Disclaimer: I don't own anything! (except the plot and some made characters) Especially not the amazing song "To Make You Feel My Love" or Austin and Ally...Enjoy :)


I handed my dad the last of the wrapping paper that was crumpled up on the floor, we had just finished opening all the gifts, well except Austin and I's for each other, we decided to wait till later when we were alone. The boys sat down and turned on the TV as I walked over to help my mom with this mornings dishes.

Leaning in closer to her, I whispered "Thank you, I know Austin really appreciated the gifts, I did too. That was really kind of you guys."

She smiled back, "Of course, your father and I couldn't have him just sit and watch everyone else open gifts."

I smiled back and looked over my shoulder to see Austin and my father watching the football game pre-show, laughing about something, which caused me to smile a little wider. My mom and I finished the dishes and we started to prepare the dinner. I started peeling potatoes, letting out a small yawn and my mom worked on getting the ready turkey ready for the oven.


It was now afternoon, everyone had gotten changed by now. I was wearing a green simple cotton shirt that was tucked in a maroon skater skirt and my hair was in a ballerina bun with a few stray pieces that fell around my face. Austin was in a green shirt to match mine and pair of khakis. The rest of the family had arrived shortly after and the house was now alive with kids laughter and adults chatting it up. I walked into the living room slightly yawning for what felt like the hundredth time today. I looked around until I spotted Austin sitting with my uncle in deep conversation, Austin had his thinking face on and looked very concentrated, so I decided to sneak around him and wrap my arms around his neck, resting my chin on his head.

My uncle looked up and smiled, "I believe, you have an Allycat on your head."

That was his nickname for me, he always called me that when I was younger. Austin laughed and turned around to face me.

"What's up, you ok?" He smiled up at me, he seemed very upbeat today something I hadn't seen since the summer, but of course he was still worried about me and my dream.

"Yeah, um" I looked over to my uncle who was also smiling. "Can I borrow Austin for a bit?"

"Of course, he is your boyfriend." I smiled and Austin got up.

As I was about to walk away, when Uncle Frank grabbed my arm and pulled me close. "He is a keeper Allycat, I really like this one."

I sent him a smile and caught up to Austin. We walked up to my room, hand in hand, receiving many smiles and happy looks from passing relatives. When we finally reached my room Austin went and sat on the bed as I retrieved his gifts from my closet.

"Wait you hid them hid them in your closet?" He asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"No reason, I mean it's not like I looked for them or anything. That would be crazy!"

I laughed and placed the gifts on the floor in front of my bed. "So where's my gifts.." I trailed off.

"Huh? Um, I thought we agreed on no gifts.." He smirked walking out of my room, briefly. He walked back in with arms full of gifts, and I instantly started to worry I didn't get enough.

"Where did you hide them?"

"I'll never tell! ...the linen closet." Both letting out a laugh this time.

We sat down and I handed him his first gift. He handed over one of mine and we both unwrapped them together. I tore off the wrapping paper and revealed a white box, which I tore open and pulled out the clothing that was inside. I held it up and it wasn't something new, it was old and worn. It was a sweatshirt. It was Austin's captain sweatshirt from basketball. It was from a few years ago so it was smaller than his current ones. I turned it around and it had his last name on it, which made me smile. I thought about maybe one day this sweatshirt would be true, my last name would be Moon. I pushed it to the side to see Austin in awe at his gift.

"Ally this is amazing, I love it." He smiled, flipping the pages. It was a scrapbook of our relationship so far, with empty pages for the future.

"Smell the pages" I smirked.

He lifted the book to his face and inhaled. "Woah, it smells like you!"

"Well,I love my gift, it's the best of both worlds. It fits me and it's one of your sweatshirts, oh and it also smells like you!" I pressed it to my face, inhaling the scent.

We did the exchange of gifts again, this time he waited to see my reaction. I unwrapped it carefully and opened the small box, mouth dropping when I unveiled the jewelry inside. It was a necklace that had two hearts interlocked, one platinum and one gold.

"Austin this is beautiful, I'm speechless."

"If you look closely it says our names on the hearts and the words 'always and forever'" He leaned over to show me and I felt a tear come to my eye, happy one of course.

"Thank you. Now open yours!"

