Christmas came around very soon, as expected. It was 12 PM, and Holly was getting ready to spend a day with her mother. At least, most of the day. Then she'd come back and open gifts with the boys, possibly have some more dessert—if she wasn't stuffed with food already.—

Holly actually took the time to find something nice to wear. She even bought herself a couple of new things. Her honey blonde hair was down and straightened; fringe tickling her forehead. She went for a more sophisticated sort of look, opting for a dress rather than jeans.

Holly wore a little black dress, made with some sort of satin-y fabric that was silky to the touch. There was a little thin white sash of fabric under the chest, which matched her white heels. She wore feathery earrings, and carried a tiny black purse for her cellphone and wallet. Her makeup was light; just a touch of red on her lips and a light coat of mascara to her lashes. (If any of you curious beings would like to see her outfit, you can click this link. ?pic=rmmk1s&s=7 ) Compared to her usual jeans and tank top, with no makeup and her hair up, Holly looked like a whole new person.

She grabbed her mother's present and walked down the stairs, heels clinking deafeningly loud in the almost silent house. Holly heard Sam and Dean murmuring from the kitchen, and nervously—what if I look funny?—walked into the room.

"Damn Holly, you clean up nice." Dean whistled from his seat at the table. The compliment caused Holly's ears to turn a little red, but thankfully it went unnoticed because of her long hair. She just rolled her eyes and then timidly shifted them to Sam, who hadn't said a thing. They had a brief moment of awkward eye contact—and silence—before Dean cleared his throat, causing Sam to blink out of his stupor.

"Dean's right, you do look really beautiful, Holly."

Dean made a gagging noise before returning to the comic he was reading, but there was a smile on his lips.

"Thank you…" Holly felt unnecessarily shy for some reason, and she mentally slapped herself. Pull yourself together! She tugged on the hem of her short dress uncomfortably, wondering why she let Grace talk her into this one.

The guys also looked rather handsome, decked out in nice pants, a crisp white shirt, and ties. Holly thought it was comical that they both had black pants and a white shirt, with Sam wearing a red tie and Dean, green.

"Did you guys Christmas coordinate your ties?" She smirked, watching the boys grimace.

"Our aunt likes us to wear matching stuff…and she bought us these ties and won't let us in unless we wear them."

Holly let out a snort of laughter and the easy air was back as they fell into their normal conversations.

"I have to go now, my mom's expecting my at 12:30. I'll see you guys at 7?"

"Sounds good, we should be home."

"AND THEN WE EXCHANGE PRESENTS."

"Yes Dean, then we'll exchange presents." Holly grinned, and said her goodbyes to the boys. She was actually looking forward to the time with her mother. Hopefully, she'd been taking her medicine.

It was a 10-minute drive, and Holly got there at 12:20. Walking into the home, she smiled politely at the people behind the desk. They were all actually nice, which really reassured her about having her mother here.

"Hi, I'm here to pick up Mrs. Richards? We're leaving for 12:30, and coming back for 6:30." She made reservations at a nice restaurant—that her mother approved of, convinced there were no monsters.—

"Holly?" Sarah walked up to her daughter, and she smiled. Holly's mom was wearing a pair of black dress pants, and a beautiful blue beaded shirt.

"Mom, you look wonderful!" And of course Holly noticed the almost normal look in her eye as well. She looked like she did when Holly was a kid. She's been taking her medicine.

"Me? Holly, you look gorgeous. I can't believe my baby girl's so grown up." She looked like she wanted to continue, but Holly rushed her out and into the car, embarrassed by the looks they were getting. She felt sort of bad too, for the people who didn't really have anyone.

Holly and her mother spent the day together, much to their delight. The afternoon was spent drinking hot chocolate and visiting places they haven't seen before. Sure, most things were closed, but the outside was always open. It was cold, but it wasn't snowing yet. Pictures were taken and they walked until Holly's bare legs were numb.

5:30 rolled around quicker than expected, and they made their way to the fancy sort of restaurant, sitting down with a polite thank you to the waiter.

"So, Holly, how have you been?"

"I've been really good, mom. Really, really good. I didn't get anything lower than a B this semester, and I'm on my way to finally getting my degree."

