The Only Gift by Susan Classification: holiday vignette Movie: takes place the Christmas before I Want to Believe Rating: PG-13, possibly R Archive: No archive without permission. Disclaimer: On paper, these characters aren't mine. In my head, they are. Summary: He wants her, and she knows it. ~~~~ A week before Christmas, and she stands in front of the small tree, deciding where to hang the next ornament. She bends over, picks up a sparkly blue ball from the box, and it is then that she feels the atmosphere in the room change. She knows he's behind her, standing in the doorway, watching. Just as she knows he'll move towards her when he's ready, his eyes darkening with each step. It is this that she likes, this that she craves. He wants her, and she knows it. She can feel it from across the room. In her veins, in her muscles. In every cell of her body. He wants her, not in an instant, but at a slow delicious pace. And it is this that makes her cheeks flush, makes her body tremble with anticipation. She leans over, hangs the ornament on the tree, steps back and takes a look, knowing that he's still there watching, waiting for her next move. It really isn't much of a holiday tree, she thinks, but it's beautiful in its own way. Just as he is. Yes, he's flawed and so is she, but somehow they work, and somehow despite all that's happened to them over the last few years, they've found a way to make a home for themselves here. A home that's old and cluttered and in need of repairs, but a home that is theirs. She moves away from the tree then towards the fireplace, knowing his eyes are still fixed on her as he slowly moves towards the fireplace too. She closes her eyes and waits for him, the heat from the flames warming her face, his arms sliding around her waist as his lips leave a trail of kisses along her neck. Tipping her head back against his chest, she lets her body melt into his, lets herself savor his fingers lightly skimming over her breasts, across her belly. It is incredible, the way he makes her feel, the way he makes her body soar. Her eyes still closed, she concentrates on the heat radiating from his skin, the crackle of the freshly chopped wood in the fireplace, the prickly stubble on his cheek gently rubbing against her jawline. His hands now moving over the curve of her hips around to the waistband of her jeans, she knows what will happen next and she does nothing to stop it. "This is the only gift I want," he whispers as he kisses her, then lowers her down onto the couch. "Me too," she whispers back, her hands pressing into his lower back as her hips rise to meet him. It is this that she has with him, this that she's always had with him. And on this night, it's the only thing she needs. ~end~ Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful Christmas.:) possibilities http://possibilities.bravehost.com/ Originally posted December 2012.