A/N: After a summer hiatus I've decided to get back into the writing game. My muse went on vacation there for a while and just got back. This oneshot is dedicated to two very special people. The first is Laura, who helped me with the gifts and is an amazing and awesome gal. The second is Auda, my adoptive mommy and also an amazing and awesome gal. I love these two very much and cannot imagine my life without them. Thank you ladies for your constant support, encouragement, and always making me smile.

Reviews are always appreciated. Enjoy!

All mistakes are mine.

Secret Santa

Stringing the last of the lights around the Christmas tree, Danny Messer stepped back to admire his work. Bulbs of red, green, blue, yellow, and just about every other colour there was illuminated his skin, turning it into a river of intertwined hues. Decorations hung from the branches of the faux tree, which had been passed down through Lindsay's family for several generations. It was an old thing that had seen better days, but it had served the Monroe family well. Lindsay was the fourth in her family to own it, and one day, when the time was right, Lucy would be the next.

Danny shifted his gaze from the lights to the ornaments. While some came from Lindsay's side of the family, others were from his mother and grandmother. Like the tree they were older, but still held a certain beauty to them. In the light's reflection they shimmered like jewels, twirling softly whenever he or Lindsay walked by the tree. At the very top rested an angel with outspread wings and folded hands. Danny secretly loved the angel. She was a magnificent piece of work, with sparkling blue eyes that seemed to follow you wherever you walked in the apartment. Her wings were as white as the undisturbed snow on their windowsill, and her dress was laced with gold fabric along the bottom and sides. She radiated tranquility and comfort, and Lindsay liked to think she was watching over them. Danny could not help but agree.

"Danny Messer, I never thought I'd see the day when you decorated for Christmas." He turned around at the sound of the familiar voice, his heart instantly warming and a smile spreading across his handsome features as his eyes fell upon the beautiful sight of his approaching wife.

"Christmas is a special time of year," Danny held out an arm and let her snuggle into his side, pressing a kiss to her temple. "Besides, Lucy loves all these decorations. Isn't that right Moo?"

The infant, who was currently situated in her mother's arms, let out a giggle and extended her chubby arms towards the tree. Lindsay Messer shifted her daughter's weight slightly before jabbing Danny playfully in the abdomen. "You keep calling her that and eventually she'll think her name really is Moo."

Danny grinned cheekily. "You know you love it."

Lindsay smiled as her husband very gently ticked Lucy's stomach, causing the child to laugh excitedly. He had a point. Although Lucy had no idea what he was talking about, her eyes always lit up whenever he spoke her nickname. Neither husband nor wife really had any recollection of how the name came about, but one thing was for sure: Lucy loved it. In the end, that was all that mattered.

"Can you take her? I have to finish preparing the food. They'll be here shortly." She handed off the still giggling infant to Danny, who promptly gave his daughter an Eskimo kiss.

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

Lindsay's hair waved back and forth as she shook her head. "Everything is done except for the food, but that won't take too long. I'll come back in when it's ready."

She turned to make for the kitchen, but Danny's hand on her wrist stopped her. She gazed up into the pair of oceanic blue irises that always seemed to captivate her. On top of that, he was wearing a sneaky grin. "What, no kiss goodbye?"

She allowed him to pull her in, and they locked lips. The romantic moment was short-lived as Lucy's hand grabbed Danny's nose, effectively ending the kiss. The two adults broke apart and turned their attention to their infant daughter, who was staring back at them with innocent eyes.

Danny wrinkled his nose at Lucy. "Not fair. I love Mommy too, y'know."

Lucy blinked once and buried her face into the crook of his neck. Lindsay could not stop herself from laughing, but it immediately turned to a blush as Danny whispered in her ear, "We'll finish that kiss later when Lucy is in bed."

