This is a sequel to "What if We Could." If you guys are awesome enough, you'd realize that both stories are titles to Blue October songs, and Blue October is one of my FAAAAAAVORITE bands.

Don't worry, though, because even if you haven't read "What if We Could," you will still be able to understand this one just fine.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of Rick's characters or plots or whatever.

This chapter in particular goes out to Pokemonchen. Thanks for reading!

oOo

I was never the patient type, really. Things like waiting for dinner to be done, a loading videogame or a bathtub being filled annoyed me, but almost nothing compared to waiting for that Iris-Message.

It had been a while since I'd last talked to Annabeth: maybe about two weeks. She'd promised to IM me soon, but "soon" couldn't come soon enough.

Back in the summer she'd gone with me and Mom to our cabin in Montauk for a week. That had been the best week of my life; there was swimming, boardwalk carnivals, beachcombing, late nights with pizza and soda, curling up under the blankets to wait out rainstorms together. I'd learned a lot about us that week, and it seriously gave a boost to our relationship.

Every time I thought back to that week the moments I remembered best were late at night, waking up and seeing Annabeth sound asleep under the covers beside me in her little purple pajamas, curled around the stuffed panda I'd won her at the carnival.

That week was the first time I'd heard those three words come out of her mouth to me. Unfortunately, that week was also the first time Aphrodite had come to me in my dreams, encouraging me and Annabeth to…

Well, I was against the idea at first. It seemed disrespectful to Annabeth as a woman, but she didn't act disrespected much when she found out exactly why I'd been so weird around her after that dream. It left a great deal to be pondered.

Then, of course, there was the day when Athena visited us on the beach and had told me she decided against killing me immediately. That was a plus.

The last day we were together, I'd gone to dinner at Annabeth's house. We'd gotten there early when her family wasn't there yet, and we found ourselves chasing one another around the house and then in Annabeth's bed and—Well, I never told that part, but nothing actually happened because her family came home early. We'd fixed ourselves up just in time for Professor Chase to come in.

The dinner was fine, and after it was done, Annabeth had promised that I could go over to her place for a week during winter break.

So there I was, December 15th, waiting for Annabeth to Iris-Message me and say I can come over. We both had been out of school since the 13th—Thursday—but I hadn't heard from her since.

Around 10:30 on Saturday evening, I sat on the edge of my bed, expecting my mom to come in any second to tell me to go to bed. Music was playing from a set of speakers on my desk and hadn't exactly been quiet.

I'd just gotten out of the shower and hadn't yet found the motivation to wear anything except for a towel around my waist. That turned out to be a bad idea, because five seconds before I got up to get up to get some clothes on, a familiar voice behind me chimed, "Please insert one drachma."

I turned to see the paused screen of mist of an Iris-Message. My heart did a little jump because I knew it was Annabeth. Without thinking, I plopped back down onto my bed and tossed a drachma into the mist.

Like I thought, it was Annabeth.

She was wearing those same little purple pajamas I loved so much and the dampness of her hair turned it a darker golden. I could tell that she was utilizing the shower for her Iris-Message-maker because the bathroom sink was visible at her shoulder.

Annabeth's face brightened when she saw me. "Hey, Percy!"

I grinned back, trying to ignore the flip of excitement my stomach did. "Hey! How are you doing?"

"I'm okay," she said, tucking a stray bit of damp hair behind her ear. "Bobby and Matthew got into a fist-fight after school and I had to break that up, but other than that, life has been unremarkable. What about you? Have you been having a good break so far?"

School had only been out for two days, in which I'd basically just paced my room and looked at pictures from the summer break—which, I had to say, was much more fascinating than the winter one. Up on my wall behind my bed hung numerous pictures, most from Montauk.

There was one of Annabeth I'd taken when she wasn't looking, sitting on the couch, absorbed in her book. Another was of her holding a piece of blue birthday cake grinning at me, and there was one Mom had apparently taken when we were out on the beach. Annabeth and I were in our swimsuits, kneeling in the sand building a sandcastle. The picture didn't show it, but we played Escape the Trojans afterwards and the castle was reduced to a dent in the beach.

My favorite picture, however, was the one furthest to the right. Annabeth and I had walked to a boardwalk fair on a hot day, and I'd convinced her to ride the carousel. I loved the picture so much because it showed my favorite side of her.

She was in a white cotton dress, holding the stuffed bear I'd won her, with a red balloon tied to her wrist. She sat atop an elaborately painted carousel horse while I stood next to her, my arm around her. Annabeth was scowling at the camera fiercely, but my eyes were turned up to her and there was a grin on my lips.

