Hello everyone!

i just wanted to say thank you, so much, to anyone who has taken the time to read this story. I began writing it because I love the story, I love the characters and I love to write but I never imagined I would get such a kind and warm response. Hearing your extremely kind comments is just so heartwarming and encouraging, I feel so humbled. Hope everyone is well, and thank you again, I love hearing from you xoxo.

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Jane woke the morning of Christmas Eve to the brillant white light of a snowy morning poking through the drawn curtains. She stirred sleepily, opening her eyes slightly before covering them again from the suns bright rays. She turned over in bed to see Edward, completely naked and exposed, the blankets having fallen off him in the night. She observed him for a moment, his perfect form, his face free from burden or worry. She did not know what it was about him, but he had such a confidence in the way he held himself, and yet not for a moment did that confidence translate to arrogance or vanity. In fact, Jane knew he thought quite the opposite of himself. But he was free in his body, honest in his exchanges with Jane, and effortlessly masculine.

She found it hard, even now, even after 9 months of marriage to him, to resist him. Not only to resist him, but to resist her own desire for him. He had been the most earnestly loving husband in the world, for so many reasons- reasons Jane was sure he could not even fathom. He had always loved her without expectation, without his own agenda. He had loved her for everything she was, and everything she could not be. How rare, how wonderful to be accepted under such terms. Indeed, she had loved him for the same reasons, and in the same way, for she loved him in spite of his faults, and misgivings. And yet it did not seem surprising for a woman to love her husband faithfully and unconditionally. It was his faith and loyality that would seem surprising to some. Never to Jane. How unashamed she was in his presence. How right and natural every feeling of hers was to him.

Her thoughts had overpowered her actions. She removed the blanket from herself and climbed over her husband gently. His body had reacted to her weight on him, but he remained still and sleepy. She felt lightly down the line in his back, to the top of his buttocks. At her touch he stirred more, as he always did when being touched there. Jane smiled to herself as he moaned deeply into the pillow. She kissed up his back lightly, planting kisses all along his shoulders and neck. She paused along his jaw, burrying her face into the crook in his neck and kissing it sensuosly. He pulled his face back in order for her lips to have better access, and his face changed from peaceful ease to aroused contentness.

"Jane" he breathed in her ear. It sent shivers through her body.

He smiled at her briefly before she kissed his temple and then forehead, and he once again closed his eyes, leaning into her kisses.

"Mhm?" she said, softly, bringing the blankets around his shoulders. From laying outside of the blankets for some time his skin was like ice. As she relaxed back into bed beside him he opened his arms, and she knew that he was looking for her warmth. Without objection she cuddled into his chest, feeling his chilled skin.

"That is better".

There was a small pause in which Jane was filled with indescribreable happiness; A smile broke from her lips and she closed her eyes too.

"Edward?"

"Mhm?"

"It's Christmas Eve"

He looked down at her,

"Indeed my love, Merry Christmas Eve"

He pressed his lips to Jane's forehead before gently guiding their mouths together. At first the kiss was slow, and meaningful, but soon it deepened, and was needier. Edward cllimbed above Jane, the blankets still hanging around his waist, and continued to passionately kiss her back into the pillows. Jane wrapped her arms around his neck and drew him closer. She felt his fingers lightly tracing up her leg. He played with her, circling in the same place or drawing his fingers very slowly up to the top of her leg and over her hips to her stomach. He smiled at her small gasps of protest each time he stopped.

"I'm sorry my darling" he breathed to her, "I am teasing you, and I should not"

He made up for it by kissing her with such love that Jane felt completely overcome by him. The love he conveyed to her in each kiss was stronger than the last and she was consumed by him. His smell filled her senses, his hair fell around her face, his solid body lay beside hers and, for a moment, his mouth alone had complete power over her.

"I do not believe I married you, Mr Rochester, because I expected I would recieve no teasing from you" she said, holding his chin between her thumb and finger.

"Can you ever forgive me?".

Drawing him closer to him she pressed their foreheads together, pecking his lips briefly.

"You are forgiven', she teased.

He lay down beside her in the bed once more and Jane resumed her position of being drawn into his chest. His hand stroked her hair affectionately but instinctively, for he was deep in thought. The pause of silence was so great that Jane had almost fallen back to sleep when his voice woke her again.

"Jane?"

"Mmm", she was amused at her own voice's lack of enthuasium in tone.

"I thought I was the one woken so prematurely from my peaceful slumber, is it not I that is supposed to be going back to sleep"

She opened her eyes to look at him,

"You are, along with me".

He kissed her cheek and laughed.

"But Jane, I want to give you a christmas gift now. I am too excited to do anything else".

Jane turned on her back so she could look directly into his eyes, she shook her head at him in disapproval.

