A Boyd and Grace Christmas Story

by Rapunzle1980

It s close to Christmas and Grace has injured her hand. Boyd doens t think she should be alone at Christmas. Merry Christmas, everyone! Happy holidays! Hope Santa brings you what you wished for! :D

A Boyd and Grace Christmas Story

By

Rapunzle1980

It`s Thursday afternoon at the CCU, two days before Christmas. The team has just finished up a case, and all of them are hoping that a new one won`t turn up within the next forty-eight hours to ruin the upcoming holiday season.

What is about to happen within the next few minutes is something that could have been taken out of an old Charlie Chaplin movie. For now, the squad room is tranquil despite the four people in it.

Both Kat and Spence are sitting by their separate desks finishing their reports on the case, while Boyd and Grace are both perched against another desk, looking towards the board containing all the notes and pictures from the case, talking quietly to each other, their arms crossed in front of them. Boyd has his long legs stretched out in front of him. Grace, who is considerably shorter than him, needs to use her legs for support as she leans against the desk.

This peaceful picture is about to change.

The domino effect.

The first domino chip in the upcoming scene is Kat. She gets up from her chair to walk over to the coffee machine, the need for a fresh cup of coffee forcing her away from her desk. To get to the machine, she chooses the route that passes behind Spence and in front of Boyd and Grace.

The second domino chip is Spence. Just as Kat walks behind him, he pushes his chair backwards to get up as well. This leads to Kat tripping, making her fall forward towards the third domino chip in this movie: Boyd.

She crashes into him, and since Boyd isn`t expecting to be 'tackled' by his junior officer, he loses his balance where he sits perched on the desk, causing him to lurch into Grace before he has a chance to check his momentum. This forces the fourth and final domino chip into motion.

Grace, who, of course, doesn't expect Boyd to be forcefully pushed against her, loses her balance as well. But since she doesn't have another domino chip to crash into, she falls to the floor, using her hands to break the fall.

Just as she lands on the floor, Eve comes into the squad room, her eye catching how the final domino chip hits the floor with a small yelp, followed by a small cry from Grace.

All this just because Kat needed a fresh cup of coffee this Thursday afternoon causing a Charlie Chaplin-moment in the squad room.

"Oh, God, Grace! Are you alright?" Eve hurried over to the older woman just as Boyd, Spence and Kat gathered themselves together and moved towards Grace as well. "What happened?"

The other three looked at each other, not quite sure how to explain it. No one said anything as Boyd and Eve helped Grace get back up on her feet. Boyd backed away as Eve quickly assessed if Grace had been injured in her unfriendly meeting with the basement floor.

As she touched Grace`s right hand, the older woman inhaled sharply, causing the other four to give her a worried look. As Eve gently moved her fingers and finally the wrist, Grace whimpered.

"I don't believe it`s broken," Eve said. "But the swelling indicates that you might have a sprained wrist." She looked up and met Grace`s bright blue eyes. She could see tears swimming there. "Better go to the A & E and have the hand X-rayed just to be sure."

"I`ll take her," Boyd said as Eve led Grace towards the profiler`s office. He turned towards Spence and Kat. "You two alright?"

Both the junior officers nodded. "We`re fine," Spence said. "We`ll finish up here. You just get Grace to the A & E and have her hand checked out."

Boyd nodded before he hurried towards his own office to get his coat. Then he walked into the office across from his. Eve was helping Grace put on her coat, a lovely burgundy winter coat. He noticed that the scarf hanging lose around her neck was one given to her by Mel for Christmas a year or so before the younger woman had been taken from them.

When it came to Grace, Boyd noticed things. He would usually act as if he didn't, mentally hiding every piece of information he learned about the slightly older woman on his team. He did the same with every one of them, but more so regarding Grace. He had not yet dared to analyse why. Analysing people`s behaviour was something that he left for Grace.

"Ready?" he enquired as Eve handed him Grace`s large handbag.

Eve left in a hurry as Grace nodded, letting him place his arm around her as he walked them both out into the squad room.

"Bye," she said quietly, making both Spence and Kat look up and smile at her.

"Bye, Grace. Hope to see you tomorrow," Kat told her. "It won`t be a Christmas Party if you aren't here."

"I agree. Boyd is no fun when you aren`t here. He just sits in his office, sulking," Spence smirked.

"Sulking?" Boyd raised his eyebrows at the younger man. "When have I ever been seen sulking at a Christmas Party, Spence?"

Grace just shook her head. "Leave it, Boyd. If you don't mind, I think we should get going. This time of year, the A & E is bound to be packed with people in need of medical help. It might be a long evening."

They said their goodbyes, and Boyd led Grace out into the police car park and his car. On the way out, Eve came after them, placing an ice pack on Grace wrist.

"Keep it there until the doctor has had a look at it, alright?"

Grace thanked her before Eve returned back to the lab.

"Did you drive in today?" Boyd asked her, helping her into the car.

"No, I took the tube," she told him as his scent surrounded her while he leaned over her to fasten her seat belt. "I don't know if I saved any time doing that, really, this close to Christmas. The tube is full of people, the roads are full of stressful drivers. Taking my hand into consideration, maybe I should have stayed home today?"

Boyd grinned at her. "Maybe you should, but what happened in the squad room had nothing to do with Christmas stress. It was just one of those bizarre things that just happens."

He closed her door and walked around the car to the driver`s side. A few seconds later he steered the large Audi into the dense traffic. Being the afternoon and two days away from Christmas, getting to the A & E took its time. But despite the pain in her hand, Grace enjoyed the time alone with him.

They didn't talk much since Boyd was mostly focused on driving, but the silence didn't bother Grace. Knowing she wouldn't see him for at least four days because of the holiday, this time alone with him was kind of her way of filling up her need for Boyd-time that she could think about when she was alone this Christmas.

B~G~B

As predicted by Grace, the A & E was a total chaos. They were told to sit and wait for Grace to be called in to see the doctor. They found a corner that seemed to be quieter than the rest of the waiting area.

Boyd helped her out of her coat and scarf, making sure the scarf was safe inside one of the arms of her coat so that she wouldn't misplace it. "So, do you have any plans for Christmas then?" he asked her as they sat down next to each other.

"Nothing special," she answered, gently touching her right hand with her left, winching when the pain shot through her arm. "Staying at home, no alarm waking me, relaxing and recharging for the New Year. You?"

"I have a standing invitation to join Lucy and her family every year," he answered, referring to his younger sister. "I might go there. Otherwise, I`ll probably do the same as you." He watched her for a few seconds before asking: "Not going up North to visit the family this year?"

Boyd knew that most years, Grace would travel back to her hometown, staying with her older brother and his family for Christmas, visiting the rest of her family that she rarely saw during the rest of the year. It was unusual for her to stay in London during Christmas, unless something had happened.

She didn't look up at him, didn't meet his eyes as she answered: "No, not this year."

One didn't work close together for the better part of a decade without getting to know one another the way they had. To which Boyd quickly picked up that something wasn't right.

"What`s wrong?" he asked her as he watched her intently.

"Nothing`s wrong, Boyd."

"Try that on someone who doesn't know you the way I do, Grace," he told her. "Why are you not going to your brother`s this year? Has something happened?"

Grace sighed as she casted a quick look at him. "You know I went to visit John and the family last Autumn? After my kidnapping?"

Boyd nodded as pictures of that horrible day past before his inner eyes. "I remember. And then you went back for Christmas."

"Correct." She swallowed. "What I didn't tell you when I came back the first time, was that John wanted me to retire and move back home."

"You haven`t retired yet, as far as I know," Boyd said slowly. "Don't tell me that is my Christmas present this year? Your retirement?"

"Funny, Boyd," she chuckled. "No, you won`t get rid of me just yet. However, the only way to make John stop nagging me about retirement was to… Well, I lied to him," she confessed.

"You lied to him," he parroted, his words coming out slowly this time as well. "What did you tell him?"

"I told him that I had a gentleman friend back in London, and that I didn't want to leave him," she said quickly, almost stumbling over her own words. "He believed me since I don't normally lie to him."

"You don't have a gentleman friend, haven't had one for several years as far as I know," Boyd said, leaning back the chair he was sitting on. "Alright, so you told a little lie. That's not the end of the world. You could still go visiting for Christmas."

"No, I couldn't," she said. "You see, when I went home for Christmas last year, and I didn't bring my 'gentleman friend', John wanted to know who it was. As in, he wanted a name."

Boyd, who had just gotten up from his chair to stretch his back, turned towards her slowly. "Which name, Grace?" he asked her, his voice strangely mild.

Grace swallowed before answering. "Yours."

"Of course you gave him my name." He looked at her with an overbearing gaze. "So, when you finally tell him it`s over between us, he'll come down to London to confront me, is that it?"

"I`ll make sure he knows you were the unfortunate gentleman that I took advantage of," she told him with a slight smirk on her face. "I`m really sorry, Boyd. I was just… call it desperate. I was just so sick and tired of everything. First the cancer scare, then Linda kidnapping me, and on top of that John started with the retirement. I went home to recover, not to defend why I would still go back to a job that, according to John, is dangerous."

"He`s your older brother, Grace," Boyd said as he sat down again, placing his hand on her thigh without thinking. "Being an older brother myself, I think I know where he`s coming from. He wants to protect you, probably just as much as I do."

Before she could comment on the last part of his sentence, a nurse called her name, forcing Grace to give him a small smile as she stood. "Wait for me?" she asked instead.

"Of course," he nodded. "I`m not going anywhere."

He watched her leave with the nurse, noticed how pale she had turned when she rose from the chair. Clearly, she was in more pain than she had let him know. He only hoped it was a sprain and not a broken wrist.

It took another thirty minutes before Grace stood in front of him again. Thirty minutes where he had time to think. The realization hit him, followed by first total rejection to the thought, then a kind of an understanding before finally acceptance flooded through him.

