Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N: For the Fireworks Challenge. Understand that, in my opinion anyways; George/Angelina counts as an unlikely pairing.

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"Ange, will you just live a little and go with us?" Alicia asked desperately. She, Angelina, and Katie had built a tradition over the years of going to a New Year's Eve fireworks display, but this year Angelina didn't want to go.

"What part of, 'it'll be a snow day in hell before I do that again' did you not catch?" Angelina roared. "I've got no need to remember last year, and you know as well as I do that that's what'll happen!"

"Look, we know you feel … horrible, but it won't be the same without you," Katie pleaded.

"Okay, if you insist, but I'm leaving the moment things get complicated."

"Yeah, sure you are," Alicia muttered under her breath. Last year, things had been the opposite – Angelina had been just fine till they'd gotten there and realized that a clandestine girls' night out was a big mistake.

The three girls arrived at the display an hour and a half before midnight, the same time they had turned up every year for the past five years. The display wouldn't start till half an hour later, but they had an established place under a particular tree, where they could see everything perfectly, and they wanted to make sure they kept it. Ten minutes later, Katie was setting up the lawn chairs, Angelina telling off an annoying and persistent vendor, and Alicia keeping watch in case anyone familiar turned up.

"Nuisance alert to the northwest," Alicia called, noticing someone walking towards them. "Who do you two think it is?"

"Hopefully someone female," Angelina muttered. "There is no such thing as a harmless guy at this time of night on New Year's Eve, especially not the ones we know."

"Oh, blast it, we know this one," Katie said, turning her head and recognizing the person. "George, if I'm not mistaken, and he's alone."

"Three against one – we can take him," Alicia said, delighted at the possibility. George didn't get on her nerves so much as on Angelina and Katie's, but who knew what could go wrong with him around.

"I come in peace," George said, nearing the girls and attempting to be friendly.

"Yeah, sure," Katie muttered.

"I have fireworks – proper, ordinary ones, totally harmless," he said, hoping it would make them not mind his presence so much. Naturally, it backfired.

"What did I tell you?" Angelina sent a death stare in Katie's direction.

Instead of attempting to reason with the girls, George attempted to light a firework using matches. "Trust me, I know what I'm doing," he reassured them.

"Trust you with matches? Are you on drugs or something?" Angelina was furious.

"No one's going to get hurt – these things are harmless."

"If I hear you say those are harmless one more time…"

"Besides, it's not like you'll get hurt or anything…"

"No. I would not appreciate first degree burns all over my body."

Utterly perplexed and not sure what to do, George did what was later referred to as THE most impulsive act of his life – he kissed Angelina, who wasn't quite sure what was going on. And then she was, at which point her face turned bright red.

"Do you think George would mind if I pushed him into the fire?" Alicia asked, knowing what Angelina would say.

"Go ahead, do it," she muttered, her face both cherry-red and snow-white at the same time.