After all that's happened recently, Aubrey and Jessica finally get a respite from the drama. Time for some holiday fun as we share Christmas Eve and Christmas morning with our favorite couple.

Please take note...this chapter is not recommended for at work reading due to some very spicy sections.

Watch mphs95 on Twitter or MIBonesFan on Tumblr for some very special L & C Holiday Extras coming up.

Merry Christmas in July...Laura and Michelle.

It was late in the afternoon on Christmas Eve as Jessica worked in the kitchen to put the finishing touches on dinner. A pan of lasagna from Mr. Leonelli's delicatessen was bubbling merrily in the oven as she put a tossed spinach salad together. The fresh green beans were ready to be steamed before being dressed with a spicy vinaigrette. The garlic knots had been placed on the baking sheet, having been brushed with a mixture of butter and light olive oil before being sprinkled with a delicate mixture of freshly minced herbs. The cheesecake had been sliced and was waiting in the refrigerator for the fresh cherry sauce to be drizzled on top. All she needed to do now was to open the bottle of Barbera wine that she'd purchased especially for the occasion on Mr. Leonelli's recommendation.

Giggling to herself, she wiped down the kitchen counter before getting out the good china and flatware. The best part of this Christmas Eve dinner was that she'd managed to pull off the surprise and her boyfriend hadn't suspected a thing. She smiled indulgently as she glanced into the family room. Aubrey was stretched out on the couch in his ratty old Syracuse sweatpants and a beat up Green Day tee shirt, supposedly watching Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, but he was snoring softly instead.

Jessica smiled to herself. That's not surprising, I guess, since we made love when we woke up around six this morning…then before and after breakfast...and before and after lunch…he must really be tired...wow...I wonder how things would be if we ever had a honeymoon...

Jessica had taken a nap after lunch, exhausted but satisfied as Aubrey had once again made her scream his name in a frenzy of passion in the downstairs bedroom. It has definitely been a wonderful day…

She hummed to herself as she set the table for their meal. The contentment she felt at that moment wasn't merely from being sexually satisfied after what had seemed to be a never ending period of abstinence. This was different, although at first she wasn't sure why. I mean, we're still in a good place...we're getting along...we're working things out…

Then it suddenly hit her. This warm, comfortable feeling...this incredible, amazing feeling that I've never had before...this must be what it's like to be loved...truly loved...just for being me. James loves me! Oh, my God...he loves me...and it's so wonderful...

Of course, she'd known for awhile how he felt about her. He'd told her how he felt every chance he got, but this epiphany was like a jolt of electricity passing through her. He loved her, and she loved him. It seemed that they were bound together now...that she was fully committed to him, whether she'd originally planned to be or not. She knew at that moment that she'd never be able to love another man the way she loved James Aubrey.

Jessica was preoccupied with her thoughts as she watched the snowflakes float past the dining room window, so she didn't notice her boyfriend had joined her until he put his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

"Something smells good...besides you, that is." He chuckled softly, but his laughter faded as he noticed that Jessica was sniffling quietly. "What's wrong? Hey, I know you miss your family…"

She shrugged slightly, embarrassed at being caught up in her emotions. "No...it's nothing. I'm fine. Anyway, we're going to see everybody tomorrow. My brothers were quite understanding when I told them I wanted to spend Christmas Eve with you all by myself, especially since you were wounded last month and with what happened to you yesterday. They like you, so they gave me the official Warren thumbs up for the plan. It's going to take some careful timing, but I think we can manage seeing them for lunch and then going over to Dr. B's later in the day."

"Um...okay." Unsure about if he was really getting the whole story, Aubrey nodded slightly. I trust her...if something's bothering her, she'll tell me sooner or later. "So what's that wonderful aroma? Wait! I know…"

He headed into the kitchen and opened the oven, letting out a happy laugh at his discovery. "Italian sausage lasagna! My favorite...but when did you have time…"

Pulling out some potholders from a nearby drawer, Jessica chuckled at Aubrey's boyish enthusiasm. "Well, I wanted us to have a nice Christmas Eve dinner, and I'd originally planned to make the lasagna from scratch, since I know how much you like it, but when you told me last night that you'd been released from your restrictions, I realized I probably wouldn't have much time to cook, so I decided instead to stop at Mr. Leonelli's deli to buy some things for our meal...a premade lasagna, rolls, some cheesecake and a nice bottle of wine." She gave him a flirty smile as she set the pan on the counter next to the stove. "With our busy morning, it seems that I was correct…I've had very little time, thank you very much..."

