Chapter Text
Jubal Valentine considered himself a man of many talents—quick thinking, sharp instincts, and the ability to keep cool under pressure. But planning a covert Valentine’s for Isobel, this was proving to be his most challenging mission yet.
It had started innocently enough, with him casually mentioning the holiday over breakfast at her place.
“Valentine’s Day is coming up,” he said, sipping his coffee.
Isobel scoffed. “Ugh, that overpriced con of a holiday. No thanks. Just an excuse for florists and chocolatiers to hike up their prices.”
Jubal grinned. “I’ll change your mind.”
She rolled her eyes but smirked in that way that told him she wasn’t entirely opposed. And so, the mission began. Operation: Surprise Isobel.
Step one: Lingerie. Something tasteful, elegant—nothing over-the-top. So, during lunch, he ducked into a boutique, only to realize he had absolutely no idea what he was doing. Classic? Adventurous?
A friendly sales assistant noticed his bewildered expression and approached. “Looking for something special?”
Jubal cleared his throat. “Uh, yeah. It’s for my, um, girlfriend. Something elegant but… not too much, you know?”
The sales assistant chuckled. “I’ve got just the thing.” She guided him to a selection of delicate lace and silk pieces. “Do you know her size?”
Jubal blinked. “Size?”
She gave him a patient smile. “Let me guess—you’re checking your phone right now?”
Jubal quickly swiped through his photos before showing her a picture of Isobel’s clothing labels. “That size,” he said confidently.
“Smart man.”
She stepped away to grab more options, leaving Jubal standing in front of a mannequin wearing something particularly delicate and lacy. Just as he was lost in thought about how Isobel might look in it, a familiar voice cut through the quiet.
“Jubal?”
Jubal turned slowly, caught red-handed. “Uh… hey.”
Scola folded his arms, smirking. “Something you wanna tell me?”
Jubal blurted, “It’s for… an undercover op. Deep cover.” Instant regret.
Scola’s eyebrows shot up. “Deep cover? For what, Victoria’s Secret?”
Before Jubal could respond, the sales assistant returned, holding up a few more selections. “Here are a few more options your girlfriend might like. This one is particularly popular.”
Jubal wanted the ground to swallow him whole.
“Well, I’ll let you finish your undercover prep. See you back at the office.” Scola walked away, smirking.
Jubal groaned. This would be all over the team within the hour. Realizing the sales assistant was still waiting, he pointed. “I’ll take the blue set. And that one,” nodding toward the mannequin.
“Great choices. I’ll gift-wrap them for you.”
As she wrapped the items, she continued, “Can I interest you in a fluffy handcuff set? On sale for $18.” Spotting his badge as he pulled out his wallet, she added with a smirk, “Or maybe not—you probably have your own, more… robust pair.”
Jubal, momentarily stunned, barely managed a response before she continued.
“We also have a couples’ massage set—scented candle and oils included. Oh! And couples’ dice.”
“Sure. I’ll take both.” At this point, he just wanted out.
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After paying, he bolted from the store, heading back to the office. On the way, he passed a florist and stopped in to arrange a bouquet for delivery. He carefully selected a bouquet of deep red roses and scheduled them to be delivered to Isobel’s home on valentines day, complete with a handwritten note. Just as he was leaving the store, Maggie appeared at his side.
“Right,” she said, arms crossed, an amused glint in her eye. “Who is she?”
Jubal froze. “What?”
Maggie gestured at the florist counter. “The flowers, Jubal. Who are they for?”
“Oh,” he fumbled, “just checking in on an old case.”
Maggie blinked. “A case?”
“Yes! A case involving, uh… a florist smuggling rare flowers across state lines.”
She tilted her head. “A florist crime ring?”
Jubal nodded far too enthusiastically. “You’d be surprised how cutthroat the floral industry is.”
Maggie gave him a long, sceptical look but let it slide. “Right. I’m grabbing coffee. You want anything?”
“No, I’m good, thanks.”
He walked briskly away before she noticed the bags he was carrying. Quickly stashing everything in his trunk, he returned to the office.
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Meanwhile, back at the office, Scola wasted no time relaying his lingerie store encounter to OA.
“So, there I was,” he said, dramatically setting the scene. “And there’s Jubal, standing in front of this very risqué set, looking like a deer in headlights.”
OA burst out laughing. “And his excuse was an undercover op?”
Scola nodded. “Yup. So… who do we think he’s shopping for?”
Maggie walked in, handing out coffees. “Who’s shopping for what?”
