I hope everyone has a lovely Christmas. Enjoy!
Christmas was a mere two days away, but holed up in the confines of her dorm room, surrounded by piles of notes and books, Nancy couldn't have felt any less festive. A wilted, miserable looking Christmas tree, propped in the hall, strung with a few lengths of tired, ratty tinsel was the only indication that the holiday season had well and truly commenced. Nancy longed for the comfort of home. She hadn't been able to make the journey in over a month and she missed both Ned and her family dreadfully.
Perched cross legged on her bed, Nancy emitted a frustrated sound as she leafed half-heartedly through her criminology textbook.
Days spent studying and trawling through the exhaustingly, long exams, had left her drained and she neither had the inclination nor the desire to continue. Sighing, Nancy tossed the book aside and focused her attention instead, on the catastrophic mess that was her bedroom. Staring guiltily, at the jumble of clothing that spilled out of her wardrobe onto the floor and the collection of coffee mugs that dotted every surface of the room, Nancy resolved to do a quick tidy before she left for home in the morning.
Reluctantly reaching for her book, Nancy made a last-ditch attempt at studying before she was rescued, mercifully, by the ringing of her phone.
"Hey, Ned." Nancy smiled down the phone, warmed by the thought of being in his arms, in less than twenty-four hours.
"How's the studying going, Nan?"
"Fine." she spat out irritably. "You know, you're so lucky to be finished all your exams, Ned." Nancy pouted jokingly, resting her head comfortably against a thick, stack of pillows. "At the moment, I feel as though, I will never be finished."
"Poor, baby." Ned teased sympathetically, his voice warm with affection. "I'm dying to see you, though, Nan." he added tenderly. "I really miss you and it feel like ages since I last saw you."
"I miss you too, Ned, so, so much." Nancy agreed softly. "I can't wait to spend loads of time together over Christmas. I'm really looking forward to being at home too. I haven't seen Megan in over a month and Dad keeps telling me, she's getting really big."
"I'd better go, Nan." Ned said lovingly, after a few more minutes spent chatting about Christmas plans. "Don't study too hard, okay? I'll see you tomorrow."
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Eagerly, unlocking the wreath-clad door of her house, Nancy shook off the scattering of icy snowflakes that clung to her reddish-blonde hair, and smiled, when she saw her three-year-old sister, Megan, come bounding down the hall to greet her.
"Nancy's here." she cheered, clapping her small, chubby hands together delightedly. Dressed in a velvety, plum colored dress and matching woolen tights with her long, brown hair, curled softly around her face, Megan looked perfectly adorable.
"Hey, Meg." Nancy said affectionately, bending down to give her a hug, smiling as she felt the soft warmth of her little sister's body snuggled up against her. "It's so good to see you. I've really missed you, you know."
"I've missed you too, Nancy." Megan replied with wide, blue eyes, regarding her sister seriously. "Look what Mommy got me." she squealed excitedly, scooping a reluctant gray kitten from his cosy perch on a cushioned chair.
"Her name is Princess." she declared proudly, holding the squirming kitten up for Nancy to examine.
"Oh, she's so cute." Nancy cooed sweetly, gently stroking the kitten's soft, grey fur.
Giving Princess a final, overenthusiastic hug, Megan released the kitten from her tight grip, placing her carefully on the floor. A glittering barbie clutched loosely in her hand, she skipped happily into the sitting-room, Princess trotting adoringly behind.
Shrugging out of her snow-dampened coat, Nancy saw her father peer tentatively around the door.
"I thought I heard something." Carson chuckled, reaching out to pull his daughter into a deep warm hug. "It's great to have you home, honey. How was the drive down?"
"Long and boring." Nancy grumbled good-naturedly, "But, I'm so glad to be here." she admitted happily, beaming as her father led her into the warmth of the sitting room.
Nancy smiled as she took in the cosy familiarity of home. A huge Christmas tree, graced the corner of the room, the sprinkling of white lights on it twinkling merrily. A crackling fire blazed comfortingly in the grate and wafts of Hannah's cooking, drifted in temptingly from the kitchen. Curled up comfortably beside the fire, her legs tucked up under her and her head buried in a book, Avery looked up happily when she heard Nancy come in.
"Hey, Nancy." she greeted her warmly, hopping off the sofa and welcoming her with a hug. "How did the exams go?"
"Okay, I guess." Nancy shrugged nonchalantly, collapsing gratefully on the sofa beside her. "We had one killer exam, but the rest were fine."
"That's good." Avery said, smiling brightly, her long, brown curls spilling over her shoulders. "Do you know, Megan has had her little nose pressed to the window for the last two hours, waiting for you to arrive?"
Nancy laughed, glancing at her little sister, who was now happily introducing Princess to her vast collection of barbie dolls.
"Is that my Nancy I hear?" Hannah bustled into the room, drying her hands off her apron.
"Merry Christmas, Hannah." Nancy greeted the housekeeper warmly, enveloping the woman in a warm hug. "I have missed your cooking so much."
"I'm not a bit surprised, you've got far too thin." Hannah clucked disapprovingly, gesturing at Nancy's slight frame. "Why you girls don't eat properly, I'll never know." she mumbled accusingly, rolling her eyes and pushing a plate, piled high with sandwiches into her hand. "Now eat." she commanded, giving Nancy a stern look.
