The First Christmas

A couple of weeks after Hans's birthday, Christmas came along. We weren't going to do anything big, it was going to be a small dinner at our house with our boyfriends, our cousin and our closest friends. These days, most of my vlogs had been about Anna and I going shopping for Christmas. We had everything we needed for the Christmas Eve party and had managed to get all the gifts just in time. I had gotten Anna a dress she had ogling at for a while, but it was expensive and she did not dare to ask me for it. It was a cute, teal knee-length dress with a black bodice which had olive, crimson, green and orange prints on the front with chartreuse linings and a light chartreuse blouse that had a red and gold brooch in the middle. On top of this, went an apple-green, sleeveless, cropped gilet with teal, dark green, brown, orange and chartreuse rosemaling on the front and back, the skirt was decorated with yellow, olive and brown sunflower prints with darker teal stalks and leaves, with smaller olive, dark teal and purple designs between each sunflower and a small, dark teal leaf design on the left, middle part of the skirt. Above the sunflower was a wavy, looping yellow line with light teal dots above each loop. It was cute and suited Anna, definitely her style.

For Hans I had gotten him a special cologne he had found once. He liked it very much and was really disappointed when he couldn't find anywhere anymore, and well, after a long research, I found it and got two bottles of it for him.
As for Kristoff and Sven, his gigantic dog who was coming, as well (good thing he had made friends with Olaf and never tried to eat him!), I got a new thermic shirt for Kristoff, since he told us he was going skiing on Winter break, and a toy bone for Sven to chew on. As for my cousin, Anna and I got her a new paining set, and for her boyfriend, we got him his oh-so-desired frying pan set, since he had a thing for cooking. For our uncle and our aunt, we got them a Woody Allen movie collection, since they were fans of his. We also got presents for our other friends.
There weren't going to be too many people at the party, but still, we were enough to have fun. It was going to be, Anna and I, Hans, Kristoff, our cousin Rapunzel and her boyfriend Eugene, Uncle Thomas and Aunt Primrose (Mama's older sister), Tiana and her husband Naveen, Belle and her boyfriend Adam, and Anna's closest friend Ariel with her boyfriend Eric… yeah… quite a small party, right?
Anyway, luckily for me, Hans and Kristoff came over to help us set everything up, except for the tree which was already there. The first Christmas Anna and I spent together after our parents died had been different, especially when it came to the tree. It was our tradition to alternate which one of us would put the star on top of the Christmas tree. Every year, when we were children, Papa would lift one of us up and she would put the star on, when we got a little older, Anna and I started doing it on our own. If it was Anna's turn, she would sit on my shoulders and I would lift her up. If it was my turn, when she was 10 and I was 13, she would crouch down and let me use her back as a stool, when she was 15 and I was 18, though, when it was my turn, I would sit on her shoulders and she would lift me up, with Mama and Papa filming us or singing Christmas songs along with us. When our parents died, our first Christmas together would have been dreadful. I had managed to get Anna to put the star on top of the tree, but Mama and Papa weren't there to film us, nor to sing along with us. She was really sad and I tried everything I could to cheer her up, but Anna could sense that I was just as sad as she was, and it didn't help. It had been thanks to Rapunzel, Eugene, Uncle Thomas and Aunt Primrose if that Christmas turned out just as happy. They managed to cheer us up, and not make us feel alone.

This year it would have been so different. This year we had Kristoff, Hans, Olaf and friends with us as well. It was going to be one heck of a Christmas celebration! Tiana came over earlier with Naveen and the two of them helped me with the cooking, Anna and Kristoff were going to take care of the decorations and setting, Hans took care of the music and was on supervising duty, so that my baby sister and her big boyfriend wouldn't make a mess by accident. Anna was a real klutz, but Kristoff wasn't any less. Fortunately, with Anna's energy, Kristoff's strong arms, Hans's cautious eye and taste in music, and Tiana and Naveen's help, we managed to finish everything just in time.

