A/N: Merry Christmas everyone! As you all know, I jumped a year between chapter 1 and 2 of Reflections; I enjoyed filling in a blank of that time with Interested the first deleted scene/chapter I did, and now that the holiday season is upon us, I couldn't resist taking a peek at the first Christmas Jim and Johanna knew each other. It's a fun piece and I hope you'll all enjoy it as my gift to you for being such loyal readers!

Peppermint Bliss – Deleted Scene/Chapter

The sting of December air was still clinging to Johanna's face and a layer of snowflakes was lingering on her black dress coat as she stepped into her office.

"I take it that it's still snowing," Sharon said as she glanced up at her, a candy cane in her hand that she was savoring.

"Yes, it is; it's also freezing in case you're wondering," Johanna replied as she took off her scarf and coat. "Are there any candy canes left in the break room?"

"There were still a few when I grabbed mine," she answered. "But if you want one, you should probably hurry."

"Why didn't you snatch me one?" Johanna inquired as she moved across the room and stepped inside the inner office to hang up her belongings.

"I was going to, but I got distracted."

"By what?" she asked as she returned to stand in front of Sharon's desk.

Sharon grinned. "Phil."

"I should've known," she replied with a smile. "Any movement on that front?"

The secretary pulled the candy cane from her mouth with a pop. "We're going to the Christmas party together."

"Sounds serious," Johanna teased. "If you go missing, I'll check under the mistletoe first."

"It's not serious," Sharon laughed. "At least not yet."

"Uh huh," she said with a knowing grin; "But your hook is baited and you're in position to reel…I hope you have the net handy."

"Oh don't worry; I always keep that in the boat. Now we just have to get you one on the line."

"I'm fine for now," Johanna said. "The only thing I'm interested in snagging at the moment is one of those candy canes."

"Tough day in court?"

"I've had easier days," she admitted; "But a candy cane might make it better. I'll be back."

"I'll be here," Sharon quipped.

Johanna smiled and headed out the door, anticipating the taste of peppermint of her tongue. Candy canes were one of the simple pleasures of Christmas time…and a reminder of childhood. Her mother's father had always lumped a handful of candy canes together into a bouquet and tied it with red silk ribbon and gave it to her every year as a special Christmas treat. Those were sweet memories and she always thought of Grandpa Calabrese whenever she saw those red and white striped confections. She always missed him most at Christmas. She could still remember the twinkle of his dark eyes and the warm tones of his voice as he'd sweep her up in a hug and say "Buon Natale, mi bellissimo angelo."

'Merry Christmas, my beautiful angel', her brain automatically translated. She breathed deeply, she wasn't angelic and she wouldn't say that she was beautiful…but her grandfather had always said it in a way that made her believe as he handed her those candy canes. She brushed off the melancholy thoughts that threatened to sweep across her mind, reminding herself that he wouldn't want her to be sad; that he'd want her to remember him with love and joy.

As she stepped into the break room, her gaze found Jim and a smile came easily to her lips. "Hey; you slacking off?" she asked lightly.

"Every chance I get," he replied. "Where have you been all day?"

"Court," she answered as she moved to the counter and found the candy cane bowl empty. Disappointment filled her until she heard the crinkle of plastic and turned to look back at Jim as he picked at the plastic wrapping of a candy cane.

"Did you take the last candy cane?" she asked.

Jim smiled. "I sure did."

Johanna eyed him. "How many have you already had?"

"Three."

"Give me that candy cane," she demanded.

"What?" he laughed.

"You heard me, give me that candy cane!"

Amusement spread across Jim's face as Johanna came near him. "Now why should I give you my candy cane?"

"Because you've had three already and I've had none."

He shrugged as he continued to pick at the plastic. "You snooze you lose."

She put a hand on her hip as she glared at him. "Didn't your mother teach you to share?"

Jim shook his head. "No; we're not big on that in my family."

"My mother taught me to share."

"That sounds like a personal problem," he quipped.

"You jerk," she laughed; despite her intention to withhold the sound. "Give me that candy cane."

He grinned at her; it was a slow day and he felt like playing. "You want this candy cane?" he asked as he waved it in front of her.

"Yes."

"Then take it," he told her.

Johanna eyed him suspiciously and then reached for the candy cane which he jerked back from her hand. "Too slow," he remarked as her hand grasped nothing but air. "Try again."

"Give it to me," she demanded as Jim kept pulling it away as soon as her fingers were near it.

"What's the fun in that?" he laughed as he jerked it away from her grasp once more. "You're really slow, Jo; we're going to have to work on that."

"Work on this," she said; smacking his arm.

He laughed. "That didn't even sting, sweetheart; you're such a girl."

"I can make you hurt if I want," Johanna declared. "Now are you going to give that to me or not?"

"Hmm…I don't know," he said as he twirled the candy cane between his fingers. "Tell me why you want it so bad."

"Because I do."

"Not a good enough answer."

"Because I love candy canes," she told him. "I always have and I haven't had any this season and it's just unfair of you to take the last one when you've already had three, you glutton."

