Emmett approached Elle's room, preparing to knock, but finding the door already propped open. He peered inside to find Elle spinning around the room giggling with another blonde woman.

He smiled as he entered and chuckled out a "Ho, ho, ho." He kept the package he had wrapped so carefully the night before behind his back, out of sight.

"Oh! Um, uh." Elle spun herself to a stop and beamed at Emmett. "Uh…" She pointed to the other blonde. "This is my friend, Paulette."

"Hi." Emmett nodded towards her, smiling.

"Hey there." Paulette grinned at him, eyes glancing between him and Elle.

"Um…" He didn't know a better way to present it, so he handed the gift over and simply said. "For you. Not as good as going home for Christmas, but…"

"You're too sweet." Elle said softly, obviously surprised, as she took the gift.

"It's a real time saver. Shampoo and conditioner, in one." Suddenly he felt self-conscious about it. Is that a weird gift to give someone? Too personal? Maybe it's not personal enough… Oh, God.

Elle tore the wrapping off and made a kind of excited screaming noise. I didn't think she'd get that excited over it. So… I guess I did okay…?

"Hair care?! I love this guy!" Well, her friend approves. I guess it was a good gift. Paulette's eyes flicked from Emmett to Elle. "Oh! Well. I'll just leave you two alone then…" She scampered closer to the door. "I'll see you later Elle." As Emmett looked from Elle to Paulette, he seemed to catch them in some kind of wordless, wild gesture argument. They both stopped as soon as Emmett glanced at them and Elle stared sheepishly as Paulette skittered out the door. Emmett scratched his ear as he stared at Elle, eyebrows raised. She chuckled nervously.

"You are so adorable to think of me," she said. She stepped forward and hugged him around the shoulders. Oh.

Startled, it took Emmett a second to hug back, but just as he wrapped his arms around Elle's waist, hurried steps came stomping into Elle's room. Elle hopped backwards so fast, Emmett was concerned she might fall. Emmett's hands retreated to his pockets and he looked at the ground as Warner stared agitatedly around the room. "Have you seen Vivian? I've been looking for her everywhere." Emmett glanced up at Elle, to see her looking at her former boyfriend dopily, grinning and dazed, as if she had just inhaled half a tank of helium gas.

"Uh… yeah…" She smiled wider. Warner stared back, looking more agitated by the second. "…I mean no." Oh, God, she's doing it again.

"Great. We're gonna miss our flight," Warner, obviously pissed off, stormed from the room just as fast as he had stormed in. Emmett glanced back at Elle again, to see her in the same exact dazed state. Her eyes seem glassy, as if she wasn't taking in her surroundings. I can't keep quiet about this anymore. I've gotta say something to her.

"Um. Elle?" She started to slowly pace about the room, but Emmett continued talking. "I don't know if you've noticed before, but each time Warner walks through the door your I.Q. goes down to 40… maybe less." Is that really the kind of person she thinks Warner wants her to be? Why would she want to be that for a guy?

"Huh." Elle finally seemed to return to the present. She faced Emmett as her eyes took him into focus.

He sighed. "Though it's hardly my business to say," Crossing his arms, Emmett could feel his agitation rising. "Could it be, the real thing in your way is the very guy you're trying to impress?" How can you not see how toxic that is?

Elle was quiet for a moment as this new revelation sunk in. Her face morphed from dopey to confused to excited.

"Yes!" This seemed to be a completely new idea to Elle. She became animated as the concept took root. "I've been smiling and sweet and thoroughly beaten, blowing my chance. Let's not chase him away, let's face him and say, 'Hey punk, let's dance!'" Elle was rushing around the room in excitement, practically dancing. For some reason, Emmett felt a sinking in his stomach. Why, though? I should be happy about this, shouldn't I? She's finally recognizing her own potential… "This chip on my shoulder makes me smarter and bolder." Despite himself, Emmett started to smile back at her. At least I'm wearing off on her a little bit. That idea pleased him."No more whining or blaming, I am reclaiming my pride. Grab that book and let's do this, instead of doodling hearts all through this." Emmett couldn't help himself. Elle had such a contagious personality, and he found himself grinning right back. He grabbed a stack of text books as she gathered her things. He handed Elle her bag as she shrugged into her jacket. She held her hand out, and he found himself automatically reaching out to grab it as they did the dorky secret hand signal Elle had taught him. "Now there's a chip on my shoulder, let's see him knock it aside." She took his arm and rushed him out the door. Even with his extra height on her, he had to stride to keep up.

Chuckling, he asked, "Library?"

"Library," She declared. He looked down at Elle, her face set and determined, and couldn't help but feel a little happy. At least I have nearly a full month without Warner to distract her. That thought normally would have concerned him, because that shouldn't matter to him, but his giddiness drove the concern from his mind. He allowed Elle to link her arm through his as the crossed the campus together.

