All I Want For Christmas

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I first came up with the idea for this story last year. However, by the time the idea came to me, Christmas would have been over already before I finished the story. And so, I started writing earlier this year around. Merry Christmas everyone!

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"Bye, guys," said Lisa as she exited the front door. "Merry Christmas!"

"Bye, Lisa," said the other two girls in the living room as they watched their housemate leave. Sharon and Kris paid a third of the rent each just as Lisa did, but it was the senior that had found the house and asked around for housemates in the first place. With Lisa gone, the two juniors now had the house to themselves.

"So," said Sharon to her friend, Kris. "Whaddaya wanna do now?"

"I dunno," said the brunette. "Shop for Christmas presents?"

Sharon smiled and said, "Sounds great." With that, Sharon and Kris got their bags together and started on their way to the mall.

Sharon and Kris had met at the beginning of the school year when they moved in with Lisa. Sharon had been going to the same college since freshman year, Kris was a transfer student. Having already completing at least one year of college, they both had a choice to live on-campus or off-campus. Sharon had lived in the dorms for 2 years, and decided to give off-campus housing a try. The blonde found that living in a house was more fun than the dorms. She had a lot more room than a small dorm room and she got to hang out more often with her friends that she shared the house with.

It was then that Sharon realized that Kris might be going home to visit her family for the holidays. "Hey Kris," asked Sharon, "are you visiting your family over the break?"

"Yeah," the brunette replied. "What about you?"

Sharon had a slightly sad look on her face. "No," she replied. "There are some things going on with my family right now."

"Like what?" Kris asked.

"It's nothing," said Sharon. "Just some things I don't wanna deal with."

Kris looked at Sharon for a moment, trying to figure out what the blonde was feeling. "Do you mean to tell me that you're gonna be in that house for a whole month without anybody there to keep you company?"

"It's nothing I can't handle," Sharon maintained.

"Well that won't do," exclaimed Kris. The brunette took out her cell phone and dialed a number. "Hello, Alfred?" she said into the phone. "Yes, it's Kris. Listen, can I talk to Dad? Thank you."

"What are you doing?" asked the blonde.

"Hi, Dad," said Kris, not having time to reply to Sharon's question. "Things are going just fine. Listen, I need to ask you something. Can I stay at college for Winter Break? I'm keeping my housemate company while Lisa's gone. I can? Thank you, Dad!" Sharon then heard a man coughing from the phone. "Are you all right, Dad? Are you sure? Okay. I'll talk to you later. I love you. Thanks again. Bye." Kris hung up and turned to Sharon. "Hey Sharon," said the brunette, "good news. My dad said I can stay here for the break. Now you don't have to be alone for the holidays." Kris flashed Sharon a big smile that momentarily made the blonde lose track of what she was thinking.

However, Sharon quickly regained herself. "You really don't have to do this, Kris," she said. "I can handle on my own."

"But you're gonna be so lonely by yourself. I know I couldn't bare being alone for a whole month. Besides..." Kris took Sharon's hands in her own and said, "...I would love spending Christmas with my best friend in the whole wide world."

Kris' heartfelt speech warmed Sharon's heart and the blonde could not help but smile at her friend. "Thanks, Kris," she said. "That means a lot to me."

"What are friends for?" said Kris, winking at Sharon. Having agreed to share the break together, Sharon and Kris went back to their Christmas shopping.

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The two friends were spent after spending several hours at the mall, so when they got back to the house, they decided to lie down on their beds and watch a movie together. They shared a room so it as easy for them to watch movies together. Deciding to get into the Christmas spirit, they both agreed on Miracle on 34th Street, which Kris had on DVD. It seemed that Kris had all of the best holiday movies in her video library.

However, it was about 30 minutes into the movie that Kris' cell phone started playing Jingle Bells. It was her ring tone. Kris paused the movie and answered the phone. "Hello?" she asked. "Alfred, what is it? He is? That's horrible." Then, Kris cried out, "WHAT?!" which made Sharon turn her head toward the brunette. "I can't, I'm staying here with my--" Kris then stopped talking as if she was interrupted. Her face turned somber and she said, "I understand, Alfred. I'll be there. Bye." Kris hung up with a very sad look on her face.

"Kris?" asked Sharon. "What is it?"

"That was my dad's assistant, Alfred," said Kris. "It seems that my dad has come down with a case of the flu and he needs me to be his substitute."

