A/N: i know, i'm a little late, but i wrote this a while ago, i'm just posting it now. and you should know that this story is sorta conected to 'sarcastic realists' fic 'Fresh Start'. so, donna is dead, as are their two kids, and D is now remarried to a better lady who is named Kaylee and they adopted a little girl Kelita - just if u haven't read it (shame on u! it's a great fic) lol. enjoy!

Merry Christmas

It was the eve of Christmas and the jolly music was blaring loud in the bullpen at the Hoover building. People milled around the festively decorated room, eating cookies in the shapes of snowmen, Christmas trees, Santa Clauses that matched Bobby's costume, Rudolph's and mistletoe, each decorated with colorful and 'edible paint' – as Bobby had enthusiastically declared earlier when he first saw them.

A large and fully decorated Christmas tree was in the back corner drowning in tinsel, ornaments, ribbon and a single angle on the top and numerous, colorful boxes were placed neatly under the stretching branches. Red and Green decorations drenched the entire room, covering desks, chairs, whiteboards and hanging above doors and along the ceiling.

Tara – who was dressed as an elf – hummed enthusiastically as she passed out chocolate seashell candies around, handing them to everyone and anyone she passed. Bobby, who stood in the doorway, was dressed in his usual Santa costume and gratefully took the one she handed to him. She turned to leave but Bobby grabbed her arm, gently but firmly.

"What, Santa?"

He grinned mischievously as his eyes lit up in an amusement that was all too familiar. "Mistletoe."

"Huh?"

"Look up." He instructed.

She did and let out a short laugh when she saw the mistletoe above their heads. "Ha! In your dreams." She turned on her elf-slippered heels, the gold bells jingling as she skipped away, still chuckling to herself. "Hey Zorro!" She yelled over the music to Jack. "Go cheer up Mrs. Zorro."

"Who?" He frowned behind the black mask.

"Sue, who'd ya think?"

"Uhh…"

"Now! Chop chop." She cheerfully clapped her red and green mitten-clad hands together.

Jack's eyes shifted nervously.

"You're still here…"

"Yeah yeah! Hold your horses."

"That's reindeer, Einstein."

"Last time I looked in the mirror I was dressed as Zorro."

"Last time I looked you were still standing here…Hint. Hint."

He held up his hands in surrender, "I'm going, I'm going." Jack's black cape swirled around as he walked over to Sue, who was wearing an early 1900's dress. Ironically, it matched his outfit to a tee – which was probably why Lucy said she should wear it. He sat down on the edge of her desk, facing her. Her folded his arms across his chest. "This is not the Christmas cheer that I expected."

Sue smiled and pushed her tight ringlets of gold hair away from her face and smiled. "Just taking in the scenery."

He squinted, "Am I really expected to pretend to believe that?"

"You bet your bottom buck you are, mister."

"Hmm, I don't think I can do that, ma'am."

"Just tired, don't worry about me."

"Am I really expected to pretend I don't?"

"If you want to worry about someone, worry over Levi – he actually matches Myles."

Jack followed Sue's eyes to Myles, and sure enough, he too was wearing a reindeer headband. "Ouch."

"Well, at least Levi isn't human to know how embarrassing that could be." Sue shrugged and decided to change the subject. "I like your costume, Zorro," she teased.

"And yours, Miss Thomas," he grinned. Before he knew what he was doing, Jack said, "Having your hair down was a good choice,"

Sue felt heat rush to her cheeks; she hoped that the blush would be mistaken for the makeup Lucy had covered her in.

"Oh!" Jack suddenly exclaimed, "I almost forgot!" He shot up from his place and jogged over to his desk. He knelt behind it, grabbing a box wrapped in bright and shimmery wrapping paper with snowmen dotting it. He practically shoved it in Sue's face. "It's for you."

"Oh…thanks." She raised her hands to take it and rested it in her lap and peered at it suspiciously before looking up. "…Why are there holes in the snowmen?"

He simply shrugged, his smile was broad but he looked uncertain. She slid her finger under the first slab of tape, then the next until there were none left. Jack tapped her arm to get her attention. "Do you always do that? With the tape, I mean?"

