Sheldon at Solstice

Breakfast was a warm and jovial affair after that. The giantess didn't want to stay long; fair, considering there was nothing in our house designed to accommodate her. But she did take the time to regale us with a couple stories about her offspring; there were 13, every single one of them a petty criminal and comical oaf. Plus the aforementioned good-for-nothing husband, and Jolakoturrinn, who I gathered was the terror of many a norse child. He had a strange aversion to socks, though. I couldn't fathom it. Stilgar, like every cat I've loved, is a rampant sock thief.

At some point, we felt and heard a rumbling from outside. Josefina went to the bay window.

"What is it, babe?" I could see she had that now-familiar look, where something was extremely weird by normal people's standards but not necessarily weird for us.

"Oh, you know," she said with a bemused grin. "Her cat shrunk, and your cat grew, and now we have two moose-sized housecats chasing each other around in the snow."

To which we all nodded sagely.

A few minutes later, I was standing out on the porch, looking over the early morning yuletide landscape of East Ithaca. Truly it looked peaceful. Save, of course, for the massive spray of snow when Stilgar pounced at Jolakoturrinn, missed, and careened into a snowbank.

"Oof. So, you got everything?"

"Ja. See you next year, Octopus Boy."

"See ya, Spruce."

I said this, of course, but then Jo and I ended up putting on our coats and following her halfway down the driveway. She waved one last time from the road, turned, and rumbled off to the north, stopping once to whistle to her cat, who came bounding after her through the 3' of snow like it was nothing.

"Glad Yule to all!" I heard her exclaim. A few minutes later, she was gone from view.

We turned back towards the house, and found Stilgar sitting there expectantly in the drive. He was, of course, back to his normal 15-pound self.

"Hey, Stil. Did you make a friend this week?"

He chirped, and sprinted for the house. Josefina and I took our time in following.

"So," I said. "That was a scheduling nightmare--"

"Shel, do you recall us having a conversation a couple months ago about holiday travel plans? Do you remember what we agreed on that evening?"

I sighed contritely.

"That we would tell the Morai-sa I won't be available for any work on Chanukah. Jo, I did tell them. This came from The Watch, not Ana, and he was very unclear with me."

Clearly frustrated, she shook her head. "Isn't that worse? Assface reads the future, and may or may not have converted to Judaism a century ago. He would've known this was going to inconvenience us."

"I agree. Next I see him, I am giving him a piece of my mind, and Ares's number."

She looked at me seriously. "Can you do that, and not pull your punches? You're usually so non-confrontational."

"I sure as hell can when it concerns time with my girlfriend." I grinned hopefully at her. "Would that set things right? That and, oh, I'll pay to move your flight back a day?"

Ah, there was the smile that lit my world again.

"Baby, don't even, just use my fucking credit card and set it up for me so I don't have to, and you got a deal. Oh, and one more thing. How would you feel about being affianced to me some day soon? Hypothetically."

My jaw dropped for a moment.

"It was scary," she continued, "knowing you were at risk and not knowing for certain you'd be unhurt. I got to thinking about us."

"Well... hypothetically, I would say that's a rather long conversation for this driveway, but I very well might be into that. I might also add that polyam weddings are the cutest and most dorktastic things I've ever been to. But, maybe we could talk about it some more after we get a few hours' rest?"

"Yeah, okay," said Jo.

We held hands and walked in silence as we came up to the top of the driveway and approached the farmhouse.

"You know something Shel?"

"What, Jo?

"When you and I have a calm and reasoned fight about something, and you treat me with respect the whole time, and then we ultimately reach a resolution we can accept at least for the moment, as equals?"

"Yeah?" I said, "at least on the nights when we're succeeding at it. What then?"

"It makes me really fucking hot and bothered when that happens. It makes me want to be lying down in bed, with you right behind me, gripping me roughly by my ribs and underboob, pounding my ass and telling me I'm your bitch. As equals."

Christ, it hadn't been four hours since that fuckfest.

"I admit, I said, "I am tempted to try."

"Or"--she reached around and smacked my ass--"I sometimes think about you going down on me and telling me I'm your goddess. As equals."

"You know, It's not even eight, if we pound now we'd still have time to sleep in a few hours afterwards."

I opened the front door, held it for Josefina, and waved her in like an absolute jackass.

"There is no try, Shel. Either do, or deez nuts."

The door clicked behind us.