All I Want for Christmas

"Alright," I said loudly as I made my way down the hallway, and rounded the bend to the living-room. "What's going on? Where is everyone? And…why the hell is Santa sitting on our couch?" And let's not forget the two unasked questions here: Who was this mysterious Santa and why was I finding myself attracted to him or her. That's not creepy at all, is it?

xXx

"What do you want with my lifeeeee?" I groaned, rolling over in bed and burying myself farther under my covers as my bed was attacked and I was assaulted by several hyperactive children.

Don't you just love Christmas morning?

I, having gotten back late from a reunion party with my friends last night, currently did not. I was paying for the late night. Although, seeing my friends and kicking back with some light booze had been just the ticket I needed to forget her for a while.

There was a chorus of "presents, presents, presents!" and "It's Christmas!" and "It's snowing!" as little hands tugged on my blankets, my hands, my feet…anything they could find. I silently cursed my mother for letting them in here—and my dad for never installing a lock on my door like I had once asked—as I grabbed my pillow and folded that over my head.

They grabbed that too, and proceeded to throw it across the room.

I groaned. Brats.

"Fine!" I hollered, and they began bouncing up and down, clapping. "I'm up! Now get out! I'll be down in five."

"Promise?"

I cracked an eye open to look at the wide eyes and angelic faces. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "Yes," I a finger at the door, "Now ."

Thankfully they left, giggling as they went. I looked longingly at the pillow on the other side of the room. But no, I couldn't. A promise was a promise. And besides, there would be coffee downstairs. Caffine would be good. Very good.

I swung my legs out of bed and forced myself to stand up and head for the dresser. As I reached it, a photo caught my eye and I cringed. Maybe my friends were right, maybe I was too hung up on Taeyeon. Well, that was a lie—they were right. It had been nearly a year since I had seen her, and we had only been together for few a months before I had to go home after my study abroad trip had ended in February. I knew I spent too much time staring at my computer screen at night, hoping I could get a chance to talk to her. At times it had been easier than others, but recently I had been beginning to feel like a bit of a stalker. I blame the season—we had started dating right before the holidays last year.

I shook my head, forcing myself to stop thinking about it. It was too early in the morning for this. Instead I concentrated on pawing through my drawers and changing into my Christmas jammies that I had set aside to lounge around in today. Damned if I was going through any trouble to look presentable today.

Shuffling down the hallway, I yawned and tried rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

"Stupid children, stupid Santa Claus, stupid eight-freaking-A.M. waking up," I grumbled as I trudged. Although, as much as I wanted to, I couldn't deny that inner child hiding in the back of my mind that was screaming and jumping for joy at the prospect of a white Christmas, but that was currently way drowned out by the tired adult part of my brain which needed coffee.

Desperately.

By the time I made it down to the living-room I was expecting to be bombarded by the screaming and laughter of children and my mother (who always managed to be awake this early and actually active), but it was eerily quiet.

"Alright," I said loudly as I made my way down the hallway, and rounded the bend to the living-room. "What's going on? Where the hell is everyone? And…why the is Santa sitting on our couch?"

For indeed, the living-room was unusually vacant, save for the lone red-clothed figure sitting on the couch facing the entryway. Despite many of our crazy family traditions, having someone dress up as Santa had never been one of them. And I had heard stories from the years before I was born. Many times. Not once was a Santa figure ever mentioned.

I had stopped in my tracks and now took a step forward. As I approached, a grin spread across Santa's face, and her exceptionally brown eyes lit up.

"Alright creeper," I said, stopping now and holding my ground. I narrowed my eyes at the imposter, "Who are you and what have you done with my family? I'm warning you, I know jujitsu, karate, boxing, Muay Thai."

Santa stood up. Small and fit body.

Her fake white beard covered most of her face, from her cheekbones down, but I could still see her eyes and mouth. Her eyes were glinting and there was a curl of amusement to her lips. I also couldn't help but notice that she was far from the stereotypical Santa—this girl was small and fit built, with broad shoulders and a very at-ease stance. Her eyes were absolutely gorgeous, and they sent a tingle down my spine, one I hadn't felt in a long time. And her lips looked almost…kissable.

"Okay, Miss. I don't know who you think you are but you better start talking soon or else…" I was glad my voice wasn't shaking, because it was certainly unnerving me, this strange attraction I was feeling towards the stranger dressed as Santa in my house. And the fact that she was a stranger in my house. And my family was missing.

"Jessica, Jessica, SooYeon Jung," Santa said, her voice mock-scolding, shaking her head. At the first "Jessica," I froze—her voice sounded familiar. Too familiar. The accent was like a cross between Korea and Seoul. "You think you would recognize Santa when you saw her."

