The guys returned to the Palm Woods from the brutal battle royale that was the last-minute day before Christmas sale, and they had barely survived. Kendall for one almost wished they had brought Freight Train with them, but they managed to not only survive the ordeal but walked out with bags full of Christmas gifts for everyone. Even if they had no clue what they carried in their gift bags at least it was all 70% off.
As they walked into the lobby most of their friends were on their way out to head home for the holidays, and all four of the guys were pumped to go home to Minnesota for a well-earned Christmas vacation, but first they had some very important deliveries to make.
Camille was just about to leave but smiled when she saw them, or more specifically Logan. "Merry Christmas." Camille handed a present to Logan who smiled in gratitude, "but don't open it until tomorrow." She warned him.
"Thank you." Logan smiled back at her and then started digging through his gift bags. "And here's my present to you." After a moment he handed Camille a canned ham with a red bow on top.
"A canned ham… it looks…delicious." Camille kept her smile on her face, but Logan could tell she was a bit disappointed.
"Or would rather prefer a…" Logan hurriedly dug through his bags some more and looked to his friends to also search for something better for Camille but the best he could come up with was…
"a scented candle?"
"I'll keep the ham." Camille decided with a smile. "Merry Christmas guys, I'll see you next year." And as she walked away she planted a quick kiss to Logan's cheek.
"Success!" Logan cheered.
"Onward Santa's helpers!" Kendall cheered as they made their way towards the elevators, all of them laughing Ho Ho Ho's as they passed all their friends. And right before they got on the elevator, Kendall smiled when he saw Jo walking towards them, pulling her suitcase behind her.
"Stop!" The guys all shouted and stood in her way.
"Right there until I give you your Christmas gift." Kendall finished,
Jo smiled as Kendall dug through his bag, and unlike Logan, he had a plan in place for Jo's gift. He pulled out a picture frame and handed it to Jo.
"Baby's first birthday frame." She tilted her head but still acted impressed by it.
"No, it's our first Christmas frame." Kendall reached out a slapped a red bow to the frame. "Or it will be when you put a picture of us in it."
Jo smiled and was about to say something when Jett walked up behind her.
"And here's my gift to you." He said dramatically, and held up a…
"Wow, Jett, an I-Slab?" Jo asked in surprise.
"And it already comes preloaded with pics. Of us." Jett scrolled through, showcasing a bunch of pictures of him and Jo being all cute together on their show. All of which Kendall hated seeing, while he loved that Jo's career was going so well, and the show was good, he always hated watching any romantic scenes she and Jett had to perform together.
"Oh that's right, you don't have a hit TV show with a fat 3-year contract like me," Jett said loudly and was looking past Jo at all the guys, but specifically Kendall.
"Yes, but you don't have three friends who are hockey players. Like me." Kendall said nonchalantly and snapped his fingers.
In an instant, Logan, James, and Carlos surrounded Jett, picked him up, and dragged him away.
"What? Be careful! No! Jo! Call them off! Come on guys it's Christmas!" But his protests were ignored by everyone.
"Bye-bye! See you next year Jett!" Kendall waved smugly.
Jo just laughed and rolled her eyes at him. "And this is my gift to you." She reached back to her suitcase and held up a hockey stick covered in wrapping paper.
"Hmm, I wonder what it could be," Kendall said jokingly.
Jo smirked at him and turned the hockey stick so that the strand of mistletoe she had taped to the end was now hanging above both of them. "Just kiss me under the mistletoe."
Kendall smiled and leaned down to capture her lips with his own. And just like always became instantly lost in the taste of her lips on his, and all the feelings passing between them.
When they parted both of them were smiling. "Best Christmas gift ever." Kendall reached out and took the hockey stick from Jo. "Does this mean I get to keep this, and use it whenever I want?"
"It's your gift, do what you want. But you're only allowed to use it with me." Jo warned him playfully.
"Happily, and I hope you like your frame. Sorry, it's not an I-Slab." Kendall added, feeling a bit awkward. Unlike Jett, he and the guys couldn't access most of their paychecks until they were eighteen.
"Kendall, I love your gift already. In fact," Jo took her phone out of her pocket and pulled him into a side hug, "Say Merry Christmas!" and then snapped a picture of them smiling together under the mistletoe. "That's the picture I'll put into your wonderful frame when I get home, even though we won't be together it's still our first Christmas." She promised. "And don't worry about Jett, I don't need fancy things, I mean look what I got you."
"Are you kidding? A ticket to kisses from my amazing girlfriend anytime I want? This is literally the best thing ever." Kendall reassured her.
