Bringing Brighter Days

Catorina "Cat" Aberly Wildlife Photographer Engaged to Kyle McFrey & Long time Best Friend of Clarissa and Sebastian Grey.

[caesarflickerwoman]

[sebgrey-blog-blog]

-wraps his arms tightly around his best friend, kissing her cheek; I am so happy for you guys. Just don’t take as long with the wedding, yea? -chuckles, pulling back from her slightly; I can’t believe that you guys are going to actually tie the knot, this will basically make us family.

[clarissa-grey]

[bites her lip smiling, giving her brother a tight hug, awkwardly pulling away and plastering a smile on her face, before anyone realized anything was wrong] Well, we have extra cause for celebration today, I just, I’m so happy for you guys. You’re finally my sister.

[cat-aberly-blog]

[buries her head into his shoulder for a moment, getting her emotions in check before pulling back] Oh, I am not waiting four years to get married, absolutely not.  My only request though is please do not let me get my hands on that journal.  I don't think I have another one of those in me.  [tries not to tear up again, but fails] I'm still trying to process everything.  [looks down at the ring on her finger, leaning into Kyle]  We're officially family, you guys.

[sebgrey-blog-blog]

-cocks his head, confused; Did she get her nails done or something? -furrows his brow at Cat’s crying comment; Wha- …oh…OH! -clasps Kyle on the back, happily; It’s about bloody time, you two!

[clarissa-grey]

-pulls away, squealing once more and pulling her into a tight hug again; I’m so happy for you two, but there is a selfish part of me that is happier about you finally becoming my sister.

[cat-aberly-blog]

[smacks Clarissa's arm lightly, her eyes watering slightly] I hate you so much, what did I just tell you?  [hugs her again before hurrying over to the guys] Hey, I am in no way at fault for the wait. [points at Kyle] He's the one you should be yelling at for taking so long.  [kisses him quickly before jumping at Sebastian, hugging him tightly]

[sebgrey-blog-blog]

-sticks his tongue at her playfully, taking the gifts from Kyle and putting them in the Living Room before joining everyone in the Dinning Room. Putting Phillipe in his seat, opposite his sister’s before snickering slightly; Atta boy Kyle.

[clarissa-grey]

-rolling her eyes fondly, she moved over to Sebastian, wrapping an arm around him; Well, I guess I can forgive it this one time, anyways, we’ve just got a few more minutes till everything is done. -moving away from Sebastian, she went to go grab Cat’s hand to pull her towards the kitchen, freezing as she feels something on Cat’s hand, pulling her hand up to eye level, she looked at the ring around her finger, before letting out a scream and pulling Cat into a tight hug; FINALLY!

[cat-aberly-blog]

[looks over at the guys, playfully narrowing her eyes at them as Rissa moved to grab her hand.  She looked over at Rissa, a little wide eyed as she felt her hand get yanked upward, but grinned brightly when she saw what her friend was looking at.  Cringing a bit at the scream, Cat still let out a joyous laugh, wrapping her arms tightly around Clarissa] Don't you dare make me cry again, you hear me Grey? [looks back over at Kyle] You win, my eardrum is totally shattered.

[sebgrey-blog-blog]

-walks into the dining room from the kitchens, holding his son on his hip; Well, the turkey’s nearly done, and I must say it smells delicious, love. -hears the sound of the front door open, walking to the front room from the dining area; Aren’t you two a sight for sore eyes! -Hugs Kyle with his spare arm before kissing Cat’s cheek-

[clarissa-grey]

-smiles, giving Seb and Phillipe a kiss on the head, before turning back to pick up a tea cloth, picking up a basket of bread - holding it in front of her stomach, before giving a quick hug to to Cat and Kyle, before moving back towards the dining room; What took you guys so long? 

[cat-aberly-blog]

[smiles brightly as Sebastian appears, kissing his cheek as well as Phillipe's nose] Well that's what happens when you go away for so long, Mr. Bigshot.  It's brilliant to see you though, I've missed you.  [lets go of Kyle's hand, hugging Clarissa before following her into the dining room] Sorry, Riss.  We weren't really paying attention to time much today, it passed quicker then we thought.