He had never been good with this, he knew that. She knew that. Everyone who knew him, knew that Peter Boyd had trouble with the touchy-feely stuff that most people experienced during their lifetime. He had done the touchy-feely stuff with Mary and Luke. Had tried to do it with Sarah, but in the end, it never ended the way he wanted or deep inside hoped it would. They all left him. To be fair, he had ended things with Sarah when it became clear that neither of them were willing to give up their lives to move to another country.

Now he sat in the waiting area of the A & E, Grace`s bag and coat in the chair next to him, waiting for the older woman who had been his rock, his friend and confidant for more than a decade. The only woman who had ever dared to talk back at him in a way he had never expected from someone of the 'fairer sex'.

Grace had never showed fear around him. Never showed that she feared him. He knew, without being told, that Grace trusted him implicitly. She knew his bark was worse than his bite, knew that deep down he was a good man at heart. And somehow, Boyd never questioned how she knew, how she could trust him the way she did.

But then again, that trust went the other way as well. He had never trusted anyone the way he trusted Doctor Grace Foley. Fighting like cat and dog, it didn't matter. At the end of the day, he knew she would always be there when he needed her. Tell him the unpleasant things that no one else dared to tell him, ride the storm that would most likely follow, but stay she would.

He had had over a year to realise just how much she meant to him. A year he had not dared to face up to what it meant. Not consciously, anyway. But now, in the waiting area of the A & E, he finally admitted, and accepted, that he would not be able to live on without Grace in his life. The looming years of retirement that were hurriedly coming towards him would have to have her in them. He didn't know how he would manage to go on without the job he loved, but he knew he would. Go on without seeing Grace everyday was a different matter altogether.

God, I love her!

He looked up as the realisation hit him, not even bothering to deny it. He felt a new kind of feeling spread through his body; a kind of warmth that had been gone from his life for far too many years.

Another thing that suddenly dawned on him was that if her hand was sprained or worse, broken, she would need help during the holiday. Maybe even longer. Depending on if it was just sprained or if it was broken.

Closing his eyes for a second, stroking his hand over his face, Boyd knew he would be there for her. Just as she had been there for him when Luke died last year. Maybe not the best comparison, but even so. He would help her in any way that he could until her hand was healed.

A soft cough made him open his eyes, looking at the women standing before him, her right wrist had been wrapped in an elastic bandage and the colour had returned to her face. Her beautiful blue eyes looked at him with a slight amusement.

"Sleeping, are we?" she asked him.

"What`s the verdict?" he asked, ignoring her question as he rose from the chair, holding up her winter coat. Grace carefully pushed her right arm into the coat before doing the same with her left. Coat on, Boyd placed her scarf around her neck before closing the coat for her.

"Like Eve said. The wrist is sprained," she told him, watching him fastening the buttons of her coat. "A grade one sprain. It will take one to three weeks to recover."

"Oh, that's not the way to start the holiday season," he grumbled as he picked up his own coat and Grace`s handbag. "You got something for the pain?"

"They gave me something before putting on the bandage," she nodded. "Would you please drive me home? I know it isn't in your direction at all, but getting a cab…"

Boyd smiled at her. "Not to worry, Grace. I`m your personal driver for the evening," he smirked at her. He held out his arm for her to place hers in the crook of his. Grace placed her good arm there as they started to move towards the exit.

As they reached the car, Grace looked around them, saw the Christmas lights around them. "December is such a wonderful time of the year," she said as Boyd unlocked the car and opened the door for her.

"Yeah, people spending far too much money on Christmas presents and other things they really can`t afford," he answered dryly. "Not to mention having to spend time with the in-laws for an entire week from Christmas Eve to New Year`s Eve. Wonderful, Grace."

"You are such a Scrooge," she chuckled as she got into the car. "You don't like Christmas, Boyd?"

He smiled at her before he leaned over her for the second time that day to fasten her seat belt, once again did the spicy scent of cedar and cloves tickled her nose. "Oh, don't get me wrong, Grace," he said as he rose, his hazel eyes watching her. "I love Christmas. The good food, the time off from work, being able to stay home and relax, watch the telly. I just don't see the point in the spending that seems to escalate every year."

"Yes, I see what you mean," she agreed thoughtfully before Boyd closed her door and rounded the car to seat himself behind the steering wheel. "It does seem like people spend more and more money on things now than when we were young," she continued as he started the car. "I mean, have you seen the pile of presents that`s under the tree now compared to when we were kids?"

"It`s not just the size of the pile, Grace. What`s under the tree is also far more expensive than when we were young."

"That's true," she nodded.

"So, what was the best Christmas present you ever got?" he suddenly asked her.

Grace thought for a moment, chewing on her bottom lip. "I was fourteen, and my parents had saved up money to buy me a second edition of Charlotte Brontë`s Jane Eyre. I sat the entire Christmas week reading it."

"Of course you did," he grinned at her before looking back on the road.

"How about you? What was the best Christmas present you got?"

"Well, you know how much I love cars?" he began as the car found its way through the streets of London. "I started to collect toy cars at an early age. You know, not playing with them, but leaving them in the packaging they came in. When Luke was six or seven years old, he gave me a nineteen-sixty Austin Healy Sprite, also known as the Frogeye. Not the actual car, obviously. But a built-it-yourself model from Airfix." He smiled fondly at the memory. "I even painted it green."

He looked at her sideways just in time to see when she realised what he was saying. "You mean, when you were thirty-one, thirty-two – a grown man – you got a little toy car for Christmas?" She saw the look he gave her. "Sorry, a model car. A car, which you then almost twenty years later, bought the real thing for your fiftieth birthday? The green roadster living in your garage?"

"The very same, yes."

Grace gave him a resigned gaze. "Twenty years, Boyd!"

"What can I say? I love cars, and particularly that car."

Grace just shook her head and smiled. "I learn new things about you all the time, Boyd. So, what do you want for Christmas? Another toy car?"

"Ha-bloody-ha, Grace," he answered. "No, I have what I need."

"New tie, then?"

"You're hilarious this evening," he mumbled, giving her another sideways look. "What kind of pain relief did they give you?"

Grace just gave him her beautiful smile, not saying a word.

"How about you, then?" he asked after a few minutes of silence. "What do you want for Christmas this year?"

"What I want can`t be bought," she said quietly, the sound of an irritated car horn almost swallowing her words. But Boyd had heard them.

"And what's that?"

Their eyes met for a short few seconds. Hers were cloudy as she answered with a tired voice. "It`s not important what I want for Christmas. Sometimes one wants what one can`t have."

"Grace…"

"So, you plan to go to Lucy`s then? After the party tomorrow?" she asked quickly, cutting him off.

"I haven't decided yet," he answered her as he turned the car down her street, slowing down as they reached her house, stopping by the kerb. "It actually depends on a couple of things that I haven't got my head around to… to actually find out about yet," he finished. "I hope to get around to do that this evening."

Grace gave him a strange look. His answer made no sense to her, but then again, she was beginning to feel how much this day had drained her energy. It probably wasn't helping that the pain relief that she had got at the A & E was making her feel a little drowsy.

Apparently Boyd had come to the same conclusion as he unfastened her seat belt. "Let`s get you inside," he mumbled as he helped her out of the car, making sure her handbag came along. "How`s the hand?"

"Throbbing," she answered as they walked up to her front door. "Oh, my keys. They`re in the bag."

"You mean in this small bag?" he asked dryly as he opened it. "How do you find anything in this thing, Grace?"

"Side pocket, Boyd. There should be only one side pocket in there," she clarified as she watched him go through her bag. A few seconds later he produced the keys with a small, irritable grumble. "I know you don't like my large handbag. Good thing it`s mine and not yours, isn't it?"

Boyd unlocked her door, let her walk inside before following, placing the bag on the floor and the keys on the small table next to the stairs. He then closed the door before walking towards Grace. Stopping in front of her, he looked down at her. "Need help with the coat?"

She lifted her left hand and with a slight difficulty she managed to unbutton all the buttons. "I think I`ll mange, Boyd. Thank you."

His dark eyes kept watching her, taking in the tired lines that had showed up on her face sometime between them leaving the A & E and arriving in Finchley. "Grace, how good are you with your left hand?"

"What?"

"You do realise that at some point you will have to undress yourself? Will you manage that with only one hand? And the left hand at that?"

"Oh, God, I haven't thought about that," she sighed as she leaned against the hallway wall, closing her eyes. "I should have asked Eve to take me to the A & E."

"You don't think I can manage?" Boyd smiled his boyish smile, the one that did unbelievable things to her equilibrium. "I`ll have you know that I know my way around undressing…"

"Oh, I know you do, Boyd," she cut him off. "And good colleagues and friends we may be, but letting you help me undress is out of the question!"

Boyd held up his hands in surrender. "Well, good luck unhooking the clasp of your bra, Grace," he said, backing away from her.

"Struggling to find female company, Boyd? You need to try your way with me instead?" Her voice was dripping with fury as she managed to wiggle her way out of her coat. She hung it up on its usual peg on the wall, her blue eyes sending angry beams towards Boyd. "Thank you for driving me to the A & E, waiting for me and then driving me home, Boyd. I`ll find a way to…"

"God, you can be so bloody stubborn, Grace!" Boyd walked up to her, standing flush against her front, moving his hands quickly behind her, under her blouse, unhooking the clasp of her bra. Then he retreated. "There. Now, give me your left hand."

Too surprised by his advance, Grace lifted her left hand, watched as he unbuttoned the cuff of her blouse. She swallowed before she looked up at him. "Sorry," she mumbled.

"Grace, you do understand that you will have difficulty staying home alone the next couple of days, right?"

