Enjoy! :)
Heaving a deep sigh, Morgan closed the door of her apartment behind her. Finally! What a night it had been… She shook her head. Forget about it now, Morgan, she told herself. You're at home, you're going to get some sleep and when you wake up, you're not going to be thinking about this case anymore! With another deep sigh she threw her car keys on the table, checking to see if she had any messages on her machine at the same time. Everyone she knew usually called her on her cell phone, except one person: her mother. So when she saw the light blinking on the machine, she immediately knew who had called her. Playing the message confirmed it: "Hey Morgan, sweetie, it's me! Well, I guess you're still at work since you're not answering your phone, so I'll try again later! Love you, honey!"
She didn't have to guess why her mother had called her today, February 12. She of course wanted to talk about Valentine's Day… Morgan absolutely hated Valentine's Day. No, that wasn't really true, she realized. She hated that she had never had a real Valentine's Day. Somehow she had always ended up either working February 14 or at home, all alone without anything to do. Her mother knew that and yet she tried to talk her daughter into liking the day every year again. To get it out of the way, Morgan immediately called her back.
"Oh, hey, sweetie, I thought I was gonna call you back?" her mother said after Morgan had greeted her.
"Well, I heard your message, so I thought I'd call back right away. Everything okay over there?"
"Yeah, fantastic!" her mother said. "Your stepfather just told me what we're going to do on Valentine's Day and I can't wait! He always has such romantic plans!"
Morgan tried to think of a nice thing to say, but she failed as she couldn't hide her jealous feelings. Why couldn't she have someone to spend a romantic Valentine's Day with? Her mother of course noticed it.
"Oh, honey!" she said with a sympathetic sigh. "Still no date?"
"No, and I doubt there's going to be one!"
"You don't know that, sweetie, someone can still ask you out, he still has another day to ask you…"
"Forget it, Mom, I'm never going to get a date!" Morgan told her mother, sounding a little annoyed. "Valentine's day is never going to be my day! I've never gotten a Valentine's card from a guy I actually liked, I've never gotten any red roses or another Valentine's present, like a heart-shaped box filled with chocolate or one of those little teddy bears with a heart in its paws that says 'I love you'… Maybe it sounds stupid, but for once I'd like to feel special on Valentine's Day!"
"It doesn't sound stupid, honey, I understand," her mother reassured her. "And you never know: this year might be different!"
A little over twelve hours later Morgan arrived at CSI again. She walked into the locker room, greeted Nick and opened her locker. To her surprise, a red rose with a card attached to it fell out.
"An admirer?" Nick asked, picking up the card for her.
"I doubt that," Morgan told him, holding out her hand to take the card and rose from him. He didn't give it to her, though, but looked at the card. "Well, I don't know, but this sure looks like you've got an admirer! Here, it says: 'Will you be my Valentine?' See for yourself if you don't believe me!"
A little annoyed, Morgan took the card from him. To her surprise she saw he was right. It was a Valentine's card and it did say Will you be my Valentine? She didn't recognize the handwriting, but the writer could have changed it of course.
"It's probably someone playing a trick or so," she said, putting the rose back in her locker. Who would send her a Valentine's card?
"Well, if you want to know for sure, you can test the card for prints…" Nick suggested. "I mean, we are CSI's, aren't we?"
Morgan thought for a second. Nick's suggestion made sense, but if the card was from the person she was hoping it'd be from, he'd be smart enough not to leave any prints. After another moment of hesitation she still went to the Fingerprint lab and checked the card. The only fingerprints she found on the card were her own and those of Nick, who had of course picked up the card. With a sigh, she walked back to the locker room to put the card away. When she opened her locker, she saw a little teddy bear sitting on the top shelf. It had a little heart in its paws with the words I love you on it. Surprised, she picked up the teddy. She looked around the locker room and saw Henry standing at his locker.
"Henry, did you see anyone near my locker?" she asked him, the teddy bear still in her hands.
"Yeah, you," he told her with a smile. "What is that you're holding?"
"It's a Valentine's teddy," she said, looking from the teddy bear to him and back. "You didn't see anyone putting it my locker?"
Henry shook his head. "No, but I only just got here. And before you ask: I didn't see anyone leave the locker room. But hey, if you want to find out who it's from, I can check to see if anyone left any DNA on it…"
"No, thanks," she decided almost immediately. She looked at the teddy bear. It nearly seemed to be smiling at her. She smiled herself. It was really cute, too cute to check for DNA. Besides, she already had a feeling she wouldn't find any except maybe her own and Henry's, if he took the bear from her.
"It's okay, Henry, I don't need to know who it's from," she told him, still smiling at the teddy. "I think I'll put it on my desk, he's really too cute to keep him in my locker!"
With the teddy bear in her hands she walked over to her office. Sara, who was at her own desk, looked up when she walked in. She smiled when she saw the teddy bear. "Ah, you got a Valentine's day gift? Who's it from?"
"No idea, but I don't care: I think Teddy is cute!" Morgan told her with a smile. She put the bear on her desk and looked at it for a few moments. Yeah, it was really cute… and sweet, she decided with a nod. She turned around and looked at Sara. "I have to get to the garage to process a car… Will you watch Teddy and make sure no one takes him?"
"I'll guard him with my life!" Sara promised her with a grin. Grinning as well, Morgan walked over to the garage to start processing her suspect's car. While she was processing the car, she kept thinking about who could have put the rose and the teddy in her locker. It had to be from a colleague, she was sure of that. But which one? Not Russell of course and as far as she knew, Nick was still happy with his girlfriend. Hodges was engaged, so she doubted he would suddenly get her Valentine's Day gifts. Henry maybe? He had never really showed interest in her like that, so why would he hide a rose and a teddy in her locker? That left Greg as only suspect on her list. She smiled as she thought about him. If only those gifts were from him… Then she sighed. He had always seemed so shy when it came to his feelings about her, so she doubted he'd do something like this. Of course it couldn't hurt to check, she decided. She threw her gloves in the nearest trash can, dropped the evidence she had found off and went to look for Greg. When she couldn't find him, she went back to her office. Her teddy bear was still sitting on her desk… next to a heart-shaped box. Almost with her mouth wide open she stared at the box.
