"So where is the future Mrs. Christmas?" Barney asked when it was about eight o'clock. He'd noticed Lee checking his phone here and there when he thought Barney wasn't paying attention. He knew something was up.

"Working," Lee answered.

"Really."

"Yes, Barney. She works a lot. This job is demanding."

"You're gonna believe that?"

"I have to!" Lee exploded. It had been building since he'd picked him up from Blue Hill. Barney's lack of faith had finally gotten to him. The comments about marrying Emily instead had thrown him. He was tired of this, so tired.

"I have to," he said again, less loudly but just as firmly. "And if you're going to be my friend, then you're going to have to just stand by me and accept it. If you can't do that, then there's the door." He gestured, and he saw Barney silently chew on the words. He didn't want to lose his friend, but he couldn't take this constant pressure to leave Lacy either.

"All right," Barney said quietly after a moment. "I'll stop."

"Thank you," Lee said, feeling relieved. He'd half expected Barney to walk out.

"You mind if I use the couch?" he asked. "I spend far too many nights on that plane."

"Yea, no problem," Lee answered, going to get some bedding. He set it on the table for when Barney was ready for bed. They settled down to play some X Box for a while, and it finally felt like normal between them again.

"You mind if I mention Emily to Toll?" Barney asked casually after a while. Lee tensed at this. He looked at Barney, feeling a bit confused.

"Toll?" he repeated.

"Yea. I think they'd hit it off. Don't you?"

"Maybe, but she's not interested in dating right now." It was a slight lie, but he didn't want Emily going out with Toll. He didn't know why.

"Really?"

"Yea."

"How do you know?"

"She told me," Lee lied again. Barney watched him carefully for a moment. It made Lee tack on the rest of the words in his mind to that sentence. "If she was, I'd be the first one to introduce them. You know that."

"I thought so," Barney said, turning back to the TV screen. Lee swallowed. He had a feeling his friend's bullshit meter was going crazy right now, and it wouldn't be wrong.

...

"He's what?" Tool asked, stuffing a finger into his ear so he could hear Barney better.

"He's into his wedding planner."

"What?!"

"HE'S INTO HIS WEDDING PLANNER!" Barney bellowed. "God, Tool, get your head out of your arse."

"I heard you!"

"But you just..."

"It was an exclamation," Tool interrupted. "As in whaaaaaaat the blue blazes are you talking about?!" Caesar, Toll, and Gunner all looked at him with a bemused expression. At least it finally shut them up so he could hear. "How do you know this?"

"I asked him if it would be okay to set her up with Toll, and he answered so fast with a no and a made up excuse about her not dating right now that we both knew was a lie cos he likes her."

"That sounds like a Christmas thing to do," Tool agreed. "So what's the plan?"

"I'm keeping it on the down low, but I'm gonna hang out for a few more days and feel things out."

"Alright."

"Wish me luck."

"What?"

"I said...!"

"I know, I know. I'm just messing with ya," Tool interrupted, cackling at his own humor. Barney promptly hung up on him, which was a typical Barney-type response. He was used to it. It was just hilarious that Barney didn't see how much Lee was like him and how hard this mission of his was going to be.

...

Emily sipped her drink slowly. She hadn't gone home because she couldn't face that empty apartment yet. Sometimes she needed noise and chaos to help keep her thoughts at bay. A bar was a great place to do that. She watched couples kissing, couples dancing, couples laughing, couples fighting. She watched men try to pick up women and fail. She watched women flaunt and try to get the attention of a man and succeed. She watched the bartender run around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to keep up with all the orders. It was all so much better than thinking about the people she'd lost.

"Can I buy you a drink?" a guy asked, stopping in front of her.

"Oh, thank you, but no," she replied. "I'm just about to head out."

"That's too bad. You look like you'd be good company," he went on. She examined him carefully. He was blond and about 5'7. His blue eyes sparkled in the lights, and he had a dimple on his left cheek. Emily didn't go out with guys very often. She didn't really care to because it would mean getting hurt again, but every once in a while, she needed a fix.

"What the hell," Emily said, giving in. "Why not?"

"Right? You only live once," he grinned. "I'm Scott."

"Emily."

"Nice to meet you. You've got such beautiful eyes..."

...

