Christmas Wishes.

Author's note: I know this is set around Christmas time, but I meant to write it for Christmas 2012, but didn't find the time – so here it is! Please keep up with great reviews – they truly make me happy and make my dull days bright! I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! Love corpsegirl93

December 19th: Victor's P.O.V:

6 days until Christmas, and only now are the decorations going up. The tree is standing, the fire is lit and the mulled wine is ready. All is needed now are presents, mistletoe, snow and…people. The hallway of the Van Dort mansion is silent, except for the slow crackling of the fire that illuminates the Christmas tree, standing tall and proud by the staircase. Although it is bare, it looks magnificent. Despite its lack of decorations, it doesn't stop bringing the sense of Christmas in to the mansion.

The fire crackles slowly as I make my way downstairs to the tree, a box of tinsel and baubles in my arms. Victoria is upstairs in our room, making adjustments to her present wrapping. I don't know why she bothers; I already know what she's getting me. A brown scarf and a book on butterflies.

Well, she's more prepared than I am. Six days until Christmas and I haven't even thought about her gift. I've been too caught up in my own thoughts and affairs to even notice the little things – like the growing layer of snow outside, or the sound of children singing carols.

No. Never even noticed them. I've been thinking about her too much to even care. What is she doing this time of year, I wonder?

Placing the box of decorations on the floor next to the tree, I step back and gaze up at its sheer height. How on Earth am I going to put the star on the top branch without having an accident? God only knows how! My attention towards the tree was suddenly altered when the telephone rang. Snapping my head away from the tree, I caught sight of the telephone on the table near the fireplace.

I knew who was calling me.

I didn't need to pick it up to know who it was.

Him. He had an answer. Rushing over to the phone before anyone else in the house got the chance to pick it up, I grabbed it and held it to my ear. There was silence on the other end. No breathing. No sound of movement. Just silence.

"Hello?" I asked, keeping my voice low. "I know it's you."

"How can you tell?" a gruff voice sounded on the other end.

"Intuition" I replied. "What did she say?"

"She hasn't decided yet. She's still thinking."

"Still? It's been over a week. I would've thought she had decided by now."

"It's not an easy thing to decide, Victor. You are a married man."

"An engaged man. Not married."

"Not from where I'm standing. She's still kinda heartbroken about it all, Vic. Give her time, she might come round to it" the gruff voice said.

"Time. It's nearly Christmas and soon after then, I'll be a married man. I don't have time. No pressure on her, but the sooner she makes a decision, the better. I want to see her Bonejangles. I need to see her."

"Does your life depend on it?" Bonejangles asked.

"Not as much as it did at our wedding when Lord Barkis was facing me with a sword. Remember that?"

"How can I forget?"

"Never-the-less, I want to see her. After all, tis the season of good will, happiness, gifts and reunions with loved ones. And she is a loved one – in my eyes."

"Not in Victoria's? Or your parents?"

"Both of them. Victoria doesn't approve of her - despite knowing her good nature - and my parents don't know about her. They were looking for me when it all happened."

"Will you ever tell them?"

"Tell them? That their only son vanished the night before his wedding, to marry another woman who just happened to be a living corpse, and faced her killer ex-husband? I don't think so."

"Suit yourself" Bonejangles responded.

"Just let her know that I'd love to see her. Even if it is for five minutes." Bonejangles remained silent, thinking to himself.

"I can't promise anything, but I'll do my best. I'll call you as soon as I have an answer."

And with that, he hung up. Leaving me standing in the hallway of my own home, listening to the dead silence on the other end of the phone. Sighing to myself and putting the phone down, I heard Victoria's footsteps coming down the corridor. Rushing back to the tree, just as she appeared in sight, I took hold of a random bauble and started placing it on the tree.

"Who was that calling?" she asked as she made her way down the staircase.

"Just…relatives. Calling to…wish us merry Christmas."

"Six days before? Couldn't they call us on the day?"

"Evidently not. Finished present wrapping?"

"Just about. How is the tree going…oh, you've only just started?"

"Yes, well, the phone call was rather long." Avoiding her gaze, I turned my attention to placing baubles on the tree. I hope she didn't sense any of my lies or my guilt. She walked away towards the kitchen, humming a Christmas carol under her breath.

My first Christmas with her. And I wasn't looking forward to it.

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