Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Beatrice was having a bad day. 

That much… Wasn't all that surprising in all honesty. 

Recently, the bad generally seemed to far outweigh the good. 

She let out a long sigh as she stepped into her apartment and brushed a hand through her damp hair. 

Of course it would rain today. 

Beatrice dropped her laptop bag beside the door and hung up her coat, and yawned into the back of her hand. 

As she passed through the hallway, Beatrice caught sight of the answering machine and the flashing number on the small screen. 

Four messages. 

And there were only a few people that came to mind who even bothered to call her landline, scam callers not included. 

Wonderful. 

Like ripping off the band-aid, Beatrice hit play and continued into her apartment. 

You have four new messages. 

"Beatrice, this is the third time I've tried to call you this week…" 

God, it was her mother. 

She filled the kettle with water and flicked the switch, pausing for a moment to lean against the counter as she listened. 

"I spoke with Elaine, Elaine Worthington? She said that you never showed on Friday. Archer is a nice boy, Beatrice. Call me when you get this." 

With a name like Archer Worthington, he couldn't be that nice. 

She really didn't know when to stop attempting to set Beatrice up with the sons of her friends at the country club. 

Also, he was a boy. 

That had a tendency to be a bit of a deal breaker in Beatrice's eyes. 

(Her mother knew that, of course. She simply chose to ignore it.) 

Beatrice turned to grab a mug from the cupboard and dropped a tea bag inside as the answering machine beeped, signalling the pause between messages. 

"Beatrice, it's your father." 

Oh for the love of…

Beatrice let her head tip forward to hit the cabinet door in mild frustration. 

"I expect to receive your RSVP to the club's Christmas party, and no, there will not be one sent for your… friend to attend." 

Despite herself, Beatrice let out a bitter laugh. 

"Don't worry father." Beatrice murmured under her breath. "I have no 'friend' to bring with me." 

The only reason he knew of her existence was because of the people in that fu… Ridiculous club talking about her behind their back. 

Beatrice had worked so hard on herself to stop being ashamed of her sexuality. She had come so far and was as close to being openly gay as she could. 

And yet every time she found herself taking a step forward, something always seemed to happen that would send her back to square one. 

"Let me know. Goodbye, Beatrice." 

She added the milk to her tea and walked over to the sofa as the next message began. 

"Beatrice. Darling..." 

The light and forcefully cheerful voice was enough to have Beatrice's entire body tensing up. 

Zori. 

The 'friend' in question. 

Today really was just pulling all of the punches. 

"I'm leaving for L.A on Saturday and I've been looking everywhere for my Gucci boots, I'm sure they're still at your place. If you could return them that would be great, thanks." 

They had dated casually for almost two months, and as far as Beatrice had been concerned, things had been going well. 

They had been happy. 

How wrong she had been. 

Two weeks ago, Zori had declared quite simply that it wasn't working out and had left. 

All she had said when Beatrice had asked her what had gone wrong was that Beatrice wasn't 'emotionally available'. 

It had stung. 

It also hadn't been the first time she had been told that. 

Zori had been her longest relationship since university, and all that Beatrice had learned from it was that maybe she was right. 

Maybe Beatrice was emotionally unavailable, too closed off to ever really let anybody in, to let them see her true self. 

Beatrice didn't even know who she was, how could she expect anybody else too? 

Her life was just a series of masks to please others. Her worth was in the skills that she possessed, in her ability to keep her status. 

The Kline family had a reputation to uphold, after all. 

Beatrice sighed and set her mug down on the coffee table, leaning back so that she could run a hand through her hair. 

She almost didn't notice the fourth message begin to play. 

"Beatrice? This is Sterling Callahan, we met at Henry Smythe's retirement party back in August? Your mother passed your number, I was wondering if you wanted to get coffee sometime." 

Beatrice had stopped listening by the time he listed off the digits of his number. 

To set her up with these boys was one thing, but to actively start giving out her number without consent? 

No. 

Beatrice got up and walked over to the answering machine, playing back the last message for the sole reason of blocking his number on her landline and mobile. 

For good measure, Beatrice deleted all of the messages too. 

When it was done, Beatrice was left in silence. 

Just her in her tiny, one bedroom apartment. 

…She was so tired.

Dinner first. 

And then Beatrice could go to bed and do the whole thing over again tomorrow. 

"Beatrice…" Jillian sighed. "Your work, as always, is perfect." 

"But?" Beatrice prompted. 

Jillian raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think there's a but?" 

"Your tone, the apprehension, the clear disappointment in your eyes." Beatrice replied. "Truly, the list could go on." 

She looked at the portfolio pages spread out across Jillian's desk, trying desperately to find the fault that her boss could apparently see so clearly amongst them. 

The only sound that each of them could hear was the Christmas music playing outside of Jillian's office, far too cheerful for Beatrice's current mood. 

Eventually, Jillian opted to put Beatrice out of her misery. 

"They're too neat, Beatrice." Jillian said. "There's no personality in them." 

Beatrice raised an eyebrow. "Since when is that a requirement for advertising?" 

It was a series of graphics for a new brand of headphones for crying out loud. 

"Beatrice, if I were to line up all of your work and bring a stranger off of the street to look at them, they wouldn't know that it was the work of one person." 

"I don't see the problem with that." Beatrice replied honestly. "It shows that I'm adaptable to my clients needs." 

"You -"

"Have there been complaints from my previous clients?" Beatrice asked. 

"No. Not at all." Jillian replied. 

It was clear that Jillian was trying to be patient with her, but Beatrice could only feel her own frustrations growing. 

It was far too early in the morning for this. 

"Am I doing a bad job?" Beatrice asked. 

"No." Jillian sighed again. "Beatrice, in this line of work, you can get by like this, but if you want to succeed then you need to stand out. You need to have a style. When these products sell because of you, you're selling yourself." 

Beatrice resisted the urge to frown. 

"So what you're telling me is that I need to develop a personality." Beatrice said dryly. 

"You have a personality." Jillian scolded gently. "You just need to let it show in your work if you want to build a career." 

This time, Beatrice didn't quite manage to stop herself. 

Jillian rested her elbows on her desk and leaned forward, regarding Beatrice carefully. 

"...That is what you want, isn't it?" She asked. 

Beatrice remained silent. 

University, business school, the internship her parents had secured for her here at Jillian's company that led Beatrice to this point… 

It should be what she wanted. 

It was what she worked for. 

(It was what her parents had wanted.) 

Jillian gave her a long look, her expression softened as she began to gather up the pages of Beatrice's mock ups. 

"Beatrice, I'll approve the pieces. I'm not trying to put you in a difficult situation right now." She said softly. "More than your boss, I consider myself your teacher and dare I say, friend." 

Beatrice's only friend was her boss. 

Her boss that she only knew because of her parents. 

…It was so depressing that Beatrice would laugh had she been alone. 

"Okay?" 

"You look tired." 

Beatrice tilted her head slightly and leveled Jillian with a long look. "Thank you." 

"You haven't used any of your vacation days." 

"I have nowhere to be." 

Nowhere to go. 

"You haven't so much as requested a day off over Christmas." 

She had planned on putting the request through the day that Zori had left her. 

Beatrice had planned on using work as an excuse to limit the interactions between her parents. 

"I've never really… Done Christmas." Beatrice replied. 

Not strictly true, but it was easier to explain it that way. 

"Have you thought about taking some time off?" Jillian asked. 

"Not particularly." 

Jillian handed Beatrice her mockups back. "Think about it. The world won't end if you take a break, Beatrice."

She didn't want to argue the point anymore. 

Beatrice just wanted to leave. 

"I will. Am I okay to take lunch?" 

Beatrice knew that she didn't have to ask, if she wanted to there wasn't even a need to come back to the office. 

It never really stopped her from asking for permission. 

Jillian waved a hand towards the door. "It's your life." 

--

Despite the bite in the air, Beatrice was relieved to be outside. 

She zipped her coat up to the top, shoved her hands into her pocket and began to walk. 

It was hard not to keep thinking about that conversation, to try and read between the lines of what Jillian had said to her. 

Beatrice couldn't help but feel like her boss was trying to get her to leave, albeit only for a short time. 

What exactly could be gained from taking time off? 

It wasn't as though Beatrice had people to call to ask if they wanted to go upstate for a few days. 

Going out of the country didn't particularly feel like it would be fun alone. 

Especially over Christmas too. 

She wasn't happy, Beatrice knew that, but it was her job. Her life. 

That wasn't going to change overnight, and it certainly wasn't going to change from taking a vacation. 

Her shoulder collided with another, the sudden impact pulled Beatrice from her thoughts as she stumbled and caught herself before she could fall over her own feet. 

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry." Beatrice rushed to apologise, drawing herself back to full height to address the person she had walked into. 

Recognition settled in immediately. 

Tall, dark hair, dark intimidating eyes and a bone structure that would have made the Greek God's tremble. 

Lilith Castillo. 

Judging by the surprise on Lilith's face, she knew exactly who she was looking at. 

"Holy shit, Beatrice Kline?" 

Beatrice nodded. "Hi." 

People moved around them, all lost in their own worlds, unbothered by the space that they were occupying. 

"Jesus, it's been what, five years?" Lilith asked, taking a step closer. 

"Almost." Beatrice replied. 

Lilith and Beatrice had always been aware of the others' existence due to having both of their families be in similar social circles, but they hadn't actually become friends until their second year of university. 

They had even gone on to attend business school together. 

Each of them had been top of the class, Lilith in particular had been prepared to move straight into the family business with aspirations to take over by the time she was thirty.

So it had been a shock to everybody, Beatrice included, when two and half years ago she had packed up and left the city. 

Lilith had gone from the golden child of the club to the outcast pretty much overnight. 

The cautionary tale amongst the one percent. 

"How have you been?" 

And as always, Beatrice found herself at a loss when it came to answering such a simple question. 

It was polite small talk though, there was no need to dump all of her woes on this woman. 

Beatrice shrugged and forced a smile. "The usual, working and such. How are you? You look amazing." 

That much at the very least was true. 

Beatrice wasn't ashamed to admit that she had harboured a bit of a crush on Lilith when they had been younger, and somehow she had just managed to get more attractive in the years since.

"Well -" Lilith scowled as another passer-by bumped into her, though this one didn't offer so much as an apology as he continued on his way. "Do you want to get off the street? Grab a coffee?" 

Beatrice had fully intended on finding a quiet corner to mope in for the next hour, and she knew that she could just make an excuse. Wish Lilith well and go her own way.

But she'd be lying to herself if she didn't admit that she was curious to want to know about Lilith's life over the last few years. 

She looked so happy, so relaxed. 

They had been on similar paths growing up, but even from looking at Lilith now, it was clear that they had reached different points. 

Beatrice wanted to know what Lilith had done so right. 

What she had done so wrong. 

"I'm actually on my lunch break." Beatrice said. "I was just heading there myself." 

Lilith smiled. "Lead the way." 

--

"Where do you live now?" Beatrice asked. "You never said." 

So far Beatrice had learned that Lilith was in publishing, and ran her own company even. It wasn't large or even that well known, but it was Lilith's and for her, that was enough. 

"Boreal." Lilith replied, laughing at Beatrice's clear confusion. "Don't worry, I had never heard of it either. To call it a small town is honestly something of an understatement." 

"How do you even find a place like that?" 

"In my case? By taking a wrong exit and refusing to look at a map." Lilith said, sipping at her coffee. "And then for good measure, my car broke down." 

"Unlucky." 

"Actually, it ended up being the best thing that could have happened to me." Lilith replied softly. 

Soft had never been a word Beatrice could remember associating with Lilith. 

Time really had changed them both. 

"I'd never been to a town like it, Beatrice." Lilith continued. "I just… fell in love. With the place, the people there, quite literally, I suppose." 

"You're seeing someone?" Beatrice asked. 

Lilith hummed. "Her name is Camila." 

Lilith wasn't straight. 

Her old crush wasn't straight. 

Beatrice wanted to bounce her head off of the table. 

It was for the best though, considering what Zori had told her, Beatrice would have only messed things up had anything ever happened with Lilith. 

"Congratulations." Beatrice smiled. "How long have you two been together?" 

"Two years. How about you? Are you seeing anybody?" 

Beatrice had managed to dodge any questions about her own life successfully for a solid twenty minutes. 

"...No, I uh, I was." Beatrice said, giving herself a moment to herself by taking a long drink from her own coffee. "We recently broke up." 

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." 

Beatrice shook her head. "It's fine." 

"What about work, what do you do?" 

"I'm in advertising." 

"Do you enjoy it?" 

"It… pays the bills." 

Lilith didn't miss the apprehension in her response. She regarded Beatrice carefully for a few moments. 

"And your parents? Do you still go to the club?" 

"They're fine, and yes, though not as often as they'd like." Beatrice replied. She sighed. "They keep trying to set me up with their friends' sons." 

"Ah." 

"Yes." 

"I imagine the Christmas parties are as extravagant as ever." 

"Some things will never change." 

Lilith hummed thoughtfully and Beatrice felt herself tensing under her scrutiny. 

"What are you doing over Christmas?" Lilith asked. "Any plans?" 

Beatrice looked at her plate for several moments, eyes fixed on half eaten food. 

"Just the party at the club, I suppose. I planned on working over the holiday but…" Beatrice hesitated for a moment, debating on how much that she should say. "My boss seems to be hinting that I should take some time off. What about you?" 

"Christmas in Boreal is something straight out of a movie. I travel back tonight and fully intend on stopping work next week until the New Year." Lilith answered, surprisingly quick. She watched Beatrice curiously. "What do you mean your boss wants you to take time off?" 

Lilith had always been painfully perceptive, she knew exactly what to look for in a person, what to say to get to the answers that she wanted. 

And Lilith had clearly seen something in Beatrice that she wanted to know more of. 

Beatrice knew that her only options now were to either shut this all down, maybe even leave. 

Or be honest. 

She opted for the latter. 

Beatrice explained her situation at work, the things Jillian had said to her. 

She tried to keep the comments about her unhappiness out of the conversation, but even that proved much more difficult than Beatrice had expected. 

Beatrice even went into a bit more detail about the pressure that she felt from her parents, the way that her mother had given out her number to one of the boys from the club. 

(she left out the details about Zori, nobody needed to know about that) 

When she was done, Beatrice sat back in her seat and let out a long breath. 

There was an unmistakable feeling of relief that settled in her chest, of finally having the opportunity to talk openly about her feelings. 

But at the same time, anxiety. 

She felt too exposed. 

"I'm sorry." Beatrice said quietly. "I didn't mean to dump all of that on you." 

"Don't apologise." Lilith replied immediately. "It sounded like you needed to get all of that out." 

She really had. 

"And I get it." Lilith continued. "I also think that your boss may have a point, Beatrice." 

"That my work is dead and emotionless?" 

"That you should take a break." 

"I don't particularly want to spend Christmas alone in my apartment or on some beach somewhere." 

"Then don't." 

"And what do you suggest I do?" Beatrice raised an eyebrow.

Lilith took a sip from her coffee. "Come to Boreal." 

She said it so simply. Like the answer was obvious. 

Beatrice scoffed. "Sure." 

"Why not?" Lilith asked. "My friend runs a B&B, I can get you a room. It's in the middle of nowhere, you can be unbothered by your family…" 

Beatrice sighed. "I don't know." 

Lilith reached into her pocket and pulled out a business card, setting it on the table and sliding it across. 

"Think about it. Christmas there is something you need to see to believe." 

Beatrice picked up the card. "I will." 

Lilith didn't push any further, and shifted the conversation to a more neutral ground, sharing stories of other people they had gone to school with and where they were now.

By the time they got their coats on to leave, Beatrice actually found herself feeling a little sad at the thought of saying goodbye. 

"It was really good to see you again, Beatrice." Lilith said seriously. 

"You too." Beatrice replied. 

And she truly meant it. 

"You'll think about what I said?" Lilith asked. "The offer still stands." 

Her business card was like a weight in Beatrice's pocket. 

"I will." 

It was more of a surprise when Lilith hugged her goodbye. 

(Beatrice couldn't remember the last time somebody had hugged her.) 

When they parted, she watched Lilith walk down the street until she eventually disappeared into the crowd. 

Beatrice wanted a piece of the happiness that Lilith seemed to be consumed by. 

With an inward sigh, she turned and made her way back to the office. 

--

Her conversation with Lilith haunted Beatrice's thoughts throughout the rest of the day. 

Despite herself, Beatrice found herself Googling the town that Lilith called home and clicked aimlessly through the streets. 

Snow was a frequent guest in Boreal, several of the pictures she found looked like stills from a movie set. 

Old buildings, lights hanging from each one. A diner that took up an entire street corner that had nothing but positive reviews for the atmosphere it provided. 

Lake Lorek, which seemed to be only a short walk from the main town square, was a stunning sight that provided gorgeous views, light pollution was next to nothing which meant that at night, the stars could be seen for miles. 

It was so beautiful that it actually made Beatrice's chest ache. 

She could get lost there. 

There were two messages waiting for her when Beatrice got home, and she went about her usual routine as they played. 

The first was from her mother. 

"Beatrice, this is getting ridiculous now. If you keep acting like this you're going to be single forever." 

She slammed her mug against the counter with much more force than was strictly necessary. 

Zori was the second caller. 

"Honestly Beatrice, this is just selfish now. I just want my stuff back. Call me. I want them back tomorrow."

Selfish? 

Beatrice stared incredulously at the answering machine. 

She was a lot of things, but selfish? 

No. 

Beatrice gave as much as she could to everyone. She changed herself to fit the needs of others. 

She never took anything for herself. 

Maybe she should. 

It was spontaneous, it was possibly reckless, but at the very least, Beatrice knew that she would have a friend in Lilith. 

Beatrice pulled her phone from her pocket and pulled up Jillian's number first and hit dial. 

She picked up on the third ring. 

"Beatrice?" 

"Jillian, hi." 

"Is everything okay?" 

Beatrice could already feel her heart racing at the choice she had made. She just had to commit to it now. 

"What you said earlier, is it still possible?" 

"About you taking time off? Of course. How much time do you want?" 

"The rest of the month." 

"Done." 

Was it really that easy? 

"Really?" 

Jillian laughed. "Yes Beatrice. Come in tomorrow morning and we can sort out the details." 

Oh. 

Okay. 

"...I will, thank you." 

"Goodnight, Beatrice." 

Beatrice hung up. 

That was step one taken care of. 

She fished Lilith's card from her pocket, her fingers trembled as she typed out her number and lifted the phone to her ear. 

"Hello?" Lilith greeted. 

"Lilith, it's Beatrice." 

"Oh, I didn't expect to hear from you so soon." 

"I didn't expect to call." Beatrice replied honestly. 

"Have you thought about it?" 

"Can I come tomorrow?" 

"Holy shit." Lilith laughed. "Yes, of course. What time?" 

"No idea yet. I need to see my boss in the morning." 

"Not a problem. I'll make sure there's a room waiting for you. Just call me tomorrow so we know when to expect you." 

There really was no going back now. 

"I will." 

"You sound nervous." 

Beatrice actually laughed. "I am nervous." 

"Don't be, you might actually enjoy yourself." 

"Reassuring, Lilith." 

"Oh hush. Listen, I have to go." 

"Go." Beatrice urged. "Get home safely." 

"See you soon, Kline." 

"You too, Lilith." 

Her hands were still shaking when she hung up. 

Beatrice had no intention of calling her parents, not tonight. 

Her capacity for talking to people who stressed her out was quickly reaching its limit. 

But there was still one person left that she had to call tonight. 

Beatrice allowed herself a few minutes to lean against the counter as she thought about what to say. 

For a while, she considered just sending a text before ultimately deciding against it. 

She scrolled through the list of contacts on her phone until she got to Zori and took a deep breath before tapping her thumb against the screen. 

"Beatrice." Zori greeted, almost sounding annoyed that Beatrice had even called. 

"I got your messages." 

"About time. When are you bringing my stuff over?" 

Beatrice let out her breath and forced herself to keep her voice measured. 

"I'm not." 

"Excuse me?" 

"I'm not bringing them. I'm going out of town tomorrow." Beatrice replied. "You left me, Zori. You've had two weeks to come and get whatever you've left here." 

"Then what -" 

Beatrice cut her off. "I'm going to put it all in a box and leave it with Mrs Dunne across the hall. If you want your stuff you can come and collect it."

"You're so selfish." 

"I did everything that you wanted me to. If that's what you think is selfish, then you may want to reconsider your definition of the word." Beatrice replied. "I'll tell Mrs Dunne to expect you. Don't contact me again." 

She hung up before Zori could reply and closed her eyes. 

It felt good. 

She felt good. 

Beatrice opened her eyes and smiled to herself. 

…She should probably start packing.

Chapter Text

Her apartment was locked up and her plants and the box containing Zori's belongings were safely in the care of Mrs Dunne. 

Before she had left, Beatrice had recorded a new message for her answering machine. 

She had kept it simple, stating only that she was going on vacation and the date in which she would be back. 

Beatrice hadn't disclosed where she would be going and while she would have her phone with her in case of emergencies, she had no intention of answering her calls for any other reason. 

She had been so early to work that Jillian hadn't even turned up herself yet. 

It gave Beatrice the time to go through her emails and set up an out of office notification, her bags took up a chunk of space beside her which earned a few curious looks from her coworkers. 

She hadn't slept much, too nervous about her decision to be able to truly settle. 

Her ticket had been bought, printed and was currently tucked away in the inside of her jacket pocket. 

This was happening. 

"You're early." 

Beatrice jumped at the sound of Jillian's voice, hastily locking her computer and rising to her feet to follow her towards her office. 

"Yes, I'm sorry." 

"Don't apologise, I like your enthusiasm." Jillian replied, she glanced at Beatrice. "Or is it nerves?" 

Definitely the second one. 

Beatrice shrugged. 

"I saw the bags, where are you going?" Jillian asked. 

"Just… Out of town." 

Beatrice probably would have been more receptive to sharing her destination had Jillian not had connections to her parents. 

She didn't know why she was so reluctant for them to know where she was going. 

They never even came to her apartment, they were hardly going to make the journey to a town in the middle of nowhere to see her. 

Hell, the place was far enough from the nearest airport Beatrice had to make sure there was a rental place just so she could even get there. 

She had considered bypassing the flight entirely, but the length of the drive had really put her off. 

"Do your parents know?" Jillian asked. 

"They will." 

She had called them on the way into work, it was pure coincidence that it had been after they had both left so it had been their house cleaner who had taken the message. 

If the timings worked out, Beatrice would be on her flight by the time they found out. 

"Do you plan on coming back for the party?" 

"I honestly don't know." Beatrice replied. 

It all depended on how much Beatrice regretted her decision twelve hours from now. 

"Just give me five minutes for my computer to boot up and we'll get all of this put through." Jillian said as she led Beatrice into her office. 

Beatrice immediately took her seat in front of Jillian's desk. "Of course." 

"Relax, Beatrice." Jillian laughed. "Honestly, everybody will think that I'm firing you." 

"Right, you're just gently nudging me into a sabbatical." 

"And you'll thank me for it." Jillian said. "One way or another." 

…We'll see about that. 

--

Three hours later, Beatrice was sitting in the airport lounge waiting for her flight to be called. 

She had already called Lilith to let her know what time she expected to land, and had politely declined Lilith's invitation to drive out to pick her up. 

Beatrice appreciated the offer, but she needed to make sure that she had her own form of transport. 

She couldn't afford to rely on others, Beatrice had taken that lesson with her throughout her life. 

Beatrice did wish that she could have a drink, but when Lilith had warned her that it was already snowing, she had swiftly decided against it. 

Driving in the snow was not her favourite thing to do. 

The announcement came for her flight, and Beatrice got to her feet, turning her phone off as she began to walk towards the gate. 

There really was no going back now. 

Beatrice took the first step into the unknown. 

--

As the miles counted down on the GPS, Beatrice's nerves only grew. 

…Was this a terrible idea? 

What was she thinking? 

Yes, Lilith had invited her, but should she have accepted? 

This was a small town, a tight knit community. 

Wouldn't she be intruding? 

God, what about Lilith's friends? Her girlfriend?

What if they didn't like her? What if Lilith felt like she had to babysit Beatrice the entire time she was there. 

Beatrice had been reckless, this had been far too spontaneous of a choice. 

If she hated it, she could leave. 

Beatrice just had to keep telling herself that. 

It was getting dark by the time Beatrice passed the welcome sign for Boreal, her fingers flexed around the steering wheel as she inched closer to her destination. 

The snow had been falling pretty consistently for the duration of the drive, she was just thankful that the roads seemed to have been cleared quite recently. 

Beatrice was caught off guard by just how beautiful the town was, the pictures she had seen had not done it justice. 

There weren't many people on the street, a few couples walking their dogs here, children having a snowball fight there. 

The atmosphere felt too idyllic, too nice. 

Weird. 

No, not weird. That wasn't fair. 

It was beautiful. It was calm. 

Beatrice just wasn't used to that. 

She didn't miss the few curious glances shot her way as her car crawled through the street. 

They knew she wasn't a local. They knew she didn't belong. 

Don't think about it. 

As Beatrice came to a stop at a red light, she finally got to see the biggest sign of life within the town. The diner, aptly named… well, The Diner. 

Points for originality there. 

It was clearly a popular spot, and as Beatrice drove by, she could see people sitting at every booth, tables filled with happy faces. 

A fleeting glimpse of a waitress with a luminous smile as she talked to somebody on the other side of the counter. 

She gestured wildly with her hands before throwing her head back in laughter and brushing a lock of dark hair behind her ear. 

Oh. 

She was beautiful. 

For one fleeting moment, the girl's eyes shifted over the shoulder of the patron that she was talking to. 

It felt like she was looking at Beatrice. 

Oh no. 

Nope.

Not possible. 

(was it?) 

…Beatrice didn't know. 

She was glad that the light had turned green, because her foot had already found the gas and she was driving once more. 

In town for less than five minutes and she gets caught staring at the first cute girl she laid eyes on. 

Beatrice sighed. 

She was ridiculous. 

As Beatrice got closer to the B&B, she continued to try to reassure herself that there was no way that the waitress could have seen her. 

She had mostly convinced herself of this by the time the B&B came into view. 

Cats Cradle 

Even had Beatrice not memorised and taken notes of the layout of the town, the directions that Lilith had texted her would have been more than enough. 

Much like every other aspect of the town, the B&B was beautiful. Rich oak wood on the outside while warm lights filled the windows, a giant Christmas tree took up much of one of the windows on the ground floor. 

Beatrice just knew that there was a fireplace in there somewhere. 

She parked the car and shut off the engine, slipping her phone into her pocket. 

Beatrice still hadn't checked her messages. 

They could wait. 

When Beatrice stepped out of the car, the cold air that hit her left her breathless. 

Okay… Much colder than she was used to. 

It was very likely that little of her clothes would be sufficient. 

Lots of layers then. 

She collected her bags from the car and made her way into the B&B. 

As Beatrice expected, the moment she stepped inside, she was greeted with nothing but warmth. 

What a relief. 

There was nobody at the front desk when Beatrice approached, but she saw a vintage looking bell with a little note that started to ring for assistance. 

She set one of her bags down and raised her hand to give it a ring. 

"Beatrice!" 

Beatrice froze in place for a moment before she turned in the direction of Lilith's voice. 

Lilith looked beyond casual in black jeans and a matching t-shirt as she approached Beatrice from a side room. 

There was another woman following Lilith closely, offering Beatrice a warm smile in greeting. 

"Lilith, hi." 

This time, when Lilith hugged her, Beatrice was slightly more prepared to accept it. 

She wondered if it was clear to Lilith that Beatrice wasn't used to this. 

(It was still a lot to get her head around the fact that Lilith was a hugger.) 

"How was the drive?" Lilith asked. 

"Not as terrifying as I thought it would be." Beatrice admitted as she drew back. "But I'm in no rush to get back on the road." 

"I don't blame you." Lilith laughed. "Beatrice, this is Shannon, she owns Cats Cradle." 

Shannon stepped forward and offered her hand. "Nice to meet you." 

"You too." Beatrice replied. "This place is beautiful." 

"Thank you. It's a lot of work but it's worth it." 

"Your room is all ready for you." Lilith said. "Do you want a hand with your bags?" 

"Oh, sure. Thank you." 

Shannon laughed as she stepped around them to go behind the desk to grab a key from the wall. 

She held it out proudly. "It's good to have you here, Beatrice." 

"Are there any rules of the house I should know about?" Beatrice asked as she took it. 

" That, we can go through later." Shannon said. "Relax, you're basically our guest of honour. Lilith has been very specific that we're to take very good care of you." 

Little strange, but okay. 

Lilith actually looked a little embarrassed at Shannon's statement and scowled at the other woman's grin. 

"Thanks for that, Shannon." Lilith mumbled. 

Shannon only laughed louder and leaned across the counter, dropping her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. 

"She was really nervous about you not liking this place, asked for the best room and everything." 

"First impressions are everything, Shannon. Sue me." Lilith said, already grabbing one of Beatrice's bags and walking towards the stairs. 

Amused, Beatrice picked up her other bag and took a step to follow Lilith, offering Shannon a thankful smile before she turned away. 

It was touching though, how Lilith did seem to be taking Beatrice's arrival very seriously. She clearly wanted Beatrice to like Boreal. 

Beatrice wasn't used to being the focus of such consideration. 

And to be receiving it from a friend she hadn't seen for almost five years? 

Surreal didn't really begin to cover it. 

"There's a few other people staying here, tourists mostly, but they all tend to keep to themselves." Lilith explained quietly as she led them down a narrow hallway. She came to a stop at the end of the hall. "This is you." 

She stepped aside enough for Beatrice to approach the door so that she could slide the key in the lock and open the door. 

Cream walls, deep red curtains and furniture made from dark, walnut wood. 

The bed was far too large for her but even at a glance looked soft enough for her to melt into. 

Beatrice was thankful that there appeared to be her own bathroom too. 

She set her bag down and made her way across the room, the floorboards creaking gently with each step until she reached the window. 

Oh. 

Wow. 

Her room was positioned at the side of the building, the window gave Beatrice a clear view of much of the town and a portion of the garden that belonged to the B&B. 

But more than that, Beatrice had a clear view of the lake nearby. 

It looked frozen, stars reflecting off of the ice. 

Beatrice itched to go and see it in person. 

"Impressive, isn't it?" Lilith asked. 

"Yes." Beatrice agreed. "How much is it per night?" 

She could see Lilith wave a dismissive hand in the reflection of the window. "Don't even think about that, it's taken care of." 

Beatrice turned to face her. "Lilith, no, I -" 

"Stop." Lilith held her hand up to silence her. "Shannon isn't losing business by putting you up, consider this five years of missed birthdays and Christmases." 

Beatrice desperately wanted to protest, but she knew Lilith better than that. 

She sighed. "Can I at least buy you dinner? As a thank you?" 

"You can." Lilith replied. "But not tonight, you're our guest." 

"I'm really not going to win, am I?" Beatrice asked. 

"Not a chance in hell." Lilith nodded. "Are you hungry now?" 

She was, a pack of stale peanuts on the flight hadn't exactly hit the spot. 

"Sure." 

"Wonderful. If you need to freshen up or anything, take your time. I'll go wait downstairs." 

And with that, Lilith turned to leave, closing the door behind her. 

Beatrice listened to the soft footfalls fade into the distance and looked around the room once more. 

It really was peaceful, and what she had seen from the other people who lived here, it seemed… Happy. 

What was the catch?

Surely nowhere could be this happy. 

Beatrice moved her bags further into the room and sat on the edge of the bed, finally deciding to check her phone. 

Three missed calls, two from her mother, one from her father. 

There were no less than five texts, mostly from her mother, although there was one from Jillian asking if she had reached her destination safely. 

Beatrice replied to that one first before clicking into her mother's texts. 

Mother 
Vacation? Where? Who have you gone with? 

Mother 
Surely you don't plan to miss the Christmas party? 

Mother 
What about work? What does Jillian think of this? 

Mother
Call me. This is childish. 

Beatrice sighed and turned her phone over in her hand a few times, resting her chin in her hand as she lifted her gaze to look at herself in the mirror. 

She didn't even recognise the woman staring back at her. 

Beatrice was tempted to tell her mother that it had been Jillian's idea in the first place for this to happen, and while the woman was more than capable of taking care of herself, Beatrice didn't really want to drop her in it. 

No question of if Beatrice was okay, if her journey had gone safely. 

No, her mother had been more interested in if there was somebody (a girl) with her, or missing the precious Christmas party than herself. 

She should answer. 

She should really answer and not just turn her phone off and forget it even exists. 

Beatrice sighed and adjusted her grip to type out a response. 

Beatrice
Jillian knows and approved the vacation, and no…  I don't know if I'll be back in time. I'm going out for dinner now, I'll call you in a few days if possible. 

She didn't want to make a promise, but it felt like enough that it may appease her mother for the time being. 

Beatrice turned her phone off and threw it behind her and onto the pillows and walked into the bathroom before she could second guess herself. 

--

She found herself downstairs ten minutes later. 

Beatrice hadn't bothered to do much beyond change into a turtleneck and fix her hair back into place, wrapping it up into a neat bun. 

Lilith and Shannon were still by the front desk, each had their attention fixed to their phones, though Lilith quickly looked up when she heard Beatrice's approach. 

"Oh hi, are you ready?" Lilith asked.

"Sure." 

Lilith slipped her phone into her pocket and glanced at Shannon. "Are you coming?" 

"Nah, I've already eaten. I'll catch up with you both in a bit though."

"Sure thing." Lilith replied. "Beatrice, do you mind if Camila joins us? She's due to finish work soon." 

"Of course not, I'm excited to meet her." 

Beatrice slipped her hands into her pockets and began to follow Lilith towards the exit as Lilith called out a quick goodbye to Shannon. 

"I'll give you a proper tour tomorrow." Lilith said once they were on the street. "At this time the only places that are open are the bar and the diner." 

"And which one are we heading to?" Beatrice asked. 

Lilith let out a quick laugh as she gestured down the street. "Diner. They sell beer but if you ask nicely I'm sure they'll slip a little something into your hot chocolate too."

Oh no. 

Diner. 

Cute waitress? 

Could Beatrice run back to the B&B? 

No, there was too much snow, she'd fall. 

"Do you eat there often?" Beatrice asked after she cleared her throat. 

"We probably spend more time there than we do at home." Lilith said. "It's the heart of the town, it's where we all come to see each other, the food is just a bonus." 

"So I'll be there a lot, huh?" 

"Unless you want to live off of sandwiches in your room for the next few weeks, yes, because Shannon does not cook." Lilith laughed. "If she doesn't go to the diner herself then Mary will bring food to her." 

"...And Mary is?" 

The diner came into view and Beatrice couldn't help but pick up the pace a little more. 

It really was cold. 

"Shannon's wife." Lilith replied. "Don't worry, you'll be able to put faces to the names soon. They're good people, Beatrice. They're my family." 

Wife? 

Obviously Beatrice already knew Lilith was dating a girl, but more not straight people? 

In a small town? 

It definitely helped Beatrice relax a little more. 

But a family? 

That… That was a lot. 

Beatrice kicked some snow off of her shoes as Lilith held the door open for her. 

They stepped into the diner and Beatrice let out a quiet sigh at the sudden rush of warmth.

Lilith led them to an empty booth, offering quiet greetings to a few people who saw them enter. 

(Beatrice once again found herself pretending not to notice the curious looks sent her way) 

"So… Your circle, there's you, Camila, Shannon and Mary?" Beatrice asked. 

Lilith shrugged off her jacket and shoved it into the corner of the booth. "And Ava." 

"Ava?" 

"Hi there!" 

Beatrice startled, head whipping around to the source of the bright voice. 

Oh. 

It was her. 

The waitress. 

She was even more beautiful up close. 

With big, beautiful brown eyes and a huge smile that looked so effortless on her face Beatrice felt that she could be forgiven for describing this girl as the type to light up any room that she walked into. 

God, Beatrice felt like a walking cliché. 

