<HTML>A small part this time. Enjoy! ****** 12/24 - noon The one thing that really struck Rickkter when he opened the door to his apartment was the heat. As there had been no fire going when he had left the day before, the place should have been freezing cold. Instead it was pleasantly warm and there was a modest fire going in the hearth. And there was a particular scent in the air that made him smile slightly. "Hello, Kayla?" A black and white head poked its way over the top of the couch, the skunk's whiskers and round, black ears perking up as she smiled. "Welcome back, love." Rickkter just shook his head as he began to remove his heavy winter outerwear. He had moved a chair next to the door where he dumped all of the items he used often. "So how long have you been here?" he asked, disposing of his long coat. "Oh, almost since you left. I spent my time digging through the drawers in your bedroom and the other rooms; I found some fascinating things in the bottom of that large dresser you have." Rickkter's head slowly turned towards her and he was glaring at her from under his brow. Kayla, on the other hand, had raised herself up on her arms and her bushy monochromatic tail was waving behind her. "Oh, don't worry, Rick, I was only pulling your tail. I just got here a few hours ago and figured you might like some warmth when you arrived back." The scarf from around Rickkter's neck was unwrapped and tossed atop the mound of clothing. "Skipped out early on work just to be here, eh?" "No, not exactly. The entire office was paid a visit by Phil and his wife, Clover, today. He took her around, introduced everyone, and then kicked the lot of us out. He said that if he didn't have to work during the holidays, which he was spending with Clover out in Lorland, then he didn't want any of us being forced to do the same. So now the whole department has until next week off." "Well, that was certainly nice of his Highness," said Rickkter as he took his weapons over to his own personal locker to be stowed. Pressing his palm to the flat plate on the locker door, he opened the iron doors on the vast array of weapons therein. "It means we'll have a little more time together, at least." "Defiantly an enjoyable bonus. Of course, we're probably going to spend the next two days or so recovering from Misha's Yule party." "Yes, I've been meaning to ask you about that; when is it?" "If I remember right, we can start arriving any time after three. It ends when it ends, though from past experience, it'll probably be close to dawn tomorrow before the die-hards finally stagger off to sleep." "That's what I thought. I've heard a few of the horror stories from Kwanzaa and the others already." He grinned devilishly at her. "Sounds to be a very good way for one to spend the holidays; partying themselves into oblivion." "And from what I've seen of how you party, you're not going to be in the best of shape tomorrow when we're supposed to exchange gifts. So what I was thinking is that in some parts of the world, like where I come from, it's traditional to exchange gifts the night before so that the next day is free for celebration; religious and otherwise. So how about we do it now?" "Oh? And then what else would we have to unwrap later?" Kayla leaned forward on her elbows, her eyes half closed and slowly twitching her bushy tail back and forth behind her head in a most alluring fashion. She stroked her palm back and forth along her lower jaw. "Um, I can think of a few things," she said in a silky burr. Rickkter's eye ridges and ears perked up and his tail took on a very pronounced swishing motion. Before he leaned over, reaching into the lower portion of his weapons locker, Kayla could clearly hear the loud murr of interest that came from deep within his throat. In return Kayla's smile grew and her tail lashed around faster behind her when she saw the plainly wrapped brown package he withdrew. Walking up to the skunk, the gift stowed behind his back, Rickkter placed a paw on the wonderfully soft white fur at her throat and held her head steady as he leaned down and kissed her. A soft purr spread up Rick's paw as their tongues played over the sharp teeth in each other's mouth. Rickkter eventually broke it off, his hand sliding to the back of her neck. "Um, well. That was defiantly worth the wait." He ran his hand up and around and away as he walked around the couch before plopping down next to the lovely skunk. "So is that all of my present?" "Not entirely." Kayla leaned over and withdrew a thick, wrapped package from under the couch. "I managed to pick up a little something for you as well. Let's hope you don't have this one." Rickkter could immediately tell from the weight and size that it was a book and said so. "And as you know, it's not the fact that you know what a package contains that's important, it's the nature of those contents." "Very true," Rickkter snickered, his dexterous fingers working at the string wrapping. He made quick work of it, revealing a modest tome bound in smooth, black leather. He carefully lifted it from the wrapping and turned to the title page. A very, very pleased smile slowly spread on his face. "Where did you get this? I've been after a new copy of Urgundum for some time now." "Believe it or not, Zhypar." Rickkter gave her an incredulous look before throwing his head back and barking a laugh. He shook his head, his eyes rolled back. "I encountered him in the little shop in town," Kayla continued to explain, "and he offered his help with selecting