Disclaimer: I still own nothing.

Author's Note: ... I know, I know, I'm a bit late with the last one. But uh, it's for Expect-the-Unexpected75 and uh... I guess Happy New Years? Lol. Well, I hope she enjoys it. Enjoy!

Christmas Wish

She wasn't ready for this. Nope, definitely not. There was no way she was going to survive Matt Hardy's Big Ass Christmas Bash. She'd seen the pictures from the years before the upcoming one… and she just knew… she would not be able to handle the stupidity, the alcohol, and the games they'd be playing. It was the one thing that she knew she'd hate about the holiday season with Matt. But she couldn't avoid it and she had to be there. Matt had insisted that everything would be okay and that she could go back into their house whenever she wanted, no questions asked. But … no. It wasn't right.

"Ayla?"

She was staring at herself in the mirror, looking down at her sparkling, light pink dress. It was her favorite article of clothing and she knew Matt loved the way it looked on her also. "Hi, Matt," she said without turning to face him. "Did you need something?"

Her boyfriend blinked at her unmoving body and instantly worry flew through him. "No," he said carefully. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," she replied distantly, forcing a smile onto her face. She made her body move to face him and tried to show that she wasn't about to have a breakdown in his bedroom. "Is anyone here yet?"

"Just Shane and Shannon." He continued to stare at Ayla, knowing his girlfriend well enough to finally realize she was terrified. "I told you, Ayla, don't worry about tonight. All you have to do is make an appearance. I know it's not your scene."

But it wasn't only that. This was Matt's big idea of the holidays. One huge party and then the actual holiday wasn't as great as the party that happened in the weeks leading up. She was used to big family gatherings and the tearing of thousands of presents, seeing the eyes light up of her nieces'. Now, it was just going to be her and Matt. Tomorrow, Beth and Jeff would be heading to visit Beth's grandmother in Connecticut.

"I love you," she mumbled softly, coming over to lay her head on his chest. "Just know that."

"I do," he replied, putting his arm around hers. "A whole lot."

The Next Day

There were sleeping bodies everywhere. Half of the people she didn't even know where piled into guestrooms, the stench of alcohol still wavering in the air. True to Matt's word, she had snuck off to their room around one and fell asleep, not to wake until ten that morning, hearing Beth prepare to leave for the North. After a quick goodbye from her, she maneuvered her way into the kitchen, walking over a tuckered out Lucas.

Quickly, she put Matt's old tea kettle on and pulled out a tea bag, leaning against the counter. It was so quiet, so peaceful – so unlike that house.

Matt was asleep on the couch, his hand on the floor, the other pressed against the wall. A soft, barely noticeable snore was coming from his lips, and there was some kind of oil stain on his shirt. The man had partied until he couldn't party anymore.

The tea kettle began to whistle and Ayla turned it off. It was the start to what she believed was a very quiet holiday season. Or so she thought. A few minutes after pouring herself a cup of tea, she slipped on a jacket and went outside, sitting on the steps of the back porch. The air was cool – but not too cold and nature was showcasing its beauty for a winter's day.

"Hello," the familiar voice of Matt came to her ears. She had hardly noticed he had opened the door and sat next to her. "Hurry and finish that. We have to go somewhere."

She eyed him with a raised brow, but nodded, quickly downing the rest of her now lukewarm tea. Then, she followed her boyfriend up the steps and into the house. Near the front door, as if it had magically appeared, were several bags. Since Matt was off until the next TV taping, she didn't understand why. Before she could ask however, he pulled her up the stairs and tossed a pair of jeans and a warm sweater at her, demanding for her to change and "hurry".

By the time she got back downstairs, most of the bodies and the lingering smell of alcohol were gone.

"Where are you going?"

"We," he corrected her. "And it's a surprise. Now come on."

Ayla wanted to protest, but found if she really needed to, she would. They got into the car and about thirty minutes later, they were pulling up in front of the airport. Much to her surprise, Beth and Jeff were waiting there, Beth hugging Jeff tightly at the newly blowing wind.

