Chapter 1: Christmas Day
Sybil was sat in front of the open fire in her old Irish house. She loved staring at the flickering flames, hearing them crackle gently and letting her thoughts run away with her. Her knees were bent in front of her chest and her arms were wrapped around her shins. She rested her chin in the gap between her knees and stared straight ahead, waiting for her husband to return to the room. When he finally did, he sat beside his wife and handed her one of the two glasses of red wine he was holding, keeping the other one for himself. He sat next to her on the floor and placed one arm around her back, his hand resting on her left shoulder. She leant into his side and rested her head on his shoulder. He turned his head to press a kiss through her mass of tangled dark brown curls. She leant into him closer when he tightened his grip around her body. "Merry Christmas, love," Sybil said quietly, still staring at the fire. Tom smiled silently and repeated her words. Then he added,
"You look beautiful, by the way, Syb."
"No I don't. Thanks for the compliment, but I really don't look that great. Have you seen me today?" Sybil's hair was super scruffy, despite the fact that she'd brushed it more than once throughout the course of the day, her makeup was minimal apart from her red lipstick, which she'd reapplied only about half an hour previously and she was dressing for comfort and warmth rather than to please anyone else. Although she wasn't self-conscious about herself in any way, especially not with Tom, she was aware that she didn't look her best at this moment in time. She was wearing a pair of dark blue skinny jeans, which were half covered by extremely thick and fluffy knee-high red socks with a repeated pattern of Christmas puddings, which had always been her favourite part about Christmas day. She was also wearing a long sleeved bright red top, which was covered by one of Tom's old jumpers, which Sybil loved almost more than she loved Tom himself.
"Yes, I have seen you today and you look gorgeous, as you always do. And you say that you can take a compliment, but you're not doing it properly if you say 'thanks, but…' You need to learn to leave out anything after the word thanks."
"I really can't be bothered to argue with you. All that will happen is that you'll win and then I'll feel inferior," Sybil said, knowing that she had very little energy to do much talking.
"Why would you feel inferior? Feminism isn't about females winning everything, you know. In a feminist world, women would win 50% of the time and men would win 50% of the time," Tom said, restating what Sybil had told him time and time again.
"I know that, but you know more than anyone else in the world that I'm a strong-minded person with strong views and strong opinions that are rarely changed."
"Yeah, I know, but that shouldn't make you feel inferior or inadequate when you lose an argument, love. You're the person I love most in the world. Surely that means something?" Tom asked gently, trying to comfort Sybil.
"Yeah, of course it does. It means everything. And I love you with all my heart, Tom, but you know that I'm not looking my best and you're just saying that I look good to be nice."
"I'm not just saying anything. Sybil, you're the most beautiful woman I know and you have the best personality by far of anyone that I've ever met. I came up to talk to you for a reason, I then asked you out for a reason, I fell in love with you for a reason, proposed to you for a reason and married you for a reason. It started because I looked at you and was mesmerised by you, and then it kept going because I realised that you weren't all beauty, you actually had more brains that I thought you would and then I got to know you properly. I made sure it went on because I fell in love with the real you. Not the you who dresses up and wears makeup on dates and tries not to complain about your life to save me the trouble, but I fell in love with the you who wakes up in the morning with your hair defying every physical law and who shouts at me until you've got some coffee in you, and the you who breaks down in tears when work gets too much and who's covered in flour because you've been making shortbread and blasting Queen from the CD player when I walk in through the front door. Sybil, I love everything about you and I cannot tell you how much more I'd love to find out about you, but you won't let me do anything in the way of finding something out until you admit that you actually are pretty damn perfect."
"There isn't that much more to find out about me to be honest. You've known me for years, Tom, and you know basically everything."
"Do I now?" Tom teased.
"Yep, you know that I can't make a cupcake to save my life, you know everything that I know about my family and you know that you're the most important thing in the world to me."
"Yeah, I'll grant you that I know that much about you, but I didn't know that Johnny asked you out until last week. I'm always finding out new things about you. And I've recently learned that you have almost no tolerance for cold whatsoever!"
"Yeah, talking about that, how do you manage in only a T-shirt? Aren't you absolutely frozen?"
"No, I'm fine. I grew up with not a great amount of money, so we wore clothes until they fell apart and I always helped my mum and dad with everything around the house and in the garden. We didn't have much but we had pride in our home," Tom explained, reminiscing about his childhood. Sybil stayed silent and didn't look at Tom. "What's wrong?" Tom asked. He expected Sybil to have replied with more banter, so it was rather out of the ordinary for her not to reply instantly.
"Nothing," Sybil said very quietly.
"Hey, don't lie to me," Tom said very softly. "Something's obviously getting you down and you were fine a minute ago. What did I say?"
"Nothing. Not anything in particular." Tom squeezed Sybil a little tighter to encourage her to keep talking. "Well, our childhoods were so different. Sometimes I feel like you're guilting me into thinking that we shouldn't be together."
"Hey, no, I'm not trying to guilt you into anything. You know I didn't mean it like that."
"Yeah, I know you didn't mean anything by it, but I feel like maybe I shouldn't be with you sometimes."
