Merry Christmas!

It was late at night, way after the party had ended. Christmas Eve. Todd and Althea were in the bedroom. Todd was sitting up in bed wide awake while Althea slept. The Coyote was also in the bed right between the two of them.

"About time we got to this scene," Todd grumbled. "But what are you doing here?"

"Chaperoning," Coyote giggled.

"I should have known it was too good to be true," Todd grumbled. "Al! Al? You awake?"

"No," Althea grumbled.

"Good I wanna talk to you."

"That's jolly."

"Don't you wanna go detecting once in a while?" Todd asked. "Just for the fun of it?"

"Can't you get to sleep?" Althea opened her eyes.

"No," Todd shook his head.

"Would a drink help you?" She asked.

"No thanks," Todd shook his head.

"Maybe it'd help me," Althea grumbled and pushed a button on her bed stand. It made a chime and converted into a tiny bar with a tiny robot bartender that made a martini.

"Everybody says you were a great detective," Todd told her.

"They were lying," Althea took a drink.

"I'd like to see you work," Todd said. "I'd love to work on a case with you."

"I'll tell you what," Althea groaned. "Tomorrow I'll buy you a whole bunch of detective stories."

"Poor Rogue," Todd shook his head. "She's really in a tough spot."

"There's nothing I can do to help her," Althea said.

"She thinks you can," Coyote said. "It wouldn't hurt you to find out if you could, would it?"

"Whose side are you on?" Althea snapped. "Look it's my guess that Fred probably killed Jean and Rogue knows about it. The cops will catch him without my help."

"You know I think I will take that drink," Todd remarked. Althea made him a drink. "I'll give you your Christmas present if you give me mine."

"It's not Christmas yet," Althea told him.

"It's Christmas now, technically," Todd said.

"After breakfast okay?" Althea groaned. "Or at least after an orange juice with a pick me up in it!"

"What are you going to give me?" Todd asked. "I hope I don't like it the way you've been treating me yo!"

"You'll have to keep them," Althea said. "The man at the aquarium said he wouldn't take them back."

"No problem, I like sushi," Todd said. The doorbell rang. "Did you hear the doorbell?"

"No," Althea closed her eyes. The bell rang again.

"Shouldn't we check it out?" Todd asked.

"You wanted to play detective," Althea said. "You check it out."

Todd grimaced and got out of bed to answer the door. It was Duncan. "Is Althea Delgado-Tolensky here?"

"Yeah, wait here. I'll go get her," Todd went to get Althea. "Hey Al! There's someone here to see you!"

"That's great. I was afraid I would have to go back to sleep," She grumbled. She opened her eyes and saw Duncan had followed Todd. He stood behind him with a gun in his hand.

"You got the funniest look on your face," Todd scratched his head. "Like someone's pointing a gun at you." He looked behind him. "Oh…"

"I gotta talk to you," Duncan said. "I want you to tell me something and I want you to give it to me straight, get me?"

"Sure you mind putting that gun away?" Althea quipped. "My husband doesn't care but I'm in a delicate condition."

"Yeah she's sober," Todd remarked.

The Coyote barked and Duncan pointed the gun at him. Immediately Coyote cowered under a table. "Some watchdog you are," Todd grumbled.

"Okay you got my attention," Althea said. "Shoot…I mean, what's on your mind?"

"You don't need to tell me how tough you are," Duncan snorted. "I know all about you. I'm Duncan Matthews. I didn't knock Jean off."

"So?" Althea raised an eyebrow. "All right you didn't."

"I hadn't seen her in three months," Duncan went on. "We were through. I wouldn't have any reason to hurt the witch. She was always on the up and up with me…Except for lying about the whole mutant deal. But that dirty little Bobby Drake, he got sore because I clicked with her and he didn't so he put the finger on me!"

"That's fine," Althea nodded. "Only you're telling this to the wrong person. I had nothing to do with it."

"Look do the cops think it was me or not?" Duncan asked.

"Why are you asking me?" Althea groaned. "I'd tell you if I knew, but I don't. Ask the police."

"Yeah that'd be smart," Duncan said sarcastically. "Smartest thing I ever done. After I had that argument with that mutie cop who landed in the hospital for three weeks. They'd love me to come in and ask questions. They'd love it right down to the end of their blackjacks! Now I come to you on the level. Everybody says you're on the level. Be on the level."

"I am on the level. If I knew anything I'd…" Althea began. There was a violent knock at the door.

