The next chapter is posted! Enjoy :)

Friday, Christmas Eve...

This month seems to be passing by very quickly. And within all that time, Eve has barely gotten anything holiday related done. She only put up some decorations a few days ago and even then, it was only a small handful of things. Sadly, she's been so busy that she never gotten around to doing one of her most favorite things for Christmas. And that was getting and decorating a tree.

For Eve, the tree was always the best part. The colorful lights, the ornaments, the fresh scent of pine all throughout the house. What was not to like about a fresh tree? She also had to run around like a maniac the previous weekend trying to get some Christmas Shopping done.

Frieza found her running about to be quite amusing. Especially the couple times she nearly tripped over the furniture trying to put some things up. When he asked her what all the fuss was about, that's when she explained to him about something called Christmas.

When Eve took the time to explain it all to him, the tyrant found the whole concept as ridiculous and farcical. A fat jolly man squeezing down people's chimneys just to give them useless trinkets. He scoffed at such a simpleminded notion. Then had to listen to the young woman poke at him and say it's because he's a naughty boy.

Though the real torture didn't begin until Eve started putting on Christmas Music and Movies. Something he found rather detestable. The music was so disgustingly cheery it instantly reminded him of his time in Hell when the stuffed animals and fairies would march around his tree playing their cheery little songs. At one point he let that statement slip and quickly became annoyed when Eve started laughing.

"Oh, the horror, teddy bears and fairies playing tunes on their little toy instruments. Where was Mickey Mouse and the rest of the group from Fantasia when you needed them?" She said, with laughter in her voice.

"I will destroy you." He said, with a dirty look on his face.

Eve covered her mouth as more laughter threatened to spill out. Which made Frieza glare even harder at her from his position on the couch.

"Lighten up Frieza, I was only joking." She said.

"I like to see you strung up in a cocoon day in and day out while having to endure that 24/7 for the better part of fifteen years." He snapped, clearly still unhappy that she got a good laugh out of his several years of misery and torture.

The young woman's smile left her face and she looked down at the floor briefly.

"Your right. I'm sorry. I won't bring it up again. And I won't turn on anymore Christmas Music around you. And I didn't mean to tease you." Eve confessed.

His scowl slowly melted away with a sigh. Eve really started feeling bad when she caught a look of despair flicker in his eyes. She knew it had a little to do with his predicament in Hell. But she also knew it had to do with his current position. For the notorious Evil Emperor, this was just another level of Hell for him. His wounds maybe still healing, but his pride was deeply scarred by the fact that since he's been here, he's been rendered weak and helpless.

Flash forward a few days and it was already Christmas Eve. Initially, she was supposed to be catching a ferry with Drew a little later today around noon to go to his Parents House for the day. This has always been the plan for her. It's what she did every year for the holidays. But after witnessing Frieza's despairing and somewhat depressive behavior as of late, she's unsure if she should leave him alone during this time.

Her job has been keeping her extremely busy up until now and because of this, Eve had very little contact with the tyrant. She'd see him when she got home, but she was too drained to do much besides make them some dinner and afterwards had to go on her laptop to plug in her latest footage of the day and type up her reports and records. Hell, she also feels bad because she barely was able to do what she told him she'd do with him. Which was teach him to read English.

During all this time, Frieza was beginning to feel a bit isolated, and surprisingly this was really getting to him. In fact, he was experiencing a wide range of emotions now that he never experienced in the past. Ongoing feelings such as despair, anger, and surprisingly enough depressed and loneliness. Eve was not blind, as much as he tries to hide it, she can see it too.

It seems like these last few weeks; Eve really was starting to feel sorry for the guy. He reminded her of how she felt when she first ended up lost and alone in his reality. It certainly was a very unpleasant feeling, and it didn't go away for quite some time. And unlike Frieza, she had the support from the start from Goku, Vegeta, and the rest of them. Whereas, he had nothing.

Eve just finished making them breakfast and was just about to get ready to shower and change. As she placed the plates and utensils into the dishwasher, Frieza grabbed his crutches and started making his way out of the kitchen and into the living room. He steadily eased himself down onto the leather couch careful not to knock his broken leg.

