A/N: OK, so originally it was supposed to be just a short fluffy Christmas piece, but as I sat down to write it, it quickly turned into something a little more, hehe :D I hope you enjoy!
Winter Wonderland
Alex could not wait for Christmas break. And while she wasn't any different in that respect from any other high school student, her reasons might have been slightly out of the ordinary. Most kids couldn't wait for Christmas break to be able to get away from school and studying and just chill for a while. And to actually celebrate Christmas of course. Alex, on the other hand, couldn't wait for Christmas break, because she would finally be able to get away from Christmas. Get away from those ridiculously cheerful people who were cheerful for God knows what reason, from the stupid decorations that did nothing but hurt her eyes and the stupid Christmas trees in every hallway that only made it more difficult to get around the school. Come Christmas break she would no longer have to endure the joyful Christmas tunes that the school insisted on playing at recess. Must the entire world go crazy because of one stupid holiday?
Alex sighed as she sat down on the stairs placing her bag pack next to her. She would gladly get out of there right there and then if it wasn't for the fact that she promised to wait for Paige who had to talk to one of her teachers.
"Don't you just love Christmas?" She heard a voice behind her after a moment, no doubt belonging to one of the ridiculously cheerful people that were currently annoying her to no end. Although she kind of took a liking to that particular person and the perky blonde was the only one who could get away with a little bit of holiday cheer.
"Do you really want me to answer that question?" Alex replied and looked at Paige meaningfully and Paige could see how annoyed Alex was at all the Christmas atmosphere.
"I guess I don't." Paige said hesitantly, a little surprised and disappointed at Alex's hostility. She paused for a moment until she continued. "Well, regardless, we need to talk Christmas." She said as she started racking her brain regarding possible Christmas activities for her and Alex to do. "I need to know what your plans for Christmas are?"
"I don't really have any plans." Alex replied quietly.
"What do you mean you don't have any plans? You must have some plans with your family or something?" Paige asked a little annoyed at Alex's total lack of enthusiasm over anything Christmassy.
"Honestly, I don't really do Christmas." Alex finally said, quite oblivious to Paige's growing annoyance.
"What do you mean you don't do Christmas?" Paige asked totally baffled, not sure if she had heard it right. "But everybody does Christmas."
"Well I don't." Alex shrugged her arms. She didn't really care what everybody else did, she cared about what she did. And she knew she couldn't totally ignore Christmas this year, since she was with Christmas-obsessed Paige, but lying to her girlfriend regarding her family's Christmas traditions didn't fall into the not ignoring Christmas category. And she really wasn't trying to be mean, she was just trying to let Paige know how things were.
"OK, hun, I know you mentioned something last year about not being crazy about Christmas and all, but what do you mean you don't do Christmas? No decorations, no Christmas music, no stockings?" Paige asked, almost terrified.
"I mean exactly what I'm saying, Paige. I don't do Christmas. So yeah, no decorations, no Christmas music, no stockings. Nobody showed me those traditions when I was a kid, and when I got old enough to understand them, I think I had already learned to detest Christmas. So I just enjoy being away from school for a while and treat it as any other break. Simple as that."
"But it's Christmas!" Paige insisted, a little disappointed at Alex's take on the whole thing. Of course she was aware of the fact that Alex Nuñez was not the cheeriest and most joyful person in the world, but the idea of not celebrating Christmas at all scared the crap out of her. "How can you not celebrate the holidays and the joyous season?"
"Joyous you say?" Alex sighed. "So let me ask you something?"
"OK." Paige replied a little unnerved about the fire that she just noticed in Alex's eyes.
"What is your first Christmas memory?"
"Let me think." Paige got lost in her thoughts for a moment. "I think I was about three or four, I don't remember… But anyway, my parents, Dylan and I went Christmas tree shopping a few days before Christmas and there was this tree that I really really wanted, but since my parents decided that it was too big for our house, we couldn't get it. Of course at that time I didn't really understand why we couldn't get it, so I threw a fit."
"Paige Michalchuk throwing a fit, somehow I don't have much trouble imagining that." Alex grinned and Paige stuck her tongue out at her.
"Oh shut up." The blonde nudged her girlfriend lightly. "Anyway, I got so stubborn that I didn't wanna leave the place and my parents literally had to drag me out of there. But it was fun, because we ended up having the biggest snowball fight right behind the Christmas trees. And when we got home, mom made us hot chocolate and we drank and just hang out in the living room, way past our bedtime I might add." Paige smiled as she finished the story. "It's until this day one of my favorite Christmas memories."
