A/N Happy Holidays Brick Lovers! Thank you to my friend castronomicaaal who made a Brick Winter Wonderland mood board, and that put me in the mood to write this story! I hope you enjoy!

There are three chapters total, the second will post Monday and the third on Wednesday.

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He was aware he'd turned sour.

He'd always been serious about work and responsibility but he also used to have a sense of fun. When there were good times to be had he was right there and ready. Nowadays things were different. He'd become one of those people who seem to be walking around with a dark cloud over their head.

To add to his already unpleasant disposition "they" were right around the corner. Just like he had every year for the past four years, he was dreading their arrival. The Holidays.

There had been a time his feelings were different. Back in the days when he loved Christmas and all that it brought. The tree, the decorating, the gift buying and giving, driving around town to see the lights and best of all, Christmas morning. It really had been a magical time of year.

Then his life took a nosedive.

Since losing his family, all Christmas was to him was the bluest time of the year. The loneliest and most painful. He knew he could power through it, just like he'd done each of the past four Christmases. But that didn't mean it would be easy.

Then the invitation came. An invitation that would change his life forever.

Caesar Martinez, the sheriff over in Smithton County, was calling it a holiday warm up. Everyone else was calling it the party of the year. It was quite a clever idea really, a pre-Christmas season Christmas party. A great opportunity for everyone to get together and get a little crazy before the Christmas mayhem began. That's how the holiday season always seemed to go, once Thanksgiving came it was like no one had a minute to spare. So yes, the idea really was quite perfect, a Christmas party blowout on November 3rd.

Every sheriff in the five surrounding counties would be there along with their top deputies and other staff, spouses and significant others, even some of the D.A.s and a few state cops.

Caesar's parties were legendary and no one missed them. Part of it was his place, he had the perfect party house. It was big with an even bigger yard and plenty of parking for all. The house was something no cop could afford, not unless they had what Caesar had, a very successful wife. Amy Martinez happened to be a high-powered corporate attorney. She was young, smart, pretty and highly-paid.

So indeed, it was a great idea, and it was going to be a terrific time, after all, no one knows how to party like cops. The trouble was it was also the last thing Rick felt like doing. He just couldn't see a way out of it. At the very least he had to put in an appearance, he'd be a huge ass if he just simply didn't show up.

He reminded himself it was only one night out of the year, then he gave himself a mini pep talk, "You can do this dumb ass." Yep, he could and he would. He'd be the guy who showed up alone, no spouse, no date, no nobody. He'd plaster a smile on his face, have one or two drinks with the guys, a plate of Amy's fancy appetizers and then sneak out. No one would even miss him. He'd come back home and he'd drink alone until he got shitfaced, just like every other Saturday night.

So he sucked it up. He put on his dress jeans, a freshly starched and ironed shirt and his sport coat. He grabbed the bottle of expensive whiskey for Caesar, the box of equally expensive chocolates for Amy, and his own bottle for the night. He gave himself another quick pep talk, got in the Rubicon and drove the twenty miles to Smithton County and Caesar and Amy's.

It happened almost instantly. Caesar greeted him with a handshake and a clap on the back, and Amy's hug was warm and friendly. Then she said the words, "Rick Grimes, it's so good to see you, oh and there's someone here I want you to meet."

His internal emergency warning system went off immediately. Fuck. He'd been setup. They'd blindsided him. He was going to have to go through another meeting with another woman who was every bit as miserable and lonely as him.

Before he had a chance to object and decline Amy had taken his hand. She had a big happy smile on her face and in her sweet and enthusiastic voice she told him, "I believe she's right over here…oh yes, there she is. Come on now Rick, don't act like I'm about to feed you to the lions. I promise you'll be so happy you came by tonight and even happier to have met this woman."

He wanted to scream "hell no!", but he smiled and nodded and bit his tongue hard. He'd get out of this quickly. Make his apologies to the poor woman and get his ass out of there and home where it belonged.

Then he saw her, Amy's friend, and he knew he was safe. A woman like her, yeah, she'd be real disappointed when she got a load of him. He didn't have time to dwell on that thought because Amy was already making introductions, "Rick, this is my dear friend Beth Greene. We've known each other since middle school. Beth this is Rick Grimes, he's the sheriff over in King County."

