"Mine?" The word came out as more of a question than a statement as she watched his fingers run across the top of the box.

He smiled sheepishly as her. "Well yeah. I mean, it was going to be. I got the call a few weeks ago and I didn't really know what to do with it, so I've been riding around with it in the console and …"

"Wait. Wait. What?" She recognized the embarrassed, slightly manic way he spoke when he felt vulnerable. It had always struck her as somewhat endearing but now it also made her sad. "I don't understand," she admitted.

"Right." Billy looked down the box again once more before sitting it down on the couch in front of him and passing it closer to her. "It was late one night and I couldn't sleep. You were zonked so I had the television on mute and I was just flipping through channels. I happened across this thing on gemstones and … well." He gestured towards the box and waited until she picked it up in her hands. His head nodded again, encouraging her to open it. The look on her face was everything he'd hoped it would. Only now it would never be the same.

"Billy." Her eyes could barely leave the box as she stared down at the earrings. "They're beautiful. I've never seen anything quite like them. I …"

"Yeah, that's the point." He smiled again before it quickly faded. The reality of the moment had a way of sobering everything almost immediately. "It's a green diamond – pretty rare and almost unheard of in your commercial jewelry. You pretty much have to have it custom made. When I saw it, the first thing I thought of was your eyes and how close the color was …"

"They're gorgeous, Billy. I love them, but I can't …" She swallowed hard as she closed the box, the sound of the springloaded lid snapping shut startled her. "I mean we're not …"

"Please." His eyes locked on hers. "I had them custom made for you and they're not gonna take them back. I can't give them to anyone else … I won't. They're yours. I bought them for you and I want you to have them."

"But Billy, I just don't know if …"

"Come on …" He forced another smile again. "The other day in the office, you said you wanted to be friends. So, we're friends and friends can give each other Christmas gifts. There's nothing wrong with that."

"This isn't just any old Christmas gift though, Billy. This is …"

"I come bearing Chinese food."

She jumped at the sound of Nick's voice and grabbed for the velvet box as it almost tumbled to the floor. "Nick." Her voice was strained as she waited for him to round the corner into the living room.

"I wasn't sure if you'd eaten or not, so I got plenty. Whose car is that out front? I don't recog …" His voice stopped short as he stepped into the open area. "Billy." The change in tone was obvious. "What are you doing here?"

"It's a long story actually."

Billy turned to face him. "Not that long actually," he said quickly. "I caught her, quite literally, alone in a dark parking garage with a car leaking brake fluid. Luckily, she found the leak while it was still parked and not while she was trying to drive it home."

"Oh my …" There was obvious concern in his voice as he approached the sofa. "Why didn't you call me and I would've …" He stopped. "What happened to your ankle."

"You catch on real quick don't you?" Billy muttered.

"Billy." Her soft voice was an almost plea. "I slipped in what turned out to brake fluid and Billy actually kept me from destroying myself anymore." He was sitting next to her now, his hand resting on her leg. She let her eyes drift over his shoulder to where Billy stood. She knew he was watching Nick intently, scrutinizing his every move.

"What's this?"

"What?" She'd been distracted, momentarily lost in the look in Billy's eyes, the look she was almost certain she'd call jealousy. "Oh … that." A sudden surge went through her. The box didn't belong to him. There was something about it she needed to keep, something personal, something special. "Those are …" She hesitated as she reached for the box and held it, almost protectively, in her hand.

"They're some earrings I found that she'd left at the house," Billy interrupted. "I'd been riding around with them in the car and I kept forgetting to give them to her. When I gave her a ride tonight, it made me think of it, so I gave them back. They were some of her favorites so, I wanted to make sure she got them back." He watched the expression on her face change from surprise at his willingness to lie to what he thought was admiration at the ease in which he did it. "Anyway," he reached over to the back of the sofa and grabbed his jacket. "I guess now that you're here, I should be going." He pointed down to her ankle which still lay propped and iced on the pillow. "Take care of that, will ya? No working this weekend. Stay off of it."

"Don't you waste your time worrying about her." Nick stood up, his stance a clear marking of territory. "I'll take care of her."

The message was nothing short of obvious. "Got it." He nodded. "See you Monday. Have a nice Christmas." His eyes held her gaze for only a moment longer than necessary before he turned towards the door. For a second, he almost thought she'd say something, thank him for the gift, tell him not to leave, something … Instead she smiled, her eyes sparkling up at him, their color an almost perfect match to the earrings that rested inside the small velvet box still clenched inside her hand.

"Merry Christmas," she whispered.