"Brian? You DO remember my dick almost broke off yesterday, don't you? Are you trying to turn me into a eunuch by chance?"

Brian wrapped his arm tighter across Justin's shoulders as they walked and smiled. "Not hardly, Sunshine, unless I'm planning on becoming one with you. We're in this together, remember? And I don't plan on becoming one any time soon." He reached down with his free, leather-gloved hand to squeeze Justin's cock firmly through his jeans. "Seems like the blood's still flowing down there, anyway."

"Why, thank you for your diagnosis, Dr. Good Fuck," Justin quipped as he shivered slightly despite Brian's warm body being pressed against his. "But I'd just as soon not take any chances. Why did you have Michael take the kids back into the house by himself? And more importantly, where the fuck are we going? I'm a little old to go visit Santa, and besides, he's already been here."

Brian grinned; at least some things never changed – the little sexy motor mouth STILL couldn't keep his mouth shut, except maybe during the times he was sucking him off. "It wouldn't do any good for you to visit him anyway; you've been a very naughty boy this year."

Justin grinned. "Oh, I have, have I? Should I apologize?"

"No way," Brian leaned down and whispered in his ear huskily. "I like you naughty…..very, very naughty."

Justin shivered again but this time it wasn't from the cold; leave it to Brian to make him horny amidst a maelstrom of snow and elevate his body temperature. Through the thickly-falling precipitation, he could barely make out their destination, but finally it came into sight: the rather imposing wooden stables set near the back of the property. He and Brian had done quite a bit of exploring around the entire grounds of Britin when they had moved in here, but except for using the structure as an impromptu fucking place in the warmer months when the mood struck them, they hadn't really had much use for it. "You brought me all the way out here just to fuck me?" he asked in disbelief, thinking their nice, soft bed or a hot shower in their massive, glass-enclosed shower stall would be much more preferable – as well as warmer.

"Don't flatter yourself, Mr. Taylor – the only cold balls you'll be encountering out here are sleet; even I can wait until we get back to the house."

Justin frowned, creasing his brow in confusion. "Then what? Are Santa and his reindeer holing up here until the snow lightens up?" he joked.

As Brian released Justin and pushed down on a metal rod to slide the barn's doors open, he replied with a mysterious smile, "Something like that."

Justin peered at Brian in puzzlement until his partner managed to swing the doors open enough for him to enter the building; the musty, earthy smell of straw, manure, and animals that immediately assaulted his senses was quite pungent but not exactly unpleasant. "Whew!" he exclaimed, wrinkling his nose as Brian entered to stand right behind him and put his arms around his waist. "It certainly smells like Rudolph and his friends are still here – the way this place smells," he observed.

"You might be surprised, Sunshine," Brian whispered; his breath tickled Justin's ear as he held his partner's body firmly against his. He couldn't help feeling content at the moment, merely holding Justin against him. He wouldn't admit it to Justin – or any of their friends and family – but he was actually enjoying having all their guests around during the holidays. But it was moments like these – when he and Justin could be alone – that he truly cherished.

Justin paused momentarily to relish the feel of Brian's arms holding him protectively against his body; nothing else came close to being held tightly in his partner's grasp. Even with the coldness in the air, and a stiff wind blowing through the open stable doors, he felt quite content at the moment. In fact, the sled riding from the previous hour had served to tire him out to the point where he actually considered simply falling asleep standing up in Brian's arms, just like one of the horses he could imagine at the moment. Just like the horse he could have sworn he heard whinnying near the back of the stables…..

Justin's eyes flew open as he realized the "imaginary" sound he thought he heard was, in fact, apparently real. "Brian…..Did I just hear a horse back there?" He managed to twist himself around in Brian's arms to stare up excitedly into the innocent-looking face of his partner. Brian merely smiled softly and shrugged his shoulders. "Why don't you go find out?" he challenged the blond.

