Best Gift Ever

[ladydeathfaerie]

Title: Best Gift Ever
Fandom: something like the Marvel Universe, leaning mostly toward the Movie!Avengers branch
Rating: something vaguely teenish?
Warnings: some language. Alex being cranky. that's really about it
Disclaimer: the recognizable characters and places contained herein are the property of Marvel and whoever the hell else owns them.. i'm merely borrowing for the sake of entertainment. no money is being made from this venture. the Sues are the sole property of their originators, dazzledfirestar, mistress_o_muse, ginevrasm, rylan_m, and ladydeathfaerie. the concept and title of The Mary Sue Virus are used with permission from Dazzledfirestar.

A/N: i started this before Christmas, 2014. its taken me this long to get it written. i'm so sorry. i suck so hard.


~*~*~*~*~

"I cannot believe--" Alex began, only to break off mid-sentence in order to sneeze. The action made her head pound even more, drawing a groan up her throat. "That we're stuck here. Since when does Paris have a fucking blizzard?"

"Since yesterday, apparently," Miri replied, sounding slightly less put out than Alex was. Of course, that might have been because Miri hadn't taken a dip in water that was cold enough to freeze a yeti's balls. Alex was cold, her nose was stuffed up tight, and it felt like her chest wanted to explode each time she tried to draw a full breath. A trip to a doctor had promised her that she didn't have pneumonia or something equally horrible. But it felt like the cough medicine was doing nothing to help.

Alex huffed a sigh and turned to look out the window. Not that there was anything to see beyond the snow that drifted and blew. A few buildings were sort of visible, but only in an abstract way. Still, staring out the window was better than glaring at Miri and making snarky, nasty comments that the other woman didn't deserve. Not to mention, Miri would be even snarkier and nastier in return. Alex already felt shitty enough. She couldn't quite help her shitty mood, though, because it was fucking Christmas Eve day and she wanted to spend it at home, in the house she shared with Clint. The one that had more lights on it than Stark tower.

Okay, so maybe they'd gone a little overboard with the decorating. Between Clint's lack of real home for most of his life and Alex's love of all things that twinkled and sparkled, they'd given Clark Griswold a run for his money. They'd even gotten a real tree so that the house would smell of pine. And she was missing all of it, stuck in Paris during a blizzard with a cold that made her want to curl in a ball and hide under the blankets. Stupid fucking missions coming up at Christmas. Miri reached over and patted Alex's hand, drawing Alex's gaze back to her face. She said nothing, but it was plain to see Miri more than understood the reasons behind her sulk.

"Its taking an awfully long time to get back to the hotel," Miri commented softly. Her words seemingly came out of the blue, but Alex knew better. And now that she thought about it, she realized they'd been in the back of the state provided limo for much longer than they should have been. Even with the weather conditions as they were, the driver should have been able to get them back to their hotel well before now and with little problem.

"Yeah. Now that you mention it," Alex replied. Another glance out the window showed them that the snow was still blowing hard enough to make it impossible to see anything. Alex frowned and tension zinged through her, pulling her shoulders tight and momentarily pushing aside some of the fog clinging to her brain to allow her the ability to plot and plan. She could already see that Miri was, had been, doing the same.

A quick glance at her watch showed Alex they'd been in the back of the limo for more than half an hour, which meant that either the driver was going in circles or he was taking them out of the city. She knew from experience that, even with traffic, it shouldn't have taken them more than ten minutes to go from the government offices to their hotel. Alex muttered a curse under her breath. Their weapons were stowed safely away in the trunk of the car since they hadn't been planning on carrying on the airplane. If they hadn't been held back an extra day by the French government to answer a few questions, they'd have gotten out of Paris before the storm had hit. If the day's round of questioning hadn't run long, they'd have made their flight out a few hours ago. Something was way off.

She lifted her gaze to Miri's to see that the other woman was thinking the same thing she was. This was starting to look like some kind of kidnapping and they both needed to be prepared for that moment when the car stopped and they had to get out. MIri's gaze slid around the interior of the limo, looking for anything they could use as weapons. Alex checked the mini-bar, hoping for a few bottles of alcohol. They'd make quick, dirty weapons if there was a fight. But the mini-bar was empty, which suggested that whoever had grabbed them knew exactly with whom they were dealing.

They passed the ride in silence. They had no way of knowing if someone was listening in to them, so they'd decided that conversing was out. Planning an attack didn't work well if your abductors could hear every last bit of your plan. And since they didn't know if video cameras had been installed, writing was out, as well. But given how long Alex and Miri had been partners, and friends, there really was no need for any verbal communication between them. So they sat in silence, used their eyes and faint hand and head gestures to convey what they were thinking

There was no way to keep track of where they went beyond how many left and right turns they took. The snow muffled the sound of the tires on the road, as well as the sounds of the city around them. Each minute that passed saw Alex's tension levels going higher and higher. Her shoulders were so tight that it felt like it was impossible to move. The come down off this whole thing was going to be bad. All of that tension was going to go right to her head and she'd be blind with a raging headache before the day was out. Assuming they got out of whatever this was.

They both exchanged glances when they noticed the car had started creeping up an incline. It was a change after the mostly flat surfaces of the city streets. There was still nothing to see outside the windows, snow coming down in big, fat flakes that were no doubt wet and heavy. Alex had a few vaguely disturbing thoughts about freezing to death in the back of the limo in the middle of a blizzard. Would someone find them before the spring thaw? She wondered how Phil or Fury would explain that one to her mom. The limo coming to a gentle stop jolted Alex out of her morbid thoughts and she shared one more look with Miri, giving a silent nod meant to say she was ready for whatever was to come and that she was proud and happy to call Miri her best friend. Miri returned it before shifting focus to the door.

The door swung open to reveal nothing but blowing white. Cold air gusted in to sting their cheeks. A second or two passed as they waited to see if someone pointed a gun at them through the opening. A second or two passed during which time no one pointed a gun at them through the opening. So after another look at one another, Miri took point and climbed out into the falling snow. Alex was out behind her a moment later, looking for the enemy. There was... nothing.

The two of them barely managed to share a confused look at one another before the driver came around the back corner with a pair of suitcases in his hand. He was wearing a peacoat with the collar turned up to protect his neck and he'd ditched his chauffeur's hat in favor of a knit cap that had been pulled down over his ears to keep them warm. He smiled at them, as if he absolutely hadn't just kidnapped them, and gestured with his head toward the front of the limo. His French was rapid fire, but Alex caught enough to know he'd told them to head toward the house and the warmth. She was learning French from Miri and a few books, but she hadn't learned enough yet to follow everything. Nor could she tell him to fuck himself so he'd understand. She considered flipping him off, but he seemed like he genuinely meant them no harm.

