Hey everyone! I hope this chapter finds you all doing well, and having a lovely holiday season!

Early the next morning, the sun had yet to rise and the morning sky was still black as night when Monica was pulled from the most incredible dream of Christmas trees and snowy forests, and it was a moment before she was fully awake. She lay in her bed replaying the dream through her mind, trying to etch the memories into her brain before she forgot them forever. She thought of the beautiful forest, the sparkling snow, and the look in Andrew's eyes before he had leaned in and kissed her …

And then she remembered. Memories from the previous night came flooding back to her so fast that she had a hard time processing them all. The tree decorating and the walk in the snow … that had happened, she was certain. But the kiss … was it possible that it didn't happen at all and she had only dreamt it? She closed her eyes and took a steadying breath, hoping with all of her heart that the magical moment between her and Andrew hadn't just happened in her dreams.

She lay in bed a while longer, until the sky glowed a hazy light blue at the horizon, and she had a sudden urge to see the sunrise. She climbed out of her warm bed and, with her pajamas still on, slipped into an oversized jacket that she found hanging in her closet. She opened her door quietly and headed towards the stairs, walking quietly past Andrew's room so as not to wake him. As she arrived at the back door of the cabin, she slipped her stocking feet into the snow boots that she had worn on the previous nights' walk, and opened the door. It was still freezing, but the air was remarkably still. As she rounded the corner towards the wooden swing, she was surprised to see that it was already occupied. Andrew sat swinging the swing just slightly, with a heavy quilt around his shoulders and a mug of hot chocolate in his hands. She took a few steps closer, and he looked up and met her gaze with his piercing green eyes.

He smiled a greeting and motioned for her to join him on the swing. She slid in next to him and he adjusted the blanket to cover her as well, and then he asked, "Did you sleep well, Princess?" She nodded her head and then switched her gaze from the snowy scenery before her to look at him, and she added with a grin,

"I had the most wonderful dream." She waited for him to ask her to tell him about it, and when he did, she continued, "Well, we went for a walk in the woods and everything around us was still and quiet. We just walked for a long time, until it started to snow. And then … you kissed me. Well, actually … you missed, so I kissed you." She giggled to herself and looked away, missing the twinkle and laughter in Andrew's eyes. The corners of his mouth turned up in a grin and he said,

"Well … that does sound like a wonderful dream," he said softly, "Only, I seem to have those memories too …" Monica turned back to face him, her own eyes sparkling. "So," he continued, "either we both had the exact same dream … or it wasn't a dream at all."

"I was hoping you would say that," Monica whispered, her eyes welling up with tears unintentionally, her very heart breathing a sigh of relief. She still found it hard to believe that all of this was really happening. Not just that she seemed to be falling in love with her best friend, and he with her, but that it had happened with such speed and so suddenly. Andrew noticed the unshed tears glistening in her eyes, and he reached for her hand, squeezing it gently and mentally willing her to tell him what was on her mind. She looked at him and smiled a shy little smile before taking a breath.

"I understand what's happening," she said softly, "and I know that it isn't necessary for me to tell you what's in my heart, because you already know … but I feel like I need to tell you anyway." She paused for a moment, trying to find the right words to say and in her moment of silence, she blinked and a single tear fell from her eye. As Andrew was so very good at doing, he swiped it away quickly, never letting go of her hand, and never averting his eyes from hers.

"I don't know how it's possible," she continued, "and I don't know why it's happening, but I can't fight it anymore. It's too strong, and I'm loosing. Andrew, I've said the words 'I love you' to you so many times that I couldn't even begin to count them … and I've always meant them with all of my heart, in the only way that I knew. But I feel that if I were to say them to you now, they would mean something extraordinarily different, and that amazes me and terrifies me at the same time. I want to say it, but …"

As she had been pouring her heart out, Andrew had been listening, his own heart speeding up and his throat constricting rather tightly with emotion. Everything she had said was so simple and so honest that it made his heart ache. He too found that his emotions were becoming far too strong to fight off.

"Monica … I love you," he said softly, his voice catching on the lump in his throat, "Don't be afraid to let go and let yourself feel it …" He let go of her hand then only to cup her face in his hands and lower his lips to hers in a soft, slow kiss. Monica finally let the tears that she'd been trying to hold in fall down her cheeks freely and Andrew could feel the wetness on the palms of his hands, and taste the tears as they fell to the corners of her lips. The tenderness with which Andrew kissed her gave her no choice but to relinquish whatever restraints she was holding against her heart and abandon herself to what she was feeling.

"Just trust me and let go," he repeated, as he pulled away from the kiss, though he left his hands resting gently on the sides of her face. She nodded.

"I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't be afraid of this …" she said, apologizing unnecessarily, "and I want more than anything to trust you and let go, but … something tells me that as soon as I do …" and she trailed off, not knowing exactly how to voice her fear, but it didn't matter. Andrew could feel the same anxiety in his own heart, and knew exactly what she was trying to say.

"I know that you're nervous, and honestly, so am I," he said serenely, "about the rules … and whether or not this can even happen … I understand, ok? But at the moment, I'm trying really hard not to worry about any of that, and just let myself fall."