"Old habit." She looked back down at the present and took off the decorative wrapping covering the box. She set it on her desk and carefully opened the cardboard box. Sue gasped. "Oh Jack." She gingerly picked up the small white kitten and held it close to her body. "She's beautiful."

"So…you like it? There's supplies and stuff in my car, and if you don't want her – you know, since you have a dog – I know a few people who might like her. Or I could keep her, and you could just visit her – but no pressure or anything, you don't have to feel obligated or anything like that…or Lucy might want to take care of her, I mean-"

"Jack." Sue stopped him from his babbling.

"You didn't understand a word that just came out of my mouth, did you?"

"Mm-mmm." She shook her head, and then seemed to forget that anyone other than her and the kitten existed as she began to pet her soft fur, peering into her clear blue eyes. "I'm surprised that she isn't bothered by all the noise that I'm sure is blaring loud."

He touched her arm to get her attention and signed, She's deaf.

"Thank you, Jack. This is by far the most thoughtful gift I've ever gotten." She stood up and quickly kissed him on the cheek. It was his turn to blush.

"Oh. My. Gosh." Lucy gasped. "I cannot believe that Jack got Sue a kitten." She watched intently as the scene played out across the room.

"Doesn't she have a dog?" Myles frowned.

"Duh. Whaddya think? That Levi was a horse in disguise?"

Myles snorted. "I'm not an idiot."

"Then stop stating the obvious."

"Then it's pointless to say how beautiful you look tonight?"

Lucy's head jerked in his direction, her eyes wide. "Really? I wasn't sure if I could pull off Catwoman. I had thought about Super Girl or something but the red and blue seem too patriotic for Christmas even though Catwoman is a little dark if you think about it but I really didn't want to wear an inch long skirt when it's freezing cold outside plus don't forget about the G-rated dress code and Sue said black was one of my better colors-" Myles' lips were suddenly pressing against hers, then they pulled away. Lucy blinked.

"What? If that was the only way to get you to shut up…"

"Well, excuse me, for trying to make a point. All I was saying was that it was really hard to make a choice as to which costume I should wear that would still be appropriate even though Catwoman is more 'Halloween-ish' than Christmas-y but when has that stopped anyone before and it's not like I'm celebrating Halloween instead of Christmas because Christmas is my favorite holiday 'cause it doesn't really get much better than this even though the weather on the other hand-" she was once again cut off when Myles slid his hand behind her neck, the only difference was that this time the kiss was a soft, caring one. Vaguely familiar shivers were sent down her rigid spine, then he pulled back, resuming his former stance.

When Myles glanced back at Lucy's and saw her dazed expression he raised and dropped his shoulders. "What?"

"Don't do that?"

"What? This?" He leaned forward and brushed her lips against his, tenderly pulling her straight black hair off her shoulders. He forced himself to let her go.

Lucy swallowed a lump that had formed in her throat. "Yep…that…"

"You mean this?" He leaned forward again but Tara's incredulous voice inclined him to stop.

"No way!" The 'elf' exclaimed. "Please tell me…am I hallucinating? Lucy and Myles can't…"

Bobby appeared behind her, "That's enough sugar for you, sheila. And no, you aren't hallucinating." Bobby assured Tara. He placed his hands on her shoulders, "How about we get some fresh air?"

She was still obviously stunned as she looked from Myles to Lucy and back again. She made no attempt to answer Bobby or object when he began pulling her outside.

The air was brisk and the light breeze cool out on the empty sidewalk outside the building. "When you said fresh air I'm guessing you meant freezing?" Tara involuntarily shivered when a strong gust of air from the north nearly froze her right then and there. She hopped from foot to foot in a poor shot at keeping herself warm.

Bobby chuckled. He shrugged off his Santa jacket and rested if gently on the small woman's shoulders, it nearly swallowed her whole.

"Thanks." She regarded his flat midriff, "No belly full of jelly, Santa?"

He smirked, "As of 20 minutes ago I am jelly-belly free."

Tara laughed despite the temperature, "Aww, come on, it was a good look for you."

"Okay, now you are hallucinating, sheila."

She smiled broadly as she looked up at the tanned man. Tara blushed when she noticed he was staring at her, although she was sure that her cheeks had been pink since the second they had stepped outside.

