* Chapter Thirty-One *

The relief to be finally leaving the Capitol and going home is bittersweet. Not only will I be bidding Anariel and Marcella goodbye, but once we step on the train Cato and I will only get a few last final in privacy together, another in the public-eye in District Two, and then I will get back on the train without him and it will be six long months before I see Cato again.

The thought of being without him is terrifying.

Even a few hours apart has me on edge, tense and snappy. Being with him is the only time that I can shake the constant state of awful alertness and paranoia that kept me alive in the Games. When the beautiful Capitol food turns to dirt in my mouth because something has reminded me of the bloody battles I fought, killed and lost in, he is my reminder it's over. When I wake in all-consuming, mind-numbing terror it is his scent, his warmth and his arms around me that allow me to close my eyes. He's my permission to smile, my license to laugh and crack jokes without feeling choked by guilt. His touch chases away a deep chill in my bones. His gaze on me, full of acceptance, love and trust allows me to look at my own face in the mirror. Slowly, slowly he is healing me; reminding me of why I deserve to have lived and am allowed to be happy.

I don't know whether I will be able to hold myself together without him. Will all the healing be undone after a few days apart? My family will try to understand, but how can they really? I'll have to heal myself and I don't know if I have the strength…

I've done it before.

This time I won't be completely alone, either. I'll have Johanna right next door. She knows what we went through, she understands. I remind myself constantly of these facts. I can survive for six months without Cato. I'm going to make sure he gets back the same Rose he leaves behind on the train.

It's still a game. I still can't let them break me.

"How am I going to let you go?" Cato murmurs in my ear, voice slurred with sleep and arms firmly holding me to his chest beneath the tangle of bedsheets.

I don't know. If being without Cato makes me jumpy and anxious, it turns him into a coiled and explosive ball of stress. Even being in the same room is often not enough; he needs to be able to hold me close and have me there in case something goes wrong. I live in constant fear he won't be there when I come back. He lives in constant fear that something will hurt me and he won't be there to protect me. Too soon he's going to have to remember that I can look after myself… too soon we're both going to have to trust the other is okay without any visual confirmation.

Breakfast is an interesting affair. Finally both mine and Cato's teams have been forced to dine together in their completeness. Any progress Anariel has made towards self-confidence is completely reversed by sitting across the table from Enobaria. Claudia on the other hand manages to pluck up the courage to compliment the victor's teeth. Enobaria flashes them in a smile and approvingly acknowledges the workmanship on Claudia's own sharpened fangs. The two men on my prep-team also seem to manage civil conversation with Cato's crew, though nobody seems all that fond of his stylist. Marcella, who has no wine-glass to drown out Veranova's obnoxious comments wears a foul expression that is rivalled only by Johanna's. The fact my mentor is extremely hungover is both a blessing and a curse. She's not awake enough to come up with very creative insults so instead stews in silence like a bomb about to explode.

"How the fuck do you stand them?" She mutters to Enobaria, "They're worse than our usual stylist and she is a fucking piece of work!"

The victor flashes a fierce smile at me, "Yoga."

Johanna throws a croissant at her which the woman catches and begins to butter merrily. I'm surprised enough at her joke to laugh out loud. On her other side Titus also shoots me a pointed look. His is much less friendly.

"Maybe I'll choose that as my talent," I suggest, smirking at Johanna, "We can do yoga together everyday, Johanna!"

"Go fuck yourself, Thorns."

"She doesn't have to," Cato grins lewdly, making Enobaria laugh loudly and Johanna throw a croissant at him next. He ducks and it hits his detestable stylist in the face, knocking her hideous wig askew.

Those of us with working survival instincts make a break for it as chaos descends. Johanna takes great pleasure in throwing another croissant, this time at Anariel, and then knocking a jug of orange juice over before following Enobaria out of the room. Titus is caught in the cross fire for a moment and storms off with eggs in his hair while Cato and I pause a safe distance away to laugh at his shrieking escort taking refuge under the table. Anariel on the other hand, follows Johanna's lead and hits Veranova with another croissant before retreating. She practically beams at Cato and I as she timidly suggests we head down to the prep-centre and I make sure to applaud her on her aim as I drag Cato away. By the time Marcella and Claudia arrive in the prep-centre the two men have almost finished preparing me for my final public appearance before the Victory Tour. Claudia has a coffee stain across the front of her white dress and her dismay at her reflection coupled with her crimson eyes and fangs is a rather menacing sight. Marcella sails in like victorious conqueror and there's no need to ask who won the latest fight between my style team and Cato's as she declares pompously, "We are a team of victors ladies and gentlemen, and we will send Rose on her way as such! Absolutely no blubbering!"

