A.N Sorry guys but this is the last chapter of this one (maybe a few of you are glad, eh?) Read on!

NMEC's, Enjoy this one too.

Chapter 3:

Maybe

Commander Kelp had just finished dancing with the mayor of Haven's daughter Eloisea Wentworth when he heard a crack above his head and looked up to see something elf shaped and dark green falling rapidly towards him. Trouble quickly knocked Eloisea from his arm (he would probably get a lecture for that later) and ran forward a few steps so that he was under the falling fairy. He had to push two snogging fairies out of his way to clear the area (they turned out later to be Corporal Chix Verbil and Captain Lili Frond) and looked up just in time to catch the fairy who was falling the other way.

"Nice of you to drop by," he said to a thoroughly confused Captain Holly Short "I didn't think that you were going to come though."

"I wasn't," Holly groaned "I bet that this wasn't what you had in mind when you said that you would like to catch me later."

"Not really," Trouble agreed and looked up to see that the music had stopped and the whole room was staring at him "nothing to worry about folks, this was just a training exercise, something to keep the Commander on his toes with." Many people kept staring as Trouble made his way through the crowd but the music had started again and the hushed silence had broken. Foaly and Caballine smiled at them as they walked past and Vinyáya commented on the fact that she didn't think Holly was coming to the party.

"Its alright Grub," Trouble said to his brother as he walked past and the Captain stopped gapping at them and turned back to the bunch of friends that he had been talking to before.

"He's grown," Holly commented when they were out of ear shot "the last time that I saw him at a party he wouldn't leave your side to do anything but go to the bathroom."

"A lot of things have changed since your disappearance;" Trouble smiled "a lot has changed for the good."

"But a few things for the bad right?" Holly grinned "you can't pretend that you haven't made a few mistakes while I was away Commander."

"I won't then," Trouble laughed and bent down to place her gently on the ground in the empty foyer that he had walked into "are you okay? That was along way to fall."

"I hit my head and blacked out momentarily and I think that I might have broken my arm but that's all," Holly sat up and watched her arm as blue sparks danced around it "I was lucky though."

"Very lucky," Trouble studied her for a moment before he spoke again "I never really liked this sort of party either, especially not when I am one of the main attractions for all the eligible young female fairies in Haven. So I'm not going to pass up on the opportunity to miss the rest of this thing, would you like me to walk you home?"

"Sure," Holly smiled as she stood up with a groan "I owe you one for saving my life back there."

"Don't mention it," Trouble shook his head as he moved to open the door for Holly "it's my job."

"Don't pretend that that's the only reason you do it," Holly laughed and stopped suddenly as she looked up.

"Is there something wrong Holly?" Trouble asked as he turned around in front of her, still in the doorway.

"Yes actually, I am going to kill Vinyáya the next time that I see her," Holly grimaced and looked down at her boots.

"Is there any reason for this sudden revelation?" Trouble asked, now thoroughly confused.

"Yep," Holly muttered "look up." Trouble looked up and froze, there in the shadowed depths of the doorframe sat a seemingly innocent sprig of something greenish in colour with white berries.

"Is that……..mistletoe?" Trouble whispered.

"How many other white berried plants do you know about that are allowed underground and are commonly found at this time of the year?" Holly groaned.

"Good point," Trouble nodded as he slipped a hand under Holly's chin and lifted her face to his. He was surprised that she hadn't pulled away immediately and Holly stood stock still as she felt his arm wrap around her back.

"We should get going," Holly whispered when they broke apart "preferably before the Wing Commander appears and starts laughing at us."

"Truth be told I was the one who hung that piece of mistletoe up so Wing Commander Vinyáya should still be back there dancing or drinking punch," Trouble visually withered under the intensity of Holly's glare.

"Don't you dare tell me that it was you who hung up the mistletoe inside your office too," Trouble nodded guiltily and half expected a neutrino to appear against his temple "I'm going to kill you Trouble!"

"I was scared that that was going to happen," Trouble grimaced "but I think that it was worth it, don't you?" Holly shot Trouble a warning glance and started towards her apartment complex at a jog, leaving Trouble behind to catch up.

"It's rather hard to run in a suit you know?" Trouble panted as they finally stopped in front of Holly's door while she fumbled with her keys.

"That's why I ran, as well as the fact that if you ran then you would have enough time to get back to the party for the finish," Holly laughed and opened her apartment door, stepping into her apartment and taking off her boots.

"You're evil you know," Trouble laughed and looked at his watch "but your right, I have just enough time to get back to the party before the end, unless of course I had to stay here a few minutes more?"

"No," Holly smiled "I don't think that you deserve to be saved from your wonderful little party, hurry on back wont you and tell the Wing Commander that I said hello."

"I will, right after I thank her for nagging you all day," Trouble admitted as Holly turned a shade of red that rivaled the late Commander's "sorry about that but I couldn't resist, don't give me all the credit either it was partly Foaly's idea."

"Why does that not surprise me?" Holly groaned "and it was probably his idea to put that up there too." Holly pointed up at the doorframe and Trouble lifted his gaze to see……nothing.

"I don't get it Holly, there's nothing there," Trouble frowned and looked back down to see Holly doubled over laughing.

"Made you look," Holly gasped as she straightened "you better get going to your party now Commander."

"I don't think I will, I think I'm going to get lost on the way there and end up at some random pizza place in the entertainment district," Trouble flicked his head to the side "Are you thinking of getting lost later too?"

"Possibly," Holly looked at the jumpsuit that she was wearing and then at Trouble's suit "how about I meet you outside your apartment in twenty minutes wearing something considerably more comfortable and we take the back roads to avoid running into any of our LEP friends."

"Sounds good to me," Trouble pushed his hands deep into his jacket pockets and turned away from the door "I'll see you in twenty minutes."

"Oh, Trouble," Holly called after the slowly retreating Commanders back "thanks for this, I think that I might actually like this Christmas."

"I think I might too," Trouble replied and continued down the corridor, humming with his hands in his pockets and a slight skip to his step "I think I like Christmas a lot."

E.N So I hope that you all enjoyed that and please remember to review because this is the shortest fic that I have written (in this category) and I would love to know if you like it better or worse than my longer stories and if you would like to see more this length or shorter. (Also what ships you would like to see my writing something about or story ideas even if they are just fragments-fragments can be extremely useful!)

Merry Christmas,

-Jess-