With three weeks to go until Christmas, Robin's Nest was looking suitably festive. For the last few years, Higgins had been alone over the holidays with Kumu going to stay with family and the other members of the household staff having a full two weeks off to enjoy both Christmas and the New Year. She had thought herself content; classical music piped through the house, simulated fireplaces in every room with a screen large enough, a bottle of wine to sip while she read or indulged in a cheesy Christmas film. But this year, Magnum would be there with Rick and T.C coming for Christmas dinner and, from the sounds of things, staying several days before and after the big day too.

Higgins wasn't surprised to find that she was excited at the thought of having her boys around her for the festive season. She had always loved the holidays, always thrived in parties and celebrations. She was always the one insisting people join in the Secret Santa or wear ugly sweaters. Being alone was just one more thing in a long list of things she had been forced to get used to after losing her fiance, job, and friends in one fell swoop. She had expected a lot of the fallout from that loss, seen the pain and the fear and the insomnia and nightmares and guilt and anger coming a mile off. But no one had thought to warn her that she would lose Christmas.

It was just yesterday when she had listened to the boys planning their Christmas - it seemed to involve hot chocolate for breakfast and beer for dinner, and she wasn't sure where the actual food would fit in - with a sense of very real jealousy. They were happy to be celebrating together, happy to be seeing out another year with their family of choice around them, and she missed that feeling with an ache that was physically painful.

'Never mind,' she told herself, letting the boys' voices wash over her and stir up just some of the old excitement she used to feel come December. 'You'll be just fine curled up in your room, out of their way.' Before she could start feeling too sorry for herself, Rick's voice broke in to her self pitying musings.

"Higgy?" They were all looking at her expectantly, and she realised she had missed something.

"Sorry, what was that?"

"Hot chocolate. With a candy cane or without?" Rick's face was serious, like her answer was somehow vitally important. Magnum and T.C were sporting similar expressions.

She tried desperately to recall what they had been talking about before dragging her into the conversation, but nothing came to mind and her prolonged silence seemed to be making them nervous. Rick and T.C both threw a look Magnum's way, and he leant forward, head tipped to one side in the universal expression of puzzlement.

"You don't already have plans, do you? We kind of just assumed you'd be here." Having three sets of eyes on her wasn't helping her formulate any sort of answer that could hide the fact that she hadn't been listening to the conversation.

"Plans for what?" she asked, hoping whatever she had missed would be easily explained.

"Christmas day," T.C answered, a laugh in his voice. "The thing we've been talking about for the last hour or so?" She knew she was frowning in confusion and was grateful when he took pity on her. "We always spend the day together if we can. And we were hoping you'd spend it with us, too."

"Oh." Not exactly an intelligent rejoinder, but she hadn't seen that coming and the thought of having someone, several someones, to share the day with had nearly taken her breath away. A hug in a hanger after a dangerous and stressful mission was one thing, but inviting her to join their celebrations wasn't something she had expected.

"So, if you're spending Christmas with us, you'll be having hot chocolate. And we need to know if you want a candy cane in yours like all sensible people."

Higgins wondered for a split second if Rick was the only person in the world who could make a choice involving hot chocolate and peppermint sweets sound so endearingly serious before a smile spread over her lips. She knew it was a rather watery imitation of her usual smile, but she didn't care to try to seem less emotional that she was.

"The only correct way to have hot chocolate at Christmas is with a candy cane." There were tears in her voice, and she could tell by their faces that her boys had heard them. Whether they realised why she felt like she could cry or not, they clearly decided it wasn't their place to push.

Rick and Magnum both cheered at her words, leaving T.C to roll his eyes and mutter about cold flavours in hot drinks, giving her time to collect herself before the conversation continued, this time about eggnog versus apple cider, and, this time, with her input.

And now, less than twenty-four hours later, she had rediscovered that part of herself that still thrilled to the sound of jingle bells and secretly longed for snow over the twenty-fifth. There were four windows open on the laptop in front of her, and they were all related to plans for Christmas. She wasn't sure when she had let herself get talked into ordering food and drink for them all, but, to her great joy, she wasn't inclined to complain. In fact, looking back, she rather thought she might have volunteered. Her attention was diverted by the sound of footsteps, and she looked around to see Magnum walking in.

