It's time for chapter three! It's Christmas in Amity, so Happy Holidays to you all! This is just a little filler chapter that I thought would be fun to write since Katie moves back right before Christmas (look carefully at the timeline and the email in the first chapter). There's a nice, big chunk of DxS fluff in the end, just for Christmas.
Congrats to bubbles888, who got the answer to my challenge in the last chapter right. As a prize, you will get a sneak peek at the next chapter. For the rest of you, I will hopefully have that chapter up sometime before Christmas. As for now, here's chapter three. Enjoy and please don't forget to read and review, thank you!
Chapter 3: Christmas Surprises
"Danny, wake up! It's late Christmas morning and Uncle Jack is getting tired of waiting for you to come downstairs to see what 'Santa' got him."
Ugh, it's too early to be having memories of Katie waking me up on Christmas morning when we were little. Danny was still asleep and still in a dreamlike state. Why did this stupid memory have to ruin my dream about Sam!
"Danny," the girl's voice was teasingly threatening, "If you don't get your lazy butt out of bed now, I will force you out. Half ghost or not I can still kick your ass. Besides, your girlfriend's waiting for you downstairs."
Wait, half ghost? This isn't a random memory? Danny was not only confused, but annoyed. Then what interrupted my perfect dream and… did she say Christmas? And my girlfriend? Finally, poor befuddled Danny put two and two together. It's Christmas! Wait, why am I still in bed?
Danny finally woke up, eyes blinking to the bright sunlight that greeted him.
"Good morning sleepy head, it's about time you woke up!" Danny looked up to see his cousin Katie standing next his bed, a warm, bright smile plastered on her face.
"Merry Christmas, Katie. Now, do you mind letting me change?" Danny politely asked with a smile on his face. He had stood up and was walking to his dresser with a small bounce in his step.
"Okay, but hurry up! Your dad is starting to get antsy." Katie walked out of the room jovially, giving her cousin his much deserved privacy.
Faster than you can say "Happy Holidays", Danny was dressed and sprinting down the stairs. The sight that greeted him on his way down made him smile. His dad was gazing longingly at the presents under the tree while his mom tried in vain to have a conversation with the man. Meanwhile Katie, Sam, and Jazz sat on the sofa, all three of them smiling and deeply engrossed in their conversation. His aunt and uncle were chastising his two younger cousins for whatever they had done this time. It was a sight that warmed his heart.
"Danny's down! Can we open presents now?" Danny's father was brimming with excitement, and was anxious to open presents. With a curt nod from his wife, he started tearing through wrapping paper like there was no tomorrow. This was everyone else's cue that it was time to open presents. After quickly greeting his girlfriend, Danny joined the rest of the family around the tree.
Soon the space under the tree was bare, except for one gift to Katie from her parents. Katie happily snatched her last present, quickly tearing the paper off the rectangular package to reveal a thick, black leather book, the cover of which had golden hieroglyphics on it, which Danny couldn't understand. Katie, however, looked in awe at the rather mysterious gift. She opened the book and flipped through it. With the exception of a small dedication in the beginning, there were no words in the book. At least, none that most people in the room could understand. The entire book was filled with hieroglyphics like those on the cover.
"I know you probably already figured this out," Katie's smiling father said to his overjoyed daughter, "but it is a collection of all the hieroglyphics from the Temple of Isis, including that one wall with the prophecy that you were so interested in back when we were working on excavating it. We figured that by doing this you would stop taking the photos we need for our research."
"Thank you!" Katie held the heavy book in her hands as she hugged her parents, many words of gratefulness escaping her. Her parents were pleased, her siblings slightly jealous, and everybody else was just plain confused.
Alex noticed the baffled looks of the others, and decided they deserved an explanation. "Katie learned to read some of the different hieroglyphics our parents had found while we were in Egypt. She got really good at it and now she can read them as if they were written in plain English," Alex explained matter-of-factly to them, "Our parents are so proud." There was a noticeable bitterness in her voice as she said that last part. Sighs of relief escaped from everyone at finally being told what was going on. None of this was at all surprising to them because Katie had always been able to pick up other languages very easily.
The rest of the day until dinner was spent playing with the new toys and gadgets everyone had received or, in the case of the girls, showing off their shiny new jewelry and in Jazz and Katie's case, becoming completely engrossed in the pages of their new books.
"I am so stuffed," Danny moaned as he lay on the couch.
"I am, too, but it was hard for me to concentrate on the food," Katie answered bitterly. "They had to place the stupid ham in front of me! There it was, calling to me, tempting me, and I couldn't have it! Damn these food allergies!"
"Well Katie, I don't think the pig wanted to be carved and lying on a silver platter in front of you either." Sam never missed the chance to make a sarcastic comment on the consumption of animals. Apparently Christmas was no exception.
"At least it didn't try to attack you this year," Jazz offered as a piece of good news, "I still have the scars from last Christmas!"
It was about seven in the evening and everybody was in the living room trying to regain their strength after the excellent meal they had just consumed. Belts were unbuckled, bellies were rounded, and everybody was a happy victim of the languor that often occurred after eating the best of meals.
When Danny was finally able to walk again, he and Sam went up to the Ops Center to talk alone for a while.
"Sam," Danny started anxiously, "I have another gift for you. But it's not here. I have to take you to it."
"Okay, where is it?" Sam was intrigued. Danny's usually straightforward when it comes to gifts. I wonder what it is.
"It's a surprise." Danny's tone was quiet as he apprehensively rubbed the back of his neck, his most obvious nervous habit. "Just put on your coat and trust me."
If Sam wasn't curious before, she definitely was now. Danny seems really nervous. Now I really want to know what this gift is this apprehensive about it.
Sam did what she was told without question and as soon as she got back, Danny held her tight and flew off. They finally landed in area of the park Sam had never been to before. Before Sam could even ask what was going on, Danny led her to a big frozen clearing that Sam recognized as being the pond. As soon as she stepped out from behind the trees surrounding the pond, Sam stopped and stared in awe at what she saw. It was a giant heart made of ice, with "Merry Christmas Sam!" carved onto its surface. Now everything made sense. The nervousness, the quiet tone to his voice, the way he was so secretive about this gift, it was all clear to her now, and Sam was entirely in awe and extremely grateful for what Danny had done. This certainly was the best gift she had ever recieved.
"So, do you like it?" Danny asked Sam earnestly.
"I-I love it. I don't know what to say." Sam was still in a slight state of shock, but her complete and utter gratitude was clearly expressed in her response.
"Well then, don't say anything." And with that Danny lifted Sam's chin and kissed her. "Merry Christmas, Sam."
"Merry Christmas, Danny."
Keep Katie's book in mind because it becomes very important later on in the story. Also, the thing about Katie being good at learning languages will be important, too.
So, that was chapter three, I hope you enjoyed it! Bubbles888, you'll get that sneak peek in about a week, hopefully.
