I actually googled types of trees used as Christmas trees for one single sentence in this chapter. o.O

Chapter Fourteen

Axel's Point-of-View

I groan as I open my eyes and glace at the clock blinking at me from the nightstand. 6:55 a.m. I groan again, loudly this time and run a hand down my face. Why the hell am I awake so early? I close my eyes to fall back asleep when the very loud chords of some Christmas song reach my ears. My eyes pop back open. Well, that would explain it. I pull my pillow over my head and try to block it out, but she's really banging on those keys. I growl, frustrated, after failing for another few minutes before swinging my legs over the edge of the bed and standing. I stretch and head for the door. The music is even louder in the hallway. Down in the foyer, Renton passes by me and smiles.

"Good morning, sir," he says, much too chipper. I glare slightly at him, but he smiles brighter before walking off. He's enjoying this way too much... I pad down the second hall to the piano room and push the cracked door open. As though on cue, Iris looks up from the piano and grins widely. She finishes out the song before speaking.

"Good morning! I didn't wake you, did I?" she asks sweetly. She knows she did; it's written all over her face. Even though I'm tired and pissed off, I can't help the small smile that fights its way onto my lips. I squash it back down immediately.

"As a matter of fact, you did," I respond, walking over to the piano and leaning against it. I cross my arms and look at her with a blank expression. "Now why on earth did you think that would be a good idea?" Her grin falls just slightly.

"Y-You're not mad, are you?" she asks cautiously. I can't fight the smile back down this time. Almost immediately, her grin perks back up to full wattage. "Not mad," she says to herself.

"No, not mad," I reply. "Maybe a little frustrated at being woken up at seven in the morning by obnoxious seasonal tunes for no apparent reason, though."

"We're getting a tree today. You said so last night, remember?" she asks as she quietly plays the first few bars to 'Oh, Christmas Tree.' I run my hand through my hair.

"Yeah, I remember, but if I had known I'd get waken up this early, I would've said no. I figured we go later in the afternoon."

"But the early morning is the best time to go! Everything looks perfect and pristine this early since no one else has trudged through the fresh snow at the lot," she explains as though this is the most obvious thing in the world.

"There's probably a reason for that," I mutter, rolling my eyes at the ceiling.

"Well, you're already up, so why wait now?" she asks while grinning up at me, and I know the question is rhetorical. I stare down at her expression impassively. God, it'd be fun to wipe that grin off her face. I almost smile at the thought, but manage not to. Smiling would ruin it.

Deciding to have a little fun, I slowly reach out a hand to Iris's face. Her grin flickers, but remains overall intact. I cup her chin in my hand and lean my face down to hers. I'm a few inches away from her face when I stop, not breaking eye contact. Her grin slowly falls to a look of slight apprehension but mostly curiosity. At least it's not fear. A light pink creeps onto her face and I'm wondering what she's thinking. I keep her gaze with mine when I see the pulse her neck quicken slightly. Her lips part just a little bit and her breath comes out shaky across my face.

"Wh-What are you doing?" she whispers, and the words caress my face.

"Apparently nothing you're not responding to," I whisper back with a smirk. Keeping the smirk so she knows I'm just being playful, I continue, "We'll go get your silly tree, but I'm warning you now: if I get woken up again by obnoxiously loud Christmas music ever again, I will burn the damn Fern down. Got it memorized?" I smile brightly at her, thinking I've won this little battle.

"I don't know when people started using Ferns as Christmas trees, but I prefer the Fraser Fir myself," she says softly. My smile falls, causing another grin to play at her lips. I release her face and turn.

"You win," I sigh exasperatedly. "I'll be ready to go in about fifteen minutes." I'm at the bottom of the staircase when the Christmas music picks back up. I can't help but smile.

I walk into the foyer fifteen minutes later, but I don't see Iris.

"Ready to go?" comes an excited voice from the living room. I look over, surprised, and see Iris's violet eyes peeking at me over the edge of the couch. She has a gray knit cap pulled over her head.

"I just need to grab my coat," I say with a sigh. Before I can walk over to the closet, though, she's already on her feet and talking.

"No, you don't. I already got it out for you along with your gloves, some ear warmers, and a scarf." She scurries over to me, hands me my coat, pops the ear warmers over my ears, and wraps the scarf around my neck. As I'm pulling on my coat, she holds out a to-go cup of coffee and a croissant. "And I've already made your coffee and grabbed a croissant for you to eat on the way." I take the cup and pastry from her, shocked.

"Uh…well…thank you," I say. She beams at me.

"Now are you ready to go?" she asks. I nod slowly.

"Yeah, let me just get Renton and we'll-"

"Renton's already waiting and has the car heated up," she interrupts. I eye her, bewildered.

"You're really excited about this, aren't you?" She nods vigorously. "Jeez, maybe I should always get you this amped up about something; a guy could get used to this kind of service." She winces slightly at my words, and I mentally kick myself. Her excitement wins over, though, and she seems to let my little faux pas go.

"Well," she says with a clap of her hands. "Let's get going!" She starts towards the door and I'm resigned to follow. Outside, I shiver and pull my coat tighter.

