#choices 12 days of fictmas

[karahalloway]

A Winged Wish

A Choices Twelve Days of Fictmas One-Shot

This is my submission for the 2021 Choices Twelve Days of Fictmas writing event. This year, the theme was 'All Of My Favourite Things' and the prompt that I'd received was 'Angel Tree'. This is also my submission for the CFWC Holiday Celebration.

Fandom: TRR

Pairing: Drake Walker x F!OC (Harper Gale)

Synopsis: On a special December night in the lead-up to Christmas, Harper has a tough choice to make...

Word count: 2,000

Warnings: PG-13 (very minor swearing, one slightly steamy kiss, lots fluff)

Theme song:

A/N: So... A couple of things... (1) I appreciate that strictly speaking, an 'angel tree' is a charity-based gift-giving initiative that is run by the Salvation Army to collect items for in-need families in the lead-up to Christmas. However, when I saw the prompt, the first thing I thought of was literally an angel tree (as in a Christmas tree decorated with angels). And when I thought of angels and Christmas, I thought of wishes, which is how the idea of this fic was born. (2) While I make references to some European Christmas traditions and beliefs (which are factual), the concept of an 'angel wish' is something that I came up with for this fic and has no tie-in (at least none that I could find!) with Saint Lucia's Day, so any similarities to actual beliefs/traditions is purely coincidental. (3) Chronologically, this Christmas takes place in the same year as the social season and the engagement tour, but contains no real spoilers for the as yet untitled and unwritten Book 3 of the Harper and Drake trilogy.

"Something on your mind, girl?"

I feel Drake's arms wrap around me from behind, and I lean back against him with a sigh.

"Just trying to decide what to write."

"For the past thirty minutes?"

"It's not been that long!" I peek up at him uncertainly. "Has it?"

"Sure has," he assures me. "Was on the verge of calling in search and rescue."

"I do have a phone..."

"Which you weren't answering."

I feel a blush rise up my cheeks. "Sorry... Got a bit lost in thought."

Drake rests his chin on my shoulder and glances down at the words that I've written down, then scribbled over. "It's not a fancy speech or press release, y'know... It doesn't need to be perfect."

"I know..." I huff. "But I want it to be meaningful."

"Then write from the heart."

I twist around to look at him with a quizzically raised brow. "Since when does Drake Walker give sentimental advice?"

"Since it's the most WON-derful time of the year...?" he carols with a grin, deepening his voice in imitation of the Andy Williams Christmas classic. "And I get to spend it with you."

His lips meet mine in a tender kiss as he pulls me into him. Laying a hand on his cheek, I breathe in his spicy scent, taste the whiskey on his tongue as I melt into the moment.

Our first Christmas together... the first of many.

"What did you write?" I ask him when we eventually pull apart.

He fixes me with an impassive look. "That's between me and Santa Lucia."

Now I was intrigued! "What did you write that's such a big secret?"

"Hey," he protests. "Did you run around sharing the contents of your letter to Santa?"

"No, but—"

"It's the same thing," he insists. "It only works if it stays private."

"Sentimental and superstitious," I declare with wide eyes. "The festive cheer really has addled your brain, Walker."

"My brain's perfectly fine, thank you," he replies dryly. "But, there are some things that you just don't mess with. Time-honoured holiday traditions being one of them."

I roll my eyes. But... I had to admit that he had a point.

Though, that still didn't help me decide what I was going to write...

I glance back down at the piece of paper in my hands, hoping that inspiration would finally hit me, and I could write a heartfelt 'winged wish'.

For on Santa Lucia – or Saint Lucia's feast day – every Cordonian took a moment out of their day to record a secret wish. For kids, it tended to be the special toys they hoped to receive for Christmas (delivered by Baby Jesus, rather than Santa Claus in this part of the world... the logistics of which I have not quite received a satisfactory explanation for, apart from maybe that Baby Jesus had unquestionable magical powers of teleportation). For adults, meanwhile, the wish was usually a bit more amorphous – good health, finding love and happiness, more money... basically the stuff that keeps people up at night, hoping for a miracle. But, in both cases, the process was the same. People would write their wish onto a piece of paper, fold it up to resemble angel wings and tie it to a branch of the Christmas tree, so Saint Lucia's spirit could fly them up to the heavens to Baby Jesus.

When Maxwell had innocently asked me whether I'd be writing a winged wish, I had stared at him in confusion. But, after he'd given me the low-down of what it entailed (and I'd received unbiased confirmation from Drake that this was actually a thing, given that I hadn't been sure whether I should take Maxwell on his word on something that sounded so alien to me, hailing, as I did, from the land of the Coca-Cola Christmas commercial), I had decided that yes – I did want to take part in this rather sweet and poignant Cordonian tradition.

And since I wanted my first time writing a special wish to be special, I had spent the whole day trying to decide what I wanted to ask for, motivated by the highly probable chance that I'd eventually need to repeat this story to my kids and possibly even grandkids. But, as the morning had ticked over into afternoon, and we had started getting ready for the Night of Light ball at the Palace – Saint Lucia being the patron saint of festive, holy light – I was still trying to home in on my one-true desire.

So, here I am, at the tail end of the night, standing in front of the gigantic Norway Spruce that had been set up in one of the corners of the ballroom, already chock-full of little paper angel wings ready to bear their author's hopes and dreams skywards, no closer to narrowing down my wish than I had been at the start of the day.

Should I wish for something material? That felt cheap – asking a higher power for something that I could just buy for myself. Should I think bigger? Like world peace? The end of hunger? Poverty? Or was that just wishful thinking on my part? What about love and happiness for everyone? Eugh… That just sounded so cheesy…

A low sigh of frustration escapes me.

Why was this so goddamn difficult?! It was just a stupid little wish... That probably wouldn't even come true anyway.

"Harper..."

Drake's voice floats across my consciousness.

Looking up, I see that he's moved around to stand in front of me, his warm mocha eyes gazing down softly into mine.

Taking my hand in his, he says, "You're really overthinking this, girl. Just pick something you want. It's not rocket science."

"But, that's the problem!" I exclaim. "I don't know what I want!"

"You were eyeing up those boots pretty hard last week..."

"I was window-shopping! A girl's allowed a self-indulgent, Confessions of a Shopaholic moment every now and then!"

"I have no idea what that is, and I definitely do not want to know, but if you're struggling that much, just wish for those." He leans in conspiratorially. "You never know... Your wish may come true."

My mouth drops open. "You did not!"

"Did not what?"

"Buy them for me!" I cry. "They were almost $1,000!"

Even though I'd been here in Cordonia for over six months now, I was still converting everything back to US dollars as that was my instinctive baseline. And as awesome as those Louboutin black suede, kitten-heel ankle boots with statement bows on the back had looked in the store window, no shoe was worth that much money!

"I never said I did," he replies evenly. "And anyway... it's Baby Jesus who—"

I thump him on the chest. "I'm not five, Drake! I know how Christmas presents work! And you can't spend that much money on me!"

"Why not?" he asks, snaking his arm around my waist to draw me into him.

"Because it's too much!"

"I think that's for me to decide..." he murmurs, reaching up to brush my hair behind my ear.

"And I haven't gotten you anything nearly as expensive!"

"So? It's the thought that counts, not the price tag."

A sound of exasperation escapes me. "You're impossible..."

"Why is this still a constant source of surprise for you?" he drawls with a smirk, tilting my face up to his.

"I don't know..." I grumble ruefully. "I keep thinking that I've got you all figured out, but then you turn around and do something that takes my breath away."

"You complainin’?"

"No, but—"

"Then stop complaining."

Dipping his head, he gently brushes his lips against mine. My mouth parts with a soft sigh in anticipation of him deepening the kiss. But when a moment, then two passes, I blink my eyes open questioningly.

Drake is staring down at me with that impenetrable look of his, and I feel my heart skip a beat at the intensity of his gaze.

“What?” I ask softly.

“Nothing…” he murmurs, reaching up to cup my face in his palm.

“It’s obviously something…” I counter. “Or you wouldn’t be looking at me like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like you’re expecting to wake up.”

“Because I am.” He closes his eyes as he heaves a breath. “Honestly, Harper… I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that we’re here right now… Not only together, but engaged... of all things!” He shakes his head. “I… I know this is gonna sound cliché and stupid, but I wish we could freeze this moment… make it last forever. Because it’s goddamn perfect.”

Before I have a chance to reply, his mouth comes crashing down on mine. A low moan escapes me as his fingers tangle into my hair, pulling me to him, as if he couldn’t bear the thought of having even the tiniest sliver of space between us. My arms wrap around his neck, my body arching against his as his tongue—

My eyes fly open. "That's it!"

“…the hell?”

Extricating myself from his embrace, I rush to the table that held the writing implements. Dropping the dog-eared piece of paper I was holding, I pick up a fresh sheet and quickly jot down my wish. Giving it a quick read, I fold it up, tying a piece of string around the middle before popping it triumphantly into a branch.

Turning around, I see Drake eyeing me with a raised brow. “Care to explain?”

“You just gave me a brainwave,” I inform him, looping my arm through his.

His brow arcs higher. “You’re… welcome?”

“Oh, don’t look so put out,” I say, patting him on the cheek.

He scoffs as he leads us back to the main part of the ballroom. “How else am I supposed to look when you turn tail in the middle of us making out to go scribble on a piece of paper? Happy?”

“Yeah…actually,” I admit. “Because thanks to you, I now have the perfect wish.”

He throws me a sidelong look. “I told you… It doesn’t—”

“—need to be perfect,” I finish. “I know. But what you said… It made me realise that I’d been thinking about the whole thing wrong.”

“How so?” he asks as we arrive at the dancefloor.

“I was so focused on trying to choose something to receive in the future, that I forgot that I could actually choose something from the present.”

Drake glances down at me as he pulls me into a close hold. “You… wished for something you already have?”

“Yes,” I reply with a smile. “I wished for—”

“Don’t tell me!”

I shake my head with a laugh as he twirls us around. “Drake… You’re my fiancé, soon to be my husband. Surely I can tell you…”

His face remains impassive. “No.”

“Why not?” I press as he drops me into a dip.

“Because. It won’t happen if you do.” He bends down to whisper into my ear. “And I want all your wishes to come true.”

I tilt my face up to his. “They already have.”

It was true.

I already had everything I could ever want. I had found and fallen in love with the man of my dreams, who loved me in turn and had literally crossed mountains and oceans for me. He had proposed and I'd said 'yes', and our wedding was a few short months away. I had family and friends on two continents I could count on come what may. I was doing well physically, emotionally, and spiritually… and everything felt pretty damn perfect.

So, that is what I had wished for – to be able to find a moment of perfection in each day that I could hold onto and cherish… whether it be a smile… a kiss… something that made me stop and stare… or something that reminded me of how immeasurably lucky I really was.

Because when all was said and done, the only things that really mattered were those special moments in between…

…and I couldn’t wait to have a whole lifetime of them with Drake.

Moodboard credits

Tree - Angel - Dance - Drinks - Drake - Harper

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12 Days of Fictmas Writers (not already included in my permas)

@katedrakeohd @sirbeepsalot @alj4890 @ofpixelsandscribbles @queenrileyrose @burnsoslow @darley1101 @blackcatkita @debramcg1106 @cordoniansgonewild @leelee10898 @kat-tia801 @emichelle @arosentinel @bebepac @txemrn @thegreentwin @annekebbphotography @cordoniantrash @sincerelyella @boneandfur @thehonorarybeaumont @chemist-ana @lucy-268 @jerzwriter @mynotsohealthyobsession @camillemontespan @axwalker​ @argylemnwrites 

12 Days of Fictmas Readers (not already included in my permas)

@iaminlovewithtrr

#harper gale #drake walker #drake x mc #cfwc holiday celebration #christmas wish #12 days of fictmas 2021 #choices 12 days of fictmas

[leelee10898]

It's almost time...

Hey everyone, Alicia here! I know it's only October and technically still spooky season but… @emichelle and I were talking and decided to do the annual 12 Days of Fictmas again! This is just a feelers post to see who is still around and interested in participating again, or who would like to be tagged.

This year the theme is My Favorite Things...

I am going to tag everyone on the tags list from years past just in case.

We will have a list of all "holiday" things. I.E: Christmas lights, tree, elf, bells, wreath, etc.. Each person will be assigned a "thing" via random selection (Erin will provide proof of your outcome) that you will need to incorporate into your fic or art submission. It does not HAVE to be the sole focus, just included! Days will be assigned at that time as well. Any choices book or characters are welcome, you're also free to request an item for as many submissions as you'd like! 

Let us know! The official sign ups post will be available the first week in November and the 12 Days will kick off on December 1st!

Also, lots of dead tags on here. If it's a handle change, let us know and we can update.

Tags:

@hopefulmoonobject @kennaxval @zaffrenotes @cordoniantrash  @burnsoslow  @Fromthedeskofpaisleybleakmore @msjr0119  @texaskitten30 @janezillow  @the-soot-sprite  @mskaneko  @blackcatkita @darley1101 @thecordoniandiaries @speedyoperarascalparty @ao719 @leelee10898 @annekebbphotography @brightpinkpeppercorn @Drakeandcamillaofvaltoria @theroyalweisme @alj4890  @bbrandy2002 @cordoniansgonewild @god-save-the-keen @debbramcg @emichelle 

Readers tag

@Dangerouseggseagleartisan

@innerpostmentality

@beardedoafdonutwagon

@desiree-pow-35-1986

@addictedtodrakefanfic

#choices 12 days of fictmas #12 days of fictmas #12 days of fictmas 2021 #leelee and erin present 12 days of fictmas

[jerzwriter]

All I Want For Christmas Is You

It's the 12 Days of Fictmas! I want to say thank you to @emichelle and @leelee10898 for hosting this event, I'm happy to be a part of it this year! My prompt is SANTA and I came up with this silly idea. I hope you enjoy my spoof.

Book: Open Heart

Characters: F!MC (Casey MacTavish), Sienna Trinh, Bryce Lahela, Ethan Ramsey, Tobias Carrick, etc.

Rating: Teen

Summary: Casey fills in for Santa at the Edenbrook Holiday Party, and she ends up learning a whole lot more than she wanted to know.

Category: Pure silliness and fluff.

Warnings: None, unless you’re afraid of Santa.

A/N: Also participating in ChoicesDecemberChallenge2021 Day 9 prompt: Secrets.

CHARACTERS BELONG TO PIXELBERRY STUDIOS

Casey walked into the hospital in pure pandemonium. Happy pandemonium, but still… pandemonium. As she turned a corner, an intern carrying bags full of presents slammed right into her, sending brightly wrapped packages in every direction.

“Oh! Excuse me!”

“Not a worry,” she said, helping to retrieve the gifts, “it looks like we got a lot this year!”

“There are more bags of toys out in that truck than we have patients!”

A smile as bright as the holiday lights that lined the halls spread across her face.

“Aww, that’s what I like to hear! Lots of happy kids. We’re so grateful to you and the other interns volunteering to help on your day off. It’s so nice of you. If Dr. Ramsey goes all Grinch on you, please let me know. I’ll handle him.”

“You got it, but can even he be grumpy today?”

She chuckled softly, “You’d be surprised!”

It was one of the most anticipated days each year at Edenbrook, the annual holiday party for the children in pediatrics, followed by a luncheon for the staff. There was always magic in the air and more trays of cookies than anyone knew what to do with lining every surface. Coupled with The Dance of the Sugarplum Fairies being piped in through the halls, it was almost easy to forget you were in a hospital.

Moments later, she approached the nurse's station, and as much as she wanted to contain her laughter, it proved to be an impossible feat.

“What are you laughing at?” Sienna demanded.

“Nothing. You’re an adorable little elf, Si.”

“Thank you. But, I am not a happy one.”

“Aww, turn that frown upside down! You wouldn’t want to end up on Santa’s naughty list, now would you?”

“Well, therein lies the problem. There is no Santa.”

“Uh, Si. Could you keep your voice down? Or are you looking to destroy children’s hopes and dreams this holiday season?”

Sienna scoffed, “No, silly! I mean our Santa! I don’t have a Santa for our party.”

“What? Doesn’t Dr. Brenner play Santa every year? It’s a tradition!”

“Yes, but he had a conference in New York yesterday, and his plane was delayed. There is no way that he will be back on time. I would be willing to do it myself, but I’m too short for the costume.”

“Did you ask Raf? I’m sure he’d love to.”

“Yes, but he can’t be here on time either.”

Sienna eyed her friend nervously. “What do you think your chances would be if you asked Dr. Ramsey to do it.”

Casey snorted. “Now, there’s a thought!”

“I am serious! This is critical.”

“Well, there isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell of that happening. But I do have an idea….”

_____

Casey and Sienna made their way to the on-call room where the Santa suit was stored. Casey rubbed the velvety fabric through her fingers as she mulled something over in her mind.

“Does the suit have padding?”

“It does. I mean, Dr. Brenner had his own, but we still have it in the closet.”

“Why don’t I try it on.”

“You? Case, not for nothing, but you don’t exactly soundlike Santa.”

Casey snickered, “Oh, you forget that this girl was the star of every high school performance she was ever in, not to mention my four years of theater club in college. I can do any voice you want… my exes always seemed to appreciate that.”

“OK, I don’t want to know about that last part, but can you do Santa?”

She closed her eyes and got into character, opening them up with a deep, loud “Ho! Ho! Ho! Have you been a good little girl this year, Sienna?”

“Probably more than most,” she said with a look of surprise on her face, “but holy crap, Casey! You may be able to pull this off! But wouldn’t you have to get Dr. Ramsey’s permission to take time off your rounds?”

“Nope. As luck would have it, I came in early for today’s festivities, and I’m not on the clock until two hours after the party ends.”

“I think this just might work!”

“Oh, it will!”

Ten minutes later, Sienna, the Elf, led a very jolly “Santa” down the hall to the reception room. Santa greeted everyone they passed by, and no one had a clue that it was Casey.

“Santa!” Harper beamed. “Now, I’ve heard a rumor that Dr. Brenner was unable to be here today, so who do we have the pleasure of having in that costume today?”

“Oh, sweet lady! You are fortunate indeed because this magical little elf here was able to deliver the real Santa to Edenbrook. Now, you better be nice today because Santa is watching!”

With a wink of her eye, Casey, uh, Santa, was on her way down the hall.

The party was a huge success. Those who knew Dr. Brenner was stuck in New York commented on how wonderful this year’s Santa was, several saying he was out of a job going forward. Casey had a wonderful time seeing all the children smile, but as she melted away inside that costume, she kept thinking, this was definitely a one-time thing.

She looked at the clock on the wall as the last young patient was brought back to their room by Nurse Sarah. The jolliest smile came to her lips because she could finally return to being Casey.

“Hey, where are you going, Santa?” Sienna asked.

Casey looked around to make sure no one else would be able to hear, then she answered in her own voice.

“I’m going to get back into my scrubs. Santa duty is over.”

“Well… not exactly.”

“Sienna….”

“See, the staff luncheon is about to start, and, traditionally, Santa stays for that. Any staff member that wants to gets to take their picture with Santa… Uhm, you?”

“Oh, you are kidding me. I am not doing this!”

"It's a tradition, Casey. When you signed up for this, you signed up for the whole gig."

"Yeah, but you conveniently left this part of it out."

"Hey, it's not all bad. Look at them! Everyone is so happy and filled with holiday cheer! I bet they'd be willing to confess some interesting things to Santa."

"I still don't think...."

"I'll make you a batch of snickerdoodles, and we can sit up after everyone has gone to sleep to discuss what they share!"

Casey sighed, confident she would regret this.

"OK, stop! You had me at snickerdoodles."

Santa went to take her place on an oversized chair set up for her in the corner. Being a mischievous little elf, Sienna went around encouraging everyone to take photos, even bribing with cookies when necessary. Her heart was in the right place, though. She figured if she got a picture of everyone with “Santa,” she could put together an album to give to Casey for Christmas. But the white beard covering Casey’s face was not enough to cover her scowl as she stared at Sienna as the line for photos grew and grew.

Bryce was the first to sit on Santa’s lap, and Casey winced. Of course, he’d be able to see it was her, then he would tease her relentlessly. It is was going to be a long afternoon.

“So, young man…Santa wants to know, have you been a good boy this year?”

“Santa, I have to confess…. not always.”

Casey thought back to that time in the shower and started chuckling.

“I’ll bet,” slipped out of her mouth in her own voice.

“Excuse me?”

“Oh, uh, Ho! Ho! Ho! I just said I’ll bet it is hard to be a good boy. But were you good enough to ask Santa for a gift this year?”

“Yeah, I wasn’t that bad. But, I really don’t want a gift Santa. But I could use your help. See, I have this mad crush on this really amazing woman, and maybe you could help me figure out how to let her know.”

Casey’s eyes lit up. Who was this mystery woman? And he better believe Santa was going to help! Once she got this lady’s name, she would be all over her, convincing her that Bryce would be the best boyfriend in the world!

“I can see what I can do. Uh, who is it?”

“It’s my friend, Casey.”

She gulped as her eyes popped out so much they nearly hit the wire-rimmed glasses atop her nose.

“Uh, Casey? I take it this Casey person doesn’t know how you feel.”

“Nah, I mean, we had a friend with benefits thing going on for a while, but….”

“OK, OK, OK… Santa doesn’t need this much information!”

“You’re right. So, should I tell her?”

“Look, kid, I’m Santa, not Dear Abby. But good luck.”

“I’m out of her Santa, thanks for the picture, dude.”

Casey wiped her brow as he walked away. Clearly, she wasn’t expecting that. But at least the worst had to be over. Now she could just take pictures with a bunch of middle-aged doctors and then move about her day. The next person sat on her lap, and this time it was her friend Raf.

“So, what brings you here to see Santa, young man.”

“I come to see you every year, Santa. You know that, and you bring in the magic of the season.”

She smiled. Of course, Raf’s childlike wonder would sparkle even more during this time of year.

“So, before we take our picture, is there anything you would like Santa to bring you?”

“Well, there is one thing.”

“You name it, I have an in with the big guy, you know. Ho! Ho! Ho!”

“I may have a tiny… well, not a tiny… I have a big crush on one of my friends. Maybe Santa can sprinkle some fairy dust so she’ll feel the same way too.”

“Oh, and who is this special lady?”

“Her name is Casey.”

“Casey?”

“Yes, Casey. Do you know her? Tell me you don’t know her. I was told you were an actor who….”

“No. No, don’t worry, young man, your secret is safe with me. But, uh, Santa’s really not a matchmaker, so how about some superhero boxer shorts instead. Is that good?”

“Uh, yeah, I guess. Thanks, Santa?”

“OK, OK, keep the line moving.”

Her friend and roommate, Jackie, sat on her knee a moment later. To say Casey was stunned would be an understatement, Jackie Varma? Santa? Sienna smirked as it was all her doing. She had to provide a doze peanut butter cookies to Jackie by noon tomorrow, but it was worth it.

“So what brings you here, young lady.”

“That little elf over there. She promised me peanut butter cookies if I did this.”

Casey scowled over at Sienna, who no longer cared. She stuck her tongue out at her in return.

“So, anything you want from Santa this year?”

“Other than the promise that I never have to do this again?”

“Trust me, neither am I.”

“What?”

“Uh, nothing… but anything you want from Santa this Christmas. You don’t have an unrequited crush that you’re going to ask me to take care of now, do you?”

“Well, come to think of it,” Jackie bit her lip and stared into her lap. “I would love to get up the nerve to tell my roommate Casey that I’m crazy about her.”

“WHAT?”

“Judgey much, Santa!”

“No, no! that’s not it at all. It’s just… she has no idea, does she.”

“None at all. I was kind of an ass to her last year but considering that she has a crush on Ramsey, that may work to my advantage.”

“She does not….”

“She does. But it’s OK, it works for me if she has a thing for asses.”

“In the physical or proverbial sense?”

Jackie broke out laughing, “BOTH, of course!”

“Well, uh, would you look at that line, I think that….”

“I can take a hint, old man! Moving on! But to be honest with you, I don’t know if this was worth the cookies.”

Casey sighed. Three photos were taken, and three people were in love with her. This would make for some conversation over the snickerdoodles with Sienna tonight.

“Hi, Santa!” Baz smiled, greeting him with all the enthusiasm one would expect.

