Disclaimer : All characters are the property of Paxson Entertainment and Pebblehut Productions (with the exception of Johnny J, Old Man George and Grand-Aunt Katherine). The lyrics of the song are taken from You're Beautiful by James Blunt.
My life is brilliant.
My love is pure.
I saw an angel.
Of that I'm sure.
Bobby Manning clenched his jaw and pulled his coat closer as he crossed the icy and wet road. The District Capital's characteristic bitter winter was beginning to rear its ugly head. What I wouldn't give to be at my desk with a steaming mug of coffee, he thought as he followed his partner into the dodgy alley of M Street.
They waited for the slightly unkempt man to finish his transaction with a fellow street vagrant, who scurried away promptly when he noticed the well-dressed agents towering behind Johnny. "Breaking the parole condition, aren't we, Johnny J?" Dimitrius Gans asked, his breath coming up in white puffs.
"Oh, don't be shy now, mate," Bobby said, intercepting the smaller man when he tried to shut the trunk of his car. "A fine assortment of items we have here. Everything from the odd candlestick to bedspreads to electronic games cartridges."
"It's a yard sale," Johnny responded with an unconvincing nonchalance.
"Sure it is. Now if you'll begin your function as F.B.I. snitch," D indicated to the trunk. "This minor breach of parole will be kindly overlooked."
Although Johnny J was nothing short of cooperative with D thereafter, Bobby continued to rifle through the contents of in the trunk of the car as an added measure to pressure the snitch. Suddenly his eyes rested on a green rectangular object. Bobby's heart raced when he read the gold print correctly. "Hey, mate? How much for this old book?"
She smiled at me on the subway.
She was with another man.
But I won't lose no sleep on that,
'Cause I've got a plan.
The next morning, Bobby practically tripped over his long legs as he raced up the steps to the J. Edgar Hoover building. He flashed a bright smile at the security guard posted at the entrance, catching Old Man George by surprise.
As he waited for the lift, Bobby knew Old Man George had every right to be as startled. In the years Bobby had served with the F.B.I., the towering Australian was pretty sure that he had never reported into work so early and so happily before. He fished out a nicely wrapped rectangular object from his coat pocket. It had earned some strange stares from D yesterday.
"Who's the special person?" D asked. He chuckled at Bobby's surprised look. "I haven't been in the F.B.I. all these years without developing some powers of observation outside of the job. Now spill."
Bobby grinned, slipping the book safely into his coat pocket. "It's for a pretty special sheila."
D whistled. "A word of advice. Don't tell her you bought it off the street from a street vagrant."
"He assured me it came from his very valid and since bankrupted books store. And his records do point out that Johnny J had such a business."
"I know I shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but somehow I doubt Johnny J was much of a book worm, whatever his records may have said." He regarded Bobby with the look of a man whom had gotten his wife one too many wrong gifts. "You know, a classic like that would have been reprinted."
"Anyone can get reprints," Bobby said, cracking a knowing smile. "Early hardcover editions printed within the same decade of the first printing, now that's priceless."
"A book worm, eh?" D looked like he had a hard time imagining Bobby being interested in one.
Not that I was any less surprised, Bobby thought when he got out of the lift. He checked his watch, noting that it was around now that she normally clocked in. As he approached the bullpen, his grin faded slightly when he heard voices drift from it. He stood at the entrance, pressing himself closely against the doorframe when he saw her.
"Oh wow," Tara Williams said breathlessly. From where he stood, Bobby glimpsed her side profile and noted her well-chiseled features. Her eyes were glued to the object she had in her hands. "A leatherback edition of Pride and Prejudice! It's one my favorite books!"
"I saw it in an old bookstore in London on assignment," explained a slightly stuttering, awkward man with dark hair who stood directly opposite of her. He wore a shy smile. "I remembered how much you like collecting books, particularly editions that are older and harder to obtain."
"Thank you, Stanley," Tara said softly, tiptoeing to brush her lips against his.
Bobby turned away abruptly, his hands clenching tightly on the wrapped book. Despite the fact that Stanley was a nice man and a friend to the team, it still did not dull the pain he felt at the sight of them kissing. Bobby felt a wave of emotion wash over him.
How he wanted that to be the person who brought that dazzling smile to her face! How he wanted to show her that he remembered all those little things she ever told him about herself! But most importantly, how he wanted to kiss her again like they did after their 'accidental' date watching her favorite band, Mojo Go Go. How he wanted to make her see how much he cared for her in a way more than that of a normal friend.
