Fic-Merry Christmas, Vala-Cam/Vala (G)
Title: Merry Christmas, Vala
Fandom: Stargate SG-1
Pairing: Cam/Vala
Rating: G
Genre: Romance/General
Notes: Written for dizzydame for Stargateland's gift giving challenge. I HOPE YOU LIKE IT DIZ <3333333 Thanks virkatjol for holding my hand through the writing of it and reassuring me that I don't suck!
"You're going to take me to a Christmas party, right?" The bright voice greets him as soon as he steps into his quarters, and even though he should be surprised, because they are his quarters, he's not.
"Vala, I haven't even started thinking about Christmas." he sighs a little. He loves her enthusiasm, but right now he's exhausted and he just wants to unwind.
"Well you should! It's December 1, Cameron! Come on. It's my first Christmas. You wouldn't deprive me of the full experience, would you?" Vala stands up from her spot on his bed and steps towards him, wrapping her arms around his neck. His arms land around her waist.
"Let me make some calls tomorrow, okay? I'll see what I can figure out." Vala smiles brightly at him.
"Thanks, Cameron." she stretches up and kisses him happily.
When Cam steps out of General Landry's office the next day, Vala is standing by the door waiting for him.
"How are Christmas plans coming?" she asks excitedly.
"Vala!" Cam says. She's managed to startle him this time. "You can't do that to me, first. Second, well," he glances around to make sure they're alone in the corridor and then lowers his voice. "Remember what we talked about? Being discrete? Technically you're not military but you're still under my command. It could cause problems and I don't want that. You can't just hang around like that, especially right outside the General's office." Vala's face falls.
"I'm sorry, Cameron," she starts.
"Vala. I'm not mad. I just want to make sure you're not in trouble, okay?" He glances around to make sure they're still alone, and brushes his hand lightly over her cheekbone, smiling at her. "And I do have Christmas plans, now. You'll like them." He brushes his hand over her cheek one more time before smiling and walking away. Vala watches him go, a bright smile crossing her face as she claps excitedly to herself in the corridor.
Three weeks later, Cam and Vala are on an airplane. Vala is so excited she's practically bouncing out of her skin.
"Cameron, you are the best. Really. You're taking me to Kansas for your family Christmas? Ohhh, it'll be just like on all of the TV shows I've watched, I'm sure. Is your mother going to make pie? I really do love pie. Also..." she continues talking but Cam is only half listening, a smile on his face. She's been babbling like this ever since they got to the airport gate and she found out where they were going. As soon as Vala mentioned wanting the "full Christmas experience" he knew this would be the best bet. His mother loved Christmas and even more, she loved it when she could bring others into the fold. Cam was slightly hesitant--sometimes his mom was just a little too open with Vala for his liking--but the grin on Vala's face when she found out where they were going made everything that might happen worth it.
They arrived at his parents' house just before lunch time. His mother came out to meet them as they stepped out of the car
"Cameron! Vala! I'm so glad you're finally here." she gives each of them a hug, whispering to Vala,
"Thank you for convincing him to come home for Christmas. He'd been a little iffy about it."
"Oh, it wasn't me! I didn't know we were coming until this morning!" Vala says happily, returning Wendy's enthusiastic hug.
"Oh, but it was, dear. Cameron only arranged it because of you. And we are delighted that you are both here. Now, come inside. I've made lunch. And I'm making pie for dessert tonight." Vala grins and follows Wendy into the house as Cameron pulls their bags from the trunk of the rental car to bring them inside.
After carrying the bags upstairs to his old room, he follows the smell of lunch and the sound of Vala's excited cries to the kitchen, where he sees her delighting over the size of the turkey already half-defrosted in preparation for Christmas dinner. She notices him enter the kitchen and dashes over to him, crossing the room in two quick, long steps and hugging him tightly.
"Cam, your mother's decorations are lovely, aren't they? Oh this is exactly what Christmas should be. And do you see the turkey? We're going to have that for Christmas dinner!" Cam laughs as he hugs her, and he sees his mother's approving expression as she watches them.
"Cameron! Vala! You're here," comes a voice from the door. Cam turns his head to look at his father.
"Hi, Dad. Yeah, we made it."
"Glad to hear it, son. Vala, how are you?"
