Day Twelve: Christmas Surprise

A continuation of yesterday's prompt.

Gale woke up feeling a million times better, for a multitude of reasons. Firstly, he could breathe out of his nose; his throat wasn't scratchy and sore; and his body temperature was back to normal. Secondly, he had his arms around his best-friend-turned-girlfriend, snuggled up together under the covers in her bed. The night before, after Madge sheepishly dragged him into the kitchen for dinner, her parents turning knowing, pleased smiles at the sight of their clasped hands; after they watched Christmas movies by the fire, sipping hot cocoa (Madge) and tea with honey (Gale, at Madge's mother's insistence); Madge insisted that he move his things to his room. Gale thought this was a Bad Idea for a multitude of reasons.

"Erm, what will your parents think?" He asked as she slung his duffel bag over her shoulder and went next door to her room to plop it down on top of her dresser.

"My dad already told me last night that he wasn't, and I quote, 'so old-fashioned so old-fashioned that I'd object to you sharing a room with your boyfriend. Better that than having you two sneak around at night.' So you're good there."

"Uhhh," Gale's face reddened. "Okay. But I'm still sick and I don't want to get you sick."

Madge shrugged. "I was in a car with you for several hours, breathing in your germs," she said. "If I'm meant to get sick, I'll get sick. And then it'll be your turn to nurse me back to health, remember?" She turned to him and pouted. "Does this mean you don't want to sleep with me?"

Gale groaned. "You're terrible," he said, referring to her antics. "Of course I want to sleep with my beautiful girlfriend. Don't torture me like this. I'm trying to do the right thing."

"Okay," Madge bit her lip. "Truth? We might need the guest room tomorrow. Some family might be coming in tomorrow, if all works out. It's a bit of a last minute thing."

"Oh," Gale blinked. "Well, why didn't you just say so? You know how I am about being a good house-guest…" Manners drilled into him, he'd also fretted, as they were leaving Gale's apartment, that he hadn't brought any hostess gift with him to give to Madge's mother. Madge had rolled her eyes at him.

"It's fine," Madge said, winding her arms around his waist. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to say that, that my boyfriend would be jumping for joy at the prospect of sleeping with me…"

Gale groaned again. "I have a feeling that I'm not going to live that down, am I?"

"Nope!" Madge said cheerily, pecking him on the cheek and pulling him into the room with her. "You're not."

"Hey," he said, catching her hand. "Do you… is it okay if I give you my present now?" He asked. "I kind of just want it to be us two, and if there will be people around tomorrow…"

Madge nodded with a smile. "That's a great idea, actually," she said. "I only have part of your present today, if that's okay? I'll give you the other half tomorrow, if you don't mind."

Gale shook his head. "You got me two things?" He said. "I only got you one."

"If it makes you feel any better," Madge said, going into her closet to get his gift, "one of them was last minute, and the other thing isn't as good as the other, so it all evens out."

Puzzled, Gale gave her her present, a small black box tied simply with a red ribbon, as she gave him a wrapped present.

They unwrapped at the same time; Madge got him the DVD set of the documentary series he had obsessed over several months before, and sadly, they weren't on Netflix yet.

"This is great!" He said, grinning at her. "Thanks."

Madge made a face. "It's certainly not a romantic gift," she said, "but who was I to know you'd confess your love two days before Christmas?"

Gale rolled his eyes, but gave her a smacking kiss on the lips.

"Although," Madge said, pulling the simple, pretty necklace out of the box with a look of wonder on her face, "it seems like you certainly knew."

"I was hoping that might make it a little obvious," he confessed, "but see, I thought you'd open it and I wouldn't be there, so maybe I'm not as brave as you think."

"It's still pretty darn brave," Madge said, giving him a soft kiss on the lips. "Thank you. I love it."

He didn't know about Madge, but he was exhausted, falling asleep almost immediately after they both had situated themselves comfortably in bed. It wasn't the first time they had shared a bed– they had been best friends for years, after all– but they had never cuddled so closely before, and so intentionally.

Gale lifted his head up. He had moved down sometime during the night, and his head was tucked in the curve of Madge's waist, an arm slung around her hips. She was reading– Emma, by Jane Austen, a Madge Undersee Christmas tradition– and when she saw he was up, she smiled. "Hello, sleepy head," she said cheerfully. "How're you feeling?"

"Much better," Gale sighed happily. "What time is it?"

"Hmm, almost ten," Madge said. "You slept really late."

"You could've gone downstairs," Gale said, with a yawn. "I wouldn't have minded."

"You were so comfortable, I didn't want to disturb you," Madge said sweetly. "But now it's time to get up! My dad texted me; everyone will be here soon."

Gale blinked. Usually Madge and her parents just celebrated Christmas on their own; sometimes Madge's aunt and uncle and cousins came, but overall her family, even her extended family, was very small. "Everyone?" He parroted.

"Yep!" Madge said, jostling him as she got out of bed. "Get up! They should be here just in time for Christmas Brunch."

They both showered and dressed (separately, to both Gale and Madge's disappointment,) and Gale was in the shower when he heard, vaguely, the doorbell ring. He let Madge go first, and cursed, but there was nothing to be done for it now, and he got out, trying not to rush as he combed his hair, brushed his teeth, and got dressed.

It was quiet as he came down the stairs, so he figured it was only Madge's aunt and uncle who came, but he stopped in shock in the entrance of the kitchen.

Madge's dad, Henry, and Gale's dad, Asher, were at the stove, Henry flipping pancakes and Asher cooking bacon; Madge's mother, Meredith, was at the table with Gale's mother, Hazelle, drinking coffee and constructing gingerbread houses for the children– Rory, Vick, Posy, and Madge– to decorate, as they sat at the kitchen table, painstakingly frosting and gluing candy pieces on. Madge looked up, noticed him first, and smiled brightly at him. "Surprise! Merry Christmas!"

Gale was floored. "What– I don't–" as his siblings bounded up and tackled him with hugs. "Mom? Dad?"

They beamed at him. "Merry Christmas, Gale!" They chirped.

His mother came forward. "You didn't think we could celebrate Christmas without you, did you?"

"But– how expensive–" Gale sputtered.

"Luckily for us we got traveler's insurance on your ticket," Asher shrugged, turning over bacon duties to Henry to come and hug him. "So one ticket was already paid for. And luckily, your mother and I got good Christmas bonuses this year– and the kids insisted on coming here instead of going on vacation during the summer. So here we are! We coordinated it all with Madge and her parents yesterday," Asher said, and Gale looked on in amazement to Madge.

"When did you do that?" He asked her.

She laughed. "You slept the majority of the day, Gale. It wasn't difficult."

"I can't," he looked around at everyone, and to his horror, felt his throat closing up again, but this time not due to being sick. "I can't thank you all enough."

"It's Christmas," Madge said simply. "You don't have to." And then she got up and led him to the table to help them finish decorating their gingerbread village.

"This is the best Christmas ever," he told her quietly. "And if this is part two of my present, I think you won this year."

"Nah," Madge said, smiling, "we both did."

Merry Christmas, all! :) Thank you Belle453, Hawtsee, NurseKelly, Estrunk, and everyone else who constantly reviewed these little stories! I had so much fun writing them. Have a great day!