DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN CSI:NY OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS. I DO HOWEVER OWN SAMANTHA ROSS.

A/N: I'M PIMPING MY NEW STORY. I KNOW IT'S NOT FOR EVERYTHING, BUT THANKS TO ALL OF THOSE WHO ARE CHECKING IT OUT. IT'S CALLED TOGETHER WE'LL FALL. AND IT'S MY SECOND BABY AT THE MOMENT.

LOTS OF DL IN THIS ONE. SO ENJOY ALL MY DL GALZ!

I FORGOT: THANKS TO DAYTIME DRAMA FOR POINTING OUT MY HUGE ERROR IN NOT MENTIONING THAT THE DL JEWELLERY BOX IDEA WAS TAKEN FROM A COMMERICAL THAT IS PLAYING RIGHT NOW. I SIMPLY ADDED LINDSAY'S SPIN TO IT WITH HER OWN PERSONAL STORY TO WHY IT MEANT A LOT TO HER. JUST LIKE WE ALL PUT OUR OWN SPIN TO THEIR RELATIONSHIP AND IDEAS THAT ARE FEATURED ON THE SHOW. SORRY TO ANYONE THIS MIGHT HAVE OFFENDED.


Of jewellery boxes and candy hearts

"And I know she's not perfect but she tries so hard for me
and I thank god that she isn't 'cause how boring would that be
it's the little imperfections, it's the sudden change in plans
When she misreads the directions and we're lost but holding hands
Yeah, I live for little moments like that
When she's layin' on my shoulder on the sofa in the dark
And about the time she falls asleep so does my right arm
And I want so bad to move it cause it's tingling and it's numb
But she looks so much like an angel that I don't want to wake her up
Yeah I live for little moments
when she steals my heart again and doesn't even know it
Yeah, I live for little moments like that."
-Little Moments, Brad Paisley


Danny Messer stared down at the lovingly, but not so neatly, wrapped present in his hands. The thought had been there. He'd chosen the wrapping paper out of a thousand of other choices at the stationery and party store a block from the lab. The moment he had seen it -a shimmering light blue covered in white daises- he knew it was a sign. That it was a way of making the moment he planned even more perfect and special because of the significance that daises held for the two of them. He could remember it as if it was yesterday. Leaving her peacefully sleeping, the memories of their night of passion and the pleasure still lingering in his mind and through his body, as he placed that single little daisy in his Giants mug and then scrawled a short and simple message on the chalkboard mounted on his kitchen wall.

Of course, the decision to be a nice guy and take her shift in exchange of letting her sleep longer had turned out to be a complete disaster. Unfortunately, the horrific memories of the events of that day seemed to overshadow the fact that despite being three sheets to the wind the night before, he had fallen madly and crazily in love with his little country girl. Up until that night, he'd harboured a strong and impenetrable attraction to her. It hadn't developed into love yet. Mostly because he'd been trying to goddamn hard to convince her that he was the right guy for her. He'd been pissed off when she stood him up for dinner, but he'd been unable to hold a grudge for long, or shake the interest he had in her. The more she closed herself off and pushed him away, the more he wanted her. Normally, if a woman brushed him off that many times, he would have simply just given up and walked away. Cut his loses and moved on to someone else.

But it was impossible. Something about Lindsay Monroe made giving up an invalid option. He'd worked harder to get her then he'd ever toiled for anything else in his entire life. He would, and still would for that matter, walk through hell to get to her. There was nothing too big or too small that he wouldn't do for that woman. She was his everything. The love of his life. And in her eyes and in her kiss, he saw and felt his forever. With Lindsay he was a better person. He forgave easy and loved harder. He anxiously counted the days until he was able to call himself her husband. And now, he could barely contain the excitement at the thought of his child thriving inside of her.

He had been an ass earlier in the day. The stress of the bullshit at the work and the announcement of a baby -out of the blue, completely unplanned and shocking- had all mixed together and caused him to completely snap. The pressures of IAB and the injustice of everything that his best friends were up again, had caused Danny to lash out on the one person that he was the closest to. And that hadn't been fair of him. Having a baby, despite it being so close to their wedding, wasn't a mistake. Compromises could be made and plans altered. Lindsay had no problems in either getting her dress re-made or simply selling it and buying a more mommy to be friendly style. "

It's just a dress, Danny," she'd said, when he'd lamented the fact that a baby bump would seriously affect how the dress would fit. If it even would at all come August. "I don't mind either getting it re-made or selling it and just getting a different one. It's no huge deal."