---

The aroma of fresh-baked cookies filled the apartment, invading Danny's nostrils and causing his saliva glands to overflow. The Secret Santa party was also a potluck, and Lindsay had offered to do a little bit of baking. She was an excellent cook and made everything from scratch. Danny loved her creations, especially the baked goods. She was renowned for her chocolate chip cookies, which were rumoured to be the best in the NYPD. Flack had personally requested the treats, and soon everyone followed suit. Tonight was their annual Secret Santa, and it was being hosted at the Messer apartment. It was a rather small party with only the eight of them attending, but it was a fun night for all. Besides, Christmas was only six days away.

A beeping sound distracted him from his thoughts. He looked down to see Lucy playing with a toy, her small back almost resting up against his broad chest. At ten months she was a healthy infant, growing steadily with each passing week. She was currently in the process of learning how to walk, although she had had some stumbles and falls since discovering she could push herself up. She was still wobbly and used either the apartment walls or her parents' hands as a guide. However, she was within the general age range to begin walking. Danny hoped she would start soon.

He studied the back of his daughter's head. Never in his life did he imagine having children. Not that he didn't want them; he just wasn't able to see himself being a father. But of course, that was all before Lindsay entered his life and completely transformed him. Now here he was, a husband to a beautiful wife and father to a gorgeous daughter. He loved everything about Lucy, from her tiny feet all the way to her adorable little nose. He had so many hopes and dreams for her. She would grow up into a loving young woman, go to college or university, have a successful career, and maybe, just maybe, have a family of her own one day. But of course to do that, she'd have to find a boy.

Not if he had anything to say about it.

She's not even a year old an' I'm already thinkin' about chasin' away boys, he thought to himself. A squeal escaped Lucy's throat, and she whirled around to face her father. Danny smiled, picked her up gently, placed her in his lap, and wrapped his powerful arms around her small frame. "No boy will ever get close to my Moo."

Completely ignoring the toy she had just been playing with, Lucy planted a slobbery kiss on her father's cheek. Danny chuckled and very softly poked her nose. "Is that your way of saying you love me?"

He wasn't expecting an answer, but what happened next made his heart skip a beat. Lucy reached up and wrapped a chubby hand around his index finger. She looked at him with her sparkling eyes, still grasping his digit. Danny flashed a smile and lightly kissed her fingers. "Love you too baby girl."

---

Evening fell over New York City, and with it came a fresh blanket of snow. Flakes danced down from the heavens before landing deep and soft upon the landscape. It coated the naked trees and lined the city streets, covered roofs of cars that had been left out, and dusted the jackets and hats of anyone caught outside.

It wasn't long before everyone had arrived at the apartment, arms full with presents and delicious food. Hugs and kisses were given all around, and Danny handed out drinks. Mac was the designated driver, but he wasn't one to drink anyways. Chairs were brought in, appetizers were put on tables, and the Rangers game was put on low volume.

From the kitchen, Stella admired the men playing with Lucy. "She's ten months and the guys are already oogling over her. What'll happen when she's older?"

Lindsay looked up from washing some dishes. "Oogling? That's a new one."

The older woman shrugged and grabbed a tea towel that was resting on the counter. "Look at them Linds. They're all over her and she can't even talk yet. Although I can't really blame them; she is a beautiful baby."

Lindsay had a clear shot of the living room from where she was standing. "You breathe a word of that to Danny and he'll have your head. He's already talked about scaring away boys who try to hit on her."

Stella could not hide a chuckle. "Well she is a knockout. I mean just look at her parents. She'll have your features and Danny's grin. The boys will be all over her."

Her friend and colleague gave a quick wink. "Let's worry about her first word before we start thinking about boys."

---

It was still snowing by the time dinner had finished. Various dishes lined the table near the kitchen, with only small portions of food left in them. Each person had brought something different, from salads to casseroles to desserts. With nearly everything being polished off, they were all lazing about on the chairs and couches, taking a small break before opening the presents.

Adam groaned and rubbed his slightly expanded belly. "That was delicious. I think it killed us."

"I think all this attention got to a little someone." Mac gave a rare smile and gestured towards Danny and Lindsay. Both were awake, but Lucy - nestled between her parents - was snoring lightly. The food and excitement had caused her to drift off, and she looked for all the world like a sleeping angel.

