Isaac stretched out on the den sofa, closing his eyes.

"Peace at last.." he sighed.

After having spent an entire afternoon escorting Jess and four of her new friends through the mall, he was overjoyed to get away from the fourteen year old girl talk of boys and clothes and other prissy, glittery things.

"Hey, what's up?" asked Zac, bounding into the room. Isaac groaned at the interuption.

"I'm gonna kill myself." he muttered.

"Just don't get blood on the carpet." Zac instructed.

"I'll get your blood on the freakin' carpet if you keep talking."

"Oohhhh!" Taylor laughed, walking in.

"Ike, it's a given that I could kick your ass." Zac reasoned.

"Well, I guess that depends on whose side Tay's on."

"Clowns to the left of me...jokers to the right.." muttered Taylor.

"Oh, poor baby." Isaac mocked, drowsily, "Stuck in the middle."

Taylor leapt onto the sofa, playfully attacking his brother.

Zac joined the pile too.

"Gahh!" Isaac yelled, "You win, you win!"

"Ha." said Zac, dropping himself into an arm chair, "I kick ass."

Taylor sat down in the other chair.

"Excuse me, I believe I was the ass kicker. Right, Vienna?" he asked, looking behind Zac.

Zac and Isaac turned to see her standing in the doorway, looking quite amused.

"Oh yes. " she agreed, "Absolutely."

"Hey, how'd you get down here?" asked Isaac, still out of breath from thier wrestling match.

"I came down the stairs." she said, flatly.

"Oh. The usual way."

Zac clapped his hands together.

"Alright!" he exclaimed, "Via walks!"

"Via?" questioned Taylor.

"I was bored." she said.

"Did you call her Via?"

"That's actually a good sign." said Zac.

"Calling her Via?"

"No, boredum during recovery. Why are you so hung up on the Via thing?" Isaac broke in.

Taylor shrugged.

"It was weird."

"It's a pet name." said Isaac.

"Oh, shut up." Zac groaned.

"Okay." Vienna said.

"No, not you." he held out his hand, "C'mere, sit down. Do you need help?"

"No." she breathed, walking slowly to a chair and sitting down carefully, "I made it down the stairs."

"Well, pin a rose on you." Ike mocked at her, "I walked through a mall for three hours, with a bunch of fourteen year olds, during the Christmas season, yet they attack me."

"Well, we like her better."

Isaac grinned at her, ignoring Taylor's comment.

"Are you and Zacky an item?"

"Oh, way to change the subject, Ike."

"Oh, way to change it again, Zac."

"Oh shut up, both of you." Taylor cut in, boredly. "They're keeping secrets. It's a love connection. I'll give either of you five seconds to ignore it."

No one spoke.

"Ha!" Isaac laughed, "'Bout time you found a girlfriend, Zac."

"I don't want to hear anymore of this." Vienna said, using the arms of the chair to push herself up."I'm going to leave now."

"Yeah. Good luck with that." Tay laughed, watching her inch slowly across the room.

~~~~~

"Are you sure you want to leave?" asked Zac. He was sitting on the guestroom bed, watching Vienna throw her things into her bag. "You don't have to, you know."

She sighed.

"No, it's time for me to go." she said. "It was nice of you all to let me stay while I couldn't walk, but I can take care of myself now...besides, my dog is sick. We're probably going to have to put him to sleep." She turned to face him and smiled.

"Okay." he sighed. "Do you need help getting this stuff back home?"

She shook her head.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely." she said, quickly.

"I guess I'll see you in the window, then?"

She smiled, forcedly, and walked out.

~~~~~

Zac and Vienna sat on her bedroom floor, sorting through multiple shoe boxes full of photographs. Zac was in something like amazement at seeing the family, love, and life Vienna had lost, that he was viewing through these pictures. It was so hard to hold onto the reality that his Vienna, who was here with him now, was the same bright eyed girl who had been there with them.

"These are your sisters?" he asked, holding up a photo of three little girls lying in a large bed.

