A/N: I myself was never in practice for parties and was ever so happy when the firm I worked for eliminated holiday celebrations as a cost cutting measure.

Disclaimer: This is a fanfiction, not for profit, story. I don't own these characters, just borrowing them from Lewis.

Somewhere in a posh Oxford hotel

James watched a couple that stood under the mistletoe, a small blonde and a dark haired partner. She was hesitant while he was overconfident. In disbelief James grabbed a bottle of champagne and retreated to the party escape room, known only to him and the staff at the hotel.

Jean Innocent was in a mood to bang some heads together, two particular heads. She marched authoritatively over to the couple and growled, 'evening'.

Laura quickly broke away from the embrace, an embarrassed look on her face. "Jean, you're looking radiant", she blurted out, trying to divert attention away from the fact that she had been kissing DI Alan Peterson.

Jean ignored Laura and pulled the irritating DI aside. There had been a call about a disturbance at a party on another floor of the hotel and she sent Peterson out to deal with it and get him away from the lovely Laura.

Laura took refuge at the bar with a gin and tonic. They were out of lemons and she made a face as she took a drink. Maybe she should have ordered something stronger.

Later as she stared into her empty glass, a tall blonde sat down next to her. "I won't tell Lewis about your kiss but I'm sure someone else will."

Laura looked up at him. "Who cares enough to tell him? No one has fantasies about us as a couple anymore. Everyone knows he's stuck in the past and will stay there." She squinted her eyes to see Robbie at the other end of the large room. "Look at him over there in his oily fake mustache, happily hosting the Christmas quiz and helping out with the other games, all to avoid socializing with anyone, including me, especially me."

"You don't know him as well as you think you do. He's doing it to get through the evening by keeping busy. I almost wished I thought of it myself." James drank straight from his bottle of champagne. "And for your information there are still people who care about you and himself, those who still want that happy storybook ending."

"Are you sure?" She shook her head and changed the subject. "What have you been doing James, I haven't seen you all evening. Where have you been hiding?"

James let his face betray his secret and Laura did not let it rest.

"You have been hiding, haven't you?" She gave him her best Dr. Hobson means business face.

James did not want to admit he was still susceptible to her powers and tried to remain stoic. There's a cupboard under the stairs."

"What stairs?"

"There is a hidden staircase behind the cloakroom. At the bottom feel for the latch and it opens into a nice little hideaway, a bit noisy as you can hear people coming down the stairs. It's dark so bring a torchlight."

"I don't need to run away from a party, my way of coping is to enjoy myself with whoever is willing."

"Even Peterson?"

"He's okay for a quick snog but don't worry you won't have to call him Mr. Hobson anytime soon. He's too flash, never stays put long enough to give a girl a ride home."

James was getting uncomfortable with the direction of this conversation. He saluted her and left, heading over to help Robbie oversee the game of charades taking the place of the quiz.

Laura scanned the room trying not to linger too long on Robbie. Blocking her view of Robbie was Action Man. Jean had sent him on a wild goose chase, there was no disturbance for him to deal with and he returned quickly to try and find Laura again. She saw him heading her way. Contrary to what she told James, she really couldn't stomach him after getting a dose of his bad breath under the mistletoe. While Peterson stopped en route to introduce himself to the Chief Constable, Laura silently edged her way towards the cloakroom where she found the hidden staircase shrouded in darkness and made her way down to the lower level. She had to stretch a bit to reach the latch but her strong hands had no trouble sliding it open. She quickly popped into the cupboard under the stairs.

Once inside she took a moment to get used to the dark by concentrating on her breath going in and out reminded herself that this dark place was safe. Using her hands to guide her she took a short tour and found this small refuge had a comfortable chair. How many people had hid in here all these years? She sat down and wrapped her arms around her torso as it was surprisingly chilly in there. She wondered how long she should stay down there until she could go back to the party and make her good byes and leave.

Meanwhile back upstairs Jean Innocent strode up to Robbie and crooked her finger at him. James nodded to say he would take over the games while Robbie followed Jean into a quiet corner.

"Just what do you think you are doing Lewis?"

Robbie raised his eyebrows. "Ma'am?"

Jean pointed to the mistletoe where moments earlier Laura had been kissing Peterson. "Someone else is going to snap her up if you don't do something about it."

"I don't follow you."

"Use your little grey cells for something other than work Inspector. Don't you want to look forward to going home after work?"

Robbie still looked clueless and said nothing.

"What is the letter M for?"

Robbie shrugged. "Murder?"

Jean huffed, "It should be for mistletoe but if things don't improve it will stand for murder."

Robbie looked over at James organizing a group sing. "I really should be getting back where I am needed."

Jean punched him on the arm.

"Ow. What was that for?"

"For taking yourself away from the party to hide over there running the games and not going where you are really needed." She punched him again. "That's for not sending the right message."

