A/N Okay everybody! This is the first of the Christmas stories that I have been working on. I have others in the works, but they are not quite ready yet. I'm hoping to post more by Christmas or shortly thereafter, so just bear with me. The holiday season is busy time for us all. So, this one is about DJ and Katie on the first Christmas after GT. It was originally part of the one-shot series that I have planned for after GT, but due to the requests that I've had I decided to post it now. I have edited this to try to keep the spoilers for GT down to a minimum, and I hope I have succeeded. I don't think I've put in anything that any of you who are reading GT haven't already been able to figure out on your own. So, without further ado, I give you DJ and Katie's Christmas story.
***WARNING*** If you haven't read The Galactic Trinity, stop now. While this story is set in the Crystal Tokyo era of the Sailor Moon universe, and some of the original characters do make appearances, this story is based mostly on my original characters. So you will probably be hopelessly lost.
Disclaimer – Sailor Moon is property of the gloriously talented Naoko Takeuchi, and she is responsible for creating all of the original Sailor Moon characters. However, the rest of the characters appearing in this story are my babies.
ENJOY!
Catching Dreams
"Mom, has the mail for today already run?"
Neo Queen Serenity looked up from the papers on her desk to meet the slightly panicked blue gaze of her seventeen-year-old son. "Yes, sweetheart. My mail was delivered almost an hour ago."
Prince Darien James Shields, better known as DJ to his family and friends, widened his eyes pleadingly. "Was there a package for me that might have gotten mixed up in your mail by any chance?"
Serenity shook her head. "I'm afraid not, dear. Why? Were you expecting something?"
"Yes!" DJ burst out, his voice rising to near hysteric levels. "A gift I ordered was supposed to have been delivered days ago, but it still hasn't shown up. I called the person who was supposed to be sending it to me, and they assured me that it would be here by today!"
Serenity stood up, growing concerned at her son's uncharacteristic display of emotions. She was used to dealing with emotional outbreaks from Rini since they occurred on an almost daily basis, but DJ was more like his father. He was usually calm and in control, with the occasional flash of temper here and there.
She put her arm around his shoulders and squeezed gently. "There, there, it's just a gift, not the end of the world. Why don't we check with your dad and see if it got put in with his mail."
"What's the use?" DJ groaned. "I've already checked with everyone else in the palace, and none of them have it. I even went to the mailroom and search the place myself. It's not here."
"Don't lose hope yet," Serenity quipped as she tugged him toward a door on the left side of the room and knocked lightly twice. Then she opened it and popped her head inside. "Hey, Darien, do have a minute?"
King Endymion looked up from his computer screen with a wide grin. "Always for you, my love. What's on your mind?"
She pushed the door the rest of the way open and strolled in, pulling DJ behind her. "It's just a bit of a holiday crisis. You didn't happen to find a package meant for DJ in with your mail did you?"
Endymion shook his head. "Nope. I know it's happened before because of the similarities in our names, but everything I got today was official business. I'm sorry."
"Ugh!" DJ yelled in frustration as he sank the fingers from both of his hands into his black hair and pulled roughly on the strands. "I am so screwed! It's Christmas Eve and I don't have that gift! Now I wish Discord had killed me when he had the chance!"
He spun on his heel and stomped out of the office, slamming the door loudly behind him.
Endymion shot his wife a look of wide-eyed confusion. "What on Earth was that all about?"
Serenity shrugged helplessly. "I'm not entirely sure, but I think I can guess. Who is the one and only person who has the capability to reduce our normally even-tempered son into a raving lunatic?"
"Ah," Endymion sighed in comprehension. "Katie."
"Katie," Serenity confirmed.
"Play O Holy Night. It's my favorite," Jess heard Emma call from the living room as she came down the stairs of her house. A few seconds later piano music began drifting from the parlor across the foyer. It was joined shortly after by Emma's clear soprano.
She peeked into the living room and grinned at the sight of Alex and Emma fussing with the decorations on the tall Christmas tree in the corner. The tree had already been up and decorated ever since the kids had come home from college for winter break, but a minor blow up between Nebula and Orion earlier had resulted in several ornaments falling off. Alex and Emma had quickly offered to fix the damage while Katie set the holiday mood by playing Christmas carols on her piano.
Jess also snuck a quick glance into the "piano room" as they called it, and her heart warmed at the sight of her daughter sitting at the instrument. Neither of her children had been home much this past year, what with their traveling to the past and then leaving for school in the fall, so she was glad to have them under her roof again, even if it was only temporary.
"What is that smile for?" Andrew asked when she slipped down the hall and into the kitchen.
She giggled softly. "It's nothing. I'm just happy that our family is together again for the holidays."
He grinned. "It is nice to have some noise around here again. It's been too quiet during the past months."
Jess's smile grew across her face. "I know. A lot has changed in the past year. Sometimes I still find it hard to believe that our children are all grown up and are off into the world to start building lives of their own. When I close my eyes I still picture them as babies in my arms."
"I know what you mean," Andrew sighed. "I couldn't believe it when I saw them for the first time when they got home. Katie looks so much older and mature. And I swear Alex has grown a couple of inches during the past few months. We literally see eye to eye now."
"Serena said the same thing about DJ," Jess told him. "She said that when he walked into her office when he arrived home she swore he was Darien for a moment. I have to agree with her. He does look like he's filled out some since he's been gone."
Andrew chuckled. "Speaking of him, I'm surprised that he's not here. Doesn't he usually dash over here the moment the sun rises?"
"He's not that bad!" Jess returned with a laugh.
"He's been here for breakfast at least four times in the past week," Andrew grumbled darkly.
Jess choked back another laugh. While her husband might admit that their children were grown up, his protective father instincts still had a tendency to flare up whenever he thought about his little girl being involved in a serious relationship.
"Careful, baby, your Papa Bear side is showing," she teased him gently. "I still don't get why you get so bent out of shape about Katie and DJ being together. I don't see you having a fit over Alex and Emma."
He waved a hand. "It's a father thing. I don't mean to sound like girls are more vulnerable than boys, and I do worry about what would happen to Alex if he ever got his heart broken, but there is just something about daughters that make men want to protect them from everything in the world. Darien even threatened me not long after you and I got together."
Jess paused in the process of pouring herself a cup of coffee. "He did not."
He nodded. "He did too. It was right after our first showdown with Discord. He told me that he might not be your father in this life, but that he'd kick my ass if I ever hurt you, even if I am his best friend."
"Men!" she snorted in reply. Then movement on the back deck caught her eye through the window. "Here comes DJ. He must have slipped here the back way from the palace. Be nice, Drew!"