She was beginning to realise that he was right. The realization made her stumble backwards towards the wall, the overwhelming feeling of helplessness washed over her, bringing with it tears of frustration and exhaustion. "I`ll manage," she whispered weakly as the tears spilled over, trickling down her cheeks.

"Oh, Grace," he mumbled as he pulled her into his arms, making sure her right hand was out of the way. "Stubborn to the last, eh?"

Closing her eyes, she leaned heavily into him, placed her good arm around his middle. She felt how he stroked her back gently while the other was placed on the back of her head, just as gently stroking her hair. "I know you`re right," she finally managed to hiccup against his chest. "I just don't know what to do. I can`t go home now, and I can`t bother my friends with this."

"One friend offers his help," he told her, his deep voice rumbling in his chest close to her ear. "Even demands to be allowed to help you," he added.

"Boyd…"

"No, before you turn me down, just listen to me first, will you?" he interrupted. "You have three choices, as I see it. The first one is to stay here, alone during the Christmas holidays with no help and an injured hand. The second one…," he continued, his hand still gently stroking her back. "… is to stay here, or at my place during the holidays. Either way, I will be with you and help you. And the third choice is to come with me to celebrate Christmas with my sister and her family. And I will still be there to help you."

Grace focused on breathing evenly, his arms still around her, her arm still around him. She had heard the words, even felt them as they had vibrated under her ear. What she couldn't get her head around was that the words came from Boyd. The man who had never made a secret of how he could easily bed a woman, but as soon as it seemed the 'relationship' was heading for serious, he would end it.

"Grace?"

Grace closed her eyes, felt how her body suddenly had had enough. Her legs started to tremble, making her left hand lock around the fabric of Boyd`s coat. It seemed Boyd picked up on the signs her body gave away, because he swore under his breath as he placed one arm under her knees and the other behind her back, picking her up. Grace managed to let go of his coat, hiding her face against his shoulder, tears once again escaping her eyes.

She felt how Boyd somehow managed to take of his shoes before he turned them around towards the stairs. "Bathroom`s upstairs, right, Grace?" he asked quietly. She managed to nod her head against his shoulder.

Seconds later he carried her upstairs, stopped at the landing, watching the few doors, taking a guess as to which would lead into her bedroom, and which would lead into the bathroom. He then moved towards the one he believed to lead to the latter. His intuition had been right.

"Do you think you can stand?" he asked her. "Or do you want to sit down?"

"Sit," she whispered.

He placed her carefully down on the toilet seat. "I`m just going to take your winter boots off, alright?" he said as he squatted down before her.

She nodded; her blue orbs still glossy with tears as she looked down at him. "God, I`m so tired," she told him.

"That would probably be a combination of too many late evenings due to the case, the shock of what happened at work today and the pain relief they gave you at the A & E," he said as he untied her boots before taking them off. "I`ll go downstairs with these," he told her. "Do you have what you need to change into something else?"

Grace sniffled before she nodded. "Yes." As he reached the door, his back towards her, she added in another whisper: "Thank you, Boyd."

He stopped for a millisecond, the little tell was all she needed to know he had heard her, then he left her alone, closing the bathroom door.

She knew he would not leave. He would go downstairs with her boots, take his coat of, make himself at home while she changed and did her bedtime routine. He would return upstairs as soon as he heard her leave the bathroom.

Now that she was alone, she began slowly to undress. Since Boyd had 'helped' her with the button on the left cuff of her blouse and the claps of her bra, it was easier for her. She still struggled with the buttons on the front of her blouse, but they had to give way eventually, making her able to slide the garment of her slender figure. Following the same way as the blouse was her bra. Finally, she stood up, taking off her trousers.

Somehow, she managed to brush her teeth with her left hand without too much trouble. Then she found a pair of pyjama-bottoms to wear. The pyjama-top was another story. Most of them mirrored her blouse with buttons in the front.

She pulled on her dressing gown, opened the door to the bathroom as quietly as she could, tiptoeing across the hall to her bedroom. There she looked through her wardrobe, found an old sweater that was both large enough to put on without irritating her hand too much as well as warm enough for the cold winter night ahead.

Placing her dressing gown at the end of her bed, she heard a soft knock on her bedroom door. "Come in," she said, heard the apprehension in her own voice.

Boyd`s handsome face came into view. "You don't sound too sure." She could hear the humour in his voice as the rest of the tall man came into the room. If someone had told her this morning that Detective Superintendent Peter Boyd would be standing in her bedroom this evening, she would have laughed and called that person a liar.

"It`s fine, Boyd," she mumbled as she sat down on the bed, watching the tall man coming towards her. She noticed how he quickly gave her bedroom a once over, taking in everything in her private domain, everything that was her. Then he changed direction.

When he picked up the chair that usually was at the end of her bed, she realised he was actually planning on staying.

"I know how to sleep on my own," she said a little tartly.

"I know that, Grace," he answered quietly as he placed the chair next to the bed, sitting down, facing her. "I need to know which choice you have decided on."

He had taken off his suit jacket as well, sitting in his shirt sleeves, his hazel eyes seemed so dark as they watched her, noticed her strange attire. Meeting her eyes, he gave her a gentle smile.

"I plan to stay home for Christmas," she told him, watching as he leaned back in the chair.

"Alright," he nodded. "Then I`ll spend Christmas here this year," he added, his gaze never leaving hers.

"No, you`re not, Boyd. You're either going home or to Lucy`s," she told him firmly.

"Only way that is happening, either of them, is if you`re come with me," he said slowly. "Hell will freeze over before I let you stay here alone for Christmas with an injured hand."

"Hell freezes over every year this time of year," Grace told him obstinately, her eyes dark with anger and exhaustion.

Boyd looked at her with surprise on his face before he started laughing. "True, Hell in Norway does freeze over this time of year," he smirked back at her, letting her know he knew about that place in Norway which had the nice name 'Hell'. "Play your cards right, Grace, and I might actually take you there one day."

"Boyd, I'm exhausted. Please will you leave?"

"Give me an answer I can agree to, and I might leave," he told her.

Grace moved backwards on the bed, turned sideways to get her feet up too and leaned against the pillows by the headrest. She turned her head and looked at Boyd. He had called her stubborn, but she knew he was just as stubborn as she was, even worse at times. He would not leave until he was good and ready. "Fine," she caved. "I`ll come with you to Lucy`s, but only if she is okay with it."

"Good, I`ll call her and let her know I`ll be bringing a guest," he smiled. "Hungry?"

"You will call her and ask if you may bring a guest," Grace instructed him. "And yes, I haven't eaten since lunch."

Boyd rose from the chair, stroking her arm as he did. "I`ll make us some sandwiches, that alright with you? And tea?"

Grace felt herself resign to the inevitable as she just nodded her answer, watching him leave her bedroom. Peter Boyd, who shouldn't be in her bedroom at all, just left said bedroom to make them both a light meal and some tea. In her kitchen.

As soon as she was left alone, she managed to get under the duvet of her bed, curled up like a ball facing the door, fighting another flood of tears. She knew it was exhaustion that caused her to break apart, but it didn't sit well with her to do so while Boyd was still in her house.

Eventually, she fell into a light slumber, her cheeks wet with tears.

B~G~B

Boyd called his sister as soon as he was downstairs. He explained what had happened and asked her, as Grace had insisted, if it would be okay if he brought Grace with him to spend Christmas with them. His sister had been overjoyed that he would spend Christmas with them for the first time in years and had happily agreed to have Grace join them as well.

They had talked for a few more minutes. Boyd had told her they would come sometime in the afternoon the next day, after the CCU`s Christmas party.

"See you both tomorrow, Peter," Lucy said, the joy in her voice told him it was the right decision, both for him and for Grace.

"See you tomorrow, Lu," he answered before they said goodbye.

Boyd then quickly made the sandwiches he had promised Grace while the water boiled. He found a tray on the end of her kitchen counter that he could use to care everything upstairs. Water boiled, he quickly found a couple of cups and made the tea.

As he entered Grace`s bedroom a little while later, he found her asleep facing the door. The light from the lamp on her bedside table placed her face in the dimmed light. Still, it was enough for him to see the traces of tears on her cheek.

"Oh, Grace," he whispered as he placed the tray on the floor behind his chair. Then he sat on her bed, gently stroking away the few remaining tears on her cheeks. "Grace?"

"Hm?" she murmured, barely stirring.

"I`ve made you something to eat."

"Tired," she grumbled.

"I know, but you need to eat something. You have barely eaten anything today. And if you have to take some more painkillers, you really should eat something first," he pointed out. "Come on, Grace. There`s a good girl," he smiled as she opened her eyes slowly.

"I think I`m well past being called a 'girl', don't you think, Boyd?" She managed to sit up, her hand aching again as Boyd helped her rearranging the pillows. He then picked up a plate from the tray. "Supper in bed," she smirked a little as he settled in the chair with his own plate, his feet on the edge of her bed.

"Don't get any breadcrumbs in the bed, Grace," he teased.

They ate in silence, Boyd watching her in the corner of his eye, taking note of every hint she gave away of pain. When she had finished her sandwiches, he offered her the cup of tea. He had also found her some pills for the pain, handing them to her after she had taken a few swallows of tea.

"I called my sister. Lucy is happy to have us for Christmas," he said as he once again settled in the chair and his feet on the edge of her bed. "I told her we would come sometime after the party tomorrow."

Grace looked at him for a long time without saying anything. And when she spoke, even though she tried to hide it, he could clearly hear the apprehension in her voice. "Are you sure about this, Boyd?" she said slowly. "I can have John come down and pick me up. Then I won`t intrude on your time with your sister and her family."

"Grace, John already thinks you`re working this Christmas, and that you will spend the evenings with me," he pointed out as he rose to take the cup from her. "Besides, Lucy is expecting us tomorrow."

Grace slide down on the bed, making her lie down. "How many?"

