**Story 10 in the Bobby/Tara series**Well, here we go.... Are you ready to fill in the blanks? I dated both of the other challenges so if you need to pop back over to them and fit them in... feel free! I just wanted to take a quick moment to thank you all for your support... I started my Halloween challenge just before my job ended so all of these stories have helped me to fight off depression and give me patience while waiting for the right job to come along. Well, I have it now and will be checking in with you... not from a library! So I do apologize if posting seems sporadic on this one, I won't be able to get to my upload point as frequently. But I promise to keep writing! Love you guys! Treenie- this one's for you.... To inspire... and give peace freely....

Welcome to your Feature Presentation.... Please silence your cell phones..... LOL
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Miracle: n. 1. An event or action that apparently contradicts known scientific laws and is hence thought to be due to supernatural cases esp. to an act of God. 2. A remarkable event or thing; marvel. 3. A wonderful example.



Friday 11/24… 3 AM … office building…

She flipped open the manila file sitting on the desk and exhaled loudly. She looked at her supervisor sitting across the desk in disbelief. “Are you nuts?” she asked. “You can’t possibly expect me to take on this much of an assignment…” she trailed off as her supervisor held up his hand.

“Listen, if you’d just look a little closer at the details, I think you’ll find that some very good groundwork has been laid by our good friends over at the GIA.” He said calmly. He studied his recruit carefully. “I don’t think I need to tell you how much you need this assignment to be successful. You haven’t been meeting your quotas.” He warned.

She took a deep breath and rifled through the documents again. “Can we actually trust the GIA’s asset this time?” she sighed. “You know what happened the last time I had to follow one of those… guys in on an assignment.” She rolled her eyes.

He chuckled. “Yes, dear. I remember. You can trust this one. He was very thorough. He had a great contact.” He reached across and pulled the background file out of her stack. “Her…” he tapped his finger on the picture of the pretty young woman. “And I think you’ll be pleased to know that success with this group, means a recurring assignment for them. There are some things coming in the future that they won’t be able to handle alone.” He raised a brow at her.

She grinned broadly, knowing that a recurring assignment was something that all her friends would be jealous about. “Really? A recurring assignment?” she hastily flipped through the pictures of smiling people, noting the happy faces. She looked back at him, eyes twinkling in the light from the desk lamp. “So, come on then. Let’s get moving! I need to know everything if I’m going to help them.” Her eyes narrowed as she looked at his smug look. “Wait…? This isn’t where you tell me I don’t actually get full free range with my methods is it?” She was known around the ranks for being fairly effective, but her unorthodox methods had cost her the completion of several assignments because the higher ups were unhappy that it was taking so long.

“Not at all.” He drawled, causing her to look at him suspiciously. “In fact, you absolutely have full control over this operation.”

“What, I have to have it all wrapped up in a week or what?” she said, sarcastically, certain that they were setting her up to fail.

He shook his head and barely suppressed his laughter. “I think you’re becoming a bit too paranoid.” He pointed out. “Really, this time is all you. Every move you make is your judgement call. You check in and update us once a week. They really want to see your methods work. You have such a knack for making things happen, but usually we don’t get the opportunity to allow you to take your time. You do have a deadline though.” He held up his hand to silence the protest he knew was about to come out. “You’ll like it though. You have until January 2nd. I’ll come to extract you on the 2nd, unless you complete the pressing assignments before then.” She nodded, wordlessly. “Don’t get lost in the details!” he cautioned her. “Remember that I said there is possibility for recurring assignment. You cannot avoid or fix anything that needs to happen to set up the future possibility.” He looked at her. “Can I count on you?” he asked, sliding the contract across the desk.

She looked at him and then down at the stack of papers in her lap. Biting her lip as she took the pen he offered, she glanced at the standard contract she was about to sign. She sighed and flipped to the back page. She looked at him; as if weighing what her job options would be if she said no. Slowly she nodded and a grin spread across her face. “Of course.” She said flippantly. “Who else would be crazy enough to take on this large of an assignment at this time of year.” She signed her name to the paper with an extra flourish and passed it back over to him.

“Good luck.” He told her as she stood and gathered the portfolio that he’d given her.

“Thanks… I think,” she said as she exited his office and headed for home. She was eager to start the assignment and she needed to spend a lot of time going over the file first.
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I'm intrigued. Looking forward to more!

the sequel ...

Looking good hun, can't wait to read more

since it's my birthday... I decided that you all need 'Party Favors'.... LOL So, here is a celebratory second post for today!
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11/24… 7 A.M. … Tara’s apartment.

Tara slowly became aware that she was uncomfortable and she was unsure as to how her pillow had gotten so lumpy. She patted it, trying to find a soft spot, when her hand was captured in a firm grip. “If you want this to remain civil, you need to stop Tara luv…” she heard Bobby hiss. Tara’s eyes flew open so quickly, she thought they’d rolled up like the window blinds do in the cartoons. Bobby laughed at the expression on her face. “What’s the matter? Forget that you invited me to stay?" he teased.

Tara rolled her eyes. “Of course not.” She said, darting her eyes to the side. “Just thinking that you’ve been working out too much… you’re a bit lumpy.” She poked him in the ribs, annoyed that he was laughing at her. “Besides, you should feel honored.” She said, flippantly. “I’ve never woken up in my bed with anyone in it.” she giggled at his expression as the truth of it dawned on him.

“Should I be relieved to hear that or wonder how many other beds you’ve woken up in?” he asked. At her hurt look, he slapped himself upside the head mentally. He reached for her and pulled her into a tender embrace. “I’m sorry. You know I didn’t mean it.” he whispered as he kissed her forehead. Tara nodded against his chest, unwilling to look at him. “Tara luv…” he called. “What else do you want me to say? I’m a guy…? I’m a colossal jerk?” he trailed off.

Tara raised her head and rested it on his chest. “You have a horrible habit of not thinking before you speak to me and should be severely punished?” she suggested, grinning at the horrified look that crossed his face.

“Um, sure?” he agreed hesitantly.

Tara giggled. “Snap out of it Koala Boy. At least if the idea of having to buy me breakfast is what you’d consider severe punishment.” She said. Bobby rolled his eyes. She snuck a quick look at the alarm and noted that it would be going off soon. “Oh yay!” she said, bouncing slightly on the bed. “My favorite part of the day after Thanksgiving is about to start… right… now…” Just as she said now, the alarm came on. Bobby was surprised to hear the jingling of bells leading into a song sung by a group. He gave her a puzzled look. “My favorite Christmas song.” She said, as if it was supposed to be obvious. She bounced out of the bed and danced around the room, singing along. She was gathering the things she needed for the bathroom as she danced and soon left him alone, listening to the song for what seemed like forever.

Bobby started getting annoyed by the song and sat up in bed, looking at the alarm clock. He frowned when he noticed she’d programmed it to play on a loop until the alarm was shut off. He shut off the alarm and groaned as he fell back into the pillows. It was starting out to be one of those discovery days about Tara and he wasn’t sure if he was ready for the journey.

Tara giggled to herself in the bathroom as she was out of the shower before he discovered the loop. She had wondered how long it would take for him to figure out the alarm was blaring the same song. “Score one for Tara luv.” She said to her reflection in the mirror as she put on her make-up and decided that a casual business day after a holiday deserved appropriate fun action and drew her hair up into a ponytail, securing it with a fluffy red and green scrunchy. She laid out a towel in case Bobby wanted to shower and grabbed her stuff. She strolled out of the bathroom humming her song. She looked at him lying on her bed, in a prone position with a pillow over his face as though he was trying to smother himself. “Well, if that doesn’t offer a girl a good insight of what she may be doomed to see on a daily basis, I don’t know what is.” She said, dryly, she was amused that he didn’t move a muscle when she spoke. She started to suspect that he’d fallen back to sleep and so judged the distance for her leap and pounced on him.

“Oof!” Bobby gasped as he was hit square in the chest with 130 pounds of Tara landing on him. She ripped the pillow out of his hands that he was holding over his face. He opened his eyes and narrowed them at her. “So this is a wake up call at your house?” he asked pointedly. “A simple snooze alarm wouldn’t do?”

Tara giggled. “You turned off the alarm.” She pointed out. “Is it my fault that you hit off instead of snooze?” She leaned down and kissed him. “Now, get up and take a shower if you want. I want breakfast.” She tapped him lightly on the head with the pillow she’d taken from him, and crawled off of him. She was rummaging in the closet when he hauled himself off the bed and swatted her on the rear as he walked by. “Hey!” she yelped, shooting him a glare.

“Next time don’t pounce before you look.” He said, whistling as he grabbed clothes for the day and headed into the bathroom. “Score one for Koala Boy…” he told his reflection as he turned on the shower and started to shave.

Tara was waiting for him by the front door when he strolled out of her bedroom. “Well, come on you silly Koala.” She said impatiently. “We do have to go to work this morning, not this afternoon.” She teased.

Bobby raised a brow at the two large shopping bags at her feet. “What’s that?” he asked, frowning. “Wait, is that song on again?” he asked.

Tara grinned. “I told you it was my favorite song.” She said, rushing over to turn off the CD player. She opened the door for him as he shrugged into his coat and beamed as he grabbed the bags for her. She locked the door and led the way to the cars. “Since you’re buying breakfast, I’ll drive.” She told him, leaving no room for argument, as his hands were full.

Bobby groaned slightly as she started the car and that song came on again. “Tara luv, do you have some strange fascination with this group?” he asked.

Tara shook her head and looked at him when she reached the first stoplight. “Nope. I just think that out of recent music groups, N’Sync and 98 degrees have two of the better Christmas albums. I prefer 98 degrees to a certain extent because it’s not so pop sounding. They did a lot of classic, a cappella, great songs.” She looked at him. “You don’t like the song, do you?”

Bobby weighed his answering options carefully. “I just don’t understand why so much of the same song so early in the season.” He said, slowly. “Aren’t you going to switch it over to your favorite station?” he quizzed her, hoping that she would and he’d be able to escape from the Christmasy world that she was trying to drag him into.

Tara giggled as she pulled into the Pancake House parking lot. “Boy, you really don’t listen to that much radio do you?” she quizzed him. “This of course is me, replaying my favorite season song, but switching to my radio station won’t work to get you away from Christmas music. They started 24/7 programming at midnight last night. They’ll play all Christmas all the time.” She chortled as they walked into the restaurant. Bobby rolled his eyes and brushed a kiss to the top of her head as he held her chair for her.
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That was great!


Funny!


And Happy Birthday!!!!!!!!!!!

They're so cute together!

yep my computer is being stupid again
and it wont let me quote..

so to Lorna...

()

Love it!

awwww very cute

and happy birthday have a fun day

Tara's got the bounce of a tigger and Bobby's a bit ish in the morning, isn't he?

kav

of course she's very tigger like....
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Bullpen… 5 P.M.

“So Myles…?” Tara asked as she pulled up her chair to his desk. “You told me to ask you again before we leave.” He gave her a confused look. “About Christmas music and the day after Thanksgiving…?” she prompted him.

