AN: Finally, the last chapter of this Halloween story. It's officially dedicated to LiveLoveRENT, who asked me to do this a while back. Incidentally, if you think I shoud increase the rating of the story to 'M' because of this chapter, let me know through a PM. I'd appreciate it. On that note, enjoy.
The city streets were blanketed by a deep layer of snow, which continued to be thickened by the multitude of snowflakes falling from the bleak sky, completely concealed by clouds so not even the moon could shine through. A chill wind drafted through the bare branches of leafless trees. Wisps of breath could clearly be seen puffing out from the mouths of heavily bundled-up people journeying down the sidewalk.
But inside the Condo, everything was warm and bright. A roaring, cracking fire was burning within the brick fireplace, and everywhere you looked, colorful decorations adorned the walls, from red and green paper chains to wreaths made from felt squares. And in the corner of the room, a full Christmas tree trimmed with colorful lights and homemade ornaments, with a paper angel perched at the top, stood gracing the entire apartment with its rich pine needle aroma.
The entire Bohemian family was all gathered in the room, spending their Christmas night together, their laughter filling the air. Collins and Maureen were both starting to feel a little drunk from the traditional Christmas stoli, and were now in the process of signing carols off-key while their friends took the bottle from them to give them a chance to sober up a bit. Meanwhile, Maya was contenting herself with batting at a jingle bell ornament dangling from the Christmas tree, while Wenceslas occupied himself with his new rooting box. On the couch, Penny was sharing a chocolate orange with Joanne while Emily was sipping some hot cider through a straw, taking small sips to lessen her chances of getting bouts of morning sickness. While all this was going on, Mark was taking a moment to film the proceedings, paying particular attention to Roger and Mimi, who were sitting on the floor, fawning over Rodolfo as the ten-month-old chewed on a set of plastic keys. After a few seconds, Mimi got a mischievous smile on her face. Picking up a stray gift bow from the floor, she waited until Roger had looked up to jokingly tell Mark to put the camera away before sticking it to his forehead.
"Meems!" Roger cast her a mock scowl as she started laughing. He kept the scowl for a moment, but then grinned and leaned in to kiss her. Looking at Roger now, it was impossible to tell that just two months ago, he had been a vampire. At this point, he looked as normal and as healthy as he always did.
"Hey, I'm hungry!" Maureen suddenly complained. "When are we gonna eat?"
"Our late-arriving guests are bringing dinner," Emily replied without looking up from her cider. "So I'd say we're eating when they get here."
"Aw, why couldn't you make dinner again, Emmy?" Maureen pouted. "My stomach needs food now!"
"Reen, do I need to remind you that, thanks to my morning sickness, I get nauseous more easily?" Emily sighed. "Truth be told, I don't think you'd have approved if the person making the dinner ended up getting sick in the gravy." The moment Emily mentioned her morning sickness, Mark immediately started lowering his camera. By the time she'd finished speaking, he'd dropped onto the couch next to her, resting a hand on her still-flat belly. Immediately, Emily looked up at him with a smile, resting her own hand atop his. It was one of those moments when no words were needed. Last year, it had been Roger and Mimi looking forward to Rodolfo joining their extended family. Now, it was their turn to experience the same feelings.
At that moment, the door opened, accompanied by a knock.
"Ho, ho, ho!" a familiar voice called.
"Benny!" A multitude of voices chorused as the Bohemians' former ex-friend entered the Condo, accompanied by Allison, seven-months-along with her unborn son, Robbie, Rupert, Jerry, and a fully-recovered Nana. The newcomers had their arms laden with platters of food, including a large honey glazed ham, with a veggie loaf substitute for Collins, stuffing, cranberry sauce, potatoes with gravy, green bean casserole, dinner rolls and butter, and a pumpkin pie made with an artificial sweetener to act in accordance with Emily's diabetes.
"Oh, finally, dinner's here!" Maureen gave a dramatic sigh. "I was about to eat Wenceslas, I was so hungry."
"Oh, no, not that little cutie," Allison exclaimed, depositing the platters she was carrying on the metal table before going over to pat the little pig's side. "How could anyone want to eat you?"
"You've certainly pulled a 180," Joanne noted in approval.
