Author's note: Guess who's back? LOL Here's a cute little Christmas story I thought of last night. Enjoy!

A Very Nacy Christmas

Christmas day arrived and Nick and Macy wanted to do something different this year for the holidays. Instead of spending Christmas celebrating with the rest of the Lucas family, as was their custom, the two of them wanted to have their own family tradition of their own— just Nick, Macy, and their little son Evan. That's why Nick Lucas woke up extra early on Christmas day to prepare the big meal he planned for his family. He was busy marinating the turkey when he heard Macy coming down the stairs.

"Guess who decided to wake up just now!" she called out to him. "Look at our wittle baby dressed up as Santa's little helper! He's so cute and cuddly. Isn't he, Nick?"

Nick looked up and smiled at her and Evan, who was decked out in what could only be described as one very festive elf costume. His son wore a green cap with a bell attached to the end and a green button down top along with white and red striped stockings.

"Lemme guess. Stella made that?" Nick said while laughing. Macy nodded her head as she walked over to him. He stopped what he was doing so that he could pick up his son who was still a bit groggy from just being woken up. "Come here, little guy. Aren't you one smart-looking elf!"

The young boy squirmed in his arms and said, "Daddy! Hat itchy! Me don't wanna wear it."

"Aw, well I don't see what the problem is if you take it off—

"WAIT!" Macy yelled as she interrupted them. "I just need to take one picture of him in that outfit."

"But mommy! Me hate the hat!" Evan complained as he struggled to take it off.

"I know, sweetie, but just keep it on for a bit please," Macy said quickly as she ran up the stairs to fetch her camera.

"Daddy?"

"What is it?" Nick asked him as he walked over to the kitchen to make sure the oven was pre-heated at the correct setting. He was still holding onto Evan who was now fidgety and his usual self.

"Why Auntie Stella make crazy clothes?"

"Evan, don't say that," Nick said a bit sternly. "Her clothes are not always that crazy looking. She's just in the holiday spirit like your mommy. And besides you should be lucky that you get all your clothes from her because soon she won't be making clothes for you since she has to take care of James."

"Imma still her fav-o-rite, daddy?"

"You're her favorite nephew but you can't compete with her own son."

"Hmph! Me favorite…me!" the young boy muttered to himself disappointedly but then he asked Nick eagerly. "Me your favorite, daddy?"

"Of course!"

Their conversation was cut short when Macy got her camera ready. When she was satisfied with how many shots she got of her adorable son, Evan was already having one of his fits, which was typical since he was in his terrible twos. Because they have been in this situation before, Macy knew exactly what to do to calm him down. Thus, Evan found comfort sitting in front of the television watching his favorite sing-a-long video.

"Macy, you don't have to do this," Nick said as kindly as possibly because he noticed that Macy was very anxious about everything recently. He was worried about her. "You did enough as it is already. I mean you decorated the tree all by yourself. You put up the lights. And you wrapped all the presents—

"I know. It's just that I want to do this for myself because I don't want Evan thinking that his mom can't cook," she answered scornfully. "I want this Christmas to be perfect. It just has to be."

Nick smiled at her and said, "I understand, Macy. But it will be. And if it's really too hard for you I can help you out."

"Nick, thanks but how hard can making a string bean casserole be?" Macy cried out as she poured over the recipe book once again.

"Yeah. It shouldn't be that hard," Nick agreed. "But you've been staring at that page for the last ten minutes, Mace."

"Hey! I just want to make sure I don't mess up," she retorted. "Not everyone is born a chef like you, Nicholas."

"Okay, I'm sorry," he quickly apologized as he placed a quick kiss on her forehead. "I just don't like seeing you stressed. That's all."

"I'm not stressed. I just don't want to repeat what happened in Thanksgiving," Macy pointed out.

