"Nikita."
Nikita turns around to face Michael. "Yes?"
"I was just wondering what you were planning to do tonight. You know it is Christmas Eve?"
"I wasn't planning on doing anything. I just can't get into the Christmas spirit this year."
"Oh, I was just thinking that maybe I could come over for some coffee and sit by the tree. Madeline and Operations gave all of us the night off."
"That sounds nice, Michael, but I don't have a tree. I didn't see the point in it.
"Well, we'll just have to do something about that! I'll be there tonight at 6pm."
"Ok. Will you be having dinner with me as well?"
"Sure, if that is an invitation?
"Yes, it was. Should I invite Birkoff and Walter?"
"No, I just want it to be the two of us tonight Nikita.
Nikita gets a sly grin on her face and says: "Oh, well I'll see you tonight then."
Michael turns and walks away towards his office to map out how he was going to get Nikita a tree and decorate it before she gets home. Then he calls Walter and Birkoff to his office.
"Please sit down."
"What's up Michael?" Walter asks.
"I just found out that Nikita isn't feeling very Christmasy this year and doesn't even have a tree up. I need your help to get one, decorate it and put presents under it before she gets home. Will you help me?
"What do you need us to do?" this from Birkoff.
"Walter, I need you to get the tree and decorations while Birkoff, you keep her occupied all day. Can you two do this?"
"You betcha! Come on Birkoff! We got things to do! Birkoff: This is gonna be great! I hope this works!"
Walter and Birkoff leave Michael's office and head in their opposite directions to do what they had to do for Nikita.
******Later that day********
Michael was just putting the finishing touches on Nikita's tree when she opened the door.
"What are you doing here? What is all this?"
"You can't have Christmas without a Christmas tree! So Walter, Birkoff and I got you one."
Nikita walks over to the tree and looks at all of the eautiful ornaments.
"Michael, it's beautiful! I don't know what to say!"
"Then don't say anything! Although, it's not quite finished yet."
"What do you mean?"
"This angel goes on the highest branch, would you like to put it there?"
"I would love to!"
Michael bends down and slowly picks Nikita up careful not to drop her so that she can place the angel on the top of the tree. As soon as she does, he lets her slide down his masculine chest to land with both feet on the floor. Just then the door to Nikita's apartment swings open.
Nikita swings around when she hears the door swing open to see Walter standing there dressed as Santa Claus and Birkoff dressed as one of Santa's elves. She is so shocked that her jaw drops.
"Walter??? Birkoff???"
"No, Santa and one of his elves." Walter quips back.
"You've got to be kidding me!"
"No. You know that I have connections. You just don't know what kind of connections that I have." Michael states.
Nikita stares open mouthed at Walter as he goes and sits down on her couch.
"Why don't you come over here and sit on Santa's lap and tell me what you want for Christmas or are you just going to stand there and gape at me?"
Michael nudges Nikita towards where Walter was sitting as Birkoff lets out a small chuckle at the sight.
Reluctantly Nikita sits down on Walter's lap and tells him what she wants for Christmas.
"Well.... I would like.... My freedom...."
"Now, ask me something that I can give you!"
"You didn't say that, you said tell you what I want!"
"True enough!"
"I can't think of anything that I don't already have right here, right now!"
Nikita reaches over and pulls the fake beard that Walter was wearing off and giggles. She had never been so happy in her whole life as she was at that moment.
Michael, Walter and Birkoff were all glad to see Nikita smiling. Walter proceeded to continue playing Santa by passing out gifts. After all of the gifts in his sack were passed out and opened, he noticed that Michael and Nikita had not exchanged gifts just at the moment there was a knock at Nikita's door.
"I wonder who that could be..." Nikita says as she gets up and heads over to the door.
She opens it to find Operations and Madeline standing in front of her holding bags of brightly wrapped packages.
"Do you guys mind if Operations and I join the party?"
"How did you know?"
"We just knew."
Nikita steps aside to let Madeline and Operations enter her apartment.
Merry Christmas!!! both Birkoff and Walter say to everyone.
The all make a toast with their spiked egg nog courtesy of none other than Walter himself. The group sits down at Nikita's table after opening all of the gifts that Madeline and Operations brought with them to eat a nice hearty meal. Somehow, Michael had managed to make a whole Christmas dinner consisting of turkey, mashed potatoes, and all of the fixings.
After dinner, they all talked for a while then Madeline, Operations, Walter and Birkoff decided that it was time to leave Michael and Nikita alone for a while. As Walter started for the door, he just couldn't resist saying...
"HO HO HO!!! MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!!!" Everyone laughed hard at Walter's antics.
**********
Once Michael and Nikita were alone, Nikita got really nervous. She started cleaning up her apartment. Michael comes up behind Nikita and puts his arms around her and turns her around to face him.
"Nikita, did you notice that there was nothing from me to you out of all of those gifts?"
"Well...yes I did. I just figured that all of this was your gift to me."
"Well, in a way it is one of your gifts from me. I do have something for you."
Nikita blinks her eyes in shock. She had never expected Michael to go and get sentimental on her.
"Michael, you don't have to do all of this."
"I am quite well aware of that. I am doing all of this because I want to. I want you to have the best Christmas that you have ever had."
"Michael......" Nikita's voice trails off as Michael puts his finger lightly to her lips to stop what she was going to say. He leans down to lightly kiss her on the cheek.
"Shh. Hold that thought, I'll be right back."
Michael turns and proceeds to walk out of Nikita's apartment. She quickly turns and runs upstairs to get her present to Michael. She is just carrying it down the stairs when he walks back into her apartment carrying a very colorfully wrapped package.
"So who opens theirs first?" Michael asks her.
"I want you to open mine right now!"
"OK, since you put it that way!!!"
Michael slowly opens the package that Nikita handed him. He was very careful not to rip the paper. Finally he reveals a velvet covered jewelry box. Slowly he opens it.
"Nikita, this is incredible! Where did you find such an antique watch?"
"Turn it over Michael.Michael turns it over to see engraving that said: TO THE MAN WHO HOLDS MY HEART FROM NOW UNTIL FOREVER. N"
"Nikita....."
"Don't say it. Not right now. I wanna see what you got me."
Nikita slowly starts to open the package that Michael gave her with the same care that he had opened hers. Once she got all of the paper off, she revealed a jewelry box. She opens the box to find a gold locket inside. She gasps.
"Michael, this is gorgeous!!! I love it!!!"
"Open it."
Nikita opens the locket to find a picture of him. Tears well up in her eyes. Turning the locket over in her hands wanting to see all of it. On the back side she finds engraving that read: KEEP THIS CLOSE TO YOUR HEART THE WAY I KEEP YOU CLOSE TO MINE. M
Michael sees the tears that had been gathering in her eyes finally start to pour down her cheeks.
"What's wrong? Don't you like it?"
"I love it!!! I couldn't have asked for a better present!!!"
"Why don't we go out on the balcony and look at all of the lights that we can see?"
"That sounds like a wonderful idea.'
Nikita carries the locket out in her hand, holding it to her heart. Once at the balcony, Michael takes the locket from her hand and puts it on her. The length of the chain was just right, it hung down so that the locket was level with her heart.
"Perfect."
"Michael..."
Michael silences Nikita by kissing her fully on the mouth. That was the last time that Nikita was aware of anything other than Michael until morning.