My thanks to; JessicaFlack, webdlfan & CSI4lyfNCIS13 - who reviewed the previous chapter. I had a few of you going with Flack's dream, didn't I? But obviously it all worked out for the best and our little lovebirds learned even more about each other by working through it, then of course they went to the Winter Ball. Speaking of the ball, we pick up this chapter with Flack and Angell still out on the dance floor...
***** INCLUDES THE EPISODE "FLAG ON THE PLAY" *****
"Those two still haven't parted." Stella comments to Mac as they sit next to each other, taking a break from the dance floor. Mac glances over at Flack and Angell, then smirks a wordless agreement. "Guess all the gossip was true." She adds.
Mac gives her a sideways glance with an arched brown thrown in. "You're not the type to be interested in gossip, Stella." He says before taking a bite of chocolate cake, one of the delicious desserts the wait staff was offering.
"True." Stella says, laying her fork down on her now empty dessert plate, her cheese cake finished. "But in all honesty," She pauses to lean in so only he could hear, "it was kinda nice to have them focused on someone and leave us alone."
Mac gives her a knowing nod, "So does this mean we'll have to be careful or we will now become the focus of gossip, or that we should give them something legitimate to gossip about?" He asks, extending a hand as he rises from his chair.
Stella answers with a wordless smile as she takes his offered hand, and they head back out on the dance floor.
FAFAFAFAFA
"You sure we can't trade dance partners?" Sid's date Eloise teases as she and Sid dance next to Flack and Angell.
"Sorry, ma'am, but I'm not letting go till my arms fall off." Flack answers with an obvious teasing tone.
"Should I be insulted?" Sid teasingly asks Eloise, at the idea of her preferring to dance with Flack over him.
"Not at all, Sidney." She assures him. "I just thought you might like a twirl with Miss. Angell to size up the competition. We do have several more songs to out-dance them, you know."
Sid smiles back before giving Eloise another twirl, her emerald green dress flaring.
FAFAFAFAFA
"I guess this fits in the 'put up or shut up' category, doesn't it?" Lindsay asks her husband, as they walk off the dance floor.
"Well, I guess if you're gonna annouce you're together, you might as well do it with style... and to everyone all at once." Danny said, directing his wife to the bar.
FAFAFAFAFA
"We wanna dance." Adam's red-headed date said to him as she ran her finger along his jaw line.
"Come on, Adam. It's long past dinner and we haven't danced yet." The blond added, turning his face and locking her blue eyes with his.
'Oh boy.' Adam thought to himself. This was the part of the evening he knew he wouldn't be good at. He loved going clubbing, but those were avatar clubs with loud techno music, not fancy ballroom stuff.
"Well, you see, ladies-" He began before both of them stood and each grabbed one of his arms. 'Oh boy!' He thought again as both ladies escorted him out onto the dance floor. He wasn't sure how to dance to this kind of music, let alone with two women at once.
The red head, picking up on how nervous Adam had become, said, "See that tall guy over there?" She asked, referring to Flack. Adam nodded. "Just do what he's doing."
He nodded and smiled at her as if answering 'Okay', but to himself he was thinking, 'Yeah, right. Me, anything like Don Flack? Mr. Perfect who is dating Jessica Angell.' Adam and his dates had been seated close enough that he heard the conversation between Angell and Caine, and then Flack. He'd heard the watter cooler gossip, and more importantly picked up on the vibes between them, and was happy for them.
FAFAFAFAFA
"What are you looking at, Sheldon?" Kara asked, noticing that he seemed slightly distracted as they danced.
"Oh, just happy for some colleagues at the moment." He answered.
She turned to see what he was gesturing at, "That couple over there?" She asked and Hawkes nodded. "I remember meeting him once. When I had to come down to the precinct. Flack. Right?" She asked.
He nodded again, "And that's Detective Angell he's been dancing with all night."
"How long have they been together?" Kara asked.
"I had not idea, until tonight, that they were." He answered.
Kara laughed, "Oh, Sheldon,... you're so oblivious sometimes." She teased, being able to tell by the way Flack was holding Angell that it was not the first time they had danced together.
FAFAFAFAFA
Benton, Sythe, and Chebouski all stood at the bar, each waiting for their drink orders to take back to the ladies at their tables. "I never saw it coming." Sythe stated.
"Saw what coming?" Benton asked.
"Flack and Angell." Sythe answered as he looked at them out on the dance floor, Angell now resting her head on Flack's shoulder.
Chebouski was biting his tongue at the moment. Sythe was their Lieutenant, and more importantly a Detective. How on earth could he have missed something so obvious? He looked over at Benton to see if he was going to say anything. It was clear he wasn't. Maybe Benton was thinking the same thing he was. He'd have to ask him later. Fortunately their drink orders arrived, allowing both Benton and Chebouski to depart without having to comment on Sythe's discovery.