Myles sighed and looked over to see Bobby smirking at him. “What, Koala Boy?” he snapped.

“Well, she has got a valid question, Mate.” He drawled.

“Yeah Myles. I suggest you answer it or we’re not leaving tonight.” Jack said.

“Fine.” Myles sighed again. “I believe your question to me was in regard to if it was too early in the season for Christmas music to be played?” he questioned, arching a brow at her.

Tara bounced in her seat. “Yep! You got it.” she said.

Myles rolled his eyes. “Do try to curb your enthusiasm Tippy. Not all of us can be expected to be as excited as you while it is still November.” He said. “With regard to the music…” he shrugged. “It doesn’t exactly inspire me to get excited. It is merely an annoyance of a reminder that shopping needs to happen quickly and therefore a waste of my time to listen to early.” He shoved some paperwork in his briefcase and stood up. “Now, if you’ll all excuse me, I have things to be doing.” He said, shrugging into his coat and stalking out of the bullpen.

Sue watched him leave with narrowed eyes. “Is it just me or was he more than typically annoyed with having to be here today?” Levi barked his agreement. He found that Myles had been exceptionally prickly today. He snuffed a little huff and lay down on the floor with his paws over his eyes.

Lucy laughed. “That’s right Levi. Myles was a little out of sorts today.”

Tara looked confused. “What’s there to be out of sorts with? It’s the first major day of Christmas!” she said, looking at Bobby.

Bobby chuckled. “Admit it Tara luv. Myles is going to be a big challenge for you this year.” He said. Tara just shook her head at him.

Jack nodded. “He is going to be difficult. I wonder what happened. He seemed to be in a good mood yesterday, what went wrong overnight?” he scratched his head.

D shrugged. “Maybe he slept wrong.” He suggested. He grinned at Tara. “So Tippy, are you volunteering to come decorate everybody’s houses as well or do your talents only extend to the bullpen?” he teased.

Tara rolled her eyes at him. “You know Donna does a fabulous job at your house. I think she might be hurt if you suggest I could do a better job.” She said, shaking her finger at him. “Myles did have a good point.” She said, staring out into the hallway where he’d last been seen.

Bobby nudged her with his foot. “What?” he asked.

“Time to leave.” She said, looking down at him with a grin. “So, does anyone want to have a ‘working’ dinner and discuss what we’ll actually be doing as a team this year?” she asked, cheerfully. Tara ducked as a multitude of paper wads flew in her direction. “What?” she asked, confused at their reaction. They all laughed at her and started to don their coats and scarves.

Bobby held her coat up for her to get into. “There’s plenty of time for that discussion.” He told her. Tara pouted. Bobby laughed at her and kissed the tip of her nose. “Oh, is Tara luv going to be in a bad mood all evening because nobody else wants to play her ‘reindeer’ games?” he teased. Tara looked up at him with a scowl. He arched a brow at her. “Shh, it’s ok. I have some things in mind for tonight that will make you forget all about them.” He waggled his eyebrows at her.

Jack cleared his throat behind Bobby. “You forget, Crash that not all of us can’t hear you.” He teased.

Sue slapped him on the arm. “Hey, I averted my eyes so I couldn’t eavesdrop on them. You should be just as respectful and not listen.” She chided him. Jack’s response was to grab her and kiss her soundly. Sue blushed and pushed away from him.

Jack smirked at Sue and pointed upward. “Mistletoe, Sue. Blame it on the mistletoe.” He said.

“Oh yes, Sparky, let’s just blame the innocent mistletoe for a reason to give your girlfriend a kiss.” Sue complained. “Way to make me feel like you want to kiss me.” She rolled her eyes at him while everyone laughed.

Everyone finished getting their things together and started to leave the bullpen. Bobby and Tara shared a quick kiss of their own under the mistletoe. They were startled apart at the sound of someone clearing their voice softly. They looked over towards the door. “Oh, hello.” Tara said, seeing the girl standing in the doorway. “Can we help you?”

“Oh no! I’m sorry to interrupt. I’m the new cleaning girl.” She said, sticking her hand out and walking into the bullpen. “Julie Angelica, nice to meet you.” She shook hands with Tara and Bobby. “I’m not supposed to be in here if you’re still using your office. I’ll just start with the conference rooms on this floor.” She started to walk out.

“Wait!” Tara said. “We really were just leaving. You can start cleaning…”

Bobby grinned and Julie had to grab the corner of the nearest desk to steady herself under the power of his dimples. “Well, since we’ve met and you know that we’re special agents, what about you?” he asked, curious as to why there was a new cleaning girl hired in the last week of November.

Tara’s eyes narrowed as she followed his line of thinking. “Not that we mean to intrude on your private life outside of here…” she said. “But you will be cleaning our office and we like to get to know our cleaning people.” She told her. “Would you like a leftover donut or anything?”

Julie shook her head. “No, I’m fine… Thank you though. What would you like to know?” she asked, stepping into the bullpen a little farther. She was a bit amused at the third degree. ‘What can you expect from Federal agents though.’ She reminded herself.

Bobby stared a little at this girl… erm woman that was undertaking such a sensitive job. He looked closer at her id badge, seeing nothing out of the ordinary with the FBI badge. “Whatever you’d like to share, luv.” He said, sitting down in his chair again, and motioning her to sit in Myles’s chair.

Julie smiled. “Well, I’m a junior at Georgetown, currently working on a BS in Biochemistry. I have a degree in Criminal Law from University of Washington. I’m hoping to obtain a position as a CSI someday.” She said. Tara and Bobby nodded; nothing wrong with being on the forensics side of the law. “I’m single and took the job here because I can use a little money to supplement my student loans and the hours are right for that. Oh and you can call me Jules if you want to.” She added quickly.

Tara smiled warmly. “Well, nothing at all wrong with that. We look forward to getting to know you a little better.” She turned and tugged Bobby from his chair. “We should let her start cleaning. We don’t get paid by the hour like she does.” She told him. “Jules, it was lovely meeting you.” Tara clasped her hand quickly as she headed out of the bullpen.

“Righto. Jules, an absolute pleasure.” Bobby said, shaking her hand again. He looked at her and blinked. ‘Why does there appear to be a strange glow?’ he wondered, shaking his head and blinking again. ‘Must be the lights reflecting off the tinsel.’ He rationalized, forgetting that all the lights were off except for the track lighting that lit up only the corners of the bullpen. He flashed a quick smile at her as he left to catch up with Tara at the elevator bank.

Jules waved a quick finger wave and watched him leave with a smile. ‘Oh, I’m going to enjoy this assignment, that’s for sure.’ She thought to herself. She looked down at her id badge and frowned at it, tugging it slightly to the right.

If Bobby had bothered to truly read what her FBI anagram said, he would have been quite surprised to see that it stood for Faithful Being of Inspiration, rather than Federal Bureau of Investigation. Julie smiled again and raised her finger to her lips and blew softly across it. In an instant, the room was picked up and Tara’s decorations had picked up an extra sparkle. She snapped her fingers and the lights went out as she left the room.
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Very lovely post

I wish you a happy birthday

since I'll be driving to Oregon tomorrow and don't know if you'll get a post before Sunday.... Enjoy!
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“So, what’s your big plan for tonight, Koala Boy?” Tara asked as they drove towards her place. She had taken pity on him and abandoned her loop tape in favor of the radio.

“Well, first off, you need to drive us to Gianni’s.” he suggested, delighted when her face lit up. She headed towards the restaurant. They had a lovely meal, Bella and Ernesto hovering nearby to make sure that everything went smoothly. They shared Tiramisu and laughed over coffee.

Bobby helped her into her coat and escorted her out of the restaurant. “So, Tara luv, what one thing makes you get into the Christmas spirit?” he asked. “And no, Christmas music cannot be your answer.” He warned her.

Tara smiled up at him. “How can you possibly ask me to narrow things down to one thing?” she complained. “Don’t you know I’m not that simple of a girl?” she asked, poking him in the ribs.

Bobby dodged out of the way of her finger. “What is it with you and poking my ribs today?” he complained, rubbing his side where her finger had impacted at least 3 times today.

Tara giggled. “See, I told you that you were lumpy. Obviously not in the proper place to guard you from my pointy fingers.” She looked up at him and smirked.

“Well, I think turnabout is fair play then, don’t you?” he asked, with a dangerous glint in his eye.

Tara gulped. She had no idea how to read him when he had that look in his eye. It usually meant bad news for the bad guys, but tonight? She had no idea. Hastily grabbing his hand, she wound his arm around her shoulders and wrapped her arm around his waist, grabbing for his other hand so that she could make sure he didn’t try and get her back. “Anyway… you were asking about my one thing…? Right?” she asked, quickly. He smirked down at her, knowing that he had her just where he wanted her. “Christmas lights.” She said.

“Really?” he asked. Tara nodded. Bobby grinned at her. “Well, I suggest that we take a look over here and enjoy.” He said, steering her off to the left. He chuckled when he saw her eyes widen and a smile take over her lips at the lighting display this particular neighborhood had chosen to put up this year.

“Oh Bobby…” she gasped. “They’re beautiful.” They walked up the sidewalk on one side; laughing and pointing out different aspects of each home’s display. At the center of the cul-de-sac there was a homeowner dressed as Santa. They stopped to compliment him on his home’s display. They chatted with him for a bit before moving on to cover the other side of the neighborhood. Tara sighed; she couldn’t have begun to dream that she’d be this happy during the holiday season. If you would have asked her last year, if there had been a possibility that she could be hopelessly in love with Bobby Manning? She would have giggled uncontrollably at the idea.

“Hey… where are you?” Bobby whispered in her ear. He was amazed at the peace that he could see pass over her face. Tara looked up at him and smiled a secretive smile. He returned the smile. “Come on Tara. What are you thinking about? Quarter for your thoughts…?” he offered.

“Are you prepared to follow up with that?” she questioned him. “Don’t offer me a quarter for my thoughts and refuse to pay up.” She teased.

Bobby made a big show of patting his pockets. “Sorry. No change… Tell you what, give me four of them and I’ll give you a dollar.” He offered.

Tara giggled. She turned fully to him and stretched up a bit to wrap her arms around his neck. “Tell you what… I’ve decided that I’m not into monetary gain for my thoughts. Trade you kisses for my thoughts.” She said with an impish grin. “And payment up front please… I know all about you and delaying to settle the bill.”

Bobby raised a brow at her. “You’ve been talking to Sparky again?” he shook his head. “You’ve got the wrong guy, Sparky’s the one who forgot the coffee back in October.” He teased. He lowered his head, intent on capturing her lips. She willingly offered her lips to him and enjoyed the kiss that he offered. Breaking apart at the catcalls that came from the other viewers on the street, he looked at her. “Ok, first thought please…”

Tara turned and they started walking again. “Fine, first thought… I was actually thinking about the fact that if you would have told me a year ago that you and I would be doing this…” she motioned to the light display. “Or that you and I would be in love… I would have dropped in the bullpen and rolled around on the floor laughing my butt off.” She said, seriously.

