This was supposed to be up on Christmas, but an hour late isn't bad, right?

Obviously not in the same universe as my post – series saga, but who cares. Title is just a reference to the last scene of Dominoes.

This Christmas was going to be better than last year's.

Their get together hadn't even started yet, but Paige knew it would put the previous year's to shame. Of course, that wasn't difficult.

Two teams, Toby and Paige at odds over how to handle Walter's wish to see Ralph, Florence almost leaving the country in an attempt to stop feeling guilty over her role in the fracture. Paige thought that as crazy as her time since leaving Waitressing had been, her being the one to run to the airport to beg the chemist not to leave was probably the strangest plot twist of her life. Of course, that had been the first step toward what would eventually be a reunion, of both professionals and romances, with her and Walter reuniting as a couple just shy of one year to the day of when she'd discovered the song he wrote for her and declared it the best Valentine's Day ever. Sure, one year ago things were about to be set in motion. But even a thing in motion took time to get up to the terminal velocity required to fix the mess they'd all found themselves in in 2018.

Last Christmas had been miserable. It had been the holiday themed love child of the Iroquois Theatre fire and Chernobyl.

Now, ten months after that Valentine's Day, for the first Christmas back as a united team, Paige found herself lacking the obsessive desire to make everything perfect. One thing she'd learned, both during her separation from Walter and since they'd been back together, was that perfect was a word too complicated to use as a standard.

She studied herself in the mirror. It was chillier than normal, for California in December, but she loved her dress, stylish but festive enough, and she didn't want to give up the vision she'd created for the slight improvement in comfort that she'd experience walking to and from the car in pants.

She laughed when she saw, through the mirror, Walter step into the threshold and rap on the door. "You're allowed in here, you know."

"You were dressing. I was being respectful."

She smiled, crossing the room and putting her hands on his shoulders. "Does this dress make you want to take it off me while also not giving you a feeling of horror that Ralph and Cabe are going to see me in it?"

Walter gave a laugh. "I'm not sure what that means and thinking about it makes me a little uncomfortable."

She grinned and pulled him into a hug. His arms were pinned at his sides, and he attempted to hug her back anyway, bending at the elbows to tuck his hands against the small of her back. "Why are you wearing all these clothes?"

"…you want me to take the dress off you now?"

She smirked, looking up at him. "No, I mean it isn't that cold out there and you're wearing a coat that goes down to your knees."

"I like being comfortable."

She toyed with his scarf. Why are you wearing a scarf? "Well, see, now I'm thinking I do want you to take this dress off me now, but it would take forever to take all this crap off of you and we've only got…minutes before Ralph will get annoyed waiting in the car."

She'd been joking, sort of, but Walter's eyes flickered over to the door, and then he looked back at her with raised eyebrows. "I mean…"

"Walter, seriously, we've got max five."

"We'll have less if we keep staring at each other like neither wants to actually come out and suggest it," Walter said, pulling away from her and pushing the bedroom door shut. "You wearing pantyhose?"

"Nope."

"Perfect. I mean, we probably don't have time to undress, but…"

Paige kissed him. He pushed her backward, and when her legs hit the bed she dropped on her own, scooting to the center. Then his mouth was on hers, a hand sliding up under her dress while hers worked at his zipper.

"Sorry we're late," Ralph said as the trio walked into the garage. "Mom and Walter had to see about a thing."

"See about a thing?" Happy asked.

"That's what they told me."

"What does that even mean?"

"I'd rather not talk about it. I'm trying to pretend I don't know," Ralph said, wrinkling his nose.

"Happy! How are you feeling?" Paige asked loudly.

"Like a barrel," she said. "But good news, with only eight hours left of Christmas, this baby will likely not have to share a birthday with the only holiday where gift giving is the norm."

"She's still going to be cursed if she's born in December," Ralph said. "They just lump it right in. How many years can you guys remember my birthday? None. But we can remember every Christmas we've ever had."

"Ralph, I'm sure if you were on purpose your mom would not have had you so close to Christmas," Walter said.

Paige gave him an incredulous look. "Really?"

"I didn't mean it like that."

"Where's the overly cheery elves?" Ralph asked.

"Still next door." Cabe gestured, as if there was another 'next door' in the running as a possibility.

