Author's Note: A few lines in this part were borrowed from the Season Two Roswell episode "We Are Family".

Part 28

Michael led the way into the garage and he glanced over his shoulder at the others, annoyed when he realized that Maria and Liz had fallen way behind and were chattering like a couple of girls. He snorted to himself. Scratch that thought. He looked at Max when he stopped right behind him. "They need to learn how to operate these things," he insisted.

"Okay," Max said agreeably.

Michael's mouth was hanging open, expecting opposition and prepared to continue with his argument. His eyes narrowed. "What'd you just say?" he asked suspiciously.

"You're right."

His mouth snapped shut and he just shook his head as he walked inside to study the gear.

Liz nudged her best friend as they walked side by side. They had been excitedly discussing their tree hunting excursion until they had noticed Michael's look back at them. "So, how're you and Michael doing?" She bit her lip for a moment as she smiled at Max and he disappeared into the shadowy interior of the garage. "I mean, he's been so… I don't now…" She pinched her lips together between her teeth as she carefully chose her words.

"I don't know, Liz. He's so tense about our safety that it's hard to tell what he's thinking as far as our relationship's concerned." She looked at the other girl. "Looks like you and Max are doing just fine. He never leaves your side and the honeymoon seems to be in full swing, girlfriend."

"That part's good," Liz blushed as she responded quietly. "Real good."

"Hey, you two wanna get a move on?" Michael asked as he stuck his head out the door. "It's bad enough we're even doin' this, but now you're out here yakkin' it up and wastin' time."

"You know, some people would just relax and enjoy the chance to be off the road," Liz said as she squeezed past him.

"Why don't you zip it, Candycane," he snapped. "The royal wrangler's waitin' for you."

She just rolled her eyes and went over to her husband, nodding when he motioned for her to just ignore Michael and let it pass.

"You know, we're gonna talk about this attitude of yours, Santa," Maria said.

"Whatever, you two need to get geared up so we can get outta here. Now let's go." He just looked at her when she shook her head at him.

Maria decided to drop it for the moment. There was no point in getting into an argument in front of anyone else. She gave him that look that said this conversation wasn't over before going inside to get ready.

Nearly 20 minutes later Michael swung his right leg over the seat, his gaze critically scanning over the placement of Maria's hands and feet as she sat in front of him. He had gone over the proper startup several times and if her expression was anything to go by she was ready to yank one of the skis off and beat him with it. He leaned in and pointed to the cord that ran from the key to the steering column. "Kill switch, what's that do again?"

Maria shivered when his breath brushed against her cheek. She turned to yell over the idling engine, "It kills the engine!" She shook her head in annoyance as she glanced at Max and Liz. Was Max giving her the third degree? No, he was using the lesson as an opportunity to flirt and tease the love of his life. And the love of her life? Well, he was cramming the lesson down her throat repeatedly because he obviously felt that as the only human she wasn't capable of even grasping such a simple concept. She could just kick herself for her warm and fuzzy thoughts when she had been sitting in the living room with his arm around her.

"You remember where the brake is and how to use it?"

She huffed in irritation and faced front as she put her helmet on.

He reached around her to indicate the brake on the left side and she immediately shoved his hand away.

Michael smirked at the feisty tone in her voice. She had surprised him with the ease that she had shown starting the snowmobile up as quickly as she had. He could hear the pride in her voice below her annoyance with him for pushing her about the operation of the vehicle. He was only doing it for her own good and in spite of her irritation he momentarily forgot about the FBI and the necessity of learning things like this on the off chance they had to run.

Liz glanced over at the other couple as Michael spoke to Maria, pointing at different parts of the snowmobile from time to time. "Um, Max, what's going on?" she asked as she finished getting ready.

He smiled and motioned to the snowmobile waiting for them. "Nothin' much. We just thought it'd be a good idea for our girls to know how to ride these machines." He took her by the hand and pulled her in for a kiss, pulling away before her knees had time to go weak. He led her over to the snowmobile and took his time teaching her what to do to operate the thing. He teased and flirted his way through it, his body moving in close but not touching, his breath whispering against her skin, and using innuendo at every opportunity.