[clarissa-grey]

-fluffing the front of her dress, making sure it some what concealed her baby bump, before going down to the dining room, nervously fidgeting with all the dinner placements;

[cat-aberly-blog]

[walks towards the front door of the Grey manor, one hand holding Kyle's and the other carrying a large bag full of wrapped presents.  Letting Kyle open the door, she stepped inside and looked around the front room]  Merry Christmas! Where in the name of merlin are you hiding, Greys?

[mcfrey-kyle-blog-blog]

You're My Snowstorm || Kylina

[mcfrey-kyle-blog-blog]

He laughed, and then kissed her nose in response. “I think you saying yes comes pretty close really. And, obviously, acting as a buffer on today’s christmas lunch. Because if you think I’m going to spend one minute alone with my sister, you are dead wrong.” He smiled, as he could see the scene play out in his head. Undoubtably more tears, probably lots of screaming. If he was lucky he could escape to go play with Harper for a few minutes. Or hours, depending on how long it was to be safe. “The ring? Well I admit I had a little help on the picking it out front. Riss seemed the obvious choice. She even knew your size, and I didn’t have a clue.”

He kissed her again, as if he couldn’t get enough of her, and grinned. “I love you too. But I think you might have guessed that by now.” He leaned back against their headboard, eyes closed, not being able to stop smiling. He heard the scratch of claws on their floor, and felt the small dog jump onto the bed. “Damn it, Pep.” He rolled his eyes, but they both knew he could never really have any resentment towards the creature. “Worst timing ever, mate.”

[cat-aberly-blog]

Her hand paused on Pepper's side as she looked over at Kyle and raised an eyebrow, trying to fight back the smile that still didn't want to make it's way off of her face.  "So let me get this straight.  You expect me to sit there and be attacked by your sister, while you no doubt are thinking about running off and leaving me all alone. You are also insane for thinking that I'm staying there to go deaf with her piercing screams. No way. If I go down, you go down with me."  Tilting her head slightly, she bit her lip to hold back a small laugh.  "You think we can get Seb to distract her before she breaks my hand to see the ring on me?"  

As Kyle moved, Cat adjusted herself as well, turning again so that she could rest her back against his chest, smiling brighter at his words.  "Yeah, I think I'm starting to get that fact."  She almost forgot about the dog on her lap, until he started moving again, heading straight for the tray still floating beside them.  Cat had forgotten all about the strawberries and champagne that lead to her discovering her new piece of jewelry.  With a grin, she tightened her arms around the small dog.  "No sweetie, you can't eat that." She moved the dog to rest on the other side of the bed, and grinned as he curled into Kyle's side.  Curling up into her finacee's free side, Cat rested her left hand on his chest, not being able to fight off the bright smile as she gazed at the jewel shining in the natural sunlight filling the room.   Everything about this moment was perfect, and Cat would change none of it for the world.

[cat-aberly-blog]

sebgrey:

Well doesn’t even begin to describe it, Cat. It was eye-opening. Did you know that in Africa, Witches and Wizards don’t hide their magic? They use it freely, they help their tribes and villages the best they can. They are more advanced than we are in so many ways, at least from a Wizards stand point. I’m sorry I’ve been gone so long, this trip took much longer than expected. How’s everything been here, fairing well yea?

And now I want to beg David to put me on a shoot in Africa, that's actually incredible.  Do you know how many times I've almost used magic while working? I have way too many stories and I should not be proud of that.  

It's quite alright, darling, I know the feeling well enough.  Things have been more then well around here.  I moved out of my apartment not to long ago, you'll have to come see the new house Seb, it's amazing.  Clarissa's been her normal self - though I am relieved that you're back to take over getting her cravings, because I don't think I can touch another pickle for at least nine months.  And Kyle's been...Kyle. Nothing else to really say about that one.

[cat-aberly-blog]

Guess who's finally back in the city?

It’s about time you came back home!  I’ve been going through some serious Sebby withdrawals because of you, sir.  

I trust that your trip went well?

[givechaosachance]

[mcfrey-kyle-blog-blog]

You're My Snowstorm || Kylina

[mcfrey-kyle-blog-blog]

He wrapped his arms around her waist as she sat on his lap, grinning at her, and kissing her as soon as she was within reach. “Hmm?” He said, distracted at her words, as his mind had gone as far away from christmas as it felt like it was possible to be. “Christmas? Oh right.” He laughed, and kissed her again, smiling into the kiss, before pulling away, just a little, to rest his forehead against hers as he teased, “Well, I suppose you just won’t get any of your presents.” 

