AUTHOR'S NOTE: Ugh, finally. I was hoping to get this posted on Christmas, but no such luck. This isn't nearly as long as the Owkita fic and probably not as good (the Christmas spirit has left me - tbh, I didn't feel in the festive mood at all this year; Christmas was super weird this year, I don't know why?) but here it is anyway. I didn't focus a lot on the gift-giving like I did for Owen and Nikita since that's not really important for this chapter. There's a much more important little plot near the end ;)

Anyway, I can FINALLY share some future plans with you guys. A few of you have left some comments saying how much you love Katya, which pleases me SO much. I too hate the way the writers introduced her and then just forgot about her- but that seems to be something they're exceptional at. They only introduce and do plots that are to their advantage and screw everyone else over. Not cool at all. That's one of the reasons I introduced her in this fic, to give Alex her mother. I always wanted Katya to come back on the show, or for Sean and Alex to at least discuss their mothers, you know. Family has always been one of the strongest connections Sean and Alex have ever had. Anyway, as I was saying, future plans. Since you guys love Katya I've decided to give her her own little story, I even threw in some foreshadowing in this chapter. The next chapter will be about Katya and I'll be introducing her to a love interest. I already have everything planned out, getting the idea from a book I read earlier this year. So I really hope you guys love what I have planned for Mama Udinov :)))


Slowly, Sean removed his arm from Alex's waist and slipped out of bed, careful not to disturb Alex and wake her up just yet. Putting on a shirt, he headed downstairs. Sean paused by the window on his way down, glancing out it to view the weather. It was snowing again, not as heavily as it had been last month, but it was coming down fast. The island was getting a traditional White Christmas, something a lot of people would be envious of.

Continuing on his way to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for her, Sean found the magazine he'd gotten in town the other day and looked for the recipe of the pancakes he found he thought she'd like and read it several times over, making sure he'd absorbed the directions thoroughly before he took out what he needed from the cupboards and set everything on the counter. The hot cocoa would be easy to make, but the cheesecake pancakes – a tad bit more complicated.

After he had mixed the flour, buttermilk, egg, vegetable oil, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a blender and poured the mix into the frying pan and began cooking the pancakes, the cakes turning a golden brown, he heard someone coming down the stairs and for a moment was afraid Alex had woken up. But when he turned around, he saw that it was Katya. "Hey," he said, smiling. "Good morning."

"Good morning," she said back to him, smiling as well. "And merry Christmas." She felt it weird to be celebrating it so early, though for Sean it wasn't early for him. Just for her and Alex. They'd have to get used to the new date, she supposed.

"Do you Russians even celebrate Christmas?" he asked, grinning at her. He saw her unease, a bit curious about Russian customs. He was also curious if she missed Russia at all, any of the customs. Even if one was miserable in a certain place, it was home and you always missed home.

"We celebrate it on the seventh of January," Katya answered, walking over to Sean. She crossed her arms over her chest, coming to inspect what he was doing. The smell of the food had woken her up, it all smelling so good and creating that hollow feeling in her stomach. Standing beside him at the stove, she continued, "A few Catholics might celebrate it today, but most of us celebrate it on the seventh. Christmas is very religious in Russia. We attend a lot of Church services. Our Russian Santa Clause is named Ded Moroz – Father Frost. He's accompanied by a snow maiden and brings presents to children to place under the New Year's tree."

"Sounds... interesting," Sean said, glancing at her and then turning back to focus on the pancakes. He enjoyed talking with her, hearing about her culture. Sometimes it sounded like she missed her home, and then on occasion it also sounded like she was relieved to be out of that country. Not that he could blame her.

Katya smiled smugly, shaking her head. "It was nice sometimes. Russia wasn't always bad."

They fell into a comfortable silence, Katya drifting into her own thoughts and watching Sean as he cooked the pancakes. They smelled so good, her stomach grumbling in response. She immediately placed her hand over her stomach and looked down at it, smiling.

