Secret Santa
Summary: Sam/Nate. When Nate lands the Christmas Day shift, and is forced to dress up as Santa he thinks Christmas can't get any worse. That's until he finds out that a certain blonde DI is also working over Christmas.
A slightly late SNate Xmas fic. Dedicated to Beccy!
One week before Christmas
"Aw man," PC Nate Roberts moaned as he and his colleagues looked at the Christmas rota. "I can't believe I'm working on Christmas Day, that's so unfair." He moaned.
PC Mel Ryder looked at him sympathetically. "Poor baby," She said. "You'll get paid triple time though, and I don't know about you but I could seriously use the money."
Nate sighed, he knew Mel was right but however much he was getting paid, he still didn't want to get stuck with the Christmas Day shift. He noticed bitterly that Sergeants Smith and Stone and Inspector Weston all had the festive period off. Merry Christmas to you too, he thought.
At that moment Inspector Weston walked by and called them to the briefing, cutting Nate's sulking short. However, minutes into the meeting his luck took another beating.
"I am not wearing that," He glowered at his boss who held a bright red Santa costume up and barely held her grin in check. "You cannot make me wear that, it's against my human rights...or something," He finished lamely, still pouting as he ungraciously accepted the uniform. He was aware of the giggles and snorts of laughter around the room but chose to ignore them. He would get his revenge later.
"It'll suit you," Sally Armstrong laughed as they left the briefing together. "Red is totally your colour, Nate."
Nate didn't dignify this with a response and glared at her instead. He wondered if there was any way this day could get any worse.
Christmas Eve
DI Samantha Nixon had volunteered to work over Christmas; it only seemed fair when many of her colleagues had family they wanted to spend Christmas with. Sam's own daughter was spending Christmas with her son and her new boyfriend's parents. She was pleased that Abi had finally found a steady partner who was willing to love her and her young son Jared, but she would still miss her.
Sam watched her colleagues as they packed away and made their way home for the holidays. It was Christmas Eve and it was slowly very lightly in the grey streets of London and Sam supposed that it was quite beautiful really, although she wasn't really in the mood to notice such things.
She decided to put in an extra hour to get some paperwork done and then she would head home once the traffic had abated a little. Hearing a knock on her door, she looked up and saw PC Nate Roberts peering into the small office.
"Guv, I've got those reports you wanted." He said, handing her the stack of papers. He tried hard to keep his hands from shaking, for a reason he couldn't ever determine, Sam Nixon was one of the few women who had the power to unnerve him.
"Thanks Nate," She replied, smiling at the younger man. "Are you off home now?"
Nate nodded. "Yes guv," Then he made a face. "Gotta come back tomorrow though," He sighed.
Sam looked up at him sympathetically. "Me too," She told him and Nate abruptly stopped sulking over having to work on Christmas Day. When he replied his usual cheeky grin was firmly back in place.
"I bet you don't have to wear a Santa outfit though, guv." He replied.
Sam chuckled. "No Nate, there are a few perks to being DI." She smiled and he turned to leave. "Goodnight Nate," She called after him.
"Goodnight Sam," He replied.
Christmas Day
"I can't believe I'm doing this," Nate muttered to himself as he took off his jeans and t-shirt and put the Santa costume on. "I really can't." He looked at himself in the mirror in disgust. "Bloody Christmas," He put his clothes back into his locker and stepped out into the corridor, mentally and physically preparing himself for the pointing and the ridicule.
"Morning Nate," A bright voice said from behind him and he cringed. The last person he had wanted to see while wearing this ridiculous get up was Sam.
"Morning guv," He mumbled not turning around because he couldn't bear to face her. As expected he heard her trying and failing to stifle a giggle. Suddenly he felt angry, how dare she, dressed in her normal suit, laugh at him for drawing the incredibly short straw. "Go on and laugh it up." He said, turning around to face her scrutiny.
Sam stopped laughing when she realised that he didn't find this funny. She had forgotten how easily the male ego was bruised.
"It's not that bad, Nate," She said, serious now. "You wear it well."
He continued to pout. "If you say so, guv" He was about to walk away when she caught him by the arm, well the sleeve of his bright red jacket.
