The cold woke Georgie and she reached out.  Finding Robert's warm body, she moved closer so she could snuggle against his back.  As soon as he felt her, he rolled over and wrapped his arms around her.  She sighed deeply, burrowing against him and he pulled the blankets tighter around her to help warm her.

Even though it was early, she knew it was almost time for her alarm to go off.  She sighed again, thinking about what the day had in store for her.  She’d give anything to be able to stay here in her warm bed, wrapped up with Robert. 

“Good morning, Georgie.  Did ya sleep well last night?” he asked, his deep voice soft in their small apartment.

“Yes, very well,” she replied quietly.  “What about you?  Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah.”  She could tell by the tone of his voice, he’d guessed she hadn’t told the truth.  “What’s the matter Georgie?” he asked gently, and she couldn’t help sighing again.

“I’m worried about my exam.  What if I don’t pass it?”  As the school term had progressed, she’d found the coursework had gotten progressively harder.  It was the first time in her life she was facing what every other student was used to; exam jitters and the stress of a heavy study load. 

“You’ve been studying so hard.  I know you’ll do well,” he reassured her, and kissed the top of her head.

“I wish I could believe that.  I just don’t want to be a failure,” she added miserably.

“Listen to me, Georgie,” he said, moving back and lifting her chin so he could look in her eyes.  “You will never be a failure, and you especially won’t fail at school,” he added firmly.  “I don’t know anyone who works as hard as you, yeah?”  The earnest way he was looking at her, made her feel better.

“I guess so.” 

Before she could say more, he smiled and said, “Y’know, after your exam, it’s the start of the Christmas break and you still haven’t told me what you want.”  He finished by kissing the tip of her nose.

She started running his fingers through his curls while she thought.  Every time he’d asked her, she hadn’t been able to think of anything.  She already had everything she could ever want.  She was free and living with the boy she loved more than anything.  But as she considered it again, an answer suddenly came to her.

“I know what I want for Christmas,” she said, smiling up at him.

 “What’s that?”

“I want to wake up on Christmas morning in your arms.”  Robert looked confused. 

“That’s all you want?”  She got up on her elbow. 

“That’s all I’ve ever wanted,” she said soberly, and then kissed him.  He slipped his fingers in her hair as he returned the kiss, his lips soft and the stubble on his upper lip rough.  When she released him, his eyes were soft.

“But – you wake up with me every morning.”

“I know.  But Christmas presents are supposed to be something that makes you truly happy, and – that’s all I need to be truly happy.”

A look crossed his face and he pulled her close for a tight hug.  Lying against his warm body, she could feel his heart beating against her and his chest moving as he breathed deeply. 

“I reckon I can manage that,” he said, his voice rougher. 

She smiled against him, but a tear escaped as her love for him overwhelmed her.  The moment was broken by her alarm going off.  She sighed again when he released her and she reached over to turn it off. 

“Why don’t you get ready, and I’ll make you a proper breakfast, yeah?”

“Okay,” she said, reluctantly pulling off the warm blankets.

For Robert, the school term had ended the day before.  Georgie wished hers was finished as well.  The anxiety over her upcoming exam was giving her butterflies as she went to their tiny bathroom to shower.  While the hot water warmed her body, she tried to make herself feel better by focusing on how she and Robert were going to spend the next few days.

They’d both been so busy, they hadn’t had a chance to do much of anything to prepare for the holiday other than bake some Christmas cookies for Grandma May and Marianne.  They’d been shipped off already, along with scarves knit by Georgie.  To save money, they'd decided to give home baked cookies and scarves to everyone in the family. 

Georgie grinned when she thought about the broad hints she'd dropped to Robert to let him guess she was giving him a scarf as well, but that wasn’t his real gift.  She’d decided to use some of her money to get him something special, something she knew would make him truly happy; an electronic keyboard. 

