Sanctuary Mistletoe
Title: Sanctuary Mistletoe (I suck at titles)
Author: tardis_mafia
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: They're mine - all mine! I don't own them, sadly, but I'd like to.
Characters: Henry Foss/Kate Freelander, Helen Magnus, Ashley Magnus, Will Zimmerman, Bigfoot; mentions of Nikola Tesla, James Watson, and Declan Macrae; OC's are my own.
Summary: It's Christmas time in the Sanctuary. Sorry, I suck at summaries...and I wrote this in July when some channels were doing "Christmas in July" and it caught me. :(
Beta: Since I basically wrote this for liliofthevaley, she Beta'd them, therefore, all mistakes are her fault. LOL.
Kate never really cared much for Christmas after her father died many years ago, and she still didn’t care for the happy holiday even in the Sanctuary. The Big Guy, Ashley, and Helen, however, enjoyed decorating all around - even putting a cute stuffed snow man in Will’s office, and a stuffed white wolf in Henry’s lab.
Despite her best efforts of keeping her bedroom door locked, somehow Ashley managed to pick the lock to her room and decorate a little bit at a time, as if the blond hoped she wouldn’t notice. She knew it was Ashley because Helen and Bigfoot respected Kate’s privacy, while Henry and Will knew it was either invade her space or get their asses kicked.
She sat on her bed, half smiling and half sulking, holding the stuffed teddy bear Ashley had left on her bed. Kate stared at the black eyes and the cute green scarf and red gloves and couldn’t help but notice that it looked exactly like the one her father had given her the Christmas before he died. Snow Berry, the bear was called.
Just as the repressed memories of her whole family’s last Christmas started coming back to her, Kate’s thoughts were interrupted by a too-cheerful Ashley Magnus knocking, then bounding, through the door.
“We’re about to decorate the tree, wanna help?” she asked.
“Nah, I’m okay.” Kate said, as she shook her head and placed the bear back in its spot on the bed.
“Oh, come on…we’re all going to be there, so it wouldn’t be right if you weren’t there, too.” Ashley nudged the other woman.
Ashley’s eyes diverted to a new photo she hadn’t seen before on Kate’s bedside table. She recognized everyone in the photo, since she and the other woman talked about their “broken families”, especially after the deal with Jimmy and finding out he was the one who killed her dad.
The photo was of Kate with her family; their last Christmas.
“Dude, I haven’t decorated a tree in I don’t know how many years-”
“So what? You don’t need a PhD to decorate a tree.” Ashley shrugged her shoulders, then pulled Kate from the bed and wrapped an arm around Kate’s sagging shoulders. “Come on…don’t make me beg, and you know how effective my begging works.”
“Only on Declan, the Big Guy, your mom and occasionally Will and Henry does the begging and the pouty lip thing work - not on me, sister. And possibly Watson, but that’s because he’s known you since you were a kid.” Kate said, not putting up much of a fight as Ashley dragged her down the hall to the library. “Besides, if you want to see some real begging, try taking away my junk food stash and see what happens.”
“I did,” Ashley said. “Henry took it and you tackled the poor guy before he even got out the door.”
Kate chuckled at the memory. She felt bad for beating up the poor geek, but he totally deserved it after trying to get away with her stash.
“By the way,” Kate started as Ashley got behind her and softly pushed her into the library, where she found Bigfoot on a ladder making, setting up the larger-than-life tree, making sure it was perfect while the others sorted through the Christmas boxes filled with tree ornaments. “Thanks for the stuffed white bear. Looks exactly like the one my dad gave me, but I lost it between a few moves.”
“What white bear?” Ashley asked, as she dived into a box of breakable ornaments.
“The white bear that you put on my bed, and don’t try to deny it was you. You’re the only one that picks my lock and tries to be sneaky about decorating my room.”
“Ashley!” Helen chastised. “If Kate’s door is locked, then we respect her personal space.”
“I did - I am!” the blond defended. “But if I’d asked if I could decorate her room, she’d say no.”
“Got that right,” Kate murmured.
“You know, Henry could always assemble a lock so if the lock picker strikes again, it’ll just shock her with minimal damage.” Will said with a sly grin, heading over to the table to grab a new box. Kate laughed as Ashley narrowed her eyes at the psychiatrist.
“I’m afraid that wouldn’t do much, Will,” Helen said. “With any luck Ashley would just shoot the lock and resume to decorating, without permission.”
Ashley smiled at her mother and shrugged her shoulders.
“So really, you didn’t put the bear on my bed?” asked Kate, now wondering who the hell was sneaking around her room.
“Nope,” Ashley replied. Kate frowned, then shrugged her shoulders, trying to not think about it, even though it was bothering her in the back of her mind.
She joined Henry on the longer couch - their couch - box of ornaments in hand, and started unwrapping the ornaments from their bubble wrap. She was still deep in thought when the wolf beside her turned his head in her direction and watched her for a few seconds before he spoke.
“You okay? You look a bit out of it.” Henry asked, noticing she was wearing the necklace he bought her for her birthday four months ago. It dangled low between the cleavage that she didn’t bother to hide - not like he was complaining - but it was still a distraction.
“Yeah, just thinkin’ about stuff,” she sighed. “Mom wants me back for the holiday, but I didn’t feel like going this year.”
“Why not?” Henry asked as casually as he could, trying to avert his eyes from her cleavage. If his eyes moved lower than her face, he was a dead man. “I’m sure your mom really wants to see you.”
He was sure it was because she still missed her father and didn’t think of Christmas at home as a complete holiday.
“Yeah, I know, but still…every time I go home there’s always something missing,” she finally looked up at him, noting the concerned look on his face. “It’s okay, though…it’s a bit late to arrange a flight to Chicago now, but my brother’s with her at least.”
A few minutes passed before they got up and started decorating their side of the tree as the Big Guy was still straightening out the limbs. Henry sneezed continuously before he had to step back and blow his nose.
“Hey Wookie,” Kate leaned back to get a glimpse at Bigfoot. “Stop shakin’ the tree, you’re making Henry sneeze his nose off.” The Big Guy grunted at her, causing Kate to shake her head at him. “You okay, wolf man?”
“Yeah, just allergies from the tree,” he said, wiping his nose with a Kleenex.
“When you’re in wolf form, are you allergic to yourself?” Kate asks while trying to hide the smile from her face, though Ashley didn’t bother to hide hers.
