Since this is one of my more pride inducing fics, I've decided to give it a bit of polishing, it was for my friend EC's birthday, and I'm very glad she enjoyed it.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Pokemon franchise.

~Evergreen~

Jasmine's hazel eyes blinked open to a new day. The Leafeon yawned, stretching her brown paws far out in front of her. She then smiled widely as she remembered what a glorious day it was. It was her first birthday. For the average her, the first year was the equivalent to the sixteenth birthday of a human child. She smiled wagging her leafy tail as joy excitement began to buzz through her.

"Guess what day it is!" She giggled in a peppy tone of voice turning towards the spot where he trainer rested, or at least where he should have been.

The grass type inspected the area from the foot of her trainer's bed, but the rookie trainer was nowhere to be found. She blinked leaping from the soft, blue sheets and wandered into the hallway. Her paws softly pattered on the wooden floor.

"Ronnie!" she called softly as she swiveled her yellow head to the right. He was nowhere to be seen. Jasmine frowned.

"I can't believe it!" She huffed. "He left me on my birthday! He promised he'd spend all day long with me, and make hot coco and have fun, and he leaves me!" She growled angrily. Jasmine stomped down the narrow hallway, stopping to scratch at Ronnie's sister, Alyssa's door. When she heard only silence, her frown deepened and she huffed again, heading downstairs. As she wandered down the long flight of stairs, she noticed an odd, unexplained silence. It was normally quite noisy on Cherry Street, but for some reason there didn't seem to be anything going on outside. Jasmine blinked before wandering into the living room. There was no one to be found.

"Hello, Jasmine," a smooth, male voice said from behind her. The grass type jumped, swiveling around with her eyes wide. Her paws were spread far from each other and her body was close to the ground, a sure sign that she was ready to fight. Jasmine's pearly fangs where bared in a threatening display, but it melted away as she found that her intruder was not dangerous in any way. It was only Ice, Alyssa's Glaceon. Jasmine scowled letting down her guard.

"Are you crazy! You gave me a heart attack!" She snapped causing the blue fox to frown, backing away slightly.

"Well excuse me for wanting wish you a Happy Birthday!" he shouted in more surprise than anger. He hadn't expected to nearly be attacked for congratulating a friend on their first birthday. Jasmine's eyes focused in a dangerous scowl, but her angry slowly faded as she sighed, sitting down on the cold wooden floor. Ice frowned drawing closer to the grass type.

"What's wrong?" He asked showing concern.

"I just can't believe Ronnie would leave me on my birthday! Where did he go anyway?" The Leafeon whispered glancing up with a pouty expression plastered on her canine facial features.

"His grandmother's in town today. She's visiting for the weekend, and apparently she called the house this morning. Apparently she offered to go sledding with Ronnie and Alyssa," Ice said watching Jasmine's expression from sorrow to surprise. Her eyes widened as she slowly turned to Ice.

"Sledding as in, with snow!?" She exclaimed standing up again. Ice slowly nodded, and cringed as he waited for the grass type to go into a snow-hating-fury. Grass Pokemon hated snow, probably much more than humans tended to.

"Oh Arceus no! It just had to happen, it just HAD to happen today of all days!" she shouted to the ceiling.

"Why do you hate me Arceus! Why do you hate me so much, that you need to send a onslaught of SNOW upon my home and then that old woman to steal my family away?! WHY!?" she screamed at the top of her lungs. Ice rolled his eyes before letting loose an icy sigh. Jasmine was quite dramatic at times, and it was not charming nor was it humorous; not usually anyway.

"For Arceus sake, please stop being such a drama queen. The kids hardly ever get to see their grandmother, and she'll be here for less than three days," he said shaking his head slightly, the long furry part of his snow cap hitting him in the face as he did so. Jasmine's gaze locked on him, rage printed all over her face.

"I am not being a drama queen! You got to spend all day with your friends on your birthday, and mine all left me!" she growled stomping a chocolate colored paw on the smooth chestnut flooring. Ice's cool gaze fell on Jasmine causing her tirade to cease suddenly. She blinked, wondering why all over the tension in her stomach seemed to melt away.

"I'm still here," he muttered without blinking once. Jasmine's anger quelled and a feeling of gratitude began to set in. She sighed letting her leafy ears drop slightly.

"I'm… sorry Ice," she said frowning. Ice simply 'humphed' tossing his head to the side.

"You don't need to apologize to me. I wouldn't felt right leaving you here alone on your big day," he said with a soft, yet sweet smile. Jasmine's yellow cheeks blushed as she smiled slightly.

"Well, I guess we could just hang out here… I mean, I wish we could go out, but, it's snowing," she muttered drawing imaginary circles on the floor with her paw. Ice's smiled smugly as he circled to the female's right.

"Oh, really now? I'll take you out today, a little snow and ice won't stop us!" he said in a slightly cheerful tone of voice. Jasmine blinked, surprised at the sudden pep in Ice's tone, but she shook off the thought letting her gaze fall on the ice fox. There were many things in life she hated, and one of her top five had to be the cold. She shook her head vigorously.

