A/N: Hello again! Tis the time of the season...why not, right? Enjoy...
A normal day in the lab, the early morning sun shone through the tall glass windows. Cops, lab technicians and others of the sort rushed, some more than others, preparing themselves for a busy day of "cops and robbers," grabbing coffee and warming up their breakfast.
Eric Delko was reaching for the last plain bagel to inhale quickly, while Natalia and Ryan sat quietly on the break room couch taking in the 3 minutes they had with their coffee. Yup, just another normal day in the lab.
…save for the Valentine's Day décor.
A sudden plop to the circular table caused the commotion of the break room to quiet down, Natalia rolling her eyes at the sight. Calleigh Duquesne, the southern blonde CSI, stood above the items she dropped, a bubbly smile upon her brightened face.
"Calleigh, I don't think most of the women will even want to see that," Natalia mentioned, pointing to the rectangular boxes filled with delectable treats smothered in chocolate.
"I know," Calleigh assured Natalia, still smiling, "but this is the only time I let myself indulge in treats like this, so…eat up." Calleigh happily presented her hands, showing off all four boxes.
"Wait a minute," Ryan chimed in, squinting his eyes in confusion, "I thought you indulge during Christmas."
"No, Wolfe," Eric stated, chuckling with a bit of bagel cheeked in his mouth, "it's Halloween when she goes all sugar crazy."
"Fine," Calleigh huffed, scooping the boxes into her arms irritatingly, "if you don't any, I'll just take them for myself."
"No!" the three shouted, almost in hysterics causing Calleigh to jump slightly before her previous smile reappeared.
"That's what I thought," Calleigh grinned casually before opening one box full of truffles.
"God," Natalia grumbled, rolling her eyes as she allowed her head to fall on the back of the couch, "is it really that time again?" Staring at the ceiling, she attempted to remember the last Valentine's Day that actually ended well. Nothing came to mind. Chuckling next to her, Ryan smirked at her behavior.
"What, no date?" he joked before receiving a gentle slap from the back of Natalia's hand.
"No," she stated reluctantly. "I think I'm gonna just spend the night with my sisters this year. Every guy I've ever dated during this holiday turned out to be jerks, anyway." Staring down at her coffee, Natalia noticed the awkward silence. "What are you joking about, Ryan?" she asked, hoping to change the subject. "Don't tell me you have a date," she smirked.
"Hey, I have a date!" Ryan hesitantly lied, eyes not quite meeting Natalia's perfect interrogating stare.
"Lemme guess," Eric chirped in, "Law & Order DVD set and a beer." The room quickly filled with laughter, each person desperately trying to stifle their giggles when noticing Ryan's raised eyebrow at the confident Cuban.
It wasn't that Ryan couldn't get a date; he just wasn't one of the most outgoing people on the team. It had been getting better over the years, but would always take a couple tries to even get him to join the rest for an after-work beer. In any case, Ryan decided a long time ago (perhaps after the Erica incident) that it would happen when it happened. There was no need to force himself into a relationship.
"Anyway," Eric stated quickly, hoping to pull on more strings. "What about that Christmas Angel of yours?" he inquired to Natalia, noticing Ryan's uneasy shifting on the couch. "You never found out who it was, did you?"
Eric smiled brightly, Natalia mistaking the grin for curiosity. What she couldn't see was Ryan attempting to mentality shoot Eric in the foot with his gun. What do you think you're doing, Delko? Ryan thought.
"Oh. No," Natalia stated, reaching her hand to the pendant that gracefully hung from her neck. She unknowingly smiled at the memory, her eyes lighting up. "I mean, I have suspects, but since no one has come forward, I figured he, or even she for that matter, is just shy."
"Suspects, huh?" Calleigh questioned, furrowing her brows as she savored on another chocolate. "Mind telling us who's on the list?"
"Now why would I tell the suspects who's on the list with them?" Natalia kidded, glancing up momentarily to see each person's reaction. She carefully met eyes with each person hoping to read any sense of hesitation.
Nothing, these CSIs were good.
"I'm kidding, guys," she chuckled. "But if you DO happen to know who it was, let them know I like chocolate from 'See's Candies' and pink roses," Natalia smiled cheekily, winking an eye jokingly.
"Hey, Natalia," Valera announced, stumbling into the break room, "I just got the results of the Baker case." Quickly, her eyes widened at the boxes on the table ahead of her. "Oh, are those chocolates?" she exclaimed, dashing over, mindless to her previous task.
"Valera, those can wait," Natalia reminded her as she stood up and shooed Maxine out of the room. Ryan sat quietly as Calleigh followed suit, leaving only him and Eric in the room.
"Didn't know you were the shy type, Christmas Angel," Eric joked, walking toward the threshold with a strut in his step.
"Delko, for the last time," Ryan stated, rolling his eyes, "it wasn't me."
"Sure, Wolfe!" Eric bellowed as he left the room.
Next morning…
"Hey, Chad," Natalia happily greeted the young blond officer at the receptionist desk. "Where's Paula?" she questioned looking around as she set her purse atop the long table.
"Oh, she's sick," he stated shyly with a large grin, handing over to the CSI the sign-in sheet.
"You don't seem to upset about it," Natalia pointed out as she reached for a pen to sign in.
"No, but then I wouldn't be able to hand you these!" Chad exclaimed, pulling out a box of chocolates wrapped in pink paper, a lovely color that matched the accompanied roses. Natalia's eyes widened at the sight.
"Chad, did you—?"
"As much as I wish I thought of this, nope." As Chad presented her the items, Natalia spotted a card attached the "See's Candies" edibles and gently opened the sealed envelope.
Dear Natalia, it read…
Delicious chocolates to match your beautiful eyes.
Never give up on love. It could always be closer than you think.
Love, Your Stupid Cupid
Smiling graciously, the brunette's eyes glimmered at the note, noticing the typed font save for the signed nickname of her secret admirer.
"When did this get here?" she peered up, asking the now quiet officer.
"Paula brought it by this morning," Chad answered, honesty evident in his voice. "She said it just appeared in the mail room early this morning." Silently, Chad watched Natalia as she continued to stare at the note, her thumbs carelessly rubbing the card. "Are you going to find out who it is?"
"Huh?" she asked, quickly coming out of her trance.
"The presents, are you going to find out who sent them to you?" he asked again curiously.
"Um," she began, carefully thinking over her answer, "I don't know."
A/N: Now, I have an entire story in mind for this, but I've yet to decide whether or not I want to continue it. Things have been getting super busy around here with a new semester for both the college AND the studio...so I'm a little tired! Hopefully after posting this, I'll finally gain the momentum and motivation to continue. But for now, I hope you like at least a "teaser" of a story... =).