Matt looked at the date circled in red on the calender by his bed. Even after all this time, the anticipation of Amy's arrival made his breath catch in his throat and his pulse quicken. She was due to arrive in one week, the 17th of December, and stay for two weeks before going back to Florida.
Last year, she had come a week early to help him and Jeff adjust to the loss of their mother. This would only be his second Christmas without her, but Amy as well as some of his other good friends had made sure he had other things to think about during the holiday season.
Matt hopped off his bed and went across the hall to his brother's room and knocked on the door. When Jeff opened it, Matt slipped inside and turned off his stereo and grabbed Jeff's jacket before ushering him out of the room.
"What are you doing?" Jeff asked, slipping on his coat and following Matt out to the car.
"We're going Christmas shopping."
+ ~~ +
* Monday, December 17th *
* 1 p.m. *
Snow crunched under their boots and small flakes still fluttered down from the sky to land on their heads as they hiked through the woods behind Matt's house. Amy jumped over a log, turning to watch Matt do the same.
"Are you sure this is how you want to spend our first afternoon together?" he asked, slightly out of breath as he caught up with her.
She nodded and dusted a few flakes of snow from his hair. "I haven't been back here since I was ten. It's so beautiful." Amy had just arrived from Florida a few hours ago. After unpacking and spending some quiet time with her father, she had bounded over to Matt and Jeff's house. After about half an hour of catching up with Jeff and Mr. Hardy, she had grabbed Matt's hiking gear from the front closet and handed it to him with a promising smile. And here they were now.
"I guess it is. I mean, I used to come camping out here with my Dad all the time, so it's nothing new to me."
She nodded silently, and pulled her pant leg down further over her boots.
Matt chewed on his lower lip and slipped his hand into Amy's as they walked to the frozen lake. "Have I told you lately that you look beautiful with snow in your hair?"
Amy laughed and rested her head against Matt's. "You just did."
They walked in silence for awhile, thinking quietly about the rest of the day ahead and the next couple of weeks. She would be there until New Years Day, and each moment of their time together had been loosely scheduled around Jeff and their respective fathers.
"Cameron has never been this beautiful in the winter," Amy mused out loud, her eyes sweeping over the evergreen trees and the frozen over lake that had just come into view.
Matt nodded. "It's great. Mom would have loved it. She was always outside with her camera during the winter time."
Amy watched the mask of indifference fall back over his face after he mentioned his mother. "You miss her." It was a statement, not a question, and his mask faltered.
"Yeah," he whispered, visible tears springing into his eyes. He looked up quickly at the sky, trying to lighten his mood. "We're here," he said, stopping and letting go of Amy's hand.
She pulled off her small backpack and set it down beside yet another fallen log. "I brought my camera. Most of the people at school have never seen snow before," she said, pulling out the camera he had given her the year his mother had died. It was the same one she'd used for years. Matt had given it to her because he knew she loved photography as much as Mrs. Hardy had. "You should have it. No one in our family liked taking pictures except her. Besides, you're really good," he had said when she'd turned down the gift. Holding the camera in her hand, Amy felt a small pang of sadness. Matt tried so hard to cover up the fact that he had been crushed by her death.
Matt sat down on the log and watched her take snapshots of the lake, trees, sky and snow. Her face was so intense as she focused each shot, and he had never seen her look more beautiful than when she returned with cheeks flushed from excitement. "Come here," he said softly, patting the log.
Smiling, she sat down beside him and sunk into his arms. Through the bulk of her jacket, he could feel her shivering slightly. "I think it's time to pull out the hot chocolate," he suggested, reaching over and taking two thermoses from the pack. "Drink it slow. It's probably still really hot."
She nodded and took a small sip before placing it back on top of the bag. "Have you done all your shopping yet?" she asked, her tone light and casual as their hands joined again.
"Almost. I still haven't gotten you what I've been dying to buy. And I still need to find a copy of WresleMania for Jeff."
"I'm going with my dad tomorrow to finish my shopping. I need to find something for Mom. Your's and Jeff's presents are already wrapped and sitting under the Christmas tree. Dad was supposed to take them over there after we left," she grinned, twisting her fingers around his.
"What did you get me?" he asked, leaning in like she was about to tell him a secret.
She laughed and smacked him in the head with her free hand. "Christmas is in a few days! Then you can see for yourself!"
+ ~~ +
*Christmas Eve*
Standing in front of the open refrigerator door, Jeff leaned in as far as he could get without falling in. He knew there was a carton of orange juice in there somewhere, and he was bound and determined to find it. He was so immersed in his search that he didn't even notice that Amy had come in the room and was standing beside him, trying not to laugh.
When he stood up, he jumped a mile. "Amy! What are you doing?"
She burst out laughing and turned away, shaking her head. "Watching you. You are so hilarious."
Jeff put on his best hurt look. "Why am I funny?"
"You just are," she said, sitting down at the table and taking a Christmas cookie from a tray.
"Hey, I'm fourteen! Matt was funny at fourteen, wasn't he?"
Amy nodded. "Yep. Definitely."
"You know my girlfriend Pam?"
Thinking, Amy nodded. "Not personally, but yeah. Why?"
Jeff looked slightly uncomfortable. "She has a crush on my brother."
Amy laughed. "Don't be silly! She's your girlfriend!"
"Well she comes over here all the time and always wants to see Matt," he said doubtfully, studying the carton of orange juice in front of him.
"Jeffery Nero Hardy. Listen to me. You are great! Pam is a very lucky girl to be dating you!"
Jeff looked a little happier at her words and then he wiggled his eyebrows. "You want me."
She laughed, despite her best attempts not to. "Don't push it there, kiddo."
"Kiddo?" he exclaimed indignantly. "You're two years older than me!"