Bobby rubbed his hand over his jaw and slowly nodded. “I can see that. I think we all would have been a little taken aback to see what we’ve got going on with this team this year.” He said, thinking about Sue and Jack being together… finally… at Christmas time. He tucked her hand into his coat pocket as they walked back to Gianni’s parking lot to get her car. They went back to her place in silence; each involved in their own thoughts of the past year. When they reached her place, Bobby grabbed her and pulled her close for a goodnight kiss. “I think I should go now and head home. I love you Tara.” He said as they broke away.

“I love you too, Koala Boy.” She said, reaching up to press another kiss on his lips. “Second thought…” she murmured as she pulled away. “Yours.” She said simply, turning to head for the door.

Bobby snagged her hand and pulled her back to him. “Mine what?” he asked, confused.

Tara smiled and ran her hand down his cheek. “Your question this morning.” She told him. “You know, the one where you forgot to think first?” she prompted him. Bobby still looked confused. Tara rolled her eyes. “Do I have to remember everything around here?” she teased. “You asked if you should be relieved or worried about how many other beds I’d woken up in.” she reminded him of his thoughtless tease. “Yours is the only one I’ve ever woken up in.” she said, shyly looking up at him.

Bobby smiled in understanding. “Well, Tara luv… I am truly…. blessed. That whole thing would have come off a lot better if I would have known what you were talking about, wouldn’t it?” he asked. Tara nodded. “Well, I’ll have to work on that, won’t I?” He said softly, pressing a kiss to her forehead. She smiled up at him, brushed a kiss on his cheek and headed into the building. Bobby watched her walk into the building before getting into his car and driving home with a big grin on his face.

Great post! Looking forward to more!

Have a safe trip tomorrow.

Very sweet and lovely post.

Have a nice and safe trip tomorrow

Ack read this at work yesterday and my reply didn't get through. So -- I think Jules is suspicious in an kind of way! and I love Bobby and Tara together!!
kav

Suspicious? You think an agent who's a Faithful Being of Inspiration is suspicious? What did we learn about her during Christmas Carol? Surely you recall her timely appearance when Bobby was struggling with something? HMMMM? or is it the fact that she shares my actual name? Julie? Gotta admit... with a last name like Angelica.... she's the best... Who do you think she was following? she was following an agent of the GIA.... any guesses?
On a personal note.... I'd appreciate prayers for my dad... he's having some weird reactions to medication... he passed out in the bathroom early last Thursday and gashed his head on the heating vent, and further strained his back... already tweaked due to moving furniture for our Christmas party on Saturday... I hate it when any movement makes him seem old... he's only 62.
On a happy personal note... I think I'm having the BEST WEEK EVER! Start a new job... YAY! paycheck!, have a birthday... hold a baby! Yep, got to hold my sweet little man (My Cousin's 7 1/2 month old, Jacob) all night Saturday.... LOL... man of my dreams, he was drooling all over me and fell asleep in my arms! **Sigh**
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Thursday, 11/30… 4 P.M. … Bullpen

Tara looked around at her teammates. They were all checking their schedules. “So, what other ideas do we have for this holiday season?” she asked with a grin, popping a candy cane in her mouth.

Myles scowled. “Hibernate until after January 15th?” he suggested dryly.

Tara giggled. “As fun as that sounds…” she said. “Ain’t happening!”

The team dissolved into laughter at the look on Myles’s face. “I think we should have a cookie night.” Lucy suggested. “We could have it at our place and you could all come and help bake and decorate.”

Sue nodded. “We used to do that with our cousins growing up. Everyone would bring cookie dough or chip in to pay for the dough and then we’d bake and decorate everything and split it all up to take home.” She said.

“Cookies?” Bobby’s eyes lit up. “We… erm… we get to eat them too, right?” he asked hopefully.

D shook his head. “Trust that you’d be the only one concerned with whether we can eat the cookies.” He said, slapping Bobby on the shoulder.

“Of course, Bobby.” Lucy reassured him. “Donna and the kids can come too, if they want to D.”

“Great. Donna will appreciate it. When?” D asked, preparing to write it on his calendar.

Lucy and Sue threw out a bunch of dates, only to have most of them turned down by their friends. Finally, Myles had a suggestion. “Enough. Tuesday the 19th is the only day it will work.” He snapped. “Bobby’s no good for Sundays, Sue and Luce have things on Wednesdays. Our lovebirds…” he pointed at Jack and Sue and then at Bobby and Tara. “Have no interest in giving up Fridays or Saturdays, and D’s kids have commitments on Thursdays.” He motioned for them to all check that he was right. “Therefore, it’s the only day.” He jotted it on his calendar and snapped it shut.

“What about our community service requirement?” Jack asked. “Myles, you mentioned something on Thanksgiving about somewhere that Anne was considering?”

Myles shook his head. “Sorry. It didn’t work out.” He commented briefly. “We’ll need to find something else.” He inwardly winced at how cold his tone sounded.

Tara looked at him funny but let it slide. “We still have plenty of time to figure that out. Why don’t we wait and see what might fall into our laps next week.” She suggested. “If nothing else comes about, I have a contact with the Arlington Ladies. She’ll be able to get us in touch with some families who have just lost family members. There might be some kids who need some extra special love this Christmas.” She said, looking down at her desk and trying to chip away at a non-existent spot. Bobby’s eyes narrowed. He needed to find out the rest of her story before the month progressed too far. ‘Maybe we’ll still make sure that those kids get extra love.’ He thought.

“What are the Arlington Ladies?” Sue asked.

Tara smiled. “They’re a group of women who work with the Arlington National Cemetery. They started up a long time ago, when they noticed that not everyone being buried at Arlington had someone there to mourn for them. One of them meets with every family who comes through because sometimes it’s just a wife or one of the children.” Tara’s eyes brightened with the additional sparkle of unshed tears. “or absolutely no one because no one knew there was anyone to contact…” she mumbled as she trailed off. She blinked twice before continuing. “With all that’s been going on, I’m sure they’ve had some families in the area who are now facing a sad holiday season. It always takes a while for the paperwork to go through so money might be tight for their families.”

Sue smiled. “I think that’s a great idea.” She said. “We’ll give it a week and figure it out.” Levi barked, showing that he was all for the plan to wait.

“So the next big thing after cookies, is our Christmas day…?” Lucy questioned. “Anybody have plans on Christmas this year?”

Tara grinned. “I never have plans.” She said, causing them all to wonder what she usually did on Christmas. They couldn’t remember the last time any of them actually did anything with Tara on Christmas Day. Tara shot a look over at Bobby. “I guess I might need to make some this year, eh Koala Boy?” she teased.

“You got that right.” Bobby chuckled. “I don’t have any plans either…” he trailed off. “Except with Tara.” He said hastily. Everyone laughed again.

Jack took Sue’s hand. “And we’re committed to staying here. The weather has been too strange in the Midwest this month. Our team is up for anything major this month so if anything happens, it’s best to stay close.” He rubbed the back of her hand gently. Sue signed NO PLANS and continued to smile at Jack, her heart beating a little quicker that usual at the look in his eye.

Lucy turned away from them with a grin. “I’m visiting Grams on Christmas Eve. She has plans with her friends at the retirement community on Christmas day. So, I’m free.”

D shrugged. “You know us. Florida to visit Donna’s family is out of the question this year. So, we’ll be around.” He said. “What about you, Myles? Christmas at the cape again?”

Myles frowned slightly. “No, no plans this year.” He looked at his calendar again. “My place is big enough, why don’t you all come over to my place.” He offered, keeping his gaze down on his desk so he didn’t see the stunned expressions on their faces. He rarely offered to have them over and with his attitude lately, you could have knocked them over with one of Tara’s fluffy pens at his offer.

D cleared his throat. “Sounds great. Donna will appreciate it… someone else hosting that is.” He said. “Maybe she’ll be inclined to have a New Years Eve party instead.” He suggested.

One by one they all nodded and Tara spoke up for the group. “Myles, sounds like a great offer. We would all be honored to join you at your house on Christmas day. Let me know if you need any help with decorating, please?” she offered. Myles nodded wordlessly, kicking himself for making the impulsive offer.

They all started shutting down computers and shrugging into coats. D stopped by Myles’s desk. “Donna would be happy to help with the food.” He told him. “Send her an email if you’d like help with the assigning of food to people or with setting the menu.” He clapped Myles on the shoulder and left the bullpen.

Tara had hurried across the bullpen with small packages in her hand. “Sue, Lucy…” she said, holding out the packages. “I got these for you. I’ve always felt that you should have them to get through the holiday season.” She giggled as they opened them and found earmuffs. Sue’s were a beautiful shade of red that matched her scarf. Lucy was delighted to find a pair of lilac ones, matching her scarf.

They both gave Tara a hug. Sue stepped away and signed THANK YOU while Lucy whispered her thanks in Tara’s ear. Tara smiled and signed WELCOME YOU back. She went back to make sure she had everything she needed before going home. Everyone slipped away and out the door. She looked up at the sudden quiet. Tara couldn’t figure out how she was suddenly alone. A frown furrowed her brow as she remembered that Bobby had driven her to work today. “Great, give away earmuffs and end up being forgotten.” She muttered. She jumped slightly as an arm snaked around her waist and pulled her backwards.

“You know I’d never forget about you, Tara luv.” Bobby whispered in her ear as he lowered his lip to her neck. Tara shivered as he attacked her most sensitive spot.

“Bobby…” she groaned. He paused in his tantalizing administrations. “We need to leave before Jules gets here to clean. We shouldn’t be responsible for holding her back.” She said, turning her head to look at him. Bobby nodded and held her coat for her. She grabbed her computer tote and took his hand as they went to wait for the elevator.

Love this post!!!!
Though I am wondering what's happening with Myles, he is weirder than usual...

We're going to a Christmas party. At Myles house with all the gang!

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She looked around the empty bullpen. She’d started popping in when she was certain it was completely empty. Her restrictions on her job indicated that it wasn’t good to be face to face with the people that you’re trying to help very often. They might remember too much when they see you. She quickly blew across her finger and the room was cleaned. ‘Hmm.’ She thought. ‘I sense that there was a lot of discussion today… I should see what I can pick up.’ She sat down at Sue’s desk and held her hands over the desktop. Julie smiled as she felt the love Sue had for Jack and her teammates radiate up to her hands. She closed her eyes and moved her hands towards the center of the bullpen, wincing as she felt the stinging bite of rejection. She arched a brow as she thought about it. “Who’d reject Sue?” she mumbled as she tried to envision the direction that it had come from. Julie opened her eyes and smiled again, pulling out her checklist from her pocket. ‘Sue, doing fine… check.’ She thought. ‘They weren’t kidding about the job that the GIA operative did. He was good…’ her thought trailed off as she realized it was one of the first times she’d had such an easy start to an assignment.

Julie got up and wandered to Lucy’s desk and went through the same motions. She was puzzled as she felt the same sting of rejection, but even more puzzled as she felt the slap of envy hit her hands like it was a high five. ‘Lucy doesn’t seem to be the envious type.’ She thought, making a note to go over her file again when she got home. ‘There has to be something I missed from the GIA report…’ She chuckled to herself as she passed Levi’s bunny. Levi’s joy radiated from the bunny in such swirly waves that it tickled. She slowly made her way over to Jack’s desk, determined to check this little triangle of agents off of her list in a group.

