A/N: This chapter is a Christmas chapter! Sorry all of my chapters are like one holiday behind, it's just the way the dates of the story worked out. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 15

December 25, 1920

Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin

It was Christmas Day, my first Christmas free of Cal and the Hockleys. It was strange, in the most wonderful way, to experience the warm and cozy traditions and customs that we had never experienced before. On December first, Jack dragged a chopped evergreen tree through the front door, a giant smile from ear to ear. Mia and I looked at him with wide eyes; we were used to just waking up one morning and finding a large decorated tree, right in the entrance of the house, surrounded by the large spiral staircase. It was always decorated with gold ornaments, and there were always empty boxes beneath the tree. The boxes were made to look like presents. There were never any real presents; presents were never given in the Hockley estate: not for birthdays and not for Christmases. Mia was the exception to that rule, of course, as I would always sneak her a gift right before bedtime. Perhaps it was better that we had this little secret tradition, not a cold custom that we only did because we were forced to.

As wonderful as those traditions were, I was ready for them to end. I was ready to be able to come downstairs in my nightgown on Christmas morning and hold Mia in my arms as we opened presents. I was ready to be able to decorate a tree with Mia, instead of servants doing it for us. I was ready to sing Christmas carols at the top of my lungs and eat a real Christmas meal, not just a few vegetables while trying to maintain my figure. The era of trying to do things the high society way was over and, in its place, the era of happiness and love and warmth was beginning.

As the days passed and Christmas grew closer and closer, we started decorating the house with some old lights and decorations. Jack had secretly bought some warmer clothes for Mia and I: large sweaters to layer, warm jackets, socks, and slippers. Last week, Jack pulled me aside, asking me what I wanted him to pick up as my gift for Mia. I told him that he didn't have to, but he insisted.

God, was he wonderful. He was considerate, compassionate, kind, caring… everything Cal wasn't. Even a month into our relationship and our life in Chippewa Falls, I still found myself marveling at how extraordinary he was. The biggest sign for me was one day a few weeks ago.

It was the mid-afternoon of that day, and I was unusually tired. Jack told me to go take a nap and that he would watch Mia while I was asleep. I agreed, knowing without a shadow of a doubt that he would take care of her, and I went to rest. I woke up to find Mia next to me, crying about a tear in her stuffed bunny rabbit. When I asked her where it was, she told me that Jack had it.

I was worried that the tear was in fact really bad, and that we would somehow need to replace the bunny without her knowing. The only way Mia slept was with her little bunny rabbit, that exact bunny rabbit. If we went away somewhere and the bunny rabbit wasn't with us, Mia would not sleep. So, as the paranoid mother I was, I worried about Mia losing sleep and becoming run-down at the beginning of a harsh winter because her bunny rabbit was now gone.

After telling her that I was sure the stuffed bunny would be alright, I kissed her cheek, told her to close her eyes for a few minutes, and I closed the door behind me. When I walked downstairs to the living room, I found Jack sitting in front of the fire, attempting to sew the ear of her bunny back on.

No one had ever cared if Mia was happy or sad before. No one had ever cared about Mia's stuffed animals before. No one cared enough to try to ease her sadness. I remembered the feeling of utter shock I felt when I found Jack with her bunny rabbit. No one, certainly no man, had ever cared enough about her to do anything so extraordinary.

Later that day, Jack handed Mia's stuffed bunny back to her all fixed up. She looked so happy, happier than I had ever seen her before. Jack always seemed to give her her happiest moments. He would play games with her, read to her, lift her into his arms when the snow was too deep and she couldn't walk. He was the father I always wished she would have. And the most extraordinary part? None of what he did was any obligation, it was all just out of the kindness of his heart.

I felt Jack's arms wrap around me, pulling me closer to him and out of my imagination. He was waking up. I rolled over just as he was opening his eyes, locking eyes with him. "Good morning," I whispered, placing one hand against his cheek and moving closer until my lips met his.

Soon after Jack and I confessed our love to one another, Mia asked why, if we were together, I wasn't staying with Jack. I was honest, and told her that it was because I didn't want to leave her all alone just because I was with Jack (I sometimes wonder if I treat Mia as an adult rather than the five year old she is). She then told me to go stay with him, that she wanted her own room anyway. Even though I reluctantly agreed, I waited every night until she was fast asleep before quietly moving to Jack's room.

Jack had offered for Mia to decorate her own room. He painted Mia's name in fancy handwriting on the wall behind the bed and bought a purple bedspread, her favorite color. He also constantly bought Mia a different stuffed animal, her favorite type of gift, and she always cheered and hugged him tightly before running off and placing the new addition with the rest of her collection.

