[A/N]:

I actually wanted to post this on Christmas day but I realized that [Kisses From Death] is now #1 in Thriller/Mystery.

If you've been with me for quite some time, you'll know that this is my first ever #1 story and I am so very thankful for it. You guys are the absolute best.

I hope you enjoy this *early* Christmas special. I personally like this more than the Halloween one.

xx aurora

K I S S E S ,   F R O M   S A N T A

ADDISON HAD BEEN having the worst day of her life right before her friends had arrived at her door.

Christmas was one of her most beloved holidays, one of joy and giving which she could share with her loved ones. Unfortunately, her parents had received a last-minute emergency call and had to rush off to the airport. Although Addison bid them goodbye with a smile on her face, it was one that did not quite reach her eyes for it had not originated from her heart.

She was devastated.

For all her life, she could remember spending Christmas Day with her parents. It had been a family tradition that Mr. and Mrs. Pilediah were determined not to break but this year was special and the emergency was dire.

Although Addison had not caught what exactly the person on the other side of the phone had said, she could tell by her father's crumpled expression that it wasn't good. He had relayed the message to his wife and she, too, displayed clear signs of worry.

"Is everything alright, mama?" Addison had asked as they hurriedly packed their bags, booking the next flight out of the country.

"It is work-related, darling." Jane Pilediah pressed a kiss on the top of Addison's head before shoving more travel essentials into her handbag. "We'll be back by your birthday, I promise."

"Oh." Addison tried not to show her dismay but she knew it was still peeking through her false grins and semi-bright smiles. "Work comes first. Be careful and come back safe."

That was the last in which Addison saw her parents for the next month or so.

Seated very much alone in the living room of her home, Addison tried her best to get her mind distracted. She imagined the delicious aroma of Christmas turkey her mother would have been whipping up, or maybe the sweet scent of her father's signature hot chocolate. Maybe, right before dinner, the entire family might even bake some cookies together to celebrate the holiday cheer. If they had been celebrating with a few other relatives, they might even have a Christmas party aboard their family yacht.

This year, sadly, did not have any of that.

So instead of spending the festive time like how she normally would, Addison was curled up by the fireplace, her television hanging over on the wall as she dug her hands through the packet of instant popcorn she had heated up. The hot chocolate she had made for herself had long gone cold, it's once tasty cocoa becoming an overly sweet diluted mess of a drink.

Addison eyed the liquid with disdain, her lips curling with disgust as she returned her eyes to the television. Most of the television channels had Christmas shows playing and the one she was watching was a rerun of a Christmas classic for her— The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Even though the music from the cartoon movie was loud and energetic, Addison felt the exact opposite. She was lethargic, tire seeping through her bones as she laid limply on her sofa, eyes focused on the screen without taking in anything. From an outsider's point of view, one might have thought the blonde was dead.

That was when the doorbell had rung.

Addison bolted up from her seat, her eyes filled with a sudden light that rivaled those dangling on her family's Christmas tree as she raced towards the door. When she yanked it open, she was both disappointed and relieved to see her group of friends, all crowded outside adorning scarfs and sweaters, noses red from the chill and cheeks blushing red as a ruby. In Lucius's hands was a large bag, filled with what Addison naturally assumed were snacks and gifts.

She was disappointed that it hadn't been her parents at the door but then again, she knew deep in her heart that it was impossible. At least her closest friends were here and that was all that mattered now.

"Surprise!" Minnie beamed, rocking on her heels a little. Addison concluded that it was something she did to contain her excitement to a more tamable level. The red-head was a face full of smiles, each corner of her lips tilting to form a sunshine-bright smile as she flashed her pearly white teeth. "You didn't think that we would really leave you to spend Christmas alone, did you?"

"How did you—"

"Know?" Bella swiftly cut in, her lips curled into a smile as her chocolate brown eyes shimmered with mystery. "Lucius saw your parents driving off a few hours ago and called all of us in. Luckily enough for you, my parents are over at my relatives' house, visiting, and my brother agreed to cover for me. Porsha couldn't make it and told us to send her apologies. Other than that, we are all free tonight to keep you company."

Addison could feel her eyes prick with tears. Her lips trembled slightly, quivering in place as she wrapped her arms around all three of her closest friends, burying her face in the crook of Lucius's neck. As she sobbed, she could feel his hands running soothing trails down her back, comforting her greatly.