"Wonderful! I'm so happy Cameron brought me." she smiles at Frank as he comes into the room. As they all move to sit down at the table, she adds,
"Thanks for letting me visit for Christmas." Her voice is softer than usual but her eyes and smile are bright. Cam is stunned by how happy this trip has made her, and he reaches for the hand on her lap, enfolding it in his and squeezing.
"Of course, Vala. You're family now. You are welcome any time." Wendy smiles at her, and Vala's grin widens as she begins to eat her lunch.
After dinner that night, Cam pulls Vala to the side.
"Hey, go get your coat on. I've got plans for us tonight." She smiles.
"Cameron, are you actually going to take me on a date?" He returns her smile and kisses her.
"We might be going somewhere. You'll like it. Gotta move, though, or we'll be late." Vala grins and dashes off to put on the parka and boots Cameron had bought her before they came. She's back in under two minutes, and Cam grins.
"That was quick."
"You told me to move! I see you don't have your coat on, so move, mister!" she pokes him hard in the arm, and he just laughs.
"My coat's over by the door, baby. I'm ready to go, I just need to grab it when we go by."
"Well, then..." she says impatiently, and he laughs again.
"C'mon." he takes her hand and leads her to the door, grabbing his jacket as she pulls it open and dashes through, yanking his arm slightly in her enthusiasm.
As they pull up to the large building covered in Christmas lights, Vala's face is a mask of wonder.
"It's beautiful, Cameron! Look at the lights."
"Just wait until we get inside," he says. "If you think the lights are great, you'll really love this." They both climb out of the car and he passes behind it to stand beside her, wrapping her gloved hand in his bare one as they step inside. He asks her to wait and she sits on a bench while he speaks to a young woman working behind a counter. The sign above it says RENTALS. She's halfway through wondering what he's renting when he's walking towards her carrying two pairs of boots with blades on the bottom. She recognises them from a commercial she'd seen on TV once.
"Cameron, are we going ice skating?" her voice is bubbly with excitement.
"Yup. Not just any ice skating though. Wait till you see the rink." he sits beside her and puts on his skates, helping her with hers to make sure they're tight enough and holds her hand as they carefully and a little unsteadily make their way to the rink entrance. When they reach it, Vala's eyes widen.
The rink has been decorated for Christmas, complete with Christmas trees covered in fake snow. The overhead lights are off and the rink is lit entirely by Christmas lights. Vala stills at the entrance and her eyes appear to be taking over her face. Cam smiles.
"You like it?" he asks.
"Cam, this is...wonderful!" she giggles and tries to wrap her arms around him and kiss him but she's still unsteady on the skates, even before she's on the actual ice, and he ends up having to grab her around the waist to keep her from falling. He kisses her forehead lightly before taking her hand and guiding her carefully onto the ice. He's comfortable on skates and he guides her slowly around until he feels her balance begin to steady. He tries to let go of her hand so she can skate on her own but she grips his hand tightly and smiles at him.
They skate until the rink closes, never breaking contact with each other. When the announcement comes over the PA system, interrupting the steady flow of Christmas music that had filled the air, saying that the rink would be closing in ten minutes, Cam leads Vala off the ice. She's a little unsteady again after the transfer back to her boots.
"It's odd, walking after skating," Vala says. "I never realised it would feel so different."
"Yeah, it's a little weird. You'll get used to it. I'm going to take our skates back...sit here for a minute, okay? We've got somewhere else to be in a few minutes." Vala smiles brightly.
"You mean we're not done yet? This is the best date ever!" she exclaims. Cam grins as he walks over to return the skates. He makes a stop at the concession stand before walking back to Vala, and he hands her a steaming cup. She bends her head slightly to sniff at it and smiles. She's happy that he remembers she loves hot chocolate. He grabs her hand and helps her stand.
"We've got a couple of minutes' walk now to our next stop...are you ready?" he asks. She just smiles in response and they start on their way.
Across from the ice rink is a small city park. There's a layer of snow covering everything and Vala can't get over how beautiful it all is. Near the entrance of the park, she spots a pair of horses
"Look, Cam. Horses!"
"I know. They're part of the plan," he says as they draw closer. Vala can see that the horses are harnessed to some type of sled, and she looks at him in surprise.
"Cameron, we're not...you didn't..." she says, apparently at an uncharacteristic loss for words.