He knew what she was referring to. If memory served him right, Macy insisted in taking care of making the homemade pumpkin pie back then. But because nerves got the best of her, she forgot to set the oven to the right setting and let's just say the pie wasn't cooked well enough causing many of their guests to have an upset stomach. The last thing Macy wanted was to repeat that scenario and give food poisoning to Nick and her precious son. So they both worked side by side in the kitchen. While Macy was in charge of just one dish, Nick made the turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, macaroni cheese, and the crème brulee for dessert. The mouth-watering aroma filled their house and soon the three of them were sitting in their dining room with Evan in his high chair.

"So how is it?" Macy asked Nick anxiously as she grated the slice of turkey that she was going to feed Evan. Carefully, Nick took a slice of her casserole.

He smiled to himself because it was really cute how restless Macy was waiting for his response. Macy knew Nick was a tough food critic so his feedback would really hold some weight.

"Well?"

"It's delicious, Mace!"

"You're not just saying that because I'm your wife, are you?"

"Of course not," Nick answered. "It's really good. Here! Give some to Evan. He speaks the truth, right kiddo?"

"Gimme! Gimme!" squealed the young boy who was trying his best to ignore Macy's attempts to feed him some turkey. Therefore, Nick took a small piece of her casserole and fed his son. The young boy chewed his food thoughtfully and then exclaimed, "Yummy! Yum! YUM!"

"Really, honey? You like it?" Macy asked her son excitedly.

"Me want more!" shouted Evan.

And throughout the meal Macy was in much better spirits. Even though she wanted to prove to herself that she can cook for her family, she was very glad that she married a guy who was a great chef. Because cooking was exhausting for the petite brunette. When their stomachs were full, Nick held Evan in his lap as he sat in front of the Christmas tree.

"Here, Ev, open this first," Nick said excitedly as he handed the young boy a large yet light box. "It's from me."

"Ooh!" the young boy squealed in delight as he ripped the wrapping paper open. While this was all going on, Macy was capturing this Kodak moment with the new DVD digital camcorder that Nick got her for Christmas. The gift their son unwrapped was a colorful child-size drum set.

"Do you like it?"

"OOOH! DRUM DRUMS!" Evan yelled as he took one drumstick and began pounding on the surface.

"See, Evan, you can get a head-start in your music career so that you can be just as awesome as your dad."

Macy rolled her eyes when he said this.

"Sweetie, now open this one next and don't go too fast. I want to capture every moment," Macy said but being the feisty boy he was, Evan tore the wrapping paper off in less than a second, revealing a toy lego train-set.

"WOW. Lego!" yelled Evan excitedly. "Me wanna play with it!"

"Sure, honey, but after you take your nap," Macy answered as she put her camera down to take the excited child away from Nick.

"But mommy me NO sleepy-head!" Evan complained as he pouted his lips but Macy wasn't going to give in because she and Nick knew all too well what happens when Evan's sleeping schedule got disrupted. First, he would throw one of his epic tantrums that would often last a good two hours. And then he would end up taking a nap three hour later than usual allowing him to wake up in the middle of the night to cause yet another tantrum leaving Nick and Macy to lose much needed sleep. Evan really was a handful. So as much as Evan was whining to stay up so that he could play with his new drums and train-set, Macy carried her boisterous child up the stairs into his room.

"Mace, you need some help?" Nick offered.

"No, I got this," Macy said as she tightened her grasp around Evan who was squirming quite a bit. Even though she wasn't musically inclined as Nick, Macy was able to develop her own technique to help Evan fall asleep easily. She would read one of the countless nursery books that they bought for him. And while Nick beat her in the music department, Macy, being the loud and spunky girl she was, would often take storytelling to a whole other level by making different voices for each character and by acting out all the parts for Evan to enjoy. And that's why Nick who was still downstairs in the living room could hear Macy's amusing attempt in telling a very animated story about The Rainbow Fish. Nick smiled to himself. He loved his family. He really did. And during times like this, when Nick Lucas felt so content with life, he felt inspired. So picking up the brand new guitar that Macy got him for the holidays, he began to strum away.

