Author's Notes: AS SOON AS I SAW WHAT YOU WANTED, I HAD TO TAKE IT. Honestly, I don't believe I do any of these characters justice, but I loved these three as a family and I needed to do it. I'm so sorry that it's late. I hope you didn't think you weren't getting one! I had a friend visit me and then I was busy with Christmas and then work. I hope you like it, LittlePetal!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, blah blah, you know the drill.

"What do you mean you won't be here for Christmas?"

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Vaughn sighed heavily. He was sure that he had this conversation with her before. Every day that passed, Julia called every location that he was at and asked him if he would be home for a silly holiday. Each time, he told her that he wouldn't. He told her that he would be working his way through Christmas. There were more important things that he could do and it didn't involve celebrating with Julia and Mirabelle back on Verdure Island. "I'm not repeatin' myself."

A huff came from the other line. "You can't be serious. How do you expect to spend the holidays alone?"

"By goin' from town to town, barterin' with other animals dealers. That's how." It was the most simple answer and it was the truth. Vaughn knew that there were others in his profession who would be working through the holiday as well. No matter what, there was work that could be done.

"Mom's not going to like that."

"I don't care what she thinks. Or you for that matter." There was silence on the other line. It wasn't often that Vaughn got her to keep quiet so he enjoyed it while he last.

"Well, I'm not going to force you... But no one should be alone on Christmas; not even you," Julia commented. Her voice was softer, more defeated sounding. "Still, if you want to come here, you always can. This is your home, no matter what you may think."

The dial tone was all he heard next. Hanging up the Inn's phone, Vaughn shoved his hands back into his pockets and returned to doing his job, leaving the Inn. Despite what he had said, her words rang in his eats. "This is your home." It made him frown. He never had a place he could call home. Ever since he left to live on his own at eighteen years old, no place had been his home. He didn't need one. Never have and never will. Still, what she said stuck with him like glue. No matter how he tried to shake it off, it came back to him only a few moments later.

Regardless of what he felt from her kind words and the girls offer, Vaughn would continue to work. Making a little extra money was important to him during the winter. The more he could make, the more his life would be smoother. He had no time to waste it on partaking in festivals that held no meaning to him. It was most of the festivals with the exception of the ones involving animals. Those were the festivals he considered wasting his time on. He could see how other farmers were caring for their animals and see how the two island farmers were dealing with their own livestock. If he saw that they were mistreated poorly, it gave him a chance to be cruel and yell at them both. He always looked forward to that.

As he reached the dock, he saw the cluster of men that awaited him there. They were his co-workers. Like him, they worked right through the holidays, earning a little extra money for the winter seasons. In a way, they were like his family. In a strange and professional way, of course. Every year he met up with them to head out to different places, earning what they need to survive. Somehow though, as he approached them, he knew that something was off. The men ceased their conversation as he came closer, further proving that something was indeed wrong.

"What?"

"There won't be any work this week."

Narrowing his eyes, he looked at each of the men in the circle. They looked irritated by this news. Obviously, this wasn't some sort of joke. There was no work for them meaning that they couldn't earn the money they had intended to earn. It would cause a chuck of their wallets to disappear. It may be a small one, but it was a chunk nonetheless and none of them enjoyed knowing this fact. Reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose, Vaughn let out a deep breath. This wasn't good for him, especially.

"Then I guess I'll go back to the Inn." The men said nothing as he turned around and walked away from their little crowd. There was nothing left for him or them to say. They passed on the news an Vaughn appreciated it.

As he got closer to the Inn, Julias voice sounded in his head. Vaughn could always go there instead of staying alone in some Inn, wasting money every day. At least on the island, he had a room that Mirabelle had given him whenever he came to work with their animals. They had been kind and welcoming to him, despite his attempts to push them away. The harder they pushed, the closer they came. It wasn't a literal term. They gave him his space when they could tell he needed it. When he was close to normal, they did their best to get closer to him, braving the waters of his personality and backing off before it became too much. It was one of the things that made him appreciate them.

Stopping, he stared at the Inn ahead of him. The snow fell lightly but it was bound to get worse over night. If he didn't leave now, he would be stuck in this town until it was moved out of the way. The question was: did he really want to? Scowling, Vaughn turned on the heel of his boot and stormed back to the ship. There was bound to be one more that was going to the island before the holiday and before the storm rolled in. He would find it and he would get back "home", no matter how many trips it would take. It took him some time, but after a while, he was able to find a boat to bring him back. It made more trips than he would have wanted, but seeing as it was the only one that would take him, he had no other choice.

The journey took him three days, arriving on the island the day of the festival. The snow was deep now; almost to the top of his boots. Despite it, Vaughn trudged through the sow, desperate to get somewhere warm. He was grateful that the animal shop was nearby. Usually, it would take him only a few minutes to get there. With the snow, it felt like it took an hour.

Standing in front of their door, he found that he couldn't knock on it or even open it. It wasn't because of the snow or because of the cold; he just couldn't. Vaughn couldn't explain to himself on why; he just knew that it was impossible for him to do so. Wrapping his arms around himself, he let out a deep breath and watched it float up into the sky. The Inn was just down the road and it looked like that was where he was going to spend his holidays. Before he could turn to head there, the door to the shop swung open.

Mirabelle stood in the doorway, smiling up at him. He could feel the warmth of the house and it beckoned him to walk inside and get comfortable. Instead, he grabbed the rim of his hat and lowered it further down his face. "It's good to see you, Vaughn. I'm glad you could make it."

"Is Vaughn here?" Julia appeared beside her mother soon after saying this, giving him a smile as well. He could barely see it under the rim of his hat. "Welcome home. Are you going to come in?"

The animal trader looked at the Inn down the road. As more and more time passed, it looked tempted to stay there. Despite thinking it, his legs moved of their own accord and he stepped into the shop, trailing a bit of snow behind him. He mumbled a small apology for Mirabelle waved her hand at him. "It's not a problem. It couldn't be helped after all." She closed the door and ushered for him to take off his outdoor gear. "Even your hat," she mentioned when Vaughn pulled off his gloves. Although he was reluctant to do so, he knew that it could (and should be) dried out. Pulling off his hat, he set it on the many hooks lining the wall beside the door.

"We have some porridge waiting for you." When Vaughn stared at her, Julia laughed. "Mom had a feeling you would show up. She made me make it after I hung up. That way, it would be just the way you liked it by the time you got here."

A strange warmth overcame Vaughn. Although it was something small, the fact they had done such a thing further proved that he was family to them. It was strange to feel like he might have a family again. After his mother died and his father never returning home one day, it wasn't normal for him to feel like he had a home. Yet Julia and Mirabelle stood before him, smiling with open arms and having a warm meal waiting for him.

It felt... nice.

"Vaughn, are you smiling?!"

"Hmph."

"Mom! He's really smiling!"

"Tch! I am not!"

He may never admit it to them, but they were his family now. He was happy with them and he hoped that that happiness would last.