A/N: Hey, guys. I just want to start by saying to those who follow my stories: I have not abandoned AHS: Senior Year. I lost the notes for the story and will continue with regular updates once I find the notes.

In the meantime, I thought I'd do a new modern Disney story to hopefully hold all of us over until I can get back to working on AHS: Senior Year. Note: This is not a high school/ teen story; the main characters are all in their mid-twenties.

I hope you enjoy this. I plan to finish this by Christmas, so I will be updating this regularly for the next two weeks. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, everyone.

Friday, December 11th. 14 days 'till Christmas...

Jasmine stepped out onto the front porch just as all of the trucks and vans pulled up into the roundabout driveway. Bringing up the rear of the convoy was a Jaguar. The shiny black car came to a stop and Angelique stepped out. She was a gorgeous French woman who owned the top decorating company in Maldonia. Her assistant, Belle, emerged from the passenger seat and fell into step behind Angelique as they approached Jasmine.

"Bonjour, Jasmine," Angelique greeted. "Is your father home?"

Jasmine shook her head. "He left for work early this morning. But, he said you'd know what to do."

Angelique nodded. "Of course."

Without another word, Angelique turned on her heel and began giving instructions to the drivers and other workers. Belle stuck by her side. Jasmine knew Angelique well enough since her father hired her to do all of their Christmas decorating every year for the last ten years.

She didn't really know Belle at all, though. They had gone to high school together, but while Jasmine had been the most popular girl in their class, Belle had been a bookworm who preferred the company of books. They hadn't run in the same circles back then and they still didn't now. Belle started working for Angelique last year, but Jasmine mainly dealt with Angelique directly, not her assistant.

The workers began unloading the decorations. Every year Jasmine's father waited to have their house decorated until every other house in the gated community where they lived had been decorated. He had to make sure their house outdid every other house. Not because her father loved Christmas or anything like that; he just had to be the best. Truthfully, he couldn't care less about the holiday; for him Christmas was all about showing off his wealth. Every year he threw a huge Christmas party and a few extravagant charity events and also bought his colleagues outlandishly expensive gifts. Everyone thought he was generous, only Jasmine knew he was just showboating.

Her father always got her expensive gifts, too: usually a new car or an all expenses paid trip. But, they weren't the type of family of who gathered around the tree Christmas morning. Christmas morning Jasmine would find an envelope on one of the branches of the tree that had a car title or plane ticket in it and her father would give her a quick "merry Christmas" while he rushed around getting ready for the party later that night; and that was the extent of their Christmas.

Jasmine hated Christmas. She used to love it, but it hasn't been the same since her mom died ten years ago. Her mom had always been the Spirit of Christmas, but when she died, Christmas seemed to have died, too.

Jasmine was about to go back inside to get out of the way, when her best friend, Odette, pulled into the driveway. Odette quickly got out of the car and made her way over to Jasmine, maneuvering around the workers and various boxes and plastic containers that were beginning to stack up in the driveway and on the porch.

"I can't do this anymore!" Odette announced, taking the porch steps two at a time. "If I see that boy's stupid face one more time, I'm going to throw a fruitcake at it. And not a soft, moist one, either. The brick- like one that's been passing through my family for the past two decades!"

Jasmine laughed. The fruitcake bit wasn't even an exaggeration; there really was a fruitcake getting passed around her family for almost twenty years.

When Odette was a kid, her parents hosted Christmas for their entire family and Odette's grandmother, her dad's mother, made them a fruitcake; even though no one in the family likes fruitcake. That ended up being her grandmother's last Christmas, as she died a couple days later.

Being sentimental, Odette's dad couldn't bring himself to throw away the fruitcake. So, he held on to it and gave it to one of his sisters for Christmas the following year. Ever since then, every year someone ends up receiving the fruitcake and they keep it all year and gift it to someone else in the family the following year.

So, the story goes, anyway. Jasmine's never actually seen it.

"So, Derek's back in town, then?" Jasmine guessed.

