Warnings: mild smarm/warm fuzzy
Spoilers: Implied mention of Smart Alec and Survival

Special
by Swellison

Jim Ellison pulled the dark blue Expedition into the closest parking space available. Although it was after eight at night, the July sun wouldn't be going to bed for another hour and a half.

"Oh, man," Blair, in the passenger seat, measured the distance from the truck to the store's entrance, sighing. "I was hoping it wouldn't be so crowded, still. C'mon, Jim, let's go join the mayhem." They exited the SUV and made their way across half of the parking lot before reaching the store's entrance. Jim winced as he picked up the excited buzz of voices long before Sandburg opened the glass door and they entered the Hallmark store.

They stepped eight feet inside the store before being halted by a line of people. "What is going on here, Chief?"

"It's a Christmas in July open house, Jim. I'll explain it to you later. I've gotta go pick up something, why don't you just stay in the refreshment line. I'll see you in a little bit."

Jim started to protest, got a whiff of almond crescent cookies and apple cider, and decided that he was exactly where he wanted to be. He turned to tell Sandburg that, but Blair had already wandered off to the far left wall of the store, joining the already sizable throng of people, mostly women, clustered there.

About a quarter of an hour later, Jim finally reached the refreshment table. He noted the paper plates, cups and napkins all had a matching Christmas ivy theme -- even the plastic spoons were green. Jim picked up a plate, acquired a few almond crescent, wedding ball, and traditionally shaped Christmas sugar cookies, then filled his paper cup with some nice, cold apple cider. He left the food line, seeking a quiet place to eat. He ended up in the stationery aisle, enjoying his out-of-season treat. He just finished a sip of cider when a sound cut through the crowded hub-bub of voices.

"Ouch," Blair hissed, from several aisles away, the distressed tones easily picked up by Jim's Sentinel hearing.

Setting the cider and plate down on a convenient display shelf, Jim waded through the packed aisles until he reached the far left wall. A banner proclaiming "Christmas in July" and "1997 Hallmark Ornament Collection" ran along the top of the wall, and a large maroon and green display of labeled ornaments hanging from individual hooks and pegs was partially visible through the surrounding mob. The showcased ornaments took up the top two thirds of the wall. Jim could also see an open storage area divided lengthwise by a two shelves and crosswise by evenly spaced wooden supports underneath the wall ornaments. The storage spaces were filled with small, maroon-ish boxes of various sizes, and several people were combing through the boxed ornaments. Jim heard one lady muttering something about Cinderella before spotting Blair halfway down the row.

Jim elbowed his way to his partner, currently squatting on the floor, his hands reaching into the bottom shelf of boxes. Jim bent over. "Sandburg! What's going on?"

"Ack!" Blair twitched in surprise, yanking his hands back. "Jim, how many times have I told you not to sneak up on me like that?"

They both stood upright, Jim again catching a hiss of pain as Sandburg rose to his feet, his hand hovering over the recently healed bullet wound in his leg.

"Dammit, Chief, I *told* you not to go roller blading yesterday." Jim glared. "And I'm sure all this bending and stooping isn't helping your leg, either."

"I know, man, but that's where the ornaments are," Blair's hand gestured to the low shelves.

"Ornaments? You dragged me here after an eleven hour work day so you could pick up Christmas ornaments?!"

"Yeah, Jim. My aunt Debbie Mae is a huge collector. You should see her house and tree at Christmas time! She makes the place *breathe* Christmas, even though it's usually 70 or so degrees out, and Fort Worth gets snow once in a blue moon. She got me interested in collecting, gave me my first three Hallmark ornaments."

Jim looked at the mice, cats, dogs, Santas, and other figured ornaments that would adorn Cascade's trees in December. "You collect this stuff?"

"Well, not *all* of it, Jim. My collection's not nearly as extensive as Aunt Debbie Mae's, I only buy certain, special ornaments."

"Special? Like what?"

"Uh, well, Hallmark does a lot of series of ornaments. The ornaments have a binding theme to them, and are issued over a period of years. I'm after this year's Endangered Species ornament, but I haven't found it yet. I think it's too late and they're all sold out."

"Well, let me take a look." Jim started to bend down, and paused. "You stay right where you are, Junior. Your leg's had enough bending for one night."

Jim squatted and peered into the box-filled lower shelf, his vision boosting up a few notches to compensate for the darkened interior of the storage shelf. Jim read the titles printed on the box tops: Catch of the Day, Kiddie Car Classics, Lion King, Lone Ranger, Lion King, Catch of the Day... perhaps the boxes had been alphabetized to start with, but the hordes of customers had jumbled things considerably. Kiddie Car Classics, Language of Flowers, Language of Flowers, All American Trucks... Jim pulled up that box to examine the ornament pictured on the front. It was a 1953 GMC, the rounded truck nicely executed and strongly resembling the truck in the old black-and-white Lassie reruns, only this one was a bright, Christmassy red.

Ellison replaced the ornament and scanned the rest of the boxes in the first storage area. No luck. He moved on to the next section and patiently read through more marked tops: Breezin' Along, Cat Naps, Breezin' Along, Kiddie Car Classics, Bucket Brigade, Breezin' Along, Elegance on Ice, Football Legends, Football Legends.... Intrigued, Jim extracted another box, checking out the pictured ornament. The ornament depicted a helmeted Broadway Joe Namath, posed with a football in his throwing hand, and a completely authentic white and green uniform, the football jersey emblazoned with the number 12. A good, professional likeness, Jim thought as he returned that box to its original position and kept on scanning.

He searched through three more storage areas, getting slightly discouraged as he started the next-to-end partition. Football Legends, Frosty Friends, Frosty Friends, Cycling Santa, Endangered Species. Jim carefully lifted that ornament by its edges and checked its cover: a small black panther on all four paws, with green eyes and a ring of ivy and holly around its neck. Jim read the caption under the pictured animal: Panther Prowl, Third in Series, Endangered Species. He heard Blair's voice in his mind: "I only buy certain, special ornaments." Special. He considered searching for another ornament, but decided against it. No, they would share this one. Jim found himself looking forward to Christmas.

He rose to his feet, smiling, and handed the boxed ornament to Blair. "I found it."

the end

Author's note: I took liberties with the ornament box design, there are no titles on the boxtops, only the word "Hallmark". Also, there is no Endangered Species series, but the other named ornaments are from the 1997 collection.