Note From The Author—I just wanted to do something in the rain and the rest has been knocking around in my head for a while. I feel iffy about it, but it's going up with or without reservations. Enjoy.

Disclaimer—I don't own the characters of CSI: NY

Stella was avoiding him. Flack understood it to a certain degree; even he was slightly embarrassed by what they had done in a closet in the lab. However inappropriate it had been, however ridiculous he felt that it had happened in a closet at midnight, he certainly didn't regret it, and it bothered him that she did.

It had been over a week and she had done everything possible to keep from having to interact with him. They barely spoke at the scene they'd both been called to, and she did everything possible to assure that they never came in contact in the lab. She had Lindsay, Danny or Adam call him with news and seemed to mysteriously disappear whenever he walked in the building.

Don wanted to call her, but he knew it would be pushing it, and the last thing that he wanted was to come off as desperate. Even so, it aggravated him that she had been all for what they were doing in the moment and had obviously panicked when it was over. It had all put him in a horrible mood for the past week, and he hated that he couldn't seem to pull himself out of it.

The second scene that threw them together after their little incident was decidedly awkward. They couldn't avoid speaking to each other, which made things even worse. Don was tense because he was still upset that she had pulled so completely back, and Stella was tense because she was still mortified every time she thought of the pair of them tumbling disheveled out of a supply closet. The others noticed how on edge they both were, but they new better to comment.

When they finished processing the scene, they all agreed to regroup back at the lab over some lunch. Stella grabbed Lindsay and practically bolted for the car before anyone could even think of suggesting she ride with Flack. Hawkes shot the detective a questioning look but Flack just shook his head. "Let's just get out of here," he told him

Lindsay and Stella walked into the lab just as the rain started. They rode the elevator together in companionable silence. Lindsay desperately wanted to ask what was going on between Don and Stella, but she figured that she and Hawkes would have to gang up on them to even have the possibility of getting an answer. So despite her curiosity, she stayed quiet for the time being.

It was a good ten minutes later when Hawkes joined them in the break room. Judging by his soaked clothing and the fact that he was dripping all over the place, the rain showers had turned into a downpour. Flack was conspicuously absent and though they were having issues, the last thing Stella wanted was to create problems with the rest of the team. "Where's Don?" she asked.

Hawkes shook his head as he wrung out his shirt in the trash can. "He's outside. He said he needed to think."

"In this?" Lindsay asked incredulously. She and Hawkes shared a significant look and they turned to stand shoulder to shoulder facing Stella. "Alright, we didn't want to say anything, but what's going on Stella?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, trying to sound innocent.

Hawkes folded his arms. "Come on, we've all noticed how tense things have been between the two of you. What's up?"

Stella sighed. "It's complicated guys."

"It can't be that complicated," Lindsay told her.

"It's not something I want to go into but it involved a supply closet, okay? I'm…. I don't know what I am."

The good doctor couldn't quite hold back a smile. "Sounds like you're embarrassed."

"It isn't just that Hawkes."

"So just because it's complicated you're going to let him catch his death out in the rain?"

She shook her head. "No I'm not going to do that," she said with a sigh.

It only took her a minute to get down to the ground level, and when she did she headed straight for the front doors. Sure enough Flack was leaning against the building, not caring that it was like a monsoon out there. He had left his jacket in the car and his shirt was soaked through, clinging uncomfortably to his body. His eyes were closed, his face turned up to the rain. She stepped out into the downpour, her arms crossed futilely against the cold and wet and spoke to him easily for the first time in over a week. "Don, what the hell are you doing out here?"

He didn't open his eyes, didn't turn his face from the sky. "I'm thinking."

"So Hawkes said, but couldn't you think inside where you're not going to freeze to death?"

"You actually care?"

The words were like a slap. "You know I do," she said quietly.

Flack sighed. "I'm sorry, I know you do." He looked over at her, gorgeous blue eyes looking just a bit lost. "What the hell happened to us?"

