Topic: Season's Greetings

Natalya Bristol

Date: 2013-12-16 12:24 EST
Christmas Eve New York City

People say that Christmas is a magical time of year. No one would agree with that more than Rhys Bristol. To a man who hadn't had any reason to celebrate since he was a boy, Christmas was a dream come true. Snow or no snow, it didn't really matter. And this year, there was even more reason for celebration than ever before - Adam and Gina had just gotten married; Rhys had been reunited with his long lost sister, Rachel; and last, but certainly not least, Natalya was expecting a baby. All of his dreams were finally, at long last, coming true. In the end, he didn't need St. Nicholas to grant his holiday wishes or leave a present in his stocking. Every wish he had ever desired had been fulfilled, and he could not be happier. He and Natalya were spending the holidays in New York with their two closest friends, while Rachel and Zach recuperated in Avalon. What more could any man desire than to be surrounded by family and friends with love and good cheer" It was more than Rhys had ever hoped for.

Laughter filled the little brownstone Adam shared with Gina and Joey - laughter that had been a long time coming. Adam was just as happy as Rhys, though he was practical enough to know there would still be challenges ahead and loose ends that needed tying up. It was Christmas, and though he wasn't terribly religious, there was plenty to celebrate.

Rhys sat back in the chair and patted his stomach, like a proper Santa Claus would, smiling broadly at the little gathering. Adam and Gina had outdone themselves in the kitchen, and if anyone went away hungry from that feast, there was something seriously wrong with them. "Gina, that was awesome. What's for dessert?" he asked, though he was plenty full already, and unaware that it had actually been Adam who'd done most of the cooking.

The little table was definitely covered with the remains of dinner, pretty much every plate empty. Even Joey, who had been less than enthusiastic about a sit down meal, was nodding contentedly over his gravy-stained plate, so full he could barely keep his eyes open. Nat sat beside Rhys, laughing at his Santa Claus pot belly as she reached over to poke gently at it. Her own belly was nowhere near making itself known yet, but at least they had a doctor's confirmation that she was definitively pregnant now, due for a scan at the end of January to get their first look at their baby.

Across from Rhys, Gina laughed, rolling her eyes at her friend. "One, I didn't cook," she pointed out, rubbing her hand up and down Adam's back as she turned her smile over to him. "And two, you were supposed to bring dessert, weren't you?"

Rhys chuckled as he turned his gaze to Adam. "She's turned you into a regular Mr. Mom, hasn't she" Do you wear an apron?" he teased.

Adam rolled his eyes as he poured a little - or a lot, depending on your point of view - Irish Whiskey into three of the four cups of coffee, leaving Nat's as was, seeing as she was preggers and all. "At least I can manage to cook more than scrambled eggs and pancakes," he countered, good-naturedly. "Hey, I can cook more than that,"

Rhys replied. "I used to work in a diner, remember?"

"My point exactly," said Adam.

Rhys turned his attention back to Gina, before turning a quizzical frown at Nat. "Dessert?" He didn't recall being told to bring dessert, which meant it had either slipped his mind or she hadn't told him. "Does that mean we aren't having any?"

Nat raised a brow at her food-drunk husband, her smile warm and wry and infinitely amused. "You are a very lucky man, Rhys Bristol," she informed him. "Because I paid attention to the phone call. It's in the fridge." She moved to help Gina tidy the plates and dishes away from the table to make room for the dessert that was promised, gently easing Joey away from his plate before he nodded off onto it.

Gina chuckled as she smoothed her son's hair from his brow. "Bit of a late night for you, huh, scamp" Want us to save you some dessert so Rhys can tuck you up tight for Santa?"

The little boy groaned at the thought of missing out on any of the conversation, but was sensible enough not to complain too much. "Yeah," he sighed. "M'kinda sleepy."

Rhys arched a brow, a little surprised that he was being called on to do bedtime duty, instead of Adam, but then, if he was going to be a Dad, he probably needed the practice, and Adam probably got more than his fair share of it. He pushed away from the table with a lazy groan and moved slowly to his feet. "C'mon, Tiger. Time for bed. Santa won't stuff his fat belly down the chimney until you're asleep, you know."

"M'nearly asleep now," Joey grumbled, sliding down from his chair to do the rounds. Gina got a kiss and a hug, as did Adam; proper warm, family embraces that proved the kid was more than happy to have his mother married to such a cool guy. Nat, Joey was a little more reserved with - they hadn't had much of a chance to get to know each other so far, but they were becoming friends, slowly. And, well, Rhys got leaned on. Heavily.

"All right, kiddo," Rhys said, leaning over to hoist the boy into his arms, whether he liked it or not, before he pitched over onto the floor, like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. "You're getting a ride up the stairs tonight before you pass out." He pushed the wayward bangs away from Joey's sleepy face and started toward the stairs. "No dessert without me! I'll be right back." And he and Joey disappeared around the bend, footsteps heard ascending the stairs.