"Having your life saved by someone from a class you once held a prejudice for does tend to change your attitudes," Allison explained with a kind smile. The matter was dropped when the Christmas dinner had been assembled on the metal table, and the entire group started in on their feast. But before the pie was served, Collins stood up, holding out his glass of eggnog.
"I just realized something," he announced. "There really is a lot to celebrate this year. This is the first Christmas we've had in the Condo, it's Rodolfo's first Christmas, and it's the first Christmas Mark and Emily have been married for. It's also the first Christmas since his marriage into the Grey Family that Benny has been with us as a friend, and we now have a new member of our family in Allison."
"And let's not forget the family members who will be joining us for next year's Christmas celebration," Benny added, gesturing to Allison and Emily. "Collins is right, this really is a Christmas of Firsts.
"Anyway, have you and Emily decided on a name yet, Mark?"
"We're still debating on possible names to use if it's a girl," Mark explained, "But, if it's a boy…."
"Then he'll be Zachary Thomas Cohen," Emily finished, curling her fingers around Mark's. "What about you, Allison? I know you've figured out the gender of yours by now. You've only got about two months to go."
"Yes, I have," Allison agreed. "His name's…. Alvin Paul Coffin." The Bohemians all shared a moment of respectful silence at the honoring of their lost friend.
"Have they decided who's gonna take his place at Life Support yet?" Penny asked. "I know Uncle Collins has been acting as a temporary leader, but I never heard of any permanent decision yet."
"Well, I have heard a bit of a rumor, but I'm not sure if it's true," Mark admitted. "The rumor is that they're planning on having a joint leadership at the meetings, and that Roger and Mimi will both be nominated for the job. But like I said, it's just a rumor, so…" Roger suddenly let out a snort. Him leading the Life Support meetings? Now, that was a scary thought. On the other hand, if he had Mimi at his side….
However, all thoughts of Life Support vanished from everyone's mind as the pumpkin pie was served.
The night wore on amidst joking, laughing, and just spending time together. It was after ten thirty before everyone had gone home. Once the last guest had left, and Rodolfo had been tucked into his crib, the remaining Bohemians took a moment to enjoy the peaceful quiet of the Christmas night. Mark and Emily were sitting on the couch with Mark's hand instinctively resting on Emily's belly, while Roger had pulled Mimi into his lap over on the easy chair, gently running a hand up and down her back. Penny was lying on her stomach by the fire where Wenceslas and Maya had curled up together, occupying herself with petting the pig and the kitten in turn. However, she stopped when she caught Roger's slight nod in her direction. Smiling, she nodded back, recognizing the prearranged cue.
"Aunt Mimi?" Penny asked as she got up. "I was wondering. Could you tuck me into bed tonight?"
"Sure, Penny," Mimi agreed, slightly confused by the odd request. Pausing only to kiss Roger tenderly and say 'goodnight' to Mark and Emily, she followed Penny upstairs to her bedroom. But once they were out of earshot, she confronted the preteen.
"All right, Penny. What's going on?" Mimi asked. "Since when do you ask people to tuck you in? You haven't done that since you were eight." Penny slowly started to smile in a way that showed she had a secret.
"Okay, but you didn't hear it from me," Penny began. "The truth is, Roger said he has a special Christmas present he wants to give you. Only, he needs time to set up, so he asked me to keep you occupied while he gets ready."
"What sort of present?" Mimi raised an eyebrow.
"Sorry, I don't know," Penny shrugged. "I asked, but he wouldn't say." Deciding to play along, Mimi spent a while up in Penny's bedroom, with the two of them just having random girl talk. By the time Penny fell asleep, Mimi decided Roger had had more then enough time to set up for this 'present'. Heading back downstairs, she found the living room area deserted, and realized Mark and Emily had already gone off to bed. Roger was also not in sight, leaving Mimi figuring that he was in their room. She started to head to the closed bedroom door, pausing on her way to scratch Maya's head and pat Wenceslas' side, prompting a purr and a contented grunt from the family's pets, who were still curled up together in front of the fire that was slowly dying down. But when she reached the bedroom door to test the handle, she found it was locked from the inside.
