"You really messed up, dude," Chris said, shaking his head at his friend from across the table.

Color rose to Joey's cheeks and he swallowed rapidly a few times. "Yeah, man, tell me something I don't know. Like how to fix it maybe?"

The December air was slightly cooler than normal for Los Angeles, but it was still a seasonable sixty-eight degrees. They sat at a small table on the patio of the pub, away from the noise of the pool tables and rowdier patrons.

"Mel still giving you the silent treatment?"

Joey stared down at the table in front of him, tapping his fingers with increasing intensity. In the week and half since he'd made the announcement to his wife, conversations between them were few and far between. It wasn't that she wasn't talking to him at all, but she certainly chose her words carefully and only communicated with him verbally when it was absolutely necessary. The worst part was the way she mostly avoided looking directly at him, choosing to talk to him when she was in the midst of something else. And although she hadn't gone so far as to kick him out of their bed, she made it abundantly clear that he needed to stay on his side. It was maybe dramatic, but thoughts of the decades long Cold War between the Eastern and Western Blocs kept coming to his mind.

"She's talking to me," he mumbled, head down. "Sort of."

Chris snickered and smirked at his friend before taking a swig of his beer. "What does that even mean?"

Joey tossed his own beer back and then slammed it down on the table. "I fucked up, Chris. Big time. And I'm afraid...I'm afraid we're not going to just bounce back from this one. She's really, really angry."

"What were you thinking? I mean I get that you thought she would just come with you, but why didn't you just ask her first? There are these great inventions called cell phones, man? You can get in touch with people from literally anywhere."

Joey's eyes narrowed and he chucked a balled up napkin across the table at his friend. "Instead of busting my balls, how ‘bout you make yourself useful and help me come up with some way to make it right. I'm fresh out of ideas."

Chris looked thoughtfully over his friend's shoulder, almost as if he would find the answer in the atmosphere of the restaurant. "What'd they say when you asked about getting out of it?" His warm brown eyes focused back on Joey.

Joey was busy shredding another napkin into tiny pieces on the table. He shrugged. "The network is sympathetic, but the simple fact is, they've already got all of this promotion behind it, you know? The whole angle of Joey from *NSYNC coming home to host the Disney Christmas parade. It's a big deal, I guess." He let out a breath before looking up at Chris, a sly smile on his face. "Unless I can get another member of *NSYNC to cover for me..."

Chris crossed his arms over his chest and stared at Joey defiantly. "I guess you  better call up Justin, JC or Lance because there's no way I'm putting my ass on the line with Alicia for you, dude. Sorry."

Joey smiled slightly. "Yeah, I know."

Chris straightened in his seat suddenly. "Seriously, have you asked the other guys?"

Joey snorted. "No way, man. Christmas is like two weeks away. They all have plans and those plans don't involve hosting a parade at Disney."

"Joey, dude, you should at least ask. Maybe not Justin...but definitely JC or Lance. I mean all they can do is say no. And if one of them says yes, well the network would still have their former *NSYNC member for all the promotion."

Joey shook his head once, emphatically. "No way, man. This is my mistake and I'm..." He blew out an exasperated breath. "I'm gonna have to figure this out." He looked down at the watch on his wrist. "Melissa's gonna be home soon. I gotta go." He stood and, after pulling his wallet from his pocket, pulled out some bills and tossed them on the table.

"I think you should try at least," Chris said, eyeing his friend seriously.

Joey smiled again. "I'll talk to you later, man. Thanks."

***

Joey closed his laptop and pushed up from the desk in his study, the phone cradled between his ear and shoulder. He heard the sound of the front door opening and closing.

"She's home," he said into the phone. "Um, you take care of that last thing and I'll call you later." He ended the call and, with a smile, tossed the phone to the desk.

He followed Melissa's footsteps as they clicked and clacked from the foyer, down the hall and into the kitchen. He stood in the doorway, casually leaning against the archway, and watched her with a slight smile on his face.

After washing her hands, she turned toward the refrigerator and jumped, completely startled by his presence there.

"You scared the crap out of me!" she yelled, placing a hand over her heart.

Joey coughed into his hand trying to cover his laughter. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I wasn't trying to scare you."

She narrowed her eyes and and swatted at him as she continued on to the fridge. "Not funny, Joey," she mumbled under her breath.

He walked all the way into the kitchen and stood next to the refrigerator while she rummaged inside. "I'm sorry, Mel." He was quiet, his voice barely above a whisper. "For messing Christmas up."

