HIYA GUYS. SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING THIS STORY FOR SUCH A LONG TIME. WELL HERE IT IS.

Disclaimer: Check the previous chapters.

Chapter 12: I Need You

Previously on 'A Chance At Tomorrow'

He smiled remembering what she said "She told me to finish the race and not wait for the last moment"

Flack nervously rang Jess's apartment's door bell. It had now been one week since she had been discharged and the doctors had told her she would be able to go back into the field in a couple of days. When Don had heard that he vowed himself to tell her how he felt. At the beginning he had been hesitant about leaving Jess on her own even in her own house but Lindsay and Stella had come over and told Don to go away unless he wanted to watch reruns of 'The Nanny' (A/N: For those of you raising your eyebrows, I like 'The Nanny') He had asked Jess if she wanted an outing and after telling her the dress was something nice but something she felt comfortable in. And then there he was scaring himself to death over telling a girl how he felt. He had never felt nervous, he had always been the cocky, bold and brash one but Jess wasn't just any girl. She was his soul mate. He internally winced at that though thinking how he had never been the romantic type. He understood lust but love? Maybe she would think he was joking when he would tell her how he felt, or maybe tell him she didn't feel the same or….. his train of destructive was interrupted as she opened the door. And then his mind went blank.

He didn't notice he had been staring until Jess asked "Hello, earth to Don Flack?"

"You look amazing" he simply said as he handed her the purple orchids he had been holding.

She smiled nervously and looked at her outfit and back at him "You don't look to bad yourself detective"

He was wearing a dark blue dress shirt with two of the buttons undone, black dress pants and dress shoes while she was wearing black boot cut jeans, black boots underneath, a read shirt which had the neck of a turtleneck although with more folds, the middle part was loose and the bottom was tight around her hips and the whole thing was sleeveless. She was wearing a simple silver necklace with a J and large dangly earrings that had three circles all at a downwards spiral so the next two circles were like half circles. Smoky eye shadow and a small bag that reached to mid thigh held by a long strap completed her outfit.

She motioned him inside as she put the orchids in some water "Do you want anything to drink" she asked nervously. 'God, Jess, get a hold on yourself, you've been on plenty of dates, oh God did I just label this a date? No this is just two friends having an outing. Yeah a friend I love. Oh just shut up, great I'm talking to myself inside my head! This man is a drug, he's making a hallucinate'

"Sorry, but we have reservations to make" he said as he helped her into her coat.

"Reservation's? This sound's serious?" she joked as they made their way to his car.

"Trust me this is as serious as it gets" he said as he started driving.

"Even more serious than the world cup finals?" Jess asked innocently.

"Hmm, I would guess so"

They continued making idle chitchat as they reached a modest building tucked into the out skirts of New York.

"Madame" Flack opened her car door and motioned towards the door.

"Thank you" she said as she stepped down into the warm night air. Don then put his hand on his hip and Jess looped her hand through his as they walked towards the door.

'So far so good' Flack thought to himself as they entered the front door.

What they saw on the other side made her internally gasp. There were huge floor to ceiling windows with soft silk sheets as curtains, there were small tables everywhere and already a few couples were at those tables. But on each table except for the gleaming silver tableware was one single candle lighted. There were no lights turned on in the entire restaurant. It was just lighted by the candles and the moonlight streaming through the windows. There was soft music in the back ground and on each table was one different flower in a vase.

"Reservation for Flack" he told the hostess who had come forward while Jess looked around. She gave a sunny smile to the couple and led them to one of the tables' right beside the window.

She went away to get the menus as Don pulled out a chair for Jess. She sat down and so did he as the waitress came forward "Hi, I'm Delilah, and I will be your waitress tonight. Our chef's special for tonight is grilled lobster in a specially made sweet and sour sauce…." As she asked them for their order's and took the menus Jess took a turn to look at Don "Oh God Don, this place is just amazing." She said as Flack smiled at her and said "This is the place my dad asked my mom to marry her"

Jess felt touched as Flack shared that little piece of sentimental value with her and that he bought her here. "No wonder she said yes. Your dad had her hook, line and sinker the first time she laid eyes on this place" Don felt hopeful as she said that.