Andrew whirled a finger over his head like he was drawing a halo. "I'll be a perfect saint."
She rolled her eyes at him as she went over and opened the backdoor before DJ had a chance to knock. "Good morning! Merry Christmas!"
"Yeah, yeah. Bah Humbug!" DJ grouched as he strode quickly past her. "Sorry I don't have time for a happy little chat. I've got to talk to Lex."
Jess and Andrew both stared after the dark haired young man as he practically slammed his way out of the kitchen. Then they turned to look at each other with blank expressions.
"Just what in the hell was that about?" Jess muttered after a few seconds.
Andrew shrugged. "No clue. But it looks like somebody could use a dose of holiday cheer."
"What the hell, man!" Alex exclaimed as he jerked his arm out of his best friend's grip. "I can't believe you just stomped into my living room, yanked me away from my fiancée, and then dragged me up the stairs like that."
"Just shut up for a minute!" DJ growled as he opened the door to Alex's bedroom and then shoved him inside. He followed quickly, closing and locking the door behind them. Then he turned to face his friend.
Alex was standing in the middle of his vibrantly colored bedroom that was decorated in shades of fiery red, shocking orange, and deep yellow. They were hot colors that represented Alex's relationship to the sun.
"Ugh!" DJ groaned, feeling suddenly hot. "Maybe I should have chosen a different room. My mind is already in chaos, and all of these colors swimming together is messing with me."
Alex speared him with an annoyed look. "Don't try to change the subject. What the hell is wrong with you? You're acting like a psychopath."
DJ moaned, sliding down the door at his back to slump on the floor. He buried his head in his hands. "Everything is so screwed up!"
Alex's friendship radar sprang to life, his concern overriding his earlier irritation. "Uh oh, what's wrong?"
DJ's head rose up to look at him with crazed eyes. "I messed up. Kat is going to be so upset."
"What do you mean you messed up?" Alex growled as his concerned flared into anger, visions of his best friend cheating on his sister immediately popping into his head. He knew that Katie was more than capable enough to take care of herself, but she was his twin and they were extremely close. If DJ broke her heart he'd smash his face in.
He clenched his fists at his side. He wasn't normally a violent or angry person, but he could be highly protective of people at times, especially Emma, Katie, and his mother. DJ and Katie had had a rocky relationship when they were younger, which had caused a few fights between the friends over the years. But although the two had been dating for almost a year now, that didn't mean that they had a perfect relationship. They still bickered and argued at times. He usually stayed out of their business nowadays and let them work things out themselves…but this sounded serious.
"What did you do?" he hissed on a furious breath.
DJ blinked in surprise at Alex's reaction, but then hung his head and muttered sourly, "I've ruined Christmas for Kat. It's Christmas Eve and her gift hasn't arrived."
Alex shook his head, his anger evaporating away into incredulity. "That's what has you so worked up? You're flipping out because her gift is late? Dude, I thought that you were about to say that you slept with another woman or something."
DJ's eyes narrowed. "I can't believe you would think that I would do something like that. I love Kat and you know it!"
"My mistake. Sorry," Alex apologized, holding his hands up in a placating gesture. "So, her gift hasn't shown up. That's messed up. You ordered it like two months ago."
"I know!" DJ groaned, banging his head back against the door. "I knew it would take a while to get it because it is being made just for her, but I was assured that it would be here by Christmas. I even called yesterday because I was starting to get nervous, and they told me that it should be here today, but it's not."
Alex sighed and shook his head. "I warned you about dealing with someone long distance for such an important gift. I know this company has a great reputation and they specialize in one of kind pieces, but you should have stuck with a place where you could deal with people face to face."
"Don't give me that I told you so crap!" DJ snapped. "I wanted something different, something unique, just like Kat is unique. And after I saw the one that girl in my class has and told me who to contact I knew I had struck gold."
Alex dropped down to sit on the foot of his bed. "Okay, I know where you're coming from, and it sucks that things aren't working out like you hoped it would, but it's not the end of the world."
DJ's head jerked up. "It may not be the end of the world, but it sure feels like it to me right now. Not only are my plans ruined, I have nothing to give to Kat tonight. Sure, I could run out to some shop and buy any old gift for her, but it wouldn't be the same."
"So you have a change in plans. It happens," Alex told him. "I think you're missing the big picture here. My sister is not the materialistic type. She wouldn't care if Christmas went by and she didn't receive a single gift. All she wants is to be with loved ones and know that she's loved in return. As long as you let her know how much you care about her, she'll be fine. You can give her the present later when it comes in, and I bet she'll laugh over how upset you were that it didn't get here in time."
"You're probably right," DJ sighed. Then he took in a calming breath. "I know she's hot-headed and has a horrible temper, but she's also very understanding. I'm just afraid that I'm going to look like an ass tonight."
Alex snickered. "You look like an ass every day anyway. So I doubt anyone would notice."
"Ha ha," DJ intoned dryly. "You know what I mean. I don't want to look like the boyfriend who forgot to get his girlfriend a Christmas gift. Jadeite would never let me hear the end of it."
"Aw, who cares what he thinks," Alex told him. "In less than two weeks you'll be back at school and far away from here. Besides, Kat's gift should be here by then. In the meantime, you still have time before the party tonight. I'm sure a genius like you can come up with some way to still make it a special night. It may not be as grand as what you had planned, but like I said before, Kat won't mind. The girl practically worships the ground you walk on."
"She does not," DJ denied, valiantly trying to fight down the heat rising in his cheeks. There was some truth to his friend's words. He didn't need the bond between him and his love to know that Katie loved him deeply and would bend over backwards for him if she needed to. But the same was true for him. He adored everything about Katie, both inside and out, and would crawl over miles of hot coals on his hands and knees for her.
Alex snorted. "You can deny it all you want to, but you can't lie to me. We may not share a telepathic link anymore, but I can read the emotions on your face. You and Kat have each other whipped."
DJ scrambled to his feet. "Maybe we do. But you and Emma are just as bad, if not worse than we are."
"I'm not denying it," Alex quipped with a goofy grin. After a few seconds that grin faded. "Speaking of telepathic links, Kat has to know that something is up with you by now. In fact, I'm surprised that she's not already up here banging on the door and demanding answers."
DJ shook his head. "I may have been acting insane, but I had enough sense to put a mental block up between us. We've both been doing that a lot lately with the holiday coming up. It's nice to share a mental bond with the one you love, but there are some things that still need to remain secret."
