It had to have been around four in the morning. Gwen still had her arms wrapped around Trent. Much as he appreciated the sentiment, he could feel his midsection getting sweaty.

Trent carefully undraped Gwen's arms. He rolled over and leaned over her. She truly did look beautiful - almost angelic - with dark hair. He kissed her ear.

"That's so sweet."

Trent turned around suddenly. The voice seemed to be coming from the closet. Glancing around for the nearest thing to a blunt object, Trent picked up a lamp. "Come on out."

The closet door opened. Out walked Izzy, who looked to the lamp in Trent's hand. "Is this how you treat all your guests?"

He eased his grip on the lamp. "Izzy?"

The redhead smiled a child's smile. "That's the name. Don't wear it out."

"How did you get into Gwen's house?"

She shrugged like it was no big deal. "Izzy's been in everyone's houses."

"What are you even doing here?"

"Hiding."

Trent pinched the bridge of his nose. "Do I want to know from who?"

"The RCMP. They say that Izzy's been making trouble. Izzy's been a good girl."

Gwen yawned a little. "What's going on?"

"Just watching you two sleep. You look so cute." She pointed to Gwen. "I like what you did with your hair."

The (temporary) brunette shook her head. "How long have you been here?"

"Since before you went to sleep."

"Ooooookay."

"Izzy needs to go." She lifted the window open and climbed out.

Trent pulled the covers up to protect him from the sudden cold. "Where are you going?"

"Wherever the wind takes me...or Harold's house. Feliz Navidad!" Izzy leapt from the window to the ground, sticking a landing worthy of an Olympian. "Merry Christmas, movie house!"

Trent closed the window and shook his head.

The sun peeked in through the window of the room, but the temperature was still five degrees below Celsius. Snow was falling outside.

Gwen sighed happily as she stirred under her covers. She glanced toward the bathroom. The light was on and the door was open. She supposed that Trent was in there at some point after Izzy left, but didn't cut the lights.

Trent crawled from under the covers. "Good morning. Sleep well?"

"Not at first, but yeah, eventually I did", she smiled.

A knock at the door. The young adults paled. Of course, they didn't do anything that night, but the rest of the family's imaginations could run so wild.

"Gwen! Trent!" It was Pauline.

"Yeah, Mom?"

Pauline opened the door, a warm look on her face. "I'm making breakfast." She glanced at her daughter. Gwen had arranged her covers to look like a giant tangle of the sheets.

"Okay. I just need a few minutes to get ready."

Pauline turned toward the open bathroom door. "Trent, I hope you like waffles", she called out. She closed the door behind her.

Trent emerged from the covers once more. "I love waffles."

"Okay, that was close."

He shook his head. "What close? Nothing happened."

"Still, I don't want my family to get on me for anything."

He shrugged. "Fine by me."

The door opened suddenly. It was Pauline, a wry grin on her face. "It's good to know that the two of you can be trusted." The door closed once more.

Trent laughed a little and turned to Gwen, who buried her head in her pillow.

Trent bussed his own plate. The waffles didn't know what hit them, nor did the bacon. He felt a hand on his shoulder. He found himself face to face with Grandma Eleanor.

"Can I see you in the living room?"

"Sure, Grandma. What about?"

The room was dark. Trent didn't know what to expect when he was told to come here.

A lamp turned on, shining in his face. Operating the switch was Grandma Eleanor.

Trent put his hand up, protecting his sight. "What is this about?"

"I just want to make sure you have my granddaughter's best interests at heart."

"Of course, I do."

"How many girlfriends have you had?" Her tone was fast and clipped.

"Three."

"Serious?"

"Mainly flings."

"Why did you break up with them?"

Trent counted off on his fingers. "She broke up with me...boyfriend got back from juvie and...she couldn't handle a relationship after her mom died."

"Where do you work?"

"Sobey's as a cashier."

"Good market. Do you intend to work there forever?"

"Of course not. I'm studying to be a filmmaker."

"Hmmm. Favorite movie?"

"Gone with the Wind."

"Real favorite movie?"

Trent sighed. "Team America: World Police."

"Your idea of a good wedding proposal?"

"Wedding?"

"It's just a question."

"At home, after dinner."

"Good honeymoon spot."

"New York City. I figure, neither of us has ever been and we could see the city together."

Grandma Eleanor smiled. "I had a good feeling about you, Trent." Her warm tone had returned. "Thank you for confirming it." She switched off the lamp and flipped on the light switch.

Trent stepped out of the room, still a little unsure about what happened. He glanced out the window at the snow still falling. His gaze shifted downward.

Snow had coated the ground. In the front yard, Jeremy - bundled up - was gathering snow, packing it into a ball as big as his hands.

Jeremy rolled the ball along the lawn, gathering more snow. "Bet that's gonna be some snowman." Jeremy glanced toward the front door.

Trent hurried toward him.

The boy shrugged. "Yeah."

"Can I join you?"

"You're out here, aren't you?"

Trent shrugged. He spotted a big deposit of snow near a tree and packed it into a ball. He rolled it toward Jeremy. The boy packed a couple of handfuls of snow into his original ball, which was about a foot and a half wide.

