Thanks to Justice237 for reviewing.

Veronica POV

"Veronica?"

Sometime at about two in the morning on Boxing day I had gotten out of bed, tip- toed down the stairs and was standing in the living room in Ashdene Ridge. And why I was standing just here I really didn't know. But standing here alone in a room that wasn't all to myself felt good…

Or at least I had been alone until a few seconds ago.

"What are you doing up?"

Ryan stepped into the room from the hallway and came over to me. With his hands in the pockets on his pyjama pants he had quite a distressed facial expression and seemed to be wanting to say something.

"Nothing. What are you doing up?"

"I was just getting a glass of water… What's up?"

"Nothing. I just couldn't sleep." I lied, with the thoughts spinning in my head and still feeling as if I should say more. "You know… This was the best Christmas I have had in a really long time. So thank you for being there and making it for me. And I mean more than just the presents. And I meant it. I can ask my dad to give you the money back because you kind of shouldn't have spent all of that on me if you didn't want to."

"I want to." Ryan assured me. "But your dad seemed a bit… weird." I gave a deep sigh. "And Violet is… well… Violet."

"Spoilt? Being a spoiled little brat as always? And clinging onto dad as usual?" I said in an annoyed tone, and then continued without being able to stop talking. "You know… I was never close with my mum's parents. My grandma and grandpa. We meet them on Christmas and they send me a gift for my birthday, stuff like that. But I've never been too close with them. It was another story with my dad's parents. The first times I could go outside and out the yard on my own I just ran down the street and through the back door to grandma's kitchen and she'd always be cooking or baking. I'd be sitting down, tasting and just talking, talking, talking. Grandpa took me to the Tivoli when it was in town several times. Grandma was never much for such things but he took me there and to the swimming pool and everything but… sorry. You don't want to hear this."

"Yes, yes." Ryan said. Sounding kind of careful. "What did you want to tell me?"

"Well…" I started, and then the words just came rolling out of me. "One of my first memories come from that… You know, grandma and grandpa they spoiled me. There's no doubt about that. But when I was out with grandpa- he didn't always buy me what I wanted. If I wished for twenty different stuffed animals for my birthday they give me money for one and let me choose myself. They together gave me my allowance. Starting at five pounds a month when I was little and then ten pounds as I got a bit older. But… I didn't always get what I wanted. And then… just by the time Violet was born… something changed."

I paused and took a deep breath. Then gave up on trying to see something through the dark and walked over to sit down on the couch. Throwing away some used wrapping paper before I sat down and pulled my feet up under me before I continued. "My grandma got ill when Violet was only two months old. And she and grandpa kind of decided that as she wouldn't live for long enough for Violet to make memories with them. So they'd spoil her with things instead. So they literally gave her everything she ever wanted from the time she was a baby. Grandma died when she was two and a half, a year and a half ago. But Violet was old enough to have learnt how to be… you know…. Dad spoils her a million times worse than grandma or grandpa ever did. But she just… "I wish my grandma was here" or "Grandpa would have bought it for me." And he just can't tell her no."

If there had been a moment where I had ever wanted or needed to cry. It was now. Yet my eyes were dry and no lump rising in my throat. And I didn't even know but it just felt like I wan… needed to cry and it would all be made better. Everything would be made better. But nothing happened, and I drew another deep breath and then told him the last piece of my story. I could just as well finish now.

"Then we moved here to be closer to mum's parents and I started in a new school and all of that… And the rest is what we call history. And that is how my sister ended up a spoiled brat and I… I don't even know what I ended up as."

I still didn't cry and it didn't feel like I would any time ever. So I just leaned back towards the back of the sofa and waited for anything to happen. I wasn't so sure what to do so a part of me wanted Ryan to do something, maybe even walk away if that was what he wanted to do. Just anything…

Well, he didn't walk away.

Ryan was absolutely still for so long I flinched when he finally moved. And then he came and sat down next to me on the couch. For a second we only sat like that, staring at each other. Then I continued to have something to say at all.

And Lord, I could feel sorry for myself when I did. A lot!

"I guess it has something to do with grandma and grandpa since they weren't there to care for Violet as they were with me for so long. But something I do know is that mum… or at least dad cares a lot more for Violet than he does for me. And… well I know she's four years old and everything with that. But… She doesn't even notice and still only wants more and more and more. And if nothing else works she'll say you know… You never give me anything. Grandma and grandpa would have given it to me. Stuff like that. Sorry, I don't know why I just told you all of this. It's just… I never really told anyone the whole story before."

"You don't have to say you're sorry." Ryan said calmly. "It's okay." He laid his arm around my shoulders.

I still didn't cry. But I just felt so tired all of a sudden and leaned my head back against Ryan's shoulder. And then just like that, at two o'clock on Boxing Day morning. I with my feet pulled up in the sofa and Ryan with his arms around my shoulders. We just forgot about everything else and fell asleep.

So. That's this chapter. You now know Violet and Veronica Lucas's story and how Violet is so spoilt and why Veronica feel left out. Veronica and Ryan fell asleep in the living room. And that's kind of it.

Random fact

I'm not sure if the story of how Violet even ended up so spoilt makes any sense. But after one review on the last chapter I wanted to figure something of how Violet ended up that way while Veronica is nicer and tries to stay away from the girls at her school. Those she tried to hide from when she and Ryan were out downtown. So well… that is the way it is.

Oh, and I think the next chapter might be the last one. And if everything works out the way it will. You're going to find out what the deal with the Lucas' last name is about. Any more guesses while waiting?

See you next time.