Best Christmas ever
Disclaimer: They`re not mine. Not making any profit with them. Just having fun.
She`s standing in the open doorway, hands on her hips, a cute frown on her face. There`s several large boxes scattered all over the hall. Boxes that haven`t been there when she left the house this morning. She turns around when she hears voices coming from just outside the garden, smiling when she sees Ezekiel stepping through the gates, closely followed by Jerry. They`re both carrying another box each, carefully making their way through the garden.
It`s cold, their breath coming in little clouds out of their mouths. Carol watches them, an amused glint in her eyes. It`s been raining a little yesterday, the rain turning into some snow that melted on the ground. The temperature dropped considerably overnight and now everything was frozen. The two men are skittering over the icy surface, trying to keep their balance.
Ezekiel reaches the safety of the porch first, sweat glistening on his forehead despite the piercing cold. His coat is hanging open and he opened the first two buttons of his shirt. Crossing her arms in front of her chest, Carol gives him a reprimanding look.
"Are you trying to catch pneumonia?"
"I`m wearing a coat!" Panting slightly, Ezekiel grins at her.
"Doesn`t count if it`s open. What`s in the boxes?"
Carol tries to peek inside the box that Ezekiel is carrying, but he turns to the side, keeping it out of her view. Pointedly looking up, he puckers his lips in expectation. Carol knows what he wants. Two days ago, Ezekiel hung up a mistletoe over their threshold and whenever they passed the door, he would kiss her. Given that they were still in the honeymoon phase of their relationship and could barely keep their hands of each other, that might not seem something special, but Carol found it awfully cute and romantic.
December has just begun and they`ve been together for about three months now. Everything still felt new and exciting, though on the other hand they were completely comfortable and relaxed with each other. Like they`ve known each other their whole life. So now Carol rolls her eyes at Ezekiel in mock exasperation but leans in to press a quick kiss to his lips anyway. As if drawn by a magnet, she immediately returns for a second, more lingering kiss, her fingers caressing the softness of his beard.
"Uhm, guys, sorry to interrupt, but this thing is heavy!"
Jerry`s voice drives them apart, an adorable blush creeping over Carol`s cheeks. She hears Ezekiel chuckling as he passes her, inwardly cursing him for his ability to shut off her self-control. She holds the door open for Jerry, then follows him inside. With a loud groan he places the box next to the others.
"Those were the last ones, boss."
"Thank you, Jerry."
"Anytime, Your Majesty." His usual happy smile in place, Jerry gives Carol a wink while retreating to the door, throwing over his shoulder "Have fun with that!" before stepping outside again.
Carol gives Ezekiel a quizzical and somewhat suspicious look. Fun with what? What did these two come up with now? Eyeing the boxes, she repeats her previous question.
"What`s inside?"
Ezekiel hangs up his coat, then takes off his gloves and stuffs them in his pockets. The teasing grin on his face has given way to a tender expression, warmth and affection shining from his eyes. Crossing his arms in front of his chest, he casually leans against the wall, smiling at Carol who is getting rid of her coat as well.
"Take a look."
He watches as she kneels down and opens one of the boxes, hoping that she will like his surprise. Inside the box that Carol chose to open first there are some smaller ones. She pulls one out and lifts the lid, the look of curiosity on her face turning into one of wonder. The box contains some beautiful bell-shaped Christmas tree ornaments, the golden surface dusted with glitter that makes them sparkle in the dim light of the hallway. Carol carefully puts the small box on the floor, then digs around in the larger box, opening lid after lid. There`s dozens of different ornaments – balls, snowflakes, icicles. Most of them are golden or red, but Carol also spots some wooden figures.
Sitting back on her heels, she looks at all the boxes in the hallway then up at Ezekiel.
"Is this all Christmas decorations?"
"Yes, they`re from the theater. We used some of the decorations for the cafeteria and the library. You know, the public places."
Standing back up, Carol tilts her head to the side, regarding Ezekiel with a small frown on her face.
"Then why did you bring all this stuff over here?"
Ezekiel reaches for her hand, pulling her against him. His tone is soft when he answers her, his eyes reflecting the love he feels for her.
"Because I thought you might like some of it here. To decorate the house. It`s our first family Christmas, after all."
