The North Pole: Time Stands Still So Can't Give an Exact Date or Hour:

The pleasantly plump little gray haired lady bent over her husband's shoulder and scanned the myriad of papers he had laid out before him. Her husband let out a little laugh, which was much less forceful than his usual belly laughs.

"My dear," he teased, "are you checking up on my progress to make sure I'm not running late again this year?"

His wife wrapped her ample arms around her husband's broad shoulders and smiled. "Of course not, my dear. We both know you always manage to get finished in time. I see you've finished the list for the children who still believe in you. So where are you going to begin your list for the adults this year?"

"Ahhh," he sighed, " I think I'll start with the United States of America this year. They've had such a rough time of it lately, what with the poor running of their government and with so many greedy people there I'm fairly certain the list will be shorter than in the past. I've been thinking about starting with their GLBT population. They've suffered the most. Isn't it amazing how such a forward looking nation can be so backward in their thinking sometimes?"

His wife nodded agreement.

"Anyway, I think that nation's GLBT folks deserve a close look for some special treatment this year. I'm going to do my best to make this one of their best years ever."

"I agree, my dear. Now come and get your dinner."

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Pittsburgh: December 20, 2005

Brian roamed about his silent loft like a lost soul in the desert. There was a distinct lack of joy in this upcoming Christmas season. All he wanted for Christmas was a certain blond beauty in his arms but it didn't look like that was happening. Why was everything so fucked up, he asked himself for the umpteenth time. He had been such a good boy all year long. Okay, that wasn't exactly true. He did have that little problem that some liked to call his mid-life crisis during the earlier part of the year. That was the stupid mess that cost him the companionship of the only man in the world he wanted to share his home with. He still couldn't believe how dumb he had been...choosing to challenge the newest stud in town for sexual bragging rights over making up with Justin and promising to mend his ways by growing up a little bit more. Justin could have and would have tolerated an occasional trick just for the fun of it, but he couldn't stand by and watch the man he loved getting desperate...trying to prove something by fucking everything that moved. Justin had matured. All he had wanted was for Brian to do the same.

Brian had gotten wise, but of course it had taken a bomb to blast some sense into him. He finally got his priorities straight. He had been a good boy ever since. Didn't he deserve a reward? He had written an email to Santa. Well okay, he knew it was goofy. He had been web surfing and ran across a site that promised to deliver all requests to Santa straight to his home at the North Pole. Brian had been bored, something that happened a lot now that Justin was in New York City, and he had started typing out his request for some precious time alone with his....what? Boyfriend, lover, partner, long-distance affair, best friend, companion...or how about simply Love of his Life! Well, he had pressed send after typing out his wish for Santa and then felt like a fool doing it. He would die of embarrassment if any of the old gang caught wind of what he had done, so mum was the word on that. Nothing would come of it, of course. But it didn't hurt to fantasize.

Now all hope was gone. A couple of days after sending the letter to Santa, Brian heard from Justin. He had received his first commission for a painting from a well to do patroness. The woman wanted a portrait of herself to give to her husband for Christmas. The only problem was that she wanted Justin to visit her estate in the Hamptons and be with her when she unveiled the painting at the annual Christmas party. Justin would earn enough to pay a year's rent on his studio apartment in the City so he couldn't refuse it. Brian didn't want him to anyway. He was so proud of his man. Justin had already begun to make his mark in the big city and he hadn't even been there for more than a few months....some very, very, very long months. When Justin had voiced regret over not being able to come back home to the Pitts for Christmas, Brian had gritted his teeth and used his most charming voice to convince Justin the work was more important. He had kicked himself mentally ever since, but what was done was done. Unless Santa pulled through, there would be no Justin for Christmas.

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The Hamptons, New York: December 23, 2005

Justin accepted his second drink for the evening from the butler and scanned the large room he was in. It was a beautiful room with costly oaken paneling and shelf after shelf of books that covered vast amounts of space on the walls. Those spaces that didn't carry ceiling to floor book shelves were filled with fine works of art. Justin could hardly believe that one of his paintings was about to be put on display on one of those walls...and not just any wall, but the one facing the master's massive desk. This room was a combination library and master's study at the huge country estate owned by Justin's newest clients. The mistress of the house was super excited to show off her portrait for her husband's pleasure. The husband was devoted to his wife of thirty years and would, no doubt, appreciate the gift.