"Substitute?" Sharon asked. "For what?"

"My dad runs a worldwide organization that gives presents to kids to spread the spirit of Christmas."

"He's kinda like Santa Claus then."

Kris looked at Sharon with a blank stare for a moment and then replied with a slight smile, "Yeah, I guess he is." However, the smile quickly faded. "Since he's sick, he needs a substitute to spread the cheer. I'm the only other person qualified for the job."

Sharon said, "You don't mean...?"

"Yes," replied the brunette. "I have to go home for Christmas." Kris grabbed Sharon's hands, looked straight into her face with sad eyes, and said, "Please understand, Sharon. I want more than anything to be with you this Christmas. But I have to do this for my father."

"I understand," said Sharon. "It's no biggie."

"I wish that I didn't have to leave you here all by yourself."

"Seriously, Kris. I'll be fine."

"You're sure?"

"Yes," Sharon asserted. "I don't need to be mothered."

"You'll see me off tomorrow, won't you? Alfred has already booked a flight home for me at Kennedy Airport tomorrow afternoon."

Sharon smiled and said, "Of course I will." Kris and Sharon spent the rest of the evening watching Christmas movies, all the while completely silent. Although she would never admit it to anyone, Sharon was suffering inside knowing that she would not be spending Christmas with her best friend like they had planned.

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Sharon drove Kris to the airport the next day. It was difficult getting to the airport as New York City was jammed, as always, and the snow on the ground made driving conditions even worse. It seemed that Alfred had anticipated harsh winter conditions by booking a flight in the afternoon.

As Kris was about to go through the security checkpoint, Sharon asked her, "When will you be back?"

Kris replied, "I'll be back on January first."

"So you're gonna be away for a month after all."

Kris held Sharon in her arms and said, "I'm so sorry that I have to leave you alone all by yourself, Sharon. You know that I wanted to be with you this Christmas."

"Kris," said Sharon, smiling at her friend, "please don't worry about me. I'll be fine by myself."

"I just get the feeling that you'll be lonely without anybody around," Kris said, her voice overflowing with guilt and compassion.

"I wanted to spend Christmas with you too," said the blonde, "but it's really not a problem. Your dad needs you and you should be there for him."

Kris sighed. "All right," she said. "But you have to promise me that you'll have a good time while I'm gone. If you don't, I could never forgive myself for leaving you alone for the month."

"I promise I'll have a good time, Kris," Sharon reassured.

"All right," said Kris, hugging her friend again. "I'll see you in a month, okay?"

"Okay." The two friends released each other and Kris passed the security checkpoint, waving goodbye to Sharon all the way. As soon as Kris was out of sight, Sharon's smile faded completely. In fact, it took all she had to keep tears from dripping from her green eyes.

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Sharon returned to the house and entered the room that she and Kris shared. The room seemed so empty with Kris' bed vacant. With nobody around to see her misery, Sharon was now free to express the emotions that she hid from Kris. She threw herself down on her bed, buried her face in her hands and cried. Never before had Sharon felt so lonely. She also felt guilty for lying to her best friend about having a good time while they were apart. However, Sharon knew that it was necessary so that Kris would not worry about her wellbeing. The last thing that Sharon wanted was for Kris to suffer on her account.

Living together since they had first met, Sharon had never bothered to ask for Kris' phone number. If she ever wanted to talk, Kris was always there, so there was no need to have her phone number. The only other person that knew Kris' cell phone number was Lisa, and she had already left the day before. Not being able to spend Winter Break with Kris was bad enough. But not even being able to talk with her on the phone was the worst thing that Sharon could imagine. Having absolutely no contact with Kris whatsoever was devastating to Sharon. However, Sharon had been on her own since she was 18. She had managed for 2 years, and she felt that she could manage now.

It was difficult spending the next few weeks by herself. Although solitude had been her friend for so long, Sharon somehow managed to replace solitude with Kris' company. Now that Kris was gone, it was difficult for Sharon to take solitude back. She spent most of her time lazing about the house, only going outside to get food. Without classes to distract her, the next few weeks were unbearably boring.

As Christmas approached, Sharon became more and more depressed. She had gained several pounds from a lack of activity and was becoming more and more withdrawn from a lack of company. December 24th was hardest for Sharon. With Christmas the very next day, the knowledge that she could not be with Kris on that day was so clear. Sharon did not even bother to get out of bed on the 24th.

