A/N: Helloooooooooo. I hope you haven't forgotten about me. I'm SO sorry for the wait, but here's the next chapter! Enjoy!


Paul.

I never really celebrated Christmas growing up.

It was always just another day like any other for me. All of the other kids were excited and hyped up about what new toys or video games they were hoping to get, but I was lucky enough if my old man decided not to look at me that day.

It didn't really change until after I phased at sixteen. The first Christmas I spent with the pack at Emily's was just... fun. We celebrated together on Christmas Eve and Sam, who wasn't even twenty-one yet, got us alcohol and Emily cooked the first of many huge meals for us even though she was still sort of a kid herself.

We all grew together – faster than we wanted to but exactly at the pace we needed to.

And now I understand why Christmas is so important. Sometimes the best gift is just seeing the light in someone's eyes.

This year, it's gonna be the light in Indie's eyes that does it for me.

It's still dark outside – only four in the morning on Christmas Day – but the second I woke up I felt that flutter of excitement like all those kids did back then, and it's kept me from going back to sleep.

Or maybe it's because I can't wait to see the light of excitement in her eyes. Right now, she's fast asleep, eyelashes brushed over the tops of her cheeks and hands tucked up under her chin.

It's still hard for me sometimes to understand how I got so lucky to be blessed with her. I've done literally nothing to deserve her, but somehow fate brought her here to me and simultaneously made everything else in my life make sense.

She looks so serene like this.

Her hair is pulled up into a ponytail – sloppy from sleeping on it all night – and she's drowning in one of my t-shirts. At one point during the night, she kicked the blankets off and her long, silky legs are now on full display. I can already feel the smoothness on my fingertips just looking at them.

My eyes move back up to the soft features of her face, tracing over her little nose and the swell of her lips which are puffy with sleep.

I wonder if we'll come up with any of our own Christmas traditions.

We stayed out late at Emily's last night, just hanging out and celebrating with everyone. Indie told us about how she and her dad would stay up late on Christmas Eve and bake cookies for Santa, and how she would set them out with carrots for the reindeer. Then on Christmas morning, they'd have hot chocolate and wear matching pajamas before watching a movie together.

Naturally, she and Emily immediately gravitated to the kitchen and with the promise of cookies in the near future, no one left until we'd gone through three batches of them.

Christmas Eve was perfect, and with Christmas Day being up to me, I know it'll be hard to top, because what do you for a girl who is worth so much more than anyone will ever be capable of doing?

She stirs a little and rolls onto her other side. Wanting to be closer, I move behind her, pressing my chest against her back and tucking my nose into the nape of her neck. She smells incredible this morning.

I inhale deeply and part my lips against the back of her neck, feeling the goosebumps rise on her skin.

She shifts again, legs pulling up and body molding against mine. "Merry Christmas," she whispers, barely audible.

"Don't open your eyes yet," I murmur, pressing a soft kiss to her skin.

Humming, her head tilts forward and allows me more access. "Why not?"

I curl my arm around her waist, pulling her backside tighter to my groin and feeling the heat start to coil in my stomach. "I wanna be the first thing you see," I reply, rutting my hips against her a little and running my tongue over her skin. "God, you smell good."

The next thing I hear is the shakiness of her breath, filled with desire.

We haven't been able to keep our hands off each other lately, but there's no reason we should have to. There's no such thing as too many kisses, too much caressing, or too much pleasure.

If we could stay in bed all day every day, I would. And she knows it.

We move together in synchrony.

She rolls under me, eyes still shut, and I push her shirt up and over her breasts, leaving it bunched around her neck so I can feel the warmth of her skin against my chest. Our hands tangle and press into the mattress as our tongues meet. We don't even have to think about it. It's just nature – our bodies seeking warmth and satisfaction from one another.

I move. She moves.

Her eyes remain closed until she's seconds away from crossing over the threshold of pleasure, and when they finally open and meet mine, I see that glitter of excitement. That light. So much love. And then they're shut again as she tightens around me and I dive for her throat, pressing my hips deep inside her with my release.