"Hey, you wanted the full-on experience, and the park does these sleigh rides every year. You ready?" he asks. Vala bounces, doing her best not to spill her hot chocolate but unable to contain her excitement. He helps her step into the sleigh after handing their tickets to the man standing at the park entrance, and climbs in after her. He tucks the blanket around both their legs and she wraps both of her hands around the styrofoam cup in her hand, leaning against him and snuggling into his side. The sleigh starts to move and Cam looks down at Vala, tightening his arm slightly around her shoulders. She looks up at him and smiles happily before tucking her head back into his chest.
It's almost ten by the time they get back. They step out of the car and walk towards the front door. When they reach the front door, she stops. He turns to face her.
"Everything ok?" he asks. she just smiles at him.
"Thank you," she says. "When you brought me here...I never dreamed you`d do something like this for me."
"Anything for you, Vala," he says and she leans forward to kiss him again.
When Cam wakes up the next morning his bed feels oddly empty. He looks at the clock to see it's already ten am. He rolls out of bed and throws on a t-shirt over the flannel PJ pants he's wearing and heads towards the kitchen. The only person there is his dad.
"Morning, Dad. Where's everyone else?"
"Vala went with your mom to pick up a few last minute things for dinner tonight and tomorrow. Your mom said they'd be back by eleven, so I'm expecting they'll be back around one." Cam laughs.
"Yeah, sounds about right. Actually, knowing Vala, I'd figure later, except that the stores will be closing early today." Frank nods.
"How was your date last night?" he asks. He was already in bed by the time Cam and Vala came inside.
"Great. Vala was so happy." Cam smiles, remembering the look of wonder on Vala's face at every new step in the date night.
"Looks like she's not the only happy one." Frank observes as he watches his son's face soften in a way he hasn't seen in years.
"Guess she's not." Cam says, smiling, and that's all they say about the topic.
The day passes quickly, and before Cam knows it dinner is over and they're all sitting in the living room, talking and laughing.
"Vala, since this is your first Christmas, there's something you should see. This was always a tradition for us on Christmas Eve when Cam was home. It was his favourite," says Wendy as she slides a disc into the DVD player. Cam laughs.
"Mom, did you really find it on DVD?"
"I got a whole set. Maybe we'll watch some more later." Wendy smiles at her son and the beautiful young woman curled into his side as familiar music fills the room.
"Rudolph the red-nosed Reindeer?" Vala reads off the screen.
"You'll like this. It's cute." Cam says, as Vala smiles and snuggles in closer to him.
They watch the animated Christmas movies well into the night, staying up long after Wendy and Frank have gone to bed. As the closing bars of "Santa Claus is Coming To Town" waft out of the TV set, Cam looks over to suggest heading to bed to Vala, only to find her fast asleep next to him. He leans down and kisses her forehead softly.
"Vala," he says. She mumbles something unintelligible and snuggles in tighter to his side.
"Vala, baby," he whispers. "Let's go upstairs to bed. You're gonna be sore if you sleep here, and you don't want to be sore on Christmas morning." she mumbles against his side again and he decides waking her is probably a lost cause. He wiggles out carefully from underneath her, scoops her up gently, and carries her up to bed.
Christmas morning dawns bright and snowy. The clouds rolled in overnight and thick, fluffy flakes are falling from the sky. Vala wakes up Cam at eight, and they go into the living room in their pyjamas to find Wendy and Frank already up.
"Morning, you two." Wendy says, smiling. Cam sniffs slightly, catching a familiar scent in the air.
"You made pancakes?" he asks.
"Of course I did. It is Christmas morning, isn't it?" she responds. Cam grins.
"Thanks, mom." he walks over to her and wraps her in a hug. "Merry Christmas." Wendy chuckles.
"Merry Christmas, Cam. We're so happy you and Vala are here." she doesn't say that she and Frank are hoping this will become an every-year thing as they all go to the kitchen to have breakfast.
The day passes in a whirlwind of gifts, family, and (possibly most importantly, if you ask Vala) food. By the time the last of Cam's extended family leaves, it's late, and they're all exhausted. Wendy and Frank excuse themselves minutes after the guests are gone, and leave Cam and Vala curled up on the couch together again. Vala's wearing a beautiful sweater that was a gift from Wendy and her eyes are sparkling.
"Thank you, Cameron." she says, looking up at him. "This was a perfect first Christmas." Cam smiles.
"I'm glad. I really did want it to be perfect for you."
"I love my bracelet," she says, lifting her wrist to admire the silver-coloured bracelet adorned with small, sparkling charms.
"Good. I thought you might." she stretches her torso upwards and places a soft, sweet kiss on his lips, and he smiles again.
