Hey Schmece fans. This is something I have been working on for the last few months. It's been pretty slow going so I apologize about that. This takes place immediately after LAXmas and is my take on how Schmidt and Cece spent their holidays given that they were in the same city. I'm expecting to have at least six chapters...maybe seven & I'm working on those too, but I apologize in advance if it takes me a while to update them. Please be patient...& review please! Enjoy.


Ch. 1 – Joy to the World & Everyone

"…I really like being your friend."

Schmidt felt his heart drop down ten stories and disappear into oblivion. He didn't know how six simple words, meant to provide comfort could make him feel hopeless and yet surprisingly content at the same time. Given all the mistakes he had made with her, part of him was more than thankful that she was even willing to consider being friends with him. Although, something about the way she spoke made her words seem so final. As if that was all they could ever be from that point on. And for that, he couldn't blame her. All he could do was swallow the pain, which he knew he deserved, and just grin and bear it.

"My friend."

Hearing the pain in his voice and seeing the hurt in his eyes caused Cece's face to slightly fall. Though they both tried to hide behind a forced smile, she knew Schmidt too well, and she could see that he was dying on the inside. She hated that she was doing that to him, and wished like hell that they go back and re-do everything that brought them to this moment, but that was just not possible. She had no way of knowing if they would ever be able to get back to a place where she felt safe with him again. She knew she had to be more cautious going forward, especially with him.

As hard as it was for him to do so, Schmidt held the gaze his eyes had on hers. In that brief moment, he searched deep within them to get some kind of sense as to what she was feeling. He used to do that a lot back when they first started dating. This time, looking into those gorgeous brown eyes, what he read in them was genuine comfort and care towards him. It only took a second for it to register in his mind, but that was all he needed to come to terms with accepting this new status of their relationship…their new friendship.

"I like being your friend too."


Cece was woken up by the pilot announcing to all the passengers of the plane that they were approaching JFK and getting ready to make their descent. It was then that she realized that she had fallen asleep on the shoulder of her ex who was still fast asleep with his head tilted back. Cece pulled her head up and leaned back to her side of the seat before he would notice, but he never stirred. She looked over at him to assure that he was still sleeping, contemplating whether or not to wake him. He looked so cute when he was sleeping. She didn't want to take her eyes off of him. His nose haphazardly crinkled the way it always did when he was deep in slumber. Cece smiled at the small movement that soon acted as a trigger to all the memories she had held onto. All those nights lying in bed with him after sex. Cece would make up excuses to prolong her stay, saying that she was too tired to try to leave or didn't want to risk being caught by one of the roommates getting up to pee at 4 am, but those were just lies she fed him to keep him from knowing the truth. She enjoyed lying in bed with him and even watching him sleep sometimes.

She thought back to one night in particular during the time they had their secret affair. She broke into the loft and snuck into his room at 3 o'clock in the morning. It had been almost a week since she and Schmidt's last rendezvous and she was craving him like an addict going through withdrawals. The few times she tried to reach him for a booty call, he didn't answer. Jess had mentioned to her that she was trying to help him rid himself of his obsessive need for order and control, but it had taken a horrible turn. So a desperate Cece decided to take matters into her own hands.

Earlier that night, Cece had gone out with her model friends to a club and spent the whole evening partying. All night, guys were hitting on her and trying to convince her to go home with them, but none of them had really interested her. They were the exact same type of guys she had usually hooked up with, but lately, they just weren't doing it for her. The only thing on her mind was the 5'10", neurotic Jewish man she had waiting for her…hopefully.

She quietly closed the door to his room and crawled onto the bed with him, but before she could bring herself to wake him, she sat there motionless, just watching him. He looked so peaceful lying there shirtless, on his right side with his arm under his pillow. A few moments had passed before she started to wonder if what she was doing constituted as stalker behavior. Suddenly feeling incredibly creeped out by herself, she tried to gently wake him without frightening him, but he was very tightly wound so surprising him was inevitable.

