Christmas

(Scarlet POV)

It's Christmas...and quite honestly I've never enjoyed Christmas, I'm always alone and it's the loneliness time of the year, I don't even decorate or do anything festive unless it's to make some sort of appearance and of course then I'm all smiles, saying how much I love it. This year I'm not scheduled for anything, thank God!

I gently knock on Steve's door, he quickly answers it. "Yeah?"

"...I just wanted to say, if you have family or...anything you can go be with them." I inform him.

"Thanks but I need to stay here with you."

"I'm not going anywhere, I don't have any plans or appearances, I'm just going to be here so there is no need for you." I tell him, he gives me a spectacle look. "Besides you haven't had a day off since you've been here, you deserve at least one day off."

"I did remember...when you were with Corey all day."

"Yeah but this is different...go...have fun...I mean it's Christmas after all." I force a smile.

"What about you?" He asks me.

"I'll be fine, I'm use to being alone on Christmas."

"What about Corey, can't you spend it with him?"

"No, he's going to Michigan to see his family and we just started going out so...not quite ready to meet the family yet." I tell him, he gives me a nod. "Go, have fun."

"You promise you won't leave."

"I promise." I smile.

"And make sure you set the alarms." He instructs.

"I know." I roll my eyes.

"...Okay...thanks." He slowly replies.

"No problem." I say before walking away.

It's the next day and I'm in this big house all by myself...I thought I would like being alone, I mean I'm use to it after all but ever since Steve's been here I haven't been alone and I have to admit it's nice knowing that someone is near by. As a matter of fact I've never felt more alone, I'm sitting on my couch looking at the snow outside.

"Alone again on Christmas I see." I hear behind me.

I turn around, "what are you doing here? I didn't hear you knock." I quickly snap and stand up.

"Is that how you say hi to your dad." He says to me sarcastically.

"Hi...what do you want?" I repeat myself. "How did you even get it? I set the alarms." I fold my arms in front of me.

"I'm very offended, can't I just come to see my daughter on Christmas Eve? You still have the same alarm codes."

I take a deep breath, "when it's you...no...it's never all you want...so quit with the bullshit and tell me."

"...Fine, I need some money." He admits.

"Figures...how much?" I ask.

"2 grand."

I roll my eyes, "what happened to the last 2 grand I gave you?"

"Oh I don't know since I can't get a job because my own daughter fired me it's hard to save up." He aggressively scolds me.

"And how much of that was on booze?"

"I haven't taken a drink in months...and don't act like your miss innocent in drinking...or other illegally substances."

"I can't believe your throwing that in my face." I snap.

"Why not? Your doing it to me right now...I'm not drunk...now are you going to give me the money or not?"

"...Fine..." I finally cave in. I go to my purse and pull out my check book, I hesitate for a minute but I do write it down. He quickly grabs it out my hand and smiles. "I was hoping one of these days you would actually spend Christmas with me...without needing anything...but that's never going to happen, is it?"

"...No." I hold back tears, I am not going to cry in front of him.

"Why do you hate me so much?"

"Why? Why?" He raises his voice. "Every time I look at you I see her...and it makes me sick...I can't bare the sight of you." I'm still holding back my tears. "And when you finally make me proud you fire me...leaving me in the dirt...what would your mother think."

"I can't believe your bringing mom into this..." I breathless reply. "All you did was treat me like shit...I was killing myself for you...I couldn't do it anymore."

"If it wasn't for me you wouldn't even have this house...or career...you should be thanking me...you've always been a disappointment...and you always will." He smugly raises the check, "but thanks for this...I know I can always count on you." He aggressively strokes my cheek and I yank it away from him.

I can't even speak, he just leaves and I'm holding all my feelings in, I am not going to cave in and give him that satisfaction. I hear something behind me and I think it's Dad again but when I turn around it's Steve.

"Steve..." I quickly speak out trying to hide my emotions. "I don't know what you heard but that was nothing, he doesn't mean it, he just talks like that when he's drunk, I'm fine, I'm totally fine, so you can go..." I'm speaking so fast that I'm practically out of breath, he's not saying a word and it's making me even more uncomfortable. "Just go okay...I like to be alone and..."

I continue to speak quickly and I just want him out of here, I start to walk past him leaving the room myself, if he's not going to leave then I will but as I'm pacing he quickly without me having anytime to react grabs my arm and pulls me in and just hugs me tightly...and I completely crumble in his shoulder. I feel him stroking the back of my head, it makes me cry more. I've never cried this much before and...it feels great...to let it out and stop holding it all in. Having his massive arms around me makes me feel so safe and it's comforting in a way I haven't felt in a long time...maybe ever.

"How much did you hear?" I finally ask as I pull away a little bit to look at him.

"Enough." He finally spoke.

"What are you doing here?" I softly ask.

"...I...I didn't want you to be alone on Christmas." He slowly answers, that makes me cry even more, he dries my tear with his thumb and I hug him again. "Come on, I know what will help you feel better."

He leads me into the kitchen, "what are we doing in here?"

"I'm making you the meal my mom made me when I was sad or upset." He tells me.

"You don't have to do this." I slowly say.

"I know...but I want to." He starts grabbing everything he needs.

