Something in the Way You Move [O'J]

Christmas Morning (part 1)

Jessie's POV

"I'm beat," I mumble through a yawn as I flop down on Danny's bed.

He nods. "Same."

"Is it always that rough? The snowball fight, I mean?"

"Nah, we just got...over competitive...again." I raise an eyebrow at him, egging him on to tell me more. "Okay, but really, they've won the past three years in a row! How could we not get so...rough, like you said?"

I laugh quietly and change into pajamas. I crawl into bed while Danny searches for some pajamas---his suitcase looks like a bomb went off in it. A few minutes later, I hear the gentle creaking of the bed frame and feel the mattress sag a little lower as he climbs into bed. He curls up around me, laying an arm under my neck and fitting his knees to the back of mine. He traces patterns lazily on my belly with his free hand. After a few minutes, he murmurs, "Jess?"

"Yeah?" I whisper back.

"I love you," he states, his lips tickling my ear as he says is.

I smile. "I love you, too." He sighs contentedly and we both drift off.

　

A few hours later, I wake up, fully alert and ready to go. Which can only mean one thing...

It's Christmas, baby!

I'm contemplating waking Danny up when I decide against it. He's quite possibly the only person that likes sleeping more than I do. It's also his Christmas present from me. Well, part of it, anyway. Carefully, I slip out of bed---which isn't too much of a challenge since Danny's back is now towards me. I don't mind that we don't get to spoon the whole night; it gets a little uncomfortable after a while and so damn hot. I sneak out of the room and downstairs into the kitchen. I jump as Ailish says cheerily, "Merry Christmas, Jessie!"

I smile. "Merry Christmas to you too, Ailish!"

"Care for a cuppa?"

"Yes, please!" I sit down at the counter while she pours me a cup. The milk and sugar are already out on the counter, so I'm assuming she has been up for a little while. "So you're a morning person, then?" I ask her.

"Yeah. Most of us are, actually. Except Danny and his father; they'd sleep all day."

"Oh. I see." I take a few sips of my tea and look at the time. 8:20. "I'm surprised the kids aren't up yet."

She chuckles warmly. "Give them fifteen minutes top and they'll be flying upstairs."

"Really?"

"Oh, absolutely. They have this kind of scheme where the first one up wakes up the rest of them and then they all go and wake up their parents. You might want to help Callie; Danny sleeps like the dead!"

"Sounds like fun!" We continue chatting for a few more minutes before we hear the first sounds of stirring from downstairs, a faint (to our ears, at least) cry of "It's Christmas!"

I look at the clock. 8:32. Ailish knows what she's talking about. "Is this the beginning of the end, then?" I ask her.

"Yeah." Seconds later, the basement door is flung open and the children come pouring out into the kitchen, greeting us both with excited cries of "Merry Christmas!"

We return the greeting and as everyone's about to head upstairs, Ailish calls out, "Callie, Jessie might be able to help you wake Danny. It'd probably be beneficial to have her by your side, yeah?"

She grins and nods and we bound upstairs and crash into Danny's room. He doesn't even stir, though we sound like a herd of elephants. "So how do we wake him up?" she asks me, putting her hands on her hips.