Christmas Eve (Connors)

Wearing




"Remy!" called one of her coworker. Thomas was the guy that sat at the desk adjacent to hers. She knew that he had a crush on her, and she didn't care. She was taken, told him so, but kept the rest of who, what, when, where a secret to herself. But, he was always on her, and sometimes it was a bit sufforcating. "You look heavenly."

Remy gave a slight blush. "Thank you, Tom." she said as she put her cookie platter and peppermint brownie platter on the table with everyone else's. And put her secret Santa present under the tree. Plus one secretly for Amanda who she knew was here.

"Oh, the guacamole." she smiled knowing exactly who made it. Her teal eyes searched the room and she found him chatting with other people from the precinct. She doubted he had seen her yet, and tonight was going to be the true test of if they were going to be able to pull this off.

To pretend not to be together. It was Christmas eve and the MHD Christmas party was in full swing. Soft Christmas music played from a radio in the corner and there was a guy dressed up like Santa. He was from one of the other divisions of the BPD. She wasn't planning to sit on his lap, last year he had felt her ass and it had creeped her out for a while. She was all ready having a hard time with all the perfume and cologne that everyone was wearing because it was such a big party.

Her hair was down. Curled. Part of it was pulled back in a lovely silver clip. She had a beautiful red dress, silver shoes, and silver accessories. She hoped to be making a statement and she hoped that Jack Connors was having a hard time behaving himself. She put a bit of the Guacamole on her plate with some of the chips that had been provided and she crossed over the room to find herself a place gainst the wall where she could enjoy her tasty food and be on display for a certain man. Her hair had been curled. So the ringletts bounced softly and swayed as she moved.

"Amelia!" cried a happy voice, as a Christmas dress wearing Amanda spotted her

"Hey kiddo. Long time no see. How are the dolls in your father's office?" she asked.

"Lonely. We could go play if we get bored." she offered.

Amelia laughed. "Well, I'll keep that in mind. You look like a princess!" she smiled warmly.

Conners saw Amelia come in, and nearly choked on his drink when he saw her in the very red dress. She looked amazing. Then again, that was probably the idea. Amelia had been ranting and raving about how amazing she was going to look at the party and she had lived up to her talk. It was going to be difficult to not just hide her in some closet and hold her for a while in that. Then again...this was the test. Tonight they worked to make sure no one could know that they were dating.

Here it goes.

Jack, you really need to find someone to help you with Amanda. When are you going to settle down?

Jack was speaking with the Deputy Chief Brislin and his wife, Evalin. Evalin was easily twenty-five years his senior, and kept trying to set him up. Her selections were not...suitable.

Evalin, Amanda and I are fine, if someone crosses our paths that fits, then we will know and it will happen. I look and I'm realistic. Not a lot of women want to have a single dad, a police officer no less, for a husband.

One woman did, and Jack carefully watched her as she gathered some food, including his guacamole, and found a place to sit before being set upon by his child.

Evalin, I swear leave the man alone. Jack, you should find the person who makes this guacamole dip, marry them. Its better than the chunky dips I deal with all the time. The Chief chuckled as he got a slap on the shoulder from his wife.

I'll get my best detective on it right away, Turning to face her, he winked quickly and slightly raised his voice. Remington! Front and center!

When Amelia came over, Amanda followed without even asking, joining the circle. Jack turned to face his amazing looking woman, trying so hard not to embrace her.

Detective Remington, I know this is off hours, but the Chief would like you to investigate who made the fantastic guacamole dip. I expect results by the end of the party. Also, you look amazing and that dress is completely not fair. The last part was spoken softly that only she could hear...Jack was getting far better at giving her secret messages.

This could be a fun party after all.

Amelia heard her name, and her head came up and she looked right over at Jack who had called her by her last name. They were playing professional. She got up and walked over with her plate in her hand. Her teal eyes took in the man and woman that he was talking to. Remy had a good reputation and she had met the Deputy Chief often enough because of her work with various cases.

