"Merry Christmas!"

            I paused at the threshold of my door, in my rubber ducky pajamas, my hair a mess and a sleepy expression on my face. It took me a moment to register the four people standing on my steps, their cheeks a rosy red, their breath coming out in little puffs of moisture in the chilly December air. My vision, as it'd been the past few weeks, was incredibly blurry, making it difficult to distinguish who the people in front of me were. That and my mind was running slow. Concentrating solely on their faces, I managed to clear my vision a little so I could make them out completely. As names came to faces, I scrunched my forehead together. "What are you all doing here...?"

            Chace bounded forward, giving me a quick kiss on the cheek. "We're coming to celebrate Christmas!"

            "So this is what teenagers that drop out of school look like," Paul commented thoughtfully, taking in my bedhead and pajamas. "Classy."

            It was difficult in my sleepy state, but I managed to pull together a scowl. "Shut up, I didn't drop out."

            "Yeah," Katie defended, stomping her boyfriend on his foot. "Be more considerate. Not many people know she's going blind, and you're lucky to be one of the few."

            "Right, sorry," Paul mumbled, but a slight smile was at his lips. "The good news is that when you go blind, you'll have your new—"

            "Paul!" Kate interjected with a hiss, now elbowing him in the side. "Shut up!"

            "You are so abusive!"

            Ignoring the bickering pair, my eyes turned to the only silent member of the group, Noah. To me, he seemed a little oddly placed. "Noah?"

            Grinning, he waved. "Hey! Merry Christmas! I brought you a gift!"

            "Oh, thanks, I have one for you too actually," I responded, silently thanking the heavens I'd randomly decided to pick something up for him.

            He seemed surprised. "Really? Awesome!"

            "So are you gonna make us stand out in the cold all day? Or will you let us in?" Chace demanded, dramatically beginning to shiver. "It's f-f-freezing out here!"

            "Yeah, come on in." Opening the door wider, I gesticulated for the small posse to enter my home. "Take your shoes off though. My dad just cleaned."

            Gazing around, Katie frowned. "Where is your dad?"

            "He went up to my Grandpa's with my mom," I responded, watching as Noah kicked his shoes off violently, sending one flying into the back of Chace's leg.

            Chace turned around and smacked his friend, muttering something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like a male reproductive organ.

            "How come you didn't go?" Paul asked. "It's Christmas. You shouldn't be alone."

            "Ah, late night last night..."

            Chace caught my gaze and smirked. I blushed, immediately directing my eyes away from him and to Kate. She gave me a suspicious look. "Why? What were you doing?" she inquired innocently.

            "You know, date night," I explained vaguely. "Never mind that. Should I make some hot chocolate?"

            "Here, open my present first!" Noah said excitedly, tossing me a small, wrapped box. "I thought long and hard about it."

            Suddenly warily, I held the gift in my hands for a moment, debating on whether to open it or not. For all I knew, it could be a bomb that would go off when I opened it. But after catching his expectant look, I opted to open it. I ripped the wrapping paper off quickly, revealing the package beneath it. Noah promptly began guffawing, not even bothering to attempt to quiet it. I smiled dryly, wondering where Noah got the audacity to by condoms for a girl he barely knew. But then a real smile broke out across my face as I realized that was exactly the kind of person Noah was.

            "Oh, those are my favorite," Paul commented, snatching the small box out of my hands. "Pleasure for both her and him."

            Katie's face blossomed red and she reached for the condoms, taking them away from her boyfriend and tossing them back to me. "Paul, shut up."

            "I thought you guys might need these in the future," Noah spoke up, nudging Chace in the side with his elbow. "You know, you've been dating for like, four months."

            "You think four months is a lot?" I questioned, raising my eyebrow.

            He blinked. "I think it's more than a lot."

            A short laugh escaped my lips. "Oh. I see."

            "Chace, how do you feel about the present?" Paul asked, turning to my boyfriend with a sly smirk.

            Completely unruffled, Chace just shrugged. "Eh, they seem okay. Personally, my favorite brand is Trojan Ecstasy. Right, Rosie?"

            Now it was my turn to blush. "Chace!"