My team take her words as command and the two men solemnly shake my hand and wish me the best, promising that they will see me in six months. Claudia has accepted her stained dress as a 'battle wound' and promises that she and Marcella will continue to wage war in my absence. Once they're gone Marcella embraces me in a tight hug, "You look after yourself Rose! I need you in one piece and gorgeous as ever to do my dresses justice, you know!"

"And I need your dresses to be as wonderful as ever to get me through the Tour! Don't start slacking off now you're successful, will you?" I tease back. She scoffs and I amend my statement as we part, "Don't work too hard. I want you in one piece too!"

She pats my cheek condescendingly, "In this place, you can fall behind the game in an instant. I won't have you dressed sub-standardly and I'll work as hard as that requires!"

Aside from Anariel, she is the only Capitolite who receives a sincere 'thank you'.

...

Katniss and Peeta are the image of the happy couple as the four of us wave goodbye to the Capitol from the train doors. Whilst Cato pumps one fist in victory and holds me close to him with the other, the pair from Twelve hold up their joint hands with wide grins. I blow a kiss to the Capitol and Cato takes this as permission to steal a quick one from me as the doors close. The flash of cameras tell me that it will be all over Capitol news, but I don't care. I'm simply ecstatic to be leaving their world behind.

"We're going home," I murmur in the sudden silence that follows the abrupt dimming of the cheers. I say it as if it's a revelation and I realise it is. Until it came down to the final four I had never seriously considered that I really would be crowned victor, having won the Games. Then, from the moment it dawned on me that Cato and I had won, I've been so stressed about the consequences of having more than one victor, that I hadn't really allowed myself to believe we would be allowed to go home until now, "Cato! We're actually going home!"

Peeta laughs happily with me and I see similar dawning realisation on his face, but Cato just smirks arrogantly, "For some of us it's not so much of a surprise," he mocks.

He seems to at least appreciate my excitement however because when I bounce excitedly in front of him he lifts me to twirl me around in equal jubilation. I cup his face in my hands and kiss him sweetly before he lets me drop lightly back to the ground with a laugh, "I wish I got to meet your family," he tells me in a voice too quiet for Peeta and Katniss to overhear.

It reminds me that it's not just me and my victory that my family has to reconcile, it's Cato's too. I smile at him, "Laurel will already love you and that means Rob will too; he's a sucker for everything that makes her happy."

Cato's eyes light up with happiness, "And what about Fletcher?"

I smirk, "He's a sucker for everything that makes me happy."

He laughs and looks relieved to hear two of my brothers are well wrapped around their little sister's fingers, "The others will just be happy to have me home. They're all going to love you because you looked after me when I couldn't and they couldn't," I add reassuringly, stroking a hand over his cheek, "They'll love you, because you love me and I love you."

I want to ask him about his family. I will be stepping onto the platform in District Two to participate in a little of the victory celebrations and I'd like to be prepared for who will be there. Cato doesn't give me a chance however, he fixes me with a heated stare, casts a look at Katniss and Peeta over my shoulder and then grabs my hand, pulling me along the corridor.

"Where are we going?" I laugh as he leads us through the compartment our mentors and escorts are settling themselves in.

"No running on the train, Cato dear!" His escort calls.

I laugh as he simply increases his pace, throwing a smirk at me over his shoulder. I've caught his mood by the time he's pushing open a bedroom door. With only the slightest of concerns about my appearance for the coming events, I make sure he is careful as he unbuttons my dress. After that, we lose ourselves in each other; the only coherent thought is that this needs to be good enough to last us six months of separation. Johanna had told us they'd be strict until the Victory Tour was over. After that, discrete visits between Districts might be possible… so long as we kept the favour of the Capitol. We continue to kiss lazily and stay wrapped in each other even after the sweat has cooled on our bodies. Part of me wants to freeze time right here, the other part is dying to see my family again.

"Cato?" I murmur, even though we're already staring deeply into each other's eyes, "is there really going to be nobody waiting for you on the platform?"

I was scared anger would darken his gaze, instead there's only sorrow as he studies me. Dropping a kiss to my forehead he sighs heavily, "My… family isn't like yours, Rose. Maybe things will change now, but…" he doesn't finish the thought, but the doubt is clear in his eyes as he frowns slightly.

