Ugh! I had MAJOR writers block on this! -sigh- here's H is for Holiday! This chapter will definitely decide rather this should be ZaLr or DaLr, I can't decide, honestly. So please help me decide. ^^ Licorice & Zim warm up to each-other more in this chapter too. Oh, and MERRY EARLY, EARLY CHRISTMAS. This will be possibly my Christmas edition. [By the way, I was thinking I is for Irken, Licorice finds out in the next chapter maybe. ^^]

Licorice's POV

I sighed contently as I slowly walked down the sidewalk, admiring the colorful decorations they had out for Christmas, it may not be clean, and the people might not be particularly that bright, but they knew how to keep in spirit of the season. It was Christmas Eve, my parents were to arrive tomorrow, but once again business got in the way. I was used to celebrating Christmas alone, though. Ever since I was 10, they were always busy, I learned to push that aside and enjoy it as much as possible. Luckily this school gave a two week Christmas vacation, one week before and one after, I got a tree and decorated it, and put up lights and decorations, but there's not much else I can do. I had presents for the two only friends I had at school, the rest, well, they were just dumb, I guess. I sighed and walked up to Zim's door, knocking on it.

-END OF POV-

"Helllooo?" Gir said slowly, creaking open the door.

"Hey Gir!" Licorice giggled, Gir jumped up onto Licorice, hugging her.

"HI THERRR!" He squealed, Licorice decided to hold him with one arm.

"Wow, you seem very excited to see me!" She giggled again, petting his head. "I brought a present for Zim, do you know where he is?" Licorice asked politely. He nodded and jumped out of her arms, she stepped in and closed the door to avoid it getting cold inside. Gir pulled some sort of bell, and Zim suddenly appeared out of the kitchen.

"GIR! What did I tell you about letting H-... Oh, Lici-human...Hi." Zim was yelling at Gir, not even noticing Licorice, but he heard her silent giggling, and the sound of thin paper crippling, so he looked up.

"Hey. I don't know if you.. um... celebrated Christmas or anything... but I got you a present anyway." Licorice smiled, Zim was actually usually mean to her, but she felt that it was his way of...semi-friendship.

"Oh..Um..Thank you.." Zim seemed a bit confused, and surprised aswell. He gently took it out of her hands.

"You don't have a tree? I guess you don't then..." Licorice looked around, it looked as if there was no holiday at all.

"Uh, I.. do celebrate it! I was gonna.. get a tree today!...I was gonna ask you to uh, help me get one? Zim seemed very calm today, much to Licorice's surprise, he also seemed like he forced the "Can you help me" part, that was Zim for you.

"Well, sure! I have nothing else to do today." She smiled, zipping up her jacket more. He had gloves and boots already, aswell as a hoodie, so he was ready. They walked out the door into the still, cold air again, Gir INSISTING to tag along.

"So, where do you want to get a tree?" Licorice asked, she figured he had gotten one before, not knowing his "secret"

"Uh, anywhere... I can find one, it doesn't matter..." He shoved his hands in his pockets, looking away from her.

"Um, alright then. I got mine for free at a forest just down here, they have marked ones you can take." Licorice pointed to a small forest down the road a was, catty-corner from her house. From those words on, they walked in silence, except for Gir making humming noises.

When they arrived, Licorice's eyes immediately shot to a tree, it wasn't, big, it wasn't really small, it was the perfect size for his house.

"What about this one?" Licorice asked, picking up the end of it. Zim stared at it, wondering what good a outdoor tree is going to do INSIDE his house. He had to be "normal" though, now didn't he?

"Sure,that one's good." he faked some excitement, not very well, but Licorice smiled and started dragging it along, making brush-marks in the snow.

"So, uh, I actually am new to this... Christmas thing... so what do you do with it after you put it up?" Licorice seemed a little surprised that he hadn't celebrated it before, but she pushed it aside, and began to explain.

"Well, after this get's put up, we'll put lights on it, I have some I can give you. Then, ornaments, which I also have some of. and finally, the star. Then any presents will be put under the tree, and opened tomorrow" Licorice sighed and smiled, remembering when her parents actually celebrated it with her.

"Interesting." He said quietly, thinking about it. I guess that wasn't so bad.

They made it back to his house, Licorice dragged it through the door, shaking the snow off outside in the process.

"Okay, let me get a few things from my house real quick, okay? I'm only 3 doors down so it'll only take a second." Licorice walked out the door, and made pace to her house. She quickly opened the door to her house only moments later and ran in.

"Okay, light's..." She grabbed some lights and put them in a box.

