A/N: Rating goes up in this chapter *hides in a corner*, so you have been warned! Hope it doesn't disappoint. This is the end of our little Christmassy journey... I'd love to know your thoughts on the story. I actually thought about writing a little epilogue, but I feel like it ended alright - do let me know either way! Maybe I can come up with a suitable epilogue ;) Thanks for reading!

Chapter Two

He kissed her first, and it was the sweetest thing he had ever tasted. Her hands left his own almost immediately to pull him closer. Her scent invaded his senses, and he vowed he would never deny himself – or her – of these kisses anymore. Her hair felt like silk and he could taste the saltiness of her tears as he kissed her cheeks, silently promising himself he wouldn't be a cause for them any longer. She needed happiness, and if she ever trusted him again with it, he wouldn't let it go.

It was only when her fingers started fumbling with the buttons of his coat that he realised they had never taken them off. He got rid of his with her help, and before he could think of a way of asking her to take her own coat off, she was unbuttoning it and it fell to the ground. Her kisses were as intoxicating as they were in his dreams, but she felt and tasted a thousand times better still. Her hands prodded against him, as if getting familiar with him once again, as if studying the patterns of his body through his clothes so she could never forget it.

He was kissing her earlobe when he heard a moan, and he stilled himself for a moment, never wanting to forget what she sounded like again.

"Don't stop," she whispered, and he didn't.

His lips found her jaw and trailed down to her collarbone – Anna seemed a bit thinner now, and he wouldn't try to think of a reason why. But her skin still held the same warmth it always did, and she still felt absolutely perfect as his hands trailed lower, down her back. She managed to unbutton his shirt and he was breathing hard by the time her hands got rid of his undershirt as well. He bit back a groan as her palms came in contact with his chest and he pressed himself closer to her, her hands cupping her behind as his lips sucked at the tops of her breasts.

Her hands guided his to her back, unzipping her dress and letting it fall to the floor. He sucked in a breath; he couldn't take his eyes off her.

She took off her black lace bra swiftly, taking advantage of his stare, and he couldn't hold back any longer. His hands cupped her breasts, and he marvelled at how perfectly they fit against his palms. Her moans grew louder when he replaced his right hand with his lips, taking an already hard nipple into his mouth. His hand trailed down her side to her underwear – she was still wearing her stockings, her underwear and her own shoes, but this did not stop him from reaching further – and as she arched against him, he was the one to moan – she was already incredibly wet.

Anna unzipped his pants quickly, and John took his shoes off in the process of removing them. Her kisses grew desperate – he knew as much as she did that this wasn't the moment for teasing. He quickly guided her to the few steps that led to the mattress – a sad excuse for a bed, and she deserved so, so much more – but it would have to do for the moment.

He took off his boxer shorts before kneeling on the bed with her, their eyes meeting for more than just a second now. She lay down, taking his hands, and he covered her body with his, nuzzling against her hair and breathing in her scent – the sweetest on earth.

"Are you sure?" he whispered into her ear as his hands found her underwear.

Her eyes were hard against his. "Please. Make love to me."

He caressed her thighs and stopped at her knees, feeling her skin through the soft material of her stockings. Pulling away, he kneeled back, feeling her eyes on him as he took one heel off, and then the other. He reached for her knickers next, the delicate material slowly coming down her hips and thighs and opening herself to him. He sucked in a breath.

She urged him on with her feet, and soon he was covering her again, pressing against her heat as her legs accepted his weight between them. In a swift motion she reached between them, stroking him just for a second before joining them, and he couldn't help the surprised groan that left his lips.

"Oh, God," Anna breathed out, closing her eyes as he engulfed himself in her.

"I've missed you," he moved slowly, thrusting almost completely out of her before entering her again. Anna gasped. "God, you feel so good."

