Hello! Merry Christmas! I know I've been gone for a while, but I had a few minutes and thought I would put out a ficlet for you guys. As usual, I own nothing.

Christmas Prayer

The apartment was cold. Her slender body couldn't take it very long until she was forced to retreat to the bedroom: the only room with a space heater. There weren't any blinds covering the windows; just faded old curtains that never seemed to keep out the ever present chill of the New York air.

She was tired and her bones ached as she slipped in the door of her room. The show had just ended for the night and she wasn't due back until 10:30 in the morning. Quickly, she pulled off her dirty sweats and leotards and pulled on the clean fleece pants and thermal shirt she had left out earlier. Being in the only heated room gave them the feeling of having been freshly removed from the dryer. Her numb flesh accepted the cloth with a feeling close to arousal.

With a heavy sigh, she slipped under the comforters and burrowed into her pillows. Home at last.

Exhaustion almost took her, but she fought it off. She had one last thing that needed to be done before she could sleep. Poking one arm out from under her covers, she opened the bedside table and pulled out the candle and lighter she kept there. It was a cinnamon candle from one of those fancy candle stores. It had clearly been used. But, since it was a twenty plus dollar candle and Anzu was on a tight budget, she only burnt it on special occasions. The less she used, the more moments she could have before she had to replace it. (After all, replacing his candle would be like replacing him and she wasn't sure she could do that too many times before she broke down.) The candle was half burnt through and dried wax clung to the opening of the glass jar. A reminder of the time she had knocked it over in her sleep. The jar had cracked slightly and melted wax was still stuck to the cheap carpet of her floor. Despite the damage, she didn't stop her ritual; she was just more careful (and frugal with her uses).

Since the candle was expensive and the emotional ties with it, she only dug it out when she needed it. It was late Christmas Eve or early Christmas Morning (Who could tell?) and she had promised herself she would do the ritual tonight.

Carefully, she set the candle on the nightstand and poked the extra-long lighter inside. The tiny, charred wick caught and she returned the lighter. It took a few moments, but at last, she could smell cinnamon. The warm, red glow of the candle mixed with the musky scent calmed her.

"Hey…" She whispered.

The candle simply splayed side to side like a snake head.

"It's been awhile, huh?" She blushed. "I…kept myself away so I could focus on my dancing. Figured you would want it that way. But, I promised I'd see you at Christmas, right?"

As usual, the candle gave no response. It merely burned inside the glass jar in a small sea of red liquid.

Closing her eyes, she snuggled closer into her bedding. "Merry Christmas…I love you, Atem…"

She was once again enveloped by the red glow and musk of the candle. The red glow the matched his eyes and the musk of his skin…Opening her eyes one last time, she pressed two fingers to her lips and transferred the kiss to where she had painstakingly painted the hieroglyphics of his true name. The paint was chipped and rough under her fingers while the glass was hot enough to sting her fingertips. She brought her hand back to her face and closed her eyes. She could almost pretend that the fading burn of her fingers on her cheek were his own…

Yawning, she whispered one last prayer before succumbing to sleep.

"All I want for Christmas is you…"