"You're so smart. I'm glad you were thinking ahead, Jess." Aubrey wore a broad grin as he pulled her close. "Because we may not have a lot of time to clean up the kitchen, either…"

"It doesn't take a genius like me to figure that out." She laughed as she gave him a quick kiss. "Okay, dinner will be ready in 15 minutes. Can you open that bottle of wine?" She picked up the spinach salad as she nodded toward the dining room. I'm going to finish setting the table."

Oooooooooo

"I hope you don't think I overdid it, Aubrey...but I wanted things to be special for us this evening." Carrying the pan of lasagna, Jessica blushed slightly as she led him into the dining room. "What do you think?"

The white china plates had been laid out on bright red placemats, and matching cloth napkins were folded around the gleaming flatware. A small tray filled with glowing votive candles, greenery, apples, and nuts made up the rustic centerpiece. Poinsettias flanking a bowl of silver and gold ornaments on the nearby buffet gave the room a comfortable elegance.

"Everything looks really nice, Jess." Giving her a hug, Aubrey paused to admire the place settings, running his finger around the silver rim of one of the dinner plates. "I'm glad you decided to use my mom's china. The red linens really look good with it."

"Come sit down." She pointed to the head of the table. "You sit there…" She sat down across the corner from him and pushed the pan of lasagna towards him. "Help yourself…"

They laughed and talked as they enjoyed their meal, each one reminiscing about Christmases from their childhood and youth as Christmas music played softly in the background. After three helpings of lasagna, salad, garlic knots, and green beans, Aubrey grinned at his girlfriend. "I thought I saw cheesecake in the refrigerator…with cherries. I guess that's for me, right?"

"You are correct, sir. I'm surprised you didn't ask about it earlier." Jessica reached over to pick up his dinner plate. "Would you like some coffee to go with it?"

"Nah...maybe just another glass of wine." Rising from the table, he helped her carry the dishes to the kitchen sink. "That was a great dinner…"

"Thanks. I wish I could take credit for it…" Jessica handed Aubrey a dessert plate filled with a large slice of Mr. Leonelli's famous New York style cheesecake. "...but the people at the deli did most of the cooking…''

"Well, you know the old saying...it's the thought that counts." He grinned as he pointed to the dining room. "This looks great. Let's go enjoy it in there."

"Alright."

They sat at the table quietly, eating their dessert as they watched the flames from the votives cast dancing shadows on the wall. Finally Jessica smiled at her boyfriend. "Did your family have any special Christmas traditions? You know, things you did every year?"

Studying his plate, Aubrey grimaced slightly. "Oh, not really. I mean, we always had a big Christmas tree...a real one, you know...and we always put these red glass ornaments on it. They were all different shapes, but they were all shiny red mercury glass, and then my mom would stick these red velvet bows on the branches and string white lights on it."

"Of course, my dad was all about the gifts...the more expensive, the better, so I always got the best gifts money could buy." He fidgeted with his fork as he continued. "Not that is was always a good thing, you know? He bought me a fancy silver and blue bicycle when I was six, but he never had time to help me learn to ride it, what with his business taking off at the time. I got a Nintendo in '91 with Super Mario Bros and Duck Hunt included on it, but I could never convince him to play on it with me...real men don't do that sort of shit, playing games with kids, you know? I ended up playing the games by myself, but I did get pretty good at them..."

"Oh, James...that's too bad…that kind of takes all the fun out of the presents, doesn't it?" Jessica was thoroughly disgusted with her boyfriend's father.

"Yeah, well...I got used to it after awhile. I taught my mom how to play Mario, and she'd sit and play it with me when my dad wasn't home. Eventually, once I discovered the awesomeness that is Star Wars, she tracked down that game for me, too, so that was fun." Aubrey scooped up a bite of his cheesecake. "Anyway, even after my dad left, we had the biggest tree my mom could afford set up in the corner of the family room. We always had that Nativity set on the mantle, too, and on Christmas Eve, my mom would tell me the story of Christ's birth, and what part each of the people played in the story. And then she'd say 'everyone has a part to play in the Story of Life, Jamie.' That was kind of her philosophy...that everyone was important...even my dad..."

Shrugging, he smiled at Jessica, silently vowing not to let his bitterness towards his father ruin their evening. "And then on Christmas Day, we'd open gifts and have a nice Christmas dinner on the good china...usually both turkey and ham, even though if it was just Mom and me. Sometimes, later in the day, we'd go to the movies...I remember seeing Galaxy Quest one Christmas Day. Anyway, our holiday was usually pretty quiet, since I didn't have any grandparents or cousins to visit. I didn't actually experience a big family Christmas until I went to Booth's house a couple of years back. That was pretty cool, you know? All of those people together...having so much fun...I loved it. One day I want to have everybody come here…" He took a sip of his wine. "What about your family? What traditions do they have?"

