Just a little something to relieve stress. Finals time is here and it's killing my Christmas spirit. Hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own them. I'm just borrowing them for a bit. The song is "Blame it on the Mistletoe" by Toby Keith. I also don't own "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." The mention here is by Kenny G.
Blame it on the Mistletoe
The middle of December ain't the time to be alone
It's just too close to Christmas
And too far to go home
I ran into a friend of a friend
Standing in the checkout line
She said, I've spent too much already
And there's gifts I just can't find
I walked her home and when she opened up her door
I'm not sure what happened then
Guess magic took its course
The streets were crowded as Bobby Goren made his way from his car to the grocery store six blocks down. It was at times like this that Bobby especially hated Christmas time. It wasn't that he really hated Christmas. But the fact that the closest parking spot to his usual grocery store was six blocks away and he couldn't walk ten steps without someone bumping or elbowing him didn't particularly endear the season to him.
Bobby liked the principle behind Christmas, but he didn't have any family to share the time with, except for his mother, who most of the time couldn't go an entire Christmas day without a psychotic break. Christmas to him was usually more tiring and stressful than happy and uplifting.
When he finally made it into the store, he grabbed the items he needed and headed toward the checkout lines. He got in the shortest line, but groaned when the lit up number began to blink. This was going to take forever. He turned to grab a pack of gum from the shelf by the counter, but ran straight into the petite woman behind him, knocking her basket of groceries to the ground.
"Oh! I'm sorry! Here, let me help you with that," he said as she bent down to pick up her spilled groceries.
"It's okay. I shouldn't have been standing so close to you, anyway." He handed her basket of groceries back to her. "Thanks."
"You're welcome." They looked each other in the face for the first time, and recognition flickered in both pair of eyes. "Aren't you Jack's friend? We met at that bar last year. Alex, right?"
"Yeah. And you're...Robert."
"Call me Bobby. Jack never called any of us in the department by a nickname. I think it was to make sure we knew who had seniority."
"Jack? He would never do something like that," she said sarcastically. He grinned at her then, quick and bright. She felt her lips curving in response. "So, Bobby, how've you been? Are you still with Narcotics?"
"Yeah. I've put in for a transfer to a couple of places, but I don't know how that'll work out. What about you?"
"Oh, I got outta Vice as soon as I could. I transferred out about a month after we met."
"That's good. And you're liking the new job?"
"Yeah. But my partner's about to retire, so I guess I'll be getting a new one soon. The job did come with a pay raise, though. Not that it matters with Christmas. I've already spent too much, and I still have a brother and two sisters-in-law to find gifts for."
"I guess that would be frustrating. Kinda makes me happy I don't have a lot of people to shop for. I took care of my mother's presents weeks ago, so I'm finished."
"What, no girlfriend to shop for?"
"No."
"Boyfriend?"
"No," he said emphatically. "I just haven't found a woman who could put up with me yet. So, it's just me."
"I know how that goes. I have a large family, and all of my brothers and sisters are getting married and starting families of their own. But my husband died before we could even think about starting one. So, even though I have people, I still feel alone. And being alone in the middle of December sucks."
"Tell me about it."
It was finally Bobby's turn to check out, so he put his items on the belt. As a last minute thought, he grabbed the forgotten gum off of the shelf. Bobby paid and grabbed his bag, but waited until Alex finished checking out. Bobby grabbed her bags before she could pick them up and offered to walk her to her car. She informed him that her house was three blocks away, so he insisted that he walk her home.
Blame it on the mistletoe
'Cause what happened here nobody knows
How could something simple as a kiss
Change my holiday like this
And we held each other all night long
And we fell asleep to a Christmas song
Playin' on the radio
Blame it on the mistletoe
When they reached her door, she unlocked it and ushered him inside, to the kitchen. He put the bags on the counter and began unpacking them. The tow didn't talk unless it was to ask where an item went. When the groceries were all put up, Alex turned to face him. Their eyes met and held for an intense moment before she tore hers away and tried to find something to busy her hands.
"Would you like some coffee?"
"Sure."
Alex put the pot on to brew, and the two began to talk. The conversation started with funny stories about Jack, but very quickly turned into something more personal. Neither knew why, but they both felt comfortable together. Coffee turned into dinner. Bobby cooked while Alex prepared a salad. Despite his usual hesitancy to share, Bobby found himself opening up to Alex as he had to no one before. He talked about his childhood, what it was like being raised by a schizophrenic and a philandering alcoholic. He talked about his time in the army and how it impacted his decision to become a cop. She told him of what it was like being raised in a family of cops, marrying one, then losing him because of the job.
