The second package arrived just after noon.
The tap on her elbow startled Sydney as she bent over her work station, reviewing an op report. Raising her head, she smiled.
"Marshall."
Marshall Flinkman gave her a friendly nod. "Syd," he said brightly.
They looked at each other for a moment, both smiling until Sydney raised her eyebrows in question.
"Did you need something, Marshall?"
Marshall's face went blank. "What?" He glanced down at the plain brown box in his hands. "Oh! Right, sorry," he grinned, his cheeks coloring. "This package came for you," he held it up, turning it toward her. "There was no return address, except for this store in Paris."
Sydney was immediately on her feet.
"I ran it through the database. It's a legit business, dealing mostly in high end bath and beauty type products for ladies," Marshall cleared his throat. "I was a little uncomfortable at first, but then I thought, hey - maybe I can find a nice gift for Carrie, but everything was so expensive, and French..."
"Thanks, Marshall," Sydney gave him a tight smile and took the box from his hands.
"It's no problem. I ran all the usual tests, the same stuff we do whenever something is delivered here. The box has been x-rayed and scanned for all types of explosives. I used the thermal emission spectrometer and then exposed it to a molecular imaging program I've developed that actually analyzes the contents without disturbing the packaging," Marshall rocked back on his heels, his face beaming with pride. "I'm happy to report that you're in no danger. Unless, of course, you're allergic to saponaceous fluids."
Sydney shifted her gaze from the box in her hands and met Marshall's eyes, her brow knit with confusion.
"Soap," Marshall shrugged. "You've been sent a glass bottle filled with soap."
Sydney watched him walk away before slowly lowering herself into her chair as she set the package on her desk top. Grabbing a pair of scissors and feeling a vague sense of deja vu, Sydney sliced through the tape on the box and opened the package.
Once again the fragrance of lavender filtered through the layers of tissue paper as Sydney dug through to find the smaller box within. It was a duplicate to the one she had received that morning. After untying the bow, Sydney slipped the ribbon free of the box and lifted the lid. Carefully, she extracted the glass bottle and grasped the tag with her fingers.
"Un bain mousse à la lavende," she read. "Lavender bubble bath." Holding the bottle up to the light, Sydney admired the pearlescent purple liquid. As she did, she discovered that she couldn't keep herself from smiling.
It was risky, having something delivered to the Ops Center. First of all, no one outside of the field agents and federal officers who worked there was supposed to know it existed. Secondly, every purse, package, briefcase and container of any kind was scanned upon entry into the building. Sending a package to the Joint Task Force facility, no matter how innocuous the contents, was a clever way of making a statement.
"Sark," Sydney sighed, resting her chin in her hand for a moment. The gift that morning was a reminder of what they'd shared. Was this gift, with its high-profile delivery, meant to signify something more?
"Syd, I'm here as a friend," Weiss appeared at her side, reclining against her desk.
Sydney sat up, pulled abruptly from her deep river of thought. "What?"
"The internet shopping," Weiss reached over and grabbed a handful of tissue paper. "It's got to stop. You're clearly out of control," he studied the tissue for a moment before bringing it to his face and taking a long sniff. "This smells great, by the way. What is it?"
"Lavender," Sydney carefully returned the bottle to the gift box, nestling it among the layers of tissue. "I ordered some bubble bath from a shop in Paris."
"You ordered bubble bath from Paris?" Weiss asked, incredulous. "What, Beverly Hills didn't offer a wide enough selection?"
Sydney grinned. "As a matter of fact, this bubble bath has sentimental value," she avoided his eyes as she stood, continuing to replace the items in the package. Grabbing the tissue from Weiss's hand, she laid it on top before closing the box. "The operation I had in Paris last month, at the hotel where I stayed, this bubble bath was in the room."
"And you wanted something to remember that op?" Weiss stood up and slid his hands in his pockets as Sydney hid the box in the bottom drawer of her desk. "Sydney, you were almost killed in Paris."
"I know," Sydney moved around him, grabbing the op file she'd been working on. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she forced a smile as she met his eyes. "That room, at that hotel... I can't explain, Weiss. It was a turning point for me."
Weiss studied her carefully, silent for a moment. "Well, you certainly deserve a little pampering. It's been a rough few weeks, with your Dad..."
"Yeah," Sydney said quickly, busying herself with the file folder.
"Hey," Weiss gently poked her shoulder. "Don't let the guy from this morning know you had it delivered here," he said, grinning. "He'll be heartbroken."
"I wasn't flirting with him," Sydney insisted, giving Weiss a good-natured shove. She met his eyes and smiled, drawing in a deep breath. "I need to go talk to Dixon about this report. I'll see you later, okay?"
"Take it easy, Syd."
On her way to Dixon's office, Sydney ducked into the washroom and quickly locked herself inside a stall. Opening the file folder, she shook loose the gift card she'd slipped within the pages when Weiss had turned his head.
Sydney held the card in her hand, the smell of lavender tickling her senses as the words written upon its smooth, white surface brought color to her cheeks.
I can't stop thinking of this scent upon your skin.