A/N: Lynn Cooper is my original character. I created her as a love interest for Diane in my multi-chapter fanfic 'Notes on a Scandal'.
Diane and Lynn: Our First Dance
"Stay here," I instruct Diane right after we enter the living room and before I turn away, I look her up and down in the knee length, dark red dress, with a deep cleavage we bought together for tonight's party. She looks just as sexy in it as the first time she tried it on.
"What are you up to?" she inquires with a chuckle as I walk to the bookshelf to turn on the CD player and soon Frank Sinatra's 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas' starts playing.
I slowly walk back to her, holding her gaze with mine and I'm wondering if she's already figured out what I'm about to do.
I wish I could have done it at the party, because that's where I realized we've been together for a while, but we have never danced with each other yet. I have no idea how it happened, but I want to make this right at this very moment.
"Shall we?" I hold out my hand and when she takes it without a word I have my answer.
I put my other arm around her waist and pull her close as we adjust our steps to the slow rhythm of the song.
Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Let your heart be light
Next year all our troubles will be out of sight.
We are dancing in silence, listening to the music and the lyrics and I enjoy holding her close like this, feeling her breath and the pounding of her heart.
So have yourself a merry little Christmas now.
"Merry Christmas," I say as the music fades out, already looking in her eyes and when our lips meet in a hungry kiss I pull her even closer.
"We should do this more often," she smiles at me and I never regretted more that we are only allowed to be a couple behind closed doors.
"We should," I nod and pull her with me towards the couch, getting rid of my high heels on the way.
"I'm freezing," she reaches for the fire place remote to turn on the fire.
"I think I have the perfect solution to that problem," I give her quick kiss, "I'll be right back."
Soon I enter the room with two mugs of mulled wine and hand her one, before I sit back next to her. The music from the Christmas album is still playing in the background and as I observe the red flames while sipping the wine, with the woman I love on my side, I find myself smiling.
But the smile fades away from my face when I think of tomorrow and the rest of the days that are left from this year. I tried not to think about it until now, but only a few hours separate us from parting for the rest of the year and this thought is more painful to me now than it has been so far.
"I wish you could come with me tomorrow," I say it out loud.
I tried to act like an adult so far, accepting that her job comes first and she doesn't want to ruin my holiday, just because she has to work through hers. But the closer we get to the time I have to leave, the less I feel like leaving her behind.
"I'm sorry," she says and I find myself staring at her lips that are even redder now thanks to the wine.
"I want nothing more than to spend our first Christmas together with you," I lift my gaze to her eyes and I claim to read the same wish in hers.
"I know the timing is the worst. I wish I could do something…"
"Come with me, please," I beg her.
The idea of going without her has never seemed this scary. Not only will I miss her all the time, I'll also have to deal with my family pitying me, or worst, teasing me about her absence.
"I can't," she shifts her gaze on the mug in her hand.
"Then I'm not going either," I announce and I don't even know why I didn't decide this much earlier. I should never have agreed to going without her, no matter how much she tried to convince me it would be for the best for both of us.
"You have to go, your family is counting on you."
"I can't leave you alone for Christmas, I know you are used to it, but now that we've found each other, I want us to be together. I'm not going," I state and already feel the previous happiness return. I want to spend Christmas with her and nobody else and she is going to let me.
"You are not an easy case, Miss Cooper," she replies and I claim to see a smile playing on her lips, as if she was enjoying my struggle.
"Right back at you, Miss Lockhart," I tell her and close the distance between us to kiss her red lips, "So will you please give up and let me stay with you?"
"No, you are going," she proves to be as stubborn as I know her and I'm about to say this out loud, when she adds, "And I am going with you."
"What? But your client? The court date?"
"I made it all up," she confesses and I find myself in a state of shock for a moment, not wanting to think through what this means, "I was supposed to be your Christmas present," she adds, confusing me even more.
"What are you talking about?" I shake my head, trying to clear it from the conflicting thoughts.
"It was a test and I hate to say it, but you failed, miserably," she chuckles and I can't decide if I should be angry with her or just take her in my arms.
"You could have proven that you are able to spend the holidays without me if necessary and you would have gotten your reward Christmas Eve when I was supposed to show up as a surprise."
"Proving that you – on the other hand – are unable to spend the holidays with me," I tease her, because this theory is obviously bleeding from many wounds, but all I care about is that we won't have to part after all, which is the best Christmas present she could have given me.
"Okay, I have to admit this probably wasn't the best idea to begin with."
"Just tell me it was Ben's, and all is forgiven," I say, because I'm sure Diane didn't plan something like this on her own, it has my brother's influence written all over.
"He may have had something to do with it," she admits.
"I'm going to kill him."
"Christmas is coming, it's the celebration of love and family."
"I'm going to do it after the holidays," I correct myself.
"It's a good thing you have the best firm to represent you," she chuckles and now that everything has fallen into place, I'm finally starting to calm down.
"You are really coming with me to Aspen?"
"I am," she smiles and I just have to kiss her, to show her how happy she made me once more tonight.
As I distance myself from her I also take her mug away and place it on the coffee table along with mine. Then I stand up and pull her close, like I did before.
As we start dancing to the soft tunes I feel that with her in my arms, this Christmas can only be the merriest.
This was the last fanfic in this collection. Thank you for reading and the reviews.
Merry Christmas to you all! 3
