*******Chapter 1******
Chuck awoke with a yawn and turned over to find the pie maker watching her lovingly. Much like he did every mourning, except there was something different in the way he looked at her. Chuck decided to ignore the mischievous look in Ned's eye and instead say, "Mourning, Ned." with a smile and a slight flush in her cheeks.
"Mourning Chuck" Ned said with a grin. Chuck arose from her bed and swung her legs over the side.
"I'm going to make you breakfast this mourning"
Ned chuckled, "Since when do you make me breakfast?"
"Since, it's Christmas Eve and you look so adorable, that you deserve French toast before making those delicious pies of yours." And with that Chuck got up and dashed off to the kitchen leaving Ned to get into the shower. As the hot water ran over Ned's body he envisioned the delicious breakfast being made by the girl whom he brought back to life, the girl who he loved and yet could not touch, and how much he wished that he could touch her, and kiss and her, and protect her from the world. But alas, he could not.
Chuck finished frying up the toast and walked into the bedroom holding the syrup. "Needdd!!! Do you want syrup on your toa…. Oh!" By oh, Chuck wasn't actually referring to the French toast she had prepared, but to the bottle of sweetened American syrup she had dropped at the sight of a naked Ned coming out of the shower into the bedroom. The two stood there staring at each other until Ned realized just why Chuck had dropped the syrup. He quickly covered his lower regions with his towel, snapping Chuck out of her trance and moving so she could mop up the little bits of sticky syrup splattered on the floor, and take the bottle into the kitchen.
Ned came into the kitchen, fully dressed this time, and sat down just as Chuck served them up two big plates of steaming French toast and a big glass of orange juice. "Sorry that there is only one glass of juice, you didn't have enough for the both of us so I figured we could share. You don't mind do you?" Ned sat there for a minute smiling at Chuck's babbling and her cuteness before answering,
"Uhh, no that's fine. I don't mind at all, we share most of the stuff in this apartment anyway." Chuck smiled at that response and dug into her breakfast. Ned picked up his fork and was about to do the same when something came to his mind. "Chuck?"
"mmm?"
"Why did you drop the syrup when you saw me come out of the shower?" Chuck stopped chewing and looked at Ned. "I mean I understand why you dropped the syrup, just you've seen me getting dressed before and… well I didn't think I would startle you like that." Chuck considered what he said and looked down at her half eaten breakfast.
"Well I know that I've seen you before, but never like that.All dripping wet and well… naked." Ned smiled his quirky smile and got up from the table.
"Come on, we're going to be late."
"But you haven't eaten your toast." Chuck whined. "I made it especially for you." Ned went and got his jacket and Chuck's.
"Yes, well I'm no longer hungry for French Toast." The couple looked at each other with a hunger not for any type of food, but wishing as they did many times a day that they could touch. Ned handed Chuck her coat and they left for the Pie Hole.
******** Chapter Two *********
The snow was falling lightly from the sky emitting a soft glow in the early mourning light. Ned lead Chuck's gloved hand towards the door and opened it revealing a beautifully decorated Pie Hole complete with a large fur tree and glittery snowflakes hanging from the ceiling. "It's beautiful!!" Chuck cried rushing into the store pulling Ned after her. "Oh, it's simply gorgeous! You did this all for me?" Ned's face was holding a large grin, happy that his one true love was enjoying her first of many gifts. He shrugged as Chuck squeezed his gloved hand in affection. Olive came out of the kitchen, with Alfredo in tow.
"Merry Christmas Pie Holers!!" Olive exclaimed with delight. "I see you like our work Chuck, it took forever last night!" Olive said with a flush of happiness in her cheeks. Ever since Alfredo had come back and the two had expressed their love for each other, Olive had been the happiest she's ever been, bouncing about the Pie Hole wishing the customers happy holidays and laughing away at anything remotely funny.
"You helped with this Olive?" Chuck asked letting go of Ned's hand, much to his dislike, and grabbing Olive in a bear hug. Olive hugged Chuck back and the two laughed sharing a moment of what was becoming a very friendly relationship. Alfredo stepped in, "Yes well, Ned is great when it comes to making pies, but not so great with decorating." Fredo, Olive and Ned all smiled at the memory of last nights decorating for Chuck and the holidays, Ned stapling his finger while trying to hang garland.
"So that's why your finger was bleeding when you came home so late last night!" Chuck exclaimed.
"Yes, well, I told you not to stay up, because I was working late, but that's my Chuck." Ned said as he grinned his special Chuck grin. Olive noticing that she and Fredo were interrupting a special moment between the two, so she grabbed Fredo's hand and led him to the door. The couple didn't notice the other couple moving until Olive cried out form the doorway, "Merry Christmas! Drop by tomorrow mourning and we'll open presents together!" and with that she and her love where gone off to celebrate their own special Christmas together.
