Chapter 4: Sweet Christmas

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~(Y/N)~

It was the first real Christmas I've had in sixteen years. As we all sat in the living room with our few presents my mother started off first with opening her gifts. One by one she opened her gifts and we moved down the line next was Andrew then me.

In one of the smaller boxes I had gotten from my mother a necklace. "It was your grandmother's, it's been passed down and now you can have it." she says. I smiled then thanked her before putting it on. It was a locket with the letter J carved into it and on the inside were words in german. 'Wenn du gewinnst, lebst du. Wenn du verlierst, stirbst du. Wenn Sie nicht kämpfen, können Sie nicht gewinnen'

Translated it would say. 'If you win, you live. If you lose, you die. If you do not fight, you can not win'. "Where did you get this?" I ask.

My mother shrugs her shoulders. "Like I said it was your grandmother's... it had been passed down for many generations so it's pretty old. I replaced the chain because it was getting so old." she says.

I shut the locket and move on to the next gift. By the time we had finished that we all gathered around to have breakfast. We all sat around laughing and having pleasant conversation.

~Time Skip~

Andrew and I both got our coats and boots on ready to head over to my place. I hugged my mother goodbye and I as I pulled back she gave me a wink. "Good luck." she mouths. Rolling my eyes I turn back facing Andrew who was waiting by the door.

"I'll call you later ma." I call as we both head out the door. Walking over to my car, I look back finding Andrew getting into his. Slipping in I quickly pull out of the driveway and onto the main road, slowly I began driving forward back to my place with Andrew following close behind.

When we reached my apartment we both parked beside each other in the parking garage. Taking the elevator up to the 9th floor we both stood there silently watching as the numbers counted up. When it stopped the doors opened at the floor, stepping out I led him to the fifth door down on the left. Room 9J. With my keys I unlock the door and step in then to the side allowing Andrew to step in.

"Nice place." he says.

"Thanks." I mutter.

Then I heard hissing, looking around I tried to find Duchess, that was until I found her on the table by the door. Her eyes locked to Andrew, her tail was fluffed up and her back curved upward to make herself look bigger. Quicky I turn and pick her up. "Duchess, you be nice." I tell her, but it was no use her eyes were locked on the man in front of me, she stared at him like he was some kind of intruder. In my head I was saying 'That's my girl'. Walking into the living room I set her on the couch and my hand glides over her back to brush down the fur.

"Sorry about that, she's not used to visitors... especially men." I mutter.

"It's fine, I'm sure she'll warm up eventually." he says. I smile and turn around, the way he worded it was as if he was going to be coming around more often or something, maybe it was me. I turn away and head to the kitchen to get a drink.

"You want anything?" I ask.

"No I'm okay." he answers.

With that I grabbed myself a bottle of water. Opening it I quickly take a sip and look out my window, it was snowing again. "Ow!" I hear Andrew hiss. Turning to him I find him holding his hand as he stood in front of Duchess.

"Duchess!" I call in shock.

The cat came jumping off the back of the couch and laid down on the table. Picking her up off the table I quickly head to my room to put her in there. Opening the door, just before dropping her on the floor I bring her closer to my face. "You're a pain in the ass, you're lucky I love you." I mutter. She began to pur just before I put her down on the floor. Shutting the door I then turn back and walk over to Andrew who was still holding his hand.

"Here let me." I say, as he extended his injured hand out to me I found four little scratches bleeding. I then tug him over to the bathroom, I have him sit on the closed toilet while I grabbed out peroxide and bandaids. With a cotton ball I douse some peroxide on it then turn to his hand and dab it lightly.

He hisses softly but takes the slight sting as it comes. After I had cleaned it out I placed a larger bandaid on all four of the scratches. "I think you'll live." I say. He smiled and stands up.

"Thanks." he says.

~Time Skip~

Later that evening after Andrew had left, I got ready for bed like I normally did. After a quick shower, I had brushed my teeth and did my business before heading to my room. Climbing onto my bed, I hear the jingling of Duchess's collar as she jumped on my bed. I get under the covers and lay on my back allowing my cat to lay on my stomach like she had been doing for the past couple of nights for about an hour or so before getting off.

Leaning to the side I turn off the light and shut my eyes. "Good night Duchess." I mutter.

~Memory/Dream~

Running through the house, it was filled with laughter. My little feet pattering against the wood floors. I cut to the left heading into the kitchen. "I'm gonna getcha!" I hear a masculine voice call.

I got on my hands and knees, crawling on the floor I made a beeline for the table where I hid under. Soft giggles escaped my mouth as I sat under the table waiting for my dad to find me. I waited but heard nothing now. "No Erick! You don't get it! I'm busting my ass to support this family- and all you do is sit on your ass all day and play with our daughter. She needs to be getting ready for school! She's not gonna get far when she's playing hide n'fuckin seek all damn day." I hear a woman scold.

"She has time Katherine, stop being such a bitch. I'm looking for a job!" my father yells back.

"You've been saying that for six months Erick. And to be frank, if you don't hurry the hell up, you're outta here." my mother tells him.

There were footsteps then a loud bang. "Katherine come on! What about our daughter? You don't really want to do that to her huh?" I hear my father plead.

"Not my problem. If you get kicked out take her with ya, I got no extra money to take care of her anyway." I hear her say. She had entered the bathroom that had two doors, one in the kitchen and dining room then one in the foyer.

~End of Memory/Dream~

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