Disclaimer: I do not own CSI: New York.
Series: 'Kindred Spirits'.
Spoilers: None.

Right, this has been edited and re-edited as many times as it can be, so I'm just posting it and hoping for the best.

Happy Birthday

There were many words that could be used to describe Detective Don Flack and 'sweet' and 'innocent' weren't really two of them.

Yet these were the words that came to mind as Jess watched him sleep every morning. On this morning, however, there was no reason for her to reluctantly wake him and she lay next to him, propped up on her arms, tracing light patterns on the fair skin of his back.

It was a mark of how deep a sleeper he was that this hadn't woken him yet.

A knowing smirk spread across her face and she removed her hand, carefully sliding her panties off and letting them fall to the floor, so she was covered only by the shirt of his she'd claimed to sleep in. Then she settled down next to him, kissing his shoulder. "Don …"

He shifted slightly.

"Sweetheart, wake up." Jess murmured.

With another shift, Don rolled onto his back, catching her waist as he did so she settled on top of him. "Hey."

"Hey." Jess lowered her head and kissed him. "Happy birthday. You want your present now or later?"

Don grinned lazily up at her. "What a dilemma. You didn't have to buy me anything."

"Who said anything about buying something?" Jess responded, running a hand down his chest, her gaze following it almost hungrily.

"Jess …"

"What did I say about letting me in?" Jess asked sweetly, seeing his eyes darken almost immediately at the memory.

It had been a few days before her birthday and staying at home all day was starting to take its toll …

"Sweetheart, I'm home!"

The call echoed around the apartment and Jess smiled, the first genuine smile to grace her face all day. "I'm in here."

A second later, she heard Don chuckle and opened her eyes to see him standing upside down in the doorway.

She must have looked quite strange, lying across their bed in her underwear, her head dangling off the side, causing her current perspective.

"Jess, what are you doing?"

"I sat down after I got out of the shower and couldn't be bothered getting up to finish getting dressed." Jess sat up, grimacing as the blood rushed from her head. "I'm so bored."

"It can't be that bad." Don unclipped his gun and stored it in the locked box he kept on the top shelf of the closet. As he did so, he made sure his body was between her and the weapon, making sure to not to make any sudden movements; even so, she felt her breath catch traitorously.

"Let's see." Jess ticked items off her fingers. "I did two loads of laundry. I folded your socks. I reorganised the DVD cabinet three times."

"Three?" Don questioned.

"Once alphabetically, once chronologically and once by the last name of the lead actor or actress." Jess listed. "Do you think Titanic comes under Leonardo DiCaprio or Kate Winslet?"

"Hey, it's your movie; you figure it out." Don leaned down and kissed her softly. "But I see what you mean. What did the doctor say this afternoon?"

Jess sighed. He had been trying to convince her to let him accompany her to her physiotherapy sessions, but she had so far resisted, saying that he'd missed enough work while she was unconscious. She knew he was worried that she just didn't want him to know how bad they were, but they were almost unnecessary now.

If only her doctor felt that way.

"Still won't sign me off for active duty." Jess ran a hand through her hair. "I wouldn't mind so much if that woman would just give me the go-ahead for desk work; I just need to get out of this apartment!"

"'That woman' is the department psychiatrist and she's just doing her job." Don reminded her, undoing his shirt. "You still can't be around guns; how would you handle being in the bullpen all day."

Jess sighed. "I know." As he stripped down to his boxers, she couldn't help watching him.

She had never really considered the male physique as being that impressive before she'd met Don, but even before they'd been dating, it had been difficult to keep her composure when he was changing in the locker room.

Jess wouldn't deny that she was frustrated. In fact, she was frustrated that she was frustrated. It had been about two and a half months since she'd been shot and she'd been in a coma for one of them. 'I've gone without sex for longer. This shouldn't bother me so much.'

But it did.

Jess let herself fall back, stretching out across the sheets. She didn't miss his eyes raking over her as he pulled a fresh shirt from the closet, nor the sizeable bulge in his boxers.