Alex crunched dutifully after Miri toward the house that their driver had mentioned. Not that she could see it. The snow was thick and it was miracle that they'd made it here in one piece. Either their driver was some kind of angel or he was absolutely insane. Alex was pretty sure that he was both.

The cold was heavy and it settled hard into her lungs, making them ache. Making them tight. She tried to hold on to the cough, but it apparently wanted to come out and play. Miri stopped when she had a coughing fit and wrapped an arm around her, apparently unwilling to use brain cells and get out of the cold. They rode out the coughing fit together, then Miri silently urged Alex forward in the direction that they had been going.

It was a surprise to actually find that there really was a house. Alex had the vague impression of trees hiding in the blowing snow, more shadowy ideas than solid things, and it felt like maybe they were walking on some kind of snow packed sidewalk instead of snow covered grass. They literally went from driving snow one second to standing under some kind of awning on the very edge of a set of stone steps the next. They ended at a stone porch or patio of some kind and a broad, thick wooden door rested in the wall of the house. It was surrounded on both sides and at the top by frosted panes of glass. Even before they made the top step, the door was swinging open.

"You're finally here! We were starting to get worried. You shouldn't have been out in this weather. Come in, come in!"

Miri and Alex stopped and stared. Phoebe was standing in the doorway, dressed in a cashmere turtleneck and a pair of jeans. She was watching them with wide, concerned eyes, like she was just as shocked by this turn of events as they were. They might have stood there staring for a lot longer if not for the driver passing by them at that exact moment in order to deliver their bags inside the house. Then he was stomping past them again to finish grabbing their luggage. The wind gusted, prompting Phoebe to shiver inside her sweater. She waved a hand at them. "Well? Come on. Don't stand out there all day. You'll catch cold!"

Alex sneezed.

"Too late," Miri replied dryly.

Alex shot her a look that only brought a smirk to Miri's face, then the two of them finished their trek to the house. When they were safely inside, they spent a minute stomping the snow from their boots onto a large area rug that looked like it cost more money than Alex made in year.

"Jarvis," Phoebe began, but she didn't get any farther.

"I've already informed everyone that they've arrived, Miss Sinclair," Stark's AI told them, voice seemingly coming from nowhere and everywhere at once. Phoebe heaved a soft sigh and glanced at the ceiling.

"How many times have I told you to call me Phoebe, Jarvis?" There was exasperation in her voice, suggesting that she'd told Jarvis to call her Phoebe a lot of times.

"One hundred and forty seven times, Miss Sinclair." Phoebe rolled her eyes at the answer. "Agent Quinn, there is chicken noodle soup awaiting you in the kitchen. Would you like a hot shower before you eat?"

"A hot shower would be lovely, Jarvis," Alex returned.

"Very good, Agent Quinn. I'll have everything ready for you in a few minutes. I'm sure Agent Barton will show you to your room." The AI had barely finished mentioning Clint when he stepped into the large hall through a doorway on her left. He looked casually comfortable in his favorite pair of worn jeans and a long sleeved shirt that hugged his frame. Seeing him brought a rush of relief and she went willingly into his arms when he got close enough.

Clint was all warmth and heat, and he smelled of a mix of sandalwood and spice. She took a deep breath and pulled his scent into her lungs, then had to pull away before she sneezed all over him. The sneeze was followed up by a short coughing fit that reminded her her lungs were tight and congested. "You didn't have that when you left New York."

"I went swimming," she told him.

The look he gave her said she was going to tell him all about it at some point. For the moment, he tugged her into his arms and hugged her close again. "Missed you, Lexi."

Alex sighed. "Missed you, too. I honestly thought I was never going to see you again. Miri and I had no clue what was going on. We thought we were being kidnapped."

"Yeah," Clint sighed and tightened his hold on her. She had a sneaking suspicion that he was doing so to keep her in place. That did not bode well. "This was Stark's idea. Phil and I told him it was a very bad idea, but he refused to listen. He wanted to surprise you with Christmas. You know he doesn't think before he does anything."

Alex tried to push away. "Clint, let go of me so that I can go punch him in the nose." His arms tightened down even more.

"You know I can't let you do that, Lexi. I know it was not the best way to do this, but his heart was in the right place. Cut him a little slack for the holidays. You can punch him in the nose later." She shot him a look. He sighed again. "I know, babe. I know. It was stupid and dangerous. But he swore up and down that he'd make sure nothing bad happened to you and Miri. Just.. let it go for now? Please?"

She stared up at him, tired and cold and achy, and considered kneeing him in the balls so she could go deck Tony Stark. But Clint didn't deserve that. And her anger would wait. She could let it simmer and strengthen. And when she did finally give in, she could take her damn wrench to his stupid ass. He was safe for now. Later... Well, that was an entirely different matter. "Fine. I'll let it go. It is Christmas. That can be his gift."

Clint gave her a look that said he knew she was up to something. She had obviously given in a little too easily for his liking. But she kept her face as bland as she could make it, burying her plans behind layers of exhaustion. The adrenalin that had come with the possibility of a fight was draining away, leaving her limp and tired. That hot shower was sounding better and better all the time. "Thanks, Lexi. I owe you."

She was all prepared to give him a sultry, knowing response about how, yes, he did owe her, but it was cut off abruptly when everyone else decided to join them in the entrance hall. Steve and Elsa came first, both all smiles. She was in a pair of leggings and an extra long sweater with a cowl neck, her hair caught back at the nape of her neck with a tie of some sort. He wore jeans that were almost the same shade of blue as his eyes and a dark brown cable knit sweater that did nothing to hide his muscles. His hand rested on the small of her back, the touch intimate. Thor and Astrid came after them, his large frame hugged by a Nordic themed sweater and casual slacks. She was wearing a cardigan over a t-shirt and a pair of jeans.

"Agents. Its about time you got here. We were starting to worry." Stark came with them, wide smile on his face. Clint tightened his hold, despite Alex's promise not to deck the man just yet. Alex didn't move. Miri did. She pulled from Coulson's embrace, who must have come in at the same time as Clint and told Miri the same exact story, and headed toward their host. His smile died about two seconds before her fist connected with his jaw. Even before she was finished with the full swing, Coulson was there to step between them.