"Now, Sassy, you better be nice; you don't want to end up on the naughty list do you?"

"You should worry about your own status; rumor has it you're already on it."

"Who says?" Jim asked.

"I do."

"Why do you get to put me on the naughty list?"

"Because you're stingy," she said as she made another grab for the candy cane but he managed to keep it from her grasp.

"Still too slow but you're getting better," he teased. "Now tell me why you love candy canes; and don't give me something generic…if you really want it, you'll wax poetic about it."

Johanna narrowed her eyes at him. "I should just kick you and take it."

"That would definitely land you on the naughty list," he said with a grin; "But I have to admit, having you be on the naughty list with me doesn't sound all that bad…in fact it could be downright appealing."

"Oh yeah?" she replied; her tone dropping an octave as she moved closer and gave him a flirty look. "We could still be on the list together even if you do give me that candy cane…and you want to, don't you?"

Jim eyed her. "Are you trying to use your feminine wiles on me to get my candy cane?"

"Yes; is it working?"

"No."

"No!?"

"Nope," he smiled.

She shrugged. "Your loss."

"More like yours," he quipped as he picked at the wrapping some more. "After all, I'm the one with the candy cane."

"Come on, Jim," she pleaded; "Let me have it. I had a bad day."

"Did you lose your case?"

"No; I won but it wasn't easy….that's why I need that candy cane as a celebration treat."

"Who were you up against?" he asked.

"Tanner," she answered.

He groaned. "He gets on my damn nerves."

Johanna nodded. "So you see why I need that candy cane more than you do."

"I don't see it like that at all."

She pouted. "Please?"

Jim laughed. "You're pouting? My four year old niece does that."

"I bet she's successful," she replied.

"Yeah; she is…she's been known to wheedle dollars out of my wallet."

"Well then since you already have a history of giving in…"

"Forget it," he told her; holding the candy cane up in the air out of her reach.

She caressed his unoccupied arm. "You don't really want to be mean to me, do you?"

"I see we're back to the feminine wiles…I like the touching aspect of it, to tell you the truth."

She grinned. "I could come closer."

"I do like to keep my friends close," Jim quipped.

She moved closer; her hand falling against his chest and despite knowing it was all just a game, butterflies fluttered in her stomach as she looked into his eyes. He was a very handsome man, she mused.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked suspiciously.

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Yes, I would."

"Give me the candy cane and I'll tell you."

"You haven't waxed poetic about it yet."

"Oh my God, really!" she exclaimed.

Jim nodded as he lowered his arm. "Tell me why you love it and have to have it…come on, profess your love for this candy cane."

"I hate you right now."

"You could just go buy your own box after work," he replied, picking at the plastic again.

"Why should I when I can have that one…that you can't even open."

"I'm waiting, Jo," he teased.

"You're just loving this, aren't you?"

"Aren't you?" he laughed. "This is the most fun I've had all week."

"I'm glad I can amuse you."

"Me too, sweetheart; now lets get poetic."

"I love candy canes because they're peppermint bliss wrapped in a satiny smooth exterior that glides against the tongue; a simple pleasure of life, a moment of unadulterated joy."

He smirked. "That sounded kind of dirty."

"That's it," Johanna exclaimed as she smacked his chest. "Give it to me or I hurt you."

"I can't help it if you made it sound dirty," Jim laughed; rubbing his chest. "You packed a little touch of a sting this time, I'm proud of you; unleash that passion, Sassy…in fact since this is going so well and I think I might like your way with words, how about you wax poetic about me now?"

"I'm not stroking your ego for Christmas."

A grin crossed his lips. "If you keep making these innuendo laced statements, I'm going to start to wonder about you."

Her cheeks warmed. "You jackass, you're the one whose mind is in the gutter. You don't deserve that candy cane; candy canes are pure innocence and you're tainting them. Give it to me."

"I don't think I can…you have to work for it some more."

"Do you want me to cry?" she asked.

"You won't cry."

"Fine; I'll make you cry."

"How do you propose to do that?"

"The same way I made my brother cry; I'll punch you in the eye."

Jim smiled; admiring the way her eyes sparkled and the way she stood with a hand perched on one hip. "You're beautiful when you're sassy."

"You're handsome when you're nice," she replied.

"So you think I'm handsome all the time then, right?"

"Not at the moment," she said, not missing a beat.

Jim laughed. "Liar."

Competition gleamed in her eyes and she lunged for the candy cane, managing to wrap her hand around it as he tried to wrangle it from her grip. "Let it go," she told him as they wrestled for it.

"No; it's mine," he told her, pulling her closer.

"No, it's mine!" she exclaimed. "You had enough!"

"Let it go, Jo," he told her as he got hold of her hand.

She kept the candy cane locked in her grasp and he grabbed her wrists. "Let it go," he laughed, giving her a gentle shake.

"Never," she declared.

"Those are fighting words, sweetheart."

"I'll fight you to the death for this candy cane," she told him.

"I do like a feisty woman," he remarked.

"Then you should let me keep this candy cane."

"Why?"

"Because if you don't, we can't be friends."

