Title: Best Laid Plans (Thank you to libmix and sportysmurf for helping me brainstorm for a title. This Smurf sucks at naming things.)
Fandom: Women's Murder Club
Pairing: Lindsay/Cindy
Rating: G
Word Count: 3,265
Spoilers/Warnings: Massive fluff overload
Disclaimer: I don't own them…etc, etc, etc
Summary: The result of a prompt from Miss Widget. (WMC; Lindsay/Cindy; Squeaky Toy)
Author's Notes:*points at self* This Smurf is a beta. NOT a writer. We all know this. That being said, I somehow ended up with two drabble prompts from my girlfriend, Miss Widget, to choose from. I vaguely remember asking her for them, but I'm almost positive she used some sort of trickery on my brain in the first place. It's the only reason I can think of that would result in me asking for a writing prompt. *lol* But, as you can see, the so-called "drabble" turned into a full blown ficlet. *sheepish* So, anyway… Here you go. This is my first attempt ever at writing REAL characters and not just some that I dreamed up on my own. *hides*
Also, this is unbeta'ed, given that it was written as a surprise for mine. Bear with me. If you point out any mistakes, I'll gladly fix them.
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Cindy could smell it on Lindsay as soon as the taller woman walked into the entryway. That was no ordinary coffee scent wafting off of the brunette. There was no way it was from bitter, stale, "yesterday's leftover coffee served again today" java-stand-on-the-street-corner coffee. The fragrance now emanating from her Inspector seemed to match her very appearance. Dark and rich, with hints of chocolate, caramel, and cinnamon, the aroma mixed with the lush scent of her worn leather jacket and drifted toward the reporter, leaving her in a trance-like state where she leaned against the kitchen doorframe.
That smell meant one thing. Double rum chocolate éclairs from Choco-Latte's. Lindsay must have had some business on the finer side of town, and Cindy's mouth was watering – for once, not at the fine specimen of woman that had just walked through their front door – but at the classy treat she was certain would be awaiting her.
With anticipation written all over her face, Cindy waited for the Inspector to lock the door and deposit her keys and badge on the table just inside the door before turning to greet the redhead. Watching as Lindsay removed her gun and walked toward the lock box she kept it in while at home, the reporter went from ready to squeal with excitement to crestfallen in the time it took for the brunette to take two long strides.
Looking up in just enough time to see disappointment creep over the face of her lover, Lindsay hurriedly secured her firearm and closed the distance between them in a matter of seconds, her hands moving to cup Cindy's face, concern heavy in her eyes.
"Cindy, honey… What's wrong?" Lindsay's normally gruff voice was a bit more gravelly, her throat obviously constricting with worry.
Cindy's lower lip trembled as the moisture collected in her eyes. "But… But… Where's the white paper sack?"
The Inspector froze for a moment, trying to process the seemingly random inquiry. "White paper sack? Wha…" She trailed off as realization set in.
The reporter leaned forward and buried her face in Lindsay's chest, sniffing at her jacket and breathing in the delicious flavors.
Looking up at the brunette again, her brow furrowed as she spoke. "You were at Choco-Latte's!" she squeaked accusatorily. "Where's the white paper sack?!"
Fighting the chuckle that was building in response to the shorter woman's antics, Lindsay kissed the top of her head.
"Honey, I was there on business, not pleasure today. Jacobi and I were meeting a source that was supposed to have information on the big-time broker that gleaned millions from his upscale clients and ended up in a dumpster in the slums. She got spooked and we had to get out of there pretty quickly."
Cindy looked up at her with the most pathetic looking expression Lindsay had ever seen. Her lower lip jutted out in an overly exaggerated manner, like a child being told "no" for the first time, and she even had the wide, puppy dog eyes to boot.
Lindsay looked at her in all seriousness for the briefest of moments, blinking a few times before finally bursting out in a fit of giggles that earned her a playful slap on the shoulder.
"I can't believe you went to Choco-Latte's and didn't bring me anything. Some girlfriend you are." Cindy continued to whine and mumble as she sulked over to the couch and plopped down dejectedly.