Alex's eyes got dreamy for a moment. It sure would have been nice to have Christmas memories like that. Maybe then she wouldn't hate Christmas so much. "Do you wanna know what my first Christmas memory is?" She asked, with a slightly sadder expression on her face and when she saw Paige nodding, she continued. "Finding my mom unconscious on the kitchen floor because one of her boyfriends has beaten her up so much." As soon as she said that, the smile disappeared from Paige's face and got replaced by compassion for the girl that meant so much to her. "When I got to her I couldn't get her to wake up and I didn't know what to do, so I just started to cry. I must have cried for like an hour before somebody heard and called the police. They took her to the hospital, but since she wouldn't wake up, they had to do something with me so they stuck me in this shelter with twenty or so other kids. And this is how I spent the first Christmas I can remember. And it hasn't really gotten that much better later on either. I mean my mom tried sometimes, but it just never seemed to work for us." Alex paused for a moment and even though she was trying really hard not to fall apart, Paige could see how painful the memories were for her. "So forgive me if I don't join in the celebration of this incredibly joyous holiday." Alex said sarcastically and Paige's heart broke a little bit to see the sadness in Alex's eyes. And as much as she hated to see Alex like this, she also appreciated the little moments when Alex would share things like that with her. Paige knew there weren't many people Alex could really open up to and she was glad to be one of them. She gently squeezed Alex's hand and she knew that it was enough to let the brunette know she was there for her. She didn't need to say anything, in fact she knew that her pity and her 'I'm sorrys' would be the last thing Alex needed. And if she could, Paige would turn back time and give Alex happier Christmas memories, but since she couldn't do that, she would have to settle for the next best thing.
"You know what?" Paige said after a moment of silence. "I am going to give you the best Christmas ever!"
"Paige, I don't…" Alex tried to protest, but Paige wouldn't let her.
"No, I know that you haven't had many good Christmas memories in the past, but now that you're with me, I will be damned if I don't make you fall in love with Christmas."
"Paige, I don't really think that's possible." Alex replied slightly nonchalantly, though a little amused by her girlfriend's enthusiasm. It was a sweet idea, but Alex felt like her disdain for Christmas was incurable.
"Well OK so maybe making you fall in love with Christmas is too much of a challenge," Paige grinned, "But at least let me try?" She looked at Alex with those beautiful blue eyes pleading her to give her a chance. "And if you hate the Christmas stuff, at least you'll get to spend some quality time with me." Paige smiled, knowing very well that this should be enough to convince Alex.
"OK." Alex agreed wrapping her arm around Paige as a thank you. "But I'm not promising I'm gonna like it."
"Noted." Paige replied as she kissed Alex's forehead. "I wish we could spend the actual holidays together, but my parents insist on dragging me and Dylan to some family thing." Paige's tone was clearly that of huge disappointment over her parents' plans. "Maybe I could get out of it though."
"No." Alex protested. "You should spend time with your family. I will be fine. Besides, with the amount of your Christmas cheer, by the time Christmas actually comes, I'm sure I'm gonna be sick of it." She joked as she tried to give Paige one of her brightest smiles, although she had to admit that the prospect of being separated from Paige for Christmas was a little scary. She finally had someone who she knew could make the holiday a little more bearable and she couldn't be with her. But as much as Paige tried to hide and deny it, Alex knew that she was excited to see her family and she could never take that away from her. "We'll just make the most of the time we have left." She added looking at Paige meaningfully, trying to let her know that she shouldn't feel guilty about spending Christmas with her family. "I promise I will be fine." Alex repeated and stole a quick kiss from the blonde.
"Are you sure?" Paige didn't seem too convinced and she hated the idea of leaving Alex alone for Christmas, especially after the story her girlfriend had just told her.
"I'm positive." Alex assures her. "I want you to go and have tons of fun and not think about me."
"Well I might go and I might even have tons of fun," Paige started, "but there is no way I'm not going to think about you." Paige said meaningfully and she saw Alex smiling lightly. She rested her head on Alex's shoulder. "And before I leave I am going to give you the best pre-Christmas ever!" She said excitedly as she stood up and she grabbed Alex's hand urging her to do the same.
"There is no such thing as pre-Christmas, Paige." Alex replied a little amused as she stood up and wrapped her arm around the blonde.
"Of course there is, silly." Paige insisted, trying really hard not to laugh. "And it starts in exactly two hours."
