Disclaimer: "I do not own any part of the Jumanji franchise. I only own my character, Sydney, and any original content that I make her say or do. All other characters belong to the talented writers of Jumanji (though this particular scenario is of my own creation)."

Author's Note: So, I know some of you have been waiting what feels like forever for me to write something for the second Jumanji movie that came out. (Technically it's the third, but I digress). Sadly, this is not that. I'm still working on that. But I did write this little one shot for our 'intrepid adventurers'. (I think this might even help me get a better handle on how I want to write the piece for the next movie.) I meant to have this ready by Christmas, but I'm a little behind that date as well. But, in any case, I hope you enjoy this, and that it makes up in some small way for the continuous wait for my second fanfiction for Jumanji. (I do plan for there to be a second, I promise.)

A Jumanji Survivors' Christmas

She wasn't necessarily nervous because of the orange dress she'd decided to wear. It was a little shorter than most dresses she'd worn before, but that wasn't the thing making her nervous. And it wasn't even necessarily Alex, though he made her plenty nervous on a daily basis. All on purpose, and all ending when they both couldn't stand the tension building between them anymore. The man enjoyed dragging her into that janitor's closet far too much, in her opinion.

Well… actually, she only thinks that now because he's not currently dragging her to it. When he is, he usually turns back to her to make sure she's okay with it again, and she's the one who ends up pushing the door open so they can step inside. But in any case, none of this is what is making her nervous right now.

It's the fact that she's at Alex's house, standing on his porch, by herself. Granted, she'd been to his house before in the short time that had elapsed since their escape from the game. The entire group had weekly study dates, and usually they had those twice or even three times a week when they could. Nothing like getting stuck in a mystical game and nearly dying together to really help a group of people create a bond for life. So, they were often found at one of their houses, Alex's included.

But Sydney had never actually been here on her own yet. Alex's parents knew that she was his girlfriend. And he wasn't shy about holding her hand or kissing her sweetly in the doorway. Both when she arrived and as she was about to leave again. If he stepped outside with them to walk her to her car, he'd capture her in a deeper kiss that had her toes curling and her hands clinging to his shirt. A sight she's quite certain his parents have witnessed by watching them from the living room windows. They hid themselves well, but not that well.

This was still the first time she was going to be at his house on her own though. The group had already had a Christmas Eve gathering together at her and Spencer's house. Their mom absolutely loved how crowded the house could get. Most likely because she'd grown resigned to the idea that neither of her children would have any good friends, and then suddenly four appeared as if overnight. So yeah, the group was always welcome at their house.

Now they were all heading off for separate Christmas evenings. Fridge and his parents were heading to his grandmother's house. Bethany was just spending it with her parents… which was actually a rare occasion, given that previously she would've been with her boyfriend or her materialistic friends. Both her parents were ecstatic that she actually wanted to just have a nice dinner at home.

Martha was bringing Spencer with her to dinner with her parents. And Spencer had ensured he'd loaded a new cartridge into his inhaler before stepping out the door for that venture. Sydney won't be surprised if it's half empty by the time he gets back home. He was likely more nervous than she was.

And Sydney was here, about to eat Christmas dinner with Alex and his family. Including the older sister that she'd once thought was his girlfriend. Ridiculous notion, after she'd gotten a closer look at the girl and Alex side by side. Through a window from the street, yeah, it was possible to think they were dating, she supposes. But up close, the two looked entirely too much alike for someone to not know they were related.

That had been the weirdest part for Alex when he'd come back. His sister, Kaitlyn, had been a baby when he'd been sucked into the game. Now that he was back, his baby sister was actually older than he was. Off in college, she was learning how to be a masseuse, and was also getting a minor in business so she could know enough to come back home and open her own spa.

Alex had missed so much of her life. That was the hardest thing for him to accept. But once again, the game seemed to have to provide for him a way to get over that hurdle. He spent a great deal of time with his sister, whenever he could. He asked her all sorts of questions that, typically, an older brother would already know. But no one ever questioned why he had to ask or why sometimes it looked like he might be getting ready to cry over some moment his sister was sharing with him.

Sydney actually snuck into his house, through his bedroom window one night, because he'd called her in tears. They fell asleep curled around each other, his face buried against the curve of her neck. When she'd woken up the next morning, it had been to him kissing her there tenderly. Which then lead him to teasing the spot at the back of her jaw that drove her absolutely insane.

It was actually the first night she'd been to his bedroom, on her own, by herself. It was the first time she'd ended up in his bed since they'd returned from Jumanji. But aside from his assault on her throat that morning, leading into a make-out session that should be illegal from how hot and bothered it got her… they didn't do anything. They laid there, they kissed, Alex's hand slid up her back underneath her shirt, and then they heard a creak from down the hall.

