"Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store, maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more..."

- The Grinch, Dr. Suess.

AN/ Hi guys! Hoping everybody has had an amazing Christmas today! Having seen all my family today, I can confirm I am riding on a high of festive cheer and Cadbury's chocolate whilst sitting under my fairy lights writing this. It has been absolutely fab, and I only wish the best for everyone else today. How have your Christmases been? Anybody get anything nice? Anyway, this was the burst of inspiration I got this morning and I hope you all enjoy it!

Merry Christmas guys!

Cheryl Blossom groaned as her alarm went off that morning. She felt her mood instantly sink as she dragged herself out of bed, stumbling across the room half-asleep to find her phone and turn the damn thing off. Finding her phone – it was stashed in the drawer that she kept her socks in – she slid the little bar across the screen to mute the irritating beep, and glanced at the date at the top.

Monday 24th December.

She groaned again, louder this time, because that niggling thought in the back of her mind had been confirmed.

It was December 24th… it was Christmas Eve. It was Christmas Eve, her least favourite day of the year after Christmas Day itself.

You see, Cheryl hated Christmas…

Toni Topaz bounced out of bed before her alarm even went off that morning, a sight one would not expect to see on a regular basis. Toni was not normally, by any means of the definition, a morning person. That was why she had to rummage through her sock drawer to find her phone, making a point of cancelling the alarm before it could start. Any normal day, it would take a semi-conscious scavenger hunt to shut off that awful noise her phone emitted to drag her out of bed.

But, as she glanced at the screen of her battered iPhone, that day was not any normal day.

Toni grinned as she read the date through the cracks on the screen… Monday 24th December.

It was Christmas Eve. It was quite literally the most wonderful time of the year.

Or at least, it was to Toni…

"I am not a Scrooge, Cousin Betty," Cheryl grumbled later that afternoon, holding the phone between her ear and shoulder as she wandered around her spotless apartment organising the various ornaments and presents. "Nor, might I mention, am I the human incarnation of the Grinch as Jughead suggested. I'm just really not that into Christmas."

She huffed as she half-heartedly listened to Betty's argument over the phone, an argument that mainly consisted of just telling Cheryl she was wrong for having that opinion and inviting her over to a party she and Jughead were planning to host that night.

"Betty, I really appreciate the offer, but I don't think I'll be coming. I'm sorry, but it's wrong. Ever since Jason died – "

Betty cut her off at the mention of Jason's name, and Cheryl felt instantly guilty as the blonde reminded her of a fact she had so desperately tried to deny. It was almost Christmas. Christmas had always been Jason's favourite time of the year.

The redhead glanced at a picture on the wall, taken only three Christmases before, where the two of them were stood in matching red jumpers by the tree in town. They'd been out in Jason's car that evening, driving around Riverdale to observe the lights on the houses, green with envy because there was no such thing as fairy lights at Thornhill. Jason looked so happy. He always did at Christmastime. He'd always loved Christmas.

Everything about the holiday season brought her brother joy… the food… the movies… the music… the way it brought out the best in everyone you met in the street. Even in the dark gloom of Thornhill, one could expect a rare smile to escape the lips of even Penelope Blossom. It was a time of giving, according to Jason, Christmas was a time for love.

Cheryl had always believed that and treated Christmas with the same love as her brother. It used to be her favourite time of the year too. Or at least, it was, until three years before, when – following her brother's tragic demise in the July – any attempt to engage in festivities was too painful to bear. It wasn't that she didn't try to enjoy Christmas; it was just, no matter what she did, every activity brought her back to memories of Jason, effortlessly making that Jason-sized void in her heart just a tiny bit bigger.

That's why that year, Cheryl had shunned Christmas altogether. No tree. No advent calendar. No fairy lights around her apartment. She'd even gone as far as turning Josie McCoy's speaker off when she heard the opening bars of Mariah Carey. Jason used to love that song. He used to play that on the polished grand piano in the foyer of Thornhill when the maple syrup board came to town for the annual Christmas party. Being in school while everyone was brimming with anticipation for Christmas had been a hellish experience for the redhead. That was the sole consolation about that year in particular… as a responsible nineteen year old living in an apartment of her own, Cheryl did not have to be exposed to the omnipresent festivities she would have had to endure in Riverdale High.

Of course, her friends tried to tempt her into joining in. Veronica had all but begged her to go and select the tree for the Pembrooke with her. Josie had asked if she'd be interested in arranging the set list for the Pussycats' performance at the Christmas Lights Switch On. Archie had offered to take her up to the ice rink in Greendale when the others had gone. In response to all of them, Cheryl had graciously refused. Always claiming an appointment of some sort, or an urgent deadline to meet, Cheryl had successfully avoided any unwanted festive cheer.

Until now.

"Betty," she pleaded, "Jason would rather I do what makes me happy – "

The blonde's rebuttal at Cheryl's weak argument left the redhead with very little choice but to agree with what the blonde was saying. Jason did love Christmas. Jason loved Christmas more than anything, and once upon a time, not so long ago, Cheryl did too. Betty reminded her of that, and of the fact that if Cheryl didn't go to the party, she would be alone on Christmas Eve, and what kind of friend would Betty be if she left a friend lonely at Christmas?

Rolling her eyes, Cheryl sighed. "Fineeee," Cheryl groaned, "if it means that much to you, I'll come to the stupid party. What time do I need to be there?"

