A/N: New year, new chapter. Please R&R. Let me know what you think. Thanks.

Lane: Bad computer. Hope it's feeling better. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well. RS: Tess is still not up to par. Good thing she has support. Please no ER trips over my fic. Ok? Meadow: Good? Maybe? LittleCorinthian:Thank you. RoadRunner: And stayed gone until well after the New Year. Sorry. Hope the cliff wasn't too cold. Thank you all.

Don slid back into his desk without anyone noticing. He pulled his radio off his belt and set it on his desk. He checked the clock. Five hours, fifteen minutes. That's all the time he'd still have to put in today, God willing. He looked heavenward briefly. Be willing, he pleaded. He glanced over and saw the captain watching him. They exchanged curt nods. Don turned to the paperwork on his desk. He fiddled and filled in and typed. His cell phone rang. He listened a bit. Plain ringtone. Not Tess. He unclipped it and thumbed the answer button.

"Flack."

"Hey. How's Tiger Girl?" Danny's voice held genuine concern.

Don rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Catatonic. I left her asleep. I'm hopin' she'll sleep 'til her roommate can get home. I'm stuck here."

"I wish I could help ya out, Man, but…"

"Thanks for the offer, Messer." Don smiled in spite of everything. "So, ya called. Why?"

"Ya know I shouldn't be talkin' ta ya."

"Yeah. And?"

"Do ya really wanna hear what I've got?"

"Not really, but go ahead. Shoot."

"You were right 'bout the tip. The perp shouldn't been able ta stick the victim."

"Angie. Her name was Angie." Don's voice had gotten louder. He looked around to see if anyone noticed. Danny was sticking his neck out by giving Don any information. No one paid Don any mind. There were advantages to being on the outs with everyone.

Danny sighed heavily. "If yer gonna get all worked up, I can't tell ya anymore."

"Sorry." Don rubbed at the bridge of his nose again. He started doodling on the pad in front of him, just in case anyone did start paying him some attention. "Yer sayin'?"

"Yer right about the weapon. It was snapped off before the vic…Angie was stabbed. She was also knocked on the head. Unconscious. Wouldn't have felt nothin'."

"I guess that's a plus." Don waited. Danny didn't continue. Don waited a little longer. "And? Yer not tellin' me something', Messer."

"Promise me you'll just listen."

"Danny…"

"Don, ya can't yell. Ya can't fit out. Ya gotta promise me or I ain't gonna tell ya anything else." Don started feeling sick. He had a pretty good idea where Danny was headed with this. For once, Don wasn't sure he wanted all the details. It wasn't his case. He didn't need to know the details. If he didn't know, then Tess couldn't ask him. He wouldn't have to tell her. She could go on remembering Angie as the pretty, vibrant girl that had laughed as Tess scored touch after touch on him last night. Don closed his eyes trying to picture the Angie he had seen last night. The one who yelled suggestions from the sidelines. The one who had shook in hysterics, leaning against Takisha, as Tess ran him off the end of the strip with a fast, aggressive attack. All he could see when he closed his eyes was the glass-eyed stare that greeted him in the alley this morning. Don sighed heavily. Tess would ask. She would want to know. She expected him to give her the answers she needed. Not to hold back. Don could think of a dozen rules that Danny was breaking by telling him what he was and then Don passing the information on to Tess.

"Mac's gonna kill ya for telling' me this." Don decided to give Danny an out.

"Ya let me deal wit' Mac. He ain't around right now."

"Yeah, but he's got a freakin' sixth sense. He'll know you've been talkin' ta me."

"I told ya. I'll deal wit' Mac. Now, ya gonna promise or not?"

Don took a deep breath. "I promise." He took another deep breath. "Ya did a rape kit."

"Yeah. Came back positive for two contributors." There was a stony silence on the other end. "Flack?"

"I heard ya," he growled quietly. "Well, at least there won't be any trouble nailing the bastards when we catch them."

"Yeah, if we catch 'em."

"Right." Don tilted his head back and blinked slowly. "Thanks for the info. I'll talk ta ya later, Danny."

"Take care, Flack. Tell Tiger Girl…" Danny sighed. "I don't know what ta tell Tess. Just give her a hug for me."

Don smiled slightly. "Yer getting' soft, Messer. And stay away from my girl, will ya?"

"Afraid of the competition, Flack?"

"You wish."

"Yeah. I do. Talk ta ya later."

"Later." Don clicked off the phone. He turned back to the paperwork on his desk. He wasn't sure if he should be praying for a call-out or not.

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Don knocked on the door to Tess' apartment and waited. A few moments later, Peter opened the door. He gave Don a slight nod.

"Don. Glad yer finally here. Bette can't get Tessie to talk to her. Hell, I can't even get her to yell at me for calling her Tessie." Don's head dropped to his chest and his shoulders slumped. Peter shook his head and stepped aside. Don walked into the apartment and dropped his garment bag over the arm of a chair. Bette looked up from where she was sitting tapping on Tess' door. Her eyes were red-rimmed and she looked worried. Her expression softened when she saw Don. Bette stood up and stretched. She walked over and hugged a very surprised Don. He squeezed her back with his free arm. Bette stepped back. She gave Don a weak smile.

"I'm glad to see you're plannin' to stay."

Don glanced at Tess' closed door. "Has she come out at all?"

