The alarm went off at eight. Lacey would be there by nine. Megan hit snooze once before rolling over and feeling another warm figure in the bed next to her. She slowly opened her eyes, coming back to consciousness, remembering.

Watching Kate sleep was divine. She looked angelic, her blonde waves tousled across her face, full red lips slightly parted as she breathed. Megan noted the rise and fall of her chest beneath the sheets, her tan shoulders peaking out, begging to be touched. She softly traced her fingers along Kate's collar bone, then up to her neck, her chin, and finally her lips. The blonde began to smirk a little at her touch, stretching. Megan decided to capture her first waking breath with a kiss, gently sucking her bottom lip until she felt Kate smile into it and reciprocate. Kate brought her fingers to Megan's hair, brushing through it, playing with the tresses enveloping them both. When Megan finally pulled away, Kate opened her eyes, still looking very sleepy. She stretched her arms out and wrapped them around Megan's neck, tangling their legs together.

"Hey," she whispered.

"Hey," Megan breathed back.

"What time is it?"

"Time to make breakfast," Megan sighed. "Christmas tradition."

Kate swallowed, realizing she would be taking part in family traditions, something she had never actually experienced in her own family. At least, she hoped she would be invited to stay.

"Do you think…" she began hesitantly. "Will Lacey be okay with…"

"I have no idea," Megan admitted. "But I'm not letting you go anywhere, so she'll have to be."

Kate still looked concerned. She had a good relationship with Lacey when she and Todd were together, and even before then. The girl seemed to look up to her, but that was when it came to fashion and homework advice. She had no idea how Lacey might react to her dating her mother.

"Hey," Megan cupped Kate's chin and looked into her eyes assuredly. "Trust me. It'll be alright."

Kate softened, letting the redhead calm her nerves for the moment, kissing lazily up the sides of her face, across her forehead, before returning to her lips. She felt Megan's thigh push between her legs, nestling there amidst the warm, sticky space. Kate's breath caught at the sensation, letting her hands roam down to Megan's ass, which had distracted her so many times back at the office, whether she was wearing a short dress or tight pants. It begged to be grabbed, and now, she did so with full abandon, squeezing firmly as Megan continued to roll her hips.

"Gotta get up," Megan kissed her cheek abruptly and jumped out of bed, leaving her shaking. Kate scoffed and rolled her eyes, taking pains to sit up. She watched Megan bend over in front of her dresser, totally nude, taunting her as she pulled some sweats out of a drawer. She tossed a pair to Kate, along with a t-shirt, and slipped on her own before venturing out into the kitchen.

Kate got dressed and followed a few minutes later. She took note of all the festive decorations she missed last night when they were desperately ripping off each other's clothes. The tree next to the sofa was filled with brightly colored bulbs, sparkly reds, greens and blues, and a number of homemade ornaments Lacey had constructed over the years. There were presents wrapped and already sitting under the tree, and a number of surfaces were covered in snowmen, reindeer, tinsel and garland.

"Wow. You guys really go all out," Kate noted as she met Megan near the refrigerator, where she was removing ingredients.

"All Lacey," Megan sighed. "Before she moved back in, I didn't do any of it. It's kind of a hassle."

"I think it's nice," Kate admitted softly, leaning against the counter. "I didn't have any of this growing up."

"You didn't celebrate Christmas?"

"Not exactly," Kate swallowed. "My parents were usually too boozed up to worry about things like holidays."

Megan froze. She felt a little sick to her stomach at the thought of Kate's parents not treating her right, remembering the other allusions to neglect and abuse Kate had mentioned. She stopped what she was doing for a moment and stood in front of her, arms wrapped around her slender waist, locking behind her back.

"I hope you know…" Megan whispered, planting a soft kiss on Kate's jawline. "There's nothing you can tell me that will make me change my mind about you."

Kate shifted uncomfortably, though she tipped her head forward and leaned it against Megan's, bringing her hands to her face.

"You say that," she mumbled.

"I mean it," Megan told her firmly. She lifted Kate's chin and kissed her so lovingly, Kate felt her knees buckle, still a little wobbly with sleep. She gripped harder onto Megan's waist and pushed her back against the opposite counter, deepening their kiss, whipping her tongue inside her mouth and smoothing it against every surface.

