Ho! Ho! Ho! And a Bottle of Rum

"Niles, what the hell are you doing, skulking outside my door? I thought you were a burglar. You're lucky I didn't call the police."

C.C. Babcock was none too happy to find anyone at her door on Christmas Eve let alone her business partner's butler, Niles, whom she detested. She had no holiday plans and wanted it that way, thank you very much. She had already donned her pink plaid flannel pajamas and a clashing plush green robe with a hole in the elbow. Huge socks, one white and the other blue because their mates had previously met a mysterious demise in the dryer, enveloped her feet and drooped around her ankles. The pajamas were at least ten years old and the robe even older, but she didn't mind because they were her favorites, and nobody saw them, anyway, but her dog, Chester, and his opinion didn't matter.

Wondering where C.C. had mislaid her good taste, Niles eyed her attire from top to bottom. There were two things Miss Babcock could be counted upon to do well - one was drink, the other was dress.

"Somebody should call the police – the fashion police. Nice outfit. What'd you do? Get dressed in the dark in someone else's closet? My guess is Miss Fine's mother's closet. On second thought, I've never seen Sylvia look as bad as you do."

"This from a man wearing a goofy tie with reindeer on it. At least I haven't been out in public like you. I asked you what the hell you are doing here."

"And a very Merry Christmas to you, too, Miss. Babcock," Niles chirped enthusiastically. Holding a black wreath, he studied the door of her apartment, looking for a way to hang it. He was stumped for a few seconds until an idea hit him. He snapped his fingers as a light bulb popped on inside his head. He removed his snowman tie tack, jammed it into the door, and carefully hung the wreath on it. "There. Perfect."

"Where did you get that thing?" she asked with a disdainful glare.

"From a house down the street. Either somebody died or they hate Christmas as much as you do. Don't you think it's rude to leave me standing in the hallway?" he asked as he pushed past her into her apartment despite her best efforts to block his way.

C.C.'s living room was done in an almost sterile black and white décor, and Niles was amazed that her fiery, bold personality wasn't translated into her furnishings. He surmised a professional had done the decorating. Her home was definitely stylish and luxuriant, but there were no family photos, kitschy knick-knacks, or artwork of real interest. In short, there was nothing to suggest C.C. had put herself into the décor. Even the magazines on the coffee table were arranged in a just-so fashion that said they were for decorative purposes only.

Along with the magazines, Niles noticed a bottle of rum and an empty glass on the coffee table. Alcohol. Finally, something in the room that screamed Miss Babcock. He nodded toward the bottle. "Apparently, Rudolph isn't the only one with a bright and shiny nose tonight. Wouldn't that rum go down better in some eggnog? Where are your usual drinking buddies, Gin and Tonic?"

"Oh, stuff it in a Christmas stocking, Niles," she sneered as she sank heavily into the black leather sofa. "For the third and last time, what the hell are you doing here?"

"Running an errand for Mr. Sheffield. By the way, he and Miss Fine and the children are having a marvelous time in England with his family."

News of Maxwell and Nanny Fine's happy holiday stung her since chasing Maxwell was her favorite sport, next to sparring with Niles. She valiantly covered her hurt with a roll of her eyes as if to say who cares? She refilled her glass and took a gulp of rum. "You came all the way over here just to tell me that?"

"Any chance to rub it in. Also, I'm here to deliver some paperwork for Mr. Sheffield. He thought you should have this file."

"What?" Outraged, she leapt to her feet. "Does he think all I have to do on Christmas Eve is work?"

Niles shrugged, "Why shouldn't he?"

C.C. flung the file he handed her dangerously close to the fireplace, flopped back down on the sofa, and drained her glass. Niles rushed over to retrieve the file before it went up in smoke. He blew on its singed corner before placing it at the edge of the coffee table, as far away from C.C.'s reach as possible. He rocked back and forth on his heels as he scrutinized her austere home. There was not one ounce of holiday cheer.

Meanwhile, C.C. seemed to snap out of trance and eyed him suspiciously. "What are you staring at and why are you still here?"

"Miss Babcock," he asked incredulously, "where's your holiday spirit? No Christmas tree, no stockings, no twinkling lights?"

She picked up the bottle of rum by its neck and shook it. "I have all the holiday spirit I need right here."

"I'm certain neither Santa Claus nor the Christ child would approve. New Year's Eve is the time to get sloshed. Christmas is about love, peace on Earth, and goodwill toward men."

"Sorry, Niles, but the only thing in this apartment that's going to get lit up tonight is me."