"That was a shit thing to do, Stark!" Miri snapped at the billionaire, leaning around Coulson to do so. "Alex and I thought we were going to die."

"We tried to tell you," Coulson said, a touch of grim amusement in his voice. Stark, clad in a band t-shirt over a long sleeve shirt and a pair of well worn jeans, stared at Miri in shock. One hand tested his chin where her fist had connected. Phoebe stood to the side, arms crossed over her chest. Of the lot of them, she was the one who looked the most dressed up. Her cashmere turtleneck was a burnished gold and the jeans were rust colored. Both garments served to bring out the hints of blonde and red in her hair. Alex could see exasperation on her face.

"Where's my gun?" Miri asked, turning toward the door. It was closed and there was nary a suitcase in sight. The driver seemed to have disappeared, as well.

"Calm down, Miri," Coulson said, though his voice lacked any kind of inflection to suggest that that's what he really wanted her to do. It almost sounded as if he was saying the words purely because it was expected of him.

Miri turned back to Coulson and gave him her weakest glare. "I don't plan on killing him, Phil. Just wounding. Like maybe a testicle. Nothing important."

"Hey! That's totally uncalled for!" Stark snapped. His reaction drew a snort of laughter from Alex, which earned her a glare from the man.

"I told you that you should have told them what was going on, Tony. What do you expect from trained spies? Alex and Miri didn't have any clue where they were going. For all they knew, they were being taken to a HYDRA or A.I.M. base. You need to apologize," Phoebe said. She sounded very much like an adult who was done with everything, talking to a small, petulant child. Alex felt that was a pretty apt description. Stark crossed his arms over his chest in defiance of her suggestion, which got him a long sigh from Phoebe. She moved over to where he stood and wrapped a hand around his arm. "I'm so sorry about the genius' lack of brain cells. I warned him but he didn't listen. He was trying to give you a nice, relaxing vacation as a Christmas gift. He just went about it all the wrong way."

Before Stark could say anything else, she was in motion with his arm still firmly grasped in her hand. Alex watched as she dragged him back the way he'd come. Phoebe's voice lingered after her, soft and low so that no one could hear what she said. Alex was pretty sure she was tearing into him in her terribly polite, terribly 'I'm so disappointed in you' voice. It was something Phoebe was very good at. Given that she was with Stark, it was a safe bet that she'd used it quite a bit.

"Let's go get you settled in," Coulson suggested to Miri. She turned back to him. It looked for a moment like she might give him a piece of her mind, but the anger slid away into a relieved smile and she wrapped her arms around him.

"I've missed you, Phil. I thought I was stuck in Paris for Christmas. Much as I love Alex, sleeping with her is not on my list. She kicks in her sleep." Miri tossed Alex a wink over her shoulder.

"You snore," Alex retorted. Miri laughed, her displeasure at Stark fading just by standing in Coulson's warm, soothing presence.

"Its good to see you, Alex. If you'll excuse us," the man gifted her with a smile, then wrapped an arm around Miri's shoulders and urged her toward the stairs. Alex would have watched them go, but she found herself under attack by a sneezing fit, which was followed up by a round of coughing. When she could see straight again, Clint was giving her a look.

"Are you sure you shouldn't, you know, be in medical or anything?" he asked, worry plain in his voice.

"For a cold? There's nothing they can do for it. And I would only be a pain in some poor nurse's ass. No one deserves that for Christmas," Alex replied. She felt shitty and she wanted nothing more than to curl up with some NyQuil and sleep the sleep of the dead for a few hours. "You know what? I'm too tired for this. I just want to crawl into bed and pass out for a while."

"What about your soup?" Clint asked.

"I'll have one of the staff deliver it to your rooms, Agent Barton. Will that be acceptable?" Jarvis asked.

Clint glanced at Alex a moment, eyes questioning. She nodded in response before giving in to another round of sneezing. "That will be fine, Jarvis. Thank you." A moment later, Clint was there to tug her up against him. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and turned her toward the stairs. She wouldn't admit it, but she was thankful he was going to help her because she was about two seconds from just falling over and sleeping on the stairs. She hated being sick and the cold she'd gotten sucked major ass.

By the time they made it to the room that they'd been given for the duration of their stay, Alex felt like death was a better alternative to a cold. Fuck the shower. Fuck the soup. Just kill her and put her out of her misery. Someone had thoughtfully brought her bags up to the room for her and they sat near a large wooden chest of drawers. Clint took one look at her face and declared that the soup and the shower could wait. Sleep was in order. Someone had also helpfully supplied a bottle of cough medicine and a little dosing cup, and Clint made a point of pouring some of the red liquid into the cup. Then he pressed it into her hands and watched her as she swallowed it down. With his help, she was out of her clothes and into her sleep shirt and leggings. When he tucked her into bed, she didn't even have to ask him to curl up behind her and hold her.

The touch of his hand and the sound of his voice followed her down into the depths of slumber.

~*~*~*~*~

Miri emerged from the bathroom to find Phil sitting on the bed, back resting against a fluffy pile of pillows, his nose in a book. She took a moment to simply watch him, her eyes feasting on his hands as they cradled the book and the casualness of his clothes. Jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt were the order of the day. Much as she liked how he looked in a well tailored suit, there was something to be said for a pair of old jeans and a knit tee that clung to his arms and chest. This was a sight she could take in for ever.

As if suddenly becoming aware of her scrutiny, which Miri knew was simply an act, Phil looked up from his book, then smiled and closed it. It was left on the bedside table when Phil climbed from the bed and came to her side. "Feel better?"

"Its amazing what a shower can do for a flagging spirit," Miri admitted. He smiled before tugging her into his arms for a long, lazy kiss full of all kinds of promise. She didn't want to let him go but when they broke apart, she could see that look in his eyes that said he had questions. Miri bit back her sigh and moved to take a seat in the nearest chair. Phil followed her and sat across from her. "What do you want to know?" she asked. She made sure he knew that she thought this was insane because he'd read her report and he'd no doubt have feedback from the French authorities on the matter.

He took her mild irritation in stride, simply looked her over from head to toe. "You reported that you and Alex got split up for a few moments and you were left to deal with Cofax on your own. I wanted to be sure that you came out unscathed."

Miri rolled her eyes at him, but let a small smile play at the corners of her mouth. "Cofax may be bigger than I am, but that doesn't mean he's smarter. Or better trained. He tried to fire his weapon, but I disabused him that notion really fast."

"You... disabused him how? I don't recall there being anything in the report about you disabusing Cofax."

