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12-18-00 - Surprise
Jim settled on the couch and glanced over at Blair, who was banging pots in the kitchen.
"What are you doing?"
"A surprise. And turn down you sense of smell, I want it to actually be a surprise."
Jim laughed, but he turned it down and ignored Blair's activities.
Shortly, Blair appeared, bearing two steaming mugs of dark brown liquid.
Jim wrapped his fingers around the soothing heat.
He almost took a sniff, but remembered the surprise just in time, and took a cautious sip instead.
Rich, smooth chocolate laced with delicate peppermint slid across his tongue.
Tastes like Christmas.
note: melting candy canes in coco is a Christmas tradition at our house, don't know if anybody else does it or not :P
12-20-00 - Christmas Carols
Jim stretched luxuriously.
Ah, nothing like sleeping in on a Sunday.
He rolled over, the smell of coffee teasing him to get up.
He let his hearing drift and located Blair on the couch, pencil scratching away.
He smiled as he listened to the quiet humming and singing.
"You better not cry , you better not pout, I'm telling you why . Hmm Hmm Hmm hmm hmming to town."
Four Days till Christmas and he's excited as a kid.
Jim relaxed, listening as Blair happily sang.
"Gonna find out, who's naughty or nice . Simon Banks is coming to town!"
Jim almost choked.
Blair crept out of his room, crossing to the tree and settling in a half-lotus on the floor.
The Christmas lights glowed in the dark of the loft.
He let his eyes wander over the gaily wrapped presents and reached out a hand, his fingers trailing across their smoothness.
He smiled as he remembered Jim hiding in the upper room with paper and tape, forbidding him to come near.
He traced the words on the tag with his finger.
To Blair, from Jim.
Blair didn't notice as his eyes grew heavy and he slid into sleep, still clutching the present.
12-24-00 - Christmas Day
Jim rolled over in bed.
Something important today.
Christmas!
His eyes popped open, and he smiled at the excitement that swept through him.
His smile grew broader as he thought of the person that had re-awakened that excitement in him.
Blair!
Jim automatically extended his hearing to find the object of his thoughts.
He frowned.
The living room? Asleep?
He rolled over and gazed down where his hearing told him he would find his Guide.
Blair was curled under the tree, fast asleep, one hand holding a present labeled: To Blair, From Jim.
Jim smiled.
Best present I could get.
12-26-00 - Surprise Returned
Jim crept downstairs and slipped into the kitchen, leaving Blair curled under the tree.
He quietly make two mugs of coco, hanging a candy cane on each lip.
He moved over to the stereo, and with an evil grin, turned up the volume higher than he ever allowed when he was home.
He hit play and Jingle Bell Rock blasted through the room.
Blair popped up, eyes wide, hair tousled, the picture of a little kid.
Jim held out one of the mugs.
"Merry Christmas, Chief."
Blair's smile lit up like sunshine as he accepted the mug.
"Merry Christmas, Jim."
12-27-00 - Present
"You gonna open that Chief?"
Blair blushed, embarrassed at being caught fingering the tag once again.
Jim watched with amusement as Blair tore into the present, enthusiasm evident, now that he'd finally decided to open it.
Shoving the thoroughly shredded paper aside, Blair pulled opened the box.
He carefully sifted through the contents, eyes wide.
"Wow! This must have taken forever to do."
Jim blushed, trying to hide behind his coco mug.
"It wasn't that hard. I do have some talent, you know."
Blair just smiled and gazed at the money, carefully folded into a profusion of stars and butterflies.
12-28-00 - Present II
Blair bounced impatiently, watching Jim examine his present.
"Come on, man! Open it already."
"Can I borrow your knife, Chief?"
Blair almost choked on stifled laughter, then gleefully handed over his knife.
Jim glared at him, but Blair was too amused to notice, or to be impatient as Jim carefully cut each piece of tape.
Jim finally got the paper off, setting it neatly aside before opening the box.
He started to laugh.
At his laughter, Blair lost his tenuous control.
They both roared with laughter, as, unnoticed, the box fell off Jim's lap, spilling the leatherman onto the floor.
note: I wrote this for two reasons. First, I got a leatherman for my birthday, so it was in my mind in the 'present' category, and second, because it's amazing the number of fics where Jim borrows Blair's knife. He did it in the show too (Rouge comes to mind). I mean come off it, a guy like him needs his own knife, so I gave him one :P
12-29-00 - Present's Revenge
Blair watched Jim struggle with the package.
"Man, you need the knife to open it."
Eyes twinkling, Blair continued with studied indifference.
"Need to borrow my knife again?"
Jim glared, but held out his hand for the offered blade.