Her head rested on his shoulder, and he held her tighter, kissing the top of her head. “Although I’m afraid none of them will quite come up to the level of that ring.” He laughed, and his body shook hers. He sighed, mostly in elation, as he absentmindedly fiddled with a piece of her hair. His heartbeat was still going faster than entirely necessary, and he still felt like he’d only just been allowed to breathe again, but somehow all the anxiety he’d felt now seemed so utterly pointless. He could no longer imagine the situation in which she’d have said no, in which he’d no longer live his life with her. It was no longer an option.

And that made him happier than anything else.

[cat-aberly-blog]

Cat couldn't help but laugh again as he started to talk about presents.  "How do you think I feel?  I don't exactly have a ring of my own to surprise you with today.  There's no way for me to compete with this." She lifted her head to hold out her hand, moving her fingers so that the sunlight pouring into the room could reflect off the ring.  "You picked amazingly though, love. It's perfect." She couldn't help herself from leaning in and kissing him softly, for the hundredth time in the last ten minutes.  "I love you."

Shifting on his lap, she brought her leg over to the other side, so that she could lean into his chest as he played with her hair, an action so small, yet so comforting to her.  She moved her hands to grab one of his that rested on her waist, pulling it away so that she could play with his fingers as she took in the peaceful yet elating silence that surrounded them.  Another bright smile appeared on her face as she looked down at their hands, and her head rested on his shoulder again.  Of course, she shouldn't have expected the silence to go on forever, so once Pepper came running onto the bed and into Cat's lap, she couldn't help but laugh as she moved her free hand to fuss over him.

[mcfrey-kyle-blog-blog]

You're My Snowstorm || Kylina

[mcfrey-kyle-blog-blog]

Her kisses almost caught him off guard, as their lips touched mid laugh, and his happiness doubled just in being able to share hers. One hand reached to the back of her head, and buried itself in her hair, while the other snaked around her waist, keeping her close to him as she pulled away, their foreheads still touching. He still held a grin on his face as she spoke, and kissed her one softly at her words. “So do I.” They kissed again, this time longer, stronger, with him pulling her closer against him.

He pulled away, but kept her close, and started, rather shakily, to get up, keeping one hand linked in hers, and keeping her close. “Come on, McFrey.” He grinned, his eyes gleaming playfully, as she was pulled to her feet, and he, again, put his hand on the back of her head and pulled her in to kiss her, stronger than before. He felt as if he’d never have enough of her, and, as the snow began to fall heavier, and to block out whatever feeble attempt at light the sun was making, it felt as if they were in their own world. Their own planet, where all that mattered was them. All that mattered was the ring on her finger, and the fact that she’d said yes.

He turned them around, kissing her, in a way that was almost rough. He pulled back for only a moment to say, smiling as he was whenever he wasn’t kissing her, “I love you, you know that?” He laughed, as obviously she did, but at the same time, he felt she’d never really know just how much. With his hand on the small of her back, he lead her back towards the bed, the cold of the day easily ignored as a warm feeling of elation streamed through his body like blood. He fell back on the bed, sitting up, his hand still in hers, with a smile as charming as it was playful, as he looked up at her. “Surely we don’t really have to get up just yet, right?”

[cat-aberly-blog]

She couldn't help the smile on her face becoming brighter when she realized that he wasn't letting her get at least foot away from him anytime soon, and that he didn't want to lose any kind of physical contact with her, and she was more then completely okay with it.  She let him pull her up onto her feet, still smiling into his stronger and more passionate kisses every time he pulled her back into him.  She could feel the pure joy that he felt at the moment, and that made the entire situation a hundred times better for her.  

The fact that she was going to be Catorina McFrey was still something she was trying to process, and every time she came to that realization, she couldn't help but brush her thumb against the band of the ring now resting on her finger.  Pulling away from his latest kiss, she watched him as fell back onto their bed, her hands still laced in his as she smiled down at him.  "I do."  For a moment, her mind flashed to a different moment.  A different setting for those same words to come out of her mouth, to exactly the same person, and she craved for that moment, to be able to be Kyle's in every way possible.  "I love you too, Kyle.  So much."