Alex nodded. "I hear ya. Emma and I have been doing the same thing." Then he tilted him head. "Except for right now. She's yelling at me to hurry up and get downstairs. She and Kat are supposed to be going to Mina's shop to get their hair done or something, and somehow I got coerced into saying that I'd go with them. Why don't you tag along with us? That way you can keep me from being completely bored out of my skull. And while the girls are primping we can hit up some of the stores. Maybe you'll get lucky and find a little something for Kat for the gift exchange tonight to tide things over until her real gift gets here."
"I guess it's worth a shot," DJ muttered in a defeated tone, but he wasn't holding out much luck. He had already picked out the perfect gift for the girl he loved, and he seriously doubted anything else would measure up.
"So how are things?" Mina asked as she pulled a brush through the long length of pale, silvery blonde hair before her. "I really haven't had a chance to catch up with you since you got home."
Katie shrugged. "Things are good, I guess. It took me a while to adjust to school and all, but I got used to it."
Mina snickered. "That's all well and good, but that wasn't exactly what I was asking. I was speaking more along the lines of your love life. How is the relationship going with your little prince?"
"Mom!" Emma exclaimed from the next chair over. "And people accuse me of being nosy about personal matters."
Mina twirled the brush she was holding. "I'm not being nosy. I'm just curious. I have to keep on top of these things. You know the pressures of being a scout of love. Besides, you get the inside scoop on a daily basis. I just don't like being left out of the loop."
Katie felt her cheeks burning as she slumped down in her seat. "DJ and I are fine," she murmured.
"Oh, sit up, Little Miss Sensitive. I wasn't trying to embarrass you," Mina scolded her. "I'm just trying to keep a handle on the emotional vibes around us. You seem a bit troubled to me."
Emma templed her fingers under her chin. "Hmm, you have a point, mom. I thought I was imagining things earlier, but there did seem to be a vibe of tension between the lovebirds."
"There was not!" Katie growled angrily. Then she slumped even deeper into her chair. "Okay, maybe there is a bit of something going on. I just can't figure out what it is. Things were fine the first few days after we got home for vacation, but he's been acting a little strange the last couple of days. It's like his mind is always somewhere else and he's been cranky. If he was a woman I would swear he has PMS."
"He's probably just tired and trying to wind down from school," Mina said wisely. "He is taking a double class load after all. I know Serena used to complain about Darien being moody sometimes when he was doing that. And don't even get me started on Amy. She could be hell on wheels, especially during exam time."
Katie sighed. "I guess that could be it. This first semester has definitely been a busy one for him. But something is telling me that there is something else going on with him. He's been really secretive lately, which is understandable with Christmas coming and all, but I really got the feeling that something was bothering him this morning. And then when he came down from talking to Alex earlier it was almost like he couldn't bring himself to look at me."
Emma reached over and patted her hand. "I'm sure that's not true. DJ adores you, and everybody knows it. The two of you haven't even had an argument in what feels like forever."
Katie's eyes widened as a thought occurred to her. "Maybe that's the problem. I wouldn't go as far to say that he's getting bored with me, but perhaps he's getting too comfortable with the way things are between us. Our bickering has always added a little, I don't know, zing to the relationship."
Emma's expression turned smug. "You just enjoy the make up sex."
"Emma!" Katie wailed as she slapped her hands over her face in embarrassment. Right then she felt like she could slide from the chair to melt into a puddle of humiliation on the floor.
Emma blinked innocently. "What? It's nothing to be embarrassed about. Skye admitted to me that she bickers with Kyrian constantly just for that reason. And we both know what horndogs they are."
She shivered just a bit as Katie lowered her hands to glare at her with hard hazel eyes that resembled a frozen mossy pond. For just a split second, a flash of silver sparked in their depths.
"I am not going to pick a fight with DJ just to get his attention," Katie ground out furiously.
A dainty sniff came from Emma as she sat back and crossed her arms across her chest. "It was just an idea. It seemed to work for the two of you when you were younger. You were always up in each others faces, yelling at one another and looking like you were about to start kissing the socks off of one another at any moment."
Katie groaned. "We're not kids anymore, Em. I like to think that DJ and I have a more adult relationship than having to resort to childish tactics."
Mina, who had remained quiet for the last couple of minutes, giggled. "All of you have grown up so quickly and connected with your soul mates. I'm expecting to hear lots of wedding bells in the future." She waved a casual hand at Emma. "I know that heathen child of mine would drag Alex in front of a preacher in a heartbeat if they were already eighteen."
Now it was Emma's turn to blush in embarrassment. "Not until after we both graduate," she murmured as she fiddled with the gold and topaz ring on the ring finger of her left hand.
"Longer than that for me," Katie muttered. "I really don't mind though. DJ and I haven't really talked about it, but it's kind of an unspoken agreement between us that we'll become engaged after we finish school. Then we'll probably wait another year or so before we think about marriage. He'll be busy building his medical practice anyway, and Michelle has asked Jack and I to tour Europe with her and give some performances there. We've even discussed perhaps doing an album together eventually."
Mina nodded. "Two people with busy careers can find it difficult to pick a time to begin their marriage. Kunzite and I had a few troubles in the beginning while we were learning to balance everything. And I'm sure you and DJ will find a way to work things out. But in the meantime there is a way to make sure the spark doesn't fizzle out of your relationship."
Katie looked up into the mirror to meet the love goddess's eyes in the reflection. "And what would that be?"
A positively feline smile unfurled across Mina's face. "It's simple. You use sheer feminine wiles. I don't think you quite understand the power that we women wield over men. Oh sure, they see us, but sometimes you have to ramp it up a bit to really make sure you have their attention. What are you wearing tonight?"
Katie shrugged. "Jeans and a sweater. It's just a private party for the family, so it's casual."
Mina clicked her tongue. "No, no, no. That won't do at all. There is a way to appear elegant and still be casual at the same time. When we get done here we will wander next door to the boutique. I'm sure we can find something for you that will be perfect."
"Your mother is starting to scare me," Katie whispered out of the corner of her mother to Emma.
Her future sister-in-law just grinned. "I'd take her advice if I were you. I let her pick out my outfit for tonight, and I love it. I bet Alex's eyes are going to pop right out of his head when he sees me. I just hope dad doesn't blow a gasket."
"I'll handle your father," Mina said breezily. "I'm an old pro at giving couples nudges here and there when they need it. So what do you say, Katie? Are you in?"
Katie turned a bright smile on the two conspiring blondes. "All right, love goddesses. I'm in your capable hands."
One of the employees of the palace mailroom was sweeping up at the end of his shift as he prepared to leave for the day. He was looking forward to the holiday the next day and being able to spend it with his family. He was humming a Christmas carol under his breath when his broom hit something that was shoved back under one of the sorting tables. He got down on his hands and knees to pull out a small package.
