Disclaimer-- I don't own the CSI: NY characters

Stella waited impatiently at the top of the stairs and fought off the urge to pace. She would have gone down with Flack, but she knew that another person could overwhelm the terrified girl. When she saw him emerge with Amelia in his arms she felt an enormous weight lift from her shoulders. The little girl's curls were matted and streaked with dried blood, none of it her own. She still held Flack's badge tight in one small hand as she clung to him for dear life. Don raised his eyes to meet Stella's and she saw that though he wouldn't allow himself to let them go, tears shone in his eyes. He nodded at her and she called for a paramedic to check Amelia out.

She wouldn't let go of Flack, so the paramedics looked at her while he held her on his lap. Stella stayed with them the whole time. Watching them she couldn't help but think that Amelia had found a safe harbor in Detective Don Flack. They got out of the house as soon as they could. There was no sign of James Greene anywhere. After the eternity of the past few days the car ride to take Amelia to her family seemed to go by incredibly fast. Exhausted, Amelia fell asleep in Flack's lap on the way and he lifted her carefully when they got to the station. Her grandmother saw them from across the room and for a moment she just froze, tears rolling down her face.

He woke her as gently as he could, and by the time she was alert again her Grandmother was halfway to them. Amelia saw her and her tears started again. Flack set her carefully on her feet and she ran into her Grandma's arms. Stella and Flack watched the reunion and even as they felt the contentment of finding Amelia Simmons, they knew that the man who had killed her parents and held her captive was still out there.

It was hours later when they finally stepped outside of the station. Though she knew she should be exhausted Stella felt revved up. She looked over at Flack and realized that he seemed much the same. With a sigh she rolled her shoulders, trying to work out some of the tension. She opened her mouth to speak, thought better of it, and then decided she may as well take a chance. "If the offer still stands I could really use that glass of wine."

He flashed a brief grin. "The offer still stands."

Soon after they were settled again on his couch, this time with twin glasses full of deep red wine. "We seem to be making a habit of this," Stella noted with a smile.

"Some things call for a drink. All things considered, I figure we're entitled to a couple." He tapped his glass to hers. "Hell of a night."

"That's putting it mildly." She took a sip of her wine before leaning back to let her head rest on the couch. "He's still out there Flack. If he could do that to the Simmons what's to stop him from trying again."

"Amelia and her Grandmother are under protective custody. They won't be out of an officer's sight for a minute."

She nodded. "I know, but it hardly seems enough after what James Greene did." She stood and started to wander aimlessly around the room. "How can we rest until we find him and make him pay for what he did to that little girl's world?"

He stood. "We don't rest easy, that's for damn sure."

"Thanks for the reassurance," she said, every word dripping with sarcasm.

"Look Stell, you're usually way more confident about what we do. What's up?"

Stella threw her hands up. "I don't know! Ever since I walked into that apartment I've been like this."

"It's been hard for everyone, but you've been way out there the past couple of days."

"I know! I feel like my emotions have been on overdrive. I've been so angry and sad and frightened for that little girl. I thought it would get better when we found her; but I saw her holding on to you like you were anchoring her to the world and none of it changed. All I can tell you is that now it's even worse. I'm still so angry and frightened that someone will go after her again."

Flack shook his head firmly. "Nobody's going to touch her."

"I know that, in my head I know that, but I can't control the emotions. I can't explain what I've been feeling. I probably shouldn't be feeling half of it."

"Well since you're high on emotion and short on assurance at the moment let me tell you something," he said a bit brusquely. "We're going to find James Greene. We're going to find him and we're going to make sure that he gets exactly what he deserves for what he did. We're going to spend every waking moment on the job hunting him down."

Stella nodded. "I know, I know."

"No, look at me," he said roughly. He took her face in his hands and looked straight at her with piercing blue eyes. "We are going to find this bastard and put him away. For tonight we realize there's nothing we can do until morning. But in the morning we will work ourselves to death until we make sure that Amelia Simmons never has to be afraid again."

She stood there looking shocked for a moment. "I don't think I've ever heard you speak with more conviction."

He shrugged. "Well this one seems to be more important than the others." It took a moment for them both to realize that he still cradled her face in his hands. He felt her skin heat but didn't move. "Stell…"

"Yes?"

His eyes darkened to indigo. "I don't remember what I was going to say," he told her, inching closer.

"Really, how unusual," she managed, her voice going husky. "Why is that?"

"If you don't know what's on my mind I'm doing something wrong."

Her laughter was cut off abruptly when his lips met hers. The burn seemed to start at their feet and work its way up until they were both consumed by it. His hands slid from her face, one fisting in her hair while the other traveled down to the small of her back to press her closer. The contented sound that rose in the back of her throat sent a thrill up his spine and he took the kiss deeper. She took greedily even as she held on for dear life. It could have been seconds or minutes later that they pulled apart to breathe.

"Stell…" He trailed off and within moments he bent to take her mouth again. They were both taken in completely, lost in a waterfall of sensation that seemed to have no end. When she started working at the buttons on his shirt she felt his heart race and he pulled back. "Stell, emotions have been running high. I don't want you to regret this in the morning. Be sure; yes or no?"

She figured that actions spoke louder than words, and when she flipped open the last button on his shirt and pushed it from his shoulders it may as well have been a soliloquy. The smile that flitted at Flack's eyes was quick and entirely disarming and he captured her lips again. "Yes," she whispered against his mouth. No sooner than the words were out of her mouth he had lifted her in his arms.

