Fic: Advent Calendar (December 11): Secret Santa
Title: Advent Calendar (December 11): Secret Santa
Author: stellaluna_
Fandom: CSI:NY
Rating: PG
Summary: Mac is getting gifts. Very mild, vague spoilers for "The Thing About Heroes."
Disclaimer: None of these are mine. Characters are the property of Anthony Zuiker, Jerry Bruckheimer Television, CBS, and Alliance Atlantis.
Notes: This is my attempt at a fic version of an Advent calendar. There will be 25 of these.
Two weeks before Christmas, everyone in the lab finds candy canes waiting for them on their desks when they clock in for their shifts. Most people seem amused; no one will claim responsibility. Mac shakes his head, but takes the candy cane and hooks it over the edge of a picture frame. Then he forgets about it.
The next day, everyone has chocolate in holiday wrappers. The day after that, it's small packets of cookies wrapped up in foil. In addition to the cookies, Mac finds a Starbucks gift card. There's no note on it, and when he listens to other people's conversations about the cookies, no one else mentions getting a card, or any other kind of extra gift. Mac uses it downstairs that night, and it has five dollars on it.
Friday, everyone gets candy again; Mac gets candy and another gift card, this one for ten dollars. The gift-giver still hasn't revealed himself or herself, and no one will admit to being a witness to the candy distribution. They all seem to be having a good time.
Mac is off over the weekend, and nothing happens. He doesn't get any presents at his apartment; no phone calls come from strangers or blocked numbers; bills and circulars are the only things he finds in his mailbox.
Monday morning, there are cookies on his desk again, along with a set of periodic table refrigerator magnets. Tuesday, he gets candy and two G.I. Joe action figures. He thinks about sending out a department-wide e-mail, requesting that whoever's behind this either reveal themselves or knock it off, but he stops himself. As far as he can tell, he's still the only one getting anything besides the candy and cookies, and he doesn't want to let anyone know that if he doesn't have to.
After shift on Thursday, he asks Stella, casually, if she can stop by his office for a little while. She shows up a few minutes later, buttoning her coat with one hand and clutching bags from several nearby stores. "What's going on, Mac?" she asks. "I've got wrapping to do."
"Close the door, would you?" he says, and she lets her bags drop to the floor.
"What is it?" she says, once the door is closed and they're both sitting on the couch.
"These little gifts everyone has been getting," he says. "Do you have any idea at all who's behind it?"
"Well, no," she says. "That's kind of the point of Secret Santa; you're not supposed to know."
"Secret Santa," he says.
"Yeah." She gives him a look. "You do know what a Secret Santa is, Mac. There's no way you don't."
"Of course I know what a Secret Santa is. You think that's what this is?"
"Let me see." Stella stares off into the distance like she's thinking hard, hands folded neatly in her lap. "Some unknown person in the lab is giving out candy and cookies every day in the weeks leading up to Christmas...yeah, sounds like a Secret Santa to me."
"There's more to it than that," Mac says. "I'm not so sure it's just someone playing Santa. Or that it's someone in the lab."
She frowns at him. "What do you mean?"
"Have you gotten anything from this...person aside from the candy and cookies?"
"No."
Mac sighs. "That's the problem. No one else seems to be, either. Except for me."
"Wait, you mean you're getting other presents?" Stella sits up a little straighter, looking concerned. "Like what?"
He shows her the gift cards and the magnets and the toys. "Yesterday it was a CD collection of Christmas songs done by jazz artists. Today I got a Charles Mingus album that I don't have. One that I mentioned a few weeks ago when a group of us were talking about music in the kitchen."
"Mac, wait," she says. "If you were talking about it here at work, then probably someone remembered and decided to get it for you. That just sounds like someone trying to be nice. All of this sounds like that."
"But I don't know who it is," he says. "I've been trying to remember who was in the kitchen that day, and I can't. It was the middle of the afternoon, and people were constantly going in and out. And I seem to be the only one getting extra presents."
"So, like I said, someone is trying to do something nice for you." Stella sorts through the pile of gifts on the coffee table. "I mean, they're doing something nice for all of us, but they're making an effort to do something special for you."
"And that's what worries me," Mac says.
She looks at him again. "Mac, what are you thinking? Just say it."
"You remember the last time I was getting mysterious gifts?"
"Mac," Stella says in a low voice. "Mac, this isn't connected to Drew Bedford or to the 333 situation."
"How do you know?" he says. "You can't know that."
Stella raises her eyebrow. She looks amused again. "What, you think Drew Bedford is sneaking out of Rikers every night to leave cookies and jazz CDs on your desk?"
"No," he says, feeling his face get hot. "Not that. When you put it that way..."
