Brody looked at his watch clumsily. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did I come at a bad time?"

"No, no, Brody. We're about finished here. I'm just hanging up some of the last of the Christmas decorations." Maria replied, smiling as she scooted down the step ladder and back to the cool tile floor.

"Hi, Brody. Can I get you something to drink?" Liz asked, bringing the last few dishes to the back of the restaurant as she brushed past the visitor.

"No, Liz, I'm fine. Thank you." Brody said, smiling. Maria walked over to him and motioned to a booth. They sat down in the booth and Maria grabbed one of the Tabasco bottles sitting on the counter, rolling it around in her hands nervously.

"So, Brody... what are you doing here?" She asked with a smile.

"What, can't I come visit my favorite waitress?" Brody asked playfully. "Or is that not allowed?"

"Well, I haven't seen you around in a few days... so I thought maybe you were..." She lowered her voice to a whisper and grinned. "Abducted again." Brody rolled his eyes.

"No." He said firmly. "I've just been doing a lot of business. I haven't been able to get over here and see you. I'm sorry."

"You should be. I've had to eat strawberry pancakes all alone for the past two days!" Maria cried, hitting him on the arm lightly and smiling. Brody sucked in his breath in surprise at her playful touch. He looked at her, a serious smile spread across his face. "Oh, no. You've gone all serious on me. What's up, Mr. Davis?"

Brody's smile continued to beam as he sighed and continued. "Maria. I got you a present."

Maria chuckled. "For what?"

He paused. "For Christmas, of course."

Maria gasped, shaking her head and grinning. "Really, Brody, you didn't have to do that... I'm flattered but you didn't..."

"It's out-siiiide." Brody said in a taunting voice, grinning mischeviously and pointing towards the door.

"Ooh! Ooh! What is it?" She asked like an excited child on Christmas morning. She jumped up from the booth and he followed closely behind her, amazed by her intoxicating scent--- was it cypress he smelled on her?

"I can't tell you, Maria. Then it wouldn't be a surprise!" He offered his hand to her. "Here. Take my hand and close your eyes. I'll take you to it."

She looked into his piercing blue eyes for a moment and cocked an eyebrow at him. "Umm--- okay..." She began skeptically, but lowered her hand into his waiting palm. This was *Brody*. It couldn't be that weird.

Wait. The man *screams* oddball. Who knows what he had planned for her!

Brody pulled her by the hand for about hundred yards, walking slowly so he could continue to touch her tender skin without giving an explination. His heart raced as they finally reached her gift.

Maria, sensing that they had stopped, groaned softly. "Brody---" she whined. "Are we there now? Can I open my eyes?"

"Sure." He said, smiling. She opened them and her jaw dropped in shock. She gasped, still holding onto Brody's hand- this time for support so she wouldn't fall over. About five feet in front of her sat a brand new red Volkswagon Jetta with a big golden bow on the hood.

"Brody! Wh-what? What is this?" She asked breathlessly, throwing her arms in the air. Brody saw she was shocked and tried to explain.

"Maria- don't be mad, okay? I just wanted to do something nice for you."

"Brody-- this isn't right." She interrupted with a warning, not being able to stay away from the shiny new car. She ran her hand across the smooth hood and rubbed part of the bow between her fingers.

"You always complain about your car being a piece of junk and how it drives you crazy. Well-- I just thought that--" He shrugged his shoulders, pointing to the car.

Maria turned from the car to look into Brody's eyes. "Brody, I can't-- I'm flattered-- really I am. But I can't accept this. You can't *buy* my affection, okay?" Her tone rose and Brody could tell she was angry. She looked back at the car, not wanting him to see how excited she really was.

"Please, Maria?" He begged. "I want you to have it. I know it will make you happy. And seeing you happy is probably the best gift I could give myself..." He smiled at her, but she still looked at him incrediously. "So I guess you could say that giving you this new car is partly a selfish act."

"Brody." She turned around to face him and walked back towards him slowly. "You didn't have to buy me a car to make me happy. In fact, you didn't have to buy me anything. Money doesn't buy everything, you know."

"I know that." He looked down at his feet, defeated. She smiled sweetly, moving towards him and placing one slender finger under his chin, pulling his face up to meet hers. His eyes flashed brightly in the moonlight and at that moment, Maria didn't want to be with anyone else for Christmas.