Casey smiled in relief, finally, someone who wasn’t going to confess his love to her, right? Wrong. The staff members continued… Inez, confession. Elijah, confession. Zaid. ZAID, confession. Casey began to consider transferring to another hospital.

She looked up, and there he was, with that characteristic smirk on his lips, Tobias Carrick. Thank God, that man was never going to have it bad for anyone. At least there would be one person saying they wanted tickets to a Red Sox Game or something reasonable like that.

“Well, hello, Tobias! It’s soo good to see you.”

“Santa,” he said bewildered, “how did you know my name?”

“Uh, well… Santa knows everything,” she stammered, then she eyed his ID badge, pointing it out to him for a quick save.

“So, young man….”

“Not exactly young there, Mr. Kringle.”

“Well, compared to Santa Claus, you are! Ho ho ho!”

“Uh yeah. So aren’t you supposed to ask me what I want?”

“Yes, please. Tell Santa something practical that you would like for Christmas.”

He eyed Santa suspiciously and shook his head.

“What I’d like is really on me, not you.”

“What?”

“I want to ask my co-worker Casey out on a date. Do you think she’d be up for it, big guy?”

“Santa” slumped in her chair, doing her best to contain her exasperation.

“Well, I don’t know.”

“I thought you knew all?”

“I lied.”

He raised his eyebrow, “Santa, lying? Oh, you’re getting a lump of coal in your stocking.”

“You have no idea.”

Only two people left! Naveen and Ethan. Casey shook her head, wondering if she was seeing straight. Ethan Ramsey? On line to see Santa?

Naveen sat on her lap first.

“Well, hello there, Jolly Old St. Nick!”

“Hello, Jolly Old… uh you’re name.”

“Dr. Banerji, but friends call me Naveen, and of course, Santa is a friend!”

“Well, Naveen. Please tell me you don’t want to get up the nerve to ask Dr. MacTavish out for Christmas.”

“What? Oh, heavens no!”

“Oh, thank God.”

“If I were twenty years younger, perhaps, but….:

Casey dropped her head into her hand. Sienna eyed her, reminding her to stay in character, but Casey honestly didn’t care anymore.

“So… Naveen, what do you want for Christmas.”

“I want Ethan and Casey to get together.”

“You do?”

“Yes, I’ve been pushing for it, but it doesn’t seem to happen. I think I need some holiday magic to help.”

“You do realize he is her boss, right?”

“And how do you know that?”

“Santa knows everything.”

“So, can you help me?”

“Yeah, well, Santa is a toymaker, not a matchmaker… please move on.”

“Uh, OK. They said you were Jolly.”

“I was. Ten confessions ago.”

Finally, Ethan stood next to her, looking miserable as he stared into space.

“Well, young man, aren’t you supposed to sit on Santa’s lap?”

“Yeah, I think I will pass. I’m only doing this because Naveen is forcing me to.”

“Oh… good. Then I suppose you want to just take a photo and get it over with. No need to tell me what you’d like for Christmas….”

“Yeah, that’s not exactly my thing…,” but he stopped as he saw something warm, familiar in Santa’s eyes. As if the magic of the season possessed him, he suddenly felt like telling Santa what he truly wanted. Casey’s eyes opened wide when he sat on her lap, earning gasps from onlookers as well.

“What I’d really like is a do-over with Casey.”

“A… do-over?”

“Yeah. I really screwed things up with her in Miami years ago, and since then, we’ve been friends at best. But, now that her residency is winding down, I think it’s time….”

“It is! It’s time… it’s time for Santa’s break, but thank you, young man! This whole afternoon has given Santa a lot to think about.”

Casey stood up, ready to all but run out of the room when Nurse Sarah came back in.

“Wait, Santa! You have one more visitor!”

Casey smiled as she saw a familiar four-legged friend running her way.

“Jenner! What are you doing here!” Sienna laughed.

“I had him certified as an emotional support pet,” Ethan explained. “He has been visiting elderly patients this morning, but you can take him to see the kids now if you’d like.”

“I’d love that!” She squealed, “but why don’t we let him take his picture with Santa first?

“He’d like that,” Naveen grinned as he scratched Jenner’s belly.

Casey called Jenner over, and he jumped up on her lap.

“Wow, it’s as if he knows you!” Ethan smiled. But his smile could not begin to match the brightness of Casey’s.

THANK GOD! She thought. FINALLY, a visitor who would NOT confess his love for her!

“So, you good boy, what can Santa get you for Christmas!”

Jenner barked and ran off. Leaving Casey confused.

“Maybe he doesn’t want anything,” Santa laughed.

But moments later, Jenner returned and jumped into Santa’s lap again, dropping something into her lap.

Casey’s ID badge.

He retrieved Casey’s ID badge. She threw her head back in disbelief. This couldn’t possibly be happening. She pinched herself. She had to be dreaming. While she wasn’t paying attention, Jenner took the opportunity to start licking her face, causing Casey to giggle uncontrollably. Onlookers looked up. That giggle sounded too familiar to them. Jenner playfully pawed at her until he ended up knocking her beard onto the floor. A collective gasp spread over the room, but none were as loud as the one that came from Casey herself. If she could have a wish from Santa right now, it would be for the floor to open up and swallow her whole.

“Oh, shit…” Ethan muttered.

“You can say that again,” Jackie added.

“Yeah, no one should be saying that more than me!” Casey yelled as she marched toward the door.

“Wait? Where are you going, Sant ah… Casey?” Sienna asked.

“I hear Tufts has openings for residents. I think it’s time for me to apply.”

“No matter,” Tobias winked. “Same thing is bound to happen to you there.”

Fictmas Tags: @katedrakeohd @sirbeepsalot @alj4890 @ofpixelsandscribbles @queenrileyrose @burnsoslow @darley1101 @blackcatkita @debramcg1106 @cordoniansgonewild @kat-tia801 @twinkleallnight @arosentinel @bebepac @nestledonthaveone @txemrn @thegreentwin @karahalloway @annekebbphotography @cordoniantrash @sincerelyella @aussiegurl1234 @boneandfur @thehonorarybeaumont @chemist-ana @lucy-268 @sillydg @mynotsohealthyobsession @camillemontespan @texaskitten30 @axwalker @argylemnwrites @twinkle-320

Readers: @iaminlovewithtrr @tessa-liam @tinkie1973 @lovingchoices14

@choicesdecemberchallenge2021 @choicesficwriterscreations

#choices 12 days of fictmas #12 days of fictmas 2021 #12 days of fictmas #choicesmonthlychallenge #choicesdecember2021 #choices fic writers creations #cfwc holiday celebration

[mynotsohealthyobsession]

The three snowfalls

My contribution to 12 days of Fictmas! Always is a pleasure to participate! I hope everyone enjoys it!

Book: Bloodbound

Pairing: Adrian Raines x MC

Warning: A bit of angst and mention of death but it’s mostly super fluff!

Prompt: Snow

Words: 1.821

**Tags in the reblog**

When Amy realized she was a vampire a year ago, she started to think about all the new things that awaited her. She had been excited about the super strength and speed, to share every new experience with Adrian and her friends. To experiment every single minute of it. But one of the things that she was most enthusiastic about was the Dark Solstice. She wanted to participate in it without any freak Santa trying to kill them and as a vampire and not just a spectator. But she never had expected that, when the day finally arrived, she would be looking at the obelisk with a heavy sensation inside.

She could hear the respectfully low music in the background, mixing up with the people's voices. The smell of the different drinks and food was delicious and inviting. She heard a few people get closer to greet them. But she didn't care. The only thing she was capable of feeling, other than the sorrow that filled her heart, was the sweet touch of Adrian, holding her near to him. She sobbed a little, leaning her head to his shoulder, hugging him as his hand caressed her cheek. Her eyes kept looking at the name carved in front of her in that handwriting she knew so well. She extended her fingers towards it, following the shape of the engraving 'Lily Spencer' under her fingertips, remembering that day. Amy took a deep and a bit flathered breath, drying the trace of tears.

"Are you okay, Amy?" His voice was a husky low whisper on her side, leaving a sweet kiss on her temple afterwards.

"I will be. It's just..." With effort, she tore her gaze away, looking at him and not the obelisk for the first time in what felt like hours. "I miss her so much."

"I know you do, my love."

"Do you think… I mean... Will this feeling disappear someday?" She hesitated before talking again. "Will it stop hurting or at least do you get used to it? I..." Adrian observed her, letting her order her thoughts and finished the sentence. "I don't want to forget her. I will never forget her. But this anguish it's too hard to handle."

"It doesn't disappear. Not completely at least. With time, you'll get used to it but it will never completely go away." Adrian kissed her forehead and sighed, looping his arms around her frame tightly. "The pain will dim a bit but it will always be there."

"I hope you are right." She muttered.

"I promise I am." After a while, and when her hold around him loosened, Adrian took the engraving tools of his pocket, just like he had done a year ago for Lily and Jax. "Are you ready?"

"I think so." She took the tools.

"Take your time." Amy slipped her hand into his, intertwining their fingers together, walking around the obelisk, trying to find an empty space. She would have liked to engrave her name next to Lily's, but there was no space available for her. She noticed a free square a few inches above Adrian's and, releasing her hold on him and grabbing each tool in each hand, wrote carefully 'Amy Miller' into the smooth marble. She blew the thin dust and stood up, a small smile on her lips as Adrian's arm found her waist again. "Not bad."

"Well thank you." They heard the clink of a fork against a glass and turned to watch Kamilah, walking to the center of the room, ready to give her annual speech.

***

The snow started to pile down on the window as they cozied up on the couch under Amy's favorite blanket with his computer in front of them.

"No."

"I think you are being stubborn, love."

"I'm absolutely not." She closed the video they had been watching. "I'm not going to spend our honeymoon in a cold place."

"If I remember correctly, you expressed your desire to see the northern lights."

"Well, yeah!" She narrowed her eyes in that mischievous way that he loved. "But not when I'm planning to exclusively wear lace and silk lingerie."

"I expect you will wear even less than that." He kissed behind her ear. "And you know I would never allow you to freeze." His lips, playfully and alluring, brushed her ear with his words.

"Tempting offer." She got seductively closer to his mouth, her lips only an inch from his, her gentle breathing brushing his skin. Amy turned away at the last second, smiling a bit devilishly. "But still no." Adrian shook his head, amused. "What do you think about this one?" Amy pointed to the photos of a white sand beach at night.

"Excellent choice." His fingertips moved on the touchpad, opening the hotel homepage. It was a three star boutique a few blocks away from the coast. "But we can do better than that." He immediately started a search for more exclusive accommodations.

"I forgot I was dealing with Mr. Moneybags."

"Are you complaining?" He lighthearted pinched her side, making her giggle.

"You know I'm not." She blissfully sighed, sinking deeper in his embrace.

"What do you think about this one?" He signed to the notebook with a move of his head. A beautiful huge white and gold hotel room was occupying the screen and Amy's jaw fell down, astound.

"It's… Incredible!"

"The room's view is directly to the beach and the hotel has a private beach for the guest."

"Adrian, it's gorgeous!" He smiled. He absolutely loved to make her happy. "Are you sure you want to spend so much?"

"Don't worry about that, love." She started to read all the amenities the room has, her eyes wined with each world and her factions full of wonder and excitement. “Do you truly like it?”

“Are you kidding? I love it!” She moved the laptop to the coffee table beside them and straddled his hips, leaning down to kiss him. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Amy.”

“I can’t believe how close the wedding is.” Her mouth, soft as the snowflakes falling outside, roamed to his jaw, kissing every inch of his skin on her way down.

“Sometimes it’s seems not close enough.” Adrian said, holding her hips under the cover, squeezing them when she nibbled that spot of his neck that she loved.

She smirked mischievously and he smiled back. “So I can be sure you won’t run away that day?”

He turned her, his hand taking one of her thighs and pulling it to his hips, claiming her lips to deeply and sensually kiss her. “If you think that’s a possibility, I’m not doing my job well.”

“A reminder is always nice.” She led her fingers through his hair. “And encouraged.”

“Good to know.” His mouth took hers, his palm roamed her leg and his body melted between her arms.

***

“Amy, love, it might not seem like that, but I believe Zuri doesn't need that much clothing.”

“It’s snowing outside! She might get cold!”

“I’m aware of that.” He gently took the eight month old baby from the changing table. “But a onesie, a t- shirt, a sweater, a jacket, pants, gloves, hat and scarf is more than enough.”

“You think it is too much?” She stopped and stood up, closing the drawer in which she was searching for another pair of socks. “Maybe I should take something off?” She bit down her bottom lip, concerned, studying their daughter in Adrian’s arms.

“For now, let’s leave everything on. If her temperature rises, we will uncover her.” Adrian kissed the tip of the tiny nose, a soft smile plastered on his face.

“Okay, perfect.” She rushed towards the cribe in where the diaper bag was open. “Diapers… Blanket… Pacifier… The extra onesie… Bottle…” She muttered checking the content of the bag. “Have you seen the purple dog plushie?”

“In our room.” He bounced Zuri on his hip making her joyfully giggle. “Are you ready for your first snow day, little angel?” Her bright green eyes, the only part completely visible under all the layers of fabric, blinked at him. “You are going to love it.” He lowered his voice to a muted tone, confidently talking to the baby. “If mom finally allows us to go outside.” The girl let out something similar to a giggle as her face broke down in a toothless smile.

“I heard that!” Amy said, annoyed, from the master bedroom.

“Apologies, my love.” Adrian smirked.

“Found it.” She triumphantly walked through the door with the stuffed dog, placing it safely in the bag. “I think we are ready?”

“We are.” They took their own coats, the baby stroller and the bag. After the short ride on the elevator and a quick friendly chat with Robert, the doorman, they stepped outside. Amy held Zuri tightly against her chest, frowning with worry. “Maybe she’s c--” But before she could finish the sentence, Zuri was stretching her arms and waving them around excitedly, trying to catch the snowflakes falling around her. She mumbled something that wasn't words quiet yet. “Oh my god, she loves it!” Adrian placed one hand on her waist and the other on the back of the baby, leaning close to them with a wistful smile lighting up his face even if the night was devouring their surroundings. “Are you okay, handsome?”

“I am. Just… Enjoying this quiet moment.” Zuri took one of his lower locks in her tiny gloved hand and pulled down. Since a couple days ago, that has become her new favorite game. Adrian flinched but didn’t move away, gently taking her fingers from his hair and holding her hand in his.

Amy sighed, snuggling against him. “I know what you mean.”

“Do you want to take the car?” They both looked at Zuri, who was leading her hand towards her mouth with a few flakes on it. Amy stopped her before she succeeded in her mission.

“No, let’s walk. Kamilah’s place is near and someone is enjoying herself.”

“Are you nervous?” Adrian asked, guiding with one hand the stroller and keeping the other around Amy.

“No. More like, curious.” She collected a bunch of snowflakes in her palm and presented them to Zuri, grinning when the small palm collided against her, babbling something understandable but excited. “I have no doubt that Jax will say yes but I can’t picture Kamilah’s reaction.”

“Knowing her, she will take the task with great care.”

“It’s kind of funny, right?” She said pensative. “ The whole ‘vampire godfather and godmother’ concept?”

“It definitely isn’t a very common idea. But nonetheless, a correct one.”

“Yeah.”

“Not that it would be needed.”

“I know.” Amy grinned at him as they turned to their left, walking to the apartment where the dinner had been planned and where Kamilah and Jax would have to answer a very important question regardless of the little person between their arms.

✨

#choices 12 days of fictmas #12 days of fictmas 2021 #choices stories you play #playchoices #pixelberry #choices #choices fanfiction #adrian raines x mc #adrian raines #fanfiction writer #adrian x amy #adrian x mc

[txemrn]

Book: The Nanny Affair

Pairing: m!Sam Dalton x MC (Brynn Schuyler)

Summary: While preparing for the third grade Christmas jubilee, Brynn learns that her future stepsons have been bullying another student; but with a little tinsel and Brynn's big heart, she creates some Christmas magic of her own

Music Inspo: "My Grown-Up Christmas List" - Pentatonix ft. Kelly Clarkson

Warning: pretty fluffy; discussion of childhood bullying

A/N: This is my submission for the @choices12daysoffictmas, hosted by @leelee10898 and @emichelle (y'all are AMAZING! Thank you soooooo much for hosting this event for us!). I was given Day 6 (no, no. Your calendar is correct. I am posting this on the 7th!), and I was given the word ✨tinsel✨ HUGE Thanks to my pre-reader, hand-holder, cheerleader, and sergeant @kat-tia801 for helping me get this piece done!

A/N: Some characters belong to our friends at Pixelberry!

-----

No more lives torn apart

And wars would never start

And time would heal all hearts

Everyone would have a friend

And right would always win

And love would never end…

… this is my grown-up Christmas list.

-----

The crisp chill from the first snowfall of the holiday season tickles every nose, both young and old, into a perfect hue of pink. The sidewalks are lit up with festive lights, greenery and vibrant colors of deep red and brilliant gold. There's even a sweet hint of pine hanging in the air-- that, and the pungent exhaust fumes from the typical New York City traffic.

Preparing for the upcoming third grade Christmas jubilee at Sterling Academy, Brynn Schuyler plans an early Saturday morning outing with her favorite eight-year-old twins, Mickey and Mason, at a local craft store.

"Alright, team," she pulls out her shopping list, and begins reading to herself out loud. "Hot gluesticks; sixteen-ounces of red glitter; a ream of holiday paper; LED replacement heads. Hrmmm, let's see here." She contorts her lips while clicking her tongue. She studies her items, looking back and forth between the paper and her little helpers. "Oooo! I got it! Let's start with something fun."

With the boys curiously staring at each other, they follow their future stepmother up the main walkway. Brynn guides them with her shopping cart to a converged aisle of wall-to-wall tree ornaments, the shelves completely adorned top to bottom with glittering bulbs and glass characters on metal hooks.

"Whoa!" Exclaimed Mason, adjusting his glasses. "Look at all the colors--"

"Oh my gosh, Mase!" Mickey runs to a group of ornaments. "Dominion Royale!" Mason and Brynn catch up to Mickey, admiring the various designs. "Can we get one, Brynn? Please?"

"They're even on sale!" Points out Mason.

"Absolutely, you two." Brynn smiles at their enthusiasm. "You need to pick out one that represents you for your class's holiday tree, and then pick out one for the game room tree. Sound good?"

Mickey turns around with his arms filled with characters from his favorite role playing game.

"Oh, um, Mick, I love the enthusiasm, bud, but--" Brynn stifles her giggles, "--leave some for other customers." Brynn bends down, and starts hanging up the ornaments.

"Hey, Mase, look!" Mickey calls to his brother conspiratorially. "Isn't that Patches?" Mason chuckles into his cupped hands, nodding his head.

Brynn stands up, looking in the same direction as the boys. "Patches? Who's Patches?"

"He's this kid at school--" Mason starts to explain.

"--and his name is Patches?" Brynn interrupts, raises an eyebrow.

The twins nervously glance at each other as Mason continues. "His name is Peter, but we call him Patches."

"Why Patches?" Brynn's tone becomes more serious, more concerned with her future stepsons. The boys glance at each other again, a guilty look flooding their faces.

"He's not like the rest of us," informs Mason. "His uniform isn't from where we shop and oftentimes has holes that get patched up with another piece of clothing. Sometimes they are wrinkled--"

"And-and Mr. Hodges says, 'Boy, did you sleep in those?'" The boys snicker, but quickly stop when they notice the furrowing of Brynn's eyebrows.

"Are you kidding me right now, boys?" Brynn sighs. “You make fun of him?” Words fail her as she returns to her shopping list. The original joy on her face has run cold, and all that's left is a look the twins have never seen before this moment.

"Mom, I--" Mason starts, his voice mournful.

"Get your ornaments," interjects Brynn stoically. "We need to go."

At that moment, a woman with a young, red-headed toddler in her buggy turns down the ornament aisle. Brynn takes in the young woman’s exhausted appearance, noting the dark circles under her eyes and empty expression on her face.

"Peter. C'mon. Stop dawdling."

His mother. At her call, a lanky, fairly awkward red-headed boy with glasses sulks around the corner. Even with his eyes trained to the ground, it's clear he's several inches taller than the twins, maybe the tallest kid in the class.

Brynn's heart fills with so many emotions, especially seeing a child so downtrodden; however, she believes this is a perfect opportunity to show kindness--not just because it's the right thing to do, but Mickey and Mason need an example.

"Excuse me?" Brynn steps forward with a coy smile. "I don't believe we've met yet, but my sons were telling me that they go to school with Peter at Sterling."

The woman's face brightens with the gesture as she puts her arm around her own son. "Oh! You have to excuse me," she nervously chuckles, "I just got off shift,” she combs a hair strand behind her ear before fidgeting with her shirt. “We just needed to run some errands."

"Oh, I understand," smiles Brynn, pointing to her basket. "My name is Brynn Schuyler."

"Nicole. Nicole Reynolds," she eagerly shakes Brynn's hand. "I'm sorry," she looks down at Peter, "I'm not familiar with your sons. Schuyler?"

"Oh! Well,” Brynn titters, “technically they’re not my sons. I’m going to be their stepmother in a few months." Brynn turns towards the boys, noticing they are hiding behind the buggy. "That's Mickey and Mason Dalton."

"Dalton?" The woman's face falls at the mention of the name as she squeezes her arm tightly around her son. "Well, it was nice to meet you--"

"It was very nice to meet you, Nicole." Brynn stops her from taking off. "And maybe some time, Peter and the boys can have a playdate or something--"

"Mommy?" The girl in the basket innocently interrupts the conversation. "Can I have this?" The little girl lifts up a small bouquet of Dum-Dums candy.

"No," Nicole whispers, "you know we can't afford that. But maybe Santa--"

"I'm so sorry to interrupt," coyly says Brynn, "but I have a coupon." She digs into the pocket of her jeans, pulling up the folded up discount code, offering it to the young mother. "No one should ever pay full price in here--"

Nicole glared at the coupon before turning her withering stare at Brynn. "We don't need charity. Especially not from you or the Daltons." She backs up her cart to turn a different direction. "Excuse us."

Dumbfounded by how quickly the Reynolds family retreated from her presence, Brynn knows instantly there is more to the story, and there are two little boys that hold the truth. And it wasn't pretty.

The trip home is awkwardly informative as the boys reveal reluctantly that they, as well as their classmates, have been relentlessly teasing Peter Reynolds, a scholarship student at Sterling Academy whose mom works two jobs to make ends meet. Most of his clothes were from thrift stores or donated. He eats alone; he plays alone. But, otherwise, he’s a great student.

Brynn was at a loss for words. Her sons, the boys that she knows and loves so dearly, were always so kind and friendly and loving; it was a quality she would brag about with her friends and family. Now, Brynn isn’t foolish enough to think that Mickey and Mason were invincible from doing wrong. Afterall, she was their nanny; she is well-aware of their clever antics.

But, bullying?

What was she supposed to do now? Punish them? Reward them for coming clean about their poor actions? Force them to be friends with Peter? Would that subject them to being bullied, too?

After dinner, Brynn decided to go straight to bed as the guys played video games together. A few hours later, Sam joined her.

“You’re awfully quiet tonight.” Sam pulls back the covers, slipping between the warm sheets of their bed. He rolls over, slipping his arm around Brynn’s waist, pulling her back into his chest. “You barely said two words at dinner,” he whispers in her ear, his breath tickling goosebumps to life across her soft neck. As she laces her hand with his, he intimately presses his lips to her bare shoulder. “Wait,” he mumbles against her skin, “did I do something wrong?”

Brynn snickers, rolling over to face her fiancée. “What do you think?” She sweetly pecks once--twice against Sam’s lips before he’s able to grip ahold of her bottom lip.

“Tease,” he playfully growls, intertwining his legs with hers. But even as Sam peers into her eyes, he sees that the light in her natural sparkle is dim. “Okay, c’mon,” he tucks a hair behind her ear, “talk to me, baby.”

Brynn sits up, leaning up against the tufted headboard, pulling the blankets over her chest. Letting out a soft sigh, she offers a coy smile. “Do you know who Peter Reynolds is?”

Sam freezes with concern, raising an eyebrow at Brynn. “No,” he singsongs as he sits up to face his bride-to-be. “Do I need to?”

