October 1995

"What do you want for Christmas this year?" JC asked, looking over to his girlfriend Char. They were cuddled on the couch in her parent's living room, cozily underneath a thick wool blanket while watching ‘Tommy Boy'.

"Huh?" Char asked, half distracted as she flipped through the pages of the latest issue of YM magazine.

"Are you even listening to me? I said what do you want for Christmas?" JC repeated.

Char turned her attention from the magazine and looked at JC quizzically. "Babe, it's not even Halloween yet!"

"I know, I just want to get a jumpstart on things, after all, this will be our first Christmas together. I want it to be special."

This was the first Christmas since the end of the show in which they were cast members on, ‘The All-New Mickey Mouse Club", and Char's and JC's families had decided to celebrate Christmas in Orlando, instead of going back to their hometowns of Nashville, Tennessee and Bowie, Maryland. Like many of their former cast members, Orlando, Florida had become their new adopted hometown, and Char's and JC's families wanted to make it official by celebrating the holidays there.

Char smiled, before leaning in and giving JC a kiss on his lips. "Trust me, it will be special, as long as I'm with you," she assured him.

"Sure, that's sweet and all, but I'd really like to get you something nice," JC replied.

Char sighed. "Listen Josh, I really don't want a gift this year."

"But-"

"No ‘buts'. I mean it, I do not want a gift." Char said definitively. "The only gift I want is you."

"Charise..."

"Joshua..." Char mocked.

"Seriously Char, I'm a guy, and we tend to mess these things up; we forget dates, anniversaries, get the wrong gifts, miss important signs and signals. I'm trying to be proactive about my gift giving this year, and you're flat out telling me that you don't want a gift?" JC asked, confusion etched into his face. "Are you just saying that you don't want anything so you don't seem high maintenance or something, but you're really expecting me to get you some extravagant gift, that I never could have in a million years guessed, and so I don't get you a gift because you said not to, although to girls yes means no, and no means yes, and I show up on Christmas empty-handed and you're mad at me, because I, your boyfriend didn't get you a gift for Christmas."

"What?" Char asked incredulously. "Wow, you deserve a gold medal for those mental gymnastics sir," she laughed, picking her magazine back up again.

JC picked up the remote to pause the movie. "Char, I'm being serious, look at me."

"And so am I," Char replied, looking back at JC. His blue eyes, piercing her hazel ones. She studied his eyes; they were filled with all the love and care in the world. She loved how much he loved her. She felt like the luckiest and most loved girl in the world. "You know me Josh. I'm transparent; no mixed signals, no hidden meanings. What you see is what you get. When I say I don't want a gift, it means just that, I don't want a gift." Char bit down on her bottom lip, mulling over her next words carefully. "It's just...after what happened last year," she sighed.

JC grabbed her hand and squeezed tightly. He gently rubbed his thumb back and forth across the back of her hand, caressing it.

"This year's gonna be a really hard one." Char squeezed her eyes shut, swallowing back tears, and forcing painful memories into the far recesses of her mind, an attempt which proved to be futile. "I don't want this Christmas to be about the material things. I want to start new traditions and create experiences and new memories that are going to last a lifetime, and I want to do that with you."

"Okay," JC relented. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. "Me, you, new traditions, and memories."

"Thank you," Char smiled.

"One condition, though."

"That is?" Char asked.

"If I can't get you a gift, then you can't get me one either."

"Oh, come on, that's not fair," Char gasped.

"You're right, I do know you. And I know you're probably planning to give me something extremely thoughtful and probably expensive. In fact, I bet you already have it picked out," JC said, giving her a knowing look.

Char groaned.

"I'm right aren't I?" JC winced.

"Maybe. Okay yes," Char admitted.

"Well, whatever it is, don't bother getting it," JC replied.

"But JC-"

"Aht, aht! No ‘buts"," JC said, mocking her.

"Fine," Char conceded. "No gifts."

"Deal?" JC asked.

"Deal. No gifts," Char answered.

"Shake on it," JC said, sticking his hand out. Char took his hand and shook it. "Good, so it's settled."

"Yes, it's settled," Char repeated, pulling the blanket up over her shoulders, and snuggling herself against JC's chest. "Now, turn the movie back on. I have to return it to Hollywood Video tomorrow and I still haven't seen it all!"