something. He said he knew you were looking for that tome, that he even volunteered to make you a copy, but you never came to see him over it. So he gave it to me at a modest cost." Rickkter's gaze was suspicious. "How much?" "Ten coppers." Rickkter threw his head back in laughter once more, albeit this time it seemed he was highly amused as opposed to his previous disdain. Bringing his head down, he gazed upon the book once more and muttered something about devious kangaroos. Then he leaned over and imparted a quick lick on Kayla's forehead, swiping the length of the white strip there. "Thank you, love. Don't think I could have asked for anything more." "Well, that's good. I've never bought anything for a mage before." She straightened up and patted the parcel on her lap. "Now let's see what you bought me." "Well, I hope you like it," said Rickkter as he slid up close next to her. "I've never purchased anything for a skunk before. So difficult to buy for, you know." Kayla just giggled as she managed to get the bow off and cover open. She paused when she saw what was inside. "Oh, Rickkter. What is this?" "Something I though the two of us could use together," he whispered. Rickkter had leaned an arm over the back of the couch and had his head cocked back in preparation for a sensitive attack on Kayla's neck. "I remember how much you like me brushing that long fur of yours, so what better gift than this?" The grooming kit was quite complete, Kayla reflected, the brushes and combs it contained being some of the finest she'd ever seen; their handles were made of what appeared to be silver, the pig's hair was tightly secured and was as varied in grain as the different brushes. Some were wide and flat for areas such as backs and tails, others were smaller and of softer grain for regions of shorter fur such as face and arms. By this time Rickkter was nipping and nuzzling at her neck, making a few deep murrs and other sounds of raccoon enjoyment. Kayla leaned into the nuzzling, purring herself a little, fighting valiantly to keep her waning concentration focussed on the contents of the box. "My god, Rick, these are too much. I don't think I've ever received something this extravagant in a long time. Or this... personal." "Like I said, you deserve it," Rickkter reiterated, momentarily breaking off. "I figure that we can try them out tonight." He started placing small kisses and licks on her neck once more, working his way slowly down and around to her front. "I want to take you, get you out of this dress, lay you down on that bed in there, and spend about an hour massaging every inch of your body. Those brushes weren't the only things I picked up; I have a small stash of massage oils that are supposed to be good for both our species. After that," he stopped his little advances and looked her right in the face, "then we'll find out how well those brushes work. I intend to brush that lovely fur of yours until it shines. We'll see where it goes from there." Kayla reached up, her fingers running through the thick fur at his cheeks, and pulled him into a passionate kiss. "Somehow, I don't think so," she admitted after backing off. "You were out on that patrol for over a day now; I'd hate to think of the condition your fur is in under that tunic after all that." She pulled away from his embrace and walked around behind him, though his head turned to follow her movements. "What are you doing?" "Just something special for the man I love. These are mine now, after all, and I can use them any way I want to. And I want to do this for you." Rickkter's hand snaked up and caught hers, holding it gently by the wrist. "I would rather you didn't. I've wanted to use those on you for almost two weeks now. I just want to try and show you how special you really are to me." The skunk gazed down at the raccoon on the couch where his paw gently held hers, the man who meant so much to her. Reaching out with her free hand, she drew it over his head and circled one ear, rubbing it gently as she knew he loved so much. "Oh, okay, love. You don't want me to, I won't. But you still do look a fright. Sure you don't want some brushing?" "Never said I didn't. You know where I keep my own brushes." "What am I now? Your slave?" "No, you're just the one standing up." Kayla whacked him lightly with the flat of the silver brush, but she complied anyway. Within a few minutes, Rickkter's tunic was thrown to the side and he was relaxing under the tender ministrations of the female skunk standing behind him. Upon her return, Rick had managed to convince her to add a massage to what she was doing. She did complain when she first heard the idea, but then he reminded her of what was to come. While grudgingly at first, Kayla did come around. Rickkter had known her annoyed attitude and exaggerated huffing were all an act and was now sitting there enjoying himself. "I can't believe the knots in these," complained Kayla as she worked her thumbs around the muscles just below his shoulders. "How do you keep doing this?" Rickkter groaned deeply, his head tilting back until it was resting on his shoulders. "I have no idea. I'm just glad you're here to help with that. Those have been aching all day." "Yes, you should be glad. Not many people I know would want to handle a raccoon like this," said Kayla as she shifted her hands higher, kneading the excess skin around his scruff and enjoying the wonderful feel of the soft fur there. "Why wouldn't I be glad?" he murmured. "I love you." End part 4 </HTML>