CSI: NY Fic: Kiss Me, I'm Irish - Chapter Four [Flack/Stella]
So here's the fourth chapter of my latest Flack/Stella fic, Kiss Me, I'm Irish. I was a bit worried about this one since Flack and Stella here are a bit out of character. So there. I thought I was headed for a short chapter but this one turned into a monster. LOL!
Disclaimer: Repeat after me…I don’t own the characters. I’m just playing with them. I promise to give them back after I’m done. Okay?
Author’s Note: Just a warning…This chapter is more angsty than comedic. Well, life isn’t always all comedy. LOL! So I hope you like a bit more drama. Anyway, a great big thanks for the wonderful reviews. I also appreciate the constructive criticism. They really gave me a high, making me giddy like a squealing school girl, spurring me on to update with this chapter. Anyway, on with the story…
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Chapter Four
Stella was taken aback by Flack’s sudden outburst, rendering her stunned for a moment.
“Look at me Stella. Know that I mean what I say,” he said passionately. “I was dead serious when I told you I loved you before I passed out at that karaoke joint,” he went on. “Don’t attribute that to me being just too inebriated, having too much to drink,” Flack continued rather heatedly.
“What was I supposed to think, Don,” she replied. “I mean, come on! There you were messing around with Danny, very drunk, and singing your heart out like there was no tomorrow. Then you go off telling me you loved me,” her voice slightly rising. “In the cab, on the way to the hospital, you kept on rambling those...those words,” she said. “I just chalked it up to the alcohol doing most of the talking,” she continued, quite breathlessly.
“What? I did? Hospital,” he asked with a bewildered look on his face.
“Yeah…Danny and I had to haul your ass into New York-Presbyterian as a precaution,” Stella said. “…Since you hit your head on the floor when you passed out,” she elaborated with the accompanying hand gestures.
Suddenly her revelation about last night triggered in Flack’s mind images of the cab ride, puking his guts out, mumbling his love for her, Danny razzing him and finally, being examined in the ER of the hospital. Stella saw a horrified expression plastered on Flack’s face, like he was being regaled with some out of this world fantasy story.
“So now…do you remember,” she asked rather calmly.
“Ummm…Yes I do,” he replied, quite reluctantly. “Well, yeah…Sure it was the booze talking. It gave me the Dutch courage I needed. Sure, I didn’t have the best timing if you must know…However, it helped in loosening my tongue so to speak,” he continued. “But you know the saying, ‘In vino veritas.’ In this case, that holds true,” Flack went on. “I may have been really wasted last night but every word I said was the plain, honest to goodness truth, Stel,” he said, defending himself. “I love you Stella Bonasera and I would do just about anything for you,” he blurted out earnestly.
The bombshell Flack had just dropped on her was making Stella very teary-eyed.
“If you don’t even feel remotely the same way about me…the way I feel about you,” he paused. “…Then please put me out of my misery now,” he begged.
“Oh Don,” was all Stella could mutter, the tears threatening to spill down her cheeks, like a raging waterfall.
“Stel, I’ve just been in love with you for the longest time. I’ve been wanting to ask you out but something always seem to come up to thwart my plans. I guess my timing sucked,” he revealed. “And then that bastard Mala came into the picture,” he said rather bitterly, choking the words out. “Deep in my gut, I could feel he was bad news. I wanted to tell you that he looked like he was up to no good but who was I to do so? I didn’t have the right to tell you that,” he continued fervently, his speech laced with just a hint of resentment.
“Even if I couldn’t have you, I wanted you to be happy. When he almost killed you, I just about died inside. I was sooo furious. If I could have brought his sorry ass back from the dead, I would have….Just to kill him again for what he put you through. I couldn’t believe that someone would hurt you like that,” he went on forcefully. He had to stop his little speech since he could feel his head throbbing with the searing pain brought on by the nasty hangover. Opening the bottle of Tylenol, he washed a couple of them down with a glass of Gatorade.
“You were still reeling from that, so I backed off, giving you the space I knew you needed,” he continued without missing a beat. “…Also, the fact that I got injured in the bomb blast didn’t help. It took me quite some time to recover from that…But that really put things in perspective for me. I knew then that life was just too short. I just had to figure out how to talk to you into going out with me…but as I’ve said, my timing really sucked,” he went on passionately.
Stella, by this time was now in tears, wiping them away with the back of her hand.
“By the time I was ready to try again, thinking you were ready to go back into the dating scene, Drew Bedford steals my thunder,” Flack said, wrinkling his nose. “Trying to do the gentlemanly thing, again, I backed off. I got into a short-lived unsatisfying relationship with a shallow bimbo just so I could dull the pain of seeing you with someone else…Knowing that you were unreachable…unattainable,” he revealed, feeling suddenly exposed and naked. “Then I find out that Bedford was just using you to get to Mac. I didn’t think you were ready to date again after that. I’m sure your opinion of the male species as potential mates plummeted again. So again, I backed off,” he continued with fervor.
