Vic POV

I mentally slapped myself for not thinking about what to get Carlee for Christmas sooner. Or anyone, for that matter. I did buy my parents some gifts, but that was it. I still needed to find gifts for Tony, Jaime, Mike and Carlee.

Traffic was bad, something I had expected. The mall was completely crowded, another thing I had expected. I stepped inside and walked past a few stores before finding a store that I knew could have the perfect gift for Carlee. I walked inside and strolled around, looking at all the items of the store. There were some things in here that I could get for the guys as well.
And then an idea struck me. Something that could definitely work out. I purchased a few things that the guys would love, and a certain thing for Carlee. I then walked out of the mall and headed back to the place I knew would have the perfect gift for her.

Carlee POV

I made another stop at Walmart to buy some wrapping paper and bags for the gifts I bought. I ended up buying Jaime and Tony gifts, and I had an idea for a gift I thought Mike would love. I smiled at myself at the thought of what I was going to get him. Hopefully Vic wouldn't get mad.

But the question still remained, what else was I going to do for Vic? I sighed, feeling a bit defeated. But then I had an idea.
I went into a local craft store and purchased a few things, went to an old friend's house to get Mike's present, then headed back to my house so I could wrap all the gifts and get started on my idea. It was still pretty early, which was great for me. I definitely would be spending some time on this.

I pulled into my driveway and grabbed all of my bags, heading inside. I put all the clothes and hats/beanies I bought for Vic into different bags, stuffing each one with a bunch of colorful tissue paper. I pulled out the wrapping paper, wrapping each pair of vans in their shoebox individually and every other gift for the rest of the boys. I sighed, hoping Vic would like the material part of his gift.

I went into my storage room and began pulling out art supplies. Things like colored paper, glitter, scissors, glue, tape, markers, colored pencils, paint, all sorts of things. Carrying them into my room, I set them all down and walked over to my dresser, opening up a hidden drawer. Inside were pictures of Vic and I, all sorts of pictures from the first day I met them, to now. We had taken lots of pictures within these few months. I pulled out all the special pictures of Vic and I and brought them over to the rest of my supplies. I grabbed my bag of craft stuff that I had bought earlier and poured it out in front of me, letting my mind take over and my creativity flow out.

--

Vic was gone for a lot of the day, and I ended up finishing up right as he was going home. Everything looked nice, and I got it done pretty quickly. With all the free time I had these past years, I had nothing to do besides art. I learned how to brainstorm ideas and get things done fast. My creativity became one of the very few things I like about myself. It was something that I allowed myself to take pride in.

I finished the last few details, then I wrapped it up. It was a big frame of all of our pictures made into a collage around a big poem in the center. The poem I had written about us and everything I felt for him. There were a few drawings around everything, a few sentences here and there describing the memory behind the picture. It looked really good, and I was definitely satisfied with it. I sighed in relief and stood up, grabbing all the gifts. I walked outside, packed them into my car and pulled out my phone, dialing Vic' number.

"Hey babe." he answered, sounding extremely happy.

"Hey, I'm coming over now okay?"

"Well, okay, but I'm still wrapping some presents so you'll have to stay out in the living room or something.

"Alright." I laughed.

"Also, we're going to my parents' house for Christmas dinner and we'll open presents there, if that's okay with you."

"That sounds perfect." I smiled. His parents were definitely amazing people. I loved being around them, I couldn't wait for tonight.

"Alright, I'll see you here then." he replied.

"Okay. I love you!"

"I love you too." he laughed. I hung up the phone and walked back into my house, realizing I still looked like crap. I shot Vic a text letting him know I was going to take a shower, and then hopped in. I washed my hair and my body, and then shaved. I grabbed my face wash and decided just to wash my face in the shower. I squeezed some of it onto my hand and began to rub it onto my face. My touch made my face feel sore. I ran my hands over the sore spot and pressed into it a bit.

A bruise. Of course. I sighed and finished washing my face, despite the pain it was causing me. I stepped out of the shower and wrapped my towel around me and then walked up to the mirror. I wiped off the steam and examined my face. There was a big black and blue bruise on the side of my face, starting at my temple and going all the way down my jawline. I sighed and pulled out some foundation, trying to cover it up as best as I could. I applied the rest of my makeup and added a little extra to my eyes as an attempt to pull the attention away from my bruise. I dried and straightened my hair, then I got dressed. I pulled on a silk cream tanktop, some ripped black skinnies, combat boots and a crescent necklace. I was walking out of my room and spotted an old beanie, so I slipped that on as well. I grabbed my keys and walked out to my car. I got inside, turned the ignition on and pulled away to go have an amazing Christmas.

--

"Viiiiiic," I called out, pulling all the gifts into his house. I set them all down gently on his couch. The picture I made was framed and was the biggest present of them all. I set my bag down next to the gifts and went to look around for Vic since he wasn't replying to me. I turned the corner into the hallway and was stopped immediately when he jumped out from behind the wall.

"Ah!" I screamed, jumping about 10 feet in the air. Vic bursted out laughing and I started pouting.

"That was great!" he laughed. "You jumped so fucking high!"

