Dear Readers,

Hey there, I know this is strange posting on a Christmas tale in summer. But for SOME reason this chapter just happened on the page and I simply had to share. My goal is to complete this by Christmas… let's see if we can do that readers! Wish me luck!

Special thinks to everyone who is now Following this story or me as an author! And to everyone who favorite this story or me as an author! You all keep me going! Thank you so much!

Special thanks to everyone who reviewed: kera69love (You were the first person to review this story, ever so thank you very much! Only the first chapter was so snappy and short, the others will hopefully remain snappy but be longer… I do tend to go on and on. [LoL, no not me] Hopefully it will be complete by this Christmas! That is my goal. Thank you so much for your interest, kindness and hope you're still reading! Much Love!), sailor silvimoon (God bless you for you positivity, and kindness! Great to here from you and hope that you're doing well. It is the readers like you who keep me going! Thanks for being such a great reader and friend! Much Love!) Anon (LoL! YES! You were the inspiration! I'm so glad you found it, that you're still reading and I'm really surprised more writers haven't listened to you before me, you have such great ideas. I'm thrilled to be the first and hopefully this chapter lives up to your high praise and expectations. [Feeling no pressure… NOT!] As for your family issues, my past three years have been so littered with the same kinds of nightmares [switching uninterrupted from one CLOSE family member to the next]. I have spent the last few years not only working my tail off to make ends meet, BUT taking care of everyone too! These stories are the only semblance of a social life that I am allowed… so HOPEFULLY your situation isn't nearly as traumatic, your nightmares have ended and this is reaching you in happier times! That this chapter is reaching you as icing on the cake! Much Love! God bless you and hope you like this especially for it would not be happening without you!), Leslie wjack (Here ya go! Hope you enjoy it as well! God bless you and hope that this is reaching you very well! Much Love!) & guest mih (Thank you, sorry this took me a little while to create and get posted [blame my fickle harddrive! Crashing and then not wanting to save correctly when it was "fixed."] Nope, I'm just gonna say thank you so much for your enthusiasm and positivity! I needed it right that moment and I thank you! Hope you're still reading and enjoying! Much Love! God bless!)

Dedicated to ALL of us needing a little Christmas cheer in the dead center of summer! Nothing warms our hearts better, hope you all enjoy!


"A Memorable Christmas"

Chapter 2Cold Confessions


Hello again, Andrew here again, welcome back and I hope you're sitting down and getting comfy for a story… because today's special tale is a doozy!

For one, my girlfriend Rita arrived home early this morning, while I was in school. I got the biggest best surprise when I got to work today. She was there waiting for me and had already began helping the other girls get the decorations up for our Christmas Extravaganza (sure we'd decorated some, but we always kick it up into full gear for the party). Last year the mistletoe quota had been staggering (if I could not kiss and be merry with my love I had wanted no shortage of it for anyone else), THIS year there was so much the entire ceiling looked like a carpet of plant life in the places I knew most people passed.

There are no words for how happy I am to FINALLY have my Ree-Ree (Rita) home. [yes we really are that disgusting right now.] I thought that it would take some getting used to, having her back, but really it was like she'd never left. We fell right into our old rhythms and we never seemed to wander too far from one another either. Time was flying by so nicely I didn't even notice it was time for my break until Darien was perched on the stool in front me like it was a high ledge off of a skyscraper, insisted with fury, "Are you TRYING to kill me?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, buddy." I shrugged with innocence that would have fooled my own mother. My best friend however wasn't buying it.

"You know EXACTLY what I'm talking about! All the mistletoe and yuletideJOY…And there are enough young attractive girls in this place to film a single's bar scene. Now what gives?!" The desperate fool demanded further.

I pat his shoulder and said, "What can I say? I can't choose what customers do or do not come in, or at what time. It's not like I planned the place to be crawling with babes who want to corner you under mistletoe. Or that all of Lizzie's friends would grow up and be getting a little prettier everyday with her. They've all seemingly blossomed overnight don't cha think?"

He shook his head, unconvinced, muttering something under his breath before saying; "The last time I checked Lizzie's elaborate list of friends did not include a ton of the faces that I'm seeing in here today."

"Well," I tried to reason, "We do like to always take special care of all of our favorite patrons this time of year. So that when we close down till the new year, we send everyone off right."

"Oh Pul-lease! I know exactly what you're doing and I thank the heavens Rita is back from Africa now. I pray she'll rein you in and make you not so stupid."

As I handed him his usual cup of black coffee, "I think you're giving my sinister side far too much credit. Pray tell, just what do you THINK I'm trying to accomplish here?"

He didn't hesitate, "You're trying to torture me to death by hanging all of this mistletoe everywhere, just so you can sit back and watch the lunacy from the best possible seat. Where no evil plant life is hanging, stealing your livelihood, making you deal with people you don't even know!"

"Livelihood? You mean to tell me you have any?" I asked in shock.

Rita took my arm and joined in saying, "Oh come on Darien, it's not going to be like that. It'll be fun, it's Christmas!"

"If you think that, you're just as crazy as he is," Darien said with a little smile and not nearly as much venom as he would have used had he been talking to me. He's still too glad to see Rita to get too mad at her... especially since I acted alone on this plan and he just all around likes her better. After all she is the first girl he's met who genuinely wants nothing more than friendship from him. Have I mentioned I adore the fact my love and my best pal are so close? It seriously makes me so happy sometimes I could burst... thankfully I haven't.

Not to be deterred from his current predicament, Darien shrugged; "So it's just by chance that this current Impromptu 'Ladies Night at the Crown' includes Serena and probably all of her flock?"

I shrugged indifferently, "If it does I haven't even seen them yet, so how malice can my motives really be?"

Rita spoke up and said, "I did see Serena walk in and head for her booth, but it doesn't look like she's there now."

"Well if her posse does make an appearance you know I won't protest." I said before elbowing my friend, reminding him. "I seem to recall you having a friend in that faction."

"Okay, there is something seriously wrong with you if you think even for a moment that Serena and I are even remotely friends. You know she hates me."

I rolled my eyes, "Yes, you've done a great job of screwing yourself on that situation. We ALL know it, I was talking about her friend Raye."

Darien gulped his coffee a little loudly as he confessed, "I wouldn't exactly call us 'friends' right now."

"Why, what did you do?" I asked taking on a more protective tone. I think of all of those girls as baby sisters.

My cool and calculating comrade shrugged to me like he's done a million times and replied, "I was honest with her."

What I was about to say, Rita said for me; "You broke up with her, AT CHRISTMAS!"