Jim smiled. "You like me too much to disown me now."

Johanna scoffed. "Who told you that?"

"Now you're going to get it," he laughed as he tried to wrestle the candy from her hand. She fought against him, stumbling over one of his feet and falling against his chest. The candy cane fell to the floor as his hands cradled her waist to steady her. Their gazes collided; their laughter dying on their lips as the atmosphere suddenly crackled around them.

Her heart fluttered; every once in awhile one of these intense little moments would happen…and she'd feel it in every inch of her being. Those spark filled moments excited her…and terrified her…and she found herself wondering what it might be like to kiss him; how his lips would feel on hers…how he would taste…and suddenly she was wishing that he would kiss her, right then and there, where anyone could walk by and see. She felt her cheeks warming in response to the thought, her hands fluttering softly against his chest.

Jim's fingertips rubbed against the material of her dress; the thought of kissing her suddenly coming to mind and he tried to shake it away. She was his friend…and she was with someone, wasn't she? His mind worked furiously to remember if she had mentioned dumping the man she was seeing but he couldn't recall…and he couldn't think all that clearly when he was staring deeply into those eyes of hers.

"You have the prettiest eyes," he murmured.

"You think so?" she asked softly.

He nodded. "They're beautiful."

"Thank you," she whispered; fighting the urge to slide her arms around him in an embrace.

"You look very pretty in green," he remarked; his fingers moving against the velvety material of her dark green long sleeved dress.

A smile tipped the corners of her lips upward as they remained close. "I'm trying to be festive this week."

He smiled. "I like it."

"I'm glad," she murmured; the blush on her cheeks deepening.

His gaze dipped to her red lips; what would it be like to kiss her? Her scent filled his senses and her gaze held him spellbound. This wasn't the first time he'd felt this spark…and he had a feeling it wouldn't be the last. Temptation nagged at him and he tried hard to ignore it…but he felt himself faltering, his hand moving, intending to cradle her cheek as his head dipped slightly. Her eyes fluttered shut, her breath caught in her throat, but before his hand could brush against the smooth skin of her cheek and his lips could capture hers, Jeff stepped into the room, startling them.

Jeff grinned; a knowing look in his eyes. "Sorry; I didn't mean to interrupt," he said as they jumped away from each other as if they had been caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

"You're not," Johanna replied.

"We were just debating who should get the last candy cane," Jim remarked.

Jeff's eyes studied them and then caught sight of the forgotten candy. "You mean that broken one on the floor?"

"You broke it!" Johanna exclaimed in horror, her eyes finding the candy as it laid in state on the floor.

"I didn't break it, you broke it," he insisted.

"No, you did!" she replied. "You killed my candy cane. I'm pressing charges; it's like you murdered a part of Christmas."

Jim laughed. "You aided in the killing; you're just as guilty. You're going down as an accessory if you try to pursue charges."

She huffed in annoyance as she looked down at the broken candy cane. "I don't know why I'm friends with you, you gluttonous candy cane killer."

Jeff nearly choked on his coffee as he laughed. "Jim, have you been tormenting Sassy with a candy cane?"

"Yes; and the things that came out of her mouth were incredibly shocking. I never heard someone make Christmas candy sound dirty before."

"You're the one who made it dirty," she retorted.

"What did she say?" Jeff asked.

"She said they're peppermint bliss."

His best friend grinned. "Sounds like a stripper."

"Only in your dreams," Johanna told him as she stooped down and picked up the candy cane.

"That's still mine," Jim told her.

Johanna turned to Jeff as Jim snatched the candy from her hand. "Your friend is a jerk who doesn't know how to share."

"I know," he replied. "Jim's always been stingy when it comes to food. Do you want me to take him down and get half of that for you?"

"Would you?" she asked.

"Sure," he replied.

"No need for that," Jim laughed as the wrapping gave way. "Here," he said, handing Johanna one of the broken pieces.

"Am I supposed to thank you for giving me the smallest piece?" she asked.

"Yes; you're supposed to thank me profusely."

"Not happening," she remarked as she sucked on the broken piece he had given her.

"Are you getting all of that peppermint bliss?" Jim teased.

"As much as you can get from a mortally wounded candy cane."

"I feel like I should be wearing black," Jeff stated as he picked up his coffee cup; "But on the bright side, I know what I'm getting you two for Christmas."

"More candy canes?" Jim asked.

"No; some mistletoe and a do not disturb sign," his friend answered with a chuckle as Johanna's gaze dropped, redness touching her cheeks once more. "I'll let you two get back to what you were doing, see you later."

Silence fell once Jeff had gone and they both indulged their sweet tooth. "Are you going to the Christmas party tomorrow night?" Jim finally asked.

"Yeah; I'll be there," she replied.

"Are you bringing your boyfriend?" he inquired; for some reason needing to know if she was still attached to someone or not.

"I don't have a boyfriend."

"I thought you were seeing someone?"

"Oh that," she said with a wave of her hand. "Max and I have been over since the end of October. I thought you knew."

The news made him happy for some unknown reason but he ignored it. "I'm sorry."

