"Nice outfit, Bec," Brian laughed, wrapping her in a tight hug. "How've you been?"

"Busy," she sighed. "You know what it's like for a church musician the week before Christmas…"

"All too well. I'm glad you could spare some time for us."

"Silly, of course I could! Come on in." She opened the door wider as Brian pushed Sonja in ahead of him.

"Hey, Bec, good to see you." Sonja looked a little awkward, Becca wasn't quite sure why.

"I've missed you at choir practice. We could sure use you this weekend!"

"Really? I … I didn't think anyone would notice."

"Not notice?! Get real! You're the only one who can keep the alto section together. Promise me you'll be there for the Christmas Eve service?"

"Well, ok, if you're sure…"

Arm in arm the girls headed for the kitchen where Becca had left Nick stirring cookie dough. They walked in just in time to see Nick stick his finger in his mouth.

"Nick! I caught you, didn't I? I TOLD you not to eat any more, there won't be enough left to take to the youth center."

"Busted!" Brian laughed.

"Out. Get OUT of my kitchen, Carter. And take your buddy here with you. Men," she muttered as Nick high-fived Brian behind her back. "And don't think I didn't see that, now OUT."

His face was smudged with flour as he kissed her quickly and ducked out the door with Brian.

"She looks good, Nick," Brian said as they settled into chairs on the deck.

"Yeah, she does, doesn't she?" He took a long drink of water before continuing. "She got the bandage off her ankle this morning and a clean bill of health."

"That's great." Brian watched his face, something wasn't quite right. "Isn't it?"

Nick sighed. "Yeah, of course." He paused, staring out over the railing to the trees beyond. "There was a lot more to it than just a fall, Bri."

Brian sat up straighter. "I thought you said she's ok?"

"*Now* she is. But … when she fell, we thought she might have been pregnant."

"God, Nick-" Brian moved to put a hand on Nick's arm.

"She wasn't, but it scared the hell out of both of us. We'd been pretty careless. Anyway, it all turned out to be stress and she's back to normal, but it made me think really hard about a lot of stuff."

"Sounds serious."

Nick smiled. "Yeah, I suppose so. But we both had to face where we are in our lives and what we want."

"And, what *do* you want?"

"Becca. I want her in my life, Brian. I want her there every morning when I wake up and every night when I go to bed and every minute in between, too."

"Have you told her any of this?"

"Not yet. We sure weren't ready for a baby, so-"

"So how can you be ready for a lifetime commitment? Nick, they're two different things."

"I know that. But there's the tour coming up, how can I expect her to sit by for almost a year and wait around for me to have a few minutes here and there to spare for her?"

"Does she love you?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Then she'll wait. Besides, she has her work here. That will keep her plenty busy, and when she can, she can fly out and be with us. We've all done that with our girls before."

"Brian, am I doing the right thing?" he whispered.

"Only you can answer that. You have to do what your heart tells you, Nick."

"I'm only twenty, Brian. God, sometimes I feel so young."

"You said it once yourself, bro, 'love knows no age'. If it's right you'll know it, and so will she. And I think you're talking to the wrong person about all this." He smiled at Nick's sudden grin.

"Thanks. Thanks for your help." Impulsively he leapt up and hugged his friend. "There's a park a block away, wanta shoot some hoops?"

"You're on. I'll kick your butt."

"Will not."

The door slammed behind them as they raced toward the park.

******

"Kids..." Becca mumbled.

Sonja laughed. "They are, aren't they?! It's good to see you better, Becca. We were all so worried."

"Me too, Sonja."

Sonja watched her in silence before asking, "What really happened, Bec?"

"It was a nightmare," she answered. "I haven't talked about this with anyone else but Sarah." She paused to gather her thoughts. "Sonja, we thought I was pregnant."

Sonja gasped. "My God!"

"I'm not, but it was horrible. The hell I put Nick through that night …"

"Nick?! Becca, this happened to you, too!"

"I know, but all I can think about is how I nearly ruined his life. It would have changed everything." Even after all the time that passed, the tears were quick to form and she dashed them away hurriedly so that Sonja wouldn't see.

"Becca, have you two talked about this?"

She laughed derisively. "Ad nauseum. I think he's just so relieved to have it over with that he never wants to discuss it any more."

"He loves you."

"You sound like Sarah. No, I know he does. And I know that part of his fear comes from that fact that he's so young. I know it's a risk, but sometimes risks are worth taking."

"Then it's up to you to make him see that.

"Maybe." She put the last tray of cookies in the oven and set the timer. "Hey, we've got ten minutes. Help me with my solo for Christmas Eve?"

"Sure! Lead the way."

Tossing her apron on the table, they made their way to the piano in the living room.

The cookies were cooling, and they were back at the piano when the boys came home. Brian stopped the front door from slamming just in time.

"Wow, you hear that?"

Nick nodded, too overcome to speak. They stood silently in the hall, listening as Becca's voice soared with feeling.

Brian whispered, "Did you know she could do that?"

"No, I had no idea." He closed his eyes and let the music wash over him.

Brian began to hum along in harmony. "It's a classic, we used to do it in church when I was a kid."

"I've only heard her do her choir stuff, never a solo. That's amazing."

"You're gonna talk to her soon, right? Nick, you've gotta settle this before the tour. Don't fly out of her life and leave loose ends."

"I will, Brian, I promise. C'mon, let's go interrupt." He grabbed the mistletoe that was hanging in the foyer and burst into the living room, Brian right behind him.

"Ho, ho, ho! Kiss me little girl," he cackled holding the sprig of greenery over Becca's head.

"Can I sit on your lap?" she grinned.

"But of course, come tell Santa Nicky what you want in your stocking." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively and they all broke up.

"You're nuts. But I love you anyway." Softly she said, "And there's only one thing I want in my Christmas stocking." She looked into his eyes.

Tossing the mistletoe to Brian, he pulled her close. "You got me," he whispered.

Brian made gagging sounds as he pulled Sonja from the room laughing. Nick and Becca never noticed.