Title: Take a Chance…
Author: DennSedai aka Dennis
Email: DennSedai@verizon.net
Permission to Archive: The lists who get it, those who already have permission, anyone else please ask first…I usually don't bite ;-)
Fandom(s): CSI: New York
Genre: Slash
Pairing/Characters: Don Flack (Eddie Cahill, 6'2")/Danny Messer (Carmine Giovinazzo 5'9")
Rating: Rated PG-13/FRM nothing too graphic or over the top.
Summary: Valentine's Day ficlet from the challenge/prompt over on Hurt/Comfort Fic List.
Warnings: Fair bit of Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort. One tiny hint of crossover, more implied then actual. If you spot it, let me know and I'll send you some cyber chocolates *g*
Notes: From the Hurt/Comfort list Valentine's Day Challenge: One partner thinks the other forgot Valentine's Day, the surprise should have: Rose(s), Green M&Ms, Boxers with Hearts on them *smirks*, almost all check. Chocolate Body Paint…hmmm wait and see. Posted by Sophie.

Prologue: 

"Come on Danny, you have to admit we're good together," Don said gently, as he lay sprawled out in bed with his lover. "So why not try and make a real go of it." 

Sighing, Danny shook his head. "I never said that we don't have chemistry Flack; what I said was that I'd rather not risk our friendship by pushing for something more. After all, we have to keep things normal at work, and can't come out." 

"Would it be so bad to be out at work, Danny? I mean, come on, it's not like it was ten or even twenty years ago." 

"Maybe not for you, Don, but I've already got two strikes against me. Being who I am and with my last name is a big enough strike. The fact that I had to take down that dirty cop…well, let's just say thats all that some people would need is an excuse. So, no, I'm not going to give them one," Danny said bluntly. "As much as I enjoy what we have, I'm not putting my life on the line and painting a target on me to boot." 

*****

Several Weeks Later 
 

Groaning, Don grabbed for his cell phone. "What?" 

Listening as the voice on the other end spoke, he forced himself to pay close attention. "Yeah, sure I'll be there shortly. I just need to get dressed." 

Hanging up the cell phone, he softly swore under his breath. Just as Danny's phone began to ring. 

Poking his lover, gently, he spoke softly. "Wake up, Messer, we've got a scene and that's probably the precinct calling for you." 

Moving quietly and slowly, Don got dressed, paying half a mind to Danny's conversation. 

"Fuck, what the hell is it with our luck," Danny swore softly. "Well, sounds like it's going to be a fun one today." 

"Yep, that's the impression I got as well. Thankfully I left a change of clothes here with you for when I might stay over." 

"Yeah, yeah, I still can't believe I let you talk me into that. Although, for once it looks like it was a good idea," Danny offered, partially conceding the point. "That doesn't mean that one of us is moving in with the other yet though." 

Chapter One 

Watching as Danny stomped around the lab he was working in, Stella sighed softly. Even Mac was noticing how crappy a mood Danny had been in the last week or so. 

It was getting close to the point where Mac was going to be forced to intervene, and if it was what she thought, things would definitely get a lot worse if he did. 

Sometimes it took a more delicate touch, then what Mac had. 

"Danny," Stella called softly from the door to the lab. 

"What?" 

"I think we need to talk," Stella said simply, "it's about what's going on with you." 

Muttering under his breath, Danny set down the slide he'd been preparing. "Fine, what exactly did you want to talk about Stella?" 

"It's obvious something is going on and it's starting to affect your performance here at work. I'm speaking as a friend here, Danny; Mac's ready to step in and have an official discussion with you. So I'm trying to save you both the headache." 

"Fine, I'll take care of it. I'm sorry that it's affecting my work. I'll get it under control," Danny said after a minute. Letting out a soft sigh, he continued. "It's nothing that I'm will to discuss here at work, it's just some personal concerns and I'll deal with it, all right?" 

Shaking her head gently, Stella smiled slightly. "I've got a pretty good idea what it is Danny, so I won't push it for now.  So how about we go out for drinks after work, so we can talk privately, ok?" 

Danny stared at Stella as he considered it for a moment, before slowly nodding. "Fine, just catch me at the end of the shift." 

