Anya didn't bother trying to fall asleep that night. There were too many thoughts running rampant in her brain.

She had made it through dinner and the clean up afterward. Everything for the next day was prepped and ready to go. Anya had gone through everything twice in an attempt to put off finally going up to her room and facing a sleepless night. Eventually, everything that was needed to be done had been. She had no other reason to stay downstairs.

She laid in her bed, staring up at the ceiling, her eyes tracing the molding the ran along the edge, the Inn's antique design peaking through all the modern improvements that had been made over the years. Her ears picked up any slight sound, guests walking past her door to get to their own, and soon enough the Inn fell silent.

Anya could hear her breathing as she allowed another hour to slip by in silence, a precaution to make sure she was the only one left awake. Grabbing her robe from where it hung on her bedpost, Anya slipped out of her room as quietly as possible, her feet moving instinctively to miss where the ancient floorboards squeaked.

She closed her door with a soft clip behind her, her socked feet moving down the thickly carpeted hallway and hurrying down the main stairs. If Eve had heard, she would have peered out her door and seen no one and no reason to think anyone was up and moving about.

Anya slowed her pace once she reached the bottom floor, the entirety of the place expanding out before her, the only person conscious at that late hour. Anya pulled the edges of her robe tighter around her as the cool night air was several degrees cooler than her snug room. Hot chocolate sounded delicious at that moment and so Anya made her way to the kitchen.

With a steaming mug held tight in her hand, Anya walked into the empty lounge, taking a seat on the row of window seats that lined the large windows.

Outside the snow was still coming down as hard as ever. Out in the distance, just faint hints of life stirred as Anya could hear the snowplows making the rounds on the country roads to keep the drifts from piling up too high. She knew soon enough that she would catch Frank out with his snowplow attached to the front of his truck.

The sound of movement reverberated softly through Anya's quiet little bubble. From what she could make out, it was the sound of the kitchen door opening.

Her mind gave her plenty of reasons to ignore it, as Gloria had left out a tray of sandwiches and cookies as well a full pot of coffee for the farmhands working into the night to keep the streets clear. Anya had seen them while making her cocoa.

Soft footsteps came a few minutes later, once Anya's attention had returned to the falling snow outside. She pulled her robe closer over her shoulders as she turned to see who else had failed to find sleep that night.

She shivered for a completely different reason when she found Manny standing just outside the entrance to the lounge, a mug of hot chocolate held in his hands. She sat up straighter as her eyes averted to miss his.

"Hi."

His words came out as a whisper but they reached Anya's ears with ease. There was no other sound with which they needed to compete.

"Hey."

As she was the only person around, it would have only added more to the awkwardness welling up in Anya's chest if she didn't respond.

"Is it safe to approach?"

Anya couldn't help rolling her eyes at his attempt at a joke. Her exasperated sigh almost sounded like a laugh in the stillness.

"Sure. I won't bite."

"Promise?"

Manny took a seat opposite Anya, his eyes following to the winter scene playing only inches from them. His position mirrored Anya's as he tucked a leg beneath him and leaned against one of the many pillows lined up along the window.

Anya tried to follow his gaze, to allow silence to fall between them, determined to not be the first to engage in conversation, but she found her eyes moving unconsciously to her left, always falling on her window seat companion.

"I always forget how beautiful it is up here this time of the year."

"It's pretty magical."

Manny amended his statement.

"Granted, it's beautiful pretty much all year round."

"Spring always kind of sucks. It's rainy and muddy and things don't warm up until late May."

"So really it's just winter."

"Basically."

The surrealism of the situation hit Anya straight in the face at that moment. Here she was, sitting at her favorite spot, watching the snowfall outside, sitting across from someone she had known nearly her whole life, who knew her better than anyone, someone she hadn't seen in four years, and they were talking about the weather.

Anya couldn't help letting out a real laugh at the thought. The sound pulled Manny's attention from the scene outside and his eyes locked on her, the snow already forgotten.

"What? What's so funny?"

Their words were barely above a whisper, respecting the stillness that filled the rest of the inn.

"Everything. The two of us. Sitting here. After all these years, talking about the weather of all things."

"I think it's the only safe topic we have."

"We could always discuss logistics for the ball tomorrow."

"That'll cure my jet lag and insomnia. I'll be passed out before you get to housing arrangements for the orchestra."

