Her father sent her a holiday care package last week, which included an emulator program and a bunch of video games from the ancient, ancient, mega-stupid ancient period known as the "late eighties and early nineties". Some of them were pretty enjoyable, others she could totally take or leave, but there was this one game that taunted and infuriated her. She swore she'd just give up, and yet found she couldn't. She wasn't about to let some played-out, 8-bit piece of bullcrap beat her! She was Mad Maxima, and video games were her thing, damnit!

Okay, maybe she wasn't super hardcore into it, but she could hold her own in Super Smash Brothers and Mario Cart, at the very least. But this...this thing she was playing now….

"Battletoads." she hissed with spite. "I wish I never heard of Battletoads. I can't believe you actually enjoyed this shit, Dad. Goddamn, but it explains so much about what's wrong with Gen X'ers!"

Max glumly rose up, stalked over to her bed, and picked up her controller, ready to make attempt number sixty-three at beating the infamously horrific speeder bike level.

Face it, Max. You only keep doing this because you've developed a weird girl-boner for the Dark Queen. Swear, I'm gonna get to the end of this game, just so I can kick her ass for using my own hormones against me!

And thus began Max's winter break. Given the insane intensity of the autumn, she couldn't think of anything better than spending her vacation sleeping in late, taking pictures, and wasting time on her computer. The events of that one particular week in October had left their mark; Max clung to normality as her way of coping. Her time powers disappeared completely the moment she and Chloe brought Rachel's killer to justice at last, and she was filled with wonder at having somehow been chosen to deliver karmic retribution from beyond the grave.

She couldn't help but feel just a little bit smaller, ever since. Like her life had peaked far too soon.

I'll deal with that in the Spring, I guess. I'll have to start thinking about college, if nothing else.

Today was Christmas Eve. The first one she'd ever spent alone.

Before she could continue her game, a knock came from her door. She jumped with a start; to the best of her knowledge, she was supposed to be the only person staying in the girls dorm over the winter break. So who the heck could it be?

Even Samuel took off for the holidays.

Max was immediately elated at who was on the other side. Also, instantly regretting that all she was wearing was an oversized N7 t-shirt, panties and cotton socks.

"Kate? Oh...wow! Hi!"

She couldn't believe it. She hadn't seen her friend since that day in the hospital. After her parents came to collect her, Kate took the rest of the semester off. The assumption was that she'd come back to school - eventually. Maybe. Once she recovered enough.

They'd kept mostly in touch, on and off, since that day. It sounded like Kate was doing her best to try and mend fences with her family, to recover from the cruel slings and arrows life had seen fit to send her way. When Max hadn't heard from her in the past few weeks, she assumed she'd just gotten busy with the usual holiday rush.

Kate looked amazing - at least as far as Max was concerned. She had grown out her dirty blonde hair, which was now done up in a plait down the back. It took Max a moment to realize it was styled to look exactly like Elsa's from Frozen, which she'd just caught in the theater a couple days ago.

And loved. Of course.

Kate wore a soft, easy smile on her lips, along with a pair of comfy blue jeans, and a t-shirt with a grey silk blouse over it. A glint of gold came from the cross still resting upon her chest.

Nice to see some things haven't changed. Although there's something about the way she's carrying herself. A little less shy, a bit more certain. Are you finally starting to get over the shit that happened, what that asshole Nate did? Good for you!

Brushing back a few errant bangs from the front of her face, Kate said, "Max! Hi. I hope you don't mind me bothering you. I just arrived, and I thought I was all alone, until I heard...um." She blushed, before continuing. "Screaming, and cursing. Then I realized it was you. Are you okay?"

Max laughed, and immediately gathered the other girl into a tight hug. "Oh. That! Ha. Sorry. Banging my head against ancient torture devices of the middle ages, A.K.A. old-school Nintendo games. Sorry, I thought no one was around, so I wouldn't have to check myself. I promise to keep it down to a dull roar now."