"You really want me to learn this?" she asked uncertainly.

She watched him as he straddled the snowmobile, recognizing the look on his face. He had worn the same expression that day in the back of the Crashdown when they had dumped fresh strawberries all over the floor. His eyes and his voice were positively hypnotic as he spoke and she had no idea if she'd remember a damn thing about operating the snowmobile, but she wouldn't forget this moment and him.

"It's worth learnin' to ride, Liz, and it's a great ride." He hooked his thumb over his shoulder to indicate the sled hooked to their machine. "We'll have to take it slow though. Michael refused to be slowed down by the sled and we've gotta have somethin' to haul that tree back with." His voice dropped as he gave her that look where he lowered his head and looked up at her through his eyelashes. "You do enjoy a slow ride, right?"

He was so sexy and charming sometimes. Yeah, she'd be lucky if she remembered how to start the engine at this rate, she thought. "I do enjoy a good slow ride," she murmured as she moved closer to him. "I also prefer it more one on one and without so many layers."

Max held his breath, wondering if Liz truly understood the power that she had over him. She still made his palms sweat and his body quickened when she gave him that little teasing sideways glance as she seated herself in front of him.

Maria glanced at the other couple and rolled her eyes. Liz and Max could make out over anything, she mused.

"You're sure you've got the brake thing down, right?" Michael asked as he pulled his helmet on.

She sighed in annoyance. She was gonna show her Spaceboy a thing or two about her ability to take care of herself. She thumbed the lever on the throttle as she turned her head to watch him finish strapping his helmet on before flipping the switch and shooting out of the garage.

His left arm loosened as they neared the end of the driveway and she knew he was about to reach for the brake. If she weren't so pissed off at him she might have thought it was sweet or maybe just rolled her eyes in fond exasperation, but she was. She beat him to the brake, stopping them smoothly at the highway and then they were off again in search of the Barry Tree Farm.

Michael leaned into her, snaking his arms around her. He knew he could easily reach the brake with his left hand if it became necessary, so he let himself enjoy the ride. He knew the tree farm was only about two miles down the road in the opposite direction from Big Dave's Hardware and the snowmobile under Maria's urging was quickly eating up the distance. His eyebrows shot up when her speed increased and a bush that had seemed to be the size of a quarter suddenly loomed ahead of them.

"Bush, bush!" he shouted, certain she hadn't seen it yet.

Maria felt his left arm tightening around her and his right arm relaxing as if he were about to take control.

"Oh, hell no, Spaceboy!" She sharply throttled down and made the curve to miss the bush, feeling proud of herself as his right arm tightened once more.

They whizzed past tons of fir trees along the road and she wondered where the tree farm was. Not too far ahead she could see a large sign with arrows and she headed straight for it, positive it was the entrance to the farm. She pulled into the drive, coming to a smooth stop right in front of a sign that read 'The Mystery Spot?' She bit her lips to keep from laughing when Michael turned his head and came helmet to nose with the large oval-headed green alien on the sign.

He stared at the offensive picture and suddenly found himself sitting in the backseat of the Jetta, face to face with a large green inflatable alien head that had just popped up out of a cardboard box. She had been antagonistic with him in the garage because he was trying to show her how to properly operate the snowmobile, then she had totally missed the driveway for the farm, and now here they were. "That's just fantastic, a freak show next door to a Christmas tree farm."

"So what? It's a tourist trap, Michael."

"The point is you totally overshot the driveway because you're not listenin' to me!"

"I'm not gonna sit here and argue with – "

"Shh!"

She was just about to push ahead with the argument when she heard the sound he had turned his head to catch. The other snowmobile! Max and Liz were catching up with them!

"C'mon, they're gonna beat us and we left first and were goin' faster!"