"Merry Christmas, Vala." he says.
Fandom: Stargate SG-1
Pairing: Cam/Vala
Rating: G
Genre: Romance/General
Notes: Written for dizzydame for Stargateland's gift giving challenge. I HOPE YOU LIKE IT DIZ <3333333 Thanks virkatjol for holding my hand through the writing of it and reassuring me that I don't suck!
"You're going to take me to a Christmas party, right?" The bright voice greets him as soon as he steps into his quarters, and even though he should be surprised, because they are his quarters, he's not.
"Vala, I haven't even started thinking about Christmas." he sighs a little. He loves her enthusiasm, but right now he's exhausted and he just wants to unwind.
"Well you should! It's December 1, Cameron! Come on. It's my first Christmas. You wouldn't deprive me of the full experience, would you?" Vala stands up from her spot on his bed and steps towards him, wrapping her arms around his neck. His arms land around her waist.
"Let me make some calls tomorrow, okay? I'll see what I can figure out." Vala smiles brightly at him.
"Thanks, Cameron." she stretches up and kisses him happily.
When Cam steps out of General Landry's office the next day, Vala is standing by the door waiting for him.
"How are Christmas plans coming?" she asks excitedly.
"Vala!" Cam says. She's managed to startle him this time. "You can't do that to me, first. Second, well," he glances around to make sure they're alone in the corridor and then lowers his voice. "Remember what we talked about? Being discrete? Technically you're not military but you're still under my command. It could cause problems and I don't want that. You can't just hang around like that, especially right outside the General's office." Vala's face falls.
"I'm sorry, Cameron," she starts.
"Vala. I'm not mad. I just want to make sure you're not in trouble, okay?" He glances around to make sure they're still alone, and brushes his hand lightly over her cheekbone, smiling at her. "And I do have Christmas plans, now. You'll like them." He brushes his hand over her cheek one more time before smiling and walking away. Vala watches him go, a bright smile crossing her face as she claps excitedly to herself in the corridor.
Three weeks later, Cam and Vala are on an airplane. Vala is so excited she's practically bouncing out of her skin.
"Cameron, you are the best. Really. You're taking me to Kansas for your family Christmas? Ohhh, it'll be just like on all of the TV shows I've watched, I'm sure. Is your mother going to make pie? I really do love pie. Also..." she continues talking but Cam is only half listening, a smile on his face. She's been babbling like this ever since they got to the airport gate and she found out where they were going. As soon as Vala mentioned wanting the "full Christmas experience" he knew this would be the best bet. His mother loved Christmas and even more, she loved it when she could bring others into the fold. Cam was slightly hesitant--sometimes his mom was just a little too open with Vala for his liking--but the grin on Vala's face when she found out where they were going made everything that might happen worth it.
They arrived at his parents' house just before lunch time. His mother came out to meet them as they stepped out of the car
"Cameron! Vala! I'm so glad you're finally here." she gives each of them a hug, whispering to Vala,
"Thank you for convincing him to come home for Christmas. He'd been a little iffy about it."
"Oh, it wasn't me! I didn't know we were coming until this morning!" Vala says happily, returning Wendy's enthusiastic hug.
"Oh, but it was, dear. Cameron only arranged it because of you. And we are delighted that you are both here. Now, come inside. I've made lunch. And I'm making pie for dessert tonight." Vala grins and follows Wendy into the house as Cameron pulls their bags from the trunk of the rental car to bring them inside.
After carrying the bags upstairs to his old room, he follows the smell of lunch and the sound of Vala's excited cries to the kitchen, where he sees her delighting over the size of the turkey already half-defrosted in preparation for Christmas dinner. She notices him enter the kitchen and dashes over to him, crossing the room in two quick, long steps and hugging him tightly.
"Cam, your mother's decorations are lovely, aren't they? Oh this is exactly what Christmas should be. And do you see the turkey? We're going to have that for Christmas dinner!" Cam laughs as he hugs her, and he sees his mother's approving expression as she watches them.
"Cameron! Vala! You're here," comes a voice from the door. Cam turns his head to look at his father.
"Hi, Dad. Yeah, we made it."
"Glad to hear it, son. Vala, how are you?"
"Wonderful! I'm so happy Cameron brought me." she smiles at Frank as he comes into the room. As they all move to sit down at the table, she adds,
"Thanks for letting me visit for Christmas." Her voice is softer than usual but her eyes and smile are bright. Cam is stunned by how happy this trip has made her, and he reaches for the hand on her lap, enfolding it in his and squeezing.