As the thought of seeming creepy occurred to her again, she snapped herself from the past and back into reality sitting next to a sleeping Schmidt on the plane. Cece placed her hand on his shoulder to softly shake him awake. "Schmidt….Schmidt wake up." She whispered to him. He slowly began to come to, rubbing his eyes and stretching his back.

"What's going on?" He asked with a slightly groggy voice. "Did you need to use the bathroom?" his eyes were only half open as he looked at her, but even that was enough for her to get lost in them. She flustered a bit before remembering why she had woken him up in the first place.

"Um…n-no…I don't. Uh…We're about to land." She turned back to face forward and exhaled slowly and quietly.

"How long was I out?" he asked curiously, not remembering ever falling asleep.

"I don't know. I fell asleep too." Schmidt shuffled around under his feet to assure that his carryon bag was still beneath his feet and was ready to go when they landed. As the plane began its descent, getting closer to the ground, Cece got that sick feeling she always got from flying. She tried to hide it from Schmidt, closing her eyes and sitting up as straight as she could with her back pushed right up against the back of her seat. She attempted to control her breathing, but was completely unaware of the fact that she sounded like a woman in the early stages of labor. Schmidt patted the back of her hand in an effort to ease her worry.

"Just relax." He said sweetly, "It's almost over." He pulled his hand back to his lap trying not to overstep in the territory of their new friendship.

Cece, however, was so unnerved that she couldn't even bring herself to utter a simple thank you, let alone realize if his hand lingered on hers. She was grateful for the gesture and found it sweet that he noticed. The plane suddenly touched down on the runway and bounced for a moment or two. Without even realizing, Cece's hand flew across the arm rests and located one of his in his lap. She squeezed for dear life. Schmidt was just glad he doesn't make his living playing guitar for some Alternative Rock band, because then he would be screwed. Though he couldn't care less. If there was anything that he could do to help her feel better when she was scared, he would move heaven and earth to do so.

He let her squeeze away, running his thumb along the backside of her hand for reassurance. As the plane slowed down and turned off the runway, she finally felt relaxed enough to let go. It wasn't until she released his hand that she realized just how deadly her grip actually was. Schmidt tried not to let her see him massage his hand.

"Oh my god. I'm so sorry, Schmidt." She had no idea that she was squeezing that hard. Feeling somewhat embarrassed, she bit the corner of her lower lip.

"Ah, don't worry about it." He said. "I'm just glad I could help. Are you feeling better now?"

"Yeah, I think so. Thank you." Her voice was still a bit shaky. She looked at him out the corner of her eye and in doing so, caught him doing the same. They shared a kind smile with one another.

"Anytime." Schmidt said as they both broke their connection. It started getting a bit awkward.

"I don't know why, but I just get so freaked out when the plane starts going down like that."

"I know."

Cece looked at him confused. "How?"

"That cruise we went on a few months ago. We had to fly back from Mexico. You grabbed my arm so fast. I thought you were going to dislocate my shoulder, you were gripping it so tight."

"You remember that?"

"Of course I do." Cece couldn't help but feel a tug at her heartstrings at that statement. She smiled sweetly at him just before hearing the pilot address all the passengers of the plane.

"Ladies and gentlemen, as we make our way to the gate, I ask that you please remain seated until we come to a complete stop and the seatbelt lights turn off. On behalf of everyone I would like to thank you for choosing American Airlines for your holiday travel needs. Welcome to New York City and have a very Merry Christmas."

Schmidt and Cece sat in silence as the plane slowly made its way towards the gate entrance. Like them, most of the other passengers were getting their bearings after having been woken up. Soon enough, they came to a complete stop, the seatbelt lights turned off and everyone stood. Schmidt, ever the gentleman, stood up and blocked the aisle from all the passengers behind them to allow Cece ample room to depart the plane.


JFK was about as crazy as LAX had been. All around them people were rushing around and rudely pushing past each other without any regard for others. Like a scene from World War Z, it was every man for himself. Schmidt did his best to block any and all vagrants from trampling Cece. In him, there was an instinctual need to protect her. It was as if he was a bodyguard and she a famous popstar after a concert trying to dodge unruly fans. Things settled down a bit the closer they got to the exit.

