outfit
~*~

Emily hadn't seen her dad in months and it had really been great. They had focused on dancing, though she had insisted she kept doing her job, even if she had given up the office for now to keep her father from grabbing her from there. No, it was better for everyone if she was only reachable through the phone and only met clients in public places. No home visits, no listed address, she'd practically become a ghost with a job. She couldn't stand the idea of Oliver paying for everything she needed all the time, it drove her insane when he tried to get away with stuff like that.

Right now, however, it was time to get some gift shopping done and she had absolutely no idea what to get Oliver. What could she possibly give him for Christmas that would make him understand exactly how much his taking her in meant to her and how much he'd helped her. She was far less awkward when it came to fun things now than she'd been a long time ago. Even if she still loved to zap Oliver for the fun of it.

Winter was her least favorite time as it was all cold and wet out, but she'd been careful to dress properly whenever she was going out as she didn't want Oliver to worry. Whenever he worried, there was something she wasn't doing right, after all she'd hate for him to worry about her when he didn't need to.

"Come on, I have no idea what to get you so you've gotta help me out," she chuckled as she twirled around so he could approve of her outfit before they could go out. Presents was a rare thing when she was growing up, so she wanted to make up for that now and get Oliver exactly what he wanted for Christmas. Who said it couldn't be fun to give something to someone else just because she wasn't used to it?

.::Outfit::.

A few months had passed since Oliver had somehow talked Emily into staying with him and so far, all was going well. Admittedly, it was strange to start off with having a female present in the house but that soon vanished once things had settled. Oliver had learnt to relax more and stop fretting about every little thing that presented itself to him; even Emily. He still worried now but at least it wasn’t as bad as before when there was still the chance of her father finding her but it didn’t seem he had really made an effort so far. Oliver wasn’t naïve though, he knew one day she would be sought out; no parent let their kid disappear without a word and was expected to carry on as though their kid had never existed in the first place. That time would come but for now, it all seemed to be a distant thought that seemed totally irrelevant. He’d worry about it when the time called for it.

Emily had for the most part been a delight to live with, bringing all things brighter and more cheerful to the house Oliver had, up until recently, shared with his brothers and the red headed that stole his attention. Since Emily’s move, Dakota had left for University and visited every month to stop his older sibling from worrying too much and Josh… well Josh had gone off with a bunch of friends on a road trip and was no doubt hitting up the city in the worst way possible but that wasn’t Oliver’s problem anymore. The kid was reckless and Oliver was sick of trying to teach him that one day life would turn around and bite his on the ass.
With the tree, lights and other various decorations strung around the house, all that was left to do now was search for the perfect presents.

Every year since Oliver could remember it had always been left to to someone else to buy the presents for him. Firstly it was his mother who used to insist he bought his friends educational things, then since moving out with Dakota and Josh, it had been Dakota that had a keen eye for spotting gifts others actually appreciated. He’d even woken earlier than normal that day to call Dakota in Seattle and go through his list to see what his younger brother would suggest. They were both a little lost when it came to Emily though. Apart from their mother, they had never really thought about gifts for the female kind. Dakota had said that he had once made a girl a little pendant but Oliver had never been good at his craftwork so soon pushed that idea away.

Considering ice blanketed the driveway outside and the light, icy breeze gave the impression that it could break into a snowstorm any minute, Oliver didn’t feel the need to get as wrapped up as Emily had and had even made her promise to wrap up warm against the cold to save her from catching a bug.
A smile lit up his face as Emily twirled around in front of him looking very snug and cosy and of course, as picturesque as ever. He also sniggered quietly as he wrapped his scarf around his neck and shrugged his shoulders. The question she had asked was one he never really knew the answer too. Sure, when he was younger he’d ask for the world but age seemed to take away the need to be given gifts to get in to the Christmas spirit.

“[You think you have it hard?” He asked in amusement. “I’m in the same boat as you. The only presents I have even bought were for my mom and brothers… presents are over rated anyway, I think I’d be happy just to have you and my family here… as cliché as that sounds.”
He wondered over to Emily once he’d got his fingers in to his gloves and made sure the belt on her coat was secured enough to keep the cold out. Again, he smiled before moving away again to open the front door and held his arm out for Emily to take. The shops weren’t that far away from where they lived, a five minute walk if that so he didn’t feel the need to take the car. Besides, he preferred walking and the crisp, winter air always brought a skip to his step.
“Well, shall we? If we get done before sun down we might even catch the lights been turned on it the centre.”

