Anya was the last one on the bus, her skates reluctantly in her hand. Walking up the few steps, Anya nodded to the driver.

"That's everyone, John. We can head out."

He gave her a nod and swung the doors shut behind her. Anya found herself staring down the aisle of the inn's bus, looking for a seat and finding that her worst fear becoming realized. The only seat left was next to Luke, right in front of where Manny was trying to keep his nephews contained.

Anya moved to take her seat as the bus lurched forward and started down the driveway. Anya answered Luke's excited energy with a tight-lipped smile, sitting on the very edge of the small bench to give enough room between them, and so she could flee at any moment.

"I'm glad you made it."

Looking over at Luke set Manny just out of the corner of her eye so Anya kept her eyes forward.

"It should be fun."

Anya's voice didn't bother to match her words.

"Do you guys do this every year?"

"Yup. Christmas tradition. The guests love it."

"I can understand why. This is gonna be fun. I haven't been skating in ages."

Anya could feel Manny's amused attitude without having to turn around and see his expression. His next words were enough to send her eyes flying in his direction, wide enough that they were going to fall out.

"Hey, man. How are you doing? I'm Manny."

Anya found Manny leaning forward over the barrier between their two seats, his hand outstretched. She cringed as Luke grabbed it and shook.

"Luke. Nice to meet you."

"How do you know Anie?"

The nickname felt intentional at this point. Anya averted his eyes from the coming disaster by hanging her head in her hand.

"Anya? School. We went to Columbia together. We were together for about a year."

"An ex-boyfriend? Really? How interesting!"

Anya could hear the hint of laughter at the edges of Manny's voice. Unfortunately, they were still at least five minutes from the village's downtown and Manny seemed to be settling in. She kept her eyes down to avoid both of their gazes.

"How do you know Anya?" Luke asked.

"Oh, we go way back. We've known each other for ages. Ever since we were in diapers. Best friends since birth. Isn't that right, Anie?"

Anya flinched in case Manny tried to reach out and nudge her, his words trying to drag her head first, against her will, into the conversation.

"We met at school when we were twelve."

Anya corrected over her shoulder.

"Yeah but it feels like its been forever. Best friends till the end!"

"This bus ride feels like it's been forever," Anya mumbled under her breath.

"So do you work at the Inn too?" Luke asked.

"No. I'm just in town for the holidays. I'm the crew manager for the band 7 Ships. Ever heard of them?"

"Oh yeah! Totally! I caught one of their shows last spring. They were really good!"

Anya let a breath of relief as the bus turned the last corner and she could see the town's main square up ahead. She could even see the ice skating rink and the few families already on the ice.

Before Manny and Luke could get another second to bond, Anya stood and addressed the crowd as the bus came a slow stop.

"Welcome to Holly, ladies, and gentlemen. If you'll follow me, I'll show everyone the ice skating rink. There are also several boutiques and shops open if you need to grab a few last-minute gifts as well as a very nice coffee shop where you can sit and watch the skaters. Let's hurry. We have a storm coming in this afternoon and don't have much time."

At her command, the guests stood from their seats and filed out of the bus. Anya's hostess voice was in full force as she stood by the door and counted heads. Luke and Manny were the last off, Gloria's two little boys running off the bus and towards freedom. Manny had no choice but to follow.

"Well, it was nice to meet you, man."

Manny extended his hand once again to which Luke responded in kind.

"Yeah. I'll make sure to catch one of your shows the next time the band's in town."

"Definitely do that. Anya."

Manny gave her a nod in farewell as he raced after his nephews. Anya waited a long moment before following in the same direction. Luke fell in step beside her as they headed for the large ice skating rink set in the middle of the town square.

The guests filled the benches lined around the perimeter, bent over, tightening skates. Anya noticed a few had retreated to the warmth of the shops and cafes.

"Are you gonna skate?"

Anya looked around at Luke's question and found she had no legitimate reason to say no. She slipped on her skates and tightened them, out on the ice in under two minutes. She waited near the entrance as Luke took an extra few minutes to put his on. She wasn't sure why she waited but felt it would have been rude to rush out onto the ice without him.

When he finally stepped gingerly out onto the ice, he kept on hand on the rail for a few yards as he found his balance. Anya floated along at a slow pace with the natural grace of someone who's been skating since she was three.

Manny had the boys and found some milk crates to help teach them to keep balanced on the ice, giving them something to hold on to keep from falling.

Gabe, the older of the two was already gliding along, pushing the crates in front of him. JJ was still struggling and so he was the main focus of Manny's attention. Michaela showed up at his side to help out, skating with enough ease that she didn't have to think about it.

It took Anya a moment of watching Manny and Michaela together to realize that Luke had said something and was trying to make conversation. She tore her eyes from the scene across the rink to look up at her companion.

"I'm sorry. What did you say?"

"I said I get it."

"Get what?"

"Why you've stayed here so long."

The phrasing in his words rankled a part of Anya and she turned away to figure out how to respond. The beauty of the idyllic town met her eyes, with the mountains towering up behind the neat rows of buildings, covered in white with white fluffy clouds hanging overhead and threatening more. In her surroundings and a love for the town, she found her answer.

"Yeah. I mean, it's home."

"It's very beautiful here. And peaceful, too."

"For the most part, yeah. Christmas is pretty crazy, with the holidays and everything."

