his way to the car, where Lindsay was waiting for him. The drove to work, with the normal fight over the radio station. He liked to listen to the morning shows, but she wanted music. She won today and they listened to the latest rock on the station.

When they got to work, they quickly kissed good-bye and went their separate ways.

Later that afternoon, Lindsay was watching Danny try to process the evidence from the rape case. She smiled when she saw how distracted he was. She was helping Stella on the robbery case and was just headed to DNA to get her results when she saw Flack, Danny and Hawkes laughing in the lab. Curious, she chose a route to the lab to see if she could hear what they were saying.

Unfortunately, she only caught the end of the conversation, with Hawkes saying that he was the one with the romantic streak. Oh, Hawkes. If you only knew! She smiled as she continued to walk down the hall to DNA.

A couple of hours later, her shift was over and she decided to get ready. Flack had told her that she could dress up but to be comfortable for her surprise. She smiled when she was getting dressed. I wonder if he'll like what Cory helped me pick out at Frederick's.

She put on her dress, a basic black dress that hugged her curves and put on the perfume that he liked so much. She slipped her feet into a comfortable pair of pumps, not knowing if they would be walking. Then she walked over to the mirror, putting the finishing touches on her make-up. She finished just as Stella walked in.

"Hey Stella. Do you have plans tonight?"

Stella grinned at her. "Nope. Just a date with Ben and Jerry. It's nice to be able to go home and relax."

Lindsay laughed. "I wish I knew what Don had planned. He's being very tight lipped about tonight. I just don't know if he can top the proposal on top of the Empire State Building."

Stella had a twinkle in her eye as she responded. "You don't give him enough credit. Trust me. Tonight will be memorable."

"Thanks, Stella. I'm going to go meet him now." Lindsay grabbed her coat and walked out of the locker room. She saw Flack waiting for her, dressed in a black morning suit with a dark purple shirt and a matching tie.

He greeted her with a small kiss and the led her out of the building. When they pulled up to their apartment building, Lindsay was confused. "Don? What are we doing home?"

Flack just grinned and helped her out of the car. He had called Mrs. Augustine when he was waiting on Lindsay to get dressed. He knew everything was set up for her. When he opened the door, he allowed Lindsay to walk in first.

Lindsay gasped as she gazed at the apartment. "How...When…What?"

Flack smiled. It was very rare to make Lindsay speechless and he enjoyed the feeling. "I think I'll take those in order. Mrs. Augustine. During our shift, today. Happy Valentine's Day."

Lindsay gazed around at the apartment. On every available surface, there were white candles. Soft music was coming out of the stereo and an enticing smell emanated from the kitchen. She looked at Flack and threw her arms around him. "This is perfect, Don. I love it!"

Flack's smile got even brighter. She leaned down and kissed her with a passion. "I thought that you would like it. I mentioned the idea to Mrs. Augustine and she went nuts for it. She offered to get everything ready for me. That's why I "forgot" my notebook this morning. I had to give her the key. Come on. I'm starving. Let's eat!"

Lindsay laughed. Typical Flack. Always hungry. She didn't mind though. She was starving. She had not had a chance to eat since breakfast. She walked into the kitchen and her jaw dropped again. The table was set with fine china and had a single red rose in a vase made from a wine bottle. "Wow. She thought of everything. Remind me to thank her in the morning!"

Flack went to the stove and got their food out. Mrs. Augustine had made spaghetti, Caesar salad and garlic bread. They took their time with dinner. Feeding each other bites of the pasta. Every time Lindsay took another bite, Flack had to shift in his chair. His desire was beginning to overwhelm him. "Linds?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you really hungry?"

Lindsay smiled a seductive smile. "Not for food."

Flack almost overturned the table, he got up so fast. He pulled Lindsay fast too him and kissed her with a passion.

She groaned as he changed the angle of the kiss, to bring her to greater heights of pleasure. Then she felt him unzipping her dress. She stepped back from him, letting it pool at her feet.

"God, Linds. What are you wearing?"

Lindsay smiled at his reaction. The bra and panty set was of sheer black material and so small it might as well been non-existent. "You like?"

