Note-I gave this an M rating but the majority of the chapters will be K-T, just wanted to cover myself for the two or three chapters that will fall out of that range.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas
Ev'rywhere you go,
Take a look in the five-and-ten, it's glistening once again
With candy canes and silver lanes that glow.
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas,
Toys in ev'ry store,
But the prettiest sight to see is the holly that will be
On your own front door.

"This airplane is so cool. Papa Andy is AWESOME."

Sharon turned in her seat to look at Andy who couldn't keep himself from grinning. "Papa Andy is awesome," she smiled as they continued to listen to Tyler and Scott's animated chatter in the seats behind them. It was the first time the seven year old and five year old had been on an airplane and to say they were excited would be putting it mildly.

Nicole was sitting behind them with the boys while Ricky, Rusty and Dean sat across the aisle. It was a week before Christmas and the Flynn/Raydor tribes were flying across the country to spend the holiday with Sharon's parents in Connecticut. When the invitation had been extended Andy had taken it one step further. Now that he and Sharon were living together, he hoped to draw the two families closer together and had booked them all for a few days at a New Hampshire winter resort for some skiing and family bonding. Emily was flying in from New York and would meet them at Logan airport in Boston. Ironically she should have been flying home to Southern California where American Ballet Theater was at this very moment performing The Nutcracker in Costa Mesa, but instead she had been suffering from a bout of Achilles tendonitis and was on forced rest. So, with the exception of Gus being unable to get a week and half off to join them, everything had fallen into place quite well.

Too well if you asked Andy. Both he and Sharon had been holding their breath at work for the past couple weeks, knowing that a big case could completely ruin their vacation. Murder had often gotten in the way of both their Christmas plans in the past. But this time everything was working like clockwork. No new cases had popped up and Provenza was eager to be running the show while his Captain was on vacation.

"This really is a nice thing that you are doing for all of us," Sharon said, taking Andy's hand and squeezing it.

"Yeah, well I'm a nice guy."

She shook her head with amusement at the cocky smile and the twinkle in his chocolate brown eyes. "Yes, you are," she said lifting the hand she held to press a kiss to the back of it. "But I'm being serious here. My parents are so thrilled that we're all coming out to spend the holiday with them, and that they are finally going to get to officially meet you in person instead of just skyping with you. But then you put all this effort into pulling together a family ski vacation, renting a villa at this resort, paying for everyone–and you don't even like to ski."

"No, I don't, not really. But I do like you. And I like your kids, and all you Raydors like to ski."

"Oh, Flynn, good answer. " Sharon rested her head on Andy's shoulder. For a man she used to think was a sarcastic ass, he could sure be awfully sweet at times.

"Besides there's a lot more to do at this resort than alpine skiing. They have snow shoeing, skating, cross country skiing, sleigh rides, horseback riding and an outdoor heated pool and Jacuzzi. Not to mention our suite has our own private Jacuzzi for two." He raised his eyebrow at her in a suggestive lothario way that made her giggle. He loved that giggle. It had been his first surprise about her when she'd come to work with them, that her serious, expressionless professional mask hid a woman who not only loved to laugh but whose laughter was completely contagious. When Sharon got the giggles it was impossible not to laugh along with her.

"I just hope this place is as good as it looked online."

"Andy, I'm sure it's going to be beautiful and we're all going to have a great time."

"Papa Andy, where are all the cars?"

"We're in New Hampshire boys, that's a long way from LA. There aren't any big cities and it's a lot more rural than where you come from."

"What's rural mean?"

Stuck on an actual definition Andy glanced over at Sharon who was sitting in the car beside him for help. She obliged, turning in her seat to glance at the boys who were in the back with Nicole. "It means being in the country, like this. You'll see a lot of trees and farms rather than a lot of cars, houses and buildings."

"Aren't you glad you picked to drive the car that had the kids in it?" Nicole asked with a sarcastic grin that was very reminiscent of her father. The boys had been filled with questions from the moment they landed at Logan airport and they all stepped outside where it was a frigid 16 degrees. "Why is it so cold here? How can the Red Sox play here without jackets if it's so cold? Can we go touch the snow? Are we really going to learn how to ski? On and on it went and Andy loved every minute of it.

"Actually I am," he said. He didn't want to dwell on the past and he sure didn't want his daughter to feel badly so he didn't say anything more on the subject, but he'd spent so many Christmas's alone, longing to be with family, fighting the urge to drink his sorrows away, that having a big noisy family surrounding him again was as much a gift to him as it was to them.