"Busy?" he asked, the expression on his face clearly saying he hoped she wasn't.

"Almost always," she answered smoothly, but with no real heat behind the words and a small smile.

He gave her an answering grin before taking a few more steps and coming to the side of her desk. "I know it's too early to be exchanging gifts, but I need some help with your present." And he held out a small box.

She took it slowly, reading the exquisitely printed text. "Business card samples?"

Magnum's smile grew impossibly wider at the look on her face. "Just open the box, Higgy." He watched as she did, eyes locked on her face as she read the top card.

"Business cards for Magnum and Higgins Private Investigations." Higgins couldn't help but smile as she looked up, a genuine smile that lit up her face. She seemed to be doing that a lot around her boys lately.

"Pick the one you like and I'll get them printed up," Magnum said, looking a little anxious as Higgins sighed.

"You know I'm not even close to having my P.I license yet," she said a little bitterly. "It's rather difficult to prove professional honesty when more than three-quarters of your professional life has been wiped from the record." Her eyes dropped, staring at the business cards in her hands, afraid she would see the moment Magnum decided asking her to work with him was a bad idea. She nearly didn't listen when he started talking.

"I know we haven't talked about it for a while, and I'm sorry for that." He sounded so earnest that she looked up despite herself. "I don't want you thinking that I forgot about my offer or changed my mind. I still think we work well together, and I still think us being in business together makes a lot of sense." He looked confused when Higgins put the box down on her desk only to reach into a drawer and pull out a slightly longer box.

"Rather coincidentally, this ties in very nicely with the gift I got you. And, seeing as I got my present early, here." She held out the box, shiny silver with a red bow on one corner.

Magnum took it and pulled it open so quickly she couldn't help but laugh. "Coupons?" He pulled the booklet out and started flicking through it. "I made a bunch of these for a girlfriend once. 'Good for one breakfast in bed', 'good for one foot rub', that sort of thing."

Higgins winced. "I can categorically state that I will never, ever, touch your feet." She kept the disgusted look on her face as Magnum grinned.

"Does that mean I do get breakfast in bed?"

"Just read them you infuriating child before I beat you about the head with them instead."

He laughed at her long-suffering tone but looked at the front cover of the booklet properly. "Help From Higgy Coupons?" He was laughing as he read it and she watched as he read the first few coupons properly instead of skimming over them. "'Good for up to 6 hours of research', that's brilliant. 'Good for up to twenty four hours of surveillance'.Why is this one perforated?"

"So you can split the twenty four hours into various sections. Most of them are like that actually." She met his gaze as he looked back at her.

"These are great but… I'm not sure I get it."

"I thought it might help tide you over while I work on getting my license. Help stop your mountain of owed favours spiralling completely out of control." There was a heavy silence for a few seconds.

"So, we really are doing this?"

"You're the one who told me I'm perfectly capable of holding down two jobs. And you have admitted on more than one occasion that you are utterly useless without me."

He threw back his head and laughed. "I'm still pretty sure that's not what I said."

"It was heavily implied." She took a deep breath, getting serious again for just a moment. "If I'm being honest, I enjoy working with you. I enjoy what we do. Now, I really am busy, so would you please go away and leave me alone to focus on the one job I have that actually pays me?" No need to mention she was working on purchasing an inflatable snowman.

Magnum just huffed another laugh and turned to leave, stopping after a few steps. "Merry Christmas, Juliet," came the quiet voice from the doorway.

She looked over her shoulder and saw the small, honest smile on Magnum's face, the one that she dearly loved seeing. "Merry Christmas, Thomas," she replied, equally quietly, then, louder, "even though you are literally weeks early." He laughed again, and she giggled to herself as she turned back to the laptop once again, dismissing Magnum in favour of debating whether they really needed an actual flying sleigh.

"Oh, Higgy?" Magnum called as he looked back down at the coupons. "Do I still get breakfast in bed?" He ducked and the book she threw at his head missed him by an inch.

"Was that a White Knight book?" he asked, actually managing to sound affronted.

"Of course," she answered coolly. "I'm not about to waste actual literature on you."