Patting his shoulder, Amy nodded. "You're right. I'm sorry."
Jeff nodded and looked at her out of the corner of his eyes. "You still want me."
+ ~~ +
*Later that night*
That night, Amy and Matt were sitting on the couch by the fire when Mr. Dumas entered the room.
"Wow, you're actually *here*," he said with false shock. "I thought my daughter had abandoned me completely for the boy next door."
Amy stood and hugged her dad, then kissed him on top of his head. "Now, Daddy, don't be silly. Why don't you go ahead and turn on the Christmas tree lights."
Mr. Dumas smiled at his daughter and flicked a switch by the wall and the room was instantly lit with pinks, greens, yellows and blues. Amy curled back up on the couch and rested her head on Matt's shoulder.
"Before the divorce, Amy's mother and I used to decorate the tree after she went to bed on Christmas Eve. That way, when she woke up in the morning, we told her Santa had been here to decorate for us. She always loved that story," he told Matt, looking at his daughter with a mixture of sadness and fondness. "But she's all grown up now. Got a boyfriend. She doesn't need Daddy anymore."
Amy sighed. "I love you, Daddy. But I had to grow up sometime. Now, if you'll both excuse me, I have to use the bathroom," she said definitively, standing up and padding up the stairs.
Matt looked up at Mr. Dumas, almost nervously. "You do approve of me, don't you sir?" he asked, his voice timid.
The older man laughed and patted Matt on the shoulder. "Of course I do. You're great for my daughter. I just like messing with your minds."
Matt chuckled. A few minutes later, Amy came back downstairs. She had changed into a pair of baby blue pajamas and put her hair in a loose ponytail at the base of her neck. "I'm going to go to bed so when I wake up I can open my presents from Santa," she said, kissing her father on the cheek. "Want to tuck me in Daddy?"
Mr. Dumas shook his head. "That's what you have Matt for, baby."
Amy gave her father one last hug and then took Matt's hand and let him lead her up to her room. He pulled back the covers while she braided her hair loosely. She crawled into bed and snuggled down, letting Matt give her a gentle kiss. "Ooh, can you give me Prickly?" she asked, pointing to a plush black teddy bear. "I always sleep with him," she explained as he handed her the toy. "Mom gave it to me before the divorce. He helps me remember her when I'm away."
Matt chuckled and kissed her forehead. "Lucky bear," he grumbled as Amy clutched the bear to her. "Good night."
"Night," she mumbled sleepily as Matt clicked the light off.
"Sweet dreams."
+ ~~ +
*Christmas Day*
When Amy woke up the next morning, she felt a surge of excitement flow through her. It was Christmas morning and there were some pretty promising presents under the tree with her name on them.
She hopped out of bed and changed quickly into a pale green sweater and a pair of black jeans. Running a brush through her wavy hair, she slipped it into a loose ponytail. She slipped on her Winnie the Pooh slippers and went down stairs, automatically grabbing a cup of coffee in the kitchen.
"Morning, Daddy," she said, kissing her father on the top of his head and then picking up the portable telephone. "I'm going to call Mom," she told him.
After wishing her mother a Merry Christmas, she sat down by the window and looked over at the Hardy's house, which was slowly beginning to light up. The window where their tree was sitting became illuminated and Jeff clicked on a light in his bedroom.
Finishing her coffee, Amy took the cup to the sink and tried to get her mind on other things besides going over to Matt's in a couple hours. Like the presents under *her* tree.
"Amy, get your shoes on," her dad said from the hallway.
She turned around, seeing her father pulling his coat on. "Why?"
"We're going over to the Hardy's for Christmas. All our presents have been moved over there."
Raising her eyebrows, Amy peeked into the living room. Sure enough, all the presents were gone. "But I don't even have any makeup on!" she protested.
"Then go get some on. Quickly. We're expected over there in about five minutes."
+ ~~ +
*The day after Christmas*
Matt stared up at his beautiful girlfriend as she talked about her shopping trip with her step-sister Tracy. Her face was completely into the story she was telling, and her hands were shifting with each empathetic statement. Matt was laying on his side on the bed, his head propped up with his hand. Amy was beside him, sitting Indian-style, completely wrapped up in her story.
"And then she *kissed* Santa in the middle of the mall! I mean, okay, so he wasn't BAD looking, but come on! Santa! All the little kids were going completely crazy and there she was in a total lip lock. It was unbelievable."
Matt chuckled and sat up, caressing her face gently. "You are unbelievable."
She smiled coyly and lowered her eyelashes. "Why?"
"You have so much enthusiasm. I want to be like you."
Amy smiled and kissed him gently. "If you were like me, you wouldn't be like you."
"So?"
Suddenly, her eyes were serious. "I'm not in love with me. I'm in love with you."
It was the first time that word had ever been exchanged between the two of them, and Matt felt like all the oxygen had been sucked out of the room.
Eventually, he found his voice again. "I love you, too."
He captured her lips with his and kissed her with everything he felt for her pouring from his mouth. Her lips parted and their tongues dueled with a passion that didn't want to be suppressed. His hands were working furiously on her hips and she lowered herself onto him. She straddled his waist and began running her hands longingly over his chest, still kissing him.
Matt could feel himself losing control of his body, and he reluctantly pulled back a little from Amy's hands. "You have no idea how much I want you right now."
She raised herself off of him and onto her side, looking at his pants. "Yes I do," she said wryly.
He laughed nervously, and then rolled over and kissed her again, gently this time. "I want to be your first."
"I want to be your first, too."
Matt propped himself up and ran his fingers through her dark brown locks. "And you will be. But not like this. Not now. It's going to be special."
She nodded and rested her head on his heaving chest. "When we're totally
ready. Candlelight, music, roses, and . . . protection."