This shamelessly, hopelessly, embarrassingly sentimental holiday story (you've been warned!) follows my FK/Highlander crossover, "Honor the Heart," though you don't need to know a thing about Highlander to read it.

This story is an early Christmas present for Lillian, who asked me for a "good" Nick and Nat story where "no one is telling Nick off." Here you are, Lilpup. Enjoy, and merry Christmas (I give my gifts early!).

The story is a prequel of sorts to "Honor's" real sequel, and is more or less on its own timeline (it fits after "Sons of Belial" in the series timeline, but there are no real spoilers). You don't have to have read "Honor," but it does help.

Thanks and affection to my fantastic, patient beta-readers Diane and Dianne. Best wishes to everyone for a happy, safe holiday season, filled with the people that you care about. Constructive criticism, praise, extravagant gifts or flames to kirbyfest@yahoo.com.

***

The Heart of the Holidays
a Forever Knight Story
by Jill Kirby

Natalie had rarely felt so tired. Every bone in her body ached with exhaustion. She could hardly keep her eyes open-- she'd almost fallen asleep during an autopsy tonight.

Grace had finally come in and grabbed her shoulders, giving her a gentle shake. "I don't care if it is the middle of the night. I don't want you to be the next body on that table, Natalie. Go home. It's Christmas Eve-- well, early Christmas Eve day, anyway. Start your vacation already."

Natalie had yielded to Grace with a minimum of resistance.

As she climbed the stairs to her apartment, each step seemed about a mile high. Come on, Nat, she told herself. Yes, you're busy at work; yes, people drop like flies during the holiday season-- but you aren't so old that you can't deal with a few weeks of overwork!

Gritting her teeth, she made it up the last few steps and headed down the hall to her apartment. Soon she could put on pajamas, kiss Sidney, and sleep. Maybe she'd actually put up a holiday decoration or two. There hadn't seemed to be much point, since all she did was work. Anyway, she spent Christmas Day at Uncle Dan's...

She stopped short as she saw her front door. There was an enormous paper-covered florist's package sitting there.

What in the world? Her exhaustion temporarily forgotten, Natalie unlocked the door and, pushing it open with one shoulder, dragged the package inside.

"Hi, Sidney," she said, not bothering to be offended when the cat ignored her completely. He began a detailed inspection of the package while Nat tossed her purse on the couch and kicked off her shoes.

"Mrowr?" asked Sidney questioningly.

Natalie shook her head. "No, I don't know who it's from. We'll just have to open it and find out, won't we?"

Hoisting the package up onto the coffee table, she ripped open the canopy of paper and gasped.

Roses. Beautiful red roses. At least two dozen of them, surrounded by glossy leaves and baby's breath, nestled in a vase. Not some cheap glass thing off the florist's back shelf, either-- a beautiful, sparkling cut crystal vase.

While Sidney nosed at the leaves to determine if they were some new form of dinner, Natalie searched through the wrappings for a card. She knew she was smiling like an idiot, but she couldn't help herself. Nick had sent her flowers for Christmas. It was absurd to get so excited over this, but she was.

"Aha!" The card had gotten stuck in one of the staples that held the paper together, and she ripped it out carelessly. Her eyes widened as she read the card.

Natalie:
Happy holidays to my favorite coroner.
With affection,
Duncan

Natalie sank down on the couch, setting the card next to the vase. The flowers weren't from Nick. They were from Duncan. They'd parted on good terms, and kept in touch, but you still didn't really expect an ex-lover to send you roses for Christmas.

Natalie didn't move from the couch for a long, long time.

***

At 4 a.m., Natalie still wasn't in bed. She was still exhausted, but somehow too restless to sleep. She'd spent a lot of time just looking at the roses and walking around her apartment.

In between daydreams, she worked on Christmas lists. She had some last-minute shopping to do after she got some sleep, then she could crash and leave early Christmas morning for Uncle Dan's.

Natalie surveyed her list, dissatisfied. Her family was easy. She'd long ago found gifts for Sara and Amy; the only other people she had to worry about were Uncle Dan and Great-Aunt Elizabeth. They were both easy to buy for, as were Grace and her various girlfriends.

The only name on her list that still had a question mark by it was Nick's.