"I can make you some if you want," he said, chuckling when he heard her stomach growl. There was plenty of batter left to make Katya some pancakes as well. Besides, he'd feel like a prick if he didn't make her any breakfast.

"Oh, no. It's okay. I don't want to trouble you."

"It's no trouble, really," Sean insisted. "I'd feel like a jerk if I didn't. Here," he added, sliding the spatula under the pancake he was currently cooking and flipping it over onto it's other side so it'd brown. "When this one is done, it's yours."

Katya looked up at Sean and smiled fondly at him. Rubbing his back, she then looked around and asked, "Is there anything I can do?"

"Mm, you could make some hot cocoa?" he suggested. "The mix is in the cupboard over there," he added, gesturing to his right. "It's a, uh, local brand. Quick to make but it tastes homemade," he continued.

Katya got to work on the hot cocoa as Sean continued with the pancakes, standing back to back. They both were comfortable with the silence, but then Sean glanced over his shoulder at her and his curiosity got the better of him again. He barely knew anything about Katya and he wanted to get to know her better. And he had noticed her behavior the past few weeks, how lonely she seemed and it worried him.

"Can I ask you something?" he finally said.

"Go ahead," Katya said, slowly stirring the cocoa. She lifted her gaze and stared across the room, waiting for his question.

"Are you happy here? I mean, it's just – you seem lonely sometimes. I don't mean to pry," he continued. He stepped away from the stove for a moment to retrieve a dish from the cupboard, setting it on the counter and then placing the finished pancake on it. "I just hope if there's ever anything I can do, you'll come to me for help."

Touched by his concern, Katya smiled and turned around to look at Sean. It was a relief to know Alex had settled with such a wonderful, good man. She saw the same goodness in Sean that Nikolai had. That desire to take care of her. She knew Alex was in safe, loving hands. "It's true, I am a bit lonely here," Katya finally answered, turning back around to finish the cocoa. She moved onto the second cup. "I am happy. Happy to be with Alexandra and you, of course. But you neither of you can begin to imagine what it feels like to be without love after having it as long as I did. Seeing you two so happy and then seeing Nikita and Owen, it's hard. I find myself jealous sometimes."

"Hey, maybe you'll meet someone," Sean said, arching an eyebrow at her as he turned around to look at her. He grinned as he added, "You never know."

"Yes," she replied, laughing. "Perhaps I shall meet someone soon," she mused, laughing to herself. She highly doubted she would and she was fine with that. "I don't really care, though. I'm just thankful to be with Alexandra again. And I have you to thank for that. I don't think either of us have ever properly thanked you for helping bring us together."

Sean had turned back around to focus on the pancakes when she brought up Russia and Operation Katya, as Sean had dubbed the mission. He smiled to himself, remembering bonding with Alex during that time. He had understood her desire to find Katya. After all, if his own mother had gone missing he would've done everything in his power to find her. "It was my pleasure," he finally said, turning around to face her. As he transferred the finished pancakes from the frying pan to a plate, he continued by saying, "I just wanted Alex to have some happiness. I'm glad I was able to help bring you two together again."

"It means so very much," she said. She went over to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek, causing Sean to smile and blush slightly but also feel the slightest bit sad. Having a heart-to-heart with Katya only made him miss his own mother even more than before."You're a good man, Sean." She let him return to making the rest of the pancakes for him and Alex. Katya topped her pancakeswith strawberry glaze, butter and some powdered sugar, grabbed a fork and some napkins, and then headed back up to her room with her breakfast.

Finishing the rest of the pancakes and placing the dirty dishes in the sink, Sean stacked them – four golden brown pancakes - on a dish and then set it on a tray. He grabbed the hot cocoa Katya had made, setting it on the tray as well and then grabbed a couple of forks and some napkins, folding them in half and placing them under the plate. Topping the pancakes with some butter, strawberry glaze, and powdered sugar just like Katya had with her own pancakes, Sean finally carried the breakfast upstairs to take to surprise Alex.

