Part VII - A Quiet Holiday

They'd planned on spending Christmas Eve together, but crime doesn't take a holiday.

Warnings: OC, language

It was a beautiful Christmas Eve. Picturesque really. Snow fell slowly, lazily outside the window, floating to the streets and rooftops in thick flakes. The city was alive, glittering in red, green, and white lights, with boughs of evergreen and holly hung over every window and door. Christmas trees brightened half the windows on the street.

I stood at the window, looking out at the snowfall, my hands warming up against the ancient radiator heater. I'd taken a walk down to the Catholic church on the corner, after the evening Mass but well before the Midnight Mass would begin. I lit a few candles and soaked in the beauty of the Christmas alter, the poinsettias, the candles. My walk back to the apartment was like walking through a winter dream. The only thing that could have made it more perfect would have been Rafael walking beside me.

Now I lay on the couch, feet propped up on the arm-rest beneath a thick sherpa-lined blanket, in fleece pajama pants and a henley, watching the snow fall out the window, the flakes catching the city light instead of moonlight. The local all-Christmas radio station played low, and I dozed, waking up now and again every time I heard a sound. I was reminded, starkly, of waiting up for Santa Claus as a kid. Only now, the arrival I was waiting for was actually going to happen.

It was my first Christmas staying in New York - I'd wanted to spend it with Rafi. My mother, of course, took the news like a ton of bricks, but she'd forgive me eventually. And maybe at some point I wouldn't regret staying.

The morning had promised a perfect day. Waking up, curled up with Rafi under a mountain of blankets. Making a gigantic breakfast, of which we ate about a quarter. Finishing up decorating the Christmas tree - that is, until his phone started buzzing, amid the sound of Jingle Bells playing over the sound system. I was reaching to put the star on top of the tree, Rafi's hands on my waist, his fingers brushing the skin that peeked out between my jeans and sweater as I reached. I straightened the star, then stepped back, his arms slipping around my waist. "Looks good, mi amor."

"Very good," I agreed, my hands covering his, feeling him set his chin on my shoulder. Then the buzzing started. My fingers wrapped around his, threading together. "Nope," I singsonged. "Nope, nope, nope."

He sighed heavily, his breath moving my hair. "Baby-"

"Nope." I said, but let his hands go. He pressed a kiss to the side of my neck, before his arms slipped away. I stared at the tree, the new, shining bulbs, the white lights, the shining star, and listened to him put on his ADA voice to take the call. "Liv," he opened with, and my face was curdling already. "And this can't wait?" He finished. "All right, all right. I'll be there in… fifteen minutes."

"Fuck," I breathed, arms crossed over my chest, and I wandered to the window. The sky was gray, the street much quieter than usual. Because so many people were staying home with their families, their loved ones. I heard his footsteps coming in my direction, and I pulled the smile back on. "Crime doesn't take a holiday, huh?"

His hands found my hips, his lips found my neck. "I won't be long," he lied. And I was left alone with a half-decorated tree, Elvis Presley on the radio, and an otherwise quiet apartment.

Thirteen hours later, I was dreaming, and not just of a white Christmas. I dreamt of a Christmas years ago, my first in the house I'd bought at 21, back in Ohio. I dreamed I was stringing up lights on the front porch in a blizzard, admiring the bright lights against the white of the world, tangling myself up in the strings… the wind whipped around me, snow swirling, slipping across my cheeks…

"Mi amor?"

It took a moment to focus, but when I did, I saw my long-awaited arrival standing over me, his fingers touching my cheek. "Hey," he said, and offered me a horribly sad smile.

"Hey." I sat up, slowly, my body as tired as my mind. I took his hand in mine. "Hey, that's n-n-n-n…" I tried to stifle the yawn, and failed. "That's no kind of face for a Christmas Eve."

"It isn't Christmas Eve anymore."

I glanced at the TV, where 12:04 was glowing in white lights on the cable box. I smiled. "Merry Christmas, baby."

"Feliz Navidad, mi amor. Come on, let's get you to bed."

I let him lead me towards the bedroom, letting the glow of the Christmas lights light our way. I slipped between the covers and closed my eyes, listening to the rustle of his clothes, the water running in the bathroom, then the darkening of the room as he hit the light. He slipped into bed beside me, smelling of coffee and faintly of the cologne he'd put on this morning. Eyes still closed, I maneuvered into my usual space - cheek resting on his shoulder, arm across his chest, leg slipped over his. I heard a noise of pure contentment, and it took a moment for my mostly-sleeping mind to realize it was me.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered, his voice tickling the edges of my consciousness.

"Don't be. I'm… happy. To be here… with you." And I was. I felt his arm tighten around my shoulders, and he pressed his lips to my forehead. I wasn't irritated anymore… just comforted, and I drifted to sleep with the Christmas lights shining down the hall.

Translations:
Feliz navidad, mi amor - Merry Christmas, my love

A/N: You reviewers are my favorite people in the world right now. Thank you, thank you, thank you for taking the time to review. I appreciate it enormously! I decided to post this chapter for a couple of reasons: because we just passed the halfway point to Christmas; because I'm broasting in ninety-degree temperatures at home; and because I'm in a fluffy kind of mood. I hope you enjoy, and thank you for reading! -C