"Roger, what are you doing in there?" Mimi knocked on the door. "Will you unlock this door?" For nearly a minute, she heard absolutely no reply or acknowledgment from the other side of the door. "Roger, will you answer me? Sh-t, Roger, just open this da-n…." Mimi's scold trailed off when she heard the click of the door being unlocked. "Finally," Mimi gave an exasperated sigh, pushing open the door. "Now, what's the big idea with…?"
What Mimi saw when she looked around the room effectively made her loose her train of thought. The whole bedroom was illuminated with nothing but candles that had been placed on every flat surface, from the bedside table, to the dresser, and even the windowsill. And on the floor and the bed, red rose petals had been scattered, leaving a velvety blanket everywhere. Before Mimi could find her voice again, she felt familiar arms embrace her from behind, followed by a soft kiss placed aside her ear.
"Merry Christmas, baby." Goosebumps immediately sprang up on Mimi's arms as Roger's breath wafted past her ear.
"Roger," Mimi whispered, turning to look up into his gently smiling face. "I can't believe you did all this."
"Oh, this isn't it, Meems." Roger ran his hands down her spine to the small of her back. "Go check out the bathroom." Mimi's mouth opened slightly, but she crossed the room to the bathroom. Inside, she was greeted by more candles burning around the rim of the tub, not enough to pose a danger, but enough to set a definite mood. The tub itself was filled with warm water coated with a healthy film of fragrant bubbles and even more rose petals.
"This…this is..." Words completely failed to form in Mimi's mouth as she took everything in.
"Only the best for you, baby," Roger cooed, bending to kiss her tenderly.
"Aw, thanks, babe," Mimi grinned, draping her arms around his neck. Looking around, she realized something was missing from the room. "Out of curiosity, where's Rodolfo?"
"He's rooming with Uncle Mark and Aunt Emily tonight. After all, they'll both need the practice for when they have their new baby in a few months."
"Good point," Mimi noted. "But seriously, what brought all this on so suddenly?" For a brief moment, a sullen frown flashed over Roger's face, but he quickly brushed it aside to explain.
"Well… you remember what happened to me two months ago, right?" Small creases formed across Mimi's forehead. Of course she remembered. How could she not? That had been among the most awful moments in her life. In fact, they hadn't spoken of that whole terrible incident since. Mimi's expression seemed to convey exactly what she was thinking, for Roger continued. "I know, I hate thinking about it, too. But…the thing was, when I was keeping my distance from everyone after finding out about that…useless cure in Nana's book, it was because I knew no one could go through with it, so it looked as if I'd be stuck that way forever."
"I know," Mimi nodded. "So you kept away from everyone because you were worried you might loose control of your mind again and feed on someone."
"Actually, there was more to it," Roger confessed. "I was also staying away, because I knew you deserved better then being married to a vampire. And don't try to argue," Roger instructed, noticing Mimi was starting to open her mouth. "Don't even try, because it's true. You've always been so full of life, Mimi. Always bright and energetic, always ready to live for the moment, which is one of the many reasons why I fell for you in the first place. But because of that, you deserved more then being married to an undead vampire, who couldn't even take a few hours out of his life to show you how much he loved you. I spent most of my time as a vampire wishing to become normal again, just so I could have the chance to be that person for you again. Now, I can." When Roger finished speaking, Mimi lowered her head so he wouldn't see the tears that had formed as his words touched her. But he took her face in his hands and forced her to look at him, gazing into the brown eyes that had captivated him from the start.
"I love you, Mimi," Roger whispered, his voice filled with honesty. "More then you'll ever know." Emitting a soft sob, Mimi placed her hands atop his, pressing them closer to her cheeks.
"I love you, too," Mimi replied. Giving into emotion, the lovers leaned into each other, sharing a sweet kiss. When they came up for air, Roger gave a slight nod to the tub.
"So, you wanna take your bath now?" He asked.
"On one condition," Mimi grinned, reaching up to entwine her fingers in his hair. "You come join me for it."
"Oh, I planned on it," Roger returned the grin, slowly peeling off his shirt before helping Mimi do the same. Once the collection of their clothing had formed a pile on the bathroom floor, the two stepped into the fragrant water and took up a position with Mimi leaning back into Roger's chest and Roger's arms wrapped securely around her middle. For a time the lovers sat in silence, enjoying the warmth of the water and the closeness of one another. But then, Roger scooped up some of the water in one of his cupped hands, allowing the liquid to spill from his hold and gently flow off of Mimi's shoulder. As he did this, Mimi was able to identify the scent that filled the air, coming from the scented bubbles Roger had used.
