If Seth ever had a prayer of holding to the pact, it was shattered now. As he and Summer lay side-by-side on his bed, watching A Very Brady Christmas on his small television, he tried to focus on anything but the warm smell of her body lotion and the apple-ness of her shampoo. The way she laid on her stomach, her legs bent at the knees and flailing around as she smiled and rolled her eyes at the television, made him want to take her hand and never let it go.

"You know what I think, Cohen?" Summer asked suddenly.

That we should turn this garbage off and make sweet love right here until morning? he thought, shaking his head. "What do you think, Summer?"

She bit into a Chrismakkuh cookie and pointed at the television. "I think I know what Chrismakkuh needs to put it over the top," she said over the food in her mouth. He just raised his eyebrow. "A movie. I mean, think about it – it would be the best way to spread the word and show everyone the true meaning of the Chrismakkuh spirit."

He smiled in spite of himself and nodded, pushing his body into a seated position. She flipped over onto her back and rested her hands behind her head, looking at him with a silly smiled that mirrored his. It was the look they used to give when neither needed words to convey how much they enjoyed being with the other. "I can see the potential," he agreed with a nod.

"Of course, we have to define the spirit of Chrismakkuh. I mean, you created it. So it's more about receiving than giving?" she teased. He feigned a look of mock hurt and she rolled her eyes. "What do you think it's about?"

"I don't know. But you know how might now?" He reached for the bedside table and put his hand around the trusty plastic horse that had become so much a part of his persona. Summer scoffed, but Seth silenced her with a serious look. "Hey – the Captain has some very sage wisdom to offer, I'll have you know." He held the toy to his ear, pretending to listen. "Oates says that Chrismakkuh is about happy endings."

"Happy endings?" Summer asked, sitting up and curling her legs beneath her, being sure to smooth her dress down over her thighs.

"It's a powerful holiday, Summer. Think about it," he nodded, setting Oates on the pillow beside him. "Every Chrismakkuh we've all celebrated together has had a happy ending."

She scrunched her nose and then raised a finger. "Didn't you break up with me on Chrismakkuh?" she accused.

Seth stretched his memory and then shook his head. "No, I didn't. Because, technically, Summer, you weren't my girlfriend. You and Anna both said I had to choose between you, and I chose neither. That's not a break-up in the literal sense." He stopped and shot her a flustered smile when she leveled with a glare. "Alright, fine, I broke up with you. But, if I remember correctly, it was three days before Chrismakkuh, so that doesn't really count."

Moving to his side, she pulled Captain Oates into her lap and stretched her legs out on the bed, brushing Seth's in her movement. Her heart did a flip-flop at the contact, but she tried to clear her throat and ignore it. "Remember last year?" she asked.

A forced laugh made it's way out of his lips as a blush flooded his cheeks. "I remember it had a very happy ending." He started to look at her, and then returned his gaze to his hands. He couldn't meet her eye when he was thinking about last year.

"For both of us," Summer whispered. Her mind traveled back to that night, when she couldn't wait to get home and spend a few days alone with him. Being apart for their first semester of college had been hell, and she remembered just how excited she had been at the thought of just seeing him. It wasn't unlike this vacation had started, if she was honest.

But it would end very differently than this one would. She smiled as she thought about that first night. Her dad and step-mom had gone out of town, so she invited him to her house and made him dinner. And then they had locked themselves away in her bedroom until late the next day. It had been perfect, just being back in his arms again, resting her head against his chest, listening to his heart race whenever they were close.

Seth remembered the way she had hugged him so tightly when he had walked in her front door, as though she wanted to be sure he was solid, not some figment of her imagination. He remembered that the sex had been good, but that the afterglow had been better. Just laying in her bed, holding her against his chest, feeling her breath on his skin, made him wish that they could leave this lame ass party and go back there – back to where things were good.

The loud ringing of his cell phone interrupted both of their thoughts. Seth cleared his throat. "Hello?"

"Seth Cohen," the chipper voice on the other end shot back in response.

"Krista Parker," Seth smiled at the sound of the girl from his Philosophy study group. "What is goin' on, friend?"

Summer wondered if he was stressing the "friend" just for her. Of course, she couldn't ask. And she couldn't very well pout and run from the room, either. Though it didn't seem like a horrible idea, either.

"So, you know how the parents were supposed to come home for the holidays?" Krista asked into the phone. "Funny story? Turns out they're stuck in Taiwan. Something to do with a member of the secret police and a brothel and I didn't really ask a lot of questions," she tried to laugh it off.

Krista was kind of a mix between Seth's Aunt Haley and his ex-girlfriend, Anna. She was brilliant and opinionated, but she was crazy and unpredictable, too. She had been all over the world, met all kinds of people, and she always told Seth that he was the coolest she'd met on any planet. If he was being completely honest, that's probably why they were such good friends.

"So you're alone on the most holy of holidays?" Seth asked, shooting Summer a reassuring smile. She shot it back, but he could tell it was less-than-genuine.

"I was kinda hopin' the offer to crash in your guest room might still be open? At least for a couple of days?"

He didn't want to say "yes." He wanted to tell her that she couldn't come because things were going well with Summer. He wanted to say that the only person he wanted to have anything to do with over this break was the beautiful woman beside him on the bed. But he was Seth Cohen, and if one of his friends needed something from him? "Sure," he answered.

"Awesome," Krista sighed in relief. "You're the best ever, Seth."

"Yeah, I know," he acknowledged before hanging up the phone to offer Summer a shy look. It was the one he always gave when he had done something that he knew she wasn't going to like. "So, my friend Krista is coming to stay for a few days," he started.

Summer nodded a little too enthusiastically. She wasn't his girlfriend anymore. She had no right to protest. Even though the rock in the pit of her stomach was screaming for her to stand up, demand he call his "friend" back, and tell her that he was going to busy for the next two weeks. "Cool," was all she said.

"You're sure? You're cool with this?"

Rolling off the bed, she smoothed her dress down and gave him another less-than-real smile. "Cohen, it's fine. You're welcome to hang with whoever you want," she reminded, patting the bedspread. "So, I'm gonna go find Coop and Ryan. See what they're up to. You comin'?"

He rolled off his own side of the bed and followed her out of the room. If he was going to keep believing in the true spirit of Chrismakkuh, and the happy endings, then something was going to have to happen fast. Because he wasn't sure even Jesus and Moses could aver the disaster that would be Krista and Summer.