"There's two types of trainees in Two," he finally begins to explain to me, "There's the ones like Clove, whose family is wealthy and important. They live for the Games and they send their children to the Academies for the prestige and ambition of social-climbing further."

I don't let the contempt I feel for this information show on my face. Two's culture is so different to my own District's, especially when it comes to the Games. Just because I don't understand it, doesn't mean it's barbaric. Just like the rest of the Districts, they are forced to offer up Tributes every year. They believe that they make the best of a terrible situation by glorifying and training their tributes, and maybe they do. At the very least it's been decades since a twelve year old from One or Two was sent to their deaths.

He waits until I have nodded to continue, "Then there's the other sort of trainee… they pay the families to send us to the Academies and we live there and get fed there. It's not much money, but enough to make a difference if you're struggling. It's more than you get for taking tesserae, and you get more if your kid volunteers," he looks away from my gaze and I tighten my hold on him as he clears his throat, "My parents were never the best. They got married real young, had nothing but each other; not enough money and too many kids. They sent me to the Academy when I was six. I used to see them every couple of months, but my father died when I was ten—"

I can't stop his name falling from my lips as I press myself flush against him. I want to take away the pain in his eyes, the hint of shame that I know comes from being cast aside, sold to these Games long before I was. I cup his face in my hands, desperately trying to tell him without words that I am here for him. He meets my eye again, the blue a little more blurred than usual. At first I think it's because he's getting teary, then I realise that it's my eyes that are tearing up.

"It was the flu," he shakes his head and his jaw muscle twitches, "It killed my sister and baby brother too. Did a number on the poorer parts of the District."

Seeing how upset I am getting for him he kisses the dampness off my cheek, "I was never close to my family, Rose. They were practically strangers by this point."

He doesn't realise that his words which are supposed to be reassuring only make me ache for him worse, but holds me closer as he continues, "My mother went completely off the rails. I only saw her twice more before the Reaping. Once was when she brought my younger brother to the Academy," his expression softens a little and I assume he's thinking about his brother.

"What's his name?" I ask quietly.

"Dominick, he's thirteen."

I smile because I can tell that I've found someone else that he considers important. Maybe they aren't brothers in the way I am used to, but I can tell Cato cares about him, "I bet he's proud of you," I reply simply.

It's a good thing to say because it makes Cato's eyes brighten. He kisses me sweetly at first, but it deepens as I roll us so I can show him that even if his family didn't love and appreciate him the way he deserved, I always will. I feel privileged that he has trusted me with this part of him and the moment of tenderness makes me feel closer and more intimate with him than anything physical could. He's helping me button my dress back up and kissing my neck when I remember his words in the Games. He said Clove and some of the other trainees were his real family. Turning to wrap my arms around his neck I smile crookedly at him, "Any jealous best friends I have to worry about?"

He hesitates a little guiltily and then laughs, "There's my training partner. He's an arse so he's more likely to be jealous of me than you! We always like the same girls."

I lift an eyebrow at him, "Is that right? Well, he can't be more of an arse than you are."

Cato snorts, "You say that now! His name is Aiden, but do me a favour and pretend I haven't mentioned him at all."

Openly laughing now, I turn my attention to lacing on knee-length black boots and trying to fix my hair. My prep-team had tamed it to looser curls, but our activity which also rid me of most of the gold eyeshadow and lipstick has made my overall look much more casual than they intended. Cato watches me with a smirk from the bed and I frown at him jealously. His hair is only slightly dishevelled while my entire appearance screams that we just had sex. Still, I look more like myself than I have in weeks and with the weight of his gaze on me I give up trying to fix my appearance.

"There's also Ava," Cato tells me when I turn back to him expectantly. The return to the previous topic makes me blink at him in surprise, "She thinks she's in love with me, but in reality she'll end up with Aiden… probably after he stops trying to have sex with anyone with boobs."

I stare at him for a moment then scoff, "So there is a jealous best friend I have to be worried about."

"There's nobody that you have to be worried about," he's grinning smugly, but there's an earnestness to his words that I don't doubt.

"Lucky me."

He scrambles to follow me as I leave the room with an eye-roll. When he catches up I reach immediately for his hand, silencing whatever he was going to say and replacing his frown with a small smile, "Yeah, you are lucky," he agrees with a smirk.

"So are you."

