Just a heads up, this chapter is going to be very long. I want to make it at least 2k words for the holiday! So, enjoy! :D

-Zane's POV-

 I closed my dream journal and placed it on the side of my desk. I sighed and ruffled up my own hair. I sighed and closed my eyes. I opened my eyes and stared down at the utensils scattered in the messy desk. " I know it wasn't just some dream. It's a sign....it has to be...." I thought.  It felt so strange, so surreal. 

I can't tell Garroth about it because ,obviously, he'll just try to force it to happen. This is something I don't want to risk, no matter how much I can trust him. Not only that, but he'll just go all out with teasing me; which I DON'T look forward to. I hate how Garroth can get like this. Maybe I can get him back somehow. 

My phone buzzed, nearly falling off my bed. I caught it right before it fell over. I checked to see who it was and it displayed 'Aphmau' on the screen. I answered the phone. "Hello?" I questioned while sounding very tired and grumpy. 

"Hey Zane, uh, sorry to wake you up if you were sleeping! I wanted to know if you can help me and Kawaii~Chan with the holiday party I'm hosting. There's so much to do and the party starts in a few hours." Aphmau explained. Her voice hinted that she was working all day on preparing for the celebration. 

"Firstly, no, you didn't wake me up. I just got up actually so no need to worry. Secondly, I'll come and help you guys with the prepping since I know you guys will need it. I can only imagine how stressful and frantic it is to host for so many people with only 2 people." I responded.

"Oh, Zane, thank you so much! You have no idea how much we appreciate you helping us out!" she spoke bursting with joy. I could hear Kawaii~Chan squealing in the background. I chuckled quietly and told her I'll be there soon. She hung up the phone and I tossed mine onto the bed. 

I grabbed my towel and headed towards the shower, casually saying hello to Garroth and Laurence. I showered and then proceeded to continue getting ready for the day that waited straight ahead.

...

- Third Person POV- 

Zane knocked on Aphmau's door and stood outside on the chilly porch. After waiting a few seconds, the door swung open and Zane was hit with a wave of heat. "Quickly Zane, come in! There's no time to waste when you're in a rush!" she said and pulled him inside. 

Zane placed his winter coat and hat on the hooks by the door and headed towards the kitchen. Aphmau told him to help Kawaii~Chan finish all the food. Kawaii~Chan rushed back and forth trying to finish the food and shove it all in the oven to speed up the process. 

He helped her out with cooking and managed to make enough food to feed everyone and make extra. Kawaii~Chan placed her hands on her hips and felt very accomplished about their achievement. She leaned against the island counter and looked at Zane. 

"He's so perfect." she thought. She began to get lost in her thoughts and made a weird face. She looked head over heels for Zane as he looked at her awkwardly. She let out a nervous squeal and looked away and blushing a light pink. "Why was I staring at him!?!?!" she internally self-scolded.

"Hey Zane~Kun..." she trailed off. Zane looked at her with a curious expression. "Do you know what happened to Aaron? It's not like him to just disappear and leave Aphmau behind."

"Like we said before, he's taking some time off spending time with his family. There's no need to worry about him." Zane reassured. 

"Zane, I haven't seen Aph smile since she's gotten back! Please don't lie to me!" Kawaii~Chan cried. Tears started to form in her eyes. Zane stopped in his tracks and felt a flashback coming on. 

"Let me go!"  Aphmau screamed with rage as she tried to stuggle out of Kim and Garroth's grip. Her breathing was out of whach and she sounded like a wild animal. Zane stared at the knife driven into the snow and felt sick right down to his stomach. 

"That pathetic excuse of a man needs to get what he deserves! He took my love away and he needs to die! I should've made sure he was dead when I stabbed him in his rotten heart and off that cliff. I knew I should have." Aphmau screeched at the top of her lungs. She fought against the two's grip and nearly got free. 

"Aphmau please! Listen to us....we're your friends and we're trying to help you!" Kim stated. She wasn't as strong but still managed to keep her in place. Reasoning wasn't going to work on her. 

Drool dripped from her mouth and dripped onto the snowy ground. She growled louder and began to resemble more of an angry wolf.  Her green tainted eyes glowed with rage as she looked ahead; almost waiting for Aaron to emerge from those very woods.

Ein's scream echoed through the woods and we all felt a sigh of relief. Meanwhile, for Aphmau, she got more angry. She fought against them even more and breathed harder in pure rage. 

"MY LOVE! THAT MUTT NEEDS TO DIE RIGHT NOW! I'LL KILL HIM AND HANG HIM AND LEAVE HIM THERE TO ROT AWAY! I TRULY HATE HIM! HE MURDERED EIN - MY ONE TRUE LOVE! AARON! I HATE YOU I ALWAYS WILL HATE YOU!!!" she sobbed. 

 Aphmau fell to her knees and continued to sob. The group had a look of disbelief on their faces because of what they said. They knew it was a potion effect, but it still fazed them.

"He doesn't care for you like Aaron does! Aphmau please, look at what he did to you! Please, listen to us..." Garroth cried, referencing to the slap mark on her cheek. 

