Hi Guys, Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! I hope you all have a nice day today! So, here is chapter 16 and it is very Christmas orientated, so I couldn't have planned this even if I tried. I got very lucky with the updating schedule. So, I hope you enjoy, and I'll see you at the end!

Time Skip-25th December- Carlos' POV
When Christmas day arrived, I had no clue what to expect. I was staying with Ben at the castle, and the whole place had been decorated with tinsel and ornaments, showing off the joy for this event. Mal had gone to stay with Audrey and sent photos of Audrey's castle, which was in a similar predicament to this. Jay went with Lonnie, saying the same had happened there, and Evie stayed with Doug, staying the dwarves cottage had also been decorated to the extreme. Anyway, waking up this morning, I didn't know what to expect, but I definitely didn't expect it to be at 6am. "Carlos wake up" I could hear Ben whispering, and gentling shaking me.

"Ben, what time is it?" I asked, rolling over to face him, seeing the smile on his face.

"Carlos, it's snowing" was his response to my question, as he jumped out of bed, and went straight over to the window, opening the curtains slightly. A little bit of sunlight glared into the room, and I rolled back over, seeing the time '6:00am'. Before I could say anything, Ben spoke again. "Carlos, we have to go for a walk, please. The snow is fresh, and no one has been out yet! Please can we go out" he said, practically begging by this point. "I mean, if you don't want too, its fine" he continued but I interrupted

"Ok, ok. Let's go" I replied, pulling myself from the bed.

"Wait, really. Oh Carlos, thank you so much!" he said, running over to me, and giving me a big hug. We got dressed, into some rather thick clothes I might add, and headed outside. We held hands the entire time, as we walked through the palace grounds. "You know. I've never seen snow before" I confessed, kneeling down and cupping some in my hand. "It's so cold, and wet" I continued, and he laughed.

"Well, we only get it once or twice a year, so make the most of it" he replied, as he led me into Belle's garden. "You know, every Christmas I would come for a walk like this. And every year, I imagined sharing it with someone special. I'm glad that you" he confessed back to me, and I blushed.

"You know just what to say" I replied, causing him to chuckle. We probably spent the next half an hour chatting, with me asking him what today would entail.

"So, the leaders of the Kingdoms are coming round for Christmas Dinner, and then we get to decide what we want to do. Some years, Mum and Dad would hold a royal ball, and others we would all chill out and watch some cheesy films." He responded.

"I think I prefer the second option. The pair of us snuggled up, with a hot drink watching some films" I joked back, snuggling into his chest as we walked.

"Ok, I think you've persuaded me" he joked. "Now let's head back" he continued, leading us back to the castle. He walked ahead, but I kneeled down, collecting a lot of snow in my hand. The snow reminded me of something we had back on the isle during this time of year. It was a black slush, and the kids would compress it into a ball, and we would all have slush fights. I was never very good at it, but it was worth a try. I compressed the snow into a rather perfect ball, and launched it at Ben's back. As the ball smashed into his back, I burst into laughter as he spun to face me.

"You're on" was all he said, as he ducked for cover behind one of the pillars surrounding the garden. I followed his lead, ducking behind one as well, forming another snow ball in my hands. I sneaked round one of the corners, and felt a snow ball hit me on the small of my back. I turned to see Ben peering around the corner, smirking as he did so. I chuckled, taking cover from him, and using his shadow to launch another snow ball into the air.

I heard a faint "Ouch" signalling that Ben was trying to flank me, and I was able throw another snow ball at him, catching him in the shoulder. He turned to me, his normally bright eyes, now darkened, as he ran at me, and tacked me to the floor. I broke into a fit of laughter, as I hit the soft powder, slightly sinking into it. Ben was laid in top of me, his eyes now filled with lust, as I pulled him into a deep and passionate kiss. I felt his defence break away, and I used all my energy to roll us over, so I was now on top.

While in the kiss, I grabbed a handful of snow, and as soon as I pulled out, I started to sprinkle it across his face, giggling to myself. "It's not the first time you've had white stuff on your face" I chuckled, as the small flakes landed on his cheeks, and one on the end of his nose.

"Steady on now Carlos, the day hasn't begun yet" he joked back, as I snuggled into his chest.

"Thank you Ben. Thank you for sharing this with me." I said, and he blushed.