Johanna shook her head as she smiled. "Don't be; it ran its course and it was amicable. There were no hard feelings. What about you, are you taking Kimmy?"

"No," he laughed. "That's been done for awhile…I would've thought the gossip chain would have informed you of that."

She shrugged. "Maybe I take things with a grain of salt until I know for sure."

"That's a good policy to have."

"I think so," she replied. "Are you going to the party?"

"Yeah, I'm going…I'll see you there."

Why did her heart just fall? Johanna wondered. Had she that quickly been hoping that he might invite her to go with him? She shook off the notion and chastened herself for being silly.

"I'm sorry we broke the candy cane," Jim said as the silence lingered.

She smiled. "It's alright…it was fun…kind of reminded me of being a kid again."

Jim grinned. "It's alright to be childish once in awhile, isn't it?"

"Of course…especially at work."

He laughed. "I'm in complete agreement with that."

"Candy canes remind me of being a kid," she told him.

"Oh yeah? Did you steal them off the Christmas tree like I did?"

Johanna shook her head. "My grandfather always gave me a bouquet of candy canes that he'd tie with red silk ribbon."

"He doesn't anymore?"

"He's gone now," she replied softly.

"I'm sorry," he murmured; feeling like he kept treading into the wrong areas.

"It's alright," she said, her hand slipping into his for a moment. "It's been a long time; but I always think about him at Christmas when I see candy canes…I miss those bouquets."

"Now I feel guilty about not giving you the whole candy cane."

"Good; you should," she remarked.

He couldn't help but smile. "Next time you'll give me the emotional angle first and I'll give in faster."

"Trust me, the information is being filed away as we speak…and I guess play time is over and I better get back to work."

Jim nodded. "Me too…but if I see any candy canes; I'll steal them for you and tie them together with a rubber band."

Johanna laughed softly. "In that case I forgive your stinginess since you're willing to commit grand theft candy cane."

"That's what friends are for, sweetheart," he said as he kept hold of her hand. "Let me walk you to your office."

"I'd like that," she murmured.

Sharon was standing at the file cabinet when Johanna returned and she regarded her friend with a raised brow. "You left to get a candy cane and came back holding hands with a man."

"That was nothing," Johanna replied as she picked up the messages Sharon had laid on the corner of her desk.

"Are you sure about that?" her secretary asked.

"Yes, you know Jim and I are just friends."

Sharon grinned. "I think you two would make a cute couple."

"Sharon," she warned mildly.

"What? I've seen those sparks flying."

"I'm sure you're exaggerating."

"Am I?" her friend asked. "You've been gone for a good while; I'm starting to wonder what the two of you were doing in the break room."

"Nothing!"

Sharon laughed. "I'm not sure I believe that; your face is a little flushed and you seem somewhat guilty. Were you two under the mistletoe in the break room?"

"There is no mistletoe in the break room."

"Maybe you were pretending."

"No," Johanna replied; "Actually we were fighting over the last candy cane…it got somewhat spirited."

"I'm sorry I missed that," the secretary chuckled. Who won?"

"I'm not sure; we ended up breaking it during the altercation. I ended up with a piece smaller than my pinky."

"I am really sorry that I missed that," Sharon said once again as she laughed.

"Me too," Johanna remarked. "If you had been there to help, I might've ended up with both pieces…preferably still attached to each other."

"Better luck next time," her friend quipped; "But I still think you need to get him under some mistletoe for a little holiday cheer."

"Your opinion has been noted," Johanna replied lightly; "But I think I'll let it up to fate if it's meant to happen."

Sharon's brow rose. "Sounds like maybe you wouldn't mind if it happened."

"I'm neither confirming nor denying that rumor."

"Which is confirmation in itself," Sharon replied. "I guess I'm going to have to change my name to fate and dangle mistletoe over you when Jim's near so it'll get done."

"Do your work, Sharon," she laughed as she headed into the inner office; "And the next time there's candy canes, you better grab me one or we're going to have to rethink this friendship."

"I'll grab three," her friend remarked. "I don't want to take chances like that."

"That's more like it," Johanna replied as she tried to push away the thought of Jim that lingered in her mind…and that wonder of what it might be like to kiss him just once.

"So, what was going on with you and Sassy in the break room today?" Jeff asked later that day as they made their way down the busy sidewalks in search of last minute gifts for their families.

"Nothing," Jim replied. "I was just teasing her a little."

"Is that all?" his friend asked; "Because it looked to me like you were three seconds away from kissing her."

"It wasn't like that," he said as he paused to peer in a store window. It looked too crowded inside for his taste and he decided to keep walking.

"It wasn't? What was it then?"

He shrugged. "We were just carrying on."

"That does sometimes lead to kissing," Jeff said with a grin.

"I didn't kiss her."

"Looked like you were about to…come on, tell me the truth; were you going to kiss Sassy?"

"I don't know," he answered honestly.

"You don't know? How do you not know?"

"Because…it was one of those in the moment things."

"So you were thinking about it?"

"It might've crossed my mind," he admitted; "But we'll never know for sure if I would've or not since you came in before any decision could be made."

