wl_fanfiction | A Dozen Red Roses

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Title: A Dozen Red Roses
Chapter(s): 2/6
Characters: Josie, Greg, Tony, Caroline
Pairing: Josie/?
Rating: PG-13 (For swearing)
Summary: Josie recieves a mysterious Valentine but who is it from?

By the time Josie arrived at the recording studios she was in a bad mood. The bus had been delayed, making her the last to arrive apart from Greg who, it seemed, was more often than not late. Greg and Josie had a running competition going of who could arrive at the studios first.

Racing straight to Greg’s dressing room Josie pushed it open and peered inside. It had the definite air of an absence of Greg. There was no cloud of white smoke from his cigarettes, and no muttering of muses from a figure hunched over his table, finishing Tony’s crossword for him in that morning’s paper. Josie smiled.

“Ha! Beat you, Proops” she stated gleefully to no one in particular, before a voice behind her made her jump as it whispered,
“Afraid not pookie. I’ve been here a while.” Josie screamed a little and turned around to thwack the chuckling American around the back of his head.
“Greg, you bastard. You scared me.” Josie frowned, desperate not to laugh. He pulled her into an apologetic cuddle before eyeing the rose in her hand.

“Who gave you that, Jos?” he enquired. Josie looked down; she’d forgotten all about the beautiful flower clutched in her hand, along with the note.
“Oh… I don’t know.” Josie admitted “The bus driver gave it to me this morning, along with this note and the news that my fare had already been paid. Greg looked at the note thoughtfully.
“Jos… it’s just turned 10:30am” He informed her consulting his watch.

Grabbing Greg’s hand, which the note was clasped in, Josie clattered along the corridor with Greg in tow. Somehow she knew where she was going. Without consciously thinking, her feet took her to her dressing room where, sure enough, another scarlet rose awaited her, its petals catching the light as it streamed through the window so that the dew clinging to the flower twinkled.

On the stripped stalk was pinned another note which Josie detached to read, setting down her second flower next to the newly acquired one.

JOSIE,

HAVE A GOOD RECORDING. EXPECT THE NEXT IN AN HOUR.

“Another one?” Josie looked incredulously at the note, as Greg appeared with a vase of water and a jealous looking Caroline.
“Oh, they’re beautiful Josie…” she gasped, running up to look at the flowers. “Greg just told me you have a secret admirer.” Josie blushed while Caroline sighed. “I wish Paul would do something romantic like this for me…” Carefully Greg picked up the roses placing them in the large vase of water while Josie and Caroline deciphered the note.

“I’ve never seen the writing before.” Caroline announced after Josie had filled her in. “He must know you well though or how would he know about the bus, or which was your dressing room and more importantly where you live?” Josie pondered this.
“But that’s just it, I can’t think of anyone who does, who likes me enough to make me feel this special and important.”

*****

The subject of the roses continued in the make up department, where Tony and Greg joined in the conversation.
“I bet he’s really attractive Josie, blonde hair, blue eyes,” dreamed Caroline as she had her blusher applied.
“Or he’ll be an ugly looking fucker… like Greg.” grinned Tony.
“Or worse…” chipped in Greg, “he could look like Tony!” Tony grinned, while Josie couldn’t help but laugh.

“I just want to know who it is” sighed Josie, watching the minutes disappear until her next rose arrived.
“Maybe we could catch him at it?” Caroline wondered aloud, looking suddenly thoughtful, as Josie’s eyes lit up.
“Where do you reckon he’ll put it, back in my dressing room?” pondered Josie to Caroline, as Greg and Tony had lost interest by this point and were arguing about sports.

“What do you reckon he’s like…?” Josie voiced her fears to Caroline. What if the man sending her the flowers was a stalker? After all he knew a lot about Josie’s every day routine.
“He’s got to be romantic…” Caroline pondered the matter carefully. “And intelligent too.” Josie nodded. That didn’t sound like a creep to her, but still her stomach squirmed unpleasantly.

*****

Hidden around the corner Josie and Caroline squatted like a couple of teenagers watching her dressing room with rapt attention. Ten minutes after the rose was supposed to be delivered, with no one but stagehands wandering around, the two sighed.
“He must have left it somewhere else.” Caroline concluded, almost as disappointed as Josie that they hadn’t discovered her secret man’s identity.

“He must have, he’s been on time up until now.” Josie sighed too, resigning herself to the bitter let down. “He’s clever, surely someone would see someone without a backstage pass wandering around…ouch!”

Caroline had suddenly gripped her arm with a vice-like force.
“What if he does have a backstage pass?” she suggested to a perplexed Josie. “I always thought Danny in wardrobe…”
“Oh, shut up!” snapped Josie, grinning nevertheless.

*****

Unsure of what to do, Josie and Caroline decided to return to make up; they knew Dan would be after their skins if they weren’t ready to start recording by midday. Pulling open the door they found the make up girls gathered around, all twittering like a flock of excited budgies, chattering and flapping their arms.
“What’s happened?” Josie asked gasping as they parted to reveal an unmistakable red flower. Running to it she plucked the note addressed to her off.

Josie giggled, aware of 5 pairs of eyes gazing over her shoulder reading her message too.

JOSIE,

NICE TRY, BUT YOU’LL HAVE TO BE MORE CUNNING THAN THAT.

12:30PM FOR YOUR NEXT

Caroline gawped at the small letter clutched in Josie’s right hand.
“How did he know?” mouthed Caroline making sure she was out of view of the distracted make up girls. They were now passing the rose around, smelling and admiring it. Josie shrugged, as she looked at the words scrawled on the page, she realised with some regret there was nothing clear about the identity of the man sending the flowers, and that she was no closer to catching him.

“We can’t give up Josie.” Caroline insisted. “We’ll find your man.” Josie nodded, as one of the girls reapplied her lipstick.