merry christmas eve everyone! i thought about trying to update Kryptonite, but I just had to write something christmas-y :D Hope you enjoy this little piece, don't know if i'll take it any further, but we'll see!

Disclaimer: I don't own Charlie Brown or Fringe. Bummer.

Merry Christmas, Olivia Dunham

I never thought it was such a bad little tree. It's not bad at all, really. Maybe it just needs a little love.

-Linus, A Charlie Brown Christmas

"Walter, I can't."

"Why ever not, son?"

"She probably already has plans."

"And what if she doesn't? You'd be passing up a lovely afternoon with a beautiful lady because you were too scared to simply ask –"

"I'm not scared, Walter!"

"Then what is the problem with asking the woman to go with you?"

Peter regarded his father with an expression that was reserved for those moments when words failed and the only card left to play was stubbornness.

Walter sighed. "Have it your way son. If you keep this up, she may never see you as more than a friend, despite your obvious physical attraction to her and the way you flirt – "

"Fine, fine, I'm going! But only because I don't want to be around to hear you finish that thought."

The door slammed behind Peter and the scientist's face split into a wide grin, a small twinkle in his eyes.

X

Olivia Dunham rose from her spot on the couch when the doorbell rang.

"Peter, hi!" She greeted the familiar man on her doorstep.

"Hey there, chipper," he smirked back.

She frowned playfully. "What? Am I not allowed to be a little happy during the holidays?"

"Oh you, are; I'm just not so used to it. Yet," he added quickly at her sharp glance, but that familiar sparkle was still dancing in her eyes, telling him that it was nothing more than water under the bridge.

"Want to come in? It's getting chilly.."

"Sure, thanks."

Once inside, Peter puffed out his cheeks, red from the biting wind. "Wow, it really did get colder in the last few days," he commented.

Olivia nodded. "Did you want to come in for some cocoa? Rachel and Ella are out doing some last minute shopping…"

Peter raised his eyebrows. "On Christmas Eve?"

"That's what I said. That, and that they must be suicidal to go to the mall when it's packed full of crazy people just like them."

"Crazy? I wouldn't say so. We've both seen weirder stuff."

"Touché," Olivia's smile widened. Peter realized that she'd been smiling the whole time, and it was truly a sigh to see. She was free, unburdened by work and the weight of the world.

"The real reason I came over was to ask you something," Peter began slowly. He grinned and took his time loosening the scarf on his neck. He was toying with her, encouraged by her high spirits.

"Go on," she prompted him, obviously interested. Peter grinned.

"Walter and I were going to go get a Christmas tree today, but he came down with a nasty cold overnight and refuses to get out of bed. He's afraid he'll infect the rest of Boston with, as he calls it, his strain of the cold virus because it may have mutated inside him due to all the uncertainties involved in his work. Oh, and he also said that releasing an epidemic around the holidays would be purely cruel and uncalled for."

Olivia giggled. Peter was astounded. He was really starting to like this new side of Olivia.

"And?" She crossed her arms, as that smile he loved grew even brighter, again prompting him to continue.

"And," Peter put emphasis on the single word, drawing it out for as long as he dared. Happy-go-holiday-lucky or not, Olivia was still a deadly weapon of her own. He had no doubt that she would take him down just to get something out of him, or simply for fun. "I was wondering if you would like to come with me to go Christmas tree hunting."

She bit her lower lip, eyes brilliant as ever, but he could tell that she was sizing him up, trying to determine if he was still kidding or if the request was genuine. Finally, the silence was broken by her reply.

"I'd love to." Peter released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding in. The joker act doubled as both his personality and a convenient way to hide nervousness.

Not that he was nervous, really.

"I'm just going to change into something warmer, I'll just be a minute," Olivia grinned and walked, no, almost sauntered out of the room and Peter was left in total awe of her and the invisible cloud of warm, holiday fuzzies that seemed to be following her around.

Peter took the time to examine the decorations that had undoubtedly been put up by the three Dunham girls. In addition to the garnish, wreaths and snowflakes that adorned every nook, cranny and nail on the wall, a bold tree that smelled delightfully of sweet sap and wood occupied one corner of the room. It was a full seven-foot Douglas-fir covered in tinsel, popcorn and cranberry strings, and ornaments both shiny and paper cut outs. The corner of Peter's lips twitched in amusement at what must have been little Ella's handiwork.

He heard Olivia approaching him from behind and turned. She was dressed in dark jeans and a simple v-neck brown sweater that hugged her tiny form perfectly. Peter smiled, but turned his head back to the tree before she caught him staring.

"I never knew you were such an artist, Olivia," her teased, nodding at one of Ella's drawings on a cut out paper angel.

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me, Peter Bishop," Olivia said a hint of mystery in her voice. He knew that she was teasing him back just for the fun of it.

"Ready to go?" Olivia asked as she grabbed her coat and scarf.

"After you," Peter nodded and pulled open the door for her.

X

"That one won't do," Olivia shook her head at the oddly proportioned tree before her and Peter.

"Scrawny can be ok, you know," Peter commented. "Charlie Brown had a tiny tree, but it ended up being perfect."

"This isn't scrawny, Peter, it's just not suitable if you don't want your lightest ornaments to make the branches droop."

"Fine, we'll keep looking," he replied and they continued their trek through the snow onto the next group of trees at the tree farm. "So, what's our perfect tree going to look like? I want to be able to know it when we see it."

Olivia shoved him lightly on the shoulder and shrugged. "It's got to be strong with a nice solid trunk. A good trunk means that the roots are sturdy and that the tree is firmly planted in the ground. That's the only way it can get the right amount of water and to keep the branches and pines healthy. Without good roots, the tree can't anchor to anything and it can't support itself for too long before the needles turn brown and just… fall off."

Peter frowned thoughtfully. Something told him that they might not necessarily be talking about the tree any more. But he played along, interest spiked.

"So how do you know when it's a good tree if you can't see the roots?"

"Well," Olivia began slowly, "you can look at the branches and needles to see if they're dying, but that isn't foolproof. The tree could be on the edge of browning and you would only find out when your living room floor is covered in brown needles."

Peter nodded, fully engaged and ever curious as to where she was going with this.

"But really, you just have to look at the outward appearance of the tree and…" she paused and looked down at the mid-shin deep snow as their boots kicked it up in puffs of white flurries with each step. "Really, you have to guess; take a chance on a tree that looks good on the outside, but also just feels like the right one."

"And has that strategy worked out for you before?" Peter braced himself, afraid that he perhaps went too far with that one, but Olivia replied quietly.

"In the grand scheme of things, less often than I'd like to admit. But more recently, it's been a pretty solid method."

Peter nodded appreciatively. "Good turn outs?"

"So far, so good." She smiled back at him, but then quickly returned her gaze to scanning the nearby trees.

A minute later, she began walking off the path and deeper into the woods.

"Found one?" Peter asked excitedly.

"I think so…"

Olivia made her way around several twists and turns before Peter found her stopped before a hemlock tree. Peter came to stand beside her and surveyed her choice. It wasn't the fullest of trees, but it had what looked like an even distribution of branches so that there were no gaping holes in the greenery. Crouching down, Peter examined the trunk. It was a good four inches in diameter, maybe a little more. He stood back up and turned to Olivia.

"What do you think? Are we gonna take a chance on this one?"

Olivia met his gaze, and this time, didn't break away as a small smile graced her lips. "Definitely."

I sincerely hope y'all liked it, and it would be awesome if you could drop me a prezzie and write a lil review!

a very happy holidays to all!!!!