He smiled and looked down, unwrapping the small, square box. He opened it and put his hand to his mouth and squealed like a cliche, surprised girl. It was a Rolex watch, on the back it said Always and Forever, and 8/16/13 on it. Our anniversary.

"Als, this is actually amazing. It's so nice, it must have cost a fortune!"

I shook my head, "Doesn't matter, I know you wanted it, so enjoy it!"

He leaned over the pile of trash and hugged me tightly before returning to his seat. We did one last exchange of gifts and stared at each other to start unwrapping.

In unison we said "You go first" causing us to laugh and then go serious.

"Ok, we will do it together." I said looking at him.

We both unwrapped the presents and stared in shock, they were both so touching and sentimental and 'similar'.

It was 'care package' that had many things in it. In the one I gave Austin it had a coupon book with favors like back rub, 100 pancake breakfast, etc. Then I put in a framed picture of me and him on the night he asked me out. It also had some little things like socks and a couple shirts and finally I had written him a love letter that I put on some fancy paper.

Austin's was awfully similar, it had a coupon book too and a small handmade picture book named 'The Story of Us'. He also put in a small bottle of his cologne maybe so I never lost his scent, there was also some small things like a gift card to my favorite restaurant. Finally, there was a framed collage of the notes/clues he wrote me in the summer and some random pictures of us, in the middle was a picture of him and I all dressed up, it was a fancy dinner with my parents, we were laughing about how we can never take a good picture, how ironic. This picture was amazing it was so candid and pure, like our relationship.

I tried to hold in the tears as I read each note and looked over each picture. "Austin this is the best gift anyone has given me. Thank you so much, this means so much to me."

I got up and walked over to him sitting in his lap, handing him the necklace. He took it out and placed it around my neck, clasping it. I placed my hand over it, looking up into his eyes. I leaned up and met his lips with mine, we stayed connected for a few minutes. Until I forced myself to pull away from him.

"I have one more gift, give me a second." I ran over to my bed and pulled out a medium sized wrapped 'something' from under it. I went and sat next to Austin and handed him the present.

"Now, carefully unwrap it." I said, knowing he would mess it up otherwise.

"I know." He whined like a small kid.

He slowly unwrapped the gift and revealed the photo book that I made with snapfish. It was kinda like a scrapbook but instead everything was digitally decorated and printed into a glossy paged hardback book. On the front cover was a picture of Austin as a child with his parents at a Knicks game. Each following page held multiple pictures of him and his family from past years since his birth. I was surprised to get that many photos, I had reached out to his Aunt over email and asked if she could give me some pictures of them as a family and she sent in the mail two shoe boxes of pictures each sorted out by year. I scanned them onto my computer and compiled them into this memory book of him and his parents.

I looked at his face as he flipped through the book, examining each page carefully. The smile never left his face. Near the end of the book, there was a note from his mom that she wrote him in one of her last days, he shed a single tear and I reached over to wipe it away. He looked over to me, still smiling.

"Thank you, for everything is truly amazing." I smiled and he kissed my forehead. "You really went above and beyond with my gifts. I feel like I didn't get enough"

"Austin, please you got me amazing gifts."

"Well actually, I have a surprise gift too, so just wait right there and close your eyes and NO PEEKING!"

He disappeared for a few seconds then I felt his presence next to me, I dared to peek but decided against it.

"Can I look now?"

"No, not yet"

I kept my eyes closed until I heard the strumming of a guitar next to me, my eyes shot open and looked to see Austin playing his guitar. I smiled and felt butterflies in my stomach.

He looked up and our eyes connected instantly, I felt my stomach flip like the first time we met. The spark was still there, our bond felt stronger than ever. I knew in that moment that Austin was my forever. I was brought out of my thoughts when Austin started singing, and he was really good too.

"When the rain's blowing in your face
And the whole world is on your case
I would offer you a warm embrace
To make you feel my love"

I smiled, leaning into him.

"When the evening shadows and the stars appear
And there is no one to dry your tears
I could hold you for a million years
To make you feel my love

I know you haven't made your mind up yet
But I would never do you wrong
I've known it from the moment that we met
no doubt in my mind where you belong

I'd go hungry, I'd go black and blue
I'd go crawling down the avenue
There ain't nothin that I wouldn't do
To make you feel my love

The storms are raging on a rolling sea
And down the highway of regret
The winds of change are blowing wild and free
But you ain't seen nothin' like me yet

There ain't nothin that I wouldn't do
Go to the ends of the earth for you
Make you happy
Make your dreams come true
To make you feel my love"

He took off his guitar and placed it off to the side. I leaned up and placed a kiss on his cheek, still smiling from ear to ear.

