.

"Merry Christmas, again." A voice said, as I slowly opened my eyes.

The first thing I saw was the face of my boyfriend hovering over me. He'd probably been the one to wake me up.

"What's the time?" I asked, yawning, not bothering to respond to him.

"It's almost 10:30. I didn't want to wake you, but I have to get going soon."

"Oh, okay." I said, still slightly disoriented as I sat up in bed. "Let me just get your present." I yawned again, standing up to go to the study table, where the little package was stashed in a drawer. Just as I did, Julio picked up his backpack from its usual place on my chair, and pulled out a small, badly-wrapped package with Santa Claus wrapping paper.

"Again, it's not much." I said, handing his to him. "Merry Christmas, babe."

"I'm sure it's great, princess." He said, giving me mine. "I hope you like it." He was being so heartfelt and sweet that I almost melted.

He ripped open the wrapping and pulled out the small, brown leather cuff that just screamed 'badass'.

"Thank you, Tay." He said, using my name for the first time in, like, forever. He grinned widely, putting it on immediately afterwards, making me smile.

I struggled with the wrapping on my present for a bit before deciding to just rip it off instead of being all careful.

My jaw dropped the moment I saw what it was. "Oh. My. God." I said, shocked as I held it. Snapping out of it, I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him repeatedly on the cheek.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" I exclaimed, all of my words just mixing together.

"Where did you get this?" I asked, in awe, as I ran my hands over the binding and cover of the first edition Pride and Prejudice novel he'd gotten me, published all the way back in 1813.

"It was in a used bookstore. I thought you'd appreciate something with a bit of history, so I was just looking around when I found it. I take it you like it, then?"

"I fucking love it, Rage." I said with conviction, looking at him warmly. I pulled him into another tight hug, without really wanting to let go. Finally, though, I had to.

"Hey, I'm really sorry, but I have to go now, princess. Javi's kind of expecting me right now. I'll see you tonight, okay?" He said, and I pouted, unwilling to see him go.

"Fine." I agreed reluctantly, dragging out the word.

"Great." He leaned in for a kiss, but I dodged just in time.

"Morning breath." I explained, ducking as he reached for me again.

"Fine." He said, mockingly in the same tone as I'd said it before, and I stuck my tongue out at him teasingly.

He grabbed his backpack and, just before he left, he swooped in quickly and pecked me on the lips, pulling back immediately. He winked at me before heading for the balcony. He would probably be seen by a maid, but I didn't really care because he'd left me smiling like an idiot long after he'd gone.

*

"So, was I hearing things when you were squealing your ass off this morning or was your boyfriend in your room?" Chase said by way of greeting as he poked his head into my room, not even bothering to knock before opening the door.

I paled, looking up at him in shock. He'd heard that?

I quickly made up a lie that was believable, knowing Chase would be beyond pissed if he found out that Julio and I had been sleeping together in the most literal and most innocent sense of the word for the past few days.

"Oh, um, yeah. He came in to give me my Christmas present." I said, blushing slightly.

"How exactly did he get in?" Chase demanded, looking reprimanding and more serious than I would have liked.

"The tree outside my room." I answered meekly, not meeting his eyes.

"Oh, come on!" I burst out when he continued to look at me disapprovingly, "You know she wouldn't let him within three feet of the front door! This is the only way we can hang out at home."

"Fine." Chase agreed reluctantly, "But if I catch wind of you two even kissing too inappropriately I'll be pissed."

"Alright." I agreed, adding in my head, 'We won't let you catch wind.'

"Good. Now come and see what I got you for Christmas." He said, and I squealed, practically leaping out of bed in my excitement. Christmas morning always succeeding in waking up the little kid inside me and I was definitely in the mood for presents.

On the way to his room, I grabbed his present off the shelf before racing next door. "Here." I said, handing him his. "Where's mine?"

"It's on the bed." He gestured vaguely in the direction of his bed, more preoccupied with getting the wrapping paper off of his gift.

He'd wrapped it in this ugly brown paper and it was even messier than Julio's, which I honestly didn't think was possible. Boys really are hopeless, aren't they?

I didn't even try getting it off gently. At least my boyfriend had put in the effort to use actually wrapping paper.

"Aww, thank you!" I said, hugging him after I saw what the package contained. It had a new trilogy that I'd been wanting to read but had never actually bought. There was also an Amazon gift card and one for Barnes and Noble.

"You're welcome." He said, before adding, "How the hell do you get this off, by the way?" Chase asked, handing me the present. Because I'd wrapped it neatly, with a bow and everything, there was a lot of tape, and Chase appeared to he struggling to get it off.

"The fact that I'm opening this just ruins the whole magic of it all, you know?" I sighed, accepting it.

It took me all of ten seconds to open and I handed it back to him so that he could examine it.