In a matter of minutes, Evan was sound asleep. Quietly, she closed the door and headed downstairs but she paused before she entered the living room because she could hear the faint melody coming from Nick's guitar. She leaned against the door frame and watched as Nick played a tune that was simple yet elegant. She didn't want to disturb him especially since he was in his element. When the notes died down, Macy cleared her throat to make her presence known.

"That was beautiful, Nick," she said as she walked towards the couch. "Is that a new song?"

"Yeah," Nick answered. He put his guitar down and opened his arms so that she could snuggle up against him. "I just felt really inspired."

"Mmm," Macy replied as she took her place next to him and embraced him tightly. "What are you going to call it?"

"The song? I haven't gotten that far yet but I want it to be something really personal," Nick answered while he gently stroked her hair. "It's about you and Evan."

Macy looked at him smiling and planted a passionate kiss on his lips.

"I love you, Macy," Nick said earnestly as he tightened his embrace around her.

"I know. You tell me that everyday," Macy replied happily.

"Yeah. But I also want to thank you…"

"Thank me? For what?" Macy said a bit perplexed. She sat up to look at him.

"For being just who you are. You complete me, Mace. And I can't imagine life without you. I know this sounds a bit corny but it's the truth. I'm so lucky it was you I married because you gave me everything I could ever wish for and more. You gave me a beautiful son—

"Well, that took the two of us to do, Nick," Macy laughed but she knew what Nick was trying to say.

Nick laughed and replied, "Okay, I know that. But what I'm trying to say is that I'm so happy with my life right now and I thank you for it, Mace."

"Nick…" Macy said lovingly as she placed another warm kiss on his lips. "I love you, too, always and forever and ever and ever."

And for awhile they quietly sat close to each other while intertwining their fingers with each other's. It was during moments like these when their bond was apparent because their company alone was enough to make them feel so content with life.

"Did you see the Christmas cards we received in the mail?" Macy finally said to break the silence.

"Yeah," Nick replied. "I especially liked Stella and Joe's card. She really takes the holidays to heart, doesn't she?"

"Yeah but I think it's really cute that she and Joe dressed up as Mr. and Mrs. Claus with their little James as a cute little elf," Macy exclaimed. "You know she was about to sew something for us to wear but I knew you wouldn't be up for it."

"Thank you for getting me out of that one," Nick said because Macy was right. There was no way Nick Lucas would dress up as Santa Claus. He didn't even dress up for Halloween as a kid!

"No problem," Macy assured him. She leaned over to grab the pile of cards that were placed on the coffee table. She found Stella and Joe's card. "Anyway doesn't James look like one of those adorable cupid babies? Especially with his blonde curls."

"Yeah, you're right," Nick agreed as he peered over at the greeting card with his brother's family. "Stella wouldn't have to make much off an outfit for him on Valentine's Day. He already looks the part."

"That's so true," Macy replied. "Do you think Evan and James will get along when they grow up?"

"I hope so. They're cousins after all," Nick answered.

"Anyway, look at the card your parents sent us. Frankie is so big now! He's in college, right?"

"No, he's actually graduating high school this year," Nick replied. "He has his sights on Harvard, though. He's pretty smart especially in chemistry."

"Yeah, I think I remember that about him. Does he want to become a doctor?"

"I don't know about that. I see him more of a chemistry professor if anything."

"I could see that, too. He is such a wise and mature boy that Frankie. Anyway, Kevin and Danielle sent us a postcard from Paris. They must be having a great time spending the holidays abroad."

"Kev always said he wanted to see the world. He tole me next year he wants to go to Egypt with his family and spend Christmas in one of the pyramids."

"Wow, that's really exotic," Macy said. "He better bring us a souvenir from all these places he's going to...Oh! I forgot to tell you. I got an email from Penny yesterday."

"Penny? Really? You guys keep in touch?"

"Well only recently. Ever since I saw her in my pilates class last week she wanted to know everything about life after Horace Mantis Academy. But she's doing well. She's finishing up nursing school."

"That's nice. Is she still with Jimmy?"

"Yup. In fact, she emailed me saying that she and Jimmy eloped last week."