Danny rubbed her fragile head with one hand, the other arm wrapped around Lindsay's shoulders, his fingers laced with hers. "Shall we get to our gifts before we all follow suit?"

As Hawkes was the closest to the presents, he handed them out to each respective recipient. Unbeknownst to Danny and Lindsay, all of them had put forth money to purchase a Christmas present for Lucy. That bag was behind Mac where it was out of sight for the time being.

The quirky but beloved Sid had the first honours, having received a gift from Adam. After tearing the wrapping paper in half, the older ME's eyes immediately lit up as he examined his gift: a box set of three CD's featuring Irish music. "Celtic Favourites! Wonderful, Adam. Thank you."

Adam smiled at him. "Now whenever we're in the morgue an' you go to that creepy place of yours, we can distract you with these CDs."

Everyone laughed at this. Even Lucy seemed to enjoy the remark, as she suddenly kicked out a leg in her sleep.

Next in line was Stella, who had been given a small but long box from Sid. She opened it slowly to reveal a sterling silver necklace embedded with blue diamonds. Stella was awestruck, and she admired the gorgeous piece. "Oh Sid, it's beautiful. Do I even want to know the cost?"

Sid chuckled and offered to put it around her neck. "Friendship has no price tag."

Stella gave a brilliant smile and kissed Sid's cheek. "Thank you Sid. It's beautiful."

Behind Stella was Hawkes, who had two parts to his gift from Mac. The first was a book called Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance by author and surgeon Atul Gawande. Hawkes had read the book once before after a friend let him borrow it. As he traced his fingers over the front, he felt an object on the inside of the cover. It was a gift card to Barnes and Noble worth twenty-five dollars.

"This is one of my favourite books. Thank you Mac."

Adam followed Hawkes and carefully opened his gift, as instructed by Danny who was sitting near him. When he was finished with the tissue paper, he found himself staring at a small square box. He was obviously confused but said nothing of it. He opened the top of the box and gasped, clearly at a loss for words.

Danny laughed and clapped his friend heartily on the back. "Figured you could use one after giving your iPod to that Jake kid."

Adam very gently took out its contents: a silver-finished iPhone 3G S. This one was the latest on the market, with a built-in video camera and voice control. Sharp and sleek, it was one of the most-wanted items on Christmas lists this year.

"This is incredible! How did you get this? Every place I've gone to has sold out."

Danny winked and tapped the side of his nose. "I have people. Now check out the rest of your gift."

Adam dug through the bag and pulled out another present: a box of five multi-coloured cases, a package of screen covers, and an iTunes gift card worth fifteen dollars. He was flabbergasted and could only stammer out a "thank you."

The two men exchanged hugs, and Adam put his new toy back in its box for later.

Lindsay patted her husband's thigh affectionately and reached down to grab the gift that was resting by her feet. This one was from Flack, and she was expecting something totally silly as that was in Flack's nature. She was surprised, however, to find two objects in the bag. One was obviously a gag gift, as she held up an "I'm With Stupid" shirt with the arrow pointing to the right. Which also happened to be where Danny was sitting.

Flack grinned cheekily at them. "Couldn't resist. Besides, it goes with your retro Whitesnake shirt."

Danny nudged his wife and gave a sly wink, speaking in a teasing manner. "What do you say Montana? Think it'll make a nice regift?"

She playfully smacked him on the arm, but Flack just shrugged nonchalantly. "I'd be careful there Danno. You haven't gotten yours yet."

Stifling a giggle, Lindsay fished through the bag and found a small envelope. On the front was the name of a spa she did not recognize. She opened it and pulled out two gift certificates for a relaxing spa day. A brilliant smile flashed across her serene features. "Haven't been to one of these in ages. How does a spa day sound to you Stell?"

Stella, who was sitting beside Mac - and rather closely, as the team had quietly noted the moment they had sat down - rubbed her hands together in excitement. "Sounds like a perfect excuse to procrastinate on all those files I have on my desk."