Maria leaned back into him when he started to get up, his intention to take over and drive obvious. And so incorrect. She thumbed the throttle lever once again and they were pulling into the right driveway within seconds, just barely beating the other couple. She stood up, feeling all powerful as she turned to face him. He was already ranting, but the words were lost on her when he reached up to jerk his helmet off, shaking his head so that his long hair fell loose, reminding her of the day he had ridden up on his bike to say goodbye.

Michael glanced at the little red barn that the family obviously used as their base of operations. He turned to walk up to the open doors with Maria hurrying to catch up with him. He could see the tables lined up inside; wisps of steam rose from a crock pot of hot apple cider, a couple of plates filled with donuts sat on either side of it along with a stack of napkins and disposable cups.

"Hey there, y'all lookin' for a tree?"

Michael cringed inwardly when he recognized the owner of the voice.

"Well, hey, look who it is," Buckeye said as he grinned widely and hurried up to them. He shook Michael's hand and introduced himself to the young woman with him. "Here for a tree?"

"Yes," Maria said with a smile. "My friends and I are helping with Christmas on the Lake."

"Neat." He nodded at the doors behind them. "Must be your friends," he commented when he saw the second couple.

"How'd you know that?" Michael asked.

Buckeye lifted his right hand to point at the right front corner of the snowmobiles. "They're marked. See the shadowed S's there? That's for Stevens Sanctuary, they don't normally have guests this time of year, an' you're both drivin' their machines, so…" he grinned.

"Right, well…"

He pushed his baseball cap back and smiled. "Well, you folks probably wanna warm up a bit before ya head out to find your tree."

"Buckeye… aren't you the guy that towed our van the other day?" Maria asked.

Michael tried to motion to Maria when she opened her big mouth and started talking. Hadn't he warned her the other day that this guy could talk about anything, everything and nothing?

"Yup, that's me," he answered. "I work here part-time, helpin' out with the trees. Didja know that the first decorated Christmas tree was in Latvia in 1510?" He nodded to himself. "Yup, it's a fact."

"Wow, really?"

Michael grabbed her arm and tugged her back toward the doors before Mr. Encyclopedia could answer. "We've gotta check on our friends." He glared at Maria when they reached the parking lot and she pulled her arm free. "Didn't I tell you he talks too much about nothin'? Why would you encourage that?"

Maria opened her mouth to blast him for being so rude but before she could get a word out Max spoke up.

"Wow, we thought you guys were way ahead of us."

Michael frowned at the tiny bits of twigs and pieces of greenery stuck to their clothes. "What'd you…" he snorted. "Candycane drive through that bush back there?"

"It was in the middle of the path," Liz muttered as she shook her head to shake her hair loose.

"Let's just say the bush is no longer blocking the path," Max said as he draped his arm around his wife's shoulders and shot a look at Michael. "Let's go get this tree thing done so we can get back home."

Michael bit his tongue at the slip, but only because Maria nailed him in the center of his back with her helmet. "Whatever."

"So, you drove through the bush, huh?" Maria teased Liz as they stood next to the table, ladling a couple cups of hot cider. "What exactly were you and Max doing that you didn't see that bush?"

"Shut up!" Liz said, blushing.

"Um-hmm."

Michael was impatiently waiting nearby as Max talked to Buckeye and Carl Barry, the owner of the farm. Carl was an easy-going man of medium build and he was very proud of his business. It was obvious he had a great love of the land and he cared about what he did for a living. He rolled his eyes as the conversation turned to saws and trees and before long Max and Liz were picking through the selection of saws available to customers and fawning over each other throughout the entire process.

Maria moved to take his hand, pulling him with her over to the table and handing him a cup of the hot cider. She reached over to snag a fresh cookie off of the plate that had been put out just minutes before and put it in his free hand. "Just relax, Michael."

"Relax? The two of them are practically havin' sex over there."