"No, I didn't break up with her! The term 'breaking up' insinuates the severing of feelings and attachments that were never in the equation… for either of us. I told her the truth, which is that she's a great girl and I like her a lot but I just don't have those kinds of feelings for her. She said all was good, that she has been feeling the exact same way about me but didn't know how to tell me. That there's a guy at her temple she's kind of interested in. She wasn't heartbroken and I can't see there being any real problem in the future, it's just a bit awkward is all... Don't look at me like that! I know it was the right thing to do."

I admitted, "Well you were much nicer to her than you have been to others. And she sounds like she was losing interest just as much as you were. I've heard the other girls teasing Raye about that same guy."

Rita added, "I don't like it, happening so close to a holiday, but it does nicely free you up for whatever your holiday season may hold for you."

"What is that supposed to mean?" He asked, playing that he was completely taken off guard.

I said, "I think you know exactly what we're talking about. A different girl in that same group with long blonde pigtails that you keep pretending not to stare at. You act as if you hate her guts to her face when really we all know the truth, that you're hanging on to her every word and dying to catch her attention. Even if it's for only a fleeting moment."

"Please, has anyone actually told you how severally unhinged Rita's absence has made you?" Darien said taking nothing I said seriously.

"Why not head over to your other spot and see if you can't bump into her. Preferably under a sprig of magical kiss inspiring greenery?"

"Grow up!" He bit back, I refilled his coffee and he did follow my advice and steal a seat in his favorite booth. Which just so happens to be across an aisle from Serena's favorite booth. Happy coincidence, don't cha think? The whole way he was bombarded with girls all rallying and narrowly escaping fighting each other for his attention and a chance to kiss him under the mistletoe abundantly adorning his booth. I would have been so much happier about this whole thing if Ann HADN'T intercepted him {latching onto his arm and somehow fighting back the masses} before he'd gotten three yards beyond his stool.

Doesn't that little hellion have some OTHER person's day to spoil?

Shouldn't she have a friend or two by now? That hangs out some other place?

Bottom line, there has to be some OTHER place in the world that she can inhabit daily where I DON'T have to deal with her always foiling my schemes! Throwing monkey wrenches into all of intricate inner-workings. Or preventing my bestie from FINALLY dating someone he could so easily love and be happy with! Blast her to the depths, her plus that brother of hers, with their annoying ways and eighties hair!

Rita was tugging my arm asking me, "If that girl was Ann, whom I'd been complaining about in my most recent letters."

I verified, yes, before I began to explain some of that spore in my side's more recent stunts. One's that I hadn't told her about yet, when I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Darien was trying to get my attention behind Ann's back.

Thinking he wanted me or Rita to club his parasite over the head; we each grabbed our weapons of choice (I grabbed a hard backed and heavy tray while Rita grabbed mostly empty bottle of Grenadine {which is made of thick glass}). He rolled his eyes and made us drop the artilleries before he pointed with deep concern at Serena's booth. Which upon closer inspection, Serena was occupying, but she was so slumped down there was no way anyone could have seen her till now. She was curled up into a ball in the corner with her head down and I had a dreaded feeling either she had been crying or she still was by the shaking of her shoulders.

My feet were flying and I slid into the seat adjoined to hers, taking her hand, I asked her. "Are you okay… Serena… what happened?"

When her head came up she sniffled and I've never seen her look more hurt or sad. She wasn't crying right now, but the evidence that she had been crying was written all over her face. She took a deep breath and just before she could begin-

"WHAT happened to YOU?" Ann squawked rudely.

"It's nothing," she said her voice sounding hoarse and unused. She sniffled again, cleared her throat and tried to gain some kind of control over her emotions. But before she could, she was being yelled at, by none other than that thorn in my rose bush, that weed in my garden, that endless VOID of vapid valley-girl-dom (yes "dumb" intended) that answers to the name Ann.

"You are NOT crying over the fact you got detention again, because it happens EVERY day SER-REN-NA! Don't do the crime if you can't do the time!"

"I didn't do anything," Serena said shakily; "you were the one passing notes with your brother about those disgusting thing-"

"SHUT UP!" The little witch screamed shrilly. I had to watch the pain break newly across Serena's face. Needless to say, I was on my feet, in Ann's face quicker than even I knew I could move.

"HEY Ann," I smoldered, and she recoiled in fear as I practically growled. "I have known Serena a long time, she's like a sister to me, I am capable of talking to her with my own two lips, using my perfectly functioning brain. Does it look like I require your assistance – No, I think I've got this. If you never scream like that at another patron we'll get along just fine but if you EVER disrespect another person under this roof again… you're out of here, do I make myself clear?"

"Oh fine," she whined, and curled into Darien who looked completely repulsed by her.

I reclaimed my seat in front of Serena (and her hand) who was looking down at her lap or possibly her shoes. She said quietly. "that was sweet, but I'm not worth it."

"Serena, don't talk so low about yourself, now what happened, what got you so upset?"

She began, "I'm glad I caught you though Andrew because I wanted to tell you personally that I won't be attending the Christmas party tomorrow."

"You won't?" I said with shock, the only person who looks forward to this time of year, more than me, is Serena. I was getting more worried by the moment. "I'm so sorry to hear that, did something happen; are you alright?"

"I'm okay, but it's just… something came up and I know I probably won't be able to make it."

"Well gosh Serena, I'm sorry to hear that. We will all certainly miss you. Is there anything I can do-"

"That's really considerate of you Andrew, you're like my big brother too; but don't worry about me. I'm still sending along the food I promised and my gift in the 'secret-santa gift exchange.' I just wanted to wish you, Rita and Lizzie a very Merry Christmas and I'll probably see you at the beginning of the new year, okay."

With that said, she slipped her hand out from underneath of mine. She kissed my forehead, hugged Rita who had instantly stepped up closer and looked close to tears too. My girlfriend squeezed the younger girl tightly saying, "If there is anything we can do to help you, you don't hesitate okay!"

Serena nodded up to Rita and thanked her, saying; "Thank you for understanding and being such great friends."

After hugging Lizzie, she left without a backwards glance; Ann barely waited for her to be out of earshot before she laughed inappropriately, "What a Drama Queen!"

Before I even had a chance to voice how inapt or discourteous that little wretch was being. Darien shocked us all by telling Ann to "Shut UP!"

"wha?" she squeaked.

"I'll admit, Serena can overact and overdramatize, but that was genuine pain and hurt. I have no doubt, I think I'm gonna go after her." He said trying to get up even though Ann was still seated in front him. Ann shoved him back into a sitting position and yelped, "NO!"

"Excuse me!" Darien demanded with little patience as Ann tried to plaster him in place by pressing the entire front of her body up against his chest.

"Don't you see Darien, all that you just saw was an act. Put on by a piss poor actress who only wants to steal you away from me and all of the other girls in this place. If you go running after her right now, not only will you be falling right into her trap, but you'll be missing all of the fun we could be having."