She’d decided earlier in the week that Jack had a hard time making decisions. Everytime she performed the check on his emotions, she felt the wavering of indecision on the outskirts of the desk. She studied his desktop for a moment. If she felt in the direction of Sue’s desk, the love radiating to her hands was so powerful it was red hot and she always had to make sure she didn’t have blisters on her hands. When she went in the direction of Bobby’s desk, she felt the brotherly love he had for his friend. ‘There are deep ties between the two of them.’ She thought. ‘There’s an underlying bond that I can’t quite put a finger on yet.’ She was puzzled. Usually things were so clear they were crystal. But these two had been through a lot, she decided. She always chuckled over the protectiveness wall she ran into when she tried to read his feelings for Lucy and Tara. She got a respect vibe off of D’s direction. “Aha!” she muttered. “Now we might be getting somewhere…” She noticed that Myles’s direction had a definite prickle. ‘Jack’s worried about Myles.’ She thought. She’d have to take a closer look at the Harvard grad.

Her uneasy feeling about Myles didn’t go away as she surveyed the other’s desks. She got a kick out of Tara’s happiness and love bouncing around her desk when she focused on singling out Tara’s feelings for Bobby. D’s desk was more stable; he clearly entertained big brother feelings towards all his teammates. But his passion was evident when she moved her hands towards the pictures of his family. He was fiercely defensive and passionate about his family. She always enjoyed reading Bobby’s desk. His love for Tara was so overwhelming it was all she could do to keep her hands over his desk. He was so in love that she always had to sift carefully to even try and find anything else. Today, she was rewarded for her extra effort when she felt the ring of annoyance radiate from the direction of Myles. ‘Ah… so Myles was annoying today… but was Bobby annoyed with him because of something he said to Tara?’ she wondered, knowing that the reason why she had to sift so carefully is that Bobby’s love for Tara wound itself around all of his emotions towards everyone else tightly. She frowned. She wouldn’t get any answers about Myles until she actually braved his desk.

Julie approached his desk with extreme caution. The first time she tried to read his desk, she actually had welts on her arms from the defensive prickles that sprouted all over his desk. Her eyes narrowed as she sat down at his desk and timidly placed her hands in the position to start reading. “Well that’s a start.” She said aloud. “No defensive prickles today.” She smiled as she noticed just a little flickering tickle of amusement. ‘Ah, Tara made him laugh inside today.’ She thought when she recognized the feel. She moved her hands towards the center and pursed her lips as she felt the wave of sadness. It was heavy, very heavy sadness and it made her want to cry. Whatever was happening with Myles was making him extremely sad. She’d definitely need to go over his profile with a magnifying glass. There wasn’t anything that popped out and screamed that the man was sad when she first read it. She pursed her lips slightly as she identified his remorse towards his attitude to his teammates and she felt a slight surge of rage on the outskirts of his attitude. Julie shook her head as she stood up and blew across her pinky, making sure that all of the chairs were just as they had been left before she sat down. She had a long night ahead of her when she returned to the files. There was a lot that she discovered today that hadn’t been there before. Maybe when she read the desks next week, they’ll have sorted some things out, she consoled herself as she snapped her fingers, shutting off the lights before she continued on to the conference rooms

Wow, that was really interesting! Loved it! Looking forward to seeing where this story goes.

hmmm.... anybody out there?
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Monday 12/4… 10 A.M. … Bullpen

D strode into the bullpen, carrying a stack of files. “Look alive people. We’ve got a case.” He grinned as he saw all their heads pop up like prairie dogs coming up for a look see. “Tara… if you’d be so kind?” he handed her a flash drive. She grinned at him and worked quickly to pull the intel up on the screen.

“So, what are we working on?” Myles asked. “Gun running, terrorist threat…?” his eyes gleamed strangely as he anticipated the case.

D shook his head. “Sorry, you might be disappointed if you’re thinking it will be higher profile.” He smiled. The team gathered around and waited for the information briefing.

“Ok, so what are we doing, O wise one?” Jack asked.

“Well, you might not have heard about it yet, but if you’ve read the metro section of the paper today you probably did.” D said cryptically. The team shrugged, no one had paid that much attention to the metro section. “Ok, so here we go. Tara? Is it ready?” he turned to her.

“Yep, one second…” she grinned as the details popped up on the screen.

“Bell ringers, dressed as Santa have been out and about for the last two weekends with collection buckets for the Salvation Army. You might have noticed them.” D said, dryly. The team snickered and nodded. “They count on a large part of their holiday funds through those collection buckets. But so far, this year, they are struggling. Mostly due to the fact that they have lost 4 buckets a weekend, over the last two weekends. I can’t stress to you enough how important this is that we assist with stopping the robberies.”

Myles looked confused. “But why isn’t Metro PD taking care of the case?” he was puzzled and a tad bit annoyed that such a dinky case would be dumped on them.

“Great question Myles.” D said. “And I’m glad that you asked it. Anyone else want to guess as to why we are taking the case?” The team looked at one another blankly and exchanged shrugs.

Tara had been taking a closer look at the intel they’d been provided. “I know!” she said, excitedly. D turned to her expectantly. “No details.” She said, highlighting a section on each report. “No witnesses, no description from the bell ringers who had their buckets stolen, absolutely our type of case because there is no intel. It’s basically a cold case before it starts.” D beamed at her.

Sue piped up. “And Metro PD wouldn’t have the same sort of snitch, erm, informant base that we do, therefore making it more difficult for them to track anyone down.” D signed GOOD JOB to her, as that was another reason that they were handling it.

“And most likely, someone higher up in the bureau wants to save the FBI image by having us solve a charity case.” Lucy summarized.

“Oh, of course, there’s always that!” Bobby drawled, giving Lucy a wink. “Isn’t that strange though? These drongos, steal the buckets in broad daylight but no one can even begin to describe him?”

Jack frowned. “Seems odd to me. 4 buckets a weekend that’s 8 different bell ringers, right?” Tara nodded. “So, how did that work out?”

Tara looked at the reports again. “Ah, great question. And I believe this is our answer.” She zoomed in on part of the report from the Salvation Army. “As you can see here, each bell ringer was hit towards the end of the afternoon. They’re usually out in pairs or trios, but on each of these street corners, they had a volunteer group with them. High School Key Club members. There were two of them for every one bell ringer. They had to leave at a certain time and there was still an hour before the bell ringer could leave.” She frowned. “Looks like he got bold yesterday.” She commented. “No volunteers and two actual bell ringers. He must have been desperate.”

D pursed his lips and rubbed his hand over his chin. “So, let’s see what we can find out. Start contacting our people and find out what they know. We need to see what we can do, later this week… we might need to figure out a cover assignment for this weekend. Ho Ho Ho and all that jazz my friends.”

“Happy holiday’s indeed.” Myles scoffed. He was quite fed up with holiday spirit. As far as he was concerned those infernal bells that the bell ringers rang should be outlawed because they were annoying.

“Ah, cheer up Harvard.” Bobby said. “Your heart will still be two sizes too small at the end of the week.” Myles scowled at the implication and turned his nose in the air and walked back to the coffeepot.

Tara was overtaken by a sudden fit of the giggles. “Oh, that’s just too funny.” She wheezed. “You’ve given me the perfect idea for this case.” She turned to her computer and typed frantically trying to find what she was looking for online. Bobby stopped by her desk on his way to the coffeepot, when Myles had gone back to his desk, and leaned down to look over her shoulder. “What?” she asked, looking up at him. “Can’t a girl have a moment or two alone with her computer?” she asked, grinning.

“Depends on what’s happening.” He teased, looking down at her and smiling bigger because of how cute her nose was when she scrunched it up.

“Well, stay away.” She warned. “I might be shopping for your present.” She giggled. Bobby rolled his eyes at her and dropped a kiss on the top of her head before going on to the coffeepot. ‘Tara, you are a genius. You do need to hurry and get his present before it sells out.’ She grinned as she thought about the look in his eye when he got his gift. She could hardly wait for Christmas to get here.

Great possibilities here! I love when the team is all together! I'll be around for more!

Great line!

This sounds like it's going to be fun!

I loved Jules' insights into the individual members of the team. I hope she can help Myles because it's make me feel a little blue that he's a little blue. Verysoon I'll be belting out Blue Christmas and crying buckets and it won't be pretty.

kav

payback for making me cry in utter happiness at your last set of fuzzies, Kav?
It will get better for Myles... it just has to get a smidge worse? first....
***********************************************************************

Wednesday 12/6… 4:45 P.M. … Bullpen

The week was dragging slowly. They were all working their informant lists again. Bobby had an informant that described only seeing green as someone ran by quickly. Sue had spoken with Howie and he told her that no one was stepping up and bragging about knocking over the bell ringers. One of Jack’s informants commented that it was highly unusual that no one would claim this yet because all the street dealers and informants hated this time of year. When your business is dealt with outdoors… bells ringing really throw a wrench in your plans of increasing your business.

Tara had made good on the idea that formulated when Bobby had thrown Dr. Seuss in Myles’s face on Monday. She’d slipped off to the copy room earlier in the afternoon and came back grinning broadly. Bobby caught her around the waist as she crossed the bullpen, files in hand, and demanded payment for a mistletoe toll. “Bobby!” she yelped. “You know this whole thing hinges on the cornerstone agent behaving properly while on the clock!” Tara swatted at the hands that held her captive.

Bobby just chuckled and raised her up slightly so her feet weren’t on the floor any more. “Aw, come on Tara luv. It’s the holidays. And all policies are overridden in the terms of mistletoe toll. How many times have we seen Jack kiss a blushing Sue under the mistletoe the last couple of years? They didn’t have a waiver on file until now.” He reminded her. She looked up at him and sighed. “For that matter, how many times have you and I been stuck under the mistletoe and been forced to pay up before Harvard would let us enter the room?” he grinned.

Tara grinned back. “Fine… I feel I must answer your questions first. We’ve seen Jack kiss Sue under the mistletoe… 3 times on the cheek… 3 times on the other cheek and twice on the lips.” She shot a glance over at a blushing Sue and shrugged, signing SORRY. Sue giggled. “And you and I…” she sighed. “Have been stuck under the mistletoe only once where Myles wouldn’t let us in. If you wouldn’t have made him kiss Levi…” she glared up at Bobby.

Bobby chuckled. “Hey, I’d almost forgotten about that. Hey Myles!” he called over to his desk partner. Myles looked up at him. “Levi wants to know when you’re going to meet him under the mistletoe.” Levi barked almost as if to confirm. Myles scowled at Bobby and looked back down at his desk. Bobby looked back down at Tara. “We’ve only done that once?” he quizzed her. “I could have sworn that there were a few more mistletoe moments.” He thought hard about their past years on the team.

