Chapter 18 – Changes

It had been a slow morning for Lily at the firm so she took a break to go talk to Mary, who was equally bored.

'What happened? Did rich people suddenly decide to stop filing lawsuits against each other or something?' a frustrated Lily asked her friend.

'Didn't you hear, Lil? Our five biggest clients left the firm.'

'That's not possible, three of them are my personal clients and they never called me.'

'Two of them were seen at Perry & Perry and the other one has yet to appear at another firm. I'm sorry,' Mary's voice was serious. White, Brandson & Jordan was going to lose a lot of money without those clients.

'I can't believe it! Know how much we're going to lose? Why leave now?'

'Well, rumor has it that Sam Martinez's wife is filing for a millionaire divorce.'

'Everyone's getting divorced these days, why the big deal?'

'You never get out of your office, do you?' Mary sounded exasperated. 'He'd been doing his secretary for over two years. Bought her a car and everything.'

Lily couldn't believe what she was hearing. It had to be a joke, it couldn't be really happening.

* * *

Flack answered the phone and sighed in relief when he heard the voice on the other side.

'Something wrong, honey?'

'Yeah, Lil. Mac's being investigated and accused of something he didn't do. He didn't throw Dobson off that roof. You know the guy, he never bends the rules.'

'Then I'm sure he'll be cleared up and everything will turn out alright.'

'Yeah, yeah,' he wasn't so convinced. 'You got any good news, babe?'

'Not really, sorry. Today I organized my office because I had no work to do.'

'Great.'

'And really interesting too,' she laughed. 'Sorry I can't be more helpful.'

'You are. Keep talking.'

'What about?'

'Whatever, I just like hearing your voice,' he confessed and blushed. Good thing Lily wasn't seeing him.

'That means you never listen to a word I say? It's sweet, anyway,' she had a big smile on her face. 'You shouldn't be embarrassed.'

'I'm not,' he lied.

'I bet you're blushing right now, isn't that a sign of embarrassment?'

'Nah, it's a sign that I can't hide anything from you,' he smiled in amusement.

'I'm sure you could if you tried …'

'But I don't wanna try, Lil.'

'Good, makes it easier for me. I miss you …'

'We saw each other yesterday, babe.'

'They're long twenty four hours and I won't get to see you until 9 p.m. tomorrow; I have to wait even more,' she sighed and pouted even though he couldn't see her.

'Don't be such a girl and stop pouting. We'll be together tomorrow night and in the mean time we're on the phone.'

'Guess you've got me figured out too,' Lily laughed.

'Why so surprised?' he tried to sound hurt.

'Don't know, wasn't expecting it.'

'I know all your quirks,' he stated and then explained, 'you're twirling a lollypop in your mouth but now you stopped just to say I was wrong and you're probably wearing that old NYPD t-shirt I left at your place. But please don't take it off because I'd be forced to pay you a visit.'

'For a minute there I forgot you were a man. The last comment reminded me of the fact, though,' she couldn't suppress a chuckle.

'Of course I'm a man!' he sounded offended.

'With that husky voice you've got I could never forget it, you know what I meant.'

'You think my voice is sexy?' he whispered, making his voice even deeper.

'Don't mess with me, Don,' she warned him and bit her lip, holding back a groan.

'I'm not messing with you,' he kept speaking in the same tone.

'You want to drive me crazy but you won't be able do it.'

'You sure?'

'I'll hang up if I have to.'

'That means you do think my voice is sexy?'

'You've got no idea,' now it was her time to whisper.

Flack smirked. He was so going to use that information against her in the future!

'Didn't know you liked it so much.'

'Please use the information responsibly, will you?' she begged.

'Responsibly?'

'Don't drive me out of my mind every time we're on the phone, please.'

'I'll do my best,' he smirked.

'I doubt that but don't worry, I'll be sure to get back at you.'

'And I'm sure I'll enjoy it when you do.'

'Or maybe you'll suffer,' she said mischievously.

'One man's suffering is another man's pleasure ...'

'You into S&M and didn't tell me?' she joked.

'Depends; you up for it?'

'Dream on, sweetheart.'

'I will.'

'Okay. It's getting late so I should probably go to bed.'

'Sleep tight, Lil.'

'You too. I love you, be careful tomorrow and I'll see you at night.'