No one actually came to Alex's bedroom, but they still didn't think it was a wise decision to go any further at that point.

And that was likely part of why Sydney was so nervous right now. She was wearing a pair of wedge heels, tights, and her black hair was curled slightly and swept up on her head. The dress was a sunset orange that Bethany had helped her pick out. Long-sleeves, because obviously it's winter and cold. It didn't have a deep neck or a low back. It just swooped down a bit at the front. Something you could wear to a parents' house and not feel ridiculous in. But it fit like a glove from the top all the way to where it stopped just below the middle of her thighs. It shimmered a bit under any kind of light, which Sydney had thought a bit ridiculous. But Bethany insisted it was gorgeous.

Sydney had also applied some eyeliner and just a touch of eyeshadow. She didn't need any blush. She felt certain Alex would take care of that for her at some point.

Dear Lord, maybe she should turn around and go change. She wanted to be tempting. She wanted Alex to ask her to come back later and sneak into his room again. She wanted it to be hard for him to keep his hands to himself. And as much as all of that would make her blush, she was still excited about those prospects. But what if she'd done too much? The dress felt like her, but Alex had still only ever really seen her in jeans and nice shirts. Bethany had been helping her branch out her style a bit, but she still preferred those items of clothing.

She was ten seconds from turning around, when the door opened before her. She hadn't knocked yet. She'd wanted the chance, brief though it may have been, to run back to the car and change into some spare clothes she'd tossed into her backseat at the last minute.

Kaitlyn peeks her head out, and then beams brightly before asking in a whisper, "Are you ready to come in?"

The girl had apparently seen her and had waited a bit before opening the door on her own. Blushing already, and not even by Alex's doing, Sydney lets out a breath of a laugh before nodding. It was definitely too late to change now.

Stepping inside the warm house, she sheds her coat and hangs it up. Kaitlyn's smile, upon seeing what Sydney was wearing, grew even brighter before she came forward to hug her tight. Then she whispered again, "Don't worry. He's not gonna know what hit him."

Sydney hugs her back, smiling when Kaitlyn leans back from her. And it makes her feel a bit better to see that Kaitlyn is also wearing a dress, even if this is just a family dinner. Kaitlyn's dress was dark green with red berries all over it, short-sleeved and was only form-fitting at the top. Past her waist it waved out from her beautifully. Gesturing to her, Sydney says, "Yours looks beautiful. And properly festive."

Laughing, Kaitlyn answers, "True, but I know for a fact Alex would be disappointed if you'd worn any other color for the first dress he's seen you in." When Sydney blushes but also tilts her head in confusion, Kaitlyn explains, "Oh, you should've seen his eyes the day you all came here and you were wearing that orange top. The one with the swoop neck? He loves you in everything you wear, but that color on you is by far his favorite. With good reason, it looks lovely on you."

Sydney laughs. "Well, thank you. Am I early?"

"Nope, you're right on time. Everything else, on the other hand, is late. But that's typical in this house. We plan for eight and then don't actually have anything ready to eat until eight-thirty. God forbid if we end up burning something, cause then we may not eat until nine."

Sydney just laughs again before saying, "Hey, that works for me. Is there anything I can help with?"

"I don't think so, but let me…"

They both turns towards the stairs when they hear someone start rapidly descending them. Alex is looking down at his left wrist, trying to secure one last button on the shirt sleeve he'd put on. He was wearing a black button-up with gold-colored buttons. Dark pants and nice shoes. He had a dark green vest hanging over his right arm, as though he hadn't decided whether he was actually going to put it on yet or not.

Sydney thinks not. She prefers him in just the button-up, as he is right now. But the vest would be on theme with Christmas, she supposes. She looks down at her dress and wonders again, in spite of Kaitlyn's assurances, if it wasn't still a mistake.

Then Alex looked up, and he froze on the last step. In fact, he damn near missed it and had to catch himself with the railing so he didn't completely fall to the ground as his feet hit the floor.

Kaitlyn grins at both of them before stepping up to him. Giving her brother a kiss on the cheek, she says, "I'll be helping mom in the kitchen. Loudly, if you need me to be when it's time to eat."

Sydney tilts her head at that, but Alex simply nods, "Yeah, that'd be helpful."

