I was going to write a full Christmas one shot but ran out of time and energy for it, so instead I channeled what I had left into a Dates update. It's fairly short (for me anyway), but I wanted to write a little something for you all for Christmas. So I hope you have a merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah, happy Kwanzaa and any other holidays you may celebrate this time of year. :)

December 20th, 2036

Isaac toyed with the little white bow on the top of the box wrapped in Santa paper, praying he had made the right choice. The moment he saw them he thought of her…of her amber eyes and the way they sparkled when she smiled, the golden orbs staring into his soul from beneath dark lashes, the heart shape of the gems reminding him of the way she had stolen his heart so many years ago and continued to make it hammer away in his chest with every thought dedicated to her. When he found them, the little dangly amber heart earrings, he knew he had to buy them for her. They matched her eyes and he thought she would appreciate that he noticed.

For years he had been trying to figure out his feelings for Roxy and how to express them. He was fairly certain he had been in love with her all his life, at least as far back as he could remember. But after they kissed five and a half years ago, the fire he felt inside burst into hotter and brighter flames, but somehow things between them never changed. He still picked on her relentlessly and she still hated his guts. He always wanted to tell her that she was beautiful or compliment her outfit or whatever, but at the last second his brain would insert a snide comment that only drove a wedge further between them. But lately, every interaction between them seemed heavier and more charged – like maybe she didn't hate him as much as she wanted everyone to believe. And that was why he tried to be a better man and not torment her so much. Isaac was growing tired of the ruse and was ready to put that chapter behind him. Unfortunately, some things were easier said than done. After spending 16 years acting one way around Roxy, it was a little difficult to turn off the douchebag switch he flicked on whenever in her presence.

But not tonight. Tonight was the Hudson's annual Christmas party and he would be nothing short of a gentleman to everyone he encountered. He needed the night to move smoothly if he wanted any shot at turning his relationship with Roxanne in his favor.

As he got out of the cab, his sisters were bickering about Scarlett borrowing Jasmine's lip gloss without asking and his parents were arguing about their attire. Well, his dad was arguing about having to wear the itchy Christmas sweater his grandma Lynn had sent for him specifically.

"This thing is hideous, Anj. You know she only makes these every year because she knows I hate them but that you'll force me into one anyway. I look like Berry back in high school." He tugged on the collar and Rudolph's nose lit up from the motion.

"You only have to wear it for one day. Now stop whining."

"You're mother isn't even at this party! Why did I have to wear it here?"

His parents grumbled some more and once in the elevator, his father pulled him close for a quiet word. "Isaac, whatever you do, do not knock up a girl with a crazy ass mother. You will never escape her torment."

Isaac gulped and nodded in understanding. "Got it." Little did his dad know, the girl he hoped to end up with had a mother who actually liked him, so he didn't have too much to worry about on that end.

A slightly tipsy Rachel answered the door with a loud and boisterous greeting. "Friends! Oh, come in, come in! I've missed you all so much!" She pulled his mom into a tight hug and pressed her face into her chest.

"Hey, back off those boobies, they're mine. You've got your own."

"What?"

She patted Rachel's head and pried her off. "Please, Noah. You know Rachel gets clingy when she's drunk."

"I'm not drunk! I'm nearly drunk."

"Oh, my mistake." His mother laughed and Isaac felt bored by the conversation already.

He slipped around the group congregated at the door and began his mission to find Roxy and get her alone for a moment to give her his present. It was the first present he had ever bought for a girl he wasn't related to and he wanted the first time to be extra special. To his disappointment, he couldn't seem to find her in the throng of people milling about the condo.

Isaac wandered around for a while until deciding to try upstairs but ran into the one man who genuinely scared him. "Uncle Finn!"

"Hello Isaac. Why are you going upstairs?"

He swallowed hard, Adam's apple bobbing roughly. "I, uh, I have a present for Roxy. I've been looking everywhere for her but can't seem to find her."

"She's asleep in our room. Roxy's been sick all day and last night."

"Oh…" Isaac could feel the light dim in his eyes at this sad piece of information. "Well, what's wrong with her?"

"Stomach bug; she hasn't been able to keep anything down which is why she's in our room. Easier access to the bathroom. You can put her gift under the tree if you want."

"Uh, no. I'll just hold onto it."

