Author's note: Surprise...it's me, 554Laura, writing another story for MPHS95 for Valentine's Day. Here's part of what she requested...

Post Aubrey break up with Karen, he and Jessica are friends again but still have strong feelings for the other. Each gets a secret admirer for Valentine's Day. Bad weather strands A/J somewhere on Valentine's Day. They talk about what went wrong and come to an understanding of their future.

We have to start with some angst, but I promise we'll have a happy ending. However, it's going to take us some time to get there.

Happy Valentine's Day, Michelle...I hope this is what you wanted...

It was a gray, drizzly day in late January as Special Agent James Aubrey sat in his office, reading through his latest case files. The agents in his unit had developed an excellent track record since he'd taken over the division after Special Agent in Charge Halko had retired. Pleased that everything looked to be in order, he tried to smile. Work was going very well.

Too bad the rest of his life sucked…

He watched as the raindrops rolled slowly down his office window, wondering how things had managed to go so thoroughly to hell in such a short period of time. He glanced at the date in the corner of his computer screen. He was about six weeks past his break up with Karen, but that wasn't really the problem. In fact, if the truth was to be told, he was actually relieved to be out of that relationship. A guy can only eat so many buckets of chicken before he decides he wants a steak…

He had to admit, though...it was sure nice of Karen to bring him that big bucket of chicken with all the fixings so he could indulge in some breakup binging after Jessica had dumped him. Karen had said she'd a lot of experience in dealing with breakups, and that binge eating had always helped her get over whatever guy had broken her heart. They'd talked, and they'd laughed, and they'd eaten all of the chicken, and he assumed that would be the end of it. He'd reluctantly move on from the failed relationship with Jessica, and things would eventually get back to the normal routine again.

No, the problem wasn't the absence of Karen. His real problem was the absence of Jessica in his life.

He missed his beautiful, quirky anthropologist. She was so smart...so funny...so breathtakingly sexy. She loved the same things he did, right down to Star Wars movies and his cat. She was everything he'd ever wanted in a woman...but, unfortunately, she didn't want to see him anymore, so he had given her what she said she wanted. He had let her go.

And it hurt like hell...

Oooooooooo

At first he hadn't noticed that Karen was showing up more frequently at his office after his breakup with Jessica. It all seemed to be business as usual, since they worked together on so many cases. Soon, however, it became apparent that she had more on her mind than psychological profiles when she stopped by. She dropped broad hints about the two of them getting together socially, and after ignoring her for several weeks, he decided to take her up on her suggestion that they go out to dinner together one evening. Why not? After all, it's not like I have to be faithful to anyone in particular…and, anyway, I'm hungry...

One dinner led to another, and over the next few weeks it seemed they were spending more and more time together. Then it happened that Aubrey had awakened on a Sunday morning to find her in bed next to him, her dark red hair splayed out in a wild mess on her pillow. Cringing slightly, he'd felt something akin to horror as he jumped out of bed. He liked Karen, but not in a permanent relationship way, and he wasn't anxious for all the fallout that would occur when she found out that after a night of getting drunk together, he had basically just needed to scratch an itch, and she just happened to be the lucky girl to do that for him.

He had been thoroughly disgusted with himself for taking advantage of Karen like that, but on the other hand, he also was afraid of what might happen if he ended his relationship with her. He didn't want to end up as a lonely old man with nobody to love him. He had considered both sides of the question carefully before coming to a decision. Maybe it was time to grow up...time to accept how things were going to be…maybe Karen was the one...maybe he needed to settle down, and she was definitely willing and definitely available...

But he knew in his heart he'd never be able to have any sort of meaningful, long term romantic relationship with the profiler. In his whole life there had only been one woman who he'd ever consider marrying, and she'd cut him loose without so much as a backwards glance...no explanation...nothing.

It wasn't like he hadn't tried. When Jessica came to the Hoover to tell him they were done, he was truly stunned. It was as if one day things were great, and then the next day things were shit. He'd wanted an explanation, and he wasn't going to let her leave until he got it…

...But then his phone rang. The Kovacs case was getting ready to literally blow up in their faces, and he didn't have time to talk to her. She'd told him to go, like she understood, but now he wasn't sure…maybe he should've stayed, but he had work responsibilities. She knew that, right?