Emily was actually rather glad her father hadn't made the effort to come find her, the last thing she wanted was for a confrontation around Christmas time. It actually made things a whole lot safer for both herself and Oliver that his brothers had moved away from Bitter Springs. It had probably been Joshua who'd been the reason her father had wanted her to kill the Rileys or die trying anyway as she didn't know much about her father's personal history with the brothers.

It was totally unfair that Oliver didn't have to wrap up as well as her to protect from the cold. Even if he was kind of lovable when he worried so much about her catching a bug. What he had to say about presents though made her giggle slightly as it gave her an idea. He was always being such a gentleman and never letting her worry about anything, maybe what she should give him for Christmas was herself? Cheesy as it may sound, but she trusted him completely, and he made her feel like she was going to just melt away whenever they danced or embraced and she was ready to cross off another first off her list of firsts to experience.

"You know, I never knew Christmas time could be this cozy and nice, and it doesn't matter what you get me Oliver. I'll love it anyway just because it's from you," she grinned and took his arm, leaning into him for a moment before they started walking to the mall. "Though you gave me an idea for what to get you," she said rather shyly and blushed at the mere thought. Yes, it was a big deal actually, but she would find him something else as well, just in case. After all, the last thing she wanted was to push him away after he'd been nothing but sweet to her.

The redhead had to admit that the idea of going shopping for presents scared her slightly as she wasn't used to it at all. Her father had always bought presents for her mother and sister so she wouldn't have to think about that while he kept her busy. This would be her first holiday without her mom though, and she was actually quite fond of the woman. If it hadn't been for her fear of being dragged back into what she'd come to learn was torture if she went, she probably would've insisted they buy presents for her family as well and drop them off. The last thing she wanted was to be trapped in a situation she couldn't get out of without anyone getting hurt because she missed her normal family. Besides, Oliver sort of felt like family now, just in a different way so she was sure he'd make sure she wasn't sad at all about anything.

Oliver grinned down at Emily as she took his arm and said the words that made even him gush. It wasn’t like he’d had the perfect of Christmas’ in his life, not with parents that seemed to involved in each other and a brother who loved to make any family reunion a living hell.
He made sure to lock the door behind him before turning back to the redhead, smugness seeping from every pore as he spoke.
“Well there you go. I’m sure I’ll love whatever you get me too so stop worrying about it and let’s get there before the shops close.”

He chuckled to himself as they walked down the street, already he could feel the slight frost in the air though it barely fazed him. There were a few people walking in the same direction, clearly making their way to see the Christmas lights get turned on. Barely anybody was in a car which wasn’t surprising with the amount of ice that hid amongst the damn tarmac.
He glanced back at Emily with raised brows when she commented on her idea, forgetting about the chill and turning all his attention back to her. The look on her face intrigued him and as always, told him it was something she wasn’t going to be prepared to tell him about just yet.

He grinned and squeezed her arm; trying not to laugh at how adorable she looked when she shied away.
“Oh come on! You can’t tell me that and not give me a clue at least!” He exclaimed as he guided them carefully across the street. “And why are you blushing?” He added, chuckling as he moved his arm away from hers and playfully shoved her gently in the arm.

He took her hand into his own and pulled her close again. It had taken a while for him to get comfortable like this, being able to hold Emily and be close to her without having to feel like he had to ask for permission first. It was different in a good way. No, it was different it a really good way. It was hard to explain but Oliver hadn’t ever really felt this comfortable with someone in his whole entire life. Even the times he thought he had had been nothing compared to this.

Emily sure wished the ground could just swallow her up after she'd let it slip that he'd given her an idea for what to get him. It was embarrassing, what if he didn't want her like that? Despite all their innocent fun, maybe he wasn't interested in more than a friend. What did she know anyway, she wasn't used to being around people as closely as she'd grown comfortable being with Oliver.