Niles' ears perked up as he heard both growling and the jangle of a bell coming from the hallway. "Is that Chester?"

The noises grew louder and with a grandiose sweep of her arm toward the hall, C.C. announced, "You wanted holiday spirit; here comes some now."

Wearing a miniature Santa hat with a jingle bell on it, Chester stalked into the room, ferociously shaking his head and snarling like a rabid hyena. Niles picked him up and was promptly rewarded with a nip on his hand. "Ouch! You're not into the holiday spirit, either, are you little fellow? You don't like the hat, eh?"

"It's my housekeeper's idea of a joke. Chester hates it." Niles started to remove the hat, but C.C. objected. "Oh, don't take it off! This is even better than the time he got bubblegum stuck to his tail after a walk in the park. He almost chewed his own tail off." She cackled wickedly and slapped her knee.

Niles glowered at her and removed the offending hat. Chester joyfully licked Niles' face in gratitude. "No wonder he doesn't like you," he snapped at C.C. as he set Chester on the floor with a pat on the head. Immediately, the dog trotted over to the kitchen door where he whined and scratched.

She jerked her head toward the kitchen. "Niles, Chester hasn't had his dinner yet."

"So?"

"So, take him into the kitchen and feed him."

"You're forgetting I don't work for you, Babcock."

"What happened to peace on Earth, goodwill toward men, and all that jazz? Doesn't it apply to dumb animals?" she asked as she put a pillow behind her head and stretched out full-length on the sofa.

Knowing he had an audience, Chester howled pathetically. Niles threw up his hands in disgust. "Oh, all right."

C.C. rooted around under the sofa cushions until she found the remote control. She punched a button, and her big screen TV came to life. "You'll find his kibble under the sink. Fix a bowl for yourself if you're hungry."

TNTNTNTNTNTN

"Come on, Miss Babcock, come see!" Niles grabbed her arm and hauled her off the sofa.

"I thought you left. Were you the one making all that noise?" C.C. asked cantankerously. "I thought it was the dog. I was ready to call the pound to see if they are open on Christmas Eve. Why are you still here, anyway?"

"Actually, I stepped out for a bit while you were sleeping off the rum."

"I was not asleep!" she informed him with righteous indignation. "I've been watching 'It's a Wonderful World' starring Jimmy Cagney."

"It's 'It's a Wonderful Life' starring Jimmy Stewart."

"Thank you, Siskel and Ebert. What do you want?" she asked with a yawn. "I don't want to miss the end of the movie."

"You already missed it. Not to worry. This channel is airing it over and over and over again for twenty-four hours straight. Now, your attention please," he demanded with a flourish as he turned her toward the balcony.

Her jaw dropped in shock. "What the hell?"

"It's a Christmas tree," he told her, beaming with pride.

"Ha, ha, Niles. Very funny. Now go home." She lurched back toward the sofa, but he grabbed her arm and spun her toward the tree.

"Wait! I haven't shown you the decorations yet." Niles pushed her over to his makeshift tree that was actually a giant artificial Ficus he found in her dining room. He had wrapped her red pashmina around it as a skirt and adorned it with brightly colored lights. "See, I've already put the lights on. Now, all we have to do is decorate it. I've spent over an hour making ornaments."

"Have you lost your mind?" She made a grab for the pashmina, but he stopped her from snatching it. "It's silk! It's my favorite! And where did you get those lights?"

"I, ahem, borrowed them from the door of your neighbor down the hall. They have so many; I don't think they'll notice."

"The Tates? Nouveau riche. Somebody should tell them they're not in Kansas anymore. This is a luxury apartment complex. Nobody is going to give them a prize for best decorated door."

"Come on, Miss Babcock, help me wrap the garland around the tree. I made it out of wine labels. I had a terrible time removing them from the bottles without tearing them."

"Damn it, Niles! That wine is over 50 years old!"

"Almost as old as you!" She lunged toward him with a murderous look in her eyes, but he sidestepped her. "Don't worry. The wine is still safe and sound in its bottles, waiting to be guzzled by you during one of your many alcoholic binges."

"I'm going to kill you, Niles!" she bellowed.

"Don't be such a Scrooge. Come on, use your imagination. Work with me, here. Look what cute little decorations these mini-bar liquor bottles make!"

"What have you been doing? Ransacking my house? Where is the liquor that was in these bottles? You better not have poured it out! These things are so handy to carry in my purse." She continued to rifle through the decorations he had made until she ran across a small sterling silver hand mirror. "What are you doing with my Beautiful Mirror?"