“No.” Henry frowned playfully at her.
“If I scratch behind your ear, would your leg move up and down?” she continued with a smirk.
Henry gently put down his box and turned to Kate stiffly. She put her own box down when he grinned at her, just before he started chasing her around the library. The chase took only five minutes before Henry tackled her on their couch, but Kate got the upper hand when she rolled him over and pinned him down onto his stomach, his hands behind his back.
“I surrender!” he exclaimed.
“Good boy.”
She petted his hair, then helped him up so they could continue decorating.
It took well over two hours to get the tree fully decorated, with Helen finishing it off with a color-changing star. They stood back and looked at it, admiring its glowing beauty. Kate felt Henry move closer to her as they still looked at their handy work. She leaned into his heat and wrapped an arm around his strong shoulders as he shifted closer.
“So what’s next on the Sanctuary Christmas tradition list?” she asked, unconsciously running her finger tips over the back of his neck.
“Not much, really.” Ashley said. “The real tradition starts on Christmas Eve where we get to open one gift” The blonde’s eyes lit up, “And then of course Christmas Eve dinner, which involves some of the Big Guy’s kick ass food and a game or two afterwards-”
“Games?” asked Will and Kate in unison.
“Sorry, I missed that part in the Sanctuary Guidelines under the Christmas for Suckers section.” Will said. “No way, count me out.”
“Oh come on, Willy,” Ashley ruffled Will’s already unruly hair. “Get with the spirit!”
“Stop that,” he said, stopping her from ruffling his hair more, “and don’t call me Willy.” He pointed a finger at her. “Or I’m going to call you what Declan calls you.”
“You wouldn’t - how do you know…?”
“You’re not the only nosey one in this place.” Will stepped behind Helen, as if she would protect him if her daughter decided to tackle him. “So if you want to protect your dignity and save yourself from the embarrassment, I suggest you do none of the two things I just said.”
“He’s got you pegged, Ash.” Henry grinned, gently wrapping an arm around Kate’s small waist.
“Shut up.” The blond frowned at him.
“Now both of you stop it,” Helen said, being the usual peacekeeper of the pack. “Ashley, be nice, and Will, no blackmailing members of this family.”
“Ashley’s not my sister.” He said.
“Thank god.” Ashley cocked her head to the side, giving a sweet smile.
“I said stop it,” Helen said, forcing herself not to smile.
“Well, there goes my holiday fun,” Ashley sighed, heading out of the library to start baking sugar cookies with Big Foot. The hairy beast shook his head with a growl, hitting Will in the back of the head as he passed and followed Ashley down the hall.
“Wow,” Kate smiled, looking at Henry, then back to Helen. “I can’t wait till next year you guys.” She said sarcastically, patting Henry’s shoulder, then headed back to her room so she could finish wrapping her presents.
A few days later, Christmas morning rolled by and Kate found herself being woken up by a very excited Henry Foss clad in black loose-fitting shorts and a Batman t-shirt. She half expected to be woken up by Ashley, the residential Christmas fairy, but instead here stood the tech geek with bed hair and bright blue eyes.
“I don’t wanna wake up yet,” she groaned and rolled over to her stomach, and buried her head under her pillow.
“Fine, have it your way.” Henry pounced on top of her, one leg on each side of her waist, and tickled her sides, causing her to scream and fidget under him. He grabbed her hands and pinned them behind her back. “Come on, Freelander.” The geek removed the pillow and bent down to her right ear, “or I’m going to tell everyone that you were in the chess club in high school.”
“I’m up, I’m up!” she lifted her head and turned over; he was still straddling her. Henry loved looking at her before she had the time to doll herself up in her usual make up and jewelry.
He didn’t really notice he was directly on top of her until he felt his body start to react. He closed his eyes to think of something other than Kate beneath him, but nothing worked until she grabbed him by the ear and squeezed.
“If you tell anyone…anyone about that, I will sell your ass on the black market so hunters could use you for target practice.”
“Got it,” he rubbed his ear as she let go. “Ow.” He pouted.
“Hank?”
“Yeah?”
“Can ya get up so I can move?”
“Sorry,” he cleared his throat. Kate quickly brushed her hair and lazily followed Henry to the library. “It’s kinda early, isn’t it?”
“No way! You’re supposed to wake up early to see what goodies you get this year!” Henry rubbed his hands together. “So…” He started. “What’d you get me?”
“You’ll have to wait and see, wolf man.” She gave him a smile, loving the way his inner child showed.
They were met in the hall with a very tired Will Zimmerman, who was only dressed in his briefs, which were so tight they left nothing to the imagination. “Dude,” Kate said.
“What?” Will asked, rubbing his eyes.
“You might wanna put on a shirt and sweats, unless you want to cause a distraction.” She looked at Will’s bare chest, then back to his face.
He looked down at his own apparel and covered himself with his hands. “I’ll be back…”
“That’s funny - I always thought you were more of a boxers kind of guy.” Kate called after him.
“They were dirty!” Will yelled as he continued towards his room.
“Either that or the Doc ripped ‘em so bad he couldn’t wear ‘em.” Kate mumbled.
“You think they’re-” Henry looked down at Kate.
“Oh yeah.” She nodded her head and headed for ‘their couch’.
When Will returned to the library, with sweats and a shirt, Big Foot took the liberty of passing out their gifts. Even Kate couldn’t stop the smile appearing on her face as her mound of presents kept getting bigger and bigger.
As the last of the presents were handed out and Big Foot sat down, they all tore into their presents like children on a sugar high.
Kate managed to open one of Henry’s presents first and smiled when she saw what it was. She flung her arms around him and held it out in front of her for a better look. It was a long sleeve grey striped shirt exactly like the one he usually wore; it was her favorite of his and even managed to talk him into letting her borrow it once or twice.
“Thanks, Hank.” She smiled.
“No problem…now you can stop sneaking into my room and borrowing mine, just before you wash it and put it back in my dresser.” Kate looked up at him in surprise. “The nose knows.”
Kate blushed a bit, but then tore into more gifts.
“Oh, sweet - thanks, mom!” Ashley exclaimed when she opened a present from her mother; two .44 Magnum Desert Eagle Mark VII hand guns, exactly like the ones the Lycans used in the movie Underworld - a favorite of both Kate and Ashley’s. “I can really do some damage with these bad boys.”