'Love you too, g'night.'

They both hung up with a smile on their faces. The other one made them happy and always made them feel safe and that was all they needed. A simple sentence made them smile and feel better. They didn't need big demonstration of love because to them; love was in the simple things.

The following day Lily entered the Crime Lab and after going through all the security protocols needed, knocked on Mac Taylor's office. He motioned her to go in and they shook hands.

'How may I help you today, Ms. Stewart?' he asked, his voice tired.

'I know you've got a lot on your plate right now so I'll be brief: I wanted to see if you already had a lawyer representing you.'

'I do, yes.'

'Well, if he ever needs any help …' she looked him in the eye to show she was serious. 'May I ask who's handling the case?'

Mac gave her the name of the lawyer who was going to present the case against him.

'Ah, yes. I know her, she's good. Her strength lies in cross-examination,' she nodded. 'Really tough to beat her, so again, I'd be delighted to help.'

'Thanks for your support, Lily, I'll tell my attorney.'

Three evenings later Lily slammed the door of her apartment, startling Flack in the process.

'What's wrong?' he asked while opening a soda can.

'Remember how Sam Martinez lectured me a couple of weeks ago? Well, it seems he didn't care much about the reputation of the firm when he was having an affair with his secretary,' she was mad.

'He was an idiot anyway and you know it.'

'But we keep losing clients! We've lost our ten biggest clients. Too many scandals surrounding the partners.'

He shrugged as saying 'these things happen all the time'.

'You know what? I need to work in another environment. I should probably change firms or maybe return to the NYPD; I'd like that.'

'Don't you like working there? It must beat working in legal aid at the police department.'

'I did. Not anymore, though; I'm sick and tired of all these scandals. I love the firm but I won't let a pair of idiots destroy my career,' she shook her head a couple of times. 'And working at the NYPD beats dealing with rich people 24/7, it gets frustrating. Not to mention you feel like you're actually helping somebody and doing something good.'

'Maybe you should wait a bit, see how things turn out,' suggested Flack. 'You know, out of respect and love for the firm. If you feel you've had enough, then quit.'

'I'll give it a week. That way I'll have time to think about the available options I've got.'

'Fair enough,' he didn't want her to rush into anything she would later regret.

'You're the best, you know that?' he grinned and she kissed him.

'I'm aware of my greatness,' another cheeky grin.

'When I gave you my spare key, Don, It wasn't for you to come and empty my fridge, you know?' she hadn't noticed the soda can before.

'I was waiting for you and got thirsty.'

'Right. And now that you're here you're staying for dinner, aren't you?'

'If you insist …'

Lily shook her head but couldn't stop a small laugh escaping her lips.

'So how about your work?' she asked.

'Between the kid dressed as an angel and John McEnroe … Well, we've had easier cases.'

'Sorry,' she said apologetically.

'I've got an idea,' said Flack while his girlfriend moved around the kitchen.

'Are you going to share it anytime soon or do I have to wait until the next millennium?'

'Seeing as we're so stressed and all,' he was now standing behind her. He put his arms round her waist and placed his chin on her right shoulder. 'What do you say we leave the city for the weekend, huh? Escape from everyone and all our responsibilities. Just the two of us alone; no phone calls, no rushing off to work, no dead people,' the man spoke softly in her ear.

'Mmm … sounds great but don't you have to work?'

'Saturday's my day off and I've got a few vacation days left, so what's your answer?'

'Where are we going?' she turned around and faced him.

'Don't worry about that,' he smiled mischievously, 'I'll handle it.'

Saturday morning the couple entered a small cabin in the middle of the woods.

'So this is what you meant by escaping from everything,' Lily was shocked at the simplicity of the place and how rustic it looked.

The only evidence of modern technology in the cabin was the kitchen that worked with gas and the light bulbs that shone softly in every room. Where the electricity came from was a complete mystery, though.

The cabin had the minimum amount of furniture needed: an old battered couch next to the fireplace, a table big enough for three with its respective chairs and a small cupboard above the kitchen sink where the kitchen utensils were stored. The bedroom had the bed, a lamp and a small closet and that was it. There were no rugs, no artwork, no hunting trophies; nothing. It was minimalist and rustic to a t.

'You turned you cell phone off, right?' he gave her a sharp look.