Giggling, Kaitlyn walks off down the hall and towards the kitchen. Alex still just stares at Sydney for a moment, to which she fidgets with her hands before saying, "Sorry if I'm… I mean… a bit overdressed. Or not dressed in the right colors. My mom said…"

She'd ducked her head as she spoke, but then she stops talking as Alex's fingers slide under her chin. Lifting her eyes, Syd tells herself she's fully prepared to meet his gaze with her own and not blush right away. That resolution turns out to be completely unnecessary though since Alex didn't give her the chance to meet his eyes. Instead, his lips found hers immediately and her eyes shut automatically in response. Reaching up to wrap her arms around him, she sighs into his mouth, trembling when his hands land on her sides and squeeze before coming around to her back and drawing her in as close as possible.

Releasing her mouth for a moment, he whispers harshly, "If you didn't look so beautiful, I'd almost wish that Bethany hadn't told you how good this color looks on you. Woman, you're trying to kill me."

Sydney smiles and laughs against him. Tugging gently at his shirt, she says, "We're even then."

He chuckles and then turns to press a kiss to her cheek. Sighing against her, he says, "Mom and dad are rather eager, by the way. In a good way, I mean. They were beginning to think you just didn't like them."

Blinking as she leans back in surprise, Sydney asks, "Why? They're great."

Alex grins at that. Then he concedes, "I know you think that. But you've always had to turn down any other invitations to come over here just by yourself. They were starting to think you were making up excuses." As a frown forms on her face, he gives her a gentle kiss. "I've told them you wouldn't do that. This meal proves that you don't do that. Spencer always ended up needing you for one thing or another."

"Well, there was one time that it was…"

Raising an eyebrow, Alex says, "Syd. Nine times out of ten, Spencer is the reason you cancel. And I have no problem with that. I get it, and I get you. My parents need time to get to know you. Which this dinner will help make happen."

She relaxes a bit finally, but still crosses her arms and mutters, "I wouldn't make up excuses."

A smirk takes over Alex's face, and as he takes a step closer to her, causing her to step back since there wasn't any more space between them, he says, "I know. You don't lie."

The wall meets her back and her eyes widen. Gripping his wrists to stop his hands from scaling up her sides, she warns, "Alex…"

"My sister promised to become loud for us if we needed her to."

Which is when it finally registers why she would've said that. Letting out a helpless laugh, Sydney still tightens her grip on his wrists. Whining at how his eyes narrow, as though accepting the challenge she's just posed for him, she says, "You can't make me moan while I'm standing here in your hallway. I will never be able to look either of your parents in the eye."

"First of all, 'can't' is the wrong word. I am definitely fully capable of making you moan here in this hallway." Leaning closer, he adds in a whisper, "And I don't actually need my hands to do it."

Sydney shivers in response, to which he grins before adding, "Second… if you're that worried about it, then maybe you should use some of your Kung Fu to help you get out of this situation."

Which he is aware she'd never actually do to him. Smirking again at the way she clamps her lips together to hide a yelp when he finishes pinning her to the wall, he rests his lips next to her ear. Nibbling at the lobe for a moment, he whispers, "So. Fly."

She would've laughed if not for his attacking the spot near the back of her jaw that drove her up the wall. Her hands at his wrists let go helplessly and rather reach up so she can cradle his head in one hand and cling to his shoulder with the other. Burying her face against his shoulder, she pleads, "Behave!"

He gives that spot a tug, smiling when she whines from where she's burrowed against him. Returning to her ear, he says, "I wasn't going to tease that spot until you ordered me not to. You should've just let me kiss you."

Leaning back, she pulls his head away until she can bring him to rest his forehead against hers. Opening her eyes to look at him, she cups his face in both her hands, finally drawing him in for another kiss.

His teasing the spot at the back of her jaw would forever be her undoing. And his kisses were something she'd never tire of. But his undoing would have to be when she would take the initiative and kiss him. Starting the kiss, tilting her head, cradling him close and taking control of it from the start.

Alex's hands pull her off the wall so he can wrap his arms around her, holding her close. And it's him that moans into her mouth when she tugs his head impossibly closer to deepen the kiss.

When she finally pulls back to let them both breathe, she laughs when he asks breathlessly, "Now who needs to behave?"

"Oh, it's still you." But then she gives him a quick kiss before adding, "Not that I'm actually complaining."

Grinning, Alex was about to kiss her again. And in fact, he had half a mind to try and drag her into some other room, possibly his own, for at least a good ten minutes.

That's when Kaitlyn dropped a pan somewhere in the kitchen before voicing rather loudly, "Whoops! Clumsy me!"

Alex drops his head to Sydney's shoulder for a moment with a groan. To which Sydney laughs before saying, "I think that's our cue."

Lifting his head, Alex nods and relaxes his tight grip around Sydney enough for her to not be on her toes. Something she hadn't even realized she was doing until she could suddenly move a bit back. His eyes flit over her from head to toe one more time. Then he grins before saying, "To be continued."

