justdidntseeit | [[ milliways, upstairs ]]

While Kate is out, and Boo is napping, Bill is taking a minute to adjust some of the decorations on the tree.

Specifically, the candy canes.

Several are finding their way higher up the branches, out of toddler-reaching-level.

Obviously this is because he's looking out for Boo and watching how much candy she eats, not because he's trying to claim them for himself.

She steps inside, pausing when she sees Bill's attempts at redecorating.

"Don't tell me we need another box already, sheriff."

His hand reaching for a candy cane shifts to the right, and he fiddles with a glass bobble instead.

Turning around he puts on his best confused look.

"Huh? I was just... some of these ornaments look crooked."

Her eyes cut from Bill to the tree and back, and she gives him a knowing smile.

(She'll let him get away with this, just like he's gotten away with eating at least three boxes of candy canes on his own in the last week.)

Stepping closer, "I know we said we'd celebrate in Wheelsy ... "

He turns away from the tree, smiling when he sees she's letting it go.

His smile turns warm and curious and he tilts his head.

"Yeah?"

Her smile grows softer -- almost shy, half-apologetic.

"I might've broken the rule."

"Kate," he admonishes teasingly.

Shaking his head at her, he leans back on his heels, glancing behind the tree before looking back at her.

"You're a bad influence, 'cause I might've broken it, too."

She puts a hand on her hip and arches an eyebrow.

"You know you didn't have to, sweetheart."

"You didn't have to, neither," he points out with a smirk.

"But I wanted to."

Shaking her head slightly at the pair they make, she heads for the bedroom to retrieve Bill's gift from the closet.

"Don't go anywhere," she teases over her shoulder.

He watches her go, then retrieves the gifts he has for her. One is the box he had so much trouble with, that she finally finished for him; it's cleverly stashed behind the tree.

The other is a longer box with a run wind set and small whistle inside amongst tissue paper. The box itself is decorated, which saved him from wrapping paper, but not tape.

This one he pulls out from underneath the couch, then takes a seat waiting for her.

She returns with two boxes wrapped in shiny green paper, stacked together and secured with wide red ribbon. The bottom box, the larger of the two, is more square than rectangular; the smaller box is rectangular.

Carefully cradling the gifts in her arms, she moves toward the couch.

"Okay," she says, setting the stack on a cushion, "this isn't just a Christmas-in-Milliways present. It's something you could use at work, too."

She's hoping he likes the stainless steel coffeemaker and the accompanying grinder; if he'd rather keep his old coffee pot in his kitchen at home, she figures the two can double as a gift for him and the department.

He smiles when he sees the boxes, and at her words.

Holding her gifts out to her, he pulls his own close.

"No pink or kitties, right?"

"Nope," she says, fighting a grin as she takes the presents from him.

"Just your very own full-size Tom Brady cut-out."

"Oh good, I can get in some target practice," he drawls, tugging on the ribbon.

He gets to two packages separated, and opens the larger one first.

"Wow."

Grinning when he sees the box, he removes the rest of the paper and looks it over.

"It's a coffee maker."

A very nice (hopefully uncomplicated) coffee maker.

Letting the Brady slight slide, her fingers pause on the impressive tape job and she glances up, giving him a hopeful smile.

"Is that okay? If you don't want to replace yours, I thought you could take it to the office, donate it to the department?"

Looking over the back of the box, he smirks.

"The department can have my old one. This is great, Kate. Thank you."

Waiting before opening the second box, he watches her with her gift.

She chuckles and turns her attention to the box on her lap.

Once the sides are free of tape, she lifts the lid and rummages through the tissue paper.

"Oh -- "

Her fingers brush the soft fabric of the jacket and the track pants, and she unfolds them, her smile widening.

"For a second, I thought I'd find lingerie in here," she teases him.

"Bill, these're perfect. Thank you."

She stands to shrug on the jacket, and the whistle rolls onto the floor.

He lets out a short laugh, no way was he going to ask Bar for lingerie.

Watching her get up, he sets the coffee maker on the cushion beside him.

"Are the colors alright? 'Cause you can trade 'em if you want."

