Babs: A collection of Christmas drabbles that Shiny and I will be doing over the next week or so. -Hopefully- it will be done before Christmas. We do not own CSI: Miami, but we do own our OC's Renae Richardson, Saphira Constantine, and Jess Stefvenelli. Enjoy =) R&R would be appreciated 3 And have a Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays!

This one is done by me. Shiny will do the next one, I'll do the third, and so on.

On The First Day of Christmas…

My true love gave to me, A candlelight vigil on the front balcony

It was nothing like the dry winters of Las Vegas, and definitely not like the snowy winters of New York. The night sky was clear, save for the millions of twinkling stars that were scattered across it. Not a cloud to disrupt the moon's luminescent glow.

A clear, beautiful night. Nothing like that tempestuous night sixteen years ago, in Nevada. In that retched mansion. If any place in the world needed cleansing of its bad energy, it was that one.

But tonight, tonight was serene, calm. The residents of Miami had hung their Christmas lights up on the edges of their roofs, and a few had them wrapped around the palm trees that stood in their front yards. One of the families down the road had the whole nine yards out-- inflatable snow globes, a glowing sleigh and reindeer attached to the rooftop, and Santa standing next to the side door of the garage. Miami residents tended to joke that because most of their houses failed to have chimneys, Ol' Saint Nick would sneak into their house via the garage.

The front screen door was opened, and then swung closed.

Renae turned her head to the side, and asked, "Did you get them?"

"Of course," Eric held the three miniature lanterns up by their hooks. "You have the candles?"

"Of course," A smirk went across her face. "And they're called tea lights."

He gave her that boyish grin. "Whatever. They're in the candle family."

Shaking her head, she took one of the lanterns from him, and set it down on the small wicker table. Carefully, she placed a tea light inside of it, making sure it was dead centered. "Next, please."

He handed her another one, and she repeated the process. Once the second lantern held a tea light, she did the same with the third.

"Okay," Renae glanced up at the hooks that were screwed into the overhang. "Now, I just need you to hang them up there, and then we're set. I'll light them."

"How do you expect to light them when you can't even reach to put them up there?"

She scowled, and elbowed him. "They hang low enough that I can reach them. I just can't reach the hooks."

"Right," Eric shook his head, and hung one of the lanterns up on a hook.

Once all three hung from the overhang, Renae glanced down at her watch. "Eleven fifty eight. We have two minutes to waste before we light them." she exhaled, almost expecting to see her breath in front of her.

"You're not in New York anymore, NayNay."

She shot him an unamused look. "The author of The Wizard of Oz would be so impressed with your rendition of his signature line, Eric. And you know better than to call me that."

He snorted. "What're you going to do about it, NayNay?"

"I have matches," she threatened, whipping the pack out of her pocket.

"I don't think my mother would appreciate you burning down her house,"

Renae raised a brow. "I was thinking more about how lovely your SUV would look roasted over a campfire, actually. I have more experience in roasting cars than houses, you know."

He glanced down at her watch. "Would you look at that, midnight. Let's light these up."

"The last time someone said that to me, I woke up in the drunk tank after driving while high on marijuana."

"Well, that was fifteen years ago. How about we get about commemorating the little girl you lost sixteen years ago, as well as our newer additions to the candle-- tea light, lighting tradition."

Renae nodded, and let out a sigh.

Striking a match, she stood on her tip toes, and lit one of the tea lights. "One for Tim, who would probably still be here if I hadn't left."

"Renae,"

"I'm just saying, if I had been here, his gun would've been clean."

"Well," he huffed. "I should have taken over your Speedle-babysitting responsibilities."

Both went quiet. Eric took a match from her, stuck it, and lit up the middle lantern. "One for Marisol, who would probably still be here if I hadn't…"

"…let her marry your boss," Renae muttered, finishing his sentence. "Hey, it's the truth. They were out to get him. You've got at least some resentment there, right? I sure know I got some."

He gave her a look, and Renae pulled out a third match.

"And, last but not least, one for Sienna, who should be twenty years old today, and not sixteen years gone. I should've closed that damn kitchen window sixteen years ago, on that thunder-filled night, instead of talking on the phone to my one and only friend at the time. Never will I be that selfish again."

Renae looked to Eric, and they both looked up at the three glowing lanterns. "Merry Christmas, Tim, Mari and Sienna."