And she did – and he felt like a man reaching water after months in the desert. His oasis was Anna and he never intended to leave her again, come what may. She wrapped her legs around his hips taking him in as he moved and meeting him in every thrust. How he had missed her – the blush in her cheeks as they made love, her short moans as he spurred her on. He still remembered every little detail of her body, and he didn't want to ever forget it. They moved fast, too desperate to properly care – he could only hope to have the chance to explore her more in the future. Her walls clenched around him and she raised her legs to his waist, taking him deeper now. Sensing that she was on edge, he slipped a hand between them, never stopping his movement. Her moans grew louder as he rubbed against her, and she was undone the next moment.

He followed her soon afterwards, collapsing on top of her. She hugged him close, her breasts rubbing against his chest as they struggled to breathe again. When he turned his head, he watched her. Her makeup was slightly stained with sweat, and her cheeks held the most beautiful blush he had ever seen. He raised himself on his elbows to kiss her again, and when she opened her eyes he saw they were glassy with tears. He wasn't surprised to feel his own tears stinging at his eyes.

"I love you," he whispered, watching her through the faint light. "So much. So, so much."

A sob escaped her, and the tears fell. "I love you too," she reached out to kiss him deeply. "Please don't leave again."

He shook his head. Another promise – but he would keep all the promises he made her from now on. "I won't."

Anna opened her eyes slowly, blinking heavily. It took her only a second to remember her surroundings – the large mattress and the boxes all around her, the soft glow of the only lamp that was still lit. John's solid body half covering hers, and his sleepy eyes watching her every move. She smiled.

"It wasn't a dream," she whispered, running her fingers through his soft hair.

He chuckled, leaning down to kiss her. "No. It was better."

She felt his lips against hers in a languid, lazy kiss. It was still dark.

"Was I asleep for long?"

"Just over an hour," he rubbed his nose against her. God, how she missed him.

His hand grazed at her sides, and she bit her lip as he trailed down her hip to her thigh. She only now realised she was still wearing her black stockings. A sigh left her lips. John's eyes moved from her leg to her face again. She caressed his cheeks.

"What do we do now?"

"Now," he kissed her jaw, bringing her leg closer to him. He rolled down her stocking slightly. "We take these things off."

Anna giggled. "You know what I mean."

He took a deep breath, reaching for her hand and kissing her knuckles. "I never want to be apart from you ever again."

"Me neither," she agreed immediately.

"And I'm not saying things can just go back to what they used to be," he continued. "Because heavens, I think I love you so much more now."

She couldn't help but smile. "I know."

"I need you to tell me everything I've missed," John said. "Everything about you."

Anna giggled, and pretended to think about it. "I took some dancing lessons," she said with an arched eyebrow. "My partner is an Italian bloke named Andrea and we're running off to Russia together."

John's face turned slightly serious and a frown appeared on his forehead, but Anna laughed heartily at this, shifting slightly in his arms. He chuckled. "You little minx," he kissed the tip of her nose. "I wouldn't have blamed you, though. If you had someone else."

Anna traced his eyebrows slowly, wanting to read him through her fingertips. She shook her head. "There could never be anyone else," her voice was soft as she spoke, and she met his eye. "You went to Vera after you left me."

"I did, but nothing happened between us," he assured her. "I've been yours since the moment I laid eyes on you. I promise."

Anna's eyes faltered just a bit, but she smiled. "I like the sound of that."

His eyes crinkled as he smiled. She reached for his cheek, stroking his beard slowly. She wasn't used to the beard, but she rather liked it.

"You've changed your hair," he noted. Of course he would notice.

It was longer than before, she knew, and her bangs were slightly different. He had always loved her hair – playing with it, untying it. She grinned.

"What do you think?"

"I love it," John said, kissing her jaw. "It looks great. But I'd love you in any way possible."

She squirmed slightly under him, giggling as he nuzzled her neck. He shifted so he was almost on top of her again, and his hands trailed down her hips once more. He pulled away, sitting on his legs, his eyes scrutinising her body, but she couldn't look away as she very much did the same to his. He lost some weight in the last months, and she could notice it.

"Now we take these off," he said, reaching both hands to one of her stockings, slowly rolling them down and kissing the path it uncovered, right until it reached her foot. She bit her lip as she watched him do the same to her other leg, raising it as he rolled the stocking off and kissing the inside of her thigh in a way that made her toes curl up. His hands were magic against her skin, stroking her calves and then he kissed her right foot again, this time trailing kisses over her abdomen and her breast and collarbone, until his lips found hers once again.

