Supernatural Femslash Secret Santa

Meg’s boss, Hannah, loved them. She spent the whole day leading up to the long weekend she had gotten corporate to give the office decorating. Her patent leather shoes slipping on step stools, hanging red and green garlands in the break room and a string of lights around her office door. All Meg did through the day was watch, answering the phones with a quick-- “Dunder Milton, this Meg. Let me transfer you.”

She technically was supposed to be putting together a list of all the clients who called in. She didn’t. And now they got to the party-- Hannah announced that it was time for the party with a clap, “The party… Has started. Everyone, come into the break room. There’s drinks and cookies and Kool-Aid and we have Christmas music playing.”

Hannah was beaming, though her lips were pinched together to hold back the smile tugging on them. Meg wanted to roll her eyes, be annoyed at her boss’ holiday cheer. But she couldn’t muster up any hatred for her. It was sweet, really, Meg had just never been the holiday type.

Immediately, she made a beeline to her friend, Ruby, a customer service rep. The brunette had deemed herself the bartender for the night since, in her words, she was the only one there with any experience in bartending. And she was good at making them. Meg just asked for a beer, honestly not wanting to get as drunk as the salesmen, Lilith, seemed intent on getting.

Idly nursing the beer, she moved to a seat by the window. Hannah was sitting in the seat beside Meg, sipping Kool-Aid and holding an M and M cookie in a wrinkled green napkin. An awkward cartoon Frosty the Snowman decorated it and Meg settled for making uncomfortable eye contact with it than try to make conversation with her boss.

Her adorable boss who has apparently attempted at painting trees on her nails. The trees turned out looking a hell of a lot like green turds, but Meg had to give her props for trying and either way it made her smile a little bit.

“I’m not too good with nail polish. As you can tell.” So, Hannah had noticed her staring.

Meg didn’t have enough shame to blush at the comment, just shrugging and looking back up at Hannah, a smirk tugging at the side of her mouth “Wasn’t gonna comment. It’d probably woulda turned out better if you didn’t do it yourself, Hannah.”

Hannah straightened a bit, tugging at the pale blue sleeves of her button up. Something about the air around her at changed. She grew stiff and uncomfortable, like she had back when she had had to demote Hael. So, clearly, something was wrong.

“Well, yes. I suppose they would have.” She stood and walked away, setting her cookie down on the plastic red table cloth on the break room’s table and stomped out.

Meg didn’t know what to feel guilty about, she just knew she felt guilt. She had to have done something wrong, to get a reaction like that from Hannah. Normally, Hannah was professional but she was also warm and welcoming. Not stiff and cold, like what Meg had just seen. Sighing deeply, she stood up, deciding to go to the bathroom and maybe fake sick to go home already.

When she entered the bathroom, she saw Hannah there. She seemed slouched over the sink, back shaking slightly and-- she was crying, Meg realized. Shit. She had made her boss cry, what did she do?

“Shit, Hannah, I’m sorry.” Okay, well she didn’t want to do that. She hadn’t meant to just blurt out that awkward, half-assed apology. She should have… well, she shouldn’t have done that! Maybe comforted her, or walked out like nothing happened, or brought her her cookie!

Hannah sniffed, covering up a whimper with a cough. She didn’t reply, not right away, reaching out to grab a paper towel. The automated dispenser made sure she didn’t grab at empty air as she grabbed it, moving it to blow he nose.

“My sister died. I wasn’t alone until she died.” Her voice was strained, vocal chords tight from the grief she must have been feeling. She threw the paper towel at the trash, barely missing, before her hands returned to the sides of the sink, gripping to hold herself up.

“Shit.” Was that all Meg could say anymore? Could she only curse and regret whatever she had said? Internally, she kept up that string of curses, only directed at herself rather than at the whole situation. Stopping a moment, to get the paper towel in the trash, she walked over so she was next to Hannah.

