My note….Here's the next installment. I was hoping to have this story finished before Christmas, but now, it looks like it won't even be done before the new year. That's life for you!

'TIS THE SEASON

CHAPTER 3: BABY IT'S COLD OUTSIDE

"I can't believe they're doing this", Jimmy muttered as he completed his transfer and started working on disassembling his chair.

"Who's doing what?", she asked curiously as she slid into the passenger side of his car, pulling the door shut after her.

"My parents...all of this", he added exasperately, waving his hands around. "I let you talk me into decorating my parents house and they suddenly turn into Santa and Mrs. Claus...".

"Hey, if I remember correctly, decorating the house was your idea...and I had nothing to do with your mom wanting to get your family all together for Christmas", Ashley retorted playfully, trying to ease his noticable anxiety. But that didn't help, and Jimmy just blew out a heavy breath as he shoved the key into the ignition.

"I know", Jimmy sighed exasperatedly and shook his head. "But now, not only do I have to go and try to find presents for people I hardly know, four days before Chirstmas...I need to get a tux for that stupid party on Saturday", he groaned and pulled the brake back gently.

Ashley felt bad for Jimmy, knowing how nervous he was feeling about seeing his family again, most of whom hadn't seen him since well before the shooting. And she could tell that he was less than thrilled with the prospect of being paraded around at the Toronto Law Association Christmas party. But, she also remembered how much fun he had with Toby's family at the Hanukkah celebrations he attended, and was hoping that this week would bring him just as much joy.

The car slowly coasted to a stop at the red light. Jimmy turned to look at Ashley, wearing a disgusted look on his face and moaned, "A tuxedo Ash".

Ashley couldn't help the small smirk of amusement that formed on her lips. "Well I for one, can't wait to see you all dressed up in a tuxedo", she replied suggestively.

Jimmy raised a curious eyebrow as he resumed driving. "Really?", he asked, almost bashfully.

"Ye-ah", she answered incredulously. "What's hotter than a gorgeous guy, in a tuxedo, who just happens to be your date for the evening?".

Without missing a beat, Jimmy answered, "A gorgeous girl in a beautiful dress, standing next to him". Ashley blushed at Jimmy's sentiment. "By the way...", he paused and shot a quick glance her way. "...what does your dress look like?".

Ashley smiled and shrugged playfully, "You'll just have to wait and find out".

With his girlfriend by his side, Jimmy started to believe that maybe this Christmas wasn't going to be so bad, after all.

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Even though they'd gotten an early start, the mall was jam-packed with last minute shoppers. To use their time more efficently, the two decided to spilt up first thing, then meet up at the formal wear shop for Jimmy's eleven o'clock fitting.

Ashley arrived first. "Can I help you?", the twenty-something clerk asked from her place behind the counter.

Ashley took one more glance around the store. "No thanks, I'm just waiting for my boyfriend, he has an appointment at eleven", she replied, looking down at her watch to see that it was already six minutes after. "Has he been in yet?".

"Brooks?", the lady asked and Ashley nodded in affimation. "No sorry, not yet", she answered apologetically. "But feel free to look around". Ashley smiled amiably and stared browsing through the store.

"A wedding?", the clerk inquired when she noticed Ashley gravitating toward the tuxedos.

"No", she shook her head. "It's a formal Christmas party...black tie".

"Oooh, sounds nice", the clerk replied excitedly as she walked over to Ashley. "So what's you dress like?". Ashley grinned wide as she described the sequin studded, spaghetti-strap number she'd be wearing to the event. The girl saw Ashley look down at her watch again. "If your pressed for time, we could pick out a few complementing styles for your boyfriend to try on when he gets here", she offered genuinely. "My name is Jill".

Ashley didn't want to admit she was getting concerned, but she was. Just the thought of him having to navigate the beyond crowded shopping mall, just a few days before Christmas, made her regret the idea to split up, even though she knew he was perfectly capable of taking care of himself...

"So, I thought we'd start with the pants", the clerks chipper voice, broke Ashley from her thoughts. She nodded absently and decided to give Jimmy until quarter after, before she tried him on his cell. "What's his waist size?".