Trent gathered more snow for his ball, a foot in diameter. He placed it onto Jeremy's ball.

"Thanks. By the way, sorry about last night."

"I've already forgotten about it."

Jeremy formed another ball and rolled it around. "I give stick to a lot of Gwen's boyfriends."

Trent stopped in his tracks. "Has she had a lot of boyfriends?"

"Just a couple. The last guy was practically asking for it. He had a freakin' mohawk."

"And how did that go?" Trent searched around for loose branches.

"Waited until mom and Gwen were gone, then he beat me up. I got some pretty good shots in, though. Mom wasn't happy with either of us, but it's like Dad told me: someone hits you, pretty soon, you have to hit back."

Trent saw some on the side of the house, right near Gwen's window. Izzy's landing must've been rougher than he thought. He turned back around. "Where is your dad?"

"Resting Hills." Trent blanched, nearly dropping the branches. That place sounded very much like a cemetary.

"I'm sorry."

"Hey, it's not like you gave him cancer." Jeremy loaded the head on top. "It still hurts, not having him around, you know?"

"I hear you. I remember something my father told me: 'Every setback in your life can make you stronger or weaker. The choice is up to you.'." Trent stuck the branches in the midsection, giving the snowman arms.

"That's good advice."

"I'll tell him you said so."

Trent doffed his gloves as he walked back in. He passed by Lulu, bitterly planted on the stairs. He returned to meet her gaze.

"Do I want to know?"

She didn't move an inch to acknowledge him. "Do you?"

"It's Christmas. I mean, you ought to be a little happy. Spending time with family…" Lulu stared ahead, unmoved. "You know, not everyone has family to spend time with." Trent brushed past her. "Think about that."

Lulu turned around. "Trent." He stopped walking. "The holidays...they just remind me of what I lost. I had a boyfriend a couple of years ago. He dumped me on Christmas Eve. I may not be a ray of sunshine this time of year, but I'm scared of what'll happen when I'm alone."

Trent gazed on, ruefully. There were times when he scared himself thinking of what would happen when he was alone. He put a hand on Lulu's shoulder. "I'm sorry."

Lulu stood up and hugged Trent. "If you tell anyone about this..." Her voice was quivering.

"My lips are sealed."

The Christmas tree was a beautiful sight, decorated in ornaments homemade and store bought. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care. Yet, Gwen's family was focused on Trent as he sat on the couch.

Jeremy was especially enraptured. "What was Owen really like?"

"Owen was a pretty cool guy. Had to watch out, though." Trent cleared his throat. "'There's something I should tell you about beans. They make me sleepwalk.'." It was a pitch-perfect impression that got the family laughing.

Gwen stood in the door frame, smiling as she watched Trent. Her mother crept up next to her. "He really is something, isn't he?"

"Yeah, he is."

Pauline glanced slyly. "You sure I can't have a turn with him?"

"No, you cannot have a turn with him! You're more than twice Trent's age. How would that look? Besides, I'm in love with him."

"You see, that's really all I needed."

Gwen shook her head. "What?"

"I was never interested in Trent. Sweet, sure. Handsome, yes. But I'll always love your father. I couldn't do that to him."

"Then why the routine?"

"Just a test. I wanted to make sure it was love and you weren't bringing home some delinquent just to tick me off."

"I already apologized for Duncan."

"Did you not see the movie Fear?"

Gwen folded her arms. "I'd like to think I'm much smarter than that girl."

"Good to know. Still, you never know. We meet in a bar. A few Molsons later, he's your new stepdad."

"Mom!"

"Last one, I promise." Pauline sighed. "I wish Oliver was here. He'd have loved meeting Trent."

Gwen hugged her mother. "I miss him, too."

Trent came up to Gwen. "I saw you standing here." He kissed her. "Why don't you come join us?"

Gwen blushed while Pauline glanced up at the mistletoe hanging above the door frame.

It was late. Gwen settled into bed. Trent was in the bathroom washing up.

"I think your family really likes me", he called out.

"Good to know. I just hope your family likes me as much." Trent turned off the faucet and slipped into the sleeping bag. Gwen glanced down. "You're really gonna sleep down there?"

"And have your mom walk in again?"

"Good point."

Trent looked up at her. He scrambled for his suitcase and opened it. He pulled something out of a pocket. It was a ring.

Gwen gasped loudly. "Are you kidding me? We're still in college!"

"What? No, no. This isn't a wedding ring."

"Then what is it?"

"I didn't want to embarrass you in front of your family, but this is a promise ring."

Gwen laughed a little. "And what does it promise?"

"That no matter what, if we're together until we're old or if we break up in a week, we'll still be friends. We'll be there for each other: babysitting, kidney transplants, bail money, anything."

Gwen couldn't help but giggle. "It's a deal." She slipped the ring on her finger. "It's really nice."

"Thanks."

A knock at the door surprised them. "Goodnight, kids!"

"Night, mom!"

"Good night!"

Trent sighed as he watched Gwen fall asleep. He closed his eyes and let sleep overtake him as well.