"You owe me a kiss, little sheila."

"What?" she snickered. "I do not."

"Yes you do – from the mistletoe. We never kissed – it's practically the law."

Tara raised her eyebrows questioningly. "The law, Bobby?" She buried herself deeper in the red coat. What do you think, Tara, she thought, that you'll disappear and you won' t have to deal with seeing him and remembering him kissing you?

"Mm-hmm," he announced, "so you see, you really don't have a choice."

"Well, I'm not kissing you as long as you're wearing that…thing," she frowned at his fake white beard.

"No worries," Bobby tugged it away from his face, it now hung at his chest. "There." Without warning he suddenly wrapped his arms around Tara and resolutely pressed his lips against hers. He raised his hand to slip it behind her neck and in the process his thumb slid against her throat where he felt her racing pulse. Bobby smiled to himself, even while kissing Tara. He pulled back but kept his hand under her hairline.

Tara cleared her throat, undoubtedly uncomfortable with the situation she found herself in. "Well then…I guess I don't owe you anything anymore."

Bobby smiled at her and dropped his hand, stuffing both of them deep in his pants pocket to keep himself from reaching out to her again. "I suppose you don't…does that mean that I have to think of another excuse every time I want to kiss you?"

Tara instantly missed the feel of his touch against her skin. "Uhh…" she desperately tried to think of an answer that wouldn't make herself look like an idiot. "Is that a rhetorical question?"

"Is it?"

"Are we playing 20 questions, or what?"

"What do I have to do to make you stop answering question with question?"

"Do you think I would tell you even if I could think of an answer?"

"You don't need to, as it turns out, I just thought of the answer to my question."

"Which one?"

"This one," Bobby leaned forward and gave her a lingering kiss that gave time for Tara to grasp his forearms and close her eyes. This time the shivers that were sent shooting through his body weren't from the chilly weather.

When he pulled back Tara peered at him for a second then sucked in a quiet breath. "I'm going inside now."

"Why?"

"So you won't do that again."

"Do what?" Bobby grinned impishly.

She waved a finger in the air, "Don't even think about it."

"About what?"

Tara struggled to hide the smirk tugging at her lips but managed to hold it at bay. She handed back his Santa coat and said, "Good bye, Bobby." She pulled open the glass doors and soon disappeared in the elevator down the hall.

Bobby let out a long breath. "Whew…that sheila."

The decorated clock on the wall told the partygoers who still lingered that it was eleven o'clock. The crowd had been slowly dissipating for over an hour but the team still remained and no one was that eager to go home, but D and his new bride didn't have a choice in the matter.

"Well," D yawned and wrapped his arm around Kaylee's shoulder, "my gorgeous little rock star and I have to relieve our babysitter, besides, Kelita won't go to bed until we're home." D said, referring to their adopted daughter.

Kaylee chuckled and tugged at her rather suffocating and uncomfortable costume. "Isn't that the point? Keep her up all night long so she won't wake us up at five in the morning?"

"That is a plus," D pondered. "See ya guys. Don't stay up past your curfew." Farewells echoed in the room and Kaylee could be heard giggling at D as they left the bullpen.

Lucy didn't bother to try and hide her yawn. "Ya know, I think I'm going to go home too. You ready Sue?"

"Sure, just give me a few minutes," Sue answered and glanced down at her feet where Levi and her new kitten were fast asleep, oblivious to the world around them. She smiled to herself and began to gather her things. Jack and Myles offered to walk them to their car when she was done, leaving Bobby and Tara alone in the bullpen.

Bobby tried to appear and sound casual, "Well, whaddya know? Looks like it's just you and me."

"Actually," she replied, "I think I'm going to head on home, too."

"Can I walk you to your car?"

"Sure, you can even carry me if ya want," Tara managed through a yawn, gaining a laugh from Bobby.

"I think it would be best for my health to stick with my original proposition."

Tara bit back another yawn, "Mm-kay. I guess I can handle stumbling to the car." With a grin Bobby crooked his arm in a gentlemanly offer and Tara graciously accepted as she linked her arm with his.

A/N: please review! thank you sooo much:)