"Edward Rochester. We said we were not exchanging gifts"

"No, you said that we did not need to give gifts, to which I told you that firstly, because you have never recieved a christmas gift before you should have one, and secondly as your husband I believe I know you the best, and love you most, and want to. Besides, I know there is no chance that you did not also get me something for Christmas as well"

Jane grinned crookedly, "Only because I knew you would not listen. That being said, it is not Christmas yet, we cannot exchange gifts yet"

"Of course we can, for I know you have more than one for me and I have more than one for you"

Jane narrowed her eyes, "And how would you know that?"

He tried to look serious, but his face broke into a guilty smile.

"I may or may not have seen some wreapped packages in the closet"

"Edward!" Jane said, sitting up qucikly

"Jane!"

"Did you touch them?"

"Maybe just the top one but nothin- ouch Jane!"

She had smacked his arm- rather lightly she thought, but all the same he had deserved it.

"Jane you cannot sit so and look so disapprovingly at me"

"Edward Rochester, you are the oldest child I have ever meeet"

He held her face and kissed her roughly, "It is a good thing I love you so dearly, otherwise you would have to pay deeply for that comment".

She grinned slightly as she stood up, walking to the closet in order to grab the smallest parcel wrapped within it. She rushed back to bed, stopping to grab her nightgown that was hanging over a nearby chair- she forgot how cold it was out of the blankets with nothing on. Edward already was there with a parcel in his hand, meaning it had been tucked away inside of his side table somewhere. He glowed with anticipation as Jane sat down beside him on the bed, crossing her legs.

"Shall I give yours to you first?"

He handed Jane a small paper package that was tied with blue ribbon. It has been her first ever gift. She had been given things for her wedding of course, she had been given a house, a husband she loved dearly, and she had even been given small things at Lowood such as new shoes when they became avaliable, but only if the shoes she haad been wearing were so badly worn that she may as well not have worn shoes at all. But she was never given a gift for an occasion, not like this. She ran the package through her fingers and smiled to herself. When she looked up Edward was observing her with a warm, knowing smile.

"Open it" he said, encouragingly.

Jane unwrapped the brown paper to find a dark mahogony box. It was beautiful, and ornately carved with foliage around the edges. She lifted up the lid of the box to find a pin inside resting on a red velvet cushion. It was a gold hairpin that was long and thin, -tastefully understated but extremely beautiful. On the end was a small flower with metal petals and a diamond centure, and in the middle of the pin was a beautiful swallow, made of dark saphires. Jane was striken with the beauty of the object, and more importantly, she was struck with what it represented.

"Edward-" Jane began, but she was speechless. She took the pin into her hand and turned it gently.

He looked quite serious as he observed her,

"Do you..like it?"

"Like it?" Jane asked, looking at him, "It is absolutely perfect. I cannot imagine a more thoughtful gift"

His face sofened into a humble smile.

"It reminded me of you so much. It is so beautiful, yet small and understated like yourself".

She reached out to take his hand in hers.

"A swallow. I have always been so to you, I believe" she said, warmly.

"Ah yes, you are right. But my bird has long since flown from the cage that life had bound her in. Now I see her soar cloud high, and I admire her in flight or at rest"

"You were the first one to see her her wings, and have faith in their flight"

His soft lips were pressed sweetly to her forehead. Jane smiled at him, running her thumb over their joined hands.

"Thank you" she said, with as much truth as she could impart.

"Of course, my darling".

Jane looked at the item once more before placing it back in the beautiful box and laying it on her dresser. She did not want to stop looking at it, but her husband was sitting expectantly, and she so turned and placed her own gift for him into his hands.

"Is it not new, it is not very big or expensive-"

"Shh, Jane, do not be silly" he said sureadly.

He unwrapped the parcel quickly and opened the small pouch that his pocket watch rested in. He took it out and looked at Jane curiously.

"Turn it over", she said, nudging his arm with a smile.

In turning it over he saw that the back had been engraved. In small and skillfull writing, the words "My eyes onto the world" had been carved into the watch. It had been what he had told Jane when he had given her the pocket watch many months ago now. He was still blind then, and carried his pocket watch out of habit and not out of practicality. When she had asked for the time one day, he had given it to her, telling her to keep it on her person. It had seemed a fitting symbol of the love they had for one another, and how far they had come together as one in time.

"Keep it, Jane. I will not be needing it. From now on, you shall be my eyes onto the world. I have no use for it".

Edward looked up at Jane. The most wonderful expression of being inexpressionably humbled moved over his face as sun did when breaking from behind a cloud. His face was serious as adressed his wife, his eyes appealing to her deepest level of trust.

"This is the most important gift I have ever recieved in the whole of my life" he said, "I shall treasure it always".

His lips found hers and drew them into a loving kiss. She climbed over him, kissing him happily in return. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

This was bliss.