Twelve Days of Christmas

On the twelfth day of Christmas…

Kurt drove to Artie's house with his fingers tapping on steering wheel frantically. He kept thinking he might be late, though when he called from the road Artie assured him it's big deal mentioning they were still setting up since he and Tina went ice skating this morning.

Kurt was surprised the rink was opened that earlier, but it did lower his panic level along with the three other calls he made to the girls about what was the status of the whole thing since Artie never gave details in full.

He partially wanted to come oversee the decorations that his friends had done, because was heard from the phone calls and facebook update spams left him worried. Despite the fact he only celebrated the gift giving aspect, he was afraid what they might have come up between the three penchants of bright colors and clashing patterns.

However as he pulled up right behind Tina's car, he and saw Artie sitting on the porch wearing reindeer antlers and his wheelchair strung up with lights, those fears faded. There was still plenty left for him to contribute.

"White lights are classic and clean looking," Kurt said approaching him yanking the antler off his friend's hand and tossing them into the snow, "and would be more visually appealing."

"The girls voted for multicolor," Artie said with a shrug, "since they said no to the disco ball- Joke!" Artie exclaimed as Kurt made a face.

He opened the door for Kurt, and followed inside the Abrams' home.

Artie's little sister, Amy sat at the piano, her feet dangling off the bench as she pounded off key through "jingle bells". She waved at Kurt before she went through a rousing chorus of "batman smells."

The den had been rearranged since the last time Kurt has been there, with mismatched furniture tucked away as twelve white and gold miniature trees, tagged with names of each of the glee club members underneath it. On a separate table held a menorah with Rachel's name written on it, and Puck's scratched out.

"She insisted," Tina said noticing Kurt's gaze. She jumped off stool and patted the fireplace poster fondly.

"Haven't seen you in ages," Tina said reaching for his gift, "let put this up for you..."

"Don't hand it over," Artie cautioned in a loud whisper. "she's been trying to figure out who it is by process of elimination."

Tina glared at Artie, who looked somewhat abashed but didn't budge from his positions. Kurt managed to swallow his giggle as he looked down at his present. "Is that why you insisted they all wrapped in plain brown wrapping and specify they all be the same size?"

"Thank god you're here Kurt," Mercedes said coming in the room with a collection of stocking in her arms. "They have a bet going on that Brittany will tell who her gift for. Don't ask," She said before Kurt could speak, "Anyway which stocking did you want?"

"Clearly not the one with the skulls," Kurt said dryly, "it's tacky."

"I still can't believe," Mercedes said to Tina as Kurt pulled silver stocking out the pile, "you found one with it."

"Found, she made it," Artie said. He took Kurt's present placing it on the table with some other gifts.

"It was harder than anticipated… Kurt you don't have to help…"

"It's the least I can do," Kurt said shuffling through the ipod shuffle. "Wezzer?" Kurt asked.

"It's fun," Artie said with a shrug.

"My point," Kurt said and the girls nodded in agreement.

The four of them finished decorating the room, covering the walls, the furniture with festive trappings. Requiring heavy used a glue gun and lots of laughter as tinsel and fake plastic snow being thrown around.

For once Kurt didn't mind it get all over his clothes, the happy chaos a welcome change to the sophisticated and structured air that was Dalton.

"Kurt!" Rachel exclaimed as she bounded across the room, managing to him hit on the head with her gift.

Mercedes quickly grabbed it from her as Finn can in a slower manner.

"I didn't even see you when you came," Finn said, "did Mom and Burt see you?"

"Just a glimpse, what's with all the eggnog?"

Finn held up a bag, "apparently none of them are the right one, so I donated them for the party."

Artie went to put them up, and Rachel cooed at the decorations a bit.

In his absence the odd couplings of Puck, Sam, Lauren, and a very annoyed Quinn arrived to the party.

"Worst five seconds of my life," Quinn said by way of conversation to Kurt as she placed the gifts into the growing pile. "Never arrive in the same place as them."

Brittany and Santana arrived next in matching candy cane inspired dresses.

"I hope you like the penguin I got you Kurt." Brittany said cheerfully as they handed off their gifts.

Behind her, Artie groaned rolling his eyes, while Tina did a happy dance.

"What's with Elmira?" Santana asked, adjusting the straps of her dress.

"They had a bet going," Kurt said as way of explanation. Santana just shrugged and went to talk with Puck and Mike who rounded out the group.

As Christmas movies played in the background, food was brought out and Finn's eggnog opened in a punch bowl and light chatter filled the room.

Eager to find out what the rest of the club was up to Kurt maneuvered around the room like a pro eliciting tales from each member of the glee club he left behind. Mike told him about his temporary job at a coffee shop, and had fixed a glare on Artie as he described how nearly everyone in the club had shown up. Rachel complained about how a Christmas tree was placed up in the middle of choir room and how it offended her, as she gestured to the necklace Finn had gotten, but in the same breath gushed about the solo she gotten for the benefit concert Schue was having them perform at. Lauren sat on the couch watching Love, Actually as it played, not sure how on earth it managed to get picked out of better films, and Kurt found himself agreeing with her. Sam looked on at amusement at various decorated cookie, telling him how Coach Bieste had a gig as Santa at the mall, and Brittany babbled on about a snowmen army she was creating while Santana nodded as she chewed on her breadsticks.

"You actually got them from Breadstix?" Kurt asked Mercedes , "how did you managed to get them out the door?"

"You didn't strike me as someone who was into carb-loading," Mercedes teased, "It was just a lure to get Santana here."