"I'm glad they became such good friends," Walter said. "Even I could tell that had the potential to just stay really bad."

Happy frowned.

"You okay?" Toby said, jumping from his desk to his wife's side.

She looked at him oddly. "Yes."

"What was that face for?"

The door opened. "Check it out!" Florence said, bounding in and spinning, gesturing toward the man behind her like he was the Wheel of Fortune board.

"Oh my God, it's Sylvester!" Cabe said, clearly not understanding what Florence wanted them to look at.

"No, no," she said. "His sweater."

Sylvester smiled, and spread his arms, so everyone could see.

"Fa times la to the eighth power?" Paige cocked her head. "Oh. Ha, that's good."

"It was my present," Sylvester said. "Math and sweaters. What could be better?"

"I thought we were exchanging gifts here," Walter said.

"We were, but he was helping me clean, and I thought he could wear it over," Florence said. "Not a perfect comparison since you're dating, but you mean to tell me you've been with Paige all day and you haven't given her anything?"

Paige, who had raised a mug to her lips, bent at the waist, coughing and putting a hand to her mouth.

"Bye," Ralph said, high – tailing it out of the room.

"A new Bunsen burner!" Florence said with delight, holding her gift out at arm's length to admire it. "I'd say 'how did you know' but I've been complaining about my old one for, oh gosh, a month now?"

"Three months and four days," Walter said.

"Three months and five days," Sylvester said. "She mentioned it to me the day before her meltdown in the garage."

"It was not a meltdown," Florence said. "It was a healthy expression of frustration."

"Mellllltdowwwwn," Toby teased.

"Thank you, Sylvester," Florence said, smiling. "This is really great."

"Well, this gift is a bit awkward," Paige said, sliding a flat box toward Happy. "But in my defense, you're a week overdue."

Happy undid the wrapping paper carefully, sliding the box out and popping it open. She laughed. "Well…"

"What is it?" Cabe asked.

Happy and Toby pulled the items out – a onesie, and tiny pajamas, all with Baby's First Christmas 2019 across the front – and displayed them for the others. Paige comically put her head in her hands as laughter rang out.

"Hey, we can make this work," Sylvester said, getting up and going over to Paige's desk. Pulling out some safety pins, he returned to the table and stuck them through the items. Happy, grinning, took them from him and attached them to her clothing, so they draped over her belly. "There we go!"

"Perfect," Toby said.

"Crisis averted," added Cabe, with a twinkle in his eye.

"First Christmas in a couple years that's felt like Christmas," Toby said, putting his arm around Happy. "No one's in danger, everyone's speaking…the bar was low, but man I think we cleared the crap out of it."

"It's been a good year, overall," Cabe said.

"Agreed," Ralph said, he walked over to Walter and wrapped his arms around the older man's arm, near the elbow. "I got my dad back."

"I got a best friend," Sylvester said, smiling at Florence.

"And I got sperm that work!" Toby said triumphantly, side – hugging Happy.

The mechanic rolled her eyes, but couldn't hide the smirk coming over her face.

"This thing really is fantastic," Florence said. "You know, they thought they'd perfected this type of equipment decades ago, but it just keeps…" she gestured to the burner, a grin on her face. "I can't wait to actually properly use it."

"Well, you know what they say, every woman needs a little black Bunsen burner."

Happy, nearby, rolled her eyes. Some of the others – Walter, Ralph, and Cabe – were up on the roof. Paige and Toby were working on dessert. She was sitting with her feet up because she was not going to go into labor on Christmas.

"I think the saying is, what's that song? My anaconda don't want none unless you got…" she picked up the burner. "Bunsen?"

"Dear God," Happy said under her breath as Florence and Sylvester laughed.

"I need a glass of water," Sylvester said. "You want one? Happy?"

"I'm good," Florence said.

"I'll take a glass. Tepid, please," Happy said.

"Yeah. No problem. And I'll also see where Paige and Toby are on that cake."

"You guys are flirting a disgusting amount," Happy said to Florence once Sylvester was out of earshot.

Florence frowned. "No we aren't."

"Sure, you're not."

"We're not. There may have been a time when…well, you know, you were there, he liked me liked me, then we didn't talk for months, blah blah blah but we've really become friends now. Good ones."

