Author's Note: Copy and Pasting this is a pain tbh. What have they done?

Her family has barely registered three hours of sleep when Nancy pulls out of the drive the day after Christmas. It's snowing and dark, but Nancy makes the trip to the O'Hara airport easily.

"Going home after the holidays?" the gentleman next to her asks.

"Not quite," Nancy smiles.

The sun is shining by the time she pulls up to a small cabin. It's nestled in between two small hills and a large tree that casts a shadow upon the structure. Nancy walks up to the door and raises her hand to knock.

Silence fills the air as Nancy stands there. The wait is almost agonizing when she finally hears footsteps from inside.

"What are you doing here?"

"Merry Christmas, Scott," Nancy grins. She begins to step forward, but he blocks her way.

"What are you doing here?" Scott repeats.

"I'm here to see you," Nancy responds as if it's the most obvious thing.

Scott grunts and moves to let her in. "Pa could have warned me that's why he gave me the day off. Sorry about the mess."

Nancy steps into the room and scans around. "Did you already take down your tree?

"I didn't put one up," Scott admits.

"Well, perfect!" Nancy claps excitedly. "Then what I brought won't be a waste."

Nancy bustles past him back to her car. She opens the trunk and pulls out a small tree.

"Where the hell did you get a tree?" Scott cries as he follows her down the walk.

"A small stand near the airport," Nancy passes the tree to Scott and reaches for a bin. "It's amazing what you'll find post-Christmas." She motions for him to follow her back inside.

The cabin is in a similar disastrous state as his office at the farmhouse. Nancy nudges a box away to make room for the tree. "Can you get the rest of the stuff from my car?"

There's silence for a moment before Nancy hears Scott sigh. "Fine."

Nancy busies herself with decorating the tree while Scott brings in the remainder of her boxes and bags.

"You sure packed a lot," he mutters, but Nancy only smiles in return.

It takes no time before Nancy puts the final strand of tinsel on the tree. She steps back and admires her work. "It's lovely."

"Beautiful," Scott echoes. Nancy can't miss the touch of sarcasm in his voice.

"Come on, Scott," she chides. "Where's your Christmas cheer?"

Scott snorts. "I'm sorry. Did you make a wrong turn and end up at my house instead?"

"No," Nancy folds her arms and glares at Scott. "I thought you might want somebody to spend the holidays with."

"Mhmm."

For the first time, Nancy gets a good look at the former chaser. His small patch of gray has grown to cover much of his head, and wrinkles dot his face. But his eyes? Oh, how they sparkle. They don't hold the same malice in his voice.

"What else do you have planned for me, detective?"

Nancy grins. "Well, I was thinking dinner if you want to straighten up."

Scott looks disbelieving. "You want me to clean my house?"

Nancy nods and passes him a bin of garland. "And decorate."

"Wow, I'm so glad Pa gave me the day off so I can clean my house," Scott answers dryly, and Nancy just rolls her eyes.

Nancy spends the next hour running through dinner prep. The meal she's prepared is hardly a king's feast, but she hopes Scott appreciates it nonetheless. Speaking of Scott, he refuses to allow her back into the main room. Instead, she holds up in the tiny kitchen. It's warm and stuffy, but she imagines she's better off than Scott. Nancy hears multiple bangs followed by a string of curses.

"How's it coming along in there?" Nancy calls out.

"And Debbie always said I was the impatient one," Scott responds. She hears him sigh. "Okay, fine, come on in. Decorating has never really been my forte anyway."

"Great!" Nancy exclaims and steps around the corner. She stops, jaw hitting the floor.

"What'd you think?" Scott asks moments later. Nancy remains quiet for several seconds so Scott asks again. "The decorations? They're okay?"

There's an edge of concern behind his gruff tone that pulls Nancy from her shock. "Scott, it's absolutely beautiful."

"Really?" Scott's face brightens.

"Really," Nancy replies, and she can't miss his proud smile.

The room has been transformed into a rustic wonderland. Garland hangs from the stone fireplace and candles flicker on window sills and the mantel. Nancy spies some piles of paper shoved under the sofa, but with a smile, Nancy thinks Scott pulled it out pretty well.

"I'm glad you approve," Scott says softly.

Nancy catches his look and warms. She clears her throat. "There's just one last thing to complete this."

Scott cocks an eyebrow. "Dinner?"

Nancy rolls her eyes. Men. "Well, kinda. I need to bring out the humongous chocolate cake I bought you."

Scott's eyes narrow. "You know I hate chocolate."

"I do," Nancy smirks.

Scott crosses his arms. "Apparently you didn't learn from the last time you tried to force chocolate on me."

"You're going to teach me a lesson, professor?" Nancy teases.

Scott chokes. "Maybe another time."

Nancy pats his arm. "I was only kidding. I brought a spice cake."

His face lights up. "My favorite!"

"And besides," Nancy continues. "That's not what I meant." She reaches for a large bag in the corner. "What's a tree with no gifts underneath?"

Nancy pulls out several large bags and a small box placing each under the tree. She turns back to see Scott's disapproving glance. "What?"

"I didn't send you a gift for one in return."

Nancy smiles. "I know. I wanted you to have a nice Christmas."

Scott sighs. "I had a fine Christmas, Nancy. That's why I wrote you that letter. You stopping me didn't put any money in my pocket, but I'm a much happier person because of it."

"I know," Nancy reaches across to squeeze his hand. "And this is just me wanting to spend time with you."

Scott shakes his head. "You're crazy." He steps back and starts to turn away when he pauses and looks up.

"What?" Nancy questions.

"Nothing," he starts to fib, but Nancy has already spotted the small greenery hanging from the ceiling.

"Oh," she lets out.

Scott rubs his neck turning red. "It was in your bag so I thought you wanted it hung up."

"I forgot I even had it," she responds lightly. "Well, it is tradition after all."

Scott coughs and looks at her almost painfully. He stands silent for several seconds before leaning forward and pressing a gentle kiss on her cheek. "Merry Christmas, Nancy."