"Ornaments and a tree base." She put the tree base in, then gently sat down the ornaments on top of everything else. Satisfied that she had everything, she ran back out, being careful not to slip on the ice.

"Okay!" Licorice walked back in his house, he was just standing there, talking to gir about some...world thing.

"That was quick"

"Yeah, I tried." She sat the ornaments on a table, and put the tree-base on the bottom, then stood it up.

"See? Now these lights will go around it, plug in and turn on. and these ornaments will go on after that." Zim said not a word, he seemed to be admiring the ornaments, glittering as the light hit them.

"Zim?" Licorice said.

"Oh, what? Sorry.."

"It's okay," She giggled."Can you hold this while I wrap it around the tree? There should be enough lights on this strand that we'll only need one." She held one end of the lights out to him, and he took it. She walked around the tree, placing the strand of lights everywhere it needed it. Within minutes, she was done. She took the plug out of Zim's hand and plugged it in.

"Isn't it pretty?" She smiled. She looked over at him and he was staring at it, his mouth was gaped open a little.

"Uh, yeah, it is, actually." He said, he seemed truly impressed by the colorfulness, which made Licorice happy.

"Heh. Now the ornaments. You can help me!" She handed him a box, and he nodded. They began to put ornaments everywhere on the tree until it was done. It was beautiful.

"This looks better then my tree at home!" Licorice impressed herself, it was gorgeous! Zim couldn't help but agree.

"Oh, the star!" She exclaimed. She pulled out a yellow glass star. She tried to put it on the top, but she wasn't tall enough.

"Oh.. I can't reach it.." She sighed, getting ready to put it back in.

"Wait... um.. I can help you. Just turn around facing the tree and close your eyes, okay?"

"Uh, okay?" She did as she was told. Suddenly she felt somewhat-metallic, arms? She didn't know what, go around her arms, legs, and waist. She opened her eyes and she was right in front of the top of the tree.

"Wha?..." Licorice started to twist her body around to see how she was being held up, or by what.

"Don't look. just put it on." Zim said simply. She just nodded and placed it on, She came back down and the arms slid off, and by the time she turned around, they had disappeared.

"Um, I'm not sure how that was done, but thank you." She smiled. VERY much to her surprise, he smiled a LITTLE bit back.

"Uhm.. well.. I better get going..." She stared at her Grey [fake] fur boots.

"Okay... Thank you, for this." He said, very nicely, for him, at least.

"You're welcome!...Um, Do you think I could come over again tomorrow..? My parents are gonna be out of town so I wont be with anyone tomorrow.." Zim stared at her for a second, she didn't notice. He was going to say no, but she did alot, despite the fact he didn't really want it done in the first place.

"...Sure." He said.

"Oh, thank you!" She spoke excitedly, walking to the door.

"I'll see you tomorrow then!" Licorice smiled, turning the doorknob, and walking out.

Licorice's POV

I started thinking about how it's gonna be, celebrating Christmas with Zim, I mean,he.. was never really nice to me before. But he seemed awfully nice today... maybe it won't be so bad. I shoved my hands in my pocket and then I realized I still had one present to give to someone. I pulled it out and smiled, heading off to Dib's house.

-END OF POV-

Licorice treaded through the snow, 3 doors opposite down of hers. It was odd how she was exactly 3 doors from Zim & Dib on either side. Finally she reached his house, she had seen it only once before, but enough to know where it was. She walked down his driveway, but right before she got to the steps, she slipped on the ice.

"Ow! Darn it..." She tried to stay quiet but she yelled a little. She heard the sound of a door.

"Licorice? Are... you okay?" Dib asked, he just happened to be walking out of the door when she was there.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine." She smiled, getting back up.

"Why are you here?" He smiled in return, as she walked up to the second to last step to his door.

"Well, I have a present for you, actually... Just don't open it until tomorrow, okay?" Licorice smiled, handing it to him.

"Um, wow. Thank you... I didn't know that or I would've got you something..." He hid a slight blush, which Licorice didn't see.

"Oh, no. It's fine. I just felt like I had to." Licorice giggled.

"Uh, would you like to come inside?" He asked, she nodded a no.

"I really should be getting back home, but thank you for the offer! I hope you like it,. By-" She was turning to walk off, but he grabbed her wrist and turned her back around.

"Thanks, again..." He whispered, he leaned in and kissed her. She blushed a little, as did he.

"Uhm.. Y-You're welcome..." She smiled, turning around and waking off, he went back inside.

"...Wow, I didn't expect that..." She thought to herself, smiling more.