"Absolutely not!" she squeaked when he said he needed a clue at least. If it was at all possible, she blushed even harder at it all and especially when he asked why she was blushing to begin with. It had been a bad idea to even start thinking about it. "Besides, if I give you a hint, it won't be a surprise," she managed to say, sounding way more confident than she really felt about it all. Just because it was something she wanted, didn't mean Oliver felt the same way which made her all the more nervous about everything.

Deciding to be a little brave, she used the advantage her fingerless gloves gave her and stepped up to Oliver and zapped his cheek gently, giggling slightly. "You're so slow," she said playfully, deciding to skip a bit ahead and distract him. If she changed the subject, neither of them would think about it at the moment and she could be calmer about it all. Picking up some snow, she grinned at Oliver as she tossed it at him. "Can we go skating?" she asked, imagining that it would actually be quite fun once she found her balance. Surely it would make the winter more durable to have something fun to do outside. Regardless of her still being afraid of water, she'd learned that snow and ice could be fun and pretty, and she had no bad memories of either so it should be fine.

Of course she just had to step on a slippery patch and slip, abruptly stopping her from starting to giggle again.

-
Sorry it's so random at places

Oliver couldn’t help the slight disappointment that crossed his face; stuffing his hands into his pockets and allowing his gaze to fall to the ground before pouting some. Could he not even get one clue?
Huffing, he kicked at the snow as he walked, fighting back the urge to ask her again; much like he used to with someone else he once knew. If it hadn’t been for the all too distinctive tingling that shot through his cheek making him jump, he’d have gone on to ask for at least one clue.

He stopped on the spot, eyes blinking at Emily in disbelief before he pulled his hands from his pockets and crossed them over his chest. His raised an eyebrow at the redhead’s words and almost looked to be ready to object when he saw her loose her footing on the ice beneath them.
Before she hit the floor, he had already closed the small gap between them and scooped her up into his arms, cradling her as sorts with amusement wrote across his face.
“I’m obviously not slow enough to stop you from falling.” He mocked, chuckling as he looked down at her. “You need to be more careful. How do you expect me to take you skating if you can’t even stay upright without the blades?”

He laughed again before carefully placing her down on her own two feet; keeping one arm wrapped around her waist should she slip again. There were definetly perks to being a vampire, being able to switch your balance being one thing. Of course if he was to take Emily skating, he’d have to make sure he stayed by her side being the only one able to stay upright and all.

Reaching the main street, his eyes were already wondering around the shop windows, thinking up ideas and making mental notes to check with Dakota later. Sure, buying presents was easy but this year it was different. The present he was going to buy for Emily had to be something meaningful, not just any old random artefacts like soaps and socks. Nothing naff. He also had to get something for his youngest sibling but that was already decided as he headed in the direction of the little pet shop near the ice rink.
“First up… puppies!”

It was for the best that Oliver didn't bug her further for any hints, especially since she certainly wasn't planning on giving him any. No, it would be a surprise, she just needed to get some new clothes first, but she could sneak off for a little while when they were shopping, couldn't she? Her old clothes just weren't suitable enough to give Oliver the right idea about her present for him.

"I did that on purpose," she tried and chuckled some. She couldn't help but lean up and place a kiss on his cheek though, loving the safety Oliver provided for her. She couldn't for the life of her imagine someplace she'd rather be than safe and sound in Oliver's strong arms. Caressing his cheek for a moment, she grinned at him when he carefully placed her on her own feet again, keeping an arm around her for safety.

"Well, I'll have you to make sure I don't fall, now don't I? Besides, the ice wouldn't catch me off guard if I was wearing skates," she was grinning though and happily walking alongside him without slipping any further. Naturally though when Oliver said their first stop was puppies, she lit up and grinned at the vampire. She loved baby animals, they were absolutely adorable.

Since he seemed to have forgotten about her gift for him and nagging her for a clue, she decided to give him one without making it too obvious. "Who's getting a puppy?" she asked excited before she leaned in to whisper so only Oliver could hear her: "I was thinking I want to get some nice new lingerie." With that being said, she skipped into the pet shop and started looking at the puppies for whoever Oliver intended to get one.

Of course, both Oliver and Emily knew that if Emily were to fall anywhere whilst he was around, he’d stop her before she hit the floor. He always did, he hopefully mentally as well physically.
He grinned at her words though said nothing to make her wonder if he actually would or not. If for any chance she did question this, he would have been slightly put out after catching her all those times before in training and what not.