“Heaven forbid,” Will mumbled to himself. Ashley narrowed her eyebrows at him again.
“Come on you two, it’s Christmas. Let’s lay off the quips for one day, hmm?” asked Helen before she opened up her gift from Nikola: a lace necklace with a cameo pendant.
Curious to know what their favorite vampire got Kate and Ashley, considering they didn’t like him that much, they opened theirs from him next and were shocked to see cameos similar to Helen’s, only slightly smaller.
Kate held the necklace against her neck. “I guess fangboy isn’t that bad after all.”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” Helen said. “I wonder what he wants.”
“Maybe he wants you to be part of his coven.” Henry joked.
“With you as a werewolf, we are this close to being in Twilight, but with better characters.” Kate turned to him with a disgusted look. It was unanimous in the house that they all hated that franchise.
“And a better plot.” Will added.
Henry chuckled and opened a gift from Kate. It was a black crescent moon statue with a wolf resting on the moon.
“Wow,” Henry said, running his thumb over the statue. “Kate, this is…awesome.” The woman beside him smiled shyly and embraced him when he leaned toward her. “Thank you.”
“Ah, you’re welcome.” She pulled away and turned her smiling face from him.
“Henry…what the hell?” Will held up a stack of porn magazines, causing Ashley and Kate’s eyes to widen before they fell to the floor in laughter; Henry smiled sweetly and shrugged his shoulders.
“Well, when you asked me to put more memory in your iPod, I brought it back to your room when I was done, and I noticed a few porn mags you left out and figured you needed a “refill”. A guy with pent up sexual frustration can go through those pretty quick.” Henry explained simply and dodged one of the magazines Will threw at his head.
“As a Christmas gift?!” Will exclaimed.
“I would’ve given them to you at Thanksgiving,” Henry started on another gift. “Sort of like an ‘I am thankful for my friend Henry, who is supplying me with the best porn’ kind of thing.”
“Shut up, Henry, just…shut up.” Will shoved the magazines back into the bag they came from and caught Magnus’s eye. His entire face turned red and he turned away to open more gifts.
“Penthouse,” Kate held up the magazine Will threw. “Classy, Hank…classy.” Henry chuckled and continued with his presents.
Big Foot, only surprisingly to Kate, smiled - at least she was sure it was a smile - when he received a new cook book from Helen. He loved cooking every single recipe in the book.
Before they knew it, wrapping and tissue paper was scatted all over the floor while Kate and Ashley had spent most of that time comparing their new firearms. Kate cradled her two 9MM Beretta 92FS pistols, also from the movie Underworld, used by Selene.
“Fangirls,” Henry whispered to Will.
“You think?” Will chuckled and stopped when Ashley and Kate placed their hands on their hips, staring at the pair.
“Don’t think because it’s Christmas we won’t kick your ass,” Kate said, cleaning up her mess. “And if anyone wants to talk about being fanboys and fangirls, I think you two are the absolute worst.”
“Well, no arguments there,” Henry grinned. “I take pride in my geekyness.”
“You would.” The group murmured in unison.
After the wrapping and tissue paper were put into a trash bag, Bigfoot headed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast while Will and Kate headed out to help set the table when suddenly he stopped her at the door. He cleared his throat and pointed up at the ugly, green mistletoe that was wrapped with a red ribbon that hung on the doorframe.
“Don’t even think about it.” She warned.
“It’s Christmas, there’s a mistletoe, it’s only fair,” he shrugged his shoulders, not noticing Henry as he approaching them. Kate sensed the wolf and looked back and forth at them.
“Fine, but only on the cheek, got it?” she turned her face and felt Will give her a soft peck on the turned cheek when they heard a growl from Henry.
They turned to him and saw his eyes change from blue to amber. Henry grabbed Kate’s arm and pulled her towards his body before smashing her mouth to his. His right hand went straight to her dark hair while his left found its way under her shirt and to the small part of her back. Kate gasped at first, but easily fell into the kiss as Henry’s lips possessed hers.
The room grew silent as the onlookers watched the display.
Kate thought she heard him murmur something against her lips, but she couldn’t be sure what it was. It almost sounded like, ‘mine’.
Finally, Henry drew back and gave another low growl to Will before disappearing down the hall, heading to his room. Kate stood there stunned and finally let out a breath, and feeling much hotter than she did a minute ago.
“Whoa,” she breathed out in a daze. She could still smell Henry on her and the scent was heavily intoxicating. Kate cleared her throat and headed to her own.
“What the hell was that?” Ashley asked.
“I’ve suspected he’s felt something for her for quite some time and is obviously jealous of anyone who shows interest in her, so Will don’t do that again.” Helen cautioned her protégé.
“Got it, but if he pees on me, I’m throwing him in the SHU.” Will left next, and headed to set the dining table by himself.
Kate decided to wait in her room before she’d go knock on Henry’s door. The whole scene in the library had left her shaken and flushed, and wondering why she didn’t kick Henry’s ass when she could have. Of course, his wolf surfaced so it wouldn’t have been wise to take him on at that point, but something else bothered her.
If Will had grabbed and kissed her, she would’ve taken no time in taking him down, but this was Henry that kissed her, and all she felt besides confusion, was lust for the geek. Or was her mind just thinking she was because of the kiss? Or maybe he didn’t really want her and he was just protecting her from Will. Or maybe -
Before she could answer her own questions, there was a soft knock on her door.
“Come in.” She said and saw that it was Henry, looking quite pathetic and embarrassed about what he did. His head was turned down and his arms were at his sides; definitely looking pathetic.
“Kate…listen, I’m really sorry - I don’t know what the hell got into me. I…” He immediately apologized and was about to continue the speech he mentally prepared for only to be stopped when he noticed the teddy beat clutched in her arms.
“No, it’s okay…a bit of a surprise though, but…why did you do it?” She asked. Henry’s eyes were still focused on the bear. “Hank…” she waved a hand in front of his face. “Earth to Henry Foss…hello.”
“You like him?”
“Will? No...I mean, he’s a good friend and all, but-”
“No, I meant the bear.” He said, nodding his head towards the white bear.
“Yeah,” she looked down at the white bear, then back up at Henry. “He looks exactly like the one my dad gave me a long time ago.” She waited a few seconds before she put two and two together. “You put him in my room?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.
