Disclaimer: I do not own these characters and am not making any profit from the writing of this story.

"Bess, you look fantastic." Nancy complimented her friend as she stepped into the room in a red knee-length dress, twirling so the skirt flared out around her.

"Thank you! You too, Nan. Wow." Nancy's dress was muted gold, with off-the-shoulder sleeves and a skirt that emphasized her slim figure. Turning her attention away from her friend, Bess preened in the mirror, smoothing her crimson skirt. "I love wearing red, it's so Christmassy!"

"More like, you love being the center of attention." Bess's cousin George Fayne teased from the other side of the room. Unlike Bess and Nancy, George hated wearing dresses, but even she was dressed in the spirit of the holidays – corduroys and a green turtleneck sweater accented by a gold locket.

"Be nice, George." Nancy reprimanded gently. "I don't want to have to break up any fights in front of the other guests!" The girls had been invited to stay with the Hardy family over Christmas, and tonight, Christmas Eve, was their traditional holiday party. The doorbell chimed downstairs, announcing the arrival of the first guests. "We'd better get down there, sounds like it's starting!" Suddenly nervous, she leaned in close to the mirror, fumbling with the back of one of her earrings.

Bess came to stand beside her in the mirror and laid a hand on her shoulder. "I meant it, Nan. You look amazing... Frank Hardy isn't going to know what hit him."

Nancy dropped her earring as she straightened up in surprise. "Bess!" she reprimanded. "Frank and I are just friends, you know that." As she scanned the floor for her lost jewelry she noticed the skeptical look George was giving her. "What?"

George shrugged. "You don't look at each other like just friends." was all she said.

"You haven't dated anyone since Ned," Bess chimed in. "And now that Frank and Callie aren't together anymore, we just thought... something might happen tonight."

Nancy rubbed the back of her neck, partially to hide her blush. "Cut it out, you two. Go join the party."

"We can wait for you." George said.

Nancy crouched to the floor and plucked up her earring, holding it up triumphantly. "I'll be right down." she promised as they headed for the door.

Nancy finished putting on her jewelry and tucked her hair self-consciously behind her ear, pausing wistfully for a moment to consider her friends' optimistic predictions for the evening before straightening up and leaving the bedroom.

"Joe, honey? Will you put this tray out by the punchbowl?" Laura Hardy called from the kitchen, taking off her apron after a long few hours of preparing for the party. Half the guests were already here, and she not even dressed yet! She smiled as her youngest son entered the kitchen, dressed to the nines in a red shirt and slacks, and took the platter she handed him. "Thank you, dear. Last one, I promise."

"No problem, Mom." Joe grinned easily. "Go get ready." He took the tray of food into the living room, exchanging greetings with the guests who had already arrived. He helped himself to a Christmas cookie and surveyed the room- Frank was over by the stereo, putting on Christmas music. Nearby, their friends Chet Morton, Tony Prito, and Phil Cohen were chatting with Frank's ex-girlfriend Callie Shaw. Aunt Gertrude and several of her friends were seated on the couch, and behind them Fenton Hardy was talking to Carson Drew, Bess Marvin, and George Fayne, who had come up from River Heights for the occasion. Vaguely wondering where Nancy was, Joe set down the tray of food and turned, nearly bumping into the girl herself as she came down the stairs. "Whoa there!" he cried teasingly.

Nancy laughed. "Sorry Joe. Didn't mean to scare you!"

"Scare me? Yeah right, Nan." he scoffed. "You look-" he was about to compliment her dress when he was cut off by a loud wolf-whistle from Chet Morton, who was grinning widely at Joe and pointing upwards. Joe's stomach sank as he looked up to see that he and Nancy were standing directly beneath a sprig of mistletoe.

The look on Nancy's face told him clearly not to try anything, but the room had suddenly gone quiet. All eyes were on him. Bess Marvin had her hand clapped over her mouth.

What else could he do?

Before she could say don't you dare, he swung the bemused girl detective into his arms, dipped her low, and kissed her.