"That's jasmine, isn't it?" Mimi smiled softly.
"Yeah, it is," Roger confirmed. "Just don't tell the guys about it. I'd never hear the end of it if they knew I picked that particular scent."
"Oh, don't worry," Mimi promised. "I'll never tell anyone how sweet and romantic my tough rock god can be. No one would believe it, anyway." The two chucked for a moment or two, but then slipped back into their previous silence. After a few moments passed, Roger picked up the soft sponge from its location next to a candle and started to slowly bathe Mimi with it. The warm water trickled from the sponge and flowed down her body as he worked his way from her back to the nape of her neck and shoulders before starting down her arms. The combination of the warm liquid, the gentleness of the sponge, and Roger's slow progression emitted a small sigh of contentment from Mimi. An instant smile stretched across Roger's face as he heard the tiny sound, and he brushed her long hair over her shoulder so he'd have free access to place unhurried kisses to the back of her neck. As he did so, he had to hold back a sigh of his own. Mimi's skin had always been soft, but there was something about the water that made it seem twice as soft. Not that he could ever find fault with that.
The sponge had meanwhile progressed to Mimi's front, starting from the navel and slowly working its way upwards. While the sponge traveled, Roger continued placing kisses on her shoulder, while the hand that was not moving the sponge began to tenderly knead her upper back. Tilting her head back slightly, Mimi gave a low moan of approval, nonverbally letting Roger know how much she was enjoying this. Not long afterwards, the sponge had arrived at Mimi's breasts, and started to circle each one in turn, gradually closing in on their peaks. Upon reaching the destination, Roger lightly pushed the sponge inwards, placing the slightest of pressure on the elevated crests. With a sudden movement, Mimi reached upwards and pulled the sponge from Roger's hand, turning in the water to face him with a giant smile.
"My turn," she announced with a wink.
"Mimi," Roger shook his head. "Tonight's only meant for you."
"I know. And what would make me happy right now is having my turn with the sponge." Letting out a quick laugh, Roger realized that arguing with her was pointless. Instead, he gave in and reclined back a bit so Mimi could get her request. Immediately, she went to her task of moving the damp sponge over Roger's chest, admiring the way the water seemed to cascade down the inclines. But once she reached his collarbone, she had to pause; taking note of a pair of small identical scars that resided at the place where his neck met the shoulder. Slowly, she reached out a finger to delicately trace the scars. When her finger was an inch away, Roger realized what she was doing and stopped her by gripping her hand firmly but gently.
"Mimi, please," Roger shifted uncomfortably. "I hate that fu-king scar. It always reminds me of that night. I still get nightmares about it sometimes." Mimi's face softened in an instant, and she placed a hand to his chest.
"Babe, you know that whole experience was hard for me, too. But you also need to understand that none of it was your fault. To me, that scar proves how strong and brave you are. Strong enough to regain control of your mind and continue doing so, and brave enough to risk everything to stop Kain. And even more, it shows you're the only person ever who was cured from being a vampire. If you ask me, that's something to be proud of. No one else could say the same, just like not many people could say they were able to overcome what gave you those other scars." To emphasize her words, Mimi took hold of Roger's arm and ran a finger over his bicep, where the old scars left over from his track marks could still be seen.
"Roger, all your scars show is how strong you can be, and how you can get through everything that is thrown at you, even if it takes you a while to get there." Mimi paused in her assurances to lay a tender kiss on Roger's lips. "And that is one of the many reasons why I fell for you." At the praise and confession, Roger looked away for a moment, trying to hide his blush. But Mimi placed her hand on his cheek to force him to look back at her.
The water around them began to churn ever so slightly as Mimi moved against him, skin-on-skin, wrapping her arms around his neck to kiss him deeply. In an instant, Roger responded with equal passion, molding some of the sensitive areas along Mimi's back with his hands while allowing her to rake her fingers though his dirty blonde hair, lightly scraping his scalp with her nails. The kiss continued for a long time, until Roger took note of the fact that the bath water had cooled, and most of the bubbles had dissipated. Reluctantly, he pulled away while giving Mimi an apologetic smile. But it quickly shifted to a loving one as he got to his feet and stepped out of the tub, leading Mimi by the hand as he did so. Taking a clean towel that had been left folded nearby, he started running the towel over Mimi's damp skin with the same slow progression he'd used with the sponge. When he'd finished, Mimi pulled the towel from him and dried him off in return.