She didn’t know how to comfort her, how to make any of it better. She wasn’t any good at the emotional stuff, at least not at this phase of grieving. Crappy jokes and pizza? That she could do. Genuine emotions? With most people by now she would be running for the hills. But, hey, Hannah was different.

Awkwardly, she patted her boss on the back. Because what else was she supposed to do? The back under her hand shook a bit, only it was from laughter rather than tears this time. Hannah choked out, “You do not have to stay there. I can tell you’re uncomfortable.”

Meg frowned and finally just said, “Yeah. Yeah I do have to stay here, actually.”

Hannah rolled her eyes at that, seeming not to accept the answer that stemmed from concern. She stood up straight, shaking Meg’s hand from her back. “Why do you feel as though you do? What kind of… loyalty do you have to me other than me being your boss?”

“I-- I don’t exactly know. Jesus, are you always this resistent to people giving a damn about you. Maybe I don’t like knowing you’re upset.” She popped her hands onto her hips, raising an eyebrow at her boss. She knew that maybe right now wasn’t the best time to get hostile, but it was rare for her to show this much emotion, to actually give a damn, so her attempts at compassion being rejected was all kinds of annoying.

Hannah just folded her arms, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. She turned around, eyes opening to meet Meg. Quietly, she said, “I do not like being emotional in front of others. I am sorry for how I must have come across but I would like it if you would leave.”

Meg groaned but nodded, “Alright, alright, I get the message. Sorry. I’ll see you later, boss.”

She turned around and walked back out. Well, faking sick wouldn’t work today, or at least not right now. She was a bit too worried about her tight-ass boss to be able to just leave which was… odd. Honestly, there was no reason she should care.

Yeah, she needed more cookies. Maybe some Kool-aid. Food was always a good comfort, especially at shitty holiday parties that seem to only be able to play Michael Buble’s cover of Santa Baby-- or Santa Buddy, as he called. Biggest ‘no homo’ she had ever heard musically and it was annoying.

Two M and M cookies later, she had moved to sit at her desk. Now, she decided, was a good time to finally do that call sheet she was supposed to have been doing throughout the day.

It was about a quarter to four and she was about half way through the day’s callers that had caller ID-- including the unfortunately named executive, Lucifer-- when Hannah walked over to the desk. She cleared her throat, a bit uncomfortable, and said, “I would like to invite you to dinner, as a way of apologizing.”

Meg looked up, moving to tuck the phone between her shoulder and chin. Scribbling down the client’s name-- Gadreel Ezekiel-- she raised an eyebrow at her boss. “Really? Isn’t it unprofessional or something for the boss to go on a date with an employee?”

A flush scattered over Hannah’s cheekbones and, clearing her throat, she said, “If it becomes serious and we don’t talk to an HR rep, yes. But that hinges on your answer, here.”

Hanging up midway through some spam caller from Winchester Cars, Meg flashed a smile, “Well, if you’re paying, I can’t say no. But, and no offense intended, please tell me where we’re going won’t play Christmas music.”

The interview was normal for the most part, but Lucifer's leg was jiggling. The presenter, a man called Bobby, was hyping up the competition between the brothers, a clock on screen counting down the moment they would reveal the numbers. The girls on the sofa were beginning to get tense as the counter reached it's final minute. Everyone stopped talking, Bobby, the brothers, the models. Sam dropped a tray of whatever in the sink and rushed over, eager to see which brother won. Ruby held Sam's hand when the last 5 seconds flashed in the corner of the screen.

"And we can reveal that Michael Shurley and Angelica is the top selling fashion company of the season!" Bobby announced, and the green screen behind him changed to show a graph. There wasn't much difference between sales, the different colours practically merging on the chart, but Michael wore a smug smirk on his face. On the other hand, Lucifer bore a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

Around Ruby, all the other models sighed. It wasn't the first time they'd been beaten out but this was the most significant. Lucifer would surely be angry the moment he got off screen - hopefully he wouldn't punch Michael, but he was well in the capability of doing it. Another few disappointed murmurs from the other models, and they started clearing out of her and Sam's apartment. Soon only her and Sam were left.