"I may be a genius, Flo, but I'm not stupid," the mechanic said. "You guys have been going on playing this perfect friendship thing for months now, but you're only fooling yourselves." She shifted her weight. "Nothing wrong with friendship. But you're both crushing hard and you've both managed to get so deep in denial about it you'll end up buried in the Valley of the Kings." She waited for Florence's response. "No? Denial? Da Nile? Get it?"

"I get it, Toby," Florence said pointedly.

"You love puns when Sylvester makes them," Happy said. "Or you, with that awful Bunsen burner joke."

"That was a good Bunsen burner joke," Sylvester said, walking back with the water.

"Exactly, thank you," Florence said. "Shut up," she added, turning in Happy's direction, when the mechanic raised her eyebrows knowingly.

"Shame Allie couldn't make it," Ralph said to Cabe as they descended the stairs. "I feel like we haven't seen much of her for a while."

"I haven't seen as much of her as I'd like to," Cabe said, "least not recently. But duty called for her today. She's off tomorrow. Providing we don't get a case, she and I will celebrate then."

"Cake in ten," Toby called.

"You hear that, kiddo?" Cabe rubbed his hands together. "Ten minutes to the good stuff."

"Hey Walt?" Paige came back into the common area, holding out her keys. "Can you go to the car and get my flats?"

"Ah, look who wishes she'd worn more layers now," Walter said, a playful glint in his eye as he took the keys and headed for the door.

"Hey, Paige?"

"Hmmm?" She turned to see Florence standing there, wringing her hands. "Something the matter?"

"No. I just, uh…" she licked her lips. "One year ago right now I was checking in online for my flight. I wouldn't have come back. And I uh…I'm really happy now. Here. With all of you guys. And I just wanted to thank you again for coming and stopping me."

"Thank you for believing that I really wanted you to stay," she said. "And not just because by that point I knew you weren't coming after Walter," she added with a laugh. "This place wouldn't be the same without you, Florence."

"My life would certainly be a lot worse without everyone here," she said. "And I'd say more but I'm not great with words, so I hope you'll allow me to leave it at that."

"Of course." Paige smiled.

Florence bit her lip again, her jaw stiff, as if she was deep in thought, considering something. Then she tugged at the bottom of her sweater, straightening it, and walked partway across the room, stopping in a specific spot. "Hey, Sylvester?"

He was standing with Ralph at the chalkboard, adding to a half completed diagram. "Yeah?"

"Could you, uh…" She gestured toward her.

"What's up?"

"Come over here," she said, gesturing with her finger, curling it toward her.

Sylvester smiled, circled the desk and approached her, stopping a few feet away. "Whaaaat's up, Florence?"

"No, no, here." She gestured to the space in front of her, taking a step back.

Sylvester stepped forward.

"No." She looked frustrated. "You have to stand…" she stepped forward and tapped a spot on the ground with her foot before backing away again. "You have to stand here, or I'll lose my nerve."

He frowned, but stepped forward, right to the spot she'd indicated. He had an odd look on his face, one that wanted to know what she was talking about but one that also considered her behavior just…amusing.

Florence appeared flustered. But then she eyed where his feet rested, lifted her gaze to over his head, and then smiled. She took the step that separated them, rose on her tip toes, and grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him down so her lips could reach his.

Paige let out a delighted cry, clapping her hands together.

Happy mumbled something. Toby, the only one who could hear, smirked.

Sylvester looked surprised, staring down at her when they broke apart. "You…"

"I what?" Florence was beat red. Paige practically bounced over to Walter as he re – entered the garage, grinning broadly.

"I thought we…"

"So did I. But I think I, um, as the kids say, might like you like you."

"Yeah?" He was smiling.

A small smile came over her face, too. "Yeah. Is that okay?"

"That depends."

"On…what?"

Sylvester reached out, putting his hands on her shoulders, and stepped forward, backing her up a few steps. "Do you still want to kiss me when we aren't under mistletoe?"

"Say yes, say yes, say yes," Paige was whispering, still bouncing in place as she stood next to Walter.

Florence smiled again. "I do."

Sylvester leaned down. This time, Florence put her hands on the side of his face.

"Don't worry," Ralph said, sidling up to Cabe. "I know Allie works on New Year's Eve, but I'm single, so we can just clink our mugs like bros when everyone else is doing this crap at midnight."