I literally watched something in my B.F.F.'s very expression SNAP! I watched him in the blink of an eye, (Somehow) Stand with Ann clutched away from his body at arm's length, spin and place Ann behind him right back in the spot she had been in a second ago. The only difference now was that she was no longer holding him captive in the bench like seat. He shook his head and said, "If you can say something so cold and wrong than I'm not so sure I can even be your friend any longer. You're not the person I thought you were at all."

Ann was panicking and totally following him out, sputtering and calling out apologies the whole way. Lots of girls were slowing my pal down but somehow he escaped and quickly started heading in the direction Serena left in. I tried to text them when I did have a second or two, between rushes but I never received any replies from either party.

Hours passed before I was finally able to hear the tale of what happened beyond what I'd seen for myself. I had basically given up on finding out, it was so late and The Café had been closed for a while. I figured if anything important happened I would find out eventually… and if anything ESPECIALLY exciting were to happen Darien would find me because, come on. Who else does he have to freak out to? The only reason that Lizzie, Rita and I were still there is because the girls wanted to cook as much as they could for the party the night before. SO it wouldn't be too much the next day. Brilliant plan right? So it was super late and all of us were shocked to discover that everything outside was currently getting dusted in a light and powdery snow topping.

So imagine our surprise when a tall figure comes knocking on the employee back entrance. Before you panic like we did, it wasn't a murderer or anything it was Darien; looking like a snowman. He'd been out in the cold for a while, and I quickly started warming him up with coffee so he could thaw enough to tell us what had happened since he left. I tried to keep the billions of question bubbling up inside of me tightly under wraps. I concerned myself with keeping the scolding coffee coming and explaining our mundane reasons for still being here so late. Eventually, Darien rolled his eyes and said, "Alright, go ahead and ask me."

"Ask you what?" I asked with a shrug.

"Ask me some of those nosy queries that are about to make you spontaneously combust."

"I don't know what you're talking about, the only thing I'm currently wondering is why you were out and about on a night like this?"

He replied, "Why do you think I was out and not home?"

"You weren't chasing after Serena all of this time." I reasoned.

"Are you sure about that? Are we talking about the same girl?"

"Oh come on Darien, you have got to be kidding me." Andrew insisted.

"Nope, I had the hardest time catching up to her, and when I was just about to give up and started heading home, I found her on a bench just outside those rose tunnels. I had to catch my breath before I could even think of talking to her."

My little sister appeared from thin air and said a little too loudly for the quiet room. "Those tunnels you were obsessed with all those years, wow! It sounds like she knew where you'd find her."

"I don't believe, for a minute; that was her intent," He shook his head. Finally unhitching his zipped and snapped up heavy coat, so he could relax a bit.

"Why?" I asked and Darien shot me a look of pure aspiration. See how hard he makes me work for every little thing? He calls me prying and intrusive, but it's all outta love, he's just not used to people caring.

"Hell if I know! It took her the longest time to calm down and finally talk to me and it was none too productive at first!" He complained.

I reasoned, "Let me guess she was amazed that you even cared and was afraid of giving you more material to tease her with. am i close?"

"God you're meddlesome!"

"More like, 'God, I'm right.'"

"Oh Pu-lease Andrew, can you not be a gloating busy body for ONCE when it comes to her!"

"I will stop as soon as you start treating her right!"

"Well, listen closely, because that time and place has finally arrived, alright." He said as if he was telling me to go to the grocery store. Like it was commonplace, every day, nothing special.

Did you read what he said, maybe you should re-read it (Goodness knows I have). NOT ONE THING in that STATEMENT is COMMONPLACE! Not for him! Not for the girl in question! What is going on here?

Somehow I kept my voice calm as I asked, "Forgive me for needing more info and proof but I need more data before I can BELIEVE that."

"Listen, don't get all crazy; we forged a truce and I-I…" He took a deep breath and sighed, like he knew he was opening up a whole new can of worms. Then he said, "I'm bringing her to the Christmas party… as my date. Happy now?"

"She's coming to the party after all, AND she's going to be your DATE?" I repeated in complete shock.

Rita tacked on to my comment, "Well for more than a year of misapprehensions and at times almost crude treatment of one another… you guys certainly got over all of that in a flash. What happened?"

"I don't know, we got sick of it all and fixed it." Darien said with way too much missing in between all of the words of this explanation.

"It can't be that simple!" Lizzie insisted before I could and I all I could do was agree with a "YEAH!" that was way too enthused.

"I mean this is Serena we're talking about," Lizzie said stealing the seat I'm not entirely certain when I'd left. The one that had been right beside my friend. She was gesturing big with her hands as she expressed, "This is the girl that you've been HUNG UP on for TWO years now. Mr. 'Sorry-the-slew-of-women-I-dated-lost-my-interest-in-the-first-FIVE-minutes.' Mr. 'I-never-get-TOO-attached, never-fall-love!' THIS is the ONLY girl to ever turn that head by being a total surprise to you every other breath she takes. Those were some of your OWN words describing her that I haven't forgotten! Don't SAY this ISN'T a BIG DEAL, This is a FREAKING HUGE DEAL DARIEN! Not even you are that COOL!"

"Maybe I am," he didn't hesitate to smirk over the brim of his cup.

Lizzie swatted him in the back of his head so hard that there was a resounding thwack and some of the snow fell off the ironing surrounding our little too warm bubble inside the diner. I know our savior's name left my lips and somehow by the grace of acknowledging that higher power, Darien started to crack a little more.

"Look, I know I've done nothing but repeatedly screw up when it comes to her. Even though she's one of my friends, even though I've always had a soft spot for her… regardless of all of my shortcomings, all of the mean, hurtful things I've said. All the ugliness… she saw something in me, just like I saw something in her…"

"That is the sweetest thing I've ever heard." Rita said with a hand over her heart.

"I know it's all very fast and short notice, and that I'll probably have it all screwed up again before the end of tomorrow… but I refuse to waste another moment wishing and hoping to take it all back. She's dealing with some serious stuff right now and she turned to me. She didn't have to, and it could even be because there was no one else around to listen. But the point is… she gave me something out there in the snow and cold today that she didn't have to. She could have gone home and kept it all in, but she didn't; she shared a little piece of it with me, and I ended up heading back to her house with her."

"Ohh la la!" Lizzie giggled and wiggled her shoulders.

Darien instantly clarified, "It was nothing like that, pipsqueak! It was too cold to stay out any longer and we were still talking, so that's just how things fell into place. Her house was a bit closer, and I didn't think she would trust me enough to come to my place and I had to hear more-You get the idea!"

"Right so you were in such a weighty discussion that you ended up following her back to her house. Sounds important." I helped him along, leaning on the counter, way too into this new development.