Tara turned around in his arms so she could look him in the face. “Silly Koala Boy.” She murmured, raising her hand to trail it down his face. She could hear him inhale and hold his breath. “You asked how many times we were forced to kiss by Myles. That’s only happened the one time.” She smiled sweetly at him. “I’d be happy to jog your memory about the other 27 times later tonight.” Her voice lowered seductively. “Much later…” Bobby nodded, cheeks coloring slightly. “But if I want to share anything that I have in these files, I’d better settle up this mistletoe toll then, huh?” Bobby nodded again, finding himself without the ability to formulate words. Tara reached her free hand up and wrapped it around the back of his neck before trailing it down over his shoulder and skipping over to his necktie, giving it a swift tug. She smiled at him as she tugged his head closer to hers before claiming his mouth with hers. They kissed for several moments as their teammates gaped at them. The wave of love that radiated from them was enough to warm even the corners of the bullpen.

Myles looked up, confused by the sudden silence. His eye fell on Bobby and Tara kissing under the mistletoe in the middle of the room. “Oh come on now!” he snapped. “Is this the holiday dance at the high school or is this a bullpen at the FBI?” He threw the file he was holding down on his desk and stalked out of the room.

Bobby and Tara broke apart following his outburst, slightly embarrassed to have triggered such a reaction. Bobby rested his forehead on Tara’s as they tried to compose themselves. “Wow!” Lucy said, walking closer to the center of the room. “Talk about power of love.” She grinned. Turning to Sue, she said, “Guess we should have hung the mistletoe in the center of the room sooner.” Sue grinned and agreed.

“So Tara, what was it that you were coming back to tell us?” Jack asked, grinning at his friends.

Tara took several deep breaths and stepped back from Bobby. “Huh?” she asked, looking over at Jack.

D grinned. “Your files that you were so anxious to share with us?”

Tara looked down at her files. “Oh, right” They laughed to see her flustered. “Anyway… we need something to go on here so I’ve created the following case aids until we can secure an accurate detail about this guy.” She stepped over to the white board and tacked up an 8 x 10 picture. “Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the Grinch.” She bowed as they all laughed.

Jack shook his head. “How in the world did you come up with that?” he looked at her admiringly, studying the color print of the original Grinch artwork.

Tara giggled. “Bobby made me think of it on Monday when he told Myles that his heart would still be two sizes too small at the end of the assignment. It fits really… He’s stealing Christmas from someone.” She said soberly. She turned back to the board and listed the few things that they did know about the Grinch.

Myles slipped back in the bullpen and snuck over to his desk. Levi came and placed his head on Myles’s knee, sensing that the agent could use a little non-human comfort. Myles rested his hand on Levi’s head and patted it once or twice before he looked up at the board. “The Grinch?” he asked. “Oh, I don’t know. Do you really think he’s a mean one?” he quizzed them, flashing a brief smile. “So, getting back to actual business, what are we going to do about our remaining problems?”

Lucy frowned. “What remaining problems?”

D nodded. “I believe he’s referring to how we’re going to capture Mr. Grinch before he steals everything from Whoville and what we’re going to do so that we can meet the FBI’s community service requirement.”

“That’s what I said.” Myles looked annoyed. “Our two remaining problems.”

“Why don’t we offer to replace the bell ringers with FBI agents and their family members?” Sue suggested. “Tara said earlier that each bell ringer had been accompanied by another bell ringer or other volunteers like the high school service club.”

Jack nodded. “If we could get enough agents to volunteer we’d be able to be in several areas at once. We don’t actually know where he’ll hit.” He looked over at D. “Do you think we’d be safe to swing it with family members?”

D pursed his lips. “I don’t see why not. His pattern seems to be later in the afternoon and he’s taken advantage of the main bell ringer. No one else has been endangered. Even with the one on Sunday it was bell ringers.” He smiled at Sue. “Great idea. I’ll go bring it up and urge full participation because we need help with this one to cover more areas. Tara, see what you can do about trying to pinpoint a location, we’ll want that set of street corners for ourselves.”

Tara nodded as she set about to see if she could map the probabilities of where he’d gravitate towards this weekend. “You know, I was thinking we should use Santa codes instead of Sam codes this weekend.” She commented as her eyes scanned what she was pulling up.

Lucy giggled. “That would be unique.” She said. Sue looked at her with a confused look since Tara was looking at the screen and not at her. Lucy smiled and signed S-A-N-T-A CODES.

Sue smiled. “Very fitting for this time of year.” She looked down at Levi. “Don’t you think?” Levi barked twice. “Ah, yes. We’ll have to see about getting you a Rudolph code.” The girls dissolved into laughter.

Tara grinned. “I think if the plan is approved, we’ll need to add Elf codes for any non-FBI adults and reindeer codes for others.” She smirked. “Gotcha Mr. Grinch.” She muttered under her breath as she jotted down the downtown area that their team would claim as their own. Bobby smiled as he noticed the flush of her cheeks. She always got such a rosy glow when she was starting to see a plan come together.

D came back in to the bullpen, grinning from ear to ear. “Well, we are on! Garrett convinced them to get volunteers to cover the full area that they are expected to have bell ringers in on Saturday. Given Mr. Grinch’s penchant for hitting on Saturday and on Sunday, we should be able to have everything back to normal on Sunday.”

Tara bounced up from her desk. “Great!” she said, excitedly. She went back up to the whiteboard and started to list their new codes for the weekend. “D… See what Donna thinks so we can get codes assigned for the family, ok?” D nodded as he started to grin when he saw the Santa codes.

Myles looked up at the codes and frowned. “Are you kidding me? An assignment is not the place for frivolity.” He huffed.

“Aw Myles, lighten up or we won’t let you have any roast beast.” Bobby teased.

Myles scowled at him. “Watch it Koala Boy.” He warned as he glanced at the clock. “What do you know, 6 PM. Time for all good residents of Whoville to be making their way home.” He said sarcastically as he gathered his things to go home.

They all watched him leave. Bobby frowned. “Is it just me or is he just a bit off?” he asked the room in general.

Jack shook his head. “If we didn’t already have a Grinch I’d be tempted to suggest that Myles be changed from Santa to Grinch.” He said with a smile. They all chuckled as they secured their computers and the intel so that they could go home. They continued the easy banter as they made their way to the elevator and out to their cars.

I loved the Santa, elf, and reindeer codes. That sounds like them. Tara and Bobby's mistletoe kisses . I wonder what's up with Myles?

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

Bobby looked at Tara when they reached the car. “So what’s up for tonight?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at her suggestively.

Tara grinned. “Don’t get me wrong here, but I have this inexplicable urge to watch ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’ and maybe have some roast beast.” She giggled.

Bobby grinned back. “Sounds like a plan. And I believe you also said you’d tell me about the other 27 times we’ve been under the mistletoe together.”

Tara shook her head. “What am I going to do with you?” she asked.

Bobby pouted. “But Tara… it’s my favorite holiday story.” He whined. “Blame it on the Mistletoe. Starring Koala Boy and Tara Luv.”

Tara slapped his hand. “Find me something to use as roast beast and we’ll write that story as we go along.” She grinned at him.

“Done.” Bobby said, fervently. He grabbed her hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it as they headed to the store to pick up dinner.

After a dinner of roast chicken and dressing, Tara and Bobby settled down on his couch to watch the movie. Bobby gently rubbed her back while they were watching, distracting her every once in a while when he stole kisses from her. “Tara luv…” he whispered. “When are we going to write our story?” he prodded her.

“Shh!” she whispered. “I’m watching the movie.” Tara turned her head up to look at him. She grinned at the pout he had on his lips. “Maybe you need to kiss me more. I’ll be more inspired to tell you the thrilling tale of Koala Boy and Tara Luv under the mistletoe.” She suggested, her words silenced as he eagerly accepted her offer and tried to make her forget she was watching the movie.

Bobby groaned slightly as he pulled away, reluctant to break the kiss, but even more reluctant to let it continue. “Have I told you how much I love you today?” he asked, gently brushing her bangs away from her forehead.

Tara smiled. “No.” she said. “I think we need to work on that.” She trailed her hand down the side of his face. “Although, I’d have to say that kiss under the mistletoe today was a very good show of how you feel.” She pressed a quick kiss to his lips. Bobby grinned. “Let’s see. I promised to tell you the story of our other 27 kisses under the mistletoe, didn’t I?” she asked.

“Yep. You sure did.” Bobby nodded. “Has there really been 27?” he asked.

Tara nodded. “Absolutely. I… um… I used to count them.” She looked down at her hands. “I used to figure that if the only way I could ever get that close to you and actually ‘deserve’ a kiss was under the mistletoe, I’d better keep track so I could always remember them.”

Bobby looked at her with a steady gaze. “Does it help to know that with every single one of them, I wished I could have the right to kiss you without mistletoe?” he asked, tilting her face up towards his again.

Tara’s eyes filled with tears. “Even when she was here?” she whispered. Bobby nodded, tears coming to his eyes. Tara smiled. “You sure do know how to make a girl feel cherished, Koala Boy.” She sighed. She turned her attention back to the conclusion of the movie.

Bobby’s arms tightened around her and he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. ‘Dear God… we wasted so much time…’ he thought. ‘Lord only knows how we manage to catch the bad guys… we don’t move very fast off the clock.’ He chuckled. They watched the rest of the movie in silence, merely enjoying each other’s company.

When the movie ended, Tara stretched and turned towards Bobby. “It’s late.” She said simply, looking at him. She said nothing further and made no move to get up from the couch. She simply waited for him to provide the indication of what she should do.

Bobby smiled. “Yeah, it’s late.” He agreed. His eyes wandered over her face, settling on her lips. He watched as she licked them. “Stay?” he asked, allowing her to make her decision.

Tara considered the offer; ‘was it really an offer or a question?’ she pondered. She watched as his eyes settled on her lips. “What’s for breakfast?” she teased. “I have to know so I can make an informed decision.”

Bobby grinned. “Whatever you want.” He shot back at her. “We can pick up stuff on the way in or I think I have supplies to make muffins if you’re so inclined.”

Tara pursed her lips. “Well, since I did put things into my drawer space and in your closet… I guess I should take advantage of the preparations and stay…” she was cut off by the crush of his lips on hers and she smiled against his lips. She moved her head back. “Was that a thanks for staying here?” she asked. “If it was I’ll have to think about staying more often.” She giggled. Bobby laughed. “So, it’s been a long day and I think I’d like to go to sleep really soon, if that’s ok?” she asked.

“Absolutely.” He said. “Go ahead and get ready. I’ll be right in after I pick up the living room and set the coffeepot.” He kissed her again before she got up from the couch. Bobby watched the love of his life saunter her way into his bedroom to grab her pajamas and get ready for bed, before he hauled himself off the couch and finished up the things he’d said he was doing. Hoping he’d given her enough time, he wandered into his room. He smiled as he saw her sitting cross-legged on the bed. “Hey!”