Rolling her eyes, Brynn clicks her tongue, dismissing his blooming jealousy with the wave of her hand. “He’s a student in the boys’ grade--actually in Mickey’s class.”

Sam traces circles seductively down her arm. “Is he giving them trouble?”

"Uh," she scowls at Sam's advances. "Hardly." Brynn scoffs, pulling her arm away. “Sam, I learned today that our boys, along with some of the other boys, have been teasing and making fun of him.”

Sam smirks, shrugging his shoulders. “Brynn,” he pulls a knee out from underneath him, hugging it loosely, “that’s just what boys do. I’m sure they’re all just playing--”

“--Sam, this--” she sighs, casually crossing her arms, “--this is different. I met him and his mom this morning. She was very friendly until I mentioned the name Dalton. Then she couldn’t get away from me fast enough.”

“So, your feelings are hurt because she wouldn’t be your friend?”

“Really?” Brynn furrows her eyebrows, shaking her head as she turns her attention to their bedroom window.

“Baby,” he reaches for her hand, warming it in his grasp. “Seriously, guys just do that. I’m sure Peter has teased the boys before--”

Brynn shakes her head. “That’s not what Mickey and Mason told me, Sam.” She pulls her hands back to herself, rubbing the top of her tickled nose with her finger. “He’s one of the students that received a scholarship to attend.” Brynn continues to explain Peter’s home situation, and how money seems to be a real challenge for them. “And on top of everything else, Mickey gave him the nickname Patches because of his worn clothes.”

Sam stifles a chuckle, looking away from his fiancé.

“Sam!” Brynn grabs her pillow, threatening to hit him with it.

“Okay, okay,” he shields himself for mercy, “I’m sorry.”

“Our sons are bullies--”

“Now wait a minute,” Sam scoots in closer, becoming more direct in Brynn’s face. “I wouldn’t go that far and call them that.”

“For the rest of Peter’s life, he will refer to Mickey and Mason as his childhood bullies.”

“Point taken,” Sam grimaces.

“Now, I know it’s not realistic that they are going to be friends with everyone,” Brynn pauses, giving Sam a tender look, her eyes welling with tears. “But our sons,” she presses her hand to her chest, “they know better. They know to be kind--they are kind! I just--”

There’s a sudden, gentle wrapping on the door.

"Dad? Mom?"

Brynn and Sam simultaneously shrug their shoulders at one another. Brynn slips out of bed, grabbing her robe before opening the door.

“Can we come in for a minute?”

Brynn sniffles back her tears, motioning for the twins to come inside the room.

“Hey, buddies--” Sam pats the bed, “--come get in bed. Let’s chat.”

As the whole family settles into bed together, curled up with warm throws, the boys start the discussion with apologies, naturally calming Brynn’s nerves. Together, they discuss Mickey and Mason’s behavior, and the importance of showing kindness to everyone regardless of their background and lifestyle. They also discuss how privileged the boys are to be born into such a notable name without a single need or want in the world, and because of that, it's important they use their privilege for goodness and love.

While they chatted, Brynn found the boys--her sweet, loving boys--clinging tightly to her arms as they snuggled into her side. These are the boys she knows, the boys she adores so much, the boys she would give her life for.

The twins fell asleep in Sam and Brynn’s bed that night, cuddled closely in their arms. As Brynn savors the smell of their chestnut curls, she realizes something: Sam is right; ‘boys will be boys’. But, that doesn’t mean it’s right. These precious kids aren’t perfect, but they won’t be boys forever.

The following Friday is the big day of the third grade holiday jubilee. Brynn was able to take off from the company to help the other moms decorate the rooms and set up the tables with scrumptious, Christmas-inspired treats. Right before recess, each student took the time to open and share with their peers the ornaments they had brought for their class tree. Brynn snuck into Mrs. McAllister’s class to watch Mason talk about his science beaker ornament, flipping a tiny switch in the back to show it glow lime green. After blowing him a kiss, she tip-toed over to Mr. Hodges’s class to watch Mason open his Mighty Minotaur ornament, his favorite character from his favorite video game.

Brynn stands up to excuse herself to start assisting the other moms with moving chairs and tables while the children are playing. But, the next name on the docket stopped Brynn in her tracks.

“Peter. Peter Reynolds. It’s your turn, buddy.”

Brynn tucks into a corner and watches as the young boy timidly steps in front of his classmates. He digs into his pockets, pulling out a sandwich bag filled with silvery strands of straw.

“Is that tinsel, Peter?” asks Mr. Hodges as a few students start to whisper, one begins to snicker.

Peter clears his throat. "Yes, sir."

"Did you not have another ornament to share with the class?" The teacher continues, but the only response Peter can give is a shrug.

Brynn watches the parents around whisper snide remarks.

"Ugh, so tacky."

"And cheap. I didn't know they still sold that stuff--"

"I think it's, like, a dollar. For a pound of it!"

"Poor kid. He shouldn't have shared anything at all."

"That kid doesn't belong here anyway."

Brynn had heard enough. She could feel her heart beginning to race as her hands formed fists at her sides. Tears well up in her eyes as a coat of red crawls across her skin. How could these children be so cruel?

Here’s the answer-- they're learning it from their parents.

Brynn ran to the bathroom to calm herself down. She splashes her face with water before taking big, deep breaths. Dabbing her cheeks and neck off, she stares at herself in the mirror, noting the glistening of her own eyes.

And suddenly, she forms a plan.

Returning to the classroom, she notices the kids are lined up and heading outside for a snowy recess. Brynn taps Peter on the shoulder, motioning for him to stay back with her.

With Mr. Hodges being the only other person in the room, Peter walks back in with Brynn, taking his seat. She squats down next to him.

"Do you want to put your tinsel on the tree?" Staring at the desk, Peter slowly shakes his head no. Brynn continues. "What if I helped you?"

For the first time, Brynn finally saw the gold flakes in Peter's hazel eyes as he looks up at her innocently. "My mom said not to let people feel sorry for me."

A smirk grows on her face. "You think I feel sorry for you?" She chuckles. "I feel sorry for this sad-looking tree." She points to the class holiday tree, Peter grinning. "This thing needs more holiday cheer and I really think your tinsel will do the trick." Brynn ducks her head down, trying to match her stare with his.

Quickly stealing his attention, Brynn shows him tricks on how to hang the tinsel. "I think three strands is the perfect amount for each branch." She grabs the tip of the arm of the fake pine tree, and shows where to place the silver straw. Peter watches intently, draping the tinsel as instructed.

He timidly looks back at Brynn. “Th-thanks. Miss Schuyler.”

Brynn continues to decorate, not making eye-contact with him. “For what? We’re just making this Christmas tree look better. Plus, tinsel is not a one-person job.” She offers a cordial smile. “Oooo, that looks perfect, Peter,” she nods in approval. “You’d never guess this was the same tree.”

Branch by branch, the tree becomes covered in a stunning, silver sparkle. As the string lights reflect off the tinsel, fractals of beaming colors cascade across the room. Peter's tinsel is the absolute perfect addition.

Once finished, Brynn crawls onto the floor, laying on her back under the Christmas tree. She quickly calls out to her partner-in-crime. “Peter! Come over here!” She pats her hand on the rug next to here. “Best seat in the classroom!”

Mr. Hodges lets out a hearty, encouraging chuckle as he watches Brynn. He puts a comforting hand on Peter's shoulder. “Go on. Take a look, son.” The teacher turns off the overhead lights to the classroom, allowing only the holiday tree to illuminate.

As soon as Peter relaxes under the tree, his eyes widen with excitement at the vision, a smile growing across his face. “This is so cool.”

As the children come back in from recess, they are stunned at the beautiful sight. Their lights from the tree shimmer across the entire room in a beautiful dance thanks to the addition of the tinsel. Even the ornaments shine a little brighter.

“Wow, Mr. Hodges!” exclaims a little girl. “Did you do this during our recess?”

Mr. Hodges gives a mischievous grin as he addresses his stunned students. “I didn’t do anything.” He walks over to Peter is laying. He helps him stand up, patting him on the back. “Peter did this.”

An abrupt hush falls over the students, their shocked gazes turning to Peter.

“This is so cool, Peter!”

“We have the best tree now!”

“Good job!”

Brynn sits up from under the tree, and starts motioning students to come over, encouraging them to take her spot. Within an instant, the classroom is silent with only the sudden ‘awe’ of wonder. The stepmom-to-be leans against a desk at the back of the classroom, admiring the children coming together, loving each other over a creation they made together.

Suddenly, her attention is pulled by the classroom door opening abruptly.

“Ms. Reynolds,” Mr. Hodges whispers intently, “we are so grateful you were able to make it today. The jubilee isn’t for another twenty minutes, but the kids are enjoying the tree they just finished–””

“Hey, Moma,” Peter runs up to his mom, giving her a big hug. The gesture clearly catches her by surprise as her eyes grow big.

“Hi, baby,” she giggles reluctantly, rubbing endearing circles on his back. “Are you having a good day?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he whispers, trying to conceal his snaggle-tooth grin. “Look at the tree!” Peter buries his head into his mother’s shoulder, her arms enveloping snuggly around him. She looks around the room, bewildered at the children obsessing over the tree. The young red-head looks back at his mother. “Thanks to Mickey and Mason’s mom, everyone loves my tinsel.”

“Oh,” Nicole’s face drops, her attention finally landing on Brynn at the back of the class.

“Peter, come over here with us!” Calls out one of the boys, inviting him into a group of classmates that included Mickey.

“Go play, Peter,” his mother encourages. As he scurries away, Nicole stands up, sauntering closer to Brynn, her attention remaining on the children. “For what it’s worth,” she sighs, “thank you for helping my Peter.”

Brynn kindly smiles, nodding at the sentiments.

“But let me make it clear,” she lowers her voice, “we don’t need people feeling sorry for us, or to write us off as a tax break–” she crosses her arms across her chest, “--or-or to make them feel better about themselves for being unkind to us.”

Brynn chews on the sides of her mouth. She looks at her shoes as a stillness settles between the two women. She knows she can’t take back what the boys have done against Peter; she knows that her words of encouragement will fall on deaf ears. Brynn did the only thing she knew she could do: she could relate.

“I was six years old when my dad left my mom and older brother–”

“Miss Schuyler, I–”

“--and my mom, a full-time homemaker–and damnit, she was the best,” Brynn glances at Nicole with a twinkle in her eye, “was forced to work outside the home with only her GED. Two jobs, barely ever home, and we still were hungry, We wore hand-me-down clothes that had holes in them.” She sardonically chuckles to herself. “Gah, we were so poor. But,” she smiles brightly to herself. “All I ever wanted was a real friend.”

Nicole’s expression softens as she turns towards Brynn.

Brynn continues. “Now, here I am, years later, about to marry into the Dalton family.” She turns towards Nicole. “And still, all I want in life are real friends.” She puts her hand on Nicole’s shoulder. “I hope today is a fresh start for Mickey, Mason, and Peter. And then maybe you and I can have a coffee sometime.”

At that moment, the women are called to help arrange the room for the third grade Christmas jubilee. Brynn grabbed her purse to store it away, but before she could walk off, someone grabs her arm.

“How about Sunday morning?”

Brynn twirls around, and instantly smiles, seeing Nicole holding on to her arm kindly. “How does nine sound?”

“Nine it is.”

------

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-------

TWELVE DAYS OF FICTMAS TAGS

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#the nanny affair #choices tna #choices tna fanfic #choices fanfic #sam dalton #sam dalton x mc #m!sam dalton x mc #12 days of fictmas 2021 #choices 12 days of fictmas

[alj4890]

Choices 12 Days of Fictmas

Day 6 Homemade Ornaments

(Drake x Olivia) in a Choices: The Royal Romance holiday drabble.

A/N It's no mystery that I am a diehard Dralivia stan, LOL. For this prompt, I'm going to the AU @krsnlove and I created for the TRR characters and their adult children. In this drabble though, we will see them when they are little.

Masterlist

Rating: Fluff!

Length: 1,246 words

writers: @katedrakeohd @sirbeepsalot @ofpixelsandscribbles @queenrileyrose @burnsoslow @darley1101 @blackcatkita @debramcg1106 @cordoniansgonewild @leelee10898 @kat-tia801 @emichelle @twinkleallnight @arosentinel @bebepac @nestledonthaveone @txemrn @thegreentwin @karahalloway @annekebbphotography @cordoniantrash @sincerelyella @aussiegurl1234 @boneandfur @thehonorarybeaumont @chemist-ana @lucy-268 @jerzwriter @sillydg @mynotsohealthyobsession @camillemontespan @texaskitten30 @axwalker @argylemnwrites @twinkle-320

readers: @iaminlovewithtrr @tessa-liam @tinkie1973 @lovingchoices14

New Ornaments

Lythikos, Cordonia...

"A little more." Olivia motioned with her hand in a downward motion. "There! That's perfect."

Drake finished attaching the lighted garland along the balcony overlooking the den.

He came downstairs to study this part of their home decorated for Christmas.

It was quite a change from how Olivia once decorated. When she was on her own, she would only have a tree decorated in the harsh, old Lythikosian style. Rough, plain wooden ornaments were intermingled with lighted candles upon one of the infamous talon trees that grew deep in the woods of Lythikos.

His nose wrinkled over the memories of that overpowering smell.

Once she became close to his group of friends and well, himself, she began to be a little more open to adding some color with lights and ornaments to her usual display. Soon the plain wooden cutouts were given new life amidst the glittery balls that Riley had gifted one year. Twinkle lights replaced the candles.

And Drake got her to compromise their first year of marriage by getting a Balsam Fir tree.

He took a deep breath of the heavenly evergreen scent mixed with the spicy steam wafting from the Lythikos nog that had recently been brought in by a servant. All was how it should be...

"Wait, where are the kids?" He asked.

Olivia carefully lifted some ornaments from a nearby box. "In the playroom. With the snowstorm earlier, Hana decided to do a zoom meeting with all the kids to keep the Christmas craft tradition going."

Drake chuckled at that. Leave it to Hana to want to make sure all her friends' children along with her own had everything she had missed out on growing up.

"I wonder what they'll make this year." He took a few ornaments from his wife to hang on the higher branches. "Hana is so good with all of them. I'm amazed at the creativity she brings out in them."

"We'll find out soon enough." Olivia smiled at the notion. "I'm certain it is something we will want to add to their memory boxes."

*****************

Upstairs...

"But I want the yarn!" Juliet shouted.

"I don't!" Jackson shouted back. "Aunt Hana said I could pick!"

"And you can!" Hana tried to speak over all the excited voices.

It might have been expecting too much to zoom six children along with her own son and daughter.

"Candy cane swords!" Prince Emerick handed his little brother Ellis one to start an epic fencing match.

"Aunt Hana." Nicky Beaumont called out sweetly. "Can Emily and me use glitter?"

"Pleeeeaaaase!" Her little sister pleaded while bouncing up and down. "Glitter! Glitter! Glitter!"

"Mommy!" Alex pulled on Hana's hand. "Izzy won't let me hold the glue!"

Hana wanted to bury her head in her hands.

"CHILDREN!"

Eight pairs of eyes zeroed in on her. Little mouths were parted in surprise. Their sweet aunt/mother never shouted, not even on a rollercoaster.

The group of seven- and four-year-old's began to pout and tear up.

"We're sorry!" Nicky rubbed her eyes.

Emily blubbered her own apology.

Emerick and Ellis hung their heads in shame while discreetly setting their candy canes on their table.

Izzy and Alec looked up at their mother, whispering their own apologies.

Jackson and Juliet Nevarkis-Walker reacted differently.

"This is all your fault!" Jackson pointed an accusatory finger at his little sister.

"Nu-uh!" Juliet stuck her tongue out at him. "It's yours. You won't give me the yarn!"

"Please, everyone." Hana pleaded, overwhelmed with guilt for losing her patience. "I must apologize to each of you." She cuddled her sniffling two in her arms, wishing she could do the same with the little faces on her computer screen. "I allowed my disappointment of not being able to be with all of you to make me lose my temper."

"We wish you was here, too." Emily Beaumont blew her nose loudly.

The others mumbled the same.

"You know what we are going to do?" Hana decided. "We are going to forget directions this year." She crumbled up the papers she had printed off with the homemade ornament ideas and tossed them over her shoulder. Her heart warmed with the giggles she could hear.

"Whatever you want to do for your Christmas ornaments is what we will do."

The kids cheered while each scrambled around to get the supplies they needed.

Hana released a frustrated breath once she was alone. Lifting her eyes to the ceiling, she whispered a brief prayer that whatever they came up with would be something they would always remember fondly.

***************

An hour later...

Drake and Olivia turned toward the sound of the pounding footsteps of their offspring running down the hall.

The pair came barreling into the room, hiding something behind their backs. Jackson and Juliet each had the proudest smiles gracing their faces as they stood before their parents.

"How was craft time with Aunt Hana?" Drake asked.

"The best!" Juliet exclaimed. "She let us make what we wanted."

"Oh?" Olivia wondered how Hana had managed that. "What did you decide to make?"

"You go first, Jax." Juliet whispered.

He grinned at her before producing what he had created.

Drake and Olivia's eyes widened.

"It's...er..." Drake began.

"That's...definitely..." Olivia stuttered.

"It's a peppermint star!" Jackson told them. "For the top of the tree!"

Drake and Olivia looked up at their beautifully decorated tree.

Sharing a grin, Olivia reached for it. She traced the lopsided star with her finger then handed it over to Drake to hang on the tree.

Picking the highest branch, Drake set it directly in the center. He couldn't stop smiling over Jackson beaming proudly up at his ornament.

"My turn! My turn!" Juliet pushed her thick red curls out of her eyes before presenting her ornament.

Olivia choked back a laugh when Drake managed to ask, straight-faced if she was inspired by the Beaumont's. Whatever that thing was that their youngest created, it did appear to have come from the mysterious depths of the ocean.

"No. Why?" She asked.

"No reason." He took the ball of tangled yarn from her. "This is beautiful, Jules."

"I love how it looks like he's melting." Jax complimented before falling to the ground in a reenactment of a snowman dying a gruesome death.

"He lost a battle." Jules told her family with all the seriousness a four-year-old could muster.

Her green eyes met her mother's. "He wasn't made of Lythikos snow."

Olivia picked her daughter up, hugging her close. "Then he never stood a chance."

Juliet nodded, knowing out of everyone in her family that her mother would understand.

"We'll hang him here." Drake decided, chuckling softly to himself.

"You know," Olivia spoke up once Drake had lifted Jackson in his arms, "I think this is the best our tree has ever looked."

She gazed about at the sight of her home decorated for the holidays. For the most part, it was beautiful with the greenery and lights. She knew though that it was those two poorly constructed ornaments that proved that this cold castle was indeed a home.

They were the proof that she had achieved the one thing she had wanted most in life: a family. Those ornaments were worth more than any medal or recognition she had ever earned simply because they came from the two, she loved with her entire heart.

"I think you're right." Drake smiled first at her then at their children. "I've never seen a better tree."

#drake x olivia #trr hana lee #choices trr #choices 12 days of fictmas #while we're young a/u #12 days of fictmas 2021 #drake walker #olivia nevrakis

[twinkle-320]

Picture This

Pairing:  Drake Walker x MC (Riley Nevin Walker)

Book:  The Royal Romance series

Word Count:  1821

Rating:  PG-13 (language)

Summary:  Riley takes Drake down memory lane with Christmas pictures from her childhood which prompts Drake to start traditions of their own with a surprise in the mix.

Author’s Note:  This is my entry for the 12 Days of Fictmas event hosted by @leelee10898​ and @emichelle​.  My prompt for Day 9 was Christmas pictures.  This piece isn’t necessarily canon compliant but fits in with other one shots I’ve written where Drake and Riley are married and have twins, Aislynn and Jackson.

“Fuck,” Riley huffed, blowing a strand of hair out of her face.  Tangled in her lap was a mass of Christmas lights that Drake had pulled from the attic of the estate in Valtoria.

“What happened to merry and jolly, Nevin?” Drake laughed as he entered the room with another arm load of decorations.

“This, this happened to merry and jolly,” Riley replied, lifting the gigantic ball of lights in the air.  “Who stores lights like this?”

Drake looked around the parlor cluttered with boxes and totes, shaking his head.  “I’d say they had so many, they probably didn’t care.”

Riley dropped the lights back to the ground, and crawled over to the couch where she flopped down and closed her eyes.  “Is this all of it?”

Drake sat down and pulled her into his lap.  “I just brought down the last of what the last duchess left, but I still have your stuff to bring down.  This is a big house, Nevin…but I don’t know where we’re going to put half of this crap.  The ornaments alone could probably decorate every tree in the village.”

Riley’s eyes snapped open.  “Those we will definitely need!”

“For what?”

“For the trees of course!” Riley said matter-of-factly, sitting up and holding his gaze.

Drake’s expression was one of bewilderment.  “Trees?  As in…multiple.”

“Why do you say it like that?” Riley retorted.

“Ah…why would you have more than one tree?  This isn’t the palace, Nevin.”

Riley laughed.  “You don’t have to live in a palace to have more than one tree, Drake.  We always had more than one in my house.”

Drake was happy to see her merriment return but he eyed her with skepticism.  “Exactly how many is ‘more than one’?”

Riley looked thoughtful as she counted in her head.  “Hmmm…I think the most we ever had was five.”

“Five?” Drake exclaimed.  “That…that…I don’t know, Nevin.  I mean..why?  What the hell are we going to do, spread the presents out between trees?”

“No,” Riley laughed.  “First of all, it’s not like it was five in one room!  They were just decoration in other rooms.  And second, presents go under the main tree.  Here…I’ll show you.”

Riley stood from Drake’s lap and crossed the parlor to where she had placed all of her old photo albums on the bookshelves.  Despite the vast number of albums, she quickly selected the one she was looking for and returned to sit back down with Drake.

“This is just one of my Christmas albums,” she explained, flipping open the cover.  “It’s my favorite time of year to take pictures.  Everything is just so bright and beautiful and…happy.  I think I get that from my mom.  From the time I was born she always had our family photo taken as Christmas pictures.  She’d get them framed as gifts for my grandparents.”

“Now those I have to see,” Drake laughed.

“We’re supposed to be looking at trees, Drake.”

“Come on, Nevin…we’ll get there…show me the family photos first.”

Riley closed the book in her lap.  “Okay, okay.  They’re in the other album.  Grab the whiskey…we’re going down the Nevin Christmas memory lane.”

Drake jumped up and went to the bar, pouring them both two fingers and bringing the bottle with him back to the couch.  Riley returned a moment later with two more photo albums.

“Those are all Christmas pictures?” Drake asked, staring at the two large binder-sized books in her lap.

“These are just the ones I put together,” Riley smiled.  “I have a few more that my mom put together through the years.”

“You know you can digitize all that now, right Nevin?”

Riley shook her head, opening the first book.  “It’s not the same.  Especially with the older ones…knowing my mom put them together, held those photos, and organized them just so.  I can’t get that feeling scrolling on a screen.”

Drake wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close, handing off the tumbler of whiskey.  Taking a delicate sip, Riley set it down on the coffee table before snuggling into Drake’s side and placing the album between them.

“So…this is our first family Christmas picture,” she said, lovingly gazing at the 5x7 on the page as she touched it lightly with her fingertips.  “I was a little over a month old.”

Drake looked at a young Em J in a blush blouse gently cradling a sleeping Riley dressed in a little pink dress.  Beside her sat Chad, smiling proudly with Drew sitting excitedly in his lap.

“You look so much like your mom,” Drake whispered.  “It’s almost like looking at you holding Aislynn.”

Riley nodded and quickly wiped at the tears that had come to her eyes.  “I know…I’ve been seeing it more and more lately myself.”

After a brief pause for Drake to light the fire, they continued flipping through the album until they reached the last picture, taken the Christmas before Em J passed.

“And that’s it…” Riley sighed.  “Dad didn’t keep up the tradition, I guess it was too hard.  Mom would have kept it going forever.  The photographer was actually already scheduled that year but then…well, you know.  She was over the moon when Drew married Leigh, and then Tim came along.  And don’t even get me started on how excited she was that Emma was due to arrive in time for that last one that never happened.  I guess she always hoped that the picture would just keep growing as our family grew.”  Riley quickly closed the album, took a deep breath and tried to shake away her thoughts.

