A PROMISE TO MY READERS: I PROMISE that no matter what, barring family emergencies or natural disaster, I will ALWAYS finish my stories. It may take months and months to update, but it will always be finished. I do not even post the first chapter of a story unless it is already completely written and just needs to be edited. I PROMISE!
Author's note: Once again, to my readers, I do apologize to my readers for the long update. I really do dislike leaving you for so long. It's just...as much as I hate to say it, it was unavoidable. I had ACT's, a 5-7 page history thesis, prom, college letters, and far too many tests that gave me an anxiety attack (those don't happen that often, but it was stress). I wish I could have updated, but it just wasn't possible. Another problem was that my mom got her computer fixed and somehow managed to erase ALL my files, including, but not limited to, my fanfiction stories and the school papers I've typed over the last four years. I nearly cried. But I'm better now, so I bring you the third and final chapter of "All I Want for Christmas." Enjoy!
Dedication: To my wonderful reviewers! You continue to give me inspiration tokeep writing! You guys rock my socks off.
Oh, by the way, the line I asked if anyone could identify was from the musical RENT, which is the best musical EVER. Period. On with the show!
It was a little after six o'clock, and the party had been a success. Most of the other officers had left. O'Farrell had tried, and failed, to catch Ingrid under the mistletoe several more times before the party ended, but otherwise he managed to accomplish his goal. For now, he and Ingrid were the only ones in the office and were attempting to clean up the sea of used plastic cups that had been left behind by all the other long-gone patrollers.
"Well, that party was fun," O'Farrell said with a contented sigh.
"I have to agree," Ingrid replied. "So, other than the obvious, how'd you 'quest' go?"
"Not bad actually. I even caught Tehama twice," he answered, turning very red as he spoke.
Ingrid hid a grin. Controlling herself, she managed to say, "Well, that's nice, I guess."
"Yeah," O'Farrell sighed dreamily. Then, shaking himself out of it, he said, "At least you and Tehama and the other girls understand how the rules of mistletoe are. You don't just walk away saying 'this is stupid.' I mean, you get caught, and you give the person a kiss. Even if it is chocolate," he mock glared at Ingrid. "Anyway, I'll always have next year for my goal."
Suddenly, Ingrid bent down and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "I don't want to be the only reason that you didn't accomplish your goal," she explained with a smile.
O'Farrell's face lit up like, will, like a Christmas tree. "Thanks Ingrid!" he said excitedly. He raced off into the hall to inform Anza of his triumph, only slowing down to remind Ingrid to turn off the lights when she left.
Shaking her head in amusement, Ingrid flicked the switch for the fluorescent lights, picked up the box of stuff she'd take home for break, and began to make her way out of the office when a voice stopped her.
"That was nice, what you did for O'Farrell."
It was Fillmore. Apparently she and O'Farrell hadn't been the only ones in the office. She squinted to make out his form in the darkness. The only light was coming from the hallway through the partially closed door and the strings of multi-colored Christmas lights. As he walked up to her, she shrugged a little sheepishly and replied simply, "He's a good kid. And it's not like he's that guy from my other school or that he's got cooties. It took so little to give him some happiness. That's kind of what Christmas is about."
He nodded as he stepped in front of her. "It's amazing how sometimes the easiest things can make people happier than they ever thought they could be," he said softly.
Ingrid nodded in return. Both were silent for a moment. For some reason, Fillmore chanced to look up during the semi-awkward silence. He paused for a second and then looked back at his partner. "Um…Ingrid?" He asked with a smile that was half embarrassed and half…mischievous?
"Yeah?" she asked, glancing up at him.
He gestured. "Look up."
She did, and it took her a minute for her mind to register what it was that her eyes saw. And when it did register, she couldn't believe it.
The mistletoe.
She and Fillmore were standing under the mistletoe. Together.
Ingrid recovered from her state of shock (and the slight, unexplainable fluttering in her stomach when she realized the situation), set down her box of stuff, gave Fillmore an ironic grin, and reached into her bag for a kiss.
And froze. Her eyes blinked, conveying confusion. She then reached into a different compartment in her bag. Then a smaller one. Then both her pockets, until finally dropping her hands to her sides.
Suddenly finding the floor incredibly entertaining, Ingrid stared at the ground off to the side and spoke. "Uh, Fillmore?"
"Yeah?" he asked, still waiting to be presented with something from Hershey's collection.
"Um…well...idnt hvny chltekslft." She mumbled incoherently.
"I'm sorry, what?"
She took a deep breath. "I don't think I have any chocolate kisses left."