"Are you crazy? That's easy for you to say, you're an ice type! I'm a grass type!" she exclaimed. Ice smirked and chuckled.

"And I suppose that makes it impossible for you to survive on such a cold day, the same way it was impossible for me to track nearly twenty miles through Hoenn's humid tropical heat," Ice mused grinning smugly at his female companion. Jasmine blushed widely in embarrassment.

"Well, that's different," she said turning away. Ice smiled again.

"How so?" he taunted in an amused tone of voice. Jasmine frowned, the blush spreading further across her face.

"Alright, alright, fine," she said rolling her eyes and pouting.

"But I'm going to need a scarf at least for this," the leaf canine muttered heading back into the living room. In the corner, she could see Ronnie's red travel pack. It was slightly open, which allowed her to stick her head inside, rummaging through Pokeballs, Hyper Potions, and other useful items. She was finally able to locate the soft, pink scarf. Jasmine dragged it out onto the floor, blinking as she remembered it would prove difficult without any thumbs. The Leafeon clenched the fabric in her teeth and lied on her back in an attempt to roll into the scarf, but she failed miserably.

"Need some help with that?" Jasmine heard Ice chuckle in amusement. A blush spread across her face.

"No! I have it!" she growled in determination. The adamant Leafeon rolled, tumbled and dragged herself across the floor, bumping into a lamp post and nearly knocking it down as she did so. Eventually, Jasmine found herself in quite the predicament. Somehow she had become entangled in the pink scarf and was unable to free herself. She struggled to get her legs free, but with very little luck. Ice nearly broke out laughing at the female's unfortunate situation.

"What an interesting Halloween costume!" He laughed. "I suppose you're going as girl mummy, yes?" he said making a reference to the pink coloring of the fabric. Jasmine rolled her eyes ad sighed deeply.

"Very funny, now could you please, HELP ME OUT OF THIS!" she exclaimed wiggling her forelegs in desperation. Ice rolled his eyes before crossing over to lend a Helping Hand.

"Now you want help?" he said shaking his head and grabbing hold of the pink scarf in his jaws. With a simple tug, he was able to unravel the grass type, spinning her around in the process. Jasmine stumbled around like a Spinda, teetering to the left and falling, crashing on top of Ice. Her mouth was slightly ajar as she watched the room whirl around her and causing her stomach to become slightly unsettled. Luckily, the illusion faded and the spinning ceased, allowing her to notice that she had accidentally crushed her ice type companion into the ground. Jasmine laughed sheepishly before jumping up.

"Um, sorry?" she said nervously rubbing the back of her head with her paw. Ice got up, shaking shaking off the fall.

"It's quite alright, but please, let me help you this time. I really don't think all of that was necessary," he said frowning slightly. Jasmine giggled.

"Sure," she said as Ice grabbed hold of one side of the scarf. Jasmine then grabbed the other half, allowing Ice to wrap her neck in the scarf, it was a much more efficient way then the latter, and it made her wonder why she hadn't let him help in the first place.

"There, as pretty as a Christmas present," Ice said smiling at the grass type. Jasmine blushed again, and quickly changed the subject.

"So, where will we go for the day?" she asked quickly. Ice smiled.

"Why don't we go downtown? It's always nice to see what's going on during Christmas, and it'd make for an interesting birthday," Ice said. Jasmine simply shrugged.

"I suppose so…" she said staring into the Ice types eyes. Her heart seemed to race.

"Yes, sure,"

-oOo-

Just as Ice had said, downtown was hectic as it always was around Christmas. Though there was nearly a foot of snow, it didn't stop people from doing what they did around the holidays- shopping. The streets where flooded with short people, tall people, old and young, black and white, male and female, all kinds of people, and they all seemed so happy. The smell of pine was fresh in the air, a sign that Christmas trees where for sale nearby. It was enough to put a smile on anyone's face. The two eeveelutions walked along side each other, watching as woman in an elegant white coat walked by, caring two heavy bags probably containing gifts for family members. Another woman walked by, holding tight to a little girl's hand. The woman stopped, as her daughter shrieked and pointed at a Pikachu doll in the shop window, but the woman merely smiled and said "not today honey". However, she did take a quick glance at the price tag before wandering off. Jasmine trembled, nuzzling against her cotton scarf as a chilling wind blew. The feeling didn't bother her as much as she thought, and she smiled as she watched the many festivities in the area.

"It really is awesome down here," she said softly as she watched a young girl lifting up her Eevee to peer inside a toy store window. The little Pokemon smiled and placed his paws on against the glass, staring in awe as a model train passed by. Jasmine's smile widened as she watched the Eevee squeal in amusement. She watched Ice's expression, which had softened as well, but he tried hard to hide how much the sight charmed his soul.

"Well, shall we take a look around?" he asked lifting a paw signaling Jasmine to follow. The grass type nodded, getting up to follow Ice.