Megan was taken aback by the sudden fervor, but she welcomed it. She allowed herself to be lifted onto the counter so she could wrap her legs behind Kate's back. Kate brought her fingers to the waistband of Megan's grey sweatpants and looked into her eyes fiendishly.

"How much time do we have?" Kate whispered.

"Not much…but…" she pulled Kate's hands away from her, slipping off the counter. Kate looked at her, confused, until she felt Megan's thumbs loop beneath her own sweats, beneath the waist of her panties, locking eyes with her as she slid them down her legs.

"Now who's playing games?" Kate trembled, arching an eyebrow as she smirked.

"You want me to stop?" Megan growled, grabbing Kate's mound firmly. Kate's eyelids fluttered. Megan began dragging her fingers through her slickness. The blonde shuddered, shaking her head as Megan pushed her back against the marble, diving in with two fingers, filling her up. Kate spread her legs just enough to give Megan the space she needed, barely able to think as Megan fucked her slowly while standing. Kate hung onto Megan's shoulders, marveling at the redhead's strength as she kept them from falling.

"Meg…" Kate huffed against her neck, unable to form a complete sentence. "What…"

"God, you feel so good," Megan whispered against her cheek, continuing to thrust in and out as Kate finally pushed herself up onto the counter.

"You're so…" Kate continued. "So…"

Megan removed her fingers from Kate's dripping core and instead lifted her legs over her shoulders, thankful they were at the perfect height to do this. Kate leaned back against the cabinets as Megan brought her lips to her cunt, lapping up all of her flavor, tickling and teasing every crevice as if she had done this before, though Kate knew she hadn't. It was simply a matter of wanting someone so badly she had no qualms or hesitations about how to proceed.

Kate looked down between them and watched as Megan darted her tongue out against her swollen clit, evidently loving what she tasted, gazing up indulgently through hooded eyes. The blonde squirmed and did her best to keep her balance. Finally, Megan stopped teasing and turned to a full on assault with her mouth, licking harder and faster, until Kate was practically screaming.

"Yes! Oh god…ungh!"

She grabbed Megan's shoulders and dug her feet into her back as she came. Megan traced her nails up Kate's thighs before wiping her mouth with her hand, sucking Kate off her fingers before standing up straight. She pulled Kate against her and kissed her over and over again, until they were left just staring, unable to look away.

"How did you…" Kate continued to pant. "You're… so much…"

"Naughtier than you imagined?" Megan smirked.

Kate shook her head and giggled.

"I feel like," Megan kissed between words. "I've been waiting for you. Forever."

Kate held her cheek and stroked it with her thumb, searching those green eyes, wanting to tell her how much she loved her, but still feeling scared. She'd never loved someone without losing them, whether it was her mom and dad, or various romantic relationships throughout the years. And she'd certainly never loved someone this much. She simply couldn't bring herself to say it, not yet. They'd see how the day went with Lacey. Then, maybe she'd be ready.

The two made their best effort to get cleaned up quickly. Megan returned to the stove, making a big bowl of scrambled eggs and some fried potatoes to go with them. A few minutes before nine, while Kate was still in the shower, she heard Lacey's key in the door.

"Merry Christmas!" the young girl yelled cheerfully as she threw her bags on the floor, eyeing the gifts beneath the tree.

"Merry Christmas!" Megan called back from the kitchen.

Lacey wrapped her arms around her mother from behind and squeezed her tight as Megan turned around and kissed her on the forehead.

"When's grandma coming over?" Lacey asked.

Megan's heart almost stopped. She completely forgot about her mother. Joan would probably be there closer to ten. Great, she thought. As if Kate isn't already nervous enough.

"Later," Megan swallowed. "You want your bagel toasted?"

Lacey nodded, taking a seat at the bar as she watched her mother cook.

"Do we have to wait for her to open presents?"

Megan turned around and scowled at her, making the answer obvious.

Suddenly, a small thump was heard coming from the bedroom, the sound of Kate stubbing her toe, followed by an "Ouch!"

Lacey's ears perked up, then her eyebrows lifted as she looked back at her mother. Megan held a spatula in the air, her face bright red.