"Hey, Jimmy," called out to a fellow worker. "I think I found that package that the prince was down here looking for this morning. You think I ought to go take it to him?"
"Nah," the other man called back. "All the royals and nobles are getting ready for that party of theirs tonight. You'd probably never be able to track him down. I say give it to one of the maids and let her run it up when she gets the chance."
The first man shrugged and then set the package over to the side. He was pretty sure from the way the prince had been acting earlier in the day that it was pretty important to him. Still, even if he had a maid drop it off the boy would get it sometime today. So as he left the palace for the day he left the package with a maid that he knew had access to the royal apartment.
The maid took it with the promise to make sure it was left where the prince would find it. Unfortunately she was sidetracked when several of the other maids and a group of guards invited her to join them in toasting the holiday. The one drink led to a few more, so it was later in the evening, near the end of her shift, before she left the package propped up against the prince's door where he would be sure to see it when he came in from the party.
DJ growled at his reflection in his bathroom mirror as he pulled a comb through his slightly damp hair. He threw the comb down on the counter with a clatter, but for once his irritation had nothing to do with the fact that his hair had a mind of its own. He was upset because he felt inadequate.
After scouring the galleria for nearly two hours, he had finally emerged from a small gift shop with something he could put under the tree for Katie. Granted, it wasn't nearly as special as the original gift he had planned to be giving her that night, but he'd had to agree with Alex when he had declared that it was perfect for his sister.
The stout, middle aged woman who ran the shop had grinned at him the moment he had noticed the delicate looking dream-catcher in the display case that had been woven from fine black and silver threads. Black and white feathers, along with many silver beads hung from the tassels.
Flashback
"Dream-catchers can hold powerful magic," the woman had told him as she'd removed it from the case. "The magic grows even stronger when it is given to someone you want to protect. Are you looking for a gift for someone?"
DJ nodded. "My girlfriend."
The woman studied him for a moment. "No, young prince. I believe that this is meant for someone who is much more important to you than a mere girlfriend. This dream-catcher has called to you because it is meant for the one who holds your heart. This other soul is bound tightly to yours, and you seek to protect her."
DJ shuddered a bit at the truth of her words, but he turned to Alex and asked, "What do you think?"
Alex looked over the dream-catcher and nodded. "She'll love it. Especially since it's something that can supposedly keep bad dreams away. Not that we suffer from nightmares like we used to, but everybody has the occasional bad dream."
At a loss for what else to do, DJ nodded. "I'll take it."
The woman beamed a smile. "Excellent. Tell the young lady to hang it in the window of her bedroom. The dream-catcher will filter any dreams that try to enter and will ensure that only the good ones get in."
She wrapped it carefully in tissue paper and then put it in a box. Within minutes DJ had paid for his purchase and he and Alex emerged back into the hustle and bustle of the last minute holiday shoppers.
"Maybe you'll stop stressing so much about tonight now that you got Kat something," Alex told him. "That lady in the shop was kinda creepy though."
DJ shook his head. "No. She knew exactly what she was talking about."
End Flashback
Not feeling entirely certain that he was ready to face what was in store for him tonight, DJ stalked out of his bathroom into his bedroom, where he sat down on the side of the bed to put on his black sneakers. He had considered dressing a bit nicer before, but since this evening wasn't unfolding he way he had originally hoped he thought it was better to keep things as casual as possible by wearing a pair of faded jeans and a black, long sleeved t-shirt.
Once he was done with his preparations, he picked up Katie's gift, which he had wrapped in silver paper and tied with a green ribbon that he had swiped from his mother's stash of wrapping supplies. Taking a deep breath, he exited his room.
The couple standing in an embrace in the sitting room jumped apart as they heard the click of his door opening. He grinned at their astonished expressions.
"Damn, DJ!" Rini exclaimed. "I thought you had already gone to the party. Mom and dad left almost ten minutes ago."
DJ snickered. "I guess I must be running behind. I was in the shower, so at least I have a plausible excuse for being a little late. You, on the other hand, are going to be in deep shit with dad if he sees Helios with that pink lip gloss all over his mouth."
Rini shot a startled look at her fiancé, her maroon eyes widening in horror as she realized that Helios was indeed sporting a set of glittery pink lips to match her own. She quickly reached for a tissue from a box on a nearby table.
"Jerk!" she hissed at her brother as she rubbed gently at Helios's mouth with the tissue.
"That's why you love me," DJ chuckled as he headed for the door. "I'll see you smoochers later."
A couple of minutes and a few winding corridors later, he found himself standing outside the entertainment room that was for the private use of the occupants of the palace and their family and friends. The sounds of festive Christmas music and lively chatter drifted happily from the room. He took a deep, steadying breath and stepped inside.
"There's my big college man!" a female voice squealed almost immediately. And then he found himself caught up in an exuberant hug.
He grinned as he returned the embrace. "Hi, grandma. Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas to you too, dear. I'm so happy you're home again, at least for a little while," Ilene Tsukino gushed as she released him and took a step back. A slight frown puckered her eyebrows. "You look a bit paler than usual. You're not overworking yourself with school, are you?"
"Of course he isn't, Ilene. Leave the boy alone," Ken Tsukino mock scolded her as he put an arm around his grandson and patted him on the back. "I'm sure he's doing just fine in his studies."
"He's doing better than fine," Serenity declared as she and Endymion joined them. "He's at the top of his class. Of course that doesn't surprise me in the least." She cut a sly, sideways look at her husband.
Endymion chuckled. "I can't help it if he takes after me more than you when it comes to study habits. It's purely genetics."
"Excuse me," DJ spoke up, wanting to make a getaway before his parents got wrapped up in some long debate. "I have a gift that I need to go put under the tree."
Serenity glanced down at the wrapped present in his hand with curious eyes for a moment before waving him away.
He breathed a sigh of relief as he hurried away through the crowded room toward the tall Christmas tree at the other end. The trip took ten times longer than it should have because he was stopped at least a dozen times by people saying hello to him. His extended family was huge, and everybody was in attendance tonight.
He finally reached his destination and settled the gift in with the hundreds of others that were piled around the tree in a large circle. Then he turned and began scanning the room for a particular person. He sensed her somewhere to his left, so he started that way.
He finally caught sight of a large group of his friends near one of the large windows that looked out over the city. Alex and Emma were there, with their arms wrapped around each other, as were Skye and Kyrian. Even Jayden and Hannah held hands with their fingers entwined.