"Have you been feeling alright?" he asked as their appetizers arrived.

"A little ache from time to time but nothing else" she said. During the course of their dinner Don plucked up the courage to request a song to the hostess. He explained the reason "See that's my partner over there, we are both homicide detectives for the NYPD and recently she was severely injured in the line of duty. I realized that I love her and am trying to gather up the courage to tell her." He said.

The hostess a woman in her thirties with the name of Jen with two kids and a husband of her own said "Say no more" and she started the song.

Jess was just finishing of her lobster as Don came over "May I have this dance?" he asked her as she smiled at him.

"Why, of course" she said and accepted his hand as she got up. Crush by David Archuleta started playing.

I hung up the phone tonight
Something happened for the first time
Deep inside it was a rush, what a rush

'Cause the possibility
That you would ever feel the same way
About me, just too much, just too much

Why do I keep running from the truth?
All I ever think about is you
You got me hypnotized, so mesmerized
And I just got to know

Do you ever think when you're all alone
All that we can be, where this thing can go?
Am I crazy or falling in love?
Is it really just another crush?

Do you catch a breath when I look at you?
Are you holding back like the way I do?
'Cause I've tried and tried to walk away
But I know this crush ain't going away-ay-ay
Going away-ay-ay

Has it ever crossed your mind
When we're hanging, spending time girl?
Are we just friends? Is there more? Is there more?

See it's a chance we've gotta take
'Cause I believe that we can make this into
Something that will last, last forever, forever!

Do you ever think when you're all alone
All that we could be, where this thing could go?
Am I crazy or falling in love?
Is it really just another crush?

Do you catch a breath when I look at you?
Are you holding back like the way I do?
'Cause I've tried and tried to walk away
But I know this crush ain't going away-ay-ay
Going away-ay-ay

Why do I keep running from the truth?
All I ever think about is you
You got me hypnotized, so mesmerized
And I just got to know

Do you ever think when you're all alone
All that we could be, where this thing could go?
Am I crazy or falling in love?
Is it really just another crush?

Do you catch a breath when I look at you?
Are you holding back like the way I do?
'Cause I've tried and tried to walk away
But I know this crush ain't going away-ay-ay
This crush ain't going away-ay-ay

Going away
Going away-ay-ay
Going away-ay-ay

"I love you" he murmured against her neck as he held into her after the song. He had slipped his arms around her waist and she had put her arms around his neck. They were dancing in an embrace.

"What?" She asked wondering if she had heard him properly. Her rush of happiness was dulled by the thought of him losing his nerve and backing away from the whispered confession.

Still with his arms around her he took a moment to look at his partner. Her face was cast in shadows from the soft lights thrown of by the candles. His nerves strengthened as he repeated his earlier words "I love you." Then before she spoke and before he lost his footing on the emotions he had carefully grasped he continued "When I first met you I was immediately attracted to you. Hell who wouldn't have been?" at that Jess blushed "but that little crush grew each and every day. When I realized that I felt something different, something other than lust I was afraid. I tried to walk away because I was scared. But something kept pulling me back. It was then I realized I fell in love with you. When you were injured I knew that I would not be able to go on if I didn't let you know how I felt. Because I need you Jess." He took a deep breath after laying all his cards on the table and waited in baited anticipation for her answer.

When she answered, it wasn't what he expected. He had expected her to either say 'I love you too' or push him and tell him he was crazy. "A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous." She whispered as Jessica Angell then did something that changed her whole life. She slowly placed her lips on his to meet in a tender kiss as he thanked nature.

REALLY SHORT, YES I KNOW. AND I APOLOGIZE ONCE AGAIN FOR NOT UPDATINGIN FOREVER. I KNOW I BECOME PISSED WHEN THE STORY IM READING DOESN'T UPDATE AND I DON'T BLAME YOU GUYS IF YOU ARE PISSED. JUST PLEASE REVIEW.