Have yourself a merry little Christmas
Make the Yuletide gay
From now on, your troubles will be miles away...
Thalia was not having a 'merry little Christmas' at all. She whimpered as the wind blew a huge chunk of snow off of a tree branch and straight into her face. It was so cold it burned, and trying to wipe it away with her snow-covered gloves only made things worse.
It was Christmas day, and they'd gotten a little lost. They hadn't been too concerned at first, considering they had no real destination anyways, but then it had started snowing.
At first, it was wonderful. Thalia had always loved white Christmas's. They'd caught the snowflakes on their tongues, had a snowball fight, and even built a miniature snowman named Fred.
Luke adjusted the acorns they'd used for Fred's mouth into a frown. "Looks like you Thalia." he'd teased. He'd instantly regretted it when an unexpected snowball nailed him in the face. She'd laughed, but Luke had decided not to retaliate. While she had been much happier since she'd met him, it still wasn't often that Thalia laughed like that. He liked it when she was happy, and he hadn't wanted to ruin her good mood.
But despite his efforts, Thalia's 'good mood' hadn't lasted long. The wind had picked up, the snow had begun to plummet rather than float down as tiny snowflakes, and then suddenly, they'd found themselves knee deep in the stuff with no shelter for miles.
"Is winter still your favorite season?" Luke called behind him over the roaring wind.
She glared at the back of his head and shoved her hands deeper into her coat pockets. He was only a few feet ahead of her, but she could barely see him through the flurries.
Through the years, we all will be together
If the Fates allow
Hang a shining star upon the highest bow...
Above them was only gray darkness. Instead of twinkling stars, the sky was blank and stormy, not a single light to be seen. Thalia's heart sank lower and lower in her chest as her favorite holiday of the year slowly became the worst.
She hated to admit it, but Luke was right: this sucked. That wonderful "Christmas"spirit was long gone, and now she was starting to feel a lot more like Scrooge. She had lost feeling in her hands over an hour ago, her "waterproof" boots were already soaked through, and she was pretty sure her ears were completely frostbitten.
Luke was getting farther and farther ahead, and it was getting harder and harder for her to keep up. She felt as if the cold was shutting her down, every step draining her of what little energy she had left.
Faithful friends who are dear to us
gather near to us once more...
She was just about to give up when a hand around her waist steadies her. "Just a little further Thals." Luke says. She managed a weak nod, and continued to trudge through the snow.
And then there it was.
She saw a large, dark shape through the snow. Was it...a cabin? Her heart leapt with hope and excitement. Shelter! But wait...could she be cold and desperate enough to hallucinate? Could it simply be a mirrage of some kind?
When Luke finally drags her inside, it felt too good to be true. She half expected the cabin to disappear beneath her feet; the wooden floor to melt back into snow just as if it had never been there.
But either her hallucinations were extremely vivid, or the cabin was real. Luke hurriedly threw a match into the fireplace and the two began stripping out of their soaked clothes without hesitation. Any other day Thalia would have been apalled and embarassed if Luke saw her in just her underwear and sports bra, but right now she was too cold to care.
Luke didn't seem to mind either. In just his plaid boxers, he disapeared down the hallway and returned with a huge, fluffy comforter.
She grinned in relief. Still shivering, she pulls it around herself and lies down right there on the floor in front of the fire. Luke chuckled through chattering teeth and joined her. He wondered how the owners would react if they came home to find a giant human burrito on their living room floor, but on the other hand, he wasn't actually all that concerned.
The heat of the fire thawed their frozen noses and dried their damp hair. She could feel Luke shivering beside her, but eventually it slowed down to gentle breathing. She sneezes and he laughs sleepily.
"Got a cold?" he asks, eyes still closed.
She answers his question with another sneeze. "And probably a little frostbite too." she mutters miserably.
He sighs and pulls her to him, wrapping his arms around her. On a normal day she would growl at him to let go or tell him to go cuddle with Claudia or something, but right now she can't bring herself to pull away from his blissfully warm body.
So instead she just closes her eyes and lets her forehead rest against his bare skin, feeling his chest rise and fall with each breath.
And as they grew warmer, her Christmas spirit returned. She no longer cared that she hadn't had the 'perfect' Christmas, because while other people had desserts, presents, and Christmas trees, she had something better:
Someone who loved and cared for her as much as she loved and cared for him.
So have yourself a merry little Christmas
Let your heart be light
From now on, your troubles will be out of sight...
"Merry Christmas, Thalia." he whispers into her hair.
She smiles. "Merry Christmas."
Well, I'm honestly not happy with this chapter. I thought a Christmas chapter would be great and easy to do, but it didn't turn out how I wanted it. I felt a little rushed, just because school starts tomorrow (nooooooooooooo) and I wanted to get one more chapter in. Well I'll probably redo it when I have time. I'm dying for suggestions, like things you didn't like or a cute little Christmasy idea I should add.
Also, one thing I feel like I screwed up on was the tense. I'd always used past tense, but then for this story I tried to use present tense until this chapter. Which is better? I'm just really confused
