Christmas Eve

"Santas coming!" Ellie greeted Kate excitedly as she answered the door to Kate's knock, forgoing the usual niceties.

"Yes he is!" Kate replied, smiling at Ellie's exuberance as she entered Steve's flat. She closed the door behind her. Work had finished early and Kate had gone home to change before heading to Steve's. She was going to help Steve do some last minute preparations for Christmas once Ellie was in bed.

Ellie was on top form and quite hyperactive throughout the evening and meal, thanks to a mixture of excitement and chocolate. Eventually however, she did get tired and headed to bed but not before she had put out a mince pie for Santa and a carrot for Rudolph.

Once they were sure she was asleep, Steve and Kate crept downstairs to Kate's car and started bringing up all the presents that Kate had been storing at her place for Steve to avoid Ellie's prying eyes. They then needed to wrap them all, although Kate did more of that job as she was better as it.

By the time they were almost done there was quite a pile of presents under the tree, most for Ellie.

"I've totally spoilt her, haven't I?" Steve asked worriedly as he realised for the first time exactly how much he had bought his daughter.

"You're making up for last year," Kate reminded him. "It's fine," she decided before turning to the last present to wrap. She had put it off because it wasn't going to be easy. It was the bicycle. The pink sparkly one that Steve had found. After her disappointment over Josh, Kate had told Steve that it was the perfect bicycle for Ellie. "I'm going to need your help wrapping this," she informed her friend as she took a deep breath before starting.

A whole roll of paper and sellotape, plus an awful lot of swearing later, the bike was finally wrapped and joined the others near the tree.

"Done!" Announced Steve jubilantly as he glanced at his watch. 21:30. Two and a half hours to spare before midnight. It was the most prepared he'd ever been. Time to celebrate. He disappeared to the kitchen and returned with a bottle of red wine and two large glasses in his hand. "You up for a glass?".

"Go on then. Just the one as I'm driving," Kate agreed as she took a seat on the sofa. Steve took the place beside her after turning the lights off in the room leaving just the golden glow from the tree lights and the log burner illuminating the room.

Steve poured them each a glass of wine. "Merry Christmas," Steve said as he tapped his glass against Kate's.

"Merry Christmas," she replied.

One glass turned to two and three after deciding to catch a cab home and a promise from Steve that he would collect her the following day. As the wine flowed so did the conversation until things took a slightly more serious tone.

"You alright?" Kate asked when she realised Steve hadn't said much for a while. Instead he was staring in to the log burner, deep in thought.

"Just thinking about the last year," Steve replied, coming out of his reverie, "and how much my life has changed,".

"It certainly has," Kate agreed.

"This time last year we were at the party thrown by one of the FI's, do you remember?".

"Yeah," answered Kate. Steve had been the one invited to the party by a rather attractive and new to the job forensics person. He hadn't wanted to go solo so had invited Kate as his plus one. The party had been ok but she hadn't known any one and then Steve had gone AWOL for half an hour, leaving her feeling a little awkward. It hadn't been the best night.

"I was trying to get lucky with that new FI," Steve confessed.

"I knew it!" Kate crowed. She had asked him flat out what he had been doing when he had reappeared and he had denied everything….. until now.

"If it makes you feel better, I didn't get very far," Steve admitted. A bit of a snog which had finished abruptly when he'd tried to cop a feel.

"Not really," Kate tutted, trying not to think about what he had been doing. "You've certainly grown up a lot this year," she continued. There hadn't been any other females on the scene since Ellie had come in to his life.

"That's a good thing, right?" Steve checked.

"I like it," Kate admitted shyly.

"That's good," Steve replied, not knowing what else to say. Instead he stared back in to the log burner. The flames were a little less now and he got up to add more logs to the fire. "Did I ever say thank you to you for everything you've done this last year?"

"You don't have to-".

"I do," Steve interrupted. "I'd have never gone to that children's home if you hadn't made me," he admitted. "And I would have missed out on so much,".

"Being a parent is amazing isn't it?".

"Yeah," Steve agreed. "But bloody hard work!".

Kate laughed. "God yes," she agreed.

"You heard from Josh?".

"He called earlier," Kate said with a smile on her face. "He said he wishes he hadn't gone on holiday now. Being away from home at Christmas is a little strange,".

"That's good," Steve said.

"Yeah," Kate agreed. "I told him we'd have our Christmas when he gets back which cheered him up a bit,".

"You always know just what to say and do, don't you?" Steve said.

"What does that mean?" Kate asked. The wine was affecting her judgement and she didn't know whether Steve was being kind or not.

"Just that you know what to do to say to people to make them feel better or guide them to do the right thing," Steve tried to explain but doing a shit job of it. "You've been doing it to me the whole year,".

"I think you're giving me a bit too much credit," Kate said. "You knew it deep down. You just needed me to point you in the right direction,".

"You've got me all worked out, haven't you?".

"Have I?" Kate asked.

"Yeah," Steve said tenderly. "I think you do," he continued before leaning forward and kissing Kate.

They had shared a few kisses before in their friendship but not like this. Although it was a gentle kiss and with mouths closed, it was on the lips. And it was good.

Kate pulled back although not immediately. "What are we doing?" She asked. She didn't want to go any further if it was just the affects of the alcohol. They could put it down to a drunken snog and their friendship could still survive.

"Something that's been brewing for a while," Steve murmured. He had really tried keeping Kate in his 'friend zone' but she had refused to stay there. "Something we should have done a few years ago," he continued before kissing her again.

This time it deepened. Steve sought entrance to Kate's mouth and she granted it as she tilted her head a bit more.

"Stay the night," he murmured as he pulled away again.

Kate hesitated. Yes she had slept in his bed when she had sprained her ankle, but it had been purely platonic. This would not be the same.

"I can't," she answered. "I didn't bring an overnight bag,".

"I've got some of your underwear," Steve confessed.

"Excuse me?" Kate asked surprised.

"I found some after you stayed," he explained. "Forgot to give it back,".

"Pervert," Kate teased. "I haven't got any clothes," she added a bit lamely.

"Spoiler alert," Steve retorted. He wasn't going to let Kate off the hook that easily. "Mum has bought us all matching pyjamas to wear tomorrow. You won't need any clothes,".

Kate looked at Steve. She had no other excuses left. And if she was honest she wanted to stay. "Well in that case," she said before leaning forward and taking Steve's lips in another kiss.