The guests had all left, and the only two who remained were Pippin and his lass Diamond.
"Well that wasn't so bad was it?" He turned after seeing off the last, extremely drunk Took from their front stoop.
"No." Diamond replied quietly.
Pippin frowned, "Come on now, you were a lovely hostess."
Diamond shook her head; she was more preoccupied with all of the dishes that had left to be done.
She stood on her tiptoes and gave her husband a quick kiss on the cheek, then scurried away to the kitchen.
Pippin glanced to the front door then back to the place where Diamond had just been; with a sigh he followed her out into the kitchen.
He found her furiously scrubbing away at a loaf pan and leaned against the round, hardwood doorframe admiring her from behind for a moment: the way her skirts bunched around her waist- the gentle curve of her hips. With a cheeky grin upon his lips, Pippin took a few steps forward meaning to grab her around the waist and pull her from the kitchen, but froze in place when he heard her sniffling.
The smile fell from his face and he quietly moved in next to her.
"The family wasn't that bad." He said quietly, as more of a statement than in his usual questioning manner of speech.
Diamond looked up at him, cheeks shining with fresh tears.
"The roast was dry. I burned the bread…. Your Da asked about children and my Mum scolded me for the dust on the bookshelf in the hall."
Pippin smiled. "Nonsense. The roast was perfect." He bent down and kissed away her tears: this garnered a small smile around the edges of her lips, and he wiped her cheek with his thumb.
"It's our first Yule together Diamond; I know it was different this year… It was for me too, I was worried about everything. But just think how it will get better. I know what a brilliant cook you are. You can practise on me all year and show them next year." He winked and kissed her forehead.
"Come now; forget about the mess for a bit." He took her hand and led her into their sitting room right next to the crackling fire. "Happy Yule, Diamond." He smiled and kissed her then. She smiled, though her eyes were still a bit uncertain.
Pippin leaned back on the sofa, and Diamond took the opportunity to curl up next to him, leaning her head on his chest and throwing her arm over his belly.
"Careful or it'll burst." He chuckled, "I told you I liked the roast." Diamond giggled and he absentmindedly ran his fingers through her soft, brown ringlets. He listened to her gentle breathing and held his breath just so he could hear her more clearly.
They lay there in silence for a while listening to the cracks and pops of the fire, enjoying the heat and glow it cast upon them. Finally, Pippin finally spoke again.
"So about what my Da said…" He began then trailed off before finishing the thought. Diamond looked up at her husband and blinked, having been lost in his warmth and the heat from the hearth.
He raised an eyebrow cheekily and Diamond smiled differently at that: a half sort of coy smile that only Pippin knew. She glanced up at him from under her long, dark eyelashes and Pippin suddenly found himself at a loss for words.
He cleared his throat. "And I thought… ah, you know now is as a good time as ev-" He couldn't finish because Diamond had, by that point, already stretched up to kiss him.
A soft snow had begun to fall outside, but Pippin and Diamond were most certainly warm inside, shielded from the bitter cold.