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...

Wednesday afternoon brought the news of the eighth victim and still the team was no closer to finding Kevin Marshall. Noone from the hostel had seen him, and they were still waiting for the warrant to search Marshall's house. He had started killing on the anniversary of his imprisonment and showed no signs of stopping yet. He was even marking the victims by which order they were killed in. One stab wound to Nora, two to Patricia and so on...

Bobby and Myles were attending a press conference to appeal for witnesses to any of the murders, while Tara and Lucy kept searching for more information on the victims to find another connection. Sue and Jack sat in the bullpen watching security tapes from Macy's to see if Marshall did, in fact, choose his victims that way though it was doubtful. Four hours of tape and he hadn't appeared once. By 5pm, Jack was beyond bored.

"If I don't give up now, I'm afraid I'll go blind!" Jack joked, "you hungry?"

"Starving!" Sue laughed.

"How about I take you to dinner?"

"Sure." Sue smiled, "just let me get my purse."

Sue clipped on Levi's leash and Jack led her out of the building with a hand on her back. Walking through the street toward a cafe they often went to, Jack heard some carolers singing.

"On the eighth day of Christmas
My true love gave to me . . .
Eight maids a milking'
Seven swans a swimming'
Six geese a laying'
Five golden rings!
Four calling birds
Three French hens
Two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree!"

And a thought struck him. The first victim, Nora Samuels, died in a car that had a pear-shaped freshener and a 'pine-fresh' one. Patricia hall had two doves pinned on her coat lapel and Jamie-Lee Fisher was discovered in a henhouse. Breanna Henry was discovered with the photo of four birds beside her body and Sharlene Macadam was left with only the five rings on her fingers. Colin and Marlene short were killed beside a pond, which was inhabited by geese and swans. And the latest victim, Colleen Smart was a chambermaid in a nearby hotel. Jack doubted that it would actually help solve the case, though. He wasn't even sure if he was just jumping to conclusions, after all he was desperate to close this case before Christmas. Sighing, he pushed the cafe door open and let Sue enter first. Finding their usual table empty, they took their seats and ordered. Sue asking for a chicken salad while Jack ordered a burger.

"Sue..." Jack started, then noticing she was looking elsewhere tapped her hand, "Sue... I was wondering if you'd help me with my Christmas shopping. I have no idea what to get for my mom this year!" He rushed out almost in one breath, finger-spelling some of the words when Sue looked confused.

"Sure, I have to get something for Lucy anyway - I haven't been able to go shopping without her! Why don't we go after dinner?" She responded.

"Yeah, sounds good to me." He smiled.

"Okay." Sue smiled back at him shyly.

He smiled back at her, glad that he had another opportunity to spend time alone with her. He did still have to buy a gift for his mother but that wasn't the only gift he had left to buy. Jack was hoping Sue would drop a hint about what she wanted for Christmas.

At the mall, Sue followed Jack straight toward the same art shop she'd been in with Lucy. He glanced around for a painting he thought would suit his mother's taste and picked up the framed copy of Van Gogh's Sunflowers.

"What do you think?" Jack asked Sue.

"I thought you didn't know what to buy her?" Sue looked mildly confused, if he didn't know what to buy for his mother, how come he'd gone straight for this shop?

"I forgot this store was here... So what do you think?"

"I think it's nice." Sue told him.

"Good, I hope you don't mind me dragging you to the sport store, Dad needs a new set of golf clubs and I want to see what they have in the jewelery store - can't just get mom the painting!"

"No I don't mind coming with you as long as you don't mind me dragging you to Macy's or something like that!" She replied laughing.

"Uh-oh. I don't suppose I have a choice?" Jack pouted

"No you don't!" Sue giggled, her heart melting at his puppy-dog eyes.

When they got to the jewelry store, Jack quickly found a pendant for his mother and Sue purchased a locket for Lucy, asking to have an inscription engraved on it and she'd pick it up the next day. Jack watched her stare at another locket behind a display cabinet. She looked like a kid in a candy store and he couldn't help but smile, making a mental note to come back and get it for her once he'd made sure she got home okay.