Sitting in the living room, Verity finished wrapping up the numerous presents she'd bought that year. Mark was due back any moment, but she'd already wrapped his gift, hiding it in the bottom of her side of the wardrobe. She finished wrapping Angelina's present and set it on the sofa behind her along with Janet's gift and Billy's too considering she was his godparent and tried to spoil him rotten whenever she could. The apartment was decorated as best as they could manage. The tree stood in the corner with a smattering of baubles dangling from the pine branches. There were some gifts underneath it, but not too many. They'd agreed that they weren't going to go crazy with gifts that year.

Money was still tight but neither of them complained about it. They planned meals and only went out for dinner every so often. They hardly took cabs places and when they did go out they usually did things that were free. Verity swore they'd walked the entire length of Central Park ten times over. But she loved their lives. She loved just spending time with him and her friends. Granted, she mainly just spent time with Janet and Mark would sometimes ask her to meet him when he was with his friends for after work drinks. But she liked how quiet their lives were.

"Ver!" Mark called her name, the door shutting behind him.

"Hey!" she shouted back and turned her head over her shoulder as his footsteps grew louder and he moved down the hallway. He was still dressed in his blue police uniform, clearly having left without getting changed at the precinct. Standing in the doorway, he looked down at his fiancée who was in the process of wrapping the last present: a stuffed giraffe for Billy considering he seemed to laugh every time a giraffe came on the TV screen.

"The showers at the precinct are still broken," Mark said to her. "And considering I had to go to an attempted break-in where they weren't opposed to letting their dog do their business indoors, I'm going to jump in the shower right now."

"Please do," Verity urged from him. "Dinner is in the oven and Angelina called. She said she should be back at Grand Central tonight…around nine."

"We need to talk about her," Mark said and Verity rolled her eyes, but her lips tugged upwards in amusement. She knew that Mark had become overly protective of her ever since she'd finally told him that she was seeing a guy at Thanksgiving.

"She's fine," Verity assured Mark. "She's a smart kid."

"With a boyfriend who is four years older than her. She's nineteen. She's still a kid," Mark complained and Verity knew that this was going to be a sore subject for him. He was the big brother. He was bound to be protective. "Anyway, we'll talk about this when I've showered. I think I can still smell shit on me."

"You have such a way with words," Verity mused and Mark smirked.

"I can always come over there and you can check?" he asked her.

"Oh no," she warned him, moving to stand up and holding a hand up. "You're coming nowhere near me, Detective Hoffman."

"Not what you usually say," Mark responded, heading towards the bathroom with the smirk still plastered on his face. Verity, once again, rolled her eyes at his comment but the smile remained on her face. She went to check on the lasagne in the oven, hearing the boiler fire up as Mark turned the shower on.

She set the small dining table with cutlery and grabbed him a beer from the fridge and a glass of wine for herself. She moved the presents she'd wrapped from the living room and towards the bedroom, placing them in giftbags and leaving them just in the corner of the room by her chair that was covered in clothes she'd yet to put away after washing. She figured she had time to do that while dinner was cooking and set about folding jumpers and adding them to the shelf at the top of the wardrobe.

Mark finished in the shower and headed back to the bedroom to find her in there, tidying things away. A white towel hung around his hips and his dark, wet hair clung to his face. He moved his fingers through it, raking it back on the top of his scalp. "How was your day, anyway?" Mark asked from her.

"Good," Verity said with a nod. "I had orchestra rehearsal for the Christmas concert this morning. I ended up tutoring Johnny Mattson for a few extra hours this afternoon too. His mom called and said he was nervous for the school play and could do with a couple of hours just to calm him."

"How old is the kid?"

"He's only eleven, but he's really good and so sweet too. Every time I go round, he's got some crazy story from school he tells me," Verity said. "Anyway, after I finished there, I came back home and made a start on dinner. I've got the bedding and towels all ready for your sister. Are we going to meet her at Grand Central?"

