Secret Admirer
by Mickey M.
© February 1997

Monday morning. Jim hated Mondays; he hated the morning part that much more. The locals spent all weekend whooping it up, and he had to wade through the resultant paperwork first thing.

This one already looked different though...there was something on his desk. He could smell the perfume...

"What the heck is this?" Was that a *rose* on his desk?

"What's it look like, Ellison?" Brown shook his head. "Been out of the game that long, pal?"

"You're funny. Ha ha." Jim sat down in his chair and picked up the card that went with it. It read 'To the man I love, from your secret admirer, love always' and it was signed "C". Who the heck was "C"? Jim started running through the list of women he knew who's names began with C. Carla? No. Cathy? No, she was...No. Charlotte? Nope, she got married last month. Well, okay...he'd wait it out--maybe it would come to him. 

"Morning Jim." Blair bounded off the elevator, as usual fairly bursting with energy. "I've got some new tests for us to try out later, if you've got the time today."

"Hey, Chief. Yeah, work schedule looks pretty light today. Hey, who do I know who's name starts with C?"

"C? Why?"

"Look at this." Jim handed the card over to Blair, a strange look on his face. "It came with a rose."

"A *rose*?" Blair laughed. "Who've you been romancin', man?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out. Either be helpful, or go away."

"Sorry, Jim. I don't know anyone with a ... Hey, what about Cindy?"

"She moved to Seattle last week, remember?"

"That doesn't mean she's not the one."

"I doubt it, Chief."

"Sorry--that's the only one I can think of."

"Well, never mind. Let's go run your tests."

"Cool!"

*****************************

Tuesday morning. Jim got off the elevator, and started shaking his head as he rounded the corner into the bull-pen. Blair was bouncing along next to him... //Where does he get all this energy?//

"Chief--I think you need to switch to decaf."

"Huh?"

"Never mind. Oh, no..." Jim spotted what his nose had been telling him for the last 500 feet.

"Cool! Another one!" Blair grabbed the card up, and Jim snatched it from him.

"I'll take that, thank you very much." Blair smirked at him as he opened it. This one read, 'For my one and only love' and it was signed, "H". H??? I thought it was C?

"Jim...is there something I should know about here?"

"Huh...What? No, no...I don't have any idea what's going on here. Okay, Sandburg...H's. Who do we --or I--know?"

Blair grinned. "Oh no, buddy. If you think *I'm* getting roped into this one..."

"C'mon, Chief. Help me out here."

"Helen?"

"No."

"Hannah?"

"No...do we know these people?"

"I was just coming up with names, Jim. Sorry."

//He doesn't look sorry,// Jim thought, scowling. Then he smiled. "Well, hopefully whoever it is will come forward pretty soon."

Blair smiled at him. "First time for a secret admirer?"

"In a while, anyway."

"Just look for people who look suspiciously happy."

"That would snag you, Sandburg, if I didn't know you were genetically predisposed to it."

Blair just shook his head. "You don't do frustration well, do you?"

*******************************************

Wednesday. Jim just smiled smugly at his fellow officers when he saw the rose this morning. He'd thought about it last night, and whoever was sending them was going to have to show herself sometime. Meanwhile, he'd just sit back and enjoy the ride. He opened the card. 'Have I told you how much I love you lately?' signed, "I". //God, how many names does this woman have?//

"Another one?"

"Got any ideas for I, Chief?"

"How about Inez from forensics?"

"Are you *kidding* me? Definitely not my type."

"Yeah? Well who's sending roses to who? Maybe you're *her* type."

Jim leveled a glare at his partner. "You're *not* helping, Sandburg."

"Touchy this morning, aren't we?"

"Don't you have something to do?"

"Not unless you do."

//Damn. How'm I gonna get down to the Forensics lab now?//

"Okay...um, why don't you..."

"Do you want me to work on some of those lab reports, Jim? You can take the other info down to the forensics lab--"

"God, do you read minds now, too?"

"Just faces, my friend. Go."

********************************

Thursday. Well, it wasn't Inez in forensics. At least she said it wasn't... //She didn't have to laugh so hard at me...//

Jim sighed as he looked at the rose this morning. It was so fresh the dew still clung to the petals. He reached for the card with some trepidation, and opened it like it was a bomb that was going to go off in his face. Maybe calling Taggart wouldn't be such a bad idea after all...

"Are you going to open it? Or just stare at it all day?"

"Chief..."

"Okay, okay. I'll sit down and shut up."

"Thank you." Jim slid his finger under the envelope, and pulled the card out. 'Any ideas yet, loverboy?' signed "E". Jim sighed again. "Blair?"

Blair looked up from his file. "Hmm?"

"E?"

"Oh, *now* you want my help?"

"C'mon here, Chief."

"Okay already. E...Ellen?"

"From accounting? She's married."

"Which doesn't preclude her."

"Get real, Sandburg."

"Well, apparently you're pretty hot stuff..."

"Blair!"

"What? Um, okay...how about...Elizabeth."

"From Vice? Get real."

"Emily?"

"Do I know an Emily?"

"Wait, wait...never mind. She's a lesbian."

"She is?"

"Jim, let's get back on track here, man. Can you think of anyone?"

"Nope. And she's taunting me now...look at this." He handed the card to Blair who examined it.

"Maybe you can sense her perfume from the card?"

"No...I tried that already. Nothing but roses."

"Sorry, big guy. I'm out of options then."

"Oh well. Tomorrow's Valentine's day...maybe I'll find out then."

"Yeah, maybe."

*************************************

Friday. Jim walked into the office, tired and grumpy. He'd been called out first thing that morning for a robbery-turned-homicide, and hadn't been in all day. Blair wasn't able to make the crime scene with him since he had a class that day, and Jim had had to concentrate a lot harder on eliminating the possibility of a zone out. He wanted nothing more than to go home, take his shoes off, and have a shower and a beer, not necessarily in that order. The scent of roses was much stronger today than it'd been all week; of course just about every woman in the office had flowers on her desk, too. He stopped short at the sight of his. There were a dozen roses sitting on his desk. He fell into his chair, and reached for the card that came with them.

'This should provide the final piece of the puzzle. I hope you don't mind too much...but I've wanted to tell you for a long time, and didn't know how. I love you. I'll be waiting at home for you...

F'

F? C-H-I-E-F... Oh, Shit! "Simon, I'm outta here for the day! Catch you Monday."

"'Bye Jim. Good work today."

"Yeah."

*******************************

Jim turned his key in the lock and walked through the door. It was dark in the loft...no, it wasn't dark...there were candles. Everywhere. He looked over at the table, and it was set with tablecloth, candle sticks, wine glasses... There was the scent of fresh bread and chicken parmigiana...and something else. He heard soft music playing in the background, and a gentle clinking sound coming from the kitchen. He walked further into the room, and called out,

"Chief?"

Blair stepped around the wall. "Hi, Jim."

"Why didn't you ever say anything?"

"I didn't know how. I mean, you're...*you*. I don't know. I just didn't feel like I could." Hesitant glance in his direction. "You're not mad are you?"

"Mmm. Come over here." Jim gestured toward himself.

"Why?"

"Just come here, please."

Blair walked toward him; Jim could hear his heart pounding. "Yeah?"

"Happy Valentine's Day, Chief." Jim handed Blair the single rose he'd been holding behind his back, then cupped Blair's face in his hands and gently pressed a kiss onto his lips.

~finis~

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