"I love you guys so much." She hastily wiped her tears away with the sleeves of her woven sweater. "I don't know what I can do to repay you."

"How about letting us into the house?" Lucius joked with a smile, jutting his chin lightly past her figure and into her warm home. "I know winters here are usually pretty warm compared to some other countries but I think that my toes will start freezing soon if we don't get in. I didn't wear my best pair of socks."

At that, Addison burst into laughter before opening her door a little wider for her friends to enter. One by one, they stepped into the house before hastily removing their boots by the door, careful not to tread dirt all over the clean planks of her house's floor.

"I don't think I've seen your decorations yet, Addison." Bella gasped the second she had removed her shoes, bounding into the living room with a heightened burst of energy before she jumped onto the soft couch by the fireplace. "That is one beautiful Christmas tree."

"Isn't it?" Addison laughed, walking towards the giant tree that she had decorated just the other day. "My mother wanted a more traditional tree this year but I argued against it. We've always had it in green, naturally, but I thought white looked a little better so we spray painted the leaves and branches. It's a little bit more whimsical."

"It's magical," Lucius agreed with a nod as he lowered himself into the armchair adjacent to the couch.

"Such pretty ornaments," Minnie chirped, "where did you get them?"

"Mainly from the supermarket." Addison shrugged as she walked closer towards the tree, idly fiddling with the ornaments with a smile.

It was truly one that screamed of magnificence. The white colored tree stood tall, its tip nearly grazing the high ceilings of her home. It was mainly decorated with golden and silver ornaments, from baubles to tiny angels and sparkling fairy lights that dangled from branch to branch. A glittering golden star was placed on the very top, catching all the rays of light emitted from the electrical lighting of the house.

There was, however, one ornament that seemed so very out of place.

"What is that?" Minnie asked, gesturing to a particular ornament that had caught Addison's attention as well. "Why is there only one?"

"I thought you liked things to be more evenly distributed?" Bella snorted a little as she shoved some of Addison's popcorn into her mouth. "I didn't think you would be that careless. You love decorating the tree and always nagged us whenever we had just one of an ornament."

"I didn't put that there." Addison frowned, picking up the ornament before peeling it off of the branch that it hung from.

It was a small metallic envelope, colored in glittering gold all whilst sealed with a red heart. Its size was about the length from the base of her palm to the top of her fingers and the heart that sealed the envelope seemed to resemble a garnet or another red gemstone. The ornament itself was heavy and when Addison noticed the clasp underneath the heart, her fingers automatically gravitated towards it.

"I wonder..." She murmured under her breath before picking at the heart. To her surprise, the heart clicked open easily, the letter unfolding to reveal a compartment inside. It was a literal envelope made of metal, finished with a gemstone.

Her friends were silent as Addison tipped out the contents of the envelope, watching as a small and dainty silver necklace fall from the envelope and into her hands, followed by a piece of paper that had been folded too many times. The pendant of the necklace was in the shape of a bouquet of flowers, each flower made of a diamond and adding up to four visible separate flowers. When Addison moved, the gems caught the light of the fairy lights on the Christmas tree, shimmering softly like stars in the night sky.

"Would you look at that?" Bella gaped from where she was, blinking with shock as she stood up from her seat to get a better look. "I don't think our present can top that, Lucius."

Lucius remained quiet at Bella's words but Addison did not let that bother her.

Instead, she was now peeling open the piece of paper, carefully unfolding it as she hung the ornament back onto the tree with the top clasped close.

Merry Christmas, Andy. You look as radiant as an angel.

Kisses, from Santa.

"What does it say, Addy?" Minnie piped up, coming up from behind her to peer over her shoulder.

"Nothing special," she replied in confusion, her eyebrows furrowed as she spun around to face her friends and away from the Christmas tree. "It just says 'Merry Christmas, Andy'."

"Andy?" Bella echoed with a snort. "Did someone get the wrong house?"

"The tree is in her house, Bella. How will the giver place it in the wrong house? He or she would have to break in and you've been home the entire time, haven't you?" Minnie rolled her eyes, directing her question to Addison.

"There was always someone at home. If I am out, my mother would be here. There couldn't have been a break-in." Addison shook her head. "Besides, why would they go through all the trouble to put a single ornament up? And a gift at that."

