Okay, the story about Mac as Santa Claus was goign to be my only festive offering but then I got this idea. Have any of you ever seen a crappy movie called The Christmas Wish List? If so you'll know where I got the idea from. Anyway, I hope you all like it.

Merry Christmas everyone :D

Jill xx

Stella's Christmas Wish List

"Aunt Stella, he'p me w'ite to Santa!"

Stella was babysitting for the Messers. She liked sitting for Lucy who was almost four now. The little girl was a hyperactive bundle of joy with blonde pigtails and big blue eyes and now, two weeks before Christmas, she was determined to start writing her Christmas list.

"Don't you want to wait and do it with mommy and daddy?" she asked with raised eyebrows.

"Please?" pleaded the little girl, her bottom lip sticking out.

Stella rolled her eyes and gave in.

"Oh alright, give me a crayon."

Stella took a purple crayon and a piece of paper, carefully printing out the names of the items Lucy wanted so that she could copy them onto her own sheet with an orange crayon. There was a doll and a teddy-bear, a board-game and a bike; all things Stella was pretty sure Danny and Lindsay had already bought.

"Now we have to do the special Christmas present."

Stella frowned.

"Special Christmas present?" she asked.

Lucy sighed and Stella was amazed how much she resembled her mother, trying to explain to Danny why he couldn't give their three and a half year old a chemistry set.

"You have to ask for a special Christmas present," Lucy informed her. "Somefing you only get at Christmas time, cos if you don't then it's just the same as a list of presents you might want for your birfday; there's nothing Christmassy abut it."

Stella thought about it. It did make a certain amount of sense she supposed.

"And what would you like for your special Christmas present Lucy?" she asked.

Lucy scrunched up her little face in thought for a moment.

"A candy cane," she said eventually.

"Is that it?" asked Stella. "A candy cane?"

"I wikes candy canes," said Lucy.

Stella laughed.

"If you want a candy cane honey, you can have a candy cane," she said, carefully printing the words on her sheet for Lucy to copy.

"Have you wited your letter to Santa, Aunt Stella?" asked the little girl as she worked.

"I don't write letters to Santa sweety," she said.

The little girl looked up at her with a frown.

"How come?"

Stella blushed.

"Well I… I never wrote a letter to Santa. You see I moved around a lot when I was a little girl so Santa never knew where to find me."

Lucy looked sad. But she didn't have time to say anything because just then the door opened and Danny and Lindsay came in.

"Hey baby girl," said Lindsay, picking up her daughter. "Did you have a nice time with Aunty Stella?" she asked.

"I wited my Christmas list," Lucy told her happily.

"Well, we'll have to make sure Santa gets that soon huh?" said Lindsay, winking at Stella as the older woman fetched her coat. "We'll send it up the chimney tonight."

Lindsay handed the little girl back to Stella for one final hug before she left.

"See you tomorrow," called Danny from the doorway as Stella left.

"See you later guys," she replied.

Catching a cab home Stella thought about what Lucy had asked her. Most of the foster homes she'd been in as a child hadn't been big on Christmas: too many kids, most of whom wouldn't be there for long. Stella had never been encouraged to ask Santa for anything, although in some of the nicer homes she had received a few small presents come the big day.

She wasn't home for long before her phone buzzed to life and she dragged herself back out into the cold for a double homicide.

Much later she found herself in her office, staring out of the window. She was waiting for the results of a CODIS search and had found herself watching the snow as it fell on the other side of the glass.

She thought again of Lucy and her concern over the fact that Stella had never written a letter to Santa.

Smiling to herself she drew a blank sheet of paper from her desk drawer and grabbed a pen.

"Dear Santa," she wrote, "I know it's probably a little late in the day to start writing letters to you, but better late than never right? So, what would I like for Christmas? Something from Tiffany's, you know how much I love those little blue boxes. A new dress maybe? A holiday, definitely."

She paused. What had Lucy said about special Christmassy presents?

"I'd really like a big family Christmas; the meal, the presents, the tree, the kind I never had when I was a kid."

She stopped again as another thought came to her.