Chuck and Ned sent sideways smiles to each other as they went into the kitchen to inspect what Olive had been doing. There they found all the ingredients for the perfect Christmas pumpkin pie and a heavy supply of plastic wrap. They eyed each other at the sight of the plastic wrap and went over to the counter. Ned glanced up and said, "Oh look, mistletoe. I wonder how that got there." Before he could get a response out of Chuck she had picked up the plastic wrap and the two shared a long and loving kiss. Just long enough to imagine that the plastic shield between their lips wasn't there and to breathe in each other's sweet scent. Chuck pulled back as Ned said, "You know, we really should be careful about that." She smiled against his lips and they continued in their plastic wrap kiss until it began to wear thin.
******** Chapter 3 ********
"So when do you want to open you gifts? Cause you know it's our first Christmas together and we have to spend it together doing lots of Christmas related stuff." said Chuck in her usual way, cheeks a glow and a smile stretching her perfect little lips. Ned wished greatly he could just scoop her up and do many things to her, some Christmas related, some not. But alas, he knew he could not, so instead Ned just smiled at Chuck as he put on his coat.
"Maybe later honey bee, I have to run one more errand before we go home and celebrate." Chuck's smile faded slightly but she quickly recovered, knowing that Ned would bring her if she was to come. She went over to Ned and buttoned up his coat as Ned put on his gloves and scarf.
"Well alright Lord of the Pies, but don't be long. It's cold out there so keep warm okay?" Chuck blew Ned a kiss and with that the piemaker was gone.
******* Chapter 4 *******
It had taken Ned a long time to find the perfect gift not only for Chuck, but for him too. He had searched all over town and finally, within a little Chinese tea shop he found it. It was a mere box containing a packet of herbs and spices with a label on the bow which read;
Temporary Curse Removal. Guaranteed to rid you and one other of the curse that ails you for one whole night. Warning: Potion only lasts for 12 hours and NO LONGER. If deadly repercussions follow your curse DO NOT EXCEED THE LIMIT.
Ned was always a purist and didn't really believe in such things like Chuck did, but it was Christmas right? Plus he got a guarantee from the shop lady. She gave him a "sample" so he could test it out before touching Chuck. Again, the old lady warned him to NOT EXCEED THE LIMIT. Ned began to wonder why they kept saying that and double checked the box to make sure it was 12 hours of time not 2. Sure enough it said 12, so the pie maker simply made a mental note to set his clock just to be safe. He was allowing himself to believe in this, but he wasn't going to take that much of a risk. He loved Chuck to much. After buying the small package and learning how to make a "potion" out of the herbs and spices he bundled up and hurried back to the Pie Hole where his Chuck was waiting.
***** Chapter 5*****
The door bell 'dinged' a happy ding as Ned entered the store with his gift wrapped package behind his back. "Chuck! I'm back!" He proceeded to take off his coat and was able to hide the package under it just as Chuck entered the room.
"Well you certainly took long enough!" Chuck meant it to be in a huffy way, but found it hard to act mad on such a perfect day, with the pie maker standing with snow in his hair looking amazingly cute. She abandoned her supposed to be upset frown for a large toothy grin and hurried to the pie maker stopping just short, realizing almost too late what the repercussions were if she touched him, like she wanted to just then.
"Well I'm sorry I took so long, but the errand I had to run was a ways away." Ned took care to slowly move the package and his coat behind his pack as he offered his explanation to Chuck. He had hoped that she would not notice, but Chuck was hard to fool sometimes.
"What are you holding behind your back?"
"Nothing. Nothing at all."
"Don't say that, you're holding something. What kind of errand were you running?" Chuck took a step towards Ned leaning sideways as Ned moved back one. The pie maker let out an audible sigh as he brought his arm from behind his back to reveal the small wrapped package.
"Is that my gift? Where you late shopping for me? Cause you know I had your shopping done weeks ago. It's just like you to wait until the last minute…."
Ned cut in with a laugh. "Chuck?"
"What?" she answered with a slightly sharp tone in her voice.
"Yes it's your gift, but I had to get it today, because I was busy with all the others or with you these past couple weeks. Besides, once you find out what it is, you won't be so mad." Chuck huffed a little and looked up at the pie maker.
"I wasn't mad; I was just…okay so I was a little mad. I was worried that you weren't taking this seriously enough. But its Christmas and you look adorable with all that snow dust on you, so I forgive you." Chuck sheepishly grinned at Ned and grabbed her coat, and together they got into their car and headed back to the apartment to open their gifts.
