Yep, definitely wrote three full chapters of Christmas fluff. Hope you guys don't mind!

Raven's POV

It's only two minutes after Wick has left that Raven regrets saying yes. It wasn't like she enjoyed family holiday parties to begin with. The fact that these people, this group of strangers, weren't even her family certainly did not help matters.

But she had been so caught up in Wick's hopeful eyes and slightly sad words and the earnest smile he offered, she couldn't help but say yes. There was something that hit her in ways she didn't expect when he said that his holidays weren't like they used to be. Alone but not alone was something she could sympathise with. Perhaps a bit more than she would like.

Sure, she could make up something now and say that her mom was upset with the idea of her leaving or the hospital was insisting she work. It seemed though, that despite how strong her regret may be, it wasn't powerful enough to call his extension over in the lab and take back her acceptance. It wasn't enough to replace the unspoken portion of her that actually wanted this.

For as long as Raven could remember holidays weren't really a thing. Sure, her mother had made some form of an effort when she'd been very small. Raven had memories of unwrapping newspaper from a box of tissues or new underwear. In her childlike mind it had been more than enough. Once she'd started school though, she resented not only her mother and the other children, but also herself. She hated that she lost the ability to be grateful when she saw the other kids with their Gameboys and new clothes.

Once she was a bit older Finn did what he could to compensate. His family wasn't much better off than hers but he would make her things, trinkets of all sorts. He would present her with homemade jewlery and even tried to make her a scarf one year. There was once a time when he was endlessly dedicated to her, sometimes Raven had as hard of a time remembering that as she does forgetting.

Of course the gifts weren't even what mattered. She cried to Finn about not having a tree when she was twelve and feeling particularly sorry for herself. To this day she still blamed puberty for that instance. Together the two of them hand crafted some ornaments and decorated the already bare deciduous tree outside of her trailer. The paper and yarn hung from the empty branches, looking sadder than if nothing had been there at all. By Christmas morning only three remained. She still insisted on opening her gift from Finn beneath the tree.

Now that she was older Raven didn't really care about Christmas in the slightest. It wasn't like she was religious and the desire for gifts had only lessened as she got older. Things like trees in homes and chocolate powder in a cup lost their appeal when she was busy with two different jobs and a less than functioning mother.

But some part of her, some dormant hope that had been buried with her youth, latched onto the idea of Christmas and was saying yes before she could dare push it back down. It wasn't that she was enchanted with the idea. She hardly expected it to be anything more than awkward conversation and an overall regretful experience.

With Christmas only three days away Raven knew she needed to figure out exactly what was expected of her before things moved any further.

So the morning after agreeing she doesn't even have it in her to make fun of Wick as he comes through the double doors, ready to take her home. She says good bye to the woman who had relieved her this morning and follows Wick outside, no questions asked.

"So," he opens with once they're both settled in the cabin of his truck. "I kind of forgot to mention something last night."

"Oh?" she asks, slightly hoping that maybe he would just uninvite her and save the effort of all the concerns and inner debates.

Wick waits until he's backed out of his spot and is free of the parking garage before speaking again. "See, my aunt doesn't actually live around here."

Raven quirks an eyebrow. "Where exactly does she live then?" The fact that this whole thing now included a potential road trip didn't enthral her to say the least.

"Uh, New Hampshire?" he says like a question, taking his eyes off of the road to look over at her.

She scoffs in response, leaning forward to direct the slightly warm air onto her body. "That's like a nine hour drive!"

"Only seven and a half actually," he corrects, fingers drumming on the steering wheel. "But I should have mentioned that before I guess. I can't blame you for not wanting to come."

It's with a sigh of resignation and the acknowledgement that she wanted to go that Raven says, "I would still like to come," in a small voice. Admitting the things she wanted was hardest, even to herself. It was being aware that there were things she hoped for and then knowing she might never get them. It was acknowledging that she wanted more than what she was able to provide on her own. "But, Wick…" she fades out, the words too shameful for her to admit without at least a moment's hesitation. To give him credit, she doesn't get interrupted as she summons the courage. "I don't-I can't buy anyone gifts or anything. I don't want it to seem like I'm not-"

"Whoa, whoa, hey," he cuts her off before she can go on any further. "No one is expecting you to buy gifts. You don't even know these people."

Raven nods, grateful she said something and to have the worry resolved. "Well alright then, what's the plan?"

Christmas Eve rolls around exceptionally slow this year. Most of the time she didn't have any stored up anticipation or excitement for the day. Therefore the days passed just like in any other week or month. But now she waits with eager anticipation at the coming events. She gets off the morning of the day and walks home, showering and adding things like her toothbrush to her bag.

Wick had explained to her that this was an overnight event. They would arrive around seven that night for Christmas Eve dinner and a few other traditions that were mostly run by his nieces and nephews and then Christmas Day would be spent there as well, a second meal being prepared in the afternoon and a lot of time spent in pyjamas throughout the whole day.