 She jumped back up to her feet. "THAT'S BECAUSE I FAILED HIM TO KILL AARON! YOU PATHETIC WHINER WOULDN'T UNDERSTAND LOVE AT ALL!" Aphmau yelled at Garroth. Garroth was taken back a bit and Zane gave a death glare at her way. 

"Lucinda, what do we do?" Zane asked. "I don't know Zane.....I don't know...." 

Zane's eyes started to water and a few tears escaped his eyes. He wiped those tears away and looked away in another direction. Kawaii~Chan grabbed his arm and made him look at her.

Zane looked at her still teary-eyed. Kawaii~Chan outstretched her arm and wiped the tears that fell. He smiled weakly and and gripped her wrist lightly. She smiled back at him. 

"A-Aaron was hurt really badly when he tried to protect Aphmau from....." Zane said. His eyes had a glint of hatred and she noticed it. "From who?" she questioned with an eyebrow raised. "It's a story for another time." he answered. 

"I understand. Tell me when you're ready." she told him. They began to get lost in each others eyes. They slowly started to lean in until they heard Aphmau walking down the stairs. They blushed a lot and rushed to get the food out the stove to prevent them getting burnt. 

...

The party began a few hours after Zane and Kawaii~Chan's little 'moment' in the kitchen. They were still a little awkward after it but didn't let it affect the way the two acted around the others. 

The whole street were at the party and were having a wonderful time. Sadly, Gene and his gang (plus Dante) weren't at the party since Dante and Gene were with their mom and Zenix and Sasha were out partying somewhere else. 

All of the guests exchanged gifts and had a lot of fun. People sang along to the Christmas carols and devouring the food supply. People's festive sweaters filled the cozy home with Christmas joy! It eventually got to a special part of the holiday party. They were going to play a game that Zane despised his whole life.

The sound of a metal spoon clinging against a glass cup echoed across the house. Everyone's attention were directed towards Aphmau who announced the next and final activity. "Alright you guys, time for this holiday's grand finale! Truth or Dare!" she exclaimed. 

A few groans, cheers, and laughs erupted in the room and Aphmau giggled quietly. Everyone sat in a circle; Zane and Kawaii~Chan sat on opposite sides of the circle. After a few rounds, it was Garroth's turn to choose and he looked at Zane mischievously.

"Alright I dare Zane~..." he began. He started getting all gitty in his spot. "I have a bad feeling about this..." Zane mentally braced himself for what Garroth had in store. "AND Kawaii~Chan..." he included, earning a few gasps in the group. "To wear these blindfolds." he said. 

He pulled out a pink one for Kawaii~Chan and told Zane to use his mask. He muttered something incoherent and did what Garroth asked. He led them through the circle of people and under the mistletoe. He giggled even more and walked back to his spot.

"Alright you two, take off your blindfolds!" Garroth shouted and was excited to see their reactions. They took them off and were really confused. They saw everyone looking above them. They did the same and immediately had red and pink across their faces. 

Kawaii~Chan giggled and Zane yelled at Garroth who just laughed. She shut him up real quick with a peck on the cheek. He stopped yelling and was too embarrassed to continue his loud yelling. 

The night went on and Garroth still wouldn't stop his childish teasing. It didn't annoy Kawaii~Chan but sure did annoy the crap out of Zane! XD

But throughout the party, Zane noticed that Ghost gave Kawaii~Chan a cold look whenever she thought Zane wasn't looking. He was pretty upset by this but didn't want to confront her since he was still a bit traumatized. He couldn't be alone with Ghost in the same room anymore.

When the party came to an end, everyone left the house one by one. Confetti and scraps from random items littered the floor that Aphmau had to clean up later. "Ugh, I'm not looking forward to this." she mumbled. "I wish I had Aaron to help me...."

The two cuties went their separate ways to avoid suspicion form everyone else. But they still promised to text each other later that night. Zane was looking forward to THAT but not with Garroth. 

"So, Zane~!" Garroth sang while closing the house door. "What?" he replied with a grim tone. "Oh c'mon Zane, it was all in good fun! You know I didn't mean any harm by it. Plus, it was so cute!!!" he exclaimed. Zane sighed and retreated to his room.

Locking the door behind him, he sighed and laid back on the door, slowly sliding down. He pulled out his phone and started texting her. 

Sadly, it didn't last long because she had to go to bed. He checked the time on his alarm clock that sat on his dresser. "11:27." he said aloud to himself. Zane got undressed and into his sleepwear and hopped into bed. 

As he laid down, he saw the dream journal he was writing in that morning. He smiled at it with joy and bundled under the covers. "Hopefully it's not another nightmare this time. I hope I get another dream like that one; where I can hold her in my arms." he whispered and fell asleep.

...

Really do hope that you guys enjoyed this super long chapter! I normally don't write this much so I had to stretch a lot of things and shorten others. My sincere apologies if it's pretty crappy. ^^*

I want you all to have a wonderful Christmas and I hope you enjoy this little gift of mine! I love you all so much, so I stayed awake a little longer to get this out right now. I've been working on this chapter for about....4 hours? 

Yeah, I know. It's a lot of time dedicated to this chapter. 

Have a wonderful Christmas or Hanukkah, or whatever holiday you celebrate! Bye! ❤️

Word Count: 2,087