Soft music played all around them in the festively decorated room. Low candlelight illuminated the room alongside the twinkling lights of the tree in the corner of the room. A comfortable fire crackled beside them as they snuggled up close in each other’s arms, only inches from falling asleep in their contentment.

Lanala let out a long sigh. The tall, caramel skinned woman with pink hair, orange eyes, and a perfectly toned athletic body, laid against her muscular wife on the loveseat, having long since kicked off her high heels and curled up close to the mighty woman she loved.

She wore a short, strapless cocktail dress, coloured black. Black was ‘her’ colour, as her wife, Artema, put it. Meanwhile Artema, having taken off her own heels, wore her usual sleeveless white dress and silken purple vest that matched her long, braided purple hair. Staring down at her wife with brilliant green eyes, stroking Lanala’s pink updo, Artema let out her own sigh.

The two women just enjoyed each other’s company on this Christmas night, letting the light snow drift and settle outside their little cabin. The world outside didn’t exist, in that moment. Right then it was just Lanala and Artema, together, doing nothing but feeling each other’s warmth and love for the last part of their Christmas holiday together.

“I don’t know how this could be more perfect,” Artema said, kissing her wife on the forehead and leaning back.

“I can think of one way...” Lanala said with a giggle, snuggling up closer to Artema and tilting her head back to look her in the eye.

Artema raised an eyebrow, trying to contain her smile. “Really? What would this ‘more perfect’ entail, my dear?”

“I think you know... it would be so perfect. And the best part would be the unwrapping. It is Christmas, after all, and I forgot to wrap your present.”

“How careless of you,” Artema said playfully. “Perhaps I should do that for you.”

“Perhaps you should. You always have cleaned up my messes, after all.”

Artema chuckled and stroked Lanala’s chin. “Oh, that’s not true. We’ve cleaned up plenty for each other.”

“Name one time I cleaned up after you,” Lanala said.

“I can name three,” Artema said. “First, Jhana’s prison. I stood no chance. I still haven’t gotten good enough to escape what she put me in, you know.”

“Yeah, I guess...”

“Without you taking that risk, none of us would have made it out.”

“I suppose...”

Artema kissed Lanala again. “Then there was that time you led the team to come after me. Remember that?”

“Oh... I don’t like to think about... how I was. That anger kind of started to-”

Artema kissed her again. “Hush now. You overcame it. Like you always do. But, without your leadership, I’d still be Jhana’s prisoner. No doubt. And likely you all with me. And we wouldn’t be here.”

Lanala sighed again. “And the third time?”

“When you played Jhana like a fiddle in Esterlin. She had all of us and you made everyone think she had you under control. But you fought back. She had me again. I had no chance to escape. You saved me.”

Lanala brushed this off. “Yeah well... let’s list off the number of times you’ve come after me. There was the cave, Matesi, the hotel, that one time with Taria-”

“Which time?” Artema asked, grinning wide. Lanala playfully slapped her on the shoulder.

“Oh, don’t tease me like that! That time Taria escaped and had to untie me in Aurora’s penthouse when Fa’rah played us super hard and-”

Artema stopped her. “Don’t remind me.”

“Right. Well, then... that simulation. I can’t remember if you came for me or I escaped...”

“Depends on a few things,” Artema said. “I don’t think any of us remember the simulation all that well.”

“I guess. But, anyway, then there was that one prison. I can’t remember if it was Aurora’s or Jhana’s but... it was in Weston. When you tied up that guard, remember?”

“I remember,” Artema said, nodding.

“Then there was the seven towers, which you escaped from, and rescued all of us, that time you came in behind the Griffin Knight, and a whole bunch of other times before all of that and since then. You see what I mean?”

Artema chuckled. “I do, my love. I do. But you know what? It doesn’t matter. Who’s counting? The numbers don’t matter. All that matters is that I love you. And that you love me. And that we’re together. We’re here. And I’ll always come after you. I know, too, that you’ll always come after me. Because you, Lanala, are so much stronger than you ever realized. Hell, that power you have now just proves that. The fact you can handle that? You’re stronger than any of us.”

“Oh, Artema... I love you.”

They shared a long passionate kiss for a while, drinking in the smell and taste of each other... before pulling back again.

“So... what were we talking about?” Artema asked.