"Austin that was amazing, thank you. I loved it almost as much as I love you."

He smiled back and pulled me into his lap. "Ally, I'm glad you liked it. I worked really hard to make it perfect, I was going to try and write you a song but I just couldn't do it. I hope you know though that I meant every word. There isn't anything that I wouldn't do for you, I love you and I just want you to feel my love every second of every day. I want you to know that you will always have me to come to and make you feel wanted and beautiful because you are."

"Austin, thank you. I want you to know that I'm there for you too, I love you and would stop at nothing to see you happy. When I saw you sad and broken before I wanted nothing more than to take that pain away. I felt helpless when you didn't call, I felt like I wasn't enough and that was my fault, I was being insecure. I'm sorry if I made you feel like I was doubting us or something, I wasn't doubting you or our relationship. I was doubting myself but I know now that what we have is real and I know that we can do this, as long as we are together. I love you Austin, always."

"And forever." I nodded and yawned...again.

"Tired already?" I shook my head no and snuggled into his chest. "Come on, lets get back to your family."

"No, lets get back to our family." I smiled up at him as he took my hand and we returned to the party.


We all held hands as my grandmother began grace, I looked around to notice two empty seats next to Austin, and frowned slightly. He noticed and squeezed my hand slightly as we all bowed our heads.

"Dear Lord, I thank you for bringing our family together on this wonderful day. Despite the hardships of this past year, we are grateful for the unity and grace you have bestowed upon us. As we sit down to eat this delicious meal, I ask that you allow all of us to fully enjoy it and continue to take part in the festivities of this gracious season. As we celebrate your birth Lord, we will remember countless blessings in our lives which we are so thankful for. Thank you for giving young Sammy the strength to fight and conquer his leukemia. Thank you for watching over all of our grandchildren during their everyday struggles. Thank you for bringing Austin into our lives, may he continue to blossom into a fine young man and bring him all the happiness he deserves. Thank you for helping Ally find the right path and for showing her the beauty of true love. May you continue to look over her and protect her from the demons that once haunted her."

My mother cut in, as I blushed. "Mom, lets wrap this up the kids are getting hungry." She smiled at me worriedly.

"Oh, sorry. Lord, I would like to just say thank you for all that you have blessed us with this past year and for the many years to come, Amen."

Everyone opened their eyes and began to eat the feast in front of us. Side conversations were started and I continued to look down at my meal, hoping no one would try and talk to me. Of course, that would be impossible with Austin next to me.

"Als," He looked at me worriedly. "What's wrong, what did she mean?"

I sighed not looking up from my plate "Mom this turkey is great!"

Austin didn't drop it though, "Please?"

I finally looked up to him and knew I had to tell him. "Um, well when I was younger, like 10 or 11, I used to get really vivid dreams that I thought were reality. I would stay up all night, afraid to fall asleep. I got really bad anxiety and had to go to therapy until age 14. But, now I'm fine so there's nothing to worry about." I shrugged and looked down at my plate again.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because, it wasn't important" I raised my voice accidentally, but then continued in a softer tone. "and, and I was afraid it would scare you away."

Austin looked around at the stares, and everyone continued their dinner. "This isn't the place to talk about this but, for now just know that nothing will never scare me away." He leaned over and kissed my head.

My Aunt Kathy spoke up, causing everyone to stop their conversations. "Ally, that necklace is beautiful, did your parents get you it?"

"No," I smiled, relieved someone changed the subject. "Austin got it for me, it says our names and the words 'always and forever' on it." My smile grew, as some people awed then continued with their conversations.

She continued though, "That must have been expensive, what if you two break up? That's a lot of money to spend on a relationship this young..."

My mom sent her a glare, threatening her to stop her antics this instant.

Austin spoke up in our defense though, "Not to be rude or speak out of turn, but I love Ally very much and I got her the necklace to show her that. It wasn't about the money or anything, it was about the meaning behind it. That's why I got it for her, because I care deeply about her and I don't doubt our relationship." I could feel his heart rate speeding up next to me, so I grabbed his hand under the table and squeezed it a little. He sent me a reassuring smile as my aunt stayed quiet.

