Pairings: Eruri

Ratings: T

Warnings: Medical

Genre: Alt. Universe, Romance, Holiday.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters in this story: living (or passed) human beings or fictional characters. These events never happened, according to history or as the original author intended them. This is a work of fiction and is not intended to offend. For entertainment purposes only. Thanks.

Author's Notes: Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to all my readers! This is a sequel to the first part of the story, From Snow to Mistletoe, that I felt needed an ending that would wrap up Levi's previous life and allow Erwin and him a bright future. It is a bit different than my other holiday pieces, but 2020 has been an odd year. Blessings, and as always, happy Birthday, Levi.

Chapter 1: DECEMBER 12th - Noon

The holidays were once more swiftly approaching. Snow had fallen since the end of November, making the small town of Santa Claus, Indiana, once more the ideal postcard background for a white Christmas. Since the start of December, many tourists had arrived from all over the world to partake in the celebrations the town would put on. Colourful lights lined every building and snowmen had sprung up seemingly overnight in many of the public parks and residential yards. Stores had become packed with shoppers and everywhere there was the energy of excitement for holiday cheer.

Levi had got to witness the holiday magic the town put together last year, when he was sent by his boss to cover the town's holiday celebration for his news station. While he hadn't been looking forwards to the holidays that year, he was grateful for the distraction from his lonely holiday plans and had gone along with it, not expecting that he would fall in love with both the town of Christmas and the local pharmacist, Erwin Smith. Since then, he had flown home to quit his job, sub-lease his apartment to his friend, Isabella Magnolia, and pack his things, before he made his move to Santa Claus permanent.

While he had been terrified that he was acting impulsively, Levi knew that he had to follow his heart. Returning to Bakersfield, California, and leaving the town of Santa Claus, and all of its wonderful residents, behind would be a mistake he would regret for the rest of his life. So, when the time came to return, Levi did, only to inform his close friends that he had returned only to say goodbye. He spent a week in California and then made the trip back to his new home.

His first weeks in Santa Claus had been different than what he had imagined them to be. He moved into Erwin's house with him, no longer staying as a guest at the Santa Claus Hotel, but he stayed in touch with Amelia and Thomas, the elderly couple who ran the hotel and became his friends when he was just visiting for work. Erwin had taken a week off from running the pharmacy, leaving it to his assistant Hanji to run, while he helped Levi settle in and get used to life in a small, cold town. Rumours began to circulate about Levi, and many neighbours showed up without warning to bring Erwin and him something home baked or brewed to welcome him. Erwin took the time to inform Levi of who was genuine and who was part of the local gossip. Levi was aware of Erwin's ex-girlfriend having tried to rekindle their romance last winter after she learnt that his father had passed away and left him his house and savings. With Levi moving in, the local gossips had tried to catch whatever they could of him to spread around the town to spite him, but they couldn't find anything that would tarnish his reputation.

After his first week, Levi began to work in Erwin's friend's cafe, Zacharius's. Levi had met Mike and his parents last December, and had fallen in love with the quaint but popular cafe. Mike's parents had worked in the kitchen at the time, but they were slowing down with age and Mike was the only one that was left to run the kitchen and front of house. When Levi had decided to stay in Santa Claus, he offered Mike a hand in running the cafe. While he had no experience in the culinary field, he was eager to learn and wanted to help Mike out with the family business. He took the online classes he needed to obtain his food safe and serving licenses, then began to run the front of house in the cafe, seating guests, taking orders, and ringing up purchases so that Mike could take over behind the scenes. Erwin was a frequent customer and often left Levi tips in the form of cookies and other treats that he would order and leave behind.

The local gossips came to the cafe as well to check him out at work, but so did the many friends Levi had made while he was reporting the town's holiday celebrations to Bakersfield. Thomas and Amelia came to the cafe often, as did Hanji and even Hannes, the local shoe store owner that had helped Levi with his first pair of winter boots last year. Over time, Levi had grown to know the locals as much as they had grown to know him, and even when Erwin's ex-girlfriend or her new boyfriend, the mayor Nile Dok, came by the cafe, Levi was able to treat them with an air of professionalism.