So six o'clock was to be her execution time. The redhead glanced at the clock on the wall and frowned. It was four o'clock then. That only gave her two hours to get dressed and magic up some festive spirit out of thin air.

It was possible… right?

"Hey Jones!" Toni yelled as she pushed her way through the door of Betty's house, carefully balancing the many presents in her arm, "come give me a hand, will you? One of these is yours and it's fragile!"

Pausing in the hallway, Toni took a moment to look in the mirror and take in her appearance. Christmas pudding hat sitting on top of her bubblegum pink curls, Christmas jumper on and candy cane earrings… Toni Topaz was the very definition of festivity.

The boy came down the stairs, that crown hat of his sitting crookedly on his head. "Toni, you shouldn't have…"

"Please, someone around here might as well be Father – or should I say Mother – Christmas," she shrugged, placing the presents under the tree. Rummaging through the bag that had been flung over her shoulder, she found the white berries she was looking for. "Here we go!"

"You got the mistletoe, Toni?" Betty asked, untying the apron from around her midriff.

"Why of course," the Serpent replied with a smile, ignoring the way Betty winced when she pulled a chair out from the table and stood on it so she could pin the mistletoe to the ceiling. "Now there we go…"

"It's lovely, Topaz," Betty declared, walking over to take a closer look at the stuff. "But now, could you maybe just get off my chair? And take your shoes off, those Doc Martens have been outside…"

Toni rolled her eyes before obliging, jumping off the chair – causing the blonde to wince again – and sitting on the sofa to pull the boots off of her feet. Getting the first one off, she tossed it onto the floor, only for it to be picked up by Jughead.

"It always amuses me when I see you in these," he began, inspecting the bulky leather boot in his hand, "you're just so small, and sweet… almost like a fairy, yet these, these shoes look borderline dangerous…"

"You call me a fairy again…" Toni threatened, standing up and looking up to Jughead.

"What will you do, Topaz?" he mused, staring down at the girl. "Bite my ankles?"

There was a knock at the door, and the boy gave her a smirk, throwing the boot at her before walking off in the direction of the front door. "Don't worry Betty, I'll get it!"

Pulling up outside Betty's house, Cheryl felt a distinct sense of distaste when she saw all of the festivities around. She grabbed the presents for Betty and Jughead from the trunk, and made her way up the driveway, taking a deep breath when – as she hovered outside the door for a moment – she realised she could already hear the music.

"Can we get a 'bah! Humbug'?" a sarcastic voice demanded, and Cheryl turned her gaze from the garden to the doorway. Standing by the door, was a girl Cheryl Blossom had never seen before, wearing – of all things – a Christmas pudding hat and a massively oversized Christmas jumper bearing… was that a reindeer?... on the front of it, along with – what looked to be – elf slippers.

"What's up with you?" Cheryl retorted, smirking at the girl in the doorway. "Did Santa lose you on route to the North Pole?"

What was that? Why did she say that? Sarcasm? Really, Blossom? She cursed herself. Although the redhead liked to convince herself she was hard to please, that girl in the doorway was impossibly cute, and with that ensemble – or just those eyes like melted chocolate – Cheryl felt herself get curious about that girl.

"As a matter of fact," Toni joked, "he did. Apparently there was a girl in Riverdale who needed a lesson in Christmas spirit."

"Was there?" Cheryl speculated. "Care to share who it was?"

"Well, I can't go spilling names, but she has fiery red hair, scarlet red lipstick, stands about five foot six and is far too hot to actually be as much cold-hearted bitch as she pretends to be…"

"I daresay there aren't many girls like that," Cheryl replied without missing a beat. "And how would you go about teaching Christmas spirit to her?"

"I honestly don't know," Toni shrugged, and Cheryl felt her heart sink with disappointment. "It's a little late in the season for my usual twenty-four-point plan…"

"Twenty-four-point plan?" Cheryl repeated. "Why elf, you do come prepared."

"Toni Topaz." The Serpent corrected. "Elves are humans too. Just because I'm small doesn't mean I don't deserve a name."

"Well, Toni, you are very well prepared I must say," Cheryl teased, and the other girl smiled playfully. "I wish you every success with your mission."

"Thank you… ginger."

"Hey!" Cheryl chuckled. "I am more than my hair colour! Now, are you going to let me in or should I just stand on the porch and freeze to death?"

"Oh, I'm sure you are," Toni mused as she moved over to let the girl in. "I still didn't get a name…"

"That would be Cheryl."

"Cheryl Blossom?" Toni asked.

"Yeah?" the redhead vacillated.

"Well, I believe your plans for the night might be changing."

"What makes you so certain of that?"

"Well, somebody needs to find their Christmas cheer…"

"Might I be the girl you're here to help?"

"Well I hear you did ask Santa for someone cute and fun…"

"Very smooth, Topaz."

"Now, can I interest you in a movie and mulled wine at my place?"

Cheryl took a glance around the room, her eyes meeting with Betty's. The blonde glanced quizzically at the pair before Jughead whispered something and a knowing smile crossed her face. She sent Cheryl a very clear thumbs up.

Taking a deep breath in, Cheryl pondered her options. She could stay there, at that lame party she didn't even want to go to, or she could go home with the cute girl. Without actually thinking about it, the redhead made up her mind.

"Make it hot chocolate and I'm in."

AN/ Thank you so much for reading this and I hope you enjoyed it. For those of us who still have Christmas day left, do enjoy your day and I hope you get to spend time with the people you love. Happy Holidays guys!