Schmidt and Cece reached the escalator going down and finally felt like they could relax. "Jesus Christ," she said. "Christmas is supposed to be a happy time, but everyone is acting like it's the end of the world."

"Yeah…it's pretty crazy. You okay?" Schmidt asked her somewhat out of breath.

"I'm good. What about you? You were pushing passed them like a Linebacker. I didn't know you had it in you."

"I was defending you against an angry hoard of New Yorkers. There's a reason this is called the most aggressive city in the world, and the holidays just send it into overdrive." Cece smiled at him appreciatively. If there was anything she took away from her entire relationship with Schmidt, it was that no matter what, he would do anything for the people he cared about.

"Aw. My hero." She said playfully as their eyes met and they shared a smile.

The pair made it down to the terminal exit and immediately their smiles faded. The line for the cab stand seemed to go on for miles. Each of them knew there was no way they were getting out of there for at least four hours.

"You have got to be kidding me." Cece threw hands in the air and rolled her eyes.

"Well this is just ridiculous!" They were both beyond aggravated.

"So. What do we do now? Do we just…wait?"

Schmidt angrily put his hands on his hips and shrugged. "I don't know."

Seeing that the rental car line was not nearly as long, Cece made a suggestion. "I mean…I guess we could just…rent a car or something."

Schmidt looked around trying desperately to rack his brain for an idea that would get them out of that God forsaken airport within the next few minutes. That's when his eyes caught sight of their ticket out. Off to the right of the exit doors stood a group of Chauffer's holding signs for their intended clients. Cece could see the lightbulb in his head suddenly flick on and got really nervous. He had a plan and nine times out of ten, his plans didn't go all that well.

"Actually," He said, looking at Cece with a sly smile that made her anxious, "I might have an idea."

Her face cringed. "Oh god. How can this end well?"

"Just trust me." As Schmidt made his way to where the drivers stood, Cece was a few steps behind him given that she had mentally checked out for a second. Hearing that word escape from his lips in such a casual manner made her a little uneasy. There was a time when he was one of the few people she had trusted. Thinking about it now, though, she had to ask herself if any part of her trusted him, and if so, in what way?

They both stopped when they were about ten feet away from the collection of suited men. "Okay. Wait here until I flag you over, and then…you just…follow my lead." Cece nodded, reluctantly following along blindly with Schmidt's plan that was sure to get him arrested. Schmidt walked up to chauffer holding a sign that read 'L. Meriwether' and decided to try his luck.

"For Meriwether?" Schmidt asked with confidence, which was met with a quizzical look from the driver.

"You're Liz Meriwether?"

Schmidt knew deep down that this might happen, but his ego clouded his ability to come up with a plan beforehand. Luckily, working in marketing usually made him clever at thinking on his feet…usually. While trying to search his brain for an explanation, he couldn't come up with a single thing. The driver continued to look at him puzzled as he stood there stammering, unable to form a complete sentence. He quickly glanced back towards Cece, who thought he was going to develop Nick's affliction of excessive perspiration during scams and lying.

Suddenly it hit him. Schmidt smiled at the chauffer, regaining his self-reliance. "Well…I'm not…obviously. No I work for Miss Meriwether. She's right over yonder." He pointed to Cece, catches her off guard as, both men's eyes were aimed in her direction. "Hey Liz, would come over here please?" Schmidt called over to her. Cece hesitantly walked over to where she was being summoned.

Assessing the situation, Cece understood the general idea of what was transpiring and adapted. "Yes. I am Liz Meriwether. Sorry I had to send my assistant over. I was collecting myself, it was a long flight."

"Understood ma'am. Traveling during the holidays is crazy." With that verbal acceptance of her identification, the Chauffer lowered the sign that displayed the name of her new alias and began grabbing her luggage. Once he had a firm hold on her bags, he led them outside the airport where his black limo was waiting curbside.

"Oh. Don't I know it?" Cece was a natural at deception and was owning this façade. Schmidt was more than impressed with her performance.