"I only have two hours to prepare myself mentally for pre-Christmas with Paige Michalchuk?" Alex replied laughing and enjoying a feeling she hadn't known before. For the first time in her life she felt slight excitement about the holidays and if she was honest with herself, she kind of liked it. She wasn't sure if it was exactly Christmas or just the prospect of spending additional time with Paige, but she couldn't help the butterflies in her stomach. And she had to laugh at herself, because the girl she was so excited to be spending time with is the type of person she would always laugh at and despise. Always so cheery and Christmassy and just begging to be smacked. How in the world she had fallen for someone she would normally hate Alex had no idea, but she decided not to question it, almost scared that if she figured it out, the charm would be over.
Paige smiled to herself as she thought about all the plans she had for her and Alex and all the things they were going to do together. She was going to be the most cliché person in the world in the upcoming two weeks, but she didn't care, because those clichés were exactly what Alex missed during her childhood. And she knew she was going to do her best to make up for all the crappy Christmases Alex had ever had. There was a tough task ahead of Paige, but she was intent on making sure that Alex stops hating Christmas.
"Seriously?" Alex asked incredulously as Paige handed her a pair of skates. "Skating?" She looked at her girlfriend both amused and a little scared. "When I agreed to this whole pre-Christmas thing with you, I didn't know that freezing my butt off was a part of the deal." Alex added jokingly.
Paige laughed at her girlfriend's obvious lack of enthusiasm. "A, yes, skating. And B, have you not met me? I'm not a fan of freezing my butt off either, so it's an indoor rink." Paige pointed out excitedly. "So hopefully no freezing of any kind, just the ice and cheesy Christmas music." She added as watched Alex get dressed.
"I can't wait." Alex sighed trying to appear not interested at all, but the truth was she was actually pretty excited to be spending time with Paige. She knew this was exactly the kind of thing Paige would be excited about for Christmas, and she was glad she would be able to share it with her.
When they got to the rink, they didn't even have to get inside to hear the Christmas music. And Alex knew that it was only going to get worse.
"Oh boy, what have I gotten myself into?" She asked as she reluctantly followed Paige inside.
"Come on, I promise you you're gonna love it." Paige grinned, almost bursting with excitement as the two of them finally entered the establishment. The inside indeed looked very Christmassy. There was a huge Christmas tree at the entrance and both the rink and the general changing area were full of Christmas decorations. Lights, tinsel, ribbons, wreaths, anything even remotely related to Christmas. "Yeah, that was what I was afraid of." Alex sighed as she looked around and she was just about to say something else when Paige interrupted her.
"No mocking." She insisted and Alex couldn't help but smile at how well Paige knew her. "You can mock all you want when you're on your own, but I forbid it when you're with me." She added firmly.
"Gee, I didn't know you could be so bossy." Alex chuckled and immediately followed with, "No wait, I did know you could be so bossy." She added with a laugh which earned her a nudge from her girlfriend.
"Hey!" Paige feigned being offended, but couldn't stop laughing. "I said no mocking!" She repeated as her and Alex started making their way towards the changing area, paying an entrance fee on their way. When they took off their jackets and started putting on their skates, Alex looked at Paige a little uneasy, which didn't go unnoticed by Paige.
"Paige, there is something that you need to know." Alex started, not quite sure how to tell Paige what she was about to say. Hiding it was not an option. "I don't really… you know… skate." She said looking at the rink a little scared.
"You mean like at all or very well?"
"Well, I have gone skating a couple of times, but I've never really learned I guess. So I just figured I'd give you a heads up in case you don't feel like getting embarrassed by your clumsy girlfriend out there."
"Hun, if there is anyone I would wanna be embarrassed by, it's definitely you." Paige winked and motioned for Alex to stand up. "Now come on, it's gonna be fun." She helped Alex get up and they locked their belongings in one of the empty lockers.
"This is gonna be a disaster." Alex tried to warn her girlfriend as they were approaching the rink.
"Disasters can be fun." Paige replied pulling a not so happy Alex onto the ice.
"See? It wasn't so bad, was it?" Paige asked squeezing Alex's hand gently when they were leaving the rink after two hours of making fools of themselves on the ice.
"For you maybe." Alex said pretending to be serious, but Paige could read that tone very well and she knew that Alex had a lot of fun. "You're not the one that kept landing on her ass every five minutes." She complained, but the truth was that she couldn't hide how much she enjoyed herself out there with Paige, even with all the falling. Paige could see it in her eyes that had this sparkle in them that Paige wasn't used to seeing very often. The sparkle that was telling her that pre-Christmas was going really well so far.
