Simon opened his office door unexpectedly; bring all in the bullpen to a halt.

With a raised eyebrow, he closed in on Ellison's desk and laid a neatly printed report down in front of his senior detective.

"I just finished your final on the Mercer report."

Jim nodded, pulling the toothpick from his mouth and sitting straighter in his seat. "The coffee stand hold-ups?"

Blair looked up from his textbook. "I remember that one. The guy held up the drive-throughs with a can opener."

Simon cleared his throat, eyeing both men over the top of his glasses. He tapped the report with a long, dark finger. "I understand it was not the most heinous crime to ever hit Cascade, but I'm not going to sign off on any report that reads like a dime store novel."

Jim snatched up the report with a startled expression. "Whaa...?" His eyes scanning over the lines at high speed.

"I think I'm late for a meeting at the U, catch you guys later," Blair mumbled, stuffing books and paper into his pack.

Jim's left hand moved with the speed of a striking cobra, stilling the fleeing observer. "Hold it, Junior, let me finish this..."

Simon stood over the desk, his arms crossed over his chest. With a knowing smirk, he turned to watch Blair squirm in his seat, seeming to enjoy the man's discomfort.

Jim's began to read from the report. "... At which time the suspect sped away on foot, trampling the flowering azalea bush in his hast to flee from his latest peccadillo..." Jim dropped the papers on his desk and turned his chair to address his partner squarely. "FLOWERING AZALEA BUSH! Sandburg! Are you trying to get me laughed out of a job?"

Blair shrugged, his face beginning to resemble the shade of the azalea blooms in question. "Come on, man. Didn't you ever want to spice up the reports just a little? The guy plead guilty, he's not going to trial or anything. Everything I added to your report was factual."

Jim shook his head before dropping his chin on his chest in despair.

"Look, Jim," Simon said with a laugh. "It's not that bad, and I admit I had to look up `peccadillo', so I learned a new word. Just have the kid tone it down a little, okay?" He laughed again as he returned to his office.

Turning his partner loose, Jim grabbed his Jag cap and stood. "Come on Jessica Fletcher, let's grab some lunch."

Following the tall cop out of the bullpen, Blair shot a smile over to Rhonda, returning her thumbs up as she tucked her `word of the day' calendar into her top drawer.

The End

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