Carol is hit by a wave of emotions, a soft smile blossoming on her lips, her eyes getting just a little bit teary. By now, she shouldn`t be surprised anymore by Ezekiel`s thoughtful caring nature, but sometimes his sweetness just overwhelmed her. As soon as the words had left his mouth, Carol realized what this was about. Shaking her head at him slightly, she leans forward to press a soft kiss to his lips, her arms wrapping tightly around his waist.
When Ezekiel had put up the mistletoe the other day, he`d told Carol that Christmas time has always been something very special at his parents` house and that as long as there was a mistletoe hanging over the threshold, no one was allowed to enter or leave the house without a kiss. Feeling a twinge of bitterness, Carol had revealed to him that Ed never allowed any Christmas decorations in the house, he even refused to spend money on a Christmas tree. So, in order to give her daughter at least some Christmas joy, Carol had saved every dollar she could spare to buy a small plastic tree. She had expected Ed to get mad at her and was willing to face his anger, but he had just laughed at her and called the tree ridiculous.
"Thank you." Her lips still touch his when she whispers, unable to pull away from him. Ezekiel is so different than her ex-husband, different than any other man she`s ever known. Since the day Carol met him, he has made her feel nothing but wanted and special. It had taken a while for her to fully open up to him, to accept her own feelings and allow herself to get wrapped up in his love. But once she did, it was with all her heart. Softly rubbing her nose against his, she repeats her words "Thank you." Smiling, Ezekiel`s hands come up to cup her face, pulling her into another sweet kiss.
As always, they lose themselves in each other, their kiss, only separating when the front door closes with a loud thud. Henry comes slowly walking down the hallway towards them, his face a mixture between confusion and curiosity.
"What happened here?"
Ezekiel tells him the same as he told Carol a couple minutes ago. Raising his eyebrow in a similar fashion as Carol, Henry utters a single word.
"Cool."
Stuffing away his jacket, Henry picks up one of the boxes and marches on down the hall, disappearing inside their living room.
Carol and Ezekiel exchange a look, eyebrows quirked in amusement.
"Cool." Grabbing a box each, they follow Henry.
The rest of the afternoon is spent rummaging through the various boxes, deciding what they want to keep and finding the perfect place for it. Most of the boxes contain Christmas tree ornaments and there are some large ones with wooden figures that obviously must have been used as props for a Christmas play at the theater at some time. But there`s also some smaller porcelain figures – snowmen, reindeers and angels – that Carol carefully places around the room. Henry and Ezekiel struggle with a huge artificial fir garland, wrapping it around the banister. Some paper stars find their way under the ceiling and Henry insists on putting a Santa Claus doll on the mantelshelf.
While they`ve been busy, the last light of day has faded, the chill of the night creeping inside. After lighting a fire in the fireplace, Ezekiel plops down on the sofa between Carol and Henry, putting his arms around their shoulders. The whole room is a mess, open boxes and unused decorations everywhere. To Carol, nothing ever felt this – homey, in lack of a better word. Tugging her feet under her body she leans back, snuggling against Ezekiel, a contended sigh escaping her lips. Turning his head, Ezekiel presses a kiss to Carol`s temple.
"Happy?"
"Yeah."
On his other side, Henry gets up from the sofa, walking over to the table.
"What`s with this?" he asks as he sits back down next to Ezekiel.
He`s holding the box that Carol opened first in the hallway, the one with the beautiful Christmas tree ornaments.
"They`re for a tree, Henry" Carol says matter-of-factly.
"Yeah, I know."
"Well, we don`t have one." Carol`s tone is neutral, calm, but Ezekiel notices the look on her face as she peeks into the box once again. The same look as when she first opened the box. Wondrous longing mixed with reverence. She wants them for herself, but she would never ask for them. Good thing, he has another surprise in mind.
"We don`t have one NOW" Ezekiel says, leaning back against the sofa, a grin on his face.
Now two pairs of piercing blue eyes are on him and it is not the first time that he is hit by the undeniable resemblance between Carol and Henry.
"What`s that supposed to mean?"
Ignoring Carol`s suspiciously raised eyebrow, Ezekiel`s grin gets even wider.
"Well," he says, "I was thinking the three of us could go out tomorrow and find ourselves a Christmas tree."
