A/N: I wasn't sure I would be able to come up with something Christmassy for your this year as well, but fortunately my muse helped me out the last minute, so here it comes. I really hope you'll enjoy the fluff overdose, I couldn't help myself.
Special thanks to StrawberrySab for letting me borrow her 'New York City Serenade'-universe, which is definitely my preferred reality. (If you haven't read her fic yet, you should, it has some wonderful Diane/Will scenes 3)
I wish you all a Merry Christmas and thank you for supporting my writing this year!
If I owned TGW, Will would be alive. The title is borrowed from a song, but otherwise the fic has nothing to do with the lyrcs.
Diane slowly opened her eyes, enjoying the silence in the bedroom. For once it wasn't the awful sound of her alarm clock dragging her out of a rarely peaceful sleep. When she saw it was already ten, she felt a little ashamed of herself and she didn't have to wonder why the other side of the bed was empty. Her husband must have been up for hours, she would have to thank him that he'd let her sleep in.
She didn't want to make him wait any longer though, so she got out of bed, put on a dressing gown and exited the bedroom. The kitchen was empty, but the need for coffee lured her inside. She poured some in a mug, put sugar and milk in it and with the taste of the brew in her mouth and the mug in her hand she went to search for Kurt.
She found him on the couch in the living room, where he had been watching TV, but turned it off when she entered.
"Merry Christmas," she greeted him, then her gaze shifted on the tree in the corner and her eyes widened.
"Merry Christmas," he replied as he approached her.
"You shouldn't have decorated it on your own," she glanced at him then back at the tastefully decorated tree.
"I had time," he shrugged, "and I left a few ornaments for you to put on, if you want to."
He stopped in front of her and she tore her gaze away from the tree to focus on him.
"It's beautiful," she praised it, but he just humbly waved his hand.
"It's nothing, but I'm glad you like it."
Their eyes locked and she began to smile. "I love it," she reassured him and placed a small kiss on his lips.
"I think there's even something underneath that has your name on it," he noted and she turned to their Christmas tree again to find what he was referring to.
The red envelope was lying under the tree and Diane instantly became curious to what was in it.
"Can I open it?" she asked his permission, feeling like a child at the moment, unable to hide her excitement.
"Of course, let me get it for you," he offered.
She took a seat on the couch and placed her mug on the coffee table. She should have brought his present too that was hidden in her closet, but first she wanted to know what was inside the envelope. He handed it to her and sat down on the couch as well.
Like he'd said, her name was on it with his handwriting that she had adored ever since she'd gotten the very first present from him, after the first trial he'd helped the firm with. Inside the envelope she found a Christmas card and when she opened it there was one line written on the white background: 'Tell me your dream destination.'
"Mmm," she hummed."What are you up to?" she turned to him with a smile playing on her lips.
"The card says it all," he replied mysteriously.
"Do I have to pick one right now?" she inquired, not that she didn't have the obvious answer already, but she wanted to see where this was going.
"You can take your time," he said, smiling patiently. He must have predicted her reaction. He knew her well, knew that she had to be in charge of certain things. Picking a destination for a vacation was definitely one of those things.
"And what happens after I pick one?" she continued with the questions.
"I'm going to take you there," he declared without any sign of hesitation. He let her make a choice, but the rest was obviously non-negotiable.
"Really? When?" she asked almost mocking his confidence.
"Soon." His response was vague enough, so she was a little relieved she probably had a say in that too.
"Okay, so I don't have to start packing right now?" she teased him further, but she appreciated his attentiveness nevertheless.
"No, I know you need time to prepare," he chuckled, proving once again how well he knew her. Otherwise there might have been a plane ticket in the envelope instead.
"I do," she smiled and put her hand in his.
"We've been putting off our honeymoon long enough," he revealed the reason she was also fully aware of.
"I know, it's my fault," she admitted, not that he'd ever really blamed her. In fact, she couldn't have asked for a more understanding spouse.
"So no more excuses. Depending on what destination you choose we'll pick a time and off we go." He made it sound so easy and there was no reason why it shouldn't have been.
"We need this," she declared happily.
"We really do," he agreed.
"Thank you." She pressed his hand and flashed him a wide smile. In moments like this, she felt like the luckiest women in the world.
"My pleasure." She found his humble reaction really adorable.
"My present is a lot less…creative," she revealed, in the lack of a better word. She'd bought him something useful and practical, something he probably wouldn't have bought for himself. Still she hoped he would like it. "I'm going to get it right now," she tried to stand up, but he wouldn't let her.
"There's no rush. Let's have breakfast first," he suggested instead.
"You haven't eaten yet?" she was stunned to hear he'd waited for her with the breakfast.
"No, I wanted to have breakfast with you," he explained, making her smile.
"Will we finish the tree afterwards?"
She felt a sudden urge to participate in the Christmas preparations, something she had been reluctant to do on her own. But it was their second Christmas together and it made a huge difference to have someone to share this holiday with.
"Absolutely," he promised. "You can also help me with the cooking if you want."
"We will see about that," she chuckled at his suggestion.
They both knew she'd pick anything over cooking and it was probably for the best. Their last Christmas had been the proof of that.
o-o-o
In the end she'd only helped him with minor things and decorated the table for their early Christmas dinner. But when she entered the kitchen later she found an extra set of plates and silverware on the table.
"Are we expecting someone for dinner?" she looked at him and noticed how he was a little puzzled.
"Yeah," he admitted in the end, there was no use denying the obvious.
"I thought it would just be the two of us today." She was a little disappointed, and it bothered her even more that she didn't have any idea who could be this third person.