And she was definitely staring. 

"Ava, hi." Lilith greeted. "Good timing." 

Ava flashed Lilith a quick grin, but her attention was quickly back on Beatrice. "Hey Lil. Who's your friend?" 

There definitely seemed to be a flicker of recognition in her eyes. 

"This is Beatrice. Beatrice Kline, we went to school together, she's going to be staying here for the holidays. Beatrice, this is Ava Silva." 

"Oh cool, hey! Welcome to town, did you get here okay?" 

Okay Beatrice. 

Speak. 

Move your mouth and make words come out. 

She could be smooth, she knew it. 

She didn't even have to be smooth. 

Just… A regular human saying regular words. 

"I did." Beatrice replied. "Though it does feel a little bit like I've driven into Narnia."

That'll do. 

Somehow, Ava's grin only grew larger. 

(didn't it make her cheeks ache?) 

"Oh, you're British! Nice." 

Beatrice smiled. "Last time I checked." 

"That's not an accent you hear everyday."

Ava seemed to have a slight accent herself, though Beatrice couldn't quite place it. 

"Except it is, because you talk to me everyday." Lilith interrupted. "Have you forgotten that I literally grew up in London?" 

Ava looked at Lilith as though she had forgotten that she was sitting only inches away. 

She laughed suddenly, shifting on the spot as she glanced from Lilith to Beatrice and back again. 

"No! No, of course not." Ava replied. "I'm just used to tuning you out I guess." 

Lilith rolled her eyes. "You're a pain in my ass." 

"I know, you love it." Ava grinned. 

The teasing was lighthearted between them. 

When Ava shot her a playful wink, and to Beatrice's dismay she felt tips of her ears begin to heat up. 

Jesus Christ. 

A cute girl gives her a shred of attention and everything begins to unravel. 

But Ava was still standing at their table and grinning at her. 

"Ava?" Lilith said. 

"Yeah?" 

"Can Beatrice get a menu?" 

"Oh shit, yeah of course, my bad." She pulled the two menus that she had tucked under her arm and set them both on the table. 

"Hey Ava!" Somebody called from a few booths down. "Can I get a refill when you've got a second?" 

"Sure thing John!" Ava called back. She smiled at Beatrice and Lilith again. "Duty calls, can I get some drinks for you both?" 

"Coffee please." Lilith said. 

"Can I just get a water please?" Beatrice asked. 

"For sure, I'll be back in a minute." Ava replied. 

She turned as if to move, though her gaze fell on Beatrice and she stopped, doubling back. 

Ava reached out, fingers brushing against Beatrice's shoulder. 

Beatrice held her breath. 

When Ava drew her hand back, Beatrice realised that she had brushed off some stray snow that must have fallen from her coat. 

"It was really ice to meet you, Beatrice." 

Beatrice laughed, surprised, while Lilith groaned. 

"Oh my god. That was terrible. Get out of here." 

Ava grinned. "It was great and you know it." 

Beatrice watched Ava turn and walk away before either of them could say anything in response. 

"So that's Ava." Lilith sighed. "She's a cute thorn in my side, but she has a heart of gold." 

"She seems like a puppy." Beatrice said softly. 

"That's an understatement." 

Beatrice considered asking more, but ultimately decided against it, instead, she turned her attention to the menu in front of her. 

"So, what's good here?" Beatrice asked. 

"Everything." Lilith replied. "Honestly, you can't go wrong." 

Beatrice scanned through the options, all of the staples were there and then some. 

Even if she ate here for every meal, every day during the whole month, Beatrice doubted that she'd be able to get through the whole menu. 

Mac and cheese. 

God, Beatrice couldn't remember the last time she'd had that. 

It was the ultimate comfort food for a reason. 

That was that then. 

"Camila should be on her way shortly."  Lilith said as she glanced at her phone. 

"Okay." 

Lilith looked up at her, expression growing slightly more serious. "Beatrice, I never thought to ask, are you okay with meeting everybody tonight?" 

"Why wouldn't I be?" Beatrice asked. 

She could think of a few reasons herself not that Beatrice would openly admit it. 

It wasn't as though Beatrice was going to be the most thrilling person to talk to. 

And she didn't particularly want to lament to Lilith's friends about her life. 

"I just don't want to overwhelm you." Lilith replied.

That ship had already sailed. 

"Lilith, coffee, black, much like your heart." Ava announced, setting down a distinctly milky looking coffee. 

"You need to retire that joke." 

"Never gonna happen, corpse bride." 

Lilith swatted at Ava with the back of her hand. "Behave." 

Ava snorted and set a glass of water down in front of Beatrice. "And a water, you guys know what you want to eat?" 

"Club sandwich for me Ava." Lilith said. "And can I get a grilled cheese and a tomato soup for Cam?" 

"For sure." Ava scribbled them down on her pad. "Beatrice?" 

"Mac and cheese, please." 

"Oh, good choice." Ava replied. "Alright, I'm gonna go give these to the kitchen to get them started. Is Shannon coming down?" 

"Yes, not until later though." 

"Okay cool, I'll go tell Mary." Ava smiled at Beatrice. "You'll like Mary, if you think I give Lilith a hard time, you haven't seen anything yet." 

"Sounds fun." 

Ava's smile turned to a grin, the tip of her tongue poked through her teeth, she practically bounced on her feet as she took a step back. 

Beatrice watched her dart into the kitchen and return a few moments later and set about checking in with the other customers. 

"If you get sick of being around us, there's absolutely zero pressure and nobody will be offended if you want to go up to the B&B." 

Beatrice knew that she had an out, if nothing else, she could just say that she was tired after the journey. 

The only pressure was the pressure that she put on herself. 

"I'll be okay, thank you, Lilith." 

--

Over the last thirty odd hours or so, Beatrice had only had a few moments to wonder what Camila would be like. 

She hadn't expected for her to be a tiny ball of sunshine. 

And when said tiny ball of sunshine with the mop of dark curls and brightly coloured clothes had revealed that she was actually the town sheriff, Beatrice had done a terrible job at hiding her surprise. 

Camila had taken it all in her stride and quickly began talking to Beatrice as though they had known each other for years. 

She seemed to be conscious not to ask Beatrice about her current life, most likely because she has already learned about it from Lilith, and instead asked Beatrice for stories about Lilith in university.

Beatrice was all too happy to provide.

Not long after Camila settled down into their booth, Ava came by with their food. She greeted Camila happily and tried to linger at their table for a bit to catch up with her, only to be called away to work once more. 

As they ate, Beatrice finally got the chance to meet Mary, albeit briefly. 

It turned out that she was one of the cooks and co-owner of the diner, she greeted Beatrice with a handshake and a smile. 

"I gotta say, I was surprised when Lilith said that a friend of hers was going to come and stay." She said. 

"Really?" 

"Yeah, I didn't know that Lilith had friends in school." 

Lilith groaned. "Oh, fuck you." 

Beatrice had to wonder if it was clear to them that she had no friends back home. 

It must be, right? Who drops everything in a day to go on vacation alone. 

Beatrice, that was who. 

Mary glanced up at the clock above where Ava stood behind the counter. 

"Gonna start shutting down the kitchen in a few, if you guys want anything let Ava know." 

"We will." Camila said. 

"Nice to meet you, Kline." Mary said. "You guys gonna stick around when we close?" 

"Yes, probably." Lilith replied. "For a bit, at least." 

"Cool, we can talk properly later then." 

Beatrice watched Mary go behind the counter and bump her hip against Ava's to get the younger girl's attention. 

They exchanged a few words as Mary helped herself to the pot of coffee, Beatrice found herself smiling when Mary rolled her eyes at something Ava had said and Ava's subsequent grin. 

"So Beatrice…" Camila began, drawing her attention back to the women sitting across from her. "Are you a fan of Christmassy activities." 

"Christmassy… Activities?" Beatrice repeated. "I don't follow." 

Lilith and Camila shared a fleeting look. 

"Well, what do you usually do over the holidays?" Camila asked. 

"Work, generally." Beatrice said, and then quietly added, "I make an appearance at the country club's Christmas party and if I'm not working I head over to my parents for dinner on one of the days." 

She had been looking forward to having someone to share Christmas with this year, to see what traditions Zori had and to adopt them into her own life. 

Beatrice knew it was probably a blessing in disguise, knowing how Zori's behavior had shifted so much since they had broken up, but it still didn't stop the faint sting in her chest at the thought of her ex. 

"Do you… Like Christmas?" Camila asked. 

"I've never really done it." Beatrice replied. "Not in a way that gives it any real significance to me anyway." 

Camila grinned. "Well by the time you leave here, that's gonna change. We have so many things that go on here." 

"Really?" 

Both Camila and Lilith nodded. 

"Ice skating, Santa's grotto, the fair… That's a big one -" 

"Hey everyone." Shannon greeted, sliding into the booth next to Beatrice. "What's a big one?" 

"The fair." Camila said. "We're telling Beatrice about the things we do here." 

Shannon nodded. "Oh yeah, they're right. That's the main tourist event, we have vendors that come from other towns, half the roads get closed off because of all the stalls." 

That sounded… Overwhelming. 

"Then on the twenty third we have the Christmas party." Camila said. 

"It's much more lowkey than the kind of party you're used to." Lilith added. "For one, it's not black tie. Secondly, it's more for the kids and stuff until their bedtime." 

"Then the party comes back here." Shannon said. "It's all good fun." 

"It sounds like it." Beatrice replied quietly. 

"And Lilith can definitely tell you some stories about her first party here." Shannon laughed. 

Camila grinned while Lilith offered a small scowl. 

"And we'll save that for another day." Lilith said. 

Both Camila and Shannon merely laughed at her and even though Beatrice had no idea what was happening, she soon found herself smiling at the whole exchange. 

--

They stayed even as the final customer walked out into the night and Ava flipped the sign and locked the door behind them. 

Mary emerged from the kitchen at some point, hanging out beers to everybody and chose a song on the jukebox as she began to help Ava tidy up. 

There never seemed to be a lull in conservation as everybody shared anecdotes of their day. 

Camila told them all about how she had been called out because Mrs Anderson's cat had once again gotten stuck in a tree as she wiped down menus. 

Lilith talked about a meeting she had with a hopeful client and the utter delight she got from refusing him as she flicked through the jukebox and queued up some more songs of her own choosing.

Shannon lamented about repairs that needed to be done to the B&B until Mary interrupted her with a laugh that she would get to it in the morning. 

Ava seemed to be a bit quieter amongst the others, occasionally chiming in to tell Mary about positive feedback she had gotten about the various desserts that Mary had baked.

Beatrice felt lost, and watching everyone working in their little pairs while Ava drifted around on her own had Beatrice greeting up and moving before she really knew what she was doing. 

Lilith and Camila hadn't said anything as she had left them behind in the booth, but the moment Ava noticed her approach, she smiled. 

"Hey, do you need anything?" Ava asked. "Another beer?" 

Beatrice held up her bottle. "I'm still working on this one, thank you. I was going to ask if there was anything I can do?" 

Ava tilted her head as she regarded Beatrice, mildly confused. "What do you mean?" 

"I want to help." Beatrice said. "I don't want to be the only person not doing anything." 

Ava looked thoughtful as she glanced around at the other women in the room. 

"Hm. How do you feel about pumpkin pie?" 

Beatrice blinked in confusion at the seemingly random question. "I… Like it?" 

Loved it, actually, even if it was another treat she hadn't had for years. 

Ava moved further down the counter to the desert display and Beatrice watched her load what appeared to be the final slice of pumpkin pie onto a plate and hurried back to stand before her. 

She set the plate down in front of Beatrice and proudly held out a fork. 

"You can help me by having this, then." 

Beatrice hesitated as she reached out to take the fork from her. "Eating pie is a job now?" 

Ava laughed. "Yep. It'll stop it from going to waste." 

"What would you do with it if I didn't want it?" 

"Take it home myself or throw it out." Ava shrugged. "But I'd rather give you first dibs." 

She was so genuine in her tone, Beatrice couldn't explain the way it made her chest warm. 

But Beatrice also felt bad, Ava was giving it to her when she would have eaten it herself. 

She didn't want to take that from her. 

"I'll do it." Beatrice agreed softly, taking the fork from between Ava's fingers. "But… Only if you'll share with me?" 

Ava looked surprised for a moment before she grinned. "Deal." 

She turned away for a moment to grab a second fork, but made no attempt to move until Beatrice cut into the pie first. 

Ava even waited for Beatrice to cut off a small piece and take a bite. 

Beatrice tried really hard to control her facial expressions as she held eye contact with Ava. 

It was incredible. 

"...Oh my God?" Beatrice said. 

Ava laughed. "Right? Mary is a queen in the kitchen." 

"This is really good." 

"I know." Ava agreed as she cut off a piece of her own. 

"Ava!" Mary called. "I'm going to cash in the register." 

Ava acknowledged her with a fleeting thumbs up, though her attention remained focused on Beatrice. "So, how was your day?" 

"Hm?" 

"Your day, I guess you've had a busy one, what with getting here and everything, but how was it?" 

Oh. 

"Relatively smooth, I guess." Beatrice replied. "The flight was fine, only a few crying kids on there. The drive was… Less fun, but I'm not used to driving in the snow. Or driving much in general." 

"Guess you don't need to much in the city, do you?" 

"No, it's only when I have to head out to see my parents." 

Ava hummed thoughtfully around another bite of pie. "Do you see them much?" 

"No." 

"Are you close?" 

"...No." Beatrice said. "Are you close with yours?" 

"Nah, I never knew my dad and my mom died when I was a kid." 

Oh. Oh no. 

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry." 

Ava smiled reassuringly. "Don't be, you didn't know and it was a long time ago." 

"Still, I shouldn't have assumed -" 

"Beatrice." Ava interrupted softly. "You don't have to apologise, it's fine." 

Beatrice still felt bad, and it must have shown clearly on her face because Ava merely continued to smile. 

"Do you want me to change the topic? No more parent talk." 

Beatrice nodded. "Yes, please." 

"Do you want whipped cream?" 

"I'm okay, you?" 

"I think I'll have trouble sleeping if I add more sugar to my body right now." Ava laughed. "I've had a lot of coffee today." 

"I suppose it's tempting if it's readily available." Beatrice said. 

Ava smiled and opened her mouth as if she was about to speak again, only to be interrupted by Lilith coming up beside Beatrice and setting down her and Camila's empty bottles along with a stack of menus.

"Do you guys want another?" Ava asked, taking the bottles and dropping them into the trash. 

"No, we're fine." Lilith replied, she eyed the half eaten slice of pie between them. "Not like you to share treats, Ava." 

Ava glared at Lilith and pointed her fork at her. "I gave the pie to Beatrice, she was the one who offered to share." 

"Oh I wouldn't do that." Lilith said. "Ava is a candy fiend." 

"Is it a crime to have a sweet tooth?" Ava asked. 

"In general, no. But if you didn't work here and have Mary and Mateo looking after you I'd be more concerned about your diet." 

"They don't…" Ava's eyes met Beatrice's briefly and flickered back to Lilith. "They don't look after me! I'm a whole ass adult." 

"Who gets the majority of her meals cooked for her because of where she works." 

A faint blush rose to Ava's cheeks as she looked between them, embarrassed. 

"You'd do it too." Ava pouted. 

"I know, I'm just fucking with you Ava." Lilith said, looking positively thrilled at herself. "No need to get all embarrassed. We're all friends here." 

Ava only seemed to blush harder at that. "Shut up." 

Lilith laughed and seemed to take some mercy on Ava, bumping her shoulder against Beatrice's. "Are you doing okay?" 

Beatrice nodded. "It's a nice change for me." 

"You better be giving her the whole tour tomorrow." Ava said. "There's so much more to see than just this diner." 

Lilith rolled her eyes. "Obviously." 

"And you better not short her by missing out the good shit." 

"Seriously?" Lilith frowned. 

Ava hummed around another bite of pie. "Just wanna make sure you give her the best experience." 

"Are you working tomorrow?" Lilith asked. 

"...No, why?" 

"Then you can come too, little miss expert tour guide." 

Ava all but choked on her mouthful of pie. "Wait, what?" 

Beatrice looked between them, sipping at her beer and keeping silent. 

She definitely had no objections, Beatrice would be lying if she didn't say that this girl had caught her eye with her bright smile and warm demeanor. 

(Beatrice tried to tell herself that it wasn't because this girl was beautiful. Absolutely not.) 

"You're so worried about me not giving a good tour of the town, come with us." Lilith said. 

"I mean… No objection from me, but I don't wanna get in the way of any bonding time or anything." Ava replied softly. 

"I'd like that." Beatrice offered before Lilith could say anything further. "I want to get to know you better. Get to know everyone better." 

It was interesting how her words brought different smiles to Ava and Lilith's faces. 

Lilith looked extremely satisfied, amused, even. While Ava's smile was much softer and focused entirely on Beatrice. 

"Then it's settled." Lilith said. 

"I guess so." Ava agreed. She pushed the plate closer towards Beatrice. "Here, you finish it." 

"Are you sure?" Beatrice asked. 

"Of course." Ava grinned. "I gotta go take out the trash." 

Beatrice smiled back. "Thank you." 

"Anytime." Ava replied, she turned towards Mary. "Do you need me to mop?" 

"Nah leave it, I'll do it when I open." 

"You sure?" 

Mary nodded, not looking up from the card machine. "It's late, let's just get out of here." 

"You're the boss." 

Lilith gave Beatrice's shoulder another gentle nudge. "That's our cue to get our coats on." 

"It sounds like you do this often." Beatrice said. 

"It's a habit." Lilith shrugged. "Like I said earlier, we practically live here." 

Beatrice could see why. 

--

It was fifteen minutes later when they all found themselves on the sidewalk. 

Beatrice tried her hardest not to shiver as she shoved her hands into her pockets while everybody else seemed quite comfortable standing amongst the light snowfall. 

She really needed to take a page out of Ava's book and get herself a beanie. 

Ava looked so cosy. 

Mary finished locking up and looped her arm through Shannon's. "Are we ready?" 

There was a chorus of agreements and Beatrice found herself in the middle of the group as they began to walk up the street. 

Mary and Shannon led the group arm in arm while Lilith and Camila were hand in hand behind Beatrice, leaving Ava to walk beside her. 

It made Beatrice fleetingly wonder if Ava had a person of her own in this town, and if she did, where were they? 

"Beatrice," Mary called over her shoulder. "First impressions?" 

"Beautiful, but cold." Beatrice replied. 

Ava snorted. "Are you talking about the town or Lilith?" 

"I'm not above throwing a snowball at you, you know." Lilith said. 

Ava laughed, though she ignored Lilith's comment. "You're gonna need to get some warmer clothes, do you at least have a scarf?" 

She did, but it was buried away somewhere in the back of her closest back home. 

Great forward thinking, Beatrice. 

"I… Do not." 

Ava merely hummed thoughtfully as she glanced up at the sky. 

"Beatrice, Ava, do you both want to meet me at the diner for breakfast?" 

"Sounds good." Beatrice replied. She turned her attention to Ava. "What time do you open?" 

"Six." Ava spun around to look at Lilith, walking backwards as she did so. "We're not gonna meet at six, right?" 

Lilith sighed. "No Ava. Call it about nine?" 

"That's fine." Beatrice replied. 

Beatrice could see herself being there quite early though, she was too used to being up early to be able to stay still for too long. 

"Wonderful." Lilith said, they all came to a stop at a crossing. "This is us, we'll see you all tomorrow." 

"Night guys." Shannon said. "Get home safe." 

"Goodnight everyone!" Camila beamed. "It was nice to meet you Beatrice." 

"You too." 

Lilith and Camila broke away from the group and walked away, leaving the four of them to continue walking up the street. 

It wasn't until they reached the B&B that Ava spoke up again. 

"This is your stop." Ava said. 

"Do you have far to go?" Beatrice asked. 

"Nah, just up the street." Ava replied. "Like five minutes, tops." 

Beatrice was actually a little disheartened to say goodnight. 

"Thanks for your help tonight, Ava." Mary said. "Enjoy your day off." 

Ava offered Mary a smile and looked back at Beatrice. "I will." 

Shannon looked between the pair of them and gave a gentle tug on Mary's arm. "Beatrice, we're going to turn in. Just lock the door behind you when you come in." 

It was a little odd that she seemed to be in such a rush to get inside, but if Mary was opening so early tomorrow, Beatrice supposed it made sense. 

"I will, thank you Shannon." 

"Goodnight guys." Mary said. 

"Night." Ava replied. 

"Beatrice, I'll see you in the morning." Shannon said. 

"Yes, thank you. Goodnight Shannon, Mary." 

Beatrice and Ava both watched them leave, heading into the B&B. 

When Beatrice looked back to Ava, she found the other girl had already focused her attention on her, hands in the pockets of her coat and smiling. 

"It was really nice to meet you, Beatrice." Ava said. 

"Likewise." Beatrice replied. "Thank you, for making me feel welcomed." 

It wasn't as though the others hadn't done exactly the same, but every interaction with Ava felt just that little bit different. 

Brighter. 

Ava beamed. "Of course. So I'll see you tomorrow then?" 

For the first time, Beatrice felt a rush of genuine excitement. 

"Definitely." 

"Awesome." Ava said. "Sweet dreams, Beatrice Kline." 

"Goodnight, Ava Silva." 

Ava lingered for a few seconds longer before she took a few steps back, not breaking eye contact until she finally turned to walk away. 

Beatrice watched her for a few moments before she felt another shiver run down her spine and hurried to let herself into the B&B. 

She didn't see Mary or Shannon on her way up to her room, but Beatrice was thankful at the heat that began to warm her body as she quickly changed out of her clothes and into her pyjamas.

Beatrice put her phone on charge, but didn't feel the urge to check it for any messages as she switched out the lights and slipped under the covers. 

Her thoughts drifted to everything that had happened over the last few hours, replaying the few things she had learned about the five women that had welcomed her into their world with open arms.

She didn't know what tomorrow would bring, but for once, Beatrice found herself looking forward to finding out. 

Beatrice had never fallen asleep so easily. 

Chapter Text

Beatrice woke up just after six. 

For several minutes, Beatrice lay under the covers, not wanting to break the comfortable warmth that she felt. 

Beatrice had been surprised at just how well she had slept, despite the early hour. 

It would be so easy to go back to sleep, to let herself slip back into the warmth and sleep the morning away. 

But that had never been a luxury that Beatrice had indulged in. 

Every weekend growing up was spent going to various extracurricular activities, even before she ended up in boarding school. 

Even now, Beatrice rarely found herself staying in bed until nine at the latest on a weekend. 

It had earned a lot of protest from Zori, particularly after a night out. 

Sighing to herself, Beatrice dragged herself from the bed. 

Usually she'd go for a run or even head to the gym, but neither of those were an option here. 

Beatrice hadn't even brought her gym clothes. 

Instead, Beatrice settled for an improvised routine. A few stretches, a few sets of planks and push ups just to try and keep her streak going. 

When she was done, Beatrice looked around the room, looking for something else to do to pass the time. 

By the time the clock hit seven, Beatrice had unpacked her bags, washed up and gotten changed. 

The only thing Beatrice hadn't done was check her phone. 

Beatrice hesitated. 

The diner would be open. Sure, Ava and Lilith weren't going to be there for a couple of hours, but she needed fresh air at the very least before she even considered looking at her phone. 

Beatrice would leave it in her room if she knew that she wouldn't need it to take pictures at some point. 

She sighed again and grabbed her coat, fastening the buttons before grabbing her phone and slipping it into her pocket. 

Coffee. 

Coffee sounded good. 

--

She hadn't seen Shannon on her way out, but the radio behind the counter was playing music quietly, so Beatrice had assumed that she was around somewhere. 

The sun hadn't yet risen, only the beginnings of the rays began to illuminate the sky, but that was enough for Beatrice to be able to see that for now at least, the skies were clear.

There had been more snowfall in the night, and Beatrice passed more than one person shovelling it from their driveway or clearing it from their cars. 

It made her have to walk much slower down to the diner. 

She felt so unsteady on her feet as she made her way down the street, feeling the snow beneath her shoes. 

Beatrice really needed to get proper boots for this weather. 

It was the occasional patches of ice that concerned her, though. On more than one occasion Beatrice found herself slipping, hands shooting out of her pockets to help correct her balance before her feet would slide out from under her. 

That would be the last thing she needed. 

When she seemed to find a solid rhythm, Beatrice finally felt comfortable enough to pull her phone out of her pocket and check it for any new messages. 

There were only two, one from her mother and another from her father. 

They were essentially the same message, demanding for her to call them back. 

She had received nothing from Zori, and Beatrice knew that she should probably leave it alone, but she couldn't stop herself from typing out a quick text, just to be sure. 

They weren't going to be friends, Beatrice knew that. But she was still going to try and maintain some kind of civility. 

Beatrice 
Did you get your stuff okay? 

She hit send and watched the message join the conversation thread. 

It didn't deliver. 

Ah. 

So she had been blocked. 

That was that, then. 

Beatrice locked her phone and slipped it back into her pocket, keeping her hands inside to try and ease away some of the biting cold. 

It only made sense that it would be that moment in which Beatrice would feel her right foot catch some ice and before she could pull her hands from her pockets, she was falling backwards. 

She was just relieved that when her back hit the ground, she landed in snow. 

It definitely didn't stop the fall from hurting though. 

Beatrice was just glad that there was nobody in the immediate area to see her humiliation. 

She sighed, a cloud of cold breath rising up from her. 

Somehow, this made sense. 

Everything had been relatively disaster free, but the moment Beatrice made an active attempt to make contact with life back home the rug is quite literally pulled from under her. 

And now Beatrice was lying on her back in the snow, having a little pity party for herself. 

Thanks a lot, universe. 

Beatrice closed her eyes, and sighed. 

She certainly didn't hear footsteps approaching, didn't even know there was anybody around until Beatrice heard the soft thud of somebody lying down on the ground beside her. 

When Beatrice turned her head, she found herself not surprised in the slightest that it was Ava beside her. 

Willingly lying down in the snow, yes. But her presence? Not at all. 

"Ava?" 

Ava merely smiled as she continued to stare up at the sky. "Morning. I have to say, I've never seen anybody fall so graciously in my life." 

Beatrice resisted the urge to groan as she felt her ears begin to heat up. "You saw?" 

"Yup. I was trying to catch up to you, didn't wanna just start screaming your name in case I freaked you out." 

"I appreciate that." Beatrice replied. "Can I ask you something though?" 

"Sure." 

Beatrice turned her head to look up at the sky. "Why did you lie down next to me?" 

"You didn't look hurt so I figured you were just having a moment to comprehend. This way, if anybody comes by they'll just think we're doing snow angels or something. Nobody will question it." 

"...I think they might." 

"Nah." Ava laughed. "The people here are used to my particular brand of bullshit, I swear they won't second guess it." 

Beatrice wasn't entirely sold by Ava's logic. 

But then somebody walked past them, carefully stepping over Ava and shooting them a fleeting look. 

"Morning Ava." He greeted. 

"Hey Richard." Ava replied. "Off to work?" 

"You know it." 

"Have a good day!" 

"You too." 

"See?" Ava grinned, finally turning her head to look at Beatrice. "Just a normal morning." 

"Do you have a habit of lying on the street?" Beatrice asked, shifting to look at Ava. 

She chose to blame the cold on her sudden breathlessness. 

They were much closer together than Beatrice had realised. 

She was close enough to Ava that had it been lighter, she knew that she would be able to pick out every speck of colour in those eyes. 

Beatrice was willing to bet they looked like halos in the sunlight. 

Ava's eyes couldn't seem to stay still, flickering across Beatrice's face, but when she smiled, Beatrice found her own gaze moving too, dropping to that grin. 

"Are you cold?" Ava asked. 

The back of Beatrice's legs were practically numb. 

"Yes." 

"So we should definitely get up, huh?" 

"That would probably be for the best." 

"Okay…" Ava let out a quiet groan as she got to her feet and extended a hand down to her. "Come on, let's get you thawed out." 

Beatrice smiled back at her and reached for Ava's gloved hand, wrapping her fingers around Ava's wrist so that she could be pulled to her feet. 

"Diner?" Ava asked. 

Beatrice nodded. "Diner." 

Ava's grip lingered for a moment before she gave Beatrice's hand a light squeeze and dropped it. 

"Let's go." 

--

"What have you been doing?" Mary asked, giving each of them a once over as they stepped inside the diner. "Did you dive into the snow or something?" 

Ava pulled off her beanie and shook the snow off of it. "Something like that. Hi Yasmin." 

The waitress behind the counter smiled. "Hey Ava, you're up early." 

She was, Beatrice belatedly realised. 

They weren't due to meet for well over an hour. 

"Couldn't sleep any longer, I just happened to bump into this one on the way down." Ava replied, nudging Beatrice with her shoulder as she set about taking off her coat.

"Ah, you're Lilith's friend right?" Yasmin asked. 

"Yes, hi." Beatrice greeted. She began to undo her own coat and turned slightly to Ava. "Does everybody know I'm here?" 

"Word gets by quickly here." Ava shrugged. And you're hot. News. You're hot news. Don't worry about it."

Ava turned away to hang up her coat and scarf as she cleared her throat. 

Beatrice hung up her coat bedside Ava's, there were only two other people in the diner, each at their own table digging into their breakfast. 

They both looked ready to head straight off to work. 

"You guys want breakfast?" Mary asked. "Or are you waiting on Lilith?" 

"Waiting for Lilith." Ava replied. "Unless you want food now?" 

"I'm okay to wait if you are." 

Ava looked extremely thoughtful for a few moments. "If I get too hungry I will have to call her and tell her that we're ordering." 

"Sounds good." 

"Do you both want coffee?" Yasmin asked. 

"Definitely." Ava said. "The usual for me please, Beatrice?" 

"Yes, please." 

"Cream and sugar?" 

"Yes." 

"We have all the stuff to make it fancy if you want." Ava said. "Not Starbucks fancy, but we have the syrups and shit." 

Beatrice laughed. "It's fine, Ava." 

"Yeah Ava, you're not working today." Mary said. "Shut off your waitress brain and go sit down." 

Ava pouted. "I'm just being nice." 

"You're being very nice." Beatrice said, reaching out to give Ava's shoulder a gentle tap. "But you don't have to." 

"I don't have to be nice?" Ava frowned, though the corners of her lips seemed to be struggling not to curl into a smile. "I can start talking shit to you, if you'd rather?" 

"...Okay, maybe not that far." Beatrice laughed. "Just… Don't worry about fancy coffee or anything like that." 

This time Ava did smile, those puppy dog eyes returned in full force. 

"Deal." 

Ava led her back to the same booth that she had occupied last night, sliding in opposite each other. 

It was the first time they each really seemed to take in the others outfits, Ava in a simple oversized burgundy hoodie while Beatrice had broken out another turtleneck sweater. 

She hoped that Ava and Lilith's tour involved stores around town, because she definitely needed to pick up some more clothes at some point. 

Beatrice was fully aware that they were both watching each other, Ava tilted her head to the side thoughtfully as she leaned back in her seat and put her hands in her pocket. 

Not that Beatrice hadn't already been met with Ava's sole attention, but this time it felt different. 

More focused. 

And a lot more intense. 

Beatrice smiled. "What?" 

"I'm just…" Ava smiled back. "Trying to figure you out." 

Figure her out? 

Why? 

What was there to figure out? 

"Why?" 

"Because I want to get to know you." Ava replied honestly. 

Beatrice couldn't say that she didn't feel exactly the same. 

"Likewise." Beatrice said. 

"What do you want to know?" Ava asked. 

Everything. 

Beatrice picked the first thought that came to mind and opened her mouth to reply, but snapped it shut when she saw Ava's gaze shift beyond her. 

It was easier to notice that than it was to notice Mary approach them, carrying a tray with three coffees. 

"Putting Yasmin out of a job, Mary." Ava said teasingly. 

"Shut up." Mary said, sitting down beside Beatrice and passing out their cups. "It's not exactly like I'm getting slammed right now." 

Ava hummed and reached for her coffee. 

"How did you sleep?" Mary asked, turning her attention to Beatrice. 

"Like a rock, in all honesty." Beatrice replied. "I haven't… I haven't slept that well for a while." 

"Glad to hear it." Mary chuckled. "So you're getting your tour of the town today?" 

"I am." 

"Oh no. Ava, don't panic but this could make or break Beatrice's whole opinion on the town." 

Ava smiled as she looked at Beatrice. "With great power comes great responsibility, right?" 

"I'm sure you'll do fine." 

"I hope snow." 

Ava really seemed to like making puns. 

Beatrice met her gaze and with an even voice replied, "Snow pressure." 

Ava beamed. 

It made Beatrice's chest warm. 

Worth it. 

"Icy what you did there." Ava said. 

"Oh my God." Mary interrupted. "Beatrice, don't encourage her." 

Ava wiggled happily in her seat, gaze fixed firmly on Beatrice. 

Ava also seemed to really like it when people made puns back. 

Noted. 

"You wish you could make puns on our level, Mary." Ava said eventually. 

"Whatever." Mary rolled her eyes. She gave Ava a quick once over. "Where's the camera?"

The wiggling stopped abruptly, eyes widening ever so slightly. 

"I… Didn't think to bring it." 

Beatrice held onto her mug as she watched Ava. "You take photos?" 

"Not professionally or anything." Ava replied softly. "Just… A hobby." 

Mary snorted. "Now she's being modest. She's actually really good." 

"Bit of a backhanded compliment there, Mary." Ava grumbled. 

Beatrice was getting some very strong sibling energy between the two of them. 

Mary seemed to be getting genuine joy from whatever light teasing she was currently doing, especially when Ava seemed to be getting more flustered with each passing minute. 

It was cute, that was for sure. 

But Beatrice also wanted to give Ava a moment of levity. 

"I'd like to see some of your pictures, if you're comfortable sharing?" Beatrice said. 

Mary's teasing laughter stopped immediately as Ava's gaze snapped back to hers. 

Everything about Ava seemed to relax, eyes growing softer as she looked at Beatrice. 

"Really?" 

"Of course." 

From the corner of her eye, Beatrice could see Mary looking between the two of them, sipping at her coffee. 

"I'm going to… Fire up the grill." Mary announced as she got up. "Customers, you know?" 

And with that, she made a hasty exit. 

"So photography is one of my hobbies." Ava said, rubbing the back of her neck. "And I like puns, so there's a couple of things about me." 

Beatrice smiled. "They're good things." 

"Do I get to learn some things about you?" Ava asked. 

"What do you want to know?" 

So long as it wasn't her parents, work or love life, then Beatrice might be able to answer without having an anxiety attack. 

Ava drummed her fingers against the table for a few moments as she thought. 

"Well, I know you and Lilith were friends. You're British, you fall gracefully and you're good at puns." Ava listed off. "Um… How about you just tell me what you're comfortable with?" 

It was like she knew. 

"Like Lilith, I was born in London…" 

--

An hour later, Beatrice and Ava had already started to learn a decent amount about each other. 

Ava was originally from Portugal and had grown up in an orphanage after her mother had died. 

She had gone to university for a couple of years in Spain before ultimately dropping out to travel for a few years with a group of friends and her boyfriend at the time. 

When they broke up, Ava went her own way, and to cut a long story short, what she had planned to be a summer job working at the diner so she could save up some more money had turned into a permanent fixture. 

Almost three years later, Ava was still here. And she had no plans to hit the road again anytime soon. 

"Do you miss it?" Beatrice asked. "Traveling?" 

"Sometimes." Ava replied. "But I've found friends here, a real family. I know that won't change if I leave, but I'm just not ready to go yet." 

Friends. 

A real family. 

Beatrice didn't even really have either of those to hold her back and yet she almost hadn't even come here. 

"Sounds nice." 

"Have you ever traveled?" Ava asked. 

Beatrice's fingers fidgeted around her cup of coffee, their second of the morning as she considered Ava's question. 

"Not particularly." Beatrice replied. "Not to say I haven't been to a lot of places, I just wouldn't consider a few years of boarding school in Switzerland or vacations at the family villas traveling." 