Natalie was tapping her pencil by his name, frustrated, when she heard a knock at her door. "Nat?"

Blast. It was Mr. I-Already-Have-Everything himself. Nat smoothed back a stray bit of hair as she answered the door. "Hi there."

"Hi yourself." Nick's hair was all windblown, and there were faint spots of color in his cheeks from the cold... and his smile warmed her heart.

"Come on in..." She was interrupted by an ear-splitting yowl from Sidney, who caught sight of Nick and streaked into the bedroom. "Sidney!" She ran after him, throwing an apologetic look at Nick over her shoulder.

He just shrugged, laughing.

When she came out of the bedroom, the smile died on her face. Nick was staring at the roses, still in a place of honor on her coffee table.

Natalie took a deep breath. "Aren't they beautiful?" she asked casually, walking over to the sofa and sitting down. "Duncan sent them." Without realizing it, she rubbed the Claddagh ring she wore on her right hand.

She couldn't quite identify the look that came over his face, and wasn't sure why he glanced at her hands.

"That's nice," he said remotely. "You've kept in touch, then?"

Natalie looked at him, startled. Did he think that she dated someone-- seriously-- and then dropped off the face of the earth when they weren't seeing one another any more? What kind of a person did he think she was?

"Of course!" She couldn't keep the indignant tone from her voice. "We aren't dating any more, but we're good friends."

Nick winced at the word "dating," and Natalie felt a familiar frustration rise in her. Yes, they had been closer lately; everything that had happened recently had given them a rich, tangible connection that had been missing for a long time. She'd caught him looking at her with new depth, new pain in his eyes. They had both been extra caring with one another.

But she knew, better than anyone, how easy it was to slip back into old patterns... And Nick had hated her involvement with Duncan; apparently, it still rankled.

"That's nice." Nick's voice was flat, and he folded his arms in front of him.

Nothing like closed body language, thought Natalie wryly. Electing to ignore his current behavior, she patted the sofa next to her. "Have a seat. What's up?"

He looked at her briefly, then turned away. "I should go. Have a good Christmas, Natalie."

He was out the door before she could even get up from the couch, and although Nat ran down the hallway after him, he was already gone. Frustrated, she stomped back into her apartment and slammed the door.

Men! Vampires!

***

Why she had thought she'd be able to get any last-minute shopping done on Christmas Eve day, she didn't know. Every store had been a madhouse, and Natalie had finally given up. Uncle Dan would just have to do without his
macadamia nuts this year. And Nick... after last night, who knew what he'd think of her gifts.

Juggling her packages as she looked for her keys, she had to stifle a yelp of surprise as someone lifted the heaviest one off the top.

"Let me take that." It was Nick, grinning at her from inside her apartment.

Grinning? After his exit last night? "You can take these, too," she said, pushing additional bags and boxes on him.

Nick blocked her entrance. "I'd be happy to. But you have to close your eyes."

"Close my eyes? Why?"

"Don't ask. It's a surprise."

Natalie shot a suspicious look at him, then sighed and shut her eyes. He took the packages from her arms and she heard him deposit them inside. Then she felt his hands, cool on hers, pulling her gently into the apartment. She followed, laughing.

Inside, he settled her on the sofa. "Keep them shut," he warned.

"Yes, sir." Her apartment smelled different somehow. It smelled... Christmasy?

She heard Nick moving around, and she shifted impatiently on the couch. "Hold on," he said from behind her, laughter in his voice. "Okay. You can open them now."

Natalie opened her eyes-- and gasped. Her apartment had been transformed. Pine garland and gold ribbons festooned her mantel above a crackling fire. Red and green candles were burning on the mantel and tables. Bing Crosby crooned softly from the stereo. In one corner, she saw Sidney-- with an adorable, Christmasy collar (she didn't want to think about what Nick had gone through to get that collar on)-- in ecstasy over a pillow that probably contained enough catnip to send him permanently to kitty bliss-land.

The roses were still on the coffee table; someone had wrapped a bit of pine garland about the bottom of the vase. And in one corner was a tree. A real tree, decorated with beautiful ornaments and real, brightly burning candles. The star on top looked suspiciously like an antique.

Natalie turned around to look at Nick, who was standing there smiling at her. He was even wearing a forest-green shirt in the spirit of the holiday. He looked so proud of himself, and she realized with a pang how hard he had worked to make this happen. He probably hadn't slept all day.