“It’s okay to be sad, Nevin…I get it,” Drake said, taking her hand.

“Well…it fucking sucks that we both ‘get it’…they should be here.  But, I don’t want to be sad.  This is Aislynn and Jackson’s first Christmas, and I want to give them this…” she said, opening the original album to all the pictures of her childhood home beautifully decorated.

“Then let’s do it…start our own Nevin Walker traditions.  We don’t need any of this crap that was left over from before. We’ll get our own decorations.  And hell, if you want five trees, I’ll cut them all down myself…ten even.”

Riley laughed through her tears.  “Ours were never real…mom was allergic.”

“Oh no…that’s non-negotiable, Nevin.  We will have at least one real tree.  It’s not a Walker Christmas if you don’t trek into the woods with provisions for s’mores and cut it down yourself.”

“Deal…one real tree,” Riley smiled.

“And pictures,” Drake added, laying his hand on the family album. “…let’s do it.  Ais and Jack deserve something like this to look back on someday.”

Riley threw her arms around Drake’s neck and pulled him into a kiss.  “I love that idea.  I’ll call Anna.”

Drake shook his head.  “I’ll handle the details, Nevin.  After we throw out all this junk.”

“I’m sure there’s something salvageable here,” Riley replied, looking around.

“I don’t even want to look…we won’t know what we’re missing if we don’t know what’s there.  Right now, we’re going to bed.”

Days later, true to his word, Drake had ensured that all of the old, leftover Christmas decorations had been hauled away.  All that remained were the boxes that Riley had brought from the States with her ornament collections and a few things that had been her mom’s.  While Drake focused on clean-up, Riley had gladly gone on a shopping spree, bringing in almost as much new stuff as what they had just disposed of…including four artificial trees.  Their trip into the woods of Valtoria was short since the babies were still so little, but they had s’mores as promised and came home with a 10 foot tree that Drake had cut down and loaded into a cart pulled by Lonestar.

Once the entire house had been decorated and every tree had been dressed, Drake arranged for Anna de Luca to come take Christmas pictures in the comforting, festive atmosphere of their home.  Riley didn’t want anything too formal, so Drake got a good laugh when she came downstairs dressed in a black skirt with an ugly Christmas sweater with an elf design.  In her arms she held their twins; Aislynn, dressed in a red and white stripped dress and Jackson who wore buffalo plaid pants with a gray sweater that had red, green and white Christmas trees on it.  Drake was more than happy to keep things casual but decided to step it up a notch from his usual denim and opted for a red and blue plaid shirt.  As they got the babies settled and ready, Gladys stepped into the room and announced Anna’s arrival.

Like a blur, Anna swept in, wearing her signature sunglasses and gasped when she saw the family cozied up on the couch.  “Your Graces…I thought we were doing a formal Christmas portrait sitting!”

Riley rolled her eyes.  “You should know by now we’re not formal people, Anna.”

“But…” Anna began to protest.

“But nothing,” Drake interjected.  “These aren’t public photos.  They’re just for us.”

Anna nodded.  “Very well, Your Grace.”

Thankfully the babies cooperated and after twenty minutes, Anna seemed satisfied with the pictures she had captured.  “I think that’s it…I’ll send you proofs tomorrow.”

“Umm…one second, Anna…I think we need one more,” Drake said, standing from where they were posed in front of the Christmas tree.

Riley watched curiously as he crossed the parlor and opened the double doors that led to the foyer.

“It’s not a family picture,” he said, “without the whole family.”

Riley gasped as one-by-one, members of both her family and Drake’s streamed into the room.  Chad beamed at his daughter as he rushed to her side, quickly joined by Drew, Leigh, and their kids.  Savannah was close behind, holding Bartie in her arms with Bianca at her side and Bertrand and Maxwell trailing just behind them.  Everyone was dressed in their casual Christmas best, except Bertrand of course, who just couldn’t give up the sweater vest.

Drake closed the doors and rejoined Riley, dropping his arm over her shoulder and pulling her close.

“How,” Riley gasped.  “How did you pull this off without me knowing?”

“I have my ways, Nevin.”

Riley stood on her toes and pulled him into a kiss.  “You’re incredible.”

Drake shrugged.  “It was nothing, Nevin.”

“It’s everything, Drake.”

Anna cleared her throat and the chatter in the room silenced.  “Where would you like to do this photo, Your Grace?”

“Right here…in front of the tree and the fireplace would be perfect,” Riley replied.

Drake held up a hand.  “One more thing.”

Crossing the room to the bookcase where Riley kept several framed photos, he grabbed the frames holding the pictures of Jackson and Em J.  Carrying them to the fireplace, he positioned them on the mantel behind the gathered family.

“Now we’re ready,” he declared.

“Perfect…” Riley whispered.  “I love you.  Merry Christmas, Drake.”

“Merry Christmas, Nevin.”

Fictmas Writers: @katedrakeohd​ @sirbeepsalot​ @alj4890​ @ofpixelsandscribbles​ @queenrileyrose​ @burnsoslow​ @darley1101​ @blackcatkita​ @debramcg1106​ @cordoniansgonewild​ @leelee10898​ @kat-tia801​ @emichelle​ @twinkleallnight​ @arosentinel​ @bebepac​ @nestledonthaveone​ @txemrn​ @thegreentwin​ @karahalloway​ @annekebbphotography​ @cordoniantrash​ @sincerelyella​ @aussiegurl1234​ @boneandfur​ @thehonorarybeaumont​ @chemist-ana​ @lucy-268​ @jerzwriter​ @sillydg​ @mynotsohealthyobsession​ @camillemontespan​ @texaskitten30​ @axwalker​ @argylemnwrites​ @twinkle-320​

Fictmas Readers: @iaminlovewithtrr​ @tessa-liam​ @tinkie1973​ @lovingchoices14​

Perma Tag: @ladyangel70​ @petiteboheme​ @gkittylove99​

#choices 12 days of fictmas #12 days of fictmas 2021 #Drake Walker #drake x mc #trr fanfic

[argylemnwrites]

With Care

Pairing: Bryce Lahela x f!MC (Cassie Vanderfield)

Book: Open Heart (just over 2.5 years after Cassie’s residency/ about 3.5 post Book 2)

Word Count: ~1200

Rating: PG

Summary: Bryce is surprised by a shipment from someone unexpected.

Author’s Note: This is my entry into the 12 Days of Ficmas event graciously hosted by @leelee10898 and @emichelle! My prompt for Day 8 was stocking. Not really relevant to this piece, but my fic is only canon compliant through OH2.

Bryce frowned as he grabbed the package from the mail room. This was not the Amazon box they were expecting. He glanced at the return address and let out a sigh. He wasn’t expecting anything from them for the holidays. They hadn’t sent him gifts in years, after several packages were returned to Hawaii unopened.

Riding the elevator up to the fourth floor, he pondered what to do with the package as he stared at it. He was tempted to send it back, just as he’d done so many times before. But he was also curious as to why they were sending something this year. Thinking back, the last gift from them was probably back when he was in med school. He didn’t think he’d gotten anything from them since moving to Boston.

He unlocked the door to the loft and tugged off his hat, hanging his wool coat and scarf up before kicking off his boots. It smelled amazing, so Cassie must have started something in the crock pot before she went in this morning. Sure enough, some sort of stew was simmering on the counter.

He set the package on the island counter and flipped open his laptop as he took a seat. Cassie should be home in a half hour or so; he could catch up on some emails until then. He was just addressing scheduling his semi-annual review with his program director when he heard the lock twisting on the door. A few seconds later, the door swung open, revealing Cassie, her dark hair and earmuffs flocked with a dusting of snow. She unzipped her oversized winter coat that was growing snugger across her abdomen by the week and tossed her bag on the console table.

“Why didn’t you light the tree?” she asked as she stepped into the main room, sliding a hand across his shoulders as she walked over to the far wall and flipped the switch, the Christmas tree instantly glowing on the other side of the room.

Bryce shrugged. “Guess I forgot.”

“How was the OR today?” she asked as she maneuvered her way over to the back counter, but Bryce joined her, nodding for her to sit down.

“So boring. Just varicose vein stripping all morning.”

Cassie chuckled. “You only have one more week at the Surgical Center. I somehow think you’ll endure having all the 50 and 60 year old women flirt with you for just a few more days.”

Bryce grinned, grabbing two bowls out of the cupboard and a ladle and two spoons from the drawer. “Yeah, the patients are real charmers, but trust me, even they can’t make up for how dull day surgery is. Why do surgeons do that to themselves?”

“Money?”

“Ahh, well they should just get themselves a rich wife instead. That’s worked well for me.”

Cassie rolled her eyes as she pulled two sparkling waters from the fridge. “Yeah well, I’m only going to be out earning you for three and a half more years, so don’t get too used to it.” Bryce was about to ask how her QI meeting went, but her eyes locked on the package as she sat down. “What’s this?” she asked.

“Check the zip code,” Bryce said as he slid Cassie’s bowl in front of her. “Don’t know why this is the year they decided I needed a Christmas present.”

“Maybe it’s a baby shower gift?”

Bryce twisted around, pausing with the ladle over the stew. “Sienna invited them to the baby shower?”

Cassie nodded as she stirred her spoon through her meal. “Inviting them, knowing that they would never fly in thousands of miles for a few hours, was way less drama than if they’d heard that Keiki was helping to host and they weren’t invited.”

Bryce sighed and shook his head. “Well, you should open it then. It’s probably for you.”

He heard Cassie slicing through the strapping tape as he finished serving his dinner. She was just opening the box as he made his way back around the island and sat down with his food. He watched as she pulled out a card. Her eyes scanned over it quickly before she passed it to him.

“Well, not a baby shower gift.”

Bryce glanced down and read the card, delicate gold-embossed evergreen boughs depicted around the border.

Bryce

Now that you are starting your own family, your father and I hoped that you might carry on the tradition of hanging Christmas stockings. 

Merry Christmas, Mom

Bryce glanced over and saw Cassie holding a large stocking in his hand, one he knew very well. It was heavy, a snow-dusted forest surrounding a sleigh embroidered across the entire body,  with bead work designed to imitate the sparkle of a fresh snowfall and his name stitched in gold cursive on the top. It had hung in his parent’s home for his entire childhood, been loaded with handheld games, iPods, gift cards, and new phones year after year. Generic gifts that any child or teenager would want. Gifts that didn’t require his parents to get to know him as a person but still allowed them to look like awesome parents to outside observers.

It had been part of a matching set - A New England Christmas. All four stockings were pretentious, stuffy, and over-the-top, not to mention wildly out of place in Hawaii. He hadn’t seen this stocking in over a decade, but here it was, in his home. He honestly never thought he’d see it again.

“Wow.” Cassie’s words pulled him back to the present. “This is beautiful. It must’ve cost a fortune.”

Byrce just hummed in acknowledgement. “Yeah, well. Money wasn’t exactly a constraint for Lahela family Christmases.”

“Sorry, I know. I just… my grandmother used to do some cross-stitch and embroidery. This sort of work would take forever.”

“If she wants it, she can have it.”

“I don’t think she knows any other Bryces, but I’m sure she’ll appreciate the gesture.”

Bryce forced a smile at that. “Sorry, just… not a lot of awesome holiday memories attached to that stocking.”

Cassie nodded. “I get it.” They both were quiet for several seconds, the only sounds coming from them both eating their stew. Eventually, though, Cassie spoke again. “Do you want to do family stockings?”

Bryce paused, so she kept going. “Not like this one, but more regular, less fancy ones? Maybe even ones that we could decorate with this little girl next year? That might be fun.”

Bryce smiled, glancing down at Cassie’s gradually growing abdomen. “Yeah, something like that might be nice.”

“New memories, right?”

“Absolutely. New, better memories.” 

And so after dinner, they browsed for DIY stocking kits online, Bryce’s old stocking laying on the counter, a relic of his past that didn’t deserve a second more thought or worry. They had better things to celebrate, not only this year, but hopefully for many more to come.

Ficmas Writers: @katedrakeohd @sirbeepsalot @alj4890 @ofpixelsandscribbles @queenrileyrose @burnsoslow @darley1101 @blackcatkita @debramcg1106 @cordoniansgonewild @leelee10898      @kat-tia801 @emichelle @twinkleallnight @arosentinel @bebepac @nestledonthaveone @txemrn @thegreentwin @karahalloway @annekebbphotography @cordoniantrash @sincerelyella @aussiegurl1234 @boneandfur @thehonorarybeaumont @chemist-ana @lucy-268 @jerzwriter @sillydg @mynotsohealthyobsession @camillemontespan @texaskitten30 @axwalker @argylemnwrites @twinkle-320

Ficmas Readers: @iaminlovewithtrr @tessa-liam @tinkie1973 @lovingchoices14​

Perma: @mom2000aggie​ @octobereighth​ @kingliam2019​

OH: @mskaneko​ @louvregirl​

Bryce x MC: @anotherbeingsworld​ @lahellacute​ @weaving-in-words​ @fortunatelywaywardsandwich​

#choices 12 days of fictmas #12 days of fictmas 2021 #bryce lahela #bryce x mc #open heart fanfiction

[blackcatkita]

On the Eighth Day of Christmas

Book: Open Heart

Pairing: Bryce x MC (Kayla Donovan)

A/N: You might need to read my other Bryce x MC fics to understand my MC's family but here's the gist. She's from Chicago, IL and her family is huge, and a little crazy at times but they are all extremely close. This was written for the @choices12daysoffictmas event (2021) and a GIANT thank you to our lovely hosts, @leelee10898 and @emichelle. The prompt I was assigned is- Advent Calendar.

Rating: Mature, but sfw.

********************

If Bryce had known what he was going to find during his eight am tumor removal, he wouldn’t have gone in at six to work out with the boys. Two additional tumors turned the scheduled two-hour surgery into six, forcing the following ones to be pushed back or rescheduled. A small, quick lunch because Kayla reminded him she had dinner in the slow cooker at home and he was back at it. By the time he changed out of his scrubs and showered at work, he’d been there just shy of thirteen hours and had only eaten an apple and a protein bar.

Standing at the kitchen counter in the large, upscale two-bedroom apartment he shared with his girlfriend, Bryce watched the condensation drizzle across the glass lid of the slow cooker. He’d been looking forward to Kayla’s pot roast all day. The smell had his stomach rumbling as soon as they walked in the door together after work; only to be told she had to add the potatoes and carrots and it would be another thirty to forty-five minutes. After she added them, she marched into their bedroom talking about taking a ‘quick’ shower. That was forever ago, at least.

How much was one man supposed to endure?

Another rumble of his empty stomach had him unlatching and lifting the lid, making the mouthwatering steam drift up his nose. Taking a deep sniff, he let it envelop his senses; beef, onions, garlic, and were those mushrooms she added too? One little taste. Just one little taste would tide him over until the veggies were done. She probably wouldn’t even notice.

Taking a fork out of the cutlery drawer, he moved the uncooked potatoes and carrots to the side, thinking his best bet for not getting caught was to take a chunk from the end of the roast. The fork cut through the meat like butter. Too late to turn back, he dipped the meat into the cooking liquid to sop up all the flavor before shoving the too hot to eat bite into his mouth. Closing his eyes in bliss, he savored the succulent bite, so tender it almost melted in his mouth.

“You’re ridiculous.” His girlfriend’s voice sounded to his left, between the living room and kitchen.

“You took too long,” he said with his mouth full, sucking in air to cool off the food burning the shit out of his mouth.

“I left you alone for like, fifteen minutes.” She walked over wearing yoga pants and a fitted white v-neck, fresh-faced and make-up-free after her shower, scrunching her wet hair with a towel.

“Felt like an hour,” Bryce mumbled, taking another chunk of meat off the roast. “These potatoes are still hard.”

“I bet they are.” Slinging the towel over her shoulder, she bent over to select a bottle of wine from the wine rack he’d installed in one of the lower cabinets. “They’ve only been in there fifteen minutes.”

Unable to resist the temptation of her gorgeous ass in tight pants bent over in front of him, Bryce gave it a smack, making her stand up and yelp as he gave it a firm squeeze. Pulling her tight against him, he gave her a hard kiss before letting go to get the corkscrew out of the drawer while she took two wine glasses out of the cabinet behind them. “The doorman brought up some boxes while you were in the shower,” he told her as he opened the red wine she picked. “Two big ones from your mom and another two from either your dad or your brother. It just says Sean Donovan, but the address is different from your mom’s, so I’m not sure. I put them over by the tree.”

“Oh my God! They’re finally here!” She grabbed a steak knife from the knife block and ran off into the living room, shouting over her shoulder. “Pour that wine and get your tight ass in here! And put the cover back on the slow cooker!”

“Not a good idea to run with knives in fuzzy socks on hardwood floors!” Shaking his head, he poured the two glasses, covered the slow cooker, and followed her into the living room where she was plugging in their Christmas tree, expertly decorated with white lights and a color scheme of blue and silver. “What’s finally here?” he asked, setting her glass on the coffee table as she went at the smaller of the two boxes like a serial killer.

“My ‘advent calendar’ gifts. Remember? We all buy each other four stocking stuffers, my mom collects them, then divides them into individual boxes. Then we each have one gift to open from December 1st to Christmas.” She opened her other box and gestured with the point of the knife at his boxes before handing it to him. “I told you about it last year.”

“Oh, yeah.” He nodded, taking the knife to slice open his boxes. “Why do I have gifts, though?”

“I guess you graduated when we moved in together. My mom told me you were included this year, but I figured I’d get your stuff your first time. Better to ease into these things.”

Bryce never had a good relationship with his parents, and though he and Keiki had gotten closer in recent years, the age gap when they were younger didn’t do them any favors. Being so completely accepted by the Donovans even before he asked for her parent’s blessing showed him how it really felt to be part of a family. “I would have done it. Did you get good stuff?” he asked, sitting on the floor beside her.

“Of course I got good stuff. And I think what you meant to say was, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to do that for me, Kayla. I really appreciate how thoughtful you are and I love you for eternity. You should feel lucky, Meghan didn’t get invited ‘til she and Sean got married.”

“I do feel lucky and thank you, Kayla. I love you for eternity and all that other stuff too,” he replied, setting his glass beside hers on the table. “How do we do this thing?”

“The boxes were late, so we have eight to open to catch up. They’ll be in the box from my mom, but Sean’s has his home address on it, which means he didn’t want to be bothered getting four separate gifts and did something on his own. Bet my mom ripped him a new one for ‘ruining the tradition’. Let’s do his first.”

Tearing open the bubble wrap inside, Bryce pulled out a heavy box. “I got a beer a day advent calendar box filled with bottles from different Midwest breweries. Nice!”

“Me too. Well, no one ever accused my oldest brother of being creative.” She took a sip of wine and pushed her box of beer to the side. “Let’s each blindly reach into the box and choose one at random. Then we open them together and show each other what we got.”

“Sounds fun.” Bryce got up to drag the larger boxes closer and sat back down. Reaching into his box as Kayla did the same, he pulled one wrapped in nativity paper from the top.

“That one’s from my gran,” Kayla said, pointing at his gift. “She always uses religious paper.” They tore open their gifts at the same time. “I got a set of blue kitchen towels from my sister-in-law Meghan.”

“Beef sticks and cheese curds from somewhere called Mars Cheese Castle,” Bryce paused, grimacing down at the package. “When did your mom ship these?”

“Oh, no… no, no, no…” Kayla shook her head and took a large gulp of wine, then another. “If Gran went to Mars Cheese Castle on her way to Milwaukee, I guarantee she also went to the porn shop on the other side of I-94.”

Bryce rested his chin on his hand, finger curled across his lips as he narrowed his eyes at her. “I feel like there’s a lot to unbox here; first, what the hell is a Mars Cheese Castle, second, why does your grandma go to Milwaukee often enough you know her stops along the way, and third, I’m both shocked and not at all surprised one of those stops is a porn shop on the freeway.”

“It’s a cheese shop in Wisconsin that legit looks like a small castle.” Laughing, she got up and walked into the kitchen, continuing to talk along the way. “Gran is originally from Milwaukee, so she goes a couple of times a year to catch up with old friends and get into mischief.” She returns with the bottle of wine, refills their glasses, and sits back down. “Anyway, be warned there may be some… interesting gifts in there from Gran.”

“If she’s from Milwaukee, how did she meet your grandpa?”

“At some church dance a friend of his dragged him to. He was leaning against the wall trying to look hip and kept staring at her. Eventually, she marched up to him and said, ‘You gonna gawk at me all night, Pretty Boy, or are you going to ask me to dance?’ They dated for a while, exchanging letters and phone calls, a few dates when he went up to see her, but that didn’t stop her from going on dates with her other ‘suitors’. She says you never know ‘those boys’ intentions and a gals gotta keep her options open until there’s a ring on her finger. Soon as she graduated high school, there was a ring on her finger and the rest is history.”

Bryce laughed. “I have to admit, I can’t imagine your grandma married to one man all those years. What was he like?”

“He was really great.” Eyes glistening, she gave him a shaky smile. “He was a lot like my dad. Quiet until you got to know him, always trying to teach us stuff like how to change our oil and measure twice and cut once. Gran is feisty but don’t let her fool you. They adored each other. He’s been gone ten years and every family holiday she still lights a candle in front of a picture of them in my parent’s living room, gives it a kiss, and says, miss you, old man.” Brushing away a tear that fell from her eye, she reached back into the box. “Let’s open the next one.”

Slinging his arm across her shoulders, he pulled her into a one-armed hug. “I wish I could have met him,” he said against her hair before pressing a kiss to her head.

“Me too,” she sniffled as he let go and got another gift.

As they opened the next gifts; hand-knitted scarves from her mom, his in forest green and hers in cobalt blue, peppermint foot cream for him and anti-aging face masks for her from her sister Brianna, a homemade silver glitter ornament for her, and a multi-tool for him from her younger brother Owen, Kayla explained the dynamic each person contributed.

“My mom always gives practical gifts and my dads are always super generic. We’re supposed to include two extra gifts a year ‘just in case'. In case of what, I’m not sure, but it’s resulted in a box full of extra random things. My dad just grabs whatever from the box and puts someone’s name on it.”

Bryce held up his latest gift. “Is that why I got this pen with glitter in it but if you turn it upside down a naked lady appears?”

“Yep.” Kayla laughed. “And why I got these fuzzy slipper socks. Though, I do love them so sometimes it works out. Owen’s gifts usually have something to do with art or tinkering and since Brianna started cosmetology school, everything she gives is beauty or self-care related.” Reaching into the box for the sixth time, she pulled out one wrapped in the nativity paper. “Ooh, I got a gran gift.”

“I have this somewhat large square, which I think is a book.” He tore open the gift from her closest brother Connor and read the title, “The Midwest Survival Guide by Charlie Berens.” Paging through it, he continued, “When you said stocking stuffers I expected like, kit-kats and lifesavers, not actual gifts, gifts.”

“There’s probably stuff like that in here too,” she answered, opening her gift. “Really the only rule is it has to fit in a stocking.”

He raised his eyebrows and held up the book, making her laugh.

“Well, no one said how big the stocking was.” Smirking, she lifted her hand to show him a pair of fuzzy red handcuffs dangling from her finger. “Told you there’d be some interesting choices from Gran.”

“Have I ever told you how much I love your gran? Because I love your gran.”

“Two more,” she said, reaching in again and opening the package. “Nice! Connor got me Irish Cream truffles.” She offered him one and when he shook his head, she shrugged and took a bite. “Whatcha get?”

“A bottle of Proper Twelve whiskey, also from Connor. Geez, he doesn’t mess around with the gifts, does he?”

“Connor always gets me my favorite stuff. I’m guessing since he doesn’t know you very well yet, he either got stuff he thought you’d appreciate or stuff he likes himself. Last one for the night. You ready?” she asked.

“On the eighth day of Christmas, my girlfriend’s family gave to me...” Closing his eyes, he dug deeper into the box. “Yes! Another Gran gift!” Under the wrapper, he found a slender bottle of pink liquid with a piece of paper affixed with a rubber band blocking the label. Taking off the note, he unfolded it to read what it said and saw what was beneath. “Kayla…”

“Another one from Connor, a bottle of Rumchata.”

“Babe…”

“Have you ever had it? You can serve it alone over ice, or mix it with amaretto, so friggin’ good.”

“Kayla.”

