Because after the combined angst of "Trigger Factor" and "Delusional", I
need a break. At least for a few chapters. :-)
***
Eames wiped a smudge off her bathroom mirror with the cuff of her blouse, rubbing the foggy glass clean. Bunching up her sleeves around her arms, she dashed a spray of cold water across her face and slurped up a mouthful from the tap.
She had just spat out a mouthful of toothpaste slime when she heard it. Tossing aside her toothbrush--it landed in the toilet with a wet splash-- she stumbled sleepily out of the room and towards the ringing phone.
The receiver lifted with a click. "Hello?" she mumbled, still drowsy.
"Alex," the voice of her friend Radha complained in a grumpy whine, "why?"
"Um." Eames was not quite picture-perfect on Monday mornings. "Uh... if you're asking why Tom Cruise won't return any of your calls, it's because he gets stalked by thousands of other rabid, drooling fans, and if you're asking why your clothes are all in the wash and you have nothing to wear--"
"Alex, I am standing on my doorstep up to my knees in flowers. They're all wrapped in this tissue paper with red ribbons. It's cold outside and I'm shivering in my pajamas, and my dog is trying to tear the bouquets apart. Why on God's earth did you do this?"
"But I didn't do it!" protested Eames truthfully; unfortunately, this was the same defense she'd used after a series of prank calls that had left Radha fuming at her for a week.
Radha scoffed, snorted, and then hung up in a snit, leaving a bemused Eames on the other line. The petite detective wandered back into her bathroom, absently fishing her toothbrush out of the toilet and sticking it in her mouth before spitting it out in disgust.
***
At work, Eames had just settled down in her seat when Radha came storming over, her arms full of glossy red blossoms. "Here, you can have them!" she yelled, and flung the whole mess onto Eames's desk.
Goren came into two minutes later to see Eames staring dazedly at the overflowing pile of scented tulips. "A secret admirer?" he said with a smile.
"Not mine, Radha's," Eames replied automatically. "She found these on her doorstep this morning."
"Radha...?"
"We used to work on the Vice Squad together," she explained, picking up one of the bundles and burying her nose in it, inhaling deeply. "These are gorgeous..."
"And expensive," Goren put in, sitting down. "A single bunch of tulips usually goes for about sixty-five dollars, and there are--" he did a rapid count, "twenty-four bunches here. That's over fifteen hundred dollars. Who bought them for her?"
"No clue." Eames let out an exasperated sigh. "What am I going to do with all of these?"
She ended up keeping a single bouquet and regretfully threw out the rest into a dumpster in a nearby alleyway during a coffee break. Besides a couple of teasing remarks, Radha's baleful glares, and her grumbled vows of revenge throughout the day, nothing else unexpected happened. Eames closed a case with Goren and tossed off some paperwork, went out with him afterwards for a drink, and went to bed early.
***
Tuesday morning Eames woke up to Radha's shrill cries on the phone. "Alex! Who the bloody hell do you think you are?"
"More flowers?" Eames mumbled sleepily.
"There are roses all over my front porch!" Radha bellowed. "Alex, this isn't funny! Why are you doing this?"
"Radha, I swear, it's not me." Eames brushed back her hair with a lazy sweep of her hand, blinking her bleary eyes. "Why don't you check and see if there's a card this time?"
She heard rustling and crackling on the other line, along with the frantic woofs of Amber, Radha's golden retriever. "Nothing," her friend groused crossly after several minutes. "Who's doing this?"
"Let me know if you find out," and Eames hung up, snuggling down in her covers and drifting back off to sleep again.
***
Wednesday brought a huge cluster of purple lilacs; Thursday saw a fresh pile of peach blossoms. By this point Radha was frantic, making thousands of phone calls and faxing the delivery company.
Eames prickled at the stifled snickers behind Radha's back and furiously glared down the offenders until they blushed and looked away. She was in a tetchy temper and snapped angrily at Goren when he ventured a compliment on her clothes.
She remained grouchy until mid-morning, when Radha skidded to a halt, breathless and flushed, in front of Eames's desk. "Alex! I finally found out who's making the deliveries!"
"Who?" Eames asked instantly, flinging aside the folder she'd been working on.
"You'll never guess." Radha waited for a moment, grinning delightedly at the frustrated impatience on Eames's face, and then burst out, "It's Detective Johnston! You know, in the Major Case Squad?"
***
My most abject and humble apologies to Moony-Loony-Lupin for stealing Johnston; I can't help it, he's such an awesome character :-) I promise to return him (relatively) unharmed...
