A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing. This one was a request and the pairing is Tess/Fletch. I am absolutely hopeless at writing this pairing and was struggling for ideas, so I apologise in advance! But I hope there are some people out there who like it! X
~Mini Peacelet~
Wintry Advent
15. Merry Christmas
The knock at the door came as a surprise to Tess, causing her to jerk with a start from where she was curled up beneath a blanket on the sofa with a mug of steamy hot chocolate whilst watching the festive programmes that aired on Christmas day. She regained her equilibrium swiftly and deposited her cup of hot cocoa on a coaster on the pine table and ambled to answer the door, "Fletch?"
"Merry Christmas." He beamed, equipped with a petite festive bag of presents and a bouquet of fresh flowers in bold shades.
"You too." The head nurse replied sincerely yet perplexed at the nurse's presence at her home, "What are you doing here?" She wrapped her fluffy cardigan around herself tightly, shuddering as the wispy breeze from outside whirled around her.
Fletch shrugged faintly, "I came to see you." He stated matter-of-factly.
She shook her head disapprovingly, "Fletch, you shouldn't be here. Not today." The brunette exhaled a long, forlorn sigh, "Although I do appreciate you coming, obviously. And your kind gestures. But it's Christmas, you should be with your family, not me."
"And nobody deserves to be alone at Christmas, either." The male nurse disagreed as he entered the house, shutting the door behind him to savour the heat that had rapidly been departing the structure, "We have a house full at home, I'm not going to be missed excessively." He shrugged futilely.
"Your kids, though..."
"Are too busy playing with their new toys to notice I've gone." Fletch reassured and dropped the bag of presents onto the floor in the living room.
Tess nodded as she processed the situation, "And where does Natalie think you are?" She inquired curiously, desiring to know all the details.
"At work. She thinks I got called in because the ED ended up really short staffed and there was a surge of casualties." He shrugged and drifted towards the head nurse, gently brushing his lips tenderly against her lightly glossed ones.
The brunette shook her head, again, "This isn't right, you shouldn't be here." She murmured before she found herself lost in the emotive pass, returning hid kiss passionately, helplessly unable to stop herself.
"I know you can't look me in the eye and tell me you don't love me, so therefore it is right." His words tingled in her eardrums as she loathed admitting that he was in fact correct; spot on with his conclusions.
"I do love you," Tess sighed, "Have you eaten? My Christmas dinner is nearly ready. There's enough if you want some as well - Charlie was coming round but unlike your excuses, he has genuinely been called into the hospital because they were a senior nurse short." She explain concisely as she padded through into her small kitchen followed by Fletch.
"I have had something but I will never say no to another Christmas dinner! Not every man is lucky enough to be given two in one day!" The male grinned cheekily, propping himself against the counter.
Tess stifled a laugh at the typical masculine response she had received, "Would you like a glass of mulled wine whilst you wait? Or perhaps a beer." Beer wasn't a beverage she was fond of but in preparation for Charlie's presence she had stocked up on a couple of packs of cans.
"A beer would be great, thanks."
Together, they enjoyed the festive food that Tess had cooked and savoured each others cherished company as they chattered and laughed at each other remarks - perhaps driven from the alcohol they had consumed.
They returned into the living room with their alcoholic beverages, unable to eat another single thing as they were crammed full of the delicious foods. Flopping onto the sofa, Fletch picked up the bag containing presents that he had bought with him and insisted that Tess opened them.
Neatly, the head nurse tore the wrapping paper on the first gift, gasping as she revealed a large bottle of Chanel No. 5, her favourite perfume, "Oh, Fletch. You know you didn't have to spend that much! This perfume is so expensive. But thank you." She pecked his cheek and then proceeded to open the other presents which included a fluffy jumper, dressing gown and slippers; Fletch comprehended how his lover always felt the bitter cold of winter.
Tess opened the last present which was small and cube shaped. It was a ring; a promise ring. The ring was white cold with a large amethyst - her favourite gem - and was engraved with the words 'I promise I will always love you.'
She slipped the ring onto her finger - a perfect fit - and tossed her arms around the male and pressed her lips against his again, "It's beautiful, thank you so much."