The Inspector's giggles finally gave way to a bout of full out laughter as she stood in the entryway with her head thrown back, fully engulfed in the hilarity of the situation. With Cindy around, who needed the comedy channel?
***
Later that evening, after she had checked to make sure that the redhead was completely engrossed in her shower, Lindsay snuck back out to her Jeep to retrieve the paper sack filled with sugary goodness. With a smug look plastered across her chiseled features, she crept back into the house and hid the sack in a seldom used cabinet in the kitchen before settling back in at her desk in the den with her case files spread out around her.
***
Cindy wasn't the best crime reporter in the city for no good reason. She was aware of her girlfriend checking in on her, but decided to appear oblivious. Waiting a few minutes, she poked her head out of the bathroom and then peeked out around the bedroom doorframe. Determining that Lindsay was nowhere in sight, the towel-clad reporter padded over to the window. Seeing the familiar backside of the figure rooting around in the Jeep, she nearly squealed out loud when she caught a glimpse of white in the glow cast by the nearby streetlight. Harboring her own smugness, she hurried back into the bathroom so as not to alert Lindsay of her investigations.
***
Spending the rest of the evening in a state of mock disappointment, Cindy milked the situation knowing that Lindsay would be forced to play along if she didn't want to give herself away. Earning an offer for delivery from her favorite Chinese restaurant, free reign of the television, and a myriad of apologies thus far, the redhead decided not to push her luck too far, and rewarded her Inspector with a backrub to help her relax and work out the tenseness in her shoulders this current case was affording.
Eventually, bedtime approached and, snuggling in close, Lindsay drifted off almost immediately, the hectic events of the day finally catching up to her. Waiting until she could predict with practiced accuracy the rise and fall of the brunette's chest, Cindy smiled to herself as she slipped silently from the bed and wrapped her nearby robe around her petite body.
Tiptoeing across the floor, the reporter stealthily made her way out of the bedroom and down the hallway toward the kitchen, one glorious thought consuming her mind. They were her kryptonite. Just one. She had to sneak just one.
All was going according to plan until suddenly…
*SQUEAK*
Cindy froze. Cringing as the harsh sound shattered the silence like a banshee's wail, she looked down. Under her bare foot was a giant rubber newspaper. "You've got to be kidding me…" She groaned under her breath.
The click-clack of Martha's nails on the hardwood floor suddenly sounding like gunshots in the still of the night earned an eye-roll from the mortified woman. The collie pranced around her surrogate owner, clearly excited at the prospect of playtime.
Flailing about while trying not to lose her balance, Cindy finally shooed Martha into the nearby spare room, which thankfully had carpeted floors. Tossing the toy inside and closing the door as quietly as she could, she leaned back against the wall, resisting the urge to bang her head in frustration. Silently thinking the words pancake, pancake, pancake over and over in her head, she remained as still as she possibly could for an endless moment, arms out and hands splayed against the flat surface while she remained pressed against the wall as if it would help her blend in. Finally satisfied that Lindsay was still asleep, Cindy released her breath and crept the rest of the way to the kitchen.
Having learned a long time ago where her lover stashed gifts and goodies that were supposed to be a secret, the reporter headed straight for the small cabinet situated awkwardly in the corner beside the refrigerator. It was in a rather hard to reach location, and Cindy could certainly understand why nothing of importance had ever been kept in it. It did make her snicker a bit, though, every time she thought about Lindsay hiding things in it. Did the Inspector really think that redhead's undying curiosity wouldn't have led her to explore it properly?
Shaking her head a bit at the musing, she ever so slowly swung the door open, mindful of the creaking sound the unused hinges made if opened too quickly, and found the holy grail she quested after. Her mouth already watering at the explosion of flavor she was about to partake in, Cindy's eyes closed as she opened the bag and inhaled the rich scent of rum, sugar, and chocolate.
Peeking inside, she was delighted to find a whole cluster of the delectable pastries, confident that Lindsay would never miss just one. Removing one from the top, careful not to disturb the rest or leave any evidence that the sack had been burgled, she quickly returned it to its hiding place and crawled onto the stool closest to the nightlight by the stove to indulge in her sinful pleasure.