"What was wrong with it? Wait, what message?"

Jean did her best to keep from strangling Robbie with her scarf. "Do you quite like Laura?"

Now Robbie's face looked more than unhappy, it was thunderous.

"Oh, you are hopeless." Jean left Robbie and stormed off.

Relaxing In her cozy chair of refuge Laura soon fell asleep. She dreamt that someone entered the hidey hole and her body felt a rush of excitement, not fear. There was an ethereal glow to the approaching figure. Laura reached out her arms to the heavenly intruder. Then things happened quickly as they often do in dreams. She was eagerly and passionately kissing the newcomer. Her brain wafted along in a dreamlike state while pleasure points tingled all over her body. Then as quickly as it began it came to an end.

Sometime later Laura woke up and was no longer cold. She was feeling warm and comforted although still in that state somewhere between sleep and wakefulness. Running her hands up her arms she realized someone had draped a jacket around her. It had not been a dream. Her heart thumped loudly as she tried to recall the sense of someone being in the escape room with her, someone who kissed her so ardently. Then a disturbing realization came to her.

James! Laura tried to be angry at him for kissing her while she dozed but could not produce that emotion as the kiss was both tender and erotic making her feel loved and wanted. How many times had she wished Robbie would do that? It was all so confusing. She couldn't have these feelings for James, he was almost young enough to be her so-, er younger brother. Her older brother Brad had certainly never kissed her this way. Even though she and Robbie had never made clear their intentions to each other, it still felt like a betrayal.

Laura pulled her phone out of her pocket to check the time and was shocked to see how late it was. The party must be over by now. She left the jacket in the chair not wanting to face James and return it and made her way back upstairs to retrieve her own coat and go home.

At the door to the cloak room Laura saw that most of the lights were off and at first she thought there was no one left in the party room. Then she realized there was a shadowy figure over by the mistletoe. Laura made a quick decision and practically ran over to him. She would obliterate the memory of the kiss with James by kissing whoever this was, even if it was Peterson. When she got under the mistletoe the man turned around and she was shocked to find it was Robbie. Her first instinct was to march right past him, she was feeling so guilty about her earlier encounter with James.

Robbie stopped her with his deep tone of voice, the one he used only with her.

"I've been waiting for you."

The sensual timbre of Robbie's words caused her to freeze in place while her heart raced. "Why?"

"Because you have waited for me long enough." He lifted her up in the air and spun her around then reached up and pulled off a sprig of mistletoe. "I am going to hang this up at my place. Can I offer you a ride over there?"

"Your place?"

Robbie made a happy face. "Would you prefer the mortuary?"

Now Laura was even more confused. "To help you hang up the mistletoe?"

"Yes, my place needs some sprucing up."

Even in her fog she managed a snappy comeback. "Is that all or will there be more?"

"Oh much more, if you're happy about that."

Laura pretended to concentrate deeply on her answer. She wanted to be with Robbie but was still dealing with her feelings about the dreamy kiss from James. "I'm not sure how I feel."

Even in the dim light Robbie could see from her expression she was struggling with something.

"Laura, l don't want to be stuck in the past and I don't want you to be either, no matter when it was." He was thinking about her past history with Franco.

Oh God, he knew she had done something with someone recently. "I don't know" she stammered.

"Won't you at least see the best I can offer?"

She nodded.

"Are you sure Laura?"

Laura straightened herself up to her full height and declared. "I'm not sure, I'm certain." Betrayal be damned, she silently swore.

Robbie leaned down to kiss her and she put her arms around his neck. The kiss was many things but first and foremost it was...familiar? The tingling body parts and the passion she experienced were eerily déjà vu. Laura unclasped her hands and ran them down Robbie's arms where they confirmed her suspicions that Robbie was jacketless. She gripped his arms tightly and the kiss continued.

When they finally came up for air Laura was at first too breathless to speak. Robbie whispered something in her ear about Laura being a difficult person to track down.

"Then I am a lucky girl that you are a good detective."

Jean and James stared at them through a crack in the door. Jean murmured, "I've been thinking about them doing that all day." James answered, "Same here."

They turned and walked away. "Finally, after all our hard work Hathaway, a good result." James a bit emboldened by the champagne replied, "Between us Ma'am we make a not-bad MATCHMAKER."

It has been a year filled with joy and sorrow around the world. I know many of you had reasons to celebrate and reasons to mourn. Hopefully some Lewis fun gives you a chance to escape real life. Best holiday wishes to all of you, both those I have met and those who remain anonymous. By continuing to read and write Lewis fanfiction you are helping keep it alive awhile longer. I for one will always care about Robbie and Laura. May you all find Peace and Joy in the new year.

One last thing, does anyone know which episode of Morse has Robbie sporting a mustache and top hat to work the games booth at a charity event?

Happy Trails! -H