Spock knew when he saw the empty table in the restaurant that he’d messed up. He didn’t realize how badly then. It was a table for two and there was a half-empty glass of red wine on the abandoned table. He also spotted a small individual teapot with a tea strainer and cup beside it.

Above the table was a giant red ball with a gold finial attached to it. It was sparkling with glitter. A Christmas bulb.

Guilt, shame, and disappointment in himself assailed him and his heart hurt.

He turned away and walked back toward the entrance of the restaurant where the hostess stood behind a podium.

“Excuse me. Can you advise me how long ago that man at the table left?”

“Oh, the admiral? Twenty minutes ago. He was stood up if you can believe it.” She made a tsking sound.

“I can believe it.”

She then stared at him. Spock knew the moment when she realized. “Oh. You’re the one he was supposed to meet.”

“Yes.”

She reached behind the podium and withdrew a small ornament box. “He left this.”

Spock held it in his hands, further dismayed. “Which direction did he go”

“Toward the park. He said to watch the ice skaters.”

Spock shoved the ornament box in his coat pocket and left the restaurant, hurrying toward the park.

Around him he heard festive holiday music and he recalled the date was December 24th, Christmas Eve. And also the anniversary of when…that was a few years back now and it was not something Spock really thought about. Vulcans didn’t consider such things important, but Humans…

He spotted Jim huddled in a coat sitting on a bench observing a group of boisterous ice skaters on the temporary pond the city had set up for the holidays.

Spock rushed over and sat beside Jim, who continued to gaze out at the skaters.

“I am sorry I was late.”

“Late? Ten minutes is late. Ninety minutes is a no show.”

Spock swallowed the heavy lump. “I…the meeting went far past the time I anticipated. And I…did forget the day.”

“Christmas Eve,” Jim said softly. He shook his head. “I know you don’t care about Earth celebrations.”

“I care about you and what is important to you. It was thoughtless and insensitive of me to forget.” Spock withdrew the box. “You left this.”

“My Christmas present to you.” Jim took it from Spock and looked at it. “We never did get proper rings. They were flimsy and bought in haste. I guess I thought it was time to replace them.”

Jim flipped open the box to display two titanium men’s wedding rings.

Unbidden and unwanted tears sprung to Spock’s eyes and he found it difficult to speak. Jim watched him but didn’t say anything.

His hand shaking, Spock took the box from Jim’s hand. He carefully withdrew one and placed it on Jim’s finger. Then he placed the other on his own.

“Same inscriptions we got on the cheap ones,” Jim whispered.

:”I saw. Did you…did you want to go back to the restaurant?”

“No, I have a better idea.” Jim stood and held out his hand for Spock to take. “Let’s go home.”

“Wherever you are is my home.”

Jim smiled then and holding Spock’s hand they left the park for home.