justprompts - Something New
(Flack = det_don_flack, Hawkes = blessyou_jlo, Lani = still_unwrittn, all used with permission.)
To the soul, there is hardly anything more healing than friendship. ~Thomas Moore
Stella had been burying herself in work since the holidays. Well, no. She'd been burying herself in work since she'd slept with Don Flack.
Not that she regretted it. She didn't. Slightly confused, maybe, but no regrets. Her cheeks would still heat up when she thought about it. She was able to keep her composure when it came to work, but if she felt him watching her too long or if she met his eyes at the right moment - a downright shiver would creep down her spine. A very good shiver.
They had just wrapped a big case and after making sure the lab was running smoothly, Stella decided to go get some coffee. Maybe a bite to eat. When she got downstairs she ran into just the person the had been thinking about. He stopped before her with a smile.
"Hey, Stella."
She glanced to his sparkling eyes for just a moment and returned the smile. "Flack. I hope you're not here with bad news already." She looked over as Hawkes and his girlfriend Detective Rallita came to a stop as well.
"Nope. Just havin' some lunch with Hawkes and Rallita."
"He's our handsome third wheel," Lani nodded with a smirk. Stella laughed and looked at Flack. He just shrugged with a 'that's life' look on his face.
"And the third wheel's gotta get back to the precinct," he said. He glanced to Hawkes. "Good seein' you two. Take care." He gave Lani a warm pat on the back and nodded to Stella. "See ya Stell."
"See ya, Flack," she replied. Once he left, Hawkes sighed and looked to Lani.
"I should get up there."
"Party pooper," the detective replied with a slight frown. Stella took a step back, but watched them still with a little smile.
"I know," he set a hand to the small of Lani's back and leaned in to kiss her cheek. "But I'll make it up to you. Pineapple and chicken pizza." He gave a nod, offering her favorite meal. She grinned.
"See you later."
"Bye," he said softly with a warm smile. He looked over to Stella. "On your way back up?"
"No," she shook her head. "On my way out. I'll be back later."
"Okay, I'll see you up there." He shot one more look to Lani, then went to the elevator and disappeared. Stella looked over at Lani with a smile.
"You do know you're a lucky woman, right?"
Lani bit her lip as she still watched the direction Hawkes had left in. "I do." She finally turned to the other woman. "Where are you headed?"
"I don't know. I was thinking coffee and cookies."
"If you don't mind some company, I'm off today.."
Stella studied the other woman for a moment, then nodded slowly. They had spoken a handful of times and always seemed to get along. Good company wasn't something Stella turned down. "Then by all means.." she led the way out the door.
They walked down the sidewalk, discussing the weather, the holidays, and the state of crime in recent weeks. When they finally found themselves at the coffee shop, sitting at a small table, the women sat quietly enjoying their drinks. Stella wasn't sure what to talk about, really. Usually when she saw the woman it was around Hawkes, so they had a buffer. Here...not so much.
Lani cleared her throat. "So...Flack seems to like you quite a bit."
"W-what?" Stella choked on her coffee and sat up more, cleaning herself up. Napkins dabbed her chin.
"I just mean...he seems to look up to you. Not give you shit. I know some of the guys I work with? They seem to think they own the crime lab."
"Oh. No. No Flack's pretty good about working with us more than anything else. Which honestly...just makes the job go smoother."
Lani nodded. "I get that. I mean...we're all out there doin' the same thing, right?"
"Exactly," Stella nodded.
"Why?" Lani gave a smirk. "What did you think I meant?"
Stella raised a brow and shook her head slightly. "I didn't."
"Mmmhmm," the woman brought her cup to her lips with a smile.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Stella tried to play innocent the best she could.
"Hey, I get it. That boy is fine. I would have no problem having to look at him nearly every day."
"Right," Stella laughed. She was enjoying this, glad that the woman hadn't actually guessed anything concrete, and played along. "Lucky thing about working in the lab, all the cute cops come begging for your mind."
"Mmm, you're making me jealous."
"Please," Stella chuckled. "You make half the women in the NYPD jealous. You've got Sheldon Hawkes head over heals for you."
That actually made Lani blush. Only slightly. "Head over heels, huh?"
Stella smiled softly with a little shrug. "Or close enough."
"And you? Got anyone head over heels for you?"