He tossed the shirt onto a chair. "I'm gonna take a shower."

Right. Shower. Jess waited until the door had closed behind him, before moving over to it, waiting outside.

For the first few weeks after she woke up, sex was the last thing on their minds; they craved physical contact but on a different level, needing to just hold each other.

Then, as things slowly got back to normal, it began to get more and more trying and he knew that she knew that he was frustrated and he thought that she thought that his one or two-hour long showers were ice-cold and making things easier.

She thought he knew her better than that. She wasn't stupid. And the walls weren't that thick.

For a few minutes, the only sound was running water, then she heard it.

"Jess …"

Her heart skipped a beat as it always did. He's completely alone in there and he's thinking about me.

Nevertheless, she kept her composure and tapped on the door, pushing it open. "Yeah?"

There was a pause and a ruffle and Don's head poked out from behind the curtain. "Jess?"

"You said my name." Jess prompted, somehow managing to hide her smirk. "Did you want something?"

"Er … no." Don shook his head. "No, you must have misheard me."

"Okay then." Jess waited for his head to disappear again and pulled her underwear off, dropping it to the ground next to his own. Then, calmly, she pulled the curtain back and stepped in next to him, sucking in a breath as the cool water hit her skin. "I'll never understand how you can have the water like this."

Don gaped at her. "Jess, what are you …?"

"You said my name." Jess repeated, smirking up at him. "Well, actually, you moaned it, but I'm not picky." Winding her arms around his neck, she kissed him softly, feeling his hands rest hesitantly on her waist.

Don pulled away first. "Jess, you …"

"I can't have sex without worsening my injuries." Jess finished. "I know. But I'm fully aware of what you're doing in here when you 'take a shower' and I can only think of two reasons why you'd hide that from me. The first is that you're thinking about someone else …" She held up a hand to stem his response. "And we've already established that I know you're not. The second is that the shooting fucked me up so much that you have to think about what I used to look like."

"Jess!" Don protested. "Of course that's not true! I just didn't want you to feel bad."

Jess's smirk grew, despite the relief that spread through her. She had never and would never doubt that he loved her, but she had been worried that he no longer desired her and she had learnt from experience that confronting him on that point tended to get the question avoided.

But now, his gaze darkened as he looked at her and he seemed to harden even more between them and she knew what he was thinking.

Touching his face, Jess forced his eyes back to hers and her smirk softened. "Then let me in." Kissing him softly, she ran her other hand from his shoulder, down to his chest, and between their bodies, grasping him gently.

"Jess …" He whispered against her lips.

"Ssh." Jess cut him off, stroking him rhythmically. "Let me in."

"Jess …" This time her name was more of a moan and she bit back a groan of her own as she pressed her wet naked body against his, wishing she could allow herself the same release he was so close to; thankfully, his idea of a warm shower was her idea of a cold one and it stemmed her desire a little, though his hands roaming across the warm skin of her lower back and his voice moaning her name in her ear definitely didn't help her cause at all.

Never changing pace, ignoring his pleas to move faster, Jess pressed her lips against his shoulder tenderly, then changed her mind, nipping and suckling instead, running a free hand across his chest.

She smiled against his skin, realising that there was an upside to this. Don was a very attentive lover, but that sometimes meant that her own pleasure was the priority and the only way she could touch him – really touch him – was to physically tie him down.

And, given the difference in size, that wasn't the easiest thing to accomplish.

"Jess, please …" Now his words were muffled against her shoulder and she felt it more than heard it. His hips bucked against her hand and she finally sped up her strokes, still moving rhythmically until he stiffened, crying her name as he came into her hand.

Still breathing heavily, Don turned the water off without a word and handed her a towel, grabbing one himself, before leading her back into their bedroom and pulling her into his arms. "I love you, Jess. So much."

"I love you too." Jess murmured, tilting her head back so he could kiss her. "You promise to let me in from now on?"