"Eloped!"

"Yeah, they took a vacation to Vegas and at the spur of the moment they decided to get married. She doesn't regret it all. I mean they've been together since they were really young."

"They have been together for awhile but wow! I never thought Penny would be a girl who would elope," Nick said. "But I'm happy for them. They really love each other."

"Yup! Anyway thinking about Penny and Jimmy takes me back to our days in high school. Do you remember that plan we made the one where I tried to help you win Penny's heart?"

Nick smiled because he remembered it quite well and said, "Yes, I do remember that and I also remember how you and I both failed epically."

"But I'm glad we failed," Macy replied.

"Me, too. Because if our plan worked out, I wouldn't be here sitting next to you."

He placed a light kiss on her forehead while she nestled her head against his chest. As much as he wanted to sit next to her for a little while longer, Nick knew that if he wanted his lasagna to cook just in time for dinner he needed to start now.

"I should start cooking again," Nick said and got up.

"Wait!" Macy suddenly said as panicked struck in her. She looked at the clock and realized that it would be almost time before Evan woke up and she wanted to have a moment with Nick by herself. Also, she knew that once Nick started cooking it would be hard for her to get his attention because he was so focused when he was in the kitchen. "I have…um…something else to give you."

"Another present?" Nick looked at her perplexed. "Macy, you didn't have to get me anything else. I love the guitar you gave me."

"Well…you see…this gift is pretty big," she said. For some reason, she was getting nervous because it's been a couple of weeks now that she prepared for this moment and she wanted it to be special. So Nick watched her curiously as she made her way to the bookshelf and picked up a small box. Didn't she say it was pretty big? Nick looked at her closely wandering if there was more to the present but there was nothing else. Finally, Macy stood in front of him and gave him the small box.

"Thanks, Macy," Nick said. But before he opened it, he stared at it closely. It was pretty small. Were they cuff-links? He shook it but he didn't hear any metal. In fact, the package was rather light. It almost felt as if it was empty. Maybe they were guitar picks. Well, whatever it was, Nick knew he would love it because Macy bought it for him.

He untied the bow and opened the box to find that…it was empty.

"Macy? Um…there's nothing in here," Nick said as kindly as possible. Did Macy forget to put the present inside? He didn't want to embarrass her since she was already stressed about the holidays as it is. But he was surprised when she smiled broadly back at him.

"It's not empty, Nick. There's a piece of paper in there."

So he looked at the box closely and she was right. There was a square piece of paper at the bottom of the box. He flipped it over and it had the letter 't' on it.

"T? Um…is this like a clue for something?" Nick asked her in a very confused manner. What kind of gift was this?

"Nick…" Macy gulped because she had been waiting for this moment for awhile now. "It's not the letter 't'…It's a plus sign."

"A plus sign?..." Nick repeated still utterly confused.

Macy contained her urge to laugh because Nick was usually quick in solving clues but right now he didn't seem to be at the top of his game. But the present was pretty cryptic so she understood why it was taking him awhile to figure it out so she gave him another clue and said, "Well, a plus sign can signify many things but in this case it means that it's positive, Nick."

She looked at him carefully hoping that what she was trying to say was sinking in.

He was about to question her further because he still didn't understand it but then it dawned on him. He began to breathe deeply and he looked at her with a completely different expression on his face. "Macy, are you pregnant?"

She smiled at him broadly and nodded her head excitedly.

"Oh my god, Macy!" Nick cried out happily as he picked her up and twirled her around. "You're pregnant! When did you find out?"

"Two…weeks…ago," she admitted in between the kisses that Nick was now continuously placing on her lips.

"Two weeks!"

"Yup. I wanted to wait for a special moment to break the news and I thought Christmas was the perfect time to tell you."

"This is- oh my goodness…this is great!" Nick said happily. He was so overwhelmed with joy he didn't realize that he was squeezing Macy too tightly.

"Erm…Nick, you're kind of crushing my bones," Macy proclaimed and immediately Nick loosened his embrace.

