This is definitely long overdue, but I promised (at least on Twitter) a Christmas one shot of sorts for either Lucian or Ezria. While I have a holiday-esque story in mind for Ezra, this idea was given to me by my lovely friend on Twitter, Lily, who I couldn't thank more for the idea. I hope you all enjoy and please review! Also, be on the look out for an update of Blue and Hazel.
DISCLAIMER: I'm not affiliated with Lucy and Ian in any way possible, nor do I know anyone who is. This story is fictional and is written for my enjoyment and the enjoyment of others. If you don't like the pairing, please don't read.
I hope everyone had a great holiday and will have a fantastic New Year!
"You want the moon? Just say the word and I'll throw a lasso around it and pull it down."
As a little girl, Lucy could remember the anxious feeling of Christmas Eve, peering out her window every other hour to see if she could spot Santa's majestic sleigh in the sky; the feeling of her button nose pressed up against the cold glass, eyes directed up and watching the sky until she became too weary to stay up another hour. It felt strange for her to realize that twenty years had gone by since then. But the eminent changes in her life weren't that hard to understand. In the course of four years, she'd been through enough heartbreak to last a person a lifetime, became an influential role model to billions of girls, and boys perhaps, around the world, recorded and released an album, and pave the way for her acting career on a hit TV show. And despite the hardships, she'd learned her lessons in life and love and the importance of keeping positive influences around her at all times.
But most importantly, within the current year of 2013 that was soon to change, Lucy's eyes were opened to the inevitable that had been standing in front of her for years on end; Ian. It had taken a long stay down South with her family and a big absence from Los Angeles that allowed Lucy to reevaluate what she wanted out of life and who she wanted in her life as well. And when she put the facts together, that he was what she really wanted, it felt like a slap in the face. From time to time, Lucy could still feel the theoretical sting she felt seeing him on set that first day back to shooting Season 4, her heart thumping and hoping that maybe, just maybe, they could be on the mend and go up and beyond from the rut that their relationship had sat in for a whole year.
By September, Lucy had festered up enough courage to tell Ian to his face that she wanted more that the friendship they rekindled. Intertwined with the jokes and friendly jabs had been flirting and near misses to kisses. September 21st had been the day that things for the brunette finally felt complete.
"Ian, I need to tell you something." The brunette chewed on her bottom lip nervously, hands clasped in front of her. After wrapping up shooting for the night, Ian offered to help Lucy carry her plethora of bags back to her car, giving her the perfect opportunity that she couldn't pass up. Lucy could feel the growth and readiness now to tell him.
"What's up, Luc?" His face was turned away from her, preoccupied while placing things in the trunk of Lucy's white Audi for her.
"I want more." The words were short and blunt, but she'd felt them sufficient enough to get the point across. They'd talked about it casually a few times, but never seriously. Ian's mouth dropped down, agape entirely. He turned from her trunk and passed a hand through his hair.
"Are you sure?" The man needed to make sure that it was what she wanted, not because she was lonely. But something inside Ian told him that she was being honest with him; that she'd grown and was ready to broaden whatever off screen chemistry they had together.
Lucy nodded her head, the curls that were set for Aria's appearance in the episode bouncing and brushing her cheeks. "Yes." The exchange was simple, neither of them needing to speak another word. Something felt natural; to just being there.
It was supposed to be their first Christmas together, but plans always seemed to go awry. Ian's parents were staunch in him coming home from Christmas and Lucy couldn't disappoint hers, much less break whatever family traditions that were in place. They were far too important to her, even if the one she loved was hours away in another state. The only comfort Lucy held onto was that they were in the same timezone. But the heavens only knew how late Ian would go to sleep or what they were doing that would keep him occupied. Her slight frame was curled up in her childhood bed, head rested on a pillow that was covered in a soft white pillowcase. The digital clock to Lucy's left on a nightstand blinked in red flashing letters that it was 11:40 at night. An hour until midnight; an hour until Christmas Day. But despite the Belgian waffle maker that she'd wanted so desperately, something felt void for Lucy. But she could place it; she hated being away from Ian.
Scratch that, there was a second thing that she could hold on for comfort and that was the gray tee shirt that she held in her hands. It was one that Lucy constantly when Ian would do laundry. He'd eventually catch her each time and offer to let her keep it, but she ended up feeling too guilty and would fold it and sneak it back into his drawer when she was done wearing it. But guts had prevailed and the v-neck tee shirt with his distinct scent ended up with her in Tennessee. Lucy clutched it to her chest, trying to take steady breathes. Soon the holidays would be over and they'd go up to New York to spend majority of the hiatus together. She repeated the same mantra, drilling it into her head, but that didn't stop a small tear from rolling down her face. The single tear turned to a stream and the stream turned into an onslaught. Lucy hadn't realized how much she missed him until she was alone. Her family served as a distraction, but now she was only accompanied by herself and her iPhone.
Christmas Eve had another meaning.