Justin pursed his lips together in anticipation as his eyes lit up at the thought. "No fucking way," he declared. When Brian didn't deny it, but rather continued to stand there silently instead, he added, "Really?" feeling – and no doubt looking – just like Gus had this morning when he came downstairs looking for Santa.

"Better go take a look for yourself," Brian prodded him, releasing Justin from his protective hold. Taking Justin's hand in his, he began to prod the blond toward the back of the stables, although by now Justin didn't need much encouragement; he was way too curious to know exactly what was going on. "Brian…"

Brian curled his lips under and merely gazed back at his partner with raised eyebrows. He finally said, unable to quite keep his surprise a total secret, "Okay, Sunshine – I'll give you a teensy, weensy hint." Brian reached over to grab a leather strap and remove it from where it was draped over one of the stalls. He held it up and shook it as some medium-sized silver bells studded down the strap began to jingle.

Justin pondered the clue thoughtfully; playing along, he teased, "You've got a barbershop quartet hidden in one of the stalls, getting ready to sing Jingle Bells to me."

"Oh, for the love of…come on," Brian growled, as he began once more to pull Justin toward the back of the stables. The strap of bells, which he placed around his neck, jingled in time with their walk as Brian coaxed his partner along.

Justin could definitely hear a shuffling noise coming from the rear right side of the stable where the area opened up into an arena for horses to stretch their legs when the outside weather was too prohibitive for them to graze outside. He had to be right…..

"Whoa, Nelly!" Brian called out, amused, as Justin dropped Brian's hand and began to pick up his pace, almost trotting like a thoroughbred himself toward the back of the building. "They'll be plenty of time for you go riding later - in the house!" But his attempts at restraint was all for naught – Justin wasn't about to slow down now – he was like the proverbial kid in the candy store as he rushed toward the source of the sounds he had been hearing…..

The blond halted and came to a dead stop as he rounded the corner and peered into the open arena; in the center were two of the largest horses he had ever seen. They were mainly chestnut in color, with white legs and bellies. And the hair – there was hair not only all the way down their manes, but also long, flowing white hair at their feet. Justin's mouth fell open in amazement – these weren't just horses; they were majestic, artistic visions of beauty.

Brian walked up behind his partner, who was standing stock still in shock; his mouth opened into a grin as he observed Justin's gaping expression.

"They're…..they're beautiful," he murmured in awe. "Absolutely incredible." His creative eye swept over the muscular, sinewy lines of the two animals as they slowly turned their heads toward the two men to peer over at them curiously.

Brian wrapped his arms around Justin's waist and pulled him close. "They're both very gentle," he reassured the blond. "Hold out your hand with one of those apples in it," he instructed his partner, nuzzling the blond's neck as Justin sighed in pleasurable response. Justin nodded as he noticed a wooden, red and green round basket of apples sitting on a bench nearby.

Retrieving the apples and placing one in his pocket, Justin smiled and did as Brian asked, holding out his hand, palm up, with the other red, shiny delicious apple cradled in it. As he watched in fascination, the two spectacular animals began to amble toward him in a determined walk.

The closer they got, the more Justin realized just how tall these two horses were; they were well over 6 feet tall and built like a tank, but as they walked, they picked their feet up completely off the ground proudly and almost pranced over.

"What…..what are they?" he asked, mesmerized by both their size and their grace. He had never seen a horse like this before; they were the most beautiful creatures he had ever seen. As the horses came to within a few feet of them and softly whinnied for attention, Justin began to backpedal just a bit, somewhat intimidated by their strength and massive size.

"They're Clydesdales," Brian told him, chuckling at his partner's reticence. "The breed came from Scotland originally. It's okay, Sunshine," he said, noticing Justin's wide eyes of amazement as well as slight apprehension. "I've already had a little talk with them and told them you were a seasoned rider." Justin looked over at Brian a little dubiously,shaking his head, but he had to turn his gaze soon afterward back to the horses; they were just so beautiful and captivating as they stared at him with eyes the sizes of tennis balls. He swept his gaze down from their head to their hooves and gasped. "Their feet are huge!" he said. "Almost as big as yours," Justin kidded Brian, who nipped at his ear in response. "The feet, I mean..."