"That was anti-climatic," Sam muttered, stumbling back over to the kitchen. He picked up the tray and brought it to the coffee table, showing Ruby that it was another batch of gingerbread cookies. Sam was such a dork, he was a stress-baker. As the interview went on, now just Michael and one of his favourite designers (a guy called Joshua), her and Sam ate about half the cookies he had made.

When he got up to put the rest of them in the fridge, his laptop began to sound. Someone was calling him on Skype. He rushed back to the couch and answered the call.

"Hey, Dean," Sam grinned at his monitor as a blurry image of his brother appeared on screen.

"Evening, loser," Dean replied childishly, a feral look in his eyes. "How's it feel being second best fashion company in America. Because let me tell you, being number one is great." Sam rolled his eyes, before sending Ruby a meaningful look. Sighing, she got up and grabbed more cookies from where Sam had just set them down.

"I'm great, thanks for asking," Sam ignored Dean's comments. Ruby squished in beside Sam, fitting herself into the view of the webcam. Dean's left eye twitched but he didn't say anything.

"Seriously, how'd you guys take it? I know Luci won't have taken it well," Dean asked, a sullen look on his face. Sam held up one of the cookies and stuck his tongue out. "No fair! You got cookies? Can't you like mail me some or something? No, wait, what if I come over to you?" Ruby furrowed her brows.

"Dean, you're not driving 5 hours to get here for a damn cookie," Sam shrieked, surprising Ruby a little, but Dean just shrugged.

"I don't mean to have tea and biscuits, bitch," Dean sighed tiredly. "I mean we should work together. You know, bring the two rival companies together." Sam was about to protest, when Ruby clamped a hand over his mouth. She shoved him out of the way.

"That's actually not bad idea, Deano," she said. "It would be great for publicity, Michael and Lucifer would be brought together for good. It could be like angel and demon themed, you two would get to see each other again. Think about it, it'll be great for us all. I'm gonna go call Lilith!"

Ruby leapt up from the couch to grab her phone. Lilith was the most senior of the models and a close friend of Lucifer's for a long time; if anyone could convince him of the plan, it would be her. The line rung twice before Lilith picked up. Ruby explained the plan, and Lilith hung up, probably to go talk to Lucifer himself.

Lilith called back twenty minutes later, informing "Plan Reunion" was a-go.

The hall was a lot bigger than Ruby was expecting, the biggest live audience she would have performed in front of. In the middle of it all, there was a runway wide enough to fit two models on at once, even with all the flexing and turning. Dean Winchester was already strutting his way down, Sam by his side. Ruby rolled her eyes and sat on one of the folding chairs in the front row, where Lilith had asked them all to sit. On the other side of the stage, all of Michael's models were sat talking amongst themselves.

A girl with red hair walked down centre stage, sighing when she saw Sam and Dean pushing each other around. She staggered over to them and pulled them apart, shoving off to their respective seats. Sam fell into the empty beside Ruby, a wide grin on his face. Ruby rested her head on Sam's broad shoulders, waiting for the girl with red hair to talk.

"Hey, guys, my name is Charlie, and I'm the technician-slash-creative director for this shin dig," Charlie smiled brightly at the crowd of models. "I want you all to work in pairs - one from Angelica and one from Devil's Advocate. You need to get to know each other, the audience needs to see a connection between the partners.

"We need to start and end the show on a strong point, so I suggest Sam and Dean work together to do just that," Charlie explained, pointing her pencil at the Winchester brothers. They nodded at each other in a knowing way, and Ruby rolled her eyes again. She was about to mutter something to Sam when Meg put her hand up.

"Are you saying the rest of us aren't as good as Dumb and Dumber?" She asked, sarcasm dripping in her tone. Charlie stumbled on that one.

"Not at all, but Sam and Dean were the ones that made all this happen," Charlie pointed out. "They were the ones to talk to Luci and Mikey about combining the companies for publicity. It was a smart move on their part, to be honest." Meg shrugged, clearly just eager to see Charlie flustered and uncomfortable. She had a smirk on her face as she settled back into her seat.