Jessica laughed softly as she moved a cherry around on her plate. "Well, things at the cooperative were always different than they were for most people. Not everyone who lived there celebrated the holiday, so individual families did their own thing. "

Sipping her wine, Jessica continued quietly. "My dad never liked the crass commercialism associated with the holiday, but that never deterred my mother. She always like to overspend on setting up an elaborate tree, all decorated with sets of uniform, perfect decorations. Her goal was to make our home look like the cover of Architectural Digest so we could show off to the other families in the cooperative."

"In other words...show up everyone since your family had money.", Aubrey said. "Yeah, I can relate to that…my dad did pretty much the same thing."

"Yep. I mean, we did have money through the family winery and also from Dad's books and his research, so we were comfortable and could afford very nice things. However, we were also still a family of six children who needed food, shelter, clothes...among other things. We weren't swimming in tens of millions of dollars, although my mother liked people to think otherwise."

Jessica paused to sip her wine. "When it came to Christmas, my grandparents had raised my father to appreciate the holiday for its meaning, and he never cared about using the holiday to flaunt our wealth to everyone else. That has never been the source of his self esteem. He usually went along with my mother when she wanted to buy something expensive, but during Christmas he always put his foot down, making sure we weren't swallowed up by the urge to buy excess stuff we didn't need."

Remembering his own father's taste for ostentatious gifts, Aubrey nodded in agreement. "That makes so much sense."

"It really does. He didn't want us spoiled, but to appreciate what we had, so my brothers and I would draw each other's names, and that's who we'd get a Christmas gift for. We had a ten dollar limit, and creativity was encouraged." She smiled at a happy memory. "One year Jack bought me ten dollars worth of embroidery supplies and then he taught me how to cross stitch, so for the next Christmas he got a cross stitched picture."

Aubrey smiled at the thought of the jack of all trades who ran the family business teaching his little sister to cross stitch. "Cool! Does he still have it?"

Jessica smiled as she shook her head. "I doubt it. I was only ten years old, so it wasn't very good…"

"I bet he still has it...you're his baby sister." Aubrey scraped the remnants of his cheesecake from his plate. "So what else did you guys do?"

"We each received three gifts on Christmas Day. One gift was always a book of some sort...my favorite was the year I got The Secret Garden. The second gift was usually a new article of clothing, like a shirt or a pair of jeans, and the third was maybe a game, an educational toy, or something to use for a hobby. Michael used to get fishing tackle on a regular basis. Aaron and I usually got science equipment, like microscopes or glassware that we could use to conduct experiments. Stephan usually got wrenches and other tools, since he has a natural bent towards that kind of thing. Because Jack's interests were so varied, he got a variety of things...gardening tools, binoculars, or chemistry sets. Jason loved history and research, so he got games like Stratego or Risk."

She sighed softly as she continued. "We were always happy with whatever we got, but my mom usually complained about the gifts my dad got her. One year, about a month after she was back on her meds again, he bought her a pair of beautiful diamond earrings and she took them back because she said they were too small. I mean, you've met my mother...nothing ever pleases her. Anyway, she whined for weeks after returning them, because she said she didn't have enough money to buy what she really wanted. I don't even remember what it was now...I just remember how upset my dad was with her attitude. After that Christmas drama, he decided it was just easier to hand her a couple of hundred dollar bills so she could go get whatever she wanted."

Jessica stared into her wine glass. "Of course, all that 'nonsense' about us kids giving her handmade gifts was out of the question, too. You know what I mean...like the pencil holder and picture frame Christine and Michael-Vincent gave you for your birthday because they love you?"

Aubrey nodded. "Yeah, they're on my desk at work. I love them."

"Well, my mother made it very clear that she didn't have any use for 'that sort of cheesy crap'. If it didn't come from Nordstrom's, she wasn't interested. It made it hard for my brothers and me to give her anything, since we didn't get much allowance…not even Michael, her favorite child."

"Nice. Way to share the Christmas spirit…", Aubrey snarked. Eleanor is a real piece of work…

"Yeah, well…for my dad, she used to spend two or three hundred dollars on designer silk ties to give him at Christmas, wanting him to look the part of a well to do man. I can count the times on one hand when he actually wore one of them, and then it was only because she'd nagged him about it. Showy gifts were never his thing. He didn't want to take them back, though, because he said that would've hurt my mom's feelings...as if she had any. He would've been much happier with a couple of good books or maybe some music CDs, but my mom wasn't really concerned about what he wanted as much as what other people would say if she got him something inexpensive. She was all about keeping up the appearance of being wealthy. Eventually she gave up buying him anything since he was such an 'ungrateful' man, although I don't think he cared all that much."