Stella was too overwhelmed by the tears and the passion in his voice that she still couldn’t bring herself to say anything.
“I’m not saying I don’t have my faults. I do. But please,” he paused dramatically. “Stel, give me a chance,” Flack said intensely, waiting in agony for her to finally speak her mind.
“Oh Don. Forgive me for having doubted you,” Stella said, sniffling her reply, finally regaining her voice, putting on a brave effort to fight back the tears.
“Oh Stel, please don’t cry,” Flack implored.
“No Flack…these are good tears. These are happy tears,” she insisted, trying so hard to put a smile on her face. “You know you mean the world to me. You’ve been such a great friend helping me through the worst times in my life,” she paused when Flack interrupted her.
“But Stel…I want to be more than just your friend. I’ve laid down all my cards on the table,” he said, almost close to tears himself.
“Stop interrupting me, Flack,” she said, getting a bit annoyed. “I’m still internalizing everything you just said…So forgive me if I feel too overwhelmed right now. Let me get the words out before you say anything more. It’s time for you to hear me out. Okay,” she went on, the tears almost gone now.
“Okay. I’ll shut up now,” he said rather sheepishly, taking the not so subtle hint. For a brief moment his snarky self was shining through. That’s one of the reasons why he loved Stella so much. She was strong-willed and independent and she speaks her mind.
“Don…I’ve got to admit that I’ve been thinking of you more and more lately. I find myself always looking forward to working with you,” she revealed. “…And I’ve even astonished myself when I feel so disappointed when Mac gives out assignments and I find out I’m working with some other detective from Homicide,” she continued, a deep frown of concentration on her face.
Don continued to look at her intently, waiting to hear every word she was about to reveal to him.
“These feelings within me were starting to confuse me. When you were injured in that bomb blast, I felt so scared for you…that you wouldn’t pull through but I just thought that the feeling was normal since you’re one of my dearest friends,” she went on to elaborate. “Heck, I couldn’t understand why I was having these feelings of jealousy when I met Devon… and your flirting with her at that Ball almost drove me to insanity. I don’t know how I was able to prevent myself from gouging her eyes out…I wanted to strangle her when I saw her draped all over you,” she admitted candidly. “…And then last night happened, throwing me in for a loop. I didn’t know if you were just yanking my chain or what. I always thought that the attraction I have for you would never be reciprocated. I guess I was wrong,” she went on passionately.
“Oh Stel…The attraction is mutual. Don’t ever doubt that. And as for Devon, she didn’t mean anything to me. She was just a distraction, a lapse in judgment” Flack replied, standing up to sit beside her, taking her hands in his.
“Now I know,” she said confidently. “Don, I think I’m in love with you too…No…I know I am in love with you,” she said with conviction. “I was just blinded by the feelings of confusion,” she went on. “I think I have been fighting these emotions for a long time now. I had this notion that you didn’t see me as someone you’d date. Plus, I’m much older than you. I thought you just saw me as an older sister,” she continued.
“Older sister,” he asked incredulously. “What I feel for you is way more than I feel for any of my sisters. And come on! That would totally be sooo wrong! I’d say criminal even! Just totally gross,” he exclaimed. “Who cares about the age difference? And just so you know, you look really hot and sexy as the older woman,” he said with a wink. The snark was back with a vengeance.
“Oh just shut up and kiss me already,” she said playfully.
Flack couldn’t resist, “Okay…Kiss me, I’m Irish,” he said with a grin, bringing his hands behind her head, peeling the ponytail off, and running his fingers through her silky curls before pulling her closer to him, sharing a hot, sizzling kiss. After what seemed like a lifetime, they finally drew apart, catching their breaths.
“Wow! Stella that was amazing. Now I know what I’ve been missing all these years,” Flack exclaimed. “You know I love you, right” he asked, trying to reassure her and himself at the same time.
“Yes, Donnie…I love you,” she assured him with a smile.
“I think my hangover’s gone now,” he continued cheekily. “Who would have thought you were all I needed to make things better. Not just about the hangover, mind you. My bump is still quite painful,” he said with a grin.
“Want me to make it all better,” she answered him saucily, a wicked grin on her face.
“Oh most definitely,” he replied naughtily, pulling her up and leading her into the bedroom, the breakfast all but forgotten.
To Be Continued…
A/N 2: Thanks for reading! Again, please don’t kill me or you’ll never get to read the Epilogue. LOL! Anyway, was it too sappy for your liking? Or was the angst just enough to balance it out? Were Flack and Stella out of character? Please tell me, I want to know. On another note, Flack may have recovered from his hangover real quick but that's not the case in real life. I had to write it so for the sake of the plot. Suspend disbelief I say. LOL! Please let me know what you think of this by leaving me a review. So please push that comment button and make my day brighter.
