A/N... I have written two Christmas one shot stories with similar beginnings but as the start of the second one recaps on the first, I have decided to give you this one. This is not meant to be a sequel to my full length stories and is a one off, but I have never the less used characters from my main stories; mainly Horatio and Tommy. There is a brief reference to Kyle's girl friend but I have changed her name as you have no knowledge of her yet. I wrote this one shot after my next story and I don't want to give anything away.

This may be a bit early in the season for posting, but a good time for me before starting the posting of my next full length story - Shadows of the Past (Part 1) on November 23rd 2017

I hope you enjoy.

Twas the Night before Christmas...A Visit from Saint Nicholas

"I have been here before, but let me re- introduce myself. I am Saint Nicholas otherwise known as Santa Claus, and you may remember that a few years ago I visited Horatio Caine's apartment as the angels and I decided his wish for a 'White Christmas in Miami' should come true."

"We arranged that because Horatio is a good man. He was born in New York, where he lived and worked in his early years, and was therefore used to having the occasional white Christmas. However, in Miami where he then lived, and worked, and still does, a white Christmas is most unlikely although it did snow once. This was in January 1977, when winter dropped light flurries of snow through the air dusting the ground briefly, and it has not snowed since."

"So while Horatio had fond memories of white Christmas's in New York, he was resigned to the fact that it was more likely to be a warm and sunny Christmas in Miami, although temperatures can fall as low as 40-50 degrees in the evenings. However, this did not stop him dreaming that just once; he could experience snow at Christmas in Miami."

"We therefore made his wish come true, and it snowed in Miami that Christmas Eve night."

"Horatio had invited some of his work colleagues, Calleigh, Eric, Natalia, Frank and Ryan, for a meal on Christmas Eve, along with Kyle his son; Yelina, his sister-in- law and Ray Junior her son, and his nephew."

"What with the snowfall, and my visit that night, everyone was shocked, surprised, and happy all at the same time, and Horatio was more than happy, and much to my own surprise, he knew who had arranged it, and whispered softly in my ear that I was to thank the angels for making his dream come true that night. After his guests had left to go home, Horatio stood looking out of his lounge door windows, with an arm around Kyle's shoulders, and then looking up to the sky with a smile on his face, he raised his glass and thanked us all again, and I swore he could see us although I thought this was impossible. However, Horatio's Guardian Angel - yes he has one; told me our window was open for a fleeting moment, to let Horatio see into our world."

"So - my friends - that was Christmas Eve back in 2009. Since then life has changed for Horatio. His friends, in New York, tricked him into going to New York at the beginning of April 2012, where he met and fell in love with the beautiful Aileen Casey, who had been a widow for two years following her soldier husband's death in Afghanistan. She had an eight-year-old son called Tommy who Horatio adopted as his son following his marriage to Aileen in August of that year. Kyle was happy for them, and after resigning from the army, following a spell in Afghanistan, he is now training to become a police officer in Miami Dade County, and Kyle is very much part of his father's new family.

"It is no coincidence, these events occurred, as Horatio's life was preordained for him from the moment of his arrival in this world. He was born to suffer, cruel as that may seem, but enduring pain is what helped him into becoming the caring, compassionate man we all know him to be. You may wonder why he often looks out of a window and up to the sky; He senses we are here, but he does not fully understand why he has these feelings. The truth is that although he is unaware of it, Horatio has some small traits of an angel himself. This is the reason he sometimes seems to appear from nowhere, and suddenly disappears."

'We know some of you have wondered how he does that."

"It is no coincidence either that he is Miami's Guardian Angel. This was to be his main purpose in life."

"Horatio has more than done his job now. He has born enough pain on the path he has been walking through life, and it was decided he should finally have some true happiness...meeting Aileen was no accident, his own Guardian Angel through his friends in New York arranged they should meet and fall in love...it was considered that Aileen was the perfect match for him."

"Horatio is an exceptionally good man. All he ever wanted was a happy family, and he has that now. He still has some work to do, but now he goes home each night to a happy home, and deservedly so."

"Last year they spent Christmas in New York when Aileen gave Horatio the best Christmas Day present ever when she told him she was pregnant. Their baby daughter Hannah was born earlier this year, and is now six months old. They are spending this Christmas at home, and Kyle and his girl friend Anya have joined them."

"The angels have decided that I should visit Horatio once more, and give him another white Christmas in Miami, but I am not quite ready, so go and have a look in on the family, while I prepare to set off on my journey to visit them in a short while."

Looking through the lounge door windows overlooking the patio, we can see a tall Christmas tree standing in a corner of the lounge, all lit up and looking very pretty. The lights on the wall, either side of the fireplace are dim - and the room is looking snug and cosy. Horatio and his family have finished eating their Christmas Turkey dinner, which they had decided to have on Christmas Eve, and with the clearing up done; they are sitting and relaxing in the lounge watching the traditional Christmas movie, 'Miracle on 34th Street.' This is a story of what takes place in New York City, following Macy's Thanksgiving Parade and people are wondering whether or not a department store Santa might be the real thing or not.