"First of all, it wasn't every five minutes and second of all, you look really cute when you fall down."
"Oh thank you very much." Alex replied in a sarcastic tone, but she couldn't get rid of that huge grin on her face.
"Oh come on Alex, admit it, you had fun!" Paige insisted as she stole a quick kiss and smiled at her girlfriend.
"I am not admitting anything." Alex argued, but they both knew she didn't really have to say it. Her eyes and her smile were admission enough. And indeed, she figured that she would gladly hit her ass on the ice every five minutes if Paige was there to pick her up.
"So are you ready for our next activity?" Paige asked excitedly after a moment as she wrapped her arm tighter around Alex.
"I don't know." Alex replied pretending to be deep in her thoughts. "Does it involve me losing my balance and hitting a hard surface?"
"Not unless you want it to." Paige grinned.
"I think I'm good." Alex sighed. "My butt has had enough for today." She pointed out as she looked at Paige meaningfully.
"OK then, let's move on to the second part of our today's activities." Paige said as they made their way towards the car." I do have to warn you, though." Paige made a small pause to make sure Alex was paying attention to her. Which was pointless, Alex thought, because how could she be paying attention to anything other than the gorgeous blonde who had her arm around her. "The second part may become a little uncomfortable towards the end, but this is all to make the third part more enjoyable."
"Must you be so mysterious?" Alex sighed and shot Paige an amused look.
"Yes I must." Paige grinned as she unlocked the car and the two of them got in. "Stop complaining, I know you're loving it."
"You don't know anything." Alex stuck her tongue out as a sign of protest, but of course Paige knew better. Her plan was working. Alex seemed to have left her bitter 'I hate Christmas' attitude at home and this was the way Paige liked it.
Paige started the car and started driving and the entire time she felt Alex's gaze on her. It made her nervous and happy at the same time.
About twenty minutes later they parked in front of Paige's house and even though Alex would never admit it, she was a little curious as to what Paige had planned next. They got out of the car and Alex started walking towards Paige's door, but Paige grabbed her arm and stopped her.
"Not just yet." She grinned. "There is something we need to do first."
"There is?"
"Yes." Paige smiled as she took Alex's hand and started pulling her away from the house. "Come on."
"Is this gonna hurt?" Alex asked, pretending to be really scared, but truth be told, she had been pretty amused with the whole pre-Christmas idea.
"I promise you that you will be fine." Paige replied, purposefully avoiding a direct answer to Alex's question, which Alex found a little disconcerting.
"How did I get myself into this mess?" Alex sighed and rolled her eyes.
"You made me fall for you." Paige explained with a more serious expression on her face, but before Alex could form a response, she realized where she and Paige were headed.
"A Christmas fair? Seriously Paige?" Alex asked looking at her girlfriend incredulously. "In what universe did you think that I would enjoy a freakin' Christmas fair?"
"In the universe where you have a hot blonde girlfriend to enjoy the fair with." Paige replied in a true Paige Michalchuk fashion and Alex couldn't help but melt when she saw the warm smile spread across her girlfriend's face. God how she loved that smile. Almost as much as she wanted to be able to resist it. But she couldn't. She couldn't explain the things that this smile did to her, but she never wanted them to stop.
"What are you trying to turn me into?"
"A regular person who actually enjoys a little bit of Christmas cheer every now and then." Alex looked at Alex meaningfully. "Not that I don't adore your dark, brooding, 'I hate the world' side, but sometimes you gotta remember what joy is. And my job is to remind you." Paige pulled Alex into a hug. "Come on, it won't be that bad."
"I guess it won't." Alex smiled as she felt Paige gently squeeze her hand. And within moments, the two of them found themselves amongst Christmas trees, Christmas ornaments and people trying to sell anything Christmas-related. Alex felt like she was in some sort of an alternate universe, one that she was aware of in the past, but has never been a part of. And one that she wasn't sure she liked, but she was willing to give it a try for Paige's sake. With her it didn't seem so scary.
