Crazy Fantasy: Part 7-1

"Merry Christmas," a voice whispers in my ear.

"You're lucky I know you're voice so well," I mumble, debating whether or not to open my eyes.

"Don't you want to open your presents?" he asks, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"Santa sent the best gift straight to my room. I don't need to open any others," I answer, opening my eyes to the beautiful sight of my boyfriend of two and a half years leaning over my bed. This is our first Christmas morning on the same continent.

"You may enjoy what you find," he promises as he stands up after giving me a good morning kiss.

I take in the sight of him in his robe with a special sense of pleasure. His pajama pants hang out the end, removing some mystery, but I still smile at the intimacy of it.

"Alright, alright. Pass me the terry from the chair, please?" I ask, pushing back the fluffy covers after his back is turned.

Wills walks to the chair to grab my robe, and stares when he turns around. I admit, I had been counting on him coming in this morning and dressed appropriately, but it's still flattering. I'm wearing a form-fitting silk nightgown in burgundy - his favorite color on me - that comes to mid calf. Jess had tried to pick out something more revealing, but I knew this would have the exact affect I wanted. Besides, there isn't any need to tease the man too much.

I walk over to Wills and he helps me into the cream robe in a daze; his permanently engraved training lending him mobility. Placing my hand on his cheek, I smile and kiss him on the nose.

"We should go downstairs," Wills finally manages to get out. "Uncle Edward and Junior got in late last night. I think Junior is pretty excited," he beamed while talking about his uncle's son, his second godson. Sophie's death following the difficult, early delivery was probably the only thing that kept Edward from becoming the fourth and last of the elder royal children to get divorced. It saddens me that Sophie isn't here for her son's second Christmas.

"Alright. Can I clean up first?" I ask as I go into the ensuite, not giving Wills a chance to give a yea or nay. Wills follows me and watches from the door as I get ready. I smile at his loving gaze. I really don't understand what it is that men find so interesting about a woman preparing to face the world, but both Scott and Wills have always enjoyed watching me.

The thought of Scott causes a hint of sadness to appear in my eyes. This is the fourth Christmas since his death; the first one that I haven't been with our families for. I don't think of him often these days, but special times always bring the memories up. Wills looks at me with concern as he notices the small change in my expression. For Junior this is a wonderful day, a day of presents and family and simple happiness, but it is haunted with memories for Wills and I. Soon they will be haunted by a missing ghost for Junior. We will always be reminded of someone that is missing.

Quickly finishing up I turn to Wills and smile, pushing memories from my mind. "Ready," I declare.

Wills stands and offers an arm to escort me down to the sitting room where the ‘family' Christmas tree is, along with everyone's gifts. Just down the main staircase and through the double doors to the left we receive smiles from all of Wills' family as we enter and sit on a couch with Harry by Elizabeth and Phillip. Junior's face in particular lit up as we entered and he runs over to climb into Wills' lap as soon as we sit down.

"Junior!" Edward chastises, "sorry, Wills," he adds as he comes over to collect his son.

"It's alright," Wills says. "He can stay if he wants, though I don't know how easy it'll be for him to open his presents."

"Presents?" Junior says as his face lights up even more.

"Everyone is going to open their presents now. Do you want to say here with me and Wills, or go sit with Daddy?" I offer. I don't really want to take him away from his father, but it wouldn't be as fun of a Christmas morning if he was sulking.

Junior looks back and forth between Edward and Wills, trying to decide where he wanted to stay. Possibly because he sees us far less than his father, Junior finally declares "Wills!"

We all laugh and Wills sends Edward and apologetic smile. Harry moves over to the couch Edward is sitting on so we have a bit more space.

"Jeffrey, will you begin?" Elizabeth asks the family butler. He is an old bachelor with no living family remaining. He seems to enjoy spending his Christmas at the castle, and Elizabeth makes certain that his loss of a holiday is well rewarded.