He takes a step back and slips his hand into hers just in time, because his mother, Susan, comes around the corner a split second after. Smiling at both of them, she wipes her hands on the apron she was still wearing and exclaims, "Sydney! We're so glad you could come for dinner! Are you sure your mother doesn't mind?"

Shaking her head, sliding a little closer to Alex's side, Sydney answers, "Not at all. She had to work tonight because she had last Christmas off. She's actually quite thrilled that Spencer and I didn't make plans to just spend the evening alone together."

Susan frowns at that, "Wouldn't that have been lonely?"

"For some people, maybe. For Spencer and me? Nah. You should see the mess we've made in the past, trying to locate all the hidden Christmas presents that we haven't been allowed to open yet."

Laughing, Susan slips off her apron and finishes coming forward. She wraps Sydney in a hug, and then holds her at arms' length while looking at her. "My, you do look beautiful."

Sydney makes to brush away a nonexistent piece of hair before saying, "Bethany helped out with that. I'm under her fashionable tutelage until she's decided I've 'graduated'. Her words, not mine."

Susan was about to say something else, but Alex's dad, John, came out of the kitchen then. Alex doesn't miss the way Sydney switches her gaze over to him and it softens exponentially. She felt particularly bad about the way the old man had been treated the whole time Alex had been stuck in the game. Even if John didn't actually remember any of that.

Smiling at everyone, John wraps an arm around his wife and says, "Come on, dear." And then to everyone he declares, "Dinner is served!"

And, because if they were going to like her then they definitely needed to like the real her, as soon as Sydney walks into the kitchen and gets a whiff of everything, she moans. "Everything smells so good. I'm so glad I haven't eaten since breakfast. Now I might actually be able to try everything."

There was only one downside to dinner at all. And it wasn't any of the things Sydney had been worried about going wrong. Her main concern being whether Alex's parents would decide to like her or not. But they love her to pieces. And Kaitlyn seems to already think that Sydney is something of a sister to her, already claiming that when she comes back again for Easter, Sydney has to let her take them both on a girl's day trip to the spa.

Sydney's stipulation on that was that Kaitlyn had to let her teach the poor girl how to throw a proper punch. The fact that Kaitlyn didn't already know how seemed to be appalling to Sydney, which then made everyone else at the table laugh.

So, the downside wasn't Alex's parents or sister. And it definitely wasn't him not touching her enough. Soon as they were seated at the table, he scooted his chair closer to hers, and his hand found her knee. In fact, his hand hardly ever came up to rest above the table. He occasionally pinched her side when she tried to pick on him. And Sydney doesn't know how she managed to get away with no one noticing her face turning a million shades of red when Alex's hand slid past her knee and as far up her thigh as he could manage.

No, none of these were downsides. The downside to the evening, was that Alex hadn't asked her to stay. Not that she'd been expecting him to do so in front of his parents, but she'd rather hoped he'd ask her to sneak back in later, or something along those lines. But at the end of the night, he walked her to her car, gave her a kiss that made her have to lean against her door to not fall to the ground, and then wished her a Merry Christmas before she went on her way.

All in all though, as she removes her heels and steps into her warm house, she calls the evening a success. She feels closer to Kaitlyn. She feels like she'd be okay spending more time alone with Alex's parents than she had previously. And she hadn't made a complete fool of herself in front of her boyfriend.

Glancing down at her phone when it chimes, she can't help laughing when she reads Spencer's message of, "So… Martha wants me to stay the night. Which I'm definitely down to do. But are you okay covering for me?"

So maybe it was good that Alex hadn't asked her to stay. How was she going to cover for Spencer if she was also not at home to explain anything? Typing back, she responds, "Got you covered, Spencer. Have fun. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

She nearly falls onto the couch laughing when he responds back, "A, I'm aware that's a short list. You're fearless. B, don't make me start hyperventilating. I don't have much left in my inhaler."

Sydney glances around the living room for a moment, pondering whether she wants to watch any TV, or if she'll just go up to her room and get ready to settle in for bed. That's when another text comes through. Glancing down and seeing Alex's name, she reads, "Do me a favor. Keep your dress on for, approximately, another ten minutes."

Raising an eyebrow, she prepares ask why… but then just shrugs. Ten minutes? She could do that. So she doesn't even merit him with a reply and just heads up to her room, keeping the dress on for now.

She's attempting to figure out how to take her hair down, what with all the pins Bethany had helped put in to keep it in place. That's when she jumps upon hearing a tapping sound at her window. Spinning around, her hand automatically grabbing a book that she could throw from her desk, Sydney ends up blinking in surprise when she sees Alex's face.