"It was, and don't think for a minute that I'm betraying confidences I just earned." He clarified shooting me a threatening look.

I was about to protest when Rita took my arm and answered, "Of course, we wouldn't want you to do that. Right Andy?"

"No," I agreed while my head roared back "YES!" so loudly it would have blown my Rita's beautiful chestnut hair - straight back on her head!

He held up his cup for me to refill again, and as I did, he said, "The one thing I will share is that this Christmas isn't going to be like any other Serena has ever celebrated. It's been nearly impossible all season for her to cheer up and 'find the spirit.' Which you know how major that is, usually the only person in the world with more Christmas spirit than her is that Santa guy."

"So you're not only trying to date her but you- Darien Shield –professional scrooge, and Grinch enthusiasts is now on a mission to help someone as sweet and vigorous as Serena find her 'Christmas Spirit?'" I simplified.

"Yeah," Darien said sounding so nervous and unsure. Before admitting, "Look I know it's a stretch, I know I'm more likely to fail than succeed. That this whole thing could be a bust, I could end up ruining everything so much more for her… but something in me tells me that I have to try. Christmas has never been important to me at all, and it means so much to her… I don't know…"

Seeing he needed a little reassurance, I slapped him on the back and promised; "Well, you've got all of us in your corner. We'll be here to help you throughout the party, and consider me a lifeline on your cell phone any other time. Alright?"

"Thanks pal," Darien tried to smile but he was still a bit nervous about this whole thing… and rightly so.

"That goes for us too," Rita and Lizzie said gripping each of his arms reassuringly, and when we all split up for the night, I really hope that my buddy was feeling a little more confident about what tomorrow might bring. He did seem to have a bit more of a spring in his step, but that could have easily been shivering that I confused for such. Regardless, tomorrow's party is going to be so much more the spectacle than I expected. I'm so jazzed I don't know if I'll be able to sleep but I hope so!


Here Are Darien's thoughts (as he walks home)…

I don't know where you hail from, but have you ever had to walk any kind of distance in the snow. Like six inches worth dusting everything in the middle of the night? When the icy bits of sky falling are hitting your numb cheeks like needles, and you literally see the warmth leaving your body with every breath you take? That is how cold it is now, thankfully Andrew had given me tons of coffee, trying to keep me talking. There's no way that I'm sleeping tonight; but my likely insomnia has nothing to do with my overzealous caffeine intake… This has everything to do with a girl.

Not just any girl, we're talking about the girl whose single handedly robbed me of more than one night of sleep. The girl who like Lizzie said (quoting me or not) "Has done nothing but surprise me with every other breath she takes." It's truer now more than ever… but look at me getting ahead of myself. No wonder my head's all meddled up, let me try again; starting with this where it really began, which was right after I left the arcade.

I combed all of the places I usually bump into her, only to come up empty. The temperature was dropping as I started searching the park, about half way into my hunt; the first few snow flurries began to float down and I realized she probably didn't want to be found. Especially if she knew that I was the one looking for her. So I decided to head home myself; and there she was.

She was seated on the bench just outside the rose tunnels. The same seat that has been one of my favorite spots, for years. I dimly recall seeing her sit there before too, possibly even speaking to her there; though I have no idea why those memories seem so far away when I haven't known her very long. As I walk past that very same bench now, I instantly feel a warmth in my chest that has nothing to do with coffee.

When I had first reached her this afternoon, I needed a moment to catch my breath. I had been running around like a crazy person, looking for her, since I left the arcade. I don't think she even noticed me at first, she was all curled up and crying softly to herself. The small purple cat that she keeps for a pet was in her lap and she had curled herself around the small feline as if she were a lifeline. I believe the two would have frozen in that spot oblivious to the world around them, if I hadn't spoken up asking them, "Wanna talk about it?"

Serena jumped nearly a foot in the air and let out a shout. She was instantly demanding, "DARIEN! Where in the WORLD did you come from?"

"Nice to see you too." I smirked, not expecting her to feel like arguing after crying so much.

Boy, was I wrong! "Must you ALWAYS appear from thin air and annoy me? Have I not been through enough today?!"

"It's not my fault you were so wrapped up in your own wallowing that you missed me stealing the seat next to you."

"Oh right, I'm sure when you cry, you still keep track of everything happening around you!" She bit back.

"I don't cry about everything, like you, meatball brain." I said and face palmed the second it left my mouth. Wasn't I supposed to be soothing her, not pissing her off?

"Oh that's right I forgot who I'm talking to, Darien the sentiment-void or emotionless wonder … No, you know what! I'm not doing this!" Serena suddenly stopped herself and curled back into her cat. "Just go away and leave me alone."

"No, I don't think that's what you need right now-"

"And just HOW do YOU know what anyone needs, least of all ME?" She snapped still squeezing her cat in a tight hug.

"Because I've been there, that's why."

"What are you talking about?" She asked, looking back at me.

"I'm all too experienced in the kind of pain; the same agony I saw in your eyes today at the arcade. I recognized it immediately and whether it's emotional, mental or physical… I know I've been there. While everyone has a different way of dealing with these kinds of hurt, I know yours can't be the type to handle it alone. That's why I followed you."

"You really did follow me?" She asked.

"I would have caught you more quickly if it weren't for all of those crazy girls slowing me down, all still hoping to trap me beneath that godforsaken chunk of vegetation. I'll have to get even with Andrew for that somehow! They did such a great job slowing me down that by the time I cleared those automatic doors you were out of sight, and I had some trouble tracking you down-"

She interrupted with, "oh, Andrew sent you, I guess-"

"No Andrew did not send me! I sent myself, will you let me tell the story?"

"Are you sure that Andrew didn't say anything about how you should keep an eye on me because I had been upset?"

"If he did, he said it to my back, because I was already hot on your trail and I didn't hear it."

"No Darien, you don't have to do this." She answered still sniffling.

"Do what?" I asked, having no idea where she was going with this.

"You don't have to belittle yourself by acting like you care about pathetic little me. I'm not worth your worry and there's nothing anyone can do to help or fix things, okay. Just go home, it's starting to snow anyway-"

"No, listen Serena I didn't come after you because anyone sent me or trying gain points with anyone. I came because- Because… I know how you feel, and I wanted to see if I could help."

"You know how I feel? YOU… know how Ifeel?"

"Yes I do." I answered confidently.

"So you know what it's like to have something horrific happen to you that you don't even remember? All you do recall is waking up in a hospital, in a stifling cloud of confusion?"

"Yes," I said and she rolled her eyes and it sound like she mumbled 'that you do remember.'

"Have you ever had the clouds clear to discover the cause of all your suffering was your own fault?"

"Well… that is a new one." I gave her, fairly, which only seem to agitate her more than comfort her. So I tacked on, "But you should feel lucky that your memories returned at all. The times that I've awakened in the hospital still have clouds and I've long ago given up on their departure."