"And so is your gift. But if Jett wants to give me an I-Slab, I won't stop him, just like he can't stop me from deleting all the pictures he put on it, and filling it with pictures of us together." Jo smiled deviously at him.
"That's my girl." Kendall smiled back feeling more upbeat again. "I'm going to miss you though. I can't wait to see you soon when we all get back."
"I can't wait to see you again either." Jo leaned in close to give him another kiss under the mistletoe.
Just then the other guys rejoined them, shooting approving looks Kendall's way, but then Carlos ripped the hockey stick out of Kendall's hand and ran to the elevator where the Jennifers were about step out.
"Hey girls, mistletoe, now you have to kiss me."
"No, we don't. We have to catch a flight." They all said in unison and walked away.
"Aww." Carlos pouted, but a moment later, the three Jennifers came back.
"Ah, what the heck. It's Christmas!" They said in unison and then they all laid a kiss on Carlos' cheeks, then walked away again.
"I love you," Carlos whispered to the mistletoe.
"My turn!" James yelled, he took the hockey stick and stood in front of the elevator, waiting for it to open again. "So who's the lucky lady going to be?" James said proudly.
"As I said, best Christmas gift ever," Kendall whispered to Jo with a smile.
"I don't care if you let the others borrow it, but as I said, you're only allowed to use it with me." Jo teased him.
"Of course, I will," Kendall promised.
When the elevator doors opened, it was filled with about a dozen girls who all screamed "Mistletoe!" And dragged James inside before he could even make a move, and before any of them knew it, he disappeared into the frenzy.
"He'll be fine." the guys all shrugged their shoulders without a care in the world.
"So you heading out right now?" Kendall asked Jo.
"Yep, on my way to the airport and home. What about you?" Jo asked while Carlos and Logan walked off to give the two some space.
"We just have to give Gustavo his gift and then it's back to Minnesota. Totally honest it doesn't feel like Christmas here without snow."
"Well enjoy Minnesota, and we'll still talk every day right?"
"Of course, we will. Especially tomorrow, I want to know everything you get for Christmas."
"Oh definitely." Jo agreed. "Goodbye kiss?"
"Of course. It may not be a mistletoe kiss, but I would never turn one of those down either." They kissed each other once more and then shared one last hug.
"Bye, Kendall."
"Bye, Jo."
And then Jo walked out of the lobby, and the guys caught another elevator up to their floor, ready to unload the rest of their presents and finish packing everything to head home.
But just like usual things didn't go according to plan. Thanks to Griffin's demand of three Big Time Rush Christmas songs by tonight, they had to miss their flight home. So instead, the guys, Katie, Ms. Knight, Mr. Bitters, Gustavo, and Kelly all celebrated Christmas at the Palm Woods and it was awesome. From all the toys and other gifts everyone got each other, and the delicious feast Gustavo surprised them all with. Kendall had to agree, this was the best Christmas ever.
After everyone was more than full of turkey, mashed potatoes, candy canes, and so much more, everyone was just relaxing on the couches in front of their homemade fireplace together in the lobby when Kendall felt his phone ringing in his pocket.
He pulled it out and smiled when he saw Jo's name appear on the screen and smiled even brighter when her own brilliant smile appeared on video chat.
"Merry Christmas!" Kendall greeted her.
"Merry Christmas right back at you," Jo replied. "Why didn't you tell me you guys were making Christmas songs? Did you want to surprise me?"
"No, I didn't tell you because I didn't know we were making Christmas songs until yesterday." Kendall rolled his eyes playfully. "It was Griffin's idea to make some extra holiday cash. And while it was stressful, since we all wanted to get home, it was also super fun. I still can't believe we sang with Miranda Cosgrove and Snoop Dog."
"I can't either. Although I have to ask if the four of you wrote the yard squirrel pajama song?"
"No, I think we finally drove Gustavo crazy with all our talk about our holiday tradition of wearing PJs the entire day. He even joined us here in the PJs we got him."
"Well, I don't blame him. My family has the exact same tradition. Wait, so did Gustavo fly to Minnesota with you guys?"
"No we missed our flight, by the time we finished the songs, all the flights to the Midwest were canceled, so we're celebrating Christmas at the Palm Woods, but it's been really fun. Gustavo, Kelly, and Mr. Bitters even joined us."
"Now I really wish I was with you." Jo smiled. "Not that I don't love being back home, but I miss you already."
"I miss you too, oh and unfortunately, you remember how James got mobbed in the elevator yesterday? Well, that was the end of your Christmas gift. The hockey stick was snapped in like three places, but I still have the mistletoe."