By 8:30p.m. everyone was here, bringing their presents and other things for the evening, like Champagne from Belle and Adam, a chocolate chip cookies from Rapunzel her parents and cupcakes from Eugene. Kristoff had gone out for half an hour, only to come back with his grey Great Dane, who immediately jumped on Anna and started licking her face, pushing her on the floor. We managed to get an overly happy Sven off of my sister, but the next to be attacked was me, as the big happy dog did to me the same thing he did to Anna… Hans wasn't spared either, that meant the three of us had to go wash up, again, after being bathed by the Great Dane's tongue.
As the celebration started, you could say that there was all the love and the Christmas aura there should have been. Everyone was happy, everyone was enjoying themselves. The guys would group up and start talking about men stuff, while us girls would do the same and talk about lady stuff. I was a little worried about Hans, especially when I introduced him to my uncle and my aunt. When they asked us how we met, there had been a silent moment of embarrassment and guilt from Hans, but I took his hand and told my relatives the truth. What made me relax was the fact that right now, Hans seemed to have fun with my uncle and the guys. The girls, of course had started bombing me with questions about Hans.

"So, how long have you guys been dating?" Ariel asked curiously.

"About 3 months" I answered.

"And how long have you known him for?" Aunt Primrose asked.

"Since the day I woke up in the hospital" I answered.

"Oh… so you took your time to get to know him, very good" she said satisfied.

"I'm not like this one over here" I said pointing at Anna with my thumb, with a smirk.

"No, no, no! We are not moving the attention on me" Anna said "And in my defense, I knew Kristoff for two weeks before dating him, I've known him a few months longer than you've knew Hans, and we're taking things slowly" she said.

"And… are you and Hans taking things slowly… if you know what I mean?" Tiana asked with a wink.

"That's none of your business!" I exclaimed, with my cheeks bright red.

"Tia!" Rapunzel and Ariel scolded.

"What? When you're married some topics aren't taboo anymore. I'm sure Mrs. Corona agrees with me" Tia said.

"I'm sorry, girls, but I do" my aunt said.

"So, have you...?" she insisted. I took a sip of my glass of wine to calm my nerves for the embarrassing conversation I was put in. When I glanced at Anna and saw her smirk, I realized it was her payback from when I gave her the talk. I swear, that day, had been embarrassing for me as much as it had been for her… especially since that was supposed to be Mama or Papa doing having that conversation with her… but well… Mama and Papa weren't around anymore, so someone had to do it in their place.

"I don't see how me and Hans being intimate is relevant to you all in this conversation" I said as nonchalantly as possible. Anna made an impressed face slightly nodding her head as if to say: Nice way to avoid the question! But that didn't give me any comfort, if anything, I was even more worried. In fact she opened her mouth first.

"It is relevant, if my big sister's boyfriend has not just run her over with the car, but also has a playboy past… and because it's entertaining" Anna said smirking at me, while the others gasped. I glared at her and she just sipped her grape juice shrugging.

"He was a playboy?!" Rapunzel exclaimed "Elsa! How can you trust him?!"

"I trust him. And did the Text Test to be sure. I found out why he was acting weird when I went to his house. It was because he didn't want me to meet his family... let's just say, they aren't the most pleasant people" I explained shortly "Belle sent his answer back to me" I said and showed them my phone. Aunt Primrose was the first to read it, then she passed it to the others, who just like her seemed impressed and to relax at the text. Ariel and Rapunzel even 'aw'ed at it.

"Elsa, you still haven't answered us. Have you been intimate with him?" Aunt Primrose asked.

"Aunt Primrose… in an interview…" I began "When someone avoids the question… that is your cue to change the topic"

"Yes, but this is different" she replied calmly.

"How is it different?"

"Why are you avoiding the question?"

"Because it's embarrassing! And this proves what I just said, this situation is not different than any other"

"It is different" she answered in that calm posed way that reminded me so much of my mother, and that Anna said I had most of the time "That is your sister, I am your aunt, and those two are your closest friends" she said pointing to each one of them "And we care about you" she added. I huffed as Anna sneakered next to me.

"Okay, fine. No, we haven't" I finally answered "I'm not ready. I told him he understood and said that he would wait" I added preventing the next question.

"Aww! That's so sweet of him" Ariel said. Anna nodded her head. She didn't need to say anything, her eyes spoke for her.

"He's respectful… that's very good" my aunt says.

