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.

It was the last day of 2006. Except for Flack and Jordan, all the members of the team were at the Crime Lab. It just so happened that all of them were working cases today.

Danny and Lindsay were working on a dead body found floating on the Hudson. Hawkes and Stella were teamed together on a murder in the Upper East Side.

Scenes were processed and evidence was logged in. For the moment, the CSIs were waiting for trace results to come back and they sat together in the break room for lunch.

Lindsay nicked a dumpling from Danny's plate and popped it into her mouth.

"Hey," Danny protested. "That was mine."

"You can have one of my fortune cookies," Lindsay offered with a grin.

Danny glared at her, but took the cookie anyway. "I wanted that dumpling, Montana," he grumbled, breaking the cookie open. He frowned at the slip of paper inside.

"What does it say?" Lindsay caught his frown and took the fortune from him. She read it aloud. "The winds of opportunity are blowing your way. Do not hesitate." She laughed. "Wow. That was specific." She resumed eating her noodles.

Stella changed the subject. "Isn't Cassie having lunch with us, Hawkes?"

Hawkes shook his head. "Don't think so. When I stopped by the Trace Lab, she was still up to her ears in swabs from all the food samples we brought back from that apartment."

Stella winced. "She's going to be one snappy puppy, Hawkes."

Hawkes grimaced. "Tell me about it. It kinda sucks that the work I do dumps a lot of work on her." He shrugged. "She says it's part of the job and it's not my fault, but I still feel kinda guilty sometimes."

Lindsay patted him on the shoulder. "It's okay, Hawkes. Just stop by the Trace Lab and visit her before you get back to work."

Hawkes nodded. "Yeah, I already thought of that. Plus, I bought her lunch," he answered, jerking his head towards a brown bag set aside on the counter.

Danny was taking the last bites of his fried rice. "Hey Montana. I forgot to ask you if the electric bill arrived already."

Lindsay's forehead furrowed as she tried to recall. Her face cleared as she answered, "Yeah, it arrived about two days ago. It's in the cubbyhole where we put the bills."

Danny nodded. "Good. I was thinking we might've forgotten to pay it."

Lindsay waved her chopsticks dismissively. "Don't worry, it isn't due until the 4th of January. We can pay it as soon as the banks open up after the New Year break."

Danny replied, "Alright. We'll take care of it with the phone bill. It's due on the 6th."

All through this, Stella and Hawkes were gaping in amusement. When Danny and Lindsay finished their conversation, they noticed that their friends had fallen silent.

"What?" Danny asked.

Hawkes smothered a laugh. "Nothing. Um." I'm not going to be the one to point it out.

Lindsay prodded, "What?"

Stella couldn't help herself and she remarked dryly, "You guys sound like an old married couple."

This time, Hawkes did laugh and say, "She said it, not me."

Danny just grinned at them and shrugged nonchalantly. He checked his watch. "Okay, I gotta go. I have to check back with Adam to see if he's done with the samples we collected. Meet you back at the lab?" he said to Lindsay.

She nodded. "I'll be there in a sec. I'll just clean this up," she gestured to the remnants of their lunch.

Danny nodded again, "Alright." He jumped off the stool and gave Lindsay a quick kiss before he strolled out of the break room.

As soon as Danny was out of earshot, Lindsay turned back to Stella and Hawkes. "Okay, you really shouldn't say things like that in front of him."

Stella and Hawkes looked at each other in confusion. "Huh?" Hawkes asked uncertainly.

Lindsay glared at them in exasperation, "That thing about us sounding like an old married couple."

Stella let out a silent "ah". She stifled a grin as she turned back to her friend to gently say, "But you guys do sound like an old married couple, Linds."

Lindsay glowered at them and said, "I know that. We were talking about paying bills."

Stella tread delicately. "Linds, are you getting bored with your relationship with Danny?"

Lindsay looked at her as though she had grown a second head. "No. Why would I be bored? I love being with Danny." She shrugged. "It's just that we've only been together for a while and I just don't want him to get freaked out by you guys saying that we sound like we're married already."

At this point, Hawkes interjected, "Well, Linds, if it's any consolation, Danny didn't look freaked out." He said gently, "In fact, you're the one who looks kinda freaked out."

Stella changed her question. "Do you think you guys are moving too fast?"

Lindsay shook her head adamantly. "No. I think we're going at the right pace. Danny and I have been friends for so long that we don't really need to go through a getting to know you stage anymore and I'm okay with that." She picked feebly at a carton, "Like I said, I just don't want him to get weirded out by people assuming that we're married already. I don't want him thinking that we're moving too fast cause we're not."

Stella shrugged. "Well, if you ask me, I think you and Danny are in a really good place."

Hawkes agreed, "Same here."