Ruby glanced over the models from Angelica, wondering which one she'd be paired with. They all seemed nice enough at first glance (except Dean, who she knew was an ass) but one caught her eye. The girl's hair was flame red and her eyes were a bright green. Ruby couldn’t help but be captivated by her. She watched as the others got paired off; Abaddon with a woman wearing a grey suit and pinned up hair, Casey with a conservatively dressed girl, Meg with a smartly dressed guy.

Then Charlie pointed her pencil at Ruby.

“Leather jacket!” She yelled, catching Ruby’s attentions. “You’re with Cherry over here.” To Ruby’s surprise – and pleasure – Charlie was pointing to the beautiful redhead. A smug smirk spread across her face as she stared at the girl. She looked up and their eyes locked. The girl's eyebrows raised when she saw Ruby’s smile, but she had a similar expression.

Ruby couldn’t focus on anything else for the rest of the meeting.

As soon as Charlie called an end to the briefing, Ruby leapt up and headed for the redhead. Sam was hastily following her, and she realised that Dean was talking to her partner. The brothers greeted each other with a strong hug, whereas Ruby greeted the redhead with a friendly nod. When they pulled away from each other, Dean smiled at Ruby.

“Ruby, this is my buddy - Anna,” he introduced the redhead girl. “Anna, this is the bitch, Ruby.” Sam rolled his eyes and punched his brother’s arm.

“Don’t be a jerk,” Sam muttered. “Ruby’s really nice, Anna, you'll love her.”

“I’d rather decide that for myself,” Anna replied, folding her arms over her chest. A blush crept across Sam's face as Anna stared at him with intensity, causing Ruby to giggle; Sam was such an idiot sometimes. Anna moved forward, Sam and Dean parting to allow her through, with her hand held up. “Anna Milton.”

Her fingers were dainty as they gripped Ruby's, carefully painted nails pressing into Ruby’s palm. Ruby enthusiastically shook her hand, grinning widely. Anna returned the smile, eyes lighting up the room. Ruby’s heart began to flutter, like butterflies trying to escape her ribs.

“Ruby Babylon," she slowly pulled her hand away from Anna's, her heart begging not to let go - to let the touch linger for another minute. Her brain knew better, and harshly dropped her arm to her side. "I'm glad to be working with you." A light flickered behind Anna's eyes, turning them from a hazel-green to amber.

"You too," Anna smiled flirtatiously. She linked her arms with Ruby's and they started to walk away. "You can stay in my hotel room, if you want." Eagerly, Ruby nodded. Sam and Dean stared after them, mouths agape. Ruby just smirked.

As soon as Anna shut the hotel room door, she pinned Ruby against it. Her slender fingers wrapped around Ruby's wrists, holding her firmly to the wall. Without hesitation, Anna leaned in and placed her lips against Ruby's kissing roughly and impatiently, causing Ruby to moan. She found herself kissing back, eyes closed and breath short, until finally she pushed Anna away. Anna dropped her hands, brows furrowed in confusion.

"You did want that, right?" Anna questioned uncertainly. Sighing, Ruby shook her head.

"Yeah, I did - I do but... it would be really unprofessional," Ruby muttered, almost bitterly.

"Seriously?" Anna snorted, but then saw the sad look on Ruby's face. "Look, we don't have to tell anyone." Ruby shook her head again, but twisted her fingers with Anna's. Gently, she pulled Anna forward into a chaste kiss.

"Just wait until the show's done," Ruby whispered in Anna's ear. "We can go out then, I'll take you some place nice." Anna agreed, though she was looking longingly at Ruby's lips.

The next few days of practice were Hell - full of lingering looks and hesitant touches. Anna was desperate to have Ruby in her arms again. Ruby wanted to hold her too, hug her, embrace her, anything, but she had to keep herself in check. As Charlie said, "If I can keep my cool around all these half naked ladies, you're all gonna have to do the same!" Ruby sighed as she watched Anna strut down the catwalk. She was so beautiful and brilliant, Ruby could hardly wait until the show.

