This is the sequel to Sons And Mothers, where I mentioned that Buzz was saving up to pay for his mother's surgery.
It's set after To Serve, With Love - my all time favourite episode. I loved the scenes at the end, where Buzz is given that reward money - he certainly deserved it!
It would certainly pay for his mother's surgery. Then I wondered what else he'd spend it on. Here's what I came up with. I hope you like it.
In Buzz We Trust
When the Chief had called him into her office, Buzz had dreaded what was surely about to happen. A lecture at best, that he'd been so naïve and gullible. Or another suspension, or... oh, gosh, maybe worse than that. Maybe she was going to fire him, and - oh.
Oh!
Staring at the receipt that Fritz had given him, he blinked. Mentally pinched himself, then stared at it again. Not so much his name on the payee line, but, more specifically, the amount below it.
Ten thousand dollars. Ten. Thousand. Dollars. A single one, followed by... wow, all those zeroes. He'd never seen that many zeroes in his life.
Oblivious to the amusement beside him, the smile on his face grew to a slightly dazed grin. Ten thousand dollars. Gosh, what he could do with it! More than enough to replace his Catfish, fix up El Buzzo, maybe treat himself to that new GPS he'd been saving up for.
Mom's surgery, too! Yes, forget all these non essential gadgets, that surgery to cure her glaucoma had to come first. Then a vacation for her to fully recover, maybe pay for Casey's flight down for the holidays, and... well, geek-freak heaven could come from whatever he had left.
He'd get her into the best hospital, too. The best care in the world, for the world's best mom.
If not for a subtle cough beside him, he'd have stayed in this happy daze all day. Instead, he offered Fritz a sheepish grin as he glanced down at his receipt again, shaking his head at its life changing amount.
"Sorry, Agent Howard, it's just... I - I mean, this amount of money, just for buying a ten dollar phone..."
"Hey, it's your honesty that won you that reward," Fritz reminded him, glancing at Brenda, and returning the proud smile he found there. "You earned it, Buzz, fair and square. Just for doing what you've always done best."
Watching him shake his head again, Fritz and Brenda shared another proud grin. Okay, so bringing Steven Hirschbaum to justice had only come through a chain of deceits and deceptions, that the young techie had known little about, but - well, no matter. At the end of the day, the reward for the conman's capture had gone to the one person who'd truly deserved it.
Yes, that person just had to be Buzz. The world's biggest boy scout, or the kid brother who could be roped into all kinds of trouble and mischief.
By his grandfathers, though? Well, yes, that was enough of a new one to make Fritz grin as he watched Brenda give him a 'good for you' hug. The next time Flynn and Provenza made his life hell, those two sketches might just make a reappearance. Or maybe he'd just give them to Brenda. God knew, she needed all the leverage she could get to keep those two jokers in line.
There'd be no such trouble from Buzz, though. No, the only trouble he'd ever cause her would be from that kind hearted nature, and those who'd exploit it just a bit too far.
"In Buzz, we trust," he chuckled, leaning in to add a more serious suggestion as they watched him rejoin his curiously watching colleagues. "Oh, and you might want to keep an eye on him for the next few days. Something tells me he's about to get really popular."
"Aww, Fritzy, he's all that already!"
A wry smile told her she'd missed his point. Then she realized what he'd meant, and rolled her eyes again as Fritz hugged her, and started to laugh.
"Oh, for heavens sakes, haven't they made his life hell enough already?"
"Hey, this is Flynn and Provenza we're talking about here. And I doubt that'll stop them from trying to wrangle a share of that reward. Like I said, Buzz is going to be really popular."
He'd be fine with it, too. As he'd shown in claiming that reward, Buzz Watson wasn't as gullible as some people thought. And from all those handshakes and backslaps, Tao, Sanchez and Gabriel were happy just to celebrate it with him, and leave it at that.
Fresh roars of laughter made him grin too. Yes, those sketches were out again, and Buzz had already run off his own copies to brighten up the Media Room. For all the time he spent in there, he'd appreciate their lighter distraction.
Brenda, though, wasn't so amused at the antics of her two most senior officers. Especially when she saw them home in on their favourite 'grandson' like sharks to its prey, and pretty much pin him against his desk.
"I still can't believe they were so irresponsible, dragging him into something that could have gotten him hurt. Taking such advantage of him, too, they knew he's too sweet to say no to them, and... oh, for Lords sakes, Fritzy, will you go shoo those two vultures away from him? Please?"
