Giles opened the oven and peered in at the roasting turkey, then basted it with a mixture of orange juice, herbs and butter. As the wonderful scent hit him, he smiled and straightened back up. Taking the oven mitts from his hands, he turned to the island in the center of the kitchen and returned to chopping various vegetables to be roasted.
A noise from the doorway drew his attention and he smiled at his lover.
"Sure I can't help?"
Considering she burned water, they were both better off with her over there, leaning against the jamb, drinking a glass of chablis.
"No thank you. I have everything under control."
Cordelia's smile held just a hint of knowing--she was the first to admit she was a disaster in the kitchen. "Table's all set. Do you have any Christmas cds that aren't Gregorian chants or music from that dimension where Santa's a demon?"
"Santa's a demon in all dimensions, and, yes, Dawn feared I was moldering and bought me one from someone called The Barenaked Ladies. It's at the back of the music cabinet."
Chuckling at the face he was making, Cordelia went to find the cd. The sound of Jingle Bells filled the flat, and she danced over to the tree to plug in the cord and surreptitiously check out the gifts beneath it. Several boxes from Harrods. Giles knew her too well and since she'd come back to life and found her way into his life, he'd taken to pampering her.
She didn't mind.
As she turned back to the kitchen, something caught her eye at the window behind the tree, and she peered around the obstacle, then smiled even wider.
Fat white snowflakes were drifting through the gray London sky. As a California girl born and bred she had a child's appreciation for snow at Christmas time and stood there watching it until Giles called her to the table.
Later, after a scrumptious dinner, they sat on a sofa before a low-burning fire, watching the snow fall, and opening presents. Giles had gotten her several lovely items from Harrods-- including a lacy, sheer, black bit of nothing she'd model for him later--and she'd gotten him the traditional tie and the not-so-traditional book on demons she'd found on the inter- dimensional eBay site.
Snuggling against him, she pressed a kiss to his cheek, then moaned as he turned and captured her lips.
Neither had any clue how or why this had happened between them, but neither minded in the least.
Cordelia decided the black lacy thing could wait, and dragged him to the rug before the fire.
End