FOTD, Eggnog 10: Epiphany
Title: Epiphany
Main Story: In the Heart -- The Caramel Project
Flavors, Toppings, Extras: FOTD (lucent: shining), eggnog 10 (grab bag/Secret Santa), cookie crumbs ( The Christmas Horse), malt (BTS 5 : Felipe : I'm in love with a girl I hate -- she enjoys pointing out, every bad thing about me.), fresh peaches (There's increased emotional tension today. You may be at the forefront of the action as you take things higher and farther.).
Word Count: 2086
Rating: PG-13 for some cussing.
Summary: Zack's side of The Christmas Horse.
Notes: Welp, this ballooned on me. Title is a pun.
For the thousandth time that year, Zack resolved to get a car.
Of course, he promptly thought better of it, for the thousandth time that year. He lived and worked exclusively in a city with decent public transportation and no reasonable parking. As long as he only drove while on the job, the DC police department had the joyous responsibility of buying, maintaining, and parking said vehicle. The moment he bought a car off the job, his expenses would go through the roof, and for no good reason.
But it would be really, really nice not to have to shove his way through the thousands of package-laden wreath-bedecked sweaty sick fanny-packed fatass tourists on the goddamn Metro.
It wasn't even fucking rush hour.
Judiciary Square was coming up-- he pushed his way to the door, and stepped on somebody's foot just outside the door. The guy pulled out an earbud and yelled, "Watch where you're going, asshole!"
Zack invited him to fuck himself, and got a muttered "tourist" in return. Okay, so that guy was probably a local.
He grumped his way through the station, resisted the urge to flash his badge and skip the lines at the fare stations, walked up a dead escalator-- just once he'd like to see all the escalators in the Metro system functioning, but hell would probably freeze over first-- and said, "Oh, fucking perfect," when he walked outside and got a faceful of windblown snow.
Zack turned his coat collar up and stomped his way through the light snow, his boots crunching with every step. Today was just-- just perfect. His dad had gotten in that morning and promptly started a fight about Zack and Paige maybe wanting to spend time with their mother over the holidays, then Paige had just walked out and left him to it, then he'd left his really warm coat behind when he'd stomped out himself. Then the awful Metro ride, the damn snow, and now the department party, where he'd have to kiss up to the bosses and make nice with the underlings, and the ill-wrapped, ill-judged present for Dr. Summer fucking Kendall in his pocket.
Whoever thought up Secret Santa exchanges was a masochist. Or a sadist. Or both.
At least Felipe would be there. Zack picked up his pace. He could corner Felipe and bitch to him, get it all out of his system before he had to play nice with everyone else. Be a good start, anyway.
Compared to the frozen, hurrying outside, the bullpen at Central was downright welcoming. Crowded with smiling people chatting and waving drinks, decorations of all kinds scattered over the room-- he counted at least five religions represented, six if you counted that weird sect Hathaway belonged to-- carols playing over their ancient, tinny intercom system... some thoughtful higher-up had even sprung for a bar. Most of all, it was blessedly warm. Zack relaxed as his fingers began to defrost.
He considered heading for the bar first, but after a second glance at the crush around it, decided he'd had enough of elbowing sweaty, determined people for one evening and instead scanned the room for his partner. Felipe was (uncharacteristically) off in the corner, leaning back in his chair, playing with a drink. Zack got his bearings, and went in that direction.
Underwood and Haggans made room for him to squeeze into Felipe's little corner of space. He nodded to them, and started talking as he moved. "The Metro's goddamn murder tonight, Claro. You could've offered to..." Then he saw who was standing against the desk beside Felipe, and swallowed a curse. "Dr. Kendall," he said.
She looked up at him, her mouth uncertain, but it was Felipe who spoke. "Take the stick out of your ass, Ryan."
Relieved, Zack flipped his friend the bird, and hooked the chair next to him with his foot. "Shut up. God, and you've even got alcohol. I couldn't get near the bar." He reached over and took Felipe's drink, sipped it as a test-- it proved to be something with orange juice in it, not that Zack cared, as long as it was alcoholic.
Felipe opened his mouth; Zack, not in the mood to argue, waved him off. "Save it for someone who cares."
Felipe rolled his eyes, and flung his hands dramatically in the air. "I can't win. You can't win."
Dr. Kendall looked down at her hands to hide a smirk, not entirely successfully. "I'll leave you two..." she started.
"No, no," Felipe said, and got up. "Stay, darling."
Zack did not roll his eyes, but it was a near thing. He did sneer at Felipe, because really, what the hell did he see in Dr. Kendall? Stiff, uncomfortable, unpleasant, it was a wonder they even let her out in public.