Realizing she sounded somewhat bitchy, Jessica decided to change the subject. "We did have one tradition I will always remember. On Christmas Eve, my brothers and me all got to open one package. It was usually underwear or socks, but still...it was part of the holiday fun. One year my grandmother sent all of us these crazy socks...mine were different colors and they had chemical symbols all over them…"

"That sounds pretty cool. Booth would appreciate that.", Aubrey said, snickering as he reached for his wine glass.

"Yeah, it was, but the next year, I got a package of panties that had ruffles across the seat, which might've been cute, but I was 14 and going to college the following fall..."

Aubrey guffawed loudly until the redhead slapped his arm. "Stop laughing, Superman, or no more sex this weekend."

He cringed slightly when he realized he was serious. "Damn, that's low, Jess."

"I know." Running her finger around the rim of her wine glass, Jessica arched an eyebrow at Aubrey. "Anyway, I'd like to continue that tradition and let you open a package tonight, but we need to clean up the kitchen first…and feed Skinner."

"Aww. Do we have to? Can't that wait 'til later?", Aubrey whined. "I want my present now…"

"Well, it's upstairs...and once we're upstairs and you see what it is, you may not want to come downstairs for the rest of the evening…at least until you get the munchies..." Jessica took a sip of her wine, waiting to see what Aubrey's reaction to that tidbit would be.

He swallowed hard as he realized what she meant. "Hmm...I suppose it won't take very long to clean up…"

"I think you're right. I'm going to wash the china by hand, but everything else can go in the dishwasher." She pointed to the wine glasses. "Let's take these and the rest of the wine upstairs with us."

"You got it…" Laughing to himself, Aubrey made a quick detour by the Christmas tree to pick up a box wrapped in silver paper. "I think I'm gonna like this tradition…"

Oooooooooo

Aubrey sat on the edge of the bed, waiting impatiently for Jessica to come upstairs. Her hints had been tantalizing...he had tried to imagine what she'd had in mind for the rest of the evening, but he already knew the reality would be much more satisfying.

Running his fingers over the silvery package, he laughed softly as he thought about how good Jessica would look as she modeled her gift. "It's gonna be wonderful…", he sighed. "Now...where is she?"

He was on the way to look for her when he heard her footsteps on the stairs. He quickly sat back down on the bed and picked up a glass, pretending to sip his wine as she entered the room holding her phone and a large gift bag.

"Sorry...Nadia called to see if we needed anything else for tomorrow." Arching her eyebrow at him, she put her phone on the dresser and winked at him before turning to dim the lights. "For this present to be extra special, you need to follow my instructions completely, okay? You need to let me be completely in charge."

"Um...okay." Aubrey was slightly confused, but he shrugged in agreement. "What do you have in mind?"

Jessica smiled as she handed him the bag. "Here's part of your present. I think you'll know what to do with it. Then I need you to sit in that chair…" She pointed to a small side chair across from the bathroom. "...and lose the tee shirt…"

"Okay…" A questioning look crossed his face, but he took the bag and handed her the box. "Oh, by the way...here's a gift for you, too…"

"Thank you." She bent down to kiss his cheek as she took the package. "Give me a few minutes…." She gave him a coy wave before stepping into the bathroom and closing the door. Ripping the silver paper off the box, she giggled happily. "Oh...this is gorgeous…"

She was thrilled as she picked up the short purple nightgown, admiring the slender panels of purple lace, sheer mesh, and satin in front, and then wearing a sly grin when she noticed the back was made completely of the mesh fabric. Turning it around, she gently touched the low cut embroidered lace cups before holding it up to herself and admiring it in the mirror.

"He outdid himself this time…and this will make his present even better." Pushing the box aside, she quickly slipped out of her clothes and put on the lingerie. "Oh, yeah...he's gonna love this on me…"

Pulling out the matching panties, she held them up. "Do I wear the panties...or not? I think not...not right now, anyway…"

On the other side of the bathroom door, Aubrey decided it was time to open his gift. "Whoa…this is great...", he gasped as he looked in the gift bag. Pulling out the garment, he grinned from ear to ear. It was a pair of royal blue silk sleep pants. "These are so cool…" .