"Fair… Would you want to?" 

Beatrice didn't know. 

She didn't know what she wanted. 

"Maybe." 

Ava had been so patient with her, despite Beatrice's sometimes vague or downright evasive answers. 

She seemed to recognise when she was going into a territory that Beatrice wasn't comfortable with and would accept whatever vague response Beatrice offered or just downright change the topic entirely. 

Beatrice hadn't avoided everything though, she had still opened up as much as she could. 

She had told Ava about school, the courses she had taken, how she had studied art and art history but had ultimately moved into a business degree at the (not so) gentle insistence of her parents. 

Beatrice had talked about her hobbies, even though it had taken her an alarmingly long time to think about the things that she did enjoy doing. 

She liked to read, she liked to spar at the gym when she could, she enjoyed cooking. 

But more than all of that, Beatrice liked to draw. 

(even though Beatrice couldn't remember the last time she did any of those things for fun.) 

When Ava had asked her about her drawing, Beatrice had fallen silent before quietly explaining that the only time she really did anything to do with art now was for work. 

She tried not to let it show how much she missed it. 

Beatrice had thought that Ava had been satisfied enough with that explanation, but now she found Ava looking at her curiously during the brief lull in their conversation. 

"What do you like to draw?" Ava asked.

She clearly wasn't ready to let the topic go completely. 

"Did." Beatrice corrected softly. "What did I like to draw." 

"Okay." Ava nodded. "What did you like to draw?" 

Beatrice thought back to university, to the quiet moments tucked away in the park or huddled away in the back of a coffee shop. 

"Anything that I found beautiful." Beatrice replied. "Scenery, moments, people…" 

Ava shifted a little in her seat. "People? Beautiful people?" 

"...Yes." 

Ava rested her chin on the palm of her hand and grinned. "Well now I really want to know what Beatrice Kline considers to be a beautiful person." 

And there was something in that smile, it was cheeky, vibrant and full of charm. 

Charming was a good word to describe Ava, even based on their two interactions. 

"Everybody has something beautiful about them, Ava. It's just seeing what those qualities are." 

Ava seemed to consider this for a few moments, expression growing more serious. "Margaret Thatcher?" 

"...Almost everyone." Beatrice corrected herself. "But you understand what I mean." 

"I know I'm just fucking with you." Ava laughed. "But yeah, I get what you mean. Did you ever draw Lilith?" 

That question threw Beatrice off enough to almost have her choke on her coffee. 

…She absolutely had. 

Beatrice knew that tucked away somewhere in one of the boxes in her closet there was at least one sketchbook from university that contained a hurried sketch of her old friend. 

And she knew from the look on Ava's face that her reaction alone had said enough, but it didn't stop Beatrice from feeling the need to offer up a weak justification as to why she had drawn Lilith in the first place. 

"She had very good cheekbones, I couldn't resist." 

"Oh my god, right?" Ava laughed. "They could cut glass." 

"What could cut glass?" Lilith asked, appearing at Beatrice's side. 

Beatrice was just thankful that Ava jumped as much as she did, though she was pretty sure there was a lot more panic in her eyes than what was showing on Ava's face. 

"My razor sharp wit, obviously." Ava replied quickly. 

Lilith scoffed. "Your wit couldn't cut through butter." 

"Ouch." Ava clutched at her chest. "Nice of you to finally join us, by the way." 

Lilith glanced up at the clock as she sat down beside Beatrice. "It's literally three minutes past nine." 

"So late." Ava shook her head with faux disappointment. "How do you sleep at night?" 

"Very comfortably, in my bed, cuddled up in my girlfriend's arms, actually." Lilith replied. "How do you sleep?" 

"Alone in my nest of pillows, cuddling my IKEA shark because apparently I'm destined to die alone. But thank you very much for throwing that in my face." Ava said with a pout. 

Oh. 

So Ava was single. 

That was one question Beatrice didn't have to ask now. 

"You're welcome." Lilith smiled. She turned to Beatrice. "Good morning. How was your first night?" 

"It was good, thank you." 

"How long have you both been here?" 

"Fucking ages." Mary said, coming back over to join them and setting a mug down in front of Lilith. "They may as well be furniture at this point." 

Beatrice looked around for what felt like the first time since she had sat down. 

She had no idea when exactly the diner had filled up, but at some point, all of the regulars must have arrived because the diner was alive with conversation. 

How had she not noticed all of the noise? 

"I already work here." Ava laughed. "I can't be furniture." 

That was why Beatrice hadn't noticed. 

All of her focus had been on Ava. 

Huh. 

"Wow, Ava getting up early on a day off." Lilith drawled. "Truly, a Christmas miracle." 

"I was excited!" Ava protested. "Jesus, can people just let me live?" 

Beatrice didn't miss the look that Mary and Lilith shared. 

They were both clearly fans of teasing Ava, and Beatrice could easily imagine the ways in which they no doubt team up to do so. 

"It was a good thing she was." Beatrice spoke up softly. "Ava was there to pick me up when I went flying outside." 

Beatrice didn't know what she hoped to achieve by revealing her embarrassing moment, she just knew that she wanted to distract Mary and Lilith for long enough to give Ava some kind of a respite. 

It definitely worked, as Mary laughed and Lilith managed to look concerned for a whole two seconds before she laughed too. 

"Are we talking flat on your face or back?" Lilith asked. "I need to know whether I should feel bad or not." 

"Oh, it was flat on my back." Beatrice replied. "Very embarrassing, I was planning on taking that secret to my grave." 

"And yet here you are, telling us." Lilith said, sipping thoughtfully at her coffee. "Were you scared Ava would tell us?" 

The thought hadn't even occurred to her. 

Ava gasped, not one of her fake dramatic gasps though. 

No, this was a genuine one. Ava's expression was mild outrage with clear hurt in her eyes as she looked from Lilith to Beatrice. 

"I would never do that!" Ava exclaimed. 

Beatrice felt her fingers twitch with a sudden urge to reach over to comfort her. 

She kept her fingers wrapped around her mug. 

Lilith looked just as in a rush to reassure Ava. "I know you wouldn't but -" 

"I know you wouldn't." Beatrice interrupted. 

"- Beatrice hasn't even been here for a day yet, I don't want her to worry." Lilith finished despite Beatrice's interruption.

It was clear that Ava wasn't listening to Lilith though, she was back to looking at Beatrice. 

"I mean it Beatrice." Ava said. "I wouldn't break your trust, or anybody's like that, for that matter." 

"I know." 

"Jesus Lilith." Mary laughed. "Sat down for two minutes and you almost gave Ava a panic attack. I think that's some kind of record." 

"I know." Lilith agreed. "I'm sorry Ava." 

"It's cool, it's cool." Ava replied. She let out a long breath and in a flash that easy smile was back. "Can we get breakfast now? We got places to see, things to probably do."

Beatrice wasn't too sure what just happened, and she certainly wasn't going to push, but she was more than happy to accept the segue. 

"Breakfast sounds good." Beatrice replied. 

Beatrice just knew that somehow, she had found herself trusting Ava immediately. 

--

By the time the three of them hit the street, the skies were clear and the sun was shining. 

It didn't do all that much to keep Beatrice warm, but it was beautiful all the same. 

The town was so different in the daylight. 

People milled about, going about their daily lives. Several of them exchanged greetings with Ava and Lilith as they passed, offering Beatrice a polite smile too. 

Everybody just seemed so happy. 

Lilith and Ava walked on either side of her, pointing out various small stores as they walked. 

Store wise, there really wasn't all that much to offer. A place to get groceries, a butcher, a couple of thrift stores… 

All of the essentials really, with a lone second hand bookshop to round things out. 

"The Internet is your best friend for pretty much everything else." Lilith explained. "Unless it's uber eats or door dash, as Ava knows all too well." 

Ava scowled down at her feet. "I was just curious about it. Sometimes I miss the kind of fast food that can only be provided by an emotionless corporate machine." 

"She means Mcdonald's." Lilith offered. "Ava is the only person I know who would drive two hours out of town for the sake of a happy meal." 

"It was a big mac and a twenty piece nuggets and you know it." 

"And you totally didn't cry when you found out the ice cream machine was broken." Lilith grinned. 

"I really don't want to talk about it." Ava sighed. 

"I have to say, I admire the dedication." Beatrice said. 

"Once I get an idea in my head, it's really hard to make it stop." Ava shrugged. "So I borrowed Mary's old truck and headed out." 

"Was it worth it?" Beatrice asked. 

"Oh one hundred percent." Ava laughed. 

Beatrice laughed along with her, unable to stop her smile each time their arms brushed against each other. 

They finally reached the town square, Ava and Lilith each came to a stop so Beatrice did the same, looking between them expectantly. 

There were many more people here, workmen shovelling snow from the roads and streets, talking amongst themselves they pointed at something on their tablets. 

"They're getting ready to set up for the fair." Ava explained. She pointed at the town square. "That's where Santa's grotto is gonna be. 

"Big fan?" Beatrice asked. 

Ava threw her head back to laugh. "Me and the big man go way back, three days out of the year, you're looking at Santa's finest elf." 

Oh God. 

Ava as an elf. 

The visual was too much. 

"Do you get the shoes with the little bells and everything?" Beatrice asked. 

"Obviously. It's a staple of the uniform that I wear with pride." Ava declared. 

Beside her, Lilith rolled her eyes. "She looks like a dork." 

"But a very cute dork." Ava added. 

Beatrice honestly couldn't doubt that. 

"But you'll see for yourself in a few days, so I'll let you be the judge of that." Lilith said. 

Beatrice felt like her opinion was going to be biased, but she nodded at Lilith's words all the same. 

"This will all look so much better once everything is up." Ava said, she tugged lightly on Beatrice's sleeve as she turned to walk again. 

Beatrice allowed herself to be led, falling into step beside Ava while Lilith trailed behind her. 

They walked for a few minutes before Ava spoke up again, gesturing to the police station on their left. 

"This is where Camila works, obviously." Ava said. "No cruiser though, must be on a call." 

"Ten dollars says Pudding is stuck up a tree again." Lilith mumbled. 

Ava snorted. "Yeah, that tracks." 

That cat sounded like the menace of the town. 

As they continued to walk, Lilith pointed out her and Camila's home, promising to have her over for dinner and give her a proper tour. 

They came to a slow stop at a garage, a man stood outside in a red sweater and matching beanie, smoking as he talked on the phone. 

When he saw them, he offered a wave that Ava returned enthusiastically. 

"That's Nick." Ava said. "Finest mechanic for miles." 

"And that's not just because he's the only mechanic." Lilith added quietly. 

"Nick?" Beatrice repeated. 

With the red sweater and salt and pepper beard, it really had no right being as amusing as it was. 

"Yeah, I'll give you two guesses as to who our resident Santa Claus is." Ava grinned. 

"Good choice." Beatrice nodded. 

They began to walk again. 

--

Soon enough, they reached the park. 

It was like something straight out of a Christmas card. 

Beatrice could picture herself huddled up on one of the benches amongst the snow, sipping on hot chocolate. 

The fenced off ice skating rink only added to the beauty. 

"Oh." 

"Right?" Ava grinned. "Picture perfect." 

Beatrice noted the strings of lights threaded through the trees and above the rink. 

At night, it must look spectacular. 

"It really is." Beatrice agreed. 

"We can come back here, if you want?" Ava asked. "At night, obviously, when people are skating." 

"I'd like that." 

Ava's smile was so soft, so happy. 

"You haven't seen anything yet." Lilith spoke up. 

Beatrice visibly startled and immediately felt a slight pang of guilt. 

For a moment, she had completely forgotten that Lilith was there with them. 

Ava looked surprised too, but she recovered quickly and grinned at Lilith. "Next stop, the lake?" 

"If you're both ready?" Lilith asked. 

Beatrice shared a look with Ava and nodded. 

She was definitely ready to see it in person. 

"Definitely." Ava grinned. "Can we swing past my place first though?" 

Lilith raised an eyebrow. "Forget something?" 

"Something like that." Ava replied, slipping her hands into her pockets. "I kinda wanna get my camera?" 

"Okay." Lilith agreed. "Detour it is then." 

They decided to do a lap of the park before heading out, giving Lilith the opportunity to tell Beatrice about a drunk Ava incident that involved several poor snowmen losing their lives.

Ava was in the middle of explaining that it had been Lilith and Mary who had dared her to do it when they all heard a familiar voice. 

"Okay so you're cooped up all day, you want to explore, I get it! Really, I totally get it." Camila's voice rang out around them. "But you're a cat, not a squirrel, and you have no business being up here." 

Beatrice was the first to look up, and surely enough, there was Camila. 

Camila, who was sitting in the tree and giving a stern speech to a very angry looking tabby who was just out of her reach. 

Ava looked up next and laughed loudly, Lilith merely sighed at the sight of her girlfriend. 

"Cam?" Lilith called. 

If Camila was surprised to see them, it certainly didn't show on her face. 

"Hey guys!" She greeted. "Are you on your tour?" 

"Yup." Ava grinned. "Pudding giving you grief again?" 

Camila glared at the cat in question. "We're working it out." 

"Clearly." Lilith replied. 

"Having fun Beatrice?" Camila asked. 

"Yes. Do you need a hand?" 

"I'm afraid this is official police business, ma'am." Camila replied, dropping her voice a few octaves before dissolving into a fit of giggles as she braced herself against the tree. "Nah I'm just fucking with you, if you're some kind of cat whisperer then be my guest." 

Ava seemed to practically vibrate with joy beside her as she threw her hand up. "Oh! Oh!" 

"Ava… I swear to God." Lilith said in a warning tone. 

"What?" Ava asked innocently. "I was just going to say that I am excellent at handling pussy." 

"You've had one girlfriend. If you're excellent then I'm the fucking queen." 

"You're fucking the queen?" Ava gasped. "Lilith! Camila is right there." 

"I'm obviously a queen." Camila said. 

The three of them dissolved into banter, but Beatrice didn't hear any of it. 

What was that about Ava having a girlfriend? 

And is anybody in this town straight? 

Not that Beatrice was complaining, obviously. 

But more importantly… Ava. 

Ava who was charming and beautiful was single and apparently not straight? 

That was a lot of information to unpack so early into her trip. 

And it was information that she definitely shouldn't try to unpack. 

What difference would it make to her life? This was a vacation for Beatrice, not a home. 

Even the fleeting thought was enough to make Beatrice's chest ache, so she quickly pushed those thoughts aside before she could slip further into them and forced herself to focus back on the chaos unfolding around her. 

"I don't care how good you think you are, it has zero bearing on your ability to climb a tree!" Lilith snapped. 

"Camila climbs you like a tree every night and she got up there easily enough so clearly there's some kind of correlation!" Ava shot back. 

Okay, so they were still arguing about sex and climbing trees, good to know. 

"She does have a point." Camila said, pointing at Ava. 

Ava laughed triumphantly and gave Lilith the finger. 

Okay… 

Beatrice unbuttoned her coat, and passed it to Ava, effectively stopping the argument in its tracks. 

She got to see Ava's confused expression for a brief second before she moved towards the tree. 

"Beatrice, what are you doing?" Lilith asked. 

Being stupid and impulsive, apparently. 

"Climbing the tree." Beatrice said. 

She wished that her hands weren't so cold, that they didn't ache as she began to haul herself up. 

Oh God. 

What if she fell? 

…Again. 

What was she thinking? 

Beatrice stilled, not far from the branch that Pudding was perched on. 

She looked over to Camila. "Is he going to attack me if I get too close?" 

"...Probably not?" 

"Your hesitation is not comforting." 

Camila shrugged and eyed the cat wearily. "The best case scenario is that he freaks out because he doesn't know you and jumps into my arms." 

"And the worst case?" 

"He jumps the wrong way or claws your face off." 

"Cat's land on their feet so statically, option two is much more likely." Beatrice said. 

She would rather avoid any claws to face related injuries. 

"And you have a nice face." Ava offered. "Getting mauled by a cat on the first day would really ruin your thoughts on this place." 

If Beatrice's grip slipped a little, nobody noticed. 

She had a nice face? 

"She's right." Lilith said. "Try not to break your neck." 

There was a slight thud and a quiet "ow." from Lilith, Beatrice could only assume that Ava had punched her arm or something along those lines. 

She moved up through the tree, keeping a watchful eye on Pudding the entire time. 

As Camila had predicted, the moment Beatrice had gotten close enough, he panicked and leapt from the branch directly into Camila's waiting arms. 

It was a little anticlimactic, if Beatrice were being completely honest with herself, even if she couldn't argue with the result. 

When Beatrice's feet hit the ground, cushioned considerably by the snow, she was just happy that she stuck the landing. 

Camila landed beside her a few moments later, the cat cradled in her arms. 

"Damn!" Ava grinned, coming up to meet her. "Beatrice is a badass!" 

Beatrice felt her ears heat up. "I… I'm really not." 

"Nope. Total badass." Ava said. "No take backs." 

Ava held out Beatrice's coat, and Beatrice was quick to take it from her and pull it on. 

"You could be my deputy." Camila offered. "Bea and Cam, pussy wranglers." 

Bea.

Nobody ever called her that.

Beatrice liked it.

The moment Ava opened her mouth to reply, Lilith was at her side and shoving her into a pile of snow. 

Face first. 

Ava groaned into the ground. "There was snow need for that." 

"There was every need for that, and I'd do it again for that God awful pun." 

Beatrice was curious about what Ava would have said had she not been tackled. 

A few ideas definitely came to mind. 

Beatrice's fingers were too cold to fasten up her coat again, instead she walked closer to Ava, offering a small smile when the girl rolled onto her back. 

"Need a little elf?" Beatrice asked. 

Ava gave her a lopsided grin. "Was that supposed to be a play on the word help?" 

"Yes, not my finest work." 

"I liked it." 

"Well, that's all that matters then, isn't it?" Beatrice asked. 

She could hear Camila laughing behind her, but paid neither her nor Lilith any mind as she held her hands out for Ava. 

Ava grabbed them and let herself be hauled to her feet. 

The snow clung to her and Beatrice used the back of her hand to brush as much of it off as possible. 

"Is there an Ava shaped hole in the snow?" 

Beatrice glanced over Ava's shoulder. "Sort of." 

Ava gave Beatrice a once over and caught her hand, frowning unhappily as she inspected Beatrice's hand. 

"Your hands look freezing." 

They were. 

"It's okay." 

"You're cold." 

"It's okay, Ava." Beatrice replied gently. 

Ava brought both of Beatrice's hands together so that she could clasp them in her own gloved ones. 

"We really need to get you warmed up before we head out to the lake, you know." Ava said. 

As much as Beatrice was excited to see the beauty that the lake offered, she would just as happily go wherever Ava wanted to go. 

Behind them Camila cleared her throat. 

Both Ava and Beatrice looked over to where Camila and Lilith stood, Camila still holding the giant tabby in her arms. 

"So I need to get this little asshole home." She said. "What are you guys gonna do?" 

"Considering someone decided to throw my ass into a pile of snow and Beatrice's heroic endeavours, I think we've earned a hot chocolate break before we carry on." 

Lilith raised an eyebrow. "So you want to go back to the diner?" 

"Pretty much." 

"It is coming up to lunch time." Camila said. "It makes sense." 

Lilith glanced at Beatrice and Ava, when her gaze lingered for a few seconds on their hands until Beatrice eased her hands from Ava's. 

She missed the contact immediately. 

"Okay. Back to the diner it is." Lilith said. "Mary is gonna love that." 

Camila laughed. "Come on, I'll drive. I just need one of you to hold Pudding until we get to Mrs Anderson's place." 

Lilith already looked resigned to the task as she looked fondly at her girlfriend. 

--

"You know…" Beatrice began quietly. "I can safely say that this is the first time I've ever been in the back of a squad car." 

"Really?" Ava asked, grinning. "No rebellious stories to share?" 

"I'm sorry to say that I'm frightfully dull." Beatrice replied. "I don't even have a speeding ticket against my name." 

Ava tipped her head back against the seat as Camila pulled up in front of a house, complete with white picket fences and everything. 

"Hm. No." 

Beatrice turned her head to look at Ava. "No?" 

Before Ava could elaborate, Camila reached over to take the cat from Lilith's arms. 

"I'll only be a minute." Camila said. She reached behind Lilith and donned her sheriff hat. 

It really suited her. 

"I feel like Camila should give that cat a ticket or something." Lilith muttered. 

"What would she do? Arrest him for being a cat?" Ava asked. Tom-Cattery of the first degree?"

"Ava…" Beatrice nudged her gently. "Cat burglar." 

Ava's eyes widened, annoyed at herself. "Fuck! That's so much better." 

"While I'm absolutely thrilled that you two are getting on so swimmingly," Lilith drawled. "Do either of you have an off switch?" 

"Nope." Ava grinned. "You've unleashed this, you have to deal with it." 

Lilith sighed. "Wonderful." 

They all looked out of the window at where Camila was talking to Mrs Anderson, Pudding now safely returned to her once again. 

She looked past Camila at the car and smiled, waving at them. 

Lilith rolled the window down slightly. "Hi Mrs Anderson!" 

"Hello Lilith, you have a wonderful partner!" 

"I know Mrs Anderson!"

Ava laughed beside Beatrice. 

"Hello Ava!" 

"Hey Mrs A!" Ava called back. 

They watched Camila and Mrs Anderson speak quietly for a few moments before the woman looked back to the car. 

"Hello to you too Beatrice!" 

Beatrice raised a hand in acknowledgement, thrown off by the greeting, which only made Ava laugh harder. 

She was still laughing when Camila got back into the car, pulling off her hat and dropping it into Lilith's lap. 

"Okay, I have some paperwork to do about Pudding's most recent escape when I get back to the station, but back to the diner?" 

"Yes please." Lilith said. "Before I kill these two back here." 

Beatrice had never found a threat so endearing. 

It made her feel like part of the group. 

She smiled to herself as Camila began to drive again. 

It was quiet on the backseat for a few minutes while Christmas music and Lilith and Camila's quiet conversation filled the front of the car. 

"You were wrong earlier, you know." Ava said suddenly, voice so quiet that the two women up front couldn't hear her. 

"About what?" Beatrice asked. 

"You being dull." Ava explained. "I don't think you're dull at all." 

"Oh?" 

Ava angled her head to look at Beatrice, her gaze as serious and earnest as ever. "I think you're the most interesting person I've ever met, and I'm really happy to have the chance to get to know you better, Beatrice Kline." 

Beatrice could only stare back for several moments. 

Ava seemed like the type to speak her thoughts, honestly and without restraint. 

But for as much as Ava had a tendency to talk, her eyes seemed to speak much louder.

Beatrice found that she wanted to know what else was in that head of hers. 

"Me too, Ava Silva." Beatrice replied, just as quietly. "Me too." 

The rest of the drive was silent, but Beatrice's thoughts were anything but. 

Beatrice wanted to know everything about Ava too. 

She wanted to know how after only a few hours, Ava could make her feel so unrestrained. 

Unburdened. 

Chapter Text

Mary didn't say anything when she saw them all enter, but Beatrice didn't miss the faint roll of her eyes. 

She still looked amused, but didn't come over as she was talking to Yasmin behind the counter. 

Beatrice found herself surprisingly disappointed that the booth she had previously been sat at was already occupied, it very much felt like her spot already, after all. 

But any feelings of disappointment were instantly quelled by Ava opting to slide into the booth beside her while Camila took the seat opposite them. 

Lilith lingered at the counter for a few moments, talking to Mary and Yasmin. 

"How are you finding things?" Camila asked. 

"It's beautiful." Beatrice replied. "It almost doesn't feel real." 

None of this felt real. 

"Is it just the lake you have left to see?" 

"And the bar." Ava added. "Though I figured that was best saved until it was actually you know… Open." 

Camila grinned. "You're gonna go to the bar today?" 

"What do you reckon?" Ava asked, giving Beatrice's shoulder a brief nudge. "Wanna check it out?" 

Beatrice couldn't help but be consciously aware that this was Ava's day off, that she could be doing anything with her free time but for whatever reason, she was choosing to spend it with Beatrice. 

"If you want to." 

Ava smiled. "This is about what you want to do." 

"I'm happy to go to the bar." Beatrice replied. "...Is it called the bar?" 

Camila and Ava snorted. 

"It has a better name." Camila said. 

"But we'll save that for later." Ava added. 

"Save what for later?" Lilith asked, dropping down beside Camila. 

"We're going to the bar after the lake and everything." Ava said. 

Lilith hummed thoughtfully before nodding. "Okay, that sounds like a plan." 

"I can drop by when I'm done with my shift." Camila said. 

"Mary finishes work in a couple of hours." Lilith said. "We can see if her and Shannon want to go for a few drinks too." 

As long as Beatrice didn't let herself get drunk, she was happy to do whatever they wanted. 

She really didn't want to end up spilling all of her drama to these people who had been nothing but kind to her. 

People that sans Lilith, she hadn't even known for a full day yet. 

"And then what, back here for dinner?" Camila asked. 

"Most likely, let's be honest." Lilith said. 

"I'm going to end up leaving this place ten pounds heavier." Beatrice mumbled. 

Ava laughed beside her. "You'll be fine." 

Lilith glanced up from her phone to look at each of them for a few moments before she went back to typing, when she was done she set the device face down on the table. 

Yasmin came over a few moments later with a tray of hot chocolates, an excessive amount of cream and a dusting of chocolate covered each one. 

"Do you guys want to order lunch or shall I come back in a few?" Yasmin asked. 

"Give us a few minutes, Yaz." Ava replied, smiling brightly. 

"Sure thing." 

"Okay so, Beatrice gets to experience the second best hot chocolate she'll ever have, we eat lunch, swing by my place and hit the lake." Ava listed off. "Then the bar after, obviously. Am I missing anything?" 

Beatrice wrapped her hands around the mug, feeling the warmth seep into her palms and smiled to herself. 

Until Ava's first statement registered with her. 

Beatrice frowned at Ava. "Wait, what do you mean, second best?" 

"This is just Ava bragging that she makes better hot chocolate." Lilith said. 

"Because I do!" Ava protested. "Everybody knows it." 

"She actually does." Camila agreed. "With the little candy canes and everything." 

"I have mastered the art of hot chocolate." Ava nodded seriously. She took a long drink from her mug and let out a happy sigh. 

Beatrice had to cover her mouth to try and quieten her giggle when she realised Ava was sporting a whipped cream mustache. 

She couldn't remember the last time she giggled. 

Ava looked thrilled, even as Lilith groaned and threw a napkin at her. 

"You're a child." 

"No, I'm childish." Ava replied, grabbing the napkin and wiping her face clean. "There's a difference." 

Beatrice took a sip of her own hot chocolate and hummed. 

It tasted like heaven. 

She couldn't begin to imagine what Ava's must taste like. 

--

They were getting ready to leave when Lilith's phone rang. 

She picked it up and answered it before anybody could see a name on the screen and stepped away from the table. 

Beatrice didn't think anything of it, but Ava looked curious as she pulled her beanie on. 

"Probably work stuff." Camila shrugged. 

Ava hummed and turned to Beatrice holding out her gloves. 

"Ava?" 

"Take them, please. I can grab my other pair when we get to my place." 

Beatrice wanted to protest, wanted to point out that Ava's hands would be cold if she took her gloves, but there was a gentle pleading in her eyes that had Beatrice accepting them silently. 

Her fingers brushed against Ava's as she took them and smiled. 

"Okay." 

Ava grinned. "Okay." 

Lilith walked back over and joined them, smiling to herself as she slipped her phone into her pocket. 

"Work?" Camila asked. 

Lilith shared a long look and a smile with Camila. "Something like that." 

Ava looked confused, glancing between the pair as if she were trying to figure out what was being said in the silence they were sharing. 

If Ava couldn't figure it out, then Beatrice had no chance. 

"Well don't leave us in suspense." Ava groaned. "What's going on?" 

"I'm going to have to apologise, Beatrice. That was… A client. I have to go back home for a meeting." 

Camila tilted her head to the side thoughtfully. "That's awesome, Lilith!" 

"I'm really sorry Beatrice." 

"It's fine, Lilith, honestly." Beatrice replied. "You can't control work related things." 

Lilith looked apologetic, but her gaze evened out as it shifted to Ava. 

"I'm officially putting you in charge, don't fuck this up." She warned. "I don't want to meet you later and find out that Beatrice has packed her bags and made a run for it." 

"What exactly do you think I'm going to do?" Ava asked. "Don't worry, I'll show Beatrice a good time." 

There were a few moments of silence. 

"Ava…" Camila sighed. 

"I know. I heard it too." Ava mumbled. "Sorry Beatrice, there's a gap between my brain and mouth." 

"It's called not having a filter, dumbass." Lilith said. "And it continues to get you into a lot of trouble." 

Beatrice was too busy considering the implications of what exactly a good time with Ava would entail. 

Nope. No. 

Couldn't do that. 

"It's fine Ava." Beatrice replied. "And it's okay Lilith, Ava will take care of me." 

There was definitely an innuendo there, but thankfully, nobody drew attention to it. 

"I'll drop you back home." Camila said to Lilith. "Ava, let us know when you guys are heading back and we can meet you both at the bar when we're all free?" 

Ava nodded. "Sounds like a plan." 

Beatrice wasn't sure if she should feel guilty that there was a part of her that was quietly happy that it was going to just be her and Ava for the next few hours. 

"Have fun." Lilith said as she gave Beatrice's arm a firm pat.

She didn't see that being a problem. 

--

"Is that the church?" Beatrice asked. 

They'd passed the B&B a while ago as they headed towards Ava's home. 

She had wondered if there had been one, though it definitely didn't seem as big as what she would have expected. 

It made sense, she supposed, it was only a small town. 

"Hm?" Ava followed Beatrice's gaze. "Oh, yeah. Do you want to check it out? Father Vincent should be in there." 

"...No. No, thank you." 

"Not a believer?" 

"It's complicated." 

Complicated didn't really begin to explain it. 

Ava hummed and cast her gaze over the church and the graveyard it overlooked. "Say no more." 

Ava definitely looked curious, no doubt she could see the hesitation on her face. 

"There's a really great sledding spot." Ava continued as she pointed just beyond the gravestones. "Right back there. Lilith says it's insulting." 

"Insulting? To whom?" Beatrice asked. 

"The dead." Ava replied. "She says we're flaunting our life at them." 

"You don't agree?"

"Nah. If people straight up decided to fuck around in the graveyard, then yeah that's a different situation altogether…" Ava explained, strolling leisurely at Beatrice's side. "But in the general vicinity? I think it's nice to show them some life." 

She said it so casually, like it was something that Ava had thought about before. 

"Do you… Believe?" 

Ava whistled a few vaguely familiar notes under her breath. "I want to believe." 

Beatrice failed at trying not to frown in the seconds that passed. 

"...Do you?" Beatrice asked. 

"Nah." Ava laughed. She whistled the notes again. "Come on Scully, surely you know this?" 

No wonder it had been so familiar. 

"I've never seen the show." Beatrice admitted. 

Ava gasped. "Okay, I mean there's a Christmas episode but there's no point watching that without seeing the rest." 

She shoved her hands in her pockets and spun around to face Beatrice, walking backwards and grinning at Beatrice's vague confusion. 

"I'm not sure I have time to marathon a show that has… How many seasons?" 

"Eleven, and two movies." Ava replied. "I could go into detail about the newer seasons and my feelings on them but…" 

Even with her hands on her pockets, Beatrice could see Ava's arms move as if she were still trying to gesture wildly. 

She had so much energy. 

"Too much to cover?" Beatrice guessed. 

"Way too much!" Ava replied. "Just… Will you at least watch the pilot with me before you go?" 

And how could Beatrice say no to that face? 

Those puppy dog eyes must get Ava out of so much trouble. 

"Sure thing, Ava."

Ava seemed satisfied with that and turned to fall back into step beside Beatrice. 

They walked together for a few more minutes before they reached a row of houses. 

The houses were extremely narrow, the overall aesthetic that they had felt like they were more fitting in an English village than the sleepy town Beatrice currently found herself in. 

They definitely didn't fit in with the rest of the town, regardless of the fact that they were essentially on the outskirts at this point. 

Ava hummed happily under her breath as she led Beatrice up one path to a bright blue door, pulling her keys out of her pocket and unlocking the door. 

Beatrice lingered by the front door as Ava all but barrelled inside, after a moment, she turned to look at Beatrice. 

"You can come in, if you want. I'll only be a couple of minutes." 

Beatrice made sure to kick the snow from her shoes before she followed Ava inside. 

The hallway was extremely narrow as they stood face to face, Ava tossed the keys into a bowl on the sideboard and grinned at Beatrice, apparently not bothered by the close proximity. 

"I'll be two minutes, I swear. Make yourself at home." 

Beatrice had absolutely zero intention of moving from this hallway until Ava returned. 

"Sure, take your time." Beatrice replied. 

Ava offered her another grin and sprinted up the stairs. 

Beatrice turned just enough so that she could see the photos that filled the wall. 

They were all black and white photos, set in dark wooden frames. The majority were candids, Lilith, Mary, Shannon, Camila, along with a couple of people that Beatrice didn't recognise.

Some were in the diner, some Beatrice recognised as the park, others she could only assume were taken in homes she had yet to visit. 

There was one that looked like it could be inside a bar, but until she visited it for herself or asked Ava, she would have no way to know. 

Beatrice could hear muffled footsteps above her as Ava moved around. 

She came hurrying down the stairs a few moments later, camera cradled in one hand. 

"Have you even moved?" Ava asked. 

"Not really. These are good, did you take them?" 

Ava glanced at the frames on the wall and hummed. "Yeah, I didn't hang them though. This was Mary's place, I just couldn't bring myself to take them down." 

"Mary lived here?" 

Ava hummed, attention focused on her camera as she inspected it closely. "She let me stay in the spare room when I first got here, when her and Shannon decided to move into the B&B she rented it out to me." 

It seemed like a big house to be in alone. 

"Do you like having your own space?" 

"It's weird." Ava admitted. "Growing up in an orphanage, all the hostels when I was traveling… even though when I was alone, I wasn't ever alone , you know? It took a while to figure out what to do with all the space, even longer to get used to being the only one sleeping in here." 

Beatrice understood, kind of. 

The idea of being surrounded by noise and people but to not really be amongst it. 

Living on the sidelines. 

She got the impression that on a level, especially from what Beatrice had learned about Ava's life before moving to Boreal, was that they were both outsiders. 

Except Beatrice had never felt an issue with being alone, it made sense to her, even if she didn't particularly like it. 

Ava didn't seem to feel the same, Ava seemed to thrive on being with or around people. 

When they were like the people in these photos or the girl standing before her, Beatrice could understand why. 

"I think I understand what you mean." Beatrice replied. 

Though she kept her head down, Ava's gaze lifted and their eyes met. 

"Do you… Live alone?" Ava asked, hesitating for a moment. 

It was an innocent enough question, but to Beatrice it felt heavy. 

It almost felt like Ava was trying to ask if she was seeing someone, without actively asking. 

"I do." Beatrice replied. "I… I had someone who would… Visit, but that's over now." 

To be honest, to call Zori a visitor felt strangely apt.

It wasn't worth thinking about right now. 

"Is it an apartment?" Ava asked as she slipped her camera around her neck and reached to pick up her keys. 

"Yes, one bedroom. It's just me and my plants." 

She should probably check in with Mrs Dunne when she gets a chance. 

"Sounds cosy." 

"That's one way to put it." Beatrice replied, she noticed that the camera wasn't the only thing in Ava's hands and she nodded her head towards the dark purple bundle in Ava's hand. "What's that?" 

Ava flashed that crooked grin and unraveled it, revealing a soft, knitted scarf. 

"I took a guess on the colour, but I figured it'd help keep you warm?" 

Beatrice stared at it for a few moments before looking up to meet Ava's watchful gaze. 

"It's my favourite colour." Beatrice said softly. 

Ava raised an eyebrow. "You're not just saying that, right? I totally won't be offended if you don't like it." 

"No, I'm serious." Beatrice replied. "I mean it." 