She smiled when she saw it. "Yeah. That's Raven and Gracie and me. That was my parent's bed in their room at my grandparent's villa in Austria." she took the picture from him. "You know, I haven't spoken to any of them back in Austria since the funeral." she handed it back to him. "I'll bet you they still have those rooms set up, reserved for us."

He watched her fondly, as she got lost in her memories. Her eyes were glowing a happy daze and there was a smile playing around her mouth.

"Our rooms were ajoined. There was a door in my room that opened into Gracie's and she had one on the other side that opened into Rave's. We used to meet up in Grace's room all the time, in the middle. I remember...her room was purple." she giggled, "They were all the same room, just different colors."

"What color was yours?"

"Blue. Mine was blue and Raven's was pink." she stared at the picture a moment longer, before going back to sorting through the box, breaking her trance-like state of remembrance.

Zac picked up another photo. It was a picture of a vast house front and gardens with a slightly younger Vienna sitting on a brass bench, adorably bed headed, wearing a white night gown.

The sight of it brought a smile to Zac's face.

"How sweet." he said.

"What?" she looked up, taking the picture out of his hand.

"Oh." she said, quietly. "That was the last summer I was there. Before the accident."

"You must have loved it there. You look so happy."

She nodded, handing it back to him. He stared at it a few minutes longer.

"This is so beautiful." he whispered.

Vienna had gone back to the photos and didn't look up.

"Yeah, it's great land."

"No." he said, looking from the picture to her,"I meant you."

She met his gaze.

"Don't say that.." she whispered, just before his lips touched hers.

Zac wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. She threw her own arms around his neck.

"I'm in love with you." he whispered, planting kisses along her jawline.

She pulled away, gantly, and looked up at him.

"There's never been anyone like you." she whispered, shaking her head in some kind of astonishment. He smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, softly.

"Well, I'll always be here."

She hugged him, settling against his chest.

~~~~~~~~

"Merry Christmas!" shouted Zoe, jumping on top of her brother. Isaac grabbed her around the middle, tickling her.

"You've said that twelve times since you woke up this morning, kid." he laughed.

"I love Christmas!" she exclaimed, looking up at him from his lap. "Merry Christmas." she said again, holding out a small messily wrapped package. "This is for you."

"Thanks, babe." he said, accepting it. "But before I open it, you have to find yours."

She giggled, excitedly.

"Where is it?"

"Under the tree." he said, then whispered, "The biggest one!"

"Yay!" she said, hopping up and running to the tree.

Isaac watched as his little sister ripped the paper off a package as big as her.

She squealed, hugging the giant teddy bear to her and exclaimed, "Thank you, Ike!" across the room.

Zoe sat there, playing with the stuffed animal, until she heard a light knocking on the door. She looked around, seeing that no one else was there to hear it, so she went to the door and opened it a crack to peek out.

"Hey, sweetie." said the person on the other side, voice touched by the whisper of an accent, as they kneeled down to Zoe's level.

"Hi, Vienna!" Zoe said, opening the door wider, "I'll get Zacky!"

"No, no" said Vienna, grabbing the door and pulling it back to his barely opened state. "No, I'm in a hurry, baby, I just needed to drop this off." she handed Zoe a large, red, circular tin with a picture of a Christmas tree on the lid and a card resting on top. "This is for you guys, okay?"

Zoe nodded, smiling at Vienna, "Thank you."

"Merry Christmas." Vienna said, softly, before shutting the door.

"Merry Christmas!" Zoe called.

"Who you talking to, Zo?" asked Zac, coming down the stairs.

"Vienna." she said, turning towards him, away from the door. "She left this."

He took the tin from her and picked up the card.

"To the Hanson family." he read off the envelope.

He walked into the kitchen, where most of the family was hanging about.

"Vienna just left something with Zoe." he said, walking in.

Taylor grabbed the tin while Zac opened the card.

"The Hanson family." he read, "What's Christmas without Christmas cookies? Merry Christmas and thanks for everything."

"Alright, Via!" Taylor exclaimed, opening the tin on several dozen homemade cookies of variety. "Wow." he said, popping a powdered sugar covered snowball into his mouth. "Hey, these are like the ones mom used to make."

"That was sweet of her." Walker said, taking the tin away from them, "But lets save them for after dinner." he put it down on the counter and turned back to them. "I wonder why she didn't come in."

"She said she was in a hurry." answered Zoe.

"Strange girl."

"Huh." said Walker, "Well, we're just about ready to go, guys. Better start setting the table."

"Okay." said Taylor, heading out to the dinning room.

"Use the good china!" Walker called after him.

Isaac looked at Zac and grinned.

"How long do you think it will take him to realize he forgot the plates?"