"What really made you come back?" I know there has to be another reason.

"I told you, I didn't want you to be alone on Christmas...I know what it's like and it's sucks."

"What about your family?" I ask.

"I don't have any family...not anymore at least." He slowly answers.

"Oh...sorry."

"It's okay, my Dad died when I was young, died in battle and for a long time it was just me and my mom...she was a nurse and she got hit with TB...she was sick for a while...she just couldn't shake it...and I've been on my own ever since."

"How old were you?"

"18." He answers, "and after that other then spending Christmas with my best friend's family Christmas was...gone."

"I've never had a good Christmas...either alone or doing some sort of appearance." I tell him. "I don't even do the decorations or anything..."

"Same, I haven't even had a tree since my dad died."

"...Me too...but when my mom died." We both just stare at each other for a few seconds. "What are you making?"

"It's a surprise." He smiles and continues to make the food. "...So...why do you let him talk to you like that?" He finally spoke after several minutes of silence. "I mean your usually very vocal but with him...it was like you...froze.

"I did...what am I suppose to say?"

"I don't know...fuck you, your an asshole." He suggested as he shrugged.

"It's so hard because...I guess my whole life I just wanted him to love me..." I slowly confess.

"You don't need him...that is no father...you deserve better then that." He confidently replies, "there's just some people in this world that's complete shit...don't let him control you or give him any power...eventually he'll be the one to regret how he treated you...take the power from him and don't look back." He encourages.

"But don't they say it's not healthy to hold that anger and resentment?" I ask with a little smile.

"For that piece of shit? No." He quickly responds, I chuckle a l little.

"How though? How do I take the power away? He has this hold on me that I can't shake." I have to ask.

"Start by not giving him what he wants...your guilt...you have nothing to feel guilty about, he uses it because he knows it's going to work...next don't give him money."

"That's easier said then done..."

"I know...I won't lie it will be hard but...are you happy at all he's in your life?"

"No." I quickly answer.

"Okay then, you don't need him...so do it." He demands. We just stare at each other for quite a while, it's getting a little too intense. "So...was he telling the truth about you being an addict?" He gently asked.

"I use to...I'm not proud of it...it was a very dark time in my life." I tell him and I have no idea why but I don't see once ounce of judgement on his face.

"Well, I guess we all do things we regret." He slowly replies, "and he's the reason you don't eat, is it?"

"I eat." I quickly defend.

"Not as much as you should." He lectures.

"I guess...his voice always echos in my head."

"Don't listen to it." He strongly instructs and I just nod, a ding goes off indicating the food is done. "Here we go." He takes the food out of the oven and puts a little on a wooden spoon and bring it to me. "Here, try it."

"I'm good."

"Come on, just one bite and if you don't like you don't have to have anymore."

"But..." I start to protest.

"We just talked about this...don't listen to the echoes...and I've already told you, you don't need to lose a pound...you would look beautiful no matter what." He softly grins.

"...Fine..." He feeds me the bite, "Oh my God, that's amazing." I'm covering my mouth.

"You want some more?" He smiles.

"Hell yeah." I quickly answer.

"Okay but don't eat too fast or too much since your body isn't use to it...I wouldn't want you to throw it up." He suggests.

"Right." I giggle.

"Speaking of decorations...not to long ago I saw a box of them."

"Yeah, they were my mother's...she loved Christmas...I couldn't part with them." I inform him.

"...Let's do it."

"What? Decorate?" I ask confused.

"Yeah...maybe it will give us the Christmas spirit."

"...Okay." I agree.

After we eat Steve grabs the box and we start decorating the whole house, we put lights up, a garter on the staircase and now setting up the tree. My mom had a fake tree, she had allergies to the real ones and she always used the same one, it was white. While we're decorating it we'll throw the tinsel at each other and I haven't had this much fun in a long time.

"You called me Steve..." He spoke as we're putting the ornaments on the tree.

"What?" I confusingly ask.

"When you saw me...that was the first time you called me Steve and not Bodyguard." He reminds me.

"...I was emotional...and clearly not thinking...don't even think I'm going to stop calling you Bodyguard." I point my finger at him.

"Of course." He grins. We look at our handy work and we're very proud of ourselves, "oh, we almost forgot the star...you want to do the honors?"

"Yeah." I smile, I try to reach the top by going on my tiptoes but the tree is too high. "I can't reach." I groan.

He doesn't say anything, he just comes behind me and effortless lifts me up, I quickly put the star on top of the tree and after he puts me down I turn around and smile at him, my hands are on his biceps and we both look into each other's eyes, I feel like I'm in a trance again. I notice him looking at lips and it causes me to look at his lips.

"...Um...it's getting late..." I finally break the gaze.

"Yeah, of course."

"...Thanks for tonight."

"It's my pleasure." He gives me a sweet smile.

I start to walk to my room, "good-night Steve." I smile at him, I walk out before he can say it back.

After going into my room I lay on the bed and can't believe my night, it started out being complete shit to...the best Christmas I've had in a really long time. My heart is hammering in my chest and it's beating so fast...what's happening to me?

Author Notes: I think someone is falling in love! I know her dad is absolutely horrible but at least she has Steve!