Henry looked down at his bare feet and put his hands in his sweat pockets; a well known nervous gesture of his.
“Yeah,” he said, still not looking at her. “I was looking for you and I saw this picture of your family, and you were holding a bear like that…and, I just kinda thought you’d like him.”
“I do,” she replied. “Why didn’t you just tell me it was you who left him here?” Henry shrugged his shoulders. It was obvious in his posture that he wanted to flee as soon as possible, and he could have, but he remained still.
“Henry,” she stood up and wrapped her arms around his stiff body. “Thank you.”
Henry relaxed a little with her arms around him, but her proximity and scent caused him to let out a small whimper. He bent down and rubbed his nose in the crook of her neck before wrapping his arms around her.
Kate gasped when he placed a kiss right below her left ear. She tilted her head in submission and ran her hands over his chest. Henry whimpered again and latched his mouth on to her neck, causing Kate to moan and claw at his shirt. Her left hand slid into his hair and pulled him back to capture his lips.
Henry pulled her against him harder, his erection pressing against her. Kate’s hands found the hem of his shirt and pulled it above his head. Her tongue slid over a pierced nipple, eliciting a deep moan from Henry.
Henry picked her up and laid her gently on the bed, sliding between her legs.
“We don’t have to keep going if you don’t want to.” He panted, wanting nothing more than to make Kate his; his mate.
“Well it’s a bit late to stop now, Hank,” Kate rolled them over so she was on top and ground her hips into his.
“Aahh!” Henry called out, grabbing her hips to stop her from moving before he came too soon, but his grip only tightened when she removed her white tank top.
Henry watched the way her breasts moved up and down as she breathed. He reached up and ran his hands over the mounds before reaching behind her to unclasp her bra and tossed it to the side. Kate moaned and brought her bottom lip into her mouth as Henry leaned up to wrap his lips around a tight nipple, kneading her other breast with a free hand.
Kate grabbed Henry’s erection lightly and stroked him through the thin material.
“You’re trying to kill me,” he murmured against her breast.
“Not really,” she threaded her fingers through his hair again and roughly pulled him back. “At least not until we’re done,”
Kate moved down his body, slid his boxers down easily and took him in her hand. Henry clawed at the sheets and started thrusting into her hand. She bent down flicked her tongue over the tip, licking the pre-come while stroking his length.
“Stop,” he stopped her hand. “You keep doing that and it’ll be over before we start.”
“We’ve already started, Hank, but I’m nowhere near finished with you yet.” Kate grinned evilly as Henry’s hands found their way into the waistband of her sweats and panties and pulled them down. Kate shuffled a bit to remove them and tossed them with Henry’s clothes.
Henry’s fingers slowly traced her sides before dipping into her hot, slick core. Kate moaned louder and moved up and down on his fingers. Her head flung back with her eyes shut and her mouth slightly open.
“Henry,” she whispered.
Henry loved the way she said his name. He flipped them over and pinned her to the mattress, nuzzling her neck again. Kate wrapped her legs around him, urging him inside. He pulled his head back and watched her face as he slid inside easily.
“Oh, fuck.” Her head flung back into the pillow as her fingernails dug in his back, leaving red trails in their wake.
“You okay?” he asked. Henry may have been modest, but even he knew he was well-endowed and didn’t want to hurt her.
“Yeah,” she opened her eyes to look at him. His eyes were shifting from blue to amber and the look of concern showed on his face, but Kate just stroked his cheek and kissed him. “And I’ll be more okay if you start moving.”
Henry grinned and started moving slowly. Kate leaned in to mark Henry’s neck; the wolf inside him growled with approval. When she pulled away, she smiled at the red mark on his neck. She hoped it would stay a while; she loved the way it looked on him.
Apparently her mate felt the same way when he bent down to do the same to her. He started thrusting faster as Kate’s hips met his, and bit down harder; enough to just barely break the skin, but the rest of the Sanctuary would know she was claimed.
As their thrusts grew more erratic, Kate realized some of Henry’s wolf features started to surface. It didn’t frighten her; if anything, it only turned her on more. The muscles in his arms rippled as they grew larger, as did his chest.
Henry stopped for a moment when he realized what was going on, but Kate continued to thrust against him. Kate, despite her small size, flipped them over and took control, playing with Henry’s piercings.
The wolf felt their orgasms approaching and flipped her back over, pinning her hands above her head before plowing into her as fast and hard as he could.
They finally came and collapsed on the bed, exhausted. Kate curled into Henry’s side and rested her left arm on his chest. She kissed his cheek, then his lips when he turned his head. He brought her blanket up to cover them up in case anyone walked in and rested against the cool sheets.
“I love you,” Henry whispered into Kate’s ear, knowing she was asleep. He kissed her forehead and pulled her as close to his body as possible.
“I love you, too.” She whispered, kissed his chest, and curled further into his side. Henry froze and looked down at her. One of Kate’s eyes opened and looked him. He felt her smile against his bare chest just before she fell into slumber.
*1 year later*
“So you see, I’m really the master of the Sanctuary,” Henry said, leaning back into his favorite chair in his lab. “The Master Mind, if you will. All I have to do is do a few commands on my tablet and BAM!, the lights go out and we’d go into Emergency Lockdown!”
“Henry,” Kate called from the door way, leaning against the frame with her arms crossed. “He’s three months old - it’s a little early to teach him the security commands.”
She crossed the lab and took their son from his geeky father.
“Are you kidding? It’s never too early to learn about this stuff.” Henry protested, bringing his wife in between his legs so their son was in the middle. “Besides, he’s our son - that immediately makes him brilliant, right?”
“Right,” Kate shook her head and rolled her eyes.
“You know, it’s still not too late to change his name.”
“Nikola is a perfect first name,” Kate smiled. “You just don’t favor it because you hate Tesla.”
“I don’t hate Tesla, I just…don’t like him.” Henry shrugged. “But I guess you’re right.”
“If it had been up to you, you would’ve picked a name out of one of your comic books.” She smirked, and watched the baby fall asleep against her chest.
“And that’s…wrong?”
Kate looked up at Henry and smiled. Henry smiled back pulled her towards him, kissing her softly, but passionately. She rested her body against him and closed her eyes with a smile.
Helen watched from the doorway, grinning at the display. She felt like a grandmother to the newest addition to the Sanctuary and with any luck, he’d grow up to be just like them.
