Disclaimer: Saban and Disney's, not mine

Notes: Saban and Disney's, not mine. And another part in the Katie X Trip married fluff a go go… I mean, the Light series. And the first few lines in this were inspired by a scene in EstiRose's excellent fic, 'Over the Borderline'. Hopefully she won't mind. D:

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When Katie opened the door to her apartment, she had difficulty finding her husband at first. With all the red and green decorations that had apparently been put up while she was out, he blended in nicely with the green. Upon closer inspection, she spotted him next to the tree, garland in his hands and an expression of absolute dismay on his face.

"Katie, you weren't supposed to be home until this evening!" He half-heartedly finished wrapping the silver tinsel around the tree before approaching her. "The surprise I've been working on all day for you is ruined now." He crossed his arms and glared at her.

"I'm… sorry I wrecked the surprise you had planned for me?" She grinned nervously. As insane as Trip's logic was, having him upset with her was not how she wanted to spend their first holiday together in the ''til death do us part' sense. "Guess I shouldn't have assumed you'd want me home early on Christmas Eve."

Trip's face softened into a smile as he kissed her, just as softly as the smile. "Okay, you've made your point." He turned his attention back to the decorations, this time hanging some baubles on the last few free branches. "I'm just so excited, you know? We're together, and we're seeing your family tomorrow-- don't let me forget, I promised your dad I'd look at his database-- and all the colors and the stories you've told me… I can't wait."

He peeked at her from behind the tree, and if Katie didn't know better, she would have sworn there was a hint of mischief behind it. "The fact that we get to eat a lot of food doesn't hurt, either."

She smiled back as she eased into the one chair that wasn't being used for boxes and wires. She was still a little surprised by how quickly the Xybrian had latched onto the very Human holiday (although as he had mentioned previously, the food probably had something to do with it). It was funny and sweet at the same time to watch her husband… well, act like a little boy about it all. "Don't forget Santa."

"Speaking of which, I don't suppose you'd tell me--"

"Not until Christmas morning!" He had been trying to figure out what she'd gotten him since late November, and she wasn't going to let him know now.

The fact that she hadn't had any idea what to get him until last week had undoubtedly hampered Trip's investigation. She'd gone over mental lists for days, but nothing seemed… good enough. Sure, he'd probably like whatever she got him, but she wanted to get him a gift that would genuinely interest him, something that he would never think of getting for himself. Finally giving into desperation, she'd snuck into Time Force's Robotics Branch and pumped his secretary for information. After the red-headed rookie mentioned that Commander Regis had commented about how his systems at home needed more memory, she bought the small silver device he would need for that the same day.

Trip leaned against her chair, sulking slightly. "You're a real killjoy sometimes, you know that?"

She took his hand, squeezing it gently. "But you still love me, right?"

He smiled at her again, the one only she got to see. "Always." He raised his voice slightly so that the computer could hear him. "House lights off, Christmas lights on!"

The lit tree made their home look even more colorful than before. "Trip…"

The smile was still there. "Told you I had a surprise planned."

Any questions about gifts or anything else were long forgotten as she took him into her arms and kissed him.

--

"Katie. Katie. C'mon, get up already."

She blinked at him blearily… and then frowned as realization (and annoyance) set in. "Trip, it's not Christmas yet, go to back to sleep."

"Actually, it's a quarter past midnight. See?" He pointed to their alarm for proof. "It is officially Christmas morning."

"Oh. Merry Christmas, then." She shut her eyes and hoped he would get the hint.

"You know, you could tell me what you got me now."

"Trip--"

"Okay, fine, I'll just give you yours."

Her eyes opened again when she felt the blanket draped around her body. The fabric was too rough, too warm to have been made on Earth.

"I got it from Xybria. I know you've been complaining about the cold weather, so I thought maybe a blanket that's woven to keep you warm on a desert night might help. Do you like it?" She could hear the nervousness creep into his tone. She couldn't blame him, even after all this time he still wasn't fond of his birth planet… even when he wanted to share part of it with her.

She sat up and kissed him. "Yes. And your present is waiting for you under the tree."

Katie watched with mild interest as Trip leapt out of bed, grinning madly as he raced for the living room. Then she settled back down again, wrapping the blanket around her a little more tightly to make up for the loss of heat that Trip's body provided.

A few moments later, she heard the sound of paper ripping and Trip shouting, "Katie, you are the best wife ever!"

She smiled to herself as she snuggled under the covers. It may not have been morning yet, but it was still the best Christmas morning she could remember.