A/N: Happy Holidays to my lovely readers! This is the first of a collection of stories written by myself and xxDustNight88 known as Joy to the World: A Christmas Crossover Collection that we posted solely on AO3 during the month of December. This idea came to us because neither of us were sure we had it in us to write 12 unique Christmas stories after each of us writing our own collections last year.
This year we teamed up and asked our friends and readers to prompt us crossover story ideas for the holidays. We've each wrote 6 stories and shared them on alternating even days of the month from until Christmas Eve when DustNight posted her last story.
This cute little story was prompted by our friend articcat621 and I hope she enjoys reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Her prompt was: It's their first Christmas together as a couple. His/her family is more excited about it than they are.
Let me know what you think of the story and be sure to check back on the fourth for xxDustNight88's first story for the collection!
Love always,
~starr
"This is going to be a wonderful Christmas!" Molly cheered as she made her way around the tree, stringing garland around the tree. "The table is going to be so full with everyone here for dinner this year!"
Ginny smiled as she took the end of the garland from her mother and continued stringing it around the back of the tree. "Yeah it will definitely be an interesting time, that's for sure. But don't you think you're going a little overboard with all of the personalized pieces?"
"What do you mean? I thought they were adorable," Molly replied, pouting her lower lip and crossing her arms over her chest as she looked down at the giant stockings lying underneath the tree.
"You remember Felicity's Jewish, right mum?" Ginny asked, furrowing her brow and quirking her head to the side as she passed her the other end of the garland once more. "Besides, it's only their first Christmas together. We don't even know if she's coming to dinner just yet. The last I checked with Fred, he wasn't sure."
"Yes I remember that she's Jewish," Molly scoffed, taking the garland and tossing it around the last little bit of space that remained on the tree. "When was the last time you spoke with Fred? I asked him this morning, and he said that Felicity was very excited to celebrate Christmas with us this year."
"Oh," Ginny mumbled. "Okay then. I stand corrected."
. . . . . . . . .
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Fred asked, wrapping his scarf around his neck and adjusting the collar on his coat. He turned slowly to face Felicity as she applied the finishing touches to her makeup before pulling her own jacket over her dress.
"It will mean a lot to your mum, and besides, I can handle one Christmas dinner a year without upsetting my ancestors," she said, smiling brightly and glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "Plus I want to see what a Weasley family Christmas is really like."
"I don't know if we're ready for that," Fred laughed. "We might not still be a couple by the time this dinner is said and done with."
"Now why would you say that?" Felicity laughed, walking past him and playfully smacking him on the shoulder. "It wouldn't be the first Christmas together if something wasn't awkward. Besides, I heard that your mum was planning to hang some mistletoe around the Burrow and that's one-holiday tradition that doesn't know religious boundaries."
"Oh, it doesn't?" Fred said, walking toward the door. "I guess we'll have to find some when we get to mum's and give it a test."
"Sounds like a plan," Felicity said with a wink. "Let's go!"
Felicity walked up to him and pressed her lips to his momentarily. She had celebrated Christmas before with former boyfriends, but it appeared that Fred's family was a tad more into the holiday than any of the other families had ever been. She was both nervous and excited at the same time. This was definitely going to be a Christmas to remember.
He pulled open the door and soon the pair were on their way to the Burrow, both contemplating the multitude of ways this evening could go. Fred was worried that his family would overwhelm her because there were so many of them that would be all over her at once. Felicity just hoped that this evening would go smoothly. She'd only ever spent time with his family in small groups, never the whole family all at once.
. . . . . . . . .
Apparition was still a method of travel that Felicity was trying to get used to, even though she and Fred had been dating for just shy of a year and it was their primary source of travel from their flat to the Burrow anytime they went for a visit. The amount of sickness she felt after each apparition had lessened now, but it was still there. She had just started to expect it rather than let it take her by surprise.
As they made their way up to the house, they were greeted by gorgeous lights strung all over the Burrow. Fred laughed to himself as he thought about the first time his dad had ever seen Christmas lights and now they were covering their home. They looked beautiful, and he guessed that the inside of the house looked very much the same.
Wrapping an arm around Felicity's waist, Fred pulled her in for a hug and pressed his lips to her forehead. She looked up at him and smiled broadly, pressing up on her tiptoes and kissing him softly on the lips.
"Ready for the insanity?" he whispered as she lowered herself back down.
She looked up at him and nodded her head. "As long as I'm with you, I'm ready for anything."
He leaned his head down and kissed her once more, and she reached up, wrapping her arms around his neck. He took advantage of the embrace and picked her up off the ground, spinning her around briefly.
"Would you two get a room?" George called from the open doorway, interrupting their moment.
Fred set Felicity down and glared at his twin over her shoulder. "You're just jealous that you didn't think of bringing Angelina out here and kissing her in the falling snow."
Felicity rolled her eyes and playfully smacked Fred in the chest. "We were planning to get a room later this evening after we left the burrow."
