If There Was Love For Me

Christmas Special - fluff

It was the day before Christmas and Charlotte loved her life. Her husband, who she had honestly only married for his money, had lost interest in her the moment she told him that she was pregnant and send her away to do what ever with who ever as long as it didn't hurt his child or make him look back. So now she was sitting in one of Gwenewiths guestrooms, her feet resting on a chair, a plate of food next to her and didn't lift a finger, while everybody else was scrambling to finish the last preparations for the ball. Yes, life had turned out quiet well for her.

She didn't bother to look up as hurried steps approached, until she heard Gwens voice.

"Charlotte! Good to see you, I am in trouble."

"If you killed somebody I can't help you bury the body. I am pregnant."

"I am very well ably to bury my own bodies, thank you very much. But I need you to distract Maria for a while."

Now Charlotte did sit up. After all, getting those two together had cost her, Francesca and Lillian months of hard work. At the same time she knew what it meant if she asked one of the servants to distract her husband.

"Why?" she asked carefully. Luckily Gwen had never been the person to notice the finer tones in somebodies voice.

"Oh it is horrible, because of all the chaos with the ball and everything I wasn't able to get her a present. I wanted her to have such an amazing Christmas and I have all those ideas, I just didn't have the time."

"I am sure she won't mind," Charlotte sighed as she let her self sink into her chair again.

"But I will mind. Last Christmas everything was so horrible, so this time everything needs to be amazing. Do you understand?"

"Yes, yes." Mentally she parted with her dream of a peaceful Christmas. "What do you want me to do?"

"Just distract her while I run to the market. Tell her, I don't know, about your baby or something unimportant-"

"Gwen, think about how you say things."

"Oh, did I... yea, I can see it know. Sorry, wasn't my intention. Just distract her, okay?"

"Just send her to me, I will figure something out."

Around ten minutes later Maria came into her room. "Gwen said you wanted to speak to me?"

"Yes, I..."

"Can that wait? If it is something important to you I will stay and listen, of course, but I didn't have any time to get Gwen a Christmas present. And I really wanted to. Last year she had so much stress because of me, I want this year to be perfect for her."

Charlotte needed all her strength, not to laugh.

"That seems like a really important problem, Maria," she said, trying to look serious. "So of course I will help you, I really only called you here to talk about baby names, which can wait. Why don't you run to the marked real fast and I keep Gwen of? Does that sound right to you?"

"That sounds amazing, thank you so much, Charlotte," and before Charlottes face could betray her Maria ran out of the room.

Charlotte laughed. She laughed and then she just smiled for a while. They where idiots, hopeless idiots. She already knew how the rest of their day would go. They would, of course, both head to the same bookshop where they always bought each others presents, run into each other and have to act casual in front of the shop owner. Then they would run to hide in some dark ally, giggling like little girls.

Soon, like clockwork, they appeared in Charlottes room again, faces red from the cold, both grinning like mad.

"You knew," said Maria laughing. "You evil liar, you knew!"

"I don't know what you mean."

"Of course you don't, I bet it was the pregnancy, making your brain all crazy," Gwen joked while sitting down next to her. Maria took the other side.

"So what did you get each other?"

Like they had planned it both of them sat a book down on Charlottes lap. It was the same book.

"You two are unbelievable!" she laughed. There was no point now in holding back.

"We did get something for you too," explained Gwen. "And for Francesca and Lillian too, when they come to visit again. But..."

"I love you, do you know that? I love both of you, as crazy as you are."

_____

_____

Authors Note: I hope everybody who reads this has a save, healthy and happy Christmas!