Mac watched as Stella rubbed at her ring finger, seemingly unaware of what she was doing. It had been almost a week, and he was sure that he had caught her rubbing that same spot almost ten times a day.

"Stella?" he interrupted.

She stopped her explanation of the evidence they had gathered. "What?"

He looked pointedly at her hands, and Stella's gaze followed his. When she saw what he was staring at, she dropped her hands with a loud sigh.

"It's disconcerting, isn't it?" he asked quietly.

"I just feel like an idiot, Mac. I lost my wedding band, and I've looked EVERYWHERE for it."

"It happens."

Her eyes filled with tears. "I hadn't even had it a year, and I LOST it!" She took a deep breath, steadying herself. "I'm sorry. I've been really emotional lately."

Mac smiled. "Don't worry about it." He settled himself on the edge of her desk. "So, the evidence..."

8888888888888888888888888

Stella smiled as she walked out onto the roof of her apartment building, a picnic laid out before her between the little gardens that the residents had planted. She moved toward the blanket, taking in the Italian dishes and the wine that were waiting for her.

"You like it?"

She turned to see Flack standing behind her, his hands in his pockets as he watched her.

"I love it," she murmured. "You put a lot of work into this, Detective."

He shrugged, moving closer and wrapping his arms around her. "You been upset lately. I wanted to make you feel better."

"Well this definitely helps."

They sat down together on the blanket and Flack pulled out a small box. "First things first. This is for you."

Stella gave him a questioning look as she took the box from him. "What is it?"

He chuckled, moving until he was sitting behind her, and pulling her back against his chest. "Open it."

Giving him one last look, Stella slowly opened the little box. She gasped when she saw the claddagh inside, a diamond resting in the crown that sat upon the heart. Don pulled her a little closer, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"I know you're upset about losin' your ring. So I got you a new one. Friendship, loyalty and love...I think that fits us pretty well."

There were tears in Stella's eyes as she turned to look at him. "Donnie, it's beautiful. I love it."

"Good." He smiled shyly, pulling out another box and handing it to her. "I wanted our rings to match."

She opened that one as well, her smile widening when she saw the same ring for him sitting inside. "May I?" she asked.

"Of course."

Slowly, with tears falling from her eyes, Stella slid his old ring off and replaced it with the new band, with the heart pointing towards him. When she was finished, he did the same for her, sliding the ring onto her finger and covering the void that had been bothering her all week.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too, Donnie."

He smiled then, picking up the wine. "Shall we drink to it, then?"

"I'd love to, but I can't."

Don frowned. "Can't?"

Stella smiled, reaching up and caressing his face. "It's not good for the baby."

"For the..." His eyes widened. "Baby? We're gonna have a baby?"

"Yes -"

He kissed her deeply, setting the wine back down before tangling his fingers in her dark curls. When they finally pulled back, both were breathing heavily, and Flack rested his forehead against hers.

"When did you find out?"

"This morning. I had a breakdown in the lab when my pencil broke, and Lindsay bought me a test."

He chuckled, kissing her temple. "That does explain the moods lately."

"Sorry about that."

"You got nothin' to be sorry for, Stell. You're havin' a baby. My baby." He paused. "Our baby," he whispered, his voice filled with awe.

With his last words, he slid his hand onto her stomach, imagining the life growing inside. Stella smiled at him, resting her hand over his and entwining their fingers.

"Our baby," she echoed.