"They've had this fair here ever since I can remember." Paige suddenly started, trying to explain to Alex that this place held some meaning to her. "We used to come here as a family when Dylan and I were kids." She smiled at the memory and once again Alex thought that she couldn't imagine her life without that smile. "Of course at some point Dylan and decided that we were too cool to hang out with our parents at Christmas fairs, but I still love coming here. And trust me, it is a little corny even for me, but I can't help it. I love this place. Sue me for loving Christmas." She exclaimed happily as Alex watched her look around the fair grinning like a little kid. "And yes, I know that normally you wouldn't be caught dead in a place like this, but you promised you'd let me do this."
"I don't remember complaining." Alex replied, amused, a little surprised that Paige suddenly started defending herself so much. "Besides, you wouldn't be the Paige I've come to know and love if you weren't crazy excited about Christmas." Alex admitted and for a moment got terrified about the mention of the word 'love' in her statement. She was hoping Paige wouldn't pay too much attention to it, because she knew it was way too soon. Fortunately for her, Paige didn't seem to notice that tiny detail, or if she did, she didn't let it show and Alex breathed a little sigh of relief. It was definitely too early for serious admissions like that, but Alex knew that eventually they would be able to say it. She certainly already felt it and she hoped Paige did too.
"So this is why we froze our asses off at the Christmas fair? To make the hot chocolate taste better?" Alex asked grinning as she snuggled closer to Paige on the couch. They were now in Paige's room enjoying a quiet afternoon together.
"That was the general idea." Paige confirmed. "My mom always used to tell me that hot chocolate tastes better when you come back home freezing."
"You know, she actually might have been right." Alex laughed. "'Cause this is absolutely exquisite."
"This is my special 'Make Alex fall in love with Christmas' chocolate. You're the only one that gets to drink it." Paige promised and Alex couldn't stop the grin. How in the world did she and Paige get to a point where they were sitting on a couch wrapped in each other's arms and sipping hot chocolate. Before Paige, Alex could seldom find pleasure in simple things like that, but with Paige everything seemed to be magical. The most mundane activity was suddenly the most exhilarating experience that made her heart race. Just like sitting on a couch with a hot beverage in one and tracing patterns on Paige's palm with the other.
"You know, if somebody had told me a few months ago that I would be drinking freakin' hot chocolate in Paige Michalchuk's room, I would have laughed in their face." Alex sighed. "I can't believe how wrong I was about you."
"Yeah, well, it's not like I was an instant fan of yours." Paige smiled at the memory of the time when she hated Alex. "I used to think that you were the most unlikeable person ever, always mad at everyone and everything. But then I realized that it's because you simply never let the world see the real you."
"It's easier that way." Alex sighed as she nestled closer to Paige.
"Who would have thought that I would be the one who gets to see the mushy and sensitive Alex Nuñez, huh?"
"Not me." Alex laughed. "I always considered you one of the most irritating people I've ever met. What did you expect? You're blonde, you're a cheerleader and you prance around the school like it's your freakin' kingdom."
"Not every blonde cheerleader is a bitch, you know?" Paige chuckled.
"I do now." Alex smiled and placed a quick kiss on Paige's cheek. "But it still freaks me out sometimes."
"What?" Paige asked curious looking at Alex with amusement.
"Being with a cheerleader." Alex explained and asked. "Doesn't it freak you out that you're dating an outcast? Someone who half of Degrassi wouldn't even talk to?"
"It's their loss." was all Paige had to say before she shifted her position on the couch so that she was now facing Alex and leaned in to kiss her. "Besides, that's less competition for me." She added and cocked her eyebrows.
"Like there could ever be anyone who stands a chance with Paige Michalchuk." Alex grinned sending Paige one of her biggest smiles. And she could only hope Paige was joking about the competition thing, because God knows she had nothing to worry about in that department. She knew that as long as she had Paige, she wouldn't even look at anybody else.
"Well I sure hope not." Paige became a little more serious. "Because I really wouldn't wanna have to kick someone's ass!"
"Like you could actually kick anybody's ass." Alex joked and immediately felt Paige smack her on the shoulder.
"Hey, I could if I wanted to!" Paige insisted. "And I am deeply hurt that my own girlfriend is doubting my ass-kicking abilities. And I bet that if I wanted to, I could kick your ass too." Paige argued, even though she knew it was totally not true. But she loved the bickering.
"Oh don't tempt me, Michalchuk." Alex chuckled as she tried to send Paige a menacing look, but she knew she wasn't being too convincing. But then again she wasn't really trying to be. "So, any more surprises I should be afraid of today?" She asked after a while as she looked at Paige questioningly.
"Nope, I'm done for today." Paige replied with a grin. "But the fun continues tomorrow and the next day, and the next, so brace yourself."
