A/N: We're into the final week of the Advent Calendar already, how on earth has that even happened?! Ah well, time does always seem to go so fast lately. Anywho, pretty sure this is the first Runaways-'verse fic that I've written that actually takes place within The Runaways itself since the whole thing began...

18. A Diamond Christmas
'Verse: Runaways-verse
Timeline: The Runaways
Date: December 2004

"You gonna stare at that thing all night?" asked Jess as he joined Rory in bed, her eyes fixed on her engagement ring still.

"Yes, probably," she said, grinning wide. "I can't think of a better way to spend my time right now."

"C'mere, I'll educate you," he told her, pulling her close and kissing her soundly.

There was no way they were going to be doing very much more than that in Rory's too small bed and six months of her pregnant belly between them, but that was okay.

"Mmm, that is a nice way to spend time," she said after a minute, "but I still love my ring too," she said, flashing the tiny diamond in Jess' face.

Not that he could see much in the dim light, but then he didn't need to. He knew that engagement ring well enough. He had been staring at it in its velvet lined box for days, feeling happy and nervous and a hundred other things until Rory finally got her hands on her Christmas gift and looked positively giddy at the prospect of wearing it.

"It's been such a great Christmas," she said, sighing happily as she curled into her fiancé's arms. "We're going to have a lot of these, you know?"

"I guess so." Jess nodded, kissing the top of her head. "Next year, Christmas with a nine-month-old. That's a weird thought."

"Kind of is," Rory admitted, "but nice too. I mean, I know this isn't quite how I planned for my life to go, and being a mom so young still freaks me out a little bit, but days like today... I don't know, I just feel so good about our future, Jess."

"I gotta admit, today really was a good day," he told her, staring at the ceiling as shadows from the past danced behind his eyes. "I had too many Christmases in crappy apartments with Liz either drunk or high, her latest flame yelling about something, freezing my ass off because nobody paid the bill that month," he said, shaking his head. "I never even thought this whole family Christmas thing could be for me, or that I could fit into it. Just goes to show how things change, I guess."

It was only when Jess heard the sniffling sound coming out of Rory that he realised maybe he should shut up already.

"Geez, Ror, I'm sorry," he said, moving so he could see her face. "I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay," she promised him, swiping the tears from her cheeks. "I'm okay, it's just hormones and stuff. Also, I'm just really, really happy that you get to make good Christmas memories now, and that I get to be a part of them," she said, smiling bravely.

"You're the best part of them," Jess promised her, his hand at her cheek, thumb wiping away one last tear. "You and this kid we're having, you guys are my life, and the best gifts I could get for Christmas or anytime," he swore. "Although, half a diner is also a pretty good gift," he admitted with a smirk, glad to see and hear Rory laugh too.

"That is a very good gift," she agreed, nodding her head. "It's been an amazing Christmas, hasn't it?"

"Yeah," Jess agreed, kissing her lips, "and here's to a whole lot more."

"Oh yeah." Rory smiled, kissing him back, then giggling as Jess pulled the covers over both their heads.