Chapter Text
Rey Niima couldn't help but shiver underneath her threadbare woolen coat as she trudged through the snow piling up in the Denny's parking lot trying to get to her car. Another night, another stressful waitressing shift in the books. Christmas was only two days away, but she never would have guessed it with the amount of surly and demanding customers and their downright criminal tips that she had to suck up and bear with a grin time after time.
Topping it all off, tonight she'd let her guard down and allowed herself to be bothered by the cold and hostile words of yet another grinch who didn't want to be reminded it was almost Christmas. Rey couldn't explain to herself why they kept replaying in her head; it was nothing she hadn't heard before. Christmas was her absolute favorite holiday, and she had decided years ago that nothing and no one would ever ruin that for her. Not another Christmas Eve shift, and definitely not a rude stranger whom she'd never lay eyes on again.
To say that Rey was annoyed with herself for dwelling on their brief interaction would be an understatement. By the time she unlocked her door and slid behind the wheel she was determined to amp up the radio and drown out all but the jolliest of thoughts. Unfortunately, the voice of the local meteorologist was the first thing to blare out of her old speakers as she sped off down the empty avenue, and the news wasn't good.
"This is Rachel Summers here with an update on your local weather forecast. Winter Storm Padme has definitely arrived and is well underway, with most counties having gotten at least 5-6 inches of snowfall so far. I know the plows are working overtime tonight, but please, folks, stay where you are. These are perfect whiteout conditions and the snow is not going to be letting up anytime soon in the next 24 hours. I highly recommend grabbing a blanket, cuddling on the couch with that special someone, and just let it snow, let it snow, let it-"
"Nice," Rey muttered as she smashed the radio button off. She had known since yesterday that the storm was coming, but her bank account didn't exactly allow her to take a night off. Scowling at the windshield and glaring at the dangerous mess that was the poorly lit highway, she couldn't help but crack a smile when she heard the muffled tune of 'The Christmas Song' begin playing in her pocket.
"Finn," Rey sighed in relief as she answered her phone. "Your timing is excellent, I just got off my shift."
Finn had been Rey's best friend since they were teenagers in the same foster home together. When he was 17 he'd finally been adopted into an amazing family, and they all welcomed Rey like she was their own daughter. For the last five years she'd been invited to their house for their Easter egg hunt, Independence Day barbecue, and of course their big Christmas Eve party.
"Awesome, glad I caught you," Finn said, his tone not quite matching his words. "How was work?"
"Oh you know...the same grouchy customers, the same pathetic tips...but a little girl told me my hair looked really pretty so it wasn't all bad."
"Nice. See, you just have to look at the bright side of things, that's all. Speaking of which...Rey, I kind of have some bad news."
"Oh no...don't tell me. Please."
"I know, and I'm really sorry. My folks have decided to go ahead and cancel the party tomorrow. It's just too dangerous with this blizzard."
Rey let out a long groan. "I should have seen this coming. Great. You know, it's not going to be Christmas without you this year. What am I going to do, watch 'It's a Wonderful Life' with my cat? You know BB can't stand that movie."
Finn chuckled at her last comment. "Hey, I'm bummed about it too. This will be my first Christmas without your famous cheesecake. You know I can't bake."
"That is true. You did almost set your kitchen on fire when you tried to make those brownies two Christmases ago. I swear, you turned them into ash."
"See, exactly!" Finn let out a loud laugh. "I'll probably end up downing a sleeve of Oreos with some milk and calling it a night. It's just pathetic."
Finn then paused a moment, his tone softening to one of concern. "But seriously...are you going to be okay? Do you want to talk tomorrow night for a bit? I hate thinking about you being alone on Christmas."
Rey couldn't help but wince and let out a deep sigh. They were the best of friends, and she knew deep down he would always be there for her, but she just couldn't admit to him that his worried comments were painful to her ears. She loathed being pitied, and it was in moments like these that Finn's words felt smothering. She was fine. Everything would be fine.