"He is very respectful. I have to say: he is everything his relatives are not. They are apparently sophisticated gentlemen, but on the inside: they are coarse and he is refined, they are materialistic and he is sensitive… two completely different worlds" I answered.

"So… we read the text, finally had your answer… tell us more about him" Tiana said leaning forward curiously.

"Well…" I started "He is an architect, he is smart, talented, good taste in literature, responsible… you can see by yourselves that he is handsome… he's sweet… caring… generous…" I turned around and looked at Hans, while he chatted with the guys. He met my gaze, smiled and winked at me. I smiled back and turned around "He's… I don't know… When I first met him, I had no idea who he was, I found out he was the driver when I spoke to the cops, but by then, he had stood beside me during my whole stay at the hospital. He… he took care of me when no one asked him to, he told me himself that he was the one responsible for the accident, but by then I already knew. When I met his brothers and father by chance, I overheard a conversation and he stood up for me"

"I didn't know that!" Anna said "What happened?" she asked.

"His father wanted to marry him off to some heiress for money, but as soon as he realized I was an Arendelle and a soon-to-be lawyer, he wanted Hans to marry me for convenience, because 'a lawyer is much more valuable than a spoiled heiress'. Hans said that was done with all of them and that if he and I shall marry, it'll be because we love each other and want to start our own family by our own decision. Then he ordered them to get out of his apartment" I paused and turned to Anna "By the way, he also stood up for you"

"He did? For what?" Anna asked

"Because apparently Magnus Westerguard has little faith in the Performing Arts, and you know what I mean" I told her.

"Oh…" was Anna's only comment. To take the pressure off her I re-directed the attention on myself.

"Thing is…" I paused, not able to contain the smile on my face "I… I've never felt so good with a guy before in my life" I confessed. Aunt Primrose smiled affectionately at me.

"Well, that's because he's your first boyfriend ever. If he's not The One, you might feel even better with someone else, later on" Ariel said.

"No, Ariel" Anna said "I've had a boyfriend before Kristoff- who was great! A great guy, really, actually a lot like Hans- and this did not happen" she said pointing at me. I looked at her confused.

"This what?" I asked settling my glass on the small table in front of the couch we were sitting on.

"The Trouty-face you get every time you speak about him" she said earing the laughs from our friends. I just shook my head with a small smile. Anna smiled back and squeezed my arm resting her read on my shoulder "My big sister is in love!" she said. I didn't answer right away, but blushed, and looked back at Hans.

"I guess I am…" I admitted, then I fixed my gaze on him as he made a surprised face, when my uncle spoke to him. Kristoff, Eugene, Naveen and Eric had gone towards Tia's gumbo and left my boyfriend alone with my uncle. Then what surprised me was the fact that my uncle offered Hans his hand and Hans hesitantly shook it in some sort of agreement. He caught my gaze and gave me a surprised but happy look. Apparently I wasn't the only one who was talking about our relationship.

"Yes, Thomas had probably been giving him a talk, like I did you" Aunt Primrose said, turning my attention back to her. I realized in that moment that Anna, Ariel Rapunzel and Tia had gone to get something to eat, leaving me with my aunt who had moved to sit next to me. "He sounds like a good man" Aunt Primrose continued. Then she took my hands in hers "I noticed the looks he gives you. He's a keeper, after all the sacrifices you did for your sister, you deserve this. I'm proud of you, Elsa"

"Thank you, Aunt Primrose" I said and she hugged me tightly. We pulled away from the hug, Aunt Primrose stroked my face maternally and stood up walking to the buffet we set up. I remained sat down for a moment, thinking that perhaps those questions weren't so inappropriate to ask. They were my friends and family, it was normal for them to ask. Then with a smile on my face I took my glass of wine and walked towards the window to go take a look outside, only to be intercepted by Eugene.

"Hey, Elsa!" he said with a cheerful grin putting an arm around my shoulders. Eugene was as tall as Hans, athletic looking, with brown hair and eyes and sported a short goatee under his chin. He was handsome and he knew it, but he was fun to hang out with.
"Nice Christmas party! It's hard to pick between celebrating here or at Blondie's" he said referring to my cousin.

"Why do you keep calling her Blondie, if she's a brunette?" I asked him. My cousin once used to sport really long blonde hair, now it was short and brown.