My eyes went wide. I clamped my hands across my mouth. It couldn't be…

"I'm disappointed in you, Miss SooYeon."

I started shaking my head. No one called me by that name. No one except her…but that was impossible. Completely and utterly impossible. She was in South Korea. Not San Francisco.

Santa took a step towards me. I retreated. My heart pounded in my ribcage.

"I've heard you've been a good girl this year…" Another step forward on her part. Another step back on mine. My breaths were short—I almost felt like I could faint.

"And I wanted to make sure you got something special…"

I started looking around for the cameras and the people, waiting for them to call the trick on me. Or for purple monkeys and flying elephants—something that might signify that I was dreaming. By now, Santa was within a couple of feet of me, her determined long strides overpowering my meek retreat. I could feel my throat closing, tears pressing against the back of my eyes.

As she got closer, I could feel a shift in her mood. "And I wanted to make sure I could deliver it in person." She now seemed more serious than playful, and was standing less than a foot in front of me.

"So what do you think, Jung?"

I covered the distance between us with a shaking hand, reaching for the beard that masked her face. The material felt odd against my clammy hands, and it took every ounce of willpower I had to pull it down. I did it in one swift motion, holding by breath and closing my eyes. When I peeked them open again, my stomach flopped over and I felt the breath leave my lungs.

"Oh my god," I whispered. Taeyeon’s face smiled back at me, just as I remembered it, but much, much more real. I brought my fingers up to brush against her cheeks. "Oh my god…" this time it was chocked out, as reality began to dawn on me.

It was Taeyeon. My Taeyeon. Standing in front of me. In my house. Dressed as Santa Claus?

I couldn't hold it back anymore—the dam that was holding back my tears broke and I gave a sob, then covered my face with my hands and spun around, trying to brace myself in case I was undergoing some particularly strong hallucination (in which case I needed to see a doctor) or was by some miracle having a very realistic dream (in which case I still might need to see a doctor).

The next thing I knew, there was a hand on my shoulder and I was being turned so that I re-faced the now concerned face of Taeyeon.

"Sica…" she started softly, and I lost it. Barring any sort of protocol or questions, I threw myself at her, wrapping my arms around her neck and burying my face against her. She gave a soft "oomph" at the impact and then wrapped her arms around me, pulling me tight against her body. I inhaled deeply, reveling in the scent that was her, letting the memories swarm my mind.

"Sica," she said again, and I felt her hands on my shoulders then, pushing me away slightly. I sniffled and kept my eyes below her chin. She chuckled. Her finger came under my chin and tipped it up, and she cupped my face with her hands.

I gave her a watery smile and she chuckled, wiping my tears away in a gentle motion with a callused thumbpad. Her brown eyes danced and she smirked at me, making my stomach do another flip-flop. "Jessica. Did you miss me?" She asked. Her accented voice waves of delight through my body, warming me to my toes.

I nodded vigorously, unable to form words.

Her grin widened.

"Good," she said, tipping my head back a little farther and dipping her down to press her lips against mine. My heart nearly exploded at the contact. It was soft, and full of memories. My eyes fluttered shut and I returned the kiss, tentative at first.

All of the sudden I felt her hands on my back, strong and pulling me against her as she deepened the kiss, and reality slammed into me. Taeyeon was here. Kim Taeyeon was here and she was kissing me.

Reaching up, I threaded my hands through her hair, keeping her close as I stood on tiptoe to reach her better, straining my calves my lips greedily sought her. She began to walk me backwards, and I complied, heedlessly following her until I felt my back pushed up against a wall. I felt her lips curl into a smile as she chuckled against me, the vibrations of her chest rumbling through mine.

She broke the contact between us, leaving me breathless as she placed her forehead against mine.

"Well hello to you too, Jessica Jung," she said, grinning broadly at me while fighting for control of her own breath.

I blushed and managed to squeak out a, "Hi, Taeyeon."

"I fly all the way out here—a solid twenty hours of travel time, mind you—dress up in a Santa costume and surprise you on Christmas morning and all you can say is 'Hi, Taeyeon?'" She scolded, but I could hear the obvious mirth in her voice—she always enjoyed teasing me.

I raised my eyebrows at her. "I'm sorry," I said, placing a hand on her chest and shoving. She backed off and watched me with an amused grin. "What would you like? Shall I grovel at your feet? Do you want me to strip in front of you? Shall I cry like a maniac and scream in delight? Or would you rather I just tell you to get the hell out of my house?"

Her grin spread, "Well I think you've already done that last bit, but one of the first options might be nice," she began, then laughed as I slapped her across the shoulder. "Ah, Sica," she chuckled, grabbing my hand and pulling me into her, pressing another warm kiss agains