DC Brislin, Evalin, hello again, nice to see you once more. she said with a warm smile.

Her attention was back on Jack when he told her that they wanted her to figure out who had made the guacamole and he wanted an answer by the end of the party. Her brow rose, as she slowly took a chip and dipped it into the sauce and savored the taste of the flavors. The different herbs, and so forth.

Well that someone must live close to the Farmers Market because the herbs and seasonings are fresh and not the ones you find in the canisters. So.. that will narrow our suspects down quite a lot.

Amazing! Evalin exclaimed and Amelia smiled.

Which was good because she blushed at what Jack said about her dress. She hadn't really expected for him to use her super hearing to relay messages all night and now she had a feeling that this was going to be a harder party than she thought for her. Depending on what he was going to do with his little idea.

I'll see what I can dig up Captain. Thank you, for putting me on the case.

She gave a smile over at him, and turned giving him a quick wink as she headed off into the crowd. She put her plate down, and found her hand quickly taken. Looking up she found that Thomas had come up and probably had been shadowing her since she got away from the Captain. Everyone knew that inner office dating wasn't allowed, but, Thomas wasn't the smartest boy in the world.

Would you do me the honor of a dance?

She looked at the other people, no one was dancing, and the last person she wanted to be in the arms of was Thomas.

No, she doesn't. Leave her be, come on Rems.

She turned to see Damon. She smiled and he had that boyish charm with those sexy silver eyes. He took her waist and led her away from Jack and to the side where they leaned against the wall and got lost in a conversation. Damon lived relatively close to her and they had met when his old beater broke down and she had given him a ride home one day. Ever since then, they had not exactly been friends, but they talked, traded stupidly funny emails, and waved at each other when they saw one another.

After Amelia accepted the task, it made Jack think about whether or not she was going to let the metaphorical cat out of the bag. Once she departed from the circle, Jack excused himself and beckoned Amanda to follow. She did so, her reddish-orange dress swishing behind her.

What's up daddy?

Jack picked her up and had her stand on a chair, so they were face to face. They got more looks from spouses than from the actual policemen and women. The guys and gals on the force knew that was how Amanda and Jack conferenced.

You having fun pumpkin? The little girl nodded, giving him a big hug around the neck. Thank you for letting me come Dad.

Jack hugged her back, picking her up in the process. She was getting heavy, being nearly eight and all, but Jack could still pick her up, making her squeal and giggle with delight. You are just as much a part of this Division as anyone else. That earned him another hug from his daughter, and he squeezed her tight.

If you get bored, you know your dollhouse is in my office. I know Amelia will play with you. She nodded and whispered in his ear. Maybe when she's not hanging out with Officer Damon. He's kind of dreamy.

Jack gave her a look before letting her scamper off to have fun at the party. Walking over to the refreshment table, he kept his eyes on the pair. They were leaning against the wall and chatting away. That moment, Jack suddenly noticed he had taken way too much food.

Am....am I jealous right now? Then again, who am I fooling? A pretty girl like that...dating an old father like me. Hell, even my daughter thinks Damon is dreamy.

Strolling in to his office for a bit, he changed some of the rosters, moving Damon to graveyard for the next month. That should show him.Apparently, jealousy wasn't a good look on Jack.

No date, on Christmas Eve?

Remy shrugged, as she tucked some of her curls behind her ears. Keeping an ear peeled incase Jack needed to talk to her or anything. Because he would know how to get to her from completely across the room. Shame it didn't go both ways.

Nope. Well, I have a guy. But he couldn't come tonight.

Damon's brow rose. Working on Christmas Eve.

Nah, he has a Christmas party too. she laughed.

Huh, I still would have come with you. You're much too beautiful to be let out on your own without an escort.

Amelia blushed and looked away. Damon was nice, and he WAS hot, but she didn't like him as a date. She wanted him as a friend. But Amelia had always been the kind of girl that got along better with guys than girls. Less drama. And Amelia just didn't have time for all that drama. Nor the desire to mess with it.

