Disclaimer: I am not connected in any way with the creators of any of the CSI shows. (I wish I was though, so Danny and Lindsay would get together already.) These are just my mind's version of the events that transpire on the show.

After a while, Jordan and Flack reluctantly disentangled themselves from each other's arm. Flack caught Jordan's face in his hands and kissed her again, saying in a hoarse voice, "I think you better go upstairs. If you don't I just might take you home with me and we'll never get to that party and Chief Roberts will get mad at us."

Jordan laughed and answered, "You're right." She pulled back and released the seat belt, reaching into the car's back seat to retrieve the small duffel bag she stashed there earlier.

Flack eyed the bag suspiciously, "What the hell's in that thing anyways?"

Jordan laughed at the mystified look on his face. "It's full of stuff that will fix me up for tonight."

Flack shook his head. "I'm never going to understand why women need so many things."

Jordan teased, "I'll remember that the next time you ask me to buy moisturizer for you."

Flack flushed and said defensively, "Hey, my face gets dry when it gets cold and it hurts."

"Whatever, Don," Jordan grinned as she leaned over to brush a kiss over Flack's lips. She reached for the door handle and said, "I'll see you later okay?"

Flack nodded and called out as she stepped out of the car, "I'll call you when we're on our way."

Jordan floated all the way upstairs to Stella's apartment, a dreamy smile curving her lips as she rang the doorbell.

Lindsay answered the door, wearing a bathrobe with a towel wrapped turban-style around her head. "Finally! We were wondering where you were."

Cassie chimed in behind Lindsay, "Yeah, we were about to call you."

Jordan walked inside, a goofy smile still on her face.

Cassie and Lindsay exchanged a look at the sight of Jordan's face as she walked past them to fall down on the couch. She looked like she possessed the world's greatest secret.

The two women marched over and sandwiched Jordan between them on the couch.

"What's with the face?" Cassie demanded.

Jordan looked at her, still grinning, "What?"

Lindsay rolled her eyes, "The face that looks like a smile is permanently etched on it."

Jordan looked down at her hands and said shyly, "Don asked me to move in with him."

Cassie and Lindsay looked at each other and called out at the same time, "STELLA!"

Stella shot out of the bedroom, clad only in a towel with her curly hair pinned up. "What? What happened?"

She found her three friends gathered together on the couch and rushed over, "What's the emergency?" she asked, taking in Lindsay and Cassie's excited faces.

Jordan smiled at Stella, "Don asked me to move in with him."

Stella's face lit up in delight. "That's great, Jordan!" She leaned close to give her friend a happy hug.

Lindsay was grinning, "This is so cool! Wait until Danny finds out --," she stopped suddenly, her eyes gleaming. "Wait. What date is it today?"

Stella, Cassie and Jordan looked at her, puzzled at her reaction. Jordan answered distractedly, "It's the twenty-second. Why?"

Lindsay's eyes sparkled again, this time in triumph. "Oh, it's nothing." She attempted to change the subject and nudged Stella, "Who would have thought, huh Stel?"

Stella looked at her in amusement. She suspected that something was going on, but she didn't probe. "What? That Flack would eventually get serious about a relationship?" Stella snorted, "I bet people were saying the same thing when you and Danny moved in together."

Lindsay blushed, a small smile forming on her face. She waved her hand, "Anyways, Jordan, can I be the one to tell Danny?" she asked, a diabolical grin on her face.

Jordan grinned back at her friend and said, "Sure. Unless Don tells him first."

Lindsay waved her hand again. "Let me worry about that." She jumped up from the couch. "Come on, ladies. We've got to get ready."

The other three women laughed and rose from the couch, heading for Stella's bedroom.

Stella started calling out orders. "Okay, Lindsay, since you're done taking a shower, let me start on your hair. Cassie and Jordan, take a shower."

As the rest of the afternoon passed, laughter and shrieks were heard from behind the door and the excitement in the four women mounted as they got ready for their men.

In separate apartments all over New York, Danny Messer, Sheldon Hawkes, Don Flack Jr. and Mac Taylor went through the usual routines of men getting ready for a big night.

Preparations weren't as big a deal for the men as it was for the women and in no time at all, the men were all dressed up.

They had arranged to meet at the Crime Lab at six-thirty to pick up the girls. Hawkes, Flack and Danny walked into Mac's office to find him still hard at work, going through some papers on his desk.

Flack complained, "Jesus, Mac. Don't you ever stop working?"

Mac smiled briefly, "I'm just trying to get some work done while waiting for the three of you."

