End of Previous Chapter:
Nightmare, Jo thought. Still deep asleep, Mac jerked away from her, turning onto his other side, but the tremors continued, becoming even more violent. No wonder he was always tired, she thought sadly. Even in sleep he seemed unable to rest. She reached her arm towards him, rhythmically caressing his back. Murmuring softy just behind his ear. "Sssshhhh. Sssshhhh." Just as she'd always done to soothe her children back to sleep when one of them had woken from a nightmare.
It seemed to quell whatever ghosts had risen to terrorize him in his sleep and he quieted, his breath slowing, his muscles stilling. She kept up her soothing chant until she lulled even herself asleep, her arms still wrapped tightly around him.
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Chapter 3: "Green" – a color of eternal life, symbolizing new beginnings and reflected in such Christmas symbols as holly, mistletoe and the Christmas fir tree.
As the light streamed in through Mac's bedroom window, he stirred slightly, feeling the heat of the sun radiating across his cheek. He stretched languidly, his eyes still closed, trying to prolong that surreal moment that formed the bridge between sleep and wakefulness. As he turned onto his back, he detected another, different kind of warmth emanating from somewhere within the bed. Right next to him. He jerked fully awake and his eyes flashed open, darting from one corner of the bed to the other, only to come to rest on Jo's elegant form lying next to him, the sheet drifting further down her naked body as he moved upwards to get a better view.
A corner of his mouth quivered as he looked at her. Even in sleep, there was an element of disorganization about her. Her hair was the picture of disarray, random whisps splaying out in every direction, covering half of her face. There was a sense of complete and utter abandon evident in the way each of her limbs was crooked at a different angle. And the placid expression etched in her beautifully porcelain features slightly disrupted by the fact that her mouth was hanging wide open, a subtle snore emerging with each inhalation.
He stared at her a moment, smiling sheepishly. He'd slept so well last night, and felt so refreshed upon awakening, that he'd nearly forgotten the turn of events yesterday. He leaned back into the pillow and thought a moment. Glancing at the clock to see only darkness, he recalled the power outage and realized it had not yet been resolved. He judged it to be near 7:30 in the morning. Fearing he may have slept right through a call during the night, he tried to picture where he'd put his phone the night before, realizing it was probably still in his pants pocket.
He rose from the bed as quietly as possible, with the least amount of disruption to the bedcovers that he could manage. Glancing back over his shoulder as he tiptoed away, he was happy to see she hadn't moved in inch, her chest still rising and falling rhythmically.
He located his clothing in a heap on the floor, gathering up each item and extracting his phone from his jeans. Nearly 8:00. No missed calls. No texts. He was amazed, but certainly not disappointed. Glancing back towards Jo one more time, an idea began to take shape in his mind. Assuming she wouldn't wake up for a while yet, he headed over to the dresser and scrawled a quick note for her, just in case. Reaching down, he picked up her own clothing, folding each item and laying it on the small chair near the bed. Finally, he placed his note on top and exited the bedroom, heading for the hall bathroom to dress before he left to carry out his plan, hoping he'd make it back before she awoke.
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A half an hour later, Mac re-entered the apartment with a bang of the door and a clink of his keys as they fell from his hand onto the hardwood floor. He froze, wondering if perhaps Jo would come tearing around the corner any minute, fearing the apartment was being broken into. But he heard nothing. Just managing to close the door with his boot and struggle through up to the mezzanine before dropping everything in a pile before him, he paused a moment to wipe the sweat from his brow. Breathing heavily, he began to prepare everything as quickly and noiselessly as possible, looking over his shoulder every few seconds to make sure she wasn't spying on him.
A few minutes later, he stepped back and surveyed his handiwork. Not too bad, he decided. He descended back down to the entryway, slid off his boots and headed back to the bedroom. He'd made such a racket since entering the apartment, he was certain Jo couldn't possibly still be sleeping. But as he peeked into the bedroom, he saw she was, in fact, still out cold.
He shook his head, wondering what he should possibly do with himself now. A twinkle lit up his eye as yet another idea popped into his head and he began to undress slowly, quietly so that he could climb back into bed next to her.
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Fifteen minutes later, Jo's conscious mind began to slowly emerge from the depths of sleep. She first became aware of the different texture of the sheets around her, the firmer feel of the pillow under her head. A different smell surrounding her. She knew she wasn't in her own bedroom, but she wasn't awake enough to determine where she actually was, or to even really care, for that matter. It was warm under the blankets. And cozy. And there were pleasant memories lurking just on the other side of that barrier to consciousness that, although not accessible to her quite yet, managed to provide her with enough fuzzy peace of mind that she felt she could easily fall back into slumber without a worry in the world. She smiled softly to herself and stretched out first her legs, then her arms, finally her back. When her bottom bumped back into something firm and freezing cold.
