Emmett felt like a stud as he drove around in his shiny new BMW, the one with the smooth curves and the deep green paint job and the dark leather upholstery. This was a nice car.

As her parents had brought in a sumptuous brunch for their Last Day Here, the 26th, Elle had covertly slipped Emmett her credit card with a whispered list of what to buy for whom.

He had done his shopping (a tie for Mr. Woods, spring green, as Elle had requested, a gift card to a dress store for her mother, incredibly expensive chocolates for his mother, and a Victoria's Secret gift card for Paulette).

Elle had instructed him to 'buy something nice for yourself.' Emmett had picked out a pink tie, knowing that Elle would love it, even if the entire law office would snicker. He knew Elle had probably intended him to spend more than $15, but Emmett honestly didn't care.

He made his way back to the hospital, though his eyes halted at a rather fancy jewelry store. They had huge signs advertising a huge sale, and Emmett realized suddenly that he hadn't gotten Elle anything for Christmas.

Walking inside, quietly wondering what he could be thinking, Emmett shrunk back as a sharp-looking saleswoman approached.

"Can I help you find anything?" she asked, her tone much kinder than Emmett had first assumed.

"…to be honest, I've never shopped for jewelry before…" Emmett mumbled.

"Oh? Well, she must be really special if you're making an after-Christmas foray into it for her…" the saleslady winked knowingly. "What are you looking for, a ring?"

"N-no!" Emmett yelped. Between his mother and this woman, he doubted his quickly-beating heart could stand much more of this abuse.

"Ohhh, this is a first-year gift?" the lady peered up at him. "Well, we have a very nice selection of necklaces over here…"

Emmett and the saleswoman pored over necklace after necklace, finally agreeing on one that wasn't too flashy, too big, too small, too fancy, too simple, too silver, too gold (Shopping for jewelry is hard, he decided harriedly)

The saleswoman had identified it as a white-gold chain with a small, beautifully cut emerald dangling demurely from it. The gem had three, rounded sides, and it caught the light magnificently.

Emmett shelled over his own credit card, closing his eyes, a little nervous to hear the damage on his bank account.

"Your total comes to $74.45," the saleswoman told him. Emmett's eyes shot open.

"That's all?" he gaped.

"You were wise to shop on a sale-day!" the woman grinned. To save the boy's pride, she decided not to mention that she had punched in the code for her employee discount, which managed to take the price under a hundred dollars.

"Well, thank you very much!" Emmett grinned.

As he slid into his shiny car, Emmett smiled happily. He felt, for the first time in his life…successful. He was driving a nice car. He was going to bring a fancy Christmas present to a lovely young woman. This was the life he'd dreamed of when he had fought for his scholarships and worked his night jobs.

This, Emmett decided fervently, was everything he'd ever wanted and more.

The snow continued to fall gently as Emmett pulled into the hospital parking lot, and he floated, rather than walked, to Elle's room. As he stood outside the door, he quickly put on the pale-pink tie that Elle had unknowingly bought him for Christmas. Tucking in his white button-down shirt and brushing the snow from his hair, he held his breath as he opened the door.

"Oh, Emmett, I'm so happy we could say good-bye to you!" Mrs. Woods quickly pulled him into a tight hug, kissing him on both cheeks. She released him and gave him a final appraising look before smiling up at him sincerely.

"It was nice to meet you," Mr. Woods shook Emmett's hand kindly, his smile warm.

"Thank you," Emmett paused. "Do you need a ride to the airport?"

"Oh, heavens no, dear!" Mrs. Woods laughed. "You've been out shopping for us all day. Thank you so much for everything you've done for Ellie, and us."

"We have a plane to catch," Mr. Woods interjected. Emmett watched happily as the two parents kissed their daughter good-bye, before leaving the room. He watched out the window as a long, white limo pulled up to the doors and picked the couple up.

"Thank-you for doing my Christmas shopping for me! Warner never liked shopping, but you really took it like a man," Elle smiled happily up at him

"Are you kidding? I love shopping when stuff's on sale," Emmett kissed her forehead lightly as he sat next to her.

"Ohmigod, I love you," Elle moaned ecstatically, causing Emmett to flush a dark red. Elle's fingers slipped around his tie, pulling him in to kiss him deeply before she released him.

"Nice tie," she giggled, playing with the pink silk.

"You gave it to me for Christmas," Emmett smirked at her, placing his hands over hers.

"Oh, well I have very nice taste, don't I?" Elle laughed.

"You've got good taste in men, too," Emmett ventured humorously.

"Oh, shut up!" Elle poked him in the shoulder, though her laughter increased in volume. Emmett laughed too.

"And I got you a Christmas present too," he said after the joyous noise had died down.

"You spent your entire winter break tutoring me and taking care of me. You carried me to the hospital and didn't leave my side until you were sure I was okay. And now you got me a Christmas gift?" Elle cocked an eyebrow at him. Emmett felt a bundle of nerves clench in his stomach. "I really do have great taste in men!" Elle giggled.

The moment became slightly more serious, though it was still joyful, as her silent, slender fingers carefully undid the ribbon on the long, thin box. Untaping the pretty gold foil, she opened the box.

"Oh, Emmett…" her blue eyes lit up as they trained upon the necklace. "This is… this is wonderful…"

"I'm glad you like it," Emmett's face broke into a shy, tentative grin.

"Would you put it on for me?" Elle asked. Emmett nodded, swallowing his nerves. His fingers fumbled with the clasp as he carefully slipped the slender chain around her neck. The pale gold shone magnificently, even under the fluorescent reading lamp. The little emerald nestled into the hollow of her neck, resting on the white bandage where the breathing tube had been inserted.

"It's beautiful," Elle smiled, touching the gemstone tentatively.

"I don't want to sound too cliché," Emmett told her, leaning forward as he cupped her head in one hand to kiss her softly on the cheek, "but so are you."

-

O_O you guys probably all have cavities now.

: -) my tendency towards enormous amounts of fluff aside, I hope you liked that and I hope it wasn't too sappy!

I'll be completely away from my computer for the coming week, but, no worries, I'll pick up exactly where we left off as soon as I return.

(and we poor people know that, during a recession, there is nothing quite as orgasmic as shopping on a big sale, even for men!)