"Of course, Vala. You're family now. You are welcome any time." Wendy smiles at her, and Vala's grin widens as she begins to eat her lunch.
After dinner that night, Cam pulls Vala to the side.
"Hey, go get your coat on. I've got plans for us tonight." She smiles.
"Cameron, are you actually going to take me on a date?" He returns her smile and kisses her.
"We might be going somewhere. You'll like it. Gotta move, though, or we'll be late." Vala grins and dashes off to put on the parka and boots Cameron had bought her before they came. She's back in under two minutes, and Cam grins.
"That was quick."
"You told me to move! I see you don't have your coat on, so move, mister!" she pokes him hard in the arm, and he just laughs.
"My coat's over by the door, baby. I'm ready to go, I just need to grab it when we go by."
"Well, then..." she says impatiently, and he laughs again.
"C'mon." he takes her hand and leads her to the door, grabbing his jacket as she pulls it open and dashes through, yanking his arm slightly in her enthusiasm.
As they pull up to the large building covered in Christmas lights, Vala's face is a mask of wonder.
"It's beautiful, Cameron! Look at the lights."
"Just wait until we get inside," he says. "If you think the lights are great, you'll really love this." They both climb out of the car and he passes behind it to stand beside her, wrapping her gloved hand in his bare one as they step inside. He asks her to wait and she sits on a bench while he speaks to a young woman working behind a counter. The sign above it says RENTALS. She's halfway through wondering what he's renting when he's walking towards her carrying two pairs of boots with blades on the bottom. She recognises them from a commercial she'd seen on TV once.
"Cameron, are we going ice skating?" her voice is bubbly with excitement.
"Yup. Not just any ice skating though. Wait till you see the rink." he sits beside her and puts on his skates, helping her with hers to make sure they're tight enough and holds her hand as they carefully and a little unsteadily make their way to the rink entrance. When they reach it, Vala's eyes widen.
The rink has been decorated for Christmas, complete with Christmas trees covered in fake snow. The overhead lights are off and the rink is lit entirely by Christmas lights. Vala stills at the entrance and her eyes appear to be taking over her face. Cam smiles.
"You like it?" he asks.
"Cam, this is...wonderful!" she giggles and tries to wrap her arms around him and kiss him but she's still unsteady on the skates, even before she's on the actual ice, and he ends up having to grab her around the waist to keep her from falling. He kisses her forehead lightly before taking her hand and guiding her carefully onto the ice. He's comfortable on skates and he guides her slowly around until he feels her balance begin to steady. He tries to let go of her hand so she can skate on her own but she grips his hand tightly and smiles at him.
They skate until the rink closes, never breaking contact with each other. When the announcement comes over the PA system, interrupting the steady flow of Christmas music that had filled the air, saying that the rink would be closing in ten minutes, Cam leads Vala off the ice. She's a little unsteady again after the transfer back to her boots.
"It's odd, walking after skating," Vala says. "I never realised it would feel so different."
"Yeah, it's a little weird. You'll get used to it. I'm going to take our skates back...sit here for a minute, okay? We've got somewhere else to be in a few minutes." Vala smiles brightly.
"You mean we're not done yet? This is the best date ever!" she exclaims. Cam grins as he walks over to return the skates. He makes a stop at the concession stand before walking back to Vala, and he hands her a steaming cup. She bends her head slightly to sniff at it and smiles. She's happy that he remembers she loves hot chocolate. He grabs her hand and helps her stand.
"We've got a couple of minutes' walk now to our next stop...are you ready?" he asks. She just smiles in response and they start on their way.
Across from the ice rink is a small city park. There's a layer of snow covering everything and Vala can't get over how beautiful it all is. Near the entrance of the park, she spots a pair of horses
"Look, Cam. Horses!"
"I know. They're part of the plan," he says as they draw closer. Vala can see that the horses are harnessed to some type of sled, and she looks at him in surprise.
"Cameron, we're not...you didn't..." she says, apparently at an uncharacteristic loss for words.
"Hey, you wanted the full-on experience, and the park does these sleigh rides every year. You ready?" he asks. Vala bounces, doing her best not to spill her hot chocolate but unable to contain her excitement. He helps her step into the sleigh after handing their tickets to the man standing at the park entrance, and climbs in after her. He tucks the blanket around both their legs and she wraps both of her hands around the styrofoam cup in her hand, leaning against him and snuggling into his side. The sleigh starts to move and Cam looks down at Vala, tightening his arm slightly around her shoulders. She looks up at him and smiles happily before tucking her head back into his chest.
