26-Christmas
"Xepher, help me!" Aria's ragged cry sounded as Xepher whipped his head from side to side trying to find where the voice was coming from. It was dark, the sound of rushing water vibrated throughout his body. The woods were eerily quiet and there was no moon.
"Help me." It was a whispered taunt, sounding like Aria yet not her. Turning to the voice he ran towards it. Leaves and branches hit him from every direction, but nothing stopped him. He needed to get to her. Make sure she was safe. The dead crunch of leaves and rubbery sound of snow under his feet as he ran sounded louder, almost like a scream. Mocking him. Telling him he wasn't fast enough, that he was too late.
"Help!" The scream cracked towards the end and he felt a scream of his own echo through his chest and into the silent night air. He sped up his feet, his heart racing yet breaking at the same time because he knew. He knew he was too late. Breaking through the ice ridden foliage he skidded to a stop at the rocky shore of the river.
"Help." Soft, almost non-existent, but he heard it. His head whipped to the side and he saw Aria. Xepher's lungs ceased to work. He ran to her and skidded to his knees beside her.
"Aria, Aria, Baby Girl, it's okay, it'll all be okay, I swear to you it will." Xepher said, but the crack in his voice and the tears racing down his face were proof of the lie he was telling. Xepher reached out and took her into his embrace, letting her head rest on his legs. She wore a small white dress, and her hair looked black as the night sky against her icy blue skin. Her lips were purple, as well as under her eyes. Her body was shivering uncontrollably as she opened her mouth time and time again, trying to speak but nothing came out. She looked down and his eyes followed. That's when Xepher saw it. The blood pouring from her stomach, her hand trying to hold it in, trying to keep pressure on it but failing.
He turned back to her, "We have to get you to a hospital now Aria." But she shook her head.
"Too....l-l-late." She replied softly, her voice broken. He could see the life in her eyes slowly draining as she struggled on.
"Aria, Baby, I need you to fight it okay? Fight as hard as you can. Now!" She only shook her head, her body trembling now, almost vibrating.
"Xepher, I-I love you." Were the last words she spoke before her body went limp and she didn't open her eyes again.
Xepher woke up with a start, having been pulled from the nightmare by a soft knock on his bedroom door. His breathing was erratic, and his heart pounded in his chest furiously. He fell back into his pillows. His room was nearly pitch black, the only light coming through the window from the moon.
"Come in." He called out quietly. The door opened softly, and he looked over to find Aria entering the room, closing the door silently behind her. Xepher sat up immediately and walked over to her.
"Sorry to bother y-" Xepher cut her off, wrapping his arms around her tightly as she stood there in shock.
"X-Xepher?" She asked, worry laced in her voice.
"I had a nightmare, that you-that he-oh God." He squeezed tighter. Then he felt her hands wrap around him, her fingers drawing circles on his back.
"It's okay, I'm right here, he didn't hurt me." She said, soothing him. Slowly his body loosened, and he pulled his head back, looking Aria in the eyes.
"What are you doing here? I thought you were in the guest room." He asked. Aria chuckled.
"Yeah, my mom snores and moves a lot in her sleep. I might have a black eye come morning." Xepher laughed softly but stopped when Aria's expression changed into something dark.
"To be honest though, I also had a nightmare and was wondering, if I could, maybe s-sleep in here with you?" Her face, even in the darkness tinged pink as she stuttered and Xepher smiled.
"Of course, Baby Girl." He said as he took her hand and led her to his bed. He crawled in and across, leaving enough room for her to follow. Slowly, she did, and he covered her with the comforter. He laid on his back, giving her some breathing room, but what he hadn't expected, was for her to fit herself flush against him, her head on his chest, arm of his body. His breath froze. Yeah, they'd lain like this in the hospital, but this was different. They were in his bed this time, and Aria was nearly healed completely. She also smelled like her usual jasmine scent; her warm body pressed against his in the dark. He felt nervous suddenly and didn't know how to act. He was a man after all, and he loved the girl laying beside him, but he had to control himself, especially after all she went through.
"Thank you, for everything Xepher." Aria suddenly said, surprising him.
"There's nothing to thank me for Aria. You're my girl, you're the person I care about most, and nothing can change that. Everything I do for you; you'll never have to thank me for." Silence met his ears and for a moment he thought she fell asleep. That is, until he felt her lips on his cheek.
"Still, being with you has made my life change for the better. I'm so happy I'm your girlfriend." She said. Xepher turned to her, the little sliver of moonlight coming in letting him see her face slightly. Her hair was slightly mussed from the sleep prior to her being here beside him, her cheeks reddened. Xepher couldn't help himself this time, he leaned down, cupping her chin in his hand and tilted it up towards himself.
"Aria, I want to kiss you right now. Tell me when to stop, okay?" She looked at him for a moment then nodded slightly. He leaned down and kissed her like he'd been wanting to since she got jealous at the hospital earlier that day. Their lips met and Xepher's hand travelled from her chin, down her side, stopping at her hip and squeezing lightly. Aria took in a sharp breath and that allowed Xepher to make their tongues meet. It was like fireworks as they kissed, sparks flying throughout Xepher as he nipped at Aria's lip. Her hand found its way to his chest and gripped his shirt tightly in her fist.
He turned then, bracing himself over her with one arm, his knee braced between hers. Aria's hands moved up, wrapping around his neck, one hand going into his hair. Her nails scraped his scalp lightly and he let out a choked sound. In this moment, they were just a normal couple, embracing one another and sharing a moment of pure bliss. There was no monster waiting for them outside these walls. There was no trauma, or fear, or anger. Just this moment of happiness.
Xepher's hand moved under her shirt, but the moment his fingers touched her warm flesh, he froze. Pulling away, he leaned his head against her shoulder.