Author: tardis_mafia
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: They're mine - all mine! I don't own them, sadly, but I'd like to.
Characters: Henry Foss/Kate Freelander, Helen Magnus, Ashley Magnus, Will Zimmerman, Bigfoot; mentions of Nikola Tesla, James Watson, and Declan Macrae; OC's are my own.
Summary: It's Christmas time in the Sanctuary. Sorry, I suck at summaries...and I wrote this in July when some channels were doing "Christmas in July" and it caught me. :(
Beta: Since I basically wrote this for liliofthevaley, she Beta'd them, therefore, all mistakes are her fault. LOL.
Kate never really cared much for Christmas after her father died many years ago, and she still didn’t care for the happy holiday even in the Sanctuary. The Big Guy, Ashley, and Helen, however, enjoyed decorating all around - even putting a cute stuffed snow man in Will’s office, and a stuffed white wolf in Henry’s lab.
Despite her best efforts of keeping her bedroom door locked, somehow Ashley managed to pick the lock to her room and decorate a little bit at a time, as if the blond hoped she wouldn’t notice. She knew it was Ashley because Helen and Bigfoot respected Kate’s privacy, while Henry and Will knew it was either invade her space or get their asses kicked.
She sat on her bed, half smiling and half sulking, holding the stuffed teddy bear Ashley had left on her bed. Kate stared at the black eyes and the cute green scarf and red gloves and couldn’t help but notice that it looked exactly like the one her father had given her the Christmas before he died. Snow Berry, the bear was called.
Just as the repressed memories of her whole family’s last Christmas started coming back to her, Kate’s thoughts were interrupted by a too-cheerful Ashley Magnus knocking, then bounding, through the door.
“We’re about to decorate the tree, wanna help?” she asked.
“Nah, I’m okay.” Kate said, as she shook her head and placed the bear back in its spot on the bed.
“Oh, come on…we’re all going to be there, so it wouldn’t be right if you weren’t there, too.” Ashley nudged the other woman.
Ashley’s eyes diverted to a new photo she hadn’t seen before on Kate’s bedside table. She recognized everyone in the photo, since she and the other woman talked about their “broken families”, especially after the deal with Jimmy and finding out he was the one who killed her dad.
The photo was of Kate with her family; their last Christmas.
“Dude, I haven’t decorated a tree in I don’t know how many years-”
“So what? You don’t need a PhD to decorate a tree.” Ashley shrugged her shoulders, then pulled Kate from the bed and wrapped an arm around Kate’s sagging shoulders. “Come on…don’t make me beg, and you know how effective my begging works.”
“Only on Declan, the Big Guy, your mom and occasionally Will and Henry does the begging and the pouty lip thing work - not on me, sister. And possibly Watson, but that’s because he’s known you since you were a kid.” Kate said, not putting up much of a fight as Ashley dragged her down the hall to the library. “Besides, if you want to see some real begging, try taking away my junk food stash and see what happens.”
“I did,” Ashley said. “Henry took it and you tackled the poor guy before he even got out the door.”
Kate chuckled at the memory. She felt bad for beating up the poor geek, but he totally deserved it after trying to get away with her stash.
“By the way,” Kate started as Ashley got behind her and softly pushed her into the library, where she found Bigfoot on a ladder making, setting up the larger-than-life tree, making sure it was perfect while the others sorted through the Christmas boxes filled with tree ornaments. “Thanks for the stuffed white bear. Looks exactly like the one my dad gave me, but I lost it between a few moves.”
“What white bear?” Ashley asked, as she dived into a box of breakable ornaments.
“The white bear that you put on my bed, and don’t try to deny it was you. You’re the only one that picks my lock and tries to be sneaky about decorating my room.”
“Ashley!” Helen chastised. “If Kate’s door is locked, then we respect her personal space.”
“I did - I am!” the blond defended. “But if I’d asked if I could decorate her room, she’d say no.”
“Got that right,” Kate murmured.
“You know, Henry could always assemble a lock so if the lock picker strikes again, it’ll just shock her with minimal damage.” Will said with a sly grin, heading over to the table to grab a new box. Kate laughed as Ashley narrowed her eyes at the psychiatrist.
“I’m afraid that wouldn’t do much, Will,” Helen said. “With any luck Ashley would just shoot the lock and resume to decorating, without permission.”
Ashley smiled at her mother and shrugged her shoulders.
“So really, you didn’t put the bear on my bed?” asked Kate, now wondering who the hell was sneaking around her room.
“Nope,” Ashley replied. Kate frowned, then shrugged her shoulders, trying to not think about it, even though it was bothering her in the back of her mind.
She joined Henry on the longer couch - their couch - box of ornaments in hand, and started unwrapping the ornaments from their bubble wrap. She was still deep in thought when the wolf beside her turned his head in her direction and watched her for a few seconds before he spoke.
“You okay? You look a bit out of it.” Henry asked, noticing she was wearing the necklace he bought her for her birthday four months ago. It dangled low between the cleavage that she didn’t bother to hide - not like he was complaining - but it was still a distraction.
“Yeah, just thinkin’ about stuff,” she sighed. “Mom wants me back for the holiday, but I didn’t feel like going this year.”
“Why not?” Henry asked as casually as he could, trying to avert his eyes from her cleavage. If his eyes moved lower than her face, he was a dead man. “I’m sure your mom really wants to see you.”
He was sure it was because she still missed her father and didn’t think of Christmas at home as a complete holiday.
“Yeah, I know, but still…every time I go home there’s always something missing,” she finally looked up at him, noting the concerned look on his face. “It’s okay, though…it’s a bit late to arrange a flight to Chicago now, but my brother’s with her at least.”
A few minutes passed before they got up and started decorating their side of the tree as the Big Guy was still straightening out the limbs. Henry sneezed continuously before he had to step back and blow his nose.
“Hey Wookie,” Kate leaned back to get a glimpse at Bigfoot. “Stop shakin’ the tree, you’re making Henry sneeze his nose off.” The Big Guy grunted at her, causing Kate to shake her head at him. “You okay, wolf man?”
“Yeah, just allergies from the tree,” he said, wiping his nose with a Kleenex.
“When you’re in wolf form, are you allergic to yourself?” Kate asks while trying to hide the smile from her face, though Ashley didn’t bother to hide hers.
