Kyle flipped back his phone and tossed it onto the already cluttered counter. It was pointless to even try to clear it off because Paige would be here in the blink of an eye.

He held the tiny box in his hands and prayed that he got this right, this being their first Christmas together and all. He wanted to get her something special and while Phoebe vetoed every other gift idea he had thought of, this was what he was going to give to Paige.

The Christmas ornament was special and it had been passed from his mother with specific instructions. "Give it to the one who is true…"

She would always tell him that every Christmas before he turned five. He didn't remember a lot of things but he remembered that. His mother's voice rang true in his head and his father's was even louder. "Listen to your mother, son, she knows everything."

Blue orbs filled his sight and knocked him out of his train of thought. In sweat pants and a white tank top, Paige stood there with her lips moving and Kyle was mesmerized. What did he ever do to deserve to be in the same room with her? She looked heavenly with her brunette locks swooping across the bare of her shoulders and subtle honey hues swam rivers through her coffee hued eyes. He moved his gaze down towards the movement of his lips which seemed to have sound coming out of him, but he couldn't hear anything. They moving so swiftly and he found himself aroused; for they were far more enticing than they ought to be.

Two weeks. That's how long he had gone without seeing her and he missed her. He was surprised that she hadn't looked upon his apartment and made a smart retort about it. Maybe she had, but either way he didn't hear her. He was still concentrating on her lips moving and he couldn't take his eyes off of them. He licked his lips and longed to feel her velvet lips on his.

"Kyle!" The sound of her voice finally resonated in his ears and he popped out of another trance.

"Sorry."

"Yeah." She said while he still stead at her. Pulling out a small invitation that Phoebe handed to her before she orbed out of the manor, she handed it to him. "You're invited."

"To what?" Kyle took the invitation from her hand and looking at the glittery red cursive writing on the tiny card detailing the time, place and the hostesses.

"To the Halliwell Holiday Extravaganza…and I'm not imagining things on the extravaganza part either." Paige pushed back a strand of hair that was in her face and looked back at him, waiting for him to come up with some smart retort.

Kyle just looked up at her, smiling at the way she stood there: slumped and sexy. What was it about her that made him re-evaluate his life? Kyle thought back over the past girlfriends and loves he had and no one compared to her. She made him feel like he was literally wasting his life away…searching for his parents killers was taking a toll on his life and he knew it.

Then she came along. Brunette hair, chocolate brown eyes and luscious crimson lips filling his nightly and sometimes middle of the day dreams and he couldn't get enough. It took all he had to be away from her for two weeks straight. If it wasn't magic school, it was daily or weekly vanquishings or babysitting her nephews. And if she wasn't babysitting the boys, she was babysitting the kids at her school. He knew how that went, having had some experience in the babysitting area with his kid sister, Kelley.

Kelley was now grown and in college, far away from here, which was good in a way. In a way she wouldn't have to deal with his thirsts for vengeance against the murderers and in another way she wouldn't have to deal with his housekeeping. That was all Paige's now.

His sister had called earlier telling him that she would be going to Uncle Stevenson's house for Christmas this year, while he opted to stay in San Francisco. As much as he would love to see his sister again, he wanted to spend Christmas with Paige.

Setting the invitation aside, he picked up the tiny box again and started to move towards her. They had six days until Christmas Eve when the Halliwell Holiday Extravaganza was to commence and this was his only opportunity to give it her.

"Okay, so, are you coming or should I tell Piper to leave one tray of ribs in the fridge for me?"

"Oh, yea, I'll come. But do I have to dress up?"

"It's an Extravaganza. Yes, you have to dress up."

"Will you be?"

"Yes."

"As Mrs. Claus?"

"No. That's Piper's thing. Leo is Santa this year and Piper is Mrs. Claus."

"So, Wyatt and Chris are elves?"

"Yea, I guess so," Paige pulled her hand through her growing locks and stared back at him as he moved towards her. "What?"

"Do I have to ask for a kiss from my girlfriend?" Kyle asked, still moving closer with every moment that passed.

Paige stood up straight as he said the word girlfriend. Was she really his girlfriend? They never really said what they were except friends…with benefits. Really, really good benefits, she smirked at the thought of days gone by when she woke up in his arms. It was a good feeling filled with warmth and love.

She had prayed every day for a love like Piper and Leo shared and she had this undeniable feeling that this was it. This was the one she had been waiting for, but there was also an undeniable feeling telling her to hold off and play it cool.

"Is that what I am?" Paige uttered below her breath as he stopped moving forward and stared back at her.

"Paige?"