Odette groaned. "Yes. You know, you would think somewhere along the way my dad would have picked up on the fact that I'm not interested in that shallow son of a-"

"Careful," Jasmine warned. "You don't want to end up on the naughty list. Santa's always watching and listening." Jasmine pointed over Odette's shoulder where one of the decorators was struggling to carry a life-size Santa Claus blow mold.

Odette laughed. "You're right. But, I stand by what I said: I do not want to see Derek. He's in town visiting his mom until Christmas, so I just need to find a way to avoid him for the next couple of weeks."

"You know that's not going to happen. Your dad and Derek's mom will be doing nothing but trying to set the two of you up the entire time he's here."

Since they were kids, Odette's dad, William, and Derek's mom, Uberta, have been trying to set them up. Odette has never been interested in Derek and for a while the feeling was mutual. But, Odette grew up to be gorgeous and then all of a sudden she had Derek's attention. Even though Derek is quite handsome, Odette still isn't interested since she knows he only likes her for her looks.

Odette stretched her arms out to the side and dramatically tilted her head towards the sky. "Strike me down, Santa! I'm ready to leave this world!"

"Why don't you just tell your dad you're dating someone?"

Odette looked at her. "Because I'm not. And if I tell him I am, he'll want me to bring him to all of the Christmas events."

"So, have someone pretend to be your boyfriend for the next couple of weeks."

"That's a terrible idea."

"It works in literally every made-for-TV Christmas movie you've made me watch."

"Oh, well in that case." Odette rolled her eyes. "I need real ideas, here, or I'm gonna find someone else to treat to Starbucks this morning."

Jasmine held up her hands in surrender. "All right, I'll help you."

OOOOO

"Where are you going?" Eric stepped out of the kitchen just as Ariel reached the front door.

"I still have some gifts to get and then I'm going to the airport."

Eric stared at her. "You're going shopping?"

"Christmas shopping," Ariel emphasized.

"Your family is going to be here in a few hours and-"

"Exactly. I still have some shopping to do for them and I won't have time once they get here. I have to do it now."

"The guest rooms still aren't ready for them. We have to clean the bedding and-"

"Can't you just hire someone to do that?"

Eric frowned at her. He could hire someone to clean the house and get it ready for his girlfriend's family; he certainly had the money for it. But, it had been Ariel who not only volunteered them to host Christmas but also insisted that her entire family- her parents and her six sisters- stay with them instead of at a hotel and she has not done a single thing to help get ready for their visit. Every time Eric asked her to do something, she just told him to hire someone to do it.

Eric was wealthy, but he never paid someone else to do something he was perfectly capable of doing himself. Without Ariel's help, he's been doing all of the decorating and cleaning and grocery shopping to get ready for her family's arrival- when he didn't even want to host them for Christmas in the first place.

Eric and Ariel had gone to her parents' house for Thanksgiving and that's when Ariel came up with the "brilliant" idea that everyone should come to Maldonia for Christmas. Eric had tried to protest the idea, but everyone had gotten so excited about it and the conversation got away from him quickly.

"I'm not hiring someone to make beds, Ariel," Eric replied. "Can you at least salt the walkway before you leave so no one slips and falls?"

"I have to go." Ariel slipped out the door, quickly closing it behind her.

Eric heard her car pull out of the driveway a minute later and he knew she hadn't done it.

Eric gathered the bedding from the three guest rooms and brought them down to the laundry room in the basement. After getting the first load going, he put on his coat and boots and went outside to salt the walkway; only to find his best friend, John Smith, doing it for him.

"You don't have to do that," Eric told him.

John shrugged. "Ariel saw me doing mine and asked if I could do yours, too."

John lived next door to them. When Eric's parents died three years ago in a plane crash, Eric had inherited their mansion, as well as an enormous fortune. At the time, Eric was single and had no other family, so he thought a mansion was just too much for him. He sold it and continued living in his small studio apartment. He started dating Ariel a year and a half ago and she moved in with him a few months ago. The apartment was a little too cramped for them, so when John told him the house next to his was for sale, Eric jumped on it.