"Shit, I hate the cold," I mumble irritably.

"Really? I hadn't gathered that from the inferno you call a house," she says from a few feet in front of me. I have a distinct impression she's rolling her eyes at me. I grumble unintelligibly.

In the car, I finally take the time to look Iris over.

"You look nice today," I say, and I mean it. She's put on a healthy amount of weight since being with me, and it truly flatters her. She's wears a pair of dark, flare jeans that hug her thighs nicely. Her gray, wool peacoat matches her hat perfectly and accentuates her slight curves. A deep red scarf is wrapped around her neck; it really makes her eyes pop. She has on a pair of matching mittens. Her shiny, pale hair is straight today and flows down to her waist. She turns her eyes towards me and smiles softly.

"Thanks," she says before looking back out the window at the passing countryside.

"Do you know how beautiful you are?" I ask. I'm immediately shocked at myself. I hadn't meant to say that; it just sort of came out. She turns to look at me again. Her face is surprised this time, and she sputters slightly before regaining herself. Suddenly, she grins.

"Well, it would be conceited of me to say yes, wouldn't it be?" she asks. I shake my head, a grin tugging up my lips as well.

"Not at all. It would just mean you're confident."

"Then yes, I am aware that I'm pretty. Two weeks ago, I didn't really think so, but I look much better now."

"Good. I can't stand when a girl can't admit she's pretty," I say. She groans.

"I know! I find it really irritating. It's so obvious they know they're attractive, but they're trying to appear modest; it just comes off so fake," she says. I nod.

"Yeah. That'd be like someone telling me that I'm hot and me saying, oh no, not me. I'm just okay looking. I know I'm freakishly attractive, and I'm gonna own up to it," I say extremely seriously. Iris laughs loudly, causing me to grin widely.

"You're ridiculous," she says while laughing. She tries to take in a deep breath to calm down, but snorts instead. I start laughing, and she erupts into another fit of giggles. We're still laughing when Renton announces we've arrived at the tree lot.

"Alright, alright," I start while taking deep, shuddering breaths. She's doing the same, occasionally allowing another little burst of giggles to come through. "Come on. We've gotta get your stupid tree."

"You're a stupid tree," she says with another laugh.

"Well I'm a gorgeous, stupid tree then," I retort and we dissolve into laughter again. It's not even that funny, but her laughter is contagious.

An eternity later, we manage to calm down and get out of the car. I hate to admit it, but Iris is right about the lot looking pristine this early. There are only a few pairs of footprints in the snow, but besides that, it's perfect. Iris's eyes light up and she takes a step forward before looking over at me tentatively. I nod and wave a hand for her to go ahead. She smiles widely before hurrying forward towards the mass of tree. She turns and stops when she sees I'm not with her.

"Aren't you coming?" she calls out loudly. I shake my head, smiling.

"Nah. You go pick whatever one you want out. I wouldn't know what the hell I'm doing anyway," I shout back. She shrugs.

"Suit yourself," she yells before continuing on. I lean against the side of the car and wait.

"Interesting girl, isn't she, sir?" Renton says. I jump and turn around wildly, forgetting he was there. He has his arms folded on the roof of the car and is resting his head on them. He smiles at me, obviously realizing he startled me.

"Sorry, Renton. I didn't hear you get out of the car," I explain, feeling sheepish.

"Well someone is going to need to help you cut down and lug the tree back, sir," he says.

"Cut it down…? Shit, I didn't even think about that! I didn't grab an ax or anything," I say, a slight edge of panic in my voice. Renton smiles again.

"Already taken care of, sir. It's in the trunk." I sigh.

"Thank you, Renton. What would I do without you?"

"Probably die, sir," he says matter-of-factly. I grin widely, knowing he's probably right. A few moments later, he speaks again. "Excuse me for overstepping, sir, but I've noticed you're not exactly treating this girl like the rest of them." I frown slightly.

"There's something different about her, Renton. I don't know what it is, but it's something…something…" I trail off.

"Special, sir?" he suggests. I nod.

"Yeah, special."

"Then I wish you luck, sir, but I feel inclined to remind that her circumstances are very…interesting, and I fear you can't hide the facts from her forever." My frown deepens.

"Now you're overstepping, Renton," I say quietly.

"Of course, sir. My apologies," he says immediately.

"Don't worry about it."

We wait in silence a while longer before an excited shriek sounds from the lot. Moments later, Iris comes bounding out of the trees at full tilt and skids to a stop in front of me. Her face is pink from the cold and her eyes are alight with glee. Her breath is coming out in small pants, the cold air showing it.

"I've found it. It's perfect. Come on," she says quickly, almost too quickly to understand. She grabs my hand and starts pulling me as fast as possible through the lot. I let her drag me through all the trees, and I hear Renton following a few feet behind us. Finally, she stops in front of a tree that, in my opinion, looks just like the rest of them. I know better than to say that, though. Iris is staring up at it like it's the greatest thing in the world, and I notice she hasn't let go of my hand. I relish the warmth of her hand in mine. "This one. This is perfect." I don't think she realizes it, but she squeezes my hand slightly. I smile down at her.

"Yeah. It is."