Finn eyed him like he knew what was going through his mind regarding his daughter, but Isaac didn't dare blink. Uncle Finn terrified him, but if he wanted any shot with Roxy, he would have to be able to hold his own around him. Roxy was the epitome of a daddy's girl and Isaac would have to be able to deal with that.

"Have you tried the eggnog? It's extra strong since I spiked what Rachel had already made."

"You're going to let me drink the adult eggnog this year?" Every year at their party the kids attempted to snag a cup of the infamous rum infused eggnog. His parents always got sloshed on it and ended up spending the night making the kids wish they were deaf and the next day seemed to turn into invalid infants, which meant that it had to be good. Aunt Rachel however had eyes like a hawk and always managed to swoop in just as they were about to get a taste.

"You're sixteen. Nothing wrong with a glass."

"Won't Aunt Rachel try to rip my ear off again?"

Finn draped his arm around Isaac's shoulders and led him back down the stairs, away from his intended target. He stared at the closed door of Finn and Rachel's bedroom longingly, sighing deeply at the loss.

"That would make Rachel a giant hypocrite. If she tries to tell you off, remind her of the Rachel Berry House Party Train Wreck Extravaganza. She'll shut up then."

"The what?" Isaac had no idea what Finn was talking about.

"Just tell her it's the kid's eggnog. She's so drunk right now she won't know the difference." He let go of Isaac and started toward Rachel on the opposite side of the room. "Oh, and Isaac…stay downstairs. We don't want anyone disturbing Roxanne." He squared his jaw and narrowed his eyes at him again before disappearing into the crowd. Obviously the promise of adult eggnog was a distraction and an unspoken agreement – letting him drink in exchange for leaving Roxy alone.

If Isaac had to worry about anyone disliking him for knocking someone up, it would be Finn Hudson. Not that he planned on following in his father's footsteps on that front, but sometimes he felt that if he even looked at Roxy, Finn could tell the feelings were much deeper than mere friendship.

Without Roxy around to woo, the party was completely boring. He drank a few cups of eggnog and felt a slight buzz from the added rum, but not enough to make a huge impact. Upon request, Isaac joined the Hudson boys for a few old school arcade games on their xbox, and as the night wound down, he found himself sandwiched between his sister and Liam on the couch watching a seriously dated Christmas movie.

His parents were nowhere to be found and he had seen Finn and Rachel slip into the laundry room together about ten minutes ago. All the other adults around were Finn and Rachel's friends and certainly none of them were sober enough to care if Isaac broke Finn's only rule and snuck upstairs to visit Roxy. He wouldn't stay long, just long enough to give her his present and wish her a merry Christmas and a happy Hanukkah.

While everyone was focused on the movie, Isaac took his chance to slide off the couch and quickly ascend the stairs. Despite being on full display in front of everyone, no one seemed to care as he reached the landing and rounded the corner of the railing to stand in front of the master bedroom door. Softly, he knocked and heard a soft croaky 'come in' from the other side. Swiftly, Isaac slipped into the room and found Roxy lying in bed watching her favorite Christmas movie.

"Muppet Christmas Carol again? That movie is older than our parents."

"There is nothing wrong with the classics," she fought back weakly.

"I heard you're sick."

"You heard correct. Now get out. I'm not decent." She pulled the blanket over her head to hide.

Isaac sat on the bed and rolled next to her, tugging the blanket down. "I've seen you sick before. It's nothing new."

"That doesn't mean I want an audience to my illness. I look and feel gross. Get out." She whacked him in the face with a pillow and he sat slightly stunned for a moment.

"You look great…" She gave him a look of disbelief. "…For being so sick."

"What are you playing at? Have you come to lull me into a false sense of security to sneak a picture to rent a billboard and show all of Manhattan how disgusting I look when sick?"

He chuckled and shook his head. "No, but I'll keep that in mind for future reference." He brushed some hair out of her eyes and took on a subtler tone. "It sucks you had to miss the party. It was really lame without you."

"Why? Because I wasn't around for you to torture?"

"Because I had no one to talk to. But on the plus side, your dad let me drink the rum eggnog."

"Wow, you're moving up in the world."

"Honestly, I think it was a bribe."

Roxy turned onto her side and Isaac shifted so they were face to face. "Why would he need to bribe you?"

"To stay away from you."

"Didn't work very well, obviously."

"I have something for you. I wanted to give it to you in person." Isaac sat up and pulled the box out of his back pocket. "I saw them and they reminded me of you."

