Chapter 6 – December 6, 2006

"Mac gave us the go-ahead to take the afternoon to do community service," Stella said at the meeting she'd called on behalf of Mac.

"Why do I think you have something specific in mind?" Hawkes asked warily, pretty sure he already knew the answer.

Stella took in a deep breath. What she was about to ask her team mates was a lot. "The orphanage I was at as a kid doesn't get a lot of visitors. I figured we could go over there today and spend some time with them, for Christmas."

Lindsay's eyes lit up like Stella assumed they would. The woman's heart was huge.

Danny, Stella knew, volunteered with kids as it was. Another day would be a privilege.

"Stella," Hawkes began, a smile drifting over his face. "I don't believe you really had to ask."

Stella grinned. "You guys are great," she said. "I'll meet you down in the lobby in fifteen minutes, okay?"

"For sure," Lindsay said wit a nod.

Lindsay looked up from making snow angels with a group of girls later that afternoon to see Danny racing around the snow-covered Central Park with a group of boys. He was good with those kids and for the millionth time she wondered why she'd turned him down. He was good with kids, he was sweet and caring, and he spoiled her rotten – not that the latter was the most important part, nor the most relevant.

Her heart swelled as she thought about it.

"Miss Lindsay, what are you looking at?"

Lindsay looked down at the little girl, sitting up much the same way Lindsay was, her hands braced behind her. "I'm looking at the silly boys," Lindsay answered. "You're going to put your hand prints into your angels wings."

The little girl looked behind her. "But you're putting them in yours too," she said.

Lindsay looked behind her and pasted a sad and upset look on her face. "So I did." Then she met the little girl's eyes. "I guess we'll just have to make another one to make it perfect, huh?"

"I've got a better idea," one of the older girls spoke up and Lindsay recognized the glint in her eye as completely mischievous.

"And what is that?" she asked.

"Well," another one of the older girls picked up, "the boys are looking a little pre-occupied. I'm sure we could get in a couple of really good shots before they even realize what happened."

Lindsay waved Stella over from where she was helping some kids make a snowman. "I have a better idea. Ladies, we're going to war."

Danny was having fun. He usually did when he was around kids. The shelter gave him another excuse, other than his work with the YMCA, to interact with kids and give something back to community. It didn't have the exact same reward as knowing the names of every kid he was playing with, but it made him feel better about the work he did.

"Hey!" he heard one of the boys yell. The kid was rubbing the back of his head, where snow had attached to the threads in his hat. Danny began to make his way towards the boy, to check and make sure the snowball hadn't been filled with ice, when he felt one make contact with his back.

"What the…" When he turned, there was no one behind him.

It took him a few minutes to pin down exactly what was going on and a few more snowballs before he put together the puzzle pieces. Most of the girls were missing and he couldn't spot Lindsay or Stella anywhere. "Alright, Montana, that's not playing fair," he taunted bending over to pack up a snowball of his own.

"Who said anything about playing fair, Messer? Isn't the phrase 'all's fair in love and war'?"

He spun around to face her and found her tossing a snowball up and down in her hand. "So this is war?" he inquired unnecessarily, holding the snowball he'd begun to pack with both hands.

"Of course its war," she said with a grin.

"Well, Montana, you just made a mistake."

She raised an eyebrow. "A mistake?"

"You just lost the element of surprise." The words were not thirty seconds out of his mouth before another snowball hit him from behind. He turned to find a giggling girl. When he faced Lindsay again, she was grinning.

"Are you sure about that?" she teased.

"Rules?"

She smirked in arrogance. "Danny, I told you. All's fair in love and war. This is war."

The gleam in his eyes turned predatory. "And all's fair."

Two hours later, the women – better prepared and with more ammunition – had managed to kick the rears of the boys. Even with Hawkes, Danny, Mac and Flack, who'd tracked them down and joined in half way, the girls had planned in advance and had prepared accordingly.

They sat in the break room, each with warm cups of coffee to warm up their red noses, cheeks and ears. Lindsay and Danny were seated on the couch, Danny with an ice pack pressed to the back of his head. One of the girls had accidentally turned a snowball into a ball of snow under a layer of ice and had nailed the back of Danny's head with it. The entire team was she he had a bump to show for it.

"Thanks for doing this with me guys," Stella said for the millionth time.

"Stella, stop saying thank you," Lindsay said with a laugh, removing the ice from Danny's hands to move it around before replacing it again carefully. The movement was second nature to a caring heart like hers, but the others watched in awe as Danny allowed it without question.

"We woulda done it anyway," Danny agreed. "It's a nice thing to be doin' at Christmas."

Stella smiled. "I do it every year, just for old times sake."

"Just once a year?" Lindsay asked curiously.

"I'd go more often, but Christmas is the time of year I make time to go visit," the curly haired detective explained.

"You should make time to go more often," Lindsay said with a huge grin. "Those kids are fantastic."

Stella's responding smile was genuine and soft. "They are, aren't they."

"I gotta admit though," Danny spoke up. "I am goin' ta be sore tomorrow."

Lindsay laughed. "I'm going to have a bruise where you pegged my thigh, Messer."

"Who got the back of my head again, Monroe?"

"I still say it was one of the kids," Lindsay responded, her face a mask of innocence.

"Not one of those brats has aim that good," Danny answered. "Nah, Monroe, definitely know it was you."

Lindsay rolled her eyes. "I said I was sorry, Danny. I didn't know that ball was snow in ice. I wouldn't have thrown it if I knew."

Hawkes stretched awkwardly in the break room chair. "I'm going to go home. Since we took the afternoon off, I have a shift tomorrow morning."

The rest of the team sighed. That was Mac's deal. Plus, it wasn't like crime observed the Sabbath, after all.

"Until tomorrow morning guys," Stella agreed, following Hawkes out of the room.

"You know, Montana, I think you owe me dinner for peggin' me in the head," Danny said, turning to Lindsay.

"Come on, Danny! How many times do I have to say I'm sorry?" she whined.

"One more time, with dinner," he promised. "Now, let's go."