Jeffrey gradually hands out the gifts to everyone. I receive a delicate, pink gold necklace from Harry, Edward and Junior give me a beautiful blue hat with a matching teddy bear, Beatrice purchased a dress that she knew I liked from Harrods', Phillip gives me a sapphire bracelet and matching earrings, while Elizabeth found a collection of autographed Mark Twain novels, and Peter dug up a tin of Tim Horton's coffee grounds for me. He must have called in a favour from the inlaws. The morning flies by and all the presents disappeared from under the tree far too quickly, yet I still haven't received a gift from Wills. As we near the end of the pile Jeffrey gives Wills my gift, a photo album filled with pictures of the two of us from both our own collection and from magazines, done as a scrapbook, and wrapped in a yellow bowtie. Wills laughs at the tie, but I receive a gentle kiss when he opens the album to the dedication.

"It's beautiful, love," he whispers. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," I say with a smile.

"I wanna see!" Junior demands, then after a stern look from his father adds, "please?"

Wills looks at me questioningly. I nod and we gently show the little boy the collection of pictures. Wills silently reads a few of the comments that I had written, and whispers that it's a good thing Junior hasn't yet to learned to read.

After a few more presents were opened, Jeffrey announced that we had finished all the gifts.

"Not quite," Wills says, setting Junior down and whispering for him to go to his father. "Gen still hasn't opened her present from me."

Wills gently pulls me up from the couch towards the tree. "It's in the branches, somewhere," he tells me, letting me look for it. The tree is nearly 9 feet tall, and Wills had hidden it deep in the lower branches, so it took me several minutes to find the small gift. From the shape I have no clue what it is, and after a questioning look to Wills I sit down again to open it. Wills kneels in front of me to watch as I open it. The wrapping is beautiful, revealing a simple, generic, white box. I carefully opened the lid to find a mass of tissue paper filling most of the space around a small, black velvet box. My eyes instantly flash to Wills' face and he smiles, and reaches into the white box to take the black one and shifts to rest on one knee in front of me. I never expected this! Tears of joy begin to form in my eyes as he recites;

"I kneel before you not as a prince, but as a man in love. But I would feel like a king if you, Genevieve Delariere, would be my wife," he says quietly. An inside joke that only the two of us would understand within this room. Similar to the other woman who received this speech I hide my face in my hands as tears of joy begin to run down my cheeks. As I lift my face from my hands Wills is looking at me with concern, obviously afraid that I may decline. I smile at him and nod my head as the joy begins to leak out in a quiet giggle mixed with the happy sobs. Falling towards him for a hug Wills raises us to a standing hug and gently kisses away my tears.

"I love you," he says as he holds me close, gazing at me.

"I love you," I whisper back, finally finding my voice, unable to keep the smile off my face.

Wills pulls back from me long enough to place the ring on my left hand, then kisses the finger with the newly acquired jewelry. Turning to the rest of his family he declares "We're getting married!" with a laugh.

* * *

Insanely happily, I spin Gen around the room, stopping only to kiss her and look at her beautiful, happy face. Loosing myself in our moment, I am surprised when Gran places a hand on my shoulder.

"Congratulations," she says quietly and then leaves the room to prepare for church. Grandfather follows her actions and soon most of the family has left the room. When only Harry is left, he smiles at both of us and gives us each a hug.

"I told you there was nothing to worry about, Wills," he smiles. I had told him my plan for Gen's gift before the holidays started. I wasn't sure if it was a good idea.

"Thanks Harry," I say, smiling at my fiancée. "Though you did scare me for a moment, love," I confess.

I receive Gen's loving smile. "You had to use the line from Ever After, didn't you?"

"Of course. I couldn't think of a more fitting proposal."

"Wait, you stole that line from a movie?" Harry asks.

Gen laughs and I nod. "You didn't really think I came up with something that corny on my own?" I laugh.

Harry looks at me with a raised brow. "You do get pretty goofy when it comes to Gen."

"Oh, come on Harry, I think the fact that he took the time to memorize the proposal from my favorite movie is wonderfully romantic," Gen says as she bats her eyes lovingly at me, entirely for Harry's benefit, as I see the laughter in her eyes.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Harry jokes as I kiss Gen. "We'd all better get ready for church. We're leaving in," he looks at his watch, "half an hour."