Kind of a wonder they let Felipe out in public sometimes, though, so maybe that was it.
"Since this jerk," Felipe aimed a blow at Zack's shoulder, but missed, "has stolen my drink, I'm going to go get another one. And I'm putting it on your tab, Zack," he added. "We'll call it a Christmas present."
Sure, because he honestly thought he was getting out of the gag gift tradition. "You wish that was your Christmas present from me."
"Yeah, yeah," Felipe said. "Play nice with Summer, or I'll gag you." He waved Zack off, and wandered off towards the bar.
Dr. Kendall looked down again, at a neatly-wrapped green package in her cupped hands, and didn't speak.
The uncomfortable silence stretched, until Zack snapped. "Sit down," he said, and waved at Felipe's chair. "I'll be nice. It's Christmas."
She sat down gingerly, on the very edge of the seat, her back straight as a ruler. For God's sake, did she think he was going to bite her or something? He wasn't the unfriendly one here. "It's not," she said. "It's Christmas Eve."
Zack did not snap at her. He was not going to snap at her. It was close enough to Christmas, and anyway Felipe probably meant it about the gag. He drank half of Felipe's alcohol, then said, "Guess it is. It's still time to be nice."
Another uncomfortable silence surrounded them in a little bubble of awkward. This time, Dr. Kendall broke it, much to Zack's relief-- he'd done his friendly duty. "Are you... going home for Christmas?" she asked.
To his surprise, she sounded interested. "No," he said, after a moment. "My family's coming here. Dad and Paige, my sister, they're already in town, and Mom's getting here tomorrow."
She perked up a little. "Are your parents divorced?"
Zack sat up sharply. That was a hell of a personal question-- who did she think she was? Be nice, be nice... "Why do you ask?"
"I..." she said, her eyes going very wide. "I'm sorry, that's personal. I just thought... you said they were coming in separately."
Which he had. Stupid. Stupid, stupid. "You're right," he said. "Sorry. Yeah, they're divorced. Negotiating holidays with both of them gets interesting sometimes, so I'm a little tense about it."
Dr. Kendall nodded, slowly. "I understand. A little. I think. My brother's parents are divorced."
Zack tried to work that one out, but before he could, she'd shoved the little green package into his hands. "Here," she said. "This is for you." His confusion must have shown on his face, because she added, "Secret Santa."
"That's not how--" Zack began, and cut himself off, because she meant well, obviously, and even more obviously someone had been playing silly buggers with the drawing. He made a mental note to disembowel Felipe and said, "Thank you."
Dr. Kendall accepted that with another little nod, while he shredded the pretty little wrapping job to find a bear in a policeman's hat and uniform, a gold loop hanging from the top.
It was so completely not what he was expecting that he just stared at it for a moment. "Is this an ornament?"
"Um. Yes," Dr. Kendall said. She sounded uncertain again. "My... Lars likes them."
Zack looked up at her tone-- she looked a little unhappy, oddly enough-- and back down at the bear. Unexpected, sure, but it was kind of adorable for all that. He liked the way the little cap perched on its ears, the accurate uniform, the shining badge, the friendly expression on its face. Paige would love it.
"This is... really cute," he said, and added, because she would, "Paige is gonna tease me about it." He grinned at her. "I like it. Thanks."
The unhappy look disappeared, replaced by relief and confusion. What the hell was going on with her, anyway? "I'm glad. You're welcome."
"You started the gift-giving without me!" Felipe said, from over his head. Zack twisted around, saw that Felipe had gotten himself absinthe, and hoped like hell he'd taken a cab here.
"Suck it, Claro," he said, and grinned wider when Felipe pouted. Drama queen.
"Just for that, I'm not giving you your present until New Year's." Felipe reached over and flicked his nose, then picked up a chair, spun it around and planted himself in it.
Rotten liar. "Ha. You're not giving me my present until New Year's because you haven't bought it yet."
"So I haven't found something suitably ridiculous." He shrugged, then added, shrewdly, "Anyway, the only reason you know that is because you haven't bought mine yet either."
Guilty as charged. Zack ignored him.
Felipe reached over Dr. Kendall, who hunched her shoulders and pulled in her head, and produced a box from underneath his suit jacket. "Summer, darling, this is for you. Merry Christmas."
The box, an immaculate white with subtle silver swirls, was beautifully wrapped, beribboned, and bedecked with all sorts of froofraws. Zack snickered. "Felipe, you are such a metrosexual."
"You know it!" Felipe said, and did the pelvic thrust. Zack went back to ignoring him.