Ashley thought for a second before answering, "Thirty-four...I think".

"And his inseam?", Jill asked, opening up a small notepad.

"I have no idea", Ashley replied, dumbfounded. The clerk chuckled softly at her admission. "I know he likes his pants on the longer side...and they have to be loose fitting...".

"Well that may be okay for jeans, but it's not the way we fit for dress pants", she explained. "We don't want him tripping on the hems".

A slight frown spread across Ashley's lips...maybe she should've been a little more forthcoming. "Um, that won't be a problem. You see, he's...".

"Okay then, how tall is he?", Jill cut-in, without giving Ashley a chance to finish.

"He's about 6'3"...".

"Try 6'4"", a playfull voice called out from behind Ashley. "You screwed me out of an entire inch Ash", he teased as he pulled up next to her.

"Finally", Ashley gasped, with mock exasperation as she turned to face him. "Where were you?", she asked, taking in his appearance...flushed pink cheeks, heaving chest.

Jimmy could hear the anxiousness in her voice and it made him smile just a bit wider...he knew that her concern for him was just out of love. "I went to put my packages in the trunk, then I stopped to get these", he replied, pulling a lidded cup from the beverage tray on his lap and handing it to Ashley. "Took me a little longer then I'd figured...the lines for the elevator were super long".

Ashley accepted the warm gift from Jimmy, thanking him with a gentle hand on his shoulder and a loving grin. The clerk recovered quickly from her inital shock and smiled at the cute couple. "Well, I just have to take a few quick measurements and you'll be done", Jill stated, pulling out her measuring tape. "We already have some styles picked out so you can try on...".

The look Jimmy gave Ashley caused Jill to trail off. "I could come in with you, if you want", Ashley offered softly.

"We do have a fitting room that's somewhat accessible in the back", Jill stated hesitantly, hoping she wasn't intruding on the couple.

Jimmy nodded to Jill, then placed the stack of dress pants and shirts on his lap while she carried the jackets. "You stay here Ash", he instructed lightly, his lips quirking up into a sly grin. "You're just gonna have to wait to see which one I pick out", he teased, giving her a taste of her own medicine.

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After a hurried lunch and more marathon shopping, the couple was finally on their way home. The snow had been falling steadily throughout the day and now the roads were slick and traffic was slow.

All the stress and tension from the day was slowly gnawing at Jimmy. From trying to find a parking spot...yes, even the handicapped spots were all occupied, waiting in endless lines, maneuving through crowded stores and merchandise strewn aisles, to sitting in bumper to bumper traffic...was really taking it's toll.

Jimmy pulled into his driveway and pressed the remote for the garage door, only to find his spot filled with banquet linens, tables and chairs for the dreaded Brooks family reunion. With a frustrated sigh, Jimmy reluctantly began to pull his chair out from the back, in preparation of having to set it up on the slick, slightly sloped pavement. He made sure his brakes were securely locked before attempting the transfer, he did not want to end up face first in the snow...not in front of Ashley.

Pleased with his successful transfer, Jimmy snapped off his brakes, momentarily forgetting all about the incline he was on, that is, until he began to roll backward. He immediately grabbed for the rims, but slippery metal was hard to grasp. With a quick tug, Jimmy turned his chair forward and rode out the momentum down to the mailbox, as if that what he intended to do.

Jimmy looked from the garage door, to where Ashley was unloading the trunk...he was definitely going to need her help getting back up the driveway. But with her next movement, that thought was tossed from his mind...she was reaching for the package with her gift in it. "Hey Ash, not that one", he yelled out, just as the powdery ball hit her square on the thigh.

With a gasp and a playfull look of mock anger, Ashley dropped the bag back into the trunk and scooped up some snow from the ground. "You are so dead", she warned as she chased him down the sidewalk. Her snowball caught him right on the shoulder.

