Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of CSI:NY. If I did, do you honestly think that Flack would still be sniffing around Angell?
Note From the Author: Okay, here we go again. I know this chapter is a little short but I really couldn't think of a better place to stop it. I have a few individual review replies.
Nyakattia: I truly do appreciate the constructive criticism. Usually people are too afraid to even go there so I was glad to read it. I agree with you about them being a little too panicky and hopefully this chapter gives some explanation as to why that may be. Thanks again!
Mandy9578: I have to tell you that when I read your review I went 'what is she talking about? I explain why she didn't pick up on it right there.' Then I thought about it, went back, and realized I'd left an entire scene out of the first chapter. That scene is included here but thank you for saying something because if you hadn't I may not have even picked up on it!
After letting Mac and the others in on what was going on, both Stella and Flack felt a load of nerves lift from their shoulders. There really hadn't been any concern that he would be upset or unhappy with them, but knowing everything was out in the open made them feel much better. Almost everybody in the office knew, and it would only be a matter of time before the news spread to everyone. Flack was especially content knowing that everyone was aware of Stella's condition and wouldn't be messing with her, though he knew she was more than capable of taking care of herself.
As usual with their work and schedules, things got hectic. Several cases came up and it was a week before they had a calm night together at home. Though Flack was completely ecstatic about everything that had transpired in the previous week there were a few questions that had been nagging at him since the day they'd found out that Stella was pregnant. Sitting in their bed late that night he puzzled over them until Stella interrupted his thoughts.
"Are you okay Don?" she asked as she slid in next to him.
"Yeah, there's just been something bugging me since we found out."
She looked at him curiously. "What's that?"
He turned to face her, looking slightly regretful. "I've just been wondering; how did you not notice anything in three months?"
For a moment she went silent as she thought about the question. "Honestly, subconsciously I probably had some idea of it. I was late obviously, but that's never been all that regular for me and that's happened before. I haven't had any cravings yet and the morning sickness showed up so late that I just… I guess I just didn't go there. I ignored the doubts."
He shook his head. "Why were you so worried about it Stell? You were absolutely panic stricken."
"I was afraid, of so many things. I was afraid we weren't ready, and when I thought about it and what I really wanted I was afraid that I might not be pregnant." She paused to take a breath that came shakily. "And I was afraid that you didn't want kids, that you wouldn't want a baby."
For a moment Flack fell into stunned silence. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Only half an hour later I realized we wanted the same thing. After that all of the concerns and worries seemed less important."
"How could something like that ever not be important?" he asked, pulling her into his arms. "I wish you had said something, I would have told you how I felt the minute we found out it was a possibility."
Stella nuzzled in against his neck. "It's okay. We're having a baby and we're both thrilled. That's all that matters now," she told him.
Flack nodded "You're right, that really is all that matters."
It was only a few weeks before Stella began to show, and almost immediately problems arose for her at work. It wasn't very long before she got very tired of people treating her as if she were an invalid or she was going to break. Flack was good about leaving her to her independence but the others, especially the men, wouldn't let her carry anything or do hardly anything for herself. Because she knew they were only concerned for her and the baby she tried to put up with it, but it was getting old, and very quickly.
Early one morning both Stella and Flack were called out to a scene in what could only be called a slum. When they arrived in a back alley covered in trash and used condoms they found two bodies, drugs and paraphernalia. Stella suppressed a groan when she saw that Danny and Hawkes were processing the scene and out of three uniforms there, two were men. With a sigh she jumped in and began to process with Hawkes and Danny. In less than twenty minutes she felt her patience wearing paper thin. She'd already had Hawkes refuse to let her back a piece of evidence, had Danny stop her from standing on a box that only stood five inches off the ground to retrieve something, and the two male cops had kept her from moving a trash can. Flack watched all of this out of the corner of his eye. He could tell that her patience was running out and he was fully aware that she was going to snap. And oh boy did she snap.