FAFAFAFAFA
Caine watched from across the room. He'd been sitting there most of the evening, alone. Well, not actually 'alone'. He had plenty of colleagues around him to talk to, but no date. He'd also been out on the dance floor a time or two, but the one woman he really wanted, the one woman he had tried so hard to get, had shut him down. And now,... now she was out there, again, with Flack. He tried not to stare at them, but he couldn't help it. He wanted so desperately for her to be out there with him. For her hand to be draped over his shoulders, for her head to be resting against him, for her warm breath to be felt on his neck. He closed his eyes for a moment and tried to imagine it was him out there with her. How he'd hold her tight and feel her pressed against him. "Cute couple, aren't they?" He heard, a voice breaking into his daze. He looked up to see Officer Miller taking a seat at the table. "I'd heard those two might have something going on." Miller added, and Caine tried not to let his frustration show. He wanted to be out there with Angell, but no, she was with Flack instead.
FAFAFAFAFA
Flack pulled Angell closer to himself, yet resisted the urge to pull her even closer. They were in a public place, after all. Her hair smelled like strawberries, which was unusual. She didn't usually do scented shampoo, or scented anything for that matter. One case with a perp claiming she had tried to seduce him via the smell of her perfume had seen to that. She could easily put up with such a thing, but anything that could jeopardize a case was never worth the risk to her. So he enjoyed the rare occasion that called for such simple things as scented shampoo or perfume. He knew they were garnering lots of stares, but didn't care too much. It did feel a bit awkward at times, but he was there with the most beautiful woman in the room and he quickly reminded himself that the men in the room were probably just jealous. Angell looked stunning in her fitted black cocktail dress, with her hair pinned up in curls, and he just loved those black stiletto heels that accentuated her sexy legs... oh yeah, definitely jealous.
Angell did her best to maintain eye contact with Flack as they talked and danced. It seemed that every time she peered over his shoulder or glanced around the room, that every eye was on them. She was surprised at how many of the men from the precinct could be like a gossipy old hens and was sure they would be talking about them for quite a while to come. They definitely needed to get a life of their own. It did feel good to be together out in public and not care who saw them or what they thought, but she didn't feel like being the evening entertainment. Angell closed her eyes and rested her head against Flack, blocking out everyone but the two of them, as if no one else was even there... just her and the man she loved. Of course, the evening would be made perfect if she could arrest whoever invented those damn shoes that were killing her feet.
SEVERAL DAYS LATER...
"Lonjre futbl?" Angell repeated, balancing her phone on her shoulder.
"No, Jess. Lingerie Football." Flack clarified.
"Das wat I sad." She attempted to say, dabbing her nose with a tissue.
"I think you need to go back to bed, Jess." He suggested, glad she couldn't see him at the moment or he'd surely be in trouble for mocking her.
"Goo ida." She replied before hanging up the phone.
"That Angell?" Messer inquired as he approached.
"Yeah." Flack answered, putting his cell phone away. "She's still sick, thanks to you, Danny." He added in a cool tone.
"Me? It wasn't me, man." Messer said in a mock defensive tone. "I told you it was Caine. The three of us chased that perp in the pouring rain till we were all soaked to the skin and freezing cold. I was already sick, so I went straight back to the precinct to dry off and change. It was Caine who insisted he and Angell take the perp with them to pick up the brother they were still looking for." Danny explained, again.
"Yeah, well, she ended up staying cold and wet for several more hours and was sick the next day. She couldn't go to Sunday dinner at my folks'." Flack said while checking his notes for the info he knew his friend had come for.
"I bet that didn't go over too well. Your folks love Jess." Messer teased while trying to get a better look at Flack's notebook.
Flack nodded, "True. I swear, Danny, sometimes I think I could just send Jess over there by herself." He said, copying down the numbers Messer needed.
"I'm pretty sure they'd notice you're not being there." Messer replied, taking the paper from Flack. "Now what's really bothering you?"
Flack looked around the bullpen a bit to see who might be listening in. He always believed in 'if you can't say something nice...', but this was really bugging him. "I swear, Danny, Caine probably thought of that chase through the rain more like a wet t-shirt contest than a perp apprehension."
"He still hittin' on Angell?" Messer inquired, keeping his voice low.
"Every chance he gets." Flack answered with a nod, "And every other female in the building, too." He added.
"Angell can handle herself, and will kick his ass if she has to." Messer assured his friend. "In the meantime,... he'd better stay away from Lindsay."
"Speaking of Lindsay, you got her birthday present figured out yet?" Flack asked, putting his notebook away.
Messer shook his head, "No, man. I'm stumped."
"Don't worry, you've still got plenty of time." Flack assured his friend. "Hey, we still on for some basketball later? A little one-on-one?"