She relaxed as his lips soon trailed down the other side, his hands stroking her hips as he kissed her bellybutton and looked at her with a grin.

She sucked in a breath as his mouth kissed her skin lower and lower.

It was the smell of coffee that woke him up, much later. It was already light outside, and when he checked the old clock above the fireplace he learned that it was past nine o' clock. Frowning slightly at the still warm bed beside him, he quickly sat up, looking around for his boxer shorts and finding them not far from the bed. He yawned as he searched for a shirt to wear, very much thankful that he had left the heating on before he left for the party last night.

John walked slowly to the kitchen, leaning against the doorway. Anna had yet to see him, and he took advantage of the privacy of the moment. She was wearing the white shirt he had worn the day before, and it reached her mid thighs. She had somehow found a pair of socks to wear – and they were entirely too big for her feet, but that had never stopped her before. She always had such cold feet and he had always been the one to warm them up.

It was safe to say it had been his best night in a long, long time, though that was no surprise when it came to Anna. He had explained it all to her in further detail, all about Vera and her threats and how he got on away in Scotland. She spoke of work and about Gwen moving to London; she was helping her friend Ethel now, who was currently pregnant after a rather nasty break–up. He apologised again and he told her he loved her again and again, and they had made love for a third time later, just as the sun was rising.

Now, she was humming some song he probably didn't know, rummaging through the fridge and taking some fruits out. He didn't have much around, and he was very glad he decided to stop for groceries on the way back from his failed trip to Anna's house the day before.

She turned towards the sink, and smiled brightly when she saw him.

"Hey, you," she said cheerfully. "I thought I'd make us some breakfast. I had to open the fridge and the drawers. Hope you don't mind."

He walked towards her, slipping his arms around her waist from behind and kissing her temple. "I could never mind."

"It was supposed to be a breakfast in bed kind of thing," she grinned, "but you completely ruined it."

He let out an exaggerated sigh. "As usual."

Anna giggled, half turning to kiss his lips, but with the height difference he still had to meet her halfway – how he missed these little things.

"Happy Christmas Eve," he said into her kiss, and felt her smile against his lips.

"Happy Christmas Eve to you too," she said, "even though this place isn't looking a lot like Christmas."

He cringed. "You were always the one to make me enjoy Christmas."

"Maybe," she shrugged, "even though my place isn't exactly very decorated either. My tree is still all packed up."

"And you've always said a place only feels like home when there's a tree at Christmas," he teased her.

Anna simply shook her head. "I wasn't in a very Christmas mood this year."

He understood the meaning behind her words. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," she smiled weakly. "Do you have plans tonight? Tomorrow?"

"No," he answered.

"Mary's invited me to come over tomorrow," she commented as she poured him some coffee, though her tone was strained. Before he could speak, however, she changed the subject. "I like what you've done to the kitchen."

He blinked for a moment, then allowed himself to smile. "I hoped you'd like it. I knew you wanted something modern."

Anna laughed. "You definitely got it right. But this is your house, don't forget that."

"I don't," he told her, "but you know it's also yours the moment you decide it to be."

"John," she said, turning to look at him. He understood her reasoning to staying out of this, but he bought the house thinking of their future, no matter what came from it.

"We chose this place together," he said quietly, "and we dreamed together about all the things we would do in this place. Do you remember? Read together next to the fireplace, make love in the big bath tub, a backyard with a swing set for our children –"

"John, please," Anna pleaded, frowning at his words. "You said it yourself last night that things wouldn't just go back to what they were."

"Of course not," he said, "but this doesn't mean our dreams have changed. I want us to live together in this house, to raise our children here. I want you to be my wife. Don't you want that?"

"I want all that more than anything in the world," she rubbed her forehead tiredly, "but the last time that happened she took you away from me and I didn't think I'd be entitled to dream like this again."

He nodded silently, cursing at himself for doing this to her. She had every reason to be so hesitant, and it was already a big step that she took him back into her life without so much as a thought. He should be glad for it – he was glad for it.

