Author's Note: I started this last year in anticipation of posting for Christmas, but, as they say, things went to hell in a handbasket in real life and I never got this finished until now. This is set during the current timeframe of Reflections; Jim and Johanna are now engaged; and yes, there will be still be a Christmas themed chapter for the main story; this is just a bonus to their first holiday as a couple.

For Cheryl, for talking me off the ledge.

Chapter 1- The Mission

Johanna was snuggled warmly against Jim's side as they watched television at her apartment that Friday night. Snow was falling outside the window and she was grateful when the heat clicked on and chased the chill of early December from the room. Her Christmas tree was up and decorated; a few other decorations scattered throughout her apartment. She still had shopping to do…holiday shopping always brought a special sort of stress as she tried to find the right gifts for everyone; but shopping wasn't on her mind that evening.

On her mind was the much more pleasant idea of holiday baking. Christmas was her favorite time of year to bake; it seemed as though there was a special holiday law that went into effect that decreed that there must be copious amounts of cookies, cakes and pies…and she loved it all. She had something specific in mind though; a recipe she had yet to narrow down to perfection…a stressful week at work had her anxious to reach for the mixing bowls and cake pans; but she'd need someone to help with the taste test. Johanna glanced up at her fiancé and smiled. It occurred to her that she couldn't help but smile anytime she thought the term 'fiancé'; it was still new…so very new, she mused as she glanced at the diamond ring resting on her left hand.

Johanna tore her gaze away from her ring, giving a slight shake of her head. Now wasn't the time to sink into daydreams concerning her newly minted engagement. This was the time for roping her future husband into a weekend long baking fest with her. She was pretty confident that she could accomplish the feat; after all, appeals that were made in regard to his stomach were rarely ever turned down…and if she needed to use certain feminine wiles to dash any reluctance, she was ready to do so.

"Jim," she said sweetly as she rubbed her hand against his chest.

"What?" he asked, eyeing her suspiciously at the tone of her voice but he kept his arm wrapped around her.

"How do you feel about being a guinea pig?"

"It depends; what for?"

"Cake," she said with a smile. "I have some new recipes."

Jim grinned. "Take me, I'm yours."

"I knew I could count on you," Johanna said happily as she kissed him and then hugged him tightly.

"What kind of cake are you going to feed me?"

"Peppermint," she announced.

"I've never had peppermint cake," he replied. "To tell you the truth, I don't think I've ever even heard of it."

"I had it a couple times when I was a little girl and we'd go to my aunt Rita's around Christmas time. She always got the cakes at a bakery in her neighborhood. It was so good; I've always wanted to have it again."

"Where was this bakery at?"

"In Brooklyn."

"Why don't we just go to Brooklyn and find it?"

"We can't," Johanna answered. "I asked my aunt about it last year and she said the bakery went out of business years ago, that's why she stopped having those cakes."

"That figures."

"Yeah it does," she agreed. "So I've been scouring cook books and magazines and have several notebook pages full of recipes to try."

"Several?"

Johanna eyed him. "How else am I supposed to find the best one? Did you think I was only going to make one?"

"No, I figured maybe two…but I'm okay with more if that's what you want."

"That's what I want," she remarked. "That's why I need your help. I need you to help me taste them all."

Jim gave a nod. "I accept the mission."

"I hope it isn't too big of a sacrifice for you," she quipped.

"Not at all, sweetheart. I'm brave, make me eat cake; I dare you."

She laughed. "Testing begins tomorrow."

"I'm ready."

"We'll have to go to the market in the morning," she replied. "I only have a few cake mixes, I'll need more and I need other ingredients too."

Jim frowned. "I'm sure you can handle that on your own."

Johanna shook her head. "You accepted the mission; you go with me."

"But why?!"

"So you can drive and help me carry the bags."

""You can take my car; I don't mind."

"You can go with me; you won't mind," she replied.

"I'll mind."

"No you won't; it'll be fun," she told him.

"Grocery shopping is never fun…unless it's the type where I go open your fridge and find what I want and don't have to stand in line to pay for it."

Johanna dropped her hand to his thigh. "You're going with me."

"I'm not."

"You are…I'm sure you know that occasionally accompanying your wife to the market is a part of marriage."

He grinned. "We're not married yet."

"You need the practice," she quipped.

"What about you?" he asked. "Don't you need to practice?"

Johanna smiled. "Honey, I've been practicing since about a year after we met."

"How do you figure?"

"How many times did you eat here before we started dating?" she asked.

Jim thought about that for a moment. "Okay, you mastered that part."

"And I took care of you when you were sick."

"I took care of you too."

"Yes, but when I took care of you, I did your grocery shopping and cleaned your apartment."

"Okay; I'm going to concede to you on this one."

She patted his thigh and smiled. "See, you're already doing very well with your practicing."

He laughed. "I'm still not going to the market."

"You are," she said confidently.

"Nope."

"I'll make it worth it."

"You're going to make fried chicken?" he asked hopefully.

