DISCLAIMER: Don't own them but they are fun to play with. There will be girly loving but nothing heavy in this story.
CHALLENGE: Written for Passion & Perfection's Big 5000.
SPOILERS: Fall On Your Knees (The Christmas Episode)
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
All I Want For Christmas
By Vree
Sam sat curled up in a chair in the living room of the Palace. She periodically sipped from a cup of hot chocolate as she watched her classmates goofing off and playing with their new Christmas presents. In particular she watched the girl on the couch across from her and marveled at the Christmas miracle that was Nicole Julian.
She had been watching her all evening, from the moment she showed up at the Palace and all through the trip to Bio-Glass's house to drop off the hairless pussy she so wanted. After the group left Bio-Glass, they had decided to continue the caroling on to the other teacher's houses as well as Caesar Crouton's, the record store, and the chicken shack. She still couldn't believe that Nicole had all those gifts for the other teachers or that she was so accurate in knowing what they wanted most. As Sam watched Nicole chat with Sugar Daddy and Lily about the ethics of a turkey dinner on Christmas, she felt she was seeing the Nicole she remembered from their freshman year, before Marley Jacobs got her claws into her. This was the Nicole she sat behind in classes and dreamed about. She wondered if Nicole still had the really cute glasses she used to wear.
Nicole excused herself from Sugar and Lily and wandered out to the kitchen. Sam felt the brief draft as she opened the door to the back patio and went outside. This was the moment that Sam had been alternately hoping for and dreading. She quickly put her mug aside and grabbed her jacket before following.
Nicole looked up and smiled as Sam came onto the patio. "Ah! The intrepid reporter comes out to see if she can get an interview with the aliens who have obviously brainwashed me. Sorry, you just missed them."
Sam chuckled. "You're not far off, I did come out to see if I could find out what caused you to revert back to the girl you used to be freshman year. But not for a story, just because I missed her."
"How could you possibly miss her? She didn't really know anyone or speak to anyone until that day Marley decided she needed a new minion."
"No, but she was smart and interested in her studies. And she used to doodle the funniest cartoons in her notebook."
"Oh my God, you saw those?" Nicole blushed.
"Of course, I sat behind you for the better part of two years. They always made even the crappiest day slightly funny. So what happened to you? This morning you were scarier than you've ever been, and then tonight you're almost the complete opposite. I know you joked about the aliens, but seriously, do I need to look for a pod?"
Nicole smiled. "You'd never believe me if I told you, so let's just chalk it up to some really good eggnog."
"Nope. Now I'm really curious. Tell me. I promise not to laugh too hard."
"Fine. I got Christmas Caroled."
"Christmas Caroled?"
"Yep. Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future, and Marley Jacobs to boot. God, with a friend with a name like that, I should have known it would only be a matter of time before this happened."
Sam looked at Nicole in disbelief before realizing how serious she was. "Wow…Okay… apparently that worked pretty well, then."
A faint hint of bitterness crossed Nicole's face. "Oh yeah, it was a real eye-opener. I had forgotten so much about the person I used to be. I'm not really sure what to do next, but I thought the gifts were a good start."
"I agree. And on that note…" Sam reached into the pocket of her jacket and pulled out a small wrapped box. "I have no idea how or even if I was ever going to give this to you, but I found it when I was shopping for Christmas presents and bought it before I really thought about it."
Nicole slowly opened the box and just stared.
Sam saw tears forming in the corners of her eyes and started to stammer. "I'm sorry. Don't cry. I know it's no longer accurate and I've probably completely offended you, but I thought you should get a gift today since it's Christmas. And you know…"
She was stopped by a pair of very cool soft fingers on her lips and looked up into Nicole's glistening blue eyes.
"It's wonderful, Sam." Nicole put the open box on the patio table and lifted out a necklace with a pendant in the shape of a devil-horned headband done in red stones and handed it to Sam. "Put it on me, will you?"
Sam's hands shook and her breathing quickened as she reached over Nicole's head and slid the necklace into place before trying to attach the clasp. She had almost gotten it when Nicole spoke again,. "This is the only Christmas present I've gotten this year."
"What? Surely your mother…"
"Put more money in my bank account."
"What about Brooke? Surely she…"
"Not yet. Maybe she has something for me later, but it's been a rough year between the two of us, so I'm not sure. Doesn't matter to me, though. This means more than anything she might give me." Nicole turned into the hands gently resting on her shoulders and looked up into Sam's eyes.
"Why is that?"
"Because it means you were thinking of me. Which is the one thing I have wanted since I first sat in front of you in first-period English our freshman year. You were so very cool and I kept thinking that if I was cool too you might notice me. I became the wrong kind of cool, though, and while you did notice me, it was really only to hate me."
Sam's thumbs stroked the sides of Nicole's neck as she thought about her response. Nicole's eyes fluttered shut and her breath hitched briefly, drawing Sam's eyes back to her. Sam smiled. "I never hated you. I just hated what you had become. Every time I saw you and you weren't making my friends' lives miserable, I remembered who you used to be and it just made me angrier."
She felt Nicole's body shudder lightly against her and realized how close they had gotten. Deciding to take a chance on something for once in her life, she leaned forward and whispered into Nicole's ear, "It would have been impossible for me to hate the person I wanted so very much."
Nicole gasped and her head flew back. The honesty and desire she saw convinced her that this wasn't some cruel joke sprung from her deepest nightmares, but was in fact her dream come to life.
Not seeing any rejection, Sam leaned in and their lips met. It was a light, simple kiss that slowly developed until they were clinging to each other and unaware of the world around them. Slowly awareness drifted back in and their lips began the parting and re-meeting that signifies the reluctant end of something beautiful, and a burst of laughter from inside the house finally made them stop. They looked at each other as Nicole stroked her fingers through Sam's hair and Sam lightly scratched the skin under the edge of Nicole's sweater where her hand had come to rest.
Sam broke the silence. "Will you regret this tomorrow?"
"No, but I'm wondering if you won't."
Sam's eyes were sad. "Depends on whether tomorrow means the return of you or of Satan."
Nicole blinked slowly to disperse the tears. "I guess we'll have to see tomorrow, then. I personally hope she doesn't come back, but you never know. Perhaps the necklace will remind me that there are alternatives."
"All I know right now is that I don't want us to be apart. So how about we let tonight be about us and our friends, and leave the rest to tomorrow."
Nicole leaned up and their lips met as their friends' voices lifted up in song again.
I just want you for my own
More than you could've ever known
Make my wish come true...
All I want for Christmas
Is you...
The End