She turned away from him again, focused on setting their breakfast once more. He helped her set the table – just a little plastic table he brought home with him. The house really needed some furnishing and soon, but Anna never battled an eye at it. By the time breakfast was ready, they were talking normally of trivial things – she hoped it would snow tomorrow, so it could properly feel like Christmas. He was too scared of tomorrow to think of what it would be like.

They shared a few more kisses as they did the dishes together but he could feel Anna was confused about everything. Afterwards, she asked him if he could drive her home, as she wanted to have some time for herself. He accepted it, understanding that it was probably a little bit too much for her. She declined his offer to walk her to her door, and she kissed him before she left – with a whispered declaration of love, one that he replied immediately, but she went anyway, and he came back to their dream home alone.

John was never much of a Christmas fan, not being religious and not having much family to celebrate it with. He also did not have a whole lot of food for a proper Christmas dinner, he realised as he rummaged through the mostly empty drawers and cabinets. He settled for spaghetti, and felt it would be good enough when he noticed a tomato sauce in the cabinet. Good enough for him, at any rate; he had left Anna a message right after leaving her at home, so she could have his number, and she only replied to a text later on saying she was spending the afternoon at home.

He was all too aware of the consequences of them getting back together – he knew people would talk, and he knew most would think her weak for accepting him back into her life. Anna was never one to care about gossip but this was something different altogether.

He grabbed a few biscuits before going into the living room, looking around rather aimlessly. He could finish painting the bedroom upstairs, and perhaps buy some furniture before the year was out – he wasn't keen on doing any of that without Anna but he supposed it was too much wishful thinking to want her to just welcome him back like that. With a sigh, he decided he should take some of the books out of the living room, and he had just put the first box in the smallest bedroom upstairs when the doorbell rang.

John ran down the stairs; the only two people who knew where he lived were Anna and Robert, and he doubted Robert would show up on Christmas Eve. Smoothing his hair slightly, trying to look a little presentable for someone who stayed in all day and had yet to shave a beard of quite a few days, he opened the door.

It was her – with her cheeks red from the cold, her hair slightly wavy, the way he knew it would get if she let it dry naturally. She smiled, and he noticed she was carrying two boxes. He was quick to get one of them.

"Sorry I didn't call saying I'd come," she told him, "but I wanted to bring this."

"It's alright," he said, though he looked questioningly at the boxes.

"This is the, uhm, the Christmas tree I had at home," she said quietly. "It's a bit too small and not an authentic one, but it'll have to do for now. And I brought the lights and some other stuff. I thought we could set it up together."

"That sounds great," his eyes lit up at her words as he put the boxes on the floor and helped her out of her coat.

"It's Christmas and a home needs a Christmas tree," she said as an explanation, fidgeting her fingers nervously. He covered them with his own and she smiled at the old habit. "I'm sorry about how I behaved earlier. I… I believe you when you say you'll stay with me. And I don't want to take things slowly. We've wasted enough time being apart."

"Does that mean you'll live here? With me?"

She nodded silently, a smile creeping up her features, and he kissed her cold lips soundly, lifting her up so they were on the same level, and she laughed happily against him.

"I take it you're happy," she said.

"Very, very happy," he replied, and he kissed her once more.

They spent Christmas Eve setting up the tiny tree in the living room, even deciding to leave the lights on even though they were a bit too much for such a small tree. They had spaghetti as dinner and biscuits for dessert, and he couldn't even bother to complain when Anna mentioned he'd keep sending crumbles everywhere if he kept walking whilst eating. Plans were made and for the first time in months they were both very much looking forward to the future. John showed Anna around, and she seemed very much excited about the house; her smiles lit up his heart every single time, and her eyes shone brightly as they made plans about how to furnish the bedroom and she reminded him that she was very curious about the bathtub. They read together next to the fireplace before going to bed, with the Christmas tree on the corner of the room.

Later, when the engagement ring he gave her as an early Christmas present was the only thing she wore, and she was the only thing he wore, snow started falling from the sky.

It was beginning to look a lot like Christmas, indeed.