a/n: Thank you all so much for the reviews for last chapter! :)
"You could always come with us," Lissa suggested hopefully as she plopped a pile of jeans into Christian's suitcase.
Rose laughed. "And what? Call into work? I'm far too important for that," she teased haughtily.
Lissa arched a brow. "Or you're far too desperate to spend time with your huge partner," she shot back knowingly.
"You know would really be a Christmas miracle? If you let this go!"
Lissa grinned, then her eyes narrowed. "Have you heard from your parents?" she asked softly.
Rose nodded. "They're spending the holidays in Greece."
She watched as her best friend's face brightened; Lissa was surely biting her tongue in an effort not to say anything.
"I'm used to it," Rose said gently.
"That doesn't make it right!" Lissa snapped.
Rose had gotten over it long ago; she'd never been a priority for her parents, and at this point she knew she never would be. Lissa, however, having been doted on by her two adoring parents until their untimely deaths, still hadn't come to grips with it.
"Of course it doesn't," Rose agreed. "But should I let them ruin my holidays by being angry?"
Lissa huffed. "I really hate it when you go all logical on me."
Rose grinned and opened her mouth. But before she could get a word out, Haley and Hannah came tearing into the room, tears streaming down Hannah's face. She threw her face into her mother's legs and clung to her, her little body wracked with sobs.
"What's the matter with your sister?" Lissa asked Haley as she lifted Hannah into her arms.
"I told her that she couldn't bring Mr. Whiskers on the plane with us!" Haley said.
"Why would you tell her that?" Lissa asked.
"You said no toys!" Haley reminded her mother, her little hands going to her hips as she started accusingly up at Lissa. Rose bit back a grin as Lissa rolled her eyes.
"I said no electronics," Lissa clarified. "Honey," she softened her voice and ran her arms up and down her younger daughter's back soothingly.
"You know I can't put Mr. Whiskers in my suitcase, Mommy!" she wailed. "He's afraid of the dark!"
A fresh wave of tears fell down her cheeks and her sobs came harder.
Lissa sighed. "I don't know why you would possibly want to stay here when you could fly to Tasha's with us and enjoy a nice, drama-free holiday," she remarked dryly.
Rose burst into laughter. There was nothing drama-free about Lissa's family.
Rose wasn't worried about spending the holidays alone; she didn't mind the peace and quiet. But she knew it bothered Lissa. Her friend had always worried about her, and it seemed to have escalated in the years since she'd become a wife and mother. No matter how crazy her life got, it was clear Lissa was happy. She knew her friend wanted the same for her and it was something Rose wanted for herself, too. Eventually.
For now, her career was enough to keep her contented, and if she had any maternal urges, a quick visit to Lissa's cured that.
"Hey."
She looked up to find Belikov's gaze trained on her. "I fucking hate Mondays," he muttered.
She grinned. "I hear ya." The captain had deemed Monday their paperwork day, and there was nothing worse than sitting at a desk working on a pile of paperwork when there was scum on the streets.
Belikov stood. "I'm going to head down to Telly's. Grab something to eat. You in?"
Rose thought about it for a moment. Telly's had the best roast beef on rye in the neighborhood—but going meant she'd be alone with Belikov. In a situation she'd voluntarily put herself in. Would he read too much into it?
Belikov chuckled as her stomach let out a low growl."I'm in," she admitted against her better judgment.
"So...you've never said why you transferred from the New York precinct," Rose said casually before wrapping her lips around her sandwich and taking a huge bite.
Belikov studied her for a moment before wiping his mouth on his napkin and setting it down. "My partner was killed."
She flinched at his words. It was every cops worst nightmare—the only thing worse than losing your life in the line of duty was your partner losing theirs.
"I'm so sorry," she said, her mouth still full. But the sentiment couldn't wait.
"Yeah. Me, too."
She finished chewing her sandwich. "Was he young?"
Belikov cleared his throat. "She," he corrected, surprising her yet again. "Yeah. She was my age."
There was something in his eyes that peaked her curiosity... "Did you love her?" she asked before she could stop herself.
He shook his head. "Yes, but not the way you mean. She was my best friend's wife."