"You're going to blame me?!"

Jim eyed him. "You are the one who came in but it isn't a big deal. Jo's my friend, nothing else…"

"At the moment," Jeff filled in.

"I'm ignoring you."

"You can't ignore me; I'm your best friend."

He laughed. "Don't make me regret that fact."

Jeff scoffed. "Like you possibly could. Now, back to the important things. Why don't you ask her to the Christmas party?"

"What for? She's going, I'll see her there."

"I just thought you might think it would be nice," he replied. "It doesn't have to be a date; you could go as friends."

"I'll just see her there. Who are you going with?"

Jeff smiled. "Maggie."

"I thought she was playing hard to get?"

"Apparently she's ready to be gotten…at least for this occasion."

Jim laughed. "I think she likes toying with you."

"That's alright, I can outlast her. I'll wear her down with my charm and good looks; one of these days she'll beg to be exclusively mine," Jeff declared.

"I guess we'll see about that," he chuckled, pausing in front of a candy store. He looked through the window and an idea came to mind. "I'm going in here for a minute," he told Jeff.

"Getting the rugrats some Christmas candy?"

"No, it's something for someone else," he admitted.

"I'll wait here," Jeff replied; a knowing gleam in his eyes. His friend didn't fool him for a minute; he knew who he was buying a gift for.

At the Christmas party the next evening, Johanna smiled as she once again ran into Jim as they each made their rounds of the room. "We keep meeting like this," she told him as he gave her a grin.

"I know," he replied. "Maybe we should just stick together and save time."

"I think we should," she agreed as she took the arm he offered to her and they set off to stroll the ballroom once more.

"How are you liking your first Christmas party here?" Jim asked.

"It's nice…with a few exceptions," Johanna answered, giving a slight nod in the direction of Stanley and Steve and a few others.

He gave a soft laugh. "They're every day exceptions."

"That's true. I like the Christmas trees," she said, gesturing to the trees that had been set up around the room; each one decorated in a different way.

"They are a nice touch."

"I love Christmas tress," Johanna admitted. "When I was a little girl, I couldn't wait until the tree went up and when it was time to take it down I just couldn't stand it. I'd miss it for at least a week."

"I was always more interested in the gifts," Jim replied. "We couldn't sleep on Christmas Eve."

"Neither could we; it would be one in the morning and Dad would come yell at us to go to sleep or Santa wouldn't come and we'd have to force ourselves to sleep…it wasn't easy."

"Oh I know," he said; "I shared a room with my younger brother and we'd be up half the night; listening intently for any little sound that might herald the arrival of the gifts."

She laughed softly. "My sister and I would hear a noise and we'd jump out of bed and go running to look and it was just our brother trying to sneak down the stairs to see if anything had arrived yet."

"That had to be disappointing," Jim laughed.

"Oh it was. I swear Dad must've sat at the bottom of the steps guarding the room, because there were times when we'd only make it into the hallway and he was yelling 'get back in bed!' and we knew better than to keep going."

"What's the earliest you and your siblings ever got up on Christmas morning?" he asked.

She thought about it for a long moment; cycling through the memories in her mind. "The year I was five, we got up at 4:30 in the morning. Dad must've just gone to bed because he missed Frankie creeping into the hallway. He made it all the way downstairs and saw that the gifts had arrived and he came back upstairs and ran into our room yelling 'he's been here, he's been here'…and there was no way in hell I was staying in bed then. Colleen was only three but she was up and right behind us."

"How did your parents like that?" Jim asked.

"They were very tired…but they didn't seem to be mad. That was the year we asked for bikes for Christmas," Johanna told him. "Frankie's was sitting by the tree but there was no bike sitting there for me and I was just devastated. I figured if Frankie got one as bad as he was, then mine should've been in the bag."

He laughed. "What happened?"

"Well I looked at my parents and started crying saying 'where's my bike? I wanted a bike too!' Dad must've put them together last and forgot to put it and Colleen's little tricycle by the tree. Mom was saying 'I'm sure you got one, there's just so many presents, Santa must've put it somewhere else, Daddy will go find it."

"Where was it?"

"In the kitchen," she answered; "So was Colleen's tricycle. Once that crisis was diverted, everything was fine. Dad didn't really like to spoil us…but on Christmas he kind of let that strictness go and we got a good bit. Christmas memories are some of my favorites."

"Those holidays when we're kids are always the best ones, aren't they?"

"Yeah, I think so," Johanna replied. "This is the time of year when I miss being a kid. How early did you and your siblings get up on Christmas morning."

"We weren't far off your mark," Jim answered. "Our earliest Christmas morning clocked in at 4 am. My mother was so far from amused that it wasn't even funny. She tried to get us back to bed and we weren't going. The gifts had been spotted, shaken, and deemed to sound unlike clothing. The alarm was sounded and all bets were off."

"Spotted and shaken?" she asked with amusement.

Jim nodded. "My oldest brother is a very thorough present investigator. If it sounds like clothes, it can wait; if it doesn't, it needs ripped into as soon as possible. If the percentage of non-clothing sounding boxes is higher than the clothing sounding boxes, then the alarm was sounded and it was time to get moving."