            "What?"

            "Whoa, whoa, whoa," Noah started, his eyes widening. "When did you two—"

            "Never mind," I snapped, shooting daggers at him. "Stop talking. Do you want hot chocolate or not?"

            "But—"

            I narrowed my eyes. "Yes or no..."

            His shoulders sagged. "Yes," he mumbled meekly.

            Twisting on my heel, I headed for the kitchen, ordering for the others to follow me. No sooner than I'd taken four steps, my vision disappeared. This time, however, I didn't lose my balance. For the last three weeks, my eyesight had been wavering, disappearing for even hours at a time. At first it was a little scary, and I ended up stumbling and falling quite a few times, but I'd gotten used to it fairly fast. And now that I was adjusted to the fact I was going blind— and there was absolutely nothing I could do about it— it wasn't as bad.

            "Chace..."

            His hand was around my waist immediately, a habit he'd picked up to help me along when my eyes decided to mess around with me. "I've got you, Rosie."

            Practically forcing me to lean into him, he led me to the kitchen, placing me at the island table. "The hot chocolate is in the—"

            "Top right cupboard, I know," he interjected, and I could imagine him grinning.

            My heart clenched— something I was far too used to by now. Just like the hollow feeling of knowing within days my eyesight would be gone. From that point on, my imagination would be all I had. And even that would disappear eventually.

            But I knew that.

            I accepted that.

            "Ah, your eyes..."

            Turning my head toward Paul's voice, I frowned. "What?"

            "Can you... can you see right now?" he questioned quietly.

            Shaking my head, I smiled slightly. "No... can you tell? Right now, my vision is gone."

            "I mean, it's not like... What's it look like?"

            "Paul!" I heard Kate chide.

            "What? It's just a question!"

            Grinning, I waved my hand in dismissal, hoping that Kate was watching. "Don't worry about it, I'm totally fine with it. It's kind of hard to explain though... You'd think not being able to see would mean all you can see is black, right?"

            "Right," Paul responded, sounding interested. "That's what I thought. It's not?"

            "Nope," I told him, popping my P. "Like I said, it's really hard to explain. It's not really a color... there's no form or shape. Imagine trying to see through fog... just without the color..."

            The only response I received was silence.

            I laughed awkwardly. "Never mind. Yeah, I just see black."

            "So you're a pro at reading Braille now then?" Paul continued, his voice suddenly sounding closer.

            I leaned back a little, my head twisting toward the source of his voice. One of the things that would be hard to get used to, was attempting to judge people's distance from me. "Pretty much. But so is Chace and Kate."

            "I'm probably better than Rose," Kate commented haughtily. There was the slight rustle of hair on a coat, so I assumed she'd flipped her hair over her shoulder.

            "How come I wasn't invited in on this Braille thing?" Noah complained loudly.

            "Dude, who even are you?" Paul retorted.

            "I'm Noah!"

            A sudden throb of pain shot through my head and I grimaced, my hands immediately shooting up to my skull. My eyes snapped shut and I clenched my teeth, holding in the groan of pain that threatened to escape my lips. This was another thing I was far too used to; spontaneous headaches. They were getting worse and worse every day.

            "Rosie?" It was Chace this time. "Are you okay?"

            Opening my eyes, I found I could see once again, and also Chace's was literally five inches away from my own. Surprised, I jumped, putting distance between us. "I-I'm fine!"

            He raised an eyebrow, but said nothing more. "Tell me if you want me to get you some Aspirin."

            "Yeah, okay."

            Kate caught my gaze and frowned at me, her eyes brimming with concern. "Your headaches... they'll stop once, you know, you go blind?"

            Biting my lip, I shrugged. "I don't know... and my doctor said he didn't know either. I'm hoping they do. I mean, they probably will disappear. The only reason they started was because my vision began to fade at a more rapid pace."

            "So what's going to happen when it's gone?"

            I turned to Paul, raising an eyebrow. "Well, I'll be blind..."

            He scowled. "Aside from that. What about schooling? When do you start your new school for the blind?"

            "After winter break," I responded, mentally adding up the days left in my head. Just about one week.

