It was Stella's favorite time of the month. She was sitting in a small intimate restaurant, surrounded by her oldest friends- and a lot of shopping bags. A lot of shopping bags.

Lisa, June, Liz and Stella had met in their very first class at the police academy. They were some of the few women in a very male dominated field, and so despite their differences had remained fast friends ever since. They tried to meet up at least once a month to catch up on husbands, boyfriends, children, work and everything else in their busy lives.

Lisa, who had resigned from the force nearly a decade ago after marrying another officer and getting pregnant with their first child, was relating a story about her three boys that had them nearly falling off their seats in laughter. "But then James came home, and you know what was the first thing out of his mouth? 'Honey, I'm starving, what's for dinner?'"

"Hah!" Liz exclaimed. "Cam tried that one on me last week. Like just because I'm on leave, I should suddenly turn into a housewife. So I threw a book at his head." The others looked at her in disbelief. "What? I'm hormonal. It didn't hit him. And then I just burst into tears. God I'll be happy when I get this baby out of me." She rubbed a hand over her very pregnant stomach.

Lisa laughed. "It doesn't stop there you know. Say goodbye to normal Liz."

"Urgh, I know. I swear this is it. I didn't even want to have kids. That damn man practically forced me!"

The others laughed, used to this sort of complaint. By the time Liz had met her husband she had sworn off men completely. But Cam was different. A tough police sergeant like Liz, he was a softy underneath, and completely in love with his younger wife. Stella knew they hadn't even discussed children until Liz got pregnant. It was a small everyday miracle for the both of them.

"All this talk of men and babies is making me sick!" exclaimed June. The others laughed at her. The youngest of the group at thirty six, June had gorgeous Asian looks but claimed that every guy she dated was a loser. Like Lisa she had quit policing after a few years- to go to law school. These days she was a hard working ADA. "At least I have Stell to commiserate with. We single girls have to stick together."

"Don't be too sure of that," Liz butted in before Stella could say anything. "Stella's seeing someone."

Stella gaped at her, while June groaned. "Stella, tell me it's not true. You haven't joined them have you?"

"Yeah, I have been seeing someone," she admitted reluctantly. "How the hell did you know?"

Lisa and Liz exchanged a grin. "Last month we were talking after you had left- remember June, you were working so you couldn't come? We agreed that you had a certain air about you," Lisa said.

"You looked like you'd been well fucked actually," Liz said, while Lisa rolled her eyes.

"Liz!" she protested.

"Well it's true. So, Stella, who is this mystery man?"

Stella couldn't help the grin that spread across her face. "Well, he's tall," she raised her eyebrows to the ceiling as if thinking hard. "Dark..." she grinned again, "and very handsome."

"And? Come on Stell, us married women have to live vicariously through you. June only dates losers," Liz said.

"Hey!" June protested, taking no offense.

Stella leaned forward and the other women copied her actions. In truth she had been bursting to tell them but it was also still a secret she loved having. "When we aren't fighting like cats and dogs, he worships the ground I walk on."

The other three women all grinned. "Is it serious?" June asked, no trace of annoyance in her voice. She may have joked about it but Stella knew she didn't begrudge her her happiness.

Stella nodded. "It took him a month to convince me we should go out. He didn't give up until I said yes."

"Sounds like a keeper, Stella," Lisa said. "Watch out, you may end up just like Liz."

Stella rolled her eyes. "I'm too old for that now."

"That's what I said," Liz pointed out. "And boom, three months later I was married and pregnant. And I'm eleven days older than you, so there." She poked her tongue out at her friend.

The others laughed. "How long have you been seeing him?" Lisa asked.

"Six weeks," Stella replied. "And that's all you are getting out of me ladies. I'm trying to keep this quiet for now."

"Does Lindsay know who he is?" Liz asked, a hopeful look in her eyes.

After Stella had decided Lindsay was made of the right stuff she had brought the Bozeman transplant along to a few meetings. The other women loved her and Lindsay was grateful to have three new friends. Unfortunately she and Stella rarely had the same day off, so they couldn't always come together.

"Yes, but she is sworn to secrecy. Besides I didn't tell her, she found out on her own." Actually she had been in the wrong place at the right time, and had caught Stella out. And being that Lindsay was sure to tell Danny, Stella had made both of them swear they wouldn't tell. They had complied, but she suspected they were laughing at her, just a little.

"Come on, Stell..." Liz begged.

"No! Besides which June hasn't told us about the latest loser yet," Stella said, turning the tables on her friend.

"Hey, stop picking on me! Just because I am now the only unattached member of this group, doesn't mean you can gang up on me."

"Well you could ask Mr Handsome out," Lisa said, referring to a gorgeous- and single- defense attorney June often clashed with in and out of the courtroom.

June sighed. "I think he's gay," she said. "Why else would he still be single? Either that or he has some weird personality flaw. Like he collects toenail clippings or something."

"Eww," said Lisa. "James leaves his lying around the house after he's done. It's the one thing I refuse to clean up."

They all laughed.

"Let's face it," Stella said after they had calmed down again. "You may just have to date one of New Yorks finest."

They all turned back to her. "Oh, so he's a cop?" Liz inferred.

"I didn't say that!... Fine, yes he's a cop! Can we move on, please?"

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Don Flack felt the buzz of his pager at his hip just as the elevator doors opened at the crime lab. He automatically plucked it off his belt and read the screen as he made his way to Mac's office. Great, more work. Not one, but two bodies had been found in Central Park.

