Chapter Text
10 Days to Valentine's
Chapter Three: Feb. 7
When Nathan walked into his office the next day, he honestly wasn't surprised to find another 'gift'.
"Evidently," he drawled, extracting the ever present note card from the flat package that was wrapped in a blue paper with snowflake prints. "I have the attention of someone who can get virtually anywhere they want." He wasn't all that sure if it was a male or female, but he did know for certain that he was only interested in one person.
"Hey, Scientist."
'One person who seems to delight in sneaking up on people,' he grinned inwardly as he turned to his endearingly nosy blond. "Sheriff, do you have a particular reason for being here today? I wasn't aware we needed your services."
Nathan was slightly surprised to see Jack wince. "Yeah, about that… I sort of need to know where you were last night."
"Why?" He settled down behind his desk and picked up the latest token from his fan.
Jack sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Because someone said that they might have seen you somewhere that you shouldn't have been."
"Ah, I understand now and for the sake of Eureka, this time I will cooperate with you," Nathan tapped what appeared to be glass under the wrapping paper. "I was at home, on my laptop."
"Doing what?" Jack's blue eyes lit upon the newest addition to Nathan's collection. "And another gift from your Admirer? Did they leave a note again?"
"Work, yes, and here," he let him have the note. There was absolutely no reason to tell him that Nathan had been trying to come up with Jack's Valentine.
Blue eyes frowned as they skimmed the familiar calligraphy.
"Just smile."
"Interesting," Carter nodded, handing it back. "That reminds me. Why are you sharing your Admirer with me of all people?"
'If only Valentine's Day could get here fast enough.' He thought. Aloud, he said, "Since you happen to always be nearby when I find it… Why is that?" Nathan tilted his head slightly as he studied the blond.
"Luck?" Jack shrugged. "So," he shoved his hands in his pockets. "What's in it?"
Before Nathan could ask why Jack was so interested and to tease him about being jealous, Douglas Fargo came sliding in through the door with a panicked look on his face.
"Sheriff! Jo… Tesla High… NOW!"
Both Fargo and Sheriff were probably about half way to the high school before Nathan could run that sentence through again. Shooting out after them, Allison caught him by the arm as he went past.
"We have this, Nathan," she paused to lock eyes with him. "Go shut down that area of the Grid while we figure out what's going on."
Nodding, he headed back to his office to turn on his computer. Since he could access the Grid from there, he looked at the present while waiting for his screen to boot up. Shrugging, he picked it up and opened it carefully. When the last of the wrapping paper fell away, his breath caught in his throat as he found himself staring at a watercolor of a lily pad that vaguely reminded him of the ones that grew around the fountain at the Spa. He loved looking at those whenever he could get away, but he frowned as he saw that the flower was a light red shade.
"It's very well done," Nathan smiled slightly. "The artist is very talented. Well, Valentine's Day is coming up," he added as he looked at the red flower. "And I still don't have anything for Jack."
He sighed and temporarily put the watercolor out of his mind as he went back to work fixing whatever mess had happened this week.
AN: 3/10 finished.
FYI: They are probably out of character, but I like them the way they are.
And, Grid means the Eureka Power Grid and the Spa refers to The Employee Spa that we saw in that one episode.
2. 3.10 (W)