Author's Note: I realize that not everyone celebrates Christmas, but please know that this fic does not focus on the religious aspects of the holiday, but rather on the idea of spending special time with a loved one. Also, I know Christmas is months away, but this got stuck in my head and I needed to write it now.
Emma awoke to the sounds of boxes being dragged across the downstairs floor. She slowly sat up, blinking as her eyes tried to adjust to the brightness in the room, and couldn't help but smile when she saw a thick coat of snow on the ground outside her window. As usual, it was cold in the drafty apartment, and she was tempted to burrow back under her warm blankets, but the noises from below piqued her curiosity. Grudgingly, she got out of bed, wincing as her feet hit the cold floor, and trudged downstairs. She paused on the last step, startled by the sight of her roommate surrounded by boxes, all of which were overflowing with decorations, lights, and pieces of a fake Christmas tree.
She groaned inwardly. She should've guessed Mary Margaret would be one of those people who went overboard celebrating Christmas. Emma hated the holidays. She had always viewed the holiday season as just one more reminder of all the things she was missing out on by not having a real family. Growing up, she'd always felt a pang of jealousy listening to the kids at school discuss their holiday plans – most of which centered around family – and she couldn't help but feel envious watching her classmates compare Christmas gifts, when she was lucky if she even received one present from her foster parents.
Catching sight of her roommate, Mary smiled. "Sorry if I woke you, but I'm way behind schedule on decorating. I can't believe Christmas is only four days away; it snuck up on me this year! There's breakfast on the stove if you're hungry."
Emma grabbed a piece of bacon before crossing the room to sit on the couch. She watched warily as Mary began extracting the pieces of the Christmas tree from one of the boxes.
"I know a real tree is prettier, but this is simpler, and more environmentally friendly, I suppose," Mary stated conversationally. Emma merely grunted in return, but Mary continued chattering, completely oblivious to her roommate's discomfort. "I was thinking I'd finish putting the tree together, since that's really no fun, and then you and I could decorate the house. I think we should save the tree for last; I don't know why, but tree decorating just seems like it should be done at night, don't you think?" She turned to the blonde, a look of child-like enthusiasm on her face.
"Oh, um, Mare, I – well I don't really do Christmas. I'm just not the holiday type." She didn't want to get into the reasons why, and she hoped the woman wouldn't pry.
"Oh, ok. Of course. I didn't even stop to consider – it's no big deal." Emma felt terrible as she watched the smile fade from Mary's face.
"But you should feel free to decorate if you'd like." The older woman nodded, and resumed the task of constructing the tree, but Emma noticed that much of her gusto was gone. She sighed inwardly; she could tell this was important to her friend, and, after all, Mary had been kind enough to bail her out of jail, share her home, and treat her with a kindness that few others had in her life. It was the least she could do to return the favor.
"Maybe," she began tentatively, "maybe I just haven't given it a proper chance. I mean, this has been a year full of changes for me, I might as well add another new experience."
Mary clapped her hands together, her excitement returning. She jumped up and turned on the radio, quickly finding a station that was broadcasting Christmas carols.
Emma busied herself sorting out the decorations, impressed by the amount of Christmas paraphernalia the woman had amassed over the years. As if reading her thoughts, Mary explained, "The majority of those are gifts from my students; being a teacher, I end up with lots of little knick-knacks each year." She had finished constructing the tree, and the two women moved around the house, setting out various holiday figurines, hanging a wreath on the door, and replacing the normal "Welcome" mat with one that read "Season's Greetings."
It was late afternoon by the time all the decorations had been distributed, so Mary made a simple lunch of sandwiches. As Emma stood to take her empty plate to the sink, she announced that she should probably stop by the station, just to make sure everything was alright. Mary nodded understandingly, saying she could use a shower and a nap anyway. Emma quickly got dressed – having spent the morning in her pajamas – and raced out the door.
