Disclaimer: I own nothing. Not that I wouldn't mind owning a hit TV show,
mind you.
The air outside was crisp, and his breath clouded. He stood with his hands in his pockets, trying not to shiver. Beside him, his assistant tried to talk her crazy son back into the house. He, however, was bent on sledding, even though it must've been fifty below out there.
Monk stamped his feet in the snow. He had gone on a winter vacation with Sharona and Benjy to a cabin in Utah. The drive up had been more fun than standing in the freezing cold trying to talk Benjy inside.
"Please, Mom! Can't I stay out a little longer?" Benjy pleaded. His cheeks were red and pink from the cold, even though he must've been wearing five jackets. Monk shivered again and turned to Sharona.
"Just let him go sledding! It's freezing out here," he added.
Sharona turned ungrateful eyes on him. "You're not helping, and the very fact that it's freezing out here is why I don't want you out here!" she said, turning the last part toward Benjy. "Now get your frozen little butt in the house!"
"Aw, Mom, please!" Benjy begged.
Sharona sighed. "Fine, whatever. But only for ten more minutes, then you're coming inside, understand?" Benjy smiled and ran off for the sledding hill across the street.
Monk brought his hands out of his pockets to rub them together. It didn't help. Sharona's eyes were on her son, in line to go down the hill. Adrian saw her shiver and he noticed that she was colder than he was.
His mind toyed with a thought that he never would've thought of before. But suddenly, with Sharona, it didn't seem frightening. He cast a sideways glance at her before he put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into him.
"Better?" he asked.
She looked up at him with disbelieving eyes. "Adrian.what are you doing?"
Monk dropped his eyes to the snow and felt himself becoming quite uncomfortable. "If you want me to let go-"
"No," Sharona said quickly, a smile in her voice. "No, don't. It's just that-well, you've never really been the cuddle bug before, Adrian."
Monk let a small laugh slip through, even though his heart was beating madly. He looked back at her, and couldn't help a smile. She was so beautiful. Her blonde hair was being blown by a slight freezing wind. Even though it drove Monk crazy, it only improved her beauty.
The wind settled and he gently moved her hair back into place, perfecting it. He smiled at her, and found that she was already smiling at him.
He suddenly found that his throat was choked, and his eyes were beginning to fill with tears. Sharona placed a hand on his chest.
"Adrian, are you okay?" she asked.
Monk looked at her and saw the worry in her eyes. He smiled and nodded. "Better than I've been in a long time," he replied through his choked throat.
Sharona colored slightly, and Monk knew that it wasn't from the cold. She looked away and bit her lip. Monk let his eyes fall on Benjy across the street, and found the boy just getting off his sled. He hurried back into line and was talking excitedly to some boy about Benjy's age.
"Just how comfortable with human touch are you now?" Sharona asked. Monk turned his eyes back on her to see a sly smile across her face. Monk returned the smile.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"I mean.is it just this, or can you now hold hands or." she trailed off and looked back down at the snow.
"Or what?" Monk asked.
"Or can you kiss now too?"
The question struck Monk harder than the freezing Utah wind ever would. He grew deathly cold all over, even more than he was before. His mind thought about it; his lips gently touching Sharona's; having his hands in her gorgeous hair.
Instead of replying, he only lifted Sharona's chin with his hand. She looked up into his eyes, hopeful and scared all at the same time. He was frightened as well. Would he be able to actually kiss her? His body coursed with adrenaline as he gently lowered his face to hers. His lips brushed hers softly, for the briefest of seconds before he pulled back.
Sharona smiled and looked into his eyes. She started to say something, but Monk kissed her again, finding that the thought as well as the action no longer sent him running for a moist nap.
"Um.Mom?"
They leapt apart. Monk colored and looked down at the snow.
"Yes, Benjy?" Sharona replied, her voice quavering and shaky.
"Alex wants to know if I can go over to his house and spend the night," Benjy replied.
Monk lifted his eyes to see Benjy standing there, snow melting all over him, and the boy he had been talking to, who must be Alex, standing next to him. Alex was staring at Monk and Monk quickly lowered his eyes again.
"Where does he live?" Sharona asked. Her voice had taken on the maternal tone again.
"Just over there." Benjy must've pointed, but Monk could still feel Alex's eyes on him.
"Sure. Just call me before you get ready for bed, and make sure to brush your teeth. Be back before lunch tomorrow."
Crunches in the snow told him the boys had left. Monk looked back up at Sharona to find that she was smiling. Monk walked back over to her, hands in his pockets.
"What are you smiling about?" he asked, though he could feel a smile spreading across his face.
Sharona shook her head and let loose a small laugh.
"What?" Monk probed further, feeling himself laugh as well.
She stifled a giggle into a mitten-covered hand and looked up at him. "You should've seen your face when Benjy showed up," she giggled.
Monk laughed as well, but he didn't just let Sharona get away with that insult. He reached out and tickled Sharona's ribs, which surprisingly even made her laugh through all those coats.
He took her back into his arms once he thought she had suffered enough, and he straightened her hair again. She sighed and looked up at him, a bemused expression on her face.
"Is everything perfect with you?" she asked, even though she knew the answer.
Monk gave his head a small shake. "Nope," he said.
