FIC: The Significance of Pearl Earrings (The Closer- Brenda, Sharon) K
Titles: The Significance 0f Pearl Earrings
Fandoms: The Closer
Characters- Brenda and Sharon mentions Sharon/Will and Brenda/Fritz
Rating K
Word Count:1331
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from the Closer. No copyright infringement intended.
Summary- I stole the prompt from the FID anniversary challenge- "You can always tell what kind of a person a man really thinks you are by the earrings he gives you." - Audrey Hepburn~ Brenda receives a pair of pearl earrings and asks for Sharon’s opinion.- For Day 57 of the CloserCountdown
Sharon was sitting in Brenda’s office; she stopped talking ten minutes ago not that the blonde sitting behind the desk noticed. She looked at her watch then back at the younger woman, this meeting should have only taken ten minutes, fifteen minutes tops. Thirty minutes later, she was still in the southern chief’s office. The other woman was odiously preoccupied but when Sharon suggested that they could postpone this until tomorrow the Chief would hear of it and had went about trying to straighten the numerous files scattered on the chairs and desk. Sharon was more than a little appalled at the disorganization; she could never work in such chaos.
Sharon cleared her throat trying unsuccessfully to draw the other woman’s attention, “Chief, are you sure you don’t want to reschedule. I would be more than happy to come back when you are more…yourself.”
“What do you make of these?” Brenda questioned holding out a pair of pearl earrings for Sharon to see.
Sharon taken back by the question ended up staring intently at earrings. They were rather old fashioned, large and the color was off. She did not particularly care for them and she was about to tell the Chief just that when she remembered her promise to Will to try to make nice with the other woman. “Are they for your mother?”
Sharon blinked sitting back quickly as the blonde woman snapped the box closed and to her chest snapping out, “No they were a gift.”
“Oh” Sharon said softly, “Well, they are…pearl earrings.” Her voice trailed off and she sighed, she was never good at making nice or lying.
Brenda rolled her eyes, “Why yes, Captain, they are pearl earrings. Fritz gave them to me.”
Sharon chewed nervously on her bottom lip as the other woman stared troubled at earrings in her hand, “Well… They’re old fashioned.” She knew the Chief had a thing for vintage items and though the earrings were not exactly vintage; it seemed like the idea thing to say under the circumstances.
“They are gaudy.” Brenda stated dropping the box on her desk and slumping down in her chair.
“Oh, my, yes, they are.” Sharon expressed, relieved not to have to lie.
“Do I look like the kind of woman who likes gaudy jewelry?” Brenda sulked fingering the earring box with one hand.
Sharon clamped her mouth shut when her first impulse was to say yes, “Maybe they were his grandmothers or great grandmothers.”
“They’re new. He saw them and thought of me.” Brenda picked up the earrings and dropped them in a desk drawer, closing it harshly before turning back to eye the Captain “Every man I have ever dated that has given me earrings has gotten it all wrong.”
“I think I am going to regret asking, but what are you talking about?” Sometimes when talking with Chief Johnson, Sharon felt as if she was on a carousal ride, their conversation going in circles and never getting anywhere. She was convinced the other woman did it intentional.
“My Mama always told me that you can always tell the kind of person a man thinks you are by the kind of earrings they give you.” Brenda looked down at her closed door, “She also told me that a way to a man’s heart is his stomach, but I don’t cook.”
“I think it was Audrey Hepburn that said that about the earrings.” This was turning out to be the weirdest conversation Sharon had with the southern chief and that was saying something, “I know how to cook, my grandmother insisted, she always said all good liitle Catholic Italian girls should know how to make homemade gnocchi. She never equated that to a man’s heart but more to the fact if you can’t cook for yourself you will starve.”
“There’s always take-out. I practically live on Chinese carryout. I especially like the Happy Family.” Brenda said absently, “Was it really Audrey who said that about the earrings?”
“I’m pretty sure it was.” Sharon pushed a stand of hair behind her ear and noticed that the Chief was staring pointedly at her, “What is it?”
“Those are some nice earrings you have on.” Brenda was sizing Sharon up, “Solitaire half-carat diamonds in platinum? From Tiffany’s?”
“Yes.” Sharon wasn't where this was going but she didn't like being the focus of Brenda Leigh Johnson’s undivided attention.
“They a gift?” Brenda pursed her lips together at the Captain’s answering nod, “From a fella?” When the Captain once again gave an affirmative nod to her question, Brenda blew out a sigh, “Well, if we go by that saying about earrings then we can assume your guy thinks you’re expensive and classy.”
“Ummm… Thank-you, I think.” Sharon shifted uncomfortably in the office chair hoping that the woman wouldn’t ask who gave them to her. She and Will weren’t keeping their relationship secret, they had told Chief Delk, they just weren’t putting out all points’ bulletins or updating their Facebook status. Tommy had lectured her on Will’s reputation as a ladies' man before wishing her well in her new relationship.
“The pearl earrings aren’t the worse ones I’ve been giving. My ex-husband gave me these ugly chandelier crystals like ones, kind of like those things you hang in your window sill to reflect light.” At the look of disgust on Sharon’s face Brenda laughed, “That was how I felt about them. Then there was these sterling silver ones that Will gave me once, they were nice enough I guess, just a bit understated and demure, not me at all.”
Brenda missed Sharon’s instant tightening at the mention of Will’s name. “I’m sure they were lovely.”