Henry`s eyes go round in surprise. Outside? He hasn`t been outside the Kingdom`s gates since they got back from Hilltop after the war with the Saviors. Glancing over at Carol, Henry notices that she is just as surprised as he is.
"Really?" Henry`s eyes hopefully dart back and forth between Carol and Ezekiel.
Ruffling his hair, Ezekiel`s eyes are fixed on Carol. Ever since Henry`s disappearance from Hilltop and his unexpected rescue she had been more than a little bit overprotective. And although Ezekiel now completely understands Carol`s behavior, he hopes that she won`t have any reservations against Henry going out in both their company.
Carol`s first gut reaction is to say no. Her subconscious still just wants to protect Henry, distant memories of her own daughter`s fate, Sophia, trying to invade her thinking. Closing her eyes, she forces herself into the here and now. The Kingdom. Safety. When she opens her eyes again, both, Henry and Ezekiel are looking at her expectantly. There`s no way she could say no to them. And there is no need to. If there is one thing Carol knows for sure in this world, it is that Ezekiel would never ever suggest for his loved ones to go outside if he didn`t think it was absolutely safe.
"I would love a tree" Carol admits.
Taking that as a permission, Henry throws himself at Carol and Ezekiel, hugging both of them at the same time, laughing happily. For some precious moments, the three of them hold each other close, the bond between them growing ever deeper. Like Ezekiel said, they are a family. And although Carol thought she had found a family with the people she met back home in Georgia – Rick and Michonne and Maggie – she knows without a doubt that what she is having right here, the love she feels for Ezekiel and Henry, is something completely different. They are her true family, her fate, her destiny.
Later that night, Carol climbs into bed, snuggling up close to Ezekiel. Both of them are clad into thick flannel pajamas, several warm blankets thrown over them to keep away the cold of the night. Carol takes in her new favorite sleeping position – sprawled out on top of Ezekiel, heart to heart. With her head tucked under his chin, she wraps her arms around him, completely relaxed.
"Thank you." His voice is a low rumble, washing over her.
Carol just slightly turns up her chin, her nose brushing against Ezekiel`s bearded jaw. She`s taking in a deep breath, his scent invading her senses. She loves being enveloped by him, loves having him all around her. Carol would never admit it out loud but cuddling in bed with Ezekiel was her favorite pastime.
"Getting us a tree was a great idea. Henry is all excited."
Ezekiel`s hands lazily rub up and down her back, lulling her in.
"Are you really okay with it? I didn`t mean to blindside you."
Carol`s hand creeps up, her index finger pressing against Ezekiel`s lips to silence him. She really thinks it`s a great idea and she doesn`t want Ezekiel to think any different. Lifting her head, she descends her mouth on his, her lips softly moving against his fuller ones, the soft hairs of his mustache tickling her. Okay, admittedly, cuddling and kissing was even better. When she pulls back, Carol grins down at Ezekiel, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
"You`re not getting out of this, mister. I WANT my tree! Don`t worry, I`ll be keeping the two of you safe out there while you chop it down for me."
Ezekiel barks out a laugh, his large hand cupping the back of Carol`s head to pull her down again. Before sealing their lips in another kiss, he says "I`m sure you will, my Queen."
Carol inwardly rolls her eyes, then sinks into the sweetness of their kiss. This time when she pulls away, she settles back into her former position, head tucked under Ezekiel`s chin, ready to fall asleep. Reaching for the bedside lamp, Ezekiel shuts off the light, turning the room into complete darkness.
"I love you."
Already on the verge of sleep, Carol slurs out a "loveyatoo" then falls into a deep slumber.
She wakes up a couple hours later because she has to pee, struggling her way out from the pile of blankets, blindly tapping into the adjoining bathroom. Carol has no idea what time it is, but it`s still pitch-dark, so she can probably go back to sleep for a while. Before slipping back under the covers, though, she walks over to the window, curious whether there is already a sign of the upcoming dawn. Pushing the thick curtain aside she finds the window foggy from the cold. Using the sleeve of her pj, Carol wipes away the wetness. She can see absolutely nothing outside. But wait. Frowning, she steps closer, pressing her hands against the cold window to shield her face, she hopes to get a better glimpse.
"Oh!"
Suddenly wide awake, Carol spins around, searching for her boots in the dark. She hits her shin on the nightstand, cursing under her breath, the whole commotion waking up Ezekiel.