Andy was helping clean up with Jane after dinner. Kevin's food had been amazing, and she'd complimented it a lot. She remembered having fun working with him from time to time. He was a really nice guy, and she was very happy for Jane to have met him.

"No kids yet?" Andy asked, thinking about it.

"Um, no," Jane answered. There was something about her tone that raised a flag for Andy. She lowered the plate she was drying in her hands.

"You wanna talk about it?" she offered.

"Nothing really to talk about," Jane said, not looking at her as she scrubbed the pot a little harder than usual.

"You know I'm not a guy, right? You can't bullshit me as easily," Andy said. Jane gave a snort at this before wiping her forehead with her arm.

"I can't bullshit Kevin either, so not all guys buy it," she said. "Or maybe it's just me. Maybe I'm a terrible bullshitter."

"You know what I mean," Andy said, exasperated. Some men didn't want to deal with drama, so they pretended to accept the "I don't want to talk about it" line or the "I'm fine" response. Others knew it was bullshit and pushed through the wall.

"It's no big deal, and I really don't want to talk about it," Jane said, finally looking at her. Andy decided to drop it for now, but she had an idea as to why Jane didn't want to talk about it.

Jane was slightly rattled. She didn't want to tell Andy that she and Kevin had tried for three years to have a baby and nothing worked. They were told it would probably never work but to keep trying. No doctor could fix their problem it seemed, no matter what they tried and did and endured, so they were left heartbroken. Kevin wanted to adopt, but Jane wasn't ready. She didn't know why.

"Thanks for cleaning up, love," Kevin said, kissing her cheek and squeezing her side gently as he passed. It hurt her to not be able to give him a child, but she knew he felt the exact same way.

"I should get going," Andy said when they were finished. "Thank you again for dinner!"

"Anytime," Jane said with a smile. The tension was gone for the moment. They hugged, and Kevin shook Andy's hand, and then she was gone.

"Come on," Kevin said, reaching for her hand. "Let's go kick some butts on Jeopardy." She took his hand, smiling. They got so loud shouting out the answers and trying to outdo each other, but it was a lot of fun. It was just what she needed to get her mind off of their baby woes.

...

Lee had gotten ready for bed when Barney went out for a walk and a smoke. He looked to see it was 10:30. It made him feel anxious. He was trying to prove to Barney that Lacy was trustworthy and faithful, but this behavior was not helping her case. Thankfully, Barney didn't say anything when he returned. He got set up on the couch and said goodnight. Lee went to his room and paced for a while, debating on calling her.

At midnight, she came home. He was sitting on the edge of his bed when she slipped into the bedroom. She stopped in her tracks when she saw him sitting there watching her.

"Hi," she said.

"Hey."

"You didn't have to wait up for me," she told him, moving to the dresser and taking off her earrings slowly. Her necklace came off next. Then her bracelet.

"It's after midnight, Lace," he said, keeping his voice as nonjudgmental and non-accusing as he could.

"I know," she said abruptly. "There's just a lot of work to do."

"I could do a survey and find out that every job consists of a lot of work to do, and very rarely does someone work from seven in the morning until midnight every single day unless they're a doctor or a cop or some other emergency service. Admin assistants don't work 17 hour days, Lace."

"This is more than just being an admin!" she exclaimed, yanking her pajamas on angrily. "I'm building a name for myself. I'm going to go places after just one year of working for this company. I'm going to be the head honcho someday, and all this hard work will have paid off!"

"It's killing us, Lace," Lee said quietly, not engaging in the argument the way she wanted him to. She always was the one to start yelling. Lee did his best to stay calm. Once he got mad, people usually got shot or stabbed. He didn't want to do that anymore and most definitely not to people he loved.

"It's temporary, Lee," she insisted, moving to sit beside him now. She took his hand in hers and held it tightly. "It's one year. Then we're laughing."

"I can't do this wedding thing alone. I need you."

"And I'll be here. I was looking at the book and your notes the other night. It looks great! Tell me about Blue Hill," she said, patting his knee eagerly.

"You should have been there with me. I felt like an idiot."

"I'm sure you did fine!"

"I don't even know what your favorite dessert is," Lee said suddenly, getting to his feet and pacing. "I winged it!"

"Oh, well I really like vanilla cake," Lacy said. His face grew a shadow over it, and she blinked. "What's wrong?"

