Kristen and Teddi tucked their heads down and held tighter to each other as they forced their way through the blinding snow the last few blocks to Kristen's apartment. Upon reaching the front of the apartment, Teddi realized she was unable to see her car parked at the curb.

"Damn, Kristen. I don't know how I am going to get back to campus this evening. There is no way in heaven I am going to be able to see how to drive back with the snow coming down as heavy as it is," Teddi stated as she walked over and tried to brush snow off the window only to see it quickly pile up again.

"Well, there is no way that I would allow you to drive back in this weather either, Teddi. I would worry about you the whole time, wondering if you stayed on the road. Would you mind staying here with me until the storm lets up?" asked Kristen nervously. She had never had anyone stay overnight in her apartment and she was not sure how she was supposed to act.

The ghosts hovered over the pair as they talked about the storm. As the younger ghost swooped closer to see what was happening, the older ghost drew in a deep breath before letting out a great puff of air, which caused the snowflakes to swirl faster and thicker on top of Kristen and Teddi.

Teddi looked upward, as the snow seemed to thicken even more while they were talking. Looking back down the block, she thought that it did not seem to be snowing as heavily further away from them but figured it must just be a figment of her imagination. The snow was so thick at that moment that she could barely make out Kristen directly in front of her. The lack of visibility helped Teddi make up her mind.

"Well, it doesn't seem to be slackening off at all. In fact, it seems to be worse right now," Teddi stated as she reached out and grabbed Kristen's coat sleeve so they would not become separated in the blinding snow. "I think for safety sake I should stay tonight if you are sure."

The older ghost was still huffing and puffing making the snow swirl and blow down directly on the two women standing below her. Just as she was drawing in one more deep breath, her companion suddenly turned and zipped back up beside her.

The younger ghost looked at her partner, noting that she seemed to be struggling with something as her facial features were distorted. Leaning closer, she reached out and poked her mate in the stomach saying, "What is wrong with you? Did a bug fly into your mouth or what?"

The older ghost finally exhaled into the younger ghost's face, blowing a great, strong stream of air directly through her body and off into the distance.

"What in the world are you doing," the younger ghost asked her mate.

The older spirit slipped her hand behind her ethereal body and crossed her fingers as she replied, "Oh, I didn't want to stir the air as I watched them so I was getting ready to blow out a stream of vapor directly up instead of out.

"Well, I don't think you will have to worry, darling," the younger one replied. "Didn't you notice how bad the storm became just a few minutes ago?"

"Humm…Now that you mention it, it did seem to get worse while we were watching," the first spirit replied, lying like a dog.

*****

They both watched as Kristen led the way over to the stairs leading to the front of the apartment. The younger ghost happened to see another couple down the road and quickly buzzed away to investigate what was going on. The older ghost watched as Kristen started up the stairs. There was still a small amount of water on the third step. The shadowy figure still watching over the duo, quickly dove to the steps and fanned rapidly back and forth across the water as Kristen placed her foot on the first step. By the time Kristen reached the third step, the water had become solid ice. The ghost drew back to watch the action she was orchestrating. Her companion roared back up beside her, shaking more snow down on top of Kristen and Teddi.

As Kristen stepped onto the third step, her foot hit the pocket of black ice, slipping out from under her weight. She was thrown backward directly into Teddi's arms. Teddi sat down abruptly in the wet snow and held Kristen tightly against her body as she tried to figure out what had happened. The younger spirit was astounded.

Grabbing her partner's sleeve the young ghost jerked on it saying excitedly, "Did you see that? Having Kristen fall directly into Teddi's arms is exactly what I would have done if you had let me have my way. Dang, I am beginning to think that not interfering may have its benefits after all. Is this what we call letting nature take its course?"

The older spirit answered vaguely, "Wellllll……We'll see."

Teddi took a deep breath as she tried to recover from having the air knocked out of her chest by the fall she and Kristen had just taken. She pushed Kristen up while flipping her around to face her at the same time.

"Hell, are you okay, Kristen. What happened?" Teddi asked as she pushed back up to her feet.

"I must have slipped on the ice. Oh, God. I could have hurt you. Are you sure you are okay?" Kristen asked as she too got back up on her feet.

"Yeah, except my ass is wet and freezing cold," stated Teddi as she used her hands to brush the snow off the seat of her pants.