Gina chuckled as they left the room, sharing a smile with Nat. "No, Nat, you sit down," she shook her head at the other woman. "I've got this. Flirt with my husband for a little bit, see if you can tempt him to go astray. I gotta know what I'm getting into, after all." She grinned teasingly at Adam before turning her attention to scraping the plates and stacking them in the dishwasher.

"Well ....if you are sure ..." Nat frowned, feeling a little awkward as she moved back to the table. She was still a bit of an outsider when it came to gathering with Adam and Gina, and though she knew Gina was being nice, it stung a little bit to be told to sit down and not help.

Adam was ready and willing to help with the dishes and was already on his feet, tossing a look at Gina as if to say, "Are you sure?" He chuckled a little at the challenge issued, knowing Gina had nothing to worry about. Nat was a knock-out, but she belonged to Rhys, and Gina had stole his heart years ago. "You and Rhys are our guests," Adam added, seconding his wife's - he thought he'd never get used to that word - request. "You can return the favor someday."

Natalya Bristol

Date: 2013-12-16 12:25 EST
"Oh, you mean when we have a house," Nat nodded, covering her moment of hurt easily enough. "And a child, and Rhys' sister and her angel clattering around in it." She chuckled softly, running a hand through her hair. "How do you do it' Be a family' I have been on my own so long, I do not know how to be."

"There's not much room in Rhys' apartment, unless you plan on having a party in the garage, along with all the tools and engine grease," Adam teased. He knew it was only a matter of time before they found a place of their own to call home. Adam reclaimed his seat. As far as he was concerned, he and Nat had bonded over demons and angels back in France and were already as good as family. Besides, they were connected through a certain man who held a special place in both their hearts. He was confident her friendship with Gina would grow with time. Adam shrugged as he reached for his own cup of whiskey-laced coffee. "There's no directions or rule book, Nat. You just do it. That's all."

"I hope it is that easy," she smiled faintly, wrapping her own hands around the one un-doctored cup of coffee. Her eyes followed Gina for a long moment as the woman moved back and forth, efficiently clearing the table and setting out bowls for the dessert that was about to come out of the fridge. "You seem very happy together," Nat commented fondly on the pair of them. "Married life is suiting you both, very much."

"I didn't say it was easy," Adam replied, crossing one leg over the other and looking very comfortable and at ease in his new home and role as husband and father. He followed Nat's gaze to Gina and smiled. He was happy; there was no denying that. "We are, Nat. It's been a long time coming." His frown faded a little as he leaned closer, wondering if he was sensing some indecision or uncertainty in her. Or maybe she was just scared. "What's really bothering you, Nat?" he asked, reaching over to touch her hand in a very brotherly way.

The Russian woman's smile turned a little sad as she let him touch her hand, unafraid to share her sense of displacement. She knew she was safe here, with her friends and her husband. "You will think me very stupid," she warned Adam quietly. "I simply ....I am feeling out of place. You and Gina and Rhys, you have all known one another for years, and I am the outsider. And now Rachel is free, he has his sister. I know he loves me, and I love him deeply, but I still feel ....I do not know how to say it. Out of place is the closest I can come."

Adam frowned, not sadly, but looking a little concerned. He and Gina had done all they could to make her feel at home and like a part of things, but he knew it would take time before she really felt comfortable among three people who had known each other forever. "Just give yourself some time, Nat. You're as much a part of our family as Rhys is, trust me." He glanced over his shoulder at Gina, who was busily cleaning up from dinner and getting dessert ready. "You should spend some time with Gina. Girl time. Just the two of you. Get to know each other better. Go shopping or something. Whatever women do when they're alone."

"I do not wish to be in her way," Nat confessed softly. "She has so much to fill her life. Her work, her family. In comparison, I have relatively little. Time with me would be time taken away from you and from Joey. I do not think that would be fair of me."

There was a soft snort from Gina, who couldn't help but overhear. "Are you kidding?" Adam's wife grinned. "Rescue me from my boys. We could hit the sales!"

Adam laughed at Gina's response, knowing his wife well enough to know that she'd probably jump at the chance for some female companionship. He was confident the two of them could become fast friends, if only Nat could get past her insecurities and shyness. "My work here is done!" Adam remarked with a grin, slapping a hand against his bluejean-covered thigh. "It's decided. You two are going shopping and bonding over perfume or lingerie or something."

"Who's going shopping?" Rhys asked as he returned from his tucking in duty.

"They are," Adam replied, indicating the two women individually with a wave of his hand.

"Today?" Rhys asked, incredulously.