"And if you could manage it, I'd really like a kiss under the mistletoe; a proper one."

She put the pen down and looked over the list. When she reached the last entry she grabbed the pen again and quickly added, "from Mac Taylor".

"Stella! We got a match on those fingerprints."

Stella jumped up from her chair.

"Coming Lindsay."

She rushed out of the office, her Christmas list forgotten on her desk.

A figure appeared in the doorway. He crossed to the desk and looked down at the piece of paper which lay there. Blue eyes twinkled.

"Ho, ho, ho."

* * *

It was only a few days until Christmas and Stella had been working non-stop. She was tired, sore and more than a little pissed off. Why did the criminals in New York feel they had to up the ante around the holidays?

She made her way into the office she shared with Lindsay and slumped down into her chair with a groan.

She closed her eyes and rubbed a hand over her face. There was paperwork to be done. It had been piling up and now was as good a time as any.

With another groan she sat forward and started shifting the papers on her desk.

Her hand brushed against something, knocking it to the floor with a soft thud.

Frowning she leant over the edge of her desk and peered at the floor. Peeping out from beneath the edge of a manila folder was a blue box.

She reached down and twitched the folder aside, her slim fingers taking hold of the little box and picking it up. She turned it over in her hands. It was; it was a Tiffany's box.

Biting her lip, she gently lifted the lid. Inside, nestled on its little cushion, was a necklace.

The chain was a thread of silver, the pendant, a snow flake encrusted with tiny diamonds.

She slammed the lid shut, dropping the box on the desk like a hot potato.

Stella stared at for a second before she opened it once more. It was beautiful. There was a note tucked into the lid.

"Dear Stella, I got your note. Have a happy Christmas, your Secret Santa."

"Oh no," she whispered.

Pushing the box to one side she scrabbled through the papers on her desk.

The list, where was the damn list? Gone.

Stella bit her lip again. Someone had her list. Someone had come into her office and taken the list. Ordinarily she wouldn't have minded, but if someone had her list it meant they knew about her last wish: someone knew she wanted to kiss Mac Taylor.

Stella got up, quickly shoving the blue box into her bag. She rushed out of her office and into the lab, almost crashing into Lindsay as she did so.

"Hey Stell, are you okay?" asked the younger woman.

"Uh yeah, I'm fine. Listen, you didn't happen to see a piece of paper in my desk the other week did you?"

Lindsay grinned.

"You mean among all those other bits of paper?" she asked slyly.

"This one was a list," said Stella, ignoring the comment.

"What kind of list?"

Stella blushed.

"A Christmas list."

"You wrote a Christmas list?" asked Lindsay with a giggle.

"It was after that night I watched Lucy for you. We wrote out her wish list and she asked me if I had written one and I said no. The next day I decided, what the hell, so I wrote one out."

"Aw, that's sweet," cooed the young mother.

"Yeah, but now the list is gone. I think someone took it from my desk."

Lindsay shook her head.

"Sorry Stell, I haven't seen it. But, I mean, it was just a list right? No big deal?"

Stella stopped herself. She didn't want Lindsay to know what she had written.

"Yeah, no big deal," she said eventually. "Just freaked out when I couldn't find it I guess."
Lindsay smiled at her friend.

"I'll keep an eye out for it," she said, patting her on the shoulder.

"Uh, thanks."

Stella pulled away, but instead of continuing out of the lab, she went back to her office. She still had paperwork to do. Besides, it wasn't as if something bad had happened; whoever had her list had bought her a necklace, an extremely beautiful, extremely expensive necklace. She thought back to the other things on her list. Maybe having a secret Santa wouldn't be such a bad thing after all.

* * *

The next night, Stella got home late. As she trudged towards her apartment the door opposite her own cracked open.

"That you Miss Stella?" asked an elderly voice from inside.

"Evening Mrs Kovak," she said. "Up late aren't you?"

"I waited up."

Stella frowned.

"For me?"

"Someone dropped this off for you earlier."

The door opened wider and the little old lady came forward, holding a package in her gnarled hands.