"I was thinking of catching the subway and coming back with her," Mark said. "But you don't need to come."

"No, I'll come with you," Verity assured him. "And promise me you'll go easy on her. She really seems to like this Seth guy."

"I want to meet him at some point."

"And I am sure you will, but he lives in Chicago. Anyway, Ange is a clever kid, she's not going to date someone bad for her."

"I just want to make sure," Mark retorted and slipped into a pair of jeans and grey tee. He grabbed hold of a sweatshirt and tugged it over his head before sitting on the edge of the bed and pulling his socks on. "She's worked so hard to get where she is and I don't want her to get distracted."

"And she won't," Verity replied, closing the door to the wardrobe and moving to sit down next to him. She placed a hand on his thigh, squeezing it gently in her fingertips and kissing him on the cheek. "But don't go in too hard on her. I was a teenage girl once. I know how she feels and what it's like…she'll just get annoyed if you push her."

"I can't imagine you rebelling against your parents," Mark replied honestly and Verity nodded her head, knowing that he had a point.

"I mean, I dated a guy they approved of so that was something, but before then, when I was in school…I'd argue with my mom constantly about this guy I was seeing, but it was never serious. I think I went out with him just to annoy her and it worked," Verity said. "And I know you're protective over her and I think that it is so sweet, Mark, but being overprotective will just get her to close up and not tell you anything."

"I still don't get why she didn't tell me to begin with."

"Because you're her big brother," Verity said. "I think she was nervous about how you'd react. I remember telling my parents about my first boyfriend. Sure, we hardly got on, but it was still nerve-wracking."

"And when you told them about us?" Mark questioned from her and Verity chuckled.

"I didn't tell them, they found out, remember?" she pointed out to him and he nodded. "Either way, my parents aren't anything like you."

"No, but they're still your parents and there are times when I wonder how I'd feel if Angelina started dating someone and I just cut her off. I could never imagine doing that…and I can't imagine how horrible it feels for you, Ver…and I think…since I asked you to marry me…and Angelina getting involved with this Seth guy…I've been thinking about it a lot more."

"Why?" Verity asked, wrinkling her nose.

Mark shrugged ruefully. "Because you're their daughter. We're getting married and I know that you'll tell me that you don't want them there or that you don't care about their opinion-"

"-Because I don't," Verity interrupted him. "They made a choice, Mark. It wasn't me who made it."

"But doesn't it bother you? You're sure that you want this?"

"Am I sure that I want to marry you?" Verity asked him. "I've never been surer of anything. My parents couldn't even be bothered to see how I was after what happened with Daniel. I don't want anything to do with them."

"I just don't want you to regret anything."

"Trust me, I won't," Verity said and she leaned in to kiss him.

Mark was going to meet Verity and Angelina at the concert hall after his shift. It was Christmas Eve and somehow, he had gotten lucky and had Christmas Day off, but was back on shift on the twenty-seventh. Angelina was staying with them for two weeks, sleeping on the sofa bed and studying at the dining table while Mark and Verity went to work. Verity and Angelina had gone for some walks together when Verity had the afternoon off. They'd go window shopping too and Angelina would try to persuade her to go wedding dress shopping.

"You coming for drinks, Hoffman?" Eric wondered from him.

Mark shook his head as they stood in the locker room. Mark changed from his uniform into a black shirt and dark trousers. Thankfully, the showers had been fixed. He folded his uniform up in his bag. "Can't tonight," he excused himself. "Ver is playing in a Christmas concert. I'm meeting her and Angelina there."

"How's she doing?" Eric wondered.

"Better," Mark said. "We don't talk about Daniel. We're planning on crossing that bridge when we come to it."

"Hopefully that won't be anytime soon," Eric said. "Any plans for tomorrow?"

"Ver has a turkey and insisting on cooking a full Christmas dinner…stuffing…roast potatoes…the works," Mark said. "Apart from that, I think we're planning just to spend the day at home. You?"