She didn’t say anything else on the matter though and soon they were on their way to the pet store, a slight skip in Oliver steps as he neared the little shop. He hadn’t yet told her of his plans to get Dakota a puppy. The kid had done so well since leaving the comfort of his family home. Oliver felt bad that he couldn’t always be there for him now but knew his brother had to grow up someday. Dakota hadn’t even seemed that bothered about moving out and starting his new life as a student which had made Oliver feel a little dejected at first but soon he realised that it was just something everyone eventually grew up to do. He’d had to do it but for all the wrong reasons that eventually had actually led to something wonderful.

He grinned again at Emily’s question, opening his mouth to finally tell her. It wasn’t like Dakota could have a puppy in his dorm, no matter how much he wanted too, but the animal could stay with Emily and himself whist Dakota was away, couldn’t they? Or maybe that was too much too soon? He didn’t know but he liked the idea of having something that reminded him of his youngest sibling around. Plus Dakota had been asking for one for the past few years and Oliver felt he had made him wait long enough.

Before he got the chance to explain his idea to the bouncy redhead though, his breath was caught by the words she whispered in his ear. His eyes flew open and he almost looked to splutter for a moment though he had no reason too. They were both adults weren’t they? Nothing they hadn’t seen or done before? Or at least he knew he had. He still couldn’t stop himself from coming to a complete stand still in the middle of the street and causing a chain reaction behind him.

People pushed past muttering under their breathes, clearly unhappy they were feeling like they’d just walked in to a brick wall. Oliver stood there, wide eyed and watching as the girl he had fallen for skipped in to the shop, speechless and almost in a state of shock.
Once he’d collected his thought back together and got rid of the ones that had crept in at the mention of lingerie, he made a quick apology to those he’d caused an obstruction for (though they were already half way down the street by this point) and quickly made after the redhead into the little pet shop.

He found her between the aisles and hesitantly walked up behind her. He was still speechless as his eyes darted between the different, smaller animals and Emily and couldn’t for the life of him think of what should be said. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer until he had her in a tight hug in the middle of the shop floor. When he let her go again, he couldn’t stop grinning like a fool, clearly happy by the present he was going to be getting that Christmas. Trying to hide his excitement, he spun around and started looking for an ideal puppy to move in of course, he could have said many things but couldn’t bring himself to do so. The way he was acting, humming and almost skipping around the place was enough to show he approved of her idea.

Before long, he had stopped in front of a cage with a small, lone mongrel running around in circles inside it. He gestured for Amanda to join him before he started to read the description. It was a she; she was 2 years old and had been placed here due to her previous owners not having enough time for her.
Harsh.

“So, what do you think?” he asked, moving his eyes away from the puppy that was now jumping up at the cage bars to gaze at Emily, the pink tone in his cheeks raising again as a sudden image flashed back in to his head.

There was no doubt anywhere in her mind that for as long as she was with Oliver, he'd never let her get hurt; if he was there to catch her, he would. He'd never given her any reason to doubt him, and she sure hoped he never would. It would most likely break her if he just stood by one day and let her get hurt by someone, especially if he had the ability to stop it from happening. He even saved her from her own carelessness at times like today when the ice caught her off guard.

Emily was worried for a moment when she turned around and Oliver wasn't right behind her. She quickly dismissed it though as she was distracted by the cute puppies and the fact that she couldn't believe she'd actually gone ahead and told him. There was no one else for her though, and he was always so kind to her and patient as well. He sure made her feel special, and she wanted to let him know how special he was to her as well.

The redhead leaned into Oliver's touch and couldn't help but giggle slightly in joy. It was obvious he approved of her idea for a gift with the way he was humming and grinning and she watched him for a moment as he walked around looking at puppies. When he finally stopped in front of a puppy and asked her what she thought about it, Emily walked over and kissed Oliver on the cheek. The puppy was so adorable jumping up and down like that, she couldn't help but smile. "She's adorable," she grinned at her vampire. She couldn't resist wrapping her arms around Oliver and hug him. She hoped she'd never get tired of holding him close, she surely hadn't gotten used to it yet. He still made her weak in the knees whenever he was close to her. "You know, you never did answer my question," she giggled slightly, keeping her arm comfortably around his waist to keep him close.