There were quite a few words that came to mind when people heard the name Rose Hathaway; fierce, loyal and determined to name a few. And although she'd been called immature a time or two she'd never really acted childlike. That is, until her first Christmas with Dimitri rolled around.

Rose had never really experienced all the joy that Christmas had to offer. Sure, she'd spent quite a few with Lissa's family, but everything was already in place by the time the Dragomir's picked the girls up from Saint Vlad's. She'd always missed out on picking out a tree and decorating it, and those were things she'd always wanted to experience firsthand.

Which was why she morphed from a controlled young woman into a hyperactive child when her boyfriend announced it was time to pick out a Christmas tree. Rose had her coat on and was standing impatiently by the door, shifting from foot to foot before he'd even moved from the couch. She was so eager to get started that the fact she was still in her pajamas completely escaped her notice—until Dimitri gently pointed out that she might want to at least add shoes to her lovely ensemble. Blushing she scurried off and was back in record time, excited beyond belief.

She was a little disappointed to learn that selecting a tree meant driving into town and purchasing one from a vendor—she'd been harboring fantasies about watching a shirtless Dimitri swinging an axe, his muscles rippling with each powerful stroke. When she casually mentioned it he simply laughed, pointing out that it was really too cold for him to be shirtless. She moped in silence until they reached their destination, and her disillusionment over watching a half-naked Dimitri was forgotten as soon as she saw the bustling tree lot.

Intertwining their fingers, Dimitri guided her through the crowds, carefully examining the merchandise. Last year he had barely spoken to Rose around the holidays, torn up inside as he contemplated Tasha's offer. This year he was determined to make it up to her, and he was planning on buying her the biggest Christmas tree available. Well, the biggest one they could fit in their apartment, in any case.

Rose looked at all the trees her boyfriend pointed out, chewing on her lip, unable to decide between them. They were all perfectly fine, but none of them were exactly what she wanted. Each one was tall and full, and… just not what she'd been picturing in her mind at all.

She was just about to halfheartedly agree to the one he was examining when she spotted a tree standing off to the side, half leaning against the metal barriers that marked the boundary of the shop. It wasn't nearly as big as the ones Dimitri had been looking at, but to her, it was absolutely perfect.

"That one!" She pointed out the tree before darting away through the crowd, knowing he would follow.

By the time Dimitri parted the crowd she was staring at the scruffy looking tree with adoring eyes. "Roza… are you sure? It's not very big… I'm taller than it is."

Rose rolled her eyes. "That's because you're practically a giant, Comrade. I want this one, it's perfect."

Dimitri's lips twitched up in a smile as he leaned down to kiss her upturned face. "Then this is the one we will get." Leaving her to guard her tree—not that he thought anyone would want it, it looked half dead—he went off in search of the vendor.

"Now we just need some decorations. Colored balls or something." Rose sat at the base of the tree, smiling as she looked up at it. "And lights. Lots and lots of lights. And a star."

She was so intent on the tree that she didn't notice the small brightly wrapped box Dimitri had removed from the coat closet until he thrust it right in front of her face.

"Merry Christmas, Roza."

"Christmas isn't for another two weeks, Comrade." She smiled, pulling him down beside her on the floor.

"Yes, but that needs to be opened now. Humor me, it's something for both of us."

Rose shot him a puzzled look, ripping into the package and tearing into the box. She pulled out a silver bell hanging on a thin red ribbon. As she read the engraving—Roza and Dimitri's first Christmas—tears filled her eyes. "It's beautiful. I love it. It's our first Christmas ornament!"

"Every year we will get a new one, until we have so many the tree cannot hold them all." Dimitri pulled her into his arms and kissed her forehead. "I love you Roza. Even if you have horrible taste when it comes to picking out Christmas trees."

She laughed and nestled her head under his chin, her fingers tracing the engraving on the ornament. "Do you want to know why I picked it? There were a couple of Christmases that Lissa's family took trips, and I couldn't go along—my mom never returned the permission slips to Kirova, so I got left behind while everyone went home for the holidays, and… well, the tree reminded me of the way I felt when that happened. It was all alone, like nobody wanted it."

Dimitri's arms tightened around her and he closed his eyes for a moment, overwhelmed at the thought of his Roza left all alone on an empty campus, without anyone but the faculty to spend Christmas with. "Well I suppose then it's a good thing we brought it home with us, hmmm? We'll make it the most beautiful tree of them all, and next year we'll get another one just like it."

And they did just that.