Ava laughed. "Okay. Okay, good. Cool. Cool, cool, cool. Can I?" 

Oh. 

Beatrice nodded. 

As Ava stepped closer, Beatrice became aware for the first time of the slight height difference between them. 

Ava was shorter, if only by a couple of inches, but it became all the more noticeable now that Ava was right up in her space again and gently lifting her arms up to loop the scarf around Beatrice's neck. 

She struggled to pick a spot to focus on, only to end up focusing on Ava's face. 

Ava's gaze was so intense as she wrapped the scarf around Beatrice's neck, fingers lingering at the edges. 

"There." Ava said softly, tucking the loose edges into Beatrice's coat. "All cosy." 

Jesus Christ. 

Cosy didn't begin to cover it. 

She was on fire. 

"Thank you, Ava." Beatrice replied. 

She tried really hard not to think about how quiet her own voice was. 

"Anytime." Ava said. "Wanna go see the lake?" 

"Yes. Please." 

--

Despite the heaviness of their moment in Ava's hallway, things never feel awkward between them. 

Ava just carried on, leading Beatrice out of town and through a snow covered trail towards the lake as she filled the silence with stories. 

As they got closer, Ava had stopped them and quietly asked Beatrice if she trusted her. 

"You're not going to murder me and hide my body in the lake, are you?" Beatrice asked. 

"Nah, it'll all be frozen over and I'm pretty sure you'd kick my ass." 

"It sounds like you've thought about this." 

"You kicking my ass or me murdering you?" 

"Both?" 

"First one, yes, briefly. Second, absolutely not." 

"If you say so." 

"So… Do you trust me?" Ava asked. 

There was only the faintest apprehension in her voice, and Beatrice had to wonder if she was thinking about the moment at the diner. 

Ava seemed to place a lot of value in trust. 

"Yes Ava, I trust you." 

More than anyone she knew. 

"Cool." Ava grinned. "Can you use the scarf as a blindfold?" 

"...Sorry, what?" 

"Please?" 

Which was how Beatrice had found herself blindfolded and walking along a snow covered path as her hands grasped Ava's shoulders for guidance. 

Beatrice wasn't clueless, the camera, the blindfold… She knew exactly what Ava was trying to do. 

(Ava really wasn't being subtle about her intentions either.) 

And while Beatrice had her reservations, she couldn't deny that there wasn't a part of her that was not only flattered, but intrigued by the attention Ava was trying to give her.

"You're putting a lot of faith in me, considering that you saw me fall this morning." Beatrice said. 

She felt Ava's shoulders shake with laughter. 

"I'm not going to let you fall, don't worry." Ava said, going as far as to pat Beatrice's hand with her own. 

And it was daring, maybe, but maybe Beatrice was just over thinking every potential interaction, but even that thought wasn't quite enough to stop her from making a quiet request.

"Maybe… You should hold my hands? Just in case?" 

It was easier to be bold when her eyes were covered. 

There was a moment of silence before she felt Ava's other hand come up to rest on top of Beatrice's. 

Ava gave her hands a gentle squeeze. 

"Better?"

"...Yes." 

"Good. Not long now, we're almost there." 

They walked slowly, Beatrice listening for Ava's voice amongst each step, listening to her soft instructions as birds chirped around them. 

Ava was careful not to move too fast, she guided Beatrice with gentle words and even gentler touches. 

Beatrice knew she was getting closer to the lake by the slight shift in temperature as they got closer to the frozen mass. 

Eventually, they came to a stop, and Beatrice felt Ava turn under her hold, easing her hands from Ava's shoulders. 

"Ready?" Ava asked. 

"The suspense is killing me." Beatrice replied. 

"I know you're being serious, but your tone is alarmingly sarcastic." 

"That's… Just my voice. It does that." 

Ava laughed as her hands came to rest on her shoulders. 

"It's fine, I like it." Ava let out the quietest gasp. "Oh god, what I've totally overhyped this whole thing even more?"

"Ava, don't worry. You wouldn't do this if it wasn't a sight worth being surprised with." 

"Okay." Ava squeezed Beatrice's shoulders and stepped away. "Okay. I'm still right here, okay? I'm just gonna move a few steps away." 

"You'll tell me when to take the scarf off?" 

"Yeah, just give me a minute." 

"Of course." 

Beatrice listened as Ava's footsteps moved away from her and waited, she could easily picture Ava choosing her spot, checking the lighting and that she had framed everything she wanted as she raised the camera up to her face. 

She didn't know why Ava seemed to want to take her picture, there was definitely nothing about her that was picture worthy. 

But if there was one thing that Beatrice had very quickly learned, it was to not question the quirks that made Ava function. 

If the rest of the town was content to just leave her to it, then Beatrice could get on that bandwagon too, regardless of how many questions that she had. 

"Okay, take it off." 

Moment of truth. 

Beatrice drew a deep breath and closed her eyes. 

She reached up to curl her fingers around the scarf, pulling on it just enough to loosen it and pull it back down to her neck. 

After having a scarf wrapped around her face, the sudden rush of cool air was enough to leave her breathless. 

The lake did a much better job of that. 

If Beatrice had thought the park was beautiful then she had no words to describe what this was. 

Framed by towering pine trees and with a light dusting of snow covering the thick ice that covered what looked to be the entirety of the lake, Beatrice was once again left wondering if she had walked straight into a movie set.

Nowhere could be this beautiful. This couldn't be real. 

The lake remained untouched by the snow, refracted streaks of light illuminated the ice in a way that would compare with the northern lights. 

Boreal suddenly made so much more sense as a town name. 

It was the shutter of a camera that finally drew Beatrice's attention away from the sight before her. 

Beatrice looked over to where Ava stood a few feet away, camera still obscuring her face as it remained trained on Beatrice. 

There was another click before Ava lowered the camera, eyes meeting Beatrice's with ease. 

She couldn't even begin to describe the look on Ava's face. 

(Was this how Beatrice looked at the lake?) 

Ava cleared her throat and looked down, fidgeting with her camera in the same moment that Beatrice looked back out at the ice. 

"Beautiful, right?" Ava asked. 

Beatrice drew a deep breath and nodded. "Yes." 

Ava took her time walking over to Beatrice's side, still busying herself with her camera up until they were shoulder to shoulder. 

It was then that Beatrice realised that Ava's camera wasn't a standard digital model. 

Ava caught her looking and laughed under her breath. 

"Don't worry, I've only got a few more shots in this roll, I'll get them developed so you can see the results." 

Beatrice wasn't sure if she was ready to see what she looked like through the eyes of another. 

"Do you develop them yourself?" Beatrice asked instead. 

Ava laughed. "Yeah, I turned the spare bedroom into a darkroom. Well, Mary and Camila did. I just stood around looking pretty." 

"I'm sure you did more than that." 

Ava hummed and lowered her camera back to rest against her chest and looked out to the lake. 

"Apparently the ice is so thick that they used to skate on here back in the day." Ava said. "The idea scares the shit out of me, but I can see the appeal." 

"It's for the best, getting trapped under ice must be a terrifying experience." 

Ava nodded. "I never learned how to swim either."

"Definitely no walking on the ice then." Beatrice said. 

"For sure." Ava agreed. 

"Sometimes, beautiful things are best appreciated from a distance." 

She could feel Ava's eyes on her. 

"...I guess." Ava replied quietly. 

Beatrice reached up to adjust the scarf more securely around her neck and tucked part of it back into her jacket. 

"If we're lucky enough to get a clear night, I'll have to bring you out here again." 

"Because of the stars?" Beatrice asked. 

"Yeah." Ava said softly. "Sometimes they reflect off of the ice. It's magical." 

Beatrice didn't think it could get more magical than this, but she was getting more than accustomed to the fact that this town was full of surprises. 

"I'd like that." Beatrice replied. 

"Good. Do you wanna walk around a bit, you can take some pictures if you want? Then we can head back to town." 

"I'm pretty sure my phone camera looks like a joke compared to what you've got." Beatrice said. 

"Irrelevant." Ava said firmly. "You could have the best camera in the world but still take shit pictures. It's the memory attached to them that really matters." 

Beatrice looked at Ava curiously, her gaze lingered enough for Ava to notice and look back at her. 

"What?" Ava asked, smiling. 

"You have a very peculiar outlook on things, Ava Silva." 

Ava's smile turned into a grin. "I try to look on the bright side." 

This time when she whistled a tune, Beatrice recognised it immediately. 

"Life of Brian." 

"One of Monty Python's finest." Ava replied. "Second best thing to come out of England." 

"Second?" 

"No wait. Lilith. Third best thing." Ava said. 

"What's the first?"

Ava hummed thoughtfully. "I'll get back to you on that." 

Beatrice chose not to push further, they stayed in silence for a few moments longer, each content to just be in each other's presence and looking out at the lake. 

Eventually, it was Ava who broke the delicate peace around them. 

"Wanna start walking?" 

"Lead the way." 

--

Beatrice found herself doing a double take when she saw the name of the bar lit up in neon blue. 

Hail Mary. 

The alternating flashing blue halo with red devil horns was certainly… A choice. 

The lingering threads of her Catholic upbringing were rearing their heads. 

Ava merely laughed at her. "Yeah, we've had a few tourists not be super thrilled with it." 

"Can't imagine why." 

"They soon backed off when they realised Father Vincent fully backed it." 

"He sounds like a very laid back priest." 

"Not like a regular priest. He's a cool priest." 

Beatrice laughed. "Vague mean girl’s reference?"

Ava grinned. "Yup. Good job." 

The neon blue theme continued once they were inside, though it wasn't to the point of being overwhelming. 

It still very much had the vibe of being a dive bar, just with small touches that really brought the place to life. 

It was also almost completely empty, save for the lone man sat at the far end of the bar and the woman stood behind it. 

"Hi Mother Superion!" Ava greeted loudly. 

The woman looked over at each of them, levelling Ava with a stare that was heavy with exasperation. 

"Ava, that's blasphemy." Mother Superion sighed. 

"I'll stop calling you that when you lose the Catholic undertones." 

Considering there was a sign behind Mother Superion that read 'Get your halo dirty' , Beatrice couldn't see that happening anytime soon. 

Mother Superion merely sighed and shook her head, shifting jet attention to Beatrice. 

"Who's your friend?" 

"This is Beatrice, she's an old friend of Lilith's and she's visiting for a bit. She's really cool and we love her." 

And while Beatrice couldn't help but smile at Ava's enthusiastic summary, Beatrice was quick to jump in. 

"I'm really not, though I appreciate the sentiment." 

Ava turned to face her. "Now you're just being humble." 

"Just setting realistic expectations." 

"So is this just a case of you giving a tour or are you staying to drink?" Mother Superion asked. "Because as charming as this is to watch, I do have work to do." 

"I'll say." Ava replied, glancing around. "Where's the decorations? Where's the tree? " 

"Mary is going to pick up the tree for me in a couple of days, calm down." Mother Superion replied. "The decorations can go up once that's sorted." 

"They'd better." Ava pouted. 

Mother Superion rolled her eyes. "Drinks. Ava. What are you having?" 

Ava settled on glaring for a few more moments before she turned to Beatrice, gaze softening immediately. "What do you want? First round is on me." 

"Are you sure?" 

"Yeah, of course." 

"Whiskey on the rocks then, please." 

Both of Ava's eyebrows rose. "Okay, badass. Any particular brand?" 

"Surprise me." 

Mother Superion was already turning away, glass in hand while Ava stood beside her, looking thoughtful. 

"I think I'll behave, rum and coke please Mama S." 

Mother Superion scoffed. "You don't know the meaning of the word." 

"Sometimes I do!" Ava pouted. She angled her head towards Beatrice. "Mother Superion's cocktails combined with Lilith and Mary being terrible influences? Recipe for disaster." 

"That doesn't surprise me at all." Beatrice replied. 

Mother Superion set their drinks down on the counter. "Are you paying now or settling at the end?" 

"Oh, end please." 

"Good. Take your drinks and get out of my way then." Mother Superion said. To Beatrice her tone seemed quite sharp, but there was a fondness in her eyes when she regarded Ava. 

Beatrice would be surprised if she found somebody who didn't like this girl. 

"Okay thank you, love you, bye!" Ava said hurriedly, grabbing both of their drinks and turning to nudge Beatrice towards an empty table. 

"Do you want me to hold anything?" 

"Nah, nah, I got this." Ava replied. "Honestly the cocktails here are fucking great, but you will be wrecked after a few." 

"Please tell me they don't fall in line with the biblical theme." 

Ava flashed a crooked grin. "I can only tell you that everything looks heavenly if you drink enough of them." 

"Oh, halo, the puns are back." 

"Good one! The puns never stop." Ava laughed. 

Beatrice dropped down into an empty seat. "She says, as she failed to make a pun." 

Ava froze in place as she set the drinks down, looking from the glasses to Beatrice before letting out a long groan. 

"..Son of a bitch. You're right." Ava sighed. "I am a failure." 

"If anybody asks, I'll tell them you kept the streak running strong." 

Ava settled down in the seat opposite and laughed. "I appreciate that." 

Beatrice pulled off her gloves and reached for her glass. 

The first sip went down sharper than she anticipated, but it wasn't bad. 

It definitely wasn't bottom shelf stuff either. 

"Good?" Ava asked. 

Beatrice nodded. "Yes, thank you." 

The bar was peaceful, though Beatrice couldn't help but wonder what the place was like on a night, considering it was a Friday and the Christmas vacation was about to begin, Beatrice was fairly confident that she would get to see the place full of life soon enough. 

"So, before the others get here and start to bully me…" Ava paused to take a sip of her own drink. "Tell me honestly, what do you think?" 

She knew that Ava meant the town, maybe even the day in general, but Beatrice couldn't resist teasing a little bit first. 

"Of?" Beatrice prompted. "You're going to have to be more specific, Ava. I've seen a lot of spectacular things today." 

Ava looked amused as she rested her chin on the palm of her hand. "Charmer. I meant about the town as a whole, but I will also accept feedback about today and myself, whether it is about my skills as a tour guide or as a person is your choice." 

Beatrice knew she could ignore the latter if necessary, but at least she had a few other options to talk about to save her from accidentally putting her foot in her mouth. 

"I… Honestly? I can't believe this place is real." Beatrice replied. "And I definitely can't believe how nice everybody is. It's actually mildly alarming." 

Ava looked on the verge of bursting into laughter. "Alarming? I know you're from the city but still." 

"Small town I've never heard of, everybody is extremely welcoming and kind… It's giving me Midsommar energy." 

This time Ava did snort, directly into her drink before she threw her head back to laugh. 

"Midsommar. Oh my God." Ava gasped. "You would make a brilliant Florence Pugh, and we absolutely do get the occasional bear wandering through… but no, this very much isn't a cult." 

"I know. It's just a big adjustment. I'm not used to continuous kindness." 

That seemed to make Ava quieten down a little bit, gaze softening as she regarded Beatrice. 

"Yeah, I get what you mean." She replied. "But you'll get nothing but kindness here. Maybe the occasional shit talk but it comes from a place of love." 

She was definitely talking about Lilith and Mary there. 

Maybe Mother Superion. 

Honestly, it wouldn't surprise Beatrice if Camila and Shannon jumped on the train from time to time. 

"Sounds about right." 

"...And the occasional reality check if or when one of us, usually me, steps out of line." Ava added. 

"The marks of a good friendship." Beatrice said. 

"True." Ava agreed and shook her head quickly, grin returning once more. "But enough about that shit, back to you." 

Right. 

"I maintain that this place doesn't feel real, and I imagine that feeling is only going to increase when I see it all in full Christmas mode." Beatrice explained. "That in itself is going to be an adjustment because… well, Christmas." 

Ava hummed. "Well, you've got us to be there with you to introduce you to the magic of Christmas in Boreal, you're going to leave this town a changed woman, Beatrice Kline." 

The idea both thrilled and terrified her. 

What if Beatrice didn't like the person she became? 

…Beatrice didn't particularly like herself as she was now. 

But how was she going to change? What could this place and the people within it do to change her life so drastically? 

Maybe Ava meant that Beatrice would find a sudden love for Christmas. 

Maybe Ava was just being dramatic. 

There was only one way to find out. 

"We'll see." Beatrice replied softly. 

Ava lifted her glass towards Beatrice's. "I'll toast to that." 

Beatrice brought her own glass to Ava's and let them meet with a satisfying clink. 

--

Lilith, Mary and Shannon all arrived within a few minutes of each other, by the time they had ordered their drinks and had a quick catch up with Mother Superion, Camila strolled in. 

They were all nothing if not punctual, that was for sure. 

It was quite a sudden shift in atmosphere as they all took their seats around Beatrice and Ava. 

It didn't particularly feel fair to say that they had burst the bubble that Beatrice had found herself comfortably in, but she also couldn't deny that she immediately missed the feeling of being the only focus for Ava's attention.

"You're in one piece then." Lilith said. "Good job Ava, you didn't kill or traumatise her." 

Ava scowled. "I'll have you know I was a perfect tour guide." 

"She was." Beatrice agreed. "Ten out of ten." 

"Would recommend to a friend?" Ava grinned. 

If she had any, then yes. 

Mary reached over to nudge Ava's camera. "And you broke out the big guns, huh?" 

Ava shrugged. "Some things you can only experience once, right? Seeing the lake seemed like it fit the bill." 

"As long as you had fun, that's what's important." Shannon said. 

"Definitely." Beatrice replied. "You all certainly know how to make a day memorable." 

"Yeah, I'm going to have to take some credit for that." Camila said. 

Ava frowned. "Excuse me? You had Beatrice climb a tree to help you with your felon while I'm out there giving her long lasting memories of mystical wonder." 

"That's why I said some credit, Ava." Camila laughed. 

Beatrice met Ava's gaze across the table. "Felineny?" 

Lilith and Mary each groaned, the sound was surprisingly harmonious while Ava cursed under her breath. 

"Dammit, that's a good one." 

"Never thought I'd see the day where Ava meets her match in pun related warfare." Shannon murmured. 

"I know, I'm equally impressed and threatened." Ava said, grinning at Beatrice. 

"I feel like I have to say that when I invited Beatrice here, I didn't expect her to be a massive dork." Lilith said, shooting a playful glare at Beatrice. "Though I am glad that you're getting on so well, even if it is torture on my ears." 

Apparently Beatrice had reached the point of gentle but fond bullying from Lilith, good to know. 

Camila sipped at her drink thoughtfully as she looked around at each of them. "It is good though. All of us in our little pairs." 

Beatrice's gaze met Ava's only fleetingly before they both looked away to drink from their respective glasses. 

Neither of them seemed to want to point out that the difference there was the fact that two of the three pairings were in romantic relationships. 

"It definitely makes it more convenient." Shannon agreed. "Buddy system." 

"Move over gal pals, we now have the buddy system." Mary muttered under her breath. "Never mind that I'm your wife." 

"Well not everybody has the pleasure of being married to me." Shannon said. 

Mary looked fondly at Shannon. "Damn right." 

"Whenever I used to call Lilith my partner, people who didn't know her yet thought they meant like… My deputy." Camila said. 

Ava's gaze snapped to Beatrice and put on a Southern accent. "You're my favourite deputy." 

"Toy Story." Beatrice replied immediately. 

"Very good." 

The others didn't comment on this little game that had developed between them. 

"So, what's the plan for the rest of the afternoon?" Camila asked. 

"Another round then to the diner for food?" Ava asked. 

Everybody responded with a chorus of agreements. 

"What about tomorrow?" Shannon asked. "What's the plan?" 

"I should be free for the most part." Lilith replied. "I'm waiting to hear back from a client about some design changes to a book cover, but that could be a day or two." 

"I'm off." Mary said. "Ava, you're only working till lunch right?" 

Ava hummed. "I need to double check my shifts for the rest of the week, "I'm definitely off the days I'm working the grotto though." 

"Okay." Shannon nodded. "We need to coordinate schedules at some point. There's plenty of stuff for you to do, Beatrice, but it'd be better if you didn't have to do it all alone." 

It was still touching that they were being so considerate to try and make sure that Beatrice had fun while she was staying here, they definitely didn't seem to want her to be alone. 

"I appreciate that." Beatrice replied. "But you all have lives here, that comes first." 

All of their expressions were various levels of soft as they looked at Beatrice, but Ava's was the softest of them all, only Lilith's gaze was close to matching. 

"You're a part of our lives now." Ava said simply. "And we want to spend time with you and get to know you better." 

The rest of the group nodded in agreement, though Mary's attention shifted from Beatrice to watch Ava. 

"What Ava said." Lilith replied. "I didn't invite you out here just to leave you alone in that B&B, regardless of how good it is." 

"I think what they're trying to say, Bea, is that you're kind of stuck with us." Camila laughed. 

Beatrice really didn't mind. 

Less than twenty four hours, and she had already found herself experiencing what it was to have friends, even if they knew next to nothing about her. 

She knew that there was going to be a point where she would need to start opening up a bit more, but maybe that could wait for at least another day. 

"Right." Mary began, finishing her drink and looking at the other glasses on the table. "Next round on me. Come on kid, you can help." 

Before Ava could object, Mary was grabbing her by her hood and dragging her to her feet and back towards the bar. 

Nobody seemed to react to the action, Camila even had her phone out as she looked through her calendar. 

"How do you feel about gingerbread, Beatrice?" 

"Um… It's good?" 

"There's a gingerbread house competition tomorrow afternoon at the bakery, all ages welcome." 

Beatrice had no memory of Ava or Lilith showing her the bakery, but there had been a lot to get through today. 

"I'm surprised Ava hasn't already thought of that, to be honest." Shannon said. "Do you remember last year?" 

Lilith laughed. "She tried so hard to be meticulous, not that losing bothered her. She still got to eat her own weight in gingerbread." 

"Yeah and it made her sick for the rest of the weekend." Camila pointed out. 

Shannon sighed. "She really loved those gumdrop buttons." 

Beatrice let her gaze drift over to the bar, watching for a few moments as Mary and Ava talked. 

Well, Mary was talking, Ava seemed to just be standing there, rubbing at the back of her neck awkwardly as she listened to whatever it was that Mary had to say. 

"The gingerbread house… Is it a single endeavour?" Beatrice asked. 

"They don't really care, to be honest." Shannon replied. "Me and Camila teamed up last year because Lilith, Mary and Ava got all competitive." 

Camila shuddered at the memory while Lilith scowled. 

"I was robbed." Lilith said. "Mateo came out of nowhere with a fucking gingerbread mansion." 

"At least you know he's working tomorrow so that competition is eliminated?" Shannon replied. 

As the three of them fell into discussing their builds from last year, Camila going so far as to start scrolling through her phone to find pictures of their attempts, Beatrice found herself looking back over to the bar. 

Ava's gaze met hers, only briefly as Mary continued to talk, but the smile was clear for everyone to see. 

--

There seemed to be a collective agreement to not tell Ava the plan until they were at the diner. 

Beatrice was slightly buzzed after having drank her second whiskey considerably faster than she usually would have. 

If the others felt the same, they were hiding it rather well. 

Except Ava, though that was just her general personality. 

Beatrice definitely wanted to see what Ava was like when she was truly drunk. 

Keeping the plans quiet was more than worth it to see the way Ava's eyes lit up when Shannon told her over their food. 

Ava almost dropped her grilled cheese in surprise. 

(Lilith had been the only one not to hop onto the grilled cheese and soup train, it had led to five solid minutes of mocking from both Ava and Mary.) 

"Really?" Ava asked. 

"If you want to." Lilith replied. "We're all up for it, Beatrice included." 

Beatrice could practically feel Ava vibrating with happiness against her shoulder, and when Ava turned her head to look at her, Beatrice felt her heart skip a beat. 

Oh. 

"I can't promise I'll be any good, but yes." Beatrice replied. "I'll need help for certain." 

"You'll team up with me?" Ava asked. 

"Who else would I want to team up with?" Beatrice replied. "Mother Superion seems cool and everything but I don't think she can keep up with puns and random movie quotes."

The sheer amount of excitement that radiated from Ava was something else entirely, she didn't seem to know what to do with her hands. 

She turned to bump her forehead very briefly against Beatrice's shoulder. 

Not an act of affection that Beatrice could say she was familiar with, but it definitely fell in line with Ava's excitable puppy energy. 

It made Beatrice feel warm all over.

"We're gonna crush it, Beatrice." Ava said. She drew back to level Lilith with a challenging gaze. "You're fucked." 

"Is that so?" Lilith asked. 

"You know it." 

"So… That's a no on this being a fun group activity?" Camila asked. 

"The gingerbread shaped gauntlet is down, Cam." Ava said. "This is it." 

Beatrice wasn't sure on their chances, but she was just happy to be a part of the general chaos that was beginning to unfold. 

--

Their walk home followed a very similar pattern to the night before, falling into their pairs and talking amongst themselves. 

This time though, Beatrice felt much more comfortable. Both literally and figuratively. 

The scarf and gloves Ava had given her were definitely a step in the right direction. 

But more than that, Beatrice already felt like less of an outsider. There was still a way to go, but with Ava beside her, things felt… Right. 

(She wasn't ready to read too deeply into why that was, lest she open a whole other avenue of thoughts that she absolutely could not have.) 

Before long, though, Beatrice found herself outside the B&B. Mary and Shannon bid their goodnights and disappeared inside, leaving her alone with Ava once more, if only for a few minutes. 

"The day ended better than it started, huh?" Ava asked. 

"I guess… If you start at the bottom, literally in my case." Beatrice paused as Ava snorted. "You can only go up." 

"That sounds like something I would say." Ava pointed out. 

"You must be a good influence on me." 

Ava smiled. "I'm glad you had a good day." 

"It was wonderful, Ava." Beatrice said softly. "Thank you, for making it special." 

Ava's smile grew surprisingly shy. "I didn't really do anything." 

"You did everything." Beatrice replied. 

She had no doubts that it would have been a great experience had it only been Lilith showing her around, but there was just something about Ava that made things that little bit more special.

That made Beatrice feel more alive. 

"I'll see you tomorrow?" Ava asked. 

"Absolutely." 

"And you know, if you do want or need alone time too, you don't need to feel pressured into hanging out with us." Ava said softly. 

"I know." Beatrice replied. "I think… For now at least, I've had enough of being alone." 

Ava had a curious look on her face, the one she seemed to get when she was trying to figure Beatrice out. 

It didn't dim her smile in the slightest. 

"I'm glad to hear that." Ava replied. "Sleep well, Beatrice Kline." 

Beatrice decided that the only time she liked to hear her last name was when it came from Ava's lips. 

"You too Ava Silva. Get home safe." 

Ava took one step backwards, as if to turn around before she hesitated. 

"You know… if you're okay with it, if we swapped numbers I could tell you when I was home?" 

"Okay." Beatrice agreed before she could second guess herself. 

Numbers were exchanged between shy smiles and before Beatrice knew it, goodbyes were said once more and she was left watching Ava disappear into the night. 

By the time Beatrice was changed and sliding under the covers, her phone vibrated against the nightstand. 

She grabbed it and rolled over in the darkness, and for the first time, smiled at the sight of a text on her screen. 

Ava
I'm home, thank you for letting me experience this town through your eyes. Sleep well, Beatrice. 

Beatrice smiled. 

Beatrice 
Goodnight, Ava Silva. 

The smile lingered long after Beatrice slipped into a peaceful slumber.

Chapter Text

"You're up early." 

Beatrice tried (and failed) at not startling upon hearing Mary's voice as she reached the front door of the B&B. 

She turned to the side to see Shannon standing behind the counter, Mary was sitting on top of it, drinking from a mug. 

Both were grinning at her. 

Beatrice felt like a teenager who had been caught trying to sneak out. 

"Hi!" Beatrice cleared her throat to try and sound less surprised. "Hello, good morning." 

"Morning." Shannon greeted. 

"You know, you're the first person I've met since Lilith who willingly gets up this early when they're on vacation." Mary said. 

Beatrice walked over to join them at the front desk, shoving her hands into her coat pockets and giving what she hoped was a nonchalant shrug. 

"I was just… Going to get some breakfast." 

Mary hummed from behind her mug as she took a sip. "You know this is a bed and breakfast, right?" 

"I am aware, yes." 

"So you know breakfast is generally included in the package?" Mary grinned. "Shannon obviously isn't as good as me but I can whip you something up." 

Beatrice knew that. 

But… She liked the diner. 

Just the diner. 

Obviously. 

No other reason. 

Shannon elbowed Mary and rolled her eyes. "Ignore her. I'd choose the diner too. Better coffee." 

Coffee brought by a waitress that was the human embodiment of sunshine. 

Mary mumbled something from behind her mug that earned another elbow to the ribs from Shannon for her efforts. 

"I was planning on exploring a bit more." Beatrice replied. "I'm in dire need of some warmer clothes." 

She wouldn't mind checking out the bookstore too. 

It was a thinly veiled excuse for getting to go to the diner so early, but it being a Saturday morning made Beatrice pretty certain she would be able to have time to talk with Ava alone. 

Beatrice just wanted to understand what it was about Ava that intrigued her so much. 

"Yeah, not gonna lie Kline, but you're giving off strong Cameron Diaz in the Holiday vibes." Mary said. 

"Or any main character from the big city in a hallmark Christmas movie." Shannon added. 

"But hotter, so there's that." Mary finished with a shrug. 

"I'm not sure if I should feel insulted or not." Beatrice frowned. "But thank you for calling me hot? I think." 

Mary laughed and hopped off of the counter to give Beatrice's shoulder a pat.

"Go, get some breakfast. Buy yourself a flannel and a sweater." 

"We'll catch up with you later." Shannon said. "We just have some jobs that need doing around here first." 

"We?" Mary raised an eyebrow. 

"Okay, Mary. But I will be here in a supportive capacity." Shannon corrected. 

Mary merely rolled her eyes fondly as she turned her attention back to Beatrice. 

"Enjoy your breakfast. Say hi to Ava for us." 

"I will." 

--

"Beatrice!" Ava grinned, making a beeline from the kitchen to the counter as Beatrice got closer. "Good morning!" 

"Good morning." Beatrice greeted. 

She considered her seating options for a moment, she was the only customer in there so Beatrice essentially had free run of the place. 

Beatrice opted for one of the seats at the counter, which seemed to earn a grin from Ava. 

"Coffee?" 

"Yes, please." Beatrice replied. "Mary and Shannon say hi." 

"Of course." Ava snorted. "I bet they wondered why you were up so early which… actually, yeah, why are you up so early?" 

Because it was an opportunity to see Ava sooner. 

Beatrice shrugged. "Used to getting up early, plus I wanted to look around at some of those stores you showed me yesterday and… I don't know, I kind of figured I'd keep you company for a bit?" 

Ava paused as she finished filling a mug for Beatrice and looked back over at her, her smile quickly turned into a grin. 

"You're cute. And it's appreciated. I love Mateo but he isn't the most talkative dude." 

Beatrice tried to will her ears not to heat up, with little success. 

"Is it usually this quiet?" Beatrice asked. 

Ava nodded her head and set a mug down in front of Beatrice. "On a Saturday? Yeah, it'll start to pick up in a couple hours though. Camila might drop by on the way into work to say hey."

Beatrice took a sip of her coffee as she watched Ava drift away to grab a menu for her, admiring the buttoned up red flannel and apron combo she was currently sporting. 

"Wait, do you know what you want?" Ava asked. 

"No, what do you suggest?" 

Ava set the menu down in front of her. "I'd say pancakes or waffles if you're the type for a sweet breakfast, but I'd peg you as more of a French toast kind of girl." 

"I am fond of some good French toast." 

Ava laughed. "Wanna try that then?" 

"Sure." 

Ava scribbled the order down on her pad and tore it off. "Okay then, I'll go tell Mateo and then we can talk game plan for our gingerbread house." 

Beatrice laughed too. "That sounds good." 

--

Ava was many things. 

Kind, attentive, full of energy, a talented photographer, had a vault of puns, had what appeared to be an extensive movie knowledge… Attractive. 

But an artist, she was not. 

"Is that supposed to be a horse?" Beatrice asked. 

Ava pouted. "It's… It's Santa. On the roof. What would a horse be doing on a roof, Beatrice?" 

"Horsing around." 

For the briefest of moments, Ava looked torn between being impressed and outraged at Beatrice's comment.

"Dammit, that was good." She relented. 

"Thank you." 

The French toast had been amazing, cooked perfectly, with a surprisingly large amount of extra fruit on the side. 

(though Beatrice suspected that was Ava's doing) 

It wasn't often that Beatrice would indulge in quite so much sugar, let alone so early in the morning. 

But it was worth it when she had asked Ava to grab a fork and share it with her. 

"Why am I drawing this anyway?" Ava asked. "You're the artist." 

"I'm not an artist." Beatrice reminded her gently. 

Ava hummed. "You know what I mean." 

"Either way, I see what you're trying to do with this, I'm just not confident we can do it." 

"Aiming too high?" Ava asked. 

Beatrice studied the diagram for a few seconds. "More like… I've never done this before so I feel like I'm going to disappoint you." 

"Nah, you wouldn't." Ava dismissed easily. "Besides, it's all about having fun, and we'll have fun." 

She genuinely meant it too, Beatrice knew that. 

Ava would like to win, but she was just as happy to go with the flow if it meant having fun. 

More than that though, she wanted to have fun with Beatrice. 

The door opened behind her and before Beatrice could turn to look, she saw Ava straighten up and grin. 

"Oh hey! Here's my favourite girl!" 

Beatrice was surprised at the sudden flare of… something in her chest. 

(Jealousy? Don't be ridiculous.) 

She glanced over her shoulder to see this mystery woman and… 

Oh. 

It was a child. 

A literal child. 

Well, now Beatrice felt ridiculous. 

She couldn't be older than ten, with dark hair and dark eyes. She didn't even acknowledge Beatrice despite coming straight up to the counter and climbing onto the seat beside her. 

"Hi Ava." She greeted. 

Ava flashed Beatrice a quick smile before turning her attention to the girl, resting both elbows on the counter. 

"Come on, don't leave me hanging, how did you do?" 

"All A's, top of the class." 

Ava held out her hand for a high five, which the girl returned happily. "Fuck yes! Good job buddy!" 

The girl merely raised an eyebrow. 

"...Ava." 

"Yeah, that one's on me." Ava sighed. "Where's your mom?" 

"At home. She said I could come here for breakfast as a well done for my report card." 

Ava nodded. "Hot chocolate if you don't tell her I swore in front of you?" 

"As always." 

This child had sass. 

She glanced to her side, apparently noticing Beatrice for the first time and gave her a long look. 

"I don't know you." She said bluntly. 

Was Beatrice intimidated by a child? 

…If she was, it would be a secret that she would take to her grave. 

Beatrice was in the middle of weighing up the potential repercussions that would come from back talking what was essentially a toddler when Ava helpfully stepped in. 

"Lyra, this is Beatrice. She's an old friend of Lilith's, she's come to visit for the holiday. Beatrice, this is Lyra, Mrs Anderson's grandkid." 

Lyra continued to watch Beatrice carefully. "How do you know my grandma?" 

"I… I helped get her cat out of a tree."

"Where was Sheriff Cammie?" 

Cammie? 

"She was there too." 

"Did you come here alone?" 

Beatrice nodded. "I did." 

"Why?" 

Jesus, what was happening? 

Beatrice glanced at Ava, hoping that she didn't look terrified at being interrogated by a child. 

"I just… Did." 

"What about your family?" 

"Well -" 

"What about your boyfriend?" She asked. "Girlfriend?" 

"Jesus, Lyra, enough with the third degree." Ava laughed, reaching over to pat Beatrice's hand reassuringly. "Beatrice is good, we like Beatrice." 

That seemed to appease the girl enough for the time being. 

"Okay. Can I have pancakes?" 

"Sure thing buddy. I'll go get your hot chocolate. Beatrice, do you want to try one?" 

"One of your legendary hot chocolates?" 

Ava grinned. "You know it." 

"How could I say no to that?" Beatrice replied. 

Beatrice just knew that she was going to be consuming so much sugar today. 

Lyra was looking between the two of them curiously. 