Seated in the chair again, Boyd watched her, understood what she was asking. "Lucy, her husband Eric, the twins, Daniella and Michaela, and then there is the surprise; little Zarah. She is five. The twins are sixteen."

Grace nodded, closing her eyes. "The surprise," she mumbled, "and Uncle Peter`s little favourite," she added, having heard the devotion in his voice as he said the little girl`s name.

"I don't have favourites," he told her with a smile in his voice.

"Hm," she smiled, already drifting again. "Lock the door when you leave, please," she added before she succumbed to slumber.

Boyd watched her for a while, finishing his own tea. Then he decided he was just going to watch over her for a few more minutes before he would leave. But the minutes turned into hours as he fell asleep in the chair.

When Grace woke a few hours later, the need to use the bathroom vital, she found Boyd fast asleep in the chair next to her bed, his long legs stretched out in front of him. She manged to get around them, went to the bathroom before returning. She stopped next to him, her eyes taking in his so familiar features.

A sleeping Boyd seemed like a more relaxed and calmer Boyd than the energetic and fully awake version of him. Even more vulnerable than she knew he would like her to see.

Carefully she reached out her left hand to stroke away the hair that had fallen over his eyes. He really needed a haircut, she thought as the grey and silvery hair slipped through her fingers.

"Boyd, go to bed," she whispered softly.

The man stirred slightly, not waking up properly. Still, he did sit up, his dark eyes opening enough to look up at her. "Grace?"

She smiled at the confused look on his face. "It`s way too late to send you home now, Boyd," she said. "Get into bed. You`d sleep better there than in that chair. Besides, I don't think your back will thank me tomorrow if I let you sleep the rest of the night in the chair."

He rose, stretched his tall body, the cracking sounds told them both it was not happy having slept in that chair for hours. He then walked to the other side of her bed, turned his back to her as he removed his trousers. Giving her a look over his shoulder, he removed the shirt as well.

Grace was already under the duvet with her back to him when she felt the mattress dip as Boyd lay down next to her. She curled into a ball and closed her eyes, waiting for Boyd to settle next to her.

She had expected to have trouble falling asleep again considering Peter Boyd was actually in her bed. Something she had never imagined would ever happen but fantasied about too many times to count. Yet, once again, she quickly fell asleep, not feeling the strong arm that was placed around her waist, pulling her towards a broad and warm male chest. Neither did she feel the gentle kiss placed on top of her head.

Boyd lay still behind her, relished the feeling of finally having her in his arms. He would soon succumb to sleep as well, but before that he would make sure to remember the feeling of having Grace this close to him, his arm around her, memories he could take out on cold, lonely nights in the future. Memories of the feel of her, her scent and the warmth from her body as she slept in his arms.

He inhaled the mild flowery scent that was Grace, a slight smile across his lips.

Mine, his mind told him. She belongs to me. Always will.

"Good night, Grace," he whispered as he closed his eyes and let sleep take him.

B~G~B

Boyd stopped the car outside his sister's house, turned his head to look at Grace. She had been somewhat apprehensive most of the day, ever since they had arrived at work together. She had seemed fine when they woke up this morning, so it had to be something at work that was worrying her.

He had woken up first, confused at first when he didn't recognise the room or the bed, but as Grace had stirred in his arms, he had remembered the events of the previous afternoon in the squad room, the hours in the A & E and, eventually, the evening in Grace`s house.

How they had come to share her bed, him wearing only his boxer shorts and having his right arm around her waist, was something his mind had not remembered.

He had watched as Grace gradually woke up, stretching before she had opened her blue orbs and spotted… him.

Their eyes had locked as he had expected her to start scolding him for being in her bed. Instead, she had just watched him with interest. He hadn't dared to utter one word, waited for her to make the first move.

For a moment, it had seemed like she hadn't been quite aware that she had his arm around her waist. Then she had swallowed hard before she had let her eyes move towards the arm. "You fell asleep in the chair," she had told him, meeting his eyes again.

"This isn't the chair I fell asleep in," he had pointed out.

"No, it isn't," she had agreed. "I thought maybe your back would prefer the bed over the chair," she had explained.

He had nodded, his eyes never leaving her. He had known then that he would forever remember that moment. The moment he had woken up in Doctor Grace Foley`s bed.

"My back and I thank thee," he had smiled down at her. "How is your hand?"

He had followed her movements as she had lifted her right hand, moved it carefully. He had seen the flicker of pain that ran over her face. "Still hurts," she had informed him. "I better get up. We need to be at work by nine, at the latest."

He had watched her leave the bedroom, had heard the bathroom door being closed. He had then gotten up himself. The clothes he had worn the previous day had been on the floor next to the bed. He had quickly put them on, gone downstairs and out to his car to pick up the bag he had in the boot with extra clothes for emergencies.

When he had returned inside, he`d walked back upstairs to wait for Grace to finish in the bathroom.

Somehow, she had managed to dress herself without asking him for help, even her bra – he really would have liked to know how she had managed that – entering the hallway between the bathroom and the bedroom in a pair of dark trousers and a red cardigan. She had grumpily told him that she was not able to apply her make-up with her left hand.

"Take the warpaint with you to work," he had told her. "I`m sure that between Kat and Eve, they will be able to help you smear that stuff on. Not that you need it. You look lovely just the way that you are."

She had given him a look between overbearingness and amusement before she had done as he had suggested, finding and putting the make-up bag in her handbag.

After he had showered and changed, they had eaten a quick breakfast before leaving for work.

Maybe it was the fact they had showed up at work together that had created her apprehension?

"You alright, Grace?" he asked her as he turned off the engine.

Grace, who had looked at the house, turned her head and met his eyes. "Nervous," she admitted, knew he had picked up on her mood all day.

"Why? It`s not like you`re visiting the Royal Family, Grace," he grinned at her. "It`s just my baby sister and her lot. You`ll be just fine."

He got out of the car, walked around it to open the door for her. Then he went to the boot of the car to get their luggage. They had been by her home first after work to pack what she would need for a few days away. Then they had gone by his place to do the same before heading towards Plumtree outside of Nottingham, and Lucy Boyd-Carrington`s home.

As they walked up toward the front door, it was opened, and a darkhaired whirlwind came running out to greet them. Her hazel eyes smiled brightly as she flung her arms around Boyd`s legs. "Uncle Peter, you came!"

Grace smiled as she watched Boyd put down the luggage to pick up the little girl. "Zarah!" he exclaimed with the same, only broader smile. "I told your mother I was coming, didn't I?"

"Uncle Peter!"

Two older girls came out as well, same hair colour as the girl in Boyd`s arms, same hazel eyes as well. They walked over to the tall man, both placing their arms around him, hugging him affectionately.

Grace watched the scene before her, not really believing her eyes. The tall, strong, and usually less than demonstrative man she knew from work had turned into a pussycat right before her eyes.

The girls picked up the luggage and walked back inside. Boyd turned to take her left hand, leading her inside, Zarah still on his arm with her smaller arms around his neck.

"Peter, finally!" A younger, female version of Boyd greeted them as they came inside. She looked like her older brother, the same eyes, almost the same smile. Yet, her features were more feminine. And she didn't have her brother`s crooked nose. But then again, she probably hadn't been in any fights as a teen like Grace knew Boyd had been. If she remembered correctly, he had broken his nose the year before going to Hendon.

Grace noticed that the older girls walked upstairs with their luggage before her attention was drawn back towards Boyd`s younger sister. "Grace? How nice to finally meet you! Peter has told me so much about you."

She was pulled into a hug while Boyd just grinned at her. "Nice to meet you too," Grace answered. "I`m sorry to intrude on your Christmas celebrations."

"Don't be silly," Lucy smiled genuinely at her. "Peter told me what happened. Talk about being unlucky just before Christmas, eh? But don't worry, we're glad to have you."

"Uncle Peter has never brought any of his girlfriends here before," one of the twins said as the girls came down the stairs again. "Hi, I`m Daniella, and I`m the oldest." She gave Grace the same grin that her uncle used when he was up to no good.

"The oldest by one whole minutes," the other teenage girl interrupted as she too came towards Grace. "And I`m Michaela, and the smartest of the two of us," she too grinned.

Grace couldn't help but smile back at them. "Nice to meet you, Daniella, Michaela. And again, I`m sorry…"

"Grace, stop it," Boyd said, his voice told her it was enough with the excuses. She turned her head towards the tall man, meet a pair of dark hazel eyes that she knew too well. "This is Zarah."

She looked at the young girl on his arm, she looked back at Grace with a little weary look on her beautiful face. "Hi, Zarah."

"Hi," the girl mumbled before she looked down.

Grace met first Boyd`s eyes before turning towards Lucy. Brother and sister just shook their head lightly. Apparently, this was how Zarah was towards strangers.

"Eric is still at work, but he will be back in a few hours," Lucy told them as she took Zarah out of Boyd`s arms. "Let your uncle get his coat and shoes off, sweetheart. He`s not going anywhere for the next two days, at least."

Boyd quickly hung up his coat before turning towards Grace. She had managed to unbutton her coat, the same scarf she had yesterday hanging lose around her neck. Their eyes met, speaking without words. Grace turned around, letting him take her coat and place it together with his.

"Do you want something to drink?" Lucy asked as she watched them.

"Tea would be nice," Grace said.

"I`ll have a glass of Eric`s Scotch," Boyd said as he took Grace scarf as well.

"You know where to find that, Peter," his sister told him as she linked her arm with Grace`s left arm, Zarah still sitting on her other arm. "I can`t believe he has kept you a secret for over a year," Lucy said as she led Grace towards the kitchen. "When he called yesterday and told me he would bring his partner, I almost fell off the chair."

Grace inhaled sharply, the only sign to Lucy`s words. Lucy took it as a sound of pain.

"Oh, does the hand hurt very much?" she asked as she put Zarah down and let go of Grace`s arm to make them both some tea.

