Matt told her to pack that evening after they left work, a sly grin on his face. He'd obviously planned whatever was going to happen, and of course was very sure about it, at least he conveyed that impression. That sly, cocky grin might have been the first thing Emily fell in love with, followed closely by his soft brown eyes, that betrayed his true nature. Matt was far from the frat boy his smile suggested, that was easy to see if you let yourself. Emily had determinedly put him in the eternal- bachelor, frat boy category when she first realized she was falling in love with him, to protect herself and their careers. Five minutes of a real conversation told her he wasn't, and after nine months of working together, she'd gave up trying to pretend.
Now, after well over a year together he was taking her somewhere for Christmas, and wouldn't let her in on his secret. And, to accomplish this task, they had been driving already for two and a half hours. She fallen asleep, lulled by the gentle rhythm of the car, just after they left LA. Now that she was awake, all she could figure out was that they were clearly out of California.. He asked her to put a blindfold on, explaining that they were almost there. He didn't want her to see the road signs and guess, he was more determined than she ever seen him, and wouldn't buckle, no matter how ridiculous she felt. Her sudden voluntary blindness made her hyper aware to sounds, and his touch. Her heart beat growing steadily faster as he announced they were getting closer, his breathing hitching with every nervous swallow. She'd jumped when his hand slid over to her thigh, but settled as he took her hand and held it in his, palm slightly damp with nervous perspiration.
Wherever they were going it was colder than LA, which though chilly three days before Christmas, was still warmer than most places. Matt had been steadily cranking up the heat in the car as they drove, always careful to keep it warm when it started getting the slightest bit cool. She'd stopped asking questions an hour into the trip, giving up after exhausting her options; no amount of promises involving the bedroom were going to sway him, though she'd certainly tried. She settled back into the soft seat, his hand in both her hers, and closed her eyes, completely trusting in him and whatever he had planned. It was a odd feeling for her, too trust someone so much, but she just did. She felt safe when his body was near to hers, and every one of her senses seemed dance in his presence.
Matt glanced over at her often, nervous that she was enjoying his mystery, rather than being annoyed by it. He'd taken such great care planning for it, months in advance, even getting a little extra time off from Cheryl, and swearing her to secrecy. She was completely amused by his intensity, and remarked that he was completely smitten; he glared at her in response, so she told him it was cute. Though, it would certainly be cuter if this intense little romance wasn't going on between her best team, hell the Bureau's best team of negotiators. He knew if Frank and Duff found out how hard he'd worked on this surprise, there would be no end to the teasing, though Duff was one to talk, he and Lia were practically inseparable. Much to Cheryl's chagrin, the CNU was jokingly getting the reputation of being the Bureau dating service.
After the year they'd had, he wanted to do something special for Christmas, something to get them out of the grind of their daily lives, and a quiet break from the intensity of their jobs. Where they'd be staying, there was no phone. He left his phone at home, and insisted that Emily leave hers too, and her computer; there wouldn't be any internet access anyway. Los Angeles had other negotiators, both in the Bureau and LAPD, it would survive for a few days without them. Things hadn't been easy their first year together, not by anyone's standards; there were the issues of working closely together in a high stress job, and dealing with everyone knowing their business (LA was graphically familiar with their sex life thanks to Tobin Jensen). This wasn't including their brief, but very painful break-up, and the precarious, almost deadly situations they'd been in while negotiating.
But, he still woke up in the morning with her laying beside him in bed, and he wanted her to know how much that meant to him. For over a year now, he'd been able to hold her in his arms and make love to her, and that changed his life in ways he couldn't even begin to explain. And, now he looked over at her, a contented smile, she'd fallen asleep again. Yes, he tried very hard to deny the attraction between them, and when he failed at that, he tried to convince himself he wasn't in love, couldn't be in love with his partner. He gave up on that too, and blurted it out that afternoon, but meant it more than he had any statement in his life. She stayed for him, gave up that opportunity for him, that was part of the reason he wanted this to be so special.
Before he had time to process it, they were there, and he pulled slowly up the freshly plowed, but unpaved road, driving practically through a forest. He placed the car in park, and looked over at his companion, who'd woken again, and grew alert as she realized they we no longer moving. He gently eased the blindfold from her face, and sat back, allowing her to look around.
They were parked in front of a log cabin, lit in the front by a flood light so she could see. There was snow piled on the ground, coating the roof, the trees shimmered with an ice coating. She turned to him quickly, giddy from the sight of snow, something she missed living in the southwest, a fact that hadn't slip past him.
"We're in the mountains outside of Denver." He didn't need to explain further. Their first kiss, the first time they made love, the meaning was clear. He climbed out of the car, and took her hand and helped her out as she did the same, still staring in awe at the snow.
"There is supposed to be another huge storm here tomorrow night, through Sunday; we'll get to watch it snow." It quickly became obvious how much effort he'd put into their little vacation; with a full dimpled smile, she kissed him deeply for several minutes.
They finally broke it, and he told her breathlessly, "Merry Christmas."
"Thank you, thank you for doing this for me." Nobody had ever put that much effort into making something special for her, she hoped her own gift for him would match up. Hit with more emotion than she anticipated, she leaned into his chest in an attempt to recover without crying.
He kissed her temple, "We better get inside before we get frost bite. Tomorrow we can bundle up and come outside."
She turned her head to look at him, mischievous grin and teasing eyes, "Oh, I don't plan on leaving that cabin until Wednesday."
Alright, nice peaceful, happy one from me, for a change. I have another Christmas one in the works, hoping to get it posted shortly, but it may end up coming way after Christmas, so enjoy this one. Thanks for reading and please review! Happy Holidays!