Danny interjected, "Mac, we're not late. See? It's six-thirty."

Mac smiled again, "You're not late. I'm just early."

Hawkes groaned, "Typical Mac."

Mac swept the papers on his desk into a neat pile and stood up, shutting down his computer. "The front desk just called. The limo's here. Let's go."

The three detectives followed him down and soon, they were en route to Stella's apartment.

Once they were inside the limo, Danny, Flack and Hawkes all reached for their phones and made a call.

"Hey Montana. We're on our way." A pause. "Okay. I'll see you later." Click.

"We're on the way, Jordan. You guys done?" A pause. "Okay, see you later. Bye." Click.

"Cass, we're on the way already." A pause. "Okay. I'll see you in a bit." Click.

Mac looked at all of them in amusement. "So what was the point of the three of you making the same call?" He watched as the three shifted uncomfortably.

Danny and Flack glared at Hawkes until he sighed and answered Mac's question reluctantly. "Well, we kinda promised."

Mac let out a quick laugh and shrugged as he said, "Alright, I can respect that." A silent moment of understanding passed between the four men.

As they leaned back into the plush seats of the limo Mac rented for them, Hawkes sighed and said, "This was definitely one of your better ideas, Mac."

Mac said, "Actually, it wasn't my idea. Stella twisted my arm until I gave in."

Flack laughed, "I swear to God, Stella is the only person in the world who can do that."

In the darkness, no one could see the flush that crept up Mac's neck.

To Mac's relief, Danny changed the subject. "Finally we get to see those mysterious dresses." He grimaced. "I've been trying to convince Montana to break that damned pact for the past few days and all she does is laugh at me."

Mac asked, "What pact is this?"

Hawkes explained, "Remember when the women went shopping?" Mac nodded and Hawkes continued, "Well, apparently, they're really pleased with their purchases and they wanted to surprise us. So they made a pact that they wouldn't show us their dresses until tonight."

This was one of the few times in his life that Mac was baffled. "Why would they want to do that?"

Danny, Flack and Hawkes shrugged their shoulders at the same time.

Danny said, "I don't really know. But whatever the reason is, Montana refused to break that pact."

Flack groaned, "I know. Jordan wouldn't either."

Hawkes added glumly, "Add Cassie to the list of women who won't break the pact."

Mac had to smile at the expressions on the guys' faces.

Exactly at that moment, the limo pulled up in front of Stella's building.

Mac let out a short laugh that surprised the Danny, Flack and Hawkes. Mac motioned outside and said, "Well, your waiting is about to end. We're here at Stella's."

One by one, they got out of the limo. All of them looked breathtakingly handsome dressed up in formal wear.

First there was Danny. With his slightly messy sandy blond hair and blue eyes, he had that bad boy look that made most women itch to reform him. But this reformed bad boy only had eyes for one country girl with a smile that could light up his city.

There was Flack with his tall frame, broad shoulders and baby blue eyes that had the lab techs yearning for a glimpse every time he went to the crime lab on a case and made many women want to commit crimes just to be picked up by the handsome detective. But sadly for these women, he was head over heels in love with another country girl with emerald eyes.

There was Sheldon Hawkes, with his quiet smile and cool intelligence, left women wondering what stirred beneath that calm façade. Unfortunately, his heart already belonged to a fireball with a big heart and a razor-sharp mind that matched his own.

Then there was Mac, with his aloof and mysterious persona in place. He also attracted his share of gazes from women who wondered what made this man tick. What the world didn't know was that his unruffled armor had already been cracked by a tough, scrappy fighter with a riot of brown curls.

Oh, yes. These men were a sight to behold as they strode through the lobby of Stella's building and made their way to the elevators.

As they were about to enter the elevator, Mac's phone began to ring. He answered it with a curt, "Taylor", motioning for the other men to go on up ahead without him.

In a few minutes, the three men were knocking on Stella's door.

A voice called out, "Just a minute." Then Stella peeked out from behind the door. "Good, you guys are here." She quickly let them in and instructed them to wait in the living room.

The three guys plopped down on the couch, mystified by Stella's strange behavior. She asked, "Where's Mac?"

Flack answered, "We left him downstairs. He had to take a call, but he'll be up in a minute."

Danny took in Stella's appearance and whistled, "Wow, Stel. You look great."

And Stella did look great. Her champagne colored dress hugged her curves in the right places and brought to mind the image of a sensual goddess with her curls pulled back in a loose twist that left several strands framing her face. The neutral color of the dress highlighted the brilliance of her eyes and the radiance of her smile.

