Truth of the situation was, Lindsey had stayed behind in case Buffy and Evan came back to L.A. He couldn't help but imagine spending his Christmas Eve sitting in Buffy's garage helping to assemble Evan's Christmas presents as he had other years. Smiling, he remembered the previous years, the chaos that prevailed as they fought the clock to get everything put together.
"Insert pin J into slot W." Darla read, squinting at the small print of the instructions for assembling a swing set.
"Bloody Hell!! That can't be right, the bloody pin doesn't fit into the bloody slot!!" Spike said exasperated, looking up at his great-grandmother.
Darla continued to squint at the small print. "Maybe it's slot V-V, it's so hard to tell. The print's absolutely impossible to read. How do they expect this to get done." Looking at her watch she added, ".in 3 hours?"
"Anyone like some eggnog?" Joyce asked, walking through the door. "Russell said this was his special recipe."
"Yes, over here, Mom." Dawn answered, as she tightened a nut on the wheel of a red scooter.
"Giles?"
"Yes sweetheart, I would like a little repast." He answered, looking up from the train set.
"Buffy, would you get me an Allen Wrench?" Lindsey asked, as he sat on the floor surrounded by pipes, nuts and bolts.
"Allen Wrench, what's that? Is this it?" She asked, holding up a tool.
"No, that's a Socket Wrench"
Getting up from the floor, Lindsey walked over to the toolbox and rummaged through it. Pulling out an 'L' shaped tool, he held it up.
"This is an Allen Wrench. Good God, woman, how can you fix anything? I can't even find a Phillips Screwdriver in here "
"I hire someone to fix it for me." She answered. "Duh."
"Well, now I know what to get you for your birthday; a well-equipped toolbox."
"Be still my heart." She said, mockingly as she placed a hand over her heart. "That's so... romantic."
"Oh Wills, this stuff is deadly! Not only is he one of the sexiest men on the big screen, but he can make eggnog!" Dawn teased, watching Willow blush.
"Told you he was good to have around." Willow smiled up at the sexy Aussie who stood in the doorway with a beer in his hands.
"Lins? Thought you could use this." Russell said, handing him a beer.
"You are a mind reader, Crowe." Lindsey grunted, trying to tighten the nut.
But Christmas Eve last year had been different. Last year Darla and Spike went to spend
Christmas Eve with Dru in Brazil. While Russell and Willow had gone their separate ways again, it seemed that breaking up had become a new game for Hollywood's favourite couple. Only Willow, Dawn, Joyce, Giles and Lindsay were at Buffy's house. Giles wrapped gifts while Joyce and Dawn were in the kitchen making cookies, and Willow acted out the 'Night Before Christmas' for Evan.
Putting Evan to bed on Christmas Eve had always been a challenge, but lately he'd been so tired, that Buffy was starting to worry about him. Joyce kept trying to telling her it was normal for kids to need more sleep when they were going through growth spurts, but lately Buffy's 'mother's intuition' was causing her alarm, which caused Lindsey concern.
By the time Buffy had reappeared from tucking Evan in, his toys were nearly assembled.
After Willow, Dawn, Joyce, and Giles said their goodnights and left, Buffy
turned down the lights and lit a fire in the fireplace. The sound of the
ocean's waves came through the open window. Lindsey and Buffy settled down on
the couch sipping brandy and enjoying each other's company.
"I'm glad you didn't go with Darla, it would've been real lonely without you
here for Christmas Eve." She said, leaning against his shoulder.
"Well, spending my Christmas with a bunch of vampires isn't first on my list of
fun things to do." He answered with a chuckle.
"Lindsey, I don't tell you enough how much I appreciate everything you've done
for Evan and me."
"There's no need to tell me, I know." He replied, kissing the top of her head.
"You and Evan are special to me, too. I don't want you to ever forget that. You
know I'd do anything for you. You've had it hard and I just want to make life a
little easier for you." He said, putting his arm around her. "I love you the
two of you."
They sat there in silence, watching the flames and listening to the waves crash
against the break-wall. Buffy's eyelids began to get heavy and her head started
to droop.
"Sleepy?" Lindsey asked. "Maybe I should head home so you can get to bed."
"No, no I'm fine; I'm just a little tired that's all. The brandy and watching
the fire makes me sleepy."
"Why don't you lay your head on my lap and take a 20 minute nap? I'll wake you
up."
"All right, if you really don't mind."
"Not at all, be my guest." He answered, smiling at her.
She lay down on the couch with her head in his lap and closed her eyes. Within
minutes she was sound asleep.
Looking down at her, Lindsey thought that she was the most beautiful woman he'd
ever seen.
Deciding to get a little more comfortable himself, he gently lifted Buffy's
head so he could lay down too. Now comfortably situated, he laid her head on
his chest. She snuggled closer to him.
"So good." She whispered.
