Merry Christmas everyone! The holiday mood inspired me to write this little one-shot set in The Closer era, after the "Road Block" episode. I took a few liberties with our favorite Captain and Lieutenant for a bit of a fun AU Christmas piece. I hope you'll enjoy it! Please, feel free to tell me what you thought about it!

Special thanks to my super amazing Beta, eelise187, who quickly proofread my work.

I don't own the show or its characters.

A LITTLE CHRISTMAS MIRACLE

"Momma, what are you doing?" Brenda asked as she walked into the Murder Room, eyeing her mother and father suspiciously. Willie Ray was fumbling inside a box while Clay held some garlands for her. Brenda glanced at the members of her team. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood, Julio was grinning along with Tao, while Provenza rolled his eyes at them before groaning and covering his face with both hands. Classic Provenza, Brenda thought with an amused face. The Santa hat and his Christmassy tie couldn't fool her. He was as enthusiastic about the Christmas party as when he was when asked to work a double shift.

"I wanted to make this room a little bit more festive." Willie Ray simply explained waving a hand in the air.

"Momma, ya know, this place is already decorated." Brenda frowned as she pointed out at the Christmas tree and the few garlands. "And it's just a little party before everyone goes back to their own family. It's not necessary to go through all of this trouble."

"Oh honey, nothing against your Christmas decorations, but this room is lacking." Willie Ray smiled as she waved some mistletoe in front of her daughter's eyes.

"Oh Momma!" Brenda exclaimed exasperated, covering her face with both hands. She was okay with having mistletoe at home because she knew she would end up kissing Fritz. She would never complain about that, but having it at work and risking having to exchange a kiss with Taylor or Provenza was definitely horrifying.

"How much mistletoe did you hang, Momma?" Brenda asked worried.

"Enough." Her mother smirked, exchanging a look with her two accomplices, Julio and Tao. "We need more love in this place that sees so much evil." She reasoned with a serious tone.

"Well, there's someone here who clearly isn't in the mood for love," Julio stated with a foolish grin. "I saw Flynn taking down some of the mistletoe earlier." The detective added pointing a finger at the Lieutenant.

"Shut up, Sanchez!" Andy snapped from his desk, not bothering to look up from his reports.

Brenda turned to look at her Lieutenant, surprised to find him in such a bad mood. He was acting more like Provenza and that kind of worried her. She knew their latest case had a great impact on him, but he had assured her that everything was under control. Now she wondered if it was truly the case or if he still had trouble with what happened to that teenage girl a few days ago. She chased away those thoughts and put her hands on her hips, as she along her mother asked with a frown, "Oh is that true?"

Andy looked up to meet his Chief's gaze, but didn't answer. He simply shrugged as he went back to the reports on his desk, pretending to read them.

"Oh come on, Andrew!" Willie Ray said cheerfully, "It's a party, put aside work and enjoy this." She added with an encouraging smile. "Did you like your gift?"

"I do." Flynn answered, finally letting a smile cross his features. "It's already on my desk." He informed her, pointing to the elf figurine, a clear reminder of the previous Christmas and his inability to wrap the children's presents.

"Good." Willie Ray said with a huge smile. She turned to her daughter and asked, "Will Sharon be joining us?"

"Sharon?!" Brenda repeated with a strangled voice.

"Yes, your friend Sharon. I have a little present for her as well." Willie Ray explained as her husband showed Brenda the little paper bag he had placed on the desk next to him.

"A present…" Brenda repeated, taken aback.

"Don't look so surprised, Brenda Leigh. You really thought we weren't going to bring a little gift for your friend?" Willie Ray exclaimed, with some disappointment in her voice. "She was lovely last year…" she added with a smile, recalling the previous Christmas party and the stories they shared while cooking.

The team snickered at the woman's comment. Lovely wasn't exactly a word they would use to describe Captain Sharon Raydor, and the troubled look on their boss's face made them laugh even harder.

Brenda shook her head as she quickly regained her composure, "Momma, I believe the Capt-…" She paused and rectified herself with an eye roll, "Sharon might have her own department's party to attend."

"Yeah, a wicked Christmas party along with her rat squad and…" Provenza started.

