A/N: I still have that new writer smell, because though I've written other genres, Fanfic is uncharted territory for me. I took the ideas for this from a prompt table I found somewhere on LJ. As usual, I have no ownership over anything in this story, seeing as its fanfic. Critiques and compliments win you cool points. xM.

Dedication: To my Good Little Jewish Wife, if you hadn't shared your fic, I doubt I would have been swayed to even start writing my own. Dryer sheet yarmulkes for everyone!

Prompt: Death

A Deer in the Headlights

Ryan didn't know what he was doing here, standing on her doorstep, flowers in hand. He'd heard through the lab grapevine that Valera's grandma died recently and that's why she hadn't been at work. So now, Ryan Wolfe was standing on Valera's front porch, about to make an ass of himself if what he heard from Cooper was wrong.

Suddenly, the door opened. How did she know he was here? Had he knocked? Why can't he remember if he knocked or not? What the hell was he going to tell her? Ryan Wolfe was definitely panicking.

"Ryan…what are you doing here?" Valera asked, surprise coloring her voice.

"Uh." That was the best he could muster while searching her squinting face for some sort of giveaway. Her hair was a different color already, the color of warm syrup. Had she cut it too? He couldn't remember, but he liked the way it hit her chin just so, making her lips seem more bowed, more pink, more beautiful. Ryan stopped himself before his thoughts went any farther. Did he just call Valera 'beautiful'? She was his coworker and he didn't feel that way about her. It was just…wrong. He was supposed to be offering his condolences anyway, not checking her out, (which he wasn't)

"Ryan, can you stop being weird. You're starting to creep me out," She was annoyed with him already.

"Oh! Sorry." His eyes snapped up to hers and he found himself fumbling yet again, taking note how when her eyebrow arched like that, it made her doe eyes more expressive. God, that was adorable. She was adorable even when she was irritated or annoyed. Suddenly he was overcome with the urge to kiss his coworker. In theory, it would be easy. All he'd have to do is lean forward a little, capture her lips with his and pray to God she didn't slap him. But of course, she would slap him and then Delko would have to get all the evidence she processed because if he were to see her at work, she'd never let him live it down and his failed attempt would become the story she told everyone when she was drunk.

WAIT, WAIT, WAIT! Why was he thinking this? This was Maxine Valera, who hated his guts, who yelled at him when he pestered her for results, who dated 'bad boys' and supposedly had a porn collection that put Ron Jeremy to shame and drank margaritas for breakfast. Granted, he didn't know if the last part was true or not, but for his sake, he'd like to believe it is.

But, this was also the same lab tech that alphabetized the lab files she had for him, in the rare moments he wasn't waiting in her lab. She knew he liked things alphabetized, in ascending order. She could always make him smile with her lame little jokes and loud, unabashed laugh. Maybe he liked her a little. Liking a coworker just a little was okay, there was nothing wrong with that. Eric practically followed Calleigh around the lab like a puppy dog, so even if Ryan liked Valera it wouldn't be a big deal. She was an attractive woman he just happened to work with.

"Ryan! I'm going to close the door now…" Valera said, voice tinged with worry ash she began to close the door.

"Wait! Wait! No. I just spaced for a moment…I, uh, heard that your grandma died and I thought maybe you'd like these." Ryan, surprised he could string that he could coherently string words together despite the sudden onset tightening and dryness in his throat, proffered her the flowers with a sympathetic half smile.

Valera's eyes narrowed to venomous slits again. "Who'd you hear that from?" Shit. He'd said the wrong thing. Not sure how to backtrack, he bowed his head.

"Cooper." He mumbled, hoping for a sudden and painless death.

"Oh." Her voice softened as she took them from his grasp. "Well, thanks, that was nice of you." Her voice steeled again. "I mean Cooper needs to keep his mouth shut, but thanks." Her voice became an uncharacteristic whisper as she said the last two words, smiling slightly.

Ryan looked up and smiled back. "So I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, tomorrow."

He nodded, unsure of what to do now. Valera cleared her throat almost nervously.
"I have something on the stove, so I better get to that." She said slowly, as if trying to convince herself.

"I have to get home and shower." Ryan said nodding. She turned back into her house, just about to close the door as Ryan made his way down her cement steps when she called out to him.

"Hey, Wolfe? I'll have those DNA results for the Burswood case tomorrow morning, so you don't have to pester me all day long, like you usually do." She squinted again and tried her hardest to make it sound like she found him to be a pest.

Ryan stopped and turned to face her. See! She didn't like him. He could think she was attractive and it would be okay because she wanted nothing to do with him. Her indifference toward him would make his crush on her pass quicker. But the way she smiled at him when she said that, made his stomach flip. He smiled slightly and suddenly wished he had been standing on her doorstep for a different reason altogether.

A/N: I've subsequently decided I'm going to make all of the vignettes go in chronological order, which means that all the prompts will be used, just not in the intended order. I really hope you liked it, I was extremely nervous about posting.