"I'm cute! She thinks I'm cuuute!"

Alicia could hear Merrill talking along with the TV in the living room, as she towel dried her hair in the bathroom.

She laughed to herself and said, "He's such a little kid."

Hanging up the towel, she left the bathroom and went into the living room. It was Christmas Eve. Merrill was sitting on the couch and attentively watching the TV, as he sipped on eggnog that Alicia had made previously that evening.

"Is that Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer?" she asked.

"Yeah. I'm almost 30 and I still love watching it. But don't tell any of my teammates."

"Your secret's safe with me."

Alicia looked around the apartment with pride and then went into the kitchen to pour herself some eggnog as well.

"We did a great job decorating the place," she said, "I especially love the tree."

"I'll tell you what I love- not feeling like the fifth wheel on Christmas with Graham and Colleen. It's so nice to actually spend Christmas with a girlfriend that I love with all my heart."

"So you've spent Christmases with other girls?"

"I've had girlfriends at Christmas, but I've always spent it with the family."

"Well I'm honored. Now scoot over."

Alicia sat down next to Merrill on the couch and he put his arm around her.

She pointed at one of the many presents underneath their medium-sized tree and said, "I wanna open that one tonight."

"Why that one?"

"It looks..I don't know- inviting."

"Did you and Colleen ever open up presents on Christmas Eve?"

"We opened one."

"Graham and I never did. We always liked to wait until the crack of dawn on Christmas. But if you want to open it, be my guest."

"But if I open a present, you have to also."

"OK."

He muted the TV. Meanwhile, Alicia took the present she wanted to open and grabbed one for Merrill as well. Then she sat on the couch and handed him the present.

"You go first," she said.

He smiled and started opening the present. When he finished, he grinned like a little kid.

"You're kidding me. You got me the entire Godfather trilogy on DVD?!"

"Graham said you had wanted it forever."

"This could quite possibly be the best gift I have ever gotten from a woman."

"You mean, besides my unconditional love and support."

"I mean material-wise, baby."

"I know. So you like it?"

"Like it? Baby, I love it! And I love you!"

Merrill gave Alicia a long kiss on her lips and then said, "Your turn."

Alicia took the present in her hands and began to slowly open the wrapping. She finally made her way to the velvet box that was beneath the paper. Her heart began racing when she realized that it was a ring box.

"Merrill," she said under her breath, "what did you get me?"

"Open the box, baby. You'll see."

She did so and squealed, "Oh my God, it's beautiful! But..it's not..it can't be…"

Merrill took the ring, which was white gold and encrusted with cubic zirconias, and replied, "It's not an engagement ring. It's a promise ring."

"I don't care what kind of ring it is- it's gorgeous, Merrill."

He held Alicia's right hand in his and said, "Whenever you look at this ring, I want you to remember what I'm about to say. I promise that no matter what happens to us- whether we get married or break up- I'll always be here for you. I promise I'll stand beside you- not in front of you or behind you- but beside you. You've made these last four months absolutely unbelievable and you've changed my entire perspective about falling in love. So.."

He slipped the ring on her finger and gave her a kiss.

"I hope you'll wear this and be reminded of how much I love and cherish you."

"I will. This is the most amazing thing I've ever gotten. No one's ever had such dedication to me. I mean, for a while there, I thought that I was going to be single for a long, long time. Sometimes I feel bad for guys who become involved with me. I know I can be such a selfish, stubborn brat at times and that must be so hard to deal with."

"Honey, everyone has their nasty qualities about them. I could go on until tomorrow naming everything that's wrong with me. But that's why you and I click the way we do. We accept each others' faults and everything."

As Merrill stroked her face, Alicia said, "You are the best thing that's ever happened to me, Merrill. If I ever do anything to hurt you or make you upset, I want you to punch me. I'm serious. Hit me hard, right between the eyes, because I'd deserve it."

"You know damn well that I would never do that."

She laughed and said, "I was hoping you would say that."

He tickled her and wrestled her to the floor.

