DISCLAIMER: Blade: The Series and its characters are the property of Spike TV, New Line Cinema and Marvel Comics . No infringement intended.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
Tis the Season
By Juri
"I can't believe you're really making me do this," Krista grumbled, expression dangerously close to a pout. Grinning, her blonde companion didn't look up from her project, tip of her tongue poking out of the corner of her mouth in concentration.
"I would have thought this type of thing would be right up your alley," Chase replied, frowning as her fingers slipped from their delicate work and the sharp point of her sewing needle pierced the pad of her index finger. Give her a gun or a blade, and she could tear apart an army singlehandedly; a simple needle and thread had proved quite the challenge since her… accident. Shaking her head to clear away what could become a very bad mood, she continued her work; better to focus on the here and now.
"What exactly about being career military leads you to believe I do things like this?" Krista asked, incredulous even as her eyes locked onto the end of Chase's finger. Pupils dilated as a single drop of crimson formed, and slowly ran down pale skin.
"You're a goody-two-shoes, darling, and it doesn't get more disgustingly goody-goody than this," the older vampire said reasonably, absently sucking the blood from her digit and returning to her toil.
"There, all done," she announced proudly after another moment of work. Finally looking up, she smirked saucily and lifted her still bleeding finger. "Oh, I'm sorry; did you want some?"
"I hate you," the brunette growled unconvincingly, unable to stop herself from swaying momentarily in the direction of the offering.
"If by hate, you mean desire desperately, then, I suppose you do…" Chase teased, snapping her fingers, snorting when a drop of blood landed on Krista's cheek. Shaking visibly with the effort to resist touching the warm fluid making its way down her face, the ex-soldier closed her eyes.
"The two are not mutually exclusive," she allowed, mentally counting to ten. "Now clean up my face."
"I do love it when you're assertive."
"Bah, humbug."
Snatching up a scrap of cloth, Chase stalked over to her companion, not-so-gently shoving the taller woman onto the couch. "Chassssse…" Krista warned, sighing a long suffering sigh.
"Krissssta," Chase mocked, dropping into the seated woman's lap and, with a softness that went against her well earned reputation, wiped away the slowly drying stain.
"Good girl," Krista said. "Now let's get this over with."
"But you smell so good…" the blonde hummed, nuzzling the other woman's neck. "Can't we have some fun first?"
"Chase. Don't make me regret agreeing to chaperone you tonight."
"All right, all right, I'll behave. Wouldn't want Mama Bear, or, heaven forbid, Big Brother, to get upset."
"Chase…"
The smaller vampire sighed, head lulling back in annoyance. "I promised to be good. Doesn't that mean I should be rewarded, instead of chastised?" she all but whined.
"I suppose," Krista agreed begrudgingly. Smiling slowly, she reached off to the side, pulling a previously hidden piece of foliage from the end table and bringing it over their heads. "How's this?"
Purring, Chase moved forward immediately, latching onto the dark haired woman's throat and drinking deeply. Biting back a moan, Krista tossed the now useless mistletoe aside, wrapping both arms around her lover's shoulders, pulling her closer. "Try to leave me… enough to function, huh?" she murmured, running her fingers through soft, platinum hair.
Pulling back after long moments, it was Chase's turn to sigh. "Of course; it would be rather odd if Santa ate the children that came to see her, wouldn't it?" she asked, using the cloth to clean off the already healing wound.
With a chuckle, Krista motioned the other woman to hand her the remaining pieces of her outfit. "Ho, ho, ho."
Reaching back blindly, the blonde grabbed the last two items to the costume. Quickly affixing the beard, she took her time adjusting the hat, wanting just the right angle. An almost tender look entered her blue eyes as she pulled back to get a proper look. "I thought you would enjoy spreading Christmas cheer and all that other silly mortal fluff. I… I'm trying," she whispered, gazed fixed on the perfect row of almost invisible white stitches along the brim of the hat.
"I know. And you're doing just fine. See, being a good guy isn't so bad, right?" Their eyes met, and Krista smiled encouragingly.
"It's boring," the shorter woman insisted, frowning. "Though, I do like children…" At her lover's raised eyebrow, she hastened to add, "As more than bite-sized snacks, I promise! But if you repeat it, I will deny it to the urn."
"I won't tell a soul."
They sat together in silence for long moments, enjoying the closeness of the moment. Soon, there would be screaming children and annoying parents, and camera flashes, and sticky hands, but for the moment, it was just them. Despite the Chase's decision to turn over a leaf, necessitated by her desire to stay alive, and Krista's surprising acceptance of her into the lighter side of the force, they rarely, if ever managed to get along for more than a few minutes at a time. Becoming lovers didn't change that, and any moments of peace they could find in each other were, secretly, treasured. Neither woman would admit it, but the quiet time they spent together was precious.
"Ready to go, Santa?" the smaller woman asked after a time, pulling back and batting her eyelashes winningly.
"Yadda yadda yadda," the dark haired woman grumbled. "You did this to annoy me, admit it."
"Moi? Why ever would you think that? You said that being a 'good guy' meant helping others… well, you can help soooo many children tonight by bringing their little imaginations to life."
"How did you even manage to sign me up to be a mall Santa?"
Instead of answering, the blonde grinned cheekily and stood, brushing imaginary dust from her red velvet dress. "Merry Christmas."
The End