This is a Christmas present for one of my best friends, lollipopdiego. :) It was done in a bit of a rush, so I apologize if it's not that good. ^.^;
Disclaimer: I don't own Harvest Moon or any of its characters.
At Christmastime
Angela sat on the kitchen counter in Chase's, swinging her legs as she watched her boyfriend, who was standing in front of the stove cooking. It was Christmas Eve, and Chase was cooking a ham, as well as a bunch of other foods. They had invited all of their friends to join them.
"Can I do anything?" Angela asked, still swinging her legs.
"Um… You could set the table," Chase suggested; he didn't really trust her cooking skills.
"Uh… Okay!" Angela said, hopping down from the counter and heading over to the table. She had wanted to help cook something, but as she thought about it, she realized she probably would have messed up the whole meal. So, humming happily, she covered the table in a red and green plaid table cloth.
The two worked on in silence, Chase occasionally checking on the ham while making scalloped potatoes and Angela trying to form white silk napkins into fancy shapes.
"D'you know how to make napkins look like they do in movies?" she asked Chases after yet another failed attempt.
"Uh… Not really," Chase said, poking at some boiling broccoli.
"Neither do I…." Angela sighed, shaking out the napkin. "I'll just fold them into rectangles."
And so the silence returned. After setting out white china plates, silverware, and crystal wine glasses, Angela returned to her perch on the kitchen counter.
"When will everybody be here?" she asked.
Chase glanced over his shoulder at the clock. "Hm… Around fifteen to twenty minutes," he answered.
"Awesome," Angela grinned. She couldn't wait; she absolutely loved holidays, especially when she could spend it with her friends. "Are we going to do the fondues again this year?"
"Yep," Chase nodded, turning off one of the burners. "We're going to do cheese, meat, and chocolate fondues."
Angela smiled again. "I could help cut things up for the fondues." She offered.
"Sure," Chase said. "The fruit for the chocolate fondue's in the fridge, the bread for the cheese fondue is in the breadbox, and the meat's in the freezer."
"Okay!" Angela chimed, jumping down to the floor yet again and getting all the proper ingredients. She chopped up the meat first, and put the chunks into a pan for Chase to cook. She then chopped up the bread, and put the pieces in a fondue dish. Last, she cut up the fruit, and put them into another fondue dish.
By the time she had finished this, it was time for everyone to arrive. The first to ring the doorbell were Owen and Kathy, Kathy carrying a pan and announcing it was curry bread. Angela took the bread from her friend and set it on one of the kitchen counters, inviting them in.
"Oh, wow, Chase it smells wonderful in here!" Kathy complimented, smiling. "I can't wait to eat!"
Chase just smiled and nodded.
Luke and Selena arrived next. Selena had brought a pineapple, and went into a long explanation of how it meant home and welcome and other stuff like that.
"Well it's a lovely pineapple," was all Angela could think of saying. "In fact, we're having pineapple sauce with the ham tonight."
Molly rang the doorbell next. Angela let her sister into the house and led her into the living room where everyone else was sitting. Molly cast a nervous look at Luke and sat as far away from him as possible; the two had been dating for three years when Luke broke up with Molly last summer.
"I think the cheese fondue is almost ready," Angela announced, looking over her shoulder at Chase, who nodded.
"So, what are you cooking tonight, Chase?" Luke asked a few moments later.
"Ham, scalloped potatoes, broccoli, and cheese, fruit, and meat fondues," the cook answered, checking everything off on his fingers.
"I've never really had broccoli before…" Selena said.
"It's really good," Kathy commented, grinning. "Especially with melted cheese!"
At that moment, there was a knock on the door, and Angela opened it to reveal Gill and Luna.
"Hello!" Luna cried, throwing her arms around Angela in a hug. "We brought some wine!" She grabbed a bottle of wine from Gill's hands and thrust it at Angela.
"Oh, thank you!" Angela said, carrying the bottle to the kitchen. "Everything almost done?" she asked Chase, kissing his cheek.
"Yeah," Chase said, smiling. "I just need to cook the potatoes a bit more…"
A few minutes later, everyone had arrived, and the food was finished. The group of friends all sat around the table and ate, each of them complimenting Chase. Once the food was finished, everyone migrated back to the living room where Angela served up the chocolate fondue.
Around eleven o'clock that night, the guests left. Angela poured two glasses of wine and went over to sit with Chase on the couch.
"I love Christmas..." she said sleepily, resting her head on his shoulder.
Merry Christmas!