S/K/T's apartment, Christmas Morning. [NSFW. Seriously.]

[brambless]

Tara drifts in and out of her dream state for what seems like hours, but is probably only minutes. Shane, warm on her left, the soft sound of her breathing mingled with Kate's, on Shane's other side. Both their arms are thrown over Shane, nestled against the other's in a tenuous connection that binds her and Kate. Once again, life proves better

Comments

[madam_officer]

Kate kneels in front of the Christmas tree, the assortment of lights playing over her tousled hair and dying it a multitude of colours. Her skin is flushed and warm, not quite matching the hue of the gifts she lifts with almost reverent care.

[shane_mcc]

"So... which one do you wanna open first?" Shane asks quietly, shifting from foot to foot (really not fidgeting, no). "Tara said we should do, umm... reindeer gifts? They're just silly things to make each other smile. Vixen brought me a present and then Cupid brought one for Tara, so there's still seven more reindeer who could have brought you something..."

[madam_officer]

Kate looks up at Shane, one present cradled in each hand.

"I always liked Dasher," she says softly, curved lips painted red by a light tied with lace.

[shane_mcc]

"Wow... that's wild," Shane says, both brows arching in surprise as she kneels down beside Kate and reaches for a present sitting off to one side, a small, square box wrapped in light blue paper covered with snowmen wearing tophats and scarves. "Look..."

She opens the card attached to the top and it reads:

'To: Kate
From: Dasher'

In Shane's blocky handwriting.

[madam_officer]

Kate's eyes widen, smile following as she presses a kiss flavoured with delighted laughter to Shane's lips.

[shane_mcc]

She wasn't entirely sure about the whole reindeer present thing, but Kate's already laughing, so that's a good sign. Shane's lips draw back into a happy smile against Kate's as she returns the kiss. "Open it," she murmurs.

[madam_officer]

Laughter fading to a glow in her eyes, Kate sets down her gifts and takes Dasher's from Shane.

She tears the paper carefully, until flashes of childhood glee take hold of her fingers, and the snowmen are ripped into fragments to reveal her gift.

She's struck speechless for a moment, but then she shakes her head, shoulders shaking.

"Dasher has...a good sense of humour." Her voice trembles with affectionate amusement.

[shane_mcc]

Shane watches as Kate opens her gift and when Kate finally sees what's inside the box and goes quiet, Shane's brows furrow just slightly. The cuffs were made of plastic and were purely meant as a joke...

When Kate finally speaks, though, she can hear the laughter there and mentally breathes a sigh of relief. Meeting Kate's eyes, she grins. "Guess Dasher's the kinky one," she murmurs.

[brambless]

Tara's eyes widen as she sees the handcuffs, and she flushes faintly at Shane's words, although she had nothing to do with the gift.

"Comet's not," she says apologetically, handing over her own reindeer gift to Kate - a soft package, wrapped in gleaming white paper.

Inside is a simple fitted t-shirt, bearing the legend 'Free Katie'. "I don't know what it was actually made for?" she explains, a soft smile in her eyes, "but if you weren't I'd never be able to afford you. You're worth far, far too much to me."

[madam_officer]

Kate's hands rend the frail paper gently as Tara speaks, fingers ghosting over the words she finds.

She looks up at Tara with eyes bright enough to show her own.

"Thank you." Her voice is heavy, words straining to bear the emotion they carry.

[brambless]

"You're welcome," Tara replies softly. "Although with those handcuffs, you might not be free for long..."

She casts a glance at Shane, mouth quirking with amusement.

[shane_mcc]

As Kate opens her presents, Shane scoots next to her, resting her chin on her shoulder. When she sees the t-shirt Tara got her, she grins broadly.

"Although with those handcuffs, you might not be free for long..."

Biting her lip, Shane smiles sheepishly. "I ... I wanted to find one of those little cops-and-robbers sets, like they have for kids... y'know, with the cuffs and the badge and everything, but I couldn't find one."

[madam_officer]

Kate's hand moves to rest on Shane's knee, the other still grazing the thin cotton as if trying to afirm its existance.

There may be a faint blush deepening the colour of her cheeks, but it's probably just the Christmas lights.

When Shane speaks, her smile is slow and bright like a star's birth.

"I would have liked that." Her smile turns mischevious.

"But I...think we can have fun with these, too."

[shane_mcc]

Shane's chuckle is low and thick and wicked as she leans in and nibbles at Kate's throat. "I think we can, too," she murmurs.

[madam_officer]

Kate arches her throat, baring it to Shane's mouth. Glimpes of darker moments flicker in her memory, burning to ashes as she embraces trust and pleasure.

"Somehow," she agrees softly.

[shane_mcc]

"Maybe," Shane adds, agreeing to Kate's agreement, her tone light and playful as she drops an open-mouthed kiss on her throat. "But you should open the rest of your presents, first..."