He wasted no time in shimmying out of his sweatpants so he could put them on. The pants felt so smooth against his bare skin. He slowly ran his fingers along the crease in the leg. "Now this is the kind of underwear I like to get…I may never wear flannel again…"

"James? Are you ready?", Jessica called from the bathroom.

"Yeah. Hey, these pants are nice...whoa…" He gaped in lustful surprise as he saw Jessica step out of the bathroom wearing her new purple nightgown. Staring appreciatively, he was stunned, not quite believing what he saw. The hem of the gown's skirt hit in just the right spot to reveal a wonderful vision.

"You look beautiful, Babe...but, um...I think you forgot something…"

"No, I didn't forget." She gave him a sly grin. "I didn't want you to tear up the panties that go with this gown, at least not yet, so I decided to do without for now. Besides...they'll just get in the way." She ran her hands down her sides to her hips. "I love this, by the way...it's beautiful. The color is perfect. No one has ever given me such beautiful lingerie..."

"So it's better than panties with ruffles on the butt?" Aubrey laughed as she cringed slightly. He gave her a wolfish grin as he once again admired her in her new sleepwear. "I hope to make this our own Christmas tradition...a new lingerie set for you every year."

"I'm looking forward to that." Arching a flirty eyebrow, she ran her fingers through her hair, giving it a very sexy bedhead look. "So...I did some research…"

Aubrey was already well past listening to nerd speak. "Can we just get to the good part?" He held out both hands to her. "C'mere…"

"Not so fast. Listen, okay? While your restrictions were still in place, I did some research on ways to have low impact sex that wouldn't cause any further injuries to your spleen. Dr. B is an expert on kinesiology, and she pointed me in the right direction…"

"I can't believe you talked to Dr. B about us having sex!" Aubrey was horrified. "That's not any of her business…"

"Relax...it was all very clinical. Anyway, she's done extensive research on the cultural impact exotic dancing has had on a society's social mores…"

"English, please." Aubrey was becoming more impatient, wanting to get closer to his girlfriend as he moved to the edge of the seat. "Come on, Jess…"

"I'm in charge tonight, remember?" She gave him a stern look, and he grumbled his apologies as he settled back in his chair. "As I was saying, Dr. B has actually done some fan dancing, so she gave me some pointers on how to move seductively."

Jessica picked up her phone and accessed a music file. "But she suggested a different kind of dancing would probably be more suitable for our situation. She said if we were careful, we'd be able to enjoy it for Christmas, even if you weren't officially released by the surgeon. After all, since your original appointment was the 26th, it was only going to be a day or two early, right? Of course, now that you've actually been released, that makes it even better."

Sunset on Tatooine began to play softly. After adjusting the sound, Jessica began to gyrate her hips slowly, raising the hem of her nightgown to the top of her thighs, teasing him with the idea that she was without panties as she ran her hand down between her thighs. After a minute or two, she turned and bent over so he could get a good look at his favorite view. "I'm going to give you a lapdance for Christmas, Superman…"

"Oh, my God…" Aubrey was mesmerized as he watched her turn and slink towards him in her sexy lingerie, which was barely covering the important parts. "Really? Oh, my God…" He gasped in amazement as she cupped her breasts and licked her lips seductively. "Um...oh wow...okay...maybe I should lose these pants…"

"No...not yet. I want to feel the silk fabric against my skin." Facing him, she straddled him as he sat in the chair, moving her hips side to side across his growing erection in time with the music. "Listen...there's the Princess Leia theme…"

She ran her hands tenderly over his shoulders and down his arms before gently brushing his nipples with her fingertips. "It's my favorite part…" She bent down to nibble his earlobe. "I want you to be my Solo…", she whispered before laying kisses down his jaw. She swayed with the music, running her hands through her hair as she continued to ride him. "I want you, Aubrey…"

Aubrey wasn't paying attention to the music anymore. All he could think about was the fact that Jessica's breasts were straining against the peekaboo lace cups, tantalizingly close to his mouth, but with the way she was moving, he couldn't quite reach them with his tongue. Reaching up to caress her, he groaned softly. "Don't you wanna get closer?"

"Don't be naughty." She moved his hand back to his sides. "I still have some dancing to do." Still straddling Aubrey, Jessica's fingers moved between them to caress his throbbing arousal as she continued her dance, and he responded to her touch with a soft groan. "I guess you like that, huh?", she laughed. "Want some more?"

He nodded slowly, unable to form a coherent sentence as she stroked him in time with the music. Cupping her butt cheeks, he tried to hold her in place as he strained against her. "Unnhhh…"

"Good. On to the next song." The Imperial March began, and Jessica's body moved up and down against Aubrey's erection in time with the music's strong beat. He began bucking against her, desperate to enter her.