"Old habits are hard to kill" he answered stealing my almost-empty glass of wine from my hands and finishing it. I just shook my head at him. I've known Eugene for a while now, he basically part of the family. Hence, the permission he gave himself to steal away my drink because he was lazy to go get his. "By the way, I love your boyfriend! He's a cool dude. I love that guy" he said smiling.

"Thank you but sorry, I don't share" I told him holding back a laugh.

"Oh, maaaan!" he said theatrically snapping his fingers "But now, speaking seriously" Eugene said as we stopped in front of the window, taking his arm off my shoulders and placing my empty glass on the table behind me "I approve of him. I know you don't need my approval nor Kristoff's, but I want you to know that we approve of him. He seems like a genuine fellow" Eugene said proudly "Plus, he is completely head over heels for you. I'm happy for you" he said giving me a quick hug.

"Thanks, Eugene" I answered hugging him back and pulling away. Then I realized the silence in the room, only the Christmas songs playing from the stereo could be heard. I saw all eyes were pointed on Eugene and I.

"What?" I asked.

"Ehm… Elsa?" Eugene said patting my arm and pointing upwards. I looked up and my arms fell…

"Anna, Kristoff! I thought we said no mistletoes!" I complained, earning the laughs from the rest of our guests.

"We didn't put it!" Anna and Kristoff complained.

"Sorry, it was my idea" Naveen said laughing, in his strong accent.

"Naveen!" Tiana complained lightly hitting his arm.

"What? What's a Christmas celebration without a mistletoe?" he said in defense.

"Well, tradition is tradition. You guys have to kiss" Eric said chuckling, holding Ariel's hand.

"But I can't kiss him! He's my cousin's boyfriend!" I complained.

"And she has a boyfriend, right Hans?" Eugene told my boyfriend.

"Guys, Eric is right. Tradition is tradition!" said Rapunzel "I could always use the frying pan, in case" she said. Rapunzel was smiling, that meant she was okay with it. I looked back at Hans and he gave me a small nod with a nonchalant smile. He was okay with it too.

"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" the others started. Even my uncle and my aunt!

"Well, you heard them. Let's give them what they want. Tradition is tradition!" Eugene said smiling, theatrically spreading his arms out in surrender to Fate. Then he leaned closer to kiss me. I rolled my eyes but moved forward, only to stop a moment before and pull back giggling in embarrassment.

"Sorry…" I said and we went for it again, but the same happened as before, this time Eugene started laughing stopping us. The third time he gently took my face in his hand and lean closer… only to be stopped again.

"Sorry, I can't!" I said giggling embarrassed.

"Come on! We're all family! What do you care?!" Eugene said laughing with me.

"Come on guys! It's a mistletoe kiss! No one is asking you for a stable relationship with each other!" Anna said. The other agreed with Anna encouraging us.

"Alright, let's get this over with" I said and turned back to Eugene who has that mischievous look and grin in his face. I instantly knew he was up to something to be the clown of the situation.

"You ready?" he said taking my hand and putting it between us. I covered his hand with mine and he put his other hand on top of it.

"Let's do this" I said.

"Let's do this" we chorused "Let's do this… Let's do this.. LET'S DO THIS!" and with that instead of the simple kiss I was planning on. He yanked me at him wrapping his arms around me, giving his back to the guests who were cheering, as he made that innocent kiss look like an extremely passionate one, by playfully making us dangle from side to side, for the sake of being an idiot. Then he theatrically pulled back keeping an arm around my shoulders as I kept mine around his waist.

"Sorry, Hans, but she's an awful kisser!" Eugene said trying hard not to laugh. Hans shook his head.

"You toothed me on my lip!" I complained bringing a hand on my lower lip, walking away from him and back to Hans.

"I toothed you?" Eugene asked as he walked back to Rapunzel who was shaking her head but with a smile.

"Yeah, you hit me with your tooth" I answered.

"Oops! Sorry about that" he apologized.

"I'll fix it" Hans said as I got to him, he gently took my face in his hands and kissed me where Eugene's tooth had hit me.