As she sat savoring the confectionary paradise, the reporter in her began to ponder and ask questions. Why had Lindsay hid the éclairs in the first place? Why did she leave them in the Jeep so that I wouldn't see them? She knows they are my all-time favorite. Surely she wouldn't really keep them all to herself. That certainly isn't the Lindsay I know.
Brow furrowed, Cindy was so lost in her internal interrogation that she never even noticed the silhouetted figure leaning against the doorframe with arms crossed and eyebrow quirked.
Waiting with the patience of Mother Teresa, Lindsay watched as her childlike girlfriend nibbled on the proverbial forbidden fruit. Eventually catching sight of her observer, the pastry fell from her hand onto the counter and, for the second time that night, a piercing squeak resonated throughout the Boxer/Thomas residence.
Scrambling to recover from being both startled and busted, Cindy looked bashfully at her stoic girlfriend, made her neck disappear by shrugging her shoulders up to her jaw line, scrunched up her nose in a guilty grin, and raised her hand in a sheepish wave.
"Uh…hi?"
The brunette didn't move an inch, continuing to look on in silence.
"Um…what are you doing up so late? You'll be exhausted tomorrow…"
Still nothing.
Quickly deciding to try another tactic, Cindy attempted a diversion.
"And just what do you think you're doing lying to me about having a whole bag of these, anyway? Lindsay, you know they're my favorite. How could you?" The redhead arose from her stool indignantly, unable to hide the fact that she was feeling a bit stung. Somehow, actually voicing her questions aloud seemed to make it hit home just how badly the situation actually hurt.
A faint twinge of guilt rippled through Lindsay, finally spurring her into a response. Pushing off of the doorframe, she strode over to her lover and placed a hand over the one she had clinched around the edge of the counter.
"Those were supposed to be a surprise," she drawled out slowly, tapping a finger on Cindy's scrunched up nose.
About to let loose with a protest in full martyr fashion, the redhead was brought up short by the simple statement.
"…A surprise?" Cindy was clearly caught off guard by this.
The Inspector nodded. "Mmhmm. You would have awakened to breakfast in bed, if you could have managed to stay there." She emphasized the last part with a quirk of the eyebrow.
"Oh. Ummmm… So… You weren't hiding them to keep them all for yourself?" The tone and pitch of Cindy's voice continued to rise, and she shifted her weight back and forth from foot to foot as she realized how far-fetched her accusations were beginning to sound.
Lindsay's only response to that was her patented laser vision, only this time it was muted considerably by the amusement that danced in her eyes.
"Heh… Yeah. Okay. Stupid question, huh?" The reporter sheepishly sunk back onto her stool, scrunching her shoulders a bit more while peeking up at the taller woman from underneath her bed-mussed hair.
Rolling her eyes with a chuckle, the brunette's façade finally cracked and she leaned forward to kiss the cuteness manifested in human form that she called her girlfriend on the forehead.
A sigh of relief huffed out of Cindy, and she wrapped her arms around the pajama pant clad waist of her Inspector. Lindsay draped her arms loosely over the redhead's shoulders, and the seated woman rested her head against her lover's chest, the fabric of her tank top soft against her cheek.
Feeling like she had once again found her footing, she gave Lindsay's waist a gentle squeeze as she asked, "So, if you had to get out of there so quickly, how did you manage to get the éclairs?"
Lindsay stiffened in her arms, the rise and fall of her chest under Cindy's head halting when she sucked in a short gasp and held it.
"Um… Well…" Lindsay faltered. Twisting up her face as she spoke, she admitted, "I wasn't actually there for a case."
Pulling her head back to look at the woman currently towering over her, Cindy noted the guilty look on her face and proceeded. "What do you mean you weren't there for a case?" She dropped her arms to place her hands on her own hips. "You lied to me about that, too?"
Lindsay winced. She hated the way that sounded, even though if she was completely honest with herself, it was the truth. She preferred to think of it as bending the truth a little to better serve her attempt at planning a surprise. Just a harmless means to a romantic end, right?
"I, uh…" The Inspector cleared her throat and ran her long fingers through her dark hair. She didn't like that the tables had turned and she was not used to being the one in the hot seat. "I wasn't there for a case. I went there in between tracking down leads this afternoon," she continued. "You weren't even supposed to know," she muttered, almost as an afterthought.