Her mother's eyes were a little bit glossy as she smiled. "I'm so, so proud of you honey. You're everything I couldn't be."

"Mom, don't say that, I lear—"

"Where have you been?"

Holly's heart sunk. She prayed that her mother wasn't going into one of her moments.

"I—what do you mean?"

"Where have you been staying? You aren't at the house, are you?"

Air rushed into her lungs and she could breathe again. She's still okay. "I've been staying with my friends, Sam and Dean."

"Sam and Dean? Boys?" Her mother looked slightly alarmed, and it really shouldn't have, but it almost warmed her heart.

"Yeah, but mom they're nothing bad, I swear. I'd be able to tell if they were…evil. I learned from you who was good or bad. I promise they're good—great, even—guys."

Sarah seemed calmed by this, and they continued to eat with peaceful conversation. Holly learned that her mother had many friends where she was. And she knew why she was there…she knew that there was something in her head that wasn't right but she didn't know what to do, or how to fix it. It told her things, threats about Holly.

"And I had to listen, Holly. I had to make SURE you were okay. You're the only thing I have left, Holly. I can't let anything happen to you. They blamed me for dad's death. And when they would bring you up, I—I'd do anything. I'm sorry, Holly."

It pulled at Holly's heart and she told her mother as long as she took her medicine, like she has been, that things would be all right. Holly also learned that her mother really didn't hate it there; almost kind of liked it. Things were strict, people screamed sometimes, there were horrible sights—don't get me wrong, it was no picnic—but Sarah had people who understood. Sometimes, that's all you needed.

"I want to meet them."

"What?"

Holly and Sarah were now in the car. It was just about 7, and they were driving back to Sarah's "home."

"Your friends. The ones you're staying with. I was to meet them."

"Oh! Yeah, of course. You'll love them. We'll all meet up one day soon."

"I'd like that."

"I'll walk you in." They smiled briefly at each other as they got out of the car. It might have been a little childish, but she didn't want to leave her mother just yet. Her eyes had a light burning sensation, and she wondered why she was so emotional.

"I had a great time, Holly. Thank you for spending today with me."

"Of course, mom. It's Christmas, that's a family holiday."

Her mother smiled sadly. "I haven't been that great of a family member."

Holly stayed silent as they walked into her mother's room. The workers behind the desk actually let her go back into the rooms with her mother. She was grateful.

"Oh! Mom I almost forgot!" She pulled a small gift-wrapped box out of her purse, and gave it to her mother. "Merry Christmas."

"Holly, you didn't have to—"

"I wanted to, mom. I saw this and thought about you."

Her mother pulled out a soft, cashmere sweater from the box and unfolded it, watching the smooth material fall out in waves. It was a beautiful green color, like her eyes, and she licked her suddenly dry lips.

"It's beautiful, Holly. I wanted a sweater like this. Thank you." Her mother pulled her into a hug, and suddenly Holly forgot everything. She forgot her father's death, and her mother's spiral downward, and her lost childhood. She forgot the way she had to mature quickly at age 8, and learn how to take care of the house and cook. The only thing that she could see was herself as a little girl, crawling into bed with her mom and dad after a nightmare.

She never wanted to let go of her mother.

"I painted you a picture." The childish shyness in her mother's voice made her smile softly; reality seeping back in.

"Can I see it?"

Her mother took her to the corner of the room where a canvas sat, and she uncovered it. A beautiful face stared back at her, through big, blue eyes and thick lashes. Blonde hair fell in waves over the girl's shoulders, and her cheeks were a light pink. Set among perfect features was a pair of soft red tinted lips—Holly's favorite shade—and with a starling realization, she realized that beautiful face staring at her, was supposed to be her own. Is this how she really sees me?

"Do—do you like it? I painted it just for you, Holly. Everything is for you." The need for acceptance was back in her voice, and Holly saw the nurses at the door with her medication.

"It's beautiful, mom. I love it more than anything. I knew you could paint, but this is beautiful. It's my favorite." The calm look on her mother's face was heartwarming, and she pulled her into a hug as her mom got the painting off the canvas.

"It's not a sweater, but it's for you to keep."

