Shaving off almost a month of hair was messy, arduous work.  Clumps of hair fell into the bathwater, and it took several minutes of dogged shaving stroked before the cool feeling of shaving cream and air began to kiss his face.  Bristle after bristle dropped off into the suds of the water as the straight razor passed over his skin, until after about fifteen minutes, he felt "civilized" again.  With warm, wet hands, he stroked over his jawline, throat and cheeks, making sure that they were as smooth as his standards required, taking the razor over certain patches one or two more times with careful precision until everything was as smooth as the day he came into the world.<br/><br/>Mal smiled, happy with the fresh feeling that a clean shave always bestowed upon him.  He knew he would be more exposed to the bitter cold that howled upon the winds outside, but at least he could look halfway decent if he was going to suffer winter's icy wrath.  But not<i>tonight</i>.<br/><br/>Tonight he would spend in a warm home, with warm food in his belly, in warm company.  His smile broadened as Elody reappeared in his mind's eye.  She was of the kind of beauty he came to be familiar with out there in the wilderness—possessed of an innate survival instinct and the capability to weather storms and withstand the harsh realities of a savage world, and yet, undiminished in a rare and special kind of beauty that compelled you to stop and appreciate it in silent wonder and enchantment.  Mal felt himself swell and harden beneath the warm water as he thought about her.  It had been over a year since he had been in the company of a woman, and Elody reminded him of this in the way that she awakened his slumbering desire.  He breathed out slowly, and his hands and fingers twitched, wanting to slide themselves over her hips... to stroke... and<i>grip</i>her...<br/><br/>Closing his eyes, he breathed out again.<i>Control yourself, goddamn it</i>.  Splashing water on his face a few times, he shook out his shoulder length hair and ran his fingers back through it, and was grateful for the rumbling growl his stomach made that successfully took his mind off his<i>other </i>hunger.  Planting his feet and rising from the tub, he drew the towel around himself as he stepped out and dried off quickly, his shaft still thick if only partially erect as it bulged behind the fabric while he wiped his body down and slipped on the change of clothes, grateful that she had an extra set that fit him rather well, and were clean and warm.<br/><br/>In a few minutes, Mal followed the scent of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and fresh rolls to the dinner table, a smile still upon his lips.  "Beauty, bravery, and she can<i>cook,</i>too!" Malcolm announced, salivating at how delicious the hot meal in front of him smelled.  He remained standing as he watched Elody, while also giving Little John a nod of acknowledgment, waiting for the lovely woman to finish with her dinner preparations.  He fully anticipated her command to sit down and dig in, but he wanted to wait until she was at least ready to enjoy the meal that she worked so selflessly to put together.<br/><br/>Seating himself across from her when everything was set upon the table, little wisps of steam rising to tantalize the empty stomachs of all who gathered, including Crixus, like a siren's song, he began graciously yet eagerly helping himself to a breast and wing, moving thence to each of the other wonderful dishes; mashed potatoes, green beans, and one of the soft, delectable rolls.  Finally, Mal helped himself to the gravy on the table and dressed each item in turn with it.<br/><br/>Once done, he dug into the meal like a man possessed and starving to death.  He didn't even realize how quickly he went through everything on his plate until he looked up and saw that the long clock hand had barely moved five minutes.  Leaving only a few drops of gravy and the bones of the masticated chicken, he suddenly felt compelled to apologize, but instead just managed a half embarrassed chuckle at himself.<br/><br/>"It's been too long since I've tasted something so damned good," he smiled.  "My god, you can cook, Elody.  If you don't mind, I'm ready to help myself to another round of everything on this table!"<br/><br/>Malcolm's eyes glanced over at the glowing fireplace, while the warm smells of home and hearth soothed and filled his entire being. Then he glanced back into the deep bluish green loveliness of Elody's eyes, and realized his cheeks were growing a bit sore from all of the smiling he was doing.<br/><br/>"I daresay this is perhaps the best Christmas I've had in quite a few years..."