Aubrey gets a surprise involving Candy Canes in this chapter. Is it a good one? Read on and find out.
Aubrey came to work Tuesday morning in a good mood. Last night, he and Jessica ended up talking for over an hour over cocktails before leaving Maryland. When he later walked her up to her apartment door, he was sorely tempted when the redhead gave him a long kiss goodnight. However, he didn't want to make love and leave, so with reluctance, they parted for the night with plans to talk later in the week.
He was so engrossed in his thoughts of a certain redheaded squintern that he didn't hear the knock at first. "Yes?"
"Agent Aubrey?"
Looking up, he saw one of the couriers from the mail room. "Yeah, what's up?"
"You've got a delivery that came in about 30 minutes ago." He dropped it on the desk. "Have a nice day."
"You, too." Aubrey picked up the box and shook it slightly. Opening the package, he saw a box of candy canes, his favorite Christmas candy. Finding a card nearby, he opened it and read.
A little treat to my favorite treat. Hopefully, we can have some Christmas fun with these. See you soon, sexy man.
Seeing a piece of cloth, Aubrey unwound it but dropped it when he realized it was a men's candy cane G-string. "What the fuck..."
"Knock knock."
Looking up, he saw Booth in the doorway. "Hey Booth, what brings you over to my side of the 4th floor?"
"Dropping up the Tappard file." Booth saw his friends tied up in knots. "What's up, Aubrey?"
He looked down at his recent arrival and shook his head. "Can we get a cup of coffee? I could really use some right now."
"Yeah, I could use a break." Booth saw the underwear and cringed. "What the hell is that thing on your desk, Aubrey?"
"Um, hopefully something I can forget." Quickly shoving it in a drawer, Aubrey grabbed his coat and followed his friend out to the cart in front of the Hoover. After making their purchases, they sat outside, and Aubrey told Booth about the gift he got.
"Are you sure that Jessica didn't send you that stuff?"
Aubrey shook his head. "No way. Yeah, we're together together now, but if she were to buy that…thing for me, she wouldn't send it to my office by courier."
Booth was now confused. "Aubrey, what does that mean? Together together?"
"It means we're not just hanging out, but together now…you know, because we got close Saturday and…we're being careful about things, like spending the night. That type of togetherness is a step we're not ready for yet."
Booth's head was beginning to spin. "Togetherness, together together…whatever. You two were always weird. Now, if you don't think Jessica sent you this, then I have to ask. Do you think it was Karen? Like she apologized to relax you before she started trying to hook up with you again?"
Aubrey rubbed his face. "I don't know, Booth. She seemed genuine when she stopped by my place before going to Seattle, but now…damn it! She probably snowed me again."
"Aubrey…don't panic. Maybe she sent it before apologizing to you, all right? She might have ordered it as a Christmas present a while back and with everything going on, she forgot about it." Booth hoped he was right. "If she, or whomever sent you this, sends more stuff, we'll find out who it is, all right? It could just be a joke, too."
"Yeah, some joke…I don't want Jess to think I'm two timing her…or leading someone on. I'd promised her that Karen was gone." Aubrey exhaled. "Should we tell anyone else about this stuff?"
Booth had his own thoughts, but he didn't want to tell Aubrey just yet. "I'll talk to Bones and see what she thinks, but it probably will be best to keep it to yourself until we know what's going on."
*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
At the same time, Jessica was working with Dr. Brennan when one of the guards found her. "Hey Jessica…you've got a delivery here, but it's messed up."
"Thanks, Tom." Turning, she took the long, smashed box from the security guard. Setting it on the gurney, she opened the box only to see half a dozen crushed red roses. "Wow, I got flowers…"
Dr. Brennan took note. "They look like they were very beautiful at one time, Ms. Warren, but I guess it's the thought that counts. What does the card say?"
The intern pulled the card and read it. "You're my beautiful miracle. Love, your admirer." She examined the handwriting but was stymied when she realized it was computer print. "That's very odd. Someone gave me crushed flowers because they admire me?"
"Perhaps the flower shop made a mistake and tried to rectify it, or someone sent them as a joke, but it's not a…humerus one." Brennan replied wryly.
"Good one, Dr. B." Jessica grimly looked at her present. "I'll just take them to my locker."
Jessica stepped away and just missed Angela walking into the lab. Sliding her badge, the artist climbed up to the platform. "Did I see Jessica holding some flowers? They were gorgeous."