Bobby looked down at the wrapped book sadly for a moment before he slipped it back into his coat pocket, his jaw set determinedly. Sometimes, Bobby, you don't get what you want, chided a voice inside him. Quietly, he slipped away before he was noticed by them – none the richer and twice as lonely.
You're beautiful. You're beautiful.
You're beautiful, it's true.
I saw your face in a crowded place,
And I don't know what to do,
Cause I'll never be with you.
Although there were times when the bullpen felt like his only true home, this was not one of them for Special Agent Jack Hudson. He suppressed a heavy sigh, feeling the pressures of the case building behind his eyes. Using his balled up fists, Jack rubbed his eyes tiredly.
"Aw, little Jackie boy is past his bedtime."
"Oh, watch it Koala boy. I think he might just throw a tantrum."
Before Jack could respond, a barrage of teases poured out. Obviously, everyone had found an avenue to vent their stresses and unfortunately, it was Jack's turn to be the butt of jokes.
"Or worse, he might call for his mother."
"Don't worry, D. I can get Mrs. Hudson on the phone in a snap."
"Maybe he's just hungry, Tara Tech. Hey, Luce, got any more coffee?"
"You mean warm milk, Bobby."
Jack's gaze bounced jumped from one to another as they bantered on good-naturedly. In all the years he had served with the F.B.I., he had seen and done a lot. He had been part of some of the most covert operations – some of which most people couldn't even begin to imagine. But most importantly, he had found a family in the F.B.I., even if it was a motley crew of people.
Firstly was his best friend Bobby Manning – a charmer, a prankster and an Australian – born and bred in a country the other side of the world. Opposite of him sat the antagonizing blue-blooded Myles Leland the Third of New England high society. Then there was the highly capable and occasionally awkward Tara Williams and the popular Lucy Dotson, office gossip extraordinaire and more-than-helpful-love-guru. Dimitrius Gans was the most senior agent of the team, a man who undoubtedly was on the verge of climbing up the ranks of the F.B.I. very quickly.
Jack's gaze came to a rest on the last member of the team – the golden-haired and golden-hearted Sue Thomas. Despite being a graduate of law, as articulate as Jack was, there were just no words to sufficiently describe the seemingly benign woman from a small town in Ohio, nor could he describe how he felt whenever he was with her.
Only the divine powers that be knew how he had tried to tell her so over the three years that they had been teammates. He couldn't understand why it was so difficult for him to communicate something special to someone he saw everyday who meant so much to him. Why had it been so easy with the others and excruciatingly difficult with her?
Even his dreams, Jack was pretty sure he could pick out her warm brown eyes from a sea of faces. Which was just as well, as the same pair was twinkling playfully, looking directly at him – catching him in the middle of an admiring stare, twisted into a far-off grin.
Yeah, she caught my eye,
As we walked on by.
She could see from my face that I was,
Fking high,
And I don't think that I'll see her again,
But we shared a moment that will last till the end.
Sweet dreams? she signed.
Jack's admiring grin faded into an embarrassed smile. Guess so, he signed back with a wink. And as suddenly as he had fallen into his reverie, Jack's defenses went back up and he returned to his work. He'd like more than anything to continue flirting with Sue. But they were in the office, working, as colleagues. And the Bureau had strict regulations against relationships of a personal kind between teammates.
Jack glanced up when a stack of files was deposited on his desk. "No way."
"Yes way." Sue gave him a wide grin. "You said you wanted everything on Dominguez. I left no rock unturned."
He shook his head, a pained smile crossing his face. She was obviously trying to get the better of him. "I can see that."
"I would have filtered the information a little bit more, but you were insistent to review the intel on Dominguez yourself," Sue explained, holding gaze with him as if to remind him not to repeat the earlier public display of his tendency to be overtly-protective-almost-insulting towards her. "You know," she said conspiratorially, leaning closer towards him. Her eyes twinkled. "I could be persuaded to help with this, for the right price."
Jack pressed his lips together in mock disapproval. "Lucy's beginning to rub off on you."
"Maybe. If that's the case, then you must also know what the right price would be."
