All I Want For Christmas Is...

Title: All I Want For Christmas Is...

Summary: How some of my favourite Total Drama Island pairings spend their Christmas.

Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own TDI.

Pairings: Justin/Beth, Harold/Eva, Duncan/LeShawna, Noah/Gwen, Ezekiel/Izzy, Harold/Bridgette

Warnings: Some humour, fluff, language, mature themes, all that good stuff

Winter-Rae: As much as I enjoy this couple it is epically hard to write. In my opinion Gwen and Noah are the hardest characters to write. In any case, I hope it's alright. Anyway, please enjoy.

Italics-flashbacks

All I Want For Christmas Is...

Chapter 4: That Painting: Gwen and Noah

December 24th

'You've giving me enough trouble this past three weeks. Eluded me and made me look like a fool around countless people. Well today, I have you beat! For today, I know exactly what to do. I have done the research. I have looked through all the possible colours and all the possible types and I now know, without a doubt that I want...'

"I want the black one." Noah said, pointing to the item. The young woman behind the counter followed his gaze, smiled and nodded approvingly.

"Well, you certainly have very nice taste," she said happily, "Now would you like that with the lace or without?"

Noah's jaw dropped.

"You're kidding me right?"

She cocked her head to the side.

"No sir, we just came out with the new style with the added lace a week ago, it's very popular."

Noah sighed and hit his head against the counter in frustration. All of his planning and research, every single minute of it, wasted. And all because the designers just had to go and add lace to the damn thing!

Noah looked up at the worker with a stressed look on his face.

"Look," he said trying not to sound as impatient and annoyed as he was, "This is supposed to be a present for my girlfriend, who I have been dating for three years. She's been talking about this for six months, so I know she really wants it, I remember stupid details like that. However, I'm also a writer and a procrastinator so I realize that this is my fault for waiting this long. But for right now I just need some help. Now, which one is the most popular?"

"It all depends," she replied, "But I have sold more of the ones without lace."

"So no lace it is then!"

"But I always hear good things about the one with lace."

"For the love of God woman!" Noah said dramatically, "My romantic life depends on this gift! Okay fine, we're going to do this my way."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a quarter.

"Heads for lace, tails for no lace, you call it in the air."

She arched an eyebrow but nodded.

"Alright sir, if that will help you decide."

"Thank you."

Noah flipped the coin and as it started to fall back down towards his hand she called for 'tails.' As the coin landed in his hand, he closed his fist around it and slapped it on the back of his other hand.

"Tails," she repeated. Noah lifted his hand up.

"Heads," he said. She smiled.

"Alright then," she said, "Lace it is. Would you like that gift wrapped?"

Noah nodded. She picked up the black silk underwear with tights and a garter belt, and then grabbed the matching corset and wrap. She started to wrap it when Noah stopped her.

"Wait," he said, "Let's go with no lace please."

She glanced at him and sighed.

"Very well sir."

"I should have just gotten her a new paint set," Noah muttered, "But no, I had to be the nice boyfriend and set foot in a place where not many men dare to tread."

The woman smiled as she finished wrapping the present.

"You'd be surprised," she said, "I get plenty of husbands and boyfriends in here buying their loved ones lingerie. Lace or no lace, she'll love this."

Noah took the gift and paid for it.

"Thanks," he muttered, "Merry Christmas."

"And to you too sir! I hope you and your girlfriend of three years enjoy it!"

Gwen stood at her easel eyeing the canvas, her paintbrush in between her teeth. She cocked her head to the side and hummed under her breath. If she could get this picture to look right it would be a perfect surprise for Noah for Christmas. He was a great lover of the arts like she was; only his love came mostly from a literary point of view while hers was strictly a visual one.

She was thankful for Noah in more ways than one. He was a wealth of information on all of the artists and paintings she loved, sometimes knowing slightly more than she did. He also knew where to find decent pieces of art for her or for their apartment. She had at least six rare pieces and two more coming; she had told Noah plenty of times that he didn't need to buy them for her but Noah would only shrug.

"I can always make more money," he told her once, "We might as well do something with it that makes life a little more interesting. Besides, using my money to spoil us is a rather enjoyable hobby. You liked Monet too right?"

Gwen smiled at the thought. Noah certainly did have a very interesting outlook on life. Sure he was sarcastic, cynical, and harshly negative but he did have his moments. Gwen hadn't been too fond of him when she first met him back on Total Drama Island, and even after the show was done she wanted nothing to do with him. It wasn't until she saw him on an interview that she had seen a different side of him that she even started to really like him.

The interview had been set up by Chris. It was bringing in some of the people who had been on Total Drama Island to see how they had changed since the show and to see where they were now. Only three people had been chosen and all of the others had been invited to watch backstage. The three people chosen were Tyler, Bridgette and Noah.

