A/N Hey, all! A couple people asked if the last chapter was the finale to the story – not even close! There's much more story to be told when it comes to Don and Noelle so never fear! I hope you all enjoyed Don's proposal. The last chapter was my favourite to write thus far.

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"What's with you, man? You're so freakin' jumpy. Would you just ask the girl to marry you already?" Danny teased his best friend as they shot a game of pool in the back of Sullivan's.

"Zip it, Messer," Don warned as he noticed Sheldon and Stella making their way back to them.

Danny just smirked, knocking a stripe into a side pocket, then standing up and picking up his bottle of beer.

"Hey, guys. Mac and Lindsay should be here in a few minutes," Stella explained.

"My wife still pissed off?" Messer asked a little warily.

Sheldon chuckled. "She ain't happy, that's for sure."

Don grinned at Danny, feeling as if he had retrieved the upper hand. "What'd you do, buddy?"

Stella and Sheldon both had a difficult time containing their laughter.

"Would you two clowns just knock it off!" Danny grumbled, knocking back a swig of his beer.

"Since Dan's relegated to the Lab, Linds was the one who got stuck dumpster diving," Hawkes explained. "He might have taken a little more pleasure in it than his wife would have liked. You know the saying 'if looks could kill'? Yeah, pretty sure someone coined it after looking at Lindsay."

Don shook his head. "You might want to stop tryin' to give me relationship advice there, man, until you can get yourself off the couch you're gonna be sleepin' on for the next little while." He felt his phone vibrate on his hip. He set down his pint on the edge of the pool table and pulled his cell off his belt, grinning when he saw the call display.

"You're hopeless," Danny sighed.

Don wagged his eyebrows. "Maybe, but only one of us is getting' lucky tonight and I'm pretty damn sure it ain't gonna be you. Excuse me." With that, he headed out of the crowded bar to take the call from his fiancée. "Hey, doll, just a sec…"

"Don?"

He pushed his way through the large after-work crowd and finally ended up out on the sidewalk in front of the place. "Yeah, I'm here."

"You're obviously already at Sullivan's," Noelle commented.

"Yeah, Dan and I were just playing some pool. Sheldon and Stel just arrived, and Mac and Linds are on their way. It's rare to have everyone together when we're not tryin' to take down some psycho, so I'd say we cash in on it."

"All right. Well, I just got Katie settled in at Mom and Dad's for the night, so I should be there in about half and hour."

"Sounds good. I love you, sweetheart."

"I love you, too. Bye."

Don flipped his phone shut and headed back inside, his entire being brimming with excitement. They had called both sets of parents and all of their siblings first thing in the morning, unable to wait to tell them the happy news. Of course, Noelle's parents already knew it was imminent and were happy that they had not had to wait long to congratulate their daughter. Maggie and Jump were thrilled beyond words, both having fallen in love with both Noelle and Katie upon their first meeting and with every visit they had shared since. Noelle's sister-in-law and Don's two sisters were already offering wedding suggestions; and Don had taken a fair share of ribbing from Will, who had teased his older brother mercilessly about the fact that Noelle had not yet come to her senses and dumped his sorry ass.

However, as excited as he had been to announce the news to their families, Don was even more eager to tell his colleagues. To him, the people he worked with day in and day out, those who had been there to share some of the true adrenaline-pumping moments of his life, were also his family. Danny was his best friend, and Lindsay had become like a sister to him over the past few years. Stella, Sheldon and he had worked together on more cases than he could count, and he trusted them implicitly to have his back as he would have theirs without a second thought. And Mac was like a second father to him. He respected the man more than he could put into words. While they had had their share of disagreements over the years, both truly revered the other.

Forty-five minutes later, the group was seated around a table in the back, laughing at a story Sheldon and Danny were telling in tandem about a past case, when Noelle arrived. She eased herself down into the chair to Don's right as the two CSI's continued to regale everyone with their tale. Don took her hand under the table and leaned over to kiss her temple in greeting.

As a break arose in conversation, Danny looked at Noelle. "Glad you could make it, Hansen," he welcomed her.

"Thanks for including me. I know it's a treat to find you guys all together off hours," she replied.