There was nowhere for Jimmy to go, so he spun around and caught his attacker by the waist. They sat there together, panting and laughing, until the noise from the neighbors yard they were now in front of, got their attention. "That looks like fun", Jimmy stated, nodding to the the snowman the kids were building. "What'd you say we make one of our own?".

Ashley nodded excitedly and smiled as she slid off of Jimmy's lap and slipped behind him. She waited until they got back in front of his house, to help with the trip up the driveway. Jimmy breathed out a relieved sigh when Ashley shut the trunk of his car on their way to the grassy part of the front yard, forgetting all about the packages she was removing...hers included.

Jimmy was struggling to gather the snow, reason being, he needed one hand on the rim of his chair for support, while the other scooped the snow from the limited area he could reach. "This is gonna take us forever", he complained as he looked down at the pathetic lump of snow, collected at his feet.

Ashley looked up from the large ball she was forming and rolled it over to Jimmy before silently walking into the garage. She returned a few minutes with a short, but wide plastic step stool and waterproof camping blanket. "Your not exactly dressed for snow play, but this should keep you pretty warm and dry", she stated, setting the stool down on the ground and laying the blanket over it, for both comfort and protection from the elements.

Jimmy smiled appreciatively and proceeded to transfer to the stool.

The two worked together, until the snowman grew too large for Jimmy to reach. "If I transfer back, we're gonna run in to the same problem as before", he stated dishearteningly.

"Well, you could finish up the body from down there, while I take care of the head and face", Ashley offered, handing Jimmy some garden rocks for the buttons and sticks for the hands.

Satisfied with the finished product, Ashley took a step back and declared, "He looks awesome Jimmy".

But Jimmy was sitting too close to ol' Frosty's body to get a good look at the completed snowman. He leaned back as far as he could, but the image was still distorted. He then reached for his chair, which was a little too far away and...whoosh. "Yeah, he does look good", Jimmy conceeded with a chuckle.

Ashley flopped down in the snow beside Jimmy and giggled, "A unique vantage point, but it works".

Jimmy turned his head toward Ashley and smirked, "I thought I'd make a snow angel while I'm down here... care to join me?".

"Sure", she answered, delighted. "...scoot back so we have more room".

Jimmy followed Ashley's instructions, then laid back down and flapped his arms up and down for the effect of angel wings. "How's that?", he asked playfully.

"Fine", Ashley answered quickly, but looked skeptically at the rut in the snow made when Jimmy dragged himself backward.

Jimmy propped himself up on his elbows and groaned. "It looks like half an angel stuck on a poll Ash", he quipped good-naturedly.

Ashley chuckled at Jimmy's joke and knelt in the rut, moving his legs in the same manner as he moved his arms. "There, now it looks like an angel sitting on top of a tree", she declared, straightening his legs back out in front of him. "Which reminds me, you missed your afternoon session", she added patting his knee.

"You still have to make yours", Jimmy instructed, motioning to the empty spot next to his angel.

Ashley smiled as she got down in the snow to make her angel. Jimmy leaned back and caught her hand in his, mid-swoop. The two lay there, in the snow, looking into each others eyes as the flakes began falling again.

Ashley got up slowly and carefully walked around, not to disturb the angels. "We need to get inside and get you out of those cold, wet clothes", she stated, bringing the step stool, then chair next to Jimmy.

"Are you offering to take those clothes off for me?", he quipped, raising his brow suggestively as he moved swiftly from the stool to his chair.

"Well, that depends", she whispered seductively, leaning over his shoulder.

"On?", Jimmy prompted, his mouth suddenly running dry.

"On if your willing to take my clothes off...they're wet too", Ashley's warm breath tickled Jimmy's ear. With that, he spun around and quickly followed her into the house.

And there in the darkening front yard sat a smiling snowman, looking down on two snowangels, holding hands.

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Again, another chapter of pure fluff...no point, no plot...just gobs of JimAsh goodness. God, I love these two!!! Hope you all liked it as well. Sorry about going a little AU by giving Jimmy his own car, but I needed that little tidbit for this chapter.

My thanks to...lilfiftyfour and SAMii for their reviews.

Degrassi is not mine.