This is another cute little Christmas one for Night World, sort of a companion to Winter Sports. Please review and tell me what you think!

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"No! No! No! No!" Mary-Lynette Carter cried, laughing as she bolted down the stairs, her dark hair falling from its loose ponytail.

The blond boy pursuing her just laughed, sliding down the banister to gain speed on Mary-Lynette as she darted through the living room. Using the same banister for leverage, Ash pounced, every inch the jungle cat, on the brunette as she started to make a sharp right.

Mary-Lynette cried out as they tumbled together into the kitchen, though she would have laughed if the breath hadn't been so effectively knocked out of her.

This was what happened when Ash "helped" Mary-Lynette decorate for Christmas.

Mary-Lynette was home for the holidays, stubbornly refusing to lock herself up in Vegas like her brother and Jade, and currently her parents were out doing last minute shopping, leaving their daughter at home to decorate with Ash after copious reminders from her that she was eighteen and could do whatever she wanted even if they were there.

They actually had gotten a bit of decorating done, but then Ash got bored, and it had all been down hill from there.

Right now, the pair had skidded to a stop on the kitchen tile, and Ash was attempting to pin Mary-Lynette down with the assistance of a long string of holly that they were supposed to be curling around the aforementioned banister.

"Ash, please stop trying to strangle me with a plastic plant," Mary-Lynette requested calmly, surprised by how sharp the faux holly was.

"Oh, fine," Ash sighed dramatically and quickly tossed the now-tangled string away, and his eyes, currently a dancing, playful green, glimmered, "Besides, this is much more fun," for an instant, his eyes shifted to a deep gold before closing as he leaned down.

A mischievous grin lit Mary-Lynette's face, "Nah, too easy," and with that she used the smooth kitchen tile to slide swiftly out and away from Ash just as his lips descended for a kiss. And, unable to resist, she kicked up as she slid, nailing the blond right in the shin.

"Ack! Every time!" Ash cried once the initial disorientation of nearly kissing the floor subsided.

Mary-Lynette laughed as she tore down the hallway, "You have to work for it!" She called back.

Ash groaned, never one for work, before hauling himself up and giving chase to his renegade soul-mate.

Reaching the end of the corridor, Mary-Lynette hummed, reviewing her options. She knew she didn't have much time, so she ducked into her room, then, with a stroke of genius, flipped open her window, allowing several eddies of snow into her room.

The brunette climbed onto the thick, protruding ledge of the window that she had always curled up on as a little kid to see the stars, still giggling as she shut the window behind her.

Still, this hiding place wouldn't do. After all, Ash only had to glance into her room to see her, so, before she had much time to think about it, Mary-Lynette stood up on the ledge and dragged herself by the decorative molding onto the roof.

There. Not bad for a science geek, Mary-Lynette smiled as she looked out into the dark blue winter's night. It was beautiful, of course, the stars were always so bright in the winter, even though they were farther away. Silently, the girl named the constellations in her head as a child would count Misssissippis in hide-and-go-seek. Mary-Lynette had almost gotten lost in her little astronomy world when--

"Boo," A voice murmured into her ear, nearly making her fall off the roof, but strong arms grabbed her before she could do herself any damage.

"Ash! You are such a child!" Mary-Lynette exclaimed, only making the blond laugh. He knew she wasn't really mad at him—he wouldn't have been laughing if he was in trouble.

"Says the girl who likes to kick people in the shins," he teased back, twirling a strand of Mary-Lynettes dark hair around his finger.

"You have me there," Mary-Lynette sighed, leaning into Ash and resting her had on his shoulder, "I'm a child too. We're both absolute children."

"Totally immature," Ash agreed happily, and then they were both quiet as they relaxed into the snow and gazed into the silent, chilly night.

~*~

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