~~~~~~~~~

After dinner, Zac left for his room, promising to come back soon. He went to his window and looked out into hers.

He saw her, laying on her bed, and his heart leapt.

Zac opened his window and climbed out onto the ledge, then jumped onto her roof.

She looked up, saw him, and came to the window. She opened it, sitting on the cushiony window seat.

"Hey." he said, coming over and kneeling on the shingles outside the window.

"What are you doing, Zac?" she asked, softly, "It's Christmas. Go be with your family. Don't take this time for granted, heaven forbid they're not around one day."

He smiled, sadly.

"Are you alright, sweetheart?"

Hearing him call her 'sweetheart' touched her soul.

She nodded.

"Yeah. I'm okay."

He looked down at her hand, small like a child's except with longer elegant fingers, shaking slightly in her lap. He took hold of it, gently, with his own, stopping the tremor.

"It's not completely foreign to me, what you're talking about." he said, "You know, you make a lot of the same Christmas cookies as my mother used to."

she smiled.

"Mine too."

"Everyone says thank you." he told her, "But we all wish you'd come over. At least for a little while?"

Vienna shook her head.

"No, I can't intrude. I have my uncle here and all."

"It's not intruding..."

She smiled, softly.

"I just need to be here right now."

"I won't force you." he sighed, "I know today must be hard." he brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it, softly, then rubbed it in his own. "I have something for you." releasing her, he pulled a small package from his pocket.

She hesitated, looking from the box to him.

"You shoul-" he cut her off, putting his finger to her lips to hush her. The kind of gentle gesture that made her heart stop. Holding her eyes, he placed the gift in her hands.

"Open it."

She did to discover a thin gold bangle-like bracelet. Engraved on the inside, it said.

She sighed and looked up at him, her eyes over bright.

"Thank you, Zac." she whispered, hugging him.

"I have something for you too." she said, pulling away. She got up and went to her bedside table, opening up the drawer and taking out a small box.

She came to the window, sitting back down, and handed it to him. He smiled at her.

"You didn't have to do that. You gave us cookies."

She shook her head.

"Open it."

Zac ripped the paper off to find a small box, which he opened.

"Vienna.." he said looking up, "Wow."

It was an elegant Gucci watch with a black face with silver hands.

"It was my father's." she said. "I have this box full of the more special things I was left with. After I went through all the pictures, I took it out. I was looking at the watch, and thinking of my father...and I knew I wanted you to have it."

He grinned at her.

"Wow..but why?"

"He would have liked you."

He met her eyes.

"That means so much to me, Vienna."

"It means a lot to me too."

Zac put the watch on.

"Thank you." he leaned in and kissed her, softly.

"Zac?" she asked, as they seperated.

"Yeah?"

"Aren't you cold?" he looked around, realizing he was still sitting outside her window. He laughed.

Vienna smiled.

"Go home, Zac Hanson." she kissed him back. "Go have a Christmas. Go sit with your family and drink hot cocoa while you eat the cookies our mothers use to make. Sing Christmas carols too, Zac...sing one for me."

She smiled.

"You're beautiful." he told her, standing up. He reached in and rustled her hair before turning away. "Merry Christmas." he walked to the edge of the roof then turned back to look at her. "Which is your favorite?" he asked.