"I promise." Don ran a hand through her hair, still holding her close. "You okay?"

"I'm a little frustrated." Jess admitted, shivering as his hand slid under her towel to caress her skin.

"I know, baby." Don murmured. "I know. Second you get the go-ahead, I'm all yours, alright?"

Since then, he had kept his promise, but she knew that he felt guilty that he could get that release when she wasn't able to.

Just as her hand reached the band of his boxers, she pulled away, moving to his side.

"Jess …" This was more of a plea than a protest and she smirked at him.

"You'll have to move, sweetheart." She told him softly. "This wasn't meant to take this long, but it has." Feeling a little nervous, she took his hand and moved it to her left leg, running it up to the inside of her thigh.

"What has?" Don asked quietly, not pulling his hand away, but only tentatively touching her.

"For your eyes only. Why don't you take a look?" Jess suggested, resisting the urge to push his fingers further up to where she really wanted them.

Looking very confused, Don did so, disappearing under the covers. She bit her lip nervously, knowing that his shirt covered her, but that wasn't what she wanted him to see.

Yet.

His sharp intake of breath and the soft movement of his fingers across her skin told her that he'd finally seen the new tattoo on the inside of her thigh; an interwoven J and D surrounded by three dates and the words ma vie, mon cœur, mon amour.

"In English?" He whispered.

"My life, my heart, my love." Jess translated. "I was gonna go with a heart, but then I decided that might be a bit … cliché. And the dates are …"

"Day we met, day we became partners, day we started dating." Don finished, touching each one softly. "When …?"

"Couple of days before the shooting." Jess answered softly. "I wanted to wait until the doctor cleared me to show you, but today seemed like a good day." She allowed herself another smirk. "The last few days have been hell though."

His hand rested fully on her skin, before slowly inching upwards. "Jess, are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"If you think I'm saying that I lied on Tuesday and that I've been cleared completely," Jess shifted impatiently, "then yes."

"I see." His hand slid to the outside of her thigh and skimmed over her hip, eliciting a groan as it ignored the one place she wanted it.

"Don …"

"Ssh." Don kissed her neck, gently unbuttoning her shirt. "Since you got to choose the time, I get to choose the pace."

"You mean place, right?" Jess asked in a soft whisper, hoping it might speed his movements up. "Here … shower … kitchen …" She broke off with a soft whimper as his lips followed his fingers down his chest, avoiding anywhere that would actually bring her direct pleasure.

"No. I mean pace." Don lifted his head and gently took hold of her hands in one of his, pinning them above her head. "Don't make me cuff you, Detective. Now, what month is it?"

Jess fought to understand the question, her mind focused entirely on the shivers running through her body. "March."

"Uh huh. Which means I haven't been able to touch you …" He finally cupped her breast, brushing his thumb across the erect tip. "… or kiss you …" He lowered his head again, taking the nipple into his mouth, tugging it lightly. "… or make love to you in over four months."

"I know that." Jess hissed, arching up into him as well as she could. "So why aren't you already inside me?"

"Is that what you want?" Don asked quietly.

"Yes, and you know it's what you want." Jess murmured, lifting her hips to press them against his.

"Forget about me." Don muttered against her skin, shifting atop her.

A low moan escaped her as she felt him hard against her and she ground against him, desperate for some form of relief from the ache building within her. "It's … your birthday …"

"Yes, it is, and you know what turns me on more than anything?" Don lifted his head with a smirk.

"That thing I do when I'm on top of you?" Jess guessed, returning his smirk, albeit shakily.

Don shook his head, sliding his hands from her stomach, back up to her breasts, touching and teasing the skin there. "What turns me on more than anything is the sight of you falling over that edge." He breathed into her ear, his warm breath ghosting over the skin. "It doesn't matter how and it doesn't matter where. You could be underneath me, moaning and clutching the sheets. You could be on top of me, screaming my name. You could be bent over the kitchen table begging me not to stop." He dropped his head to kiss her neck again, biting down lightly on the skin. "But there is nothing sexier than you in that moment. So just let me indulge that for a while. Trust me, you'll enjoy it as much as I will."