Mac looked up as he knocked on his open door. "Hey Mac, here's those reports you needed," Flack said, handing them off. "I just got a page about two DB's in the park. Anyone free?"

Mac placed the files in top of his already crowded desk, and looked down at the chaos. He wouldn't be able to get out for some time. "Yeah take Lindsay, she should be in AV. And call in Stella. You may not be able to reach her by phone so ask Lindsay if she knows where she might be."

Flack shook his head and looked down at his watch to check the time. "She's at Grellmarco's downtown with some old friends, we'll pick her up on the way."

He looked up again and Mac raised an eyebrow at him just as he realized what he had said. Oh shit. "At least, uh, that's what she told me, um, yesterday. Lindsay will know for sure." Smooth, Flack, real smooth, he thought to himself sarcastically. Why not just tell the man that you're sleeping with his best friend and get it over with?

Mac looked skeptical at best and a silence stretched out between them. "Shouldn't you get going then?" he asked

"Right. Uh- see ya Mac." Flack left, cursing his tongue.

If he had looked back he would have seen the smile on the older man's face.

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Half an hour after the others stopped ribbing her about the mystery boyfriend, Stella instinctively looked up towards the door of the restaurant just as he walked in. He glanced around and their eyes met. As he paused by the door for a moment they shared a smile across the room.

She watched as he walked through the now mostly empty tables towards them. He reassumed his no-nonsense detective persona- something she found incredibly sexy, especially when he was wearing a suit. Now that they were together it was even harder to resist jumping him in the middle of a crime scene.

He stepped up to the table just as there was a lull in the conversation, and cleared his throat. "Sorry to interrupt ladies," he said, smiling and charming them all. "But I'm afraid I need Detective Bonasera." He looked at her across the table. "We've got a scene in the park."

He eyed the empty wineglass in front of her. "Are you good to go?"

She smiled at him and nodded. "Give me five?"

"Sure," he said. "Ladies," he repeated in goodbye before he smiled at them once again and turned to walk out of the restaurant.

As Stella collected her bags together, the others stared after him.

"Well," June said with a grin as soon as he was out of earshot. "I may just have to start dating some of New York's finest after all."

"Oh, and he has a cute butt too," Liz sighed as he disappeared out the door.

Stella laughed. "Should Cam be worried?"

Liz waved a hand dismissively. "Pfft. I'm married, let me look."

"Was that Don Flack Junior?" Lisa asked. "He's even cuter in person than he is on tv."

"No fair," Liz pouted. "Why does Stella get to work with all the cute guys? None of the guys at my station are nearly as good looking as that hunk. I bet he looks even better naked."

"Liz!" the other two exclaimed, and all three of them laughed as Stella stood, the bag handles looped around her wrists.

There was a war going on inside her. Should she or shouldn't she? "Well duty calls. I'll see you next time ladies."

They all said goodbye and she stepped away from the table. A moment later she turned back.

"You're right Liz, he does look even better naked. I said tall, dark and handsome, didn't I?" She grinned at the shock written across their faces and quickly escaped the restaurant before they could run after her.

"Craddlerobber!" she heard Liz yell as the others started laughing. She would be inundated with phone calls that night but decided it was worth telling them just to see their reaction.

She too was laughing as she stepped outside.

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He was waiting for her on the sidewalk. "What's so funny?" he asked, suspecting the answer would have something to do with his little introduction to her circle of friends.

Obviously in an exuberant mood, she placed her hands on either side of his face and pulled him down so she could kiss him, shopping bags forgotten as they hung between them. He automatically wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer.

"They were very interested in my new boyfriend," she said when she pulled away. "So when you walked in looking all sexy I couldn't help but to tell them you were mine."

He smirked, preening a little at her compliment. "How did they take it?"

"All I saw was the look on their faces as I left. Apparently last month Liz and Lisa thought I looked like I had been well fucked."

With the swearword dripping of her tongue like honey he couldn't help but kiss her again under the bright sun in the middle of the sidewalk.

"I'm going to take that as a compliment," he murmured as they separated once more, but he kept his arms wrapped around her waist. "Oh, speaking of telling people, I think you should let Mac know that my intentions towards you are entirely honorable. He practically gave me the evil eye after I told him I knew where you were on your day off. I think he suspects something."

"You're not scared of him, are you?" she teased.

"Of course not," he protested. "I just don't want it to interfere in our working relationship."

Stella laughed and he was thinking about kissing her again when they were startled by a horn blast from a car parked a few spaces down. Flack dropped his head and groaned. How could he have forgotten? Lindsay leaned out of the car. "I don't know about you guys but I have a job to do," she called out to them, grinning.

They separated with no small amount of reluctance on his part. Sometimes he almost couldn't bring himself to believe that after years of admiring her from afar and a month of begging she was actually his. Every time he held her, kissed her, he never wanted to let her go.

Paying more attention to his surroundings, he looked down as he laced the fingers of one of his hands through hers. His eyebrows rose sharply. "Christ Stell, what on earth is in those bags?"

She laughed at him again. "Maybe I'll show you later, Detective," she said, pulling him towards the car and back to work.

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Foxdvd is partially to blame for this story. I got the idea from the wonderful Wine and Miracles, which if you haven't read, you really really should. (It was the bit where Stella is remembering the things she has heard about Don Flack Senior from her group of female cop friends.)

Then I got so caught up in Lisa, Liz and June's lives that I couldn't stop. And I had to let them meet Stella's handsome young boyfriend.

Please review and tell me what you think!