Cailín's POV

It was now November and a light dusting of snow covered the city. I was back to my old self and getting ready for the Christmas special edition of the department newsletter. Walking down the streets of New York City during the weeks leading up to Christmas was as beautiful as it was hectic. Thanksgiving was just around the corner and air was buzzing with excitement. I was sick of it. I was sick of seeing the happy couples trying to get their Christmas shopping done early; the children begging their parents to visit Santa. If I didn't have to work, I'd be happy to just sit in my apartment and wait for the end of the madness.

"Cailín, cheer up!" Sam snapped me from my morbid thoughts. She was searching for the perfect present for Eric and had dragged me along to help. I wanted to throw up; I was happy for them, really I was, but I wasn't in the mood for yet another happy couple. You'd think it was Valentine's Day… Oh, god, if Christmas was just around the corner, then Valentine's Day was not far behind. Now I really wanted to throw up. "What about this?" Sam held up a framed jersey.

"Seriously, Samantha?" I raised an eyebrow. "He doesn't need yet another framed jersey… especially one that isn't his. He doesn't need any more hockey equipment either; he gets all that for free." I walked over the jewelry counter and looked at the watches. "He could use a new watch though." I pointed out.

"So could Don." She remarked. I glared. I hadn't really seen or spoken to Don since that day at the hospital back in August. He'd listen to everybody when they told him to leave me alone. Rebecca had called to apologize; stating that her and Don were just friends. She said that she wouldn't have gone out with him even that one time had she known. I didn't blame her. I didn't blame Don either, not really. I was just tired of him not being able to decide anything. I told him I'd wait and I would, but I wasn't a patient person. "Are you thinking about Mark?"

"No." Mark was the newest journalist at the PR department. He was friendly enough and had asked me out last week. I let him down gently, letting him now that I wasn't dating anyone anytime soon. He'd been content with that but it didn't stop him from trying to hang out with us. I felt bad for him, though. He was new to the city and didn't really know anyone. "He's a nice guy, but you know why I said 'no.'"

"Yeah, I do." Sam looked at some of the watches. "I don't know; they're nice but nothing says 'buy me'." I nodded and we headed out of the store. "We could go shopping on Black Friday."

"You could go shopping on Black Friday." I raised an eyebrow at her. I hated shopping on Black Friday; I'd done it once and that was enough.

"The best deals. It would be fun" She teased. I knew her enough to know that she didn't want to go shopping on Black Friday any more than I did. "This store looks promising." She pulled me into a men's clothing store.

"Can I help you ladies with anything?" A sales person approached us. He was definitely sizing us up. It was as if he was trying to see if we could afford anything in that store. I doubted it.

"We're just looking." Sam smiled politely. I would have liked to smack that fake smile off her face, but I was being the Grinch so I figured I'd hold back. That didn't stop me from rolling my eyes though.

"Anything in particular?" He was persistent.

"She's looking for a Christmas present for her fiancé." I knew she didn't like using that word yet. She glared at me. "He's athletic; big into hockey." No need to mention names right now. I wondered if this guy had ever been to a hockey game.

"What's his favorite team?" Sam and I looked at each; both of us were trying not to laugh. He waited for our answer.

"The New York Rangers, of course." Sam replied after gaining her composure back.

"Isn't that Eric McClanahan?" Some guy asked as the door chimed, signaling that someone had entered the store. I swore I heard Sam moan. I looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

"I was so hoping to get the shopping done before I saw him." She muttered and then plastered a smile on her face when he approached. I laughed.

"What's so funny?" Eric looked at me.

"Nothing at all; your fiancé and I were just looking for a Christmas present for you." And cue death glare from Sam. Oh, boy, was I a Grinch. "She was going to get you a framed jersey." I couldn't help it.

"Oh, you were?" He teased. He kissed Sam on the forehead and then looked at the sales person.

"Can I help you with anything, Mr. McClanahan?" He asked seeming completely in shock that Eric was standing there.

"Not really. I just noticed that my fiancé and cousin were in here so I decided to stop in." He smiled politely back at the man. The guy looked between me and Sam. I had to get out of there before I lost composure and cracked up laughing. "You ladies finished in here?"

"Yes, at least I am." I replied as I spotted Don coming out of one of the dressing rooms. "I'll catch you guys later." I left in a hurry. I didn't want to stick around for any awkward moments. I ducked into the nearest store and hid behind a clothing rack.

"Can I help you with anything?" I turned to the sales woman.

"Truthfully, I'm trying to hide. It's a long story and I'd rather not go into details with a complete stranger…" I looked at the window. Crap! Sam spotted me; Eric and Don were with her.