She paused, a pitcher of iced tea in her hand, and looked up at him. With a small shake of her head, she walked over to the island and placed the container there. "I know," she said, her voice nearly as quiet as his. "And I'm not even angry anymore, not really."

Joey snorted and shoved his hands in his pockets. "You could've fooled me."

"I'm disappointed, Joey." She looked at him, lips pursed. "I just...I had this perfect Christmas all planned out in my head and now..." She shrugged and played with the top of the pitcher. "Christmas won't look like what I wanted it to look like. And that's just really disappointing."

Joey approached his wife and placed a tentative hand on her waist. When she didn't rebuff his advance, he pulled her closer. With one hand, he tilted her chin back, hating to see the tears that had formed in the her eyes. "Baby, I'm going to make this up to you, OK? You just have to trust me." He pulled her into a hug, resting his chin on the top of her head.

She nodded into his chest. "You'd better, Joey. You had definitely better."

He smiled against her hair. "Does that mean you're talking to me again?"

"Maybe," she muttered.

They were silent, comfortably so, for a little while. Joey's arms wrapped around his wife, her molded to him perfectly. He cleared his throat after a couple of minutes.

"I'm gonna miss you." His voice was low and sincere. It was true; in their five years of marriage, and more than eight years together, they had spent every major holiday--and most of the minor ones--together. Christmas was only a week away and the thought of being away from her nauseated him.

"Hey." He reached down and lifted her face to his again. After gingerly removing her glasses and placing them on the countertop behind them, he brushed at the tears on her cheek. "I love you." He traced her lips gently before leaning down and replacing his fingers with his lips. When he pulled away from the kiss she was smiling at him, eyes shining happily. "I promise I'm going to make it up to you."

She reached up and pulled his head back down to hers. "I love you, too, you big dork," she muttered, kissing him again.

***

Melissa propped herself up on one arm and watched as Joey tossed the last of his things in his suitcase.

Joey caught her eye and smiled. "What time do you have to be at work?"

She pulled the sheet up around her more and rolled to her back. "Around noon. Gus and Lucy are handling everything until then."

"Hmm." He nodded slightly, pulling the zipper of his suitcase closed. "Alicia told me you canceled on dinner tonight."

"Traitor." Melissa scowled. "I told her to keep her mouth shut."

"Yeah, well..." Joey came and sat on the edge of the bed nearest her. He brushed a few strands of hair out of her face and placed a tender kiss on her lips. "Don't stay home and sulk, OK, baby? It sucks, I know. But being with Chris and Alicia will distract you a little bit."

A horn honked outside. She groaned and he kissed her forehead. "That's the car. I'll call as soon as I land. I love you, Mel." Joey stood up and grabbed his bag, as she still lay in the bed, a frown on her face.

"I love you, too, baby," she murmured.

With a grin and a quick wave, Joey was out of the room. Melissa turned over and covered her head with a pillow.

***

"Mel, why don't you head home? We can handle the rest of this." Gus rinsed his hands off at the sink and dried them on the dish towel hanging over one shoulder. "Don't you have dinner with your friends tonight?"

She continued to drag the broom across the floor in short bursts. "I--" Before she could finish her sentence, a shock of bright red hair appeared in the doorway.

"Hey, Mel, you have a visitor," Lucy said in her characteristically perky voice. "He's out front."

Mel's brows knit together in confusion. "Who?"

Lucy's deeply dimpled smile was instant. "Go see." With that, she turned on her heel and flounced back out of the kitchen.

Mel leaned the broom against the wall, washed her hands at the sink quickly, and headed out into the main dining hall.

The entire room was decorated beautifully, with several Christmas trees of varying heights strung with colored lights and ornaments. Though the food had been served buffet style, each table was set elegantly, so that their patrons felt almost as if they were at an upscale restaurant. And the food, mostly donated by local establishments, was sophisticated and delicious. Over the course of the day they had served hundreds of the cities underprivileged. And the gift exchange for the children had been a smashing success.

Now there were a couple of people still milling about, talking quietly, but most everyone--save for the myriad of volunteers--had gone elsewhere for the evening. Despite her ill mood, Melissa smiled brightly.

She crossed through the large hall, down another corridor, and out to the main parking lot. She immediately recognized the brunette standing with his back to her.

"What are you doing here?" Her arms were folded across her chest, her lips pursed into a straight line.

He turned around with a bright grin.