Roxy tentatively took the box. "It's too small for a trick can of peanuts, but it could contain a bug…"

"It's not a trick. Open it, I promise it won't bite or crawl or anything you're thinking." It didn't surprise him that was her first thought. After all, he had just a month ago put a fake cockroach in her mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving.

Roxy kept one eye on the box and one eye on Isaac as she sat up and ripped open the paper to discover a small jewelry box. She closed her eyes tightly and popped open the top and when nothing made a sound or sprung out at her she cautiously opened one eye and gasped when she saw the earrings. They were little hearts that dangled from silver loops.

"They're the same shade of amber as your eyes," Isaac explained in a shy voice.

"They're beautiful, Isaac." Roxy smiled widely at him and tugged on her bottom lip. While she played with the little hearts, Isaac felt an all consuming desire to lean forward and press a kiss to her pink lips.

He pushed himself upright and managed to hit his head on something leafy yet metallic and that jingled. "Oww," he bellowed, looking up at what he'd hit. Rubbing his head he saw little silver bells tied together with a red bow and round green leaves and little pearly white buds hanging below the bells. "Do your parents really have mistletoe hanging on the headboard?" He rubbed the sore spot where the metal had met skull.

"My mother put it there to be cute and neither has taken it down for reasons that should be fairly obvious."

"And you slept in here?" Isaac shivered at the thought.

"I made sure my dad changed the sheets before I settled in. Those two are worse than horny teenagers and I do not trust surfaces they share on a regular basis." Roxy held her stomach and made a face before slowly lying back down. "I wish this bug would just go away."

"You should ask Santa for help."

She snorted without humor. "Funny."

Isaac leaned on his elbow and looked down at her. "It really sucks you got sick for the party."

"At least I should be healthy again for when we fly out to Ohio for Christmas. That would be even worse."

They fell into an awkward silence and both stared up while they laid side by side. As he lay there, Isaac's gaze kept falling on the mistletoe and the tradition of the plant filled his mind. If there were ever a more perfect opportunity to kiss Roxy again, he'd be hard pressed to find it.

Isaac shifted to face her again and noticed her eyes were closed as she ran her hand over her stomach. "Just wondering out loud here…but, uh…um, have you ever been under the mistletoe with anyone before?" Her eyes flew open and stared at him in shock. "Because we're both under the mistletoe and tradition says you have to kiss the person you're under it with and-"

"You actually want to kiss me under the mistletoe?"

Isaac laughed nervously and tried to downplay how very much he did want to kiss her. "Psh, no. I'm just saying, that's the tradition." You moron! Why can't you just tell her the truth for once?!

"Well good. Because I'm not kissing you under the mistletoe or anywhere else either. Now get the hell out of my parents' room. I'm tired and want to go back to watching my Muppets in peace."

"I bet you're just saying that because you've never actually been kissed under the mistletoe."

She pushed up onto her elbows. "Yes, I have not been kissed under the mistletoe which is exactly why I don't want to kiss you. Mistletoe kisses should be for people you love and I don't love you therefore why would I want to waste my first mistletoe kiss on the likes of you? You already stole my first kiss. Is that not enough for you?"

Isaac had half a mind to take offense, but instead even surprised himself with his reaction. He cupped her face in his hand and brushed his thumb over the apple of her cheek. "You don't really hate our first kiss that much, do you? You don't hate me that much, right?"

Roxy's face visibly softened and she licked her lips and Isaac could swear she was turning into his hand further. "I don't hate you, but I don't like you either."

"But I think you do." Isaac leaned closer and could see her amber eyes flickering back and forth, trying to focus on anything but his, but failing miserably as he moved ever closer. "I think you like me a lot."

"I think you're wrong," she whispered, barely above a breath.

Isaac's nose brushed along Roxy's, his eyes slipping shut in heavenly bliss, and he could feel her resolve to hate him slipping away completely. As quickly as their lips brushed however, he felt nothing but air beside him as he fell flat on his face. Righting himself, he saw a blur of Christmas flannel flying to the bathroom, the door slamming shut, and heard the disgusting sounds of retching into the toilet.

"Fantastic." He threw himself dramatically back onto the bed, sighing deeply before lifting himself up by his bootstraps and checking on Roxanne. "Roxy? Are you okay?"

More puking noises followed in response then, "Do I sound okay?! Go away, Isaac!"

"Rox-"

"Go away!"