"Because you got the bare bones of my report. I haven't finished writing it. I was going to do that when I got home. Fill in all the blanks, as it were." Miri paused and shot him a wide, knowing grin. She saw the light of interest in Phil's eyes. "I pulled an Alex."

He frowned at that. That was obviously not the answer he'd been expecting. "You pulled an Alex? How did you pull an Alex?"

"I threw a big ass wrench at his itty bitty head," she explained. It took Phil all of two seconds to completely parse that sentence. When he did, he couldn't stop the wince that came and he shifted in his chair as if his manly bits were in imminent danger. Miri couldn't help the laugh that came. "Trust me. The gun was forgotten in the rush to preserve his masculinity."

"Should I ask if you hit him?" Phil questioned. His tone suggested he wasn't sure it was such a good idea.

"I'm going to leave whether I hit him or not up to your imagination. There needs to be some mystery in our relationship." He gave her answer thought, then nodded his head and left it at that. Miri smiled. "So you want to tell me why Stark kidnapped us and had us brought here?"

It was Phil's turn to smile. "That's his story to tell, Miri. Not mine. I'll let him tell it tonight at dinner. I'm sure your partner in crime is just as curious about that as you are."

Miri gave him a look that would have felled a lesser man. "If I know Alex, she's curled up around Clint and sleeping off half a bottle of NyQuil. All she cares about is being able to breathe through her nose. Stark and his idiocy is the last thing on her mind right now."

"How did Alex end up going for a swim in the Seine?" The question was peppered with confusion, leaving Miri to stare at Phil for a moment or two. How was it possible he didn't know that? Surely that was something she would have put in her report. Ending up going for a swim in the Seine in winter while on a mission seemed like something that would end up going on record. Line of duty and all that.

"Wasn't that in her report?"

"I haven't gotten a report from her yet. I was hoping you could enlighten me."

"That's weird." Miri thought about it and shook her head. It was unlike Alex to avoid paperwork. Then again, Miri couldn't remember the last time she'd seen Alex with a cold. Or even sick, for that matter. "I was sure she'd started paperwork."

"I'll ask her later. Do you know how the two of you ended up separated?"

"Cofax brought some friends to play," Miri explained. She saw the look on Phil's face, suggesting she didn't need to tell him what kind of friends those people had been. "They were heavily armed, but we managed to drop a couple of them before they could gang up on us. I know that at least one of them turned tail and ran. And Alex, being Alex, wasn't about to let them run off into the middle of Paris where they could put innocent lives at stake."

Phil sighed. "She went after them."

"She went after them," Miri nodded. "I was left with Cofax and one other guy. He went down fast. Cofax wasn't into going down at all. So when he saw I was going to stop him, he ran. We ended up in a garage. Which is where I got the wrench. The police and our French liaison showed up just as I was cuffing Cofax. They took him into custody while Agent Beliveau ushered me into a car. We arrived at the Seine just in time to see emergency workers pulling Alex out of the water."

"Miri..."

"She was okay, Phil. Just very wet and very cold. They naturally took her to the hospital to check her out and make sure there was nothing to worry about."

Phil lifted a disbelieving brow at that. "And she just went?"

"She did after I ordered her to go. I do still outrank her, you know." Miri's smile was full of smug satisfaction, which prompted a chuckle from Phil.

"I'm sure she loved that."

"She'll live," Miri shrugged. "I did some paperwork with the French authorities, then they were gracious enough to drive me to the hospital. The doctor assured me she's fine. Just a cold and a really bad case of pig-headedness. We left the hospital, went back to the hotel, and she slept. That's it. I don't want to talk about the mission or paperwork anymore. I don't want to talk about Alex anymore, either."

Phil's smile came back to life, the one that was full of knowing. It always sent a thrill running through her. "What would you like to talk about?" he asked. Miri got up from her chair, crossed to where Phil sat, and settled in his lap. Her arms slid around him and she leaned in to press a kiss to the pulse in his throat.

"I would like to talk about just how tasty you look without your clothing on," she told him.

"Interesting choice of topics." His hands were already reaching for the tie on her robe. "Are you an expert on the subject?"

"I like to think I am. But you can never spend too much time studying your major. Refresher courses are good."

"Of course," Phil agreed before leaning in to capture her lips for a quick kiss. When he lifted away from her, it was so that he could tip his head back and glance up at the ceiling. "Jarvis, please see to it that Miri and I aren't disturbed."

"Very good, Agent Coulson," Stark's AI said, voice crisp and professional. Then it went silent and any other thoughts Miri might have had were swept away by Phil's mouth as he pressed a line of hot, fiery kisses down the column of her throat. It was a taste of things yet to come. Miri couldn't fucking wait.

~*~*~*~*~

They were late for dinner and it was her fault. The cough medicine had knocked her ass out and Clint, idiot hero that he was, had left her to sleep until the shit had fully worked its way out of her system. So by the time Alex had gotten out of bed and showered, it was well past dark and, based on the insistent rumbling of her belly, well past dinner time, too. Despite the fact that this was meant to be a relaxing, casual vacation setting, she was a little cranky that Clint hadn't woken her earlier.

He escorted her into a large, spacious room at the back of the chateau on the first floor. The top half of the walls were painted a warm, mellow gold color while the bottom half was covered with wooden wainscoting stained to a deep mahogany. There were large oil paintings in vibrant colors. Some were portraits of austere, stone-faced men and smiling, elegantly dressed women. Some were of lush nature scenes with an abundance of flora and fauna. The floor was wood, covered over with luxurious carpets woven in golds and greens and creams and chocolate browns. The furniture was more modern, cushy leather in brown with gold accent pillows.

There room was big enough to have two living room suites in it, one on either side. There were two hearths set on either end of the room, both of which were filled with crackling flames. Heat from the fires kept the room toasty warm. This despite the fact that the far wall was floor to ceiling glass looking out at the back of the chateau's property. Beyond the panes, she could see white flakes swirling in the darkness. It seemed the blizzard wasn't done yet. Which meant they were stuck there for some time to come. Just where she wanted to spend Christmas.

Someone had put up a tree. It must have been almost ten feet tall and it's lower branches spread out to at least four feet around the trunk. Even the boughs higher up were spread out wide. Hundreds of white lights glowed from the limbs, glinting off ornaments in red and gold and thick, fluffy garlands of gold. There were small birds and large silk poinsettias and gilded feathers and ribbons tucked between the branches, giving the tree a look that was both modern and old at the same time. Alex rolled her eyes at the Iron Man theme of it all, then noticed the pile of gifts resting on a rich red velvet tree skirt laid out across the floor. She couldn't be sure without checking tags, but it looked like some of those gifts had come from the tree in the house she shared with Clint.

