Sara Sidle had a rare night off. She had settled in for a night of
lounging around in her pajamas and downing chocolate chip cookie dough ice
cream. The fact that it was Christmas Eve set a sour note on the whole
night. She hadn't been particularly in the mood to celebrate a few days
before and hadn't bothered to buy a tree. Now she was regretting that
decision. She might put on a tough front at work, but right now, she was
just Sara, feeling lonely on one of the most family oriented holidays of
the entire year.
She took another bite out of the pint of ice cream and harrumphed to herself as she flipped channels on her TV. She wished she had sprung for Luna Cable like Nick had. He'd invited everyone over on more than one occasion to watch something on cable. The only channels Sara had were what she could pick up with a pair of rabbit ears and the choices were limited to 'It's a Wonderful Life' and some presentation of the New York Symphony. She decided that it was probably too late to go rent a movie, especially since she didn't feel like changing out of her pajamas.
A soft knock sounded at her door and she wondered who in the world would stop by unannounced on Christmas Eve. She pulled herself up off the couch, pulling the edge of her tank top down to cover a bit more of her exposed midriff. As she looked through the peep hole she wrinkled her brow, pulled back and looked again. This had to be some kind of joke. Santa Claus was standing on the other side of her front door. Of course it wasn't really Santa, Sara didn't believe in Santa. It was someone dressed in a Santa suit and quite frankly she figured that they had the wrong apartment.
Sara wasn't about to open the door to someone dressed up as a jolly old elf without knowing who was in the suit. As Santa knocked again, Sara called out through the door. "Who is it?"
"Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas!" The voice had a distinctive drawl.
Sara started to giggle. It couldn't possibly be, but then he was the only one she knew crazy enough to pull such a stunt. She opened the door with an eyebrow raised. "St. Nick I presume."
Nick chuckled in spite of himself. "In the flesh." He had a small Christmas tree, complete with stand, in his hand and a bag over his shoulder. "I come bearing gifts."
Sara opened her door and allowed him to come in. "Uh, can I ask you a question?"
"You just did." Nick chuckled putting the tree in the corner.
"What is this all about?" She was both intrigued and amused.
He laughed and his belly shook, or at least the padding he'd put on to get a belly shook. "It's Christmas Eve. I'm delivering presents." He looked amused.
"Did I miss something? Do you do this every year?" Sara crossed her arm in front of her body as he opened the bag and pulled out lights to put on the tree.
He grinned through the snowy white beard he wore as he strung the lights onto the tree. "I thought someone could use a little Christmas cheer. Besides I had the night off too."
She furrowed her brow. "I thought you were going to Dallas."
"I was, but the flight was overbooked and so I decided to stay here. Besides, I thought you could use some company." He finished stringing the lights on the tree and plugged them in.
Sara giggled. "Do you have any idea how ridiculous you look?"
Nick glanced up and chuckled. "I think I look rather festive thank you." He started to pull out ornaments and hang them on her tree. "You didn't have plans tonight did you?"
She shook her head in amusement and looked at him inquisitively. "Why? What did you have in mind? Going for a sleigh ride with your reindeer?"
Nick chuckled and stood up. "As fun as that sounds, I had something else in mind."
"What?" Sara sounded somewhat suspicious.
"I thought I spend Christmas with the most beautiful girl in Vegas, or the world for that matter." Nick smiled at her.
Sara giggled. "If you want me to take you seriously, you're going to have to at least lose the beard."
Nick grinned and pulled the hat off and then removed the wig and the beard, running his fingers through his shortly cropped hair. "Better?"
Sara nodded. A knock sounded at her door. She moved to answer it, but Nick reached out for her arm and stopped her, shaking his head. She looked at him curiously. "Your elves?"
He just grinned and went to the door where a pizza delivery man stood, completely nonplussed at Nick's attire. Nick paid him and closed the door. "Hungry?"
Sara regarded him with amusement. "You might want to start working out, Stokes, looks like you've put on a little weight."
"I'll keep that in mind." Nick quipped in return as he set the pizza on her coffee table. He shed his coat and then loosened the belt that held the pillow in place. In the process, his Santa pants puddled around his ankles.
"Is this some kind of strip show?" Sara was thoroughly amused as she sat down on the couch.
Nick raised an eyebrow. "Hardly." He wore a pair of blue jeans and a T- shirt under the Santa suit. After kicking off the Santa boots, he joined her on the couch. "Dinner?"
She chuckled. "You really know how to bring a party wherever you go."
He grinned. "Open the box."
She reached over and opened the pizza box, letting out a gasp as her jaw dropped. Spelled out in green peppers, were two words: marry me.
Nick looked at her expectantly and dropped to one knee, producing a black velvet ring box from his pocket. "Will you marry me?"
She threw her arms around his neck. "Oh, yes." Sara was crying and giggling all at the same time.
"I couldn't go to Dallas without you, Sara." He whispered in her ear.
"I'm glad you didn't. I'm so sorry I said I didn't want to go." She whispered back.