"No," Adam laughed. "Not today, but soon."

"We'll skip the insane-o-nauts between Christmas and New Year and do some serious shopping the week after next," Gina suggest with a smile. She didn't like that Nat was still feeling like an outsider, but hopefully with the Bristols choosing to live in New York, that would change soon. "And if you're very lucky, Rhys, you might get something out of it," she added teasingly, pulling a platter of chocolate covered profiteroles out of the fridge, along with a jug of whipped cream.

Nat smiled, reassured by Adam and Gina's insistence, and relaxing as Rhys reappeared. "I would like that," she agreed to the scheme easily enough, sitting back a little more comfortably. "If it would not be any trouble."

Predictably, Rhys' attention was diverted by the sight of the tasty treats Gina was pulling out of the fridge and which he vaguely remembered Nat bringing along to share. "Oh my God, those look amazing!" he exclaimed excitedly, as though he hadn't eaten in days, though he'd just downed his entire dinner and had seconds. Where he put all that food and how he remained slim was a mystery. He made a beeline for dessert, hoping to snag one before anyone else and reaching to do just that while Adam and Nat looked on.

Gina, however, had a bead on him. She had, after all, been living with a small boy for a while now. Her hand smacked down on Rhys' before he could reach the treats, hard enough to sting. "Bad boy," she told him off with a smirk. "Table manners, if you please. We are not pigs in a sty."

Offered this view of Rhys, Nat couldn't help laughing, muffling the sound in her hand as she reached to start serving up into the bowls already on the table, deliberately leaving Rhys until last. This parenting thing wasn't as hard as it first seemed.

"Ouch, Gina! What the hell!" Rhys exclaimed, snatching his hand away and shaking the sting out, looking just a little too crestfallen for it to be real. He did manage to come away with a little frosting on his finger, which he promptly licked off as he retook his seat with a smug grin. "Oink oink," he said, sticking his tongue out at Gina. It was pretty obvious who the mature one in the group was.

Adam only chuckled to himself, knowing Rhys deserved everything he got in return for what he dished out.

Natalya Bristol

Date: 2013-12-16 12:26 EST
Gina pulled a face back at him, laughing as she slid into her seat beside Adam to take charge of her own bowl of dessert. "So aside from shopping, which is something I haven't done just for fun in forever," she said, innocently dropping her hand under the table and not so innocently groping her husband just for the hell of it, "what are your plans now" I know you guys are looking for a house, so you're staying put for a while?"

Rhys shrugged, deferring to Nat, who was obviously the more mature of the pair. "No plans. We think we found a house. Just need to sign on the dotted line." He scooped up a spoonful of whipped cream, moaning in pleasure as he savored the sweet delight and he hadn't even started on his cream puff yet. "Now that is what I call dessert."

Nat smiled indulgently as her husband made love to his dessert, a little less demonstrative in her enjoyment of the sweet treat. "It isn't too far from here," she offered up to continue on the conversation. "A little larger than this house, but then, we will have Rachel and Zachariel at some point when they are ready, and ..." Her smile turned a little shy as she glanced at Rhys. "And we will have three children to accommodate."

Gina choked on her mouthful. "You've gotta be sh*tting me," she declared, a little out of the loop when it came to visions and predictions. "You're expecting triplets?"

Adam beat Rhys to the punch, who was busy being seduced by his dessert. He chuckled a moment before explaining, "No. They were told they're going to have three children, but not all at once." Adam glanced between the other pair, furrowing his brows as if he was suddenly uncertain if things had changed. "You are only having one at a time, right?"

Rhys took a few rather gluttonous bites of his cream puff, hardly missing a beat of the conversation while doing so. "Girl, boy, boy," he answered in short explanation.

"We do not know that for certain," Nat pointed out laughingly as Rhys crammed his mouth full once again. "All we are certain of is that we will have a girl, and then a boy. The third is still a mystery to us."

Gina stared at the pair of them, and then turned an accusing look onto her own husband. "You knew and you didn't 'fess up" You're my one-stop-gossip-shop for these two!"

"It's gonna be a boy. Trust me," Rhys insisted, looking smugly certain about it, though they had no way of knowing for sure.

Adam was smiling right up until Gina turned a glare on him, at which point, his jaw dropped open in undisguised shock. "It wasn't my news to tell! Besides, it's not like it's set it stone."

"But it is," Rhys interrupted. "Set in stone, I mean."

"All that is set in stone is that we are having three children," Nat pointed out, rolling her eyes as she poked at her husband's shoulder indignantly. "Just for being so smug, I might ask the Lady if she can make absolutely certain that they are all girls."

Gina snorted with laughter at that threat, grinning over her spoon at Adam. "Maybe I should meet this Lady properly," she suggested. "Get the lowdown on how full our house is gonna be."