"I picked the bloody cheese cake," he growled.

"That's fine! I love that too! Honey, you gotta relax," she said, getting up and going over to him. She gathered him in her arms, and he let her hug him tightly. For half a second, he thought he caught a whiff of cologne, one that definitely wasn't his. He tensed, but he couldn't smell it again, so he assumed his brain was trying to find anything that proved his worst fears were true that it was making up scents.

"Look," she said, smoothing his arms with her hands now. "I have this weekend off. Let's just hang out here together and relax and do a little bit of wedding stuff. Okay?"

"Alright."

He felt himself relax again. She kissed him softly and gave him a smile. He smiled back. They were going to be just fine.

Take that, Barney.

The Next Day

Emily was standing outside the men's wear store waiting for Lee and Barney. It would appear that Barney had conceded to being a groomsman after all and was going to get his tux now before going back to New Orleans. Emily wasn't sure what changed overnight, but it wasn't her business. She'd managed to squeeze them in between her other clients.

"Sorry we're late," Lee said, approaching her finally with Barney in tow.

"Don't apologize to me, apologize to Eduardo," Emily said.

"Eduardo?" Barney repeated as they went inside. They were greeted by a Brazilian man with a brilliant white toothed smile. After scolding Lee and Barney about time constraints and the importance of appointments, he clapped his hands together and led the charge to the back. Emily's phone went off with a text message, and she trailed behind to look at it.

Last night was fun ;) Dinner tonight?

She hesitated. She wasn't sure why she'd given him her number. It was only supposed to be a fling, but he'd managed to wheedle it out of her along with the agreement to see each other again.

"Earth to Emily," Lee said, waving a hand across her vision and making her look up at him.

"Huh?"

"I said Lacy is going to come and see you Friday afternoon. She's off early and doesn't work this weekend. Finally."

"Oh. Great."

"Who's Scott?" Lee asked, frowning as he suddenly noticed the message she was looking at on her phone.

"Nobody," she answered, clicking her phone off and cramming it back into her bag.

"Were you on a date last night?" he questioned. There was something almost panicky in his tone. She wasn't sure why her dating would upset him.

"What's it to you?" she challenged.

"Was he a gentleman?"

"Why do you care?"

"Oye!" Barney called, interrupting their exchange. "Do you mind? I'm getting a headache." Emily was staring at Lee, who was grinding his jaw slightly as he looked back at her. Why the hell did he care so much? It made her pull out her phone, slide open her messages, and respond back to Scott with a "yes."

Lee watched her do it, and he was breathing slightly heavier when she was done.

"My life is no business of yours," she told him, moving past him to observe Barney getting measured for his tux. He was a bit jumpy and kept looking at the tailor suspiciously, especially when he touched Barney's legs.

"You know how to do pants, right?" he asked.

"Yes, sir."

"No moving things around."

"I wouldn't dream of it, sir."

Emily was reminded of Chandler from Friends telling a bewildered Joey that his tailor took advantage of him and immediately had to stifle her sudden laughter. A snort managed to come through, though, and the tailor shot her a look. She wondered if he knew what she was thinking or if others had told him about the skit.

"You okay?" Barney asked her.

"I'm fine," she answered, nodding and clearing her throat.

"So, you're going out with this guy again," Lee said, not dropping it at all or paying attention to the tailor and her snorting. She gave an exasperated sigh.

"Yes, I am. So what? He was nice. We talked a lot, and he wants to buy me dinner. I'm single. I'm allowed," she added.

"You're dating someone?" Barney asked. He looked at Lee. "I thought you said she wasn't into dating right now."

What? WHAT?! Emily gaped at Lee. Why would he tell Barney that?!

"It's news to me," Lee answered Barney.

"Excuse me, but again, my personal life is none of your business!" Emily exclaimed.

"All good here," the tailor said, getting up and stepping away with his measurements.

"Thank you," Emily said to him, lowering her voice back to normal levels for him. "I'll be in touch around pick up."

"Sounds good."

"Pay the man," Emily ordered Lee, walking past him now. Barney was behind her. They made it outside after Eduardo chased them out with talks of good deals and family discounts, and once they were in the clear, Barney turned to face her.