Justin had worked hard on the portrait and was quite satisfied with his work. He spent every waking moment on completing it since this helped him to forget what he was missing so sorely on his first Christmas away from his hometown. He had longed to go back and spend time with his Mom and Molly and the entire Liberty gang. He already knew that even Mel, Linds, and the kids would be in the Pitts for the holiday. And of course there was always Brian. Ahh, Brian...just saying his name under his breath as he finished up his drink in front of the fireplace caused a stab of pain. The roaring fire in the library only made things worse. The image of Brian sprawled out naked with him at Britin in front of the fire made Justin's loins ache. How he wished that his email to Santa would come true.

Justin thought back to just days before getting his commission. He remembered hearing from Molly about a web site where you could write to Santa and place your wish for the holidays. He hadn't thought any more about it until he got the commission and realized he wouldn't be going home for the holidays. That night he had been texting with Brian until the wee hours of the morning. Just before logging off he decided to go to the Santa site as a lark. He couldn't resist pouring his heart out in the email, telling Santa all about the wonderful man left behind back home who needed to be with him on Christmas. Justin had written poetically of the many wonderful traits of his beloved Brian and made sure that Santa knew that both men had been good boys lately and deserved to be together. He had finished with his plea and pressed send. He knew it was silly, but Justin still believed in the spirit of Santa, even if the man didn't exist. Unfortunately Christmas day was the day after tomorrow and nothing had changed. No sign of hope that he would see Brian had appeared so Justin sighed deeply and decided to go upstairs to his lonely bed. The sooner Christmas was over, the sooner he could go back home.

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The North Pole: Again Time is Standing Still

"You know dear that it is almost that magic time again. You will have to be granting wishes in just a couple of mortal human days. Is your list nearly complete," Mrs. Claus asked her husband.

"All but finished, my dear," the jolly old man replied cheerfully. "I've had a few sticky problems with a few requests but I think I've got those worked out now."

"The children always send the most delightful mail to you, but did you get any interesting letters from adults this year," the Missus inquired.

"Actually, my dear, I received a number of letters that all asked the same thing for just one man in particular this year. That doesn't happen often among the adults. More than a dozen letters came in about a man named Brian Kinney who lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. The interesting thing is that none of the letters were from his family. They were all from friends and acquaintances. Some even came from Canada and New York City. Now that truly is a rare occasion. I checked on the young man's history with us and he doesn't have one...well not since he was very young. He stopped believing in me when he was just a tiny boy and I haven't heard from him since. Now I not only hear from him but a multitude of others on his behalf."

"So what did he and the others ask for?"

"They all wanted the same thing and interestingly enough it had nothing to do with anything material. He simply wanted to be with the one he loved most dearly...and that is what the others wanted for him. Even the one he loves asked for that."

"Now that truly is remarkable. You don't receive requests like that very often, especially from the adults. Have you decided if he deserves to receive that gift?"

"There is no question that he deserves it. The list of folks who made the request for him includes some of mankind's finest people and they all vouch for him. I will have to see what I can do for the couple."

"You do that dear. In the meantime I'll check and make sure the elves are on schedule."

With that, Mrs. Claus left the room to give her husband time to ponder his tasks.

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The Hamptons, New York: Midnight Christmas Eve

All was quiet in the lovely old estate of Justin's patroness. The owners were asleep all snug in their beds. They never woke as the jolly old man slipped magically into their bedroom and bent his large body over in order to whisper in the ear of the lady of the house. In an instant he disappeared again, moving on to the next name on his list.

Christmas morning came bright and early. Justin's patroness woke and the first thought in her mind was that she needed to find out why her young artist in residence had looked so sad just before retiring the previous night. She didn't know where the thought had come from but she felt compelled to check it out. She spotted the handsome blond as she entered her dining room. The entire house was festively decorated but young Justin looked far from happy.

"Justin," she asked. "Merry Christmas to you, my dear. But you don't look so merry. Is something wrong? If there is, you can certainly tell me all about it. I owe you a great debt of gratitude. Your painting of me is magnificent and my husband will be so pleased. If there is anything I can do to make you as happy as you have made me this holiday season you have but to ask it of me."