"Merry Christmas," he said.

"Mmm, I love you sooo much."

She stayed on the floor and held out her hand, admiring her ring.

"You got me this gorgeous ring and what did I get you? A DVD set. Thanks for outshining me."

Merrill lowered his body next to Alicia's and kissed her cheek.

"Baby, how many times do I have to tell you that I love what you got me?"

Alicia looked at him and grinned.

"Good, cause if you said you didn't like it, I would've kept it."

Merrill stood up and laughed as he said, "Yeah right. I'd kick your ass for it."

"Hey, you saw the way I almost took down Kylie- don't think I'm scared of you."

They sat back on the couch and Merrill turned on the TV. A familiar, warm song filled the air.

"Christmas time is here, happiness and cheer, fun for all that children call their favorite time of year…"

"Charlie Brown," Alicia said, "This one's my favorite."

"Before we get comfortable, do you want anything from the kitchen? More eggnog or anything?"

"No, I'm perfect."

"I couldn't agree more."

Merrill turned out the lights and pulled a blanket over he and Alicia, and they snuggled together as they watched the television.

The next morning, Alicia felt something warm and slightly wet on different spots of her face as she woke up. It took her a few moments to realize what the sensation was.

Lips, she thought to herself.

She opened her eyes and found herself staring into Merrill's green ones.

"Wake up, sunshine. Merry Christmas."

"I almost forgot that's what today was. I was about to get ready for work like always."

"Well, you've got presents and breakfast waiting for you."

"Breakfast? What'd you make?"

"Belgian waffles."

"That sounds amazing," she replied, sitting up and stretching her arms.

"Do you want presents or breakfast first?"

"I'm starving. Let's eat first."

They went into the kitchen and before Alicia sat at the table, she went to the refrigerator and grabbed a can of whipped cream.

Merrill laughed and said, "I forgot that you love whipped cream on waffles and pancakes."

"And everything else!"

He sat down in front of her and handed her a glass of orange juice.

"Even hot dogs?"

"In the right situation, yes- even hot dogs."

"You're a trip, Ali."

"But that's why you love me, right?"

"Of course, baby."

Alicia put a large dollop of whipped cream on her plate and dipped a piece of her waffle in it.

"So," she said, "are we still on for New Year's in Manhattan?"

"I've actually been looking forward to it more than you would think."

"My last day at work is the 28th. I figured we could leave that night and stay until New Year's Day."

"Sounds good to me. I can't wait."

Alicia stared at Merrill as he finished off his first waffle. He could feel her eyes on him and he looked up.

"What?" he asked.

"Have you ever thought about modeling?"

Merrill laughed so hard that he almost choked on his food.

"Modeling? Baby, come on."

"Seriously! You have the face and body for it. You'd be one sexy male model."

"Oh yeah. Like I could sell underwear."

"If someone as hot as you were selling anything, I'd buy it."

"Well, maybe if I get into MLB, I'll ink a million dollar endorsement."

"As an underwear model?"

"Why are you so bent on me becoming a model?"

"Cause you're so damn sexy."

"You should be the one who models. You're hotter than those girls who are in the Victoria's Secret catalog."

"OK, I shouldn't have brought up the model talk…it's one of my many Merrill fantasies, I guess."

"One of your many? Do I wanna know what the other ones are, or should I be scared?"

"My friend, you will never know. They're my little secrets."

"Oh, I see how it is. But that's OK- I have my own little Alicia fantasies."

Alicia's cell phone rang and it interrupted their moment.

"Hold that thought," she said to Merrill.

She got the phone from her purse and answered it.

"Hello? Hey! Merry Christmas to you too! We're eating breakfast- what about you? Oh, that's cool. Well, Merrill and I are gonna open our presents and then we'll head over there. OK. No, they haven't called me yet. They're still coming over tonight, right? OK, cool. Alright- we'll see you in an hour or so. OK. Bye."

"Was that Colleen?" Merrill asked.