'Didn't bring it. Besides, you wouldn't get reception in this place even if you had a tower in the front porch.'

'True. What do you wanna do first?'

'I'd like to get some sleep but that probably won't make my muscles stop aching.'

'How did that happen?'

'Well, honey, your car isn't really designed for three-hour trips,' she smiled sweetly.

'I know what we can do,' he smirked mischievously and steered her to a door on the left of the cabin.

Flack opened the door and when Lily saw what was in there she started laughing.

'Oh, you've got to be kidding me! Cliché or what?' in front of them was a small circular Jacuzzi with water inside.

'My friend filled it for us when he came last night to check the place. So how about using it?' he raised his eyebrows.

'Didn't bring my swimsuit.'

'I packed it for you but you won't wear it for long,' Flack licked his bottom lip.

'This is your friend's place, you really want to leave your fluids in his Jacuzzi?'

'He said it was fine as long as we cleaned up.'

'We both know that's not easy,' she gave him a look that said 'you should know better'.

'It's not like he'll come with an ALS to check,' he rolled his eyes. 'C'mon.'

They changed into their swimsuits and returned to the room. Flack got into the Jacuzzi first and Lily sat near the edge with her feet in the water.

'You getting in or what? Don't be such a cupcake!' Flack got to where she was, pushed her legs a bit aside and stood between them. He then put his hands on her hips and as he kissed her he gave a few steps back, dragging her into the pool.

'Not fair! That was an ambush,' she pouted.

'All's fair in love and war.' He still had a hold on her.

'What is this, love or war?'

'A little bit of both,' he kissed her fiercely and then moved to her neck.

When they got out of the tub, they were feeling like different people. After getting dressed the couple sat on the old maroon couch and cuddled. Lily buried her face on the crook of his neck and put her arms around him while his left hand lay above one of her knees and the right one played with her hair. He would occasionally kiss her head but neither of them spoke. They were thinking about how nice that cabin was and what a good idea it had been to spend the weekend there. They were thinking about their relationship; how much it had evolved and what they felt about each other. They were enjoying the quiet and the silence they could never find in New York City.

Then the night came and after that the sun rose again. Flack sat on the bench in the porch while Lily was getting the coffee ready. After dividing it in two cups and adding sugar and all the stuff they needed to drink it, she joined him. Handing him one of the cups she sat down close to him and spread a blanket over their laps.

'Seems like the movies, doesn't it?' Lily asked with a smile.

'Yeah. Real life is so much better, though,' Flack put an arm around her shoulders.

They sat in silence, drinking their coffee and most importantly: being together. A day later they were traveling back to the city.

'Can't we just stay here forever?' asked Lily while putting her head on his shoulder.

'Sorry, gotta get back to work,' he didn't want to leave either. Because leaving meant having to deal with real and difficult problems he didn't want to face. Those two days he'd been relaxed, in contact with nature, spending a lot of time with his girlfriend and it'd been nice. A good thing. But good things always come to an end.

Lily sighed and they both got into the car.

'It was fun and really nice to get away from it all, thank you,' she squeezed his hand.

Flack didn't say anything but winked at her, he had enjoyed it too.

* * *

'You made your choice?' asked Flack from the couch one evening.

'I'm getting out,' she stated with a nod.

'Where are you gonna go?'

'A friend offered me a job. He and some colleagues are creating a new firm and they want me to be a partner. They need someone to attract and bring big clients and the best thing is I don't have to put any money, just my name,' she was waiting for his reaction.

'So you said yes?' he wanted confirmation and she nodded. 'Then congratulations.'

'Are you actually approving this?' Lily was confused. She thought Flack wouldn't like the choice she'd made. His strong sense of loyalty would have prevented him from agreeing with her decision; she was leaving the ship while it was sinking, after all.

'If it makes you happy, makes me happy …'

'You're a sweetheart, thanks.'

Sorry for the wait people but life's been ... hectic. Way too many changes in too little time. Thanks for reading and you know the speech by now: leave a review with comments, opinions, suggestions, criticism; whatever.

I want to thank:

iheartcsinewyork

You cant rush science.

Mrs. Eddie Cahill

A huge thanks to:

BlueEyedAuthor - you rock!

And a very, very special thank you to:

sparkyCSI

You're incredibly patient with me and always come up with the best ideas, could I ask for a better beta?