AN: Very short oneshot for you guys. I hope this helps get you into the Christmas spirit. It's just been something on my mind for a week or so and wanted to give you all a little early Christmas present. Happy holidays!
Sam's alarm wasn't set to go off for another hour, but he couldn't even remember the last time he woke up to that alarm. For months he'd been waking up to Andy. Not this time, though. Her side of the bed was empty and it wasn't even warm anymore. His bedroom door was closed, which was strange, and he knew he wasn't going to fall back to sleep anytime soon.
Ever since the incident with the bomb in the evidence room, Sam's sleeping had changed drastically. He used to sleep deeply, through almost anything. He'd spent the weeks following the explosion waking at any sound or movement coming from Andy. He was on high alert for any pain or discomfort she might be feeling. She could tell him she was fine all day every day, and he would still be worried. So, since then, he'd had a hard time reaching his deep sleep.
That's why he found it odd that he didn't even budge when Andy left him in bed alone. That was one of those things his body was on the lookout for. And since her side of the mattress was cold as ice, she had to have left him there a good amount of time beforehand. He couldn't hear her, though. His door was closed, so he couldn't see her. It was like she was never there in his room, in his bed, at all.
Groaning at the pull of his muscles, he wrenched himself out of bed and stumbled a few steps toward his dresser. He rifled through his drawers for a pair of flannel pajama pants and a t-shirt and pulled them on slowly. Sam had never been a morning person, but it was even worse now that he wasn't sleeping as well.
When he stretched his arms above his head, he heard a crack and exhaled a deep breath. His bedroom door got a little stuck in the cold, winter months, so it took him a few pulls before it finally swung open.
He stopped short before he even made it completely through the door. His hallway looked the same as always—short, dark—but he could see the living room where it opened up and he was sure someone had come into his home and threw up Christmas all over it.
White lights lined the ceiling and the corners of the walls. As he made his way toward the room, he noticed the fake tree in the corner, covered in colored lights and silver balls. There were even a few presents wrapped underneath it already. The carpet that normally rested in front of the couch was rolled up against the wall and replaced with a red and gold patterned one. There was a small Santa—not really all that small, at least three feet tall—next to the television stand, smiling at him.
He still didn't see or hear Andy anywhere. He took one more look around the room, picking up on even more decorations he'd missed the first time around, and made his way to his kitchen. Pushing through the swinging door, he stopped and smiled when he saw asleep at the kitchen island. Her set of his truck keys were clutched in her hand and one of her winter boots was hanging off of her feet. It looked like she was on her way out the door when she was overcome with exhaustion and passed out.
"McNally," he said quietly, carefully, as he sat on the stool next to her. She didn't move an inch; she just kept breathing steadily—in and out, in and out. "Hey," he tried again, running a hand down her back.
She jerked awake and he tried to keep the smile off his face when he saw how surprised she was to find him there. "What time is it?" She asked, pushing her hair out of her face with the back of her hand that still clutched her keys.
"Early," he said simply and she looked at the stove for the time before looking back at him.
"Did you walk through the living room?" She asked, standing up quickly. She tripped over the boot hanging off her foot and he grabbed her wrist to keep her from hitting the floor.
"No, McNally," he smirked. "I climbed out my bedroom window and pulled myself through that tiny one over the sink."
"Did you like it?" She asked, ignoring his teasing. Sam could see the excitement in her eyes and hear the hope in her voice.
"I do," he promised. And he did. Christmas was always just one more day to him, but he'd always known just how much Andy loved it. And he did promise her that she could decorate his place if she really wanted to. He was never expecting what he found in his living room that morning, though. "Where did it all come from?"
"It's all mine," she shrugged and he nodded. "I borrowed your truck this morning and went over to my place to grab it. I'm not going to use it there."
"Oh, yeah?" He asked and she nodded. "Why's that?"
Andy laughed and pulled him to stand with her. He smiled down at her as he settled his arms around her waist and she traced the lines of his chest before speaking. "Maybe because I haven't spent a single night there in months," she thought aloud and he nodded. "Maybe because my place isn't really my place anymore, but just some place that has my name on the mortgage."
"Maybe we should do something about that," he suggested as if it were the most casual thing in the world. "Maybe we should, I don't know? Get rid of your place?"
"You know what?" She asked, her arms falling around his shoulders. "That does make a lot of sense. But, then, where would I live?"
"I hear Santa's Village is looking for a new elf," he tried and she laughed. "But, if you're not interested in that, I guess you could just… move in here."
"I guess we could think about that," Andy agreed. She couldn't even keep the smile off her face any longer. Her cheeks were red and her eyes were shining. The arms around him had tightened and she was flush against his body. "I mean, I did just put a lot of effort into decorating your living room first thing in the morning."
"Yeah," he laughed. "What time did you even wake up?"
She hesitated before smiling again and said, "4:00."
"Andy! Are you crazy? It's only December 1," he laughed and she shrugged. "There's plenty of time for you to decorate."
"But I wanted to surprise you," she explained. "I wanted you to wake up to a winter wonderland. I'm actually kind of sad I forgot my twinkle lights at home."
"We'll grab them on the way home from work," he promised.
"Home," she echoed, shrugging her eyebrows and he nodded. "We're home."