Every time I saw that picture I smiled.

"It's been the most boring two days of my life," I assured Annabeth, glancing back at the pictures on my wall. "It's been cold and lonely without you here beating me up all the time."

Annabeth laughed. "Well, you won't have to worry about that for long, because guess what."

Excitement flooded my chest again and my heart skipped a beat.

"Wait, hold on," I said to her hastily, standing up. "Let me put my pants on first."

"You're not…?" When she saw the towel wrapped around my waist, Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Caught you at a bad time, did I?"

"No, no. It's fine."

Quickly, so as not to miss anything, I got out of view of the Iris-Message to tug on some pajama pants at warp speed. When I got back, just for good measure, I tossed an extra drachma into the missed.

"Okay." I settled back on my bed. "Now you can tell me."

Annabeth waited a few seconds, looking at me with curiously narrowed eyes before saying anything. "…Do you have anything planned for Tuesday?"

"Uh… Yeah, sorry. I have to go get my dragon flossed."

Her look was blank.

"No, Annabeth." I rolled my eyes (though it was probably less sassy than when she did) and grinned. "I don't have anything going on."

On her end, the shower sputtered and we almost lost connection before flickering back on.

Annabeth was smiling at me with exasperation. "My dad and stepmom finally agreed to letting you come over for a week. On conditions, obviously, but whatever. It's a little short-notice, but can you come over Tuesday?"

"And stay until Christmas? I don't think my mom would like that much… It's normally a family ordeal…"

"That's the thing." Annabeth adjusted herself and I heard the clank of porcelain. Was she sitting on the toilet seat? "What my family does is kind of like…12 days of Christmas, except it's only a week. Seven days. This year we're switching things up a bit, but it's mostly the same. Finishing decorating the 18th, last-minute shopping the 19th—or anything that involves driving around, really. The 20th is always 'family game day,' which is kind of lame, but the boys enjoy it."

Annabeth's stepbrothers, Bobby and Matthew, were a handful, but they played a mean "Go Fish" game.

"The 21st…" She adjusted herself on the toilet again as she thought for a second. "We always make a gingerbread house that day. And the day after, my dad and stepmom send the boys off to their friends' houses for a night while they go have a fancy Christmas date, or something like that. They normally stay at a hotel for a night and come back later the next day. Maybe we could go out for a Christmas date, too, since we don't have to watch the boys."

Her silver eyes twinkled and I wished I could be there with her. A date on Christmas… That would mean I'd have to pack a dress shirt. Maybe Paul would lend me his car again. I'd have to figure that out later.

For another few seconds, Annabeth continued looking at me with that contemplative look she often got.

"So…" I cleared my throat. "Making gingerbread houses is going to convince my mom to let me go?"

She snorted. "I wasn't finished. Christmas Eve is when we start all the cooking, and this year, they've agreed to invite your family over for a big Christmas party at our house. So technically, you wouldn't be missing Christmas with your family after all."

It was brilliant in a really simple way. I was impressed, and after standing briefly, told Annabeth, "Can you wait here while I go ask my mom?"

"I'm not going anywhere."

As quickly as I could, I raced into the living room to find my mom.

She was sitting at the desk on the computer, her greying brown hair pulled out of her face.

"Mom," I said, rushing over to her. "AnnabethjustIris-Messagedmeandshewantsmetogoo vertoherhouseonTuesdayandsta yuntilCristmassowecanhaveaCh ristmaspartywithbothfamilies ." I took a breath and Mom turned slowly to give me a raised-eyebrow look. "Please?"

"Say that again," she requested, turning back to her laptop, "in English, this time."

"Annabeth is…Annabeth IMed me just now and wants to know if I can go to her house next Tuesday and spend the week there. And her parents invited you and Paul to come over on Christmas day so we can have a party with both families."

That time my wish sounded a little slower and saner, so Mom actually considered it. She spun around in her office chair and crossed her legs, giving me the expression that I recognized as the one that comes right before an hour-long talk.

"She's, um…" I pointed with my thumb in the vague vicinity of my bedroom. "Annabeth's waiting in the IM."

"Well, can you call her back? This isn't a decision I can easily make in thirty seconds or less, Percy." Mom saved whatever she was working on and stood from the chair. "Tell her I said hi."

"…Okay, Mom."

After she'd heard me mention the possibility several (hundred) times, one would think that she might have actually giving it some thought to as whether or not I really was allowed, but of course not. I went back into my bedroom and found Annabeth waiting in the misty screen as she had before.

When she saw me, again, she grinned and straightened up. "Well?"