Eric rolled his eyes. "Of course she did."

John looked up at him. "Trouble in paradise?"

Eric sighed. "Not really. I'm just stressing out about her family being here for two weeks and I think I'm lashing out."

"I don't blame you. Ten people sharing two bathrooms won't be pretty." Eric groaned and John laughed. "Hey, if you need to get away at all, just sneak over to my house."

"I will definitely be taking you up on that," Eric told him.

"Good. Because every time my mom comes over, she brings a plate of Christmas cookies from Tiana's Bakery and I can't eat all of them by myself. Maybe you can start bringing some home for Ariel and her family."

"Your mom comes over almost every day."

"My point."

Eric laughed. "It must be so horrible having someone bring you free Christmas cookies."

"It is if you're my sister, apparently," John said. "Every time mom brings Aurora cookies, Aurora gets on the sibling group text and complains about how our mom isn't 'respecting' her diet."

John is really close with his sisters, Aurora and Odette. Their parents divorced when they were kids and going through that together strengthened their sibling bond. As an only child, Eric has always been envious of their relationship. John had always been like a brother to him, though.

John's dad and Eric's dad had been business partners for a long time. But, when the two of them had a falling out that resulted in John's dad leaving the company, John's dad basically all but shunned Eric and his parents. Eric was never welcome in William's house again. John's mom, however, always opened her home to Eric. Especially after his parents died. Eric has spent the last couple of Christmases with John and his family. Thinking about it now, Eric realized missing out on Christmas with them played a huge part in why he was not looking forward to spending Christmas with Ariel's family.

"Earth to Eric."

Eric snapped back to attention. John had finished salting the walkway and the porch steps and was now setting the bag on the ground, leaning it against the railing.

"Sorry," Eric said. "Christmas is just getting to me, I guess. But, tell Aurora if she doesn't want the cookies, she can bring them here. I'm sure Ariel's family would appreciate them."

"I think she's throws them away as soon as mom leaves. But, I've got tons to spare. I'll drop some off for you later."

"Thanks."

John shoved his hands in his coat pockets. "It won't be so bad, you know. Maybe all of the preparation will be the worst part and once they actually get here it'll be better."

"Yeah, maybe."

Though, Eric doubted it.

A couple hours later, Eric was just finishing making the beds in the guest room when Ariel got home with her family. The house was instantly filled with Ariel's sisters talking all at once. Eric went downstairs.

The foyer was filled with suitcases and discarded snow boots. The front door was standing open, letting the cold in, as everyone lingered in front of the door.

"Come on in, everyone," Eric greeted, trying to usher them further into the house so he could close the door. "The guest rooms are all upstairs. Make yourselves at home."

Ariel led her family upstairs and Eric followed after them.

Ariel pointed to the two rooms on the right side of the hall. "These rooms are for you guys," she said, addressing her sisters. The six of them immediately started arguing over who got which room and who had to room with whom. "Mom, Dad, this room is for you," Ariel said, indicating the room across the hall.

Triton and Athena stepped into the room. "Well, it's certainly smaller than we're used to," Triton noted. "A hotel room would be bigger than this."

A panicked look crossed Ariel's face. "Oh. Well, if you're uncomfortable, you can take mine and Eric's room. We have the master room."

Eric gaped at her. What?

"That's not necessary, dear; this room is perfect," Athena said, giving Triton a scolding look. "You'll have to forgive your father; he's just grumpy after all of that traveling."

Ariel relaxed a little. "Okay. If you're sure..."

"We are." Athena glared at Triton.

"This will be just fine," Triton said.

"Great. Then we'll let you get settled while we make preparations for dinner," Eric told them. He took Ariel's hand and led her back downstairs. Once they were in the kitchen, he turned on her. Keeping his voice low, he said, "What were you thinking offering our room to your parents?"

"I'm sorry. I panicked. My dad's attitude tends to spread through the family. If he's in a bad mood, everyone will be."