"Hey, it's not nice to be a smart ass to your benefactor," he told his partner.

"Benefactor?" Justin asked, gazing once more up into the soulful eyes of the looming pair. "These are for me?" he asked.

Brian smiled as he laid his chin on top of Justin's head. "Well, in a manner of speaking. I always thought we had the most fun when we rode together."

Justin's face flushed at the double entendre. "Yeah, it certainly makes things a lot more enjoyable," he agreed, smiling. His eyes were alit as he stared at the two animals craning their necks to lean their heads as close to Justin as possible in an attempt to reach their treats.

"You little tease," Brian huskily whispered in Justin's ear as the blond shivered at the tone. "Give them their treats and then I'll give YOU a treat later." He released Justin reluctantly to allow him to walk closer to the animals as he stood nearby, observing his partner's reaction with profound amusement.

"All right, Brian," Justin agreed, "But I'll be cashing in on your promise later." He slowly approached the two towering, majestic horses and watched, fascinated, as he held out one of the apples and two gigantic heads as big as his waist bumped together in an attempt to snatch the apple away from him. "Hey…..there's enough for both of you, guys!" he chided the two, as one of them nuzzled his lips over the palm of his hand, causing him to giggle loudly as he reacted to the ticklish action.

As the first horse succeeded in capturing the apple in his teeth and backed away slightly to enjoy his unexpected feast, Justin quickly reached in his pocket to retrieve the other apple and held it out to the other horse, who quickly used his lips to grab his own treat and pull away enough to begin chomping on it as Justin laughed in delight at the sensation.

"Brian! They're wonderful!" Justin cried; his fears quickly forgotten, he reached over to begin lightly stroking one of the horses' noses with his hand as he marveled at the unexpected silky feel. The horse neighed softly at his touch; it was if the horse was instantly bonding with him.

Brian watched the interaction with a big smile on his face; Justin's eyes were sprarkling with wonder and pleasure as he continued to pet the horse's nose, his expression just like Gus's had looked earlier this morning when he had discovered Santa had come. Both horses were now competing for Justin's attention as the other one shifted over to try and gently nudge the other horse out of the way.

"What're their names?" Justin asked, not able to take his eyes off them as he laughed softly at their antics.

"Well, I thought of naming the pushy one Honey Buns, because she reminded me of someone else I know," he told his partner, who glared at him in mock annoyance, "but I settled on the more mundane name of Sorcha."

"Sorcha? Doesn't sound very 'mundane' to me," Justin responded, continuing to gently rub his hand up and down the horse's nose. "What does THAT mean?"

Brian sighed to himself; he knew Justin would ask him that question, and he hated to sound like a lesbian, but he figured he'd might as well spit it out, anyway.…."It's Scottish for the word radiant."

Justin smiled. "Radiant? Any particular reason why you chose that?"

"Maybe," Brian said, walking up to place his hands around Justin's waist again; now that his partner was home, he was finding that he just couldn't keep his hands off him for more than a few seconds at a time. Since they had been apart, it seemed like their times together were even more precious to him now. "I think you can probably figure that one out," he added softly, slowly rocking Justin back and forth in his arms.

Justin's face flushed in pleasure; he had a good idea why Brian had chosen that name but didn't dare say it out loud. "What about the other one?" he asked, finally removing his hand from the horse and placing both of his more slender ones overtop Brian's as he relished in the warmth infusing him with his partner's touch.

"The big, strong, manly man one is named Tasgall; I named him after me."

Justin frowned as he twisted his head up to peer into Brian's mischievous hazel eyes. "You? And how did you come up with THAT?"

Brian smirked. "Easy – it's the Scottish name for god."