"Not for long." Bette fiddled with her braids. "I tried callin' her. Her phone was off. She was in there when I got home. Came out to go to the bathroom. Was wearin' her glasses. Took back a roll of toilet paper." Bette shook her head. "I tried to get her to come out and eat somethin'." Bette shook her head again.

Peter wrapped his arm around Bette's shoulders. "And tried. And tried." He kissed the top of her head and then looked at Don. "Do ya want us to stay?" Don shook his head. "Okay then. My cell and Bette's cell numbers are on the fridge. If ya need anything'…"

"I'll call."

Peter nodded and directed Bette towards the door. Bette touched Don's arm as she passed by. She looked back at Tess' door. "Let her know if she needs me, I'll be right up. Anytime. Just call. Tell her, okay?" She looked up at Don. He winced at the helplessness he saw there. "Promise?"

"I'll let her know. Thanks, Bette. I'll talk ta ya later. Let ya know how Tess' doin'."

"Thanks." Bette stopped, looked at the door, reluctant to go. Peter tugged on Bette's shoulders.

"Come on, Bette. Don'll take care of Tessie."

Bette flashed one more look at Don. "You'd better take care of her. You'd better call me too. Or I'll come up here and kick your ass. Got it?" Don nodded. Bette nodded back. "Just so we're clear. I've been her roommate for 7 years. You've been her boyfriend for about two months." Bette looked at Tess' door. "Why she'd choose to talk to you instead of me…"

"For the same reason you spend most of your free time with me," responded Peter.

Bette looked up at Peter. "Oh, you think you're so smart." She whacked him in the shoulder. She looked back at Don. "I meant what I said about kickin' your ass. Just take it seriously."

"I will do that," said Don soberly. Bette nodded and let Peter lead her away.

After the door closed behind them, Don carried the take-out bag he had brought into the kitchen. He opened the containers and pulled plates out of the cabinet. Don arranged food on the plates and popped one, then the other in the microwave to heat. Don placed a fork on each plate. He fished two beers out of the fridge. He carefully balanced everything and went over to Tess' room. He carefully knocked the beer bottle against the door.

"Tess? Sweetheart?" There was no sound from the other side of the door. "I brought Korean. Ya know I don't really like the stuff and I don't want ta eat by myself. Please let me in." Still nothing. Don leaned his head against the door. He closed his eyes. "Please, Sweetheart," he said quietly, close to the breaking point himself. "Please let me in, Tess," he pleaded. Still no noise. "I'll stand here all night, but the food's gonna get cold and my hands are starting to go numb." Finally, he could hear Tess get up and come across the room. Don let out the breath he was holding. Tess unlocked her door and opened it. Don waited until Tess came into view. When she stepped into the light, Don almost dropped the plates and beer. She looked so bent, bowed. He carefully set everything down on the floor and gathered Tess into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his waist and melted into him. Don gently rocked her. He kissed her hair and rubbed his cheek on the top of her head. Don felt a burning anger rising up in him overwhelming the heartache he felt for what Tess was going through. He wanted to get his hands on the bastards that had set this all in motion. That had snuffed out the life of a girl on the rise. That had in turn hurt everyone that girl had touched. That had broken his beautiful, strong Tess. Tess leaned back and looked up at Don, her eyes shiny with tears. Don closed his eyes and pulled her back against him.

"You came back," she mumbled into his shirtfront.

"Ya didn't think I would?" Tess just shrugged. "Of course I was comin' back. If I could have jus' blown off the rest of my shift I woulda." He tilted Tess' face up. "I wouldn't leave ya all alone, Sweetheart." Tears spilled down Tess' cheeks. Don wiped them away. "Did ya think I'd bail at the first sign of trouble?"

"I dunno." Tess shook her head. "How am I supposed to know?" Don sighed. He walked Tess over to the couch, sat down and pulled her onto his lap. He ran his hands over her face and tucked stray hair behind her ears. Don looked into her eyes. He traced his thumb over her lips. They just sat for several heartbeats, watching each other. Tess shook her head.

"What?"

"This is completely crazy."

"What's crazy, Sweetheart?"

"You. Me. This."

Don gently touched Tess' face. "Why do ya think this is so crazy?" Tess just shook her head. She leaned up and kissed Don hard. Don pulled away. "Tess?" Tess shook her head. She kissed him again. Without breaking the kiss, Tess shifted so that she was straddling Don with her knees resting on his hips. She broke the kiss and held his face between her hands.

"I want you to make me forget, Don."

"Tess, I don't think…"

"I don't want you to think. I don't want to think." Tess took off her glasses and leaned back to drop them on the coffee table. She ground her hips against Don. He groaned.

"Sweetheart…"

Tess leaned in and nipped at Don's ear. "Make me forget the world, Don." She kissed him hard again and rocked her hips. Don's hands went to her waist. Tess rocked again. He dug his fingers in. Tess fought his grip, rocking harder against him. Don broke off the kiss and looked into Tess' eyes.

"Are you sure, Tess?"

Tess bit her lip. "Please don't make me beg," she whispered. Don's head fell back against the couch. Tess pulled his gaze back to hers. "You have to learn that sometimes I don't want you to be the gentleman." Don nodded. He leaned forward and kissed Tess, his hands sliding over her hips and pulling her against his body. Tess lost herself in that one solid kiss.

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