Review, please!
***
Eames wiped a smudge off her bathroom mirror with the cuff of her blouse, rubbing the foggy glass clean. Bunching up her sleeves around her arms, she dashed a spray of cold water across her face and slurped up a mouthful from the tap.
She had just spat out a mouthful of toothpaste slime when she heard it. Tossing aside her toothbrush--it landed in the toilet with a wet splash-- she stumbled sleepily out of the room and towards the ringing phone.
The receiver lifted with a click. "Hello?" she mumbled, still drowsy.
"Alex," the voice of her friend Radha complained in a grumpy whine, "why?"
"Um." Eames was not quite picture-perfect on Monday mornings. "Uh... if you're asking why Tom Cruise won't return any of your calls, it's because he gets stalked by thousands of other rabid, drooling fans, and if you're asking why your clothes are all in the wash and you have nothing to wear--"
"Alex, I am standing on my doorstep up to my knees in flowers. They're all wrapped in this tissue paper with red ribbons. It's cold outside and I'm shivering in my pajamas, and my dog is trying to tear the bouquets apart. Why on God's earth did you do this?"
"But I didn't do it!" protested Eames truthfully; unfortunately, this was the same defense she'd used after a series of prank calls that had left Radha fuming at her for a week.
Radha scoffed, snorted, and then hung up in a snit, leaving a bemused Eames on the other line. The petite detective wandered back into her bathroom, absently fishing her toothbrush out of the toilet and sticking it in her mouth before spitting it out in disgust.
***
At work, Eames had just settled down in her seat when Radha came storming over, her arms full of glossy red blossoms. "Here, you can have them!" she yelled, and flung the whole mess onto Eames's desk.
Goren came into two minutes later to see Eames staring dazedly at the overflowing pile of scented tulips. "A secret admirer?" he said with a smile.
"Not mine, Radha's," Eames replied automatically. "She found these on her doorstep this morning."
"Radha...?"
"We used to work on the Vice Squad together," she explained, picking up one of the bundles and burying her nose in it, inhaling deeply. "These are gorgeous..."
"And expensive," Goren put in, sitting down. "A single bunch of tulips usually goes for about sixty-five dollars, and there are--" he did a rapid count, "twenty-four bunches here. That's over fifteen hundred dollars. Who bought them for her?"
"No clue." Eames let out an exasperated sigh. "What am I going to do with all of these?"
She ended up keeping a single bouquet and regretfully threw out the rest into a dumpster in a nearby alleyway during a coffee break. Besides a couple of teasing remarks, Radha's baleful glares, and her grumbled vows of revenge throughout the day, nothing else unexpected happened. Eames closed a case with Goren and tossed off some paperwork, went out with him afterwards for a drink, and went to bed early.
***
Tuesday morning Eames woke up to Radha's shrill cries on the phone. "Alex! Who the bloody hell do you think you are?"
"More flowers?" Eames mumbled sleepily.
"There are roses all over my front porch!" Radha bellowed. "Alex, this isn't funny! Why are you doing this?"
"Radha, I swear, it's not me." Eames brushed back her hair with a lazy sweep of her hand, blinking her bleary eyes. "Why don't you check and see if there's a card this time?"
She heard rustling and crackling on the other line, along with the frantic woofs of Amber, Radha's golden retriever. "Nothing," her friend groused crossly after several minutes. "Who's doing this?"
"Let me know if you find out," and Eames hung up, snuggling down in her covers and drifting back off to sleep again.
***
Wednesday brought a huge cluster of purple lilacs; Thursday saw a fresh pile of peach blossoms. By this point Radha was frantic, making thousands of phone calls and faxing the delivery company.
Eames prickled at the stifled snickers behind Radha's back and furiously glared down the offenders until they blushed and looked away. She was in a tetchy temper and snapped angrily at Goren when he ventured a compliment on her clothes.
She remained grouchy until mid-morning, when Radha skidded to a halt, breathless and flushed, in front of Eames's desk. "Alex! I finally found out who's making the deliveries!"
"Who?" Eames asked instantly, flinging aside the folder she'd been working on.
"You'll never guess." Radha waited for a moment, grinning delightedly at the frustrated impatience on Eames's face, and then burst out, "It's Detective Johnston! You know, in the Major Case Squad?"
***
My most abject and humble apologies to Moony-Loony-Lupin for stealing Johnston; I can't help it, he's such an awesome character :-) I promise to return him (relatively) unharmed...
Review, please!
