Chapter 7 Merry Christmas

"Mmm...Zack?"

"Shh, Ven. Go back to sleep."

"Where…?"

"Shh. I'll be right back."

"Mmm…"

Ven wakes to the sound of a fire crackling in the fireplace by the couch. He is surprised to find himself alone, but a hazy memory of Zack kissing his forehead and promising to be right back comes to him. How long ago had that been?

Sitting up and letting the blanket slide off him, Ven cranes his neck to look around the empty cabin. "Zack?" He calls out wondering if he might just be in the bedroom getting dressed.

He waits, listening for Zack to reply, but none comes. Standing, Ven pauses, remembering how difficult walking around the day before had been, but he doesn't feel sick anymore and after a couple of careful steps Ven decides his fever must be gone.

He goes to the bathroom and turns on a light, peering around like maybe Zack is hiding in the tub or something. He isn't.

The bedroom is empty as well except for their dirty clothes strewn on the floor. Seeing them, Ven realizes it is their last day at the cabin and with that realization comes another. It's Christmas.

The sound of the front door opening makes Ven hurry back to the main room to see Zack stamping the snow from his boots. "Where have you been?" Ven asks and hearing him Zack jumps, hastily hiding what ever had been in his hand behind his back.

"Oh you're awake," Zack says glancing from Ven to the couch and abandoned blanket.

"I am. I woke up and you weren't here," Ven says stepping closer and rubbing his arms against the cold draft coming through the open door. "So where were you?"

"I just went for a walk around," Zack says. Seeing Ven shiver, he shuts the door with a kick of his foot. "I got a little sweaty so I think I'll go change."

He starts to shuffle towards the bedroom, but Ven moves to block him. "What are you hiding behind your back?"

"Nothing," Zack says a little too quickly. He holds up one hand to show Ven its empty.

Ven frowns and tries to reach around Zack to see, but Zack dances away from him. "Let me see Zack."

"No. Uh… you can't."

"Why not?" Ven asks reaching again, but Zack swats his hand away.

"It's not ready," Zack says trying to move around Ven and get to the bedroom, but Ven moves to block the doorway.

"What do you mean it's not ready?"

"I mean it's not wrapped yet," Zack says and then freezes, realizing he had just given it away.

Ven's eyes widen in surprise and then narrow. "I thought we both promised not to buy each other anything," he says crossing his arms. Being college students they didn't have much money, and after both of them chipped in to rent the cabin neither of them could really afford to buy presents.

"I didn't buy you a present," Zack says giving Ven a smile. "But I had to get you something so...Merry Christmas."

He holds out to Ven what he had been hiding, a piece of wood about a foot and a half long. Ven takes it confused, but when he turns it over he gasps. The words Christmas 2013 are carved in the middle of it. Around the words are several other carvings, two snowman with their hands raised in greeting, a Christmas tree cluttered with ornaments, and a beautiful landscape of mountains with a pond in front.

"Zack…" Ven says running a finger over the beautiful carvings. "You made this?"

"Yeah, I wanted you to have something to remember this trip by," Zack says rubbing the back of his head. "I took a woodworking elective last year and I learned enough to make it. Do you like it?"

Grinning, Ven wraps his arms around Zack in a tight hug. "I love it," he whispers in his ear.

"When we get home I'll put some lacquer on it to finish it," Zack says, rubbing circles on Ven's back.

"It's beautiful. Thank you," Ven says pulling back enough to be face to face with Zack. With a smile he gently kisses Zack and feels Zack hug him closer.

When they run out of air, they break apart and Ven rests his head on Zack's shoulder and trails the fingers of the hand not holding his present over Zack's chest. "I love you," he says tilting his head up enough to look Zack in the eye.

"I love you too," Zack says and cups Ven's chin to give him another kiss.

"Here's the final one," Ven says hanging Zack the last suitcase. Taking it, Zack places it in the trunk. Closing the trunk, he leans back against the car and looks at the cabin.

"I'm going to miss this place," he says with a sigh.

Ven moves next to him and Zack puts his arm around his shoulders. "Me too," Ven says admiring the way the icicles on the roof are catching the sun. "Maybe we can come back next year."

"I'd like that," Zack says with a smile. "Next year I'll get you on that snowboard."

Ven laughs. "You can try," he says. "We'll bring ice skates too."

"And make snowmen armies to defend out snowball forts."

"And bring enough ornaments to turn the whole forest into Christmas trees."

Smiling, Ven and Zack stare a moment longer at the cabin they had called home for the last week. "We should get going if we want to make it back by dinner," Zack says regretfully.

Ven sighs. "Yeah, you're right."

Zack goes to the drivers side and gets in, starting the engine. Ven climbs into the passenger side and buckles in. "Ready?" Zack asks.

"Ready," Ven says and with a lurch the car moves forward, back onto the snowy road out of the mountain. With a final look in the rear view mirror before it disappears around the bend, Ven and Zack say goodbye to their winter wonderland until next year.


Well I'm almost 2 months later than my goal, but I have finally finished. Thank you LightzMusic22 and TopazDragon98 for reviewing this story.

I've learned never attempt to write a chapter a day again, but I did enjoy writing this story especially because I'm so mean to Zactus right now in Those Seeking Answers and I got to work on this story instead to be nice to them for a change.

Thanks so much for reading!

-Nexanda