A/N: Thought as a Christmas Pressie to everyone, I'd put the next chapter up on Christmas Eve. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and is sticking by this story. It has meant a lot to me. And because it is Christmas, this chapter won't be filled with much angst at all. Christmas is a time for happiness, and maybe, finally, our favourite couple might experience some happiness.

Maybe...

Anyway, thanks again to all those who reviewed, and i hope you have a wonderful Christmas!

The call came in early that night.

Catherine was cooking vegetarian pasta for herself, Lindsey and Sara, who was asleep at the moment. Catherine had told her that she should get some sleep. Lindsey sat on a barstool at the kitchen counter, chopping up capsicum, chatting about something school related.

Then her cell phone rung.

Lindsey's eyes narrowed. "If that's work, Mom, you have to say no. You promised to spend the night with me…"

Without a word to her daughter, Catherine grabbed her mobile, and stepped out onto her porch.

Lindsey let out a groan, and threw the knife down onto the kitchen counter.

"What's wrong?"

Lindsey spun around and saw Sara standing there, rubbing her eyes from sleep. She just shrugged.

"Mom… I hate it when she gets called in for work."

Sara ambled over to the kitchen, and sat besides her. Her eyes glazed over Sara, and she smiled, noticing Sara's swollen stomach.

"You're having a baby!" She squealed softly, remembering. Sara let out a small smile of her own.

"Yeah…"

Lindsey looked at her. "You don't sound so happy…"

"I am happy," Sara told her, though Lindsey could tell that she wasn't. Not really. Her mom had told her about how Sara had left Nick. About how hard they had both taken Emily's death. Lindsey's smile faltered when she remember Emily. She really loved that little girl, and had promised to baby-sit for her when she got older.

Now she would never get the chance.

"Do you remember," Lindsey said suddenly, "When Emily was about four? You brought her here to make cookies, and she put half the mixture on her face. You came back half way through, and found her covered in it. You were pretty annoyed, but all she kept on saying was how she wanted to taste like cookies…"

Sara smiled, her lips pulling back in a genuine grin. "I remember that. I had the hardest time getting those chocolate chips out of her hair!"

Lindsey laughed. "It was funny."

Sara laughed a little bit. "Thanks…"

"You have to remember the good times, you know?" she said. "Don't forget about the memories. Always remember her being happy. Remember how silly she was. Remember how smart she was? She could say the states of America in alphabetical order!"

"Weren't you the one that taught her that 50 States of America song?" Sara asked her.

Lindsey nodded, grinning. Emily had been 3, and in a bid to educate her, Lindsey had taught her that song.

Sara rolled her eyes. "She would sing that day and night! It drove me and Nick crazy! At first it was cute, but then all I could think about at work were the states in that ridiculous tune!"

Lindsey giggled. "Sorry about that…"

Sara shook her head. "I miss it now though…"

Lindsey nodded. "Me too…"

There was silence for a while, before Sara spoke again. "Thanks."

Lindsey looked confused. "What for? Teaching her that song?"

She smiled again. "No… for helping me remember the good times…"

Lindsey smiled back at her. "And just you wait. I'll be teaching the same song to this little one!"

Suddenly, the kitchen door swung open, and Catherine raced inside, hair flying. Lindsey rolled her eyes.

"Mom… this better not be work!"

Catherine just stood there, her eyes wide, and they locked with Sara's confused ones.

"What's going on, Cath?"

"They got him…"

She didn't need to say anything else.

The Babysitter… they had got him.

And in that second, Sara finally got some of the closure she had longed for since her daughter's death.

Sara gasped, and felt tears welling up in her eyes. "The little girl…?"

"Alive," Catherine confirmed. Sara let out a small sob. Catherine immediately went and embraced Sara.

"Nick found them," She told Sara softly. She felt Sara tense, and she pulled back.

"Is… is he alright?" Sara choked out. She was trembling slightly, and Catherine shook her head.

"Sara… he got shot…"

Her words were soft, calming, but it did nothing to calm the brunette. Sara started to shake violently. She couldn't lose Nick now. She just couldn't.

"He's alive! He's already been treated at the hospital." Catherine told her quickly, and she saw Sara calm down slightly, but not much. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, and Catherine saw an inner battle raging behind Sara's eyes.

"I need to see him," she whimpered softly, and turned to get changed.

"I'll take you!" Catherine called out. Then she remembered Lindsey. She turned to face her daughter, who just smiled at her.

"It's okay, Mom," she said. "I understand. Plus, it's not work. It's important that Sara sees him… you too."