Not long after they’d been released, he’d sold all his band equipment to help pay for their expenses.  Since he had no plans to return to the band, it hadn’t seemed like a big deal, especially when they lived at his parent's home where he had access to the family piano.  But now she could see how much he missed not being able to play.  He played the piano at school when he could reserve one, but it wasn’t often enough for someone who loved music as much as he did. 

She was determined to keep it a surprise until the last minute, but wasn’t easy when the keyboard she’d chosen was as wide as the keyboard on his family’s piano.  Too large to hide in their small apartment, she’d had to come up with a solution. Enlisting Betsy and Darrell’s help, she’d managed to slip away, saying she was studying with friends.  They’d driven her to the store and then taken the keyboard to hide at their apartment.  Turning off the water, she considered the problem she faced now; how to get it into the apartment and under the tree without Robert noticing. 

After she was dressed in a thick sweater and her skinny jeans, she and Robert sat down to a hearty breakfast of fried eggs, sausages, beans and fried tomatoes.  Then he drove her to the university so she wouldn’t have to take the bus, giving her more time for last minute studying. 

She was glad to see her friends were just as nervous about the exam as she was.  It was nice to know she wasn’t the only one worried about failing.  After it was over, she breathed a big sigh of relief and left with a smile, wishing a happy holiday break to everyone.  On the bus ride home, she pulled out her knitting, finally able to feel excited about celebrating Christmas with Robert. 

When she unlocked and opened the door to the apartment she could scarcely believe what she was seeing.  A small Christmas tree was set in front of the big window overlooking the courtyard.  Boxes of lights and Christmas ornaments were arranged like presents on top of a bed sheet wrapped around its trunk for a tree skirt.  She closed the door and dropped her backpack on the floor just as Robert stepped into view, his face full of emotion.

“Robert?” she said, tears springing to her eyes.

“I hope you like it,” he said, his voice rough. 

“Of course I do,” she said, going to him while quickly wiping her eyes.

He gave her a tight hug, then helped her take off her jacket, the seriousness of his expression letting her know this was more than just a simple gesture.

“I want to make this Christmas just as special – no, more special than last year’s, yeah?  This is what last year’s Christmas should’ve been.  This is the Christmas I want us to remember, yeah?” 

She was touched, knowing what he meant.  One year ago when they were still prisoners, he’d somehow managed to surprise her on Christmas Eve with a tree, ornaments, and lights just like this.  It had been the kindest and most caring thing anyone had done for her in a very long time.  Thinking back on it, she was still overwhelmed by the depth of his love for her.  It had been a magical night, one she thought about often, but she understood why Robert wanted to replace it with new memories.  They’d been made to pay dearly for that special Christmas.

Placing her hands on Robert’s cheeks, she kissed him.  “Don’t worry, Robert,” she whispered, looking into his pretty brown eyes.  “This already is the most special Christmas.”  He pulled her into another tight hug and she squeezed him as hard as she could, feeling safe and loved in his strong arms. 

When he finally let go, he laughed while wiping his eyes, saying, “We have a tree that needs some attention, I reckon.”

By time they were finished stringing the lights and hanging the ornaments, the late afternoon sky was dark.  Georgie turned out the lights so the small apartment was bathed in the soft glow from the tree.  They looked at it while they held each other.  In the quiet, peaceful moment, Georgie didn't know when she'd ever felt happier. 

“It’s so beautiful,” she whispered.

“Yeah, it is,” he replied, rubbing her back.  Then her stomach grumbled and he let go of her, saying, “It’s time to start your dinner.  I can’t have you going hungry.” 

“Okay,” she said.

She couldn’t help feeling disappointed the magic of the moment had been broken, but when he began pulling things out of the fridge, she realized he was preparing an exact replica of the dinner he’d made for her on Christmas day a year ago, spaghetti and garlic bread, and she felt overwhelmed again, realizing how much thought he’d put into tonight.

Sitting at their little table to eat, with the soft lights of the tree illuminating the room, she reached across to take Robert’s hand. 

“Thank you,” she said, and blinked back tears.  “You’ve made me so happy.”

“You’ve made me happy too.” he said, smiling with his eyes full of love.