"There you are!" Elsa's voice broke across Alex's thoughts and she turned to find that the other woman had risen from her place on one of the couches. Alex watched Elsa come toward them in order to tug Alex into a hug. "How are you feeling? Did a nap help?"

"That. And a metric fuckton of cough syrup," she replied. Elsa blinked at that, then shifted her gaze to Clint.

"Its a legitimate unit of measure," Clint assured Elsa. Alex could hear the smirk in his voice that she imagined hadn't made it to his face yet. When Elsa returned her attention to Alex, she looked even more confused than before. For all of her brains and knowledge, there were times when it was frighteningly easy to baffle the shit out of her. Alex felt it was her duty as Elsa's friend to continue giving her a ration. Just because she could.

"Ignore them, Elsa. They're pulling your chain," Miri said. Elsa's face cleared and she shot a little frown at Alex. But the frown soon cleared and her usual smile was back.

"Its good to see you. We were worried about you and Miri. Tony told us you were supposed to have been here hours before you actually arrived." Elsa tugged Alex into a hug, giving Alex a chance to shoot a dark look at the aforementioned billionaire. He actually managed to look like he might feel bad about scaring the shit out of them.

"Well. Blizzard. White out conditions," Alex replied. She was nice enough to leave off the fact that they could have been killed out there. She was also nice enough to leave off the part where they'd thought they'd been kidnapped by one of the alphabet crime syndicates. But she made sure Stark saw that she was far from ready to forgive him. When she was sure he was in fear for the continued health of his family jewels, she pulled back to offer Elsa a wide smile. "Fortunately, the driver was apparently amazing. He stayed on the road like a champ and got us here safe and sound. If a bit late."

"Sit down and make yourself comfortable, Alex. We were just about to have a light dinner before we open gifts," Phoebe motioned to one of the three couches clustered before the hearth.

Clint took her hand and tugged her toward one of them. A moment later, she was settled beside him on the plush sofa, his arm curled around her back so that he was able to pull her snug up against his side. Miri and Coulson had taken the same couch. Elsa and Steve and Astrid and Thor took up the second couch, leaving the third to Phoebe and Tony. The heat from the fire was already soaking into her skin, easing some of the tension from her shoulders.

About a minute after she got settled, they were paid visit by a small group of people. Each one of them carried a tray laden with some kind of food or beverage and each one of them wore a smile on their face. Alex noted that they were all dressed similarly, letting her know they were the chateau's staff. A low table resting in the center of the couches was covered with bowls and platters and pitchers of food and drink. A second, smaller table was home to the plates, glasses, and utensils they'd need to hold their meals.

The next several moments were spent retrieving food and drink. Alex liked the idea of a casual dinner, memories of too many dinners spent sitting around a tense dinner table lingering at the back of her brain, and it softened her attitude toward Stark just a bit. The idea that he didn't stand on ceremony made her like him. A little. Alex also liked that the chateau's staff had prepared simple fare. There were a couple platters of cut meats and cheeses, several kinds of crackers, a handful of bowls filled with various fruits. There were fresh raw vegetables and dips. And there were crunchy, salty snacks to satisfy the junk food lovers. The pitchers were filled with drinks such as water, lemonade, punch, and apple juice. There were also carafes of hot chocolate and coffee. Once she and Clint had filled plates with appealing morsels, they'd gotten their drinks and returned to their spot on the couch and dug into their meals.

Silence ruled for several long seconds, nothing to hear but the occasional clatter of silverware against the plates and the soft crunching sounds of crispy foods being chewed. Alex thought she heard a breath being expelled and glanced up in time to see Phoebe shoot Stark a dark look. Then he set his plate down in his lap and gave his attention to their guests. Specifically, his gaze found her face before moving to Miri beside her. "I would like to apologize for my spectacular mishandling of this whole surprise Christmas vacation present... thing. I get something in my head and then I can't see beyond it. I should have realized that trained spies might not take well to being bundled into a car and driven out of town without being told a  thing. I sometimes don't think. And its obvious that this was one of those occasions."

Alex glanced at Miri in an effort to gauge the best way to handle the apology. Her friend was very obviously not ready to forgive the man yet. Shifting her focus back to Tony, she made a point of popping a cube of cheese into her mouth. And she took a long time to chew it. He grimaced and let go a sigh. When she was done, she pinned him with a look. "If I were you, I'd walk around in your iron underwear from now on. I swing a mean wrench."

Stark paled visibly as he stared at her. "The wrench story is true? I've heard rumors, but I thought that's all they were."

"Oh, no. Alexis is very proficient in the use of wrenches as pertains to destroying human anatomy," Coulson replied. There was a touch of amusement in his voice, telling her that he was very much enjoying the subject.

Tony's attention shifted to Clint, as if he was seeking out another reliable source to confirm the information. Clint just smiled. "She's dangerous with a wrench."

"Has she ever used it on you?"

Clint laughed. "I know better than to piss her off so intensely that she feels she needs to use the wrench. Never mind the fact that she's already deadly with her fists and feet, along with a variety of handguns and rifles."

"Can we not frighten Tony anymore than we already have?" Phoebe cut in politely. "While I agree that what he did was pretty damn shitty, he has apologized. Of his own free will, I might add. And I really do like his body parts just as they are."

Alex considered pushing it, but Clint nudged her with an elbow. Probably he knew what she was thinking. So she heaved a sigh and gave a single nod of her head. "Consider the topic dropped," he replied.

"But since we're talking about wrenches," Coulson picked up the thread. Tony paled even further, if such a thing was possible. Coulson smiled at him, then motioned to Miri. "We might have to add Miri to the list of people not to allow near wrenches when they're pissed."

"I wasn't pissed, Phil. I was just doing my job."

"But you did your job with a wrench," Coulson pointed out. Alex turned to look at her friend. This was the first she'd heard of Miri using a wrench and she had to beat down a strong flood of pride.

"It was on hand and I wanted to bring Cofax down. Not kill him. And I didn't want to risk injuring anyone else with a stray shot. So the wrench seemed a good alternative. Kind of wish you'd been there to see it, Alex. It was beautiful. You'd have been so proud of me."

"There's no would have. I am absolutely proud of you. A wrench is a girl's best friend when she can't get to her nine millimeter," Alex assured her. "I'm sorry I missed it. It must have been spectacular."