***** Chapter 6*****
Ned opened the door to the apartment and stepped aside to let Chuck in. With a quick "thank you" she scooted into the apartment and ran off to their bedroom, taking out the presents she had been hiding for Ned. Meanwhile Ned put on the kettle for some hot chocolate and got out two mugs and some whip cream. He smiled to himself, thinking about how much Chuck was going to love her gift. And how much he was going to love her, loving the gift. He planned on slipping the concoction he had made up earlier into the hot chocolate, so Chuck wouldn't notice its sour taste. He had tested the "sample" on a dead fly earlier and found it to work fine. He had taken care only to take a little, about an hours worth so as not to overdose on the potion. The box he had shown earlier contained only the label of the box, which he knew would lead to a million questions from Chuck. The potion took about an hour to come into effect which would give them just enough time to open their gifts before really enjoying the holidays.
Chuck came into the living room with her tiny arms full of gift wrapped packages. She dumped them all on the floor before grabbing a pillow to sit on and leaning against the couch. "These are all for me?" Ned asked in amazement. "I got you lots of gifts, but not that many!" Chuck chuckled accepting the mug of steaming hot chocolate from Ned.
"Yes well I am a women you know, and it's hard not for me not to shop! Olive and I went shopping together, she's a big help on finding things for you!" Ned took his gifts for Chuck out from the closet and placed them next to the others. He proceeded to sit down opposite from her and began sipping from is mug. To his delight Chuck began to do the same. "So who's wants to go first?" she exclaimed ruffling Digby's fur. The dog had come to lay by Chuck's feet like he did most days. "I know! How about Digby goes first?" Digby's ears perked up at the thought as Chuck presented him with ham bone the size of a small child. Digby immediately grabbed the bone and began licking and chewing away. Ned smiled at Chuck's thoughtfulness, and thought about just how much he loved her. "Ned?"
"Mmmm? Oh sorry did you say something?"
"Ned honey, are you okay? I asked if you wanted to open your gifts now." Chuck glanced at the pie maker worriedly. 'Something seems different about him but I don't know what. Maybe it's the hot chocolate; it does taste a little funny.' thought Chuck. She stopped her worrying for the time being and instead watched the man who gave her a new life open his many gifts.
He received a lot of the usual girlfriend- boyfriend living together stuff, like socks, soap, and underwear. It was almost weird how Chuck knew his size in everything, but she did do a lot of the laundry nowadays. He also received a few new pie tins, some aprons with his initials on them, and a wallet with a picture of Digby and Chuck in it. "Do you like your gifts? Olive was a big help, but you can be fussy sometimes, so I had to think everything over twice." Ned smiled again at Chuck's babbling.
"I love them all Chuck. They're great." Ned glanced at the clock. "But I think it's time you opened yours." Chuck excitedly grabbed at the first package and continued to rip open each one revealing something new. Chuck got a lot of the typical stuff too, like her favorite bubble bath and a book on Chinese curses and remedies she had asked for. Along with a heavy supply of plastic wrap and a night gown that was a little shorter than I should be, and showed a little more cleavage than needed.
"I suppose you want me to wear this tonight?" she asked with a twinkle in her eye. Ned shrugged sheepishly and cleared his throat.
"You still have one more gift to open. The most important one."
"Oh! You're right! I've been wondering all night as to what it is…" Chuck eagerly ripped of the bow and opened the box to find a small slip of paper inside. "What's this?" she lifted the paper out of the box and read it looking curiously at Ned. "What is this label from and where the gift part?" Ned took a big breath running over what he had been planning to say to Chuck all night. Then it went all out the window.
"Okay well here's the thing. I bought this herbal remedy thingy at a little Chinese shop downtown and I put it in out drinks. It's supposed to take away my curse for one night, or 12 hours. Now I tested it and it works, so don't freak out, and I set my watch a half hour ago to be safe." Ned let out the breath he had been holding as he explained it all to Chuck.
Chuck was temporarily stunned. Did she really just hear what Ned said? His curse was gone for a whole 12 hours? She could touch him?! Ned watched as reality dawned on Chuck's face like the mourning sun. She jumped on Ned hugging with all her might. "This is the best Christmas gift ever!" Chuck then began to plant tiny kisses on Ned's neck and cheek and face, not stopping to take a breath. Ned laughed as he picked her up in his arms and carried her off to the bedroom. He plopped her down onto his bed and stripped off his shirt as Chuck pulled her dress down to her waist. Ned leaned down and began to kiss Chuck's collar bone tracing his lips over her chest and kissing between her breasts. He removed the rest of her dress as Chuck undid his pants and they climbed into bed together removing the rest of their underwear. Chuck continued on Ned in a flurry of kisses causing him to laugh. "Chuck slow down, we have 12 hours."