"Yep. I told her that we'd be over in an hour. OK, seriously- you need to make Belgian waffles every day. This was awesome."

He smiled, took her plate and kissed her.

"My pleasure."

After they opened the presents that they gave each other, they gathered the gifts for the rest of the family and headed out of the apartment. Alicia followed behind Merrill as he carried the bag of presents.

"You look like Santa," she said as she locked the door behind them

"Then does that make you my ho ho ho?"

She gave him a playful shove and replied, "I'm glad you think so highly of me."

When they stepped outside, they both flinched as the stinging cold air hit their faces.

"Damn," Merrill said, "I didn't think it would be this cold today."

"Me neither."

He opened the car door for Alicia first and then got in himself, throwing the presents in the backseat of the car. He turned on the engine and put the heat on full blast.

"It'll take a minute for the heat to kick in," he said, rubbing his hands together.

Alicia leaned over and gave him a long peck on the lips.

"Did that help you get any warmer?"

"You know, it kinda did. Do it again."

They met halfway and this time, Merrill slid his tongue past Alicia's lips and let his fingers tickle the side of her neck. They both began to breathe heavier as the kiss intensified, to the point where the windows were slowly becoming steamy.

Alicia pulled her lips away from Merrill's and said, "If we don't stop, we're gonna do more than just steam up the windows- and there's no way that I'm shedding any articles of my clothing in this weather."

Merrill already had unzipped Alicia's coat and had his hands halfway under her shirt as he replied, "You're so cruel. You get me all worked up and then leave me hanging. You're an expert tease."

"I'll make it up to you tonight, I promise."

"You better."

She kissed him one final time and said, "I love you."

"I love you more."

After the car warmed off, they headed to Newtown. The snow that covered the barren trees along the roads was like something out of a fairytale. Despite seeing one white Christmas after another, Alicia was still mesmerized by the sights. Merrill was content as well, whistling along to "Sleigh Ride," which was on the radio.

"This song makes me so happy," he said, "Someone could run over my foot with their car and steal my wallet, and if this song was playing while it happened, I'd be OK."

"Oh really?"

He leaned over and gave Alicia a quick kiss on her lips.

"Yes really. Don't you have a song like that?"

"Hmmm..yeah. 'Wake Me Up Before You Go Go.' How could you ever be in a bad mood while listening to that song?"

"Very true. And the video's even better."

Within 10 minutes, they pulled into the driveway of the house. As they got out of the car, snow began to fall lightly from the sky. The smell of fireplaces lingered heavy in the air and it made both Merrill and Alicia long to be inside the house. They got the presents out of the car and then walked to the front door. A few seconds after Merrill knocked, Colleen opened the door.

"Hey!" she said with a giant smile, "Merry Christmas! Come in!"

Colleen hugged Merrill and then gave Alicia an even bigger hug.

"Where are the kids?" asked Alicia.

"Playing with all their new presents upstairs. And what's sad is that they still have got grandparent gifts or your gifts yet. I swear, they're so spoiled. Bo! Morgan! Come downstairs! Aunt Ali and Uncle Merrill are here!!"

Meanwhile, Merrill had wandered into the living room, where he spotted Graham.

"Hey, big brother. Merry Christmas."

"And the same to you. Is Alicia here too?"

"Yeah, she's in the other room with Colleen."

"Did you give her the promise ring you were telling me about?"

"Sure did."

"And?"

"She loved it. I think it scared her a little at first, because she thought that it was an engagement ring. But once I explained it to her, she seemed really touched by it."

In the kitchen, Alicia was admiring some of the kids' new toys that they had brought downstairs. Something caught Morgan's eye.

"Aunt Ali, did you get a new ring?"

"Yes I did."

Colleen overheard and went over to Alicia, picking up her hand.

"Alicia, what is that? You're not…oh my..you're not engaged, are you?"

"No, no, no..it's a promise ring."

"Hey, that's a big step. Wow…what a gorgeous ring."

"Thank you. I love it- but not as much as I love Merrill."