Justin snorted as he twisted his mouth in amusement. "Oh, I see – how stupid of me; I should have figured that one out." He turned in Brian's arms to place his hands at either side of the bronze face and say, "Well, you ARE a god to me, Mr. Kinney. I told Daphne that the first morning after I met you." He gently rubbed Brian's lips with one of his fingers as he gazed into Brian's eyes. Thinking temporarily of the incredibly lesbionic thought that he could drown in those eyes, he stared into the orbs that currently shone with a chocolate brown, gold-flecked hue and smiled back softly at him.

Brian's mouth tickled his finger as he chuckled. "Yeah….right, Sunshine. You don't need to suck up to me – at least until later."

"No, I did," Justin insisted. "Ask her the next time you see her – remember when you dropped me off at school that next morning? After you had had the pleasure of appreciating someone else's artwork?"

"You mean the assholes who painted faggot all over my Jeep?"

Justin grinned. "That would be them," he verified. "I'm glad your taste in artists improved after that, by the way," he said, evoking a grin from his partner. "Anyway, when you dropped me off, Daphne was waiting for me, and the first thing out of my mouth was my telling her that I had just met the face of God, and that his name was Brian Kinney." Justin realized how silly that sounded at the moment, and his face blushed at the thought of how juvenile he had been at the time.

"You did not," Brian argued.

Justin smiled as he rolled his eyes in embarrassment. "I did, too," he verified. Despite his feeling of how childish it sounded, he added more softly, "Somehow, I knew you and I were meant to be together from the first moment we met." He gazed up into Brian's eyes and whispered to him, "I still do."

Instead of Brian laughing at him as Justin had assumed he would, however, the brunet's face softened as his hands began to slowly creep up Justin's back; he rubbed small circles over the rough, cotton fabric as he surprisingly admitted, "So do I, Sunshine." He suddenly felt embarrassed himself over the unexpected emotion welling up inside him as he brushed it aside before things got too complicated. "What do you say we take a ride – on the horses, I mean? We can take the other kind of ride later where it's warmer," he drawled suggestively.

Justin looked down skeptically toward the other end of the barn's entrance to note it was still snowing quite furiously. "I don't know…..go riding in THIS weather? Wouldn't you rather save horse riding for warmer weather and just double up on indoor riding at the house?" he asked hopefully. Even though he was more than anxious to hop up on top of Sorcha (he figured the more diminutive one, if you could even call her that, would be HIS horse) and try her out, he still didn't relish the idea of riding around in the snow with the harsh wind blowing in his face and the bone-chilling cold making him shiver violently.

"Sissy," Brian chided him, pulling Justin closer to his body. "Don't you think I can keep you warm, Sunshine? I'm pretty hot."

"Brian," Justin whispered, his face heated from the other man's intense stare. "I think you're pretty hot, too – remember, I called you a god?" he reminded him. "But I don't think body heat is going to be quite enough."

"Ah, ye of little faith," Brian chided. "Actually, I'm not going to make you ride a horse – at least not in this weather."

"Well, I thought I already explained I'm not riding YOU out here in this freezing stable, either, even if YOU – and the horse – are a god. It's too fucking cold, Brian."

Brian shook his head, sighing. "Wrong on both counts, Sunshine! Guess I'll just have to show you." He took the leather strap from around his neck and shook it again, receiving a look from Justin that clearly said he thought Brian had lost his mind this time. Smiling, the brunet loosened his hold on his partner and began to gently pull him toward a corner of the arena that Justin hadn't even noticed earlier. As he craned his body around Brian's to see where they were going this time, he stopped, amazed once more.

Brian curled his lips under, amused, as he noticed Justin's stunned expression. There in front of them was an elaborately curved, white, wooden sleigh with a plush, leather seat for two and a fringed, burgandy-colored surrey on top. Justin stood there, his mouth agape. He thought it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, at least after Brian and the Clydesdales. He couldn't wait to start sketching all of it, but he hadn't had a chance to bring any materials out here with him. "You….you bought a sleigh?"