The movie ends as we are looking in on them and Horatio turned the television off, and they were going to listen to some music for a while.

However, back in New York last Christmas, Tommy even though he no longer believed in Santa Claus asked Horatio to read the poem - Let it Snow, or as better known, 'Twas the night before Christmas to him, and he asked him to read it again tonight. This happens to be a favourite of Horatio's as well.

Horatio agreed - so Tommy rushed off to his bedroom to fetch the book that contained the poem, and passed it to his dad on his return. Horatio put his reading glasses on, and Tommy snuggled up close to him on the sofa. Aileen is relaxing in an armchair with a wide awake Hannah, sitting on her lap, and Kyle and Anya are sitting together in one of the other armchairs. Horatio first reminds them that the inspiration for the poem came to Clement Clarke Moore, the writer, while he was on a shopping sleigh ride trip around Manhattan in 1823; although Major Henry Livingston's family; claimed, the poem, was written by him, and not Moore, but were never able to prove it.

Anya smiled at Kyle and whispered, "Your dad is so knowledgeable about poetry."

Then Horatio started to recite ...

"Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house,

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that Saint Nicholas would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds.

While visions of sugarplums danced in their heads.

And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,

Had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap

When out on the lawn there arose..."

"As Horatio has been reciting, I have been approaching his place and have just landed on his roof with a terrible clatter, a very bumpy landing, but my reindeer are as sure footed as ever, and we have landed safely."

Hearing the clatter on the roof Kyle jumped out of his chair and looking at his dad yelled, "Surely not again – It cannot be."

Horatio placed Tommy's book on the sofa, and rushed to the lounge doors and on opening them noticed with surprise that snow had silently fallen. The patio, trees and shrubs were covered in snow; the sky was a beautiful indigo blue, and the moon shining on the breast of the snow gave it a wonderful magical glow, and he stood there entranced for a minute as he remembered the last time I was here.

Then stepping outside, Horatio looked up to the roof, just as I slipped off the roof, and landed on the ground, on my ass, right in front of him - just as I did the last time I visited this place.

Kyle joined his father, and pulled me to my feet, grinning all over his face as I said to Horatio, "About time you gave me a way of getting down from your roof in a safe manner."

Tommy came out then and looked at me with eyes open wide. He does not believe in me, so I am wondering what he thinks – "Can I change his mind," I ask myself.

He sidles over to his father, someone we know he always feels safe with, and grabbing his hand, he asked with a frown on his face, "Dad - Is this Santa real?"

Horatio laughed and replied, "Let me introduce you to Saint Nicholas Tommy, otherwise known as Santa Claus."

"But, he can't be – there is no such person as Santa Claus."

I walked across to the boy, who gripped Horatio's hand tight and I kindly said, "So you don't believe in Santa Claus, so who is this visiting you tonight?"

The boy did not answer and stood there with a suspicious look on his face.

"Look son, Horatio and Kyle know tis me...I have been here before."

Tommy looked up at Horatio, and then across to Kyle, and both smiling nodded their heads.

"You believe in Jesus don't you?" I asked.

"But you cannot see him can you?" I added as Tommy nodded his head.

"No." Tommy replied.

"So why don't you believe in me who you can see right before your eyes."

However, I could see Tommy was not going to be easily convinced; the boy was a thinker went through my head as I watched him pursing his lips, deep in thought.

"Well if you are real – how do you appear in so many stores at the same time and always have a different face. They are all men just dressing up as Santa Claus. It is all make believe for tiny children."

"And, I know this is true because I saw my first dad dressing up as Santa Claus once...you're all fakes."

The boy looked up at Horatio again and asked. "He isn't real, so why is he saying he is Dad?"

Then turning to me he said, "Horatio always tells me the truth."

Horatio silently groaned and thought, "How am I going to get out of this dilemma...I have to please Saint Nicholas as well as my son."

He could not lie...his son would never trust him again.

Then quick of thought and kneeling down on one knee in the snow, Horatio took hold of both Tommy's hands and said, "Tommy you can see the reindeer up on the roof. They are real and you can hear them snorting and pawing their feet up there, and you know from the poem I was reading that they drive Saint Nicholas across the sky on Christmas Eve Night. So let us think of this night as being a dream, and we know dreams can be real don't we?"

"Yes."

"Okay - so how about you say hello nicely to Saint Nicholas then, while we are having this dream together."

Tommy stared hard into Horatio's eyes, and then suddenly backed down and came across to me and said, "Hello Saint Nicholas."

Kyle looking on whispered so only I could hear, "Well done Dad."

Horatio then shook my hand, invited me into his apartment, introduced me to his beautiful wife and Anya who I must say didn't seem as if they thought anything odd was happening here. I went up to Hannah in Aileen's arms, and tickled her chin, and she smiled seemingly having no problem with me, but she is too young to understand anyway.

