Zeref remembered that day very well, almost like it was yesterday. He could still remember going away… far away.

It had been a year ago, sure, but just the thought brought tears to his eyes. Maybe he shouldn't have left, maybe he should've stayed and pretended even if it was pretend… at least then there would've been people to talk to. Zeref had tried to make a life for himself elsewhere. But nobody understood. He was constantly ridiculed for not being able to make conversation and known to be extremely unlucky. Zeref knew luck did not really exist and that these were just coincidences, but it still hurt to be called such things. Devil, demon, people avoided him like the plague but that had been alright, for a while.

But even he got tired of such name-calling. So, he'd left and made a home for himself in the mountains meeting Mavis along the way. She'd been abandoned, and nobody wanted her. In many ways, Zeref had felt the same. So now they were alone together and loved each other unconditionally. Zeref brought her food and petted her, and Mavis simply sat there, being Mavis. And while the completely one-sided conversations got lonely, in many ways Zeref was glad that Mavis could not speak.

Like the old saying, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." The saying had instilled confidence in him and he tried not to let them hurt, he really did, but in the end he couldn't. That saying was wrong. Words did hurt, just in different places.

Zeref sighed as he looked around the shop, smiling people walking past the shop windows, such a happy town should not be allowed to exist. Not when others were so miserable. When Zeref left the weapons store with his rope, gun, and sedatives, and he decided to go wrangle some reindeer. How hard could it be.

He found out the hard way, that humans could not run as fast as reindeer and almost instantly lost them when chasing. Except for one tiny reindeer. Much smaller then the others, Zeref could see it was young, yet in their haste to escape, no one had given the tiny reindeer the time of day and had barreled right over her. "Despicable." Zeref grumbled. It didn't run and, in many ways, Zeref could see the reindeer was similar to Mavis. Intelligent eyes stared back at him and it stayed right where it was.

In fact, it started walking over to him, or rather Mavis after a few minutes. Mavis barked at the larger creature and padded around it in the snow.

Zeref contemplated whether he should tie the creature up and sedate it or not. It seemed rather rude and cruel but…

So, he slipped the rope over the reindeers neck loosely and guided it along, deciding to use the sedatives for something else. "You deserve a name, don't you… what about Beth." He glanced at Mavis who turned up her nose and the tiny reindeer seemed to make an expression of distaste, though Zeref was not sure how. "I know, Kimmy!"

He got the same reaction. "Oh, come on, Kimmy is a very respectable name!" they didn't seem to change their mind.

"Hm… Debby, Natalie… are you a guy? Is that why you don't like these?" it seemed weird that the tiny reindeer would be male but from the look of disbelief that flashed across the reindeer's face, Zeref did not think this was the case. "Karen? Uh, Lilith, that's beautiful! Not a reindeer name, but beautiful!" there was no reaction. "What about Zera?" Mavis gave him a look that said she didn't care, and the reindeer didn't look appalled. "Zera it is." He decided, honestly unsure of where that name came from, but not caring in the slightest. Then, he dragged Zera up the rest of the way to their home up on the mountain. "This is our home. This is where you'll live."

Zera did not seem impressed with the cave but went inside all the same. "Are you going in?" Zeref asked Mavis. The dog seemed to roll her eyes and go in, though that wasn't possible. Zeref thought he must be so lonely that he was now making up facial expressions for animals.

Zeref shut the door behind him and went back into his study where his check list for stealing Christmas lay.

Zeref's List on How to Steal Christmas

1. Be smart and figure out you need to steal Christmas

2. Be smart so you can pull it off.

3. Be smart so you realize you need to dress up as Santa Claus.

4. Be smart so you realize you need a sleigh to carry everything.

5. Be smart so you realize you need a reindeer to pull the sleigh.

6. Wait till Christmas Eve (you have to be smart and patient for this)

7. Be smart and get lots of bags and load them into the sleigh.

8. Be smart and actually steal Christmas.

9. You've stolen Christmas, congratulations! Now be smart and repeat next year.

And that was Zeref's list on how to steal Christmas. It was a long process, but he was half way through. Now all he had to do was wait and steal Christmas (which was the easy part).

"I've already done the hard part, Mavis." Zeref said, smiling at her. "Now all I have to do is steal Christmas and everything will work our just fine."

Zeref stared out one of the windows installed in their little cave down at the little village below. There would be so many unhappy children tomorrow morning. For tonight was Christmas eve and tomorrow, Christmas. His brother would be included in that group of children. Zeref felt bad about that, would've left his brother's presents, except that would only make his family look bad in the village's eyes. Natsu's Christmas was likely already ruined thanks to him… if he had gone to check on his mother earlier, he might've prevented something awful. Zeref knew it wasn't his fault and no one had told him that it was, but he still couldn't help but feel that way.

Feel like it was his fault. No matter what Natsu or his father said. It made him feel guilty, and so did this. Maybe, he should've just gone home to visit for the holidays like a normal person, but Zeref wasn't a normal person. He was a lonely hermit living in a cave, he was entitled to be abnormal.

"As of tomorrow, I will officially be the first man ever to steal Christmas… I suppose I should get ready." The costume he'd bought in town looked as real as if he were the real thing.

"Fits like a glove, doesn't it?" Zeref said to the two after he'd gotten the costume on, "Doesn't it?" he asked again, more wildly that time, before remembering they were animals and could not answer him… in any way. "Fine, whatever. Mavis, Zera, let's go." Zeref said, marching out into the cold night air. Snow was falling in thick flakes up above him, covering his red clothes in white.

The sleigh he'd gotten in town was large and Zeref hooked the reindeer to the front of it, gently patting Zera. Then he hopped into the back with Mavis, setting down the several bags he'd brought along. He grinned wryly, his heart bursting with excitement and nervousness.

"I would say that I had eight tiny reindeer, but I only have one, and that shall have to be enough. Now then, hyaaa!" Zeref flicked the reins but the reindeer did not budge and stared at him, like trying to ask what the heck he thought he was doing. Zeref frowned at that and tried, "Giddyup!" but it did not move. Zeref, getting mad, hopped out and smacked the reindeer as hard as he could on the thigh.

That got the tiny reindeer moving and Zeref was barely able to dive into the sleigh before they were racing down the hill and into Fairyville.

A/N OMG! I knew I'd said it'd take a while but I didn't think it'd take this long. Anyway, for those of you that are still here, thank you so much for taking the time to read this. The new chapter will be out before next month, I promise. I only have two or three more chapters to go, but if it keep going at this pace I won't be done till April! Hopefully, this will be over by the end of January. My goal. But, my latest will be the end of February. Anyway, thank you guys, this has been the hardest story for me to make. I think that's partly because I have to follow a specific storyline and can't make my own which is limiting my creativity, making it harder for me to write. Regardless I had fun with this chapter and I hope you do too. I hope you enjoyed this, reviews/follows/favorites might get a chapter out of me quicker... but I'm not sure. Anyway, hopefully I will see you guys soon, bye!