"Same. Spending it with my wife and son," Eric said. "Hoping that the mother-in-law doesn't stay too long."

Mark chuckled at that considering it seemed like an appropriate response that Eric wanted. He zipped his bag up and picked it up. "Well, have a good one and I'll see you in the New Year," Mark said.

"Yeah, you too, Hoffman," he replied and Mark left the locker room with a final wave.

Moving to the street, he headed in the direction of the carpark. He knew that he was likely to get stuck in traffic for a short while, but he'd given himself plenty of time. Unlocking his car, he tossed his bag in the boot and pulled his grey, woollen coat tighter around his body. He was about to climb into the driver's side when he heard a woman's voice call his name.

"Mark."

He held the door open and looked to the front of the car where Dorothy Daniels stood in a black coat. Her hands were in her pockets and she had her hair in a bun at the nape of her neck. She looked at him, her eyes rimmed red and Mark's brows furrowed together. He had to admit that he was slightly hesitant about the woman in front of him and what she wanted from him.

"Dorothy," he responded and she bit down on her tongue. "What can I do for you?"

"I…I don't know why I came…" Dorothy confessed. "It's not you who I want to see."

"I imagine it's not," Mark agreed with her on that point. "Why don't you call her?"

"Would she speak to me?"

Mark mused on that question for a moment, trying to think of what to say. He could tell her what she wanted to hear. But Mark didn't know if that would do any good.

"Honestly? I'm not sure," he confessed to her and she nodded her head in disappointment. "You didn't bother reaching out to her when she was kidnapped. Your own daughter…and I get that you don't approve of us together, but she's your flesh and blood."

"You think I don't know that?"

"I don't know," Mark admitted to her. "She's spent nights crying over you and wishing that things were different. What did she do that was so bad? Truly? So she might not have married some guy in high society. She might not live in some swanky apartment. But she's happy. Isn't that all that matters?"

Dorothy said nothing in response to that. She knew what response she should give and she wanted to, but it wouldn't come out. She couldn't find the words. After so many years of keeping her opinion to herself and acting a certain way, she didn't know how to be anything else. All she knew was that there was an ache in her chest that hadn't gone away.

"I wanted her to be happy. She could have married James. He would have looked after her and we wouldn't have lost her. She could have stayed with us…lived a good life," Dorothy said.

"She lives a good life now," Mark said and Dorothy scoffed.

"She lives in Janet's apartment because she can't find a place of her own," she spat back at Mark who simply just gripped the top of the car door tightly. He watched as the woman in front of him shrugged her shoulders and looked to the sky. "She deserves better than you can give her."

"You know what?" Mark retorted. "I'm not going to disagree with you on that point. She deserves so much more than I can give her and I know that. Do I wish that I could buy her nice presents? That I could take her out for dinner on weekends? That I could take her on weekends away? Of course I do. I wish I could do so much more for her, but I can't. I don't have the money and she…she loves me for who I am, not what I can give her."

"I just don't think that's enough," Dorothy said with a sad shake of her head. "The going will get tough eventually. You think love is enough? Maybe it is in the beginning, but then the fighting will begin. It can't last. Love isn't a fairy tale."

Mark smiled at that, his lips rising in disbelief. He shook his head slowly at the woman and did his best not to laugh. Dorothy's brows furrowed and she wondered what he found so amusing as he raked his fingers through his hair, tossing it back behind his ears.

"You think we don't know that?" Mark asked from her. "Your daughter was kidnapped. The man who threatened to kill her…rape her…he's in prison and has vowed to come after her when he gets out. Verity wakes up screaming in the middle of the night from nightmares. She spent weeks unable to be home alone. We have four locks on the door at home now. She jumps at any sudden noise. You think our life is a fairy tale?"

Dorothy didn't have a response to that. Mark shook his head at her inability to reply and checked the watch on his wrist.

