Who the hell hung mistletoe in a store? That was just wrong and completely unfair. How was one supposed to avoid the insidious little plant if one wasn't expecting to find it?
And it was pretty much impossible to pretend you hadn't seen it (once you were standing beneath the sprig) when you were being stared at expectantly by a trio of tutu wearing six year olds.
After another barely productive meeting with Hobbes, FBI Agent Erica Evans and Father Jack Landry had left the less than pleasant Fifth Colum HQ (though they had to admit, the place was a lot cleaner than it had been. From the lingering smell of the cleaning product, Hobbes was apparently fond of Comet), stepping out into the New York Winter. A light snow fall had begun, not enough to accumulate on the subway warmed streets, but enough to make things feel…Christmassy.
Strolling along the sidewalk, Jack had offered his arm and she accepted. Out on the street, they were just two random people amidst the masses and, since Jack wasn't wearing his collar, Erica felt it wasn't improper. No one would give them a second glance.
They kept the conversation light, knowing anyone could overhear them and, when Erica pointed to a sign advertising Hot Chocolate, they entered a small shop. The warming drink seemed a wonderful idea on the chilly evening.
Stepping inside, they found it to be one of those places trying to be an old style mom and pop store. Candy, small nick knacks and basic groceries were on one side of the space, but the busiest area was the long ice cream counter where, in the cold weather, they served hot drinks and cookies.
Moving towards the counter, they passed under a small arch, which was when a little voice called out, "Oh! You're under the mistletoe! You have to kiss!"
Erica was startled and glanced up.
Sure enough, a festive sprig of mistletoe was hovering over Jack's head. Meeting the priest's gaze, she smiled fondly as she watched a blush creep up from his neck to spread over his cheeks.
"Kiss!" the voice chirped again and both resistance members turned to look for the source. Three little girls in ballet tutus were sitting on stools by the counter, cocoa and cookies before them. Two were giggling as they watched expectantly and the spokes-child continued, nodding sagely, "Daddy says mistletoe is magic and when he kisses Mommy under it Santa's reindeer get stronger!"
Okay, that was more than a little adorable. The mother inside her couldn't bring herself to disappoint those little faces. Looking at Jack, she knew her own cheeks flushed as she asked, "For the reindeer?"
"Can't have weak reindeer," he murmured in agreement and shifted his stance a little awkwardly, as though suddenly unsure what to do with his arms.
Leaning towards him, Erica placed a hand on his cheek met his lips halfway in a fairly quick, chaste kiss. His lips, she was surprised to find, were soft and tasted faintly of Chapstick and she had felt the faint brush of nearly invisible blond stubble on his jaw. Up close, the scent of old books, tea and Dove soap that seemed to linger on Jack's skin and clothes was stronger but no less pleasant.
They stood close, sharing each others air for seconds after they broke the kiss, eyes locked and tension crackling. She remembered meeting his eyes across the crowded warehouse on the night they met. There had been a spark of something and she was certain he'd felt it as well. It wasn't until later, when she'd found out what his job was that she'd understood why he'd seemed so startled with himself for taking her hand.
Instant chemistry combined with a bond of trust and friendship was not something easily denied. Shaking themselves, they stepped back and Erica saw the little girls grinning before they turned back to their cocoa.
Jack moved toward the counter, ordering their hot chocolate and Erica couldn't help but blush as she thought, I'm feeling plenty warm already. Do they have ice water?
Like fighting aliens for the continued survival of the human race wasn't bad enough, she had to go and fall for a man she couldn't be with.
Her mother had always said Erica could never do things the easy way.
As Jack smiled and handed her the cup of cocoa, she grinned back, knowing their relationship might not be the simplest, most easily defined one ever, but she wouldn't trade it for anything.
Comments, pretty please?