"Good, I think that's the most important part. But speaking of gifts, my dad just gave me one last gift that was hiding under the tree, that says it's from you." Jo held up the green and red wrapped box so Kendall could see it.
"Oh, how did that get there?" Kendall smiled.
"I think I can guess, but I wanted you to see me open it, and you can also tell your mom to give you one last gift too."
"Oh really?" Kendall asked excitedly like a little kid. "Hey, Mom! Jo says I should have one more gift that you're hiding."
Mom smiled at him and reached around to the very back of the tree to pull out a gift wrapped in red and white striped paper that looked like a candy cane. "Here you go, sweetie." Mom handed it off and then leaned her head down close to Kendall's to get in the frame. "Merry Christmas Jo!"
"Merry Christmas Ms. Knight!" Jo waved back.
"So who should go first?" Kendall asked.
"You can." Jo smiled back at him. "I just know you're going to love it."
Kendall quickly ripped through the paper in under ten seconds to reveal… "An I-Slab? Jo this is amazing. Wait this isn't the same one Jett gave you, is it?"
"No its not. In fact, I'm using mine right now to video chat with you." Jo shook her head in laughter. "But you should turn it on and see what's on there."
"Ok," Kendall pressed the power button and moments later the screen lit up, with one of Kendall's favorite pictures, it was him and Jo smiling together after his first concert.
And when he opened the photo app, he could see that the camera roll was already filled with pictures of him and Jo.
"Wow Jo, I don't know what to say. Thank you. You've given me two of the best Christmas gifts ever this year."
"Merry Christmas Kendall, and mine already has all the same photos on it too. And I also have this." Jo reached out of the camera's frame to grab the picture frame Kendall gave her yesterday, and proudly displayed inside was the picture of the two of them under the mistletoe together.
"I'll always remember our first Christmas together forever now," Jo promised.
"See I told you the frame would work."
"Yes, it does. So can I open my gift now?"
"Oh, I insist you do." Kendall smiled.
Jo set her I-Slab on something in front of her, but she was still in the frame and pulled Kendall's green-wrapped present into her lap and quickly opened it to reveal three familiar books.
"You got me the Chauncy Jackson series?" Jo asked, "I love it, but I already have these books."
"Look inside the covers," Kendall suggested with a smile.
Jo did and gasped in shock and delight. "OMG, how did you get Dick Diordan to sign these?"
"Well, I know you were bummed when you were too busy filming for your show to go to the book tour stop he made here in LA last month. So I went instead and met him. And when I told him I was dating one of his biggest fans he was happy to sign the copies I bought for you. I knew it would be the perfect Christmas gift for you."
"You're right, this is the perfect Christmas gift, Kendall. Thank you so much." Jo said, hugging the books to her chest in happiness.
"But that's not all. There should be a bookmark stuck inside one of them."
"A bookmark?" Jo saw the slip of paper sticking out of one of the books and pulled it out. "What is this? A plane ticket? To Minnesota?" Jo asked and then met Kendall's eyes on the screen.
"Yep, and I checked with Mom and Griffin, and we are going to be flying back home tomorrow night. So we will still have Christmas in Minnesota. And more importantly, we'll be having New Year's in Minnesota as well, and you're invited."
"Really?" Jo scanned the ticket again. "I'll fly in on the 30th?"
"That's right and I talked to your dad, you can stay with us until we all head back to LA together a week later."
"Really Dad? You knew about this?" Jo looked up at her dad sitting across the room from her.
"Of course I did. Merry Christmas Jo."
"Thanks, Dad. And Thank you, Kendall, I can't wait to see you even more now! Congratulations mister, you just won the best Christmas gift giver hands down."
"Thank you, I'd do anything to make you smile Jo, and I can't wait to see you either."
"You always do." Jo paused for a moment and Kendall could hear muffled voices surrounding her. "Well now everyone else wants to see my famous popstar boyfriend." Jo smiled brightly, "So mind if I turn you around?"
"Sure thing." Kendall smiled back. And then his screen was filled with all of Jo's extended family, all dressed in pjs of their own. "Merry Christmas everyone!"
Everyone waved back and told him Merry Christmas too for a few seconds, and then he saw Jo's face once more. "I think it's safe to say they like you, but not as much as I do."
"You know what, next time we have a tour, I'll convince Gustavo to have a concert in North Carolina, and all of them are invited," Kendall promised.
"I think they'd love that." Jo laughed. "We're about to eat soon, but I'll talk to some more tonight ok? You can help me pack for Minnesota winter weather."
"Gladly. I can't wait to see you in person again."
"Me neither Kendall. Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas Jo."
