Christmas Promises

"Dashing through the snow in a one horse open sleigh. Over the fields we go laughing all the way!" Charlotte sang, placing ornaments on the Christmas tree.

"HA HA HA." Seamus joined, helping her with some tinsel. "Bells on bob tails ring, making spirits bright. Oh, what fun it is to laugh and sing a sleighing song tonight!"

"Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way. Oh, what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh." Charlotte continued, placing a green ornament on a tree.

"Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way. Oh, what fun it is to fix up a tree with my girl, HEY!" Seamus laughed, placing a blue ornament next to the green one.

"Those aren't the words! But that was sweet, so it can slide." Charlotte stuck her tongue out.

"Hey, I'm still glad that your mam let ya come stay with us for Christmas."

"She's coming, you know. I heard your mum and mine talking after she flooed over with me. She's coming on Christmas Eve and I think she's staying in the guest room."

"Is she? Well I guess you'll just have to stay with me tomorrow night." Her boyfriend grinned, pulling her in his arms.

"Oh, you. I'm sleeping with her. Oh! That is not what I meant, Seamus Finnigan and you know it. Stop laughing!" She scolded, walking out of his arms. She laughed and grabbed a few candy canes, placing them on the tree.

"I was only joking, yah." Seamus grinned, popping a piece of candy cane in his mouth.

"You're not supposed to eat those yet. You have to wait 'till Christmas, love!" Charlotte smiled, taking a piece from him.

"Oh, look who's talking!" He shouted, tackling her to the ground, candy cane fallen on the floor.

Charlotte laughed, "I was mocking you! No, no, Seamus! Don't you dar-" She burst into laughter as Seamus tickled her. "I *gasp* hate being *laugh, gasp* TICKLED!"

"I know! It makes all the better!" He grinned, not even faltering in his tickles.

"St-stop it!" She screamed, tears welling up in her eyes. She kicked her foot into his leg, causing him to jump off in pain.

"Ow! Lottie! That bloody well hurt!"

"Oh, I'm so sorry Shay. Would ya like a bandaid?" She snickered. "That was payback. Learn to listen next time!"

He took two full steps to her and pulled her in his arms, stopping so his mouth was next to her ear. "Oh, dominate, eh? I'd like to see that in bed, yah."

"Oh, Merlin! You've gotten so perverted! Who have you been hanging out with?" She laughed, stepping away from him and grabbing the box of ornaments. "We need to finish this, Shay. We've been at it for hours."

"What do I have to say? Irish blood runs in these veins. I can go on and on and on!" He laughed, grabbing a few ornaments.

"Oh, really now." Charlotte smirked, raising an eyebrow at him, then turned to the tree. "Hmm…we're almost done. It's missing something though…"

"It needs something for us."

"Oh, right!" She smiled. "Hmm, but what? We don't really have anything."

"We can take a picture and place it into one of these." Seamus said, holding up an empty picture-frame ornament.

"Brilliant. Have you a muggle camera?"

"Yah. Around here…um, over here." He took a camera out of a drawer. "On the couch, Lottie."

"M'kay!" She jumped on the couch and swung her legs on his lap. She brought her face next to his and looked into the camera. "Say cheese!"

"Cheese? Why would I say that, yah?"

"I've no idea. Americans say it, though."

"Oh. Right. Cheese!" Seamus smiled, taking the picture.

"Oh, another! Let's do another! Cheese!" Charlotte grinned. Seamus shrugged and right when he took the picture, he kissed her cheek, causing her to blush bright red.

Seamus looked through the pictures and burst out laughing at the look of Charlotte's face. "This one! I love this one."

"Oi. I don't think so. The first one is nice…"

"Alright…" He sighed with a smile.

"Perfect. Now we need to uh…get it out of there. How?" Charlotte looked up at Seamus.

"No idea. I'll let me dad figure it out." He laughed, placing the camera on the table.

Charlotte nodded and leaned on his shoulder, sighing. "You smell good."

-Christmas Eve-

"Mama!" Charlotte exclaimed, getting off of the chair and running to her mother.

"'Ello my Charlotte." She hugged her daughter and set her bag down. "Oh, I do 'ate zis floo zing. It iz a 'orrible way ov getting 'ere." She spotted Seamus and his parents. "Oh, 'ello Misser and Misses Vinnigan. Ah, young Zeamus. Zoo are taking care ov my Charlotte?"

"Mom!" Charlotte scolded, blushing.

"Of course, Ms. Pelletier." Seamus smiled cheekily, earning a sigh from Charlotte.