Disclaimer: Repeat after me…I don’t own the characters. I’m just playing with them. I promise to give them back after I’m done. Okay?
Author’s Note: Just a warning…This chapter is more angsty than comedic. Well, life isn’t always all comedy. LOL! So I hope you like a bit more drama. Anyway, a great big thanks for the wonderful reviews. I also appreciate the constructive criticism. They really gave me a high, making me giddy like a squealing school girl, spurring me on to update with this chapter. Anyway, on with the story…
88888888
88888888
Chapter Four
Stella was taken aback by Flack’s sudden outburst, rendering her stunned for a moment.
“Look at me Stella. Know that I mean what I say,” he said passionately. “I was dead serious when I told you I loved you before I passed out at that karaoke joint,” he went on. “Don’t attribute that to me being just too inebriated, having too much to drink,” Flack continued rather heatedly.
“What was I supposed to think, Don,” she replied. “I mean, come on! There you were messing around with Danny, very drunk, and singing your heart out like there was no tomorrow. Then you go off telling me you loved me,” her voice slightly rising. “In the cab, on the way to the hospital, you kept on rambling those...those words,” she said. “I just chalked it up to the alcohol doing most of the talking,” she continued, quite breathlessly.
“What? I did? Hospital,” he asked with a bewildered look on his face.
“Yeah…Danny and I had to haul your ass into New York-Presbyterian as a precaution,” Stella said. “…Since you hit your head on the floor when you passed out,” she elaborated with the accompanying hand gestures.
Suddenly her revelation about last night triggered in Flack’s mind images of the cab ride, puking his guts out, mumbling his love for her, Danny razzing him and finally, being examined in the ER of the hospital. Stella saw a horrified expression plastered on Flack’s face, like he was being regaled with some out of this world fantasy story.
“So now…do you remember,” she asked rather calmly.
“Ummm…Yes I do,” he replied, quite reluctantly. “Well, yeah…Sure it was the booze talking. It gave me the Dutch courage I needed. Sure, I didn’t have the best timing if you must know…However, it helped in loosening my tongue so to speak,” he continued. “But you know the saying, ‘In vino veritas.’ In this case, that holds true,” Flack went on. “I may have been really wasted last night but every word I said was the plain, honest to goodness truth, Stel,” he said, defending himself. “I love you Stella Bonasera and I would do just about anything for you,” he blurted out earnestly.
The bombshell Flack had just dropped on her was making Stella very teary-eyed.
“If you don’t even feel remotely the same way about me…the way I feel about you,” he paused. “…Then please put me out of my misery now,” he begged.
“Oh Don,” was all Stella could mutter, the tears threatening to spill down her cheeks, like a raging waterfall.
“Stel, I’ve just been in love with you for the longest time. I’ve been wanting to ask you out but something always seem to come up to thwart my plans. I guess my timing sucked,” he revealed. “And then that bastard Mala came into the picture,” he said rather bitterly, choking the words out. “Deep in my gut, I could feel he was bad news. I wanted to tell you that he looked like he was up to no good but who was I to do so? I didn’t have the right to tell you that,” he continued fervently, his speech laced with just a hint of resentment.
“Even if I couldn’t have you, I wanted you to be happy. When he almost killed you, I just about died inside. I was sooo furious. If I could have brought his sorry ass back from the dead, I would have….Just to kill him again for what he put you through. I couldn’t believe that someone would hurt you like that,” he went on forcefully. He had to stop his little speech since he could feel his head throbbing with the searing pain brought on by the nasty hangover. Opening the bottle of Tylenol, he washed a couple of them down with a glass of Gatorade.
“You were still reeling from that, so I backed off, giving you the space I knew you needed,” he continued without missing a beat. “…Also, the fact that I got injured in the bomb blast didn’t help. It took me quite some time to recover from that…But that really put things in perspective for me. I knew then that life was just too short. I just had to figure out how to talk to you into going out with me…but as I’ve said, my timing really sucked,” he went on passionately.
Stella, by this time was now in tears, wiping them away with the back of her hand.
“By the time I was ready to try again, thinking you were ready to go back into the dating scene, Drew Bedford steals my thunder,” Flack said, wrinkling his nose. “Trying to do the gentlemanly thing, again, I backed off. I got into a short-lived unsatisfying relationship with a shallow bimbo just so I could dull the pain of seeing you with someone else…Knowing that you were unreachable…unattainable,” he revealed, feeling suddenly exposed and naked. “Then I find out that Bedford was just using you to get to Mac. I didn’t think you were ready to date again after that. I’m sure your opinion of the male species as potential mates plummeted again. So again, I backed off,” he continued with fervor.
