The snow fell in swathes as I exited Madame DuPont's haberdashery. I pulled my cloak closer to me and set off for home. I could just make out Notre Dame's towers through the mist. My boots made a satisfying crunch as I trudged through the snow. Todays wage made a light clinking sound in my pocket. There was extra for working Christmas Eve.

After everything had settled with Ward I had grown bored of my housewife life in the belltower. Though my husband would be thrilled if I was just home all day everyday, I needed something to do. Fortunately Madame DuPont was hurting for help and I had a love for sewing. I mostly did grunt work like hemming or mending but Madame offered to let me help her design a dress after the holidays.

I beamed as I walked along. I couldn't wait to tell Quasi. Speaking of Quasi, I still needed to pick up his present. I turned down the next street and ducked into the tool shop.

A bell rang out as I heaved open the door.

"Evening!" I glanced over at the counter as I shoved the door back closed, locking out the cold wind.

"Evening!" I responded.

"Cold one." He commented.

"No kidding." I chuckled walking into the shop. I already knew what I wanted to grab. A set of new woodworking tools. I'd found them a few weeks ago and took extra shifts at the haberdashery to pay for them. I quickly found them and took a moment to admire them.

The handles were mahogany, a vein of gold ran through them. Not real gold of course but still, just as pretty. The metal of the chisels gleamed and shone. I pulled the top closed, the latch clicked into position and I lugged the case to the front.

"Ahh keen eye there miss." The shopkeeper complimented.

"Thanks, It's a Christmas present for my husband." I set it down on the counter.

"He a craftsman?"

"He is, best I know." I bragged.

"He'll love these then." He glanced into one of his books. "Should be about 15 Euro."

I fished my wage out of my pocket and set it on the counter. "That's half." I grabbed my money bag and tossed out the rest.

The man picked up a coin and gave it a glance. "Pleasure doing business ma'am."

"Thank you." I called as I left the cozy shop and entered the snow.

"Merry Christmas!" He called after me.

*SLAM*

The door to the belltower slammed behind me. The rest of my way home was cold and wet. Not my favorite but I'd grown to appreciate the winter. Just a bit. Quasi loved the snow.

"Ines?" I heard his voice call from somewhere high in the rafters.

"It's me!" I called back. I climbed into the loft quickly and barely managed to hide the toolset before I heard a familiar thump behind me.

"How was work?" I turned to find him, his arms out just a bit, a quiet request for an embrace.

"It was good." I answered, I enthusiastically answered his request, my hands slid up his chest resting on his collarbone. "Madame DuPont has asked for my assistance with her next dress."

"That's wonderful." His hands went to my waist and pulled me to him. "I knew it was only a matter of time before she realized what talent she had in front of her."

I chuckled. "Oh I'm not that good."

"Course you are." His blue eyes shone with pride as he gazed at me. I felt my cheeks flush as he did. Those blue eyes were my weakness, I melted beneath them.

"Well I'm glad you think so." My voice came out breathless.

"Everyone should." He bent and his lips met my forehead. His kiss lingered for a bit, I knew he was relishing the moment.

"Did you miss me then?" I joked.

He chuckled, his hand cupping my chin. "I did."

"I missed you too." I confessed. I couldn't hold back any longer, I closed the distance between us and kissed him deeply. He tasted sweet, like maple and pine.

His hand went to the small of my back pulling me tightly to him. My hands moved up his neck burying into his wild red hair. God I loved his hair.

A knock on the door had us separating.

"Damn." I grumbled. "That was just getting good."

He laughed mischievously. "Plenty of time later."

To my chagrin he left my side and went to answer the door.

Curious, I glanced over the railing to the front door. Quasi opened it up to reveal father Jean.

"Father!" Quasi exclaimed. "Come in out of the cold." He ushered Jean in.

"Many thanks." He shivered entering the tower. He wore a thick wool robe over his usual archdeacon garb but it was awfully cold out there.

"Evening Ines." He nodded my way.

"Evening father." I waved. "Merry Christmas."

"And to you!" He called back. He turned his focus on Quasi and the two talked momentarily on the bell schedule for mass the next few days.

"You have all that?" Jean asked.

"I do morning and evening as usual, as well as noon and supper ringing." Quasi nodded.

"Excellent." He turned to glance up at me. "You two have plans tonight and tomorrow?"

"Just us tonight." I called down.

"Tomorrow we are off to Phoebus and Esmeraldas for dinner with the boys." Quasi continued.

"Ah excellent."

"And you?" Quasi asked.

"I'm hosting a dinner tomorrow night as well, for all the staff of Notre Dame as well as our congregation if they so choose to join us. That's the other reason I came up here to invite you both." Jean explained.

"Ah sorry, we have plans." Quasi responded.

"No no I'm glad you do, it's been a long time coming for you." Jean beamed at Quasi.

I didn't disagree. Quasi had spent much of his life alone up here, his only company an abusive master. I tried not to think too much of his isolation, it broke my heart to picture it. He had Phoebus and Esmeralda now. He also had Ion and Gordon…and he had me.

"I should head back down. Just wanted to speak with you two before it got too bad out there." Jean gestured outside.

"Be careful on those stairs father." Quasi's voice held concern.

"I always am." Jean chuckled. He tipped his head in goodbye to us and headed back out into the cold.

Quasi climbed the ladder up into the loft, back up to me.

I went to him, eager to pick up where we left off. Quasi intercepted me and his hands went to mine.

"Hold on love." He chuckled. "I thought maybe…I could give you your gift now?"

I glanced at him puzzled. "You got me something?"

"Of course I did." He raised a brow at me. "It's our first Christmas together."