The first thing he grabbed was the box that held the new headphones I'd gotten him and he whistled appreciatively, his eyebrows raising. I mean, it wasn't everyday that someone bought you Beats, right?

"Very nice." He said, and I shrugged. The money came from the bitch's account, but it was the thought that counted, right?

"Oh, Taylor." He said, pulling out the picture frame that was also in there. He looked slightly surprised, and his eyes, to my horror, became slightly glassy. Of course I'd be the one to give him a present that made him want to cry.

"This is perfect." He said, holding his arms out for a hug, which I gladly accepted, knowing that he'd only be here for another week before I'd have to do without him again for a couple of months.

He pulled back and admired the photo again, his eyes becoming even damper. I'd known he'd like it, but not this much.

The silver colored frame itself wasn't anything special. It was one of those with the hinge in the center and space for a photograph on either side of the hinge. It was completely ordinary. It was pictures that had done it.

The first photo, the one on the left, showed a six year old Chase holding newborn me for the first time, looking at me as though he couldn't believe something this small could exist. The second was one of me and Chase from just before he left, I was making a stupid face at him and he was rolling his eyes at me. It had been entirely candid and it was one of my favorite pictures of the two of us.

"This is going on my bedside table." He announced and, surely enough, he put it right there. He glanced at it one last time, and my heart suddenly clenched not entirely sadly, but in a more wistful, nostalgic, melancholic kind of way.

Chase had always been there for me, right from day one. Our dad had always been out of the picture, and our mother was, well, she was her. A nanny had done the stuff like changing my diapers and feeding me and all that, but she hadn't given a shit either. Chase had been the one to drop me off at school every morning, from elementary to high school, without fail. He'd been the one to help me get back up when I was down. He'd been the one to look after me, to threaten the kids that bullied me in middle school, so much so that I'd become the girl with the cool big brother who people actually wanted to be friends with.

Chase had always been the one person I could rely on, no matter what the situation was. He'd been constant throughout. He didn't have to take me with him to San Francisco. He didn't have to put a roof over my head. He didn't have to bring me ice cream when I'd gotten my heart broken. He didn't have to buy me Nutella when I was on my period and desperate beyond belief. He didn't have to do any of those things, but he did them anyway, which sort of made me feel guilty for a lot of the stupid, demanding shit I'd done in the past.

"Hey, Chase?" I said, in a small voice.

"Yeah, Taylor?" He mimicked my tone, the small smile already on his face broadening.

"You're the best brother I could've asked for." I admitted, adding, "And you don't have to tell me anything you don't want to."

We both knew what I was referring to.

"You deserve to know, squirt." He sighed, suddenly becoming a lot more serious.

"Just, sit down, will you?" He asked, a moment later, and I obeyed, sitting my ass down on the bed.

He took in a deep breath and let it out a few times before beginning.

"Just after I'd applied to the London School of Economics and gotten accepted, I got a call from our mother. She wanted the two of us to come and stay with her for a while. She didn't sound too keen on it, so I questioned her a little further, until she'd snapped and admitted that she was seeing someone who expected to see her as close to her children."

He paused momentarily, before continuing, "I immediately told her that I was going to London. At first, the plan actually was to take you with me, but she interfered. Did you know," He said, suddenly laughing darkly, "That I don't actually have legal custody of you?"

That shook me. I'd always assumed that he was my legal guardian.

"Yeah," He said, noticing my expression, "I'd gone to her about it as soon as I'd turned eighteen, and she told me that all of that didn't matter. I could take you wherever the hell I wanted and she wouldn't care. At first, I'd thought that that was a good thing for us because we wouldn't have Child Services on our ass. But she used that against me now. Threatened that she'd take me to court for kidnapping. That she was a good enough actress to get away with it. She even promised to pay for college for you."

Chase buried his face in his hands, running his fingers through his hair once and sighing.

"I'm sorry." He apologized, shocking me even further, "I should have fought her harder." His voice broke, and my heart clenched at the sight.

"Don't you dare blame yourself." I said, immediately standing up and going over to him. "Just, please don't blame yourself." My voice came out slightly hoarse as a traitor tear slipped down my cheek.

"You gave me everything, okay? The only reason I'm not a bitter little bitch with severe mommy issues, an attitude and no love is because of you. So what if I have to stay here for a year? I don't care, especially if it means that you aren't embroiled in some messy legal battle. I mean that, Chase. Besides, despite all the terrible people here, I met some awesome ones, too. I'm fine, I really am." I promised, a small hiccup of a sob slipping out.

"I love you, Taylor. And I promise you that the second I'm back we're getting the hell out of here."

"I'll hold you to that one." I said, not bothering to remind him that, once he got back, it would be time for me to start college. If I told him that, he'd probably start crying right there.