Hey all! Now, I know this is a bit late, but WHATEVER. Merry Christmas, dudes! Please enjoy this little oneshot inspired by stories written by OLS and Chocolate X My Mouth! It can't get much better than Colania and tap dancing, right? Drop me a review if you enjoyed it!

The day before Christmas was... practically perfect, really. It was mostly quiet, with only a few small skirmishes here and there. Because of the calm, only a few members of the team were left at the Monastery on patrol duty. This really did work out perfectly.

For Christmas Eve, Cole had decided to go see Vania in Shintaro. It certainly wasn't a short journey, but he didn't mind. It was well worth it to be able to see her.

He left pretty early, only catching a passing glance of Jay (who was flopped over the couch messing with some kind of device), and Zane, who was already making their traditional waffles for Christmas Eve.

When Cole passed by the living room on the way to the base, Jay snickered at him. "Where ya going?"

"Places." If he was being completely honest, he wasn't really in the mood for getting teased about Vania. He was more excited to see her and give her a hug.

"Places as in the mall, or places as in Shintaro?"

"Places as in 'it's none of your business'." Cole smacked the target on the wall, waiting for the elevator to come up.

"Oh, so Shintaro then?" Jay grinned. "That's fair."

"I never said that!"

"You did when you wouldn't tell me where you were going!"

Cole grumbled, deigning not to dignify that with a response. Despite the fact that Jay had a point, he wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of actually admitting it.

"Have a good time with Vania!" Jay sang, snickering again at the look he got from Cole. "Reaction accomplished. Ah, he's so much fun to mess with."

As the elevator descended, Cole unzipped his bag a bit and peered inside, trying to decide if it was really a good idea to bring these particular items. "Is it really a good present though? I mean, she told me she didn't mind whatever I gave her, but I really want to make this special..." He decided it was best to just leave them for now and not think about it too much. If the opportunity came, he would see about taking it. If not, then it was no big deal.

For whatever reason, this trip to Shintaro seemed to take longer than normal. Maybe it was his nerves, maybe the fact that it was already nearly Christmas, maybe... maybe it was because he could barely wait to see Vania again. Whatever the reason was, the hours still seemed to stretch on and on. By the time he made it to the Golden City, he was bouncy that it was hard to calm himself down. Still, he landed with no incident and headed inside.

When he got to the doors, he greeted the guards, grinning at them and receiving greetings in return. They opened for him, the huge doors seeming to open all on their own. He had an open invitation to Shintaro, allowing him to come and go as he please. It was a VERY big honor to have it, especially since he was the only one who even had it. He used it as much as he could.

When he got to the throne room, he knocked on the door and opened it, grinning when he spotted Vania. "Hey!"

"You're here!" She turned, grinning back.

"Well of course I am!" He went over and gave her a tight hug. "It's Christmas, I couldn't just let you be alone today!"

"You're so sweet." She hugged him back. "A phone call would have sufficed, though."

"Not really. Calls don't compare to being here in person." He let go and smiled at her. "Merry Christmas, Vania."

"How long are you planning on staying here?"

"For a little while. We don't normally celebrate Christmas on the day."

She smiled. "Spending Christmas with you? That sounds... amazing."

Cole smiled back. "Perfect, because I'm here now and you can't get rid of me."

Vania brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "Alright, come on. I have a present for you."

"A present? I thought I told you not to get me anything!"

"You did, but I chose not to follow those particular instructions."

He laughed. "Okay then, where is it?"

"Come on, come on, follow me!" She grabbed his hand, pulling him through the hallways and down corridors. "You're going to love it, I promise."

"If you're so sure." He laughed, suddenly thinking about the shoes in his bag.

"I am completely sure." She finally stopped in front of a door, inlaid with golden designs and the royal crest. "One second, I'll be right back."

When the door closed behind her, he smiled, leaning against the wall to wait for her to come back. "She thinks I'll like it, huh? Now I'm curious..."

