The Touch of A Friend

A Henry and Jo Story

By Brown Eyes Parker

Author's Note:

Thank you to Starry19 for beta-ing this for me. You're a ten. Usually, I like introducing myself with a story before I post this, but this was sitting on my drive. I couldn't resist posting it. The title comes from December Prayer by Idina Menzel.

Rated: T

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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"If you don't have plans for Christmas dinner, you should come over. Henry and I aren't doing anything; we're just going to order in Chinese and watch the old movie channel."

"Abe," Henry said. "Jo probably has plans! It is after all the Christmas holidays; maybe she has family she wants to be with."

"No plans, no family. Not this year," Jo told him. "I'm not really in the mood to celebrate Christmas this year."

"Well, we're not really celebrating Christmas," Abe hedged. "We're just watching old Christmas movies and eating Chinese."

Henry sighed. "Abe."

Jo smiled. "Thanks for the invitation but you really wouldn't want to spend Christmas with me. I'll probably just put a damper on things."

"You wouldn't put a damper on anything," Henry assured her quickly. "But at the same time don't feel any pressure to accept Abe's invitation."

"Thank you both," Jo said. "But I think I'm just going to stay home that day. You enjoy your old movies and Chinese food though."

Abe sighed quietly in exasperation and Henry smiled at her, telling her they would as they parted ways for the evening.

"You two are so exasperating!" Abe said as he buttoned up his coat and followed him out into the cold December evening. "You could at least have told her you wanted her to join us for Christmas dinner."

"Even if I had extended the invitation, Jo is still going to do what she wants," Henry answered. "My telling her that I would have liked for her to join us wouldn't have made any difference in the world."

"But you do want her to join us, don't you?" Abe asked, smiling slyly at him.

"Abe, we've been through this before. I have absolutely no interest in her! And even if I did, it wouldn't matter. She's still mourning the death of her husband, Jo wouldn't give me the time of day and nor should she."

"Well, even so. . . there's nothing wrong with being friendly," Abe told him. "Whether you two like like each other or not. And it is Christmas; nobody should be alone at Christmas. Especially people who are mourning the loss of people they really loved."

Henry sighed. "Fine. I'll invite her again!"

"Be sure you tell her that you'd really like it if she joined us," Abe said. "Not that it will make a big difference or anything. It's just worth a try, is all."

.

"Are you sure you want to spend Christmas all by yourself?" Henry asked Jo the next day. "Because Abe and I were talking about it and it really wouldn't be a problem if you joined us, in fact, we would enjoy the pleasure of your company."

"I don't have any plans for Christmas," Lucas interjected. "I couldn't get out of New York to see my parents this year; we've been so swamped lately. You'd think death would get a clue and figure out it's the holidays."

Henry ignored Lucas and gave Jo a smile that he thought was welcoming.

"Really Henry, like I said before, I wouldn't be good company on Christmas. But it sounds like Lucas is free, why don't you invite him to come over?"

"I'll bring beer!" Lucas said excitedly.

Henry sighed. "Fine, you can come over too Lucas. And Jo, if you change your mind feel free to join us. The more the merrier."

"I'll keep that in mind," Jo said. "Thank you again for the invitation, I really appreciate you and Abe thinking of me. Really."

"So, what kind of beer should I bring?" Lucas asked as Jo left. "Is there any particular kind you and Abe are partial to?"

"Bring whatever you think goes well with Chinese food," Henry answered as he pulled his lab coat on and got a body out of the denier.

"Okay!" Lucas said cheerfully as he started to sing a rousing version of We Wish You a Merry Christmas and started to run a DNA test on a case they were still trying to solve.

Henry wondered how he was going to explain Lucas to Abe.

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Jo woke up all by herself just like she had wanted to. The sense of loneliness was greater than she had expected and suddenly she found herself wishing that she had accepted Abe's invitation for dinner. What had seemed like a good idea at the time was turning into a decision she really regretted.

It was Christmas morning and she was all alone in her cheerless apartment, there weren't any Christmas carols on Pandora or an eager husband waking her up with coffee flavored with gingerbread creamer and anxiously waiting to give her the gift he had carefully been planning since Halloween. All she had were ghosts from happy Christmases past. And suddenly, she didn't want to face them alone anymore.

So, she got out of bed and put on her favorite sweater and then went to the kitchen to scrounge a dessert together, ready to take Abe up on his offer of Chinese food and classic movies. It wasn't what she was used to, but it was something.

.

Henry opened the door and looked at her in surprise. "Jo! You said you weren't coming!"

"I changed my mind," Jo answered, holding up the plate of gingerbread cookies she had baked. "I brought dessert, since Lucas was contributing beer. . . I figured I shouldn't show up empty-handed."

"You didn't have to bring anything," Henry told her.

"Oh well, too late."

"Henry, who's at the door?" Abe asked, coming up behind him and peeking over his shoulder.

Jo smiled when she saw that he was wearing a Santa hat and a sweater with a large Grinch printed on it. "Hello Abe, I decided to take you up on your offer for Christmas dinner. I hope that's okay."

Abe beamed and slyly looked over at Henry. "Of course it's okay! I'm so glad you changed your mind. Henry, invite her in!"

Henry stepped away from the door and waved her in. "Come on in Jo. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," Jo replied.

"And you brought cookies!" Abe said, whisking the plate away from her. "You shouldn't have!"

"It really isn't a big deal; I made it from a mix. Normally I wouldn't have, but my Secret Santa at the precinct gave me a package and since I was in a rush. . . well, I didn't put a lot of effort into it. Let's just say that."

"It's the thought that counts," Abe answered cheerfully. "Come on, Lucas is already here and The Bishop's Wife is just about to start on TCM."

Jo looked at Henry and he motioned for her to go on. "After you," he said.

As she settled in on the old leather couch next to Henry and Lucas smiled at her as he offered them some caramel popcorn from a tin covered in reindeer, she was glad she had decided to come after all.

When the Bishop's Wife was over, Abe went to order dinner and Lucas started to talk about how Cary Grant was always type-casted in the movies while one of the TCM hosts introduced the next film in the lineup. Jo pretended to listen to Lucas while Henry actually engaged in the conversation like he was an actual authority on the subject.

Jo smiled wryly to herself as she thought maybe he was an old movie aficionado, everything else about him was obsolete.

A few minutes later, Abe returned and informed them that dinner would arrive promptly at two.

They each shared a little bit of what they had ordered and ate off paper plates in front of the TV while they watched Christmas in Connecticut and drank beer straight from the bottle.

Later on they turned off the TV and Abe put old carols on his record player, they ate gingerbread cookies and ice cream with coffee while they talked about favorite Christmas memories.

Jo left feeling lighter than she had all season long because even though it wasn't like Christmases past, it had definitely been better than being alone the whole day.

_The End_

Author's Note II:

I hope you'll tell me what you guys think. Merry Christmas!

Holly, 12/8/2014_