She was still asleep in bed, stretched out on her side with her arm under the pillow, her chin tucked into her chest. Placing the tray on the end of the bed, he got in bed beside her again and slipped his arm around her waist. In response to his touch, Alex let out a low murmur and moved closer to Sean. He pressed a kiss to her shoulder; the nape of her neck; he kissed the wing of her butterfly tattoo. Sliding his hand down her leg, he rested it on her warm thigh and kissed behind her ear and finally whispered, "Time to wake up," into her ear.

Alex grunted, turning her head and burying her face into her pillow. "Five more minutes," she said, her voice muffled by the pillow. She didn't want to get up yet. She wanted to sleep in as long as she could, be lazy for once.

"Well," Sean said, trailing his fingertips up her bare thighs teasingly, sending ticklish sensations up Alex's legs and making them jerk. "Usually I'd be more than happy to let you sleep in, but your breakfast might be cold by then." Studying her, Sean trailed his fingertips across her shoulder in wavy patterns, waiting for her curiosity to kick in and get the better of her.

Lifting her head, Alex opened one eye and looked around the room. She sighed at the feel of Sean's fingertips caressing her shoulders. Rolling over onto her back, she looked up at him and smiled, feeling his arm wrap around under her body. He pulled her close to him, leaning down to greet her with a kiss. "Good morning," Sean said, smiling down at her. He reached his hand up, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and then resting his hand on the side of her face.

"Good morning," Alex said, smiling back at him and placing her hand on his arm. "And... Merry Christmas," she added. Wrapping her leg around his, Alex leaned up and pressed her lips against his in a kiss, sliding her tongue between his lips. She rolled them over, placing herself on top of him. As she grasped onto his shirt and deepened the kiss, she noticed the tray of food out of the corner of her eye and broke away from kissing him, turning to look at the breakfast tray. "Mmm," she murmured, placing her hand on Sean's chest and pushing away from him and crawling over to the end of the bed. She grabbed a cup of the hot cocoa and brought it to her lips, taking a cautious sip of it to warm and wake herself up. "Mm, oh, this is so good," she said, sitting cross-legged at the end of the bed.

Sean chuckled, propping himself up against the pillows and watching Alex with an amused expression as she drank the hot cocoa and and scooped up some of the strawberry glaze with her fingertips. She sucked on her index finger, holding the hot cocoa with her other hand. As Sean gazed at her, his brows furrowed as he noticed something a bit off about her. There was something different about her but he couldn't put his finger on it. She was still the same Alex but there was something just... different. It wasn't anything psychological, nothing like that.

Shaking off that feeling, Sean leaned forward and grabbed a fork and knife, cutting into the pancakes. "Your mom helped with the hot cocoa," he said, spearing a couple pieces of pancake with the tines of the fork. Lifting the pieces of pancake on the fork, he lifted them up and gestured at Alex.

"My mom's awake?" she asked, and then noticed what Sean was doing. Rolling her eyes and staring at him incredulously, she gave in after a moment and leaned in, closing her mouth around the pancakes. She dragged them off the tines of the fork, chewed a few times, and finally swallowed the bites. "Is that – that tastes like cheesecake. Is that cheesecake?" Taking the fork from Sean, Alex used the edge of the fork to cut off another piece of pancake and brought it up to her mouth, chewing and swallowing it. "It is, isn't it?" She gazed at him, her lips parted in... surprise? Emotional affect?

"Don't look so surprised." Sean smiled smugly at her, finally taking a bite of the pancakes for himself. "I have many hidden talents," he teased.

"I'll bet you do," she said, staring at him in wonder as he took another bite of the pancakes. After he used the fork to cut off another section of pancake, he held the pieces up to Alex. She smiled and leaned forward, placing her hand on Sean's wrist as she closed her mouth around the pancakes and dragged the pieces of the tines. She chewed and swallowed, closing her eyes and shaking her head as she sighed. "Delicious," she said, wiping some of the strawberry glaze from the corner of her mouth with her thumb.