"I hate you," I pouted. He ran up and pulled me up over his shoulders.

"Vic put me down!" I laughed.

"Sorry, can't do that. You aren't going anywhere past this point," he laughed, carrying me to the living room. He continued spinning around the living room with me over the shoulder, laughing uncontrollably as I yelled at him.

"Vic! Put me down now!"

"Nope. This is too much fun." he laughed. I stopped fighting and looked down. I smirked a bit to myself and then pinched his butt. He jumped and dropped me, putting his hand to his behind.

"Ow! That hurt!" he said, rubbing his hand around his bottom.

"Good," I laughed. I walked over to him and gave him a quick kiss before sitting down on the couch. He walked over to the couch with all my gifts and began to pick one up.

"Hey! Don't touch those!" I yelled, pulling the gift out of his hand. "No peeksies."

"Peeksies?" he laughed.

"Yes, peeksies." I smiled.

"Oh so I can peek now?" he smirked, picking up another bag. I rolled my eyes playfully and grabbed the bag out of his hands.

"You know what I meant. Now, close your eyes, I have a surprise for you." I smirked. He arched his eyebrows and shot me back a smirk, closing his eyes.

I walked backwards slowly, making sure he kept his eyes closed.

"What is it?" he smiled, still closing his eyes.

"Oh, just wait.. I have to go get it.." I smiled. I turned the corner and ran down the hallway to Vic's room.

"Hey!" I heard him call. "What happened to no peeksies?!" he called from down the hallway. I put my hand on the knob and tried turning, but it was locked. I sighed and turned around to be face to face with Vic.

"Hey...." I smiled, trying not to laugh. He got closer to me, our lips lightly brushing.

"Bad girl." he scolded.

"Sowwy." I smiled. He pushed his lips onto mine and I kissed him back, the kiss soon becoming hungry. I put my hands behind his neck, and he put his up to my jaw. I winced a bit in pain as his fingers brushed over the bruise on my face. He pulled away from the kiss and looked me in the eyes, his full of concern.

"Are you okay?"

I pushed my lips together and bit down on my bottom lip. "Yeah, I'm fine," I smiled. He sighed and pulled me into the bathroom. He grabbed a rag and turned the sink on, making the rag slightly damp. I started to get very nervous as he brought it to my face and started rubbing my foundation away lightly, trying not to hurt me more. His eyebrows furrowed as the foundation came off. His eyes looked sad.

"Did you do this to yourself?" he asked. I sighed and felt a bit hurt that he would think I did it, but then again I didn't really blame him for it either.

"No.." I didn't want to tell him what happened with Ethan.

His face fell a bit and his nostrils began to flare.

"Who did this to you?" he asked with a very stern voice.

"Vic, it doesn't matter, I'm fine. Okay?" I smiled.

"Who. did. this. to. you?" he repeated.

I pushed my lips together and sighed. "Ethan." His face went completely red and a tear began to fall from his eye.

"No, Vic. It's okay. Don't cry." I said. I felt completely terrible, this was the last thing I wanted.

"Please don't cry. It's okay, I'm fine." I said, pulling him into a hug. "Really, Vic I'm perfectly fine now."

He pulled away and stared at me again.

"Where else did he hit you?" he asked.

"Uh.. what?" I asked, trying not to give away that he had hit me more than once. He shook his head and pulled my tank top up to reveal the bruises I had on my stomach. He shook his head and his face went red again.

"I'm going to fucking kill that kid." he said, his eyes growing angry. "I'm so sorry he hurt you." he said, another tear falling from his eye.

"Vic don't, please. I want this to be a happy day. I'm fine, and trust me, he won't be bothering me any time soon." I smiled. He gave me a weird look but nodded.

"God.. it kills me that he hurt you. I'm so sorry I wasn't there." he said, shaking his head.

"Vic don't you dare blame this on yourself. Please. It was no one's fault but his. I'm perfectly fine though, I promise. Please just let this be a good day." I said, flashing him a smile for reassurance. He hesitated for a minute, but then nodded. I was not going to let a piece of shit ruin my Christmas with my boyfriend and his family.

--

"So, Carlee, I heard your parents are alive?!" Vic's mom, Vivian exclaimed while she prepared the food for our Christmas dinner.

"Yep, pretty weird huh?" I laughed.

"A bit, but it's great that they are." she laughed. "I hope to meet them soon." she smiled.

"Ah, I don't know about that. They're pretty.... secretive?"

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well, let's just say we drove for about 2 hours into a forest to find them." I replied. She gave me a funny look and laughed a bit.

"Well either way, it'd be nice to meet them." she smiled.

"Yeah." I said through my teeth. You'll probably never get to meet them... I thought.

Vic walked in the room and took a seat next to me. "Smells good, mama." he smiled. He's such a mama's boy. It's adorable. She took some of what she was cooking and put it on a plate to give to him.

"It tastes even better than it smells." she smirked. Vic took a bite and went wide-eyed.

"Oh my god this is amazing!" he yelled, taking another bite. He picked up a piece with the fork and held it up to my mouth. I smiled and opened my mouth, letting him feed it to me. It is amazing. I had the same expression as I ate it. "Right?" he laughed.