"Not supposed to know?" Cindy groused. "You thought I wouldn't notice that heavenly fragrance the minute you walked in?" She playfully poked the woman standing in front of her in the stomach.
"Well, I always knew you had a bloodhound's nose in the figurative sense; you can sniff out a story from a mile away. But how was I supposed to know your family tree actually harbored canine lineage?!" The genuine frustration in Lindsay's voice only added to the humor of her question.
Knowing she had the upper hand for once, Cindy was relentless. "Did you just call me a dog?" She drummed her fingers on the counter in an impatient manner while she gave the flustered brunette her own version of laser vision.
"What? No! I was just… I mean…" Lindsay flailed her hands about in the air as she tried to backpedal from what she'd said. "I just wanted to surprise my girlfriend for our anniversary tomorrow, and I couldn't even make it past the entrance hall without being busted," she blurted out suddenly, a blush rapidly flooding her cheeks when she realized what she'd just said.
Cindy's fingers froze mid-cycle. Her slackened jaw hung open, and for the longest minute of her entire life, she had nothing to say.
"Anniversary…? What anniversary?" She finally managed to voice the question that was echoing in her mind. Their one year anniversary was still several months away. The anniversary of their first kiss was getting close, but she knew it was still not until next month, and was relatively certain that Lindsay wouldn't even remember that, as busy as she always was. What had her eidetic memory forgotten?
Lindsay's characteristic confidence melted away in chunks, leaving behind one very exposed girlfriend, suddenly extremely self-aware and very unsure of how to proceed. Dropping her gaze to where her nervous fingers were fidgeting with the hem of her tank top, the brunette's chin was nearly resting on her chest when she finally spoke.
"It's the anniversary of the first time I admitted to myself that I loved you," she mumbled so softly it was barely audible, despite the stillness of the house.
The reporter's heart melted in her chest. Her puppy dog eyes and pouting lips had nothing on a vulnerable Lindsay. Bearing witness to the rare moments like this, when a glimpse of the softer side of her Inspector shined through the cracks of her gruff outer exterior, is what she lived for.
Slowly rising from her stool, Cindy shuffled over to the taller woman and reached up to place a finger under her chin. Raising it slightly until dark brown eyes met her own, Cindy whispered quietly.
"I love you, too, Lindsay."
Leaning in, she pressed a soft kiss to the brunette's lips. Drawing back slightly, she continued.
"I'm sorry that I ruined your surprise." She leaned in and kissed her again. "Would you let me make it up to you?"
Opening her eyes, Lindsay peered at the redhead with curiosity.
Caution was evident in the brunette's voice when she asked, "What did you have in mind?"
"Weeeellll…" Cindy began, stepping close enough to Lindsay for her to feel the heat of her body. "It's after midnight," she said, jerking her head toward the glowing green numbers on the back of the stove.
The Inspector swallowed hard at the sudden close proximity of her lover. "Yeah…?" she managed to husk out.
"I thought maybe we could start celebrating our anniversary a bit early instead of waiting for breakfast…" She let her voice trail off seductively, allowing her breath to wash over Lindsay's neck.
The brunette gulped audibly at the implications of Cindy's words, but her throat was suddenly dry, and no words came out.
"I'm sure we could think of soooomething," the redhead drawled out, mimicking the way Lindsay sounded when her emotions got a hold of her.
Cindy reached up as if to cup her Inspector's face, and the taller woman closed her eyes with anticipation. That was her first mistake. The reporter smeared chocolate icing from the éclair she had previously dropped on the counter across Lindsay's face and giggled like a child when her eyes snapped open in surprise.
Pausing only for a moment, Cindy juked past the stunned brunette, scurrying out of the kitchen and down the hall.
Blinking a few times, Lindsay finally recovered from her shock. Grabbing the sack containing the rest of the pastries out of the cabinet, she took off after the squealing bundle of energy that was darting into the bedroom, muttering under her breath as she went.
"You are SO gonna get it now…"
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A/N: R&R is greatly appreciated. I hope everyone enjoyed. Thank you for reading.