As she lay in her bed, for the first time in almost 3 weeks, Sharon spoke when not speaking to a store clerk. She said, "All I want is to be with Kris. I don't want anything else. I don't want clothes or movies or any presents of any kind under the Christmas tree. All I want for Christmas is to be with Kris."

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On Christmas Eve, late at night, Sharon was awoken by strange noises coming from the living room. Sharon knew that neither Lisa nor Kris were supposed to be back before three days from then. 'Is it a burglar?' Sharon feared. Distracted for the moment from her loneliness, Sharon got out of bed, picked up her baseball bat from her closet, and quietly made her way to the living room.

Sharon peeked around the corner into the living room to see who the intruder was. It was a person wearing a Santa Suit. 'Probably wearing that suit to convince children that he's Santa to not make them worry,' Sharon thought to herself. 'Well, he's not gonna trick me!' Sharon clutched her baseball bat tightly and rushed into the living room, yelling a battle cry as she prepared to strike the intruder down with the bat.

Just as Sharon was in striking range of the intruder, the figure, having heard the blonde's battle cry, turned and looked at the girl rushing at her. Sharon stopped dead in her tracks as she looked into the blue eyes of the young woman before her. Sharon dropped the bat, staggered backward, and fell on her butt, looking up at the figure that was standing in her living room. "K--K--K--Kris?" the girl stammered.

"Yes, Sharon," replied the brunette in the Santa Suit. "It's me."

B--But what...? Why...?"

Sharon was very surprised and confused as to why Kris was standing in the living room wearing a Santa Suit. The brunette answered the question that Sharon was too speechless to ask. "I'm Kris Kringle," she said.

"You are NOT Kris Kringle," Sharon exclaimed, still not fully believing what she was seeing.

"You're right," said Kris, "I am not the person that you know as Santa Claus. But my name is Kris Kringle, Kristine Kringle to be precise. I was named after my father, Kris Kringle the First. My father is the real Santa Claus."

"You're father..."

"The head of a global organization that brings presents to children around the world to spread the spirit of Christmas," Kris stated. "So you see, when you said my father was like Santa Claus, you were much closer than you thought." Kris held out her hand toward the blond-haired girl, sitting in front of her in her green pajamas. "Come on," said the brunette, "and stop beating yourself up over little ol' me."

Sharon looked up at Kris' face. Kris looked back at Sharon with eyes full of compassion and a smile full of encouragement. Slowly, Sharon extended her hand toward Kris'. Their fingers touched and their hands clasped. Kris pulled Sharon up off of the ground with a strength that a normal human should not have possessed. However, Kris' inhuman strength was nowhere to be found in Sharon's mind. All that mattered to Sharon was the fact that her best friend was with her on Christmas Eve.

Overcome with a rush of emotion, Sharon simply collapsed into Kris' arms, buried her face in Kris' shoulder, and cried. She was so happy that she could not hold back the tears of joy. She tried her best to hide her emotions from Kris, but the tears just kept coming. Kris held Sharon tightly, and suddenly, the blonde no longer cared if her friend saw her cry. So, she kept crying into Kris' shoulder, all of her incredible happiness pouring out of her.

The two girls stood there for what seemed like hours until Sharon's sobs died down and she was able to look up at Kris' face again. The brunette was still looking at Sharon with bright blue eyes and a smile so full of love and compassion. Sharon smiled back at her, her green eyes still damp with tears. Kris simply wiped the tears from her friend's eyes. "Come on," said Kris, walking toward the fireplace. "I'll show you everything." Sharon followed Kris until they both stood fully in the fireplace. Kris held Sharon's hand tightly and said, "Hold on tight." Just as Kris stopped speaking, she touched her free hand to the side of her nose and her body started rising up through the chimney. Sharon clutched Kris' hand and was dragged up the chimney with her.

As the two girls exited the chimney at the roof of the house, they landed safely next to a very large sleigh, with eight reindeer harnessed in front of the sleigh, obviously meant to pull it like sled dogs. The sleigh had two rows, the front row reserved for a driver to sit in, the back row filled completely by a large, white bag, filled with what could only be toys and other goodies. Kris gestured to the sleigh, "Please watch your step as you enter the sleigh," said the brunette as if she were a flight attendant, "and please enjoy your flight." The blonde stepped up into the sleigh and sat down at the far end of it. Kris followed Sharon into the vehicle and sat down beside her.