It was all for show of course, a gentle press of the lips, but Nancy felt a little light-headed when Joe finally stood her back on her own feet. Their friends and family were watching them, laughing and clapping, and the embarrassment was flooding her cheeks with warmth. Finally finding her wits, she mock-glared at Joe. "I should slug you for that, Joe Hardy, but I won't. Merry Christmas." Joe grinned sheepishly back at her as the room broke into laughter again.

The tension diffused, Joe and Nancy moved to carry on their conversation away from the mistletoe. Surreptitiously, Nancy scanned the room for Frank. He wasn't there.

"So... what was it like?"

Bess Marvin suddenly materialized at Nancy's elbow. "What was what like?" Nancy responded, calmly helping herself to a glass of punch.

Bess looked around and lowered her voice. "Kissing Joe Hardy!"

Nancy rolled her eyes. "It wasn't a real kiss, Bess. He was just showing off."

Bess's voice held a mixture of accusation and disappointment. "It looked like a real kiss."

"Well, it wasn't." Nancy repeated, finally figuring out what Bess wanted to hear. "Honestly. He's all yours." Everyone knew that Bess and Joe had no feelings for each other beyond friendship, but that didn't stop their flirting shamelessly given the opportunity. Sometimes Nancy wasn't sure which Bess enjoyed more, flirting with Joe or fighting with him.

Bess grinned guiltily, pretending to be offended by the assumption. "Really, Nancy!" She eyed Nancy closely, waiting for a reaction to her next words. "I hope Frank didn't get the wrong idea."

Nancy's blue eyes widened in distress. "Frank saw?"

Bess waved her arms to indicate the room full of people. "Everybody saw, Nan."

"Well... I mean... it doesn't matter. Frank and I aren't..." Nancy fiddled with her punch glass.

"I know, I know. It's just-" Bess looked away coyly. "-he left right after Joe kissed you... I haven't seen him in an hour."

Nancy digested this information slowly, swirling the punch around in her glass. "You think he's... I mean, you think he thinks...? I hope he's not..."

Bess could barely conceal her amusement as she watched Nancy think out loud. She waved a hand in dismissal. "I'm sure it's not you, Nan. It's probably something else that's got him upset." she ignored the startled glance Nancy gave her at 'upset'. "I'm just going to go find him, see if he wants to rejoin the party. It's a beautiful party, and Mrs. Hardy worked so hard. It's a shame for him to miss it."

Nancy drained her glass and set it down. "Don't worry about it, Bess. I'll go talk to him."

"Okay." Bess said, smothering a grin as Nancy moved away. "Try the kitchen!" she called after her friend. Turning around, she found herself inches from Joe Hardy's chest.

"You get our little misunderstanding ironed out?" Joe asked.

Bess placed her hands on his shoulders and gently pushed him back a few steps. "Yes," she sighed, giving him a stern look. "I fixed your mess. I think." she added, with a glance at Nancy's retreating back.

Joe grinned down at her, moving his hands up to clasp her shoulders. "Thanks, Bess. You're an angel." He pecked her on the cheek. "And have I told you how amazing you look? Dance with me." He offered her his arm and nodded towards the center of the room, where several of their friends had paired off and started dancing.

Secretly pleased, Bess forced a long-suffering sigh. "Well, if you insist." she quipped, taking his arm.

Nancy peered into the kitchen to see Frank returning some clean dishes to the cabinet. "Frank?"

"Nan!" Frank turned to face her.

"Where have you been? I haven't seen you all night." Nancy chided gently.

Frank shrugged. "I thought I'd come in and clean up a bit so we have less to do later."

"I'm supposed to be convincing you to come rejoin the party," Nancy said with a guilty smile. "But do you want to step outside for a bit?" When Frank didn't looked convinced, she played her ace. "Please, Frank? It's snowing."

He looked out the window and saw that snow was indeed beginning to coat the ground. "All right." he consented. "Just a second." He left and returned a minute later with both of their coats. He held hers out so she could step into it. "By the way, you look wonderful tonight." he said warmly, draping the jacket over her bared shoulders. The compliment was simple, but honest admiration shone clearly in his eyes.