"I wish I knew." She moved to stand in front of him, suddenly not caring if she got as wet as he was.

"It's like you're ashamed about what happened Stell." It was almost a whisper.

It occurred to her that he was feeling just as insecure as she was. She shook her head, her damp curls clinging to her cheeks. "Ashamed is about the only thing I'm not feeling. I don't regret it Don, not for a second."

He pushed away from the wall angrily. "Then what; what's got you so shaken up that we can hardly speak anymore?"

"I… God Don why is it always so easy for you?" she cried.

"It's not easy for me Stell, far from it. You're avoiding the question."

Stella felt tears pricking at her eyes and tried desperately to hold them back. "Don't you get it Don? I'm frightened, by you, by all of this. It's been so long since I've wanted or needed someone so much that I completely lost control like we did."

"It scares me just as much Stell. You think I wanted to fall to pieces the way we did? You think I wanted the first time I made love with you to be up against a wall of shelves in a closet? It wasn't what either of us had planned, but why should that mean that it was any less amazing?"

"It shouldn't and it doesn't, but I feel so much, maybe too much; and I don't know how I'm supposed to handle it. I never wanted to fall in love again, and I can feel myself heading in that direction."

He grabbed her by the arms, holding firmly. "Well here's a news flash for you. I'm already in love with you, and I'm not going anywhere. I don't care how long it takes for us to figure this out. I'm going to be here."

"Maybe that's what scares me so much. Maybe it's knowing that this has the potential to be the real thing. This could be it; you could be the one," she whispered.

Flack's hands ran up her arms to frame her face, brushing his fingers against her cheek. "Would it be so bad, finding the one?"

"I thought so before you."

"Hear me out Stell. There's something between us, something we can't ignore. If there wasn't we wouldn't have ended up with extra Petri dishes and rubber gloves dumped on top of us in a closet." He said it with a gentle smile that he was relieved to see she returned. "You're it for me; I won't lie and tell you that I don't already know that. But wouldn't it be better to just take it one step at a time and see where it goes rather than running just because it's a little bit scary?"

She took a shuddering breath, feeling tears mix with the rain on her face. "Yes."

There was barely any hesitation, and it took him by surprise. "I want you to be sure about this Stell. If we decide to do this there's no going back."

"I can't guarantee that I'll never have issues or worry, but I'm tired of being scared Don."

She had rendered him completely and utterly speechless. Rather than stumbling and stuttering, he pulled her closer. She moved effortlessly into the circle of his arms and tilter her head up, their lips gliding silkily against each other. He tasted of rain and peppermint, and she was so completely and utterly surrounded by him that it almost buckled her knees. The cold was chased away, replaced by the warmth that washed over them.

As they stood there in the midst of a kiss fit for Hollywood Lindsay and Hawked leaned through the front door. They hadn't been able to reign in their curiosity and she had had to clap a hand over her mouth to hold back an excited squeal when she saw them wrapped in each others arms in the rain.

With a smile Hawkes tugged on Lindsay's hand, pulling her back into the building. "Come on, let's give them the moment."

Completely unaware that they had an audience for even that brief time, Flack and Stella pulled apart and he dropped a kiss on her forehead. "We're going to do this then."

She nodded. "I just have one condition."

"Anything."

"Let's call the night in the closet a prequel. I want to remember the first time as being marked by something other than raining rubber gloves."

Flack couldn't help the laugh that escaped. "We'll call the next time the first and the closet a trial run." He brushed a strand of clinging hair from her face. "But we'll make the first time just as memorable."

She leaned up to kiss him again before pulling back to take his hand in hers. Finally linked they walked together back into the building. When they got back to the break room they found their colleagues talking animatedly. When she saw Stella and Flack come in Lindsay nudged Hawkes and he grinned. "Some rain storm," he commented casually as Lindsay held back a giggle.

Stella returned the smile, looking briefly up at Flack. "Yeah, it's really something."