When Anna proposed watching the Christmas parade that passed close by the Floating Rib, Finn did not oppose; quite the contrary, he looked forward to looking at the festive lights, sipping hot drinks and most importantly, strolling hand in hand with her on one side and Violet on the other. He knew that his companions were the reason for his decision to embrace the holiday traditions, and he did not mind in the slightest. A smile was a permanent fixture on his face, and he was happy to set Violet on his shoulders so she could have a better view of the floats as they streamed by. Anna stood next to him, her arms slipping under his coat to wrap around him, she laid her head on his shoulder, and her smile was brighter than the twinkling lights around them. This is what contentment felt like, like coming in from the cold.
He decided then that wintertime together has become his favorite season; unrushed days and cozy embraces in front of the fireplace, keeping each other warm and contented in the quiet space of their home with Violet making the picture complete.
It was not something that Finn had ever considered would hold a place in his heart until it did. It slipped so unexpectedly beneath the armor of his intellect and sarcasm and settled into his soul. It was the sound of a young girl laughing in the frosty air.
He wondered if he will be able to give her all she needs. He wonders if he will be enough.
With the parade done and the festivities concluded, Violet, sweet thing, was out like a light at soon as they pulled out of the parking lot of the Floating Rib, the excitement and activity of the day had drained even her seemingly boundless reserves of energy. The drive home was quiet, with instrumental Christmas carols soothing them on the way home. Anna watched with a full heart as Finn carried Violet up the stairs to bed, a candy cane held tight in her tiny fist. Anna retired to the kitchen to bring out the platter that held the cookies for Santa and the stocks of celery that Violet had insisted on giving to the reindeer. Two mugs of hot chocolate were added for good measure.
Once everything was set out in the living room, Anna groaned as she pulled the high heels from her feet and walked upstairs to get comfortable. Her dress was quickly replaced with a silk shift and her favorite blue velvet robe before she padded quietly back downstairs. She found Finn by the tree absentmindedly tugging at his cuffs as was his habit to do when he was thinking. He waved off the cup that she offered him, and she settled herself on the sofa, amused by his state of agitation, and swallowed a chuckle.
"Is everything alright?"
"I'm still not sure how children are so easily duped by their parents to believe in Santa I mean there are 1.939 billion children in the world if children are smart enough to install apps on a phone, which I have watched Violet do, how can they not understand that one man can't possibly bring deliver than many toys? And on a sleigh! Not practical when half the country gets no snow."
"In England and in Canada, Father Christmas sometimes arrived by other means than reindeer." Anna quickly interjected when he paused for a breath. "In San Remos, where Robin was born, he rides a mule."
He was only getting started. The gold rim of her glass caught the light of the flickering fire, which was a deep red turning into a ruby glow. Standing up from the couch, Anna cradled the warm cup in her hands. She took a sip of the drink, savoring the creaminess of the cocoa on her tongue and noticing the unexpected sweetness of vanilla. Anna smiled to herself as she listened to him, and her eyes watched every move he made as he unconsciously stacked and restacked the presents. Another mouthful and she placed the mug down on the side table as the alluring sight of him in his jacket, shirtsleeves, and vest drew her gaze forward.
"-if I did my math right, and I know I did because I double-checked it, then Santa has less than 1/1000 of a second to park his sleigh, hop out of it, get down the chimney silently trying not to get stuck and not to wake anybody, distribute the presents under the tree and fill the stockings, eat the cookies and drink milk that is left, get back up the chimney and get back again into the sleigh to move to the next house."
"He should come work for the WSB," Anna said dryly.
Finn turned and gave her a smirk at her comment before turning back to the tree and taking inventory of all the packages piled underneath it. One thing was for sure; Violet would not lack for gifts.
He nudged a particularly lumpy parcel with is shoe. "I see you wrapped this one."
"Hey! I will have you know that that is a gift from both me and Violet that we worked very hard on, and she helped me wrap it!"
"Oh, no. No, no no...we can not have her taking after you with her wrapping skills. Somehow you got her liking marmalade and peanut butter on toast, but I am drawing the line here." Anna rolled her eyes at his teasing and continued to primly sip her hot chocolate while his obsessive compulsiveness drove him to examine every box.
"Where did these presents come from? They look too nice to be wrapped by you-" He ducked in time to miss the throw pillow that she aimed at his head.
"They are from Robin and Patrick for Violet. Emma picked out a play laboratory set from the Lawrence Hall of Sciences. Once she heard that Violet wanted to be a doctor like her father, she thought she would give her a hand. Robin said it's appropriate for her age. Sometimes I can't quite work out how Robert and I managed to have a child that grew into such a brilliant doctor. "
"It doesn't surprise me that someone brilliant could come from you." He stopped and smiled at her. Anna melted a little.
