Merry Christmas
"Oh my god," Stef groans, her face turning the color of a ripe tomato. Lena's mother had to know what they had just been doing. How could she have let her girlfriend seduce her in her parents' home?
"Hey, it's all good," Lena chuckles at Stef's embarrassment. Lena knew that this was the most serious relationship that Stef had ever been in; and that, by repressing herself for most of her life thus far, she hadn't experienced the typical teenage embarrassments that come with young dating.
"Lena, your mother knows we were just in the shower having sex," Stef whisper yells.
"We're adults, Stef. And they know we're in a lesbian relationship. Everything is okay." Lena tries to calm down her girlfriend. "Let's just get dressed and have dinner with my parents."
"Everything is delicious, dad." Lena tells her father as the four of them sit around the dining room table.
"Only the best for my daughter," Stewart replies. From what Lena had told her, Stef knew that her girlfriend had always had a closer relationship with her father than her mother. She wondered what it would feel like to have a completely supportive and loving father.
"So, Stef, Lena tells us that you're an officer at the San Diego Police Department. That must be a very challenging job." Dana makes a statement rather than asking a question.
"It definitely can be," Stef answers. "Thankfully, each officer always has the whole department supporting them. We're a very close knit group." Knowing that the police and their actions can be a touchy subject for some people, Stef doesn't want to stir the pot on Christmas eve. "What do you two do?"
"I teach English at the Fresno campus of California State University," Dana says. "Mostly British literature courses."
"I do financial planning for a big accounting firm." Stewart answers. "We couldn't have any more different careers, huh?" He chuckles.
"You both seem to compliment each other perfectly," Stef tells her girlfriend's parents. She can tell that they are clearly in love with each other. Considering her parents had divorced when she was fourteen, it had been a long time since Stef had been privy to the workings of a functional relationship. She only hoped that she and Lena wouldn't follow down her parents' disastrous path.
After finishing dinner and everyone cleaning up, the two couples retire to the living room where Stewart insists on playing Lena's childhood favorite Christmas movies. With her girlfriend's parents sitting in recliners ten feet away, Stef sits on the couch beside Lena but with a few inches of respectful space between them. Much to Stef's awkward dismay, Lena closes the gap between them by laying her head into Stef's lap. With her fingers playing in her girlfriend's hair, Stef's nerves begin to settle as the movies continue to play.
"Baby," Stef whispers, stroking Lena's peacefully sleeping cheek. Dana and Stewart had gone to bed almost an hour ago, in the middle of Frosty the Snowman. "Let's go to bed." the blonde says when Lena scrunches her eyes closed tighter. Her heart melting at her blissfully sleeping girlfriend, Stef carefully slips her head from her lap and stands up from the couch. Stef slips her arms beneath Lena's sleeping body and gently lifts the sleeping woman from the couch, cradling her in her strong arms as she walks back to Lena's old bedroom.
"I love you," Lena mumbles against Stef's chest as the blonde pulls her close to her body beneath the covers.
"I love you, too." Stef whispers, pressing a tender kiss to Lena's forehead.
Lena's eyes flutter open the following morning, her head tucked under Stef's chin, feeling the steady rise and fall of her chest. She has a fuzzy memory of the strong blonde carrying her to bed last night, and thinking about it makes her swoon. None of the other women she has ever dated had ever treated her as well as Stef does. Stef was constantly surprising Lena with bouquets of flowers after her shift at work or bringing her lunch at ABCC when her schedule allowed.
Lena untucks her head from beneath Stef's chin and rests it on the pillow, taking in her girlfriend's completely peaceful features. Stef was usually under so much stress when she was awake - whether it was stress from work or her own anxiety getting the better of her. But in sleep, all of her worries washed away. Lena was glad that Stef was continuing her therapy sessions with Dr. Fullman - she knew that there were certain things that her wonderful girlfriend had a hard time talking about with her, but she knew that they needed to be addressed.
Stef hadn't even mentioned her father since coming out to him. The two hadn't had any contact since that fateful afternoon. Lena knew it was hard for Stef; the young cop had looked up to her father her entire life and had chosen to follow in his footsteps. Lena knew that she would just die if her relationship with her own father just disappeared one day.
"What are you staring at?" Stef asks sleepily, her hazel green eyes open the tiniest amount.
"The most beautiful woman in the world," Lena tells her with a smile.
"Is there someone else in bed with us?" Stef jokes with a chuckle. Lena just playfully swats the blonde's cheek before pressing a light kiss to her lips.
"Merry Christmas," The curly haired woman tells her girlfriend. Her heart feels so full of love in this moment; she was waking up on Christmas morning next to the woman she loved.
"Merry Christmas," Stef repeats, her fingers playing in Lena's gorgeous, crazy hair.
The two women head out to the kitchen, where Stewart has already prepared coffee and a full Christmas breakfast. Beneath the tree, there are way more presents than there had been the previous night - despite both Lena and Stef trying to insist that they didn't need anything.
Over the next few hours, Stef enjoys more family time than she has in a long time. After breakfast, Dana and Stewart insist that it's time to open presents. Stef had never before seen so many presents for two people who were over the age of ten. Since she had turned eighteen, her
parents had started just giving her money. Stef didn't really care; presents weren't the point of Christmas. But she had to admit that it felt nice to be given something that had thought put into it.
After a simple lunch of cold cut sandwiches, Stef and Lena repack their duffle bag and, after many hugs and kisses goodbye, are on the road headed back to San Diego. For the five and half hour drive, Lena's fingers are laced with Stef's. Stealing the occasional glance at her beautiful girlfriend as the black SUV speeds down CA-99, Stef begins to realize what the rest of her life could be like.
