Gwen had decided to spend the holidays with her boyfriend, Duncan, and his family. His parents liked Gwen, since they knew she would keep their mischievous son out of trouble. Well, most of the time. So, when Duncan proposed the idea of Gwen spending the holidays with them, his parents almost immediately accepted it.

It was Christmas Eve, and the family had noticed a decline in Gwen's attitude. She seemed distant, and would barely speak to anyone. This concerned the family, especially Duncan. Though he wasn't one to ask for advice, Duncan felt he had to know what was the matter with Gwen. So, Duncan sat his mother down in the living room while Gwen resided in his bedroom. If he could receive advice from anyone, it would be her.

"I just don't get what's wrong. She seemed happy to be here when I first brought her home," Duncan said, looking down at his feet.

"Well, this may be her first Christmas away from her family," his mother said. "Perhaps she misses them."

"No. She assured me she wouldn't get homesick. Besides, she told me she was relieved to be away from them for once."

Duncan's mother moved closer to her son, and ran her fingers through his green mohawk. "I think it would mean a lot to Gwen if you asked her what was wrong. Maybe she's afraid of admitting her problems to you, especially since it's so close to Christmas. She may think she's ruining our moods if she brings her problems up. You have to let her know that no matter what, she can tell you anything. Just like you can tell her anything."

Duncan sighed. "Thanks, Ma. I guess I'll go and do it now."

As the juvenile delinquent slowly climbed the stairs, millions of possibilities of why Gwen was so upset ran through his mind. Maybe she just didn't like Christmas. Maybe she really was homesick. Maybe she was getting sick of his brothers and their antics. Maybe she was getting sick of him.

Ok, don't go and get paranoid. The delinquent thought to himself.

Duncan stopped in front of his bedroom door. He sighed as he glanced at the different signs posted on the door, such as "Keep Out!", "Do Not Disturb!", "That's Far Enough!", etc. It took him a few moments before he reached out for the knob. He turned it cautiously, so he wouldn't make much noise, and slowly opened the door.

The goth girl everyone was so concerned about was sitting on the bed, hugging her knees against her chest. Her focus was on the window, which displayed a gentle snowfall from the outside. A quiet sigh came from her.

"Uh...Gwen?"

Another sigh escaped her as she slowly turned her head to Duncan. "What?"

Duncan rubbed the back of his neck as he approached the bed. He sat beside her, and stared straight into her eyes. "We're all worried about you, y'know. You don't seem like yourself."

"You guys shouldn't worry over me," Gwen said, sharply turning her head from him. "What's on my mind is none of your concern."

"Babe, are you kidding me?" Duncan frowned deeply. "I've spilled all my secrets to you. I've told you things I wouldn't dare tell anyone else, even my parents. I wouldn't hide anything from you, so you shouldn't hide anything from me. It's not fair."

"Fine." Gwen glared at him as she turned her body to him. "You wanna know why I'm not in a good mood? Christmas sucks. It's the worst holiday. It supposed to be about family, yet that didn't stop..." The goth girl couldn't finish her sentence. She choked up and squeezed her eyes shut, hanging her head.

Duncan's eyes widened in realization. "Your dad." He moved closer to her and draped an arm around her shoulders. "What happened to him? You never told me."

As Gwen lifted her head, tears flowed down her cheeks. "He walked out on us when I was five. I loved him. I looked up to him. But, he had no problem leaving me and Gavin behind. Gavin was just a baby. He doesn't even remember our dad." She huffed. "Maybe that's a good thing."

Gwen sighed as she wiped away her tears. "He left us on Christmas. Of all the days to leave, it had to be on Christmas. Every year since then, I would always think back to that day. The day when he and my mom screamed at each other, while I could only look up at them in fear when I was supposed to be opening presents. The day I lost my dad. The day my family...stopped being one."

It took Duncan a few moments to think of a response. He had been with Gwen for over a year, yet she never once mentioned her father until that moment. Now he could see why.

"Gwen..." Duncan bit his lip. He made sure that what he wanted to say wouldn't come out wrong. "What your dad did was really stupid, but you can't let what he did affect you. You have me now, and I promise you that I would not walk out on you like that. I won't make the same mistake he did." He gently took Gwen's pale hands into his own. "This year, things will be different. I'm not gonna let your dad ruin your Christmas again. Let me give you the Christmas you deserve. Let me show you what you've been missing out on."

A stray tear rolled down Gwen's cheek, until it was wiped away by Duncan's thumb. The goth girl stared at her boyfriend for a moment or two. Then, out of the blue, a small smile crept over her face. "Thank you," she whispered before leaning in, planting her lips on his.

Duncan's hands ran up her arms to her face. As he cupped her face, he leaned in more to the kiss. He felt Gwen's hands hold his arms. They stayed like this for a minute before pulling away at the same time.

"Let's head downstairs," Duncan whispered as he twirled a piece of her hair around his finger. "We can continue this after dinner."

"Wait." Gwen stood up with Duncan, but pulled him toward her as he tried walking toward the door. "I...I'm sorry about snapping at you. I've never told anyone about my dad, even Trent. It...It was hard for me to do. I let him affect my Christmases for so long. I never actually let myself enjoy the holiday. This is gonna be weird for me, but I really wanna celebrate with you and your family."

"It's fine, Pasty," he chuckled before leaning in, kissing her forehead. "We don't have to tell my parents about your dad. We can just say you're on your period or something."

"Duncan!" Gwen laughed as she playfully shoved him from her.

"Ah, that's the Gwen I know and love!"