"Are you sure, mom? I don't want to take anyt—"

"You're the subject of all my paintings. I can always make another one, so take it. Merry Christmas, Holly."

With one last—slightly tearful—goodbye, Holly was on her way driving home, with promises to see her mother more often going through her head. The painting was seated gingerly on the passenger's side, and at a red light Holly took a closer look at it, noticing it was down with watercolors. It was stunning. It must have been awkward when she saw me; that picture is far more beautiful.

"Guys? I'm home!" Unlocking the door, Holly made her way into the dark house. I guess they're not home…

"Merry Christmas!" Suddenly, the room was lit with mini Christmas lights spiraling up the banisters and around the walls. The tree in the den was blinking all sorts of colors, and the presents under the tree looked wonderful.

Holly was engulfed into a hug between the two brothers, and she gasped for air a little dramatically. "Did you guys miss me that much?"

"You don't understand how boring that was. We had to watch old people play chess, and snore." The squeezed her tighter and Holly huffed, pushing them off teasingly.

"Don't squish the girl carrying artwork, here!"

"What is that, Holly?" Sam spoke up, eyeing the back of the canvas curiously. Holly just grinned.

"My mom painted me a picture." She turned it around and watched their eyes widen; it really was magnificent. Dean let out a low whistle of approval, and Holly laughed.

" It looks just like you, Holly." Holly's face flushed at Sam's words. There's no way. Are these people looking at me right?

"Yeah, I'm sure."

The brothers both looked like they wanted to question the sarcasm, but Holly cut them off.

"I'm going to go drop my stuff up in my room, and change out of this dress and these god damned heels. Go wait by the tree, I'll be down in a few!"

"What's this?" Dean eyed the badly hand made coupon, eyeing his first present. It had Grace's number on the back, and it said "one free date" on the front.

"I snagged you a date with Grace. Call the number on the back." She winked, watching Dean's face light up with a smile. "Go on open the rest of the gift."

Holly smiled even wider as Dean opened the second part excitedly. "NO FUCKING WAY. How did you manage to get this? Wasn't this really expensive? I can't believe you got me a signed ACDC special addition record. Get the fuck out." Holly just laughed as he pulled her into a bone-crushing hug, before letting go and sitting down happily at Sam's side, waiting for his present from him.

Holly found it so cute when they awkwardly gave each other their gifts, not looking the other in the eye. She noticed the warm, loving smiles on their faces as they opened them though, knowing that someone in the world knew just what the other wanted.

Dean went downstairs right after that, to listen to the record and possibly call Grace, which left Sam and Holly alone.—They'll never know, but Dean left them alone on purpose.—

"So, uh…oh, this is for you, Holly. Merry Christmas." They were sitting on the floor, pretty close together, and she delicately took one of the gifts from his hand. The one she took was encased in a large bag, and Sam winced. He looks more embarrassed then he's ever been. "You told me to make you something, so I tried."

Inside the big bag was a large, soft pillow. It was just a regular pillow, but the stitches were all off and it was over stuffed, and some of the corners were larger than the others. The fabric was a soft cotton, but instead of a design it was just a plain, light grey pillow with writing on it. As she took a closer look, she realized they were lyrics. To her favorite songs.

"I—you told me about how much you liked music. And I remembered the songs you told me you liked, and some of the stuff you'd sing around here and during our lessons, and I had them made into a fabric. And then I uh, you know, made the pillow. I figured if you ever couldn't sleep you could look at the lyrics and I don't know, maybe it'd get you nice and calm and you could get some rest. I—there's a better gift."

The pillow even smells sort of like Sam, and Holly feels completely overjoyed. She'd be okay with just this. She hugs it close to her body and peeks up at him over the pillow. "I really, really like it." She says, more touched than she would like to admit as she traces the uneven stitches, picturing him sitting there and making this gift for her.

Sam can't meet her eyes, and he rubs his neck. "It's awfully made."

"That's why I like it."

"I have something else for you, too."

"I really like this one, though." Still, she takes the other package with care, never letting go of the pillow.

She hears Sam sigh softly, still a little embarrassed. "Just open it."

Inside is a little necklace. It's a simple, silver chain with a tiny, silver key on it. It was modest, and completely beautiful. It was simply Holly.