"Let's try to get inside without any further incidents and we can get you warm and dry," replied Kristen. She moved back over to the stairs and held tightly to the handrail as she continued her trip up to the top of the stairs. Teddi followed close behind, prepared to catch Kristen should she slip a second time.

The ghostly images drifted through the wall of the apartment building, floating up the stairs behind Kristen and Teddi. Kristen pulled her keys out of her purse, opened the door, and flipped on the lights as she entered the apartment. She glanced quickly around to see if everything was straight, not that she could have done anything to correct it had it been out of place. Teddi entered the apartment, looking around as she came through the door.

"Man, this is a neat home. I wish that I could get in the mood to keep my room this clean," Teddi remarked as she walked toward the living room.

"Hey, is that a fireplace?" Teddi asked as she walked further into the room. "I love open fires. They are so….so romantic."

"I never thought of it that way. I so seldom use it being here by myself," Kristen answered as she walked over to the end table and turned on a lamp.

"Do you mind if I start a small one for us?" Teddi asked as she noted the stack of wood next to the fireplace.

"You know before we do that, why not go ahead and take a quick shower and warm up? I have a robe that I know will fit you. It is one of those one-size fits all," Kristen said as she removed her coat.

"Seems you have a lot of those sizes in your closet," Teddi replied as she too removed her coat. The seat of her pants was saturated so she would not sit down on any of the furniture.

"True, but it is so much easier than having to get out and face all that shopping. I'm just not comfortable around strangers," Kristen said while blushing.

Kristen observed Teddi standing still, pulling at the back of her slacks, trying to keep the cold, damp cloth off her skin. Kristen walked over to Teddi and gently took her hand, leading her down the hallway of the apartment. Halfway down the hall, Kristen opened a door and guided Teddi into an old-fashioned bathroom. There was a claw foot ceramic tub sitting on the left side of the room. A shower frame had been added, creating a shower within the tub.

Kristen dropped Teddi's hand as they entered the bathroom. She walked over to another door, opened it, reached inside, and removed a white terrycloth robe. She also extended her hand onto one of the shelves and pulled down a thick, large towel and matching facecloth.

Turning back to Teddi, she said, "Here, Why don't you go ahead and take a warm shower? If you will just throw your clothes into a pile, I'll get them after your shower and we can toss them in the dryer. This robe will do till then. Soap and shampoo are on a shelf inside the shower. If you need anything else, let me know."

Kristen turned to leave the room. As she did so, Teddi reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her exit. "Thanks, Kristen. I know this is making you uneasy and I appreciate you taking me in like this."

Kristen turned and looked up at Teddi. With genuine sincerity, she looked Teddi in the eyes and said, "Teddi, if it had been anyone else I would have been petrified and not able to even talk. I am glad that you are here with me tonight." She then turned and left the room, leaving Teddi staring after her retreating figure.

*****

In the meantime, the two heavenly figures were flitting around the apartment, peeping into all the secrets that Kristen kept within her home. There was nothing unusual that they could find. It appeared that Kristen lived just as she tried to make herself look, plain and simple. As the younger ghost moved back into the living room, the older one noted the electrical breaker panel next to the hot water heater. Her brain began to turn. She wanted to win this bet and make her partner believe once and for all that life's outcome would be the same without her partner's interference. She didn't see that any nudging on her part was going to be making a difference in the out come; after all, she was nudging things along only to prove a point to her eternal mate.

The small trimmed Christmas tree that Kristen had decorated and placed in the corner of the living room fascinated the younger spirit. There were no electrical lights on any of the limbs; simply homemade decorations, making it look like a tree from many years ago. The ghost recalled memories of her own back in the eighteen hundreds when her family would cut down and decorate a small tree with ornaments all her siblings had made for the Christmas season. She had not gotten this close to being homesick in years.

The shadowy figure of the first ghost floated up to hover beside her companion. She noted the look of nostalgia on her partner's face. Reaching out she pulled her close into a loving embrace as they softly swayed in the air. No words were needed as one gave comfort and the other received.

Kristen had just lit two large scented candles on the mantle when she heard Teddi coming back down the hall. She was still extremely uncomfortable as to what she should talk about now that she was alone with a person she really was learning to care about. She had never been good at idle chatter and was sure that she would bore Teddi to tears.

