Merry Christmas everyone! Well, Belle and Liam (Biam, unless someone comes with something better) won the poll so I wrote this. I tried not to make it too spoiler-ish, but it's hard. Christmas is yet to come in the plotline and the FF version is behind compared to the TF version (if you are reading the latter then you won't get spoilers at all). If you're only reading the FF version... then you'll have to wait to see how these two get to this place muahahaha!

Happy reading!
Bel, xx

-:-:-

Christmas Plans
Belle Reed

As every year, the label is having a Christmas party and of course, Dad is invited and I can't skip it this year. I never do. I'm always Dad's plus one but this year there's an invitation for me as part of the label, after all I did sign a contract with Syco. But that's not only what's different this year, there’s also the fact that Liam is coming. Despite father being part of Syco for many years, I never saw One Direction in one of these parties. I wouldn't blame them, the party for artists is in another place because it's known youngster party differently. I frequently was the youngest of these parties.

When Liam asked me what I was doing for Christmas I answered automatically that I’m going with Father to this party. It's what I do every year, I didn't even hesitate. He invited me to the other party, the one he attends to but I told him it’s like the only tradition I have, so I wouldn’t feel comfortable changing it now.

"Then I'll go to that party, too," he said, surprising me. "I'm sure Simon will be glad to introduce us to the investors and whatnot. Plus, Harry is also going, for what I heard, because Ariel is going to that one."

"Oh right, she mentioned that," I smiled. "Then I guess we have plans for Christmas Eve."

So I'm not surprised to find Liam, Harry and Ariel at the party when I arrive with my father. Ariel greets my father warmly. They've grown close and I think Dad sees her as another daughter and that's another reason why he's trying so hard to make it work. They are doing a wonderful job so far, I’ve heard some of the finished songs and just love them. Then Harry shakes his hand and finally Liam.

"Well, I guess this year I'll leave you in better company, Belle," my father says and I kiss his cheek before he leaves me there with the others.

The place is crowded with men in suits and women in beautiful and elegant dresses. They all look like they are swimming in money but I'm not surprised to see them, either. It's almost the same faces every year. Even some reporters that are allowed for the first thirty minutes of the party.

Ariel looks lovely in a pastel, knee-length dress and next to her Harry looks very handsome in a black suit with a pattern shirt. However Liam, he looks so handsome that it is hard to notice the others. He's wearing a black shirt and suit, no tie but the shirt has a different cut that makes it special. He looks clean, sharp and sophisticated and when he approaches me my heart races a bit.

"You look beautiful tonight," he says wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling closer to give me a light peck on the lips. "Merry Christmas Eve."

I reply with the same and wish the same to Harry and Ariel. We stay there, having a normal conversation and after a while we are approached by Simon and my father because they want to introduce Ariel to some investors. It's a calm evening and it's mostly the four of us. We don't go wild but we don't get bored. We have fun among ourselves, laughing and I'm surprised to see Liam and Ariel actually getting along. She has a hard time with new people but she tries her best. The difference is clear when she's with us, she's more comfortable, she jokes and laughs out loud. And she's always next to Harry, it even seems they are in sync or something.

All in all, we have a great time and after midnight Liam takes me to the garden. It's all decorated with Christmas lights and it's snowing so we have to go for our coats before actually stepping outside. It's so cold that Liam doesn't even ask me, he just gives me a back hug to keep us both warm.

"I should've thought this further. It's so cold!" he says and I laugh out loud, cuddling in his arms, appreciating the warm of his body in this freezing night. "But I wanted us to be alone and here's the only place. Now I know why."

"It looks beautiful. I'm glad we came here but not for too long, okay? It'll hurt," I reply and he hugs me tighter.

"Deal," he confirms, his face now in my hair, his nose nuzzling my neck, his breath tickling me. "Then I'll do what I brought you here for before we freeze to death," he adds and my head turns to look at him but as he is so close, our noses just end up colliding and we are face-to-face. Literally. I chuckle but he just smiled before kissing me softly, his lips cold already but they are getting warm.

"Merry Christmas," he says when we break the kiss and I'm thinking he brought me here just to snog in peace but then he pulls back a bit, breaking the embrace and I turn to face him. I see him taking a little box from his pocket and then offering it to me.

My eyes widen in surprise and his smile turns a bit shy. I know I try not to accept Liam's presents because it feels wrong due to our circumstances and because that way he has to think harder how to please someone without buying any thing. But it's Christmas, I can't refuse his present. So I take the box and unwrap it slowly just to find, of course, jewellery. What surprises me, though, is the kind of jewellery. It's a silver charm bracelet but it only has three charms and there's clearly space for more.

I look up to meet Liam's eyes and he's smiling kindly, and then he takes the bracelet inside and puts it on my wrist. I notice one charm is a telephone booth, the other the Eiffel Tower and the other a book.

"It's an on-going present, just warning you," he says taking my hand an exposing my wrist to show the bracelet. "I'll get you a charm in every country I visit during the rest of the tour so every time I see you again, I'll add a new charm to this," explains Liam touching the present. "The first one is a book because that’s just you. The second is for London, where we live and met and the other because of that time in Paris together."

"This is… it's so… lovely and personal, thoughtful and utterly cute, Liam. Thank you so much!" I exclaim throwing my arms around his neck. The whole idea might be cliché but it's just so thoughtful that I don't mind, it shows a constant concern for the other person and a way to connect two people. Plus, it's just merging cities in one bracelet, icons of different cultures and I'm sure he picked this because he knows how much I like that, to have a little bit of another place. I feel like this bracelet merges Liam and I in a way I didn't think possible. "Thank you," I add more calmly, pulling back to see his face. My hands cupping his cheeks before I stand on my tiptoes and kiss his lips. "I love it."

He really sighs and I feel a bit sorry for him. I don't want him to stress when he wants to give me a present. I would like anything, to be honest. I just don't want him to throw presents at me as if they were autumn leaves until I'm covered and I can't see what's past me. I don't want him to buy me with presents.

"I'm glad you do. Now let's go inside because it's too cold and it's starting to hurt where it shouldn't," he tells me and I can't help it, I laugh out loud. He smiles happily before kissing my forehead and pulls back. His hand reaches mine and we head back inside.

We are about to go inside but I stop him. He looks at me with a worried expression so I just smile, grab the lapels of his coat and pull him until his face is at my height and I can kiss him properly. He's surprised at first but quickly recovers and wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me closer, almost lifting me from the floor. My feet barely touch the ground when we break the kiss.

"Merry Christmas," I say with my own grin. "I owe you a present so what would you want?" He arches both eyebrows and his smile turns naughty so I just slap his arm. "Be serious!"

"Uh, I dunno. Uh… spend this Christmas with me. I didn't go to see my family so I'll be all alone, thus why don't you come to my flat and spend the day with me? Not going anywhere, just relaxing at home. Can you do that?" he asks and my heart aches for him a bit.

"Don't you even wanna go see your family for that day?" I propose instead. "I'll go with you."

Now his eyes show surprise and his arms around me tighten. "That's a good idea, too. My family will love it."

"Then it's settled?" he nods and I peck his lips. "We have plans for Christmas then. Now let's go inside! It's so cold."

He chuckles and his smile is so sweet and happy that my heart is beating content. Yeah, I think this will be a memorable Christmas for both of us.