Tyler was still as accident prone as ever as he managed to trip on stage and his forehead bashed into the interviewer's nose. Thank goodness they weren't on the air yet. However the interviewer, a woman in her early thirties, wasn't too happy to have a broken nose and swollen face for the whole show. She left and was replaced by a young man in his late twenties, he did a very good job and Tyler managed to get through his interview without killing himself or anyone else.

Bridgette's actual interview went well, however as she went to stand to her feet to say good bye, her head hit the bottom of the second interviewer's head, making him bit his tongue. He had to go to the hospital for stitches. After that, the show was hard pressed in finding someone to interview Noah. He wasn't disappointed and was about to leave when one of the interns volunteered. Noah, dressed in fashionable black trousers and a green dress shirt, took his seat and waited for the first question. The intern looked a little nervous.

"Relax," Noah told him, "I'm not going to maim you."

The intern smiled and started the interview.

"Welcome back everyone, we're now talking with Noah Shafer, who was the third person to be voted off the popular reality TV show Total Drama Island."

Gwen was watching from the sidelines and saw Noah smirk and roll his eyes at his comment. Clearly he was the same arrogant and lazy little smart ass he was back then.

"So Noah, what have you been up too since TDI?"

"School mostly," he replied with a shrug, "I'm hoping to be a writer. Mind you I'm far off from that, I'm not the best writer and my grammar sucks."

"Really?"

"Yep."

"But you were the smart one?"

Noah rolled his eyes.

"Something everyone should have learned from watching that show is that nothing is what it seems. I mean hello, Owen won season one. It doesn't get more out of the ordinary than that. I might be a literacy student but that doesn't mean I'm brilliant with a pen. Did you know that Pablo Picasso was an art school dropout? And look how far he went."

"You're planning to drop out of school?"

Noah laughed.

"If that what it takes to be a great writer I would."

Gwen found herself smiling as she watched his quick witted remarks. He certainly had a sense of humour. Where the hell did he get it from? He certainly didn't have it back on the island. Apparently the interviewer had picked up on that as well.

"You seem to have changed since being on the island, what brought that on?"

Noah arched an eyebrow.

"I'm still the sarcastic smart ass everyone knew and loved...well maybe not loved...but I just learned not to take myself so seriously. Being humiliated over and over again on national television can do that to a person you know."

The interviewer nodded.

"So was there any of your fellow campers you really admired? On your team or the other?"

Noah tapped his chin.

"Gwen and Harold hands down."

"Why?"

"Both of them are prime examples of what I said before, nothing or no one is what they seem."

Gwen was actually very surprised that Noah was complimenting her. He was the last person she ever thought would do something like that.

"Don't get me wrong," he said, "Mostly everyone on that island annoyed the hell out of me but if the final three had been different I could have tolerated Gwen and Harold."

'He says something nice and then just has to go and open that mouth of his all over again,' she thought to herself. The interviewer nodded.

"I'm sure you get asked this all the time, but that kiss thing with Cody."

"Oh for the love of God," Noah muttered, "What do you want from me? I'm not that way, nor do I have a problem with people who are. You make one accidental gesture while running on no sleep and suddenly everyone's an expert on my sexuality. I suppose your next question will be about if I had a crush on anyone on the island?"

"Umm, yeah."

"Of course I did, there was eleven interesting women on the island and more than half of that were the type of girl I would be interested in pursuing. But there was only one I was truly taken with and that is something you and I will never discuss."

"Alright then, but is there anything you would want to say to her?"

Noah scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Honestly, if it's not one thing it's another. She's lovely, mysterious and sexy. Are we done now?"

Without waiting for an answer Noah stood to his feet and walked off live television. As he neared Gwen he paused in front of her. She was taken by complete surprise as he took her in his arms and kissed her passionately on her lips. Gwen was at first completely enraged at him for embarrassing her like that. She smacked the side of his head as he continued to kiss her, she expected him to release her but he was a stubborn fool. She melted into the kiss soon after.

It was a week later that they officially started dating and six months after that when they moved in with each other. Both of their parents were insistent that they were moving too fast and threatened to disown them if they ran into marriage. They held off on getting married and were still living happily with each other, even after three years. Certainly they fought like many couples, probably more often than most, but they were happy and that's all that mattered.

"Gwen, I'm home!"

Gwen jumped and set her paintbrush down. She then grabbed the white sheet and threw it over the near finished painting. She left her studio and saw him set some bags on the sofa before removing his coat and shuddering.

"It's freezing out there!" he told her.

"Coffee?" she offered, "tea?"

"Hot chocolate please," he replied. He picked up the bags and Gwen noticed they were all wrapped parcels.

"Hmm, what'd you get me?"

