Chapter 10: Christmas

It was beginning to near December, and Bryce began to decorate the house with his free time. He put all of the small things in their place so Violet wouldn't know the difference. Then, one night, he got all of the yard lights and the tree up.

When Violet woke up the next morning, she noticed snow was falling from the sky and creating a blanket on the grass, the bushes, and the trees. That's when she observed the lights placed on the edge of the roof like ice sickles and other yard decorations lightly coated with snow. She went into the living room.

"When did it start snow…" she started, but then stopped. The room had been completely redecorated with red and green bows, stockings, and a pine tree covered in ornaments and lights. There were a few candles that gave the room a friendly glow. Bryce was coming from the kitchen with a cup of coffee.

He yawned. "Morning."

"How much work did you do last night?" Violet asked, worried he didn't get enough sleep.

"Don't worry about me." He replied. "It's not as much work as you think. Besides, I think it looks good."

"That's the biggest understatement of the year. It looks wonderful." She said, looking at all of the ornaments with interest.

Bryce took a sip of coffee, and then set it down, leaning in the doorway. "I kind of wish it could stay like this all year, but I guess seeing it every single day would make it lose the meaning of it."

She walked close to him. "I still can't believe you did all this in one night, from the tree to the bows, even the plants." Violet finished, pointing to the ceiling.

He looked up, turning red. "I never put that there."

Violet noticed the blush. "What's the deal?"

"That plant has a… tradition. I don't know where it started or why, though…" Bryce trailed off.

"And that tradition would be?" Violet asked.

If he was blushing before, it was nothing compared to now. "Uh, when two people are under it, they…" he gulped. "Just close your eyes."

"Sure." She said, closing her eyes.

Bryce was normally a very bold person, but right now, he was terrified, and Violet's aura picked up on it immediately. "You okay?" she asked.

"Fine." He breathed. *Stop freaking out, it's not a big deal.*

He slowly leaned forward, and then softly pressed his lips against her muzzle in a kiss. She was surprised, and all she could do was stand there. Bryce expected no response, but right before he broke the kiss, he felt her slowly kiss back. He then broke the kiss, hoping that she wouldn't be upset or freaked out. She opened her eyes, just looking at him. They just stood there, not saying anything. Bryce's watch broke the silence.

"Oh right, I-I have to…uh… go get some things. I'll see you later." He said, half running, half walking to the door. She nodded, speechless.

*What just happened?* Violet thought. *Did he…*

Both of them were confused, but for different reasons. When Bryce returned, they had both decided not to mention it.

"What's with all the bags? You went for groceries yesterday." Violet said.

"These aren't groceries." He said.

"So what are they?"

"You'll see…" Bryce said.

"You know I hate it when you do that." She said.

The next day…

The day had gone by normally. Nothing special had happened until about eight at night.

"Want to watch a movie?" Bryce asked.

"Sure. You choose." Violet said.

"It's your call." He replied at the same time.

"Here," Bryce said, taking a coin from his pocket. "Heads or tails?"

"Tails." She chose.

He flipped the coin. "Tails. You choose."

She pulled out a DVD. The cover read, "Jacobs Ladder."

Bryce looked surprised. "You don't want to watch that."

"Why?" she asked.

"That's a horror movie. You'd hate it."

"I thought it was my choice." She argued.

"Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you." He finished.

45 minutes into the movie…

Violet had her face buried into Bryce's chest, clutching his arm tightly.

"Okay, you were right." She squeaked.

He turned the movie off. "You know it's not real. All of those people are fine." Bryce got up and headed for his room, Violet right behind him.

"Good luck sleeping tonight." He said, closing his door.

Violet went into her room. Falling asleep was impossible. She thought she saw shadows of figures and with each small noise, she jumped.

Bryce had seen the movie enough times for it to not even faze him. He got up at one thirty to go to the bathroom. *Maybe I'd better check on her.* He thought. He opened the door, only to have her purple eyes staring back at him. "Can't sleep?"

"No." she said, still scared. "Do you think… you could sleep here tonight?"

He smiled. "Sure." Bryce returned with a blanket and a pillow, laying them on the floor.

"You're not getting away with that this time. This bed is huge." Violet said in a normal voice.

"I can't sleep in the same bed as you. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable." He said.

"The movie already made me plenty uncomfortable." She replied.

"Are you sure your okay with this?" Bryce said in one last attempt.

"I'm more than okay with it, I'm insisting." She said stubbornly.

Bryce slowly moved onto the bed. After a few minutes, a drift of snow fell off of the roof and Violet jumped into Bryce's arms. He was surprised, but embraced her all the same. "Don't worry. I'll keep you safe."

Violet immediately felt secure. Was it the warmth of his arms, the comfort of his protection? Yes, but there was something else. She lost the thought as she fell into a deep sleep…

Author's Notes: This is probably my favorite chapter. Was the kiss just a tradition? Pfft, yeah right. Still, the moments were sweet. Cliché, but sweet.