After the dust had settled from the aftermath of the lab's destruction, he'd meant to call Jessica, but he wasn't sure what to say. He'd stare at her number on his phone, knowing he should call her so they could talk things through, but deep down he realized that he didn't want to know the truth about their breakup. How do you ask someone why they don't love you anymore? And what would he say if she told him the reasons? How could he bear to hear that? Maybe it would be better just to give up...

He'd seen her from time to time while they were working a case, but there was never any time for small talk...or in this case for the big talk. They were always professional...coldly professional. It was like there had never been anything between them. He had never loved someone the way he loved her, and now they were reduced to being nothing more than colleagues...colleagues who didn't even speak to each other. There was nothing left between them...nothing worth saving, anyway...

And nothing, it seemed, was exactly what he had going for himself right now. He sighed as he checked the time on his computer. It was time to go home to his quiet apartment so he could eat dinner and spend the evening thinking about what might have been.

Oooooooooo

He nodded as he sat on the couch and sipped his beer that night, remembering an evening at the restaurant as if it had been yesterday. There was a light rain falling, and Aubrey had helped Karen with her raincoat as they stepped inside the Founding Fathers. He quickly gave his name to the hostess, who went to find them a table. Shaking out her umbrella, Karen offered Aubrey a coy smile. "So, as I was saying...where should we go for Valentine's Day?"

"Hmm?" Preoccupied with thoughts of other nights spent at that same restaurant with a different redhead, Aubrey shrugged slightly in surprise. "What? Oh, Valentine's Day...I don't know. I guess I haven't given it much thought." He glanced at his phone to check his messages. "Anyway, that's a couple of months away, isn't it?"

"Yes, but I was thinking that perhaps we could go on a trip somewhere for a long weekend...somewhere romantic. I think I'd like to go somewhere warm, like maybe the Virgin Islands, or the Bahamas, and we'd need to ask for time off if we were going to travel that far. I'd love to go somewhere tropical for a few days...with a nice beach..."

"Yeah, I guess." Her boyfriend had stopped paying attention to her chattering when he caught sight of someone with a familiar shade of red hair sitting in a booth. Hearing the laughter coming from that general direction, it suddenly hit him. Jessica must have a dinner date. Feeling a wave of anguish well up inside of him, Aubrey needed to get away from there as fast as he could. He didn't want to see her with anyone else. "You know what? This place is really busy, and it's gonna take forever before we can get a table. Why don't we go somewhere else?"

Before Karen could agree to the change of plans, the hostess returned to the waiting area. "Aubrey? Table for two…"

"Oh, that's us. Come on, James…" Karen walked briskly behind the hostess before turning to glare at him. "Well? Are you coming?"

"Okay, okay." He trudged behind Karen as they moved toward their booth. It wasn't until they finally sat down and got situated that he realized who was sitting across the aisle from them. "Great...Jessica…just what I don't need...", he said to himself softly.

Hearing her name, Jessica Warren looked up to see her former lover sitting with her former friend. A slight glimmer of pain and regret flickered across her face as she acknowledged him with a nod before turning back to her companion.

"Who is that?!" Glancing toward the people sitting across from them, Aubrey leaned across the table toward Karen. "Over there...with Jessica…the big guy..."

Karen's brow furrowed in irritation as she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, unhappy that, for some reason, Aubrey was still interested in what Jessica was up to instead of focusing on her plans for a romantic Valentine's Day getaway. "I think I heard someone at the lab say that she has a new boyfriend. His name is Scott something...Mason or Morgan...something like that. He went to Maryland on a lacrosse scholarship, graduated in the top five percent of his class, has his master's degree in anthropology from American, and is working on his doctorate in Egyptian studies. He's doing his archaeology internship at the Jeffersonian."

Of course Karen would know all about that...she's still jealous of Jessica. Aubrey chuckled softly until he realized he had little room to talk when it came to jealousy. After all, he was fighting the urge to walk over and wipe the smile off the face of Jessica's date. He fidgeted with his fork, trying to act cool. "Yeah, sounds like her type. She likes smart guys…"

Karen giggled as she sipped her drink. "I do, too. That's why I like you. So, let's plan our Valentine's Day trip…"

"I don't know if that's a good idea, Karen…taking a trip together can be expensive...", Aubrey began before being interrupted by a voice he knew so well.