"I was going to see if you wanted to meet one of the guys," he said, surprising her, "but Lee said you weren't interested in dating right now."

"I don't understand why he would even say that," Emily said, annoyed.

"Because he likes you."

"Are you joking? You must be joking. He's getting married!" she spluttered.

"Yea, to a woman we both know is using him and doesn't really love him. Look, you gotta help me out," Barney said quickly, looking over her shoulder. Lee was going to come out any second. "I need this wedding to stop. He's making a huge mistake, and he knows it."

"You're not dragging me into this," Emily said, holding up her right hand. "It's none of my business."

"Can you ethically continue planning a wedding when it's wrong?"

"I'm not a priest. I'm not marrying them. I'm just helping to get it ready. If they decide not to, then that's their choice."

"He won't make that choice," Barney insisted, getting slightly aggravated. "He's going through with this to spite me, and it's only gonna hurt him in the end."

"I'm sorry. I can't help you."

"But you could..."

"Correction: I don't want to," she said. He opened his mouth to say something else, but Lee burst out of the building then, and Emily busied herself with her phone again while Barney dropped his hands to his side and made a slight "harrumph" noise.

"Okay, so I have to get back for my next couple," she said. "You guys are free to go." She looked up at Lee, and she swore that if he brought up her date again she'd punch him in the face herself.

"Thanks," he said. "See you later."

"Tell Lacy five will work great on Friday."

"I will."

She said her goodbyes and hailed a cab. She got in when one arrived, and she looked out the window as they passed Lee's truck. She found him watching her from the driver's seat, and she could tell he was disgruntled. She looked away and sat back in her seat, feeling slightly confused.

...

Lacy had no idea how she was going to do an entire weekend with Lee without him noticing Hutch texting her. It was easy to hide it when she barely saw him. She didn't know why Hutch wouldn't stop texting her when she asked him to. It was like he wanted her to get caught. It was aggravating her.

They'd spent the evening at his place. Lacy had tried to hold off, but he was too irresistible. Then she'd come home to find Lee in a dither about their relationship getting killed by her work. She'd almost cracked and told him right then and there, but she didn't because she had told Hutch again that it was the last time. No more.

She went through their wedding planning book. She was going to see Emily Friday afternoon to go over some things. Miranda was going to be away for the weekend, leaving Thursday night, so Lacy felt confident she wouldn't get called in for anything when she left work. Judith seemed reluctant to let her have a weekend free, but she'd worked so much in the last month and a half that it was owed to her. Despite feeling tired all the time, Lacy was enjoying her work more and more. She was catching on to things better and managing her schedule better.

"What are you doing this weekend?" Hutch asked, materializing out of nowhere. Lacy whipped her head to see if anyone was watching. Thankfully, no one was. Judith was on the phone with her head down. Miranda's office door was also shut.

"I'm spending it with my fiance," Lacy answered, enunciating the word "fiance."

"Oh, him. You sure? I thought maybe we could catch a ball game or something."

"No. We're done, remember?"

"You keep saying that, but then you keep coming back for more," Hutch teased, resting his elbows on her desk.

"Get off," Lacy hissed, shooing him with her hand.

"No one cares."

"I care! Now, leave me alone," she ordered.

"I'll be hitting up a club Saturday night," Hutch said. "I'll text you which one in case you're interested."

"I'm not, and please don't text me."

"Later, doll," Hutch said with a wink before walking out of the office. Lacy felt her chest tighten with anxiety. What had she done? How could she have done this? What was wrong with her?

"Lacy?"

She looked at Judith, who had a hand over the receiver of her phone. "Yes?"

"You gotta go meet Greg Peters right now. He has a pick up for Miranda. Those dresses she wanted."

"Okay. I'm on it." Lacy stood up, threw on her coat, and grabbed her bag. She hurried out of there, stuffing her hands into her pockets as she did so. The cold wind was sharp on her face as she walked and hailed a cab. Lee grew farther from her thoughts as she went on. She began thinking about work and the next task she was facing: the benefit. It was mandatory for both assistants to go now, and she had to memorize a lot of people. It was hard work. She had less than a week to be prepared, and she didn't think she could pull it off.

She gave the cab driver the address for Mr. Peters and leaned her head back. It was going to be a long day.

...