"It works!" I said as he pulled back, hugging his waist, as Hans's arms went around my shoulders. The others laughed at me, soon after that it was present time. We decided to open just a few, which were the ones the guests gave us. Anna and I had put the ones we were going to open the following morning in our rooms. The best part of that moment had been the moment before we all went around the tree to open the presents, as Sven came into the room with Olaf sat happily enthroned on his backside, while the dog went to his owner and begging him for treats. As sat down around the tree, Uncle Thomas and Aunt Primrose sat on the couch, along with Naveen and Tiana, and Eric and Ariel. Kristoff was sitting on the carpet with Anna on his lap, Rapunzel and Eugene sat on the carpet with their backs on the sofa and Rapunzel had her legs draped on her boyfriend's lap, while Hans and I sat on the carpet, closest to the tree, with me sitting between his legs and him with his arm around my waist. Everyone had been happy with their gifts, especially Olaf and Sven, with the cat's bouncing ball and the dog's rubber bone. I received… books… a lot… and I don't complain about it. I received: an Agatha Christie collection from my relatives, the Game of Thrones saga from Tiana, Naveen, Eric and Ariel. Revival by Stephen King from Anna and Kristoff and In the Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco from Hans. I also had another present for Anna, which was a snowflake shaped necklace. She loved it, she stood up from where she was seated and hugged me tight, then we both sat back down were we were.

"This one's for Hans, from me" I said turning around and giving him the present, it wasn't the cologne, I kept that for the following morning. It was a red sweater that said: 'Keep Calm and Trust the Architect'. As soon as he saw it, Hans burst out laughing, he glanced at the shirt a couple of times and laughed even harder, making me laugh with him. The others watched us amused. Hans didn't say much, but as he laughed, with the sweater still in his hands hugged me tightly, repeatedly kissing the side of my neck as he hid his face in it.

"You are awesome! I'm wearing this right now!" he said letting me go before he unbuttoned his shirt and put on the sweater, lightly leaning on his back as he proudly showed off his new shirt. Then he looked back at me and sitting back up he kissed me on the lips before I turned around and he put his arm around my waist again, hooking his chin on my shoulder. When the evening was over, both Kristoff and Hans stayed for the night, first of all, because, by the time we were done cleaning up it was 2a.m, second of all, because both of them were going to spend Christmas morning with us, and then Kristoff was going to his family, while Hans had to go home and catch up with some work and couldn't afford taking another day off. Unfortunately for them, we had only one guest room, so the boys kind of fought over who was takin the bed and who was taking the couch, even if the bed had enough space for two guys… in the end they shared… with Sven sleeping between them, as Kristoff told us the morning after.

The morning after, as usual, I was the first to wake up. I started my morning routine, which consisted in: shower, get dressed, brush teeth, go make breakfast for the Sleeping Beauties. Kristoff and Hans joined me while I was making pancakes and hot chocolate instead of coffee, along with taking out the chocolate chip cookies I had gotten the day before at my favorite bakery.
Kristoff came in first accompanied by Sven, who had Olaf already sitting on his backside as he trotted around the house and went for his breakfast, which was exactly next to Olaf's bowl. In fact, as the Great Dane started eating in his bowl, Olaf hopped off him and went to eat his breakfast next to him. Those two were ridiculous together, but so cute!

"Good morning!" Hans said cheerfully as entered the kitchen, walking straight to me, proudly sporting his new red sweater.

"Good morning, Hans. Merry Christmas!" I said, handing him his cup of hot cocoa. Hans took it and placed a hand on my waist.

"Merry Christmas to you" he said and gave me a quick peck on the lips before turning back to the complaining Kristoff.

"Hey! What am I? Chopped liver?" he complained.

"Merry Christmas, Kristoff" Hans said.

"Thank you. Merry Christmas to you too" the blonde replied. It was then we heard Anna's singing voice, as she messed up the song.

"Jingle bell! Jingle bell! Jingle bell rock! Jingle bell swing and jingle bell ring! Slowly… na-na-na-…da-da-da-daaa! That's the jingle bell roooock! Merry Christmas, everyone!" Anna said coming in the kitchen and kissing Kristoff on the lips as we answered to her 'merry Christmas'.

"Will you ever learn the words to that song?" I asked her as she came to me for her hot cocoa. She took the cup and kissed me on the cheek.

