A/N: This story will soon be coming to a close, which means that I'll be able to work on other projects. Although it saddens me that it's almost over, I'm ready to start on Nightmare and write another chapter of EV: The Prototype. Don't be sad though! For when I start on Nightmare, I'll be creating a contest for you guys. All the details will be posted in the first chapter when that story comes out, so keep a watch out for it because it's coming out soon! Thank you, all of you, for your support, your reviews, and for favoring this story. It's because of your support that my writing continues to improve and that I continue to write fan fictions. I hope that you'll continue to support me with my other writings on here as well. Here's another chapter for you lot. R&R. Enjoy.

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Intense love does not measure, it just gives.

Mother Teresa

Sighing contentedly, Alex snuggled closer to Mike's warm body. He wanted the close contact of his lover. He needed to feel him as they both slept underneath the warm blankets. The heat was on, the temperature set high, but if he didn't hold onto the brunette, he'd die from the cold. At least, it felt like he would, so why risk it? Besides, Mike didn't mind; hell, he was still asleep.

Alex woke up shivering at around two in the morning, even though the heat was on and it really wasn't that cold in the house. Upon looking around, he realized that he had rolled out of Mike's arms and onto the other side of the bed. This, determined, was the reason why he was cold, so he cuddled closer to Mike, who, even in his sleep, wrapped his arms around the blonde teenager. Not long after that, he drifted back to sleep once more and slumbered peacefully until his body practically screamed at him to wake up.

Which brought him to his current position: still snuggling close to Mike and ignoring the alarm clock. It wasn't set, but he didn't want to look at the time. Not only did he want to remain in his warm bed, but he also wanted to stay like this. He wanted to keep his eyes closed and listen to his boyfriend sleep, enjoying the feel of his chest rise and fall. Never before had he known such a peaceful state of calm until he started dating Mike and the two would spend their weekends like this. But this time, it was different; it was Christmas Day, and he was spending it with the one person he cared for the most, who also cared for him a great deal as well. Merely thinking about it made his heart swell with happiness.

His thoughts were disturbed when Mike began to stir, his blue eyes blinking open. Alex smiled at how sleep and adorable the brunette looked and he snuggled closer. Mike's arms tightened around him and the older teen spoke up.

"Baby…"

"Hm?"

"I'm about to fall off the bed. Seriously, you need to stop the snuggling and let me move over. Please?"

Alex's eyes snapped open and he let go of Mike, allowing him enough room to move closer to the middle of the bed. Biting his lip, the blonde looked at his boyfriend, who was now sitting up beside him and rubbing his eyes free of sleep. Yawning, Mike stretched, cracking his back and flexing his muscles as he did so. Every inch of him was gorgeous and it made Alex's heart beat faster just by looking at it. Although, as his eyes traveled to Mike's lower back, he saw the light marks on the tanned skin that signified scars. Wounds given to him by the father and mother he never really had or wanted. Seeing them made his blood boil with rage and he hoped, for their sake, that they never met him.

"I'm sorry, Mikey. I wasn't trying it. I was getting cold and you're just so warm and cuddly that I couldn't resist."

"It's okay, Lexy. I totally get what you mean. Hell, even if I did fall, if you fell with me, I'd be fine."

"I've already fallen for you, Mike." They looked at each other, both with small smiles plastered on their faces. Alex was blushing a bit, but he didn't regret what he said; it was true, and he'd say it again, over and over if he had to.

"That makes two of us, baby boy."

Leaning closer to the younger teen, Mike kissed his boyfriend softly, lovingly, putting all of his feelings into it. Moaning, Alex returned the kiss, reaching up to caress the brunette's face with his trembling fingers. He wasn't cold, but the kissing they were sharing was just so…breathtaking. It left him quivering and longing for Mike's touch. They broke their kiss, panting, but smiling, and Mike placed a soft kiss on Alex's lips before he stretched a second time and got off of the bed.

"I'm going to take a shower if that's okay." Moving off the bed, Mike didn't even bother trying to hide his nude body from the blonde. And, despite the fact that he should be a little used to it by now, Alex blushed as he watched Mike walk over to his bag and take out fresh clothes.

"That's fine. I'll be downstairs when you're done, okay baby?" Standing up with his clothes in hand, Mike looked over at his boyfriend and smiled.

"Alright, Daddy-O."

