Note From The Author—This is the third time I've posted this chapter. Stay made me look around to actually figure out Angell's name rather than guess and everything I can find says Jennifer, so that's what I'm going with. So this is the repost with Jennifer and Hawkes, since I forgot him the first time. So yeah… I hope you enjoy this new chapter. I'm a little worried about this one, but then I'm usually worried about most chapters : ) Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own the CSI: NY characters. If only

Stella was sitting at the desk in her office when Lindsay came in with a handful of bags and a grin. "Hey Stella!"

The older woman looked up and smiled. "You're back. How was the honeymoon?" She stood up to hug her.

"It was amazing. Three weeks in Mexico seemed like a lifetime but I still didn't want to come home yet." She looked Stella up and down and shook her head. "When Danny and I have kids I hope I look as good as you at seven months pregnant."

Stella made a noise akin to a snort. "Please, I feel like a house."

Lindsay smiled. "Well you don't look like a house," she told her as they both sat down. "Anyway, Danny and I brought everyone presents and I thought I'd bring you yours. We couldn't help but get a few things for the baby too. They were just too cute."

"You didn't have to do that kiddo."

"We wanted to," We wanted to." She dug in the bags for a moment. We just couldn't seem to help ourselves."

"That was sweet of you," Stella told her.

Lindsay grinned. "Well, some of it's a little goofy. We have this." She held up a onesie with a sunset emblazoned on it. "And this." This time she held up a large stuffed seahorse. "And for you I have this." She showed her a beautiful beaded and embroidered top along with a gorgeous necklace crafted of metal.

"They're beautiful Lindsay.

"I'm glad you like them. I know you won't be able to wear the top for a while but I figured you'd appreciate the reminder that in a while you won't feel like you're as big as a house."

Stella laughed. "I do. Thank you for all of it."

"You're welcome. Danny's got Flack's presents and one more thing for the baby," she said with a grin.

"What's that?" she asked curiously.

Lindsay shook her head. "That's where the goofy comes in. Just wait until you see it."

When Flack came into the lab a few hours later he was carrying a bag and grinning. "I take it you got your presents from Lindsay."

Stella nodded. "I did. I'm curious about this other present for the baby. Lindsay would only say that it's kind of goofy."

"Goofy would be an excellent word for it." Still grinning he pulled the present from the bag.

For a moment Stella could only stare. Then she burst out into hysterical laughter. "Where on earth did they find it?" she managed to ask him. 'It' was a costume for a baby, a little crab costume made of soft bright red material. It came complete with little booties that looked like crab claws.

Flack smiled. "I have no idea, but it's so ridiculous that it's adorable."

"You're right. I'll have to thank Danny and make sure we take a picture of the baby in it as soon as we can."

"Only a few months," he told her with a smile.

Stella smiled. "Not soon enough. I know the more time I sit in the lab in the next couple of months the more eager I'm going to be."

He smiled and bent to kiss her softly. "I know it'll be hard for you to just sit here, but you know that it's the best for you and the baby. Just look at it as the last step before we officially become parents.

"I know," she sighed. "And I'm so excited to finally have the baby. We just both know how poorly I deal with inactivity."

"I'm sure there'll be plenty of evidence to process. The city never quits."

Flack was right about the city. The next day two new cases landed on their doorstep and the lab split in half. Stella, Hawkes and Lindsay worked with Angell while Mac and Danny took a case with Flack. Stella's case involved the beating, rape and murder of a twenty year old girl. She was found in her apartment amongst signs of a vicious struggle. When Stella got word that Sid had finished the autopsy she headed straight to hear the results.

"What have we got Sid?" she asked.

"Amelia Jensen was a fighter," he told her. He pointed to several wounds. "Defensive wounds, particularly on her arms, and blood under the fingernails; I sent that up to DNA."

"Thanks Sid. COD?"

He sighed. "Strangulation." His gloved hands touched the victim's neck gently. "Whoever did this was pretty strong. There's bruising here, but it seems like he may have worn gloves. I found some trace, white powder on the neck and shoulders. It's your job to figure out for sure but it looks like the stuff that comes in some latex gloves."

Stella took the small container of powder he handed her. "Thanks Sid. I'll let you know what we figure out."

"Hey Stella."

She turned back. "Yeah?" she asked.

"You be careful. Wouldn't want anything to happen to our first crime lab baby," he said with a smile.

She smiled back. "I will be."

She ran the powder and it came back just as Sid had thought; powder from latex gloves. Stella was about to leave trace when Hawkes came in. "He wore latex gloves when he strangled her."

Hawkes nodded. "And I think we've got a suspect." He handed her a folder.

"Arnold Abbot?"

He nodded. "He's one of Amelia Jensen's neighbors. Angell flagged him after she talked to him and when we dug a bit we found this," he gestured to the folder.