"Then on top of all of the stupid SELFISH human tendencies we possess. Have you ever been told that the strongest person you know, that one soul who always made you feel special… is fatally ill, and there was nothing that none of us can do to make it better. No matter how impossible the world seems without that person?"

"Who is fatally ill?" I asked and she started crying again.

"My aunt… she's my mom's little sister and she's the only person like me in my whole family. She's been my hero and best friend since literally the moment I was put in her hands when I was a baby… my mom went to visit her, because she was too weak to travel. It wasn't until she arrived that… my mom found out the truth."

"And the truth is that she's gonna die?" I asked around the tightening in my throat.

Serena didn't answer me she just put her hand over her face.

"How long does she have?"

She took a few minutes to answer, but when she did… she confided, "They're not even sure that she'll live to see Christmas Day."

"Serena… I'm so sorry to hear that."

"You wanna know what the worst part of it all is?"

"There's a worst part?" I asked.

"Yes, and I love them all, don't get me wrong… but I know my family, and their all there probably acting like she's already died. Just put her in the ground already, it's over, that's not the way anyone's end should be no matter how young, old, prepared or unprepared they are. I know they won't get it right and I'm an ocean away, I can advocate for her. How can I be of any help to her here?" Serena barely finished before she started to sob so hard that no sound was coming out, just big tears as her chest racked about harshly with grief-stricken sorrow.

"Is there any way that you can get to her now?"

"No," she squeaked, "I'm completely stuck here now."

I was panicking, I wanted to help her somehow. Make the tears stop, if nothing else, but I had no idea how to do that. I only processed gifts in making this girls tears begin, not the other way around. I think I said something like, "God… I wish there was something I could do or say to make you feel better… but I'm probably the worst guy in the world to be talking to you about this."

"You should go home Darien… it's cold out and you don't want to miss the party tomorrow. I don't want to bring down anyone else's holiday's with my grief. You should go."

"You're probably right," I confessed; "But not for the reason's you think. You see, I don't really have any holiday plans for anyone to ruin. The highlight of this time of year for me is Andrew's party and when the Café re-opens in the new year, with lots of nothing in between. The reason I have so much nothing is because… I don't have any family at all. I don't miss it because it's always been that way, so I can't imagine what it's like to lose someone so dear, because no one's ever meant that much to me."

She sat up sniffling and trying so hard to pull herself together. "Thank you for sitting with me… and for trying… it was sweet."

"You calling me sweet?"

"Don't ruin it." She warned.

"If only the others could hear us now, they wouldn't be able to believe it. That we're able to get along like this."

"And you ruined it." She shook her head.

"No I didn't, but I should be thanking you."

"Why?" She asked, so softly and distant that I instantly felt the need to pull her closer and anchor her down next to me somehow. I have no idea where that came from but it was how I felt.

"Because you didn't have to tell me any of those things. I appreciate that you did. Even if it is because I was the only one here who wasn't your cat."

"Why," asked again so softly I almost missed it.

Knowing I heard wrong I said, "Sorry, what did you say?"

"I asked you, why?" She repeated before blowing her nose softly into a Kleenex. Then she continued to ask, "Why are you following me around in the snow when I know you don't care at all about me."

"Are you really gonna make me say it?" I asked and she blew her nose again.

With a sniffle and shrug of innocence, she asked; "Make you say what?"

I took a deep breath and said, "Even though I have never treated you very nice… I do consider you a friend."

"Whaaaaaaa?" She said.

"Come on, stop kidding around! You already knew that!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Yes, you do; you know I think of you as a friend just the same way you think of me as one."

"Maybe so, but it's still nice to hear." She smiled a little and I felt my entire spine slacken and slump a little under the power of it. Thank heavens she has no idea the power she holds over me. Before I could stop these words came pouring out, "I just couldn't stand the thought of you out here in the cold, hurting. That's all…Now shouldn't you be heading home?"

"No, I'm – I'm supposed to be meeting my friends-"

"Then I'll walk you there-"

"No, I mean, I don't wanna go meet up with all of them looking like this."

"Like what?"

"Oh come on, I have been crying since my mom called which was, like; two hours ago! I know my face is all puffy and red from all of the waterworks. So, you don't have to attempt to be nice about it."

Her face was red, and the skin around her eyes looked irritated, but somehow she still looked beautiful to me. Something about staring at her tear stained face rang a dim bell inside of me too. Like I'd made her cry a lot more times than I actually remember. What a weird thought to have, huh? I snapped myself back to reality and shrugged to her, "You look just fine to me."

"No, I really am not in the mood today, besides all of their boyfriends are gonna be there. I think I'll just head home after all." She decided before standing up and taking a wobbly few steps. Her knees seemed pretty wobbly, probably from all of the crying, I popped up with her and started following her and the kitty cat to their home. After a few blocks, Serena glanced up at me and asked, "Isn't your home in the other direction."

"It is," I shrugged.

"Then why are you following me?"

"I would just feel better making sure you got home alright."

"Darien, I'm fine."

"Maybe so, but I would still feel better seeing you to your door. If you don't feel like talking about it then I'll just settle for this." I shrugged.

"I told you why I was crying."

"No, you told me about a couple of things, which is upsetting you today. Things like this usually come in threes or fives, so I know there's more to this that you're not telling me. So to play it safe I'm walking you home, if you don't feel like sharing all of it than I will just see that you're safely home, end of discussion." I told her, and she shook her head.

"This is all completely unnecessary!" She maintained, even though I could see appreciation too. "I walk this entire way, mostly alone, every day."

"It may seem pointless to you, but I'm gonna do it anyway!" I retorted, mimicking her tone.

We walked for a little ways in silence, until I started to notice that every person that we passed had another person attached to them in a disgusting way. Just when I thought that I was going crazy and the only one to notice this, Serena scoffed at the twelfth couple to pass us. She said out loud, "Oh come ON! What is HAPPENING here? Is this Christmas or Valentine's Day?"

I tried to choke down a chuckle but as the thirteenth pair passed, she stated "You've GOT to be kidding me!"

Fourteenth and Fifteenth, "GOOD GRIEF!"

I couldn't help it I started laughing and she turned around to pinch her fingers for emphasis as she asked, "It's like there's something trickling into the city's water supply that should be STOPPED. Am I the only one to notice?"

"Oh no, I noticed;" I shrugged confessing, "Like you I don't know what's going on. What's worse is since Rita has returned from Africa she seems convinced that it's any day now for me to be in a duo as well."

"That's not necessarily so farfetched for you; that just shows she knows you well." The girl shrugged back and nearly walked into couples sixteen and seventeen.

