InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ All I Want For Christmas ❯ Chapter 3 ( Chapter 3 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any characters related to him. He is the sole property of Rumiko Takahashi, and therefore, not available. But, if somebody were to wrap him up with a big red bow and put him under my Christmas tree, I wouldn't tell a soul. ^_~

I also do not own any other trademark companies and/or items that may be mentioned in this story. So, no suing, ya hear!

A/N: You people are so lucky. This story just developed a plot beyond getting our heroes together. Damn! Why can't I ever just write a fluffy pointless piece and let it go? -_- Anyway, that means a longer story for you, a possible title change, a definite summary rewrite and a possible rating change in the near future. It also means that my Christmas dead-line has been shot rather merrily to Hell, so bear with me; we're in for a bumpy ride.

Patch

Oh, the plot should kick-in in the next chapter or so, so watch out for it.

All I Want For Christmas

Chapter 3

"So you want to get Kagome and the Dog-Boy together, huh?" said the red haired teenager to Rin. "And you want to do it before Christmas." They were sitting on a bench in the park near her house. The couple often came here to get away from their respective parental units. Not only that, but it was peaceful and they were easily found if they were needed.

"Yup, that about sums it up, Shippo," Rin told her boyfriend. "Do you think you can help me?" She turned wide, innocent eyes on the hapless kitsune; she knew he couldn't resist the puppy dog stare. As she waited for his response, Rin studied the young man sitting next to her. Waist-length red hair pulled back in a high ponytail, leaf green eyes that sparkled with mischief and playfulness, he was a handsome example of the male gender. The only things that set him apart from a human teen were the pointed ears that all full demons possessed, and the fox feet and tail that only showed when he let his illusion slip. All in all, he was a very attractive young man, and Rin considered herself lucky to have caught him. And man, did they ever have fun together!

Kitsune were masters of illusions and tricks-basically, if it was magic that involved tricking someone or pulling any kind of prank, a kitsune was sure to know how to do it. And if they didn't, they would find a way to pull it off. That was why Rin so desperately needed Shippo's help. It wasn't that she didn't have faith in Sango and Miroku's abilities; it was just that she felt the odds were better if they had the help of a true trickster. And she said as much to her boyfriend.

"Come on, Shippo," she whined. "How often do I let you trick Yash? And this time I won't let him bash you. In fact, he might even be grateful." Okay, that was pushing it, but what the Hell. Stranger things had happened-look at the Kikyo thing…

Shippo sighed in resignation. He might as well just agree to help her. After all, any excuse to mess with Inuyasha was a good enough reason for him. He didn't hate the half-demon; it was just fun to piss him off-especially when Inuyasha couldn't retaliate.

"Alright, alright, I'll help," he said. "Just turn off the eyes. You know what that does to me." He wiggled his eyebrows at Rin in a lecherous fashion, a gesture that was lost on the girl as she happened to be looking at her watch and not her boyfriend.

"Great!" she exclaimed. "Now come on. We're meeting Sango in twenty minutes so that we can get some decorations for the party. There are a few that Kagome 'forgot'," she told him with a grin. "I'll explain what we've planned so far on the way." She grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet, then turned and headed off toward the Higurashi shrine. It was all Shippo could do to keep from being dragged the whole way. Realizing that he wasn't getting his hand back anytime soon and his girlfriend wasn't about to slow down, he turned himself into a balloon with a string and let Rin drag him to their destination.

~*~*~*~*~

Inuyasha slipped his sunglasses on as he stepped out of the subway station and into the light of a beautiful winter afternoon. The sun was bright that day and he once again silently thanked the unknown person who had developed sunglasses with straight arms. It had been such a relief to him when Sesshomaru presented him with a pair that didn't require the traditional ear placement to be worn comfortably. Now he could go out on sunny days without the pain the sun caused his sensitive eyes. He could function without them, it was just more comfortable if he had them-besides, they looked really cool. The silver frames and red lenses matched most of his wardrobe and they definitely matched his sense of style.

Yash walked down the street toward the café where he was supposed to meet Miroku and Sango. His pace was unhurried; he was a little early and didn't feel like having to wait for them. As he walked, his thoughts turned to the earlier conversation with his brother. Did he really think of Kagome as a future mate? Sure, he liked her…a lot. And he did like to see her happy; it always warmed his heart to see her smile, especially when he was the one she was smiling at. Hell, who was he kidding; he got almost insanely jealous when she was even nice to another guy-and they weren't even together!