"Sorry, I just…You haven't left the tower. Unless you did while I was at work." That wasn't likely though. I could hardly get him to leave the tower with me, let alone on his own.

"Well..No." He led me to the fire in the center of the room. "Just wait here, I'll be right back."

He darted off into the tower, amongst the shelves and crates of various baubles and crafts. I sat and waited for him as he asked. My mind fluttered about as I tried to piece together what it could possibly be.

I didn't have to wait long, before I knew it he had emerged from the clutter and took the seat beside me, a box in his hand.

"It's nothing fancy but I thought…well." He handed it to me.

"I'm sure it's perfect." I reassured him. I pulled the top off the wooden box and gasped. Cushioned in fabric lay 4 figurines. Me, Ion, Gordon, and…Willow. My breath hitched as I pulled her out of the box.

"How?" My voice was choked.

"The boys helped me. I did my best on her but I'm sure she's not terribly accurate-"

"She's perfect." I felt a lump forming in my throat. "They're all perfect." My voice broke and the tears started coming.

Quasi pulled me into his arms. "I didn't mean to make you cry."

"Sorry." I wiped my eyes. "It's just…I was beginning to forget her face." He gave me a tight squeeze and the tightness in my throat began to ebb. "You captured her so well, Quasi, that it's like I can see her again."

"I'm glad." He breathed his hand rubbing my arm soothingly.

I pulled back for a moment and met his gaze. "Thank you."

"I'd do anything for you." He said softly. My heart swelled at his words, and it very nearly shot out of my chest when he bent and kissed my forehead. I loved when he did that.

We sat for a moment, and then all at once I remembered my gift to him. " OH! I almost forgot!" I stood up, much to Quasi's chagrin, and rushed to our room.

"Forgot what?" He called after me.

"Your gift!" I called back. I grabbed the case from under our bed and returned once more to the room.

"Ines you didn't have to-"

I cut him off. "Yes I did. It's our first Christmas after all." I held out the case."Merry Christmas!"

He took it gingerly and sat on the bench once more. I took my place beside him and eagerly waited for him to open it. He stared at it for quite a while, his expression unreadable.

"Quasi?" I asked.

"Sorry." He sighed. "It just doesn't feel…right?"

"What doesn't?" I asked.

"Well…"You've given me so much Ines. You changed my whole life…I never dreamed I would be married, much less to someone as incredible as you are." He paused. "I just feel like this is too much."

"Quasi. You handmade me intricate and highly detailed figurines in the likeness of myself and some of my favorite people…one of which you all but brought back from the dead." I gave him an incredulous look. "I can't imagine how long that took, if anything my gift is lackluster in comparison."

"NO!" He grabbed my hands. "I'm sure it's perfect! I just feel like having you is a gift enough…I don't need anything else."

The sentiment was sweet but this was something we'd been working on. His mindset on his worth and his gratitude that I'd give him the time of day. He was worthy and my time was enthusiastically given to him, no gratitude needed.

I raised a brow at him. "Quasi…open the damned case."

He chuckled. "Yeah alright alright." He flicked the clasp open and lifted the lid to reveal the tools. He pulled a chisel out and held it into the light. His jaw agape as he admired the tool.

"I saw your old set was looking, to put it kindly, rough." I explained. "I picked up some extra shifts and was able to grab this."

He was still gazing at the set in awe.

"I hope they're good, the guy said they were but he might've just said that to get the sale."

"They're incredible." He murmured. "I've never seen such fine tools."

"Oh, well great! I was a bit worried you wouldn't like them-"

"Wouldn't' like them?!" He exclaimed. "I love them! Look at this." He held the chisel up to me and ran his thumb along the handle. "It's perfectly smooth, and it fits nicely into my hand, I didn't even need to break it in! I wonder how they got this vein of gold in here." He tilted it up. "I'm not seeing any seams at all! That's incredible!"

I rested my hand on my chin and watched him continue on enthusiastically. I loved seeing him so passionate about his craft. I could listen to him talk for hours about the different types of lumber and the techniques for different furniture making. tongue and groove, etc…

He stopped when his gaze met mine and his face turned bright red. "I was talking too much wasn't I?"

"Nah, I like it when you talk about this stuff. you get so passionate and excited. It's very endearing."

He flushed deeper. "Thank you for this Ines." He held up the toolset. "It's probably the best gift I've ever gotten."

I rested my head on his shoulder. "You're most welcome." He pressed his cheek to the top of my head. For a while we sat just like this watching the sun come down and enjoying each other's presence.

He wrapped his arm around me and gave me a tight squeeze. "Merry Christmas Ines."

"Merry Christmas Quasimodo." We sat for a few moments more. "You want to go play with your new tools don't you?"

"Yes, very much so." He answered quickly.

I laughed heartily. "Go on then, I wanna draw some dress ideas anyways." I lifted my head from his shoulder and shooed him off.

"You sure?" He asked.

"Yes I'm sure, imagine how impressed Madame DuPont will be with me if I show up with a dozen dress ideas!" I stood and started back towards our bedroom to find my sketchbook and some charcoal when I felt a hand engulf my own. With barely a movement Quasi pulled me back to him and kissed me deeply. His hand cupped my face as he did so.

When the kiss broke I gazed up at him almost dreamily, he had a playful smile at his lips. "Alright now I'll go play with my new tools. "He teased, releasing my hand.

I chuckled and watched him descend from the loft into his workshop. I stood for a moment relishing the warmth in my heart before turning back towards the bedroom. I had a bouffant silhouette with a sweetheart neckline pictured in my mind's eye, and it needed to be sketched out post haste.