Well it's not that bad, because I'm here with you and all the rest of my friends. she smiled warmly trying to put him back in the 'friend' place.

We could get out of here. Better ways to celebrate the holidays.

She chuckled. I actually like corny Christmas parties. she said with a smile as she pulled herself up off the wall. I'm going to go get some more snacks.

He watched her go with hungry eyes that she didn't notice as she picked up more guacamole. It was nearly gone and though she knew the chef it was still the yummiest thing here. She picked up some cookies and saw Amanda disappear into her father's office. Heading that way, she knocked on the doorway.

Hey kiddo, need a partner?

Amanda looked up and smiled brightly. Yeah! You aren't too busy with
Damon?

Amelia laughed. Heck no. Just talking to him, since I can't talk to you know who. she smiled as she entered the office and sat down in a ladylike way beside Amanda on the floor by the dollhouse.

He's dreamy though.

You are tooooo young to think someone is dreamy young lady! they both giggled. Here, have a cookie. What do you think of the party?

It's awesome! Only. I wish there were more kids here.

She smiled. Well I can pretend to be a kid. So lets play dollies! she said the last part with too much enthusasm earning a strange look from Amanda as they began to dole out the dollies and open the house getting it all set up the way they wanted it.

Casually, quietly, Jack walked around the party, making conversation with the numerous people who had showed up the MHD's Christmas party. Technically it was their first, since the Division had been formally set up only a couple of months ago, but everyone here had been with Jack for far longer...striving for this goal. The party was a great place for him to meet the people behind his men. Wives, children, and other members he didn't see on the later shifts.

Some of the men who were working on patrol stopped in and Jack made sure to stop and chat with them. Shaking their hands, Jack made sure to thank them for putting their city first tonight.

Tyrell, Johnson, Jack spoke to each man as their hands met and shook. Thank you both for coming, and for working this shift on such a day. You guys are awesome, feel free to grab some food and chat for a bit.

The two on duty patrolmen left for the food table, while Jack joined a small circle of people that were chatting about various things. He had to be seen as a visible, social force tonight. After all, he was the boss. instead, he generally ignored the people around him and watched Amelia and Officer Damon.

I should just kick him from the Division. Find some trumped up charge of misconduct. He saw the look Damon gave Amelia as she walked away, making him bristle on the inside...including his decisions. Nope...Damon's gonna get his ass kicked.

Seeing Amelia walk in to his office, Jack casually made his way towards his office. Ducking his head in, he saw Amanda and Amelia playing with his daughter's dolls. Just the view made Jack smile.

You know, right before I met this amazing woman...this exact thing was going on. Everything ok Amanda?

The little girl nodded and smiled. Amelia is playing dollies with me Dad! She's the mommy.

I know she is hun. He winked at Amelia and muffled under his breath. I miss you already.

Amelia looked up as the door to the office opened and she saw Jack peek in. She offered him a smile as he said he had met this amazing woman in the same position that Amelia was in right now. Causing her smile to grow and she gave him a little wink. Amanda told her that Amelia was being the Mommy and his answer caused her to blush a great deal.

Amelia rose, and she looked past him at the crack in the door which he was blocking. Everyone at the party seemed to be having a good time and none of them seemed to care where they were. She leaned against him and looked up into his eyes with her teal ones.

You sure know what to say to a woman.

She grinned at him and she let him think she was about to kiss him and then she turned away and returned to plyaing with Amanda for a little while and soon Jack had left. Amanda and Amelia played for a while before Amanda was doing more yawning than she was talking and so Amelia picked her up and put her in her Daddy's chair, so that she could rest a little bit since she figured the Cap would have to stay until the party itself was over.

It was all ready some what winding down when she left the office.

So, playing dollies with the Cap's daughter? Trying to schmooze?

Remy turned around to see Damon standing there. No, I just didn't think she should have to be alone, and besides, she's a nice girl.

She's too young to be in a place like this.

Amelia rose her brow. I don't think you really know what is right for the situation, since, no one knows what exactly it is.