"I love that you have a daughter to dote on this year. You know, watching Robin at Christmastime when she was little was one of the greatest joys of my life."
"I'm finding that out for myself. I'm trying not to dwell on how much I missed out on before now."
The smile on Anna's face faded. "I know…" she said distantly. "When Robin was very little, I couldn't always be there on Christmas, although I tried. Sometimes it was...impossible. Keeping her identity a secret was the most important thing." Anna crossed her arms as if to stave off a chill, "Hayden must be missing her terribly. I do know how what she is feeling right now. Being without your daughter, wishing you were with her."
Finn nodded soberly. "Robert hasn't been able to trace her past the train station on the night she left. Being former WSB, I thought he might be better at finding things."
"He is. But Raymond Berlin did say that she had a knack for staying hidden until she wanted to be found. It looks like he was correct. I saw her dossier, and the list of known contacts is very thin, there is not a lot to go on. I'm sorry Finn, I know it's taking a toll on you."
"I just worry about the toll it is going to take on Violet. She's the innocent one. She doesn't deserve this uncertainty." Finn looked at her, and the look of pure compassion in her eyes was almost overwhelming. He cleared his throat and turned back to the tree and focused again on the presents. "Alright, so what is next?"
Anna understood. Talking of things outside of their control caused nothing but distress and did nothing to change the situation they faced. Yes, a change of subject was necessary, so she stood up and rubbed his back soothingly as though she could whisk his worries away before she linked her arm in his.
"Well, it is a while before Santa needs to put the presents under the tree. They are all up in our bedroom. Violet is going to love having a tea set, just her size. I think one of the things she likes best about this house is how many tea sets are in the cupboard. I think she's determined to have a tea party with every single one of them. And with my collecting obsession, it's going to take her a while."
"Good thing we have all the time in the world then." His eyes thanked her for understanding what he needed. The remaining words of their unspoken conversation passed silently between their eyes.
"I'm glad we got a proper tree this after last year's disaster, Anna observed, gesturing to the tree that Violet had picked out because she wanted a "snowed on tree," Anna remembered how Finn flinched, no doubt thinking of the mess it would make, but then he immediately praised her choice and pulled out his wallet to pay for the tree.
"At least this one you didn't have to commit larceny to obtain." she finished with a laugh.
"Hey, I put it back, and the neighbors never knew it was gone."
"Your first solo heist. Maybe I'm rubbing off on you; for better or for worse."
"For better," he said softly and gently brushed a lock of hair back from her face. Anna's heart stopped for a moment as he looked at her with his serious blue eyes. His voice vibrated in shivers across her skin.
"Um...we probably should finish up. I think we are all set down here. The rest are upstairs and ready to go." She tried not to focus on his lips. She was not successful.
"Great! Then I will go up and get them wrapped."
This gave her pause. "Wrapped? Why?" she asked, confused.
His expression of confusion mirrored hers "What do you mean why? Because Santa's gifts have to be wrapped in paper that is different than the rest. That's how you know they came from the North Pole. I bought a special Santa wrapping paper."
"Santa paper?" She said incredulously, "Why would Santa wrap his presents in wrapping paper with pictures of himself on it? Santa takes his presents out of his sack, so they are ready to be picked up and played with Christmas morning."
"Well, growing up, this is what we did," he said matter of factly.
"Aha! So maybe you have more Christmas traditions than you first let on," she said triumphantly.
"Maybe." Finn acknowledged reluctantly but then chuckled at her expression. "I never really needed them before."
"You have Violet. Now you have a reason to celebrate the Christmas season." Anna smiled and turned away from him and began to straighten the stockings that had become twisted on their hooks. Finn could hear her softly humming Joy to the World as she went about her task. He watched her for a moment, then reached for her hand and pulled her back to him. She looked at him with a wondering smile, and he softly brushed his lips against hers. Then again.
"I want you to know that you gave me a reason to celebrate, even before Violet came. Christmas has been better every year that you have been in my life."
She rewarded his declaration with a smile, allowing his arms to envelop her. He sighed happily when she responded to his touch, sinking into his embrace, telling him she was happy to spend another Christmas with him as well. Anna felt one of his arms unwind from her waist while the other held her tight. She pulled back slightly to look at him with questioning eyes, and her silvery laugh broke out when she saw what was being held above her head — a sprig of mistletoe. His palm slid over the slick softness of the velvet that enrobed her, sensing the warmth of her body radiating beneath it. Then he kissed her deeply.