"Well, you can't dash through the snow without one, Einstein," Brian quipped, jingling the strap once more in his hand. "Let's take it on a test run, okay?"

"With what? Our feet? That may have worked for Fred Flintstone, but I think it'd be a little cold out there for us to duplicate it. Although you DO have the biggest feet I've ever seen – after the horses, anyway."

"Very funny, Taylor. Horses ARE quite flexible, you know." At that, Brian put two fingers in his mouth and let out an ear-piercing whistle. Justin jumped, starled, but then turned to watch, his mouth open, as Sorcha and Tasgall came slowly but deliberately toward them. As they came closer, Justin once more backed away slightly. The two may be gentle giants, but they were still HUGE; he figured even if they didn't mean any harm, one misstep on their part on his own foot and he would be hobbling around on crutches for a fucking year.

Brian grinned at his partner's actions as he took Sorcha's bridle bit and led her over to the front of the sleigh, quickly attaching the harness to the horse's back. He repeated the same action with the larger horse, Tasgall, until they were both standing erect in front of the sleigh, neighing slightly and pawing the ground in impatience.

"See? They're impatient to go for a ride, Sunshine – just like someone else I know." Justin rolled his eyes and Brian held his hand out in invitation for Justin to join him. Justin smiled back at his partner as he walked over and took Brian's hand to be led to the side of the sleigh.

Just before Justin stepped up into the sleigh, he turned to Brian with an amazed look on his face and said, "You really DO sleigh me, Mr. Kinney, you know that?" He giggled at his own joke as Brian growled, "Get in, all ready," and gave Justin a slight push to "help" him get in.

As Brian walked around to the other side of the sleigh, Justin shivered. "It's still going to be awfully cold out there, Brian," he commented, noting how chilly it was, even in the relative shelter of the stable.

"I'm surprised at you, Sunshine," Brian scolded him, as he opened up a nearby wooden storage box and pulled out a thick blanket. "I thought you realized by now what a genius I am." He clucked his disappointment at him as he hopped up into the sleigh and opened up the blanket to drape it over both of them.

Justin noticed what appeared to be a cord hanging from the lower corner of the fabric. "What's that for? Plugging in a vibrator?" he joked.

Brian grinned. "That, my dear Sunshine, is the cord to plug in our electric blanket into the DC current down there." He pointed to an outlet in the floor of the sleigh and pushed the electric prong into it firmly. "If they can put one of those in a car, then they can put it in a sleigh. I guess there's just not much of a market for sleighs with voltage, though." He picked up the reins and turned to Justin. "Ready?" he asked, smiling. Truthfully, Justin wasn't the only one looking forward to taking the sleigh out – in addition to the horses, Brian had been 'chomping at the bit,' too, to get these magnificent animals out into the snow and see how they performed; the Clydesdales were born to do this sort of chore. And to have Justin by his side to boot? This could actually make Christmas a welcome holiday for a change….

Justin shook his head in astonishment; this man never ceased to keep surprising him. He beamed back at Brian and said, "Ready. Which song, by the way, do you want me to sing? Over the River and Through the Woods? Sleigh Ride? Jingle Bells? Silver Bells? I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day?"

Brian snorted. "How about Silent Night?" he quipped, just before he jerked the reins slightly and issued a sort of "Ha!" to the horses.

Justin let out a startled gasp and quickly grabbed onto Brian's sleeve as the two muscular animals suddenly began to move. The bells on their bridles began to jingle in time with their movements, just like Brian's leather strap had done earlier, as they began to slowly pick up speed on their way toward the stable's two doors. Their massive, dinner-plate-size hooves clipped-clopped on the hard, dirt floor as they headed toward the snow outside.

The blades of the sleigh made a quiet sliding sound as the two men were transported toward the door. Seconds later, they were clear of the stables and riding on top of the snow as if it were made of smooth glass; the only sounds coming from anywhere nearby were the occasional wind in the trees, the constant jingling of the bells on each horse's bridle, and an occasional snort from their flaring nostrils. Justin found himself fascinated by the puffs of air coming from their noses – everything about them was supersized, from their heads all the way down to their feathery hooves.