The iPhone was taunting Lucy; at least, that's what she let herself feel like. She constantly touched the home button, letting the lock screen pop up. The picture alone was enough to torture her. On the touch screen was a photo of her and Ian, smiling for the camera while they sat on a couch at one of Lucy's friend's parties during the year. The brunette gulped, brushing at her teary eyes, but the waterworks refused to call a cease fire. She held the shirt tighter against her chest, finger sliding against the unlock button so that her normal background came up. The green phone icon blared up at Lucy, it being the only thing clear in her hazy eyes. One touch and she could be connected with him.
But Lucy didn't want to disturb his Christmas. Not just because she was potentially hormonal and missed him. Times for Ian to see his family were far and few and she didn't want to ruin that.
On the other hand, talking to him would ease the tears and help her sleep. Lucy's pale hand shone in the moonlight that streamed through her window and picked up the phone, deciding to go ahead and call him. Even if it were only for a few minutes, he'd know that she was thinking about him. Her red painted fingernails poked at the screen until the calling screen popped up on the phone. Sobs continued to wrack at Lucy's chest; she wouldn't find solace until she talked to him. At least, she didn't think she could find it until she tired herself out enough to sleep. Silently, she hoped that hearing his voice wouldn't be a catalyst for more tears.
Holding the tee shirt up to her cheek, the phone raised into Lucy's other ear rang. Her heartbeat hammered, waiting for his trademark greeting. Rather than visions of sugarplums, Lucy envisioned the smile on Ian's face as he answered the phone.
"Hey, you've reached Ian. I can't get to the phone right now, so please leave a message after the beep. Thanks!"
The small, hopeful smile that rested on Lucy's lips crumbled in seconds as his voicemail went off. She should've known that he would've been preoccupied with whatever Christmas traditions they did. Perhaps they had some walk or midnight mass. Still, that didn't stop the tears from flowing down her cheeks. Hearing Ian's voice had her miss him more. Lucy hugged the tee shirt to her chest even tighter than before. She could practically feel her balled up fists against her ribcage. She knew she should've hung up and let him call her back in the morning, but Lucy let the answering machine play out until the beep sounded.
Lucy coughed, trying to mask tears as she spoke into the receiver to leave a short message. "Hi, it's me. I—I just wanted to say….I…." One more cough and she turned to ruins. The tears that Lucy had tried to keep back with the best of her acting abilities were set free. Clearly, there were some emotions that couldn't be held back by the masterful art. Her voice was garbled as she spoke into the phone once more. "I really miss you and I….I wish that you were here with me. I…." Lucy trailed off, a soft sob echoing into the phone. "Merry Christmas, Ian," she finished, another sob ending the message.
The same shaking hand put down the phone on the nightstand again. Lying onto her side, Lucy held the tee shirt tight and fast, back towards the door while she looked out the window at the night sky that was revealed through the parted curtains that rested on the window pane. A soft sprinkling of snow began to fall, her hazel eyes trailing the way the snowflakes fell. Hopefully it would be cold enough to stick. As her heavy eyes began to drift to a close, Lucy also hoped that she'd wake up with a voicemail in the morning.
He hated being away from her. That much Ian knew as his family wrapped up their annual viewing of "It's A Wonderful Life". While they Harding family of four sat around his parent's living room, Ian lazily sprawled out in a leather lazy boy chair with Moose sitting in his lap, his could only imagine would it would be like to have Lucy curled up against his chest rather that his sister's dog. His green sweater was festive and the decorations on the tree made him smile, but all the while, Ian wished that Lucy could be standing beside him, beaming at the string of fairy lights that his mother wound around the house each year. As the classic film concluded, Ian stretched out in the leather chair and yawned, but not before looking at the clock. It was something that he did constantly out of habit.
Midnight; the little hand was just grazing the twelve as the seconds hand ticked and passed around a full rotation, counting that a second had gone by. He bit his lip. It was Christmas Day, another day closer to where he'd met Lucy in New York. In his head, Ian had a grand vision of her waiting in the lobby of their hotel and he dropped all things he was carrying in his arms to hug her and hold her close. It played out in a movie fashion, like a projector was casting it from a light onto the sides of his head.
The more Ian stared at the clock, the more time seemed to pass by. When his gaze finally broke from the antique plated object to realize that the rest of his family, even the dog in his lap, had retired for bed. It was only him left now, alone with his thoughts. And Ian's thoughts centered around one thing; what it would've been like to celebrate with Lucy. He could imagine her bright grin if she was here to open presents with him in the morning or her dainty hands using the knife and fork to cut into his mother's famous pancakes. Or how she would've looked under the glow of the Christmas tree lights at that exact moment. Ian sighed, his blue eyes casting to the ground. He could imagine as much as he wanted, but it wouldn't bring Lucy to him at that exact moment. She was with her family, respectively, and he was with his.
Pushing up from the seat, Ian paced across the room and flicked off the light. The Christmas tree shone and cast a glow through the room. The man could remember being a child and sneaking downstairs to catch a glimpse of Santa Claus and check if there were milk and cookies left. Ian missed that childlike innocence, but at the same time, was grateful for the lessons he had learned and the growth he'd shown to himself and others around him over the last couple of years. "Merry Christmas," he whispered, his voice traveling through the room as he went upstairs.