"He was the primary suspect in two former rape cases?" she asked, somewhat incredulously.

"Yeah, but in both cases the girls retracted their statements and it didn't go any further," Hawkes told her.

Stella nodded. "I'd say we've got a pretty good suspect. Let's bring him in."

An hour later they had Arnold Abbot in custody. Hawkes had been working on him for about ten minutes and wasn't making any headway. Stella shook her head. "Let me give it a try. Maybe I can get to him. If he rapes a woman could send him over the edge, make him lose control and let something slip."

"It's fine with me, just be careful Stella, and keep Hawkes in the room. In your condition I don't want you taking any chances."

She nodded and stepped into the room. She stood at the door for a moment, taking the suspect in. Arnold Abbot was around six feet tall, casually good looking, but one of those people whose face you'd likely forget five minutes after you passed him on the street. He had assumed a defensive stance, arms crossed and face closed off. "You're not being very cooperative Arnold," she spoke up.

Hawkes nodded to her and stood, ranging himself behind the chair. Abbot looked over and shook his head when he saw Stella. "Oh hell no man! Bad enough you bring me in here like this but now I gotta be questioned by a pregnant chick? I don't think so."

Hawkes was ready to say something but Stella shook her head as she sat. "It's okay. You don't like women Arnold?" she asked. "Oh that's right, you just like raping women."

He leaned forward. "I was never convicted."

"See that's the thing Arnold. You were never convicted; doesn't mean you didn't do it," she said derisively.

"Whatever." He leaned back in the chair.

Stella pushed forward. "So what happened? You hit on Amelia and she didn't want you?" She gestured with one hand. "I bet that was it. She didn't want you just like all of the two other girls didn't want you. So you figured if she wouldn't give you what you want you'd just take it." Abbot shook his head but Stella didn't miss his fists beginning to clench. You knocked on her door, forced your way into her apartment, and when she fought back you beat her. You beat her and you raped her."

"You're wrong," he said forcefully.

"See here's the one thing you didn't count on. You may have worn rubber gloves Arnold, but she fought back, and she scratched you; your blood got under her nails."

"Pull your sleeves up Abbot," Hawkes told him.

"No way."

Hawkes shook his head. "We've got a warrant Abbot, so pull your sleeves up or I'll come over there and do it for you." Abbot looked away from both of them and slowly pulled his sleeves up, revealing several long bloody gashes.

"We got you," Stella said vehemently.

He shook his head slowly. "She wanted me. They all wanted me; they just couldn't admit it. But they wanted me," he told her.

"You sick son of a bitch. They didn't want you, they despised you and they fought you. You got away with it the first time because you terrified the girls into recanting, but this time you slipped up. What happened Arnold? Did she scream so loud you had to quiet her down? Or do you just get off on murdering innocent young girls?"

Arnold Abbot lunged across the table. Stella was up on her feet in a second and in another instant Hawkes had Abbot up against the wall and cuffed. Stella left the room, shaking her head in disgust. Angell looked over at her as she emerged. "You okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She laid a hand protectively over her belly. "I can't even believe how sick people can be sometimes. It never ceases to amaze me."

"Me either. I can take it from here Stella, go home and get some rest, you need it."

She nodded. "When you're right you're right. I'll see you later."

It was pouring rain when Stella made it home only to find the apartment empty. She changed into a pair of Flack's sweats and one of his old t-shirts and settled into bed with a book she'd read a dozen times and a glass of hot cocoa. She was so immersed in the story that she almost jumped out of her skin when her cell phone rang. "Bonasera," she answered.

"Hey," Flack said. "How are you feeling?"

"Hey. I'm tired, but we got the guy, so that feels pretty good. Where are you?"

He sighed on his end of the line. "I'm out in Brooklyn. Our suspect… well, he hasn't exactly been cooperative. Mac, Danny and I have resorted to waiting for him to show up at his girlfriend's place. She's being cooperative about it but so far he hasn't shown. I could be a while so you should probably try and get some sleep."

She nodded. "I will. Good luck, and I'll see you when you get home."

"I'll see you soon. I love you."

"I love you too."

Stella stayed up long enough to finish her book for about the thirteenth time. She brushed her teeth, tamed her hair into a braid and settled in under the covers. The baby was kicking up a storm and she rubbed her stomach gently, muttering soothingly in Greek. Slowly, the sound of the rain beating methodically against the window lulled her to sleep.

She was ripped violently from sleep what seemed like only instants later when her phone rang shrilly in her ear. Groggily she groped for the phone, pulling herself up sluggishly to a sitting position. "Bonasera," she answered, still half asleep.

"Stella?" Lindsay's voice was shaking when she spoke.

A sharp pang of fear pierced Stella's heart. "Lindsay? What's wrong?"

"Stella, there's… there's been an accident."