"Don't worry, he's still there!" she heard Sara's voice behind her. She turned around and looked at the brunette. Sara smiled at her. "I only left him for a moment to go toilet. Hey, what's that on your desk?"
"It's a box of chocolates," Morgan told her after she had opened the box. "And I have a feeling it wasn't here yet when you left to go to the toilet and you haven't seen who put it here."
"Sorry…" Sara said with an apologetic smile. She pointed to the lab across the hall. "Maybe Hodges saw who put it there!"
Hodges… Quickly Morgan grabbed the box of chocolates and rushed over to the Trace lab.
"Oh, hey, Mor…" Hodges started, but she shook her head to interrupt him. "Just be honest with me, Hodges: did you put this box on my desk?"
Hodges looked at the box and then up at her. "Why would I put a box of chocolates on your desk?"
Frustrated, Morgan sighed. "I don't know, I just had to ask… Did you see anyone go into my office by any chance then?"
"I'm working with evidence here, I don't really have the time to watch your office 24/7," he told her while he took a paper from the printer. "I do have your results here, if that makes you a little happier… The yellow stuff you found…"
"Thanks, Hodges, I'll read it myself." She snatched the paper from his hands and walked back to her office. With a sigh, she sat down and stared at the cute teddy bear.
"Hey, Sara, do you know where Greg is?" she then asked.
"Yeah, he and Finn went to a crime scene," Sara remembered. "I saw him arrive and that Russell immediately sent him to go and help Finn. I don't think he's back yet. Why? Do you think he gave you all those things?"
"If he's not here, he couldn't have hidden anything in my locker," Morgan reminded her. Suddenly she remembered the conversation with her mother. She groaned. "Oh, no, I already know who this is all from: my mother! I sorta complained on the phone yesterday and now she must have sent me all of this to make me feel better. Some delivery guy must have put it here."
"And in your locker?" Sara mentioned. Morgan frowned. Sara had a good point there, a delivery guy couldn't have hidden anything in her locker… She shook her head. "I need a break. Can I get you anything?"
"No, thanks," Sara smiled. With another deep sigh Morgan left her office. Who could have put that rose and teddy bear in her locker and that box of chocolates on her desk? She was so deep in thought, she nearly bumped into Greg.
"Careful, I just got back from a crime scene!" he warned her. She looked at him with her eyebrows raised. "I can see that… Where was this crime scene? In a pig stable?"
"Just… don't ask!" he advised her. "I'm on my way to take a shower, don't worry!"
"I can handle it," she smiled at him. "But… you only just got back from your crime scene?"
"Yeah, I think about two minutes ago or so…"
"And you haven't been here all night?"
"Nope, Russell sent me away as soon as I got here," Greg told her. "He almost pulled me out of my car!"
He probably noticed her disappointment cause he asked her: "Why? Did I do something wrong?"
Morgan shook her head. "Never mind, it's not important. Can I get you a cup of coffee before you hit the showers?"
She walked into the break room without waiting for his answer. Greg followed her. "Are you okay?"
No, she wanted to tell him, but she just smiled and said: "I'm fine!"
She opened one of the cupboards to get a tea glass and quickly stepped back to avoid being hit by a bag of candy hearts. There was a little card attached to it with Morgan, will you be my Valentine? written on it in the same handwriting as on the card that had been attached to the red rose. She turned around and looked at Greg. "Are you sure you haven't been here all night?"
"Yes, I'm sure, ask Finn if you don't believe me!" Greg told her with his hands up high. "What's this all about anyway?"
Morgan sighed. "Nothing, forget I asked. Want a candy heart?"
"Sure," he said with a small smile. "You sure you okay?"
"I will be," she reassured him with a small sigh. "Here, one for now and one for after your shower. Enjoy!"
She handed him two of the little candy hearts, both with the words I love you printed on them. If only we could say that out loud to each other, she thought while she left him in the break room. I love you, Greg! If only all those gifts could have been from you…
The rest of her shift she didn't find any presents anymore. When she opened her locker at the end of the day, however, she found another Valentine's card.
Dear Morgan, it read. By now I know you must be wondering who I am. If you want to find out, meet me tomorrow night at seven for dinner at the restaurant of the Tangiers hotel. Tell the waiter at the entrance your name and he or she will take you to my table. I hope you'll then want to be my Valentine. With love.
Of course the card hadn't been signed. She looked at the card for nearly a full minute. Come on, Brody, she then said to herself. What are you gonna do? You wanted a date for Valentine's Day and now you've got one, so why all this hesitation? She sighed. She knew why she was hesitating: because she was almost certain it wouldn't be a date with Greg. There's only one way to find out for sure, she then thought. With hesitating another second she put the card in her bag and went home to find something she could wear tomorrow night.
After a night with only a few hours of sleep and a day full of nerves, Morgan left at six thirty to go to the Tangiers hotel. As the card has instructed her, she told the waiter at the entrance her name.
"I was told you'd know which table to bring me to," she said, sounding a little nervous. The waiter smiled at her. "That's correct, Miss! Follow me, please!"
He went ahead to a table in the far corner of the restaurant. "Here it is, Miss. I'll come back in a few moments to take your drinks order."
He stepped aside so Morgan could finally see who wanted her to be his Valentine.