Another laugh made it's way out of her mouth as his words, and she moved to climb up onto the bed, sitting herself down onto his lap again, with her legs resting on either side of his hips.  "I don't know, baby, it is Christmas after all.  I know how much you love Christmas." She knew how weak her argument sounded, but there was no where else she'd rather be right now then with him.  She pressed her lips against his again, stronger then before, pulling back a few minutes later and resting her head on his shoulder.

[mcfrey-kyle-blog-blog]

You're My Snowstorm || Kylina

[mcfrey-kyle-blog-blog]

He looked at her with a mixture of hope and excitement, and in a strange moment of calm, reflected on how his entire future depended on her answer to him. His life could go in two distinctly different paths, with their own hardships, and problems. Their own ups and downs. He could have two opposite lives, with his best friend, or without her. And he realised, in half a second, that however hard one road would be, however many problems they faced, or issues came up, he’d always rather face them with her. No matter what.

And somehow she was in his lap, on the floor, and her arms were around his neck. She was trembling as he wrapped his arms around her, shaking with sobs, and for a few moments it seemed she couldn’t get any kind of words out. A grin began to spread across his face, as he felt as if he was able to breath again, as if his chest had suddenly been freed, and the stopper on his lungs had finally been pulled out. As a chocked ‘yes’ reached his ears, he began to laugh.

He laughed in relief and happiness and in the pure thrill of the moment. He felt as if he was able to fly, yet even if he could, he’d never leave her arms. And as she shook with crying, and he with laughter, the most they could do was hold each other tightly, his face leaning into the crook of her neck. As those three, little, whispered words hit him, he held her even closer for a second, unable to stop the beam stretching across his face. “I love you too.” He responded, turning his head to be almost breathing into her ear. “Mrs. McFrey.”

[cat-aberly-blog]

She could feel his laughter throughout her entire body, shaking her even more then she already was as it echoed into her ear.  It didn't even take a full second for her to start laughing right along with him, hugging herself tighter against him as her hand moved to run through his hair gently.  Even from it's place on his shoulder, her head turned to stare at her hand as it moved, fixed on the glistening jewel that she was never going to remove from it's new home.  

She didn't even know how to react to the name he whispered into her ear, just letting out another joyful laugh as she pulled back to stare at him.  Her hands moved again to cup his face, her eyes sparkling with pure love and happiness, as well as a few unshed tears.  "I'm going to be Mrs. McFrey." The words fell from her mouth before she even realized she was thinking it.  Kyle's last name had never sounded so amazing to her before right now, before the moment that she was promised that at some point in the near future, she was going to walk around with the same last name as the guy she was head over heels in love with.  Just the thought of it brought another laugh onto her face.  

She couldn't hold herself back any longer, and she pulled his face towards her, pressing her lips against his passionately.  Somewhere in the back of her head she realized that she wasn't kissing her boyfriend anymore, he was her fiancee now, and that single thought caused the excitement to almost cause her to explode.  She laughed against his lips, pulling back to stroke his cheek again.  She felt a tear fall from her eye, but she couldn't bring herself to care as she rested her forehead against his.  "Catorina McFrey. I really like the sound of that." Her head shook for a second in disbelief before the desire to kiss him again became to overwhelming, and she once again found herself doing just that.

[mcfrey-kyle-blog-blog]

You're My Snowstorm || Kylina

[mcfrey-kyle-blog-blog]

He looked at her, fondly, if a little absentmindedly as he responded. “Of course everything’s alright.” He tried to sound sure of himself, although he was really anything but. His whole body was on edge, each touch sending shivers down his spine, and not entirely in the good way. He felt as if his pulse was echoing through his whole body, shaking him, and was sure she must be able to feel it, even hear it with how loud it was to him. His hands must have been shaking a little, at least the one not resting against her face, and his belly felt as if it was being slowly twisted by some kind of medieval torture device.

Until she saw it. The tray at least. And the flower, and Kyle froze. His mind was thinking a thousand different thoughts and at the same time, none at all. He felt as if this was a mistake, he had no idea what to say, she was going to say no, why had he ever thought this was a good idea. But he also felt an irrefutable kind of excitement, that filled him from head to toe, and felt like his breath was being temporarily bottled up in his lungs as something like hope spread through him. That was when she saw the ring.