"You've got a little right-" he broke off, indicating she had a little strawberry glaze on her bottom lip by dabbing at his own bottom lip, but Alex wiped at the wrong spot. Chuckling, Sean was about to lean forward and wipe it off with his finger when he changed tactic at the last second. He kissed her bottom lip, sucking the glaze off between his lips, his hands resting on either side of her thighs. Alex smiled and closed her eyes, beginning to tip her head back when Sean reached up and cupped the back of her neck to prevent her from doing so just yet.

Pulling away, he pressed a kiss to the center of her neck and massaged the hollow of her neck with his fingertips. Letting her head fall back, Alex let out a sigh as she rested her hot cocoa on her thigh, enjoying the kisses Sean was pressing to her neck. A shudder went up her spine, all thoughts leaving her mind as she reveled in the kisses Sean was showering her with. Considering it was Christmas, a part of her wanted to tell him to stop and suggest that they head downstairs, meet her mother down there. But another part of her said screw it. It was Christmas and they could do whatever they liked. They were both adults.

Setting her mug of hot cocoa on the tray – which Sean proceeded to set on the floor - Alex slipped her arms around Sean and followed his lead as he lay back down on the bed. Their lips locked, the kiss tasting like a mixture of strawberries, cheesecake and chocolate. When Sean pulled away and began kissing down her chest, pulling her nightie up to press a kiss to her stomach, she sucked it in and grew nervous. Resisting the impulse to tell him to stop, she bit down on her lip and let him continue to kiss down to her hips.

Sean slid his hands underneath her thighs, lifting her legs up as he crawled back on the bed just a little to make himself more comfortable and to get into a better position so he could more easily kiss her inner thighs. "We should be getting downstairs," Alex said, taking a deep breath to steady herself. She brought her hand up to rest beside her face, gripping the sheets as she felt Sean's wet lips press against her warm inner thighs.

"We have plenty of time," he said, glancing at the clock. "Your mom won't mind."

Alex opened and closed her mouth several times, trying to think of more reasons to object, but every time he kissed her thighs she forgot what she was going to say. Finally, she sighed and threw her head back in frustration. "Fine, just a quickie, then," she said, her body aroused.

She could hear Sean chuckle, and then a moment later he was hovering above her with a smile on his face. "A quickie it is," he agreed, brushing his lips against hers before kissing her. As they kissed, Alex anxiously reached down and grabbed the hem of this shirt, breaking away for just a second to pull it off and toss it across the room. She wrapped her legs around his waist, squeezing him between her thighs as she took his face between her hands and kissed him hungrily.

Sean trailed his hands down either side of her body before grabbing the ends of her nightie and pulling it off of her, tossing it as carelessly across the room as she had thrown his shirt. Sean reached his hand down between her legs, rubbing her through her underwear as they kissed. Alex's breath hitched in her throat and curled her toes, digging her heels into the back of his thighs. "Stop being such a tease," she whispered into his mouth, nipping at his bottom lip.

Finally, Sean pulled her underwear off, tossed it on the floor, and then pulled his pants down, taking his length in his hand and sliding himself into Alex. She arched her back and pushed her hips into the bed, gripping onto his shoulders as he began grinding his hips in a spiral fashion and placed his hands on either side of her head, holding himself up. She gripped his back, her fingertips digging into his shoulder blades as she lowered her lips to one of his shoulders and pressed a kiss to it. Alex let out a moan, muffling the sound of it by keeping her mouth pressed against his shoulder. The last thing she needed right now was her mother to come and walk in on them.

She listened to the sound of their breathing, how they began to pant in unison how they minutes passed and she held him tighter. Alex threw her head back, exposing her neck, and Sean grasped the opportunity to shower it with kisses as he pushed deeper inside her. She slid her hand down his back, feeling the muscles straining beneath her hand as he pounded into her.

Alex reached above her head and grabbed onto one of the pillows and let out a gasp, then they stopped; Sean hovered above her, their lips a fraction of an inch apart from each other. Slowly, they both smiled and then Alex shoved him off of her. Sean let out a chuckle and propped his arm underneath his head, watching Alex as she got off the bed and picked up her underwear as she walked over to the dresser across the room. She rummaged through the middle drawer, pulling out a pair of shorts and a sweater. She stepped into her underwear and then put the shorts on, slipping the sweater on over her head. Sean watched her meanwhile, admiring her graceful and calculating movements. When Alex turned around and caught him gazing at her, she froze and and smiled awkwardly.

