One in this World by saulalovin
A CSI: New York fan fiction
Pairing: Don Flack, Jr. and Aiden Burn
Summary: Why? Because we only get one in this world.
Spoilers: Post-"Officer Blue".
Disclaimer: I don't own CSI: New York or its characters, and yes, that upsets me a bit. Nah, maybe more than just a bit…
Author's Note: This is for the people on the Flack/Aiden thread on the Talk CSI boards. I've finally written it, you guys! Read and review, please – it would make my day.
Aiden Burn poured herself a cup of coffee in the breakroom and stared into it for a minute, lost in her thoughts. She had just closed the case and had watched two police officers handcuff Nick Vicenzo, and now that the adrenaline from solving the case was leaking away, the fact that she could've been killed at the pizzeria was dangling itself in her face, refusing to be buried under her mundane thoughts.
Hands shaking slightly, she took a sip of coffee, grimaced at the taste, and tipped her mug upside down over the sink, watching as the murky liquid poured out.
"Aiden, can I have a word?"
She sighed inwardly but didn't seem surprised at all. She had been expecting this. It had only been a matter of time before someone had told Detective Don Flack, Jr. about what had happened.
She took her time rinsing out her mug before turning around to face the scowling detective. "What do you want, Flack?"
He made his way to her in several big steps until they were an arm's-length away. His blue eyes were a dark navy color, indicating that he wasn't very happy with her at the moment. "What the hell were you thinking, huh?"
She cocked her head to the side and smirked, knowing she was about to piss him off royally. "What do you mean?"
"Don't play games, Aiden," he said, his eyes narrowed. "You know what I mean."
Seething, she crossed her arms defiantly. "I don't need you to lecture me, all right? That's Mac's job, and he's done it already. So why don't you just leave me alone, eh?"
He ignored her. "What possessed you to walk in there without backup? You could've been killed!"
"Hey, back off!" she snapped. "What's it to you, anyway? Why do you care?"
His eyes flashed angrily, turning into an even darker shade of blue that it was almost black. "Don't give me that shit," he growled. "You know why."
"No," she insisted stubbornly, "I don't. And we are no longer having this conversation." She tried to push past him, but he stepped in front of her, grabbed her arms firmly and pushed her back up against the wall.
Her heart began to pound as he pinned her to the wall. He was so, so close. A shiver ran up her spine as he palmed her cheek in his hand. Slowly, he inched forward and pressed his lips to hers, kissing her passionately. She moaned into his mouth, and when he finally pulled away, they were both breathing hard.
"Don't tell me you don't know why," he said again gruffly. "Dammit, Aid, you know."
That was all it took to make her cold, tough exterior shatter. Tears sprang to her eyes as she fell into his arms, shaking uncontrollably. "I'm sorry, Don," she murmured, tears wetting his coat. "I was scared shitless. It was stupid of me to go in there without backup."
He held her tighter, stroking her dark hair. "You weren't the only one who was scared, you know. I about lost it when Mac told me." He kissed her forehead, and he pulled away so he could look into her eyes.
"We only get one in this world, Aiden," he whispered. "Just one. One soulmate – a person who understands us and loves us no matter what. One person who we're meant to spend the rest of our lives with… You're that person to me, and I – " His voice cracked. " – If something happened to you, I don't know what I would do."
She gave him a shaky smile. "You know, our job… It isn't exactly easy, being cops. At any moment…" Her voice trailed off, and she visibly gave a shudder. "Well, you know."
He exhaled heavily. "No one said love was easy, either. Put that together with our job and we've got something that could blow up right in our faces when we least expect it." He tenderly brushed a lock of hair from her eyes. "We gotta be careful. No more stunts like that, all right?"
"Oh, don't worry," she said in a small voice, forcing out a bark of laughter, "I've learned my lesson."
"Good." He held her in his arms again and gave her a gentle squeeze, feeling her wrap her arms around him and lean her head on his chest.
Slowly her heartbeat returned to its normal pace, and she stood on tiptoe to give him a soft kiss on the cheek.
"So whaddya say we head home?" she asked softly.
"Yeah, that'd be good."
He took her hand and they headed out, together.
THE END