Merry Christmas
Every year Christmas is special, but this one especially so.
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Lieutenant Washington awoke to the scruffy beard of her bed mate scrapping along her shoulder, following the path that his lips took.
"Morning, Wash." she heard from the ever strong voice of her commander.
"Mhmm, 'morning. How long have you been up?" she asked when she raised her head to give herself a better look of Taylor's face that no longer held signs that he had been in a slumber.
"A while. Sleep didn't come to me easily last night," he admitted and gave her a chaste kiss on the lips.
"Oh. Is everything okay?" Alicia asked while she turned around so she was straddling his torso.
"It's all fine, Wash. Merry Christmas," Taylor gripped her hips to pull her flush against him.
Alicia managed a small "Merry Christmas," before crushing her lips onto his.
"Now that's a way to wake up," she smiled and wiggled her legs down.
"No, no, no Wash. None of that," Taylor commanded when she started to slide down his bare body. He gripped her forearm in warning and gave it a gentle squeeze.
"Excuse me?" she asked, confusion evident in her tone. Never once in their entire five years together has either of them spoken those words in such a situation.
"You heard me, Lieutenant. This year we are doing this properly. You're going to get that pretty little butt of yours out of this bed and we are going to go have breakfast then open those beautifully wrapped up presents. To do that you're really going to have to remove your hand," Taylor warned as her hand was ever so innocently drawing circular patterns on his inner thigh.
Seeing the determined look in his eyes, Wash slowly removed her hand - but not before brushing her hand over her commander's nether region. Smirking when she heard him hiss she looked up at him through her long lashes, "You win. We'll do it your way but after I indulge you, I am sure we can do something mutually indulgent," she smiled a brightly with strong seductive under tones.
"I have no doubt. Now up and at 'em Wash. Time for breakfast," Taylor watched as she got out of their bed and headed towards their shared wardrobe. He got up and did the same.
Wash sat cross legged next to the Christmas tree; both she and Taylor had gotten home from work early one day last week to put it up. She watched Nathaniel move about the kitchen making them coffee. He had a nervous twitch to him. It wasn't much but she noticed his fidgeting, an uncharacteristic thing for him to do.
"Ready?" Taylor asked after placing both of their mugs on the coffee table.
"Thank you." She said in regards to the large steaming cup, "Now, lets open some presents shall we?" Wash motioned towards the large sum of presents underneath their tree. They weren't ones to care for material possessions but Christmas was the one time of year they indulged in.
"Okay Wash," Taylor said and took a seat next to her. Unconsciously, he tapped on one of the several pockets on his cargo pants. He was glad to hear a certain rustle and he tried to relax when Wash turned to face him again after fetching one of his presents from under the tree.
"There you go, Nathanial," Wash smirked when handing him a very flat shaped present, wrapped in the Christmas hues.
Taylor took the offered present and began tearing into it. He smirked once he saw what was inside the once wrapped bundle. "Really, Alicia? A photo frame?" he asked.
Wash shrugged, "I thought I should at least try and replace the one that I broke on your desk." They both smiled fondly at that memory. They were the only ones in the command centre after she spent two weeks OTG checking on the outposts. Neither of them could wait until they found a bed, so they used his desk instead.
"Thank you. I'll be sure to relocate the picture into this frame," Taylor stated, his eyes gleaming while he handed Wash one of her several presents.
"What did you do?" she asked, seeing that mischievous look in his eyes. She had seen that look before -several times in fact- and it usually meant trouble.
"Just open it," Taylor motioned, cursing her stubborn side. The woman knew him too well; that was a simple fact. He could no longer do anything without her at least having a clue as to what he was doing... well, almost anything, he inwardly smiled.
Begrudgingly Alicia opened her present and laughed at what she found. Lifting up the very small piece of lace, she flung it at him. Mocking him from earlier she said," Really Nathaniel? Had to buy something that you'll enjoy more than me?" she asked. Picking up the matching bra and the whipped cream, she smirked. "Now this I'll enjoy. Care to frost me?" seductively moving closer to him to pick up what was supposed to be a G-String but is barely that.
"Lieutenant," Taylor warned. She was making it hard for him, but he remembered what had to be done today. "Someone's very eager this morning, but save it for later. Okay?" he gave her cheek a chaste kiss.
"I'm going to start to take this personally, Commander. You keep refusing; what's a woman to think?" Wash smirked but moved away from him, taking her lingerie in tow.
"That I love her and she needs some patience," Taylor teased, watching as she brushed a strand of her hair behind her ears. She looked beautiful. She was only wearing her black sweatpants and her signature white tank, even in the dead of winter but to Taylor this was his Wash. Although she looked beautiful in her dresses and high heels, this is the way that most reflected how at ease she was with him and that warmed his heart in ways that one could only imagine.
"Shut up. I am quite patient, thank you." she retorted and Taylor didn't seem to miss her muttering under her breath but he didn't say anything. It would be rectified later, that he was certain of.
"Open this one," he leaned over to the far end of the tree and pulled out a large box.