"Well, you're the one who chose to go swimming over taking Cofax into custody," Miri reminded her.

Alex gave her a sour look. "Like I really wanted to go swimming. Do you know how fucking cold the Seine is?"

"You're the one who chose to chase after Cofax's buddy," Miri reminded her.

"Cofax's buddies," Alex began, making sure to stress the ending of the second word so that everyone knew she'd gone after more than one person. "I chased after them because they had assault rifles and its Christmastime and my job is protect the public from assholes like that."

"And you ended up taking a swim in the Seine for your troubles," Coulson supplied. Alex shot him a dirty look. She added a middle finger, in case he didn't get the message the first time. He huffed a soft laugh, a faint smile barely touching the corners of his mouth.

"How did you end up in the Seine, Lexi?" Clint asked her.

"Yeah, Alex. How did you end up in the Seine?" There was a good deal of curiosity to hear in Astrid's voice.  Alex bit back her sigh. She'd fully planned on telling Clint all about her impromptu swim, but she didn't want to do so in front of everyone else. A glance around the room showed her that everyone was wearing a look of expectation on their face. Looked like they were all eager to hear how she'd ended up in the Seine.

"We were supposed to apprehend Cofax in Paris," she began, making the explanation to everyone who wasn't a spy. "Big bad arms dealer specializing in more exotic forms of weaponry. He doesn't care who he sells to or how they plan on using the weapons they buy from him. There was a tip he'd be in Paris for a sale. Miri and I were tapped for the job because Cofax has a thing for redheads. And I was there to play her backup."

"Some backup," Miri snorted. It was a blatant dig at her taking dip in the river. That earned a few snickers from everyone else.

"You're not dead. I did my job," Alex returned politely.

"Lexi. Seine," Clint reminded her. She turned and narrowed her eyes on him, letting him know she saw right through his attempt at playing referee. He only smiled and gave her a look that said she should continue with her story.

She sighed and took a sip of her hot chocolate, savoring the rich flavor. It had obviously been made with milk instead of water, just the way Alex liked it. "The sale was supposed to take place in a cafe in public. Outside tables. Miri had one table, near the windows of the cafe. I was on the other side of the patio. Cofax came with backup. Five big guys. You know the type."

Clint nodded his head, mouth pulled down into a frown. "Mercs. And there were only two of you?"

Alex shot him a dark look. She knew exactly what he was thinking and it was bullshit. "We weren't expecting five. And certainly not dudes that obviously bench pressed semis for fucking fun. It was deemed a two man job. Also, in case you've forgotten since the last time one of us went out on a mission, I'm just as highly trained in self-defense as you are. Don't give me that look or you'll find out what I can do with my wrench."

"Lexi." There was a tone in his voice. She shook her head. He knew what the job entailed. It was a little late to start talking about how much he hated her job. And she was so not up to that conversation anyway. The cold was messing with her head.

"Something went wrong. I don't know how or why or even when. But something went wrong. One minute, Miri and Cofax were making eyes at one another. The next, there was an AK-47 pointed at her. Guns were drawn on their side. People started running and screaming. It gave me the opportunity to go take down the asshole with the AK out. Then I took his gun and smashed the guy closest to him in the face with the butt of it. They both went down. By then, Miri was throwing fists at Cofax and his second. The other two cronies cut out and I gave chase."

"Lexi." The tone had deepened. Alex crossed her arms over her chest and frowned at him, food forgotten.

"Agent Quinn," Coulson joined in.

"Innocent civilians," she reminded both of them. "Not to mention, wanted criminals associated with a known exotic weapons trafficker."

"You left your partner. Miri could have gotten hurt," Coulson reminded her. It was almost like they were intentionally forgetting that Miri constantly scored higher on all of her recertifications than Alex did.

"When I took off after the two bad guys, Miri had put her foot right into the second's face. She broke his nose and put him on the ground without breaking a sweat. I doubt she needed me." None of them needed to know that the guilt was thick and heavy where leaving Miri was concerned. But Miri had stood a better chance against armed assholes than the average citizens did. Alex hated that she felt like she had to defend her actions to people who should have understood. Or maybe it was just the cold making her feel so crappy that she was bitchier than usual.

"How did you end up in the Seine, Alex?" Miri asked. Alex didn't know if it was a simple case of wanting to hear the rest of the story or if she'd asked in order to drag people away from her leaving her partner in the middle of a fight.

"I chased both bad guys up the street. People who happened to be out saw the weapons and ran for cover, which kept them from taking any hostages. They were heading for the river. There was a boat docked there. Pretty sure its the one they'd come in. There was no way I was going to let them get away. I shot one of them, took out a knee and sent him to the ground. The other one was already climbing into the boat. I dove at him. We went over the edge."

There was a moment of silence as everyone stared at her. She could see they moment they all came to the exact same conclusion. "That was a foolhardy move, Agent Quinn." This from Captain America himself. The irony of that statement did not miss her at all.

"Like you've never done anything stupid, Steve," Elsa retorted. He turned to look at her, eyes wide as he opened his mouth to protest her words. But the look on her face stopped him cold. His jaw snapped shut and he settled back into the couch without saying another word. Elsa gave a smirk and a wink to Alex. Someone had been taking bitch lessons. Wasn't that interesting?

"So the two of you took a dip in the river," Phoebe added. There was a hint of expectation to her words, letting Alex know that she wanted to know the rest of the story.

"We took a dip in the river. Hard as hell to stay afloat and fight in winter clothes."

"Jesus Christ, Lexi. Tell me you didn't ditch your coat."

"Well, I know who isn't getting his Christmas present this year," she snarked. She could see Clint running his hands over his face in frustration. Like he hadn't done anything stupid. Not a single person in the room who fought bad guys on a regular basis could claim innocence there. None of them.

"You're lucky all you got is a cold. Not only is that water freezing, but its likely filled with germs bacteria," Stark interjected. When she lifted a brow at him, he fell silent and managed to look chagrinned.

"Yes. I ditched my coat. And I ended up kicking off my boots. They were heavy and pulling me down. Which was helping bad guy number two in his effort to drown me. Fortunately for you all, and for Director Fury, I kept my head and ditched the unnecessary things and then I shot him in the gut. That was about the time the French police fished me out of the water."

"And that's when I arrived on scene. The boat was filled with the weapons that Cofax had been trying to sell. I took them into custody on behalf of S.H.I.E.L.D. and thanked the French authorities for their assistance in the case," Miri finished. "Alex came out of the river looking like a shivering, drowned rat."