Teddi walked over to stand next to Kristen. She could see the rigid way in which Kristen held herself out of nervousness with the situation. Teddi was not sure how to go about making her more comfortable. Teddi had never spent so much time pursuing just one conquest as she had been doing with Kristen. The more time she spent with Kristen, the more she realized she really like Kristen. Like seemed like such a tame word as Teddi realized she wanted more from Kristen than just being friends. She knew from their conversations that although Kristen was an expert in the field of literary romance she had no practical experience in her life. Teddi knew she would have to continue slow and easy as the relationship grew.

Looking down, Teddi was again drawn to the fireplace. She loved fires; the way they smelled and the way they made the whole room more romantic. She asked Kristen again, "Kris, do you mind if I light us a fire now?"

"Well, I don't know…".Kristen began.

The first ghostly figure saw an opportunity to hasten the budding romance. As the second ghost slowly pulled her body up the chimney to see if it was open, the older ghost quickly moved back into the kitchen. Picking up a butter knife, she opened the breaker panel and placed the strip of metal across two of the breakers. Blue sparks shot out from under the metal. The entire apartment was plunged into darkness.

"Oh!! My goodness. The storm must have knocked out the power," Kirsten stated as she stood unmoving in the nearly pitch black room.

"I wouldn't be nearly as worried about the lights as I am about the heat," Teddi remarked as she still stood before the fireplace.

"Oh my, what should we do?" Kristen asked nervously.

"Hey, don't worry. You have plenty of wood right here to keep this room warm for at least two days," Teddi told Kristen as Kristen moved closer toward her.

"I guess you get your wish. Go ahead, Teddi, light my fire," Kristen said with a nervous laugh. "I have always wanted the chance to say that."

"Ha…ha. You wish, "Teddi said aloud as she knelt down to the hearth. Under her breath she said, "I wish too, boy what I would give to light your fire."

Kristen glanced around the darkened room. The two candles on the mantle cast a golden pale glow throughout the room. The corners remained in darkness. She did manage to make out the Christmas tree standing before the window. She never did finish decorating it she noted. She had not had time to put the star on the top of the tree. "Oh well, there would always be next year," she thought to herself.

Teddi started the fire and remained kneeling before the fire screen, making sure that the logs were burning well. She reached out to adjust the air intake to make the flames burn slower. As she leaned toward the chimney, she could have sworn that a sudden breeze came rushing out. She knew that would be impossible the way the flue angled upward on this type chimney.

Coughing and sputtering, the younger spirit flapped her way over to the older one. Little puffs of smoke and black residue fell gently from her being as she swished back and forth to clean herself off.

"Goodness gracious. You could have called my name before she lit the fire," the young ghost grumbled to her companion. "She nearly sent me right out the top of the chimney on a sudden stream of heat."

"Darling, I thought you had come out long before she struck the match," the first ghost lied as she was just returning from the kitchen when she saw her partner fly out of the fireplace.

Looking around, the second ghost asked her mate, "Why is it so dark in here?"

"Ummm. Well, it seems there has been a power failure and there is no heat or lights in the apartment. They are going to have to use the fireplace and candles," murmured the first ghost as she continued to watch the relationship unfolding before their eyes.

"Gawd, how romantic. I could not have caused a better situation than this one," gushed the second ghost as she leaned toward her partner. "Do you see any more charcoal on my body?"

"No, and hush. I'm trying to hear what they are saying to one another," whispered the older one.

Teddi looked up at Kristen as she stood before the fire. Her skin was golden, making her dark hair shine even more. Kristen could feel Teddi's eyes on her as she turned and picked up one of the candles. She looked down at Teddi and said, "I'll be right back.. I would like to change out of this outfit," indicating the one she had worn to the ballet, "and into something more comfortable."

"Pajama party? Sounds good to me, except I have no pajamas, just this robe," replied Teddi.

"Oh, that's alright. You can keep on the robe," stated Kristen as she moved further down the hall to her room.

*****

While Kristen was in her room changing, Teddi looked around the living room, trying to decide how they could sleep comfortably in front of the fire in order to stay warm. She took note that the couch in front of the hearth was a sleeper sofa. She quickly moved forward and opened the sleeper. It was fully made, including a heavy quilt. Teddi picked up a couple of the throw pillows and placed them onto the sleeper.

Both ghosts watched Teddi with interest. "Dang it, she's got to move quicker than this if we are going to have love here," the older specter mumbled under her breath. Meanwhile the younger one was thinking, "Boy, these two are really hitting it off well, glad I didn't interfere."

