A/N: The intro is where the standard stuff is. Please R&R. WARNING: Major spoliers for "Charge of this post." Minor warning: I'm doing this from memory and an epi guide. Sorry if the details are a little wrong.

RoadRunner: Neither would I. And thank you. Demolished: I hope it's still interesting. Hard to write the morning after. LittleCornithian: A knitter? Cool. Flack and any piece of furniture. Well, almost. RS: Grin. Thank you all.

Pale light filtered into the room. Tess stirred a little. The arm around her waist tightened. Her eyes snapped open when she realized exactly who that arm belonged to. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Thoughts spun through her mind. Little voices argued with each other.

What were you thinking Teresa Nagy? You've gone on what? Three dates, if you include last night. He's so warm. He was late last night. Really late. And he said it wouldn't be the last time. But when he came... "Stop it," she mumbled.

"Tess?" Don's voice was low in her ear. His hand started rubbing a slow circle on her stomach.

"You're still here." Mmmmm, said the little voice in her head. Stop him, said the more sensible one.

Don stiffened and his hand stilled. He was a little taken aback by her statement. "Ya expected me not to be?"

She winced a little at his tone of voice. Tess rolled so she was lying face to face with him. Oh dear, bad idea. Tess looked at his face. His lips were slightly parted. Nice lips. Very nice lips. Stop looking at his lips. His chin and cheeks were dark with a day's growth. Tess ran her hand over the roughness. Trailed her fingers back and forth.

"Tess?" Don shifted a little. He took Tess' hand. "Sweetheart. Ya gotta stop doing that."

Yeah! screamed Sensible. "Huh? Sorry."

Don groaned. He rolled to his back. "Are ya sorry?"

Tess frowned. His head was turned toward her. She searched his eyes. He really was worried about that. She propped herself on her elbow. Tess smiled softly and shook her head. "No," she said softly. "I'm not sorry."

Don reached out and rubbed a lock of her hair between his fingers. He nodded. "Okay. It's jus' that ya said…"

"I just thought you might have to go. To work or something." She shook her head. "I am not sorry that you are in my bed right this minute. Are you?"

Don reached over and cupped her chin. He ran his thumb over her cheek. "No."

"Okay, then."

"Okay." Don's thumb rubbed back and forth over Tess' lip. Tess closed her eyes and parted her lips. She ran her hand down his chest. Tess started trailing down his ribs. Don grabbed her hand. Tess' eyes snapped open and she sat up. Before Don could stop her, she snatched back the covers. Her eyes went from the raw, red scar on his side to his face and back again. Don pulled the comforter back up. He looked away and wouldn't meet Tess' eyes. Tess reached out and touched his face gently. She turned it back to face her.

"What happened?" Don silently regarded her. "Please?" He shook his head. Tess frowned. Don blinked slowly. He reached out and touched Tess' face.

"I didn't mean it that way. Ya need to put on somethin'. Yer a little distractin' right now." He grinned at the blush that covered her body. Don reached out and ran his fingers down Tess' arm. "I'll tell ya what happened, but…"

Tess smiled, a little shyly. "I've got to be a little less distracting. Got it." She scrambled off the bed and started looking around the room. She tossed Don's boxers at him. "You need to be a little less distracting too." She found a sweatshirt and panties and pulled them on. Tess climbed back on the bed and sat cross legged on top of the comforter. Don was pinned under the comforter. He raised his eyebrows at her. Tess blushed a little again. "You're still distracting. I'll sit up here." Don reached out and touched her bare knee. Tess looped her fingers through his.

As he started his story, Don didn't look at Tess. He stared straight out. Tess focused on his eyes and watched every nuance, every emotion play in them. "It started with a body. The guy'd been stabbed. Mac and me…Mac's a crime scene investigator. Well, not jus' a crime scene tech. Anyways, Mac and me, we were followin' a blood trail. There was a ceilin' tile outta place in the hall. Thought maybe the weapon was stashed up there. Came up with a bag. Maybe what we were lookin' for was inside. It wasn't. It was a bomb. C4 and a cell phone. Mac and me started clearin' the buildin'. Gettin' folks out. Then there was a roar and nothing'. A whole lot of nothing'." Tess squeezed his hand. She was starting to feel ill. "People talk about white lights and stuff. There wasn't none of that. Jus' a big, black nothing'." He finally looked over and met Tess' eyes. "I woke up a week an' a half later in a hospital bed with a shitload of stuff hooked up to me and this huge hole in my side." He looked down again. "Found out later that Mac had tied my guts together with a shoelace." Don met Tess' eyes. She was blown away by what she saw in those crystal blue depths. She found it hard to breathe. She had to look away. Run, screamed the voice in her head. Her stomach lurched again. Don continued. "The guy reached inside my chest an' saved my life with a fuckin' shoelace. I'da bled out before anyone found us." Tess just gripped his hand. "I've only been back a little over a month." They just sat there. Don tugged a little at his hand to get Tess' attention. "Um Tess, sweetheart, yer hurtin' my hand."