“Jubal. He was buying lingerie and gave some lame undercover story when Scola saw him,” OA informed her.
“Interesting,” Maggie smirked. “I just caught him arranging a flower delivery, and he fed me some garbage about a case.”
Scola grinned. “What case?”
“Oh, some florist crime ring, apparently.”
OA nearly choked on his coffee. “That’s worse than the Victoria’s Secret bit.”
Before they could continue, Jubal re-entered the office, quietly talking on the phone.
“And I add one cup of that? How much chocolate? How long do I bake it for, Mom?”
OA raised an eyebrow. “He bakes?”
Maggie shrugged. “Apparently.”
Jubal, overhearing, fumbled. “I dabble.”
Scola grinned. “You ‘dabble’ in making desserts?”
Jubal rubbed his forehead. “It’s a… new hobby.”
Maggie smirked. “Right. And does this ‘new hobby’ have anything to do with lingerie and flowers?”
Jubal sighed. He was doomed.
As expected, the JOC got wind of it, and the teasing came from all angles.
“Hey, boss,” a tech analyst called, “need me to check if that ‘deep cover’ lingerie op is in the system?”
Elise added, “I hear Victoria’s Secret is looking for a new field agent.”
Kelly chimed in, “Think he’s moonlighting? I hear those models need security.”
Another analyst called out, “Who’s the mystery woman, huh?”
“Maybe it’s a secret romance with someone from another division,” one analyst mused.
“Or someone outside the Bureau entirely,” another chimed in. “Could explain the secrecy.”
“I bet she’s a journalist,” Elise added. “Think about it—flowers, lingerie, and now he’s suddenly baking? That’s some rom-com level effort.”
“Or an old flame,” Kelly suggested. “Maybe someone from his past is back.”
Scola wasn’t done. “Maybe he’s starting a side business. ‘Jubal’s Intimates—where the briefs are classified.’”
Maggie nearly choked on her coffee. OA shook his head in amusement. Another analyst quipped, “If she's a secret girlfriend, I bet she's married!”
Jubal groaned, this was going to be a very long day.
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Later in the day, Isobel sat in her office, sifting through reports when a familiar presence entered. She glanced up just as Jubal placed a fresh cup of coffee on her desk.
“What's that for?” she asked, arching an eyebrow.
“Goodwill gesture,” Jubal replied, sitting across from her.
“So, you're not just using this coffee run as an excuse to hide out?” she teased, taking a slow sip, eyes glinting over the rim of her cup. “You’ve had an interesting day, I hear.”
Jubal sighed. “Word travels fast.”
Isobel smirked. “Scola and Maggie have been… rather entertained. Something about deep cover ops, and a florist crime ring?”
Jubal groaned, rubbing his face. “It’s not as bad as it sounds.”
“Is that so?” Isobel leaned back in her chair. “Because right now, it sounds like you have a secret romance with someone no one can quite figure out.”
Jubal shook his head. “It’s not a secret romance.”
Isobel tilted her head, amused. “Funny, because the way they tell it, you’re going to a lot of trouble for someone.” She let the silence stretch before lowering her voice. “Should I be flattered?”
Jubal exhaled, a slow smirk forming. “Well, that depends. You do like roses, don’t you?”
Isobel’s gaze flicked over him before she raised an eyebrow. “And the lingerie?”
Jubal nearly choked on his coffee. “You heard about that part.”
“I did indeed,” she mused, clearly enjoying his discomfort. “From what I hear, you were somewhat out of your depth picking a rather daring set.”
Jubal leaned forward, lowering his voice. “It wasn’t ‘daring,’ it was classic. And my girlfriend is going to look incredible in it.”
Isobel’s smirk widened. “Then I suppose I should prepare myself for a very interesting Valentine’s Day.”
Jubal narrowed his eyes. “You’re enjoying this way too much.”
She took another slow sip of her coffee, eyes gleaming
Before either of them could continue, a knock at the door followed by OA, Scola, and Maggie striding in, each carrying files.
“Sorry to interrupt,” OA said, though his smirk said otherwise. “We’ve got an update on the case.”
“Which case?” Jubal asked, straightening.
Scola raised an eyebrow. “The one that doesn’t involve lingerie and secret girlfriends.”
Isobel smirked, supressing a giggle as she took a sip of her coffee.
Maggie folded her arms. “Though, if you ask me, I think we’re still waiting on the full details of that one.”
Jubal sighed. He was never going to live this down.