Stella woke slowly out of dreams filled with sensuous touch and heated kisses. She came fully awake and was immediately aware of the intense comfort of being held in someone's arms. With a lazy smile she allowed the hand that rested at Flack's hip to drift up and over the flat expanse of his stomach. Her hand stilled when she felt smooth skin gave way to scar tissue. She opened her eyes and frowned down at the scar that a bomb and surgery had left behind. Thinking back she traced her hand across it.

His voice pulled her from her thoughts. "Guess you can't escape without some kind of scar," he told her.

She nodded as she thought back to her ordeal with Frankie and the emotional scars she'd been left with. "No, guess you can't." With a sigh she settled in against him.

"Rough couple of days, with a rather surprising ending."

"I was thinking earlier, when I was watching Amelia holding on to you so tight, that she had found something to anchor to her; something in you." Her breath whispered against his chest as she spoke. "Everyone needs a safe harbor, Flack, especially people with jobs like ours. Everyone needs to acknowledge their connections and feel something other than the dark that surrounds us. We just finally acknowledged the connection."

He lifted her chin so he could kiss her softly. "Thank God for that."

"How long until we have to be to work?" she asked.

Flack grinned. "We got a couple of hours."

Her smile was like quicksilver as she rolled to kiss him. "Good."

When she got to the lab Stella felt loose and more at ease than she had in a long time. Though she'd had to spend some quality time with her mirror toning down the thoroughly used look, she'd managed to make it in on time; barely.

She met Lindsay coming down the hall and the younger woman glanced up distractedly before speaking. "We've got everything from the rental house. It isn't much but…" She trailed off when she looked up at Stella. "You look different."

"How so?"

She shook her head. "You just look, I don't know, contented I guess."

"Well I suppose I am contented," Stella told her with a smile.

"So who was it?"

"What makes you think it was a someone that made the difference?"

Lindsay smiled knowingly. "There's only one thing that makes a woman look that content. "

Stella laughed. "Okay you have a point. If I tell you, you can't make a big deal out of it."

"I won't."

"Let's just say that Flack and I had a drink last night."

She smiled brightly. "I figured as much. I'm happy, for both of you."

"Me too kiddo."

Later that morning Flack was at his desk slogging through backlogged paperwork when Stella appeared in front of him. He smiled up at her. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

She eased a hip onto the corner of his desk. "Nothing we found at the rental was of that much use. Mostly it just confirmed what we already knew. We did find some paperwork for a credit card under a false name." She handed him a piece of paper with the information on it and felt her skin heat when their fingers brushed. She wanted him all over again and got the feeling from the look in his eyes that he was thinking much the same thing. But since they were sitting in the station she pulled her hand back and kept talking. "Maybe we'll get lucky and he'll use it somewhere."

He was about to respond when a uniformed officer approached. "You've got a visitor Detective," he said before he walked off.

He looked over to see Amelia Simmons making her way across the room, clutching at her grandma's hand. They stopped in front of the desk and looked up at him hesitantly. "Hi."

"Hi Amelia, how are you doing?"

Her grandmother spoke up then. "She's been doing well, considering. Amelia wanted to come and thank you again."

Amelia nodded. "I did. Can I sit in your lap?"

"Sure you can." He picked her up as she let got of her grandma's hand and Stella watched as she played with his tie.

"Thank you for coming to find me. I was really scared, but I wasn't so scared anymore once you came."

"You're welcome, and I'm happy I helped you to be not so scared."

The little girl looked up at him and managed a small smile. "I didn't need to see your badge, not really."

"You didn't? Why was that?"

"When I saw your face in the light from your flashlight I could see your eyes. You have nice eyes, not mean eyes like the other man. She flushed a little. "You're eyes are really pretty."

He smiled that charming, enchanting smile of his. "Thank you Amelia. I'm going to make you a promise okay? Me and Detective Bonasera…" He flashed Stella a quick grin before returning his attention to Amelia. "We're going to find the man who hurt you and your parents."

She nodded seriously. "I know." She waited a beat and then threw her arms around him, and for a moment man and child embraced. The sight almost brought tears to Stella's eyes. Amelia very quickly kissed Flack's cheek; then she said goodbye to him and Stella and she and her grandmother departed.

"I think you may be her hero," Stella observed with a smile.

"Seems so; I'll do what I can on the card number. If he uses it we'll know."

She nodded. "I'd better get back to the lab."

Flack stood. "I'll walk you out." When they made it outside he turned her to face him and stepped in as close as he dared while there was still a possibility another officer would see them. "Stell, I want to see you tonight."

"The feeling's mutual detective," she told him, smiling. "Let me know if anything hits on the card. If not, I'll see you tonight."

With a grin on his face Flack watched her walk away then turned back inside, all the while not knowing what horror awaited them in the coming hours.

Note from the author-- I realize that this relationship leap may seem a bit sudden to a few readers. However, what I Really wanted to portray was how the emotions running high with the case could bring out feelings that had been left unsaid for some time. I also intentionally had the scene where they woke up together parallel the scene with Danny and Lindsay. Though it is by no means a carbon copy of that scene I wanted there to be a certain degree of continuity because I feel very strongly that Flack and Stella's relationship could be just as strong as Danny and Lindsay's.