“They are. I kept them. The only thing I allowed myself to keep from that time.” Brenda looked up a little shocked about how much she was revealing woman sitting in her office. The woman Brenda had never particularly liked but her Mama had raved about for weeks after the whole Christmas dinner when she introduced Sharon as her friend. Were they friends?
Brenda opened her candy drawer and hurried pulled out some chocolate, indicating for Sharon to help herself. “Well, do you want to talk about the case now, Chief?”
“What was the occasion for the diamonds?” At the Captain’s perplexed expression Brenda elaborated, “The pearls from Fritz were more of an apology for pushing me about a job offer I don’t particularly want.”
“Was I supposed to get you a pair of gaudy pearl earrings when I tired to push you to be the next Chief of Police?” Sharon’s voice had a trace of mocking in it when she held up her hand in mock surrender before the blonde could reply with something biting, “They were an anniversary gift.”
“Anniversary? You two been together long?” Brenda asked surprised that she was actually interested in knowing. She knew very little about the self-contained woman in front of her, having found out more in the past few minutes than she had in the last two years they interacted. That was friendly, wasn’t it?
“Not long. It wasn’t that type of anniversary.” At the blonde’s raised eyebrow, Sharon felt compelled to add, “Five years. It has been five years since I took over being head of the FID. He surprised me with them, when he came over to the Bradbury for lunch today.”
“And insisted you put them on?” Brenda sniggered enjoying the faint blush on the other woman’s cheeks.
“Yes.” Was Sharon’s soft-spoken reply but the glare she gave Brenda told her to back off.
Brenda smirked, “Thankfully, Fritz didn’t have me model the ones he gave me.”
Sharon gave a snort, “Maybe you could just accidentally on purpose lose them.”
Brenda scrunched up her nose, “Maybe. Except what would I do if he decided to replace them with something worse?”
“Is that even possible?”
“Have you ever seen his cuff links?”
Sharon and Brenda shared a chuckle. It wasn’t such a bad thing, Brenda couldn’t help thinking, trying to be friends with Sharon Raydor.
“Those are nice earrings you have on.” Brenda was sizing Sharon up, “Those solitaire half carat diamonds in platinum? From Tiffany’s?”
“Yes.” Sharon wasn't where this was going but she didn't like being the focus of Brenda Leigh Johnson’s undivided attention.
“They a gift?” Brenda pursed her lips together at the Captain’s answering nod, “From a fellow?” When the Captain once again gave an affirmative nod to her question, Brenda blew out a sigh, “Well, if we go by that saying about earrings then we can assume your guy thinks you’re expensive and classy.”
“Ummm… Thank-you, I think.” Sharon shifted uncomfortably in the office chair hoping that the woman wouldn’t ask who gave them to her. She and Will weren’t keeping their relationship secret, they had told Chief Delk, they just weren’t putting out all points’ bulletins or updating their Facebook status. Tommy had lectured her on Will’s reputation as a ladies' man before wishing her well in her new relationship.
“The pearl earrings aren’t the worse ones I’ve been giving. My ex-husband gave me these ugly chandelier crystals like ones, kind of like those things you hang in your window sill to reflect light.” At Sharon’s disgusted face Brenda laughed, “That was how I felt about them. Then there was these sterling silver ones that Will gave me once, they were nice enough I guess just a bit understated.”
Brenda missed Sharon’s instant tightening at the mention of Will’s name. “I’m sure they were lovely.”
“They are. I kept them. The only thing I allowed myself to keep from that time.” Brenda looked up a little shocked about how much she was revealing woman sitting in her office. The woman Brenda had never particularly liked but her Mama had raved about for weeks after the whole Christmas dinner when she introduced Sharon as her friend. Were they friends?
Brenda opened her candy drawer and hurried pulled out some chocolate, indicating for Sharon to help herself. “Well, do you want to talk about the case now, Chief?”
“What was the occasion for the diamonds?” At the Captain’s perplexed expression Brenda elaborated, “The pearls from Fritz were more of an apology for pushing me about a job offer I don’t particularly want.”
“Was I supposed to get you a pair of gaudy pearl earrings when I tired to push you to be the next Chief of Police?” Sharon’s voice had a trace of mocking in it when she held up her hand in mock surrender before the blonde could reply with something biting, “They were an anniversary gift.”
“Anniversary? You two been together long?” Brenda asked surprised that she was actually interested in knowing. She knew very little about the self-contained woman in front of her, having found out more in the past few minutes than she had in the last two years they interacted. That was friendly, wasn’t it?
“Not long. It wasn’t that type of anniversary.” At the blonde’s raised eyebrow, Sharon felt compelled to add, “Five years. It has been five years since I took over being head of the FID. He surprised me with them, when he came over to the Bradbury for lunch today.”
“And insisted you put them on.” Brenda sniggered enjoying the faint blush on the other woman’s cheeks.
“Yes.” Was Sharon’s soft-spoken reply but the glare she gave Brenda told her to back off.
Brenda smirked, “Thankfully, Fritz didn’t have me model the ones he gave me.”
Sharon gave a snort, “Maybe you could just accidentally on purpose lose them.”
Brenda scrunched up her nose, “Maybe. Except what would I do if he decided to replace them with something worse?”
“Is that even possible?”
“Have you ever seen his cuff links?”
Sharon and Brenda shared a chuckle. It wasn’t such a bad thing, Brenda couldn’t help thinking, trying to be friends with Sharon Raydor.