Something in him, the more McFrey side of him, told him he had to do this right, do it properly. So, his lips pressed together, just shy of a smile, he slipped off of the bed, onto one knee, her hand held in his as he looked up. He licked his lips, and swallowed, still somehow unable to get his words out, whatever those words were supposed to be. He felt like he couldn’t breathe, until he met her eyes, his holding a somewhat questioning look, and forced himself to take a deep breath. 

"Catorina Nicole Aberly." He began, his voice a little weak. He cleared his throat, and somehow was able to smile, hopefully, shaking his head as if he couldn’t quite believe what he was doing. "Cat. I don’t know what I did, what I could have possibly done, to be lucky enough to fall in love with my best friend. And I-" He got a kind of lump in his throat, and swallowed again. "I’ve been so worried for weeks, about what I said, or how I should- It doesn’t matter. I just know that I’m never happier than when I’m with you. It’s happier than I ever thought I could be." He laughed a little, his voice close to breaking. "And if you let me, I’d like to spend the rest of my life trying to make you feel the same way. So," He licked his lip, and blinked a few times before saying, "will you marry me?"

[cat-aberly-blog]

As soon as he moved back into her line of vision, Cat could feel herself start to shake.  She had no idea how to process what was going on right now, and her entire mind just shut down once she saw him drop down onto one knee.  The flower fell from her right hand as it moved to cover her mouth as she first shaking breath made it's way out of her.  Soon enough, her eyes became blurred with building tears.  She tried to blink them away, they were the only thing stopping her from being able to see Kyle right now, and at the moment, nothing was going to stop her from doing just that.

As the first tear fell from her eye, her left hand tightened it's grip on his, as if he was the only thing keeping her grounded on this planet at the moment.  She tried to move her hand to wipe away the tears, but she was frozen in place, leaving her no choice but to just look down at Kyle with nothing but pure love in her eyes as she sat there on the bed, shaking as tears streamed down her face.  He was the only thing she could focus on right now, and his voice was the only thing that was able to make it to her ears.

He wasn't the same kid that she had met back when they were only eleven, and they weren't the same kids that spent every moment they could running around the outdoors going on impromptu adventures that no one else ever really got into.  But at the same time, he was, they were.  He was still her best friend in every way, and they were still just as inseparable as they've been the last fourteen years of their lives. She had always been in love with him, and everything about this moment destroyed any set idea she had about the word perfect, because nothing could compare to this moment.

Somewhere near the end of his speech, her heart aching every time she heard his voice crack, showing her that he felt exactly the same way as he looked up at her, she found the strength to move again.  It took everything in her to let him finish those four words that broke her. She didn't even remember letting out a sob, or tearing her hand out of his and she moved.  All she knew was that she ended up on his lap, her arms wrapped tightly around him as she cried.  Somehow, she managed to pull off a smile that was so bright and large that she thought her face was going spilt, and a chocked up "Yes" came out of her mouth.  Not even a moment later she pressed herself as close to him as she could get,  whispering an "I love you" into his ear before she buried her head into his shoulder, still grinning against his neck.

[mcfrey-kyle-blog-blog]

You're My Snowstorm || Kylina

[mcfrey-kyle-blog-blog]

His eyes flickered for just a moment to the hand that was now playing with the cat behind her. It took everything in him not to let out a sigh of exasperation. Why couldn’t she just look at it? Surely she must feel it? Or she might notice it? What was he possibly doing wrong? And this was ignoring the large floating tray behind her back. He started to panic a little. What if she had noticed it, and just wasn’t going to say anything? What if that way were her letting him down easy or something? 

He dismissed that thought as soon as it came to him. Cat’d never do that, not in a million years. But his thoughts were cut off, abruptly as she kissed him, and his smile returned, and he leaned down to kiss her again, completely distracted, which only she could ever do to him. Distract him so completely from whatever he was worried about, simply by being her. It was frustrating really. “Me? I woke up hours ago.” He was talking just the slightest bit too fast to be considered normal. “You know how I get on Christmas. Best time of the year.”

[cat-aberly-blog]

Nothing could stop her smile from growing as soon as he pulled her back into him and kissing her properly.  She felt the familiar flutter in her chest as they kissed, something that had been happening to her for four years now, and it was the very feeling that she would never tire of for her entire life.  She pulled hand away from Burdock, moving it to rest on the back of his head and running through his hair softly.  Pulling away, she rested her forehead against his, her eyes closing once again in pure relaxation and content with the position she was in.  

