KUDOS to everyone who decided to review on this story – I really appreciate it. Since Christmas is drawing near (and sadly, because I must work tomorrow, Saturday, Sunday, and then Tuesday through Friday) I decided to follow through with SallyJ's advice and update. So, instead of doing each chapter as a day, I shall combine them. So here are days two and three (and possibly four). You all know the drill by now: read and review!
Disclaimer: The characters you are about to read are not mine, unless they are named Valerie or Naomi. In which case, Naomi is from this story, and Valerie is my lab tech from "Chasing Hope", so don't take them, because if you do, you face the wrath of an angry writer.
On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, two turtle doves…
December 14th, 2006
Lindsay Monroe was seated at her desk and blew a strand of hair out of her face with agitation, before returning to the mountain of paperwork that was, at the moment, swallowing her desk.
"Jesus, Montana, who killed all the trees?"
Lindsay snapped her head up from behind the paperwork and scowled. "Not in the mood right now, Danny," she bit back. Danny placed a hand over his heart.
"Way to wound a man, Montana," he drawled. Lindsay looked over the stack of paperwork and glared at the New York native.
"Do you really want to mess with a woman who is armed with a potential murder weapon right now?" she asked, jabbing the air with her pen. She huffed and retreated once more to the papers. The silence meant that Danny was gone. Or so she believed.
"Hey, Montana, how come I don't have any chocolate?"
Lindsay looked up out of sheer frustration and furrowed her eyebrows. "What are you talking about Messer?"
Danny stooped down onto the ground to pick something up and handed it to Lindsay. The former peeked into the festive red and green Christmas-printed bag and his blue eyes met Lindsay's. "How come you get chocolate, and don't share it with me?"
Lindsay frowned and took the bag from Danny. "I didn't get any..." But her sentence was cut off when she reached into the bag and pulled out two milk chocolate shapes. Turning the sweets over in her hands, she grew puzzled. She didn't remember there being any office gift exchange. And she knew that she hadn't brought the candies herself…
"Hey, what does 'I wanted to send you some more Christmas spirit' mean?" Danny asked. Lindsay looked up and saw Danny reading a card. Yanking it out of his hand, she turned the card over in her palm. No signature. Just like her previous gift. Lindsay's face brightened as she examined the chocolates closer, and she began to laugh aloud.
Danny raised his eyebrows, thoroughly confused. "What's so funny Montana?"
Lindsay smiled and showed him the chocolates. "Danny, do you know the song 'The Twelve Days of Christmas'?" she asked. Danny frowned and thought for a moment.
"Possibly, but I know a lotta Christmas songs."
"Well," Lindsay continued, as she pointed to the chocolates, "what does the label say?"
Danny adjusted his glasses in order to read, and Lindsay attempted to focus on the chocolates that he was reading, rather than how utterly adorable he looked at the moment. "Milk chocolate covered pecan and caramel clusters, drizzled with dark chocolate. I don't get it Montana. They look like ordinary chocolates to me."
Lindsay shook her head and rolled her eyes. "What are they in the shape of?"
Danny examined the wrapper. "They look like a bird or somethin'," he replied.
Lindsay beamed and nodded. "Exactly!" Her smile widened and she sang quietly: "On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, two turtle doves, and a patridge in a pear tree. Those chocolates are called 'turtles', and they are in the shape of a bird – a dove."
Danny grinned. "Wow, Montana. Two turtle doves." He handed the chocolates back to an enthralled Lindsay Monroe. "You got some secret admirer or somethin'?" he asked with a slight raise of his eyebrows.
Lindsay blushed and looked down at the paperwork. "I, uh, don't know. It's a possibility, I guess."
Danny smiled and licked his lips. "Well, he's got an interestin' way of doing things, I guess. I know that I wouldn't do something like that for just any girl," he said crossing his arms in front of his chest. Lindsay looked up and blinked. "Whoever did this must actually like you."
Lindsay narrowed her eyes. "Is it so hard to believe that someone might actually want to go out with me?" she asked.
Danny shook his head and waved his arms. "Nah, you know I didn't mean that. I just meant that this guy has got some interesting tactics. Kinds of puts the rest of us to shame, if ya know what I mean."
Lindsay swallowed, trying to hide her disappointment. "Oh, yeah, sure." I was so dumb to believe that Danny Messer would actually do something like that for me. Who was I kidding? "Actually, I have to finish up this paperwork, so…"
Danny nodded. "Say no more, Montana." And after one more smile in her direction, Danny left their office. When he was out of sight, Lindsay exhaled and sat back in her chair, staring blankly at the chocolates in front of her.
