I sighed, exasperated, before just shoving the blanket completely over my head, making plans to skulk until Christmas was over.

Niall laughed, pulling the blanket off my head. "Hiding under a blanket until Christmas passes won't change anything."

"So?" I shrugged; taking the blanket back and burying myself under it again, with a firmer grip this time.

We were both quiet for a while, before I sighed, getting up to shower.

I sleepily forced myself out from under the warm spray of the shower, drying off before pulling on warm, loose clothes and a comfortable hoodie. I love winter for this very reason. The Christmas music, I love, hot chocolate is amazing. I'm not sure if that's the technical term for it, hot chocolate, but that's what it is, so that's what I call it.

When I came out of the restroom, Niall was still sitting on the couch, where I left him, but now the TV was on. I shook my head, before the sight outside the window pulled my gaze away from him... It was snowing again. Snow confused me... a lot. I just don't understand how something so beautiful could be so cold. All the time I go outside just to pick up loads of it, to see if it is as soft as it feels. The snow is soft, very soft, but that's where it stops. I can only experience it's softness for a moment before the cold seeps through the gloves Louis always makes me wear when I go outside, before it seeps through my skin, before it seeps down into the marrow of my bones. I smiled, gazing out at the snow. I hate the cold, so the only way for me to experience it without freezing my hands off.

Instinctively, I jumped when I felt two arms snake around my wait from behind. I calmed when I realized it was only Niall; his laugh (at my terrified jump), gave it away.

"Don't scare me like that, Niall!"

He laughed harder. "There's no one in the house but you and I! Who did you think it was?"

I scowled, crossing my arms and turning back to the window.

"Come on, you know it was funny, Cassie." Niall stopped laughing.

"This is unforgivable." I said, half-joking.

He sighed, but before I could make another cynical response, he had turned me around again an kissed me. I immediately forgot about whatever had been happening the second before. The only thing I could think about was how soft his lips were against mine.

I didn't get to keep that feeling very long; he pulled away, giving me no time whatsoever to at least kiss him back.

He said something, but I was too dazed from the annoyingly short kiss for my brain to process what it was. Blinking, I pulled myself out of my daze. "What?" I asked.

"We need to go pack now, Cassie." He repeated. "We're leaving tonight, remember?"

I sighed. Yeah, I remembered. All the boys were leaving for home for tomorrow, Christmas, and I'm going with Louis. Niall will be coming there later during the day since I couldn't bear to be without him for a full day. I was already finicky about being away from him for half a day - who knows what being away from him for a full day would do to me? I probably sound really clingy right now, but I just... can't be away from him for that long. He is what keeps me sane. "I remember." I muttered.

He smiled, a partly sad smile, at me and grabbed my hand, turning to lead me toward my room where he'd help me pack. He always does.

I've been here for a few hours and I already love my new family. They're all hilarious, and just like Louis through and through.

Despite my newfound love of my new family, I was falling asleep on myself. I was so out of it I couldn't even remember what any of my new sister's names were; that'll keep me up all night. (See what I did there? Yeah, I know you did ;])

Fortunately, Louis noticed me falling asleep before I actually did. "Okay, Cassie needs to sleep. She's not to having jet lag so often yet."

I didn't hear anyone's responses - I was too busy trying to stay awake to keep up with Lou as he led me to a room. I promptly passed out on what I assumed was the bed.

I woke up the next morning surrounded by pillows and... Louis', I mean my sisters yelling and pulling at me to get me up. It didn't take long for me to get up and follow them downstairs, where Louis, his Mom and his step dad were sitting in the main room.

Sighing, I sat down next to Louis on the couch, leaning my head on his shoulder sleepily. "Why am I up so early?"

He laughed. "On Christmas, a lot of times people are forced," he glared at Lottie, to which she ust grinned at, "to get up early to open gifts."

I was confused. "Why do you need to be up early to open gifts?"

He sighed. "Because some little girls," He glared at Lottie. "Can't be patient and wait."

"Hey, I'm a teen now! I'm fourteen!"

"You don't act like it!"

"Yes I do!"

"Anyway," Louis said, raising his voice, "Lottie doesn't want to wait and get up later, like any sane teenager would do."

"You just called me a teenager." Lottie grinned.

"No, I didn't."

"Yes, you did."

"Why would I call you a teenager?"

"Oh; I don't know. Maybe because I am one and you secretly just want to admit it?"

"Okay; enough!" Johanna said, but she was laughing.

"Present time?" Asked Daisy excitedly, running in from the kitchen with Phoebe right behind her.

Johanna laughed again. "Yes. We'll start with Louis. You did get your little sisters Christmas gifts, right, Lou?" She glared at her son, daring him to say 'no'.

He nodded, ignoring her glare. "Of course I got them Christmas gifts, what kind of monster do you think I am?"

Johanna shrugged.

"The famous kind?" Lottie suggested.

He rolled his eyes before standing. "The gifts I bought are hidden. You'll have to find them." All three girls scrambled up to look, Lottie included. She paused in the doorway, though.

"How will we know who's is who's?"