Lee couldn't help himself. He went to the FLWP office to talk to Emily after he dropped Barney off at the private air strip and said his goodbyes. He didn't have to ask to know that Barney had been talking to Emily about him outside the clothing store. He wasn't an idiot. He just didn't care in that moment to confront it. He had something else on his mind: Emily going on a date.

It drove him crazy thinking of her with some strange guy. He didn't know why it bothered him so much, but it did. He just wanted her to be safe. He wanted to check out this guy and deem him safe for Emily.

He was her friend. Friends cared for each other's wellbeing.

"Hey, Alison," he said as he walked in.

"Oh, she's in with clients..." Alison started.

"I can wait."

Jane popped her head out of her office at this point. She saw Lee and gestured to him to come down to join her, so he did. She shut the door behind her after he entered and sat down. Soapy materialized from under Jane's desk and hopped up onto his lap.

"Hey, girl," he said, petting her affectionately. "How's it going?"

"Pregnant and moody," Jane answered. "She's extra touchy if you ignore her."

"It'll be over soon," Lee promised the cat, rubbing her ears and chin with a finger.

"Is there something I can help you with?" Jane asked, going to sit behind her desk.

"Uh, no. I need to talk to Emily," he answered, gesturing at the door with his thumb. Jane surveyed him carefully, and he felt nervous suddenly. She had this shark-like look in her eyes that made him feel like she could see his deepest, darkest secrets.

"If it's related to the wedding, I'm sure you'll find me quite useful since I do the same job," Jane insisted.

"It...it's personal," Lee admitted. He squirmed in his chair slightly as she stared at him.

"I see," she said.

"So," he said after a moment, clearing his throat, "you're married to that Malcolm Doyle bloke."

"I am, but don't change the subject," Jane said, narrowing her eyes at him. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Excuse me?"

"Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about," she said firmly. "Your face gives it all away each and every time you look at Emily. So why the hell are you marrying someone else?"

"Oh, not you too," he groaned, rubbing his face with his right hand furiously. "Look, like I told my best friend: I love Lacy. I'm marrying Lacy. End of story."

"Okay, but see, I don't buy that," Jane replied.

"So what? You think I'm secretly in love with Emily? Is that it?"

"Yea," she answered. "I do."

"Well, I'm not."

"So why are you here right now?" she challenged. He opened and closed his mouth. How could he tell Jane that he wanted to interrogate Emily about her date tonight without her thinking it was because he was in love with her himself?

"I just...wanted to ask her opinion on something. About Lacy," he added quickly. "That's all."

"So ask me. I'm good at this sort of thing," Jane said, resting her chin on her folded hands. He knew he was caught out. He knew that she knew he was bullshitting her. God, she could be the female version of Barney. It was kind of scary.

"It relates to Lacy's job," he said slowly. "I just had some questions."

"Try me."

"I really don't want to. I don't know you that well."

"You're proving me right here, Lee," Jane said rather smugly. He got to his feet, making Soapy bail and go back to hiding under Jane's desk.

"I don't think I am. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go now." He opened the door and walked out, heading down the hallway. He paused outside Emily's door. He could hear voices, and then her door opened to reveal an elderly couple who were grinning ear to ear with Emily escorting them out from behind.

"Well, aren't you a handsome man!" the woman commented, taking in Lee's appearance appreciatively.

"Hey, now," the man said, nudging her. "I'm still here."

"I'm teasing, Mel," she chuckled. "You know my eyes are only for you." She linked her arm through his, and they walked out together slowly. Lee watched, feeling something inside at the sight of this sweetness.

"Did you forget something?" Emily asked, making him look at her.

"New clients?" he inquired, ignoring the question.

"Yes."

"Can I help?"

"Wh-what?"

"I'd really like to help with it." He didn't know why he was offering. It was partly because he didn't want to admit the real reason he was there and partly because something about that couple struck a chord with him. He had the urge to see their wedding through.

"Actually, that wouldn't be a bad idea," Emily said after a moment, taking him by surprise. Normally she didn't want him around. He could tell, even though she did her best to hide it.

"Yea?"

"Yes. They want to get married just before Christmas, and I know Andy and Jane are swamped. Nigel is busy too, so having you as an extra pair of hands will really help me out."

"That's like two months away..."

