"Is this really necessary?" I asked Connor, as I watched him pull all of the little figurines for the nativity out of the box.

"Oh, come on, Abs, I'm only trying to be traditional here," he said, setting a cow in the stable as a pout made its way across his face.

I rolled my eyes. "Well, you've never much cares about being 'traditional' up until now."

He turned to look at me. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

I shook my head. "Nothing, never mind." Maybe I was being a bit unreasonable about this. After all, it was just a nativity.

"Here, I'll finish," I told him, sitting on the floor next to him.

"If you're trying to get closer to me Abby, then all you've got to do is ask," he said, scooting over to try and bridge the small gap between us.

I ignored him, putting the rest of the pieces in their proper spots. I couldn't help but notice that two were missing. Joseph and the baby Jesus himself.

"Connor?" I looked at him curiously, checking his hands to make sure he didn't have them. "Hmmm?"

"Nothing," I said, shaking my head as I started to look on the floor. "Where is he?" I said to myself as I searched the surface of the coffee table again.

Connor watched me like there was something wrong with me. "Where's who? Who are you looking for? Because I honestly don't see how anyone can fit under-"

"Jesus, Connor. Where is he?" I asked, thinking that it would probably be easier to just tell him than to have to listen to his confused babbling.

His frown deepened, his eyes grew wider. "I don't think you're answering my question. Who exactly are we talking about?" he said slowly.

I rolled my eyes. It irritated me how slow he was to catch on to things. "Jesus, Connor. We are looking for the baby Jesus." "What-" "And Joseph," I added.

In his head, something automatically clicked. He did all of the things I had just done, looking on the floor, looking me over to make sure I didn't have them, though I must admit he was taking a bit longer than necessary to do this, and then checking the table top. "Well, I haven't seen him," he said, trying his absolute hardest to look innocent.

I stared blankly at him. "You must have," I told him. "You're the one who's had them until just a few minutes ago."

He threw his hands up, as if in surrender. "Abby…I swear to you…I don't have Jesus," he said slowly, waiting for me to react in one way or another. "Or his father," he added quickly, probably afraid I was going to accuse him of having something else.

"Then who do you suggest has it, Connor?" "How am I supposed to know?"

I took a deep breath. "So…you don't have him…and I don't have him…Who else could-"

It's funny how some things happen at precisely the right moment, whether it's to help you realise something that's been there all along or to help you to remember something important that you would have completely forgotten about had you not been reminded of it.

When Sid and Nancy stumbled and slid across the wooden floor of my flat, we suddenly realised what we should have from the beginning.

I heard Connor chuckling next to me. "Man," he said, shaking his head and clicking his tongue. "What?"

He looked up at me, a slight smile still showing on his face. "What a way to go."

I felt myself start to laugh. "Shut up, Connor," I said softly, still smiling as I used his shoulder to help myself get up off of the floor.

"So what are we going to do?" I asked, having to look down at him from where I stood.

He shrugged. "I don't know. I guess we'll have to put something there to replace them," he said, waiting for me to provide him with some sort of idea.

"Hold on." He jumped up from where he was sitting, grinning like a madman. "I've got just the thing…"

"Alright, Connor, what is it?"