Title: A Lighthearted Christmas Eve.
Author: Batwoman
Rating: K – gen

Feed Back: always welcome. : ) Either onlist or email: aaaahbatwoman – run yahoo . com (no spaces)

Archived: a few places, I'm too lazy to list them right now.

Disclaimer: I don't own Illya Kuryakin, or Napoleon Solo. I'm just playing with them and will put them back unscathed when I'm done.

Author's Notes: This just came to me as I sat her doing the very same thing the woman was. In fact it was seeing that card that inspired the fic.

Unbetaed but will eventually get it taken care of.

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

Christmas Eve 2006

Illya sat in bed enjoying a nice relaxing book before going to bed. The house was quiet, his host was in her bed in the master suite, he in the guest room. He didn't see her often since she moved out of state. Deciding it would be nice to spend some time alone with her, he started his vacation a couple days earlier than her parents. The young woman's cat decided to keep him company during his stay and was curled up on the bed next to him.

He heard muffled giggles coming from the other room, curious he put the book down and went to investigate. "What are you laughing at," he asked walking into the master bedroom.

"Oh sorry, I didn't wake you did I," she asked slipping off her headphones.

"No I was reading," he said smiling.

She smiled, "I just realized I missed a friend when I sent my Christmas cards out and it's too late to mail one so I'm looking for a good eCard to send."

Illya walked to the bed to see the cards for himself. She unplugged the headphones from her laptop and replayed the card she had just viewed. Six squirrels sat on a snow covered tree branch, two were playing violins while the remaining four bounced up and down to the beat of the music. She clicked an acorn and 3 of the squirrels danced to music from the Nutcracker Suite. The goofy card made her laugh once again. Illya watched on shaking his head at the young woman.

Unable to watch any longer she clicked the next acorn. This time four squirrels danced around to another song from the Nutcracker Suite. She burst into a fit of laughter at the sight. "That is so wrong," he said having picked up one of her favorite sayings. By the third acorn she was wiping tears from her eyes. Illya merely shook his head and said, "You my dear are amused too easily."

Marina Solo smiled at her favorite uncle. Though he wasn't related to her by blood, her father's best friend was like an uncle to her. She was long past the age of calling him uncle but she still loved calling him that. As far as she was concerned, he was her uncle. She cuddled up to him and said, "Have I told you how glad I am you came out early?"

"Not today," he teased.

She smiled sparing a quick glance at the clock. Noticing it was midnight she said giving him a hug, "Merry Christmas uncle Illya."

"Marry Christmas Mari," he replied returning her hug.