Her eyebrows furrowed just a bit as she heard his voice, and her ice blue eyes reopened to look into his, and moved back just a bit as she saw what she thought to be pure nerves in his own brown irises. She moved the hand that was still on her cheek and rest on his, her thumb gently brushing on his skin.  "Is everything alright, baby?" She shifted again, and once she did, she caught sight of something that pulled her attention away from her boyfriend.  Turning around, she found a tray floating right by the edge of her side of the bed.  She felt both of her hands move away from him as she reached out to grab the white anemone resting innocently on the tray.  She looked down at the simple flower in her hand, and brought her left hand to gently hold the stem as well.  

For a second, she started to think she was going insane, but she could've sworn she saw something shining on her finger once it hit the light. Pulling her hand away from the stem, Cat felt herself freeze as her breath left her in a soft gasp. Her left hand started to tremble slightly as she gazed down at the ring on her fourth finger.  She couldn't bring herself to look up at Kyle, as much as her heart urged her to do so.  She was captivated by the glistening diamond, so simple, yet so breathtakingly beautiful that she simply couldn't tear her eyes away from it.

[mcfrey-kyle-blog-blog]

You're My Snowstorm || Kylina

[mcfrey-kyle-blog-blog]

He couldn’t help but smile at her small, sleep ridden laugh, that filled up the silent room, lighting it up somehow. Burdock had heard it, and came wandering up the bed, as only cats can, and settled down behind Cat, burying itself in the blankets that seemed to Kyle to be swallowing her whole. He could hear the purr even from his side of the bed. He propped himself up on an elbow, and faced her, reaching out to brush the hair out of her face and grazed her cheek with his thumb.

A feeling of heat radiated through his chest as he responded, and for a moment, he could forget any kind of anxiety he was feeling, and all thoughts seemed to float away. “Happy Christmas, love.” But as soon as the words were out, the tense feeling in his stomach returned, and his lungs felt, for a moment, as if they were struggling to breathe. He forced his eyes not to look at her hand as his mouth turned up into a smile, and his hand rested on the side of her face. “Sleep well?” Although he already knew the answer.

[cat-aberly-blog]

Unable to wipe the drowsy, but warm smile from her face, Cat nodded in response to his question.  "Wonderfully, actually."  Her eyes slipped closed again as she found herself leaning into his touch, bringing a hand up to rest against his and rub her thumb against his palm softly.  Blinking them back open, she leaned in, kissing the corner of his lips as her left hand moved behind her to scratch the top of Burdock's head, feeling a quick moment of pride as the cat's purrs increased in volume.  

Shifting ever so slightly, she curled into him even more then she already was, and was granted with a small whine of disagreement from the cat behind her, that only returned to purrs once he moved back to his spot against her back.  She could tell something was a bit off with Kyle, but she couldn't quite place her finger on why.  Her thumb stopped it's movement against his skin, instead just resting her hand on top of his, and squeezing it gently.  "How about you?"

[mcfrey-kyle-blog-blog]

You're My Snowstorm || Kylina

Tagging: Kyle McFrey [Subject: Catorina Aberly]

Time: Dawn

Location: Cat and Kyle’s new house

Notes: Well, we needed some fluff around here

Read More

[cat-aberly-blog]

The moment Catorina began to re-enter the conscious world, she wanted nothing more then to curl back up in bed and sleep.  Sure it was Christmas, but nothing really seemed to matter to her at the moment.  She was more then content with spending her holiday curled up in bed with Kyle, celebrating their first christmas together in their new home that she was already in love with, under the warmth of their blankets.  Over the course of their four year relationship, there were already a huge amount of moments that Cat wished she could live in forever, though this morning felt different, and the desire to freeze time never seemed greater to her.  The only thing missing of course, was the warm body of her boyfriend curled up against her.

Turning onto her side, Cat stretched out her hand, seeking his familiar warmth, and let out a quiet yet peaceful sigh when she found it.  Almost unconsciously, her body gravitated towards him, tucking herself into his side and resting her head on his chest.  She kept her eyes closed for just a little bit longer, wanting to preserve how perfect this moment felt to her for as long as she could.  Finally, she allowed her eyelashes to pull apart, turning her head to smile up at him, tightening her hold on him ever so slightly.  She let out a small laugh, but the sound was laced with drowsiness, as was her voice when she filled the silence only moments later.  "Happy Christmas, baby."