But there was one person standing alone as she looked out at the twinkling lights of Crystal Tokyo. But as she felt the weight of his eyes on her, she turned to look at him.
DJ gaped, blinked hard, and then gaped again. He always thought his Katie looked beautiful, but the woman before him now looked like angel as she glided across the floor to him. Everyone else and all of the other noises in the room ceased to exist as he drank her in.
Her waist length, silvery blonde hair that was usually swept back into a ponytail had been left down tonight, and it shone softly as it drifted behind her like a silken cape. She wore a soft knit top in dark green, which pulled out the green in her hazel eyes. Between that and the smoky eye shadow and liner she was wearing, her eyes appeared deeper and more luminous than ever.
And then his mouth began watering as he took in the other details. Her shirt was form fitting, clinging to the curve of her breasts perfectly. It also had a deep v-neck that went low enough to show just a hint of cleavage. The skirt she was wearing was hardly more than a scrap of material in a festive red and green plaid design that barely skimmed her upper thighs. And then there were her legs. She was a tall woman, and most of her height came from her extremely long legs. Tonight they were encased in red leggings that hugged the toned limbs and seemed to go on for miles.
Then she was standing before him, and she laughed huskily before she murmured, "See something you like?"
His eyes zeroed in on those cherry red lips and he had to suppress the urge he had to jerk her into his arms and kiss her senseless. He realized that he was still gaping, and he snapped his mouth shut before he replied gruffly, "You look really nice."
She beamed a smile and twirled in front of him. "Do you really think so? I let Mina talk me into the outfit. It's what she calls casual chic. I was afraid that it would be too dressy at first, but it seems to fit right in. She must have outfitted every woman here tonight. I know it's not my usual style, but I kinda like it. You don't think it's too much, do you?"
'Hell yes it's too much!' part of his mind roared. He didn't know why he was reacting like this. True, Kat was usually a jeans and t-shirt kind of person, but he had seen her dress up for formal occasions many times over the years, not to mention all the time he had spent with her when she was in her scout form. Sailor Eclipse's fuku didn't leave a whole lot to the imagination either. But right now, with her prancing around looking like a delectable sex kitten, all he could think about was dragging her off to his room where he could toss her on the bed and slowly peel those leggings off of her. But he was pretty sure that wouldn't go over very well with their parents.
His heart sank as he thought about her missing gift. Ugh! If only it had gotten here in time. She looked so beautiful tonight. It would have been perfect.
And just like that, what little bit of a good mood he had managed to muster up disappeared, which left him wishing he could find a dark hole that he could go crawl off into alone. A mantle of depression settled heavily over his shoulders.
But she was staring up at him with happy, hopeful eyes, so he made himself quirk a semblance of a grin at her and leaned down to breath against her ear, "You look amazing."
Then he pressed a chaste kiss to her cheek, but he pulled back quickly as her strawberry scent swirled around him. He turned away abruptly to speak to Alex, but not before he caught a flash of dismay in her eyes that made him feel even worse. Not wanting to ruin the night for her with his moodiness, he reached a hand back to her to twine her fingers with his as he tugged her to his side.
A few hours later Katie didn't know what to think. DJ had stayed by her side the entire evening and had been attentive to her, but he was also very distracted at the same time. She had tried many times to sense what was wrong with him through their bond, but had run into a brick wall every time. Whatever it was that was bothering him, he was keeping it locked up tight inside.
She looked down, concentrating on the gift in her hands as she unwrapped it. A smile popped automatically to her face as the paper peeled away to reveal a stack of blank music sheets.
"Thank you so much," she told Michelle enthusiastically. "I'm starting to run low on these, so this is great."
The aqua haired woman gave her one of her gentle smiles. "I admit that there is a bit of selfishness behind the gift. I'm hoping that there is some genius composition simmering away inside that mind of yours."
Katie blushed and looked down at her hands again. "I have a few ideas bouncing around," she murmured.
Beside her, DJ jerked as he unwrapped a gift. It was a plain CD case that had Blood Bounty scrawled across it in slightly sloppy handwriting. He yanked his head around to look at Alex in surprise. "You finished it?"
Alex shrugged. "Not exactly. It's still in the beta phase and needs some work. It still earned me a perfect score on my mid-term. I just thought that you deserved a copy of it since you helped me come up with the idea when we were like twelve or so."
DJ grinned and mock-punched him in the shoulder. "I may have had a little input, but you're the one that had to work your computer magic to bring it to life. Congrats on it."
Katie felt a surge of happiness at DJ's reaction. She could tell that his smile was real and that he was genuinely proud of her brother completing his first video game. Maybe now he would perk up and really start enjoying the evening.
"Katie, this one is for you," Serenity called out to her from the general direction of the Christmas tree.
She looked up and saw the blonde queen holding a silver wrapped gift with green ribbon out toward her. She had to get up from her seat in order to reach it. "Thanks, Aunt Serena."
Serenity's eyes sparkled humorously. "I think you'll really like this one."
Katie looked down at the rectangular package and saw that her name was indeed on the tag, written in bold writing that she knew all too well. She whirled back to her seat in excitement. She wasn't really big on receiving gifts, she'd rather give them instead, but she couldn't help but be curious about what her prince had gotten her.
DJ's face paled beneath his light tan when he saw the gift in her hands and started to stand up, muttering, "Um, I need a refill."
"Sit!" she demanded as she pushed him back down and then sat beside him. "You can't take off right when I'm about to open your gift."
He folded his arms across his chest and grumbled. "It's not that big of a deal."
She arched a brow at him as she began tearing at the paper. "I'll be the judge of that. Besides, it's the thought that counts, not the gift itself."
The wrapping paper fell away to reveal the plain white box. She carefully removed the lid, and then gently folded back the layers of tissue. She sucked in a little gasp when she saw what was inside, but fell completely still and silent.
DJ groaned loudly. "You hate it, don't you? I knew it was a stupid thing to get. I promise, Kat, this isn't your real gift. I ordered something else for you, but it didn't get here in time. This was just my pathetic attempt to make up for the fact that I didn't have a gift for you tonight."
Her head jerked up and she glared at him with eyes that were glassy with tears. "Do you think I actually cared if you gave me a gift or not? Just being able to spend time with you is a gift to me. All the presents in the world can't take the place of that. Do I really come across as such a shallow person to you?"
He gulped, aware that every eye in the room was now trained on them, watching the unfolding drama. "Of course not, Kat. Like I said, it was all me. I know you say that the gifts don't matter, but I would have felt guilty if I hadn't given you something."