Gen looks surprised. "Oh my. I'm going to have to really rush." She kisses me and heads to the door. "I love you," she calls as she leaves.

My eyes stay focused on the door and Harry laughs. "Good thing you're marrying her," he jokes. "I've never seen anyone this gaga over a skirt."

I just look at Harry. Our views on women and marriage at this point in our lives are very different, and, as much as he likes Gen, he still has trouble with the idea that she is the only woman I'll ever be interested in.

Ignoring my disaproval at his choice in words, he asks, "Has Gran told you the date yet?" as we head to the stairs ourselves.

"I haven't even had a chance to talk to my fiancée about it, what makes you think I'll tell you?"

"I'm your brother, and no doubt your best man. I need to make sure my calendar is clear."

"As if the entire country coming to a stand-still to watch the broadcast will give you a reason not to come," I joke.

"Not my fault the world wants to see you get hitched. Me, on the other hand, well, I need a date."

"Gran hasn't given a definite date yet." We are standing outside my room at this point. "See you in church," I say as I go get dressed.

Twenty minutes later, I knock on Gen's door and smile at the sight of her as she lets me in. She is dressed in a modern version of a fifties mini with matching leggings and thigh high boots. She has her hair curled slightly and resting over her shoulders.

"You look beautiful," I say as I help her with her hat.

"Thank you," she smiles at me through the mirror we stand in front. "I'm guessing I'll have to leave this here?" she holds up her left hand.

"Unfortunately. We are to announce our engagement in two weeks, after the holidays are over."

"I have to keep my mouth shut about this for two weeks?" Gen asks with indignation.

I smile grimly. "We have to. I want to share my, our joy with the whole world, too.

"When we get back to London tomorrow we'll have a secure video line to your parents and the Hudsons."

Gen's smile brightens. "Thank you!" she turns and hugs me.

"Careful with your hat, love," I laugh, moving my head away from the offending object. "Shall we go to church?"

Gen loops her arm through mine, and smiles. "I certainly hope I can keep you to myself this year. No embracing stay women from the crowd."

I smile thinking of the two women who have taken advantage of our walk after church for a hug. Gen was concerned when it happened the second time last year, but was happy to see that I could bring that sort of joy to people. A few days after I actually got to meet the woman who was down on her luck.

"I'll try to reserve that right for you, but I can't help it if women find me irresistible."

"You are a charmer, I'll give you that," she laughs as we walk to the waiting car. I thank Gran mentally for giving Gen and I a private car.

"So what details have been decided already," Gen asks when we are away from other ears.

I smile wistfully. "They are looking at the third Saturday in June. That gives us a week after we're back from your parents."

"That's better than I thought it would be. I was expecting it shortly after Easter."

"They had wanted it then, actually," I smile. "But I didn't want Carly to have to ballance that with with her finals. And, I hope you don't mind, I said I wanted to spend a bit of time having a fiancée."

"Thank you," Gen says as she looks at me with love shining in her eyes. "I want to spend some time as your wife-to-be, too."

"There is one small problem with all this," I say, holding her close. I am so grateful for the tinted windows. "I want to kiss you so much right now, but we are just about to step out in front of our adoring public."

"The cameras would love to see you covered in my lipstick as we get out of a private car."

"I don't mind that," I say, smiling devilishly at my beautiful fiancée. Leaning in close to her, I kiss her neck just above the collar of her turtle-necked top and she whimpers with pleasure.

"No fair," she protests lightly. "No teasing before church. I'll have un-holy thoughts all through the service."

"You won't be the only one. But at least I know I won't be alone in my suffering."

The car comes to a stop by the church. "You're bad," Gen whispers as we separate just enough to be proper as the door opens.

I smile at her before stepping out of the vehicle. "I'm your creation."

Gen laughs. "What have I gotten myself into," she says as she loops her arm through mine and we walk to the small country church.

The service was nice, though I was rather distracted by the beautiful brunette sitting next to me. I can hardly believe that it has only been two and a half years since we first met. It feels like she's been part of my life forever.