"What?" she asked, pulling on the sleeve of her sweater and then one of her hands through her hair.

"Nothing," Sean replied. "Just admiring you."

She wanted to tell him to shut up and stop being such a kiss-ass, but she couldn't bring herself to do such a thing. She'd never been with someone as sweet as Sean before and whenever he said things like this to her – and it was true, she was still getting used to being spoken to in this way, in such a caring and loving way – she always felt herself blush and become uncomfortable. But uncomfortable in a way that made you feel good somehow, that boosted your ego and made you happy. "I'll meet you downstairs," she said.

Alex was heading for the door when she changed direction and walked towards the bed. She leaned down to kiss Sean, cupping the side of his face. The kiss was a thank you - for loving her, for marrying her. For being kind, loving, and reliable. For being a good man and the type of man all women should strive to look for to complement their life.

He reached up and placed his hand on her shoulder, gazing at Alex as she pulled away and looked back at him. "What was that for?" he asked, caressing her shoulder with his thumb.

"For being you," she said, smiling. "I love you." Alex kissed him once more, sliding her hand down to grip the side of his jaw. She gently dug her fingertips into his flesh as she kissed him, and then she pulled away, smiled once more at him, and left the room.

She found her mother already downstairs, gazing out a window. She was so lost in thought that Alex walked up behind her and stood there, staring out at the snow-covered land with her for several minutes before Katya sensed another presence and finally noticed Alex. Turning around, the mother smiled and embraced her daughter, kissing her forehead. This was their first Christmas together since Alex was a little girl, and it made her happy and sad at the same time. Sad, that Nikolai was not here. But happy that she and Alex were finally together again. For so long she didn't think they'd ever see each other again.

"Merry Christmas, devochka moya," Katya said, her voice low. She pressed a kiss to Alex's hair, rubbing her hand up and down Alex's petite back.

"Merry Christmas, mama," Alex said, smiling. She wrapped her arms around her mothers waist, lacing her fingers together and resting her hands on the small of her mother's back. A thought floated to the surface of her mind during their little moment together, and she broke the few moments of silence to inquire, "Can I tell you a secret? And you have to promise to keep it just between us for now, okay?"

Pulling away but keeping her arms wrapped around Alex, Katya nodded. She was intrigued as to what Alex's secret was and, when Alex made a gesture for her to lean down closer, she did as she was told and listened as Alex whispered two words into her ear. Katya's eyes widened, her heart skipped a beat, and she pulled away again, looking at her questioningly as if to ask, Are you sure? Alex nodded in response, smiling and biting down on her bottom lip.

Letting out a laugh, Katya pulled Alex closer and cradled the back of her head like she had when she was a baby. Both mother and daughter took a deep breath and then exhaled, holding onto each other. "Remember, just between us," Alex reminded her.

"Promise," Katya said.

"Thank you," Alex sighed, relieved she would keep the secret for now. She was going to reveal it soon, very soon, actually. She'd only found out a few days ago, but keeping it a secret for that long had been hard.

"You're welcome, my love," Katya said, kissing the side of her head. "Oh, come here," she added, pulling away and grabbing Alex's hand. "I want to give you your gift," she continued, leading the way over to the tree, which was elegantly decorated thanks to the three of them.

Alex wasn't sure if they should open presents just yet. She wanted to wait for Sean, but since her mother seemed so excited about this gift she kept quiet and and watched as Katya retrieved a small, square box perched on the branches of the tree. Taking the proffered gift, Alex unwrapped it and opened the box, sucking in a breath when she saw what was inside. "But this is-"

"Mine, I know," Katya answered. "It was my mother's before me. And my grandmother's before my mother. That necklace has been passed down from generation to generation. I thought it was time you have it."