Her eyes widened, both in anger and in an attempt to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill over. "That's why you've been acting so distant tonight, isn't it? You've been worried about how inadequate you think this gift is! Well for your information I happen to love it! So thanks a lot for ruining the entire evening, you jerk!"
She jumped up from her seat, clutching the box with the dream-catcher in it close to her chest, and ran from the room. Everyone was silent for a full minute after she left.
"Ooo…boyfriend messed up big time!" Skye finally murmured, breaking the silence.
DJ blinked. Coming out of his stupor as most of the room's occupants went back to whatever they had been doing before the blow up. He did catch sight of Andrew glaring at him from across the room before Jess distracted him with something. And Rini shot him a look of disgust before turning her attention back to Helios. Several of his friends gave him small sympathetic smiles, but his mother's compassionate face was the one that cut him the deepest.
Suddenly, he was shoved so hard that he fell off the sofa he was sitting on and fell to the floor. "What the hell!"
Alex glared down at him with furiously cold dark blue eyes that had darkened with rage until they were almost black. "Why the hell are you still just sitting there, dumb-ass? Aren't you going to go after her?"
What DJ wanted to do was slug his best friend for pushing him around so roughly, but he knew he was right. He needed to go after Katie and do whatever he needed to do to fix this disaster of a night. He'd grovel at her feet if he had to.
"I'm going. I'm going," he grumbled as he got up and headed for the door.
Alex pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed heavily. "I can't believe the two of them can still be so stupid sometimes. I thought they'd outgrown that by now."
Emma tousled his light brown hair with her fingers and giggled. "I wouldn't worry about it too much. I'm sure they'll have things worked out between them in no time."
DJ had just stepped out into the hall when a hand grabbed his shoulder. He spun around and found himself face to face with his father. "Just save it, dad. I'm not in the mood for a lecture right now. I know I screwed up."
Endymion shook his head. "I wasn't going to lecture you. Relationships are full of mistakes. Heaven knows I've made a million of them with your mother. And I'll probably make a million more. But this is something that only you can fix. I just wanted to give you this. It might help things along."
DJ found a gift placed in his hands before his father turned and went back to the party. He looked down at the thin, square package and felt his heart thump faster. The curly handwriting on the tag told him that it was from Katie, but the wrapping paper would have given away the gift-giver's identity even without it.
The paper was light blue, and it was splattered with little Tinkerbells wearing Santa hats. Obviously this was Katie's way of cracking a joke with him about her old nickname that he had given her when they were kids. She had been a tiny thing back then, and she had reminded him of a fairy, so he had taken to calling her Tinkerbell, and she had hated it. Which, of course, only made him use it more in order to get a rise out of her.
He rarely ever used it anymore since he had so many loving pet names he could call her now. But he stilled pulled it out from time to time, especially when she was having an emotional moment, like now. So the Tinkerbell wrapping fit the situation beautifully.
He reached his aura out to find hers and sense where she was. It only took a moment before his golden energy brushed lightly against her silver. He felt her recoil slightly at his touch, but he didn't sense her trying to run away from his approach. So that was promising.
He followed the pull though the halls, making turns here and there. He passed the grand staircase, and then the upstairs entrance to the ballroom. He made a few more turns before he finally found her in a curtained off alcove.
He ducked past the curtain and attempted a rusty chuckle. "Of all the places you could have ended up, you pick here."
Katie was sitting on the cushioned bench, twirling the dream-catcher daintily in her fingers, but she didn't look up at him as she replied, "I didn't exactly plan on it. I just somehow ended up here. It is a special place to me after all. This is where you kissed me for the first time."
He couldn't help but smirk. "After I had talked you down from a massive panic attack. I was sure you were going to knock my head off for kissing you."
She set the dream-catcher aside and looked up at him with wet, reddened eyes. Her make-up had smeared some, but she still looked beautiful to him. "I'm sorry. I guess I shouldn't have reacted the way I did. But I have been so upset tonight because I couldn't figure out why you were acting the way you were. I had even started to wonder if I had done something wrong."
He was down on his knees in front of her in a flash. "No, baby, you had every right to be upset. I've been an ass about all of this Christmas gift nonsense. I never should have made such a big deal out of it. I was just crushed when your gift didn't make it here on time because I had put a lot of thought into it. But I should have known better than to wig out the way I did."
"What was that?" she asked when she heard something clatter to the floor as he reached up to clasp her hands in his.
He let go of one hand and reached down to pick up something. Then he held it up for her to see. "It's your gift to me. I was kind of hoping to open it in front of you."
She blushed violently and stammered, "It…it's not much. I didn't really know what to get you. I mean, what do you get for a prince who has practically everything?"
He huffed a laugh. "Now who is being silly about gifts? I have everything I want right here." He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. He let them linger for a long moment, and then pulled back. "So can I open it now?"
She giggled and pushed playfully at him. "Oh, go ahead!"
"By the way, I love your choice of wrapping paper," he teased as he tore into the gift.
Her eyes gleamed mischievously. "I thought it was appropriate."
He peeled the paper back to find a CD case similar to the one Alex had given to him. But instead of the name of a video game, this one simply said Kathleen Furuhata in her elegant handwriting. He looked up at her questioningly.
Her blush returned in full bloom. "It's recordings of me playing the piano. You told me that me playing always calms you down and helps you think. And since I can't be with you all the time I thought you might like to have this. It might help you study or something. Some of them are old classical compositions that you've said you like, and some are ones that I wrote. The last track is a new one that I wrote just for you."
"It's perfect," he told her sincerely. "I can't wait to listen to it. So did you like your gift?"
She ran her fingers lightly over the dream-catcher. "I love it. I'm going to hang it up as soon as I get home. Of course it will be going with me when I leave again. I'm not a superstitious person, but I will take all the help I can get."
He chuckled. "The lady I bought it from said that if you hang it in front of your window that it will catch all the bad dreams and only let the good ones in."
"I'll have to give that a try," she drawled slyly. Then she looped her arms around his neck. "Now how about you give me a proper kiss. The way you were looking at me earlier had me feeling like you were mentally undressing me with your eyes."
"I was," he told her huskily. "You look so damn sexy tonight that I have had many different visions about what I would like to do with you."
"I like the way you think," she whispered as they closed the last few inches between them.
Their lips met and immediately opened to each other to deepen the kiss. This went on for a while, their kisses growing hungrier and greedier as the minutes passed. It wasn't until they found themselves lying on the bench together, moaning quietly as they ran their hands under each other's shirts that they reluctantly pulled apart.
"This isn't the right time and place for this," he sighed against her forehead. "It kind of makes me wish we were back in America. At least there we have a certain amount of privacy."