"And since we've got you all here…" Don started. He glanced over at his fiancée and caught her eye. "We, uh – We've got some news."

With a thousand kilowatt smile on her face, Noelle brought her left hand up from under the table to show off her ring. "Don asked me to marry him last night!" she announced excitedly.

"And this woman made me the happiest man alive by agreeing to become my wife."

Lindsay and Stella practically squealed in delight, both quickly making a grab for the bride-to-be's hand to see the ring. Sheldon and Mac both offered words of congratulations, and Danny could not help but chuckle softly that Don had actually done it – and, more, that he had kept it to himself all day.

"Congratulations, man," Danny finally offered.

Everyone stood as hugs and handshakes were exchanged.

Danny hugged his best friend last then kissed Noelle's cheek. "Welcome to the family, sweetheart."

She laughed softly at the reference. "Thanks, Danny."

"This is so exciting!" Lindsay agreed, hugging Noelle. "I'm so happy for both of you."

"So, have you set a date yet?" Stella asked anxiously as they all re-took their seats.

Noelle and Don glanced at each other with a smile. His arm snaked around the back of her chair as he looked at his friends. "Nothing definite, but we're thinking spring."

"How are you ever going to book anything in the city with just six months?" Lindsay commented.

"We haven't even gotten that far yet, but we'll figure something out. We just don't want to wait too long," Noelle explained. "

"Don Flack, married. Who woulda thought!" Danny razzed his best friend. "Seriously, this is great."

"Yes, it's wonderful news," Mac concurred. "And it calls for a toast." He waved over one of the bar's waitresses.

"What's up, Mac?" the waitress asked, knowing all members of the group as regulars.

"Sara, do you have any champagne back there?"

The waitress nodded.

"We'll take a couple of bottles. We're celebrating tonight."

"Sure thing."

As the waitress walked off, he looked at the happy couple with a smile. "We see enough of the worst this world has to offer when we're on the clock. It's important to celebrate the good stuff when we can."

"Thanks, Mac," Don replied, honestly touched. It was an odd dynamic that the two officers shared, as Mac technically was not Don's boss, yet was still something of a superior. But their mutual respect was something that he treasured dearly.

Mac nodded, his expression sincere.

The champagne flowed, and stories were swapped. The group had endured a lot over the past few years, and it was always nice to have something so happy to celebrate. A few games of eight-ball, a call that pulled Mac and Hawkes away, and some more conversation led to Noelle and Don arriving back at his place well after last call.

"Tonight was fun," Noelle said as she hung up her jacket in his hall closet. She unzipped her boots and stepped out of them, then walked into his living room and slumped down on the couch.

Don soon joined her. Without any words, he drew her close and kissed her deeply.

"Do you have any idea how loved you make me feel?"

"I hope you'll always feel that way with me."

She smiled a little shyly.

"You still waiting for that other shoe to drop, aren't you?"

"I'm trying not to."

"Trust this, okay? I'm not gonna hurt you. You and Katie, you're my life now. You're the most important things in the world to me."

"And I believe you, so I don't know why this is so hard for me."

He kissed her temple. "Tell me what I can do."

"No, Don, this is mine. You shouldn't have to reassure me." She glanced up at him. "I think it's just because it's been a bit of a whirlwind. Sometimes it just all feels a little surreal. When you've been waiting your whole life for something, but had yourself convinced that it was just never going to happen, it's a little hard to believe when it actually does."

He stroked her back gently, quiet in contemplation for a moment. "We're on opposite sides on that one, I guess. I mean, I didn't even know I wanted this."

She smirked then. "So, I guess it's me who should worry about you running away screaming when you finally realize what you've gotten yourself into."

"Ah, not a chance, sweetheart. You're stuck with me."

"I can definitely think of worse things," she teased him. "C'mon, it's late and I'm tired. Take me to bed, Detective."

One corner of his mouth turned up in a lop-sided grin as his earlier words to Danny rang in his ears. Oh yeah, he was definitely getting lucky tonight. He almost felt sorry for his best friend for having landed himself in the doghouse with his dumpster diving cracks. Almost.