"This is amazing, Vivian. Thanks for having me over." I smiled.

"No problem, I'm glad you're here." she smiled, pulling out another pan to make another course. Vic's phone buzzed and he looked down, shoving another piece of food into his mouth.

"Ah, I gotta go for a little while. I'm gonna help the boys wrap some presents for later tonight." he said with the food in his mouth. I laughed and nodded.

"Have fun," I smiled. He gave me a kiss, which tasted like the chicken Vivian had given us. I licked my lips and he walked out.

"You know, you make Vic very happy." Vivian smiled.

"Aw, well he makes me very happy."

"He talks about you all the time. I call to catch up on things and all he talks about is you. He loves you a lot, you know." she laughed. I smiled really wide and felt my cheeks start to burn. It made me really happy that he talked about me to his family. I never thought I'd be worthy to be talked about.. at least in a nice way.

"That's so cute." I laughed. "I love him a lot, too."

"I'm glad you two find happiness in each other. I've never seen him this happy." she said, mixing together some more ingredients.

All I could do was smile. I never thought I'd be a person to bring happiness to others. I never thought I'd be able to make someone like Vic so happy, it feels amazing. She continued cooking and then looked up at me. She started to squint her eyes a bit and I started feeling a bit insecure, so I turned my face a bit. She gasped and set everything down and walked over to me. I knew what she had seen. Fuck.

"What happened?!" she gasped. Shit, what do you say? You can't tell her about Ethan, hell no. You don't want another person worrying about you. Shit, fuck.

"I ran into someone at the mall, like literally ran into them and fell and hit my face on the tile." I laughed nervously. She gave me a disapproving look and I sighed.

"...Did-did my Vic do this to you?" she asked, voice shaking a bit. I opened my eyes in disbelief.

"No! No, god no!" I knew I had to tell her now or she would believe it was Vic.. "A different guy.. I've had problems with him for awhile now.." was all I could get out before I started crying. Flashbacks came back from when he hit me, when he pulled me into his car and raped me.. when I woke up completely broken and not being able to move.. Tears streamed down my face so fast, I felt like a pipe had broken in my eyes.

"Oh mija, it's okay." she said, pulling me into her arms and shaking us back and forth. "Tell me everything." I sighed and tried sucking it up. That bastard is not going to ruin this day, I won't let him.

"School's just hard, people don't like me, there's no reason why they don't either. A girl that I used to be friends with started some nasty rumors now everyone hates me. He's one of them.. Anyways, he would always call me names.. and then one day.." I stopped, choking on a sob. "He pulled me into his car with a bunch of other people.. and they raped me, I blacked out and woke up in some random spot, my ribs broken and not being able to move.. Vic saved me that day.." I sobbed. My eyes met hers and she looked deeply concerned, very interested in what I was saying. "Anyways.. it's just been getting worse, and today I ran into him at the mall while I was doing some last minute shopping... and he took me outside and hit me, once in the face and the stomach." I sobbed. My breaths were being shortened as I spoke. I swallowed and the tears stopped falling. "This time was different though. I stood up for myself. I pushed him away, and I wasn't myself anymore.. he ran away."

"You weren't yourself anymore?" she asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

"I don't know.. it just happens sometimes. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad." I said, shrugging.

"Well at least when you needed it to be, it was good." she said, like she understood. "I'm glad you stood up for yourself." she smiled, rubbing my back a bit.

"I'm sorry for worrying you, and I'm sorry for breaking down like this in front of you.." I said, looking down at my feet.

"It's okay, mija. We all feel that way sometimes. Go clean yourself up now and I'll finish cooking, okay?" she smiled. I smiled and nodded, getting up from my seat and making my way to the bathroom. I must look like a mess.

And I did. I grabbed a rag and wiped my makeup off, washing it off with water every now and then to keep it clean. So much for trying to take the attention away from my face. I sighed and finished wiping off my face. I brought the rag to the laundry room and set it down in the basket. I turned around and was stopped in my tracks.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

Notes

Carlee's outfit: http://www.polyvore.com/ye/set?id=91097416

GUYS, I NEED TO MAKE SOME MONEY. BUT IM ONLY 15 SO I CANT GET A JOB OR ANYTHING. BUT I NEED MONEY ASAP. MY MOM DOESNT HAVE FRIENDS SO PEOPLE DON'T ASK ME TO BABYSIT. AND MY MOM DOESN'T GIVE ME MONEY FOR DOING CHORES, SHE JUST TELLS ME I SHOULD DO THEM ANYWAY. I ONLY NEED 50 AND IM LIKE 98% SURE MY MOM WILL GIVE ME LIKE 30, BUT I STILL NEED THAT 20 OR MORE. SO ANY WAYS YOU GUYS CAN THINK OF THAT I CAN MAKE MONEY? I LIVE IN A PRETTY SMALL TOWN, SO GIVE ME IDEAS. PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE.

and also, I hope you liked this update. hahaha. it's pretty long.. or at least it feels like it while i type it xD

i decided to make it into 3 parts. i hope you guys don't hate me hehe

i love you all thank you for waiting for this update :)

what do you guys think she saw? predictions? :)