Johanna gave a short laugh. "I was going to give you me but if you'd rather have chicken…"

"Wait!" he exclaimed, tightening his arm around her. "Let's not be hasty…you tonight, chicken tomorrow."

"I'm not sure I want to fry chicken after baking all day."

Jim pulled his arm away. "So you're going to be the kind of wife who deprives her husband of his favorite meal?"

"Well as you mentioned, we're not married yet."

"Apparently I was wrong about the amount of practice you need."

She gave his shoulder a playful shove. "Fine, I'll make the damn chicken."

"And what about your other offering?"

"I guess I'll have to go through with it," she said dramatically. "After all, I wouldn't want it said that you were deprived."

Jim wrapped his arm around her once more. "Looks like we're both fast learners."

"Apparently so," she quipped before brushing a kiss to his lips. "Which is why you're going to the market with me tomorrow."

"Let's not discuss that now…you haven't made it worth it yet."

"Fine, I can go fry the chicken now if you want."

He smirked at her. "I don't believe that was the order specified…and don't you dare make me choose between two of my three favorite things."

She laughed. "Alright, have it your way…and you're still going."

"We'll see," he remarked.

"I guess we will," she said sassily. "You should know better than to underestimate me."

"And you should know better than to underestimate me."

"Sounds like a battle of wills," Johanna replied. "But you'd think given that it's the holiday season that you could just go along peacefully…you know, peace on earth…it's a big message this time of the year."

Jim nodded. "That's right," he said as he rose from the sofa and tugged her along with him. "But you forgot about the part about 'goodwill toward men' so let's go get you started on that."

Johanna gave a soft laugh as she followed behind him. "Somehow I knew that was going to backfire."

"And yet you did it anyway; more good skills you're practicing, sweetheart. I'm so proud."

"One can only hope that I'll have that feeling sometime in the future."

Jim smiled as they stepped across the threshold of her bedroom. "I assure you, you'll have plenty of pride by the time the sun comes up…consider it an early Christmas gift."

"Let's make it a mutual gift," she replied as she slipped her arm around him and hooked a finger beneath his chin, encouraging him to lower his lips to hers. "It's just too bad we don't have any mistletoe."

"We don't need it," he said with a grin as he backed her towards the bed. "We do just fine without it."

"I can't argue with that," Johanna laughed before he caught her lips in a searing kiss, putting an end to their conversation for the time being.

Later on, Johanna's fingers danced across Jim's bar chest, her gaze on his face, waiting for that moment where he'd be awake but rapidly slipping into slumber…she found that he was more agreeable about things during those moments. She smiled a little, seeing that the moment had come and she brushed a soft kiss against his collar bone. "Jim," she murmured.

"Hmm?"

"You're going to stick to your deal right?" she asked.

"Deal?" he said sleepily.

"Mhmm; you're going to go to the market with me in the morning?"

"Market?"

"Yeah; to get the stuff to bake cakes; remember, you said if I made it worth it, you'd go with me…I made it worth it, didn't I?" Johanna asked; her tone low and seductive as she brushed her lips against his.

A sleepy grin curved his lips upwards as he cuddled her closer. "So worth it, sweetheart," he mumbled.

"Good; so you're going with me?"

"Uh huh."

"Wonderful," she said softly; a victorious smile of her face.

A look of concentration seemed to crinkle his brow. "Wait, what?" he asked; trying to make his heavy eyelids open and failing miserably.

"Shhh," Johanna whispered. "I'll tell you all about it in the car in the morning, okay?"

"Okay," he muttered. "Love you."

"I love you too, honey," she said, settling down in the circle of his embrace, her hand giving his arm a soft pat. "You're going to be such a good husband."

He smiled as sleep fully claimed him and Johanna wrapped her arm around him tightly. She didn't have to be as worried as she sometimes was about her skills as a future wife…she had this under control…at least she thought she did. She gave a soft shake of her head; there was no need to think like that; she knew how to get what she wanted when she needed it; Jim would go along in the morning without complaint…or at least she hoped so.

Johanna closed her eyes but sleep didn't seem to be on the agenda for her at the moment and she frowned in the darkness. Her mind was in a whirlwind lately; between the surprise of their engagement, her caseload and the recent stress of Jim finally meeting her father barely a week before, and usual impending holiday stress, she was finding it hard to settle down at times. She kept bouncing from every extreme, excitement, worry, stress, and back to immense happiness. She glanced at her sleeping fiancé, it was their first Christmas as a couple; she wanted it to be special…she wanted them to create something that could be woven into a tradition that they could carry through the years; something that would be a part of the family they'd create together. Her craving for the peppermint cake from her childhood and the sweet reminder of when Jim had given her a bouquet of candy canes the first Christmas they had known each other made her determined that finding the perfect peppermint cake recipe would be the special moment she was looking for. With that thought in mind, she carefully slipped away from Jim and found her nightgown and robe on the floor. She pulled them on and quietly left the room, figuring that since insomnia was clearly going to be her friend, she may as well go through the recipes and make her shopping list. Perhaps being organized would make the trip less daunting for her fiancé...but a small voice in the back of her mind whispered "I doubt it."