"Your what?"

"My Beautiful Mirror." She carefully rubbed a smudge off its glass with her sleeve. "Daddy gave it to me when I was a little girl. He told me whenever I look at myself in it to always remember that I am beautiful."

Niles took the mirror from her and held it in front of his face. He sucked in his cheeks and pursed his lips, making an exaggerated male model-type facial expression. "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?" In a high-pitched female voice he answered himself, "Why you, Niles, you handsome devil!"

C.C. shook her head. "I think I'm going to be sick."

"Too much rum?"

"Too much you! Now, put my mirror away!"

"No, it's silver, it's shiny, and I've tied a string to it. It's now an official ornament, and it's going on the tree. Now, let's get down to business, shall we? Help me decorate the tree."

"Niles, I'm not going to help you do anything. If you want to continue with this foolishness, leave me out of it. I'm going to finish watching 'It's a Wonderful World'."

"Suit yourself, Babcock, but I'm going to spruce up this place with some Christmas cheer if it kills me."

"If I don't kill you first," she threatened ominously as she marched back to the comfort of the sofa.

TNTNTNTNTNTN

"Hey, Babcock, are you awake?"

"What is it now?" she groaned. Why hadn't he left?

"I'm finished with the tree!" Niles announced gleefully.

"Big deal!"

"Don't you even want to see it?"

She sat up on the sofa. "I can see it from here. Jeez, Niles, I've seen displays at the Museum of Modern Art that look more like Christmas trees than that pathetic thing does."

"I think it's lovely." He crossed his arms as he stood admiring his handiwork and with a smug, satisfied smirk added, "I'm very pleased with myself. I'm telling you, Martha Stewart has nothing on me." The words had no more than left his lips when the tree began to sway.

"Oh, no! My tree!" Niles gasped. They both ran toward it, reaching it as it toppled to the floor with a loud crash.

"My mirror!" C.C. shrieked. She very carefully picked it up. Tiny shards of glass sprinkled out of it and fell at her feet. "Look what you have done!"

"I'm so sorry, Miss Babcock." This certainly wasn't what he had planned.

"Sorry? Sorry?"

"It can easily be repaired. I'll have a new glass put in it, and it will be as good as new."

Too incensed to speak, she paced back and forth like a caged leopard, staring into the mirrorless mirror, until her energy seemed to be sapped from her and she finally sighed wearily, "It won't be the same."

"It will. You'll see. I'm sorry. Here, let me help you with the tree."

Genuinely remorseful about the mishap, Niles cautiously reached out to pat her shoulder in a gesture of solicitude, but she jerked away from him and screamed, "You mean help me with the mess, don't you? No thanks! Just leave!"

"Look, I said I'm sorry!" he retorted, trying not to get angry. After all, it was his fault.

"I don't understand why you're here in the first place!"

He bowed his head and stared at his shoes while she ranted at him, calling him every name in the book and then some. When the tirade was over, he weakly answered, "I came over to give you the file for Mr. Sheffield, and - "

"But then you stayed just to harass me! To make a huge mess! To ruin my evening!"

"I only wanted to cheer you up. I guess it wasn't such a good idea."

"It was a rotten idea!" C.C. shoved his coat at him. "Get out!" she spat as she all but bodily pushed him out the door.

TNTNTNTNTNTN

"Miss Babcock, what are you doing here? It's late." C.C. removed her long black cashmere coat and handed it to Niles who opened the closet door and tossed it in without hanging it. He surveyed her outfit of black slacks and clingy red turtleneck and gave it his seal of approval. "Thank god, you changed your clothes."

When she stepped into the living room of the Sheffield mansion, C.C. could not have been more surprised with what she found. "Wow, Niles! This place didn't look like this when I left yesterday."

Only twinkling tree lights and large pillar candles lit the room. The spicy fragrance of bayberry and freshly baked cookies filled her nostrils, and Elvis could be heard in the background, hamming up 'Blue Christmas'. From the flawlessly decorated tree to the stockings hanging from the mantle to the red velvet bows tied to the staircase banister, Christmas decorations were in every corner. As much as C.C.'s apartment had been cold and uninviting, the mansion was warm and enchanting.

While C.C. walked around to get a better look at the festive decorations, Niles sat down on the sofa and took a pull from a bottle of rum. "Wouldn't that rum go down better in some eggnog?" she asked, mimicking his question to her earlier in the evening.