"Come on, Jess…let me in, please.", he whispered hoarsely. "I can't wait much longer."

She looked at his desperate expression and giggled. "Okay...if you insist." She stood up, allowing him to quickly remove the sleep pants. "Sit back down…"

He eased himself into the chair, getting a pleasant shock when she caressed him once again. "Jessica…", Aubrey moaned. "What are you doing…c'mon...you said..."

"Patient you must be." She fisted him once or twice more before turning her back to him and easing herself over his member until he was completely inside of her. Reaching for his hands, she placed them over her breasts as the Star Wars Battle Theme began. She started out slowly, moving gently up and down on him, increasing her speed as the music reached its frenzied peak. Aubrey's hands seemed to be everywhere while she writhed against him, his fingers slipping under the lace gown so he could run his thumbnails across her rosy nipples to her moans of pleasure. He tickled and stroked the silky skin of her inner thighs and stimulated her damp folds with his long, talented fingers...gently at first, and then more urgently as the battle music raged on.

She continued her dance with him, grinding her body against him as he repeatedly thrust into her, spurred on by his moans and cries of pleasure. Finally he grabbed her hips and called out her name in a fit of passion. Feeling her boyfriend reach his forceful climax, emptying himself into her, Jessica finally let herself go in a wave of pleasure.

"Wow…", she sighed as she slumped back against him. "We may have to do that dance more often…"

"Yeah…", he panted, pulling her close and kissing the base of her neck. "I'll say one thing...whenever we dance, if you want to lead, I won't have any problem with it."

He helped her turn around so she was facing him again. "Merry Christmas Eve, Jess, and thanks for my present." He grinned as he pointed to her phone. "Do you have any other music saved on there? Maybe we can 'dance' to it, too…"

Oooooooooo

Groaning as she rolled over early the next morning, Jessica was met with her boyfriend's cocky grin.

"Time to get up! It's Christmas!" He began tickling her bare skin as she squealed with laughter.

"Stop...come on, Aubrey…" Breathless, she smiled up at him. "You must think you're getting some presents, but I'm not sure...have you been a good boy?"

He bent down to kiss her. "Well, you told me I was great more than once last night, so I guess that qualifies. Besides, I'm hungry…"

"There's a surprise.", Jessica said sarcastically. She grabbed her phone from the nightstand. "What time is it? 6:30? Are you crazy? You woke me up at 6:30 just because you're hungry?" Pulling the blanket up around her shoulders, she turned away from him. "Wake me up at eight…"

"Nope...you gotta get up. We're gonna open presents and have some breakfast, and then we'll need to shower and straighten up the house, because your family will be here later. Come on...we can take a 'nap with benefits' this afternoon to make up for it, but it's Christmas morning, so let's go! Rise and shine!"

Huffing out a sigh, Jessica turned over and glared at her overly enthusiastic boyfriend. "But I'm so tired…"

"I know, but it's a good tired, right?" Aubrey grinned as he remembered how many times they'd made love within the last 24 hours. "It was worth it, wasn't it?"

"I suppose…" She laughed as she saw his pretend scowl. "Okay...let me find my robe and we can have our Christmas."

"Yay!" Pleased with himself, Aubrey picked up his new pajama pants from the floor. "These pants are so cool, but they look kinda funny with a tee shirt", he commented as he pulled them on. "Maybe I need to get a nice robe to go with them…"

"If I remember correctly, you didn't wear them that long last night...but maybe next year you'll get something to wear over them." Pushing her hair out of her face, Jessica loosely tied the sash on her robe. "Okay, let's go have Christmas."

Oooooooooo

After feeding Skinner and giving him a new catnip mouse, the couple sat on the floor in front of the glittering Christmas tree.

"Wow...look at all the presents. I don't know which one to open first…", Jessica began. "I think you went way overboard, Aubrey."

"Nah...remember, we didn't have a three gift rule at my old man's house, so I can give you as many presents as I want." He chuckled as he pulled out a red gift bag from the pile. "Here...start with this one…"

"Okay…" After removing the tissue paper, she peeked inside the bag and then laughed out loud. "It's about time you replaced them!" She pulled out several pairs of panties in a variety of colors and fanned them out on the carpet in front of the tree. "Thongs….cheekies...bikinis...oh...what are these?"

She held up three pieces of sheer mesh and lace, one black, one red, and the third a vivid cobalt blue. Realizing what they were, she grinned. "Crotchless? James Aubrey! What were you thinking?"