As we walk out of the church, I lean over and whisper to Gen, "I love you."

She smiles lovingly at me and holds my arm a little tighter. We both shake hands with the minister as we step out to the gray morning light.

"Your English mornings are so depressing," Gen whispers.

"I know. The sun was a nice change while we were at your parents," I agree, noticing the gloom even more after having spent that time in New Brunswick with Gen. "It's nice to not have all the teens yelling at me," I observe. All the voices are now aimed at Harry, and he seems to actually enjoy it.

"I'm glad it didn't take us getting married for them to lay off."

"And the nobles are happy with you too," I smile at her.

"Mostly," Gen agrees. There are a few of the more self-absorbed families that are still holding out on accepting her. I hope that with the announcement in two weeks most will shift. I know that some will never be happy, just as there always has been. But I'm happy.

"Gen!" Beatrice calls from behind us and we both turn. "I love that outfit!" she says as she walks up beside Gen, linking arms with her. The two enter gossip mode and I catch Harry looking at me with pity. I don't mind, though. I'm glad that Gen has made friends with my cousins, who are among the only people who will even begin to understand what our life is going to be like; is like. The support family can give is amazing, especially in this family business.

"Wills," Gen whispers in my ear, interrupting my thoughts, "I love you."

I smile at her, noticing that Beatrice has moved on. "I love you," I answer. "You know, I get you all to myself once we get home."

"I like that idea. Are we going back to _________ or to St. James'?"

"Everyone else will be at _________, but I was hoping to be guaranteed no interruptions," I explain.

"In other words, we should go back, but you want to be bad and slip home for a bit," Gen reasons.

"You are starting to understand my way of thinking far too well," I laugh.

"I've long since started," Gen retorts.

We are nearly at the cars and both of us are anticipating an afternoon together when Junior gets away from Edward.

"Wills!" he calls as he runs to me. By instinct, I bend to catch the child as he flies at my legs.

"Hello, there," I laugh, picking the little rascal up. "What are you up to?"

"I wanna play!" he laughs, then adds, very downcast, "Daddy says I can't."

"Not yet. You have to wait until we are back at _________," I try to explain. I can remember how hard it was for me to understand why, when outside, I couldn't run around when I was little.

"Will you play with me?" he asks.

I could let out an audible grown at the request. Looking at Gen, I can see she wants to let me decide. "Gen and I aren't going back right away. But, I'll tell you what; I'll come and find you as soon as I get back. You have to have a nap first, though," I encourage, knowing that he'll want to wait for me before going to sleep.

Junior pouts at the idea, and I have to fight to keep the smile off my face. "I don't wanna."

"Want to," I correct automatically. "I know, but then you'll be too tired to play when I get back."

Junior continues to pout as his father walks up to take him from me. Junior tries to hold on tighter. Edward chastises him, and I'd agree to hold onto him, but know Junior has to learn to obey instructions.

"Go to your father," I instruct, setting him down.

"You're going to come play, right?" Junior asks as Edward picks him up.

"When I get back after you have a nap," I promise. Edward sends me a questioning, warning look.

"Wills?" he questions.

I look at him and answer the unspoken question, "Gen and I are going to stop at St. James this afternoon."

Edward sighs then smiles. "I did not just hear that. I'll try to make sure you aren't missed."

"Thank you," I say. "I'll see you later, Junior."

"Bye!" the little boy calls as Edward walks towards his car.

"Are you going to make me have a nap, too?" Gen whispers in my ear.

I smile at the thought. "Well, being in that room is a plan."

Gen looks at me with a greedy expression and I laugh. We wave a final goodbye to the family, press, and crowds and get into our waiting car. Jon and Steve climb in with us and we pull away. A block away from the church I give instructions to our driver to go to St James instead of ________. Steve starts to tell me off for it, but, smiling, Jon tells him to lay off, and then congratulates us. Gen gently thanks him while cuddling closer to me. I nod in agreement, wrapping my arms around Gen then quickly pulling her into my lap as she lets out a surprised squeal and laughs. She looks at me, startled by my forward actions. We haven't acted like this since she moved to England and our "alone" time became far less limited. I place a hand on her chin and guide her head to mine to share a soft kiss, but am cut off by Gen's hat hitting my head. Laughing, Gen raises her head and I help her remove the offending headpiece.