"I know, but I've waited so long for this. Haven't you?" Ned stopped to gaze into Chuck's eyes.
"Of course. Why do you think I bought this gift?" Ned then kissed Chuck's tiny hand and continued trailing his tongue down her middle, causing Chuck to giggle. Ned had thought about this moment for along time. Exactly what he would do to her, and how. He wanted to give her pure pleasure as anything, make it a night to remember. But all the planning he had done, all the dirty late-night thoughts he had about Chuck went away, and love and pleasure took over. He kissed and caressed, and bit and nibbled all over her body causing her to hum with pleasure. Finally Ned entered into her. They both let out a gasp at the pain they hadn't felt in a while, but then the pain subsided as Ned plunged deeper and deeper into Chuck until he reached the limit. At that point he stopped. Chuck opened her eyes to find the pie maker staring lovingly into hers.
"What is it? Something wrong?" Ned just smiled at her and kissed her gently.
"No nothings wrong honey bee. I just wanted to say… well, I love you." Chuck's heart softened at his proclaim of love. She had known it all along but I was nice to finally hear him say it.
"I love you too Ned." And with that she kissed him deeply and passionately, causing where they were joined to heat up and tingle. Ned resumed his rhythmic grinding and the two moaned in ecstasy as Chuck began to tighten around him. She cried out with pleasure and Ned finished up with his own completion.
Ned turned and collapsed beside Chuck wrapping her in his arms. He kissed her neck and breathed in the scent of her hair. Chuck smiled in delight and nestled into Ned, enjoying his warmth. "Ned?"
"Yes Chuck?" he mumbled into her hair.
"Thank you. This has been the best Christmas ever. It was like having our own Christmas miracle, right in our little apartment." Ned smiled at the thought of this being a Christmas miracle. The package had warned about how much time they had together, but at this point time didn't seem to matter. They were together in his bed snuggling up close breathing in each other's scents. This truly was the best Christmas ever.
******Chapter 7******
As the soft mourning sun peeked through curtains of their bedroom, Ned sighed as he awoke. He wiggled a bit and reached up to rub the sleep from his eyes. That's when he noticed the smell of her. She was everywhere on him. On his sheets, his pillow, his skin. It was ecstasy all over again. That's when he remembered last night. The perfect Christmas eve, a miracle Chuck had called it. 'I ought to thank that old lady at the shop next time I see her. She gave Chuck and me something more special than anything in the world; a chance to touch, to feel and love with no conditions.' He thought to himself. Ned turned to smile at Chuck as she awoke. She always woke up a couple minutes after him, like they shared a body clock that dinged every time one of them woke up.
"Mourning honey" Chuck said softly. Her cheeks emitted a soft rosy glow, and her eyes were still a bit fuzzy with sleep. In Ned's eyes, she was beautiful.
"Good mourning Chuck. I'm surprised you're not more tired after last night." Ned smiled to himself. It had been a very passionate night. He never thought it possible that one man and women could make love so many times in 12 hours. They had both seemed so determined to make what little time they had together last.
"Ned?" Chuck asked, her eyes now staring steadily at him.
"mmmm?"
"How are we going to top last night?" she asked a smile spreading across her face. Ned laughed at Chuck's joke.
"That's a good question. How bout we just continue to live our lives like before and keep the moment in our hearts and minds in times of need. It can be our special moment together, the one time we were able to fully show each other how much we love each other. Okay?"
Chuck was surprised at Ned's very honest and emotional response. She had been expecting more of something along the lines of "How bout boxes and boxes of extra-strength plastic wrap?" or something quirky of that nature. Ned seemed to have gained a certain wisdom about their relationship since last night. Chuck wanted to ponder his new attitude but was interrupted but an awful ache in her belly. Chuck covered her mouth and made a run for the bathroom.
"Chuck? Are you all right? I didn't hurt or something last night did I?" Ned asked, getting up to follow Chuck.
After some horrid retching Chuck answered, "No I'm fine. It must have been that potion taking a weird affect on me. It must not have agreed with my stomach, don't worry." Ned seemed to take this explanation and went off into the kitchen to make himself a bowl of cheerios.
Chuck was not so sure about her explanation though. It made sense, but didn't feel right. Like something just didn't fit. After washing her mouth out and brushing her teeth, she decided to just brush it off and continue with her day.