“No.” Henry frowned playfully at her.
“If I scratch behind your ear, would your leg move up and down?” she continued with a smirk.
Henry gently put down his box and turned to Kate stiffly. She put her own box down when he grinned at her, just before he started chasing her around the library. The chase took only five minutes before Henry tackled her on their couch, but Kate got the upper hand when she rolled him over and pinned him down onto his stomach, his hands behind his back.
“I surrender!” he exclaimed.
“Good boy.”
She petted his hair, then helped him up so they could continue decorating.
It took well over two hours to get the tree fully decorated, with Helen finishing it off with a color-changing star. They stood back and looked at it, admiring its glowing beauty. Kate felt Henry move closer to her as they still looked at their handy work. She leaned into his heat and wrapped an arm around his strong shoulders as he shifted closer.
“So what’s next on the Sanctuary Christmas tradition list?” she asked, unconsciously running her finger tips over the back of his neck.
“Not much, really.” Ashley said. “The real tradition starts on Christmas Eve where we get to open one gift” The blonde’s eyes lit up, “And then of course Christmas Eve dinner, which involves some of the Big Guy’s kick ass food and a game or two afterwards-”
“Games?” asked Will and Kate in unison.
“Sorry, I missed that part in the Sanctuary Guidelines under the Christmas for Suckers section.” Will said. “No way, count me out.”
“Oh come on, Willy,” Ashley ruffled Will’s already unruly hair. “Get with the spirit!”
“Stop that,” he said, stopping her from ruffling his hair more, “and don’t call me Willy.” He pointed a finger at her. “Or I’m going to call you what Declan calls you.”
“You wouldn’t - how do you know…?”
“You’re not the only nosey one in this place.” Will stepped behind Helen, as if she would protect him if her daughter decided to tackle him. “So if you want to protect your dignity and save yourself from the embarrassment, I suggest you do none of the two things I just said.”
“He’s got you pegged, Ash.” Henry grinned, gently wrapping an arm around Kate’s small waist.
“Shut up.” The blond frowned at him.
“Now both of you stop it,” Helen said, being the usual peacekeeper of the pack. “Ashley, be nice, and Will, no blackmailing members of this family.”
“Ashley’s not my sister.” He said.
“Thank god.” Ashley cocked her head to the side, giving a sweet smile.
“I said stop it,” Helen said, forcing herself not to smile.
“Well, there goes my holiday fun,” Ashley sighed, heading out of the library to start baking sugar cookies with Big Foot. The hairy beast shook his head with a growl, hitting Will in the back of the head as he passed and followed Ashley down the hall.
“Wow,” Kate smiled, looking at Henry, then back to Helen. “I can’t wait till next year you guys.” She said sarcastically, patting Henry’s shoulder, then headed back to her room so she could finish wrapping her presents.
A few days later, Christmas morning rolled by and Kate found herself being woken up by a very excited Henry Foss clad in black loose-fitting shorts and a Batman t-shirt. She half expected to be woken up by Ashley, the residential Christmas fairy, but instead here stood the tech geek with bed hair and bright blue eyes.
“I don’t wanna wake up yet,” she groaned and rolled over to her stomach, and buried her head under her pillow.
“Fine, have it your way.” Henry pounced on top of her, one leg on each side of her waist, and tickled her sides, causing her to scream and fidget under him. He grabbed her hands and pinned them behind her back. “Come on, Freelander.” The geek removed the pillow and bent down to her right ear, “or I’m going to tell everyone that you were in the chess club in high school.”
“I’m up, I’m up!” she lifted her head and turned over; he was still straddling her. Henry loved looking at her before she had the time to doll herself up in her usual make up and jewelry.
He didn’t really notice he was directly on top of her until he felt his body start to react. He closed his eyes to think of something other than Kate beneath him, but nothing worked until she grabbed him by the ear and squeezed.
“If you tell anyone…anyone about that, I will sell your ass on the black market so hunters could use you for target practice.”
“Got it,” he rubbed his ear as she let go. “Ow.” He pouted.
“Hank?”
“Yeah?”
“Can ya get up so I can move?”
“Sorry,” he cleared his throat. Kate quickly brushed her hair and lazily followed Henry to the library. “It’s kinda early, isn’t it?”
“No way! You’re supposed to wake up early to see what goodies you get this year!” Henry rubbed his hands together. “So…” He started. “What’d you get me?”
“You’ll have to wait and see, wolf man.” She gave him a smile, loving the way his inner child showed.
They were met in the hall with a very tired Will Zimmerman, who was only dressed in his briefs, which were so tight they left nothing to the imagination. “Dude,” Kate said.
“What?” Will asked, rubbing his eyes.
“You might wanna put on a shirt and sweats, unless you want to cause a distraction.” She looked at Will’s bare chest, then back to his face.
He looked down at his own apparel and covered himself with his hands. “I’ll be back…”
“That’s funny - I always thought you were more of a boxers kind of guy.” Kate called after him.
“They were dirty!” Will yelled as he continued towards his room.
“Either that or the Doc ripped ‘em so bad he couldn’t wear ‘em.” Kate mumbled.
“You think they’re-” Henry looked down at Kate.
“Oh yeah.” She nodded her head and headed for ‘their couch’.
When Will returned to the library, with sweats and a shirt, Big Foot took the liberty of passing out their gifts. Even Kate couldn’t stop the smile appearing on her face as her mound of presents kept getting bigger and bigger.
As the last of the presents were handed out and Big Foot sat down, they all tore into their presents like children on a sugar high.
Kate managed to open one of Henry’s presents first and smiled when she saw what it was. She flung her arms around him and held it out in front of her for a better look. It was a long sleeve grey striped shirt exactly like the one he usually wore; it was her favorite of his and even managed to talk him into letting her borrow it once or twice.
“Thanks, Hank.” She smiled.
“No problem…now you can stop sneaking into my room and borrowing mine, just before you wash it and put it back in my dresser.” Kate looked up at him in surprise. “The nose knows.”
Kate blushed a bit, but then tore into more gifts.
“Oh, sweet - thanks, mom!” Ashley exclaimed when she opened a present from her mother; two .44 Magnum Desert Eagle Mark VII hand guns, exactly like the ones the Lycans used in the movie Underworld - a favorite of both Kate and Ashley’s. “I can really do some damage with these bad boys.”