He pretended to be embarrassed as she inspected them closely. "Well, you know...sometimes I get in a hurry and then I end up tearing up your panties, so I thought maybe this way it'd be easier for both of us…you know, easy in, easy out..."

She gave him a sultry smile. "True...but really, the way these are cut, I might as well not wear any panties at all…"

"Yeah...I guess they're more for decoration...here, open this one…" He handed her box wrapped in gold paper. "It kinda goes with those…"

"A bustier?" Jessica beamed as she held up the lacy black garment and the matching tanga panties. "Oh James...it's beautiful. I don't think I've ever had such nice lingerie...never." Licking her lips, she winked at her boyfriend. "Of course, it could be that someone I know is merely giving in to his lingerie fetish, right?"

"Hmm...could be, but with such a gorgeous model to wear them, who could blame him?" Aubrey reached over to give her knee a gentle squeeze. "I had fun shopping for everything at that little store by the diner, and I think Booth did, too…"

"Wait a minute...Booth went with you? The two of you were at the lingerie shop together? That's hysterical…" Jessica giggled as the image of the two FBI agents looking through dozens of bras and panties flashed through her mind.

"Yeah, well, he drove me there the day you had your thing at the bistro, so he decided to look around, too." Aubrey shrugged at her surprise. "It turns out that he likes to buy Dr. B that frilly stuff, too."

Jessica shook her finger at her boyfriend. "I knew you two were up to something when I came home that day. You both looked so guilty."

Chuckling, he leaned over to let Jessica in on a secret. "He bought her a couple of things for role playing…"

Holding up her hands, Jessica interrupted with a groan. "Okay, way too much information. I do not need to know what Booth and Dr. B do in their spare time." Reaching underneath the tree, she brought out a box wrapped in snowman paper. "Your turn…"

Pulling the paper away from the box, he wore a bright smile. "Wow...this is cool…" It was a gray tee shirt that had a picture of Kylo Ren standing with the First Order emblem. "I don't have any shirts from the newer movies…"

"I thought you'd like it. Here...open this one next…" She held out a small bag.

"Tickets to the Giant National Capital Barbecue Battle here in DC!" Aubrey let out an excited whoop as he hugged his girlfriend. "That's great! I can't wait…"

"Well, it's not until June, but the tickets can be preordered...look...these let you in to the event early so you can meet some of the chefs…"

"Thanks, Jess!" An ecstatic Aubrey pumped his fist as he read the tickets again. "I may have to take a vacation day...you, too...by the time we make it around to all the food booths...the sampling pavillion...watching the hot dog eating contest...we're gonna need to rest the whole next day. It's gonna be so exciting…all that meat cooking with rubs and sauces, just waiting for us to try it..."

Happy that her Superman was pleased, Jessica laughed to herself. I wonder if his other gifts will make him as happy. She was surprised as Aubrey handed her another gift. "You're spoiling me…"

"Actually, this one is for myself…"

"For you, but you're giving it to me? That's intriguing." Jessica opened the gift to reveal two more sets of lingerie: a deep turquoise baby doll nightgown with matching panties, and a sheer seafoam green confection.

Pleased with his girlfriend's squeals of delight, Aubrey grinned. "Maybe you can wear one of them tonight…"

"Maybe so…they're both beautiful, but I thought the tradition was going to be to give me one new nightie at Christmas…" Jessica blushed slightly. "This is so extravagant...I don't know what to say…"

"Say you like them." Aubrey shrugged as he checked under the tree again. "I couldn't decide what color to get, you know...purple or turquoise or green...and Booth was getting antsy while I talked with the sales clerk, so I just decided to get all of them. It was easier that way..."

"So you got me all three because it was easier?" Jessica giggled as she ran her fingers across the pale green fabric. "I know better...I'm surprised you were able to limit yourself to only three…"

"Yeah, you're right. It was a struggle." Chuckling softly, he handed Jessica another package, much to her chagrin, but he shrugged off her embarrassment. "Look, I know maybe I overdid it on the presents this year, but indulge me a little bit, okay? I haven't gotten to do this for someone in a long time…and it is our first Christmas together as a couple..."

"I know...and I had fun shopping for you, too." She handed him another small package. "Maybe next year we can be more rational…"

"Yeah, probably so." He laughed out loud as he read the note attached to the gift card. "This coupon entitles the bearer to one baker's dozen of doughnuts per week for 52 weeks. You bought me a year's worth of doughnuts from my favorite doughnut shop? That's amazing…"

Jessica nodded as she unwrapped her gift. "I knew you'd like that...Oh, James!" She smiled as she thumbed through a book. The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher! I wanted this so badly…that's why you kept talking me out of buying it..."