"How do you know we won't have four?" he argued back at her, mostly just because he could. "Wait, what?" he exclaimed as she poked at him, his turn to have his mouth drop open. "You wouldn't dare!"

Adam grinned at the other pair, before turning a smile on Gina. "I think I'd rather be surprised. What about you?"

"Surprised sounds about right," Gina chuckled, leaning in to kiss Adam tenderly as the couple across from them had one of many pseudo-arguments.

Nat smirked at her husband sweetly. "You should know better than to lay down a challenge to me, dusha moya," she warned him, though she knew she'd never go through with that threat of hers anyway. It was just fun watching him squirm.

"Come on, Nat. One son, that's all I'm asking. We can have a dozen girls if you want, but I'd like at least one son." Not that he didn't want a daughter; he most definitely did, and it wasn't even so much a male ego thing with him. He had fallen in love with the children of his dream - even if it had been demon-inspired - and he wouldn't rest until he had made it a reality.

In the meantime, the other couple was quiet as Adam reciprocated Gina's kiss. Besides, he knew better than to get in the middle of a lovers' squabble.

"I am just curious, milaya, why do you assume that the third child will be a boy?" Nat asked Rhys with a half-smile. "My own mother had one boy and two girls. There is no reason why the vision could not be changed. We have been through a lot in the last year, after all." Only the twinkle in her eyes and the smile on her lips gave away that she was teasing him.

"I, um..." Rhys paused a moment or two to contemplate that, not really having a logical answer as there was none. "I don't know," he admitted, though in all honesty it might go back to a past he'd rather not think about too hard, and another dream he didn't want to mention Natalya. "It doesn't matter, Nat. So long as what children we do have are healthy."

Adam knew Rhys enough to take a pretty good guess at what was going on in his friend's mind and thought it was as good a time as any to change the subject, offering a small shake of his head to Natalya to hint that she probably didn't want to go down that road. "So, what?s this house like that you've got your eyes on?"

Her smile faded as Rhys' mood dipped, catching the shake of Adam's head. It didn't take a genius to work out where Rhys' mind had gone, and Nat felt the familiar twinge of jealousy rise up, as well as that sense of being outside looking in. Adam knew; she was only guessing. She looked down into her coffee cup, falling silent even when the question was asked.

Gina glanced between the other couple, and rolled her eyes. "Geez, are you two aiming for the inappropriate angst award, or what?" she declared, less than subtle, but she had a point. "It's Christmas Eve, we're all family. Lighten up."

Natalya Bristol

Date: 2013-12-16 12:26 EST
"Sorry, Gina," Rhys apologized, looking more than a little guilty. There was no denying that he was happy, but every now and then something triggered some memory from the past and he turned temporarily moody. Fortunately, it didn't usually last long. He looked to Nat, who was staring into her coffee cup as if looking for something there. He reached over to lift her chin to face him. "It doesn't matter whether we have boys or girls, Nat. I'm gonna love them all the same," he assured her sincerely, and he meant what he said.

Nat forced herself to smile, chasing any suggestion of her awkwardness from her face and her demeanor as Rhys sought to reassure her. "I know," she promised him. "As will I." She caught his hand, gently kissing his fingers affectionately, wanting to reassure him now.

Across from them, Gina sighed, leaning back in her seat. All that effort to reassure Rhys' wife that she was one of them, and one moody dip later, they were back at the beginning again. "Wouldn't be Christmas without a spat or two."

Rhys ignored Gina's remark, too focused on Nat, worried he'd upset her without meaning to. "Would you like your Christmas presents now or would you like to wait until morning?" he asked, leaning close, voice surprisingly gentle.

Adam jerked his head at Gina, indicating it was time to give the other couple a few minutes of privacy. He silently picked up his coffee and bowl of dessert to move to the other room for a little while.

Guilt flared on Nat's face as Gina and Adam silently quit the room, her expression crumpling. "I did not mean to upset you," she said softly. "Or to chase them out of their own ..." Shaking her head, she looked back down at her hands. "I am sorry. Perhaps I should go to bed, let you spend some time with them without me."

"You didn't, Nat. It's my own fault. I just need a little time, that's all." He offered a reassuring smile, touching her cheek with gentle fingers. He didn't want to upset her further by explaining, hoping she knew him well enough to know it was nothing more than memories that haunted him, just as hers sometimes haunted her. "I love you. I'm always gonna love you." He didn't need to look to know Adam and Gina had left them alone, if only for a little while. "Don't worry so much about them. They'll get over it. They understand."