Via smiled. "Silver bells."

He grinned at her before turning back and climbing inside his window.

"Merry Christmas." Vienna whispered, then turned away from the window just as she heard her name called.

"Vienna?" called Ron from the bottom of the stairs. She wondered briefly why he said it as a question. He knew she was up there.

"Yes?" she asked, appearing on the top step.

"Come down here." he beckoned, "I have presents for you!"

She rolled her eyes.

"I told you not to get me anything!"

"Oh get down here." he brushed her off, walking away.

She sighed, walking down the stairs.

"I have something for you too." she said when she got to the bottom.

"Well, you first." he said, his back to her, "Okay, here we go." he whirled around, a puppy in his arms.

She squealed at the sight of the adorable chocolate lab, not even the legnth from Ron's elbow to his wrist.

"Thought you could use a new one." he said, placing the dog in his neice's arms.

"Oh, Uncle Ron, thank you!" she exclaimed, "Here, now open yours."

"Wait a minute." he said, "I'm not done." he handed her a small, wrapped box and an envelope, which wound up containing an onyx necklace and a gift certificate to the local music shop.

After Vienna gave him his gifts, she excused herself back upstairs again. She'd rather spend Christmas alone than sit there and have him pretend that she mattered.

~~~~~~~

Zac knocked on Vienna's window, shivering in the midnight Christmas air. She ran to it and flung the window open, welcoming him in.

"Zac!" she cried.

Her tone concerned him.

"What's wrong, Via?" he asked, as he climbed inside and closed the window.

"Nothing." she told him, "I was just excited to see you."

He smiled warmly at her.

"I'd hoped you would come back." she continued, "I don't want to be alone tonight."

"I figured." he said, sitting down on her bed and beckoning her over with hand gestures.

She walked over and stood before him. Zac took her hands in his own.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked, softly.

"No." she replied, "It's silly, I should have put this behind me by now."

He sighed and pulled her, by the waist, to his lap.

Vienna relaxed, feeling safe there.

He craddled her as if she were a child and said, "You don't have to put it behind you ever, if you don't want."

"But of course I want to."

"That's not how I meant it."

"I know." she sighed, "But what about you?"

"I'm okay." he said, "Everyone was really making the best of it today. We're Hansons...I guess that's how we are."

She smiled, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I wish I had your stregnth."

"Hey." he said, shaking her a little, "You have a lot of stregnth. I don't know if I'd have made it if I lost my whole family. But look at you!"

Vienna chuckled, bitterly.

"Yeah look at me." she rolled her eyes, "Here I am, crying in your lap like a baby."

"I don't mind." he smiled.

"Am I pathetic, Zac?"

"Yeah, but you're cute."

She sighed.

"Oh stop." he said, lying down backward, taking her with him.

"Bluh.." Vienna said, hitting the bed, "I give up." she crawled away from him and settled against her pillows.

"On what?" Zac asked, crawling over to lay beside her.

"On thinking about this anymore." she smiled at him, "We can talk about something else, right?"

"Yeah!" he said, enthusiastically, "What else is new?"

"Nothing."

"Oh."

"How about you?"

"Well," he said, looking at her as she stared at the ceiling. "When the Christmas break is over, I'm going to public school."

She looked back at him, "Really? Why would you wanna do a stupid thing like that?"

Zac laughed, "We decided not to home school without Mom."

"Bummer."

"But we'll be in school together!"

"Oh yeah." she laughed, "Then we can agonize together, that'll be fun."

"Is it that bad?" he asked.

She sighed.

"I guess not. It's just not my favorite thing to do."

He smiled and reached over to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.

"We can make it better."

Vienna, touched by his sweetness and sincerity, moved in closer and kissed him.

Zac's heart melted at the warmth that moved through him from her soft kiss.

She broke it off and rested her head at his neck and he wrapped his arms around her. They laid there, with their bodies pressed together, the whole night through.