He chuckles when she opens the window and then, rather than just let him in, sticks her head out to see how the hell he was outside her second story window. If there had been a tree, that would've been understood. But the tree of their yard extended to Spencer's window, and not her own.

Her eyes widen upon seeing the ladder he's standing on. Where had that come from? Lifting her head, she finally just laughs and asks, "What are you doing?"

Lifting an eyebrow, he says, "Sneaking into my girlfriend's bedroom window. If she'll back up and let me, that is."

She takes a step back and then watches him maneuver into her room. Sighing after successfully completing that, Alex closes her window behind him, and then turns to face her. His eyes take in the dress she's still wearing, and the smile that lights his face just grows when he lifts his gaze to see her hair, now half falling down. Sydney reaches for a strand, certain that it looks a mess now.

Alex moves and pushes her hand aside. Reaching up for her hair, his fingers begin gently searching for remaining pins. He grins at her blushing face, and then kisses the end of her nose before saying, "Hey gorgeous."

She lets out a little burst of laughter before saying, "Oh, yeah. I'm sure I look spectacular now."

She freezes though and stares at him with wide eyes when Alex says in a deeper tone, "You have no idea."

And he truly did think that. Oh, she'd looked beautiful earlier as well, there was no denying that. She looked beautiful all the time, in his opinion, and he didn't care if she agreed or not.

This, though? This was when he thought she looked most radiant. Shoes off her adorable, albeit sometimes deadly, bare feet. Her hair half falling down, coming undone from her attempts to do more with it. And her eyes, those beautiful brown eyes that he wanted to melt into. She had such expressive eyes. In Jumanji, it had been her hair that they'd all read to try and figure out how she was feeling. But here, in the real world, Alex was learning to read her eyes.

Just like he had all night. It's how he knew, even when she'd been gripping his wrists and had been nervous about getting caught in the hallway, that she still really did want him to kiss her. It's how he knew, in spite of it causing her to blush, that she loved the fact that his hand hardly left her leg while they were eating dinner.

And it's how he'd known, even after the kiss he'd given her at her car earlier, that she had been disappointed to be leaving. He'd been hoping for that, actually. It told him everything he needed to know so he could go forward with tonight.

Pulling the last pin from her hair, letting it all tumble around his hands, he lets his nose rest against hers before asking, "Now; since my entire family is still at my house, and since you are the only one here in your house… I figured I'd just let myself drop in. Or, climb in, more like."

Laughing lightly, Sydney asks, "Oh, yeah?"

"Yep. Just to, you know, check up on you. See how things are going. See if, maybe, you need help getting out of this dress."

He hears the gasp, but it's her eyes he searches in when they jump back to his. Brown eyes that are wide with shock, because this was not the way she'd planned the night out in her head. Eyes that told him she was nervous, which he understood all too well. Things were still weird out here in the real world, and he didn't want to tell Sydney about this. But… he had started to feel how much time he'd spent away. Not physically or anything like that. It was more just that, in his mind at least, he felt how much time had actually gone by, as opposed to the way the rest of his family seemed to think everything was normal.

He chalked it up to Sydney's idea that, even though the game had to provide him a way to still function now that he was back, some things would still have to give. Like his playing the drums. He remembered how and had been practicing since his return. But his hands could feel that they hadn't actually been used to play his favorite instruments for a long time.

And he could tell every time he looked at Sydney that it had been a long time since he'd been with a girl. In any capacity. His body refused to relax sometimes, so keyed up around her. It had actually pained him on a few occasions to look at her from across the room. And that night she'd come to his house and slept in his bed? Well… how she hadn't felt all that he'd wanted to do to her right then was beyond his ability to comprehend. And if not for the noise that day outside his room, reminding him they weren't alone, he definitely would've carried on with her then.

He's glad he's waited though, because her eyes held surprise and nervousness. But there was also joy and hope. She wanted this. Hell, half the reason Bethany was able to convince her to wear this dress was probably because she'd told Sydney it would be too much for him to refuse.

The dress was certainly beautiful, but she could've come to his house dressed in her baggiest pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt, and he still would've found himself wondering how to get her out of it. Smiling at her expression now, even chuckling a bit at the pink that's appearing in her cheeks, he asks, "So, would you like some help?"

Sydney finally smiles, snapping out of her surprise. Nodding, she gently guides his hands away from her face and turns around in front of him. She pulls her hair over one shoulder, revealing the top of the zipper at the back of her dress.