And she was right. It wasn't. The huge deal was the fact that they were having a child together. They'd created life. So what if they had to drastically change plans and cancel their honeymoon? Their baby was far more important and precious then anything materialistic. And so was Lindsay's health and well being. Danny was determined to make the pregnancy as easy and smooth for her as possible. Make sure she got the proper nutrition and adequate rest. Make sure she avoided stress as much as possible and got the right amount of exercise. Because there wasn't anyone, or anything, that was going to get in the way of their happiness.

He finally felt completely. Perfectly whole. The realization that he was going to be a father, had made Danny believe in little miracles again. Because through all the heart ache and misery that he and Lindsay had endured -mostly due to his own stupidity- they had emerged relatively unscathed. They were disgustingly content and deeply in love. All the sins of the past were just that. They were finally able to put it all behind them and concentrate on them.

And now their unborn child.

He smiled as he thought about that ultrasound picture. He'd taped it to the corner of the screen of his PC at work until he could get a proper frame for it and he could display it proudly on his desk. The Valentines Day card, his first from his son or daughter, he'd brought home and tucked away into an old shoe box full of personal and treasured mementos that he'd been gathering since the day he and Lindsay first met. A newspaper clipping about the Bobby Venetti case. He'd cut it out as a reminder of the first crime scene together. A beer coaster from Cozy's the night that he'd gone to meet Lindsay and they'd listened to Mac play with his band. The stub from his plane ticket to Montana when he'd gone there to support her. To hold her hand in the courtroom as the guilty verdict was read. To come 'this close' to kissing her and having the reporters ruin it for them.

The box was full of memories from their days together. And he had smiled as he'd added the Valentines card to the collection before putting the lid back on the box and returning it to it's safe storage place in the back of their closet.

Now, he stood at the side of their bed, holding that present in hand and staring down at the mess he'd made out of their queen sized bed. The expensive down filled comforter was rumbled and covered in pieces of wrinkled wrapping paper that he'd cut too small and had found completely using for the task at hand. The scissors had clumps of Scotch Tape stick to the blades and the tape roll itself, which had started out completely full at the beginning of his project, was now tossed aside, completely empty. The present itself was a disastrous looking mess. He'd used way too much tape. Mostly to cover the tears he'd made in the paper while losing his patience with his gift wrapping technique.

But at least I took the initiative, Danny thought and headed for the bedroom door. That's gotta count for something.


Lindsay Monroe was completely and utterly relaxed as she lounged on her couch in a pair of flannel Care Bears pyjamas and her favourite fluffy pink slippers. Both a Christmas gift from her best friend. Sam, notorious for her cartoon character pyjamas, had packaged them in a Victoria's Secret box and wrapped them in scarlet red wrapping paper and a sultry bow she'd made out a black lace. It still made Lindsay laugh to think about Boxing Day morning. Sam and Flack had come over Christmas evening and stayed overnight. The two couples had stayed up until nearly three and the morning, eating junk food and getting slightly pickled on gin and tonic and rum and eggnog. They had played cards for a couple of hours and then the girls had sat around chatting and giggling while their men played with Danny's Nintendo Wii. Sam and Flack had crashed on the pull out and quickly complained the next day how uncomfortable it was and how they didn't appreciate listening to the drunkards in the next rooming 'getting busy' as Flack had so eloquently put it.

Danny had made them all breakfast and then they'd sat down and opened the presents they'd bought each other. Sam had kept hers for Lindsay until the very last. She'd kept the identity of the present a complete secret. Not even Flack knew what it was. Lindsay could still see the way the feisty Brooklyn girl bounced up in down in anticipation as she sat on her heels, watching impatiently as Lindsay tore into the artfully wrapped gift. And she could also still see the way both Danny and Flack's eyes widen as they caught sight of the Victoria's Secret gift. Flack was horrified at the thought of Lindsay opening up some kind of 'skanky thing Sam picked out' while Danny was ready to toss his arms around the tiny brunette and declare his undying love and gratitude for her.

Only to have his dreams of a steamy night dashed when Lindsay opened that box and pulled out the Care Bears pyjamas and neon pink slippers.

"Go figure," Flack had said with a smirk. "That's all Sam wears. I warn you now, Dan-o, sleeping beside her with those things on? Like sleeping next to a goddamn furnace."

Lindsay giggled even now at the memory, especially the foul look Sam had shot her still relatively new boyfriend and then asked him if he wanted to sleep outside for the next month.