“What?” she asked, looking up at him. “Are you ok? You look… weird.”

He thrust the bottle of pink liquid into her hands.

Looking down at it, she snorted and clamped her hand over her mouth.

“I… don’t know how to feel about this,” he stated.

She stared at him with wide eyes for a few seconds before the giggles escaped her lips. “What? You didn’t want a bottle of edible massage oil from my sweet little eighty-year-old grandmother for Christmas?”

“Oh, that’s not all, there’s a note.” Bryce cleared his throat and began to read, “Dear Bryce, I didn’t know what flavor to get you but everyone likes strawberry. This brand is really tasty so you might be tempted to just drink it. Don’t. It will give you the shits. If you spill some on your sheets, don’t worry, it comes out real nice in the wash. The oil, not the shit. For that you might need a laundry booster. I make my own so if you ever need any just let me know and I’ll have Sean send it from the shop. I hope you and Kayla are doing well. Love, Gran.”

Unable to control her laughter, Kayla let it all out and flopped down on her back onto the floor. “Oh my God, I’m dead. This is the best thing I’ve ever heard.”

“She has really nice handwriting, but how am I supposed to use this on you without picturing your grandma taste-testing edible oil in a porn shop off the highway?”

She laughed harder still. “Just drink some of the whiskey from Connor first, you’ll be fine.”

“I need more wine,” he said, pouring the rest of the bottle into his glass as he also began to laugh at the hilarity of the situation. “So, this was fun. I can’t wait to see a chaotic Donovan Christmas in person someday but damn, am I glad I didn’t open that in front of your whole family.”

“Chaotic is right, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.” Rolling onto her side, she propped her head up in one hand while wiping tears from her flushed face with the other. “What was Christmas like at your house?”

Bryce scoffed. “Nothing like yours. Picture a Hallmark movie without the happiness. Catered dinner, a Martha Stewart tablescape, a mountain of presents that cost a fortune of other people’s money but had no thought to them. My parents were all about the appearance of the perfect happy family when, in reality, we were anything but. Don’t get me wrong, we never wanted for anything. We had the best life money could buy, but I would have killed for a fraction of the warmth and love your family has.”

“Well, now you have it,” she said, giving him a soft smile.

“Yeah, I do.” Returning her grin, he got down on all fours to give her a kiss. Pulling back, he looked at her beautiful face and his mind drifted to the diamond ring hidden in his sock drawer. He just needed to find the perfect moment to ask her. Maybe next time they were in Chicago, so her family could be there. If he could wait that long. “I fucking love you. And your crazy family.”

“I love you too, and I’m glad. I know they can be a lot sometimes.”

“Nothing’s too much if it means I get to be with you.” He kissed her again. “Let’s go eat before we dip into Connor’s whiskey.” He pulled her up with him and led her into the kitchen by the hand, winking as he said, “For dessert, we'll both have a taste of the strawberry massage oil.”

********************

#bryce x mc #open heart fanfic #choices open heart #choices 12 days of fictmas

[sillydg]

"A Walker knows, when a Walker knows" Part one. Faith happens.

Hi everyone! I’m participating in the 12 Days of Fictmas! Thank you so much @emichelle and @leelee10898 for hosting it and I love it so far!!

So I completely failed at writing a short piece. Because when I got the amazing prompt ‘Nutcracker’ my mind kept running. And I ended up with a 9.000 words piece, and it turned into a series that I’m going to focus on this December and January. I mean talking about a crash and burn, got nothing going on situation.

SORRY!

Book: The royal romance

Pairing: Drake Walker X F!MC (Riley Herreld)

Rating: 18+

Series Summary: Drake meets Riley. But not in the usual kind of way. Fate interferes when Riley’s supposed to be working on that big Bachelor night.

She gets drawn to Cordonia in another way. But what happens when a Workaholic, meet a Walker come together? Will they provide a Christmas miracle and get over their own love skepticism?

Or can we turn on ‘Love actually’ after this series to make us feel good again?

One way to find out!

Part one. Summary: We see how faith interferes with Riley meeting the guys and after that, it’s jingling all the way at the Christmas Market. Extremely fluffy Drake and Savannah!

A/N: This is without pre-reading. I completely went rogue, so I’m sorry for the mistakes I made due to tiredness and English not being my first language.

A/N: If you want to be tagged for this series (Outside of my Drake’s and Permanent taglist) Please let me know!! I will not tag the Readers/writers taglist for part two without having permission.

A/N: Some parts might seem a bit uncharacteristic, but for the sake of Christmas fluff. I'm taking this all the way. In this story Bartie is a little bit older when Drake meets Savannah again.

Category: Over the top a bit predictable Christmas fluff, with an edge.

Warnings: Mentioning’s of a mom dying of cancer, swearing, and implied sexual situations. Please do not read if you’re under 18.

CHARACTERS BELONG TO PIXELBERRY STUDIOS

A Walker knows, when a Walker knows. Faith Happens.

Four years ago. New York.

Riley enters pub ‘The fiery breath’ on a cold Sunday afternoon. She decided to come in early to have a cup of coffee and hear about Daniels's Saturday night shift since she had to call in sick the night before.

“Riley!” Daniels smiles broadly from behind the bar.

Riley lets out a relieved breath, "Oh Thank God. You're still smiling at me! I was so scared that you would be furious for having to take the Saturday evening murder shift all by yourself and missing your hot date because of it. I'm soooooooo sorry."

He snorts, "Yeah. I'm so mad at you! God, I bet you loved calling in sick because of having massive food poisoning."

She chuckles while sitting down on a high stool, "It was a hoot! Man, me and the toilet had some serious one-on-one bonding time going on yesterday. I think we even got to second base..."

He leans on the bar, “Ooof, that sounds like a hot night indeed! Are you feeling a little bit better though?"

She nods, "And believe me. This is not going to happen again. I've learned my freaking lesson last night."

"What do you mean..."

"Well, You know how I always get a lot of chicken wings on a Saturday night before work, right?"

Daniel nods because he knows how much she loves her weekly wings.

"Well. Yesterday I was heading over to my favorite place when I noticed a new Indian restaurant right beside it. So I thought… Why not try something different for once? What's the worst that can happen?” She groans, "How wrong was I, right?"

Daniel rubs his hand over his face, “Oh Riles. Because one. Famous last words. It's a miracle that you're still sitting here because of two. The well-known rule is that you have to wait at least a month before trying new places around here. Half of them close after two weeks due to hygienic problems and most importantly three.

You don't like Indian food because of the coriander. It's literally genetically determined that you don't like it.”

Riley shifts a bit uneasy, “But my mom did. So I thought… " And she sighs deeply. "You know how my mom always believed in signs of the universe? And how romantic at heart? I've really been trying to, you know, be less of my rational self and open up for things like 'faith' and all that."

He lays a gentle hand on her arm in support while she continues speaking. "And since it was exactly a year ago that she passed away yesterday... I figured. Maybe she's sending me a sign. Or maybe I just wanted her a bit close." A light sob escapes her mouth.

Daniel walks from behind the bar and wraps his arms around her. And after a few seconds, he hears her sobbing turns louder. After a few minutes of silence, she whispers, “Thank you, Dan.”

Daniel leans back with a gentle smile on his face, “I’ve got you always. Well, are you ready for some coffee before your shift starts in twenty?”

“Always. You know how I like it!”

He brews her a double espresso and sets it in front of her. She contently sips it, "Was Ron mad at you for missing another date?"

"Nah, he understood."

"Thank God. And how about the rest of the night?"

Daniel takes a second to think, "Well I found out that I am brave enough to take out the trash all by myself."

"Wow!" She grins, "Look at you! Conquering the little rats all by yourself in the ally! So proud!"

Daniel smacks her with a table cloth, “There is no such thing as little rats Riley. Every rat is too big. And the ones in our back ally are huuuuge. Splinter huge!"

And she holds up her hands in defense, “Okay, Sorry. But still. I'm proud and happy, because this victory means that I never ever have to take out the trash again.”

“You wish."

"Fine. But if I go out to take the trash and never return, I'll probably be eating Pizza with my new friends in the sewer."

"So now I'm starting to think you actually are asking for food poisoning."

Riley shrugs, "Well can't leave my toilet hanging, now can I. We really bonded, Dan."

"Oh well, since the forever Bachelor, because I don't believe in love, is finally hooked I will keep my juicy story about the four hottest guys in the universe walking into this very bar last night to myself."

Riley pouts and combines it with big watery puppy eyes.

"Damn Girl," he grins, "If you ever fall in love with a guy by a god forgiven miracle, that man is properly fucked. Even I can't say no to this," and he motions for her face, "Whatever it is what you're doing right now."

"Are you sure about that... because I'm still not hearing any of those juicy deeds."

Daniel sighs dreamily while leaning on his hands, "You've should have been there Riles. The door slammed open and these four hotshots entered the bar. One was kind of cocky, one way too hyper, one a bit static but damn I would have loved to eat some breakfast with that guy this morning... but the other one. I think I met your 'The one' Riles."

Riley burst out in laughter, "Hahaha, Oh God. And you... Hahaha, how do you manage to look so serious, hahaha, while saying something so ridiculous." And she wipes a few tears away, "Man. Crying from sadness, crying from laughter. Hell. What a rollercoaster today. Thank you I needed that."

But the moment she looks up she sees Daniel glaring at her with a dead-serious look on his face. "I'm not kidding Riles," he states, "He was poorly dressed, drank your favorite whiskey, hot as hell, and grumpy as fuck. But there was something about him."

She chuckles, “I’m sorry Daniel. I know that you are more like my mom in this area, with the whole 'the one' stuff...." And she falls silent for a second not sure how to react, so she relies on her 'joke' defense mechanism. "Besides I already made that deeeeep connection with the toilet seat, remember? No one can come between us anymore. I might even be ready to introduce him to my father.”

"You can joke all you want, but I couldn't help it. I Just got this feeling…”

Riley notices that she's about to cross a line so she hits the breaks. “Okay. Okay. I'm sorry, let me try that again." And she takes a deep breath, "Well if he's really my 'the one' then it might be for the best that I haven’t bumped into him yet, Daniel. Because I’m nowhere near ready to meet my ‘the one.’ I have to find a way to become happy with myself first. To love me for who I am. To grow and find out where I belong. So in my mother’s words, if it’s meant to be our paths will cross eventually.”

“Well, let’s hope your mom is right because I asked them if there is a chance of them returning tonight because I told them about you and they really wanted to meet you!"

"Ahhhhh you told them about me?"

"Of course, you're my number one Riles, and well... I wanted to give you a chance to meet him."

Riley leans with her elbows onto the bar, "So what did they say?" And her eyes grow wide, "Wait what did you say?"

Daniel averts his eyes and starts shifting at his place, "You know..."

She hides her hands in her face, "Ohh no. You've told them about me throwing up, didn't you? O god. Probably also made a dirty joke about me barfing over their food if I would be there."

"I did not!"

"Liar!"

"Tsssk. Besides even if I did, it doesn't matter. Because they are sitting in a plane towards Cordonia right as we speak!"

Riley frowns, “Cordonia? Did you say Cordonia?”

He nods, “Yeah, why?”

“Well, my granny lived her whole life in Cordonia. It’s where my mom is born, and she has lived there for eighteen years before moving to New York with my dad. The two of them met there in a cute bed and breakfast. My mom used to sing there and my dad was a visitor.” Her mind is racing back and forth, “And I forgot about it.” She takes her phone out of her pocket and searches for ‘Cordonia.’

She scrolls through pictures of landscapes and a smile appears on her face, “It’s beautiful. My mom used to tell me a lot about it. She always said that the people were so nice and she loved the traditions.”

Suddenly her eyes lock onto one of the photos and she freezes. There was no way to describe what she's feeling right now, but one way or another it feels important. She softly whispers, “Dan, look at this.”

And she turns her phone to show the picture to Daniel.

He frowns, “What do you mean? It’s just a bandstand Riles, with a lake behind it. It's not that unique and you literally walk past one in the park every freaking day.”

She shakes her head and glances at the photo, “Nah. It's special. There is definitely something about it." And she sighs, "It’s beautiful.”

Daniel glances over to Riley who seems to get lost in the picture altogether, without even noticing herself.

“Yo Riles, can I see that again?”

“Mmh?” She murmurs without looking up from her phone.

“Riles…”

And she snaps out of it, “Oh I’m sorry. Yes of course!” And she hands him her phone. Daniel takes another look at the photo but can’t discover anything special about it and when he looks up he sees her staring absently out of the window.

Her mind is clearly all over the place ass she nervously taps her fingers on the wood of the bar. He has never seen her like this before and suddenly an idea comes to mind. He closes the page and searches for, ‘Teacher jobs in Cordonia.’ And a direct hit on top of the list draws his attention. “School of sparkles and sunshine,” His eyes scan over the job offer and even with the completely different school system he manages to figure out that they need a school counselor combined with a teacher for six and seven years old.

He hands her, her phone back and points at the screen. “Here look at that! Call them!”

“What?” Her eyes grow wide, "Where is the photo?"

"I closed it..."

She murmurs under her breath frantically searching.

"Riley, stop! Just focus on the job offer now, okay? I'm sorry, but I'm sure you'll find it back later!"

She glares at him, "Ohh but I'm so gonna smack you if I don't."

"Fine whatever. Just look!"

She murmurs swearwords as her eyes flash over the screen. She looks up in confusion. “Are you serious? Do you want me to call them? Right now? You want me to decide in a second to move to Cordonia? Dan, they are searching for someone who is available next week.”

“Yes! It’s perfect for you!”

She sighs. He's right, it is perfect for her. And with all the things her grandma and mom used to tell her about Cordonia, it could very well be where she belonged. But she cant help it and her mind keeps drifting off to her dad. Because without any brothers or sisters leaving New York would mean leaving him behind. Alone… And she shakes her head. “I cant.”

He lays a gentle hand on her arm, “It’s been one and a half years since you’re graduated as a teacher. I remember so well how excited you were about finding a job anywhere else than New York! Because we both know that you've never been truly happy here, nor that you ever will be.

And I get it. You've been through a lot last year. You decided to stay after your mom got sick. You wanted to be there for her and your dad. Spent as much time as possible with both of them. And after she passed away you decided to stay a few months longer to support your dad.

But those few months have turned into a year now, Riles. Don't you think it's time to think about yourself for once?

We both know that your dad just wants you to be happy, just like I want you to be happy and just like your mom wants you to be happy." He shoves her phone back over the bar.

"So call them.”

Riley’s eyes flash from Daniels to the screen and back. She knows he’s right, and the more she thinks about it, the more it surprises her how excited she feels about it. Could this be it? Could this be the place where she would finally be happy? Where she could find her place to do exactly what she loves?

Her thumb lingers above the number to call. One tap. Only

one tap away. But the thought of leaving her dad behind is excruciating.

She looks up with pleading eyes to Daniel, “I can't do it. I cant…”

“Yes, you can. Do it.” And he

starts tapping in the bar in a rhythm… “Do it. Do it. Do it.”

“I can... Yes. I can... Oh, the hell with it!” And before she knows it she taps the number. But right after she gives the phone to Daniel, “OMG what did I do? I cant.”

They hear, “This is the director of ‘Sparkles and Sunshine, how can I help you?” And Riley looks up with panic in her eyes.

Daniel shoves the phone back while trying to encourage her, “Say something. You can do it, Riles.”

Riley shakes her head.

“Hello? Is anybody there?”

He smiles gently at her, “Remember the promise you’ve made to your mother…”

She sighs deeply and closes her eyes as she recalls her mother's words she agreed on.

Promise me that you will search for your place in this world. Don’t let this stop you. Promise to trust that I will guide you when you areready for it, just listen to the signs. And don't worry about your dad. He is strong and you are too. I will always be there with you and him. He'll never be truly alone.

I love you, carebear. But please be a carebear for yourself as well. Because caring for someone else starts with caring about yourself.

Her eyes are filling with tears and with a shaking hand, she picks up the phone from the bar. Daniel nods encouragingly.

“Hello?” She hears.

“Hi, this is Riley Herreld,” she says with a shaky voice. She draws in a sharp breath since she’s still on the brink of

crying, “And I’m calling for the job offer I found online…”

Present-day.

Sunday, five days before Christmas.

After spending the morning making arrangements for Bartie's stay at Drake's apartment and preparing Drake himself for the week to come, he and Savannah find themselves strolling over the annual charity Christmas Market of Bartie's school 'Sparkles and sunshine.' They are heading for Bartie and Maxwell who have been spending the day leading one of the activities on the Christmas Market.

The ambiance is perfect on this typical winter cold Sunday afternoon, with some light snowfall and the shimmer already setting in.

There are strings of lights, and decorated Christmas trees between all kinds of different stalls and the different activities to participate in.

The sound of Christmas music played by the school's live band fills the air, bringing everyone instantly into that jingle mood.

Drake looks around in amazement at all the kids happily running around, "This is so different from the Christmas Charity event last year, which was merely set up for the rich parents to show off their goodness by doing voluntary work, while eating bites made by expensive caterers, drinking expensive booze and where the only organized activity was 'networking' for the same rich parents, while the kids were bored and hungry."

He glances over to the collection of stalls with all kinds of rustic homemade food and different warm beverages like homemade gluhwein and hot cocoa. He loved homey and rustic food. And with this, there will be some money left at the end of the event for the children's chosen charity instead of last year where there was close to nothing to donate eventually.

Savannah nods, "This is the first time that Riley, Bartie's teacher, was allowed to organize it and she decided to turn it a bit around. The kids turned in their ideas and she just selected some of the activities, food, and stalls. " And she looks around, "Though I think she has some weird deals with some high placed timelords because no one in her right mind can fix all of this in only a month, while also being the producer of the annual Christmas play, counselor, part-time teacher and always willing to help every kid who needs a little bit of extra schooling."

He snorts, "Sounds healthy."

"Yeah, Yeah, brother. You have no right to speak. This is your first week off in four years working at the palace." And she stops at her pace the moment her eye falls onto a small wooden figure, "OMG look at this!" She holds up a little wooden Nutcracker. "Can you imagine this little thing standing on your table... or your tv cabinet?"

"No."

"I'm going to buy it for you anyway."

"Then I'm going to give it to the lady who lives with the cats three apartments away from us. Her cats always love new stupid stuff to knock off of tables and cabinets."

She pouts and holds it right next to her face, "But Bartie would love this since he plays a nutcracker as a leading part in Christmas Play 'The Nutcracker.'

Drake grins, "You can try all you want Sis, but you know how I feel about Christmas decorations. What's the use to make your apartment look like an elf barfed in it, only to wrap it up a few weeks later?" He offers her his arm and with a disappointed face she sets the little guy down again, before locking her arm in his. They start strolling again.

"But..." says Drake while leaning in, " I am considering buying a three for this one time only. I know how Bartie loves to decorate it and it's not every year that my awesome Nephew gets to stay with me for three nights in a row!"

Savannah squeaks excitedly, "Drake Walker, he's going to love that!"

Drake snorts, "Yeah. Yeah... The things I do for family," and he bumps his shoulder gently against hers. She smiles softly, "Once again, thank you for being such an amazing Uncle Drake."

He shrugs, but Savannah stops him from moving forward. "Don't wave it away, Walker. You've listened to my monologue about school and the rest of this week for over three hours this morning. WHILE sitting down. And we both know that you get restless after sitting down for more than ten minutes and your average concentration span is less than five.

Besides not every uncle decides to buy the apartment next door AND makes his nephew feel at home by turning one of his rooms into a bedroom for him as you did a year ago. He loves being at your place and he loves you, Drake. So don't brush over it and take the beep compliment!"

Drake beams at her words, "Well I promised to never let the two of you out my sight ever again didn't I?"

Savannah nods, "We are very lucky to have you in our lives!" And she lets out a shaky breath.

Drake knows that she tries to avoid bursting into tears right now. She loves the fact that Bertrand asked her to help him organize the big annual Beaumont Christmas Bash since Maxwell's occupied. He's helping Bartie's teacher miss Riley Herreld with the dance routines of the Christmas play.

But filling in for Maxwell also meant being separated longer than one night from Bartie for the first time ever.

Besides, both of them know how hard it is when a beloved parent leaves, even if it's only for a few days. So he understands why she feels conflicted and the reason why he got her an early Christmas Present. It's something to help them both through the nights, and days until they reunite on Thursday night when they are all heading over to the palace for an Early Christmas Party organized by Liam and Olivia.

Drake nods, "Come on. I wanted to wait until we got home, but we have a little bit of time on our hands right now. And since Bartie and Max are going nowhere for the next two hours, how about we sit down for a bit?"

Doubt is written all over Savannah's face, "But don't you want to know what activity he came up with? He's been over the moon since Riley picked his idea, and he's been so mysterious about it."

He grins, "Oh I'm dying to see what he came up with Sis, but... I think this might be important to do first."

And a small smile appears on her face, "Well, how about it then. Just for a bit." Drake nods towards some benches around a decorated table, "How about you sit down and I get us some hot cocoa." Savannah nods, shivers, and dives deeper into her scarf. "Good one."

He moves over to stand at the end of the waiting line. His eyes drift over the crowd, enjoying the sight of the kids being happy, painting wooden figures, singing, and dancing.

But suddenly his eyes lock on a silhouette in the distance. He's not even sure why he's staring, but he seems not able to tear his eyes away from her. She's wrapped in a huge wooly scarf, an equally warm woolen cap, and her long red woolen jacket seems to be tailored perfectly.

His mind is racing as he tries to determine if they have met before. Because it feels like it, but he can't remember her name. And even though she's too far away to see the fine lines of her face, there is one thing he knows for sure. If she would've introduced herself to him he would've remembered it.

She's standing next to a fire barrel, ruffling through a stack of papers on a clipboard while talking to a man beside her. The man seems a bit flirty, but she ignores it or maybe she doesn't even notice it at all.

But all of a sudden her eyes snap up and hers meet his despite the distance. And for a few long seconds, they just stare at each other. He subconsciously smirks and suddenly the most beautiful smile he has ever seen appears on her face. Not knowing that it's a reaction to his own body language.

And his heart skips a beat. What the... He frowns. Okay, that's weird.

"Sir, Sir..."

"Mmh," He says sunken in thought. What is happening?

"Sir, do you want something to drink or to eat or..."

He snaps out of it. The line behind him turned long and all the people once in fornt of him has dissapeared. "I'm sorry," he murmurs while setting a few steps forward. "Two hot cocoa’s please." And for a brief second he looks back, but she returned to her conversation as well.

"Are you driving?" The man behind the stall asks.

"Mmh?" And once again his head snaps back.

"I asked if you were driving."

He shakes his head, "Nope, we both have a ride home. But why do you want to know?"

"Well first off all, if you're going to be distracted like that, it might be best not to drive. But most of all," The man points at the bottles standing right next to the pot of hot cocoa, "In case you want an adult poor.”

“That’s surprising, how about it!”

“Coming right up," and he pours two shots of whiskey before topping it off with cocoa and whipped cream, "There we go."

Drake smiles as he hands him money, "Keep the change and I'm sorry about what happened..." He coughs, "Twice..."

He shrugs, "She has that effect on a lot on a lot of men. You're not the first and certainly are not going to be the last person who can't stop staring at her. But let me save you from making a fool of yourself like Tim, the guy from the sawmill standing right next to her does every time when he sees her.

In the four years she's been here she never dated. So good luck if you're thinking about trying it." And the man hands him the drinks, "Merry Christmas to you, sir."

Drake nods and he moves his gaze once more to find her, but she's gone. Weirdly enough he feels a little bit disappointed. He instantly decides to ignore it as he takes place across from Savannah.

"So..." and he hands her, her drink and holds his up in the air for his sister to tap it, "Cheers."

And with a big smile, she taps her mug against his, "Cheers." She sips content, before looking up in surprise, “Nice. Didn’t expect that.”

“You know me, couldn’t say no.” He grins, "And now why I asked you to sit down for a little bit."

He takes off his leather gloves, opens his jacket, and takes out a small package. Savannah frowns the moment her eyes lock on the flat and beautifully wrapped box. He lays it in front of her and her eyes grow wide, "Drake Walker, did you buy me jewelry?”

He shrugs casually, “Yeah. No biggie. Just two excruciating hours in the jewelry store I'm never getting back. But completely worth it."

“I can’t believe this,” and she studies the perfectly wrapped box. “So what is it?”