Alex knew where it was, of course. He'd seen it earlier tonight and had contemplated reaching up for it on occasion to play with it idly, sort of tease at his intentions for later. But he'd restrained himself. He suspects that would've just made her jumpier and more nervous the rest of the night, and then confused when he sent her home after.

Tugging at it now though, he slowly draws it down her back, where it ends at the base of her spine. Sydney moves her arms, beginning to try and tug at her own sleeves. Alex stills her movements though. Dropping his head down to hers, he lets his lips brush over the top of her ear before saying, "I've been imagining getting you out of this dress all night. Please, please let me enjoy it now."

The small moan she lets slip makes him smile, and he kisses the top of her ear before trailing down to the back of her jaw, pulling a half-moan, half-whimper from her lips. Moving to the curve of her throat, he slowly peels her dress apart at the back, pushing it forward just enough to reveal her bare shoulder.

His lips pressed there, and then worked in a line across her back until he'd done the same for her other shoulder. Sydney was expecting him to push the dress further down after that, given that it was already hanging off her shoulders now. But she jumps when, instead, his lips simply start trailing down her back.

Alex studies every inch of her bare back with his lips, his hands slipping beneath what material is still in his way and moving it aside so he can kiss everywhere possible. Sydney's body trembles and shakes the most when he teases her spine, and she moans again when he reaches the base of her spine. So, rather than move to the front yet, he returns to the top of her back, and trails another slow line of kisses, nibbles, and licks just down her spine.

Her nails are digging into her palms already when he reaches the base of her spine again. Twirling his tongue there, nipping at it, and then kissing it so admiringly, Alex smirks when Sydney arches her back and lets out a loud and desperate cry. Whining behind tight lips, she pleads, "Alex."

The kiss he presses to the back of her neck lets her know he's standing again. Then his hands gently come to her shoulders and work the dress down a bit more.

When he finally circles to her front, fingers trailing across her back as he moves, he smiles adoringly at her desperate expression. Kissing the end of her nose, dispelling just a bit of that desperation, he asks, "Trust me?"

Sydney nods immediately before adding, "With everything."

His smile widens. Then he gently continues pulling her dress down her arms, letting it fall away from her torso. It's still hanging off of her around her waist, and Alex lets out a slightly shaky breath at the sight of her. Seeing with her hair half-undone was one thing that would never cease to take his breath away. But he apparently had a thing for seeing just her, in general, looking half-undone. Because right now, with her dress half hanging off, her bra the only thing obstructing his view, and her hair a bit of a mess from his hands running through it?

Lord help him. If he weren't so determined to savor this, he'd toss moving slow right out her window and down the ladder that was still resting there.

Stepping back up to her, catching her wrists that had started fidgeting to maybe try and cover part of her up, he lands a swift kiss to her lips. Breathing out heavily when he pulls back, he finally says aloud, "You look so… so…"

Sydney offers him a slight grin before asking, "Fly?"

Alex grins back, but then lets out a huff before saying, "That word is still reserved for you, and only you. But even that doesn't do you justice. I don't know any words long enough or with enough meaning behind them to describe how you look to me, what you mean to me, how much I…"

She knows the word on his lips was about to be 'love'. It's not a word they'd used yet between the two of them. Despite what they'd obviously been through, and even knowing that this was not temporary between them… it still felt too soon for that.

Sydney resists the urge to roll her eyes at herself. They were about to have sex, and here she was thinking in her head that it was too soon for the word 'love'. That was so backwards. So incredibly backwards. She wouldn't be standing here, letting him undress her at all, much less this slowly, if she didn't…

Her eyes widen slightly, and for a split-second Alex's smile slips from his face. His heart leaps into his throat, terrified that he's somehow ruined this for her.

Then his own eyes widen before they slip closed and he moans into her mouth after she drags him forcefully into another kiss. She only lets it last for a moment. Just long enough that, when she pulls back, Alex leans with her to try and recapture her lips with his.

Slow was definitely about to disappear from the plan tonight.

Sydney reaches up with one hand to cover his mouth, ensuring he pauses and actually looks at her. Smiling up at him, not caring any longer if it seemed too quick or maybe felt too fast by society's standards. She was not a conventional human being, so why should her road trip to love be expected to follow that route?

Answer? It wasn't.

Leaning forward, resting her nose next to his, her hand still over his mouth, she sighs and even lets out a little giddy laugh before saying softly, "I love you." And because she feels him freeze and she wants to ensure he heard her properly, she says just a smidge louder, "I love you, Alex Vreeke."

Silence for a moment. Sydney is honestly becoming a slight bit worried that she might've frightened him. Then his lips press against the fingers she still has covering his mouth. Opening her eyes to look at him, she watches as he raises an eyebrow at her before mumbling, "You gonna let me talk now?"