"I know." She sighed softly, leaning into him for the comfort of his touch as she closed her eyes for a moment. He was probably going to take what she was about to say all wrong, but it had to be said. She'd promised no more secrets. "I am sorry I have been so ....odd ....lately," she began, tucking her hair behind her ear. "It is just that, with everything that has happened, I ....I do not know where I fit. You have friends you have known far longer than me, and you have your sister. I love you, Rhys, more completely than I can say, and I know you love me. But I cannot help feeling as though I will always be the odd one out, the outsider, especially when the baby comes. I am frightened that I will be such a terrible mother that not even our child will want to be around me."

He didn't dare tell her she was being silly when he had so many worries and concerns of his own, but somehow he had to make her understand that her worries were unwarranted. He knew she was going to be a wonderful mother; he'd seen it with his own two eyes, but he wasn't quite sure how to prove it to her. He slid off his chair, moving to his knees in front of her and taking her hands in his. "Nat, sweetheart, you're going to be an awesome mom. You just have to trust me on this. And as far as Adam and Gina are concerned, you just have to give it some time. They're gonna fall in love with you just as I have. I know it. Try not to worry so much. Everything's gonna be fine, I swear." He leaned in to press a kiss against her forehead, hoping she believed him, but not knowing if she would. If they were going to make this work, she was going to have to trust him a little.

She clung to his hands, leaning forward as he kissed her forehead, wanting to believe him, but not entirely sure she could. Not yet. "I have been alone for a very long time," she told him softly. "I do not know how to be a part of a bigger whole. I am trying." She looked down at their joined hands. "I wish I could do it without upsetting you."

"You're not upsetting me. I'm upsetting me," he tried to reassure her further. "It's just ghosts, Nat," he tried to explain without really explaining. "And they can't hurt us." He touched his lips to hers, his fingers in soft caress of her cheek, ever patient and loving, like the angel that he was deep down or had once been.

She smiled into his kiss, drawing her fingertips loving along the line of his jaw. "Perhaps it is just my hormones," she suggested, dismissing her feelings of inadequacy for his sake behind a smile and a small joke. "Blame your daughter."

He smiled back at her, a little appeased by her excuse, no matter how concocted it might have been. "I will, when she's sixteen," he said, touching his lips to her again before leaning back on his heels, debating whether or not to play Santa tonight or wait until morning. Morning was Joey's time, and now that Gina and Adam had left them alone for a little while, he figured there was no time like the present. "Stay right there," he said as he scooted over toward the tree to find the two wrapped boxes he'd secretly added to the growing pile of presents.

She laughed a little at his counter-proposal, a little bemused when he rose and began rummaging through the pile of gifts beneath the tree. Her own gifts for him were there as well, but she had thought they were exchanging presents the next morning. With his back turned, she let out a slightly shaky breath, steeling herself against letting her mood droop anymore tonight. It was their first proper Christmas together with their friends. She shouldn't be letting her insecurities get in the way of that.

He let out a triumphant, "A-ha!" as he located the two boxes he stowed under the tree. He'd hidden them well among the others piled around, worried she might peek. "Wait..." He broke off as something else caught his eye and he was digging through the pile for a box that was clearly marked with his name on it. He pulled out a medium-sized box and held it up almost as triumphantly as before, a silly almost boyish grin on his face. "What's this?" he asked her. "Can I shake it?"

Lifting her eyes to the little boy grin as he clutched one of the presents she'd put there for him, Nat couldn't help laughing a little louder, amused as always by the child lurking inside her husband. "Yes, you can shake it," she assured him, certain that all he was going to hear was tissue paper crackling.

And shake it he did, rather violently in fact, looking a little disappointed to hear nothing that gave him any hint as to its contents. "It's not socks, is it?" he asked, with a frown. He'd heard wives and mothers liked to buy their menfolk socks and underwear for Christmas, as if they were too stupid or lazy to buy these things for themselves. It was neither here nor there whether there was any truth in that belief or not, but in his mind, socks and underwear were not worthy Christmas presents. Ladies' lingerie, however, was a whole different story.

Natalya Bristol

Date: 2013-12-16 12:27 EST
Shaking her head, Nat grinned. "No, it is not socks," she promised him. Although it might be a little domesticated for him on the surface, it was fine quality, and contained a small surprise inside. Once he opened it, that was. "You could open it now, if you would like."

"Can I?" he asked, unable to hide the anticipatory excitement from his face. Like a kid at Christmas was an understatement when it came to Rhys' excitement at their first real Christmas together. "You didn't have to get me anything, you know." She had already bought him a Mustang to replace his old one. What more could he want"

"It isn't much," she promised him softly. "Of course you can open it. There is another one under there, too, but you have that one in hand now." She grinned, hoping he wouldn't mind the homey gift inside the box. He was impossible to buy for, and she hadn't wanted to add to his weapon collection.

He settled himself on the floor, crossing his legs like a kid and dropping the box in his lap, eagerly tearing into the paper as soon as he had her permission.