Drake snorts, “I’m sorry? Did I miss an important note about a change in the gift-giving process? Because the last time I checked things were as follows; The gift giver gives a wrapped present, which is wrapped to make sure that it’s a surprise, and the receiver unwraps it to find out what it is.”

She rolls her eyes, “Jeez. Fine. No need to be sensitive about it.”

But there is still no trace of unwrapping intention as she asks, “Can I at least get a hint?”

“For the love of God, Sav.” And he rubs his forehead, “Okay. I can do this the hard way and state, ‘Just open the Beeeeep present’, what you are not going to do and a whole discussion unfolds. Or I do this the easy way since we have only," and he glances at his watch, "A little bit over an hour left to see what Bartie and Max are up to. So a hint it is!"

"Yaaaaash," squeaks she excited.

Drake shakes his head, "Are you done?"

She nods, "Yes, please go ahead!"

He grins at the sudden serious expression on her face. "Alright," he says but remains quiet while sipping slowly at his drink.

His sister looks at him with big eyes as he slowly takes another sip.

“Are you kidding me right now?” She squeaks the moment he moves in for another sip.

He shrugs, “You know no one is stopping you from just opening that present, Sav.”

She groans and smacks him a few times against the arm, “Draaake.”

"Fine. Fine,” and he laughs, “Stop hitting me." And she moves in for another slap as Drake quickly says while shielding himself, "Remember how mom made us and dad matching bracelets from pieces of string?”

Savannah freezes with her hand still in the air, “I completely forgot about that! We would ‘link’ them together every time he had to leave, making so that where ever he went, we were still with him. And he was with us.”

Drake appears carefully from behind his arms, “Exactly, so if we would wake up, scared and feeling alone because of missing dad we only had to look at our bracelets to feel better.”

Her hand drops and smiles softly sunken in thought,

“Yeah, I remember.”

Drake sighs deeply as Savannah keeps staring at the little wrapped box, but still without any intention of opening it.

“Sav, can you please just?”

“Oh right,” And she pouts, “But it's beautifully wrapped. I hate to ruin it.”

Drake sets his drink on the table, takes the package out of her hand, before ripping the paper off. “Note to self," he groans, "Always pack my own gifts because there is no way in hell that it's going to look too pretty to unwrap.”

And he shoves the black box back to her over the table, “There we go.”

She opens the lid excitedly, and two silver bracelets appear. One bigger and one smaller one, both with an infinity symbol subtly weaved in. Savannah's bracelet has a big heart with a smaller heart cut out of it., “Drake…” she whispers completely stunned.

She carefully takes one out, studies the little heart, and while gasping she says, “You’ve imprinted my name in his small heart and his name in mine?”

“Yes. And the smaller heart is cut out of the big one, so the two of you can link them together the moment you say goodbye after dropping him off at school tomorrow morning.”

“Drake,” and she swallows hard, “This is perfect. So if he wakes up in the middle of the night, I am there beside him. Or… Or…”

He gets up from the bench he was sitting on, walks around the table, and sits down next to her. He wraps her in a big hug and she starts to sniff. "Are you freaking kidding me Walker, are you seriously making me sniffle in public."

Don't worry, you look adorable while doing it Sis," and he gives her a gentle smile.

"Sniff. Sniff. I know your lying but I'll take it anyway."

He gently rubs her back and her sniffles slowly disappear, “You ok?” And he leans back to meet her eyes.

She wipes the last tears away with her hand before nodding, "I'm fine. But hell Walker. I could ask you the same thing. You are buying us jewelry, sitting and listening for so long without complaining this morning, and thinking about getting a Christmas tree for... What other Christmas Miracles are you planning to participate in?"

"I think this is pretty much all of it, Sis."

"Yeah, you sure? Not something like, 'Drake Walker and the Christmas Miracle of bringing someone else to the Beaumont’s bash as my date than Johnnie Walker?'

He snorts, "You know my heart belongs to Johnnie, and him alone. I'll never get enough of him and no one is going to get between us."

Savannah chuckles. She loves teasing her brother like this. But she also knows better than trying to push a stubborn hot head Walker into the mess that one calls love.

"You know that I know that, right?" And she reaches for her bag to take the invitation she brought with her. "This is the official invitation."

He opens it and smiles at the already with Johnnie Walker' filled-in RSVP card. "Thank you, Sis, for accepting instead of forcing me into something I'm not comfortable with."

She sighs in understanding, "Is Liam still holding on to his Single Drake Christmas tradition?"

Drake nods, "Yeah. He sends me at least three pictures a day, with phone numbers and way too much information. And we both know that it doesn't matter, he's going to invite two of them and Kiara to his early Christmas party anyway."

Savannah can't help but chuckle, "Oh God, and his 'surprised' face every year while saying, 'Ohhhh look who just showed up out of the

blue asking for you? She 100% single, looking for something steady." And with a smirk, she states "Yeah, the ladies are lining up for you ever since the whole 'Things are great' meme took off right?"

He grins, "I do have absolutely nothing to complain about when it comes to one-night times of fun since that very moment if that's what you're talking about Sis."

"Well, You enjoy that bachelor life as long as you still can, Walker." And she sinks in thought, leaning her head against his shoulder, "Because it's just like dad always said.

A Walker knows, when a Walker knows.

We know it instantly when faith decides to throw that special someone in our face., but when it does your Bachelor's days are over.

The only problem is that we are not in the slightest bit capable of dealing with strong emotions that come with us ‘knowing.’ Our prime reaction is trying to Walker our way out of it by instantly running away, denying, drinking, ignoring. Yes, we turn to desperate measures until we are finally ready to get our heads out of our asses, give up fighting, and give in to our happily ever after... Because no matter how hard we try, there is no denying it eventually."

Drake snorts, "Faith? Instantly knowing that special person stands in front of you and a happily ever after... Sav... Have you been doing reruns of 'Love actually' again?"

She chuckles, "Absolutely. And there is nothing wrong with enjoying a little bit of romance in your life Drake. Christmas miracles do happen you know. Besides, you secretly so like that movie."

Drake frowns, "Absolutely not. I think I can say without hesitation that if I ever offer to watch that movie voluntarily it will mean that I'm in direct danger or completely lost my mind.

"Noted! But make fun of this faith thing all you want Drake. One day, when you least expect it, it's going to smack you in the face with a chair. But since we are talking Liam's and Olivia's party anyway... Why don't we take a look at this week's schedule?"

He rubs his hands over his face, "Didn't we already talk about this today?"

And she ruffles through her back and takes another paper out of it. "We did but I forgot to show you this," and she lays the folded paper open in front of him. "Drake Walker, Bachelor of a lifetime, good luck with your first experience with the family agenda."

His eyes drift over the paper, "Right so Bartie and I are meeting you and Bertrand at my place Thursday right to all head over to the Early Christmas Party?"

She nods as he looks up, before looking down again. He murmurs, "Bartie's play Friday night on the night before Christmas...already knew that" but then he frowns, "Sooooo why exactly is the Beaumont Christmas Bash starting on Friday directly after Bartie's play instead of the usual first day of Christmas?"

"It was the logical thing to decide. Everyone who is invited to the Beaumonts Christmas Bash from our inner circle is going to watch Bartie anyway, including mom. And we have enough room for everyone to stay in. So why bother and sent everyone to a hotel for just one night. And well. At that moment we decided to go even bigger this year!”

Drake pinches the bridge of his nose, “Even bigger? Sis, there are almost people dying every year. And now you want two nights of disaster and danger in a row?”

She chuckles, “I'm replacing Maxwell, remember? So its not going to be more dangerous than ever!" Her eyes turn dreamy, "It’s going to be more romantic than ever.”

“Oh dear lord. I'm extremely conflicted right now since I have no clue which one of these two is worse.”

She smacks his arm, “Just hear me out. There is snow to be expected this Friday, so I fixed up a lot of beautiful carriages for the couples to travel with towards residence Beaumont, including fluffy blankets, a guy with a top hat upfront, and bottles of booze. All bedrooms will be completely decorated Christmas-style, extremely soft rugs in front of the crackling fireplace, and fuzzy blankets everywhere."

"Oh God, I hate everything fluffy... If you ever find something fluffy in my apartment then..."

She rolls her eyes for him interrupting her dreamy monologue, "But there is already something fluffy in your apartment. I did make you that package remember? In case there is ever going to be a lady friend sleeping over. With blankets... slippers..."

Drake slowly shakes his head.

"Mmh, then I might just have hidden it!" And after a quick innocent smile, she continued, "Anyway. Rude for interrupting me. There will be a huge white piano in the middle of the big ballroom. Live Jazzy Christmas music and it will be decorated like a serious winter wonderland. Glitter, fake snow the whole shebang. And mistletoes everywhere!"

“Not conflicted anymore. We are bringing Maxwell back. I prefer my hero complex being triggered all the time instead of touching fluffy things all night.”

“Don’t worry, it’s a Beaumont bash. Dangerous things like swords and firework are definitely going to be there. Only the swords are going to be covered in fluffy fabric and the fireworks will involve a lot of glitter and glamour."

Drake grins, "And Bertrand agrees with all of it?"

Suddenly Savannah throws him a death glare, making him instantly lean back a little bit. But then her glare turns into a broad smile, "Yes."

He blinks, "Okay. I believe you. Note to self. Do not piss Sav off."

“Good. Now, I’m just saying this once. You are the only one who has the privilege to change his RSVP up until the very last minute because if you’re planning on getting smacked in the face by faith, this is the best time to do it.”

“Nope,” and he teasingly runs his finger over the agenda, “It’s not on the agenda. Darn. Bummer.”

She shrugs, "There are going to be enough single ladies to enjoy anyway, even just for one a night."

"Nah I'm just going to enjoy being around the people who I hold dear in my heart," and he pulls her close, "Because that's all I need in my life."

"God, you're not kidding around tonight, are you Walker?" And once again she wipes away a few tears.

"Well, you're also not kidding around Sis," and he points to the Monday morning nine o'clock appointment he has with Bartie's teacher.

"Oh right," and she smacks her forehead with the palm of her hand, "How about we continue our search for Bartie? I'm sure she'll be around there somewhere as well. I'll give you a quick introduction and tomorrow she'll tell you a bit more about what to bring the days to come and you can ask her some questions. Well, If it's still needed after my extremely thorough explanation today that is."

Drake chuckles as they both rise from the bench and he puts his gloves back on. Yes her explanation has been more than thorough, but also extremely incoherent due to extreme nerves and a constant rollercoaster of emotions for the week to come. So he can only thank God on his bare knees for a chance to ask questions. Because that schedule combined with those stack of books. It didn't make any sense at all.

“But why do you think that she's close to Barties and Maxwell's activity? She's organizing this whole thing right? She can be everywhere."

"Well, she told me that she would keep an extra eye on Maxwell since he loves playing with fire or something."

And all the alarm bells are going off in Drake's head the moment he hears the words 'Maxwell' and 'fire' in the same sentence. "What did

you just say?"

"She said that she would keep..." and Savannah falls silent in the middle of the sentence as she suddenly realizes what Riley actually told her.

"We need to find them, now! You go that way, and I go the other way."

She nods, "Whoever finds them, calls."

And they turn on their heels. His teacher must have been kidding right? There is no way that she would let him lose around fire right?

But she only met him four days ago... And usually, five minutes is enough to figure out the danger that is Maxwell. But I never met her before. Oh God... What kind of mess am I running into?

Part two. Bartie's Choice

#choices royal romance #drake x mc #drake walker #choices fic writers creations #fics of the week #choices trr #the royal romance #choices 12 days of fictmas #drake

[twinkleallnight]

12 Days of Fictmas

Thank you Erin and Alicia for this wonderful opportunity. This is my first time at fictmas and I hope you enjoy this little treat.

Thank you @txemrn for brainstorming.

Book: The Royal Romance AU

Word count: 1389

Disclaimer: All characters belong to pixelberry.

Rating: Mature

A/N: This is also my submission for sibling appreciation month hosted by @lovealexhunt.

Santa Comes to Town.

It was a cold winter morning when the tiny toddler jumped up into her elder brother’s bed. She frantically moved her tiny hands around the blankets which covered her brother in a warm slumber.

“Dekey! Dekey! Gey-Up! Up! Kishmush! Kishmush!”

The boy pulled the covers over his head. His muffled sound came out. “Not yet, Savvie. It’s still a week to go. Let me sleep.”

The little girl frowned and shouted out at the door, “Mommy! Dekey not getting up. Eeaam mama weebe anggy."

Listening to this, Bianca walked in, her hands full of neatly folded clothes that she stacked properly in the children’s cupboard. She turned around and walked to the little girl who was still sitting at the edge of the bed with pouted lips. Bianca sat down in front of her and looked into her brown eyes. “Sweetpea, you don’t say Liam’s mama. She is the queen. You address her as ‘your majesty’ or ‘madam’.”  

Then she called out, “Drake, you need to get out of that bed, and prepare to host your friend.”

“Yes Mother.” The four-year-old obediently plopped up into the bed rubbing his eyes.

Bianca picked up her daughter in her arms and started walking to the washroom. “Let’s get you dressed up pretty. How would you like that?” The little girl nodded enthusiastically.

The next hour was spent in getting the kids through the morning routine.

While her husband was busy at the palace, as the head of king’s guard, Bianca spent time bringing up her kids with just a bit of the Texan touch in a foreign land.

 Staying in the kingdom of Cordonia, she had carried her roots from the life back from Texas. It could be seen in her lifestyle and her home.

She had beautifully decorated a wall with some rustic crosses where her children stood praying with her, now. After offering their prayers, the kids got busy in decorating their little Christmas tree, that Jackson, their father had managed for them.

“It’s quite small.” He had sighed after placing it in the corner of their living room.

“It is perfect Jack.” Bianca had assured him as they watched Drake and Savannah jumping around it. The tree that appeared small to Jackson, was towering over the little stature of the kids. Savannah was clapping her hands in excitement.

The siblings spent each day adding a little of this and a little of that to their tree. Today it was special as Drake’s best friend, prince Liam was visiting them with his mother, Queen Eleanor.

Bianca was flabbergasted when she received the queen first time, during her stay at Cordonia, soon after her wedding to Jackson. But, over a period of time, she got accustomed to the loving nature of the Queen and her unique ways of mingling with common people. It had somehow become a tradition to host the Queen a week before the Christmas day, at the Walker’s humble quarters.

Bianca was occupied in the kitchen preparing the menu for the visit till late noon. She realised there was pin drop silence in the house. ‘What are these two up to now?’ she worried. She rushed to the bedroom but stopped in her tracks to find Savannah dressed up in her red frilly frock sitting on the floor.

 Drake was holding the little girl’s hand delicately in his, as he was busy painting her tiny nails red. It looked like he had done up her brown curls  in a slightly messy braid. When Savannah sensed her mother, she looked up and Bianca saw her pearly whites shining through the brightly coloured red lips.

Bianca’s heart warmed up to see the doting elder brother still engrossed into his job. “Mommy!” Savannah shrieked. Drake shook with the sudden sound and tipped the nail enamel bottle he was holding on his dress. “I am sorry mother.” He looked apologetically at his mother, worrying that she may scold him for the mess.

Her favourite nail enamel was spilled over and there was a messy shirt to clean but she ignored it all to keep up the spirit. “Don’t worry Drake. The Queen will be here any minute now, it’s time. Let’s quickly change your shirt. As she was helping him into fresh clothes, the doorbell jingled.

Eleanor walked in with Liam.  Savannah was the first to run up to her. She curtsied trying to balance over her wobbly feet. Eleanor picked up the tiny tot in her arms admiring, “Look at you! You are all grown up.”

“Dake dessed me.” Savannah stuttered.  Bianca rolled her eyes and Eleanor caught the gesture, understanding what must have conspired, looking at the makeup and the hairdo. Drake came ahead and bowed to Eleanor shyly.

“Here, here little guy. You did it all by yourself?” she asked him, putting Savannah back on her toes and giving Drake a warm hug. “Look at the hairstyle and the make up! You are good at this Drake. Isn’t she looking cute?” Drake blushed while Savannah twirled around with a glee . “May be some day I can have a little girl just like you!”

The last statement brought big expectant smile on Liam’s face. Bianca gave him a hug, “Bless your heart! Our little prince will love it!”

After everyone exchanged greetings, the ladies settled down for a chitchat while the brother and sister pulled Liam to show their Christmas tree.  

They enjoyed playing around it for some time and then decided to move to the playroom. Drake and Liam each held one of Savannah’s hands and walked with her slow pace as Eleanor watched them go. “Aww! They are so adorable!”

Drake pulled out the wooden blocks and the three of them sat together to make a castle. “Who weebe the king?” Savannah asked.

“Liam will be, Savvie. He is the prince.” Drake told her while Liam smiled at her acknowledging.

“Ann you Dekey?”

“I will be king’s guard, just like daddy.” Drake said with a puffed-up chest.

“Ann I?” Savannah questioned again to understand her role in the pretend play.

“You can be a Duchess!” Liam added.

“Wha do duchesh do?”

“She helps the king at his work.” Liam explained patiently.

Savannah was delighted and agreed to play her role. 

Their game continued till Bianca came in to take them for snacks.

“Momma, Eeaam made me duchesh!” She started telling her mother about their pretend play. Eleanor listened keenly. Liam and Drake exchanged shy looks. Being boys they preferred to keep their games to themselves.

 Bianca served them her traditional chili, Frito and tortillas. They all sat together and feasted over the delicacies. After munching the kolache for dessert, some more plans were made for the coming week and Christmas party.   

Soon, it was time for departure, and Savannah found it overwhelming to let go. Her big brown eyes were welled up as she hugged Liam and addressed the Queen, “Eeaam mama, I wan Eeaam play weeme!” Eleanor laughed at her sweet request.

Bianca picked up her little one and told her firmly, “Savannah Jane Walker! You do not say that. You say ‘Madam'.”

Eleanor ignored the formalities and cupped her cheeks, “Liam is going to go to the palace and set up a big Christmas tree for you. How about you visit us with your Momma and brother later?”

Savannah half-heartedly nodded.  Bianca put her down next to her brother, “Drake, can you take her to her room?”

“Yes mother.” Drake quickly bid farewell to his friend and walked his little sister, who was sobbing silently, to her room. Bianca saw her guests out. When she returned to the children’s room, she was treated with yet another sweet moment. Savannah had lay down with her head in Drake’s lap, her eyelids drooping. Bianca's little son was singing to her in his baby voice, “...Santa’s coming to town…

You better watch out; you better not cry.

Better not pout, I am telling u why.

He sees when you’re sleeping, he knows when you’re awake.

He knows when you’re bad or good so be good for goodness sake.”

She patiently waited for him to finish his verse and then walked in to hug him, “Oh punkin! I love you!”

She kissed him and then lifted almost asleep Savannah from his lap. She cuddled up with her kids humming ‘Santa comes to town'.

12 Days of Fictmas Writers:  @texaskitten30  @zaffrenotes @alj4890 @burnsoslow @kat-tia801 @darley1101 @msjr0119 @annekebbphotography ​ @god-save-the-keen ​ @plumeriavibes @ofpixelsandscribbles ​ @camillemontespan ​ @ao719 ​ @cocomaxley ​ @cordoniansgonewild ​ @the-soot-sprite ​ @cordoniantrash ​ @axwalker ​ @innerpostmentality ​ @lucy-268 ​ @janezillow​ @katedrakeohd ​  

Readers : @mom2000aggie ​ @sfb123 @bbrandy2002 @debramcg1106 @desireepow-1986 @speedyoperarascalparty @hopefulmoonobject  

My tags: @choicesmonthlychallenge @bebepac @charlotteg23 @choicesficwriterscreations @cordonia-gothqueen @cordonianroyalty @gkittylove99 @glaimtruelovealways @hopelessromanticmonie @iam-the-kind-and-thoughtful @jovialyouthmusic @jaxsmutsuo @kingliam2019 @lovablegranny @mrswalkers-blog @no-one-u-know @ntoraplayschoices @princessleac1 @ritachacha @shanzay44 @queenrileyrose @sanchita012 @theroyalheirshadowhunter @yourmajesty09

#12 days of fictmas 2020 #pixelberry #playchoices #the royal romance #drake walker #trr #trr fandom #twinkleallnight #choices 12 days of fictmas

[zaffrenotes]

[TRR x ES] Sojourn:Holiday High-jinks, Part 1

Pairings: Liam x Katrina, Drake x OC (Alyssa S.) Rating/Warnings: 18+; language, references to recreational drug use, alcohol consumption, implied limes Author’s Note: * All main characters belong to Pixelberry, I’m just borrowing them * Alyssa Devereaux is graciously on loan from @burnsoslow (in an AU to any version of Alyssa’s life that Burnsy has crafted) * This is my submission for Day 12′s 12 Days of Fictmas: Chaos Edition, hosted by @leelee10898 and @emichelle * This story is something I intended to write way the hell back in early 2019 before it got sidelined by other stories 😅 This year’s Fictmas theme fit well with the chaos of Sojourn holidays, so here’s the appetizer portion of things – Fictmas writers/readers, if you’re not in my perma/sojourn taglist and you’d like to see where the rest of the story goes, please let me know and I’ll tag you for part 2! Also, I forgot how much of this story I’d outlined and once I started writing…well, you can see the word count right there, lol Word Count: +/- 4400 😬

12 Days of Fictmas Taglist: @alj4890 @annekebbphotography @ao719 @axwalker @bbrandy2002 @burnsoslow @camillemontespan @cocomaxley @cordoniansgonewild @cordoniantrash @darley1101 @debramcg1106 @desireepow-1986 @emichelle @god-save-the-keen @hopefulmoonobject @innerpostmentality @janezillow @katedrakeohd @kat-tia801 @leelee10898 @lucy-268 @mom2000aggie @msjr0119 @ofpixelsandscribbles @plumeriavibes @sfb123 @speedyoperarascalparty @texaskitten30 @the-soot-sprite @twinkleallnight

Perma/Liam/Sojourn Taglist: @ao719 @blackcatkita @debramcg1106 @everythingchoices @gibbles82 @hustacks @ofpixelsandscribbles @plumeriavibes @smalltalk88 // @aestheticartsx @aworldoffandoms @bbrandy2002 @burnsoslow @choiceskatie @darley1101 @dcbbw @gardeningourmet @hopefulmoonobject @iplaydrake @liamxs-world @rainbowsinthestorm @riseandshinelittleblossom @superharriet @texaskitten30 @theroyalheirshadowhunter @the-soot-sprite 

FTC: to the Finer Things ladies, thank you for allowing me to use your fanfic alter egos in this bit of ridiculousness - @brightpinkpeppercorn​ @likethetailofacomet​ @ooo-barff-ooo​

Katrina craned her neck, scanning the crowd for someone. Liam and Drake were busy hefting suitcases onto the scale as the woman behind the counter checked in each member of their group. Alyssa handed Drake another suitcase down the line, while Mar, Donna, and Tru pushed theirs forward. Katrina’s face lit up and she shot her hand in the air, waving frantically to catch someone’s attention. “Lyss! Lyss! Over here!”

“What’s up, T?” Alyssa adjusted her glasses, peering over at her friend. “I’m right here, you don’t need to shout.”

“Oh,” Katrina exclaimed, sheepishly covering her mouth with one hand. “Oh, this is gonna get confusing,” she added, laughing lightly.

“What’s going on?” Liam looked back over his shoulder, returning IDs to Mar and Tru.

“You know how I told you one of the other interns I work with wanted to take Maxwell’s spot for the trip?”

“Yes…” Liam replied, taking IDs from Donna and Tru to hand over to the attendant.

“Well, her name is—“

“I’m here! I made it! Ow! My floooop!” A young woman ran up to the group, lurching forward as she tripped or got caught by something on the floor, leaving a bright purple flip flop behind. She whipped around to cram her bare foot back into the flop before it touched the floor, but as she did so, she twirled too hard and quickly began to lose her balance.

“Holy sh—“ Drake lunged forward to catch the young woman before she hit the floor, still holding on to her suitcase and carry-on bag. “Are you okay??”

The blue-eyed woman giggled and flashed a nervous smile up at him, slipping her foot back into her questionable footwear as he brought her up to a standing position. “Thanks for the save,” she replied. “Only my dignity’s bruised. What a way to make an entrance, am I right?”