"Actually, it has become slightly better during the day," Grace answered as she seated by the kitchen island. She felt Zarah`s bright hazel eyes following her. "So, what exactly has Bo… Peter told you about us?"

"Not much, really," Lucy said as she placed a cup in front of Grace. "I asked him if he wanted to spend Christmas with us last year, you know. The first Christmas after Luke died, he spent home alone, refused to see us. So, I thought that maybe he was ready to spend it with us last year." She smiled sadly as she sat down opposite Grace. "That was when he told me that he would spend it with you, that after everything you two had been through last year, you just needed time to be just the two of you," Lucy said as they both watched Zarah who left the kitchen in search of her uncle, Grace presumed.

So, she was not the only one who had made up a partner to get out of a family-obligation last year, she thought as she took a sip of the tea. Why hadn't he told her this when she had confessed her own lie to her family yesterday?

"You`ve known each other for so long," Lucy said as Grace didn't say anything. "Worked together for just as long, if not longer. What changed? Peter has never told me."

Grace placed both her hands around the cup, her right hand carefully. She thought for a few moments before she answered carefully. "I think maybe it was the incident with Linda Cummings that changed things," she said slowly. "Although Bo… Peter would probably object to the word 'incident'," she added.

"The woman kidnapped you, Grace. I would hardly call that 'an incident', Lucy pointed out. "I can see that something like that would change things. He has always been very fond of you. He has always spoken very highly of you."

"Gossiping, ladies?" a deep baritone said from the doorway to the kitchen, his dark eyes locked on Grace`s face. Zarah stood right behind him, hiding while she held onto his hand.

"What did you expect, Peter? You have kept her hidden away for over a year," Lucy argued with him as Boyd walked slowly over to stand behind Grace, a half-filled glass in his right hand, Zarah in the other. "It wouldn't kill you to bring Grace to the kid`s birthdays, you know."

"My family hasn't met… Peter… yet, either," Grace pointed out.

Lucy looked from her older brother to Grace and back again. "I know I`m younger than both of you, but I can`t understand why you would do something like that. You`ve been a couple for a year and a half, and still you have not met each other`s families. Why is that? Would you even have come here if it hadn't been for Grace`s injuring her hand, Peter?"

Boyd let go of Zarah`s hand and placed it on Grace`s shoulder. "I would this year," he answered. "But alone."

"But why? I don't understand, Peter."

Grace lifted her hand, unconsciously placing it over the hand that was resting on her shoulder. The movement wasn't lost on either Boyd or Lucy. "We work together," Grace started. "And a relationship between us would not be regarded as something to celebrate in certain circles at work. So, we maintain the illusion that we are merely friends. I guess that is also why we haven't involved our families so far."

"And then you injured your hand," Lucy said.

"And then I injured my hand, and he wouldn't let me be alone during Christmas," Grace agreed.

"You should be happy she injured her hand, then, Lu," Boyd said as he took a swallow of his drink.

"Peter!"

"Boyd!"

Both women called out his name with irritation in their voices. Boyd just grinned at them in turn. "Well, it made me come here this Christmas, didn't it? And I brought Grace as well."

Lucy and Grace looked at each other and just shook their heads in silent agreement over how stupid men could be sometimes.

"Uncle Peter?"

All three adults looked at the five-year-old who stood next to Boyd. He let go of Grace`s shoulder, missing the warmth of her hand instantly as he squatted down to meet Zarah`s eyes. "Should you and I go into the living room and see if everything is ready for Santa?" he asked her. "Cookies and milk?"

Zarah smiled at him. "Check!"

"Stockings?"

"Check!" Then her face faltered. "Oh, no!"

"What`s wrong?" Boyd asked her, lifting his glass for Grace to take, not having said a word. Lucy, of course, noticed this strange way the two seemed to communicate with each other. "You haven't hung up the stockings?"

"Yes, we have," Zarah said, but her eyes were sad. "But we don't have one for…" she looked up at Grace. "Auntie Grace?"

Boyd quickly looked up at the two women. "Of course. I see what the problem is," he nodded. "You didn't know I would bring Grace, so naturally there is no stocking for Grace, right?"

Zarah nodded. "Santa can`t leave her presents if there isn't a stocking with her name on it," she said.

"Tell you what," Boyd said as he rose. "If we write Santa a message, explaining why Grace hasn't a stocking with her name on it, maybe he will leave her presents in mine? Just for this year, of course."

Lucy gave Grace a conspiring smile before she went over to one of the kitchen cabinets. When she returned to the kitchen island, she had pen and paper in her hand. "Here you go, sweetheart. Uncle Peter will help you."

Zarah took the paper and the pen in one hand before taking hold of Boyd`s hand. "Come, Uncle Peter."

Grace and Lucy watched them leave the kitchen. "She has him wrapped around her little finger, hasn't she?" Grace commented with a wide smile on her face as she turned to face Lucy again, who nodded affirmative. "Spence, Kat and Eve really would have loved to see the Lion of the CCU bow down to a little girl."

"They would, and you are sworn to secrecy, Grace!" Boyd`s deep baritone called from the living room, making both women laugh out loud.

"My silence could be bought, you know," Grace called back, her eyes twinkling as Lucy suppressed her laughter.

"Oh, I know exactly what it would cost too," came the dry answer from the living room. "How many bottles, then?"

Lucy looked at Grace with big, hazel eyes.

"I think maybe five bottles of that nice Amarone would suffice," she told him with a smirk.

"Of course, you`d think that, wouldn't you?" he smirked at her as he came back into the kitchen. He walked over to her, saw how Lucy watched them with big eyes. He stopped right next to Grace who looked up at him with her big, sapphire eyes full of mischief.

Before he could even consider what he was doing, he bent down and brushed his lips to hers. They were soft and warm against his. He felt her lean towards him, into him.

Interesting.

"Uncle Peter!"

He stood up quickly, his eyes taking in Grace`s rosy cheeks, her big eye looking back at him with confusion in them. "I`m being summoned," he said quietly before once again he left the kitchen.

"No one can compete with Zarah for his attention, I`m afraid," Lucy apologised. "Not even a girlfriend."

"I don't think I would describe myself as a girlfriend, do you?"

"Well, 'significant other' then?" Lucy suggested. "Whatever you choose to call yourself, you are my brother`s girlfriend, Grace. And I`m really happy that he finally brought you here to meet us."

Grace just smiled at her, not quite sure how to respond to that. Of course, she was glad she was welcome to spend Christmas with Boyd`s family, but she was starting to feel a little uneasy regarding all the lying they were doing.

"I don`t mean to be boring, or rude, but do you mind if I retired for a little while?" She rose from the chair as Boyd came back. "It`s been a long and tiresome week that ended with hours in the A & E yesterday. And to top that, a Christmas party before driving here, and after last evening I feel a little tired."

"Of course," Lucy smiled. "We`ll have a couple of days to get to know you. Peter will show you to your room. I was thinking to have some supper when Eric comes home. He will be here in about an hour or so."

"Sounds good," Grace smiled as she walked over to Boyd. "Lead on, Macduff."

Boyd just shook his head at her before taking her hand, towing her up the stairs, then walking to the far end of the hall, still holding onto her hand even though they were out of sight from the others. He opened the door on the right, letting Grace walk in first.

"Do you want the good news or the bad news first?" he asked sheepishly as he closed the door behind him.

Grace looked around the room, noticed the double bed and their luggage – both their luggage – by the end of the bed. She swallowed, closed her eyes before she answered. "If the bad news is that we are actually sharing this room, then I really wonder what you could possibly find to be good news, Boyd."

"This room has an en suite bathroom," he said. "That would be the good news," he added as she didn't respond. "Grace?"

"I… I need some time alone, Boyd," she whispered with her back towards him.

Boyd watched the tense woman standing in front of him, noticed how she had lifted her left hand, probably to cover her eyes with it. Her head was slightly bent down.

He walked over to her, standing right behind her, not touching her. He could feel the warmth of her body. "Grace…"

"Please, don't," she told him as her voice somehow broke, making him turn her around. She refused to meet his eyes, looked straight at the buttons of his dark blue shirt. The same shirt he had changed into at her place that very morning after she had woken up in his arms. Was it less than twenty-four hours ago?

A hand was gently placed under her chin, lifting her head so that he would meet her eyes. Grace kept hers down casted, refused to look at him.

"You lied to your family as well," she said quietly as she felt his gaze on her.

"I did," he agreed just as quietly as her.

"But why?" Grace frowned as she tried to understand why Boyd would feel the need to lie to his family about having a partner. "You have lots of lady friends, Boyd. You could have picked one of them."

"Do you really think Lucy would believe it if I came here with one of them? Besides, I haven't had a 'lady friend' since Sarah," he told her.

"What?"

"You heard me."

"But…"

Grace closed her eyes, felt like sitting down. Boyd probably noticed something in her because he moved her backwards until she felt her thighs hit the side of the bed. Then he made her sit down before he squatted down in front of her. "You're worried about sharing this room, this bed, with me?" he asked her gently.

Grace frowned again. "No, actually I`m not," she confessed. "Maybe it`s just the stress we have been under the last week," she added. "I`m tired, I`m somewhere I probably shouldn't be, and I just feel a little…"

"Out of your element?" he suggested with a small smile.

She nodded. "We managed to share a bed last night, Boyd. A couple of more nights will make no difference." She finally looked at him, her eyes swimming with tears. "I`m just being silly, that`s all. It hasn't turned out to be the Christmas I was planning, you know."

"Home alone, a few bottles of wine, eating alone while watching the telly?" he predicted.

"Something like that," she nodded as a single tear escaped, trickling down her cheek. "Sorry."

Boyd just shook his head as he lifted his hand and carefully stroked the tear away. "Don't be." His gaze at her intensified. "I have a confession to make," he added.

