A/N: Merry Christmas everyone! I apologize for any mistakes. While a glass of Sangria with dinner followed by two shots of Wild Turkey for dessert seemed like a good idea at the time...things are looking a little fuzzy right now! Good thing the chapter is already written...it's only the editing that's going to suffer!
Please Have Snow and Mistletoe
The others have completely cleaned up their mess. All the food has been put away and the dishes washed. Wheeler is sitting on the couch in the dark, the only light coming from the TV, which is still playing the image of the fake Yule Log. He has no idea where Linka is, but he's assuming she went to bed after their conversation on the beach. He was torn about whether or not to follow her, but he figured the best thing would be to let her be alone and not pressure her. He's so lost in thought, he doesn't even hear the footsteps coming up behind him and jumps when a steaming mug of hot chocolate appears over his shoulder.
"With a triple shot of Peppermint Schnapps…it is getting cold out there!" Linka says.
"Weird. Thanks," he says as he takes a sip. "Whoa! You sure there's only three shots in here?"
"Give or take…mostly give. It is three Russian shots. We measure a liiiiiiitle bit longer than most," she says, sitting next to him and leaning into his side.
"What about yours? Or am I the only one at this party?"
"Mine is a quadruple!" She says as she clinks her mug against his. "Hopefully it'll help warm me up."
"Well, you are wearing shorts."
"Well, this is a tropical island!"
He reaches around behind her, pulling the blanket off the back of the couch and wrapping it around them, leaving his arm around her to draw her against him to help keep her warm.
"Better?"
"Da. Spasiba," she says as she snuggles into him.
"You're welcome."
They sat there in silence, sipping their hot chocolate. Once they finished, Wheeler took her mug and set both of their empty drinks on the table in front of the couch. Linka lifts her head up off his chest and looks at the ceiling.
"No mistletoe above the couch? Very poor planning on your part Yankee!"
He looks up and sighs.
"I had it there…that was the piece that Suchi took down and tried to eat."
"Oh, you mean this piece?" She asks as she reaches into her vest pocket and pulls it out.
"Yeah, that's the one."
Linka raises her arm and holds the sprig of mistletoe over her head and smiles at Wheeler. His eyes widen and he smiles back at her. He looks up, then all around, checking to make sure there will be no surprise interruptions, making Linka giggle. Once he sees that the coast is clear, he leans in and softly presses his lips to hers.
She pulls back and he slowly opens his eyes, slightly disappointed that it was over. His disappointment is short lived though when he sees that Linka is now holding the amorous plant above him and is quickly closing the distance between them. The moment their lips meet is much like it was when Wheeler kissed her, but soon, she tilts her head and parts her lips, taking his lips between hers. This by far, the most passionate kiss they've ever shared, but once again, she pulls away, leaving Wheeler wanting more.
"Did you get everything you wanted this year Yankee?" She asks again, repeating the question that she posed to him earlier when they started their walk on the beach.
"I did now."
"I though you said you wanted snow," she teases.
"I changed my mind," he says with a smile.
"Wheeler?" She asks, suddenly serious.
"Hmm?" He asks, suddenly concerned.
She places one hand on his cheek and looks into his eyes.
"You asked me to think about what could be...and I did. I thought about all the regrets I would have if I never knew what it was like to be with you. I do not want to worry about losing you when I should be more concerned about never having the chance to show you how much you've meant to me all these years. I do not want to use mistletoe as an excuse to kiss you or for you to kiss me. I want us to be able to kiss whenever we want for whatever reason, or for no reason other than just because," she says as she tosses the mistletoe aside and places her free hand on his other cheek and pulls him towards her.
For the third time in two minutes, Wheeler and Linka are kissing, this time with no mistletoe. This time, it's real. She's holding him to her with no intentions of pulling away anytime soon. Her hands have made their way to the back of his head, running her fingers through his hair as their kiss continues, deepening as he pulls her against him, and rubs his hands up and down her back. Eventually, her shirt becomes untucked and he lets his hands venture underneath, skimming up her sides, his thumbs brushing against the underside of her breasts with each pass.