Kate smiled and said, "You don't have to censor yourself for me. I'm just….I'm really happy to see you. I wasn't looking forward to spending Christmas all by myself here at school so…" she let the statement die off, a shy, sad smile on her lips.

Oh boy. There's a story here.

"Hey! Let me get dressed and...ugh. I could probably use a shower, too. You want me to come by your room?" Max asked.

"Sure! You can help me with the baking." Kate offered.

"Baking? How the heck are you doing that? We don't have a kitchen in the dorm."

Kate smiled mischievously. "I might have snuck a toaster oven into my room, to go along with the mini-fridge. I'm hoping I can adjust some of my recipes accordingly."

Max mock-gasped. "Oh Kate. A toaster oven? In clear defiance of school rules!? Sinner! Sinner!" she poked Kate's sides playfully, and then stopped. She bit her lip, and groaned. "S-sorry. That was over the top. I've really lost control of my mouth lately."

But Kate was giggling softly. "It's okay, Max. Really. Go and take your shower. I'll see you soon." She waved at her, with just the tips of her fingers, and then turned, walking down the hallway, back towards her room.

Max was soon in the bathroom, washing up, sighing softly under the hot jets of water, eternally grateful that the heater was left on for her. She scrubbed as quickly as possible, eager to catch up with her friend.

What an awesome surprise! I guess she's coming back to school now? I wonder what she's been up to, how she's doing. I mean, we chatted by email and Facebook, but...it's not the same as actually talking to someone.

With a significant spring in her step, Max started to throw on some ratty jeans and yesterday's t-shirt. Then paused and considered.

Nah. Let's put some effort into this, Max. Kate definitely rates more than your vacation slob routine.

She slipped into a pair of skinny jeans, pairing it with a pink silk cheongsam type blouse she'd gotten from her Mom as a birthday gift back in September. Shot through with images of cherry blossoms, it was dressier than she usually wore, and thus remained banished to her closet, awaiting the right opportunity to come out.

Walking over, and finding the door ajar, she let herself into Kate's dorm room. Fortunately it looked like the school let her keep her stuff stored there, not bothering to reassign the room to another student in the intervening months after October. Kate was hard at work, sitting on her bed as she worked on blending the cookie dough in a mixing bowl.

Waving over to her, Max smiled, and then bounced over towards the animal cage. "Alice! You came back! We all missed you! And you brought Kate too. Good girl!" This prompted another laugh from Kate.

"Can I help with anything?" Max offered.

"Sure! My arms are getting tired, and this still needs work." Kate replied, handing over the mixing bowl.

Getting straight to work, Max continued, "So! You're back! Er...I mean. obviously. But I kind of figured I wouldn't see you until school started up again so. Umm," She paused, and then came right out with it. "Everything okay? Back at home? You didn't talk much about what was going on with that, when we'd chat online."

Kate busied herself by refilling Alice's food dish. She spoke in a soft voice. "Things are - well - they're getting better. But they're not quite where I wish they were." She gave a single, heavy sigh, before continuing. "Forgiveness is a, I mean, it should be such a simple thing, right? Jesus talks about how important it is. In my brain, it seems obvious. In my heart? It's...significantly harder. But I suppose if it were an easy feat, the world would be a much different place."

Max stirred in silence for a few seconds, before she breathed out. "That bad, huh?"

"Oh, I don't know about bad. My father and I, we've never been closer. Things are good with my sisters, too. But my mother…" Kate turned back around at last, a sad, distant look in her eyes as she drifted towards the toaster oven. "I'm trying. She's trying. It's all been - very, very trying." She gave a half-hearted chuckle at this.

"Honestly, Kate? I'd be more worried if you thought everyone was perfectly okay." Max began. "Don't mean to rub salt in the wound, but you were violated. Maybe you weren't outright raped, but close enough. And your mom jumped to conclusions, thought the worst of you. Maybe I'm not intimately familiar with the Bible, but I seem to remember there was a big thing in it about not unfairly judging people. No offense, but it seems if that was a test, your mom failed it."

