Title: Reunited
Author: Amber
Rating: FRC

Disclaimer: Without Prejudice. The names of all characters contained here-in are the property of whoever owns and operates the show. No Infringements of these copyrights are intended, and are used here without permission.
Spoilers: Contains slight Season 12 spoilers, though the story is primarily AU.
Content Warning: None.

Reunited

He stood at the window of apartment, hot cup of whiskey in hand, watching her come up the walk. She was bundled in her favorite white coat, with long black tendrils escaping from the large, fur-lined hood. Ray smiled to himself. When she was his roommate, he had made fun of that coat. He had told her that it made her look like an Eskimo. But it never matter how much he had teased her, her defense was always the same – she would shake her head, laugh, and then say,

"It keeps me warm, which isn't something that I can say about your winter wardrobe."

She spoke of his cutoff t-shirts that seemed to be his trademark. No matter the temperature, his tees were always hanging idly in his closet just waiting to be worn. Ray looked down and chuckled to himself. No doubt she would make a comment about his current attire when she came up.

His green eyes soon traveled back outside. He could no longer see Neela amongst the mass of white and knew that it'd be just a matter of time before she was standing at his door. The snow was coming down harder with each passing second. The houses across the street were lit up with Christmas lights and decorations. It was beginning to feel a lot like the holidays, which only served to make Ray feel more alone.

A gentle knock came from across the room just before he heard the creak of the old door. Ray turned, leaning himself up against the window, and smiled when Neela came into his view. "Hey, Ex-Roomie, what's up?"

"Not the heat." She shivered against the coldness in his apartment, the sheen of the wrapped present catching his eye. "Do you not believe in heaters, Ray?"

Neela looked at Ray, not the least bit surprised that he was sulking around the house in one of his infamous t-shirts. "Or shirts with sleeves? Honestly, how are you not freezing?"

Ray lifted his mug. "Warms from the inside out."

Neela nodded, noting that something was different, maybe a little off, about her former roommate. Waving off the weird tension as nothing more than Ray being Ray, she held up his present. "I brought you something. Where should I put it?"

Ray motioned to his disheveled, pitiful excuse for a Christmas tree, and Neela frowned. "You're kidding, right?"

He laughed, predicting that she'd not be pleased with his tree either. "What?"

"Tell me this isn't your tree, Ray. You didn't actually spend money on that, did you?" She walked closer to the tree and laughed. Only ornaments made from paper decorated the sparse tree. "You don't even have lights on the tree, Ray."

He shrugged. "I didn't want to risk a fire."

"Seriously," Neela turned back to him. "Where did you find this thing?"

"Out back." Ray answered nonchalantly. "Do you remember that dinky tree that the landlord had planted in hopes of …" He faltered in search of the right word. "Sprucing up the place? The one that just never did seem to hit its growth spurt?"

Neela rolled her eyes, laughing with slight disbelief. "You dug up a tree?"

"It was dead anyway!"

"Ray!" She shrieked, catching him off guard momentarily.

"What?" He asked in defense.

"You dug up a tree, Ray!"

He shrugged again. "Well, it was either that or have no tree at all, and I couldn't be a total Scrooge."

"You couldn't just buy a tree?" Her voice sounded strained, and Ray found himself analyzing it before she pulled him from his reverie. "Ray, you couldn't just buy a tree?" Neela repeated.

"No," He said, crossing his arms over his chest. "I couldn't. Ever since a certain roommate abandoned me to get married, I've been a little short on cash." Ray pushed himself off of the window and made his way across the room towards her. "Speaking of, how is the hubbie?"

Neela's expression saddened slightly, which only served to pique Ray's interest more. Was there trouble in paradise already? "Michael's great. I got a letter from him the other day. Something happened and he's not going to be able to get home for the holidays."

Ray was left silent and could only watch as Neela took it upon herself to take a seat on his couch. Within seconds, he had moved to sit next to her, a comforting arm pulling her close. "I'm sorry, Neela. I know how much you wanted to spend your first Christmas as a married couple together."

"Yeah, I did." She nodded and leaned closer into him. There was something about her ex-roommate that always seemed to comfort her. He rarely even needed to say anything. Just being next to him was always enough.

"So what do you plan to do now?"

"I don't know. Abby and Luka invited me over, but I don't want to impose myself on them. It's their first Christmas together, too."

"You could spend it here, Neela. You know that, right?" Neela looked up at Ray just long enough to smile. "Besides you could help me decorate. We could get me a better tree? I could use a woman's touch."

"It looks like a lot of things in this apartment could use a woman's touch since I've left." She laughed.

"You could even stay in your old room, if you like."

Neela wrapped her arms around Ray as she leaned into him once more. "Thanks, Ray."

Ray hugged her back. "Anytime, Roomie."