Vin Tanner sighed happily, snuggling against the warm body at his back. Curled up behind him on the couch, he felt Chris Larabee hug him close, the man's muscular arm wrapped around his chest. The blond nuzzled the auburn curls, delivering a gentle kiss on the head tucked in against him. The two men lay on the couch, wrapped beneath the quilt that Vin prized over almost any other of his few possessions. The only light in the room came from the fireplace and the tiny lights on the Christmas tree. The rest of the room was filled with comforting shadows and the echoes of just a few hours ago...

The rest of team seven, along with the Travis family, Casey and Nettie Wells, Raine Jackson, Maude Standish, and Inez Reccillos, had been crowded together in the big den. Gifts had been exchanged, food consumed, and the afternoon passed in friendship and joy.

As evening approached, Christmas Eve, the others left for their own homes, calling out wishes for happy holidays to the two men. Finally closing the door against the frigid air, Chris turned to wrap his arms around his young lover. Pulling Vin into his embrace, he said with a wicked grin, "I thought they'd never leave."

"Why Mr. Larabee," Vin feigned a shocked look and an innocent voice, "whatever have you got in mind?"

Nipping at the pouting lips, Chris waggled his eyebrows and said, "thought maybe we could work off some of Nettie's cooking."

Tanner grinned now, and pulled his partner after him as he walked toward the bedroom. The two men spent a heady time loving one another, only stopping when their bodies could endure no more. They drifted off to sleep in one another's arms.

Waking to find himself still snuggled against the older man's broad chest, Vin smiled as the days events came back to him in a chorus of happy memories. Then he found himself struggling to hold other memories at bay... memories that threatened to tarnish his first Christmas with Chris. With a soft, pain-filled sigh, he slipped quietly from the bed. Wrapping himself in the quilt Nettie had given him for his birthday back in May, he padded quietly back into the den.

The room was warmed by the fire, and he dropped the quilt to the couch as he moved around the room picking up discarded wrapping paper and empty glasses. Action helped him push back the old memories, while touching the physical reminders of the day helped revive the new memories. By the time he had put the room back in order, his smile had returned.

"What are you doing?"

Vin jumped at the quiet voice, turning to find Chris leaning against the open doorway. "Y' scared th' shit outta me, Larabee."

Smiling, the blond said, "sorry. I'll whistle next time." He came to stand next to his lover, wrapping the lean body in his arms once again. "Not that I mind you doing all the work, but this could have waited until morning."

"Figured might as well take care of it now," Vin shrugged.

"Mmm, kind of like that idea... then we can spend all day in bed," Larabee grinned. Then the grin faded as he caught a hint of something in his lover's blue eyes. "You okay?"

"Fine," Tanner smiled, but couldn't hide the shadow of his thoughts from his partner.

Crooking a finger beneath the square chin, Chris lifted the elfin face up to look deeply into the man's breathtakingly handsome face. Studying what he saw there for a few moments, he finally whispered, "you've been remembering again, haven't you?"

Ducking his head, the smaller man said, "couldn't help it. It's okay, Chris, I'm fine. Just a little... what's Ezra say? Oh yeah... melon-collie," he managed a grin as he intentionally mispronounced the word.

Returning the smile briefly, Larabee ducked his head and kissed the broad lips. He held his lover close, feeling the other man's heartbeat against his own chest. For several moments they simply held onto one another, each enjoying the feel of the other man against him. Finally breaking off the embrace, he coaxed the shaggy head to rest against his shoulder. Keeping one arm around the slender waist, he ran the fingers of the other through the loose chestnut curls. Despite the happiness, he felt his heart ache at the thought that this was one of the few holidays Vin had been able to celebrate happily. While the loss of his little family brought with it his own personal pain, he had a wealth of happy memories to draw upon. That Vin was only now building a store of those memories saddened the hard-edged agent.

"I wish I could - " he began.

Vin lifted his hand to the other man's lips, pressing them gently closed. "Don't Chris. I know how y' feel, and I know y'd like t' make it better. Thing is, there ain't a damn thing y' c'n do. The past is what it is, 'n reckon it made me who I am."

"Can't be all bad, then," Larabee replied. He snuggled against the smaller man, enjoying the feel of the whip-thin body in his arms and the musky smell of his partner as he curled against him.

Brushing light kisses across the other man's chest and shoulder, Vin said, "reckon I can't say I got many regrets if what came before brought me here."

"Regrets or not, you know I'm right here for you if you want to talk about any of it."

Hugging his partner, the younger man said, "thanks, I appreciate it... but not tonight. No matter what happened before, I ain't gonna ruin this night. Y' made this about th' most special time I could ever wish for... can't tell y' how much it means t' me, bein' here, with you... couldn't ask for nothin' better."

"Well, if I can't make the past memories go away, at least I can make some good memories for later."

"Y' done that all ready," Vin chuckled, then peppered the man's strong neck with hot kisses.

"Mmm, goes both ways," Chris growled. Pulling away, he led Vin to the couch, and they curled up together on the couch, wrapped up in the warmth of both Nettie's quilt and the feelings they shared. There was no need for words now, and both men lay quietly, enjoying the flickering lights of the tree, the crackling of the fire, and the comfort of being together.

END