Kate shrugged, as she turned the knobs, pre-heating the tiny oven. "We're only human, Max. By that token, it's not my place to judge my mother. I'm doing my best to be sympathetic. To understand her initial disappointment. Her jumping to conclusions, and her…." she stopped short, and swallowed hard. Max couldn't help but take note of the faraway look in the other girl's eyes.

"I'm trying to let go of the anger. I wish it were easier. And I think maybe there's some guilt she's carrying. If she fully apologizes, then she has to turn and face it." Kate shrugged, and then quickly wiped her eyes, willing a smile to her lips. "I've spent the last couple of months trying to better understand the nature of forgiveness. Reading and re-reading the Bible, hoping it might provide me an epiphany. About a month ago, a friend of mine gave me a copy of the teachings of the Buddha."

"Oh." was all Max could said. But her mind was already racing in all the different ways this might have played out.

"Oh?" Kate said with a smile.

"I mean, I just figured you already had your particular brand of religion all picked out, and settled on."

Laughing lightly, Kate shook her head. "I have. Nothing's changed. I still follow Christ. But Buddhism has really impressed me. I see so much of Him in Siddhartha's life, experiences, and teachings. There's no reason that God couldn't have touched the heart of the Buddha. It's much more about philosophy than belief, so I don't see a problem. I've even tried meditating, as a way to find some peace. A way to cultivate a more forgiving heart. Lay the rest of my anger towards my mother down at last. And I found out that I like it Max. I like it a lot. I feel like it helps put my mind at ease. It brings me closer to the person that Jesus wants me to be, I think."

"Ohhhh." Max drawled. "Something tells me it caused other problems though?"

Shaking her head, Kate said, "Sort of. My mother walked into my room last week, while I was meditating. Um." she bit her bottom lip and said, "It didn't go well. I tried to have a discussion with her about it but," She breathed in hard through her nose, slowly shaking her head. "It was like she'd been looking for a reason to justify all of the things she said to me back in October. An excuse. And I'd apparently given her one at last. A couple days later, I got in touch with Blackwell about spending the rest of my winter break here, instead."

Max stood up from the bed, walking over to her friend. Putting the mixing bowl down, she reached over, hugging Kate's side. "I'm sorry. Really. I was hoping things were finally getting better."

Kate leaned in, closing her eyes and smiling, clearly drawing comfort from the contact. "Don't be sorry. I'm not. I still love my family, Max. And I know they still love me. But I'm my own person. As horrible as everything was that happened, the way that Nathan and Mark Jefferson took advantage of me, what they all drove me towards." She lowered herself down onto the floor, taking Max with her, content to let herself be cradled. "I came away stronger for it. I'm learning to be my own person. God was testing me then. He still is now. And he's sent me such wonderful friends to help me carrying the burden."

Max blushed lightly, as Kate gave her a meaningful look. She squeezed her softly, and then said, "Kate...I….of course. You know I would do anything for my friends. Especially for you! I'm just so glad you - that you didn't…"

She couldn't bring herself to finish her statement.

Kate gave a look of her own, and whispered. "You gave me strength, Max. You helped me through the worst of...of a madness! I needed an angel, and God sent me one." She blinked, and then blushed, as if having let something slip she didn't intend. "I should probably get the cookies in the oven." she said, gently disengaging herself, and quickly laying out dollops of batter on a small tray.

As the cookies baked, Max and Kate made small talk, about what they'd been up to in the months since they'd last seen each other.

"If you don't find it strange, me asking, where's Chloe? I just, well, figured the two of you would be spending Christmas together." Kate asked.

Max gave her a curious look. "Oh? Well no, Chloe's actually taking a trip with her mom and stepdad. They've been patching things up, too. For all the bad shit that went down with Jefferson, and what happened with poor Rachel Amber, the good was that it brought them all closer together. So they went to California. I think Chloe's gonna look at some colleges there. She already got her GED right before she left, like it wasn't even anything. She's - yeah. Getting her life back together. I'm so, so proud of her!"

