It was a sunny yet a cold day in Genoa city as Nikki's car pulled up in Catherine's drive way, she got out of the car and snuggled inside her fur coat.

She paused before she knocked on the door, almost fearing this encounter with her oldest dearest friend, who could read her like no other...

Even thought she had made a decision not to reveal anything to anyone about her relationship with Victor, she knew Catherine could pick up on that, and in some way wanted her too...

Kay, for most part, supported her and Victor's relationship, she just hoped that she would be supportive this time as well.

Nikki knocked on Catherine’s door, Kay opened the door and smiled at her surrogate daughter “Oh, it’s so good to see you Nikki”

She entered the house and said “Oh, you too” as she turned around to Catherine and smiled.

Catherine asked her tenderly as she squeezed her hands “How are you?”

Nikki didn’t look at her as she nodded with a small smile “I’m fine”

Kay touched her chin and said “Now I don’t believe that Nikki”

Nikki’s look rose to meet Kay’s loving and concerned eyes “Oh Catherine...”

She said as she flunged her arms around the older woman and hugged her tightly, she whispered “I’ve missed you so much”

Catherine Chancellor was like a mother to her for most of her adult life and she hasn’t seen ever since Nicholas got convicted and she was so glad to see her now.

Kay whispered to Nikki as she hugged her “As I missed you too, I’m so sorry about Nicholas”

Nikki sat down on the couch and said bitterly, wiping her tears “Not as sorry as I am”

Kay sat down next to Nikki and said “But Dear god Nikki, I just can’t understand how a judge convicted your son, the boy could never hurt a fly”

Nikki shook her head tearfully “I know, I know... but there were so many evidences, I don’t think the judge could have done anything but convict him, but he was terribly harsh with the verdict, in Victor’s and mine worst dreams.... 15 years Catherine! 15 years!”

Catherine looked at Nikki sadly, she could see how heartbroken she was, and how tired and distressed she looked and told her “Oh my dear Nikki, I wish I knew what to say to you”

Nikki said “There’s nothing you can say... we’re trying to get him out of there, Victor is working on some leads and we just got to hope everything would be okay”

Catherine tried to reassure her “And you will, you have to be strong and have faith, you have to do it for yourself, for your daughter, for Victor, for Nicholas, because your family needs you”

Nikki said “I’m trying, I really am, but it’s so hard sometimes Catherine”

Catherine commented “Like Christmas”

Nikki said sadly “I honestly didn’t believe I could survive the holiday.”

Catherine said “But you did.”

Nikki smiled faintly “Yes I did, and Nicholas finally called, it was the first time I talked to him, though I don’t think I handled it very admirably, I absolutely lost all self control when I talked to him...”

She sniffed and looked at Catherine with pain “I miss him... and I worry about him, do you know he got attacked there one night?!

Catherine nodded “I heard something about it, but I also heard it wasn’t serious”

Nikki exclaimed “It wasn’t serious this time! What about the next time, we are helpless to help him!
He is not even 18 yet, and he is accused of committing a serious crime and the people they put him with...”

He voice faltered on the last few words as Catherine tried to calm her down “Nikki, I am sure the guards are doing an extra effort to look after him. I mean... after all my dear, he *is* Victor Newman's son and the prison management knows very well they better avoid the fury of Victor Newman, and they would have a reason to be afraid if something will happen to your son.”

A shiver ran down Nikki’s spine as she said “Oh, I sure hope so Catherine”

Catherine tried to change the subject as she said with an interested grin “So, what did you get for Christmas”

Nikki’s heart jumped from joy as she remembered Victor’s beautiful gift, and sent her hand up to show Catherine the bracelet, and smiling as she saw Kay's mouth open in awe...

Catherine looked from the bracelet to Nikki’s face, despite the tiredness, black circles under her eyes that was emphasized by the fact Nikki  weight lose in the last month.... her eyes sort of lit up when she let her take a better look at the bracelet, and she wore the slightest touch of a smile...

Catherine was impressed “Oh my, my... would you look at that, from Victor, I assume?”

Nikki tried not to grin too much “You assume correctly”

Catherine said with a slight smile “The man always did has an extraordinary talent for the most beautiful gifts”

Nikki said with the most distinctive sound of love and admiration in her voice “Oh isn't it beautiful... look, it’s a strawberry, and a horse, and a lilac and the children’s birthstones...”