"Carol?"
His sleepy voice reaches her ear in the dark, but Carol is too impatient to bother with turning on the lights now.
"Come on, you gotta see this!"
"What?"
Ezekiel is still not fully awake, but Carol is already on her way out the door.
"Zeke! Come on!"
Whatever is happening, Ezekiel doesn`t have the impression of imminent danger. So shaking his head to clear away the cobwebs of sleep, he turns to the nightstand to turn on the small petroleum lamp. Slipping into his own boots he then goes looking for Carol.
He finds her in the garden. Standing in the open doorway, under the mistletoe, Ezekiel watches the scene before him. There`s just enough light coming from the hall behind him so he can see Carol clearly. She`s standing still, her face turned upwards, a beautiful smile gracing her lips. Thick white snowflakes are landing on her face, covering her hair. It`s snowing heavily, the whole garden is already buried under a thick white blanket.
For Ezekiel, this isn`t anything new, he has spent his whole life living in this region and is used to lots of snow. Carol on the contrary used to live in the south where there was hardly any snow and certainly not amounts like this. His heartrate speeds up some notches, seeing the childlike joy on her face. Without taking his eyes off her, Ezekiel walks down the steps, slowly approaching her. He thinks he`s never seen her more beautiful, her cheeks stained red from the cold, her blue eyes sparkling in the dark, holding him captive.
The smile on Carol`s face deepens as he comes closer, her hands landing on his cheeks, pulling him down for a kiss.
"It`s snowing."
Neither of them is wearing a jacket, the cold seeping through their pj`s. Carol watches in fascination as the snowflakes land on Ezekiel`s head. Some even get caught on his eyebrows and his mustache. Her fingers reach out to softly brush them away.
"It`s beautiful."
"You are beautiful."
Their lips find each other again, arms wrapping around one another in a tight embrace. Only when he notices Carol shivering in his arms does Ezekiel break the kiss. He`s pretty cold himself, his breath coming in clouds out of his mouth as he speaks.
"Let`s get back inside before we freeze to death out here."
Not waiting for a reply, he grabs Carol`s hands and pulls her back up the stairs. She follows him willingly, but on the threshold she stops, holding him back. When he turns his head to look at her, she`s forcefully pressing her mouth to his again, kissing him breathless.
"Mistletoe" she pants into his face.
Grinning, Ezekiel pulls her inside, carefully closing the door behind her. They leave their boots in the hallway and silently climb upstairs, careful not to wake Henry.
Once back in bed and under the covers, Carol pulls Ezekiel on top of her, her hands creeping under his shirt. He sucks in a deep breath, clenching his teeth. Her fingers are ice cold and she`s still shivering beneath him. It`s still so dark that he can barely make out her face. Hovering mere inches above her, his nose touches hers, his dreads falling around them like a curtain.
"You`re cold."
In response, Carol slides her cold feet up and down his legs. Searching for his lips in the dark, Carol whispers an invitation.
"Warm me up."
Ezekiel doesn`t need to be asked twice, his mouth descending on hers, kissing her languidly. One hand tangled in her hair, the other one works on swiftly unbuttoning her pajama top, pushing it open. His fingers unerringly find a nipple, tightly puckered from the cold. She`s overly sensitive, gasping into his mouth, her fingers digging into his back. Ezekiel`s senses are tuned to Carol`s reactions, focused on giving her the highest pleasure. Keeping his fingers busy on one breast, he tears his mouth away from her and greedily descends on the other one, sucking the tight pebble deep into his mouth, torturing it with his tongue.
Carol`s cry turns into a long deep moan, her chest arching off the bed. God, her skin was so sensitive, if he keeps this up, she will come just from him sucking on her breasts. Just a little bit more – just – a – bit – A sob escapes her when Ezekiel suddenly stops, his mouth crashing down on hers again a second later. She feels his fingers wriggling under the waistband of her pants and between her legs, testing her readiness. She was soaking wet already, Ezekiel humming his approval.
