Half an hour later and the group had tucked into their main meal. The drinks were flowing, as was the conversation, much to Sandra's surprise. She was actually rather enjoying herself.

"So I bet you're all waiting for the present part of the evening?" Strickland brought it up as they waited for their main courses.

"Of course not, we're just enjoying ourselves." Sandra spoke politely before sighing as she saw all three of her boys nodding.

"It's okay Sandra, you know what boys are like with the prospect of new toys." Strickland laughed as a round of new drinks were placed in front of them. "Thank you."

Strickland, who had asked the group to hand their presents to a senior member of staff named Michael on arrival, whispered into Michael's ear.

"Very good, sir" he said nodding; his voice reminded Brian of a young Noel Coward.

"So while we wait for our presents, we have just enough time to tell everyone about our Christmas plans," Robert said, topping up Sandra's glass with the best white wine she had ever tasted. "Jack, how will you be spending Christmas Day?"

"Probably just a quiet one by myself, I don't mind to be honest. It's not the same without Mary," he responded quietly. "How about you, sir?"

"Jack, call me Robert, please," the younger man insisted. "I'll probably be spending it by myself too, the children are in Italy with their mother."

A silence descended around the table. Sandra would spending the day with her mother, but by the end of it she usually came to wish she had spent it alone.

"I have all the girls coming over in the afternoon for dinner but I'm spending the morning with Paula and Gerry." Gerry said, picking up on the tone the conversation had taken and set about trying to fix it.

"I'm spending the afternoon with my mum and a large bottle of wine." Sandra laughed, again trying to lighten the mood.

"Esther and I have Mark, his wife and bump coming over on Christmas Eve and they're staying over."

"That'll be nice." Sandra spoke, smiling as she did knowing that relations were improving between Brian and his son.

"Did someone ask for presents? Just call me Santa." Michael spoke cheerily as he appeared back at the table.

Each person sitting at the table exclaimed with glee, Christmas really did bring out the child in them all.

"For the very beautiful lady" Michael said extracting a small but stunningly wrapped package to Sandra, it felt light and delicate, can't be from Gerry she thought.

Once they all had hold of their gifts they took it in turn to say who they thought it was from before it was opened and what they thought it might be.

Keeping to the age old tradition of ladies first, Sandra took a guess at her secret Santa. "Erm...Jack, is this from you?"

He shrugged, shaking his head. "Nope, open it and then take another guess."

She gently removed the small gold bow and began to peel open the red wrapping paper, revealing a box inside. Frowning in confusion, she opened the box. Inside was a beautiful silver necklace with a small pendant, the diamond set inside it sparkling in the light.

"This must have cost a fortune," she gasped in surprise. "Who bought me it?"

"You can't ask that Sandra! It's a secret, hence the name secret Santa." Brian pointed out. She looked around the table trying to figure out who sent it but each man kept a poker face on. Brian would have never picked it, even with Esther's help it would have still been something. If it'd been Jack then he'd have given her a bigger hint, that left her with just Robert and Gerry to choose from.

"I love it." Sandra spoke, a massive smile plastered across her face as she promised herself she'd pay special attention to the remainder of the gifts to try and figure out who her gift was from.

After the only lady of the table had opened her present, it was Jack's turn. After guessing at his present, he gingerly he made a slit in the paper with his finger and took out its contents. There was a hardback book on the 21st century, which had become a running joke with the team that he wasn't up to speed with present day life. The other item was a solid silver hipflask with his name engraved down one side.

"Thank you, I love it," he smiled. "And I think this will be useful in finally bringing me up to date with modern life but you all know the 20th Century was better."

"Just don't be drinking too much whiskey at work," Sandra joked. "And UCOS didn't exist in the 20th Century so it can't be better!"

"Here here," Brian added sincerely.

"Too right guv," Gerry grinned. "I propose a toast, to UCOS."

"To UCOS," they chorused, holding up their drinks.

"Right Brian, your turn," Brian was handed what was the largest present out of the group. Opening it he found a new bike helmet that read 'Boy Racer' along the back, which set everyone in to peals of laughter and a new coat hanger with his name inscribed on it, as his old one had broken.

The Northerner beamed with pride. His whole life it had seemed everyone, apart from Esther, nobody seemed to understand him, and now here he was with four of the best people in the world. "Wow you really do know your onions when it comes to me, thank you so much, these are great," he cried with happiness as the rest of the team looked on fondly.

"Right, looks like my turn then," Gerry clapped his hands with glee before retrieving his gift, a neatly wrapped large box. Carefully he removed the paper and opened the box to reveal a hand painted model of a Triumph Stag, a perfect replica of his beloved classic car.

"Ey this is brilliant!" He exclaimed, lifting it up to examine it more closely, taking in all the small details. "Thank you, I love it."

"On to the final present

." Sandra smiled as she watched Rob pick up the only remaining present. It was in a gift bag with two individually wrapped gifts inside. The first was clearly a bottle but the second was a more odd shape. Opening it he couldn't help but smile at the gifts but more so at how well the team seemed to know him.

"Guys this is brilliant" he chuckled as admired the very fine bottle of 15-year-old malt; it was odd that such a slick bottle was decorated in something so tacky but it was a very personal gift and Rob secretly was a lover of anything tacky.

"I guess you will all be wanting to come back to mine for a nightcap, now" he said securing the bottle back into the gift bag it came in.

"Sir, you aren't honestly going to open that are you, it will be vintage one day" Gerry replied.

"We all will be one day Gerry, you lot should know" he joked. "And how many times, please call me Robert."

A/N: The end! Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed this, we're glad you enjoyed it :) xxx