"I...don't know. I might." Stella smiled more and looked down into her coffee. "I just might."
838
To the soul, there is hardly anything more healing than friendship. ~Thomas Moore
Stella had been burying herself in work since the holidays. Well, no. She'd been burying herself in work since she'd slept with Don Flack.
Not that she regretted it. She didn't. Slightly confused, maybe, but no regrets. Her cheeks would still heat up when she thought about it. She was able to keep her composure when it came to work, but if she felt him watching her too long or if she met his eyes at the right moment - a downright shiver would creep down her spine. A very good shiver.
They had just wrapped a big case and after making sure the lab was running smoothly, Stella decided to go get some coffee. Maybe a bite to eat. When she got downstairs she ran into just the person the had been thinking about. He stopped before her with a smile.
"Hey, Stella."
She glanced to his sparkling eyes for just a moment and returned the smile. "Flack. I hope you're not here with bad news already." She looked over as Hawkes and his girlfriend Detective Rallita came to a stop as well.
"Nope. Just havin' some lunch with Hawkes and Rallita."
"He's our handsome third wheel," Lani nodded with a smirk. Stella laughed and looked at Flack. He just shrugged with a 'that's life' look on his face.
"And the third wheel's gotta get back to the precinct," he said. He glanced to Hawkes. "Good seein' you two. Take care." He gave Lani a warm pat on the back and nodded to Stella. "See ya Stell."
"See ya, Flack," she replied. Once he left, Hawkes sighed and looked to Lani.
"I should get up there."
"Party pooper," the detective replied with a slight frown. Stella took a step back, but watched them still with a little smile.
"I know," he set a hand to the small of Lani's back and leaned in to kiss her cheek. "But I'll make it up to you. Pineapple and chicken pizza." He gave a nod, offering her favorite meal. She grinned.
"See you later."
"Bye," he said softly with a warm smile. He looked over to Stella. "On your way back up?"
"No," she shook her head. "On my way out. I'll be back later."
"Okay, I'll see you up there." He shot one more look to Lani, then went to the elevator and disappeared. Stella looked over at Lani with a smile.
"You do know you're a lucky woman, right?"
Lani bit her lip as she still watched the direction Hawkes had left in. "I do." She finally turned to the other woman. "Where are you headed?"
"I don't know. I was thinking coffee and cookies."
"If you don't mind some company, I'm off today.."
Stella studied the other woman for a moment, then nodded slowly. They had spoken a handful of times and always seemed to get along. Good company wasn't something Stella turned down. "Then by all means.." she led the way out the door.
They walked down the sidewalk, discussing the weather, the holidays, and the state of crime in recent weeks. When they finally found themselves at the coffee shop, sitting at a small table, the women sat quietly enjoying their drinks. Stella wasn't sure what to talk about, really. Usually when she saw the woman it was around Hawkes, so they had a buffer. Here...not so much.
Lani cleared her throat. "So...Flack seems to like you quite a bit."
"W-what?" Stella choked on her coffee and sat up more, cleaning herself up. Napkins dabbed her chin.
"I just mean...he seems to look up to you. Not give you shit. I know some of the guys I work with? They seem to think they own the crime lab."
"Oh. No. No Flack's pretty good about working with us more than anything else. Which honestly...just makes the job go smoother."
Lani nodded. "I get that. I mean...we're all out there doin' the same thing, right?"
"Exactly," Stella nodded.
"Why?" Lani gave a smirk. "What did you think I meant?"
Stella raised a brow and shook her head slightly. "I didn't."
"Mmmhmm," the woman brought her cup to her lips with a smile.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Stella tried to play innocent the best she could.
"Hey, I get it. That boy is fine. I would have no problem having to look at him nearly every day."
"Right," Stella laughed. She was enjoying this, glad that the woman hadn't actually guessed anything concrete, and played along. "Lucky thing about working in the lab, all the cute cops come begging for your mind."
"Mmm, you're making me jealous."
"Please," Stella chuckled. "You make half the women in the NYPD jealous. You've got Sheldon Hawkes head over heals for you."
That actually made Lani blush. Only slightly. "Head over heels, huh?"
Stella smiled softly with a little shrug. "Or close enough."
"And you? Got anyone head over heels for you?"
"I...don't know. I might." Stella smiled more and looked down into her coffee. "I just might."
838