"Merry Christmas," I hum against her neck a few minutes later when our bodies have calmed down a little.

She's still tired but now that glitter of excitement is enough to keep her from falling back asleep, too. Pushing me off of her, she climbs out of bed and peels her shirt off before throwing it at me with a little smirk.

I throw it back at her and cross my hands behind my head, watching as she stretches her arms high and then attempts to tighten her ponytail. It only bunches it up and makes it a little messier, but she doesn't bother with it.

God damn, she's cute.

"Care to join me for a shower, Mr. Lahote?" she asks playfully, turning around and then shooting me a glance over her shoulder.

My eyes immediately drop to her ass.

As if I'd ever say no.


I probably should've let her shower alone, because after an hour I hadn't let her so much as even look at a bottle of shampoo. I don't know what it is, but I can't keep my hands to myself. Not that I really can anyways, but it's so much harder today. She's like a magnet. And she smells so fucking good it's making me dizzy.

When her legs can't stop shaking and we can barely breathe because of the steam, she kicks me out of the bathroom, which is fair enough.

I wrap a towel around my waist and walk into the bedroom for something to wear. I dig through my drawers for a few minutes even though I already know I'm going to grab a pair of plain sweats and not bother with a shirt. It helps keep me distracted long enough to stop myself from rejoining Indie in the bathroom.

Besides, I bought hot chocolate and need to get some water going on the stove.

I pass by the Christmas tree in the living room on my way to the kitchen and stop for a second to look it over. Indie spent an entire night decorating it along with the rest of the house. Earlier that day, we'd spent nearly three hours running from store to store in search of any and every possible Christmas decoration she could get her hands on.

And in terms of decorating, she definitely delivered.

The tree is twinkling with soft white lights reflecting off of the silver and white ornaments she picked out. We have stockings hung on the wall next to it – filled, which means she snuck out of bed at some point last night to fill them – and a couple of presents underneath it.

Something about it makes my chest swell with pride. This house I built with my own hands is now a home. Not only my home, but the home of a beautiful girl that deserves everything good this world has to offer.

Moving through to the kitchen, I fill a kettle with water and set it on the stove, turning the burner on high.

The kitchen smells like cinnamon because of some scented pinecones on the counter that she had to have. They're piled neatly in a small wicker basket on the island, next to a set of red candles. It's such a girly set up, and the guys would never let me live it down if they knew, but I love everything about it.

It's so Indie.

Ten minutes later, she joins me in the kitchen, wearing a pair of leggings and a long-sleeve shirt, and leans over the counter to smell the pinecones. Even with her skin all covered up, my stomach stirs. Her wet hair is tied up in a smooth bun and her cheeks are flushed from the hot water. There's an angry red mark peeking out from under the collar of her shirt and I want so bad to press my tongue to it. To soothe it. To taste her skin one more time.

"What are you doing?" she asks warmly, cocking her head to the side.

I clear my throat and grab two mugs from the cupboard. "Making us hot cocoa."

Her eyes glimmer and a smile spreads across her face. "Are there marshmallows?"

"Of course there's marshmallows," I snort. "What kind of monster drinks hot cocoa without marshmallows?"

She giggles and opens up the pantry, searching for and gathering the bag of marshmallows and box of hot chocolate packets.

Once the water boils, we make our hot cocoa and move into the living room to drink it. I plop into the armchair and she slides into my lap, setting her mug down to cool and nestling her head in the crook of my neck.

I set mine down too and run my hand up and down the length of her arm while we wait.

"Has there been any update from Alice?" Indie asks quietly, pulling her legs up onto my lap.

I shake my head. "No. Just some mediocre things like sending packages, but that's not really out of the ordinary for this time of year."

She sighs softly and relaxes into my body. "I want things to be normal for us..."

"I turn into a giant wolf. There's no such thing as normal for us," I joke, trying to lighten the mood.

She laughs but then sits up a little, running a hand through her hair. "That's not what I meant," she replies.

"I know. Things will be normal for us," I reassure her, rubbing her back softly. "I promise."