It certainly took longer than one second, but the door opened again and Vania came out. Now, she was wearing a coat and had a pair of black, t-strap heels in her hand. "Okay, follow me."

"We're not there yet?"

"Nope! You discovered one of my places, but I have an even better one that I want to show you. Your present is there."

He smiled at the heels. "Planning on doing some tap?"

"Maybe." She couldn't help a mischievous grin. "You'll see."

"Come on, Vania! I'm curious now!"

"Stem your curiosity for now! I want this to be a complete surprise!" She grabbed his hand again, pulling him down a flight of stairs and another hallway.

"I've never seen this part of the palace before..." He glanced around as they jogged, not recognizing where they were.

"Well, no one really comes down here often, which makes perfect." She stopped, grinning, and leaned against a nondescript door. "You ready?"

"I've certainly been waiting long enough!" He couldn't help a grin back. "She's so cute... WAIT, WHAT?"

"Okay, okay!" She turned the handle and pushed the door open, revealing a ballroom, partially lit by lamps on the wall and a chandelier that was hanging from the ceiling.

"What..." He looked around, completely awed. "What is this?"

"This is a room I discovered when I was younger." She twirled in a circle, setting her shoes down by the wall. "It was what inspired me to learn how to dance."

"This room inspired you to learn? I can see why." He set his bag down on the ground, looking around in amazement. The wall was accented with gold and red swirls, the floor beneath their feet perfect for dancing. Above their heads, the chandelier shimmered, even though the candles were only partially lit. The dim light from the candles barely illuminated the designs and mirrors on the ceiling and walls.

"This is one of my favorite places. I used to come here all the time to just... be alone. It worked perfectly because all the way out here, no one could hear me sing or tap or waltz. Since no one ever ventures down here, it's absolutely perfect."

"You're really sharing this with me?" He looked over at her in amazement.

"Yeah." She smiled a bit. "I decided a long time ago that I would only share this room with my best friend."

He slowly smiled back, amazed. "This is... incredible. You really trust me with this? I mean, this is special to you, a sanctuary."

"Well, now-" Her smile grew. "- It's our sanctuary. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas." Cole laughed, awed by the gesture. "Why'd you bring your tap shoes, though?"

"Well, I figured that if I was going to be here, I might as well enjoy it." She sat down, unlacing her boots and picking up the tap shoes. "Besides, you've never actually seen me tap, so I figure it would make a nice addition to the present."

Of course, his mind almost automatically went back to the shoes in his bag. He'd brought them specifically for this purpose. Maybe... no, it wasn't the time. Not yet. "It definitely is. I love every part about this present." "Including the giver..." He was glad she couldn't hear his thoughts. That would... kind of mess with his surprise. "She really does mean a lot to me..."

Vania, of course, knew none of what he had just thought. She grinned, standing up and taking off her coat. She was wearing a Christmas themed leotard, red and green, with sparkles and beads on the shoulders and sides. "As I said before, you're so sweet. I'm glad that you love it. If I'm being honest, I was... kind of worried it wouldn't be a suitable present, but I'm glad you see it like that."

Cole sat down, unable to stop a smile back at her. FSM, she was so easy to smile at. "It certainly is."

Vania laughed a bit and went to the other side of the room, flicking a switch on the sound system and turning it to her favorite album to tap to. It had a simple tune, and like all the other music she used, she had long since memorized the routine for it. As the first few notes started, she tried a few experimental taps to get into the swing of it. After that, it only took a few seconds to slide into the rhythm and routine and just enjoy the music. Before long, she was completely entranced in the music, allowing her muscle memory to do all the work as she just enjoyed it. Of course, she was aware of Cole's eyes on her, but she didn't particularly mind. He cared about her, and she cared about him in return, which was exactly why she had shared this with him. Nobody else knew that she liked to disappear down here, except for him. She was completely fine with that.

As the music ebbed and flowed, she tuned everything else except for that. Well, everything but the music and Cole. She was always very acutely aware of him whenever she was around him.