Holding the reins in her hands, Kris called out, "Now Dasher, now Dancer, now Prancer and Vixen! On Comet, on Cupid, on Donner and Blitzen!" Hearing the magic words spoken by their driver, the reindeer dashed forward. Sharon looked on in fear as the reindeer approached the edge of the roof. However, instead of falling off the side of the house, they simply kept moving forward. They were flying! "Here we go!" said Kris as she pulled back on the reins. As she did so, the reindeer aimed their noses skyward and they all ascended.

It was several minutes for Sharon to come down from the shock of riding ride off the roof of the house. When she had recovered, she managed to look over the side of the sleigh and see the world below her. As the City that Never Sleeps, the lights of New York City glistened, even in the middle of the night. It was a wondrous sight that Sharon had never dreamed of seeing. The reality of the moment finally starting to dawn upon her, Sharon looked forward, held out her arms, and let the wind fall upon her face. "WHOOO-HOOO!!!" the blonde cried in excitement as she flew through the air on Santa's sleigh.

Kris piloted the reindeer in twists, rolls, and loops, obviously giving Sharon the time of her life. The blonde felt like she was on a roller coaster and the adrenaline that her body was producing was just the rush she needed to break out of her previous weeks of little or no activity.

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When she felt that she had had enough excitement, Sharon lowered her arms and Kris returned to her steady flying. "That was amazing!" Sharon cried in happiness.

"This is my first time piloting my dad's reindeer," said Kris. "It's pretty exciting for me too." Sharon's expression suddenly changed from one of excitement to discomfort. She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. "Oh my God," cried Kris, "you're freezing!" In only her pajamas, it was cold to the point of near-agony. Kris hastily pulled off her red coat and handed it to Sharon. "Put this on," she said.

"Won't you be cold?" the blonde asked.

"Sharon," said Kris in a motherly tone, "stop doing everything by yourself and let your friend help you for a change! You need this coat more than I do." Kris was wearing a black, long-sleeved T-shirt underneath her coat, probably colored to absorb as much heat as possible. Sharon reluctantly held out her hand and took the coat from Kris. She put the coat on and wrapped herself up in it. Kris let go of the reins, causing the reindeer to fly in the same direction, in essence, putting the sleigh on cruise control. "Come clean with me, Sharon," said Kris in a surprisingly concerned tone of voice. "Why do you insist on doing everything on your own? Why don't you let your best friend do what she can to help you?"

Sharon looked at her friend with a look that Kris had never seen before, sadness and a hint of resentment. "It's something that has been going on for a few years," said Sharon.

"Tell me," said Kris, listening intently so that she may help her friend.

"I haven't talked with my family in two years," Sharon explained. "I've been on my own ever since I graduated from high school. I've learned to take care of myself, and I'm not used to others looking after me."

"You haven't talked with your family in two years?!" exclaimed Kris. "Why?"

"It was something that happened on the day of graduation. We were at a graduation party at one of my friend's houses. Anyway, what I didn't know was that my parents wanted me home before midnight. So, they came to pick me up. When they came to the house, they found me in my friend's room..." Sharon hesitated for a moment. "My friend was lying on her bed and I was sitting on her face, grinding my crotch into her mouth." Kris looked at Sharon in stun. "My parents were furious with me, saying that no daughter of theirs was a lesbian. I told them that I couldn't change who I was, and they disowned me." Sharon's emotions were beginning to show themselves again. "I gathered what little money I had saved over the years, went off on my own, got a job in the city, and started at the college. I got a student loan, so I've been able to sustain myself without any help from anybody else. I had become so used to the solitude that I felt that I didn't need any help." Sharon paused before saying, "...until I met you."

The two girls looked into each other's eyes. "Kris," Sharon continued, "I lied to you when I said I would have fun while you were gone. In fact, I was miserable without you. The house felt so empty without my best friend to keep me company as we had planned. Nothing held its appeal to me any more. I didn't do much of anything for these past few weeks."

"I can tell," said Kris. "I can see that you've gained some weight." Kris then took Sharon's hands in her own and said, "But don't worry, Sharon. I'm here now. We're together for Christmas, just like we planned."