She was seriously beginning to stress Beatrice out. 

Ava moved away from them to make their drinks, only adding to Beatrice's stress by leaving her alone with a child. 

It wasn't even as though Beatrice didn't like kids, kids were great. 

This kid just kind of scared her. 

Adults would back down if someone didn't want to answer a question, sometimes at least. Children would not. 

A nightmare. 

Beatrice was in a living nightmare. 

"You didn't answer any of my questions." Lyra pointed out quietly. 

"I know. I'm sorry." Beatrice replied. 

"Do you have a family?" Lyra asked. "Or… Are you like Ava?" 

They both glanced in Ava's direction, who, if she was aware of their conversation, showed no signs of it. 

"I do. But my situation with them is… Complicated. I came here because I wanted a change, I suppose." 

No trauma dumping on a toddler, thank you. 

Lyra just seemed content that Beatrice was answering her honestly. 

"And to answer your other question, I don't have a… significant other either." 

"What about your friends?" 

Beatrice sighed and dropped her voice a little lower. "I don't really have many of those either, beyond my boss and my neighbour. She's looking after my plants for me while I'm here." 

"Ava likes you though." Lyra pointed out. "She's your friend now." 

"You're right. And so is Lilith and the others." 

Lyra hummed thoughtfully. "Were you lonely?" 

It had been a while since Beatrice had been required to hold a conversation with a child, were they always like this? 

"Yes, which was why I came here. It's a much needed change of pace. It's odd to be around so many people again." 

"Where are you from?" Lyra asked. "You sound like Lilith." 

"London, but I live in New York now." 

For the first time since she walked in, Lyra's eyes widened. 

"Really? I want to go there." 

"They're both nice cities, very different from here." 

"Sometimes different is good though." 

"Also true." Beatrice agreed. 

"I want to be a spy." Lyra announced, completely unprompted. 

And well, that certainly explained a lot. 

God, why could Beatrice see this girl digging everything up about her? 

Just showing up to the diner with a dossier of Beatrice's life and failed relationships. 

"That sounds like a great idea." Beatrice replied. "Have you asked the Sheriff if you can see what she does?" 

Lyra nodded. "She said I can come by the station over break, but most of her job is getting Pudding out of trees and I look after him a lot anyway."

"That's fair." Beatrice laughed. 

Ava returned to them, grinning when she saw Beatrice laughing and Lyra smiling too. 

She set a mug down in front of each of them. 

"Looks like you two are having fun." 

"I like her." Lyra decided. 

"Thought you would." Ava replied. "When have I ever been wrong?" 

"When you tried to show me about the French revolution by telling me to watch Les Miserables." 

"...Okay yeah, bad call on my part." 

"Or anytime you make a movie recommendation. Mom really didn't like it when she saw me watching Alien that one time." 

Ava turned bright red as she looked sheepishly at Beatrice. 

"In my defence, Ellen Ripley is like… An icon." 

"Ava, I was eight." 

"I swear I'm great with kids." Ava said quietly. 

"Just not at providing age appropriate movies?" Beatrice asked. 

"Nobody's perfect." Ava shrugged. 

True, but Ava seemed pretty damn close. 

"Anyway!" Ava clapped her hands together. "Come on Beatrice, you have the best hot chocolate in the world sitting in front of you, don't leave me in suspense." 

It did look impressive, with whipped cream, a dusting of chocolate and a red and white candy cane sticking out of it, it looked like something that she would see during an endless Instagram scroll. 

"Do I just… take out the candy cane or.. How do I do this?"

Lyra rolled her eyes and took a sip. 

Okay, the candy cane stays put then. 

Beatrice lifted the mug to her own lips and took a tentative sip. 

Everybody had been right. 

It really was the best hot chocolate she had ever had. 

Ava was watching Beatrice carefully for her reaction, elbows resting on the counter as Beatrice lowered the mug back down onto the counter. 

"Oh my God." Beatrice said. 

Ava grinned and laughed. "You like it?" 

"Ava… This is something else entirely." 

Ava actually blushed a little at the praise. 

"Thanks." Ava replied, her gaze dropped briefly to Beatrice's lips as she smiled. "You have a little…" 

She reached up for a moment before hesitating, there was a clear question in her eyes and though she didn't voice it, as the seconds stretched, Beatrice actually found herself wishing that she would. 

In the end though, Ava gestured towards Beatrice's lips. 

Beatrice reached up to brush her thumb against the corner of her mouth, glancing down at it to find a smear of cream. 

"Oh, thank you." Beatrice said, popping her thumb into her mouth to suck it clean. 

(Ava's eyes watched her the entire time.) 

It felt like neither of them breathed until Lyra inevitably broke the silence. 

"Is Sheriff Cammie coming?" She asked. 

Ava blinked a couple of times and took a deep breath as she turned to Lyra, a grin forming on her face. 

"She should be. I'll text her, okay?" 

"Okay." 

Beatrice took another sip of her hot chocolate and tried to remember how to breathe again. 

--

By the time Camila did walk in, none of them noticed. 

When Lyra had noticed Ava's vague drawing of the gingerbread house she wanted them to build, it had been game over. 

Beatrice had never witnessed so much sass from a child as she criticised Ava's drawing skills. 

In the end, Beatrice had given in and grabbed a fresh napkin and Ava's pen to draw a new one, this time taking Lyra's input on board too. 

(Lyra had pointed out that she shouldn't really be helping considering she was going to be building a gingerbread house too, but she had quietly admitted to Beatrice that Ava needed all of the help that she could get.) 

"Do you really need a candy cane forest?" Lyra asked. 

Ava hovered over them and nodded seriously. "They're important." 

"Morning all." Camila greeted, startling them all. She looked over Beatrice's shoulder. "What are you doing?" 

"Cammie!" Lyra shot up, gingerbread house diagram completely forgotten. 

"Hey kiddo." Camila grinned, she reached over to drop her hat onto Lyra's head. "Where's your mom?" 

"At home. She let me come here for breakfast." 

"My original sketch was shamed." Ava said. "So these two have been bringing my vision to life." 

Camila laughed as she took the seat beside Beatrice, Ava was already moving to fetch her a coffee. 

"Cammie, can I come to the station one of the days?" Lyra asked. 

"Sure thing, just get your mom to speak to me first, okay?" 

Lyra nodded. 

"You should be out doing kid shi - stuff." Ava said, catching herself when she was met with three pairs of warning glances. 

"I'm gonna." Lyra replied. "We're going to go sledding and have snowball fights and everything. I can do kids stuff and still go to the station, Ava." 

Ava snorted and placed a mug in front of Camila. "That's me told, you want breakfast, Cam?" 

"Nah I'm good, thanks." Camila replied. "Bold of you to call it kids stuff when I know you want to go and play too." 

Ava rolled her eyes. "There's nothing wrong with that." 

"Not at all." Camila agreed. "Bea, what are your thoughts on snowball fights?" 

"I've… never had one." Beatrice admitted. 

A white Christmas in London was a rare occurrence growing up, and by the time she had gotten to boarding school, such activities were generally met with some form of punishment. 

She hadn't thought it as that much of a big deal, but Beatrice found herself met with a surprisingly sad expression from the child beside her. 

"Never?" Lyra asked. 

"No." 

"You should. It's fun." Lyra said. "Ava, you need to take Beatrice for a snowball fight." 

It wasn't even a question, and while Beatrice, Ava and Camila all looked somewhat amused at Lyra's order, but for Beatrice, it was another touching moment of being shown kindness.

The fact that it came from a child, only made it all the more heartwarming. 

"Don't worry buddy, I will." Ava replied softly. "As long as Beatrice is okay with that." 

"I'll try anything once." Beatrice said. 

"There, happy?" Ava asked Lyra. 

"Yeah." Lyra looked over at the clock and frowned. "I need to go back home." 

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a handful of dollar bills. 

"It's on the house." Ava replied, stopping Lyra before she could hand the money over. "From me and Mateo for nailing your report card." 

It made Lyra light up and oh, if Ava being great with children didn't make Beatrice's heart ache. 

"Thanks Ava!" Lyra got up from the stool, grinning. "Bye Beatrice, see you later." 

Beatrice smiled. "Goodbye, Lyra. It was nice to meet you." 

Lyra stopped by Camila so that she could retrieve her hat and waved her off. 

They all watched the girl as she left the diner and made her way past the window and up the street. 

"Is it really that safe for kids to be walking around on their own?" Beatrice asked. 

"Safer here than anywhere else." Ava said. "She lives less than five minutes from here and knowing that kid? She texted her mom when she was walking in and is probably doing it again now she's going home." 

Small towns were so different than anything Beatrice had experienced before. 

"You seemed to win her over." Ava said, grinning at Beatrice. 

"And you're great with kids." Beatrice replied. "You continue to surprise me, Ava Silva." 

Ava seemed to shimmy a little on the spot at Beatrice's words. 

"Oh yeah, all of the kids here adore Ava." Camila said. "And not just because she forgets they're kids and swears like a sailor." 

Beatrice could see that, even from what she had already seen this morning, Ava never talked down to Lyra, and with her sense of humour and high energy personality, it was easy to see why she would be loved by kids.

"...Not like a sailor. "Ava protested weakly. 

"Like a sailor." Camila said. She turned to Beatrice. "What are you doing here so early?" 

"I need to try and work my way through as much of this menu as possible." Beatrice replied. "And to keep Ava company, of course." 

"Of course." Camila replied. 

"I'm also going to go and explore the stores a bit more." Beatrice added. 

"And then we get to kick Lilith and Mary's ass and build the best gingerbread house ever." Ava declared. 

"Hold onto that optimism." Camila said. "Do you both have dinner plans?" 

Beatrice and Ava both shared a look and each shook their heads. 

"I'd most likely just end up here." Beatrice replied. "Why?" 

"Wanna come for dinner at mine and Lilith's?" Camila asked. 

"Ooh, sounds good." Ava said. "I'm in." 

"Okay." Beatrice agreed. "Can I bring anything?" 

"Just yourself." 

"Please, at least let me bring a bottle of wine?" 

Camila laughed. "Okay, fine." 

"Red or white?" 

"Lilith has decided she wants to make paella, so… white, right?" Camila asked. "White with seafood? You don't have allergies do you?" 

"No, no allergies. But yes, white with seafood." Beatrice replied. 

"Are Shannon and Mary going to come?" Ava asked. 

"I haven't spoken to them yet, I'll put a message into the group chat and - oh wait, Bea, we should add you into the group chat!" 

Beatrice didn't know what to say to that. 

She was being integrated so easily into their group dynamic, but to Beatrice, to be added into a group chat almost felt like she was invading their space. 

What happened when she left? Would she still be in that chat? Watching them live their lives as an outsider or would they remove her? 

So many conflicting emotions. 

But for now… Maybe she should indulge. 

Whatever pain would follow after that, well, she would just have to deal with it. 

"I can do that." Ava said, pulling out her phone. 

Camila raised an eyebrow, though she didn't say anything as Ava scrolled through her phone. 

It was clear to Beatrice that Camila was wondering when exactly Ava had gotten Beatrice's number.

A few moments later, Beatrice felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. 

She pulled it out and checked the notification. 

Ava 
Beatrice Kline is in the building! 

Ava 
…Group chat. You know what I mean. 

Beatrice glanced at the name of the group chat and looked up at Ava. 

"Sister's from many misters?" 

"It was the only name that got the least complaints." Ava sighed. 

"It used to be Warrior Puns." Camila said. "But Mary and Lilith are… not good at puns so it didn't really fit." 

Beatrice laughed and sent a waving hand emoji into the chat. 

"I maintain that Warrior Puns was the best one." Ava said. "But we move." 

"We do." Camila nodded, finishing her coffee and setting the mug down. "I better get going. I'll catch you both at the bakery later." 

Ava gave Camila a peace sign. "See you in a few hours, Cam." 

"Bye, Camila." Beatrice said. 

"Do you want another drink?" Ava asked. 

"No, thank you. I should probably make a move in a few minutes too." Beatrice replied. "What time do you finish?" 

"Noon." 

"I… If I come back around then, do you want to have lunch with me?" Beatrice asked. 

Ava beamed. "I'd love that." 

"Okay." Beatrice nodded. "Okay." 

"Okay." Ava said softly. 

It was just lunch. 

Lunch was safe. 

--

The rest of Beatrice's morning was surprisingly productive, she had gone to one of the thrift stores and had ended up leaving with a huge bag full of warm clothing. 

Two bottles of wine from the grocery store and even a couple of books from the bookstore. 

Beatrice had lingered in the bookstore longer than she had planned when she had seen their small collection of sketchbooks and art supplies, though eventually she shook her head and walked past without picking one up.

(It had been surprisingly unnerving talking to the people in each of the stores without Ava or Lilith by her side, especially because they all seemed to know of her existence.)

Beatrice hadn't seen Mary or Shannon when she had returned to the B&B to drop her bags off, but had heard the telltale sound of a drill coming from somewhere within the building. 

While she had been out, the group chat had been relatively active, with each of the group welcoming her into the chat and Camila inviting Mary and Shannon to dinner tonight. 

There had been no new texts from either of her parents, though there had been another missed call from her mother. 

Ava had sent a few texts, mostly pictures of gingerbread houses pulled from Google. 

Ava 
Do you think we can make a UFO out of gingerbread? 

Beatrice 
Are you going for an extraterrestrial spin? 

Ava
Santa is an alien, it's a fresh take right? 

Beatrice laughed and sat on the edge of the bed as she typed out a reply. 

Beatrice 
You're not wrong. Perhaps not out of gingerbread, but I'm sure we can figure something out. 

Ava 
Nice. Gotta go serve customers. I'll see you in a bit. 

Beatrice 
Okay. See you soon. 

Beatrice set her phone down beside her and lay back against the bed, sighing to herself. 

She should probably get changed. 

--

As Beatrice got closer to the diner, she felt her phone begin to ring and pulled her phone out to see Mrs Dunne's name on the screen. 

The elderly woman rarely called, and Beatrice couldn't think of a reason as to why she would need to be reaching out to Beatrice. 

Beatrice answered it without hesitation. 

"Hello?" 

"Beatrice, dear? It's Edith." 

Beatrice resisted the urge to chuckle and came to a stop just outside the diner. 

"Hi Mrs Dunne. Are you okay?" 

"Yes, yes. It's been raining non stop for two days though. Terrible weather." Edith scoffed. 

"I'm sorry to hear that." Beatrice replied. 

She still felt a little lost as to why this conversation was even happening. 

Mrs Dunne only ever called her when she was under the weather and would ask Beatrice if she would mind picking up some groceries for her. 

"Your plants are doing well. Still thriving." 

"I'm glad to hear that." Beatrice laughed. 

"That Zori girl came by to pick up her belongings." Edith said, the woman's disdain for Beatrice's ex was clear in her voice. 

"Did she give you any trouble?" Beatrice asked. 

Edith laughed. "Dear, I lived through many things, one arrogant girl can't give me any grief. She stood there in my living room, no reservations about mouthing off about you. I soon told her where to shove those ugly heels of hers." 

Edith Dunne was, and would always be, Beatrice's hero. 

"I'm sorry she gave you grief." Beatrice said. 

"You need to find a better girlfriend, dear." 

Beatrice had never explicitly spoken about her sexuality with her neighbour before, but Edith's acceptance of her had been beyond reassuring. 

"I know." Beatrice sighed. "But I think that's out of my reach." 

"Nothing is out of your reach, dear. There's someone out there for everyone. You'll find your person." 

Beatrice looked up and caught Ava's gaze through the window. 

Ava offered a smile and a wave, almost bumping into Yasmin as she walked past. 

"I suppose." Beatrice said. 

"Oh, I remember why I called you now." Edith said, pulling Beatrice's attention back to the conversation. 

"Oh?" 

"Somebody came to your apartment this morning. Said she was your mother." 

Beatrice's stomach dropped. 

Oh. 

Oh no. 

"I…" Beatrice took a deep breath. "What did she want? Did you speak to her?" 

"Too right I did." Edith replied. "When I saw her at your door I demanded to know just who in the hell she thought she was, waking everyone up at seven on a Saturday morning. The nerve." 

Beatrice wanted to laugh. 

She almost wanted to see how that would have played out, how her mother would have reacted to somebody standing up to her. 

"She wanted to know where you were. I told her that you were on vacation and to mind her own business." 

"...What did she say?" Beatrice asked. 

She could feel her heart racing, her mood dropping rapidly the longer this conversation went on. 

"That you were her business. I told her I didn't know where you were and told her in no uncertain terms to leave, otherwise I would call security." 

Beatrice shifted to lean her shoulder against the window. 

She didn't know what to say. 

"Are you okay, Beatrice? You are on vacation aren't you?" Edith asked. "You're not on the run?" 

"No… No, I'm not on the run." Beatrice replied quietly. "I am on vacation, I promise." 

Edith hummed. "May I speak freely, dear?" 

"Sure." 

"Your mother is a piece of work. There is a reason why you didn't tell her where you went and I won't pry, but I also don't blame you for that at all." Edith said. "Fuck her, dear. Enjoy your vacation. Make some good memories." 

Beatrice absolutely could not cry. 

(Though hearing a seventy year old swear was somewhat hilarious) 

"Thank you, Mrs Dunne. I appreciate that." 

"Have a Merry Christmas, Beatrice." Edith said. 

Beatrice sighed. "You too. Thank you for letting me know, and thank you, for standing up for me." 

"Always, dear." 

When Beatrice slipped her phone back into her pocket, she closed her eyes for a few moments. 

She had never expected for one of her parents to come into the city, let alone show up at her apartment. 

Beatrice was suddenly relieved that she had chosen not to disclose where she was with Mrs Dunne or Jillian. 

God. 

Her mother had probably spoken to her too. 

Beatrice felt sick. 

"Beatrice?" 

Ava's voice was so soft, and yet it still managed to startle her. 

She turned to the side to see Ava standing by the front door, face full of concern as she looked at Beatrice. 

"Ava… Hi."

"You okay?" Ava asked. 

What had shown on her face during the phone call? 

What had Ava seen? 

"I… I will be." Beatrice replied. She took a deep breath. "It's fine." 

Ava didn't look too convinced, but then again, Beatrice knew she wasn't exactly doing a good job of being convincing. 

"Do you want to talk about it?" 

Beatrice shook her head. "Later?" 

She really couldn't see this staying a secret for much longer. 

Ava walked closer, dressed only in her flannel shirt and immediately hugged her arms to her chest as she came to a stop at Beatrice's side. 

"Do you wanna get lunch or go for a walk?" 

"Lunch." Beatrice replied. "I've been looking forward to spending more time with you." 

She said that as if Ava wasn't going to be by her side pretty much all day. 

"Me too." Ava agreed. "Do you need a minute?" 

"No, no I'm good." 

She pushed off of the wall to follow Ava back inside. 

--

Ava was extremely skilled at knowing just what to say and do to distract Beatrice. 

They took their usual booth in the back of the diner and Yasmin took their orders, chicken caesar salad for Beatrice and a cheeseburger and fries for Ava. 

When Yasmin brought their drinks out and Beatrice saw the size of the chocolate milkshake that Ava had ordered, the only thing Beatrice could think of was some kind of date in a fifties style diner.

A couple sharing one glass, two straws as their eyes met across the table. 

When their food had arrived, Ava had teased Beatrice gently about ordering a salad until Beatrice had found herself smiling. 

Ava tried so hard to make Beatrice feel at ease. 

And she always succeeded. 

It was truly impressive. 

"That was my neighbour, who called me." Beatrice said, surprising both herself and Ava. 

Ava, for her part, tried very hard not to choke on her milkshake at Beatrice's sudden choice to speak up. 

"Was everything okay?" Ava asked. 

How much should she say? 

She was talking before she had a chance to think about it. 

"My… My ex came by to pick up some stuff that had been left behind when we split up a few weeks ago." Beatrice began, eyes focused on her plate as she spoke. "Apparently there were some things said about me that my neighbour didn't like and quickly shut down." 

"Bad things?" 

"Mrs Dunne didn't go into detail." 

"Fuck your ex." Ava said. "They have no right to talk shit about you." 

"She…" Beatrice corrected before sighing. "And I don't know, I never really got that much of an explanation from her beyond one comment. Then she blocked me." 

To tell Ava that Zori's reasoning had been her lack of emotional availability felt almost too damning. 

Besides, right now Beatrice was currently trying to keep composed over the knowledge that she had essentially just come out to Ava. 

She chanced a fleeting look through her eyelashes at the woman across from her. 

Ava just looked a little angry. 

"I stand by what I said." Ava replied. "Fuck her." 

"I… It's fine." 

"You looked freaked out, Beatrice. That was why I came outside to check on you." 

Beatrice had figured as much. 

"That…" Beatrice tapped her fingers against the table for a few seconds and sighed again. "That was about something else." 

She jerked a little when she felt Ava's fingers brush against the back of her hand. 

Beatrice looked up and met Ava's sympathetic gaze. 

"Hey." Ava said, so gently that Beatrice could almost cry. "I'm not trying to push you, and you don't have to say anything you don't want to. I just want you to know that you can talk to me if you want." 

Ava's touch was warm against the back of her hand. 

Right now, all Beatrice wanted to do was turn her hand over. 

"I know." Beatrice replied. "I do trust you, Ava. I really do and honestly? Honestly that kind of scares me. I've never trusted someone this easily before." 

Ava looked surprised, pleasantly so, in fact at Beatrice's admission. 

Beatrice was surprised too. 

She really hadn't meant to say that. 

But it was the truth. 

Ava's eyes were so soft. 

"I trust you too." Ava said. "I don't want you to be afraid, Beatrice." 

Beatrice didn't know how. 

Beatrice didn't know what any of this was. 

Ava's smile was reassuring. "You don't need to over think any of this, okay? Just go with the flow, Beatrice. It's okay." 

Go with the flow. 

…Okay. 

Okay. 

She could do that. 

Couldn't she? 

Whatever this… thing was between her and Ava, whatever connection it was that they both seemed to feel, Beatrice had to figure out how deeply it ran. 

She just didn't want to get hurt. 

She didn't want to hurt Ava. 

But Ava seemed to trust her. 

So Beatrice held onto that. 

Beatrice nodded. "Okay." 

Ava smiled and squeezed Beatrice's hand gently. 

"Good afternoon, ladies!" Mary announced, loud enough for both of them to hear despite being on the other side of the diner. 

Ava's entire expression shifted into something of genuine frustration as her hand swiftly moved from Beatrice's, coming up to rest against her cheek. 

For a few moments, her gaze grew apologetic as she looked at Beatrice. 

Beatrice smiled back, hoping that Ava would see the silent 'It's okay.' 

Ava smiled too. 

Of course she saw. 

Ava seemed to have the uncanny ability to see everything. 

"Hey Mary." Ava greeted, lifting her head to smile up at her. "Hey Shannon." 

"Hey you two." Shannon replied. "Already eaten huh?" 

"Yeah, did you guys wanna order?" Ava asked. 

"We've already eaten." Mary said. "Lilith is on her way to get Camila too. We had been texting in the group chat but you both went awol on us." 

Beatrice hadn't even felt her phone vibrate. 

"We weren't interrupting anything, were we?" Shannon asked as she sat down beside Beatrice. 

Yes. 

Even Ava's eyes said as much. 

"It's fine." Ava said eventually. "We were just talking." 

Mary hummed thoughtfully and stole a fry from Ava's plate. 

"New sweater, Beatrice?" Mary asked. 

Beatrice glanced down at her outfit, it was a thick cream coloured sweater, it reminded her of something that a fisherman would wear. 

It was so comfortable. 

"Yes. I got a few things from the thrift store." 

"It suits you." Ava said. 

Beatrice smiled back. "Thank you." 

"We should look at getting a move on in a few." Shannon said. "If you're both done eating?" 

Beatrice had long since finished, but at Shannon's words, Ava shoved the last few fries into her mouth which earned an eye roll from Mary. 

"Animal." Mary said. "Do you have to eat like that?" 

Ava shrugged. "Fry not?" 

Mary sighed. "I should have seen that coming." 

"You really should have." Shannon agreed. 

Ava laughed and leaned over the back of the booth to wave to Yasmin for the bill. 

When it came time to pay, Beatrice had gently insisted that she pay this time, which Ava had eventually relented and allowed her to do so. 

As they left the diner, Beatrice took a gentle hold of Ava's arm, stopping her as she watched Mary and Shannon walk a few feet away. 

"I know it's a lot to ask but -" 

"I won't say anything." Ava interrupted. "I'd never do that, don't worry." 

Right. 

Beatrice remembered Ava's reaction when Lilith and Mary had been teasing her on Beatrice's first morning in town. 

She placed so much stock in trust. 

"I know you wouldn't." Beatrice replied softly. "I just… I didn't know if Lilith had mentioned that I'm…" 

Ava shook her head. "She never said anything." 

"...Okay." 

"Are you not out?" Ava asked. 

"I am, I just… I just don't really talk about it." 

Beatrice released Ava's arm and the two began to walk, albeit slowly as they walked to catch up to Mary and Shannon. 

Maybe she could, though. 

Maybe. 

"I get it." Ava said softly. "Thank you though, for telling me." 

"Thank you for listening." Beatrice replied. 

Ava bumped their shoulders together, her smile was small and genuine. 

"I'm sorry that we got interrupted. If you want to talk more later… We can, you know? It felt like there was more you wanted to say." 

Beatrice sighed and found herself bumping her own shoulder against Ava's. 

"There's always more, Ava." Beatrice replied. "I just… It's a lot." 

"Not to me." Ava said simply. "There's nothing that you could tell me that would scare me away." 

Beatrice almost believed that. 

"Thank you." 

"You still up for kicking their asses and building the best damn gingerbread house this town has ever seen?" Ava asked. 

Beatrice knew that if she said no, Ava wouldn't argue. She wouldn't even be disappointed. 

She knew that Ava would accept it and suggest something else to do. 

But despite the jarring discovery that her mother had come to her apartment to look for her, Beatrice could take comfort in the fact that here… she was safe. 

She was safe here. 

She was safe with here with Ava.

Chapter Text

The bakery was already buzzing with energy by the time they got there. 

Children ran around freely, accompanied by friends and guardians. Adults greeted each other warmly and gathered together to make small talk, Christmas music played from speakers around the room, slightly drowned out over the amount of conversations going on around them and the smell of gingerbread lingered heavily in the air. 

It bordered on overwhelming. 

Beatrice stuck close to Ava's side, watching as a woman with dark hair and an apron directed people to tables laden with sheets of gingerbread and bowls of other candies. 

She spotted Lyra amongst a group of children and smiled as each child in turn noticed Ava's arrival and waved across the room at her. 

"I'll go grab Chuck when she's got a minute." Lilith said. "See if we can get set up." 

"Chuck?" Beatrice asked. 

"Co-owner." Mary replied. "Her husband Ned usually hangs out in the back doing most of the baking." 

"His pies rival Mary's and Mateo's." Ava whispered.

"Oh, we should get one for dessert." Camila gasped, turning to nudge Lilith with her elbow. 

"Okay dear." 

Ava was still practically buzzing at Beatrice's side, hanging up her coat as soon as she found an empty spot. 

Beatrice and the others followed suit, though as Beatrice turned back to face Ava, she quickly realised that Ava hadn't stopped there. 

She had already rolled the sleeves of her flannel up, and was currently in the middle of unbuttoning the shirt. 

And in the process, revealed a black crop top underneath it. 

Oh. 

Oh no. 

That was so much skin. 

Was Beatrice staring? She felt like she may be staring. 

…She was definitely staring. 

Dear God, she had to control herself. There were children present. 

She couldn't be staring at the sunshine happy waitress like she was going to devour her. 

(Regardless of how tempting such a thought was.) 

"Thirsty?" Mary asked. 

Beatrice whipped her head around to the grinning woman beside her. "What?" 

She was proud of herself for not wincing when her voice shot up a few octaves. 

"Are you thirsty?" Mary asked, holding up a bottle of water. 

If her ears were going to keep heating up like this, then Beatrice really needed to consider wearing her hair down. 

Beatrice took the bottle from Mary's hand. "Thank you." 

It didn't take long for them to get set up at their table, Mary and Shannon and Lilith and Camila taking up the spaces on either side of her. 

There didn't seem to be that many adults taking part who weren't actively supervising a child, and they were on the other side of the room to where Lyra had been set up with two of her friends. 

Beatrice had to wonder how this was all going to be judged, were there categories? Kids in one and adults in the other? 

…She really didn't want to be beaten by children. 

"Oh fuck yeah, gummy bears!" Ava grinned, reaching towards one of the bowls that lined their tables. 

Lilith was quick to slap her hand away. "They're for decorating." 

"And eating." Ava pouted. 

Camila said something that drew Lilith's attention away, so Beatrice took advantage of the moment to pick up a gummy bear from the bowl and held it up to Ava's face. 

Ava turned to her and grinned, happily taking it from Beatrice and throwing it into her mouth. 

"What are the rules for this?" Beatrice asked. 

Ava finished chewing and gestured to a piece of card and pen on the table. 

"We write our names down, we can start whenever we're ready but when we do, we have an hour." Ava explained. "We get our picture taken with the finished product and we're good to leave."

Beatrice kind of wished that she had done her hair, maybe thrown on a bit of eyeliner. 

"Then what?" Beatrice asked. 

"They decide the winners and announce it." Ava shrugged. "Then we can come back, pick the house up and do whatever we want with it." 

Shannon leaned forward slightly. "We'll all start at the same time. Easier that way." 

Ava hummed, but her focus was back on the bowls of candy. 

Beatrice was willing to take one guess as to what she was trying to do. 

"Marshmallows might be best to make your UFO." Beatrice said. 

Ava snorted. "Yeah, I'm thinking of breaking up a candy cane and using that to decorate it? Maybe a gummy bear for alien Santa." 

Beatrice reached for one of the larger marshmallows and squeezed it gently between her fingers. 

"You've been to the UK, haven't you?" Beatrice asked. 

"For a little bit, yeah, why?" 

"Did you ever try flying saucers while you were there?" 

Ava's eyes widened as she shook her head. "No, what! What are they?" 

"Colourful capsules of rice paper filled with sherbet. They look like… well, flying saucers." 

Ava laughed. "Nice." 

"Are you guys ready?" Lilith interrupted. 

"Oh shit, yeah!" Ava nodded.

She leaned forward to grab the pen and hastily scribbled their names on it before turning to Beatrice. 

"Ready?" 

Beatrice nodded. "Yes." 

"Let's fucking go!" 

"Ava." Lilith sighed. "Language, please. The children." 

"Won't somebody please think of the children!" Ava replied, intentionally making her voice a much higher pitch than usual. 

Beatrice laughed. "The Simpsons." 

"You know it." 

--

They… Were not good at this. 

A few days ago, Beatrice would have been embarrassed at the realisation. 

But right now? 

It was taking a considerable effort not to double over with her laughter. 

The amount of icing it took to actually get the walls of their house to stick together was absurd and it got everywhere. 

Ava really needed to stop licking it from her fingers. 

Not even for hygiene reasons, it was just really… really distracting. 

Ava used a leftover piece of gingerbread to try and remove some of the excess icing in vain. 

"Damn, looks like Santa really came to this house, huh?" Ava said. "Or came over it, I guess." 

Beatrice snorted. "Ava… Oh my God." 

"What?" Ava grinned. "Too much?" 

"Not at all, I'm just really impressed at your capacity to make a gingerbread house dirty." 

Ava shrugged and picked up a peppermint. "It's a skill." 

She turned and flicked it at the back of Lilith's head, laughing when Lilith turned to scowl at her. 

"Don't make me hurt you." 

"What're you gonna do? Drown me in royal icing?" 

"Don't give me ideas." 

Beatrice glanced over at their building, every line was precise and perfect, the work of Lilith while Camila had just started the painstakingly slow process of decorating the roof with M&M's. 

To her left, Mary and Shannon had apparently opted to try and recreate the B&B, though Shannon was currently trying to explain to Mary that she couldn't use her lighter to melt a candy in the hopes of making a window. 

When she looked back at Ava, she found the other girl trying to wipe icing off of their napkin blueprint. 

"You know, we could use lean into all of the icing." Beatrice said. 

"Call the piece 'Santa's coming all over the town' and commit to the idea?" Ava asked. 

"I… Was thinking more that we make it look like snow and icicles hanging from the roof." 

"Oh. Yeah, that's better." Ava nodded. "Wanna do some decorating first or save the brightly coloured candies to try and hide our failure?" 

Beatrice laughed and helped herself to a gummy bear. "Probably the latter." 

Ava reached into the bowl of gumdrops, cursing under her breath when she dropped one and failed to catch it before it hit the floor. 

"No -" 

"Not the button." Beatrice said, cutting Ava off. "Not the gumdrop button." 

Beatrice didn't put on a voice, so the delivery wasn't quite the same, but Ava threw her head back and laughed all the same. 

There was no question that Ava knew the reference. 

"Amazing." Ava said fondly. "You're amazing." 

--

They had fifteen minutes left when Lyra wandered over to their table. 

"Honestly Ava…" Lilith sighed, reaching over to brush some sprinkles from Ava's shoulder. "You're wearing more of the candies than the gingerbread house." 

She really was, and Beatrice didn't even know how it had happened. 

"You have icing on your stomach." Lyra said. 

Beatrice was trying really hard not to focus on that part. 

Ava looked down at herself and rubbed at it with her thumb. "Oh. Oops." 

She grabbed a handful of M&M's and threw them into her mouth. 

"Why are you wearing that?" Lyra asked. "Are you trying to impress someone?" 

Ava turned away and doubled over as she began to cough on the M&M's, on either side of them, Mary and Lilith laughed loudly. 

"I -" Ava coughed a few more times and grabbed a bottle of water so that she could down the contents. "I like crop tops. There's nothing wrong with that." 

Lyra hummed while the other women continued to laugh around them. 

"You're weird." Lyra said. She turned her attention to their gingerbread house. "Oh. That's certainly… A house." 

Beatrice and Ava each looked at their house. 

And okay, yes, it wasn't something to brag about. 

The house was beginning to slant under the weight of the icing and sheer amount of candies they had used, their 'icicles' had dripped down the walls of the house and the peppermints they had used as decorations had already begun to slide out of place. 

It was a mess. 

But it was their mess. 

And Beatrice loved it. 

"It is definitely a house." Ava nodded. "It's our house." 

Beatrice smiled. "It is."

"At least you had fun?" Lyra said. 

It was going to take some time to get accustomed to being shaded by a child. 

Ava laughed and reached forward for one of the giant marshmallows. "Are you all done with yours?" 

"Yeah." 

"We'll come check it out when we're done, okay?" 

Lyra nodded and frowned as Ava shoved a red gummy bear into the marshmallow. 

"...What are you doing?" 

"Ava is making a UFO." Beatrice replied. 

"Of course she is." 

Even a ten year old wasn't surprised at the things Ava did anymore. 

"You'd better get a move on Ava." Lilith spoke up. "The clock is ticking." 

Ava looked up at the clock. "Oh fuck." 

"...Ava." Lyra sighed. 

Ava picked up tiny shards of candy cane from one of their failed decoration attempts and began to stick them into the bottom of the marshmallow in an attempt to make them look like the landing gears of the ship. 

"I know, I know. I owe you a hot chocolate." Ava said. "Bea, how do I make this stick to the roof?" 

Bea. 

She called her Bea. 

Beatrice's heart didn't flutter like this when Camila called her that. 

"Will it balance?" Beatrice suggested. 

Ava attempted to balance it on the roof, and snorted when it rolled off and landed in what was essentially the front garden of their house. 

"Hard no on that." 

Okay. 

Options. 

The candy cane shards were sharp, but definitely not enough to pierce the gingerbread. 

Icing was an option, but Beatrice couldn't see it being enough. 

Beatrice eyed the mini marshmallows. 

They were still a little big… but maybe… 

She picked one up and held it up between them. 

"What if we split these in half?" Beatrice suggested. "Put them at the bottom of the candy canes and then we should be able to use the icing to glue it down." 