The pair wandered through the crowd, stopping to gaze at some simple item in a store window or to listen to a song that could be heard playing somewhere nearby. The smell of cookies and pine wafted through the cold winter air, teasing at the twosome as they walked.

"If only I was human," Ice laughed.

"Then I could buy whatever smells so good!" the ice type said with a grin. Jasmine smiled at him, but as she did something else caught her eye. It was an Espeon and Umbreon sitting together far on the other side of the area, in front of a clothing store. The Espeon was wearing a purple scarf, very similar to that of her own and she was leaning on the black Pokemon's shoulder. The psychic type looked up, spotting Jasmine. The two female's locked gazes for a short time, and then the Espeon smiled a gentle smile. Jasmine blinked curiously and turned towards Ice who was looking in a store window at a small music box playing a soothing melody – he had not noticed the pair across the street. Jasmine turned back to the twosome, but by now the Espeon and Umbreon were walking up the street, the pink feline still resting her head on the Umbreon's shoulder. Jasmine was unsure why this gesture laid heavily on her mind, but she chose not to inform Ice about the couple. She simply got up, nudging the ice type with her head.

"Come on, let's keep walking," she said with a smile. Ice grinned, taking his spot beside his grass type companion and began to walk along side her. As they did, Jasmine glanced back again. This time the Espeon and Umbreon had stopped and they were both looking at her. The Espeon whispered something to her mate, who smiled and nodded his head.

-oOo-

By the time Ice and Jasmine had finished wandering around, it was dark outside. The sky was clear and full of glittering stars. Even though it was late, the Christmas festivities had not died down the least bit. Jasmine sighed in contentment.

"Ice, this has been one of the most amazing days of my life," she said grinning widely. Ice focused his attention on the female, smiling sincerely as he listened to the joy he had brought her. It made his icy core feel warm and bubbly thinking about it.

"I completely forgot about the whole birthday thing, this was just so… awesome," she said as they walked leisurely through the city streets. Ice smiled.

"I had an amazing time as well," Ice said grinning widely. Jasmine smile widened, but it slowly faded.

"I'm… really sorry about freaking out at you earlier," she said frowning.

"I guess I was just a little angry that nobody remembered me… well except you of courses" she said sighing. Ice smiled and continued to walk along side his female companion.

"As I said, it's okay," he said as his nose twitched, taking in the strong scent of pine. Ice's head turned towards the amazing scent, locking on a huge, glittering Christmas tree. It stood easily over thirty feet, and it was completely decorated in lights, silver and gold ornaments and a glittering star at the very top. The deep green tree was ringed with the dark blue world above, surrounded by an entourage of silver stars. Both eeveelutions gaped in awe at the ultimate Christmas decoration, standing right here before their eyes. They had been so engaged in conversation that they hadn't even noticed it before.

"Wow, this… is amazing," Jasmine gasped approaching the massive decorative pine. Both her and Ice sat into the soft snow, staring at the glittering pine. Ice looked from Jasmine to the tree, feeling warmth rise up in his icy stomach. The urge to say something, anything quickly revealed itself.

"You know, the tree reminds me a lot of you," he said suddenly, mentally smacking himself as the worlds slowly flowed out. Jasmine turned her head to face Ice, her soft, brown eyes blinking curiously.

"How so?" she asked. Ice tried to keep the words in, but he was too far ahead of himself to stop them.

"Well, a Christmas tree is strong, sturdy, beautiful and it's so amazing, it's enough to bring tears to your eyes," he said averting his gaze to the ground.

"And it's so festive, all year long…. And so are you," he concluded, blushing slightly as he did so. His coolness had been vanquished in a sudden, heated moment and his heart was thumping against his chest. Curiosity had outweighed anxiety, and Ice averted his gave to his female companions. Her eyes were still locked on Ice. Jasmine's heart was racing as well, her entire state of being was lost in the moment. The grass type leaned forward, kissing the Ice type softly on the lips. Both Pokemon where caught up in a moment of sheer bliss, closing their eyes and allowing themselves to feel the other all around them. The tree, the sky the ground - everything was gone and the two where blissfully unaware of their surroundings. Once the kiss was broken, Jasmine smiled leaning her head against Ice's shoulder. Everything that had happened this morning was simply a blur, and all that mattered to Jasmine was she and Ice. As the two sat in awe, still lost in a world of bliss something caught Jasmine's eye.

Across the street, she saw a familiar site. An Espeon with a purple scarf and an Umbreon sat on the opposite side of the tree. The Espeon had her head on the Umbreon's shoulder, and she was smiling softly at the pair. This time Jasmine understood, and she didn't blink in bewilderment, she smiled, and she rested her head on Ice's shoulder.

"Don't those two make a cute couple, Ice?" she asked leaning against the male's smooth blue fur. Ice watched as the Espeon whispered something to her partner, laughing slightly as she did so.

"Yes," he said smiling. "And I think they think the same about us,"

Masterpiece? Well, in my eyes, I consider it one, you probably don't, but I'm rather proud of it. Please review. ^_^