"Adelaide, dear, would you like some tea?" Mrs. Finnigan asked, instructing her husband to put her bags in the guest room.

"Ves, please. Zoo are so 'ospitable." Charlotte's mother smiled, following Seamus' mom to the kitchen.

"Must you be so goody-goody?" Charlotte laughed, sitting next to Seamus again.

"Hey, if you're going to be my girlfriend, then I need to be good with yer mam." He grinned, putting his arm around her.

"Oh shush." She smiled, leaning into him and watching the fire.

-That Evening-

"That was a really nice dinner, Mrs. Finnigan, thank you!" Charlotte and her mom said at the same time.

"Yeah, it was good mam." Seamus agreed, sipping the last of his Oak-Matured Mead. (Used only for special events, of course.)

"Oh, it was nothing. Please, Seamus, Charlotte, go into the sitting room and relax." His mother replied, smiling. Charlotte and Seamus nodded and walked out.

"Your mom is really nice. I like her."

"Not more than me, I hope." Seamus grinned.

"Oh, you! Of course not." She smiled, leaning up to kiss his cheek.

"I think you missed." He smiled, taking her face in his hands and kissing her lips. Immediately responding, Charlotte kissed back, bringing him closer by his shirt. Charlotte shyly opened her mouth, allowing Seamus' tongue to lick her lips, then touch her own. Charlotte smiled and knocked tongues with his, letting out a small sigh.

"Oh my! I think they discovered the mistletoe!" Mr. Finnigan laughed, startling the pair. Charlotte and Seamus jumped apart, blushing and looking sheepish. Charlotte slyly looked up and saw that they were standing underneath mistletoe, which looked to be blooming as they stood.

"I…I didn't notice that!" Charlotte squeaked.

"You're startled. It grows with the kiss. Once the kiss deepens, the mistletoe grows." Mrs. Finnigan explained. Seamus and Charlotte nodded. "Well, we ate kind of late, why don't you two go change for bed and I'll make some cookies. Adelaide, would you care to help?"

"Oh, vez, please."

"Right, well. I'll see myself to some wine then." Mr. Finnigan nodded to the pair, leaving the room.

"Let's go change, Shay." Charlotte smiled, dragging her boyfriend up the stairs.

-After changing, about 11 o'clock at night-

"Well, Seamus dear, we're off to bed. Don't stay up past twelve, other wise Santa won't come." Mrs. Finnigan said, following her husband up the stairs.

"Mam! I'm not five, I'm 16. You know I don't believe in Santa."

"Oh, whatever. Good night dear. Good night, Charlotte." Mrs. Finnigan smiled before leaving the room.

Seamus and Charlotte waited before they heard the door shut before talking. "Now we're all alone." Seamus smiled, wagging his eyebrows.

"Seamus! We're not alone. My mum…"

"…went to bed an hour ago." Seamus finished, kissing her forehead.

"Noooo. Come on, we've a big day tomorrow. Let's go to bed, Shay." Charlotte smiled, standing up and pulling Seamus with her.

"Oh, alright." He huffed, obviously ticked.

Charlotte giggled, "You're too cute." She dragged him up stairs and stopped in front of her door. "Good night, Seamus. Happy Christmas." She gave him a light kiss on the lips and went into her room.

Sighing, Seamus smiled and went into his own room, down the hall.

-With Charlotte-

Smiling (and blushing mad), Charlotte stepped into the attached bathroom and pulled off her modest pajamas. She looked at her new outfit she was going to put on and blushed once again. Sliding on the lace and blue lingerie piece (for blue was his favorite color), she looked at herself in the mirror and nearly fainted. The piece was a V-neck, cut to where the bottom of her bra would be, adorned with lace, of course, and spaghetti strapped. It stopped mid-thigh and was made of the finest satin.

Charlotte brushed her waist-length hair and sprayed mango-scented body spray on her body, seeing as how he loved mangos. Shaking, she slipped the kimono-style robe over her risqué clothing and turned off the bathroom light before walking into her shared room. She snuck out of the room, careful not to wake her mother, and made a quick stop downstairs before she went to the door of Seamus' room.

At exactly twelve, Charlotte knocked on Seamus' door lightly. It took a minute before the door opened, with a messy-haired Seamus standing there, bewildered.

"Happy Christmas, Seamus." Charlotte whispered, her hands behind her back. She leaned forward, causing her kimono to fall open, giving him a quick view of her chest. He stood in the door, shocked. Charlotte took her hands from behind her back and raised one above her head. That hand held a piece of mistletoe. Glancing up, she smiled. "I guess you should kiss me, that is the rule, right?"

