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Zelda let out a shriek as a ball of snow connected with the back of her neck. She spun around, the task at hand immediately forgotten, in search of the perpetrator. It could only be one person: Lilith. Zelda’s eyes scanned the Spellman property from her spot on the porch, where she and Lilith were supposed to be removing the Christmas decorations. That was one of Zelda’s bargains with Sabrina: She could decorate the house for Christmas, as long as said decorations were removed before the New Year.
Zelda tried to see where Lilith was hiding. Snow had fallen heavily the night before and everything was blanketed under a layer of white. Slowly, trying to minimize the crunching sounds her boots made in the snow, Zelda inched her way down the porch steps and glanced to her right. Sure enough, there was Lilith, doubled over, already rolling the next snowball to pepper Zelda with.
“What exactly do you think you are doing?” Zelda demanded with mock irritation.
Lilith immediately dropped the snowball she was forming, and stood up straight. “Oh, nothing much.” The picture of innocence.
Zelda hummed as she slowly started to close the distance between her and Lilith. “So strange, I could have sworn someone just attacked me.”
“Attacked!?” Lilith exclaimed, bringing her hand to her chest feigning ignorance.
“Indeed. You didn’t happen to see anyone suspicious?”
Lilith shook her head, her curls bouncing out from beneath her beanie.
“Because if you did,” Zelda continued “that person would deserve some sort of punishment, wouldn’t you say?”
“What type of punishment did you have in mind?” Lilith wondered, her blue eyes twinkling.
“Well for starters, the felon would have to kiss my wounds better.” Zelda came to a standstill in front of Lilith.
“In that case, I’d like to confess” Lilith whispered as she closed the small gap between them.
Chapped, cold lips found each other. They kissed softly, their lips moving slowly. Zelda was just about to get lost in the kiss when Lilith suddenly pulled back. She was grinning wickedly from under her lashes, and the sight of it practically melted Zelda’s heart. The demoness looked adorably cute in her puffy snow coat, nose and cheeks flushed from the brisk winter air. Zelda couldn’t help but grin back at her before pulling her in for an awkward hug over layers of clothes.
In the past couple of weeks, Zelda had been treated to a side of Lilith she’d never seen before. Sure, she’d seen Lilith happy or impressed before, but that was mostly on a professional level. This was something else entirely. Ever since their kiss under the mistletoe, it was like a great weight had been lifted from both of their shoulders. Lilith was more relaxed then Zelda had ever seen her. She would visit the Mortuary almost every evening, and most nights would end with them lounging on the couch with Lilith’s head in Zelda’s lap. They would talk long into the night and occasionally make out until one of them eventually tired out. Zelda would then allow herself to be tucked into bed with Lilith snug beside her. Lilith never stayed the night. Instead, she waited until Zelda’s breathing evened out, or until she started snoring ever so softly before she would teleport herself back to Hell. Zelda would wake up alone in her bed every morning and the only traces of Lilith would be her perfume lingering on the sheets. She knew by now not to expect Lilith to be there, but she couldn’t help but sleepily reach out in search of her warmth, only to be disappointed.
In front of the rest of the Spellman’s Lilith was a bit more reserved. When Sabrina or Hilda was present, she refrained from being too touchy. Zelda knew she was most likely shy about their budding relationship, and Zelda suspected she was scared that her increasing presence in their lives would be a problem. She had no reason to be apprehensive though, as Hilda and Sabrina were over the moon when they realized their little plan had worked after all.
“So you guys are girlfriends now!” Sabrina exclaimed the first night Lilith came over unannounced.
Lilith turned a deep shade of red and Zelda shifted uncomfortably in her seat. They hadn’t actually discussed the fine details of their relationship. Zelda for one didn’t feel the need to label it as such, but a part of her couldn’t help but wonder if they should make it official.
Finally, Lilith met Zelda’s gaze after a short silence, her cheeks still flushed. “I…Suppose we are?”
Zelda grabbed Lilith’s hand under the table and squeezed it gently. “We could be, but only if that’s something you want Lilith.”
Lilith nodded and whispered a yes, her dimples on full display as she gave a shy smile. Sabrina practically squealed with delight, and Hilda dabbed at the tears in her eyes.
Soon Solstice rolled around, and the Yule log was lit. Zelda read a Christmas Carol out loud, something Ambrose used to. They missed him dearly, but he did manage to astral project briefly from Europe to wish them a bright Solstice. He didn’t even seem surprised to find Lilith cuddled up on the couch next to Zelda. Zelda figured Hilda must have informed him beforehand.