Originally she'd been more than fine with this whole plan, but the more she considered his family the more she worried. She didn't do people's families. Maybe that was related to never having to do this with her own family. Maybe it was just a personal dislike for uncomfortable situations. Either way…

Before leaving, Raven leaves her most recent check from the hospital on the table, putting a bow on top and calling it her mother's Christmas gift. She also has the decency to leave a note and a promise that she'd return soon. It might be different if her mother cared, might hinder her from going at all even, but Raven knew it would be a miracle if the woman was out of bed for anything more than a drink over the next couple of days. She might use the holiday as an excuse to have people over if she remembered. That was just all the more reason to leave.

This time when she watches out the window for Wick, he's there ten minutes early. She grabs her stuff and makes her way to where he waits in his truck. He gets out, she assumes to help with her bags. All she has is an old shopping bag, everything she needed fit easily. Though she should know better than to be surprised by his lack of judgement, she's still caught off guard when he just smiles and takes the bag from her, as if it were an actual suitcase. "Have everything you need?" he asks as he puts her stuff on the backseat.

"I think so," she answers, settling into the truck. "Are you sure your aunt won't care?" It's not the first time she's asked but the worry had yet to dissipate so she wasn't about to stop asking.

"Are you kidding?" Wick asks. "She nearly started sobbing with joy the moment I told her I was bringing a friend." Raven does not miss the use of the word friend. She wonders if perhaps his aunt managed to. "Sorry, by the way," he adds after another minute. The whole thing was a bit surreal and Raven was zoned out thinking about it all. She was just vanishing for two days, with some man who she only slightly knew, to a holiday event. She hadn't so much as been out of the state since she'd gone to Ocean City with Finn and his parents when she was thirteen.

Wick's words are what remind Raven they had been talking. "Sorry? About what?"

"Just apologising in preparation," he answers which hardly makes her feel any better. "My aunt has the best of intentions but…she can come across as a little much at times." He winces as if in memory of a specific event but then he looks over at her and offers a somewhat apologetic smile. "I swear she should have been born in the south."

Raven chuckles, the conversation was the only thing keeping her awake after the overnight shift she'd worked. The good news about a seven and a half hour car ride was that it would allow her plenty of time to sleep before they arrived. "How many people are there going to be at this thing?"

There's a minute of silence and Raven looks over to him silently counting. "My aunt and uncle," he says, holding up two fingers. "And then my aunt has three daughters and one son, all of which will be bringing their husbands, so there's another eight." Well, that escalated quickly, Raven thinks. "And then uh, Anya has three kids, Echo has one, Indra is bringing her dog, and I think John and his husband have two…three foster kids now."

A grand total of seventeen. Seventeen completely new people all gathering together as a family to enjoy the holiday. And then there was her. Her stomach dropped at the thought and she was ready to jump out of the car while it was still in motion just to get out of this stupid arrangement she had somehow agreed to. What the actual fuck had she been thinking? "I'm not sure if I should comment on how poorly you warned me or just question some names."

Wick laughs, it settles her back into her seat, some tension easing out of her muscles. "Echo is her nickname, Ekatrina is her full name."

"I think that's even worse," Raven says with a shake of her head. "And then you have John, the most boring of boring names."

"My aunt got to name the girls, my poor uncle only got a say in John."

"Well it's no wonder then," she laughs as she leans forward to start messing with his radio. "With all the crazy names he was probably desperate for something normal." He nods, allowing her to take control of the music as he turned onto the freeway. She immediately switches off of anything country but decides against torturing him with anymore rap. The top 40 station is good enough, Raven decides, turning it down low so they wouldn't have to scream over it. "So…" she starts after a few minutes of just music breaking up the silence. "No parents?" It isn't right for her to pry, but he knows things about her that weren't ever his to know, so it was her turn for once.

Wick clears his throat and cleans off the windshield. "No," he answers tersely. Raven doesn't miss the way his hands tighten on the steering wheel. "No parents." She wants to ask more but at the same time she feels like she already knows, just based off of his reaction. It reminded her of when people would ask her if she had a boyfriend after Finn had died. She would freeze, bracing against the emotions that always came too hard and too fast. "You can get some sleep, if you want," Wick says, interrupting her thoughts. She wouldn't be surprised if he knew where her mind had been going. She was grateful that he made it stop.

The truck is warm and the motion soothing, Raven is more than a little inclined to pass out for a few solid hours. "That's not a bad idea," she consents, slumping down and putting her good leg up on the dashboard. It'd been a while since she'd taken her brace off. Wasn't it always, she thinks bitterly. She shoots Wick a nervous glance before making her decision. He'd seen her far more vulnerable than this, tears leaking out of her eyes and a complete and utter refusal of her leg muscles to cooperate.

She bends forward and starts prying off each strap and holster, releasing the brace's death grip around her leg. She can't help the sigh of relief that passes her lips once she's pulled it free. Her leg holds tightly to its original position but she coaxes it slowly into relaxing.