I know his wife went nutter. Left. Now he's on the market for aspiring blond girls that wanna sleep their way to the top.

Remy's brows furrowed. How much have you had to drink? why hadn't she smelled it sooner.

Enough to know what kind of girl you are. he grinned coming closer and pinning her a bit in the corner. Her eyes narrowed.

And what kind is that?

The kind that sleeps her way to a better position. He touched a ringlett on her shoulder. Pulling it out and letting it snap back in place. I think, you could practice on me. Eh? There's no one in the copy room, Remy..

He gave that grin that said he thought he was being quite the sexy man right now. But what he was, was being an idiot. As he moved, she moved fast. Heel to the knee, her knee to the groin, and her fist to his chin.

He was down. Groaning in a pile on the floor. The party seemed to stop, and she brushed her hair off her shoulders.

Poor fellow. One too many, you know. she grinned and excused herself to use the bathroom.

Christmas Eve. Everybody had their way of celebrating it. As an orphan, Nikola took up the night shift so that the other officers could go play Santa. He had just gotten off a foot patrol by his old haven. Some of the kids had asked him why he was outside instead of playing games with them, for he still volunteered at the shelter from time to time.

Just making sure the rooftops are all clear for the big arrival. You've been good this year?

The kids would all nod. They wanted Santa to visit, and you didn't dare tell a cop you had been bad. Nikola would just smile and send them back into the orphanage.

It appeared as though Damon had been naughty though. Nikola wasn't sure he wanted to know why the grown man was curled up on the floor. He was known around the House for having a mouth on him. Maybe it came back to bite him in the butt. He certainly smelled like one. Too much eggnog?

"You ok there, Damon?" The man waved him away. "Alrighty then." Nikola hobbled around the cop and spied the Captain and the Chief. "Sirs," he said with a salute. "Merry Christmas."

Before joining the party proper, Nikola stopped in the locker room to hang up his heavy coat. His right leg had also been bothering him during the beat. He probably hadn't wound it up enough. Nikola took the large brass key from around his neck and deftly inserted it through the hole in the pant leg he had made. The key sank into the prosthetic without a hitch. Nikola cranked it up and noticed how much easier it was for him to move the appendage. He gave the mechanism in his right arm the same treatment. After all, it probably needed it as well.

He rejoined the party and saw a little girl dance about. Was that the Captain's daughter? Nikola had never seen her, but she seemed to be of the right age from what his coworkers said about her. Word also was that the mother was out of the picture for whatever reason.

Nikola would give up his prosthetics if it meant being able to know either of his parents. She had no idea just how lucky she was. But he pushed that thought from his mind as he properly reported in to his bosses.

Wearing

Kalinda took in a deep steadying breath, glancing down to the adorable little girl at her side. She'd asked the Orphanage matrons if she could borrow Lita for a night, the girl had spent nearly her entire life in that Orphanage and Kali figured if she had to play dress up then someone who might actually enjoy it should get some fun out of it too. Lita smiled up at her, it was amazing the change that came over the girl once she'd donned the red confection that was the dress she'd picked out. She looked like a miniature princess, complete with small tiara of course. Her confidence seemed to have exploded, as she didn't even want to hold Kali's hand as they entered the crowed room filled with Kalinda's new co workers. She was taking a big step this night, revealing more of herself then she normally did. In her hands she held a large container filled with red velvet brownies, her own recipe and Lita had gladly offered to help lick the bowl clean.

The two of them moved to the snack table to set down the container, Kali pulled the lid off and tucked it underneath. Now came the time she wasn't particularly looking forward to, but most of these people weren't exactly happy with her, she was the enemy after all. Her job was to find their mental weaknesses and fix them and since most of them were male that was proving to be quite the difficult task, but one she was working through one person at a time. Moving to the coat room, Kali removed Lita's small sweater and hung it up, she thought the girl was going to bounce right out of her skin. Then she shrugged out of her own, revealing that the top of her bright purple dress was strapless. Not something she usually wore considering the expanse of dark gold tattoos that laced across her shoulders and down her upper arms. They were wings, each feather different from the others. If they'd been actual tattoos they would have been created in such painstaking detail as to be considered a masterpiece, but no tattoo ink glittered the way they did when she moved. She normally never let them show, always wearing dresses and sweaters with long sleeves to hide them. Even her shoes were a bit strange for her, heels that glittered when she moved, so different when compared to her normal flats.