Duncan startled unintentionally moving the gun on Todd. "Who's that?"

"I dunno," Althea pointed at the gun. "This is your party."

"Open up! Police!" Logan was heard shouting.

"Why you two timing…."Duncan began.

Instantly Althea reacted. She knocked Todd out of the way of the gun with her left hand and he fell unconscious to the floor. She threw a pillow at Duncan with her right at the same time. Just then Duncan fired, the bullet just grazing Althea's shoulder. She went for his ankle and managed to throw him to the floor just as Logan and the rest of the police arrived. They grabbed Duncan.

"Todd!" Althea went to him.

"What knocked him out?" Logan asked.

"I did," Althea said as she brought him around. "He was in the line of fire! Todd! Todd!"

"You darn fool," Todd grumbled. "I knew you could take him out. I just wanted to see you do it."

"That's my man! Ow!" She winced in pain.

"Al! You're shot!" Todd gasped. "CALL 911! GET A DOCTOR! GET THE WHOLE EMERGENCY WARD IF YOU HAVE TO! GET A PRIEST!"

"Get a grip!" Althea snapped. "It's just a graze! What I need is a drink." She reached for the bottle only to have Todd grab it from her. "HEY!"

"Yeah but not the way you usually use it," Todd told her as he cleaned the wound.

"Don't look too bad," Logan said. "A doc will check you out anyway."

"Tough luck," Duncan sneered in handcuffs.

"Shut up!" Scott punched him in the jaw.

"I want to hit him too!" Xi said and hit him as well.

"Knock it off!" Logan snapped. "You can't punch a guy like that!" He hit Duncan hard. "That's how you punch a guy!"

"Hey! It was my girl that got shot!" Todd protested. "I wanna beat him up!"

"Help yourself," Scott shrugged. Todd then tackled Duncan and started to whack him around.

"How'd you people happen to pop in?" Althea asked.

"We heard this was getting to be sort of a meeting place for the Darkholme-Dukes family," Logan told her. "So we figure we'd stick around in case Dukes showed his big butt around here. Then we see this guy come in," He pointed to Duncan who was getting the stuffing beat out of him by Todd. "So we decided to come up. Lucky for you."

"Yeah I might not have been shot," Althea gave him a look.

"We were looking for this guy," Logan began.

"Dirty stooge Drake!" Duncan groaned as he was being beaten. "OW! MOMMY!"

"You know this jerk?" Logan asked.

"Never saw him until tonight," Althea said. "Wanted to tell me he didn't kill Grey."

"What's that to you?" Logan asked.

"Nothing," Althea shrugged.

"What did he think it was to you?" Logan asked again.

"How should I know? Ask him," Althea said.

WHAM! Duncan was thrown across the room. "As soon as he regains consciousness," Althea quipped.

"I'm asking you," Logan pointed out.

"Keep on asking you'll get the same answer," Althea said. "I don't know."

"Search the joint," Logan said to Scott and Xi.

"Not without a warrant," Althea reminded him.

"Yeah right," Logan scoffed as they looked around. "Listen kid, we're both going about this wrong. I don't wanna get tough with you and you sure don't wanna get tough with me. We're both on the same side so why give each other grief? You wanna swear to the complaint about him shooting you?"

"Kind of irrelevant now," Althea shrugged. "Maybe it was an accident. He might end up suing us!"

Todd stopped beating up Duncan and looked at Scott rummaging in their dresser. "What's that guy doing in your drawers?"

Both Althea and Logan did a double take. Scott found the pistol Althea confiscated earlier from Rogue. "Here you go…" He gave it to Logan.

"Got a permit for this?" Logan asked.

"No," Althea shrugged.

"Ever hear of the Sullivan Act?" Logan asked.

"Oh that's right, we're married," Todd said. "At least in this fic." Both Logan and Althea did another double take at him.

"Is this gun yours?" Logan asked.

"No, you can have it if you like," Althea shrugged. "Think of it as a souvenir of Christmas Past."

"I will," Logan grunted. "I guess I gotta ask you a lot more questions than I counted on. We'll come up tomorrow when you're feeling better."

"Actually sir it's already tomorrow," Xi pointed out.

"That's what I was telling her!" Todd said as they left.

"Now I've got a headache!" Althea groaned. She saw Coyote crawl out from underneath the table. "Some watchdog you are!"

"He's got more sense than you," Todd said. "Thank heaven you're not on this case!"

"On it? I'm in it!" Althea snapped. "They probably think I did it!"