"How ya feelin', Montana?" Danny asked, as he journeyed into the living room, the present hidden behind his back.

"Nice and relaxed," she replied with a long, content sigh. "Sam's right. There is nothing like a steamy candlelit bubble bath to help you completely unwind. What were you doing in the bedroom? When you said you were going in there to take care of some business, I didn't realize you'd be gone so long. Did you fall asleep?"

"My business took longer then expected," he told her as he approached the couch.

She pouted dramatically and cast a glance down at his crotch. "Did the stress from the day catch up to you? Couldn't you get in the mood for rightie, baby?"

Danny frowned. "Very funny wiseass. You keep up with comments like that and I'm never going to let you hang around Brooklyn again. She's a bad influence. And we all know that never seeing her again would be like the end of civilization to you. So behave."

Lindsay playfully stuck her tongue out at him.

"I've got something I want to give you," Danny said.

"A surprise?" Lindsay asked, her brown eyes sparkling up at him as a smile spread from ear to ear.

He nodded and brought the present out of hiding. "Now I know it's the best wrapping job in the world," he said as he held it out to her. "But I seriously tried my best. It's not my fault the Scotch Tape and I had a few minor disagreements and I had to play hard ball in the end."

"I think it looks beautiful," she gushed as she accepted the gift. "The paper is perfect. It's our daisies."

"As soon as I saw it, I thought of you," he told her and took a seat on the couch beside her.

"What is it?" Lindsay asked, curiously shaking the present.

"For me to know and you to find out," Danny teased, pressed a kiss to her temple. "Go on…open it."

"It doesn't feel right opening a Valentines Gift before Valentines Day," she complained. "You know how I feel about stuff like that. How I can't even open presents on Christmas Eve because I feel like it ruins my entire Christmas day."

"Well.." Danny consulted his watch. "It's quarter to ten. If you ask me, an hour and forty five minutes until the fourteenth is close enough to Valentine's Day."

"It just doesn't feel right," she sighed. "I feel like I'm ruining my Valentines Day."

"You're not ruining anything," he assured her, rubbing her back softly. "And if it makes you feel better, consider that a just because gift."

Lindsay grinned as she leaned into him. "You're quoting Flack again," she said.

"Like I told you earlier, the man has great ideas. He may have the worst game in the world, but he comes up with some fantastic ways to spoil his girl. So go on. Open it. You've got other Valentines gifts coming tomorrow. Opening one isn't going to kill you."

"Okay…" she agreed reluctantly and attempted to tear into the gift. And finding it nearly impossible. "How much tape did you use?" she asked with a laugh. "This thing is like Fort Knox."

"The tape was being a bitch, a'right? I taught it a lesson. Took it to school. Just keep working on it."

She tore into the present with enthusiasm. Finally managing to get a finger under one corner and tearing the paper off from there. Raising her eyebrows in curiosity at the sight of a plain cardboard box underneath.

"Danny…what…?"

"Just open it," he urged. "The hard work is all worth it. Trust me."

She sighed heavily and pried to box open, then had to dig through what seemed like an endless amount of packing peanuts shoved into such a small space, until she actually came to what she was looking for. Pulling the item out carefully, a tender smile of fond remembrance appeared on her face as she gazed upon the wooden jewellery box that now sat in her hands. It was painted a glossy pink -Princess Pink, if she could remember her daddy telling her as a child- with tiny white flowers painted along the top edge and on the drawers, and small brass handles. Resting the item on her thighs, she Lindsay gently lifted the lid.

The inside was lined with rich burgundy velvet. A slender figurine of a ballerina began to twirl as the strains of Moonlight Sonata emitted from the box.

Danny watched his fiancee intently. Touched by the delicate way she handled the precious item, and the tears that sparkled in her eyes as she ran her fingertips along the wood.

"Danny…" her voice quivered with emotion. "I used to have one just like this when I was a little girl. My dad gave it to me for my eighth birthday. My parents were going through a really bad time. They'd separated and my dad was staying with my grandparents. I used to cry myself to sleep every night because I missed him so much. I used to pray and pray and beg God to make everything okay. To bring daddy home. And my dad came to my birthday party and he…" she took a deep breath and let it out slowly as tears spilled down her cheeks. "He gave me a jewellery box just like this. How'd…"

"That's the same one, baby," he said, stroking her shoulders and back. "I called your folks and I asked your mom for something that meant the world to you as a kid. And that's what she sent me."

