THE MAGIC OF CHRISTMAS

Fourteen.

18th of December 2013.
08:26pm.

Fredo entered the house with two big bags. One was a shopping bag,while the other one was a grocery bag. A delicious smell greeted his nose,so he knew where they were. Fredo dropped the bags on the u-shaped sofa,before going into the kitchen.

The sight of Kelsia chopping onions,while Kate poured macaroni into the steaming pot made him smile. They were both chatting animatedly. Seeing that he was not noticed,Fredo went back into the parlour.

It looked beautiful.

Six unopened box sat beneath the Christmas tree,which twinkled with many lights on it. It all felt Magical.

Fredo was afraid that he was dreaming and that when he wakes up,he would go back to his old miserable life. Deciding to change before announcing his presence to the ladies, he went upstairs to his room. Fredo froze when he entered his room.

Strings of lights hung from the ceiling,bathing the room in lights. Kissing boughs hung from the wall,a card sat on his night stand. It felt as if he just entered another room. Unable to speak,he went back downstairs. Kate was already setting the dining table when he found her.

"Mr. Oliveira. I had no idea that you're back." She said with a smile.

"Kate..." Kelsia, who was coming out of the kitchen, skipped to a halt at the sight of him. "Daddy."

Fredo cursed when he saw the fear in her eyes. "Call me Fredo,Kate."

"Then you must call me Kate too."

He nodded. "You and Kelsia did a good job." He smiled at Kelsia,who blinked like a deer caught in a headlight.

"Thank you." Kelsia smiled at him. "Have you seen the Christmas tree?" She asked shyly.

"No." He faked curiosity,just to get Kelsia to talk to him. "Where is it?"

"Come." Kelsia grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the parlour.

Fredo glanced at Kate who smiled back at him with approval. He felt as if he had just been handed a golden medal from that smile.

"Thank you." He mouthed at her.

Kate shook her head.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~

18th of December 2013.
11:04 pm.

Kate sat on the two-seater facing the TV,reached for the remote and switched it on. They were singing Christmas carols,which made her smile and lean into the chair.

After dinner,Fredo gave her a big bag which contained so many clothes,two pair of shoes and some underwear. What surprised her was that he got the accurate size for her.

He seemed to be full of surprises,because he went up theory minutes ago to put Kelsia to bed himself.

Surprising right?

"You're still awake?"

Kate startled at the voice of Fredo. She turned to see him standing beside the chair she was sitting on. She frowned. When did he get here?

"Yes. "She turned back to the TV to hide her pink face. Noelle came on next,making her smile.

Fredo joined her on the chair without waiting for an invitation. "Thank you."

Kate faced him. "For what?"

"Making Kelsia smile. For coming into our lives." He sighed. "I've never seen Kelsia look so happy as she did today."

"You don't need to thank me Fredo. You made her happy by Spending time with her and also agreeing to celebrate Christmas again. You did it."

"No. You did it." Fredo reached out a hand to push an errant strand of hair behind her ear. His fingers lingered on her face. "You came into our lives and changed it for the better. What are you?"

Kate rolled her eyes playfully. "An Alien."

The look in Fredo's eyes made her breath hitch in her throat. It was so hot that it was miracle she didn't melt right on the spot she was. His haze dropped to her slightly parted lips.

"I want to kiss you."

Carpe diem,Kate.

Kate leaned forward and touched her lips to his own. Fredo's arms encircled her waist and pulled her into his laps. The kiss started out slow and tentative. Fredo sucked on her bottom lip while she sucked on his upper lips. Someone groaned,Kate wasn't sure who did as sure as hell didn't care.

Kate angled her head to the side to deepen the kiss. Fredo seemed to get the hint, because too angled his head the other way and took the kiss deeper. Tongues tangled,lips danced as they both fought for dominance. Fredo's hand slipped under her sweater to cup her breast and mold it carefully with his palm.

Kate purred with pleasure when his thumb stroke her nipple.

"More." She breathed against his mouth.

Fredo broke the kiss briefly to pull her sweater and shirt off her in one sweet move,before capturing her mouth with his again. He cupped her breast,tearing his mouth from hers to nibble at her earlobe. Kate threw her head back with a moan when he lowered his mouth to her neck.

Fredo bit her gently but hard enough to make her purr like a cat. His mouth trailed the path down to the valley between her breast. He kissed the top of each mould, then blew a breath on her puckered nipple. Kate's shuddering made him pleased than anything.

"Fredo." She half-cried,half-pleaded.

He obliged her by taking a hard pink nipple into his mouth. Kate arched her back with a cry. She buried her fingers in his hair and held him to her breast.

Fredo suckled gently. Taking his time to savour her soft and sleek flesh. When he turned his attention to the other nipple,Kate moaned,grabbing his belt buckle.

Just as she unbuckle him and reached for his zipper,his phone began to shrill in his pocket.

"Ignore it." He murmured against her flesh.

Soon it stopped ringing and everything became silent. Kate tugged his zipper down when his ringtone filled the air again. Fredo swore and reached into his pocket with the aim of switching it off. The name displayed on the large screen had him hesitating.

He answered it. "Mary,what is it?"

"We just found a donor for Matthew."