A/N: Rating has gone up for this chapter. Between T-M.
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"I'm so mad at him!" Calleigh complained to Alexx. "He hasn't returned my calls. Hasn't called me. He could've gotten attacked by a gang in New York and..."
"Just relax." she smiled.
"Why? My husband is in New York, I'm in Miami, and it's Christmas Eve."
"Yes but you're at this wonderful party." Alexx said as the doorbell rang. She walked over and opened it, smiling. "Well hello..."
"Ho, ho, ho. Merry Christmas."
Calleigh looked amused. Who had Alexx got to dress up as Santa? Usually she had to force the guys to play Santa for her annual Christmas party.
"Kids, come see who it is!" Alexx called. Her kids, T.J, Ava, Nicky, and Jamie came into the room.
"Santa!" Nicky squealed.
"Hello!" Santa gave a hearty laugh and Alexx led him over to her couch. Eric chuckled and downed another beer. It was gonna be a long night.
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Ava was last to sit on Santa's lap and he noticed she was the least happy of the kids.
"What's wrong Ava?"
She cocked her head slightly and shrugged.
"Oh-kay. What do you want for Christmas?"
"I want my Daddy to come home." Ava mumbled miserably.
"I will see what I can do." Santa said. "But you have to be good for your mom. I don't want to hear about anymore fighting, like the other day."
Ava nodded and jumped off his lap, then ran out of the room. Santa nodded.
"Right..." he glanced around the room and his eyes landed on Calleigh, who was talking to Horatio in the corner. "Calleigh..."
She looked up at her name and rolled her eyes when Santa patted his thigh.
"You do want something for Christmas right?"
"Yeah." Calleigh nodded.
"Then be a good girl and get over here."
"Perv." Calleigh mumbled but sat down on his lap anyway.
"Well I know what I want for Christmas but I don't think Mrs. Claus would appreciate you running around." Santa flirted, his brown eyes twinkling. Callegih did a double take. Brown eyes? She frowned. Didn't Santa always have blue eyes? Calleigh then giggled, realizing what was going on. "But I think she wouldn't mind if I spent a few hours with you."
"I'm off the market."
"Your husband's a lucky man then."
"Hope he knows it."
"He does, believe me." Santa said. "I have to go. It's Christmas Eve after all."
"Right." Calleigh said humourously.
"But give me a parting gift before I go." Santa smirked, tapping his cheek. Calleigh smiled and kissed his cheek, then leaned into his ear.
"I'm gonna kill you later." she whispered then pulled away. Santa leaned over and whispered in her ear,
"I was kinda hoping you'd make love to me first."
"I'll think about it."
"I'll be waiting." Santa grinned, picking Calleigh up off his lap. He tossed her onto the couch next to him and stood up. "Well, good-bye everyone."
"Bye Santa!" Eric laughed, waving. "Man am I glad I came back from L.A early. Wouldn't want to have missed meeting you."
"Tomorrow you may wish you never heard of me Eric."
"Why? Was I naughty?"
"Well... I've heard you annoyed that great guy Tim Speedle a lot."
"You got it all wrong." Eric smirked. Santa rolled his eyes and headed for the stairs.
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Calleigh laughed at something Horatio said, then gasped slightly when she was turned around and kissed passionately.
"There are children in the room." Eric reminded as Tim and Calleigh pulled apart.
"Mistletoe." Tim explained, pointing upward. Calleigh looked. Sure enough above her head was a sprig of mistletoe.
"Why the hell didn't you call me?"
"I was on a plane, coming home to you. Unfortunately I missed the flight to Miami so I had to fly to Houston and then catch a connection flight home. It's a long story. I'll tell you later. Where are the kids?"
"Asleep in the TV room." Alexx replied, entering the living room.
"We should go home." Calleigh said, a bit too eagerly.
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Tim closed his bedroom door behind him and locked it.
"You know it was the strangest thing," Calleigh said, a serious tone in her voice. "Santa was at Alexx's party and he made me sit on his lap."
"Really?"
"Yeah. He wanted me to spend a few hours with him but I told him I was off the market. Then he said you were a lucky man." Calleigh said, a smile appearing on her face. Tim nodded, kissing her fervently.
"Luckiest man in the world." he murmured. "I love you."
"I love you too." Calleigh whispered. "And I thought that was sweet that you finally agreed to be Santa."
"I wanted to make a great entrance." Tim winked. "Now... I have been left alone for a week and three days. I am in desperate need of some loving."
"Oh is that so?" Calleigh pushed Tim back onto their bed, slowly undoing the buttons on his shirt. Tim just stared up at her, currently unable to move or speak. Finally she pushed his shirt past his shoulders and tossed it onto the floor and Tim flipped her over gently so he was on top of her.