"Well, I'm sharing the rest of my life with you, so I thought it only fair" he replied, taking off his glove, and showing me the engagement ring. "Have I ever told you how much I love this ring" he continued, and I nodded.

"Every day since I gave it to you" I replied. The pair of us where happy and content. Laid in each other's arms, as the sun rose beside us.

"Come on you too. It's time to open some presents" we heard a voice bellow from above us. I pulled myself off of Ben, and brushed myself down.

"Of course Your Majesty" I replied, Ben slowly pulling himself from the floor. I saw Beast chuckle from above us.

"Carlos, you're family now. I told you, just call me Beast" he joked, and I chuckled. I saw Belle appear next to him, and she waved at me. I blushed and waved back, causing her to chuckle.

"Plus, breakfast is ready" she spoke up, and Ben wrapped his arm around my waist.

"So we'll say I won" he joked, causing Belle and Beast to chuckle.

"Oh, I don't think that's fair" I joked, before making a run towards the castle. "Come on then!" I shouted, as he took off behind me, trying to catch up. I waited by the door, and waited for Ben to catch up. "I won" I replied, as we walked into the living room of the castle. The tree was decorated beautifully, with blue and gold tinsel and some beautiful ornaments decorating it. It was rather cute, with some decorating being little replicas of Miss Potts, Chip, Lumiere and Cogsworth, and others being the replica of beast, and belle's dress.

Anyway, there were a couple of piles on the floor, with name plates in front of them. Ben had a massive pile of easily 20 presents, if not more, while mine was more toned down, with only 10 at the most. But to be honest, I saw so excited! I didn't expect to get anything, let alone 10 presents, so I was overjoyed. Ben rushed over to his pile, while I just stood there awkwardly. It was one of those moments where I didn't want to assume anything, but I also wanted to rip them all open.

"What are you waiting for Carlos? Go for it!" I heard Belle say from beside me, and the smile that grew on my face was unbelievable. I ran over, and started to grab some of the gifts. I read all the name tag before opening them, seeing one present was from Belle, one from Beast and one from both of them. The Fairy Godmother had also got me something, as well as all of the AK's. Well, I say the AK's, but the tags read the couple. So one was from Audrey and Mal, one from Lonnie and Jay, and one from Doug and Evie, however I knew it was the AK's that got the presents, as I didn't have a clue that us VK's were getting each other presents. I was kinda hoping Ben got them something, and included my name on the tag.

That was beside the point, I started to unwrap the gifts, and was so happy when I saw what was inside. Belle and Beast had gotten me a workshop kit, with was quite funny. "Ben told us that you liked inventing, so I hoped this would help" he chuckled, before Belle handed me another gift and I just smiled back at them. I opened it to find the top of the range laptop I was looking at.

"Thank you…Belle and Beast. These are absolutely perfect! Thank you so much" I said, and they chuckled. Lonnie and Jay had gotten me a small arcade box, allowing me to play some of the older games, Doug and Evie had gotten me a picture of us VK's as soon as we had stepped out of the limousine. With chocolate around my face and everything! The caption on the picture read Rotten to the Bore which made me chuckle slightly. Audrey and Mal got me a nice watch, the strap following my usual black, white and red colour scheme. I continued to open the rest of the presents, my smile growing every time I did, and when I finished, I was surrounded by a pile of wrapping paper and all my presents.

Ben had finished opening all of his, and we started to compare all the stuff we got. I saw Ben pulled another present from behind him. "Here, I got you this" he said, handing me a small box, wrapped beautifully.

"Ok, but before I open that, I want you to open mine first" I replied, pulling two boxes from behind me. I saw Ben's face light up as he unwrapped the first gift, revealing a signed copy of his favourite book, The Princess Bride. The signature read 'Merry Christmas Ben. I'm so glad you enjoyed my book, and I hope we can meet soon. William Goldman'

"Oh Carlos, this is perfect!" he exclaimed, pulling the book closer to his chest. "Thank you so much!" he continued, and I chuckled.

"You still have another one to open" I joked, and he picked up the next present. He unwrapped it, and his facial expression changed from happiness to laughter. Belle and Beast both asked what it was, and he pulled out a folder of paper. The front read '50 Dangerous Experiences for you to choose' as Ben broke into laughter.

