A/N: I'm obsessed with this song at the moment so that's where it came from. I'd really like to thank you for reading this.

It would be really helpful, though, if people could suggest some things for Emily to be introduced to. They can be events, people (as in celebrities or something), songs, films, objects...whatever really as long as it's not something that was around during Victorian times. If people don't prompt things for me, I'll probably run out of ideas and this story will have to finish early.

I'd really appreciate some reviews just so that I know whether you guys like the direction and style of the story so far.

I'll shut up now though. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

What Hurts The Most

Since arriving in the 21st century, Emily Merchant had grown to love modern music. Whilst it was wildly different to what she was used to in the Victorian Era, it entranced her soul and moved her beyond what she'd ever experienced before. She was given her first CD for Christmas as a gift from Matt. It hadn't been long since she'd returned through the anomaly, pursued by Henry. Emily hadn't expected anything from Matt; after all they were only living together and trying to ignore the feelings they both so obviously had.

Like every other person in the world, they put up their Christmas tree together and decorated it, although Emily was fascinated to find that it was fake. The fir tree was made of plastic but it still looked truly beautiful when silver baubles hung from its bough's, slowly rotating and reflecting the pale glow from the fairy lights strung around the green plant. It, however, sat bare of presents until Jess presented both Matt and Emily with brightly gift-wrapped boxes on 15th December, telling them that they weren't to open their presents till the twenty-fifth. Soon after, Abby, Connor and Becker all gave them presents too, and an exchange began, although only Lester did not think to buy anyone on the team something.

On Christmas Eve, Matt made a big show of placing something under the tree whilst Emily watched TV from the cream sofa, her chin resting on her knees that were brought up to her chest, oblivious to the fact that she had in fact hidden a present for him too.

"Just putting something under the tree," he said quietly, smiling at her.

Her eyes were drawn from the goings on of Wallace and Gromit to watch him kneel before the tree, although she made no other sign that she had seen him. As soon as he withdrew from the room, Emily raced to the tree to find the slim, square gift he had bought her. But she did not open it. She waited, consoling herself that it was only one night until she would be able to open it in front of him.

Emily woke early, lying in bed in trepidation. Matt and her were spending the day alone together, seeing as neither of them had any family to catch up with, and she didn't know what to expect. Normally they didn't spend much time in close proximity, often getting called back to the ARC for anomalies after coming home. Matt seemed to avoid her wherever possible, making some excuse and leaving which ever room she was in much of the time.

She left Matt's bedroom and wandered into the living room where he was sleeping on the sofa. It had been gracious of him to give up his bed again, Emily thought fondly, still wearing one of his shirts. Matt didn't know but Emily always slept in his shirts rather than the pyjamas that she had bought on her first shopping trip with Jess, preferring to feel as though Matt was around her. The smell of his aftershave always helped her sleep. In her eagerness for the day to start, she had forgotten to get dressed first, and whilst she had thought Matt was asleep; he was not.

He didn't comment on her choice of sleepwear, but yawned and sat up, making room for her to sit on the sofa beside him.

"Ready?" Matt asked.

Emily nodded and moved from the sofa to sit on the floor in front of the tree. Matt knelt beside her and pulled out all the presents, proceeding to sort them into two piles: one for himself and one for Emily. They were of equal number, but in Emily's pile there was a rather large box from Becker, which Matt suspected was probably some form of weaponry.

"You go first, Emily."

She debated over whether to open Matt's present first or save it till last. It was decided for her when Matt picked up the big box from Becker that was wrapped in black tissue paper, although how he'd managed to buy black tissue paper at Christmas was a minor miracle. It wasn't exactly a festive colour. Emily pulled the layers of paper apart and lifted the cardboard lid off the box. Inside, nestled in yet more tissue paper, lay a polished knife just like the dagger she had lost in her fight with the tree creepers. Matt laughed and picked up his own present from Becker. He had been given a tiny EMD pistol as a joke, but alongside it was a written apology from Jess.

After finding a series of sweaters and shirts from Jess, a video game from Connor and some zoo tickets from Abby, Emily reached into the pile and drew out the square present that she had found the previous night. Her fingers trembled as they dug under the sellotape and tore the red paper apart, revealing the plastic case of a CD.

"Thank you, Matt," she murmured, recognising what he had given her although she'd never owned a CD before. He smiled and took it from her, rising to put her CD into his player.

"You're welcome. It's the Rascal Flatts. I thought you might like it," he replied with a shrug of his shoulders. As the music started with the twang of guitar strings being plucked, he pulled Emily to her feet and twirled her into a dance hold. They swayed around the room, the beautiful lyrics drifting through Emily's ears in the rhapsody of being held by Matt. The words of the song struck a chord with her. It sounded exactly what Matt might have been trying to tell her, and she looked uncertainly up at him, into his clear, blue eyes. He looked steadily back at her. "Hear something?"

She nodded and, gently, his hold on her waist tightened. Into her ear, he hummed the tune of the song as the music stepped up and the chorus began.

What hurts the most

Was being so close

And having so much to say

And watching you walk away

And never knowing

What could have been

And not seeing that loving you

Is what I was trying to do

Suddenly Matt's hands were on either side of her face, each of them staring at the other. His lips touched hers in the instrumental section of the song and Emily responded, pulling him closer with the arms behind his neck.

Matt drew away and breathed, "I love you, Emily."

Her chocolate eyes softened and she brought him back towards her and began kissing him again. As the song finished, she leant her forehead against his, although the motion meant that she had to stand on tiptoe, and said, "I love you too."

Matt smiled. "Sorry for letting you walk away. I was so blind to you."

"Sorry for going."

"It doesn't matter," Matt replied quietly. "We're together now."

Emily nodded, silently agreeing with him.

"I love my present by the way. What about yours?"

"You bought me a present?" He asked in surprise.

Emily nodded and grinned mischievously.

Leaving the CD playing, Matt returned to his pile of presents and searched through the mess of ripped wrapping paper he had decimated, but found nothing. He looked up at Emily, confused, and she decided to take pity on him and retrieve the present herself. She had to lie flat on her stomach to reach the box that was so far under the tree. Matt stared open mouthed at Emily. The shirt of his she was wearing moved upwards as she stretched, revealing her underwear and the tops of her shapely thighs. Matt crawled towards and just as her fingers closed around his present, her pulled her upwards and kissed her, his hands running down her hips to her soft thighs and pulling her onto his lap.

Emily smirked against his lips. "Do you not want your present?"

Relenting his attack on her pink lips, Matt took the box from her, looking at it curiously, wondering what Emily could have bought him.

He undid the bow holding the box shut and pulled the lid off. Emily had given him a framed picture of his father, the only photo he had, the photo he had thrown away in his grief when Gideon had died.

"I hope you don't mind, but I rescued it the last time I was here. I thought you might like something to remember him by…"

Matt responded by kissing her again.

"Thank you," he whispered, his voice heavy with supressed grieving.

Emily helped him up and together they placed the photo on the mantelpiece beside the tree, where the lights shined upon him. Matt stared at it for a few moments, with Emily supporting him, an arm around his waist. She kissed his cheek and left him to mourn, then pulled one of the sweaters Jess had bought her over the top of her shirt. She smiled, as it fell down to her mid-thighs just the like the shirt underneath it. Suddenly Matt was behind her and his arms wound around her, meeting on her stomach.

"Happy Christmas, Em," he said into her ear, his warm breath lifting a curl of brown hair.

"Happy Christmas, Matt," she replied, turning to kiss him again.