A/N: Another one of those one-shots that my muse won't leave me alone about. Anyways, yeah. If it seems kinda off, it's because I was bored out of my mind and tired to boot, so...hopefully, it works out. And CI's not mine.
The squad room was empty. It wasn't surprising, really, considering the fact that the workday was officially over .what was surprising was that I was still there. It wasn't that I didn't have a reason; I did. I supposed that one might have considered my reasons somewhat pathetic, but I didn't, and that was what mattered.
Besides that, the office wasn't going to pack itself. There wasn't a lot left, really. Most of it was already gone; a few things were left, and then it was over. Tomorrow was my last day; after it, the office would no longer be mine.
The things that were left were on the personal side more than anything; a coffee mug, a paperweight that one of my daughters had made however long ago…that sort of thing. There were a few pictures, most of them of my family, a few of them of the squad, but as I started putting them in a box to take them home, one of them caught my eye.
It had never been there before. The frame was new enough, but that wasn't what had my attention. It was the picture inside…one of the squad, but it for once, I was in it. All four of my lead detectives were staring at me like I was on something; I was glaring back at them like they were, and from the expression I was wearing, I could tell that I'd been this close to laughing at them.
It was this that made me sit back and stare. I wanted to know who'd taken this picture, and how it had gotten onto my desk, but unless I felt like playing detective, the answer wouldn't come. The feeling that I should turn the frame around and take the picture out settled over me, so I did. Something had been written on the back, in handwriting I recognized.
"We got Carver to take this one when we knew you weren't looking. Stupid, really, but there you have it; figured you might want one last picture of the lot of us, but if you don't, let us know and we'll take it back. And for the record: screw the department…for the moment anyways. We don't really care what they have to say; in our book, you're still our captain, and always will be."
The sentiments were definitely from Eames; she was the one who had written the message, but at the same time I had the feeling that the others agreed. For some reason, this made me feel a lot better than I currently did, which, to be honest, was no small feat. The squad had always been close, a makeshift family, even, and this…well, this was proof.
After all, it wasn't every squad that would willingly agree to be in a photo as candid as this one was…