As fall turned to winter, the couple in the apartment in Montmartre had no fear of the cold. In fact, in their hearts it was still summer, with the ember of their love keeping them warm as the fire grew day by day. In the back of her mind, Estelle knew Annalise was somewhere in Italy right now, spending the holiday with her Aunt before going on to Germany for the New Year in a few weeks. As she turned over in bed to look at the sleeping man beside her, with his arm draped over her, she wondered what the new year would bring for them. After all, eventually Annalise would return home without her, and their stolen time may come to an end depending on how her father received the news. A sad sigh passed through her lips as she reached out to smooth some hair out of Christian's face. Borrowed time, she thought with a frown. The thought of having to go back cast a shadow on her heart. Never had she felt more at home, or more complete than when she was with Christian. Would it be so wrong to stay here? Christian had told her to wait to find her true love, and she had. She had waited, and she had found him, and here she was wrapped in the warmth of him. Here she felt at peace. She felt safe, even if they didn't have all the financial security her father wanted for her. She loved him, and that's all that mattered to her. Gently, she kissed his cheek, vowing to love him until the seas run dry, no matter what.

Slowly, his eyes started to flutter open and a slow smirk crossed his face.

"Good morning, darling," he said, gently running the back of his fingers along her cheek. "I trust you slept well?"

"With you by my side, always," she smiled softly. "What are the plans for the day?"

"Well, the show is taking a break until after Christmas. Something about 'with more families in town, business increases and we don't have time to waste on a play when we could be playing into men with poor family relations.'"

"I see," Estelle nodded sagely.

"I'm glad you do," he chuckled, "Care to explain it to me?"

"Essentially, men come to visit their family for Christmas. However, sometimes there is tension, either because of money or differing political views usually, which causes frustrated men to leave the estate and look for comfort in the arms of young, understanding woman," she said matter-of-factly.

"Ah, so people like me should I have gone home for Christmas," he sighed.

"Precisely," she murmured, stroking her thumb across his cheek.

"I do miss him sometimes," he admitted.

"Of course you do," she smiled, "He's your father. Regardless of how you left, there were good moments among the chaos. It's natural to miss your family at this time of year."

"Do you miss yours?" he asked softly. "If you wanted to go back, you could. I won't keep you here if it makes you unhappy."

"I do miss my sister," she sighed, "But, I wouldn't have been spending the holiday with Father and Mary even if I wasn't here. Annalise and I would have been in Italy with her Aunt, probably being dragged to the Vatican for Christmas Mass. She's quite religious."

"You don't know Italian or Latin very well if I remember correctly," Christian smirked, remembering how hard it was for her to pick up when they were children.

"There's a reason that one of them is dead, and the other just sounds like someone imitating Spanish poorly," she said defensively, "Regardless, I am certainly not heartbroken over the current arrangement. I love you. Christmas is about spending time with your loved ones."

"Well, I'm glad you're happy," he said, kissing her forehead.

"When I'm with you, I always am," she replied, giving him a small kiss before sliding out of bed. She shivered as her feet hit the cold wood. Then, she picked up her robe from a nearby chair, tying it around herself before putting a log on the fire to warm the apartment.

"You never answered my question about what we should do today," she said, looking at him over her shoulder as she stoked the fire.

Christian propped himself up on his elbow, causing the sheet to slide down his bare torso. Estelle looked away with a blush.

"We could go into town for some Christmas shopping," he replied.

"Can we afford to go Christmas shopping?" she countered.

"If we keep things simple, then, yes," he replied.

"So, we should set rules, then," she said thoughtfully, "Such as, one gift per person."

"That seems fair," Christian smiled. "Where should we go?"

"The girls told me about these things called department stores, where you can purchase all sorts of goods in one place," Estelle said, sitting at the foot of the bed. "Perhaps we could go to one of those?"

"I've heard about those from Toulouse. I remember him saying that Le Bon Marché is usually where he goes when he needs something since they have set prices. They also don't turn anyone away," Christian replied.

"We should go there, then," she smiled, going over to get ready for the day.

The two of them went through their morning routines and soon enough they were getting out of the carriage in front of Le Bon Marché. Estelle looked up at the large building in awe.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to the architecture in Paris," she murmured.

"Whatever they do, they do it with love," Christian smiled as the two of them stepped inside and out of the softly falling snow. He pointed at the clock on the wall. "We'll meet in the lobby in two hours?"

"If I can get through all this in two hours," she chuckled, feeling overwhelmed by all the visual stimulation.

He kissed her cheek, "If you're not here, I'll come find you. Always."

"Alright," she smiled, wandering off into the store.

Christian watched her leave for a moment before pulling a note out of his pocket. It was a piece of correspondence from his friend, William Cavanaugh. After a moment of skimming it's contents for what must have been the thousandth time since it's arrival earlier this month, he stopped one of the workers.