"We're going with them?" she asked. "But I don't know Beth's—"

"We're going on vacation," he explained. "It's one of my Christmas presents to you… I know this isn't your idea of Christmas, so I wanted to make it extra special, if only for a few days."

"Oh, Matt," Ayla muttered. "But… how? You have to … but we must… and how… oh, I don't care. Let's go." She was grinning, throwing all caution to the wind. As long as Matt was with her, she'd be okay.

About five hours later, she felt as if she was in some winter wonderland. The air was icy cold and there had to be three feet of snow on the ground. The air smelled clean – even cleaner than the wood air by Matt's home and it gave a whole new meaning to the idea of nature being stunning to her.

"Okay, did I hit my head or something?" she asked as they began to walk out of the airport. "I feel as if I'm dreaming. Where are we?"

"It's a small town near Maine," he said back to her. "Jeff and I rented a house for a few days. I think you're going to fall in love…"

He was right, of course. But it wasn't just the town, or the house, or the snow that she fell in love with. And it wasn't just the horse drawn carriage ride that Matt took her on that night. Or just the way he cut up the marshmallows to look like little hearts in the hot chocolate. Or even the way they just listened to Christmas carols while trimming a fat, brand new Christmas tree in the house. It was Matt; she fell in love with Matt. All over again. She knew when she met him he wasn't the overly romantic type, but she could tell he was trying very hard to be that person if only for the holidays. Or maybe he was getting tips from his brother. Who knows? But all she know was she loved it.

They were walking outside now, knee-deep in snow that had once more fallen over night. No one in the little town had a car, everyone walked to where they needed to go – that's how small it was. Matt decided he needed some snacks, so they were on their way back from the tiny grocery store in town, holding several kinds of treats.

She wasn't paying attention to her boyfriend, honestly. She was much to immersed in the icicles on the trees and the way they happened to demand her attention. That's when she felt it collide with her back, nearly making her topple face first into the snow.

Ayla flipped around to see a whistling Matt, looking to the sky with a hint of a smile hidden on his handsome features. "What was that for?" she demanded, wiping the remainder of the snowball off her coat. "You could have killed me!"

He looked at her. "Were you talking to me?" he asked innocently.

She narrowed one eye and dropped her bag of produce (she had tried to remain the adult in the store, buying food they actually needed). Then, she made sure her mittens were in tight when she grabbed a handful of snow and packed it tightly. "Yeah," she spat playfully. "I was." And then she threw her hand back and hurled the snowball directly at Matt. His eyes widened as the wind picked up and made the snowball head downwards, hitting him in a spot she had not intended to. For some reason, that made her giggle hysterically while Matt licked wounds he did not want to. "Oops," she teased. "I guess that'll teach you."

Matt shook his head, dropping his bag as well. "No, this means war!" he yelled, grabbing a ball and running toward her. He grabbed her tightly as she protested and let the snow trickle into her shirt, making her squeal as it touched her once warm skin.

"MAAAAAATT," she whined. "It's COLD!"

"UH-HUH," he laughed, chasing after her as she ran down the road, slipping and stumbling through the snow. "COME BACK HERE!"

She howled with laughter as he fell backward onto his butt, but stopped when she noticed he hadn't gotten up yet. "Matt?" she asked carefully, stepping forward. When she looked down at him, his eyes ripped open and he lunged for her, making her fall into the snow next to him. "MATT!"

He laughed as he felt the snow begin to stick in his hair. "I love you," he told her, smiling while snowflakes stuck to his lashes. "I hope this Christmas is the best yet for you."

Ayla motioned around her. "This is more than I could have ever asked for… thank you."

"You're welcome," he told her sincerely. Slowly, he sat up, shaking the snow out of his hair like Lucas did. "Now, come on. We have to get home so I can challenge you there and kick your butt in a real snowball fight."

"You're on!" she said as he began to run toward the house, leaving her behind only for a moment. Because, if it was one thing she realized over the holiday with Matt, she would never truly be alone.

I don't know ... I just think Matt would do something like this. ANYWAY, REVIEW!