Character(s): Flack, Stella, Lindsay, Danny, Hawkes, Adam and Jess.
Pairing(s): Flack/Angell, Lindsay/Danny, slight Mac/Stella
Rating: K+
Summary: "He and Jess were trying to keep their relationship discreet, so announcing the fact that she was not curled up in his bed, rather in her own would not aid their challenge." Jess has the 'flu, Lindsay has a baby and Don is really good with kids.
Warning(s): Caution: May contain enough fluff to rot your teeth and give a dentist an aneurysm. Other side effects include squee-ing, a case of the rabid fan-girls and a warm gooey feeling that makes me feel nautious... Oh, and spelling mistakes, presumably.

"Ah, a little girl!" Flack exclaimed gleefully, grinning at his best friends sat on the hospital bed.

Lindsay smiled, tiredly. "Yeah. Now if only we can agree on the name..."

Danny stood up, cradling Lydia/Lucy in his arms. He smirked at Don, and carefully placed the baby in the Detective's arms. "Danno!" There was unmistakeable air of panic and desperation in his voice.

"Suck it up, Flack. You realise you're gonna be on babysitting duty?"

Stella gave a derisive snort. "Flack? Babysit? You kiddin' me, Messer?"

Adam chuckled. "Yeah, funny..." He caught Flack's glare and backtracked quickly. "Not-Not that I think you're bad with kids, I'm sure you're great with them, it's just I've never seen you... you don't seem to..." he trailed off, looking nervous.

Hawkes smirked. "Well, the baby seems to like him enough."

Sure enough, the baby had stopped squirming, and her tiny hand was now curled around the front of Flack's shirt, the fabric creased into her tiny palm. Her breathing was steady and deep, her eyes squeezed shut. Flack held her warm body against him, almost afraid to breathe in case he hurt her. Although he had two nieces, aged five and seven, curtousey of older brother Gerrard and sister-in-law Marie, but the two were little terrors, and had ruined countless shirts at rare get-togethers thanks to there tornado-esque ways. But not baby Messer. She was so small, and sweet. "Since when has any female been able to resist me, doc?" he shot back.

Stella rolled her eyes. "Many a time, Donnie."

Lindsay glanced round, a slight frown on her face. "Hey, is Angell coming? She said she'd stop by..."

Mac glanced at Flack, who shook his head. "Can't, she's got the 'flu. Called in sick this morning. Though I did get an email from her, telling her to say congratulations, and the baby's present's in her locker. I asked her for the combination, but she said... actually, it was indelicate."

Danny chuckled, tracing patterns on his wife's arm. "Uh-huh. Called the Cap?"

"Yes."

"Maybe I'll go visit her." Stella mused absently.

A look of mild horror flickered across Flack's face. "Um... she said to Cap that she was... staying with her brother. So she won't be home."

Mac bit back a smile. "Okay. We'll call, make sure she's alright."

He nodded, letting his breath out slowly. He and Jess were trying to keep their relationship discreet, so announcing the fact that she was not curled up in his bed, rather in her own would not aid their challenge.

Flack glanced at his watch - with some degree of difficulty, due to the newborn still sleeping in his arms - and sighed. "I gotta go."

Danny stood up, and scooped his daughter out of his friend's arms. She opened her eyes, startled. Her faced scruched up, but Flack brushed a finger against her cheek and she sighed contentedly, going back to sleep. "Dude... how d'ya do that?"

Flack shrugged. "I'm good with babies. Alright, I'll see you all later." He leaned over, kissing Lindsay's forehead. "Take care."

The group waited until he was out of earshot before speaking.

"So sleeping with Angell." Danny scoffed.

"I'd agree, but he'd find out and kick my ass." Adam admitted.

"You should be more worried about Angell kicking your ass." Hawkes pointed out, fully aware of the female Detective's excellent range scores and track record when it came to unarmed combat. "But the point is, yeah, they're together. But they've got a damn good reason for keeping it quiet. He's first grade, her partner, and outranking her."

"But they should have told us!" Stella argued. "Hell, she should have told me! After all, we-" she stopped quickly, not wanting to drag up the whole Diakos situation. "-are supposed to be allies against you men!" she diverted quickly. "Other than you, Linds, since you're a girl."

"Sharp as a tack, huh?" Lindsay smirked.

Stella huffed slightly, a smile tugging at her lips.

Mac shrugged. "If they want to tell us, they will. Until then... we should respect their privacy. Which means you two-" eyed Stella and danny purposefully. "-Need to behave. No winding them up. Flack will just get annoyed, and Jess might shoot you. No need to create more work for the rest of us."

Danny pouted slightly, having been fully anticipatin the chance to wind up his friends in varying degrees, but had to concede to Mac's point. Thetwo were abnormally secretive about their private lives, so to invade that would be like to tell Flack that Devils rule, Rangers suck... More likely to earn you a punch to the face than a slap on the back.

Lindsay yawned widely, and Hawkes nodded. "We'll let you get som rest. Congratulations, she's gorgeous."

"Thanks." Lindsay beamed, almost glowing as she gazed adoringly at her daughter.

Stella bent to kiss her cheek as mac shook Danny's hand, before squeezing Lindsay's shoulder gently. Slowly, the group filed out of the room, leaving danny and Lindsay on their own.

Lindsay remained silent for a moment, before glancing at her husband. "No, Danny. You can't text either of them. You heard Mac."

"But-"

"No." She repeated, her tone sggesting that compromise was out of the question, so Danny merely kissed her cheek.

"Love you."

"Love you too, Danny."

Flack pulled off his clothes, crawling into his bed next to Jess. His arm snaked around her waist, and she snuggled back against him. "Hey. You feelin' any better?"

"Mmph." she murmured, half asleep.

He kissed her temple, closing his eyes as he felt her breathing evn out slightly, reassured now that she was asleep.

"Love you, Don."

The words cut through the air like the crack of a whip, and suddenly all thought of sleep escaped him. "What?"

Jess merely sighed contentedly, not moving.

Don wasn't entirely sure whether the fact that she'd said that to him for the first time while she was sleeping was disconcerting or not, but couldn't help the grin that slid across his face either way. "I love you too."