Disclaimer: Life is Strange is the property of Dontnod Entertainment.

Summary : Christmas as an inmate seemed bleak for Nathan. Until Victoria showed up.

Author's note : English isn't my first language, I'm french. I like to think I'm good in this language and I do use Grammarly to help me with some more corrections. However, if you spot any mistake or weird sentences, feel free to let me know! I'd love to have your input so I can improve even more!

This story is part of a Secret Santa exchange we held between befriended authors.

Dedicated to Assassin Master Ezio 91

A Christmas promise

Nathan had expected to celebrate his first Christmas behind bars alone. His father considered him dead, his mother was too meek to go against him. And while he truly appreciated his sister's letters, reading her wasn't the same as seeing her. Truth be told, he barely received any visitors. Joyce Madsen had come. Despite how hard it had been, he had been able to look at her in the eyes and tell her, once again, just like he had done during his trial, that he was sorry, genuinely sorry for killing Chloe. It didn't matter if he hadn't meant to. The fact was that, in the end, he took her life, willingly or not.

"I forgive you, Nathan." The childless mother had replied. "I truly do. And I believe you when you say you didn't mean to kill my daughter. But, as much as I forgive you, you will understand why I can't wish for you to be free when Chloe is dead."

Nathan didn't even consider the possibility of walking outside as a free man again. He had done too much, caused too much pain. He wanted to do right for once in his life and to do right, he had to serve his time in jail. Selling Mark Jefferson to the police to face Justice was just the first step. So yes, he had contemplated the possibility of spending his first Christmas as an inmate alone despite being surrounded by men like him, forgotten by everyone because forgetting him meant not suffering as much because of his actions. The Madsens were spending their first Christmas without Chloe. The Ambers, their first without Rachel. Both dead at his hands, even if he hadn't meant to kill them. He couldn't deny it still stung. He hated solitude as much as he had always claimed to want to be left alone. He had craved loved, approval so much he made all the wrong choices. Choices that had impacted so many innocent lives! He had killed women. He had scarred other women. Poor Kate who had to face bullying after being kidnapped and drugged. Victoria whom he failed to protect. Max because she had the guts to stand up against him and his bullshit. The whole community of Arcadia Bay who mourned two teenagers and had to discover one of its darkest sides.

"You have a visitor, Prescott." The warden called out

The young man looked at him, puzzled. He got up, followed him to the parlour room where he froze in shock when he saw who was sitting at the table.

Victoria.

He felt a lump in his throat, all the words he wanted to tell her choking him. Instead, all he could do was walk to her and sit. She couldn't kiss his cheek like she used to. Physical contact was forbidden after all.

"Hello, Nathan." She spoke after a while with a small smile, trying to overcome her uneasiness

"Hi... I..." He stuttered

"What am I doing here?" She guessed. "I should have come a long time ago but was too much of a coward to do it. I won't be able to come on Christmas Day but I wanted to see you before, so you would know I didn't forget you."

His eyes shone with unspilled tears.

"Victoria... I... I want to apologize to you. Properly. I could have prevented... Prevented what happened to you. And I failed."

"Don't." She cut. "Don't you dare! You are here to serve your time because of what happened to Chloe and Rachel. You aren't here to take the blame on my kidnapping. That was Jefferson's doing. Don't you let that bastard mess up your life more than he did by having you take on his faults. He used you."

She sounded so fiery and confident he wanted to believe her.

"Kate wanted me to tell you she prays for you." She continued. "And that she'll have a special prayer for you on Christmas day."

"I don't deserve any of her thoughts. I made her life Hell."

"We made her life Hell." Victoria corrected. "I bullied her. I'm not proud of it. But I did."

"If you see her, please tell her I'm grateful. And that I'm sorry."

"Wow, am I the new Hedwig?" She joked

Nathan allowed himself to laugh.

"The school must have changed a lot..."

"We closed the Vortex Club." Victoria informed him. "After everything got revealed, it didn't feel right anymore. Principal Wells resigned. He felt he had failed the students and the trust of the parents. The new principal is nice but despite all of her best efforts, Blackwell just feels... Well. It feels like a coffin. Cold. Stifling."

"Killing Chloe also killed our youth."

"Yes, you could say that."

She looked at her hands before speaking up again.

"I was told I was allowed to write to you. However, I wasn't allowed to bring you a gift. The only ring you would be allowed to wear is a wedding ring."

"A ring?" He raised an eyebrow, confused

"I wanted to offer you a promise ring."

The young woman saw a thousand emotions run on the inmate's face before he managed to utter something.

"Victoria... Please. You don't have to wait for me. Don't waste your life on me. Go out, meet new guys and just... Just be happy. I can't offer you the life you deserve."

"What if I want to waste my life on you?"

"Vic..."

"Nathan. I love you. I do love you. Whoever said love was supposed to be easy? You are the only one I want to be with. And if I have to wait decades, I will. If I have to wait my whole life, I will. I am not bailing out on you. We may not be perfect. But we are perfect together."

"Did you just quote Rosanna Pansino?"

"I'm being serious."

"You could want kids. A family."

"It's you I want. And if I want kids someday but you aren't here with me, I can always foster children or help children in need. Whatever you say won't make me budge. When you come down to it, it's all very simple: I love you. Do you love me as I do?"

"You know I do."

"Then, it's settled. I'm your wife in all but name. And I'll be waiting for you for as long as it takes."

The time was up, she told him goodbye but not before wishing him, with a bit of advance, a happy Christmas. However, she had no idea just how precious her gift to him was, how he cherished those two magnificent jewels she entrusted him with:

For his first Christmas in jail, Victoria had offered him a future and hope.

The End