Cole smiled, watching as she lost herself in the music. Honestly... he missed that feeling. He missed the joy that used to come with dancing, he missed the feeling of having the music seem to weave itself through him. He couldn't help but love the look of joy on her face.

Apparently, she hadn't put the song on repeat, because it eventually stopped. Vania looked over at him, a bit out of breath and flushed. "Behold, you have officially seen me tap. Any thoughts?"

He couldn't help but say it. "I wonder..." "It was... incredible! You're really talented."

Vania blushed. "Thank you. Do you have any tips?"

"Well... I was thinking something. Could I teach you a new move?"

"Sure!" "Teach me a new move!? I can't say no to that!"

"It's a move my dad came up with. He used to tap too." Cole laughed. "Come to think of it, he used to dance a lot of different forms of dance."

Vania grinned. "I guess I'l have to meet him at some point. I want to learn as much as I can."

"You should! I think he'd like you." Cole stood up, dusting off his gi. "Okay, Okay, let's see if I can remember this..."

She was quiet, watching him try to remember. "Did he teach you how to do it?"

"Yeah, but it's been a really long time. I haven't tapped in years..." He trailed off, a hint of it coming back to him.

"You know how to tap?" She asked in amazement.

"Knew." He corrected, still trying to remember. "i know of purposefully forgot after I ran away."

"FSM, how many forms of dance did they teach you at that school?"

Cole laughed. "Ugh, too many. Nothing good came out of me going there."

"Well, I can think of at least one good thing."

He looked over at her. "Oh? What's that?"

"If you had never been sent to that school, you never would have run away and climbed that mountain, and we never would have met." She smiled a bit. "I think that certainly counts as a good thing."

Cole smiled back, a warm feeling in his chest. "Yeah, it really does... OH! I got it!" Even though it was a bit difficult with his boots on, he showed her the move, very pleased with himself when he got it right. "Look at that! I finally got it."

Vania tilted her head to the side. "Hm..." She tried to copy his movements, but was unsuccessful. "What's the sound supposed to be?"

"I can't do it in boots." He glanced at his bag. "I think... now's the time." "I know!"

"Oh?"

Cole went over to his duffel bag and unzipped it, taking out a pair of men's tap shoes and carefully placing them on the ground.

Vania's eyes got wide. "You have tap shoes? I thought you didn't like dancing!"

"Well, normally I don't dance, but after seeing that you did, I figured I might as well bring them and see about trying it again." He smiled at her. "It's always better with a good partner."

She smiled back. "I'm still so surprised. I had no idea."

"Well, I'm just showing you the move right now. I'm pretty rusty with... well, just about everything." He unlaced his boots, slipping on the tap shoes. It was... really odd to have them on again. It had been so long since he'd last tapped.

"Pfftt, like I care." Vania watched as he tied his shoes and stood. "I'm flattered that you're doing this at all."

"Only for you, dear." He grinned at her. "Only for you." He took a second to reacclimate himself to the shoes and tried an experimental tap, just to hear how it sounded. "This is so bizzare." "Okay, it's like this." Doing the move with the tap shoes on was even weirder than WITHOUT them, but it was a combination of good weird and bad weird. A pretty even combination, actually.

"Ohhh, like that." Vania tried it again, sort of getting the right sound, but not quite.

"Hm, kind of. It's more like a smooth transfer of heel, twist, ball of the foot." He did it again, still finding it hard to get used to.

Vania followed suit, actually making the right sound. "I got it!"

"Beginner's luck." Cole teased, elbowing her.

"Hey! That's a crime, you know!"

"What is, elbowing the queen?"

"Yeah! I mean, it should be!"

"Oh, so it isn't ACTUALLY a crime, then?" Cole laughed.

"Nope, not as far as I know. It might be, though."

"I'll take my chances." Cole shook his head, grinning. "If you don't know, what do I have to lose? Nothing."

"That's true, but I could still make you do something in return for doing that."

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

"Dance with me." The words came out before she could stop them.

Cole blinked. "I- I don't know, Vania. Like I said, I'm really rusty. I haven't danced in years."