"Sybil, I love you. And if you remember any of your physics from school, you'll know that opposites attract." Sybil laughed at this and pushed Tom over playfully. Tom, however overbalanced and almost fell over backwards. When Sybil tried to catch him to stop him from colliding with the floor, she over-judged how far she had to reach and she ended up practically throwing her wine all over him. Tom laughed at this and Sybil clapped a hand to her mouth.
"Oh my God, Tom! I'm so sorry!"
"Syb, it's fine," Tom said as he took his top off over his head. "I told you, I can deal with the cold without a problem."
"That's rather a good thing isn't it?" Sybil said, changing her tune and staring at her husband's chest.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, you're not cold and I don't think I'm going to be cold for long."
"Lady Sybil Branson! What are you suggesting?"
"You know perfectly well what I'm suggesting, Mr Tom Branson," Sybil said seductively. She moved hers and Tom's glasses out of the way, so as not to spill any more wine and then shimmied her way over to Tom so that she could push him over onto his back. She straddled his stomach with her legs and bent forwards so that she could kiss him deeply.
"You little minx!" Tom said in a low voice as his wife splayed her hands out over his chest fondly.
"Merry Christmas," Sybil whispered in his ear. She left a line of kisses along his jaw, along his clavicle and down his chest until she got to his hip bones. She knew all too well that if she kissed his hip bones lightly it would cause him to groan loudly. And groan he did. She barely touched him – hardly even brushed her lips over the skin, but his groan was louder than Sybil thought it would be. She took great pleasure in being able to satisfy him when even he wasn't sure that he needed satisfying. Tom thrust his hips forward instinctively as if it were a reflex. Tom had no hope of hiding his need for his wife. But Sybil was feeling remarkably similar, and she knew that she would also not be able to walk away without having made love to her husband. The two of them were nothing like each other, yet they were also exactly the same. Tom often thought that love was a strange thing and without it, his life would be nothing. He'd often wondered where he'd be and what he'd be doing if he'd never met Sybil or if she had refused to go out with him or marry him. Sybil could feel her cheeks beginning to go red. She slithered up her husband's body slowly, almost torturing him and depriving him of what he really wanted. Sybil planted a kiss heavily on Tom's warm lips, but then sat up, still with one leg either side of his waist and crossed her arms across her front to take her favourite of Tom's jumpers off, followed by her own plain red top. She sat there and simply stared at Tom, who was staring at her chest. She was wearing a black bra, which was topped with blue lace. It wasn't see-through, but it certainly was something sexy that very definitely pleased Tom! He pushed himself up slightly and leant on his elbows, staring at his gorgeous wife, utterly speechless.
Sybil then stood up over him and offered him a hand to pull him up off the floor. He took it willingly and lifted himself from the carpeted floor. "Come on," Sybil said, not letting go of his hand as she began to walk out of the room. "The floor's uncomfortable; I'd rather being doing this on a mattress so that I can enjoy it as much as humanly possible." Tom agreed with her completely. The floor seemed more spontaneous, but they had learned from drunken experience and they had decided that the floor was a really bad place to have sex. Tom let her lead him away from the fire and upstairs to their small, but rather perfect bedroom. It was theirs, and there was never the chance of Tom's mother bursting in with morning tea (an experience from before their marriage, when they were staying at her house before finding one of their own, that both Tom and Sybil tried desperately to forget) or of Anna or another maid walking in with a clean dress because they had accidentally tugged the bell cord when they were rolling about with each other. Sometimes Sybil thought that the old-fashioned traditions of her family were by far the worst thing about the family she was born into. This house was theirs, and it was in the middle of nowhere and it was perfect for them. As soon as they reached their bedroom, Sybil flung herself backwards onto the bed, staring up at Tom and biting her lip seductively.
"Have I ever told you how much I love you?" Tom asked while he walked over to Sybil and straddled her just as she had done him earlier. Tom trailed his hands softly over her skin, from her hipbones, over her stomach, over her covered breasts (although the black and red fabric did nothing to cover the fact that her nipples were hardening), and then over her collarbones. Sybil reached up and tangled her hands in his hair and he placed his hands on her waist. She locked them together in a deep kiss which caused Tom to collapse on top of her. But despite this, Tom still managed to keep himself light on Sybil's body, knowing that he'd crush her if he were to put all of his weight on her. He carefully rolled the two of them over, so that she was now sitting on top of him in what would have been the perfect place, had there not been layers of fabric between them. Sybil leant down slowly to kiss him, teasing him and not giving him everything he wanted. But he was adamant that he would get his way, so he slowly trailed his fingers along Sybil's back, starting from her jeans and moving his way up her spine. He stopped when he reached her bra, and swiftly and almost without effort undid it, causing the garment to fall down Sybil's arms and lay across Tom's chest. She quickly flung it out of the way and Tom revelled in the sight of her breasts. Despite the fact that they lived together and slept in the same room at the same time every night, it had been below freezing for much of the month and Sybil had taken to sleeping in layers of fabric just to keep her body temperature at a slightly less horrific level. They had also been extremely busy. Tom knew when he married Sybil that she was a nurse and her working hours were likely to be very unusual and rather unpleasant at times, and he knew that a journalist's working hours weren't exactly normal, but he never thought that the two of them would have the bad luck of not being able to make love for almost three weeks because of it. It didn't help either that Sybil had been unwell, so whenever they were together for a decent length of time when they weren't sleeping, Tom knew that suggesting sex wouldn't have put him on Sybil's good side. But Tom also knew that almost three weeks without anything would make this occasion better than almost every other one he'd had with her before. Tom reached up and softly caressed her breasts until Sybil leant forward so that they were above his head in the perfect position. Tom opened his mouth slightly and Sybil pushed one nipple into it, feeling the warmth of his inside. She groaned softly as Tom circled the hard nipple with his tongue. When he realised that Sybil may not be able to take much more without falling over the edge, he pulled back and deprived Sybil of what she wanted. She let out a breathless sigh and immediately scooted down Tom's body until she could easily reach his jeans. She undid his belt with an expert hand and quickly unzipped his jeans. Tom kicked off his jeans and his underwear, making him completely naked and releasing his hardness. Sybil noticed how much he wanted her and she gently rubbed her fingers up and down his shaft. Tom let out a low groan from the back of his throat and between breaths said, "This isn't fair, Sybil. You've got to let me get to you."