“Hey yourself.” She replied, watching as he gathered his night things and disappeared into the bathroom. Tara was very secure in knowing that their relationship was strong. It had to be if he could stand staying over at her place or having her stay at his without ever moving beyond the kisses and make-out sessions. She had to pinch herself on a daily basis to make sure she wasn’t dreaming him up. Not many guys would put up with a girl who had a strong abstinence policy. She should know, they’d all run away from her through college and early in her career. In fact, the only ones who hadn’t run were Stanley and Bobby. ‘No, sorry Tara, you can’t lump Stanley in that category. It would be unfair to Bobby.’ She realized. Since Stanley had only been willing to stay with her and remain ‘pure’ … because he was making his assistant pregnant at the time. Tara snorted. Stanley and Sheryl had recently gotten married in Chicago so that their baby, due sometime in February, would have Stanley’s last name. ‘Good riddance Stanley.’ She thought, frowning. ‘And good luck Sheryl, why in the world do you think he’ll stay with you and the baby? He already cheated on me with you because I wouldn’t sleep with him.’ A tear rolled down her cheek. As an only child who’d grown up in less than perfect conditions, the one thing Tara wanted more than anything… well, at least as much as she wanted to be loved… was to be a mother. She wanted a baby so badly. She just wasn’t willing to compromise her beliefs to obtain one without the love and support of its father. She sighed heavily. She could wait…

Bobby entered the room in time to hear her sigh. He crawled up on the bed behind her and folded her into his arms. “What’s up luv?” he whispered. “That was a pretty heavy sigh.” He kissed her temple.

“Just thinking.” She mumbled. At his look, she continued. “If you really must know, I was thinking how lucky I am to have found you. I’ve never dated anyone who was willing to be so patient with my beliefs. Even Stanley chose to sleep with his assistant rather than wait for me. Did I tell you that they got married?” she asked, searching his eyes for the acceptance that she needed to see. Smiling when she found exactly what she was looking for mirrored in his eyes.

Bobby smiled. “Yes. You did. But no more thinking about Stanley. It’s a good thing he’s in Chicago.” He growled menacingly, making Tara giggle. “I thought you were tired.” He teased.

Tara yawned. “Now that you mention it…” she grinned and slipped under the covers. Bobby smiled back and carefully separated the sheet from the comforter and slid in between the two. He turned off the lights and pulled her into his arms. Tara sighed and snuggled in closer to him. “Night, Koala Boy… Love you…”

Bobby bent his head and kissed her lips, tasting the minty tingle of her toothpaste. “Love you too.” He said, pressing a final kiss to her forehead before sleep claimed them for the night.

Hey... ***taps on monitor** anybody in there? guess I write things so moving that you all were stunned typeless.... LOL **clears throat** I do like reviews you know... and I know you all don't live around me so your power didn't go out at 10:45 last night like mine did.... and hasn't come back on yet..... thank goodness for jobs at the power company right? they're bound and determined to have power so we can talk to people who have been out of power for much longer than me.... oh well... I know you still love me.... on with the story.... and if I get reviews... you might get more posts... I didn't realize I had more ready to go....
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Friday, 12/8…. 5 PM…. Bullpen…

Tara stopped by Bobby’s desk. “Sue, Lucy and I need to get some things to help with tomorrow’s cover. So we’re going to dinner and then shopping.” She looked at him. “Is that ok?”

Bobby grinned. “Sure. But I thought we were decorating your place today?” he quizzed her.

“Right.” Tara frowned. “Tell you what. Take this…” she slipped him a key chain. “And start without me. I should be home by 8 or 9 so we can finish decorating together.”
Bobby took the key chain and looked at it before looking at her. “And this is to get me in your house without needing to be buzzed in?”

Tara smiled. “Yes. It’s yours… if you want it.” she said, shyly. Bobby grinned and pulled her to him for a quick kiss. “I take it that you want it?” she asked, dryly.

“Thank you.” Bobby said, resting his forehead on hers. “I know what kind of courage it took for you to give me this.” He told her. Tara smiled again and pressed a kiss to his lips. “Have fun with the girls. I’ll be waiting for you to help finish decorating.” He watched her walk away and join the girls before he gathered his things and headed for Tara’s.

They had decided that they wanted to have dinner at Wong Foo’s before hitting the store to pick up the things they needed to outfit the team. They had a great time, chatting and laughing over dinner. “So Tara…” Lucy started. “How are things, really?”

Tara grinned. “Great.” She said, looking down at her plate. “Bobby’s perfect.” She sighed.

Sue giggled. “No, Jack’s perfect.” She teased.

Lucy rolled her eyes. “You both are darn lucky to have such perfect guys. So stop rubbing it in.” she complained.

“Sorry Luce.” They chorused, giggling because they’d managed to say it at the same time.

Lucy got a devilish gleam in her eye. “So, tell me Tara. Do you dream of rings?” she looked innocently at her.

Tara blushed. “No rings yet.” She took a sip of water. “There’s been a yard full of kids with blue eyes and dimples, though. And strangely enough there’s a little blonde girl with dark chocolate eyes.” She said, looking at Sue.

Sue blushed. “Really…?” she looked back at Tara. “Gee, I wonder who you know who could have one of those some day…”

They all giggled and settled the bill before moving on to the shopping center. They didn’t notice a glowing shimmer had settled itself on Tara’s shoulder and was accompanying them. They quickly found the Santa hats and Elf hats they were looking for. Sue found the cutest pair of reindeer antlers for Levi. “Cool. I think we’ll be the best dressed unit on the corners.” Tara said. “Hey, you know… we should get a pair of antlers for Davey and Tanya too. We gave them reindeer codes too.” Sue nodded and grabbed a couple more pairs. They checked out and decided to wander the shopping mall before heading home.

Sue stopped at the Tiffany’s window. “Look Tara. Can’t you just see one of those on your finger?” she pointed to the 2 carat diamond rings in the back.

Tara giggled. “Those are a little large for me. Look at my hands, they’d topple over if I had to carry 2 carats of diamonds on it.” she looked over the rest of the rings, lips pursed as she thought about the ring she’d like to see someday. She pointed to one, “That one.” She said decisively. “That’s the right size, it’s a gorgeous setting and it just seems right.” She said softly.

Sue and Lucy looked at the ring and nodded their heads. “Looks nice.” Lucy said. “I can just about see it on your finger.” Sue giggled and signed BEAUTIFUL. Lucy nodded. “I agree.”

Tara rolled her eyes at them. “Yeah, but can you really sit there and tell me that Bobby’s going to honestly ‘read’ my mind and pick out the exact same ring we’ve looked at today?” she giggled. “Forgive me if I don’t think he’s that much of a mind reader.” They giggled with her and they moved on to go get in the car and take Tara to her house.

The shimmery glow floated to an alcove hidden from main mall view. Julie suddenly formed into existence and walked back through the mall to Tiffany’s. She took a very careful look at the ring Tara had selected. “Perfect.” She murmured. “It would really look well on her finger.” She grinned. “I’ll just have to make sure that he proves her wrong about the mind reading.” Julie traced a square the size of a box on the window, framing the ring within the square. She tapped it lightly twice, whispering “Make sure you shine brightly when Bobby comes here.” Before she walked out of the mall, into the crisp December night.

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so if you haven't read it yet... this would be where you could check out my SS... Holiday Inn....

The story is wonderful. I love the magic that's happening!

I really love your story!!! and I wonder when will bobby ask her

sorry to those in Canada.... weather reports are saying our stormy weather is headed north and possibly east... so Alberta folks... hang tight.
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Saturday 12/9… 7 am … Tara’s

Bobby slowly opened his eyes and groaned as he felt the stiffness in his neck. He looked around at the boxes scattered around the living room and grinned. Tara still had her decorating to do. He lowered his gaze to watch the love of his life sleep in his arms. She had her face buried in his chest and had grabbed a fistful of his shirt as she slept. He still couldn’t believe that the woman in his arms was the lonely little girl he’d agonized over when he was growing up. He couldn’t wait to tell his mum. Bobby’s eyes narrowed slightly as he recalled the extra chores he’d been made to do because of how he’d torn up the family room after he read her letter about being tied in her chair at school.

Tara blinked her eyes open. She smiled as she felt Bobby’s arms around her, and relaxed her grip on his shirt. She looked up at him; a little worried when she saw the pensive look he was wearing already. “Hey.” She whispered.

Bobby looked down at her and smiled. “Hey there beautiful.” He said, moving his hand to slowly stroke the back of her head.

“Why so pensive… so early?” she asked.

“Just remembering the extra work you caused me.” He told her, leaning down to press a kiss on the top of her head.

“What extra work?” she asked, puzzled because they’d not had any extra work on this case.

Bobby grinned. “Nuh uh. You know the deal. Kisses for thoughts.” He teased.

Tara grinned and raised herself up to reach his lips. She pressed a quick kiss to his lips and giggled at his scowl. “You already started to tell me. You only get the discounted price for your thoughts.” She said.

Bobby rolled his eyes. “Fine.” He said, kissing the tip of her nose. “My mum made me do extra chores because I tore up the family room when you told me about the teacher who tied you in the chair all day.”

Tara pursed her lips. “So you were always looking out for the less fortunate, even when they were half a world away?”

Bobby smiled. “I guess I always knew it was in my best interest to look out for you.”

Tara’s eyes softened and she smiled up at him. “Good thing.” She commented. “It always made me feel better to write stuff down and mail it. No one else ever knew any of that stuff I wrote you.”

Bobby stifled a yawn. “Guess we should get going if we’re going to meet everyone on time.”

“Do we really have too?” Tara moaned, wishing they could stay in all day and enjoy each other’s company.

“Yes, Ms. Santa.” Bobby teased. “Myles will change all the codes back if you’re not there.”

Tara made a face. “Fine.” She sighed. “You can get ready first.” She offered. “I can make some muffins.”

Bobby grinned. “I love your muffins!” he exclaimed happily. He brushed a quick kiss on the top of her head as he moved away from the couch.

Tara smiled at his back as she watched him navigate the boxes in the living room. She stretched her back out before going into the kitchen to mix up the muffins for breakfast. She flipped on the CD player and soon was singing along to her favorite Christmas album.

Bobby stood in the doorway and watched her bounce around the kitchen. She stopped suddenly when she saw him standing there and blushed. “No need to stop on my account, Tara luv.” He crossed to her side, and pulled her into his arms. “Is this that group again?” he asked, recognizing the sound.

Tara nodded. “My second favorite Christmas song on the album.” She said, resting her chin on his chest as she looked up at him. “Muffins are in the oven, if you find anything else in the fridge or cupboards that you want to go with them, go ahead and help yourself.” She told him, stretching up to kiss him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling his head down to hers so that she could deepen the kiss.

Bobby willingly participated in the kiss. She’d been getting bolder in her explorations during their make-out sessions. Who was he to stifle the creativity and sense of adventure that Tara was discovering? “Tara…” he gasped, untangling himself from her grip. He panted slightly as he looked at her with desire.

Tara was having her own difficulty breathing. She colored slightly as she realized how she’d been acting. “Um… sorry.” she offered up. Surely it couldn’t have been easy for him to maintain his control.

“No need to apologize, Tara luv.” He said, brushing a kiss to her forehead. “Why don’t you go get ready while I see what else there might be to go with the muffins.”