"Well, while you're hiding, maybe you'd like to see what we have on sale? There are some great pieces for the holidays." She smiled. I nodded and went to look at the sales racks.

"Cailín, what are you doing?" Sam came up next to me.

"Shopping. What does it look like I'm doing?" I didn't look at her. I held up a dark red v-neck sweater.

"It looks like you're trying to avoid my brother. Cailín, you can't keep avoiding him like this. You two need to talk things out; get everything out in the open and move on. It has become very awkward when we're all hanging out together." Sam laid a hand on my shoulder. I grabbed a couple of pants and went into the dressing room.

"What's going on?" I could hear Eric talking to Sam.

"She's trying to avoid me, again." Don was there. As I was wondering how long I could hang out in the dressing room, my phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey, sis, what's up?" It was Jason.

"Nothing much, just shopping." I tried to sound normal. "What's up with you?"

"Sarah was wondering if you wanted to come down for Thanksgiving?" He paused. "I was thinking that you might since you might need to get away from the city for a few days." He knew me too well.

"That sounds wonderful, actually. I can get there on Wednesday and spend the weekend. I'll have to be back to work on Monday." This just made my day so much better. We finalized the plans and then I hung up. I looked at myself in the mirror. I looked tired; I felt tired. Not physically but mentally and emotionally exhausted. I need to get away from the city for a little while.

"Cailín?" Eric looked at me. I headed to the cash register with the clothes. "What's going on with you?"

"Nothing, Eric, I'm fine." The four of us headed out of the store.

"What are you doing for Thanksgiving? Please tell me you're not going to wallow in self-pity at home?" Sam looked at me; I knew she was concerned about me. "You know you're always welcomed to join us."

"Thanks, Sam, but I'm actually going to Jason's. He just called and Sarah wants me to come for Thanksgiving. Can you guys just stop worrying about me? Please?" It made me feel worse actually.

"Until you can stop being a Grinch, we'll continue to worry about you. You're family, Cailín." Eric squeezed my shoulder. I smiled a little.

"I think I'm just going to go home. I'll talk to you guys later." I headed for the pub.

Don's POV

I had been shocked to see Cailín with Samantha and Eric in the store. She was the last person I expected to see when I came out of the dressing room. Apparently, I was the last person she wanted to see. She bolted out of the store so fast, I wasn't sure what happened. We walked down the sidewalk and Sam spotted her in another clothing store. They were talking and then Cailín went into the dressing room. That's when Eric and I went in.

"What's going on?" Eric looked at Sam.

"She's trying to avoid me, again." I said. They knew I was right. I thought I heard her phone ring but I wasn't paying attention to her conversation. I needed to talk to her but she'd been avoiding me ever since the hospital in August. I still felt horrible about that.

"Cailín?" Eric asked as she came out of the dressing room and headed to the cash register. "What's going on with you?"

"Nothing, Eric, I'm fine." She replied as we headed out of the store.

"What are you doing for Thanksgiving? Please tell me you're not going to wallow in self-pity at home?" Sam was concerned about her. We all were. "You know you're always welcomed to join us."

"Thanks, Sam, but I'm actually going to Jason's. He just called and Sarah wants me to come for Thanksgiving. Can you guys just stop worrying about me? Please?" She sounded run down; like she needed a break from everything.

"Until you can stop being a Grinch, we'll continue to worry about you. You're family, Cailín." Eric replied and she smiled a little.

"I think I'm just going to go home. I'll talk to you guys later." I watched as she walked out of sight.

"Don, I don't care if you're trying to give her space, or what, you need to talk to her." Eric turned on me.

"Just the other day, you and everyone else were saying that I need to leave her alone; that she needed her space." I countered. I knew he was right; there was no way to avoid the truth anymore.

"Don, I know what we've said. She's miserable. She hardly wants to hang out anymore and when she does it's awkward. I know you've felt that." Sam looked at me. I nodded. I had felt that it was awkward whenever Cailín and I were in the same room; of course that rarely happened anymore. "Go, talk to her."

"Alright, but if she's worse tomorrow, don't blame me." I said. I got into my car and headed to the pub. I looked to see if she was inside before heading to the apartment door. I knocked and then waited.

"Just a minute!" I heard her call out. I could hear barking in the distance. "Oh, Berlin, hush." The barking stopped. "Don?" She opened the door.

"I know I'm probably the last person you want to see right now, but we really need to talk." She stepped aside and I entered the apartment. "You changed things around." I noticed that she had rearranged her living room.