"Boyd, I don't think I can handle more just now," she whispered, their eyes locked.

"The reason I told Lucy that you and I are together," he started, watching her beautiful face. "It`s because that's what I want for Christmas."

"Excuse me?"

"Brace yourself, Grace. I`m going to be a little sappy right now," he warned her. "All I want for Christmas is you."

Grace closed her eyes. "If you start singing too, I know that the last twenty-four hours has been just a strange dream," she said.

"I`m serious, Grace! I want you. I have for a long time now. I just never found the right time to let you know how I felt," he explained as he placed his hands on her hips. The warmth from his skin penetrated the fabric of her trousers. It seemed to light a fire within her, spreading inside of her until it reached her heart.

"Peter…"

Hearing her use his given name, made him smile at her. "Grace…" he parroted.

"Don't do this," she whispered hoarsely. "Not unless…"

"I would never hurt you, Grace. Not intentionally, you know that," he said forcefully. "You know how deep my protectiveness towards you goes. It runs so deep inside of me, that when Eve told me that you weren't in Denmark, but at a private clinic to have some tests done, all I could think of was to be with you, to shield you from whatever those tests were going to tell you."

"Peter," she begun, but was cut off as Boyd continued.

"And then Linda kidnapped you. Took you away, played with your life like you were just a pawn in a chess-game, easily sacrificed." His dark eyes were intense as he looked at her, let her see all the pain and fear that was inside of him. "I would have gladly given my life to save you, Grace. My life would have no meaning at all if she had killed you."

"You think I would have wanted to live on, knowing you had killed yourself for me, Peter?" she asked carefully, not really believing what was being revealed to her. She lifted her hand and gently stroked the stubble on his cheek, tracing his jawline towards his neatly trimmed goatee.

"Ten years, Grace," he murmured as he turned into her hand, placing a kiss on her palm. "And it was only yesterday while I waited for you in the A & E that I finally realised and accepted what this was. Nothing you say will change the fact that I love you. I`ve been in love with you for years. But being the obtuse man you see before you right now, it took me ten bloody years to face it like a… man."

Grace swallowed as the tears she had managed to fight back for the past ten or so minutes, were finally allowed to fall. "You silly man," she whispered. "Do you know how many job-offers I have turned down over the years? Because of you?"

"I don't think I want to know," he said with another sheepishly smile on his face. "But why, Grace? We both know why I haven't said anything, but you're the smart one. Why did you never say anything?"

She looked at him with an overbearing look. "We both know how you would have reacted, Peter," she pointed out. "I could have told you 'I love you' within the first year of the CCU, and you would have moved heaven and earth to get away from me. Of the two of us, it had to be you who said the words first. Otherwise, it would have broken me if you had turned me down."

The fear and pain seemed to slip away from both his eyes and his tense body as her words registered in his head. "You love me?"

"To the point of obsession," she smiled at him. "Why do you think I`ve stuck around all these years? You aren't exactly Mr Sunshine at work," she teased.

"And there, I thought it was my charm and good looks that did it for you," he said deadpan.

"It might have something to do with too," she agreed. "I`ve noticed something," she added, her blue orbs turned bright and mischievous.

"What?"

"We have both told each other that we love one another, and yet I have received no kiss," she pointed out.

That boyish grin of his grew as he rose and pulled her up with him. "An unforgivable oversight on my part, dear Grace," he mumbled before he gently placed his lips to hers.

B~G~B

Lucy`s husband had arrived home less than an hour later. And they had all sat round the dining table having supper. As the evening advanced, they had moved to the living room. Lucy had followed Zarah upstairs to put her to bed around nine o`clock.

The little girl had been tired but refused to go to bed. Only when Uncle Peter told her that Santa wouldn't come until she was sound asleep did she go with her mother upstairs.

Grace smiled as she watched the man sitting next to her, how relaxed he seemed surrounded by his family. Despite the age gap between him and his sister – she was eight years his junior – they seemed to be close. Both the twins and Zarah seemed to idolise their uncle. And his brother-in-law seemed to be a nice man, very much in love with his wife.

Every now and then, Grace felt Boyd`s hand gently brush against her shoulder, caressing her. He had placed his arm around her as they sat on the couch, pulling her against his side, making sure her right hand was placed safely in either his or her lap.

It was closing in on midnight when Boyd rose from the couch and pulled her up with him. They said their good nights and went upstairs.

"Do you want to use the bathroom first?" Boyd asked her. "And do you need any help?"

Grace grinned up at him. "The same help you provided yesterday evening?" she enquired standing flush against him. She felt his arms snake their way around to her back, his hands moving under her cardigan, finding her soft, warm skin on the way towards her bra. "Oh, I see," she laughed. "Taking advantage of the situation, are we?"

"Making up for lost time," he murmured against her neck as he found her bra and opened the claps. "You have no idea how many times I have wanted to touch you this way." His lips moved up towards her jaw while his hands followed the lacing of her bra, coming to the front and still moving.

"Peter," she breathed deeply. "As much as I want to, this isn't the time or place," she said hoarsely, and yet she moved towards his wandering hands.

"Your body says otherwise, Grace."

"Boyd, no," she managed to say firmly, the use of his surname an unconscious act on her part. She pulled away from him, feeling cold as she was no longer close to him. "No, not in your sister`s house.

"Do you really think they care what we do in this bed?" he said brusquely.

"I care!" She whispered the words, but still it sounded like she had almost yelled them at him. "I care, Peter," she whispered again. "I love you, and I really want to sleep with you, more than you could possible imagine," she told him, touching his cheek. "But I don't feel comfortable having sex with you for the first time in your sister`s house." Her blue eyes looked at him intensely. "The first time, Peter. That should be somewhere where it`s just you and me, and not a house full of people I have just met."

Boyd leaned into her hand. "Sorry," he whispered. "I just want you so much. It`s painful to be this close to you, and not being allowed to hold you in my arms."

"Who said anything about not being allowed to hold me? Peter, we are going to bed, together, in that bed over there. Do you really think I`m planning on lying on the edge on my side to prevent you from touching me during the night?" She stood on tiptoes and kissed him briefly. "I`m going to the bathroom."

She had just placed her hand on the door handle when Boyd spoke.

"Grace, what do you want for Christmas?"

Grace looked over her shoulder. "You, silly. Every Christmas and every birthday since this millennium started." With those words she was gone.

B~G~B

Grace stirred in her sleep. The arm placed around her waist pulled her a little closer to the warm body spooning her from behind. The feeling of being so close to each other was new but hardly unpleasant.

Something touched her right hand carefully, almost featherlike. But it was enough to make Grace open her eyes slowly, meeting a pair of young, hazel eyes. "Zarah?" Grace whispered to the young girl standing at the side of the bed, watching her.

"I… I usually get to…," she looked over Grace`s shoulder at Boyd who seemed to be sound asleep. "I get to sleep in Uncle Peter`s bed," she finished as tears formed in her eyes.

Grace lifted the duvet. "There is enough room for all three of us," she whispered, watching the girl as she tried to figure out what to do. "The sooner you go to sleep in this bed, the sooner Santa will come," she tried.

Quickly, Zarah climbed into bed, lying down close to Grace. Grace placed the duvet around the girl as she felt Boyd`s arm pull her with him as he moved a few inches backwards on the bed. A few minutes later Zarah`s breathing told them she had fallen asleep. "I see your point," his deep baritone whispered into her ear, his goatee tickling her. "I forgot about that. She usually comes in the night and sneaks into my bed whenever I spend the night here."

"If I had known it would be that easy to get into bed with you, I would have tried it years ago," she whispered back, felt him chuckle quietly behind her.

"Grace?"

"Hm?" she murmured, already drifting again.

"Go back to sleep. Santa won`t come unless you sleep."

"You are so funny, Peter."

"And you love me."

"I do," she murmured. "Love you to bits."

She felt a soft kiss on her shoulder, making her succumb to sleep with a smile on her lips.

B~G~B

"Uncle Peter! Auntie Grace! Santa has been here!"

Grace felt the mattress move as Zarah got out of the bed, heard her run out into the hall and downstairs as she felt how Boyd tried to push her further back into the bed. "Move, woman. I barely have enough room left on my side since you allowed that miniature person to sleep next to you."

She just smiled lightly as she moved, didn't bother to open her eyes at all. It was Christmas morning, and it seemed she had been a good girl this year since Santa had given her exactly what she had wished for.

Peter Boyd.

"I could have let her sleep between us," she said with a sleepy voice. "And hoped that she had missed whatever is happening in your pyjama-bottoms right now," she added quietly as she felt him against her thigh.

"I could argue that it's partially your fault that he`s up," he mumbled. "He likes you."

"He hasn't met me yet," Grace countered. "How would he know if he likes me or not?"

They turned their heads to look at each other before smirking. "Sometime during this holiday, he will," Boyd said as he stretched his long body next to her. "Meet you, I mean." Then he sat up with his back towards her. "We better get down there before she comes back. She has already woken up the whole house, I`m sure."

Grace chuckled as she moved over to him, placing her arms around him from behind. "Thank you for my present," she whispered to him.

"I haven't given you your present yet," he said confused.

"I meant what I said yesterday. All I want for Christmas is you."

"You better don't start singing either," he grinned at her as he placed a kiss on her cheek. "And I have a real present for you as well. Hurry up, and I might give it to you before we go down to the others."

Grace went to the bathroom, returning a little while later, dressed and without the elastic bandage on her hand. She found Boyd still wearing his pyjamas-bottoms. "You don't get dressed on Christmas morning?" she asked as she looked down her own clothes; a very Christmasy sweater with Rudolph on the front, and a pair of dark jeans.