A sucker himself for those big brown eyes, Fritz nodded and strode out of her office - the sight of him heading towards them enough for them to retreat from their prey, and quickly find something else to do.
Safe, at least for now, Buzz shot the agent a grateful smile, before glancing at the photos beside him. Yes, his mother's surgery was still his top priority, but he'd still have plenty of this unexpected windfall to spare. So, months before Santa would even start to think about it, Buzz sat quietly at his desk, and started to plan out a very special list.
Donuts and pastries. The time honoured breakfast for every police department in the state. Brenda had to admit, though, that she'd never seen so many of them, in such massive boxes as these. And you didn't need to be any kind of detective to work out who they'd come from.
Wrapping a maple and pecan whirl into its napkin, Brenda crossed over to where Buzz sat at his desk. Even at this time of the morning, he was hard at work - trying, as always, to avoid any fuss for his generosity. But that wasn't going to stop her from thanking him for it.
"Really, Buzz, this is all so sweet of you. And you know how much I love these, so thank you... thank you so much."
"Well, all this time I've spent with you must have rubbed off on me," Buzz grinned, turning more serious for what he had to say next. "But through all those years, Chief, you've all protected me, kept me safe, and encouraged me to get more involved out in the field, so... well, the least I can do is show you how much it's been appreciated."
Smiling back at him, Brenda then stared as Buzz reached into his desk drawer, and gave her a small, neatly wrapped box.
"And since I wanted to get you something more permanent than a maple pastry, I... well, I hope you like them."
Them? As in plural? The ruefulness on Buzz's face suggested he'd realized that too. Luckily, though, he hadn't given the game away enough to spoil the surprise. Simple but classically timeless earrings. Not fake pearls, either, but the real deal, set in real gold.
He'd clearly taken such trouble over them too. It surely wasn't a coincidence that he'd chosen pearls either, her birthstone, and - ah. Yes, all these years in a squad of detectives really had paid off.
For several seconds, Brenda just stared at them, then at the expectant face beside her.
"Oh, Buzz! Buzz, they're just beautiful! I love them, but... Buzz, this was your money. I certainly wasn't expecting you to spend it on me like this."
For just a few moments, the bright smile faded, and Brenda dreaded that she'd offended him. But then it grew wider again, his eyes glinting with the same humour as Buzz passed her a small envelope, and nodded towards the other desks around them.
"Well, in that case, Chief, I'm going to surprise Agent Howard, and everyone else too. Especially my... uh, grandfathers."
Grinning too, Brenda realized there was no point in pursuing this further. To do so would only make her sound ungrateful. And the mischief in Buzz's eyes was just so damn contagious. As Fritz had often told her, you really had to watch the quiet ones. They tended to spring the biggest surprises.
Her own instincts had kicked in too now, making her all the more curious to know what he'd found for the others. Instead of asking him, though, she took the greater pleasure of watching them instead - their reactions all that she, and Buzz, had hoped for.
A tie clip and cufflinks for David Gabriel. A house sign for Sanchez, its message as private as the smile that showed how much it meant to him. And the latest GPS that now graced El Buzzo had gone to Mike Tao too, achieving something close to a minor miracle. If just until he explained to them how it all worked, their resident expert on anything and everything was lost for words.
The same pretty much went for Flynn and Provenza, who stared at their gifts, then at each other, then finally at Buzz as they held them up.
"Your Guide To Safer Driving?!"
"How To Get Rich Without Even Trying?!"
As everyone else roared with laughter, Buzz just smiled. A smile of perfect innocence as he shrugged his shoulders, and waited for them to react to their other surprises.
Just envelopes this time, the same as the others had received with their gifts. And as they stared back at him, he shrugged once more.
"The same as everyone else, Lieutenants. Oh, and Lieutenant Flynn? That, uh, should cover your jacket."
"Yeah, with change to spare!"
Glancing at his equally stunned partner, Flynn then met Buzz's eyes again, and smiled. A real smile this time, sealing a silent promise between them. Yes, the next time his other 'grandfather' hustled either of them into the Media Room, they'd pick him up between them, and carry him straight out again.
Two quiet "Thank yous" came with real sincerity. And as she watched her squad settle back with their gifts, Brenda smiled too. Yes, money could be the root of many evils, but in the right hands - oh yes, it could also do priceless good.