“Lyss!” Katrina smiled and walked over to the stranger with piercing eyes, wrapping her in a tight hug. She turned to face the rest of her friends, who all had curious expressions. “Guys,” she began, gesturing to the stranger, “this is Alyssa Devereaux, she’s my work wife at the law office. Lyssa, meet Liam, Tru, Donna, Mar, and Drake…” Alyssa smiled and waved as Katrina ran down the line. “…And Alyssa Stiles.”

“Oh! Another Lyssa!” Alyssa Devereaux exclaimed. “Tree mentioned you!”

“Tree?” Drake looked over at the small-statured young woman.

“Ka-tree-na?” Alyssa Devereaux stuck her neck out slightly and widened her eyes, looking over at Katrina. “Nickname was right there. First thing that popped into my head when she said she doesn’t go by Kat.”

Alyssa Stiles grinned at her name twin. “That’s not the worst argument for a nickname,” she chuckled. “But how are we going to make this less confusing for the trip?”

“I go by Lyssa, or Lyss, if either of those help,” Alyssa Devereaux offered.

Alyssa Stiles chuckled again. “So do I.”

“Crap. Call me Devereaux?”

“That’s so many syllables,” Drake muttered under his breath.

“Aren’t nicknames supposed to be shorter, like…the opposite of Leeloominaï Lekatariba Lamina-Tchaï Ekbat De Sebat?” Tru leaned to whisper to Donna.

“Okay, Corbin,” Donna chuckled.

“Lyssa S. and Lyssa D.?” Mar suggested.

Their discussion was put on hold when the woman behind the counter asked for Alyssa Devereaux’s ID and they had to wheel her luggage to the counter. “Small Lyssa, let’s get you checked in,” Drake said, hoisting her suitcase onto the scale. “Holy crap, what did you pack in here?!”

“My stuff,” Alyssa Devereaux replied matter-of-factly. “And that’s what you can call me.”

“Huh?” Drake stuck his bottom lip forward and blew a puff of air at his forehead, moving some hair out of the way.

“You called me SmoLyssa. And she,” Alyssa Devereaux jutted her thumb at Alyssa Stiles, “can be ToLyssa, ‘cause she’s tall.”

Alyssa Stiles and Drake chuckled at the new names. “Works for me,” ToLyssa replied.

Drake pecked ToLyssa on the cheek as they stepped aside. “I’m just gonna keep calling you Méli,” he grinned.

SmoLyssa leaned towards Katrina and dropped her voice to a whisper. “Ohhh, they’re the other couple here, right?”

“Right, Drake and Alyssa are engaged,” Katrina replied. “I told you that, didn’t I? I swear I did.”

“You did, I just…forgot…until just now.”

—

Liam felt horrible for accidentally dosing everyone at the end of last year’s Christmas party, so in an effort to make up for his faux pas, he’d booked a penthouse suite at a tropical island for anyone that wanted to spend the end of the year on a beach. It was an offer only Rachael could refuse, because she’d bought tickets to see two of her favorite bands perform over the break. Maxwell had been all set to take Rachael’s spot and join Liam before he left for New York, but he stayed in Cordonia when Bertrand was on the verge of having a conniption to sort out Maxwell’s newest addition to the Beaumont investment portfolio.

The group was seated in first class on a flight to Miami to cover most of the journey. The first leg of the trip went off without a hitch, aside from SmoLyssa’s initial anxiety attack when she boarded the plane. Mar talked her through some deep breathing exercises and let SmoLyssa crumple her hand in a death grip during takeoff. Upon arrival in Miami, they’d have to take a small jet to reach their destination at a remote island in the Greater Antilles.

When they arrived in Miami, they hopped aboard a small shuttle with all of their things to head to a smaller runway, away from the main section of the airport. The shuttle driver stopped in front of what looked like an empty hangar, and everyone stepped out, looking rather perplexed. “Is it terrible that I wish you’d taken the royal jet?” Drake asked, casting a worried look over to Liam.

“Honestly, I’m thinking the same thing,” Liam replied, adjusting the strap of his bag over one shoulder. They ventured into the hangar to find a rather dilapidated looking Cessna. “Hello?” Liam called out, hoping for some sign of a pilot.

“Dude, is this thing even going to make it to the island? That looks like duct tape on the wing!” Drake peered up, scratching his head.

The door popped open and a sandy-haired man in jeans and a green military jacket descended the stairs, roughly running his hands through his nearly shoulder length locks. “Hey now, Glinda mighta seen better days, but she’ll get ya where you need to go.” He slapped the side of the jet affectionately, offering a lopsided grin to the group. “‘M Jake. I’ll be your pilot today.”

Mar grabbed hold of Donna’s shirt sleeve. “Help,” she whispered quietly. “I think I just fell in love.”

Donna stifled a laugh. “Are you serious right now?”

“Dead serious!”

“Nice to meet you, Mr….” Liam prodded, extending his hand to Jake for a handshake.

“No need to be so formal,” Jake replied. “Just call me Jake.”

Undeterred, Liam withdrew his hand. “Ah, well, Jake…I’m Liam, this is my fiancée Trina, and our friends. Will your co-pilot be joining us soon?”

“No co-pilot, Mr. Manners,” he answered. Liam and Drake shared another concerned look between them. “The Gorilla tape on Glinda’s wing is just a temporary patch ’til I’m done shuttling folks over to the islands today. Busy, busy time of the year.” He eyed the pile of suitcases on the ground. “If y’all don’t mind gettin your hands dirty, it’s all hands on deck if you wanna leave anytime soon.”

Everyone set to work to load their luggage onto the plane. When they were nearly done, Jake noticed a pair of ladies hanging back; one of them clung to the other’s arm and whispered in her friend’s ear several times, sneaking glances at him. “You doin’ okay over there, Princess?”

Mar let go of Donna’s arm and patted at her dress. “Me? I’m fine!” She squeaked, offering Jake a bashful smile.

“It’s a short flight, but once we’re at cruising altitude, maybe you’d like to see the island from the best spot.”

“Where would that be?” Mar inquired.

“Next to me, in the cockpit,” Jake grinned. Mar laughed nervously at his invitation, but the way she tucked her bottom lip between her teeth and briefly lowered her gaze was enough of a confirmation for Jake. He was about to ask for her name when he noticed one of the other passengers pacing back and forth, muttering to herself.

“Ohmygodohmygod, what was I thinking? This is NOT how to get over my fear of flying!” The smaller Alyssa talked to herself as she paced back and forth, pausing to look over at the frightfully small plane, before throwing her hands up in the air and pacing again. “I can just go home…oh god, but then I’d be flying alone! Maybe I’ll take a train, or a bus…”

Liam and Katrina walked over to Alyssa. “Lyss, you okay?” Trina placed her hand on SmoLyssa’s shoulder, breaking her out of her trance.

“Why did I think this would be a good idea?” Alyssa exclaimed. “I didn’t like flying even before my parents…y’know…” she gestured at the plane.

Liam looked to Katrina for an answer; Katrina mouthed “plane crash” to him and he nodded solemnly. “This private airline was highly recommended when I booked the trip,” Liam assured her, speaking softly. “Trina and I fly all the time, no worse for the wear.”

Alyssa exhaled and stared at the plane again. “Yeah, well the plane my dad rented was in perfect condition when my parents set out for their trip. Not a strip of Gorilla tape to be seen,” she quipped, shooting a look at the pilot.

Jake looked over his shoulder and strode over to the small group with the worried girl. “Missy, I’ve been flyin’ planes before you could drive. I’ve flown through sandstorms, across oceans, and worse. Glinda and I’ll get you to the island safe and sound. I’ve already made this trip twice today, third time’s a charm.”

“How old do you think I am?” Alyssa scoffed.

Jake shrugged. “Twenty? Twenty-one?”

Alyssa choked back a laugh, covering the wide smile on her face with her hand. “Oh my god, you’re sweet,” she giggled. Jake’s brows knit together in confusion. “I’m nearly twenty-eight.”

Jake grinned. “I’ll be. We’re about the same age then.” He sidestepped closer to her. “I promise to get you and all your friends to the island in one piece. I’ve got friends waiting for me there as well, so I don’t wanna end up in the water either. It’s a short flight, little under ninety minutes…it’ll go by like that,” he added, snapping his fingers for emphasis.

“You’ve got your noise-cancelling headphones, and your phone’s all charged up to blast your Chill Zone playlist?” Katrina asked.

“Yes and yes,” Alyssa answered.

“Hey! Farm Boy! Hands off the tape!” Jake hollered at Drake as he left Alyssa, Katrina, and Liam to wrap up their conversation. “Gotta schedule to keep folks, time to fly!” He walked brusquely past Drake, up the stairs and into the jet.

Drake looked at his fiancée, back to the stairs, and back to his bee charmer again. “Did he…just call me a farm boy??”

ToLyssa fought the amused grin that wanted to break out across her face. “I think it’s from your shirt, babe.” She motioned at the red flannel shirt he’d worn during the flight to stay warm.

“Great. Just great. He’s handing out nicknames like Tic Tacs and now I’m forever gonna be known as Farm Boy.”

“For all of an hour or two,” Alyssa giggled. “Let it go.”

The interior of the plane seemed to be in better condition than the outside; plush leather seats filled the width and length of the cabin. Everyone filtered in, claiming a seat for themselves, while Jake bustled about to prepare for takeoff. Two men the group hadn’t noticed before opened the hangar doors wide, and Mar and Tru ascended the stairs to board. “Ready for an adventure, Princess?” Jake winked at Mar as he pulled the door shut, and she grinned as he slipped back into the cockpit.

“Oh my word, he called me Princess again, Tru!” Mar beamed at her friend as they buckled into their seats. “Did you see him? He’s so gorgeous!”

“Looks like a good bit of trouble, if you ask me,” Tru smirked. “Best kind there is.”

—

After a shockingly smooth hour and a half in the air, Jake touched down on the tropical island of La Huerta. As promised, he’d invited Mar to join him in the cockpit to take in the view of the island on their approach. After he helped his passengers unload their things, he waved goodbye to Mar as the hotel golf carts shuttled them from the tarmac towards the hotel, at the main part of the island.

Liam checked in at the front desk, doling out room cards to everyone before they made their way to the penthouse suite. A round of wide-eyed oohs and ahhs made its way through the group when the double door entrance swung wide. The opposite wall was composed of floor to ceiling windows, offering a glorious view of the island. “Two king suites with one bed each to the left,” he called out. “And double beds in the suites to the right.”

“Who should I room with?” SmoLyssa asked, feeling slightly out of place.

“C’mon, we can be roomies,” Donna offered, taking hold of her hand. “Question…morning or night person?”

“Afternoon, if I’m being honest,” Alyssa laughed. “I need about two hours after I wake up before I can tolerate people.”

Donna smiled as they headed towards one of the suites. “We’re gonna get along just fine!”

—

The first three days on the island were idyllic, if not a little crowded by other guests who had the same idea to escape to a warmer climate for Christmas. Drake laughed at Alyssa Devereaux’s expense each time they ran into each other on the beach, because he discovered why her suitcase was so heavy. “SmoLyssa, they make these things called e-readers for folks like you,” he teased, lightly kicking sand at her feet as he walked past. He nodded to ToLyssa to walk ahead. “What is that, your fourth book now?”

“I like to read,” SmoLyssa shrugged, pushing the bridge of her sunglasses closer to her face.

“Why not read on a kindle? It’d be a lot lighter when you travel.”

“Books don’t require being charged to read them. If, heaven forbid, this book gets waterlogged, I could dry it out and still read it. Drop this baby on the ground and my bank account won’t cringe at having to replace it. Plus, the old books smell like a little piece of heaven.”

“That weird musty odor you love so much is from your beloved books falling apart and releasing chemicals.”

“Go away, Farm Boy,” she teased, grinning at Drake while avoiding eye contact.

Drake sighed, half-heartedly amused. “I swear to god, if I see that stupid pilot again, I’ll…”

“You’ll what? Fetch him a pail of water?”

Drake shook his head, grinning against his own wishes not to, and offered a small wave to SmoLyssa as he started walking away. “As you wish,” he called out over his shoulder, before jogging over to his Alyssa.

A few minutes later, Katrina and Liam emerged from the ocean and joined Alyssa under her umbrella. “That better not be anything educational,” Katrina teased. She tilted her head to one side and squeezed the water from her hair, letting it drip into the sand.

“Purely self-indulgent,” Alyssa replied, holding up the book to show her friend the cover.

“Remember…Two Things?” Liam asked, squinting to read the text under the bright sunlight.

“Boy and Girl meet each other in college and fall in love, but he breaks her heart for reasons…and they reunite close to a decade later under some interesting circumstances.”

“How is it compared to the one you finished yesterday…Full Disclosure?”

“They’re both wonderful in their own ways! You’d like Full Disclosure,  you should read it while we’re here…but Donna’s claimed it for the time being.”

“Leave it to your work wife to bring along her own reading library while on vacation,” Liam chuckled, settling down onto a towel.

“Reading is good for you, even if it’s fiction.” Alyssa picked up her book again, running a manicured finger over the page to pick up where she’d left off.

“I agree wholeheartedly,” Liam replied. “But you’re missing out on this beautiful view.”

“We’re here through New Year’s,” Alyssa answered coolly. “I’m pacing myself.”

Katrina settled down on a towel next to Liam, leaning back on her arms as she pointed her chin to the sky. “I’m just happy to have a break from pulling records and having my eyes dry out from scanning over reports.”

Without missing a beat, Alyssa raised one hand in the air towards Katrina, just as Katrina mirrored the same action. “Amen, Tree!”

Liam looked between them. “What was that?”

“Air five,” Katrina answered, leaning towards him to kiss his cheek.

—

Between the guests walking around, no one noticed the familiarly tall blonde as he made his way through the lobby and towards the outdoor dining restaurant. From a safe distance at one of the poolside bars, he watched a table of eight filled with familiar faces, save for a petite woman with striking blue eyes and dark hair.

He ducked back into the hotel, headed towards the kitchen, when he noticed a cheerful redhead at the dessert station. “Pardon me, are you Quinn Kelly?”

The redhead tucked some loose strands of hair behind her ear, leaving a dusting of flour across her cheek. “I sure am! How can I help you?”

“My friends are celebrating with lunch today, and I wanted to surprise them with a treat. Only they need to be vegan, so I have this oil I wanted to use instead of butter. I thought I could make them myself.” He winked at Quinn.

Quinn’s face dropped at the suggestion. “Oh, well, normally I’d offer you an apron and let you back here, but…” she dropped her voice before continuing, “guests aren’t supposed to be back here in general, especially not to cook.”

“Not even just once?” He pleaded with her, offering his best attempt at making innocent eyes.

Quinn bit her lip in thought. “Tell you what, let me know what you wanted to make for your friend, I’ll bake it myself, and make sure it gets delivered to their table as a complimentary dessert!”

“A simple chocolate cake would be great, unless you had another idea.”

“How many servings?”

“Eight.” He didn’t necessarily want to include the small statured stranger, but it would be obvious if she was excluded.

“Aside from the vegan thing, anything specific to add or avoid?”

“Chocolate is a crowd pleaser, but I’m open to suggestions.”

Quinn thought for a moment, running various recipes through her head. She tapped her lips with a finger when an idea struck her. “Mint Chocolate soufflés? Decadent and light, and I’ve been dying to try out a vegan recipe I found!”

“That would be perfect!” He beamed. “Would it at least be alright if I stayed back here and watched? I won’t get in the way, and you won’t need the whole jar of oil for your recipe.”

Quinn looked at the rather nondescript glass jar in the man’s hand. It was the size of a small jelly jar, filled with what smelled faintly of coconut when she unscrewed the cap. “I guess that would be okay,” she surmised, ducking under the counter to pull mixing bowls and ramekins to her station. “Do you know which table your friends are seated at?”

“The eight top at table fifteen,” he replied.

“So,” Quinn began, looking up to her temporary baking audience. “What’s your name, stranger?” She began measuring sugar from one container.

“I’m Leo.”

—

Everyone had gathered at La Huerta’s outdoor restaurant for lunch, looking tanned and relaxed as they chatted over each other in multiple conversations. The wait staff had cleared their plates and offered complimentary mint chocolate soufflés for the dessert of the day; crumbs and dusting sugar on plates were the only evidence they’d been served anything at all, as everyone remarked on how flavorful the dessert tasted, heightened by the refreshing addition of mint.

As they sat back and relaxed, Liam stretched his arm over the back of Katrina’s chair. “I heard there’s a ski lodge near the northern part of the island, if you want a temporary change of pace from the heat.”

“Now why on earth would anyone want to head into snow, when you’re in a jungle paradise?”

The loud, booming, familiar voice made everyone but Alyssa Devereaux cringe.

“Hello to my favorite New York residents! And Liam,” Leo exclaimed, making his way to the table.

Liam’s brows jumped to his hairline as he stood up, and he fixed his expression from shock to mild surprise when he turned around to greet his brother with a hug. At the table, Drake mumbled something incoherent to ToLyssa, and the corners of Tru’s mouth curled up to a Grinch grin.

SmoLyssa leaned over in her seat, whispering to Mar. “Who’s that, and why does everyone look pissed?”

“Leo!” Liam exclaimed, clapping Leo’s shoulder with a little more force than usual. “What are you doing here? Is Katie with you?”

“I’m meant to meet her and her family in California for New Years,” Leo answered. “I was working over the holiday, but my team didn’t qualify for the time trials. I thought I’d drop in on all of you before I headed to the West Coast.” He smiled and hugged Katrina, along with smiling and waving to everyone else at the table. “And who are you?” He walked around the table to SmoLyssa’s side.

“Alyssa…” she replied, noting the surprise in his eyes. “Devereaux. I’m an intern with Tree.”

“Tree?” Leo’s eyebrows raised in question as he kissed the back of Alyssa’s hand.

“Katrina,” Alyssa explained.

“Well, welcome to the group, Lyssa Two,” Leo grinned again, pulling a seat from a nearby table to sit between Alyssa and Mar.

“Actually, it’s SmoLyssa and ToLyssa,” she corrected. “We went with short and tall.”

“Even better,” Leo replied.

“Pretty expensive detour just to say hello,” Drake grumbled. ToLyssa elbowed him lightly in the ribs.

“What was that, Walker?”

“Don’t start, you two,” Katrina warned. “The island is big enough for you both.”

“Doubtful,” Drake grumbled again. He rose abruptly from his seat. “I need to use the restroom.”

A couple walked over to the table before Liam could go after Drake. The woman had an asymmetrical hairstyle, with one side of her hair buzzed short, and a number of piercings in her eyebrow and ears. The man with her wore a letterman jacket, even though it was a balmy 82 degrees in the shade. “Donna, you prepped for the bar crawl?”

“I’m full of carbs and I’ve packed my Pepcid,” Donna assured them. “Hopefully that’ll hold off the Glow long enough.” She folded up the napkin in her lap and set it on the cushion when she stood up. “Sorry, guys, this is Zahra and Craig, I met them yesterday in the game room. Z, Craig, these are my friends, Mar, Small Lyssa, Leo, Tru, Katrina, Liam, and Tall Lyssa. You just missed Drake.”

“You’re all welcome to join us, if you want,” Craig offered. “We’re wandering through the hotel and its various bars.”

“Because…?” Leo asked.

“Because it’s Tuesday and we’re on vacation?” Zahra replied.

Mar tucked her phone into her bag and stood up. “I actually have plans to meet up with someone in a few minutes.” Her cheeks began to flush a light shade of pink.

Craig nudged Zahra’s ribs, taking note of Mar’s appearance. “Z, psst Z, it’s her! That’s Jasmine!”

Mar blinked at Craig. “Who?”

“You’re off to see Jake, aren’t you?” Zahra grinned. “He slipped up and said something about Princess Jasmine the other day.”

The group grinned at Mar, whose cheeks turned three shades darker. “H-how do you know Jake? Y’know what, doesn’t matter.” She made her way through the chairs. “Text me for where to meet you for dinner!”

“So,” Zahra clapped her hands together, looking out at the group again. “Any other takers? Drink your cares away Tuesday?” Only Donna stood up as the rest of the group politely declined. “Your loss then, let’s get started!”

Donna waved to her friends as she followed after Craig and Zahra. “Text me for dinner plans too!”

“And then there were…” Leo paused to look around the table. “Six.”

“Seven,” ToLyssa corrected. “You forgot Drake.”

“Where is he? He’s been gone a while now,” SmoLyssa remarked.

“Butterfly!” Katrina leapt up from her seat when she noticed a small, blue butterfly fluttering near the bushes at the edge of the patio. “It looks like it’s glowing!”

“Trina, hold on!” Liam called out, grabbing her purse from Katrina’s empty seat. “Um, we may be back, I don’t know…group chat near dinnertime if anyone has ideas?” He ran off after Katrina, who was running towards the shore.

ToLyssa stood up from the table. “I should go look for Drake. You in, name twin?” She looked over to SmoLyssa.

“You good here, Tru?” SmoLyssa gathered up her things, casting a wary glance in Leo’s direction.

“I’ll be alright,” Tru answered. “You two should check on Drake.”

“Something you’re not telling us?” ToLyssa asked her friend.

“TBD,” Tru winked. “Details to follow.” Tru and Leo sat quietly at the table as the two Alyssas walked off, in search of Drake. “So, Tumult,” Tru grinned, “good to see you again.” Leo leaned forward and picked up a full glass of water, holding it up to Tru. “That was Mar’s, she didn’t drink it.”

Leo took several sips from the glass and set it down on the table. “Nice to see you too, Eris.” He waved lightly at her dyed hair. “What d’you call this color?”

“Iridescent oil slick. What’d you do this time?”

“Testing a theory,” Leo grinned. A waitress came by the table with the bill, looking surprised to see Tru and Leo as the only diners left. “I’ll take that, thank you,” he replied, pulling his wallet from his back pocket. He glanced at the total, letting out a puff of air as he counted out some bills. “You can charge the meal to the room, correct?”

“Yes, sir,” the waitress answered.

“Great, please do that,” Leo replied, tucking in a generous tip. “Thanks for your service today.” He waited until the waitress walked away, leaving the unlikely pair at the table again. “Wanna see what I did?”

“Always,” Tru answered.

#choices 12 days of fictmas #12 days of fictmas #trr fanfiction #the royal romance fanfic #trr sojourn series #sojourn:her #sojourn:him #trr x endless summer #choices crossover fanfic #trr king liam #trr liam x mc #drake walker x oc #drake walker #leo rys #jake mckenzie #i love my fraaaands #to the finer things club #christmas chaos reading #zaffrenotes writes #cw: recreational drug use #cw: alcohol

[camillemontespan]

wine & fire [12 days of fictmas]

Here is my submission for 12 Days of Fictmas! This isn’t the most typical festive fic.. 

I was inspired by the film Two Night Stand :)

Warnings: NSFW.

Starts like a romcom. Turns into NSFW.

12 Days of Fictmas Tag list

Writers : @texaskitten30 @leelee10898 @emichelle @zaffrenotes @alj4890 @burnsoslow @kat-tia801 @darley1101 @msjr0119 @annekebbphotography @god-save-the-keen @plumeriavibes @ofpixelsandscribbles @camillemontespan @ao719 @cocomaxley @cordoniansgonewild @twinkleallnight @the-soot-sprite @cordoniantrash @axwalker @innerpostmentality @lucy-268 @janezillow​ @katedrakeohd​  

Readers : @mom2000aggie​ @sfb123​ @bbrandy2002​ @debramcg1106 @desireepow-1986​ @speedyoperarascalparty​ @hopefulmoonobject​  

My tag list: @ibldw-main​ @moonlightgem7​ @marshmallowsandfire​ @marshmallowsaremyfavorite​ @jovialyouthmusic​ @sirbeepsalot​ @saivilo​ @rainbowsinthestorm​  @pug-bitch​ @gardeningourmet​ @sirbeepsalot​ 

*******************************

‘Merry Christmas, Cordonia! Best to stay inside and open presents while curled up by the fire as today’s weather forecast has calculated a snowstorm - yes, you heard that right- a SNOWSTORM with gales and hail! This is not exactly the perfect White Christmas we were hoping for! Please stay safe and stay indoors-’

Still half asleep, Olivia slammed the OFF button on her radio and snuggled deeper into her blankets. She stretched out her legs, enjoying the warmth of her bed and the space she had all to herself. 