"Excuse me, but could you point me in the direction of the women's jewelry department?" Christian asked.

"Of course, Monsieur. Follow me," the boy smiled, leading him through the labyrinthine palace to his destination.

It was surprisingly quiet in this department, despite being so close to the holiday, which benefitted Christian since he was seen right away by the jeweler.

"May I help you?" the man asked behind a thick, bushy mustache.

"I'm looking for a moonstone," Christian grinned.

The man nodded and led him over.

Meanwhile, Estelle found herself getting lost in the twists and turns of the aisles. She went up a floor, hoping to see something that would catch her attention, or at least something that could orient her, but alas, to no avail.

"Excuse me, Mademoiselle, but are you lost?" a woman in an apron, presumably a worker, asked.

"Is it that obvious?" Estelle asked with a chuckle.

"Is it your first time at Le Bon Marché?" the woman asked.

"Yes. I'm looking for a Christmas present for someone dear to me, but I have no idea where anything is," she explained.

"Well, let me help you. What is it that you are looking for?"

Estelle bit her lip, thinking back on the idea she had come up with the other week, "A pocket watch. One that I can have engraved."

"That would be in the men's accessory department. Let me take you there. My name is Denise," the woman smiled.

Estelle followed her through the store, trying to determine a method to the madness, but came up empty. However, Denise was true to her word and brought her to the display of pocket watches. Estelle slowly strolled by the display, inspecting the watches when one caught her eye.

"Oh, this is perfect," she murmured. Carefully, she picked it up and went over to the man behind the counter. "Monsieur, is there a way I can have this timepiece engraved?"

"It will cost you extra," the man said, inspecting the watch.

"That's perfectly fine," Estelle smiled, "I'm willing to pay."

The man pulled out the paperwork and handed her a pen, "If you could write what you wish to be engraved here, please. That way, if there are any errors, they are not from me."

Estelle wrote her message and passed the paper back to the man. He looked down and raised a brow.

"With the symbol, Mademoiselle?"

"With the symbol, Monsieur," she winked.

He nodded and went with the watch in the back. Estelle waited in a nearby seat for... well, she didn't quite know how long since the man had the watch, but eventually he returned with it.

"Is this to your satisfaction?"

Estelle took it from him and inspected it, "It's splendid. Your work is admirable."

"Thank you," the man blushed, ringing her up for the watch. She paid him and took her small bag with her back towards where she thought the lobby was. She ended up getting turned around and asking someone else for help, but she made it back to Christian.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" she asked him.

"I did. And you?"

"I'm pleased with my purchase," she winked as they stepped out into the snowstorm.

The carriage ride home was uneventful, but they came home to a slight misfortune.

"There's no electricity," Christian sighed, when none of the lights were working.

"Thank goodness we have candles," Estelle replied, rooting through their trunk for them. She lit them, strategically placing them around the space as Christian relit the fire in the hearth.

"At least we have warmth," Estelle added, placing her snow-wet coat on a chair to dry.

"Speaking of warmth," Christian replied, "You are soaked from snow. You should take a bath to warm up."

"We both should," she corrected, going to run the water.

"I'll take mine after you take yours," he winked.

While she was in the bath, Christian set about boiling water for tea and making a soup with what little they had in their apartment for them to eat. By the time Estelle was out of the bath, the tea was finished, and by the time Christian was done with his bath, their dinner was ready to eat.

They ate on the floor in front of the fire, sitting on a blanket with a loaf of bread in between them that they would periodically rip a piece off of to dip into their soup.

Christian sighed, looking down at his soup, taking in their predicament.

"What is it?" Estelle asked.

"Nothing," he replied.

"If you're sighing like that, then it isn't nothing. I know you," she said, playfully prodding him with her sock covered foot.

"I just... feel guilty for forcing you to live a life like this," he admitted.

"Christian, you haven't forced me to do anything," she said adamantly, placing her bowl down on the floor. She crawled over to him and placed his bowl on the ground, tipping his face up to her's. "Look at me," she murmured. "I am happy here."

"You deserve so much more," he sighed.

"All I want is you," she said seriously, cupping both sides of his face. "I love you. I told you, all I need is you."

Christian leaned into her touch, "I love you, too."

Estelle leaned over to hug him, accidentally toppling them both to the floor, with her on top. They chuckled, looking at each other until their gazes fell to each other's lips. Slowly, they drew closer until their lips were pressed together. His hands sunk into her hair, pulling it out of the low bun she had pinned after her bath. In a swift motion, he rolled her under him, kissing her with fervor. Her senses were flooded with him as they kissed and his body heat enveloped her. As they broke apart to catch their breath, Christian pulled Estelle against his chest, spooning her into him on the blanket. A smile crossed her face as she stared into the fire, flames dancing in her eyes. Never before had she felt such completeness, such perfection, as being in his arms like this. She felt like her heart might burst.