"You said you'd never done anything dangerous, so I thought this would be perfect" I joked back, causing Belle and Beast to chuckle. "Well, you know, for beginners at least" I continued, as he pulled me into a deep hug.

"Thank you Carlos, these are absolutely amazing!" he said, as I returned the hug.

"Now come on, open yours" he continued, and I opened the small box. I unwrapped the gift to find a small matchbox inside, and I was curious what it was. "Shake it" I heard Ben say, and I did so, only to hear jingling coming from inside. I slide the matchbox open, revealing a set of keys, with a small keyring on them. "I know how much you liked my bike so" he said, turning me around as my own bike was wheeled into the room by Belle and Beast. The bike itself was white, but it had black and red strips running. I turned to him, tears now streaming down my face.

"Ben! Thank you so much. I love it, I love you, and I love everything. Today has been perfect already!" I exclaimed pulling him into the biggest hug, clutching the keys into my hand.

"We've also paid for a chunk of 10 lessons for you Carlos" I heard Belle say.

"Thank you. Thank you so much, all of you!" I exclaimed, releasing Ben, and now running over to the bike.

"Now come on. Let's get some breakfast" Belle said, and we all nodded. We shared breakfast with Belle and Beast before making our way back to Ben's room, and getting changed. As usual, Ben wore his usual Ben and Gold suit, while I wore my usual Red, Black and White suit.

"You look smashing as usual" I said, and he replied.

"As do you." By this time, it was 12:30pm, so we made our way into the dining room, and my face lit up when I walked in.

I gasped at the room, causing Belle and Beast to burst out laughing. "Carlos, you'll never stop gasping at this place will you?" I heard Belle chuckle, and I chuckled as well.

"Apparently not" I replied, looking around the room.

"Ok, so the seating arrangement have been made." Miss Potts said, as I counted the 22 seats arrangements. I walked over to my seat, seeing that Ben was to my right, and Belle was to my left, which caused me to relax. 'Luckily, I didn't have any 'strangers' sitting next to me' I thought to myself. Anyway, Ben and I had to wait at the castle door, as the guests arrived, and there was a lot of guests. On the left hand side of the door was Ben and I, and on the right side was Belle and Beast.

Mal, Audrey Aurora and Prince Phillip arrived first, Ben and I shaking hands with every one of them. I even had to shake Mal's hand! Mal! Out of everyone! I think we both were a bit awkward about it. They were lead into the royal dining room, as Jay, Lonnie, Mulan and Li Shang showed up next, and we shook their hands. Jay and I went a bit too far with it, seeing how hard we could do so, and I felt Ben nudge me slightly, telling me to stop. I reluctantly gave up, and moved on to shaking Lonnie's hand. I think you can imagine how the next half an hour of my life went. Evie, Doug, Dopey, Snow White and Prince Charming showed up next, followed by Jane, Fairy Godmother, Xander, Rapunzel and Eugene. I had to shake all of these hands and by the end of it, but arm was killing me. I gave Ben a sort of half smile, and he just chuckled.

Ben's POV:
It was clear Carlos didn't enjoy greeting everyone, but there wasn't much I could do about it. He gave me a half smile, and I chuckled. "Sorry C, but you signed up for this" I whispered into his ear, showing him the ring as I did so.

"Oh, yeah. I take that back" he replied, before pulling me into a kiss. "Now come on, let's get going" he said, pulling out of the kiss, and leading me to the dining room. The meal was actually quite enjoyable, and I saw Carlos' face light up when all the food was brought out. "I wasn't expecting so much stuff!" he exclaimed, stockpiling his plate with at least one of everything. I could see all the VK's do the same thing, whereas the rest of us only stockpiled the stuff we liked. I think Mal was the first person to bring up something controversial.

"God, no one we got so much food on the Isle this time of year" she said, diving into the turkey. I think she realised what she had said, and quickly covered her mouth with her hand. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it" she apologised, as Audrey held her hand.

"It's fine Mal. I know this is a new experience for you all" I said, gesturing to the VK's, and they all nodded. We continued our meal, everyone talking to each other about their studies, and other than Mal's comment, nothing of interest happened. Dessert was as interesting as ever, with Carlos' face lighting up as they brought the chocolate fountain out. We all dove in, continuing our conversations for the next hour or so. Carlos ended up speaking with Eugene which was quite interesting, and Jay ended up speaking Beast. I think they were comparing their strength, as I saw them arm wrestle a few times. When we finished up, I checked the time, seeing it was 4:00pm, followed by a rather timely knock at the door. I answered it, finding one of the royal advisers waiting for me.