She laughed. "Sounds like your house must've been chaos once that alarm was sounded."

"Pretty much," he chuckled. "Like I said, our mother was not happy."

"What about your father?"

"He honestly didn't mind…I think he was as excited as we were to tell you the truth. Do you want to sit down?"

"Yeah; it would be nice to get off my feet," she replied.

Jim guided her to a table in the corner of the room and they sat down together. "How are your niece and nephews?" she asked. "Are they excited for Christmas?"

"Oh that reminds me, I have something to show you," he said as he reached into his pocket for his wallet. "I almost forgot."

"What is it?"

He took a photo from his wallet and handed it to her. "Here's their new picture, my sister-in-law had it taken for the holiday; and yes they're excited."

Johanna smiled. "They're adorable; that oldest boy has an ornery gleam in his eyes."

'That's Mikey," Jim told her. "He is ornery and proud of it."

"This little girl is probably going to break hearts one day," she said as she pointed to his niece.

"That's Angie…she wants a baby sister for Christmas."

She laughed. "What's the verdict on that?"

"Maybe next year," he chuckled.

"I guess she's tired of it being two against one; she wants another girl in there to even things up."

"I hadn't thought about it that way…I just thought she was tired of boys."

"Of course she is; the women of the house are outnumbered."

"I'm sure it'll get remedied sooner or later," Jim replied. "Natalie does mention wanting another girl every now and then…but Danny's not even two yet so I think she's crazy."

"He's so cute," she said as she looked at the baby of the photo. "And why is she crazy for wanting another one?"

"Because she just had that one!"

"That doesn't mean she can't wish for more," she laughed. "Maybe she just loves babies."

"She must. Personally, I like them better when they're older."

"How come?"

"Because when they're tiny and they start squirming and crying…I don't want anything to do with it."

Johanna laughed. "Are you a nervous uncle?"

"Only when they cry," Jim answered. "What about you? Any news on when you're going to become an aunt?"

"Unfortunately no," she sighed; "And I want to be one so I hope they get with the program soon. My mother is waiting as well…she has a desperate need to be a grandmother now that Frankie's married. She said she misses having a baby around."

"How long has your brother been married?"

"A little over nine months."

Jim laughed. "Well why don't you both give them time; they haven't even been married for a year yet."

"No; but they've been married for nine months; that's plenty of time for a baby."

"They might beg to differ."

"Oh I'm sure Frankie begs to differ; he did tell Mom to quit looking at Valerie's stomach because there was nothing in there but dinner."

"How did she take that?"

"She told him he needed to change that…which kind of shocked us all."

"Why?" he asked.

"My mother tries to avoid discussions about our sex lives."

Jim nodded. "I probably should've figured that on my own."

"Probably," she agreed with an amused smirk. "I just hope that when they do have a baby that it takes after Valerie. It needs to be sweet and good and nothing like it's daddy. I'm going to make it a point to tell it that."

"Do you think it'll listen?"

"I think so; I'm sure we'll understand each other since I plan to be a hands on aunt."

He grinned at her. "It might just think you're silly."

"You'd like that," she retorted lightly.

"It's not a bad thing; I think you're cute when you're silly."

She smiled shyly. "You're cute when you're silly too."

"I don't know if I want that blemish on my record or not," he laughed.

"Oh don't worry; you probably have worse blemishes that obscure that minor one."

Jim tweaked her side. "You better be careful, Sassy; Santa Claus is coming tonight. You don't want to be bypassed do you?"

She shook her head. "No I don't want that. I want my gifts."

"That's what I thought."

'Did you ever get any joint gifts?" Johanna asked.

"Joint gifts?"

"Yeah; a gift you had to share with a sibling. Like when I was fifteen and Colleen was thirteen we both asked for record players and we ended up getting one for Christmas that we had to share."

"No," he said with a laugh. "I can honestly say that I don't recall getting joint gifts. That probably wouldn't have gone over well with my brothers."

"Colleen and I got a few joint gifts when we got to be teenagers; the record player, some of the records, the hairdryer, the vanity for in our room."

"Maybe your parents were hoping that would keep you from fighting," Jim commented.

"If that's what they were hoping, they were mistaken. Colleen always hogged everything. I had to push her off that vanity bench more than once and I ended up saving up my babysitting money to buy my own hairdryer."

"What about the record player?"

She smiled. "Colleen's records somehow got misplaced when I got sick of them."

Amusement gleamed in his eyes. "You wouldn't know anything about that, right?"

"Not a thing," she grinned. "How they ended up in the attic is a mystery to me."

"There were similar disappearances in my house," Jim replied; "Although we're sure our mother was responsible for half of them. I remember the year my brothers and I got BB guns for Christmas. We were thrilled…she was not."

"I have a feeling this story doesn't have a happy ending."

"You could say that," he smiled. "Dad saved up cans for us to shoot in the back yard. He was out there supervising us for awhile until Mom needed him to come in to help her do something. We then decided that we needed new targets."

"Oh God," she muttered.

