Author's Note: I've missed writing Alice/Bella; I really have. This little one-shot was originally supposed to be a full-length fic, but I wanted to get it out before Christmas had passed and that just wasn't going to happen if I made it full-length. So, instead of being 40,000 words long, it's only 2,000 words long. And instead of Alice and Bella being best friends and that slowly turning into a romantic relationship, they're already dating. So here's a little bit of Bellice to make your holidays bright. Hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this story or the novel the characters come from, Twilight. These belong to Stephenie Meyer, the author of the Twilight Saga. I'm simply borrowing them to write a fanfic about a completely non-canon pairing that I happen to adore. Don't sue me. Please.
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
Alice Cullen stepped onto the porch of the Swan family residence, stomping her boot-covered feet on the baby blue wood. Clumps of snow plopped on the porch as Alice raised a gloved hand and knocked. She hopped in place, her arms crossed, as she waited for someone – anyone – to answer.
The door swung open, and Bella Swan blinked down at her rosy cheeked girlfriend. Alice's spiked, ebony hair was flecked with snowflakes, and her bow shaped lips were hidden beneath a red and white striped scarf she'd knitted in freshman year. She raised a hand and gave a feeble wave, her body convulsing from the intense winter weather.
Bella moved aside and motioned for Alice to come in. She scurried inside, slamming the heavy door behind her as though she was afraid the cold would follow her. She hurriedly pulled the scarf away from her mouth and let out a sigh of relief as a gust of hot air hit her frost bitten skin.
"Hi," Bella greeted meekly, smiling at the tiny girl who stood before her. Alice beamed at her, her pearly white teeth glistening in the light of the foyer. Bella wanted to lean forward and kiss her but was overcome with a typical, irrational shyness.
"Hey, Bella," she responded, shrugging off her teal pea coat. She hung it beside Bella's on the coat rack by the door, leaning past her to do so. Their arms brushed. Alice grinned at the contact and cupped her hands over her full mouth, blowing hot air onto her numb fingers. "Ready to decorate your tree?"
Bella groaned at the thought of decorating for the holidays. She wasn't a particularly religious person – Christmas, to her, was more about appreciating her family than celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. Although her family was small now that she lived with her father, it didn't mean she couldn't spend quality time with him on one of the most beloved days of the year. However, the fact that she was the only female in the house didn't mean she knew how to decorate or that she particularly enjoyed doing it.
"Can I just supervise?" Bella pleaded, her expression closely resembling a grimace.
Alice put her hands on her slim hips and cocked her head to the right, her lips pursed. One eyebrow raised as she gave Bella her signature are-you-kidding-me-right-now look. With an exaggerated sigh, Bella stumbled into the living room, her girlfriend's laughter ringing through the silent house.
"Where's Charlie?" Alice asked as she appraised the artificial tree Bella's father, Charlie, had helped her put up the night before. Afterwards, he'd sat on the couch with a bottle of beer and leftovers to watch a hockey game as Bella fluffed the squished branches.
"He's at work," Bella responded, reaching forward to fix a crooked branch. Charlie had called earlier to inform her he'd be working late, which was a bit of a blessing, in Bella's opinion. She and Alice hadn't been getting much alone time, and Bella longed for just an uneventful night with her girlfriend. "He's going to be working late tonight."
Alice frowned at the news. Although she loved spending time with Bella, she'd been anticipating a night of decorating and joking around with the Swan family. "He can help us decorate for Easter, then." She proclaimed as she flicked on the radio, tuning it to a Christmas station. Soft, seasonal music filled the living room as Alice dragged a plastic bin of ornaments into the center of the room.
The unnaturally green and shiny Christmas tree stood at the front of the house, to the right of Charlie's 42" flat screen television. The top branch stood a few inches below the ceiling, leaving just enough room for the sterling silver star Alice had bought them last year as an early Christmas present. The bin of ornaments, which her cousin Edward had brought over earlier in the week, was full of silver, white, blue, and clear ornaments that Esme had set aside – they'd chosen purple for this year's color scheme and had plenty of ornaments to spare.
"Where are the lights?" Alice asked, peeking behind the couch for the small box of white lights she'd purchased for the occasion. Bella pointed to a cardboard box beneath the tree, and Alice swooped down to grab it. She surveyed the strings of lights and gradually pulled them out, creating a giant mound of clear bulbs and hunter green cords on the hardwood floor.