There's a sliver of doubt in her eyes, visible no matter how small. Part of her still wonders if we'll lose. Part of her still thinks there's a chance I won't come home to her, or a chance that she'll be taken from me.

She doesn't say anything for a minute, and it makes her concerns loud and clear.

"Hey. I'll never let anything happen to you. You know that."

Her eyes lift to mine and her lashes flutter a little. "How do you live every day knowing you're the absolute best?"

There's my girl.

I smirk. "Very happily," I tug at the collar of her shirt until she leans down and our lips meet.

We spend the morning sipping hot chocolate and watching corny movies on TV. Around noon, we start to cook lunch together and barely get halfway through prepping ingredients before I end up lifting her onto the counter and making love to her – her legs wrapped tight around my hips. She playfully scolds me after and we go about cooking while casting grins at each other every few minutes.

It's so carefree and relaxed and happy. We eat and joke around and chase each other through the house without giving the trash from New York a second thought.

I can't think of a more perfect way to spend Christmas.

We still haven't opened presents by the time it's dark out but once she realizes it, Indie drags me back into the living room and grabs the stockings off the wall, plopping down onto the couch. I build a quick fire and sit down next to her, smiling as she starts digging through her stocking as if she wasn't the one that stuffed it herself.

Next year I'll do better on that.

"You know me so well," she jokes, pulling out a bottle of face wash and holding it up against her cheek.

I roll my eyes at her and chuckle. "Don't rub it in, okay? I know I suck at Christmas. I haven't had a lot of practice."

Her face immediately drops. "Paul—"

"I'm messing with you." I tap her nose with my finger and then shove my hand into my stocking. "Besides, I got you the best present ever, so."

She gives me a curious look. "Which one is it?" she asks, looking over at the presents.

"It's not under the tree."

"Can I open it first?"

"If you can find where I hid it."

Her eyes narrow. "You hid it?"

"In plain sight."

She sets her stocking down and stands up, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "You know, you can be really cryptic," she mutters as she starts looking around.

I smirk, leaning back in my seat, and continue going through my stocking knowing she will likely never find it.

After a good ten minutes, she's run through the kitchen and back upstairs before she returns to the living room. She huffs and pouts her lips at me. "I give up."

"Then I guess you better open the other ones first."

Growling under her breath, she reaches down and grabs a cylinder-shaped present, then throws it at me.

I catch it before it hits me and I can hear the liquid sloshing around inside. "Did you just throw a soda or something at me?" I ask, laughing.

"The Dr. Pepper is your present, and watching it explode all over you is mine."

Feisty.

"Then I guess I better just open it in your direction." Shooting her a wink, I tear the paper off and jump up, angling it at her.

She squeals and ducks behind the tree – the ornaments shaking as she brushes the branches. I wince, glancing up at the tree topper where her present is hiding, but luckily it doesn't fall.

"If you spray that at me–"

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding. I'm waving a white flag." I set the soda down and hold my hands up.

Eyeing me cautiously, she quickly snags it from the floor and takes it across the room to set it on an end table. She saunters back over, dragging her fingers over my stomach, and looks up at me through her lashes. "You know, naughty boys get coal for Christmas."

"Mm," I hum, grabbing and pulling at the end of her shirt. "I think being naughty is worth the coal."

She tilts her chin up and I lean down to meet her, our lips just barely touching before she pulls away. "They also don't get what they want," she replies matter-of-factly, turning away from me and walking back to the tree.

"Tease," I murmur, pouting as I take a seat on the couch again. Now all I can think about is getting through the presents so I can take her back to bed.

She sorts them into two neat piles of hers and mine with a triumphant look on her face. I watch her closely, feeling my heart swell and thinking how fucking perfect this girl is. Thinking about our future and wondering where we'll go from here. Wondering where she'll want to go from here.

Once the presents are sorted, she holds her hand out for me and I join her on the floor, but not before stealing the kiss she just robbed me of a minute ago.

We tear off wrapping paper and rip through ribbons and duct tape – courtesy of Jared – for the next thirty minutes. Alice and Josie bought Indie a pair of ballet shoes, which she cried after opening, and Jared bought me tickets to a big UFC match this summer. I couldn't help but grin, remembering that I didn't even end up watching the last UFC fight we bought on TV. I was wrapped up in tanned legs and lost deep in the mouth of the very girl sitting in my living room right now. In our living room.