            "That's exciting," he encouraged enthusiastically. "You'll get to meet new people and make new friends!"

            "Here," Chace interjected, sliding a mug of hot chocolate in front of Paul and then me. "Careful, it's hot."

            Paul shot him a sarcastic look. "Really? No wonder they call it hot chocolate."

            "I wonder if it would hurt if I poured it on your—"

            "Boys," I interrupted, pursing my lips at Chace. "It's Christmas. We should all get along."

            Kate laughed. "This is them getting along, Rose, remember?"

            Sighing, I dropped my head and nodded. "I know, but..."

            "But nothing," Paul finished for me. "Me and Chace are pals, right Chace?"

            "I guess..."

            Seemingly satisfied by Chace's muttered answer, Paul nodded. "See?"

            "But not better friends than him and I," Noah interjected.

            "Shut up, fifth wheel," Paul snapped.

            Shaking my head at Paul, I sipped my drink, wincing as it scalded my tongue. "So why aren't you guys spending Christmas with your families?"

            "Paul and I spent the morning with his family," Kate told me, resting her chin on her palm as Chace placed a steaming mug in front of her, "and we're going to my house later for my family Christmas thing, so I thought in the meantime we'd stop by and visit you."

            "And we have to pick up your Christmas present soon," Paul added excitedly. "Oh my God, I can't wait—"

            "Paul!" Kate cried, kicking her boyfriend under the table. "Shut up!"

            Curiosity getting the best at me, I rounded on the grimacing young man. "Christmas present, Paul?"

            "Never mind," he muttered, keeping his eyes glued to the wooden table.

            Frowning, I then focused my attention on Chace, who nonchalantly sipped at his beverage, blinking innocently at me. "Chace, do you know what it is?"

            "Maybe... maybe not."

            "I know what it is!" Noah said excitedly.

            "What is it? Where is it? You guys shouldn't have—"

            "You'll find out soon enough," Kate interjected, a wide grin appearing on her face. "In fact, Paul and I should go pick... um, go get it now." She glanced at her watch, and jumped up from her chair at the island. "We'll be back in like twenty minutes."

            "I'm coming with," Noah announced, standing up. "I have to get home anyway. I just thought I'd stop by and say hi... see ya, Rose."

            I waved at him. "Bye. I guess I'll give you your present later then."

            "Sounds good," he replied with a nod before dogging Kate and Paul out of my kitchen.

            A few moments later I heard their car pulling out of my driveway. Chace and I sat in silence for a couple minutes, just staring at each other and drank our hot chocolates. At some point, I would've thought the staring was creep, but recently I'd found myself gawking at Chace quite often. Eventually I stopped trying to hide it and just openly studied his face. If I was going to blind, I was going to make good use of my vision before it was gone completely. Chace didn't mind either— he'd even started staring back at me.

            "You know, nothing's changed," Chace spoke finally, the corners of his lips curving up.

            I smiled back at him. "Yeah, but your face never gets less interesting."

            He hummed a noncommittal response, drumming the fingers of his left hand on the counter top. "You're coming to my house tonight, right?"

            "Yup," I responded with a nod. "As long as it's still okay with you..."

            He gave me a flat look. "Of course it's okay with me. I said I'd be with you to the very last moment, and I meant it. I'd rather stay here, but I think your parents are sick of me."

            "No way," I said, waving my hand at him offhandedly. "Are you kidding? They love you. And I'd much rather spend more time at your place where they aren't barging in on us every three seconds."

            "That's true," he agreed, grinning. "Oh! I forgot to tell you, but my dad made a dress for you for Christmas. You can have it tonight."

            My eyes widened. "Really?"

            "Uh-huh. It's a summer dress though, so you won't be able to wear it—"

            "Kate's going to be so jealous," I interrupted, smiling widely. "That means I own two things with the Weiss label!"

            Chace rolled his eyes. "Okay, this just proves it. You're dating me to get to my dad."

            "Well, it wasn't that way in the beginning..."

            Reaching over the table, he lightly slapped my wrist. "Rosie."

            "I can't wait to see it," I sighed dreamily. "I bet it's wonderful."