She smiled as she watched him, as the wrapping paper came off, as well as the lid of the box itself. Below the cushioning layer of white tissue paper was a folded robe made of soft navy blue micro-fleece, warm to the touch for all those nights Rhys had a tendency to climb out of bed and brood. And in the folds of that robe was something to give him a little incentive to stay in bed, all red lace and promises.

"Oh, wow!" He exclaimed, not noticing the lacy red underthings just yet, his eyes widening a little at the larger gift that took up most of the space within the box. He couldn't remember the last time he'd ever owned a bathrobe and had always considered it something of a luxury. It wasn't a very practical piece of clothing for someone who was always on the move, but for someone who was looking to finally settle down, it was perfect. He sprang to his feet to pull the thing out of the box and try it on and that was when the red lacy things tumbled to the carpet at his feet. "Oh!" was all he said for a moment, as he spied the bonus at his feet.

Nat watched him, her smile relaxing from the almost brittle cast of anticipation as he exclaimed over his present, relieved that he wasn't disappointed in it. "I never know what to get for you," she admitted with a faint chuckle. "It seemed appropriate."

"Are you kidding" I love it!" And he loved it so much, he was pulling the robe on over his jeans and sweater, anxious to see what it felt like on. He ran his fingers against the sleeve, enjoying the softness of it. He had always coveted the bathrobes provided by the posh hotels she liked to stay in, and had even five-finger-borrowed one once, but they were not nearly as nice as this one. He plucked the bra and panties off the floor, swinging the bra around one upheld finger. "I assume this is for you and not me," he said with a smirk.

"Well, only if you look at it a certain way," she smiled, one elbow resting on the table as she leaned her chin onto her hand, her smile widening at the sight of him fully dressed and in his brand new bathrobe. She'd made certain it would hang long on him, since he had a habit of coming to bed naked, regardless of whether or not there had been playing beforehand. "If you bought me lingerie, it's still a present for you, after all."

He swung the bra around on his finger again before tossing it over at her. "I'm looking forward to seeing you in it," he said with a grin. He wasn't sure where Adam and Gina had disappeared to, but he was grateful they were giving them these few moments of privacy.

She laughed, catching the lacy thing out of the air as he tossed it toward her. "Perhaps if you are very lucky, you get to pick when and where," she teased him sweetly, knowing her husband well enough to understand that he might very well say right now and here. "So long as it is not in public. Your wife, your eyes only."

"I'll give you your Christmas goose later," he teased with a smirk, looking between the two wrapped packages he had pulled out from under the tree and debating which to give her first. He frowned a little, uncertain which she'd like better, if she liked either of them at all. He didn't think he was the best at gift-giving and hadn't had much practice at it, but at least he'd done his best. He held up two boxes, nearly the same size but one was more rectangular while the other was more square. "Pick one," he said, looking a little silly with the robe hanging open in front over his clothing.

Biting her lip, she played along, looking at the boxes in his hands with a calculating look for a long moment, her eyes flickering back and forth between them. It had been a long time since she'd been on the receiving end of gift-giving, feeling a tiny thrill run through her in excitement. "That one," she guessed, tapping the rectangular box with a smile. "And stop looking so nervous, milaya. I am sure it will be perfect."

"I haven't bought anyone a present since..." He broke off, unable to remember when that was exactly. It had probably been years. He swallowed nervously, despite her reassurance and moved back to sit down beside her and offer her the rectangular box. "Merry Christmas, Nat," he told her quietly and sincerely.

Taking the box, she raised her eyes from it for a long moment, leaning close as he sat down to kiss him affectionately. "S'Rozhdestvom, milaya," she returned the sentiment in her native Russian, slowly turning her gaze back down to the box in her hands, delicately unpicking the wrapping paper to get at the gift inside.

He smiled into her kiss, nervously watching as she unwrapped the box. "That's a mouthful," he remarked, regarding her native Russian. Both gifts made him nervous, but she had chosen the one that made him the least nervous first. Though the box wasn't very large, it felt heavy, the item inside making no noise as she worked to unwrap it.

"It is no more a mouthful than Merry Christmas," she pointed out with a smile, her mood beginning to rise once again as she opened up her present. "What is it?"

Amidst all the wrappings and tissue paper was the ceramic-cast and hand painted figure of a guardian angel, looking protectively and lovingly down at the children at her feet, inscribed with a prayer his mother had taught him when he was a boy asking for protection. He had not bought it for her specifically, but for the daughter he knew was going to be born in the not-too-distant future. "It's for the baby," he said, reaching over to touch his fingers to her stomach, though there was no sign of her pregnancy yet.