Stella beamed at Danny and said, "You ain't seen nothing yet, Messer." She paused and looked expectantly at the three men. "You guys ready?"

Danny, Flack and Hawkes exchanged amused glances, wondering why there was so much fanfare. But to humor Stella, who they all loved like a big sister, they all nodded.

"Alright," Stella said. She cleared her throat and called out, "Cassie, Hawkes is here."

Stella watched in amusement as Hawkes' jaw dropped when Cassie came out of the bedroom. "Sweet Lord," he muttered, half-reverently, as he took in the sight of his girlfriend. Cassie was absolutely right when she figured that Hawkes would be nuts about the dress.

Her delicate frame was emphasized by the frothy skirt, but her light brown skin gleamed against the off-white, pearly color of her dress. Her hair had been pulled back in a sleek knot at the base of her neck, which emphasized her smooth and slim shoulders.

Hawkes stood up in a daze and walked over to her. "Wow!" he managed, lowering his head to capture her lips in a kiss.

Danny and Flack were now looking towards the door with more anticipation, Stella noted.

She called the next one out, "Jordan, your date's here."

From the bedroom, out walked Jordan. The closer she came, the more Flack's eyes glazed over at the beautiful woman standing before him. He stood up unsteadily, much like Hawkes did, and approached her.

She looked at him with smiling eyes. The color of her dress was almost the exact same shade of her eyes and the fabric shimmered subtly with every move she made. As she crossed the room to meet him halfway, he realized that the top half of the back was bare. Soon, she stood in front of him and smiled teasingly and asked in a soft voice, "You like it?"

Flack had to clear his throat before he could answer. "I love you," he said simply, making Jordan blush and smile. Damn, she's beautiful.

By now, Danny had stood up from the couch, impatiently waiting for Lindsay to come out. Both Flack and Hawkes now had their arms possessively wound around Jordan and Cassie's waists as they waited with Danny.

Stella smiled affectionately at Danny's eager anticipation and said, "Lindsay, Danny's here."

Danny's breath rushed out as Lindsay walked towards him. The deep red color of the dress she had chosen to wear for him was the perfect complement to her brown hair and eyes, and the simple lines drew more attention to the glowing woman who was wearing it. As he gazed at her in mute admiration, he thought, I am the luckiest man in the world.

Danny walked swiftly towards her and said gruffly, "You look beautiful, Linds." He bent down and kissed her deeply. She smiled softly at him and stepped closer to slide her arm around his waist as his arm encircled her bare shoulders.

Danny leaned close to her ear and whispered, "You're right. This was a great surprise."

The three couples walked arm-in-arm out of the door, oblivious to the world. They didn't even notice Mac walk past them in the hallway. Mac asked, "There you are. Where's Stella?"

No one answered him. They didn't hear him, so lost they were in each other's presence. Mac shook his head and suppressed a smile. He walked to Stella's apartment and knocked.

"Just a second," Stella called out from behind the door. She checked the peephole and saw Mac waiting patiently for her outside the door.

Stella stepped back and took a deep breath. Then she flung the door open and smiled at Mac.

Mac's customary stoic expression dissolved into amazement as he took Stella in. He had always found her beautiful, but the way she looked tonight, he was unprepared and hadn't been able to steel himself from reacting to her so obviously.

But tonight as he gazed at the proud, elegantly beautiful woman in front of him, a lump grew in his throat against his will, making him unable to talk. Silently, he offered his arm to her, which she accepted gracefully.

Stella let out the breath that she had been holding in unconsciously as she waited for Mac's reaction. If she didn't know him so well, she probably would have missed the subtle change in his expression. But she did know him well, and she caught the glimmer of admiration in his eyes. The mere fact that he had been unable to speak made a hopeful feeling rise in Stella's heart.

They walked arm-in-arm to the car, where Danny and Lindsay, Flack and Jordan, and Cassie and Hawkes waited for them. They were already seated inside the limo when Mac opened the door for Stella and helped her in.

Stella slipped in and took a seat next to Cassie, who was curled up next to Hawkes. Mac quickly occupied the only remaining seat, next to Stella.

Danny tapped briskly on the glass divider to cue the driver and the car rolled smoothly away, starting the ride to the hotel.

That's all I've got for tonight. Wait and see how Danny reacts when he finds out that Flack already asked Jordan to move in and he lost the bet. Also, stay tuned for the NYPD Christmas Ball.

What do you think of this one? Please don't forget to review cause I really look forward to hearing from you. :D

Thanks a bunch and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.