Jim attacked the plastic.
He was doing fine until an ornament slid off the tree, the unexpected crash causing him to jump slightly, and the knife slipped.
Blair grabbed his hand, looking the cut over.
"Doesn't look too bad."
He pulled out a band-aid and applied it.
"Maybe I should return the knife, you can't even open it without cutting yourself."
12-30-00 - Blair's Booboos
Blair gathered up the scattered wrapping paper.
As he grabbed a piece of stiff, tinfoil like paper, it cut across his finger.
At Blair's sudden intake of breath, Jim looked up.
"Paper-cut."
Jim laughed.
"And you said I was dangerous. You don't even need a knife."
Blair just glared, and headed for the kitchen to make some more cocoa.
When the water was hot, he grabbed for the handle, but his hand slipped, burning his fingers.
Blair yelled loudly, blowing on them.
Jim made an ice pack, then steered Blair toward the couch.
"Sit down, Chief. I'll make the cocoa."
note: Hey! what did you expect in 100 words, hospital trips?
01-02-01 - Crooked
Jim looked at the Christmas tree critically.
He closed one eye, then opened it, and closed the other one.
He tilted his head.
"Jim, man, what is your problem?"
"The tree's crooked."
"Crooked? It's Christmas. Who cares if it's crooked?"
Very softly.
"I care."
"OK, let's straighten the tree."
Blair waited patiently while Jim explored the tree stand.
"OK, Chief. I'll just loosen this screw, and you push the tree up straight."
"Got it. Let's go."
Jim reached out and touched the screw, and it suddenly became clear why the tree was leaning, when the screw snapped.
~~Swish.~~
~~Thud.~~
Darkness.
01-02-01 - Flat
Blair groaned.
Anybody get the number of the truck that hit me?
Oh, yeah. Not a truck. A Christmas tree.
I was helping Jim...
"Jim!"
Blair's eyes popped open, and he groaned.
He spit the pine needles from his mouth, pushed aside the branches on his chest and gingerly struggled to his feet.
He could see Jim's feet sticking out from under the branches near the base.
He rushed around the tree and knelt by Jim's head.
Strong pulse, good breathing, bleeding head wound from impacting Christmas tree stand, typical day in the life.
Smiling grimly, Blair called 911.
note: Alright, I admit it, I wrote this one at the same time as yesterdays, before Stargazer even requested it (cause I knew she would). The title is a joke on the postition of the tree, since I used it in yesterday's title :P
12-30-00 - Christmas Visit
Simon sighed, entering the ER cubical.
"Only you two, and on Christmas!"
Blair frowned.
"He started it. Cut himself with my knife."
"You burnt your fingers."
"You toppled the Christmas tree and knocked us out!"
They stilled, remembering the horror of knowing the tree was going to hit them.
Simon interrupted the solemn moment.
"I was called to collect you, since you aren't allowed to drive after being unconscious, so let's move.
They meekly followed the captain, still caught up in the solemnity of the moment, until Blair leaned over and whispered to Jim.
"Simon Banks is coming to town."
note: And I thought I couldn't get them to the hospital in 100 words :P
note: someone pointed out that I had a plot hole that I had to fix :P
01-21-01 - Replacement
Blair watched Jim turn the leatherman over and over.
Several hours had past since Simon had dropped them off, but neither felt like doing much.
I'm glad someone cleaned up the mess.
He finally broke the silence.
"Rather fascinating knife?"
Startled, Jim looked up, hands stilling.
"I used to have a leatherman."
Blair blinked.
Not what I expected.
"What happened to it?"
Casually.
"Oh, it dropped into the bay when someone tried to stop his decent from the helicopter I was handcuffed too."
Blair blinked again.
"Oh. Sorry."
Jim shrugged, smiling.
"Better it than you or me."
Amen to that!
note: In Seige, Jim had a leatherman, as This picture (courtesy of Starfox's Mansion) proves. If anybody knows about him using one in a later episode, please tell me.
01-01-01 - Countdown
"Ten."
Great year, except for hospital visits.
"Nine."
Great year, except for hospital visits.
"Eight."
Jim's face when he cut himself.
"Seven."
Blair singing ‘Simon's coming to town.'
"Six."
Only Jim could fell a tree by touching one screw.
"Five."
Blair's face when Simon gave him coal for Christmas.
"Four."
Jim's face when Rhonda thanked him about the office pool. Who would bet we'd be attacked by a Christmas tree anyway?
"Three."
I can't believe I have such a good friend.
"Two."
I can't believe I have such a good friend.
"One."
"Happy new year, Blair."
"Happy new year, Jim."
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