"I thought your apartment could use a little holiday cheer."

"Oh, Nick." She smiled up at him, but couldn't stop her lower lip from trembling. "Oh, Nick, it's beautiful." She looked around again, taking it all in.

Walking around the couch and sitting down next to her, Nick took Natalie's hands in his. "I behaved like an idiot last night. I'm sorry."

Natalie didn't correct him; just squeezed his hands. "You didn't have to do all of this."

"I wanted to." For a minute, he looked like a little boy as he surveyed his handiwork. When he looked back at her, his eyes were sparkling. "When do you leave for your uncle's?"

"Not until tomorrow morning..." Natalie stopped. He was still grinning like a vampire on Prozac. "Why?" she asked, with trepidation.

"I thought..." He raised her hands quickly and kissed them. "I thought we could ring in Christmas together."

***

And they did. They had all night, after all, and getting people to grant your every Christmas wish was easy when you didn't have to worry about a checkbook balance. A horse-drawn carriage ride (she hadn't even known they
had carriages in Toronto), a long walk by the lake...

It was a white Christmas; the best kind. Natalie knew that for the rest of her life she'd remember Nick, snow sparkling on his hair as he took a flying leap-- literally-- to avoid the snowball she'd aimed at him with deadly
accuracy. "No fair!" she shouted, stamping one foot. "You're too fast!"

He was behind her in a flash, and Natalie was suddenly covered with snow. "Never snow-fight with a vampire, little girl," he said, laughing wickedly as she sputtered and shook her head, trying to get the snow off her hair.

She pushed at him, laughing. "You're terrible."

And then they were both on the ground, rolling in the new snow, laughing so hard that Natalie thought she might cry. She sat up suddenly and pressed one mitten-covered hand to her cheek.

"What's wrong?" Nick sat up next to her, concerned, and put his arm around her. She leaned into him gratefully. "Are you cold? Should we head home?"

Nat shook her head. "No. I'm fine. I was just remembering..." She smiled. "Richard and I used to play outside for hours. He loved the snow. I don't think I've played in it since we were little kids." She looked up at Nick and saw the concern in his face. "I'm fine, really. I can talk about him now. That's what holidays are for-- remembering the people we love, and the good times."

Natalie paused, then was up and running so quickly that even Nick was surprised. He was with her in a moment, following as she headed towards an untouched swath of snow.

Natalie threw herself recklessly onto the ground. "Snow angels!" she crowed, then stopped when she realized that Nick was looking down at her like she'd lost her mind. Suddenly, she felt like an idiot, lying on the ground with her arms and legs flung out. "Snow angels," she repeated. "You've never made snow angels?"

He shook his head slowly.

"Well, get down here, Nicholas de Brabant," declared Natalie, smacking the ground next to her. "Lie on your back. Everyone needs to make a snow angel at some point in their life, even if they are 800 years old."

Nick sat on the ground gingerly, and Nat held back a giggle at the wary expression on his face. "Do you think it's appropriate for me to make a snow angel?" he asked, surveying the snow with a frown.

Natalie didn't answer, but swept her arms and legs back and forth. After a moment, Nick lay down and followed suit, then stood with Natalie and looked down at the two angels that they had made.

"Snow angels," said Nick wonderingly.

"And we can't make only two of them," added Natalie with satisfaction. "We have to make lots."

She laughed as Nick took a running jump back into the snow, and between the two of them they covered the gentle slope with angels.

Finally exhausted, Nat flopped down and took a deep breath. Stretching her arms out, she found Nick's hand next to hers-- and holding hands, they looked up at the stars in the clear, bright Christmas sky.

And Natalie didn't feel the cold.

Not one bit.

***

Back at her apartment, they peeled off their coats and scarves and mittens, and Natalie collapsed in front of the fire. "Who needs aerobics when you have snow angels?" she laughed, warming her hands in front of the golden glow. The fire was the only light in the living room; they'd doused the candles on the tree before they left and somehow the firelight seemed perfectly appropriate to the occasion.

Nick emerged from the kitchen with two mugs of cocoa. Natalie looked doubtfully at them and he laughed, sounding about ten years old. "It's a mix. Even I can't mess up making a mix."