Natalya Bristol

Date: 2013-12-16 12:28 EST
The angel was beautiful, so unlike the angels they had met in the past, and yet embodying everything that made angels so very special. Everything that made Rhys so special. Loving and fierce and protective. Her eyes were drawn to the children at the angel's feet, her fingertips tracing their faces as her smile softened, looking to the future. To when their children would stand at their father's feet, with him watching over them. "It is beautiful, Rhys," she whispered softly. "Perfect."

He smiled, looking a little relieved that she seemed to like what he'd chosen, but there was one more wrapped box to open, and he wasn't quite so sure about this one. He'd bought it on a whim, going with his gut, thinking she might like it. He handed her the second box, which felt just as heavy as the first, though it was shaped differently. "Now, open this one."

It took a moment for her to be able to put the angel down, finding it all too easy to imagine it sitting in some pride of place in the nursery they had yet to create for a child they had yet to hold. Reluctantly, her fingers left it as she took the other box, smiling a little bemusedly at the weight of it. Her fingers picked open the paper once again, lifting the lid to investigate the contents.

Inside the box was more tissue paper and hidden inside that tissue paper was a trinket box decorated in the Russian style with a hinged lid that when opened played a tune from Anastasia.

The Imperial styling of the box made her smile, recognizing it from an animated film that had chronicled a fantasy of the myth surrounding the death of the last Tsar and his family. Nat couldn't help running her fingers over the detailing, gently winding the key as the lid opened to reveal Anastasia and her father, dancing to a haunting tune. She hummed along for a moment, her smile as delighted as a child's. " ....once upon a December ..." Lifting her eyes to Rhys, she smiled once again, leaning close to kiss him. "I love this, Rhys. Thank you."

He wasn't sure why, but when he'd stumbled across the music box in the shop, he had immediately thought of her and couldn't help buying it. Neither gift had been very expensive, but it wasn't the cost or extravagance of the gifts that mattered, but simply that they had been given from the heart. He actually rewarded her with a faint blush, though he'd probably argue that it was the robe that was bringing a flush to his cheeks. He shrugged as though it was nothing, slightly embarrassed by her thanks. "I'm glad you like it," he said, his voice softening along with the look in his eyes, which seemed to be getting misty, though if asked, he'd deny that, too.

She nuzzled affectionately to him, letting the song play out as her eyes lingered on his, tender and loving. "There is another present for you under the tree," she murmured to him. "Would you like to open it now?"

"You're the only present I've ever wanted," he replied, touching her cheek and leaning close to press a kiss to her lips, feeling suddenly sentimental, his lips lingering tenderly against hers, conveying all the love he was feeling for her in his heart with that one kiss.

She kissed him in return, leaning close as they shared the deep adoration they felt for one another, as the music wound down and the box closed itself in her hands. She didn't know any better way to tell Rhys how much she loved him than with a kiss; words were so often never enough. But now she wanted him to open his other present, to savor his reaction to it in private, where no one would see but herself. Gently drawing back from him, she set the music box on the table. "Stay there," she told him softly, rising to crouch by the tree in search of the last gift she had placed there.

He got lost in that kiss for a minute, forgetting everything around them except for the fact that he loved her, savoring the sweetness of her kiss even more than he had the dessert. He smiled a little when she pulled away and practically repeated his own words to him, relieved and pleased that she'd liked her presents. "More lingerie?" he teased, watching as she moved away from him to search beneath the tree, enjoying the view.

She laughed, carefully picking through the pile to rescue the second of her presents for him from the bottom. "No," she informed him, rising onto her feet with the box in hand. It wasn't big, but nor was it small, and judging by the way she was holding it, it was heavy. "No more lingerie. This is something I had a little help with, but I think you will like." I hope you will like. Sitting down beside him, she handed the heavy box to him with a smile. "Merry Christmas, Rhys."

He arched a curious brow at her as he took the heavy box and laid it in his lap. It certainly wasn't lingerie, but what was it' She'd already given him so much; there was very little more he wanted or needed. "I'm not even gonna try to say that in Russian," he warned her with a slightly nervous smile before turning his attention to the gift in his lap. "You really didn't have to get me anything, Nat."

"I wanted to," she told him, and it was the honest truth. They both knew there was no need for presents, yet they had both found something to give one another. "It must be a part of this being in love phenomena." She grinned, gently nudging her shoulder to his. "Open it."

"Is that what we are?" he teased back at her. "I was wondering what that's like." He looked back at the gift and carefully tore at the wrapping to uncover it and open the box beneath the wrapping, having absolutely no idea what it was that was hidden inside.

This gift was cushioned in velvet, and with good reason. What he uncovered was a snow globe, set on a silver pedestal. Within the glass was a Christmas tree made of silver and pewter. It seemed so simple, but the tingle on his fingers as he touched it suggested there was magic involved somehow.