Her eyes flashed open and she looked around herself slowly. The first thing that caught her eye was a chair near the bed. With her clothes folded neatly on top. She knew she hadn't done that, so she certainly wasn't here alone. She moved slightly away from whatever she'd bumped against behind her and a sharp pain assaulted her right thigh. The bruise. From the bookcase. On her way to the bathroom last night. And all the memories came rushing back. She was at Mac's. Snowed in. Without her kids. On Christmas. She'd managed to coat his entire kitchen in cocoa powder. And they'd slept together. Shit.
She let out a long, shaky breath then froze. If Mac was awake behind her, which she assumed he would be at this hour, he would have figured out she was awake now from the sudden change in her breathing. From her subtle movement away from his body just seconds ago. She inhaled deeply, preparing for whatever may come, and rolled over slowly to find him smiling at her.
She searched his face quickly for any sign of discomfort. Of regret. Of annoyance. But saw none of them. She smiled back hesitantly. "'Morning." She mumbled softly, her gaze unable to keep his for more than a moment before she had to cast her eyes away and watch her own fingers as they toyed with a loose thread from the blanket. She knew she was stark naked underneath and she slid down ever so slightly, adjusting it around herself, suddenly uncomfortable with this whole situation.
He saw the unease in her eyes, in the tightness of her mouth, in the stiff way she held her upper body, the sheet clasped to her chest. His smile fell and he bit his lip.
"Jo, are you ok?"
She didn't respond immediately.
"Was it . . . uncomfortable waking up here? With me?"
She cocked her head, deep in thought. "Uncomfortable? Mmm, maybe a little awkward, yes. Waking up . . . next to . . . my boss."
He reached out and gently clasped her hand, stilling her nervous unraveling of his blanket. "You must know, Jo, that I care for you very much, or you wouldn't be in my bed right now. I'd hoped that feeling was mutual, but if not . . . well, I guess it'll be my turn to be lying here next to you, naked and uncomfortable."
She laughed, thankful for a bit of light humor to ease the tension she was feeling right now.
"Mac, I like you too. It's just. This is . . . ." She let out a nervous laugh that sounded more like a sea lion barking. "Wow! This is all so new! Not what I imagined when you invited me over."
He patted her hand softly before withdrawing his own. "I already told you last night this isn't why I asked you to come over."
"Well, good heavens, it's certainly not why I came."
He sighed. "Did we make a mistake?"
She looked at him briefly, then turned away, thinking a moment about his question. She frowned. She was being silly. This was Mac. Boss or not. She couldn't think of a more steadfast, honorable . . . desirable man. If she really acknowledged her feelings, she was beyond thrilled that they were together. Like this. Finally. She shook her head, slowly at first, then much more forcefully as she looked up and held his gaze. "No Mac. We didn't make a mistake at all."
He let out a silent breath of relief. She shifted, reaching out her other hand to clasp his arm. Upon touching him, she started and withdrew her hand jerkily. "Oh, Lord, Mac. You are freezing. Did you already get up?"
"Uh, I got up to use the bathroom." He wasn't quite ready to divulge his efforts at surprising her yet."
"Sheesh. Where, the North Pole?"
Mac laughed heartily. "No, just the hallway. Power's not back on yet so there's still no heat. It's pretty chilly."
"Well I'll say."
He looked at her a moment. "Wanna warm me up?"
She quirked her eyebrows. "Ah, so that's all I'm good for now?"
He chuckled. "No I expect you're good for a fair bit more than that." The he leaned in and whispered conspiratorially in her ear. "But for the moment, that's all I really need."
And with that, they felt their initial discomfort quickly begin to fade. She reached out and stroked his cheek, toying with the light stubble there. He leaned over, tucking her hair behind her ears and pressing his lips against hers. As the weight of his body pressed into her, they both fell back on to the sheet, their arms encircling each other as their tongues began exploring well beyond each others mouths.
A few minutes later, Jo's phone buzzed. Mac barely managed to disentangle his arms from her as she drew away, leaning over to grab her phone from the pocket of her jeans.
