The Christmas party that was supposed to be on the 20th got pushed to the 21st after several crazy cases and now it was December 24th and they were finally, finally getting their party.

And since the nice restaurant they had booked was no longer an option they ended up taking over a nearby bar.

With lots of holiday alcohol.

"Deck the halls with falls of lolly falalalafafafafa," Flack sang at the top of his lungs before chugging down some more eggnog.

"Whoa buddy," Danny said, grabbing the glass and pulling it away, "I think you've had enough."

"I," Flack said loudly, "I think that you," he pressed his finger into Danny's chest, "are right." He looked at Danny for a second, "You know I love you man."

"Oh jeez," Danny said and shoved him into a chair, "Stop being such a loser and drink some water."

Flack turned to Lindsay now, "I love you too," he said and leaned over to slobber on her cheek.

"Hey, hey," Danny said, good-natured, but still pulling Flack away, "Hands off my girl."

Lindsay shook her head, "Your girl? Possessive much Messer?"

"Just honest," he said, "And helpful…I like to remind people."

She nodded and took a sip of her beer, "I should really just wear a sign around my neck or get a tattoo. I could just show it to anyone who looked at me twice."

"That's why I love you," he said, leaning over and kissing her, "You're so smart."

"Enough of that," Mac said when he came over, "this is still a work function. And someone needs to get Don home."

Danny nodded, "Lindsay and I will take him. We have to be up early tomorrow anyway."

Mac nodded, "I'm sorry you two got stuck on shift tomorrow."

Danny shrugged, "We're going to my ma's later in the day. Besides we're good as long as we're together."

Lindsay smiled at him then leaned over to kiss Mac on the cheek, "Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas Lindsay."

Lindsay said good-bye to Stella and then grabbed Flack's other arm, "Let's go Don," she said and they began to drag him out of the bar.

Mac shook his head and turned to Stella, "Next year no alcohol."

She shrugged, "Well then I guess next year we'll have to move out of the bar."

&&&&&&

Before going to sleep Danny had set the alarm for 5am. He and Lindsay both wanted to wake up early, open presents and spend some time together before their shifts. Still, when the alarm started blaring he reached out and hit it so hard the whole thing shook and let out a pitiful little whine.

"Don't kill the clock," Lindsay whispered against his chest, "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas Montana." He stroked a hand over her bare back, "If I promise to make it worth your while will you forget the presents until tonight and spend the next hour in bed with me."

"Hmmm…tempting," she said, kissing the skin over his heart, "But no. I want my present, now Messer."

He sighed, but forced himself up. He pulled on his boxers and threw her his shirt. If they had to get up at least she could be semi-naked for him. He stood and moved toward the window. He always opened it a tiny inch in the morning. Lindsay thought some air was good, to get the germs out, but today even the inch made him freeze and he looked outside and gasped.

"Montana….its a freaking blizzard."

"What?" she asked, halfway up, and moving over to him, "Oh my god."

There was at least six inches of snow on the ground and it was still coming down fast and furious. There was no sign of motion of the streets, not even people cleaning them. He wasn't even sure he could get out of the front door of his apartment building.

Just them his phone beeped and he moved over to it. He pressed the button for his voicemail, then his speaker.

i Hey Danny, and Lindsay I'm sure, when you get this look out the window, it's a mess. I don't think anyone could even commit murder in this mess. It's a little before 5 now and it's supposed to keep on until the afternoon so don't even bother coming in. Take the day and if, by some crazy chance, we get something happening I'll give you a call. Merry Christmas /i .

Lindsay waited until he hit end, then squeal, running at him and tackling him to the bed. She began pressing kisses all over his face.

"I thought you wanted to open presents?" he asked as his hands slid down her back to her hips.

"Shut up," she said and covered his mouth with hers.

&&&&&&

Stella smiled, relaxing back into the warm tub of water. She smiled wider as a cup of steaming hot chocolate was placed in her hand. She lifted it to her mouth and sipped without ever opening her eyes, "Now that hits the spot."

She heard a chuckle beside her and opened her eyes to find Mac smiling down at her, "That's what I like to hear. I still wish you wouldn't have walked all the way over here. You could have gotten frost bite."

"Well, I wanted to be with you on Christmas...no matter what the weather. I was planning to come into the office with you, so Danny and Lindsay could be home and we could be together, but the snow had other plans."

"This is even better," he said, leaning down and kissing her lips softly, "But I still wish you would have told me and I would have come to you."

She set her mug down on the ledge next to the tub and reached her arms up, "Well how about you get in here and make it up to me."

&&&&&&

Adam fiddled nervously with his tie as he checked himself out in his rearview mirror for the twentieth time that day...okay hour.

In the passenger seat net to him his girlfriend laughed, "Come on, Adam its going to be fine."

He glared at her, "Easily for you to say Jen, they're your family. They love you and they're a family of cops no less. It'll be like that commercial where everyone frisks the boyfriend."

Jen Angell shook her head and reached out, pulling him against her and kissing him deeply. That always shut up his crazily running mind.

She pulled back and smiled at him, "Yes my family loves me and I love you so my family will love you."

Adam's mouth opened in shock, "you...you love me?"

She nodded, "Afraid so geek boy. What you going to do about it?"

He smiled, grasping her face between his hands and kissing her softly, "Tell you I love you too."

&&&&&&

Sid looked around as his grandchildren beat each other with snowballs. He loved this time of year, loved having them around him, all of his family. What he did everyday made it so easy to focus on the pain in life. But as long as he could have his family he was a lucky, lucky man.

"Hey grandpa," his oldest grandson called. He turned and caught a face full of snow.

He brushed it away and growled at Billy, "Oh you better run." He took off after him, feeling young as a kid again.

&&&&&&

Hawkes happily scooped more mashed potatoes on a tray. He volunteered at the shelter every holiday, giving up a little of his time to help those who needed it most. It made his feel...alive inside to help people who were alive, not just help those who'd already left the world as he did at work.

"You are so sweet," the woman next to him said, "Coming here, a young man like you, but don't you have a family that's looking for you."

He smiled, thought of his girlfriend waiting for him to come home and open presents with her. They're relationship was new, but he was glad for the snowstorm because it would give them a chance to have their first Christmas together. He hoped it would be the first of many.

&&&&&&

Flack's hand slid up and down the shoulder of the woman lying naked against him. Emily Prentiss certainly was full of surprises. They'd met at a conference on analyzing perpetrators in the new millennium a few years back and had one wild night together. They'd talked often since then, but nothing prepared him for her showing up on his door step Christmas morning, in the middle of a blizzard no less.

"I'm glad you came," he said, "I'm surprised though."

She shrugged, "I was going to work, but...all of my colleagues they were paired off, heading home to be with family. My family's idea of Christmas is a million dollar gala. And then all of a sudden I thought of you. And I came."

He smiled, kissed her forehead, "You have the most awesome thought process ever."

She rolled on top of him, "If you can say thought process than I haven't scrambled your brains nearly enough."

He didn't complain.

&&&&&&

Danny and Lindsay snuggled under the tree, covered in a blanket.

"Well," Danny took a deep breath, "That was a new tradition."

She smiled, "Very new. We should do it every year. Although the kids might not like it if we did it next to their presents."

"Yeah," he said, then, "Did you say kids?"

She looked up at him, "Well...just the one to start?"

He pulled her on top of him, kissing her, his hands tangling widely in her hair as she gave him the best Christmas present ever.