"Okay. Good call, let's do it." Ava nodded vigorously. She frowned, though Beatrice didn't know whether it was from her choice of wording or the question that followed. "How do we do it?" 

Lyra helped herself to a handful of gummy bears and looked between them. 

"Bite them in half." Lyra said. 

"Two minutes." Lilith said. 

Ava groaned. "Oh mother fu-" 

Lyra flicked a gummy bear directly into the back of Ava's throat, which caused Ava to gag. 

And okay, Beatrice knew that she probably shouldn't encourage Ava's attempted murder by gummy bear… 

But that was a really good shot. 

"Impressive." Beatrice said. 

"Thank you." Lyra replied. 

Ava flashed Beatrice a playful glare as she bit a mini marshmallow in half, swallowing one half and placing the other on her UFO. 

Time was against them, so Beatrice got to work to help. 

It took some rapid teamwork, and each of them held their breath as Ava placed the UFO down on the roof and waited to see if it would stick. 

The UFO stayed in place. 

"And that's time." Mary said, setting down her piping bag. 

Beatrice, Ava and Lyra were all still watching the UFO.

It still hadn't moved. 

Ava threw her hands up and cheered. "Yes!" 

Beatrice could only match Ava's energy as she laughed, turning to grab Ava's arm and giving her a gentle shake. 

"You made it!" 

They grinned at each other for several moments until Ava's gaze softened, one hand coming up to cover Beatrice's. 

"We made that." Ava said, nodding towards the house. "We're not gonna win any medals and it looks like an elf threw up on it… But we made that. And we had fun doing it, right?" 

"I didn't know building a gingerbread house could be this fun." Beatrice replied. 

It was hard to tell, but Beatrice was pretty sure that from the corner of her eye, Lyra rolled her eyes and walked away. 

A peppermint bounced off of the back of Ava's head. 

"You two done?" Lilith asked. 

Beatrice cleared her throat and took a step back, letting her hand fall from Ava and back to her side. 

Ava turned her head slightly to flash a grin at Lilith. "Yeah, you?" 

"Yes." 

"Mary?" Ava asked. 

"Yep." 

"I'll go track down Chuck." Camila said. 

"And that's my cue to use the bathroom." Shannon murmured. 

Ava pulled out her phone and snapped a quick picture of their masterpiece before turning back to Beatrice. 

"Wanna go check out Lyra's gingerbread house?" 

Beatrice reached up to pull a peppermint from Ava's hair. "Yes, of course." 

--

When Chuck finally came around with the camera, Beatrice's thoughts had already shifted into over thinking mode. 

How should she stand? How was Ava going to stand? 

Could she ask to put her arm around Ava? Was that too much? 

Chuck took Mary and Shannon's picture and turned to Beatrice and Ava. 

"Okay you two, you're up." 

"How do you want to do this?" Ava asked as they walked around to stand behind their creation. 

"I don't know." Beatrice admitted. 

Ava adjusted the sleeves on her shirt and glanced at Beatrice. 

"Do you… Are you okay if I put my arm around you?" 

It was always peculiar how whatever Beatrice seemed to be thinking, Ava either knew or appeared to be on a similar wavelength. 

"Yes. Can I do the same?" 

"I'd like that." 

They took their position and Ava lifted her arm and draped it across Beatrice's shoulders. 

Beatrice hesitated for a few seconds before letting her arm settle on Ava's lower back. 

Her fingers brushed against soft skin.

God.

"Okay, smile you two." 

Beatrice smiled and resisted the urge to blink when the flash of the camera went off. 

They stayed still as Chuck lowered the camera to check the finished product. 

"Perfect. Thanks guys." 

Beatrice let her arm fall from Ava's waist and a moment later, Ava did the same. 

They moved aside so that Lilith and Camila could have their picture taken. 

Once they were done, Camila made her way over to the counter, speaking with an extremely tall, dark haired man so that she could pick up the pie for dinner tonight. 

"Now what?" Mary asked. "They're not gonna announce the winners until later tonight at least." 

"Tomorrow." Camila said, walking up to them with a box in her hands. "Ned doesn't think they'll get through judging them all until tomorrow morning." 

"Oh good." Lilith replied. "Because I have a dinner to prepare. And Ava needs to go and clean up." 

Ava pouted. "It's really not that bad." 

"The children are cleaner than you." 

Ava stuck her tongue out at Lilith but shrugged. "Fine. Are we all going home then?" 

"May as well." Mary said. "Are you making us dress up?" 

There was a very specific glint in Lilith's eyes. "Now I am." 

Oh no. 

Really? 

Beatrice did bring some outfits that would suffice, but… Dressing up? 

She chanced a quick look at Ava, noting the thoughtful look on her face. 

"Nothing too fancy." Camila added. 

"Oh so I'll just leave my tuxedo to gather dust then, shall I?" Mary asked. 

Ava snorted. "A t-shirt with a bowtie printed on it doesn't really count as a tuxedo." 

"That's your opinion." 

Ava rolled her eyes and turned to Beatrice, that thoughtful gaze had returned. 

"I have like, one errand to run before I go home, but I'll see you at Lilith's later?" 

It surprised Beatrice just how disheartened she was at the prospect of not having Ava to walk home or to Lilith's with. 

But now Beatrice was faced with an opportunity to see what a dressed up Ava could be like. 

"Okay." Beatrice nodded. "I'll see you later then." 

Ava smiled. "Thank you for building a terrible gingerbread house with me." 

"Thank you for giving me fun memories." 

Ava bumped their shoulders together before they moved to collect their coats. 

--

Beatrice brushed her fingers through her hair, allowing it to fall neatly over her shoulders as she studied herself in the mirror. 

Would she have felt too cold if she had worn a dress? 

Probably. 

Did Beatrice still wish that she had brought one with her? 

Absolutely. 

That wasn't to say that Beatrice wasn't relatively satisfied with her outfit. 

Even if she was questioning what would be appropriate footwear for dinner whilst also taking into account the journey to and from her destination.

She'd be fine with her boots. 

Beatrice would just have to mind her steps a bit more.

She adjusted the collar of her shirt, a simple black button up with the top few buttons undone. 

Beatrice had toyed with the idea of undoing another before ultimately deciding against it. 

She picked up Ava's scarf and placed it around her neck before putting her coat on and picking her phone up from her bed. 

Beatrice slipped it into her purse before grabbing the bottle of wine she had bought earlier and left her room. 

Mary was sitting on the front desk, legs kicking out slowly as she stared down at her phone. 

She looked up upon hearing Beatrice's approach and smiled in greeting. 

"Oh hey, you look good." 

"Thank you." Beatrice replied. She looked in the black skinny jeans and dark green sweater that Mary was wearing. "You do too." 

"Shannon should be ready in a few minutes, one of the other guests asked for more towels so she's just dealing with that first." 

"That's fine." 

There was a bottle of wine beside Mary, the label was strikingly similar to the one in Beatrice's hand. 

But that wasn't what Mary was looking at. 

Mary was looking thoughtfully at Beatrice. 

"What?" Beatrice asked. 

"I'm glad that you're enjoying yourself here." Mary said. "Happiness is a beautiful thing, Beatrice. When somebody is happy it shows in the way that they carry themselves, the look in their eyes…" 

Beatrice looked away. 

"You didn't have that when you got here, and it's only been two days but there's already been a change in you, Beatrice." Mary continued. "Happiness looks good on you, Beatrice, so I hope that when you leave this town you take that happiness with you." 

Confused didn't begin to explain what Beatrice felt right now. 

Was Mary essentially saying that Beatrice had been noticeably unhappy when they had met? 

(It wouldn't surprise her if that were the case but still .) 

But more than anything, Beatrice felt a part of her deflating whenever the topic of her leaving did come up. 

How could she take the happiness this town had to offer with her? 

"I'll try." Beatrice replied. 

Shannon came walking down the stairs, buttoning up a long green coat as she did so, looking up when she realised that Beatrice and Mary were there watching. 

"Oh, hey guys." Shannon said. "Are we ready to head out?" 

"Been waiting on you, babe." Mary replied, hopping off of the desk. 

"Shall I call Ava and see if she's ready?" 

Mary snorted. "Yeah… Way ahead of you on that. She is not ready and will meet us there."

What was Ava doing that could be taking her so long? 

Shannon didn't seem surprised by this though and merely rolled her eyes. 

"Typical. Let's make a move then." 

--

Mary burst out laughing the moment Beatrice removed her coat and Lilith stepped out of the kitchen to greet them. 

Apparently, Beatrice and Lilith had strikingly similar tastes in clothing. 

Enough so that as they stood in front of each other, it looked as though they were wearing matching outfits. 

The only difference was that Lilith had decided against undoing any buttons. 

"Is this a rich kid thing?" Mary asked. "I mean it's hilarious either way but I'd like to know so I can adjust my jokes." 

Lilith gave her a slow once over and sighed. "I am going to change my shirt only because I live here and therefore have easy access to options." 

"And I appreciate that." Beatrice replied. 

Lilith took the bottle of wine from Beatrice's hand. "And I'm going to give this to Camila and we're going to open it and start drinking." 

"That sounds like a plan." 

Mary and Shannon were both still laughing as Lilith left the room with each of their bottles of wine. 

The pair had no problem in heading straight into the living room and making themselves comfortable on one of the sofas. 

Beatrice lingered in the hallway for a few moments though, taking in the pictures that hung from the walls. 

She recognised Ava's work immediately. 

The living room was large and homely, traces of Lilith and Camila's personalities were evident throughout complimenting each other perfectly. 

Camila joined them while Mary was explaining how she had built the coffee table for them. 

She laughed when she saw Beatrice's outfit, obviously aware of the similarities between Lilith's. 

Glasses of wine were handed out and Camila remained quiet as Mary finished out her story. 

"I keep telling Mary to open up a workshop or something." Shannon sighed. "But she isn't having any of it." 

"It's a hobby." Mary said. "Between the diner, the B&B and all the other things I do, it's nice to just do one thing for fun." 

"You do me for fun." Shannon replied. 

Camila and Beatrice both laughed and took sips from their glasses. 

"Do you want a tour of the house?" Camila asked. "I know Lilith has been talking about showing you around." 

"That'd be lovely." 

Camila smiled. "We'll get Lilith as soon as she's changed her shirt." 

"And maybe by the time you're done with that, Ava will have decided to show her face." Mary laughed. 

"Honestly…" Lilith sighed from the top of the stairs, now dressed in a white button up. "That girl is either the most punctual person or she forgets time exists. There really is no in between." 

"Hey cutie." Camila called, turning to grin up at her girlfriend. "You wanna give Bea the tour of the house?" 

Lilith leaned against the banister. "Will you make sure dinner doesn't burn?" 

"I'm sure I'll manage another fifteen minutes." 

"Then yes, can I have a glass of wine?" 

Camila was in and out of the kitchen within seconds, a second glass of wine in her hands that she handed over to Beatrice. 

"Happy?" Camila called. 

"Very. I love you." Lilith called back. "Beatrice? When you're ready." 

Beatrice made her way up the stairs, handing over Lilith's glass as soon as she reached the top. 

Lilith took it with an appreciative smile before turning back to look at Camila. 

"And I'm going to need for someone to call Ava and tell her that if she isn't here by the time dinner is served then I will personally skin her alive." Lilith added. 

Very specific threat. 

It was a good thing that Beatrice was very punctual. 

Camila laughed brightly. "I'll call her. Go, show Beatrice your office."

"...It is mostly my office that I wanted to show you." Lilith admitted. 

As Lilith led her inside, it was easy to see why. 

Two of the walls were taken up entirely by shelves upon shelves of books, photos and art took up much of the rest of the walls. 

Lilith's desk was a huge, two large monitors connected to a pc along with a large stack of what Beatrice could only assume were manuscripts beside them. 

The only presence Camila held in this room were in the form of the photographs of her on Lilith's walls and desk. 

It was also the first time where Beatrice could see Lilith's rich girl origins shining through. 

"Impressive." 

Lilith laughed and took a sip of her wine. "Thank you, I spend a lot of time in here so I wanted to make it as comfortable as I could." 

Beatrice took her time admiring the books that lined the shelves, noting the titles she recognised and those that she didn't. 

Lilith must get to read so many stories. 

Beside the stack of manuscripts, Beatrice noticed images. As she got closer, she realised that they appeared to be mockups of cover designs. 

"Are these for your next book?" Beatrice asked. 

Lilith hummed and moved closer to stand beside her. 

Beatrice reached out to pick them up before she caught herself and glanced at Lilith. 

"May I?" 

"By all means." Lilith said, gesturing towards them with her free hand. "Myself, the author and designer are at somewhat of an impasse. The author doesn't like what has been offered and yet gives no suggestions on how to fix it. I could do with a fresh perspective." 

Beatrice picked the designs up and began to look over each one. 

While each design was good in their own ways, but it was impossible to get an idea for what kind of book they were for. 

"...What is the story about?" Beatrice asked. 

Lilith huffed out a quiet laugh. "Can you guess the genre?" 

"I'm leaning more towards mystery." 

"Essentially, yes." Lilith said. "Think Sherlock Holmes meets Ghostbusters meets X Files." 

Beatrice smiled to herself. "Does Ava know about this? That sounds like something she would enjoy." 

Lilith didn't reply for a few moments as she took a sip from her glass. 

"She knows of the book, but not the plot details." 

Beatrice set the designs back down and watched as Lilith took another step away. 

"So it's about a detective who hunts ghosts?" Beatrice asked. 

"No." Lilith laughed. "Rather two ghost hunters who team up with two private investigators to try and solve a series of murders." 

Huh. 

Lilith shrugged. "We'll figure it out in the end. I didn't drag you in here to talk business." 

"I don't mind. I'm… Kind of fascinated by the process." 

Lilith's expression turned thoughtful as she led Beatrice out of the room. "Right, you're a designer." 

"And an avid reader." 

"What would you suggest?" Lilith asked, closing the door to the office behind them and leading Beatrice down the hall. "If you were me?" 

"Hard to say with just those details. But there's nothing to suggest a ghost element to it. I'd lean more into that." 

Lilith nodded. "Interesting." 

"I also think that having a main character, or characters on the cover may be beneficial. It would give readers a first impression without having to read the blurb." 

"I agree." Lilith replied. "Thank you for your input." 

"No problem." 

"I really didn't intend to bring my work into this." 

Beatrice laughed. "It's fine, Lilith." 

Downstairs they could each hear the group talking, though Beatrice wasn't oblivious to the absence of Ava's voice. 

She was trying extremely hard not to worry. 

"I'm glad that you're having a good time here." Lilith said suddenly. 

It was hard not to think back to her brief conversation with Mary before leaving the B&B. 

Ava was arguably the most skilled at reading people, but that wasn't to say that the others weren't too. 

It still proved to be a little unsettling. 

"I don't know how to thank you for inviting me here." Beatrice admitted. 

Lilith smiled. "Just.. Allow yourself to be happy, Beatrice." 

She was really trying. 

"And don't be afraid to be yourself. In your own time and on your own terms, of course." Lilith continued. "But these are good people, Beatrice. There is no judgement." 

Beatrice didn't need to read into what Lilith was trying to say. 

"I…" Beatrice sighed and nodded. "Thank you." 

Lilith reached out and gave Beatrice's shoulder a soft squeeze. 

Beatrice didn't know how much Lilith knew about her parents, or the way her parents treated her. 

She could assume that there was an inkling though, and as much as she wanted to know, Beatrice decided against asking right now. 

Lilith seemed to sense the conflict though and gave Beatrice a long yet soft look. 

It was a promise for another time. 

Beatrice could see herself taking up that promise very soon. 

"Do you want to see the bathroom?" Lilith asked. "We had it all refurbished recently." 

Beatrice was thankful for the change in topic and nodded. "Definitely." 

--

Lilith made quick work of showing her the bathroom, master bedroom and guest room. 

As they made their way back down the hallway to the staircase, Beatrice heard the front door open. 

"About fucking time." She heard Mary say. "You had two minutes before we sent out a search party." 

Ava's laughter rang through the house and immediately, Beatrice felt relaxed. 

"I'm sorry!" Ava laughed. "I had a wardrobe related crisis." 

Mary snorted. "Yeah. I bet you did." 

Beatrice didn't even realise she was smiling to herself until she saw Lilith watching her. 

"Good timing." Lilith said. "I would have had to have killed her and that would have really ruined my evening." 

"Who would I make puns with?" Beatrice asked. 

"You're just giving me more reasons to kill her." 

They reached the top of the stairs. 

Ava stood near the front door with Camila and Mary, gesturing with one hand as she set a bag down. 

None of them had noticed Beatrice or Lilith yet. 

Beatrice could barely pay attention to Camila or Mary. 

Ava was dressed in a coat that Beatrice hadn't seen before, it was dark and much longer, down to her knees almost. 

Her hair was up with some loose curls framing her face. 

Beatrice's gaze dropped to Ava's legs, the black heeled ankle boots she wore and - were those tights? 

…Was Ava wearing a dress? 

Ava was still laughing at Mary as she unzipped her coat and shrugged it off. 

It was a good thing that Beatrice hadn't started walking down the stairs yet, because she was pretty sure that she would have fallen down them. 

They weren't tights. 

They were knee high socks. 

Black knee high socks, short black skirt and a slightly oversized grey sweater with the collar of a white shirt poking out. 

Beatrice downed what remained of her wine in one go. 

What kind of crisis could it have been?

Ava was beautiful. 

(She knew that already but this? Speechless.) 

Beatrice was still staring when Ava finally looked up, doing a double take when her eyes met Beatrice's. 

For a few seconds, it looked like Ava seemed as stunned as Beatrice felt before finally, she grinned. 

"Nice of you to finally join us." Lilith said beside her. 

"What, am I late?" Ava called up to them. 

"For dinner, no, thankfully." Lilith replied. "But you're still almost thirty minutes late from the time we agreed to be here." 

"I had a -" 

"Wardrobe crisis, yes I heard." Lilith interrupted. "You're fine, Ava. I can let it slide." 

"How generous of you." 

"Guys?" Shannon called from the kitchen. "I know I said I'd watch the food and I am doing that… but I don't know what I'm watching for and it's starting to stress me out." 

"I'm coming!" Lilith said, already making her way down the stairs. 

"Bet you hear that a lot, huh?" Ava asked Camila. 

Lilith made sure to elbow Ava on her way past. 

Ava didn't seem too bothered though, grinning up at Beatrice as she made her way down the stairs. 

Camila said something about making sure the table was set, while Mary announced that she needed more wine, grabbing Beatrice's empty glass from her as she passed. 

Both of their exits were swift. 

"Hi." Ava greeted once Beatrice reached the bottom of the stairs. 

"Hi. I was beginning to worry." 

Ava's smile grew soft. "Like I'd miss an opportunity to spend time with you." 

"...Likewise." 

"You look really pretty." Ava said quietly. 

Oh God. 

Ava sounded almost… Shy. 

"I do?" 

She saw Ava's fingers twitch at her side as Ava nodded. 

"Beautiful." Ava corrected. 

"You do too." Beatrice replied. 

Ava dropped her head, though it did little to hide the smile on her face. 

Beatrice wasn't thinking about her hand until it was moving. 

All she knew was that Ava had spoken the words and she should take a step herself. 

Allow yourself to be happy. 

Her fingers brushed the hair from Ava's face, causing Ava to lift her head once more. 

Ava's eyes were so warm. So.. Hopeful. 

"You really are." Beatrice said softly. 

Ava turned her head the tiniest amount, just enough for Beatrice's fingers to skim across her cheekbone. 

If it weren't for the heavy footsteps approaching, Beatrice would have dared to hope that Ava had been about to lean into her touch. 

Beatrice drew her hand back before Lilith appeared in the doorway, both her and Ava slowly broke eye contact to look at her. 

"Dinner is ready, get a move on you two." 

Ava laughed. "Whatever you say, Lilith." 

Lilith turned away and their gazes found each other once more. 

"Beatrice Kline…" Ava held out her hand. "Will you accompany me to dinner?" 

How could someone terrify her so much and simultaneously make her feel so at ease. 

So unburdened.

Unbound. 

Finally like herself. 

Beatrice took Ava's hand. 

"I would love to, Ava Silva." 

Chapter Text

"I'm going to absolutely take some of the credit for dinner." Shannon said once they had all settled down and begun to eat. 

Lilith and Mary had each taken up the ends of the tables with Camila and Shannon sitting side by side opposite her so they could be close to their respective partners. 

Which had left Beatrice and Ava to sit together on the other side of the table. 

Beatrice was hardly going to complain about that. 

Lilith raised an eyebrow. "You didn't actually do anything?" 

"I watched it for five whole minutes while you were giving Beatrice a tour and Camila was talking to Ava." Shannon replied. "I'm taking the credit." 

Mary reached over to pat Shannon's hand. "It's what you deserve." 

Camila and Ava laughed while Lilith grumbled under her breath. 

The group banter was always entertaining to watch, and it never failed to help put Beatrice at ease. 

"You all did a great job." Ava spoke up from beside her. "Nailed it." 

"It is really good." Beatrice agreed, reaching for her glass to take a sip of wine. "You've definitely improved since university." 

"What was Lilith like in uni?" Mary asked. 

"Yeah, we want to know all the sordid details." 

"I'll have you all know that I was a model student." Lilith scowled. 

"You were." Beatrice nodded. "Sorry to disappoint you all, but there wasn't much in the way of all nighters and wild times." 

Ava pouted. "Really?" 

"I told you." Lilith said. 

"Damn, I was hoping for freshers week shenanigans." Ava mumbled through a mouth full of food. 

"Jesus Ava, breathe." Lilith sighed. "Are you even tasting it?" 

"Yeah and it's really good." Ava replied. "Were you a party animal, Beatrice?" 

Beatrice laughed. "No, not at all. Though that isn't to say we didn't still have to deal with our fair share of hangovers." 

"I can remember exactly two times where I saw you drunk, Beatrice." Lilith said. 

Beatrice knew which nights she was talking about immediately. 

Her twenty first birthday and one particularly rough New Years Eve during her first year at university. 

That had been a bad night, and one that Beatrice hadn't been too fond of repeating. 

It had almost become a complete loss of control. 

So Beatrice had been more careful after that. 

She still went out, she made sure that she fit in and she took on the responsibility of watching over the group she went out with. 

Even with Zori, and the relationships Beatrice had before her, she only ever got tipsy at most. 

Beatrice hadn't trusted them or herself enough to let herself be that vulnerable around them. 

It was kind of messed up, now that she thought about it. 

"I just wasn't a big fan of it." Beatrice replied. 

Shannon laughed and gestured to Camila, Mary and Ava respectively. "And then you have these three. A hazard when left unattended." 

"We're all a hazard." Ava protested quietly. 

"We like shots." Camila shrugged. 

"There will be absolutely no shots tonight." Lilith said. "I'm not having Ava get pneumonia because she decided to make snow angels in that outfit." 

"Nah she's so hot that she'd just melt through it all." Mary snorted. 

Honestly, Mary was just saying what Beatrice was thinking. 

That skirt was going to be the death of her and Beatrice couldn't even see it right now. 

Ava grinned. "Flatterer." 

"I wonder if they've posted anything about the gingerbread houses." Shannon said thoughtfully. 

"We could check if somebody didn't have a no phones at the dinner table rule." Ava pointed out. 

Lilith sighed heavily. "Listen, it is killing me not knowing if I beat you all or not, but I'm going to stand by my rule." 

"You're just delaying the inevitable." Mary sang. 

Shannon laughed. "Behave, you two." 

Lilith pointed at Mary with her fork. "Eat your dinner." 

--

"Tell us more about your job, Beatrice." Shannon said. 

Their plates were empty and everybody had settled back to relax. 

Beatrice wasn't sure how she was going to be able to manage dessert after that. 

"Oh I… What do you want to know?" Beatrice asked. 

Ava refilled her glass and gestured to Beatrice's. Beatrice nodded and took a moment to watch her wine glass fill. 

"Well, we know you work in graphic design, big company, lots of high scale clients and stuff, but what do you actually need to do?" 

Beatrice took a sip and shrugged. 

"For the most part it's just about listening to what the client wants and trying to achieve their vision." Beatrice replied. "It usually starts with brainstorming together, designing a logo and a colour scheme, making sure it all flows well and coming up with a few different variations to present to the client. They give feedback and it all goes back and forth until they're happy with what I've designed." 

Lilith laughed. "Now that sounds familiar." 

"Are your clients as much of a pain as Lilith's can be?" Camila asked. 

"Yes." Beatrice sighed. "It can be… Frustrating." 

"Do you like it though?" Shannon asked. 

That was the million dollar question. 

From the corner of her eye, Beatrice could see the cautious looks from Ava and Lilith. 

"It pays the bills." Beatrice replied. 

She had said the exact same thing to Lilith the day they bumped into each other in the city. 

But she'd also said that her work was dead and emotionless. 

If she was going to be honest this time, Beatrice might just tone it down a little on the bluntness. 

She was tired of only sharing a part of herself with these people who were going so far out of their way to welcome her into their lives. 

Beatrice sighed. "No. I don't. I like to create things, but not like this. My boss says that I'm good at my job, but that my work lacks any personality." 

Well. 

That was out there now. 

She took a huge drink from her glass and set it down, resting her arm on the table. 

"Sorry." Beatrice said softly. "I was trying to phrase that in a way that wasn't terribly negative." 

"Don't apologise." Ava said, even softer. "You can talk about whatever you want to." 

"Yeah, what she said." Mary agreed. "Everybody here has been in a job that they hated, so we all know where you're coming from." 

"I spent a year in med school before I decided nope and dropped out." Camila said. "I became sheriff by like… total chance." 

"And Mary and I could spend the next hour telling you about our job experiences." Ava said. 

"Our point is, don't feel like you're trapped in this job." Shannon said, smiling softly at Beatrice. "You choose your own path. It's never too late." 

Beatrice wasn't sure what that could mean for her. 

"If you ever wanted a career change, I have every confidence that you'd make an excellent deputy." Camila said with a grin. "You'd get a uniform and everything." 

There was a clattering beside her that had everybody looking towards Ava as she scrambled to catch her glass before it tipped over entirely. 

"Jesus Christ Ava." Lilith sighed, throwing a napkin at her. "What is the matter with you?" 

Ava cleared her throat, cheeks red as she dabbed aggressively at the wine that she had spilled. 

"Sorry, sorry. My bad." Ava cleared her throat again. "You'd be a good deputy, Beatrice." 

"I don't think there's many cats that get stuck in trees in the city." Beatrice replied. 

Ava hummed and reached for her glass once more. 

"I think it's time for dessert." Lilith said, rolling her eyes fondly at Ava. She rose to her feet and glanced at the empty bottle of wine. "And bottle number two, I suppose."

"Do you want a hand?" Ava asked, already moving to get up. 

"You can stay there, Ava." Camila replied. "We're the hosts, relax." 

Ava relented and relaxed back into her seat, resting her elbow on the table and thanking Lilith quietly when she took Ava's plate. 

Beatrice did the same when Lilith took her plate and looked across the table at Shannon. 

"You've owned the B&B for a while now, haven't you? Do you have any plans for it?" 

Shannon nodded. "In the future yeah, at the moment we're just getting it back into shape. The last contractor who did work on it kind of fucked up so Mary is fixing that damage."

"Honestly, great guy but he gave us so much more work to do." Mary snorted. 

"What kind of things do you have planned?" Beatrice asked. 

As Shannon began to dive into their ideas, Beatrice noticed Ava lowering her arm to rest on the table beside her own. 

They were barely even touching, and yet Beatrice was acutely aware of each hair on the back of her arm standing on end. 

She had to wonder if Ava felt the urge to move her arm closer too. 

It took all of her focus to listen to what Shannon was saying. 

--

They'd retired to the living room, music played quietly through the speakers as conversation flowed freely. 

And if Beatrice hadn't been so full, she probably would have run away when the topic shifted to their past relationships. 

It was all too much of a coincidence to have been a planned topic though, so Beatrice did her best to push her anxieties aside. 

But this could be dangerous territory, and after four, maybe even five glasses of wine, Beatrice knew her inhibitions were down. 

Because oh God, were her inhibitions down. 

Camila, Mary and Shannon occupied one of the sofas while Lilith, Beatrice and Ava took the other. 

Lilith and Camila were still close enough so that they could hold hands, leaving Beatrice wedged between her and Ava. 

It was clear that Ava was a regular visitor in this home though, because as soon as they had sat down, she had removed her boots and thrown her feet up on the coffee table.

Beatrice sipped her wine and tried so hard not to look at all of that exposed thigh. 

(she was not doing a good job) 

"I mean he seemed like a great guy at first." Camila said as her story came to an end. "Until he tried to mansplain Javascript to me. Javascript! I've never been so insulted in my life."

"I hooked up with a tory once." Ava offered casually. "While I was in the UK. Didn't realise until afterwards, I found his Facebook, saw some stuff and got the fuck out of there."

"That's not really a relationship story, Ava." Mary pointed out. 

Ava threw her head back against the sofa and groaned. "I've only had like, two relationships that lasted more than a month though. Me and JC travelled together for eight months until we parted ways and then I was with Elise for a couple months while I was working in Paris." 

"Didn't she ghost you though?" Camila asked.

"Yes Camila, thank you." Ava snorted. "That's super anti-climatic though. I went to her apartment after working a double shift and boom, empty." 

"Just like that?" Beatrice asked.

"Yup. Landlord said she'd moved back to her parents. Not gonna lie, kinda bruised the ego a bit." Ava replied. 

And Beatrice thought her experiences had been bad.

"But it's fine, we keep moving." Ava continued with a shrug, sitting up for long enough to pick up her glass from the coffee table.

"I'm sorry that happened to you." Beatrice said softly.

Ava smiled and bumped their shoulders together. "It's okay. It's in the past." 

"How did you know he was a tory?" Lilith asked.

"Believe me, if you'd seen his Facebook posts you would have understood, I'm not repeating that shit." Ava said. 

"My parents are extremely Conservative." Beatrice offered. "So I can imagine what kind of things he had said."

It was only Ava's sympathetic gaze that Beatrice paid attention to, even if she could feel everybody else's eyes on her. 

"Okay Beatrice." Mary spoke up. "How about you? Any relationship horror stories?" 

"Just my entire dating history." Beatrice replied before she could stop herself. "I got dumped two weeks ago, the main reason for that was that she said I was too emotionally unavailable."

Ava sat up and turned her head to look at Beatrice. "What?" 

Beatrice was so taken aback by the hurt in Ava's expression that she didn't have room to panic over the fact that she had completely outed herself to the rest of the group.

There was no going back now. 

And to her surprise, Beatrice didn't actual feel panicked.

She felt free.

"Her words." Beatrice said.

"Nah fuck that." Ava shook her head. "Name and location, I'll send these hands first class." 

"Easy there, Rocky." Mary chided. "Even though you are right and we can and will be there to ruin her day if needed." 

Beatrice dropped her head to laugh weakly. "My neighbour took care of that, I think. I doubt I'll ever see or hear from her again." 

"Good." Lilith said. 

"I knew it was never going to work out in the long run." Beatrice continued. "I don't think she was ever really interested in me beyond my appearance." 

"You are really hot." Camila nodded seriously. 

Beatrice felt her ears burn at that statement. 

"Emotionally unavailable… That's some bullshit if I've ever heard it." Ava said quietly. 

There was a noticeable shift in Ava's mood, and it was clear to Beatrice that it had been that specific comment that had caused it, considering how Ava seemed to be fixated on it. 

Beatrice didn't know why, but she did know that now wasn't going to be the time to ask her. 

But Ava was worked up and Beatrice wanted to ease that for her.

"It's okay, Ava." Beatrice replied quietly, reaching out to rest her hand against Ava's arm. "It doesn't matter now." 

Ava's expression said otherwise, but she still smiled and leaned into Beatrice's touch. 

A solid minute passed before Camila broke the silence. 

"I once went on a date with a guy who tried to take me to the doomsday cult he was a part of." 

One by one, everybody turned their head slowly to look at her, save for Lilith who sighed, clearly already familiar with this story. 

"I'm sorry, what?" Ava asked. "How has this never come up before?" 

"Yeah, we're gonna need more drinks to unpack that level of what the fuck." 

Beatrice glanced away from Ava long enough to see Camila give her a quick wink. 

It was a unique distraction, but one Beatrice was thankful for nonetheless. 

--

"Dammit." Lilith sighed down at her phone, stopping in front of the sound system and turning to where they all sat. 

"Still no word on winners?" Shannon asked. 

"No. Just a few pictures of houses that were built and a post thanking people for coming along." 

"I told you that it was most likely going to be tomorrow." Camila spoke up. 

Lilith groaned. "But I want to know now ." 

"And I'm supposed to be the impatient one." Camila mumbled. 

The mood had progressively lightened as the night progressed, more stories were shared between them and Beatrice felt good. 

Happy. 

She was glad that she had opened up. That nobody had drawn attention or made a big deal out of any of it. 

Nothing but support and acceptance. 

Ava snorted, practically falling sideways into Beatrice, hand landing on Beatrice's thigh in the process. 

Beatrice forgot how to breathe. 

She felt her entire body light up, every nerve came alive and zeroed in on that point of contact. 

Beatrice knew she was past the point of tipsy, bordering on drunk, it was why she had switched to water to try and balance herself out. 

But she had enough presence of mind to know that the alcohol was definitely not playing a part in how her body was reacting. 

"What are you laughing for?" Lilith asked. 

"Cause you're being dramatic." Ava replied. 

"And you're drunk. You're practically lying on Beatrice." 

"Not drunk." Ava pouted, the pressure on Beatrice's thigh increased as she pushed herself back up. "Sorry Bea." 

"It's okay." 

Mary finished her drink and set the glass down on the coffee table. "I think that might be our sign to call this a night." 

"Yeah I'm pretty wiped." Shannon agreed. 

"Are you working tomorrow?" Camila asked. 

Mary gestured to herself and Ava. "We both are. Opening shift." 

"We are?" Ava asked. A moment passed and her eyes widened. "Oh shit, we are." 

"Yep. Definitely home time." Mary said. "Get your boots on." 

Ava's hand finally left Beatrice's thigh as she swung her legs off of the coffee table to begin the process of fighting with her boots. 

"Do you need a hand?" Beatrice asked. 

"Nah, I got this." 

It took her a few minutes of struggling with the laces, but Ava did manage it in the end, eventually getting to her feet and stretching her arms over her head. 

Beatrice wished that she could say she was looking respectfully. 

But that skirt and those knee high socks were a lot and Ava is beautiful and Beatrice is weak. 

Beatrice forced herself to look away, running a hand through her hair as she got up too. 

She couldn't help but be a little sad when Ava put her coat on and knew that even though she would probably never see this outfit again, it was going to stick in Beatrice's mind for quite a while.

Whilst the others were saying goodbye to Camila, Lilith approached Beatrice as she finished putting her own coat on. 

"Thank you for coming out tonight." Lilith said. 

"What?" Beatrice asked, voice unintentionally taking on a higher pitch. 

"I meant coming out to dinner." Lilith replied, rolling her eyes, the amusement was clear in her voice though. "But yes, that too. I know that wasn't easy for you." 

Right. 

Beatrice knew that. 

"Oh. Thank you." 

Lilith gave Beatrice's arm a quick yet affectionate pat. "I'm proud of you." 

"If you say things like that I will cry." Beatrice said softly. 

"Please don't do that." Lilith said. "I honestly won't know how to deal with it and it will be awkward." 

"I would have to lock myself in my room for the duration of my stay." Beatrice agreed. 

Lilith held out her hand. "No crying?" 

"No crying." Beatrice nodded, taking Lilith's hand and shaking it. 

Even though the others hadn't heard their conversation, they had all noticed the handshake and were watching with amusement. 

"How formal." Mary said. "Hey Lilith, do you shake Camila's hand after you two have -" 

"And this is the sound of me kicking you out now." Lilith interrupted. 

"Killjoy." Mary snorted. 

Lilith laughed. "Yes, I know. Thank you for coming, let us know when you're all home." 