"We're going to put these up first because it's borderline sacrilegious to not put the lights up first." Alice told her, and Bella listened to her intently, having next to no experience in tree decorating. Alice appraised the pile of lights at her feet and grabbed a generous handful, peeling apart cords until she found the beginning.
Alice handed the first cord to Bella, who was significantly taller than the pixie-esque teen, and instructed her on how to place the lights at an acceptable distance from each strand. Bella wound the cords through the tree as Alice guided her, stopping only when she ran out of tree. She observed the tree from her position on the cool, wood floor and gave a soft, "Hm."
"Is that a good 'Hm' or a bad 'Hm'?" Alice questioned, peering down at Bella with her tiny hands on her hips.
Bella pushed herself off the floor and turned to the raven-haired girl. "It's undecided. I'll wait till we have everything up to decide whether or not I approve."
Alice rolled her eyes and knelt beside the large bin of ornaments. She popped off the plastic top and tossed it over her shoulder, narrowly missing the tall lamp that stood beside the couch. Alice riffled around before she found what she was looking for with a triumphant "Aha!" She tossed the bundle of white and glitter onto the floor and looked up at Bella with a grin.
"What are those?" The brunette asked, pointing to the mass by her feet.
"Are you kidding?" Alice asked. Bella shook her head. "They're fake poinsettias, silly!"
Bella simply blinked at the girl. "Poinsettias?"
Alice's cerulean eyes threatened to pop out of her skull. "You don't know what poinsettias are?"
"Obviously."
Alice shook her head and made a gentle tsk-ing noise. "There's so much I have to teach you about, you poor, sheltered child." She straightened up, the white poinsettias cradled in her arms like a fragile child. "Poinsettias are traditionally known as a Christmas flower. They're crimson – though you can buy fake ones in every color under the sun. The red color is supposed to signify the blood sacrifice made by Jesus Christ when he was crucified. The star shape is supposed to signify the Northern Star, which guided the Three Wise Men to baby Jesus."
"How do you know so much?" Bella asked, in awe of Alice's knowledge.
The pixie grinned. "I got sick of having to explain to people what a poinsettia was and what it had to do with Christmas, which, evidently, I didn't even know; I just thought they looked pretty. So I googled it, and voila!"
Bella shook her head, a soft laugh escaping her as she took one of the flowers into her hands. It was rough to the touch and coated her hands in a thin layer of sparkles. She went to place it on the tree, but Alice's hand whipped forward and seized her wrist.
"Not yet!" She warned, dropping the flowers onto the floor and dusting the glitter off her black cashmere v-neck. Her scarf was still looped loosely around her neck, perfectly matching the candy cane earrings she sported and her red and white striped knee-high socks. There was a good chunk of bare, pale skin between her knee-highs and black mini skirt. A red bow in her hair topped off the festive ensemble.
"Why did you get out the poin-whatevers if we're not even going to put them up?"
"Poinsettias. And we are, but not yet. They'll go on after the ornaments." Alice took out a couple blue teardrop ornaments and handed two to Bella. "Scatter these around the tree," she ordered, placing one toward the back of the tree, which could be seen from their front window. She moved around and placed another toward the bottom of the tree, brushing the television stand.
Bella placed one in the center of the tree, the branch dipping a bit from the weight of the ornament. She placed the other one toward the top and moved to the plastic bin, searching for an ornament she liked. She grabbed one that strikingly resembled a disco ball and placed it toward the left of the tree.
Alice bustled around, hanging ornaments here and there like a professional tree decorator. Bella reached into the bin and grabbed another silver one – it was the size of two of her fists and reflected the image of Bella's mousy brown hair and chocolate eyes in it's surface. She hung it toward the front of the tree, chest level, and tilted her head to determine whether or not the ornament looked out of place in it's spot.
Alice sneaked up behind her, wrapping her short arms around Bella's waist. She stood on tiptoes and stared at the ornament over Bella's shoulder, both of their faces shining in it's reflective surface. Alice gave a nod of approval before placing a chaste kiss on the side of Bella's neck. "Looks good, Bella."
