An Unexpected Fate

Christmas

Christmas finally rolled around. It was Ellie's first Christmas as Ellie and she was very excited. Christmas and birthdays were the only times in the year that Ellie and Abigail truly got spoiled rotten. That morning, her parents woke up her and, together with Abigail, she opened all of her parents.

She got loads of stuff. A bunch of new clothes, including a very pretty red and black tartan dress, a black jumpsuit, a pair of black Doc Martins, loads of new makeup, a new choker, and some other bits of jewellery. She also got some books on Viking history and mythology, tickets for her and Freya to go to Disney on Ice, and, perhaps her favourite present, her own Nintendo Switch. This was by far her favourite Christmas ever and it was only going to get better from here.

Abigail got a bunch of new stuff too. She got some clothes, like a cute red dress, and a pink top and denim skirt. She also got a DVD collection of her favourite TV show that her dad had managed to get signed by the cast. She also got tickets for a weekend in Edinburgh with her boyfriend. All in all, it was a pretty good Christmas.

Ellie spent most of her morning setting up her Switch. She got a few games with it, like Mario Kart and Pokémon, and gave them both a try. She had already played Mario Kart at Freya's and Gwen's and she was usually okay, but it was so much easier to play by herself. She had never played a Pokémon game before though. She only asked for it because Maple loved the series and encouraged everyone to play. She fired it up and immediately found herself absorbed. It wasn't until about half one when her mum knocked on her door.

"Hey, you might wanna get ready. People will be getting here soon." She said.

Ellie wanted to keep playing, but realised she was probably right. She put her game down and started to get dressed, opting to wear her new tartan dress. She paired it with a pair of oversized fishnet tights and her new boots. She quickly straightened her hair before redoing it to give it a slight wave and applied some basic makeup. She gave herself a look in the mirror, really digging the alt look.

By the time she had finished getting dressed, her grandparents had already arrived. Her grandparents had been accepting of her, but it was still a surprise to them to see her dressed like this. She didn't care though, nothing could ruin today. About half an hour later, Abigail's boyfriend arrived. He was pretty cool, Ellie thought. He rode a motorbike and had an awesome leather jacket.

It was until just after three that there was another knock on the door. Ellie excused herself from the conversation about Abigail going to university and went to answer. Freya was standing outside, in a blue, velvet skater dress, her hair in a neat bun with a bit of tinsel as a scrunchy.

"Wow." Was all Ellie could muster. "Uhm, I mean, hi."

Freya blushed a little. "Hey. Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas!" Ellie said. They exchanged a kiss and hugged before Ellie led her into the living room. Everyone promptly greeted her. Ellie watched as a huge smile broke out on her face.

After about fifteen minutes or so, Ellie's dad announced that dinner was ready. Every took their place around the table, which had been moved into the living room and decorated with various decorations including Ellie's favourite, Christmas crackers.

Her dad served the first course. A homemade lentil soup. Although they sometimes had it throughout the year, for some reason it always tasted amazing at Christmas. It was also incredibly filling, which wasn't good when there was still another serving to go.

The second serving, a plate of turkey, ham, roast potatoes, mashed potatoes, and vegetables was just as good, if not better. Ellie could barely finish hers, but Freya had devoured her plate. Ellie smiled to herself, Freya was having the time of her life.

After they had finished dinner, the grandparents left and everyone went to their rooms to do their own thing. Ellie and Freya collapsed on Ellie's bed.

Freya held her stomach. "God, I didn't know someone could eat that much..."

"I knew some people could, I didn't think you could." Ellie laughed. "I think my dad took it as a competition to see who could eat the most."

Freya put her hand in the air triumphantly. "I won."

Ellie laughed. "He went easy on you because it was your first year. Just wait until next year."

"Next year?" Freya said, sitting up.

"If you wanted. My family all love you and if your parents aren't doing anything, they'd happily have you back." Ellie smiled.

Freya looked like she had a small lump in her throat. "Well, I guess I'll show him that it wasn't just beginners luck."

Ellie struggled to her feet. She walked over to her desk and pulled a small box out of her drawer. "Of course, Christmas isn't Christmas unless you've had something to open."

Freya raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Ellie handed her the box. "Merry Christmas."

Freya looked between Ellie and the box for a second before she started to remove the wrapping paper. She opened the lid of the box to find a small, silver heart-shaped locket. On the front, it was inscribed with their initials. "This is beautiful... I... I don't know what to say."

Ellie grinned. "Open it."

Freya looked confused, but then she noticed the hinges. It took her a second, but she finally managed to open it. Inside was a picture of them both kissing at a mini-golf place in town. It was Freya's favourite photo of them. "Ellie..." She said. She could barely get anything out as she started to cry.

Ellie sat down next to her and pulled her into a hug. "Until I met you, I never knew I could be this happy. The last several months, I've been my most comfortable and most genuine self when I'm around you. From that day in the cafeteria to today. I love you and I can't wait to spend many more years together."

Freya turned to look at her. Ellie pulled her closer and the pair embraced a sweet, tender kiss. It was true, this was the happiest Ellie had ever been...

FIN.