Beatrice turned towards the door and was enveloped into a warm hug from Camila. 

"I hope you had a good time tonight, Bea." 

Beatrice hugged her back, cheek pressed into her hair. "I did, thank you." 

"I'm really glad you came here." Camila said, a little softer. 

Beatrice was too, more than she could even put into words. 

When they broke apart, the others were all waiting patiently. 

All of them were smiling. 

"Let's get back." Mary said. "Cam, Lilith, I'll no doubt see you both tomorrow." 

Camila snorted. "Bright and early." 

Mary opened the door, and herself and Shannon had made it through the threshold before Lilith called out to them. 

"Ava? Your bag?" 

Beatrice glanced over to the spot Lilith was pointing at. 

It was a grocery bag, black in colour and sitting in a way that meant Beatrice couldn't see into the contents. 

Ava snorted and rushed over to grab it. "My bad, thanks Lilith."

"You're welcome. Go home, get some sleep." 

"You got it." 

Beatrice looked over her shoulder at Camila and Lilith and smiled. 

"Goodnight you two." 

"Night Bea!" 

"Goodnight Beatrice." 

--

It was snowing lightly as they began to walk home, the pavement wasn't as icy as Beatrice had expected it to be, but it was still enough for her to second guess every step that she took. 

Falling over was absolutely not an option. 

In a rare change of pace, all four of them walked in a row, taking up the entire pavement. Mary on one end and Shannon on the other, bracketing Ava and Beatrice between them.

It was clear that as the slightly more sober members of the group, they were trying to look out for the pair.

Shannon was definitely close enough to grab Beatrice's arm if she slipped. 

Ava already had her arm threaded through Mary's as they made their way through the town. 

"That pie was so good." Ava sighed. "I'm gonna need to get more of that tomorrow." 

"Jesus, I will fully bake you a pie when we open up, okay?" Mary replied. 

Ava pumped her fist triumphantly. "Fuck yes." 

"Any plans for tomorrow, Beatrice?" Shannon asked. 

"Nothing at the moment." Beatrice said. "I'll probably just see how the day goes." 

No doubt she'll find something to keep herself occupied. 

She'd be quite content to settle down in the diner and read, maybe see if Shannon needed any help around the B&B. 

Beatrice would figure something out. 

"You'll come to the diner right?" Ava asked. "Mary's making pie." 

"I'll be there." 

Ava grinned and looped her arm through Beatrice's, tugging her closer until they were pressed together. 

Beatrice felt so warm. 

It was still peculiar to her, how she could feel so comfortable around this group of people, comfortable enough that she had opened up in the ways that she had tonight.

(the way she felt around Ava was something else entirely) 

Even if it didn't feel like she had gone into detail, to even get this far was more than she had ever really done. 

There was probably going to be a moment in the middle of the night where she would wake up in a panic, wondering if she had made a bad choice. 

But Beatrice knew that wasn't the case. 

This had been a good night, a big night, even. 

She was safe here. 

"Do you wanna crash with us tonight?" Mary asked Ava. 

Oh. 

Ava under the same roof? 

Dangerous game.

Ava shook her head. "Nah, I wanna get back and shower, get out of this outfit and into my sweats. Thanks though." 

"This may come as a surprise to you, but we do have showers in the B&B, and they might drown your short ass but me and Shannon have clothes you can borrow." 

"It would be the safer option." Beatrice supplied quietly. 

Ava snorted, head bumping against Beatrice's shoulder for a moment. 

"I know, but it means I'd need to get up early to go home and get changed." Ava whined. "I mean I'm not opposed to working in this but it would be a whole thing." 

Jesus, this outfit plus the little apron? 

Beatrice would die. 

"Fine." Mary groaned. "But I'm walking you home once we take Beatrice and Shannon back." 

Even Beatrice wouldn't dare argue with that tone. 

"Okay, deal." Ava sighed. 

They came to a stop outside the B&B and Shannon was the first to step away. 

It was a little disheartening to know that Mary wasn't going to go inside with her, that Beatrice was going to miss out on those stolen few minutes with Ava that she had come to look forward to the most. 

"You coming, Beatrice?" Shannon asked. 

"I… Yes, okay." Beatrice replied.

She moved to step away, to draw her arm back out of Ava's grasp. 

Ava held on tighter. 

She looked at Beatrice with soft eyes for a moment before looking over at Mary. 

"Can you give us a minute?" Ava asked. 

Mary glanced between them both and nodded. 

"Sure." 

"Night Ava." Shannon said, she smiled at Beatrice. "I'll see you inside." 

Beatrice nodded. 

She watched Mary and Shannon make their way up the path to the B&B, Mary slung an arm around Shannon's shoulders as they tilted their heads together. 

Beatrice watched them until she felt Ava give her arm another gentle tug. 

She only let go when Beatrice turned to face her. 

Beatrice was surprised to see that serious expression had returned, just like she had when Beatrice had opened up about Zori. 

"Are you okay?" Beatrice asked. 

Ava nodded a few times and let out a long breath, dropping her gaze to her feet. 

"Can I be super forward for a minute?" 

"Of course." Beatrice replied. 

"What your ex said to you, I've been thinking about it all night." Ava said, lifting her head to make eye contact. "She was wrong. You know that right?" 

Beatrice slipped her hands into her pockets and sighed. "I don't know." 

"I know." Ava said firmly. "I know, Beatrice." 

Beatrice swallowed as she struggled to hold Ava's gaze. 

"...How?" 

"Because I can see you." Ava replied simply. "Because when I look at you I see so much and I don't have the words right now to describe it but Beatrice, you have so much emotion in you and anybody who says otherwise is wrong." 

Beatrice let out a shaky breath. "Ava…" 

"I couldn't let the night end without you knowing that, Beatrice. You're not emotionally unavailable and I don't want you to carry that with you." 

Ava cared so much, she really did. 

How did Ava's heart have such an endless capacity for love and compassion? 

And why did Ava believe that Beatrice was so deserving of being on the receiving end of that compassion? 

"Thank you, Ava." Beatrice murmured. "I don't… That means a lot to me." 

Ava smiled. "And I don't want to make a big deal of what you told everyone tonight, because I don't think you want me to make it a big deal out of it but… I'm proud of you. You should be proud of you." 

People really needed to stop saying they were proud of her. 

Beatrice was not built to handle it. 

She looked away, towards the B&B and caught a glimpse of a passing shadow in the window. 

"One of you are going to end up making me cry if you all keep saying things like that." Beatrice said quietly. 

Ava took a step closer so that there was barely any space left between them. 

"You're allowed to cry if you want to, and you deserve to know when people are proud of you. You deserve a good life, Beatrice." 

Beatrice wondered if she would ever believe that. 

"Maybe." 

"You do." Ava said. "You shouldn't have to feel the way that you do." 

"I'm used to it, Ava. This is what my life is, my pain." 

Ava frowned, her expression was sad. "It shouldn't have to be. And I…  I'm sorry for your pain." 

Oh. 

Yes, Beatrice was definitely going to cry if this didn't stop. 

"Don't be." 

"Beatrice?" 

"Yes?" 

"Can I hug you?" 

Beatrice ignored the way that her throat was constricting in favour of nodding.

As soon as she did, Ava moved in closer, crashing into Beatrice's chest with surprising force, arms wrapping around her shoulders, the bag in her hand bumped gently against Beatrice's back. 

It took Beatrice a few moments to lift her own arms, unsure as to what to do with her hands and eventually settling on resting one hand against Ava's back. 

They could be caught in the middle of a blizzard for all she knew, and Beatrice wouldn't have been able to feel it. 

She wouldn't have cared. 

If Ava's touch was warm then this hug was an inferno. 

Beatrice closed her eyes and relaxed into the hug. 

"Before I go…" Ava began quietly, voice almost completely muffled by Beatrice's shoulder. "I do have something for you." 

"You do?" 

She felt Ava nod and draw back from the hug even if she didn't make any attempt to put any distance between them. 

Ava held the bag up and Beatrice took it from her and glanced inside. 

Whatever they were, Ava had wrapped it up. 

"Open it when you're inside. You don't have to use it if you don't want to, there's zero obligation, okay?" 

Beatrice knew that she must look confused. 

Right now she had no idea what Ava could have gotten her. 

"Why?" Beatrice asked. 

Ava shrugged. "Because I wanted to. Because I saw it and thought of you." 

How many times had Beatrice heard those words throughout her life? 

Through movies, shows, even in books. 

A few. 

But how many times had those words been directed to her? 

Never. 

Until now. 

Beatrice's fingers curled around the bag as she held it closer to her chest, looking from it to Ava and that soft, hopeful look in her eyes. 

"I don't have anything to give to you." Beatrice replied. 

"You don't have to give me anything. It's a gift, Beatrice." 

But she wanted to. 

She wanted to show how much this meant to her. 

Beatrice did have one thought. 

One tiny idea that the moment she could picture it, Beatrice couldn't push it back. 

She moved to hold the bag at her side and reached up with her free hand until she could hold Ava's cheek, her skin was cold to the touch. 

(Beatrice was just thankful that she had forgotten that her gloves were tucked away safely in her pocket) 

She couldn't stop her gaze from drifting to Ava's lips for just a moment, watching as they parted when Ava exhaled, a cloud of breath rising between them. 

Beatrice leaned in, tilting her head to the side as she got closer. 

A lone snowflake landed on Ava's other cheek the moment before Beatrice's lips pressed against it. 

Oh. 

This shouldn't be enough to have her heart trying to beat its way out of her chest. 

Beatrice was in trouble. 

She lingered for a few moments, maybe a moment longer than was strictly necessary before she pulled back an inch and let her hand fall from Ava's face. 

"Thank you." Beatrice whispered. 

She felt Ava turn her head slightly, forehead bumping against Beatrice's cheek. 

"It's okay." Ava replied. 

"Will you text me when you're home?" Beatrice asked. 

"Yeah." 

"Okay." 

She just knew that Ava was smiling. 

"Okay." Ava said. "Get inside, Bea." 

Neither of them attempted to move away from the other. 

Beatrice wondered how they must look from the outside, so close together that their bodies were touching, so close that Beatrice could hear and feel each breath Ava took while snow fell around them.

Like a painting, Beatrice figured.

Even if she didn't feel worthy of such a thought, Ava was nothing short of a work of art.

"I like it when you call me Bea." Beatrice admitted. 

"You do?" 

"Yes." 

It just sounded like music when it came from her lips. 

Another minute or two passed until eventually, they both drew away. They did so at the same time, still close enough that their clouds of breath mingled together. 

"I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Ava said. 

Beatrice nodded. "You will." 

"Goodnight, Bea." 

"Goodnight Ava. And thank you, again. For the gift, for tonight… For everything." 

Ava grinned. 

Beatrice stepped away, the cold seemed to hit her only when she was out of Ava's personal space. 

She stopped when she reached the door, fingers curled around the handle and turned back. 

Ava was still watching her. 

"Can I be forward for a moment?" Beatrice asked. 

Ava laughed and nodded. "Yeah Bea, you can." 

"I said you looked pretty tonight, but I don't think that's the right word." 

"Oh?" 

"You look beautiful." 

It didn't matter that it was the middle of the night. When Ava smiled back at Beatrice, the world lit up around her. 

Beatrice didn't give Ava a chance to reply though, opening the door and walking into the B&B and leaving the door ajar. 

Mary and Shannon were by the front desk, both of them looking over at her immediately. 

She watched both of their gazes zero in on the bag in her hand. 

"She still out there?" Mary asked. 

"Yes." 

"Alright." Mary leaned over to kiss Shannon. "I'll be back in a bit." 

Shannon smiled. "Okay." 

Mary gave Beatrice's shoulder a pat as she passed. "Catch you tomorrow." 

"Goodnight Mary." 

There was a mug on the counter, another in Shannon's hands. She smiled as Beatrice got closer. 

"I wasn't sure how you liked your tea, but I have sugar if you need it." Shannon said. "What's in the bag?" 

"Thank you, this is fine, and I… I have no idea." Beatrice replied. 

She picked up the mug and took a small sip. 

"A gift?" 

"Yes." 

"Thoughtful." Shannon smiled. "And cute." 

It was obvious that Shannon was curious, but as the silence stretched between them and it became obvious that Beatrice wasn't going to open it in front of her, she laughed fondly.

"Go." She urged gently, nodding her head towards the stairs. "I'm going to wait for Mary to get back." 

Beatrice smiled. "Thank you." 

"See you in the morning." 

"Goodnight Shannon." 

--

As soon as she was in her room, Beatrice set the bag down on the dressing table and spent a solid few minutes staring at it as she drank her tea. 

Considering everything that she had already done tonight, Beatrice found it somewhat ridiculous that she now found herself frozen by a bag. 

Well, the contents within. 

She took her phone out of her pocket and tossed it onto the bed, opting to go about getting changed before anything else. 

It was ten minute later when Beatrice found herself sitting on the edge of the bed and looking at that bag. 

Her phone vibrated beside her and when Beatrice picked it up, it wasn't just a message from Ava waiting for her. 

Another missed call from her mother, as well as one from Jillian. 

The timestamp put both calls a couple of hours apart, but the fact that they had both happened in the same day was enough to bring that fear back to the surface. 

First her apartment, and now she had apparently sought out her boss. 

They were friends before Beatrice worked for Jillian, so it was to be expected. 

But that didn't particularly make Beatrice feel better.

There was a text from Jillian too. 

Jillian 
Call me when you can. Don't panic, you're not in trouble, I just want to check in and see how you're doing. 

Fantastic. 

She immediately moved onto Ava's message. 

Ava 
Back home, grabbing a shower before making a cheeky hot chocolate. 

So not only was Beatrice now trying to push down all of the bubbling fears, she was now beating away any images of Ava showering from her mind. 

At least Ava was consistent in the way that she occupied Beatrice's mind. 

Beatrice 
Enjoy and sleep well. I'll see you tomorrow.

Beatrice 
And… Thank you again. 

She hit send and set her phone aside, getting up to grab the bag from the table and dropping back onto the bed. 

Inside the bag were three neatly wrapped gifts, the moment she felt the weight of each one, Beatrice had a pretty good idea as to what they were. 

The first was a packet of pencils. The next, a small tray of watercolour paints and brushes. 

There were already tears forming in her eyes as her hand skimmed across the paper that concealed the final gift. 

Tearing the paper away revealed a leather-bound sketchbook, real leather too by the feel of it, held closed by a thin strip that wrapped around it. 

Beatrice's fingers shook as she brushed her fingers across the cover before unwrapping it and opening it to the first page. 

There was a message written in the top left corner, handwriting that Beatrice had only caught fleeting glimpses of. 

Fill these pages with whatever you see fit. Anything you create would be beautiful because you yourself are beautiful, inside and out. 

                                                                                -Ava

Beatrice had to close the sketchbook and lift her head to the ceiling before her tears could fall from her cheeks. 

She held the book close to her chest and wiped the tears away with the back of her hand. 

Ava thought she was beautiful too. 

Beatrice was in so much trouble. 

She knew exactly what belonged on that first page. 

Or rather… Who.

Chapter Text

When Beatrice had gotten ready to leave her room, it had taken a few minutes of deliberation before she had quietly picked the sketchbook up and slipped a pencil into her pocket. 

There was no sign of Mary or Shannon as she left the B&B, in fact, as Beatrice made her way down to the diner there was no sign of life to be seen anywhere. 

It probably wasn't out of the ordinary for a Sunday morning, but the silence was still quite disconcerting. 

As Beatrice passed the window of the diner, she could see Ava inside, leaning against the doorway leading into the kitchen, no doubt talking to Mary. 

Beatrice found herself pausing when she walked inside, head lifting to observe a new addition hanging from the doorway. 

Oh. 

That was a whole piece of mistletoe. 

It was definitely new, right? 

Surely she would have noticed if that had been there the entire time.

Beatrice could now officially add a plant to the list of things that could stress her out. 

"Bea!" Ava called, drawing Beatrice's attention away from the mistletoe and giving her a fond if not slightly confused look. "Why are you just standing there?" 

"Sorry." Beatrice cleared her throat, opting to keep her jacket on for now as she approached the counter. "Is that new?" 

Ava looked over Beatrice's shoulder and narrowed her eyes. "Yeah. Pretty sure the guilty party is hiding in the kitchen but she isn't admitting to anything. She just thinks it makes the place look more festive and adds a bit of harmless fun." 

Beatrice wasn't particularly convinced about that, and judging from Ava's tone, neither was she. 

It felt like too much of a coincidence. 

Beatrice made a note to try and be a little more vigilant coming and going from the diner. 

She took her seat at the counter and set the sketchbook down, something that Ava noticed immediately. 

"Oh hey," Ava smiled. "you opened it."

"I did." Beatrice replied softly. "Thank you, Ava. This is really beautiful, you didn't have to do this." 

Ava leaned down to rest her arms on the counter. "I know, but I wanted to. I'm glad you like it." 

"I really do." 

"Have you drawn anything yet?" 

"Not yet, I want the first page to be… I don't know, special?" 

Perfect. 

Or as close to perfect as she could get. 

Ava hummed thoughtfully, dropping her gaze to the sketchbook and smiling softly. 

Neither of them felt the need to mention the kiss, there was no need to.

Beatrice still didn’t regret it.

"Can I get you a coffee?" Ava asked quietly. 

"Okay." 

"Menu?" 

"Sure." 

Ava turned to grab a mug, giving Beatrice a quick opportunity to admire her outfit. 

Okay, mostly to admire the black skinny jeans she had opted to wear today. 

She was getting very good at lifting her gaze in time for Ava to turn back around. Beatrice smiled thankfully when Ava set a mug and menu down in front of her. 

There was a lull of silence where Beatrice finally noticed that save for her, Ava and Mary, even though she had yet to see the other woman, the diner was completely empty.

Without Ava's voice for her to focus on, all Beatrice could hear was the familiar tune of Christmas music playing through the speakers. 

"Do you ever get sick of it?" Beatrice asked. 

"Of what?" 

"The Christmas music." Beatrice replied. "It's pretty much all I've heard while I've been here." 

Ava snorted. "Not really. I mean I can't really listen to 'What a wonderful world' now but that's purely because of this one person on tiktok and… That's a whole other story, but no, I like them." 

"Fair enough." 

"Do you not like them?" Ava asked. "Cause I can change it if you like." 

"No, don't." Beatrice shook her head. "It's fine. It's not that I don't like them, it's just that… I've never really understood them? I don't feel anything when I hear them." 

Ava studied her for a few seconds. "What about Christmas movies?" 

"I've seen a few, but the same, I suppose." 

She could definitely see an idea forming in Ava's eyes. 

When Ava's hand dropped, two fingers gently brushing against the back of Beatrice's hand, Beatrice held her breath. 

The contact was enough to make sparks shoot up her arm. 

Beatrice looked back at Ava. 

"We'll just have to change that, won't we?" Ava said softly. 

Beatrice didn't know how it was possible, but if anybody could do it, it was Ava. 

"Okay." 

Ava grinned. "Yeah?" 

"Yes." 

Ava laughed, drawing her hand away and tapping her fingers against the menu. "What do you fancy?" 

Besides the girl standing before her? Beatrice had no idea. 

"I'm not sure, what do you suggest?" 

"Well…" Ava folded her arms across her chest and made a thoughtful sound. "Mary is making a frittata for us  cause we haven’t eaten yet, you wanna share?" 

"Sure." Beatrice smiled.

Ava smiled back for a moment before turning to the side. 

"Mary!" She shouted, loud enough to startle Beatrice. "Can you make another plate for Bea?" 

"Inside voice, Ava!" Mary called back. "And yeah, no problem." 

"Nice." Ava nodded to herself. When she turned back to Beatrice, that grin was back in place. "It'll probably just be us three for a bit, but it'll get a lot busier later." 

"How come?" Beatrice asked. 

"Sunday. Church." 

Oh. Of course.

Beatrice should have known. 

"Does Boreal have a large congregation?" 

"Nah, but more people do tend to go around Christmas, family traditions and stuff." Ava shrugged. "Each to their own." 

The doors to the kitchen swung open as Mary walked out, balancing three plates carefully. 

"Just like how it's a tradition for a lot of people to come straight here afterwards for breakfast." Mary said, setting the plates down onto the counter. "Morning, Beatrice." 

"Hi Mary." Beatrice greeted, smiling when Ava slid one of the plates in front of her. "Sounds like a busy morning for you both then." 

Mary snorted and settled down onto the seat beside Beatrice, her gaze lingered briefly on the sketchbook, though she didn't draw attention to it. 

Ava handed them each their cutlery and rather than take a seat of her own, she instead settled on leaning against the counter to eat. 

"Yep." Mary nodded. "I'm generally not too bothered about going to Church but Shannon likes to go, so me and Mateo tend to alternate weekly to keep it fair, but we always come here to help ease the workload for each other." 

Even though Beatrice had yet to really interact with many people outside of her new social circle, it was always so abundantly clear that this really was a community where they helped each other. 

It still didn't feel real. 

"That's good." 

Mary hummed as she began to dig in, in much more of a rush than Beatrice or Ava. 

"Doesn't mean I'm not going to go ahead and get everything prepped ready." Mary mumbled between a mouthful of food. 

"But then lunch time comes around, everything is back to normal." Ava grinned. “It’s just kinda hectic until then.”

There was never anything normal about this place, as far as Beatrice was concerned. 

"Speak for yourself, I promised Mother Superion that I'd drive out to that Christmas tree farm to pick up a tree for her today." 

"Good!" Ava replied. "She needs a tree." 

"I agree, but it's almost a four hour round trip. Honestly, the fact that nobody has started a farm here yet is a crime." Mary complained. 

"One day Mary." Ava said, patting Mary's hand sympathetically. "One day." 

--

People began to arrive not long after they had finished eating and Mary had returned to the kitchen. 

It was still too early to be those coming from church, but the handful of customers were more than enough to keep Ava too busy to talk with Beatrice. 

Beyond a few fleeting greetings from vaguely familiar faces, Beatrice was left alone, save for when Ava passed by to check in and refill her coffee, leaving Beatrice to keep herself occupied.

Her thoughts continuously tried to drift to home, to the phone in her pocket and the knowledge that she should call Jillian when it was a more acceptable hour on a Sunday morning.

But for now, Beatrice tried to push all of that aside, to take in the diner and the atmosphere it provided. 

That inevitably meant that her gaze sought out Ava, moving around the room with ease, that effortless smile on her face never faltered. 

It was incredible, how much beauty and light that she brought to the room. 

So much so that Beatrice truly didn't think that she would be able to capture it. 

But that didn't mean that she couldn't try. 

She found herself reaching for the sketchbook, flipping it open to the first page as she pulled her pencil out of her pocket, gaze drifting briefly over to the message Ava had written in the corner. 

Beatrice chanced a quick look around, finding Ava at the other end of the counter, chin resting in the palm of her hand as she spoke to Nick from the garage. 

She was smiling, looking so relaxed and at home. 

Her side profile was beautiful. 

Everything about her was beautiful.

But that was the moment Beatrice wanted to capture. 

She sketched quickly, faint lines to capture Ava's form, all the while shooting fleeting looks in her direction to commit Ava's features to memory. 

(Beatrice was already fairly certain that she could draw Ava from memory.) 

It was hard not to second guess every line that she drew, to commit to the details of Ava's features as she began to focus on getting her expression just right. 

Beatrice found herself glad that she had chosen to draw Ava like this rather than head on. 

She really wasn't sure that she could handle trying to draw the depths of emotion in those eyes. 

As Beatrice continued to draw, the sounds around her began to filter out until everything became focused on the drawing in front of her and her subject standing a few feet away.

The longer she worked, the more Beatrice became aware of the feeling in her chest, the warmth that filled her. 

Beatrice was enjoying herself in a way that she hadn't felt for a long time. 

She had missed this. 

The flow of it all, of letting her brain take a step back and muscle memory take over, to let her hand guide her. 

The sketch began to take shape as Beatrice took her time with each tiny detail. 

The stray wisps of hair framing Ava’s face, the curve of her smile and soft lips. Each individual eyelash. 

"What are you doing?" Lyra asked, shocking Beatrice out of her thoughts so hard that she couldn't stop herself from letting out a tiny yelp of surprise. 

Beatrice was just thankful that her pencil wasn't on the paper at the time. 

She slapped her palm down over the page and cleared her throat. 

"Lyra, hi." Beatrice cleared her throat. "Good morning." 

Lyra wasn't looking at her though, her attention was fully on the sketchbook, leaning closer and lifting Beatrice's hand off of the page. 

Beatrice didn't resist, allowing her hand to be moved with a quiet resignation. 

"Oh, that's Ava." Lyra said, her voice was absent of any real surprise but it certainly carried a tone of admiration. "Why did you let her draw your gingerbread house idea? You're actually good at this." 

"You think so?" 

"Yeah." Lyra nodded. "Can you draw other things?" 

Beatrice smiled. "Like what?" 

"Could you draw Pudding?" 

"I can try." Beatrice replied. "Though I can't promise anything, if you can get me a picture of him though, I'll give it a shot." 

Lyra looked thoughtful, and Beatrice could just tell that the girl was trying to think about what pictures she had. 

And considering what Beatrice knew about that giant tabby, she was quite happy to make a bet that it was more likely that she would cross paths with that cat before Lyra could produce a picture. 

"Are you here on your own again?" Beatrice asked. 

Lyra shook her head and pointed over to another table where a couple sat, across from them sat Mrs Anderson. 

"I saw you when we came in so I wanted to say hi." 

Beatrice would be lying if she didn't consider the fact that this child seemed to like her to be a big deal. 

"I'm glad that you did." Beatrice replied. "It's good to see you again." 

"Are you just going to stay here and draw all day?" Lyra asked. 

She'd be lying if the thought hadn't crossed her mind, there was no lack of characters within the diner to fill the pages with. 

But the place was filling up fast, and she knew there was only more to come. 

And with no sign of Camila, Lilith or Shannon yet, Beatrice didn't want to continue taking up space, even though she knew that nobody would mind. 

"Probably not." Beatrice replied honestly. "I might take a walk and see what inspires me." 

Lyra tapped her fingers against the counter as she thought, turning to Beatrice after a few moments. 

"You should go to the park. Or town square, but that will be better when they have everything set up for the fair." 

"What about the lake?" Beatrice suggested. 

"Not on your own." Lyra said seriously. "Mom always said never go there on your own, especially in the winter." 

It made sense for someone to tell their child that, with the size of the lake and the apparent occasional bear sightings. 

"It can be dangerous if there's a snowstorm." Lyra continued. "Sometimes they come out of nowhere and people can get lost, but that hasn't happened for years." 

Okay, now that did sound like something out of a horror movie. 

Lyra was very good at single handedly unnerving Beatrice with very little effort. 

"No going to the lake on my own." Beatrice said. "Noted." 

Lyra nodded. "Good." 

"Lyra!" Ava called, grinning as she made her way towards them. "Hey kid." 

Before Ava got close enough, Lyra shifted slightly, flipping Beatrice's sketchbook closed. 

It was like she knew Beatrice wasn’t ready for Ava to see. 

"Hi Ava." 

"Keeping Bea company?" Ava asked. 

"Yeah. We were talking about places that she could go to draw." Lyra replied. 

Ava beamed. "Yeah?" 

"Yes." Beatrice smiled back. "Lyra suggested the park." 

"Oh, good call. Especially if there's people using the ice rink." 

That would be a great opportunity. 

"Lyra!" Lyra's mother called. "Come on darling." 

Lyra actually pouted for a moment before sighing and hopping off of the stool. 

"I'll be right over." Ava said. 

"Okay, bye Beatrice." 

"Bye Lyra. Thank you for the advice." 

Lyra nodded and slowly drifted over to the table where her family sat, leaving Beatrice alone with Ava for a few moments.

"You okay?" Ava asked softly. "Can I get you a refill?" 

Behind her, Beatrice could hear more people arrive, which was confirmed by Ava smiling in acknowledgement over Beatrice's shoulder. 

It was probably time for Beatrice to go, as much as she didn't want to leave, she also didn't want to distract Ava from her work. 

"Can I actually get one to go?" Beatrice asked. 

Ava's face fell, only slightly and just for a moment, but Beatrice caught it all the same. 

"You're leaving?" 

"Just to take a walk, I want to try and draw something else today, and finish off what I've already started." 

"I knew I'd seen you drawing." Ava's gaze dropped to the book as she smiled. "Do I get to see?" 

The idea made her heart race, but if Beatrice could be so daring as to kiss Ava's cheek, then she could show her this drawing too. 

Besides, Ava had openly taken her picture already, it was no different than Ava showing her those photos, when she finally developed them. 

"Later." Beatrice promised. "I want to make sure it's finished first." 

"Fair." Ava smiled. "Are you going to go to the park?" 

"Yes, why?" 

"Just so I know where to find you, if I finish my shift before you come back." Ava cleared her throat. "And so I know you're somewhere safe, obviously." 

"Obviously." Beatrice agreed. 

Ava grinned. "Give me five minutes? Just so I can grab Lyra and the others' orders and I'll make your coffee." 

"Take your time Ava, honestly. It's no problem." 

Ava continued to grin, and as she stepped out from behind the counter and passed Beatrice, she reached up to give Beatrice's shoulder a soft squeeze. 

Beatrice could still feel the echo of that touch when Ava eventually returned to her a few minutes later. 

--

As Beatrice had made her way to the park the streets had become much more alive. 

The church service must have finished as the majority of people all seemed to be coming from the same direction. 

Cup of coffee in one hand and sketchbook in the other, Beatrice kept her goal in mind and continued on her way to the park. 

When she got there, she found an empty bench and used her sleeve to brush it clear of snow so that she could sit down on it. 

From her position, it gave Beatrice a direct view of the ice rink, and while it would certainly be more ideal if the strings of lights were on and there were people actually using the rink, Beatrice felt as though she could let her imagination run free. 

But before doing that, there was something else that should take priority. 

Because as far as she was concerned, the longer Beatrice held off making the call to Jillian, the harder it was going to be to ignore the anxiety in her chest. 

And this way, she could at least look forward to unwinding from it by getting lost in another drawing, even if it was unlikely to inspire the same feeling she felt when drawing Ava. 

With a quiet sigh, Beatrice took a sip of coffee and set her sketchbook and cup aside before digging her phone out of her pocket. 

She clicked on Jillian's name and held her phone up to her ear, listening as it rang out several times. 

Just when Beatrice thought it was going to go to voicemail, Jillian answered. 

"Beatrice, hi. You got my message then?" 

"Yes. I'm sorry I didn't call back sooner. It was rather late when I saw you had called." 

"It's fine, it's fine." Jillian replied. "How are you?" 

"Good." Beatrice said. "Yourself?" 

"Very well thank you." 

How much small talk was acceptable before Beatrice asked her boss to get to the point? 

Beatrice decided that this would do. 

"Is everything okay?" Beatrice asked. "Your message was rather vague." 

"I had lunch with your mother." 

Beatrice pursed her lips to refrain from sighing. "Yes, I figured as much. She tried to call me before you." 

"That doesn't surprise me." Jillian laughed. "She's worried about you, Beatrice." 

Not in the way that Jillian assumed, that much Beatrice knew. 

"Oh?" 

"You didn't tell your parents where you were going?" 

"No. I have a right to my privacy." Beatrice said. "I left them a message to tell them I was going out of town. I'm not alone, I'm with friends and I'm safe." 

"I don't doubt any of that. You're a smart woman, Beatrice. I know that you're capable of looking after yourself. Though I can't help but suspect that this is why you didn't want to tell me where you were going?" 

Beatrice sighed, leaning back against the bench and lifting her gaze to the thick clouds above. 

"I didn't want to put you in a difficult situation. I know that they're your friends." Beatrice explained. "I didn't expect for my mother to come to the city in person though, I'm sorry." 

"Don't be. It's okay." 

It was a good thing that Beatrice didn't have many connections back in the city, if she had, she was certain that her mother would find each one and question them about Beatrice's whereabouts. 

Which begged the question of what exactly her mother wanted from her. 

"Jillian, what did she want? What did she say?" 

"About you?" 

Beatrice hummed and reached for her coffee, if for no other reason than to draw some comfort from the warmth it provided. 

"She asked about you going on vacation, whether it was spontaneous or planned in advance. How you're doing at work, if you're focused or not, if I knew whether you were seeing anybody." 

As Jillian continued to list everything off, Beatrice could only feel her stomach drop more. 

It was so much more than just a few questions, her mother was using Beatrice's boss to pry into every aspect of her life. 

"What… What did you tell her?" Beatrice asked, unable to keep the tremor out of her voice. 

"That I have no insight into your private life as I am your boss, not your confidante." Jillian replied. "I didn't tell her anything, Beatrice, you have my word. Don't worry." 

Beatrice felt some tension leave her body at Jillian's response. 

She still didn't regret her decision to keep her location a secret. 

"And then the topic eventually shifted to the Christmas party at the club." Jillian continued. "That's why she's trying to get in touch with you, Beatrice." 

Of course it was. 

"Really?" 

"Well, that's as much as she would say to me." Jillian pointed out. "But I don't doubt that she has other reasons." 

Beatrice didn't want to entertain those other reasons more than she had to. 

She just wanted to get as much information as possible and get out of this conversation. 

"What did she say about the party?" Beatrice prompted. 

Jillian seemed to hesitate for a few moments, in the background Beatrice was sure that she could hear Jillian's son playing video games. 

"Just that she expected you to be back for it, mostly." Jillian replied eventually. "She didn't outright say it, but I got the impression that she may be trying to set you up with someone?"

That was hardly new, so it definitely wasn't a surprise. 

"Wonderful." Beatrice sighed. 

"Not a fan?" Jillian asked. 

"The people my parents set me up with are not often my type." Beatrice said. 

Jillian hummed. "So what's the plan here Beatrice? Are you just going to avoid your parents' calls until you come back?" 

It had been working relatively well so far. 

"Would it reflect badly on me if I said yes?" Beatrice asked. 

"Your life is your own, Beatrice. I may be your boss but I do still care about you. We've known each other for a long time now." 

Beatrice took a sip of her coffee. "That was a very diplomatic response." 

A couple walking their dog passed, offering Beatrice a welcoming smile, one that Beatrice returned in kind. 

"I'm not here to judge you, Beatrice." Jillian laughed. "But can I offer my advice?" 

"By all means." 

"The longer you avoid them, the worse it will be." 

"I know." Beatrice said quietly. "But for the first time in a long time, I'm happy. Every time I have to do things like this, of being aware of my life back home, it ruins my mood. I get this… This dread in the pit of my stomach." 

It felt like far too much of an admission to make to Jillian Salvius. 

"I'm glad that you're happy, Beatrice. But if that is the case then you truly need to look at your life and assess the things that make you unhappy." 

Beatrice was all too aware of what those things were, though she didn't dare voice them to Jillian. 

"I know." Beatrice said after a few moments.

"Now I don't want our conversation to end on a sour note, tell me about your trip, what have you been doing?" 

Beatrice was surprised to find herself smiling at Jillian's question, at the genuine tone of her voice. 

Jillian really did care, Beatrice knew that. 

"I've made friends." Beatrice replied, her thoughts immediately drifted to Ava. "There are some… incredible people here. I'm trying to embrace it all and now I'm trying to find my style."

"Your style?" 

"I've been given a sketchbook. I'm drawing again." 

"Good for you." Jillian replied. "I expect to see some drawings when you get back, whenever that is." 

"Of course." 

"Look after yourself, Beatrice. Whatever you're doing right now, keep it up." 

"I intend to." 

"Stay safe, Beatrice." 

"Goodbye Jillian." 

As soon as the call ended, rather than allow herself to dwell or process the conversation, Beatrice immediately reached for her sketchbook and opened it up to a fresh page. 

She needed to draw. 

--

Beatrice knew that it had begun to snow at some point while she had been sitting on the bench, not heavily by any means, but enough so that she had to lean forward to shield her book from any stray flakes as she worked. 

True to her original idea, Beatrice had drawn the view in front of her, the ice rink and trees that framed it, as well as each tiny individual light that hung above. 