***** 

Raising one eyebrow at the bar Stella had taken them to, Danny bit down on his tongue. It was fairly obvious that Stella had more of a clue than he'd expected. It was the bar that he and Don went to occasionally when they wanted to have a bit of privacy. 

Sitting at a corner table, he waited as Stella got them their beers. 

"So you want to tell me what's going on that has you so bitchy at work, Danny?" 

"Not really, but I'll bet you have a fairly good idea already anyways," Danny offered in return. "That is why you picked this particular bar isn't it?" 

Stella nodded once in agreement. "I figured it would be a subtle way of pointing out that I knew. After all, it's where you two tend to end up for privacy."  

"So who else knows?" 

"Lindsey doesn't have a clue; Mac probably does, but he's ignoring it unless it becomes an issue at work. As for Sheldon, I really don't know if he's figured it out or not," Stella offered. "I think it's rather cute and you both complement the other so well. So what's going on, Danny?" 

Picking up his beer, Danny took a few gulps of it before setting it back down with a sigh.  

"I don't know. I swear to God, I wish that I did, but I really don't know what's going on with Flack." 

Stella nodded and waited for him to go on. 

"I mean, we've been together for a while; it started out casual and that's how I wanted to keep it, just to be safe. Flack didn't agree. Eventually, it reached the point where we both kept an outfit or two at the other's place just in case we got called in and were staying over." 

Stella just smiled at that. 

"Then, he kept pushing about getting more serious. I finally gave in and said I'd give it a trial run for a couple months and if it went really well, then we could try moving in together. That was about four months back or so." 

"So, what's going on now that has you so stressed and lashing out, Danny?" 

Picking up the beer, Danny took another long gulp, before answering.  

"Don. I swear, I don't know what's going on in his head at times. He started talking about how he had plans on making this Valentine's Day really special for the two of us," Danny said with a sigh. "For me, it's never really been a big thing, but he's just this hopeless romantic at heart. Then, for the last week or two, he's been pulling away; doesn't really talk all that much or even want to spend time together. So I'm not sure what's going on." 

"Have you tried talking to him about it?" Stella asked softly. "Sometimes it helps to talk these things through." 

Danny let out a snort at that. "Tried that and he says it's nothing. Keeps acting like everything is fine, when it's kinda obvious that it's not. So I'm left wondering what's going on." 

"Think maybe someone caught on and is pestering him about you two?" 

"Maybe, but if that was it, I wish he'd just tell me. It's not like I can't handle that type of BS." 

"I know that, and I'm sure he does too. But maybe he's trying to keep you from getting hurt?" 

"Maybe. Or maybe he just realized that this isn't such a great idea. Either way, I wish ta God he'd just tell me straight out one way or the other." 

Chapter Two 

Standing in front of the door to Don's apartment, Stella knocked on the door, tapping a foot impatiently. 

Hearing the sounds from within, she waited, her temper slowly building up to the boiling point with the delay. 

"Stella, what a pleasant surprise," Don said as he opened the door at last. "Something wrong?" 

Walking in, she waited for Don to close the door, no need for the whole world to hear this discussion.  

"You could say that, Flack," she replied, her voice cold as ice. "I just dropped Danny off at his place after we talked over some beers. It was a rather interesting conversation." 

Don swallowed slowly as the implications sunk in. "I see. So, what can I say?" 

"How about explaining what's going on; I've already heard Danny's side of the story. I'd be interested in hearing what excuse you have to offer for stringing him along and playing him like this." 

Sighing, Don motioned for Stella to sit down, even as he took a seat of his own. 

"It's not quite that simple, Stella. I wish it was, but it's not," Don said softly.  

"So what is it then? You have to realize this is tearing him apart, Don. He told me how he was so hesitant to commit to anything serious, then he finally gave in, because you wore him down on the topic, and now you're acting like it's all a big game." 

Sighing, Don stared at the floor, silently for a moment before finally speaking up. 