"That is much better," I say, running my fingers through her hair. Gen moans as I massage her scalp.

"Much," she agrees, lowering her head to mine again.

* * *

"Much," I whisper after Wills removes my hat. The feel of his fingers weaving though my hair is wondrous. Sitting in his lap is a rare opportunity for me to be taller than him, and I love talking advantage of it. Lowering my head to his, I steer us into a slow, gentle kiss. I can feel Wills' desire rising as he pulls me closer, deepening the kiss. His hands roam my back and get tangled in my hair. I try to hold back and tease my poor darling, but find I am tormenting myself just as much. I moan as Wills runs one hand up my side, the other nestled in my hair, trying to pull me closer.

"I like that sound," Wills says so quietly I can barely hear. I moan again very quietly, with a smile on my face to encourage him to continue. So much for being in control on top. Wills finally succeeds in pulling me tight against him and kisses me deeply. I feel myself getting lost in the embrace, all sense of my surroundings quickly fading.

This is how it's supposed to be. Being able to let go of all worries and just enjoy each other's company. Soon we will be busy preparing for the wedding, while still keeping up with our social schedule. I will be taking on more and more of the responsibility of the lady of the house now, which, after Wills and I are married, will become a full time job. This is so wonderful! I'm marrying the most wonderful man who I love so much.

With the thought of our wedding sending waves of joy through me, I kiss Wills with a renewed passion. Wills certainly enjoys the sudden flame, and he responds with a low groan as I begin to nibble on his ear.

"Gen," his voice is thick with passion in my ear.

"Yes, love?" I whisper into his ear, then kiss him along his high cheek bone to his eyes, where I give him the lightest of kisses as he gently shudders under my efforts.

"I love you," he whispers, pulling my lips down to his. Between kisses, he adds, "I thought I was the one who is supposed to seduce you?"

I laugh. "You're the one who put me on top," I remind him. "And you know how I love having the power to tease you this much," I add as I nibble on the sensitive spot just under his ear.

Wills moans and mutters, "We'd better get to St. James soon," as he pulls me off his lap so he can have a chance in control.

The sudden sensation of his lips running over my face elicits a quiet moan from me, which picks up volume as his hand by the seats runs down my side and over my hip.

"Do you have any idea how much I like this?" he asks with a squeeze as he shift behind.

I laugh. "With how often your hand drifts there, I'm getting a bit of an idea."

"I can't help wanting to enjoy it. And in this outfit you have been teasing me to no end."

We must have done something, because suddenly I feel Jon's eyes on us instead of his book. I venture a look into his direction and have to fight to keep from laughing.

"Wills," I giggle. "I think we have an audience."

Wills looks towards our guards to see both of them now looking at us.

"Do you two not have anything better to do?" Wills asks, some of his irritation at being interrupted seeping into his voice.

"I was catching up on my reading, but something distracted me," Jon jokes. "Besides, we're almost at the apartment. You may want to fix your hair, Gen."

I blush; knowing that my hair is probably past fixable with how much Wills has been playing with it. Running my hand through it, I know I'm right.

"I don't think that is possible," I laugh. Grabbing a ponytail holder from my purse, I put it up in a high, messy bun which Wills then helps me cover with my hat, though the amount of time that takes is significantly longer that it was this morning as he continues kissing any skin he sees. Eventually, Wills leans back from me and smiles.

"God, you're beautiful," he grins, kissing me again just as we arrive. Thankfully, none of the paparazzi are waiting for us, expecting us to be at ________.

We all walk into the building, much to the surprise of Wills' housekeeper, who, like Jeffrey, has no where else to go on the holidays. Wills has his arms tightly wrapped around my waist the entire time. We spend some time visiting with her, but Wills makes sure I don't have a chance to forget why we are here. Finally, Steve gets sick of us and says, "Go! Just don't have too much fun!"