She giggled into his chest. "Wouldn't our parents be surprised to learn how much time we actually get to spend together there? Especially since you are in Massachusetts and I am in New York."
"I'm sure they would," he agreed. "But that's our little secret."
She squeezed him in a tight hug. "Yes it is. There are some things that the parental units, my overprotective father in particular, just don't need to know about. Speaking of which, I guess we better get back to the party before someone decides to send out a search party for us."
They got up, straightened their clothes, and then hand in hand they walked back to join their family and friends. They enjoyed the rest of the evening together now that the tension between them was gone and DJ was grateful that the whole night hadn't ended up being a total bust after all. He hadn't been able to give the woman he loved the gift that he had wanted to, but he was secure in the fact that their relationship was as solid as ever.
The party ended and the guests left. Katie, of course, had been whisked away by her parents, but that didn't mean that the night was over. He'd wait a couple of hours and then go pay her a midnight visit.
He was humming Jingle Bells under his breath as he made his way into the royal apartment. His arms were full of the gifts he'd received, with Katie and Alex's perched right on top. He figured he'd pop in Katie's CD and listen to it while he played a few rounds of Blood Bounty on his laptop. That should help pass the time.
He was struggling to open the door to his room when he happened to look down and saw a package leaning against the doorframe. He dropped everything in his arms as he swooped down to scoop it up. His hands began sweating when he saw the return address.
And then, he started laughing. Obviously the gods had to be playing a trick on him. Or perhaps the fates were just screwing with him. As if his life hadn't already been jacked up enough by the supernatural.
Whatever it was, he was just grateful to finally have this long awaited package in his hands. It also meant that this night was far from being over.
"Kat!" Alex bellowed as he banged on the door to the bathroom that connected his room with his sister's. "Aren't you done yet? I'd like to get a shower too."
Katie turned off her blow dryer and took a minute to run her brush through her long hair before going over and flipping the lock on her brother's door. She rolled her eyes as she swung it open. "There! It's all yours now. I don't see what your hurry is. Emma's not going anywhere. I still think you're crazy to go into the palace and sneak her out. Kunzite will shoot you on sight if he finds out."
Alex snorted. "I'm not worried about him. He'll never even know I was there. I've been doing it all week and haven't gotten caught yet."
"You're braver than I am," she returned. "I wouldn't attempt it. Just make sure no one sees you. If the parental units found out we can…"
"I know. I know. They'd have spastic fits," Alex interrupted her in a drawl. "Just chill a little, okay. Now get out of here so I can spruce myself up. The night is long, and I plan to enjoy as much of it as I can."
"Oh, gag me!" Katie muttered as she hurried out of the bathroom and into the sanctuary of her room.
She spotted the dream-catcher lying on the bed where she had left it and she picked it up and carried it to her window. Climbing up onto the window seat, she took down the crystal sun-catcher that had hung there from a hook in the ceiling for a few years and replaced it with the dream-catcher. She took a moment to admire it before climbing back down.
Her bare feet had barely touched the floor when something large and black moved on the tree branch outside her window. Her hand flew to her transformation pendant and she almost screamed…until she realized what she was seeing.
She shoved the window open as wide as she could and leaned halfway out of it, hissing, "What the hell is the big idea, scaring me to death like that, you idiot? You're lucky I didn't…mmph…"
Her furious tirade was cut short by a pair of cold lips covering hers. Slowly, she felt herself being pushed back inside. When she ran out of room on the window seat, she broke the kiss and scrambled off of it.
She backed up a few steps and watched as the kissing intruder climbed inside. She admired the sight he made in his all-black tuxedo and long cape. The black mask over his eyes leant an air of mystery around him.
She glanced up at the dream-catcher hanging above his head and whispered, "Wow! I didn't think it would work that fast."
"Hmm?" he murmured as his mouth quirked up in that lopsided grin she adored so much.
She waved a hand at the gift. "You said that it was only supposed to let the good dreams in. Well I'd say that the best dream of all just crawled in my window. But what are you doing here now? I figured that if you came over it would be later. And your entrances are usually less…dramatic."
His grin grew. "I couldn't wait that long to see you."
She gave a sarcastic snort. "You mean you couldn't wait that long to try to get into my pants!"
His smile grew wicked as he eyed the bare leg that was showing through the slit in the flannel robe she was wearing. "It doesn't look like you are wearing any, love. In fact, are you wearing anything under that robe?"
She danced back as he tried to reach for her, pulling her robe tighter around her. "Whether or not I'm wearing anything under it is none of your business right now. My parents are just across the hall, and I doubt they're asleep yet. Not to mention that Alex is right on the other side of the bathroom door. So don't start getting any ideas in your head, mister, because it's not happening."
He wisely backed off. "Fair enough." Then he held a hand out to her. "But will you come out with me for a while?"
She shot him a dubious look. "What for? There's nowhere we can go. Everything is closed for the holidays. Not to mention the fact that it's cold outside."
"You won't feel the cold as much if you transform. And I'll do my best to keep you warm. Please come with me. I have something I want to show you," he pleaded.
His pouting wore down her resistance. "Oh, okay. But just for a little while."
She reached under the neckline of her robe to grasp her transformation pendant and whispered, "Eclipse Power!" A swirling of black ribbons and a shower of silver sparkles later, and she had transformed into Sailor Eclipse.
She placed her hand in his, and together they went to the window. He crawled out onto the branch first while she took a moment to close the window behind her. Then they took to the rooftops.
"Where are we going?" she asked as they ran, jumping from roof to roof.
He just smiled mysteriously. "You'll see."
A few minutes later they landed on the roof of one of the tallest office buildings in the city.
She looked around, bewildered. "What on earth are we doing here?"
He pulled her into his arms and wrapped his cape around her. "You're not cold, are you?"
She shook her head. "Not at the moment. The exercise got my blood pumping and you're warm."
Then she looked up at the moon overhead and smiled. "I had a dream similar to this once. We were standing on a rooftop under the moon, jut like this. And you were holding me just like you are right now."
"And what happened next?" he murmured against her hair.
She shook her head. "I don't remember. It was a long time ago, back when we didn't get along. But you still haven't told me why you brought me here. I don't exactly have the best memories of this place."
"This isn't where I had originally planned to do this, but things got all messed up today. Then I thought about it and realized that this was the perfect place. This is where you took the steps you needed to in order to make sure we would have a good future instead of a hellish one," he told her.
She shuddered against him at the memories of that night in the past when she had stopped her brother's untimely death, which would have sent her and DJ spiraling down a completely different path than the one they were on now. Thanks to some information from DJ's future self, she had known when and where to act, and had killed the sentinel before it could get to Alex.