Colleen gave Alicia an affectionate shove and replied, "You're a cheeseball. That man has made your mind turn to mush."

"Didn't the same thing happen to you when you fell in love with Graham?"

"It did, and it still does. Now let's go open your presents! I can't wait to see what you got me this year."

They joined Merrill, Graham and the kids in the living room and exchanged the final presents. When they finished, and the living room was free of torn wrapping paper, Alicia caught Colleen gazing out of the window.

"Hey Coll," she said, "you're acting as if you've never seen snow before."

"Why would you say that?"

"You're staring out the window like you've never seen snow."

"It's so beautiful, I can't help it."

"You've got something on your mind, don't you?"

Colleen diverted her undivided attention from the window to Alicia's eyes.

"I had this odd dream last night. It was kinda like the same dreams I had before Morgan and Bo were born..and before you moved here and fell in love with Merrill?"

"I know what you're talking about. Those dreams you have that are..prophetic in ways."

"Yeah, exactly."

"So what did you dream about."

"That…it wasn't really a clear one, but I got the main idea. It was that I should cherish this Christmas unlike any one I have before. That next year Christmas is going to be completely different. Whether or not that's a good or bad thing, I don't know. But it's really been bothering me all morning."

Alicia put her arms around Colleen and replied, "Don't let it bother you. I've had dreams where I marry Donny Osmond- they don't mean anything."

"But I don't know, Ali. It seemed so..deep. You know what? I'm gonna stop talking. I sound like a lunatic."

"No you don't. But everything's going to be fine."

A car horn interrupted them and Alicia looked out the window.

"It's Mom and Dad. More presents for the kids."

Alicia smiled and left, going to find Merrill. He was smoking a cigarette on the back porch. She bundled up in her winter coat, slipped on her gloves, and headed outside.

"What are you doing out here?" she asked, "It's freezing."

"I needed a cigarette. Want one?"

"I'd love to, but my parents just got here. They hate when I smoke around them."

"Ah."

He took a drag and then looked at Alicia. Exhaling, he shook his head and snickered to himself.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing. You're just absolutely beautiful. It's not that I forget that you are, but sometimes you look at me the way you just did and it takes my breath away."

She planted a warm kiss upon his lips and replied, "I got exactly what I've always wanted for Christmas."

"And what would that be?"

She paused for a moment and then pulled Merrill's face to hers.

"You," she whispered.

Merrill kissed Alicia's forehead and held her in his arms.

"So," he said, "when you were younger, you'd write Santa a letter asking for Merrill Christopher Hess?"

"No, but I did ask for a Prince Charming. I never would've imagined that I'd find someone who was beyond that."

A voice came from inside the house.

"Ali! Mom and Dad are here!"

"I know," Alicia said under her breath.

Merrill took her by the hand and led her back into the house. Ben and Sarah were taking off their coats as Alicia approached them.

"Merry Christmas!" she said, giving her dad a hug first.

"Same to you, honey. And to you as well, Merrill. How are you doing?"

"Great, thanks."

Morgan ran in the kitchen and said, "Grandma, did you see Aunt Ali's new ring? Uncle Merrill gave it to her!"

Alicia sighed and held her hand out to her parents. Sarah covered her mouth in awe.

"You're…you're getting married? Already?" asked Ben.

"No," Merrill answered, "it's a promise ring. No major commitment just yet."

Ben and Sarah both sighed in relief.

Sarah said, "You two had me there for a minute."

Bo changed the subject and tugged at Colleen.

"Mommy, can we open Grandma and Grandpa's presents?"

"Go ahead, baby."

Not long after that, Graham and Merrill's parents joined the festivities and yet another present exchange took place. As the last touches were put on dinner, Merrill went outside to smoke another cigarette. He didn't notice, but Eliza had watched him go outside and she followed him.

"Want some company?" she asked.

"Mom, hey. I didn't even see you standing there."

"Merrill, smoking is the worst thing you can do for your health. How are you going to have a lasting career if you're puffing on those things?"

