Gifts of the Heart 3

Just a thank you to all those that were kind enough to leave reviews, whether I was able to pm you or not. I appreciate you.

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(Christmas Eve)

Matt strode quickly down the boardwalk towards the Long Branch being chased by the howling winds and falling snow. Although it had been a near thing, he'd managed to make it back to town by Christmas as he'd promised Kitty and he couldn't wait to see the expression on her face when she saw the gift he'd gotten her. Her jewelry, fake and real, would look really nice in there.

Pausing at the batwing doors, He looked in to see her sitting at one of the tables with some lonesome cowpoke and his bottle. From the look on her face, she was not having a good time. But at least she wasn't dealing cards. After what happened not too long ago, she had promised him, she wouldn't deal any longer and so far she'd kept her word.

She looked up when he entered and quickly made her apologies to the drunken cowboy as she rose and made her way hurriedly across the bar room floor to meet him. "Hey, Cowboy!" She smiled her special smile just for him. "You made it!"

"I promised I would, didn't I." He answered a little cockily, proud of himself. "When do you get off?"

Kitty's smile dimmed just a little. "Not until after we close. But I can take a break. I've been here since noon and Bill wouldn't mind if I took an hour off."

"Alright." Matt smiled. "Why don't you get your coat and we'll go somewhere to talk."

Kitty arched a brow at him, glancing around before leaning in close to whisper, "Talk? Is that all you want to do?"

Matt's face reddened for a moment as he shook his head. "For right now, yeah. But after you get off, that may change."

Happily, Kitty nodded. "I'll meet you out back," she told him as she rushed over to the bar and spoke quickly with Bill before disappearing into the back room.

It didn't take Matt's long legs any time at all to make it around to the back in time to greet Kitty coming out with her cloak and an oddly shaped package in her hand.

"Oh, it's cold out here." She exclaimed as a gust of wind nearly rocked her slight frame backwards.

"Yeah, it is." Matt wrapped an arm around her. "Tell ya what. Let's go over to my room for a little bit. It's a lot warmer there."

Kitty gave him a mischievous look. "Thought you said that would be later."

Matt shook his head at her, as he pulled her down the alley. "It will be."

Once they reached his room, they were both chilled through. "I, uh, don't have anything to drink." He told her. "I didn't think to get anything."

"That's alright, Matt." She said as she took off her cloak, laid her package down and stepped up to him, wrapping her arms around him. "You can warm me up better than anything else."

Matt happily hugged her back for several moments, reveling in the feel of her in his arms. "I missed you while I was gone."

She raised her head, getting up on tiptoe to bring her lips to his. "I missed you more."

For several moments, the cold outside and even the chill evident in the room was completely forgotten as the two warmed each other. But finally, Matt reluctantly pulled away. "We keep this up, and we'll both be fired for abandoning our jobs."

"I wouldn't mind." Kitty answered.

"Yeah, well, I would." Matt held her for a moment longer. "I'm a growing boy still and I like to eat."

Kitty chuckled. "Yeah, I know. Oh well. It was nice while it lasted." When she finally released him, she turned around, picking up the package she'd brought with her and handed it to him. "I hope you like this." She said softly, as she placed it in his hands.

Matt looked at it for a moment before turning back to the chest in the corner and opening the top drawer. "Not as much as I hope you like this." He told her. Reaching in, he pulled out the jewelry box and handed it to her.

Matt held his present unopened for a moment wanting Kitty to open hers first. As Kitty pulled the paper off she eyed the box and swallowed the lump in her throat, knowing she'd sold all of her jewelry to Lucy in order to buy not only Matt's sheath but a small bottle of hair tonic for Chester and a case for Doc's spectacles, not to mention to pay her rent to Bill for the month.

"It's… it's beautiful, Matt." She wiped away a tear as she opened it and watched the tiny little figure inside whirl around. "I'm… I'm sorry; I didn't get you anything nearly as wonderful as this."

Matt reached out and tenderly wiped the tear from her cheek. "Don't cry." He pleaded before tearing the paper off of his gift to find the fancy sheath for the knife he no longer had. Swallowing his own lump, he ran his thumb over the embossing on it before laying it down, and pulling Kitty up into his arms. "I couldn't ask for anything more wonderful. It's a beauty." He told her as he claimed her lips again.

Little more was said by the two as they reluctantly parted yet again and Matt escorted Kitty back to the Long Branch. He didn't quite know how to tell her that he'd sold his knife in order to buy her the box and Kitty couldn't figure out how to tell him she'd sold her jewelry in order to secure the sheath. Instead they walked in uncomfortable silence to the back door of the saloon where they kissed one last time and parted company till later that night.

When they finally rejoined each other, later that night, they were a little too preoccupied at first to discuss much of anything. Much later, as they lay quietly together, Kitty finally decided to confess, when Matt asked if the box was big enough for all of her jewelry.

Turning in the bed to face him, Kitty could barely see his face in the shadows of the room. "Matt, I… well, I don't have any jewelry."

"What?" Matt questioned, surprised. "Where's all that jewelry you usually wear?"

"I sold it." She whispered.

"You what? Why? Kitty, if you needed money, why didn't you say something? I would've…" He stopped when he realized he wouldn't have been able to do anything about it. He had no money either.

"In the first place, Mr. Dillon." Kitty pulled back a little further. "I will not take money from you for anything. In the second place, I doubt you have much, especially not after buying that box. I don't even know where you got the money for it in the first place. What'd you do, sell your horse?"

Matt took a deep breath, pulling her back to him and kissing her on the forehead. "No. I sold my knife." He told her.

Once again Kitty pulled back, straining in the half-light to see his face. "You sold… you sold your knife? Matt you loved that knife. You told me your friend Abe gave that to you."

"He did," Matt admitted. "And I did like that knife an awful lot. But that's just it, Kitty. I liked it. I love you. Big difference."

"Oh, Matt." Kitty exclaimed with a slight chuckle. "Look at us. Are we a mess or what?"

"Well, we're something." He agreed. "Guess we should've checked with each other first."

"Na uh." Kitty shook her head. "If we'd done that, it would've ruined Christmas for each of us. It doesn't matter to me if I don't have any jewelry to put in that box, it's from you and that's all that matters to me."

"That's how I feel." Matt told her. "I'll never get another knife like that, but I don't care. I'll keep that sheath for the rest of my life, just because you gave it to me."

"Oh, Matt." She said again, this time softer and more passionately as he reached for her one more time and reclaimed her body and soul. Few words more were said, but few words were needed. Though still relatively new to each other, they had already discovered things about their partner that brought them both the most pleasure. When they finally lay back, spent but happy, Matt placed one last kiss on Kitty's forehead.

"I remember Doc saying something about us being a pair to draw to." He said with a grin. "You know, I think he's right."

"Me too," Kitty agreed. "And I wouldn't have it any other way."

Matt suddenly laughed, causing Kitty to turn her head to look at him. "What?"

"Oh nothing." He continued to chuckle. "Just wondering what we'll sell next year to buy each other Christmas."

Kitty joined in the laughter for a moment. "Nothing." She finally answered. "We don't need anything else. We have each other."

"By golly, Kitty." Matt nodded. "I think you're right."

"Merry Christmas, Cowboy." Kitty told him, as she settled drowsily back against him, tired but happy. "I love you."

"Merry Christmas, Kitty." Matt returned. "I love you too."

The End

And now you know why Matt doesn't wear a buck knife on his belt and why Kitty didn't have as many rings and jewelry in season 1 as she did later on. (Or at least this my explanation for it anyway)