Niles pointed toward the kitchen. "Eggs and cream are in the refrigerator. Knock yourself out."

She ignored his comment and continued to take in the magical room. "I've never seen this place look so beautiful."

"That's because I did it myself without any so-called help from the Sheffields and Miss Fine. It's impossible to decorate successfully when people insist on putting tacky, blue icicles on the tree and a grown man insists that a hideous stocking made out of a burlap sack leftover from his childhood be hung from the mantle."

C.C. sat down beside Niles on the sofa. He had his feet upon the coffee table so she followed suit. She nudged him with her elbow. "Thought you were going to wait until New Year's Eve to get sloshed."

"I'm no more drunk than you were earlier."

"I wasn't drunk."

"Neither am I," he responded in a flat, disheartened tone before taking another pull from the bottle and wiping off the top with his sleeve. "Wanna snort?"

"My, aren't we the gentleman this evening."

"Look, Babcock, if you came here to yell at me some more about breaking your mirror, save it. I said I was sorry, and I'll have it repaired as soon as the holidays are over."

She took a drink from the bottle and passed it back to him. "Who's yelling?"

"Then why," he looked at his watch, "are you here at this late hour on Christmas Eve?"

"Well…um…before, at my apartment, as you were leaving…you said…" C.C. stammered with embarrassment. She disliked appearing vulnerable in front of Niles and absolutely did not want him to know that she cared one way or the other about what his motives were.

"You mean as you were throwing me out."

"You said you had come to my place to cheer me up…"

She paused, and he took another drink. "And?"

"Why?"

"Why?"

"Yeah, why? Why'd you do it?"

Niles set the bottle on the coffee table. "I don't know…It's Christmas. You're alone…I'm alone."

"Hey! Why aren't you in England with Maxwell?" she asked when it suddenly occurred to her that Niles shouldn't be in New York in the first place.

He stared at her with his mouth agape in abject amazement. "Miss Babcock, where have you been?"

"Huh?"

"Mr. Sheffield, Miss Fine, and I…We discussed our holiday plans numerous times in your presence. We've been talking about it for weeks."

C.C. put her hand on his shoulder and leaned over to him in a conspiratory manner. "I'll let you in on a little secret, Niles. You people constantly yammer on and on about so many things. Any interest I appear to show in anything that doesn't directly involve me is completely feigned."

"Gee, thanks. Well, since you don't care, there is no need to tell you why I'm spending the holidays here, alone, now is there?"

"Come on, Niles, don't be a baby about it. It's not as if any of you try to include me in your little clique. You exclude me every chance you get."

Her remark was true so he didn't belabor the point any longer. "If you had been paying attention, you would know that my parents won a trip to Rome and aren't going to be home over the holidays. That's why I stayed here."

"They won a trip?"

"Yeah, my dad won it in a radio contest. He was the tenth caller, and he was able to name all of Santa's reindeer. Lucky, huh?"

"So, they'd rather spend Christmas on vacation than with their son? Sounds like my family."

"Well, no…um…yes…not exactly. The point of the contest was Christmas in Rome so they had to take the trip now. When my mum called to break the news, she tried to gently explain that since they had just seen me at Thanksgiving, not spending Christmas together wasn't such a big deal. Then, my father got on the extension and exclaimed, Bugger the boy! We're going to Rome!"

"Wow! I had no idea your parents were so much like mine."

"No, they're not, really. My dad was just kidding. He was very excited about winning a free trip. It's the first time they've ever won anything in their lives. Honestly, I don't mind."

"Speaking of free…I can't believe you would turn down a free trip to England with Maxwell footing the bill even if your parents weren't going to be there."

"There was no point in crossing the Atlantic just to fetch and carry for the Sheffields. But when I think about all the times I did go home for the holidays just for my family's sake when I could have stayed here with my girlfriend attending holiday parties..."

C.C. raised her eyebrows and snorted, "Girlfriend? Parties? Exactly how much rum have you had?"

"What? It could happen! I always make my plans around my family, and what do I get for it? Bugger the boy! We're going to Rome!"

"As long as you're not bitter."

His tone softened, feeling guilty for leading her to believe his parents weren't as lovely as they very truly are. "No, I'm not bitter. They deserve the trip."

They watched the blinking red and green lights on the tree as Bing Crosby crooned 'White Christmas', until Niles' curiosity got the better of him. "Miss Babcock, you never told me why you showed up tonight."

She blushed slightly and lowered her eyes. "No reason, exactly. You said you came over to my place to cheer me up. You really thought I needed cheering up?" she asked sheepishly.