And the fact that the boys had questions wasn't surprising, this was a whole new world for them. After landing at Logan, they'd made their way to the car rental kiosk where they'd picked up two four wheel drive SUV's then hit route 95 north out of Boston, switching over to route 16 in Portsmouth NH which was taking them deep into the heart of the White Mountains. For kids used to Southern California's traffic jams and urban sprawl, this drive was very alien to them. Piles of snow lined the two lane rural route and other than a pasture here or there, or a frozen lake, the only scenery was trees, a dark forest as far as the eye could see. Until they came to North Conway Village, nestled at the base of white topped mountains. North Conway was a year round resort village lined by outlet stores, restaurants and quaint little shops. Once through the sprawl of North Conway they were back in the woods, though this time they were in ski country and the road north was lined sporadically with Nordic inns and bed and breakfasts, condos and motels.

Finally they reached Jackson Village at dusk and it could not have been more quintessentially New England. The gateway to the village was a wide red painted covered bridge adorned with large Christmas wreaths. A giant evergreen tree, limbs laden by snow and covered in Christmas lights rose on the bluff of the river at the bridge's entrance. Andy had never driven over a covered bridge before and was surprised by how much noise it made.

Within minutes they were in the village square, a white church steeple rising up into the dusky sky and a gazebo in the middle of the square covered in wreaths, white lights and garland.

"It's just how I pictured New England," Nicole breathed.

Sharon had grown up in New England, covered bridges and village squares were not new to her and she had skied and vacationed in the White Mountains many times. But the beauty of this pristine winter village was still able to move her in a far different way than Southern California, which also had a place in her heart.

"Are we almost there?" Tyler asked sleepily. After five and a half hours on a plane and a couple hours in the car the boys had fallen asleep about an hour ago only waking up when Andy finally stopped the car.

"We're here," Sharon grinned back at Tyler and Scott who immediately rubbed the sleep out of their eyes. Nicole helped them out of their seatbelts and everyone climbed out of the car to join Emily, Ricky, Rusty and Dean who were surveying the scene before them.

On a slight knoll, rose the Nestlenook Inn, a grand old Victorian farmhouse alit with white lights and covered in draping garland and wreaths with red bows. Trees scattered in front of the inn sparkled with twinkling white lights. Directly across from the inn where they could hear Christmas music playing over a loudspeaker, dozens of people were skating along a frozen river by the light of antique black gaslight lanterns. A large white bridge arched gracefully over the river and it too was covered in tiny white lights and garland. Fire pits dotted the snowy landscape and at one end of the pond there was a large white gazebo with smoke coming from its chimney.

"Whoa," Scott gasped with awe. "Are we at the North Pole?"

"Not the North Pole," Sharon said. "But it sure looks like a winter wonderland to me."

"It's like stepping back in time," Nicole sighed. "Like a scene from Currier and Ives."

"Mm…" Sharon agreed a little spark in her green eyes as she leaned into to whisper into Andy's ear. "Very romantic Lieutenant."

He grinned down at her, pleased that they all seemed so taken with his choice of venue.

"Look, look, there are horses." Tyler pointed in the direction they'd been hearing jingling bells and sure enough, over the bridge came a horse drawn sleigh.

"Are you SURE this isn't the North Pole, Papa Andy?" Scott looked up at Andy with wide eyed awe.

"I'm pretty sure," Andy reached out to tousle his hair. "But let's all get checked in before we freeze to death. I'd almost forgotten how cold a Northeast winter can be."

They all began climbing the stairs that led into the inn, Andy holding the door open to usher them all into the lobby. A fire was blazing in the sitting room fireplace, the air redolent with the smell of burning of wood.

While the kids and young adults warmed up at the fire Andy and Sharon went to the front desk.

"We have a reservation for one of your villas. It's under Andrew Flynn," Andy said.

"Ah, yes, Mr. Flynn, I have you right here." The receptionist got his keys, gave him information on the restaurant and the spa, the hours that the indoor and outdoor heated pools were open, where to rent skates, snow shoes and ski's and how to book a sleigh ride or horseback riding tour.

"Okay everyone, we're all set," Andy said.

"Our villa is just on the other side of the pond," Sharon continued. "Why don't we all go check it out, freshen up a bit, then we'll come back over here to the inn for supper. Sound like a plan?"

"Sounds great, I'm starving," Ricky groaned.

"When aren't you starving?" Both Emily and Rusty said at the same time, causing the three of them to burst into laughter. While the three Raydor kids joked and teased each other Nicole moved closer to Andy, taking his hand.

"Dad. I just want to tell you, this place…it's amazing. The boys are so excited. Dean and I just can't thank you enough. This is best Christmas gift you could have given us."

Andy felt a lump rise in his throat and he bent to press a kiss into his daughter's forehead. "I love you, Nic. I always wanted to give you the world."

Nicole nodded, tears burning her eyes. "I know Dad. I love you too."

TBC