Catherine looked at Nikki with curiosity, and said “It is very generous of Victor, under the circumstances”

Nikki wasn't listening to her, she was distracted as the sight of the bracelet caused her relive their kiss  the night before, Victor's warm lips on hers, caressing and exploring her mouth... his arms wrapped around her..
.
Suddenly she felt Catherine's eyes resting on her and answered quickly "I don't think it's that unusual"

Catherine said pointedly  “Well, Nikki dear, you have to admit it’s a pretty amazing gift to buy an *ex wife*”

Nikki tensed up as she realized Catherine was on to her faster than a speeding bullet “It’s not that unusual, not for Victor and me, you know we are still closed, even we are not longer married”

Catherine brushed her off “Yes, yes, yes, but you see my dear, I can’t help but notice a certain gleam in your eyes whenever you look at that ring, and I don’t think it’s the light reflecting from the diamonds so you tell me Nikki, what is going on?”

Nikki made a feeble attempt to deny that “Catherine, don’t get carried away here, you know better than anyone how still fond I am of Victor, not to mention that we are still tied together by the two children that we share...”

Catherine let out a disbelieving snort “Fond? Nikki, you feel a lot of things to Victor Newman, but I don’t think I would describe any of them as fondness, and your attempts to deny that only tells me I should keep on digging...”

Nikki closed her eyes and tried to say calmly “Catherine, I can’t deny Victor and I have gotten closer lately, ever since Nicholas got into jail, we go through everything together, we spent a lot of time together lately, the gift... I guess in a way it was Victor’s way of thanking me for being there for him”

Catherine asked “Being there for him?”

Nikki sighed as she recalled Victor's sadness from before “Yes, he didn’t take Nicholas getting into prison well, and I was there for him, as he was for me, of course”

Catherine replied “Well that just makes me all the more intrigued”

Nikki asked, slightly annoyed “And why is that”

Catherine explained “Because the Victor Newman I know doesn’t let people let people see he is hurting, or open up about his feelings easily”

Nikki replied simply “Catherine, he lets me”

Catherine just looked at her silently, trying to read her and said “And it means a lot to you doesn’t it?”

Nikki said “You know it without me telling you that”

Catherine nodded “I know how you feel for him, if that what you mean” She looked at Nikki and than asked “How are his marriage going?”

Nikki turned her head aside and said plainly “Hope filed for divorce, the night of Nicholas’s trail”

Catherine was appalled “Now that’s rather insensitive”

Nikki agreed “Yes, it is”

Catherine asked, thoughtful “Aha, I see....How’s Victor taking it?”

Nikki frowned “I don’t really know, we haven’t really talked about it”

Catherine was surprised “Not at all?”

Nikki replied, a little agitated as Catherine hit a very aching nerve “Catherine, we had had better issues to discuss!”

Catherine lifted up her hands in defensive gesture “Okay, Okay, you’re right, I did seem to have hit a nerve have I?”

Nikki turned her head away and said “Catherine, please, spare me”

Catherine nodded “Alright, Alright, I just want you to promise me something?”

Nikki turned her look back to her “What?”

Catherine grabbed her hand “Do not do anything you’ll regret later,, Victor is just out of a marriage, you are having problems with Nicholas, this is no time for hasty decisions about what might happen between you two...”

Nikki tried to smile reassuringly, Catherine had no idea how involved Victor and her already were, how already deeply into their new relationship, that was as exciting and intense as it was frightening, for Victor as well as for her... Catherine raised the points that bothered her most, the one thing she was most afraid of was failing again because she or Victor did something wrong, too fast, too slow, not right....

At least she knew they would speak later today, she wanted to hear what Victor has to say so much, maybe he will manage to put her fears at ease, she hoped and prayed he would.

She wasn’t going to tell Catherine any of that, she could just see the lecture coming a mile long so she smiled at her “I promise” while crossing her fingers....

She felt badly lying to Catherine about what was going on, especially since she, more than anyone knew more about Nikki’s feelings for Victor in the recent time...

Catherine smiled “Good girl”

Nikki rolled her eyes but looked at Catherine with affection and hugged her, burying her head in her shoulder and thought “Oh Catherine, there is so much I want to tell you but I can’t, this is something Victor and I should reach alone...”