As the younger apparition watched Teddi making the bed, her companion quickly zipped down the hall to Kristen's room. She observed that Kristen was pulling on a soft chenille robe over a pair of silk pajamas. The older ghost knew it was time to nudge the relationship one more time.

As Kristen picked up her candle to exit the bedroom, the older ghost flew over the flame causing it to go out. The room became pitch black. It did not startle Kristen, as she was familiar with the lay out of the room. As she walked toward the door, she strode with confidence. What she didn't realize was that the ghost had partially closed the door. As Kristen walked through the doorway, she ran directly into the edge of the door, slapping her forehead on the doorframe. There was a loud crack as her head made contact with the wood.

"DAMN!!" Kristen partially shouted as she staggered backward from the collision with the door. She raised her hand to her forehead where she felt the beginnings of a huge goose egg. She did not feel anything damp at the time.

Sitting on the side of the sleeper sofa, Teddi heard the loud noise as Kristen hit the door, followed by her shout. She jumped up and headed quickly down the hall toward the sound. She held her right hand along the wall, keeping herself grounded as she made her way to Kristen's room.

"Kristen, are you all right," Teddi called out, as she got closer to the room.

"Yeah, I think so," replied Kristen with some hesitation. "I can't really see what I have done to myself. Be careful, the door must be partially closed. I just ran into the side of it as I was coming out. I could have sworn it had been wide open when I walked in."

Teddi reached Kristen's room and pushed the door open again. The faint light from the candle and fire in the living room showed Teddi where Kristen was standing. She walked into the room and took Kristen by the hand, leading her back out toward the living room.

"Here, sit down on the edge of the sleeper and let me check your forehead." Teddi instructed as she took the second candle from Kristen's hand and relit it.

As Kristen sat down, she noted that the room had become nice and warm from the fire. She also took note that Teddi had drawn out the sleeper so that they would be close to the warmth of the fire during the night. Again, she reached up and felt the bump on her forehead.

*****

Both ghosts moved in closer to see if she had caused any major damage to her skin. So far, it all looked to be superficial. While they stood in front of Kristen, Teddi passed right through them to kneel down in front of Kristen. With shaking hands, Teddi reached out and brushed the dark, silky bangs to one side of Kristen's forehead. Leaning closer, she looked carefully at the lump that had formed. The skin was unbroken but there was some bruising already noted in the middle of the swelling. She brushed her thumb over it gently as she looked across into Kristen's eyes.

"How are you feeling?" Teddi asked her quietly.

"Fine…now. It's not that painful. Does it look bad?" Kristen inquired as she felt Teddi slide her fingers into her hair, pushing it off the lump.

"No, baby. It looks fine, just slightly swollen. Are you sure it doesn't hurt?" Teddi murmured as she began to feel the heat from Kristen warm body directly in front of hers.

"Well, it stings just a little, but, yes, I'm ok." Kristen said a little breathlessly. Having Teddi this close and touching her body was beginning to make Kristen feel short of breath.

"Here, let me kiss it and make it better," whispered Teddi as she leaned even closer to Kristen. Her lips softly touched Kristen's forehead. She brushed her mouth across the abrasion, feathering a gentle kiss on the wound. Kristen drew in a deep breath. Her whole body tingled from the touch of Teddi's lips. She lifted her arms, reached out, and placed her hands on Teddi's shoulders as if to keep from falling backward.

Teddi took that as a sign of Kristen wanting more. She moved her mouth downward toward Kristen mouth, touching her face lightly and briefly with her lips as she moved closer to Kristen's lips. Teddi paused for a nanosecond before pressing her mouth to Kristen's mouth. She pressed harder as she felt the soft lushness of Kristen's lips beneath hers. She moved to the side and kissed Kristen's neck …small little kisses, returning to nibble on her chin. Teddi moved back to Kristen's mouth, running her tongue over Kristen's lips.

'Baby, open your lips,' Teddi whispered against Kristen's lips.

Kristen's lips parted slightly. Teddi slowly pushed her tongue deeper into Kristen's mouth. She felt the roughness of Kristen's tongue as their tongues slid together.

"Mmmmmmm," Kristen moaned deep in her throat as new sensations flooded her body.
This is the first woman that she had kissed. "It is wonderful," she thought to herself before more sensations that are new overwhelmed her.