Stella was too overwhelmed by the tears and the passion in his voice that she still couldn’t bring herself to say anything.
“I’m not saying I don’t have my faults. I do. But please,” he paused dramatically. “Stel, give me a chance,” Flack said intensely, waiting in agony for her to finally speak her mind.
“Oh Don. Forgive me for having doubted you,” Stella said, sniffling her reply, finally regaining her voice, putting on a brave effort to fight back the tears.
“Oh Stel, please don’t cry,” Flack implored.
“No Flack…these are good tears. These are happy tears,” she insisted, trying so hard to put a smile on her face. “You know you mean the world to me. You’ve been such a great friend helping me through the worst times in my life,” she paused when Flack interrupted her.
“But Stel…I want to be more than just your friend. I’ve laid down all my cards on the table,” he said, almost close to tears himself.
“Stop interrupting me, Flack,” she said, getting a bit annoyed. “I’m still internalizing everything you just said…So forgive me if I feel too overwhelmed right now. Let me get the words out before you say anything more. It’s time for you to hear me out. Okay,” she went on, the tears almost gone now.
“Okay. I’ll shut up now,” he said rather sheepishly, taking the not so subtle hint. For a brief moment his snarky self was shining through. That’s one of the reasons why he loved Stella so much. She was strong-willed and independent and she speaks her mind.
“Don…I’ve got to admit that I’ve been thinking of you more and more lately. I find myself always looking forward to working with you,” she revealed. “…And I’ve even astonished myself when I feel so disappointed when Mac gives out assignments and I find out I’m working with some other detective from Homicide,” she continued, a deep frown of concentration on her face.
Don continued to look at her intently, waiting to hear every word she was about to reveal to him.
“These feelings within me were starting to confuse me. When you were injured in that bomb blast, I felt so scared for you…that you wouldn’t pull through but I just thought that the feeling was normal since you’re one of my dearest friends,” she went on to elaborate. “Heck, I couldn’t understand why I was having these feelings of jealousy when I met Devon… and your flirting with her at that Ball almost drove me to insanity. I don’t know how I was able to prevent myself from gouging her eyes out…I wanted to strangle her when I saw her draped all over you,” she admitted candidly. “…And then last night happened, throwing me in for a loop. I didn’t know if you were just yanking my chain or what. I always thought that the attraction I have for you would never be reciprocated. I guess I was wrong,” she went on passionately.
“Oh Stel…The attraction is mutual. Don’t ever doubt that. And as for Devon, she didn’t mean anything to me. She was just a distraction, a lapse in judgment” Flack replied, standing up to sit beside her, taking her hands in his.
“Now I know,” she said confidently. “Don, I think I’m in love with you too…No…I know I am in love with you,” she said with conviction. “I was just blinded by the feelings of confusion,” she went on. “I think I have been fighting these emotions for a long time now. I had this notion that you didn’t see me as someone you’d date. Plus, I’m much older than you. I thought you just saw me as an older sister,” she continued.
“Older sister,” he asked incredulously. “What I feel for you is way more than I feel for any of my sisters. And come on! That would totally be sooo wrong! I’d say criminal even! Just totally gross,” he exclaimed. “Who cares about the age difference? And just so you know, you look really hot and sexy as the older woman,” he said with a wink. The snark was back with a vengeance.
“Oh just shut up and kiss me already,” she said playfully.
Flack couldn’t resist, “Okay…Kiss me, I’m Irish,” he said with a grin, bringing his hands behind her head, peeling the ponytail off, and running his fingers through her silky curls before pulling her closer to him, sharing a hot, sizzling kiss. After what seemed like a lifetime, they finally drew apart, catching their breaths.
“Wow! Stella that was amazing. Now I know what I’ve been missing all these years,” Flack exclaimed. “You know I love you, right” he asked, trying to reassure her and himself at the same time.
“Yes, Donnie…I love you,” she assured him with a smile.
“I think my hangover’s gone now,” he continued cheekily. “Who would have thought you were all I needed to make things better. Not just about the hangover, mind you. My bump is still quite painful,” he said with a grin.
“Want me to make it all better,” she answered him saucily, a wicked grin on her face.
“Oh most definitely,” he replied naughtily, pulling her up and leading her into the bedroom, the breakfast all but forgotten.
To Be Continued…
A/N 2: Thanks for reading! Again, please don’t kill me or you’ll never get to read the Epilogue. LOL! Anyway, was it too sappy for your liking? Or was the angst just enough to balance it out? Were Flack and Stella out of character? Please tell me, I want to know. On another note, Flack may have recovered from his hangover real quick but that's not the case in real life. I had to write it so for the sake of the plot. Suspend disbelief I say. LOL! Please let me know what you think of this by leaving me a review. So please push that comment button and make my day brighter.