Chapter 1: A Christmas Kiss.
Disclaimer: I do not own TDI. Ahh, but I wish I did.
"Isn't it funny that at Christmas, something in you gets so lonely for-- I don't know what exactly, but it's something that you don't mind so much not having at other times." -Kate L. Bosher
Courtney took a sip of her fruit punch and surveyed the room.
Everyone was dancing along to old Christmas classics, and she could see Geoff leading a conga line in the center of the room.
Courtney never really liked Christmas parties. They just weren't her thing. She'd much rather be at home with her family, sitting by the fire and just enjoying each other's company.
The brunette idly ladled some more fruit punch from the large crystal bowl into her glass. Being here in a crowded work office, filled with noisy, boisterous people who were getting drunker and drunker by the minute was not what Courtney liked to do during Christmas.
She only stayed behind because Bridgette and Geoff had forced her to. And… Courtney's eyes traveled to the corner of the room where Duncan was dancing ridiculously with Lindsay.
She frowned. That stupid Duncan.
He had made a huge ruckus when Courtney tried to slip out of the building unnoticed, and, ultimately, forced her to join the party.
"Hey, Courtney," Justin greeted as he sidled up alongside her. "What's up? Having fun?"
Courtney smiled wryly up at the gorgeous man. "You could say that."
"Don't like Christmas parties?" Justin asked, leaning over Courtney to grab a crystal cup.
She could smell his subtle scent of sandalwood.
"Not particularly," Courtney replied, watching Justin ladle some punch into his cup.
"You need to loosen up," Justin flashed a smile at her.
"How do you propose I do that?" Courtney asked, leaning slightly on one leg so that her hip jutted out alluringly. Justin's eyes traveled down Courtney's body and she quickly straightened up.
Maybe she shouldn't have done that.
"How about we start with a dance?" Justin asked, leaning closer to Courtney, his voice low and seductive. The model nodded to the middle of the room where couples were already together, slow dancing to Last Christmas by Wham.
Courtney always got the nagging suspicion that Justin had a little crush on her, a notion that always made her feel extremely flattered. Justin was, after all, the most attractive man in their company.
Courtney was about to accept his offer to dance when her cell phone rang.
Checking the Caller ID and realizing that it was her mother, Courtney smiled apologetically up at Justin.
"Sorry, Justin," Courtney said, holding up her Voyager. "I gotta take this."
Justin feigned a pout, but then smiled back at her. "That's all right. You gotta promise me the next dance though."
Courtney was about to reply when a female co-worker hurried up to Justin and dragged him away.
Rolling her eyes, Courtney pressed the TALK button on her phone and hurried down the empty corridor where the music was not as loud.
"Hey, Mom," Courtney greeted.
"Courtney, sweetie, I was just wondering, do you know where you put the gold ornaments?"
"Uh, you mean those ornaments with the crystals and everything?"
"Yes. I'm trying to find them to put on our Christmas tree; it'll look so nice. But I can't find them. I remember you helping me pack them up last Christmas, but I forgot where you put them. It'd be a waste to not put them on our tree."
"I think…" Courtney wracked her brains. "You should check the attic. Look for the boxes in the corner. I think I put all the ornaments."
"Oh, wait," Mrs. Mann said, sounding pleased.
There was a huge clattering sound.
"I found them, sweetie! You're right, they are in the attic," Mrs. Mann exclaimed, blowing out a breath. Presumably to blow off dust. "I'll leave you to your party now, honey. Come here as soon as you can; we can bake cookies together like old times."
"Yeah, Mom," Courtney said, smiling. The brunette hung up and started to head back to the party.
When she passed under the doorway, however, Courtney met Duncan as he passed her.
"Hey, Princess," Duncan greeted, stopping in the middle of the doorway. His Santa hat was askew and set to one side of his head. He looked a bit drunk. But then again, Duncan was never sober.
Courtney's heart fluttered slightly at Duncan's smile. But she forced the butterflies down.
Courtney rolled her eyes. "Duncan."
She made to go past him when he moved in front of her.
Courtney could smell his cologne of citrus and mint.
The brunette scowled and dodged to the left, but Duncan quickly moved to the left also.
Courtney glared up at Duncan, who was grinning amusedly down at her.
"Duncan, I don't care if it's Christmas or not, if you don't move, I am going to kick you straight up the---" Courtney paused in mid-sentence as Duncan pointed an index finger up at the ceiling.
Courtney looked up, and her eyes grew wide as she realized that the two were standing underneath---
"Mistletoe," Duncan said, smirking.
"What?" Courtney gasped. Her heart started to hammer furiously. "Duncan, you're crazy. I'm not-- -If you think---I'm not going to---"
Oh, damn! She was getting flustered! A flustered Courtney was not good.
"Christmas is all about giving, sweetheart," Duncan said mischievously, coming closer to Courtney.
Automatically, she backed up a few steps. Big mistake.
She was cornered. Duncan had Courtney backed against the edge of the doorway.
He planted a hand on the wall by the side of Courtney's head, trapping her, and leaned close.
"Come on, babe, pucker up," Duncan teased. "You know you want to kiss me."
"I want to smack you, asshole," Courtney scowled, placing her hands against his chest to give him a halfhearted push.
But the moment Courtney touched his chest, she froze.
He was so warm. She could feel his heart beating beneath his shirt.
Courtney quickly snatched her hands away, her face burning. It was dark. Maybe he couldn't see her blush.
