I'm going to try to get out as many chapters as it comes to me. Please tell your friends about this story and I love to read your comments. I'm new on here, so it would help me a lot.


About 20 years ago, Alana had met Jess at a play-date set up by their fathers. Looking back on it, it was the most awkward way to meet a friend. Alana was seven and fully capable of meeting her own friends...if she wasn't hearing impaired. Jess was ten and fully capable of meeting her own friends...if she didn't threaten to beat them up. Alana was pretty much afraid of Jess the whole time. At the end of the play-date, Jess turned to her and smiled. Alana remembered what she said. If anyone teases you, let me know. I'll beat their butts up. Alana could remember Jess's dad getting mad at her for saying that, but surprisingly proud. Alana was just happy to get her first best friend. And it actually lasted.

They were inseparable. They went through middle school and high school together. Jess joined the academy like her brothers did, right out of school while Alana went to NYU. It was funny that Alana met Flack before Jess did, since they worked in the same precinct together. Jess used to laugh about Alana's and Flack's encounters at the press conferences or police balls and how they were at each other's throats. Then when Jess became Flack's partner, they suddenly stopped talking about him and work in general. Maybe to avoid conflict, or maybe just because she knew Jess was falling for Flack. Flack never knew they were best friends until towards the end of Jess's life. Alana remembered Jess getting annoyed that he was annoyed that they were friends. Of course, it quickly disappeared when he pretended to be nice to Alana. It felt like high school all over again. She dealt with it for Jess's sake. The day of Jess's death, her words rand through Alana's head as they had their last phone conversation. Lana, if something were to happen to me, please look out for him for me. He might be an ass, but I don't want to see him go down because I'm not there. At the time, Alana thought she was being highly unrealistic and Jess would live a long life and marry Flack, but she still promised. It was her best friend, after all.

Then she died. Simon Cade killed her. It shook Alana to her core. Her one and only best friend was taken away from her in cold blood. She remembered the tears coming down Flack's face at autopsy, at the funeral, even at the bar before Danny was shot. She knew Jess felt her death coming on, which is why she made Alana promise. And Alana took it to heart, even if Flack never realized it. She picked him up nights when he couldn't drive home because he was too drunk, even if she felt it was too excessive for a broken heart. She took him to get tested to make sure that he didn't get anything from the random whores he went home with. She helped him find an AA group right by his apartment. She followed him to most of his AA meetings, to make sure he was getting help. And every Friday, she went to visit Jess and give her an update. Flack probably took it for granted- after all, he thanked Danny and Mac for setting him straight, being there for him, not Alana. She knew he still thought of her as a pain in his ass, so she didn't ask for his thanks. One day, he might see that she was there for him and maybe he'll hate her less. Maybe, if he actually looked a bit to his right on Fridays, he would see her standing there, watching him talk to Jess.

Don Flack was not an overly emotional man. Yes, he was a bit of a jokester with the CSI and some of his other co-workers, he could be a bad ass, even a sweetheart with kids. But he never showed his sensitive side, for the exception to three people- Danny, Mac, and Angell. Angell. Even a year later, hearing her name tugged at his heartstrings. If only I had more time...I would've fallen head over heels in love. Yes, he loved Jessica Angell, even for the short time they were together. Even if her best friend was Princess. His world disappeared when she died, and his spirit died when he killed Simon Cade. Only his God and Mac knew he killed him. Danny probably knew since he was raiding the place with him.

Flack drank away his guilt, slept away his pain for Jess with random whores. He wasn't even himself anymore. He barely recognized his own reflection in the mirror. One day, it went too far, him going AWOL during a major serial killer case. Mac had found him, hungover and beaten up. Mac didn't want to hear his excuses- he was pissed and disappointed. Mac was one of his best friends and that hurt him to see Mac turn his back on him if he didn't shape up, so he did. Danny urged him to AA. Mac let him remain on the case. And every Friday after AA and even when AA ended, he visited Jess. There were always fresh flowers there, like someone visited before him. He never put much thought into it. He stands there for a few minutes in silence, then begins to talk to her. Some weeks, he talked about himself. Most weeks, he ranted about work and how annoying Alana was. He felt like she was always keeping an eye on him. At first, he thought she felt bad and wanted to give her condolences. But now, he didn't like it. She never speaks when she does look at him from a distance, but he knows she is looking. He never understood Jess's and Alana's friendship. They were opposites in all walks of life except for the fact that both of their dad's were police officers. Then again, he could see how they were. He had to admit, the fiery redhead was smart, and beautiful. He slight accent from her hearing loss sounded really soothing to his ears, but he couldn't stand her ability to stand up to people. She was good at verbal cues and attacks. He found that it made her seem stuck-up, even if she was defending a kid from an abuser or when she's defending herself to him. If Jess was still alive, she would be rolling her eyes at him and telling him to suck it up.

