AN: I don't own any of the CSI:NY Characters or any of the show's storylines that I may refer to from time to time, but the rest of the plot is mine.

13. New Beginnings

The elevator door opened and Laura stepped out, her right arm in a sling, and she headed for the breakroom. Mac, Danny and Stella were there. Stella gave her a hug as she walked in. "Hey, how are you?"

Laura nodded. "Fine, I just came by to say thank you, if you hadn't pulled everything together I'd be on my way to China right now."

"That wasn't an option. We would have found you. Whose idea was it for the personal trackers?" Mac joined in.

Laura explained that Charlotte had the idea and the trackers had been supplied by the FBI. She also confirmed that the tracker was in the girls navel jewellery, while the guys had theirs in their watches. Stella asked what she was going to do next.

"I'll be off for a couple of weeks, then I'll be on desk duty for a month while I get my arm back in shape, but I can live with that while I learn my new job" She told them.

"So you're getting out of vice then?" Danny asked.

"I've been trying for a couple of months, but they wouldn't even think about it while we were undercover. Breaking this ring has given me too high a profile so they don't have a choice. They had to give me a transfer." She grinned knowingly.

Don entered and slipped an arm around her waist and kissed her cheek. She leaned against him.

"I heard you were on your way over" he told her.

She looked up "Gerrard?" she asked.

"Think you can stand working with me full time?" he teased her.

She laughed "I think its more the other way around."

"So you're gonna be working with Flack?!" exclaimed Danny.

"Yeah, in part anyway. I've just been transferred to homicide, so it looks like I'll be seeing more of you all and I believe Mac I have you to thank for a lot of it." She answered.

Mac grinned. "Anyone who can still be coherent after a 36 hour shift and add value to an investigation is worth it. We're glad to have you."

Don asked if she was ready for lunch, she told him she was and started to say goodbye as the others left the room. Laura turned to follow them, Don tugged her good hand and pulled her back.

"Not so fast. ... I've got something for you" He pulled his hand from his pocket and placed a small blue velvet box in the palm of her hand. Laura looks at him confused. "You don't remember what I said last night when they-" he began with a huge mischievous grin.

Laura stopped him. "That wasn't just a distraction?" she asked her voice faltering slightly.

"It got your attention, but I don't think I got an answer. I only planned on making this request once in my life, but I guess I can make an exception seeing as you were high on morphine at the time." He paused and watched her eyes as they darted across his face and filled with tears. "Marry me Laura."

She nodded as a single tear trickled down her cheek, which he gently wiped away, before he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, careful not to put pressure on her injured arm. She wrapped her free arm around his neck and he kissed her. As he pulled back he took the box from her and removed the ring, slipped the box into his pocket and slid the ring onto her finger, where she saw it for the first time, a platinum band with 3 stones, two Ceylon sapphires with a central diamond.

"It's beautiful, I love it!" She gasped. "Why here?"

"I couldn't wait until later, I've been waiting for the right time. Yesterday I was so scared I'd lost you, I don't want to waste any more time that we could have together"

"Neither do I" Laura replied as Stella came back to the breakroom. "You two still here? I forgot my coffee." Laura turned to talk to her and her ring sparkled in the light, a move not unnoticed by Stella who looked at the two of them then squealed.

"Have you- Oh my God! Congratulations!" Laura laughed. "He picks his moments, he actually proposed last night in ER as they put my shoulder back in!"

"At least you didn't realise what they were doing until it was almost done." He teased.

Lindsay and Hawkes entered. Lindsay asked what all the noise was. Don took Laura's hand "We'll tell you later, Sullivan's 7.30? ... we've got lunch waiting." He lead Laura out of the room.

Hawkes watched them go. "What's going on?" Stella grinned. "My lips are sealed, you'll find out later." Stella picked up her coffee and left.

Later Danny arrived in the locker room to find Don sitting on the bench waiting for him. "What's up Flack I got your 911."

"We've been friends a long time and I've kind of taken that for granted lately." Don started. Danny waited for him to continue "It's just that Laura's special, Almost losing her yesterday made me realise, she's the one Danny, ... things changed after the bomb, I met her during rehab, we just clicked, ... its thanks to her that I got through it, she made it to almost every session I had, she sat with me for hours when my pain was so bad I couldn't move after, she's different to all the others. ... I asked her to marry me."

"Whoa! Flack, are you sure about this?" Danny gasped. He hadn't known Don to get serious about anyone, but thinking about it he had changed since the bombing, he had taken some things a little more seriously. Seeing them earlier in the breakroom, Danny had to agree that his friend seemed happy. He couldn't begrudge him that, after all he and Lindsay had finally got themselves straight and things were good.

Don watched Danny for a moment while the news sank in. "Yeah, Danno I'm sure. ... I wanted to ask you, when we decide on a ceremony would you stand up with me, be my best man?"

Danny almost swallowed his tongue as he realised what his friend was asking. "Don't you want family for that?"

Don shook his head "You're just like my family, I wouldn't want anyone else"

Danny paused then gave a small nod. "Sure, I can do that, ... I'd be honoured. Have you told anyone else?"

"Stella knows, we're telling the others later."

The End

Soccer-Bitch - thanks for your reviews. hope you like the ending.

Sequel now up - current title "Boxes"