He snickers, but nods his agreement as we emerge into a main compartment. Johanna throws me an absolutely disgusted look and Effie's lips are pressed in disapproval, but Anariel beams at us and Haymitch toasts us with his drink. Enobaria smirks and I see her wink at Cato, Titus is nowhere to be seen and neither are Peeta and Katniss.

"Didn't you get it all out of your system last night?" Johanna sneers.

I ignore her and focus on Anariel, "We're almost there, right?"

She checks the time and nods sympathetically. Cato and I take the empty couch and remain silent as Effie goes off to find the other two victors. Even though they have far less vested interest, they will still have to make an appearance in Two.

"They have to be more convincing, Haymitch," Johanna states darkly the moment the door shuts behind the escort, "Remind her that it's her damn sister's life; all of our lives!"

Haymitch drains his drink and doesn't argue. I want to chime in that it's not just their romance, it's everything Katniss Everdeen does, but I also know it's not my place. Cato too shuts his mouth and chooses to scowl silently when I elbow him and instead we enjoy these last few quiet moments with each other. He plays with my ring while I rub his knee lightly and lean contently against his firm don't get very long, but even Johanna gives us a little space before hustling us back towards the doors as the train begins to slow. Anariel hovers anxiously over Johanna and I before realising the entire team from Twelve is missing and Titus is also still AWOL. District Seven is fully present and that alone is making her look good.

"Any last advice?" I tease Johanna.

She scowls at me, "It would have been to tame the sex hair, but you're beyond help now."

Surprisingly Enobaria pipes up from her spot in the wings near Cato, "Be proud and hold your head high. You don't apologise or bend for anyone in this district. Not even the other Victors," she advises.

I nod slowly, "I understand. Thank you."

Cato casts a glance between the two of us and wraps an arm around my shoulders, but stays quiet as the train rocks to a complete halt. I'm vaguely aware of Effie hurrying Katniss and Peeta into space behind us as I gaze steadily up at Cato. Dimly we can hear the roar of approval from the crowd outside and Cato looks down at me with a humbled awe clear in his eyes.

"That's for us," I assure him with a smile, "For you!"

The moment a slow smile spreads across his face is the moment the doors open. The noise triples at the sight of their beloved victor coming back to them. I hang back to let Cato step out first and take the glory he deserves, but he grasps my hand in his and tugs me with him. My first step into District Two is therefore a slight stumble, but I gather myself quickly and wave shyly to the crowd as I take in the sight before me. My immediate impression of Cato's home is it's solidity. Everything is made from stone and it makes the buildings behind the crowded square the dominating feature of the background. Instead of trees there are mountains, and instead of dirt there is rock.

Peacekeepers direct us along the platform and I smile widely at Cato when he glances down to gauge my reaction, "It's amazing!" I tell him honestly, yelling to be heard over the cheers that have not dimmed in the slightest, "although, not many trees."

He laughs at me, but I can tell he is pleased, "Nowhere has 'many trees' compared to Seven!"

I pull a face at him and he wraps an arm around my shoulder. To my secret delight the cheers seem to strengthen at the sight. It has been a strong fear that District Two will not accept me, despite Johanna assuring me they would at least respect me for my combat skills and loyalty to Cato during the Games.

Cato goes still beside me as four people are allowed to pass onto the platform by the Peacekeepers. While I will be running to embrace my family, he freezes at the sight of his friends and his grip on my hand tightens painfully. The boy, who must be Dominick shares Cato's blonde hair and height. He's only thirteen but taller than me. He hasn't filled out yet however and next to Cato and the other older boy he looks lanky and skinny. Just like his older brother, he is clinging tightly to the hand of a smaller dark haired girl and I stare curiously at them. There is something familiar about her, but I can't put my finger on what it is. As they approach, Cato suddenly lurches forward and it's his brother he first embraces. It's a rough and 'manly' hug, but he cups the back of his brother's head in the same protective way he sometimes holds mine.

"I knew you'd win," I hear the younger Hadley murmur as they separate. Dominick punches Cato's shoulder and Cato retaliates by putting him in a headlock and the somewhat emotional and tender moment between the brothers is over.

Cato next turns to the young man, I assume is Aiden. He has darker hair and is only slightly shorter than Cato, but much more leanly muscled. The two clasp hands and slap each other's backs heartily, but my attention has been caught by the young girl Dominick flashes a small grin at. She smirks in response, dark eyes glinting with just a hint of mocking and I can't help but stare. She's more wiry, her hair is lighter and her face less severe, but there's no hiding that this girl must be Clove's sister. Guilt turns my face white as I realise I am standing in her sister's spot beside Cato.