A few days later Kendall, Mom, Katie, and the rest of the guys were back in Minnesota and while it was great being back home and seeing family again, Kendall was even more excited for one last very special someone to join them. This was why he and his mom were currently sitting in the airport, waiting for Jo's flight to arrive.
Kendall had been a bundle of nerves and he did his best to keep himself calm by thinking about everything he was going to show Jo while she was here. From inviting her to join the guys' annual New Years Snowball War, to maybe skate on the pond near his house, or at the rink, and just spending as much time as they both wanted to, with no shooting scenes, or song recordings or rehearsals of any kind to interrupt them.
Finally, Jo's plane was reported arrived at the gate so Kendall stood up from his seat and held up the sign he had made yesterday, on the lookout for her beautiful blonde hair and gorgeous smile.
And eventually, he did. He could see her eyes still scanning the crowd for a few moments until they found his sign and she smiled even brighter, and then her brown eyes met his green, and even though they had only spent a few days apart, it still felt a like a lifetime.
Jo hurriedly walked toward him and his mom, pulling her suitcase behind her, until she came to a stop in front of him and circled his arms around him in a hug. "And here to think I was worried it'd be difficult to find you. I should have known you'd have a plan in place."
"Well I am brilliant, aren't I? But this was all inspired by you." Kendall removed his arms and set down his I Heart Jo sign.
"I approve." Jo laughed, "Should I expect to see that in all the red carpet crowds now?"
"Well, if I can't walk the red carpet with you I suppose. Even though Gustavo and Amy both want us in public together as much as possible." Kendall smiled back, "I'm just so glad you're here."
"I am too. I can't believe you got my dad's permission to let me come alone and stay with you."
"If that's what it took to get you here, I would have been happy to buy him or your mom a ticket too, but after talking to my mom he said he'd be ok with this, for the holidays only."
"Well, speaking of, Merry Christmas Ms. Knight." Jo finally broke her hug with Kendall and turned to Jen.
"Jo please, you know you can call me Jen. But merry Christmas to you too." Jo and Jen then shared a hug of greeting as well.
"Thanks so much for hiding my present. And for letting me stay with you for a week."
"It was no problem. I know you two are going to have so much fun together and with unlimited time for once. I know you both are going to have so much fun."
"And speaking of fun, let's take this show on the road. I want to show you everything awesome Minnesota has to offer."
"Let's go." Jo smiled.
Kendall grabbed her suitcase for her and entwined his hand in hers as the three of them made their way out to the car, all three of them catching up more about the last few days since they last saw each other and all the holiday fun they had been having.
Once they got back to Kendall's house Kendall happily gave Jo a tour and led her up to his room.
Jo scanned the room, a bit messy with hockey gear spread around the room but nothing too bad, the walls were covered completely with different hockey posters, except for one shelf that held a bunch of different trophies.
"Wow, so this is your room huh?" Jo asked.
"Yes but for this week, it's your room." Kendall said, "I'll be taking the couch downstairs."
"Kendall, you don't have to do that. This is the first time you've been home since before your tour, I can't take your bed. I'll take the couch." Jo insisted.
"Hey, it's no big deal. Do you have any idea how many sleepovers we've had over the years? You don't have to worry about me not getting a goodnight's sleep on the couch. Plus you are not only my guest, but also my girlfriend, you deserve only the best."
"And that's why I have you." Jo smiled. "OK, I'll allow it for this week. But if I can somehow ever convince my dad to bring you home to North Carolina, I'm sleeping on the couch and you'll sleep in my bed."
"We'll see about that." Kendall laughed.
"Well, I do have to say, this room is very you." Jo sat down on the bed and Kendall joined her as she glanced all around at everything.
"Yep, I'm a hockey head big secret I know. Speaking of I was planning on taking you ice skating at the park just down the street. It's where all four of us learned to skate."
"Oh yeah, that sounds like so much fun. But you better not expect me to play hockey with you four. I know how dangerous that would be."
"No hockey with you on the ice, I promise. Besides, when we do play, I could always use a cheerleader."
"We'll see about that. Anything else planned?"
"Well, tomorrow on New Year's Eve we have an annual snowball war. And since you're here you're welcome to join us."
"Oh, that sounds fun. Does it have as many rules as your prank war?"
"Not quite, but it is still lots of fun, while we do have some rules so it isn't complete chaos."
"I can't believe how much snow is outside. How deep does it get?"
"Well there was a storm on Christmas Eve, so everything's still fresh, but it's only December, trust me, by the time February comes, the snow can be taller than you are."
"Really? And why do you live here again?"
