This is for daydreamer2578, who is sick. She asked a while back why no one ever writes anything for Ellie and Devon, so in hopes of making her feel a bit better, I finally finished off this half-written follow-up to "Eleven Roses". It's un-beta'd, so all mistakes are my own.

Get well soon, DD.

x x x x x x x x x x

The sun was just peeking over the horizon when Ellie practically stumbled through the same front door that her brother not-quite-slammed barely thirty-six hours ago. It was just after six in the morning, and most decent people were starting their day rather than ending it. Ellie, however, had just finished her third straight night shift, so it was no wonder that her body was rebelling. Her arms and legs had turned to rubber, and her usually quick mind felt as sharp as a marble.

She dragged herself through the living room towards the kitchen, dropping her purse on the floor as she went. She'd been aiming for the coffee table, and it was a testament to her level of exhaustion that she wasn't bothered by the miss. Her plan was to slog her way through a bowl of cereal, try not to pass out and drown in the shower, and then crawl into a bed that was hopefully still warm from her husband, who was most likely already out on his morning run.

Ellie was so tired that she didn't notice the flowers as she passed through the dining room. She walked right by them on her way to the kitchen cabinet, where she grabbed a bowl and filled it with corn flakes. Putting the cereal box away, she promptly missed the flowers again as she went to the fridge. After drowning her flakes in skim milk, she stumbled back into the dining room, flopped down lifelessly in a chair, and picked up her spoon to eat. Lifting her eyes for a moment, she finally saw what was right in front of her, and the first bite of cereal never made it to her mouth.

Standing in a in a cut crystal vase not two feet in front of her were the most beautiful roses that Ellie had ever seen. There were at least two dozen of them, white with red tipped petals, surrounded by baby's breath and greenery. The effect was nothing short of breathtaking, and Ellie had stared at them for a full minute before she even noticed the card.

The red rose whispers of passion,
And the white rose breathes of love;
Oh, the red rose is a falcon,
And the white rose is a dove.

But I send you a cream-white rose bud
With a flush on its petal tips;
For the love that is purest and sweetest
Has a kiss of desire on the lips.

She was reading the card for the third time when a voice from behind startled her from her reverie. "Awesome poem, isn't it?"

Ellie turned to face her husband, who had obviously not gone for his morning run. He was still in boxers, but he looked to be wide awake, and Ellie guessed that he'd been waiting for her to get home before he left.

"Devon! What are these for?"

A sly smile drew itself on Devon's face. "Let's just say that I took my own advice."

Ellie's brows furrowed in confusion, so Devon explained.

"Chuck's been struggling through a bit of a rough patch with Sarah, so I helped him pick some flowers for her. Sort of a peace offering, but with the added bonus of using them to tell her how he feels about her. I figured that since I was at the florists anyway, I might as well get some flowers for my own special lady."

Ellie's face lit up. She bounced in her chair, all traces of exhaustion seemingly gone. "Did he give her roses, too? Tell me he gave her roses."

Devon shook his head and laughed softly. He really should consider writing those books. "No can do. I'm sorry, babe, but that's between the Chuckster and his lady."

Ellie's bottom lip pooched out, and Devon knew that the puppy dog eyes came next. Damn. He knew that he could never resist the puppy dog eyes, so he decided to give his wife just enough of a tidbit to make her happy. "I will say this, babe. I don't see how Sarah could stay mad at him after last night. Our plan was absolutely -"

Ellie cut him off. "Let me guess. Awesome?"

The surgeon quirked an eyebrow. "Well, I was gonna go with foolproof, but 'awesome' works, too."

Ellie smiled. She knew that she was being placated, but she could smell the beautiful roses on the table behind her, and she found that she didn't mind. She turned to look at them again.

"Devon, these are so beautiful. And I've never seen roses like them before! What are they called?"

The surgeon moved to stand by his wife, whose eyes had never left her flowers. "I'd never seen anything like them, either. Tony said he'd just gotten them in, first time he's ever had them. They're called Double Delight roses. I bought every one in the shop."

Ellie's eyebrows flew up. "Oh, really? Double delight, huh? I bet you thought that you could give me a bunch of flowers and get your own 'double delight', didn't you? Three straight night shifts and I'm exhausted, and you pull this little stunt!" She punched her husband in the arm, hard enough to make him flinch.

Devon was completely stunned by the sudden change in his wife. "Whoa, babe. It's not like that. I just wanted to -"

"Oh, I know what you wanted. I'll bet you thought that you could just lead me to the bedroom, that I'd just float down the hall after you, head in the clouds from the scent of roses in my nose. Well, you just listen to me, mister. I will NOT follow you down that hall."

Devon was puzzled. How had this gone wrong? How had he, the Zen Master of flower giving, miscalculated so badly? He stared at the roses, furiously trying to formulate the words for an apology, when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to find a wicked grin on his wife's face.

"I'll race you." Ellie sprinted towards their bedroom, giggling as she ran.

Devon watched her departure with great interest, amazed that Ellie could make even hospital scrubs look sexy. He smiled in anticipation, but he didn't immediately follow her. He found himself thinking about Chuck, and hoping that his roses had worked as well on Sarah. Chuck was more than a little clueless when it came to women, but he was a great guy, and an even better brother. If he wanted Sarah, then Devon would do everything he could to help him catch her.

Devon was brought back to the moment by his wife's voice calling from their bedroom. Thinking of the wicked grin that had been on her face, he headed down the hall to see if it was still there. When he entered the bedroom, he was greeted with a sight that robbed him of conscious thought.

Ellie was lounging on the bed. Her scrubs were in a heap on the floor, which left her wearing nothing but white lace panties and a California tan.

"You lose." It was supposed to be a taunt, but it sounded more like a purr.

"Oh, no, babe. From where I'm standing, I totally win. But I thought you were tired..."

The wicked grin returned to Ellie's face. "I am, Devon. Very much so. But there are some things for which this happily married woman will always find the energy, especially when her husband is so awesome. Now, stop talking and get over here."

Devon closed the bedroom door.

x x x x x x x x x x

The poem is entitled A White Rose, by John Boyle O'Reilly. Thanks to Poa for finding it when she beta'd Eleven Roses.

3/9/11 – Added back the section breaks and fixed a few errors.