"Oh, I do. I don't plan on going down dressed like this," he smiled at her. "I`m just… Come here and sit on the bed for a second," he told her, noticed her hand, didn't comment on it. As soon as she had sat down, he sat down next to her, placing a small, gift-wrapped present in her lap. "Before you open that, I just want to tell you that it is actually just a small extension of the real gift. You already have my heart, Grace. Broken and battered as it may be. It is yours, forever."

He looked at her, expected her to make some teasingly comment on how sappy he had once again become. But she just looked at him with her big, blue eyes, waiting for him to continue.

"I love you, Grace. I hope you understand how much you mean to me."

He indicated that she should open the gift, watched as she unwrapped the jewellery box that he had gone out to buy for her as soon as the stores had opened the day before. She had asked where he had been when he returned to the basement, and he had managed to brush her off the subject when Spence had arrived together with Kat just seconds after he had returned.

He watched how her eyes grew larger as she opened the box and saw what was inside.

A necklace with a small gold heart. The heart was not completely smooth, and a small chip had come off on one side.

Grace looked up at him, glossy eyes met his. "Thank you," she whispered. "I`ll take good care of it, I promise. Help me put it on?"

He picked up the small jewellery, open the lock and placed it around her neck. As he fastened it, he placed a light kiss on her neck. "Will you wear it to work?" he asked her as he looked at the small heart laying against her warm, pale skin, close to her cleavage.

"We both know there is bound to be questions from certain people if I do," she answered.

"Not what I asked."

"I will never take it off, Peter. Not unless I have to," she said, her voice thick with emotions. She kissed him, letting her hands rake through his sleep tousled hair. The movement to her injured hand, made her inhale sharply.

"Should you really remove the bandage already?" he asked her, watching her before taking hold of her hands, gently caressing her right one.

"The hand isn't swollen anymore," she answered, looking down on her hand laying in his much bigger one.

"The point is for you not to use it unnecessary, Grace."

She looked up at him. "It`s a grade one wrist sprain, Peter. Now that the swelling has gone down, I can easily use it so long there isn't too much pain."

He met her eyes, a slightly mischievous look in his. "So, you don't need my help when undressing in the evening, then?" His voice sounded disappointed, though.

Grace laughed quietly. "You should get dressed before they come looking for us."

"Normally, the ladies want me to undress, Grace," he teased her with a wicked smile on his face.

"What other ladies want to do to you, Peter Boyd, is something they will have to take up with me first," she told him in a grave tone of voice. "You belong to me, and I don't share!"

"Good to know," he smiled at her. "You have nothing to worry about, Grace. You have my heart, remember."

Boyd had been in the bathroom for about ten minutes when there was a knock on their bedroom door. Grace walked over to open, finding Zarah outside.

"Mummy says you have to come down now. I`m not allowed to start opening my presents before everyone is in the living room." She looked behind Grace into the room. "Where is Uncle Peter?"

Just then he came up behind Grace, dressed and ready. "So, Santa came? You`ve been a good girl this year then?"

Zarah nodded eagerly. "Come on, you two!"

She took both their hands, making sure not to touch the one Grace had injured, and dragged them with her down the stairs.

In the living room the rest of Boyd`s family was already gathered. The twins were sitting on the floor by the fireplace, while Lucy and Eric sat in one of the couches. Boyd sat down on one of the other couches, taking Grace with him. She landed in his lap.

"Oh, no, are you two going to snog and stuff?" Daniella asked. "Because we get that a lot with mum and dad. We don't need to witness you two as well, Uncle Peter."

"I never saw a sign at the door that this was a non-kissing or snog-free house," Boyd told the teenage-girl with a smirk on his face as he placed a gently kiss on Grace`s cheek. "Besides, I found this!" he said, holding up a small sprig of mistletoe over Grace`s head. "This gives me free access to kiss whoever is under it."

"I know exactly what to give mum and dad next year," Michaela chipped in. "A sign that reads exactly that! And I will make sure to remove every bit of mistletoe she hangs up next year!"

"Thank you for putting that idea into her head," Lucy laughed at her brother. She turned to Zarah. "Fine, sweetheart. Opening presents from Santa is a go!"

"Yay!" the girl squeaked as she rushed over to the Christmas tree.

"One more night, and I will have you all to myself," Boyd whispered into Grace`s ear. "That is when I will open my present." He placed the mistletoe in her lap.

Grace turned her head and met his eyes. "Care to open the one that is somewhere under the tree first?" she smiled back at him, her eyes twinkling.

"You got me a present?"

"Peter, I always give you a present," she scolded him. "Remember that book I gave you last year, about old cars?"

"Oh, yeah, that`s right," he nodded with a huge smile. "One of few books that was actually readable," he teased her. He knew that she knew he liked to read. Mostly drama or mystery, but also other things. "So, what is it this year? No, you didn't," he suddenly said, looking at her suspiciously.

"What?"

"A toy car?"

Grace chuckled. "That would have served you right to get a toy car, Peter," she grinned at him as she got up from his lap, giving him the mistletoe before she walked over to the tree. She squatted down, looking, and finding, the little package that she had placed there the previous evening before they went to bed. "When did you figure I would have time to go out and buy something like that? It`s only two days ago you told me about your toy car collection. While we were in the A & E, mind you."

He nodded as she returned to the couch, this time settling next to him with her feet up and placed under his thigh. She reached out her hand, placing the little package in his hand. "Merry Christmas, Peter," she smiled, felt how Lucy and Eric watched them, watched Boyd as he unpacked his gift.

It was the same size as the one she had gotten before they came down, also a jewellery box. Boyd looked at her before opening the box, eying a pair of silver cufflinks. As he looked closer, he noticed that they had his initials on them: P.B.

"Thank you, Grace," he smiled at her. "They are perfect." He placed his hand on her thigh. "Really perfect," he added with a grin. She had managed to give him the perfect gift. The cufflinks could be worn at work, and no one would be the wiser. They would look just like any other cufflinks he usually wore, but they would both know that they were her gift for him.

"Merry Christmas, my darling," he whispered to her as they sat and watched as the twins and Zarah were busy with their unwrapping of presents. He felt her shiver next to him. "Cold?" he asked her.

She smiled that beautiful smile of hers as she looked up at him, shaking her head. "No, I`m perfectly fine."

"Then why did you shiver?" he enquired, placing his arm around her shoulder and pulling her against his side.

Lucy and Eric had both gone to the kitchen to get some more tea and coffee for the grownups and hot cocoa for the kids. Grace watched as the twins looked through what they had gotten for Christmas while Zarah was preoccupied with a new doll she had gotten from Santa.

"The endearment you used," she said quietly. "It`s just… Well, still a little unbelievable," she mumbled. "I expect to wake up any minute now, finding myself in my own bed, alone."

"You shivered because I called you 'my darling'?" he grinned at her. "You better get used to that, while we are at home, at least. I don't think Spence would live through the day if he heard me call you that while in the basement, would he?"

Grace gave a short laugh, picturing Spence`s face if he had heard the Great Leader use those kinds of words. "Better not use them while at work, then," she agreed. She looked up at him. "So, which words of endearment should I use on you, then?"

"Whichever works for you," he answered, meeting her eyes. "Although, I might want to censor some words, come to think of it," he added as he noticed her mischievous grin. "There ought to be real words of endearment and not the ones I can read in your eyes just now, Grace," he told her, his voice seemingly stern.

"Or else?"

"Or else I have to take action so such words aren't to be found in your vocabulary," he grinned at her.

"Interesting," she said quietly as Zarah came towards them. "Hi, sweetheart."

"Didn't Santa bring you any presents, Auntie Grace?"

"Auntie Grace has been a naughty girl this year," Boyd said, laughter in is voice.

"Santa left my present at the bedside table," Grace said as she poked Boyd in the ribs causing a small yelp from him. "I think you were too excited when you woke up this morning that you didn't notice the present lying there. Or that Santa had been in the room during the night."

Zarah`s hazel eyes became large at the realization that Santa had been right next to the bed she had been sleeping in last night. "Mummy! Guess what?!"

Lucy and Eric had just returned with the tray of beverages. "What, honey?"

"Santa was in Uncle Peter and Auntie Grace`s room!" she explained. "And I didn't wake up."

"In Uncle Peter and Auntie Grace`s room? And what were you doing there, young lady?"

Zarah looked at her mother, turned to look at her uncle and back at her mother. "Oops," she mumbled. "I was sleeping next to Auntie Grace," she added slowly, looking at the floor.

"Oh, Zarah!"

"Lu, it`s Christmas," Boyd said as he picked Zarah up and placed her in his lap. "It`s tradition, isn't it?"

Lucy looked at Grace with concerned eyes. "Grace, I`m truly sorry. I thought that she had stopped doing that. Ever since she could walk, she has always ended up in Peter`s bed whenever he spends the night."

"He told me after she fell asleep," Grace smiled. "It`s not a problem. Really. I think it`s kind of cute, how she can turn him into a pussycat."

"Still sworn to secrecy, Grace," he grumbled next to her.

"Yes, kitten," she grinned at him, making Lucy and Eric laugh. "Besides, even though I have nieces and nephews of my own, I rarely see them. I can`t picture any of them coming into my bed at night for a cuddle." She smiled at Zarah. "Want to see what Santa left for me?"

"Yes!"

Grace lifted the golden heart up for the girl to see.

"Oh, Auntie Grace, it`s broken," she said with a sad smile, touching the heart carefully.

"It`s supposed to be like that," Grace explained. "It is a reminder that even though something is broken, it can still be beautiful and good." She met Boyd`s dark eyes. "Still be loved," she added for his ears only.

"I think it`s beautiful," Zarah declared before she turned towards Boyd in his lap. "And you were wrong, Uncle Peter."

"About what, sweetheart?"

"Auntie Grace hasn't been a naughty girl this year."

"Seems Santa thinks she hasn't," Boyd agreed as the girl went back to her presents. "I know better," he added as he grinned down at Grace.