Lindsay smiled at them, "So do I. Thanks, guys. And don't worry, I'm not freaked."

She finished clearing up the table and stuffed all the containers in a take-out bag. "I gotta get back to our office."

Stella and Hawkes waved at her. "See you later, Linds. Remember, we're congregating here at midnight to welcome 2007," Stella reminded with a grin.

Lindsay answered, "Will do, Stel. See you later, Hawkes." She stuffed the bag into the trash and left the break room.

As soon as she had left, Hawkes leaned towards Stella and said, "Okay, I think it's time to start a new pool."

Stella nodded her head in agreement. "I was just thinking the same thing. Date of the proposal?"

Hawkes grinned, "You read my mind." He packed away his trash. "I'll tell Cassie and Adam since I'm stopping by the trace lab." He waved at Stella. "See you in the layout room."

Stella waved back and took a sip of her soda. As Hawkes exited the break room, Mac walked in to get a cup of coffee.

Making sure that there were no other people around, Mac walked casually over to where Stella was seated and asked, "You have a good lunch?"

She answered, "Yeah. You?"

Mac shrugged, "Haven't had lunch. I'm not really hungry." He took a seat next to her and set his cup down. Under the table, their knees brushed and a jolt of electricity shot between them.

Mac subtly brushed the back of his hand against hers and asked, "How's the case going?"

Stella tried to keep her breathing steady. She wasn't sure how this was supposed to go, but she let Mac take the lead on this one. "Going good. Hawkes is stopping by trace now to check on our evidence." She quickly changed the subject and flashed him a bright smile. "We have a new bet."

Mac cocked an eyebrow. "I'm intrigued. What's it about this time?"

Stella leaned back in her chair and grinned deviously, "Date of the proposal."

Mac tipped his head to the side doubtfully. "You think it's going to happen soon?"

Stella nodded her head with certainty. "It's getting close, I feel it." She confided, "Danny doesn't get freaked when I bring up the M word."

"M word?" Mac asked in amusement.

"Married," Stella clarified.

Mac considered that and agreed with Stella. Danny was close to proposing. "Alright," he said with a wry smile. "I'm in. I'll let you know what date I pick, but I need to think about it first." He stood up and reached for his mug. "I have to go."

"Alright. Bye, Mac," she answered, looking up at him.

Mac glanced around. There were no people around. He stepped closer to her and brushed a soft kiss over her curly hair and said, "I'll see you later, Stel."

On the way back to the layout room, Hawkes stopped by the lab.

As soon as he walked it, he caught sight of the harried look on his girlfriend's face as she ran several tests using the GCMS.

He quickly walked over to her and slipped an arm around her waist. "Hey Cass," he greeted, brushing a quick kiss on her cheek.

"Hey Sheldon," Cassie said, grabbing a printout.

Hawkes winced inwardly. Uh-oh. She called me Sheldon. Hawkes gently took the printout from her and turned her around to face him. "Cassie, sweetie, look at me for a while, will you?"

Cassie looked at him in frustration. "I can't. I have, like, a hundred samples left waiting to be tested," she said, jabbing her finger at the pile that still waited for her."

"I know, sweetie," Hawkes crooned. "Come here for a while, let me give you a hug, you look exhausted." He wrapped his arms around her and she buried her face in his chest as he ran his arms soothingly over her back in an effort to get her to relax.

As she leaned against him, she felt a little bit of the tension easing away. She let out a sigh and snuffled her face against his shirt, breathing in his crisp, clean scent.

After a moment, she pulled away, smiling at him gratefully. "Thanks for stopping by, Doc." Her brown eyes were tired, he noted. "I'm really sorry, Cass," he said sympathetically.

She flashed him a half-hearted smile and answered, "It's okay, Doc. It's part of the job." She brushed a soft kiss against his lips and said, "It's actually better now, cause I get an extra perk here that I didn't get in Boston.

Hawkes asked, "What perk?"

She grinned at him and said, "You." She kissed him again. "This."

Hawkes felt his insides melted at the quiet affection in her voice. He said without thinking, "I love you, Cassie Simmons."

Cassie looked startled for a moment, then her face relaxed. "I love you too, Sheldon Hawkes." She grinned at him and said, "Now get your butt back to work."

He grinned back at her, relieved that she didn't get mad at him for speaking so impulsively. "Don't forget that we have that thing at midnight in the break room okay? Stella asked me to remind you."

Cassie nodded, "Swing by here on the way to the break room." She shot him a sassy grin, "See you later, Doc."

Looks like it just might be a great year, Hawkes mused to himself as he left the break room.

Stay tuned for the midnight kisses:D Let me know how you guys like this one. I'll try to get one last chapter in for 2006, by tomorrow I think, which will feature a short chapter on the New Year's first kisses for the gang.