"Yeah, it opened the space more." She walked over to her light table and turned it off. "What do you want to talk about?" She leaned against the bar and crossed her arms.

"That day at the hospital." I looked at her. She seemed so closed off and I had no idea how to reach her.

"What about it?" Berlin came up and sat beside her. She looked at the puppy and then at me.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think. Cailín, I…" I didn't know what to say anymore.

"Don, I don't blame you. I'm not mad about that. It's just that when you left that message…and then hearing from Rebecca that you two had gone out on a date…" She paused. "I know that I said I would wait and I will, but I'm sick and tired of getting mixed messages. I can't help but feel awkward around you and knowing that that makes everyone else feel awkward…"

"I know. I'm not trying to confuse you. After you went to Annapolis to recover, I couldn't stop thinking about you. I couldn't stop thinking about the fact that I could have lost you that day. When I saw you laying on the ground covered in blood… the only thing I thought about was running into that café and seeing Jess covered in blood, struggling to live. Cai, I couldn't shake that memory; I felt like I was reliving it. I didn't go to the hospital because I was afraid. I was afraid of losing you like I lost Jess. Mac came over and chewed me out and then Jason came over and chewed me out." I ran my hand through my hair as I tried to think of the right words.

"Don." She walked over to me and laid her hands on my shoulders. "Look at me." I couldn't look her in the eyes. "Don, I get it. I do. If it had been you, I would have felt the same way. I'm not mad at you. Sometimes I just feel that it's better if we don't hang out together. It makes everyone else feel awkward. I know everyone as told you to give me some space. Jason told me that he didn't want me talking to you for a while. Of course that was back in August, after he listened to your message." She sighed. "Don, I wish you'd look at me." She rested her forehead against mine and rested a hand on the back of my neck.

"Cai, I…" Before I knew what was happening, I felt her lips brush against mine. A jolt of electricity flowed through me as my body responded to that touch. I fought against it; as hard as I could I fought against it. As suddenly as it happened, she was gone. I opened my eyes and saw that she was in the kitchen. "What was that?"

"A mistake, obviously." I could hear the hurt in her voice; the hurt that was probably evident in her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"I'm the one who should be sorry. Cailín, it wasn't a mistake." She stopped whatever it was that she was doing. "Cai, I really need to tell you something. The night that Eric and Sam got engaged…" I searched for the right words. "I couldn't believe that you had come back earlier than what Sam had told me. A few days later, as I was listening to the radio, I realized something." I paused. I wanted her to look at me.

"What did you realize, Flack?" She turned to face me. I approached her and held her face. As she tried to pull away, I knew that I had to tell her.

"I realized that I'm in love with you; that somewhere along the way I've fallen so hard that you were the one I'd miss when I woke up in the morning. You were the one constantly on my mind. Cailín Star McClanahan, I love you." I stepped back when she didn't say anything. "Am I too late?" I knew she said she'd wait, but had she given up? Had she decided that she'd waited long enough?

"Don Flack…" She smiled. "You are an idiot." She laughed a little and her eye sparkled with unshed tears.

"What?" I smiled a little; unsure of what she was trying to say.

"They could have told you that. I think they all knew; they tried telling me but I wouldn't listen. I wouldn't believe it until it came from your lips." She rested her hands on my hips. "It's about time." She wrapped her arms around me and rested her head on my shoulder.

"I don't know why I didn't see it sooner; I could have saved us both a lot of headaches and heartaches."

"You didn't see it because you didn't want to; you couldn't get past the past. I've been there; I know what it's like." She pulled back to look in my eyes. "Don, I love you. I've always been in love with you." I smiled as she did. "Do you want to join us for Thanksgiving?" I thought for a moment.

"I can't. I promised Pops that I'd spend the day with him, Sam, and Eric. Maybe I can make it there Thursday evening and spend the weekend with you?" I kissed her nose.

"I'd like that. I think Jason might like that too." She rested her head on my shoulder again. We could have stayed like that all night but there was a knock on the door. "Who is it?"

"It's Sam and Eric." She looked at me before going to the door.

"What are you guys doing here?" I asked as they entered the apartment.

"Checking to make sure Cailín isn't contemplating suicide because you broke her heart again." Eric glared at me. I rolled my eyes and Cailín did too. She looked at me and smiled.

"Oh ye of little faith, cousin." Cailín walked over to me and I wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Does this mean you've finally come to your senses, Don?" Sam asked, hopeful.

"If you're referring to me realizing that admitting my feelings for Cailín would lift a weight off my shoulders as coming to my senses, then yes." I smiled.

"So no more moping around, Cailín?" Sam looked at her.

"No more moping around, Samantha."