December 16th, 1985

The lights flickered on and off in different patterns. Red, green, white and blue. Streets filled with families huddled together, walking past the store fronts, stopping and pointing once and a while. The ground was covered in snow, looking out the window of Family Video Lorraine thought she was looking at a postcard.

"Lorry!" Her mother called her, "Come on Lorry, look outside!"

Lorraine ran towards the living room, her mother standing with the door wide open. She immediately felt the chill of winter escaping into their warm nest. Wrapping herself in her arms, she came closer to her mother.

Small snowflakes began to fall from the sky. Lorraine had forgotten how cold it was moments ago, letting her arms go from her grip. The ground outside was covered in a blanket of white, untouched. Twinkles of the lights from the trailers glistened in its reflection. It was like a painting.

"It's…" She said, a smile growing on her face.

"Snowing!" Her mother smiled, grabbing their coats. They quickly got dressed, not caring that they were still wearing their pajamas. Lorraine had never seen the snow, it was the first time she had ever held snow in her hands. It burned after a while, but she didn't care. She made snowballs as best as she could and threw them at her mother, she ducked and laughed.

She leaned an arm on the shelf of VHS she had just been organizing, shoving her hand in her hand as she looked on. A small, almost sad smile crawled onto her face. A small sigh escaped her, as she continued to stack the Christmas Special section. The small bell above the door rang, a new customer entering.

Two hands were placed on her hips from behind, causing Lorraine to jump for a moment. She laughed, turning around and slapping Eddie playfully. He simply gave her a long, loving kiss in response.

"Nice hat," he chuckled, taking the Santa hat that all those in Family Video had to wear. She scrunched her nose, ripping the hat from his hands.

"Well, I have to wear it." She emphasized, placing the hat on once more.

"Doesn't sound very festive of you,'" He said, placing a small kiss on her cheek, whispering as his lips ran down her jaw. "Do you want to go on the naughty list?"

Lorraine bit her lip for a moment, but put her hands on his shoulder and separated Eddie from her. He had a wide grin on his face, she chuckled.

"I'm working, Eddie." She laughed, turning around once more to continue the display.

"Yeah, I know," He shrugged. "I just wanted to see you before Hellfire. I've got the t-shirts ready."

Eddie unzipped his leather jacket to show off his new D&D Club shirt. Lorrain turned around, her mouth dropping.

"Eddie!" She shrieked, almost jumping in glee. "It's amazing! It looks so much better than your sketch!"

"Right?" He raised his eyebrows, giving them a bit more room between them so she could admire the work of art that he had created. "I got one for you, too."

"I don't play," She smiled, chuckling.

"Babe," he said, licking his lips in a very `I'm too cool for school` way. "You're my old lady." Giving a wink at the last word.

Lorraine hit him again, maybe this time not so playfully, as she laughed. Eddie apologized softly, trying to keep his laughter to a low volume. Quickly grabbing her one more time to embrace her, he wrapped his arms around her waist trapping her. He smiled, giving her a kiss on the nose.

"I'll pick you up after." He said, giving her one more kiss before letting her go.

"I'll be here." She smirked, raising a VHS in her hands. Eddie walked backwards towards the door, not letting his eyes off her. She smiled at him, watching as he turned around and opened the door, escaping into the cold, dark winter evening.

"How can you be with that…" Steve said, standing behind the desk, not so quietly.

"With that what, Harrington?" Lorraine stood up straight, raising her brows as she slowly turned to look at him.

"I think you two are cute." Robin intervened, sensing the tension between Steve and Lorraine.

She gave Robin a sweet smile, before continuing the display that she had been trying to work on.

Sitting on the ledge of the store front window, Lorraine took out a cigarette and quickly lit it. She zipped her coat higher, hiding her mouth between drags. The door opened and she glanced up, seeing Robin putting her coat on.

"Do you need a ride?" She asked, taking out some gloves from her pocket and putting them on.

"Nah, Eddie's picking me up." She gave her a forced smile, taking another drag from the cigarette.

"You shouldn't smoke, you know." She giggled, now placing a hat on her head.

"I shouldn't do a lot of things, apparently." She spat, raising her eyebrow as she did.

"Don't listen to him, Lorraine." Robin spoke softly, kneeling to be at eye height with her.