"Open your goo-goo eyes and WATCH where you're walking!" she said just as she walked into streetlamp post head on. The couple was so wrapped up into themselves they missed it entirely, only I seemed to notice and I was on the ground I was laughing so hard. How does this girl always manage to crack me up, even on her worst days?

The thing is when I fell on the ground laughing (I'd really skidded on some ice, my feet flew out from under me), Serena started laughing at me and ended up falling on her butt too a few feet in front of me while her cat seemed to eye us both like we had lost our minds and decided to brave the rest of her journey home without us. When we both stopped laughing and managed to clamber back to our feet somehow on the slick icy pavement, Serena took a deep breath and looked like she felt a whole lot more like herself for a split-second. That brief and cut too short time measure was the magic! That was the same trance that had me walking the long way to school each day just hoping I'll bump into her. The same spell that kept me putting up with Andrew's daily (if not constant) teasing at the arcade; just so I might hopefully spend more than a minute with this enchantress. There had to be an incantation whispered over us the moment that I first saw her, and I instantly liked her…

INSTANTLY! Do you know how huge that was for me? The guy who only has one friend and I didn't even like him immediately, Andrew was a presence that had to grow on me, over time. Not Serena, I knew the moment my eyes landed on her that first time that she was something special, something unexpected and completely different from every other girl I'd ever seen… and that wasn't even counting her bizarre and creative hairstyle.

Then I'd put my big foot… all of it, directly in my mouth and there is has stayed since. I don't know why I can never tell this person how much she means to me. How much I live for those fleeting moments no matter how short-lived or miniscule as they may be. How her smile and laugh always seem to make all of the rest of my dark and pathetically lonesome world melt away into something so much better…

Admittedly today I had taken some pretty big strides in the right direction and I was proud of myself for that…

But when the pain resurfaced in her eyes, dulling all twinkling lights that had danced there freely 'the blink of an eye' ago… when all of the redness intensified in her eyes and she sniffled softly. I don't know what I felt, it was suddenly so much colder, and bitterly so. The only description that I think could come near it was nearly having my heart break for her.

Please understand, nobody has ever had the invisible and unexplainable hold over me that this girl does. I wish I could stop it at the same time as I hope to never stop it. At least understand it or have some higher power tell what I did to deserve such a precious angel in my life who will probably NEVER see me as anyone but that jerk that has done nothing but make her life a living hell since day one. I watched her take a big swallow, before turning and carefully resuming her journey home.

I dutifully followed, as promised and tried to think of something that I could say. Nothing coming to mind was worth saying. Not to mention I didn't know everything that was disturbing her, so I didn't know what was safe and what topics would send her running in more tears.

Trying to keep talking so my teeth wouldn't chatter I asked, "Did I hear you correctly when… I could have sworn you told Andrew that you wouldn't be attending his Christmas party?"

"You heard right, I just know that I won't feel up to it. If I didn't feel so terrible I might try harder, but there's just too many bigger things happening around me and I can't seem let go of it all like I normally do."

"Let go?"

"Yeah, no matter how stressful the world can seem the rest of the time, it always gets a little… 'merrier' this time of year and so do I. My family raised me that way really… but this year I just know that none of us will be able to do that." Then she looked up at the sky and said. "On top of EVERYTHING else, ALL of my friends are so wrapped up in some kind of pairing! Every one of them! I feel like I'm wasting their time, ya know. So I can't talk to any of them."

"I feel the same way about the majority of my friends." I heard myself agreeing instantaneously. "Since when is Christmas a more romantic holiday than Valentine's Day?"

"It is! At least this Christmas is for sure." She agreed before pulling a face that said she wasn't happy about the way this conversation was sounding. She rectified, "Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled for them my friends and all of these lucky people in twos. The world definitely needs a lot more love in it."

"Sure," I shrugged, "It's just a little much when it's happening for everyone you know, except you."

"Exactly, it's not their problem of course it's mine. And if I were to instantly obtain a likely understanding with a guy right now. It wouldn't work out-"

"Why not?" I did manage to work that request in there.

"All of the things I'm not talking about right now, all of the things I know I can't let go of, even for Christmas. They're all so time, energy and all-consuming that I would be a terrible girlfriend and get dumped again before the new year."

"How can you be so sure?" I asked.

"Because I wouldn't have a moment to spend with the guy and that's not fair to him. My own world is too much right now for even me to handle, how can I ask someone else to be understanding of that when I don't comprehend it fully myself. No, I'm better off just not getting involved with anyone right now, and not attending that party. I wouldn't want to bring everyone else's celebration down."

Before I could inquire further on the subject we arrived at a house that Serena instantly stepped over into the yard of almost completely covered grass. She turned to me and bowed respectfully saying, "Well, thank you for walking me home even though it wasn't required-"

"It was completely essential and if you can't talk about all of it, I'm at least glad I got you talking a little and I'm sorry again about your aunt."

"Thanks, it was more like complaining than anything else, but… thank you regardless."

I smiled, "You're welcome regardless."

"You know the snow is coming down pretty heavily, do you wanna step inside and warm up a little?" She offered and honestly as freezing cold as I felt I would have accepted an offer of ice cream if it meant that I could talk to her a little longer.

So defying the odds and doing something I was convinced that I would never get to do. I followed Serena into her front door. It was a lot cleaner than I expected inside her home (not to be insulting it's just that she lives with three other people) and had wide open spaces. The ceilings were very high so the living room and dining room were cavernous discoveries as Serena went around daftly, switched from shoes to house slippers slid a guest pair my way and thoughtlessly began flicking light switches on.

"No one else is home?" I asked conversationally and she nodded the affirmative.

"Isn't that unusual?" I probed, only gaining a shrug as she reached up above the fire place and produced a teeny remote control. With the press of a button the fireplace lit and the both of us were gathered around the heat. It wasn't until a few moments later when the two of us realized that we were two teenagers completely alone in a darkened house with a lit fireplace casting a romantic glow over the room. As soon as this realization hit Serena, I saw her face turn beet red for a moment, but only a moment before she suggested, "You know I don't think that fire's gonna do it, would you like some cocoa?"

"Sounds good," I agreed thanking her before she exited the family room, walked through the dining room and disappeared into a doorway which must have been her kitchen. It wasn't till she was coming back with a steaming cup that I realized just how much potential danger I could be walking into. This was the Meatball Head, preparing something that included an element of cooking since a liquid needed to be warmed. This could be okay, and this could be poison...

As if I need to be more on edge, Serena's cat appeared from thin air and perched herself on the coffee table directly in front of me. I didn't recall her coming in with us, but there she was standing on the coffee table staring at me as if she were reading my soul.

"Luna!" Serena complained, "Stop being weird."