Today was the anniversary of Jess's death and both of them were a bit on edge. The case hadn't been solved- the gang refused to help, there was no DNA hits and both Danny and Lindsay were out sick. Alana had been at the lab all night, trying to find something. Flack had gone home and come back to the lab to see if anyone has found anything. Instead, he found Alana asleep at the computer. He looked at the screen and saw that she was running some tests on the unknown substance on the victim's wounds. She actually looked peaceful to him and he was tempted to scare her awake, but even that was too cruel for him to do to her. He just found a random sweater in the A/V lab and put it over her shoulders before walking out to find Mac.

Alana woke up from the shrill sounds coming from the computer. The sweater fell off her shoulders and she figured Adam must've put it on her since he couldn't get her to leave. She felt her grin growing bigger as she grab the printout and ran out of the lab, looking for Mac. Not really watching where she was going, she crashed right into Flack's back.

"I didn't know you were that attracted to me Princess" he smirked. Alana could feel her blood boiling a bit, but ignored his comment, grabbing her file and walked up to Mac.

"The substance in the wounds was snake venom. And we only know one person who harvests it." She could tell Flack's jaw dropped and Mac's face suddenly got a smirk.

"Thank you Alana. Flack." Mac walked out with both Flack and Alana standing there.

"What are you still doing here Flack?"

"You look like crap. Go home." He walked off after Mac leaving Alana unsure whether to be pissed or thankful for his sudden concern. She shrugged it off, heading to the locker room when she heard Mac's voice again.

"ALANA! Are you coming?"

"Oh! Right on your tail Mac!" She ran over into the elevator right before the doors closed and stood next to Flack. He tugged at her ponytail and she pinched him. Mac's back was facing them, so they just decided to start annoying each other.

"Keep it up and I'm shooting both of you." Alana and Flack suddenly dropped their hands, moving farther away from each other in the elevator. They drove to the suspect's lab, hoping it would be a simple arrest. They all thought wrong. As soon as Flack announced them, the guy ran. Alana ran after him while Flack and Mac went to block the other exits. All the sudden he pulled out a gun, and she cursed to herself, wishing that it was Flack doing the chasing. She hid behind a lab table as bullets were ricocheting off the metal surfaces in the room. Alana let off a few shots, knowing she probably didn't hit him considering he kept moving, she kept moving, and they were in a metal room. My luck really sucks!

Flack had run into Mac at the front of the building. He got all the other employees out and hadn't seen the suspect or Alana.

"Flack have you seen--" They heard the sound of gunshots and ran back inside the lab. Flack spotted the suspect shooting, but he couldn't find Alana. He was actually beginning to worry when he saw a flash of red run behind another table. She was still alive, but by this point the suspect had spotted Flack and Mac.

"MAC, GET DOWN!" Mac and him ducked behind some tables as Alana began shooting again. She reloaded when she felt something crawling up her leg.

"Shit, shit, shit!" She saw a snake crawling up her leg. Her luck was really getting bad. They are getting shot at and there's a venomous snake sliding up her leg, it couldn't get any worse. He finally ran out of ammo and just ran as Flack went after him. Mac walked over and saw Alana's petrified face.

"Mac...that's the snake. Get it off me," she said in a forced calm. Any hint of fear and she could get bit. Any false moves, and she could get bit. She didn't like the odds.

"Hold still. I'll find the clamps for it." She whimpered internally as we walked off to find the clamps. Flack walked back in, looking quite pleased that they finally caught the guy and walked over to Alana.

"Oh, that's a really attractive face."

"Go. Away."

"Why so bitchy, Princess?"

"There's a snake."

"I know you hate me, but really, a snake?"

"Flack, right now, I would love to shoot you, but that would risk me getting bit, so shut. up." He finally looked down at her leg and saw that she really was telling the truth.

"You were telling the truth."

"No shit Sherlock." He glared at her and she continued to look around the room. The snake had finally stopped moving, so she let out a long breath in relief. Mac finally came over with animal control and they got the snake off her leg. Once they did, she smacked Flack.

"YOU ARE AN ASS!" He was trying hard not to laugh at her outbursts and smacks. She was getting more annoyed by the minute.

"Would you grow up and get over yourself? I'm tired of dealing with you when you're like this!"

"It's kind of hot seeing you all bothered."

"ARGHH!" She stormed off and this time, he wasn't that proud of himself. He actually felt somewhat guilty. Mac just shook his head at Flack, disappointment written all over his face. Flack went outside, to see if he could find Alana, but she was gone.

"...he's a complete ass, Jess. But I got to admit, it was the first time I've saw him laugh like that since before you died." Alana stood in front of Jess's gravestone and smiled. It had been a long day, but she hadn't forgotten. She felt like someone was behind her, but she didn't bother to look. The memorial park got a lot of visitors in July.

"He still misses ya, Jess. You can still read it in his eyes. I doubt he'll ever get over you, but I'll be there for him, even if he acts like he's five." She heard a chuckle behind her and turned to see Flack there with some flowers.

"You talk to her too?"

"Every Friday. You're here a little earlier than usual."

"Excuse me?"

"You usually arrive as I leave." She smiled at him and walked up to him.

"I'll give you two sometime. See you later Don." He watched her walk off, then turned to walk over to the gravestone, setting some flowers down.

"Well, I guess you were right. She is a better person than I had assumed."