"Sorry about that. We don't want to harm you and the baby…Oh my goodness! A BABY! Macy! We're having another baby!" Nick exclaimed as he planted another kiss on her lips.

Macy couldn't stop smiling. This was exactly the reaction she knew he was going to have. He was so genuinely happy.

"We might finally get our little Macy," she said happily.

"A little Macy. I like the sound of that," Nick said excitedly. "We should start turning the guest room into a nursery. I'll start buying the paint tomorrow morning."

"Nick, we don't even know the sex of the baby, yet!" Macy said in a highly amused voice. It was really entertaining to watch her husband get so excited about this.

"You're right. You're absolutely right. See, that's another reason why I married you. You're so smart," Nick said as he tried to calm down. "Well, we can buy the other stuff soon. Evan is still using his crib but maybe we can buy another one just in case—

"NICK! We don't have to buy everything all at once," she pointed out to him as she chuckled softly. "We have nine months, honey."

"I completely forgot. It takes nine months to have a baby. But I'm just so happy, Macy," Nick said. "We're having another baby! Evan's going to be a big brother."

"He is," Macy agreed as she embraced him again for another warm hug. "Now it's my turn to thank you, Nick Lucas, for being the best husband I could ever wish for and for being a wonderful father."

He placed a finger to her chin and tilted her head toward his and placed a very steamy kiss on her lips. When they broke apart, they stared lovingly into each other's eyes. Gently, he stroked her cheek and whispered, "This is the best gift you can ever give me."

She smiled up at him and replied, "I told you it was pretty big. Merry Christmas, Nick."

"Merry Christmas, Macy."

And they held each other closely. They would have stayed like that for awhile longer if it wasn't for their son's voice that called out from upstairs, "Mommy! Daddy! Nappy time is over! Play time, now? Please?"

"Mommy's coming, sweetie!" Macy called back to him.

"Mace, I think we should tell him about the big news," Nick said.

"Now?"

"Yeah. I think it's fitting," Nick answered. "I mean this baby is a gift to all of us. Evan's going to be a big brother."

She nodded her head and so Nick and Macy went up the stairs to tell Evan the good news.

It was a very intimate Christmas in the Misa-Lucas household. The bond between Nick and Macy was still as strong as ever. The two of them had many things to be thankful for in life. They had each other and a beautiful son, whom they deeply cherished. But the news Macy recently revealed added to their strong relationship. The love that existed between Nick and Macy was so great that it was really fitting that they should have another child to spread the immense love they had for one another. It would only be a matter of time before they welcomed either a little Macy or a little Nick to the world. But if one thing was sure, even during this early stages of her pregnancy, it was that this baby was going to be loved so much.

Nick and Macy were blessed. They truly were. And like the title of one of the best Christmas movies of all time, it is very fitting to say that it's a wonderful life.

THE END.

Merry Christmas everybody! I wanted to write a cute one-shot to celebrate the holidays. I know I have been MIA for awhile but that's because I had so much studying to do. I had finals, a big lab report to complete, and a medical school interview to prepare for. So I had a lot on my plate in the last month and unfortunately I had to halt writing for awhile. But the good news is that I'm officially in my winter break so I have a whole month to finish 'Trust Me'. Even though I had a lot of stuff to take care of (school-wise) another reason why it has been taking me forever to update that story was because I was having writer's block. It amazes me how fast I was able to create and finish a story so quickly before but now I could really feel as if my creative juices are waning down. Hopefully this moment will pass and you'll be able to read chapter 3 of Trust Me soon. The only hint I'm going to give on that story is that there will be another character I'm going to create for Nick's side of the story. And you can expect lots of DRAMA.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this one-shot. I know a lot of you wanted me to continue The Great Pretenders so here's a little story that shows Nick and Macy as a happy married couple with NO DRAMA whatsoever! If anything, I might continue this as a series of one-shots instead of having a full-blown story. Thanks for reading! REVIEW! PLEASE!

-Penelope36