Fillmore blinked, paused, and then repeated, "You don't have any left." It wasn't a question.
"Yeah," she laughed a little, nervously, still not looking at him. "I guess O'Farrell cleaned me out."
The next three seconds of silence seemed an eternity. "So…I don't have a chocolate kiss to give you," she reiterated lamely, keeping her eyes on that interesting piece of tile to her right.
Out of the darkness, Ingrid felt strong, warm fingers slip under her chin and raise her head so she was looking into Fillmore's face. Her breath caught in her throat.
His features were lit only by the Christmas lights, but Ingrid somehow saw an almost…soft look in his eyes. As he held her eyes with his own, he whispered in a low voice, "Then I guess we'll have to improvise." And with that, he closed the distance between them and captured her lips with his.
The kiss was achingly tender. During that split-second where he had leaned toward her, Ingrid had felt a wave of panic and thrill wash over her—until he had actually kissed her. In that instant, every turbulent emotion within her was put to rest. It seemed that there was nothing left in the world except her and Fillmore, kissing in the glow of Christmas lights while snow fell outside the window. It was perfect.
The best part was that it was Fillmore she was kissing. It washer partner, her best friend, the first person who had given her hope that she might finally be able to belong somewhere. The only one who had been able to put to rest her insecurities about her and her mother.
It had only taken one second for her to recover before Ingrid put her arms around his neck and kissed him back. His arms snaked around her waist to pull her closer to him, and Ingrid was lost in the feeling of his arms around her.
Their holds on loosened and slowly they pulled their faces away. They stood there, without making eye-contact, arms around each other, trying to catch their breaths. Finally, they looked up at each other.
We will never know what might have happened next, because suddenly Ingrid and Fillmore head voices coming down the hallway. Showing their remarkable teamwork (had anyone been around to see it), the two broke apart. Fillmore shifted so he was standing a foot away from where he had been and Ingrid stooped down, as if to retrieve her box. When Vallejo, Anza, Tehama, and O'Farrell walked in, the two officers were the picture of normalcy.
They weren't called the best for nothing.
As the four other patrollers made their way in, Vallejo switched on the lights, noticed the pair still in the room, and called out to them. "Fillmore! Third! What are you two still doing here?"
"Jus finishing packing up some stuff, Vallejo," Fillmore supplied. He was proud of how calm he was able to make his voice sound, considering how fast his heart was still pounding.
"Yeah, well, get yourselves home. I'll be seeing you guys enough come second semester."
"Will do, Vallejo," Ingrid answered, picking up her box to try and get to the door again.
Suddenly, someone shouted, "Freeze!"
It was O'Farrell. Of course.
"What is it now, O'Farrell?" Vallejo asked, putting his hand to his head like he was beginning to get a headache.
O'Farrell's reply was a Cheshire grin. "Look," he pointed. "Fillmore and Ingrid are under the mistletoe."
Said officers froze with wide-open eyes, having forgotten where they stood. The other officers just looked amused. "Aww, isn't that cute?" Anza teased.
The four patrollers waited expectantly for a moment before Tehama spoke. "Well?"
"Well what?" Ingrid asked, stalling.
"Ingrid, come on. You know the drill; you've gone through it all night. You just have to give him a kiss."
'Therein lies the trouble' Ingrid thought.
Fillmore laughed, trying to avoid the really awkward situation that only he and Ingrid were aware of. "Nope, that doesn't work. Party's already over."
"But it's still Christmas, Fillmore," Anza taunted.
"You got caught under the mistletoe, so you have to give a kiss," O'Farrell interjected.
"Don't forget Fillmore, rules are rules," Anza said.
Fillmore and Ingrid turned to face each other. "Um…" Ingrid mumbled as she put down her box of stuff and went through the motions of searching her bag and pockets for a kiss. She started her statement, "I don't—…" her voice died away as she saw something on the floor that the arriving officers hadn't seen.
A Hershey's Kiss.
One of her Hershey's Kisses. Probably the last one she had. She must have dropped it.
It was her out.
Ingrid saw Fillmore drop his gaze and his eyes widen slightly. Then she realized; he saw the kiss too. Making eye contact again, his eyes asked many questions, but he only asked one. "Ingrid…?"
She knew he was asking her what she wanted to do. Like she knew. Ingrid glanced at their grinning audience. Taking a deep breath, she turned to face Fillmore. Using the box to mask her slight movement, she placed her foot to the side of the kiss and stood up while dragging the kiss away, out of sight.