"I believe the Captain's daughter Amanda is here tonight, she's a bit older then you but I'm sure she'd like to be your friend." For a moment Lita looked as if she were about to withdraw back into herself once more, but then she tried to peer around the people in front of her to see if she could spot this Amanda. Kali smiled and took Lita's hand to lead her through the crowd. Some people greeted her with a smile, others greeted her with words, though she knew the hush that followed in her wake could only be attributed to one thing. Two people of the MHD that she knew of had ever seen her Celestial form, the Captain and one of the officers, Farnsworth, whom she hadn't had a chance to interview yet. Her search for the Captain was cut short by a familiar voice shouting her name. "Kali!Kali!Kali!Kali!" Kalinda barely had a chance to register what was happening before a very excited Amanda launched herself into Kali's arms. She managed to catch the girl in a hug and somehow keep her balance in her unfamiliar shoes.

"Well hello there Amanda, it's so good to see you. I have someone I'd like you to meet." Leaning over to set the girl down, Kali knelt down so she could more easily speak to them both. "Amanda this is Lita, Lita, this is my friend Amanda I was telling you about." Lita's cheeks turned a little red and she took a step towards Kali but didn't reach out to touch her. "Hello" Lita said softly, which made Kali grin seeing as the girl almost never spoke.

You sure know what to say to a woman.

Jack smiled as Amelia leaned in for a brief moment before pulling away and strolling back to play with Amanda. Jack made sure to whisper underneath his breath as he left.

...don't even like you...

After some time, the two ladies left his office and Jack saw Damon approach Amelia with a determined look on his face. It was the face that made Jack want to take Damon out himself, roll up his sleeves and...

...and he grimaced as he saw just how effective Amelia was at fighting in heeled shoes.

Now, what do you make of that, Captain? The Deputy Chief was suddenly by Jack's side, observing Damon's groaning body. Amelia made a comment, but she was too far away to hear, but Jack could only assume it was witty. Whatever it was Chief, I have a feeling Damon's swagger was probably due to no small part of extra egg nog. I'll see that some graveyard reassignments and holiday shifts sober him up.

I didn't even need to be jealous...the man made an ass of himself all by himself!

As the hour rounded shift change, the MHD's resident prosthetic patrolman came in, saluting to the two senior officers. Jack simply waved...this was not a formal function, no need for formalities. Farnsworth was a good cop, albeit a little odd. Then again, relying on the use of wind up legs and arms was a little odd in and of itself.

The room became a spectacle for Amanda as she came bolting across the room, screaming the name of their psychologist, Kalinda. When Kali barely caught the little girl from her running jump, Amanda giggled and hugged Kali tight.

Hi Kali! You're late. You look pretty.

Well hello there Amanda, it's so good to see you. I have someone I'd like you to meet. Amanda this is Lita, Lita, this is my friend Amanda I was telling you about.

Lita turned a bit red, but stifled out a quiet 'Hello' which made Amanda wave in response.

Hi Lita! I have a dollhouse in my dad's office, do you wanna play dolls?

As the little ones made plans, Jack came over and gave Kali a big hug, with a soft kiss on the cheek. Kali, you look stunning. What's the occasion? There a man on your horizon?

Amelia washed her hands. Taking a moment to calm herself down. She looked at her hair and her make up to make sure everything was in place and she exited the bathroom. Heading back to the party, with a sigh. It seemed that while she was gone new people had shown up. She could see Nikola across the room. It was hard to miss him, she hadn't the pleasure of working with him yet, though she knew that she probably would at some point.

Maybe even on the Ripper case.