"So where am I taking you today Miss Meriwether?"

"Well…I'm going to The Roosevelt on 45th & Madison. But my assistant here will be staying elsewhere. I gave him the holidays off to spend time with family."

"That was nice of you." The driver reached the trunk of the car, opened it and began to load all of their luggage, grabbing bags from Schmidt as well.

"Ah…Well…What can I say?" It was scary how great her acting chops were.

"So I take it…I'm dropping him off after you then?" The driver directed towards Schmidt.

"If you don't mind." Cece answered for him politely.

"Not at all ma'am." He closed the trunk and stepped back up onto the curb to open the door for his two passengers. Cece got in first flashing a friendly grin and was followed by Schmidt who nodded as he entered the vehicle.


Once the driver's door closed, he lowered the partition separating the two areas of the limo. The driver turned in his seat to face his guests. "So Miss Meriwether…I have your destination, but where am I dropping your assistant?"

"-Long Island!" "-Queens!"

They both exclaimed in unison, once again confusing the driver. Schmidt and Cece both looked at each other. "I thought you're mom still lived in Long Island. Ya' know the whole 'LIL…Billy Joel' outburst back at the lounge." Cece asked recalling his blowout with that business man back in the First Class Lounge of LAX, the reason of which she was still confused about.

"She does, but this year we're spending the holidays with my cousin. The other Schmidt. He lives in Queens."

"Wait. Big Schmidt? The one I met during the 'Parent Trap Thanksgiving' a few years ago?"

"The one and only." The driver just sat there while they carried on their conversation, as they temporarily forgot his presence.

"Good luck with that."

"Thanks. I'm going to need all I can get." He wasn't kidding, Schmidt knew full well the hell he was in for and hearing his tone, Cece got an idea of how his vacation was going to go.

After a few seconds of silence, the driver spoke up to confirm his secondary destination. "So…Queens then?" He asked.

"Yes, thank you." With that, the driver turned back into his seat, closing the partition and starting the car. Seconds later, they were on the road fighting through holiday highway hell.


The drive into the city took as long as one could expect given the time of year. Schmidt and Cece, however barely noticed. They weren't even in the limo for a full two minutes before finding the fully stocked minibar. To celebrate their success in tricking the driver and procuring for themselves a free ride, Cece popped a bottle of expensive champagne and poured them both glasses. They passed the time playing stupid road trip games that only seemed less dumb the tipsier they got.

The two of them were having such a good time that they didn't even realize that they were having a legitimate friendly interaction. There were no awkward pauses or momentary lapses filled with weird tension. They were just two people who had been the best of friends for years. Nothing more, nothing less. These kinds of interactions had become a somewhat rare occurrence, but they did happen on occasion.

The most recent was this past Thanksgiving, or as Schmidt had decreed it, 'Bangs-Giving'. After the soiree was all said and done, Cece stayed behind to play board games with Schmidt. They had a few beers and settled themselves on the living room floor attempting to translate what seemed to be the Thai version of Monopoly that was left at the loft courtesy of Tran. Cece was almost positive that they were playing it completely wrong, but Schmidt was having a hell of a time just making it up as they went along. He would pretend that he could actually read the playing cards and each and every one had worked for his advantage. Cece got a kick out of seeing how excited he got, thinking he was actually winning. She would pretend to be annoyed with him and his cheating, but secretly, she wouldn't have it any other way.

"Here we are." Both of them were caught off guard when the chauffer rolled down the partition. Hearing his voice call out to them that they had arrived snapped them back to the present in an instant. They each looked outside the window and saw the entrance to the hotel where Cece would be spending her trip.

"Oh." She said, accidentally letting her disappointment slip into her tone. She was having a nice time hanging with Schmidt in the back of that limo. Schmidt got out first and helped her out of the backseat in a true gentlemanly style.