The rest of the dinner went really smoothly, as did dessert. After the table was cleared, people dispersed and my uncle and father took Austin to look at the garage that held my fathers 1969 Chevy Camaro. His prized possession.

I started to feel the effects of only getting 3 hours of sleep rush over me and leaned against the counter as the people around me kept talking. I felt the world around me slow down and my eyes getting heavier and heavier. I quickly caught myself and decided that no one would even notice if I just slipped away for a few minutes. I walked over to the staircase only to be intercepted by my mom.

"Ally, honey we wanted to get some pictures before everyone leaves." She smiled, so upbeat and awake, I envied her energy.

I nodded and we walked over to the fireplace where everyone was lined up, Austin was holding multiple cameras, smiling the same smile that his face held all day. I smiled back at him, trying my best to hide the tidal wave of exhaustion that overcame me in that instant. His smile drooped a little, but instantly came back up as we posed as a happy family.

After he finished taking all the pictures, everyone but my mom and dad ran out and pushed Austin in. We posed for a few more pictures and I felt myself leaning more on Austin with each flash.

"Hey, you ok?" He whispered in my ear.

I simply nodded and stood up straight. My mom and dad walked away and asked that Austin and I get a couple as a couple.

After ten minutes of trying to get the 'perfect' picture my mom let us all go and I wearily walked over to the staircase. Austin quickly caught up and pulled me back to him. I stumbled into his chest, knocked off balance. He placed his arms around me, hands falling on the small of my back to support my weak body.

"Als, are you sure you're ok?" He asked, searching my tired eyes.

"Yeah, just a little tired. It's been a long day, ya know?"

"Yeah, but you seem slightly more than a little tired…" He trailed off, guiding me to the stairs to sit.

I snapped. "Look I just didn't get much sleep last night, I'll be fine." I stood back up to walk away, maybe find a chair somewhere in a corner.

He grabbed my hand and slightly pulled me down onto his lap. "Hey, I'm sorry. How about you hang around for 10 more minutes and then go upstairs, take a calming bath and after you can go to sleep?"

"Will you be joining me?" I smirked playfully.

"If you want.." He matched my expression.

I giggled as we stood up, making our goodbye rounds and heading upstairs. As we reached the staircase my parents stopped us.

"Look, we know that having us down your throats hasn't been fun, I mean keeping the door open and the nightly checks to make sure and not to mention Austin, you have been sleeping on the hard floor, that probably hasn't been enjoyable." My dad started.

My mom continued, "So, to show you guys that you have earned our trust. We are going to allow you two to have a night to yourselves. Closed door and all."

"But that means that there is to be NO funny business, kapish?" My dad said, looking sternly at Austin.

"Yes, sir." He said, shakily.

"Good" He returned with a smile.

We said our good-nights and my parents walked away. Austin and I continued up to my room, closing the door behind us. Austin started to walk towards the bathroom but stopped and turned to me.

"Ally. The dream last night, was it like the dreams you used to get before? Are you tired because you are afraid to go to sleep again? Afraid that it's going to be like before?"

I fell onto my bed, sighing before sitting back up. "No, I think. I guess it kinda scared me last night, so I didn't want to fall asleep because I didn't want to wake up and not have you be there."

His face softened as he walked over and sat next to me. "Ok, well you need to sleep tonight. I promise, I'm not going anywhere."

I didn't respond. leaned over, resting his shoulder, "Can we skip the bath and get straight the the sleeping part?" I yawned.

"Of course, and Ally." I whipped around looking at him. "I'm serious, I'm not going anywhere."

I slowly nodded and walked over to get changed. I needed to stop thinking about all the things that could go wrong, I wasn't going to go back to being that scared little kid again. I was a strong young adult now and I could do this, because I wasn't alone. I had Austin.


So I hope you guys liked their presents for each other, I know it was kinda a lot but it was there first Christmas together and yeah. I don't think I am going to include their birthdays in but ya never know. Next is New Years! Don't forget about Ally and her troubles with sleep, will she be able to make it when Austin leaves after break is over? Who knows? Well I do, Lol. I will probably update Tuesday, but maybe if this snow keeps up it will be tomorrow. Thank you for the reviews, I have had a really hard time lately feeling motivated to write, but as long as I am making some people happy I must be doing something right. Right? XOXOX