The winter's cold finally had given way to the spring's wet weather, and Levi and Erwin couldn't have been happier. Levi stayed in contact with his friends in Bakersfield and even invited them out to stay with them for some time in the summer, but Isabella and Furlan never took up the offer. While they spoke on the phone frequently and kept up to date with each other through emails, they group never reunited in person since Levi left the state.

Erwin had been worried that Levi's sudden move had created some unspoken friction between them, but if it bothered Levi he never showed it. Occasionally, he would mention becoming worried about Bella as they lay in the bath together or curled up in bed after a long day, but he usually waved it off as simply having a brotherly affection for her that she had stemmed way back in their college days.

As the summer gradually began to wane, having passed with many horse rides, bar-b-q's, and nights camped out on Erwin's deck under the stars, Levi began to hear less and less from his friends in Bakersfield. He tried not to let it bother him, happy with his life in Indiana, but Erwin could notice the worry that grew inside Levi's heart each day. By Halloween, Erwin was offering Levi to visit Bakersfield with him, hoping that it would help ease the worry, but each time Levi refused.

"I don't want to go back," he would tell Erwin. "There's too many memories and I'm happy here. If they don't want to speak to me, I won't force them."

Erwin respected Levi's wishes. He had learnt about his past shortly after Levi arrived. Levi had told him about how his uncle had raised him, how he was his only family, and he had passed away last October. In return, Erwin had shared his memories of his own father and mother with Levi, having experienced losing them recently as well. On the anniversaries of Levi's uncle's and Erwin's father's deaths, they lit candles and had their own memorials. It helped them heal and grow, and before they knew it, October was over and November brought back the early nights, cold breezes, and need for snow boots.

November had also brought the first word of why Furlan and Isabella had stopped calling: Isabella was sick.

Levi had been frustrated when he first found out the news, but somehow he wasn't angry. Mike theorized that Levi just didn't have the emotional capacity to handle feeling very much about the news since his uncle had just passed away from his illness the year before. Hanji agreed and Erwin had worked to support Levi as best as he could, providing him with any health tips and giving him any information on the medications she was given.

By December, Erwin had decided it was time for Levi to visit Isabella. Furlan and her were trying their best to keep Levi from worrying, but Erwin knew it wouldn't be alright for Levi to remain in Indiana when the person he considered as close as a younger sister to him was sick. On December tenth, Erwin booked two plane tickets and surprised Levi with them after work, informing him that they were going to spend Christmas in Bakersfield.

"It's not under the circumstances I would want," Erwin had told him, "But it is necessary. You came out to spend Christmas here when you were all alone and you met me. It's only right that we spent Christmas with your friends in Bakersfield when they need us."

Levi had only hugged Erwin tightly, unable to express his emotional reaction in words. Erwin packed a bag, left Hanji in charge of the shop, and left his house key with Mike to ensure his place was looked after. Then Levi and him made the forty-seven mile drive west to Bakersfield. They had driven to the airport in Evansville, just outside of Santa Claus, then boarded their plane to Dallas, Texas. The flight was a long three hours and the change in time zones was disorientating, but they spent their one-hour long layover grabbing a bite to eat at the airport restaurants. After that, they were on another plane for close to four hours, before they landed at Meadows Field airport in Bakersfield, California.

Erwin had rented a Honda Civic for them and began to drive towards Furlan's apartment at Levi's request. They had planned to meet with him before going to see Isabella, who was still staying at Levi's old apartment.

"Do you think they'll be happy to see us?" Levi asked, turning to face Erwin from the passenger seat of the sedan. He had his cell phone to his ear and spoke to Erwin as he waited for his call to be answered by Furlan. "I mean, I didn't exactly tell them we were coming."

"I think they'll appreciate it." Erwin replied, his face a well-composed mask to hide his worry from Levi. While it was already stressful enough that Levi's friend was ill, Erwin was nervous meeting Isabella and Furlan. They were the closest people Levi had to family, and Erwin was the reason that their best friend had decided to pack up and move halfway across the nation to work in a cafe in some small town none of them had heard of until last year.

Levi reached out and placed his hand on Erwin's thigh. The line connected only to transfer him to Furlan's voice mail. Levi frowned and hung up, unsure if he should let Furlan know he was back in the state to visit. He felt nervous to see his friends again, and was grateful that Erwin had come back to Bakersfield with him.