Dr. Kendall evidently decided to do the same. She bent her head, carefully unpicked the ribbons and laid them aside, then lifted the lid and exclaimed over the contents with Felipe. Zack leaned forward to see-- some chocolate, a book, pretty standard. His was going to look kind of dumb and cheap next to that, but... well, too late now.
"Guess that just leaves me," he said, and produced his present. Beside Felipe's impeccable wrapping, it looked like a mishmash of blue paper and tape. "Merry Christmas, Dr. Kendall. Someone--" he shot a glare at his partner-- "must have rigged the Santa drawing, because I got you, too."
"I didn't do anything," Felipe said, unconvincingly, and immediately tried to divert suspicion. "Did you wrap that with your teeth, Zack?"
Zack opened his mouth to issue another invitation, but Dr. Kendall tsked under her breath and said, "Boys."
To his own surprise, he found himself laughing. She gave him a gratified look, and said, "Thank you, Officer Ryan," before applying herself to the paper.
Zack hunched when she peeled back the final flap of paper to reveal the stupid little wooden horse he'd carved on the last nowhere stakeout he'd been roped into. It wasn't very good-- chunky and blocky, with lines carved into solid wood for the mane and tail. He couldn't even claim much thought. He'd just grabbed the thing off his dresser and wrapped it a couple of hours before the party, after he'd remembered the Secret Santa exchange and sworn a bit. She was going to be utterly scornful, and for once, he couldn't blame her a bit.
"Summer?" Felipe sounded alarmed, and Zack jerked upright again. Dr. Kendall had gone ash-pale, and her eyes were swimming with tears. "Darling, are you all right?"
"I'm fine," she said, staring at the horse. "I... thank you, very much. This is wonderful."
Zack stared at her until she finally looked up, blinking back tears. "You're... welcome?" he said.
She cupped the horse in both hands, holding it like it was made of spun glass. "I love it," she said, the sincerity in her voice both evident and disturbing. "It's beautiful."
"Uh, thanks," he said, feeling suddenly very guilty. "I made it. I whittle when I'm bored."
Her hands clenched around the horse. "You're very good."
No, he wasn’t. "Thanks," he said, and looked away from her, from her shining face. She looked so happy. He hadn't wanted to make her cry or anything, but... he hadn't anticipated this.
"Um, I'm gonna go get another drink," he said, and escaped before she could speak.
Main Story: In the Heart -- The Caramel Project
Flavors, Toppings, Extras: FOTD (lucent: shining), eggnog 10 (grab bag/Secret Santa), cookie crumbs ( The Christmas Horse), malt (BTS 5 : Felipe : I'm in love with a girl I hate -- she enjoys pointing out, every bad thing about me.), fresh peaches (There's increased emotional tension today. You may be at the forefront of the action as you take things higher and farther.).
Word Count: 2086
Rating: PG-13 for some cussing.
Summary: Zack's side of The Christmas Horse.
Notes: Welp, this ballooned on me. Title is a pun.
For the thousandth time that year, Zack resolved to get a car.
Of course, he promptly thought better of it, for the thousandth time that year. He lived and worked exclusively in a city with decent public transportation and no reasonable parking. As long as he only drove while on the job, the DC police department had the joyous responsibility of buying, maintaining, and parking said vehicle. The moment he bought a car off the job, his expenses would go through the roof, and for no good reason.
But it would be really, really nice not to have to shove his way through the thousands of package-laden wreath-bedecked sweaty sick fanny-packed fatass tourists on the goddamn Metro.
It wasn't even fucking rush hour.
Judiciary Square was coming up-- he pushed his way to the door, and stepped on somebody's foot just outside the door. The guy pulled out an earbud and yelled, "Watch where you're going, asshole!"
Zack invited him to fuck himself, and got a muttered "tourist" in return. Okay, so that guy was probably a local.
He grumped his way through the station, resisted the urge to flash his badge and skip the lines at the fare stations, walked up a dead escalator-- just once he'd like to see all the escalators in the Metro system functioning, but hell would probably freeze over first-- and said, "Oh, fucking perfect," when he walked outside and got a faceful of windblown snow.
Zack turned his coat collar up and stomped his way through the light snow, his boots crunching with every step. Today was just-- just perfect. His dad had gotten in that morning and promptly started a fight about Zack and Paige maybe wanting to spend time with their mother over the holidays, then Paige had just walked out and left him to it, then he'd left his really warm coat behind when he'd stomped out himself. Then the awful Metro ride, the damn snow, and now the department party, where he'd have to kiss up to the bosses and make nice with the underlings, and the ill-wrapped, ill-judged present for Dr. Summer fucking Kendall in his pocket.
