Lindsay stared out at the snow, watching the way it blanketed the city. No one moved on the streets, not in white-out conditions where the mayor had advised everyone to stay home. The weather report said that the storm was the strongest the city had seen in years, and the snow wasn't supposed to stop for hours.

Most of the team was trapped in the lab. They had been busting their asses, trying to close a case, and by the time they were finished, it was too late to leave. Now they were just sitting around, waiting for the storm to settle down and let them go home.

"Knock, knock."

Lindsay and Stella looked up to see Danny standing in the doorway to the office. He was covered in snow, a puddle forming at his feet. But what had both women staring were the boxes of pizza in his hands.

"Don't tell me you went out in that," Stella said.

Danny shrugged. "The guys were hungry, and it was either this or break into the vending machines." He walked over and placed one of the boxes on Stella's desk.

"For us?" Lindsay asked in surprise.

He shrugged again, not meeting her eyes. "Figured you guys might wanna eat too. And the guys over at the Pizza Palace got nothin' better to do – they're trapped just like us."

He turned and walked out of the office, leaving the women alone. Stella smirked at her friend.

"And you want me to believe that he doesn't genuinely have feelings for you?"

Lindsay fidgeted uncomfortably. "He just wants to get in my pants."

"You keep telling yourself that," the older woman commented as she reached for the food.

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Twenty minutes later, the pizza was almost gone and Angell had joined them. The three women leaned back in their chairs, finishing their last pieces as they continued to watch the snow.

"Mac still at the airport?" Angell asked.

Stella nodded. "He's not too happy about it. He was going to try and get back here anyway, but they're not letting anyone leave. He's stuck."

"What about the guys?" Lindsay interjected. "Is there a reason we didn't all eat our pizza together?"

Angell shrugged. "I say we go find out."

The other two agreed, and they left the office in search of their male counterparts. It didn't take very long to find them – they were camped out in the break room, two empty boxes of pizza thrown onto the floor. Sitting around the table, they drank the sodas they had gotten out of the machines.

Angell smiled when she saw them. Turning to her friends, she held a finger to her lips, signaling for them to be quiet. Then they all moved closer to the door and made sure to stay out of sight, listening.

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"Alright," Adam said, holding up a hand. "I've got a question for you all. And I want truthful answers."

"Uh-oh," Hawkes replied. "This can't be good."

Flack shrugged. "We've already promised that nothing said here leaves the room. How else are we gonna kill time?"

"Okay, Adam," Danny said. "Shoot."

Adam smiled. "I want to know…which women in the lab turn you on."

The other three guys moaned as Adam just laughed. He had his suspicions about each of them, but he thought that this was a good opportunity to get the information right from the horse's mouth.

"You first, Sheldon."

Hawkes glared at his friend. "You're kidding, right? What are we, a bunch of fifth-graders?"

Don smirked. "I think Hawkes has a secret he doesn't wanna tell us."

The C.S.I. looked over Flack. "Fine. You want to know who I think is hot? Detective Angell." The boys hollered and whistled at the answer. "Happy now?"

Laughing, Don nodded. "Yep."

"You should ask her out, man," Adam said.

Hawkes looked uncomfortable. "I was going to, but…" He looked across at Flack again. "I thought maybe there was something going on between the two of you."

The detective coughed, choking on his soda. "What!? There ain't nothin' going on there, Doc. Me an' Jen are friends. That's all."

Sheldon's eyes narrowed. "Then who are you interested in, Flack?"

Don started to blush, but Danny cut in, saving his friend. "What about you, Adam? You're the one that started this little game."

He shrugged. "Kendall."

"Not surprising," Hawkes laughed. He looked over to his left. "Your turn, Danny."

"We all know who turns Messer on," Don grinned.

Danny shrugged. "Yeah, but we also know that she doesn't want nothin' to do with me."

"And yet you keep trying."

His eyes dropped to the can of soda in his hands. "I like her," he mumbled.

"I think it's gone a little past that point, my friend."

