Salvaging the Holidays

Petty Officer Third Class Timothy Burke knew that it was a matter of time before his family found out he was gay. Lord knew he'd been avoiding the discussion since he graduated from high school and joined the Navy to get away. He just didn't expect to be disowned days before Christmas. Happy Holidays to him – Bah Humbug.

Chief Petty Officer Patrick "Fuzzy" Nelson enjoyed being uncle to his sister's kid – soon to be kids – he really wanted someone to love him like his brother in law adored his sister. Too bad Burke didn't give him a second glance. He would grab him up in a heartbeat.

Walking into the locker room and finding Burke a mess didn't seem to be a Christmas present to Fuzzy at the time but it looked like he really was on Santa's Nice List this year after all. Who else could Salvage Christmas except a Navy Salvage diver?

This story was originally part of the Santa Wore Combat Boots anthology under a different title.