That had been the biggest reason for him to stay away while she was with that Hojo creep. Inuyasha knew that he would eventually do something he would regret. Like break some essential body part on the guy. He knew that would make Kagome very angry with him, maybe even to the point of ending their lifelong friendship. So, he stayed away and watched them from a distance, hearing about how their relationship progressed from people like Sango and Miroku, and even Rin. But there had never been any indication that they were close to ending it. That had definitely been a shock. He really needed to know what happened and he planned on getting it out of Sango before they left from lunch.

That didn't help him right now, though. He really needed to figure out just exactly how he felt about that woman. Sure, he liked her as a friend, but did it go deeper than that? Did he really care about her enough for it to be considered being in love with her? Did he even know for sure what love was?

Well, he sure as Hell knew what it wasn't-especially after that fiasco with Kikyo. Inuyasha still didn't know what he'd been thinking when he agreed to that. Sesshomaru and Rin had set him up with a woman that Sess had met at a company function. She was the assistant to the president of their biggest client and she was beautiful. Long black hair, ivory skin, deep brown eyes and a figure that would have put the Venus di Milo to shame, Kikyo was a stunning woman. Sess thought she would be a perfect way for Inuyasha to forget about Kagome, especially when Kags started dating Hojo. So, he set them up together.

They went out a few times and things seemed to be going alright, but after about the third or fourth date, Inuyasha started to get a bad feeling about this woman. At first, she had seemed like a warm and caring person, the type of woman that you could consider having a long term relationship with. But then, shortly after their third date, she changed. Calling at all hours and demanding to know where Inuyasha was; never allowing him to even see his friends without a long drawn battle. And then she started getting jealous if Inuyasha even mentioned another woman's name. It didn't even have to be anything like having a conversation with her, just saying the he had seen so-and-so today was enough to launch World War III.

Inuyasha finally got fed up with her behavior and dumped her. He thought after a rather embarrassing break-up scene in one of Tokyo's best restaurants, that he had seen the last of Kikyo. How wrong he was! The phone calls started about two weeks after they broke up. They were always the same; a teary Kikyo begging Inuyasha to take her back, that she could change. When that didn't get her anywhere, she started to threaten not just Inuyasha, but Rin and Sesshomaru, too. Sesshomaru had the number changed after about three weeks of it. That seemed to stop her, or so they thought. A few days after changing the number, Inuyasha started receiving threatening letters and e-mails. At first they weren't that bad. Like the phone calls before them, her messages where full of "Why did you leave me?" and "Please, I can change", things of that nature, but they slowly started getting worse. When he got one that said "If I can't have you, no one can" he went to the police. The restraining order was still in effect and Kikyo wasn't allowed within 500 feet of him, Sess, or Rin.

That definitely wasn't love. Kikyo had said that she loved him, but you don't stalk and threaten the people you love. So, was what he felt for Kagome love? Inuyasha wanted to see her happy. He hated it when she was sad and always went out of his way to make her smile. He wanted to know what made her tick. Even after knowing her most of his life, she still surprised him, and he loved spending time with her. Most importantly, she made him happy and she was always there for him.

Kagome had been the only one able to get through to Inuyasha when his parents died. He had been so lost in his grief that he hadn't eaten or done anything to take care of himself for almost a week after the funeral. Sesshomaru, being a full demon, hadn't understood Inuyasha's very human reaction to losing both parents, and Rin was dealing with her own lose. It was Kagome that finally convinced him to come out of his room and it was Kagome that had comforted him in his sorrow. She was the only one he had felt comfortable enough with to let down all his walls. She was the only one who had ever seen him cry. And, most of all, she understood him.

But was that love? He still didn't know.

The ringing of his cell phone broke him out of his thoughts. Grabbing it off his belt, Inuyasha looked at the display and saw Miroku's cell number flashing there. That idiot better not be calling to cancel. I did not come all the way downtown to be stood up by my best friend.

Flipping the phone open, he answered, "Yeah, what do you want?"

"Do you always answer your phone that way? It's really rude," responded a female voice from the other end. Inuyasha paused for a moment. Why was Sango calling him on Miroku's phone?

