The seating was awkward, though no one mentioned it. Stella made sure that she stayed close to Flack, but tried to avoid Lindsay and Mac as well. Seating herself between Danny and Don, she watched to see where everyone else would end up at the round table. Hawkes sat next to Messer, with Lindsay on the other side of him. Adam and Mac rounded out the group, although Stella noticed how uncomfortable Flack was sitting next to his boss. His body shifted just a little to his right, so that she could feel his hand brush against hers. Stella couldn't help but relax a little, knowing that he was by her side.

After ordering their drinks, the team sat there, everyone seeming to avoid their coworkers' eyes. The silence started to become uncomfortable, and Danny shifted nervously.

"Rough case," he murmured.

Don nodded in agreement. "It's always bad when there are kids involved."

Lindsay frowned, avoiding Danny's eyes. "It certainly didn't help that the dad was sleeping around."

At her words, Stella glanced up, meeting her friend's eyes with a hard look. "Doesn't justify what the mother did, no matter what way you look at it."

There was ice in her words, and no one at the table missed it. Lindsay looked at her in surprise, trying to decipher what lay behind the coldness. But Stella's eyes had already slid away, and Don was watching her carefully. Lindsay saw his arm move slightly, and she realized that he was reaching under the table, probably taking Stella's hand in his. Her confusion mounting, she looked for something else to say, but the waitress was back and handing out their drinks.

Knowing that the subject needed to be changed, and some of the tension drained, Hawkes held up his glass.

"To getting the guy," he said loudly.

Nobody could deny that. Raising their drinks, they all murmured their assent and let their glasses clink against one another - though Hawkes noticed how careful some of them were to make sure their hands didn't touch.

"So, Mac..." Danny said after taking a long pull from his beer. "Where's Michelle?"

His expression tightened. "Working."

Danny frowned. "Come on...she was too busy to come out for a couple drinks?"

"Yeah."

Stella heard the pain his voice, and it took everything she had to keep from twisting her head around to stare at him. Something had happened; she would bet money that something had gone wrong. But even though she desperately wanted to ask about it, she knew that now wasn't the time. Carefully keeping her face blank, she glanced over at him, seeing the tightness of his shoulders. He looked so tired and worn, that she longed to reach out and touch him. At her side, Flack shifted suddenly, and Stella's eyes moved to his. He was watching her carefully, taking in her movements, and she could see the worry in his face. Giving him a small smile, she struggled to pull her mind from Mac, and to focus on the conversation that Adam and Danny were having.

And that was how the rest of the night of the evening went. Instead of all talking and laughing together, separate conversations sprang up around the table, as some of the C.S.I.s and detectives did their best to avoid looking each other in the eye. Drinks were consumed - in some cases, rapidly - and more were ordered. Instead of easing the tension, though, it caused everyone to withdraw a little more, with the possible exception of Hawkes and Adam. The latter grew loud as he tried to pull others into conversation with him. Sheldon, on the other hand, kept his drinking to a minimum as he watched his friends, trying to decipher the layers of pain he saw all around him.

Finally, around ten, they started to drift away. Draining the last of her margarita, Lindsay stood, wavering on her feet just a little.

"I'm going home," she announced.

Hawkes watched as Danny stared at her, and he could see that the other man wanted to join her. But for reasons unknown to him, he stayed put, and Sheldon stood up instead.

"I'll help you catch a cab."

She flashed him a grateful smile, and they headed out together, both unaware of the way Danny and Don's eyes followed them closely. Flack realized what he was doing and shook himself, casting a nervous glance at Danny before taking another drink from his beer.

"I believe that's my cue as well," Mac said, rising to his feet.

He looked over at Stella quickly, but when she didn't meet his eyes, he turned and walked toward the door. Stella tried to stay in her seat, but eventually she leaned over to Flack.

"I'm going to walk with him. See if he's alright."

Don let his eyes meet hers, letting him see the worry there. "Are you sure?" he asked, his tone heavy.

"He's still my friend, Don."

He nodded, knowing that there wasn't anything he could say to make her change her mind. "Be careful."

Giving him a sad smile, she kissed him on the cheek. "I'll call you later."

When she was gone as well, and Adam had disappeared out the door, Flack looked over at Danny, frowning at how dejected his friend looked. Heaving himself out of his chair, he walked over and clapped him on the back.

"C'mon, man. I'll walk ya home."

"What am I, your girlfriend?"

"Sue me for wantin' to make sure ya don't stumble into the street and get killed. Now get your ass up and let's go."

"Alright, alright. What's got you so pissed?"

"I'll tell ya later."

"No you won't."

Flack nodded as they moved toward the door. "You're right. I probably won't."

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After getting outside, Hawkes and Lindsay decided that it would be just as easy to walk to her place as it was to find a cab. They went slowly, both seemingly lost in their own worlds. But Sheldon kept a watch on her out of the corner of his eye, seeing the way her shoulders slumped in apparent defeat. He hated to see her so beaten down, and from the way things had gone at the pub, he was sure that Danny was the reason for whatever pain she was in.

Hawkes didn't hate him - in fact, he had thought it a good thing when they finally got together. He had never seen Lindsay smile so much, and it was almost easy for him to pocket away the little crush he had developed. But lately he could see that things were strained between them, and Sheldon hated the idea that Danny may have broken her heart.

"This is me."

He looked up to realize that they had reached her apartment building. Looking over at her, he stretched out a hand, resting it gently on her arm.

"You know you can talk to me, right?"

She opened her mouth to respond to him, but whatever she was going to say seemed to get caught in her throat. Blinking away the tears that had suddenly built up, she tried to give him a reassuring smile. "It's nothing."