"Are you kidding me?"

Ariel shook her head.

Eric had to give Ariel's mom props; he didn't know how she handled it. Of everyone in Ariel's family, Athena was the most level- headed and always seemed to be in complete control.

Ariel and her family were originally from Maldonia. Ariel was the youngest. As each of her sisters graduated high school, they went off to college in different places in the country. After Ariel graduated and moved out, her parents became empty- nesters and moved down to Florida. Everyone went to their house for Thanksgiving this year. After it was decided everyone would be coming back to Maldonia for Christmas two weeks later, all of Ariel's sisters decided to just stay at their parents' house so they could all travel together. Athena has been dealing with her family for the last two weeks non-stop and still had another two weeks to go.

Eric didn't know how Athena was keeping it together. They all just arrived and he was already ready to snap. This was going to be a long two weeks...

OOOOO

"Not this year, Proteus." Meg clutched her phone, resisting the urge to hang up on her older brother.

"You say that every year," Proteus said.

"And, yet, you still try every year."

"We're family and it's Christmas. When are you and Vanessa gonna end this feud so we can actually be a family again?"

"It's not just some feud, and you know it. I will never forgive her. If the two of you want to get together for Christmas, fine; but count me out."

"Mom and Dad wouldn't want this."

"Yeah, well, they're not here to give their input, are they?" Meg snapped.

"Meg..."

Meg sighed. "I'm sorry."

"I miss them, too. With them being gone, it's even more important for the three of us to stick together."

"No, Proteus. Why can't we just do what we do every year? You spend Christmas morning with Vanessa and then spend Christmas evening with me?"

"I can't do that anymore. Every year I spend all day Christmas listening to the two of talk shit about each other and I'm done. Either I spend Christmas with both of you together or I don't spend Christmas with either of you."

"Oh, come on, Proteus-"

"No. I'm done," he repeated.

"We've never a missed a Christmas together."

"We will this year if you and Vanessa don't work this out."

"Proteus-"

"I have to go." Proteus hung up.

Meg shot off a text to her friends to meet her at Phil's ASAP, then pulled on her coat and left her apartment.

Phil's was a sports bar and grill across the street from Meg's apartment building. Her best friends, Anya, Aladdin, and Flynn all lived within a couple of blocks of Phil's, so it was their go- to hangout.

Meg shivered when she stepped outside. Despite it only being six o'clock in the evening, it was already dark. She ran across the snow-covered street and ducked inside Phil's. They were in the middle of the dinner rush and the place was packed.

"Welcome to Phil's!" the young hostess greeted. "How many?"

"Four," Meg replied.

The hostess looked down at her podium. "It looks like a booth just opened up. Right this way."

Meg followed the hostess to a booth. After setting menus on the table, the hostess walked away. The table was close enough to the door that she'd be able to see her friends when they got there, but fortunately not too close that they'd feel the cold draft every time someone came in or left.

Anya was the first to arrive. She had her phone in her hand and was talking to someone through her headset. Meg waved her over. Anya plopped down in the booth next to Meg.

"I thought Ariel was making dinner," Anya said into her phone as she gave Meg a quick side hug. "Eric, it's six o'clock on a Friday night; how am I supposed to get a last minute dinner reservation for ten people?" Anya scrolled through her phone, then started typing rapidly. "All right, calm down. I got you a reservation at The Benbow Inn for six- thirty." Anya laughed at Eric's response. "You wanna know how you can thank me, Eric? a really nice Christmas bonus." She smiled and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah: I love you, too. Bye." She hung up. "Sorry about that, Meg."

Meg shrugged. "Don't worry about it."

Meg was used to Anya being on the phone with Eric. She's been his personal assistant since before they became friends. He hired her back when he worked for his dad's company. After his dad died and Eric sold the company, he still kept Anya on as his assistant even though he didn't work anymore. He realized pretty quickly how dependent he was on her just in his day- to- day life.