Until her foot hit something hard, prompting someone to shout out loud. 

‘OW!’

Olivia bolted up, simultaneously grabbing the dagger that she kept under her pillow, before turning to find the source of the noise. 

There was a man in her bed.

And not just any man.

Leo. 

Fucking Leo. 

*************

The memory of last night came flooding back. Olivia remembered there had been red wine. A lot of red wine. Drake and Camille had thrown a Christmas Eve supper at Valtoria Manor for their friends - Maxwell, Hana, Liam, Aurelia, Leo and herself. Once dinner had been eaten, priorities turned to drinking, dancing and playing board games. Olivia’s priority remained on the bottles of red wine she had brought and slowly, hazily, she had become more social and had found herself in the kitchen drinking wine with Leo. 

They had gone back to Olivia’s together. 

Olivia did NOT remember their time in bed - thank God- and she casually thought that Leo must be shit in the bedroom if she couldn’t remember bumping uglies. But she knew they had because here he was, in her bed, and she was naked. 

‘Leo, get the fuck out of my bed,’ she greeted him sharply. ‘Now.’

Leo scowled at her as he rubbed his leg that had now developed a pink bruise from Olivia’s foot. Shame. She had hoped he would have been more injured. She must try harder next time. 

‘Merry Christmas to you too, Liv,’ he muttered, clambering out of her bed. Olivia averted her eyes but she still caught a glimpse of his toned ass. What a lovely image for her poor retinas. 

Quickly, Leo got dressed, throwing on a forest green knit sweater and dark blue jeans. The green of his sweater only emphasised his golden skin and the green of his eyes. Olivia bit the inside of her cheek.

‘So, how are you spending today?’ Leo asked, rubbing his hands through his blonde hair. ‘Torturing a prisoner? Throwing knives at your servants? Thinking about our liaison last night? I know what I’ll be doing and FYI, it’s not the first two options.’ 

Without warning, Olivia threw her dagger at Leo, who ducked down just in time to see the weapon hit the wall behind him. 

‘LIV!’ he shouted, his voice breaking slightly due to his shock. ‘What the hell?!’

To say that Leo and Olivia weren’t friends was an understatement. 

The issue was that Leo, for the most part, did try to get along with her. Hell, he even flirted with her a little bit. Leo got along with everyone and always wanted to be well liked - years of being in the public eye had influenced the way he viewed his identity. So when Olivia made it clear that she didn’t like him, Leo tried to win her over, again and again. But they weren’t friends. They were acquaintances through Leo’s brother, Liam, and Olivia wished that her drunken self hadn’t hopped into bed with him.

She didn’t like Leo because of two things. One: he treated women like they were objects. Two: he had abandoned his country and his brother when he suddenly announced his abdication from the Cordonian throne. Liam had been a deer caught in the head lights when Leo had suddenly blurted out at breakfast that he wasn’t going to be King anymore. And so, he ran away with his tail between his legs, like a coward, leaving Liam to pick up the pieces. Olivia would never forgive him for that.

So how had she ended up in his bed?

Olivia swore to herself that she would stop drinking wine. She didn’t want to give up drinking wine but it was a sacrifice she was willing to make. For the greater good. 

‘Do you have coffee in this fortress of solitude?’ Leo asked once he had recovered from his near death experience. 

Olivia scowled at him. ‘No way,’ she said. ‘You are not having coffee here. You are leaving.’

‘But it’s Christmas!’ Leo tried to persuade her. ‘A time of goodwill and peace to all men!’

Olivia wrapped the duvet around her as she clambered out of bed to pull on her dressing gown. She could feel Leo’s eyes on her as she tried her best not to show him more of her body. Finally decent, Olivia opened the bedroom door and grabbed Leo by the collar. 

Leo chuckled. ‘Ready for round two?’ he teased. 

‘Go home, Leo!’ she cried, pulling him out of the room. With sheer strength, Olivia pulled him downstairs to the front door and threw the door open. 

She couldn’t see the courtyard or the vast mountains of Lythikos. She couldn’t see anything except white. 

*******************

Leo cleared his throat. ‘Am I fuck going out in that,’ he simply stated.

Olivia’s jaw clenched as she surveyed the situation. The ground was covered in three foot snow. The wind was howling and snow was still falling from the sky. Olivia knew that she would be able to navigate the harsh terrain; she was from Lythikos after all. But Leo? Not so much. He would probably set one foot on the ground and scream that he was going to die from frostbite.

Olivia checked the weather report on her phone. All guidance said to stay safe and stay home; all of Cordonia was hit by this snowstorm. 

‘Fucking hell..’ Olivia muttered.

She felt Leo sidle closer to her and her body stiffened.

‘So… coffee?’ he asked, his voice lilting in her ear, teasing and mocking her. 

*******************

Leo curled himself up in the corner of Olivia’s red sofa with his feet tucked under himself. He held a mug of steaming coffee in his hand and he looked very pleased with himself. 

Olivia wrinkled her nose at him. ‘Why do you look so smug?’ she asked him. ‘I thought that after a one night stand you would escape at your earliest convenience.’

Leo pretended to be offended. ‘What on earth made you think that?’ he asked, widening his eyes.

‘Kiara told me,’ Olivia said dryly.

Leo chuckled. ‘Ah, Kiki..’ he murmured. ‘Good times.’

Olivia shuddered. Edging further away from Leo as she could, she turned on the TV so they could watch for updates on the weather. The sooner the snowstorm cleared, she thought, the sooner this walking human STI would leave her home.

But the updates weren’t hopeful. 

‘Looks like I’m here all day!’ Leo crowed. ‘Shall we exchange presents?’

Olivia sighed. ‘Seriously, why are you so happy?’

Leo gave her a lazy smile that made the corners of his eyes crinkle. ‘I quite like watching you all riled up,’ he told her. ‘It’s fun pissing you off.’

‘You fucker-’

‘God, you really do rise to the bait, don’t you!’ Leo laughed, shaking his head. ‘Jesus, Liv, you gotta learn to loosen up. Relax. Release the tension from your shoulders, inhale, exhale, breathe…’

Olivia stared at him coldly. ‘Didn’t know I was dealing with Gandhi,’ she said. 

Leo shrugged. ‘I’m just a chill person,’ he told her. ‘You could learn a lot from me.’

Olivia turned the volume of the TV up higher to drown out Leo’s voice.

***********************

‘Okay, let’s call a truce,’ Leo said after he finished his coffee. ‘I promise to stop being an asshole if you promise not to kill me with a dagger. The way I see it, as we’re stuck together for the foreseeable future until this storm clears,  we may as well try and get along. It’s Christmas. Let’s do Christmassy shit. What do you do for Christmas?’

Olivia sighed. ‘I’m not telling you.’

‘Are you like the Grinch?’ Leo asked. ‘Or Scrooge?’ He raised his head up to the ceiling and adopted a dramatic tone as he quoted A Christmas Carol. ‘If he's like to die, he better do it and decrease the surplus population!’ 

Olivia threw a velvet cushion at him. ‘Shut up, I love Christmas!’ she cried.

Leo blinked. ‘You do?’ 

Olivia nodded furiously. ‘Yes. I adore Christmas,’ she said. ‘I know it’s not expected of me but this is the time of year where I can just embrace the cheesiness, the schmaltz and the festivities. Lythikos always throws a festival and it’s been the highlight of my year ever since I was a kid.’

A slow smile creeped up on Leo’s face. Olivia turned away, refusing to look at him. But Leo couldn’t stop looking at her. She had surprised him. Leo liked that.

**********************

Olivia made the decision to go about her day as if Leo wasn’t there, Leo-ing it up. She loved Christmas. She wanted to have a festive day and damn it, she was going to do it. Without a word, she left the living room to go to her dressing room where she rifled through her wardrobe for her Christmas outfit. 

She had bought the red silk dress specially. The neckline was low, accentuating her cleavage which she emphasised with a long emerald pendant that settled comfortably between her breasts. Gently sliding the dress over her head, she felt the cool silk cover her ivory skin. Carefully, she slipped on a pair of black stilettos and made her way to her dressing table to fix her hair and makeup. Giving herself the once over, she smiled. The dress was perfect.

Next, she went downstairs to the kitchen where she poured herself a glass of champagne - because you always had to drink champagne at Christmas- and strutted back through to the living room where her unwelcome guest was sitting watching the weather report on TV.

He looked up when he heard her stilettos against the floor. His eyes widened as he took her in.

‘Woah..’ he breathed. ‘You look..’

Olivia tossed her champagne down her throat. ‘I know,’ she said, her voice cool. ‘I look awesome.’

Leo swallowed. ‘I was gonna say beautiful.’

Olivia blinked in surprise. She felt a blush creep up on her cheeks; quickly, she finished her champagne to distract herself. 

************************************

Leo eyed Olivia’s second glass of champagne. He didn’t want to be an annoying guest but he was feeling rather thirsty..

Olivia sighed, aware of Leo’s gaze that was fixed on her glass. ‘God, fine.  Do you want a glass of champagne?’

Leo grinned wolfishly.  ‘Yes please.’

Olivia dragged herself up from the sofa and traipsed to the kitchen with Leo following her.

‘You’re like a puppy,’ Olivia said. ‘Following me around like this.’

‘You’re getting me alcohol,’ Leo replied dryly. ‘Excuse me for being excited.’

Olivia rolled her eyes but Leo caught the glimpse of a smile on her lips as she opened the fridge to retrieve the bottle. He leaned against the counter and watched as Olivia poured him a glass and passed him it.

‘There,’ she said. ‘Don’t say I never give you anything.’

Leo chuckled and raised his glass in a toast. ‘Merry Christmas, Liv,’ he said. 

Olivia clinked her glass against his. Their eyes met; forest green looking into ice blue. Desperate to cut the tension, Olivia sipped her drink, tearing her eyes away from his. 

Leo reached out. Startled, Olivia grabbed him by the wrist. ‘What the fuck are you doing?’

He smiled softly. ‘You have a drop of champagne on your lips,’ he told her. ‘I was gonna wipe it away for you.’

Olivia watched him in mute shock as he continued to reach out. His fingertip touched her bottom lip, wiping away the champagne. With a twinkle in his eye, Leo placed his fingertip in his mouth and licked, not once taking his eyes off Olivia. 

She could feel the heat in the pit of her stomach that was slowly engulfing her core. Memories of the night before were now flooding her mind; she was remembering. Leo’s hot kisses against her skin. His hands clasping hers above her head, holding her down as he ravaged her. He had been an animal and Olivia had liked it. 

‘You’re unbelievable,’ she croaked, breaking the silence.

Leo smiled his lazy smile. ‘You enjoy me.’

‘No I don’t.’

Leo’s eyes bore into hers. It was as if he had taken up the entire room. All Olivia was aware of was him, how close he was to her, how green his eyes were, how gold his skin was, how expensive he smelled. 

‘You sure about that, trouble?’ he asked. 

Olivia slammed her glass down onto the kitchen counter. Before Leo could react, Olivia threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck as she pulled him down so their lips crashed together.

She could blame this on the champagne. But Olivia wasn’t a lightweight and she knew that this was something more than alcohol that was making her do this. Fire burst through her veins like adrenaline as she pulled Leo close, admitting through her actions that the attraction for him was there. 

Because Olivia had been the one to initiate things last night. She had kissed him first. She was the one who invited him home for a nightcap. It had always been Olivia.

Why?

Maybe because Leo was the only man who made her feel like he really saw her. While most men were terrified of Olivia, Leo was not. He saw through her harsh exterior, as harsh as the snow and ice of Lythikos, and he saw the girl behind the wall. 

He knew how deeply his brother had hurt her. He knew how hard Olivia tried to push her feelings down as a result. Even though Leo liked to press her buttons, he knew which ones to avoid. For some reason, he understood Olivia more than anyone else. 

Olivia could let her guard down and Leo wouldn’t recoil. Because he knew he wasn’t perfect either. But everyone expected Olivia to be this perfect block of ice carved into human form and Leo knew that that wasn’t Olivia. She may bear the Nevrakis name but she was so much more than her ancestor’s legacy. She was human. 

She felt his hands rake through her red hair and the involuntary butterflies that were flying in her stomach.

No. She couldn’t act like this with Leo of all people. She made that mistake last night and she wasn’t prepared to do it again. Quickly, she wrenched away from him.

Leo was blinking at her, his lips swollen from kissing.

‘..Liv?’

Olivia closed her eyes and gently pushed Leo away. 

‘The servants need to continue preparing dinner,’ she croaked. 

She spun on her heel and stormed out of the kitchen, cursing herself for being stupid. She really ought to check for weather updates. 

Leo watched her go, his eyes wide as he tried to process what had just happened. Without a word, he reached out for the bottle of champagne, his hands shaking, and he took a deep gulp, not even bothering to pour himself a glass. 

Olivia did things to him. She made him.. Different. Sure, he was still a flirt but he found that he craved her attention. He wanted to make her smile. He wanted to feel like the only one who could elicit that rare reaction from her. But why? 

As the champagne bubbles exploded in his mouth, Leo knew why. Because Olivia was different from all of the others. She was on another level. She made Leo’s heart beat a little faster. She made him nervous. And Leo liked it.

**********************

With the snow storm still blowing outside, Olivia resigned herself to spending Christmas with Leo. 

Olivia let him eat as much turkey as he wanted to stop him from teasing her about their kissing in the kitchen. As long as Leo ate, the more silent and preoccupied he was. Handling him was like handling a toddler sometimes.

Leo was just surprised that Olivia let him eat. 

After dinner, they retired to the drawing room.

Olivia’s favourite place in her home was the drawing room. It was a room off the foyer where a grand marble fireplace stood pride of place against the back wall. A red velvet chaise lounge stood in front of the fireplace where velvet cushions and blankets were scattered across it. Candles were always lit in the drawing room, casting the walls in a golden glow. 

Leo sat down on one side of the chaise lounge and watched Olivia as she made her way across the room to an oak cupboard. She opened the doors to unveil a vast collection of red wine. 

‘What shall we drink?’ Olivia mused. ‘I think the Chateau Latour..’ 

Leo shrugged. ‘It’s alcohol, I genuinely don’t mind.’

Olivia rolled her eyes and selected a bottle. Taking two wine glasses out of another cupboard, she poured the wine and handed Leo a glass. 

Leo grinned and was ready to toss the drink down his throat. Her eyes widening in alarm, Olivia reached out to grab his wrist before he could do so.

‘No!’ she shouted.

Leo blinked. ‘You offered me a drink, I’m going to drink-’

‘You need to appreciate it!’ Olivia scolded. ‘It’s fine wine!’

Leo sighed. ‘Liv, don’t be so fucking pretentious.’

‘I’m not,’ she said. ‘But you’re in Lythikos and we love our wine. Please respect our traditions and appreciate the wine we offer you.’

Leo rolled his eyes but he waited for Olivia to calm down. Once she was calmer, he waited for her instruction.

‘First, you look at the wine,’ Olivia said in a silky smooth voice. ‘Note the deep burgundy colour of the wine.’

Leo studied the wine. Almost like she was confessing a secret, Olivia spoke in low tones. ‘Now, you smell the wine. Do you smell the blackberry notes? And the sweet vanilla that offsets the harshness?’

Leo could smell the blackberry and the vanilla. His senses were heightened. He could smell the fruit of the wine and he could smell the musk of Olivia’s perfume as she sat closer to him to speak. Her knee touched his. 

‘Now, we taste,’ Olivia whispered. ‘Focus on the texture. Our tongues will sense the texture of the wine.’

Leo felt his throat tighten. Now he was just thinking about Olivia’s tongue. As if she could read his thoughts, Olivia’s eyes looked into his above the rim of her wine glass. Together, they sipped their wine, not once tearing their eyes away from each other.

‘This is good wine,’ Leo croaked. 

Olivia leaned forward to place her wine glass on the side table. ‘That’s because I have good taste,’ she told him. 

Leo smirked. ‘You do, don’t you?’

Olivia stood up and wandered towards the fireplace, reaching out to adjust the clock on the mantle. The fire lit up her body, the flames illuminating the silk of her dress. Leo swallowed and set his glass down, standing to join Olivia at the fireplace. 

They both looked down into the fire, the flames mirrored in their eyes. They were standing so close to each other; achingly close. Tentatively, Leo reached out to graze Olivia’s pinkie with his own. He heard her let out a breath. 

‘Leo..’ she murmured, keeping her eyes on the fire. 

Without a word, Leo wrapped his hand around her wrist and gently pulled her towards him. Her blue eyes met his. Her porcelain skin was turning golden from the fire and her red hair was glowing. She looked beautiful. She always looked beautiful.

Leo leaned down and cupped her face in his hands. Olivia leaned up voluntarily and their lips brushed. 

He could feel the softness of her skin under his palms. As the kiss deepened, Leo’s hands wandered down her back, gripping hold of the silk of her dress. He could taste wine on Olivia’s tongue.

‘Jesus Christ..’ he groaned against her mouth. He felt a smile curl around Olivia’s lips. Encouraged, Leo kissed her deeper. 

Things changed when Olivia’s teeth tugged on his lower lip. 

Leo loved biting. 

The pace quickened. Hands travelled over skin and under clothes; Olivia’s hands rested under his shirt, placed on his broad chest, feeling his warm skin. Leo pulled his shirt over his head, exposing his torso. Olivia’s lips kissed his collarbone, her hands fluttering across his chest and hard stomach. Leo let out another groan and pulled at the zip on the back of her dress. 

The dress pooled down to the floor around Olivia’s feet.

Leo stepped back to study Olivia for a long, heated moment.  She stood clad in red lace lingerie. She looked like a phoenix rising from the embers. She looked like fire itself. 

‘Fucking hell, you’re beautiful,’ he whispered. 

Olivia raised her chin defiantly, straightening her posture so she looked more powerful than usual. 

‘Take off your pants,’ she ordered. 

Leo didn’t need to be told twice. Quickly, he unbuckled his belt and pulled off his jeans along with his boxers. He was now completely naked in front of her. 

Olivia raised an eyebrow. Leo watched her as she unclipped her bra, not once taking her eyes off him. Her fingers hooked through the delicate string of her lace thong and her eyes remained fixed on his as she pulled the thong down to the floor. 

She stepped towards him. 

Leo grabbed her, not caring that his fingers dug into her arms that would probably leave bruises. He had a feeling that Olivia liked to be left branded. 

‘Fuck me,’ she whispered in his ear. 

Leo pulled her down to the floor. 

*********************************

Teeth grazed warm skin. Hands clasped together. Legs intertwined. Hard kisses left lips swollen. Fingernails cut scratches into skin. Perfume and cologne mixed together. Porcelain pressed against gold. 

Olivia and Leo had become fire. 

*********************************

‘What’s your favourite Christmas movie?’ Leo asked afterwards, twirling a coil of Olivia’s hair around his finger. They were lying on the floor with Olivia curled into Leo, her breath warm against his neck. 

Olivia considered the question. ‘Well…’

Leo grinned. ‘Is it Die Hard? Oh my god, please say it is. It would make so much sense with your violent tendencies.’

Olivia laughed harshly. ‘Oh Leo, you have no idea,’ she said. ‘Die Hard is not the most violent Christmas film. But you are right that my favourite Christmas film is partly due to my violent tendencies.’

Leo’s eyebrows furrowed as he tried to think of the film she meant. Olivia watched him, a smug smile on her face. 

Leo’s eyes lit up with his realisation. ‘Oh my god..’ he said. ‘No way! No fucking way! Home Alone is your favourite Christmas film?!’

Olivia rolled her eyes. ‘Merry Christmas ya filthy animal,’ she said, making Leo cackle with joy. 

‘What’s your favourite Christmas movie?’ Olivia asked. ‘Are you gonna be the typical male cliche and say it’s Die Hard?’

Leo chuckled warmly. ‘Nah,’ he said. ‘I won’t be a cliche. It’s a great movie, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not even in my Top 3.’

Olivia frowned. ‘So what’s your favourite?’

Leo eyed her. ‘You’ll judge me.’

‘I judge you anyway.’

Leo rolled his eyes. ‘Gah, fine,’ he said. ‘Don’t tell anyone, okay?’

‘Leo..’

He adjusted his body so he was facing her and extended his pinkie. ‘Pinkie promise me,’ he whispered.

Olivia curled her lip in disgust. ‘Leo, I’m not four.’

‘Liv, do you want to know or not?’

Olivia groaned. ‘Fine.’

They pinkie swore. Satisfied, Leo sat back and studied her for a long moment before speaking.

‘I fucking love The Holiday.’

*******************

After Leo’s revelation that his favourite Christmas film was The Holiday, Olivia had screamed with laughter.

‘There’s nothing wrong with a guy liking The Holiday!’ Leo protested.

‘Oh, I know,’ Olivia said. ‘But it’s comical that it happens to be your favourite Christmas film. It’s so… romantic. And nauseating. And sugary.’

Leo sighed. ‘Precisely,’ he said. His body stiffened. 

Olivia blinked. Sensing she had hit a nerve, she eyed Leo.

‘Alright, what’s wrong?’ she asked. ‘Don’t give me bullshit.’

Leo turned to look at her.

‘Why is Home Alone your favourite Christmas film?’

Olivia bit her fingernail, a habit she had when she was nervous. But this was Leo, she shouldn’t be nervous. As she thought about her feelings, she realised it was the question that made her nervous. 

‘It’s about a kid who protects his home with all the weapons at his disposal,’ she said, her voice cool, as she examined her bitten fingernail. ‘He’s a badass who shows those burglars who’s boss and he protects himself. He was brave.’

Leo studied her for a long time in silence. Olivia could feel her cheeks begin to burn. 

‘You’re Kevin McAllister,’ Leo said softly. 

Olivia’s eyes widened. ‘Fuck, no!’ she replied. ‘You’re reading too much into this-’

‘You didn’t have your parents,’ Leo said. ‘You lived alone with servants. You had to learn how to fight and defend your home without protection of adults. Christmas is your favourite time of year but with no family there to celebrate, you turned to this film because you see yourself in Kevin.’

Olivia looked up at the ceiling, refusing to look at him. ‘Leo, stop it.’

‘I’m right though,’ he said, his voice low. 

Olivia let out a frustrated sigh and sat up, gathering a blanket around her body. ‘Fine, let’s put you under the microscope,’ she said. ‘You like The Holiday because it shows you the kind of Christmas you could have if you let yourself fall in love. You could have that cosy cottage with a woman who looks like Cameron fucking Diaz. You could stop being an asshole to women and let down your fucking walls so that someone can see the real you.’

Leo laughed without humour. ‘And who is the real me?’

Olivia raised her chin. You are a man who is known to be such a manwhore but you actually have romantic feelings. You act like an unfeeling robot most of the time but really, you are sensitive and perceptive. If given the chance, you will worship the woman you are with because it’s the one time you can let his guard down. You can blame it on alcohol or the heat of the moment, but really, Leo, you like to be yourself in the dark. You enjoy being with someone because at least it means that for one night you’re not alone. You take all the passion within you and you let it all out. That is why you have such a long and successful track record with women, why you are popular with them. You make them feel things. You worship them.’

‘Are you saying I worshipped you?’ Leo asked cooly.

Olivia smirked. ‘Are you saying you didn’t?’

Leo looked down. Olivia raised an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to respond. Leo rolled his eyes and leaned back on his arms, stretching out his body. 

‘Fine, you got me,’ he murmured, giving her a small smile. ‘I worshipped you.’ 

The flames from the fire reflected in Olivia’s eyes as she studied him. Gently, she let the blanket she was holding around her naked body fall to the floor so she was exposed to Leo again. 

‘Worship me again,’ she said, her voice thick. 

Leo reached out to cup her chin in his hand. His lips brushed hers delicately, making her skin bloom with goosebumps.

‘With pleasure,’ he murmured, gently tugging on her lower lip with his teeth. 

Olivia pulled him down onto her so his body was suspended over hers.  The flames of the fire cast her in its glow, lighting up her porcelain skin, lighting up Leo’s gold. 

The weather continued to turn Cordonia into a world of ice and snow. But Olivia and Leo were unaffected. The fire burned all night as Leo worshipped Olivia again and again. 

#12 days of fictmas #choices 12 days of fictmas