It's almost ten by the time they get back. They step out of the car and walk towards the front door. When they reach the front door, she stops. He turns to face her.
"Everything ok?" he asks. she just smiles at him.
"Thank you," she says. "When you brought me here...I never dreamed you`d do something like this for me."
"Anything for you, Vala," he says and she leans forward to kiss him again.
When Cam wakes up the next morning his bed feels oddly empty. He looks at the clock to see it's already ten am. He rolls out of bed and throws on a t-shirt over the flannel PJ pants he's wearing and heads towards the kitchen. The only person there is his dad.
"Morning, Dad. Where's everyone else?"
"Vala went with your mom to pick up a few last minute things for dinner tonight and tomorrow. Your mom said they'd be back by eleven, so I'm expecting they'll be back around one." Cam laughs.
"Yeah, sounds about right. Actually, knowing Vala, I'd figure later, except that the stores will be closing early today." Frank nods.
"How was your date last night?" he asks. He was already in bed by the time Cam and Vala came inside.
"Great. Vala was so happy." Cam smiles, remembering the look of wonder on Vala's face at every new step in the date night.
"Looks like she's not the only happy one." Frank observes as he watches his son's face soften in a way he hasn't seen in years.
"Guess she's not." Cam says, smiling, and that's all they say about the topic.
The day passes quickly, and before Cam knows it dinner is over and they're all sitting in the living room, talking and laughing.
"Vala, since this is your first Christmas, there's something you should see. This was always a tradition for us on Christmas Eve when Cam was home. It was his favourite," says Wendy as she slides a disc into the DVD player. Cam laughs.
"Mom, did you really find it on DVD?"
"I got a whole set. Maybe we'll watch some more later." Wendy smiles at her son and the beautiful young woman curled into his side as familiar music fills the room.
"Rudolph the red-nosed Reindeer?" Vala reads off the screen.
"You'll like this. It's cute." Cam says, as Vala smiles and snuggles in closer to him.
They watch the animated Christmas movies well into the night, staying up long after Wendy and Frank have gone to bed. As the closing bars of "Santa Claus is Coming To Town" waft out of the TV set, Cam looks over to suggest heading to bed to Vala, only to find her fast asleep next to him. He leans down and kisses her forehead softly.
"Vala," he says. She mumbles something unintelligible and snuggles in tighter to his side.
"Vala, baby," he whispers. "Let's go upstairs to bed. You're gonna be sore if you sleep here, and you don't want to be sore on Christmas morning." she mumbles against his side again and he decides waking her is probably a lost cause. He wiggles out carefully from underneath her, scoops her up gently, and carries her up to bed.
Christmas morning dawns bright and snowy. The clouds rolled in overnight and thick, fluffy flakes are falling from the sky. Vala wakes up Cam at eight, and they go into the living room in their pyjamas to find Wendy and Frank already up.
"Morning, you two." Wendy says, smiling. Cam sniffs slightly, catching a familiar scent in the air.
"You made pancakes?" he asks.
"Of course I did. It is Christmas morning, isn't it?" she responds. Cam grins.
"Thanks, mom." he walks over to her and wraps her in a hug. "Merry Christmas." Wendy chuckles.
"Merry Christmas, Cam. We're so happy you and Vala are here." she doesn't say that she and Frank are hoping this will become an every-year thing as they all go to the kitchen to have breakfast.
The day passes in a whirlwind of gifts, family, and (possibly most importantly, if you ask Vala) food. By the time the last of Cam's extended family leaves, it's late, and they're all exhausted. Wendy and Frank excuse themselves minutes after the guests are gone, and leave Cam and Vala curled up on the couch together again. Vala's wearing a beautiful sweater that was a gift from Wendy and her eyes are sparkling.
"Thank you, Cameron." she says, looking up at him. "This was a perfect first Christmas." Cam smiles.
"I'm glad. I really did want it to be perfect for you."
"I love my bracelet," she says, lifting her wrist to admire the silver-coloured bracelet adorned with small, sparkling charms.
"Good. I thought you might." she stretches her torso upwards and places a soft, sweet kiss on his lips, and he smiles again.
"Merry Christmas, Vala." he says.