"Because snow and cold are awesome. I love California sun, but Minnesota winters still can't be beaten as long as you're prepared for them."
"Well I brought us much cold weather gear as I could find so I hope I'm prepared."
"Don't worry I'm sure you will be." Kendall reassured her, "And if not, I know plenty of ways to warm you back up."
Jo just shook her head at him good-naturedly. "So where's everyone else?"
All the other guys are still celebrating Christmas with their extended families, but tomorrow we'll go to Logan's house for the snowball war, then Carlos' house to eat dinner, and then James' house to party all night and wait for the ball to drop at midnight.
"What do we do at your house then?"
"Mom always hosts Christmas morning with all four of our families, kind of like she did this year at the Palm Woods, and so she's off the hook for new year's."
"Well, I can't wait. So what are we going to do now?"
"Well, we could…" Kendall said slyly and leaned in closer to Jo for a moment, but was interrupted by Katie calling up the stairs that dinner was ready. "Um… maybe we can take a rain check?"
"Definitely." Jo smiled, and quickly pecked him on the cheek.
"Oh by the way, one of the conditions of you being here is we need to be supervised or have the door open together." Kendall rolled his eyes.
"My dad? I'm sorry I know he trusts you."
"Yeah." Kendall smiled. "If he didn't trust me, he wouldn't have agreed to this in the first place, but if that's what it takes to have you here with me, I'm cool with it. But after dinner, we'll have plenty of time to take a walk out to the park and back, and look up at the stars, all alone together."
"I like the way you're thinking I can almost see it". Jo smiled, but when Katie called for them again, they finally made their way downstairs to eat.
The next morning Jo was ready for the snowball fight, at least she told herself that, until she saw just who her competition was going to be, all four of the guys, plus Katie's excited grins gave her enough pause to wonder just what she had gotten herself into, but she wasn't going to be deterred.
The six of them were all bundled up from head to toe against the winter chill, but other than the cold, the weather was perfectly clear blue skies and zero wind, so Jo was doing just fine in real winter as Kendall kept calling it.
"Ok," Kendall was saying, "since Jo and Katie both more than proved their skills during the prank war last month, I see no reason that they can't join us this year."
"Finally. At least Jo and I don't have to force you to let us play." Katie said pointedly. "Again."
"But anyway, the rules are simple, there will be two teams just like normal, except this year it's three vs three. Both teams will then have half an hour to construct their fortress and create ammunition. The winners will be whichever team forces all their opponents to surrender. And we choose teams by who can throw a snowball the furthest to decide captains." Kendall explained.
And so they did, all six of them made their snowballs and tossed them as far as they could. In the end, James made it the furthest and Kendall came in second, and so they were the two captains.
James got to pick first. "I'm going to go with my man Carlos." They shared a high-five as Carlos walked over to James' side.
"In that case I pick Katie." Kendall smiled and as Katie walked over to his side they shared their secret sibling handshake with each other.
"Interesting choice." James said, "I pick Logan!"
"And last but not least, Jo can come join Team Knight," Kendall said happily. "OK," Kendall glanced at his watch, "we have thirty minutes until the battle begins at 10 am sharp. James, which side do you want?"
"We'll take the north side of the yard." James declared and he led his team to the small hill that was near the edge of the yard.
"That means we have the south, come on." Kendall led his team to the other end of the yard, near a row of pine trees.
"So what's the plan Big Brother?" Katie asked as they huddled up.
"Well, everything is going to plan already." Kendall grinned. "I was hoping that if James or Carlos were captains they'd want to go with experience and brawn over brains. But that just gave us the dream team. We're going to show all three of them that you don't want to battle Team Knight and Taylor." Kendall grinned.
"So here's my plan…" Kendall started explaining his basic plan, and both Jo and Katie had plenty of ideas of their own to add until they were certain it was foolproof. And they soon got to work on all their preparations.
But all too soon, their prep time ran out. So Kendall shouted, "The battle is on!"
"And so it begins!" James yelled back from his side, and then all was silent.
"OK, just checking, everyone knows the plan?" Kendall asked as they huddled behind their wall.
"Oh yeah." Katie nodded.
"Let's show them how it's done." Jo nodded as well.
"OK then, everyone to your positions. It's just a waiting game now."
On the other side of the yard, the other guys were waiting behind their own fort, eager for battle. Maybe a bit too eager. They were all scoping out the no man's land between the two forts, but nothing was happening.
"Logan, how long has it been?" James asked.
"Twenty minutes." He reported.
"Why isn't Kendall's team doing anything?" Carlos whined, "We can see their hats ducked down behind their wall, but nothing's happening."