Brian looked over at his partner's face which was – there was no other way to say it – aglow with happiness. His blue eyes were sparkling, his face was completely lit up with wonder, and his lips were a luscious shade of frosted pink. Even his cheeks were tinged a blush color from the cold and an occasional snowflake found its way to his face, becoming immersed in his long lashes. Brian would never, ever voice it aloud, but at that moment he thought Justin had never looked more beautiful. His next thought, though, was how hard it would be to see him leaving again…..

He brushed the lump in his throat and that morose thought aside as he chose, instead, to concentrate on the present. He and Justin were together, toasty warm under their blanket, and the scene splayed out before them was worthy of a Normal Rockwell painting. All the evergreen trees were blanketed with a powdery type of snow, and the whiteness of the landscape allowed him to see well enough to navigate around the perimeter of the estate. As they neared the front of the house, he heard Justin gasp at the sight of their home bathed in several thousand, twinkling Christmas lights. The house emitted a soft glow from the lights within, also, like a lighthouse in a storm – a house presently occupied with Brian's son, Justin's mother, and several of their dearest friends. Yes, Brian had to admit as he looked over at Justin's face of contentment – he could actually learn to enjoy Christmas...

"Just hear those sleigh bells ring-a-ling, ring, ting, ting-a-ling, too...Come on, it's lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with...Mmmph‼"

Brian couldn't help laughing as he heard Justin still trying to finish his song, even though the brunet's large hand was presently plastered tightly against his lips in a futile attempt to get him to stop. Brian quickly removed his hand, however, when something else got his attention – a skillful hand squeezing his cock under the blanket and beginning to massage it through his jeans. "Hey…..What are you doing down there, Sunshine?" he groused a little breathlessly as he bit back a groan of torment; Justin knew exactly what – and where – to touch him to make him crazy with desire for him, and this was no exception. Of course, it never really took much for Justin to get his attention, anyway, especially when they had been apart for a while.

"All's fair in love and karaoke," Justin exclaimed, "or something like that, anyway…."

Brian sighed as the torture continued….

"Outside the snow is falling and friends are calling yoo-hoo; come on, it's lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you..."

"Oh, my God," Brian deadpanned, rolling his eyes as Justin continued unabated; he noted with some interest that his partner's ministrations to his cock was somehow being done in perfect synchronization with the tempo of the song. Maybe he was a little hasty about allowing Justin to sing, because he was beginning to LIKE this particular carol… "Did you guzzle down the rest of the egg nog before we left the house, Sunshine?"

"Giddy up, giddy up, giddy up, let's go, let's look at the show, we're riding in a wonderland of snow. Giddy up, giddy up, giddy up, it's grand, just holding your hand, we're gliding along with a song in a wintry fairy land..."

He liked it even better when he felt Justin sliding the zipper of his jeans down and reaching in to grasp his unsheathed cock in his hand; the coldness of Justin's fingers contrasting sharply with his quickly-heating body temperature made him gasp initially from the shock, but it soon metamorphosized into a moan of pleasure as Justin began to confidently slide his hand up and down on his shaft, stopping occasionally to flick the tip back and forth with his thumbnail.

Impressively, Justin managed to end his song just seconds before he swooped down under the covers to plaster his cold mouth against Brian's cock to accept the generous amount of cum that shot out at his moment of orgasm. "Fuck!" Brian cried out in rapture; Justin's cold lips just made him even more aware of what Justin was doing and heightened the sensation even further.

As his body slowly came down from its euphoria and his breathing evened out, Justin slid Brian's zipper back up after gently placing his cock back in his pants and returned to his sitting position with a pleased smile on his face. "Best snow cone I ever had," he announced, licking his lips in satisfaction as he grinned over at Brian.