Kate nodded once, as she warmed up an electric kettle for tea. Her head bowed slightly, she murmured, "Oh that's really is great news. Still, I'm surprised you didn't go along. I mean, you didn't even tell me why you're still here, and not back in Seattle?"

"Oh yeah. That. Mom and Dad? They had this second honeymoon to Tahiti planned out a couple years ago, and there wasn't room for this girl to tag along." she jerked a thumb back at her chest. "So I stayed here. I wanted to spend more time in Arcadia Bay anyway. I haven't done Christmas here since we moved so...yeah. Nice and calm and quiet. That was what I was in the mood for. As for going on vacation with Chloe, why would I? I mean, she's my best friend, but we're not eternally attached at the hip. We're not - you know - it's not like we're dating!" Max laughed.

Kate briefly covered her eyes with her hand and gave an embarrassed smile. "Oh dear. Sorry. Were my questions that obvious?"

"Oh please, like you're the first? Everyone assumed it. For weeks. But, uh," Max rubbed the back of her head. "I hate to say it, but I was intentionally elusive about it, because it kept Warren from trying to ask me out again."

Oh fuck, tell her, Max. She won't judge you. For cereal…

"I mean, I do like girls, Kate. I mean, I'm pretty sure? I don't have much experience but, Chloe and I talked a lot about it, over the past few weeks. I wanted to know more about her and Rachel, the kind of relationship they had; she's still nursing that broken heart of hers, you know? Anyhow, like I said, we talked and at the beginning of the month, and, well, we even kissed. More like - because I wanted to see what…" Max cleared her throat, feeling the heat rising to her face. "I liked it, she liked it but we both agreed that as awesome as we were as friends, we didn't have the chemistry to be anything more. We're too much like sisters, and sisters don't kiss with tongue, right?" She tossed off a playful wink. "But the last few weeks started to open my eyes. Not in a rush to do anything though. Not really wanting to run out to the nearest lesbian bar in Portland and be all, "Oh hai! I think I'm gay, or bi. Probably gay. Would you sleep with me, so I can figure it out? Kthanx!"

Kate giggled at all of this, making it absolutely clear from her body language and the look on her face that she wasn't shocked at all. "That great, Max! I mean, that you're finding out who you are, but that you're being so mature about it. It sounds like we both changed. October seems like forever ago, doesn't it?"

Max couldn't help but notice Kate giving her a long and curiously appraising look, though she thought nothing much of it. "Yeah. Guess so? I mean, not too too much, but after everything that happened, how could we stay the same people?

Just so damn glad that tornado in my dream turned out to be...I guess a metaphor for the Vortex Club itself? Imagine how fucked up it would have been if there really was a storm coming down to destroy the whole town!

Tea was made, and cookies were eventually added to the mix. Max picked one of the golden brown discs up, and took a bite.

"So?" Kate asked, expectantly. "How is it?"

Max mumbled, stalling for time as she worked to find the most diplomatic explanation she could give.

"Uh...they're really...crunchy."

Taking a bite of her own, Kate chewed, and then swallowed, eventually requiring a long pull of tea to wash it down.

She blinked, tilted her head, then murmured, "Sorry. It seems that I need to adjust for the smaller oven. A lot more than I realized."

Max grinned, reaching out to squeeze Kate's hand reassuringly. "Hey, we can try again later, right? In the meantime, why don't we grab a late lunch? The Two Whales should still be open. My treat?"

Kate glanced over to her, content to let her hand linger in Max's. "I'd like that. Oh! But I got you something. Let me give that to you first?"

"Oh, Kate! You didn't have to do that. I mean, damnit. If I knew you were coming, I'd have gotten you something too" Max paused for a few seconds, then snapped her fingers. "But it's not too late! Greek Orthodox Christmas counts too, right? That's in January, and that'll give me enough time."

Kate laughed. "It's alright. Like you said, you didn't know I was coming. Spending time with you is gift enough." She then rose, walked over to the closet, and retrieved a box wrapped in silver and red wrapping paper. She placed it down on the floor before her.