No more words were necessary between them, as Monica snuggled closer to him on the swing, resting her head delicately against his chest. The sun had already broken the horizon and was rising slowly, flooding the mountainside with the most brilliant color. She closed her eyes against the blazing light, delighting in the warmth that the rays cast upon her, even though the air was still so chilly. With the sun on her face and Andrew's fingers dancing lazily through her long auburn locks, it wasn't long before she felt herself slipping from consciousness into a warm and peaceful slumber.

It seemed as if only minutes had passed when Monica stirred from her nap, when it fact, it had been several hours. She could feel Andrew's chest rising and falling steadily with breath beneath her head, and she shifted her weight slightly to look into his face. He was already gazing at her, a sweet smile playing on his lips. She smiled back and told him,

"I didn't really mean to fall asleep. You could have woken me up, ya know …" But Andrew shook his head in disagreement.

"What, and lost the chance to hold you for two hours with no arguments or interruptions? I don't think so …" He said tenderly, running a hand through her hair again, "Having you in my arms is not something I generally take for granted. I enjoyed every minute, Princess …"

Monica found herself getting emotional from his words yet again, but she managed this time to contain herself. She too was quite happy to stay in his embrace for as long as he would allow. "I don't know what I ever did to deserve you …" she murmured softly, reaching for his hand and threading her fingers through his, a warm and tingly buzz shooting through her body from the contact.

"I've wondered that about you every day since the first," Andrew replied, chuckling lightly. "After years and years of wondering, I finally gave up and decided that you were a gift, and I never deserved you anyway, so I needed to stop worrying about it …"

Every word, every small gesture touched Monica's heart in more ways than she ever could have imagined possible before now. As hard as it was to "let go" and trust the new and somewhat alarming feelings creeping into her heart, she found that he was making it absolutely impossible for her to do anything but. She vowed to herself then and there that she would make a concentrated effort to set aside her fears and let herself love him too.

"Hey …" she said softly, with a little pout, "I'm hungry …" She disentangled herself from his warm embrace and sat up, stretching her arms above her head and yawning. Andrew eagerly agreed with her, and suggested going to a restaurant as opposed to either one of them cooking.

"Besides," he said, "I don't think we even have anything for breakfast left after the feast Tess gave us yesterday morning. We could go down into the city, find a nice little café, maybe walk around, and see the sights. We haven't really had much time in the past to do those sorts of things, so it could be fun …" Monica nodded, quite excited to get away from the cabin and its surroundings for a while.

They agreed to leave in a half-hour, which gave them plenty of time to get ready for the day, and still time to catch a restaurant before it closed for breakfast. As soon as Monica was ready, she met Andrew in the foyer of the cabin, and she was suddenly struck with a thought.

"Hey, how're we gonna get down the mountain? I mean, we're in human form, so we can't just go …" she said, indicating the convenient privilege of disappearing and reappearing in the blink of an eye whenever necessary. But Andrew had already thought ahead and shook his head,

"We can't, but Tess did," he said, taking the keys to the caddy out of his jacket pocket, and swinging them slightly, a grin on his face. Monica's eyes widened and she returned his smile hesitantly,

"Are you sure we should take it? You know how she get's about that car …"

But he just shook his head again, insisting that it would be fine. Trusting him absolutely, she gave in and they headed down the mountain with Andrew behind the wheel and Monica taking in the beautiful scenery. It took about twenty minutes to get down the winding road from the top of the mountain into the town below, and ten minutes after that to find a café that wasn't too crowded. They were seated quickly, waited on within five minutes, and eating in fifteen.

As they were finishing, Andrew suggested that they explore the town on foot. He left some money on the little table in the corner to cover the bill, and they set out hand in hand down the covered sidewalk, taking in the sights. They walked, talked and laughed, stopping every so often to admire various storefronts, including a pet shop with puppies for sale, which Monica absolutely insisted on going inside. Andrew, who could deny her nothing, accompanied her and waited patiently while she played with each puppy equally, telling each that if she could, she would take them home for Christmas.

They spent the rest of the day in the cozy little town, not really doing anything in particular, just enjoying each other's company. It was well into evening when Andrew suggested that they grab a bite to eat, and head back to the cabin. He could tell that, as much as she enjoyed being out, she was tired from being up so early that morning.

They found a little diner that advertised "the best burger in Colorado" and they sat next to each other in a booth, sharing an enormous plate of food that even between them they could not finish. The sun was sinking quickly beneath the horizon, and Andrew feared that making it safely back up the mountain would be more difficult to do in the dark, and insisted that they get going.

They walked hand in hand, their eyes seeing nothing and no one else but each other. They arrived at the car, and Andrew opened the passenger side door for Monica, but before he let her get in, he tugged her gently into his arms and kissed her deeply, thanking her for a wonderful day. She agreed that it couldn't have been more perfect. She looked into his eyes adoringly, her face mere inches from his, almost hypnotized by the deep green pools.

"I love you …" she whispered, surprising herself by how easily the words came out, and loving the way that saying them aloud made her feel. Andrew lovingly brushed a strand of her hair from her face, hating that he had to let her out of his arms, but knowing that to make it home before dark, he would have to. He placed another gentle kiss against her lips before releasing his hold on her, only to take her hand into his own as soon as they were both in the car, blissfully ignorant of the fact that Tess, who had been in the little town on assignment, had seen and heard the entire exchange.

More soon!

Love, A