Wash eyed the box suspiciously, wondering what could be that big, before undoing this impressive ribbon job on it and opening the large lid. Her eyes widened once she realized what was inside, "Oh, Nathanial...You didn't have to." she brought one of her surprisingly elegant hands to brush over the leather. In front of her very eyes is the reason why
Taylor wouldn't let her be the one to send the requisition form into Hope Plaza as she usually would. She was looking at an original copy of a very old and very famous book. She ever so gingerly opened the leather cover of Wuthering Heights to look at the slightly faded writing. She was touching a piece of history, well technically a piece of the future.
Taylor slid forward until her back was firmly pressed into his muscular chest. "For all of your love for literature I think that a hard copy is better then reading it on the plex pad. Accept it Wash, its not like it can go back now," he whispered, his beard ghosting against the skin of her neck.
Shutting the book and moving the box to the side, Wash turned around until she was straddling Taylor's lap. "Thank you, Nathanial," she said quietly. Wrapping her dark arms around his torso she gave him a hug. No one has ever done anything as thoughtful as this for her. She spent her childhood being ignored and as soon as she became of age she went to join the military. She's glad she did; it brought her to Nathaniel.
"I love you," he whispered into her hair. Those were words that he didn't speak often. They didn't need words to communicate, they had a bond that went beyond vocalization but in certain moments they vocalized it anyway. Surprisingly though, it's him that says it more often.
Alicia hugged him tighter before muttering her own 'I love you'.
Moments like these are their most intimate. They don't always have to be speaking or doing something. The moments that they're open and vulnerable to each other are the moments that they both cherish.
After letting go, the pair reached out for their previously forgotten coffees and proceeded to drink, savoring the sweet nectar that kept them energized for the day - second to each other, of course.
They spent the next half hour going through their piles of presents. Soon the numbers were dwindling down and they were surrounded by an obnoxiously large amount of gifts and even bigger amount of wrapping paper.
"We're done. Finally," Wash sighed getting up from the floor and moving to crash onto the large leather expanse of the couch.
"Not yet, Wash. Sit up and please don't interrupt me. As much as you want to, don't," Taylor instructed and she turned her face around to look at his. Noticing his serious expression she relented and sat up. What ever he had to say she would make a conscious effort to hold her tongue, as hard as that was.
Taylor got up off the floor and came to sit on the edge of the coffee table, brushing knees with her. She was looking him straight in the eye, trying to get a gauge on what his thinking. He intertwined their fingers together. His large, callous digits along with her soft elongated ones.
"You and I have been together for five years," he started, "and these have been the most memorable five years of my life but -" Taylor noticed Wash put a mask on. The one that was expressionless. The one that no one could read, not even him. She tried to take their fingers apart but that only made him have a tighter grip on her. She was trying to pry her hands away from his and Taylor was confused on what had made her practically want to run away, to put on such a front that he had never seen her use with him in all of their time in a more then platonic relationship. "Wash, what are you doing?" he asked as she kept trying in vein to pry their fingers apart. She had muscle, but he had more.
"I just- I have to go and set up the... the exercise drills for the guys tomorrow," she said. She was taking the coward's way out, and that was something that was never, ever associated with Alicia Washington. She knew what he was about to do, he was about to break her heart - shatter it in fact- and she couldn't handle that today.
Today she would prepare and tomorrow she would face the fact that she was soon to be requesting new quarters. She had actually set up the course yesterday, before she went to the Shannon's residence with the Commander for an enjoyable and entertaining dinner - well, Shannon was there, enough said.
"No you don't," he took hold of both of her wrists as an attempt to still her movements, "I went by to check it out yesterday after I heard the boys complaining. What's wrong?"
Taylor asked seriously. He needed to know if there were any problems between them, he didn't think there was and he was trying to recall what she could be pissed at.
"I just need to make a couple of adjustments, I'll be quick I promise," she granted him a smile and you'd have to be blind not to know that it didn't reach her eyes.
"You're not leaving here until you tell me what's wrong." He spoke and he might as well have been speaking to a brick wall. After knowing that he wasn't going to win like that he tried a different approach. "Alicia, we don't have secrets between us do we? We always tell each other how we're feeling. Why won't you do that now? Don't you trust me? I love you and you know that," he let go of one of her wrists and moved his hand up to allow his thumb to caress her cheek.
"I'm not going to run. I promise but can you please let me up?" Wash asked. He saw her mask fade away until it was practically nonexistent, but it was still there. Looking into her eyes he saw hurt, fear and confusion. Those were three emotions that he hadn't expected her to be feeling right now. He relented and he watched as she went towards the cabinet that held their favourite drink in various years. She forwent the glasses and took a swig straight out of the bottle. He wondered what on Earth possessed her to do such a thing when she took another and then returned the glass bottle filled with the amber liquid. Alicia took a deep breath and walked back over to the couch to sit down. "Okay, I'm ready. Continue," she sighed.
"What were you just doing?" he asked in a commanding tone. He demanded an answer, but yet she wouldn't give.
"It's fine, Commander. Please just continue with what you were saying."
The mask is back up.