"And by that, you mean it's Danny."

Her bottom lip trembled as she shrugged. "We're not together anymore."

"I'm sorry, Lindsay," he said quietly, and she could tell that he meant it.

"I'll be okay," she whispered.

But she wasn't okay right then, and Hawkes pulled her into a tight hug. They had never really done this before - comforted each other - but he saw no reason to just walk away and leave her alone. Holding her close, he felt her relax just a little against him, and he was surprised at how he warmed up at the thought of easing her pain even the slightest bit. When they finally pulled apart, he stayed close, searching her eyes.

Lindsay smiled at him again. "I'd invite you up for a drink, but I think I've already had enough."

Sheldon nodded, taking her face in his hands gently. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

"Good." He kissed her forehead softly. "Don't forget that I'm here, Lindsay - whatever you need."

"Thanks, Hawkes."

Nodding once, he let go of her face and turned away. Lindsay watched him hail a cab and climb in, waving as the car pulled away from the car. Then she sighed, turning and walking up to her painfully empty apartment.

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"Talk to me, Mac."

He glanced over at her as they walked through the park, but he was careful not to meet her eyes. "I'm fine."

She chuckled. "You're an awful liar, you know that?"

That brought a small smile to his face. "You always could see right through me."

They stopped walking and turned to face each other. Stella watched him carefully, taking in the way his hands were shoved into the pockets of his coat, and the worry lines around his eyes. Everything about him screamed that he was tired, and not just physically.

"Why didn't Michelle come?" she asked quietly. And from the way he almost winced, she knew that she had hit the nail on the head.

"Things between us...they haven't been going so smoothly."

"What do you mean?"

He shrugged. "She's...distant, and angry. Nothing I say or do is right anymore. I keep asking her what's wrong, but she just pushes me away and throws herself into her work." Mac stopped when he saw the way Stella was looking at him. "What?"

She shrugged. "Nothing, it's just...I remember when you were like that. It was right after Claire died."

"You think she lost someone?" he asked slowly.

"I think she's going through something, and she probably needs you more than ever."

Mac sighed. "Then why won't she talk to me?"

Stella gave him a small smile. "Because you're so good with the communicating."

He sighed again, looking down at the ground. "It shouldn't be this hard, Stella."

She watched him for a second longer before reaching out and pulling him to her. His arms wrapped around her almost immediately, and they stood there in the middle of the park, holding each other tightly. Mac buried his face in the crook of her neck, and Stella closed her eyes against the sensations running through her body. She didn't know why she was defending Michelle - she knew that if she really wanted to, she could convince Mac that he should walk away. He was so broken and beaten right now that he was more easily susceptible to persuasion, and more willing to walk away. But she knew how much Michelle meant to him - she could see it every time he talked about the other detective. And as much as it broke her heart, she could never counsel him to make a decision that would hurt him so deeply.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, pulling away until they were almost nose-to-nose. "I shouldn't be burdening you with all of this."

"It's okay, Mac," she breathed, every word like a knife in her gut. "That's what friends are for."

He stared at her for a moment, everything around them falling still. Leaning forward, a confused look in his eyes, he brushed his lips against hers, sighing at the contact. "Stella."

And then it was all happening too fast. His mouth was on hers again, but it was more forceful, more desperate than before. He clung to her, pulling her body roughly against his even as his fingers dug into her flesh. Stella kissed him back, her knees turning to water as his tongue invaded her mouth. She was grateful that he was holding onto her so tightly, because otherwise she was afraid that she might just melt into the ground. Her fingers tangled in his short hair as she pulled herself closer, still amazed that this was actually happening, that a simple hug between friends had turned into something so much more...

She pulled back so suddenly that they both stumbled a little. Mac opened his eyes slowly, staring at her in confusion and wonderment as they both struggled to catch their breath.

"Stella," he breathed.

She shook her head firmly, squeezing her eyes shut. "We can't do this," she said, trying desperately to keep her voice steady.

Mac sighed and he finally let go of her body. "I'm sorry, Stella. I'm so sorry."

Giving him a watery smile, she took a step back. "It's okay, Mac. I know...I know it didn't mean anything." She inwardly steeled herself. "I know that you're just upset."

He shook his head. "I shouldn't have done that. I shouldn't have lost control."

"Mac, stop," she said gently. "Just go. Find out what's bothering her and fix things." She took a deep breath. "You two fit together too well to just walk away from this."

Reaching out, he gently stroked the side of her face. "Do you want me to walk you home?"

"No. I'll be fine," she whispered.

He kissed her on the cheek, making sure that it was short and far away from her mouth. "Thank you, Stella."

She couldn't say anything back as he turned and disappeared into the night.

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Flack wasn't surprised when the pounding on his door started. He hadn't expected things to go well with Mac, and when he opened the door to find a crying Stella in front of him, he silently cursed the man that he had once revered. Her eyes met his, and a sick feeling built in the pit of his stomach as he was faced with a look that he knew all too well.

"He kissed me," she told him, her voice breaking.

Don's arms were around her immediately, dragging her body against his. He held her tightly, running a hand through her dark curls as the dam broke and she burst into sobs against his shoulder.

"And you walked away," he whispered, making it a statement instead of a question.

"He doesn't want me," she cried. "I can't be someone's rebound, Don. Not even his."

He closed his eyes, feeling her pain and knowing exactly what she was going through. Backing them into the apartment, he kicked the door shut. Stella wept harder, clinging to him desperately as she let everything go; Flack simply tightened his hold on her as he maneuvered them to teh couch, where he pulled her into his lap.

"Oh sweetheart," he murmured.