She disentangled herself from the taller girl and continued with her frantic work, putting up five ornaments for every one Bella did. True to her word, she handed Bella the poinsettias last and spread them throughout the tree, using them to fill in unnecessary gaps between ornaments. Once the last poinsettia had been placed in it's rightful spot, Alice reached in the bin and pulled out a white, fur-lined tree skirt. She tucked it around the base of the tree, smoothing the fabric and fluffing the fur.
The last item to be placed on the tree was the silver star. It was flat, like a pancake, with no intricacies or details carved into its surface. It was a simple, there was no denying it, but it's simplicity gave it a kind of majestic feel. Alice pulled a chair out of the dining room and mounted it, still having to stand on her tiptoes to place the star on the tree. She hopped down gracefully, pushed the chair into a corner of the room, and stared expectantly at Bella. Bella reached forward to plug in the lights, and the two girls stepped back to take in their hard work.
The tree sparkled and glittered as the shiny ornaments reflected the small white lights. The white and blue color scheme was the epitome of class and looked, to Bella, far too gorgeous to be a Swan family Christmas tree. Alice beamed at their creation and, with a clap of excitement and a loud squeal, pulled Bella into a hug.
"It looks beautiful!" She chirped as Bella held her tightly. "I'm so proud of our little creation."
Bella pulled back and stared at the tree once more. "Charlie won't believe I helped do this."
Alice giggled and reached forward to straighten a tipping ornament. "He will. I think he'll just be surprised that I let you help with any of it." Bella couldn't deny the truth in that statement.
"So you like it?" Alice looked at her with wide eyes, nervous that Bella wouldn't appreciate the tree as much as she did. Bella gazed down at the tiny girl and gave her a wide smile.
"I love it."
Alice returned the grin before gasping at the familiar tune that filled the now silent living room. Bella had chosen to ignore the Christmas music, having never been a big fan of them, but Alice's excitement made her ears perk up.
The opening notes of "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" wafted from the speakers as Alice grabbed Bella's hands in her own. "Come on," the small girl urged, pulling them to the center of the living room. She took Bella's left hand and placed it on her shoulder before resting her right hand on Bella's small waist. Their other hands entwined as Alice began singing and swaying to the music.
Alice's singing voice was angelic; no strain in her voice no matter how low or high the notes were. She sashayed around the small living room, dragging an obviously graceless Bella with her. Alice snickered as Bella stumbled over her own feet, but the smaller girl worked to help her get the feel of the music.
They continued dancing, even as the song ended and a new one began. They somehow managed to waltz their way through "Rocking Around The Christmas Tree" and "Holly Jolly Christmas" before their uproarious laughter prevented them from continuing. It was too ridiculous to dance so seriously to such upbeat songs.
The two collapsed on the couch, their hands finding each other on the soft cushions. Alice's characteristically icy fingers found Bella's warm ones, and they sat there for several silent minutes, staring at the tree the two of them had created.
Alice broke the silence with a content sigh. "Merry Christmas to us." She whispered happily, turning her head to smile at Bella.
Bella's free hand reached forward and cupped Alice's cheek, her thumb rubbing soothing circles into her porcelain skin. She leaned forward and brushed her lips across Alice's, her touch feather light. Alice gave a little gasp at the contact, still stunned when her girlfriend of three months exhibited any forms of affection physically.
Bella's breath was warm on Alice's face as their noses bumped. Alice's eye fluttered open, and Bella found herself staring into a pair of striking ocean eyes. The dimples in Alice's cheeks appeared as she grinned widely at her girlfriend.
"Merry Christmas to us," Bella repeated before leaning in for another kiss.
A/N: I'm aware that this could have been much fluffier, and for the lack of fluff, I apologize. I'm a little rusty after my Bellice break (which, surprisingly, was only a month long). I listened to strictly Darren Criss songs when writing this because my love for him is undying. One of his songs I listened to was his rendition of "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas." Are any of you Glee fans? Doesn't he just ooze supermegafoxyawesomehot-ness as Blaine? *cough* ANYWHO, I hope you enjoyed this little one-shot. And I'm hoping to start a new Bellice fic at the start of the new year, so keep your eyes peeled. Have a very Merry Christmas, and a wonderful New Year.