"The truth is Mr. Sheffield didn't send me with the file. I made up it. I'm sorry. It was a lousy idea. I just wanted to see what you were doing…to see if you had company or if you were alone. A few days ago, I heard you on the phone with your mother. She practically begged you to spend the holidays with her and your siblings, but you said –"

"Listening on the extension again, weren't you, Hazel?"

"I was cleaning the receiver, and I couldn't help but overhear."

"Niles, that excuse is so old it has white whiskers growing on it."

"You told her you were having guests. I didn't think it was true."

"I still don't understand what all this has to do with you turning up at my apartment tonight."

"I don't know. I was sort of at loose ends, and well…spending the holidays without my family or the Sheffields had a certain appeal to me at first. Then, I got kind of sentimental and lonely so I decided to decorate the house even though nobody would see it but me. When that didn't make me feel any better, I thought I would check on you to see if…to see if…"

"To see if what?"

"To see if you were lonely, too. On the way over, I got the idiotic idea to decorate your apartment. Actually, I sort of pictured us going out and buying a tree and real decorations, but once I arrived, I realized that was never going to happen."

His sweet admission softened her rough edges. "You really came over just to make sure I was okay?"

"Yes."

"Niles, I'm sorry I snapped at you."

"No need to apologize. I understand. I broke your mirror."

"It's not just that. Niles, I hate Christmas. I positively loathe it."

"Tell me something I don't know, Ms. Grinch."

"You don't understand. I really, really, really hate it."

"Why? There's food, gifts, a few days off, and usually liquor. What's not to like?"

"I've hated the holidays ever since I was young." The rum she had consumed over the course of the evening and Niles' holiday spirit had put her in an unusually open frame of mind, causing her to share a tidbit of her childhood that she had never told anyone. Knowing she seldom discussed her family, Niles listened to her with rapt attention. "When I was a little girl, my mother thought she could ignore us kids the entire year, but act like we were one big, happy family at Christmas. It was sickening. Mother always dragged us out into the cold to find the perfect tree, and she insisted we help her decorate it. She used go around singing carols in this peppy, fake happy voice and pretend she baked the Christmas cookies our housekeeper made. She tried to make us believe that the show she put on was going to last, and our family was going to ride the wave of Christmas spirit right on into the next year. My brother and sister fell for it every time. They were so dumb. But I knew she didn't mean it. She kept a bottle of bourbon behind the nativity scene. She thought no one knew about it, but I saw her. Mother spent so much time with the baby Jesus you'd think she was one of the wise men. One big, happy family. What a joke."

"Maybe, she wanted it to be that way, C.C., but she just couldn't pull it off."

"Well, it never lasted past New Year's Eve, and I decided a long time ago that I wasn't going to pretend, anymore. No more watching Mother go through the motions. No more holiday farce. I'd rather be alone."

"You mean alone with a bottle of booze?"

She reached for the bottle and took another drink. "Like mother, like daughter."

"C.C., what are you doing here? You still haven't told me."

"Watching 'It's a Wonderful World' –"

"Life, damn it! 'It's a Wonderful Life'!"

"Life…life…that movie scared me."

"How could one of the most beloved, heart-warming films ever made possibly scare you?"

"James Cagney spent –"

"Stewart. James Stewart."

"James Stewart spent most of the movie seeing what it would be like if he had never lived, and it was terrible. Without him, everybody's life went wrong. And I got to thinking…What if I had never lived? I doubt anyone would miss my presence."

"C.C., it's just a stupid movie."

"Still, I bet everyone would have been better off without me. I know my family wouldn't miss me."

"What about me? Who'd notice if I had never lived?"

"Maxwell."

"Any moron can fold his underwear and shine his shoes."

"That's what I keep telling him, but he simply refuses to fire you…Niles, you know he can't get along without you."

"He needs you, too. He has no head for figures. Someone has to keep him from driving his business into the ground."

"Nah, any accountant could do that." She sighed heavily, "no one really needs me."

"Don't be silly."

"I'm serious, Niles. Whether I live or die or if I had never lived at all doesn't matter to anyone."

"It matters to me," he countered quietly.

"What?" Did Niles just pay her a compliment? One of them must be drunk. Either it was she, and her ears were deceiving her, or it was he, and his overindulgence in alcohol had loosened his lips.

"Come on, Babcock. It's Christmas. Don't make me be nice to you."

