Aw, here I go with the doom that is sadness (it's not that bad really). Where's the happy Christmas spirit you ask? I killed it :o Nah, not really. It's all good in the end.

Christmas Stories

By Tela

Christmas was a happy time, wasn't it? Everyone said it was so it had to be. There was the snow glistening on the rooftops and coating everything with a seemingly perfect blanket of white. There was the holiday cheer and lively celebration everywhere. There were warm, crackling fires in the evenings with hot cocoa the company of family and friends. It seemed to be a joyous time for all.

He certainly had the snow; Glast Heim had no shortage of this. He had the holiday cheer and celebration. He even had the fire and hot cocoa. What he lacked was family. He had never had a real family to begin with. His family had abandoned him for all he knew. No one actually knew the truth of what happened. Even so, he survived and that was something to be thankful for, was it not?

The scholar stood let out a heavy sigh and set aside the book he was looking at more than actually reading. He stood from his desk and stretched. It was time he left the castle library and headed to his own home. Pushing his chair in, he grabbed his coat from the back of the chair and blew out the two lamps on his desk. He glanced at the clock on the desk, rather surprised at the time. It was later than he expected. No matter, it's not as if he had plans.

He slid on his coat and pulled the doors of the library shut behind him. He made his way down the hall only to be stopped for a moment. "You're leaving finally, Vangelis?" He turned and saw Athanas standing there with a stack of papers.

"Yes. I assume you have plans with her?" Vangelis asked, his voice clearly demonstrating his distaste for Athanas' love interest. The lord knight sighed; he had no wish for a fight. Vangelis didn't mean to sound so intolerable but it couldn't be helped. "I'm sorry. Have a good time," he managed to say with a small smile.

"Van, it's Christmas eve."

A thoughtful expression crossed the scholar's face. "So it is. I had forgotten." No I haven't.

"You can always join me and Lila or even Nicholas and Julia if you can't stand the thought of being in the same room as Lila," the knight offered. He didn't want Vangelis to spend the holiday alone.

"I won't intrude. Besides, this is Nicholas and Julia's first Christmas together, you know that. I'll just head home. It's late and I, for one, am tired. Good night."

Athanas watched the scholar wave and continue down the hall until he disappeared around a corner. He hated for Vangelis to have no one. He said he didn't want to intrude, but he and Nicholas would have happily let him spend the evening with them. He was too stubborn to take the offer though. It was obvious that he was miserable.

Vangelis left the castle and strode down the steps and into the empty street. Fresh snow had fallen earlier that day and new flurries had begun to fall. The moon was merely a sliver of light in the dark night sky. It was quiet but that was to be expected as it was nearing ten and everyone was inside, most likely putting children to bed. Like a family, children were something he wouldn't experience first hand.

Pulling his coat closer, he turned off the main street toward his own home. He lived only a few houses away from Nicholas but he would leave them to their own tonight. Vangelis was paying little attention to anything but watching his breath in the cold winter air. Seemingly out of nowhere, he collided with something or rather, someone. They stumbled backward and tripped, falling rear first into the snowy street. "Ah! Sorry!" he exclaimed, hurrying over to help the person up.

"Oww..." He heard the person groan in an unmistakably female voice. He reached down and took her hands, pulling up upright. As he did, her hood fell back revealing an oddly familiar face and long silvery hair. He couldn't quite place her but he must have seen her somewhere before. "Not sure if I should thank you or not," she laughed good-naturedly as she dusted herself off.

"A bit late to be out, don't you think?" he asked.

She shrugged. "I could say the same to you but I'm just looking for an inn but so far, I've had no luck and it's getting really cold."

"I was just heading home. Just down the street in fact. You could come with me and warm up if you'd like. It's the least I can do for knocking you into the snow." He felt like an idiot for being so careless.

She looked very relieved when she heard his offer. She was absolutely frozen. "That would be great. Lead the way?" Vangelis nodded and started toward his home. She followed behind him quietly. Only a few minutes later they reached his door. He pulled a key from his pocket and unlocked the heavy wood door, motioning for her to go inside. "Not much warmer in here," she commented.

Closing the door behind him, he nodded in agreement. "I'm not home much. I am a librarian and teacher at the castle and I spend most of my time there or with friends." He walked into his living room, which was in fact quite bare of everything but the essentials. He kneeled in front of the fireplace, placing a few logs and tinder.

"Why aren't you with friends or your family tonight? It is Christmas Eve after all." The scholar paused, his depression returning at the mention of him being utterly alone. She seemed to notice his reaction and immediately quieted and took a seat in a chair close to the fireplace. Vangelis summoned a small flame to light the tinder and stood up, staring blankly as the logs caught fire. "Mmm…it's your turn to ask me an uncomfortable question," she added cheerfully.

He smiled slightly and laid his coat on the arm of a second chair. "I'll pass. You would think I would be used to this by now but holidays tend to get to me."

"It's all right; you're stuck with me for a while since you did run me over," she teased. He sighed and put his hands over his face. "You have any books?" Her words peaked his interest. Anyone who knew him knew that he was an avid book reader.

"In the next room."

She stood and made her way into the other room and reappeared a few minutes later with a dusty old book. "I'm going to read you a Christmas story." She reseated herself and flipped through the pages of the book until she found one she liked. "This is a story about Christmas miracles." She began to read, her voice soft and comforting being paired with the low crackle and warmth of the fire. She was animated and not at all boring but the scholar felt his eyes droop. He tried to stay awake but finally, her voice lulled him to sleep. Something roused him ever so slightly. It felt like a light kiss to his forehead. He really must've been dreaming.

He woke the next morning in his chair, a little bit cold. The early morning light filtered through his snow-caked windows illuminating the room. He took a moment to process his thoughts and suddenly remembered his visitor. There was no sign of anyone having been there. No book in the room, no ashes in the fire and no woman. Did he dream the events of the previous night? This was the only explanation.

He moved slowly from the chair and headed for the kitchen. He hadn't even had dinner last night! Just then, something caught his eye. There was a sheet of paper on the mantle of the fireplace. Curiously, he picked it up.

Thanks for letting me stay. It was more Christmas than I would have had otherwise. I cleaned the ashes out of the fireplace in case you were wondering. I'm willing to bet you would never get around to doing it. Thanks again, stranger. Merry Christmas.

He wasn't dreaming after all.

A/N: I heart Van! I wonder who the woman could be...hmm XD I didn't have the heart to make this as angsty as I originally intended :3