"Merry Christmas, Max." she said.

Max unwrapped the present, doing her best to reign in her otherwise childlike glee at the unexpected surprise. She peeled the paper off, instead of ripping it to shreds.

See...I have grown as a person!

Eagerly, she pulled off the box top, and set it aside.

Inside was a sweater.

A huge sweater.

A huge, red and white, vaguely Christmas themed...you get the idea.

Wow. No way this fits me properly. But it's the thought that counts!

"Ohhh...heyy! This looks really - uh - warm." Max said, making extra sure she had her most appreciative smile on her face. She picked it up, holding it against her torso.

"I made it myself." Kate explained. "But I had to guess at your measurements. So I might have goofed a little."

Oh wow, now it really is the thought that counts. Aww Kate, that's so sweet. Ugly, and goofy, but incredibly sweet.

Peering at the little brown animals knitted to the strips of white 'snow' on the red field, Max inquired, "Are these deer? Wow, You wear one deer themed t-shirt, or two. Or maybe three, and take a few deer pictures, and all of the sudden, people decide that's your thing."

Kate laughed softly, "They're reindeer, actually."

"Well, that's a kind of deer. The most awesome of all deer!"

Max pulled the sweater up on and over her head, struggling to find her way through all of the material. When she finally managed to pop her head through the top, she found that the torso fit a bit snug, and the sleeves were almost long enough, but the length of the whole thing itself was rather excessive.

Max stood up, appraising herself in the mirror, turning to the side, this way and that. She had to admit…

Huh, this is really pretty flattering on me. Who'da thought it?

Kate blushed. "Max, I'm sorry. I guess I didn't do a very good job of…"

Max immediately interrupted her. "Wow! This is - this is actually good! It doesn't work as a sweater, but it totally kills as a sweater dress! Look at it, this is sooo super cute!" Her statement had the good fortune of actually being true. While it wasn't something she could wear most times of the year, it was great for the holiday season. Max immediately considered a pair of leggings she had that would go great with it.

She kneeled back down and wrapped her arms tight around Kate. "Thank you! This is great! Best gift all Christmas. Seriously."

Kate hugged her back, as tight as she could, and then murmured, looking away to the side. "A holiday sweater that someone loves? Truly, it's a Christmas miracle."

"Omigod, is that a joke? You tell jokes now? I'm kinda liking the new Kate Marsh here." Max said, before glancing over towards the box, and noticing that something else was inside.

A whole bunch of somethings, actually. She could see how she missed it at first, the white wrappers blending in too well with the box. Max could hardly believe her eyes though, as she reached over, pulling out a couple of the packages.

"Is this film? For my instant camera? Kate! This is old stock original stuff. They don't make it any more, and it isn't cheap!" But it was significantly better than the new film packs that a few specialty houses were starting to produce. Max could hardly believe her eyes. The whole pile must have cost at least a couple hundred bucks. Maybe more.

She shook her head. "I'm so flattered! But this is way too much. You shouldn't have spent so much money on me."

Kate reached out for her hand, squeezing it, and then patting it with her other one. "But I wanted to, Max. It's my money and..." Max could hear the other girl's throat growing tight with emotion as she continued to speak. "You saved my life. When no one else cared, you were there, and you saved me. So please, let me say thank you, in my own way?"

It hadn't escaped Max's notice how much more touchy-feely Kate was being. Not that she minded, really.

Her hands are really soft...warm.

Max could only nod. "S-sure. Thanks! This'll get me through most of the rest of the year! And you have to let me take a bunch of pictures of you, too."

Kate gave a shy grin, glancing down. "You won't need to convince me."

Max rose up, gathering her presents, and called out. "Hey! So I have some boots and leggings that would go awesome with this. Let me get changed real quick, and then we'll trek out for grub."

A short while later, Max returned, now attired in a pair of shiny black leggings and heeled suede boots to complement the new sweater dress. She'd even added a necklace, and put on some makeup.