"Well…" I shook my head and smiled as well, but it was more exasperated. "She wants to have a big long 'discussion' about it with me before she makes up her mind, so I'm probably going to have to get back to you on that one."

Annabeth's silver eyes rolled up to the ceiling. "Okay, then. Let me know soon, okay?"

"Within the hour. Oh, and Annabeth," I added before breaking the connection. "Mom says hi."

"Hi, Sally!" She waggled her fingers a little, even though my mom wasn't there to see it, and then the picture faded as our IM connection was severed.

Back in the living room, I was sat down on the couch. The lecture was similar to the one she gave me before Annabeth came to stay a week with us at the beach house in Montauk. It was twice as long and twice as embarrassing. It was all about our age and my innocence and not getting anyone pregnant and minding my manners and not getting myself killed. The usual.

I had my own opinions about such things, but the least I could do was nod and act as though I didn't have any kinds of those thoughts.

"Christmas has always been a family tradition…" Mom said after a moment's pause, looking at me with a sort of…nostalgic look in her eyes, "but you're a grown boy now. No reason not to let you go off on your own adventures."

The funniest thing was that she acted as though spending Christmas at my girlfriend's house was a bigger, more dangerous adventure than any of the other plenty I've been in—which actually involved near-death experiences.

"You're still coming for the party, though, right? Our Christmas as a family isn't totally lost." I was a little uncomfortable when she looked at me with that melancholy expression on.

"Of course. Don't think you don't get a stocking back at home." Mom stood and bent to kiss me on the top of my head. "You can go, Percy. I know most of what I said washed right over your head, but I don't believe there's nothing for me to worry about. We all have our moments to experience, moments that are there to teach and help us grow. Just…" She gave me one last look before turning away, "…know at what pace you're ready to learn and to grow."

With that, my mom picked up her laptop from the desk and wandered into the kitchen, looking wistful and shaking her head to herself.

It was impossible not bounding back into my bedroom. Excitement bubbled in my throat, and I couldn't help but humming a Christmas song to myself as I searched my drawers for more drachma. At last I pulled one out and turned on the miniature saltwater fountain I'd received from my dad as a gift.

When I'd thrown the coin in the fountain and asked for Annabeth, she appeared in the steam in her purple pajamas, attempting to hang some fancy architectural diagram up on her wall with tape.

"Annabeth," I announced, crossing my arms and grinning automatically at the sight of her.

Annabeth turned and grinned back, abandoning her diagram and letting it flop, half-taped against the wall. "Perce! You look excited. I take it your mom said yes?"

"But of course. Her permission cane along with the usual lecture, but I can go." With a triumphant smirk, I angled the fountain on its stand pointing towards my bed so I could flop onto it. One of the pillows bounced off. "I'm surprised I got off that easily."

"Me, too. Your mom is so cool. Is she going to drive you? Did she say?"

A frown turned the corners of my mouth down. "No she…she didn't."

"Well, good!" Annabeth cocked her head and smiled again. "My dad's going into Manhattan some time Tuesday, and he said that if you needed a ride he could come get you."

"If he wants to, that'd be great. If not, getting a ride wouldn't be a problem."

"Oh, it's fine," she assured me. "But hey, I should really be getting to bed now." She took a second to finish taping the poster up on her wall, and then turned back to the screen. "So I guess I'll see you Tuesday?"

"I sure hope so."

"…Have a good weekend, Perce." A smile crept up onto her lips and her drying blond curls shifted around her heart-shaped face. Tanned skin and the curve of her collarbone and the way her eyes were rolling and—

The Iris-Message connection dissolved. I was startled, and then upset when I realized I hadn't actually said goodbye. My mind had wandered off and she'd cut the screen before I snapped back into it.

Oh well. I'd see her on Tuesday.

With excitement in my chest too much for sleep, I lay awake for several hours, imagining spending the whole week before Christmas with Annabeth. It took a while, but at long last I drifted off with visions of sugarplum minotaurs dancing around in my head.

oOo

Okay, maybe the ending was weird, but oh well! Sorry this chapter was so short. Normally they're longer.

Hope you guys enjoyed it! Like "What if We Could," this story does not involve surprise monster attacks, because with Mark of Athena and all the other fanfictions out there, I'm sick and tired of them. So this story is free of surprise attacks!

Anyways, I know the structure is starting out kind of like how the last story did, but that's okay, too. It'll all be worth it.

Please review!

Love y'all, and don't forget to visit me on deviantart as mymonkey13 or on tumblr as thesoggybug. Have a good week!