Seamus smirked and pulled her in his room by the waist, his lips locking on hers. The door shut behind the two, leaving them to night of unworldly passions.

-Next Day-

"Kids! Wake up! Seamus, Charlotte! Santa came and Ms. Pelletier and I made yummy breakfast!" Mrs. Finnigan called from the stairs. Groaning, Seamus sat up and blinked. He saw that his room was a mess -when he clearly knew that he cleaned it before Charlotte came-, he was wearing only his boxers and Charlotte was next to him, hogging the blankets and wearing only her robe.

Blushing fiercely, Seamus smiled thinking of the previous night. "Seamus! Charlotte! Come on!" Startled, Charlotte jumped out of the bed and started rushing about the room, throwing clothes on.

"Charlotte! Calm down, yah!" Seamus stood up and walked to his girlfriend and shook her by the shoulders.

"Wh-what happened?"

"Me mam is callin' us down for breakfast. We need to get dressed."

"Oh. Right. Well, I should go to my room then." Charlotte said, walking towards the door with clothes in her hands. "By the way, last night really meant a lot to me." She smiled at him before closing the door behind her, catching a fleeting glance at the blushing Seamus.

-Later On-

"Oh, thank you! Thank you so much Mr. and Mrs. Finnigan! I absolutely adore it!" Charlotte exclaimed, fastening on a four-leaf clover necklace.

"Oh, it iz beau'iful. I 'ave somezing for zoo, too, Misser and Misses Vinnigan. 'ere, 'ere." Charlotte's mother gave the elder couple a slim box covered in wrapping paper of Paris. The Finnigans gasped when they saw three tickets for a cruise to the Bahamas. "I know it iz not magical like zoo are uzed 'oo, but I shought zoo vould like it none-zeh-less."

"Wow! I don't know if I could accept this! It is too much!" Mrs. Finnigan gasped.

"Please, accept! An' iv zoo vouldn' mind, I 'ave two ozer tickets, for myself an' my Charlotte."

"I am sure that would be wonderful. When is it for?" Mr. Finnigan asked, looking at the tickets.

"Zis summer. If Zeamus an' Charlotte stay together, ov course, then ve vould come along."

"Well, this is truly amazing, thank you. Seamus, what do you say?"

Seamus was staring at Charlotte in awe. "I…thank you Ms. Pelletier. It's spectacular."

-Much Later-

"Your mam didn't have to do that, y'know. It's too much."

"It's nothing, really. I guess that's one thing I didn't really say. Since the divorce, my mum got a lot of money from my pa. We're kind of well off now. I hope you're not mad."

"No, why would I be?"

"I don't know…I never told you…" Charlotte looked at him and sighed.

"No, it's fine. If that was the case, then why did you come to my small house? You have a big one of your own, yah." Seamus scoffed.

"Seamus. I didn't ask for the money. I like your house, it's so nice. I don't like big things…expensive things."

Seamus sighed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that, yah. Anyway, I got ya something. It's not much…" Seamus held out a small box. Charlotte grinned and took it, there was no wrapping paper, so she just opened it right away. Inside was a silver Claddagh ring.

"I love it!" Charlotte said, tears in her eyes. "Thank you so much!"

"You're welcome. It's usually worn as a wedding ring, but see, if you put it on your right hand like this, and place it inward, that means you're in a relationship. Once it's turned outward, you are not in a relationship, but you're looking for love, yah. If it's on the left hand, it's an engagement ring. Outward, you're engaged, inward you're married."

"Oh. Wow, I never knew the meaning of it. What do these symbolize?" Charlotte asked, pointing to the insignia on the ring.

"Uhm, the crown means loyalty, the hands here means friendship and the heart means love, yah." Seamus smiled, blushing a bit. "Also…in a marriage ceremony, once the rings are exchanged, you say your vows, and traditionally people say something like this: With this crown I give my loyalty," Seamus pointed to the crown. "with these hands I offer my service," he pointed to the hands. "with this heart, I give you mine." He pointed to his heart and smiled. "I love you, Lottie."

Charlotte smiled and kissed him. "Aw! I love you, Seamus. Oh, and here." Charlotte pulled out a small box that held an Irish cross on a chain. "Happy Christmas."

"Thank you, Lottie. Happy Christmas." Seamus sighed, pulling her into a hug and kissing the top of her head.

A/N: Yes, Yes, I know you all are wondering why I keep posting Seamus Finnigan stories. Truth? I have fallen in love with the Irish lad. Another Truth? I can do damn well what I please. Next chapter is the smut seen. It has no other plot to the story, so you don't have to read it. M'kay? Okay, bye.