As she moved downwards, she got to her knees so she could have a better angle when drying off his lower body. But once she'd nearly wiped all the bath water from him, a sly smile formed. Before he knew what she was planning, Mimi had wrapped the towel firmly around Roger's manhood, and gave a quick squeeze. This action prompted a sudden jump from him, accompanied by a gasp. When Mimi glanced up at Roger, she saw him looking back with a heated expression. In a rapid, well-practiced movement, Roger had pulled Mimi to her feet and scooped her up into his arms. With an unhurried step, he carried her out of the bathroom and gently laid her on the bed among the rose petals. For a moment, he had to pause to just look at her, with her hair spread out like a dark brown halo, a few of the rose petals getting tangled in the tresses. The flickering luminescence from the candlelight was reflected in her brown eyes, also giving her tanned skin an almost ethereal glow. The sight of her nearly made him melt.
"You're beautiful," Roger whispered, pressing a tender kiss to her cheek before doing the same to the other. "You're so beautiful."
For what seemed like an eternity, the two kissed one another deeply. Eventually, Roger moved his caress down to Mimi's neck, shoulders, and collarbone. As he did so, he began to run his hands up and down her waist, occasionally pressing in and lightly squeezing her skin. Mimi retaliated by stroking his back, kneading the muscles behind his shoulders. Unable to fight back a moan, Roger splayed his hands along Mimi's spine, pulling her closer to kiss her even deeper then before. Once he returned her gently to the bed, Roger slid his hands up to her front, coming to rest on her belly. He took a moment to pause, smiling lovingly up at Mimi, who returned the smile languidly. His smile widening, he placed two or three kisses above her navel before allowing his hands to gradually pet upwards, until they covered her breasts. There, they began to mold and knead, inducing a pleasured groan from Mimi as his thumbs swirled over the hardened nipples. Hearing the sounds coming from Mimi enticed Roger to knead her breast with a firmer hold. The shift in pressure being given to the mounds made Mimi start to writhe beneath Roger. He was so good at this. She'd had quite a few lovers before she met him, but not one of them seemed to know how to touch her in just the right way. But Roger always knew not just where, but how to touch her. And the fact that it was Roger who was the one touching her made the pleasure she always felt seem to intensify.
By now, Roger had removed his hands from Mimi's breasts and bent down to lay a small kiss on each of the peaks in turn, lightly scraping his teeth against them as he pulled away. A large grin formed when he felt Mimi drive her fingers into his hair, scratching at his scalp and tugging on his locks, knowing that it was an indication of her approval of what he was doing. It was one of his favorite things in life, making this woman feel this way. There were not many things that he loved more then giving her pleasure, but the only things that rivaled it were Mimi and Rodolfo in general.
Deciding that it was time to step things up a bit, Roger coasted one hand down Mimi's side and past her hip, allowing it to press up between her legs where his fingers skimmed over her clitoris. Immediately, Mimi let out a sudden mewing sound, lurching her hips upward, begging for more while gripping the sheets beneath her tightly.
"Oh, you like that, do you?" Roger smirked, knowing the answer full well, continuing to stroke, tease, and prod at the organ, never taking his eyes off Mimi as she continued to squirm under his touch. To her great disapproval, he withdrew his hand, stopping his actions far too soon for her liking.
"Roger," Mimi moaned in frustration. "Please, don't…."
"Shhh." Roger's face was hovering over Mimi's in an instant, pressing a finger to her lips. "Not just yet, baby." Mimi let out a small whine, straining to rub her hips against his, growing desperate for him.