"And why do you have my purse?" Her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Because Lucy gave it to me. Let's go." He held the bag out to her.

"I told you I wasn't coming tonight, Chris," she said, pouty.

"And I told you," he began slowly, "That I'm not letting you throw a pity party tonight. Come on; Alicia's waiting in the car." As the words left his mouth the sound of a horn rang out in the lot. "Impatiently, obviously." Chris smiled.

"Chris." Mel waited until he looked down at her. "I just want to finish cleaning up here, and then I'm going home, OK? I'm not going to be good company tonight."

"That's so cute, Mel." Chris chuckled. "You think you have a choice." He hooked his arm through hers. "Let's go."

Though she let herself be dragged toward the awaiting vehicle, the deep scowl never left her face.

***

Melissa craned her neck to look out of the rear window. "Your exit was back there; where are we going?"

Alicia snickered from the driver's seat. "Wait and see," she sing-songed.

"What about dinner, though?"

Chris turned in the passenger seat and reached a hand back to pat her knee. "Just relax. Dinner will be there when we're done here."

With a groan, Melissa rested her head on the seat back and watched as the scenery passed. After another few miles of driving, they exited the highway.

"L.A. Live?" She mumbled the question quietly. Her eyes widened as they drove into the parking garage and she sat upright in her seat.

"Ice skating." Melissa's voice was flat and she stared out of the window with an expression of dismay. "You're going to distract me with ice skating."

Alicia pulled into the first available spot, turned off the car, and then swiveled her upper body look at her friend in the backseat. "Yes!" She was beaming excitedly. "We haven't been here since high school!"

Melissa wrinkled her nose. "There's a reason for that, Alicia." She tilted her head to the side. "It was terrible and I spent most of the night laid out on the ice. By the end of it, I had frostbite on my ass and a sprained ankle. I swore I'd never do it again."

"Oh." Alicia blushed turned back around in her seat. "Well, it'll be better this time."

Chris cleared his throat. "OK, kids, we're all going to have fun tonight. "Here." He tossed a small shopping bag into Melissa's lap.

With a grimace, she peered inside to find a knit hat, scarf and gloves. She looked up at to see Chris smirking at her, eyes shining mischievously.

"See? We thought of everything. Let's go!"

***

Melissa sat at a table, ice skates discarded on the ground next to her. She silently mouthed the words to "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" as it blared from the rink's speakers.

The event known as Holiday Ice at L.A. Live was a popular one every year. Every year following Thanksgiving, residents and visitors alike gathered at the temporary outdoor rink. The event lasted until New Year's Eve. In addition to the ever-present holiday tunes, there was a huge Christmas tree in the center of the rink. The atmosphere was festive and joyful as families and people of all ages took to the ice to celebrate the season.

Melissa had gone around the ice a few times with her friends, but now she was back in her seat, looking around and chair dancing to Christmas songs.

"Hey!" Alicia collapsed into the seat next to her. Her cheeks were flushed and strands of her curly brown hair were peeking out beneath the chunky, cable-knit beanie she wore. "I am ridiculously out of shape." She huffed and took off her gloves, tossing them onto the table. She turned in her chair, watching the skaters go by on the ice for a moment.

"Where's Chris?" Melissa asked, eyes also focused on the rink.

"Getting hot chocolate, and whatever other sugary, fattening things they have on the menu. I told him to bring us back options." She turned back to Melissa and watched her with a somber expression. "How are you, honey?"

Melissa took her glasses off to clean them, and smiled at her friend. "I'm...sad. But I'll be OK."

"Have you talked to him today?" Alicia tucked her hair back beneath her hat.

"Yeah." Melissa nodded slowly. "He called when he landed. Says it's warm. That he misses me already. That he's sorry. Yadda yadda." She sniffed. "This is the first time in eight years that his face won't be the first one I see on Christmas Day. It sucks, Alicia." Woolen mittens still on her fingers, she swiped at the moisture on her cheeks.

"I know, hon." Alicia grabbed Melissa's other hand and squeezed. She cleared her throat. "I'm going to go see what's taking Chris so long. He may need help carrying everything."

Melissa chuckled. "OK. I'll be here." With a deep breath and a sigh, she leaned back in her chair and turned back to the rink. As the strains of Nat King Cole's ever popular version of "The Christmas Song" faded, a new song began. Wind howled over the speakers beneath the sounds of bells and the crunching of someone trudging through icy snow. As the sound rose, three couples on the ice caught her eyes. They skated in unison to the center of the ice, one couple directly in front of the Christmas tree, with the other two flanking them on either side but several feet away. In perfect synchronicity, each couple held hands and spun in circles. Unlike most of the skaters on the rink, these six people were clearly skilled. As the sound rose in volume, giving way to familiar voices and harmony, two of the male skaters continued to spin their female partners. The male half of the couple in the center lifted his partner above his head as he continued to turn.