His iPhone 5 was glowing as he entered his childhood bedroom. Lucy had convinced him to get an updated model from his iPhone 4 only a week ago and he found this one more difficult to figure out with the added bonus of Siri and various frills. Technology had never been his thing anyway, but he bought it to make her smile and because his older model began to have issues.
One new voicemail.
Ian quickly slid his finger across the screen and pressed play, lifting the phone up to his ear to listen. He didn't even check who the caller was, but the moment he heard her voice, he knew. Lucy began speaking to him through the earpiece. His heart swelled upon hearing her voice, but when it broke off into a sob, Ian sat upright and alert. She was crying and it tore his heart into pieces. The one thing Ian never wanted to bear was her tears. Just knowing that Lucy was in pain put him into an equal amount. Biting down upon his lip, he placed the phone down and rubbed the back of his neck. Ian didn't know that being away from her during Christmas would affect Lucy like this. Hell, he didn't think he'd notice how empty it was without her presence with their constant texts and whatnot.
Closing the call, his eyes drifted to his background. It was a photo of him and Lucy while at a carpet event for the recent Halloween special. Though Ian had never been one for public events and flashing cameras, the photo was his favorite because of the way they were looking at one another. His arm was wrapped around her waist punching up the camel colored sweater that she was wearing and Lucy's arm was wrapped around Ian's neck, tilted her face up to look at him. Both had wide, laughing smiled upon their faces. And that was why it was his favorite.
Lucy's words, more like tears, continued to play over and over in Ian's head as if they were on a continuous loop. Being the man that he was, he couldn't just sit back and call her in the morning. He needed to make a grand gesture that would blow her Christmas out of the water. Pulling out his laptop, a plan formulated in Ian's head.
It was Christmas Day, but there had to be planes to Tennessee, right?
Christmas Morning, her mother had let her stay in bed. Lucy forgot that the rooms of the house had thin walls and that it was more than likely that her cries could've been heard. She could hear the joyous cries of those in her family, happy to get whatever present they got under the "one present per person" clause they'd created the year before. Time ticked past, Lucy opening and closing her eyes, hoping that an hour had gone past when only five minutes had. The family filing out of the house to embark on the annual movie tradition let her know that she was alone and it was safe territory to go downstairs. The last thing Lucy had wanted to deal with were questions aiming towards answers for the reason as to why she was crying that night or why her eyes were puffy.
With a sigh, she pushed hair over her shoulder and headed towards the kitchen where her mother had the brand new instant coffee maker already set up. They'd all contributed to get her the biggest machine that Bed, Bath, and Beyond had to offer. Lucy heard her mom's squeals as she opened the present, a small smile fluttering over her face. Her red fingernail painted hand reached into the box to grab a small cup to place into machine when the doorbell rang.
She didn't know who could possibly be here, except for someone who forgot their wallet or something. Distracted now from the coffee, Lucy ran a hand through her tousled morning hair and adjusted Ian's tee shirt that she had slipped on somewhere in the middle of the night and walked to the front door, pulling it open.
"Hello?" The brunette blinked her eyes blearily, scanning up from the ground. A pair of black, worn Converse sneakers that were clearly on feet that belonged to a man. Crisp looking jeans that suited the wearer. A black, puffy winter jack that was open and revealed a plain white tee shirt. Now her eyes meet those that belonged to the person standing in front of her. Lucy's heart and voice caught in her throat, unable to say the one named that popped into her head; Ian. Her eyes welled up while a large grin spread over her face, wanting to launch herself at her boyfriend standing on the front porch.
"I have a delivery for a Lucy Hale? One boyfriend direct from Virginia." Ian grinned while reaching up to place the small bow he'd picked up at the airport on top of her head and grinned. "Merry Christmas." His eyes met hers, watching as Lucy's welled up with tears. Ian's heart didn't wrench though, knowing that they were tears of happiness and joy rather than the ones of sadness he'd heard over the phone the night before.
Almost immediately did she wrap her arms around his, relishing the feeling of having her cheek pressed against his chest. There were moments when she could listen to his heartbeat forever and never get tired of the rhythm. His hands stroked through her hair, not caring that it was messy. Ian was used to seeing the way Lucy looked when she first woke up in the morning; it was a joy to see it again when he least expected that he would.
"I didn't think I would see you so soon."
"I got your message and I really couldn't sit home states away and let you be upset. I'd give you anything, Luc. Even myself a few days earlier than expected to see you smile. I wrote a note to my parents; I think they'll understand." Ian smirked, brushing away the tear that rolled down her cheek.
"I think I'm overdue for something," Lucy sniffled, her hand going towards the back of his neck and smiled at him.
"What would that be?"
"This." She crushed her lips to his, hand twining up in his hair. His grip wrapped around her back, hoisting her feet off the ground a small bit so that their heights evened out and they'd both get better leverage with their kisses. Hands wandered and tongues fought against one another until neither could breathe anymore, parting with their foreheads rested. "Anyhow, I think I need to unwrap my present. Do you agree?" Lucy reached up and plucked the bow off the top of Ian's head, laughing softly.
"Absolutely," he nodded as she wrapped her legs around his torso. "Merry Christmas, Lucy."