"I know it's just the Two Whales, but it's Christmas Eve lunch-dinner all the same. So why not get a little fancy?" She twirled around slowly and asked, "How do I look?"

Kate had a warm, dreamy expression, as she drifted over towards her. Took both her hands, and spoke, with a brilliant smile on her face, "You look absolutely amazing Max! I can't believe how…" She started to lean in, then pulled back. Squeezed her hands, looked down to the floor, and said, "Can...can I ask you a question? It's one I hope you won't find too shocking."

"Damn, now I'm intrigued. I promise not to freak. I mean, I can't think of much you could ask that would shock me..."

With that, Kate took her by her upper arms, holding her on the spot for a few seconds, like she was working up the nerve to do or say something.

Okay, this is getting a little weird. Kate what the heck do you have in mi-

Max totally failed to see the kiss coming; one second, she was trying to figure out what going on, the next, Kate leaned in, lips finding her own, and pressing close together.

A giddy, delicious warmth quickly spread out from Max's head, working its way up and down her spine in reverberating tingles. Her heart quickened, and she found herself kissing back on instinct.

It was…

It was really nice.

More than that; it was wholly different from the way it felt when she tried kissing Chloe. With her best friend, there had been an intellectual acknowledgement of pleasantness, but no tingle, no spark. Chloe confessed to feeling likewise, and so the pair were happy that they'd not made the friendship 'weird'. But with Kate…

Max immediately wanted just a little bit more.

And a bit more after that.

She reached out, tentatively placing her hands on Kate's sides, pulling her closer; gentle enough so that the other girl could easily back away, but firm enough to let her know that...that this was…

Max was bereft of experience, and she assumed Kate was as well, but the moment felt so right. So natural, and so obvious. A satisfying frisson, like the last puzzle pieces clicking together. It excited her, as much emotionally as physically. It awakened a sleepy, gnawing hunger; she didn't feel the need to push it, to see how far she could deepen the kiss, but she'd be lying if she said there wasn't a large part of her insistently hissing "Make with teh sex now plz!"

They finally parted, Kate hugging herself, blushing furiously, half hiding her face behind a hand, though the wide, gorgeous smile across her lips was plain to see.

"Wowser" Max breathed out, reaching over to brush her hair back.. "O-oookay. Question asked. Now I think I have questions of my own. Like...me? Really? Kate, had no idea! Also: no idea you even felt that way about other girls."

Kate tried her best to explain, stammered out several false starts. Max took her by the hand, and sat her down on the bed, taking a place next to her.

Kate finally found her voice, and started to explain, "I think I've been this way for a long time, Max. Probably my whole life. But I worked hard to keep it under wraps. I-I never let myself think about anyone, boy or girl, not like that, so that I wouldn't have to face it. I wouldn't have to keep tormenting myself. Agonizing over what God and Jesus must think about me. But the reality of it was always there, in the back of my mind. I wonder if it's something my mother noticed? Maybe that's why she's always been so much harder on me than my dad."

Max reached over, rubbing Kate's back tenderly as the explanation was given, pleased to see it having a relaxing effect on her. Her heart pounded a little quicker in her chest when the other girl leaned in, resting her head on Max's shoulder.

"But, uh. Hate to ask about it Kate, but when you were drugged?"

Nodding, bowing her head, Kate said, "I've been thinking about that a lot. Every day. Meditating on it. I only just recently realized that there was a part of me so desperately afraid it was true, that when my inhibitions were lost, I made myself go crazy with all those boys. Like, it'd prove I wasn't gay at all, just chaste." She swallowed hard, shaking her head. "It was terrible though. I felt nothing good at all from it. No joy. Not even carnal enjoyment." She looked up to her, eyes softly shining, "But I've been thinking about you, Max. More and more. Every day. Even before you - that day on the roof."

A look of dismay crossed Kate's face, as she realized, "Oh! No, I just made you my experiment! Like with those boys. I'm sorry! Please don't think - I mean - it was more than just that! I promise! When you told me that you and Chloe weren't dating, it was like a dream come true! I couldn't help but let my heart take over. Please don't be mad?"