The feline in question gave her master a sideways glance before, she started licking her paws femininely. Serena sighed, shaking her head. "I'm sorry about her, she lived on the streets as a stray for years till she followed me home one day. Half the time she's the coolest, but the rest of the time, she's a weirdo!"

"I didn't know she wasn't yours her whole life," I said with interest joining her on her couch

"I get that a lot, but the truth is I was late to school one day and I found a group of kids torturing this poor kitty with a band-aid on it's forehead. I scared away the kids and helped her take off the bandage, and I know it had to hurt all of that purple fur glued to the back of those crossing strips. It couldn't have felt good. She's hardly left my side since, Another cat appeared at the top of the stairs, a white male who was meowing loudly until Luna got up and followed it up the stairs and out of the sight."

"You have another cat?"

"Yeah, he's kind of my mom's… but he only hangs around because he really loves Luna. His name is Artemis and I have no idea where she came up with that name. Knowing her it's a classic hero name from one of her trashy romance novels."

I braved my first sip of the steaming liquid and was pleasantly surprised. It was way better than the powdery watery junk that Andrew calls cocoa at the arcade.

"What?" Serena asked, before adding, "Oh come on, if you don't like that you don't know what is good."

"I agree, this is really good, much better than Andrews."

"Yeah, he's a wonder at chocolate everything else, not that basic cocoa, though his specialty ones are good." She said curling herself up into a ball in the corner of the couch. With the flicking amber firelights playing across her miserable expression. She wasn't even drinking her treat, she just held it and stared down into the swirling foam on top. I sat there looking at her for a few moments hoping she would talk on her own. It was abnormal how quiet she was being, and the longer her silence and melancholy dragged on, the more concerned I became.

Needing her to talk, needing her to act more like the vibrant and vivacious girl I'd gotten to know. I began, "So all of your friends are paired off… I find that hard to believe."

She would usually get offended, and all riled up. She would have preached that her friends were beautiful, well put together ladies and that they deserved happiness. But instead she asked in a far away sounding voice, "why?"

"Well, last week weren't all of you (except Molly of course) complaining about being single. Are you telling me that four suitors magically appeared and swept all four of those girls off of their feet within a week? Impossible!"

"Stranger things have happened, ya know." Serena shrugged hugging her knees to her chest, placing the cup down on a coaster beside her.

"Are you sure these guys really exist?" I asked, really trying to start something and still getting nothing.

She rolled her eyes in annoyance at the situation, not me, and said "Oh believe me, they're real alright."

"Well who are these guys?"

"Amy's dating Greg, he's a total brain like her, and I've been just waiting for that to start. Same with Raye and Chad as soon as you cut Raye loose I knew it was only a matter of time."

Because Andrew and Rita had been grilling me so hard, I did ask her. "Is Raye okay, I mean I was honest with her and tried not to hurt her. She didn't seem offended or miffed but… she wasn't offended was she?"

Oh yeah Dare, way smooth!

Serena was contemplative for a second, before she said. "No, she wasn't hurt, I think she was more relieved than anything else, because she hadn't felt like things were working for a while. I think she was more concerned with hurting you, because she was obviously interested in Chad. They weren't very good at screening their feelings, or arguments, I guess their perfect together."

"What about the other two girls? Pony-tail and big red bow?"

"Pony-tail's name is Lita! And she is dating her childhood friend Ken. They grew up together with mega crushes and decided this week was now or never."

"Okay, Pony-tail Lita, I will try to remember that, and big red bow's name is…"

"Mina, and she's dating Kirk Kunzite, my… history tutor." She said with peculiar face like there was something she was purposefully leaving out. But I didn't want to be too intrusive, so I let it go… for now.

"Did you introduce them to one another?"

"Oh no, they have a long history, going WAY back with each other, my low makes and bad grades just gave them more chances to reconnect. Mina swears she'll never tease me for my lack of scholastic enthusiasm again."

"I guess not." I reasoned before asking. "Are you the ONLY single one in this group?"

"Pretty much."

"That sucks."

"Yeah," she agreed, before adding, "Really it's just another log on the fire of this inferno of a Christmas. Making it impossible for me to enjoy or celebrate a moment of it…"

She trailed off and I could not tear my eyes away from the sight of her. She was so sad, it hurt to look at her, but I could not just walk away or tell myself I didn't care like I would have with any other girl. No, I could not even pretend to not care about this. I had to fix it, do something - ANYTHING - to help her. I just HAD to.

That's when an idea struck me, and I found myself saying; "Well you're officially not the only single or un-spirited one. You know I'm a big enough scrooge to steal your thunder. Why don't you come along any way, anything's gotta be more appealing than sitting here all alone."

She shook her head no silently for a moment and when she spoke she admitted, "It's sweet of you to try. But no, even if I did go and hang with you, you would be bombarded with girls hoping to catch you under the mistletoe. Ann and Alan both will be pushier and meaner than normal and I'm just not up to a fight… on top of all the teasing my friends are bound to lay on me."

I cleared my throat and plucked up every ounce of courage I had in me and I said, "Well, not if you were my date."

Her face suddenly grew serious, and she studied my face for nearly ten whole seconds before burst out laughing humorlessly. Asking me kindly to, "Please, be serious."

"I am serious." I clarified and I heard her blow a raspberry at the idea just before taking a sip of her perfectly cooled cocoa. "Oh come on," I pressed, "that's a good idea."

"Riiiiight, no offense Darien, I think it is so… sweet how hard you're trying right now…"

"I hear a 'but' coming," I face palmed.

"But-" she began, "-no one is going to believe us. No one is going to say that even Christmas magic is capable of making my company enjoyable to you. We will be laughing stocks, the whole party as we're tortured in exactly the way we are trying to avoid."

And up till now I was convinced that I was the pessimist in this friendship. Serena was usually the shining optimist so bright and chipper it hurt your eyes to stare. Yet that was, by far, the most negative speech I'd ever heard her give. Since our roles were seemingly reversed, I gave positivity a try…

"You don't know that for sure…" she shot me a look so annoyed and doubtful that I decided to finish out my life as the born cynic I've always been.

"You're blowing this one party way out of proportion." I said trying this from my more clinical side, a personal trait that I was more comfortable with. "This is one get-together, on one day, you'r making it sound like this single event will hogtie you to this crowd for all eternity."

"Trust me Darien, I'm better off here."

"You mentioned that your mom went to see you aunt, I'm gonna guess your aunt lives pretty far away."

"She lives in California."

"In the United States?"

"Is there any other California?"

"What about your Dad? Is he here at least?"

"No, he's off on a special tour of some newly forming islands. They're the product of a recent volcanic eruption down in god-knows where and my Dad just LOVES to write about stuff like that. He's a reporter, you know. We all knew he wouldn't be home for Christmas long before all of this happened."

"So it's just you and your brother?"