It still deeply bothered him that it was taking so long to heal. He instantly regretted asking Eve not too long ago how long it takes for fractured bones to heal in instances like this. He felt like breaking something when Eve admitted that sadly, it would take anywhere between three-six months to heal. Now he knew why she seemed very hesitant to tell him.

He reached over to grab the remote but paused when Eve came into view and sat next to him on the couch. Frieza shifted his gaze over to the young woman in question.

"Thought you said you had somewhere to be today. Shouldn't you be getting ready? Or do you plan on going there in your night clothes?" Frieza retorted.

She shrugs, "Well, I was actually thinking I may stay in today instead to be honest with you."

Frieza arches an eye ridge.

"And why is that? You were gabbing about these plans not a few days prior. Now all of a sudden you don't want to go?" He inquires.

"I have my reasons." Eve replies.

"And these reasons are?" He pushes.

She started to fidget awkwardly in her seat. Something he didn't miss, and he gave her a questioning look.

"It's just... this isn't a time for anyone to be alone. This is a time of year that's supposed to be joyous and spent with others. And...I haven't been exactly blind to how you've been lately. I can tell this is all still getting to you and I haven't exactly been around all that much. So, I figured I'd change things up a bit this year and stay here...with you." Eve explained.

Frieza didn't expect this. He knew this was a tradition for her. Eve explained to him not long ago that she'd go to this young man's parents each year and spend celebrating the holidays with them. He can also tell by the way she talks about them, that she viewed them all as her extended family. People she obviously cared about and had a strong connection with.

While he normally found sentimentality like that revolting, Frieza still couldn't help but wonder about her actual family. Eve never talked about them, and it just made him more and more curious as to why that is. It certainly held a lot of unanswered questions that he wanted answers to. It's odd, he's been stuck here with her for the last three and a half weeks now and yet; he still hardly knows about the young woman who's aiding him.

"You really don't have to do that. I'll be perfectly fine here on my own. No different than any other day. You go and enjoy your festivities." Frieza said.

"I have been doing so the last twenty-three years. Could do with a change of pace. Plus, I can still always seem them tomorrow on Christmas. It's really not that big of a deal." Eve insisted.

He looked away from her and focused his attention straight ahead.

"I know this hasn't been much easier for you than it has for me. But believe me when I say, you don't need to drop anything on my behalf." Frieza told her.

"I'm not doing it because I have to. I'm doing it because I want to." She said.

A small smirk appeared on his face.

"And here I thought you found being in my presence nauseating at best. Yet here you are wanting to spend more time rather than less with me." He replied.

"Perhaps I find being in your presence more tolerable than you were led to believe. And you're not as bad as you think you are." Eve replied.

His smirk widens, "Give it time. I'm sure eventually I will do things to drive you crazy very soon. Especially now that I am slowly but surely getting better."

A smile decorates her face, "If that's the case, I can find creative ways to drive you up the wall as well."

Frieza chuckles, "Oh, and what would that be? Anything surely can't be as bad as your singing in the shower."

Her eyes widen and cheeks redden making him chuckle even more.

"Excuse me, my singing is not bad at all!" Eve blurted out.

His chuckling turned into full blown laughter at her remark. Which made Eve pick up the couch pillow behind her and bop him over the head with it. When she pulled back to nail him in the head again with it, Frieza grabbed the pillow and pulled it from her hands and tossed it over the back of the couch. Then he pulled the thick throw blanket off of the back of the couch and dropped it over her head.

She scrambled to pull it off of her and when she finally did, her hair was a jumbled mess like she just came in from the wind. Eve gave him a pointed look and he just snickered at the giant rat's nest on her head now.

"Looks like someone is having a bad hair day." He says, with laughter in his voice.

Eve snorts, "And who's fault is that?"

"Not so sure at the moment. But wearing a blanket over your head certainly doesn't help your case." He jokes.

She arches a dark brow.

"Keep going, I already know of a quick and affective way to drive you nuts." Eve stated.

"Oh, and what would that be?" Frieza inquires.