Smiling, and acting like school children, we chase each other to Wills' chambers. Gently tackling me to his bed, Wills simply smiles down at me.

"What did I ever do to deserve you?" he eventually asks.

I smile, thinking how lucky we both are. "I should be asking you that, but I suppose we already know the answer. We were blessed with a wonderful gift that answered both our prayers."

Wills kisses me lightly while he ponders my words. "That is definitely what you are; an answer to my prayers. I love you, my amazing fiancée."

Laying gentle kisses along my neck, Wills quickly brings my desire for him to amazing heights. I can't believe what he can do to me with such a simple action. I gasp as Wills makes a sudden change in his pattern and begins to nibble on my ear.

"You like that?" Wills whispers in my ear.

"You know I do," I say hoarsely. My voice, for some mysterious reason, nearly failing me.

He kisses my ear again, nipping the lobe, before he raises his head and gazes down at me. I feel the loss of his lips on my skin instantly, but looking into his eyes I feel a fire build that his lips alone could never ignite. His eyes hold my attention so completely it is only their rakish glint that gives me any warning before his hands slide up the inside of my leg. Intense waves of pleasure wash over me as his hand moves along the sensitive flesh of my thighs.

"I found a little more skin, did I?" Wills jokes.

The tingling nearly overwhelms me; I barely manage to get out, "You are welcome to find more."

"Am I, now?" he teases as his hand trails up over my body, pausing to enjoy what he finds on his way to undo the zipper of my dress. The rapidly warming, but still cool air hits my skin as he begins to remove the tight dress and I gasp. "That's chilly!"

"I'll have to warm you up, then," he smiles, kissing down my now exposed neck onto my bared shoulders. I shiver at the warmth of his lips on my skin.

Wills slowly moves over my body, kissing any flesh he finds as he removes my dress. As he tosses the fabric away, his eyes greedily take in the image of me lying on his bed in my underwear. "God, you are gorgeous, love," he says as he begins to kiss me again.

Happily, I return his kisses. That damn agreement we made makes these times far too rare. My fingers begin to work on the buttons of Wills' vest and shirt; his coat and tie long since discarded. As I pull his shirttails from his pants and undo the final button, he sits up long enough to remove the shirt and let my eyes take in his finely sculpted body. I am so glad that he loves to swim. "I love this," I say as I run my hands over his abs and up his chest to his shoulders and pull him back down to me.

"I'm glad. That means I can show how much I love this," Wills grins as his hands take hold of my butt again. I feel his thumbs explore the exposed skin until they discover the top of my thong. Wills eyes sparkle as I smile, chastising his unspoken thoughts, "Wills!"

We continue to enjoy the feel of each other's body against our own for an unmeasurable time. Eventually we simply sit in each other's arms, enjoying the shared warmth and love.

Holding out my left hand, I look at the bare finger which in two weeks will carry the ring now sitting on my bureau. "I can't wait," I say quietly. "I just want to be able to show that I'm yours."

Wills holds me tightly, brushing his lips along my neck. "Soon. Two weeks and then the world will know what we known since we met."

"That's too long," I mutter, rolling over to rest my head on Wills' chest, enjoying the smell of his cologne.

Kissing the top of my head, Wills explains, "We have to wait for the Christmas season to be over. The day after Epiphany, we will tell the world, and life will be insane with parties celebrating our engagement, and you will have so many appointments during the day to plan the wedding I will hardly see you. Let's enjoy this calm while we can."

"I know. I just wish I could wear the ring. It is so beautiful."

"The stone is from Mum's. I've had it since she died, waiting for this day. I had the jeweller create a new ring based on your locket," he said quietly into my hair.

Raising my chin to look in his eyes, I smile at the love emanating from his face. "I'm so happy I'm the one you gave it to."

"I can't think of anyone else I would want to share everything with," Wills vows as he lightly kisses my forehead. "I love you, Gen."

"I love you, Wills," I say as our lips meet again for a soft, slow kiss. I can feel the smile on both our faces spreading, making it harder to continue the kiss, though we make a strong attempt until I break away, giggling. "We're getting married!"