She puts an arm around his shoulders. "It sounds as ridiculous as it actually is?" she asks.
Mac sighs. "I just..."
"I know," Stella says. "You like to know all the details. You feel uncomfortable because you don't know who's behind all this. But, Mac, it's clearly someone in the lab, and I think it's also pretty clear that they just want to do something nice for you."
"Maybe."
Stella starts rifling through the presents again. "It's also clear that whoever this is knows you pretty well. I mean: coffee, music, military and science toys? This is you all over."
"I know." Mac looks down at his hands. "That's the other thing that worries me."
"I know it does," Stella says.
"And you're not bothered by the fact that there's no one in the lab who's not getting gifts?"
"Engage your detective brain," Stella says. "If there were one person not getting anything, it would be pretty damn obvious who was behind it, wouldn't it?"
"Fair point." Something occurs to him. "This someone who knows me pretty well wouldn't be you, would it?"
"No," she says. "Sorry. But you know what?"
"What?"
"Secret Santas usually reveal themselves by Christmas Eve. You've only got a few days to go."
"That's...good, I suppose," Mac says.
"Cheer up, Mac," Stella says, and gives his shoulder a squeeze. "Relax and enjoy the rest of the presents. See who's waiting for you under the mistletoe on Christmas Eve."
"Mistletoe," he says, and his face starts to feel warm again. "You don't think this is...no."
She shrugs, smiling. "I think it's at least a possibility."
"Great."
"You need to -- "
"I know, relax and enjoy it."
"Got it in one." She pats him on the knee, then stands up. "And now I really do have to go start on this wrapping. Unless you have any other conspiracy theories you need to discuss. Lone gunman? Area 51?"
He shakes his head. "Go home, Stella."
"Right." She collects her things. "I'll see you in the morning."
She's almost to the door when Mac says, "Hey, Stella."
"Yes."
"If you were behind this -- "
"Which I'm not."
"But if you were. You wouldn't tell me, would you?"
She gives him a cheerful smile. "Not really."
"And if you just knew who was behind it, you wouldn't tell me that, either, would you?"
"Nope." Her grin now makes him think of a cartoon cat with canary feathers falling out of her mouth.
"Stella..."
"Goodnight, Mac," she says, and closes the door behind her.
Mac watches her walk off, then looks down at his pile of gifts. He picks up one of the G.I. Joe figures and turns it between his fingers, thinking.
He's only got four days to go until Christmas Eve.
Feedback is always appreciated.
Author: stellaluna_
Fandom: CSI:NY
Rating: PG
Summary: Mac is getting gifts. Very mild, vague spoilers for "The Thing About Heroes."
Disclaimer: None of these are mine. Characters are the property of Anthony Zuiker, Jerry Bruckheimer Television, CBS, and Alliance Atlantis.
Notes: This is my attempt at a fic version of an Advent calendar. There will be 25 of these.
Two weeks before Christmas, everyone in the lab finds candy canes waiting for them on their desks when they clock in for their shifts. Most people seem amused; no one will claim responsibility. Mac shakes his head, but takes the candy cane and hooks it over the edge of a picture frame. Then he forgets about it.
The next day, everyone has chocolate in holiday wrappers. The day after that, it's small packets of cookies wrapped up in foil. In addition to the cookies, Mac finds a Starbucks gift card. There's no note on it, and when he listens to other people's conversations about the cookies, no one else mentions getting a card, or any other kind of extra gift. Mac uses it downstairs that night, and it has five dollars on it.
Friday, everyone gets candy again; Mac gets candy and another gift card, this one for ten dollars. The gift-giver still hasn't revealed himself or herself, and no one will admit to being a witness to the candy distribution. They all seem to be having a good time.
Mac is off over the weekend, and nothing happens. He doesn't get any presents at his apartment; no phone calls come from strangers or blocked numbers; bills and circulars are the only things he finds in his mailbox.
Monday morning, there are cookies on his desk again, along with a set of periodic table refrigerator magnets. Tuesday, he gets candy and two G.I. Joe action figures. He thinks about sending out a department-wide e-mail, requesting that whoever's behind this either reveal themselves or knock it off, but he stops himself. As far as he can tell, he's still the only one getting anything besides the candy and cookies, and he doesn't want to let anyone know that if he doesn't have to.
After shift on Thursday, he asks Stella, casually, if she can stop by his office for a little while. She shows up a few minutes later, buttoning her coat with one hand and clutching bags from several nearby stores. "What's going on, Mac?" she asks. "I've got wrapping to do."
"Close the door, would you?" he says, and she lets her bags drop to the floor.
"What is it?" she says, once the door is closed and they're both sitting on the couch.
"These little gifts everyone has been getting," he says. "Do you have any idea at all who's behind it?"