Catherine caressed Nikki’s hair and said “You know I love you Nikki”

Nikki smiled “Oh I love you too”

She straighten up and wiped away her tears “Now I gotta go, I want to try to visit the prison again, maybe Nicholas will let me see him this time”

Catherine nodded “Sure, I understand... I’ll walk you out”

At the door she hugged Nikki and said “Keep me posted and give Nicholas my love”

Nikki nodded “I will... thank you, for being there for me”

Catherine smiled “You welcome”

Nikki smiled and walked toward her car, Catherine looked after her with a concerned gaze.
 
 

Vicki was sitting in her father’s office at his chair, she was waiting for him to get out of the meeting, she wanted to talk to him about a few things concerning work, and home, she went through yesterday in her mind and smiled when she recalled the kiss.

She sighed deeply “I don’t understand them, I just don’t understand them, how can you have so much passion and just ignore it!” she thought angrily.

She wondered if her mother went to talk to her father, she wondered how it went...

She recalled her mother’s reaction to their conversation about the kiss, her tears...

She was angry with herself for doing it to her mother, she knew she still had certain feelings for her father, although the two of them had avoided the subject ever since Victor Jr. was born.

She honestly didn’t know where her mother stood, and her father was even harder to read... he was just out of a marriage, struggling to get Nicholas out of jail...

One voice, the older, rational voice said that this is no time to pressure them for answers she doubted they had or she will get.

And yet...the other voice, the voice that usually won over, of that little girl in her who wanted her parents back together more than she wanted anything else in the world... that voice told her that now is the time to try to make it happen.

“How Do I make it happen?” She wondered out loud.

“How do you make what happen Victoria?” asked the even-more-condescending-then-usual tone of the person she hated with a passion.

Vicki didn’t have to raise her head from the report she was working on to notice it’s Brad “What are you doing here Bradley?” she asked, glowering at him.

Brad replied, entering the room “I could ask you the same question”

Victoria looked around “It’s my father’s office, I’m waiting for him”

Brad said “Oh, well I came to drop off a report”

Vicki looked at down to her report and said “Well, drop it, and get the hell out”

Brad went to pour himself a glass of martini, and poured one for Victoria as well, challenging her as he knew very well she hated them “Sorry, no can do” As he handed Victoria her glass and she looked at it with skeptic eyes “I need to talk to him”

Victoria drank the martini and tried her best not to chock on it, but didn’t manage to avoid the little cough she let out, Brad commented “Maybe I shouldn’t have made it to you”

Victoria answered curtly “Martini’s are not my favorite drinks”

Brad said with a smile “Yes, some things you can only learn with age”

Victoria had smoke coming out of her ears “Apparently tact is not one of them”

Brad asked her “What is that suppose to mean?”

Victoria shook her head with disgust “What were you thinking, showing up in the middle of Christmas, upsetting my mother even more than she already was”

Brad answered “I didn’t upset her, and I had a gift for her”

Vicki answered “Yes, you did upset her, and you could have mailed your little gift so that we wouldn't’ have to see your face”

Brad answered “I think it moved your mother, and I wanted her to see I still care”

Vicki answered, angrily yet maintaining her cool “Bradley, you better start seeing a doctor, those delusions you have are becoming rather alarming, and you didn’t try to get to mom, you tried to ruin this evening for everyone”

Brad stretched in his chair “It’s not my fault your father gets a jealousy attack every time your mother is seeing someone, maybe he should have thought about it before he lost her to begin with”

Vicki said in disgust “You are such a lousy worm”

Brad continued “Ohhh... yes Victoria, attack is a great idea for defense... keep it going, I might even start crying”

Victoria was just about to answer something nasty as her phone rang “Hello?” “Yes, Yes.... What? No, this is not the way I wanted it... don’t do anything, I’ll be right over”

She rose from her chair and told Brad “Sorry, I can’t stay here and chat, but unlike you, who seems to be suffering from lack of something to do these days, beside harassing my family that is, I got work to do... have a lousy day”

Brad called after her “Great seeing you too, Vicki”

He rolled her eyes, he was glad she was gone, she got on his nerves more than her father did, “The apple didn’t fall far from the old tree” he thought as he waited for Victor to finally show up.
 
 

In Kansas, in an out of the way farm, Hope Adams Newman was sitting on a chair, she took a pile of photos that was on the table and put it in an envelope and wrote on it carefully “Victor Newman”

She put down the pen and thought to herself “Our son is getting so big, so beautiful, you should see him Victor...”

She wrote a few words on a note

“Dear Victor...I hope you'll enjoy seeing your son, happy new year, Hope”...