Some people spend their whole lives looking for someone that makes them feel complete. I knew from the second I saw her pretty green eyes that she was my missing piece. That she was the better part of me I never knew was out there.

My heart starts racing.

She looks up at me and smiles one of those sweet, soft smiles.

"I love you," I tell her, though somehow it feels like it's not enough to just say it. This is one of those times I'm thankful she can feel it. So she knows exactly how much I love her.

She crawls over and puts her hand on the back of my neck, pressing her lips against mine. "I love you," she murmurs against my lips. I pull her into my lap and slide my tongue into her mouth.

We somehow manage to keep it PG-13. Though every nerve ending in my body is firing off at her touch, all we do is kiss slowly – just feeling the moment and pouring love into each other. But I know I gotta stop it now or we'll get too wrapped up, and I still have one more present to give her.

I move us to standing positions, hands cupping her face before tapering off the kiss. "Turn around," I tell her, turning her with my hands on her shoulders.

She faces the wall and laughs a little. "What are you doing?"

"Getting your last present. I can't let you know where I hid it," I explain, watching her carefully to make sure she doesn't turn around as I reach up and pull it off of the tree topper. Twisting it around in my fingers, I move back behind her and let out a breath. "Okay."

When she turns back around, her eyes are locked on mine, and for a second it makes my breath catch. We're so close, nearly chest-to-chest, and the only buffer between us is my hand and the ring.

Smiling, she finally glances down.

It's a thin, rose gold band with tiny diamonds that glitter in the light of the Christmas tree.

I clear my throat. "Indiana Lavelle," I wet my lips and smile slightly. "This is my promise to you. I promise we're gonna get through it all, and I promise to always protect you. I promise to always love you. And I promise I'm still gonna make you Indiana Lahote. I know I still gotta fulfill my first promise, but this is a promise for all the promises after."

She stares at the ring for so long it almost makes me nervous and wonder if I fucked up, but then a huge smile spreads across her face and she throws her arms around my neck. "I'd still marry you today," she says in my ear before pulling back to kiss me.

I know she would. There's nothing I want more than to give this girl my last name and bring new meaning to the Lahote family name, but I have to keep my promise first. I have to kill that fucking scum because until I do, she's going to have fear in her heart. She's going to worry. She's going to have doubt. I have to wipe that clean for her. It's in my DNA.

"Soon," I whisper, wrapping my arms around her small frame. "I had to guess your ring size, so I hope it fits."

We part and I reach for her right hand, but she quickly pulls it away and holds up her left. "I want to wear it on this finger," she says firmly. "Even if it's a promise ring."

It almost makes me cave. I almost tell her I'll go out and buy her a wedding ring and we can go to the courthouse and get married tomorrow, but I reel myself in and slide the ring on her finger.

A perfect fit.

We're lost after that. Christmas is pushed to the back of our minds as we stumble up the stairs and to the bedroom. It doesn't take long for our bodies to become one. It's the fourth time today but it still feels like the first time ever.

She falls asleep almost immediately after. I go back downstairs to clean up and put the fire out, then join her under the covers again. Even in her sleep she seeks me out, and I take her into my arms and hold her close until she's at peace.

But for some reason, sleep doesn't come easy for me tonight.

I don't need Alice to tell me that our days are limited.

Something is coming. I can feel it. It might not be Malcolm, but it is something. And I can't help but feel like we missed whatever it is – like there was something small and insignificant that we overlooked. But what I do know is that whatever it is, I will die before I let it happen to Indie.

That's a promise.


A/N: It's a little short, and I apologize for that. There's probably a trillion typos as well, but I don't have a beta, so please ignore :) leave me a review if you have a moment. Give me your guesses of what you think Paul feels is coming!

Also, it's almost Mine's 1st birthday. Wow, that's insane to me! And I can't believe I haven't finished it after a year! lol! Thank you as always for reading! xx