Chapter Text
A deep sigh escaped her and she buried her nose deeper into her scarf. Zurich had turned into a winter wonderland, all covered in a thick blanket of powdery snow and decorated with ice. Everywhere in the park were children laughing, having fun in snowball fights, building fortresses of snow and lots of other things. Their parents were sitting on benches, watching their children or enjoyed hot spiced wine while chatting.
She dodged a snowball that flew across the path she followed. Angela normally loved being in her hometown for Christmas, but this year it was different. Although she was surrounded by joyful people and snow, she could not share it.
Why do I have to be here? On Christmas? Why did it have to snow that much that this friggin’ plane wouldn’t start?
Angrily she grumbled into her scarf and swiftly strode down the street to her old apartment. This year it happened that there was an emergency call from the research base she had formerly worked for during her studies. They needed her opinion and skills on a certain project that had some links to Angela’s recent researches, so she took the next plane to Zurich. Actually, she had planned to be back at watchpoint Gibralta yesterday, but fate can be mischievous at times.
When she entered her apartment, she almost slammed the door shut behind her. She definitely had no sense for Christmas this year.
“The feast of love, hah! What kind of feast should that be, if I can’t spend it with my girlfriend?”, she muttered and threw her boots blindly across the hallway, followed by her scarf and jacket.
A tiny maintenance robot appeared in the hallway and started to collect the scattered clothes. Angela did not take much notice of it and stormed off to her living-room. She made a halt right at the entrance.
“Great!”, she groaned, as she saw a fully decorated Christmas tree right in the corner, where she used to place it.
It seemed that her robot had prepared everything for the holiday. With a silent humming, the robot rolled down to Angela and ‘sang’ “Merry Christmas” with its whistling sounds.
“Just SHUT THE FUCK UP!”
That was just too much for her. Massaging her temples, she went into her kitchen. This was the worst Christmas ever. Snowed in in Zurich all alone, no girlfriend and only this dubious text telling her she should not be too sad celebrating alone.
“Yeah, Fareeha… I’m absolutely not sad celebrating without you… No, I’m not! I’m PISSED!”, Angela hissed and nearly spilled her freshly made hot chocolate over the kitchen counter.
I should probably consider a punching bag in here…
“Guess, this holiday is not that important to you then, Fareeha.”, she huffed and turned to the refrigerator. “What did I miss, hmmm? Right! Eggnog.”
The blonde fished for the bottle and carried both items to the small table in her living room, glaring at the tree. Maybe she could bare it with enough eggnog.
As she straightened to next head to her bedroom, she heard the jingle of her doorbell.
“What on earth?”
Angela hurried to the door and opened it, only to see the hallway of the complex she lived in empty. Frowning, she poked her head further out and looked for someone, who might have rung her bell.
“Strange… Oh!”
Her foot made contact with something sturdy and she blinked down. A giant present was placed on her doormat with a tag on it that named Angela as recipient in a neat handwriting she did not recognize.
“What? Who?”, Angela wondered.
She curiously eyed the present. It was a sturdy box, wrapped in colorful paper and a huge bow. Gladly, someone had placed it on a skateboard, so Angela did not have to worry about moving that heavy looking present inside.
“Well, guess I’ll place it under the tree.”, she thought aloud and rolled her secret santa present inside.
Somehow, now that the mysterious gift was placed under her tree, Angela’s mood had lifted a bit. Of course, she would have loved to spend the day with Fareeha or at least talk to her on the phone but somehow she could not reach her.
She let out another sigh and walked over to her bedroom. For the rest of her lonely Christmas she wanted to change into her most comfortable clothes. Her turtleneck was replaced by an oversized shirt with a penguin print on it and her pants made way for a pair of boxers she had scrounged from Fareeha’s wardrobe. Big fluffy pink slippers completed her lazy holiday look.
Back in her living room, Angela snuggled into a blanket and freed her golden locks from her messy ponytail. Now she was ready for a load of cheesy Christmas movies, sweets and eggnog.
