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.

Cassie had Christmas Day off. She spent the entire afternoon in her apartment, preparing a special meal for her and Hawkes to enjoy together that night.

After his shift, Hawkes went straight to Cassie's place. As he fished his key ring out of his pocket, the events of the day rushed back at him and he felt weariness descend upon him.

As CSIs, they often saw their share of the bad things that happen in the world. However, it wasn't often that these bad things happen to one of their own. Whenever it did happen, it always affected the team a lot, simply because they were more than colleagues. They were friends.

He stuck the key inside the lock and entered Cassie's apartment. All at once, the reassuring smells of a home-cooked meal wafted over him and his burden was eased a little. But it didn't completely remove the shadows in his eyes.

Cassie came out of the kitchen, walking towards him as he hung his coat next to a stand on the door. She slipped her slim arms around his neck to give him a soft kiss. She instantly knew that something was bothering him. She tipped her head back to look deeply into his eyes. "What's up, Doc?"

Normally, the quip would have made Hawkes smile, but tonight, he hugged her tightly, trying to absorb the life and vitality of her presence.

All through it, Cassie held him, waiting patiently for him to work through his emotions.

When it was over, he stepped back and gave her a long, thorough kiss, needing as much human contact as possible. He took a deep breath as he pulled away from her.

Cassie's perceptive brown eyes were questioning, but she kept her silence and waited for him to speak.

"What's wrong, Sheldon?" she asked quietly. Much like Danny called Lindsay Montana as a term of endearment, Cassie usually called Hawkes Doc. She only called him Sheldon when it was a serious discussion.

He shook his head ruefully at his sudden display of emotion and answered neutrally. "Lindsay got stabbed today."

"What?" Cassie's dark eyes flashed in concern. "Where is she now? Is she okay?"

Hawkes rushed to reassure her. "She's fine now. She went to a suspect's house with Stella and the woman tried to run. Linday got stabbed with a knife the woman was carrying. She lost a lot of blood and she needed stitches, but she's fine."

Cassie let out a sigh of relief. "That's good, then." She guided him gently to the couch. "Sit down for a while."

She walked quickly to the refrigerator and grabbed two beers. She twisted the tops open as she crossed the room to sit with Hawkes on the couch. She extended the beer to him silently and he accepted it with a grateful smile, taking a long swig.

She curled up next to him on the couch and found her customary place under his arm. She snuggled up to him and listened to the familiar drum of his heartbeat.

She asked softly, "Want to talk about it?"

Hawkes closed his eyes and leaned his chin on top of her head. "It's always different for me, when it's one of the team who gets hurt." He tried to find the words to explain. "I mean, I know she's okay, but it's just more difficult when it's one of your own." He wondered if he made sense, if he was able to convey just how afraid he'd been for Lindsay, who was like a sister to him.

Cassie nodded slowly, her hand rubbing his chest reassuringly. "I understand, Sheldon."

Hawkes continued quietly. "I remember when Flack got injured in that explosion."

Beside him, Cassie's hand stopped in mid-stroke and she gave him a questioning look. Hawkes saw the glance and clarified. "Last May, a bomb went off inside a building and Flack got the worst of the blast. It was touch and go for a while."

Cassie made an inarticulate sound of distress at the thought of the tall and lanky detective, her friend, lying wounded. Hawkes continued, "Today just kinda brought it all back for me. I was with Danny when Stella called him, and my god, Cassie, if you just saw how worried he was about Lindsay."

Cassie answered gently, "It's the same way I'd feel if I got a call that you were injured on the job."

Hawkes glanced down and caught her somber look. Knowing that Cassie was there was doing a lot to dispel the darkness inside him. He bent his head to brush a slow kiss on her lips and said with a glimmer of a smile on his handsome face, "So you'd be worried about me, huh?"

Cassie nodded thoughtfully, "I don't know how it happened, Doc, but you're starting to be really important to me."

Sparks of happiness shot through Hawkes at her simple admission and banished the last traces of weariness and fear and fatigue in him. He grinned at her and said, "Well, you're starting to be really important to me too."

Cassie laid her head back down on his chest and reached for his other hand, lacing their fingers tightly together. Hawkes closed his eyes, with his head tipped back to rest on the couch. They sat together for long minutes, just absorbing the warmth and life from each other.

After a few minutes, Cassie kissed Hawkes softly on the cheek and said with a smile, "Time to get up, Doc. Christmas dinner's waiting for us."

Hawkes opened his eyes to find Cassie looking at him expectantly. He felt his lips curl into a loving grin. "You cooked for me?"

Cassie nodded haughtily, "Uh-huh. And for your information, I happen to be a very good cook, so let's go. The food's getting cold."

Hawkes grinned at her one more time and let her tug him to his feet. He wandered into the kitchen after her and sniffed experimentally. "It does smell good, Cass. What did you make?"

Cassie answered, "Good old-fashioned home cooked meal. Roast beef ala Cassie, potato wedges and a surprise for dessert."

Before she sat down, Hawkes grabbed her waist and said with a wicked grin, "You wouldn't by any chance happen to be dessert now, would you?"

Cassie returned his grin and said coyly, "Eat your dinner and you'll find out sooner."

That's it for tonight. I wasn't supposed to write, but I couldn't stand the thought of not continuing the story, so something short and sweet for tonight. :D

This is for all those who have been waiting for more Hawkes and Cassie. MacStella coming up soon, hopefully. :D

Please review! It helps to know what you guys think:D