Brenda threw a deadly glare to the Lieutenant who immediately stopped talking. He shrugged and gave Brenda an apologetic smirk that said, sorry but it is true. She rolled her eyes at him and turned her attention back to her parents. Frowning, her father asked, "What do you mean Brenda Leigh? I thought you two worked together?"

"Yes, we do sometimes, Daddy…but she's not on my team. She works in FID."

"FID?" Willie Ray repeated, arching a questioning eyebrow.

"Yeah, Momma. Force Investigation Division." Brenda specified, but when she noticed her parents' confused faces, she paused and sighed, trying to collect her thoughts. "She makes sure that our job is done correctly and that we don't get into trouble…" she tried to explain.

"Well, what the Chief is trying to say is that she's a pain in the ass who watches every single little thing we do and makes our lives a living hell…" Provenza grumbled.

"Lieutenant." Brenda warned him with an exasperated sigh.

"Sorry, but it's true." The Lieutenant replied raising his hands in surrender before asking for support, "Don't you agree, Flynn?"

"She's only doing her job." Andy merely replied absent-mindedly, not bothering to look up from his files.

"Ye' Gods!" Provenza exclaimed horrified. "Did you fall today and hit your head?!" He asked, shocked before adding for everyone, "Flynn is down with something. A stroke maybe? He isn't thinking clearly."

"Ha ha ha, very funny old man." Flynn snapped, shaking his head at his partner.

"Who would have thought Flynn would be the scrooge at this year's party?!" Gabriel remarked with a smirk. "It's normally the Lieutenant's job to…"

"Shut the f…" Both Andy and Provenza started.

"Lieutenants!" Brenda cut them short, exasperated. "Please, everyone. It is Christmas. Just hold back for an hour or so. This party will be over soon and then you'll be free to bite each other's heads off."

"Oh here you are!" Clay suddenly exclaimed with a grin as he noticed two new people enter the room.

"Look who I found!" Fritz said with a smile as he walked through the Murder Room to join his wife, Sharon right behind him.

"Oh great…" Brenda muttered between her teeth.

"Chief, what did we say about biting our heads off?" Buzz reminded her with a shy smile.

"I know what I said." She reassured him, trying her best to hide her annoyance. She and Sharon were getting along, but it didn't mean that she enjoyed her company. They were simply not killing each other with their looks anymore. They were civil. "Captain, it's good to see you could join us." She said in her best polite tone.

"Chief." Sharon greeted her. "Everyone. Merry Christmas." She added with a light smile.

Not surprisingly, Brenda's parents were the only ones to heartily welcome the Captain. Willie Ray hugged her, quickly followed by her husband as they exchanged holiday wishes.

"Oh Lord…" Brenda muttered. The last thing she needed to see were her parents getting all friendly with Captain Raydor. She felt Fritz slide an arm around her waist and draw her close. He dropped a kiss to her temple to calm her down. She smiled at him before she heard her mother say, "Sharon, we're happy to see you. We brought you a little something." Willie Ray informed the Captain as she nudged her husband's shoulder.

"Oh yes, yes, here..." Clay agreed as he took the paper bag and handed it to Sharon with a smile.

Sharon looked beyond surprised. She clearly didn't expect such a nice gesture from the Chief's parent. Brenda was surprised when she saw a genuine smile cross Sharon's features as she thanked Willie Ray and Clay. She could have sworn she even saw moisture in the Captain's eyes as she opened the bag and took out a small angel ornament. Dumbfounded, Brenda watched the other woman display an unexpected emotional reaction as she once again hugged Willie Ray and Clay, thanking them.

"I didn't think I would live to see the Captain tearing up over a Christmas present." Brenda whispered ironically for only Fritz to hear.

Fritz rolled his eyes at his wife as he smirked before leaning to reply in her ear, "She's human, Brenda, you know…"

"Guess so." She simply answered, shrugging.

"Sharon, there's some more punch in the fridge in the break room… would you be a dear and go get it for me?" Willie Ray asked the other woman with a smile.

"Sure." Sharon replied as she stood up from her seat. She put her glass down on the desk when Willie Ray added, "Oh and Andrew, would you be a gentleman and help Sharon? There are also some cookies in the break room." She instructed him.

"You may not know it, Willie Ray, but the Captain here can take care of herself. I don't want to offend her by coming along to help…" Andy added ironically, waving his hand absent-mindedly through the air.