"Miss Meriwether." He said sarcastically as he extended his hand out for her to take as she stepped out of the car and onto the curb in front of the building. The driver was already at the trunk pulling out her luggage and setting it down on the curb next to her. He tipped his hat to her and wished her a 'Happy Holidays' then walked back around the car to take his place in the driver's seat to allow them their last words before parting ways.

For a moment or so, the two of them stood awkwardly facing each other wondering how to go about bidding each other adieu.

Cece let out a small sigh. "So…I guess this is goodbye for now?"

"More like a see you later."

"Right, well. I'll see you back at JFK on the thirtieth then."

"You shall…And hey, if you ever need anything, I'm just a phone call away."

Cece smiled at him for being ever so sweet. No matter what, he never failed to express his concern for her. "I appreciate that."

Schmidt returned the smile. "What are friends for?" With that, Cece's subconscious acted on her behalf. She leaned in and wrapped her arms around him and pulled him in close for a hug. Schmidt brought his arms up to reciprocate. The embrace lasted for a long moment. While Cece was holding on because she felt so secure in his arms, Schmidt was taking this time to breathe her in. He missed being flooded with her scent that he had once described as a 'heavenly curry smell'.

Their moment had reached its inevitable end and they both pulled away, immediately meeting the others eyes. "Happy Holidays, Schmidt."

"Happy Moon Festival Cecilia."

That comment provoked its usual eye-roll. "Okay, that's still not a thing." She said to him with a feigned exasperated tone. He gave a sly smile to her as he turned and got back into the back seat of the limo and shut the door behind him.

Once the road was clear, the vehicle pulled out of the loading space and onto the busy streets of New York and continued to its next destination. Cece held her place on the sidewalk in front of her hotel. Her eyes were glued to the tail lights of the car. Part of her could still feel the frame of her ex-boyfriend against her. She couldn't believe that she had started to miss him already, but she knew herself well enough to know that it wasn't his company that she was really missing.


Schmidt sat quietly in the back seat of the commandeered limo, staring out the window, watching what seemed like the world pass him by. The skyscrapers, the people, the city as a whole, it all seemed new to him every time he came back. Maybe that was because he didn't come back often. Suddenly he was hit with a wave of nostalgia, and all the memories from his childhood slowly resurfaced. All the teasing, the bullying and embarrassing moments, being chased down the block, it made him cringe.

Out the window, he saw the sign for the Queensboro Bridge. Right on cue, his stomach became overwhelmed with the feeling of dread. The thought of being stuck in his cousin's house with his overbearing, critical mother & his nagging aunt along with countless other members of his family, gave him a premature migraine. He closed his eyes and tilted his head back, trying to ease his irritation by going to his happy place and hopefully relieve his anxiety. The minute he allowed both his body to relax and his brain to mentally check itself out, he became inundated with images of the woman he just left.

He wasn't surprised that she was all he could think about. Whenever he needed to calm himself down, his mind would always inadvertently overload itself with images and memories of the one that got away. Schmidt never forgave himself for the way things turned out with Cece. In fact, he hated himself for it.

Whenever he thought about all the crap he had put her through, he felt a pit in his stomach. He had that same feeling eight hours ago back at LAX when Cece had made a point to tell him that she really liked being his friend. That hit him harder than he ever could imagine. Schmidt had no illusions about his future with Cece. Though occasionally, he would fantasize about the possibility of them getting back together, with the internal promise to himself to do better. But after that conversation, those fantasies fell even further on the spectrum of possibly becoming a reality.

'I really like being your friend'. Her voice uttering that sentence over and over again was tormenting him. It was his own fault, and once again, he just had to grin and bear it. He also saw this as an opportunity. Cece was a part of his life and he was intent on keeping it that way. They may never have a romantic relationship again, but being friends will have to suffice. Schmidt decided that he was going to give this friendship a true shot, and give it his all. Starting as soon as possible. He couldn't lose her from his life for good. He wouldn't.


So that's the first chapter. Please let me know what you think. And again I apologize in advance if it takes me a while to update but I at least wanted to get this out before December since it's set during Christmas. Would love to have your feedback and any suggestions you guys might have. Thanks Again! SCHMECE 4EVER!