"I love it," she whispered and leaned sideways to kiss him gently. "It's perfect. Thank you."

"There's more to it," he told her, clearing her tears away with gentle fingertips. "Here…I'll show you…" reaching out, he pulled open the bottom drawer on the jewellery box. Revealing a small blue velvet box.

"You're just full of surprises tonight," Lindsay said, sniffling noisily.

"This is just a little something extra," Danny told her, and plucking out the tiny box, opened the lid to reveal a pair of sparkling princess cut diamond stud earrings.

"Oh Danny…" she breathed, laying a hand over her heart. "They're beautiful…I never…I never expected something like that."

"Hence why it's called a surprise," he teased. "Do you like them? I know you're not that into jewellery. But I wanted to buy you something extra special. Something that you could wear every day and maybe even on our wedding day."

"They're perfect," she gushed and clutched the earrings to her chest. "Beyond perfect. All of this is just so…there are no words to describe how I'm feeling right at this moment. Especially how I'm feeling about you."

"You don't have to say anything, Montana," he said, pushing her hair behind her ear and pressing a tender kiss to her temple. "It's all in your eyes. It's written all over your face. And seeing that first hand? Trust me, that's better than any words."

Beaming, she laid a hand on the side of his face and covered his lips with hers in a feathery kiss. "I love you so much," she said, her brown eyes staring straight into his soul. "We've been through so much and fought so hard to get where we are. And sometimes, that seems to good to be true."

"Never say that," Danny lightly scolded her. "Never, ever say that. Because we deserve this. We deserve to be this much in love and this happy. We deserve our forever. Our happy ending. To shove all the negativity and the nastiness people have tossed our way over the years back up their asses and rub their face into the fact that we're still here. That we're still standing. And that we always will be. No matter what they say about us, no matter how many times they try to rip us apart. It's me and you, Montana. Whether they like it or not."

"You've always had faith in us, Danny. In me. You never gave up."

"It's because I love you. Wholly and completely. I was gone the moment I laid eyes on you. Nothing was going to stop me from making you mine. Nothing or no one."

She slid her hand around to the back of his neck and pulled him into her, kissing him hungrily and passionately. "I am yours, Danny Messer," she declared, her forehead resting against his. "I always will be."

He smiled and pressed his lips to her forehead. "I just want to make you happy."

"You have no idea how happy I am," Lindsay said.

"Who would have thought this would ever happened?" Danny chuckled. "The big, bad New York City boy successfully wooing the innocent little country girl."

"Wooing?" Lindsay asked and playfully pushed him away. "Have you been talking to my grandfather? Isn't that the word he used when I brought you to meet them after the trial? What was it he said? 'How do you plan on wooing my grandbaby, young man'?"

"Actually, what he said, and this is after he took me out to the wood shed and threatened me with a two by four in one hand and a sawed off shot gun in the other…"

"He did not!" she laughed. "Don't make up stories now."

"Montana, I am telling you, he took me out back and handed me a beer and pointed to this old tree stump and said, 'Sit down big city boy. I got some things to discuss with you.' And then he proceeded to warn me if I didn't treat his precious granddaughter right, he'd hunt me down and do unspeakable, horrendously painful things to me."

"Had I known you'd be scared of an eighty-six year old man in overalls and a plaid shirt and no teeth, I would have went out with Flack that time he asked me out and took the unshakable, tough as nails homicide detective home to meet my family."

Danny frowned. "Now that was just a little harsh, don't you think?"

"Oh come here," she said, pouting dramatically as she reached for him. "Come here, you big baby. I didn't mean that. You know how much I love you. How I think you single-handedly hung the moon and the stars for me. How you're the most amazing man in the world."

"Now that's much better," Danny declared, allowing her to pull her into his arms before embracing her tightly.

"Besides," she said. "Flack and I never would have worked out. He's just too aggressive and assertive for me. It takes a special kind of person to handle him."

"True," Danny agreed. "Who knew he'd be so terrified of someone that barely comes up to his elbows and weighs a hundred pounds soaking wet."

"She's small but mighty," Lindsay said. "If you ask me, she's done wonders with him. Since they've been together, like together together, he's been this completely different person outside of work. I can't really describe it. It's just like he's softer."

"Oh my God. Do not ever let Flack hear you call him soft."

"I don't mean soft as in less masculine. Because I doubt there's anything that could ever make him less masculine. He just…I don't know. You're his best friend. You can't tell me you don't see the difference in him."