Justin had promised himself he would keep a stiff upper lip during Christmas day and the party in the evening, but he simply couldn't do it. He missed Brian so bad it hurt. He weighed whether he should be totally honest or keep his thoughts to himself. His patroness had been nothing but kind to him and he quickly made up his mind that he could be straightforward with her. He proceeded to explain his dilemma. When he had finished, she smiled brightly.

"We will just have to see what we can do about this little problem, young man." She quickly left Justin to finish his coffee while she ran back upstairs to wake her husband. She had a special request for Christmas morning.

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Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Debbie Novotny's house: 6:00 p. m.

Brian Kinney helped Debbie to finish setting up the long table in her dining room and the smaller temporary one for the kids that had been set up for Christmas dinner. It hadn't been easy for Debbie to convince Brian to join her and the entire gang for a celebratory meal but the chance to spend more time with Gus couldn't be missed. Brian had gotten a brief and somewhat hurried call from Justin earlier in the day, but all he had said was Merry Christmas and little else. It was as if he had been in a hurry. Brian felt miserable. He had no desire to use his old standby method of pain management. Those days of tricking and boozing to relieve stress were over, but that didn't help to lighten his mood. He missed Justin too damned much. Helping Debbie prepare for the Christmas feast was at least keeping him occupied and out of the sight of all the pitying stares his friends kept throwing his way.

It was finally time for dinner to be served and Debbie asked Brian to call all the others in from the living room and wherever else they had wandered while waiting patiently for their meal. Everyone was seated and Debbie was about to offer up a prayer of thankfulness for the gathering when there came a knock on the door. Everyone looked around. No one should be knocking at this time of the evening on Christmas Day. Everyone who had been invited was sitting right at the table...well except for one beautiful blond young man, but there was nothing they could do about that. Debbie started to ask Michael to get the door when Brian stood up.

"I'll get it Deb," he volunteered.

Brian walked quickly to the door. Maybe it was Santa, he laughed to himself. He threw open the door and was greeted by a cold gust of snow filled wind. The flakes swirled all around his face, briefly blinding him to the slight figure standing on Debbie's stoop. Just then he heard the voice.

"Aren't you going to invite me in?" Brian knew that voice even better than his own.

"Justin!" squeaked out Brian, grabbing his lover by his coat lapel and pulling him into a tight bear hug.

"Brian," Justin gasped. "I...I can't breathe!"

Brian quickly loosened his grip and held Justin away from him so he could get a better look at that beloved face.

"What...why...how?" The questions tumbled over each other.

"My client gave me my Christmas wish. She had her husband order his private plane to be ready for a trip from New York to here and even took the pilot away from his own celebration temporarily so that I could get here in time for dinner. I'm not late, am I?"

Brian grinned from ear to ear. "Never too late for me, Sunshine. Now we can really celebrate Christmas."

Brian pulled Justin back towards him but this time he planted a kiss that was hot enough to warm Justin's body up by several degrees, removing any chill he had gotten in his journey to get to Brian. Long minutes passed with Brian refusing to release Justin's lips. The kiss was only a preview of things to come. This Christmas night would never be forgotten by either man and would sustain them for many years to come, even in the rougher times. They finally parted when they heard the commotion behind them as the entire gang came barreling towards them, full of happiness to see their Sunshine boy.

Outside, a cheerful old man pulled out his list and marked off a dozen names.

"Not bad," he remarked to his reindeer. "Nothing better than answering a dozen Christmas wishes all at one time." He climbed back into his sleigh. His work was done at this site. He had so much more to get done before the holiday was over. Then he could go home and cuddle up to his own special someone, just like the young couple that were even now in a tight clinch as all the other folks in the house toddled back to their seats at the Christmas table. Debbie quickly made room next to Brian's seat in order to squeeze in one more table setting. All eyes watched as the lovers joined them arm in arm. After all, the couple needed to fill their stomachs and satisfy that hunger first before they could make their excuses and head home to the loft where they could satisfy that other hunger they had....all night long.

Merry Christmas to one and all. And may your holidays be filled with your wishes granted too.

The End