When he realized how late it was getting, Bobby rose to go. Alex walked him to the door and was trying to figure out how to ask if she could see him again when she looked up. He followed her gaze until it landed on the mistletoe above their heads. Without saying a word, Bobby cupped Alex's cheeks and tilted her head back.
He leaned down and pressed a feather soft kiss to her lips. He pulled back to see her reaction, and what he saw took his breath away. She stood there with her eyes still closed and her lips slightly parted. He kissed her again, longer and firmer this time. He heard her moan and felt her lean into him. Her mouth parted and her tongue sought entrance into his mouth. He allowed the kiss to deepen and it soon became urgent. He felt her pull away, so he looked at her face. She gazed at him, her desire evident in her eyes, and she said one word.
"Stay."
She led him to the bedroom and they spent the rest of the night loving each other. The radio in the living room, left on from dinner, provided a background to their soft words and cries of passion. When they were finally sated, they curled up together, legs entwined. Her head was on his chest, and his arms were around her waist. Bobby listened as Alex's breathing evened out. As the sound of a saxophone playing "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" drifted into the room, Bobby decided that maybe the holidays weren't so bad after all. The wail of the saxophone combined with Alex's breathing lulled Bobby to sleep.
I woke up, she was wrappin' gifts beneath the tree
She said, I know it's early, so I thought I'd let you sleep
Then she insisted I get up and take a look outside
Hey sleepyhead, it must have snowed at least a foot last night
That's when I saw it hangin' up above my head
She threw her arms around my neck
Laughin' as she said
When Bobby awoke, the pleasant weight that was on his chest the night before was missing. The smell of coffee lingered in the air. Christmas music was still playing, but it was quieter now. He heard her singing along to the radio in the other room. Bobby got out of bed and pulled his boxers and undershirt back on before walking into the living room. He grinned at the sight that met him. There she was, dressed in his shirt, sitting on the living room floor surrounded by paper, ribbon, and bows. There was a piece of tape in her hair and a look of concentration on her face.
"Good morning," he said. He laughed when she jumped.
"Morning. I didn't wake you, did I?" He shook his head 'no.' "Oh, good. It was early, so I didn't want to wake you. I couldn't sleep anymore, so I decided to get a jump on my wrapping. There's coffee in the kitchen if you want some."
Bobby went to the kitchen and grabbed a mug of coffee before going back and settling on the couch to watch her wrap. When she finished, she walked over to him and grabbed his hand.
"C'mere, Sleepyhead." She tugged on his arm, but he pulled against her and had her tumbling into his lap. He began kissing her neck. She giggled, then pushed against his chest. "Bobby. I want to show you something. Come see."
Bobby let out a cross between a whine and a groan, but allowed her to pull him off the couch and toward the window.
"Look. Isn't it beautiful?"
"It must have snowed a foot last night. At least. How did we miss that?"
"I think we were a little...preoccupied," she replied.
He grinned, then noticed that she had led him to a window by the door. She lookup up as well then laughed and put her arms around his neck.
"Blame it on the mistletoe," she said before kissing him.
one year later
Alex stood at the window watching the snow fall as she waited for her husband to come out of the bedroom. She gazed at the ring that had been on her finger barely two weeks. She smiled as she thought about the day he put it there, but her thoughts were interrupted by the clock chiming.
"Bobby! If we don't leave soon, we're going to be late!"
"You're the one who told me to shave," he yelled back in response.
"Well, hurry!"
Five minutes later, Bobby emerged from the bedroom, cleanly shaven and wearing a black suit. He walked over to Alex and wrapped his arms around her from behind. He kissed her temple before nuzzling the crook of her neck. She giggled, then turned in his arms. She reached up to stroke his smooth cheek, then stood on her tiptoes and pressed a quick kiss to his mouth.
"What was that for?" She pointed up and he got a wicked grin on his face. He pulled her tightly against him and ravished her mouth.
"Bobby...we're going...we're...we're going to be late," she said between kisses. He grinned, then bit her earlobe. He laughed when she groaned. He felt her arms tighten around his neck, then pulled her into a long, slow kiss.
"Your sister will understand. Just blame it on the mistletoe."
Blame it on the mistletoe
'Cause what happened here nobody knows
How could something simple as a kiss
Change my holiday like this
And we held each other all night long
And we fell asleep to a Christmas song
Playin' on the radio
Blame it on the mistletoe
the end