"So, why don't we go upstairs. If Santa isn't going to be visiting for a couple more hours, maybe we could find a way to pass the time?" she breathed, her eyes half-lidded as she looked at him. Finn took her hand in his and fairly pulled her up the stairs to their room, yearning for the feel of her against him without the inconvenience of layers of fabric.
Once the door was shut and locked behind them, impatiently, he shrugged the jacket off one shoulder, but Anna's hand stopped him unexpectedly. She raised herself on her tiptoes.
"Take it off slowly," she whispered against his mouth, her voice warm and tantalizing, much like her suggestion. She walked away and perched herself on the end of the bed. She raised an eyebrow, challenging him to continue. Her eyes never left his.
The corner of Finn's mouth turned up in surprise, but as he gladly acquiesced to her request. Since she returned, he enjoyed her playfulness and her desire to make the most of their private time together.
He took off his jacket, sleeve by sleeve, and tossed it to the ground, trying his best to be uncaring about the proper treatment of the expensive blend of wool and cashmere. His hand moves to undo his tie while his gaze continued to rest on Anna, waiting for her reaction; her interest is stirred but not yet fully aroused.
He unfastened the buttons of his vest then his shirt, taking his time, fingers working diligently on liberating each one from its buttonhole, bit by bit revealing his upper torso. Anna shifted unconsciously in her seat, eyes locked on his, lips parting ever so slightly, followed by her teeth biting at her lower lip. Her left hand shifted to the sash of her robe, lingering over the knot, fingers stroking the fabric; he could see the restraint in her eyes as she let her hands fall to her lap. She chose not to undo it.
Not yet.
It was exhilarating, being on display for her alone in the solitude of their bedroom. He brushed the unbuttoned shirt off his shoulders, and it fell softly to the ground, landing on top of the jacket. Anna smiled with approval, and he gave her a moment to take in the view before proceeding to remove his belt. He was suddenly struck by the reality of what he was doing and couldn't help but laugh at the situation. Anna's laughter joined his as she tucked a foot up underneath her and motioned for him to continue.
"So does this count as your Christmas present?" he asked. Once his belt slipped from the loops, the pants, and the rest followed at once.
"Mmmm...maybe one of them, I mean, can anything really beat the new cell phone plan that you picked out for me?" she said teasingly.
"It comes with unlimited data and no overseas roaming. I think it was a very practical and thoughtful gift."
She gave his naked body a long lingering look that almost made him blush, and stood up. "I don't really see myself wanting to roam anywhere else right now. It's ingenious, really, what's in front of me. I like a present that unwraps itself." Her eyes drank him in. Seeing her that way, brimming with need, thrilled him instantly. His body tensed. She looked like a cat about to devour its prey, and Finn had never adored her more.
At last, Anna stood in front of him and untied her sash, whisking the robe away from her body in one fluid motion, a swift flick of her wrists at her shoulders sent her nightgown to the floor. She stood unbothered with mere inches between them, always so confident while naked. Her fingers stroked his chest and moved up to caress his jawline, then she stood on the tip of her toes and kissed his mouth, drawing his bottom lip between her teeth. Finn's whole body was set aflame by the touch of her lips, and he could no longer suppress a groan as her mouth left his.
Tilting her head to the side, she seems to be assessing his reaction, or perhaps her own, testing the limits of their patience. Whatever conclusion she reached, it must have proven satisfactory; since her arms wrapped around his neck firmly, silent anticipation in her eyes, and Finn responded in turn, his own arms sneaking around her waist as he lifted her up and their lips met again. There is no more stopping them as they gave free rein to their desire. They kissed completely, and without heed, the heat of her body increased as she pressed into him. He breathed her in greedily, wanting to be as close to her as he could.
They made it to the bed; Finn's feet guiding them while his mind no longer registered anything but their bodies coming together at last. As they sank into the mattress in a free-for-all of lips, hands, and heat, Finn gave a silent prayer of thanks for her in his life. Soon they lay exhausted in each other's arms as the clock downstairs chimed midnight. "It's officially Christmas." Anna nuzzled her nose into his neck, feeling warm and contented.
"It's already the best one yet. And there is still the rest of the day still ahead of us," he replied with a kiss to her temple.
"Shouldn't we get up and wrap the rest of Violet's presents?"
"Why?" His arms tightened around her. "Didn't you say Santa just takes them out of his sack? I'm sure he can do that in a minute or two. I think I'm fine right where I am for the moment."
Finn felt her head snuggle against him and her warm breath against his cheek as she whispered into his ear.
"Me too."