"You had me really worried there, Man," Aiden is telling Cato with a wide grin, "Thought for sure you were going to get naked on national television."

The blonde girl that completes the group snorts at exactly the same time I do and we meet eyes briefly. She's very beautiful and holds herself proudly despite the tears dripping down her cheeks as she beams at Cato. He scoffs even as he reaches to hug her, "I'm back Ava, you can stop the waterworks. You knew I would win, what's there to cry about?"

She manages a watery smile and nods tearfully, "I wasn't sure they'd let you come back, that's all."

Cato doesn't respond to her, turning for me anxiously as if he's just realised it's been a few moments since he checked in on me. Neither of us have to speak to tell his friends it has been a worry for us too. Cato smiles when our eyes lock and I take his offered hand with a small smile of my own, "Guys, this is Rosilda. Rose, these are my friends Aiden and Ava and my little bro Dominick."

For the first time he seems to realise there is a fourth person, and he stares at mini-Clove with haunted eyes for a moment. Dominick pipes up from her side to fill the tense pause, "We know who she is, dumbarse," he gripes at his brother and waves a little awkwardly at me, "hi!"

"I bet you've heard a lot about me," Aiden smirks cockily and comes in for a hug as I smile and wave back to the younger boy, "Most of it is probably Cato's jealousy talking. He knows he's not pretty enough for a girl as gorgeous as you so he'll have been trying to sabotage the biggest competition. Don't believe everything he told you."

He grunts when Cato punches his shoulder, but Cato's smirk becomes a frown when I playfully respond, "Oh but I like being the pretty one in the relationship. You'd give me self-confidence issues for sure, Aiden!"

Cato's best mate laughs and eyes me up and down again, "Give me a call if you ever change your mind, won't you Rose?"

"I don't think I'll be changing my mind," I grin and pat his cheek condescendingly, "but thanks."

Before Cato can pull me to his side possessively, Ava pushes forward to embrace me in a slightly rigid hug. She smiles awkwardly as we part, "Thank you for keeping him safe for us," she says genuinely, "If you ever need anything, we owe you."

It feels a little insulting to hear her careless implication that I deserve a reward or that they are indebted to me. As if I don't care about him and his well-being nearly as much as she does.

"It was entirely selfish," I assure her and flash my teeth in a smile that doesn't reach my eyes, before adding more sincerely, "It's nice to meet you all."

My eyes land on the younger girl again. She catches my eye and we blink at each other for a moment. Enobaria's words about not apologising for my victory ring in my ears as I stare at her. Her gaze is curious as she studies me; appraising. It's as if she's measuring me up; trying to decide if I am worthy to be standing in Clove's place.

"Emery," Cato finally acknowledges her and the word is a little choked, "I… I tried to bring her home." I wonder if I'm the only one who can hear the plead in his words. He's begging her, begging his brother and friends not to hold Clove's death against him; begging them not to look at him and wonder why he returned and Clove didn't.

"I know," Emery answers simply and it's she who steps forward to wrap her skinny arms around Cato's torso.

I feel as if there's the weight of the entire district's gaze on me as Cato awkwardly hugs her back. The Capitol will be lapping up this drama, but for the districts this is a reminder of their fresh and very real sorrow and grief. Just because four of us 'won' doesn't mean twenty too many didn't die. I lower my head respectfully and wonder how many people in the square would have gladly watched me die to have both their tributes return to them. Probably the majority. Even Cato turns to me when he and Emery part. His gaze is wary, her's is still contemplative. I swallow and cast around for something to say other than an apology, "I'm grateful to have known your sister, even for a short time," I finally offer quietly, knowing it is a poor expression and acknowledgement of her grief, "my respects to you and your family."

I bow my head to her, despite Enobaria's instructions not to do that, and then lift it proudly. I want them to see my sorrow plainly, I want everyone to realise that I know the price that was paid for me to live. I don't want them to mistake that sorrow for regret. Clove's sister eyes me for a moment longer then throws her arms around me too. They are surprisingly strong for their scrawniness and I wonder if her vice-like hold is on purpose. Her voice seems sincerely choked however as she murmurs a word of gratitude. It feels like she's thanking me for more than just my words now, and I nod in understanding as we part. I wouldn't blame her for resenting me a little, but her acknowledgement that I also tried my best to bring her sister home and to help Cato honour her memory eases the guilt in my heart.