Grace poked him again before she turned towards Lucy. "Do you need any help with breakfast?"

"Sure, that would be great," Lucy smiled as she rose. "I`ll bring our tea."

A few minutes later Grace stood by the stove, tending to the eggs and bacon, while Lucy stood by the kitchen island and prepared the rest of the meal. "So, how long have you really been together?" she suddenly asked, making Grace turn quickly to look at her. "Come on, Grace. I know my brother. If you became a couple after 'the incident' as you called it, then I find it a little strange that you still seem to be in that bubble of first-time love."

Grace nodded as she turned back towards the frying pan. "Less than twenty-four hours," she confessed quietly.

"What!" Lucy placed the knife down and walked around the island and stood next to Grace. "You mean to say that when Peter called and asked if he could bring his partner, and when he introduced you to us yesterday evening, you were still just colleagues?"

"And good friends," Grace chipped in.

"With benefits, then?" Lucy said with one of Boyd`s wicked smiles.

Grace shook her head. "Actually, no. Nothing like that at all."

Lucy looked shocked. "This is Peter Timothy Boyd we are talking about? My brother? The man who thinks he`s God`s gift to women? That Peter?"

Grace smiled at her. "Yes, I can understand your bewilderment. Especially, since I`m also older than he is, and not remotely in the same category as the women he`s usually drawn to."

"I don't think Peter is looking at you and thinking about your age, Grace," Lucy smiled smugly. "There would be other things running through his head, I believe. One of his heads, at least."

Grace felt her cheeks burn. "I don't think this is a conversation which I feel quite comfortable having with you, Lucy," she said slowly, meeting Lucy`s hazel eyes.

Lucy smiled back at her. "Grace, I was telling you the truth yesterday. Peter has spoken a lot about you whenever he had found his way here for a visit. Probably why it was so easy for us to believe him when he lied about the extent of your relationship. And I also saw the agonising fear in him after that woman had kidnapped you." Lucy placed her hand on Grace`s arm. "He loves you, and I think that if anything were to happen to you, he would want to die."

"He offered his life for mine," Grace whispered, feeling tears rise in her eyes. "When I was kidnapped. He offered to give up his life to save mine."

"Oh, Grace," Lucy whispered as she turned off the stove before placing her arms around the other woman. "Have you even talked about this with him? Does he know that this is something you obviously are still not finished processing?"

"He does now," a deep baritone said from the doorway. "Grace?" he asked quietly as he went over to them, switching places with Lucy. He met Lucy`s eyes. "Can we use Eric`s office?"

Lucy nodded, watched how her brother steered Grace out of the kitchen and down the hallway towards the office. "Eric, honey? I need some help in the kitchen."

B~G~B

Grace`s body shook as she cried in his arms. Her arms were placed around him, her hands – both of them - clutching to his shirt at the back. He stroked her back gently, whispered reassuring words into her hair.

How long they sat on the couch in his brother-in-law's office, he didn't know. He didn't care. Grace obviously needed this time. Her reaction was long overdue. Being a psychologist, she should have known that this would happen eventually.

They had never spoken about it. About that day. He had, of course, seen the appointed psychologist afterwards. He had believed that Grace had done so too. Or at least talked with some of her psychologist friends.

"The shoemaker`s son, Grace?" he asked quietly as her sobs diminished. "Or in this case, daughter?"

"I`m sorry," she mumbled into his chest. "I didn't mean to…"

"Shush," he whispered. "Lucy understands. Who do you think I talked to afterwards?"

"Not me," she hiccupped, the hurt evident in her voice.

"No, not you," he agreed regretfully. "I thought you had enough to deal with, so I talked to whoever it was they told me to talk to. It didn't help, so I came here. Talked to Lucy." He kissed the top of her head. "She was right. I have talked a lot about you. The lie about us being a couple… I probably realised – no, I acknowledged and accepted it – when I nearly lost you, what you meant to me."

"You offered your life for mine, you idiot!" she yelled at him, new tears erupted. "How could you do that?! How could you think that that would be a great idea?!"

"Do you really think I had much time to think things through while in that room with Penny?" he responded, his voice calm compared to Grace`s voice. "Grace, I had already lost Luke. I couldn't lose you too. If one of us had to die that day, it sure as hell wasn't going to be you!"

Neither said anything for a while, holding on to each other. Grace`s hands were still clutching on to his shirt. When Boyd heard that her breathing had calmed, he asked her silently: "Did you talk to anyone afterwards? Anyone at all?"

"No, I couldn`t," she whispered.

"Reversed roles," he mumbled into her hair. "You are the one always nagging me to open up, to talk about everything. And then this?"

Finally, she let go of him, moved out of his arms, placing her own around herself. "I couldn't talk to anyone, because I was afraid," she admitted.

"Afraid of what?"

"You may have realised and accepted that I meant something to you that day, Peter," she started, "but I already knew how I felt about you. I`ve known for years."

"Yes, you told me yesterday," he nodded. "But I don't understand why that would frighten you."

Grace sniffled. "What a way to spend Christmas morning," she said as she slumped down on the couch next to him again. "I both heard and saw you that day, Boyd. The words you uttered hit my heart and it broke. This gold heart is as much a picture of my heart as it is of yours." She placed her hand around the necklace. "The only one I could have shared my feelings with regarding that day was you. Still, I couldn't talk to you about it. My heart was already broken because of the thought of losing you. If I had told you how I felt, had used you to 'debrief' afterwards, I, myself, would have broken into pieces. So, I never spoke to anyone. Not even Eve." She saw the look Boyd gave her. "Oh, she tried to make me tell her, talk to her, but I shut her down every time. Eventually, she let it pass."

"Like I obviously did too. Jesus, Grace!"

"I`m sorry," she whispered as he rose from the couch and started pacing. Several minutes went by as she watched him pace the length of Eric`s office as he pondered. Suddenly he stopped in front of her. She looked up and saw the determined look in his eyes.

"You love me?" he asked her quietly.

"Yes," she answered.

"And I love you," he said just as quietly. "I understand that hearing me offering my life for yours would hurt, Grace. I`m not denying that. I know that if the situation had been reversed, I would probably have felt it just as painful as you did. But I know you! And you are not a coward. You always tell me things the way they are, no matter how bad, or good, they are. So why couldn't you just have told me?"

"If you had turned me down, Linda could just as well have killed me that day," she whispered. "And I wasn't strong enough to take that. I never will be. It was better not knowing and love you from afar."

"Alright," he said as he sat down next to her. "I think we need some ground rules."

The sudden shift in conversation and topic made Grace confused. "Ground rules?"

"I`m in this for life, Grace. I`m not planning on going anywhere, but…" he held up his hand when she was about to speak. "… but I realise that you will need time to get your head around that. That you fear losing me just as much as I fear losing you. And let's face it, Grace. We are both very good at protecting our hearts. So, I propose a few ground rules that I hope will help you trust that this is for life."

Grace nodded her head slowly. "Let`s hear it then."

"Rule number one, and the most important one is as follows: never, ever think that Peter knows what you think or feel. I`m a man, I need to be told."

"Noted," she smiled softly.

"Rule number two is equal to number one, which means it's just as important: tell Peter-slash-Grace that he-she is loved, every damn day."

"Noted again." Her smile was growing.

"Rule number three: Peter needs to open up and let Grace know how he feels as well."

She just nodded this time.

"Rule number four, and deep down I think it really should be at the top: Peter needs to get laid a lot when we get back to London tomorrow."

Grace was silent for a few second before she burst out laughing. "Oh, God, Peter. It really is just sex with you."

"Like rule number one states, I am a man, Grace."

Grace flung herself at him, making him fall backwards on the couch, taking her with him. She looked down at his handsome face before she kissed him. "I do love you, you silly man!"

Boyd placed his arms around her, pulling her close. "I love you too, stubborn and annoying as you are." He looked up at her. "So, are you alright then? The flood works turned off for now?"

"Yes, for now," she agreed, kissing him again.

"Good, because I`m starving," he grumbled against her neck. "I haven't had my breakfast yet."

Grace smiled. "And still you managed to stay calm while my flood works were turned on?"

He caressed her face, his fingers brushing over her skin gently. "Even so, yes." He stroked away the residual tears on her cheeks. "Not that I don't think you aren`t looking lovely as ever, but I think you might want to clean your face before we join the others for breakfast."

Grace hid her face against his shoulder. "Thank God, I wasn't wearing my make-up. I would look like a panda by now. Red-eyed, but still a panda."

"Come on, Panda. I need food."

"You always need food," she told him as she sat up. "Where you put it, I have never figured out."

Boyd pulled her up from the couch and towed her behind him into the hall and upstairs. "I burn it off worrying about you, and arguing with you all the time," he said deadpan.

"Funny, that doesn't seem to work for me," she countered.

"I`m not the one with a sweet tooth," he pointed out as they entered their bedroom. "Clean up quickly, woman, before my sister comes to get us."

Grace walked into the bathroom, leaving the door open. "I have a question, Peter," she called out to him.

"Just one?"

"Hilarious," she threw back. "You call your sister 'Lu' most of the time. But she doesn't reciprocate it by calling you 'Pete'. Nor does the rest of your family." She returned to the bedroom, feeling slightly better. At least now her face wasn't all red and puffy from the crying. "Why is that?"

"Do I look like a 'Pete' to you?" he asked her.

"No, you don't."

"There you have it, then," he said as he took her hand in his. "Lucy could easily be a 'Lu', but I was never, and I never will be, a 'Pete'."

"But 'Kitten' works for you?"

He pulled her close. "Not 'Kitten' either, Gracie," he murmured. "Breakfast, now."

Grace stood on tiptoes and stole a kiss. "Merry Christmas, Peter."

"Merry Christmas, my darling," he smiled at her before leading her towards the hallway. "Christmas breakfast with my family awaits."

The End