"No, what did you say?" She needed to hear Niles say he cared for her, now at Christmas, more than any other time. Pretending she did not want or care about anybody or anything and that she preferred being alone was so much more exhausting and painful during the holidays.

"I said it matters to me whether you live or die. And if you had never lived matters to me, too." He squeezed her hand. "You matter to me, C.C., a lot." There. He had said it aloud. It was finally out in the open. He had feelings for her, and now she knew it.

"How?" For a few seconds, her heart took flight. She mattered to someone when she thought she would never matter to anyone. Not just anyone – she mattered to Niles, the man who had, over the years, quietly become the most important person in her life. Had she finally found the place where she belonged? Her bliss, however, didn't last long. Her heart sank when she realized he must be kidding. "Oh, I know. Your life would be empty without me here to torment. My sole purpose in life is to serve as the butt of your jokes."

"Well, yeah, there's that. But there's more." He took a deep breath and plunged into the deep waters of his feelings for her; feelings he had had for years but had kept hidden from everyone, especially C.C. "Without you, who would steal my breath away in the mornings striding through the front door in tailored suits that miraculously manage to show off as many curves as an evening gown? Whose throaty laugh would transport me to a casino in Monte Carlo or to a secluded tropical island or to the top of a mountain without me ever leaving the kitchen? And who else could ever make me want to go to bed at night just so I can dream that she's all mine? In my dreams, C.C., I hear your laugh and feel your body next to me and I get swept away every time."

"Me, Niles?" Again, her heart went soaring like a kite caught in a strong breeze.

"Of course, you. Who else?" Niles drew her into his arms and looked deeply into her eyes, searching for a sign that she felt the same way about him, but all he could see in her eyes was the green and red reflection of the Christmas tree lights. He hesitated for an achingly long moment, unsure of how to proceed, but when a tear slipped down her cheek, he knew that she cared about him, too. He slowly settled her neck into the crook of his arm and lovingly kissed away her tears. Then, his lips tentatively touched hers until he was kissing her as freely and as passionately as he did in his dreams.

They kissed until it was necessary to come up for air. "Is this the rum talking?" she inquired with feigned skepticism. She knew mere alcohol could never make her feel like this.

"Absolutely," he replied impishly as he tightened his arms around her.

She traced his lower lip with a red polished fingernail. "This always happens when we drink together, alone. Last time, we were so rudely interrupted." This was not the first time they had kissed after a few drinks, but it was the first time their raw attraction had collided with their long ignored feelings for each other.

This time, there's no way Mr. Sheffield and Miss Fine can interrupt us."

"What are you saying?" she asked between kisses.

"You've heard the old saying about the best gifts always coming in small packages, right?"

"Right," she answered, wondering what he was getting at.

"You're the exception to the rule."

She playfully bit his lip. "That better not be a crack about my weight."

"Of course not," he breathed between long luxurious kisses. The clock struck midnight and C.C. faintly heard the sound of church bells ringing from down the street. She pulled away from him. "What's wrong?" he asked. "I'm not drunk, I tell you."

"Listen, Niles, it's midnight."

"Baby, you're confusing Christmas with New Year's again," he said as he went in for another kiss.

She took his face in her hands. "No, don't you see? It's Christmas, Niles. It's Christmas, and I'm not alone. You don't know what this means to me."

"I know," he said tenderly, "I know. We're alone with each other – my idea of a perfect holiday. And by the way, I'm not having your mirror repaired, either."

"Why not?"

"Because anytime you want to know how beautiful you are, you just come to me. C.C., you're the most beautiful creature under heaven."

"Only this side of heaven?" she asked with a flirty grin, dodging his hungry lips.

"Okay, you win. You are the most beautiful creature in the entire universe and the realms both above and below. Satisfied?"

"For now," she grinned with mischief in her eyes. "Niles," she cooed as she played with his hair and he trailed kisses along her jawline, "since it's officially Christmas, can we unwrap our gifts now?"

"C.C., there aren't any gifts under the tree." A problem he intended to remedy first thing in the morning even if it meant robbing a store.

She stood up, kicked off her heels, walked over to the tree, and knelt down beside it. "I beg to differ," she purred as she took the clip from her hair and shook her silky, blonde locks loose.

In a blink of a Christmas tree light, he was at her side. C.C. Babcock was definitely the best present he had found under his tree, ever. "Merry Christmas, C.C.," he whispered into her ear as he held her close.

"Merry Christmas, Niles. It really is a wonderful world, isn't it?"

"Life, damn it! It's a wonderful life!"

"Oh, shut up and kiss me!"

The End