"Hey, Stell."

She looked up to see Flack standing in the doorway of her office. She gave him a warm smile.

"Hey, Don."

"I'm headin' out. Just wanted to say goodnight."

It was then that Stella saw how tired he was. His smile didn't quite reach his eyes, and there was a slump to his shoulders that she wasn't used to seeing. Frowning, she set down the file that she had been reading.

"Are you alright, Flack?"

He almost looked surprised at the question. Shrugging, he looked anywhere but her eyes.

"Yeah, I just…I'm fine."

She didn't believe him. Stepping away from her desk, she crossed the room slowly. Flack watched her curiously, not entirely sure what she wanted him to do. But the last thing he expected was for her to reach up and wrap her arms around his neck.

The embrace was tight, and Don couldn't help but sink into it. His arms snaked around her waist, pulling her more firmly against him. He dropped his face into the crook of her neck, breathing her in as he let himself take comfort in her touch. When they finally separated, it amazed him how much better he suddenly felt.

"Thanks," he murmured. "I needed that."

Stella smiled at him, reaching out and resting her hand against his cheek. "Why don't you and I go get something to eat?"

He nodded. "I could use a drink, too."

Her smile widened. "Then I know just the place."

888888888888888888888

"Talk to me, Don," she said after the waitress had brought them their second round of drinks. "What's wrong?"

He sighed, taking a pull from his glass before answering. "Me and Angell broke up."

"But…I thought everything was going well between you two. You've been together what…seven months now?"

Flack nodded. "We were even talking about the future…and that's where we hit a big problem."

"What do you mean?"

He was silent for a minute, thinking. It wasn't that he didn't want to tell Stella…but he was afraid to let her in that far. Shaking his head slightly, he raised his eyes to hers.

"Jenn doesn't want kids."

Stella frowned. "Ever?"

"Ever. She was pretty firm on that one. She wouldn't even adopt…she said she just doesn't like kids and never wants any."

She reached out, taking his hand in hers. "And you, Don?" she asked quietly.

He gave her a sad smile. "I want kids more than anything, Stell." Emotion built behind his eyes, and he blinked it back, swallowing hard. "I asked her if she'd ever change her mind…she said no. So I ended it…what's the point of bein' with someone if you know you don't want the same things?"

Stella got up from her seat, walking over and sliding into Don's side of the booth. She rested her head on his shoulder, once again entwining their fingers.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

They sat there for a long time, just enjoying the comfort of the other's presence. Flack wasn't sure where his relationship with Angell had been going, or if they would have lasted in the long run, but it hadn't been easy to walk away from her. They had been comfortable together – now he realized that that wasn't enough. He needed something more.

"What about you, Stell?" he asked. "Do you want kids?"

She nodded, her head still on his shoulder. "I do. I really, really do." Picking up her head a little, she turned to look at him. "You'll get it, Don…the kids, the family, the white picket fence…You'll get everything you want."

Flack stared at her, unable to tear his eyes away. He knew he was at least buzzed, maybe even bordering on tipsy, but…he didn't even want to stop the next words out of his mouth.

"What if I want you?"

He didn't give her a chance to answer. Leaning down, he pressed his lips against hers, kissing her slowly and softly. She froze at the contact, but as his mouth continued to move against hers, she finally sighed against him, kissing him back. Don reached up to tangle his fingers in her dark curls, even as Stella's arms wrapped around his torso, pulling him closer.

She wasn't sure if they had kissed for minutes or hours – all she was sure of was that she could taste Don with every breath, and that she didn't want that feeling to stop. Looking up at him, she kissed him again, softly this time.

"Why don't we get out of here?" she whispered.

Flack could only nod.

888888888888888888888888888

The next morning dawned bright and painful. The sunlight made Stella groan as she opened her eyes, and she buried her head in the pillow in an attempt to make it go away.

Her head snapped up then, as she realized that the pillow wasn't her own. Looking around, she realized that she was very much so naked, and that she wasn't in her bedroom, or even in her apartment. When her eyes landed on the person in the bed beside her, it was like a blow to her stomach.

"Oh God," she moaned, closing her eyes.

Her exclamation woke Flack up. He blinked slowly, trying to orient himself with what was going on. His eyes met Stella's, and he started to give her a smile. It turned to a frown, however, as he saw the panic in her gaze.

"Stell?"

"Oh God," she repeated, sliding out of bed. She searched the floor for her clothes, finding different articles strewn across the hardwood. Bending down, she snatched them up, trying desperately to get her panties on without uncovering herself from the bed sheet that she had dragged with her.

Don sat up. "Stella, wait."

She ignored him, still searching for her bra. Flack saw it peeking out from under the door, but he didn't tell her – he didn't want her to leave before he'd said what he needed to say.

"Stella," he called again, more firmly.

Still no response. Shaking his head, Flack got to his knees on the bed, reaching for her. After a few seconds of struggle, he got a hold of her arms, dragging her up against his naked body and holding her tightly.

"Stella," he said, his voice soft again. "Wait."

She shook her head. "It's okay, Flack. I know it was just a…a rebound thing –"

He tangled his fingers in her hair, forcing her to meet his eyes. "Rebound nothin', Stell. I knew what I wanted when I kissed you. This isn't about Jenn, or what happened between her and me. This is about us."

He kissed her then, softly and deeply. Stella moaned as his hands ran over her body, sending shockwaves across her skin. When he pulled back, she leaned on him to keep herself steady.

"Please stay," he whispered.

She nodded, kissing him again. Flack wrapped his arms around her waist tightly, lifting her up and laying them both back down on the bed. With her on top of him, he reached down for the blankets, covering their bodies and smiling at her as he brushed a stray hair from her eyes.

"Let's just see where this goes, Stell," he said quietly. "Let's see where it goes."