"Yeah, I know. I had to preorder that back in October." Looking at the tree, he pointed at a large box behind the tree. "What's that?"

"Oh…" Jessica smiled shyly as she got up to hand him the box. "It's something for your Star Wars room, or maybe for your man cave, if you want. Here...open it...but you need to be careful, okay? It's fragile..."

Aubrey was a picture of concentration as he tore off the wrapping paper and carefully opened a packing carton. Pulling away the bubble wrap, he sat in quiet awe as he studied the object.

"Um…" Surprised by his silence, Jessica chewed her lip nervously. "I can send it back…"

"Don't you dare!" He glared at her as he pulled the box closer. "Sorry...that sounded rude, but this is the coolest thing I've ever seen…it's the Death Star...the holographic plans from Return of the Jedi..."

"Yeah, it's a lampshade made out of recycled strips from the film. It's one of a kind…" Jessica watched as he held it up to get a better look at it. "You like it, right?"

"Of course I do. I love it, actually, but it must've cost a fortune. You shouldn't have spent that much money on me, Jess." He carefully put the shade back in the box. "I'll have to make sure I put it where Skinner can't knock it over.

"It wasn't all that much. Besides, when I saw it on Etsy, I knew you had to have it, and I would've paid a lot more for it." Jessica was thrilled with her boyfriend's reaction. "Merry Christmas, Superman…"

He handed her a square box. "Merry Christmas to you. I hope you like your gift as much as I like mine." He watched with excitement as she unwrapped the package.

"Aubrey…", she breathed, pulling out a small gold heart shaped lock with a tiny gold key attached. The charm was hanging from a fine gold chain. "...it's beautiful."

"I want you to know...that you have the key to my heart."

"Help me put it on!" Jessica held it up to her neck so he could fasten the tiny clasp for her. "I love it...I may never take it off…"

"I'm glad...but did you see what else was in the box?" He grinned at her. "I hope you like it, too…"

"Oh…" Picking up a layer of tissue paper, Jessica found a key ring that had an engraved silver heart attached to it. "You will forever be my always…", she read as she fidgeted with the key hanging from it. "That's so sweet!", she sniffled, suddenly feeling emotional as she considered the meaning behind that statement. "But what's this key for?"

"You mean besides my heart?" Putting his arms around her, Aubrey pulled her close. "It's the key to my...our...house. I want you to be able to come and go as you please, but there are no conditions, okay? You don't have to give up your apartment or anything like that. I just want you to feel at home here...hey, why are you crying?" Surprised by her tears, he quickly backtracked. "Listen, you don't have to keep the key…"

"It's not that." Wiping her eyes, Jessica handed him a small box. "Here...open it."

"B-b-but…", Aubrey stammered.

"Please? Just open it." The redhead gave him a pointed look and he knew better than to argue with her.

Pulling off the paper, he opened the box and found an electronic key fob inside. "Darth Vader?" Pressing a button on the base of the tiny figure, Vader's eyes lit up. Pressing another button on the back, it emitted light saber sounds. "Cool!" He grinned as he noticed the key attached. "Is this what I think it is?"

"It's the key to my apartment. I want you feel like we can share everything, even my little apartment." She blushed, feeling slightly embarrassed. "It's not like I have a lot to share with you, you know? I mean, I think we might spend most of our time here, since it's bigger…"

"I think it's wonderful...just the thought that you want to share that part of your life with me is incredible. I'm so glad you trust me like that…" He leaned down to kiss her. "This is the best gift I've ever received, Jess...I mean it. I love it."

"I love my key, too." She smiled as she took his hand. "This was a big step for both of us, and I'm glad we took it together." Picking up a piece of torn wrapping paper, she glanced around the room. "I guess we'd better clean up, since my family will be here soon. Do you want something to eat?"

"Yeah...c'mere." Aubrey pulled her close and gave her a passionate kiss. "But I'm not hungry for omelets or waffles, if you know what I mean." He untied the belt of her robe and pushed it down over her shoulders, running his hands over her smooth skin. "I want to nibble on something else."

Jessica giggled as he pulled her over on top of him. "I think I can satisfy your hunger…"

"And my fantasies, too. See, for a long time I've had this dream about having sex with a beautiful woman underneath a Christmas tree…"

"Your wish is my command." Jessica gave him a flirty wink as she bent down to kiss him. "I guess the waffles will have to wait…"