"You awake?" Lindsey asked, looking down at her smiling face.
"Mmmmm."
Ducking his head, Lindsey lightly kissed Buffy on the lips and she kissed him
back. Taking this as a positive sign, he kissed her again, this time more
passionately. She responded by opening her mouth so his tongue could penetrate
within. As the kiss grew in intensity, he reached for the hem of her short
skirt and pulled it up to her waist, revealing the creamy round curves of her
small tight ass.
Lightly brushing his fingers up her thigh and ass cheek, Lindsey marvelled at
Buffy's response to his touching her. She raised her hips suggestively and
pressed her ass firmly against the palm of his hand. Closing his eyes and
saying a little prayer, he hoped that his fondest desire was finally being
granted.
Kissing her again, his other hand slipped under her halter-top and he was
surprised to find her braless. While he fingered and pinched her nipples,
Buffy's breathing quickened noticeably.
"More." She said softly. "Give me more."
Lindsey pinched and fondled her breasts, causing her to moan softly. She
squirmed around a little so that he could more easily reach and cup her. He
responded by squeezing her breast tenderly.
Her breathing was beginning to sound labored, indicating her growing passion.
Lindsey was about to suggest they take this romantic encounter to her bedroom
when he heard a noise coming from upstairs. Evan was walking around and it
sounded as if he were about to come down.
As his hands slipped down her body, Buffy moaned in protest at the loss of his
touch as Lindsey proceeded to pull her skirt back into place. Wrapping her arms
around his waist, Buffy cuddled close to him so not to lose any contact with
his body. He couldn't be happier and he knew, without a shadow of a doubt that
he loved Buffy deeply and passionately. And tonight proved she shared his
feelings.
****
"Mom, Uncle Lindsey wake up, it's Christmas." Evan exclaimed.
"What? What's that?" Buffy asked, sitting up and looking around confused.
"It's Christmas Morning. Can we open our presents now?"
Looking down, Buffy saw Lindsey wake with a start.
"My God, what happened? I must've fallen asleep." He said, sitting up.
"I'm sorry Buffy, I didn't mean to fall asleep. I should go."
"No, it's all right, Lindsey. Stay, and watch Evan open his presents while I
get us some breakfast. Mom, Giles and Dawn should be here soon, too." She said,
getting to her feet and padding barefoot across the hardwood floor to the
kitchen.
It was the best Christmas Morning Lindsey McDonald had ever had. He felt like
they were a family, a man with his loving wife, watching their son open his
presents.
When Evan came to the bike, his excitement was boundless.
"Uncle Lindsey, look at what I got! We can go mountain biking together! I've
always wanted to go mountain biking with you!"
"And so you will, Ev. In fact, your mom said you could go next weekend to the
Sierra Nevada's with me, we'll camp out and mountain bike. Also, if we can find
the time, I'll teach you to fly fish."
"Cool!"
Running up to Lindsey Evan gave him a big hug.
"I love you Uncle Lindsey, you're the greatest."
Lindsey looked over at Buffy and smiled affectionately.
"No, Santa and your mom are the greatest. He's the one who brought the bike and
she's the one who said you could go. I think you oughta thank her, Buddy, not
me."
Evan walked over to Buffy who was sitting in the chair smiling at him.
Hugging her, he said. "Thanks a bunch, Mom, Uncle Lindsey's right *you're* the
greatest."
Willow and the Harris's came over later that day to help Buffy and Evan
celebrate. With both Evan and Mason running around the house with their newest
Christmas gifts, and Joyce trying to cook Christmas dinner, the place was a
zoo. Making Martini's later that afternoon, Lindsey couldn't help but smile,
for here was home. Suddenly noticing he was missing the martini onions that
Giles loved so much, he headed to the kitchen where he overheard Buffy and
Willow talking in a deep conversation. He could tell his partner was upset, and
was turning to leave when he heard his name mentioned.
"Willow, I had another one of *those* Riley dreams." She said, as a tear ran
down her cheek.
"My God! You didn't, it's been so long." Willow replied in shock.
Lindsey saw her tears and remembered the years of turmoil and counselling Buffy
had gone through to get over Riley Finn's abandonment.
"Uncle Lindsey can you help me with this?" Evan called, pulling Lindsey away
from Buffy and Willow's whispered conversation.
He knew as he walked away that Willow was still talking to Buffy. He was sure
it was to comfort her.
"After all these years?" Willow said, placing an arm around Buffy's shoulders.
"Yeah, and they only seem to be getting more and more real. Will, I swear I
felt him kiss and touch me last night, in the dream we were in his old
apartment in Sunnydale."
"Maybe it's a sign or something." Willow offered, handing Buffy a Kleenex.
"Yeah, it's a sign that either I'm still in love with a man who left me 9 years
ago, or that I'm going crazy." Buffy blew her nose into the Kleenex.