She wrinkled her nose at him. "Be nice or I'll call Buckeye over here and ask him if he knows anymore facts about Christmas trees. Look, just try to relax. We're in the middle of nowhere looking for a Christmas tree. We're gonna enjoy a few days of not running, just celebrate Christmas and if we're lucky, enjoy a few days of leftovers before we have to run again."

"Say, speakin' of leftovers," Buckeye said as he came up beside them to get some cider, "didja know that it's been estimated that spoiled Christmas leftovers are actually responsible for like 400,000 cases of food poisoning every year?" He nodded and lifted his cup up. "Yup, it's a fact."

Max and Liz joined them just as Buckeye wandered off and Liz shook her head. "I could've done without that little tidbit of information."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Isabel and Dayna were conspiring over the next weeks' activities while Kyle tossed in his two cents every so often. The timetable was nearly complete and he had been amazed at how easily the two women fell into sync. The way their minds worked was a little bit scary. The amount of work they had to do to pull this thing together was insane and he knew the next week was going to be hectic.

They had filled in every available time slot for the next six days in Dayna's trusty planner and then moved on to a notebook Julia had produced. He was surprised there was any ink left in their pens as much as they had used up already. He glanced at the chair Edward had occupied earlier and wondered where he and the boys had gotten off to. He knew Julia had called Maggie to help her with some things before dinner but he suspected that she was giving them time to get the plans hammered out. He tuned back into the conversation when the topic of the costumes came up again.

"You're sure you don't mind trying to sort out the costumes?" Dayna asked.

He snorted silently. Like Isabel would risk the costumes not being perfect, he thought. He could just imagine what she would put them through while making sure the costumes were right. Well, not them, just Santa, Snowflake, Candycane and the Chief Reindeer Wrangler. As the Christmas Nazi's assistant he was given immunity from any sort of elf-like costume that the others would be forced to parade around in. He was mentally congratulating himself on his good fortune when he heard his name and realized Isabel and Dayna were talking about him.

He bit his lip as he tried to figure out what they were talking about when they looked at him expectantly, their eyebrows raised as they waited for an answer. Oh, what had she just asked him? He cleared his throat as he glanced between the two of them. His answer was either going to be the right one or a very, very wrong one. "Well, no…" The warning bells went off when Isabel's eyes narrowed slightly. Wrong answer, wrong answer, wrong answer! "No, not no, just… no, I don't see any problems with that." He breathed a silent whew! when their manic smiles returned and he wondered what he had just agreed to.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Michael stood at the back of the barn, staring at the rows and rows of snow with plowed paths running between them. He could see trees here and there but there didn't appear to be any of significant size. He glanced to the side when Max joined him and he blew out a heavy breath that misted on the cold air when he realized he was pulling out the tree design. If they weren't so close to other people he'd incinerate that damn thing. He shook his head at the saw and small shovel Max was carrying.

"Where're the girls?" he asked as he relieved him of the shovel.

"They'll be here in a minute. They needed to make a quick trip to the ladies room." Max held the diagram up before looking past it to the hills before them. He frowned and turned slightly, looking in another direction. "Didn't they say the trees were back here?"

Michael nodded to a little tree to the right. "What's wrong with that one?"

"Besides the fact that it's about four feet too short? I don't know about you but the reindeer thing's gonna be bad enough."

"Do you have a point?" Michael growled.

"Yeah," Max snorted, "I'm not angling for the job of the angel on top of the tree."

A slow smirk showed up on Michael's face at that comment.

"You'll wanna head up a bit further," Buckeye said as he passed them, lugging a freshly-cut tree. "Little late in the season, so the trees are gonna be a bit of a walk." He pointed at the treeline in the distance as he glanced over the diagram Max held. "Nice picture… you draw that yourself?"

Max glanced at the picture of the tree with its precise lines and measurements. "Uh, no."

"Huh." He gave it one last glance before nodding at the treeline. "'Bout a quarter mile in you'll find some real nice trees. It'll be worth the walk."

"The girls will just love that," Michael muttered.