"I know, I figured with both Katie and Jo on his team, Kendall would want to A, impress Jo by trying to take us out fast, and B, give us as little chance to strike them down and force a surrender as possible," James said.
"Guys I hate to break it to you, but the three of them put together definitely have some sort of plan in place." Logan pointed out.
"I know, but Carlos is the heavy hitter out of all of us, and Logan you give us home field advantage and the intelligence bonus. So what do you think our plan of attack should be?" James asked.
"We don't know enough yet, I vote we wait and let them make the first move."
"But that's boring. I want to throw some snowballs. And since when is this game about strategy it's just supposed to be us wailing on each other until there's only one of us still standing. I vote we go in there fast and strong right now!" Carlos said, his eyes and words full of passion for the thrill of the snowball fight.
"You know what? I agree. I hate waiting for things. This is about fun and taking down our enemies. Let's do this! Logan, are you in?" James asked him.
"I think this is a mistake and we're going to be walking into a trap." Logan reminded them.
"A trap isn't going to matter when we show off what we got. Now load up men. We're headed into battle." The three of them all gathered up as many snowballs as they could carry, and very carefully crept around their fort and then sprinted through the snow towards Kendall's fort, screaming as loud as possible and when they were a few feet away, started launching their snowballs at the brightly colored hats that were still sticking up just over the top of the fort.
But as they got closer and closer, none of them moved to counterattack, even when one of their hats flew off from a snowball Carlos threw, it was then that James realized something was off.
"Wait, guys! Hold your fire!" James shouted, although he didn't really need to since by now all three of them only had one or two snowballs left.
"Logan investigate the situation!" James ordered. "Tell us what they're thinking."
"OK," Logan carefully crept around the wall, and his eyes rose with surprise. "They're not here. They're just snowmen."
"What?" James and Carlos joined him to investigate, and it was true, instead of three people, there were three simple snowmen, just the right size for their stocking hat-covered heads to poke up above their wall, there wasn't even any ammunition or anything.
"Wait, if they're not here, then that means… It's a trap!" James yelled.
"You got that right!" Kendall shouted as he and Jo jumped out from where they were hidden in the trees and then from behind them, Katie popped up out of nowhere to start hitting them in the back as well.
All three boys panicked in the endless barrage and took a step back, and when they did so, they tripped over a tree branch buried in the snow and fell down into the fort, hitting the snowmen decoys at the perfect angle that the heads all dropped right into their faces.
They were helpless in the continued barrage until Logan rose in hands to the sky in surrender and James and Carlos were both quick to follow.
"We Surrender! We Surrender!" All three of them yelled.
"See, I told you girls it would work!" Kendall cheered and shared a high-five with Jo and Katie.
"I never doubted you for a second." Jo stepped closer to give Kendall a kiss on the cheek.
"So what do we win? Is there another crown?" Katie asked.
"Nope, this one just has bragging rights. As the Snowball War Champions!" Kendall shouted to the sky.
"OK then. Let's go inside because I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm freezing!" James shouted, and Logan and Carlos were nodding in agreement.
"Well Jo? Baby Sister? Shall we head home and warm up ourselves? Logan's mom always has hot cocoa ready for us."
"I think I can get behind that plan." Jo nodded and they walked inside.
Later that evening, after a delicious meal at Carlos' house the gang of teens moved on in their New Year's Eve traditions to end the night at James' house to watch the ball drop.
The five of them were in James' basement, which held a huge flatscreen TV that practically took up an entire wall, and there was more than enough room for everyone to relax on the couch and take everything in. Katie was hanging out with some of her old friends across town, so Jo was the only girl, but she didn't mind as long as she had Kendall cuddled up beside her on the couch.
To no one's surprise James and Carlos did their best to get the party pumping, jumping up to dance and sing along with all the different musical acts on TV, but the remaining three were happy to let them have their fun and enjoy the night in a more sedate manner.
Logan was busy texting Camille back and forth most of the night, so even though he was missing her, and admittedly a little envious of Kendall, he was still having plenty of fun.
Jo and Kendall of course were curled up together under a nice warm blanket, sometimes singing along with James and Carlos, but mostly just chatting to each other about everything and nothing that came to mind.
"You know guys, I have an idea for a fun game we could play," Kendall said, drawing the attention of everyone else in the room. "How about we take turns saying what the best part of this year was, and something we want to accomplish next year?"
"You mean like a resolution?" Logan asked.
Kendall shook his head. "No, it doesn't have to be something specific like that, but just some dream we each want to accomplish if we could."