Carol`s own fingers find their way inside his pants, wrapping around his hardness. Impatiently she tries to push up his shirt while at the same time guiding him to her entrance. The way Ezekiel was able to make her lose control was thrilling. Unable to achieve both her goals, Carol momentarily loosens her grip on his dick to use both her hands to push his shirt over his head. With Ezekiel`s help she somehow manages to wriggle out of her pajama bottoms, her legs wrapping around his waist as soon as she is free of them.
He`s still plundering her mouth with his tongue, his heavy erection nestled between her folds. Again, Carol tries to push him to her opening, but Ezekiel captures her hands, pinning them above her head. She can feel his wet mouth on her neck, his hot breath hitting her ear. The sensation causes goosebumps all over her body, her scalp begins to prickle. Her nipples pucker even further, poking against Ezekiel`s chest, the fine hairs teasing her maddeningly with every breath she takes.
"You`re impatient."
Groaning, Carol turns her head, her cheek rubbing against his. Yes, dammit!
"Inside." It`s all she can manage, her body writhing beneath him to emphasize her plea.
With another sloppy kiss, Ezekiel finally lifts his body to slide into her, agonizingly slow. With every surge of his hips, he opens her up further, until he is fully buried inside her. His movements are slow and powerful, deep strokes that have them both moan every time he makes impact with her body. The total darkness is strangely exciting and erotic. Unable to see, Carol focuses on the feeling of Ezekiel`s much larger body over and inside her, his strength, his maleness.
Wriggling her hands free from his grasp, Carol wraps them around his body, kneading the smooth flesh of his back. She can feel the play of his muscles under her palms. Moving further down, she grabs his ass, spurring him on. She`s so close. Changing his position just a little bit, Ezekiel increases his speed. The sound coming from Carol`s throat tells him he`s hitting her just right. Bowing his head, he takes one nipple into his mouth, softly scratching his teeth over it.
Carol is flying. Her orgasm is so powerful, she almost forgets to breath, her cry of pleasure dying in her throat. Her whole body goes rigid, holding Ezekiel in a death grip. He`s barely able to move, so he just rocks against her to drag it out for her as long as possible. When she finally goes limp, he starts peppering kisses all over her face, down her neck and her chest. He moves further down her body, licking her sweaty skin.
Raising her head, Carol opens her eyes. The room isn`t completely dark anymore, some grey light bathing everything in shadows. She can just make out Ezekiel`s head disappearing under the blankets, his beard scratching deliciously over her heated skin.
"What are you doing?"
Her voice is hushed as if not to disturb the quietness of the early morning.
Ezekiel`s answer is muffled but Carol can make out something resembling "gotta taste you."
He`s tickling her sides and she giggles, then lets out a deep moan when she feels his mouth on her most private parts. Her head sinks back to the mattress, her fists clenching the bedsheets knowing what`s coming. She`s so aroused, so responsive to Ezekiel`s touch that she will easily slip into another orgasm.
Ezekiel deeply inhales the strong scent of her sex. His desire for her is driving him crazy. Placing his hands on her thighs, he pushes them further open for his attack. He starts with some teasing licks, gently sucking on her soft folds and probing her sweet entrance with his tongue. Under the blankets, he can`t hear Carol`s soft whimpering noises, but the way she moves against him tells him exactly what she wants. Tightening his grip on her, Ezekiel fastens his mouth on her clit, strongly sucking on the engorged bundle of nerves, sending Carol over the edge again. Now he does hear her, a hoarse cry escaping her throat.
Desperate to join his body with her again, Ezekiel pushes himself up and enters her in a swift move, not giving her time to come down from her high. Carol blindly reaches for him, pulling his head down for a feverish kiss. Her whole body is on fire. She can`t get enough of him, his body, his touch, his love.
Ezekiel`s fingers find their way into her damp curls again, his body moving against her, seeking his own release. Carol meets him thrust for thrust, her own hands holding onto his dreads in a death grip. Ezekiel breaks the kiss, desperately sucking some oxygen into his lungs. In the dim light of the room, they stare into each other`s eyes, panting, sweating, both poised on the edge. Carol`s fingers brush over Ezekiel`s nose, his mustache, her thumbs pressing against his lips.
With a loud groan, Ezekiel let`s go, his hips surging against Carol, filling her with his seed. She follows him immediately, her walls clamping down on him deliciously. Completely spent, they lie in each other`s arms, waiting for their heart beats to return to normal. When Ezekiel tries to move his weight off her, Carol tightens her hold on him, unwilling to let him go.