Without waiting for a response, Don returned to her stomach, licking and sucking at the skin, before tracing the outline of her scar, kissing it tenderly, as she had done to his so many times before. "I love you." He whispered. "So, so much."

His words reached her, but she found herself unable to decipher them at that moment, as his lips returned to where they'd started, his tongue tracing around the tattoo on her inner thigh.

"Don …" Jess moaned, unable to articulate any other words.

Although she was sure he didn't mind.

Still, he didn't rise any higher, switching between her thighs, still stopping just below where she wanted him, until a strangled 'please …' escaped her lips.

"All you had to do was ask, Detective." Don's fingers finally brushed against her and she cried out, bucking against his hand. "Did I do that?" He asked innocently. "You're soaking."

"I swear to God, Flack, if you don't touch me right now, I am finishing this myself." Jess warned, her voice breaking with frustration.

"No, you're not." Don disagreed, seconds before his mouth landed exactly where she wanted it to, extracting a cry that echoed through the room.

Gently holding onto her thighs, Don swirled his tongue around her clit, teasing it mercilessly, before moving down and slipping it inside her.

The sudden change caused her to cry out again, one of her hands leaving the sheets to thread into his dark hair, and he gently spread her legs further apart, cupping her ass and squeezing gently as he returned to her clit, sucking and nibbling at it until she could take it no more.

"Oh, fuck, yes … Right there… Yes …. Yes …" Falling apart with a scream, Jess could have sworn that she flew into the air for a few minutes, but his hands never left her as he continued to caress her skin, coaxing her down from her high, settling back on top of her.

"You okay?" Don asked softly.

"You can wipe that smirk off your face, Detective." Jess told him slightly hoarsely, without opening her eyes.

Don chuckled. "You know me too well." Tenderly, he brushed a strand of hair from her forehead. "You are so beautiful, Jess. How the hell did I get this lucky?"

"I wouldn't use the word 'lucky'." Jess commented with a smile, her eyes fluttering open.

"I would." Don kissed her softly. "Like I said to Danny after we met, 'she's smart, she's beautiful, she's sexy and she's way out of my league.'"

Jess felt her face heat up. "I am not …"

"Yeah, you are." Don told her. "You just haven't realised it yet; thank God."

Jess cupped his face, threading her fingers into his hair. "You need to stop thinking like that; I'm not going anywhere. You are all I've ever wanted. I love you."

"I love you." Don shifted on top of her and she bit down on her bottom lip as he brushed against her still-sensitive skin. Her reaction didn't go unnoticed and he grinned down at her. "You want something, sweetheart?"

"You know what I want." Jess let her head fall back as he returned to kissing her neck. "Don, please …"

She knew it was strange that she missed him when he was never far from her side, but she missed what it felt like to have him make love to her, to have him hold her, to feel complete again.

That was the only reason she hadn't flipped them over and taken control.

Then, just as she felt she would implode if he didn't act soon, his hard member brushed against her entrance again and slowly slid in, filling her to the hilt.

"Oh God …" Jess whispered, her eyes closing again.

"Okay?" Don murmured in her ear, tracing the rim with his tongue.

"Yeah." Jess swivelled her hips lightly. "Just give me a minute; it's been a while."

"I know." Don kissed her, murmuring words of love against her skin until she lifted her hips, silently signalling for him to move.

Just like their first time together, he didn't rush, slowly and tenderly thrusting into her, drawing out soft sighs and moans from her mouth.

But unlike their first time, Jess knew him well enough to know how to change things. She ran her hands down his back, scratching the skin gently, to his ass (she never thought she'd say there was anything better than her man in jeans until she saw him out of them) and squeezed lightly. "Oh God … Baby, you feel so good."

"I know what you're doin', Jessica." Don murmured. "And it's not gonna work."