"Come on, please?" She took his hands, pulling him to the center of the room. "I don't care if you haven't done it in years, I want to dance with you."

"Vania, I don't enjoy dancing as much as I used to. All my memories of it are bitter and... kinda awful."

"Then make new ones." She whispered. "Some good ones."

Cole didn't know how to respond to that, honestly. All his memories of dancing were so awful that he didn't even want to think about them. Still... maybe she had a point.

"Please?" The question lingered in the air for a moment before she did a simple tap move, just enough for him to respond to if he wanted to.

Cole hesitated for what seemed like a long time before responding in kind with a simple tap of his own. The very action of doing it again was weird, but at least it wasn't terribly awful.

Vania smiled. Tap tap tap, her shoes hit the floor in a little bit more complicated pattern. This time, Cole barely even hesitated to do the same. It certainly wasn't the same as it used to be, and he was definitely rusty, but it wasn't bad.

As he got more and more confident and accustomed to the rhythm, he started playing with it a bit more, finding it kind of... fun. That was certainly surprising.

Vania laughed, going over to the sound system and starting the song again. "He's enjoying it!"

After a bit of hesitation, he found his rhythm again, still surprised that he hadn't completely forgotten everything. He couldn't help but laugh at how weird it was to be dancing tap again.

Vania laughed too, her muscle memory taking over and melding easily with his movements. "This is so much fun!"

Cole grinned, taking one of her hands and twirling her, still keeping the rhythm and movements going. The clicking and tapping of his feet against the floor was oddly satisfying. "It really is!"

Vania really couldn't help a giddy laugh when he twirled her. They were dancing. "I told you! Didn't I tell you?"

"Yes, you did." He grinned even wider. "You were completely right."

They danced until the song ended and restarted again, finding new ways for their movements to weave together, both with the music and each other's dance. When it finally ended, the both of them were out of breath and grinning uncontrollably.

"I haven't danced like that in years." Cole looked over at her, trying to catch his breath.

"You're so good!" Vania grinned at him, brushing a curl out of her eyes. "That was incredible!"

"Oh please, I am so rusty." He took a deep breath. "You're much better than I am right now."

"With more practice, you will definitely be better than I am. You've had professional training, and I'm practically self-taught. I'm surprised I was even able to keep up with you."

Cole couldn't help a flush of red. "You're doing that on purpose."

"Doing what?"

"Being sweet!"

"Well I can't help it!" She smiled at him, finally beginning to catch her breath. "I'm just telling the truth here!"

Cole suddenly couldn't look away from her. "Really?"

"Of course. I don't lie." She said it so matter-of-factly, he couldn't help another smile. "You're really talented."

"Well... thank you." There was some kind of gravity between them, making it hard for him to look away from her. "I didn't expect it to be as much fun as it was."

"New memories, huh?"

"Yeah." He smiled again. "Better memories." For what felt like forever, they were both quiet, not sure what to say. There was some kind of... something there that neither of them wanted to break by saying something wrong. Cole shifted, finally looking away from her brilliant blue eyes. "Vania, uh- thank you for convincing me to try it again. I never would have known what I was missing out on."

She smiled at him, clicking her heels against the ground. "Of course. I knew you'd like it. On that note... do you know how to waltz?"

Cole laughed. "Honestly, name any dance and I will have at least some knowledge of how to do it. My training was very extensive."

"You sound like Zane."

"I will take that as a compliment."

Vania laughed. "Do as you will with it. I was only asking because... well, I love waltzing and good partners are hard to come by these days."

"You're asking me to dance with you again?"

"Well, yes. If you want to." She replied quickly. "I mean, this could count as my Christmas present."

"Hm, well, I kind of already had something else in mind for your present."

"Do I have the privilege of knowing what it is?"

"Of course not! It isn't Christmas yet!"

"But it's only a few hours away, and I gave you yours early!" Vania protested. "That was your decision, dear." Cole grinned, doing a slight tap, if only to hear the sound of the metal against the wood. "My present will come at a later time, and by later, I mean tonight at midnight."