Whoever thought up Secret Santa exchanges was a masochist. Or a sadist. Or both.
At least Felipe would be there. Zack picked up his pace. He could corner Felipe and bitch to him, get it all out of his system before he had to play nice with everyone else. Be a good start, anyway.
Compared to the frozen, hurrying outside, the bullpen at Central was downright welcoming. Crowded with smiling people chatting and waving drinks, decorations of all kinds scattered over the room-- he counted at least five religions represented, six if you counted that weird sect Hathaway belonged to-- carols playing over their ancient, tinny intercom system... some thoughtful higher-up had even sprung for a bar. Most of all, it was blessedly warm. Zack relaxed as his fingers began to defrost.
He considered heading for the bar first, but after a second glance at the crush around it, decided he'd had enough of elbowing sweaty, determined people for one evening and instead scanned the room for his partner. Felipe was (uncharacteristically) off in the corner, leaning back in his chair, playing with a drink. Zack got his bearings, and went in that direction.
Underwood and Haggans made room for him to squeeze into Felipe's little corner of space. He nodded to them, and started talking as he moved. "The Metro's goddamn murder tonight, Claro. You could've offered to..." Then he saw who was standing against the desk beside Felipe, and swallowed a curse. "Dr. Kendall," he said.
She looked up at him, her mouth uncertain, but it was Felipe who spoke. "Take the stick out of your ass, Ryan."
Relieved, Zack flipped his friend the bird, and hooked the chair next to him with his foot. "Shut up. God, and you've even got alcohol. I couldn't get near the bar." He reached over and took Felipe's drink, sipped it as a test-- it proved to be something with orange juice in it, not that Zack cared, as long as it was alcoholic.
Felipe opened his mouth; Zack, not in the mood to argue, waved him off. "Save it for someone who cares."
Felipe rolled his eyes, and flung his hands dramatically in the air. "I can't win. You can't win."
Dr. Kendall looked down at her hands to hide a smirk, not entirely successfully. "I'll leave you two..." she started.
"No, no," Felipe said, and got up. "Stay, darling."
Zack did not roll his eyes, but it was a near thing. He did sneer at Felipe, because really, what the hell did he see in Dr. Kendall? Stiff, uncomfortable, unpleasant, it was a wonder they even let her out in public.
Kind of a wonder they let Felipe out in public sometimes, though, so maybe that was it.
"Since this jerk," Felipe aimed a blow at Zack's shoulder, but missed, "has stolen my drink, I'm going to go get another one. And I'm putting it on your tab, Zack," he added. "We'll call it a Christmas present."
Sure, because he honestly thought he was getting out of the gag gift tradition. "You wish that was your Christmas present from me."
"Yeah, yeah," Felipe said. "Play nice with Summer, or I'll gag you." He waved Zack off, and wandered off towards the bar.
Dr. Kendall looked down again, at a neatly-wrapped green package in her cupped hands, and didn't speak.
The uncomfortable silence stretched, until Zack snapped. "Sit down," he said, and waved at Felipe's chair. "I'll be nice. It's Christmas."
She sat down gingerly, on the very edge of the seat, her back straight as a ruler. For God's sake, did she think he was going to bite her or something? He wasn't the unfriendly one here. "It's not," she said. "It's Christmas Eve."
Zack did not snap at her. He was not going to snap at her. It was close enough to Christmas, and anyway Felipe probably meant it about the gag. He drank half of Felipe's alcohol, then said, "Guess it is. It's still time to be nice."
Another uncomfortable silence surrounded them in a little bubble of awkward. This time, Dr. Kendall broke it, much to Zack's relief-- he'd done his friendly duty. "Are you... going home for Christmas?" she asked.
To his surprise, she sounded interested. "No," he said, after a moment. "My family's coming here. Dad and Paige, my sister, they're already in town, and Mom's getting here tomorrow."
She perked up a little. "Are your parents divorced?"
Zack sat up sharply. That was a hell of a personal question-- who did she think she was? Be nice, be nice... "Why do you ask?"
"I..." she said, her eyes going very wide. "I'm sorry, that's personal. I just thought... you said they were coming in separately."
Which he had. Stupid. Stupid, stupid. "You're right," he said. "Sorry. Yeah, they're divorced. Negotiating holidays with both of them gets interesting sometimes, so I'm a little tense about it."
Dr. Kendall nodded, slowly. "I understand. A little. I think. My brother's parents are divorced."
Zack tried to work that one out, but before he could, she'd shoved the little green package into his hands. "Here," she said. "This is for you." His confusion must have shown on his face, because she added, "Secret Santa."