Jack pondered on it. It would be the perfect excuse to finally go on a date with her. And judging by the work that would have to be done, it would be the kind of date he'd wanted to bring her on. He frowned. But there were two things were wrong with that. One, it would be the most public display of their growing interest to one another which was against Bureau policy. And two, going on a date on the basis of paying back a favor sounded very lame and very wrong to begin with.
Jack wanted to kick himself for what he was about to do. But as much as he liked Sue and wanted desperately to act on his feelings, he was also a man of immense principle. "You're supposed to be on a O.T. sabbatical remember?" Jack pulled the files towards him. He gave her his winning smile. "I'll be fine."
"The problem with you, Sparky," Bobby said, coming up to him once she had left. He looked at him pointedly before shifting his gaze to Sue, who was talking to Tara. His gaze softened, but only temporarily. "is that you think too much."
Jack pressed his lips together. "There's a saying, look before you leap."
Bobby shot his friend a warning look. "There's also another saying; time waits for no man. And I've come to learn over the years, that the same goes for women." And with that, the Australian slipped on his coat and rapped his fist on Jack's tabletop. "Good night, Sparky."
Jack watched the rest filtered out after Bobby – Dimitrius, Myles, Tara and Lucy. He turned his gaze to Sue, who was putting Levi on a leash. Despite his misgivings about the way he was handling this, it was clear that they shared something special between them, something that Jack was confident would only flourish with time rather than distort it.
Good night, she signed as she passed his table.
Good night, he signed back. As he watched her leave, Jack felt an unexplainable sense of peace replace the doubts that had surfaced from Bobby's words.
He couldn't explain it but he was sure the divine powers had other plans for them. They only had to play their part to continue nurturing their relationship and have faith that when they were ready, they would have the ability make the necessary changes and sacrifices in their lives to accommodate them.
You're beautiful. You're beautiful.
You're beautiful, it's true.
I saw your face in a crowded place,
And I don't know what to do,
'Cause I'll never be with you.
Myles Leland the Third was a man of many facets. To most who knew him, Myles was a hostile upper-classman who was as eloquent as he was sarcastic. He was confident, haughty, intelligent and undoubtedly, a very valuable asset to his employment. But unfortunately, the same could not be said of his extended family. To them, Myles was a misled relative who had overlooked his bright potential and privileged name to lead an ordinary life of an F.B.I. agent. He was like an outcast from the gene pool of a long list of academicians and lawyers.
And that was why, despite his refined upbringing and Harvard education, the usually well-spoken New Englander was reduced to an edgy, ineloquent man. Much to his chagrin, the discussion at hand centered on the budding political career of Grand-Aunt Katherine's grandson. Myles debated on making a hasty exit before he was drawn into giving his two cents worth. But to where? Wherever he'd go, he'd be stuck in some uneasy small-talk with relatives whom he strongly suspected were making mental notes of what he said so they could laugh it off with other relatives at Myles-the-Average-Joe.
Where is she? he thought desperately as he scanned the sea of Lelands – in all shapes and sizes imaginable. The only commonality between the hundred-odd family members present was that all were dressed magnificently; wearing the best cloths money could buy.
He was about to excuse himself to make a call when his roaming eyes picked out a striking woman who looked so outstanding while at the same time blended in with her surroundings so perfectly, it was an oxymoron even to himself. Myles couldn't help but take a moment to admire her, committing the image of her into his long-term memory.
"If you'll excuse me, Grand-Aunt Katherine, cousins," Myles said cheerfully. "There is someone I must fetch."
You're beautiful. You're beautiful.
You're beautiful, it's true.
There must be an angel with a smile on her face,
When she thought up that I should be with you.
"So how did you mess that up?"
Myles jolted out of his reverie and looked at her quizzically. "Excuse me?"
Anne gave him a You-Don't-Fool-Me look. She jerked her head towards the garden, where he had been gazing out at from his spot at the terrace. There was a lone figure walking about in the well-manicured garden, on the old stone pathway. "Lucy. Whatever happened between you two?"
"I find myself wondering about that for the last two hours," he admitted. "And FYI, I still don't know."
"Funny, I think you do," Anne said quietly. She turned to her brother, her gray eyes were searching. But when Myles refused to say anything further, she offered a faint smile in truce. "If it's any consolation, you have good taste. This is probably the first time the divergent Leland clan mass worshipped a non-religious cause."
Myles cracked a smile. "They have a name for it in the Bureau. It's called an occult."