She glanced at the screen and looked at Mac. "My Mama." She stated matter of factly, as she moved to sit up on the edge of the bed, pulling the covers around her shoulders to keep warm.
"Danville." She answered mechanically. But even to Mac, her voice sounded rather breathless, throaty.
"Hey Mama. Merry Christmas to you too!"
"Of course I want to talk with them. Pass the phone, please?"
"Hey hon."
"No, I couldn't get home with the blizzard and the power outage. I got stuck at Mac's."
Mac could hear Ellie's catcall even from the far side of the bed where he was sitting quietly. "Oooooohhhhh."
Jo rolled her eyes as she glanced at Mac and shook her head at her daughter's teasing.
"Yes, Ellie I spent the night with my boss." She rolled her eyes again, then winked at Mac who smiled back at her, amused at her easy kidding with her kids.
"I love you too. Pass me Tyler, ok?"
"Hi. How's my favorite boy?"
"Grandma feeding you enough?"
Mac watched her laughing as Tyler responded, apparently at length. "Ok. Take care. Love you. Pass me Grandma before you hang up, ok?"
After a pause, she continued. "Hey, Mama. Sorry I couldn't make it down. I miss you guys so much."
"They're not being too much trouble for you I hope?"
"No, I'm fine. I'm safe."
"Yea, at Mac's."
"No, of course not Mama, no worries. You didn't interrupt anything."
Jo frowned as she listened. Mac could hear the robust tone coming across the line from Jo's mother but he couldn't catch the actual words themselves.
Finally there was silence on the other end and Jo sighed loudly. "Ok Mama. All right! Yes! I am, as we speak, sitting naked on the edge of my boss's bed."
Macs eyebrows hit ceiling.
Jo sighed. "I'm all grown up Mama. And yes, I know what I'm doing."
"Luv you too Mama. Call me later after you open presents."
"You won't interrupt anything."
Jo groaned. "Fine. I'll call you instead. 'Bye." And she hung up, leaning over to toss the phone onto the chair with her clothes.
She turned around to Mac, who was looking at her aghast.
"You joke like that with your mother?" He ventured.
She eyed him oddly and a quirky smile spread across her face. "I may have been playing along with Ellie's teasing. But you don't joke with my mother. She sees right through anything. She knew what I'd been doing. From the minute I answered the phone."
Mac unconsciously pulled the drifting sheet back up over his torso, feeling suddenly very exposed.
Jo laughed, seeing his sudden discomfort. "Where do you think I got my trademark gift of perceptiveness from – those profiling skills that come in so handy at work. Certainly not the Bureau. Those classes just authenticated what I already had in my blood. Thanks to my Mama." She paused for effect, then continued innocently. "You should meet her sometime."
Mac shuddered. "I'm not sure I want to now."
Jo smirked and stood up, grabbing her clothes off the chair. Mac looked questioningly at her. "You leaving?"
She laughed. "No. I was going to go the bathroom, get dressed and see if there's anything in the kitchen to eat that's not covered in a fine dusting of cocoa powder. I'm starving." And she sauntered into the bathroom, closing the door behind her with a resounding bang.
He rose and got dressed himself, again, waiting for her to finish in the bathroom. When she exited, she looked at him expectantly.
He smiled. "So what shall we do today?"
Jo quirked her brow. "I already told you. I'm starving. I'm gettin' somethin' to eat." She sighed. "If only the power were back on, we could have ourselves a proper Southern breakfast." She glanced back at him. "One day, I'll make you one. You'll love it." And with that, she spun around and began walking down the hall. "I'm sure I will." He murmured to himself and he hurried to join her, before she reached the end of the hall.
As she rounded the corner, Mac a mere step behind her, she stopped suddenly and he nearly crashed into her. "Oh." She gasped.
He stepped around her and looked intently at her face.
Her eyes were wide like a child's, her mouth agape, her hands brought up to clasp each cheek in a gesture of complete surprise. She turned to Mac, but couldn't speak for the moment.
He feigned ignorance, shrugging his shoulders. "Must've been Santa Clause."
She grinned and walked up the stairs to the mezzanine, stopping just in front of the tiny, two foot Christmas tree placed on top of the end table, right next to the ball maze. She reached out and fingered the intricate decorations, the fragile star on top, the plastic holly leaves, the shiny tinsel, the tear shaped lights, even though they weren't lit up. She leaned closer and her smile was replaced by a look of confusion. She glanced back at Mac, who had come up to stand next to her.
"'Baby's First Christmas'?" She intoned, indicating one of the ornaments. "Mac Taylor, you did not steal this from somewhere, did you?"