"I don't know. Some guys are creeps, Addison." Bella rested her hands on her hips, shaking her head. "You ought to be careful. It might be a stalker."

"No, I don't think it is." Addison bit her bottom lip. "I think I have heard the nickname before. Yeah, someone had definitely called me that before. I just can't remember who right now."

"A family friend?" Minnie suggested.

"Maybe it's a secret Santa?" Bella raised a single eyebrow.

"I don't know. I'm sure it will come to me in a while. Let's not bother about it." Addison shook the thought away with a smile, instead choosing to quickly clasp the necklace around her neck before tucking the note into her pockets.

"Well, we might not have gotten you diamonds but I know that I will freak if someone got me what we've got you. We all chipped in a little to get the perfect Christmas gift bag." Bella had a wicked grin on her face before she shuffled towards Lucius, pulling out a bag from behind the quiet man. "Ta-dah!"

The brunette shoved a large bag into Addison's hands as she blonde fumbled to catch it, wrapping her arms around the bag. When the blonde peered inside, she immediately laughed.

"Really?" She chortled with laughter before placing the bag on the floor, pulling out the first gift she had noticed. It was a Santa Clause plush toy, its eyes big, round, and filled with child-like wonder. In its hands was a packet of sweets.

"Who doesn't love candy?" Bella skipped over, her steps light and quick before she dug into the bag, pulling out item after item. "We got you some socks to keep you warm, a fuzzy blanket that I know you had been eyeing since last week, a stuffed pillow that I had to fight a damn eight-year-old for."

She held up a large pillow about twice the size of Addison's face. It was stuffed with 'marshmallow fluff', a soft filling that was pleasant to the touch, hence giving it its name. The print on the pillow was made to resemble that of ugly Christmas sweaters. Addison took the pillow with a grin, hugging it tightly to her chest.

"And Lucius picked out this one last item that I personally think will go wonderfully with that new bag you got last Tuesday."

It was a rather simply keychain shaped in the design of an angel. It looked a lot like the angel ornament that hung from her Christmas tree but much simpler. The blonde angel had a white dress and a halo on the top of its head, its wings folded behind its back as it held onto a golden harp. After close examination, Addison realized that the metallic keychain could be swiveled at a point to reveal a hidden mirror inside.

"Like Bella said, I don't think that this can compare to your diamonds but I hope you like it." Lucius finally broke his silence, walking up to her with a handsome smile before placing a kiss on her temple. "Merry Christmas."

She beamed, holding her presents tightly as she looked at all her friends. They had each sacrificed time with their own families so as to spend the festive day with her and the thought alone made her heart melt.

"Merry Christmas to you all," she replied.

All throughout the night, even after midnight had passed and everyone was asleep, Addison still could not get the thought of the mysterious gift out of her mind. She spared a glance at her friends, all whom which were wrapped in warm blankets on the large couches, deep in each of their dreams. Slipping into her shoes, Addison quickly threw on a jacket that had been thrown over the armrest of the couch, slipping her feet into a pair of boots before stepping out into the cold of the night.

The wind howled in her ears, flinging her hair in wild directions as she shivered in the cold. The night had always been unforgiving but Addison did not mind that one bit. It was only when she thought she had heard a whisper in her ear, one that was delicate and airy had she jumped in her position, stunned. The hair on her arms rose as she quickly glanced around at her surroundings, eyes peeled wide open.

"Hello?" She called out into the night, lips slightly parted as she crossed her front lawn. "Is there anyone out there?"

Only silence greeted her but she could still feel the wind graze her skin like a human's touch. She thought she could feel fingertips trailing down her arms, a grip that was barely there. When she moved in her spot once more and shook the feeling away, however, it never returned.

"It's getting a little colder than I remember it to be," she mumbled to herself under her breath before wrapping her arms around herself, eager to return to the warmth of her home.

With one last glance at the outside world, she sighed before stepping into her home, clicking the lock shut.

She had not noticed it but there definitely was someone out there with her, eyes brightening in amusement and twinkling with good humor. His lips curled into a slight smile before he stepped away from her house and back into the dark where he blended in the best.

All that was left to serve as a reminder of his presence was the gift he had left, still dangling around Addison's neck the next morning.

Happy Holidays.