"Roxy, do you want me to get your mom or your dad?" Silence. "Roxy?"

He heard the toilet flush then a hushed mumble. "My dad…"

"Okay. I'll get him." Isaac leaned his forehead on the door. "I'm sorry you're so sick Roxy, but I know you'll feel better soon. Since I won't see you again until after Christmas…merry Christmas and happy Hanukkah."

The door opened a tiny sliver and he could see one of her gorgeous amber eyes. "Thank you for my present Isaac. The earrings are beautiful."

"You're welcome. I'm glad you like them."

"Merry Christmas, Isaac." She threw him a weak smile and closed the door again.

Isaac traipsed downstairs and found Finn and Rachel in the kitchen sharing a glass of red wine. "Uncle Finn, Roxy just threw up again and she wants you."

"What were you doing upstairs? I told you to stay down here." Finn stood and grabbed the Pepto and Saltines from the counter to take upstairs.

"I was just giving her my present. I didn't wake her, she was already awake. She really needs you though. She sounds horrible."

Finn didn't approve of Isaac's rule breaking but didn't argue, instead attending to his ailing daughter, Rachel right behind him. Isaac sat on the opposite side from Finn and Rachel's and grabbed the bottle of wine, pouring himself a glass. He didn't drink wine usually, but after his epic failure, he felt the need to blot it from his mind with some alcohol.

Maybe it wasn't a total failure. She was going to kiss you…until you made her puke. He sighed and drank some more, laying back on the bench and staring at the ceiling, replaying the last fifteen minutes in his mind until he finally passed out.

When next he woke, the kitchen was dark save for a single light coming from the fridge. Isaac sat up and rubbed his eyes to see better and felt his heart stutter when he realized it was Roxy standing in the light.

"Hey."

"Holy mother-!" she cried, clutching her heart and nearly dropping the tea in her hand. "Isaac?"

He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Sorry. I forgot you couldn't see me."

"What are you still doing here? Your family left hours ago."

"Seriously?" Roxy nodded. "Even Jas and Scar?"

"Everyone."

"I swear to God, I'm Jan Brady." He stood up and searched for his jacket in the laundry room. "I hope I have enough for a cab home."

"Isaac, it's nearly five in the morning. Just stay and my dad can take you home at a decent hour."

He shook his head no. "I need to get home. If my parents realize I'm not there, they'll freak, and if yours realize I'm here, I'll end up dead."

"You're being a drama queen. Just sleep on the couch. It's fine."

Isaac very nearly considered her offer, but he knew if he stayed there would be consequences. "No, I'll just go home. I'd rather sleep in my own bed."

"Are you saying my couch isn't good enough for you?" she replied with attitude.

"What? No, I just prefer my bed."

"Fine, then go home. Just be careful."

"Worrying about me? See? You do like me." He waggled his eyebrows at her and she rolled her eyes.

"Hardly. I just know if you die however, then I will never be rid of you because I'm certain you'll haunt me. You're a jerk like that."

Isaac chuckled and managed to find his coat on the hook. He pulled his wallet out and breathed in relief to see he had enough to get home. "If you'd like, I can text you when I get home."

"Please do. I don't want to have to pour salt over my threshold to keep your spirit out."

"Watching Supernatural again?"

"Get out of my house."

Isaac guffawed as she pushed him out of the kitchen. She escorted him to the door and they stood there in awkward sexual tension for what felt an eternity. "Um, I guess I'll see you at New Year's. Bye."

"Bye, Isaac." Roxy watched him all the way to the elevator and when he no longer felt her eyes on him he felt like he had lost something.

The whole cab ride home, Isaac pictured Roxy in his mind, imagining what would have happened if her stomach hadn't decided to interrupt their moment on the bed. He played out fantasies of what it would be like with Roxy as his girlfriend and plotted ways to make it happen. Deep down he could feel that something bigger was coming for them; that someday Roxy wouldn't pretend to hate him anymore and he would be able to articulate his true intimate feelings for her. One day they would finally connect and be a couple – he knew it.

His phone beeped with a new text message as he settled into bed for the night. Did you get home safe?

He grinned at her concern. Yes. Were you up worrying about me? ;)

No! I was merely curious so I could know whether I had to come up with an alibi or not.

Haha. Don't worry. You're in the clear. Now go to bed and get better.

Thanks. See you on New Year's. Night.

Night Roxy.

Yeah, they were definitely on their way to couple status.