She took Fred's hand in hers and pulled him towards the house. As she walked past George, she pressed up on her tiptoes and kissed him softly on the cheek. "Merry Christmas, George. It's good to see you."
"Good to see you too, Felicity," George replied, kissing her cheek gently before extending a hand to his brother. "Nice to see you too, Fred. Mum's been asking when you two would get here. Would seem she's a little excited about having the whole family home for Christmas."
"The whole family?" Fred asked, quirking his head to the side. "I thought Bill said Charlie wasn't going to make it."
"It would appear that everyone wants to meet the illustrious Felicity Smoak, Fred's mystery woman that no two members of the family have seen at the same time. We were starting to think she was just a figment of our imagination," George laughed. He quickly ushered them inside and kicked the snow off his boots.
"How could I be a figment of your imagination if everyone has met me at least once, not to mention seeing me in pairs with someone else?" Felicity asked, hanging up her coat and fighting the urge to roll her eyes.
"Maybe you're just better at hiding your magic from us," Fred suggested, nudging her with his elbow.
"Now, now," Felicity laughed. "A witch never reveals her secrets."
"Who's a witch?" Ginny asked, walking into the kitchen with an empty tray of hor devours. Setting the tray down on the island, she walked over to Felicity and wrapped her up in a hug. "I'm so happy that you were able to join us for Christmas. I know it's not really your thing…"
"Really Gin?" Fred asked, pushing her shoulder playfully. "Can't we get into the living room before the inquisition begins?"
"I suppose so," she mumbled. "Right this way!"
Ginny led the group into the living room, only to slip into the living room through another door and was followed quickly by George. Fred watched the two of them with a furrowed brow but continued toward the living room through the main entryway with Felicity in tow.
He attempted to take a step into the living room but was stopped by a magical pull. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Felicity tried to continue into the living room, but was stopped by a tug as well. She looked up at him with a furrowed brow and noticed something hanging above their heads.
"Okay, I've heard of this tradition, but I've never heard of it stopping a person from entering a room or moving in any direction," she said, looking around the room and flitting her eyes back and forth between Fred and Ginny.
Molly and Arthur rounded the corner, finding the pair of them stuck in the entryway. Molly had a smile beaming brightly from her face as she looked at the scene in front of them. "Oh, well this is quite the predicament now isn't it?"
"Mum, what did you do?" Fred asked, furrowing his brow and wrapping an arm around Felicity's waist. He kept looking down at her out of the corner of his eye and plastered a smile on his face trying to make the best of the situation.
Molly looked at him and smiled sweetly, crossing her arms over her chest as she leaned back against Arthur. "You know exactly how to get out of magical mistletoe, Fred. And once you've escaped, I've got a piping hot mug of cocoa for each of you."
Fred fought the urge to roll his eyes as he listened to his siblings snickering from around the corner. He glanced down at Felicity once more and sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face. "Could we at least get some privacy? At least for a few moments, until I get rid of the spell."
"Spell?" Felicity asked, quirking her brow as she glanced over his shoulder to see his mother smiling brightly.
Fred wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him. He gently kissed the top of her head while glaring at his siblings who still hadn't left the room. He opened his mouth to say something to them but closed it again as he heard his mother speak.
"Let's give them a few moments. Everyone into the kitchen for hot cocoa," Molly announced. She slid past Fred and Felicity, patting her son gently on the back.
Once everyone was gone, Fred directed his attention to Felicity. She was still wearing the same puzzled look on her face. He smiled and tossed his head back with a laugh momentarily. "I can't believe they caught me in one of my own jokes."
"What spell was your mum talking about?" Felicity asked, pushing against his chest.
"It's magic mistletoe," Fred admitted, hanging his head. "The magic will only be released by true love's kiss…" His voice trailed off as he carded a hand through his hair.
Felicity thought about it for a split second, and her jaw dropped. They had been barely dating for just barely a year, and those three little words hadn't crossed either of their lips quite yet. Had she thought about saying it? Absolutely, but the timing never seemed quite right, and now they were practically being forced out of her. "What if we aren't…"
Her voice trailed off as a frown appeared on her lips. Fred looped a finger under her chin and tilted her up to look at him. "This isn't how I wanted to tell you this, but it's looking like it's my only option right now. I love you, Felicity."
Tears well up in the corners of her eyes as a bright smile pulled at her lips. "I love you too, Fred."
He leaned down at the same time she pressed up on her toes, their lips meeting in a passionate kiss. After a few seconds, they both felt the tingle of the spell wearing off and releasing them from their confines.
They stayed like that for a few moments longer until they heard a round of applause coming from the kitchen door. Slowly they turned to look behind them and find the whole Weasley clan gathered in the doorframe. Molly was out front with two mugs of hot cocoa waiting for them.
Felicity and Fred exchanged a glance with one another and smiled before breaking apart to join the others in the kitchen. There were memories to be made and hot cocoa to be drunk after all.