"If I had somewhere like this to go, I would have left New York a long time ago. I can understand why you never came back after that Thanksgiving break our junior year."

"Well..."

Anya's hesitant answer brought the reality of that situation back to the forefront, overpowering the idyllic scene around them.

"Oh. Right. Sorry. I forgot."

"Don't worry about it."

Luke's face read genuine regret and Anya sent him a soft smile to ease his guilt.

"That must have been hard. Returning here after your grandfather..."

Luke let his words trail out as they both knew the end of his sentence.

"It wasn't easy."

Anya tried to force a laugh into her words to lighten the sudden dark mood that had fallen over them.

"What happened to him? If that's okay to ask."

"It's fine. He was chopping wood one day out back and his heart just gave out. He'd had some trouble before but never anything too serious. He probably shouldn't have been chopping wood. Frank, the guy who runs our stables, found him. There was nothing they could do. We had a funeral the day after Thanksgiving. The whole town showed up to say goodbye."

"What was he like?"

"Kind. Funny. Considerate."

Anya couldn't help but smile at the thought of her grandfather.

"He was really there for me when my parents died. He did his best to make me happy and feel at home. He wasn't great with the emotional stuff, that was more Grandma's territory but he was great about making me laugh."

"He sounds like he was a great grandfather."

"He was."

A long moment of silence lapsed between them as they continued to skate, avoiding moms as they helped their small kids stay upright, nodding at guests that passed by, smiling at the comments of "Beautiful day" and "Isn't this fun?" Luke was the first to start the conversation going again.

"So that was it, huh? You go home for Thanksgiving, you're grandfather dies and you never go back to school. Never see New York again. Talk about a life change."

"I guess so. Well, kind of. My friend, Gloria, she runs the kitchen at the Inn, she drove down with me after the funeral to help pack up my apartment and officially move back home. I said goodbye to my roommate and left the city for good after that last night."

An awkwardness appeared as if from nowhere and it took Luke an extra second to respond.

"So you did come back to New York. After your grandfather died."

Anya's guilt hit her smack in the face and she would have been down on her butt if she wasn't such a good skater.

"Uh, yeah. I did."

The scene from the night before with Manny was now playing in reverse, with her acting as the guilty party. She had never said goodbye, she had never even told Luke where she had gone. They had broken up a few weeks before because she was too busy with school and work but they had found a way to be friends. He had at least deserved an explanation.

Somehow the pit in her stomach made her even more frustrated with Manny. Before she could let her thoughts run back to him, she turned her full attention to Luke and to the hurt she had caused him. She knew all too well how it felt.

"I'm sorry."

The words seemed to have caught him off guard, his hand stretching out to grab the rail they had never really left behind for balance. The deep crease that had formed between his eyebrows lessened as he looked down at her.

"I should have told you what was going on. Where I was going. I know what it's like to have someone you care about suddenly disappear with no explanation and it sucks. I'm sorry I did that to you. You didn't deserve it."

He tried on a small smile and the tension between them seemed to ease.

"Thanks. For saying that. Knowing what I know now, I can understand why you did just leave. You were needed here."

Anya nodded and the silent skating resumed.

"Do you ever think you'll go back? To college, I mean. Leave this place. Leave the Inn."

Anya answered with a sigh, her words coming out in a long breath as that one question had lingered in the back of her mind ever since she had returned to the Inn full time.

"I have no idea."

John appeared at the edge of the rink and caught Anya's eye, his finger tapping his watch to give her the signal it was time to go. From what she could see, John had already rounded up the guests that had gone shopping or for a cup of coffee. It was her job to get the skaters in line.

"Alright. Holly Inn guests! It is time to return to the Inn. Please make your way to the bus in an orderly manner!"

Luke stood with her as she waited at the entrance to the ice rink, counting the heads that made their way back to the benches to take off their skates. Just as she was going to follow Luke as he exited the rink, two cries sounded off at the same time behind her.

"Gabe! Stop!"

"Anya! Look out!"

A small force of energy hit her right in the legs, swerving around her as she lost all balance and fell to the ground. She didn't hear the skates skid to stop right behind her as two strong arms extended out to catch her just before she could hit the ice.

She was breathing hard as her brain tried to recognize the fact that she had been falling and was about to hurt herself but she no longer was and she was in no immediate danger. The arms held tight to her as she found her footing beneath her.

"Anya! Are you okay?"

The first face she saw was Luke's with concern written all over it. Gabe was safe and off the rink, her eyes quickly told her, as that was her main concern. Michaela was out of breath from racing across the rink, JJ held tight in her arms, worry evident on her face as well.

"I'm good. Yeah. I'm fine. Thanks, um..."

She turned around and found Manny helped her stand up straight.

"Thanks."

He nodded with a tight smile.

"Of course."

Michaela put JJ down on one of the benches and helped him take off his skates, Anya taking a seat behind him.

"Are you okay?"

Anya met her cousin's eyes and nodded out of instinct, the shock still every much a thing.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'll be fine. Is Gabe okay?"

"Never better. He's a bit of a speed demon. Thank goodness Manny was there."

"Yeah. Thank goodness."

Anya's eyes wandered over to where he was helping Gabe take off his skates while also giving him what looked like a stern lesson on ice rink etiquette. Once finished his eyes rose to meet hers, giving her a nod as she felt a small smile spread across her lips.

Reality finally returned and she found she still had a job to do.

"Alright, everyone! Back on the bus!"