"Yeah," he said with a nod; "That wasn't our best idea. I shot out one of the windows in the garage. Andrew aimed at one of those big pine cones lying on the ground and ended up hitting one of my mom's tires instead. William hit the neighbor's mailbox and Michael knocked a squirrel right out of the tree."

"Oh my God! What happened then?"

Jim laughed. "It became a very somber holiday. Mom was furious, the neighbor wasn't amused with the dent in his mailbox and Dad didn't know whether to laugh or yell. Mom confiscated the guns and we never saw them again. We also didn't see our allowances for a long time either since the window and the tire had to be replaced. We felt bad about the squirrel…we gave him a nice burial, Dad said a few words at the service and told us that it was okay, he was sure the squirrel knew that Michael was really aiming at that loose piece of bark. Accidents happen and chances were that squirrel would've probably got hit by a car come spring."

Johanna's slender frame shook with laughter. "You had a funeral for the squirrel…on Christmas?"

"Yes; we felt very guilty, I mean not only did we kill him off hunting season, we killed him on Christmas and Mom told us he probably had a wife and children who would now starve and it was all our fault. Mom gets pretty dramatic. Poor Michael, the guilt was too much for him, he broke down and cried…that was a rare thing to see…so you see we had to have a service for the squirrel…it was the least we could do for the family."

"You didn't just make that whole thing up, did you?" she asked, laughter still in her voice.

"No; I swear to God that's a true story," Jim laughed. "It all happened. After the burial, we spent the rest of Christmas being very quiet and avoiding our mother."

"Wow," she said, wiping away the tears that laughter had brought to her eyes. "I never had a Christmas experience like that."

"I guess that's because you're a good girl," he teased.

"I've had my bad moments," she retorted lightly.

"I bet you have," he chuckled; "They probably involve the last candy cane."

Johanna smirked at him. "I think you enjoyed that entirely too much."

"I can't help it if you're fun to play with," he quipped. 'We should do it more often."

"I think we should," she agreed. "You did say you were going to make an effort to show your interest."

"And I have," he replied. "We have lunch together at least once a week."

"I know…I enjoy it."

"Me too," he smiled; "And we visit each other in our offices."

"True, and sometimes we go out with the rest of the group on Friday nights."

"See," Jim said; "Lots of interest going on."

She grinned. "I'll do my part to see that trend continues in the New Year."

"I like the way you think," he remarked; taking her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.

Silence fell for a moment until he struck up a conversation about work and then they moved on to the gossip she had overhead during the day. Their friends stayed away, letting them be so that they could nurture their friendship some more. Time passed without notice and Jim brought the topic around to New Year's.

"What are you doing for New Year's Eve?" Jim asked.

"I don't know yet, actually. I might be on babysitting duty for my cousin, but if I'm not, I don't have any plans…I haven't been invited anywhere yet."

"You could come along with me," he said casually; surprising himself with how easily the words had flown from his lips. "Jeff's coming along and he's going to ask Maggie. Phil will probably come too…I'm sure he'll want to invite Sharon…so you should come too.'

Johanna smiled. "I'd like that. Where do you plan on going?"

"We don't know yet but we'll figure out something. If you don't have to babysit, you let me know and I'll pick you up," he offered.

She squeezed his hand. "You've got a deal."

He smiled. "It wouldn't feel right without you."

"Then I'll do my best to be there."

"Good."

Johanna glanced at her watch. "I've got to get going," she told him.

"How come?" he asked; feeling bereft at the idea of losing her company when they were having such a nice time.

"Because my mother is picking me up. She was helping out with the Christmas pageant at the church tonight; she plays the piano. She said she'd swing by and pick me up since I'm spending the night at home anyway. She'll be here soon."

Jim nodded. "I'll walk out with you; I have to give you something."

"Give me something?" she asked; puzzlement furrowing her brow.

"Yes, it's just a little something I had to get for you."

"You didn't have to do that," she told him as they left the room to get their coats.

"It's nothing major," he replied.

She smiled and fell silent as they put their coats on and he led her out of the building.

Jim took her hand as they crossed the parking lot which was dusted with new snow. "Be careful," he told her; noting the heels she had on as they made their way to his car.

"I'm alright," she told him, holding on to his hand a little tighter as snowflakes stuck to her hair and eyelashes.

When they reached his car, he fished his keys out of his pocket and opened the door and took out a small gift bag and handed it to her. She smiled brightly as she accepted it. "You really didn't have to do this."

"Just open it," he said with a laugh.

Johanna reached inside the bag and pulled out bundle of candy canes tied with red silk ribbon. Her heart fluttered and tears stung her eyes as she looked up at him. "I'm not very good at tying ribbons," he admitted as he shifted on his feet. "It's especially not easy when you're tying up candy canes."

She smiled as she looked at the lopsided bow he had tied. "I think it's perfect," she murmured.

"I wouldn't say that," he said as he fingered the bow. "It's crooked."

"It's perfect to me…no one has given me candy canes like this since I was eleven years old."

He smiled. "Then you're long overdue, sweetheart. I want you to have as much peppermint bliss as possible."