"Hi, Aubrey. Hi, Karen." Jessica and Scott were standing next to the table, stopping to chat before they left. "How are you two doing?", she asked quietly as she turned her gaze to her former boyfriend. "It seems like forever since I've seen you…"

"Oh, we're wonderful, aren't we, James? We're planning a Valentine's Day cruise to the Virgin Islands…", Karen bubbled. "How are you?"

"Fine." She turned to the man standing next to her. "This is Scott Milton…he's an Egyptologist studying at the Jeffersonian."

Aubrey eyed the tall, well built man suspiciously. "Hi." Trying to be polite, he offered to shake hands. "Nice to meet you."

"Hi." Ignoring the outstretched hand, Scott took Jessica's hand in his and gave her a flirty wink before turning to Aubrey with a nasty smirk. "Me and Jess are going to New York City for Valentine's Day…"

Jessica turned to her companion in surprise. "We are?"

"Sure, Baby. We're gonna go see a musical. Billy Elliot. It's about a kid who wants to dance."

"A musical?" Aubrey couldn't help but snicker. "Gee, that sounds like fun…I know how much you like that sort of thing, Jessica..."

"Almost as much fun as being on a cruise ship when you're prone to motion sickness, Aubrey." Jessica giggled at Aubrey's irritation and discomfort as he squirmed in his chair. "Well, it's good to see you two. We've got to go...we're going to see Gilda at the Orpheon…Scott just loves the classics, right, Scott?"

"Whatever you say, Baby." Scott put his arm around Jessica and smiled. "She's so much fun to hang out with...nice to meet you both."

BABY! She lets him call her 'baby'! Aubrey almost choked on his soda. "Yeah...you, too."

"Have fun…" Karen waved before turning her back on the pair. "...watching some crazy old movie…"

Aubrey watched as they walked away, unable to avert his eyes. Like watching a car wreck...the wreck of my life…

And then he saw it. Jessica turned back to look at him, and smiled that soft, sweet smile...the one she'd normally saved for him...the one that always turned him inside out...the one that usually turned his knees to jelly. Feeling his heart pound wildly, he smiled back, which she acknowledged with a slight nod before leaving the restaurant.

Could it be? Does she still love me?...no...it couldn't be…could it?

As he pondered the possibilities, he didn't hear a word Karen said for the rest of the evening.

Oooooooooo

He'd broken up with Karen shortly after that evening. There would be no Valentine's Day vacation with the profiler, much to her dismay. She had been livid when he ended things with her, and if he was honest with himself, he knew she had every right to be angry and hurt. He had led Karen on, making her think he really cared for her, when in reality, he hadn't completely gotten over Jessica, and he wasn't sure that he ever would.

He'd tried to explain the situation to Karen, but she wasn't buying the idea that he was still hung up on his old girlfriend. "I can't believe you'd want to waste your life on her, James. She doesn't love you now, and .I'm sure she never really did. I'm not sure she knows what it means to be in a mature, loving relationship. If I remember correctly, she didn't even tell you why she was breaking up with you, and now, for some reason, you want her back. Well, go ahead...spend your precious time chasing after her. When you're finally tired of trying to pin her down, call me, and maybe we'll talk." She slammed the door behind her as she left.

He wasn't proud of hurting her, but he also knew it wasn't fair to himself or to Karen for him to continue their relationship merely because he was afraid...afraid to be alone...afraid of what Karen would say and do when he broke up with her...afraid of the rejection he might face when he tried to get Jessica to take him back.

There was no use pretending that he and Karen could be happy together. It just wasn't meant to be...at least not until he was sure of where he stood with Jessica.

Slumping back on the couch, he shook his head as he reached out to scratch his cat's ears. "You're lucky, you know that, Skinner? You don't have to worry about anything. You get fed and you have a place to sleep, and that's all you need, right?"

The cat jumped down from sofa, swishing his tail as he walked away toward the kitchen.

"Yeah, see? Even my cat knows I'm a rotten bastard." Sighing heavily, Aubrey pushed himself up off the couch and took his beer bottle into the kitchen before turning in for the night.

As he lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, a plan began to form in his mind. It was two weeks until Valentine's Day, and in that two weeks, he was going to try to find out what went wrong between himself and Jessica, and then, if at all possible, he was going to fix it. He might not be successful, but at least he'd know for sure whether or not it was time to move on to a life without Jessica.

Two weeks...starting tomorrow.