Thanks for all the lovely reviews - they are so wonderful to receive! Happy happy holidays to you all - I hope you all have a great day and that the pesky bug doesn't interfere too much.

Anyway, a wee Christmas interlude - enjoy!

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Once winter kicked in, it did so abruptly, and harshly. The weather had been terrible; stormy, overcast, cold. He wasn't doing well, struggled to keep himself warm despite the extra layers and the high temperature at which they kept the house for him. She'd been worried, each morning when she'd left for work, she'd hesitated at the door. She'd grown used to second guessing herself - would this be the day he'd end up back at Medical? Banda had practically forced her out every time, and she left him tucked up on the sofa or still in bed, wrapped in a blanket, lips and nails tinged with blue.

Once she'd got to work, her mind quickly switched tack, consumed by the vast amount of life and death decisions she made every day. She was glad, in a way. She knew his illness was dragging them both down, they were consumed by it: him because he was still feeling so awful all the time, and she because everything was on hold until he recovered. They hadn't spoken about it, like ships in the night he was invariably asleep when she got home. Maybe she should switch to the night shift…

And now, Christmas was upon them. She'd worked right up to Christmas Eve then thanked everyone who would listen for her rank: she got to have an entire week off. She'd spent much of the day fire-fighting: the perils of high spirits through the holiday season seemed to be a long-standing human tradition. There'd been numerous preventable surgeries; drunk revellers breaking bones, fights… and then a truly bizarre case with a phaser placed in an orifice not designed for such activity...

She ran the last few steps to the door, a hard rain was falling, and a heady wind was blowing in from the bay. The night had fallen hours ago and she was glad beyond all reason to be home. She was cold, drenched, tired, and deliriously happy. She had everything she wanted waiting for her behind the door, even if he was in less than perfect condition and her son was who-knew-where…

She hung up her raincoat in the porch and called out for him, "Jean-Luc?"

"Hello there, Doctor Crusher. The Admiral's in the bath, warming up. Go on up – I've got a drink for you here."

Before she climbed the stairs, Banda met her in the living room with a pair of mugs on a tray, "Banda, you are worth your weight in gold. Thank you, really." She said, smiling. She could never convey how grateful she was that Jean-Luc was in such good hands during the day.

"Oh now, just doing my job Doctor. You're making me blush." Banda replied, suddenly all fingers and thumbs.

Beverly hopped upstairs, untying her hair and shedding her uniform once she reached the bedroom. She quickly pulled on a pair of pyjamas and then peeked round the door of the bathroom.

He was there. Safe, warm, relaxed. She took a minute to observe him, her medical eye noting how skinny he still was – he'd always had powerfully broad shoulders but now they looked bony, sticking out almost unnaturally from his slender frame. His cheeks were pink and his eyes were drooping amidst the bubbles generously filling the tub.

"Jean?" she whispered, afraid to startle him.

He gasped, sitting upright in the tub, "Beverly! You're home…"

"I am, all finished and ready to enjoy our week together. How are you feeling?" she asked as she soaped his back.

"Actually, I'm feeling pretty good. Warm… ready for tonight."

"I think it's the first time in years I've been on Earth for Christmas."

"It's not the same in space is it?"

"Not quite… it seems more… meaningful here, don't you think?"

"Agreed, absolutely. The thing is though, are we going to go French or Caldosian?"

"Excuse me?"

"Well, when I was a boy, we ate le reveillons and left out shoes for Père Noël on Christmas Eve. What was the tradition on Caldos?" he asked, taking the sponge from her and squeezing it out.

"Oh, I see… on Caldos we eat the main meal on Christmas day, Santa comes on the night of Christmas Eve."

"Good, we get to do both. Mutually beneficial." He finished. The Captain in him had made a decision and he was going to see it through.

"Okay, catch me up… I'm a step behind you." She said as she helped him up from the bath, passing him a warm towel from the credenza.

He wrapped the towel around himself, patting at his skin to dry off before heading into the bedroom for fresh pyjamas and a robe.

"Tonight, we get to enjoy le réveillons, we'll leave our shoes out, then tomorrow, fingers crossed, they will be filled with gifts from this Santa of yours… and we get to eat again."

"Rèveillons?"

"You'll love it, oysters, smoked salmon… bûche de Noël."

"And the shoes?" she asked, dubious. She really wasn't following.

"For the gifts." He finished pulling on his robe, tying it firmly around his waist. He pulled on a pair of wool socks, and drew her toward him kissing her. "Leave it to me… me and the replicator have been in serious talks all day. We finally worked out an agreement and if I have my timings right, Banda should just about be done now."

"Banda?" she asked, confused, and delighted in equal measure.

"Come… you'll see."

He pulled her out of the bedroom and arm in arm, they headed slowly down stairs for the kitchen. He pushed open the door then allowed her to enter first. Before her, Banda stood smiling, wiping her hands down with a cloth.

The table was dressed with a red tablecloth and a garland, tiny candles dotted the length of it. Plates of smoked salmon, oysters, crackers, cheeses, grapes, and all manner of other wonderful morsels were dotted about and in the centre, what Beverly recognised instantly as a yule log.

"Oh I see! Jean-Luc, this is wonderful! How did you manage this?"

He tapped the side of his nose, "Now that's between me, Banda, and modern technology. Sit! Let's eat!" he finished, pulling out a chair for Banda first, then Beverly.

The three of them ate in peaceable contentment, they chatted amiably, comfortable in each others company. When it came to tasting the much-hyped dessert that Jean-Luc had explained had a long and prestigious French heritage, the mood changed.

Beverly had tried it first, taken a huge forkful of the chocolatey goodness, eyes far bigger than her stomach. She popped it in her mouth, chewing thoughtfully as Jean-Luc was distracted by the crackers and cheese he was working through. Banda went next, the expression on her face revealed exactly what she thought straight away. She caught Beverly's eye across the table.

Looking up from his plate, he noted the odd and sudden silence. It weighed heavily in the room. He looked from Beverly, to Banda, then back again placing his knife to one side.

"Beverly? Everything okay?"

She looked at him with wide eyes, her mouth still visibly loaded with dessert. She shook her head once, looked to Banda for back up. "Uh uh…"

Banda swallowed, a look of distaste more than evident. She glugged back a glass of water then passed Jean-Luc a small forkful of the bûche de Noël, "Here, taste."

He chewed for a second, eyes widening in surprise, he swallowed the morsal then took a long drink of his own water, "Well…"

"Jean-Luc?" asked Beverly cautiously. He'd gone to so much trouble, she didn't want to upset him.

"Seems the replicator and I didn't quite have all aspects of our negotiation worked out completely…"

"I don't think it speaks French Admiral…" said Banda.

"No… quite. Beverly, Banda, my apologies. That was truly vile."

The three of them laughed, then finished off the rest of the meal. Banda left early weighed down with a case of wine as a gift for her and her family, leaving them alone together, for the first time in a long while.

"Jean-Luc, thank you for tonight. It was wonderful.

"Despite the bûche de Noël?"

Yes, despite the bûche de Noël…" she replied, smiling.

He pulled her too him once again, she could feel the heaviness in his body, knew he had a few minutes left at best.

"Joyeux Noel." He whispered in her ear kissing her.

She pulled away, steered him toward the bedroom, "Merry Christmas to you Jean-Luc."

It was the perfect end to the day, with the promise of a blissful day together to come.