She breathed a sigh of relief as she reached the station. Everywhere she'd looked on the drive there she'd seen flashes of red and green, and shoppers bustling about, arms full of packages. If she was honest with herself, she'd actually enjoyed the morning spent decorating – a Christmas first for her – but she was feeling just a tad overwhelmed. It was nice to come to the station, where there was no hint of holiday cheer. She remained at the quiet station well into the evening, before deciding that she had better return home.
The sound of Christmas music and the scent of freshly baked cookies wafted out of the front door as she approached the apartment. As she stepped through the doorway, she pasted on a smile for Mary's sake. The brunette was just lifting a tray of fragrant gingerbread cookies from the oven, and she was clearly pleased to see that Emma had returned.
"Perfect timing!" She declared. "I just finished the cookies – I hope you like gingerbread; they're kind of a tradition with me – and it's finally dark enough to start decorating the tree!"
Emma found the fake smile she'd pasted on outside the apartment quickly growing into a genuine grin as she allowed Mary's infectious enthusiasm to overtake her. She followed her friend to the tree and began to help her unload bundles of lights, long strands of tinsel, and boxes of delicate glass ornaments.
The two decorated in silence, the only sounds being the carols issuing from the radio. Emma was hesitant at first, unsure of how to properly trim a tree, having never done so before, but soon found herself enjoying the experience. Decorating the house had been pleasant, but dressing the tree felt almost magical – like a rite of passage she'd always missed out on.
Eventually, Mary excused herself to go to the bathroom, leaving Emma alone with the decorations. She briefly considered waiting for the other woman to return, but found that she did not want to stop. In spite of herself, she was caught up in the moment, and even began to sing along with the Christmas carol on the radio.
"I didn't know you could sing." Emma jumped, dropping the piece of tinsel she'd been holding. She'd been so absorbed in the task at hand that she hadn't heard the sound of her roommate's footsteps returning.
"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to frighten you. You have a lovely voice."
"Thanks," Emma mumbled, flushing because of the woman's praise and the embarrassment at being caught unaware.
Mary, who had resumed her tree decorating duties, continued to probe, "I thought you didn't like Christmas?"
"Well even if you don't celebrate the holiday, it's hard to avoid hearing the songs when they're constantly played in every store and on every radio station around this time of year. You memorize the words without even meaning to."
Her friend nodded in agreement and began to sing along as well. Emma's eyes widened. She knew her own voice was decent, but Mary's clear, melodic voice sounded like something out of – well, a Disney movie. She had intended to keep quiet and merely listen to the other woman, but she was unable to resist joining in, and soon found herself attempting to harmonize with Mary. She still felt a bit self-conscious, but she had to admit that they sounded pretty good together.
"Perhaps the two of us could go caroling around the neighborhood tomorrow night," Mary suggested. Emma froze, eyes wide, mouth half open. She'd been trying very hard to get into the Christmas spirit for her roommate's sake, but this was asking too much of her!
Mary burst out laughing. "It's a joke, Emma! You should see your face!" A wave of relief washed over Emma. She lightly swatted Mary's arm, trying to look offended, but found herself laughing as well.
Finally, when the last ball had been hung and the last strand of tinsel had been threaded through the branches, both women stepped back, tired, but pleased.
"Are you ready to light it?" Mary asked. Emma nodded, and crossed to the light switch, her hand poised to turn off the room lights at the exact moment that Mary plugged in the tree lights. "On the count of three: one, two, three!" Both women murmured in delight at the effect.
Emma got goose-bumps as she looked around the room at the results of their hard work; she had to admit that the place looked beautiful. She moved to sit on the couch, which afforded the perfect view of the tree, and was joined a few minutes later by Mary, who came bearing two steaming mugs of hot chocolate (with cinnamon, of course). The pair sat in silence, both lost in thought, the glow of the twinkling tree lights falling on their faces.
Reviews are welcome – tell me what you liked, what you didn't like, what you had for breakfast :) – whatever you want to share, I want to hear from you! Also, I have a pretty good idea of where I want this story to go, but I'd love to hear any suggestions you might have!