"Oh, uh, thanks. Who dropped it off?"

"Oh, some young man."

Stella shrugged. Mrs Kovak's eyes weren't what they used to be and she rarely wore her glasses. Young man was as good as she was going to get.

"Well, thanks Mrs Kovak. Have a good night."

"And you too my dear."

The old woman retreated to her own apartment and Stella turned towards her door, still wondering at the package in her hands. There was a note pinned to the top.

"Your second wish Stella. Merry Christmas, your Secret Santa."

Quickly letting herself into her apartment she locked the door behind her and made her way to the sofa. She dropped her bag and her coat on the coffee table and perched on the edge of the couch. Her second wish, what had been her second wish? A dress. Someone had bought her a dress?

Using careful fingers she slit the paper, peeling it back to reveal the fabric within. It was green, a deep, dark green, the colour of mountain forests. It was soft too and slightly stretchy. Pulling it out of its paper nest, Stella held up the dress. It was short, probably mid thigh, with three quarter length sleeves and a scooped neck in front. The back was totally bare, just a thin cord running across the top of the shoulders and down the centre of the back to where it joined the skirt.

It was gorgeous and, like the necklace, she knew it must have cost a bomb. Who was spending all of this money on her, and why?

At least she could take comfort in the fact that it was probably someone from the lab, or at least someone from the precinct. They were the only people who would have access to her office and only a very few of them knew where she lived.

Two gifts down, three to go. How the hell was this person going to manage the others?

Only two days to go until Christmas and there was no sign of any other mysterious packages. Perhaps her other wishes had proved too hard to fulfil.

Stella didn't mind. She had been more than a little freaked out by the presents, or at least by their anonymous nature.

Lindsay wandered into the office, Lucy bouncing in her arms.

"Aunt Stella, aunt Stella!" squealed the little girl, wriggling in her mother's grasp.

"Hey honey, what are you doing here?"

Lindsay let the little girl drop to the floor before she scuttled over to her aunt and crawled up into her lap.

"We've got something to show you, haven't we Lucy," said Lindsay with a smile.

"Wow, what have you got for me Luce?"

The little girl reached into the pocket of her overcoat and pulled out a card which she handed to Stella.

"Here you go Aunt Stella."

Stella smiled and took the card, but before she had time to open it Lucy piped up again.

"Its an invimitation!"

"An invitation sweetheart," corrected Lindsay.

"An invitation? To what?"

She opened the card.

"You are invited to spend Christmas with the Messer family at Oak Lodge."

"It's just outside the city," Lindsay told her. "Danny found it. We're all heading up there tomorrow afternoon."

"All?"

"The whole team."

Stella's eyes bugged. It was department policy to draw lots to see who got Christmas off and who got New Year. Someone must have done some serious wheeling and dealing to get the whole team off for Christmas.

"We have the place for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day," Lindsay was saying. "I know it's kinda last minute but we thought it would be nice to get everyone together, now that Lucy's a little older. A real family Christmas."

"Family Christmas," Stella murmured to herself.

"Yeah. Of course Danny's mom is a little pissed off but she has so many for the holidays as it is and we told her she could keep Lucy for New Year. To be honest, I just want to get away for a few days. Think of it as a short holiday."

"Holiday."

"Is you okay aunt Stella?" asked Lucy, tugging on Stella's shirt.

Stella shook herself.

"I'm fine bunny," she said. "Wow, what a great surprise!"

Lindsay smiled at her hopefully.

"So, you'll come?" she asked.

"Absolutely!"

"Great! Oh and we thought it would be nice if everyone dressed up for dinner on Christmas day, make it a real occasion."

Stella nodded vaguely once more. A message had just sprung up on her computer from an unknown source.

"Holiday and family Christmas in one, hope you don't mind. Secret Santa."

Stella couldn't help but smile as she cuddled the little girl in her lap.

"I think this is going to be the best Christmas ever," she said.

