A little ficlet for my own Moneypenny, because I thought Christmas always cheers everyone up, surely when it are Bel and Freddie who celebrate Christmas together.

01. Chocolate

Freddie absolutely hates chocolate. He really can't stand it. Gives him red spots and itches all over the place. It may look tremendously funny, it really isn't. When they are 18, Bel tries to tease him by secretly feeding him chocolate cookies and has a good laugh out of it - until he passes out on the couch, looking miserable and wondering why he feels so bad. She still doesn't dare to admit she actually liked stroking his hair back and singing him Christmas carols all night.

02. Long distance

When they are 27, Bel is in France and Freddie is in London. It is the year after Freddie's mom died and they spend 4 hours on the phone because they're not used be so far apart. He takes up the horn with a soft "hello" and she replies with a "Christmas is absolutely bollocks without you".

03. I think of you

They have this ridiculous game with a coin they play during Christmas dinners. If your pie has the coin in it, the person you were thinking about is the person you'll marry. Freddy breaks off a part of his tooth and they have to see a dentist because it won't stop bleeding, but he proposes to her anyway and she accepts with a soft giggle.

04. Sensitive

Freddie is so sensitive sometimes it annoys her. Like when she forgets she would come over and when she arrives two hours late he's gone out to blow off some steam. However, when she sees how he cooked, did the dishes and set the table, she realizes this Christmas dinner could have been different than the ones before this.

05. Wait, what?

"A mwow ye," he mumbles with a mouth full of turkey, and she looks up somewhat flabbergasted, cocking her head to the side.

"Wait, what?" she asks, and he shakes his head to tell her it wasn't important.

06. Decay

They forgot their turkey because they were so drunk, and he finds it days later. The stench is horrible, but the night was worth it.

07. Stray

The first time they celebrate Christmas together it isn't planned, but her mother is out and her father is gone and she is sort of a stray cat out on the streets. He takes her in because he likes her, like he's always done, and he gives her one of his cardigans to get warm. Sometimes, when she opens her closet, it drops from the top shelf and she can't help but wear it for a day.

08. Kiss

The Christmas after the accident he can't walk, but he can at least move his lips, and he settles on showing her all night long.

09. The edge

Sometimes he drives her to the edge, and one year she didn't even want to celebrate Christmas with him, but ended up doing so anyway because he made her brownies and he might be easy to forgive.

10. Once more

They didn't stop the hour. They did fire Hector. Marnie comes over for Christmas dinner because Freddie is addicted to her cranberry tarts. She brings a whole bunch of him and he wheels around in his wheelchair merrily. Camille has disappeared, too, she fell in love with someone. She had hugged Freddie and told him goodbye, but she always knew his heart wasn't fully hers. When Freddie has finally had enough tarts (which is after a descent amount, and he even spills on his white shirt) Marnie tells them goodnight and leaves for home, taking her cheerfully babbling child with her.

Freddie eyes Bel and she eyes him. They never needed words, and even though he can't walk, he never fails to dazzle her once more.