He was a little confused by the gift, though it was perhaps one of the loveliest things he'd ever been given, but it wasn't the snow globe that confused him so much as the tingle of magic against his fingertips. "What-what is it?" he asked, not asking about the gift itself so much as the magic he sensed that surrounded it.

Natalya Bristol

Date: 2013-12-16 12:30 EST
Nat's smile was all kinds of mysterious, knowing he was probably more than a little at a loss as to what it was she'd had done to the beautiful object. "Shake it," she suggested softly, leaning into his side.

He gave her a quizzical glance before looking back to the snow globe and giving it a gentle shake to set the snow inside floating about in the water to gently drift down around and about the Christmas tree.

As the flakes whirled in the glass sphere, they sparkled, and the tree blurred, revealing an image he knew very well indeed. The sun rising over a hidden valley, filled with Temple and Abbey, and places of knowledge, surrounded by mist. Nat watched his face as the image held for a long moment before wavering as the flakes settled once again. "Avalon," she murmured, stroking her finger against his cheek. "I know you miss it, when we are not there."

Rhys watched spellbound as the globe seemed to take on a life of its own, tears shining in his eyes at the sight he saw there - Avalon. It tugged at his heartstrings to catch a glimpse, however brief, of that hidden valley, more beautiful than any place he'd ever been before. It was no secret that he held it dear, a refuge against the real world, and while they were talking about buying a house in New York near to friends and family, his heart belonged to Avalon. "Nat, it's beautiful," he told her quietly, his voice barely above a whisper, hardly daring himself to speak, so touched was he at her gift.

"No one else can see Avalon in it but you and me, and anyone of our blood," she told him quietly. "I assume that Rachel will be able to see it as well. Yves is not a brilliant magician, but what he can do, he does well."

"I miss it," he admitted, though it seemed he was always missing the places that felt most like home whenever he was somewhere else - New York, Glastonbury, Avalon. He could only be in one place at a time, but with this gift, he could have a little piece of Avalon with him whenever he was away. "I don't know what to say," he told her quietly, obviously overcome with the emotions he was trying very hard to keep in check.

"You do not have to say anything," Nat assured him, brushing a kiss to his cheek. "I could not think of anything to get you, and then I saw it in a shop window. A small spell later, and it was perfect. All that matters is that you are happy, dusha moya."

"I am happy, Nat," he reassured her yet again, but it wasn't just his happiness that was important. "I am happier than I've ever been in my whole life. Really. And it's all because of you," he told her touching his fingers to her cheek as she pulled away from her kiss. "Stop worrying so much, Nat. Everything I want is right here in this room."

"And you are all I have ever wished for," she promised him, nose to nose with tender eyes on his. "But we are descending into crass sentimentality. We should stop." She grinned, nipping at his lips teasingly. "I think, perhaps, we should go and terrify Adam and Gina before they decide to make full use of the privacy of the kitchen for their own devilish devices."

"There's nothing crass about it, Nat. I love you, and that's all there is to it." He returned her kiss, the tears subsiding for the moment, smiling at last when she reminded him that Adam and Gina were just in the next room doing God knew what. He wiped a hand across his face to dash any remaining signs of softening. "I kind of forgot we weren't alone."

She chuckled, raising her arms to hug him tight for a long moment. "I love you, Rhys," was whispered into his ear, fierce and promising, before she drew back. "Now, are you going to take the robe off, or wait until you melt?"

"Oh," he laughed as she reminded him that he was still wearing the robe. "I'm a little disappointed you didn't buy me matching slippers," he teased back, though Christmas wasn't over yet. There could still be a pair waiting for him in the morning after Santa's visit. He set the snow globe aside on the table, beside the angel and the music box and shrugged the robe from his shoulders, his face flushed with color as he was starting to overheat.

"Perhaps I am waiting for your birthday to finish off the set," she teased, moving to her feet. Her lips curved in a soft smile as she watched him slip out of the robe, raising her hands to his cheeks. "You are my world, milaya. Do not forget it."

"That goes double, Natalya," he said, leaving the robe on the chair, his arms sliding around her waist to kiss her properly, no mistletoe needed. He loved her with all his heart and soul and life, and nothing and no one was ever going to change that.

((Deck the halls with angst and folly - fa la la la la, la la la la! ::chuckles:: Never fear, I'm sure something will sort out these two in time for Christmas Day. Huge thanks to Rhys' player!))

Rhys Bristol

Date: 2013-12-16 17:58 EST
The Gifts http://cfc.polyvoreimg.com/cgi/img-set/.sig/AjAZoP5uVeI43pUTcQ110g/cid/107251382/id/QHPcTKVm4xGDaeDSlJXARQ/size/c600x696.jpg

The Music Box http://youtu.be/-W4k-2wS8Hw