She lets her hand fall to his chest, where he catches and holds it. Thumb running over the back of her knuckles, he smiles so wide down at her that she wonders how his face doesn't hurt. Then he kisses the end of her nose again before saying, "I love you right back, Sydney Gilpin."

He kisses her soundly on the mouth after that. Sydney reaches up to wrap her arms around him, her fingers delving into his hair. His hands splay against her back for a moment, and then she feels his fingers gently fiddle with the hooks of her bra at her back.

He stops after he gets her attention though. Leaning back to look at her again, he says, "We don't have to do this tonight. I promise, I will find a way to make myself content to just lay here and hold you."

Sydney grins up at him. Then she shrugs before conceding, "You have more willpower than me then. Because I don't think I could make myself feel satisfied if you stopped now." Gripping the front of his shirt, she starts popping open the buttons while adding, "I want this, Alex. I want you. Do you want me?"

He lets out a breathless laugh before saying, "Woman. Don't ask stupid questions. I will always want you."

Then he moans when she reaches behind her own back, unhooks her own bra, and whispers against his lips, "Show me."

When she woke up the next morning, she frowned immediately. Alex wasn't with her. They'd fallen asleep together, in her room, tangled in the sheets. Yet somehow, he wasn't here when she woke up.

The tiniest bit of doubt creeps into her mind before she squashes it. She was not going to be that girl that started looking into every action and trying to see the bad side immediately, rather than looking for rational explanations. And there were several. Maybe he'd needed to go to the bathroom. Maybe he was making breakfast, though she thinks that one is a stretch. Maybe he had to go home so he didn't get caught. Maybe a family emergency had come up and he'd literally had to run out the door without taking the time to let her know what was going on.

She would've kept listing the possible reasons he wasn't here, reaching for her cell phone to see if he'd at least left her a message of some sort to explain where he'd gone. But that's when he walked back into her room and quietly shut the door behind himself.

Smiling at her, coming back to bed with his own tired eyes, he crawls towards her. Sydney lifts up the covers so he can get back under them with her, and then asks sleepily, "How'd you manage to not wake me up?"

Chuckling, Alex says, "Might've had something to do with my kissing your forehead and running my fingers through your hair while trying to get out of the mess we made of the sheets. I was surprised it worked. You had a rather tight grip on me. But you also looked so peaceful… I just didn't want to wake you."

Snuggling into his chest, Sydney reclaims her tight grip on him by wrapping her arm around to his back. Tracing over some of his muscles, she laughs when he chuckles at her actions. Then she asks, "Where'd you go?"

"Had to put the ladder away somewhere. Don't want your mom to come home and see it there. Figured that wouldn't end well. If we're at least up and dressed before she comes back, then it just looks like I came over early for Christmas breakfast. But if the ladder's still there…"

Sydney nods. Pressing a kiss to his chest, she says, "I'm glad you thought of that. It would really suck if either of us got grounded after last night."

"And why is that, in particular?"

"Oh, I'm just not sure how you'd survive being grounded from seeing me for even just a week. I mean, now that you've experienced all this wonderfulness, to just stop cold turkey would…"

She shrieks when he tickles her ribs. Gripping his wrists, she flips them so she's on top, pinning his arms next to his head on either side.

Grinning up at her, he glances at their current position, and then lifts an eyebrow. "Looks to me like you're the one that is going to have a problem keeping your hands off of me for a while."

Sydney just laughs down at him, bending the rest of the way to capture his lips in a kiss. He sighs happily into her mouth, and as soon as she releases his hands, he wraps them around her back and pulls her flush against him. Her entire naked body pressed against him is a perfect depiction of heaven, even if he is wearing boxer briefs now.

Sydney grins when she feels his body responding to hers. Giving a tug at his boxer briefs, she says, "Feels like these are becoming a bit uncomfortable for you."

Alex chuckles, but pauses her fingers and then gently rolls them so he's on top. Reaching over for her nightstand where he'd sat some of his things last night, he places a little brown box over the center of her chest.

Sydney stares at it for a moment, and then laughs when Alex assures, "It's not an engagement ring. I do still think it'd be a bit early for that. It's not a ring at all, actually." Giving her a quick kiss, he pops the box open and then lifts it for her to see.

The necklace inside holds a black bird with sunset orange streaks in its wings and tail. Sydney beams at it, and then Alex turns the image over so she can see the back. Engraved in the same sunset orange color, it says, "For the girl who holds my sunshine in her smile, my happiness in her voice, and my heart in her hands. Fly, baby. So, fly."