"Well, at least there aren't any bugs out this time of year," Max said, looking at it from a positive angle.

"Say, didja know findin' a spider web on your tree on Christmas mornin' brings good luck?"

"That a fact?" Michael asked before the guy could spout off his parting line.

Buckeye pushed his baseball cap back and grinned widely. "That's what they say." He nodded at the girls when they finally made their way around to the back of the barn. "Well, I've gotta get this tree ready for the family that cut it down so we'll see y'all in a bit."

Michael watched him walk away as he snatched the diagram out of Max's hand. "Let's get this over with. The longer this takes, the more outta control the Christmas Nazi's getting. We're gonna get back to find reindeer, friggin' elves, and knowin' your sister, a popcorn and cranberry assembly line."

Maria and Liz were walking arm in arm as they admired the scenery. "It's just so amazing, isn't it?" she asked, awed by the breathtaking scenery.

Michael glanced over his shoulder. "You two wanna get a move on?"

She pointedly ignored him and after a moment he and Max headed down one of the plowed rows in search of the perfect Christmas tree. She and Liz followed at a more sedate pace, admiring their surroundings and talking. "You know, Liz, if he could just enjoy this moment. We're here in this beautiful place, sleeping in real beds, actually sitting down at a real table for dinner…"

"You know, it's funny," Liz said when Maria fell silent. "I used to imagine what my first Christmas would be like when Max and I were on our own. It is beautiful here, but this isn't anything like what I had ever imagined."

Maria was about to respond when she took a step off of the path and as her right foot came down she was plunged into the snow and she yelped loudly. Liz scrambled to keep a hold on her arm and in the end they both went down, landing in the snow and laughing like crazy.

"Hey, Frick and Frack, you two wanna quit playin' in the snow and c'mon?" Michael demanded from the safety of the path. His heart had started pounding as soon as he'd heard her but by the time he had reached her he had realized what had happened.

"I don't think I can get up," Maria said, exchanging a look with Liz and laughing even harder at the absurdity of their situation when she realized her friend was in the same state.

He rolled his eyes and carefully made his way over to them, nearly getting knocked over by Max as he rushed to help his wife. He shook his head and bit back the words on the tip of his tongue when the other couple started making their way back up to the path, unaware of Maria shooing them off. He reached for her hand to pull her up and she surprised him when she hooked one foot behind his knee and jerked, unbalancing him and causing him to fall forward.

"You're way too cranky, Spaceboy," she said as he stared down at her, breathing hard after just barely catching himself before he fell on top of her. "I realize how serious our situation is, but you need to take it down a notch or two."

His gaze traced over her features, taking in her playfully sparkling green eyes, her reddened cheeks, and the smile on the most gorgeous pair of lips he'd ever seen. He slowly lowered his head for a kiss, drawing it out and wishing they were anywhere but lying in the snow. "You're gonna catch a cold playin' in the snow like that," he chastised breathlessly when he pulled back.

Maria could hear the smile in his voice and it made her smile in response. "Guess you'll just have to make sure I stay nice an' warm, huh?" She raised one hand to push against his chest. "This stuff is kinda cold."

They got to their feet and back on the path, dusting each other off as they looked around for their friends. They went in search of Max and Liz and found them without too much work, and they set out once again in search of the perfect Christmas tree.

Half an hour later the girls were huddled together, freezing, and just waiting to go back to the house. Michael glanced at Maria and frowned when she shivered. Deciding he had let Max obsess over the diagram long enough he snatched it out of his hands and tore it to shreds before handing it back to him. He turned and stalked off, walking over to the second tree they had looked at, declaring it perfect. "This's the one we're takin'." He used the shovel to clear an area around the base of the tree and then motioned to it. "Go on."

"What?"