"Don`t. I want you as my blanket."
Chuckling deep in his throat, Ezekiel just moves them a little bit, away from the wet spot on the sheets. He`s still covering Carol with his body, though careful not to crush her. Kissing her temple, he whispers "I love you so much."
Smiling, Carol hooks her leg over his waist, snuggling as close as possible. "Do too."
Within seconds, they are both asleep again.
BANG, BANG. A loud knock tears Carol and Ezekiel awake, their heads snapping up in confusion, still drowsy with sleep. A second later Henry`s head pokes into the room, giving them a reprimanding look.
"Hey, what are you still doing in bed? Come on, you promised we would get a Christmas tree! Breakfast is ready!
Without waiting for a reply, he`s gone again.
Groaning, Carol`s head sinks back to the mattress, covering her eyes. Next to her, she hears Ezekiel letting out a deep sigh.
"This kid is way too enthusiastic at times."
Snorting, Carol turns her head to look at Ezekiel.
"Yeah, I wonder where he gets that from."
He grins at her and with a dramatic roll of her eyes, she pushes away the blankets, scrunching her nose when the strong smell of their lovemaking hits her nostrils. Scrambling out of bed, she makes a beeline for the bathroom. Ezekiel follows her a minute later, joining her in the shower.
An hour later, the three of them are armored up and clad in their warmest clothes. It was still snowing; the whole Kingdom was buried under a thick white blanket. On their way to the woods East of the Kingdom, they only encounter some stray walkers that are stuck in the deep snow, barely able to move. They didn`t pose as any threat and served as a good means to teach Henry the best way to take them down.
The deep snow and the walker lessons were hindering their tempo considerably, but none of them were in a hurry. They reached the woods in a little over an hour. Once there, they were faced with the real challenge: finding the perfect tree. Whichever one Ezekiel or Henry pointed out, Carol shook her head. Too big, too small or just not pretty enough. No matter how long it would take them, Carol was hellbent to find the perfect tree for their first family Christmas.
"You`re kidding me, right?"
Carol looks at Ezekiel with an incredulous look on her face.
"What`s wrong with it?"
She steps up closer to him, hands on her hips. Throwing another glance at the tree in question, she shakes her head.
"It barely has branches in the middle."
Ezekiel tilts his head, giving the tree another once-over. He still couldn`t detect anything wrong with it.
"Well, I`m sure, if we just –"
"No." Carol cuts him short, raising her eyebrows.
Chuckling, Ezekiel puts his arm around her waist, pulling her close.
Lowering his voice, he says in a conspiratorial tone "You`re usually not that difficult to please, my Queen."
"Ezekiel!" Blushing under her knitted hat, Carol quickly turns her head to see if Henry may have heard him. But Henry is gone. Dammit. How many times does she have to tell him –
"Carol! Ezekiel!"
Henry emerges from behind some trees, running towards them through the snow. Coming to a stop in front of them, Henry grabs their hands, pulling them back into the direction he came from.
"Come on! I found the perfect tree!"
Exchanging a look, Carol and Ezekiel follow him. When they`ve reached the tree in question, Henry proudly presents it to them, showing it off like one of those game-show assistants.
"Tada!"
Seeing the happy grin on Henry`s face, Carol decides not to call him out for venturing off on his own, smiling back at him. Slowly she circles the tree, examining it from all angles. She had to admit that Henry was right. It was the perfect tree.
Both, Henry and Ezekiel are looking at her expectantly, waiting for her verdict.
"Well, go to work then." Stepping aside, Carol makes room for Ezekiel to go about his business of chopping off the tree.
About thirty minutes later they`re on their way back to the Kingdom. Ezekiel is pulling the sleigh they brought to better transport the tree. It`s snowing heavier now, so Carol took the lead, watchful not to stumble into any walkers. For a while, Henry was helping Ezekiel to pull the sleigh, happily chatting with him. Now he is silently walking next to Carol. At first, she thought he just wanted to help her keep an eye on their surroundings, but a look into his face tells her that something is bothering him.
"What`s wrong?"
Henry looks up at her, a wistful look on his face.
"I was just thinking about Benjamin. He would have loved to be out here today. I wish he could be here with us. I miss him."