She was a stunner in the most exquisite and natural way, a true beauty. She was petite with crazy-beautiful soft blonde curls, and her eyes. She had the kind of eyes that could do a man in with one glance, the kind a man gets lost in and he's damn happy he did. They were big and blue and Rick could swear they sparkled.

She was exactly what he didn't need or want. Except maybe he wanted her a little.

"It's very nice to meet you Beth." That was as far as he got, he was truly at a loss for words and just to add to his discomfort, it was like Amy had evaporated. There he found himself, just standing there and feeling like a big idiot, like he'd never been in a social situation, but he pressed on, "I don't know about you Beth Greene, but I could use a drink. Would you like something?"

She smiled that million dollar smile and unlike him she seemed quite poised, shit, it was like she knew how to behave in public. "Yes, I'd love to have a drink with you Rick Grimes. I'm afraid I'm a bit of a lightweight though, nothing too heavy. Shall we walk over to the bar and see what they have?"

Dammit, why the hell was she being so sweet and so cheerful, that was fucking up all his plans. How do you ditch someone like her? Then she did it again, she smiled that smile again. It was the kind of smile that makes you smile back, no matter what kind of shitty mood you're determined to be in.

That was the situation he found himself in; stuck at a wonderful party with a beautiful, friendly and charming woman. Life just couldn't get much worse. The he caught himself. He realized it, shit, he'd just been standing there like the world's biggest idiot. "I'm sorry, Beth. I...I didn't expect to be…well I don't know what I expected tonight. I thought I was just going to stop by for a quick drink and then go home. I apologize, I'm sure I'm lousy company. I really am very happy to meet you, delighted to have a drink with you. After that I promise I'll leave and let you enjoy the rest of your evening in peace." Shit, he'd like to punch himself, he'd turned into some kind of blabbering idiot.

He'd never been more stunned than when she took his hand. "I'm very happy to meet you too Rick. Maybe when we have that drink you'll relax a little. I promise I don't bite, in fact I'm probably the most harmless person you know. Why don't we just make up our minds to have a nice evening getting to know each other?"

It was 100% obvious to him then, she was the new sheriff in town. She'd be running this show and he'd better just stand back and let her. No. Wait. He should fight it, tell her no way, he had other plans. He'd tell her he had somewhere else he was supposed to be. Except he couldn't do that, she had him under some kind of spell or something. So he did what she said. He even had some crazy sudden burst of foolishness mixed with bravery, he lightly took hold of her arm, smiled and suggested, "That sounds perfect, let's go to the bar and see what we can find."

He handed her the glass, took his own and again lightly held her arm. He led her to a quiet corner, away from the bar and the loud chatter there. It was like he suddenly got back all those social skills he'd lost four years before. He initiated an actual conversation, "So Beth, Amy says the two of you are old friends, do you work together now?"

She looked a little embarrassed when she shook her head and answered, "No, I'm not a high-powered corporate attorney. I'm a kindergarten teacher."

As sweet as she looked and sounded it seemed to suit her perfectly, "I'll bet that's a challenge, you must have lots of patience."

That made her laugh softly and her laugh was as pretty as everything else about her, "I'm quite brave, there's not many that could fight the kinds of battles I fight every day. It's a lot of drying tears and wiping noses and…" Her nose scrunched and she turned the most beautiful shade of pink he'd ever seen as she continued, "Well, potty issues. Lots of those potty issues."

She actually had him laughing for the first time in…well he couldn't even remember when. "And cops think they have it tough. You are brave. I only had one child and there were times his potty issues were more than I could handle."

They'd both laughed and then his face turned so sad, she could swear she saw the darkness. She knew why, Amy had told her the story of his wife and child being killed in a terrible auto accident. She couldn't even imagine how devastating a loss like that must be, and she certainly had no magical words that were going to make it all okay. She did what she could. Without giving it a second thought she placed a hand on his cheek, reach up on her toes and kissed him there. "I'm so sorry."

He was stunned and touched, and it turned him around, "No, you know what Beth? I'm not going to that place. I'm here now. I'm with the most beautiful woman in the room, in any room anywhere, and we're going to have a nice evening. How about we sit out on that three-season porch? You can tell me the story of Beth Greene."