In the final rehearsal, Ruby tripped and fell, and Anna caught her. It only made Ruby's heart beat more. It was only one more day before they could finally be together. Ruby already knew where she was taking Anna, an Italian place that would do anything for a reservation from a model. After the show, that would be the best part of Plan Reunion.

The lights were warm, hot enough that Ruby could feel her make up running. One of the make up women came and fixed her up, wiping away the black smudge of eyeliner beneath her eye and adding more glitter to the red eye shadow she wore. Thankfully, the glue holding the fake lashes were fine, as the adhesive was a pain when it got in your eye.

All of Ruby's make up was dark and red, designed to look like a devil. Anna's, on the other hand, was light colours - golds and whites and pinks, designed to make her look innocent and angelic.  Anna wore a white dress as well, gold wings fixed onto her back. She was absolutely beautiful.

Sam and Dean were straight before them, and Ruby watched on nervously as they embarked down the catwalk. In their ear pieces, Charlie was yelling for them to get lined up so they could set off the minute they needed to. There was a crack in the curtain that Ruby could see through, waiting for Sam and Dean to make their return. As soon as they span around, Sam flashed a quick smile at Ruby before he changed back to the classic blue steel.

"Anna, Ruby, start walking," Charlie hissed through the ear piece. Simultaneously, the girls began to stride down the catwalk, stepping in time to the music. Charlie then switched to the overhead microphone.

"Next up with have two beautiful ladies! Ruby Babylon of The Devil's Advocate, wearing a stunning red dress styled by Lucifer himself. And to her left is Anna Milton from Angelica, wearing white denim overalls and crop top from the spring Joshua line." There were hums from the sidelines as they reached the end of the stage; the spectators must be impressed.

They stood at the end of line, striking one pose then two. Ruby was about to turn back, when she felt Anna's hand grasp her wrist. She pulled Ruby into a tight embrace, forcing them to be at eyeliner with each other. Anna closed her eyes and leaned in, capturing Ruby's bright red lips in a passionate kiss. The crowd gasped, there were some wolf whistles, but Ruby was too caught up in the moment. Anna had dipped her, kissing more and more deeply, tongue running the seam of her lips.

Eventually they broke away, they had to. Charlie was screaming in their ears, but Anna just took her ear piece out and grinned like a feral animal. She placed another kiss on Ruby's neck, just beneath her ear, leaving a pastel pink mark there.

"I think I've waited long enough," Anna whispered seductively. She pulled them both upright, smiling as she gazed into Ruby's deep eyes. Ruby was speechless. Utterly speechless. Her heart was beating a hundred miles an hour in her chest, her legs were weak, and Ruby practically melted in Anna's arms.

All the snow has melted and the trees and flowers are slowly beginning to bloom. It’s spring again. She’s taking out the trash early one morning before school, dew still leaving everything shining in the pale morning light, and that’s when she sees her. A girl with skin the color of lily petals and hair as dark as a raven’s feathers is sitting in her backyard, surrounded on all sides by lush grass and flowers that weren’t there last night.

Claire stands there, silently, watching as this woman weaves flowers together. Her cat, Sir Barks-A-Lot (he had the name when they adopted him), who hates strangers, and is barely a fan of Claire herself, is curled up at this girl’s side, more calm and content than Claire has ever seen him. All in all, it’s a very confusing moment for Claire, and she’s pretty sure she’s actually still asleep.

When a fawn wobbles its way out of the woods behind her house and comes up to nuzzle the strange girl, Claire lets out an exasperated “Oh, come on,” much louder than she intended. It startles the fawn, who bounds off into the woods again, and gains the attention of the stranger. Claire is offered a serene smile as the girl gets to her feet. That’s when Claire notices this girl is naked. Claire’s all for being confident in one’s own body, but even if it is technically spring, they’re in Illinois, and it’s still cold. Or at the very least, too cold to be naked.

