Twelve Days of Christmas

Sunday, December 24th

(One day until Christmas)

"Alright. What if it's Vlad?"

Sam and Danny both stared at Tucker like he'd lost his mind.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Sam demanded as she threw the book she was reading at Tucker. He fell back when it hit him in the chest, the weight making him grunt when he landed. "Oh, god," she gagged. "I think I'm going to be sick."

Danny soothed her with a hand on her back as she settled her face between her knees. "Impressive," he acknowledged as he leaned over and picked up the book before the snow ruined it. "The collected works of Poe. Nice."

Sam bit down the urge to snatch the book from Danny's hands and throw it at him. "How can you be so calm about this?" she demanded, but the near hysteria in her voice belied the suspicious part of her mind that wondered if Danny really could be her admirer.

"Because I already thought about that days ago," Danny said dismissively. "You've been preoccupied with the mystery," he said to her, and then, "And you've been obsessed with the idea of Star and Sam," he told Tucker with a shake of his head.

"It's a good idea!" Tucker protested before yelping in fear and ducking as Sam reached for the book in Danny's hand.

"Vlad isn't doing it. I asked him, and this is the kind of thing he'd want to lord over me anyway." Danny grimaced at the thought, and Sam had to repress the shudder. "He'd want to gloat over how he's going to steal Sam away from me, and then come after Mom. He's mental."

"You don't think he'd lie, do you?" she ventured to ask, trying not to lean into the hand that was still absentmindedly rubbing her back.

Danny shook his head, and Sam sighed. "Alright. I trust your judgment where Vlad is concerned."

"Sure you do," he drawled sarcastically, but his blue eyes were twinkling merrily when she looked up at him. "Honestly, Sam. Why don't you just sit back and enjoy the attention?"

She grumbled a reply and sighed when he leaned forward, a mischievous smile on his face. "Come on, Sam, I can't hear you."

"I want to know who it is," she said a little louder, scowling.

"Control freak," Tucker muttered as she regained his seat on the bench, and she didn't bother glaring at him. It was true, to an extent. She wanted to know who it was. But with every day that had passed she wanted more and more for it to be someone specific, and she just couldn't reconcile the deeds with Danny.

She sighed and sat back. "I think I'm going to go home. I need to spend some time with the parentals before I head to your house tonight."

"Are they mad because you're partying with us? Or is it the Christmas thing?" Tucker asked. She shrugged, not really sure herself. "They got you for eight nights, they should chill and let us have you for one."

His sudden protective and possessive friend act made Sam smile. "It's alright, I think they're just kind of annoyed that I've been hiding in my room as much as I could. And they're annoyed about Shadow."

"But your grandma likes him, right?" Danny asked. "They're not going to make you get rid of him, are they?"

"No!" The words came out in a rush. "Oh, no. he's here to stay, even if Grams hated him. She likes him, so it's a moot point. But I love him. Even if he takes up the entire bed. Mom just doesn't like cat fur around when her poofy friends come over."

"Good," he said, settling back against the bench, and as Sam stood she took the chance to peer at him.

He looked stressed, which she knew he was. He was a little paler than usual, and he looked like he wasn't sleeping, but that wasn't unusual. His fingers were clenching around the wooden back of the bench as she watched, stretching for a moment before tugging her jacket back down into place. The idea that he was relieved over her getting to keep Shadow was different, and the need to revise the possibility that it was Danny ate at her. It was just a surreal thought that it might actually be him.

"Seven, right?" she asked, and Danny nodded absently pulling his cell from his pants pockets and fiddling with it for a moment.

As she turned around, Danny already returning the phone to his pocket and rising behind her, she paused. "We'll walk you home," Danny said, tugging Tucker up by his jacket and rolling his eyes. Sam's were glued to the truck rolling to a stop at the entrance to the park. Again.

"Well, fuck," she murmured, her eyes drifting back to Danny who was paying no attention to her whatsoever as he tossed Tucker into the snow, dancing and writhing to get the snow in the back of his collar out.

She was already halfway to the entrance when she met her deliveryman, a smile on her face this time. "Another one?" she asked expectantly, her spirits lighter than they had been in days.

"Well, you're looking chipper. Figure out your mystery?" he asked, and Sam tilted her head to the side.

"I'm going to plead the fifth on that," she said as she accepted the small box without hesitation.

It was the twelfth day; she would know exactly who it was shortly. The coincidence that Danny had used his cell for something only a minute before the delivery truck appeared on the street surely couldn't be ignored, and he was so conveniently present. It had to be him, Sam just couldn't stand the thought that it wasn't.

"Oh, hey, another one," Tucker said around a face full of snow, and Sam tried not to grin smugly when Danny and Tucker shook themselves off and came over to crowd around her. "Come on, Sam, I'll be your cheering section this time."

She kicked his shin, gently, but hard enough that he noticed, before undoing one of the taped ends and sliding the vibrant purple paper from the box. Jewelry, she thought, from the shape of the box. She opened it, no thoughts to anything but appreciating Danny's obvious creativity, and lifted out a necklace to match the rest of the apparent set. White gold, again, and a heart shaped sapphire pendant dangling from two small princess cut diamonds. It was gorgeous, and Sam didn't even try to act casual or annoyed.

"You dropped the note," Danny said, and Sam took the small envelope from him, trying not to shiver when his fingers brushed hers.

She opened it, slipped the single note card out, and nearly dropped it. There were twelve drums spaced around the edges as a border, and printed within in neat block letters read, I give you my heart – will you keep it?

Her mouth fell open, and she waited for him to say something, but it was Tucker who finally asked the question. "Well? Where is he? It's the twelfth day. Last present. Shouldn't he be here for some magically romantic reveal?"

Even Danny was looking around, and Sam's heart stuttered in her chest. She slipped the card and the box in her jacket pocket, and looked at the pendant again. Danny was watching her now, and Sam took unsteady fingers to the clasp. Even if she wasn't sure she could give hers in return, the least she could do was wear the pretty pendant. The moment she clasped it about her neck she looked up into Danny's eyes. They were dark, unwontedly so, and his mouth was twisted to a frown.

She couldn't help but think that, somehow, she'd made a mistake to wear it.

xXx

And you guys thought it was ending now, didn't you? *evil laugh*