* * *

Oak Lodge easily lived up to its name. It was a big, rectangular building, built in the style of a log cabin. There were three bedrooms and a sofa bed in the living room, which also had a massive log fire and, happily, a fire screen. The kitchen was massive and well equipped, although the team had brought a lot of their own bits and pieces just in case.

As the only single woman Stella was given a room to herself. Danny and Lindsay would share the master bedroom with their daughter while Don and Mac took the twin room next door. That left the sofa bed for Hawkes and Adam. Only Sid was unable to attend, he and his family were visiting friends in Canada for a few days over Christmas.

Once everyone had dumped their stuff in their respective rooms it was time to decorate the lodge. Danny and Lindsay had brought all of their decorations from home and the others had brought a few things as well. They switched on the Christmas music and danced around while tacking tinsel around the window frames.

Stella was careful to keep her distance from Mac. Despite the fact that her other wishes had come true she was still sceptical that the last one would be fulfilled. She was still worried about someone knowing about her desire to kiss her handsome partner but, looking around the room, she could see no one here who wanted to embarrass or annoy her, just happy friends and family.

She turned at the sound of a childish squeal to see Mac lifting Lucy high in the air so she could put the angel on the top of the tree.

"Yay! Putted the angel on the twee!" Lucy yelled, clapping her little hands.

"That's my girl," said Mac, giving her a hug.

"Make me fwy like an angel uncle Mac?" begged Lucy, batting her eyelashes.

Giving in all too easily, Mac began to whisk the little girl around the room, making whooshing sounds as he went while Lucy giggled.

Stella couldn't help but smile as she watched. Mac was so good with Lucy, letting her play in his office if Danny and Lindsay were held up at a scene, taking her to the park on his days off.

He caught her eye and grinned as he suddenly turned Lucy upside down and held her by the ankles, giving her a slight shake so that she squealed again.

"Put me down uncle Mac!" she yelled.

"Sorry, did you say something? You'll have to speak up," he said.

"Uncle Mac, put me down!"

"Put me down what?"

"Put me down pwease?"

"Well… as you asked so nicely."

He turned her the correct way up once more and put her down carefully.

Lucy gave him a little shove but giggled again.

"Your silly uncle Mac," she scolded.

"I guess I am."

He looked at Stella once more, winking this time. Stella felt herself blush and looked away.

Hawkes cooked dinner, with a little help from Don. Stella and Lindsay would be doing the lion's share of the cooking the following day so the boys had volunteered to do that evening.

Everyone turned in pretty soon afterwards, it had been a long day and everyone wanted to be well rested for the next day. Lucy put up a pretty good fight but she already falling asleep on her feet and was out like a light the second her head touched the pillow.

Stella changed quickly and jumped into bed. She tried reading for a little while but was just too tired to get very far. She switched out the light and made herself comfortable but she had barely closed her eyes when there came a soft tap at her door.

"Come in," she said, sitting up and switching the light on once again.

The door cracked open and Mac's face peeped around the edge.

"I was just locking up, you okay in here by yourself?"

"You offering to keep me company?" she asked, blushing automatically at her suggestion.

Mac grinned.

"Doubt I'd make much of a companion tonight Stell, I'm kinda dead on my feet."

"I know the feeling."

"Sleep tight Stell."

"Night Mac."

The door closed behind him. Stella continued to stare at the door for a moment before slumping back onto the mattress and covering her face with the pillow.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," she muttered to herself.

Heaving a sigh she leant over and switched the light out once more.

* * *

The next morning everyone awoke to the sound of Lucy Messer shouting "Santa's been!" at the top of her little voice.

Everyone gathered in the living room to watch their little ray of sunshine open her presents before the adults passed around their own gifts.

While Lucy played with her new toys everyone else got dressed and Lindsay and Stella made a start on Christmas dinner.

There was snow outside which had gotten deeper during the night and the boys took Lucy out for a snowball fight. By the time they got back inside their faces and hands were all bright red and frozen.

Stella made hot chocolate for everyone and scolded them for keeping Lucy out in the cold.

"Yes mother," said Danny.

Stella just rolled her eyes.

"Help your daughter play with her dolls."

"Yay! Daddy, play dollies wif me!"