"Please, Roger," she begged. "Just…" Roger silenced her with a strong, firm kiss, his tongue rubbing up against hers. While he kept Mimi distracted with his kisses, Roger moved his knee to carefully nudge her legs apart. When the proper spacing had been gained, Roger braced her hips gently before, with a careful, unhurried movement, he buried himself into her. The moment Mimi felt him enter her, she broke the kiss with a gasp of pleasure. Roger waited until she could catch her breath, showering her neck and collarbone with soft kisses in the meantime. Once Mimi had recovered from the feeling of him plunging in, she moved slightly, lovingly kissing his shoulder. Pushing himself up a bit, Roger gazed down at her, locking his eyes with hers as he slowly started to pull out and move back in just as slowly. His precise and unhurried pace continued, increasing in its tempo at an extremely gradual rate. Reaching down, Mimi latched her hands onto Roger's hips as he continued, allowing her head to fall back, arching her own hips to match his movements. When she began to feel tiny drops of moisture dripping onto her bare skin, she glanced back up to see that beads of sweat were now running down Roger's locks and dripping off the ends to fall on her body, mixing in with her own perspiration.
Roger's mouth was quickly drying out, and he allowed his tongue to dart out for a moment to wet his lips. The pace he was maintaining had intensified from its initial rate, and he continued to thrust and plunge deeper into Mimi. Each thrust seemed to be harmoniously combined with moans and grunts of exertion from the both of them. By the time the pace had reached its highest point, with Roger moving as hard and as fast as his body could manage, each driving thrust caused Mimi's breasts to lurch with each impaling.
As they continued to rock against each other, Mimi could distantly feel the mattress beneath her moving along with them. At some points, she was almost sure the entire room was pitching as well. Their breaths had sped up to an almost unnatural rate. And deep within, she felt a growing tremor approaching as Roger came closer to hitting her deepest point. The pressure was rapidly growing, making it very hard for her to hold on. Roger, doing all he could to keep his eyes open against the pressure that was building up in his own body, saw, as well as felt, how close she was getting. Letting instinct kick in, he molded her hips snuggly against his so he could burrow himself even deeper, wanting more then ever to bring her to the edge. But as he did so, Mimi had the exact same idea and gripped the bedposts to give herself extra leverage, lurching herself upward simultaneously with Roger's thrust. The combined actions brought on a chorus of low groans from both throats. Repeating this dual movement a few more times, they both drove their hips together with all the strength they had until they managed a final powerful thrust that brought instant explosions deep within the bodies of both lovers, accompanied with exalted cries that left them both out of breath.
It took them a while to recover from their climax. Roger and Mimi's chests were both heaving as they fought to regain hold of their breaths. Finally, with a soft, contented sigh, Roger had recovered enough to stroke Mimi's cheek with the back of his fingers. A lazy smile formed on Mimi's face as she started running her fingers through his hair, allowing a sudden realization to continually cycle through her mind.
That had been the first time they'd made love since that terrible night when Roger had crossed paths with Kain.
"Good to know you haven't lost your touch after spending most of October as one of the undead," Mimi quipped. Chuckling slightly, Roger pressed his lips to her forehead, where a film of sweat still resided.
"Meems, if spending an entire year locked away from the world, refusing to even leave the Loft, hadn't made me 'loose my touch', nothing will," he fired back. "But I appreciate the ego boost." Entwining her arms around his neck, Mimi pulled Roger down for a series deep kisses.
"I love you," Mimi spoke between kisses. A deep groan formed in Roger's throat.
"I love you, too," Roger replied, continuing to kiss her. "Mimi. My Mimi. My girl. My baby."
When the caresses had ended, Roger tried to roll off of her, only to have Mimi quickly hook her legs around Roger's, latching on to his body so she'd be pulled with him, doing all she could to make sure they'd be lying on their sides, still connected.
"Meems,…" Roger spoke slowly, slightly confused.
"Roger, please," Mimi sighed, wrapping her arms around his waist and holding on for dear life. "I'm not ready to be separated from you just yet. I want to feel you a bit longer." Giving in instantly, Roger pulled her closer, cupping her rear with his hands to hold her in place. He had to admit it. After everything that had happened two months ago, he was more then content to stay this way as long as she wanted.
Roger continued holding Mimi against him, listening to her breathing growing softer until it was clear she'd fallen asleep. But even then, he didn't risk withdrawing from her and maintained their current position as he willed himself to sleep as well. As he did so, he made a vow that he'd never again let anyone, or anything, even try to separate him from Mimi the way Kain had nearly done. This was where he belonged, with her nearby. Nothing could ever change that. Nothing ever would.