If it weren't for driving, Raven knows Wick's eyes would be on her. As is, she looks up to find him glancing at her. She tries not to be embarrassed. "Why do you wear it?" he asks after another minute of no sound aside from Bruno Mars' crooning.

"So I can fucking walk," Raven snaps. It was one thing for someone to acknowledge it in the first place. It was another entirely to be stupid about it.

He chuckles, not put off by her harsh words. "I know that, but why not use your crutches more?" His eyes flit down to her leg for a beat of a second before focusing back on the road in front of him. "It seems like that thing hurts you a lot."

It would be easy to ignore him, turn her body to face the door and fall asleep against it or to tell him to shut up and get out of her business. But instead she shrugs, staring down at her now bent limb. The shooting pains made their way through her leg all the way up to her thigh. It wasn't the debilitating kind, just the ones that reminded her she still had some feeling. "I don't…" she pauses, clears her throat and tries again. "I don't like how it feels."

"That's what I'm saying! It looks like some sort of medieval death trap. There's no way that's-"

"No, Wick," she cuts him off. He shuts up at the use of his name and turns to meet her eyes. She looks away first, which is for the best since he's supposed to be driving. "I mean when I use my crutches. I don't like how it feels, having this…empty weight dragging behind me with every step." When everything had first happened Abby had insisted she keep weight off of her leg for at least six weeks, leaving her with no choice other than crutches. When she'd gone to her follow up appointment and the brace had been suggested, she jumped at the idea without a second thought. Even now she hated when she had to use her hands to position her leg just so or get it to move out of the way when she was lying in bed at night. It felt unnatural. "It's like," she stops, deciding against the metaphor.

"Like what?" he prompts in a quiet voice, turning the radio down a few more dials and turning his windshield wipers on as a mix of snow and rain began to fall.

Raven sighs and stares down at her hands. Then it's just her leg in her vision though, so she looks back up and watches the road with Wick. "It's like I'm dragging around everything that happened. It's this…baggage that won't ever leave me." A physical representation for all the metaphorical shit she'd had to live through. What a fucking joke. "Plus it looks stupid."

"I don't think it looks stupid," he tells her, not commenting on any of her philosophical ramblings. "I think it just looks like the truth."

"Which is?" she asks because even though it's an equal parts dumb and cheesy statement, it still piques her curiosity.

"That sometimes life is a bitch," he says with a shrug. "And you kept going on anyway."

They aren't the most poetic words but Raven smiles for what they are. It'd been a while since she'd heard the truth anyway.

When she wakes up it's near dark outside and the snow is coming down heavier than before. The highway still remained clear but she wouldn't be surprised if side streets were covered at this point.

"Morning," Wick says when he notices her movement. His eyes don't leave the road for more than a second. Surely the road is getting slicker the more the snow falls.

"How long was I asleep for?" she asks. The road had transformed to a two lane highway with trees towering over them and next to no traffic. They must have entered no man's land by now.

He glances to the clock before fixing his eyes back on the road. "About 600 miles, two gas stops, and a traffic jam ago."

"Oh," she says, surprised. At no point did she think that she would sleep as long as she had. "Sorry, I didn't mean to pass out on you."

Wick waves her off. "Well you woke up just in time. We're about there." The statement should probably offer her some sense of excitement or relief, no one really enjoyed long car rides, but instead it just ignites her nerves all over again.

To distract herself Raven begins buckling her brace back into place, paying closer attention to placement than she has in months now. "I didn't bring anything nice to wear," she says in a rush. The realisation that she was going to a holiday meal hits her and she's ashamed of the fact that she hadn't thought to bring something a little nicer than her usual ratty skinny jeans and Henley. Not that she owned anything much nicer but still.

"Trust me, don't worry about it." But she does anyway, the twisting in her stomach was hard to ignore. Wick pulls off onto a side street and Raven is astounded at the lack of streetlights and residences they pass by. In Newark everyone pretty much lived on top of each other, everyone with their own pre-determined- just enough- slice of land. Here everyone was spread out though, long stretches of grass between them. It was land that served no other purpose than to simply be there. A foreign concept in most places.

"This is a bit different," she muses aloud.

Wick scoffs. "Yeah, I don't think I could stand it. The closest Walmart is an hour drive away."

"Sounds awful," she says out of instinct. "Although, it might be nice not have people on top of you in every which direction," she adds after a bit of contemplation. She was exhausted by the people sometimes. Everywhere you moved in Newark there were bodies and voices and lights. So much all of the time, or well, until about ten at night. It was something she'd come to both love and resent.

Neither of them speak again until he's pulled to the side of the house, throwing the car into park and switching his head lights off. The only sounds are of the engine running. Not for the first time Raven wonders if this was the worst idea she's had in ages.

But then Wick smiles and turns off the car. He turns to pulls their bags from the back and she remembers how he wasn't even fazed by her lame plastic bag of crap. "You ready?" he asks.

Raven knows the real answer, but offers him the one she knows she needs to give. "Yep," and together they walk up the driveway.