"Ya know, I don't care what Santa says." he mumbled, kissing Calleigh's neck.
"Why?"
"I disagree with him actually."
"Really?"
"Yes. I don't think you're very nice at all."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. On many occasions I find you to be very naughty." Tim grinned. Calleigh laughed at her husband's cheesiness and eyed the door.
"Is it locked?"
"Mhmm."
"Good. A week away from you is too long and I don't want to be interrupted."
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Tim had quietly got up after he and Calleigh had... finished and unlocked the door, knowing his kids would come barging in at six in the morning, then crawled back into bed. At 6:01, Ava pushed the door open and jumped unknowingly on Tim, who was burrowed under his blanket. He groaned out in pain and Ava pulled the blanket away from his head.
"Daddy!" she squealed, hugging him.
"Hey princess." Tim said hoarsely, hugging her back tightly. Calleigh smiled, watching the two together. T.J tiredly dragged himself into the room but was wide awake when he saw his father.
"Mommy?" Nicky's voice came over the baby monitor. "Christmas! Get me!"
"We should really get him out of that crib." Tim mumbled as he rolled Ava off him. He walked into Nicky's room, who gave a happy squeal.
"Daddy!"
"Hey buddy." Tim lifted him out of the crib and cradled him as he walked back into his bedroom.
"Can we open presents?" Ava asked.
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"You are cleaning this up." Calleigh said, surveying the scene formerly known as her living room. Tim chuckled and gently lifted a sleeping Nicky off his lap. He pulled Calleigh onto it and kissed her tenderly.
"I just got home, I'm relaxing. You can clean it up." he said. "They're passed out."
"Opening presents can do that to ya." Calleigh smiled. "Are you happy you're home?"
"More than you will ever know." Tim said. "And last night was a wonderful welcome back."
"I'm glad you had a good time." Calleigh smirked, kissing him softly, her fingernails scraping lightly over the ever-present stubble on Tim's cheeks. "I love you."
"I love you too." Tim kissed her back. "Merry Christmas baby."
"Merry Christmas honey."
"I'm hungry." T.J whined, ruining the moment.
"You can cook." Calleigh said.
"I just got home!" Tim complained, throwing his hands up. Nicky slowly woke up as did Ava.
"Who wants Daddy to cook?" Calleigh asked. Tim shook his head at his kids. Ava smiled and kept her hand down. Nicky and T.J raised their hands. "Who doesn't want Daddy to cook?"
Ava and Tim raised their hands.
"I'd like to throw an idea out." Tim said. "How 'bout we cook together?"
"That's not a great combo." T.J said. "Your cooking is good. So is Mom's. But together you two come up with some weird stuff."
"Yeah like T.J." Ava said, nudging her brother.
"No. Like Ava." T.J nudged her back.
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
"Can we eat?" Nicky asked.
"Let's it Nicky." T.J laughed.
"No fair!" he whined. "Eat T.J!"
"You're chubbier." T.J said, poking Nicky in the stomach. He giggled like the Pillsbury Doughboy.
"Oh all of you be quiet. Sibling rivalry doesn't even stop for Christmas huh?" Tim asked, walking into the kitchen.
"Are you still glad you're home?" Calleigh asked, following him.
"Mhmm. Wouldn't wanna miss this for the world. Besides, I know you can't handle them so someone has to."
"I can handle them."
"Cannot."
"Can too."
"Cannot."
"Can too. No don't make pancakes, make eggs."
"I don't want eggs. You can make eggs. I'm making pancakes."
"Fine but then you're cleaning the pots out."
"Oh all of you be quiet." T.J mimicked Tim as he walked into the kitchen. "Marital rivalry doesn't even stop for Christmas huh?"
"Sport, you should become parrot." Tim grinned. "I don't want pancakes. I want eggs."
Calleigh slammed the pancake batter onto the counter and Tim laughed at her pissed off look.
"You said you wanted pancakes." she said.
"I changed my mind." Tim said innocently.
"Well you're getting pancakes."
"But I don't want them!" Tim whined and gasped loudly as Calleigh threw a cupful of batter at him. "That was not nice!"
In a matter of minutes all of the Speedles were doused in some breakfast material or another.
"Why can't you guys ever be normal?" Eric asked, walking in through the garage. Tim and Calleigh ignored him however. They were lying on the kitchen floor, oblivious to everything around them. When they finally came out of their intense liplock, Tim smiled.
"I promised you I'd be home."
"It was less chaotic without you." Calleigh grumbled, wiping flour off Tim's nose.
"I could always go back." Tim half threatened, half joked. Calleigh grabbed him and pulled him back to her, kissing him gently.
"Don't leave me again."
"Never." Tim promised, sealing it with a kiss.
the end