Brian didn't say anything out loud, but as he reached one hand under the blanket to grasp one of Justin's, he really didn't need to say anything; the contented smile on his own face said it all. Justin laid his head on Brian's shoulder as they continued around the grounds, the thickly-falling snow, constant jingle of the bells and the horses' occasional snorts their constant companions.

An Hour Later

Brian reached up to grasp Justin's waist to help him down from the sleigh, not able to keep from smiling at his partner's beaming face. Justin had obviously enjoyed their ride immensely if the expression on his face was any indication. Truth be told, he had enjoyed it immensely, too.

Justin turned to gaze back at the two horses, now covered with a blanket of powdery snow, as was the roof of the sleigh. "That was so much fun!" he exclaimed. The picture of the massive, handsome horses standing proudly in front of the sled was so incredible, he could feel that familiar tingle in his fingers. "Shit!" he said. "I'd love to be able to sketch them right now – they're so beautiful," he murmured.

Brian smiled as he walked over to the wooden storage box where he had retrieved the electric blanket earlier and opened the lid to reach in and grab something else. Justin's eyes widened as his partner pulled out a sketch pad and a package of charcoal pencils. "I always come prepared, you know that," Brian quipped.

Justin smiled, finding tears stinging his eyes; tears of happiness. This had been such a wonderful day – it almost made him forget that way too soon, he would have to wend his way back to New York. He was dreading that day so much, but for now – this had been such a fantastic day with the man he loved; the man that never stopped surprising and delighting him.

He walked over to throw his hands around Brian's neck and pull him down for a deep, passionate kiss; their cold-kissed cheeks rubbed against each other as their lips melded tightly together, unabated, for at least a couple of minutes until they reluctantly broke apart.

"I love you, my little sexy Santa Claus," Justin murmured as he reached up to feather the hair at the back of Brian's nape and smile at him tenderly.

Brian grinned. "And you're without a doubt, the sexiest little elf I've ever encountered, Sunshine," he responded, nuzzling the blond's nose Eskimo-style for a few seconds. He handed the sketchpad and pencils over to his partner as he added, "I know an elf, though, that'd better get started on his drawing before the horses get impatient and want to be unhitched."

Justin nodded as he walked over and sat down on a bale of hay; seconds later, the rest of the world fell away from him as he began to concentrate on his sketches. Brian leaned against a wall close by and admired Justin as Justin admired the horses. "Thirty minutes, Sunshine," he called out. "Then we go back to the house for some more riding….."

As they walked through the front door a half-hour later, Justin and Brian brushed off some of the snow from their coats before hanging them up in the nearby foyer's closet and walking toward the parlor, hand in hand. Once more, Brian stopped Justin in the threshold and glanced upward, receiving a slight rolling of the eyes from the blond before Justin obligingly leaned up for Kiss No. 37 – or 137; Brian had long lost count and didn't the fuck care any longer, as long as he kept getting them…..

"Well, you two don't look too worse for wear, considering you've been out in the cold for a couple of hours now," Debbie observed from her position near the parlor room's fire. "In fact, you both kind of look like the cat that ate the fu…the canary," she corrected herself, realizing that Gus and JR were avidly listening nearby to everything being said. It was hard for her to remember to watch her language – it had been a long time since she had been around little children, not that she particularly minded being a grandmother – in fact, she downright loved it. "Let me guess – you went out to the stables for a little riding and lost track of the time – bareback style, maybe?" she guffawed.

"Debbie! Please!" Jennifer chided her softly, not quite able to be so open about her son's sex life, even though she wasn't so naïve as to not realize that her son and Brian were quite, uh, compatible in that department. "Do you mind?" she asked, noticing that her son's face was turning a distinct shade of pink at the inquiry, leading her to wonder if Debbie had been right.

Justin and Brian walked over and sat down on the leather loveseat. They looked at each other tenderly before Brian nodded and Justin told them, "Actually, we were in the stables. And Brian DID take me for a sleigh ride."