"Believe me, I'm trying." Ales sighed as she once again let her head rest on Paige's shoulder. She had to admit the day hadn't been that bad after all and she was actually looking forward to what else Paige and her crazy mind might have planned.
When Alex opened the door to her apartment, for a moment she was convinced that she had just walked into somebody else's home. But as she looked around, she realized that she was indeed in the right apartment, except that it looked like Santa's village exploded there and someone forgot to clean up. There was a huge Christmas tree in the corner with lights and ornaments, there were ornaments on the windows and some tinsel around the living room. It almost made Alex's head spin.
"Mom!" She called looking around the room extremely confused. "What the hell happened to our place?"
"Your girlfriend happened." Emily explained coming out of her bedroom, quickly followed by Paige. She was wearing a Santa hat, and as corny as Alex found it, she had to admit that the blonde looked absolutely adorable. "She convinced me that we should really decorate the apartment this year."
"I can see that." Alex couldn't help but keep looking around and every time she did, she found a piece of decoration that normally wasn't there.
"Hun, I'm sorry I didn't tell you." Paige walked over to Alex and gave her a quick kiss. "At first I wanted to, but then I figured a surprise will be better. Besides, it gave me and your mom a chance to catch up. Please don't be mad." She looked at Alex with puppy dog eyes and she knew Alex could never be angry at her after seeing that expression on her face.
"I'm not mad." Alex explained. "I'm just… I don't think this apartment has seen that many Christmas decorations in all the years we have lived here." She noted and caught a glimpse of her mother's guilty expression. At least she was trying this year, even if she had to be coached by Paige.
"So you don't hate me for doing this?" Paige asked with hope in her voice.
"Oh come on, you know I could never hate you. Even for turning my apartment into…" She took a moment to come up with a word, but she couldn't find it, so she just said, "this."
"Well then let me show you your bedroom." Paige said excitedly, grabbing Alex by the hand. "You didn't think it was just the living room, now did you?"
"Of course not." Alex sighed as she followed Paige to her bedroom. She knew Paige wouldn't be Paige if she didn't take over every inch of the apartment. And her bedroom certainly had a Paige touch to it. There was a small Christmas tree on the window sill, a string of lights over the bed and other ornaments here and there.
"So what do you think?" Paige exclaimed, obviously feeling very proud of herself. Her eyes were sparkling and she had this grin on her face that 3-year-olds get when they build something particularly difficult using their toy bricks.
"It looks… different." Alex said, trying to think of a more descriptive adjective, but all she could focus on was the Santa hat and the beautiful blonde locks underneath it.
"Because there is suddenly some color in it?" Paige just couldn't help herself.
"Hey, my room has plenty of color." Alex argued, although she knew very well that it was not true.
"Hun, how many times do I have to tell you that navy blue is not really color." Paige recited in her I can't believe I have to tell you this again tone.
"It so is." Alex protested, just because she loved the banter. And she found it so adorable how serious Paige could get about things like fashion, colors or design. Things that Alex didn't really care much about, but it amused her every time Paige would throw a fit because she couldn't find a purse that would match her shoes or vice versa. Alex did not understand how in the world she could even stand to be in the same room as someone who could name ten different shades of red, but somehow Paige had captured her heart with all her babbling and cheer and those captivating blue eyes.
"I cannot believe you did that." Alex sighed sitting on her bed. "I mean I can, but I can't… You know what I mean. " She laughed at her lack of ability to express her feelings, not something she usually had problems with. "You got my mom to decorate for Christmas, how in the world did you do that?"
"It's not like I had to threaten her or anything." Paige laughed and sat on the bed next to Alex resting her head on Alex's shoulder. "She loves you, you know?" She said without even looking into Alex's eyes. "She may not have been the best mother to you, but she loves you."
"Did she tell you that?"
"She didn't have to. I could see it in her eyes and the way she talks about you. She loves you, Alex."
"I know." Alex said sadly, trying not to think about her not so happy childhood. "She just keeps making those crappy choices and I know that she's trying, but sometimes I'm just so sick of being an adult in this household. It makes me so angry that I have to worry about the rent and the money and make sure she doesn't spend it all or let Chad spend it. It's exhausting."
