Now it's practically Christmas, I thought I'd combine two of my favourite things - Jakki and Christmas! This one will be nice and fluffy. Hope you enjoy :)

Chapter One

As soon as Nikki opened her eyes and saw the pale glow of the morning outside through the thin gap in the curtains, she sighed with contentment. This was already the best Christmas Day she'd ever had, and it was only just beginning.

Stirring as he felt Nikki move next to him, Jack grumbled and tightened his arms around her, pulling her bare skin against his. He was thinking exactly the same thing. It wasn't the first time he'd spent Christmas Day with Nikki, but it was the first Christmas Day they'd woken up together, and that felt special.

'Tell me you're not going for a run this morning...' he mumbled, his eyes still closed.

'Not today. I need all the time I can get to cook this Christmas dinner.'

'I wasn't thinking about the dinner...' Jack smiled against her neck, pulling her even closer.

'Jack!' Nikki protested, shoving him playfully. 'I promised to cook Christmas lunch for your dad, this is serious!'

Jack snorted. 'Don't worry, it can't be any worse than the one I cooked last year. And he's not used to anything fancy.'

'That's not the point! I promised him a Christmas dinner with all the trimmings and that's what he's going to get.'

Truth be told, it wasn't just Connor that Nikki wanted to impress. This was her first Christmas with Jack, and she wanted everything to be perfect. She'd spent so many Christmases on her own, even when she was with Matt - sometimes he'd surprise her and turn up later in the day, but he had never been prepared to miss out on seeing his family in America for the whole day, in order to wake up with her on Christmas morning and fall asleep with her at night. Nikki understood, of course - he had children, albeit grown up ones. She was sure she'd have felt the same, if it was the other way round. But that didn't mean it hurt any less at the time.

Nikki shook Matt from her mind. He was history now - her future was here, with his strong arms wrapped around her, and she knew that if he had his way he'd stay like this for the entire day, never letting her go. Nikki knew that Jack loved her with every molecule of his heart, he would do anything for her. There was no way that she'd be spending Christmas alone again.

'Come on, then,' Jack suddenly sprung out of bed. 'Do you want to do presents now, or...'

'After lunch,' Nikki quickly interrupted, admiring his abs as they flexed. Jack pulled on his boxers, a t-shirt and a pair of jeans, followed by one of his wacky Christmas jumpers. Not that they were confined to his cupboard for the rest of the year - he seemed to wear them for most of the autumn and winter. After spending so much time at his house lately, Nikki understood why - it was like an icebox compared to her warm home. She was used to it now, but to start with she'd had to wear fleecy pyjamas and multiple pairs of socks at all times.

'What are you waiting for?' Jack teased once he was dressed. 'Break a leg, that turkey's not going to cook itself.'

Nikki grabbed a sock from the floor and threw it at him. It hit him right on target, on the top of his head.

'Oi! That's assault!' He pretended to cower.

Nikki leapt out of bed and grabbed him.

'Oh, I'm sorry. Shall I kiss it better?'

'That would be a start...' he grinned, gripping her upper arms with his huge hands and pulling her towards him for a kiss. 'Mmm. Maybe we should sack off the turkey and just spend the day in bed?'

Nikki laughed. 'No way. Connor would be too disappointed. Go and put the kettle on, I'll be down in 5.'

Reluctantly, he pulled away from her. 'Alright. But I hope you realise that once he's asleep in the armchair, I won't be able to keep my hands off you.'

'Is that a promise, Hodgson?' Nikki grinned mischievously, before pulling on her dressing gown and heading to the bathroom.

Jack shook his head, before heading downstairs. Nikki Alexander made him crazy. No woman had ever been able to run rings round him the way she did. He would truly do anything for her.

He was surprised to find Connor in the kitchen, the kettle already boiling, 3 mugs on the side.

'Da?' Jack peered at him.

'Morning, son.' Connor replied. 'I wasn't expecting to see you up so early. Merry Christmas.'

'Likewise...' Jack said, pulling his dad into a hug. 'Couldn't wait to open your presents, or...'

Connor scoffed. 'Habit, I suppose. Sometimes I forget you're a grown man. You and Ryan used to wake your ma and I up at the crack of dawn on Christmas Day.'

Jack sighed at the mention of Ryan. Even after everything he'd done, their dad still missed him and wanted him home. Even though he'd beaten and stolen from him, Connor was still adamant that it wasn't Ryan's fault. Jack guessed he'd go to his grave still defending his other son. He couldn't understand it - but there were lots of things about being a parent he didn't understand. And maybe he never would, as it had never happened for him. As Adam had banterously told him, his chances of becoming a dad were now decreasing with every birthday.

'I need to get the turkey on,' Jack said, pushing the thought of a Christmas morning with young, excited children to the back of his mind.

'Mind you don't cremate that bird like last year,' Connor mumbled as he made three cups of coffee.

'What was that, Da?' Jack turned to him, the baking tray in his hand.

'Nothing, son.' Connor grinned to himself, then took his tea and retreated to the living room.

Jack had heard every word. He shook his head, grinning to himself. The cheeky so and so. He couldn't deny enjoying his dad's banter though... some days, he was no longer himself and that worried Jack. When it was a good day and he was on form, it was a relief.

The turkey was in its tray, basted and covered in streaky bacon by the time Nikki came down, dressed in an eye catching glittery dress, her curls still damp from the shower.

'Check you,' Jack whistled. 'It's lucky I've already got the turkey sorted cos I reckon you're going to be very distracting...'

He pulled Nikki into his arms and flung her backwards, before planting a kiss on her lips. Nikki grinned and pushed herself back upright.

'Good work, Jack,' she admired the turkey. 'Very neat.'

'You can do the carving later,' he lifted the tray and put it in the oven. 'You're more experienced with a knife than me.'

Nikki smirked. 'I'll get on with the potatoes. You do the parsnips.'