"I thought it burned in the fire," Alex said, lifting her hand and gingerly tracing her fingertips over the pendant. It saddened her to think of all they'd lost that day, even if they hadn't lost each other there was still so much more they had lost and could never get back.

"No, there were a few things that survived and that was one of them." Katya watched Alex, a smile on her face and relief washing over her to know she liked the necklace as a gift. Not that she doubted she wouldn't. She remembered Alex always getting into her jewelry box and stealing the necklace, putting it on and wearing it.

"Thank you," Alex said, finally looking up. She closed the lid of the box and walked over to her mother, wrapping one arm around her as she held the box in the other. Alex turned her head, burying her face into her mother's soft hair. Alex was about to say something else when she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Pulling away from the hug, she glanced over her shoulder to see Sean, glancing at her mother and making a silencing motion with her fingers – sliding her index finger across her lips with a little smile before moving away from the tree.

"Already opening presents without me?" Sean asked, spotting Alex and her mother by the tree. He shook his head at them, not quite surprised that they were probably already opening a few presents before he had even joined them.

"Just one," Alex assured him, going to sit on the couch, her mother sitting beside her a moment later. They cuddled together, whispering so Sean couldn't hear them.

Rinsing the dishes and placing them in the dish-washer, Sean made Alex and Katya some more hot cocoa to drink while they opened presents. He added a few large marshmallows to their drinks before taking the mugs out to the living room, handing the girls their drinks. "Ladies," he said.

"Thank you," Alex said, smiling gratefully at him as she took the proffered drink from him.

"Such a gentleman," Katya said, taking her cocoa and sipping it slowly. She cradled it between her hands, tucking her legs beneath her as she watched Sean go over to the tree and divide the presents. Katya took another sip of her cocoa, set it on the coffee table, and got up to go help Sean with the gifts. There weren't a plethora of them, but he'd already done quite a bit of work this morning and the least she could do was help him out a little bit.

Presents were passed out, Sean stoked a fire in the fireplace to warm up the living room as they sat together on the couch. Alex and Katya sat on either side of Sean, opening one gift at a time and exclaiming with surprise at everything they got. As much as Sean missed his own family, he enjoyed spending Christmas with Alex's mother. And the thing was, Alex was his family now. Finally married, husband and wife, they were all family. So in a way he got his wish to have his family with him at Christmas.

Dinner, sans Nikita and Owen, was a much easier affair. With just the three of them, they had less to worry about. Katya took over the kitchen this time, kicking both Sean and Alex out and commandeering the room for use for several hours. It had been a long, long time since she had cooked a family meal and this was her chance. She prepared the turkey – washing it, stuffing the cavity with the bunch of thyme, halved lemon, quartered onion, and garlic; brushing the outside of the turkey with melted butter mixture and sprinkling some salt and pepper to the skin. Once she was finished, she tied the legs together with string and tucked the wing tips under the body of the turkey, placing the turkey in the preheated oven to cook for the next three and a half hours.

"At least let me take care of dessert," Sean insisted. He and Alex had persuaded their way back into the kitchen, helping Katya clean up and put everything away again. He hated just sitting around doing nothing. He liked being put to good use, to feel useful and needed for something.

"Dessert is already taken care of," Katya said. Sean sighed, his shoulders sagging in defeat, so Katya patted him sympathetically on the chest before walking out of the kitchen. "Now if you don't mind, while the turkey cooks I'm going to go upstairs and take a quick shower. Keep an eye on the food, will you? Actually, what you can do is make the stuffing later on," she added to Sean, as she reached the stairs. Placing her hand on the banister, she added, "And the potatoes, salad, and green beans. If you really want to be put to work, then so be it," she called out as she ascended the staircase.

"Be careful what you wish for," Alex teased, smacking Sean's butt as she walked past him and into the living room. She browsed their music collection, which was pathetically small, but she found a good CD of Christmas music and opened the case, putting the disk into the CD player. With it snowing outside and Bing Crosby singing holiday music to them, it felt like Christmas to her.