Her eyes shifted to find Jack and saw him lean in and give Kali a kiss on the cheek. For a moment, she just stopped. Because, she had never really seen Jack show emotion or anything like that to a girl that wasn't her.. or Amanda. But, now he had and she wasn't sure exactly what that meant. If that.. no .. no that wasn't Jack. He wasn't like that. If he had wanted to date Kali then he would have right.

Besides, Kali was currently dating her best friend, Wes.

Kali! I'm so excited to see you here. I was certain that Wes would come too. Must be at the firehouse tonight.

She smiled as she hugged Kali. Wesley and she were dating. At least, they had gone to dinner which for Wesley, meant dating. Becuase, Wes was hot. There was no denying that to anyone, and he and Amelia had grown up together. Just down the streeet from each other. They were the kids that everyone thought would end up together but they never felt that way about each other. Wes was like.. a way cool brother, and not someone she would date. She had almost thought about bringing him here tonight to have fun, buuuut he said he was busy she assumed with his date. But now that Kali was here, it must have been work.

Pulling back from the hug Amelia smiled. It was so hard to be next to Jack.. and not be able to hold his hand or feel his arm around her waist. She wished that he could though. She wished they could dance, and laugh, and experience this party together. But, it was a sure fire way for one or both of them to get fired, and so she stood there, next to but not touching or even tooooo next to him.

I'm so glad you came to the party. I don't ever get to see you Kali and there are so few women that work here. she laughed warmly. Amelia was the kind of girl that could make a friend out of just about anyone. Because, she was just that kind of person. Kind to a fault. Us girls have to stick together. Oh. You mayyy wanna try the guacamole, there might be some left, it's the best, Cap put me on the trail. To figure out who made it.

Her eyes trailed off and she saw Nik. By himself. Well that wasn't okay.

Excuse me. she said to the both of them and then called out. Nik! You're here! I thought you were on shift tonight! How's work?

Nik looked up when he heard his name being called. It was the human microscope, Amelia. "I saved my dinner break for the end of the beat. And then I was going to check to see if anyone else called out," he said. Amanda and Lita dashed by. "It's rather quiet out. No one's going to give Santa a hard time on my watch, though."

The kids piqued up at the mention of the toy bringer. But the dollhouse was apparently much cooler than the guy who chased hoodlums off the street tonight.

"Any goodies left, or should I get my peanut butter sandwich?"

The blonde woman from the mysterious Shifter jumper's apartment was also in attendance. Nik's partner had put something in the report about her being some sort of police psychologist being on the scene. He hoped she wouldn't start shrinking him tonight. His personnel file had a lot of information in the history section that could bench him if the wrong response was given.

"So. Uh. What happened to Damon over there?" he asked with a head bob to the Officer Down. "And do I have to file a police report?"

At the mention of playing dolls, Lita's eyes grew round and a smile crept onto her face. She nodded excitedly and allowed Amanda to lead her off. Kali wasn't too worried about them, Amanda was old enough to understand right from wrong and Lita would search for Kali should anything go wrong. Still, she watched the two of them as they headed for Jack's office, her dark eyes still amazed at the change that had come over Lita...perhaps it would be best if she got out of the orphanage more. It seemed there were many things that kept leading Kalinda right back to the decision she was facing...should she adopt Lita? It was a big step, but the Divine knew she was perhaps a bit late on the having babies of her own thing. Up until she'd met Wes she really hadn't put much stock in settling down with someone.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the Captain himself approaching her to give her greeting, as he hugged her, she returned the gesture, kissing him on his cheek in return. Though the contact was short, his physical connection to her passed on quite a bit of emotions. It seemed Jack was jealous of something, though the feeling was fading as if it had resolved itself, what on earth could Jack be jealous of? There was also quite a bit of pent up feelings, which combined told Kali that Jack was in some serious like with someone, possibly even love. Her dark eyes narrowed at him as she studied him, sorting through the data she'd gleaned from him. Jack hadn't mentioned that he was seeing someone during their last conversation, course they'd mostly been talking about Amanda.

