Drabble prompt: Stay awake, for lilacmermaid25
A random Christmas Eve at the McCord house
"Elizabeth." Henry pored over the instruction booklet for Alison's dollhouse, setting down the screwdriver in his hand to run his fingers through his wife's hair absentmindedly.
"Mmmmm," she mumbled. Elizabeth was curled like a cat next to her husband, her head pillowed in the crook of his leg and pelvis, wine glass dangling precariously from her fingertips as she stared into the fire.
"Stay awake." He jostled her with his knee, knocking her head askew on his leg.
"Hey! That wasn't necessary," she sputtered, throwing out a forearm to brace herself as she slid off his flannel pajama pants. "You're gonna spill my wine." She managed to catch the glass before it tipped on the fluffy rug.
"You're really hopeless as an elf, you know that," Henry admonished lightly. "Santa would fire you. You never stay awake."
"I do, too," Elizabeth protested. "I was awake. Just comfortable." She sat up and faced him, her legs crossed, the firelight illuminating her blonde hair.
"Sure you were. You promised to help me put together Jason's bike." He looked pointedly at the pile of red metal and black rubber in the corner. "Planning on doing that in your sleep?"
"I was getting to it. It's only nine-thirty. We have all night."
"You say that every year, too. And yet every year, I end up doing this alone."
"I help, she insisted, flinging out her arm in emphasis, catching herself before the liquid sloshed over the rim of the glass.
"You help finish off the all the wine we get as Christmas gifts, maybe." He gestured to the hearth, where an empty bottle and half of another sat on the brick.
"I do more than that."
Henry snorted. "The lady doth protest too much, methinks."
Elizabeth changed tactics when she realized he was probably right. Not that she'd admit it.
"You know, if men knew how sexy they looked fixing stuff, they'd never stop." She leaned forward to nip at his earlobe before he could pull away.
"Huh, uh. No sex." Henry reached for stack of white papers next to him, thrusting them at her with a rustle. "Not until this is finished." He pushed the toolbox toward her with his foot. "We narrowly averted a disaster last year when the kids almost found their naked parents under the Christmas tree, instead of presents."
"I didn't hear you complaining. In fact, I remember you begging. And some very un-Santa-like cursing." Elizabeth took the instruction booklet from him, tossing it into the corner with the unassembled bike parts without so much as a glance.
"I wasn't complaining, babe, but I'd have thrown you under that bus if Santa hadn't shown up. We're lucky we got cold when the fire went out and woke up before the kids."
He pointed the screw driver at her. "Santa, then sex."
Elizabeth smirked at his comment, thinking of the red lace and satin lingerie she had hidden in their closet.
"I do have a present you can unwrap later since you've been such a good dad." She gestured to the toys he'd assembled already. "You've got the nice covered. Maybe I'll just stay on the naughty list." She topped off her wine generously, red sparkling through the glass in the firelight.
Henry just shook his head, a smile teasing his lips, anticipating the inevitable.
"I'll finish this glass, then I'm on it." Elizabeth laid down on her stomach, resting her head on her folded arms, tilted slightly to watch her husband. "I'm just going to enjoy the view for awhile."
Elizabeth blinked blearily at the sound of her name, Henry's hand warm on her chilled shoulder. The room was nearly dark, coals from the fire barely simmering a deep orange. Her arms were stiff, and she propped herself up on her elbows with a groan.
"Hey, sleepyhead." Henry squatted down in front of her. "Santa's been here." He jerked his head toward the tree, where multicolored lights softly illuminated a fully assembled dollhouse and red bicycle.
"Whatimeizit?" Elizabeth rolled onto her back, and peered at Henry's now-upside-down-face through her sleep-tousled hair .
"Just after one. Come on. Time for bed." He stepped over her and reached his arms down to help her stand.
Elizabeth let him take most of her weight as he pulled her to her feet. "Hmmm… well, since you haven't yet said 'I told you so', maybe Santa needs to bring your present, too." She leaned into him, snuggling into his warmth, nuzzling her face into his neck.
"Babe, the kids will be up before dawn." Henry sighed wearily, anticipating the madness of Christmas morning. He brushed his hands down her arms before pulling her away, turning her towards their bedroom. "And I didn't get a nap tonight," he reminded her.
Elizabeth waved off his concerns, and his veiled sarcasm, with a flick of her wrist. "They'll invariably all crash after lunch and we can sneak in a nap." She peered back at him through lowered lashes, catching her lower lip between her teeth. "Trust me, babe. It'll be worth it."
"Oh, I don't doubt that." Henry scooped Elizabeth up in his arms, causing her to giggle. "Come on, Mrs. Claus. Let's see how naughty you can be."