"So how real was it?"
"I almost came."
"Shit!"
"Yeah, and the worst part of it was waking up in Lindsey's arms." Buffy sighed.
***
That had been last year, but since then, all that had changed. All of their
lives had changed the day Evan was diagnosed with leukemia. After an exhausting
and emotional search, after which a bone marrow donor couldn't be found, Buffy
was left with only one option and that was to contact Riley Finn. According the
Specialists, it was Evan's best and last chance for a cure. Lindsey had fooled
himself into thinking Riley would walk back out of their lives after the
transplant, unfortunately that hadn't been the case. Couldn't Finn have just
walked away, returning to the family and life he'd chosen for himself, but no
such luck! Finn had woven his spell and both Buffy and Evan had fallen under
it, leaving Lindsey out in the cold
Lindsey was afraid of Riley Finn, not because he was rich and powerful, but
because he might try and take Evan away from Buffy and that would kill her.
What Lindsey considered even worse was if Riley decided to take Buffy away,
*that* would kill him.
Opening the center drawer of his desk, Lindsay pulled out an envelope and a
Dodger's baseball cap. The cap contained the autographs of each team member. He
managed to get each player to sign because he was a close friend of the team's
owner. The cap was a companion piece to the autographed picture of Lindsey and
Evan taken with the L.A. Laker's basketball team. The envelope held season
tickets for seats located directly behind the first base dugout, so Evan could
see the players up close. Lindsey had asked the owner to hold these seats as a
celebration for finding a donor and allowing the two most important members of
his adopted family to return to a normal life.
Instead, he sat alone in the dark getting drunk. The woman of his dreams and
the extended family he considered his own were in Boston being swayed by Finn's
wealth. And the boy he wanted desperately for a son was with the man who had
walked out on him at birth.
"Yeah, Merry F*ckin' Christmas." He slurred, downing his scotch before he
headed out into the cool California night air.
<><><>
Meanwhile across country, Buffy laid snuggled into the crook of Riley's arm,
happy and content. How had so much changed from one year to the next? Here she
lay in the embrace of the man she loved, while last year she'd only dreamed
about it. Smiling, she snuggled closer, wondering if it was possible to get
under his skin.
"You cold?" He murmured through layers of sleep.
"No, just content to be lying here with you." She replied, kissing his bare
chest.
"Me, too. Is the fire still going?" He asked, looking to the fireplace in the
corner. Riley remembered how the real estate agent raved about the fireplace
the master bedroom had, and what a romantic setting it made in the room. At the
time, he hadn't cared less, because the last thing that had entered his mind
was sharing his bed with a grown woman.
"Oh yeah, it's beautiful." Buffy sighed.
"I was thinking about last Christmas, and this dream I had about you."
"You had a dream about me?' He laughed
"A naughty dream actually. All the next day it kept me flustered. I was
positive they could all tell by the look on my face.."
"Really?" Riley said, shifting so he could see her face, with it's pretty blush.
"It was so real." She said, wonderment lacing her voice.
"How real?"
"You ever have a dream where you swear you can feel or smell something? Well in
this dream honey, you did a lot of touching." She wiggled against him.
"Hmmmm.. Are you planning on sleeping at all? Cause those kids will be up in an
hour or so." Riley asked, as her tiny hand absently played with his hair.
"The kids will be here any second." He laughed, looking over at the clock.
"Do we have a little time to give the gift that keeps giving?" Buffy smirked,
straddling Riley's body with her own.
"Not right now, but later, I promise." He said, running his hand down her back
and over her bum.
"Okay then." She said sliding off him so that every part of her body made
contact with his, causing him to moan in frustration.
"Don't think I don't want this, cause baby, I do." He said, catching her hair
in his hand and pulling her lips to his.
"I don't feel it?" She gasped, as his hand lightly smacked her in the ass.
"Well just take my word for it, cause we'd just be in the middle of the most
amazing sex, and one of the kids would come flying in that door." He said,
nodding toward the door with his head.
"You're right." She laughed. " Just our luck."
"Can you hold me?" She asked, wrapping her arms around his waist and coming to
rest her head on his chest.
"Thought you'd never ask." Riley smiled against her forehead before kissing it.
"Daddy!!!" Tristan exclaimed, bursting into the room
"Shh, Tristan." Riley whispered, grateful he hadn't taken Buffy up on her offer.
"Santa's been here, Daddy!" She whispered, excitedly.
"Were you down at the tree?" Riley demanded of his mischievous child.
"No.. well.maybe." She said, looking to Buffy for help. This child never failed
to make Buffy smile and she ruffled Tristan's blonde curls.
"Sweetheart, it's not time yet." Buffy tried but failed to hide her smile.
"But he's been here, Daddy! Come, I'll show you." She said, starting to crawl
off the bed before her father was able to grab hold of her little foot.