She leaned over him and tried to see into the bags. He closed them and moved towards their Christmas tree.

"A bowling ball," he told her sarcastically as he started to place the presents under the tree. Gwen laughed at him.

"Noah, you can hardly even lift a bowling ball."

"That was one time Gwen," he pointed out, "must you continually poke at my pride?"

He looked at her and saw the smirk on her face.

"Whatever. Am I going to get that hot chocolate?"

"Maybe, if I feel like it."

She tapped her lips with her pointer finger. Noah rolled his eyes. He straightened up and approached her, placing a kiss on her lips.

"Now that's better," she said. Gwen walked into the kitchen and started to make some hot chocolate for the both of them. Noah stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He rested his chin on her shoulder.

"How's the painting coming?"

"It'll be done for you tomorrow."

"I'm rather excited to see it."

Gwen bit her lip.

"I hope you like it."

Noah arched an eyebrow.

"Why wouldn't I?"

Gwen shrugged him off and handed him his hot chocolate.

"Something's bothering you," he mused, "I can tell."

"It's not important, you'll find out tomorrow."

Gwen left him with his hot chocolate and returned to her studio. Noah arched an eyebrow and then grabbed the phone, he knew just who to call in this situation. He picked up their phone and dialled the number, waiting patiently for someone to answer.

"Hello Noah."

"Hello Duncan."

A tense silence passed between the two of them. Noah had never liked Duncan and Duncan had never liked Noah. It was almost as if there was a competition of some sorts between them. Their girlfriends might have been best friends but they could not stand each other. Noah like LeShawna just fine and Duncan even thought Gwen was pretty cool, but they could never be left in the same room with each other.

"What do you want?" Duncan asked.

"Is LeShawna there?"

"Maybe."

"Put her on the phone."

"Why should I?"

"I need to talk to her," Noah said impatiently, "It's important."

Duncan heaved an annoyed sigh.

"Frig, just hang on a minute."

"Thank y..."

"LeShawna, babe!" Duncan shouted. Noah held the phone away from his ear as the yelling match between the couple started. A moment later he heard LeShawna call back.

"What!"

"Phone!"

"Who is it?"

"Noah!"

"What does he want?"

"Hang on...what do you want Noah?"

"It's about Gwen."

"Okay...It's about Gwen!"

"What about her?" LeShawna called back, sounding concerned.

"Hang on...What about her?"

"Duncan, just put LeShawna on the damn phone!"

"Alright, alright, jeez, don't get your panties in a bunch."

Noah clenched the phone tightly and tried to ignore Duncan's stupid remark. He heard the phone shuffle slightly as it switched from Duncan's hand to LeShawna's.

"Hey boy," LeShawna greeted, "How's my home girl doing?"

"That's why I'm calling now isn't it," Noah replied.

"Don't get snappy with me boy, I'll come over there and beat you."

Noah heard Duncan laughing in the background.

"I'm not trying to get snappy but I'm worried about Gwen," he replied after taking a sip of his hot chocolate, burning his tongue in the process, "Has she said anything to you in the past little while that might be of use to me in figuring out what's going on?"

"Oh I know exactly what's going on," LeShawna replied. Noah stood so dumbfounded that he nearly dropped the phone.

"What do you mean you know what's going on! Tell me right now!"

"Forget it!" LeShawna snapped, "Gwen made me swear not to say anything. You'll find out in the morning."

"You're kidding me."

"I'm hanging up now Noah, Merry Christmas."

"Hey! Wait..."

Click. She had hung up on him. Noah looked at the phone with his jaw hanging open in both shock and anger. He slammed the phone down on the receiver and started to stomp up the stairs to Gwen's studio. He put his hand on the handle and tried to open it but it was locked.

"Gwen," he said, "What's going on?"

"Nothing."

"Let me in then."

"No, you know better than that," she told him impatiently, "This is my space."

Noah was about to argue with her but he thought better of it. Fighting at a time like this was not going to help anyone.

"Alright," he said, "I'm sorry, I'm going to bed. Merry Christmas."

Gwen listened to his footsteps as they made their way to their bedroom. She looked at her painting and sighed. It was only two colours; black and white, swirling in a pattern that Gwen knew Noah would understand for better or for worse.

December 25th

The following morning Noah was up at 7:00 making breakfast for himself and Gwen. He noticed that she had placed her easel next to the tree and there was still a sheet over it. As curious as he was, he restrained himself from peeking under the sheet. He knew that if he did look Gwen would know. He had never been able to keep anything from her in all the time he had been dating her, not that he had secrets to hide.

"Morning."

Noah turned to see Gwen leaning against the wall of the kitchen. He offered her a smile.

"Merry Christmas beautiful," he replied, "Did you have a good sleep?"

