Title: The Twelve Days of Christmas.
Author: Dana-Maru1
Summary: The team investigate a series of murders in the twelve days till Christmas...
Disclaimer: Sue, Jack and anyone else you may recognize are not mine. But thanks Pax for letting us borrow them from time to time...
December eighteenth was a Saturday and Sue was still asleep long after Lucy had gotten up and begun cooking breakfast. They didn't usually go into the office at the weekend unless a big case suddenly propped up so the agents savored a well-deserved lie-in on a Saturday morning. Lucy fried sausages, eggs and bacon on the cooker while Sue slept. Weekends were also a break from the healthy eating plan Sue had persuaded Lucy to follow. Lucy cut a sausage into small chunks and absently threw a piece across the floor every few minutes for Levi to catch, until she heard Sue's bedroom door slam shut and Sue's feet shuffle along the carpeted hallway.
"Did you just feed Levi sausages?" Sue said with a sleepy smile.
"Umm... yeah." Lucy replied
"Oh. I guess I'm too tired to tell you off."
They both laughed, and sat down to eat the breakfast Lucy had spent ages cooking.
"So what do you want to do today?" Sue signed.
"I was thinking something along the lines of retail therapy." Lucy replied, signing.
"Sounds good! I still have to buy presents for a few people."
"Like me?" Lucy signed, laughing.
"Oh no! Yours is bought and well hidden, I mean Jack and Myles. I have no idea what to buy either of them!"
"You could always give them gift vouchers or something."
"No, that's too... impersonal.
"You're right." Lucy laughed, "Just give Myles gift vouchers!"
The two women started giggling like school kids for a few moments before Levi barked and led Sue toward the door by pulling the tier on her robe. She followed him the short distance to the door with a sense of dread, hoping that their girly Saturday wasn't going to be spoiled by another murder but it was only the postman delivering the last of that week's letters. Flicking through the envelopes when she got back to the kitchen, Sue muttered,
"Phone bill ... electric bill ..."
Until she got to one with an Ohio postmark and opened it.
Dearest Sue,
Your father and I will be arriving a later than planned on Christmas night as we couldn't get an early flight so how about we take you out to dinner when we arrive at 7? Perhaps I'll finally get to meet David; he sounds like such a nice young man.
I hope everything is well. Be careful honey.
Love, Mom and Dad xxx
"They never said they were coming this year." Sue said, somewhat perplexed.
"Actually, they phoned a couple days ago and asked if it'd be alright and I said it would. I guess we've been so busy with the case just now that she gave up on trying to call... I thought you'd broken up with David?"
"I did ... I just didn't get around to telling Mom. It never came up." Sue shrugged.
An hour later, Sue and Lucy were at the mall picking out outfits for their Christmas party and looking for gifts for the team. Lucy only had Myles left to buy for though Sue still had to find something for Jack and Myles. Their last resort was an art store they'd spotted earlier, and they went to take a look inside. Myles claimed to be an art lover, even if the team knew it was the value more than the painting he liked. But they decided to buy him a framed copy of Monet's "Garden at Bordighera" together anyway.
Around six that evening, Lucy and Sue got home, laden down with shopping bags. They'd got Myles and Jack a Christmas gift, plus lots more. Lucy went to boil the kettle while Sue put her bags in her room and then they flopped on the couch with their mugs of hot chocolate when the phone rang.
"Hello?" Sue watched Lucy say, "Really? ... Okay, I'll let her know ... Yeah, see you on Monday."
Sue waited for Lucy to fill in the gaps.
"That was Jack ... he says they've found another body. He also said that we'd wait till Monday to check it out."
"Another one? At this rate, we'll be working over Christmas!" Sue said.
"Tell me about it." Lucy mumbled, sinking back into the couch.