            "It'll bring out your eyes," he informed me, squinting his eyes a little as if he were imagining it.

            My smile flickered a little. By the time it was warm enough for me to actually wear it, I wouldn't be able to see. However, instead of letting the thought depress me, I just shook it off. Que será será and all that. "I'll have to try it on tonight."

            "And I'll take it off," Chace added with a wink.

            I scoffed, cupping my hands around my hot chocolate. "Boys."

            "Wait until you see your Christmas present," he said, changing the topic. "I think you'll love it."

            "What is it?"

            He pressed a finger to his lips. "You'll see."

            "Did you help choose it?"

            "Yeah, kind of."

            "Kind of?"

            He wagged his finger at me. "I said you'll see."

            "Was is it expensive?" I questioned, my heart starting to pound a little harder. "Because I swear if you spent a lot of money, I'll pull out your hair—"

            "Rosie, chill," he laughed. "Multiple people pitched it."

            I gulped. That had to mean it was expensive. "I didn't buy you anything too expensive," I muttered, mentally picturing the ducky boxers he'd asked for, and the few other articles of clothing I'd purchased for him. "Chace..."

            "Just wait."

            And so I waited. Anxiously. My ears were perked, ready for any sound of Kate and Paul returning. Chace watched me with an amused expression, propping his elbows up on the table and resting his chin on his hands. The curiosity was nearly killing me. My foot banged against the base of the counter in a steady beat, matching the pace of my heart. Finally, after what felt like forever, the sound of an engine met my ears.

            I immediately jumped off my stole, but made it no more than three steps before Chace's arms encircled me, effectively halting me. "What?" I demanded, glancing at him from over my shoulder.

            "Wait here."

            "I'm impatient—"

            "Just wait, Rosie."

            Grumbling under my breath, I crossed my arms, becoming as solid as an ice sculpture. "Fine."

            Chace chuckled, dropping his arms, and stepping around me. "I need to see your face for this."

            I shot him a dirty look before zeroing in on the kitchen door. Any moment Kate and Paul would walk through. My front door opened and I tensed, ready for anything. Briefly I thought that maybe they'd bought a refrigerator as a joke, but then realized how ridiculous that was and banished the thought.

            When Kate and Paul did walk through the door, what they had with them was not what I was expecting.

            At all.

            "Rosie," Chace began, sweeping his arm out to the side. "Meet Jack."

            As if on cue, the golden retriever standing before me barked. My jaw nearly dropped. "You guys... bought me a dog...?"

            "Jack," Paul repeated, grinning at me. "Cute, isn't he?"

            Numbly, I nodded, dropping to my knees in front of the yellow puppy. He stared back at me with wide, amber puppy eyes. "Hi, boy," I greeted, wrapping my arms around his soft body. "D'aww, you're so cute! How old is he?"

            "Two years. He's still a little puppy," Kate cooed, scratching the hound's silky ears. "He's incredibly smart though. Knows some cool little tricks."

            I pressed my cheek against his silky coat and nuzzled it. "What in the world drove you three to buy me a two year old dog? Not that I don't love him already. He's so cute, aren't you boy?"

            Chace patted Jack on the head. "Well, he's a special dog. And not just because he awkwardly has the same name as my dad."

            "Special how?"

            "He's a Seeing Eye dog," Paul blurted out, as if he'd been holding it in for years. "He's awesome, isn't he? So young and so smart!"

            My eyes widened and I pulled away from him, staring at the three towering over me. "He's a what?"

            "Seeing eye dog," Kate restated with a smile. "Fitting, huh?"

            "How in the world..."

            "A lot of online searching," Chace answered my unspoken question with a laugh. "This guys actually from Texas."

            "He had a long ride here," Kate continued. "Though it was totally worth it. He's so adorable!"

            I nodded my agreement, finally releasing my grasp on the poor dog. "Jack, shake," I ordered, holding out my hand.

            To my amazement, he placed his paw into my hand.

            "He knows play dead too," Paul mentioned with a chuckle. "He's very believable."

            "And he can do all the things a, you know, seeing dog can?"