"Waiting until the exact time when it's Christmas, huh?"

"Yep. I like to make things special that way."

Vania chuckled. "You certainly know how to treat a girl right."

Cole grinned and winked. "I try, your highness."

Vania just rolled her eyes, sitting down on the ground and crossing her legs. "Well, I have been very surprised today. I mean, I knew you used to dance, but I had no idea you were such a good dancer."

Cole sat down next to her, leaning back on his hands. "Well, it's complicated, like I said before. Have you ever heard the whole story?"

"Not the whole story, no. If you want, you can explain it." She looked over at him. "I cleared my schedule and don't have anything to do."

Cole sighed, thinking about it. "Well, my dad is, as I've said before, a born performer. He's pretty famous, and when I was a kid, expected me to follow in his footsteps as a dancer and performer. Needless to say, that really wasn't what I wanted. After my mom died, he withdrew a lot, burying himself in his career and mostly ignoring me. When I was a teenager, he shipped me off to Marty Oppenheiner's School of Performing Arts. I really, really hated it there, and resented him for sending me at all. I didn't like to dance and act the way he does, and honestly..." He sighed. "I still don't. I had a lot of bad experiences at the school, and after trying to stick it out for a few months, I ran away and joined a group of mountaineers."

"That certainly worked out, though." She stretched, her legs hurting a bit. "I mean, if that had never happened, things would be so much different."

"Yeah, I know. I'm really happy with how things have worked out now. It's... really nice. I love my life."

"That's good." Vania smiled at him. "Despite the chaos, life is good."

"Yep. Life is good, and the things you never thought you would enjoy again can surprise you."

"Does that mean I have a partner?"

"Uh-"

"As in a dance partner." She amended quickly, laughing a bit. "Whoops."

"Oh, yeah." Cole laughed too. "Yeah, you have a dance partner. A slightly reluctant dance partner, but a partner all the same."

"Oh, well, we can't have that." She hopped to her feet, holding out a hand to help him up. "You have to get used to dancing again, and we'll start with tap."

Cole laughed again, accepting the hand up. "Are you sure about this?"

"Completely! Come on, it'll be fun! Besides, we need to do something to pass the time until midnight!"

"That's true." Cole stretched some, lightly tapping the ball of his foot against the wooden floor. "But it'll be well worth the wait, I promise."

"Now I'm really curious."

"I promise, all will be known in time." He grinned, quite enjoying having a secret from her, but kind of nervous as to how the reception to it will be. "She's going to love it, but it's merely a matter of getting there..."

The rest of the day seemed to fly by. They worked on tap, waltz, and some other dances. They had dinner, chatted and watched a movie and enjoyed their time together. Eventually, they found themselves out on the terrace.

Vania smiled, leaning against the railing. "I think this is one of the best Christmases I've ever had."

"To think, it isn't even technically Christmas anyways." Cole teased gently, standing next to her and mimicking her stance. "Almost, not yet."

"Well, it's certainly better than anything I've had before. Today has been... really nice."

"Well, it'll be even better in-" He glanced at his watch. "- Ten minutes."

"Gosh, is it really that late? I'm so excited."

He smiled. "Good, you should be." "Now to lead up to it." "You know, Vania, we've known each other for... a pretty good amount of time."

"Yeah. It'll be a year soon."

"Wow..." Cole was quiet for a minute. "That's even longer than it felt like."

"I know. Almost a year since all that happened." "Almost a year since I realized a had a crush on you. A BIG crush."

"Seeing as we have been friends for that long, I figured there was some things that... should be said?"

"Oh? Like what?"

"Well, for one-" He turned to face her and held out a hand. "- Would you like to dance?"

She smiled, taking it. "I would love to."

"You have eight minutes to admit this..." He smiled back, squeezing her hand and beginning to dance, the both of them moving in synchrony. "In this year, you've been such a good friend to me. You've helped me through some rough patches, and I've... grown to realize something."

"I'm really glad I could help you. What have you realized? If I'm allowed to know, that is."