Brennan was perplexed at her friend's comment. "No, they were not, Angela. Whomever sent them invested their money in the wrong florist because they were ruined."
"What! They got ruined? That's not right." Angela replied as the squintern returned to the platform. "So, Jessica, I heard your flowers were less than perfect, but look at the bright side. Obviously, someone is interested in a Merry Christmas with you. Maybe it was Aubrey. He's the romantic type and I've seen him looking at you lately…"
"It wasn't Aubrey. He wouldn't send me old or crushed roses. If he wanted to send me flowers, he would've sent me Tiger lilies because they're my favorite flower. He would also sign the card with a personal message, not with some generic schmaltzy drivel. He's very straight forward, not all weird stalker like."
Shocked at the redhead's comment, Angela put her arm around her. "Jessica, be appreciative that someone loves you."
"I'm not interested in whomever gave them to me." Jessica stated bluntly, confident that it wasn't Aubrey.
Angela was shocked. "You don't know that Jessica."
"Yes, I do, Angela. If someone is interested in me, they need to tell me. I'm not a fan of someone who plays games with me, especially with gifts like crushed flowers."
Even in her limited capacity for detecting human subtleties, Brennan could spot distress in the young woman. "Ms. Warren, I can finish up here. Could you start that examination of the WWI soldiers, please? I'll be by shortly to check on your results."
"Of course."
Brennan and Angela watched her leave the platform. "Angela, did you send her those roses in some attempt at matchmaking with Aubrey?"
Angela shook her head. "No, Bren, although I wish I had thought of that…it just sucks that the flowers were all destroyed. She seemed so mad about them though. Frankly, I would love if I had a secret admirer. It's so flattering."
Brennan considered what to say. "I know that some love the concept of having an admirer from a distance, but many don't appreciate the mystery, especially when the gift presented is one that is destroyed and less than desired, Angela."
Taken aback by Brennan's words, Angela crossed her arms. "Well, she should appreciate the thought, Brennan. Hopefully, whatever the secret admirer sends next will be better."
"One should hope, although I agree with Ms. Warren. If one is interested, they should speak up." Brennan went back to her work.
"You two are no fun." Angela walked back to her office.
*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
"So, Jessica got something, too, huh?" Booth sipped his scotch. "What do you think, Bones?"
Brennan enjoyed her Pinot Noir wine. "It's obviously individuals that have affection for Aubrey and Jessica. Angela thinks it's romantic."
"Yeah, she would, Bones, but Aubrey doesn't agree. That…thing his admirer sent him already had him embarrassed, but to send it to his office…"
"I concur. I could see why Ms. Warren was irritated by her gift. First, no name and then the flowers were destroyed. I hope it was due to transport, but if it was on purpose, it's very distressing, especially with that note."
"What, are you thinking that intern she was seeing until recently, that Adam something?" When Brennan shrugged, he continued. "Well, Aubrey was embarrassed, but he was also worried that it might have been Karen."
Brennan set her wine down. "You said she apologized to him last weekend for her behavior before she went to work in Seattle. Booth, I have to ask…is she actually working in Seattle?"
"Yeah. I called Jake today and she's working on a task force with the Seattle field office and the state police." Booth swished her scotch around. "I can't imagine she has a lot of time on her hands, but it's possible she arranged everything before leaving or is doing in between meetings."
"What should we do, Booth?"
"Check in with Jessica and Aubrey for the next few days. This could be a prank on each of them, but if something is brewing that could lead to one or both getting hurt, we need to be ready."
Brennan leaned her head on Booth's shoulder. "I don't know if Ms. Warren will tell Aubrey about this."
"I don't know if he's going to tell her he got sexy candy panties from a potential stalker, either, but I hope he does." Booth sipped. "He was really embarrassed."
"I say, let's keep each other informed and if it happens again, we use our resources to find out the truth." Brennan nodded. "Both deserve the truth, especially if they are trying to work on resuming a romantic relationship."
Booth chuckled. "Bones, they're already back in a romantic relationship."
"He told you that?" Brennan asked. "We saw them kiss in Maryland, but—"
"According to Aubrey, they're 'together together', Bones. We saw them kiss, but he intimated that they did a lot more than kiss last weekend. They deserve their privacy as they figure things out."
Brennan sipped her wine and grinned. "I agree."