Compass | Xavier & Wednesday

Chapter Eighteen - Eternity

"Merry Christmas love". Xavier says kissing Wednesdays cheek as she opens her eyes.

"Merry Christmas Xavier. What time is it I want to go back to sleep." She complained, wiping sleep away from her eyes.

Xavier laughs, "it's 10am and your moms already texted me three times asking if you're awake."

Wednesday doesn't budge until he adds "I'll make you a coffee if you get up now."

With that she does slide out of bed, very reluctantly. Through her window she can see it snowed last night, the sun shines in it making it seem as if someone had sprinkled millions of tiny crystals all across the ground.

Enid would love it.

Wednesday remembers what Xavier said about his mom on Christmas. She turns around, "do you want to go for a walk?"

The smile he gives her at those words makes her heart surrender. She decides she will do any silly Christmas tradition he wishes and will be happy doing so.

They head out the door hand in hand, of course after Wednesdays coffee. Promising Morticia they will be back for gifts and photos soon. Wednesday had to threaten Pugsly profusely to get him to leave them alone for their walk with Xavier promising to spend time with him later.

As they walk it begins to snow again, small flakes landing on Wednesdays face.

"You are so beautiful." Xavier says pulling her in for a kiss.

She feels her cheeks heat up, likely turning red, entirely betraying her.

She turns to him, admiring every small detail. The way one side of his mouth turns up more when he smiles, how he tilts his head ever so slightly when he talks, how his eyes crinkle when he laughs. He's perfect.

"You're pretty." Wednesday says, "or handsome whatever you prefer."

Xavier grins, she could tell he'd been waiting for that for a while.

"Don't get used to it. It won't happen again." She reminds him, wanting to kiss that smug grin off his face.

"I wouldn't dream of it." He lies, he's definitely going to drag more compliments out of her.

They walk for hours, sharing childhood stories. Filling eachother in on all the other missed, Wednesdays stories including a much larger amount of torture than Xavier's did.

Winding down a path through the forest, snow falling around them, it something out of a movie. For the first time Wednesday feels like a teenager, and she doesn't hate it.

Xavier stopped walking, turning to her. "She would've loved you."

Wednesday knows he means his mom, again she'd left without words. She stands in silence for a moment and then settles on saying, "I would've loved to thank her."

He tilts his head, unsure where she's going with this.

"Without you I most likely would still be the same shell of a person, sucking the life out of those around me with my toxicity. As much as it pains to me to admit you've made me somewhat of a better person. As you do with everyone around you." Wednesday says slowly.

She paused and then finishes with "I am so certain your mom would be very proud of who you've become Xavier" Wednesday meant every word.

He doesn't say anything for a while and then softly kissed her. "Thank you Wednesday."

They start to head back shorty after that, worrying Morticia and Gomez may send Pugsly out after them.

As they walk back, fingers intertwined, Wednesday watches him again. She'd really meant everything she'd said earlier, in the middle of her chaos, there had been him.

He'd made her wake up, she had been so blind she hadn't realized her pushing everyone away, her protecting herself. It had only created hurt in the end.

Yet despite her best efforts to push him away, quite literally almost ruining his life. He didn't give up. He kept coming back, ever since the first day they met. It was as if the universe had conspired for them to be together.

He had taught her so much, stuff even her novels couldn't. He'd shown her that caring for others wasn't weakness, it wasn't a liability it was brave. It was selfless, and he was flawless.

She hadn't realized how cold she'd been, how much she'd been pushing away until he'd shown up and melted her. Until he'd shown her how to find her way back to herself, he was her compass.

They exchange gifts as a family, Morticia and Gomez having even gotten some for Xavier as well. Wednesday got Pugsly grenades this year, deciding to stay away from dead animals.

After all the gifts were opened, Morticia turned to Wednesday. "Are you going to give Xavier your gift?"

Wednesday gives her mother a blank stare, "can you give us a minute."

Once her family's out of the room she moves closer to her boyfriend. Slowly sliding over a gift wrapped in white paper, it even has a bow on top, black of course.

"I didn't expect a gift", he says. Staring at the package as if it may bite him.

"I thought you enjoyed Christmas festivities, what's wrong." She is truly lost, Xavier never fails to confuse her.

"I haven't gotten a present in so long." He explains after a moment, and she feels the sudden need to murder someone.

"Open it", she insists instead, deciding to ignore her homicidal urges in respect to her newfound holiday spirit.

He unwraps her gift, it was a canvas. On it, painted by her were a raven and a dove. Each stroke had clearly been perfected, done with such careful precision. It must've taken her hours.

The dove had made a nest and was patiently waiting, perched near the very edge, searching for something. Surrounding it, a storm raged.

In the distance was a raven, heading for the same nest. Battling against the winds and turbulence from the storm. The raven coming home.

"Turn it over".

Xavier looks at her, and slowly does as she requested. On the back, in her small, precise handwriting were the words:

"Forever yours, for you are my home."

A smile spread across his face, as she moves closer. The light shining through the window behind him was cascading across her face, small beams of brightness in the dark.

"I love you Xavier." She says without hesitation, so much unsaid hanging on those four words. So many memories, feelings, and dreams. Right now, the world fades away. She always believed love was finding your other half and she despised that, but he showed her that love is finding someone who loves you for your entirety.

Xavier kisses her, she melts.

"I love you too Wednesday Addams. I always have."