Author's Note: This is a pinch hit written in response to the CCOAC Christmas Fanfic Exchange. It's written especially for klcm! The prompts were: Last Christmas (by WHAM!), Christmas Memory, Fairy Lights, & Mistletoe. All of them will be used in the story.

Thank you so much for the reviews for last chapter!

Derek's cousin, Gina, and her girlfriend, Janette had dragged Penelope out onto the dance floor immediately upon arrival to the little pub in downtown Chicago. The only thing that stopped them was an occasional shot at the bar—which was where Sarah and Desiree were right now. Penelope tried not to look in their direction. She'd been looking all night; Derek hadn't strayed from his spot at the bar. For someone who was reputed for being such a Casanova, he sure was turning a lot of women away. At her last count, he could've purportedly gotten laid somewhere in the vicinity of six times now. But he'd driven them all away with nothing but a glower.

He was probably annoyed that he had to share a hotel room with her. If he'd had one all to himself, he'd at least have been able to bring one of them home with him. If Sarah wasn't crashing with her mother, then Penelope could have asked to spend the night in her room. But it would've been too awkward to explain to Derek's mother that she was sharing her room because her son was getting some.

She didn't dare to ask Gina and Janette if she could bunk with them for fear that she'd end up being propositioned for something freaky—especially after Gina's comment about her 'smokin' hot bod' last night. Derek was just going to have to make do with sharing his room. It was only for three more nights, and then he could have all the sex he wanted.

Penelope was still dancing when she felt a pair of hands take hold of her hips. That was fine—until his arms snaked around her waist and he pulled her close. Penelope stiffened, uncomfortable with the advance. She tried to turn around, but the man just pulled her closer…against his obvious arousal. She struggled to step forward, but his grip only tightened.

She turned a pleading look towards the bar only to find that Derek was already stalking towards her. Before he could reach her, however, the man's hold loosened and he stumbled backwards. Penelope's head whipped around in time to see Derek's cousin struggling for breath from obvious pain.

"Gina!" she said incredulously, a gaping look on her face.

The other woman held her hand up to study it; the flesh around her knuckles was already swelling.

"What the—no, no, no!" Penelope said, planting herself directly in Derek's path. His stride was purposeful, his entire body radiating fury. She watched as his fists clenched and unclenched at his sides. "Derek—"

"Get out of my way," he growled, as she set her hands on his shoulders.

"A little help here," Penelope cried shrilly.

Four other females rushed forward and it took all of them helping Penelope to hold Derek back. "If I were you, I'd fucking run," Janette yelled over her shoulder.

The man who'd made Penelope his main objective, who had just seconds before been spoiling for a good fight, took one look at Derek's expression and disappeared.

"Hey!" Desiree said, trying to get her brother's attention. "Derek!"

He looked down at her, the rage in his eyes barely diffusing.

"Put the caveman away and chill out," she instructed.

Derek sighed and stepped back, allowing Penelope, his sisters, and the rest of his family to relax.

Sarah looked sideways at Penelope. "You're right," she said in a low, sarcastic voice so only the other woman could hear her. "He's not into you at all."

They headed back to the hotel and finished off their night at the bar there. It was smaller than the one downtown, and not nearly as eventful. They'd all dropped the subject of the earlier incident in favor of making Desiree's night out a fun one. At around twelve-thirty, the gentlemen's party joined them and the dancing and drinking continued until the bar closed, then they all headed to their designated rooms. When Penelope and Derek reached theirs, he immediately grabbed a pair of boxers from his suitcase and then headed for the bathroom without a word.

"You OK?" he asked a little while later when he walked into the room.

Am I OK? she wanted to ask. She was definitely not OK. He was like live sex standing there in front of her wearing his boxers, and the fact that he was off limits only served to boost his appeal. "Fine," she lied, as she disappeared into the bathroom with her nightclothes.

When she returned to the room, she was wearing another new nighty. This one was the same style as the one she'd worn the night before, but instead of being black with mistletoe on it, it was bright red with white snowflakes. Who knew that snowflakes could be so damn alluring?

He returned to his book, hoping it would be that easy. It wasn't.

"You knew," she said as she sat down on the edge of her mattress facing him.

He gave her a puzzled look.

"I didn't even have to ask for your help; you already knew I needed you," she repeated.

He put his book down. "That's because I was watching you," he told her.

"Y—you were watching me tonight?" she asked in surprise.

He nodded. "Do you any idea how many men in that bar were checking you out?" he asked irritably.

Penelope laughed nervously. "Probably just the one," she muttered.

"No," he said firmly. "More than the one. You didn't notice them?"

She shook her head. "I only noticed you," she said without thinking. Her cheeks immediately began blazing as soon as she spoke. There really was no saving herself from this one…and she didn't even want to try.

It turned Derek on to know that her attention had been on him. Was this woman really so oblivious to her own sex appeal? She had it in spades, and she had no idea. She sat there for a moment unspeaking, and he assumed it meant their conversation was over. So he reached for his Kurt Vonnegut book again.

"Were you going to try and talk me into bed tonight?"

Only to almost drop it. "Excuse me?" he asked in disbelief, his gaze immediately returning to her.

"Did you have any intention of trying to sleep with me tonight?" she pressed.

"Penelope, no bones have been made about the fact that my very life depends on not sleeping with you," he reminded her dryly.

She tilted her head to the side and studied him for a moment before speaking again. "Because that's what my brother wants. But…what about what I want?" she asked coyly.

Derek returned her gaze for a moment; the desire in her eyes made it very clear what she wanted, but dammitt! He couldn't have her. He wouldn't have her! Desiree never asked him for anything, but she'd asked him for this. Surely he could give her this. "Stay on the mattress," he warned.

"OK," she agreed, pulling her legs up onto the bed.

Derek returned to his book once again, working intently to keep his concentration on the words before him. But when Penelope's nightdress landed on his head with a whoosh, it was obvious that he was fighting a losing battle.

He hastily pulled the nightgown off his head and opened his mouth to speak, but the words wouldn't come. She was up on her knees on the bed wearing nothing but a sexy grin and…matching panties?

Oh, fuck.