"Life's not always fair, darling," she said, making the most of Tom's erect member.
"But it's Christmas!" Tom breathed. Sybil smiled suggestively and slowly undid her own jeans. Tom sat up slightly and attempted to help Sybil with her undressing. Once Sybil had undone her own jeans, Tom helped to pull them down her legs, along with her knee-high socks and her knickers. She kicked them off to the side. She then chose to lie on her back on the bed and wait for Tom to cover her body with his. To start with he used his fingers against her most sensitive area. "Fuck, Syb, I haven't done anything yet and you're soaked through!"
"You've done plenty. Trust me, you just being you is almost enough for this to happen," Sybil said as she threw her head back onto her pillow. Tom let out a low groan as he rubbed his hardness against Sybil's entrance. "Oh God, Tom! You can't tease me like this! It's not fair! Oh, Tom," Sybil moaned.
"As you said, life's not always fair, darling," Tom retorted, knowing that Sybil wouldn't be at all happy about his quoting her own words and using them against her.
"Tom, really?" Sybil said, almost breathless. "I need… you… inside me… right… now!" she managed to get out in between breaths. He teased for a few more seconds and then entered into Sybil's warmth. He ventured further into her unbearably slowly, making both of them moan loudly.
"Oh my God, Sybil – you feel so good!"
"Fuck, Tom. Jesus Christ!" Sybil almost hollered. "Oh, Tom!" Tom slipped in and out of her with ease. He sped up until he was in a steady rhythm. Sybil arched her back and pressed her head back on the mattress as Tom pushed her over the edge. She loved the way that Tom was able to make her feel this way all the time. Even though they hadn't been this intimate for almost three weeks, Tom had still found ways to make Sybil feel as if she were the only girl on the planet and the only person whom Tom cared about. When Sybil was at her height, Tom climaxed, still surrounded by the warmth of Sybil's inner body. He almost sank on top of her, and then lay beside her, catching his breath. Sybil's breathing was also heavily laboured and she sighed as she took Tom's hand in hers. "You have no idea how much I love you Tom," she whispered shallowly.
"Well, I did think that you married me for a reason, and I like to think it was a good reason," Tom said with a grin beginning to form on his face.
"Oh yes! It was a very good reason, my darling," Sybil replied. "Trust me, if you were useless in bed I would have made you wait a little longer before I agreed to marry you, if at all," she joked.
"Well, it's good to know that I have something good going for me!" Tom said, beginning to breathe at a slightly more normal rate now.
"Tom, you absolutely have so much going for you," Sybil said, burying her head in her husband's chest. "I love you more than I could ever say, Tom. You are, without a doubt, the most important person in my life and I have no idea what the hell I'd do without you in my life."
"God, Syb, I love you so much. You're beyond perfect," Tom said tenderly. Sybil turned her body to face Tom's and he turned his to face hers. She lifted her head and pressed her lips firmly against his. He opened his mouth to allow her access and brought his arms around her back. He pulled away slightly, making Sybil whimper. "Sybil, you are gorgeous. You are by far the most beautiful person I've ever met and I feel utterly privileged to be your husband."
"Merry Christmas Tom," Sybil whispered softly, her eyelids barely staying open.
"Merry Christmas my darling, darling Sybil," Tom replied, but Sybil was already falling into the silent hibernation of sleep. Tom pulled a blanket around them both and pulled Sybil nearer to him and let his own eyelids grow heavy until he lost consciousness too.
So, I've decided to do this 12 Days of Christmas fic. Hopefully you all like it. I'll be uploading one chapter each day until January 5th (providing, of course, that I get all the chapters finished in time). Each chapter will be one day of the life of Sybil and Tom in the few weeks after Christmas, and each will have a different vague theme to do with Christmas (making gingerbread men, building a snowman etc.). I hope you all like this story, as it was rather fun to write and I hope you are all having a wonderful Christmas!