Sharon rolled her eyes at him as she crossed her arms over her chest. She was about to walk away when the Chief's mother stopped her with a hand gesture before turning to the Lieutenant, "Andrew…" Willie Ray scolded him with a smile.

"Fine, fine." He gave in, raising a hand to reassure her as he stood from his chair and joined Sharon. "Shall we go, Captain?"

Sharon nodded and they left the Murder Room. They were silently walking down the hallway when Sharon cleared her throat and told him, in a surprisingly soft tone, "I heard about what happened a few days ago…" She paused, searching for his gaze, but Andy kept looking right in front of him. "How are you?"

Andy sighed. Without looking at her. He answered with a tired, but slightly irritated voice, "You want to force me to see a shrink or something?"

"It's not Captain Raydor the FID officer asking, just Sharon." She offered, ignoring his comment.

"Sorry, I don't know anyone by this name." Andy harshly replied as he looked down at his feet, quickening his pace.

"Fine." She snapped, irritation obvious in her voice. She crossed her arms over her chest and went to follow him into the break room.

At the door, Andy suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned to face her, Sharon almost colliding with him. He bit his lower lip and rubbed the back of his neck. Before she could offer a snarky remark at his actions, he stuttered uncomfortably, "Sorry I-I… I'm okay. I'd rather not talk about it, but things are taken care of." He paused before adding with a sad smirk, "No need to worry, Captain, I won't show up drunk at a crime scene."

"I've never had any doubt about that." Sharon answered truthfully, offering him a light smile.

Andy looked at Sharon dumbfounded. He clearly didn't expect that kind of reaction from her. He simply nodded as he only managed to say, "Oh okay."

He opened the break room door and motioned for her to enter first. She complied and he followed her inside, closing the door behind him. She walked to the fridge and was about to open it when she stopped. She stood for a few seconds with her hand on the handle, worrying her teeth over her lip as she finally turned to look at him. Hesitantly she stated, "It's okay to feel whatever you're feeling." She paused, meeting his gaze and felt a little lightheaded when she found him staring at her intently, "It would be hard on anyone."

"Even you?" Andy teased her with a grin.

Sharon rolled her eyes at him, but she knew deep down that cracking a joke was a way for him to avoid a more uncomfortable conversation. She shook her head at him and opened the fridge as she repeated, "Even me." She took the punch and put it on the counter. She was about to close the fridge when she turned to face him and added, "I'm not heartless, Lieutenant."

Andy wasn't sure she had said it jokingly, even if she pretended she did. He could sense a hint of disappointment in her voice. He shrugged and offered her a small smile as he replied, "I guess not."

Sharon arched an eyebrow at him as the Lieutenant slowly joined her. He leaned against the counter and turned to look at her as he asked, "So Captain, what are your plans for this Christmas? Park City again?"

"Is this an attempt to socialize, Lieutenant or do you want to make sure you don't run into me on your holiday?" Sharon smirked as she leaned against the fridge, her arms crossed over her chest, studying him.

"Why are you always questioning my motives?" He asked her with a foolish grin and she frowned at his sudden playful attitude.

"Well, maybe because I'm the wicked witch from the rat squad and questioning everyone's motives is my job. That's what you and all your…" She suddenly stopped mid-sentence as something caught her attention. "Oh Lord…" Sharon whispered as she covered her mouth with a hand.

"Come on, Captain! I'm not that bad!" Flynn shot back, rolling his eyes at her with a cheeky grin.

"No, no, I mean…" she pointed at the door and Andy frowned.

He followed her finger and looked in that direction. He didn't notice anything off, but when he looked up, he closed his eyes and groaned, "Damn it, I had taken it down. Julio and Tao are so dead." He muttered through his teeth. When he met Sharon's questioning look, he explained, "Those two helped the Chief's mother put mistletoe all over the place. I took down every single branch myself, but they must have put it back up in here."

"Oh God, Lieutenant, will I receive a Christmas decorations complaint on my desk in the next few days? I believe this would be a new kind of grievance for your oh so full package."

"Ha ha ha, very funny, Captain…" Andy shook his head at her, "But you have to admit I did a favor for everyone."

