A/N: Hey guys! So, last week when I posted the new chapter, the website error'd out, but then the chapter still posted. Normally I receive an email right away when I post a new chapter, but I didn't. So, I gave it half an hour, because it says it could take 20-30 minutes for the changes to go into effect, but still nothing. I even tried deleting the chapter and reposting, hoping it would generate a message, but nada. Then I thought...well maybe it's just me who didn't receive an email. Maybe I accidentally cancelled them, so I spoke to my BETA reader (Shout out to AubreyStilinski!) who said she also didn't receive one either. So, I said all that to say, (especially if you don't care for the flashback chapters), I did post a Present Day chapter last week, so go read chapter 36!

Also, you can follow me on tumblr and twitter if you'd like. My username is eicartgeorge. I don't have many tumblr followers at the moment, but if you guys start following me, I can make posts when I update my stories. Just shoot me a message on there and let me know that you're following me and what you'd like to see (Update posts, prompts, asks, etc. Just let me know).

Anyway, please favorite/follow/Review! I look forward to hearing from you guys :)

Flashback 2.7

"Merry Christmas!" Lydia announced joyfully as she opened the door. The Santa hat on her head flopped forward.

"You're adorable." Stiles told her as she adjusted the hat back on her head. "Ready to go?"

"Yep. Will you just help me bring these bags of decorations out?"

"Ahh. I see how it is. You only wanted me here for my muscles and my jeep."

"You caught me." She shrugged.

"Oh my God…it smells amazing in here!" He sighed contentedly as he stepped inside the house.

"Mom's making gingerbread cookies for her party."

"Wait…are we making cookies?"

"No," Stiles pouted. "But," Lydia continued as she dug through the bag on her shoulder. "We are making eggnog." She then presented a bottle of spiced rum. "Spiked eggnog."

"My favorite kind."

"The only kind that's worth drinking." Stiles picked up several of the bags and headed toward the jeep while Lydia shouted "Bye, Mom!" and stepped outside to close and lock the door behind them. She had to set a bag down to get to her key, and when she went to pick it up, the Santa hat slid down over her eyes.

"Stiles?" She called.

"Yeah?" He asked, with most of his body inside the jeep as he tried to reposition the bag that had just fallen over.

"I can't see."

Stiles looked up and laughed at the helpless looking redhead.

"Hold on, I'm coming." He told her then jogged back over to her and adjusted the hat back on her head.

"There. Better?"

"Much." She smiled brightly.

"Are you going to wear that hat all night?" He asked once they were both back in the jeep.

"That's the plan."

"I predict that once you have a few glasses of eggnog, that hat will be long forgotten."

"I think you're wrong."

"Oh yeah? You wanna bet on it?"

Lydia thought for a moment. "Okay. What are the terms?"

"Alright…well…you only win if the hat never comes off-"

"Well, that's not fair. What if it falls off, or someone takes it off to mess with me?"

"Okay, well then let me rephrase. You'll win if you never take the hat off willingly."

She nodded. "Okay. Okay… so if I ever take the hat off you win. What do you win?"

"I don't know." He shrugged. "What if we don't decide until a winner is declared?"

"Well then how am I supposed to know what I'll have to do?"

"Oh, is Little Miss I'm-Not-Taking-My-Hat-Off, already feeling defeat?"

"What? No! That's not what I meant." Stiles laughed and Lydia huffed and crossed her arms. "Fine." She sighed. "I'll decide what I'm going to make you do at the end of the night... after I win."

"I'm sure you will."

"Stiiillless." Lydia's voice slurred as she grabbed his hand and pulled him back toward the crowd. "Danccce with meeee."

Stiles groaned as he let his best friend pull him along. One hand held hat in place on her head. "Where's Aaron?" Stiles asked her as she began to jump around to the music.

"I can't hear you!" She yelled back.

"Where's your boyfriend?!" He raised his voice so she could hear him above the noise.

"He left! He's on curfew still from when he punched you in the face!"

"Oh, right." He said, and winced at the memory.

"I'm tired! Let's go sit down!" She grabbed his hand again and tugged him along.

"You literally just pulled me out here." He grumbled.

"You know, you're not nearrrrly drunk enough."

"I think you're wasted enough for the both of us."

"Am not."

"Oh, I think so."

"Nuh uh." Lydia said as she pulled him down on to the couch.

"Yeah huh."

Lydia stared for a moment and started giggling. "I don't remember what we were arguing about."

"Then I think my point has been proven."

"You just need to have more fun." For emphasis she took her hat and placed it haphazardly onto Stiles's head. His eyes widened in shock and a huge grin slowly appeared on his face. "What?" She asked as she leaned back into the couch.

"I win."

She cocked her head in confusion, then with sudden realization she grabbed her head where her hat used to be. "My hat! You stole it!"

"No I didn't." He shook his head and laughed. "You just put it on me."

"You tricked me!"

"How?"

"I don't know." She pouted and crossed her arms. "Fine. What did you win?"

"I win…." He said as he looked around the room and thought about it. "Is that your camera?" He asked, pointing to a camera on a nearby shelf.

"You want my camera?"

"No, I don't want your camera... I want a picture of us on your camera and I want you to print it off and put it in a picture frame next to your bed, so every time you look at it, you'll remember that I beat you."

"Ugh, fine." She grumbled. Stiles walked over to the shelf where her camera sat and picked it up.

"Alright, come on."

"Wait, you want a picture right now?"

"Yep, come on." He held his hand out and she sighed as she grabbed it and he pulled her up. "Let's take it right…."He shuffled them over to a spot, "Here." He turned the camera on and extended his arm then looked up. "Oh, would you look at that. Mistletoe."

"What? No! Don't kiss me!" Lydia laughed as she pulled away but he wrapped his arm around her tighter.

"I'm not going to-"He began to say, but at the last moment he leaned closer, his lips kissing her cheek and snapped the picture. He let her go and they looked at the picture together. Lydia's face took up most of the screen. Her eyes were squeezed shut and huge smile was on her face, Stiles and his (well Lydia's) Santa hat were still visible to the far right side, his lips firmly planted on her cheek. "Perfect."

"I look terrible." Lydia whined.

"You look beautiful." He argued. Lydia felt herself blush, deciding to blame the alcohol. "I miss Allison." Stiles sighed and went back to the couch, collapsing onto it.

Lydia sighed too. "We both need more eggnog." She paused, then added. "Maybe minus the eggnog."

A/N 2: And if that picture sounded familiar, yes...it is the picture that Lydia had in her bedside table drawer that had the ultrasound picture behind it. The past and present are starting to feed into each other!