"Danny could have never thought of all of this stuff for me," she reasoned, twirling her pen. "I mean, sure, he's a smart guy and all, but he just admitted that he wouldn't do that for just any girl…but does that mean that he would do it for someone that he really considered special? But then he did say that this gift thing puts him to shame…so did he really send me this, or not?"
Lindsay groaned and placed her pen down on the desk and ran a hand through her hair, before, regrettably directing her thoughts back towards the pile of papers that sat in front of her line of vision.
She was so engulfed with her work that she didn't even notice Flack walk by, an amused grin etched on his face as he saw the chocolates sitting on her desk.
December 15th, 2006
On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, three French hens…
Valerie could not stop giggling to save her life.
And Stella had to admit; it was pretty funny and cute.
Even Mac cracked a smile when he saw.
And Danny out-and-out laughed.
"What the hell are those?" he asked in between fits of laughter. Lindsay Monroe, who was seated at the break room table, sighed and relayed her explanation for the umpteenth time.
"If you would listen to the song, then I wouldn't have to tell you what these gifts mean every day," she replied in exasperation. Raising an eyebrow, Danny fingered a plush toy.
"You know, ya gotta admire this guy's style," he said with a smirk. Lindsay yanked the toy away from him and cuddled it. Danny's blue eyes twinkled as he saw Montana – his Montana – acting like a little kid.
"I think that they are simply adorable," she replied, placing the stuffed animal next to two other plushies. She grinned at her 'secret admirer's' unique style. She had received, on the break room table, a card reading "Don't frown, because you never know who's falling in love with your smile", and three identical toys. The three birds were each dressed differently. One was wearing a maid's outfit, while the other sported a beret, mustache, and paintbrush, and the third one was holding a basket full of bread and wore a cutesy smile.
Danny shook his head. "Weird."
Lindsay rolled her eyes. "On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, three French hens…"
Danny looked at the toys and shook his head, laughing. "A French maid, a French painter, and a citizen of France…wow, this guy sure is creative," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "How does he manage to do all of this?"
Lindsay bit her lip and shook her head. "I'm not sure, but whoever he is…"
"…he's sure missing out on seeing your face light up right now," Danny replied softly. Lindsay blushed slightly and played with the toy sitting in front of her.
"I wish someone would send me something like this," Valerie whined from the doorframe. Marty, who was standing beside her, rolled his eyes.
"You wish someone would send you three plush hens for Christmas?"
Valerie smacked the coroner. "No, idiot. I just wish that someone would send me something sentimental, like Lindsay got. People these days are just too generic and commercial. What ever happened to individuality and creativity?"
"Well, apparently, Mr. Individuality and Creativity is too busy with Lindsay to grace the rest of the human population with his non-conformist Christmas presents."
Lindsay and Danny raised their eyebrows from inside the break room and shared a look. "Marty, what are you doing up here in the lab?" Lindsay asked curiously. Marty shrugged.
"Word on the street is that Lindsay's got the hottest Christmas present since Tickle-Me-Elmo, so I thought I'd check it out and see for myself…"
Danny raised his eyebrow again, and Marty rolled his eyes. "Alright, alright," the latter continued, "plus, I bet Hammerback ten bucks that she didn't really get three plush French hens."
Lindsay and Valerie let out a laugh. "You better go and pay Hammerback his due, Mr. Pino," Val remarked with a satisfied smirk. Marty playfully glared at the woman.
"You better go and pay Hammerback his due, Mr. Pino," he mocked as he walked away. Valerie's jaw dropped in mock hurt and she hit him playfully on the back.
"Shut up Pino. You are such a sore loser!"
Lindsay rose from the table, stuffing all three of the hens into Danny's arms. And for a moment, the sheer brush of his fingers over hers sent a warmth throughout her body. But she pulled away and ran a hand through her hair nervously.
"So, could you run those back to our office, 'cause I have to go and meet Stella…"
Danny smiled genuinely and nodded. "Sure thing Montana."
And with his final words, Danny exited the break room and turned down the hallway towards the office that he and Lindsay shared. With a last glance at Danny, Lindsay shook her head and walked out of the break room to meet Stella.
So, read and review. Yes? Yes! I decided to cram in both days into one chapter because I had to get these ideas out of my head before I faced this next week, because I might not have time to update as much. So, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. It's a bit shorter, I know.