A/N. So, I know that it's kind of late, since Christmas is tommorow and I just wrote it today, but the idea's been bugging me forever and I just hadn't gotten it down into words until just now. It's kind of rough, I haven't edited it as much as I'd've liked, but I figured that I should get it out there before tonight since most of you will probably be busy tommorow. As always, I own nothing.

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Peppermint Kisses
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He loved the Christmas season. It was bittersweet for him in many ways, but usually he could ignore the bitter and focus on the sweet. Christmas was magic for him, but less a holiday than a state of being. It was the smell of pine that tinted the air, the crust of frost on the streets, and the scent of nutmeg and ginger in the bakery next door. It was the way that absolute strangers waved at each other, and the way that everyone, even the ones who were normally ill-tempered, would perk up and wish their friends and acquaintances a merry Christmas.

He and Eames walked along the rows and rows of shops, decorated with tinsel and lights. It was nice that they were so close. They were partners, but they understood each other in ways that most partners couldn't imagine. He had often thought of how lucky they were to have been paired together. She broke him out of his reverie with a sigh, removing the candy cane that she had been idly sucking on. She voiced the thoughts that had been so recently in his own head. "I love Christmas."

He made a little sound of agreement. He took a huge bite of the gingerbread in his hand, dusting the crumbs from his lips. "You going home for Christmas?"

"I usually go to my brother's place for brunch, but I'm pretty sure that I'm going to spend the rest of the day in the city." She turned and shot him a questioning look. "What about you?"

"The same. I'm going up to see my mom later tonight. Christmas Day's always really hectic up there, though, so I'll probably just stay at home." The shadows crossed his face, the same ones that always came out from their dark hiding places when he talked about his mother. She placed a hand on his shoulder, offering the only comfort that she could really give. They walked in silence for a moment. Alex thoughtfully swirled the candy cane between her lips.

With a hush the fat clouds above them began to release their possessions. Soft, white snowflakes drifted down on the city, quieting the noise to a soft murmur. Alex raised her eyes to the grey sky.

"It's snowing."

Bobby watched as the crystals fell, alighting in her hair, and on the tips of her eyelashes. He watched a childlike smile spread across her face, her gaze still drawn to the heavens. She was… beautiful, innocent and carefree and frost-kissed. She reached out her hand, and a snowflake alighted on her palm. Oblivious of his carefully watching gaze, her eyes swept the streets and took in the gently falling curtain of white. She looked up at him, met his gaze, and smiled. She hummed a few bars of music. He recognized the tune: 'White Christmas'. They turned and started walking again, humming the music together. Alex sang softly under her breath. She had a pretty singing voice, throaty and soft. "May your days be merry and bright, and may all your Christmases be white," she finished.

"I've never heard you sing before," he remarked. "You… you sing quite well."

A small smile graced her lips. "Thanks."

They walked in silence, but it was a comfortable silence. It was the quiet of two people who knew each other so well that they didn't really have to say anything. They knew what the other was thinking, and somehow read the emotions of the other flawlessly. They passed by a produce vender trying to protect his wares from the cold. When he wasn't looking, Bobby plucked a white daisy from one of the overflowing buckets. He carefully tucked it behind Eames' ear. She looked up at him with those big brown eyes. He smiled shyly and looked away. She did the same, a faint blush tinging her cheeks.

They reached her apartment building. The candy cane was nearly gone, now, just a small fragment on her tongue. The walk had started as a casual stroll with her partner. Now she felt like a highschooler again, being escorted home on a first date. She felt the same happy jitters, the same butterflies in her stomach.

She hadn't felt that way in a long time.

They paused on her stoop. She reached up to brush the snow from his hair. She ruffled the graying curls, letting the cold ice fall to the street. Her hand wandered down his neck and arm. She slipped her palm into his. Bobby was so glad that they weren't wearing gloves. It allowed for skin-to-skin contact. Her hand was soft and small, like velvet in his large hands.

For a moment each just stood there and took in the sight of the other. Quickly, as if she would otherwise lose her nerve, Alex stood up on tip-toe and pressed her lips to his.

He was surprised, but after a moment he pulled her closer. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and his hands moved to her hips, steadying her and helping to hold her up. His tongue teased her lower lip. Her mouth parted slightly, and he slipped in, filling her body with a warmth that she hadn't known she had been missing. Alex's eyes fluttered closed, her lashes like butterflies against her cheeks. After a moment, their lips broke apart and she leaned back. A smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

"Merry Christmas, Detective Goren."

He squeezed her hand in his. "Merry Christmas."

She turned and entered her building. He watched her head to the stairs. At the foot of the steps, she turned, smiled at him across the lobby before fading into the shadows of the hall.

He looked up at the sky, at the low, unmoving clouds that were still spilling snow onto the streets. He wandered back to his apartment with a dazed expression and the taste of peppermint on his lips.

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A/N. I have a sequel planned. Just hang tight, m'kay? It may not be up until later today, or even until after Christmas. Now for my little you-must-review song. -clears throat-

To the tune of 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman': God rest ye, merry reviewers, let nothing you dismay, remember that a nice review can make an author's day, and save us all from writer's block and plot lines gone astray, so drop me a line, please review, please review, so drop me a line, please review. Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!