"I know he's genuinely happy," Danny said. "I know that he laughs more and smiles more. I know that when he's around her, he's more gentle and caring and patience. I also know that he loves her to death. And that he sees himself spending the rest of his life with her. And he's never, ever felt that way about anyone before."

Lindsay smiled and laid her head on her fiance's shoulder. "Do you think that will ever happen? Them spending the rest of their lives together? Because I know how much she loves him and adores him. Do you ever see them married and with kids?"

"Honestly?" Danny asked. "You want me to answer that honestly?"

Lindsay nodded.

He sighed heavily and bit his lip. "No," he admitted. "I don't see that ever happening."

Lindsay pulled back and stared at him. "Excuse me?"

"You asked me to be honest and I'm being honest. I don't ever see that happening."

"Why the hell not?" she challenged.

"Because as much as they love each other, sometimes they hate each other even more. They've got a lot of issues and I don't see how anyone can go into a marriage being that way. And trust me, I want them to have a happily ever after. But the way they are? I don't see that ever happening."

"But they love each other," Lindsay argued.

"And sometimes love isn't enough," Danny said. "You can't tell me the way they are is healthy. For either of them."

"I agree, they've got some things they need to get past. But Danny, we've had our issues and our problems too. And it was love that got us through them"

He held his hands up in surrender. "You asked me to be honest and I was honest."

"And I appreciate that. But sometimes you just need to…" Lindsay sighed heavily. "Forget it. Never mind. Let's agree to disagree. Because Flack is your best friend and Sam is mine. And if we keep going on about this, you're going to say something really nasty about my best friend. And trust me, it's best if you don't go there."

"I'd never say anything bad about Brooklyn. You know that. She's my friend, too. And I don't think she's solely to blame for her and Flack's problems. Maybe eighty percent to blame, but…"

"Oh hell no," Lindsay jumped up and glared down at him, hands on her hips. "I told you not to do it and you went there anyway! What the hell is that suppose to mean? Eighty percent to blame? It wasn't Sam's fault that Zack was a psychotic asshole and fucked her up completely! It wasn't her fault that Flack couldn't make up his fucking mind who he wanted more! It's not her fault he couldn't be a fucking man and get the balls and tell her how he felt! That he walked around with his finger up his ass wanting to have his cake and eat it too. He screwed around with her feelings for over a year! So he's not the innocent party you think he is!"

"I never said that…"

"First there was Devon. Then there was Angell. And he flaunted both of them in her fucking face! He knew how she felt about him and he shoved those two women in her face like he got some perverse pleasure out of seeing her suffer! Do you think that's okay, Danny? Do you think that it's okay he made her feel like that?"

"They're together now. What does it matter what he did before now?"

"You know why it matters? Because shit like that messes a woman up completely. Because it's sad that she loved him so much that she'd put up with that shit and even wanted something to do with him afterwards! Because honestly, as much as I like Flack as a friend, I would have told him to go fuck himself that night he shoved up at her place. I would have told him if I wasn't good enough for him in the last year and a half, then I wasn't good enough for him now. Plain and simple. I would have told him to take whatever sick and twisted game he was playing with my mind and shove it up his ass."

"Easy, Montana. Easy…"

"No! I won't take it easy. Samantha is my best friend. She was there for me, Danny. When it felt as if my whole world was falling apart. She was there for me. She never judged me or criticized me. She listened to me and gave me a shoulder to cry on. She was there. And when you and Flack and all the other men on the planet decide that the grass is always greener and you fuck off, you know who is always there to pick up the pieces? Your best friend. And for you to sit there and talk about her like that, the one person who stood by me through all your shit, well it makes me sick!"

"Look, I never meant to insinuate that she was a bad person. I just meant that…"

"I know what you meant. You meant that Flack is fucking perfect because he's saved your ass time and time again. Well guess what, Danny? He's human. He's far from perfect!"

"I know that. But just like Sam is your best friend, he's mine. And when I'm worried about him getting hurt…"

"You're worried about him getting hurt? You have got to be kidding me. I think Flack is more then capable of taking care of himself. He's a big boy. You know what I really think your problem is Danny?"

He sighed heavily and shook his head.

"It totally burns your ass that he's with her and you're not."

Danny snorted. "Give me a break. I don't want to be with Samantha Ross."

"Really? You've been batting your fuck me eyes at her since she started at the lab."