"Sorry, Sango, I thought you were the lech," Inuyasha said contritely. He definitely didn't want Sango mad at him. That woman was down right scary when she got pissed off. "What can I do for you?"

"I called to tell you that we're running a little late. Miroku can't find his wallet and he's tearing the house apart." He could hear Miroku in the background yelling, "Sango, you're supposed to be looking! Get off the damn phone and help me!"

Sango's voice was muffled as she replied to Miroku, "yeah, yeah, I'm coming. Keep your shirt on." Removing her hand from the receiver, she continued her conversation with Yash, "Like I said we're gonna be a little late. Why don't you go ahead and get a table and we'll meet you in about ten minutes or so, ok?"

Inuyasha heaved a resigned sigh. He didn't really have much of a choice. The café was right around the corner, and besides, what harm would it do to wait. "Alright. Do you want to sit inside or outside?"

"It's such a beautiful day, how about outside?"

"Okay, I'll get the table. You two just get your asses over here and make it snappy, you hear me?" Inuyasha growled, but Sango knew he didn't mean it.

"Whatever." You could just hear her rolling her eyes at him. "We'll see ya in a few. Bye, Yash."

"Bye," he hung up and made his way around the corner to the restaurant, not too happy with the prospect of waiting, but willing to do it for the information he needed. As he came within sight of the place, he was met with a sight he had hoped not to have to deal with just yet. For there, on the patio, very obviously waiting for someone was Kagome. What is she doing here? I wonder who she's waiting for-probably a date. Should I go say hello or act like I didn't see her?

The choice was taken from him as Kagome raised her head and waved him over. He had to admit, if only to himself, that she really did look pretty sitting there. Long black hair in a high pony-tail, dressed in jeans and a blue sweater, Kagome sat with her back to the restaurant proper. That position was almost like a scene from a chick movie. You know the ones, beautiful girl in a quaint setting waiting for the man of her dreams to come and sweep her off her feet. I just wish that I was the one doing the sweeping and not whoever she's waiting for.

"Hi, Yash, I didn't expect to see you here," Kagome greeted him, a warm smile on her face. "I was waiting for Sango and Miroku. I thought they would be here by now, but he just called and said they'd be late. What brings you here?"

"I was supposed to meet Miroku and Sango for lunch," Yash was suddenly suspicious. "Did Sango tell you that Miroku lost his wallet and that's why their running late?"

Kagome looked at him with a confused expression. Why would Sango tell me that? Besides, it was Miroku that called me. "No, Miroku called and said that Sango couldn't find her shoe and that she refused to wear another pair because these were the only ones that matched her outfit. Why?"

"Don't freak out or anything, Kags, but I think we've been set up." Man, was that lecher ever gonna pay for this!

"I don't think I understand. Why would they set us up? You don't think this is about yesterday, do you?" Kagome certainly hoped not. If it was, then Sango was going to be in serious trouble.

"Well, I just got a call from Sango on Miroku's cell phone. Now, before you say anything think about it, why would Sango call on his phone instead of her own?"

"Inuyasha, you're just being paranoid. Maybe her battery was dead. They are coming from the same place and going to the same place. And, besides, why would they set us up? You still haven't answered that. And sit down; you're making the waitress nervous." She had a point. The waitress had been hovering right out of speaking range, as if she were trying to decide if he needed anything or if he was going to continue on after talking to the woman seated at the café table.

As Inuyasha took his seat, the waitress approached them. She smiled sweetly at him, taking in the silver hair and dog ears that swiveled toward her as she walked up. She hesitated, though, when she caught sight of the scowl on his face.

"Um," she said uncertainly, "Are you, um, Inuyasha Shiro?"

For a brief moment, Kagome was overcome with an irrational streak of jealousy. How dare this pretty girl walk up to her- wait a minute, Kagome's good sense reasserted itself. What reason did she have to be jealous? They were friends, nothing more. And, besides, the poor girl was only doing her job. Look, there she was handing Inuyasha a note; and there she goes, off to deal with her other tables.

"Probably just gave him her phone number," Kagome muttered under her breath, crossing her arms and pouting.

"Actually," Inuyasha replied, amusement in his eyes. He hadn't missed the jealous look on Kagome's face or the pout and he wondered about it. Oh, well, he would ask her about it later. Right now, though… "It's a note from Miroku. I told you we were set up," he finished, handing her the note.

