A Matter of Concern
Jennifer rushed through the hallways of Homicide, folders overflowing the confines of her grasp as she hurried to discard them on her desk, praying they wouldn't spill before her.
"Want a hand?" called Duncan from his desk, leaning back against the swivel chair as his hands crossed behind his head.
He grinned as Jen forced a smile, dropping the folders in a heap to splatter in front of her computer; photos and reports mixing with the few other sheets of paper that had started accumulating over the morning.
"Few seconds too late there Dunny, as always" she replied, tilting her head to the side.
She heard his laughter filter off smugly as she collapsed into the chair, wincing as it squeaked and swivelled slightly in protest.
"When's Matt getting in?" she asked suddenly, blinking in surprise as Simon ran past, two steaming coffee cups in hand.
Duncan shrugged unknowingly, not really caring when Matt made it in as long as it was before he got landed with the detectives paperwork.
"What's his deal?" he asked instead, gesturing a hand towards Simon leaning casually against the door to a neighbouring room.
Jen glanced up from her typing, shrugging as Duncan had moments earlier before mumbling a reply.
"Apparently there's a new uniform, Wolfe's talking to her now"
Duncan snorted knowingly, kicking his feet up onto the desk and crossing them lazily, leaning back even further in the chair.
It took him a second to realise Jen was watching him, eyes pierced on his figure.
"You know how you asked if I wanted a hand before?" she asked, annoyance dripping through the rhetorical question smoothly.
Duncan shuffled slightly, mouth turning down in a frown as he guessed her next words.
Instead she threw a few papers at him, resisting the urge to snicker as he all but leapt from the chair, diving towards the neatly packed reports to avoid having to reorder them later; after he'd read and completed them.
He scowled in displeasure, ready to let the smiling woman have a piece of his mind before Matt walked quickly into the office – disrupting his protest. Matt dropped his coat against the back of his chair before turning once, smiling a greeting at a stunned Jennifer, before walking off, the slight skip his step held scaring Duncan greatly.
"What the hell happened to him…" he breathed out slowly, kneeling still on the floor as the papers breezed about him.
Jen blinked slowly, gaze never once leaving the spot where Matt had stood moments earlier.
Well, rather, where a new and improved Matt had skipped moments earlier.
"He's finally lost it"
"Duncan!"
Jen's scowl met him for the second time that morning, the familiar look bouncing off him as he stumbled to his feet, shaking his head to rid himself of the image of his friend…dancing – almost.
"He's just, happy" nodded Jen after a moments silence, nodding to herself to affirm the realisation before resuming her typing, the click of the letters slower and quieter as she mulled over her friends sudden change in behaviour.
"Finally" she added in, glancing up at Duncan before frowning once more, noting his disbelieving grin.
"Yeah, whatever" he mumbled, grabbing a pen to twirl it about his fingers – vowing to begin the paperwork sometime over the next few hours.
"I still think he's lost it"