They shared a laugh as the tension seemed to ease, if only slightly. There was an easiness to their conversation that had always been there. No matter what, Anya had always found Manny the easiest person to talk to, even now when all of her unresolved feelings and all the current problems keeping her wake revolved around him.

"So. We can't talk about my job or else you'll pass out. What about your job? It's weird to think that I have absolutely no idea what you do. I imagine it's changed somewhat since the band's big enough to travel to Australia. You're not still hauling around boxes of homemade merchandise anymore, are you?"

Manny shook his head.

"Not so much, no. My job really hasn't changed that much. Now I'm in charge of the person who hauls around boxes of well made, especially designed, merch."

"So you've moved up in the world."

"You could say that."

"What's it like, living on the road? Traveling everywhere."

It wasn't hard for Anya to replay the countless conversations the two of them had shared, most likely in this same position, all about their hopes and dreams. Anya's enthusiasm to see the world, Manny's lack of direction but a deserve to do something cool and exciting.

Manny looked at her for an extra-long second, seemingly debating in his mind what to say and what not to, what might hurt her feelings, what she would think interesting.

"It's great. I love it. The band, the crew, even the band's family and friends who end up tagging along. Everyone gets along really well. We're just one big happy family. Everyone knows what their responsibilities are. Everyone knows what they need to do and that if they don't, it could seriously affect the show."

"And what about the travel part? Seeing all those different places, exploring the world."

Anya had seen through his attempt to keep things still focused on the work side of his life.

"That part's cool, too. I try to get out and see what I can. It's tough, though. You don't have a ton of time when you arrive somewhere at nine, with several trucks full of equipment that need to be set up for a show at eight. We can usually squeeze in an hour or two of sightseeing if we're lucky. Mainly because Tommy and Jay want to go out and explore and want me to tag along. It's mainly the logistics of it all that keeps us from exploring properly. There have been a few cities where I didn't even get the chance to leave the venue."

"Sounds like a hectic life."

Manny let out a long sigh with a tired chuckle to follow. He wiped his eyes with his hand and Anya could see for the first time the toll the travel, the work and the time away had taken on him.

He looked older. He still had that boyish charm and that timeless smile but it had been four years and this was the first time she was really looking at him. She was sure she had aged too at that time. A lot had happened on her end as well.

"It is, to say the least. But I love it. I feel like I've made a real life for myself, a career, something I could do for a while. The band took a break last year for a while so I got the chance to go and manage the crew for another a band that opened for them. I've gotten a few other job offers from a few different groups but Tommy will always have priority. He's family so I can't say no. And they pay well."

"It's not hard to remember the kid who hated school because he couldn't pay attention long enough to learn anything. You didn't have a single clue what you wanted to do for the longest time."

"And now I do. You always knew what you wanted to do. You have ever since you were twelve years old. What was it? Let me see if I can remember. You wanted to work in one hotel in every country. Something like that right?"

Manny was smiling at the memories but Anya felt a twinge of sadness at the reality of where her life had taken her.

"Yeah. Something like that. And now I'm here. Running the inn where I grew up with my grandmother while you travel the world."

It was hard to hide the bite of bitterness in her words but they shocked Anya as she said them and so they came out in their rawest form.

"I'm sorry about your grandfather. I don't think I ever got the chance to say."

Anya nodded and looked down at her hands.

"Gloria said the whole town showed up for the funeral."

"Yeah. They did."

"I'm sorry I missed it."

"Me too."

The awkwardness was back and the ease with which they had been speaking had sneaked away somehow.

"How long are you in town?"

It was the one question Anya had been waiting to ask. She knew was only a matter of time before he disappeared once again. He was a mirage, in sight but just out of reach.

"I'm not sure. I need to be in Boston by New Year's Eve. We've got a show there that night. Tommy invited me to spend a few days with him and his wife, Casey."

"That's nice."

"How long do you want me to stay? I don't want to cause more trouble than I have to."

"I don't know, Manny. I'm not gonna be the one to tell you whether you should stick around or not. I don't care."

"But you're the only one who matters."

Anya got up from her seat.

"This was nice. I guess. I hope you get some sleep. Let Frank know when you plan to leave. We'll need to clean up the loft after you're gone."

"Anya-"

"Goodnight, Manny."

He didn't call after her as she left and somehow that made her feel worse for leaving him there, still seated on the window seat. She crawled back into her bed and pulled the comforter up over her head, tears falling from her eyes as she fell asleep. The bell tower down in the village rang out the hour. Two o'clock. Christmas morning.