"Not really."

"Oh?"

"I felt bad for making you angry."

He laughed.

"Gwen, don't worry about it," he said, "I blew things out of proportion, like I usually do. I was just worried that you might be upset about something, or that maybe I had done something wrong. I don't like seeing you upset, you know that."

Gwen walked over to him and hugged him tightly.

"You're so great Noah," she said.

"I know it."

"Smart ass."

"I know that too."

Their embrace lasted a few more moments before Gwen heaved a sigh and released him.

"What?"

"That's it," she said, "I can't wait any longer."

She grabbed his hand and pulled him to the tree. She stood next to the easel and threw off the sheet of the painting. Noah looked at the painting for a few moments and then cocked his head to the side. Gwen bit her lip, feeling very nervous at what he was going to say to her.

Noah squinted at the painting and then his eyes widened in shock.

"Gwen...is that...is that...a sonogram."

Gwen dropped the sheet and one of her hands went up to cover her eyes. Noah heard her sob quietly and then she nodded.

"That's...a baby...our baby?"

Gwen nodded again, still refusing to meet his gaze.

"YES!"
Gwen looked at Noah. He was dancing around the room and pumping his fists in the air in an out of character manner. Gwen wasn't sure if she should laugh or cry more, so she settled for a decent mix of them both.

"I'm going to be a dad!" he said, "Me, that's right! I am the man!"

"You're happy about this?" Gwen asked him. Noah stopped in front of her and lifted her into his arms and spun her around. Noah paused and set her down.

"Of course I am," he told her, "Gwen, this is our baby. A little person that was made from the both of us, isn't that amazing. I bet she'll be brilliant like her mother."

Gwen's mouth hung open in shock.

"What makes you think it's even a girl?"

Noah smirked.

"Are you kidding me, of course it's a girl."

Noah placed his hands on Gwen's stomach.

"How far along are you?"

"Three months."

"This gift puts mine to shame."

"Speaking of that, what did you get me?" Gwen asked, eyeing up some of the presents.

"I told you, a bowling ball."

Gwen rolled her eyes and picked up the gift that had been giving Noah a particularly hard time. She opened it and grinned.

"Oh, you didn't."

"I did."

She pulled out the sexy lingerie and held it against herself.

"How do I look?"

"Like the sexiest mommy ever."

Gwen laughed. Noah kissed her and growled as the phone interrupted the potential make-out time. He picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Is Gwen there?"

"Gwen," he said handing the phone to her, "It's your mother."

Gwen sighed and took the phone from him. As she spoke to her mother Noah got up to check if they had gotten any emails. Gwen watched him with a smile and then focused on talking to her mother.

"Hello mom, Merry Christmas."

"And to you dear. Will you be coming for dinner this afternoon?"

"Yep, we'll be there around 3:30."

"Both of you?" her mother asked, "So that means he's coming too then?"

Gwen felt herself grow annoyed with her mother and the fact that she hated Noah. He had been polite and patient every time they went for a visit. Her mother on the other hand was rude to him and often poked fun at his writing. The only member of her family who was decent to Noah was her little brother, surprisingly enough.

"Of course he is," she snapped, "He's my boyfriend, my lover."

"Don't talk so provocatively!" her mother scolded, then stiffly she added, "Never mind, you and your...friend have a good time today then and we'll see you this afternoon."

"Boyfriend, mother, he's my boyfriend," Gwen hissed, "And he's a great lover too, we have passionate crazy sex every night!"

Her mother gasped over the phone.

"You have such a wicked tongue."

"Yeah, that's what he said last night," Gwen replied, looking at Noah who was struggling not to laugh as he opened an email from Beth. Gwen's mother scoffed.

"Oh and another thing!" Gwen said, "I'm pregnant!"

Gwen slammed the phone on the receiver.

"What a lovely way to end a conversation," Noah applauded her. He held out his hand to her and she moved towards him and sat on his lap.

"And here I always wondered why she didn't like me," he teased, "It's all your doing. And somehow I don't think she likes the idea that I not only de-flowered you, but knocked you up now too."

Gwen smirked.

"Oh please, she still thinks that 'screwing' is putting a screw into a wall to hang a picture."

Noah laughed.

"Did you see this email? Justin proposed to Beth last night."

"What!" Gwen said in surprise. She looked at the email and then got to her feet to grab up the phone, no doubt to call Beth. Noah sighed and rolled his eyes.

"The Anti-Me keeps making me look bad," he mused as he listened to Gwen talk excitedly to Beth, "I'll have to find some interesting way to propose to Gwen now. So long as her mother doesn't kill me first."

Winter-Rae: Another one done! Two left. Next chapter will be Izzy and Ezekiel's. I hope everyone enjoyed this. Thanks for reading and cheers!