Oh my GOD guys. Oh. My. God. I am such a biatch.

I'm so sorry for making you wait so long for this, but life… well, you know how life is. One thing led to another and it was just CRAZY. The good news is, I'm now working so have weekends to write when I have the time – about time, too, being twenty-three and all. Real life has gotta start somewhere!

Enough rambling – here's the thirty-third chapter! It's only a short one, but I had to ease myself back into the MUBH goodness.

Chapter Thirty-Three – So This Is Christmas

JD POV

As I stood staring mournfully at Dr. Cox and his suitcase, knowing he was probably already distracted by the idea of seeing his son for the festive season, I considered telling him that I'd changed my mind. Now that he was in my life I couldn't even begin to imagine what Christmas would be like without him, irrespective of if I'd already spent years in much the same way… the only difference now being that he actually gave a crap and would – dare I say it – miss me over the next few days.

Not that I was holding my breath on that. Expect nothing and gain everything – that was my new motto. It worked well when being in love with someone as changeable as Dr. Cox could be.

He slammed the trunk of the car shut, turning to me and looking me up and down.

"Why are you looking like that?"

I frowned. "Like what?"

"Like you're about to stomp your foot."

"I do not," I bit back, my lips threatening to twist into a smile. "I was just thinking that I hope you've packed your thermals. It's so cold!"

"Please," he snorted, folding his arms. "I don't need thermals."

Rolling my eyes, I leaned back against the apartment building. "Ah, of course – Perry Cox, man of steel. Tell me, do you have any weaknesses?" To my delight, he looked pointedly at me before shaking his head. HA. I knew exactly what he was thinking. "You can't hide from me, Perry, I know what that look meant."

He harrumphed. "Oh, do you now?"

"Yep. I'm your weakness. I'm the silver to your werewolfy heart."

Dr. Cox glared at me for a moment. "You watched Underworld again, didn't you?"

I was obsessed. "It's such a good movie! I'd look so good in leather."

A smile started to play on his lips as he moved forward, unlocking his arms so that he could place a finger under my chin. "Don't tempt me, Newbie."

For a few wonderful seconds he stared into my eyes intently, rendering me senseless as his ice-blue orbs – so perfect in the bright winter sunlight – looked right through mine. His fingers were cold as they moved up to gently press against my jaw, eyes flitting to rest upon my lips before he leant in ever so slowly and lightly brushed his lips against mine. The contradictory sensation of his cold fingers and warm lips was amazing to me, befuddling my head and making me feel somewhat dizzy. Feeling impulsive, I wrapped my arms right around his waist, pulling him close and kissing him back as meaningfully as I could, pouring all my thoughts and fears into one act of affection and hoping he understood… and hoping he wouldn't get mad at me for it.

He pulled away from me slowly, sighing slightly as he attempted to disentangle himself from me; I tightened my grip, lacing my fingers together intently.

He frowned.

"I have to go, Newbie. Don't do this now."

I narrowed my eyes. "But I'm going to miss you."

"This is something I have to do, and I'm relying on you to understand that and not make it difficult for me." Gently he pulled my arms from around his waist and watched as I let them fall to my sides. "You've gotta man up, kid, and realise that you can't win this fight. If I have to choose between you and Jack -"

"I know," I interrupted softly, knowing what he was about to say and finding it easy to not let it bother me. It was only natural that his son mean more to him than I did. "And I do want you to go. I just wish, I dunno, that you could split yourself in half or something."

"I would've done it months ago if I could, trust me."

"I know," I repeated. An almost comfortable acceptance crept along my veins and into my stomach as I forced myself to step back, allowing him the space he needed to move on from me and spend his Christmas elsewhere. "Time will fly by anyway. At least, I hope it does for me."

He nodded, breaking his eye contact with me and walking around to the side of the car again. "I won't pretend I hope it goes fast for me. I want to spend as much time as possible with Jack." He pulled the door open but refrained from sitting down, hesitating. I waited. "But when I get back, you and I…"

"We'll have fun," I said decisively, grinning at him with as much feeling as I could muster. "But go on, 'cos you're gonna be late if you stand around chatting with me for much longer."