"It's just that…well…"

Kyle backed away from her and her stuttering statement, putting the tiny box back on the counter and leaning up against the bar stool that was placed underneath. "Where is this going Paige?"

"Kyle…" Paige started to think of an excuse for her assumption. What was she to think or more importantly what was he thinking? They hadn't declared that they were seeing each other or as many people liked to use dating. He probably hated her now and she hated herself for even thinking about it. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah."

"I am," Paige defended herself, taking slow steps towards his being and reaching out her hand. "It didn't come out right."

"Ya think?"

The silence lingered between them and both of their spirits were crushed. Paige stopped moving towards Kyle and backed away slowly. This was definitely a night not worth remembering.

"I guess I should go," Paige whispered, still looking at his sad face. She wanted to go up and kiss him and tell him that she was wrong, denying all the stupid things that she ever said or insinuated. She wanted to tell him that she was falling in love with him.

But the window of opportunity passed her by and there was no excuse for what she said. Kyle shook his head, understanding and agreeing that she should go. And she didn't waste any time.

Blue orbs filled the room again, "Merry Christmas." The words faded out as she left his apartment and the emptiness filled his being.

Paige floated back into the manor; landing in the attic where Piper and Leo were at wrapping presents that they were hiding from Wyatt's more or less curiosity. He had a tendency to either run or orb everywhere, using his whitelighter side for personal gain and sensing his presents.

From in the middle of the circle of toys, Piper and Leo pulled their attention towards Paige and her broken spirit.

"You're back early." Leo commented, expecting Paige to pull an all-nighter.

"Yeah, well, you can blame me for that one." She confessed, taking a seat on the floor next to him and reaching for one of the toys.

"What happened?" Piper inquired, clicking her fingers at Leo for his finger to tie a bow together. He heard her loud and clear and placed his finger in the middle of the trimming so she could make the present nice and pretty, like she planned.

"Me and my big mouth happened," Paige paused and grabbed a roll of Christmas paper depicting Santa Claus in his workshop. As long as Piper was letting her talk, she was going to help her wrap the toys. "I screwed up. Bad."

"Do you want to elaborate or do I have to get Phoebe up here to do that read-your-inner-thoughts thing?" Piper asked, putting the finishing touches on one of the toy trucks with built-in sirens that she loved to freeze every time that they annoyed her.

"Oh no you don't, Cupid, as she calls herself, can stay out of my love life. I love Phoebe, but I hate her matchmaking skills." Paige paused, searching for the tape across the tiny hill of remaining toys to locate and then looked up to her sister and brother in law. Both sat there with blank looks, not knowing the reason of Paige's sudden dislike of Phoebe's matchmaking. "Okay, so I get home from school today…and she immediately sends me over Kyle's, all so she could complete her list of who's coming and who's not coming to the party on the 24th."

Paige took a deep breath, quickly finished the taping on a Lego® set and started again. "He told me he wanted a kiss from his girlfriend and…"

"You are his girlfriend," Leo stated.

"Yea, well, me being stupid and all, I asked him if that's what I really was."

"Paige…" Piper whined, realizing like a sister what happened between the two. "Why'd you do that?"

"I don't know." Paige let out a deep breath, clutching the wrapped present close to her chest and continued her pity party. "I guess I just wanted to hear him say that I was his girlfriend and while technically he said that, I think I was just waiting for him to tell me that I was his girlfriend." Paige set the present aside and stretched out her legs to the side of her.

"What did you consider yourself before now? Friends?" Piper asked, a smile and laugh curling up on the side of her mouth.

"With benefits." Paige finished for her. Piper shot her look from amused to shocked towards her baby sister. "I know, I know."

"You know what?" Phoebe walked into the attic in her pajamas, pink fuzzy slippers and her hair in high pigtails.

Paige rolled her eyes at the sight of Cupid. Getting up from the dusty floor, she swiped off her sweat pants and started to walk past Phoebe.

"Hey, where you going?" Piper asked Paige as she continued to walk towards the door.

"To bed. I'm tired and…well…I'm just tired." Paige stated and walked out the door, leaving her two sisters and whitelighter to think about what just happened. Of course, Piper was thinking of other things like her littlest sister's happiness that hung in the balance.

"What just happened?" Phoebe asked, pointing to the door which was now empty and looking at Piper and Leo in their mini mountain of Christmas presents.

"Bad advice from Cupid happened." Piper answered her, finishing up her last present and setting it in the pile. Phoebe may have forced this relationship into overdrive and spoiled it, but Piper was determined to rescue it.

It was a natural thing: Kyle and Paige, together. It was too good not to be and she couldn't think of a better Christmas present.