Anne chuckled and leaned over to give her big brother a hug. "You two look good together. You really should have a talk with her. Now."
He watched his sister disappear back into the mansion – her words replaying in his head, reiterating what had been playing in the back of his mind. His gaze focused back on Lucy, who had reached the garden's stone fountain. Just then, a strong breeze blew and she looked over at his direction. As their gazes locked, with her silky hair and flowing dress billowing in the breeze, he was reminded of a lone maiden pining for her lost love.
Myles squared his shoulders and lifted his head high. It is now or never, he thought as he headed out towards her. His heart accelerated as the physical distance between them closed. The emotional distance however, was a separate matter and beyond Myles' guess.
"Good evening, Miss Dotson. May I be so bold as to offer you some company? Maybe I can persuade you to change whatever unfavorable impression you may have formed about the Leland name."
Lucy – who was seated at the edge of the water fountain's stone barrier – cocked an eyebrow, grinning devilishly at him. "I think you've got that in reverse. I have to say it was your extended family that forced me to review my impression of the Lelands."
Myles smiled faintly and looked down to the stone path, both hands in the pockets of his pants. His mind raced to carefully form a sentence from the string of words swirling around in his head like a hurricane. Slowly he raised his blue eyes to meet her teasing dark brown ones, his voice barely an audible whisper. "Do you really have an unfavorable impression of me?"
Lucy's smile faded when Myles didn't return it. She turned away abruptly and looked into the water that pooled from the fountain, focusing on her reflection. The look on her face was a mix of forlorn and amusement. Her reflection's smile deepened when a second reflection appeared next to hers.
For a few moments the once-lovers sat there, their reflections smiling at one another. Something within him stirred from its dormant sleep. In the deepest recesses of his heart, lost among many other forgotten secrets, his feelings for Lucy poked through like plants budding through the soil in springtime. The realization dawned upon a shell-shocked Myles and it showed on his face.
"Myles?" Lucy asked gently. When he didn't reply, she reached out and softly touched him on his shoulder. "Are you OK?"
Myles turned to her, the emotions etched clearly on his face as he raced to sort out his thoughts. The mental hurricane had suddenly escalated into a Category Five Twister. A flash of memories flooded back to him accompanied by waves upon waves of powerful emotions.
Myles drew in his breath sharply, his heart contracting violently at the unpleasant memories preceding their break-up. He shook his head, trying his best to put the lid back onto the can of worms he had mistakenly opened. It had been years since then and they had made significant progress to restore civility into their relationship from the days of the emotional cold war, but apparently the intensity had not waned, at least, not for Myles.
He gazed at her. Despite the public display of verbal and mental sparring, they were the first to resort to one another whenever they had a crisis. In their own way, both Myles and Lucy had become close friends. Was Myles prepared to risk something that proved to be the only silver lining from their turbulently dysfunctional relationship?
Myles opened his mouth but no words came out. He frowned. Did she actually look…hopeful?
Or was it just another case of him reading too much into things? He sighed silently, remembering back to yet again another significant memory. It was because of reading too much into things that things happened the way they did. And I promised myself I'd never go back there. I'd never cause Lucy or myself that kind of pain. I'd never put the team through that kind of hell. Not again.
Reluctantly, Myles resisted the urge to blurt out his feelings. Instead he came up with a safe compliment, hoping that the mix of his mastery of the English language and charm would disguise how upset he was. "If you must know, I was temporarily distracted by how well you complimented that exquisite white dress."
Lucy's jaw dropped open in mock indignation. "Don't you mean how well this dress compliments me?"
"After coming up with two hundred dollars for that, which may I add, you will be keeping, I am inclined to be more complimentary of the dress."
As she chattered on, Myles slowly felt his composure return and along with it, a certain frostiness that he suspected would keep his heart in suspension for the longest time. He felt a last minute surge of desperation as the magical moment steadily faded away, the nearer they got to the terrace. Wordlessly, he grabbed Lucy by the arms and leaned in to gently, but firmly, kiss her.
But it's time to face the truth,
I will never be with you.
When they pulled apart, Lucy gazed up at him, half-dreamily and half-indignant.
"Thank you for accompanying through what is the bane of my existence," Myles said softly, his face showing nothing more than gratitude.
"You're…" Lucy's gaze was still questioning. Finally, she flashed him a friendly smile. "..welcome."