"The key doesn't do anything, but I saw it and I—I don't know, I just…"

"Thank you." She threw her arms around his neck, and hugged him until she felt his arms tighten around her waist.

"You're welcome." His reply was soft and murmured into her hair, and Holly thought about how she wouldn't mind if all his words were said just like that. After a few moments she pulled back and got her presents for him, putting both the box and bag in front of him.

"Pick!"

"I'll take the bag first."

He pulled out a dark blue knitted scarf, and smiled. It wasn't really girly, and it'd be perfect for the winter. Plus, it was pretty well made.

"You said you wanted something hand made, too. I can't do much, but I can make some pretty good scarves. So yeah."

"It's great, thank you Holly." The cotton was soft to the touch as he folded it back up, smiling.

Holly was feeling quite shy about showing him the second gift. What if I looked way too deep into things?

"Is this one also for me?" His fingers grazed the package of the little figures.

Holly nodded and drew her knees up to her chest, clutching the pillow as he unwrapped the paper, pulling out the statue thing.

"I…I saw it, while I was at the mall and I thought of you because it reminded me of how we would sit in the café surrounded by coffee and books and you'd be teaching me and—and I don't know I just, I thought it fit and I don't really know if you like it but…yeah." She finished lamely, before looking up and seeing a genuine smile etched onto his face. It made her heart skip a beat.

"I love it, Holly. It's one of my favorite gifts. In fact, both of your gifts are in my top 3 favorite gift list. Thank you, Holly. They really mean a lot. This little thing is going on my desk."

Holly smiled delightedly, and one minute the mood is light and cheerful, and the next it's a little bit too warm in the room for Holly's liking, as she's staring at Sam and he's staring right back.

"I hope you had a good Christmas…" He whispered, and Holly realized just how close they were sitting. She was sitting on her knees across from Sam and he was sitting with is legs crossed, and all they had to do was lean forward and they'd be close enough to kiss.

"I really did…this was one of the best I've had, to be honest." She leaned forward a little, almost as if she were being pulled in. She couldn't really help it at this point. The only thing she was focusing on were his eyes. They had their wonderful specks of green in them today.

"So did I, hands down."

"I'm really glad I got to spend it with you guys, too…" Their voices were still hushed and they were much, much closer than before. Holly could feel soft puffs of warm breath hitting her face as she leaned forward and he leaned in. His breathing was rugged and Holly was holding her breath and oh God she couldn't even stop herself at this point.

"You know I'm here for as long as you want me here. We're friends, I want you around."

Holly wanted to say that friends didn't have this much of a sexual tension or whatever it was they had going on, but before she can even utter a syllable Sam's hands are pulling her in gently by her cheeks, and she sees a slight flash of green before his lips are on hers. It was probably supposed to be soft and short, and neither of them were expecting Holly's hands to fly to the sides of his neck and kiss him back with as much force as she can muster.

It only takes moments for them to heat up until Sam's hands are pulling Holly closer by her hips and she's nibbling lightly on his lower lip. If she thought Sam was the passive type, boy was she wrong. His hands are pressing her close as he leans into her, making her tip her head back so he can hold her still and kiss her like she's wanted him to for so long.

Then Sam pulls away. He slides off into his room and Holly's left dazed on the floor, feeling cold with her heart rattling in her chest.

I'M SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG. REALLY, I'M REALLY SORRY.

School is stressing me out like CRAZY. It's only my first week and I've had a mental breakdown.

THIS IS NOT OKAY.

But I'm managing. (': Writing makes me feel better, so I'm glad i found the time to finish this and share with you guys.

Sorry again that it took longer than I ever do.

But I tried to make it up to you! this is the longest chapter i have so far. and i gave you a cute little scene awwwwww.

don't worry, Sam's not leaving repulsed or upset. LOL.

Thanks to all those who've reviewed! I really look forward to hearing what you think about this chapter. (:

I really do hope you enjoyed it. I worked all night on it. (it's 2 am. LOL.)

Anyway, reviews are wonderful. I hope you liked it.

I'm going to try to get the next chapter up soon...I need to do all my homework first though. Hopefully I can have it up for Sunday.

Have a good weekend, guys!