Nancy flushed with pleasure. Whatever she had said to Bess and George, the fact remained that she had hoped Frank would notice the effort she'd put into her appearance. "Thank you. So do you." She returned as he held the back door open so she could step into the cold.

Nancy laughed as the snow swirled around her, landing in her hair and in her open, upturned mouth. "I love snow." she confessed. "Doesn't it remind you of that time we were in New York? At the Rockefeller Center?"

Frank smiled at the memory of that Christmas, watching the ice skaters at Rockefeller Center with Nancy by his side, and hearing the cheer go up from the crowd as the snow began to fall. "Yeah, it does."

Nancy leaned against the porch rail. "That was one of my favorite cases." she recalled. It was one of the first cases she had worked with the Hardys, and it was the first time she'd begun to feel something special for Frank, something beyond friendship... even if she'd refused to admit it to herself at the time.

"Speaking of cases..." Frank withdrew something from his coat pocket, a small box wrapped in festive paper. "Merry Christmas, Nan."

Nancy met his eyes and blushed. "It's not Christmas yet! And what does this have to do with cases?" But she took the box just the same.

Frank checked his watch. "It will be soon. And just open it."

Biting her lip, Nancy tore the paper off the box and opened it up. "Frank..." she murmured, pulling out a silver charm bracelet. She saw the tiny silver magnifying glass dangling from one link and smiled. "It's beautiful, Frank. Thank you."

Frank smiled and shrugged, thrusting his hands into his coat pockets. "I saw it a few weeks back and thought of you, so..."

"Help me put it on?" Nancy requested, holding out her wrist to him. She rested her hand on his forearm as he manipulated the clasp with both hands.

"Maybe I'll get you a charm for every case we work together." Frank suggested.

Nancy smiled. "There wouldn't be room!"

"I hope so." Frank answered softly. The latch clicked into place and their eyes met for a long moment. Frank noticed he was still holding her hand in his and lowered it gently.

Nancy cleared her throat quickly and produced another box from her clutch, also neatly wrapped. "I guess great minds think alike." she said. "I brought your present too." She tucked her hair behind her ear before setting the box on the railing and sliding it towards him. "It's not much, especially compared to this..."

Frank shook his head and unwrapped the box. Inside was a set of lock picks enclosed in a thin leather case. He grinned. "Are you kidding? These are great! Thanks!"

She flushed again. "Well I noticed that you and Joe only had one set between you..."

At the mention of Joe, Frank's grin faded. "Did you get Joe a set too?" he asked lightly.

Nancy smiled guiltily. "No. I got him gloves." As nice as the gloves were, they weren't a particularly creative present.

"Oh." Frank nodded. His gaze searched her face, and she felt the warmth in her cheeks start to spread throughout her body. "Nan..."

"Mm?"

Frank hesitated. "...Are you and Joe-"

"No!" Nancy pushed off the railing and took an emphatic step forward, causing Frank to step back in alarm. Realizing her denial had been too forceful, she gently amended, "No. Not at all."

"I didn't even finish the question." Frank protested, but a smile played on his lips as he stepped close to her once more.

"You didn't have to." Nancy returned softly, tilting her face up towards his, thrilling with anticipation. How long had she dreamed of feeling Frank Hardy's lips on hers?

"So, the mistletoe?"

"Meant nothing." Nancy assured him, closing her eyes as his hands found their way to her waist.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"There's no mistletoe out here." Frank observed quietly, his face just inches from hers.

"We don't need it." Nancy breathed.

"But-"

"Frank!"

He laughed and pulled her to him, meeting her lips with his own. The kiss was sweet, long and warm, and Nancy's arms wound around his neck to keep him close when she finally pulled away. Their shaky breaths were visible in the frozen night, intermixing and dissipating in the space between them. The clock in the kitchen began to chime midnight. "Merry Christmas, Frank."

"Merry Christmas, Nancy." Frank answered tenderly, leaning in to kiss her again.

Nancy pulled her head back. "The midnight kiss is for New Year's, not Christmas." she teased.

"Well, I'll just have to kiss you again then." Frank promised before meeting her lips once more.

A/N: Ah, who doesn't love Christmas fluff? Happy Holidays to all my readers, and don't forget to review!