She lays back, pulling him down on top of her, locking her legs around his to hold him to her. Their exploration of each other continues, the things that his lips are doing to her neck are leaving her breathless, his roaming hand now trailing up and down her leg, both of them grateful that she left her shorts on despite the sudden drop in temperature outside.
The cold is the last thing on their minds. His hands, his lips, leaving a trail of fire everywhere they touch; a warmth that she can feel spreading through her body. A warmth that quickly disappears when he pulls away.
"What is wrong?" She asks as she sits up.
"Nothing. But if I don't stop, I won't be able to."
"Then don't," she says as she straddles his lap and rests her arms around his neck, playing with the sprigs of hair at the nape of his neck.
He leans his forehead against hers.
"I don't want to…believe me. But we can't do this here. Not when there's a chance of someone walking in…and not when I've never even taken you on a date. It's what you deserve."
She shakes her head.
"I do not deserve you. You have waited so long already…and now you are willing to wait longer for me…because you think it is right. But Wheeler, we have been on a million first dates…as far as I am concerned, from the very beginning, I knew that one day you would be the one. This is that day. Let us go. Take me to my room. Whether tonight is the night we see how far this will go or not…or whether we just sleep, I want to fall asleep in your arms. I want to wake up with you beside me."
Wheeler stands up, bringing her with him. She wraps her legs around his waist and brings her lips down to meet his. He walks them out of the commons room and towards her cabin, his face buried in the crook of her neck as he purses his lips against her soft skin, nipping and nuzzling his way up to her ear. It's not until they reach her door that he sets her down, but only so he can have a free hand to open the door with. Even then, he forgets about opening the door as he presses her between his body and the wall of her cabin. His attention still focused on her neck, dipping below the collar of her shirt to sweep across her chest and up the other side of her neck.
She is enjoying every second of it and in no hurry for him to stop. She throws her head back, giving him more access and looks up to the skies. She gasps, partly because of what he's doing, and partly because of what she sees.
Hating to pull his attention away from her, but wanting him to see what she saw, she says,
"Wheeler…look."
"Hmm?" He mumbles against her neck.
"It is snowing!"
"What?!" He asks in shock as he pulls away and looks up. "Whoa…Something tells me Gaia is behind this. I guess I did get everything I wanted this year."
"Me too," she says, putting her arm around him. "Tomorrow night is going to be amazing…almost as amazing as tonight."
She reaches behind her and opens the door, taking his hand and pulling him into her room. She leads him over to her bed and sits him down, standing between his legs. He wraps his arms around her waist and pulls him towards her for a hug, pressing his cheek against her chest. She holds him to her and rests her head on his, kissing the top of it affectionately.
After few minutes later, he looks up at her and asks,
"Is this really happening? Am I really here, or is this all a dream?"
She takes his face in her hands and brushes her thumbs over his cheeks.
"It is real Lyubov moy. Very real," she says as she leans down and brings their lips together once more.
Once again, his hands begin roaming over her body and hers over his. She reaches for his partially untucked shirt and pulls it the rest of the way out so that she can drag his shirt up and over his head, giving her eyes and her hands full access to his well toned body. He stands up in front of her, reaches for her shirt, and tugs. When she doesn't object, he lifts it over her head and then begins kissing her now exposed skin, over the edge of her bra, down between her breasts and across her stomach. She giggles and pulls him back up to kiss her.
"That tickled," she whispers against his lips.
"I figured it would...that's why I did it," he replies.
She responds by poking her fingers into his sides, causing him to pull back and fall onto her bed, bringing her down on top of him. He then rolls her over so that she's pinned beneath him.
"Are you tired?" He asks.
"Da...but I am not ready to sleep," she says, hinting that she would like them to continue whatever it is that they are doing.
"You'll tell me if you're not comfortable, right? If you wanna stop, it's ok."
"I know. I trust you. And I do not want you to stop...ever," she says as she raises up to kiss him.
"'Dear Santa, it's all I want for Christmas. I've been nice all year…now I wanna be naughty!"
And they were naughty...but it was oh so nice!
The End!
Merry Christmas to all! And if you can't be good, at least be careful!