Her eyes widened in shock at what she read:

Inuyasha,

I told you I would see that you apologized properly and I meant it. Sango and I will not be joining you for lunch. Instead, you are to take the money enclosed in this note and have a nice meal with the pretty woman across from you-our treat. And, Inuyasha, if I find out that you upset her again, I will personally kick your ass!

Miroku

P.S. I can't come with you to get the kitten. Take Kagome, she loves cats. M

Kagome folded the note and handed it back to Inuyasha. Then she started to giggle, which turned into outright laughter. That little lecher had set them up-on a date! Kagome couldn't help but laugh at the lengths their friends had gone to, and there was no doubt in her mind that Sango had a hand in this, too. At least now Inuyasha's comment about the phone call made sense.

"I'm glad this amuses you," snapped the irritated dog demon across from her.

"Oh, come on, Inuyasha. It's not that bad-unless you really don't want to have lunch with me." Now Kagome was a little uncertain. Maybe he didn't want to spend any time with her. "I wouldn't want you to do something you don't want to do."

Inuyasha took in her hurt and unsure expression and immediately felt guilty. How could she think that he didn't want to be here-with her? Oh, yeah, my cheery attitude and sparkling disposition.

"What makes you think I don't want to be here?" He smiled at her. "I had every intention of taking you somewhere and apologizing for my behavior yesterday. Miroku just forced me to do it under his conditions."

"Oh." Well, that just made it all better. He had to be forced into this. That was just great.

"I really am sorry, Kagome. I was a jerk and I don't deserve to have you as my friend. And you didn't deserve to be dumped that way," Inuyasha told her. The sincerity in his voice made Kagome rethink her earlier assumption. Maybe he meant it. "If I ever get my hands on that Hobo…"

"Inuyasha," Kagome interrupted him warningly. "You will not go after Hojo. He wasn't the only one who had a hand in that relationship, you know." Kagome looked away. She couldn't tell Inuyasha the real reason she and Hojo were no longer together - she wasn't really ready to talk to him about it at all. Inuyasha seemed to sense her hesitance and he didn't push it.

"So," Kagome broke the slightly awkward silence that had stretched between them. "We have Miroku's money and the whole afternoon. What do you say we have lunch and you tell me about this kitten?"

"That sounds like a good plan to me. And maybe after I can help you decorate for tonight?" Inuyasha asked, trying to hide the hopeful tone in his voice. He didn't really like to decorate, but anything to spend more time with Kagome.

"Well, Sango was supposed to help, but if I know her, and after the stunt they just pulled, I don't expect to see her there when I get home. So, sure, that sounds great," she told him happily, more than willing to spend as much time as possible with him.

"Great. Well, now that that's settled, where did that waitress go-I'm starving!"

Kagome just shook her head and laughed helplessly at him. Seeing that the waitress was a couple of tables over, Kagome waved to her and swore to herself that nothing would spoil this day; she would have a wonderful afternoon getting reacquainted with someone she thought she had lost - Inuyasha.

~*~*~*~*~*~

It was a wonderful day. They had a pleasant lunch, with one exception, and the rest of the afternoon went well. They didn't even fight. Well, not really. Their one argument wasn't even meant seriously. Kagome tried to convince Yash that he would look absolutely adorable in her pink lip gloss and the conversation devolved into a chase through the mall, ending in them both breathless and laughing.

The only real black spot happened just before they left the café. Inuyasha had asked Kagome what she wanted for Christmas and Kagome refused to tell him. His teasing ended abruptly when a woman walked up and started to speak to him.

"So, Inuyasha, this is the chit you replaced me with," she said with a sneer. "I have to say, I thought you had better taste than that."

Inuyasha growled deep in his throat. Kagome was a little startled at the sound. He only growled like that when somebody was threatening something he considered his or his family. Why would this woman cause him to do that now?

"Kikyo," Inuyasha spoke angrily, his voice rough with the growl. "You need to go. You know you aren't supposed to be this close."

The woman smiled a smile full of malice, leaning in to whisper in his ear. "I just came to warn you. If you want to keep your bitch safe, you need to keep an eye on her. You never know what kind of accidents might happen, and I would hate to see you sad." With an evil chuckle at his dumbstruck expression, she straightened and turned to walk away.