Lindsay would have gotten up to hug Flack, but Lucy was still snuggled between her and Danny and she was afraid to move lest she wake the sleeping infant. Striding over, the taller man bent down and gave her a warm hug, kissing her cheek as he did. Lindsay was enveloped by his powerful frame, and her "thank you" was muffled by his shirt and arm nearly covering her mouth.

Upon sitting back down, Flack opened his gift from Hawkes. Like the spa certificate he had given Lindsay, his gift was in an envelope. Ripping it on its side, he reached inside with his fingers and pulled out four familiar-looking tickets.

Disbelief was evident on his face as he turned to Hawkes. "Box tickets to the Rangers game next week? This is awesome! How did you get these?"

Hawkes grinned and clapped him on the back. "Buddy of mine asked me if I knew anyone who wanted to go to the game. Your're a hockey nut, so I figured you would put them to good use."

Flack shook the other man's hand gratefully. "Thanks man. I owe you one."

Hawkes scoffed and waved a carefree hand. "Not a chance; it's Christmas."

The last two gifts belonged to Danny and Mac. The former went first, having been given a rather large present from Stella. Its shape pretty much gave it away, but when all the wrapping paper was off Danny admired the piece with a certain gleam in his eye that reminded Stella of the day he and Lindsay got married.

It was a beautiful picture frame, the wood a dark brown colour with slightly lighter flecks here and there. Inside were at least twenty picture slots of various sizes. A basic picture was in each slot, from a young girl dancing in a meadow to proud parents admiring their beloved newborn. It provided Danny and Lindsay with sufficient room to show off pictures of their new life.

Stella noticed that the young man's eyes were on the brink of overflowing with tears. "Now Daniel, you're not going to cry on us are you?"

Composing himself quickly, Danny sniffled and turned it around so that everyone could see. "It's gorgeous Stell."

Lindsay examined the frame, and her chocolate eyes fell upon the picture of the parents watching their new child. For all the world it looked like her and Danny smiling over Lucy.

Mac was the last one to open his gift, or so Danny and Lindsay thought. The gift was from the latter, and Mac eagerly tore apart the paper to reveal another framed picture. He held it up so all could catch a glimpse of the stunning portrait of him and Lucy. This was situated in the top middle, and underneath was an imprint of Lucy's left hand and right foot. The words "I love my Godfather" were inscribed on the bottom in fancy script. The last time he had been over to their apartment, Mac had seen two of these in Lucy's nursery. Of course they had been personalized with "Mommy" and "Daddy" replacing "Godfather", but they were just as beautiful.

"Thank you Lindsay. And thank you Lucy." No reply came from the latter, who was still sleeping peacefully. She let out a little snore and snuggled deeper into her parents' secure embrace.

"Of course, we can't forget the newest addition to our family." Mac reached behind the couch and pulled out one last bag. He handed it to Danny, who read the inscription on the tag. "To Lucy. Enjoy your first Christmas. From all of us at the NYPD."

Together he and Lindsay opened the surprise gift. As the last of the wrapping paper fell, Lindsay caught sight of a sparkling L. It was a beautiful pink piggybank, decorated with hand-painted hearts, flowers, and even a tiara. To top it off, the name Lucy was spelt out in glitter.

As if on cue, Lucy suddenly awoke. She rubbed her eyes and instinctively looked at her parents. Lifting her slightly and making her more comfortable, Danny and Lindsay showed her one of her first Christmas gifts. Although she had absolutely no idea what it was or what her parents were saying to her, Lucy found the object delightful. The bright colours made her inquisitive eyes widen, and she touched the smooth surface with her chubby fingers. After examining it for a moment she promptly sucked on part of the top, eliciting a laugh from everyone.

Mac admired his Goddaughter with pride. "Well I guess it's safe to say Lucy likes her gift."

More hugs and kisses were exchanged as each person thanked their respective secret santa. Lucy even got in on the action by placing a wet kiss on Mac's cheek. With the snow still falling deep and soft upon the city and their laughter ringing throughout the apartment, the friends and colleagues continued their celebration of the holiday season.