"Oh my God. Sorry." Tess released his hand and combed her fingers through her hair, pushing it back from her face. She worked at getting her thoughts in order. She fought to bring her stomach under control.

Don gave her a small lopsided smile. "Hey, I had a piece of a cell stuck in my gut. A little hand holdin' doesn't hurt that much." Tess looked at him horrified. Don sat up and touched her face. He smiled softly at her. "I didn't tell ya the story to get a reaction outta ya." Her reaction was starting to scare him.

Tess shook her head. "I know. I asked you to tell me," she said quietly. It's not that." She looked carefully at Don. "I know exactly what you're talking about. Well, not what. Where." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "I know the building you're talking about. I was there."

"Whatdaya mean you were there?"

Tess looked deep into Don's eyes. "I was in that building. On that day."

"Ya were…" Don suddenly felt clammy.

"The guy I was…" Tess brought her knees up to her chest. "Alex worked there. I had stopped by to drop off a book. We were in a book club together. Someone came telling us to get out and we ran. We were across the street when the building…" Tess looked at Don. She reached out and pulled her hand back without touching him. She still couldn't fathom that the man in her bed, the man she just spent the night with, the man that was so alive across from her had been inside that building. She stood up. "I need a glass of water." You want something stronger than water. It's not even nine am. I'm not having something stronger. Tess walked out of the room. She shut the door behind her. Don sat there staring for several heartbeats. He slowly got out of the bed and dressed. He could hear Tess arguing with someone in the apartment and then silence. A door slammed. A moment later another door opened and closed.

Tess walked shakily out of her room. She still felt sick to her stomach. Bette was sitting at the table munching on a bagel. She scowled at Tess.

"So you slept with him?" There was a small note of contempt in her voice.

"Don't, Bette. Not now," warned Tess. "Why aren't you at Peter's?"

"There was nothing to eat at his place. I was hungry."

"You could have gone out."

"Why should I? It's only four floors up and I knew I had bagels." Bette nodded at the bedroom door. "He still in there?"

"Yes."

"He spent the night?"

"Yes. Bette, I'm really not in the mood for this." Tess headed for the bathroom.

"Why? Are you afraid he's gonna come out and hear you? You afraid I'm gonna chew him up again? Or are you regretting being rash?"

Tess spun around. "No. I don't have any regrets sleeping with Don last night. Totally my business." Tess advanced across the room. Her breathing was heavy and her eyes were sharp. "Wanna know what my problem is, Bette? I just had the man I slept with last night tell me he had almost died in a building I watched fall to pieces in May."

"What?" Bette sat there stunned. Realization dawned on her. "Alex's."

"Yeah, Alex's office. Yeah, the bombing that caused the guy I'd been with for two and a half years decide our relationship wasn't going anywhere. Yeah, the guy in my bed right now was inside said building." Tess stood in the middle of the apartment with her hands on her hips. She swung her head back and forth sending her hair flying. "So pardon me if I don't really care if you approve of Don or with my sleeping with him last night. I have a few other things I'm dealing with right now." Tess went into the bathroom and shut the door hard. Bette had suddenly lost interest in her bagel. She set it down on her plate, got up and slunk out of the apartment.

Don was coming out of Tess' bedroom as she exited the bathroom. She looked him up and down and frowned.

"You're leaving?"

Don ducked his head. "I should."

"You don't have to. At least let me make you some breakfast."

Don shook his head. "That's okay, Tess." He stepped closer to her. He reached out and brushed her hair over her shoulder. "Ya know where I'll be later. If ya wanna see me." He bent and gave her a soft kiss. Tess rested her hand on his chest. Don looked into her eyes as he pulled away. "Aw, Tess. Don't look at me like that. Please." Tess looked down at his shoes. Don stepped away from her. He reached out and fingered a lock of her hair one more time. He went to the kitchen, grabbed his things and his suit coat and went to the apartment door. Tess hadn't moved. He opened the door. He started out and glanced back at Tess. "I do want to see you later, Tess Nagy." Tess looked up and Don smiled at her. He went out and quietly closed the door.

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