Flack watched as Stella packed up her kit. A cloth covered the victim's body, and another one covered the head that lay a couple feet away. But Don couldn't focus on the crime scene right then. the only thing on his mind was the woman in front of him.

He sighed as he saw how tense her shoulders were. It had been almost two weeks since he'd picked her up at the bar, and in that time she had barely spoken a word to him. Flack knew that she was embarrassed, too ashamed to really face him. But all he wanted was his friend back.

"C'mon," he said as she stood up. "I'll drive ya back to the lab."

She didn't look him in the eye. "Don't worry about it. I'll just catch a ride -"

"Messer's already gone," he cut in. "You're stuck with me."

Stella was silent as they went to the SUV, and she climbed into the passenger seat without looking over at him. Flack watched her out of the corner of his eye, sighing when he realized that she didn't intend on speaking to him. Starting the car, he pulled into traffic, but headed away from the lab.

She frowned. "What the hell -?"

"We need to talk."

Stella stared at him in disbelief. "So you're kidnapping me?"

"Would you talk to me otherwise?"

She turned her head, staring out the window. "Flack -"

He pulled the car over suddenly, parking next to the curb. Turning, he stared at her, his eyes boring into her.

"We need to talk, Stella. I can't take this anymore."

She shook her head, fumbling with her seat belt. "I can't," she whispered.

Without another word, she was unbuckled and out of the car. Flack cursed, fumbling with his own restraint as he threw his door open, not caring when a car flew by and honked angrily at him. Rushing around the car, he chased after Stella, following her as she headed down an empty alley. His long legs gave him the advantage and he soon caught up to her, spinning her around and pressing her against the wall.

"Stell," he said, breathing hard, "Please. Talk to me."

The tears were flowing freely now as Stella once again shook her head. "I'm so sorry," she told him.

"It's okay," he said quietly.

"It's not okay!" she yelled. "All those things I've been so mad at Lindsay for...using somebody to stop her own pain...that's exactly what I did to you! Don't you get it, Don? I'm a hypocrite! I yelled at her for hurting you and then I turned around and did the same thing! I -"

Flack rested his thumb on her lips, stilling her speech. She stared at him in surprise, and he gave her a small smile. "I forgive you," he said firmly.

Her lower lip trembled and her eyes filled again. "Why?"

Leaning forward, he kissed her forehead before pulling her into his arms. Stella rested her head on his chest, sinking into him as he wrapped his arms around her. They stayed like that for a few minutes, ignoring the sounds of the city for as long as they could.

"You're my friend, Stell," he murmured, his hands rubbing circles on her back. "Aside from Messer, you're my best friend. I know you didn't mean to hurt me, that you were hurting so much you didn't want to be alone. I can forgive that."

She sniffed. "Did you forgive Lindsay?"

"Yes."

Stella closed her eyes, burying her face in his shirt. "I hated her for hurting you," she whispered. "I didn't want to be the one to cause you any pain."

Pulling away slightly, Don took her face in his hands, making sure she looked him in the eye. "We're human, Stell. We're gonna hurt each other. But I know you didn't mean to." He paused, gathering his thoughts. "I want you back, Stell. I hate doin' this - any of it - without you. I miss you."

"I miss you, too," she said, more tears falling down her face.

He smiled, wiping her cheeks. "Then let's go back to where we were."

Stella finally smiled, and Flack felt a load lift off of his shoulders. She nodded, reaching up and kissing him on the cheek.

"Thanks, Don," she said. "For not letting me go."

He turned to lead them back to the car, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and tucking her into his side. "I told ya, Bonasera," he said with a smile. "You're stuck with me."

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"We forgot dessert," Lindsay pouted as she and Hawkes put the dishes away in his kitchen.

He smiled at her, holding up a hand. "You may have forgotten dessert. I, on the other hand, did not."

Opening the refrigerator, he pulled out a box that said "Stephenie's Bakery" on the top. He set the box in front of Lindsay before slowly lifting the lid. When she saw what was inside, her eyes widened.

"Cupcakes?" she asked.

"Cupcakes," he confirmed, laughing. "I know they're your favorite, so..."

She reached into the box, pulling out a chocolate cupcake with green frosting. She had the wrapper almost completely off before she stopped, glancing over at her friend.

"Hawkes..." she said hesitantly, fighting back the nervousness that was growing in the pit of her stomach. "I...there's something I need to say to you."

Sheldon leaned back against the counter, crossing his arms and giving Lindsay a gentle look. "Is this the part where you tell me that you're still in love with Danny, and that you probably always will be?"

Lindsay faltered a little, not expecting his bluntness. "I...you've been a really good friend," she said, hating the way the words sounded as they came out of her mouth. "It's just..."

"You don't have feelings for me," he said quietly.

