December 24th, 2016
Romulus, United States
10:26 AM

Song: All I Want for Christmas is You, cover by Mariah Carey

"Hope, this trip is suppose to be fun." Annalise sighed as she sprawled herself across her sister's still figure that lay motionless in the hotel bed. "You can't just lay around and be all sad and stuff."

"Yeah, Hope, we should go somewhere and do something while we wait. Take your mind off of things." Taylor suggested as she carefully applied mascara on her eyelashes. "We could go to the city. I heard they have ice skating downtown."

"No. I'll just fall." Hope stated into the pillow.

"Okay... Shelby's house is a few minutes away. We could have her drag us around and show us what's up in MetroDetroit."

"No. She'll be busy getting ready for the party." Hope sighed.

"Well, we can't sit here and be sad all day." Annalise frowned. "I can't have you and Taylor both upset... Cause then I'll get upset, and we'll all be a huge mess."

"We really already are." Taylor pointed out.

Annalise laughed, and looked to Hope, but frowned when the older girl failed to find Taylor's comment funny. "Come on Moose, talk to us. Please. We wanna help."

The softer tone of her sister's voice coaxed her out of silence. She rose, pushing back her hair and revealing eyes and a nose puffed red from crying. She sniffed, staring down at her hands. "You can't help me unless you can get Matthew to break it off with Manitoba." Both girls glanced at each other, frowning as Hope continued. "One minute he's mine... The next minute, I find out this entire time I've been sharing... And the worse part is that I'm still in love him."

"Oh, hon... Some times it's best to just let things be what they are. You can't change the fact that Canada is married... Sometimes it's better to just let that stuff go. It just turns toxic if you don't..." Taylor explained, crossing her arms as she leaned against the wall.

Hope remained silent for a moment, standing up and walking over to the window, which she opened to let the grey light of the cloudy state into the room. All that lie in front of the hotel was the bustle of Christmas traffic on Merriman Road. She leaned her head forward on the cool window, taking a deep, shaky breath. "I... Don't want a lot for Christmas. There is just one thing I need. I don't care about the presents underneath the Christmas tree." Taylor and Annalise glanced at each other, but decided not to interject and interrupt Hope's song, given they both had a musical sessions of their own in the past couple days. "I just want you for my own... More than you could ever know... Make my wish come true... All I want for Christmas... Is... You!"

She turned, pressing her back to the wall and wrapping her arms around her chest, a fresh wave of tears falling down her cheeks. "I don't want a lot for Christmas. There is just one thing I need. And I don't care about the presents underneath the Christmas tree. I don't need to hang my stocking there upon the fireplace. Santa Claus won't make me happy with a toy on Christmas Day. I just want you for my own, more than you could ever know! Make my wish come true! All I want for Christmas is you! You baby!"

She pushed herself away from the wall, her eyes trained on the floor as she made her way to her phone. "Oh I won't ask for much this Christmas. I won't even wish for snow." She sang, grabbing her phone and opening up the pictures app. "And I'm just gonna keep on waiting underneath the mistletoe." She went to her album, and she was instantly met with dozens upon dozens of cute Canadope selfie sessions. "I won't make a list and send it, to the North Pole for Saint Nick. I won't even stay awake to hear those magic reindeer click!" She clutched the phone close to her chest, squeezing her eyes shut, "'Cause I just want you here tonight, holding on to me so tight. What more can I do? Baby all I want for Christmas is you!"

"You, baby." Annalise and Taylor harmorized.

"Oh, all the lights are shining so brightly everywhere!" Hope sighed, tossing away her phone and standing up off the bed, holding onto her sides as if to keep herself together. "And the sound of children's laughter fills the air! And everyone is singing! I hear those sleigh bells ringing! Santa won't you bring me the one I really need? Won't you please bring my baby to me? Oh I don't want a lot for Christmas. This is all I'm asking for. I just wanna see my baby standing right outside my door! Oh I just want you for my own, more than you could ever know! Make my wish come true! Baby all I want for Christmas is... you!"

"You, baby!"

"You!"

"All I want for Christmas is you, baby!"

Hope joined Annalise and Taylor in their duet, "All I want for Christmas is you, baby! All I want for Christmas is you, baby! All I want for Christmas is you, baby!"

By the end of their song, Hope was sobbing into her hands, and Annalise's lips trembled as she looked to the ground, trying to hold back her tears.

"Oh, come on guys," Taylor said as if in attempt to scold them, but it came out as a mutter, "it's Christmas Eve. We shouldn't be in tears. We need to do something to take our minds off of this."

Annalise sniffed. "We... We could go to a McDonalds and make fun of how big their sizes are."

"See? There we go. Let's go tease American culture." Taylor and Annalise looked to Hope.

She took a deep breath, gathering herself as she wiped away her tears. After a minute of so, she could have passed as someone's who's been out in the cold too long, rather than someone who just sang a song that put her in tears. "Yeah, let's go."