"Thanks, Finn, but I'll be fine, really. I'll probably end up making some pasta and some cookies, have a little wine, it'll be fun. It's fine, it's going to be great," Rey swallowed hard, forcing a smile to her lips.
"Look Finn, uh...the visibility is getting worse out here, so let me just call you Christmas Day, okay? I promise we'll make plans to celebrate when this blizzard clears up. This snow is not going to ruin our holiday."
Finn sighed but kept his voice gentle. "Alright then, you drive safe. Text me when you get home, okay?"
"I will. You have a Merry Christmas, Finn."
"You too, Rey. Merry Christmas."
"Love you."
"Love you too. Bye."
Rey hung up before her voice could crack, tears welling up in her eyes. This was ridiculous. She was obviously NOT fine, and she mentally chastised herself for believing she could even try to fool Finn into thinking otherwise. Before the tears could hit her cheeks Rey rubbed her eyes, trying to keep her vision clear as the snow blew in all directions outside of her windshield.
Driving home in an emotionally compromised state would not be helpful right now. She was still paying off the balance she had put on her credit card for the car parts from her last accident this past Summer.
Rey tried to focus on taking in some deep breaths and relaxing her mind to help slow her racing heart and pull herself together, but it was all in vain. After just a few minutes, all happy thoughts of Finn, or his family party, or drowning out her sorrows in a very large glass of wine swiftly fell to the wayside as she cautiously approached the bottom of her street at last.
It was only very recently that Rey had moved into a decades-old weather-beaten log cabin that she rented from a retired couple who had managed to escape the cold by moving to Florida. It was cramped and in desperate need of new heating and plumbing, but the rent was cheap and it beat sharing an apartment, especially with the five wooded acres in the backyard. It was also perched on the side of a mountain with stunning views of the river valley, but tonight Rey's stomach did somersaults as she looked up the dark, steep road that led to her new address.
It was painfully obvious that the plows had not gone up yet, and with their being not a single street lamp on the entire mountain, it would be extremely difficult to see where the road ended and the cavernous ravines began.
Knowing she would regret it if she didn't, Rey looked at her almost empty gas gauge and nervously pulled off to the shoulder to mentally run through her options. If she tried to drive up the mountain she might end up in a ditch, or worse, smashed at the bottom of a cliff. If she tried to drive to Finn's house, which was at least 30 minutes away, the snow was only going to get deeper and her chances of breaking down and being stranded or getting into an accident only went up.
After gazing out the windshield one last time at the endless white swirling in front of her, it became apparent that there was really only one choice: she'd have to ascend this godforsaken mountain or she'd end up freezing to death on the side of the road.
Taking a deep breath and saying a quick prayer that she would make it home in one piece, Rey gently pushed the gas and began the long crawl up the winding gravel road. Even though she only maxed out at 15 mph, every moment that she kept moving without sliding or getting stuck kept her courage up and her focus intact.
After a painstaking 30 minute slog, Rey was practically dancing in her seat as she turned the last bend before the short stretch of road that led to her driveway. Within seconds however her excitement was killed off as she pulled up to her mailbox and gasped at the horrible sight in front of her house. A black sports car had crashed into the side of the ditch that lined her front yard, with long tracks in the wrecked snow leading up to it.
Without thinking, Rey threw her shifter into park and ran out into the storm, a million agonizing scenarios running through her head. Her first relief was to see that aside from a semi-crushed hood, the car and its windows were intact, the driver and any passengers obviously still in the vehicle.
As she approached from the rear she looked into the windows and was relieved again to see there was no one in the back seats. There was now only the front seat left to check, and though Rey hoped that whoever was in there would somehow be alright, nothing could have prepared her for what she found.
Slumped across the steering wheel was a cascade of long, dark hair belonging to a very tall and very built young man who was knocked out, his pale face cut and bleeding from the impact. It only took a moment before realization dawned upon her, but when it did her mouth fell wide open, her heart crashing in her chest.
It was him.