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"Whoa. Tell me what Junior ever did to deserve the likes of you!"

Noelle blushed at the whistle as she waited by for her husband by his desk in the pit. She glanced up to find Colin Masters, one of Don's fellow homicide detectives. "Hi, Colin."

"Quit flirting with my wife, Masters," Don good-naturedly barked at the older detective.

Masters just shook his head with a grin then headed out into the night.

Don looked his wife over appreciatively. "You look absolutely stunning."

"Well, this really hot detective is taking me to a ball, so I thought I'd better look my best." She handed over the garment bag she had been holding. "I'll wait here while you change."

"You don't want to come with?" he invited suggestively.

She leaned up and whispered in his ear, "If we're alone the first time I see you in your dress blues again, we'll be very, very late."

He grinned. "I'll be right back."

Noelle was still waiting for Don when Danny and Lindsay walked into the bullpen, Danny in uniform and Lindsay in a floor length royal blue dress. Both looked wonderful, if not slightly uncomfortable in the formal attire. Messer greeted Noelle with a kiss to her cheek.

"You guys look great," Don's wife complimented.

"And you look amazing, Hansen," Danny replied.

She had borrowed Jen's maid-of-honour gown from the wedding, and the crimson dress looked almost better on her than it had on any of her bridesmaids. She grinned then when her husband returned, looking dashing in his uniform. Despite having seen him in his dress blues at the wedding, but he still took her breath away. She certainly felt proud to be attending this year's Policeman's Ball on his arm as his wife.

"What d'ya say? Shall we go get this thing over with?" Messer asked, already fidgeting with his tie.

The four travelled together the few blocks to the hotel where the ball was being held and met up with Sheldon, his date Corinne, Stella, Mac, Adam and Kendall in the lobby. "Looks like you've been promoted, Don," Stella announced.

"How's that?" he asked.

"You're sitting at the Commissioner's table," Sheldon explained.

Don outwardly groaned. "Jesus."

Noelle looked at her husband with raised eyebrows.

"Sorry, sweetheart. Might be a long night."

Sitting at the Commissioner's table was not all bad. The company was probably not as animated as it would have been had they been sitting with the CSIs, but once dinner and the customary speeches were over, they were able to get up and mingle. Because of the task force, Don had some obligatory networking to do, so Danny swept Noelle out onto the dance floor during a slow ballad when he saw she was getting weary.

"Thanks, Danny, but your wife would probably like to dance with you," Noelle said gratefully when the song ended. "Besides, I really need some water."

She walked over to the bar and waited in the small line, finally able to order to bottle of water.

"Some party, huh?"

She glanced up and just nodded at the man standing beside her, someone she had never seen before. He was not in uniform, instead was wearing a tux. He was a patron or someone's date, she surmised. Either way, he was not someone she neither needed nor wanted to converse with.

"Your husband seems to be making quite the impression."

As the bottle of water was sent in front of her, she picked it up and turned to the speaker, furrowing her brow. "My husband takes his position very seriously."

"I'm sure he does. It's a dangerous job he has. You must worry."

Noelle's radar went up. There was something almost menacing in the undertone of the man's words. "I'm sorry. I didn't catch your name."

"Carlos Caravaggio. It's been a pleasure, Mrs. Flack. Have a lovely evening." And with that, he turned and walked away.

Across the room, Don noticed the exchange, excusing himself from his conversation with a couple members of the brass. And a few feet away on the dance floor, Danny and Lindsay had watched the scene unfold as well. Messer took his wife's hand and walked over to his best friend. "Your call, buddy," he said.

"How did he even get in here?" Lindsay asked.

"I don't know, but there's no way he's gonna get away with breathing the same air as my wife," Don replied, his hands clenching.

Lindsay glanced between the two men. She looked over towards the bar where Noelle still stood, sipping her water and trying to make sense of the ominous feeling she had. "I've got Noelle. You guys go do your macho thing and we'll pretend we're not pissed off later."

Messer chuckled slightly, thankful to his wife for breaking some of the tension. He kissed her cheek, then accompanied Flack across the floor in the direction Caravaggio had headed.

Lindsay walked over to Noelle. "Hey, there. Don and Danny will be right back. You want to go sit down?"

"Who is Carlos Caravaggio?" Noelle asked.

"C'mon. Let's sit down first." She led her friend over to the CSI table where Mac and Stella were sitting, deep in conversation.

"What's going on?" Stella asked, seeing the serious expressions on both women's faces.

"Someone let Caravaggio crash the party," Monroe explained.

Outside the ballroom, Danny and Don glanced around, trying to figure out where the man they had been trailing went. Danny noticed the coattails at the top of the escalator first, and nodded at his best friend. They were outside in the taxi roundabout before they caught up. "I know you're pissed," Messer whispered, "but the son-of-a-bitch didn't break any laws tonight. So don't do somethin' I can't get us out of. Capisce?"