"Aria, we have to stop." He panted out. He felt her nodded and he fell to his side, beside her. It was quiet for a moment, but then Aria said something that made his breathing stop.
"Xepher, w-when this is over, if y-you still want to be with me that is, I-I want you to be the o-one." He paused, his mind running through her sentence over and over again.
"I-I mean if you don't want to I u-understand. It's okay." She said once he took to long to respond. He shook his head furiously.
"No, Baby Girl, I would be honored." He said, because he knew that this girl beside him, was the reason he'd said no to Karen. He wanted to the one for her, and he wanted her to be the one for him.
"Are you sure?" She asked, and he knew she was blushing again. He leaned down and kissed her forehead.
"More than I have been of anything in my life." She leaned up and pressed her lips to his softly.
"Thank you." She repeated as she snuggled into him, and they fell asleep together, just like that.
As the days passed, Aria healed until she was nearly normal. Winter break began and it was already Christmas Eve. Aria looked over at the clock, two in the morning, scratch that it was Christmas. Xepher snored softly beside her and she quietly unwove herself from him, standing with a stretch. Since the first night when they'd slept in his bed, they'd kept that routine, thanks to the Laine's approval and her mother's desire to have her own bed. It'd been a week since then and they hadn't heard or seen Daniel snooping around since the hospital and it left her on edge.
Each night she'd have a nightmare where he'd hurt the people she loved, and she wasn't exactly sure how to deal with it. Her sleep was severely affected, and her body felt weak. Her appetite was shot a bit more with each day that passed. She had busied herself with getting the items she wanted to get for everyone for Christmas and that was the only thing that kept her mind at ease.
She pulled a throw blanket around her shoulders and waddled out of the room, making her way downstairs. The sun was just rising as she opened the hall closet and pulled out all the wrapped items she had purchased and delivered without alerting the everyone here the best she could. She'd wanted it to be a surprise. She wanted to give back to everyone that helped her and cared for her. Her mother had started a savings account for her when she was twelve and she'd never touched it for anything, so by the time she did, she had enough to get everyone something special.
"You're up rather early." Aria jumped and turned to find Mrs. Laine standing in a Christmas onesie. Two steaming cups in her hands. She giggled.
"Sorry for scaring you. Here, hot chocolate." She held out one cup to Aria and she took it, the warmth seeping through her chilly hands. She took a sip. It was rich, with little marshmallows in it. Aria smiled as she set it down on the coffee table, Mrs. Laine sitting on the couch with her feet tucked under her.
"Thank you very much." She said as she pulled out the gifts and placed them around the tree.
"So that's what all those deliveries were about." She said. Aria chuckled.
"Yeah, I didn't want anyone to try and tell me I didn't have to."
"Fair enough, knowing Xepher and the group, that definitely would have been a conversation." Aria nodded as she got up and grabbed her mug, settling in a lone chair to the side of the couch, facing Mrs. Laine. Moments passed in silence as they sipped from their mugs.
"My son's smitten with you, you know." She said out of nowhere. Aria's face heated and she tried to hide her face behind her mug.
"As I am with him." She said shyly.
"Oh, I can tell. It's nice, considering I never cared for that Karen girl he was dating beforehand. She was such a piece of work." Aria laughed.
"Yeah, I know, she jumped me." Mrs. Laine gasped, her eyes wide. Oh, Aria though Xepher would have told her that.
"Oops, Xepher didn't tell you?" Mrs. Laine shook her head, then scooted closer.
"Tell me, tell me, tell me." Aria laughed and did as she asked.
When everyone woke up, they set to the presents. It was nice ambiance that Aria hadn't been a part of for years and it warmed her heart. Her mother got a call halfway through the process and left for another 'case' though Aria was certain it was to just get away from the situation. It made Aria's mood dampen, but Xepher had gripped her hand tightly, and kissed her cheek, nearly bringing it back entirely. The rest of the group would be over for dinner later, so she put their gifts to the side until then. When the Laines finished their gifts, Aria grabbed the three for them. She handed one the Mrs. Laine, one to Grace, and one to Xepher. They all looked surprised.
"Aria, you didn't have to." Xepher said and Aria laughed.
"I knew you'd say that, but it's done. Please go ahead." She said. Grace was first to tear into the package. She opened it, her face morphing into a giant surprise.
"Oh my gosh!" She squealed, making everyone jumped slightly. She pulled the items out of the box and squealed again. It was a t-shirt, from her favorite show, signed by the main characters.
"Thank you so much!" She screamed as she hugged the shirt to her chest. "I'm going to get it framed, this is so awesome!" She hugged Aria and went back to admiring the shirt. She looked to Mr. and Mrs. Laine. They took the cue and opened the small envelope. Then the pulled out the tickets and papers. Mrs. Laine brought her hand to her mouth with a gasp.
"Aria, this is a couple's retreat, to Cancun, for a week." Mr. Laine looked at Aria and she nodded.
"How did you?" Aria shook her head and Mrs. Laine to her turn to hug Aria. The gesture was sweet and warmed Aria to the core. They all looked to Xepher who had a large Christmas bag.
"My turned I guess." He smiled as he opened the bag and pulled out his leather jacket.
"I got it fixed. Considering it was my fault it was torn. I couldn't leave it like that. There's more." He looked awed already but reached deeper into the bag. He pulled out a small jewelry box. He opened it and pulled it out. A small silver cross, on a matching silver chain. The back was engraved.
To My Savior
Love, A.
Xepher looked up from it, their eyes meeting. He leaned forward and kissed her lips chastely.
"Thank you, Baby Girl. I love it." He said as he opened the clasp and put it around his neck. It hung nicely, shining in the colorful Christmas lights streamed around the house. Aria smiled, however she didn't know that that smile wouldn't last.