Thieves pay attention. You didn't become a world class thief without that ability. So Ezekiel Jones paid attention. To everything, to everyone, all of the time. No matter where he was.
He knew where Jenkins kept the very expensive whiskey that he indulged in on only the rarest occasions. He knew that Baird kept chocolate bars in a box under her desk. He knew that Flynn had a habit of leaving flowers for Baird and Cassandra whenever they were having a bad day.
He knew a lot of the secrets of the Library. Including a couple that were driving him nuts. He was standing in his favorite vantage point in the Annex watching the comings and goings of the others. Even though the Library had been restored, the Annex section had come to be home base out of habit and proximity to the back door.
Today's subjects were his fellow former Librarians in Training. Stone was in his own favorite perch, reading a book of poetry. He made a soft noise and Jones tilted his head, not sure if it was shock or exclamation. Jones watched as Stone, leaned forward slightly, looking down toward the first floor. Jones chuckled, knowing that Cassandra was directly in Stone's line of vision.
Did neither of them notice? They couldn't be that oblivious. Baird and Jenkins couldn't be that oblivious. He supposed Flynn could. He admired Flynn but let's face it, the man could be so oblivious. Really though, Jones was getting tired of the whole Stone and Cassandra show.
Honestly, the longing glances, the standing inches apart at all times, the love poetry that Stone was always reading while not so subtly glancing at Cassandra, the way Cassandra would smile when she heard the number 6 (whatever that meant, but Jones knew it had to do with Stone) . . . . Jones wasn't sure he could take much more.
He knew the big obstacle between Stone and Cassandra had lifted. Cassandra had confided in him one night that Jake just didn't trust her. But on a recent mission, in rather desperate circumstances, Stone had yelled to Cassandra that he trusted her, "damn it, you're the only one I trust!" Jones was so sure when they finally got out of it, that finally, finally they'd just stop it and kiss already. But nope. Instead it had been even more tense than ever. Ezekiel was starting to feel like he was trapped in a tv drama and the unresolved sexual tension was going to drive him insane.
"What you do you think?" Ezekiel whispered to the Library, "You're getting tired of them too aren't you? Maybe we could give them a shove?"
Cassandra had called up to Stone, she had a question about a mission they'd just been on. So when he'd left to go talk to her, Jones slid over to Stone's vacated seat. He'd left the volume of poetry open.
Now Jones was not really a poetry person but honestly "I carry your heart with me?" Good grief.
"Got any ideas?" He asked the Library. Suddenly there was a thump and a book labeled Aurora Borealis and a page from a calendar dropped on the seat.
Cassandra's birthday! "Oh you treasure you," He winked up at the Library's ceiling. "So I plant the idea of seeing the Northern Lights for Cassandra's birthday pressie in Stone's mind. He's not a big world traveler so he will ask me reluctantly for advice. I'll give him some place romantic." He mused. "Good view and cold enough that she'll have to cuddle up to him with those ridiculous skirts she wears." He sighed. "This needs to work. Because I cannot handle this anymore. I'm to the point in the movie where your date starts yelling "Just kiss her already!" I sometimes wonder if I'm the only one who watches movies around here."
Jones scooped up the calendar page, but left the science book near Stone's poetry, hoping that maybe that would further plant the idea in the older man's mind.
Now how to bring up the subject?
He heard Stone's footsteps coming up the stairs before he saw the man himself. Ezekiel grinned and vanished long before Stone got back to his favorite seat.
But he was within listening range and he heard Stone mutter, "Oh come on, stop droppin' books on me, you dropped this Cummings on me earlier."
Jones smirked up at the ceiling then peeked around the corner. Stone was holding the book in his hands and looking down at the poem. Obviously there was some connection there that the Library got but Jones didn't. Didn't matter, if Stone got it, then all the better.
Turns out too that Jones didn't even have to bring up the subject. He and Cassandra were chatting over lunch, Stone sitting down the table, seemingly engrossed more in his reading then his half finished sandwich. Cassandra had made some comment about how she'd regretted them not getting to see the Northern Lights in Alaska. The thief had to work hard to hide his smirk behind his sandwich as he noticed Stone suddenly look up from his book and over at Cassandra.
A few more mentions of Cassandra's upcoming birthday later and Ezekiel found himself being cornered by Stone.
"I need a favor," He said, looking like it pained him.
"Yeah? Like what? I doubt you need me to steal something."
Stone sighed, "Look, I know you've been, well everywhere. So I want to," Stone winced, Ezekiel loving every minute of his squirming. Then the cowboy said in a rush, "Take Cassandra some place for her birthday. To see the Northern Lights. Can you help?"
"Oh it's for Cassandra! Well mate, why didn't you say? Give me an hour or so to check my favorite travel sites and I'll give you the perfect place."
The day of Cassandra's birthday, the minute the door closed after the lovebirds, Ezekiel dashed into the kitchen. He took a large chocolate cupcake out of a box in the refrigerator and made sure it was very visible next to the electric tea kettle. He stuck a candle in it and threw a matchbook from the box next to the cupboards on the table.
"Alright Stone, it's all on ya, mate. Make a move. Or let Cassandra make one on you. Just whatever."
When he returned later, to see mission accomplished, he turned and left whistling. Maybe he'd now be the third wheel, but at least the tension had disappeared.
"Ha," He said swinging toward the front door tunnel, "I am awesome. Matchmaker extraordinaire."
But as he shut the door, he swore he heard the Library laughing . . . .
The End