"What?" he laughed. "Are you serious? Sam is my friend. Nothing more and nothing less. She's a nice girl and we laugh a lot and have a lot of fun together. She's fun to be around. She's great to work with. We gel. We kick ass on cases. But friendship is where it ends. She's Flack's girl. She loves him. And you're my girl and I love you."

"And I love you, too. But to hear you say things like that…"

"I'm sorry," he reached for her hand. "You asked me to be honest and I was. I said how I feel. You just jumped on me for no reason. I know that pregnancy hormones can make a woman crazy, but…"

"Pregnancy hormones!" she yelled and yanked her hand away from him. "How about Danny's being a tool hormones!"

"Lindsay Anne Monroe, listen to me…"

"You listen to me Daniel Anthony Messer! I can't believe you can do something like this…" she gestured to her gifts sitting on the couch. "…something so amazing and wonderful. And then turn around five minutes later and do something so…so…so YOU!"

Danny sighed heavily. Silently admitting defeat.

"You, Danny are a…a…a…I don't even know what you are! I'm going to bed!" she huffed and stomped through the living room and down the hall towards their bedroom.

"I'll be in a while, babe," he called.

"Like hell you will! Have fun on the couch!"

He winced at the sound of the door slamming.

Several silent minutes went by. He was sure that she would have come up and apologized for her irrational behaviour. When she didn't emerge from the bedroom and he didn't have the courage to get off the couch and go and say sorry himself, Danny Messer did the next best thing.

He turned on ESPN and stretched out on the sofa and made himself comfortable.

It was going to be a long night.


Flack yawned noisily as he slipped his key into the lock of his girlfriend's apartment. It was ten thirty and he was ready for bed. Actual sleeping to be exact. He'd finished his paperwork at eight o'clock and had had a quick bite to eat at an all night dinner across the street from the precinct before heading to the gym. He knew that Sam was likely out longer then she anticipated with her brother. When the two of them got together, especially when there was alcohol involved, she always seemed to lose track of time.

So he was somewhat surprised- albeit pleasantly- when he let himself into the apartment and was greeted by the sounds of the television and every possible light in the place blazing brightly. He tossed his duffel bag in the corner by the closet before toeing off his sneakers, locking the door and tossing his keys on the hall table.

"What's with all the lights?" he asked as he headed for the living room. "You worried the bogeyman is going to come and snatch you or something?"

"I may have slightly scared myself," Sam admitted, smiling at him as he entered the room.

"Slightly?" he asked and took in her appearance. Her long dark hair had been pulled into two thick, braided pig tails and her face was completely devoid of any makeup. Clad in one of his dress shirts and a pair of his gym socks as she ate a heaping bowl of chocolate ice cream. With what looked like candy hearts mixed in with it. A huge plastic tumbler of chocolate milk -and some kind of alcohol he was betting- sitting on the coffee table.

"Okay…so I may have terrified myself and probably won't be able to go into a dark room alone or sleep for the next week," she told him. "And I'll probably be asking you to check behind the shower curtain and under the bed and in the closet for quite a long while."

"You were watching that Paranormal State again weren't you," he said accusingly, standing behind the couch and playfully yanking at one of her pig tails before she tilted her head back and he kissed her softly in greeting.

"I was," she sheepishly admitted.

"I told you about a hundred times not to watch that stuff on your own," Flack said, walking around the couch and plopping down beside her.

"I know…but you know what I'm like Donnie! I flick it on and can't turn it off! It sucks me in! And oh my fucking god! They went to this house in upstate New York that seriously could rival the Amityville horror house! The thing was possessed by over twenty spirits! I guess this home was built where a psychiatric hospital was a long time ago. And apparently this place used to beat and torture patients and tons of them died there. So everyone whose lived in this house has been terrorized! And you know what happened?"

"What?" he asked with a grin, humouring her and her childlike exuberance.

"You know how they go in at night and they get the infrared cameras and shit? And tape recorders?"

He nodded.

"Well goddamnit if in the one room, the head guy is sitting on this bed and it starts to shake! And it shakes so bad it tosses him clear off! And then they hear footsteps on the stairs and doors start slamming and they see shadows in the hall! At that point I was nearly pissing myself. I almost called you to come home right away because I was so scared!"

"And you honestly believe that all of that was true?" he asked, biting his bottom lip to keep his amusement contained.

She nodded.

Flack couldn't help but laugh hysterically. "Babe, it's fake! All of it is fake! It's all staged!"

"No it's not!" she argued. "All of it is true! All of it!"

"Sammie, there is no such thing as ghosts. I can't believe how damn gullible you are."