"I'd like that Rick Grimes."

So they sat and she told him how she'd always enjoyed being around children, "I was always the first one to volunteer for babysitting, in fact I still do. I've watched Caesar and Amy's children many times. I guess, well I always wanted to be a mom and I just naturally seem to gravitate toward the little people. I will say though, a classroom of 25 little people is far more of a challenge than I thought it would be. I was so full of myself I was sure it was going to be no big deal. Let me tell you sheriff, it's a very big deal."

She'd laid her hand on his and he wondered if she was even aware of it. Of course, she had to be. He didn't mind, hell no he didn't mind. It felt good. Her skin was soft and warm and the way her thumb was slowly rubbing back and forth across the back of his hand seemed so sexy.

He knew he had to have the biggest, stupidest grin on his face but she didn't seem to mind and so he just kept smiling and listening. "This is only my first year and I can tell you, I was like a lamb to the slaughter. I think it's finally safe to say, the children and I are all getting settled in. We've gotten in the swing."

"I applaud you Beth, I can't even imagine. So what else, what do you enjoy doing for fun?"

"Fun? Well gee, I don't exactly have one thing I like to do for fun. There are lots of things I enjoy. I like to sing, and I play piano and guitar. I enjoy just getting out and going for walks. I love reading, gosh, I don't know what else. I sound boring, like I need more hobbies."

He was laughing again, and he was surprised by how good that felt. "You don't sound boring to me, all those things sound great, and I'd love to hear you sing."

"Well you might hear me tonight. Amy asked if I'd mind playing and singing a few Christmas tunes. But before we worry about all that, how about you tell me a little something about the things you enjoy."

He was stumped. There were a lot of things he used to enjoy but he hadn't participated in life in so long, he wasn't sure how to respond. He decided maybe the truth was best. "The last thing I want to do is bring my dark cloud over this conversation. I have a feeling you know about what happened?"

"Yes, I've heard."

"I've been kind of checked out ever since. I used to love to get out in the mountains, up near Blue Ridge. I inherited the family cabin up that way and I always loved spending a lot of time there. Since the accident I just go up there every few weeks and check on it, in fact I'm taking a week off over Christmas and I'm just going to spend my time doing…well I don't know what I'll do." He looked at her with a genuine smile said, "I know, I'll build a snowman."

Her hand squeezed his then and he liked the way it felt, and she smiled, "Now that sounds like the perfect Christmas."

Their conversation stopped when Amy came over, "Well it seems like you two are getting along just fine. I hate to interrupt, but Beth, could you please sing for us?"

"Yes, of course." She looked to Rick and asked very seriously, "You're not going to run off are you sheriff? I'm not done visiting."

Somehow he had the class to answer, "I wouldn't dream of it. I'm looking forward to the performance."

She was very aware it was a party and not a church service, she kept the tunes lighthearted and commercial, Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree, Winter Wonderland, Let it Snow and then she got the whole group going with Jingle Bells.

He never took his eyes off her and he even dared to think she never took hers off him. He'd forgotten all about how dangerous she was, instead he found himself thinking more and more about how special she was.

He didn't realize it had gotten so late until she took his hand and said, "I hate to sound like I'm a five year old, but I am kind of an early to bed, early to rise kind of girl. I think I'd better get myself home."

It was like he was suddenly back to the beginning, at a loss for class, at a loss for conversation and at a loss about how to ask to see her again. He was sure he sounded like the perfect idiot when he said, "Oh sure, okay. Well gee Beth it was great to meet you and I really enjoyed the conversation and the singing. Thank you."

She looked in his big, blue and oh-so-clueless eyes and said, "Well then Rick Grimes, let me give you my address and phone number. Come by and see me tomorrow about noon. Maybe we can take a walk to the little bistro up the street. I'll let you buy me lunch."

It had happened again and this time he laughed out loud. "Thank God only one of us is an idiot. That sounds perfect. I'll be there promptly at noon."

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A/N Thank you all for reading along - Please leave a comment / review. To see castronomicaaal's mood board, which I enhanced with title, etc., check out my tumblr blogs gneebee and bethylmethbrick. I hope to see you back on Monday for part two of The Wonder of Christmas. Until then remember, I love Ya Large! xo gneebee