Chapter Five
"Edward Melvin Deline!" the threatening voice of Jillian boomed as the blonde-haired, older woman walked into the kitchen a few nights later. A gingerbread man was being held halfway in between the cookie sheet and her husband's mouth, and the gray-haired culprit had a caught look in his eyes. "How many times have I told you that those are for the Christmas party tomorrow?"
"That's the thing, sweetheart." Ed replied, quickly thinking of an excuse to eat the cookie. "I'm really not comfortable serving these without checking their quality first…"
"Are you doubting my baking ability?" Jillian asked with a raised eyebrow, not letting Ed weasel himself a cookie so easily. "Maybe I should have married some other C.I.A. agent like your friend…what's his name?" She paused for a moment to think. "Jack Keller!"
"DON'T SAY THAT NAME!" Ed shouted, wincing at the mere mention of his former partner. Sighing, he put the cookie back on the cookie sheet. "God, you made me lose my appetite."
"Good." a victorious Jillian smiled, walking up to Ed and hugging him. "So, where's my busy little elf been?" She quickly kissed his cheek. "You were supposed to be home an hour ago."
"Eh," a teasing Ed winked, putting his hands on Jillian's waist. "I don't know how to tell you this honey, but Sarasvarti and I are having an affair."
"Good." Jillian smiled, deciding to give it right back to her husband. "Then, you won't mind that Mitch and I are doing the same." As both Delines laughed, the woman teasingly punched her husband in the arm. "So, where have you been?"
"Arranging a little surprise for the kids." Ed shrugged, moving past his wife and setting his coat down on a nearby chair. He started to loosen his tie with one hand. "That's all I'm going to say."
"And Mary's gift?" Jillian asked, folding her arms across her chest and leaning up against a nearby doorway.
"Got that taken care of." Ed replied, sitting down in a chair.
"Need me to wrap it?" Jillian offered, knowing that her husband's wrapping skills weren't the best.
"What kind of idiot can't wrap his own presents?" Ed shook his head.
"Danny?" an annoyed Mary said, throwing down her reel of ribbon. "DANNY!"
"What?" Danny asked, tearing his eyes away from the TV screen in front of him, where his imaginary self stood facing an army of now frozen aliens. Catching the glare Mary was shooting him, the former Marine spread his arms out innocently. "What?"
"I'm not going to be around to wrap your presents for you forever, Danny." Mary explained, shaking her head. "And you swore to me last year that you'd actually pay attention and learn something this year, so your wrapping wouldn't look like a 3 year old did it."
"I'm beginning to think that gift cards are the way to go." Danny replied, setting his Xbox controller down. It was clear that between video games and wrapping presents, McCoy would have chosen the former without a second thought. Besides, it had become a holiday tradition to have Mary wrap his presents for him, and having Mary around was never a bad thing. Sighing, the former Marine laid down on the one area of his bed that wasn't covered by wrapping paper and bows. "Not so much hassle."
"But not as personal." a smiling Mary countered, putting a bright red bow on Danny's head. "There you go!"
"Hey!" Danny exclaimed, immediately taking it off.
"What?" Mary laughed as Danny threw the now-crumpled bow at her. "It's a good look for you." A loud knock was suddenly heard coming from the front door. "Expecting someone?"
"No." a curious Danny replied, getting to an elbow.
"DANNY MCCOY!" the loud voice of Sam must have echoed throughout the apartment building. "YOU ANSWER THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW!"
"Wow." Mary commented as she and Danny immediately rushed into the living room. "Sam sounds like she's in one of her moods."
"Wonder why." Danny replied, opening the door before Sam knocked itdown. "Sam?"
"Where is it?" the brunette casino hostess demanded, pushing past the much taller man.
"What are you…" a confused Danny asked as Sam rushed over to the nearby Christmas tree and started shaking every single present underneath it. "Sam? SAM!"
"Yeah, I don't think she's hearing you." Mary commented, slightly chuckling at the bewildered look on Danny's face and the fact that Sam had apparently reverted to an impatient 4 year old.
"MARY!" Sam exclaimed gleefully, turning around. "Thank, God!" As she slowly got up from the floor, Danny immediately dove in to survey what damage she had done. "I mean, you had to have helped him pick it out!"
"Pick what out?" Danny asked innocently from under the tree.
"Nice try," Sam smiled, folding her arms across her chest. "But I made Mike talk and he told me that you had my name!"
"Don't blame him." Danny sighed, knowing that, when she wanted to, Sam could be a force to be reckoned with. Getting up from the floor, he shook his head. "Well, I don't think that you broke anything."
"I'll try harder next time." Sam replied, not missing a beat. Her brow suddenly furrowed and she turned towards Mary. "What are you doing here anyway?" She pointed fingers at both Danny and Mary. "Are you two thinking about getting back together or something?"
