"Oh the weather outside is frightful." Alex sang in a bright voice. Standing on a small stepladder, she straightened a large red bow on an even larger Christmas wreath. She smiled at her friend as he placed the star atop the tree in the drawing room.

"But the fire is so delightful," Nick sang back to her in a less than joyful tone. He fixed his Santa hat on his head before he started back down the ladder. "That is, if the damn thing was lit. Jeez, this rain is depressing the hell out of me."

She laughed, her own hat threatening to fall off her head. "Listen, Scrooge..."

"Good morning." Derek entered the room, holding a cup of coffee. "How is the decorating coming along?" Nick looked at Alex and saw the blush appear on her face as she turned away and fussed with the bow.

"It's coming along pretty good, Boss," the ex-SEAL replied. "Considering." Derek nodded as he looked at the back of Alex's head. Nick shook his. Considering that they even had a damn house to decorate. "Didn't know you were back."

"I got in late last night." He gazed around the room. "It looks wonderful. Can I do anything to help?" Nick hid his surprise by turning his head, and his eyes met Alex's. Derek? Offering to help? "No, uh... Edward and the staff have pretty much done everything. Alex and I are just finishing up some of the last minute decorations." An uncomfortable silence settled on them. At least it was for him.

"Ah... what did London have to say?" the younger man asked, breaking the stillness. "I imagine they were pretty glad to learn what happened at the portal." Unlike the rest of us, he left unspoken, who have no clue.

The precept laughed softly. "They found it rather difficult to believe what I told them."

"And what was that?" They turned to Alex as she started down the stepladder. Derek held out his hand to steady her. Nick saw the quick debate on her face before she accepted it. "Will we ever know what took place?"

Derek squeezed her hand. "I'm not sure that you'd believe it either," he said softly. He released his hold. "Maybe I'll tell you on Christmas Eve. If you're good, I might even read 'The Night Before Christmas' as well." Chuckling, he left the room.

"Who is that guy?" Nick watched him walk up the stairs. "And why does he keep going back and forth to London?"

"Damned if I know." Alex looked at him, then sighed. "Come on, let's get the rest of this stuff done. We want it to look great for the party tomorrow night. But first, I'm going to get some coffee." She headed to the kitchen. He gazed at the Christmas tree. It looked terrific, he had to admit. And no one had spotted the little present he had hidden there. There was only one problem. How was he going to hang it without banging in a nail and giving away the surprise? He stuck it in his pocket as he moved the stepladder over to the doorway. He'd have to do it at the last minute before...

"Hello!"

"In here, Rachel," he called out to the psychiatrist. "Merry Christmas," he greeted her.

"Merry Christmas, sweetie. God, it's awful out there." He held something above her head.

"Mistletoe? Nick, tell me that you weren't thinking of hanging some mistletoe." Rachel tried for a stern look, but she couldn't hide the smile.

"I thought it might be a nice ice-breaker for the party." He grinned at her. "Well?" He waved it back and forth.

"All right." She kissed him. "Nicholas Boyle, I wouldn't think you'd need such a thing to get a woman to kiss you."

He snorted. "Things have been slow lately." Laughing, she patted his face. "Maybe you'll get lucky at the party tomorrow."

"Yeah, that'd be a nice Christmas miracle," he sniggered. "How's Kat?"

She laughed. "Oh, she's all packed. She's so excited about going to Disney World with her friends tomorrow." They sat on the sofa.

Nick took Rachel's hand. "You gonna be okay with her spending Christmas down there without you?" She nodded.

"It will be good for her to be away." She put her other hand over his. "And I don't think I have to worry about her using any magic. I think we both learned our lesson with our last run-in with Miranda." She sighed. "With what happened last month, I think this may be a great Christmas and New Year at the Legacy House." Laughing, she patted his hand. "At least I hope so. Speaking of which, how's Derek?"

"Oh, he's back," the ex-SEAL told her. "And acting as strange as ever."

"How so?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't... He's just... different. Calmer? It's hard to describe." He rose from the sofa and walked to the window. "If he was acting in a bad way, I'd worry that the Darkside did something to him."

"Honey, it might merely be his reaction to surviving." He turned to her as Rachel waved her arm about the room. "He likely thought that he'd die, plus he'd have to destroy his home and everything in it. Yet... Whoever thought we'd be able to live and work in this house again?"

"Yeah, your'e probably right." He smiled. "Maybe this won't be such a bad Christmas after all."

End of Part 1