Nick pulled the box from the garage.  Inside of it was what he had left from his mother.  Whether or not Faith wanted one, he knew the perfect present for her, and he wasn’t going to wait until Christmas to give it to her.  She needed it tomorrow, at the latest.  Pulling the small box from the garage, he walked towards the kitchen with it in tow.  Rifling through it, he was gentle with the pictures and small letters she had written over time.

Finally, amongst all the other things, he found what he was looking for.  Squeezing the small blue box in his hand, he took a deep breath and let it out.  How would she react when he presented her with his present?  Would she be angry that he was rushing things?  Would she love the present he was going to give her?

With the nerves flowing through his body, there was no way he was going to be able to sleep.  Walking to his living room he threw the box onto the couch before pulling out some decorations from a box he had thrown in there earlier.  With all the commotion during the holiday season, he had only had time to decorate the outside of his house. 

The inside of his house was, surprisingly, bare compared to the outside.  He streamed garland down his banister rails, he put lights up around his fireplace, and he set up the little snowmen people had given him throughout the years.  Taking a step back, he glanced at his living room.  There was something missing.

“A tree.”

He jumped; ready to fight whoever it was that was in his home, but when he turned and saw Faith standing there with tired eyes, he let out a sigh.  “I thought you were sleeping.”

“Kinda hard when you make so much noise.  Looks like you do have a flaw.”

“I never put the toilet seat down,” he offered with a smile.

She rolled her eyes at him.  “Whatever will I do with a guy who doesn’t drop the lid?”

He shrugged at her, keeping the smile on his face, but waiting for her to make the next move.  Her eyes scanned the living room before settling on him.  Shaking her head at him, she let out a small laugh.  “I thought the outside of your house made up for the small amount of decorations you had in your home.”

“You thought wrong.”

Walking past him, she went towards the couch.  As she plopped down, her face scrunched up.  Reaching underneath her, she raised her arm with what she had found.  In the middle of her palm lay the small blue box he had searched for earlier.  She froze, looking at him in panic.

Immediately, he walked across the room and dropped to his knees in front of her to make eye contact.  This seemed only to frighten her more as her chest rose and fell in a panic.  “What’s wrong, Faith?”

“You,” she mumbled while pushing him back.  “You go too fast.  I can’t handle this.”

“What are you talking about?” he asked in confusion.

Jumping to her feet, she dropped the box back onto the couch in disgust before holding her hand out to him.  “I want those keys now, to the spare car.  I’ll bring it back to you when I can.  I,” she hesitated, her voice breaking slightly.  “I just need to get a way for a while.”

He reached into his pocket and pulled them out.  Placing them in her palm, he still felt completely confused.  He knew the expression on her face though.  She wanted out, and nothing that he said would dissuade her from her plans.

Holding his hand out to her, he delved deeper into his pocket and pulled out some cash and a card.  “Call me when you get where you’re going so that I know that you’re okay?”  When she hesitated, he let out a sigh.  “I won’t even answer the phone.  It’s just a small reassurance for myself.  After the shit that has happened to both of us around the holidays, I can’t help but be worried.”

She winced, and he wanted to take the words back.  It was too late now though.  She nodded at him without making eye contact.  Her mouth opened as if she wanted to say something, but she shook her head and mumbled, “You can get the elf costume back to Rachel?”

“Yeah,” he whispered as they stood their awkwardly.

Finally, she stepped away from him and began walking towards the garage.  She stopped in the doorway.  “I’m sorry, Nick.”

As she left, he dropped back onto the couch.  What had just happened, he had no idea.  Grabbing the little blue box, he popped the top open to reveal his mother’s jewelry.  Two identical Santas smiled up at him, waving with a sack full of toys in one hand.  He slammed the top down with enough force to break it.  Letting out a harsh laugh, he threw the earrings across the room and watched as they sank into the box of decorations. 

How easy his life had gone downhill was amazing.  Now, he fully understood why Faith hated the holidays.  They brought you nothing but pain.  Jumping to his feet, he began tearing down the decorations in his house.  He didn’t stop until they were all packed into his garage.  Even then, he couldn’t keep his mind off her.