"You are sweet, you know that? You are so sweet, Brody Davis, that you don't have to buy me a Jetta to get my attention. You just have to come eat strawberry pancakes with me." Maria said, smiling.

"Well, pancakes certainly are much less expensive..." Brody smirked, motioning to the car.

"Very true, very true." Maria nodded, smiling. She looked over at the car and cocked her head to the side.

"Maria, I still want you to have it." Brody said quietly, walking towards the Jetta and opening the driver's side door. Maria bit her lip and looked up at him, her face contorted with confusion.

"Brody---" She whined. "I'd love to. But I can't. Really, I can't. My mom would kick my ass if I came home with a brand new car from a good-looking yet somewhat odd owner of a UFO Museum, who just so happens to be a multi-millionaire!" Maria threw her hands up in defeat.

Brody nodded once more, closing the driver's side door and grinning. "OK, Maria. I *think* I understand."

"Besides--" Maria said, moving closer to him and leaning her slender body up against the car's hood. Brody's ears perked up and his eyes raised again to meet hers. "--Anyone who's going to buy a car for my mother and I *has* to meet her first. You may decide you want to take the thing back of your own free will!"

"Oh, Maria. I doubt she's *that* terrible. I'd love to-- meet your mother sometime."

"Of course! Mom always wants to meet my friends--" Brody lowered his head and smirked. "--and more than that, too..."

Brody's smile spread slowly across his lips and Maria just relaxed, studying his face and his crazy hair. What was with her and guys with psychotic hair-dos? Maria lazily fingered her blonde waves and Brody moved closer, leaning his body up next to hers against the hood of the car.

"Maria!" Liz skipped out to where Brody and Maria were sitting and cocked her eyebrow.

"Liz." Maria warned.

"Oh! I'm sorry- I didn't mean to interrupt anything..." Liz ducked her head, embarrassed. "Nice car, Brody."

"Oh, thanks, but it's Maria's." Brody replied quickly.

"It is not, you jerk!" Maria smacked him playfully.

Liz looked at them, confused, then realizing that there was something going on between them. "Well-- okay... Maria, Max and I are going to look at Christmas trees for the Crashdown now... do you want to come along?"

Maria looked over at Brody and then back to Liz. "Nah, I'll sit this one out. You and King Max have fun, now."

Liz smiled. "OK, Maria. Bye, Brody."

"Bye, Liz." Brody replied, barely able to contain his smile. "Why'd you say 'no'? I thought you loved looking for Christmas trees."

"Yeah, I do." She said, turning the front of her body towards him. "But I already have plans."

"Oh. Are you and Michael going out?" He asked, defeated.

"No! Spaceboy has some stupid dirt bike competition." Maria said, sighing. "Besides, I thought maybe we could test drive your new car."

"*Your* new car, Maria." Brody corrected her.

Maria shook her head, smirking. "No, Brody. No. No. No..." She repeated, shaking her head and laughing.

"Please? Will you at least drive it around the neighborhood? To see if you like it?" Brody begged her, grabbing her hands and pulling them close to his chest. As quickly as it happened, he dropped her hands, not knowing if she felt comfortable with the relaxed gesture.

Maria looked at him and realized she couldn't say 'no'-- she didn't want to disappoint him. She sighed. "Okay. If you insist..."

"Brilliant!"

Maria chuckled. "'Brilliant'? Look pally, we're not in England, okay? You're in America now, you're going to have to speak..."

"English?" Brody asked, smirking. Maria nodded, smacking his arm playfully.

"You jerk. You know what I mean." Maria replied as Brody stepped in front of her to open up the driver's side door.

"Your chariot awaits, me lady." He said in that perfect British accent of his.

Maria hesitated, then threw her hands up in defeat before climbing into the car. "What the hell."

"That's what I like to hear! OK, where to?" Brody asked her, filing in the passenger side.

"Anywhere..." Maria said as he handed her the keys and started up the vehicle.

"...as long as I'm with you." Brody added quietly under his breath. Maria's ears perked up and she whipped her head to the side to look at him.

"What did you say?" Maria asked, her eyes wide with shock.

"N-nothing." He muttered, looking at his feet and smiling as she put the car into first gear and rolled out of the parking lot. As she cheered in delight, Brody watched her in silence as she delicately shifted the gears. "Merry Christmas, Maria." He said quietly, smiling at her and placing his hand gently on top of hers.

"Merry Christmas, Brody." She replied softly, turning her eyes back from the passenger seat to the road.