Notes: I realize this is really out of season; it's an old story I found while cleaning out my bookshelf. I was pretty young when I wrote it but I think I managed to make it decent with a few corrections. Please review, I would love to know what you think! Also, if you like Sue Thomas, vote for it as your favourite crime show in the poll on my profile!
It was early on a December morning when Jack Hudson came into work to find all of his fellow agents already settled in to their desks and sipping on hot coffee. After receiving a few mindless "hey Jack's" he quietly sat down, started up his computer, and then poured his morning coffee. He was following his usual morning routine and checking his inbox for any interesting messages before actually getting started on the day's work. One particular message, which appeared to be addressed to everyone in the building, caught his attention. He opened the message and read over its curiously short contents.
"Hey, did you guys get the memo?" Jack asked, finally breaking the silence.
"The one about the Secret Santa game?" Tara confirmed, catching Bobby's attention at the sound of the word "secret".
"Secret Santa? I don't think I read that one." commented Bobby, starting to look through his messages. Nearly everyone in the area but Sue had now been distracted from their work. It was also now clear that everybody had been dying to talk about the memo, but nobody had wanted to be the one to bring it up.
"Yes, uh, 'in celebration of the Christmas season, the entire staff of the Federal Bureau of Investigation: Washington will be required to participate in a company-wide game of Secret Santa.' I believe those were the exact words from the memo." Myles mocked the memo in a very fake professional voice, catching a few more people's attention and successfully earning some laughs from his male teammates.
"I guess you guys don't like the idea?" Tara pointed her question at the laughing men. Sue looked up as she often did every several minutes, to make sure she wasn't missing out on anything.
"What? What are you guys talking about?" Sue asked looking around the room.
"Secret Santa" said Dimitrius who had now given up on trying to work amongst all the noise.
"Oh yeah, I think it's a great idea! It'll be so much fun!" Sue said enthusiastically, shutting up the guys who were previously laughing uncontrollably, "What? You guys don't?"
"Oh I'm all for it," said Lucy pointing with her pen over to the guys, "they think it's a little… ridiculous."
"What's wrong with it?" Sue asked, staring at them while waiting for an answer.
"Well… nothing really, it's just…"said Jack, searching for an appropriate word to describe the situation as he tried to force the smile off of his face.
"What he means to say is that it's the kind of thing you do in junior high." Dimitrius said.
"Oh come on," said Tara after a short pause, "where's your Christmas spirit?"
"I think I just lost mine," said Myles with a look of pain on his face as he watched Randy walk over to them, "Randy, what brings you to this level of this lovely building?" Myles greeted Randy, forcing a smile.
"Leeland," Randy began in a serious tone, "care to draw a name?" he asked holding out a festive basket full of little folded pieces of paper.
"My pleasure." said Myles sarcastically as the others gathered around to pick names. Everyone picked a paper and unfolded it. Randy left without another word.
"I don't even know who this is!" Bobby said, looking confused at his paper.
"I wish I didn't know who this was." said Myles, disappointedly sitting back down.
"Did you, by any chance, get…Randy?" Sue asked Myles, smiling. Myles just gave an angry sigh and tried to get back to work.
"Well, why don't you just tell us all who it is?" Lucy asked Bobby teasingly, "somebody here is bound to know him."
"Who ever said it was a him?" Bobby mysteriously asked while sitting back down at his desk along with everyone else. Lucy was silently trying to force the name of Sue's Secret Santa out of her from across the room but Sue wouldn't say a word.
That day was filled with a lot of office work and interviewing people who came in with "important news for the FBI". It was a very long and boring day and everyone was relieved when it was finally time to go home. Nobody had actually realized what time it was until Stanley came in and interrupted to take Tara out for supper, today being his last day in the state for a couple weeks.
"So, I hear you all are playing Secret Santa." Stanley said while waiting for Tara to pack up her stuff and put her coat on.
"Yeah," said Jack, "we just picked names today."
"Oh, so who does Tara have?" Stanley asked curiously.
"She wouldn't tell," said Lucy, "but you'd better watch out. There's some pretty good looking agents down here." Tara laughed at her comment as she walked out arm in arm with Stanley, leaving her friends to contemplate the many ways in which this game could play out.