"No," she whispered.

He gave her a sad smile as he pushed off of the counter and came to stand in front of her. Reaching out, he tucked a strand of hair behind her ears before stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"I'm not gonna lie," he told her. "I'm interested. But I've known from the beginning that this wouldn't happen, Lindsay. It's all over your face how you feel about Danny. And I would never stand in the way of that. You don't have to worry about hurting me - I didn't have any expectations to begin with."

Tears sprang to her eyes. "You're a good friend, Sheldon," she whispered. "And I don't think I would have gotten through the past few months without you."

He nodded. "Can I give you a piece of advice then?"

"Of course."

"Don't wait too long with Danny. I know he hurt you. But I also know that you love him, and that this whole thing is killing him. I'm not saying you should try to just go back to where you were. But let him in a little. Let him be your friend again."

Smiling, she stepped forward and hugged him tightly. He returned the embrace, and they stayed like that for a little while before taking a step backwards.

"I have a few things I need to make right," she said quietly. "I should probably get started on them."

"With Danny?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Flack first. I owe him an apology...or ten." Lindsay looked down at her dessert. "After my cupcake though."

Hawkes laughed. "After," he agreed.

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Flack stared in shock when he saw Lindsay standing on his doorstep. She looked better than she had in months, and he couldn't help but smile at her as looked up at him.

"Hey."

"Hey. Can I come in?"

Don moved to the side. "Of course." She came in, and he led her over to the couch. "Do you want anything to drink?" he asked.

"I'm good. I just...I need to talk to you, Don."

He took a seat next to her. "About what?"

She stared down at her fingers, suddenly unsure of where to begin. "Everything, I guess," she shrugged. "We haven't really talked since..."

"You kissed me," he finished.

Lindsay nodded. "I really am sorry about that."

"You don't need to apologize, Linds. I just...after that..."

"Stella told me how you feel about me." When his head snapped up, she blushed. "She didn't mean to. She was yelling at me and it just came out -"

"Felt."

She frowned, peering at him closely. "What?"

"You said she told you how I feel about you...but it's how I felt about you."

Lindsay breathed a quiet sigh of relief and reached out, taking his hand in hers. "I never meant to hurt you."

"I know."

She watched him for another moment, seeing the far-off look in his eyes. She wondered what he was thinking about, but slowly, things began to fall into place. Squeezing his hand, she brought his attention back to her.

"It's Stella, isn't it?"

Don frowned. "What?"

"You've fallen for her."

He shook his head. "No, it's just -"

"It's okay, Flack," she said gently. "I think it's a good thing."

He stopped objecting and stared at her. "Really?"

Lindsay nodded, smiling. "I think you two fit really well together."

Don shrugged, looking down. "I just wanna me sure it's real, ya know? I need to know that it's not comfort or just because we're lonely."

"Love is friendship set on fire." He frowned and Lindsay shrugged. "It's something I heard once. You and Stella are friends, right?"

"Yeah."

"Really good friends?"

Flack nodded. "Yeah."

"Then I think that's your answer. Make sure you know how you feel, Don, but after that...tell her. I think you'll both be happier."

He nodded again, thinking over what she had said. "And what about you?" he finally asked. "You gonna fix things with Danny?"

"I don't think it's that simple."

Flack shrugged. "Maybe you're overthinkin' it. Find the first step and work on takin' that. Don't try to get everything you had back all at once."

She smiled ruefully. "Hawkes basically said the same thing."

"We must be right, then."

Lindsay squeezed his hand. "I really hope you are."

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"Hey, Stella."

She looked up, surprised to see Michelle standing in the doorway to her office. "Hey."

The detective smiled at her. "I was wondering if you wanted to get lunch."

A few months ago, Stella would have said no; she would have searched for any and every excuse within reach to get out of having a real conversation with the woman standing in front of her. And she knew right then that she was at least on the way to getting over Mac, because it didn't hurt at all when she answered. "I'd love to."

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Danny had every intention of knocking on Stella's door, but he stopped when he heard her talking with Michelle. He knew that he shouldn't eavesdrop, but he also didn't want to interrupt their conversation. So he took a few steps back and waited, trying not to listen to what they were saying.

"Is Carmichael's okay with you?" Michelle asked.

"Yeah, that's fine." There was a pause, and Danny could hear her snapping her cell phone shut. "Do you know where Lindsay is?"

"No. Why? Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, it's fine. I just need to apologize to her."

"For what?"

Stella sighed. "For yelling at her the other day."

"You yelled at her?" Michelle asked. "What for?"

"For stringing Hawkes along and kissing Flack. It's a really long story."

Suddenly, Danny couldn't remember what he had needed to tell Stella. Backing away from her door, he stumbled back down the corridor, his mind reeling and his fists clenching in anger.