Context: Takes places the 25 Days of Fic. This is their first Christmas together married.

(Written by Gina)

Holiday Unwinding

Cathy stared with half lidded eyes at a book on the wooden shelf near their bed. Her breathing had finally calmed and she was trying to take in air through her nose, though she still had to take a few deep breaths occasionally. Her husband was still panting a little, an arm slung lazily around her, with his first finger twirling her hair. His other hand was on her lower back, stroking her skin gently.

Cathy kept her head on Jamie's chest with a small smile, and drew small lazy circles near his collar bone. She felt him chuckle a little and he took in a final larger breath through his nose, tightening her hold around his wife before letting it out. Cathy pulled herself up a little, shifting so she was closer to his face, and gave him a light kiss. She kept her head in place and ran her thumb over his cheek and stubble, and gave him another small kiss.

She ran her hand through Jamie's damp hair, and rubbed his scalp a little. His eyes closed and he smiled, leaning up a little so he could kiss her cheek. "Mmm, I love you."

Cathy giggled as Jamie nuzzled his nose into her neck, kissing her shoulder. "I love you, too." She whispered.

Thinking back on how they'd ended up here, Cathy just had to smile a little to herself. She had been planning to get a few things done before Christmas – laundry needed to be washed and folded, the living room cleaned, this room tidied up. She had been doing the dishes when Jamie had come home, kissing her temple with a smile before sitting on a chair by the island table. He had watched her for moment as she tended to the house work. She would've asked for his help, (She might've heard him ask a few times, but she couldn't be sure.) but it seemed a million things had been on her mind, and everything was starting to make her head andback ache. Abruptly after watching her sweep the floor, Jamie had sprung from his spot, and without a word had gone to their room.

Just as Cathy had turned back around he was back in his seat, casually flipping through TV programmes from the kitchen with his finger in his mouth. In his boxers.

And now you're caught up.

How he managed to get her to just relax, she had no idea. Jamie was like that. But he knew when she needed to unwind, and this was one of them. They both needed to unwind, especially when it was right before the holidays.

Jamie started to sit up, and Cathy glanced at him curiously. He leaned against the headboard, motioning for her to sit in front of him. When she did so, he trailed his hands up her arms and to her shoulders, applying pressure. Cathy sighed lightly in content, rubbing her own neck. Jamie removed her hand, taking it in his own and kissing the back of it. He moved one hand to the spot, the other still on her shoulder.

It felt as though any nerves she may have had about anything ever had just completely faded. How does that happen? Even when she wasn't conscious of any stress weighing her down, Jamie was somehow able to lift it. How does he do that?

She tilted her head a little so she could look at him. His eyes looked at least a bit awake, but the rest of his face seemed in peaceful tiredness. Not yet ready to sleep, but getting there. She felt exactly the same. He smiled at her, kissing her nose.

He kept rubbing, shifting pressures, kissing her temples and her shoulder, and sometimes her neck. It wasn't a suggestive move, just something he knew she liked. He loved pleasing her in whatever way, loved making her smile. He loved her.

For some odd reason, as it had been all week whenever Jamie and she were doing anything together, as she relaxed into his touch and allowed her head and body to calm, her mind was beginning to wonder. Before they had married, it would be to them dancing, or to them sitting together on a bench, or reading side by side. It was the feeling of excitement and of warm happiness that would follow. And now, it was the kinds of thoughts that made her stomach flutter in ways she just couldn't explain.

She had had a dream many nights ago that she was shopping for children's clothes. And as she had held up a nice shirt for a young girl, a boy who resembled the perfect mix of her and her husband and come up to tug on her sleeve. Cathy hadn't planned to get that dream, and every one after that was similar. First day of school. Sport practices. Dance recitals.

And almost every time she had woken up with a strange half smile on her face and the urge to lean over and kiss Jamie's cheek and intertwine their fingers. She had even woken up with a few tears on her cheeks after a particular one of what appeared to be a high school graduation.

She couldn't believe the joy she had felt just from a few images her mind had been pushing behind her lids. She sometimes could imagine holding a small child in her arms, squirming in her hold and letting out adorable squeaks. She wanted kids. She knew. Would Jamie want kids?

Cathy let out an involuntary moan as Jamie massaged a particular spot near her neck. He chuckled in her ear. "Oh, we like that, do we?"

Cathy chuckled herself, turning to face him, causing his arms to fall to her sides. She moved to sit to her husband's side, and put one hand on his cheek. He grinned at her as she kissed his forehead. She tilted her head back so she could see his eyes, and she almost immediately got lost in them. She saw their children in them. She saw them eating dinner together. She saw them laughing. She saw a family.

Jamie kissed her cheek and she smiled, kissing his temple and taking his face in her hands again, peppering kisses down to his cheek, then his jawline, and finally to his mouth. She kissed him lightly, and after she had separated heard Jamie's groan in protest. He gently pulled Cathy closer to him, pressing their bare chests together, snaking his arms around her and kissing her deeply. She moaned lightly against his lips as his hand traced shapes on her back. He parted his lips and she did the same, wrapping an arm around her neck as his tongue massaged hers.

Jamie kept one hand on her back, and moved the other to her thigh, wrapping a leg around his waist which shifted her closer to him. Cathy felt herself losing breath and had to separate, keeping her hand tangled in his hair. He licked his lips, catching his own breath as he watched Cathy do the same, balancing herself with a hand on his shoulder.

She caught his eye and smiled before giggling and nuzzling her head into his neck sheepishly. Jamie was still a bit out of breath, hugging Cathy to his chest again, squeezing her gently.

"Mmm," he hummed, laying them back on the pillows. "Like I said. I love you. So much."

Cathy moaned very lightly, and Jamie rubbed up and down her back again with a smile. She trailed her first finger along his jawline and saw his eyes close a little again. He really was tired. She needed to let him sleep.

She mimicked one of Jamie's more signature smirks, though it still had that old hint of her pleasant smile that made him grin as well. "I know," she winked. "I'm pretty cool, aren't I?"

They both laughed tiredly, and Jamie rested his head above hers. "Yeah, you are."

Before the both of them drifted off, Cathy could still see Jamie's smile before he had shifted. And behind her eye lids, another of his smiles. But it was on a younger and smaller face. I can't wait to meet you.

Cathy wasn't sure if it was her voice in her head or someone else's. But it didn't matter. She grinned widely, cuddling closer to her husband's body, lifting one of the sheets over them for their small nap.

"I love you too, Jamie…" she whispered.