“Heaven forbid,” Will mumbled to himself. Ashley narrowed her eyebrows at him again.
“Come on you two, it’s Christmas. Let’s lay off the quips for one day, hmm?” asked Helen before she opened up her gift from Nikola: a lace necklace with a cameo pendant.
Curious to know what their favorite vampire got Kate and Ashley, considering they didn’t like him that much, they opened theirs from him next and were shocked to see cameos similar to Helen’s, only slightly smaller.
Kate held the necklace against her neck. “I guess fangboy isn’t that bad after all.”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” Helen said. “I wonder what he wants.”
“Maybe he wants you to be part of his coven.” Henry joked.
“With you as a werewolf, we are this close to being in Twilight, but with better characters.” Kate turned to him with a disgusted look. It was unanimous in the house that they all hated that franchise.
“And a better plot.” Will added.
Henry chuckled and opened a gift from Kate. It was a black crescent moon statue with a wolf resting on the moon.
“Wow,” Henry said, running his thumb over the statue. “Kate, this is…awesome.” The woman beside him smiled shyly and embraced him when he leaned toward her. “Thank you.”
“Ah, you’re welcome.” She pulled away and turned her smiling face from him.
“Henry…what the hell?” Will held up a stack of porn magazines, causing Ashley and Kate’s eyes to widen before they fell to the floor in laughter; Henry smiled sweetly and shrugged his shoulders.
“Well, when you asked me to put more memory in your iPod, I brought it back to your room when I was done, and I noticed a few porn mags you left out and figured you needed a “refill”. A guy with pent up sexual frustration can go through those pretty quick.” Henry explained simply and dodged one of the magazines Will threw at his head.
“As a Christmas gift?!” Will exclaimed.
“I would’ve given them to you at Thanksgiving,” Henry started on another gift. “Sort of like an ‘I am thankful for my friend Henry, who is supplying me with the best porn’ kind of thing.”
“Shut up, Henry, just…shut up.” Will shoved the magazines back into the bag they came from and caught Magnus’s eye. His entire face turned red and he turned away to open more gifts.
“Penthouse,” Kate held up the magazine Will threw. “Classy, Hank…classy.” Henry chuckled and continued with his presents.
Big Foot, only surprisingly to Kate, smiled - at least she was sure it was a smile - when he received a new cook book from Helen. He loved cooking every single recipe in the book.
Before they knew it, wrapping and tissue paper was scatted all over the floor while Kate and Ashley had spent most of that time comparing their new firearms. Kate cradled her two 9MM Beretta 92FS pistols, also from the movie Underworld, used by Selene.
“Fangirls,” Henry whispered to Will.
“You think?” Will chuckled and stopped when Ashley and Kate placed their hands on their hips, staring at the pair.
“Don’t think because it’s Christmas we won’t kick your ass,” Kate said, cleaning up her mess. “And if anyone wants to talk about being fanboys and fangirls, I think you two are the absolute worst.”
“Well, no arguments there,” Henry grinned. “I take pride in my geekyness.”
“You would.” The group murmured in unison.
After the wrapping and tissue paper were put into a trash bag, Bigfoot headed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast while Will and Kate headed out to help set the table when suddenly he stopped her at the door. He cleared his throat and pointed up at the ugly, green mistletoe that was wrapped with a red ribbon that hung on the doorframe.
“Don’t even think about it.” She warned.
“It’s Christmas, there’s a mistletoe, it’s only fair,” he shrugged his shoulders, not noticing Henry as he approaching them. Kate sensed the wolf and looked back and forth at them.
“Fine, but only on the cheek, got it?” she turned her face and felt Will give her a soft peck on the turned cheek when they heard a growl from Henry.
They turned to him and saw his eyes change from blue to amber. Henry grabbed Kate’s arm and pulled her towards his body before smashing her mouth to his. His right hand went straight to her dark hair while his left found its way under her shirt and to the small part of her back. Kate gasped at first, but easily fell into the kiss as Henry’s lips possessed hers.
The room grew silent as the onlookers watched the display.
Kate thought she heard him murmur something against her lips, but she couldn’t be sure what it was. It almost sounded like, ‘mine’.
Finally, Henry drew back and gave another low growl to Will before disappearing down the hall, heading to his room. Kate stood there stunned and finally let out a breath, and feeling much hotter than she did a minute ago.
“Whoa,” she breathed out in a daze. She could still smell Henry on her and the scent was heavily intoxicating. Kate cleared her throat and headed to her own.
“What the hell was that?” Ashley asked.
“I’ve suspected he’s felt something for her for quite some time and is obviously jealous of anyone who shows interest in her, so Will don’t do that again.” Helen cautioned her protégé.
“Got it, but if he pees on me, I’m throwing him in the SHU.” Will left next, and headed to set the dining table by himself.
Kate decided to wait in her room before she’d go knock on Henry’s door. The whole scene in the library had left her shaken and flushed, and wondering why she didn’t kick Henry’s ass when she could have. Of course, his wolf surfaced so it wouldn’t have been wise to take him on at that point, but something else bothered her.
If Will had grabbed and kissed her, she would’ve taken no time in taking him down, but this was Henry that kissed her, and all she felt besides confusion, was lust for the geek. Or was her mind just thinking she was because of the kiss? Or maybe he didn’t really want her and he was just protecting her from Will. Or maybe -
Before she could answer her own questions, there was a soft knock on her door.
“Come in.” She said and saw that it was Henry, looking quite pathetic and embarrassed about what he did. His head was turned down and his arms were at his sides; definitely looking pathetic.
“Kate…listen, I’m really sorry - I don’t know what the hell got into me. I…” He immediately apologized and was about to continue the speech he mentally prepared for only to be stopped when he noticed the teddy beat clutched in her arms.
“No, it’s okay…a bit of a surprise though, but…why did you do it?” She asked. Henry’s eyes were still focused on the bear. “Hank…” she waved a hand in front of his face. “Earth to Henry Foss…hello.”
“You like him?”
“Will? No...I mean, he’s a good friend and all, but-”
“No, I meant the bear.” He said, nodding his head towards the white bear.
“Yeah,” she looked down at the white bear, then back up at Henry. “He looks exactly like the one my dad gave me a long time ago.” She waited a few seconds before she put two and two together. “You put him in my room?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.
