Merry Christmas to all of my In the Company of Strangers readers! This drabble does contain teasers for the sequel Strangers Among Us, but no real spoilers. Look for the next actual chapter in another week or two. May you all have the most blessed of Holidays, and I hope you enjoy!
She snuggles in closer as the fire pops, smiling as his arm pulls her in even closer. Lips garnish the top of her head, and she sighs into him, afraid of making too much noise lest they disturb those sleeping nearby.
"We should really go upstairs soon," she dares, her whisper summoning his gaze. "It is getting rather late."
"I see no need to move," he voices quietly, his fingers softly stroking her shoulder. "Is there any reason why we couldn't just sleep here?"
"On Christmas Eve?" she returns, raising her head just slightly.
"It could become a family tradition," he muses, watching the corners of her mouth lift ever so slightly. "I think George would find it very appealing."
"I'm sure he would," she responds. "But I actually value my sleep, Charles."
"Yes," he agrees with a sideways grin. "I am well aware of how precious your sleep is to you—and to me, for that matter."
"Why am I convinced that there was a rebuke hidden in that remark?" she questions, feeling the chuckle he attempts to keep quiet.
"Because you have a habit of over-analyzing everything I say," he answers, settling back into the cushions as George stirs slightly in his lap.
"Now you're flattering yourself," she quips, shifting slightly as her young charge stretches against her. "Of course, that's nothing new."
A child's sigh silences them, a slumbering head burrowing in closer, and he settles for a look tossed in her direction.
"One day you'll admit it," he eventually whispers, earning himself a marked twitch of her brow. "You can't live in denial forever."
"Why not?" she tosses back. "You seem to have made yourself quite at home in that realm."
A small whimper commands her attention, and she strokes a velveteen cheek, snuggling the sleeping bundle of warmth into her breast. An overwhelming sense of life in all its splendor fills her veins, unleashing a surge of gratitude that inundates her depths.
"I'm so happy, Mary. So very happy."
His words summon her gaze, all teasing now absent from his tone as he fully takes in the sight before him. How clearly she can read him now, his expression filling her with a contentment she thought beyond her grasp not long ago.
"So am I," she returns in earnest, smiling down at dark heads mussed in sleep before returning her focus to him. "So am I."