Disclaimer: I don't own these characters or this world. I just like to be a part of it sometimes

Author's Notes: This is all A/U.

New chapter! Merry Christmas, everyone!

Also, this is only lightly beta'd because I'm going to try to get this all out fairly quickly, so all dumb mistakes are my own. I'd suggest following it if you like it, so you know when I update it.

And be warned, there really is no plot or story to this. Just pure, Christmas fluff.


Chapter Two

Audrey didn't care in the slightest that they looked like tourists, and knew deep down Nathan didn't care either, even though he made a point of grumbling under his breath about having to stop, but she couldn't help it. As they drove through the winding roads, they had come to a clearing where the Inn stood out against the backdrop of nature surrounding it, and the sky was still just high enough that it reflected off the swirling clouds above the Inn, creating an ethereal view. And, since it was dark, all the lights in the Inn were shining bright, and the sight was spectacular. So, naturally, she needed to take a picture of it. And, since it was the new rage, she had to make sure she took a picture of her and Nathan with the hotel in the background. She loved taking pictures of them together. For the longest time, the only one they had of them together was the one which sat proudly on her desk. She wasn't even sure how it had ended up there, but she was glad it did.

After taking more than several more pictures, and Nathan asked if she was done, Audrey nodded in affirmation and started to trudge back around the car. The snow was deeper up here than it was in Haven, and a little slushy, and when she went to round the corner of the Bronco, Audrey felt her foot slide out from underneath her, and suddenly she was on her side. "Dammit."

"Parker! Are you ok?" Nathan already had one foot in the truck when he saw Audrey's head disappear behind the hood of the Bronco, and he instantly feared the worst. They were miles away from the closest hospital, and the last memory he wanted them to have for their first Christmas, was spending it in a hospital room. He jumped back out of the truck and ran around to see Audrey rolling over to her knees, and he bent down to wrap an arm around her back. "Are you ok?"

"I think so." Audrey made to stand up, and was grateful for Nathan's extended hand, and his support to get up. As she stood, she could feel a slight pulling sensation on her right thigh, and she absently rubbed it. There might be a bruise there later on tonight, and when pins and needles shot through her leg as she touched it, she knew for sure it wasn't going to be a pretty bruise. She leaned down to brush the snow off her knees, and frowned as she realized how wet they were. Well, they were almost at the hotel, so she could just change. But as she continued brushing, a thought struck her. "Wait, where's my phone? I had it in my hand…" Audrey started glancing around the area where she fell, but couldn't see it.

Nathan glanced around a couple of times, but not seeing her phone, he dropped to his hands and knees to look under the truck. Invariably, whenever something was dropped in cold weather, it would slide to the most inconvenient place. He scanned the area, and sure enough, he saw her phone. "I found it." Nathan flattened out on his stomach, desperately trying to ignore the cold slush soaking into his shirt since he had forgotten to zip up his jacket – he was still getting used to actually feeling anything – and pushed himself under the truck. Thankfully his long arms enabled him to reach the phone without him having to crawl too far under the truck, but as he retrieved it, he could feel how wet it was, and he instantly worried for its life. Pulling himself out, he stood up and looked at the phone, and sure enough, it was soaking wet. It must have ended up in one of the more melted areas on the street. "Not too sure it survived, Parker." He handed the phone over, and hated the frown that spread across her face.

"All our pictures are on here."

Nathan wrapped his arms around Audrey, and pulled her close. "Don't worry about it. We'll ask the hotel if they have some rice, and we'll leave it in that overnight. It'll be fine by morning." He loved being able to feel her nod against his shirt, and hugged her a little closer. Everything could be fixed.

"You're all wet and cold."

Her words muffled by his shirt and jacket made him laugh. "I know. Come on, Officer Fall Down. Let's get to our room and change." Nathan pulled back and wrapped an arm around Audrey's waist, leading her to her door and helped her in. The last thing he wanted was for her to fall again before they made it to the hotel. When he closed her door, a gust of wind hit him, causing him to shiver, so he zipped up his jacket before rounding the truck to his side.

The rest of the ride to the Inn was uneventful, but Audrey could feel her thigh starting to throb. She was going to have to put some ice on it soon, and she was a little worried about how deep the bruise would be. That damn snow. As much as she loved the area, she wouldn't be sad if Nathan told her they were moving down South tomorrow. Eventually they rounded the corner towards the Inn, and drove past the towering gates, which were brightly lit. Audrey leaned forward in her seat, and her mouth formed into a giant O as she took in the grandeur of the hotel. Seeing it in pictures was one thing, but actually seeing it in person was quite another. As they neared the front doors, Audrey could feel the waves of money and sophistication rolling off of the place, and took note of the expensive cars pulling in, and parked off to the side. She glanced down at the floor of the cab, and tried to kick a few of the discarded coffee cups under the seat, to try to at least make the Bronco a little presentable to their valet driver. They pulled up beside the front door, and a young man jumped out and rounded the truck to Nathan's side.

