The oddly matched pair was moving slowly together on the wooden, parquet floor of the Annex workroom, each loosely holding the other in their arms. The tall elderly man's silver-gray head was lightly resting on top of the deep rust-colored head of the much shorter and younger woman leaning against his chest. Each had closed eyes and wore a faint smile of contentment as they gently swayed to and fro, while Nat King Cole softly crooned "The Christmas Song" in the background.

Surrounding the dancers were the remains of the Annex family's Christmas party—leftover serving dishes of food on the tables, dirty cups, glasses and plates scattered around the room, torn wrapping paper and discarded bows and ribbon littering the floor and desks. After the harrowing year they'd had with the loss of Charlene, the near-loss of Cassandra, the near-apocalypse with Apep and the DOSA raid, the team had been more than ready for a celebration, even Eve Baird.

The entire day was packed full of decorating, gift wrapping and exchanging, cooking, eating, teasing, laughing, toasting and drinking of Flynn's mother's special homemade egg-nog—heavily laced with far more rum than the recipe called for, thanks to Ezekiel and his illicit flask. The others had gone home hours ago, tired, sleepy and happy. The next day Flynn and Eve were going to fly out to Eve's family's home to spend some of the holiday, while Jacob was taking Ezekiel with him back to Oklahoma to visit some of the more pleasant Stone relations.

The old Regulator clock on the wall chimed out the hour: Two o'clock in the morning.

Jenkins and Cassandra were tired and sleepy, too, but it was the best Christmas party they'd each been to in a very long time, and neither was ready for the evening to end just yet. So now they danced, alone and silent, with no thought other than how happy they were in this moment.

Nat King Cole finished his song, and was followed by the sultry voice of Eartha Kitt singing the decidedly un-Christmasy "C'est Si Bon".

Jenkins instantly took up the song. With exaggerated movements he danced Cassandra around the room, twirling and dipping her low to the floor several times as he sang along in flawless French, waggling his eyebrows roguishly and trying to make his voice sound as sultry and exotic as the chanteuse's. The Librarian laughed at the hammy performance, which eventually ended with Jenkins dipping her so low to the floor that she was literally laying on it. Rather than lift her back upright, the immortal let go of her and dropped onto the floor himself with a sigh, sitting next to the prone woman as her laughter died down to soft giggles.

She sat up facing him, and he leaned forward quickly to steal a kiss. "I have something for you," he said quietly.

Her eyes narrowed and her smile turned slightly wicked as her hand reached out to lightly stroke his chest. "Jenkins, you animal!" she purred. "Right here? On the workroom floor?"

He rolled his brown eyes at the redhead as he took her hand and kissed her fingers. "Not that, you insatiable creature," he chided playfully. "I mean I have a gift."

"But you already gave me a present," she protested, puzzled. At the group's gift exchange, Jenkins had given her a gorgeously bound book of mathematical poetry.

The immortal ducked his head, suddenly shy. "This is rather a more intimate gift. I didn't want to give it to you in front of everyone else; I'm afraid it's been rather a long time since I last gave a lady a gift, and I fear I may be somewhat ignorant of what appeals to women nowadays. I didn't want to put you on the spot in front of the others, in case you didn't like it."

Cassandra smiled at the combination of gallantry and schoolboy bashfulness he exhibited, and she laid her hand on his. "That's nonsense, sweetheart," she reassured him. "You could wrap up a big box of dog poop and I would still love it!" Jenkins looked up, his face brightening.

"Really? I'll remember that next year when your birthday comes around," he teased. Cassandra punched him lightly in the shoulder. "Ouch!" he whined pathetically.

"So where's my present?" the Cassandra chirped excitedly.

Jenkins slipped his hand into the pocket of his coat and pulled out a small package, wrapped in bright, shiny red wrapping paper and tied with a gold ribbon.

Cassandra broke into a grin and briefly clapped her hands before she snatched the gift from his hand. While she eagerly tore into the ribbon and paper, the immortal made a great show of checking his hand to make sure none of his fingers had gone missing

Gingerly lifting the lid off of little red box inside, Cassandra caught her breath. Inside was a beautiful, delicately-wrought gold pendant on a matching chain. The pendant, about the size of a quarter, depicted two birds in the intricate Celtic style, each bird with its long neck, wings and legs entwined with the other, their foreheads lightly touching. Combined, the two birds formed the lacy outline of a heart.

"Those are cranes," he murmured reticently, watching for her reaction. "In the legends of my homeland, cranes were the wisest of creatures, possessing great learning and wisdom, and knowledge of magic."

He tried to look into her eyes, but couldn't. He fixed his eyes, instead, on the shining gold in her hands as his voice became barely audible. "But most importantly—because they mate for life—they symbolize fidelity and enduring love."

As Jenkins fell silent, Cassandra's hand unconsciously covered her mouth as she struggled against the tears that were threatening to fall. This was the first "lovers" gift he had given her since they began their relationship, and the truth be told, it was also the first one she had ever received. She knew Jenkins well enough by now to know that he'd probably spent days agonizing over just the right gift—something from his heart, chosen just for her, with a meaning that only they two would share. Such thoughtfulness and care on her account touched the young woman deeply.

"Jenkins, it's beautiful!" she whispered hoarsely. "Where on earth did you find it?"

"I had it made, just for you," he said, relief mixed with a bit of pride in his voice. Cassandra scrambled to her knees and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

"Thank you, Jenkins!" she breathed into his ear. "It's perfect!"

The immortal returned her embrace. "You're welcome, my treasure," he whispered in response. As they withdrew from one other, he fished his faithful handkerchief from his pocket and gave it to the Librarian to dab her eyes.

"Now, please don't feel like you have to wear that all of the time, just to please me," he hurried to tell her. "I know you have a veritable pirate's chest full of baubles and accessories to match that charming wardrobe of yours. Wear it only when it pleases you, it won't hurt my feelings at all."

"Really, Jenkins?" she said, giving him a mock-critical look. "You KNOW I'm putting this on right now and I'm NEVER taking it off! Help me the clasp?" He took the necklace from her as she scooted her back around to him and lifted her hair off of her neck. Jenkins quickly put the pendant around her neck and fastened it. As she admired it, he slipped his arms around her and nuzzled her neck and ear from behind. Cassandra turned her head and gave him a light kiss on his lips.

"You know," he said as he nibbled her earlobe. "I think I DO have something else for you, after all." The redhead grinned at the naughtiness she knew he had in mind.

"Oh, yeah?" she asked readily. "Can you give it to me here, or do we have to go someplace else?"

"I'll give it to you wherever you like, my love," he whispered fervently into her ear.

She turned her head and eyed him slyly. "Can you give it to me over there, on top of Ezekiel's desk?"

Jenkins grinned broadly as he looked up toward the ceiling and tightened his arms around her midsection.

"Oh, absolutely, my dear!" he crowed, appreciating the sheer juvenile mischievousness of her idea. "In fact, I insist upon it!"