She had even added two figures skating across the ice hand in hand. 

(Beatrice had intentionally kept their forms silhouetted to avoid having to draw distinguishing features.) 

Next, Beatrice had allowed herself to practice techniques, filling a whole page with sketches of her own hand, familiarising herself with the proportions and shapes once more.

She had forgotten how easily time slipped away from her when she drew. 

Because when Beatrice heard the sound of boots against snow she lifted her head, painfully aware of the kink that had formed in her neck. 

It was Camila approaching, sheriff uniform on complete with her hat and holding two takeaway cups from the diner in her hands. 

Beatrice smiled, wincing when she moved her neck to each side and feeling it crack. 

Her body ached, and it was only when Beatrice tried to set her pencil down did she realise how still all of her joints were. 

She couldn't really feel her fingers anymore. 

How long had she been out here?

"Hey Bea!" Camila called. "Ava said I might find you here." 

Beatrice closed the sketchbook and let it rest on her lap and smiled. "Hi, are you on patrol?" 

"Nah." Camila replied, dropping down onto the bench beside her. "I stopped by the diner for a hot chocolate before going to the station." 

She punctuated her statement by handing Beatrice one of the cups, which Beatrice accepted gladly. 

Beatrice raised an eyebrow. "This is a bit out of the way from the station, isn't it?" 

It was a testament to how cold her hands were that the heat from the cup actually made them ache more. 

Camila's smile grew somewhat conspiratory as she leaned in. "Okay, wanna know the truth?" 

"Of course." 

"Ava saw it starting to snow and asked me to check in on you, she said you'd been gone for a couple of hours." Camila explained. "So she asked if I'd bring that to you, providing you were here." 

Ava really did try so hard to look out for her, it almost made the hot chocolate in her hand feel warmer. 

(Not as warm as Ava's hug was, though.) 

"What would you have done if I weren't here though?" Beatrice asked. 

Camila shrugged. "Had two hot chocolates to drink, I guess." 

Okay, that made sense. 

Camila reached out to give the back of Beatrice's hand a gentle prod. "Jesus Bea, you're freezing." 

"...I know." 

"Have you been out here this whole time?" Camila asked, attention shifting to the sketchbook. "Drawing?" 

"Pretty much." Beatrice nodded. "I had to make a phone call to my boss too, but otherwise, yes." 

"Your boss?" 

"She was just checking in." Beatrice replied. 

Not entirely a lie, but explaining the whole situation was… Well, it was a lot. 

Lilith would be the best to speak to about it, considering how she actually knew Beatrice's parents. 

But it was still Ava that Beatrice longed to be with, to tell her about everything that scared her of her life back home. 

"That's sweet of her." Camila beamed. She gestured to the sketchbook. "Can I see?" 

Beatrice stared at Camila for a few seconds before she fully processed Camila's words. 

"Oh." Beatrice flipped open the book, careful to skip the first page and held it to show the other two pages to Camila. "Here." 

Camila gasped, resting one hand against Beatrice's shoulder and leaning in to study them. "Bea, these are beautiful." 

"I'm not sure how a picture of my hands could be considered beautiful, but I am quite proud of this one." Beatrice replied. "Luckily this town doesn't have a shortage of beautiful sights to practice with." 

Camila smiled. "Hopefully warmer sights?" 

"Is this your way of suggesting I should get inside?" Beatrice asked. 

"I honestly think you need to defrost." Camila said seriously. 

Beatrice laughed. "Okay." 

Camila got to her feet and Beatrice did the same, wincing as her muscles protested. 

Defrosting suddenly felt like an accurate term for what she needed to do. 

"I'll walk with you till we get to the station." Camila said, sipping at her drink as they began to make a move. "Lilith is at the diner and Shannon should be there now too, she had to stop by the B&B first."

Beatrice nodded, and for a little while they walked side by side in silence, pausing at a trash can so that she could toss out her empty cup. 

It may have been Ava's gentle request for Camila to come out and find her, but the fact that Camila had done so still managed to leave Beatrice smiling. 

"Thank you." Beatrice said softly. "For coming out here." 

"Anytime." Camila smiled back.

She bumped their shoulders together and they continued to walk. 

--

As Beatrice walked into the diner she almost crashed right into Mary. 

"Shit, sorry Beatrice." Mary apologised. 

She seemed quite hurried, pulling on her jacket as she stepped around Beatrice. 

"It's fine, are you okay?" Beatrice asked. 

"I have to head up to the B&B, Shannon called, some kind of pipe leak apparently." 

Beatrice held the door open, stepping back. "Oh God, go, by all means." 

Just as Mary took a step closer to the door, Beatrice saw Lilith lean to the side to look at them from where she was sitting at the counter. 

"Woah wait a minute. You're both under the mistletoe." She pointed out. 

Damn that mistletoe. 

Mary scowled and looked over her shoulder to where Lilith sat, Ava stood behind her at the counter. 

Beatrice was vaguely aware that the diner had emptied considerably in the time that she had been gone. 

"Seriously, Lilith?" Mary replied. "Kind of in a rush here." 

"You were very clear on the rules when I crossed paths with Mrs Anderson." Lilith shot back. 

That made Beatrice pause. 

"You kissed Mrs Anderson?" 

Lilith glared at her. "On the cheek." 

"She was very appreciative." Ava snorted. 

"So yes. I'm serious." Lilith replied. "Mistletoe tax, pay up." 

Mary stared up at the ceiling, either to say a prayer or to curse the decoration hanging above them. 

"For fucks…" She sighed and leaned in quickly, kissing the side of Beatrice's head. "Okay, bye." 

She disappeared out of the door before Beatrice could even react. 

If Mary had been the one to hang the mistletoe, then perhaps she was regretting that choice now. 

Beatrice made her way into the diner, settling down on the stool beside Lilith. 

She placed the sketchbook down on the counter and looked to Lilith and Ava in turn. 

"So. Mrs Anderson?" Beatrice asked. “You’re kissing Grandmas now?’

"Stop." Lilith rolled her eyes. "Camila found you then?" 

"She did." 

Ava's grin lasted a whole five seconds before she looked down and saw Beatrice's hands. 

"Bea, are you cold?" Ava asked, reaching for Beatrice's hands, almost flinching when her fingers touched her skin. "Holy shit, Beatrice…" 

She clasped Beatrice's hands tightly in her own, and unlike the warmth the cup of hot chocolate had offered, this warmth didn't hurt. 

"It was worth it." Beatrice replied. 

Ava frowned and held onto her hands tighter. 

"Can I get you a drink? Something to eat?" 

"I'm fine, Ava." 

"Your hands feel like blocks of ice." Ava pointed out. 

"They already feel warmer, Ava." Beatrice replied softly. 

Lilith shook her head and sipped her coffee, occupying herself with her phone instead of paying them any attention. 

"Then I guess I'm just going to have to keep on holding them." Ava said. 

That sounded like a brilliant idea. 

"Okay." 

Ava grinned. "Okay." 

It didn't even bother Beatrice that they were doing this in full view of Lilith. 

This didn't mean anything right? Ava would do this for any of her friends, that was what Ava was like. 

Nobody batted an eye at Ava's antics, she had said as much herself when they had laid together in the snow. 

(Beatrice knew the only person she was really fooling with that line of thinking was herself.) 

"Did you have a good time out there, at least?" Ava asked. 

"I did." Beatrice replied. "I'll show you when I can feel my fingers again." 

A gentle flush rose to Ava's cheeks as her gaze dropped to the counter. 

"You get off soon right Ava?" Lilith asked. 

Ava's gaze snapped towards her. "What?" 

It was strangely reassuring to hear Ava's voice get as high as it had in response to Lilith's question. 

"Your shift, it's over soon?" 

"Oh. Yeah." Ava cleared her throat and turned to look at the clock. "Ten minutes, Yasmin is in the kitchen talking to Mateo before she starts." 

"Are there any plans?" 

Ava looked to Beatrice, looking a little lost for a few moments. 

"I haven't planned that far ahead." Ava admitted. "Bea, do you want to watch some Christmas movies?" 

If it meant spending time with Ava, then absolutely. 

"Sure." 

"Lilith?" 

Lilith hummed thoughtfully. "Depends. What are you thinking of watching?"

"Home alone, one and two." 

"Then yes, sure." Lilith nodded. "If you have them on DVD I'm sure Mary and Shannon will let you use the TV room." 

Beatrice raised an eyebrow. "There's a TV room at the B&B?" 

"It has a projector. It's amazing." Ava grinned. "I keep meaning to invest in one for my place." 

"How did I now know this?" Beatrice asked Lilith. 

"Probably because you only use that place to sleep and you actually live here?" Lilith suggested. 

She had her there. 

Beatrice knew that had Ava's hands not currently been holding onto hers, they would be gesturing excitedly. 

"Now this is a plan. We grab snacks, I'll run home to get the DVDs, then we can chill." Ava beamed. 

As she said it, Beatrice felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and watched as Lilith frowned down at her own. 

"Oh shit." Lilith said. 

"Oh shit?" Ava repeated. "Why oh shit? What oh shit?" 

"You… may want to hold onto that thought." Lilith said, turning her phone to show the screen to Ava. "It looks like a burst pipe. We should probably head over to see if we can help." 

Oh. 

Damn. 

--

Beatrice really wasn't sure how much help she was being right now. 

Honestly, she was pretty sure that herself, Ava and Lilith were only there to be moral support. 

Well, moral support and bucket duties. 

Ava, Mary and Shannon each stood in the basement, the water was easily well above their ankles as Ava tried to keep most of the leaking water contained, handing a full bucket to Beatrice so that Beatrice could give her an empty one and pass the full one to Lilith to take upstairs to empty. 

Shannon stood near Mary, passing her the tools she needed. 

Honestly, by the time they had arrived it had looked as though the pair had gotten most of it under control, but if there was anything that they could do to help, then Beatrice was going to be there. 

"What a pain." Mary complained. 

"I know." Ava agreed. "We're all wet and not even in a good way." 

"If my hands weren't full right now I'd push you over." Mary replied. 

"That's fair." 

"I think you've fixed it though." Shannon said. 

Mary made a sound of agreement and took a step back to admire her work. 

"Looks like it. I could do with checking the rest of the building though. Make sure there's no other leaks, and that the electrics still work and everything." 

Lilith moved further into the basement to stand at Beatrice's side, careful not to step down into the water. 

"Is there anything we can do to help?" She asked.

"Nah I don't -" Mary cut herself off with a groan. "Dammit, I was supposed to go and get Mother Superion's tree today." 

"Well we were just going to watch movies." Lilith replied, turning her attention to Beatrice and Ava. "What do you think? Road trip instead?" 

Mary had said it was a four hour round trip which… Okay, that felt like a lot. 

But four hours in a car with Ava and Lilith? 

That could be… interesting. 

But she definitely wasn’t going to turn it down.

"Okay." Beatrice nodded. 

"Can I drive?" Ava asked. She gasped and turned to Mary. "Does this mean we'll borrow your truck?" 

"Yes, and yes." Mary replied. "Actually… Lilith?" 

"Yes?" 

"I could do with your help checking through the house, it's a lot to cover and your organisational skills will come in handy." 

Lilith smirked. "Sure thing. So I’ll stay here, Ava and Beatrice can go get the tree." 

Four hour round trip with Ava. 

Just Ava. 

Jesus Christ. 

"Sounds like a plan." Mary grinned.

Ava had apparently stopped listening around the time she had been told she could drive, her attention shifting from Beatrice to her own outfit. 

"I should go get changed, shouldn't I?" Ava asked. 

"Definitely." Shannon replied. "You too, Beatrice. Get some more layers on." 

"I will." 

"You should probably get some food to take too." Lilith suggested. "Neither of you have had lunch yet." 

Ava was nodding, taking all of it on board. 

"Okay, okay. Cool. Cool, cool, cool." 

"Will you stop with the cools?" Lilith sighed. 

"Sorry." Ava smiled sheepishly. She walked towards the stairs, splashing water around with each step she took until she was almost close enough to be in Beatrice's space. "I'll run home, get changed, come back here and we can pick some stuff up from the diner and head out?" 

Beatrice smiled back at her. "Okay." 

"Take the truck to yours, Ava." Mary said. "Don't be walking home in wet clothes. The keys are in my jacket behind the front desk." 

Ava saluted at Mary. "Got it." 

"I'll see you soon then." Beatrice said. 

"You will." Ava grinned. "I'll text you when I'm on my way back, okay?" 

"Okay." 

Ava bounced for a few seconds until Lilith stepped aside so that she could hurry up the steps and out of the basement. 

Beatrice lingered for a few moments before she began to move too. "I'll just… go get changed." 

"You do that." Mary grinned. "Give me a shout if anything in your room isn't working." 

"I will." 

--

By the time Ava texted to let her know that she was on her way, Beatrice was already dressed and waiting at the front desk. 

Mary, Shannon and Lilith had all apparently decided to take a break at that very moment too, lingering around her as they drank tea and occasionally pointed at something on the blueprints of the building that sat on the counter.

Beatrice tried very hard not to draw attention to the sketchbook tucked under her arm. 

Or the way that she kept fidgeting with Ava's scarf around her neck. 

And definitely not the way that it felt like Ava was picking her up for a date while everybody waited around to watch. 

Beatrice may be a little bit nervous about this whole situation. 

They all heard the truck pull up outside, the sound of the brakes suddenly being slammed on was enough to have Mary dropping her head and sighing. 

"Please tell her to be careful." She said. "If there's so much as a ding on my baby I will be ending her life." 

Beatrice nodded slowly. "I'll be sure to tell her." 

"Have fun." Lilith called after her. 

Beatrice was glad that she was already at the door when she said that, if for no other reason than to be reassured that none of them could see her blush. 

For the second time today, as Beatrice tried to pass through a threshold she found herself almost colliding with somebody. 

In this case, Ava.

"Hey!" Ava grinned. "You ready?" 

She seemed so excited to be getting the opportunity to drive Mary's truck, it was enough to have Beatrice smiling back. 

"Yes." 

"Awesome." Ava laughed. "Bye guys!" 

There was a faint chorus of goodbyes as Beatrice closed the door behind her and followed Ava to the truck. 

As she settled into the passenger seat, Beatrice noticed that Ava had been blasting the heat for a while, leaving the truck pleasantly warm. 

She also noticed a lot of things within the truck, though it was hard to tell what belonged to Mary and what Ava had brought with her. 

Though it was safe to say the giant thermos was Ava's doing. 

"Hot chocolate." Ava shrugged. She gestured to the stereo. "Go on, shotgun chooses the music. Knock yourself out." 

For now, Beatrice settled on flicking through the radio stations until she settled on some indie record she only vaguely recognised. 

"Pit-stop at the diner and then we can hit the road?" Ava asked. 

Beatrice clipped her seatbelt in place at the same time as Ava and watched fondly as her fingers flexed around the steering wheel. 

"Lead the way." 

Ava put the truck into gear and began to carefully drive back towards the street. 

As Beatrice leaned forward to set the sketchbook on the ground, she noticed Ava glance over to watch. 

"You brought it with you." Ava said softly. 

"I thought I might get inspired." Beatrice replied. 

And watching Ava grin, her gaze focused ahead as she kept one hand on the steering wheel, Beatrice knew that there would be no short of inspiration today. 

"Well… We'll just have to wait and see, won't we?" Ava asked. 

"I suppose we will."

Chapter Text

Beatrice sat in the passenger seat of the truck, thoroughly enjoying the warmth that the heater provided. 

Ava had parked the truck directly outside of the diner, she had paused for a moment to ask Beatrice if she wanted to come inside too. When Beatrice had declined, Ava had accepted it without question and promised to be no longer than ten minutes. 

While Ava was gone, it gave Beatrice a chance to fully take in the things inside the truck that she hadn't had time to during the short drive from the B&B. 

The polaroid of Mary and Shannon that hung from the mirror, the vape, random lighters and half empty pack of gum that littered any space available. 

When she glanced over her shoulder, Beatrice saw a blue cooler tucked on the ground between the seats. There were at least two blankets that Beatrice could see folded on the seat.

It always paid to be prepared, Beatrice supposed. 

Beatrice glanced out of the window in time to see Ava walk out of the diner with a bag that seemed to be overflowing with food. 

She even seemed to have bags of snacks tucked under her other arm. 

Apparently Ava was bringing a whole feast with them. 

Beatrice unclasped her seat belt to lean across to open the door and push it enough so that Ava could get in without a struggle. 

"Oh shit, oh shit, the chips are falling!" Ava exclaimed, watching as they fell from under her arm and scattering onto her seat and onto the ground. 

Beatrice scooped them into her own lap, clearing a path for Ava and laughing the entire time. 

"Why do you have so much food?" Beatrice asked. 

Ava grinned. "Because Mateo loves us and he likes to make sure people he cares about are well fed." 

"Makes sense, considering his career choice." Beatrice laughed. "And the chips, oreos and candy?" 

"Oh yeah, those are from my stash." Ava shrugged. She opened the bag and studied the contents. "I should probably put these in the cooler actually, hold this for a sec?" 

Beatrice took the bag from her and found herself amused at just how unsurprised she was when Ava opted to climb over the centre console into the backseat. 

It took a solid few minutes for Ava to put everything away, carefully arranging it all so that nothing would get crushed. 

Beatrice saw club sandwiches, cookies, slices of pie… There was honestly enough food here that Beatrice had no idea how they were supposed to get through it all. 

"Oh hey…" Ava spoke up suddenly. "I should have asked earlier, but the thermos only has one cup. You okay with sharing or want me to go grab something from the diner?" 

Beatrice handed her another neatly wrapped slice of pie. 

"I'm okay with sharing." 

There were a couple of cans of soda, two bottles of water, two forks and some napkins at the bottom of the bag. Beatrice handed Ava the drinks and set the bag down between her feet. 

"Nice." Ava replied. She adjusted the cooler so that it was in easy reach of them both. "Easy access for us both." 

"You'll be driving Ava." Beatrice pointed out. "If there's anything you need I'll get them for you." 

Ava braced both hands on the back of the seats and climbed through, dropping down beside Beatrice and shooting her a cheeky grin. 

"You gonna feed me too, Bea?" Ava asked teasingly. 

"As long as you don't bite my fingers off." Beatrice replied easily. 

"As much as I love a bit of biting, your fingers are safe with me." Ava replied, still grinning as she turned to look ahead. 

Oh. 

That was… Certainly a thought. 

A few seconds passed as Beatrice watched a gentle flush rise to Ava's cheeks. 

They both cleared their throats at the same time. 

"How about some music?" Ava asked, her voice had gotten higher which she tried to hide by clearing her throat. 

Beatrice grabbed her seat belt and nodded as she clicked it into place. "Music is good." 

Ava followed suit with her seat belt and dug her phone out of her pocket. 

"Still a no on the Christmas music?" 

"Is that okay?"

Ava laughed softly as she unlocked her phone and pulled up Spotify. "Of course it is. I've got just the thing." 

She watched as Ava plugged the phone into the car and hit play. 

Beatrice immediately recognised Lady Gaga playing through the speakers. 

Ava grinned and dropped her phone into the cup holder. 

"Welcome to road trip bops." Ava declared. "We're going to have a great afternoon, Bea." 

And that certainly sounded like a promise. 

--

When Beatrice had been driving to Boreal, she hadn't really allowed herself the time to admire the surroundings. 

She had been too anxious about both driving in unfamiliar conditions and the general uncertainty that came with dropping everything in her life to come to a town in the middle of nowhere. 

The sun was already beginning to dip behind the snow covered hills on the horizon. 

Beatrice imagined what it would be like to explore the forests that they drove past, wondering if it would feel like walking through a fairytale. 

And then she remembered that there were bears and swiftly pushed those thoughts away. 

Besides, with Ava loudly singing beside her without a single care in the world, the window cracked open just enough to make Ava's hair blow around her. 

It was like being in a music video. 

Ava Silva really liked Taylor Swift. 

Ava slapped her hand against the steering wheel and threw her head back, raising her voice even louder. 

"And maybe we got lost in translation, maybe I asked for too much -" 

Beatrice could only watch and smile as Ava carried on singing. 

This was a new experience for her, road trips and singing and feeling free. 

She liked this. 

Ava glanced over, grinning when she realised Beatrice was watching her and leaned over to turn the music down a little. 

"Fuck Jake Gyllenhaal." Ava said simply. 

Beatrice did not understand the statement, but nodded all the same. 

"I'm not making you regret the decision to come with me by singing, am I?" Ava asked. 

"No… No, I like this." Beatrice replied. 

"Good, in that case I'm definitely gonna get you to sing with me before we get back to town." 

Beatrice looked ahead and reached for the thermos. "I don't know about that…" 

"No judgment here Beatrice." Ava said softly. "What happens in the truck, stays in the truck."

Always trying to make sure that Beatrice felt comfortable. 

"I can't promise anything." Beatrice replied. 

"No obligations. If you feel the urge then just… Let go." 

Beatrice turned the music back up and smiled. "Let it go? Can't hold it back anymore?" 

"Amazing. You're amazing." Ava laughed harder. "Time to shuffle through these songs and find your musical moment." 

Beatrice took a long sip of hot chocolate before holding it out in invitation to Ava, who murmured her thanks and took it. 

"So you're a Taylor Swift fan?" 

"She's a queen and I love her." Ava replied. "Do I get a hint about what will make you sing or do I have to put my faith in the shuffle?" 

"Oh, that sounds more fun don't you think?" Beatrice asked. "Fits in more with your… Go with the flow attitude." 

Ava snorted. "Sounds like I'm corrupting you." 

"I'm starting to see the merits of it." 

"That's what I like to hear." 

--

"Only Pitbull could rhyme kodak with kodak and totally pull it off." Ava said, shaking her head at the stereo. 

Beatrice reached for another oreo and held it up for Ava, who was careful not to take her eyes off of the road as she leaned in to take it from her. 

Ava was very careful not to get her lips too close to Beatrice's fingers, but even then it still felt too close. 

"Was it a product placement situation?" Beatrice asked. 

"I think so, yeah." Ava replied, careful not to spray crumbs everywhere. 

"You seem to have a fondness for noughties music." Beatrice said. 

As the last five songs had played, that had been the only connection Beatrice had been able to make. 

(Even then, that theory was thrown out by more recent songs playing.) 

"It's fun." Ava shrugged. She glanced over to look at Beatrice and grinned, eyes widening as she glanced past her. "Oh, look at that sunset." 

Beatrice turned and was met with a burning sky of reds and oranges, rays of light breaking through the rare gaps in the thick clouds. 

"Oh… Wow." 

"Do you mind if I pull over?" 

"Of course not." 

Ava pulled over, she didn't bother to turn the engine off but took her seat belt off to lean around to grab a bag from the backseat. 

She opened it and pulled out her camera and put the strap over her head. 

"Give me two minutes." Ava said, already lowering the window further. 

Ava wasted no time in hauling herself out of the window until only her legs remained inside. 

"Please don't fall." Beatrice pleaded. 

"I won't." Ava laughed. 

Beatrice listened carefully, occasionally hearing the occasional click of Ava's camera, she looked out of the window and tried to visualise how Ava would capture the sight before her. 

She waited a few moments before she took her own seat belt off and climbed out of the truck, feet sinking into a couple of inches of snow. 

It was remarkable at just how quiet it was even with the engine running and Ava taking the occasional photo. 

"Beatrice?" 

Beatrice put her back to the sunset, Ava had already lowered the camera to look at her. 

"Yes?" 

"Can you do me a favour and look ahead?" 

Oh. 

Ava wanted to take her picture again. 

Beatrice didn't protest, immediately turning to look at the direction they were heading. 

"Like this?" 

"Yeah, put your hands in your pockets too." 

They went back and forth like that for a few moments, Ava talking Beatrice through the motions and Beatrice posing herself to Ava's request. 

In the end, Ava had only wanted Beatrice to move further away from the truck so that she could get most of Beatrice in the shot. 

"Perfect." Ava said quietly, the sound of the shutter soon followed. "You can relax now, Bea." 

Beatrice slipped her hands from her pockets and turned to walk back towards the truck. "I am relaxed." 

She really was, even if Beatrice didn't like having her photo taken all that much or understand why Ava wanted her to be a part of them, Beatrice also knew that Ava made her feel so at ease when it was her holding the camera.

Ava merely hummed happily and drummed her hands against the roof of the car, looking between Beatrice and the sunset. 

"You hungry?" Ava asked. 

"I suppose I could eat." 

"We have plenty of time to get there, wanna watch the sunset for a bit?" 

"That sounds nice." 

"Right? Now get back in here before you freeze." 

Beatrice did not need to be told twice. 

--

"So yeah, that's why me and Lilith aren't allowed to go on long drives together anymore." Ava finished with a laugh. 

Beatrice chewed slowly as she stared at Ava. 

"That… Is horrifying." 

"Yep." Ava nodded. "There was no way Mary would have let me take her baby out today if you hadn't come with me." 

"It is a beautiful truck." Beatrice said. 

Ava hummed through another mouthful of food. "You drive right?" 

"I have a licence, but not really. There's no point in having a car in the city." 

"So driving here from the airport was the longest you've driven in a while?" 

"Yes. Driving in the snow was unnerving." Beatrice replied. "On the rare times I would go to visit my parents they'd usually give me access to their town car." 

"Right, cause they're rich rich, aren't they?" Ava asked. "Not to assume or anything, it's just that I know they know Lilith's parents." 

"No you're right, they are." Beatrice replied, looking away to watch the sun finishing out its descent. "I'm not blind to the advantages that gave me growing up. Or even now, it's mostly down to the connections my name has that I even have the job that I do." 

"You're still talented though." Ava pointed out earnestly. 

"Unfortunately, talent will only get you so far." Beatrice sighed. "You are much more likely to become something with money and connections." 

"True." 

"I doubt that Jillian would have hired me if not for her relationship with my parents." 

Ava reached for her drink and took a small sip from it and hummed thoughtfully. 

"That may be so, but doesn't that mean that you could use those connections now to do something you actually want?" 

Beatrice stared down at the remains of her food, no longer hungry. 

She could, and Jillian did seem to be encouraging her to find a path that she was passionate about, so Beatrice didn't doubt that she would have her support and backing even if it meant leaving her company. 

But… It wasn't quite that simple. 

"In theory, yes." Beatrice replied. 

"...Your parents?" Ava guessed. 

"Yes, they've never hidden the fact that they feel as though I've disappointed them by not pursuing a career they wanted. They only accept it because I work with Jillian." Beatrice explained. "But more than that, I'm afraid I simply just don't know what I would want to do." 

Ava stopped eating, her gaze grew sincere as she looked over at Beatrice. 

"You can have anything you want, Bea." Ava said softly. "You just have to take it." 

"If only I knew how." 

Ava's phone began to ring, vibrating loudly where it lay in the cup holder. Ava rolled her eyes and picked it up. 

"It's Lilith." Ava snorted. She answered it and put it on speaker. "Hey Morticia. You're on speaker." 

"...Morticia?" Beatrice asked quietly. 

"Goth icon." 

"No, I know who she is. But why -" 

"Because of my music taste." Lilith explained with a heavy sigh. "Just checking in." 

"You mean you're making sure I haven't damaged Mary's truck?" Ava asked. 

"Somewhat. I also thought you would want to know that the results of the gingerbread house have been posted." 

Ava grinned. "The lack of gloating in your tone suggests that you haven't won." 

"Neither did you!" Lilith replied. 

Ava and Beatrice shared a look and each of them shrugged. It was hardly a surprise. 

"Who did win?" Beatrice asked. 

"Mary and Shannon. Mary is… Thrilled." 

Ava threw her head back and laughed happily. She glanced over at Beatrice. 

"Mary is making Lilith's life hell, basically." 

"You and Beatrice did get a special mention though." 

Oh? 

Ava seemed just as intrigued. "What do you mean?" 

"Most creative concept. Pretty sure they just invented the category for you guys because." Lilith laughed. "You should check the Facebook page, it's a nice photo they've used. You can find it for yourself but I'll put it in the group chat for Beatrice." 

"Thank you Lilith." Beatrice said. 

Lilith hummed. "I don't hear driving, what are you two doing?" 

"Just pulled over to eat and watch the sunset." Ava replied. 

"Well, we're almost done cleaning up here. Do you want me to pick up your gingerbread house and bring it to the B&B?" 

"What do you think Bea?" 

Beatrice shrugged. "I don't mind." 

"Yeah if you could." 

"No problem. We might head down to the bar too, so call me when you're heading back." 

"Will do." 

"Alright, drive safe. Try not to wreck Mary's truck." 

Ava rolled her eyes fondly. "I'll do my best." 

She ended the call and dropped the phone back into the cup holder with a laugh. 

"Should we head out?" Beatrice asked. 

Ava looked out of the window to admire the sunset once more. After a few moments, she nodded. 

"Fuck it. Let's go." Ava grinned. "Gonna get you singing by the time we get there, you know." 

--

"Have you ever been to a Christmas tree farm?" Ava asked. 

Darkness had mostly settled around them, a light snowfall fluttered down against the windscreen. 

"No, never." 

"After cinnamon and gingerbread, the smell of a Christmas tree is one of my favourites." Ava replied. "I never had a real one until I came here." 

Beatrice leaned her head against the window. "My parents have real trees too, although they would hire somebody to decorate it professionally." 

It was always just for show, never any substance. No wonder she didn't have a good relationship with Christmas. 

"So you never got to put a star on the tree?" 

"Angel." Beatrice corrected. "And no, not until I got my own place." 

She deeply enjoyed getting to know Ava better. Hearing the stories of her childhood and her travels. 

They did make Beatrice's life seem somewhat more depressing though. 

Instead of having to change the subject herself, Beatrice was thrown a blessing in the form of a very familiar song beginning to play on Ava's playlist. 

"Oh my God." Beatrice said quietly. 

Ava looked ecstatic. "You know this?" 

It was Meredith Brooks. 

"I heard it on Orphan Black." Beatrice explained as the vocals began. 

"Of course you did." Ava laughed, hands tapping against the steering wheel. "Is this gonna happen?" 

It… it really might. 

"I…"

"Come on Bea, the chorus is coming up." Ava wiggled her eyebrows and began to sing. "I'm a little bit of everything, all rolled into one..." 

She even turned the volume up. 

Screw it. 

Beatrice turned her head slightly to look out of the window and began to join in under her breath. "I'm a bitch, I'm a lover -" 

Ava was singing along too, but at a much higher volume as she went through the next two lines. Beatrice looked over at her in time for their eyes to meet. 

She tripped over her words when Ava stared at her. 

"I'm a sinner, I'm a saint." They sang together, Ava threw in a quick wink that made Beatrice's heart race. 

"And I do not feel ashamed!" Beatrice continued, surprising herself at the amount of force she put into her words. 

It was incredible how three lines from a nineties pop song could have a deep resonance in her. 

Beatrice had spent so long being told that she was a sinner just for being gay. It had taken so long for her to accept herself. 

So no. She didn't feel ashamed. 

And she was so happy that right now, she felt comfortable enough around Ava to let her guard down like this. 

To let go and sing. 

Except Beatrice found herself faltering when she realised that Ava was watching her with an expression that could only be described as awe. 

"...What?" Beatrice asked apprehensively. 

"Nothing!" Ava replied, looking surprisingly embarrassed to have been caught. "I just… I haven't heard you swear before." 

Oh. 

Beatrice laughed nervously. "Yes I… I don't make a habit of it." 

"You should swear more. It's… it's good." Ava cleared her throat. "And singing. You have a really great voice." 

Beatrice felt her ears burning. "Thank you." 

"I look forward to seeing what else makes you sing, Beatrice Kline." 

Ava's words only made Beatrice blush more. 

--

The snow had picked up a bit more as Ava parked the truck near the entrance of the farm. 

Christmas lights seemed to cover every surface possible, and even with Christmas just around the corner, Beatrice was surprised to see rows and rows of trees. 

There were close to a dozen other cars and trucks parked around them and when Ava turned off the engine, Beatrice could hear the festive music and chatter of families outside. 

"You ready?" Ava asked. 

Beatrice nodded. "Sure." 

They each got out of the truck, Beatrice set about wrapping the scarf around her neck as soon as she closed the door and found herself smiling as flakes of snow landed against her cheeks and nose. 

Ava walked around to join her, hood lazily pulled over her head in a way that did very little to actually protect her hair from the snow. 

"I'm gonna leave the camera in the car, but if it's okay with you I'd like to take some pictures on my phone?" 

Beatrice smiled at her and slipped her hands into her pockets. "That's fine by me, but why?" 

"Because you've never done this before so I wanna capture the moments if I can." Ava shrugged. "And… you know, you're a really good subject." 

"Am I?" 

Ava ducked her head to laugh and took a few steps ahead before turning on the spot to look back at Beatrice. 

"You know you are. You're extremely photogenic, Bea." 

Beatrice wasn't exactly sure how photogenic she could be blushing and giggling like a schoolgirl, but she didn't have it in herself to dispute Ava's words. 

Instead, she simply moved to fall into step with Ava as the pair made their way through the gate into the farm. 

"How exactly does this work?" Beatrice asked. 

"Well -" 

"Good evening ladies." A man greeted. "Looking for a tree?" 

With a beanie, scruffy dark beard and plenty of flannel, all Beatrice could see was a lumberjack. 

Ava smiled in a way that made Beatrice know that she wanted to make a joke and point out the obvious. 

"That we are." Ava nodded. 

"Awesome. Are you two looking for anything specific?" 

"It'll be in a place with a pretty high ceiling but nothing crazy wide." Ava replied. She looked at Beatrice. "But then we gotta get it on the truck too so… Probably about seven feet tall?" 

Beatrice nodded. "Yes that sounds about right." 

"Have you two brought a tree before?" 

"I have." Ava said, she nudged Beatrice's arm playfully. "But Bea is a Christmas tree virgin." 

He grinned at them both. "First Christmas together, huh?" 

The world seemed to fall silent around them as Beatrice registered his words. 

Together? 

Did he think they were a couple? 

"Kinda." Ava nodded. If she realised the implication then she showed no signs of it. "Bea is visiting Boreal for the holidays. I'm trying to give her a real Christmas experience." 

"Very romantic." He turned to Beatrice and winked dramatically. "Hope you've got a great gift for this one lined up." 

Yes. 

He definitely thinks they're a couple. 

Beatrice saw Ava's brow furrow from the corner of her eye, though it was gone by the time the man looked back at her. 

Ava had connected the dots too. 

"Oh. We're… We're not…" She trailed off with a weak laugh and quickly cleared her throat. "You guys seem busy, do we just look around and come find you when we've made a choice?" 

"Yep!" He handed Ava a bright purple tag. "Just put this around the one you want so nobody else tries to claim it and give us a shout. The bigger trees are down there." 

He pointed them to the far left of the plot where a few families seemed to be exploring. Beatrice smiled as she saw two children chasing each other through the trees. 

"Cool. Thank you." Ava smiled. She tugged gently on Beatrice's arm. "Shall we?" 

Beatrice nodded and allowed Ava to lead her away. 

"I'm sorry, I should have corrected him." Ava said as soon as they were out of earshot. 

Beatrice found that she was rather glad that Ava hadn't. 

"I don't mind." Beatrice replied honestly. "There are worse people one could be mistaken for being in a relationship with."

Ava flashed her a crooked grin. "Flirt."

"Christmas tree virgin though, really?" 

Ava snorted. "Sorry. I didn't know how else to phrase it." 

"I haven't been called a virgin since highschool." 

That only served to make Ava laugh harder, her hand curled around Beatrice's arm so that she could stay steady as they walked side by side. 

"Hm… Same, to be honest." 

"Will we be able to fit the tree in the truck?" Beatrice asked. 

They both stopped as the two children ran past them and into the trees, laughing loudly. 

"If it's anything over six feet then we'll have to lower the…" She made a flapping motion with her free hand. "Flap thing. But I have the rope things to tie it down so we'll be fine." 

"Flap thing and rope things." Beatrice repeated, unable to stop herself from smirking.