Ingrid could have sworn she saw Fillmore's lips twitch upward to form a quick smile before the expression vanished. They did still have an audience. Ingrid looked back at Tehama and the others, giving them an embarrassed smile. "Guys, I don't have any more chocolate kisses. O'Farrell must have gotten all of them."
Their grins widened as they realized what that meant. "Sorry guys, but that doesn't matter," Tehama replied with a wicked grin.
"She's right you two." Even Vallejo looked amused. "And like Anza told you, rules are rules."
Once again, Ingrid found herself facing Fillmore. She wasn't sure what to do; she felt so awkward and frozen with four pairs of eyes on her. But then she heard Fillmore murmur out of the corner of his mouth, "We should probably get this done before they cause a scene."
She gave him a small smile and nodded almost imperceptibly. They both leaned forward and for the second time that evening, their lips met.
The kiss itself was short, just long enough so their audience couldn't accuse them of worming out of it. Of course, that didn't stop Ingrid's knees from going weak or having butterflies invade her stomach.
Fillmore drew a ragged breath, making Ingrid feel somewhat better knowing the kiss had affected him too.
There had been some scattered applause and a chorus of "There! Was that so awful?" "What did I tell you?" "It's not like you guys have something contagious!"
Fillmore and Ingrid nodded and laughed off the jokes as they gathered their stuff, Ingrid discreetly hiding the rogue chocolate kiss in her bag.
"Okay you two, you can head out. You've caused enough trouble for one semester. We'll be out right after you. See you next year." Vallejo dismissed them good-naturedly.
"Hey," O'Farrell said with an evil grin as Fillmore and Ingrid began walking out. "Mistletoe kisses don't have to be on the lips, do they? Why didn't you guys just kiss on the che—ow!" he yelped as Tehama elbowed him. Thankfully Ingrid and Fillmore didn't hear him. Tehama waved goodbye to the departing officers and called out after them.
"Merry Christmas guys! Have a good break!"
Outside of the school, Fillmore and Ingrid stood facing opposite directions, just watching and listening to the snow. So much had gone on tonight, from Ingrid's revelation about her mother to the incidents under the mistletoe. It was a relief to just come out into the silence of the world and watch as all of the world's defects were covered by delicate, white snow.
Clearing his throat, Fillmore spoke. "Hey, Ingrid?"
She turned. "Yeah?"
"You want to…on Christmas, in the evening, after you're done with everything, you want to come over to my house? Most of my family will be there, but by evening it's kind of quiet around there. We'd be glad to have you. Your dad and sister could come too."
"Your mom won't mind?"
"Nah. At our house, her rule is 'There's always room for one more.'"
"And rules are rules, right?" she grinned.
He returned it. "Right. So what do you think?"
"Well, I'll have to ask my dad, but other than that…yeah, I'd love to come."
"You sure?"
She looked at him. "I can't think of any other place I'd rather be." Then, Ingrid took a step closer and pressed a lightning fast kiss on his lips. She stepped back, blushing pink, and quickly turned to walk to where her dad would pick her up. Fillmore was watching her walk away when she turned and called back to him. "Merry Christmas Fillmore!"
He gave a wide smile. He called back. "Merry Christmas Ingrid!" And with that, they both turned and walked to where they'd each meet their parents.
Unbeknownst to the pair, they weren't exactly alone in the schoolyard. Out of the school entrance, Anza, Tehama, Vallejo, and O'Farrell stepped out into the snow. The four safety patrollers who had observed the exchange stood there for a minute, staring in the directions where their friends had just walked. It was Tehama who broke the silence.
"It's about time."
Anza snorted. "No kidding."
O'Farrell shook his head. "Those guys have to be more clueless than I am."
"Okay, okay, that's enough people," Vallejo interjected, despite the smile on his face. "Enough spying. The rest can wait till next semester. Merry Christmas guys."
The other three wished him and each other a quick "Merry Christmas" in return and hurried off to where their parents were waiting. It was getting cold, and they all had their own homes to get to. It was Christmas break, after all.
Well, there you have it. I really hope you liked it because I had so much fun writing it. Review if you've got time. Love you all and see you next fanfic!
As a note on my next fanfic: First of all, this will NOT be my last Fillmore! fanfic. I've got too many ideas I want to use as Fillmore fics. However, the next fic I write may not be in this category. I might post something for either Danny Phantom, Teen Titans, or the Tamora Pierce (books) category. But it all depends on when and how inspiration strikes. You can always check my author page to see if I post something new. Summer is almost here (school ends May 19) so I will definitely have more time to write. Once again, I love you all, stay safe, and God bless!
Yours-
-AlwaysWrite