Horatio handed me a glass of sherry, with a cookie; we chatted for a while, and then he offered me a cigar, and then laughing withdrew it and said, "I know, you prefer to smoke that old stump of a pipe."

I grinned and said, "Your memory is good Horatio...do you mind if I have a puff?"

"Go ahead my friend." So I had a couple of puffs, and then decided it was time to leave these good people as I still had a few more places to visit tonight.

Before leaving however, I placed some presents under the Christmas tree and spoke to them all in turn. I spoke to Tommy first who was still holding back from me, and I whispered, "Always trust your dad son. He does always tell you the truth." Then he smiled at me for the first time and said, "My Dad is the best."

Then speaking to Aileen next I said, "Your mother is looking down on you. She knows you are happier now than you have ever been, and is very happy, for you. She sends her love to you and your children Aileen, and says she would have loved the chance to meet Horatio - she knows you are in safe hands."

I moved on to Kyle, who having seen me before was all smiles and at ease with me and I just shook his hand, and told him that he had become a fine young man and that one day he would be as good a man as his father.

"If only," said Kyle.

"You will Kyle. You will."

I gave a warm smile to Anya, it was not certain where she would fit in just yet, it was early days for them, but we had high hopes this relationship would work out well for both of them.

Then I went outside and Horatio and Kyle followed me out to see me off.

Just like last time however, I could not climb up to the roof as not a drainpipe in sight, so I called out to my reindeers – Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Donner and Blitzen to come down off the roof and collect me, and in a twinkling, they were down and eager to be moving on.

Before I jumped in my sleigh, I looked at Horatio, as I still had something to say to him.

"During the evening of the day you brought your newly born daughter home from hospital, you stepped out on your patio with your wife and daughter, and looked up to the sky and introduced her to both her grandmothers. At the same time, you asked your mother if she had anything to do with it - could she make sure you would live long enough to see your daughter grow up."

"Horatio, I can tell you that your wish will come true; you will have a long life. This is your Christmas present from above."

Horatio hugged me, and had tears in his eyes as I jumped in my sleigh, whistled to my reindeers to move, and as we soared up towards the sky, I waved goodbye and shouted "Happy Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight."

I looked back before disappearing out of sight and saw Horatio with an arm around Tommy, and as he raised a glass to the sky, I heard him say, "Thank you Saint Nick, and tell Mom I love her."

Not long after, Horatio, who had been leaning back in the sofa asleep woke up, and looking around him with half open eyes, he realised his glasses were on the end of his nose, Tommy's book had fallen on the floor, and Tommy was still snuggled up to him, and just beginning to wake up as well.

Aileen seeing him awaken kissed him on the forehead. "Did you have a nice sleep Horatio? You fell asleep while in the middle of reciting, and Tommy fell asleep at the same time, and as the pair of you looked so cosy, we left you both to sleep."

Horatio now sitting up properly said, "How rude of me. Where are Kyle and Anya?"

"Kyle has taken her back to stay at his place...They will be here tomorrow afternoon around three o'clock."

Then Tommy patting Horatio on the arm and still half asleep said, "Dad, I had a dream and it was about Santa Claus. I don't believe in him, but he was so real in the dream, and we were all in the dream."

"How strange Tommy, I had the same dream. We must both have had the poem 'Twas the Night before Christmas in our minds as we fell asleep."

"It did feel real though Tommy."

"I still don't believe in him Dad."

"You said in the dream that Santa Claus was real in the dream and that while dreaming, dreams are true."

"That's right son."

"Well, as soon as you wake up it is not real anymore is it? So I still don't believe in him."

Horatio gave a big sigh.

From up above, now back at my base, I also sighed. Tommy was never going to believe in me, the boy was making me weary.

Aileen laughed. Tommy was not going to change his mind, and for once, it seemed like Horatio was losing a battle with him.

Then she gave some thought to the fact that both of them had the same dream. Was it possible? Perhaps a combination of them both watching the movie Miracle on 34th Street, and Horatio reciting the poem, 'Twas the Night before Christmas, had seeped into their subconscious minds. They had strangely fallen asleep at the same time, but to talk together in a dream...she was puzzled.

Sitting down on the other side of Horatio; she said, "Sounds like you two had some dream."

Horatio looked at her smiling and shrugging his shoulders said, "It was real Aileen."

"Go and see the snow outside, and look at the presents under the tree."

Aileen looked outside and said, "I can't see any snow Horatio, and I put the presents under the tree myself ready for tomorrow, while you and Tommy were asleep."

Horatio stood up and moved across to the window and looking up to the sky he winked and in imitation of me, he tapped a finger on the side of his nose and said, "But we really know what went on here tonight - don't we Saint Nicholas?"

Then he turned to his wife, embraced her and gave her a loving kiss.

I smiled in fondness at this good man - he is a believer, and I know he loved the message I especially went to give him tonight.

I will leave them now, my job is done.

I wish you all, A Merry Christmas

Saint Nicholas