"What do you mean, you don't decorate for Christmas?" Elle stared at Emmett, dumbfounded. Her voice was maybe just a few decibels too loud for a library, but since it was virtually deserted, he didn't bother to quiet her down. "You believe in Christmas right? I mean, you don't do Hanukkah or something else do you? That's totally okay, too, but you decorate for a holiday, right?"

Emmett chuckled, shaking his head. "Elle, it's always just me on Christmas. I don't see a reason to decorate, that's all. And yeah, I celebrate Christmas. My mom was always into decorating and she got really into the 'Christmas spirit.' I just…" Emmett shrugged. "It's not the same without Mom. Well, usually it isn't. This year feels… different."

"Well," Elle said determinedly. "You're stuck with me over Christmas, so we're celebrating. I promise to work every day of break, but Christmas day is our day off. Got it? None of that Thanksgiving crap you pulled, making me study on a holiday."

"You needed to get that essay finished, and you know it. And you slept for three hours that day, so don't complain to me, Miss Woods-Comma-Elle."

"Oh, hush. Hand me that case file, would you?"

Emmett handed it over, then stood up and stretched. Glancing at his watch, he started. "Holy cow, we've been here for four and a half hours."

"Time flies when you're having fun," Elle didn't look up from the file she was paging through. "Did you want another coffee? I was thinking of making a run here in a sec."

"Starbucks again?" Emmett had recently discovered the over-priced world of macchiatos and lattes, and didn't care to ever give them up.

"Mhmm."

"I'll go. I need to stretch my legs anyways." Emmett took his jacket from the back of the chair as Elle rummaged in her purse.

"Do you wanna take my car? It's so cold out there, I don't want you to freeze to death." Emmett stared at the glittery pink monstrosity that was Elle's key ring as she dangled it from her hand.

"I think I'll walk. Unlike you, the Malibu Princess, I'm used to cold weather." Emmett smirked at Elle and grabbed his messenger bag. "Be back in a sec."

Emmett rejoiced in the crisp air as he strode down the sidewalk. The Starbucks was only a block from the campus, optimally located for frequent caffeination trips. The brunette barista smiled as Emmett walked in, recognizing him from his last two trips today.

"Venti skinny vanilla latte with skim, extra shot, and extra whip. And a venti gingerbread latte," Emmett rambled off, straining to remember Elle's ridiculous coffee order.

Ten minutes later, Emmett was sneaking around the bookshelves that hid where Elle was sitting. As he creeped up on her chair, he saw her slipping her wallet back into her bag and clicking off of the screen she was on. Emmett grabbed her shoulder with his one free hand, the other balancing the cup carrier. "Shopping? Tsk-tsk, you should be studying. This is why I can never leave you alone," Emmett laughed as he pulled out the chair across from her and plopped down. "So what're you shopping for?"

"Oh, you know. Just last minute Christmas gifts," Elle suddenly became very interested in the notebook next to her, smiling as she flipped pages.

A knock on his door jerked him awake. "I'm up, I'm up." Emmett took in his surroundings. The sun had gone down, so it was after 5, and Emmett was sitting on his floor, propped on the couch, Elle's rough draft of her project for one of her other classes spread on the coffee table in front of him. This dozing off in random places has got to stop. Another knock came from the door, Emmett scrambling up to answer it.

He was confronted by a very laden down Elle, her hands full of shopping bags, boxes, and the strap to her purse clasped between her teeth.

"Fuhnally," she grunted as she pushed past Emmett, depositing her burden in the middle of the living room. She huffed as she straightened up, hands resting on her hips. "Alrighty, mister. I just froze my ass off for you, so you're gonna come down and help me carry up this damned box."

Emmett's eyes widened. "And what exactly is all of this?"

"Your Christmas decorations. Now help me get this tree." Elle was already rushing back out the door.

"T-tree?" Emmett asked, following reluctantly. His only form of an answer was found when Emmett turned the corner and saw Elle's hot pink convertible, top down, a large white box strapped into the back seat with the end jutting out over the back of the car. Elle had already unstrapped the box and was waiting for Emmett to grab the other side. "Would it do me any good to make a protest against this?"

"Absolutely not," Elle lifted, and together they carried the box, which was more cumbersome than it was heavy, up the stairs and delivered it into Emmett's living room.

"Christmas is in a week, and I refuse to let you be a Grinch about it," Elle looked at her mountain of supplies triumphantly. Emmett just stared at it like it might come to life and bite him any second. "Oh! One sec!" Elle dashed from the room again, a blur of pink and blonde. Emmett chuckled and shook a head, an action that occurred all too often when Elle was around.

Emmett started to rummage through the bags, finding numerous packages of tinsel, garland, ornaments, lights, ribbon, candy canes, candles, even a wreath.

"Emmett! You're ruining the surprise!" Elle came back in, not even slightly winded from all the back and forth, carrying a twelve pack of beer and a box of pizza. "Dinner!" she declared proudly, clearing the papers from the coffee table and emptying her hands. "I got half pepperoni and half cheese. I wasn't sure what you like on your pizza." Elle flounced down onto the carpet next to Emmett.