Max's expression would have been comical if it weren't for the fact that Maria was freezing and they still had to get back to the snowmobiles. He could see the exhaustion on her features after the tiring trek to find the trees. The walk itself wasn't that bad, but trudging through the deep snow was a tiring experience. He nodded at the saw Max was holding. "You think that thing's just there for decoration? Get your royal ass under that tree and start sawin'."

Max looked down at the saw and then at the tree. "Well… alright." He dropped down and crawled up under the tree, contorting his body as he tried to figure out how the process would work best.

"Is it just me or is it getting colder?" Maria asked after 20 minutes.

Liz shivered and huddled closer to her. She couldn't remember ever being this cold before. Against her will her mind shifted to a night that felt like a lifetime ago when she and Maria had been together with Alex after he had returned from what they had believed to be a student exchange to Sweden.

It had been cold that night, but not nearly this cold. They had gathered on her rooftop to hang out with Alex and she could almost hear Maria going on about the food and what would follow if it didn't freeze. She felt the lump in her throat as her memory brought his voice to mind and she could almost hear him speaking as he gently taunted them in a way that was so Alex.

"Yeah, you know what? You guys are sissies, 'cause after a winter in Sweden, this weather is downright balmy."

Michael was gritting his teeth as he listened to the monotonous sound the saw made as the worn-down teeth chewed through the trunk of the tree at a painfully slow pace. He glanced at the girls once more and saw Maria wrap her arms tighter around herself.

"Just for the record," Maria chattered, "I really, really hate Isabel right now."

"Max, give it a rest, it's my turn."

Max's muffled voice wafted up from below the tree. "What?"

Michael kicked his friend's feet. "Max!"

He squirmed back out from underneath the tree. "Keep it up and we're gonna be here all night, Michael." He frowned when Michael crouched down beside him and when he saw him look around them and then hold his hand out toward the tree Max scrambled back out of the way.

The severed trunk groaned as it gave way to gravity and tipped back to fall on the ground. He crouched down beside it and ran his hand over the stump and the bottom of the trunk, shaving them so that tooth marks from the saw and a pile of sawdust was left behind as evidence.

"C'mon, let's get this thing outta here."

The two of them grabbed onto thick lower branches and gave it a pull to get started, hauling it behind them as they headed back to the closest path that would lead them to the barn. Maria was at his side, using him for a shield against the wind that would kick up from time to time.

"Remember what I said about you keepin' me warm?"

"I've got it covered," he growled in her ear.

The walk back to the barn seemed to take forever but as they finally stumbled into the clear area around the red structure Buckeye came ambling over to them. "Here, why don't I take that for ya? I'll get it wrapped and tied down on your sled so you can get goin'. It'll be dark soon and you'll wanna be back over to the Stevens' place by nightfall."

Michael didn't bother arguing with him, releasing his hold on the heavy tree and ushering Maria toward the open door of the barn. At least they would be in out of the wind and she could have a hot drink to help her warm up before they had to make the drive back. It wasn't long before Buckeye had them ready to go and Michael held Maria against him as he watched the other man securing the tree to the sled.

Maria nudged him when the owner of the tree farm approached them and she smiled at the man she had met earlier. "Hi, Carl."

He nodded, turning to watch Buckeye for a moment before looking at them once more. He pulled one of his gloves off and held his hand out to Michael, smiling when the younger man shook his hand. "I just wanted to thank you all for your part in making Christmas on the Lake happen this year. It means a lot to us 'round here."

Michael shifted uncomfortably and forced a smile, nodding when Maria nudged him. He knew how to handle people who were rude or angry, but when it came to people who were sincere and simply wanted to express their gratitude he was clueless.

Buckeye came inside, shoving his gloves in his back pocket. "Y'all are good to go. You'll wanna take it easy headin' back." He shook the guys' hands and grinned. "We'll be seein' you."

Michael nodded, trying not to think what came to mind but unable to stop it. "Y'all come back now, ya hear?" He snorted and took Maria's hand, leading her out to the snowmobile and taking the drivers' seat, smiling when she plastered herself to his back to soak up any heat and using him as a windbreak.