"That was both a good night and a bad night," she mumbled against his shoulder. "But what exactly do you have planned? I don't think you brought me here just to do some reminiscing."
He pulled back slightly, still keeping her warmly wrapped in the cocoon of his cape, and pulled something small out of the pocket of his slacks. He handed it to her and then removed the mask from his eyes so he could look at her. "This is your original gift. I found it outside my door after the party. I had planned to pull you aside and take you up to the conservatory to give it to you privately, but somehow I think this works out even better. Go ahead and open it."
"You and these gifts," she giggled as she studied the black velvet jewelry box in her hand. She normally didn't wear much jewelry besides her transformation necklace and the silver charm bracelet that DJ had given her anonymously a few years before. But there had been a pair of earrings that she had seen in the window of a store in New York a while back that had caught her eye. DJ had been with her that night, so perhaps he had remembered them.
She opened the box, but what she found inside wasn't earrings, it was a ring. Her head slowly began to shake back and forth.
"Don't get the wrong idea," he quickly reassured her. "This isn't a marriage proposal. That's why I'm still standing instead of going down on one knee. This is more of a promise ring. This is my promise to you that one day, when we get done with school and get our lives on track, I will ask you to be my wife. And I would be honored if you wore my ring to symbolize that promise."
She looked up at him with tears pouring from her eyes. And with a glad cry she flung her arms around his neck. "Yes! Yes! A million times yes! I will wear this ring proudly! All the other girls in the world are just going to have to get over the disappointment."
She let go of him and began trying to pull her left hand, elbow length glove off with her teeth. After a few seconds she growled and put the ring box back into his hand.
He laughed at her antics. "Just de-transform. That would be easier. I'll keep you wrapped up and warm."
"I can't believe I didn't think of that myself," she grouched as she reversed her transformation. As soon as her hand was bare she held it out to him. "All right! Lay it on me!"
"I thought you said gifts don't matter," he couldn't help but tease.
She glowered at him. "They don't. But this is one hell of a gift. Somehow I think both of your gifts have worked together."
He arched a brow at her. "Why do you say that?"
She shrugged. "I guess because the dream-catcher is supposed to give me good dreams, and this is a dream come true."
"This isn't a dream though. This is real," he told her as he removed the ring from the box and slid it onto her finger. "It's a perfect fit."
"It's so beautiful," she whispered as she held her hand up to study it in the moonlight. "I've never seen a ring quite like this before. Where did you find it?"
He chuckled. "Actually, I have a girl in my class to thank for it. I overheard one of the other girls in class admiring her ring one day, and I casually glanced over at it. I thought it was unique, so I asked her where she had gotten it. She told me that her parents had ordered it for her high school graduation from this small company in Arizona that only does custom-made jewelry. Everything they do is handmade. So I contacted them and worked with one of the designers there to come up with this."
It was a simple silver band with no gem setting, although a small emerald and a small topaz had been imbedded into the metal. Katie smiled as she took in the significance of the jewels. "Our birthstones, huh?"
He nodded. "Emerald for May and Topaz for November. Those are our months."
"These engravings are incredible," she barely breathed as she turned the ring around on her finger. There were tiny crescent moons, earth symbols, and roses etched all the way around it. "It must have taken hours for somebody to do all of these."
"It does. That's why it took so long to get it in," he told her. "I placed the order two months ago, but there were other orders ahead of mine. But they had assured me that it would be here by Christmas Eve. I about had a panic attack this morning when the mail came and it wasn't in it. It sort of threw a wrench into my carefully laid plans."
"I see that now," she commented. Then she looped her arms around his neck once more. "I love you."
"I love you too," he responded quickly. He dipped his head down to give her a scorching kiss.
She responded just as eagerly, but after a moment she pulled back with a grimace. She shifted uncomfortably before asking, "Baby, can I get a favor?"
His expression turned concerned. "Of course. What do you want?"
She sucked in almost pained sounding breath and blurted, "Can you back up for just a second so I can reach my transformation pendant? You've done a great job of keeping most of me warm, but my feet are bare and this cold concrete is killing me. My toes have all gone numb and I feel like thousands of tiny needles are being jabbed into my soles."
He cursed under his breath. He'd forgotten that she hadn't been wearing any socks or shoes when he'd arrived in her bedroom. He started to let her go, but then pulled her closer as inspiration struck.
"I have a better idea," he told her as he lifted her off her feet into a bridal hold, making sure his cape covered her completely from the neck down. "Just hold on for a few minutes and I'll have you home and in your warm bed."
"Oh really," she drawled slyly. "And I don't suppose you could be convinced to join me for a little while, could you?"
"I think something could be arranged," he flirted back. "You know, you wouldn't have had to worry about your cold feet if you hadn't changed clothes already. I rather liked seeing you in that sexy little outfit you were wearing, and I would have enjoyed taking it off of you as well."
She sighed against his shoulder. "I guess Mina was right after all. Sometimes we women have to dress differently in order to make sure we have our guy's attention."
He looked startled. "I didn't mean it like that. I think you look beautiful all the time. It was just that outfit was…wow!"
She laughed. "That's okay. I'll wear it for you again some other time and let you have your wicked way with me."
"You're on," he growled as his blood began pounding happily throughout his body, stirring up a certain part of his anatomy best left unmentioned. He was so turned on right then, and took off across the rooftops toward her house at a fast pace.
Katie smiled against the skin of his neck. She knew she was playing with fire and that they were taking a chance by returning to her room. But if they were quiet…
She decided to throw caution to the wind and dove in for the kill. She placed her lips against his ear and said softly, "DJ, I have a confession to make. I'm not wearing anything underneath this robe."
She felt his steps falter for a second, and then he surged forward faster than before, making her hold onto him even tighter as she thought, 'This is definitely a Christmas for catching dreams.'
END
A/N So that's it for my silly little story about DJ and Katie on their first Christmas together as a couple. Like I said before, this was originally in with some of the one-shots I hope to post once GT is finished, but I've had several requests for a Christmas story about them, so I decided to pull it out and post it as a stand alone. I know some of you are probably wondering about the vagueness about their future college careers and about the secret way they are managing to spend time together while going to school in two separate states. Well, I did that on purpose so that I wouldn't give away the ending to GT before it is finished. If I did that, nobody would bother reading it. So anyhoo, I hope you enjoyed it. Reviews, as always, are highly encouraged. I love hearing your thoughts on what I write. I'm off to attend a Christmas party of my own now with my prince. Merry Christmas to everybody! Lots of love and hugs!
~Sere~