"Merry Christmas, baby. I love you." Nick held her close.
"I love you too. Merry Christmas, Nick." Sara pulled back, resting her forehead against Nick's before she leaned in and softly kissed him.
She took another bite out of the pint of ice cream and harrumphed to herself as she flipped channels on her TV. She wished she had sprung for Luna Cable like Nick had. He'd invited everyone over on more than one occasion to watch something on cable. The only channels Sara had were what she could pick up with a pair of rabbit ears and the choices were limited to 'It's a Wonderful Life' and some presentation of the New York Symphony. She decided that it was probably too late to go rent a movie, especially since she didn't feel like changing out of her pajamas.
A soft knock sounded at her door and she wondered who in the world would stop by unannounced on Christmas Eve. She pulled herself up off the couch, pulling the edge of her tank top down to cover a bit more of her exposed midriff. As she looked through the peep hole she wrinkled her brow, pulled back and looked again. This had to be some kind of joke. Santa Claus was standing on the other side of her front door. Of course it wasn't really Santa, Sara didn't believe in Santa. It was someone dressed in a Santa suit and quite frankly she figured that they had the wrong apartment.
Sara wasn't about to open the door to someone dressed up as a jolly old elf without knowing who was in the suit. As Santa knocked again, Sara called out through the door. "Who is it?"
"Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas!" The voice had a distinctive drawl.
Sara started to giggle. It couldn't possibly be, but then he was the only one she knew crazy enough to pull such a stunt. She opened the door with an eyebrow raised. "St. Nick I presume."
Nick chuckled in spite of himself. "In the flesh." He had a small Christmas tree, complete with stand, in his hand and a bag over his shoulder. "I come bearing gifts."
Sara opened her door and allowed him to come in. "Uh, can I ask you a question?"
"You just did." Nick chuckled putting the tree in the corner.
"What is this all about?" She was both intrigued and amused.
He laughed and his belly shook, or at least the padding he'd put on to get a belly shook. "It's Christmas Eve. I'm delivering presents." He looked amused.
"Did I miss something? Do you do this every year?" Sara crossed her arm in front of her body as he opened the bag and pulled out lights to put on the tree.
He grinned through the snowy white beard he wore as he strung the lights onto the tree. "I thought someone could use a little Christmas cheer. Besides I had the night off too."
She furrowed her brow. "I thought you were going to Dallas."
"I was, but the flight was overbooked and so I decided to stay here. Besides, I thought you could use some company." He finished stringing the lights on the tree and plugged them in.
Sara giggled. "Do you have any idea how ridiculous you look?"
Nick glanced up and chuckled. "I think I look rather festive thank you." He started to pull out ornaments and hang them on her tree. "You didn't have plans tonight did you?"
She shook her head in amusement and looked at him inquisitively. "Why? What did you have in mind? Going for a sleigh ride with your reindeer?"
Nick chuckled and stood up. "As fun as that sounds, I had something else in mind."
"What?" Sara sounded somewhat suspicious.
"I thought I spend Christmas with the most beautiful girl in Vegas, or the world for that matter." Nick smiled at her.
Sara giggled. "If you want me to take you seriously, you're going to have to at least lose the beard."
Nick grinned and pulled the hat off and then removed the wig and the beard, running his fingers through his shortly cropped hair. "Better?"
Sara nodded. A knock sounded at her door. She moved to answer it, but Nick reached out for her arm and stopped her, shaking his head. She looked at him curiously. "Your elves?"
He just grinned and went to the door where a pizza delivery man stood, completely nonplussed at Nick's attire. Nick paid him and closed the door. "Hungry?"
Sara regarded him with amusement. "You might want to start working out, Stokes, looks like you've put on a little weight."
"I'll keep that in mind." Nick quipped in return as he set the pizza on her coffee table. He shed his coat and then loosened the belt that held the pillow in place. In the process, his Santa pants puddled around his ankles.
"Is this some kind of strip show?" Sara was thoroughly amused as she sat down on the couch.
Nick raised an eyebrow. "Hardly." He wore a pair of blue jeans and a T- shirt under the Santa suit. After kicking off the Santa boots, he joined her on the couch. "Dinner?"
She chuckled. "You really know how to bring a party wherever you go."
He grinned. "Open the box."
She reached over and opened the pizza box, letting out a gasp as her jaw dropped. Spelled out in green peppers, were two words: marry me.
Nick looked at her expectantly and dropped to one knee, producing a black velvet ring box from his pocket. "Will you marry me?"
She threw her arms around his neck. "Oh, yes." Sara was crying and giggling all at the same time.
"I couldn't go to Dallas without you, Sara." He whispered in her ear.
"I'm glad you didn't. I'm so sorry I said I didn't want to go." She whispered back.
"Merry Christmas, baby. I love you." Nick held her close.
"I love you too. Merry Christmas, Nick." Sara pulled back, resting her forehead against Nick's before she leaned in and softly kissed him.