"And what about you?" Danny shot back. "At least I'm not moonin' over Bonasera!"

The whole room stopped as they stared at Don. He sank a little lower in his seat, a blush creeping up his neck and continuing to the tips of his ears. Hawkes let out a low whistle.

"Stella? Really?"

Flack shrugged. "She's hot," he muttered.

Danny gave him a skeptical look. "Are you tryin' to tell me that your feelings for the lovely detective are based solely on her looks?"

"It might go a little deeper than that," he admitted quietly.

"Might?" Danny asked. "I've seen the way you look at her, Donnie. You are totally and completely lost."

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Angell pulled the other two women away from the door, noting how shocked they looked. When she had them a safe distance away, she turned to face them.

"You guys okay?"

Lindsay nodded. "I just…"

Jen smiled. "It's kinda hard to keep living in denial now, huh?"

"Just a little." She turned to Stella. "Can you do me a favor?"

"Sure, kiddo."

"When Danny comes out…ask him to meet me in our office? I think it's time I stopped running."

Stella smiled, hugging her friend. "I agree." When Lindsay had disappeared down the hall, she turned to Angell. "And what about you? Are you going to act on what you heard?"

Angell gave her a small smile as she watched Hawkes leave the break room, moving in the opposite direction. "I think…I'm going to go follow Sheldon."

The younger woman made her way down the corridor, and Stella realized that she was the only one left – and that meant that it was time for her to make a decision of her own.

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"You wanted to see me?" Danny asked as he stepped into the office that he shared with Lindsay.

She gave him a nervous smile. "Yeah."

They stood there for a couple minutes. Lindsay knew that she had to say something, but her fear kept cutting off her words. What if she was wrong? What if he just wanted a casual thing that he could walk away from after?

"Montana?" When she didn't answer, he moved forward until he could take hold of her arms, a concerned expression on his face. "What's the matter?"

She gave him a smile, seeing everything she needed in his eyes. "Nothing. I just wanted to ask you something."

"Shoot."

Reaching out, she played with the collar of his shirt. "Do you still want that date?"

Danny couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Yeah," he said, a little breathlessly.

"Good. Because I'm saying yes."

His smile was blinding. Then he looked outside. "The weather's not exactly cooperatin' with us."

She shrugged. "You could always treat me to a chocolate bar."

He chuckled, nodding. "That I can, Montana. That I can."

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Eventually, Adam left as well, and Don was left in the break room alone. He stared at the soda can in front of him, his earlier words echoing in his head. That was the first time he had really admitted out loud how he felt about Stella, and he wasn't sure how he felt about it. Admitting it made it real, and it meant that he was going to be thinking about it even more every time he was around her.

A sound to his left made him turn, and he was startled to see Stella in the room, pulling a chair over so that she could sit next to him. She had a nervous smile on his face, and he wondered what was on her mind.

"Hey, Stell."

"Hey, Don."

Silence fell over them, both of them wrapped in their own thoughts even as they were painfully aware of the other's presence. Don tried desperately to think of something funny to say, something that would break the tension, but his mind was completely blank.

"We heard you."

Those were not the words he was expecting to hear. Fear sank into the bottom of his stomach, and he couldn't bring himself to look at her.

"What?"

"Lindsay, Angell and I. We heard you guys talking about us."

Flack swallowed hard, his eyes closing. "Stell…."

He felt a hand on his chin as it turned his head, and then he felt her lips against his. His body reacted before his mind had even registered what was happening. Tilting his head, he deepened the kiss, moaning when their tongues met. Don had imagined this moment a thousand times, but nothing could have prepared him for how amazing it felt to finally be kissing her.

Minutes – maybe even hours; Flack wasn't sure – later, they pulled apart, both breathing heavily, clinging to the other. Stella gave him a shy smile as she leaned in to give him another kiss – this one gentle and slow. Then she stood up, reaching a hand down to him.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

She gave him a sly smile. "My office."

Flack decided that winter was his new favorite season.