"I have a feeling that's not going to be the only emergency call I get from him while his girlfriend's family is in town. Ariel's a sweetheart, but a total flake."

Aladdin and Flynn showed up then and sat down across from them.

"What's the emergency, Meg?" Flynn asked, pulling off his hat and shaking out his hair.

"Let's order first," Meg suggested.

After the waitress finally came to their table and they ordered, everyone's attention was on Meg. She told them about her phone call with Proteus and how she was potentially spending Christmas alone.

"That sucks," Flynn said.

"You've never told us what happened between you and your sister. Is there any possibility of you reconciling?" Anya asked.

Meg shook her head. "No way. And Proteus knows that. What he's doing is so unfair."

"I can't say I blame him," Aladdin said. Meg glared at him. He held his hands up in surrender. "I'm just saying; he's torn between both of his sisters and it sounds like Christmas hasn't exactly been enjoyable for him. Just try to see it from his perspective before you disown him like you disowned Vanessa."

"Whose side are you on?" Meg demanded.

"Yours, obviously."

"I think what Aladdin is trying to say," Anya interjected, "is don't be too hard on your brother. With your falling out with your sister, your parents being gone, and your grandparents dropping out of contact after you guys graduated, Proteus is the only family you have left."

"Which is why this sucks so much," Meg said. "I can't imagine spending Christmas without Proteus, but I absolutely cannot forgive Vanessa."

"If you don't want to spend Christmas alone and you won't make up with your sister, there's a simple solution to this," Flynn said.

"Which is?"

"Do what I'm doing: skip Christmas."

"That seems drastic," Anya said. "Even if she doesn't see her brother, she's not going to spend Christmas alone; she has us."

Meg shook her head. "No, I think Flynn's right. Skipping Christmas altogether would eliminate the anxiety of this whole situation."

Anya and Aladdin exchanged glances.

"What?" Meg asked.

Anya took a deep breath and exhaled. "It just sounds like you're taking the easy way out instead of dealing with this. Don't you care at all how your brother feels?"

"Why should I? He clearly doesn't care how I feel."

"I don't think that's true," Aladdin said. "It sounds like he just wants to put his family back together."

"We understand he's put you in tough situation," Anya said. "But, this isn't the right way to handle it."

"Come on, guys; get on her side, here," Flynn said.

"We are," Anya insisted.

"It doesn't sound like it," Meg stated.

The waitress brought their food then and they all started eating, thankful for the excuse to end the conversation.

Meg knew Anya and Aladdin meant well, but they didn't understand her situation. Skipping Christmas was really the best option for her; she didn't need the stress, anxiety, and arguing back and forth with Proteus.

Besides, Meg was no stranger to skipping Christmas. Their parents thought Christmas was too commercial, so they didn't celebrate it growing up. Every year they'd go on a vacation somewhere warm and wouldn't partake in anything that had to do with Christmas. Meg, Proteus, and Vanessa didn't start celebrating Christmas until their parents died and their grandparents came to take care of them. And even then, Christmas wasn't very Christmassy. Their grandmother spent weeks trying to decorate the house until it looked perfect; like the set of a Hallmark Christmas movie or something. And the only Christmas presents they received from their grandparents were gift cards for department stores none of them shopped at.

When they were kids, all Meg, Proteus, and Vanessa wanted was to celebrate Christmas like all of their friends. But, they never got that kind of Christmas. Even now, as adults, they've never bothered trying to go all out. Skipping Christmas this year would be just like all the Christmases when she was younger, except she wouldn't be on vacation. She hated spending Christmas that way as a kid, but now it sounded perfect.

OOOOO

Odette spent the whole day with her best friend, Jasmine, but they were no closer to solving her Derek problem than they were this morning. After dinner, Odette dropped Jasmine back off at her house before going back to her own apartment.

Odette hurried across the parking lot of her complex, eager to get out of the cold as quickly as possible. When she got inside, she found her mom, Leah, in the lobby, chatting with the new doorman, Wiggins. Wiggins was a scrawny, goofy guy, but far more friendly than the previous night shift doorman.

