"You think it's big enough?"

"Probably, yes. I know they make them bigger, but six feet is more than enough for your place. Next size up and it'll be scraping the ceiling."

She pursed her lips, examining the object more closely. "I wish we could have a real one."

"There are places that sell them."

"Sold them, you mean. I asked around - everyone sold out weeks ago. Next year I'll ask earlier."

"To be honest, you're probably better off with artificial. They fold up into nothing, and he'd knock about a kilo of needles off a real one every time he walked past it."

Murrue huffed, poking her friend. "He's not that clumsy."

"Didn't say he was clumsy at all. Just heavy. Especially now he's found out about all the sweets they sell this time of year. You must have to ration him."

"A bit," she admitted. She'd started buying little things here and there to add to the table on the day - mince pies, candied fruit, gingerbread - but gradually they'd all disappeared, no matter how well she tried to hide them. "It's hard to tell him off for it though. He's really enjoying it."

"True. Can't imagine he's had much of a Christmas the last couple of years."

Longer than that.. She'd never asked, really, but the closer it had gotten to the festive season the more wistful he'd looked, staring at window displays as though he were trying to memorise it all. With that and the stories of his childhood he'd told her after Mendel it hadn't been too much of a stretch to work out that Christmas had been just as lonely for him as any other time. But not anymore. "I'll make it up to him."

Erica grinned. "The works? Tree, stockings at the end of the bed, turkey dinner?"

"Everything."

"And for you, it's the chance to celebrate with him, am I right?"

She nodded. Though she'd always loved Christmas, she'd looked forward to this one especially. "It feels like it matters more."

"Trust me, it does."

His face was a picture.

She'd set the tree up in one corner of the sitting room, arranging the dozens of boxes and packets of ornaments and decorations she'd bought on the nearby sofa. It had been really tempting to have everything finished and ready for him to see when he got home, but instead she'd decided to let him decorate everything himself. This Christmas is for him. Whatever he wants to happen, however he wants things to look, that'll be fine. More than fine. "What do you think?"

"I think it's awesome," he admitted with a grin, setting down his bag. "But how come you didn't go ahead and put stuff on it? It'd have been okay."

"Because I wanted to leave it for you to do."

Mwu chuckled. "Wouldn't know where to start."

"No better time to learn. Here;" Taking his hand she led him over to the sofa. "Lights first - you have to make sure they're all spread out evenly - then the tinsel and beads, then the baubles and little ornaments, and finally the star on top."

"You aren't helping?"

She smiled. "You go ahead. I'll watch."

"No, you won't." Unpacking a long string of fairy lights from its box he pressed one end into her hands before kissing the tip of her nose. "We're doing this together."

"But..."

"I know what you're trying to do - what you've been doing these last few weeks, and believe me, I appreciate it. But it's no fair indulging me if you don't get to enjoy it too. All this stuff's meant to be done as a family, right?" At her nod he grinned. "Then that's how we'll do it."

And it was great fun. Between them they arranged the strings of lights as carefully as they could, winding them and the lengths of tinsel in and around branches before finally plugging it all in. It wasn't even, not quite, and she crinkled her nose at the apparent untidiness of it. But to him, it was perfect. The tree he distantly remembered from his father's house had been enormous, decorated impossibly neatly with gold ornaments and candles like someone had just unpacked it that way (and maybe they had) and he supposed it had been pretty. But this... Catching Murrue's hand when she tried to adjust the lights he shook his head.

"It's fine."

She frowned slightly. "It's lopsided."

"But I like it." He squeezed her hand. "It doesn't have to be all neat to be pretty."

A reluctant sort of smile. "I guess not. It is your tree, after all."

He laughed at that, ducking down to kiss her.

It was beautiful. She'd bought so many decorations there almost hadn't been room for them all but somehow they'd squeezed them all in, and the light reflecting off the glitter and tinsel made it so bright it was hard to look at it without squinting, but Mwu looked anyway. Of all the things they'd done together - things she'd made sure they'd done together - since the end of the war, this was by far his favourite.

"Can we take it all down and do it again tomorrow?"

Laughter from the kitchen. "You were the one who said it looks fine the way it is."

"And it does. But it was fun."

"It was." Balancing two mugs and a plate on a tray she came to join him on the sofa, settling close when he wound an arm around her. "We can do it again next year. And for as many years after that as you want."

That sounded pretty good. Flicking off the lamp he leaned back against the cushions, grinning when she handed him a mug of something that smelled sweet. "Hot chocolate? In this weather?"

"It's Christmas." She took a sip of her own. "This is what you're supposed to do. Even if it's hot."

"I still have a lot to learn, don't I?"

"There's plenty of time." Setting down her mug she rummaged under the sofa for a moment before bringing out a spray of green leaves studded with white berries. "Here's something else to learn about."

"A twig?"

"Mistletoe." Leaning in close Murrue whispered in his ear, cheeks pinked when she pulled away. And he chuckled. One more tradition, one that he rather liked the sound of. Taking the twig he held it above their heads, catching her chin in the other hand to bring her close for a kiss she returned instantly.

This was shaping up to be the best Christmas he'd ever had.

(nothing much to this, and no picture to go with it, but I wanted to write a bit of festive fluff for the two of them.

Please read and review, and merry Christmas! )