Louis sighed, shaking his head. "You're names will be on the gifts that are yours."

"Gifts? As in plural?!" Lottie asked excitedly.

Lou just ignored her and sat down next to me again as she ran off. "I wonder how long it will take them to figure out that the gifts are all under the tree." He smiled mischievously. I looked to under the tree; sure enough, there were stacks of unwrapped gifts patiently sitting there.

For the first time, I noticed a sweet, cinnamon smell wafting from the kitchen. It smells like Johanna's started cooking something. Well, I suppose that makes sense. One of the many repeated things I continue to hear from Niall about Christmas is how great the Christmas food is. So I'm guessing specific sweets are baked for Christmas? But why would anyone in their right mind bake sweets at this time in the morning?

Louis pulled out his mobile and left the room to make a call. Johanna took the room after Mark had left too, to start talking to me. She smiled kindly at me. "So, how do you like touring with the boys? It must be stressful, with all the different time zones and stuff. Louis is always complaining about that." It took me a moment before I realized she was waiting for an answer.

"Oh, touring with the boys is fun, but that might just be me, since I've never been out of New York before this.' I said shyly.

She laughed. "What's your favorite part of touring?"

I thought about it for a moment. "Staying at a new place every few days is really amazing. There are a lot of really beautiful places in a lot of really small towns and cities, and it's sad to think that no one really knows about them."

She looked confused. "I thought they were only touring the bigger cities?"

"Oh, they are. I just really like to look out of the windows of the tour bus while we're moving to the next place."

Johanna grinned at me. "I have absolutely no clue why your parents gave you up."

I felt the familiar heat starting to flood my cheeks, but before it could fully happen, Daisy, Phoebe, Lottie, Mark, and Louis came bursting into the room. Mark came first, calmly sitting down next to Johanna. Louis came next, looking bored and annoying, sitting next to me again. High-pitched laughing announced Phoebe and Daisy's arrival. Lottie came skulking in afterward, looking cross.

You're might be confused, because Lou has four sisters, not three, but that can easily be cleared up. I met Felicite last night, but she'd had to leave right afterward. Unfortunately, she had only been able to stay for Christmas Eve this year.

While Daisy, Phoebe, and Lottie opened gifts with the occasional squeal, (from all three, not just the twins), I almost fell asleep. I was curled up on the couch, trying to pay attention to whatever, since I wasn't sure whether or not I should've been paying attention.

I glanced up when I heard my name, to see everyone quiet and looking at me expectantly.

"What about Cassie?" I asked wearily.

"It's your turn to open gifts!" Lou exclaimed, way too cheery for so early in the morning.

I felt my eyebrows pull together. "I have gifts?"

Lottie rolled her eyes. "Of course you do; you're a part of the family now."

I was still confused for the next ten minutes as I unwrapped a numerous amount of gifts from people I hardly know. Sure, they're my family now, but either way, they'd only just met me.

I never thoughts I'd say this, because it sounds massively cliché and I really hate cliché, plus I'm sure I've probably already said something like it before, but... It's just so different, being around people that don't hate you and punish you for every little thing you do, right or wrong, and I'm just really enjoying this new environment. It's so nice to have people who appear to care about you.

Later, that night to be exact, I was in a pretty much opposite state of mind than I'd been that morning. Did I mention that hunger makes me hyper now? Johanna has been cooking all day and says everything will be done soon, but I'm still freaking out inside.

Lottie is trying to play some kind of card game with me to get me to calm down...

"Cassie? Cassie!" Lottie shouted, robbing my attention from whatever it has been focused on; I couldn't remember now.

"What?" She laughed.

"So a card game is out of the question. How about I go and-" She was cut off by the doorbell; I jumped. Lottie laughed at me again. "Do you want to get it or should I?" She glanced at me one last time before getting up to answer the door. "I should probably get it; I don't want you scaring off any potential visitors."

I heard her sigh obnoxiously, before walking into the room, shouting "Lou! Niall's here for some inexplicable reason!" I looked up again quickly, more closely. Standing behind Lottie in the doorframe was Niall.

"Okay, so one of Lou's weird band friends are here." She shook her head quickly, as if to rid it of all thoughts of Lou and his 'weird friends'.

I guess it worked, because she addressed me again. "So what else would you to-" Lou came down the stairs and scowled at her before going to Niall's side.

"Were you forced to suffer the displeasure of meeting this one?" He asked Niall, solemnly shaking his head when Niall nodded, laughing. "Don't worry, the younger ones are better."

Lottie rolled her eyes again. "Cassie, how about we leave them to do... whatever it is that boys do..."

I ignored her and went up to Niall. He smiled before kissing me.

After a few seconds, Lou pulls Niall away and into the kitchen, muttering something about 'PDA'. Sighing, I just turned back to Lottie, who was gaping, bug-eyed at me. I smiled apologetically at her. Her expression didn't change.

"Cassie!" Taking the opportunity, I ran into the kitchen, where Lou had called my name... and rolled my eyes when I saw Niall already eating whatever Johanna had cooked. Of course he would start eating as soon as the food was done.