"There's been a change of plans," he revealed with a half-smile.
"And you haven't told me so far, because…?" she tried to get him to talk and trust his smile, but she was still very confused.
"We wanted it to be a surprise," he explained, which made her even more anxious.
"We? Who is this secret guest?" she asked directly, not that she actually expected him to tell her.
"You'll know soon enough," he kept smiling mysteriously.
"You are such a tease," she chuckled, while her mind was still blank as to who could possibly come to visit them alone on Christmas Day.
"You'll be happy about it," he reassured her and her curiosity was starting to become unbearable.
"If you say so," she pouted, just when they heard the doorbell ring.
"And here he comes," he said, unintentionally revealing the gender of their guest.
"He?" she picked on it.
"Or she? Why don't you go and find out," he urged her and he didn't have to say it twice.
She rushed to the door and peeked out through the hole. "Oh my god," she gasped, as her surprise couldn't have been bigger at the sight of their dinner guest.
She quickly opened the door for Will, who greeted her with a wide grin on his face, and in the lack of a better way to welcome him, she simply hugged him tightly.
"Merry Christmas," he placed a kiss on her cheek before she pulled back. "That was some welcome," he added playfully.
"It's so good to see you," she replied with enthusiasm. His visit was definitely the best surprise she could imagine.
"It's good to see you too. Mind if I crash your private Christmas Party?" he asked her permission to enter and she stepped aside.
"Don't be silly. Come on in," she urged him and when he did she closed the door.
"I think she liked the surprise," Will said and when Diane turned around she saw Kurt standing there.
"I think she did too," Kurt agreed and the two men shook hands.
"You should stop talking about me as if I wasn't here," she scolded them playfully, but truth was she just wanted to hug her husband too for arranging this. She couldn't have been happier to spend this evening with these two men who meant so much to her.
"Sorry," Kurt winked at her.
"Maybe this will make up for it?" Will handed her a red box with a bow on top.
"You've brought me a present?" she asked, stunned, as she took it from him.
"Of course I have, it's Christmas," he replied naturally.
"But I haven't bought you anything," she admitted. She hadn't expected to see Will this Christmas. She was almost sure he'd spend it with his family and it would be another month or two until he'd visit Chicago again.
"I took care of that," Kurt reassured her and she was amazed at how he'd thought of everything.
"Can I open it?" she eyed the box in her hands curiously and tried to guess by its weight what could be hiding inside.
"Of course," Will smiled and she entered the living room followed by the two men to open the present next to the tree.
She found a small and very elegant dark red purse inside, with silver decoration. It was perfect for black tie events or a night in the opera.
"It's beautiful," she marveled at the present. "Looks like you developed a sense of fashion in New York," she added teasingly, knowing he wouldn't be offended.
"Actually, Alicia helped me pick it out," he admitted and she was a little surprised to hear the name from his mouth.
"I see," she noted with a meaningful smile. Of course she was curious about the details of this unexpected cooperation, but that was probably a topic for later.
"And I've brought dessert; cream pie and a bottle of champagne. Maybe we will have a reason to open it," he handed a bag to Kurt.
"Thank you," he took it and the two men shared a meaningful look Diane noticed.
"And I have some news," Will cleared his throat.
"What news?" Diane put her gift down to turn her full attention to his announcement.
"I'm coming back, to Chicago, if you will have me," he revealed and she could hardly believe her ears.
"Are you kidding? Best news I've heard in a long time," she rejoiced and almost hugged him again, but decided against it. One emotional outburst was enough for the day. "We miss you," she admitted nevertheless, "I miss you," she corrected herself realizing she had no way of knowing how everyone else felt about Will's absence. She could only be sure of the way she felt.
"I missed you too," he returned it and they shared a smile.
"You shouldn't have brought any other present," she noted, since the news made her happier than any present could have.
"I considered it," he admitted, clearly enjoying her reaction.
"We will definitely open that champagne," Kurt declared and Diane shifted her gaze on her husband.
"I can't believe you organized this behind my back," she smiled at him. She couldn't have been more grateful.
"Seeing your happiness, it was worth it," Kurt responded.
"Thank you for having me," Will addressed Kurt as well.
"Of course, but I'm asking something in return," he said playfully and Diane had a feeling she wouldn't like what was going to follow.
"You name it," Will accepted his condition easily.
"We've been putting off our honeymoon for over a year now, but I just told Diane that there are no more excuses. Now that you'll be back, I hope you can take over the firm for a week or two so she can have some time off."
Diane's intuition had been right. They were bargaining as if she didn't have a say in all of this.
"Sure thing, I'm going to kick her out the door when you tell me to," Will offered all too willingly.
"Hey, you're supposed to be on my side," she smacked Will's arm with her fist playfully.
"I'm on your side," he chuckled.
"We aren't going away for more than a week," she turned to Kurt to make sure he knew who was in charge.
"I can live with that," he accepted her terms with laugh.
"I clearly have no chance against you two." She glanced from one man to the other, and no matter how much she hated to be handled like this, she couldn't stay angry with them for too long.
"You know we love you," Will's declaration sounded so natural and it warmed Diane's heart.
"I love you too" she returned it, looking at him and Kurt too, meaning both of them. "This must be the best Christmas Day in a long time."
o-o-o
Although Kurt hadn't given her a timeframe, she didn't want to drag the choice out any longer, especially because she had no doubt about her answer. There was only one place she'd dreamed of visiting with him.
"We should go to Paris. It must be beautiful in the spring," she revealed when she was lying in his arms that night.
"Okay, then Paris it is."