Henry looked down at his bare feet and put his hands in his sweat pockets; a well known nervous gesture of his.
“Yeah,” he said, still not looking at her. “I was looking for you and I saw this picture of your family, and you were holding a bear like that…and, I just kinda thought you’d like him.”
“I do,” she replied. “Why didn’t you just tell me it was you who left him here?” Henry shrugged his shoulders. It was obvious in his posture that he wanted to flee as soon as possible, and he could have, but he remained still.
“Henry,” she stood up and wrapped her arms around his stiff body. “Thank you.”
Henry relaxed a little with her arms around him, but her proximity and scent caused him to let out a small whimper. He bent down and rubbed his nose in the crook of her neck before wrapping his arms around her.
Kate gasped when he placed a kiss right below her left ear. She tilted her head in submission and ran her hands over his chest. Henry whimpered again and latched his mouth on to her neck, causing Kate to moan and claw at his shirt. Her left hand slid into his hair and pulled him back to capture his lips.
Henry pulled her against him harder, his erection pressing against her. Kate’s hands found the hem of his shirt and pulled it above his head. Her tongue slid over a pierced nipple, eliciting a deep moan from Henry.
Henry picked her up and laid her gently on the bed, sliding between her legs.
“We don’t have to keep going if you don’t want to.” He panted, wanting nothing more than to make Kate his; his mate.
“Well it’s a bit late to stop now, Hank,” Kate rolled them over so she was on top and ground her hips into his.
“Aahh!” Henry called out, grabbing her hips to stop her from moving before he came too soon, but his grip only tightened when she removed her white tank top.
Henry watched the way her breasts moved up and down as she breathed. He reached up and ran his hands over the mounds before reaching behind her to unclasp her bra and tossed it to the side. Kate moaned and brought her bottom lip into her mouth as Henry leaned up to wrap his lips around a tight nipple, kneading her other breast with a free hand.
Kate grabbed Henry’s erection lightly and stroked him through the thin material.
“You’re trying to kill me,” he murmured against her breast.
“Not really,” she threaded her fingers through his hair again and roughly pulled him back. “At least not until we’re done,”
Kate moved down his body, slid his boxers down easily and took him in her hand. Henry clawed at the sheets and started thrusting into her hand. She bent down flicked her tongue over the tip, licking the pre-come while stroking his length.
“Stop,” he stopped her hand. “You keep doing that and it’ll be over before we start.”
“We’ve already started, Hank, but I’m nowhere near finished with you yet.” Kate grinned evilly as Henry’s hands found their way into the waistband of her sweats and panties and pulled them down. Kate shuffled a bit to remove them and tossed them with Henry’s clothes.
Henry’s fingers slowly traced her sides before dipping into her hot, slick core. Kate moaned louder and moved up and down on his fingers. Her head flung back with her eyes shut and her mouth slightly open.
“Henry,” she whispered.
Henry loved the way she said his name. He flipped them over and pinned her to the mattress, nuzzling her neck again. Kate wrapped her legs around him, urging him inside. He pulled his head back and watched her face as he slid inside easily.
“Oh, fuck.” Her head flung back into the pillow as her fingernails dug in his back, leaving red trails in their wake.
“You okay?” he asked. Henry may have been modest, but even he knew he was well-endowed and didn’t want to hurt her.
“Yeah,” she opened her eyes to look at him. His eyes were shifting from blue to amber and the look of concern showed on his face, but Kate just stroked his cheek and kissed him. “And I’ll be more okay if you start moving.”
Henry grinned and started moving slowly. Kate leaned in to mark Henry’s neck; the wolf inside him growled with approval. When she pulled away, she smiled at the red mark on his neck. She hoped it would stay a while; she loved the way it looked on him.
Apparently her mate felt the same way when he bent down to do the same to her. He started thrusting faster as Kate’s hips met his, and bit down harder; enough to just barely break the skin, but the rest of the Sanctuary would know she was claimed.
As their thrusts grew more erratic, Kate realized some of Henry’s wolf features started to surface. It didn’t frighten her; if anything, it only turned her on more. The muscles in his arms rippled as they grew larger, as did his chest.
Henry stopped for a moment when he realized what was going on, but Kate continued to thrust against him. Kate, despite her small size, flipped them over and took control, playing with Henry’s piercings.
The wolf felt their orgasms approaching and flipped her back over, pinning her hands above her head before plowing into her as fast and hard as he could.
They finally came and collapsed on the bed, exhausted. Kate curled into Henry’s side and rested her left arm on his chest. She kissed his cheek, then his lips when he turned his head. He brought her blanket up to cover them up in case anyone walked in and rested against the cool sheets.
“I love you,” Henry whispered into Kate’s ear, knowing she was asleep. He kissed her forehead and pulled her as close to his body as possible.
“I love you, too.” She whispered, kissed his chest, and curled further into his side. Henry froze and looked down at her. One of Kate’s eyes opened and looked him. He felt her smile against his bare chest just before she fell into slumber.
*1 year later*
“So you see, I’m really the master of the Sanctuary,” Henry said, leaning back into his favorite chair in his lab. “The Master Mind, if you will. All I have to do is do a few commands on my tablet and BAM!, the lights go out and we’d go into Emergency Lockdown!”
“Henry,” Kate called from the door way, leaning against the frame with her arms crossed. “He’s three months old - it’s a little early to teach him the security commands.”
She crossed the lab and took their son from his geeky father.
“Are you kidding? It’s never too early to learn about this stuff.” Henry protested, bringing his wife in between his legs so their son was in the middle. “Besides, he’s our son - that immediately makes him brilliant, right?”
“Right,” Kate shook her head and rolled her eyes.
“You know, it’s still not too late to change his name.”
“Nikola is a perfect first name,” Kate smiled. “You just don’t favor it because you hate Tesla.”
“I don’t hate Tesla, I just…don’t like him.” Henry shrugged. “But I guess you’re right.”
“If it had been up to you, you would’ve picked a name out of one of your comic books.” She smirked, and watched the baby fall asleep against her chest.
“And that’s…wrong?”
Kate looked up at Henry and smiled. Henry smiled back pulled her towards him, kissing her softly, but passionately. She rested her body against him and closed her eyes with a smile.
Helen watched from the doorway, grinning at the display. She felt like a grandmother to the newest addition to the Sanctuary and with any luck, he’d grow up to be just like them.