"Mom?" Lacey questioned. "Who…"

"Lace, it's kind of…"

"I didn't know you were seeing someone new!" she whispered a little excitedly. "Let alone having them sleep over. On Christmas. It must be serious. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because… it's…" Megan didn't know what to say. How could she tell her fifteen year old the truth? That she and her boss—her father's ex, to boot—had been secretly falling head over heels for each other for years and finally decided to throw caution to the wind, having crazy, amazing sex without considering any of the consequences?

She didn't have to say anything though, as the door to the bedroom opened and Kate stepped out, back in her grey slacks and light pink button down from the night before, hair a little wet, wearing very light makeup. She looked at Lacey, then at Megan, and the three exchanged looks for a few seconds before Lacey finally spoke.

"Kate?" she asked. "What are you…?"

Lacey's eyes seemed to flash through several emotions as she answered her own question. First confusion, then embarrassment followed by a sort of disgruntled teenage apathy. Kate looked at her sympathetically while Megan continued to pray the bottom wasn't about to fall out before they'd even had a chance.

"Lacey," Megan tried. "Kate and I…we just…"

"You know what?" Lacey smiled, a little disingenuous but not mean-spirited. "You guys are adults. I don't need to know everything."

Megan looked at her incredulously. There was no way her daughter was being this mature about it. She'd hoped for a more enthusiastic response, but at least she wasn't running out the door.

"So you're…okay with me joining you today?" Kate tried to get clarification, wanting to make sure it was cool that she stayed.

"The more the merrier," Lacey continued to smile, turning red as she rolled her eyes.

Kate looked at Megan, who licked her lips and turned back to the stove, pulling the potatoes off the burner. The blonde took a seat next to Lacey and tried to make things more comfortable.

"How was last night?" she asked.

"Nice," Lacey shrugged. "You know dad. He can't cook anything, but we had some good takeout."

Kate nodded.

"And school?"

"Fine," Lacey added.

There was silence for a few moments, until Lacey seemed to remember something. She bit her lip, then smirked.

"My friend Sarah just started dating this girl Maddie."

"Oh?" Megan coughed before clearing her throat, still working with her back towards them.

"Yeah. We all thought she totally liked Kevin Wilks, but it turns out she goes both ways."

She eyed Kate a little more boldly. Kate swallowed.

"Are you okay with that?" Kate asked. "I mean, your friend."

"Yeah," Lacey shrugged. "People love who they love. We can't really help it."

Kate was starting to find peace within, her heart rate returning to a reasonable level. Lacey was a smart girl. Clearly, she wasn't ready to talk about this situation, but she was trying, in her own way, to show that she would be supportive eventually, once she wrapped her brain around how it all must have gone down.

Megan was sort of shell-shocked, keeping herself busy, like she did at work when she needed to stay sane. She wasn't surprised at Lacey's reaction. She just hoped that when they had a little time together one-on-one, they'd be able to discuss things more candidly.

"You want a mimosa?" Megan asked.

"Yes, please!" both Kate and Lacey answered.

Megan glared at her daughter.

"Not you, silly."

"Why not?" Lacey continued to push. "I think I've earned it."

"Nice try," Megan shook her head, then turned to Kate.

"Maybe I should pass too," Kate changed her mind.

"Oh, I'd take one if I were you," Megan smirked. "Lacey reminded me that my mother will be here shortly. You're gonna need all the help you can get."

Kate guffawed a little, taking a deep breath as her face flushed. Lacey put her hand on her shoulder and patted.

"Don't worry," the girl smiled kindly now. "She's more socially awkward than my mom. There's no way she'll get it."

Kate couldn't help but laugh. Megan just shook her head, glaring at them both as she sat down at the counter.

After about twenty minutes, Joan finally made an appearance.

"Yes!" Lacey jumped up, hugging her grandmother and pulling her towards the couch. "Presents!"

"Heavens," Joan chuckled, throwing off her coat and joining her granddaughter by the tree. "You're getting too old for this, Lace. Soon you're only going to want checks."

"Don't rush things, mother," Megan smiled, giving her mom a brief hug. Joan eyed Kate standing next to her and cocked her head to the side.

"Dr. Murphy. What a surprise."

"Merry Christmas, Joan," Kate shook the former judge's hand as Joan turned back to Megan, waiting for further explanation.

"I asked Kate to spend the day with us," Megan gave the short answer.