A brisk nod; he slid into the car in the manliest fashion imaginable, I watched as he slipped the keys into the ignition, turning them until the car roared to life beneath his fingertips. As he settled his hands on the steering wheel, turning his head slightly and looking at me as I stepped back from the car – I half-smiled, lifting my hand in a motionless wave, awaiting his departure… only, it didn't come.

Dr. Cox rolled the window down.

"Put your hand out."

Confused, I stretched it towards him palm down – he rolled his eyes, reaching out and turning it roughly the other way so that he could place something cold within it. I looked down – the key to his apartment rested against my skin, glittering in the daylight and filling me with intense bewilderment. I looked up again, my gaze questioning.

"Early Christmas present."

I was lost. "You want me to look after your apartment for you? Feed your plants?" Wait, that didn't make sense. "But you don't have any plants."

He sighed. "You're a dumbass, aren't you?"

I folded my arms defensively. "No!"

"JD, it's a key to my apartment. A new key."

"You got your locks changed?"

"Oh, for the love of -" He stopped, taking a breath at the sheer frustration of my stupidity. He gripped the steering wheel hard. "It's for you, ya idiot."

I processed this. "My own key?"

"Yep."

"To… your apartment?"

"Uhuh."

"You're giving me a key to your apartment?"

He glanced at his watch, clearly annoyed. "Yes, Janice. Your own key for my apartment."

My fist tightened over the winking silver piece of metal, hardly believing what my head was telling me. "Are you… are you asking me to move in with you?"

His jaw locked, and for one horrendous moment I thought I'd got it all wrong. I opened my mouth to apologise, but he spoke over me. "I'm giving you your own key so you can come and go as you please."

That doesn't sound promising.

"So if it ends up that you come more than you go…" He suddenly grinned my favourite crooked smile, clearly enjoying the double-entendre of the words. "Well, then that's a chance I'm willing to take."

So… that was a yes? Dr. Cox, Perry Cox, Perry Ulysses Cox was asking me to move in with him?

I slowly walked towards the open window, my hands reaching out and resting themselves – for the sake of my own balance – against the window-frame. "I can't believe this."

"Well, believe it. Before I change my mind."

"Don't!" I cried, leaning in as quick as anything to grasp him by the front of his jacket. "I mean… don't!"

"Well, if you're gonna be a girl about it -"

I pressed my lips against his cheek, breathing in the scent of him and acknowledging that my entire body was shaking with adrenaline.

"Don't change your mind, Perry… for the love of God, don't. This is the best Christmas present you could have ever given me."

He turned, capturing a kiss from me and pulling away abruptly. "Don't burn it down whilst I'm gone."

I grinned wildly, practically throwing myself away from the car, suddenly full of a happiness I hadn't expected to feel this season; now, I had something to look forward to. Now, I could wait for him in his – in our? – apartment.

I had a lot to sort out.

I watched as Perry shifted the car into gear, slowly inching it forward and away from me – he looked back one last time, throwing me the tiniest of smiles as he began to drive to his Christmas holiday destination. I waved, knowing as he left that I would no longer dread the days without him and could, at the very least, distract myself quite brilliantly whilst he was gone.

As the car turned the corner and out of site, I nodded to myself, embracing the swirling butterflies in my stomach with a fierce elation..

Time to get this party started!

X X X X X

JD,

I figure the first thing you're going to do when I've gone is come in here and start dancing around, at which point you'll notice this letter sitting on the coffee table. Stop dancing. If you break something whilst I'm away, it'll only end badly for you.

There's not much food in the fridge – feel free to get some stuff to fill it up, as I know you get grumpy on an empty stomach and if you're bitchy when I get back I WILL punish you. And not necessarily in a good way. Make sure you pick something up to make for dinner on the 28th, as I'm gonna be tired and will probably want to eat and go straight to bed.

If you're complaining right now, man up – you're my official wench now, and my wenches don't complain.

I've cleared some drawers for you in the bedroom and there's space in the left-hand closet should you need it. There's a cupboard for shoes, as you know, which I expect to be kept tidy despite whatever pumps, stilettos and sandals you plan to fill it with. As with everything else, if you fail to meet my requirements I will punish you.

Not much else to add; lock the door at night and if you're going out, obviously. Don't have any wild parties, don't burn the place down and don't you dare decorate with any Christmassy frills. Failure = punishment. I can't stress that enough.

See you on the 28th.

- Perry.