As soon as Alex heard the bathroom door close, he launched himself off of the bed and pulled on a pair of sweats that were lying on the floor. Mumbling to himself, he proceeded up into his library, grabbing the trash bags that held the presents for Mike and the ones from his parents to him. In the heat of last night's passions, Alex completely forgot that he had to bring the presents downstairs and lay them underneath the tree. Silently berating himself, he grabbed three trash bags and left the room, leaving one behind. He'd get that one later, after he was situated. Luckily for him, Mike always took his time in the shower, so he had about twenty minutes to half an hour to get everything situated. It wouldn't be perfect by all means, but it'd be good enough. Besides, Mike probably wouldn't care if the presents were carefully placed or thrown about.

Alex practically flew down the stairs, skipping over them two at a time before finally making it to the living room. Once he had landed safely, he sprinted into the kitchen where the Christmas tree was located. Wiping his brow, he opened the first bag and dumped everything onto the floor as gently as he could. He did that with the other two bags and had to push a few packages in place with his foot. Throwing the bags into the trash can, Alex ran out of the kitchen into the living room and bolted up the stairs. Panting from the sudden expenditure of energy, he rushed into his bed room and up the few steps to the attic, retrieving the last bag before retracing his steps. Before he went downstairs, he pressed his ear to the bathroom door and sighed in relief that the water was still running. A chuckle escaped his lips when he heard his boyfriend singing, something he didn't think the older teen did, but it was cute nonetheless.

He took his time going down the steps this time, being careful not to do anything that could cause his death. After all, he had a few minutes to spare, so he could afford to be careful. Alex walked into the kitchen and set the bag down onto the floor, tearing it open wide enough to release all of its contents. As he situated them around the other presents, a name tag caught his eye; it was to Mike from…his parents? For the first time in a while, he was stunned into silence. His parents actually got something for Mike, his boyfriend, the person they had disliked from the get go? That didn't make much sense. However, he was happy that they did; maybe it meant that they were finally coming around to his being gay and to their relationship. Whatever the reason, Alex was, for once, proud of his parents; they showed, even with such a small gesture, that on some level they did care about Alex and Mike.

After he was finished, Alex stood up and threw away the bag, heading back upstairs. Just as he made it to the second floor landing, Mike exited the shower, wearing a pair of sweatpants and an old t-shirt. When he caught sight of the younger teen and smiled and sauntered over to him.

"Hey baby. Don't I smell good?" Laughing, Alex sniffed him and grinned.

"You do, really good. Can I get me some of that?" Mike smirked.

"Sure you can. On the rack in the shower." Rolling his eyes, Alex made his way to his bedroom and grabbed some clean clothes.

"I get it, I get it. I need a shower too. I'll be all squeaky clean before you know it, Mikey."

"Good, because I refuse to have a smelly boyfriend. I'll see you in a few Lexy." Mike pressed a quick kiss to Alex's lips before the blonde entered the bathroom and closed the door.

Striping out of his sweats, Alex hopped into the shower and turned the hot water on, moaning softly when it hit his body. Not wanting to take too long, he cleaned himself and washed his hair. He took a few extra minutes to rinse himself clean of the suds before he turned off the shower and stepped out onto the towel on the floor. Drying himself, he put on his boxers, shorts, and a shirt before he brushed his teeth. When he was finally done with making himself presentable, Alex left the bathroom and made his way downstairs. Mike was sitting on the couch, watching, much like last night, the old Christmas shows from the 1960's. Upon hearing Alex enter the room, he looked up, his blue eyes shining with laughter and joy.

"All good to go, baby?"

"Yep. Wanna see for yourself?" Turning off the television, Mike got up and made his way over to his boyfriend. Leaning in, he inhaled deeply, taking in as much of Alex's scent as he could. Smiling, he gazed up at those soft blue eyes before leaning in to kiss those soft, warm lips.

"You're perfect."

"You're awesome."

"No, we're awesome. Speaking of awesome, you know what would be really awesome right now?"

"Opening Christmas presents?"

"Bingo!" And with that, Mike scampered into the kitchen, a giggling Alex following close behind. How could he not be giddy? Mike's energy was practically radiating and it infected him just as powerfully, if not more so, than John's did.

Without so much as a second thought, the two teens sat down on the floor and picked out their presents. There were more on the pile than originally thought and, with a smile, Alex realized that Mike did the same thing he did while showering. Chewing on his lip, he grabbed a small box, one that was for him from Mike, and was about to open it when Mike suddenly grabbed it out of his hands. Puzzled, he looked over at the brunette, a pout forming on his lips.

"That one's for last."