Eve grins, "First word Christmas; second word Music."

His eyes widen slightly.

"You wouldn't. Don't you dare further subject me to that abhorrent noise again." Frieza quipped.

Her grin widens as she stands up. She then turns and walks around the couch and starts heading for the hall.

"Don't worry, I wasn't going to put any on." She says, then pauses at the hallway entrance.

Eve turns around and makes eye contact with him again.

"I'll just sing some Christmas Songs as loudly as possible as I take a shower instead." She says, with an evil smile.

Frieza went a little slack jaw which made her start to laugh.

"Woman, don't you dare! You nearly make my ears bleed when you do!" He practically yelled, as she continued down the hall laughing all the way to her room to grab some clothes to bring into the bathroom.

His eye twitched as he turned back around and sunk back into the couch cushions. Frieza crossed his arms and closed his eyes. A small smile made its way to his face again. She certainly was amusing to say the least. And if Eve wanted to play games, he can play games too.

Once he heard the shower going, he put the t.v. on and quickly turned up the volume. At first, he didn't believe her and thought it to be an empty threat. Until he started to hear a familiar tune floating from the bathroom.

"DASHING THROUGH THE SNOW! IN A ONE-HORSE OPEN SLEIGH! OVER THE FIELDS WE GO LAUGHING ALL THE WAY! HAHAHA!" Eve started singing loudly and obnoxiously.

Frieza groaned and picked up the remote again to turn the volume up even more. Eve must've heard the t.v. getting louder. So, she started getting louder as well.

"BELLS ON BOBTAILS RING! MAKING SPIRITS BRIGHT! WHAT FUN IT IS TO RIDE AND SING WITH SLEIGHING SONGS TONIGHT!" She sang louder.

He kept hitting the volume button even more. Trying to drown it out. It started to work too.

"OH, JINGLE BELLS JINGLE BELLS! JINGLE ALL THE WAY! OH, WHAT FUN IT IS TO RIDE IN A ONE-HORSE OPEN SLEIGH, HEY!" She screamed as loud as she could.

"JINGLE BELLS! JINGLE..."

"WOULD YOU SHUT THE HELL UP ALREADY! MY BRAIN FEELS LIKE ITS ABOUT TO EXPLODE!" He shouted, cutting her off.

He didn't hear anything after that, except for the t.v. Frieza turned it down and heard her unmistakably laughing her ass off. One would think he was angry at her when he was yelling. But it was the complete opposite. Instead, he was shaking his head with an amused smirk on his face.

In a way, he already couldn't wait to see what the rest of this day will entail. Surely there will be some more entertainment and hilarity in the near future. And surprisingly it didn't bother him one bit. One would say, he was almost looking forward to it. Already it was starting to distract him from the negative feelings he'd been experiencing as of late.

Eve finished up and changed into some fresh comfortable clothes. She toweled off her long-wet hair. Then left the bathroom and went back to the living room. She saw Frieza sitting back with his arms crossed. He dragged his gaze away from the screen and turned it to her. Frieza eyed her momentarily in silence before speaking.

"You truly are going to be a pain in the ass, aren't you?" He said, with a lopsided smirk.

She plopped back down beside him and stretched her arms over her head, arching her back.

"Ehh, you'll get used to it." Eve said, nonchalantly

Then while Frieza was distracted, she swiped the remote from him and changed the channel. Eve ended up settling on a channel that was playing; 'Charlie Brown Christmas'. He groaned when he noticed it was a cartoon and tried to grab the remote back from her. She pulled it out of his reach though with a grin and placed it on the other side of her on the arm rest.

"Are you really going to subject me to this trash again?" He asked.

"Yes, now stop being a Scrooge. And by the end of today, you will find some true Christmas Spirit yet." Eve says.

He snorts at this.

"Doubtful, you'd just be wasting your time." Frieza replied.

She smirks and places her hands behind her head.

"We shall see." Eve said.

At some point that morning, she called up Drew and told him that she was taking a rain check and will see him and his family tomorrow for Christmas. When he asked why, she told him that she was feeling quite drained from the double workload they have been taking on the last three weeks. It was very believable because it was true. They had a lot to squeeze in before they took a break for Christmas and New Year's.