"Ahhh, I see how it is. You finally make time for a friend now that your girlfriend is sick and you have to stay away from her." Messer teases as he walks away.
"Shut up, Danny." Flack deadpans.
SEVERAL HOURS LATER...
"So, Flack." Patterson says by way of greeting as he stops near his desk, "I hear Angell is sick."
"Mhmm." Flack mumbles in response as he searches his desk for a file.
Patterson waits a moment to see if he will receive additional response, but doesn't. "So, that's kind of interesting timing."
"Huh?" Flack mumbles, still searching for the elusive file.
"I mean,... you two announce that you're together... at the ball,... then she's sick. Ya know." Patterson stumbles out.
Flack straightens up, the elusive file finally in his hand, and looks at Patterson who has a smirk on his face. "What are you talking about, Patterson?" He asks in irritation.
"Well,... it's obvious." He answers, then leans in slightly and lowers his voice. "Angell's pregnant. Right?"
'Impossible' was the first word to come to Flack's mind. "Pregnant?" He repeats.
"Well, yeah. You said she was sick. Morning sickness, duh, de-tec-tive." Patterson said as if explaining something to Flack.
Flack couldn't resist the urge. "Pregnant? That's why she's sick? That's it! I'm gonna kill Danny!" He yells as he throws the file back down on his desk.
Patterson abruptly straighted his posture. "Uh, what?" He asked, now unsure of what was going on and noticing that they were now recieving stares from several in the bullpen.
"Well, you said she's pregnant." Flack stated, not currently caring who was listening, "And obviously you know about these things, since you and your wife had a baby last year."
"Well, yeah, we did." Patterson said, still confused as to how this could have anything to do with Messer. 'Oh geez, did the Mess mess around with Angell?' He wondered to himself.
"I mean," Flack began in obvious animation, "They have been working a lot of cases together recently." He paused for effect and began to pace a little. "But, who knew an ear ache and sore throat could lead to pregnancy? Danny admitted he had it first, but I had no idea he'd been sharing with Angell like that." He paused again and looked at Patterson, "What am I gonna do, Patterson? I mean, now I have to kill Danny, for getting Angell pregnant. Then Danny will be dead, I'll be arrested, and Angell will have to wait nine months for her cold to go away." Flack finished his rant with an exasperated expression directed at Patterson. It had all turned terribly sappy, but he just couldn't help it.
"Very funny, Flack." Patterson said before walking away to the sounds of Benton and Chebouski busting up into laughter.
Flack shook his head in exasperation as he let out a heavy sigh. He turned to his desk again and was about to pick the file back up when Lieutenant Sythe summoned him to his office.
"Have a seat, Flack." Sythe offered. "I'll explain what I want, as soon as my side stops hurting from laughing so hard."
An hour later Flack left Sythe's office. "Hey, Flack." He hears on his way back to his desk, then turns to see Caine. "I hear you got assigned the Lingerie Football case."
"That's right." Flack answers factually.
"Too bad Angell's sick. She could have done some undercover work on the case. Ya know, uniform and all." Caine smirks out.
Flack did not answer beyond the disgusted look he gave Caine.
AFTER SHIFT...
"And he had the audacity to describe what Angell should wear while playing football." Flack said with anger in his tone.
"And you left his head on his shoulders?" Messer asked as he easily stole the ball from Flack who was obviously too distracted to be playing basketball.
"Not by choice." Flack assured him. "Right outside Sythe's office and too many witnesses in the bullpen. Besides, he was obviously trying to bait me and I wasn't about to let him do that."
Messer laughed in response, "So, I heard that you're gonna kill me." He stated, before going in for an easy layup.
It was Flack's turn to laugh, "You should have seen the look on Patterson's face. It was priceless."
"You and Angell getting a lot of comments since the ball?" Messer asks, passing the ball back out to Flack.
"Not to many, really. I doubt there were many that didn't have us figured out already." Flack said, now his turn for a layup.
"Kinda comes from working with detectives." Messer said while trying unsuccessfully to block Flack.
"True. But it was worth it, and now we don't have to feel like we've got some sort of secret." Flack states, remembering how it felt to hold the woman he loves as they moved in rhythm to the music.
Danny, of course, took full advantage of his friend's current state of distraction to take the ball. "You're so whipped." He stated after sinking the ball.
"Takes one to know one." Flack states, referring to his friend being 'whipped' as well.
Messer sighed, "True." He admitted, shoving the basketball into his gym bag. "Let's get out of here. I've gotta stop and pick up some chicken soup for Lindsay."
"Why?" Flack teased, "You get her pregnant, too?"
FAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFA
Thanks for reading. Please leave a review before you go!
The next chapter includes the episode "Sanguine Love", Flack & Angell have an important talk, and it will be Lindsay's birthday.