Teddi's fingers moved down and lifted the hem of Kristen's pajama top. She caressed Kristen's stomach, feeling its warmth and softness. Her fingers inched their way up to Kristen's breasts. Teddi stopped for a moment as she deepened her kiss, pressing her tongue further inside, withdrawing, and thrusting again.

Teddi caressed Kristen's breasts, touching her nipples lightly. She felt them become pointed and swell in her hands. She moved back to Kristen's hem and slowly opened the buttons up the front. Kristen's nipples were standing out, begging to be kissed. Teddi lowered her head and captured a nipple.

"Mmmmmmmmmmm….so….sweet." Teddi murmured as she slid her hands under Kristen's breasts.

Kristen drew in a shaky breath, unable to do anything but feel the sensations that were burning through her body. Her hands remained on Teddi's shoulders where she would loosen and tighten her grip depending on the depth of her excitement. She didn't know what to do. This was all foreign territory for her. She had always read about sex but had never taken the opportunity to explore it first hand. Kristen was not sure how comfortable she was letting Teddi go further.

"Please….Please. I just don't know," Kristen said quietly in a confused tone. "God, this feels so good but, Teddi, I don't think I am ready to go further tonight."

Teddi drew back slightly, looking deeply into Kristen's eyes. She could see sincerity and a softness as Kristen looked back at her. Teddi removed her hands from Kristen's breasts and began buttoning her top.

"Baby, it's all right. We have all the time in the world." Teddi replied, leaning in again to drop a feather light kiss on Kristen's mouth.

"Thank you for understanding," Kristen replied as she returned the kiss for the first time on her own.

As the ghosts looked down upon the couple on the sleeper, chimes began to ring. Teddi stood up and drew Kristen with her. Together, they walked over to the window and looked out into the night. The snow continued to fall heavily, blanketing everything they could see in pure white, hiding all ugliness for this special night. The church bells continued chiming as it announced Christmas day.

Teddi turned Kristen to face her, saying, "Kris…every time we are together, I find that I am falling deeper and deeper into new feelings with you."

Hesitantly, Teddi reached out and cupped Kristen's face in her hands. So softly that Kristen had to lean in, Teddi said, "I think that I am falling in love with you."

Kristen looked at Teddi as tears began to form in her own eyes. "Teddi," she began, "I am not sure what I am feeling but I know that I have never felt like this about anyone either. My heart beats faster every time I am near you." She reached up, drew one of Teddi's hands from her face, and placed it over her heart, holding it in place.

"I know that I am on the verge of falling in love with you." Kristen rose up on tiptoe and placed a soft, moist kiss on Teddi's lips before dropping back down and moving closer to Teddi to be enveloped in Teddi's strong arms.

As they stood there listening to the final chimes ring in Christmas, Teddi glanced over Kristen's shoulder and looked at the Christmas tree in front of her. As she looked at the top of the tree, she saw the image of two angels merge together to become one at the top of the tree. She shook her head slightly thinking she must be more tired than she thought.

She dropped her arms from around Kristen, caught Kristen's hand, and led her back over to the sleeper. This time, they both lay down, snuggling deep under the covers. Teddi spooned her body around Kristen's as they settled down to sleep. Right before both of them were asleep, Teddi murmured to Kristen about how beautiful the angel was on top of her tree.

Kristen, paused for a moment, and then said, "I didn't have time to put anything on the top of the tree."

Teddi leaned up slightly and looked back over her shoulder. The top of the tree was bare. She lay back down, wondering how her eyes could have seen an angel that wasn't even there. In fact, she had seen not one but two.

"Oh well, there is plenty of time to figure out this mystery tomorrow," thought Teddi as she cupped herself more snuggly against Kristen while they drifted off to sleep.

Out in the beautiful clean night of Christmas, the two ghosts were slowly drifting down the center of the street. The second ghost said gleefully, "I won again. This time they fell in love and I did not even give one teeny, itty, bitty, nudge."

"No, love, you didn't." her eternal companion answered. "Yes, you won. Now do you see that love will exist even without our interference?" she told her mate as she crossed her fingers behind her back.

"Yes, I have to agree. True love needs very little help. This time of year is especially filled with love. For now, I will not interfere but who knows what tomorrow will bring," answered the younger ghost.

With gleeful laughter, they disappeared into the falling snow leaving the new lovers to rest peaceful in each other's arms.

The End