"Hillborne's been keeping a really close eye on Danny. Probably border line for whether he's crossed the line in what is and isn't acceptable, but that's IAB. You know how they play," Don said slowly. "He apparently found out about me and Danny. From there instead of confronting either of us, he let a few discreet words drop here and there. It ended up getting back to my Dad." 

Stella swore softly under her breath at that. 

"Yeah, exactly, Stella. He confronted me about it and we had a fairly long and loud argument about it. I was planning on trying to do something special for Valentine's Day anyways and needed some time to figure out what I was going to do, as well as how to tell Danny that we'd been found out about." 

"So, what are you going to do," Stella asked gently. "Because Danny's right at the breaking point already." 

"I know. I guess that I'm going to have to hold off on telling him until things are a bit smoother between us. But I do have some plans to make up for this, for Valentine's Day." 

Stella just shook her head at that. "One piece of advice, Flack…" 

"Yeah?" 

"Whatever you're planning on doing, make sure it's tasteful. Don't do anything you wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of." 

Chapter Three

Doom's…errr Valentine's Day (evil smirk) 

Sighing, Danny signed in once more at the receptionist's desk downstairs. The last few hours had been a real bite with the scene that they'd had. Hell, the whole day had been that way so far, if he was honest. 

"Detective Messer," Blanche said as she set the phone down. "A package arrived earlier for you." 

"What sort of package, Blanche?" 

A smile danced across her face at that. "Its right here," Blanche said gesturing at what had to be one of the more original bouquets that Danny had ever seen. 

It was a heart shaped vase, filled with what looked to be green M&M's.  A smaller vase nestled amongst the candy, supporting an ornate arrangement of roses and baby's breath. 

"There's a card here that came with it as well," Blanche offered, her Southern accent kicking up as she noticed the slow blush filling his cheeks. "I'm guessing someone wanted to make sure you got your Valentine's Day present, Detective." 

Swallowing the lump that had welled up in his throat, Danny silently nodded, as he accepted the card and the bouquet.  

Silently he headed up stairs, even as he cursed in his mind. 

***** 
 

Catching sight of the bouquet, Stella deliberately kept her expression blank, even while she was laughing up a storm on the inside. 

"So, Danny," Lindsey called out, "got a secret admirer?" 

"No, it was a prank that someone I know decided to play," Danny shot back. "Why, you interested in who I'm dating?" 

"Just curious, after all it is Valentine's Day and all," Lindsey offered. 

"Enough people," Stella called out. "This isn't the time or place for personal discussions. This is work, and I'm sure we all have cases that we need to take care of." 

Walking towards Danny, Stella gently nudged him along.  

"I know, but just put it in your locker or the break room so that it doesn't contaminate any evidence. You can talk to the person later," she offered in a soft whisper. 

Danny nodded his agreement with that. 

*****

Later that Day 

Sitting in the break room with Danny, Stella took a sip of her coffee. "So, I take it that this is a relatively good sign?" 

Danny shrugged at that. "I don't know, I haven't bothered to read the card yet; I'm hoping it is…but I wish to hell he hadn't sent it here, at work. Not like I need more gossip and that's what's going to happen, ya know?" 

Stella nodded her agreement at that. 

"True enough, but you never know. Maybe some folks will buy the prank idea. Besides which, everyone knows that you, Mac and I tend to be here at work more often than we are anywhere else. So just downplay it and don't react when people get nosey." 

Danny sighed at that and had to agree. "True enough. I just wish I knew what the hell was going on in his head, you know what I mean? He leave's me hanging for a while and then pulls something like this off." 

"Maybe something happened; maybe someone caught a hint and tried to make it an issue," Stella suggested. "Or maybe he just got spooked at how serious it was getting and wanted to be sure he was up for it." 

Staring at Stella, Danny frowned for a minute, as he considered her words.  

"You know something, Stella, so spill it." 

"Not really, I'm just taking guesses, educated guess but guesses all the same," she offered. 

Chapter Four 

Sighing, Danny dug his keys out of his pocket, while managing to keep the vase of candy and flowers steady in the crook of his other arm. 

Letting himself into his apartment, he shut the door behind him. 

"Flack," he said keeping his voice deliberately neutral.  

