As they were both off on Saturday and both starting nights the following day, Daniel and Andrea agreed to the tree-cutting date with the Esposito, the Ryan and the Parrish-Robbins clans. It seemed a good idea, as they were starting a family, to begin some kind of tradition like this and what better way to do it than with people who knew all about creating your own traditions? Looking around as they waited for the horse-drawn wagon to take them into the depths of the tree farm, Daniel saw Dave and Ryan with Carey, Violet and Mallory look at the people with their trees sending them through the binding machine while Dell and Tessi were working on a little snowman with Javier and Honey-Milk.

The day was mild and bright, with just enough of a whip in the wind to put colour in the cheeks, or in Meredeth's case, Andrea noted, more colour. The Danish writer had rosy apple cheeks that suited her round friendly face and twinkly blue eyes perfectly; despite this it seemed all three children had inherited their father's chubby chipmunk cheeks instead, and Tessi most definitely had his dimples. She watched with fascination as the little girl in her cherry-pink snowsuit kept an eagle eye on the younger Mallory who was eager to get a closer look.

'Day-fo, Mally. No go ouchie,' she said sweetly.

'She's not gonna go ouchie, Tessi.' Dell shook his head as he packed on more snow. 'She's not silly.'

'She lit-tle,' Tessi retorted with all the indignation a two and a half-year-old could muster; she even planted her hands on her hips in a way that made her look like a tiny version of Meredeth. 'She no' know bedda.'

Lanie laughed a little as Ryan scooped his daughter up, out of the danger zone, brought her back to the rest of them. 'That's just a tad spooky, the two of them together don't even reach ten years old combined and they sound like an old married couple,' she said to no one in particular.

'We no' mah-wee,' Tessi giggled. 'Mami an' Daddy mah-wee. An-de-ah an' Daniel mah-wee?'

'Yes, we are getting married in February. February twenty-one,' Andrea said with a smile; the little girl was so infectious. 'Can you say February twenty-one?'

'Febby tinny-wan.'

'That's very good, Tessi!' Andrea held out her hand for a high-five and her eyebrows drew together in confusion when the toddler bunched her fingertips together and tapped them against Andrea's. 'What's that?'

'Feed birdies. See-dit shake.'

'Ah, a secret handshake, those are very important,' Daniel agreed, then watched the wagon drawn by the big Clydesdale horses approach the group of people. 'Watch out, there, little ones.'

He picked up Mallory, took Violet by the hand to keep her out of the way so they wouldn't get trampled, then boosted them onto the side of the wagon along with Tessi, Dell and Carey before climbing on himself. When he was nestled into the slightly-scratchy but very warm fresh straw on the back of the wagon, Violet climbed right into his lap.

'Hi-hi, Dan-ill,' she said brightly. 'Cash so-fix?'

'What?'

'Cash so-fix,' Violet repeated and stuck her tongue out at him. 'Like dat.'

'She means snow-flakes, Daniel,' Carey told him, which had the light dawning. 'I teach her how.'

'Dah-wee good bo,' Tessi chipped in. 'Jus' like Dell.'

'Aw, thanks Tessi!' Dell leaned in and pecked Tessi's cheek. 'You are so nice.'

'He looks like Father Goose,' Meredeth giggled to her husband and Andrea. 'Or a scarecrow for toddlers, I can't decide which.'

'He's great with children. He looks like he should be challenging Rocky Balboa for a come-back fight, but he's really so sweet and gentle. Not that he's a sissy,' Andrea added hastily, and Meredeth laughed, patted the girl's knee, 'just that he's not as big a bruiser as he looks.'

'I know what you mean. My cop, he's taken a bullet from a serial murderer before, been in plenty of knockdown-dragouts on the job, and he cannot sleep if some part of him isn't cuddled up against me. Even when he's sick he plays footsies with me in the bed.'

Andrea sent a furtive look over to the hunky Puerto-Rican and raised her eyebrows in approval. 'I buy that.'

'Where are the twins?'

'With the 'buelos,' Meredeth replied. 'I wanted to bring them but Javi said they were still too little so they're spending the day baking with their grandmother.'

Andrea nodded, thinking of her own mother who was probably half in the bottle on a yacht somewhere in the Carribbean. Daniel's mother had taken off when he was hardly older than Tessi was now, a drug addict who just hadn't been able to kick the habit and had died in Texas more than twenty years before. Their baby would not get the experience of cookies baked with a grandmother, at least not a biological one.

'I have to get you over for some baking,' Meredeth continued. 'Now that you're pregnant, you need some yummy healthy treats and working shift work like Honey-Milk and Lanie, you need to keep your energy strong.'

'Mere, I couldn't impose-'

'It's really no trouble, I like it. I like to feed everyone.'

'Hey, psh-psh, Andrea,' Ryan hissed in a stage whisper. 'Get her to make some banana cream pie and smuggle one my way.'

'Sweetie, what happens when eat banana cream pie?' Honey-Milk asked him; when he said nothing, she looked at Mallory who was leaning against Daniel's leg. 'Marsh-Mally, what happens when Daddy eats banas?'