Tara nodded and slipped out of the circle of his arms and went off to prepare herself for the day. They had a long day ahead of them waiting for the Grinch. When she came back to the kitchen, dressed in warm layers, she was surprised to see that Bobby had whipped up a couple of omelets for them. “Wow.” She said, looking at the plates he’d prepared. “Looks great.” She smiled at him as she sat down.

Bobby grinned back at her. “You’re not the only one who can make breakfast in a snap.” He teased, taking a bite of his muffin. She shook her head at him, but didn’t say anything since her mouth was full. They enjoyed their breakfast and worked together to clean up the kitchen. Noticing the time, they grabbed their things and headed out to meet up with the team at the bullpen.

ITs ok hun, Calgary will probably get it first P. And its Alberta we are pretty use to the cold, and sometimews wacky weather )

it's saturday and a really good thing i get paid on fridays... my car door lock system has decided to no longer work on my driver side door... translation: car will not be secured! additional translation... i now have to figure out how to add a locking system. i wonder if an auto locking system will work in a car that currently is not working... on locking that is.... **shrugs** merry Christmas to me! I guess...
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Saturday, 12/9… 9 am… bullpen

Tara and Bobby walked in, slightly later than they’d expected to. When she saw the scowl forming on Myles’s face, Tara quickly raised the basket she was carrying. “Sorry we were running late.” She said. “But I brought muffins and we stopped and got a container of coffee to go so we don’t have to drink swill.” She quipped. She looked over at Donna. “We got a couple hot chocolates for Tanya and Davey.” She said.

Donna grinned back at her. “That’s really sweet of you.” She said, coming over to give Tara a hug. “Muffins huh?”

Tara grinned widely back. “My personal secret lethal weapon.” She murmured. “Bobby’ll do anything if I make muffins for breakfast.” She shared a giggle with Donna as they grabbed muffins from the basket and sat down to await final briefing.

D cleared his throat and pinned a withering gaze on his children. “Ok, as most of us know, we are going out today because we are hoping that the Grinch tries to steal Christmas from one of us so we can put an end to this.” He grinned. “But we’re also here as a reminder. A reminder that Christmas isn't always about what you get, it’s about what you give.” He arched a brow at Tanya and Davey; they looked down at their feet. “So let’s go have fun and protect Whoville.”

Lucy cleared her throat quickly. “As you can see by the board, Tara assigned the radio codes yesterday and we figured out who would be paired together on which corner. Sue and I thought it would be nice if we handed out candy canes to any children that contribute to the buckets. Please take several boxes of candy canes. We brought enough so they should last through the day.”

“Whoo Hoo!” Bobby howled. “I love candy canes!”

Tara mock glared at him. “I thought you loved my muffins?” she teased.

Bobby’s only response was to pull her in for a quick kiss. “I do!” he said, grinning. “But I love candy canes too.”

Tara rolled her eyes and tried to extricate herself from his grip. “Humph. I guess I’ll have to work on a new muffin recipe. Hey Donna, do you think a chocolate chip muffin could handle being spiked with crushed candy canes?” she called across the bullpen as she struggled with Bobby.

Donna grinned at their antics. “Sure, Tara honey. I’ve been known to spike my brownies with crushed candy canes. Right, Dimitrius?” she asked her husband, noting the slack jaw and trail of drool that was starting to form because she’d mentioned candy cane brownies. Donna laughed and nudged him with her arm.

D shrugged and wiped his chin. “Yep.” He said, grinning. “Think you could scare some of those up anytime soon?” he murmured as he pressed a kiss to her temple. Donna smiled softly and nodded. D pulled her into the center of the bullpen. “You haven’t been in yet this year. The girls decided the middle of the room was more fun than doorways. If I may be so bold as to collect a mistletoe toll from you?” he asked, gently brushing the hair back from her forehead. Donna could only nod as D bent his head towards hers and captured her lips in a gentle kiss.

“EWWWWW!” Davey and Tanya chorused from the corner of the bullpen. They were embarrassed that their parents would kiss in public. Tara and Bobby grinned at them and ruffled their hair when they went by.

“Ok, we should get going then, right?” Jack asked, looking around at his friends.

“By all means.” Myles muttered as he took a hat from Lucy. “I’m not wearing this.” He complained.

Lucy pinned him with a threatening glare. “Yes, you are.” She said firmly. Myles frowned and opened his mouth to protest further. Lucy’s eyes narrowed. “Myles Leland… So help me God, you are wearing that hat if it’s the last thing I ever do. We are sidewalk Santa’s. You have to wear the hat. You can choose, bell ringing or candy cane handing out. But… You. Are. Wearing. That. Hat." She punctuated the last 5 words with a well-placed poke in his chest. She glared at him, daring him to contradict her and argue.

Myles glared back and turned away muttering. “I can arrange that it’s the last thing you do…” he jammed the hat on his head angrily and stalked down the hall.

Sue looked after him with an amused expression. “I don’t know Luce. He’s most likely trying to figure out how to make the hat be the last thing you ever do.” She looked over at Lucy. “Are you sure you’re up to handling our own resident Grinch and making sure that he does his best to apprehend the other one?”

“I don’t know Sue. I honestly don’t know.” Lucy said softly, looking in the direction that he’d gone in. “I have no idea what’s wrong with him.” She grinned. “Maybe a few well placed questions will have him singing his tale.” Sue giggled as she agreed.

They all placed their hats on their heads, picked up buckets, bells and candy canes, and left the bullpen. They hoped that they would be the team to apprehend the Grinch but were pleased with the turnout. They’d have a 20-block radius around their block covered with agents who were volunteering their time and Saturday off to help catch the Grinch. Once in position, Tara was delighted when it started to snow. There was something peaceful about snow covering the earth, she thought as she handed out candy canes and took her turn ringing the bell so Bobby could hand out candy canes.

I had a lot of catching up to do! Tara and Bobby are so sweet together. I wonder what's up with Myles? You're going to tell us soon, aren't you?

I raced to catch up too! Love Bobby and Tara together! Lot's of able moments!

kav

Loved the B/T moments

I just caught up. I'm a J/S fan but I'm enjoying this story so much! Bobby and Tara are so cute together...
What's Myles' problem? Does he feel alone? A little envious, maybe?

Can't wait for more.

Ornella

don't you just hate writers block? Even I don't know what's wrong with Myles yet. **Sigh** he's just so closed mouth.... He doesn't confide in me the way Bobby does....
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Saturday 12/9… Gianni’s… 6 pm

Tara reached for another slice of pizza. “So, Mr. Grinch…” she trailed off with a puzzled look. She bit the tip off of her pizza and chewed thoughtfully. Bobby grinned at her and covered her other hand with his. “I don’t understand.” She said.

D grinned at her. “It appears that Mr. Grinch was denied assistance by the Salvation Army this holiday season. He decided that they should pay and he was entitled to what they were making in the collection buckets.”

Tara frowned. “So he thought he should just take it from other people?” she asked.

Myles nodded. “He definitely decided to help himself.” He said dryly. “Can you believe the nerve of that grinch?”

Sue giggled. “If there was ever someone who’s heart was two sizes too small, I think it’s the guy we got today.” She said. “He’s got a screw loose somewhere.”

Jack grinned. “But thanks to the quick step and quick draw of Myles, he’s locked up without any collection buckets today and enjoying a very dry roast beast.” Levi barked to punctuate the joke.

Myles rolled his eyes. “Would it be to much to hope that he chokes on it?” he asked.

Lucy looked scandalized. “MYLES!” she yelped. “I can’t believe you just wished that he’d choke.” She glared at her corner partner. She arched a brow at him. “What is wrong with you?” she asked pointedly. “You’ve been at odds the entire holiday season so far. Today…”

Myles interrupted her. “Lucy, what happened on our corner before his grinchiness showed up stays on that corner. I do not intend to discuss anything with you here.” He sniffed. “Can’t a man obtain any measure of privacy? Since when does being part of this team mean that you have to remain chipper and cheery at all times? Since when does it mean that you are required to bare your soul for all to see at any given whim or fancy of someone else?” he blustered, pushing back from the table. “I bid you all a pleasant evening. I’ll see you on Monday.” He said as he grabbed his coat from the chair and stalked out of the private dining room.

They watched him leave with concerned and puzzled looks on their faces. “Well, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say that Myles has been attacked by some rabid dingos.” Bobby mused.

Sue nodded. “I don’t know about the dingo part of it, but he’s been attacked by some sort of holiday cheer sucker.” She said, with a smile.

“Yeah…” Lucy muttered. “Somehow I don’t think that D was that far off when he said Myles wasn’t on the nice list.” She glared at the slightly swinging door of the dining room.

Tara giggled. “He’ll work it out. Maybe he just needs to get a good nights sleep.” She said. She looked at Bobby. “Sounds like a great plan.” She smirked.

Bobby smirked down at her. “I couldn’t agree more. I spent too much time pulling boxes down off your closet shelf last night.” He teased. She glared up at him. “And then, we didn’t even decorate.”

Jack laughed. “What? Crash, you were over there all night. Tara told you to start decorating without her. Why didn’t you decorate?”

Bobby looked down at Tara and wordlessly asked the question. She nodded and smiled. “Tara had a box of memories from when she was a kid. I got distracted by the contents of the box and didn’t actually get to the 15 boxes of decorations.” They laughed. “So you see, Sparky… I didn’t have time to decorate.” He smirked at Jack.

Sue grinned. “Sounds like a great box to be distracted by. What was in it?” she asked.

Tara grinned. “Oh, just the typical things. Martin mouse, a memory catcher with my second grade picture in it, one of those toothpick snowflake ornaments.” She shrugged. “You know, typical things you keep from grade school.”

“Martin mouse?” Lucy asked, perplexed.

“He’s this little mouse in a walnut shell cradle.” Bobby said, shrugging. “He’s got a Tigger blanket on if it makes you realize our Tippy’s character any better.” He grinned down at her and pulled her into his arms. “But Tara, you haven’t mentioned the most important part of the box.” He reminded her, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

D raised an eyebrow. “Ok, now I gotta know. What’s so important that was in the box?” he asked, putting his arm around Donna as they stood talking with the group.

Tara grinned wider. “Oh, just the usual. Letters from grandparents and friends after I moved to Seattle.” She looked coyly up at Bobby. “Letters from the pen-pal I had from 2nd grade until I moved to Seattle.”

“Oh! A pen pal… how exciting.” Sue said. “I remember my pen pal.” She frowned. “I wonder if I still have any of her letters.” She mused.

Lucy grinned. “I still have mine. I used to tell him all sorts of things that I didn’t tell anyone else.”

Tara grinned back. “Me too. My pen pal was privy to all sorts of secrets that no one else knew.” She shrugged slightly. “I guess I figured it didn’t matter what I told him because he was half a world away.”

“Really? You had an international pen pal?” Jack asked. “That’s really cool. What else do you remember about him?”

Bobby chuckled. “What doesn’t she remember about him.” He teased, pulling away slightly to avoid her attempt to poke him in the ribs.