"I know, but it's when they met, and...well, there's a whole story attached to it that I'll explain later, but it's a simple wedding they're after, so it won't be hard. It's just easier with some help."

"Count me in," Lee promised.

"Why are you really here?" Emily asked, narrowing an eye at him.

"I just...I wanted to let you know that...erm," he trailed off.

"Em?" Jane called, startling him. They both turned to see her standing in her doorway. "I need your help with something."

"Right now?"

"Yes."

"Alright. Lee, I'll call you later to set up a time to discuss this wedding, okay?"

"Okay." He caught Jane mouthing, "You owe me" behind Emily's back. He knew he did. She'd saved him from trying to lie about why he was there. Emily gave him a small smile and went to Jane's office. Lee walked out of there feeling a bit bewildered. He'd gone in there with the intention of doing one thing and came out having signed up for something completely different. He got into his truck, feeling a bit lost. Thinking about her on a date with another guy was chewing at him in a way he couldn't understand. It's what possessed him to wait and see this guy pick Emily up after she was finished work. It's what led him to following them and parking outside the restaurant for over an hour. It's what made him follow them back to Emily's apartment where he watched them walk inside together, arm in arm. Emily was laughing. The bozo she was hanging off of had a wolfish look to him almost. Lee swallowed. He felt a bit sick. Once they disappeared into the building, he sat there getting his breath back before starting up his truck and driving home.

He tried very hard not to think about what it'd be like to kiss Emily Charlton.

Friday

Emily looked up when Lacy came into her office. The woman was definitely thinner than the last time she'd seen her. She also looked very worn out, but she had bright eyes and a smile to offer Emily when she sat down.

"Hi," she said. "I'm so sorry I've been so MIA. This new job is just insane. It keeps me busy almost 24/7."

"I know," Emily replied.

"How do you know?" Lacy asked, confused.

"I know Miranda Priestly," Emily answered, avoiding telling her she'd done the same job Lacy was doing right now. "She's a bit of a bull."

"That's putting it nicely," Lacy said with a laugh. "Anyway, I've finally got a weekend off, so it's going to be great spending time with Lee."

"Good." Emily nodded with a smile.

"So, catch me up," Lacy said, getting comfortable in her chair. "Where are we at with our wedding?"

So Emily went over everything they'd done so far, and Lacy nodded and mmhmmed a lot and smiled. Emily thought she could see something behind Lacy's eyes, though. She couldn't pinpoint what it was exactly, but it seemed like Lacy was hiding something. She knew it wasn't her business, but she did hope for Lee's sake it wasn't anything huge.

"Do you think it'd be all right if we go look at dresses together?" Lacy asked a little shyly. "I...I don't have any sisters, and my best friend can't get here because of her work, and my schedule is so full..."

"Of course," Emily agreed easily.

"Perfect! Shall we go now? I know of a place I'd like to try."

"Lead the way," Emily said, gesturing. Lacy chatted about work as they walked. Emily nodded in all the right places. She could really care less to hear about working for Miranda.

...

Lee looked up when Lacy came home. She was smiling wide. He chuckled as she came over and tapped his nose with her finger before kissing him.

"What's got you so happy?" he asked.

"I got a dress," she answered. "No, not just a dress. The dress."

"Oh yea?"

"Yes! Em and I went, and it just screamed my name off the rack. It was the third dress I tried on," Lacy finished proudly. Hearing her say Em and not Emily took him slightly off guard. He thought only he did that, but then again, why would he be the only one to call her that?

"That's great," he said with another smile. "I don't suppose I'm allowed to see it?"

"No!" she laughed, swatting at him. "Em's hanging onto it for me so you won't be tempted to peek at it while I'm at work."

"I see."

"Not that I don't trust you," she said, pulling him in for a hug. "I just don't want to tempt you."

"It's fine."

"I love you," she said suddenly, kissing him again. "Shall we start our weekend off right?" She tilted her head towards their bedroom door.

"All right," he agreed readily. He reached to pinch her playfully, and she shrieked and ran away down the hall. He chased after her, and laughing and horsing around with her just solidified that he did indeed love her. He was being an idiot thinking about Emily. There was nothing there. Who was he kidding? He had really missed Lacy, the person he was going to be with forever. When he was with her, he didn't think about Emily. They'd spent too much time apart lately.

It was time to make up for it.