"Good evening, Mr. Wuornos! Can I help you and your wife with your bags?"

Audrey shot her eyebrows up at the young man's insinuation, but in reality, she wasn't at all offended by it. In fact, it was kind of nice to be called Nathan's wife. As she thought about it, that same warm feeling of contentment she had last night once again started swirling in her stomach, and to cover up her smile, she reached down for her knitted hat to put on before climbing out since her door had been opened by another young man. She didn't miss his quick up and down look of her, and inwardly smiled. It was always nice to be noticed. But as a familiar hand found its spot on her lower back, she grinned even more, and looked up into the baby blue eyes of her boyfriend.

Nathan nodded his head towards the door. "Come on, Parker. Let's go get checked in, and get into some dry clothes."

Audrey nodded, and walked towards the doors which were pulled open by the doormen, and faintly heard their valet telling Nathan the luggage would be up to their room in a few minutes. Having luggage delivered to the room was a far cry from the memories of Audrey Parker being on the road that Audrey had. Back then, it was all Motel 6's where you brought up your own luggage. Hell, in some of those hotels, you were even lucky if there was an elevator. But this hotel…this hotel was amazing. When she walked it, Audrey just had to look up at the enormity of the room. It was amazing, and the focal point was a giant Christmas tree, which was absolutely real, because even with the constant opening and closing of doors, the whole place smelled like an evergreen tree. Audrey had to close her eyes and just breathe in deep. This place was incredible. There were white Christmas lights everywhere, along with garland, wreaths, and countless glass ornaments. The entire lobby was spectacular, and she could only imagine what the rooms would look like. She once again felt Nathan's hand at the small of her back, and she walked beside him up to the front desk where they were greeted by a young woman who had to have been in her early 20s.

"Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Wuornos!"

Audrey shot a glance up at Nathan, but he wasn't fazed in the slightest by the greeting. In fact, she was pretty sure she saw a faint smile on his lips. It was curious however, how all the hotel staff knew who they were. There had to have been hundreds of people checking in tonight. She would have to ask Nathan later on if he had called ahead or something. Or, maybe it was just something that happened at expensive hotels – they just knew their guests.

"My name is Julie, and I'm here to help you with whatever you need. We have you all checked in, staying with us for four nights. And I have you in a room in our South tower, on the fifth floor, overlooking the water. Jason will be bringing you your bags shortly. Will you need anything else from us?"

Nathan looked down at Audrey to see if she needed anything, but when she shook her head, he looked back at Julie, shaking his head as well. "No, I think we're good. Thank you, Julie."

"My pleasure! Here's your key, and a map of the hotel."

Audrey watched as Julie flattened out a small map on the front desk, and took out a highlighter, tracing a line as she spoke.

"We are right here, and to get to your room, you go down this hallway here, and over the cross bridge. Once there, you'll take the elevators up to the fifth floor, and you can follow the signs from there. Over here is our main sitting room, and here is our Parlor room with full cocktail bar, this is our private dining room, which is open until 11, but room service is available 24 hours. And this door here is how you get to our outdoor skating rink. We have skate rentals at the pond. If you get lost, or have any questions, feel free to come find me!"

"Thank you so much." Nathan took the hotel map from Julie, and reached down for Audrey's hand, threading his fingers through hers. He glanced down at her and grinned, and then buried his nose in the map of the hotel. As easy as Julie had made it seem, the place was a maze, and the last thing he wanted to do was get the two of them lost. He'd never hear the end of it.

Mercifully, he managed to navigate the twists and turns of the place and got them to their room, but he was fairly positive if Audrey asked him to get ice from the ice machine, he'd have an easier time just going outside and getting some snow than actually finding his way back to wherever the machine was. He put his key in the door, and pushed it open, and silently thanked whatever god there might be that the room was as beautiful in person as it was in the pictures. Laverne had definitely helped him on this one. The room was small and cozy, lined with rich wood, giving it a cabin-like feel. There was a large bed, which sat next to a wall of windows overlooking the rocky coastline. Since it was dark, all that could be seen, was the moonlight shining off the water and waves below. Opposite the bed was a huge fireplace which was already burning brightly, making the room warm and comfortable. Just beyond the fireplace was a door which led into the bathroom, which Nathan knew held a tub big enough to easily fit two people – one he fully intended on using while here.

"Wow, this is beautiful, Nathan."

Audrey's voice interrupted Nathan's surveillance of the room, and he turned around to see her eyes slowly sweeping the room before landing back on his. She was still all bundled up in her parka and scarf, but was starting to unwind herself from the scarf. As she did, she dropped it to the floor, and walked slowly to Nathan, raising her hands to frame his face and bring his lips softly down to hers.

"Thank you for this."