"That's not how--" Zack began, and cut himself off, because she meant well, obviously, and even more obviously someone had been playing silly buggers with the drawing. He made a mental note to disembowel Felipe and said, "Thank you."
Dr. Kendall accepted that with another little nod, while he shredded the pretty little wrapping job to find a bear in a policeman's hat and uniform, a gold loop hanging from the top.
It was so completely not what he was expecting that he just stared at it for a moment. "Is this an ornament?"
"Um. Yes," Dr. Kendall said. She sounded uncertain again. "My... Lars likes them."
Zack looked up at her tone-- she looked a little unhappy, oddly enough-- and back down at the bear. Unexpected, sure, but it was kind of adorable for all that. He liked the way the little cap perched on its ears, the accurate uniform, the shining badge, the friendly expression on its face. Paige would love it.
"This is... really cute," he said, and added, because she would, "Paige is gonna tease me about it." He grinned at her. "I like it. Thanks."
The unhappy look disappeared, replaced by relief and confusion. What the hell was going on with her, anyway? "I'm glad. You're welcome."
"You started the gift-giving without me!" Felipe said, from over his head. Zack twisted around, saw that Felipe had gotten himself absinthe, and hoped like hell he'd taken a cab here.
"Suck it, Claro," he said, and grinned wider when Felipe pouted. Drama queen.
"Just for that, I'm not giving you your present until New Year's." Felipe reached over and flicked his nose, then picked up a chair, spun it around and planted himself in it.
Rotten liar. "Ha. You're not giving me my present until New Year's because you haven't bought it yet."
"So I haven't found something suitably ridiculous." He shrugged, then added, shrewdly, "Anyway, the only reason you know that is because you haven't bought mine yet either."
Guilty as charged. Zack ignored him.
Felipe reached over Dr. Kendall, who hunched her shoulders and pulled in her head, and produced a box from underneath his suit jacket. "Summer, darling, this is for you. Merry Christmas."
The box, an immaculate white with subtle silver swirls, was beautifully wrapped, beribboned, and bedecked with all sorts of froofraws. Zack snickered. "Felipe, you are such a metrosexual."
"You know it!" Felipe said, and did the pelvic thrust. Zack went back to ignoring him.
Dr. Kendall evidently decided to do the same. She bent her head, carefully unpicked the ribbons and laid them aside, then lifted the lid and exclaimed over the contents with Felipe. Zack leaned forward to see-- some chocolate, a book, pretty standard. His was going to look kind of dumb and cheap next to that, but... well, too late now.
"Guess that just leaves me," he said, and produced his present. Beside Felipe's impeccable wrapping, it looked like a mishmash of blue paper and tape. "Merry Christmas, Dr. Kendall. Someone--" he shot a glare at his partner-- "must have rigged the Santa drawing, because I got you, too."
"I didn't do anything," Felipe said, unconvincingly, and immediately tried to divert suspicion. "Did you wrap that with your teeth, Zack?"
Zack opened his mouth to issue another invitation, but Dr. Kendall tsked under her breath and said, "Boys."
To his own surprise, he found himself laughing. She gave him a gratified look, and said, "Thank you, Officer Ryan," before applying herself to the paper.
Zack hunched when she peeled back the final flap of paper to reveal the stupid little wooden horse he'd carved on the last nowhere stakeout he'd been roped into. It wasn't very good-- chunky and blocky, with lines carved into solid wood for the mane and tail. He couldn't even claim much thought. He'd just grabbed the thing off his dresser and wrapped it a couple of hours before the party, after he'd remembered the Secret Santa exchange and sworn a bit. She was going to be utterly scornful, and for once, he couldn't blame her a bit.
"Summer?" Felipe sounded alarmed, and Zack jerked upright again. Dr. Kendall had gone ash-pale, and her eyes were swimming with tears. "Darling, are you all right?"
"I'm fine," she said, staring at the horse. "I... thank you, very much. This is wonderful."
Zack stared at her until she finally looked up, blinking back tears. "You're... welcome?" he said.
She cupped the horse in both hands, holding it like it was made of spun glass. "I love it," she said, the sincerity in her voice both evident and disturbing. "It's beautiful."
"Uh, thanks," he said, feeling suddenly very guilty. "I made it. I whittle when I'm bored."
Her hands clenched around the horse. "You're very good."
No, he wasn’t. "Thanks," he said, and looked away from her, from her shining face. She looked so happy. He hadn't wanted to make her cry or anything, but... he hadn't anticipated this.
"Um, I'm gonna go get another drink," he said, and escaped before she could speak.