"Let's not break tradition, Princess," Duncan breathed, his breath warm on her cheek. "Just a kiss won't kill you."
"I wouldn't be too sure, Duncan," Courtney said dryly, trying to ignore the prickles that washed over her body as Duncan's body heat enveloped her.
Why on earth did he have to smell so good?
Duncan's free hand trailed down Courtney's cheek, his teal eyes locked with her green ones.
Courtney realized, by the glazed look in Duncan's eyes, that he was not entirely sober. It's not like he was dead drunk or anything. He probably just had enough drinks to make him a little woozy.
"You look beautiful, Princess," Duncan smiled as he tugged gently at a curled lock of brown hair. "How about you let me be your prince tonight?"
"You're going to need a lot more to be my prince, Duncan," Courtney said, amused. "Like a new hairdo?" The brunette flicked at Duncan's faux green mohawk.
Duncan shrugged. "We could start with that. Or," his eyes flashed, "We could start with a kiss."
His lips came closer.
She could just walk away right now. She could.
But for some reason, Courtney wouldn't. Her legs refused to budge. Maybe a tiny part of her wanted to know what kissing Duncan was like. Maybe a tiny part of her wanted to kiss him.
No. She couldn't! She wouldn't kiss Duncan!
Desperate for one last shot at keeping her sanity, Courtney proposed quickly, "How about a hug? Huh? Nice, warm hug."
Duncan chuckled softly, tilting his head slightly. "I don't think so, Princess."
Courtney squeezed her eyes shut and braced herself.
Then, his lips touched hers.
Courtney felt a thousand jolts of electricity race through her body, tingling all of her senses.
She had never felt anything like this ever before. Not even when she kissed her past boyfriends. Her mind went unexplainably cloudy and she suddenly lost track of everything.
Duncan's lips were soft and they molded against her perfectly. His lips felt like a feather as they grazed against hers.
Never before would she think that a rough and tumble guy like Duncan could actually be this gentle.
Courtney, against her will, found herself leaning in to deepen the kiss.
She could feel Duncan's heart beat furiously against her own; sharp, quick staccatos.
Was he just as delirious as her?
"Thought you said you didn't want to kiss me," Duncan mumbled against Courtney's lips, one hand placed lightly in the crook of her waist.
"I don't," Courtney said huskily, clasping her hands around Duncan's neck, her fingers playing with his hair. She went on her tippy-toes to match his lips even better.
The brunette shifted awkwardly as she felt something hard brush against her leg. Something sharp and pointy. Probably that pocket knife Duncan always carried in his pocket.
Duncan gave a low, guttural growl, and his grip of her waist tightened and then slackened.
Courtney was knocked out of her reverie as Duncan forcibly pushed the brunette away, their lips making a ridiculous pop as he did so.
Courtney failed to hide the disappointment that showed so clearly on her face.
Why did he push her away? That was so unlike him.
Duncan looked highly uncomfortable. He was bent over, clutching his… Courtney blushed a bright red.
"Babe, I don't think I can take any more kissing," Duncan groaned, his hand clamped over his groin. "If I let this go on, my pants will probably rip."
"Duncan, you are so crude," Courtney said, averting her eyes as Duncan squeezed something unknown in his pants, looking slightly amused.
Well, she knew what it was.
"Not like I can help it," Duncan said, grinning as he straightened up and looked at Courtney, "It's your fault you make me so damn bothered."
"Duncan!" Courtney scowled, embarrassed and pleased at the same time.
The realization of kissing Duncan finally hit Courtney and she desperately wished to be rid of the delinquent's presence. Knowing him, he would probably tease her endlessly.
"I'm going to go back to the party," Courtney said loftily, turning to leave. But Duncan grabbed her hand.
"Hey, since we kissed and all that," Duncan started, smirking at Courtney's red face, "How about we take out relationship up a notch?"
Courtney raised an eyebrow.
"Let's go out on a date, Princess," Duncan said, leading Courtney back into the office where the party was held. "On me."
He was still holding her hand.
"I'll think about it," Courtney said, trying to steady her racing heart.
"No use in playing hard-to-get, babe," Duncan said, grinning at Courtney. "I already got you."
Courtney tried to avert her eyes, but found it impossible to look away.
She could hear the raucous laughter and the music behind the closed office door.
Duncan's hold on Courtney's hand loosened and she let it slip.
Duncan turned the doorknob and was about to head into the room when he paused and looked over his shoulder.
"Hey, Courtney?"
Courtney looked up. "Yes?"
Duncan smiled. "Merry Christmas."
Courtney smiled back, a warm feeling spreading through her chest. "Yeah. Merry Christmas, Duncan."
The two went their separate ways when they reentered the party, but throughout the night, Duncan and Courtney exchange covert smiles and glances from across the room.
Courtney got that feeling that something good was going to happen to her sooner or later. And somehow, she knew Duncan was in it somehow.
Courtney smiled at the huge blow-up Santa in the corner, suddenly feeling light-hearted.
Well, she got what she's been really wanting for Christmas.
"Instead of being a time of unusual behavior, Christmas is perhaps the only time in the year when people can obey their natural impulses and express true sentiments without feeling self-conscious and perhaps, foolish. Christmas, in short, is about the only chance a man has to be himself." -Francis C. Farley
A/N: There are just silly drabbles where I write down my ideas and thoughts about Duncan and Courtney that can't be incorporated into my current fanficxD So read and review, guys, and if you have any good ideas or memories that I should write about, tell me! :D