“I have just the thing, dear...” Lanala leaned forward and plucked two thick rolls of bright red packing tape, usually used in wrapping up presents. It was quite thick, obviously the type used to wrap presents intended to be shipped long distances.

“Have you been... saving this?”

“For the right occasion. I considered wrapping you up but we need something stronger to keep you in a neat little package. I have something in the bedroom for that.”

Artema raised an eyebrow again.

“I’ll get you into it. For now... I got you a present. But it needs to be wrapped up.” She handed Artema the two rolls of tape. “I know you’re good at wrapping gifts. Sorry you have to wrap your own but this isn’t something I can alone...”

Artema smiled. “I’m happy to help, my dear.”

She gently leaned forward, helping her wife scoot down the love seat so she had enough room to get to work.

She took both of Lanala’s hands in one of her own, gently wrapping around her wrists to hold them together with the other. She let go and then wrapped each hand individually, taping her fingers together, until a pair of red, shiny mittens covered her hands.

“Whatever you’ve got in that bedroom, you’ll have to earn it,” Artema said. “No easy escapes for you, my love...”

“Do you think I want to escape?”

“No but, if you want to wrap your own present, it’s you who will have to unwrap mine.”

Lanala smiled wide. “I see. Talk about motivation.”

“And I’m nowhere near finished yet.”

Artema fully wrapped up Lanala’s legs from her ankles to her thighs so she could barely even bend them. They were practically mummified. Then, with Lanala still seated, she taped her bound hands into her lap, following that up by taping up her arms and torso, framing her breasts. With her body completely taped up, Artema reached to the table where a white handkerchief lay. She crumpled it up and held it to Lanala’s face.

“You know where this goes,” Artema said.

“Indeed I do,” Lanala replied, opening her mouth wide. Artema stuffed the cloth into her mouth, packing it full, gently pressing on Lanala’s chin so she shut her mouth around it. Unable to hide her smile, Lanala giggled while Artema slowly wrapped the tape around her mouth over and over again, completely gagging her. When the roll ran out, Artema tore it off and smoothed out the tape across Lanala’s lips and around the back of her head, gently smoothing the last strand of tape into place along the bottom of her slender jaw.

“There,” Artema said. “How’s that?”

“Prrmmfmmtt,” Lanala said, giggling.

“Wonderful. You look amazing, you know that?”

Lanala always blushed when Artema complimented her and this time was no exception. “You really do. Come here.”

Artema pulled her wife in close again and the assumed the same position they had been in moments ago, Lanala leaning against her, resting her head on Artema’s mighty chest. Artema stroked her hair and plucked a glass of champagne from the table beside the loveseat.

“Maybe it’s this booze talking... but you’re so damn hot, Lanala.”

“Mmmpphh...” Lanala said. “Nmm ymmm.”

“I think you should get started,” Artema said, wrapping her arms around Lanala and squeezing. Lanala giggled again. “Go on. Squirm around for me. Get yourself out of it.”

“Mmm ccmmmtt! Mmtph tmm tmmmtt!” Lanala said with a giggle. “Mmmndd lmmt mm gmm! Ymmr grmmp mmph tmm tmmmt.”

“Can’t understand you, though it sounds just lovely,” Artema said. “And hey, you want to see me all wrapped up right? So get to work. Because if you don’t, you’ll be wrapping your present after Christmas. And who wants that?”

“Mmmph!” Lanala squealed, still giggled. She struggled and writhed, squirming in her wife’s grip, but she stood no chance of escape like this. Not unless she used her magic, which she was reluctant to do even in more dire situations.

“Mmm stmmkk!”

“What’s that? You want to be tied tighter?”

Lanala squealed again, laughing into her gag, and struggling harder to break her strong wife’s grasp to no avail.

“Tell you what. If you can’t escape in... two hours, I’ll let you out. And you can wrap me up. Then we can really have fun. How does that sound?”

“Mmm hmmm!” Lanala exclaimed, muffled by her gag, struggling once again and failing to escape.

She stopped for a moment and let herself lay back against her wife, closing her eyes.

“Taking a break?”

Lanala nodded.

“I suppose that’s allowed. All right. Allow me to join you.”

She loosened her grip and gently laid her head on top of her wife’s stroking her hair again. Lanala let out a long breath through her nose and relaxed completely into her bondage.

“Merry Christmas, Lanala,” Artema said.

“Mmrrmm Chrmmphtmmphh...”