"We're not naïve, Mrs Daniels, trust me," Mark continued. "We know that life is no fairy tale. Hell, I work for the NYPD. I lost my parents when I was a kid. I've never been under an illusion that life is easy…but loving Verity…it's one of the easiest things I've ever done. Whatever comes our way, we handle them together. We might fight. We might get annoyed with each other, but that will never overshadow the fact that we love each other."

"You don't know how hard it is," Dorothy said. "She's my little girl. She's my daughter. I just want her back."

"No, you want her to be someone she isn't," Mark said. "And right now, I need to go because she's playing in a Christmas concert with the orchestra and I said I would be there to support her."

"Will you tell her I came? Tell her I…I just want to talk…I want her to understand what she's doing."

"By marrying me?" Mark questioned and Dorothy didn't disagree but she did have the grace to look away awkwardly, eyes flitting around and gaze landing on the floor. "But I'll tell her because we don't keep secrets from each other. What she does then is down to her."

Mark climbed into the car and Dorothy walked away without argument. He watched her go, a loud sigh escaping him as he reversed out of the parking space and headed in the direction of the concert hall in Manhattan. He cursed the traffic and then swore even louder when he struggled to find a parking spot. He relented and parked a few blocks away before running to the venue. He moved through the revolving doors and saw that the ticket booth was closed and the bar was emptying. His sister was stood there, pacing up and down and dressed in a long skirt with a white shirt, coat over her arm. She threw him a glare as he ran inside.

"You're late," she hissed. "Everyone has gone in already."

"Has it started?"

"In two minutes," Angelina said.

"Then why are we stood around here?" Mark asked her cheekily and she swatted him on the arm before following him into the hall.

There was the noise of people laughing and joking. Some people had dressed up with Santa hats on top of their heads, others wore reindeer antlers and there were kids in elf costumes. Mark looked around, trying to find an empty seat for them when Angelina tugged on his sleeve.

"This way," she said. "Janet and Robert are here too and saving us a seat."

Mark followed her down an aisle and then into a row of chairs, apologising to people who had to stand up and let them by until they got to the two empty seats Janet was saving. She stood up and embraced Mark quickly.

"I didn't know you were coming," Mark commented and leaned around her to shake Robert's hand.

"We managed to find a babysitter for Billy at the last minute and grab tickets. This place is pretty full," Janet said and she looked around as Mark tugged his coat off and sat down, draping it over his lap. His sister sat next to him and he glanced to the wooden stage at the front of the hall. The curtain was still closed, but ruffling slightly. "You're cutting it fine."

"Yeah, well you wouldn't believe who was at the station when I was leaving," Mark said.

"Who?" Janet wondered.

"Verity's mother," Mark replied.

Robert chuckled at that. "What did the old battle axe want?" he questioned Mark.

"Honestly? I'm not entirely sure," Mark responded and rubbed his hands together, trying to warm them up after being in the cold for so long. "Either way, I need to talk to Verity…but not until later. She deserves her moment without her parents getting in the way of things."

Janet rolled her eyes. "Her parents will always get in the way of things, I swear. Either way, I'm glad she's found you. You're good together…and marriage…she deserves someone who makes her happy."

"Thanks, Janet," Mark said.

"And if you stop making her happy then I'll have your balls," she warned him and Robert let out a laugh as Angelina also chuckled, but pretended to pay more attention to the programme she was reading in her lap. Mark's own lips arched and he nodded thoughtfully as the lights dimmed.

"I'll keep that in mind," he assured her.

The noise in the hall fell until there was silence and the curtain opened up. The orchestra struck up and the familiar tune of 'Jingle Bells' echoed throughout the venue. Everyone on stage was wearing their finery; men in suits and women predominantly in evening dresses. Mark looked beyond the wind and percussion section and saw Verity to the side, sat at the piano in a green silk dress with thin straps, a slit up her calf. Her arms were bare and her hair hung in its usual bun at the nape of her neck. Her fingers danced across the piano and he could just about make out how she bit down on her tongue in concentration.