She was crouched down looking at a footprint; when she moved to stand she caught her heel on a crack, overbalanced, and landed on her butt. She was so close to the ground at the time that it was more like sitting down hard than falling. Still she looked up and saw everyone but Flack and the female officer rushing towards her. Narrowing her eyes she raised a hand. "Enough!" she cried. Everyone came to a halt and watched her carefully. She got to her feet, brushed herself off, and put her hands on her hips. "Okay gentlemen, here's the deal. I'm pregnant. This does not mean that I am an invalid, nor am I disabled in any way. This condition has not rendered me helpless or incapable. I am more than capable of being careful and cognizant of my surroundings all by myself. I'm not going to break. I'm going to be in the field for more than three months longer and while I am here I will gather evidence, I will participate and you will not treat me like a china doll. Got it?"
They all nodded, Danny and Hawkes looking mollified while the two cops looked a bit frightened. "Let's get back to work then," Flack said.
Before Stella could get back to the footprint, the female officer walked up with a smile on her face. "They were the same way when I was pregnant with my daughter. Good for you." She walked away and Stella heard Flack stifle a laugh from behind her. She turned and their eyes met and he grinned. She couldn't keep the smile from her face and for a moment their eyes held. Stella turned back to her work, still smiling, while Don went back to interviewing the guy who had found the body.
Later that day back at the lab Stella stood in her office wondering over the state of the world as she looked over their case file. It seemed to be pretty much open and shut, and it was one of those that just made her worry about what the world had come to.
Flack walked into the office and sidles up behind her, kissing her cheek. "We got anything?"
Stella sighed. "We're waiting on tox and DNA but it's looking like exactly what we figured at the scene. Everything points to the male vic killing the female vic for the drugs she was trying to sell then overdosing on the bad heroine.
"Amazing," Flack said, shaking his head. "People will do just about anything to get what they want or what they think they need."
"And they pay for it in the end," she told him.
He shook his head again and wrapped his arms around her, one hand automatically going to the slight swell of her belly. "You were pretty impressive this morning," he told her, a laugh in his voice. "I don't think Johnson and Taylor will ever think about crossing you ever again, before or after the baby."
"I didn't mean to scare them," she said, her voice thick with frustration. "I just hate being treated like I'm incapable."
He felt the tension radiating from her and pulled her back against his chest, satisfied when her breathing leveled out and her muscles relaxed. "Nobody thinks you're incapable or anything like that Stell. They're just worried about you, especially Dan and the Doc. They only want you to be safe, just like me."
"You don't pull the cave man routine. I know they're just worried," she sighed. "And I feel like a bitch for the way I acted this morning."
"Hey." He turned her in his arms so they faced each other. "You weren't being a bitch at all. I thought it was freaking fantastic," he said with a grin.
She smiled. "Thanks. I suppose I'll just have to accept that they're all going to want to coddle me."
Flack nodded. "Probably."
"I can live with that." She rose on her toes to kiss him. "Now get back to work Detective, I'll see you at home."
"Yes ma'am." He looked down at her belly. "I like to let your mama think she's in charge," he said conspiratorially.
Stella laughed. "Uh huh, I'm sure it's all an illusion. Work!" she ordered, still laughing as she pointed out of her office.
She was still laughing when he left, and he was content knowing that he'd accomplished exactly what he'd wanted to. He'd made her smile.
Later that week Stella and Lindsay both miraculously had the day off and they were scheduled to meet with the bridal shop to fit Stella's new dress for the wedding. It was the last thing Stella felt up to but she knew how important it was. So she met Lindsay at her and Danny's place and they went together to the bridal shop. Within moments of their arrival the shop attendants had Stella in the dressing room with the dress Lindsay had in mind.
"Are you sure about this kiddo? I don't want everyone to go to all of this trouble when it's likely they won't be able to do anything to make me look good in a dress at six months pregnant.
Lindsay smiled. "Trust me Stella; you'd be amazed what they'll be able to do. Just let me see it."
Stella sighed, tugging a little at the material before she walked out. "What?" she asked when Lindsay gasped. There hadn't been a mirror in the fitting room and she had a sinking feeling she'd been right and she looked horrible.
"Stella you look gorgeous," Lindsay told her. "Look in the mirror."