"I warn you girl," she said as she passed Kagome, "he will be mine again. Watch yourself." She didn't give either a chance to reply, she just continued on her way. Inuyasha refused to answer any of the questions Kagome asked him about that woman and what she had said. After trying for about twenty minutes, Kagome gave up and changed the subject to Rin's kitten.

After lunch, they had gone to the park and walked around for a bit, just getting to know each other again. It had been a while since they had been able to just talk, without Kagome wondering what Hojo would think, or Inuyasha wondering when the psycho bitch would jump out of the bushes. He didn't let on to Kagome, but Kikyo had really scared him. She hadn't shown her face in almost a year and he had really believed that he could put the whole mess behind him and move on. Evidently Kikyo had other ideas.

While they walked, Inuyasha started to realize that, maybe, he did love Kagome. Even if it wasn't love, he knew that he had some very strong feelings for her; and Kikyo threatening her made every protective instinct in him come screaming to the surface, demanding that he remove any and all threats to his woman. This was nothing like the scraps he used to get in with Kouga in high school. This was a bone deep, spine chilling need to protect and he could no more ignore it than he could touch the stars. He decided, right then and there, that no one would hurt his Kagome; no one.

The rest of the afternoon saw the couple in the mall, picking up Rin's kitten. Kagome had squealed in delight when she had first seen the little fur ball. She had gone on and on about its beautiful cream colored coat and brown socks and tail. And she couldn't seem to say enough about its gorgeous blue eyes, or the way its brown tipped ears brought out their color. Kagome thought the baby was perfect and she insisted that she had never seen a prettier seal point Siamese kitten. Rin would love it.

Now they were walking back to the shrine to drop off the kitten and to decorate for the party. Kagome was going to call and find out if Sango was still coming to help. They had decided that they really did need her, because Inuyasha was decoratively challenged and didn't know a placemat from a doily. As they climbed the steps to the house, Kagome couldn't help but laugh at Yash. He was obviously uncomfortable carrying the kitten, because he kept trying to hold him around the middle and under his arm while the kitten wiggled and tried to grab his shirt with his claws. Kagome had offered to carry the cat, but Inuyasha wouldn't hear of it. He wouldn't let the shopkeeper put the kitten in a carrier, either. He regretted that decision now. Oh, well, they were at the shrine now and he could unload the little menace.

Kagome unlocked the door and turned to Inuyasha, taking the kitten out of his unresisting hands. She smiled at him, her eyes dancing with suppressed laughter. Turning, she took the kitten upstairs and locked him in her room, and then went in the kitchen to call Sango, her soft chuckles marking her progress through the house.

While Kagome was taking care of all of that, Inuyasha wandered into the living room. Glancing around, his gaze came to rest on the family Christmas tree. Seeing that the lights weren't on, he went over and plugged them in, then stood back and studied the tree.

Multi-colored lights shone brightly causing the tinsel to reflect back and almost twinkle. The assortment of ornaments could almost tell the family history, if one knew what to look for. There was the Popsicle stick sled that Souta made in kindergarten. And there, the slightly misshapen clay reindeer that was testament to Kagome's childhood attempt at sculpting. And, of course, there were the usual baby's first Christmas, as well as other childhood offerings from the kids over the years.

Inuyasha just stared for a few moments, remembering the past of some of the newer ornaments. He found the one Sango had given Kagome a few years back; it was a snowman angel that Kagome thought was the prettiest thing. Then his gaze fell on one he himself had given her, a little white dog with a red ribbon around his neck. As he reached out to touch it, he was startled by Kagome's quiet voice behind him.

"I remember when you gave me that. It's one of my favorites."

Inuyasha smiled faintly before replying. "Yeah, I seem to recall that we had been fighting and he was my apology." He turned to her with an innocent grin, "Can't remember what we were fighting about, though."

"Kouga," Kagome supplied, matter-of-factly. "We were fighting about Kouga. He pulled his 'my woman' crap and then you became the overprotective jealous monster from Hell and I had had enough. I believe that I washed my hands of the both of you…for the rest of the day at least."

"Yeah, well, you had to get home somehow," Inuyasha remembered with a chuckle. He had been her ride home back then. "Do you remember what I told you when I gave him to you?"