After the first piece, there was applause before the next part began. Angelina tapped her foot along and nudged her brother when 'Here Comes Santa Claus' came on, recalling how he would always sing that as a kid when they were younger. He smiled at her and jokingly rolled his eyes before the entire orchestra went quiet and then it was just Verity playing 'Silent Night'. Mark had to admit that there was something bewitching about how she played. For someone who seemed to be quite clumsy and was always leaving things lying about in their apartment, she played the piano with a quiet elegance and grace. He could watch her play for hours and never get bored. There was something mesmerising about her and Mark knew that he was probably biased, but he didn't care.

When the last note lingered, the clapping begun and Mark found himself hitting his hands together repeatedly and louder than anyone else. Verity turned around slightly on the piano seat and offered a gentle wave out into the crowd. She never liked being the centre of attention.

When the concert ended, they all headed into the foyer to wait for Verity to meet them. Janet and Robert were telling Mark and Angelina about their Christmas plans which mainly involved spending time with both sets of parents in their apartment. They wanted Billy to have his first Christmas at home.

"You were amazing!" Angelina was the first to exclaim once Verity left, black coat draped over her arm and small bag on her shoulder. Strands of her hair had fallen from the bun it was held in and into her face. Her cheeks were tinted red and she had a big smile on her face. Angelina moved forwards and embraced her.

"Thank you," Verity said. "I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"How do you do it?" Angelina asked. "I mean, how do you make it look so easy?"

"She was a child prodigy," Janet chimed in and went to embrace her friend as Robert lined up behind her. "She's always been annoyingly talented at everything she does."

"I'm not sure of that," Verity said, pecking Robert on the cheek.

"I am," Janet said proudly and Mark could see in that moment how protective she was over her friend. It was more like they were siblings than anything else.

"Hey," Verity said, turning to Mark as the three others continued talking about her. Mark wrapped his arms around her waist as she took hold of him around his neck, coat slipping down her arm where it sat. Mark smiled and bent down towards her.

"You were phenomenal," he said before kissing her tenderly for a moment. "As always."

"Charmer," she muttered back to him and kissed him once more. She turned in his grip slightly and looked to her friends. "Thank you for coming. It was a really nice surprise to see you tonight."

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Janet said.

"Plus we got a babysitter for the night…and we're having dinner out," Robert said. "I think we needed this, didn't we?"

"I love Billy to bits," Janet said, "but this is the first night out we've had since he was born. I hate leaving him, but it's nice to feel like us again…God, that sounds horrible, doesn't it?"

"Not at all," Verity assured her friend and reached out to rest her hand on her arm. "It makes total sense. You're a mom, but you're also you too. You need time to do what you love and also to be a couple again."

Janet looked like she was almost in tears and Mark knew why. She had moments when she had struggled with becoming a mother and he understood it. But he also understood that she needed some time for herself. It only made sense and no one should ever be begrudged that. They finished off saying goodbye to each other and heading their separate ways. Mark, Angelina and Verity headed back to the apartment and Verity insisted on preparing things for the following day to make dinner easier to cook.

Mark helped her peel carrots and potatoes as Angelina made a face over cauliflower. Once everything was prepped, they sat around in the living area and just talked about everything and nothing before setting the sofa bed up for Angelina.

"I know there's something on your mind," Verity said once she was alone with Mark in their bedroom.

Sitting on the stool at the dressing table, she unclasped her necklace and laid it down. Mark was shirtless, hanging his jacket and shirt in the wardrobe. He looked to her and she met his gaze in the mirror. She leant forwards, elbows on the table and crossing her arms as her hands grabbed her shoulders. She tilted her head and Mark let out a deep breath.

"How do you know?" he wondered.

She smiled at that. "You're my fiancé. I know you," was all she offered him.

He tugged on the grey tee at the foot of the bed and moved towards where she sat. He slipped onto the stool beside her, despite there being hardly any room. Moving a hand to her back, he stroked up and down slowly, the green silk tickling his fingers.