Leaning against the door frame, Sean crossed his arms over his chest and watched as Alex swayed back and forth to the music, a smile on his face. He thought about going up behind her, wrapping his arms around her and just holding her, but he stayed rooted to the spot, transfixed by her.


They set the table, fixed their plates, and Katya shared past Christmas stories taking place in the Udinov household. They were vague memories in Alex's mind, fragments of a past she wasn't sure were real or imagined until her mother would say something that connected with one of Alex's memories. She listened attentively, remembering only a fraction of an amount of the stories Katya was regaling them with. It was hard to believe they had all been a happy family once.

Taking a sip of her wine – one glass wouldn't hurt, surely? - Alex snuck a glance at Sean, suddenly eager to have some alone time with him. Seeing the look on his face, she knew he missed his mother, understandable considering it was Christmas and during the holidays you should always be with family, if possible.

Awhile after dinner, Katya seized her moment and bid Sean and Alex goodnight. Finally alone, Alex stretched out on the couch, cradling her mug of hot cocoa in her hands. She gazed at Sean as he stoked the fire, adding some more wood to it get the fire blazing once more. She even took the moment to admire this viewpoint of him, her head tilted to one side. When he turned around, Sean caught her staring and grinned, arching an eyebrow at her as he walked over to her.

"Enjoying the view?" he asked, gesturing for her to move over a bit. He sat down, resting his back against the arm of the couch and stretching his legs out the length of the sofa. Alex took a sip of her cocoa, setting it on the coffee table and then snuggling against Sean.

"Very much," she answered, grinning as Sean wrapped his arms around her. He kissed the top of her head, running one hand up and down her back in a soothing gesture. Alex took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she enjoyed the moment with him. Her earlier conversation with her mother echoed in her mind, and Alex opened her eyes and bit down on her bottom lip. Now was the moment, she thought to herself. They were alone and it was nearing eleven; she wanted to tell him before Christmas was over. Moving her hand from his waist to his chest, Alex tipped her head back and looked up at Sean. "I have something I need to tell you," she said. She drew one leg up, wrapping it around one of Sean's own legs.

"Mm?" he murmured, playing with her hair now. He wrapped a thick strand of her dark hair around his index finger, then let it fall and bounce against her shoulder before running his fingers through her hair. "What is it?"

"I, uh, was talking with my mom earlier," she began, looking down again and resting her head against his chest. She slid her hand down his chest to rest by her face, grasping a handful of his shirt. "I went to the doctor's last week. Just a little check-up, nothing to worry about. But, uh, there was something else."

"Oh?" Sean asked, feeling conflicted. He was wary of bad news, but at the same time another part of him felt like whatever she had to tell him couldn't possibly be bad. If it was, she'd be more upset. He knew her and how she reacted to certain news.

"I'm pregnant," she finally said. "We're pregnant."

Sean's hand froze, poised midair above her hair. He opened and closed his mouth several times, looking down at her form cuddled against him. Now it made sense, why she looked different to him this morning. He felt like an idiot for not considering it. They had been trying to have a baby, but with the holidays approaching that task had slipped both their minds. Slowly smiling, Sean placed his hand on the small of her back.

She finally looked up at him, smiling nervously to see what his reaction would be. Seeing him smile, she smiled less nervously and loosened her grip on his shirt. "You have no idea how long I've been wanting to tell you," Alex said, sighing with relief to finally be out with this little secret.

Laughing, Sean leaned down to kiss her, holding her close. Alex lifted her arm and cupped the side of his jaw as she kissed him back, tangling their legs even more complicatedly together. She rolled over so she was on top of him and Sean moved his hands so they were resting on either side of her waist as they kissed. "I can't wait to start a family with you," Sean murmured against her lips, bringing his hand up to adjust a strand of hair behind her ear, cupping the side of her neck.

Alex smiled, brushing her lips against his as she brought her hand up and lightly traced her fingertips along his cheek. She didn't say anything, but her smile and the expression in her eyes emoted enough happiness for the both of them.