Double Celebration

By Alasse Fefalas

Eve sat in her chair and looked around the Annex, smiling at the colourful decorations that filled the room. Ever since the first Christmas they had together, Cassandra had made sure the place was season-appropriate, all the way down to having a real, decked out Christmas tree.

It was all quiet in the Annex. The junior Librarians had gone out for drinks with Jenkins after her birthday party. They had invited her along, but she told them she'd stay and wait for Flynn... who had disappeared in the middle of the party to get her present and never came back.

Glancing at her watch, she realised it was past eleven, nearing midnight. Eve pulled out her phone and sent a quick text to her Librarian. "Did you leave my present in the middle of a buried ancient temple?"

Her phone beeped, notifying her of a received message from Flynn. "No, I hid it in our home but I can't remember where," it read.

Eve laughed and stood up, walking to the Back Door as she texted, "I'm coming home. I'll help."

His reply came quick after she had sent her message. "Party?"

"Ended," she sent as she walked through the door and into her home.

"Oops. Took longer than I had expected," said Flynn.

Not expecting him to be standing in front of their door, Eve accidentally barrelled into Flynn as she came through the portal, causing them both to fall to the ground.

"Ow," he groaned as he rubbed his head.

"Sorry! Wasn't expecting you to... be... there..." she trailed. The blinking fairy lights that were strung around on the walls gave the darkened room a golden glow. Her eyes fell upon the Christmas tree in the corner by their lit fireplace, its colourful lights softly glowing, illuminating the small ornaments hanging on its branches. "Wow," she breathed as she took in the decor. "I don't recall all these being here this morning. So this was what you were doing."

Flynn smiled and stood up, helping her up as well. "Guilty as charged. Just didn't think it'd take this long."

Pointing at the tree, she asked, mirth in her voice, "How'd you get THAT in here?"

He weaved his fingers between hers and led them towards the tree. "I got a bit of help from Stone and Jones."

"And I'm guessing the decorations were by Cassandra?" she chuckled. "How did you guys even manage this without me noticing? I must be getting sloppy."

"Now, don't be too hard on yourself. Jenkins kept you distracted." He brought their entwined hands up and kissed her knuckles. "Plus, they took turns so you wouldn't realise. It was harder than you think."

"All this," she gestured around, "for me?"

His eyes sparkled. "Only for you, my Guardian." Flynn looked up and chuckled quietly. "Cassandra's handiwork."

Looking up, she saw the small plant hanging above their heads. "Oh? Sneaky, Librarian. Sneaky."

Flynn hooked their entwined hands behind his back, pulling her flush to him. His other hand brushed her untied hair behind her ears and slid behind her neck, entangling his fingers in her hair. "Well, you know the tradition with mistletoe. But did you know the origins of it? There's a few. One with Baldur, the grandson of the Thor and-"

Eve touched his face gently, her eyes twinkling with laughter. "Flynn? Shut up and kiss me."

"Oh, yes. Tradition," he said, laughing nervously to himself. Slowly, he pulled her closer and placed his lips on her.

Eve melted into his kiss, first soft and sweet, and then warm and delicious. Her fingers rubbed the scruff on his face, loving the feeling of friction against her hand. His hand tilted her head up and she let him, enjoying the light taste of coffee and chocolate on his lips. When they parted, she rested her forehead against his, her eyes closed. "We should stand under the mistletoe more. "

Eve could feel the low rumble of laughter bubbling up his chest, filling her with a warmth that only he could give her. She felt him untangle his hand from her hair and softly stroked her cheek with his thumb.

"I have your present," he whispered.

Slowly, Eve opened her eyes. "You mean this isn't it?"

The crow's feet along his eyes crinkled as he smiled. "No, it's not."

Flynn pulled away from her and tugged them closer to the tree. Separating their hands, he took a small, hanging green box off a branch and held it in front of her. "Happy birthday."

"Flynn, you didn't have to," she gasped as she took the box from him.

"I wanted to."

Smiling, she pulled the tails of the ribbon that held it closed and untied the box. She opened it slowly, gasping when she saw what was inside. Two flower drop earrings sat on the black velvet in the box, the petals made of a light blue crystal and the middle, a sparkling white crystal. She had seen them in a jewellery store half a year ago while on a mission and made a passing comment on how beautiful they were, and laughing it off when Cassandra told her to get them. She would never buy those kinds of earrings, she had said, however beautiful they were.

Eve looked up at Flynn, who was beaming at her. "You remembered."

"Well, I pay attention."

Eve pulled him into a hug and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you, Flynn. For the surprise and the gift."

Flynn returned the hug and kiss. "I'm glad you like it," he whispered, just as the clock on the wall gave a little chime signalling midnight. "Merry Christmas, Eve."

Eve buried her head in his neck, breathing in his scent. "Merry Christmas, Flynn."

"I have another present for you."

Eve pulled back, frowning. "What?"

"Well, it's Christmas," he chuckled. Turning to the tree, he bent down to retrieve a small, wine coloured box near the bottom layer of leaves and pulled the ribbon off it. He turned back to her, caught her eyes and took her hand. His eyes never leaving hers, he slowly bent down onto one knee, making her eyes widen in surprise.

"Flynn..."

"Eve Baird," he said as he opened the box, revealing a single band of gold, adorned with a small diamond at the top. "Will you do me the honour of spending the rest of your life with me and marrying me?"

Eve froze, her mind going blank. She hadn't expected the proposal from Flynn, much less a surprise. But they had been together for nearly five years, and living together for about three, so she guessed this was the next logical step. She looked at him, a small frown on her face. His smile faltered slightly, but the sparkle in his eyes never disappearing. Her Librarian, she thought. Always so bold.

"Um, Eve?" he said nervously as he stood up from his high kneel. "Guardian? You're kinda making me a bit nervous here. Did I ask at the wrong time? Or are you mad at something? Or do you just not want to get married because that's perfectly okay with me. I mean, I'm fine with things the way that they are. I don't want to force you or anything. It's entirely your choice."

"Oh. Uh... well, no," she stammered, and she watched his smile falter a little more. "No, no. I didn't mean no. I meant, you just caught me off guard, that's all."

"Oh. Okay."

Eve tightened her hand that was curled around his and looked him dead in the eye. The corners of her lips lifted up into a large, bright smile. "Flynn, I'd love to marry you."

His face lit up when he heard her answer. Flynn pulled her into a kiss and couldn't stop smiling as they parted. He took the ring out of the box and slipped it onto her right fourth finger. "I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you," he whispered.

Eve looked at the perfect fit of the ring on her hand. Leave it to Flynn to know exactly what size she was, she thought, chuckling to herself. Her heart filled with warmth and love at the thought of spending years together with him, even through all the arguments they might have along the way. She snaked her arms around his waist and looked up into his eyes, watching the love and affection swim in the beautiful brown irises. "I love you, Librarian. Thank you for making this Christmas special."

Flynn's arms found themselves a spot around her waist as well and they stood there, resting on each other, swaying to the quiet beating of their hearts. "I love you too, Guardian. Happy birthday and merry Christmas."

Fin.

A/N: A little late, but merry Christmas all! Specially written for theonewithallthefangirling! I was your secret santa, yes! :D

A special thanks to Whokuu for reading through it for errors! Hope you all enjoyed the fic! Leave me a note and tell me what you think! Thanks for reading!