Again her thoughts were interrupted by a greeting, this time from Remy. She hadn't a chance to truly get to know Remy, though she'd always been nice to Kali even though most others wished she wasn't here. When Remy hugged her, she got a rush of emotions from her as well, emotions that matched just a bit too closely to Jack's. Her eyes darted between the two for a few moments. Longing, that was what she felt most from Amelia, though there was a light tinge of jealousy and frustration. Oh yes, they matched perfectly, too perfectly to be a coincidence. "It's a pleasure to see you both as well, truth be told I almost didn't come, it's no secret most of the department wishes I wasn't here ever, I was afraid I'd bring down the mood of everyone trying to have a good time." She knew that interoffice relations weren't exactly permitted, and she understood why the two of them might feel so frustrated.

She hadn't been present for Amelia's show of female prowess, so when Nikola asked about Damon, she turned her gaze to the man. He was the type that made her presence a necessity, he bottled things up, took things too seriously or not seriously enough at the wrong times. He was the reason she had a job at all. "Nikola, I do believe this night was for fun, paper work should fall into the category of cursing at this point." She stated, giving him a soft smile.

Watching as the two young girls rushed towards his office, Jack simply chuckled. It seemed Amanda was getting her wish of having a friend at the party. Most people who attended found babysitters and didn't bring their children. It was too bad, since it usually left Amanda without anyone to play with, hence her ability to communicate and manipulate adults in to playing with her.

Jack looked over to Nik Farnsworth, raising his eyebrow as the officer made a comment about making a police report. Trying not to laugh about the man's thoughts, Kali put it in to words.

Nikola, I do believe this night was for fun, paper work should fall into the category of cursing at this point.

Nodding, Jack softly patted the man on the back. Stand down Officer Farnsworth. Damon got what was coming to him, and we can leave it at that.

Kalinda had mentioned her decision to potentially not come, and Jack was shocked. Granted, she did have a legitimate point that she made people worried about her particular function. Eventually, the unit would see her as an asset, not an enemy. Unfortunately those things took time and police were the more stubborn of the base public servants.

Well, I know I'm glad you came with your friend no less. Now tell me, she yours and you been holding out on me for playdates? Chuckling, he led the group towards the refreshment tables and away from the doorway.

Can I get you something to drink Kali?

Amelia was a little put off.. for the fact that Kalinda didn't even really say anything about Wesley. She was certain that Wes would have told her if it was a secret, so she figured that it was an open and public thing. But, when she didn't deign her comment with a response, Amelia wondered if she was wrong. Her fingers itched to text him, but, she would wait and talk to him about it later, she didn't want to step on the toes of his very new relationship. So, she figured she needed to double check on the boundaries.

You're always welcome Kali. Not everyone is a judgemental jerk here, just most of them. she winked at the woman and offered her a kind smile. Remy was the kind of woman that always loved having friends and making new ones. She was nice to a fault and sometimes, too nice.

She called out to Nik who came over and she listened to him talk as Amanda and another little girl ran off towards the office. Good, now Amanda had someone to play with. Remy didn't mind playing with the girl at all, she often did it, but having another child would be even better.

Nik started questioning about Damon and Amelia could only smile as the two told him that he needed to relax and stand down. This was a party, not a place to worry about that. He'd just spiked his eggnog a bit too hard and ended up getting stupid. She figured he would be appologizing to her come the day after Christmas when she came back to work. Since she luckily got Christmas day off several weeks ago. Most of the time she would volunteer to work; having no one really to spend the holiday with. But for a change, this year, she did.

Her car was filled with presents for a certain man.. and his sweet daughter.

"Come on Nik, there's plenty of food left." she hooked her arm with his and walked them both towards the tasty table. There was a plethora of food everywhere. A great deal of it was cut in the shape of a Christmas theme, like the sandwiches were all tiny Christmas trees, or were christmas themed. Like, the holly berry punch, or the miseltoe muffins, though.. they didn't actually have miseltoe in them.