"I'm not going through this with you for the billionth time. Everything has its risks."

She sat in a chair next to Merrill and asked, "So, how serious is it really between you and Ali?"

"I love her. I can't see myself feeling like this towards any other woman for an indefinite time."

"Just be careful, Merrill. Don't break her heart. She already tried to commit suicide when you two had that huge argument. Can you imagine what she would do if you two were to break up?"

"Are you saying that you don't think she's mentally competent?"

"You're twisting my words, honey. She's a good girl. Not like these other hit and miss girlfriends you've had before. I see the way that she looks at you and acts around you. You're the center of her universe- you can't do wrong in her eyes."

"Mom, she means the same to me if not more. She's not just some flavor-of-the-week girlfriend who'll be replaced easily. She's that needle in the haystack that I've been hoping to find my entire life."

"Would you say that she's your soulmate?"

Merrill took a final drag of his cigarette. Then he tossed it into the blanket of snow that covered the back lawn. As the traces of smoke escaped from his lips, he nodded.

Eliza replied, "Well, I'm glad you feel that way, honey. You deserve to be happy with someone like Ali."

Morgan yelled, "Grandma! Uncle Merrill! Dinner's ready!"

Merrill kissed Eliza on the cheek and said, "We never talk like this anymore."

"That's because you're always so busy."

"Are you kidding? I'm never too busy for the best mom on the face of the planet."

They stood up together and Merrill opened the door for her.

"After you."

She smiled and went in, Merrill following behind her.

* * * * * * * * * * *

"…they know that Santa's on his way, he's loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh, and every mother's child is gonna spy, to see if reindeer really know how to fly…"

Alicia sang along with the Nat King Cole CD playing in Merrill's apartment later that night. They had finally opened the bottle of champagne that Ellen and Tyler had given them when Alicia moved into Merrill's apartment. She poured two glasses and brought them into the living room, which was only lit by scented candles.

"Here you go," she said, handing Merrill his glass.

She climbed on the couch next to him and said, "You make the toast."

"OK. Here's to our first Christmas together and the promise ring seen and heard round the world."

Alicia giggled and added, "And may this be the first of many Christmases we share together."

"I couldn't agree with you more."

They hit their glasses together and both finished off the entire contents. Then they snuggled together on the couch. Merrill ran his fingers through Alicia's hair and softly kissed her earlobe.

"I talked to Mom about you today," he whispered.

"Did you?"

"Yeah."

"Good or bad."

"Good. Very good, actually. We haven't had a talk like that in ages. Both my parents are very happy that I'm happy. They're so used to seeing me be indecisive with women. I think that they're ready to see me settle down and maybe have kids soon."

"I hope that 'soon' doesn't mean anytime in the next year."

"Oh, of course not. Especially with my career. There's no way that I'd want you having to raise a baby while I was on the road. I want to be there every step of the way. But that's still way in the future. What I want to concentrate on now is lying here with you and enjoying this moment."

Alicia turned around so that she was facing Merrill and whispered, "Kiss me."

He grinned slyly and did so. They took their time, letting the kiss grow passionate and deeper with each breath they took. Merrill began to breathe heavily in Alicia's ear and he went for the button on her jeans.

"You didn't tell me you were giving me another present," she said.

"Let's just say that this one was a surprise."

"Mmm, I like surprises."

"Hold on a second. Don't move."

Merrill got off of Alicia and blew out all the candles. Then he turned off the CD player.

"I'm sorry," he said, "but I cannot have sex with you while Nat King Cole is singing 'Adeste Fidelis.' It's a little…unsexy."

"Yeah, you're right. Now get back over here and finish what you were about to start."

He laughed and said, "A little anxious are we, princess?"

She pulled him back on top of her and put his hands on her zipper.

"I think this is where you left off."

He kissed her hard on the mouth and said, "Merry Christmas, baby."

She kissed him in return and said, "And Merry Christmas to you."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

"I love you more."

"Am I going to have to take off these jeans myself?!"