“Wait… I’m sensing something fun here.” Donna put in. Her eyes narrowed slightly. “Tara honey, what else can you tell us about your pen pal?”

Tara sighed. “Oh, he was fantastic. He was two years older than I was. He lived with his mom and stepdad.” She giggled. “Did I mention he lived in Australia and had a pet dingo?” She looked around at them to see how long it would take them to pick up the clues. She was half-afraid that they’d figure it out quicker than she had.

They all looked puzzled. Bobby pressed another kiss on the top of her head. “Don’t mean to interrupt your thought processes, here people.” They all looked over at him. “But is there anyone else that you know who is two years older than Tara, lived with his mum and stepdad… grew up in Australia and had a pet dingo?” he grinned.

Sue’s eyes got wider as she put 2 and 2 together. “No Way!” she gasped. Jack looked at her and pulled her closer.

Lucy looked over at Donna and they together looked from Sue to Tara and then back at each other, eyes widening. Bobby chuckled as all three of them looked at him. Jack and D narrowed their eyes, trying to figure it out. “You mean…?” Lucy could barely think straight enough to put together a string of comprehensible words.

Tara grinned and nodded. “Yep.” She said. “That’s exactly what he means.” She leaned her head back and stretched up for a kiss. Bobby gladly bent down and pressed a kiss to her lips.

Jack looked back and forth from his girlfriend to his best friend. “You two?” he asked puzzled. Sue grinned and signed BOBBY TARA PEN PALS. Jack’s eyes widened and he grinned at Bobby. “So you’re a man of destiny now?” he teased.

Bobby raised a brow at his best pal. “If by man of destiny you mean looking out for Tara for practically our whole lives, then yes. I used to have to do extra chores after I’d get one of her letters. Something would upset me and I’d go nuts in the family room. Mum used to get so upset.”

They all chuckled over Bobby being that hot tempered as a kid as they gathered their belongings and left the restaurant. They stood outside for a while, chatting while they waited for the cars to warm up. With a final good night and quick hugs all around, they got into their cars and pointed themselves towards home.

Loved the reactions of everyone towards it.

Poor Myles, he has me worried. Maybe Lucy should go after him and make sure everything is all right. What? We all know that Bobby and Tara and Jack and Sue will be otherwise occupied the rest of the night.

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Sunday 12/10… Tara’s … 3:30 pm

Tara pouted as she hung an ornament on the tree. She wheeled around to pin a glare on Bobby. “I don’t understand. We worked yesterday and today we decorate.” She sighed. “What do you mean you can’t stay?”

Bobby heaved a sigh. They’d been fighting off and on all afternoon about the fact that he said he had to go away this afternoon and that she couldn’t go with him. “Tara luv. I told you. It’s a regular meeting I have to attend to keep things current. If I don’t show, my contact gets worried.” He rolled his eyes. “You’d think I wanted to go off for a week and go visit Darcy or something.” He flung at her. Bobby sucked in a breath as he realized what he’d said. Darcy was a sore subject for him and Tara. He really was using it as an example of how irrational she was being as he’d been mad enough at Darcy to spit bullets over the summer when he found out she’d been cheating on him for most of the year until she left.

Tara frowned at him and hung a couple more ornaments. “Oh, you’re ready to go visit her again?” she asked, glaring at him. “Well, forgive me if I was under the impression she cheated on you and you never wanted to have anything to do with her again.” She sniffed and turned her nose up as she turned her back on him.

Bobby ran a hand through his hair so it stood up wildly. He sighed again. “Tara, you know that’s not what I meant. And you know we’re both allowed to have a few secrets. I don’t bug you about everything that happened about your childhood. And you have got to realize that there are something’s that are sacred for me so it’s my right to not disclose them if I choose not to.” He glared back at her; well… he glared at the back of her head.

Tara’s shoulders shook slightly. “Just go than, if that’s the way you’re going to be. Just go do your thing. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Bobby took a breath and exhaled just as quickly, shoulders slumping as he approached her. He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a squeeze. “Tara luv, you know I love you. And this meeting is something I have to do, because I love you.” He pressed a kiss to her temple and released her as he turned and walked out the door to head out.

Tara went over and flipped the lock in the door. She supposed she was being a big ninny about the secret meeting he headed to every Sunday night. She really had gotten used to being alone on Sunday nights. But this Sunday was somehow different… she really craved his attention and touch. Tara had gotten addicted to his kisses and his embrace. She shrugged once and continued on decorating her tree, pausing every few branches to wipe some tears away. Today was really the first time that they’d actually fought. Last time she was mad at him that’s all it was, one-sided anger on her part. This time they’d both been saying things and exchanging glares all afternoon.

Bobby sat in his car for a few moments. He felt like a big jerk having to leave Tara alone to decorate her tree and her apartment, especially since they’d been arguing all afternoon. But at the same time, he knew he was building a workable future for both of them by attending the GA meetings. He just needed to figure out how to tell her in a way that she wouldn’t feel betrayed or lied to. Bobby wiped at his eyes hastily and continued on his way to the GA meeting.

Bobby! Tell her everything. She'll understand! The truth can create some problem but a secret destroys everything!

Ornella

i dunno... careful what you wish for? sightings... dead ahead. oh... did anyone figure out what GIA stands for?
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Tuesday, 12/12… 4 pm…. A spacious downtown apartment.

“Trin… I don’t know what to do with these people.” Julie sighed as she poured a cup of coffee for her best friend. “There’s nothing in the profiles to explain why they’re acting strangely.” She slumped into her chair and grabbed a piece of Divinity.

Trinity Spirits had been with the FBI, well… the same ‘agency’ that Julie worked for… for the same amount of time. They’d entered the ranks together and become fast friends. Trinity had never seen Jules at such loose ends. She sipped her coffee and reached for the first file. “So, how well do you think you can trust the profiles?” she asked, flipping over the cover and studying the pretty girl. She ran her finger down the profile and tapped on a bullet point. “Jules… did you see this point?” she asked, pointing on a fact in the profile. “Lucy used to date Myles. Didn’t you say you felt a slap of envy the other week when you read her desk?”

Julie snapped her fingers. “You’re right. I did feel envy.” She frowned slightly. “Do you suppose she’s envious of her friends pairing off with their true loves?” she bit her lip. “Look at the memo underneath. Was there anything in the Genie’s notes about her wishes?”

Trinity flipped to the following page and scanned it quickly. “How about the fact that she was very generous and didn’t use her wishes for personal gain?” she asked, showing the highlighted section to Julie. Her eyes narrowed as she read the post-it note the Genie had attached to the sheet after it had been filed and approved. “Did you catch this? Listen… ‘Told contact that she was very unselfish for not using her wishes for herself. Cautioned contact about fighting the thought of her true love when he becomes apparent. Contact was puzzled until I pointed out that he was someone she knows already but is not someone she’d consider.’ Jules, sounds like Lucy is envious about the success of her matchmaking. Now she’s questioning her right to be loved and her desire to find her true love. It’s certain that it’s not Myles?” she quizzed Julie.

Julie nodded. “No… if we look down the line in the big picture there’s someone coming into their lives who will be everything Myles wants and needs. I can’t see far enough to see who Lucy’s true love is. I think it’s one of the things that are clouded and I’m not supposed to fix right now. I told you about the possibility of recurring assignment with them, right?” Trinity nodded. “Well, if I could see everything right now, I’d probably mess it up by finding Lucy someone now so that she wouldn’t feel as left out.” She sighed. “That’s just my style, don’t you know?” they giggled together.

Trinity grabbed the next file. “So, tell me about Bobby.” She said, as she started to read the fine print.

Julie sighed. “What’s not to like?” she said, flushing. “He’s tall, Australian and gorgeous. That Tara is one lucky girl. Did I mention his dimples?” she asked.

Trinity laughed. “Girl, it’s a good thing you’re an angel. You’d be falling all over him and trying to figure out how to get rid of the poor girl.” She frowned slightly as she read the file.

“What?” Julie asked, seeing her face. She grabbed the file away from Trinity and looked where she’d been reading. She scanned it quickly as a frown slowly crept onto her face. “Geez. Talk about issues.” She muttered. “Guess I know where he’s been going every Sunday.” She said as she tossed the file on the table.

Trinity was still frowning. “Do you think Tara knows?” she quizzed Julie. Julie shrugged. Rolling her eyes, Trinity grabbed Tara’s file. “So, Jules… do you think she knows?” she asked again. She shoved Tara’s file over at Julie and pointed at something on the early profile. “Better get yourself ready for when she does.” She said soberly. “I don’t think it’s going to go very well.”

Julie read the section quickly and bit back a word that she shouldn’t even know. Her shoulders slumped as she realized how complicated this assignment would become before it was over. She threw the file down on the table and pushed away, stomping towards the balcony in hopes of cooling off a bit.

Trinity watched her go and flipped ahead in Tara’s file to glimpse the future. Julie wasn’t allowed to read the end bits before resolving the issues, but there was nothing holding another angel back from looking to make sure things were going to be ok. She smiled as she saw exactly what she was looking for. She replaced the file and grabbed the next file. The smile faded from her lips as she began to read the file. Tears fell gently from her eyes, unnoticed and splashed gently on the table. She looked up suddenly as Julie’s fax machine started to receive new intel. Trinity wiped the tearstains from her face and walked over to check it out. She began to smile again as she saw she was holding the key for Julie to handle the unexpected surprise that was Myles Leland the third. She walked over and knocked on the window, motioning for Julie to come in. When she walked in, Trinity shoved the fax in her hands. “Gotta go kiddo. I’ll see you next week.” Trinity winked at her best friend. “Read carefully.” She cautioned. “You’ll figure out the when and where.” She gave Jules a quick hug as she shimmered out of the room.

Julie shook her head at the impulsive nature of her best friend. She always missed the girl’s night outs that she had with Trinity on a weekly basis when either of them were on assignment. They always tried to squeeze in a ‘pop in’ during the length of assignment. The only times it didn’t work was when they were on assignments at the same time in different locations. Julie scanned the paper that she held, smiling as she realized exactly what was going on with Myles. Now she just had to figure out the proper time and place to bring him to his senses. She hummed under her breath as she picked up the coffee stuff and re-organized her case files into their proper working order. Now this assignment would pick up speed as long as she managed everything properly.

is this me, or heaven works a bit like the "real" bureau???

I still love your story mionebristow, and I hope bobby is going to tell his secret to tara. and, by the way, what is GIA??????????

NOT A POST... NOT A POST....

I'm sorry... I really try not to do that to you.

Hmmm. the GIA is Genie Intelligence Adventures

dispatching Genies for dreams and parties. book yours today!

They do a lot of the intel work for my 'fbi'. Especially in circumstances where angelic or other guidence is needed. And sure. it might seem a little similar to the real FBI but surely you wouldn't want angelic assistance to be unprepared to deal with special agents... especially special agents with issues.

LOL

I appreciate the comments and hope that you enjoy my stories....

That's not good! Maybe someone in Tara's family was a gambler?

Ornella

Angst? Who invited angst into this story? waiting nervously for Tara to find out.

kav