Wills begins to tickle me, increasing my laughter, and I do my best to retaliate, but he is far too strong for me to even stand a fighting chance, and his deep laugh fills the room. As I squeal in protest, he laughs more, and I feel my energy to fight back start to wane, finally being saved as there is a knock at the door.

"Thank you!" I gasp quietly.

"What is it?" Wills asks, moving between me and the door in a vain attempt to hide my state of undress in the unlikely event of someone coming in.

"You're grandmother is about to begin her address, Will," Jon calls through the door. "I believe you wanted to watch it?"

"Thank you," I say, as I finally escape from Wills. "You do have perfect timing, Jon!"

"I try, Gen," he answers with humor in his voice. He had obviously heard my laughter but doesn't comment further and walks away, his footsteps echoing down the hall.

I feel Wills drape his silk shirt over my shoulders and I shiver into it. "You are distracting, darling," he whispers in my ears.

"I can't be doing that when we're listening to Liz," I joke.

"I still can't get used to you calling her that."

"You can't? Try calling her that! I'm on orders here!" I laugh. A couple months ago, after having had tea with Elizabeth each week since arriving in England, she told me to start calling her Liz. I'm still adjusting.

We sit down on the couch in front of the telly to watch Liz give her address to the nation. Though not as popular as it once was, the entire family always tunes in, because we know we'll be asked to comment on one part or another of it. I'd just as soon continue with the tickle-fest on the bed. After changing to the correct station, Wills wraps his hands around my waist and begins to make soft circles, causing my skin to start tingling as the silk ripples over it. Running my hand up his chest, I begin to return the effort in kind, as I begin to play with the few hairs scattering his chest in sexy curls.

"I am so glad that I'll have married you in six months," Wills tries to laugh. "You are getting far too tempting to resist for much longer."

"I'm not the only one," I reply, laying soft kisses up his chest.

Wills laughs to fend off the arousal. "Will you stop trying to seduce me? We need to listen to this," he gestures to the telly where the newscaster is leading into Liz's broadcast.

"She not on yet," I smile.

Bending down, Wills meets my lips in a searing kiss that lasts only seconds, but leaves us both breathless, and he hoarsely states, "Now she is."

Choking down my reply I turn to watch our current Queen begin to address the Commonwealth in regards to the year gone by and her hopes for the future. I can just imagine my family sitting around in the basement, all the wrapping paper sitting in piles in front of them, cups of coffee with Bailey's in it, watching the broadcast to hear what she has to say about Wills and I. Covering all the bases, Liz goes through the year and the major events that happened in England, the Commonwealth and the world over, and then just within the family. Everything is going smoothly and predictably until she starts talking about hopes for the next year. Suddenly I feel Wills' grip around my waist tighten and my own jaw drop as Liz hints at a visit to Westminster Abby before the end of the year. Shortly after, the broadcast finishes and Wills and I turn to each other.

"She didn't, did she?" I ask, stunned.

Wills shakes his head, "She did."

We look at each other in stunned silence, contemplating what exactly this means. With the plan to not discuss our engagement until after the holidays this leaves us with some interesting questions to answer. I can't guess what my family's reaction will be. I don't know how I'm going deal with the reporters.

"How are we going to do this now?"

* * *

I look closely at Gen as she whispers her concern. Gran certainly has given us a nice challenge to deal with. We agreed that there wouldn't be anything said publicly until after the holidays, but this could make the announcement much harder to keep private until the 7th.

"We'll have to see how the press reacts. Don't worry, love. If it comes to it, you get to start wearing that ring earlier," I kiss her hand lightly where my ring will soon rest. "Which I don't think either of us will mind."

Gen shivers in my arms, smiling at me. "That I won't mind, but I don't know if I want to be bombarded with wedding plans yet." I can feel the panic beginning to rise in her, but I don't know why. Soothingly, I run my hands up her arms, trying to calm her.

"It's alright, love. We'll figure it all out," I whisper. "We're together, that's all that matters, right?"

* * *

Continued.