Kagome thought for a moment. "You said that I needed someone to protect me and that he was the closest you could come to giving me a guard dog." She looked at him with eyes that sparkled with laughter and the happiness of good memories. Inuyasha's breath caught as he realized how beautiful she looked in the glow from the tree. Without really thinking about it, he moved toward her, closing the small distance between them. He reached out, cupping her cheek in his hand and tilted her face slightly so that he could look in her eyes. Inuyasha almost lost himself in that liquid gaze. Those eyes held only laughter and trust, and another emotion that he couldn't identify. He could have drowned in that endless gaze.

Kagome held her breath, unsure of what he sought when he met her stare, but hoping that he would find whatever he was looking for. She didn't dare to breathe, afraid that she would somehow break the fragile spell that held them; a spell cast by the simple actions of the man before her. What was he doing? Would he kiss her, as it seemed he wanted to? Or would he drop his hand and shut her out as he had done before?

There was a hard road of almosts and missed chances between the two; times when it almost seemed that Inuyasha liked her as more than a friend, and then he would do something insensitive or rude and leave Kagome to wonder if she had imagined it all. Things like that had been going on for so long that Kagome had almost given up on him. Maybe that was what had driven her to Hojo, that and the subconscious need to have him fight for her.

They stood there for several minutes, eyes locked and neither moving. It was almost as if they were searching for something that they had almost given up hope of ever finding. The silence was finally broken when Inuyasha spoke, "You are so beautiful."

His voice was low, shaky and uncertain, as though he were afraid of her response. The faint blush that stained Kagome's cheeks seemed to encourage him slightly, because he smiled tenderly down at her. Taking her answering smile as permission, Inuyasha bent his head down slowly and gently tilted her head up until their lips met in a soft gentle kiss.

He had meant to keep it short and chaste, but as Kagome melted into him it quickly became much more. His arm snaked around her waist as she parted her lips to his questing tongue. Inuyasha lost himself in the moment, reveling in her wonderful taste and the feel of her lips as they moved against his own. He had never felt like this before. Sure, he had kissed girls before, but none of them could compare to the woman he held firmly against himself. It was like he had found a part of himself that he hadn't realized he was missing, but now that he had found it, he never wanted to let it go.

Kagome was in a similar state. The first thing that crossed her mind was that she couldn't believe she was standing in her living room being kissed by the one person that she had almost lost all hope of even receiving affection from. The second was that Hojo had never made her feel like this. Her whole body tingled like she had been hit by lightning. Just when she thought it couldn't get any better, she felt him trying to deepen it…and she let him. This felt too good to let it end anytime soon. But, as they say, all good things must come, inevitably, to an end, and they did need to catch their breaths sometime.

With a gentle parting nip to Kagome's bottom lip, Inuyasha reluctantly released his hold on her, staring into the depths of her brown eyes and praying that he wouldn't see the rejection he half feared would be there. So, imagine his surprise when, not only did he not see anything of the sort in her gaze, but she reached up and placed a brief, chaste kiss upon his waiting lips and then rested her head on his chest.

"Wow," was all that she could say as she snuggled into his embrace. Inuyasha couldn't keep the goofy grin from his face. He would have to thank that pervert for today after all. This never would have happened without their friends' interference. He still couldn't believe that he had not only kissed the woman he was falling in love with, but she had responded and seemed to enjoy it.

"Kagome," Inuyasha's voice was husky and low. It was probably the sexiest thing Kagome had ever heard. "I…"

"Shhh," she placed her finger on his lips to quiet him. "Don't say anything. Let's just enjoy this while it lasts." Sango would be there any minute and Kagome was determined to hold on to their closeness for as long as possible. They stood there for a little bit longer, just reveling in the feel of each other.

The ringing of the door bell broke the fragile spell that had wrapped around them, and for the first time since they met, Kagome cursed Sango and her lousy timing. Inuyasha tightened his arms around her gently before releasing her to go answer the door. He watched her walk over and open it. From his position, he couldn't see who was on the other side, so when he saw her stiffen, he was immediately on alert; and when he caught the scent of the person standing there, that low, protective growl started again, louder this time.

"What are you doing here?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Well, folks, I think I'll end on that note. Don't bitch about the cliffy. You got a long chapter and a major fluffy moment, and all in time for Christmas. As I said before, this fic has taken on a life of its own, so we're in for a longer story than I originally planned. Hope you liked it-let me know. Happy holidays.

Until we meet again,

Patch

Oh, yeah, before I forget. This story is about to get a little dark, so the rating will be changing next chapter. Sorry if that inconveniences anyone, but, well, there you go.

Cat