'Daddy 'tink. Bat-room 'mell icky.'

'Thank you my little marshmellow dove,' Ryan said as he fought the blush.

Mallory smiled winningly. 'Weckim, Daddy.'

'Case closed,' Dave said with a laugh as they lurched to a stop and the driver called out for blue spruce. 'This is us.'

They dispersed amongst the trees, which somehow wound up with Esposito hanging back with Andrea and Daniel both, watching Meredeth pick out the tree with Tessi. 'She's an expert on these things. Her and her mother used to do it, and the first time we had Christmas together, I thought she was insane. Now it feels wrong if we don't go and get one.'

'Does she really like to cook for her pregnant friends?' Daniel asked, and Esposito nodded.

'Oh yeah, it started a little with Jenny, but it really kicked in with Lanie. She was afraid that if she couldn't be useful to her friends who were becoming mothers, the friendship

Andrea snorted. 'It's nice to see even the formidable Meredeth Esposito has her moments of insanity.'

'Daddy! This one?' Tessi bellowed, pointing to a tree with a fallen stick that Meredeth stood beside. 'It look good.'

'It does look good, princess,' he agreed, then turned to Daniel and Andrea. 'Go on, pick one out. Holler and we'll help you chop it.'

With Esposito darting off to his girls, Daniel and Andrea looked at each other. 'Do you have any idea how to pick a Christmas tree, Andrea?'

'Kind of. Why, do you?'

'Yeah. Skills my father taught me.' You want one with thick, full branches and give it the hug test.' Daniel stopped beside a tree, held out his arms. 'If you can put your arms around its sides without over-extending or falling short of the mark, it's a good diameter.'

'That makes sense. What about that one?'

Andrea pointed to a fat gumdrop of an evergreen and they went over and examined it. 'It looks good and full.'

'Yeah, but see this? Nothing but dead needles inside,' Daniel pointed out, giving the trunk a shake and causing a rainfall of brown splinters to fall into the snow. 'What about that one?'

'Too big. Look.' Andrea walked over, stretched out her arms which barely made it to the sides. 'This is what you'll look like hugging me in about six months time.'

'Oh, no. See I'll just do this-' Daniel moved behind her, wrapping his arms around her '-and this.'

He kissed her cheek, her neck, her temple all the while drinking in the beautiful scent of her skin. He wondered if those preggo hormones made her smell better because she smelled even more delicious than usual. He slid one gloved hand down to pat her belly much like Dell had and murmured in her ear, 'Maybe later, my little Irish tree fairy will let me trim her tree.'

'And maybe my big strong woodsman needs his yule-log warmed up?'

'Filthy. Just filthy.'

'You wouldn't want me any other way, would you?'

'Mm-mm.' Daniel shook his head, then caught sight of another tree. 'Hey what about that one over there?'

'Oooh, that looks good.' Andrea followed his gaze, went over and gave it the hug test. 'Yep, good width, and...' She gave it a sturdy shake. 'Not too many needles shaking loose. What do you think?'

'I think we have a Christmas tree.'

'Cool.' She grinned, then bellowed with her supreme lung power, 'Espo! We got one!'

Daniel heard the sound of approaching footsteps, along with Tessi's chattering little voice asking if she could take the 'pisher'. Esposito and his little girl appeared from the opposite side of the tree, Esposito with the hack-saw in hand and Tessi craning her neck up to get the full view of the gorgeous blue spruce.

'It big, An-de-ah,' she observed. 'How it fit?'

'Just you wait my dear, it'll fit,' Esposito murmured, held out the hack-saw to Daniel. 'You do the honours?'

'Sure.'

Daniel disappeared under the tree and they watched it wiggle and wriggle and shimmy until finally it tipped over and Daniel reappeared with a triumphant grin. 'This would be much easier if I was the Incredible Hulk.'

'You the In-de-dible Daniel,' Tessi told him, which had him cracking up and flexing.

'Think so?'

'Uh-huh. You 'tong arms.'

He stepped over to Andrea, wrapped an arm around her waist and felt her brace her weight against him a little. 'Hey, you okay?'

'Yeah, just a little light-headed. One of the many common symptoms of being pregnant.' Andrea paused, felt her stomach rumble. 'But I could do with a burger or two.'

'Well, grab yourself a dog once we're back on the wagon,' Honey-Milk said, walking up with her tree in tow along with Ryan dragging it on the other side. 'We're having barbecue at Mere and Javi's for dinner.'

'Munsh dogs? And brrr-gers wit sheese?' Tessi asked hopefully. 'An' Ry-an get falalas?'

Esposito and Meredeth both cracked up. 'Something like that, princess,' Meredeth told her daughter. 'Andrea what are you doing?'

'Tying a rope around the tree to help drag it to the wagon path?' she returned, which had everyone, including the arrived Lanie, Dave and company shaking their heads sternly.

'That baby's been through enough,' Lanie declared. 'It's bad enough he or she is already a micro-weight boxing champion, it's not turning into a draft horse.'

R&R&Enjoy!