Megan knocked on Lacey's door, hoping she'd be ready to talk.

"Come in," Lacey called out.

"Hey," Megan smiled sadly, sitting on Lacey's bed while she wrapped up her conversation with her friend Lindsey, hanging up and continuing to paint her nails with one of the new polishes she'd gotten in her stocking. "Where's Kate?"

"She went home."

"What?" Lacey asked, confused. "Why?"

"She said she needed time to think about things," Megan sighed, feeling like she probably shouldn't lay out all her problems to her daughter, but knowing Lacey was a very good listener.

"You think grandma was too much?"

Megan tried to laugh a little. "Grandma's always too much."

"True," Lacey giggled. "But…she didn't have to leave. It's still Christmas."

"Well, she wanted to," Megan swallowed. "Hopefully she'll figure things out soon."

"I hope so too," Lacey agreed. She appeared to think for a few moments as she put her nail polish aside. "Mom?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't have a problem with you dating a woman," Lacey told her bluntly.

Megan blushed a little.

"No?"

"No... I mean, I get it. I didn't know you had those kinds of feelings, but it's not a big deal. At all."

Megan took a very deep breath, feeling thankful for the way society was changing, helping shape the consciousness of her daughter and others her age, hopefully making things easier for them than they were for her own generation.

"I appreciate that," Megan smiled.

"But…" Lacey continued. "Kate's your boss. And she dated dad. And…"

"I know, I know," Megan held up her hand. "It's complicated, yes, but that's the way it is. I tried, I really did, but something kept pulling us towards each other until we couldn't stay away."

"Do you love her?" Lacey asked. Megan admired how to-the-point kids could be. It was beyond refreshing.

"Yes," she admitted aloud for the first time. "I do."

"Then you should tell her," Lacey stated firmly.

"I don't know if she's ready to hear it."

"She has to be," Lacey argued. "I never saw her look at dad the way she looks at you. We'd talk about love sometimes, whenever I had stupid crushes on guys at school. But she always talked about it like it was something she hadn't found yet. She'd get that look in her eyes though, the same one she had today every time you spoke. She was staring at you."

Megan felt her cheeks turn pink at the assertion.

"Lace, I don't…"

"Tell her," Lacey repeated. "It's the only way you'll know for sure. I don't want you to get hurt."

"I don't want to get hurt either," Megan sniffed.

Lacey threw her arms around her mom. Megan knew she was right. She would tell Kate, whether she was ready to hear it or not. Megan was ready to say it, and after all they'd been through, she knew there was no time like the present.

"Can you drop me off at Lindsey's on your way?" Lacey pleaded sweetly. "Please? They're going caroling."

Megan shook her head and sighed, but agreed.

Back in her own apartment, Kate curled up in front of the television and turned on It's a Wonderful Life. The movie made her terribly depressed every time she watched it, but she couldn't help herself. She felt like she'd become accustomed, almost addicted, to a certain kind of sadness. It was what she knew best.

Holidays were never an easy time, and experiencing so much joy all at once made her uneasy, when she knew it should have made her ecstatic. Being alone with Megan, feeling her body, letting go as they'd entered each other's most intimate physical and psychic realms wasn't so terrifying. That part felt natural, and well worth the wait. It was the other stuff. Being domestic. Having more than one person—a child, other relatives—to share things with. She wasn't used to it, but she wanted to be. She wanted to feel safe, and yet she knew that sometimes, in order to get there, you had to take risks. She felt guilty and embarrassed for leaving, but knew she could make much better decisions if she retreated for the time being.

The truth was, Megan had always been a risk, a liability. But she was one Kate was willing to take.

As the credits started rolling and Kate began to nod off on the couch, there was a knock at her door. Her eyes opened abruptly at the sound. She quickly made her way to answer it in her blue silk robe, checking through the peephole, though she already knew exactly who it was.

"What are you doing here?" Kate asked Megan, stepping aside to let her in. The redhead made her way to the couch and flopped down, removing her heavy winter coat. She had her hair pulled back and was wearing rather plain jeans and a black long sleeved shirt, much more laid back than Kate had ever seen, save for that morning. "Where's Lacey?"

"At her friend's house," Megan told her. "Turns out, people don't stay with their parents every waking minute during the holidays anymore. What I wouldn't have given to get away from my mother on Christmas."

"That I can believe," Kate smirked. "Though I'm sure Lacey didn't want to get away from you. She's just…a teenager."

Kate joined her on the couch, sitting close, but not too close. They both looked at their knees for a few minutes until Megan finally broke the silence.

"I know you said you needed time," Megan swallowed, looking up at her with the thinnest layer of tears in her eyes. "But are we really going to pretend like nothing happened?"

Kate exhaled, closing her eyes, trying to keep her wits about her.

"We have to handle things carefully. You said it yourself."

"And you said not to worry," Megan reminded her.

"I know, Megan," Kate brought her hands together, clasping them in her lap. "But I did a lot of thinking, and I want to make sure we do this the right way. There's a lot at stake, for both of us. I'm not used to feeling so exposed. You saw how uncomfortable I was with Erica. I can't just change overnight."

"I don't want you to change," Megan shook her head, moving a little closer. "I want you exactly as you are. How many times do I have to tell you that before you'll believe me?"

"Megan…"

"No, listen to me," she grabbed her hand. "I don't care if anyone else knows or doesn't know. We don't have to tell people now, or ever. I just want to know. I need to know that this means just as much to you as it does to me."

Kate breathed heavily, thinking back on how many times she'd told herself this could never happen. All those layers of denial would take time to shed. But the past twenty four hours had been the most insanely reckless, and yet incredibly romantic and grounding hours of her life. Megan was more than willing to deal with all of her baggage, make compromises and adjustments to allow her in, even allow her to be involved in her daughter's life. She was clearly in it for keeps.

"It does," Kate whispered. "It does mean just as much."

Megan lowered her eyes, then raised them again.

"Lacey made me promise I'd come here after I dropped her off."

"She did?" Kate laughed a little, trying not to let her tears go.

"Yes. She loves you," Megan nodded, letting the moment linger before taking Kate's face in her hands. "I love you."

Kate felt like her heart was in her throat, beating so fiercely it threatened to spill out of her mouth and onto the sofa between them. She was nauseous with how much love she had for the woman in front of her, absolutely sick with love, in the most excruciatingly beautiful way. She wished they'd both had the guts to say it when they were naked and wrapped around each other last night. It would have been much more romantic, but she figured they had plenty of time for that. For now, here it was, right in front of them.

"I love you too," she whispered. "I do. I love you. So much."

Megan pressed their lips together, taking her in, pulling her arms around her. Kate returned the embrace, letting the sense of rightness wash over them, sealing the connection they'd both been kindling for so long. Kate teased Megan's lips with her tongue, balancing between softness and torture, tracing her fingers down her cheeks. Megan finally pulled away, narrowing her eyes and smiling devilishly as she looked down at the coffee table.

"Is that…" she began to ask, smirking. "A half-eaten jar of Nutella?"

Kate pouted her lips and looked a little guilty. Megan laughed hard before grabbing her again, burying her fingers in her blonde locks and pushing her back against the sofa, cuddling up against her chest.

"Well, well, Dr. Murphy," she mused. "You do know how to have fun after all."

The blonde scoffed, pinching Megan's sides as she squirmed. The two made Nutella sandwiches in between love-making sessions until sunrise, feeling like kids again, full of energy and wide awake.