Alex sneezed just then to punctuate Miri's statement.

"We are so talking about this later," Clint told her. There was an edge of steel in his voice, letting her know that he wasn't going to be swayed. Yippee. Alex was really looking forward to it.

~*~*~*~*~

Miri watched as Alex lapsed into silence and picked at her dinner. It was time to stop asking her questions or she'd get bitchy. She understood fully why the other woman had gone after the two men instead of staying behind to help Miri. She even agreed with it, though she was not at all pleased with Alex's recklessness in her effort to stop the henchmen from escaping. The two of them would have a conversation about it later. For now... Miri turned and narrowed her eyes at Stark. He noticed and lost a few shades of tan in his face. Good. Now that he knew he was on alert, it was time to have the truth from him. "So, Stark. What made you think kidnapping us would be a good idea?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Miri saw Alex lift her head. No doubt she'd pinned him with a look much like the one Miri wore. He put his plate aside and stared across the distance at them. She thought, for once, that he appeared to be considering what he was going to say before just letting the words fall out of his mouth indiscriminately. He finally gave a sigh and shrugged. "Its a Christmas present."

"You... had a perfect stranger kidnap us as a Christmas present?" Miri tried puzzling that one out. When she couldn't, she turned to look at Alex and found that her friend wore a similar expression. After a moment, Miri turned back to Stark. "You didn't think that kidnapping a pair of trained S.H.I.E.L.D. agents would create problems? We had no clue who the driver was or if he worked for someone. We couldn't decide if he was AIM or HYDRA. Or someone else completely. We were prepared to step out of the back of that limo to face certain death."

"Without weapons," Alex added quietly. Just to remind him.

Stark made a noise that sounded distinctly like he was choking. Miri couldn't be sure if it was ego or stupidity. She was willing to go with the second choice. She decided to drive her point home. "And Alex isn't operating at one hundred percent right now. She'd have been able to fight, but not as well as when she isn't suffering from a cold. We had no idea how many people we would be facing, where they'd be taking us, what they wanted from us."

"Some of them are really big on torture and experimentation." Alex's comment was made almost absently. It still had the impact she had likely being going for. Stark's eyes widened just a bit and another layer of color disappeared from his face.

"Okay. I get it. I made a huge mistake. I'm sorry." It sounded like there was genuine regret in his voice. Didn't matter. Miri wasn't ready to buy into his act yet. "I was trying to give Phoebe, and everyone else, a really great gift for the holidays. I went about it the wrong way."

"Yes. You did."

Stark heaved a sigh at Miri's words and glanced at the woman on his left. She shrugged, suggesting she knew what he was asking with that look and she was okay with him saying whatever it was he wanted to say. "There's... an unusual bond between the five of you. I've noticed it. We've all noticed it. If this bond was just between yourself and Agent Quinn, I probably would have never bothered with it. You've been partners and friends for a long time now. But that bond includes Elsa, who works in an entirely different part of S.H.I.E.L.D. as you two do, and Astrid and Phoebe. Both of whom, I might add, you'd never met before the events that brought you all together."

Miri was willing to admit that he had a point. She sometimes wondered at the strange and fierce sense of loyalty and friendship that had kept so many different personalities together in the aftermath of the attacks on the helicarrier and base. Of course, some people might say that those events were enough to bind them together. And maybe they'd be right. But there was a bond that she couldn't explain by the scope of that tragedy. Nor could she put her finger on the reasons behind it. It had just happened and none of them had ever questioned it.

Stark seemed to be looking for the right words, his gaze either focused hard on some fixed point or completely unfocused. It was hard to tell with him. Finally, he shook his head and glanced at Phoebe. "She means a lot to me. And you mean a lot to her. I thought it would be nice to give her a Christmas vacation as a gift. I also thought I would extend the gift to you. I'll admit that not clueing you in to what was going on was a bad idea on my part. But, in my defense, Christmas gifts are supposed to be a surprise. So..." He paused and held up his hands, using them to motion to the entire chateau. "Surprise!"

"I need a wrench," Alex said, voice pitched low and dark. The effect was completely ruined when she started coughing so hard that Clint retrieved her food and drink in order to keep it from ending up on the floor.

"I told you a simple apology wasn't going to work, Tony," Phoebe said, reaching out to poke him in the side with one finger. He shot her a look that said she wasn't helping the situation at all.

"Did you kidnap Astrid and Elsa?" Miri asked quietly. "What about Phil? Clint? Thor? Steve? Did you kidnap them or did you tell them about this gift?"

"I told them, of course," Stark admitted. She nodded and pursed her lips.

"So... You told everyone but Alex and I that you were having this Christmas get together in Paris."

"Yeah." The word had barely passed his lips when Stark snapped his mouth shut. She saw the instant he caught her meaning. "Shit. That came out the wrong way. That isn't what I meant. Look. I know how hard you two work. Because I know how hard Coulson works. And I know how hard Clint works. I really did want to give Phoebe a special gift. I can't begin  to put into words just what having her in my life has done for me. I--"

"Get a room," Alex quipped. Yeah. Stark was good at stroking his ego and Miri wanted to listen to it about as much as Alex did. She watched as Stark blinked at her partner before turning a look Phoebe's way. She sighed and rolled her eyes at him.

"Honestly, Tony. I don't know why you're so afraid of them. If you--"

"They have guns. And wrenches. And bad attitudes," he interrupted.

"--would just tell them the honest truth, they might decide to forgive you. You're such a baby. I've noticed you do the same thing whenever you have to deal with Natasha." Phoebe rolled her eyes at him again and turned to look at Miri and Alex. "What he's trying to say, and doing a terrible job of, is that he wanted to give me a gift that was special. He thought that getting everyone together for Christmas was the way to do it. We so rarely see each other anymore. Everyone is always so busy with saving the world and going on secret missions and doing amazing science-y things. He kidnapped you and brought you here for me. I'm so sorry. I'm trying to teach him to control such idiotic impulses. But its like dealing with a three year old hopped up on two pounds of sugar."

"Are you insulting me? I think you're insulting me," Stark said, voice filled with shock.

"Hush, Tony. I'll apologize later," Phoebe replied. A gagging noise sounded on Miri's right. She ignored Alex and kept her attention on Stark. She had to admit, despite his rather questionable handling of the situation, it was kind of nice that he'd wanted to give everyone such a lovely gift. The chateau was huge and old and beautiful. The world outside the windows was a veritable winter wonderland. And she was here with Phil so that they could enjoy it together.