"OK, but if we do this it can't be something obvious like going on tour, getting on a TV show, or meeting your boyfriend/girlfriend." James declared, "Otherwise we'd be done in like two minutes."
"OK deal, we can put some thought into this." Kendall nodded. "Is everyone agreed though?"
"Oh, I'll go first." Logan said after a moment, "During the Day of Pranks when I was helping out Doc Hollywood was some of the most fun I've ever had that wasn't directly related to all of you guys. I really liked using my knowledge to diagnose people's problems and find solutions. And of course, I really liked helping people. I know I always said I want to be a doctor, but that day was the first time seeing that I really could be if I wanted to."
"That sounds great Logan, so what's your goal for this year?" Kendall asked him.
"Hmm, I know I'm going to take the MCAT and be the youngest person to ever pass." Logan declared.
"What kind of cat do you want?" Carlos asked, sounding a bit confused.
"The MCAT is like the SAT for medical school. Don't worry guys I have no plans of breaking away from the band anytime soon, but I think I know what I want my future to be."
"Logan, if anyone can pass that test, I'm sure it's you. Everyone knows you're the brains of our outfit." Kendall reassured him with a smile.
"Says you, Mr. Bad Boy Schemer."
"Exactly I'm good at scheming, but I know you have the real big brain energy out of all of us."
"Yeah, I know Camille and I would have never made it through Algebra II this year without your help, and I'm sure you'll be an amazing doctor someday Logan." Jo reassured him too.
"Thanks, Jo, ok who's up next?"
"Ooh Me!" Carlos said, "My favorite part of this year was eating that giant Corndog at the Iowa State Fair when we were on tour. And my goal for next year is to find myself a girlfriend!"
Kendall and Jo just looked at each other and tried to keep from laughing. "Carlos there is no doubt in my mind, you'll find the one for you. Just like I have here." Kendall hugged Jo closer for a moment.
"I couldn't agree more." Jo smiled.
"Don't worry buddy, I'll help you out. Just follow my advice and you won't have any worries, unlike Logan." James joked.
"OK I admit the whole asking Camille to the dance thing was on me, not you, but it worked out in the end."
"Yeah, 'cause I came to your rescue so you could ride in like a knight in shining armor." Kendall reminded him with a laugh.
"Well at least someone here remembered to ask their date to the dance." Jo reminded Kendall with a teasing smirk on her face.
"I made up for that right? I mean you've put up with me for this long." Kendall reminded her.
"I suppose there's a reason I keep you around." Jo laughed.
"Ok, my best memory was wearing the SNEAKERS for the five minutes I had them on. They felt like heaven. And not a word out of you, what you did was way worse." James warned Logan, who was about to open his mouth. "And my goal this next year will be to expand my brand, and finally become a Kuda model."
"Interesting, since last time he turned orange." Kendall joked in Jo's ear.
"Kendall?" Jo asked.
"That's an easy one, not only keeping my title as Sir Lord High King of Pranks but also sharing the crown with Katie. And this year make it an effort to play hockey more, just like Logan has his second dream, there's no reason I can't chase both of mine at the same time."
"I'll help you however I can with that," Jo promised.
"Thanks, and what about you?"
"Taking out meeting you, and starring in a TV show, I'd have to say filming The City is Ours video was so crazy and so much fun."
"I think you just described us in two words. Crazy and Fun." Kendall joked.
"And one thing I want to do this year is I don't know, travel the world."
"Am I invited on this world tour?" Kendall asked.
"Of course, you will be."
"Oh guys wouldn't that be something, going on a world tour? It'd be so amazing!" Carlos cheered.
They continued chatting more about the past year of their lives, which had changed so much for all of them, but as the clock ticked closer to midnight, Kendall whispered in Jo's ear, "Hey, want to go for a walk?"
"Now? But it's almost midnight, and it's probably freezing outside."
"I know, but I'll keep you warm if you get cold. But can we?"
"Sure thing." Jo smiled at him, but there was still a question in her eyes about just what he was planning, because she knew he must have planned something.
Kendall tugged the blanket off the two of them and stood up. "We're going to head out guys, we'll be back soon."
"Out where?" James asked.
"Just out," Kendall said vaguely. "We'll either come back here or head home, and I'll text you guys to let you know which," Kendall promised.
He then tugged Jo up the stairs and hurriedly put on his shoes and coat, while Jo did the same beside him, and they were soon on their way.
"So how long is this walk of ours going to take?" Jo asked as they slowly made their way down the sidewalk back toward Kendall's house.
"Um, about ten minutes, tops." Kendall checked the time on his phone.