Cato grins at me approvingly, an expression which is echoed a moment later by his brother. It makes them look eerily similar and I can't help but glance between them with a shake of my head, "You're going to be a heartbreaker too," I inform Dominick before realising that I've just shattered the somber mood.

Emery laughs loudly though and turns to look between the brothers as both boys smirk smugly at my assessment, "Don't encourage them," Ava groans, while I try to fight away a blush.

Cato wraps an arm around my waist and presses his lips to my temple fleetingly, "It's the Hadley charm," he informs me smugly.

"I'm not sure I'd call it charm," I argue with an eye-roll.

"Sex appeal?"

I swat the back of his head and playfully inform him, "You're an arse," before tossing a smile at Aiden, "Maybe I will take you up on that offer."

Cato's arm tightens around me even as he shakes his head with a laugh. Even Aiden shakes his head this time, though he winks conspiratorially, "Don't go getting me in trouble now, Rose."

"You don't need her help to get yourself in trouble," Ava scoffs and throws a look at Cato when he laughs at that, "And neither do you! Come on Rose, you aren't here for long, right?" She asks as she forcibly hooks her arm through mine and begins to lead me away from Cato and the others, "Well, you have to at least come and see the best view of the mountains before the Peacekeepers cart you off to shake the mayor's hand… or whatever it is you victors do!"

Panic flares in my chest, but I squash it down as I realise she's only leading me a little down the platform. Cato lets me go with only a squeeze of my hand and though I can feel him keeping a close eye on us, it's encouraging to know he trusts this girl not to harm me. She's several inches shorter than me and petite in every way, but her fingers are tight on my arm as she tugs me along, chattering happily about the district. It's the direction Katniss and Peeta have drifted, but she steers a wide berth around them and tosses a contemptuous glance over her shoulder, breaking her easy-going chatter to sneer, "If I'd known stupidity could get you a crown…"

The mutter of sarcasm with just the hint of a mean streak is more in line with what I would have expected from a friend of Cato's. It's not what Ava mostly seems to be however. She seems more bubbly, perky, and soft than the stereotypical girl from District Two and with her blonde hair and small frame she even looks more like the females from One.

"Is it true she only ever speaks to him in public?" She wonders with interest. This makes me laugh slightly as I mentally add 'gossip-girl' to the list of surprising qualities in Cato's best friend.

"It wouldn't surprise me," I reply, glancing at the pair suspiciously and feeling another pang of pity for Peeta, "It's not just plain stupidity though, it's mixed with a hefty dose of suicidal tendencies."

"Seems you had a few moments like that of your own," she responds, but there's no malice in her voice and when I catch her eye I see grudging respect on her face, "Nobody can doubt you love Cato. Just don't stop loving him… he's not as strong as he seems."

"Most people aren't," I reply lightly and hold her gaze to show I've received her warning loud and clear and am not intimidated by her in the slightest. I'm also not about to discuss my relationship with her. Even if she isn't in love with Cato like he thinks she is, I've only just met her and after having all the private details of my life splashed across television, I want to keep what's left for him and I.

She nods and returns to making light remarks about our surroundings and I speak only to make appropriate gasps and compliments on the beautiful view of the snowy peaks laid out before us. They're the same mountains we have just journeyed through and under on the train; a natural wall around the Capitol fortress which made it almost impossible to directly attack during the war of rebellion. Still, they are an amazing and awe-inspiring sight. One that I never would have got to see if it weren't for the generosity of the Capitol.

I dutifully smile, and try not to wonder how many rebels lost their lives to the pretty, perilous peaks.

...

Happy Christmas to everyone who is celebrating the holiday! I hope you have all had (or are still having...) a wonderful day with your families and friends! If you're in the Southern Hemisphere like me I hope you've been able to enjoy a summer BBQ without smoke and fires and volcanoes erupting! If you're in the Northern... make a snowman for me? Enjoy your eggnog around the fire? Don't forget your coat? I've never had a winter Christmas, but I hope you're all managing to stay warm and cozy! Most importantly though, I hope everyone is staying safe over the holiday period!

Only one last chapter after this! I can't believe I've actually almost finished a story! I have so many unfinished ones clogging up the storage on my laptop and I'm so close to having one that is actually finished too! It's very exciting! I hope some of you out there are as excited as me!

As always, thank you so much for reading! I would love to hear what you think!

- xx