MERRY 
CHRISTMAS 2001
 
"Merry 
Christmas, Joe, yer family comin' down this year?" Levon asked as 
he 
 
packed 
away the papers on his desk and stacked them into the Out 
basket.
LaFiamma 
gave his partner a weird look. His family had stopped coming down 
two 
 
years 
ago. "Nope, I'm going to see them," Joe answered with a 
grin.
"See 
them! Man, you can't...."
"Yup, 
" LaFiamma cut in, "Mother Minnie gave me a personal invite to spend 
the 
 
weekend 
with her."
"Mother 
Minnie?! That's where I'm going!" The blond Texan quipped back in 
 
surprise.
"Well, 
guess I'll be seein' you there then," Joey replied suppressing a 
smirk. 
 
The 
Italian turned on his heel and was gone before his partner could 
recover.
"How 
come she didn't tell me?" Lundy muttered to himself as he grabbed his 
hat 
 
and 
raced after his partner, only to see the elevator doors close as he 
came 
 
through 
the doors of the Major Crimes Unit.
Just 
as he approached the elevator, the doors opened and there stood 
LaFiamma, 
 
his 
hand on the door opening it open. The look on Lundy's face was 
priceless, 
 
Joe 
wished he'd had a camera. "Oh, and she said to be sure to bring you 
along 
 
too! 
Said she wanted you on time this year."
"On 
time? I'm always on time." The Texan growled moving toward the 
elevator.
"She 
means she wants you there tomorrow - Christmas Eve Day. Not Christmas 
Day 
 
like 
you usually do. And I'm to chaperone you." Joey said grinning from ear 
to 
 
ear.
"Don't 
need no chaperone. Besides I always go on Christmas Day. Ain't packed 
or 
 
nothing. 
Ya kno LaFiamma, something else is going on here."
"Well, 
partner," Joe remarked as they stepped off the elevator and walked 
to 
 
the 
police garage. "I'm packed and ready. We can stop by my place, pick up 
my 
 
stuff, 
and I'll hang out at your place until you're ready. Then we'll drive 
 
down."
"Something's 
going on here, LaFiamma, what is it?" Levon repeated, trying to 
 
figure 
out why Minnie would specifically ask Joe to bring him down 
early.
"Did 
I say anything was going on?" Joe responded 
innocently.
"No, 
but you got that look! I know that look!"
"You 
been a detective too long, Lundy. You're suspicious of everything. 
It's 
 
Christmas! 
She wants to see you for more than one day."
"You 
ain't gonna tell me, are you?"
Joey 
LaFiamma glanced at his partner as they got into the Jimmy. I told him 
the 
 
truth, 
pure and simple. Minnie wants to see him, enjoy his company, our 
 
company, 
it's what Christmas is all about - family.
"Hey 
Lundy, say Merry Christmas to all those friends of Houston Knights 
that 
 
continue 
to keep us alive."
Levon 
rolled his eyes and said brightly, "Merry Christmas Knights, wherever 
you 
 
are!"
"Same 
here," Joey replied with a grin, "Happy Holidays ... and safe driving 
out 
 
there."
JoeyPare 
- 23 Dec 2001<
Story Copyrighted © 
by JoeyParé 2000. No infrigment intended. Fuller disclaimers
at the Front
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