As the girl walks over, Claire finds she can’t bring herself to move. You would think, with some weird exhibitionist making themselves at home in her backyard, she would be a little more motivated to get away. Maybe she’s in shock.

“You must be Claire.” ...She must be losing it is what she must be. Surely she didn’t hear what she thought she just heard.

“How do you...”

“Know your name?” Claire nods. “I heard your wish. I’m here for you.”

Claire stares wordlessly at the girl for a few moments. “...Right.” She decides to head back inside and finish getting ready for school, hoping that when she gets home at the end of the day that this whole ordeal will turn out to have just been some weird hallucination.

--

“Dammit,” Claire mutters when she gets home. It wasn’t a hallucination.

“Hello, Claire,” the girl greets her when she steps inside. She’s still naked, save for a crown of flowers on her head - likely what that flower chain from this morning was for. “Did you have a good day?”

"It was fine...” She mumbles with a slight grimace. “What are you doing here?”

“I told you this morning. I’m here--”

“Here for me,” Claire cuts her off. “Yeah, I got that part. But what are you? And why are you here for me?”

“My kind have been called many things, but our true name cannot be pronounced by human tongues. As for why I’m here, I told you before. I heard your wish.”

“What wish? I don’t remember asking for random nude strangers to show up in my yard.”

“That’s not what you wished for. You wished to not be alone.”

--

Claire continues asking the girl questions, once she gets her to put on some clothes. She asks her name, which turns out to be Hael - or at least that’s what she tells Claire to call her. She asks how she’s supposed to keep this from her mother if this girl doesn’t leave, and apparently Hael can only be seen when she wants to be seen, and by who she wants to see her. Of course Claire could still run in to some awkward moments if her mom overhears her talking to someone she can’t see.

Once Claire is done with her inquisition, Hael makes sure that Claire knows that their time together will end at the stroke of midnight after the first snowfall of the coming winter. Claire thinks to herself that she can’t wait. She wants this weird girl out of her house so she can go back to her normal life.

--

Eventually, Hael starts showing up at school. Claire’s not exactly sure how she finagled her way into actually getting on the roster, but one day, there she is, sitting in Claire’s calculus class like she belongs there. Everyone seems to flock to her too, like she’s the most interesting thing they’ve seen, just because she’s new.

It pisses Claire off a little.

It pisses Claire off more when Hael sits with her at lunch, and a whole posse of people Claire either doesn’t know, or doesn’t like, proceed to follow.

A few weeks down the road, Claire realizes she’s getting used to these people that flocked to Hael, and a number of them have actually started talking to her when Hael isn’t around, and about things that have nothing to do with Hael.  She even gets asked to hang out by a couple of them. It takes a few offers before she says yes, but when she does, she actually finds herself enjoying her time.

Somewhere along the line, she finds herself enjoying Hael’s company as well. It’s still weird to see Sir Barks-A-Lot take a liking to someone, and she doesn’t seem to ever actually sleep, but they have more to talk about than she would have expected.

Hael’s kind apparently aren’t immune to family drama, and as it turns out, she can almost relate to what Claire went through with her father. It’s not exactly the same, but it’s the first time Claire’s spoken to someone she feels can understand what she’s gone through. What she’s still going through.

Even when Hael can’t relate to a subject, she’s always a good listener. She knows when to offer advice, when to just let Claire vent, and when to be a shoulder to cry on. Claire actually comes to trust her, which is something she hasn’t done in a long time.

--

By the time summer rolls around, they have a solid group of friends that they hang out with on a regular basis. What started out as Claire just being stuck with these people because they wanted to hang out with Hael, and Hael wouldn’t leave her alone, becomes something real. Claire starts leaving the house more often, and her mother comments that she seems a little bit happier. Even Sir Barks-A-Lot seems to have warmed up to Claire.

If she had to be completely honest, Claire would say that it’s the best summer she’s had since before her dad disappeared.

