Author's note: So I got a lot of (and by a lot, I mean two) requests for a sequel to In a Perfect World, so I decided to make it a Christmas one. Happy Holidays, everyone. :3

Quinn Fabray's high heels stomped at the ground outside of the apartment complex. It was a nice, warm winter day in Los Angeles. (Well, compared to Ohio weather. 60-something degrees was like, summer in December.) She held a bucket full of Christmas sugar cookies- the crunchy kind that were shaped like Christmas trees and gingerbread men and candy canes, covered in red and green sugar sprinkles. The last time she was here, she was drunk and throwing herself at an old high school friend. Quinn knew that Artie was home, because she could see his hand-controlled car parked in the parking lot. Now, if only she could remember what apartment number he was...

She hadn't really called or texted him to warn him that she was coming over. She thought she'd just...surprise him, before he flew back out to Lima for the holidays. She was still debating on flying back out herself, but she liked being with Artie in LA. Lima just had too many unpleasant memories, and in LA she felt as if she could start over, with no one knowing who she was. And Artie being that one little piece of her past that kept her grounded.

Quinn hadn't seen Artie since...well, the day that they ran into each other at the bar. But the two of them had been talking over the phone and texting a lot lately, so she figured they weren't too much of a cuddling one-night-stand. As Quinn approached the door, she was becoming increasingly anxious. What if he had one of those desperate actresses who were apparently throwing themselves at him in there? That would be ultra awkward and potentially embarrassing.

But she rang the doorbell anyway. As Quinn waited, she became suddenly more aware of herself. Her hair, her outfit, her breath. And as she was checking those, she couldn't help but wonder what was taking Artie so long. She knew he was home. Was he asleep? Was she right, and did he really have a girl in there? Just as Quinn turned to leave, she heard the click of the lock on the door. She turned around, smiled widely, and held the bucket of cookies up in front of her.

"Surprise!" she said cautiously, wondering if it indeed was a bad time. Artie was sitting there, beaming up at her with a t-shirt and pajama bottoms on.

"Quinn Fabray, what a surprise." he chuckled. "I've been uh," he gave a self-conscious glance down at his attire. ",writing. My script is due by the first and I'm almost done. So I reckon I can take a little break."

Quinn chuckled. "I brought cookies and It's a Wonderful Life. I figure as a director, you like to be a movie critic. I'm a critic just for kicks." She ushered herself into his apartment and placed the bucket of cookies down on an end table. As she unbuttoned her jacket, Artie made a move for the cookies.

"I'd expect you to be back in Lima by now." he said, reaching inside the container and pulling out a sparkling green candy cane-shaped cookie. "God, I love these." he muttered before taking a bite.

Quinn gave a shrug and sat down on the couch. "I don't think I'm going back. Mom is spending Christmas in Aspen with the grandparents, Beth is with her mom in New York, and Lord knows I wouldn't want to spend Christmas with dad and Kayla." Quinn spit out her stepmother's name with painful distaste before reaching into the container and grabbing a cookie of her own. "But I also figured that most people here are going back to their hometowns for the holidays, so I decided to spend one of my last days around human company with someone worth while."

Artie chuckled and planted himself next to her on the couch. "Little old me?" he asked, playfully flattered.

"Little old you." Quinn responded, lifting her legs up to rest them on Artie's lap. He gave a chuckle. "Are you going back to Lima for the holidays?" she asked.

Artie shrugged. "Of course. Mom's killer apple pie would miss me if I didn't." he joked. "But I don't think I'll be doing much there but writing more."

Quinn smiled sadly. "Well that's depressing!" she declared. As if she were someone to talk- the entire latter half of her life was kind of depressing, by choice. Artie shook his head in response.

"Nah. My family knows how important this is to me. They'll understand." he reached for another cookie.

"Oooookaaaaaay." Quinn said, slyly giving him her 'judging you' face. He laughed.

"No! Really. They really understand. Enough about me, though, how are you? How's that career of yours going?"

Quinn shrugged. "Same old, same old. 'You're gorgeous, you can act, but you don't have it.'" she mocked all of the casting agents she'd come across recently. But it was fine- she was living the dream, right? A beautiful struggling actress in Los Angeles who was boyfriendless, jobless, and borderline homeless. At least she was being called beautiful every day. And at least she had Artie to...do that stuff that Artie does that just puts a smile on her face, no matter what mood she's in.

Lately, since they hadn't seen each other, they exchanged texts almost every day. Meaningless texts. No 'how are you doing's, no 'what's up's, simply 'I heard Man's Man's World come on on the radio today. Thought of you.3" and "Are you still deathly afraid of port-a-potties? I blame Puck! =P"

It had a strange familiar feeling when they were reminiscing. Quinn felt so comfortable talking to Artie, so safe. Why, she didn't know. It was just an at home kind of feeling. Now, why didn't she kiss him when she had the chance the last time they were together? Quinn played it off as acting coy, hard to get, but...she was honestly just afraid of her feelings for him not being real. The familiarity that they had together- she wondered if it was just the good things in her past personified, tempting her. She didn't want to lead him on if the only reason she liked him was because he reminded her of her better years.