It’s not my first lonely Christmas, though…
There was a fairytale special, showing all kind of innocent and kitschy romances little girls dreamed of. Clutching her hot chocolate flavored eggnog to her chest – yes, she added more eggnog to it the more she drank of the brown fluid – she let the special carry her away. At least she tried to. The huge present was still buzzing at the back of her mind and she could not help but glancing over to it from time to time. There was something about it and she was getting more curious the more she tried to ignore it.
It’s still too early, dear., Angela remembered her mother scolding her for peeking at the present before gift giving.
She bit her lip and forced her gaze away but immediately glanced back to it.
“Ouh, who cares if it’s too early or not?”, Angela groaned and jumped off the couch.
Kneeling before the box, she carefully inspected the gift tag once again. There was no way she knew this handwriting. It was almost a piece of art with its fancy loops and smooth flow of the ink. Who wrote it?
Squinting her eyes she put the tag aside and looked for other hints.
“Not even a postcard…”, Angela noted.
This was getting weird. Who would do something like that? She placed her hands on top of the box and took a deep breath.
“Okay. Take it slow, Angela.”
Shaky fingers fumbled with the bow. It smoothly slid off the box when she managed to undo it. Again, she paused.
“Fuck slow!”
She literally tore off the wrapping paper, making a mess like a child. A broad grin lit up on her face while she bit her lip in curious expectation. Who would have thought that a 37 year old doctor would turn a child on Christmas?
The moment she lifted the lid of the sturdy box, she jumped backwards with a surprised shriek.
“Merry Christmas, ya amar!”
Angela could not believe her eyes. In this huge box sat Fareeha, dressed in a reindeer costume and a glowing red nose. She even had deer heads poking through her silky black hair. It looked ridiculous.
The blonde just sat on the floor, staring at her girlfriend with unbelievably wide eyes.
“Fareeha?!? You… I thought… What?”, she stammered and Fareeha chuckled.
“You know Santa heard about a lovely Angel all alone in Zurich and therefore he sent her a little present to cheer her up.”, she said winking at the astonished woman. “Uhm, mind helping me up?”
Fareeha smiled and wiggled her arms a bit helpless. She was all stiff after spending such a long time crouched in a present box.
“You’re here.”, Angela breathed, as she helped her girlfriend out of the box. “But why on earth did you pick a Rudolph costume?”
“Well… I had to pick something to keep me from freezing.”, Fareeha answered hesitantly. “And I thought maybe you’d like something fluffy to hug?”
Angela laughed and wrapped her arms around her. The costume was indeed fluffy and tickled her face as she nuzzled against her chest.
“You definitely made a good choice.”, she said smiling broadly. “But I would have warmed you up as well…”
Mischievous blue eyes glanced up to meet playfully skeptical brown ones.
“Hmmm, I guess you would.”, Fareeha said and leaned down for a tender kiss.
“This is the best present ever! Thank you, Liebes.”, Angela said as their lips part.
She wanted to slip out of this wonderful embrace to get her present for the love of her life, but Fareeha kept her in place.
“Actually…”, she said in a low voice, “This is not the actual present I have for you.”
Angela tilted her head questioning and looked at her girlfriend. She saw a blush on her face and how she nervously nibbled at her lower lip. It was odd to see her like that.
Then Fareeha knelt before her and time seemed to stop.
“I…”, Fareeha started but interrupted herself with a small curse in Arab. “Hrm, actually I made a whole speech for this, but I seem to have lost my words the moment I saw you.”
She laughed nervously and fumbled out a small box.
“Angela… Will you marry me?”, she asked and opened the box to present a thin ring made of woven gold strings.
Angela had hold her breath the whole time and needed a moment to process what was going on.
“Yes!”, she finally said and jumped into Fareeha’s arms to deeply kiss her.
This was definitely the most wonderful Christmas for the both of them.