Sharon let out a tired sigh as she sank back into the plush depths of their sofa. It had been a year since she had faked her death to lure Phillip Stroh out of hiding, and had tried to explain to her friends and family why she had had to go to such extreme lengths in order to protect those she loved. Andrea still wasn't speaking to her, which was perhaps the cruelest blow of all, but sacrifices had had to be made to ensure that everything went off without a hitch.

"Someone wanted to see his mama."

She looked up to see Andy standing in the doorway to the living room, their son in his arms, and gave him a small smile. "Well, someone was busy keeping me up last night." Andy chuckled as he closed the distance between them and took a seat on the sofa next to her, allowing her to snuggle close to his chest before she took Declan in her arms and cradled him close to her chest. "I think that playing baby Jesus in the living nativity really overstimulated him. But he was so adorable, laying in the manger."

Andy nodded as he closed his arm around her shoulders before pressing his lips against the crown of her head. "But there was no one else who had a baby young enough to play Baby Jesus. I knew that you couldn't say no once you were asked."

She chuckled lowly as she gently bounced Declan in her arms, trying to get him to fall asleep. "I am a sucker for Christmas and all it's pageantry. And since this last year has seemed so full of life, after what I went through, I thought it would be the best way to have our little adopted miracle play the bringer of life abundant."

Unable to stop her tears, Sharon turned her face into Andy's shoulder, using the soft fabric of his sweater to dry her eyes. "Hey, none of that now. You came through something incredibly stressful to have a second chance at life. Even if that life came at the expense of another."

They both let out a soft breath as Sharon felt Andy's hand come around to rest over her heart, his thumb rubbing absently against her zipper scar that rested under her blouse. "If it could have been any other way, you know that I would have taken it."

"Yeah, babe, I do. But the thematic parallels are almost comically heavy-handed."

"Sometimes God uses a hammer, sometimes He uses a battering ram."

Andy laughed loudly, which woke Declan, and she rolled her eyes a little as she shifted to her feet, bouncing and walking around the room in order to calm him once more. His little eyelids had just fluttered closed when a loud knocking came at the door of their apartment. "Sharon?"

"I wasn't expecting company. Not on Christmas Eve eve. Everyone's coming by tomorrow for Midnight Mass and then the big celebration." She threw him a worried glance, and immediately his face softened into an encouraging smile. "I'm glad that you aren't too worried, Andy."

"If they were a threat, security would never have let them up, and you know that. Do you want me to hold Declan?"

The knocking came again, and Sharon shook her head slowly as she brought her son closer to her heart. "No, I'll take him with me. It will give me an excuse to cut things short, after all, since it is rather late." He nodded, giving her another winning smile as she moved past him to head for the door. The brush of his hand against hers drew a contented sigh from her lips as she smiled dreamily.

Taking a deep breath, she tried to quell the rapid pounding in her heart, her mind telling her that this truly was nothing, that Andy was correct in telling her that nothing bad would be behind this door. And yet, her heart was still so outrageously nervous. Because in her heart of hearts, she hoped that Andrea would be behind that door, even though she knew that her shattered heart was just grasping at straws at this point.

Slowly, she opened the door, not looking up at who was there right away. Instead, she took in the feminine shoes that looked very familiar. The flickering flame of hope began to burn a little brighter in her chest as she began to draw her eyes more rapidly up the comfortingly familiar body of her best friend. By the time she locked eyes with Andrea's blue ones, they were both crying, and she welcomed Andrea inside. Somehow, Andy had known that she would need him to take Declan after all, since he soon appeared at her side, taking their son from her arms before disappearing upstairs with him.

"I'm sorry," Andrea whispered lowly as she took a small step backwards, as if she expected Sharon to reject her. Instead, she moved in closer, throwing her arms around Andrea's waist as she rested her cheek on the other woman's shoulder as she started to sob. It took an extra beat for Andrea to enclose her in her arms, and then they were just being in the moment, letting their hearts heal without words. "It's Christmas, I couldn't be without my best friend again this year."

"I was always here, Andrea, waiting, hoping." Her words were broken and Andrea pulled back from her a little to reach up and brush away the few lingering tears that remained on Sharon's cheeks. "And now my faith has been proven right. I'm blessed by this moment."

Andrea nodded, her eyes welling up once more. "Sharon…"

"I know, but you're here, and that's all that matters." Andrea gave another small nod before she pressed a gift bag into Sharon's hand.

"I have to go now. Call me?"

"Tomorrow, yes. You can help take my mind off the family chaos that is sure to take place tomorrow. Everyone is going to be here."

"Better you than me. I'd just snap when it got to be too much."

Sharon tilted her head to one side as she smiled gently. "I can see you doing that, Andrea. Thank you." Andrea pursed her lips together as she blinked rapidly. There was one last, quick, hug before Andrea scurried from the apartment, and Sharon shook her head a little as she shut and locked the door. Slipping back into the living room, she placed Andrea's gift beneath the tree before heading upstairs to Declan's room.

Andy was leaning over the crib, watching their son intently, and she glided over to his side, wrapping her arm around his waist as she curved her body to fit his. "He finally fell asleep."

"Did you know she was stopping by? Is that why you didn't react more strongly?" He gave her a guilty smile, and she grinned up at him before leaning up on her toes and kissing him deeply. "I do love you, Andy."

"Hey, I knew that you needed your best friend back in your life. Me and the kid have been working on her little by little. It seems that guilt can be an incredible motivator at times."

"Oh, Andy!" she hissed as they made their way over to their bedroom. "Let me guess, you kept showing her the pictures I would send to you of Declan?"

"That, and Rusty would talk wistfully about how much you missed your weekly lunch dates. Or your weekly recap of what shows you were watching to take your mind off the horror you were seeing at work."

"Andy."

"We just wanted you to be completely happy once more, Sharon. And I knew that couldn't be unless bridges were rebuilt between the two of you. I love you, and I would do anything to keep you happy and well." Reaching out, Andy stroked her cheek and she sighed as she leaned into the touch. "After the last scare we had, I want nothing more than you and your joy."

"Andy, what did I do to deserve you?" she murmured as she leaned in to kiss him once more, feeling his arms wrap around her waist, pulling her closer to him as the kiss lingered on. They still had to be careful about their intimacy, since her body was still recovering from the transplant, but these delicate moments, where they were closer than sex could bring them.

"You saw beyond your first impression of me. You gave me the second chance I didn't know would change my life so drastically for the better. You fell in love with a broken man, allowing me to love you back to life."

For the third time that evening, she teared up and patted his chest with the palm of her hand as she gazed up at him. "And you fell in love with this broken woman and made her whole enough to love again." He nodded before ducking his head down to kiss her again as his hands began to undo the buttons on her blouse, slipping it from her shoulders before stepping back from her. "Time to get some sleep while we can?"

"Maybe this will be the night that Declan decides to sleep all the way through. Small miracles and all that." Sharon nodded and finished disrobing before slipping into the bathroom and removing her makeup and then working in her skin cream. Once she felt ready, she slipped into the silky nightgown that Andy loved to see her in before heading back out to the bed. He was already beneath the covers, and she slipped beneath them, snuggling up close to him as he turned off the bedside lamps. "Merry Christmas, Sharon."

"Merry Christmas, Andy." She sighed as she felt his lips touch her forehead, her heart singing that this was home, and where she was always meant to be.