Christmas followed shortly after, something Sabrina demanded they celebrate. Zelda was hesitant to have Lilith over as they celebrated the birth of the false God’s son, but she took everything in stride. She seemed genuinely interested in the traditions surrounding it, but her eyes had a far way look as she listened to Sabrina explaining. Zelda couldn’t help but wonder, what she was thinking about. Thankfully, they didn’t actually follow any of the traditions other than exchange gifts (which Zelda suspects is the real reason Sabrina likes to celebrate Christmas) Once they were all settled close to the tree Sabrina started to hand out presents. Amongst the favorites was a new cookbook for Hilda, a leather-bound scrapbook for all Sabrina’s Polaroids, and a bottle of imported perfume for Zelda. Once the Spellman’s had unwrapped all their gifts, Sabrina handed Lilith two presents. Lilith shot Zelda a shocked look, to which Zelda just shrugged her shoulders. She wasn’t aware they were getting Lilith anything.
“It’s just something small” Sabrina said timidly.
Lilith didn’t reply. Instead, she took the smaller of the two gifts and carefully started to tear the paper off, to reveal a pair of red fuzzy socks.
“I knitted them for you,” Hilda announced from her seat “so you could have something a little more comfortable for when you visit Zelda.”
“Thank you,” Lilith said holding the socks to her chest “I love them.”
Next, she opened the larger gift and let out an audible gasp. Zelda leaned closer to see what it was. ‘1000 Piece puzzle’ the box read. Below it was a picture of a blue lake that lay at the foot of a mountain range. The lake was surrounded by pine trees and behind the mountain, an orange hue of a sunset could be seen.
“I know how much you enjoyed our puzzle the other night, so I thought you’d like one of your own,” Sabrina explained.
“Thank you guys so much! I didn’t expect anything.”
“Nonsense, you are practically family now!” Hilda replied.
As Sabrina and Hilda were gathering up the wrapping paper Zelda noticed Lilith dabbing at the corner of her eye.
“Want to get some fresh air?”
They wordlessly stepped outside onto the front porch and Zelda gestured for Lilith to sit on the porch swing. Zelda gently toed the floor so they were swinging slowly.
“I didn’t know that they were going to get you anything. I hope that was ok?” Zelda asked nervously.
“No, it was so sweet! I’d never gotten a Christmas gift before.”
Zelda felt of pang of sadness as well as guilt. “I’m sorry that I did not get you anything.”
“That’s ok,” Lilith said as she scooted closer to Zelda. “I’ve got my most favorite gift right here.”
Zelda was brought back to the present when Lilith nudged her cheek with her cold nose.
“I’m cold. Can we go back inside now?”
“Sure. Let’s go have a look at that new puzzle of yours.”
Zelda placed a soft kiss on Lilith’s nose before leading her inside. Taking down the decorations could wait. All she wanted to do was spend the rest of the afternoon in front of the fire, building a puzzle with her girlfriend.
And that’s exactly what they did.
After they discarded their coats and boots they scattered pillows around the coffee table and started working on the puzzle. It was quite a bit larger than the one Lilith helped Sabrina and Hilda with before, but Zelda found that Lilith was very good at solving puzzles. By the time lunchtime rolled around, they had the edges of the puzzle assembled, and a good junk of the lake done as well. Lilith decided it was time to stop, and although she didn’t admit it, Zelda suspected her eyes were becoming strained after staring at the tiny puzzle pieces for so long.
They munched on leftover cakes and pastries from Hilda’s Christmas baking spree before retreating to the couch. Lilith pulled on her new socks, which she’d become quite attached to and then practically melted into Zelda’s side under a blanket. Lilith tried to hide her yawn, but Zelda noticed, she too was feeling a bit sleepy. She pulled Lilith to lay half on top of her and scratched her scalp softly as she started to drift off. Zelda marveled at how peaceful Lilith looked. She was never treated to a sleeping Lilith before. Now she could drink in her features without the fear of being caught staring. She traced the smooth lines on Lilith’s face, traced her sharp cheekbones, her jawline. She tucked a stray curl behind Lilith’s ear before she closed her now heavy eyes.
The last thing Zelda remembered was Lilith’s warmth embracing here, the rhythmic rise and fall of Lilith’s chest and the feeling of complete and utter contentment.