Though, there were a lot of things she liked- admired, loved, about Artie, really. His smile, his eyes, his jokes.

"Ah." Artie agreed , snapping Quinn out of her thoughts. "So...you're telling me that you'll be spending Christmas all alone?" he sounded disgusted with her.

Quinn laughed. "It's not as bad as it sounds! I'll sit back, watch a bunch of Hallmark movies, and drink a bottle of champagne. Merry Christmas to me." she said, with just a hint of sarcasm. Artie shook his head, appearing to be ashamed to be in the same room as her.

"Y'know...my visit back to Lima would be pretty less depressing if I brought someone with me." he said, clearly hinting toward something.

Quinn smirked and shook her head. "I couldn't crash the Abrams Family Christmas, Artie. That's...no. Thanks but...Just no." she crinkled her nose, frowning.

Artie laughed. "You wouldn't be crashing anything. You'll be a guest! Invited! There will be plenty of room for you. Granted, my cousins will be taking up the guest bedrooms but it's not like you and I haven't shared a bed before." he smirked. Quinn reached over and palmed his face with her hand, out of embarrassment. Was he seriously going there? Artie was laughing like mad now, and the way his glasses were splayed across his face made Quinn join him in a fit of chuckles.

Once Artie fixed his glasses, the two of them had settled down their laughter. "What do you say?" he asked Quinn gently. Still, Quinn had to politely decline.

"It's really a nice gesture, but I can't. I'd feel like such a nuisance. And not to mention all of the relationship questioning we'll be getting from your family."

Artie nodded, showing that he understood. "Yeeeeaaaaahhh, there's that, isn't there?" he asked, smiling sadly. "But who cares? We know we're just friends, and that's all that matters, right?" Quinn laughed at his never ending attempts. All she did was shake her head and mouth "Nooooo."

Artie smirked. "Fine." he said, albeit passive-aggressively. "I have apple cider. I'll go get it." He tapped Quinn's feet, signalling her to lift them off of his lap, and as soon as he did, he put himself back in his chair and wheeled behind the couch and into the kitchen.

Quinn laid there, her feet limp against the cushion for a few seconds. Look at yourself, Q. she thought to herself. You're pushing perfectly nice guys away again. But he really is asking for too much. Spending Christmas with his family? You'd rather spend Christmas in your pajamas, watching awful TV movies...right?

"I've had a nice, long think..." Artie began, rolling back into the room with the bottle of apple cider and two champagne glasses on his lap. Quinn watched with anticipation as he popped open the bottle and began to pour the cider into the glasses. "...and I wouldn't feel right knowing you're spending Christmas alone. So, either you come back to Lima with me, or I'm staying here with you. Take your pick."

Quinn didn't know what to say- she was honestly speechless. He was giving her an ultimatum and, while they both sounded nice, she didn't want to be his charity case on Christmas.

"Honestly, Artie, I can get by on my own." she chuckled uncomfortably, trying not to sound offended.

Artie shrugged. "I know you can. And I'm not trying to treat you like you can't. But no one should be alone on the holidays. You act like I wouldn't have any fun celebrating Christmas with just you."

"You wouldn't." Quinn said firmly. She watched as Artie took a sip of his cider, and puckered up at the tart taste.

"Bah humbug." he mocked, handing her the other glass and sitting back down on the couch.

Quinn rolled her eyes and smirked. "I am being a bit of a Scrooge, aren't I?" she sighed, reclining her head back on the arm of the couch.

"A beautiful Scrooge." Artie shifted his body so that his torso was lying next to hers- in somewhat of a spooning position, with his chin on her waist. Quinn raised herself up, bending the spoon, and pitifully slumped her body over his, resting her head on his head. This guy was never going to give up on her. He was willing to spend a Christmas away from his family for her. Isn't that what Quinn always wanted? For a guy to never give up on her? She couldn't believe it. Artie Abrams was the guy of her dreams.

"If I go back to Lima with you," she muttered, defeated. ",we will go to McKinley. And you will hold my hand under the bleachers. Then we'll get coffee at the Lima Bean. And when we go to your parents', you will introduce me as your girlfriend." She could feel Artie's head beneath hers shift upward, so that he was now looking her in the eye.

"Deal." he said, with a hint of disbelief in his voice. He held up his glass, "Merry Christmas." he declared.

Quinn clinked her glass against his, with a defeated smirk on her face. "Merry Christmas."

Then, in the true fashion of a Christmas miracle, Quinn Fabray placed her hand on Artie Abrams' shoulder...and the two of them shared a kiss.