Lindsay was working late. She didn't have any plans for Valentine's Day like other people, so she didn't mind picking up the extra shift. Lindsay felt like she had been staring at the fibers under the microscope for an eternity. Truthfully, she wasn't too sure why she expected to find something different the third and fourth time she bent over to stare through the lens.

A buzzing in her pocket shook Lindsay from the monotony of her microscope. She reached into her pocket to retrieve her cell phone and could only imagine the look that washed over her face as she stared at the caller ID.

"Monroe." Lindsay chose to answer the phone professionally, a little confused about why she was receiving a call in the first place.

"Hey, Monroe…Lindsay. It's Don….Flack." Flack was having problems stringing together a sentence and could almost hear Lindsay smiling on the other side of the phone.

"Yes, Flack. I have caller ID you know. What's up? I didn't think you were working tonight." Lindsay asked.

"I'm not working. This really doesn't have anything to do with work. When do you get off tonight?" Flack asked bluntly.

"In about an hour or so. Why?" Lindsay was finding this phone call interesting to say the least.

"Um, I have something for you." Flack said.

Lindsay could swear that he sounded almost shy, definitely unlike his usual, confident almost cocky self.

"Okay. Do you just want to drop if off at the lab. Like I said, I'll be here for at least another hour or so."

"Can I meet you at your place?" Flack asked quickly.

Lindsay was a little taken aback by the question, but then thought differently of it. Flack had been to her place before. Usually it was when he and Danny were picking her up to go out or when they all got together for pizza. This seemed different, but Lindsay could tell that for some reason, Flack really wanted to do this at her apartment.

The silence on the other end of the phone was beginning to wear on Flack's nerves. Had Lindsay hung up? He took a deep breath, and was about to ask if she was still there, when Lindsay spoke.

"Sure you can come over. Why don't I call you when I'm leaving the lab and you can meet me at my place?" Lindsay asked.

"That sounds great. I'll see you later Linds." Flack said, his voice sounding lighter and happier than before.


As promised, Lindsay had called Flack on her way out of the lab…although a bit more than an hour later. Now it was 11:15 and Lindsay was walking through her apartment to answer the door. She had changed out of her work clothes and thrown on a pair of jeans and a dark pink, V-neck sweater.

From outside the door, Flack could hear Lindsay look through the peephole just before the door swung open.

Lindsay opened the door, surprised to see Flack standing in front of her holding a wide cardboard box. She stood in her doorway and smiled for a moment.

"You going to invite me in?" Flack said, shifting the box and his stance to redistribute the weight he was carrying. As he shifted, Lindsay heard glass clink together.

"It all depends on what's in the box Detective Flack." Lindsay said with a smile on her face.

"Just let me in, huh? This is getting heavy." Flack nodded towards the box in his arms.

Lindsay pushed the door open and held it open for him to enter. Flack walked into the kitchen and set the box down on the counter. He waited in the kitchen, watching Lindsay walk the door and stare at him with an inquisitive look.

"What's in the box?" Lindsay said, walking over and trying to peek in.

"No peeking." Flack said, playfully swatting her hand away. "You sit, and I'll explain."

Lindsay hopped up on the counter and obediently sat, waiting for her explanation.

"It's your Valentine's Day present." Flack said, glancing at Lindsay to gauge her reaction and then looking intently at the box. Lindsay began to protest, but Flack stopped her. "Before you say anything…you gave me a valentine, so I thought I should give you something too. I thought and thought about what a girl like you would like – what a girl like you deserves. So I came up with this."

The entire time he walked, Flack took things out of his box. Two champagne glasses, a bottle of champagne, a small bowl of strawberries, two glass bowls, two spoons and a Tupperware container of chocolate pudding. Flack skillfully filled the glass bowls with chocolate pudding and the glasses with champagne. Turning to Lindsay, he presented her with a glass of champagne, a bowl of chocolate pudding and a smile.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Lindsay."