A smile rose to Melissa's lips as the sound of *NSYNC singing "It's Christmas" filled the speakers. This was, by far, her favorite song on the Christmas album. As the three couples on the ice continued to spin and twirl, three other skaters glided up from behind the tree and began to leap and jump around and in front of them. She was watching them intently when Joey's voice began singing the first part of the song.

"I'm so glad that you came my way

from a million stars

here you are

I swear your love is mine."

Her eyes widened and she stood up, forgetting that she'd removed her skates and was standing in her socks. The song continued to the next lines--lines that were supposed to be sung by Justin--with Joey's voice continuing.

"And somehow I knew that you were made for me

and I can't believe

that my wish came true

I'll never let you go, baby."

As a cheer arose from the people still on the ice, and all the ones gathered at tables and around the rink, she turned to look at the small stage erected at the front of the rink. Her jaw dropped when she saw Joey and Chris onstage, microphones in hand.

"People are celebrating all throughout the world

and that's what we're gonna do tonight

‘cause we've got so much

so much love to share."

Chris's high, sweet rang out through the speakers and tears streamed down Melissa's face.

"Surprise!" Alicia whispered in her ear.

Melissa turned to her friend, a huge grin on her face. "How in the world did you...?"

Alicia pulled her into a hug and nodded toward the stage. "I'll let them tell you all about it later. They did it all on their own."

The two women stood together, arms around each other, alternating watching the stage and the elaborate ice dance that was still being performed on the rink. The dance was clearly choreographed and perfectly rehearsed, and Melissa watched in awe as they jumped and spun and performed intricate tricks on the ice. All of the other skaters had long since backed away and everyone in the rink was watching the dancers and listening to the seemingly impromptu live concert.

The song continued with Joey and Chris singing the whole song as a duet and at one point, Joey waved to Melissa from the stage. When the song was over, the applause the performance received was thunderous and immediate. Chris and Joey thanked everyone involved quickly and rushed from the stage.

With a sparkle in his eye and a smile, Joey jogged up to his wife and hugged her close. "We haven't spent a Christmas apart in eight years," he whispered down into her ear. "We're not going to start now." He brought his hands to her cheeks and pressed his lips against hers.

Melissa returned his kiss and then pulled back, breathless and blushing. "But I don't understand. What about the parade?"

Joey laughed and nodded at Chris. "I have him to thank for that. He texted the other guys two weeks ago behind my back and explained the situation. It just so happened that Lance and Michael were already planning on spending Christmas in Orlando. They're visiting some friends and family.

"Anyway, when he heard the story Lance immediately offered to take my spot at the parade and everyone at the network was totally happy with it. They still get their former *NSYNC guy, and I," he paused and kissed her again, "get to spend Christmas with my beautiful wife."

"But the ice dancers? And choreography? How'd you do that?" She gestured toward the rink.

He grinned again. "That was actually Jules at the network. I told her I had to do something big to make it up to you and she called in a few favors."

"Wow." Melissa leaned into his chest for a minute and then pulled away again, a quizzical expression on her face. "So when you called me from Orlando this afternoon, where were you really?"

Joey, Alicia and Chris all shared a look and a laugh. "Our house," Alicia said with a happy shrug.

Again, Melissa's eyes widened and her mouth went slack. "Are you kidding me? I've been moping around all frigging day long and you've been a couple of miles away?" She shoved him playfully.

***

With nothing but a fire blazing in the fireplace, and the Christmas tree to light the room, Joey and Melissa cuddled on the cushy sectional in their family room. After leaving the skating rink, they'd gone back to Alicia's and Chris's for dinner. When it was over, Chris dropped them back off at home.

She smiled up at him. "I'm so glad you're here."

"It's our first Christmas in our new home. Where else would I be?" He laughed, wrapping his arms tighter around her.

She snickered and closed her eyes against his chest. "Merry Christmas, Joey."

He brushed his fingers down the side of her face, and played with the soft strands of hair that framed it. With a small smile, he closed his eyes and inhaled the scent of her. "Merry Christmas, Melissa."

It was good to be home.