His only response was to sweep her off her feet and head to the bedroom. He stopped in the threshold of the room and stared in amazement. Red and white candles burned romantically throughout the room and hundreds of rose petals were spread across the bed.

Lindsay looked in the room in amazement. "Wow. This is…I don't have words."

Flack looked down at her. "I didn't plan this part. Nana must have done it for me." He got a huge grin on his face. "Let's not disappoint her."

Lindsay murmured her agreement as his lips came crashing down on hers again.

(Danny and Cory)

When Danny walked into Cory's office, he felt like he had swallowed his tongue. He actually had to remind himself to breathe. Oh…wow…Umm…

Cory smiled knowingly, pleased with his reaction. Neither of them really paid attention when Hawkes and Lydia left.

Cory turned and pointed the bouquet of red roses sitting on her desk. "Thanks for the roses. They're beautiful."

Danny smiled and managed to kick start his brain again. "Not nearly as beautiful as you. You are stunning. I'm regretting the dinner reservations that I have. I just want to take you home."

Cory blushed a little. "There will be plenty of time for that." She turned and grabbed a velvet cloak that she had brought with her. She quickly put it and her gloves on. She grabbed her small purse and looked at Danny. "Ready to go?"

"Hell, yeah." He gave her a playful leer.

Cory rolled her eyes. "That's not what I meant. Are you ready to go to dinner?"

Danny laughed. "Oh, that. Yeah, I'm more than ready."

She took his arm and they walked out of the building. She paused for a second when they got to her car. "Here are the keys. Please treat my baby with the respect that she deserves." She handed him the car keys and got in when he opened the door for her.

He adjusted the driver's seat then got in. "Are you sure you want me to drive?"

Cory rolled her eyes. "You seriously think that I'm going to drive in these heels? Give me a break. Plus, I know that you like to drive my car."

Danny grinned. He loved driving the sports car. "That I do. Thanks." He also knew how rare it was for her to let anyone else drive her new car. He maneuvered the car like a pro and soon they were at their destination.

Cory looked around in curiosity. "Where are we?"

Danny winked at her. "The best kept secret of New York. Francesca's. It's a small family owned Italian restaurant with the best food outside of Italy. It's owned by friends of my mom."

Danny led her into the small, intimate restaurant. An older Italian woman greeted them. "Daniel Messer! Bambino. It's been too long since you've been here!" She gave him a huge hug and kissed him on both cheeks. "It this the young lady that you've been talking so much about?"

"Yes, ma'am. Francesca, I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, Corrine. Cory, this is Francesca. She's like a second mother to me. Kept me on the straight and narrow, most of the time."

Cory looked at the woman, liking her immediately. "Please to meet you, ma'am."

Francesca gave her the same treatment she had given Danny. "Please, call me Frankie. Let me take your wrap." She quickly grabbed Danny's coat and Cory's cloak and gave them to the maitre-d, who hung them up. "Please follow me."

She led them to a small corner in the back, surrounded by plants. On the table there was a candle and a vase that had two roses in it. "I'll bring you both a glass of wine and may I suggest the Fettuccine Alfredo? It's excellent tonight."

Cory nodded as she sat down. "Wow. This place is amazing! It's so romantic."

Danny smiled. "Yeah. I love it here. Frankie is the one who taught me how to cook. It kept me out of trouble after the thing with Tanglewood. She gave me lessons in how to win a woman's heart while teaching me how to de-bone a chicken. The amazing thing is that everything stuck with me."

Danny reached across the table and took Cory's hand in his. "I have a present for you." He reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out a jewelry box.

"Danny? You didn't have to."

"Just open it, Cory."

"Okay. Okay." She extracted her hand from his and opened the box. Inside was a silver locket. She looked up at him with a question in her eyes.

"Open it."

She opened it and saw two pictures of them together. "Wow. I love it. Are you going to astound me anymore tonight?"

Danny shook his head. "Not in public."

Cory just laughed as Frankie brought them a couple of salads to start off with. They talked though the antipasto. Mostly about how she was adjusting to life in the Big Apple.