"Uh no you don't. It's not time yet for you to go down there and you know it.
What's the rule?" Riley asked, juggling his squirmy child.
"That we can't go to the tree till everyone is up." She replied, pouting in the
cutest way.
"And everyone's asleep still." Riley said simply.
"But I can wake them up!" She answered, clambering to get off the bed again.
"No you don't." Riley laughed.
"Look, you lie down here with your dad and I, and when it's time to get up
we'll let you know." Buffy said, moving to make room for the child between them.
"Okay, but you'll tell me 'fore anyone else right?" The little girl yawned.
"You got it, sunshine." Buffy said, kissing the mop of blonde hair.
<><><><>
5:30 a.m. Christmas Morning, and the house is still quiet.
"Angel, quit stealing the covers, it's cold in here." Cordelia whined. Angel
was always doing that, wrapping himself up in the blankets. Blankets that he
didn't really need because the cold didn't bother him. But it *did* bother
Cordelia. This Southern California Girl loved warm weather, warm rooms, warm
beds and above all her room temperature husband. That is, unless he was
stealing her covers.
Cordelia's, handsome, non-breathing husband never got a chance to answer her.
He didn't need to.
"ANGEL!!!!" Cordelia yelled out, shocked and surprised to discover something
cool and wet between her legs. Her immortal husband was playing one of his
favorite games, "wake up sleepy head", or as he sometimes called it "wake up to
some head."
Yes, Angel's face and tongue were between her thighs causing cold yet
delightful shivers to race up her spine.
"Shhh, you'll wake up the neighbors." Angel said looking up and smirking. He
didn't want the whole household to hear them and he knew from prior
conversations he'd overheard, that the walls in this mansion were
unfortunately quite thin.
Ever since they'd discovered the anchoring spell, Angel never had to worry
about losing his soul ever again, so he enjoyed making up for lost time by
having mind-blowing sex. And who better to have it with than his beautiful
seer/partner/loving wife Cordelia. Yes, Angel still called Cordelia Queen C but
today, that title took on a whole new meaning. He called her that because he
felt she deserved to be treated like a queen.
Angel pulled his tongue out from deep inside her. "I thought you might like to
get a jump start on Christmas."
"Ooh, Santa, this little girl has been *real* good and should get a great big
present." Cordelia cooed seductively.
And Angel was doing just that. He knew how to make his wife squirm with desire
by laving her soft silky folds and hot slick channel. His wanted to taste her,
to reach every tiny morsel.
"Oh God, Angel...so good, its...*sooo* good." She said, tossing her head back
and forth as she felt his tongue penetrate deep inside her and waves of
pleasure radiate throughout. She couldn't help herself, she wanted to feel more
and started running her fingers up and down her own writhing body.
Angel loved watching his wife touch herself; it was a major turn for him as
well. Cordelia always started by fondling her inner thighs when his tongue was
in her, then she'd run her fingers along her stomach and breasts. And finally
to help her reach orgasm, she'd pinch and massage her nipples. Angel would
clench her tight ass while his tongue traveled in and out, in and out, in and
out.
Cordelia started to moan loudly as she neared her peak, but she tried to hold
on as long as humanly possible.
"Oh, yeah, baby..."
Seeing how close she was to coming, Angel licked and nibbled at her clit, and
she moaned and groaned while he continued to administer his sweet torture. She
was so close that her body shivered uncontrollably, not from the cold, but from
the obvious heat.
"Yeah, that's...yeah there...just like that...now deeper...Oh, God...that's
wonderful. She babbled.
As she continued to reach, Angel's own lust kicked into overdrive. He stopped
ministering to her with his tongue and thrust his engorged cock deep and hard
inside her. Angelus screamed to be let out, he wanted to bite her so that he
could share in the ecstasy. This was a pact between Cordelia, Angel and
Angelus. She'd always let Angelus come out to drink from her because his bite
threw her into a hard orgasm, but he'd retreat back in to allow her husband to
have his pleasure also.
"Cordelia!!!" Angelus roared, biting into her soft smooth neck and drinking
deep.
That's all she needed to complete the act. Grabbing the edge of the bed to hold
on for dear life, she cried out in ecstasy while he drank.
Seconds later Angel was back, pounding hard into her and crying out just as
loud, then collapsing onto her sprawled body in exhaustion.
They heard a loud knocking on the door.
"Shit." Angel whispered into her ear. "Busted!"
"Ya think?" Cordelia giggled into the fold of his neck.
"Okay, now that you two have woke up the whole house, you might as well come on
down and really open up your presents." They heard a laughing Buffy say.
"Be down in a minute, Buffy." Angel replied, trying not to laugh.
"Man, never would have thought Cordelia was a screamer." They heard Riley say
as the other couple walked away.
The story continues in chapter 38