"Brie and I are goin' shopping, babe," Linda informed her fiancé as she tugged on her hat.

"We're going to Target to get some Christmas cookies and stuff that'll rot our teeth," Brie added, grabbing her keys. "You should come!"

"Shopping with you two?" Danny shook his head, "No thanks."

"Why not?"

"I've been shopping with the two of you individually. I can't imagine what it's like when you're together. I having a feeling it could get pretty grim."

"Not grim. Fun!"

"I'll stay here, thanks."

Linda shrugged, "suit yourself. We'll be back in an hour."

"Okay, see ya." Once they were out the door, he mumbled, "won't be back til dinner."

Linda and Brie appeared within his line of sight with two bags each. He looked at them warily.

"Oh, Danny," Linda sang. "Guess what we got?"

"No, whatever it is. No."

"Pwease?" Brie asked like a little kid. "It'll be fun!"

"No."

"How do I do this?" Linda glanced over at Danny and Brie setting out the pieces of their houses.

"You never made one-a these before?" Brie questioned, grabbing her icing.

"I had a depressing childhood apparently," she half joked. She set her pieces out like her friends had. "Danny?"

"Do it like this," he showed her how to apply the icing to the sides of the house in order to connect them with the front and back.

"Oh. I'm not very creative, I guess."

"You're very creative," Danny reassured her.

Brie added, "Just not architecturally."

They worked in silence for a few minutes more before there was a dramatic huff.

"Why is this so hard?" Linda tilted her head as she held up her ginger walls.

"That's what she said," Brie cackled.

Danny gave her the side eye, "how old are you?"

"Twenty." She responded matter of factly.

"No, don't feed me," Linda shook her head, trying to evade the red gum drop danny was holding out for her. "Don't feed the enemy. No!"

Danny touched it to her lips; he dropped it in her mouth once her lips parted.

"Shit," Brie cursed, "my house is caving in! Danny, what do I do?"

"Why are you asking me?"

"You were in construction."

"For six months."

"That's enough time to know something."

"It'll be fine," he scoffed, putting icing scallops on his roof.

"I can see why you only lasted six months at that job," Linda mused, focused on color coordinating the M'n'M wreath.

"You're lucky I've got icing on my hands."

"Or what? You'd spank me?"

Brie fanned herself, "I don't think I should be hearing this!"

"Shut up."

"Did it take this long to do when you were a kid, Danny?" Brie wondered, staring at her finished house.

"No, it took three times as long, cause I had younger siblings."

"I've got an older brother. Buddy."

"What's his real name?"

"That is his real name."

"There's a man walking around named Buddy?"

"Yes. And then my little sister Alecia. She's a gymnast."

"Done!" Linda declared, smiling at her red and green gingerbread house.

"Oh, it looks good, babe!" Danny complimented her creation. "I think you may have won."

"Yeah, definitely," Brie nodded, eating the left over candy. "You guys want dinner?"

All the gingerbread houses turned out well, but Brie and Danny agreed Linda's was the best. It could have had something to do with the color coordination.

They were all a little too full from eating the candy, so most of dinner was packed into the refrigerator. As they sat around the living room, Linda declared she wasn't feeling well.

"Too much candy?" Brie smirked.

"Mm-Mmm. Stupid dizzy, nauseous spell."

"What?" Danny's voice was filled with concern as she stood up.

"It's fine. Happens all the time. It'll pass. I'm gonna lie down." Linda managed a smile to reassure her fiancé before she shuffled to her room.

"Help me clean the kitchen?" Brie asked, standing up. Danny followed.

"So, uh, that thing with Linda... does that happen a lot?"

"Oh yeah."

"Why?"

"We don't know. No one does. She always forgets to ask her doctors, and the research we've done is inconclusive. We're blaming her hormones." Brie shrugged, then frowned when she saw the look on Danny's face.

He didn't like those answers. What if something was really wrong with Linda?

"Hey, it's okay," Brie's voice was soft. "Trust me. It's- whatever she has- it's like a headache. It goes away in an hour or two, and she's completely fine."

He frowned, "has she always had that?"

"Long as I've known her." Brie took a pause to size up Danny. "Look, if you're so worried about her, stay over. Call your brother or whoever it is you're staying with, let 'em know you won't be home, and stay here."

"I wouldn't want to impose. Plus, I don't have a change of clothes." Why are you fighting this? This is clearly what you want.

"Linda has at least three outfits for you in her closet, and a pair of your pajamas. She usually wears the pajamas, but whatever."

Danny didn't move from his spot in the kitchen. He furrowed his brow when Brie rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically before exiting the kitchen. He heard her voice.

"Linda, it's okay if Danny bunks with you tonight, right?"

He wishes he had heard her answer. I bet it's no. Another voice told him, it's yes, you idiot. Stop being weird.

Brie came into his sight, "yeah, Linda said it's totally cool. So help me clean up and stop being so weird."

"I'm actually really glad you stayed," Linda said from inside the closet as she changed into her pajamas.

"Yeah?" Danny asked.

"Mhmm."

"Why?"

She came out in a silk pajama set- yes, she wore those just for him, no matter how hard she may deny it. "I like having my fiancé hold me when I don't feel good."

He lifted the covers for her, "hurry up then."

She smiled and got beneath the blankets, snuggling up to him. "Tonight was really fun."

"It was." Surprisingly.

"Maybe it can be a new tradition."

"I'd like that, yeah."

"Good." She pecked his lips, "g'night."

"Good night. I hope you feel better in the morning."

"Oh I will. But thank you for saying that."

They both fell asleep with smiles on their faces, a new tradition having been born.