Eve made them hot chocolate and served the hors d'oeuvres later that day that she was originally going to bring over Drew's Parents for the Christmas Eve Party. They chatted about random topics, and she got to learn a little more about the tyrant she was housing under her roof. Not too much, he was still a bit brief about his own life. Probably still doesn't fully trust her enough to open up around her. Still, that didn't mean they ran out of things to talk about throughout the day.

As the hours turned into evening, Eve got up and made a couple ham steaks with a side of flavored rice and corn. She also made salad and some chocolate mousse for dessert. It was a nice and relaxing day for them. And even though he'd never say it out loud she could tell he appreciated her keeping him company for the day.

"How was the food?" She asked him, as they sat back down on the couch.

Eve then handed him his glass of red wine as she sat down with hers.

"It was exceptional. Even though you had to rush to get the ham out of the oven before you burnt it." He said, with a hint of amusement.

"At least I made it in time. Otherwise, I'd be calling for take-out. And I know how much you love take-out food." She teased.

Frieza grimaces. Yeah, he certainly wasn't a fan of take-out. That food tasted downright nasty to him, and one could tell it was poor quality food. The first time he had it he practically spat it out and complained that that wasn't food, it was straight up garbage. That was the first and last time he sampled what Eve called 'McDonald's'. Instead, he insisted she'd just make him a sandwich. Which she did so he wouldn't go to bed starving.

"Absolutely not. I would rather starve then try eating that slop you refer to as food again." He replied.

Eve snickers remembering the face he made when she had him take a bite of a McDonald's cheeseburger. But was also annoyed when he spat it back out all over the kitchen table. Something she got on him for than handed him a napkin and told him to clean his mess. Which turned into a slight argument when he refused.

"Laugh it up. That nasty little concoction nearly made me vomit." Frieza says.

"Nah, instead I had to deal with you painting my table with chewed up chunks you so eloquently spat back out. That was fun to clean up." She replied.

He didn't say anything to that, just took a sip of his wine and turned his gaze to the screen. Eve had on this movie about a kid setting all these odd boobie traps for these thieves that broke into his home and are trying to get him. It was quite sad and pathetic how inept and stupid the thieves were. Had that been real the men would've been smarter than to fall for such childish tricks. Though he could tell Eve got a kick out of the movie.

"As I recall it didn't take you all that long to clean it up. So, stop exaggerating the whole ordeal." He quipped.

"I'm not exaggerating, that was gross. Hope next time you could at least remember to spit out something you don't like into a napkin." She quipped back.

Frieza sighs, "Is this how we are to spend the rest of this evening. Bickering over such inconsequential things?"

"Nah, was just busting your balls." Eve replied.

He nearly choked on his sip of wine by her remark. How quickly he forgets that she has no filter. Still, he wasn't expecting that. Frieza turned to her and saw her twirling a lock of her brown hair while she had a lopsided smirk on her face.

"Nice to see you still don't hold anything back." Frieza says.

"You should know by now, I don't. That be too easy." She stated.

The rest of that evening into late night was spent chatting some more and watching more movies. Thankfully, she got tired of holiday ones, and they switched to something else. Until Eve started to doze off. She got up with a yawn and a slight stretch. Before turning back to him.

"I'm going to bed. I'll see you in the morning." Eve said.

"Goodnight." He replied.

She headed for the hallway but briefly stopped at the entrance and turned to him again. Eve opened her mouth to say something else. Only to stop short and close her mouth. She then turned back around and headed down the hallway towards her bedroom.

He wondered what was on her mind. But whatever it was, he guessed she wasn't ready to share it with him. And just like that the woman he was currently living with continued being an anomaly to him. It also occurred to him that he never got to ask the one question he'd been meaning to ask her. Frieza figured there was always tomorrow though.

He only stayed up a little longer before switching off the t.v. and used the crutches to hobble back to his room. Despite the ache that still radiated from his leg, Frieza was out by the time his head hit the pillow.

Until Next Time ;)