"Oh really? What's happening in ten minutes?" Jo asked playfully.
"I think you know, and I wanted this to be special. Look up." Kendall said, and Jo did, and her breath was taken away by the clear night sky completely covered with dazzling stars.
"I know how much you love looking at the stars in LA, but it has nothing compared to Minnesota nights, and I'm sure it's the same deal in North Carolina too."
"No, I have to admit, this is even prettier," Jo said with awe in her voice.
"But nowhere near as pretty as you are." Kendall smiled softly and pulled her closer to him beneath his arm, and she snaked her arm around his waist. "You know, if we didn't have to follow James' no superstar/girlfriend moments, I would have had to choose my ten favorite moments with you this year."
"Honestly, I would have to, it isn't really much of a contest, you've been the best part of this year for me, Kendall."
"Right back at you Jo. Although it is difficult for me to pick one moment with you that's my favorite, since it seems like something always has to go wrong first before working itself out like we live in a TV show or something."
"What are you talking about?"
"Like we first kissed when we thought we'd never see each other again. Then when I got back from tour, I went crazy over Jett, but then you came to Rocktoberfest with the best sign ever. Or how we finally got to go to the zoo and the red carpet together after setting Jett up with the llama and the two of us having to sneak around to be together and everything."
"Yeah, I guess you're right, but that just means we can face any challenge together, and we'll still come out on top," Jo promised him.
"I know. We always will, which is why I wanted to do this."
"Do what?"
"I'm assuming you know what they say about New Year's kisses?"
"I may have heard a thing or two." Jo smiled coyly.
"I heard that whoever you share a kiss with at midnight you'll spend the entire year together. So think you can make it a whole year with me?"
"I think I'll be able to manage, but only because you're the sweetest guy ever. I still don't know why Griffin and Gustavo ever wanted you to be the bad boy, I can't see it."
"Beats me, but I'm glad we're in agreement." Kendall glanced down at his phone quickly for the time, and then stared straight into Jo's warm brown eyes, and raised a hand to gently caress her cheek. "It's almost time and I want to do this right. 10, 9, 8, 7," Kendall started counting down and Jo was quick to join him.
"6, 5, 4, 3, 2…"
And then they both leaned forward pressing their slightly cold lips together in the sweetest of kisses that warmed them both up inside and out until they felt like they'd never feel the cold again. Neither wanted to let go until they finally separated to take a breath, both of their eyes sparkling in the darkness.
"I love you, Jo." Kendall said softly, but it was still enough to make Jo freeze in surprise.
"Kendall…" she said quietly.
"I wanted those to be my first words of this year, so happy 2011." Kendall smiled nervously waiting for Jo to speak, but instead, she leaned forward to capture his lips once more, and Kendall couldn't help but notice how much more passion she was sending into this kiss than the last, so that by the time they parted both were panting slightly.
"Kendall, I love you too." Jo smiled brightly.
"Good, I don't know why but for like two seconds there-"
"Thank you for telling me, you just one-upped your previous Christmas present completely."
"And I'll once again say right back at you." Kendall pulled Jo close to him in a tight hug, the steam from their breath mixing in front of them. "I love you, Jo, with all my heart, and I want to spend this year and the next, and next with you."
"And I want to spend every year with you too. We're really starting this year off with a bang, aren't we? Just imagine how many new memories we'll make together. Let's start right now." Jo smiled and leaned in to kiss him once more, but Kendall couldn't help himself from teasing her.
"You sure you're not going to get too cold?"
"I think we can keep each other warm, my heart's racing right now with how much love I have for you. And if it comes to it, we're right in front of your house. Oh, do we need to watch out for your mom?"
"Don't worry, she never makes it to midnight." Kendall smiled, "But if you'd rather sneak inside for a bit… I can just let the guys know we came back home and don't wait up for us. We'll have to be really quiet."
"You know what, you have me convinced. And I think I know a good way to keep you from talking too loud." Jo laughed, and they started walking up the sidewalk to Kendall's front door.
"I love you, you could tell me to do anything, and I would find a way to make it work."
"Somehow I believe that, but only if I'm helping you come up with the plan."
"You're right," Kendall whispered. Closing the front door behind them and they both quietly removed their coats and shoes. "So where to?"
Jo smirked at him in the darkness. "I want to show you how much I love you, but I think we should head to your room so we don't wake your mom up."
"I love you." Kendall smiled and they both hurried to his room, and Jo shut the door behind them.
"Don't you ever forget it, because I feel the exact same way." Jo hugged him tightly and met his lips once more, all both could think was that this was a Christmas vacation to remember forever.