When it came time for the main course, both were feeling very mellow. They had taken Frankie's suggestion and had the fettuccine. Danny watched for her reaction to the first bite. She groaned slightly once she got a taste. "Oh my. This is the best Alfredo that I've had in…well, ever! I've so got to get this recipe. My Alfredo sauce never comes out this good!"

Danny smiled. "I have the recipe and would be more than willing to teach you how to cook it. Somehow, I don't think that Frankie would mind."

Frankie just happened to be walking by at that moment. "What would I not mind, young man?"

Danny grinned sheepishly. "If I give Cory your Alfredo recipe. I promise that she can't mess it up. You should taste her lasagna. It's just as good as yours is."

Frankie looked at her. "You don't look Italian."

Cory grinned. "No ma'am. I'm from Texas. I just love to cook and Italian is my specialty."

Frankie looked at her. "I'll have to taste your lasagna first, but if it's as good as Danny says, the recipe is yours."

"Thanks, Frankie."

"Are you guys ready for dessert?" Both nodded at that.

Frankie brought them out a slice of tiramisu each.

Cory smiled. It was her favorite dessert. When she tasted the first bite, she thought she had died and gone to heaven. "Oh…dear Lord this is amazing!"

Danny watched as a look of pure bliss passed over her face. It made him think of other things that caused her bliss and he quickly felt the need to get home quickly.

Cory saw the flash of heat that came into his eyes just as she finished dessert. "Danny?"

"Hmm?"

"How fast do you think we can make it back to my apartment?" She gave him a sultry look.

Danny quickly paid the bill and all but dragged her out to the car, where he pinned her against the door and kissed her deeply. He came back up for air and looked in her eyes. "I think I can break a few speed laws."

Cory laughed as she got into the car. Good Lord. What's he going to do when he sees the tattoo?

In record time they were back at Cory's apartment. Danny got impatient in the elevator and began to kiss her neck, right where her pulse was. He could feel her heart speed up and pound in rhythm to his. When the elevator doors opened, he waited rather impatiently for her to unlock her door.

Once inside, he began to discard her cloak and his jacket and tie.

Cory took a moment to catch her breath. "Danny? Follow me."

She led him to the bedroom, where she began to do a seductive strip-tease for him.

When Danny saw the dress drop from her body, he groaned at the sight of the corset. I've died and gone to heaven. Help me, she wearing a garter!

Cory turned slightly, so that her right hip was facing him. Danny noticed a spot of color on her hip that wasn't there they last time they had made love. "What's that?"

Cory smiled. "Why don't you come over and see?"

Intrigued and aroused Danny complied. He bent down to get a better look at the new tattoo. It was a heart with a gothic C and D intertwined in it. Around the heart were the words, Amor Vincit Omnia.

"Amor Vincit Omnia?" Danny looked up at her.

Cory smiled down to him. "It's Latin. Love conquers all. I thought it was appropriate. You helped me conquer my demons."

Danny felt a rush of love flow through his body. "When did you get this? I mean, I see you naked a lot."

Cory laughed. "You haven't in the last week?"

Danny gasped. "Were you lying about it being that time of the month?"

Cory shook her head. "Nope. It was just convenient. Now are you going to stare at that all night? Or are you going to make my wildest dreams come true?"

Danny smirked as he began to remove the corset from her body. "I'll do more than make your wildest dreams come true. I'll make your unknown dreams come true."

There was no more talking as he claimed her lips for himself and proceeded to do just that.

AN:

So, how'd y'all like the fluff? This was a lot longer than I had expected. I guess with doing the focus on 4 different couples, my muse just kept giving me fluff to write! I did strive to keep this at a T rating, so use your imagination for Flack/Lindsay and Danny/Cory! See that little button below? It says submit a review! Please do! It makes my muse happy and she has been very cranky lately.

To update y'all. I've started writing the sequel to "A Time to Heal". I'll start posting that after I get these one shots out of the way. I thought this was a great way to really introduce Lydia to everyone. I know that I had been lacking in the description area for her.

Also, if you review….Tell me who you think is more romantic. Danny, Flack, Hawkes or Mac? Love y'all!