"I know, hun, I know." Paige said sympathetically as she took Alex's hand in hers. But the truth was that she really didn't know. Because all she cared about was her outfits and make-up and her grades and whether she was going to get into college and she was only slowly just starting to understand why Alex didn't care so much about all the little things. Why she never cared for school events and socializing and all the things regular teenagers went crazy over. But Alex was not a regular teenager. She had so much more baggage than everybody else, so much more baggage than anyone her age should. And Paige's life had not been perfect, either, but at the end of the day she knew that whatever happened, she could always count on her parents to be there for her. And as much as she believed that Alex's mom loved her daughter too, Paige wasn't sure if she would be there for her if she needed. Which is why Paige intended to do everything in her power to be someone Alex could always count on no matter what. "I'm sorry your apartment looks like a freakin' shopping mall." Paige said after a while with a small laugh.
"It's OK." Alex smiled. "I kind of even like it." She admitted and Paige looked at her a little surprised. "OK, so I don't actually like like it, but I will learn to tolerate it during the holiday season. Just because you look so damn cute in that Santa hat." Alex grinned and kissed Paige passionately.
"I do, don't I?" Paige winked at her girlfriend.
"You seem to have a real knack for choosing the right attire for the occasion." Alex said playing with Paige's hair at the edge of the hat and Paige's heart had to skip a beat, because Alex's touch was electrifying. Even a simple brush of Alex's fingers against her skin made her shiver. She never knew simplest gestures like that could feel this amazing. Which is why she hated what she was about to do.
"Hun, as much as I would love to stay here with you, I did promise my mom I'd go shopping with her. Will you be OK? And please don't hate me." Paige looked at Alex imploringly and with obvious disappointment.
"I don't hate you and yes I will be fine. We'll hang out some other time."
"That we will." Paige promised as she kissed the tip of Alex's nose. "Because pre-Christmas fun with Paige Michalchuk is far from over." She emphasized the word far and once more Alex could get lost in the amazing smile that formed on Paige's face.
"I wouldn't dare think that." She promised as they stood up and headed out of the bedroom. Paige put on her jacket and replaced her Santa hat with her regular hat that would actually protect her from the cold.
"I'll talk to you soon." Paige promised as she headed towards the door pulling Alex by the hand to enjoy last couple of seconds of the brunette's touch. "Bye." She smiled as she opened the door.
"Bye." Alex leaned in for a quick kiss before letting go of Paige's hand. "Oh and thank you, Paige."
"No problem. It was actually a pretty good afternoon. Your mom is really fun."
"Yeah right." Alex replied with disbelief.
"No really. It was great. Say goodbye to her from me, OK?"
"Will do." Alex promised and stole one last kiss from Paige before watching Paige turn around and disappear from the hallway. For a moment Alex just stood at the doorstep trying to breathe in Paige's scent still lingering in the air. When she finally walked back into the apartment she saw her mother looking at her intently.
"Why did Paige leave? I thought she was going to stay for dinner?" Emily asked.
"She had plans with her mom."
"Oh. Well, I hope she knows she's welcome here anytime."
"She does." Alex smiled.
"She cares about you so much, Lexi. You really lucked out with her, honey."
"Don't you think I know that?" Alex grinned as she looked around the living room and at all the decorations that Paige and Emily had put there. The lights and tinsel might have been hurting her eyes, but they were also a reminder of this absolutely wonderful person that she now had in her life. And Alex knew that she would endure all the lights and tinsel in the world if it meant that she got to share her life with Paige Michalchuk.
"You know Paige, if I had a list of things I never thought I would do, this would be pretty high on it." Alex sighed as she looked around the kitchen, still not really believing that she had let Paige talk her into baking Christmas cookies.
"Like most of the things I had you do these last couple of days." Paige pointed out with a smirk. "And seriously, Alex, you haven't really lived if you've never baked cookies from scratch."
"Says who?" Alex asked teasingly.
"Says me." Paige grinned. "And don't you dare argue."
"You know, you are full of surprises, Paige Michalchuk. I never pegged you for a cookies from scratch kind of girl." Alex looked at Paige meaningfully, a grin never leaving her face.
"And normally I'm not." Paige admitted with a laugh. "I'm definitely more of a frozen pizza kind of girl and I'm a total disaster in the kitchen, but with Christmas cookies it's different."
"How so?"
"It's not about the final effect, but about the process of baking the cookies. You know, you put some Christmas music on and you hang out in the kitchen with someone you love." Paige smiled and while Alex knew that she meant that in general, a part of her couldn't stop hoping that somewhere down the line she could be someone Paige loves.