Don smirked.

"Yeah Danno, play dollies with the little lady."
"You too uncle Fwack!"

Stella laughed as Don's face fell.

"Have fun boys," she said as she made her way back towards the kitchen.

Dinner was a full-on affair; soup, followed by turkey with all the trimmings and then chocolate cake. Everyone dressed up in their best clothes, the girls in their best party dresses, the boys in dress pants and clean shirts. Lucy had a pink dress with a big net underskirt which stuck out and made her look like a fairy princess.

"You know ladies, I gotta say, that was pretty amazing," said Adam, scraping the last of the cake from his plate.

"I'll drink to that," said Hawkes, lifting his glass.

"Gentlemen," said Mac, standing and raising his glass, "I give you two very wonderful women; Lindsay Messer and Stella Bonasera. Merry Christmas ladies."

There was a cheer from the rest of the table.

"Lindsay and Stella!"

The boys did the washing up while Lindsay read to Lucy.

Wrapping herself in a shawl, Stella stepped out onto the porch, admiring the moonlight on the snow. It had been a great Christmas, the kind she'd always wanted.

"Hey," said a gentle voice behind her.

She turned and smiled when she saw Mac standing in the doorway.

"Hey."

"Aren't you cold?"

"It's kinda hot inside."

He nodded, moving up beside her.

"You have a good time?" he asked.

"The best."

"You get everything you wished for?"

She smirked slightly.

"Not completely," she said.

"That's right," he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a neatly folded piece of paper. "If I remember rightly there was something in here about a kiss under the mistletoe."

"You!" Stella hissed. "It was you?"

He grinned.

"Well, you did kind of leave the list out there on the desk for anyone to find."

"Mac, I have been freaking out over who has been leaving me all those gifts!"
"You deserved it," he told her.

"And this place, were you behind this too?"

"I suggested Danny take credit for it, not even Lindsay knows."

Stella smacked him on the arm.

"Mac!"

"What?"

"Just… well, you didn't need to do all this."

"Well, I had to set the scene, didn't I?"

Stella frowned.

"Set the scene? For what?"

He chuckled, moving closer so that she could feel the heat from his body.

"Its Christmas Day, there's moonlight on the snow and I'm standing next to a beautiful woman, under the mistletoe."

Stella glanced upwards and saw that there was indeed a sprig of mistletoe dangling above their heads. She wondered if Mac had put it there himself.

His lips were close to her ear now as he whispered.

"And I still have one wish to fulfil."

"Mac," she murmured as he tilted her chin upwards with gentle fingers.

"Shh," he said as his lips closed over hers.

Stella leaned into him, her hands moving automatically to his chest as he brought one arm around her waist. It was exactly the kind of kiss she had wanted, slow, tender and loving.

When Mac eventually pulled away he kept his arm around her, holding her close.

"Merry Christmas Stella," he breathed.

"Mm, Merry Christmas Mac."

She leant in and kissed him once more, just to reassure herself that it had been real. This time his other arm folded around her as her own wound around his neck.

She moaned slightly and felt Mac's grip around her tighten, his body going hard beneath her touch. This time when they pulled away they were both panting lightly.

"So, I was wondering," said Mac, catching his breath in the sharp night air.

"Yes?"

"I was wondering if there was any chance you'd re-issue that invitation to keep you company?"

Stella smirked.

"Really? Well, I suppose, it is a very big bed, and there's only little me to fill it. And I'm sure Don would be more than happy to get rid of you."

Mac chuckled again.

"I'm sure."

They kissed once more but were interrupted by the sound of the door banging open.

"I tolded you they were kissing!" shouted Lucy from her father's arms.

The entire team were gathered in the doorway, grinning broadly at their boss and his best friend.

"And what exactly do you all think you're looking at?" asked Mac in his best boss voice.

"A couple of dumb-asses who should have got together a long time ago," said Lindsay matter-of-factly. "Now get back in here before you both freeze to death!"

Everyone laughed and as Mac and Stella made their way back inside to join their friends Stella made a mental note to write to Santa every year.