"I see," Joan smiled politely. "Well, we're happy to have you. Is your family out of state?"

Kate swallowed.

"Actually, my family… parents…are both dead." Kate didn't want to bring the mood down further by having to explain the details, so she figured she should just say they were gone and end the conversation.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry," Joan apologized, embarrassed.

"Come on," Megan interrupted, handing Lacey her first gift to open. "Lacey's been driving me crazy since she got here."

They spent the remainder of the day opening presents, watching A Christmas Story three and half times, and listening to all the latest society gossip. At about four o'clock, Joan headed off to another party. Lacey stepped into her room for a while to call her friends and compare gifts, leaving Megan and Kate some time to check in with each other.

"I think that went well," Megan sighed, reaching for Kate's hand across the couch. The blonde held it loosely.

"Did it?"

"I mean, considering she has no idea, and I didn't think this was a good time to tell her, yes. I'd say it went great," Megan confirmed.

Kate tried not to let Megan see how overwhelmed she was. This was a lot to take in at once.

"Do you think there will ever be a good time to tell her?"

"How about after she's had some of her bourbon-infused jam?" Megan laughed. "We'll tell her then. She'll be fine."

Kate swallowed. Joan had always been nice to her, at least in a superficial way. She knew it wouldn't look great that she'd left Todd and presumably bounced right over to Megan, though that was a grossly abridged version of the story. She and Megan knew there was so much more to it than that, but to others—Joan, Lacey, Todd, their co-workers, the Commissioner—it had to look pretty sordid. She tried not to care, but it was weighing on her.

"Are your parents really dead?" Megan asked, interrupting Kate's thoughts.

"I don't know, actually," Kate answered. "I haven't seen my mother since I was six. My father, last time I checked, was in and out of halfway houses and shelters. That was almost a decade ago."

"Jesus," Megan shook her head, scooting closer to the blonde, rubbing the back of her hand. "I can't even imagine how hard that must be."

"It was," Kate noted coolly. "But I've accepted it. Made me fight harder for everything I have."

"I'm sure," Megan brushed some of Kate's bangs off her face before bringing her lips to her ear. "Thank you for telling me."

Kate shifted, pulling back a little, wanting to stop herself, but needing to just…

"What's wrong?" Megan asked.

"Nothing," Kate insisted, squeezing Megan's hand, lying blatantly. "I…Lacey…how do you think she's doing?"

"Right now it's hard to tell," Megan shrugged. "One minute she's sulking, the next she's as sweet as can be. She seems to adore you, though. No surprise there."

"She's a kid, Megan," Kate reminded her. "Kid's see things differently sometimes."

Megan looked at her rather seriously, but softly, trying to grasp what the blonde was thinking.

"How do you see things?" she finally asked.

Kate shook her head, not sure what to say. There wasn't anything to say, except that she was scared of losing credibility in her position, and more crucially, of getting hurt. Her only defense mechanism was to back away until she felt like she could construct some sort of emotional armor that would still allow her to love and be loved.

"Is it Erica?" Megan swallowed. "You still haven't told me what…"

"No, Megan, it isn't Erica," Kate quickly corrected, rolling her eyes. "Even she saw how much I wanted you. That's part of why she left. It's not that, and it's not you. It's just me needing some time. Is that okay?"

Megan didn't want to be angry. She didn't want to panic. She figured the best thing she could do was give Kate her time and space, even though everything in her head and heart screamed that this was the rightest thing that had ever happened.

"Okay," Megan whispered.

Kate rose from the couch and picked up her purse.

"You're leaving?" Megan asked, still surprised.

"I think you and Lacey should spend time together, talk about everything," Kate suggested. "Let me know what she says."

Megan kept her protestations to herself and met her at the door. Kate hated the look on Megan's face, but didn't know what else to do. She needed to get some perspective. She reached out and pulled Megan into a very long, gut-wrenching hug.

Megan hated this. She didn't know why the blonde was pulling away all of a sudden. She realized they'd gone from zero to sixty in a matter of hours, but she thought they were on the same page. When she looked into Kate's eyes now, she still thought she saw love there, unmistakably. But she also saw hesitation, and fear, all things she hoped Kate would be able to exorcise with a little reflection.

"I'll see you Monday," Kate whispered.

She kissed Megan once more on the lips, and then she was gone.