"That's good, because I highly doubt that anything baked by me would even be edible." Alex chuckled. "I mean I'm not that bad with cooking, but baking is a whole different story."
"Well then let me introduce you to the joys of baking Christmas cookies." Paige offered Alex one of her brightest smiles, the one that always made Alex weak in the knees. And Alex was sure that with that smile Paige would easily be able to talk her into enjoying the joys of absolutely anything she wanted to. Sometimes it scared her that someone had this kind of power over her, but other times she felt like it was the most amazing thing that can happen to a person.
"I'll follow your lead." Alex promised as she watched Paige take out flour and other ingredients from the cupboard, glancing at the recipe on the table to make sure they got everything they needed. "So is this some sort of a secret Michalchuk family recipe?" Alex asked after a moment.
"Kind of." Paige admitted with a grin. "So please be advised that you are not to share this recipe with anyone." Paige warned Alex, trying to send her a serious look, but she couldn't help laughing.
"Trust me, I couldn't even if I wanted to." Alex grinned as she put her arm around Paige and gave her a peck on the cheek. "So, how does this work?"
"You mean this particular recipe or baking in general?" Paige chuckled.
"Oh very funny!" Alex smacked Paige on the arm before she let go of the blonde and walked over to the table waiting for instructions. "I cannot believe I am doing this." Alex sighed and she noticed Paige reaching for something in the cabinet.
"Well, before we start, you must put this on." The blonde said handing Alex an apron and Alex almost dropped a glass she was currently holding when she saw it.
"Paige, this has a reindeer on it." Alex pointed out, not able to keep a straight face.
"How very observant of you, miss Nuñez." Paige laughed as she looked at Alex examining the apron. "This is our special Christmas apron and you should feel special, because we don't let just anybody wear it." She added as she winked at Alex.
"Gee, I feel so honored." Alex pretended to sound all serious and proud, but she couldn't stop laughing.
"Hey, no mocking, remember?" Paige reminded her as she watched her girlfriend put the apron on. "Let me just say that you look hot." She added admiring Alex.
"Paige, it's an apron with a reindeer on it, no one looks hot in it."
"Well you do." Paige smiled, walked over to Alex and put her arms around her girlfriend. "You most definitely do." She kissed Alex on the lips before turning around and taking the recipe from the table. "Now where were we…" She said to herself as she started reading the recipe carefully and preparing all the ingredients. After a moment she had this strange feeling that someone was watching her intently and sure enough when she turned around, Alex's eyes were on her. "What?" She asked a little confused by Alex's expression, because it was one she hadn't yet learned to read. "Something wrong?" She suddenly became a little worried when Alex didn't respond, which was so not like her.
"Nothing's wrong." Alex said softly. "I just…" She desperately tried to find the words to express everything that she was feeling, to thank Paige for everything, but she wasn't even sure what exactly it was that she wanted to say or what it was that she was feeling. All she knew that she had never been happier in her entire life than the moment she watched Paige Michalchuk pour milk into a glass bowl. "You have no idea what you've done to me, do you?" Alex asked and she could feel small tears welling up in her eyes, but she decided she was not going to cry. Because she was happy and she was not about to ruin it.
"I'm not sure what you're referring to exactly, but whatever it is, I hope it's nothing bad." Paige replied, a little careful with what she was saying.
"It's definitely not bad." Alex smiled as she thought back to the last two weeks of her life. "Definitely not." She repeated and couldn't stop looking at Paige with amazement.
"So, are you in love with Christmas yet?" Paige suddenly asked teasingly with a huge grin on her face.
"I wouldn't go that far," Alex admitted, "but I can tell you that I have a feeling that this Christmas is not totally going to suck." She smiled as she took an egg and broke it into the bowl, as per Paige's prior instructions. And she might not have been in love with Christmas yet, but she knew she was in love with the girl who was trying to get her to love Christmas, and for the time being all she cared about was the perky blonde who got her to skate and bake cookies and do all sorts of Christmas-related things she always considered ridiculous and pointless. And if someone had told her a couple of months ago that she would be doing all those things, she would have laughed. But the more time she spent with Paige, the more she started to think that maybe she considered all the Christmas-related activities so ridiculous because she never really had anyone to share the Christmas joy with. And now she had Paige and suddenly she didn't find Christmas music so annoying and Christmas decorations so appalling. And even though she wasn't going to be spending the actual holiday days with Paige, she knew this was going to be the best Christmas she'd ever had. As a matter of fact, it already was.