Don heeded the warning, but still narrowed his eyes as he called out, "Caravaggio!"

The man turned and stopped walking. He smirked, putting his hands in his pockets as he awaited the approach of the two detectives. "What can I do for you gentlemen?"

"You could show us your invitation," Don replied.

"Oh, I must have dropped it inside. Oops." Carlos Caravaggio, at thirty-five and wealthier than anyone his age deserved to be, looked like any other businessman living off his father's money. Even most of the ball's attendees would not have guessed he was allegedly heading one of the most dangerous crime families the city had ever seen. But the tux and the smug grin were no disguise as far as the two detectives standing in front of him now were concerned.

Messer rolled his eyes. "This doesn't really seem like your scene, Carlos."

"Really? I'm hurt that you don't think of me as civic minded." He looked at Don then. "Detective Flack, your wife is quite stunning. I hear you have a beautiful little girl, as well."

Danny shot his best friend a warning look when he noticed Don tense.

"You ever approach my wife again and –" Flack started.

Caravaggio stepped closer. "And what, Detective? You gonna arrest for me for talking to a beautiful woman? Is that illegal now? She certainly is a looker, I'll give you that. And from the way she moved out on that dance floor, I bet she's great in bed. Hmm. I can just picture –"

"Don't you ever speak about my wife again! You got a beef with me, you discuss it with me. Leave my family out of this," Don warned. "You'll never go near her again, you hear me?"

"You might have thought about that before you started digging around things that are best left alone. Stay out of my way, and I'll stay out 'a yours." With that, he turned and walked off.

"Do I want to know what that was all about?" asked Mac as he joined the men out front of the hotel.

"Caravaggio walked into a room full of law enforcement personnel to speak to my wife so he could make a point. He's telling me he can get to her anytime, any place. You guys want to tell me again that this isn't dangerous?" Flack asked angrily.

"Look, Don, this is exactly what he wanted. He's hoping you'll get spooked and pull out."

"Tell me why I shouldn't. Noelle and Katie are my life, Mac. They are my only concern right now. I'm not about to risk their safety for a collar."

"Carlos Caravaggio is not just some collar, man, and you know it," Danny argued. "You must be getting close to something to have him fighting back. That's the only reason he would pull something this. If you pull out now –"

"You know what, Dan, why don't you shut the hell up. If this was Monroe, you wouldn't think twice. Why are my wife and child expendable here?"

"Hey, man, c'mon. Hansen and Katie mean a hell of a lot to me. I'm not suggesting they're expendable and you know it. All's I'm sayin' is we can protect them. What you're doin' is too important for you to back down."

Don ran his hands through his hair, frustrated and angry.

"Flack, we'll keep them safe. Caravaggio knows we're gonna be watching him now. He's too stupid to do somethin'."

"Danny's right," Mac agreed.

"So help me, if anything happens to my family –"

"You're my family, Don," Messer said seriously. "I ain't about to let anything happen to any 'a you."

Don furrowed his brow, though he relented. He knew they were right. The work he was doing with the task force was too important to back away from now, and there were measures he could take to ensure Noelle was protected. If anything, he was more determined now.

Back down in the ballroom, the men returned to the CSI table, where Lindsay and Stella were sitting with Noelle. Don sat down next to his wife, a protective arm sliding around the back of her chair. "You okay, sweetheart?"

"I'm fine. Stel and Linds filled me in. What about you? You didn't go all caveman out there, did you?" she teased him.

"No comment."

"C'mon, then. You owe me a dance."

"You sure?"

"I didn't get all dressed up just to dance with Danny – no offence," she said, glancing over at Messer.

"Thanks a lot, Hansen. My ego feels real good right now," he kidded her in response.

Don laughed. He stood and extended his hand. "May I?"

"You certainly may, Detective." She took his hand and let him lead her out onto the dance floor.

Flack held his wife close as they danced to a slow tune the swing band was playing. "You sure you're all right?"

She pulled back and looked up into his bright blue eyes. "I'm fine. But I'm a little worried about you. How dangerous is what you're doing?"

"It's no more dangerous than when I'm out in the field."

"Really? 'Cause I got a really weird vibe off that Caravaggio guy."

"Yeah, well, you ever see him again, I want you to call me, Dan or Mac, okay?"

"So, he's dangerous?"

"I'm not gonna lie to you, doll. He could be. Just – Sweetheart, be careful."

"Promise me the same thing, okay? Despite continually telling myself that you're invincible, deep down I know it's not true. And I like being happy."

"You got my word."

"Good. Because I have everything I've ever wanted in you and Katie." She rested her head against his shoulder, his height and the power of his embrace offering more comfort than she required.

Don kissed the top of her head. "Me, too." And as he held her, he silently vowed that he would do everything in his power to protect her and the daughter they now shared.