His eyes widened at the mere thought that he, Mac Taylor, Head of the New York Crime Lab, would have stolen anything, let alone a Christmas tree. On Christmas day, no less. "I most certainly did not." He crossed his arms in front of his chest, annoyed she'd even consider such a thought.
He hesitated a fraction of a second, hoping his surprise hadn't just backfired. "I . . . rented it from the corner store down the street. I have to return it later tonight."
Jo looked at him. Her expression entirely unreadable to him and he felt himself inch back away from her ever so slightly, just in case she reacted less than positively.
But a second later, her face broke out into a huge smile and the room was filled with her chiming laughter. "You rented someone else's Christmas tree for me? I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry, Mac!"
Mac breathed a sigh of relief and grinned widely. "I know, it's silly. But you seemed so disappointed last night and I didn't have anything to decorate with myself. This was the next best thing. And the only place open."
She took another, closer look at the tree and noticed a small, wrapped cube underneath, with a little tag with her name written on it. She glanced over at him and he nodded encouragingly. Just as she reached out to grab it, the tiny strand of lights on the tree lit up, startling her. She jumped, then laughed, embarrassed at her childish reaction.
She looked sheepishly over at Mac. Glancing around, they could see all the clocks in the room flashing, the light flicker on in the entryway. She heard the hum of the refrigerator in the distance and the groan of the heating system as it came back to life. They smiled at each other.
"Power's back on." Mac quipped.
"Oh thank the Lord - we can make some coffee. You do have coffee, right?" she looked sideways at Mac.
Mac laughed. "Yes, I do. Most likely cocoa flavored, but nonetheless."
She reached out and slapped him playfully. He nodded back at the tree. "But open your present first."
She plucked it up and undid the wrapping paper. A block of multi-colored Post-it notes.
Jo laughed. Mac shrugged. "I'll admit, the choices were rather limited at the corner store. I know how you go through them - wouldn't want you to run out."
"Thanks Mac." But her face turned serious. "Mac, I don't have anything for you."
"Jo, you've already given me everything I could have possibly wished for." He paused, turning slightly red as he realized how that sounded.
Jo eyed him. "Oh I have, have I?"
"I didn't just mean . . . well . . . you know . . ." He stuttered uncomfortably.
Jo smiled, cutting him off with a wave of her arm. "I know what you mean. Thank you Mac."
She weaved her arms around him and they hugged. "Merry Christmas, Jo." "Merry Christmas, Mac."
They separated and Jo spoke. "Let's get that coffee brewing. I'm still freezing." And as if to emphasize the point, she jammed her hands into her sweater pockets, seeking out some warmth.
Her hand closed around the mistletoe she'd stuffed in there last night. She pulled it out and shook it in front of Mac.
"Oh. Look. I forgot I brought this. I will admit, I did steal it from the break room in the Lab right before we left. Just to tease you." She smirked at him.
Mac's brow arched.
She laughed. "I guess I didn't actually need it, huh?"
Mac shrugged, an air of nonchalance about him. But suddenly, in one quick movement, he reached out and grabbed the sprig from her hand, holding it well above the level of Jo's head, out of her reach.
She giggled as he approached her slowly. "You never know, it might still come in handy." He whispered as he leaned in to place a more than friendly kiss on her lips.
He felt her shiver, whether from the cold or the excitement, he couldn't really tell. When he pulled away a minute later, her voice was shaky. "I guess maybe I didn't give you all you needed earlier, huh?" She whispered breathlessly, trying to regain her composure. She took a deep breath. "What about that coffee?"
He looked meaningfully at her, still clutching the mistletoe. "I know a better way to warm up." And he reached out as if to pick her up and whisk her off her feet.
Much to his surprise, she backed away slightly, shaking her head and smiling playfully at him. "I can walk myself Mac. Besides, there's no hurry right? We've got all the time in the world together." She looked down at the mistletoe still gripped between his fingers. "And we definitely won't need this. I guarantee it."
And she leaned in to give him a long, luxurious kiss, prying the sprig from his hand and sticking it onto the tree along with the other decorations.
A/N: Hope you all enjoyed this bit of Christmas fluff. I know it's already Christmas out there for some of you, but I really did do my best to get this posted on the early side.
Thank You and Happy Holidays to everyone who reviewed, favorited, followed, alerted, or just simply read. I view each as a wonderful, thoughtful gift!
Now, off to bake cookies . . .