"Probably not" she answered with a smile. As we had breakfast together, we decided to open the remaining presents as we ate. Anna opened the first present. It was from Kristoff and it was a Wicked DVD and soundtrack CD, from the musical with Idina Menzel. Anna loved it! She loved that musical. In fact she immediately hugged Kristoff and kissed him, thanking him. The next presents were for Hans, one from me and one from Anna and Kristoff. When he opened mine and saw the cologne his eyes widen.

"No way!" he said shocked.

"Yes, way" I answered.

"You founded! I was going crazy looking for this! Thank you so much!" Hans said giving me a peck on the lips, hugging me tight. The present Hans had for me was just as great, it was a silver bracelet with my craved on it. When Anna opened my gift for her, when she saw the dress, she went crazy. Luckily for me, by then we had moved to the living room next to the tree, because she tackled me to the ground in a tight bear hug, kissing my cheek, and thanking me a thousand times over. Then she helped me up and immediately went to try the dress on. While she went to change, Kristoff took advantage of the moment to go to the bathroom, leaving me and Hans alone.

"So, this is how you celebrate Christmas… I could get used to this" he said in a happy relaxed voice.

"I'm glad to hear that. I was afraid all this family chaos would make you feel uncomfortable, and by the way, sorry for whatever embarrassing question my uncle asked you" I apologized.

"No, don't worry about it. Actually I was glad he did. Your family and friends care about you. I would have been surprised if he didn't" Hans answered.

"Thank you, for being so understanding" I said.

"No, thank you, for introducing me to your family, a real one" he said, stroking my cheek "I have something else for you" he said.

"Oh, Hans, you shouldn't have! You being here was already enough for me, a third present is too much" I said. He smiled.

"It's a gift I need to give you" he said "Turn around" I did as he said, smiling, curious at the surprise. Then my smile faded as I felt his warm fingers move my braid behind my back, as he slid a necklace around my neck lacing it. Then he gently moved my braid back as I slowly turned around feeling the neckless under my fingers. It was a small, elegant, heart shaped diamond.

"Thank you… it's beautiful" I told him.

"It's my heart" he said. My head snapped up meeting his gaze. I could see it in his eyes that he was nervous "You… you're a mystery to me, Elsa… And it's funny, because… the more you open up to me, the more mysterious you become… and that is because I'm insecure" he started "I'm insecure, because of how amazing you are. I'm insecure, because I can't understand how someone as wonderful as you, can be with someone as messed up as me… starting from the fact that I run you over with my car" he said and I couldn't help but snicker at that "I run you over with my car and you didn't push me away, you learned about my past as a player and didn't push me away, you know everything about me and the family I come from, and you still accepted me in your life… and I have never felt so enough and so unworthy at the same time in my whole life" he paused taking a breath "There are still so many things I'm not sure about you except for one: I love you" My heart stopped beating. There. He had said it. He said it to me.

"You… you do?" I said unsure, out of breath. Like I had just run a marathon.

"I do… I've never said that to anyone before. I love you, Elsa" he repeated "I understand if you can't say it back to me, yet, and I'm willing to wait for you till the end of the-" I shushed him putting a finger on his lips.

"You won't have to wait for long" I told him stroking his hair, smiling at him "I love you too" There. I said it too, and I didn't regret it. Hans smiled and leaned down, capturing my lips with his in a loving kiss. His arms wrapped around my waist, while I tangled my fingers in his silky hair. This kiss was the most amazing kiss I've ever shared. We were in love with one another and we told each other for the first time. This was one moment I was going to remember and cherish forever. My first 'I love you'… This kiss was sweet and gentle… what made it different and way better form any other kiss we shared was that there was only one emotion in that kiss: love.
This was a moment that someone would say: 'I wish I had recoded it!'. In my case, I'm glad I wasn't because there are moments in your life for which the best way to treasure and remember them, it's not through a vlog, but through your heart.

Hey guys! Sorry for the long delay, I had some stuff to do, after getting back home. Anyway, did you like it? Good? Bad? Brace yourselves, because a storm is about to come... MUAHAHAHAAH!
Tell me what you thought about it with a review and let's see if we can get this story to 30 reviews. When we get there, I'll publish the next episode :-)
See you next chapter! ;-)

The Princess of Stars