Making an 'O' with his mouth, Alex nodded and made for another one, pleased that Mike didn't stop him. It soon became clear that Mike separated the presents for Alex's were all in one spot while Mike's were in another. Speaking of which…

"Did you see that my parents got you stuff as well?"

"Yeah, I did. Damn near gave me a heart attack."

"I think they're coming around."

"Good. Took 'em long enough."

Nodding, Alex followed Mike's lead and, much like John had the night before, he tore into his presents, ripping and shredding the lovely wrapping paper as though it were nothing. His parents got him the usual: clothes, bathroom needs, books, puzzles, movies, CDs, and video games. He admitted freely, however, that they did a pretty good job on the books, movies, and video games. After he finished unwrapping the gifts from his parents, he started on the one's Mike got him. With trembling fingers, he unwrapped each present a bit more carefully than the previous ones. There weren't a lot, but that didn't matter, not one bit, because Mike put a lot of thought into what he gave Alex.

A photo album loaded with pictures of Mike and Alex, of John and Randy, of the four of them together hanging out, at Borders, at the nearest city, at school; the list goes on. There were even a few photos of Chris and his band in the album as well, something Alex was happy about; he wanted to hear some of what Chris' band played, but he'd save that for another day. As if Mike knew he'd want it, there were two CDs; an album of Chris' own acoustic songs and one of the bands works so far. Then, there were a few books, among which included Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Frankstein, and, to his pleasant surprise, A Midsummer Night's Dream. Among the presents was a journal, one that came with different sayings for each day of the week and a nice pen set that went with it.

Finally, everything was unwrapped, save for two presents, which were saved for last. Looking over at the older teen, Alex smiled at everything scattered around Mike. Clothes, movies, a new camera, a pair of shoes, books, and various other things. Alex could single out the presents he had gotten Mike and he assumed that the others were from his parents. Regardless, the brunette looked happy, as though this was his first Christmas, and Alex felt so glad, and proud, to see such a beautiful expression on his love's face. It suited him better than any scowl or smirk. With a small, shy smile, Mike handed Alex the last box. Wearing a similar expression, Alex handed a small package to his boyfriend, glad to have thought to put it in his pocket beforehand.

"Now, you can open it, Lexy."

"Likewise, Mikey."

Carefully, as though trying not to rush anything, Alex unwrapped the package. It was a long, white box with silver snowflakes on it. Taking a shaky breath, Alex lifted the top of the box off and placed it on the ground. Contained within the box was the most gorgeous pendant he had ever seen: a silver Celtic Cross with a red rose embedded in the middle of it and vines wrapping around the cross. His breath was gone like the wind upon seeing something so beautiful. Taking it in his hands, he gently caressed it, marveling at it. A funny feeling in his stomach told him to turn it over and he did. Inscribed on the back was a small saying: To my one, the only one. Biting his bottom lip, Alex nodded to himself and unchained the neck lace, putting it on.

He sniffed, holding back the tears that were threatening to fall. Looking up, his eyes met Mike's and he nearly fell apart. The older teen was watching him and his reaction with bated breath and smiled nervously at the blonde when he looked up. Not caring what he knocked over, Alex tackled Mike to the kitchen floor and kissed him passionately, silently thanking him. He knew that something like this wasn't cheap and it probably took Mike a lot of hard work to obtain it, but he absolutely loved it, just like he loved the man who gave it to him. Forever and always. After a few moments, they parted, heaving and trembling with so much feeling.

"Mike…I don't…I-"

"Sh. It's okay, Lexy. I understand."

"B-but I-"

"Alex, it's okay. I promise. I know." With a nod, Alex pressed his face against Mike's neck and placed a soft kiss to the tanned skin.

"Thank you…so much, Michael. I love you."

"I love you too."

Opening his eyes, Alex saw that Mike had opened his own small package and was wearing it. For a special gift, something that spoke of the love he had for the brunette, Alex had ordered a neck lace. A silver oval locket with a heart bedecked with blue gems inside of the oval. On the inside was a picture of the two of them, the sweetest, most precious one that Alex had. Much like the neck lace Mike had gotten him, inscribed on the back was a short saying: Forever and always.

That Christmas Day was the best one that both Mike and Alex ever had. It was one that they'd never forget because it was the one that would be forever imprinted in their hearts. And that night, after eating Christmas dinner and watching the Christmas shows, Alex and Mike found themselves in the throes of passion, embracing each other as though the world would fall apart if they weren't in constant contact. After all was said and done, they laid, cuddled close, in Alex's bed, watching it snow outside.