---

Peering outside the window, Lindsay could see a few sparse snowflakes lingering in the sky. It was just her, Danny, and Lucy now. Everyone had gone home about an hour ago with presents in their hands and smiles on their faces. It was late, and all of them at one point or another had been yawning throughout the night. The party was a success, but tomorrow would be the usual hectic day for them.

Lindsay shifted her eyes down to her sleeping daughter, who was now lying peacefully in her crib. Danny was right there as always, standing behind his wife with his arms wrapped around her stomach, her back up against his chest and their fingers laced together. Both were exhausted but took a moment to study the infant. Perhaps it was their parental instincts, but every night – tired or not – they stole a few minutes to watch their daughter sleep.

Danny kissed her temple and gazed at Lucy. There was just something about a slumbering child that was so calm and soothing. "Did you have a good time tonight?"

Lindsay sunk into her husband's powerful but warm embrace. "Yes. This is my favourite time of year for that very reason: you spend it with the ones you love."

He lightly pressed his lips to her shoulder. "It's also our first Christmas as a family."

"You think Lucy will remember this? It would be nice for her to have memories of her first Christmas."

Danny squeezed his wife's hand. "Of course she will. We made this the best first Christmas in the history of first Christmases. If that even makes sense."

They stood there watching their innocent daughter in silence. Her little tummy rose and fell with each breath, and every so often a hand or foot would twitch randomly. Reaching down simultaneously, Danny and Lindsay very gently rubbed Lucy's forehead with a single finger. This calmed the infant even more, and she sighed heavily in her sleep. For a second Danny thought he saw the corners of her lips curl up in the slightest of smiles.

"But I do believe there is one more matter to attend to." Taking one hand off of Lindsay's stomach, Danny dug into his jean pocket and pulled something out. Lindsay did not turn around in time to see what he was doing, but she did see the mistletoe he was holding above their heads.

Danny flashed the famous Messer grin, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "Think of this as a trial run for Christmas and New Years. An' this time there's no cheeky little infant to interrupt us."

Lindsay could not hide back a smile as she turned to face her husband. "Ever the sly one."

"I told you we'd finish that kiss later. Now are you goin' to stand here an' lecture me, or are you goin' to give your man a kiss?"

Her fingers trailed along his chest and up towards his jawline, and before he could even think her lips were against his. It was a gentle kiss but full of love and compassion. They didn't allow themselves to get lost in each other's taste – although it was rather hard to resist escalating the kiss – as they knew that would lead to other things that weren't appropriate in the nursery of a ten-month-old.

It was only when they needed oxygen that they broke apart. Foreheads touching and hands intertwined, they stood silently in the darkened room, the only sound coming from their slight breathing and Lucy's soft snores.

Lindsay attempted to stifle a yawn, but it was no use. Danny chuckled softly and whispered so he would not wake Lucy. "Looks like someone is tired. Why don't we head off to bed? Lucy will be alright."

There was no point in arguing. Together the parents kissed their daughter's tender forehead, wished her good night – of course Danny added in "Moo", which earned him a playful whack on the arm from Lindsay – and headed for their room, hand-in-hand. With the exception of the lab, they went almost everyone with their fingers fused together. It was a sign of both affection and warmth, as they found they were always cold without the others touch.

Crawling into bed, Lindsay returned to the comfort of Danny's arms. This was the one place where she felt safe. Where it felt that no matter what came at them and tried to beat them down, Danny was there to protect her. His muscular limbs circled her abdomen before resting on top of her stomach, pulling her close to him and letting her rest against him like she usually did. Burying his nose in her hair, he inhaled her scent: a mixture of strawberry shampoo and conditioner, vanilla body wash, and home. She loved when he did that, for it sent a chill through her entire frame and made her toes wiggle with delight.

His husky voice suddenly filled her ears. "Love you."

She closed her eyes and kissed his powerful bicep, feeling the muscles twinge underneath his skin. "Love you too."

In the room down the hallway, moonlight filtered in through the window and pooled onto the crib, encasing Lucy's face in its soft rays. As she dreamed a wonderful dream only she knew, a smile made its way across her lips.

FIN.