Sydney traces over the words for a moment, then looks up at Alex to find him watching her adoringly. Smiling up at him, she sits up a moment and asks, "Put it on me?"

He clasps it behind her back when she hands it to him, and then traces his fingers down her spine while pressing warm kisses to the back of her shoulder. Reaching the curve of her neck, he says, "I love you, Sydney Gilpin. I meant it last night. I mean it now. I'll mean it tomorrow. And I'll mean it for the rest of my life."

Turning to face him, Sydney kisses him hard before saying, "I love you too. So, so much."

They bask in this tender moment for a little while longer. Then Alex finally grins a little before asking, "You wanna show me?"

"God, yes."

They make sure they're downstairs and that some semblance of a breakfast is ready long before her mother comes home. She already has an excuse lined up for Spencer, and neither Alex or Sydney look like they have anything to be guilty about.

Alex is eating a piece of bacon from the plate Sydney has been stacking up. Pressing a kiss to the back of her neck, he says, "I've been thinking."

"About?"

"Well, I still know how to play drums. My plan before I went into Jumanji was to be a drummer. Nothing major, mind you. Gigs in a few other states every now and then, but mostly here and local. Maybe work on game design or mechanics aside from that."

Sydney nods, understanding all of that. Then she freezes when Alex adds, "Only thing is… I need to find someone who can sing for me. I've got two guitar players and a keyboard man wanting to work on playing together. But while we can all sing backup pretty well, none of us have a voice to be lead."

"Alex…"

"Sydney."

Turning to look at him, she asks, "Are you serious?"

"Yes. I know you wouldn't want it to be full-time for you either. And these guys, they've all got other interests too. We all just want to get together and do this because we love it, and we don't want to lose that while pursuing other things."

Tugging at a wayward piece of her hair that had been missed when she tossed it up, he smiles down at her wide eyes. "And I know you love to sing."

"Yeah… for family. I…"

"Sydney."

She stopped at his tone, because he knew that wasn't the complete truth. She loved to sing, period. He heard her all the time. Humming tunes while she cooked. Mumbling a song under her breath while they were doing homework together and she thought no one else could hear her. Outside when she was doing other chores. She even did it in class. She was just accustomed to not being the girl that anyone could see as being a singer.

But she didn't have to be anymore. And her voice is beautiful. He's honestly tried to picture someone else being lead singer of this band he's creating, because he knew there was a possibility she'd say no. But he can't. It's got to be her.

Tilting her head at him, she then blushes a bit before admitting, "I… you'd have to start me out slow. Small crowds. And I mean… super tiny. Like… ten people, maybe fifteen tops, and that's…"

She's scooped up in his arms before she can add any more. Spinning her around, he attacks the back of her jaw with kisses and nips and sucks until he's positive he's left a hickey. Sydney's moan is high-pitched, unable to hide it from the suddenness of his beautiful assault on that tender spot.

When he pulls back to meet her dazed expression, he kisses her gently before saying, "We can start however you want. We can progress as fast or as slow as you want. If all we end up doing for the next ten years is playing together in a garage somewhere, that will all be perfectly fine with me. Just so long as you come and join in that with me. Because, and I'm serious, but it all wouldn't amount to much without you being a part of it."

She stares up at him for a moment, and then just smiles. Wrapping her arms behind his neck, she says, "Then I'm in. On one condition."

"No large crowds."

"That's a given. I have another condition."

Nodding, Alex simply says, "Name it."

She gives him a gentle tug and then says, "Kiss me."

He does, and nearly doesn't quit. It's only the smell of the bacon almost burning that pulls them apart. And even then, as soon as the stove is off, he's kissing her again.

Sydney's mother finds them in a chair in the kitchen, Sydney sitting sideways in Alex's lap, her hands holding his head to her while one of his hands cradles her cheek, the other bracing against her back. And while she berates them slightly, she can't help laughing when they jump apart at her presence… only to come back together after that initial shock.

Spencer called later, panicking because he'd meant to be home sooner. Sydney assured him she had it under control, and then shrugs at the eyebrow Alex lifts at her. Her brother still panics too much. He still gets into his own head too much. And he still calls her all the time to ask for help. In fact, he potentially asks for her help more now than he had before they'd actually been in the game.

Sydney has a feeling that might become a problem in the future… but she doesn't worry about that right now. Right now, she scoots her chair closer to Alex's, taking his hand beneath the table, and then blushing when he places it on her thigh and squeezes tenderly. Right now, she focuses on the here and now. On the fact that it's Christmas, and that she told him she loved him, and that he said the same back.

It truly is a wonderful and incredibly Merry Christmas.