"By taking down the mistletoe?" Sharon asked in disbelief.

"Well, saving people from embarrassing situations… just like this one." He smirked.

Sharon tensed and Andy could tell she didn't detect the playfulness in his tone. She straightened and let her arms fall unceremoniously to her sides as she shot back, "Oh yeah, God forbid if anyone has to kiss the wicked witch." She nervously put back a strand of hair behind her ear as she added bitterly, "Heard that she turns anyone who gets too close into stone."

Sharon turned to walk out of the room, leaving the punch and Andy in the break room. Andy frowned and cut the distance between them. As she put her hand on the door handle he reached out and wrapped his hand around her waist. He caught her just on the inside of the door, it remaining closed behind her. She half spun around, taken aback by his sudden strong grip and nearly collided with him as his eyes drifted to the doorframe above them. Before she had the time to say something, he caught her lips with his and kissed her. The kiss was short, but long enough for Sharon to notice that he was indeed a great kisser. She was too astonished to react and when he broke the kiss and stepped back, he looked at her in the eyes and whispered, "That's not what I meant."

"What? This?" She asked him, confusion obvious on her face.

"No, what I said before." He immediately replied, not wanting to be misunderstood once again. "It came out wrong."

"And this was supposed to make it right?" Sharon shot back arching an eyebrow.

"Just wanted to show you I am willing to take the risk…" He told her. Before she could add something more, he specified, "to be turned into stone I mean."

"How brave of you, Lieutenant." Sharon ironically replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "Go tell your friends now that you've passed the test of courage. You're a hero, Flynn," she added sarcastically.

Andy sighed. He could tell it was a losing battle and the last thing he wanted was to fight with Captain Raydor in the break room during the Christmas party. He let his shoulders fall and went back to the counter to pick up the plate of cookies. He was about to reach for the door handle when he stopped and turned to look at her. He seemed hesitant, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, before he spoke, "I'm not afraid to get close to you." He paused to consider his next words, "And by the way… I'm glad that retirement thing was a hoax. I'm glad you've stayed."

Sharon opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. She merely stared at him in disbelief. Andy looked down and turned away from her as he put his hand on the door handle, ready to open the door. Sharon bit her lower lip and briefly closed her eyes before saying firmly, "Stop."

Andy turned around with a frown on his face, which only increased when he heard her next words, "Put those cookies down, Lieutenant."

"What?" He smirked as he complied and started jokingly, "You want to keep them all for…"

Sharon quickly joined him at the doorway and before he could finish his sentence, she put a hand on the back of his neck, forcing him to bend over as her lips crashed against his. He quickly recovered from the initial shock and slid his arm around her waist, holding her close. They kissed hungrily, Sharon's hand still on the back of his neck while the other ran through his salt and pepper hair. When they finally broke the kiss, Andy whispered, out of breath, "What was that for?"

"Well, I've heard it is bad luck not to kiss under the mistletoe." Sharon smiled at him playfully, nodding to the small plant above, "Would hate to take the risk."

"Momma, there are no more cookies… is there another plate still in the break room? I can go and bring it here." Brenda offered.

"Oh honey, it's already taken care of. No need to worry." Willie Ray quickly answered, waving a hand in the air.

Brenda eyed her mother suspiciously and was about to ask something more when she noticed Andy and the Captain walking back into the Murder room. The pair put the punch and the cookies on one of the desks. Brenda couldn't help but notice the Lieutenant's unexpected mood shift; he was no longer grumpy and annoyed. His features had relaxed and he was smiling at the woman standing next to him. He was smiling at Captain Raydor. At the realization, Brenda nearly choked on the sip of punch in her mouth. She coughed a little and turned to face her mother. Her face paled when she noticed the older woman smirking at the scene in front of them.

"Oh Momma, what did you do?" Brenda asked her in a whiny voice, wincing. She wasn't sure she wanted an answer to that question though.

"Me?" Willie Ray exclaimed innocently. "Nothing, Brenda Leigh." She added raising her hands as if she had been caught red-handed. A satisfied smile then crossed her features when she told her daughter, "It is just a little Christmas miracle, after all it is bad luck to ignore the mistletoe."

THE END

Again, merry Christmas and thank you for reading this story. I hope you enjoyed it!

Stay tuned for more stories!