"Oh that's rich! Coming from a guy that was terrified to go into some old monestary in Staten Island because someone found a severed hand and apparently the cops and people around there always heard strange noises coming from there at night. I believe your friend, what was her name? Aiden? I believe she even offered to hold your hand? Called you a scardey-cat?"

"She did call me that. But Stella suggested to Aiden that she hold my hand. And how the hell did you know about that anyway?"

"I have my ways," Sam said and spooned some ice cream into her mouth. "Come on . Did you honestly think I wouldn't hit Stella up for some blackmail material on you once we started kicking it?"

"Kicking it?" he laughed again. "Where are we? In Crown Heights? You need to bust out your ghetto speak on me?"

"Better then sitting here waiting for you to bust out your game on me," she said nonchalantly.

"Oh come on now. That is just plain harsh."

She smiled and shrugged and proceeded to dab the end of his nose with her ice cream covered spoon.

"What are you?" Flack asked, reaching out to wipe the ice cream away. "Ten?"

"And a half," she replied, and knocked his hand away and licked the chocolate off of the end of his nose.

"You're immature," he scolded her and moved away. "What's wrong with you?"

"I'm slightly polluted," she admitted. "Adam and I got carried away and then I came home and made myself some chocolate moo juice with Kahlua."

"You're a goddamn drunk is what you are," he said. "And what? Just plain chocolate ice cream? No mint chocolate chip?"

"Just plain chocolate," she sighed. "Sorry, babe. They were all sold out of our favourite flavour of foreplay."

He grinned, his cheeks turning a soft shade of red.

"Oh my God!" she laughed. "Are you blushing? Please tell me you're not blushing! You don't blush! Who are you? Adam?"

"Piss off," Flack said and moved away from her. "You don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. Kapish?"

"Actually, I do have something nice to say," she told him. "Two things."

"Yeah? What's that?" he asked.

She plucked a candy heart from her ice cream and held it out to him. "First thing," she said.

He sighed, humouring her as he took the piece of candy. "I love you," he read out loud. "That's sweet. I love you too," he said and popped the candy into his mouth.

"Second thing." she told him, handing him the other heart.

"Kiss me," he read, and ate that candy as well.

She stared at him, a frown on her face.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"That was a goddamn invitation!" she cried.

"How am I suppose to know that? I don't know the rules of these cute little games you come up with."

She sighed heavily. "No game, Flack. Absolutely no game."

"You know what?" he asked, laughing as he grabbed her, sending the bowl of ice cream tumbling to the floor. "Did you just call me by my last name?"

"I did," she giggled, struggling against his strong grasp. "Is that not what your last name is?"

"You've never called me by my last name. Ever. I thought it was just too impersonal."

"It is," she laughed. "Maybe I felt like being impersonal."

"Yeah? You want to be impersonal, Ross? How about I throw you down right here and now and reacquaint you with Donnie? Would you like that?"

"That would be the thrill of my night," she declared.

He grinned and covered her lips with his in a long and steamy kiss that left them both breathless.

"You're such a damn brat," Flack informed her, kissing her forehead before releasing her.

"But you love me," she said. "Look at this mess you made of my floor," she sighed as she leaned over to pick up her bowl and spoon. "Thank God you didn't wreck most of my ice cream."

"Now that could be a tragedy," he told her, and leaning forward, snagged a large novel from the coffee table. His eyes widening at the title. "What To Expect When You're Expecting?" he asked. "Ummm…is there something you need to tell me?"

"It's for Lindsay," Sam told him and snatched the book from him and dropped it back on the table.

"Why would you buy Lindsay that?" he asked.

"Maybe because she's expecting?" she replied with a sigh.

"Lindsay's pregnant? Lindsay Monroe? Our Lindsay? Danny's Lindsay?"

Sam frowned. "You mean you didn't know?"

"Does this look like the face of someone who knew something like that?"

"It looks like the face of someone who just found out his best friend is going to be a dad in the most unusual and unfortunate fashion," Sam responded. "Oooops."

"How did you know?" Flack asked.

"Lindsay told me."

"And you didn't tell me because…?"

"Because I thought Danny told you. Is that not what best friends do? Tell each other things?"

"Yeah…which is why I am going to seriously kick his ass tomorrow. I can't believe he didn't tell me something like that."

"Well in his defence," Sam said as she returned to her seat beside him after cleaning her floor with a handful of Kleenexes from the box on the coffee table. "It was a rather fucked up day. I guess he just figured you had bigger issues on your plate."