Looking incredibly doubtful, she turned to face the mirror. Then she saw her reflection and felt slightly bowled over. The sapphire blue material looked gorgeous next to her skin and contrasted the green of her eyes beautifully. The straps were just thick enough and connected to a bodice of rouched material with an empire waist. The material floated away from the bust of the dress, barely skimming her body. "It's beautiful," Stella said, slightly amazed. "But I'm going to be a lot bigger in two months."
"They'll make it perfect. Won't you?" Lindsay stated more than asked.
The dressmaker smiled. "Honey I can make it more than perfect." She circled Stella, making notes in her notebook. "It will be absolutely to die for."
Stella was ushered back into the fitting room to slip the dress off and in a few minutes she and Lindsay were back on the streets with an appointment for a week before the wedding.
"Stell it's going to be so beautiful. Everything's falling into place."
Stella smiled. "It's going to be a gorgeous wedding."
"It will be." Her smile was 100 watt. "Okay, I'm done being starry eyed for the day. I feel like something sweet."
"Girl Scout cookies. I really want Thin Mints."
"Can you even get those this time of year?"
She laughed. "I really don't think so. I guess this is just cravings coming on."
Lindsay smiled. "Settle for a piece of cake?" she asked.
"Sounds good to me."
Flack was sitting at his desk slogging through paperwork later that day when his phone rand. "Yeah, Flack."
"Hey," Stella's voice came from the other end.
He smiled. "Hey, how's the day off going?"
"It's fine. The dress fitting went well and Lindsay's absolutely thrilled. It's just…"
She trailed off and Flack's heart stuttered as he sat straight in his chair. "What?" he asked. "Are you okay?"
"Oh, everything's fine. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you I just feel a little silly. I've just… I've got a craving," she told him, sounding a bit sheepish.
He leaned back again and took a deep breath in an effort to make his heart slow down to its normal rate. "I'm surprised you've made it this long without one. What do you need?" he asked.
"I want Thin Mints."
"The Girl Scout cookies?"
"Yes."
He shook his head. "Are they even selling those this time of year?"
She sighed. "No, that would be the problem," she told him, sounding exasperated.
"Okay." He couldn't help but grin. "I'll stop on the way home and see what I can do."
"Thank you."
Flack made it back to their around an hour later with an armful of bags. Stella met him at the door, taking one of the bags. "What did you do, knock over a convenience store?"
He laughed. "Not quite. I got no Thin Mints, but I've got nearly ever mint and chocolate product on the market."
She smiled at him. "You really did. You went above and beyond the call of duty here. Thank you."
"You're welcome," he said with a smile.
She sat down at the counter. "Show me what you've got."
"I feel like Vanna White. Okay, we've got mint chocolate chip ice cream, we've got Oreos with mint cream, very nice."
She laughed. "Keep going Vanna."
He pulled more boxes and bags out. "Junior Mints, Grasshoppers, chocolate mint chunk cookies, Milanos; I think that's all." He dug around in the bag and came up with something. "I stand corrected, and chocolate covered Altoids. And now I'm done."
Laughing she surveyed his mint chocolate smorgasbord and thought over her options. Grasshoppers were the closest thing to actual Thin Mints, so she grabbed the bag. In moments she had the package torn open and a cookie in her mouth. She let out a satisfied moan. "I love you."
"You talking to me or the cookie?" he asked, breaking out a spoon and digging into the ice cream with a smile.
"Maybe a little bit of both." She leaned across the counter to kiss him thoroughly. "Thank you."
He smiled. "You're welcome.
Leaning back in the chair, Stella grabbed another cookie, gesturing with it momentarily. "So here's the question."
"What's that?" he asked, spoon poised over the ice cream waiting to take another bite.
She waved her hand over the table. "What do we do with all of this?"
"I could think of a few things," he told her, grinning.
"Detective Flack, are you coming on to a pregnant woman?"
He nodded. "Uh huh." He reached over and hooked his finger in the neck of her shirt. He pulled her closer and kissed her. "What do you think of that?"
She turned her head, regarding him somewhat speculatively before her mouth turned up into a smile. "Sounds better than the Thin Mints.
Note From the Author: Okay, so I don't get sued, I don't own any of the products mentioned in this chapter.