Carol glances at the boy, sympathy washing over her. Sometimes she forgot how much Henry has already lost at his young age. His parents. His brother. It was a wonder that he was usually quite a happy child. Carol knows that much of this has to do with Ezekiel. That man just has a way of healing old wounds and pain with his unconditional love and caring nature. She was living proof of that.
Taking a deep breath, Carol does something she usually avoids.
"I miss my daughter, too. Especially now. I wish she could share this life with us. But you know what? I believe that those we love never truly leave us. A part of them is always with us, in our hearts. And I`m sure that – wherever Sophia and Benjamin are now – they are happy that we never gave up and that we`re having a good life now. Together."
The smile that`s blossoming on Henry`s face is warming Carol`s heart and she doesn`t mind at all when the boy reaches for her hand, holding on to her for the rest of their way back home.
A few steps behind them, Ezekiel witnessed their conversation, deliberately not interfering. He was incredibly proud of both of them. Proud that despite all the bad things that happened to them, they never lost their ability to love. He could see the growing love between them and he loved them both with all his heart.
They were truly becoming a family.
Once back in the Kingdom, Ezekiel manages to maneuver the tree inside their living room with Jerry`s help, putting it into a rusty tree stand they found in the cellar of the theater. To warm them up, Carol prepares three big mugs of hot cocoa as well as a big plate with cookies. They take their time decorating the tree, sipping their drinks and munching on the cookies. Outside, the snow is falling in thick flakes, but inside they are cozy with a fire burning in the fireplace, Christmas music playing in the background and lots of love and happiness filling the air.
Later that night, when Henry has already gone to bed, Carol and Ezekiel are lying on their couch, the room only lit by the crackling fire and the lights on the Christmas tree. Carol is lying halfway on top of Ezekiel, her ear over his heart, legs and arms entangled, watching the tree with a dreamy smile on her face. Ezekiel is playing with a strand of her hair, drawing lazy circles on her hip with his other hand.
"Did you mean it?"
The low rumble of Ezekiel`s voice pulls Carol out of her half-sleep. Turning her head up a little bit, she mumbles "What?"
"What you said to Henry earlier today. About our loved ones never leaving us."
"Yeah. I did."
Carol feels Ezekiel`s lips press against her forehead, his arms tightening his hold on her.
"I would like to give you something."
Now Carol raises her head to look at him, quirking an eyebrow. "It`s not Christmas yet."
"I know."
Smiling, Ezekiel pushes her into a sitting position, facing her. He`s reaching behind his neck, unfastening one of his necklaces. Then he slides off the gems, holding the bare leather band in his hand. Holding out his other hand to Carol, he says in a soft voice "Give it to me."
Carol knows immediately what he is talking about. Swallowing, she reaches inside her jeans pocket, pulling out the small hair bead that once belonged to Sophia. The only thing Carol still had from her daughter. Trembling slightly, she puts it into Ezekiel`s open palm. He closes his fingers around it, then raises his hand to his mouth to breathe a kiss onto it, before carefully sliding the bead onto his leather necklace.
Holding Carol`s gaze, he reaches out to fasten the necklace around her neck. A single tear is sliding down her cheek. Wiping it away absentmindedly, she grabs for Ezekiel`s face, pressing her lips to his in a tender kiss.
When she pulls away, she is smiling. "I love you."
As always when Carol says these words to him, Ezekiel`s heart does a flip-flop. Pulling her closer, he kisses her nose, then her lips.
"And I love you. More than I could ever tell you."
Their lips seal again in a sweet, loving kiss, their emotions surrounding them like a living thing.
"Do you want to go to bed?"
"No." Shaking her head, Carol glances over at the Christmas tree. "I wanna watch my tree some more."
"Then that`s what we`ll do."
Pulling her back on top of him, Ezekiel wriggles to find a comfy position again, draping a blanket over them. It`s only a little while later that he notices from her changed intake of breath that Carol has fallen asleep. Although his body is getting a little numb, Ezekiel doesn`t move until the fire has burnt out. Carefully pushing Carol off of him, he gets up from the sofa and turns off the lights on the tree. Then he picks her up into his arms and carries her upstairs into their bedroom.
Climbing into bed, Ezekiel snuggles up close to the love of his life.
As for him, this has been the best Christmas ever.