"But how-"

"Don't touch the eggnog," Santana said as she came up to them holding out a bit cardboard that was discolored, "Puckerman spiked it."

"At least there are other bottles," Kurt remarked.

Santana wrinkled her nose, "of course there would be, you misfit toys planned everything to the letter didn't you?"

"So we did," Mercedes's raised her eyebrow and Kurt was reminded of the relationship that switched between hot and cold quicker than a new fashion trend. "Something not to your taste?"

"Just wanted to say," Santana said tossing her hair, "I've been to worse, this is almost tolerable."

"High praise," Kurt said as the Cherrio went to where Brittany sat stirring candy canes into her hot chocolate.

"I know, but who gets wasted on eggnog?" Mercedes made a face, "I can't drink more than half a cup!"

"Maybe it's a test."

Kurt and Mercedes exchanged devious glances as they looked over to Sam. The blond was in a very heated argument with Artie about comic books. Kurt was a little shaky on the details but it appeared Sam was more of DC guy. Kurt absently clucked his tongue making a mental note in his head.

"I'm just saying Marvel has been more prominent role because it has underlying stories that draw people in," Artie said adjusting his glasses, "The X-men for example can be veiled example for people who are discriminated against such as homosexuals-"

"Artie," Kurt said interrupted him as Sam turned an interesting shade of purple, "why don't you tell everyone we're about to do whole gift thing."

"Sure," Artie said glancing at the cup in Mercedes's hand, "didn't Puck-"

"Nevermind," Kurt shoved Artie gently out the way, as he and Mercedes grinned at Sam.

"I heard you were looking around for the mistletoe a bit earlier."

"Yeah, because Brittany was going about nargles," Sam said, "I mean no offense," he said to Mercedes, "but I'm little paranoid."

"Well," Kurt said taking the cup of eggnog in Mercedes's hand, "I heard that eggnog, much like oregano wards away vampires."

"Garlic," Sam corrected absently, as he fingered the drink. "This would work?"

"Maybe not one glass," Mercedes said, "but several."

Sam looked at it thoughtfully and was about to drink when the music was abruptly cut off.

"Attention everybody," Rachel said clapping her hands, "the gift giving actives will begin shortly."

"Oh joy," Lauren muttered from her corner.

"Joy to world," Rachel hummed as she approached the stack of brown wrapped gifts, and proceeded to handed them out like the Jewish St. Nick she was.

"I see what you mean about her switching faiths as it suits her," Kurt muttered to Mercedes, "didn't you say something about her singing a song for the concert with heavy emphasis on baby Jesus?"

"It's not so bad," Mercedes replied, "to be honest this was all her idea in the first place, we were just going to do a small thing with the four of us. It's better with everybody I have to admit."

"Yet you end up doing all the dirty work like the good elves you are."

Mercedes shrugged, "That blame falls on Artie."

"And the here you are," Rachel said brightly handing them their last gifts before she scurried off to grab her own.

Kurt unwrapped his gift, unsurprised at the large stuffed penguin that Brittany had gave him. Trying not to smile at the cuteness of the gift, he took at the glance at his former teammates' gifts, and found not all of them were as pleased as he was.

Lauren was staring at the orange stripped beanie in her hands, her nose wrinkled, "I got three of these at home."

Puck whistled appreciably at the guitar strings in his hands.

Mike stared at the sequin glove in his hand, his eyes bulging out its sockets. "No way," he muttered, "no way, no way, no way."

Santana smirked at the Breadstix gift card in hand, please a cat with a bowl of cream.

Artie looked disinterested at the argyle sweater in his hands, something Kurt made note of since it would make it much easier for him to burn it.

Quinn pulled on one of the long white gloves he had gotten for her, smiling a bit as she wiggled her fingers.

Brittany was absently doing a bit of the choreography from the "Singin' in the rain" mash up they did with her cotton candy blue umbrella.

Finn was bemused with the miniature drum set and jumped when he pressed a button that started to play tiny strands of "Little Drummer Boy"

Mercedes rolled her eyes at the assorted key chains in her hands that included among other things the USS Enterprise.

Sam was making appreciative noises as he thumbed through the Art of Avatar.

Tina however scowled at book she held in her hands, " Songbook for Altos," she muttered darkly, " I wonder who would have given me that?"

But all of these interactions were lost as a high pitched screech filled the air, that not only caused the club to jump as a collective whole, but even Artie's family to peer into the den. Rachel as usual was oblivious to this as she jumped around holding a collection of discs, between her nearly incoherent screeches exclaiming something about receiving the opening night performances of all the Broadway show that had opened in the last twelve years.

Kurt put his gift down and watched as Finn tried to call Rachel down, Santana and Puck tried to shut her up, and Quinn tried to trip her, while happy chaos of the rest of the group formed as everyone else tried to figure out who gave who what.

Smiling softly to himself, Kurt whispered, "Happy Holidays everyone."

…there were twelve Secret Santas,

eleven reluctantly sung Christmas Carols,

ten ornaments hanging on the Christmas tree,

nine cups of overpriced coffee,

eight classic holiday movies,

seven outlandish wishes,

six cartons of eggnog,

five snowman,

four party line phone calls,

three mistletoes kisses,

a pair of ice skates,

and one gold star given under a clump of mistletoe.

A/N: I wanted to take the time to thank each and everyone of you who took time to read this, and especially the people who reviewed and put this on story alert. Thanks a bunch, and happy holiday everyone!