Lindsay was a little taken aback. For a moment, Flack had rendered her speechless. She had given him a cheap box of chocolates from Costco, and he had brought her chocolate, strawberries and champagne.

"I'll have you know, Ms. Monroe, that this isn't the instant stuff either." Flack could tell by the look on Lindsay's face that she liked her present. It made him a little surer of himself and the smile creeping across his face proved it.

"I didn't think you could cook." Lindsay said skeptically. "I figured you for the type of guy that lives off of takeout and would burn toast beyond recognition."

"Stop talking and eat your pudding." Flack said, handing her a strawberry to chase her champagne with.

Flack and Lindsay ate pudding and sipped champagne in silence, stealing glances at each other in between bites.

"Hey, come here." Lindsay said.

Flack walked to where Lindsay was sitting on the counter. He came close enough so his legs were just brushing her knees. Lindsay reached up with her thumb and gently touched his cheek and the corner of his lips.

"You had a little pudding there. Were you saving it for later?" Lindsay asked with a smile.

"Nah. I can always make more." Flack said.

"Thank you, Don. This is the nicest Valentine's Day I've ever had." Lindsay's voice was quieter and lighter than it had been before. The look in Lindsay's eyes wasn't lost on Flack. Neither was the fact that she had called him by his first name and that her hand was now resting on his shoulder with her thumb trailing down his jaw.

Flack took another sip of champagne and moved his body forward. Lindsay was still sitting on the counter. Flack leaned in, placing one hand on the counter next to Lindsay and his other on the cabinets behind her, effectively boxing her in. He leaned in so that his head was close to hers. She could feel his body heat on her body. Lindsay looked up and Flack's lips gently made contact with hers as he gently kissed her. Lindsay was surprised by the fact that Flack was kissing her. Flack slowly broke the kiss off and looked at Lindsay.

"Linds?" Flack's voice wavered just a bit. He didn't quite know how to take Lindsay's silence. She seemed to be frozen in place and Flack worried that he had offended her. He tried again. "Linds?"

Lindsay could feel the color rising in her cheeks and her face getting warmer. Lindsay finished off her champagne, set her glass on the counter next to her and leaned in, closer to Flack. Her lips brushed his, gently and tenderly. Flack brought his hand down from the cupboard to the back of Lindsay's head, pulling her closer. He sent his lips crashing down onto hers. Flack heard a small sound come from Lindsay. For a moment he thought it was a protest, until her tongue met his and she deepened the kiss.

Flack wrapped his arms around Lindsay snaking them into her hair and down her back. Lindsay's hands found the fringes of Flack's hair at the nape of his neck and her legs seemed to impulsively wrap around Flack, pulling him closer. Flack pulled Lindsay off the counter, stumbled a bit and then balanced himself.

Flack pulled back a bit and looked at Lindsay. He loved the way her cheeks flushed and how he could feel her heart pounding through her sweater. Her undeniable fragrance radiated off her body and her silky fingers were gracefully tracing their way up and down his chest.

Everything seemed to slow down for Lindsay, almost as if she were dreaming. Flack began to kiss her again. He kissed her all over as he lowered her back down onto her feet. Lindsay's hands ran over Flack's body as if she were an explorer. Her hand finally found its way into his and encouraged him to move out of the kitchen.

"Linds, I don't want you to think this is a one night…" Flack began.

"I don't. You're not like that." Lindsay reassured him quietly. When Lindsay grabbed his hand again, he could feel her certainty.

Lindsay lead the way to her bedroom, Flack following like a small puppy. When he tripped over the bedside table and tumbled onto the bed, Lindsay laughed in an intoxicating way. Flack was mesmerized by her voice, her scent and just by her.

Later, Lindsay lay watching Flack sleep, his arm protectively wrapped around her waist. She swore that she could hear the blood rushing around in her head, it was only drowned out by the even tones of Flack's breath. Running her fingers over Flack's bare chest, she traced small circles before allowing him to hold her close and still and succumbing to sleep.