"What?" Danny replied, looking from Sam to Mary. "No!"
"Not at all." Mary added, shaking her head. "I was just helping him wrap some things."
"What kind of idiot can't wrap his own presents?" Sam teased, turning towards Danny. She paused for a moment as a smile appeared on her face. "Oh, right. Forgot who we were talking about."
"Okay, time for you to leave." an offended Danny replied, picking Sam up and throwing her over his shoulder. As a grin appeared on his face, he winked over at Mary, who started snickering.
"Hey!" a shocked, angry Sam exclaimed, pounding Danny's back with her fists. "Danny! You idiot! I'm wearing a dress! Put me down!"
"Like there's a man in Vegas who hasn't seen your underwear." Danny scoffed.
"Hey!" Sam replied, hitting him extra hard.
"Never a camera around when you need one." Mary giggled.
"DAAAAANNNY!" Sam continued as Danny carried her to the doorway. "I swear to God that I'm telling Ed all about this! Put me down!" As the laughing, taller man set her down on the opposite side of the doorway, she took a swipe at him. Fortunately for Danny, he managed to duck in time. "You…"
"Say goodbye, Sammy." Danny managed to say through his laughter as he shut the front door on her. He fell back against it and sighed in relief as Sam's footsteps were heard making a hasty retreat. "Next year, definitely gift cards."
"Merry Christmas Eve!" a jovial Mike greeted as Danny walked into the surveillance room the next morning.
"You mean," Danny smiled, clapping his friend's hand in a high five. "Merry Day Before We Get a Two Day Break?"
"Yeah." Mike laughed in agreement.
"Lucky bastards." Mitch grumbled from nearby, not taking his eyes off of the computer screen.
"What?" Danny asked, still smiling. "You got the first couple days of Hanukkah off."
"Yeah." Mike agreed, looking at the wheelchair-bound man. "It's not our fault that Mr. D. didn't think that you needed all eight."
"Like he also didn't think that you needed additional time off for both Christmas and Kwanzaa?" Danny reminded, turning towards Mike.
"Mr. D. just doesn't understand that some of us like to be in touch with our heritage." Mike shrugged as Danny sat down in the chair next to him.
"Now, see, with anyone else, I would buy that." Danny replied, putting his finger up. "But, unfortunately, Mikey, I know you and I know that you're just saying that to get time off."
"Yeah, yeah." Mike waved off, accepting defeat.
"Sorry, man." Danny laughed, shrugging his shoulders.
"Uh oh." a worried Ed commented, walking over to the trio with a cup of coffee in hand. "Danny's in a good mood." He turned towards Mike for explanation. "Why is he in a good mood?"
"Because Mike's a dumbass?" Mitch offered before joining in Danny's laughter.
"Did I ask you?" Ed replied, looking at Mitch.
"You sure that I can't hit him?" Mike asked, narrowing his eyes at both Danny and Mitch, who were finishing off the last strains of laughter left in them.
"Which one?" Ed asked, setting down his coffee.
"Either." Mike shrugged.
"No, because you can't hit a man in a wheelchair," Ed shook his head, gesturing to Mitch. "And..."
"Ow!" Danny exclaimed, feeling Ed's hand forcibly collide with the back of his head. He rubbed the point of impact. "Mother..."
"Smacking him upside the head is my job." Ed smiled at Mike before turning towards Danny. "I'm sorry, kid. Did I hit you a little too hard?"
"Yeah." Danny replied, dropping his hand. The brown-haired man quickly regretted that decision as he felt Ed smack him again. "OW! Ed? What the hell..."
"A little too hard wasn't hard enough." a nonchalant Ed shrugged, grabbing his coffee and heading towards his office.
"Freaking Scrooge." Danny muttered under his breath, once again rubbing the sore spot and trying to ignore Mike and Mitch's roars of laughter.
"Wow!" a surprised Delinda remarked, sitting down at her, Sam and Mary's usual table at Mystique for lunch that afternoon. The red-haired woman and the brunette were already sitting, and a present sat just in front of Marquez. "Santa came early for someone."
"Bah humbug." Sam replied, laying her head down on the table.
"It's from Casey." Mary explained quietly to Delinda.
"Oh." Delinda nodded, understanding her friend's predicament.
"She's not sure if she should open it or burn it." Mary continued.
"On one hand," Sam sighed, raising her head up. "it's from a multi-millionaire." Thinking about her ex-husband, the casino hostess's hateful eyes narrowed into slits. "On the other hand, it's from him."
"That is a toughie." a sympathetic Delinda nodded.
"What is?" a nosy Danny asked, walking over to the three women. The former Marine lieutenant held a small bag of ice to the back of his head.