            Chace nodded. "Yep. The certificate is at my house... I didn't ask your parents before adopting him, so..."

            "Oh, who cares? He'll definitely be allowed at my house," I responded, scratching Jack behind the ears. "You're a good puppy aren't you?" I murmured.

            "His name is fitting too," Chace said, resting a hand on my shoulder. "Don't you think, Rosie?"

            I tilted my head at him curiously. "What do you mean?"

            "You know. Jack and Rose. From the Titanic."

            From beside him, Paul erupted into laughter. "Dude! I didn't even think of that!"

            I pursed my lips at Chace. "Very clever."

            He winked back at me. "I know."

            "So you like him?" Kate asked, staring at me expectantly.

            I gave her an are-you-stupid look. "Of course I do! He's adorable! It's like love at first sight!"

            "More like love at last sight," Paul muttered.

            "Paul!"

            "What?"

            When his comment registered in my head, I laughed, waving my hand in dismissal at Kate, who was about to smack him. "No, no. That's so very appropriate. Love at last sight... it's got a nice ring to it. Thank you, guys. Really."

            The trio before smiled back at me. "It's not problem."

            Suddenly I felt a tug of emotion at my heart. My friends were really the best. "I really love you guys..."

            "We love you too, Bud," Paul replied, slapping me on the back. "Now don't get sappy."

            I nodded, clearing my throat. "So did you guys think to buy a leash or anything?"

            Blank expressions took over all three people's faces. "Uhh," Paul hesitated. "No?"

            I half-smiled. "Guess I have some shopping to do if I want to keep this pup alive."

            Many hours later, I was situated on a very comfortable leather couch at Chace's house, clothed in my pajamas. On the cushion next to me lay Jack, curled up in a cute little ball, dead asleep. Chace was on the floor, his t-shirted back resting against my legs. Currently we were watching one of my favorite movies— The Labyrinth. Although it was unspoken, we both knew it was the very last time I was going to see it.

            "I never really understood this movie," Chace commented as the credits rolled. "Did the goblin king fall in love with that thirteen year old girl? Isn't he like, three hundred?"

            Leaning forward, I wrapped my arms around his neck, resting my hands on his chest. "I think it's kind of romantic."

            Chace lifted his chin so he could give me a look of disbelief, blinking his chocolate colored eyes. "He kidnapped her little brother."

            "Well... yeah... but..."

            "You're messed up," he commented with a chuckle. "You just have the hots for David Bowie. Or more like his crotch. Those pants, man. They should rename this movie The Spandex."

            I laughed, smacking his chest. "Oh, shut up. This has been one of my favorites since childhood."

            "You're just weird."

            "Yeah, but you love me."

            "Mm..."

            I slapped him again. "Chace!"

            Laughing, he pried my arms from around him and stood up, grinning down at me. "Just joking, Rosie. Come on. Let's go to bed. It's one o'clock in the morning. You almost fell asleep twice during that movie too."

            "Fine," I agreed reluctantly. "I'll waste my time sleeping..."

            Rolling his eyes, Chace took me by the hand and yanked me off the couch, waking up Jack. "You need sleep, Rosie."

            "I'd rather use my vision while I can."

            His expression softened and his grip on my hand tightened. "I know you want to, Rose. But your health is important as well. We'll wake up bright and early, okay? We'll go climb a mountain, or something."

            "Climb a mountain?" I echoed, allowing him to tug me to the stairs. "Jack! C'mere boy!"

            Chace grimaced as the golden retriever immediately woke up, jumping off the couch and bounding after us. "He can take my place on the couch, but not in my own bed. And yes, a mountain. I can't think of anything else right now."

            "No, that sounds good," I commented with a small smile. "Maybe we can see the sunset from it..."

            "If that's what you want."

            "Yeah... I'd like to see that."

            Chace nodded. "Then that's what we'll do." He kicked open the door to his bedroom, not bothering to flick on the overhead light. The moon was casting enough of its glow to bathe the room in light. I climbed into the left side of the bed (since the right was Chace's— or so he claimed) and patted the edge by my feet so Jack would jump up on it as well.