"But it is working." Jess whispered to him, a smirk appearing on her face. "Your accent gets stronger when I'm getting to you." She lifted her hips again, meeting him thrust for thrust, but still his pace stayed the same and she decided to try a different approach. "Please, Don, I need you …"

Don groaned, his head dropping to her shoulder. "Jess …"

Jess just smirked, running a hand back up his back to tangle in his hair, and whispered the three words she knew would get her what she wanted. "Please fuck me …"

He picked up the pace a little, thrusting into her faster and with a little more force, eliciting a drawn out moan.

It had been too long since they had been like this and she felt her release building again, reducing her to breathy sighs and moans, arching up into him as his hands and lips travelled across her upper body again.

But the delicious friction between her legs wasn't quite enough to push her over the edge and he knew that; his hands travelled down to her thighs, lifting them to wrap around his waist and changing the angle of his thrusts, and he kissed her neck softly. "I love you, Jess. Come for me again, baby."

As the words breezed past her ear, his hand slid over her thigh to where they were joined and began rubbing her clit. Her climax hit her and she dug her fingers into his skin, crying out his name as he groaned hers, stiffening above her as her orgasm pulled him over with her.

They clung to each other tightly, unwilling to let go even as their breathing slowed and he moved to her side.

Jess rested her head on his chest, their legs still entangled, his arms still holding her as close as they could. "I missed you." She murmured against his skin.

"I haven't gone anywhere." Don responded quietly, kissing her forehead.

"I missed this." Jess elaborated, shifting so she was lying more on him than she was on their bed. "You have today off?"

"Mm-hmm." Don ran his hand up and down her arm lazily. "Means we don't have to move."

"I think Danny might be a bit pissed if he doesn't see you on your birthday." Jess reminded him.

"Let's see … Danny Messer or my incredibly beautiful and sexy fiancée …" Don thought for a second. "You win."

Jess rolled her eyes. "Well, I promised Lindsay and Stella I'd get you to Sully's by six, alright?"

"Can we stay here until then?" Don asked.

Jess tilted her head back, kissing him softly. "If you want." She pulled away, shivering slightly as a cold March wind came through the open window.

Don glanced over his shoulder at it. "I'd close that, but I don't wanna move." He grinned. "I got a better idea."

"Shared body heat?" Jess guessed, pulling the covers up higher, so they were buried under several layers of blankets as well as each other. "Speaking of ideas, when'd you think we should get married?"

"Oh, we're planning now?" Don kissed her forehead. "You've been avoiding the issue for two months."

"Well, excuse me if I wanted to make sure I could make love to my husband on our wedding night." Jess responded with the same teasing tone he'd used. "Give me a ball-park figure."

"Whenever you want." Don told her. "I don't mind when, where or how. Just as long as you're Mrs. Flack by the end of it."

I swear I must have done something wonderful in a past life. Jess felt him take her hand and intertwined their fingers, squeezing softly. "Well, I was thinking next summer. That way, I've got time to get back to work and we've got a chance that the weather will be nice."

"Like I said, whatever you want." Don repeated. "I'm getting everything I want out of it. While we're on that subject though, what are you gonna say when people ask what you got me for my birthday?"

"I sorted that out on Wednesday." Jess smiled at him, moving his hand from her waist to her hip. "Added your badge number to mine."

"You …" Don disappeared back under the covers for a few seconds, before emerging with a grin. "That's almost sexier than the other one."

"Almost?" Jess raised an eyebrow. "This the possessive thing again?"

"Oh yeah." Don pulled her into his embrace again. "You're mine, Detective."

Jess met his kiss with a grin, shifting so she was straddling him, feeling him hard against her once more. "You know I am." She whispered, lowering herself with a groan. "I always have been."

AN: At some point, I will get a fic up about her getting over her gun problem and telling everyone about their engagement, but this wouldn't leave my head until I got it written, so I apologise that everything's out of order :) Review please!