"What happened to you?" Mary wondered, seeing the ice.
"Ed apparently decided that I should be Danny, the black and blue-headed reindeer." Danny shrugged, causing a fit of giggles to wash over Sam. He narrowed his own eyes at her. "Oh, bite me."
"No way." a teasing Sam grinned, stifling her laughter. "You'd love that way too much."
"I also don't think that Danny has an extra 50 bucks on hand." Mary laughed as Danny took the ice off the back of his head and set it on the table.
"Hey!" Sam exclaimed, playfully swatting at Mary.
"Thanks, Mare." Danny chuckled, winking at his best friend.
"You only charge 50?" a surprised Delinda asked, looking at Marquez.
"Shut up!" Sam ordered, throwing the present at Danny, who caught it.
"May I ask what..." Danny started, looking at the object in his hands.
"It's Casey's gift to Sam." Mary explained.
"Yeah." Sam continued, "And if it's lethal, no big loss if it does you in."
"Gee, thanks." a sarcastic Danny replied, rolling his eyes as he opened the gift and looked inside. "Whoa!"
"What is it?" an impatient Delinda and Sam asked together.
"Some serious ice!" Danny replied, holding up a diamond necklace.
"Okay." Casey commented as he walked over to the quartet. "Not the person I intended that for."
"Aw, come on, Case." Danny teased with a wide grin. "Don't you think we should let the girls in on our secret?"
"Not now, Danny." Casey smiled back, playing along.
"So, what the hell is this?" Sam demanded, not amused by the guys' charade. Her eyes narrowing into slits once more, she yanked the necklace away from Danny and shoved it into Casey's face.
"I think I hear Gunter calling me." Delinda excused herself, knowing that this wasn't going to be pretty.
"Yeah," Danny agreed, thinking the same thing. "Ed's going to be pissed if I don't hurry back."
After watching Delinda and Danny both rush off to wherever they where going, Sam and Casey silently turned to Mary.
"I'd..." the redhead stammered, trying to think of an excuse to leave herself. "I'd better go make sure that Ed doesn't kill Danny."
"So?" Sam demanded after her and Casey watched Mary run off.
"So?" Casey repeated, not sure what Sam was getting at.
"What are you trying to pull?" Sam clarified, gesturing to the necklace.
"What?" Casey shrugged, "I just thought that it'd be nice to get you a little something, Sammy."
"Yeah," Sam scoffed, not buying it. "Because you're such a sweetheart."
"Why is it so hard for you to accept that people can just be nice every once in awhile?" a curious Casey laughed.
"Heh," Sam chuckled herself, turning and walking away. "You haven't been in Vegas very long."
"Hey, Ed." Danny started to apologize as he walked into the older man's office. The brown-haired man paused upon realizing that the person behind the desk wasn't Deline. "Jillian?"
"Hi, Danny." Mrs. Deline waved from Ed's usual seat.
"Where's..." Danny wondered, looking around.
"On the floor." Jillian sighed, leaning back in the desk chair. "Some sort of disturbance came up." The older woman's blue eyes focused in on the ice McCoy still held to the back of his head. "What's with the ice?"
"Well, I..." Danny started.
"Never mind." Jillian interrupted, waving the younger man off. "I'm sure that my husband is the one to blame."
"To blame for what?" a curious Ed asked, walking into the office. Upon noticing Danny, the older man paused and his blue eyes reflected sternness. "Where the hell have you been?"
"Eddie!" Jillian admonished, banging on the desk to get his attention.
"What?" a surprised Ed asked, turning to his wife.
"Call your mother." Jillian ordered, picking up the phone.
"I..." a fumbling Ed replied, pointing to the surveillance room. "I think that Mike's calling for me." He rushed out the door. "I'm coming, Mikey!"
"That man." Jillian shook her head as the door closed behind Ed. "I swear..."
"What..." Danny wondered, not sure of what he had just seen.
"I came here because I got tired of Bette calling me non-stop, trying to reach him." Jillian explained, shaking her head once more. "Just doesn't want to speak to his mother."
"Probably doesn't realize how lucky he is." Danny sighed heavily, thinking of his own mother and wishing that he had Ed's dilemma.
"Oh, Danny." Jillian put a hand over mouth, realizing her faux pas. "I'm so sorry!"
"It's okay." Danny smiled, waving her off.
"It must be hard this time of year." Jillian sympathized.
"It was her favorite." Danny revealed with a reminiscent twinkle in his eyes. "Day after Thanksgiving, she always made sure that we got both the lights and the tree up." He laughed and turned his gaze to the floor. "I don't know how Dad ever put up with it."
"Sounds like she was one hell of a lady." Jillian smiled.
"She was." Danny nodded in agreement.
To be continued...