"No, he's with my mom, it's… just me."

"Okay, there's no way that you can convince me that sitting here all alone in this empty house is what you need." I went on confidently. "If you're aunt was here right now, would she want you to be locked up in this house, all alone. Or would she tell you to go and enjoy yourself?"

"She would tell me to bring her back some of Lita's and Rita's goodies." She smiled, "I did that last year and she fell so in love with the stuff I brought I had to ask both of them to make another batch for my family's Christmas party."

"Your family usually throws one of these things too?"

"Well typically, this house is filled to the brim with family and all of my friends end up spending their WHOLE holiday here usually. So there's usually so much chaos that it's hard to keep track of it all. I was supposed to go with my mom and little brother yesterday, but I got blamed for something I didn't do and had to serve detention. By the time I got out, my mom and brother were long gone."

"So the reason you're still here is Ann's doing?"

"I didn't say that-"

"You didn't have to," I smiled, "I have no idea why I let her do all the things she's been doing."

"You like her." Serena said simply, without a blink of doubt.

And it wasn't till that moment that I realized just how deeply rooted my dislike for Ann went. I heard myself say, "No I don't."

"Please, you so like her. She picks on me, then you take your shot, she takes it even further it's a lovely rhythm the two of you set in picking someone clean to their bones. Trust me I'm your favorite, easiest target; I can tell, you like her."

"I used to feel sorry for her, she doesn't have any friends; and she's not always so awful. I just think it didn't hit me till today, how much of her time she wastes being so mean. Even when she has nothing to lose, she always choses to be crude and rude… and if you're not at that party tomorrow, she won't learn a thing. She's gonna go on treating people that way and thinking she's won. Do you really want that to happen?"

Serena thought about this for a moment before she admitted, "No… so me going with you, to this party would be teaching Ann a lesson?"

"Yes, but that's not why I'm asking you."

"I certainly hope not."

"I'm asking you because mostly, I want to. I think it would be fun, and if I don't see you there I just know that the party will be ruined for me."

"How?"

"Well how am I supposed to get my 'Grinch on' if you're not there to point it out? How am I to have any fun when I'm just gonna to be visualizing you here as you are right now. Sitting in the dark, in this big house, too quietly sipping at cold cocoa? How is that Christmas?"

She shrugged and I asked her again, "Please come with me, I can keep you company so you're not alone. In exchange for you keeping me company so Andrew can't torture me with all of that mistletoe he's hung above my booth."

She blew at the bangs above her eyes, and she said, "If I agree to this, and I'm not saying I have yet, must we call it a date? I mean it's going to be a stretch, for us, even sitting at the same table. I'm still not convinced that people will believe us."

"Yes, we have to call it a date because if we don't the female population attending this shindig will not leave us alone. Not to mention, I don't think it will be so hard for them to believe after the scene we made today."

"We?" She asked, "What did you do?"

"I ran after you… and I may have told Ann off in front of everyone."

Serena let go of her knees and they fell to a normal sitting position, she sat up a little straighter as she asked, "You did that?"

"I did, I think we can totally pull this off."

"I think you're forgetting one key factor here that you probably haven't considered."

"What's that," I asked, pretty certain I'd covered all of the bases pretty well.

"With all of that mistletoe hanging everywhere, if we come in there claiming we're on a date… everyone is gonna be making us prove it. If I'm your date, instead of being kissed by tons of different girls it's all gonna be with me most likely. The person who up until today was one of your least favorite people in the world."

"Are you trying to tell me your kisses suck?" I asked, getting the teeniest smile.

"No, I'm just saying that I know your track record. Can a seasoned player of your caliber make it through an entire evening, this way; without your head exploding?" She smirked in that challenging way that always toys with my heart-rate.

"I think I can make it work, that is if you can."

"I don't know… I just don't know if I'll feel up to it."

"Well if you're really not up to it, than maybe I'll come here and hang with you. I just don't like the idea of you being all alone in this house, for the rest of the year."

"I appreciate it… how about this, I'll make you a deal. If I do feel up to it, which I might because this actually has made me feel a little better… though I don't know why. If I feel okay, I will meet you at the bench we met at today, in the park. If not, just come here after the party and we'll figure something else to do okay?"

"No deal, I'm not going if you're not-"

"But you just said this is the only plan you have, the sole thing you've been looking forward to. You should go."

"Yes, but so should you. Now I'm not going without you. If you're really not up to it, and you're not at that bench than I will simply come here and see how you're feeling. Actually…I'll make you a deal even sweeter than that one," I said, once again feeling the words pour out of me from some unknown origin. "What if you and I try to celebrate this Christmas together. I mean, I'm probably the only one not doing anything, not traveling and not surrounded in family. I've never seen Christmas as anything more than another day. Why not spend the rest of this year doing all of the crazy traditions and silly things I've been missing all these years."

"Do you really think that we can stand that much together time?" She pointed out with good reasoning.

"We'll never know till we try and I'm willing to if you are." I said thinking that sounded lame even to my ears. "I was thinking maybe we could take pictures of what Christmas is looking like here and sending them to aunt to cheer her up. So she can still feel like she's here running around and doing all of the crazy traditions with you. Like she would every other year."

"Oh my gosh," she gasps. "That would – I mean that could… Why didn't I…"

"It's a way for you to remind everyone what she needs and the way that you're aunt wants to be remembered. Good idea, or bad idea?"

"I think it's insane, I say we're even crazy to consider it… but I say we do it! I know Aunt Tessa will just love that! We can consider it a way to cheer her up and to celebrate our newfound peace we've just acquired, in admitting we're unlikely friends."

"I like it… so starting tomorrow, we'll start doing Christmas traditions each day till the end of the year, or till you're sick of me, whichever comes first."

"Or you get sick of me," She amended and we shook on the deal. It wasn't till I was walking home in the cold that I realized just how terrible tomorrow could go. At the same time as how beautifully it could go. I'd stayed with her as long as I could politely, and then made up something about a report that was due tomorrow needing one last check and she'd walked me to the door. When I left, she gave me a hug and thanked me for everything.

I told her, "I haven't really done anything yet."

She replied, still holding onto me, "You've done more than you know already. Just thanks for talking to me and walking me home. It was very nice."

"I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yes you will, hopefully we'll be going to a party." She'd smiled bravely, but she did look a lot more like herself.

Now that I am walking home, and my nerves are getting all worked up. I'm excited just thinking about what is to come this week, and at the same time terrified! Yep, no way am I getting any sleep tonight. Not no way, not no how!


Well readers

That's all for now!

Did you Like it? Love it? Hate it? Tolerate it? Let me know, I love hearing from you guys and you all keep me going! Much Love to you all, hope to have the next chapter posted soon! God bless you all and see ya next time!

-SailorLeia