"Considering it's about you, you're allowed to know. "Six minutes." "It's... well, it's about our relationship." "Ow, that came out wrong. VERY SMOOTH."

"Oh? Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" "Is it bad to hope that it's a VERY good thing?"

"I think it's a good thing. I mean, I certainly see it as a good thing." "Nice going. This is going awesome." "Well, during this year, we've gone from being acquaintances to really, really good friends, and the other day, I realized that you are... really, really special to me. With this in mind, I figured I might as well just- tell you what my thoughts are on this."

Vania didn't respond, kind of in shock about his words. "I'm special to him? Wow, did not see this coming..." Their dance had slowed down, but she didn't really mind.

"You're intelligent, and witty, and beautiful, and a really good leader and queen. You really care about your people, and when you do something, you put your whole heart into it. You've saved lives, and made a lasting mark on Shintaro that will never, ever, fade. For being the first queen to rule alone, you're..." He laughed a bit. "Incredible. You're doing a very good job. I guess what I'm trying to say is this: I... I don't know if I want to be just friends anymore. I'm lucky enough to even know you and to have feelings for you."

"You- you care about me as more than a friend?" She could barely breathe. He cared about her the same way she cared about him?

Cole didn't even hesitate to respond. "Yeah, I do. I was working up the nerve to say it out loud." "Two minutes."

It took a second before she could respond. "How long have you felt like this?"

"A few weeks, for certain. I mean, it may be longer, but that's when I kind of... accepted it." "One more minute. FSM, I'm nervous."

"So, what's your present, then?" They had stopped dancing, only standing close together now. She couldn't remember when they had stopped waltzing.

"Give it a few seconds." He said softly, squeezing her hands. "We're almost there."

"What is this surprise that you have planned?"

He glanced at his watch and grinned. "Queen Vania, you are incredible, and I want you to know that. You mean a lot to me, more than I ever thought any young lady would. I was wondering if maybe you... felt the same."

Vania smiled at him. "I do."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. I've had a crush on you ever since we met! Even before we met, honestly."

"I- had no idea."

"Of course not! You're a guy!"

Cole laughed, reaching into his pocket. "Okay, that's fair. But... this should work perfectly as a present." He carefully took out a necklace and held it in front of her. It was dangling from a golden chain and had a bright orange gem attached to it. It sparkled and shimmered in the moonlight.

Her breath caught in her throat. "It's... beautiful. Where did you get it?"

"It was my mom's." Cole replied simply, his eyes flickering between the necklace and Vania's face. "When my dad and her met, she found someone who made very special jewelry and gave it to him.

She gently touched it, feeling a warmth from it that was... kind of unnatural. "Why a special jeweler?"

"Well, this is made of a very special gem forged, supposedly, from starlight when it hits ice the right way, at the right time. It holds a portion of my power, and it kind of counts as something akin to a... life beacon. As long as I'm alive and well, the gem will continue to look like this. With this, you'll know immediately if something's happened to me."

"Gosh..." She brushed it with her fingertips, amazed by how beautiful it was. "I... this is incredible. I promise, I will take very good care of it."

"I trust you." He gently put it into her hand, not able to stop a smile at her expression. "Will this help with some of your worries?"

She gave him a look. "I never said I worried."

"You also never said that you didn't."

"... Yeah, I guess I haven't." She looked back at the necklace. "What will happen if you get hurt?"

"It depends on the severity of the injury. The... worse it is, the darker it will get."

"So, if you were to die..."

"Yeah. The power would fade and it would go black." He bit his lip. "Hopefully you'll never have to see that."

"You're not going to die." She closed her fingers around it. "It isn't how it works."

"I sure hope not." He smiled at her, still holding one of her hands. "I hope you're right."

"I am. Whatever you guys have to face, you will do what you need to do and you will win." She squeezed his hand. "I'm sure of it."

"Okay." Cole smiled at her, not able to look away from her beautiful face. "Merry Christmas, Vania."

"Merry Christmas, Cole."