Catherine pulled her daughter into her arms, just as Sara came into the kitchen, dressed in loose fitting jeans. Catherine noticed that Sara hadn't hid her pregnancy.

"Let's go," She said quickly, and after quickly kissing her daughter, Catherine and Sara headed out towards Desert Palm Hospital.

When Catherine and Sara arrived, they saw Brass standing at the front counter. His eye's widened when he saw Sara, but smiled at her as she approached.

"Sara," he said softly, and pulled her into his arms. She relaxed into the embrace.

"Where's Nick?" She asked him. He gave her a small squeeze, and pulled back.

"He's gonna be fine," he assured her. "You should be able to see him soon."

Sara was still trembling, and Brass looked her over, and was surprised to see her swollen stomach, not painfully obvious, but sticking out none the less on Sara's tiny figure.

"Are congratulations in order?" he asked her, shooting Catherine a look. Sara nodded.

"Oh Sara," he said happily. "That's… wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. I'm so happy for you."

He pulled her to him again, and Sara buried her face in Brass's shoulder, holding her father figure close to her. She felt tears well up in her eyes again, and she mumbled into Brass's shoulder.

"Please… I need to see Nick… please…"

Brass let her go, and glanced at the doctor's. "He's resting, sweetie. But I reckon we could get you in for a minute."

Sara smiled weakly. "I'd really appreciate it."

Brass stepped away to talk to a doctor. Sara could see him gesturing to her, and the doctor looking her up and down, before nodding. She could feel her heart in her throat as Brass came back, and gave her a nod of approval.

He led her to Nick's room, and Sara felt herself breaking down again. Suddenly, she was faced with questions. What if Nick didn't want to see her? That would explain why he had ignored her phone call when she had tried to call him earlier that day. What if he hated her for leaving? What if he blamed her for Emily's death? What if he didn't want this child?

She stopped outside Nick's room, and Brass squeezed her shoulder reassuringly.

"He'll be happy to see you," he told her, as if reading her thoughts. She nodded, and with shaking hands, pushed the door open.

Nick lay in the hospital bed, asleep. He looked pale, but very much alive. She quietly closed the door, and made her way to Nick's bed, sitting down besides it, just starring at Nick's face. She had missed him so much.

Her hand crawled up onto the bed, and she threaded her slim fingers with his thick ones. He shifted in his sleep, and Sara found tears falling down her cheeks again. She could have lost him.

She stared at their entwined hands, and suddenly, she heard her name.

"Sara…?"

Nick's voice was tired, unbelieving. Shocked. She looked up, and her wet eyes met his own, and she shuffled closer to him.

"I'm here…" she whimpered softly, bringing his hand up to kiss the knuckles, her eyes never leaving his. He looked so shocked, confused. But mostly, he looked relieved. His other hand came up, and gently stroked her face, his fingers brushing the tears away from her skin.

"Don't cry, baby," he whispered to her. "Please don't cry. You know I hate seeing you cry."

More tears spilled from her eyes as she listened to this man, this wonderful selfless man, care more about how she was doing then how he was doing. His hand moved to her shoulder, and he pulled her down, so that her head rested against his uninjured left shoulder. His fingers continued to gently stroke her hair, and he brushed his lips against her forehead. She trembled against him, still struggling to accept that he still wanted to touch her. It wouldnt last when he found out she was pregnant, and that she had kept it from him.

"I'm pregnant," she blurted out. Now he knew.

And now he would reject her.

His eyes widened, and she looked up at him struggling to come to terms with what she was saying.

"We're… having another baby?" he choked out. She nodded, and tensed, ready to take what was coming to her. Anger, misery. Rejection.

Suddenly, with amazing strength, he pulled her fully on the bed, and cradled her head in one of his hands, a grin the size of Texas on his face. He leant in, brushing his lips against hers, tasting her for the first time in weeks, months.

She whimpered, and tried to get closer to him. "I'm sorry I left," she whispered. "I was just… so scared."

His hand left her face, and gently tugged her shirt up, letting his hands brush against her swelling abdomen, where their baby was growing.

"I know,' he whispered. "I'm scared too."

He brought her to him again, wrapping his good arm around her small frame, hugging her to him, desperate for her touch, desperate to feel her against him again, to remind himself that she was actually there, that she actually came back. He pressed his lips to her forehead again, whispering to her as he did so.

"I knew you would come back."

Sara snuggled closer to him. "Nicky, I never really left you."

For Christmas i gave you a chapter. Maybe in return, you can bless me with a review :)

MERRY CHRISTMAS