"He's just… jealous." She shrugged. "He really doesn't think he's a-"

"Freak." Lorraine said plainly, cutting Robin off. "Just like me, I guess."

"Come on, Lorraine." She pleaded to her, placing a hand on her knee. "You know, I know, that neither of you are freaks."

Lorraine took the defeat, smiling softly. Robin placed her forehead on hers, giving her knee a tight squeeze.

The lights behind them turned off, Steve now coming out of the store and locking the door. Lorraine looked away, trying not to make eye contact with him.

"I'll see you tomorrow!" Robin cheered as she walked off with Steve towards his car. He said nothing to her, not a goodbye or even a nod. It bothered her, although she wasn't very in the mood of dealing with him either.

"Jesus Christ it's cold." Lorraine shivered as she got out of Eddie's van. She rubbed her hands together, cupping them and breathing her warm breath into them.

"You never get used to it, do you?" He chuckled, slamming the door behind him.

"I like warm, cozy places." She said sternly. "You know, places where life actually has a chance."

Eddie laughed at her remark, throwing his arm around her. "Come on, I got something for you."

He guided both of them into his home. Lorraine was glad that she was finally out of the cold. She took off her coat and shoes, letting them fall wherever they landed. Groggily, she went to the couch and let herself fall face first into the cushions. Eddie had gone into his room for a moment, before returning and finding her on the couch.

"You can't fall asleep yet!" Eddie half yelled, sitting on the floor next to the couch.

"Let me sleep," She groaned, drunk on lack of sleep.

Eddie smiled, taking his hand to push away the hair that covered her face. Lorraine covered her mouth with her thumb and index, smiling. "So what did you get me?"

His face became that of a small boy, his eyes ripping away from hers as he grew nervous. Taking his hand away from behind his back, a present wrapped in dinosaur gift wrap. It was horribly done, pieces of tape thrown over the edges that wouldn't bend. Lorraine giggled, sitting up on the couch as she took the present in her hand. Without hesitation, she ripped the paper away, revealing the cover of a book. The Velveteen Rabbit.

"Eddie.." Her voice cracked, tears swelling in her eyes. She looked up from the book, to him, he nervously played with his hair.

"I know it's your favorite book, and I don't know if you still had a copy," He said nervously. "Since you used to read it to me, I, uh," He stammered, still not looking her straight in the eye.

She was speechless, looking down once more at the book cover. It looked old, like a copy that had been owned for generations by someone else. Her fingers traced the hard cover, around the engraved letters of the title. She opened the to the first page, finding a small note written there.

Dear Lorraine,

The wear and tear of love takes a toll on anyone. We can both attest to that. Sometimes we don't want to get hurt, and we spend years trying to deny a part of ourselves that we feel so deeply.

We end up being worn out, and we think that it's impossible to be loved that way. But, you know as well as I do, the best songs are those that are played over and over until the vinyls are scratched and raspy; your most comfortable shoes are those that have holes in the heels, because you've ran miles in them; the warmest sweater is the one you wear at every waking moment and hugs you just right.

You can't have love without being run-down. Being Real is the most beautiful thing, even when you're shabby, your hair loved off, your eyes drop out and your joints loose.

And just like the Rabbit, and the Skin Horse, I'm honored to be loved so much by a person like you. Thank you for making it real.

Love, always.

Eddie

Tears streamed down her face, unable to mutter a word. Her mother used to read this book to her, before she passed away. Eddie had been there with her, just as freshman year had started. He was with her when they held the funeral; he'd sneak through her bedroom window, holding her as she would silently cry herself to sleep; he'd let her read him Lord of The Rings, The Iron Man, The Planet of the Apes, and of course, her mother's favorite. The Velveteen Rabbit. She let out a small sob, trying to keep herself composed.

"I'm sorry if the letter is long, I just read the story a couple of times before I wrapped it and I- I wanted to- I don't know, I mean, if you don't like i-"

"No." She said, tearfully, tossing the book to the side and sliding onto the floor and on his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her forehead to his. She smiled through the tears, laughing at how stupid she must look right now. "It's perfect, Eddie."

He wrapped an arm around her, cradling her in his lap as he wiped the tears from her face.

"Happy Birthday, Lorry."

A/N:

Sorry for not updating the story sooner, I've been super busy at work and had an insane week. Please let me know if you are enjoying the story so far :)

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