Behind those sparkling blue eyes lay a plot waiting to emerge. The plan was perfect: three or four spitballs in the backside followed by three or four shrieks of surprise, and the cute new girl would never want to talk to Elliot again. He had measured all the angles, calculated the distance, made four beautiful spitballs, and a fifth, in case of emergency, and found a bendy straw.

Finch sneered. Elliot had been chatting up this girl for at least an hour. They would stand across from Finch's desk, sipping their coffee, and Elliot would say something stupid, and she would laugh.

It was sickening.

Suddenly, the window of opportunity opened! Elliot turned around, probably making his move, or whatever he liked to call it. Finch readied the straw...

"Dennis!" Jack called from his office.

The tension immediately died, and Finch slowly released his breath. "Coming, Jack," he said, half-mockingly.

The secretary walked into Jack's luxurious office and glanced at his boss in anticipation. "What's up, Jack?" he asked, begrudged. "I was kind of busy in there."

"Oh, really?" Jack wondered. "Would this involve spitballs?"

"Maybe...but I did nothing that wasn't crying out for justice!!"

"Well, anyway, Dennis, I have a little assignment I need for you to do for me," Jack said, folding his hands across his knee.

Finch was already halfway out the door. "Sorry, Jack, I'm booked straight through the end of the year....possibly next year too...."

"I guess I'll have to get Elliot to go pick up our new model, then," Jack said, feigning negligence.

"Oh, we shouldn't bother Elliot with such little assignments," Finch replied, nonchalantly, peeking back in the door.

"I'm sure he doesn't mind." Jack shrugged, knowing that he had trapped Finch.

"No, really!! I can handle it Jack."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

**

Caught in a momentary traffic jam, Finch glanced at the directions he had written on a small sheet of notebook paper. The model was meeting him outside of some bank, and he just couldn't place the name of it.

"1st National Bank of Commerce," he read aloud. "Got it."

He drove for a few more blocks, and pulled expertly into a parking space. Not seeing her right away, Dennis turned up the volume on his radio. The news was on his favorite station, so he quickly switched it off.

Subconsciously, he turned on the heater. A light snow had fallen early that morning, and was still littered about the sidewalks, cascading into a chilly winter background for the businessmen and women briskly walking outside.

Deciding that his car wasn't getting warmer anytime soon, and that the model probably wouldn't see him in it anyway, he pulled the key from the ignition and went outside to sit on a bench.

As he sat down, he slid his keys into his pocket, his hand brushing against something in the process. He pulled out a snapshot of himself and his co- workers from last year's New Year's Eve party. Wow!, he said to himself. I thought I'd lost this! I guess I must've washed it in these pants.

Nostalgically, he traced the picture with his eyes. He and Jack stood together in one corner. Elliot had an arm propped on Nina, who was downing something alcoholic, no doubt. A few others that Finch didn't know were dancing and drinking...and then Finch's eyes trailed over to Maya. She had her arms crossed, but she was smiling. She wore a short green dress and matching earrings. Dennis stared at her smile. It was so natural and majestic. How he longed to make that smile appear on her face...

Suddenly, a strong wind picked up, blowing the picture into the street on the other side of his car.

"Man," Dennis grumbled. He sprinted over and bent down to look under the car. The picture was only a few feet away. He reached with his left arm, trying to grab it.

All of a sudden, Finch heard a blaring horn. He snapped to attention, and froze when he saw the two lights headed straight for him.

**

What will happen???? Only I know....and I really don't know yet anyway...^_^ Keep reading!!