Catching her father's eye, Nancy couldn't help but laugh. She was well accustomed to Hannah's incessant fussing and having eaten little more than cereal and toast over the past few weeks, was certainly going to enjoy it.
At the unexpected chime of the doorbell, Nancy hurried out, beaming when she made out a vague, blurry impression of Ned's tall, strong frame through the frosted glass.
"Ned." she smiled happily, pulling open the door and jumping into his arms. "I've missed you so much."
"I've missed you too, Nan." Ned murmured tenderly, holding her tightly in his arms. Spotting Megan skip happily down the hall, her brown curls bouncing merrily on her shoulders, Ned reluctantly released Nancy after giving her a final squeeze.
"Hi, Ned." Megan squealed excitedly, shrieking with delight as Ned swung her high in the air, her terror-filled screams echoing around the house until Ned plonked her, giggling, on the floor.
Leaving Megan chase Princess playfully into the sitting-room, Ned turned to Nancy, wrapping an arm lovingly around her. "Do you want to go for a walk? I know it's snowing and absolutely freezing outside, but it could be really romantic and I might even have a surprise for you." he finished teasingly, dropping a kiss on her cheek.
"A surprise. Really?" Nancy asked curiously, her blue eyes narrowing suspiciously. "What exactly are you up to, Ned Nickerson? You know I hate surprises."
"You'll just have to wait and see, Nan." Ned replied, a teasing smile crossing his face. Bundled up cosily in her fur-lined coat, a scarf wrapped warmly around her neck, Nancy pulled Ned into the sitting-room.
"Good to see you Ned." Carson greeted him cordially, reaching out to shake his hand. "I trust the exams went okay."
"They were fine, Sir." Ned answered modestly, turning to greet Avery.
"Dad, me and Ned are heading out for a walk. We shouldn't be too long." she added, pulling her woolen, pink gloves onto her hands.
"Can me and Princess come?" Megan asked hopefully, scooping the boisterous kitten into her arms.
"No, darling." Avery answered softly, winking at Nancy. "It's too cold outside and anyway, Santa is coming tonight so you need to get ready to go to bed."
"Okay, Mommy." Megan nodded seriously, kissing Princess goodnight, before running up the stairs to put on her pajamas.
The icy coldness of the day, had turned the street into a frosted, magical paradise. The frozen trees glittered under the dim moonlight and brightly lit Christmas trees glowed from the windows of neighboring houses. Shivering with delight, Nancy edged closer to Ned, her cheeks flushed with the cold and the icy wind whipping her hair into her face.
"You're cold." Ned observed gently, pulling her closer.
"I'm fine, Ned." Nancy smiled, her eyes widening in surprise as Ned led her into the park, their feet crunching over the freshly fallen snow. "Anyway, why are you bringing me in here?" she asked impatiently, tugging eagerly at his gloved hand.
"You'll see.' he grinned, bending down to kiss her, his nose frozen against her skin.
Spying the old, creaking gazebo, through an opening in the trees, Nancy gasped in surprise. Giving her hand a gentle squeeze, Ned helped Nancy up the slippery, ice-glazed steps and pulled her down beside him on the worn, snow-sprinkled bench, which had been carved over the years with the initials of hundreds of love-struck couples.
"God, can you believe this is where we had our first kiss?" Nancy mused thoughtfully, leaning on Ned's shoulder and tucking her head comfortably under his chin.
"Remember? It was our first date and we were sitting right here and all of a sudden you kissed me." Nancy said, a smile creeping across her face at the memory.
"I couldn't resist, Nan." he said, smiling deeply. "You looked so beautiful and sweet. Your hair was a little longer back then, though." he recalled, uncertainly, pulling back to search her face. "It came to about here." he murmured, reaching out and touching her jacket gently with his hand to indicate the spot. "You know, I couldn't believe, I really kissed you that day." Ned said thoughtfully, pressing his lips against her frozen cheek.
"Really?" Nancy asked in surprise, tilting her head up to look at him. "Why?"
"I had the biggest crush on you for ages, Nan." Ned admitted, shaking his head, laughing. "And you never even noticed."
"I thought you were totally hot too, Nickerson." Nancy retorted defensively, playfully digging her boyfriend in the ribs. "But, unlike most girls you knew, I was brought up to be a lady and not throw myself at every boy I met."
Smiling, Ned kissed her tenderly. "I love you so much, Nan, and the past seven years have been amazing. Pulling back, Ned took hold of her gloved hand and raised his eyes hesitantly to meet hers. "Nan, I've got something to ask you." he said, nervously clearing his throat.
Ignoring the startled look on Nancy's face, Ned gently removed the pink glove and pushed a glittering ring onto her finger.
"Nancy, will you marry me?" he asked hopefully, gazing into her eyes. "You mean everything to me and I want to be there for you for the rest of our lives."
Her eyes sparkling with tears, Nancy twined her hands around Ned's neck and kissed him gently. "Yes, Ned. I would love to marry you." Nancy managed after a pause, her voice choked with emotion. "I love you so, so much. I adore you and I couldn't imagine my life without you in it."
Kissing away the trail of tears streaking down her face, Ned held her tight to him, the two sitting on the bench, in thoughtful silence.
"It's cold." Ned said finally, pressing a kiss to her icy cheeks. "Come on, let's go and tell Megan that she's about to be a flower girl."
Wrapped in each other's arms, Nancy and Ned walked back slowly to her house, their retreating footsteps covered over by a fresh blanket of snow.