Max tried not to laugh, because she was anything but angry. Hell, that kiss opened her eyes, made her realize her own latent attraction. And why not? Kate was…

...incredible. Strong, and sweet, and kind. And she has values that she sticks to, believes in. Is passionate about, even. And...and….oh damn.

If Max wasn't crushed out on Kate before, she could feel it taking hold of her, like hoarfrost rapidly spreading across a windowpane.

"Not mad." Max shook her head. "I am soooo not mad." She giggled and continued, "Just surprised. Like I said, I had no idea. Completely surprised. So much for 'gaydar', but then again, I'm still trying to figure out my own damn self. So." She reached over, interlacing her fingers with Kate's "...um. Your question is: 'Max do you like me, like me?'. Right?"

Kate could only nod.

Max took a deep breath, and said, "I never gave it any thought before, you know? Because I figured you were just only ever going to be a friend. And I've never really been in a relationship before, like with anyone. But uh...after all the time we've spent together, and talking, and now that the door's been opened...uh…" She gave a nervous laugh. "Y-yeah. You're a good kisser, Kate. At least I really liked it." She paused, and then asked, "But do you mind if we go slow?"

Kate doubled over, as she began laughing. Max couldn't help it, and joined in. They laughed until they were practically gasping for breath, and leaning against each other, Max's arm around the other girl's shoulders.

"That's supposed to be my line!" Kate whispered against Max's ear.

Max in turn laughed, shaking her head a tiny bit. "Nu-uh. You don't own 'Can we go slow.'" Leaning in, and just nuzzling a nose against hers, she added, "Wanna go out on a date then? To The Two Whales? And we'll take it one day at a time after that? I mean, it's just, this is my first relationship too, and I have no idea what I'm doing. No need to be in a rush on anything, right?"

Kate squeezed her hand, and looked over at her, radiant joy shining through her eyes. She nodded once and murmured, "Yes, Max. I'd like that, very much."

With a nervous blush, she asked, "And maybe, could I kiss you one more time?"

Kate reached up, tracing her fingertips over Max's cheek, then over her earlobe. Guiding their faces together, she repeated, "Yes, Max. I'd like that. Very much."

As much that first kiss thrilled her, as far as Max was concerned it was nothing compared to the second.

Half an hour later, the pair of them walked out of the girls dorm, hand in hand. There was a crisp chill in the air, of the sort that usually presaged the coming of…

"It's snowing!" Max called out. "Just in time for Christmas Eve, too." A thin, fluffy coating of white powdery goodness already outlined most of the trees and buildings in the area. The fading light of the sky cast an oddly comforting pall. The stuck out their tongues, catching snowflakes as they fell, laughing and running around the empty campus.

At one point, the making of snow angels was involved.

They had the diner practically to themselves, which suited them just fine. They shared a glow all through the meal, a joyous bubble of a world that existed only for the two of them. They held hands over the table, and occasionally, Max would playfully snake her leg against Kate's, underneath.

After the meal, they walked along the beach, staring out at the steel-blue grey of the ocean, the waves lapping up against the snow-covered sands.

"I love snow on the beach." Kate said. "There's always a dreamy, surreal quality to it. Like two things that shouldn't really mix together, but when they do, it makes something magical."

"I know how you feel." Max murmured, tossing out a wink.

Eventually, they settled in, crawling under a warm, puffy quilt in Max's bedroom, cuddling up as they streamed Kate's favorite Christmas movie, "It's A Wonderful Life."

Pressing her lips to her now-girlfriend's ear, Max whispered. "I'll come out and say it. I'm still not sure what to get you for Christmas, so you have to give me some hints. I want to make sure you have the best Greek Orthodox Christmas in history, and give the awesomest gift ever, okay?"

Kate gave her a knowing look, and pulled her fully underneath the quilt.

"You already have." she whispered, before claiming yet another kiss.