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Title: Dreaming of You
Author: Rosa
Fandom: Medium
Rating: NR
Bunny: #2, #9

Dreaming of You

February 14th 2006

Joe DuBois stared at the board completely absorbed in the math problem that faced him.

"What did you get her then?"

"Hmm?" Joe span round to face Sarah one of his colleagues, "Get who?"

"Allison, your wife. 14th February, Valentine's Day, remember?" She asked with incredulity, "Didn't your kids remind you?"

"Oh God, yeah they did, repeatedly. I was meant to go to the store yesterday but I had to pick up the kids and then this morning was such a rush," he pushed his blond hair off of his face and sighed.

"You want me to hold the fort here?"

"That would be great," he grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair. "Any suggestions for gifts that don't seem too last minute?" He asked hopefully heading out the door.

Sarah laughed, "Well providing you don't get it from a gas station you're half way there!"

"Oh come on, even I know that!" Joe laughed and waved as he left.

Joe tapped at the steering wheel impatiently waiting for the lights to change. He was sure Allison had been hinting at something; a necklace she'd pointed out in a store window when they were last at the mall. He screwed up his face and tried desperately to remember which store it had been in. Further along than the Disney store where Bridget had made them stop to look at the stuffed toys, not the one next to the bookstore, they'd walked right past that one. Joe found his recollections being interrupted by horns and he looked up to see the lights had already changed to green. Pulling away he remembered the advert that had been in the window behind the necklace:

"Enchant your loved one this Valentine's with our bewitching selection of jewellery"

He'd turned to Allison as she'd looked at the display, "Don't you think we've already got enough going on in our family without adding enchantment and witchcraft to it all?" She'd looked almost guilty for a moment but then laughed and muttered, "Yeah I guess maybe you're right".

He slowed as he pulled into the parking lot of the mall. There was traffic everywhere and he could see news vans up ahead and lights blazing. "You've got to be kidding me," he muttered to himself. He rolled down his window and spoke to a woman passing by, "Excuse me, do you know what's going on up there?"

"Not really, they've evacuated the mall though."

"Do you know why?"

"No they didn't say, only that it might take a couple of hours to open up the mall again."

Joe looked at the clock on the dashboard. "I can't wait that long, I'm supposed to be getting my wife's Valentine's Day present," he explained, "I have to go pick up the kids in an hour,"

"Cutting it kind of fine aren't you?" the woman said. Joe frowned, why did women always have to stick together on this sort of thing? "There's a good florist over on Maine" the woman added with slightly more sympathy, "You could try there."

"Yeah I guess I'll have to, thanks for the suggestion" he smiled.

"No problem."

Joe span the Jeep around and headed back into town, "You'd think with three psychics in the family at least one of them could have warned me about this," he thought to himself darkly.

He stood outside the florists apprehensively for a few moments. He knew Allison would love flowers, he rarely bought them for her, it was his reaction he was more worried about. Deciding he didn't really have any other option he entered with a sigh and a slight air of dread.

"Hi there Sir, can I help you at all?" A young girl with long black hair tied back in a pony tail greeted him enthusiastically.

"Hi, I'm looking for something for my wife but," Joe started to explain but found himself being interrupted.

"Ok," said the lady, "Well we've got a special offer on this bouquet here," she turned and pulled a bouquet of red lilies and white roses out of a silver bucket.

Joe edged back slightly and rubbed at his nose, "Yeah, before you." he started to say but the girl continued apparently oblivious to his increasing discomfort.

"This has proved a very popular bouquet this year. This red Lily is actually from Peru and has the most beautiful aroma and combined with the white rose it makes such a striking visual impact don't you think?"

Joe nodded his head, "They're beautiful! But they make me-" he broke off and twisted his body away. "Hetishh! Heh hehh hehh Hehishoo! Ishoo! Ishoo! Heshooo!"

"Bless you, are you ok Sir?"

Joe rolled his eyes and pulled a handkerchief out of his back pocket, "Huh Itshoo! Eshoo! Heshoo! Yeah I'm. I'm, huhh, fine, it's just that I'm allergic to. to." he gestured to the bouquet she was still holding. "Heshuuh! Heshuhh! Hehh, Haitshoo!"

The girl sighed, she'd witnessed this scene too many times already today, "Might I suggest something other than flowers?"

"Look, hehh, the mall is shut and I have to pick my kids up, so it's pretty much got to be something from here or hushoo! Or nothing. Ishoo!" He stopped and rubbed his nose on his hanky a few times. "Sorry, I've left it really late and I really need to get her something. It's uhhh, mostly lilies and or.huh, orchids that hehh, hempschhh! Hetishh! that set me off," he added almost apologetically.

"Ok," said the woman still looking dubious but obviously trying to do he best to adhere to the maxim that the customer was always right. "Those are both pretty highly scented flowers, so I'd suggest steering clear of anything with a strong perfume."

She walked over to a few different buckets and began pulling out different flowers from each. After a few moments she presented the bouquet to Joe who although still sniffling heavily did appear to have stopped sneezing for the moment.

"These here are Hypericum berries," she pointed to small white berries and a rich green foliage, "so they're good as they're not even really a flower, then this one here," she pointed to a white flower with thin long petals that stretched out from tight curls in the centre, "is a spider daisy, it looks beautiful and daisies carry almost no scent and then finally" she pointed to a stunning dark red flower, "you've got red tulips in there too as red flowers symbolise passion and love, which you need in a valentine's bouquet," she said smiling. "What do you think?"

"I think that looks great." Joe said sincerely. He paid for the bouquet and left the shop with relief.

Once back in the Jeep he placed the flowers on the passenger seat, making sure that they weren't going to get crushed or damaged at all. Then he withdrew his hanky from his back pocket again. He rubbed at his nose furiously and then drew a shaky breath, "Hehh ehh hehh, huhh, uhh."

The tickle in his nose teased him, surging through him only to deny him at the last moment. He sat there and waited, there was no way he could drive like this and he knew it wouldn't be long before the pressure inside him had to be released. He could feel it building in him; it was like teetering on a tightrope waiting to fall off. "Hetchooo! Hetchushh! Ishuhh! Itchoo! Heshoo! Hehh hehh Haishh! Ishuhh! Hetchishuhh!"

He let the sneezes throw him forward mercilessly, enjoying the privacy of his car rather than the pitying and scathing eyes that had met him in the florists.

"Hatchoo! Hetishh! Hah Mpschhh! Itschh! Hurshoo! Hetishoo!" He blew his nose and wiped away the tears that had escaped. He waited a few moments just to be sure that it was over with and once satisfied he heaved a sigh of relief.

"You know I love you anyway Allison DuBois but you'd really better appreciate those flowers!"

January 22nd 2006

Allison awoke with a smile. She rolled over to face her husband who was still sleeping. She stroked his cheek and cuddled up close to him, "I do appreciate them I promise."

Joe opened his eyes and blinked a few times, "Mmmph? What did you say?"

"Nothing to worry about, go back to sleep." She snuggled in closer as he put his arm around her and kissed her bare shoulder. "I think maybe we deserve a lie-in." Joe grunted in response and Allison closed her eyes, a small smile playing on her lips, anticipating her dreams for once with pleasure.

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