"Nothing is as big as him having a kid," Flack told her.

"True…but I think he figured you needed time to deal with your own stuff before dumping some of his on you. I'm sure he's going to tell you first thing tomorrow. I wouldn't take it personally. You went to the gym?" she asked, taking in his NYPD sweat pants and sweat soaked t-shirt."

Flack nodded and yawned noisily and wrapped his arm around her as he leaned back against the couch. "I needed to get rid of some of my stress," he said, pulling her close.

"I thought you were going to do that when you got home. I thought we were going to do that together?"

"Don't worry, Sammie. Lots of stress inside me, babe. I'll take care of mine."

"Good," she declared and leaned her head against him. "Because I…" she frowned and sat up. Leaning down, she sniffed his shirt. "Oh my God, Donnie! I love you but you fucking stink!"

He laughed and pulled her back into him. "You love my stink."

"I do not!" she cried and struggled to get away. "You couldn't have taken a shower before you came home?"

"I wanted to take one here," he reasoned. "So we could take one together. Relieve some stress in the shower."

"Well I just had a bath a half an hour ago so you're shit out of luck. And if you think I'm doing anything with you smelling like that…"

"You love my stink!" he insisted and grabbed a hold of her once more and tossed her down onto the couch. Pinning her there with his strong, heavy body, his hands on either side of her head. "Admit it! It turns you on!"

"It doesn't!" she shrieked. "Get off of me and go and shower!"

"Come on, Sammie. Admit it. You're getting all hot and bothered right now 'cause of my smell. Admit it!"

"I will not admit it!" she cried and catching him off guard, flipped him over onto his back.

"That was a smooth move, Ross. They teach you that in the Phoenix Academy? You use that move on all your perps?"

"Just the really cute ones," she said and pinned his wrists to the couch with her hands as she placed a knee on either side of him.

"Is it wrong that you being like this completely turns me on?" Flack asked.

"It's about time I got to have some control," she said.

"Yeah…right," he laughed. "You know what they teach here in the academy?"

"How to get your ass handed to you by a girl?" she asked sweetly.

"Smart ass No…they teach you to always regain control."

"I think not…" she said. Only to find herself knocked off balance when he managed to free his wrists and move quickly underneath her.

And then finding herself flat on her back on the floor in between the couch and coffee table, her boyfriend's heavy body on top of her as they tumbled clear off the sofa.

"Heavy!" Sam cried. "You're heavy!"

"Never mind that!" Flack winced as he propped himself on one arm above her, using the other hand to wipe at a bloody mouth. "You split my lip with your forehead."

"Well it was your fault!" she cried. "Why couldn't you just let me have control for once?"

"I never relinquish control," he informed her. "Ever. You okay?"

She nodded. "Are you?"

"Not really," he said and removed his hand to show her his bloody lip.

"Oh poor baby," she frowned and brought her head up to kiss him passionately. Drawing his lip between her teeth and sucking it lightly. "Is that better?" she asked.

"That was so fucking hot," Flack replied and crushed her mouth with his in a savage and impatient kiss.

She melted completely into that kiss. Allowing his tongue easy access to her mouth as her arms curled around his neck. Shivering as his hand travelled from her shoulder, over the side of her breast and down to her hip while her hands yanked his t-shirt up and over his head.

"Wait a second…" she said breathlessly. "Can you wait a second, Donnie?"

"Not really," he admitted.

"I have to get something," she told him. "Can you stop? Just for a minute?"

He sighed heavily and moved off of her reluctantly.

She got to her knees and rummaged under one of the couch cushions. "I bought you something," she said, her hand emerging with a box of condoms.

"I thought we weren't going to use these things anymore," he told her. "That you said that ring thing you used was good enough."

"I did say that," she said, hurriedly divesting herself off her socks and dress shirt. "Until I read that two out of ten women can still get pregnant. And knowing my luck…"

"Good call," he said and tore into the box. "So where are we going to do this? You wanna go into the bedroom or…"

All words, and breath for that matter, were knocked out of him as he found himself tackled onto his back.

"I think here is as good a place as any," she said with a devilish grin and climbed astride him. "Don't you?" she asked, and leaned down to kiss him.

Donald Flack Jr found no reason to argue with her.

And surrendered himself completely as he lost himself in that kiss. And in her.


Thanks to everyone that is reading and reviewing! I appreciate each and every one of you! Please, please R and R folks! Thanks!

Special thanks to:

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much madness

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