Glancing up from where he was sitting on the couch, Don offered a small smile. "Happy Valentine's Day…" 

"I should smack you up side the head, Flack," Danny offered with a sigh. "What the hell were you thinking?" 

"I was hoping that it would show how much I care about you, Danny," Don offered softly. "Plus, I was also sort of dealing with a secondary issue." 

Pausing mid stride, Danny slowly turned around. "What are you talking about, Don?" 

"Don't explode, but one or two people at the station have figured it out, Danny. It's not widely known, but it is known." 

Forcing himself to remain calm, Danny finished going to set the vase of candy and flowers down on the table and slowly walked back to sit down on the other end of the couch. 

"So, when exactly were you planning on telling me about this little bit of news, Don? When I got attacked by someone or a bit later?" 

Letting out a soft sigh of his own, Don shifted so he was a little bit closer to Danny and facing him directly. 

"I needed to deal with a few issues that came up because of it, before I could to tell you. Plus, I didn't want you to freak out on me," Don offered gently. "It was Hillborne who found out about us and he decided to drop a few 'subtle' hints to some people about us. Unfortunately it got back to my Dad." 

Staring at him, Danny bit his lip before slumping back into the couch, softly muttering under his breath. 

"Danny… Come on, talk to me Messer," Don called softly. "It's not that big of an issue. Talk to me for god's sake."  

Danny let out a ragged laugh at that.  

"Not a big issue, Flack? Apparently we have very different definitions of issues. Hillborne knows about the two of us and has already been dropping hints; your Dad found out and obviously confronted you, and it's not a big issue?" 

"No, it's not, Danny. I made it clear to him, that it's my life and my choice as far as who I end up with. Yeah, I took a few days to think about it and deal with it, and there's plenty of crap that's going to hit the fan sooner or later, but I'm willing to put it all on the line to be with you," Don said fiercely. "I've made my decision, and I'm not going to give you up for any one or any thing." 

"And what if I decide to walk away?  Hell, what if I decide to transfer somewhere else entirely, so I don't have to deal with all this crap? What then, Don?" 

"Then I'd transfer as well. Trust me Danny, you're not getting rid of me that easily. I'll track you down and transfer with you," Don said giving Danny a pointed look. 

Staring at him, Danny just shook his head slowly. "Your crazy, you know that, Don?"

 

Grinning, Don just nodded. 

Letting out a sigh, Danny just rolled his eyes. "Fine, I concede the argument because it's obvious that you're going to be stubborn. So, what exactly are you doing here?" 

"Giving you the rest of your Valentine's Day present," Don offered still grinning. "I figured that I should make it special since things have been so crappy of late, especially with how I've been acting." 

Danny raised one eyebrow at that, "And what exactly did you have in mind?" 

"Oh, I don't know. I did pick up a few things that you mentioned last time," Don said, trailing off suggestively with an evil smirk. 

Chapter Five 

Laying curled up to Don, Danny let his fingers idly trail over his lover's chest, pausing to briefly toy with the new piercing that he'd discovered earlier. 

"So, there something you trying to hint about to me Flack?"  

"Hmmm… well, I figured that would be a treat for both of us," Don replied with a grin. "But if you're asking if there's any additional meaning…" 

Danny let out a small chuckle at that. "So nice of you to ask first. What were you planning if I said no?" 

"Probably begging you, maybe adding a few new tricks to my repertoire as well. After all, I did pick up a few toys for us both to enjoy…in addition to the chocolate body paint that you liked so much." 

"Uh huh… so, are you planning on asking or are you just going to assume, lover mine," Danny asked, gently tugging on the ring. 

"Will you be mine, Danny? For now and for always," Don asked after shifting slightly so he could better watch Danny's face. 

"You sure you're up for that, Don? No more keeping secrets or holding things back?" 

Don nodded once, his eyes hopeful. 

Danny let out a soft sigh. "Then I guess my answer is yes.  As long as you don't do something stupid again, like the last few weeks." 

"I promise no more secrets or holding things back. As long as you can promise the same." 

Danny considered for a moment and slowly nodded his agreement.  

"I promise," he said softly, leaning in to seal the promise with a kiss. 

The End