            Sliding in next to me, Chace nodded his approval. "Okay, he can sleep at our feet."

            Once the golden retriever was curled up and comfortable, I turned on my side to look at Chace. "Hey, Chace?"

            "Hmm?" he responded, his eyes shining in the moonlight.

            "What if I don't go blind? Like, it was all a mistake. Or my eyes just suddenly got better."

            A slight frown came onto his face. "Rosie..."

            "It's not like I'm expecting it to happen," I said quickly. "In fact, I think that's pretty impossible. I'm just saying what if."

            "Well, I won't say I regret the doctor ever diagnosing you for one thing."

            "Why?"

            He raised an eyebrow. "Because we wouldn't have met..."

            I blinked, realizing he was right. Had the doctor not told me I was going blind on that day, I wouldn't have been near the river, and Chace wouldn't have tackled me to the ground and then invited me out on a date. "I guess me going blind is a good thing..."

            "Well, it's not a good thing per se," he pointed out with a half-smile. "It just has some nice benefits."

            "I hope I don't go blind," I whispered.

            A pained expression crossed Chace's face. "Oh, Rosie..."

            "I accept that it's probably going to happen, but you know, I just can't give up hope."

            Chace nodded, reaching a hand up to my face and cupping my cheek. "Yeah, I know. We can pray for a miracle."

            "Yeah..."

            "For now, you should get some sleep though," he said, bringing his face closer and giving me a soft kiss. "No matter what happens, my feelings for you won't change. Your friends won't change. Your parents won't change. Everything will be fine."

            I snuggled closer to him, resting my head on his chest. "Yeah, you're right. I love you, Chace."

            "I love you too, Rosie."

            It was hard to believe that the man lying next to me now, was one I barely even knew four months ago. It'd felt like it'd been so much longer that— a lifetime longer. "I'm glad I met you," I murmured. No, I was more than glad. I was thankful. Chace meant more to me than I could've ever imagined he would.

            Chuckling, he wrapped his arms around me and squeezed. "Yeah, I'm glad I met you too."

            That night I dreamt entirely of Chace. His smile, his eyes, his figure... all were etched into my memory. I would never forget them.

            Love at last sight... for me, it really was an accurate saying.

            The next day, we never made it to the mountain. I never got to see my last sunset. When I'd woken up, my vision had expired. I'd waited for an hour, hoping— praying— that it would return to me, but it never did.

I was never granted a miracle.

My parents were called, my eye doctor was called, Kate and Paul were called, and Chace's dad was called. There were a lot of tears— not on my part though. Mainly on my mother's and Kate's. They seemed a lot more depressed over my blindness than I did. Chace never let go of my hand. His grip was firm and tight, every now and again he gave me a reassuring squeeze. Jack was by my side; ready and attentive like the Seeing Eye dog he was trained to be.

Being blind made me realize how much of a gift sight is. I knew I'd never be able to see the hue of the sky at sunset again, or the blue of the ocean, or the shaggy golden coat of Jack's, or Chace's warm brown eyes. Not my mother's caring smile, or my dad's always-tousled hair, not Paul's stupid grin, or Kate's shiny teeth...

I'd never see any of those things again. All I had was the memories.

But it was enough.

Although I'd never see my family again, see my friends again, see Chace again, it was okay. They were all still with me. I was still able to hear the voices, feel their touch...

Everything was going to be okay.

"Rosie, don't let go of my hand," Chace whispered to me.

A smile formed on my face. "I won't."

________________________________ 

Finally I updated! Now this is the last last chapter.... but I'm going to add a short epilogue, you know, a little bit in the future. Generally I don't like doing those, but for some reason I really want to write one for Rosie c:

On other news.... I'M GOING TO MEET MISHA COLLINS!!!!! and Jared Padelecki, but MISHA COLLINS! WOO. Because I got accepted into college (not a huge feat, but whatever) my mom bought me a ticket to the SPN convention in New Jersey and the signing/photo/conference things as well. Way over priced, if you ask me, BUT I DON'T CARE. MISHAA HERE I COME :D Is anyone else going?

Twitter & Instagram - JordanLynde_