"You'll just let anyone in here, won't you, Wiggins?" Odette teased, giving her mom a hug.

"Just the ones offering Christmas cookies." Wiggins motioned at the decorative box from Tiana's Bakery sitting on his desk.

"And, here, I thought those were for me," Odette said.

"Tis the season for sharing, Miss Smith," Wiggins replied with a wink.

Odette laughed. "Help yourself. I've got, like, 8 more boxes in my apartment. Mom brings some every time she visits."

"Then, you are welcome here anytime, ma'am," Wiggins said, taking a cookie from the box.

Leah smiled at him. "Thank you, Wiggins. I'm sure I'll see you around."

"I hope so." Wiggins gave them a wave as they headed towards the elevator.

Odette and her mom stepped into the elevator. Odette was just pressing the button for her floor when someone called out, "Hold the elevator, please!"

Leah used her purse to keep the doors from closing. Proteus jogged into the elevator.

"Thank you," he told them. He reached past Odette and hit the button.

Proteus lived on the floor below Odette and sometimes their paths crossed. They'd make small talk whenever they saw each other, but Odette couldn't really say they were friends.

"Would you like a cookie?" Leah offered him, holding out the box.

Proteus looked surprised at first, but then smiled at her and took one. "Thank you."

"Do you know my daughter, Odette?"

"We've met," Odette told her.

"She's single," Leah continued. "Can you imagine? A pretty girl like her being single at Christmas..."

"Oh my God," Odette whispered, mortified.

Proteus tried to suppress a laugh as he pretended to wipe cookie crumbs off his coat.

Thankfully, the elevator stopped at his floor before he could comment. The doors opened, and he quickly got out, thanking them again for the cookie. When the doors closed, Odette groaned.

"He was cute," her mom noted.

"Words cannot express how embarrassing you are."

"I'm your mom, that's my job."

"Not anymore; you're fired. I no longer have a mom."

The elevator doors opened at Odette's floor and the two of them stepped out.

"Fine by me. Think of all the money I'll save not buying you any Christmas presents," Leah said.

Odette cast a sideways glance at her as she unlocked her apartment. "Fine, you're not fired. But, you're on thin ice, lady."

They went inside and shed their winter gear by the door. Odette turned on some of the lights as they made their way to the kitchen. Leah set the box of cookies on the small breakfast island, next to Odette's glass table top Christmas tree. That was currently the only Christmas tree in her apartment. She always got a real tree for her living room, but she hadn't made it over to the tree lot, yet.

"So, what brings you by?" Odette asked her mom.

"You remember when I was cleaning out the basement earlier this year and I gave you that box of ornaments?"

"Yeah."

"I was wondering if Aurora's 'baby's first Christmas' ornament was in that box. I decorated my tree today and I couldn't find it anywhere."

"Oh, I don't know; I never went through it. I put it down in my storage locker when you gave it to me and it's been there ever since," Odette replied. "But, I can go down there tomorrow and get the box."

"That would be great."

"Was that all you needed? 'Cause you could have asked me that in a text or just called me."

"I know, but I wanted to see you."

"Well, since you're here; do you want to watch a movie?"

"Definitely. Do you have White Christmas?"

"Mom, White Christmas isn't a real Christmas movie."

Leah gaped at her. "Blasphemer! How can you possibly say that? It has Christmas right in the title."

"Well, yeah. But, the only Christmassy part of the movie is the very end when they're all dressed up singing 'White Christmas'. The rest of the movie has absolutely nothing to do with Christmas and doesn't feel Christmassy at all."

Leah pretended to clutch pearls around her neck. "Dear God, child; who raised you? I've never in my life heard such disrespect."

"I'm right, though."

Her mom put her hand on her chest. "I think I'm having a heart attack."

Odette laughed and rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Just pick a different movie."

"Fine. But, just for that, I'm telling Uberta how you just can't wait to see Derek at the gala tomorrow night."