Michael snorted. "That's a new way of putting it. Did this sleigh ride involve leather?" he joked.

Brian curled his lips under and laughed softly. "As a matter of fact, it DID," he said mysteriously as Michael peered back at him with a puzzled look. He looked over at Justin silently, hoping for a better explanation.

"Brian bought a couple of horses for the stables," Justin explained. "Clydesdales," he said. "Do you know what those are?"

"Ooh, the Budweiser horses?" Emmett cried out, clapping his hands a couple of times in excitement. "I have to see those! They're huge!" He commented, "Leave it to Brian to find the biggest ones."

"But of course, Honeycutt – what else would I find? I had to buy ones that were becoming of my own stature."

"Uh, huh," Michael said, shaking his head. "You didn't actually go riding out in the snow with them, did you?"

"Not exactly," Justin reported, smiling at the memory. "Brian bought a sleigh and hitched them up to that for a ride." His face took on an almost dreamy quality as he smiled and said, "It was wonderful."

"Daddy?"

Brian felt a hand pulling on his shirt; he looked down and noticed his son peering up at him from the floor with a Matchbox car in his hand; he hadn't even heard the little boy approach him. "Yeah, Sonny Boy?"

"Did you really buy some horses?" he asked animatedly, his eyes aglow with excitement, much like Justin's had been earlier.

"I sure did, Buddy."

"Can I go for a ride, too, then, Daddy? Please?" His puppy-dog eyes peered soulfully up at his father full of pleading and intensity.

"Sure you can, Gus," his father told him; as his son began to jump up and down, but before he could whirl around to ask one of his mothers any questions, Brian sternly but gently told him, "Not tonight, though, Sonny Boy. The snow's gotten stronger during the past hour and the horses need to rest for the night."

"But, Daddy…."

"No, Buddy. I promise I'll take you for a ride in the sleigh tomorrow morning, okay? The snow's supposed to be done by then. In the meantime, you play with all of your toys Santa got you and we'll take a ride then." His tone left no leeway in his decision, and his son seemed to realize that.

"Okay, Daddy," he agreed reluctantly, his lower lip sticking out a little in disappointment. "But don't forget."

Brian smiled as he placed his hand behind his son's neck and leaned down to place a gentle kiss on his son's cheek. "I won't – I promise."

"Well, I think it's about time for something to eat, don't you think so?" Debbie asked, standing up. "I fixed some beef vegetable soup earlier – it's warming on the stove. Who's ready for some soup and sandwiches?"

As the children jumped up in excitement and ran toward the kitchen, the rest of the adults followed more slowly behind, leaving Justin and Brian alone once more, at least for a little while.

"Thank you," Justin said softly as he squeezed Brian's hand.

Brian looked down at his partner's face. "For what?"

"For this – for agreeing to host the Christmas festivities here at Britin. For the horses – for the sleigh. For the ride earlier – shit, that was amazing! YOU'RE amazing, you know that?"

Brian smiled. "I am, aren't I?" he agreed, tongue in cheek. He noticed his partner's face sobering somewhat as he gazed at him. "What?" he asked the blond.

"I should be angry at you, you know," he scolded his partner.

Brian frowned. "Angry – why?"

"Because you told me in no uncertain terms on the phone earlier NOT to get you anything for Christmas, or you would be pissed," he told him. "And now look – you went out and bought those magnificent horses and the sleigh - and not to mention the art supplies - and here I am with nothing to give you."

Brian gazed at him softly. "Well, that's where you're wrong, Justin. You did get me something - YOU. You're the best fucking Christmas present I could ever have."

Justin's breath caught in his throat at the unexpected, heartfelt confession as his heart swelled to new heights. God, I love this man so...

"Brian," he murmured softly, leaning his forehead against the brunet's and sighing. "I...don't know what to say. Actually, I do." He pulled back to smile into the hazel eyes as he asked, "Why don't we take your present upstairs right now and unwrap it? I think it's time to saddle up again."