--

The weeks go by in a flash, and before Claire knows it, it’s fall again. School’s starting, the weather’s getting cooler, the leaves are changing, and Claire feels like a different person.

She hasn’t smiled so much in years, and she hadn’t realized how lonely she was until she wasn’t lonely anymore. Sure, she still has moments where she’s down, where she wants to shut out the world and not talk to anyone, but these people are understanding of that. They’ve had their own share of ordeals to get through, their share of hard times, and they understand. They’re there for Claire when she wants to talk, or just wants company, and they trust that she’d do the same for them. And she would.

The further they get into the school year though, the less often Hael joins them during group hangouts. Claire figures maybe she’s growing tired of humans, or maybe she is off enjoying all the parts of human culture that she hasn’t gotten to yet. Then Claire remembers what Hael was so adamant about telling her back in the spring. Their time together has an expiration date. Claire hopes, to herself mostly, that it was just some dramatic mystical crap she was spewing, and that things won’t just end come winter.

But since that may not be the case, she makes a conscious effort to spend more time with Hael. It cuts into her time with the rest of their friends a little, but they don’t seem to mind. Especially when, in early November, Hael tells them all that she’ll be moving in a few weeks, somewhere far away. Claire wishes she could tell them all the truth, but as much as they trust her, she doubts they would believe something like that.

--

The temperatures steadily start dropping, and Claire’s spirits follow suit. She never expected to grow so attached to Hael. Hell, a few months ago, she couldn’t wait for her to be gone. But now...It’s hard to imagine her life without Hael. She’s become such an important part of Claire’s life, and Claire isn’t sure she’s ready to let go.

Eventually it comes. A winter weather advisory for their county. The conditions are just right for snow. Claire dreads going to sleep that evening, and while all the kids in town are hoping for a snow day, she’s hoping for freezing rain or ice - anything but snow.

The next morning, she wakes up to a six inch thick blanket of white covering the ground, and her mother telling her school is cancelled. Once her mother goes to get ready for work, Claire can’t help but let herself cry.

She ends up crying herself back to sleep, and is startled awake an hour and a half later by a hand on her shoulder, and opens her eyes to see Hael smiling softly down at her. Hael gently wipes the tears from Claire’s face.

“We have fourteen more hours. Let’s make the most of them.”

They eat a quick breakfast before bundling up in warm winter clothes, then they head outside. Claire gets texts from her friends, asking if she’s doing anything, and tells them all that she’s spending the day with Hael before she has to leave.

The two of them do as many cliche winter things as they can think of. They make snow angels, have a snowball fight, go sledding, make a snowman. And when their cheeks are red with the cold and they’re shivering despite all the layers, they head in for a couple of mugs with hot cocoa by the fire.

While Claire’s mom works late, the two of them curl up together as Hael tells Claire stories of where she’s from, and even though Claire knows what Hael is, and that where she’s spent her life is a far more magical place, she still can hardly believe some of the tales Hael spins.

The clock ticks down, closer and closer to midnight, and Claire finds herself asking Hael, desperately, if this really has to be the end. If there’s not some way that she can stay, even just a little bit longer.

Hael’s answering smile is sad, and unlike any expression Claire’s ever seen on her face. “I’m sorry, but yes. This is the last of our time together. This is how it was always going to be.”

“But I can’t go back to being alone.”

“You won’t be.” Hael brushes a lock of hair behind Claire’s ear. “You have people who care about you. Friendships that will last you a long time. As the time passes, you’ll miss me less and less.”

“It’s not fair...” Claire says, her voice soft.

“I know.” Hael kisses Claire’s forehead. “Thank you, Claire. For everything.”

“Hael, I...” Claire tries to find the words to say, but she can’t. Instead, she wraps her arms around Hael in a tight hug, and can’t stop the tears from falling as Hael hugs her back.

They stay like that, wrapped in each others arms for what feels like too long, yet not long enough, before Hael reluctantly pulls away, glancing briefly at the clock. “It’s time...”

Claire watches Hael, once again grasping futilely for something to tell her to properly convey how she feels.