"Ah, you're Majesty. It's time for the speech" he said, as I led him into the room. I was fulling expecting this, whereas I don't think Carlos was. Little did he know, I was dragging him out with me.

"Of course" I replied, walking over to the balcony.

"Wait, you're doing a speech" I heard Carlos ask, and I chuckled.

"No, we're doing a speech" I responded, dragging him off the sofa, and onto the balcony. Millions of people were gathered at the castle, each waiting to hear what we had to say.

"Ben, I can't do this. What will I say?" he panicked, looking over the balcony, at the hoard of people.

"It's fine. Just stand there and look pretty. If anything pops into your mind, just speak up" I replied, before grabbing the microphone and addressing the public. "People of Auradon. May I be the first to wish you all a Merry Christmas!" I shouted into the microphone, causing everyone to cheer. "This year has been a very interesting one, with the arrival of the VK's, and my coronation, but I think that as a nation, we have stayed strong through it" I continued, but I could see Carlos was getting ready to stay something. He squeezed my hand tightly, and I passed him the microphone, allowing him to speak. He grabbed the microphone, and it made a high pitch sound at first, causing him to freak out a little bit. "Just breathe" I whispered into his ear, as he pulled the microphone closer to his face.

"I, err, I just wanted to thank everyone for all you have done for me. The last 10 months have honestly been the best in my life. I got to experience things I never imagined I would. I got to watch TV shows that I never could have imagined existed, I got to walk barefooted on grass, and I got to taste chocolate. But most importantly of all, I got to meet my true love." He said, turning to face me. "None of this would have been possible if you didn't trust in him. And I know that it hasn't been the easiest of rides, and that we are mostly responsible for that, but I wanted to thank you all none the less" he finished, handing me the mic. The whole crowd cheered and applauded Carlos, and I could see the smile on his.

"Um, I don't know how to top that, so Merry Christmas, and here's to another good year" I finished the speech entirely, pulling Carlos into a big hug. The crowd continued to applaud, some even chanting "Carlos, Carlos!" over and over again, as we made our way back into the castle. "Pup, you nailed it!" I said, and he just blushed.

"I just spoke from the heart" he replied, as I pulled him deeper into the hug.

With the speech only lasted about 10 minutes, everyone else left when it finished. By the time it had reached 4:45pm, Carlos and I had shook everyone hand again, with Carlos lingering on Jay once again, and wished them all a Merry Christmas. As soon as the doors shut, Carlos pulled me into a passionate kiss. "I believe I was promised a movie" he said, pulling out of the kiss, and dragging me towards my bedroom.

"God, you're such a tease!" I exclaimed, now willingly following him to my room. I ordered the pair of us some hot chocolates, with Carlos seemed excited about, and I pulled out some specially made onesies I had got us. Mine, as usual, was blue, with a small gold pattern down the side, as well as a little crown on my chest and Carlos' was half black and half white with red detailing. "Merry Christmas Carlos, I got you a little something else" I said, handing him the box with the onesie in. He ripped it open, and a smile grew on his face. "Now we can properly snuggle together" I joked, and he hugged me once again.

"Ben, thank you for everything. Today has been absolutely amazing, and I couldn't have hoped for anything else" he said, and I chuckled. "

Thank you Carlos. For making this year so special. Until you came along, I felt like I couldn't be myself. You've opened my eyes, and showed me that I can be who I want, and that I can love whoever I wanted. I love you Carlos, and I always will. I promise to be by your side for the rest of my life" I replied, and I could feel a tear rolling down my face.

"You always upstage me" he joked, pulling out of the hug, tears rolling down his face.

"Now, let's try these onesies on" I replied. The rest of the day we spent snuggled up on the sofa watching some cheesy Christmas films. Carlos and I absolutely love it, because we had each other.

So, I think this was quite a cute chapter. Not much really happened, but I think it was perfect none the less. Thank you to White Collar Black Wolf once again for the review, and I'll see you guys later for the next chapter! Until then TTFN :D