"Good morning," Jack whispered back. We shared another kiss before he looked into my eyes and smiled. It was a smile I never got sick of seeing, one that showed me that despite all of his heartache and losses, the Jack that I originally fell in love with was still in there. "And merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," I whispered back. I felt perfectly temperate as Jack's warmth kept me warm and the cold air surrounding us kept me perfectly cool. "I can't believe it's finally Christmas. I feel like a child again, counting down the days to the holiday, waiting eagerly for the day to finally come."

"But I bet when you were a child, Christmas was a more formal affair," he said, and he was right. My family always threw a formal gala. When I was younger, I desperately wanted to be allowed downstairs in the magically decorated room. Once I was old enough to be forced to attend, however, I desperately wished I could go back to the years I was excused from the gala. I smiled and nodded, shoving away the memories of those less than idyllic times. Nothing could ruin this day for me, I wouldn't let it.

Jack and I turned to the door when we heard the usual pitter patter of Mia's footsteps approaching, followed by a light knock. "Come in," we said in unison. Mia opened the door, running with her curls bouncing to my side of the bed. I lifted her into my arms, as I always did, placing her between Jack and I. I knew she felt safe there, with two people who loved her on either side of her. I also felt secure in knowing that nothing could touch her, not while she had the protection of Jack and I.

After a few minutes, we went downstairs to sit in front of the fire. The house was freezing now, since the winter was in full swing. I remembered when Jack first told me that the Chippewa Falls winters were the coldest around, and now I know that to be true.

When we got downstairs, I put Mia on my lap and covered us both with a blanket. Jack knelt down, making a crackling fire that instantly warmed us up. We rested on the couch for quite a while: while Jack and I drank our coffee, Mia drank some hot chocolate (Jack put in marshmallows, of course). After finishing her drink, Mia fell asleep on my shoulder. I held her in my arms while she slept, and Jack read the newspaper.

"Hey," I turned my head to find Jack's chin resting on my shoulder. His arms were wrapped around me from behind, and our noses touched. He leaned forward and gave me a light kiss, one that made my heart flutter in my chest. "Let's go take a walk."

I was tempted to, there was no denying that, but I couldn't. The grown up inside of me wouldn't allow it. "Are you crazy?" I asked. I smiled, looking into his eyes. They didn't seem as intimidating anymore. I didn't feel the same nausea and dizziness when I looked at him. I still felt that feeling, that feeling that I was actively falling in love with him. It was an extraordinary feeling, one that can't even be described, I suppose. "Mia's asleep, we can't leave her. Not to mention that there's about a foot of snow outside, and it's freezing."

"Come on, Rose. Live a little." His eyes pleaded with me. It was those eyes that got me to agree to going with him, as long as it was just a quick walk around the outside of the house. We put on all of our layers, laced our snow boots, and got ready to leave. Right before we did, Mia woke up for only a moment. I told her we were going for a quick walk and that she should call us if she needed anything.

We walked around the house for quite a while. The snow was halfway to Jack's knee, even higher on my leg. We held hands as we trekked through the snow. "I don't think I believed you when you said that Chippewa Falls winters were the coldest around." My teeth chattered as I spoke.

Jack laughed. "Yeah, I bet you do now, though." I nodded, and he lifted my hand and kissed it. I inhaled the cold crisp air, feeling like I could finally breathe easy. I felt safe, in the right place. Jack suddenly stopped walking, and he turned to me. "Did you hear that?"

My heart started to pound in my ears. "Hear what?"

"Run!" Jack whispered loudly. He grabbed my hand, and we ran through the snow (not an easy task). We ran for a few seconds. My heart pounded the whole time, wondering why we were running. Jack held my hand tightly, and we kept pretty much the same pace.

Finally, Jack ducked behind a tree. I toppled over him, falling with my back on his legs. I panted, still not understanding why we had sprinted through the woods. "What was that?" I asked breathlessly.

Jack looked at me with a boyish grin. "Nothing," he said. He put his cold hand against my cheek, then moved it to play with my hair. "I just thought it'd be fun to run for our lives again, like we did before. I couldn't get Lovejoy to chase us on such short notice, unfortunately."

I laughed and pulled myself up to kiss him. "He's dead," I whispered, touching my lips against his.

We shared a long luxurious kiss. "That's a bit of bad luck," he whispered, before kissing me again. I felt hot, even while sitting in a mountain of snow.

"A real tragedy," I smiled, and kissed him once again. My hands were on his cheeks, fingers intertwined in the hair down by his ears. "Come on," I whispered, giving him one last kiss. "Let's go back to the house."