Rose shuddered at the thought, knowing instantly how he had to feel. Regardless of what had gone down, he'd blame himself. Feeling like you hadn't protected your partner was bad enough, but for it to be your best friend's wife on top of it...
"How are you spending your Christmas Eve?" he asked. A wave of relief coursed through her at the change of subject.
"With friends," she lied, avoiding his gaze as she took another bite of her sandwich.
"Yeah?" he said conversationally.
She nodded fervently. "You?"
"I have a sister who lives close, and the rest of my family flew in from Russia," he told her. "We're gonna spend it Belikov style."
She arched a brow. "And that would be..."
He grinned. "Oh, you know...family fun..."
She nodded like she knew, but she had no idea. Though she'd made her own family over the years with Christian and Lissa, there were times she still felt like she was intruding on their time together with the girls.
"Spiked eggnog..." he continued, his eyes teasing.
She glared at him. "I'm pretty sure it wasn't eggnog that caused..." Her voice trailed off and Belikov sat there, waiting for her to finish. When it was clear she wasn't going to...
"Holiday cheer in the bedroom?" he finished for her.
"Yes," she bit out as she sipped her water.
"What are you doing for New Year's?" he asked.
Her eyes snapped up to his. "Why?"
He held up his hands in surrender. "No reason. I just want to volunteer to be your designated fuck—ahhh...driver. Your designated driver," he corrected, but his eyes made it clear his words had been no slip of the tongue.
She rubbed the heels of her hands over her eyes and groaned. "My life is never going to be the same."
He smirked. "And the compliments keep on coming."
The next night, Rose was settled into her favorite pair of flannel pajamas, the popcorn had been popped, and she'd queued 'Badder Santa' on her Netflix. All she had to do was flop down onto the couch and hit play.
She was getting ready to flop when her doorbell rang. Frowning, she placed the bowl of popcorn on her center cushion, and then headed for the door. She flipped on the outside light and looked through the peephole. Heart racing, she flung the door open. "Was there a break in the case?" she asked breathlessly. "I'll be dressed and ready to go in two minutes!"
She turned on her heel, but before she could take a step, Belikov's hand clasped her elbow and spun her back around until she was facing him. "You lied to me," he said softly.
"What?" she asked in confusion.
"You said you were spending Christmas Eve with friends."
"There was an emergency," she muttered. "They...can't...make it..."
"You think I can't tell when someone's lying?" he asked.
"Fine," she huffed. "I'm spending Christmas alone. So, what?" Her arms crossed over her chest in what she knew was a defensive move but couldn't help herself.
"You're not spending Christmas alone," he informed her.
"Yes, I am, and-"
"You're coming with me."
She blanched in surprise. "What?"
"You can spend Christmas with me."
She looked at him for a moment before understanding dawned. "If you feel some sense of obligation because we slept together-"
His laugh cut her off. "No sense of obligation, Hathaway," he assured her. "I like you. I like being with you. And I want to be with you tonight."
"So this is about getting into my pants again?" she asked angrily.
He sighed. "This is about exactly what I said...spending time with you. If it leads to fucking..." he shrugged. "Great. If not, I'm OK with that, too."
"Oh, how generous of you," she said mockingly.
His eyes danced. "Two minutes, Roza. That's how long you said it'd take you to change."
The sound of her name—in that sexy Russian accent of his—sent shivers down her spine. "I can't go with you to spend Christmas with your family," she argued.
"Fine." Another shrug as he stepped inside and shut the door behind him. He unzipped the brown leather bomber jacket he was wearing and slid it down over his broad shoulders, then hung it on her doorknob. He strolled into the room heading straight for her couch. Grabbing the bowl off the middle cushion, he sat down and popped a few pieces of popcorn into his mouth. "What are we watching?" he asked.
The sight of him so at home on her couch...the idea of spending the night alone in her apartment with him...it was way more than she could handle.
"Two minutes," she ground out as she headed for her bedroom. Spending the evening with his family—though daunting—had to be better than spending the evening alone with him.
She was much less likely to end up in bed with him if they had an audience.