"Well, no," she says. "That's kind of the point of Secret Santa; you're not supposed to know."
"Secret Santa," he says.
"Yeah." She gives him a look. "You do know what a Secret Santa is, Mac. There's no way you don't."
"Of course I know what a Secret Santa is. You think that's what this is?"
"Let me see." Stella stares off into the distance like she's thinking hard, hands folded neatly in her lap. "Some unknown person in the lab is giving out candy and cookies every day in the weeks leading up to Christmas...yeah, sounds like a Secret Santa to me."
"There's more to it than that," Mac says. "I'm not so sure it's just someone playing Santa. Or that it's someone in the lab."
She frowns at him. "What do you mean?"
"Have you gotten anything from this...person aside from the candy and cookies?"
"No."
Mac sighs. "That's the problem. No one else seems to be, either. Except for me."
"Wait, you mean you're getting other presents?" Stella sits up a little straighter, looking concerned. "Like what?"
He shows her the gift cards and the magnets and the toys. "Yesterday it was a CD collection of Christmas songs done by jazz artists. Today I got a Charles Mingus album that I don't have. One that I mentioned a few weeks ago when a group of us were talking about music in the kitchen."
"Mac, wait," she says. "If you were talking about it here at work, then probably someone remembered and decided to get it for you. That just sounds like someone trying to be nice. All of this sounds like that."
"But I don't know who it is," he says. "I've been trying to remember who was in the kitchen that day, and I can't. It was the middle of the afternoon, and people were constantly going in and out. And I seem to be the only one getting extra presents."
"So, like I said, someone is trying to do something nice for you." Stella sorts through the pile of gifts on the coffee table. "I mean, they're doing something nice for all of us, but they're making an effort to do something special for you."
"And that's what worries me," Mac says.
She looks at him again. "Mac, what are you thinking? Just say it."
"You remember the last time I was getting mysterious gifts?"
"Mac," Stella says in a low voice. "Mac, this isn't connected to Drew Bedford or to the 333 situation."
"How do you know?" he says. "You can't know that."
Stella raises her eyebrow. She looks amused again. "What, you think Drew Bedford is sneaking out of Rikers every night to leave cookies and jazz CDs on your desk?"
"No," he says, feeling his face get hot. "Not that. When you put it that way..."
She puts an arm around his shoulders. "It sounds as ridiculous as it actually is?" she asks.
Mac sighs. "I just..."
"I know," Stella says. "You like to know all the details. You feel uncomfortable because you don't know who's behind all this. But, Mac, it's clearly someone in the lab, and I think it's also pretty clear that they just want to do something nice for you."
"Maybe."
Stella starts rifling through the presents again. "It's also clear that whoever this is knows you pretty well. I mean: coffee, music, military and science toys? This is you all over."
"I know." Mac looks down at his hands. "That's the other thing that worries me."
"I know it does," Stella says.
"And you're not bothered by the fact that there's no one in the lab who's not getting gifts?"
"Engage your detective brain," Stella says. "If there were one person not getting anything, it would be pretty damn obvious who was behind it, wouldn't it?"
"Fair point." Something occurs to him. "This someone who knows me pretty well wouldn't be you, would it?"
"No," she says. "Sorry. But you know what?"
"What?"
"Secret Santas usually reveal themselves by Christmas Eve. You've only got a few days to go."
"That's...good, I suppose," Mac says.
"Cheer up, Mac," Stella says, and gives his shoulder a squeeze. "Relax and enjoy the rest of the presents. See who's waiting for you under the mistletoe on Christmas Eve."
"Mistletoe," he says, and his face starts to feel warm again. "You don't think this is...no."
She shrugs, smiling. "I think it's at least a possibility."
"Great."
"You need to -- "
"I know, relax and enjoy it."
"Got it in one." She pats him on the knee, then stands up. "And now I really do have to go start on this wrapping. Unless you have any other conspiracy theories you need to discuss. Lone gunman? Area 51?"
He shakes his head. "Go home, Stella."
"Right." She collects her things. "I'll see you in the morning."
She's almost to the door when Mac says, "Hey, Stella."
"Yes."
"If you were behind this -- "
"Which I'm not."
"But if you were. You wouldn't tell me, would you?"
She gives him a cheerful smile. "Not really."
"And if you just knew who was behind it, you wouldn't tell me that, either, would you?"
"Nope." Her grin now makes him think of a cartoon cat with canary feathers falling out of her mouth.
"Stella..."
"Goodnight, Mac," she says, and closes the door behind her.
Mac watches her walk off, then looks down at his pile of gifts. He picks up one of the G.I. Joe figures and turns it between his fingers, thinking.
He's only got four days to go until Christmas Eve.
Feedback is always appreciated.