"Aren't you going to ask me if I want to sit on your knee and tell you what I want for Christmas?" She asked and Nate blinked, everything about this felt like a dream but he was still so sure that it was real. Could it really be true, was Sam Nixon really flirting with him?
He forced himself to recover and tried to flirt casually back. With any other woman it may have worked but to him Sam was certainly not just any other girl.
"It depends, have you been a good girl this year Samantha?" He replied.
Sam smiled back but knew what she was doing now was not good girl behaviour in the slightest. Nate was years younger than her, she knew that but fighting her feelings for him was even more difficult on this lonely Christmas morning and with him looking so darn adorable in his Santa costume. At that moment Sam's mobile began to ring, shattering the moment between them. She turned away from him and dug her phone out of her jacket pocket.
"DI Nixon," She answered, aware that Nate was still stood there. She could even feel the heat radiating off his body from where she was standing. "Okay, yes, I'll be there." She hung up and turned back to Nate who was looking at her expectantly.
"What is it, guv?" He asked, reverting back to her professional title.
"A suspect in my armed robbery case has just tried to break into a jewellery store in Canley," Sam explained.
"On Christmas Day? How thoughtful?" Nate replied sarcastically and Sam smiled wryly in response.
"So, are you coming or what?" She asked, putting her mobile away in her pocket.
"Dressed like this?" Nate asked half amused half in despair.
Sam laughed. "It's up to you PC Claus,"
Nate glared at her and followed her as she began to walk along the corridor.
"Fine," He replied sulkily. "But I'm driving."
"Okay," Sam agreed, "But please can we go by car and not sleigh."
"Funny, Sam, really funny." Nate replied, enjoying the opportunity to work with his boss far more than he should be.
Sam and Nate arrived at the jewellery store ten minutes later and he was pleased to find that the only person they had to encounter was the shop's owner.
"I'm Mr Andrews," He introduced, looking Nate up and down but saying nothing. "And this is my jewellery shop."
Sam made her own introductions and asked Nate to take a statement while she took a look around. The CSE team had been called but it would be a while before they arrived so Sam decided to take matters into her own hands. After taking a good look around she went back to join Nate and the owner who were stood in the doorway.
"A crime scene examination team will be with you shortly Mr Andrews," Sam told the owner while Nate put his notebook and pen away. "If there is anything else you need, you can call us." She handed him her card and she and Nate made their way out of the shop.
"Merry Christmas officers," Mr Andrews said as they left.
Back at the station Sam and Nate went through the statement Mr Andrews had given them and awaited the CSE report.
"Can I please go and change now?" Nate moaned at least twice but Sam shook her head.
"It's Christmas, Nate," Was her argument and Nate didn't see the point in arguing with her. And anyway, he had seen her sneaking glances at him more than once now, especially when his pen had rolled onto the floor and he'd had to bend down to rescue it. Maybe the slightly too tight trousers weren't such a bad thing after all.
The phone rang and Sam answered, listening to the preliminary report from the CSE officer.
"They found fingerprints on the glass," Sam explained. "Mr Andrews has been ruled out but they don't match anyone in the database." She paused. "But I think we can leave this till tomorrow." She decided. "We've been here for far too long already."
"I agree," Nate replied with feeling. "I can't wait to get out of this stinking uniform." He moaned.
Sam smiled. "Let's get a coffee in the canteen first," She offered. "My Christmas treat."
"Thanks Sam," He replied, as much as he wanted to get out of here, the thought of spending more time with her was definitely appealing.
Outside the canteen he saw a sprig of mistletoe and decided to seize the opportunity, if it all went south he could just blame it on the Christmas spirit and put it in the past. However, if it went well, then he'd just have to wait and see what happened...
"Nate!" Sam exclaimed in surprise as he lowered his face to her's, his arms gripped her waist. She didn't resist though and pressed her lips to his as they met her's. She could feel his tongue sliding across her lips and she opened her mouth, letting him inside. The kiss spread warmth through her body and awakened parts of her that she thought were long dead. By the time Nate finally pulled his warm lips away from her's she was a little breathless and her legs were almost jelly.
"Merry Christmas Sam." He said with a wide grin.
She smiled, taking his hand and dragging him away from the canteen. As she pushed him through the door to the men's locker room, Nate realised that maybe working over Christmas wasn't such a bad thing after all.