He was thinking of Stanford colors (and almost went with a Stanford sweatsuit) when he picked out the red jacket and black pants. Luckily, Bar at least helped with the fitting, so it should be all right.

When the whistle falls, he bends to pick it up.

"They're great -- I love them."

She slips the jacket over her fitted button-down and smooths her hands down to its hem.

"Perfect."

Glancing up, she reaches for the whistle in his hand before her eyes move to his face in mild confusion.

"A whistle?"

His grin falters a tiny bit, and it's a little embarrassed, even while there's a serious undertone to it.

"For bunnies."

He takes his hand back, and shrugs a shoulder.

"I dunno if it'll scare 'em off, but it might at least get you some help if you needed it."

Bunnies are the specific worry, but he knows well enough that there are other things, and people, she could run into outside.

"Oh," she says with a small nod, her fingers curling around the cylinder.

Her lips curve upward; taking a step closer, she leans down to kiss his forehead.

"Do you know how adorable you are?"

"Adorable?"

He tries to laugh it off, but it comes out more like an embarrassed chuckle as he bows his head.

"I'm glad y'like it."

"I do," she says into his hair, nodding once before stepping back and removing the jacket.

(She pushes down the realization that she won't need the whistle to guard against demon bunnies on her morning runs for much longer; she and Bill will be leaving the bar soon enough so he can get back to work.)

Reclaiming a seat on the couch, she reaches for the smaller box -- the one she wrapped a couple of days ago.

After she sits, he turns his attention to the other gift he has, and starts to unwrap it.

The coffee grinder gets a wide smile and he looks over at her.

"Thanks, Kate. You're gonna have t'help me pick out somethin' good for this, now."

He's lived on Folgers for forever, and has left the coffee mostly to her since they've started living together; quickly learning that she has good taste when it comes to such things.

"Bar has a bag of Guatemalan whole-bean on hold for you downstairs," she says with a light laugh, tearing away the last of the green and gold wrapping paper.

"And a couple of different syrups, if you want them."

Opening the box, she lifts out a beautifully packaged bar of soap.

"Mmm," she says in clear approval as rosemary and lavender fills her nose.

She glances at the scented candles nestled in the box.

"Did you pick these out yourself, sheriff?"

"Great."

He sets the grinder aside with the coffee maker, and turns his attention to her.

"Yeah, I did," said with a proud smile after seeing her approval. "A lady here makes 'em, and she was sellin' things downstairs."

Tilting his head slightly, he tries to recall what Zhaan had said.

"They're good for relaxin', an' thinkin'."

She puts down the soap in favor of a candle, turning it in her hand as she admires it.

"I could definitely use some help with both of those," she says with a soft huff of a laugh.

"Really, sweetheart, these are gorgeous gifts -- thank you."

"You're welcome."

He smiles, gathering up the wrapping paper.

"Glad I went ahead an' broke the rule."

Her cheeks warm and she sets aside her gifts to help with the clean-up effort.

"Me, too."

A beat.

"That I did, too."

Offering to take any trash from her, he stands in front of her.

"The gifts were great. I think this turned out as a real good Christmas."

"It did. But -- "

She smirks up at him as she steps close, then closer, to press a crumpled ball of wrapping paper into his hands.

"We'll do it all over again in a few months in South Carolina. For real."

Smiling wide at the thought of another Christmas, and going home, he nods.

"Sounds like a great plan. 'Specially if it means I get more presents."

She places her fingertips on his stomach and gives him a gentle, playful push.

"You're just holding out for that Brady cut-out."

That gets a laugh, and he shakes his head at her.

"You think you're funny, but just wait. It's gonna be an all Colts Christmas for you now."

Oh-so-smug, "Only because you want to see me in a jersey."

"Could be."

With a smirk, he takes the papers to the trashcan in the kitchen.

She watches him go, cheeks hot and a silly, helpless smile gracing her mouth.

Merry Milliways Christmas, she thinks to herself, glancing at the tree and the ridiculous number of gifts Boo had gleefully unwrapped.

Letting out a soft, silent sigh of contentment, she pockets the whistle and gathers the rest of her presents to put away.

[[ milliways, upstairs ]]

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