Sharona laughed and started to say something, but Monk beat her to it.
"Just you."
The air outside was crisp, and his breath clouded. He stood with his hands in his pockets, trying not to shiver. Beside him, his assistant tried to talk her crazy son back into the house. He, however, was bent on sledding, even though it must've been fifty below out there.
Monk stamped his feet in the snow. He had gone on a winter vacation with Sharona and Benjy to a cabin in Utah. The drive up had been more fun than standing in the freezing cold trying to talk Benjy inside.
"Please, Mom! Can't I stay out a little longer?" Benjy pleaded. His cheeks were red and pink from the cold, even though he must've been wearing five jackets. Monk shivered again and turned to Sharona.
"Just let him go sledding! It's freezing out here," he added.
Sharona turned ungrateful eyes on him. "You're not helping, and the very fact that it's freezing out here is why I don't want you out here!" she said, turning the last part toward Benjy. "Now get your frozen little butt in the house!"
"Aw, Mom, please!" Benjy begged.
Sharona sighed. "Fine, whatever. But only for ten more minutes, then you're coming inside, understand?" Benjy smiled and ran off for the sledding hill across the street.
Monk brought his hands out of his pockets to rub them together. It didn't help. Sharona's eyes were on her son, in line to go down the hill. Adrian saw her shiver and he noticed that she was colder than he was.
His mind toyed with a thought that he never would've thought of before. But suddenly, with Sharona, it didn't seem frightening. He cast a sideways glance at her before he put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into him.
"Better?" he asked.
She looked up at him with disbelieving eyes. "Adrian.what are you doing?"
Monk dropped his eyes to the snow and felt himself becoming quite uncomfortable. "If you want me to let go-"
"No," Sharona said quickly, a smile in her voice. "No, don't. It's just that-well, you've never really been the cuddle bug before, Adrian."
Monk let a small laugh slip through, even though his heart was beating madly. He looked back at her, and couldn't help a smile. She was so beautiful. Her blonde hair was being blown by a slight freezing wind. Even though it drove Monk crazy, it only improved her beauty.
The wind settled and he gently moved her hair back into place, perfecting it. He smiled at her, and found that she was already smiling at him.
He suddenly found that his throat was choked, and his eyes were beginning to fill with tears. Sharona placed a hand on his chest.
"Adrian, are you okay?" she asked.
Monk looked at her and saw the worry in her eyes. He smiled and nodded. "Better than I've been in a long time," he replied through his choked throat.
Sharona colored slightly, and Monk knew that it wasn't from the cold. She looked away and bit her lip. Monk let his eyes fall on Benjy across the street, and found the boy just getting off his sled. He hurried back into line and was talking excitedly to some boy about Benjy's age.
"Just how comfortable with human touch are you now?" Sharona asked. Monk turned his eyes back on her to see a sly smile across her face. Monk returned the smile.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"I mean.is it just this, or can you now hold hands or." she trailed off and looked back down at the snow.
"Or what?" Monk asked.
"Or can you kiss now too?"
The question struck Monk harder than the freezing Utah wind ever would. He grew deathly cold all over, even more than he was before. His mind thought about it; his lips gently touching Sharona's; having his hands in her gorgeous hair.
Instead of replying, he only lifted Sharona's chin with his hand. She looked up into his eyes, hopeful and scared all at the same time. He was frightened as well. Would he be able to actually kiss her? His body coursed with adrenaline as he gently lowered his face to hers. His lips brushed hers softly, for the briefest of seconds before he pulled back.
Sharona smiled and looked into his eyes. She started to say something, but Monk kissed her again, finding that the thought as well as the action no longer sent him running for a moist nap.
"Um.Mom?"
They leapt apart. Monk colored and looked down at the snow.
"Yes, Benjy?" Sharona replied, her voice quavering and shaky.
"Alex wants to know if I can go over to his house and spend the night," Benjy replied.
Monk lifted his eyes to see Benjy standing there, snow melting all over him, and the boy he had been talking to, who must be Alex, standing next to him. Alex was staring at Monk and Monk quickly lowered his eyes again.
"Where does he live?" Sharona asked. Her voice had taken on the maternal tone again.
"Just over there." Benjy must've pointed, but Monk could still feel Alex's eyes on him.
"Sure. Just call me before you get ready for bed, and make sure to brush your teeth. Be back before lunch tomorrow."
Crunches in the snow told him the boys had left. Monk looked back up at Sharona to find that she was smiling. Monk walked back over to her, hands in his pockets.
"What are you smiling about?" he asked, though he could feel a smile spreading across his face.
Sharona shook her head and let loose a small laugh.
"What?" Monk probed further, feeling himself laugh as well.
She stifled a giggle into a mitten-covered hand and looked up at him. "You should've seen your face when Benjy showed up," she giggled.
Monk laughed as well, but he didn't just let Sharona get away with that insult. He reached out and tickled Sharona's ribs, which surprisingly even made her laugh through all those coats.
He took her back into his arms once he thought she had suffered enough, and he straightened her hair again. She sighed and looked up at him, a bemused expression on her face.
"Is everything perfect with you?" she asked, even though she knew the answer.
Monk gave his head a small shake. "Nope," he said.
Sharona laughed and started to say something, but Monk beat her to it.
"Just you."