Song Credit...."Near You Always" by Jewel.

Tea's office....July 15, 1999....Morning

Tea looks helplessly at the stack of papers covering her desk.
I'm gonna be here all night, she thinks.
She sighs. She did like being the Assistant District Attorney...but part of her seriously missed being a defense attorney. When Hank had offered her this job back in the fall, she had jumped at it. Her heart and self esteem were in pieces because of everything she had gone through with Todd. She had wanted to forget...and to her the best thing to do was to change everything...to become totally different than she had been with Todd. Maybe...just maybe...it would work and she would forget. So this job seemed like a perfect way to put this plan into action. But...after a while....she realized that she didn't have to change, and she didn't want to. And she finally admitted to herself that she could change anything she wanted to...but unfortunately she couldn't change her heart...and that heart still belonged to Todd, as much as she didn't want to admit it. Lately, Tea had been thinking about resigning and going back to the defense side of the law...of course it didn't help that Sam constantly reminded her that she had an open invitation to join his law firm whenever she wanted. But she hadn't taken the next step....she was still mulling it over...such a big decision. She shook her head.
Back to work, she thinks.
After a few moments, there is a knock on her door.
"Come in."
Tea looks up and sees one of her paralegals, Amy, walking in with a huge smile, carrying a dozen peach roses.
Tea's eyes widen. "For me?"
"Yeah, they just arrived."
Tea took the roses. She looks for a card, but there is none...but somehow...there doesn't need to be one...she knows...
"Amy, who delivered these?"
"Some older guy, from the florist I guess. So...who are they from?"
"Ummm... uh...there's no card," Tea says, distractedly.
"I bet they're from Sykes, that guy has such a thing for you."
"No, I don't think they're from him," Tea says quietly, staring at the roses.
Amy gives her a strange look, and shrugs her shoulders. "Well, I'll see if I can round up a vase for you."
"Thanks," Tea whispers, as Amy walks out.
Tea walks over to her desk and lays the flowers down. No...there was no doubt in her mind who these were from...

"Thanks for the roses. Peach are my favorite."

"Well, peach is all they had left."

"I love them."

"Yeah, well guess you say that to all your clients."

"Yeah, but not all my husbands."

Tea sits down, suddenly dizzy. This was so like him, sending flowers without a card....cause he knew ...she would know who they were from.
Why now? she thinks. Why out of the blue like this?
Her eyes wander to the small calendar that sits on her desk. Suddenly, she understands. July 15. She feels tears spring to her eyes as her heart twists violently.
"Nice flowers."
The voice startles Tea, and she looks up to see John Sykes standing in her doorway.
"So, who's your secret admirer?"
Tea raises an eyebrow at his tone. Is he jealous? Her mind races...she doesn't want him to know...it didn't concern him.
"Oh....umm...actually ...uh they're from my brother."
John looks at her quizzically. "Del?"
"Uh..yeah.. I talked to him last night and I must have sounded pretty stressed out."
"Well, that was nice of him."
"Yeah."
John walks toward her. "So, how about dinner tonight?"
Tea glances at the flowers. "Oh, thanks....but I have a ton of work to do."
John is visibly disappointed, but manages a grin. "Some other time."
Tea just smiles, but inside, she wishes he would go...she needs to get out of there....to clear her head...

Carlotta's Diner

Tea bursts through the door of the diner. The warm sunshine had helped to alleviate some of the spinning going on in her brain. She walks over to the counter.
"Hey Cris, where's your mom?"
"Hey Tea, umm.. I think she's out back with the delivery guys. Everything okay?"
"Oh, yeah...just wanted to say hi."
"Can I get you something?"
"Yeah, ummm...I'll have an iced tea."
Cris gets her a tall cold glass of iced tea. Tea sips it, the coldness in the liquid helping to break through the confusion raging in her head. She glances around the diner, and sees Viki Carpenter having an early lunch.
Exactly who I need to talk to, she thinks.
Tea walks over to her. "Hi, Viki."
Viki looks up in surprise, and smiles warmly at Tea. "Hello, Tea. Nice to see you....please, sit down."
Tea smiles. "It's funny that I should run into you today, I was actually going to give you a call later."
"Is everything okay?"
"I heard from Todd."
Viki looks at her in shock. "You did? Where is he? Is he okay?"
"I didn't talk to him...I got a dozen peach roses from him this morning."
"Well, did he say where he was?"
"There was no card."
Viki looks confused. "Then, how do you know they're from Todd?"
Tea sighs. "I just do. Typical of him to send me flowers without a card. Plus, he's the only one who knows that peach roses are my favorite. And....today is July 15."
"What's July 15?"
Tea's eyes fill with tears. "Two years ago today, Todd and I got married for the first time.....I can't believe he remembered," she says quietly.
Viki looks at the sad young woman sitting across from her. It was so obvious to Viki, even after everything, that Tea still loved Todd very much.
She gives Tea a gentle smile, "Tea, believe me, I know how hard this is...I'm still very hurt by what he did...although I do think he does have a problem...but in his own screwed up way...he's trying."
"This isn't fair...you know...I thought I was finally okay...you know...I mean it still hurts...and I still think about him...lately more often than not....but then these flowers come....and back he explodes into my world."
Viki reaches over and squeezes her hand. "Don't dwell on it....just take it for what it is...Todd's thinking of you...today...the day you two first became a permanent part of each other's lives."

Tea's office....That evening

Tea looks at her watch. 11:30.
That late already!!! I haven't gotten anything done!
Since she had gotten back....the beautiful roses on her desk had been nothing but a distraction. She couldn't get Todd out of her head. Her eyes would drift to the calendar...and her mind would drift back....

...we belong together...

I love you, Tea

Memories of his face, his voice, and his beautiful eyes keep haunting her brain. Constantly swirling...never leaving....finally frustrated...she picks up her calendar and throws it across the room.

Suddenly appearing in the doorway, Todd jumps slightly at her action. With a sly grin, he leans against the doorframe.

"Happy anniversary to you too, Delgado."