Silent Night
"Where are you headed?" Tara asked, catching Bobby in the hallway.
"I'm off to talk to a reporter."
"Uh oh. Remember, 'No comment,'" Tara warned.
"I know, I know," he said. "Gee, why can't anyone around here believe that I can keep it together?"
"All right. Prove me wrong then," Tara said, heading into the bull pen. Bobby kept on his way. He had thought about Tara a bit since their night out a couple weeks ago. She was fun and quirky, but he didn't think anything would come of it. You weren't supposed to date your coworkers anyway.
...
"She was maddening!" Bobby cried, downing his water like it was a shot. Tara smirked behind her hand. They were alone at the bull pen after a long day's work, and Bobby had come crashing in madder than a bee caught in a bonnet.
"She got ya, eh?" Tara laughed.
"She more than 'got me.' She twisted my words all up!"
"Ouch," Tara winced.
"I am not looking forward to seeing what she's gonna write for her article," Bobby moaned, grabbing his head. Garrett was going to kill him. No, scratch that, Garrett was going to do much worse than just kill him.
"What's done is done," Tara said, shrugging.
"She's not gonna win this war," Bobby said, jabbing his finger in Tara's direction.
"It's a war?"
"It is now."
...
Tara was wondering why she was doing this favor for Bobby. He wanted her to dig up all of Darcy D'Angelo's old articles. Did he realize just how many of them there were?! She clicked away vigorously, downloading and printing them all. He was going to have a lot of reading ahead of him. She had just finished when he returned. He was still steaming about Darcy's article about him, and she didn't think he'd like any others the woman had written. She definitely cut people to the core at times.
"Here," Tara said, handing the folder to him. His arms went down from the weight of it. "As per your request. These are all her old articles."
"Thanks, Tara," Bobby said, scanning the ones on the top.
"You owe me," she said.
"Yea, I know."
Tara mildly wondered why he was so intent on bringing down this Darcy woman. Wasn't it better to not poke the bear?
...
"You made it!" Tara exclaimed, seeing Bobby enter Sue and Lucy's apartment.
"Yea. Had to make a stop," he answered.
"Darcy?"
"Yea."
"And?"
"I may have got her to start thinking," he grinned.
"As long as you're smiling," Tara laughed. "Oh! Do I sing jolly songs?" She turned around to show him the card taped to her back.
"Sure?" he said, looking at her confused.
"It's a game Sue's mom did. I ask questions to get yes or no answers to find out what character I am," Tara explained.
"Can I give you hints?"
"No."
"Spoilers?"
"No!"
"Well, that took the fun out of it real fast," he smirked. He walked away, starting to hum "Frosty the Snowman."
"Bobby!" Tara cried after him, disgruntled. He laughed in response. He found D, Myles, and Jack and started chatting about non work related stuff. He was working really hard to get Darcy D'Angelo out of his head.
...
It was the next day before anyone else arrived at work. Tara scurried in, dumping her coat on the hook behind her desk and just barely getting her butt into her chair before it slid away from her, her knee having bumped into it in her haste.
"You'll never get here before me," Bobby teased. She jumped, seeing him finally.
"I didn't realize we were having this competition," she teased.
"I'm just having fun with you," he said. "Jack and Sue were already here and are just out for coffee."
"Right," she nodded.
"So, big plans for Christmas?" he asked.
"Well, I go home, I listen to how much better my sister is than me, then I come back. That about sums it up," Tara answered with a curt nod in his direction. "You?"
"My parents have gone away this year, so I'm on my own."
"That's...lonely," Tara noted.
"It's all right. A day to myself. I don't mind."
"Wanna trade places?"
"I think they'd catch on pretty quick that I'm not you," he teased.
"It was worth a shot."
The rest of the gang came in then, and suddenly it was time to go catch the bad guys.
...
"Myles saved the paper?" Tara asked, her eyes shining. Any and all chances of making fun of Myles was gold.
"Yea. I'd never seen anything like it," Bobby joked.
"So, was your reporter there watching?"
"No, she didn't show up."
"That's good."
"Yea. I'm sure she'll still get the story out there, though."
"Hopefully she puts us in a bit better light," Tara commented.
"She better," Bobby said, annoyed. "You know that got all the way to my mother, who called me and asked how could I be so thoughtless?"
"Wow."
"Yea. It took a lot of explaining on my end."
The rest of the gang arrived then, humming about their victory in solving the Santa Bandit case and preparing for the holiday.
...
"Merry Christmas," Tara said, handing Bobby the envelope with the ribbon on it.
"Aw, Tara. I didn't get you anything," he said.
"No need. This isn't from me," she paused. "Darn it. I could have run with that, couldn't I have?"
"Yea, but you screwed it up," he laughed. "Merry Christmas."
"It'll be Christmas, but it won't necessarily be merry," Tara sighed. She walked out then, wondering what Bobby was going to do after he saw that article by Darcy. She tried not to think about it too much. After all, he was single, and she didn't have an interest in him that way. Not really anyway. Yes, he was adorable and cute, but would dating work? She guessed she would just have to do with not knowing.