"I didn't want to mention it earlier. We were having a nice night and it's Christmas Eve, but we promised no secrets."

"So we did," she recalled.

"And it's your mother," Mark said and her face contorted with surprise. That wasn't what she had expected to hear. She wasn't entirely sure what he was going to say, but she didn't think he was going to mention her mother. "She was at the precinct when I left. I'm not entirely sure what she wanted, Ver. I think a small part of her regrets everything that's happened, but she didn't explicitly say that. She just…she wants you back in her life, but she wants her version of you, if that makes sense?"

"The perfect daughter who would do as she's told?" Verity guessed and Mark didn't agree or disagree, but his silence spoke volumes. He continued stroking her back gently and bent down, kissing the side of her head tenderly and resting his cheek on top of her soft curls. "There were times when we used to get on. They were rare, but they happened. She'd sometimes take me shopping and…if I was stressed with exams…she'd buy me cake and tell me not to tell my father. She wasn't a bad mother. She just wasn't a natural, but I don't blame her for that. Not everyone is maternal and I get it, but she…she was so absent…they both were…and I resented them for such a long time."

"I know, sweetheart," Mark promised her. "And I am only telling you this tonight because I don't want to keep things from you. I told her that if she really wants to talk to you then she can call you. She can reach out."

"You think she will?" Verity asked, almost like she had some semblance of hope.

"Honestly?" Mark asked her. "I'm not sure."

Nodding, Verity steeled herself for that. She should've known. Either way, she wasn't going to let it ruin her Christmas. Mark kissed her neck gently and Verity closed her eyes for a moment, letting her head fall back slightly Mark kissed up to her neck.

"I love you," he said to her. "And I only hope that's enough…that I'm enough…"

Verity knew what he was saying. She opened her eyes again and turned to face him, forehead brushing against his. "You are more than enough," she promised him and kissed him as he moved his hands up to her shoulders, reaching for the thin straps and tugging them down her shoulders slowly. She pulled back for a second.

"Your sister is next door," she reminded him.

"Then you're just going to have to be quiet," he urged from her.

"What about you?" Verity asked.

Mark smirked. "I'll accept the challenge," he assured her and went back to kissing her neck and tugging her dress off of her as Verity laughed gently.

"Are you sure you don't want anything else?" Verity checked with Mark and Angelina.

She was pouring herself another glass of wine. They'd tided up after Christmas dinner and moved to the sofa and chair. Angelina was sprawled out in the chair, legs hanging over one of the arms. Verity fell onto the sofa next to Mark who had his arm flung over the back of it. She rested against his side as he swirled his own glass of scotch.

"Ver, I think we've had enough food to see us through the next week," Mark said to her.

"But it was all so good," Angelina drawled. "I don't think I've ever had a Christmas dinner as good."

"Not sure if I should be insulted or not," Mark commented.

Angelina rolled her eyes. "When I came to yours for Christmas you didn't even bother with a turkey," she reminded him.

"I was on shift that night and it would've gone to waste," he defended himself.

"Either way, what you did was nothing as good as what your fiancée can do," Angelina said to him.

Before Mark could answer back, there was a loud knock on the door. Verity jumped slightly, wine threatening to spill over the rim of her glass. Mark squeezed her shoulder. "I'll get it," he said to her and she watched him stand up as Angelina continued rubbing her stomach.

Mark headed down the hallway to the front door and turned the locks before opening the front door. A tall man stood there with dark hair and blue eyes, a cocky smirk on his face. Looking to Mark he nodded his head once.

"You must be Mark, right?" he checked with him.

Mark's brows furrowed and his defences went up. "And you are?" he wondered from him.

The man held his hand out, smirk still on his face. "Seth. Seth Baxter."

A/N: And things are going to start moving into the films, but not before we see how we got to the prologue! Would love to know your thoughts as always!