"So how is life Nik. You're always out of the office, I never get to see you. So, we should catch up. I heard about your strange.. bird shifter case. That had to be interesting. Did he get tagged for property damage?" she asked curiously as she refilled her punch cup with the plastic ladel and let him pick out what food he wanted to eat.

There were a couple jabs at Nik's comment. "Oh, it's not for the Captain." He hooked a metal thumb to the sky and smiled. "For the Naughty List. Although I suppose he already got his lumps this year." The oddball was allowed to have a sense of humor.

"Come on Nik, there's plenty of food left." Amelia hooked her arm with his and walked them both towards the tasty table. Nikola snatched up a gingerbread man in a police uniform.

"So how is life Nik. You're always out of the office, I never get to see you. So, we should catch up. I heard about your strange.. bird shifter case. That had to be interesting. Did he get tagged for property damage?" she asked as she refilled her punch cup.

"Wake up, wind up, cuff up," Nik said with a smirk. "I've been working on a few crowd suppression gizmos too. They still need some work. That was an odd case alright. It looks like a case of someone showing off. Maybe I should work on a jet pack next. Anyway, I was able to get a description of the unsub from one of the tenants. We'll see if the composite turns up any hits.

Of course, all a Shifter has to do is just wait for the heat to blow over. I'm still giving him shiny bracelets for Christmas if he pops in. The apartment complex shouldn't have to pay for his carelessness."

{Oooh, cheese sticks.}

Nikola raided the appetizer stand. "Much better than peanut butter." He turned to Amelia. "How about you? Anyone get past your Forensenses?"

Jack's mention of Damon getting what was coming to him had Kalinda arching a brow, though she didn't ask what it was that he was talking about. It didn't honestly seemed like that big a deal, and it appeared that the situation was now under control and there was no reason for her to worry about it. She did glance at the door to Jack's office, a tad worried about Lita being out of her sight even though Amanda was with her. It wasn't often anyone wanted to play with dolls with Lita, mostly because she didn't have any, not after the fire that burnt down the orphanage.

As Jack changed the subject, Kalinda brought her attention back to him, as he made the normal human motions for the group to move towards the table, she would follow along. "No, Lita isn't mine, though the thought of changing that has crossed my mind frequently over the past few months. I've been seriously considering the idea of adopting her, she lives at an orphanage where I volunteer a lot of my time and she's just sort of...bonded to me. It's a serious step though, and I'm trying to make sure I'm ready for it before I just jump in." Typical Kali. At the mention of a drink she would smile and nod her head, a drink was exactly what she needed to ease off some of her nervousness, she could still feel the stares over her tattoos, she was sure no one but Jack had known she even possessed them.

Remy's words caused Kali to smile even brighter, she was becoming fond of the young woman who seemed hell bent on befriending the world, though the world had felt a tad too small when she'd found out that Remy also happened to be Wes' best friend. She wasn't sure if that was going to be a good thing or a bad thing, Remy could potentially single handedly ruin everything if she decided that Kalinda wasn't good enough for Wes. When she overheard Remy asking Nik about the bird shifter case, Kali all but froze. That had been the first time she'd met Nikola, and he knew about her celestial secret, a secret she wasn't yet ready to share with Wes, a secret he should hear from Kali and not as second hand knowledge from Remy. Thankfully Nikola didn't mention her at all and she let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

Truth was, this was Kali's first attempt at a real relationship, and she had next to no clue what the hell she was doing. She'd had relationships before, well, more aptly, she'd tried to have them before but Aurora always managed to get in the way somehow. Also, it'd been while she was in college and youth tended to add a bit of finality to relationships. As she moved up next to Remy, she reached out and picked up one of the small appetizers that sat on the table. "Sorry I didn't answer your question earlier Remy, I've been a tad preoccupied of late. Wes couldn't make it tonight, I asked him but he said he had to work, though he did mention that you had asked him as well. Perhaps we should do dinner some time, I'd love to get to know you better." Kalinda offered her, hoping that she hadn't insulted the woman.