"Well didn't you?" Todd asked. Althea responded by throwing a pillow at him.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Later that morning the two lovebirds were playing with their presents in the living room. Todd was gleefully playing with a BB Gun shooting balloons.

"You'll shoot your eye out!" Coyote taunted.

"Wrong movie, Coyote," Althea said as she wore a nice new bathrobe and admired her new diamond jewelry.

Todd accidentally misfired and shot out a window. "Oops. Still this is the nicest Christmas present I ever got."

"Yeah weapons really do bring in the season of peace and love," Althea quipped.

Todd noticed his wife's jewelry. "Where'd you get that?"

"From you," Althea said. "Christmas present."

"I have good taste," Todd said. "You finished with those newspapers yet?"

"Yeah and I know everything they know about the murder," She told him. "Well almost everything. I'm a great hero. The Bugle says I was shot twice. I didn't know that."

"I read you were shot three times in the tabloids," Todd said.

"That's not true," Althea sniffed. "He never came near my tabloids."

Coyote was gleefully playing with the balloons. "Balloons! Balloons!"

"Is he drunk?" Todd blinked.

"Odds are pretty good," Althea shrugged. The phone rang and she answered it. "Okay, send him up."

"Send who up" Todd asked as she hung up.

"Kelly," She told him. "He wants to see us. What a Christmas present that is. I much prefer my diamond necklace."

That was news to Todd. "Another present from me?"

"Yup."

"I'm spoiling you," Todd grumbled. "Let's read these nice cards and telegrams. They're always good for a laugh. That one's nice. That's nice. Didn't give anything to them. Tell these guys to go jump off a cliff. Hey! This one's from Dukes!"

"Where's it from?" Althea asked.

"Philadelphia," Todd told her. "Listen. 'Will you take the case of Jean Grey murder? Communicate with Kelly.'. Well that means he didn't do it. I mean he wouldn't' ask you to handle it if he was guilty would he?"

"Anything's possible."

"Oh for crying out loud Al take the case already!" Todd snapped. He went to answer the door. It was Kelly. "Come in."

"I'm afraid this isn't a very merry Christmas for you," Kelly grumbled.

"Oh she's fine," Todd said.

"Wonderful," Kelly rolled his eyes and took off his hat. "I hate to bother you when you're laid up but…"

Just then the Coyote grinned and bounded up to Kelly, grabbing his hat in his teeth, 'playfully' tugging on it. Kelly tried to get him to let go with very little success. "Coyote! Don't bother the nice lawyer!" Todd reprimanded.

"Oh…It's all right," Kelly grunted. "AAAHHH!" The Coyote took the hat away. "FINE! KEEP IT THEN! And what is that on the floor?"

It was a miniature fire hydrant. "Coyote's Christmas present," Todd said casually.

Kelly couldn't move fast enough out of range of the object. "I got word from Dukes this morning…"

"So did we," Althea said.

"What are you chances of getting you to do what he wants?" Kelly asked.

"Slim to none," Althea said.

"Come on Al," Todd begged.

"Well what if I got him to meet you?" Kelly suggested. "He gave me a code message to insert in the Times in case I wanted to get in touch with him. Of course I've already done that and he still hasn't arrived. You know it really doesn't look good for him to stay away at a time like this! What is he thinking?"

The phone rang again. "Hello, who is it this time?" Todd asked. "Oh, Kelly its for you! The cops!"

"How did they know I was here?" Kelly asked.

"They're watching this place," Althea explained. "We've been having a lot of interesting visitors lately."

"Oh," Kelly took the phone. "Hello? What? WHERE? IN ALLENTOWN? When's the next train? I'll be right there." He hung up. "Dukes just tried to commit suicide. Tried to jump off a bridge or something. That changes everything doesn't it? I mean that's practically an admission of guilt and I had such hopes that he would…"

"Of course you did," Althea interrupted. "He's your meal ticket."

"I do have other clients you know?" Kelly snapped. "Sorry to have wasted your time." He left the apartment.

Coyote went back to playing with one of the balloons. It broke. "Balloon's busted, Coyote?" Todd asked. "So's mine. The mystery is all gone and I so wanted you to find the killer Al."

"Maybe I will," Althea thought.

"But they just said Dukes…" Todd began.

"I don't think he did it," Althea said. "And I don't think he tried to commit suicide.

"Why?"

"Call it a hunch," Althea shrugged. "And I'm tired of being pushed around! Come on Watson, we're going places!"