"We are going to discuss this before the night's end but you're listening and that's what I need you to do right now, loud and clear. As I was saying we've had a great five years together. I want to make that five into fifteen. I know this isn't the way that we usually do things. We're private people and titles and status means nothing to us. We don't need terms to define what we are or the love we feel for each other," He reached for her hand and Wash surprisingly let him intertwine their fingers. "I never realized how much you wanted this until two months ago but when I knew that you wanted it, it made me realize how much I did too. I was surprised when I realized but it makes sense. You want to give this new world, this new generation something that you didn't have back in the old one. I know we aren't really big on traditions but this is one that I have to adhere to." He slid off the coffee table and onto one knee. Alicia realized what he was about to do and it is on the complete opposite spectrum of what she thought. How had he known that she wanted all of this? How would she react? Pulling out the box that was hidden in his cargos, Taylor flipped it open, "Alicia Washington, I love you and I will continue to do that until you can't stitch me up any longer. Will you marry me?" he held his breath.
Nathanial Taylor, a man who isn't scared of anything, is scared beyond belief. A man who has seen the harsh realities of war is scared. Someone who has been beaten, shot,stabbed, slashed and tortured is scared of the woman in front of him and her very active tongue suddenly being held.
"Now that I wasn't expecting. I..I love you too," the ever composed Lieutenant was loosing her cool. Taylor saw the beginnings of a smile making its way onto her face. "Yes."
It was one word. One word that conveyed love, future, hope, family.
In one swift movement Taylor got up from his position on the floor and picked Wash up enough to slide underneath her so she was sitting on his lap. His grin was matching her full tooth smile. He took her left hand in his right and eased the princess cut diamond out of the box and slipped it on it's rightful place on her left hand. He brushed his lips over her knuckles. "I know its gaudy and isn't your normal style but you deserve the right to tradition and at least this way no one will be able to miss the massive ring that states we are together and it's God damned serious," he growled. Thinking back to a week earlier when one of the new pilgrims didn't seem to know that he and Wash were together. The man- John Galligah- hit on her and Taylor knew it before he even gave his speech. The way that Galligah, he practically hurls at the name, watched Alicia walk away, her hips having a natural sway, darkened the aforementioned eyes. That, paired with the look that he gave Taylor when he put a possessive arm on the small of her back when she reached the top of the command centre stairs.
He didn't exactly feel better once Wash told him what happened while they were OTG, it involved Wash, Galligah and ass.
"Possesive much?" Wash quirked an eyebrow up and Taylor gave a sheepish grin - he just didn't like anyone touching his Lieutenant. "Now do you care to explain to me about how you knew so much about my- uh- repressed feelings?" Washington asked.
"We are going to get to you keeping things from me soon enough. You may have left your plex pad on the dining table- unlocked might I add- so I may have looked around to see what was on it and I found your personal journals." He admitted and obviously didn't see Wash's killer glare.
"You went through my plex pad? What about privacy? Some of those things are personal. I thought we had trust between us, Nathanial," Alicia tried to disentangle herself from Taylor.
"I do trust you, Alicia. It was just there and I'm glad I did. Why didn't you tell me that you wanted more then what we have?" Taylor asked, holding her thighs so she couldn't move.
Sighing and consequently relenting Wash stopped her struggle and leant her head into the Commanders muscular chest, "All of that lovey dovey emotion, its just not us. We aren't the type of people who need rings for people to know we're together," yet that's what I've wanted she thought, "I'm too old to have a child and its not like our lifestyle permits it. We work odd hours and Terra Nova is our number one priority. Your always getting injured and we are both often OTG and
that is something that you can't bring a child into."
"Wash you're young and you're beautiful. You would make an amazing mother. You'd give your children a childhood that you never had, give them love and overprotectiveness that you would always have abundance of. You're right though, all of this emotion, this thickness isn't us and yet we've changed over time and this is an adaptation that we've made,"
Taylor responded, kissing the crown of her head.
They stayed like this for moments, several in fact. Both mulling over their conversation. It's a rare one for them and they're trying to analyze it.
"You know you're sleeping on the couch right?" Wash murmured breaking their reflective silence.
"Really, Wash? We have two spare bedrooms and I have to sleep on the couch? Why not celebrate the progression of our relationship?" Taylor raised his eyebrows out her. Sure they had spare rooms but when Wash said the couch it meant the couch, no way out of it.
"Ohh don't worry, we will. Several times in fact but after that I get to stay in bed and you have to get up and come to the couch," she smiled at him, having a bittersweet sort of reaction.
"Okay then, woman," Taylor stood easily and picked her up with him. She wrapped her arms around his neck to keep herself steady.
"What about the whipped cream?" she asked, jerking her head towards the stated bottle.
"The whipped cream can wait. Tonight its just you and me," Taylor lead her towards their bedroom
Wash knew what he meant. He wanted to make love and not their horizontal play time. They were always conveying their love but it was usually not so serious and today he wanted serious.
She didn't reply, just leant up to kiss him. It was soft and chaste, a far cry from their usual harsh demanding lips.
Tonight they didn't play, they made love. They showed one another how much they loved each other and how much they have changed as the course of their relationship did.
Tonight after consummating their engagement, Taylor slept on the couch.