"Thanks." It was good, and hot, but what warmed her most of all was Nick sitting next to her and taking a sip from his mug-- and swallowing it, and taking another drink.

Nick spoke, startling her. "I want to apologize again for how I acted last night." Natalie opened her mouth, then closed it as he shook his head. "No. I'm sorry. I was jealous."

Nick looked away, and she watched his profile in the firelight. She knew how hard this had to be for him. "It's all right, Nick. Really."

"I don't have any right to be jealous." He still wasn't looking at her. "It's your life, and you have to live it as you see fit."

"Duncan and I are friends, Nick. Good friends." Duncan had been there for her when, more than anything, she'd needed to feel valued and cared for. They'd both been lonely, and the friendship that had grown out of their
relationship was one that Natalie treasured.

"I know." He looked into the fire and Natalie wondered what he was seeing in the flames. "It's just... I wanted to be the first one to give you a Christmas present," he added gruffly, not looking at her.

"Then you shouldn't have waited until Christmas," said Natalie practically. "I've already gotten half a dozen presents."

Finally, he looked at her and she saw something there-- something that reminded her of how he'd looked at her that night, when he hadn't even known who she was, or what he was. But he'd kissed her anyway, without
fear... "I mean a real Christmas present." Setting the cocoa aside, he reached into his inside jacket pocket and pulled out a long, silver-wrapped box. He handed it to Natalie, and she held it silently for several moments.

"Can I open it?"

He grinned. "Of course! It is Christmas morning, after all."

Carefully, Natalie tore off the paper and bit her lip when she saw the velvet box underneath. She opened the top slowly, holding back a gasp when she saw what was inside.

At the end of a fine gold chain was a beautiful pendant-- a yellow stone in a delicate gold filigree setting. Natalie didn't know much about jewelry, but she was pretty sure it was a yellow diamond.

She reached out one finger to gently touch the stone. "Oh, Nick. It's just beautiful. It's like..."

"It's like the sun." Nick reached forward and pulled the necklace out of the box. "Here." Nat turned slightly, and Nick deftly swung the chain around her neck and fastened it while she held up her hair. She jumped, slightly, as he kissed the back of her neck then turned her around.

Natalie looked down at the glowing, golden stone falling just between her breasts; it sparkled with each breath she took.

Nick touched the stone with one soft finger. "It looks good on you."

"This would look good on anyone," said Natalie, hoping he hadn't heard her heart skip a beat.

"But it looks especially good on you," he smiled. In the fire his face looked almost warm, almost rosy, almost...

Natalie shook her head, trying to clear it. "I don't have anything for you that can compare with what you've given me, Nick." Oh, damn, she was going to cry. She hated crying. "This," she touched the necklace, "and tonight,and everything."

Nick rested his arms on her shoulders and leaned his head in to touch hers. "You have given me more than I ever asked for, Nat. I could give you a thousand of those--" he glanced down at the necklace, then back into her
eyes-- "and it wouldn't come close to what I owe you."

There was so much affection, so much tenderness in his gaze that Natalie smiled involuntarily, and was still smiling when he kissed her. She met his kiss without hesitation.

And though everything in her carefully guarded, terribly fragile heart was in that kiss, she didn't hold back. She knew-- they both knew-- that it was all they could have right now.

For right now, it was enough.

They parted-- before the gold could creep into Nick's eyes; before Natalie's heart could come any closer to breaking. With a sigh, Nick put his arm around Nat, and she settled against him to watch the fire.

"I think," Natalie declared, blinking hard so that Nick wouldn't see the tears in her eyes, "that this is one of the best Christmases ever."

"I'd have to agree with that." Nick's voice was rough, and he held her just a little more tightly.

After a bit, Nick shifted and realized that Natalie had fallen asleep on his shoulder. Her face was soft and peaceful, and so beautiful in the firelight that Nick just watched her as she slept.

His body reminded him of the sunrise not so far away. Regretfully, he leaned his head against Natalie's for one last moment, then lifted her in his arms and carried her into the bedroom. Settling her on the bed, he carefully tucked blankets around her.

Leaning forward, he laid his cool cheek against her flushed one. "Merry Christmas, Natalie," he whispered. "I love you."

Deep in her dreams, she heard.

And smiled.

The End

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