Emmett wordlessly held up a package of silver, glittery bows, eyebrows raised.

"Just be happy they're not pink," Elle snatched them back. "Dinner first, or decorating?"

"Let's eat first," Looking at the mountain of Christmas cheer, Emmett added, "I think I'll need the strength." They sat and ate their pizza on the floor, using napkins for plates and fighting over the last slice of peperoni.

"Okay. Let's do this," Emmett sighed, abandoning any thoughts of resistance. Together, the duo managed to get the tree set up with minimal complications, and soon enough Elle was teaching Emmett the proper way to drape tinsel around a tree, for optimal 'spatial ambiance.'

"I figured I would get less argument from you if I went for a more masculine color theme, and avoided the pinks altogether. You seem like a very navy-and-silver kind of guy, but gold just seems so festive so I threw some of that in there too." Elle kept up a steady stream of conversation throughout the decorating spree, and with the aid of a few of the beers Elle had brought, Emmett soon relaxed and even found he was enjoying himself. By the end of the night, the small apartment was properly adorned and looking much more festive. The pair admired their work from the couch, sipping on their beers and trading stories of past Christmases.

Elle was bent over in laughter after Emmett told her of the year he and his childhood pet, a Golden Retriever named Skywalker, had torn down the tree in a botched attempt at capturing Santa Claus. "Oh, that's adorable. Your mom is a saint for putting up with you through all of that."

"She really is," Emmett stared down at his hands, grasping his empty beer bottle, a half-smile on his face as he thought of his mother. "I know all of this will be worth it, eventually, but I really miss her sometimes."

Elle sighed. "Yeah. Missing your family kind of sucks." Elle leaned her head against Emmett's shoulder, and after a long moment, Emmett wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"So," Elle waved her hand, gesturing to the room. "Do you like it? Be honest."

Emmett took the room in, with its brightly lit and shining tree, standing tall to the right of the television stand, the lights surrounding every window, the garland festooning the doorways. "Yeah. I love it." He gave her shoulder a soft squeeze. "Probably the best Christmas I've had in a long time."

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Elle jumped up suddenly, catching herself from stumbling on the arm of the couch. "Whoo," she giggled. "Maybe a bit tipsy." She rummaged in her bag for a moment, then triumphantly pulled out a stack of fabric objects. She walked over to the television stand, and gestured for Emmett to join her.

"Stockings?" he asked as Elle opened up a package of fasteners. "Bedazzled stockings?"

"I decorated them myself," Elle proclaimed with pride. "The navy one is yours, the magenta is Bruiser's, the light pink is mine, and I wasn't sure what color she liked, so I made your mom a traditional red one." Emmett passed the stockings back to Elle as she pinned them along the front of the stand. "I figured you could have a stocking for you mom, even if she's just here in spirit this year."

"That's… really sweet of you, Elle."

Elle straightened, brushing her hands off on her pants. "It's nothing, Emmett." Elle shrugged, smiling. "I know how much she means to you."

"Well, it means a lot that you thought of her." Emmett instinctively pulled his friend in for a hug.

Elle giggled. "Well, if we're getting all sentimental, I guess I should give you your gift now." Once again, Elle rummaged in her bag. Honestly, how does she keep all that stuff in there? "This one is from Bruiser," Elle handed over a small cube-shaped package, wrapped neatly with a bow on top. "And this one is from me." Elle pulled a much larger, rectangular box, wrapped in silver paper with pink polka dots, out of a plastic shopping bag that Emmett had assumed contained extra decorations that they hadn't used.

"Elle, you didn't have to," Emmett stared at the packages guiltily. And I just got her shampoo…

"I know I didn't have to. I wanted to," Elle pulled Emmett back to the sofa, placing the gifts in Emmett's lap. "You know, you were the first person, outside of Delta Nu, that got me a gift because I might like it, rather than because of its brand or its price tag." Elle smiled at him.

"I- I just…" Emmett shrugged. "It seemed like it suited you, is all."

"Well. The same goes for this," Elle tapped the gifts. "Now open them!"

"Okay, okay." Emmett tore the wrapping off of the small box, finding a sparkly pink picture frame inside the box. It was adorned with rhinestoned dog bones, and the photo it contained was of Elle holding a very happy looking Bruiser, tongue lolling out of one side of his mouth. Elle was smiling widely at the camera, a few strands of hair caught by the wind. "This is adorable."

"Okay, now open mine!" Elle was hopping up and down in her seat.

"Alright, hang on a sec," Emmett was grinning as he revealed the sleek black leather briefcase. "Wow."

"It's for your first big trial! You need to look the part, after all."

"I think this might be the nicest thing I own," Emmett ran his hands lovingly over the top of his gift.

"I'm glad you like it." Elle beamed at him. "Rock-paper-scissors for the last slice of pizza?"

"You're on."