•••

It was about an hour later. Jack and I were back in the house. Mia was in the exact same position, fast asleep. We shed our layers, hanging them up to dry from the melted snow. I shivered, sitting right in front of the fire and putting my hands straight out to feel the warmth. "I feel like I might never warm up."

Jack walked up behind me and wrapped his arms around me. He kissed my neck, and I threw my head back in response. "I know what can warm us up," he whispered, his voice filled with desire. I turned to look at him, and he looked back at me. "Any interest?" He asked.

"You tease me," I whispered, losing my control. I turned to look at him, finally meeting his lips in a kiss. "You know we can't do this now," I looked at him and smiled. "But… I have lots planned for later." His arms were around my waist, I leaned against his chest, and my head was turned to the right and up, in order to see him properly.

Mia woke up all of a sudden, and she snuck onto my lap and into my arms. "You were asleep for a while," Jack smiled. He often did this thing, I don't exactly know why he did it or what it meant, but he put his hand out, palm up, and Mia just put her hand on top. That was how they connected sometimes. Sometimes there would be no words, but they would do their little hand thing, and that was enough. "Want to open some presents?"

"Presents?" Mia asked, looking up at him. She looked surprised, and I didn't blame her. She never had a Christmas quite like this one before. "I-I'm getting presents?"

"Well of course," Jack smiled. He grabbed one from under the tree and handed it to her. "Here's your first gift." She held it in her hangs for a moment, almost as if not sure what to do with it. "Well, go on. Open it." Slowly, Mia unwrapped the gift, and inside was another stuffed animal, but not just any stuffed animal. It had a purple bow and Mia's name embroidered along its body.

Mia gasped. "Thank you!" She hugged him tightly, and Jack gave me such a wide smile. "I love it!"

"There's more," Jack smiled. He picked up another box. This one was bigger, much heavier than the last. I already knew what was in this one, since Jack and I planned this one together. "This one's from me and Mommy."

We both watched excitedly as Mia opened the box, and out jumped a little puppy. Mia gasped, partly nervous I believe, and I hugged her. "It's okay," I whispered. "It's just a puppy." Lately, Mia had loved puppies. She hadn't moved on from her obsession with bunny rabbits, but dogs were a close second. She had been asking Jack and I for a puppy for weeks.

"I-I get a puppy?" Mia gasped. Jack and I chuckled. "I get a puppy!" She hugged us both, then proceeded to chase the puppy around the house.

I leaned closer to Jack. Our hands touched, sending electric waves throughout my body. We both watched Mia, who was cuddling the puppy and running around and playing with toys. "And you're sure this was a good idea?" I asked.

Jack shrugged. "It's fine. I had a dog growing up," he said. "Besides, I'll be the one to feed the dog and walk the dog and everything. It'll be great." He looked at me and smiled, putting me at ease. "Mia will be great, you'll see."

Later that night, Mia fell asleep, and Jack and I were downstairs by the Christmas tree. I was laying against Jack's chest in front of the fire. I held his hands in mine, holding his arms around me. "Today has been the most wonderful day," I whispered. I turned my head to look at him. "Thank you."

We leaned closer before meeting in a wonderful kiss. My eyes were closed, one of my hands was on Jack's neck while the other was holding his. Without me noticing, Jack slid his hand into his pocket, pulled out a small box, and placed it in my hand. I pulled away, looking down at the box. "What's this?"

"A Christmas present," Jack smiled.

I instantly felt awful, since I didn't get him anything. He didn't seem to be bothered, and instead of dwelling on what was bothering me, he kept his smile from ear to ear. "I-I didn't get you anything," I said finally. I looked down, then back up at him.

Jack smiled, giving me a light kiss. "Well, how could you?" He asked. "It's not like you can go anywhere." I laughed; of course he wasn't bothered by the fact that I hadn't gotten him anything. "Go ahead. Open it." I started to open the box, but I heard Jack sigh. "I know, it's not as nice as some of the other things you have. I wish I could get you those things, but here's a try."

I slowly opened the box and gasped. Inside was a small gold necklace, a pendant with the words Never Let Go written in cursive letters. I turned it over, and on the other side, it said I love you, Jack. I smiled at him and kissed him. "It's better than any of the other things I have." He smiled back at me. "Can you put it on?"

I dropped it into his hand and picked up my hair so he could access my neck. He put the pendant on my chest, clasping the back on the back of my neck. I felt his lips on the back of my neck. "You look beautiful," he whispered.

I dropped my hair and smiled, putting my hand on top of the pendant. "I love it, Jack," I whispered. "Thank you."

"I love you," Jack whispered back. He bit his lip, looking me up and down. He met my eyes once again. "Say… do you think I could draw you again sometime, maybe this time with this necklace?"

I smiled and kissed him. "I was thinking the same thing."