He smiled against her lips as he raised his hands to frame her face as well. "Merry Christmas, Parker." He pulled away a bit, only to rest his forehead against hers for a moment, but was interrupted by a slight knock at the door. "That's probably our luggage. Why don't you get out of those wet pants, while I deal with this."

Audrey nodded, and stepped back from Nathan, peeling out of her parka which she dropped on the bed on her way to the bathroom. She heard the door to the room open, and the low rumblings of two men talking. Ignoring their voices, she headed straight to the giant tub, immediately turning on the faucets. While the warmth from the fireplace was definitely starting to seep into her bones, she was still shivering from her wet jeans. Once the water was running at the decent temperature, Audrey unbuttoned her jeans, and slowly peeled them down her legs. While the fitted jeans were definitely the style at the moment, getting them off on a good day was tough – and getting them off when they were wet, well, it definitely required some finagling. As she shimmied out of them, her fingers grazed her thigh, and she drew in a sharp intake of air through gritted teeth. Not wanting to look, but knowing she had to, she looked down at her thigh, and sure enough, there was a bright purple bruise already blooming. It was going to be a bad one. Audrey kicked her way out of jeans, and turned to look at the bruise in the giant mirror.

"Parker, did you want to head down to the dining room after we've…oh wow, that looks painful." Nathan pulled up a bit as he walked into the bathroom. He had heard the water in the tub start running as he was talking to Jason about his and Audrey's luggage, and had wanted to see if Audrey wanted dinner before relaxing in the bath. Because, in all reality, once he got her out of her clothes, he had no intention of letting her put them back on until morning. But when he saw the bruise already forming on her thigh, he realized how hard she must have fallen, and suddenly a night in might be the better plan. Maybe he would have to be going on that hunt for ice after all.

Audrey looked up at Nathan's reflection in the mirror before dropping her eyes back down to her leg. "Can we just stay in tonight? I'm already running a bath for us anyways."

Nathan tugged off his wet shirt and walked towards Audrey, pulling her back into his chest. "Of course. Why don't you stay here and order some room service, and I'll go hunt down some ice for that leg of yours. And don't forget to see if they'll bring up some rice for your phone." He dropped a kiss on the top of her head and made eye contact with her in the mirror.

"Are you sure you can find your way to the ice machine? I know how you are with maps."

" . You're hysterical. I'll be right back." Nathan gave Audrey one last squeeze and then headed out into the room to grab another shirt before making the trek to find the ice machine.

After only getting slightly lost, and making a slight needed detour to the lobby, Nathan returned to find Audrey wrapped up in fluffy white robe, signing the room service bill.

"There you are. Was it really that hard to find?"

Nathan did not miss the smirk on the waiter's face that he was trying to hide, nor did he miss the teasing glint in Audrey's eyes. "I'm here now, aren't I? And looks like I had perfect timing. Was I really gone that long?"

The waiter politely smiled at Nathan, "Oh no, sir. We pride ourselves in quick delivery. Please, enjoy, and call if you need anything else."

Audrey followed the waiter to the door, closing and locking it behind him as Nathan disappeared into the bathroom. She started to uncover all the dishes, and when Nathan emerged, he was wrapped up in a similar robe to the one she was wearing.

"How hot is that bath water?"

"I ran it as hot as it would go. I figured it would be the perfect temperature by the time we finished eating."

After sitting side by side in front of the fire and munching on everything Audrey ordered, and Nathan forcing her to leave ice on her thigh, they rose and moved towards the bathroom. Audrey reached down into the tub to test the water, and was pleasantly surprised to find she was right – the water was the perfect temperature. She went to untie the sash on her robe, when Nathan's husky voice whispered in her ear. "Let me."

She shivered as his breath puffed over her ear, and closed her eyes as he reached around her, to untie the sash, and slowly peel off the robe, letting his fingers trace down her skin from her neck and down her arms, until the robe pooled at her feet. His fingers then carefully traced up her thighs, and she felt herself being pulled into his embrace as his mouth left a hot trail of kisses down the side of her neck. She tilted her head to give him better access, and reached up and behind her to hold his head. Slowly, she turned in his embrace, and pushed her hands under his robe to feel his bare skin. As his robe fell to meet hers on the floor, she reached up to pull his lips down to hers, letting their tongues dance. Reluctantly she pulled away, and licked her lips, tasting him, and she smiled as she looked into his eyes. They were quickly becoming that dark shade of blue only she saw, and she knew without a doubt hers were mirroring his.

Turning back towards the bath, Audrey grabbed Nathan's hand, and let him hold her as she stepped into the hot water. He slid in behind her, and they laid there in companionable silence, enjoying the feel of each other's bodies until the water started to cool. As it did, Nathan got out and grabbed one of the large, fluffy towels, and wrapped it around Audrey as she stood and climbed out of the tub. He made sure she was good and dry before toweling himself off, and then picked her up, careful not to press against her injured leg, and carried her to the bed, where they two got lost in each other as the fire burned brightly in front of them.