"It is kind of a sweet thought. Not that I approve of your methods, Stark. Not in the slightest. But the thought is sweet."

"Iron underwear," Alex managed between coughs. Stark gave her a horrified look while Miri rolled her eyes. "Hey! That hurt!" The other woman's voice held a hint of petulance. She rolled her eyes again. Whatever Clint had done, it obviously hadn't been enough.

"Well!" Astrid broke the tension by climbing to her feet. The brightness in her voice felt a touch strained, as if she was trying too hard to be cheerful. But all eyes turned to her, no doubt as she'd planned, and Tony Stark's stupidity was forgotten for the time being. "Now that we've got that out of the way, how about we open some presents? Thor, why don't you help me?"

"I'd be happy to," Thor rumbled and stood from the couch. Together, the two of them headed for the large tree and the obscene pile of gifts piled underneath it.

"If we're going to open gifts," Elsa said, covering whatever Astrid and Thor were whispering about on the other side of the room, and came to her feet. "I think we should have some Christmas music." Miri watched as she toddled over to a rather expensive looking entertainment center and fiddled with some knobs. Soon, the melodic sounds of traditional Christmas music filled the room. The music was loud enough to be heard, but soft enough that it wouldn't interfere with conversation. She then returned to her spot on the couch next to Steve and cuddled into him without saying a word. Only moments after that, Thor and Astrid returned with gifts piled in their arms and began passing them out.

~*~

Miri watched through the glass as a snowball went flying from one side of the yard to the other. There was a yelp, loud even through the glass, that told her someone had gotten pegged with that snowball. She thought it sounded a little like Stark and hoped that Clint was doing his best to teach the man a lesson. Another snowball flew, this time in the opposite direction, followed by a round of laughter and three more snowballs. It looked like the others were having fun.

"You don't have to babysit me, Miri," Alex said, voice sleepy and hoarse, from her spot on the other end of the couch. She was curled up under a blanket, head resting on the arm of the sofa. "I can sleep all by myself. I don't even need a night light."

"Someone obviously needs to keep an eye on you. That might have kept you from taking a swim in the Seine," Miri replied with a faint grin.

"You're lucky I'm too tired to flip you off," Alex shot back.

"I promised Clint," Miri told her.

"He's turning into my mom," she said. That brought a laugh up Miri's throat, but Alex ignored it.

"I don't mind sitting with you. You're my friend. And I'm not really big on snowball fights."

Alex made some noise at that. "And Clint would cream your ass. Like he's creaming Stark's ass."

"There is that," Miri replied. "Honestly, you'd think Stark would know better than to let Clint goad him into a snowball fight. Everyone knows Clint will come out the winner."

Alex giggled at that. "His ego won't let him say no. And its not even a small fraction of what he deserves for this."

"Very true," Miri agreed. A laughing Elsa ran across the yard, Astrid chasing after her with a snowball that looked to be as big around as Thor's head. It was nice that everyone was having a good time. She hadn't seen Phil since he'd gone out the door with everyone else, but she had her suspicions that he and Clint had ganged up on the others. No doubt Phil was plotting out strategy somewhere, making snowballs to keep Clint fully stocked. She almost wanted to be outside to watch it all go down first hand, but it was cold as shit outside. And there was a small part of her that didn't want to stray too far from Alex, in case the doctors had been wrong and it was something more than a cold.

Silence fell between them once again, only the soft refrains of Christmas carols playing from the stereo to keep them company. A string of curses sounded from outside, followed by more laughter. It seemed as if someone had nailed Stark with a snowball again. Or maybe they'd gotten lucky and either white washed Stark or dumped a bunch of snow down his shorts. Miri snickered at the thought of the last.

"You gonna forgive him?" Alex asked, surprising Miri away from her thoughts. She'd thought her friend had drifted off.

"Maybe," Miri thought about it. "Eventually. For now, he needs to live in fear for a little while longer."

"I wish I had my wrench with," Alex replied.

"Don't traumatize Stark. There's no telling what will happen if you take a wrench to his manly bits," Miri scolded, though she kind of liked the idea of Alex chasing the man around with a big ass wrench in hand.

"You should have gone outside to join them, Miri. I know you want to pelt him with snowballs."

"Someone needs to keep an eye on your ass. I swear, you can get into trouble in a nunnery."

Alex snorted at that. "Never happen. You'll never see me set foot in a nunnery. And they'd never have me. Quit arguing and go. Jarvis can keep an eye on me. Can't you, Jarvis?"

"I am fully capable of monitoring Agent Quinn's vital signs, Agent Grant. There are speakers outside the chateau that I can use if something dire comes up." Miri thought the AI sounded a little indignant about the whole thing. She wasn't sure if it was because they were questioning his ability or asking him to play nursemaid.

"See?" Alex asked through a yawn. She managed to slip one hand out from under the blankets to wave absently toward the glass wall. "Go. Get in on the fun. Clint will welcome your help. And pelt the son of a bitch for me a few times."

"I don't know if I should, Alex." She had told Clint she'd keep an eye on Alex.

"Just go. I don't plan on doing anything but sleeping. It will serve Clint right to have to carry my heavy ass up to our room when this is all done." Alex sounded like she was almost asleep. "There's no Seine around for me to fall into. I'll be fine. Go. Bury him under a mountain of snowballs for me."

Miri considered it a moment longer. She did want to see Stark's face when she hit him with a snowball. It was the least he deserved. "If you're sure."

"Go. Enjoy. Consider it my Christmas present to you."

Miri gave it two seconds of consideration before she was up and out of her chair. The prospect of pegging Stark with snowballs was too enticing to ignore. Miri hurried out of the room to collect her winter clothes. She bundled up and headed for the door that would let her out into the yard behind the chateau, then stopped and went back over to the couch. She could tell just by looking that Alex was finally asleep. She leaned down and pressed a kiss to the other woman's temple. "Merry Christmas, Alex."

Her friend snuggled deeper into the couch in response. Miri pulled the blanket up higher, then hurried to join everyone else outside. The air was crisp and cold, stinging her nose as she leaned down to make her first snowball. It pelted Stark in the back of the head. "Hey! No sneak attacks!" the man called out, turning toward where Miri stood behind him. It earned him another snowball to the face.

Miri grinned and started humming "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" to herself. Seeing Stark's indignant look, his face covered with snow, was the best Christmas present ever.

~*~*~*~*~