Johanna gave a soft laugh and stepped toward him, embracing him tightly. "Thank you, this was very sweet of you," she told him.

Jim wrapped his arms around her. He had never hugged her before…and he found himself wondering why not. It was such a nice feeling to have her so close to him. He breathed in the soft scent of her perfume and held her tighter. "You're welcome."

She was reluctant to leave the warmth of his arms; in fact she was sure if she was given the chance that she'd like nothing more than to linger there as long as possible but she knew that option didn't exist. She pulled back enough to brush her fingertips against the line of his jaw and then she brushed a kiss against his cheek. "I wish I had something to give you."

Jim traced her bottom lip with his thumb. "This smile is enough…I like when you smile."

Her smile widened and her gaze dipped shyly before an idea came to mind. She gently pulled one of the candy canes from her bouquet and pressed it against his chest. His hand covered hers and the candy cane as his eyes met hers. "What's this?"

"My mother taught me to share," she said with a grin.

Jim laughed. "This just turned into a joint gift."

Johanna's laughter filled the air, making him smile as he watched her in the dim light of the parking lot, the snowflakes swirling around her. She was breathtaking when she was bursting with happiness, he mused.

"Just so you know, I don't mind sharing a joint gift with you…this time," she teased.

"I appreciate that," he grinned as he slipped the candy cane into his pocket. "I will cherish this candy cane and the peppermint bliss it brings with it."

"You're never going to let me live that down, are you?"

"Nope; finally I have something to use against you."

She giggled softly as she slid her gift back into the small gift bag. "Thank you…it really is a very sweet gift."

"I figured there was no reason why you shouldn't have candy canes…I hope your grandfather doesn't mind that I stole his idea."

She shook her head. "He wouldn't mind at all…in fact, he'd probably be happy that someone kept that tradition alive."

Jim took her hand. "Where's your mother picking you up?"

"In front of the building."

"I'll walk you back," he told her.

They moved to the front of the hotel and stood quietly as they scanned the cars going by. "I hope you get to come with us on New Years Eve," Jim said quietly as they waited.

Her eyes sparkled as she looked at him. "Just go ahead and plan on picking me up."

"I thought you might have to babysit?"

"I'm going to make sure my mother babysits," she replied with a grin. "I'll be there, don't worry."

Jim laughed. "Well you let me know for sure just in case."

"I will," she told him; catching sight of a familiar car coming toward the hotel. "There's my mother now."

He pulled her into a quick hug and kissed her cheek. "Merry Christmas, Jo."

"Merry Christmas, Jim," she replied. "I'll see you at work."

He nodded. "I'll be there; you and your mother be careful getting home."

"We will," she smiled as she moved in the direction of the car.

As Johanna slid into the passenger seat of her mother's car, Naomi caught her eye. "Who was that you were with, dear?"

"A friend I work with," she replied. "How was the pageant?"

"Wonderful; I wish you had been there; they ended up using your Aunt Rita's grandson in the nativity."

"I'm sorry I missed that. Did he do okay?"

"He didn't even whimper," Naomi said proudly as she pulled out into traffic. "I don't know why your father couldn't drive us tonight. He knows I hate to drive at night."

"He's out buying gifts," she replied.

"What makes you say that?"

"Because I was summonsed to his office on my lunch break to tell him what you want."

"What!" her mother exclaimed. "He's just now buying my gifts?"

Johanna nodded. "I think the days got away from him; he usually calls me the week before. Don't worry, I pointed him to the jewelry store, Bloomingdales and Macy's; I'm sure you'll be happy. I gave him size, colors and substitutions. He had a whole list of notes. He's probably in line at the gift wrapping department."

Naomi shook her head and mumbled something under her breath that her daughter couldn't decipher. "Do we need to stop at your apartment?"

"Yeah; I need to grab the gifts and my bag. I didn't want to take it all to work with me."

"That's fine; then you can drive the rest of the way. Your eyes are younger. Did you enjoy your party?"

"Yes, it was very nice."

"What's in the bag?"

"You've got a lot of questions tonight, Mama," she laughed.

Naomi grinned. "And you're awfully happy."

She smiled and pulled the candy canes from the bag. "It's candy canes."

"Just like Grandpa used to give you," her mother said softly.

She nodded. "I mentioned it to my friend the other day…he wanted me to have candy canes again."

"That's a good friend to have," Naomi replied; a subtle note in her tone.

"I think so too," Johanna murmured; oblivious to the thoughts running through her mother's mind. "By the way, I'm taking myself off the list for possible New Year's Eve babysitter for Carla."

"Why?"

"Because I have plans for the New Year," she replied; "So I really hope you're going to babysit…"

Her mother smiled. "Don't worry, Bambina; I already planned on watching the kids for Carla. You know how your father feels about going out on New Year's Eve; I can't get him to budge. You go and have fun."

"I intend to," she replied happily; her gaze on the snowy scenery outside as she held her gift from Jim in her hand. She felt warm and happy inside…and it led to the feeling that the New Year was going to be happy and bright…and full of potential.