This plot was the most difficult one yet. After much deliberation and thought, I have decided to end this with one of the first guardians. I really couldn't find plots for any of the other characters. I'm sorry to anyone that I've disappointed. So, here's the final chapter of 'Tis the Season and it's the longest one yet. It's late and I apologise profusely to anyone who has been waiting, but I thank you so much for your support, silent readers, reviewers and all. Hope you like it. Let me know? Many thanks!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own KHR nor do I claim any rights to it or any of the characters in this fan fiction story except the one OC. I am only responsible for the plot and nothing else. The events here do not refer to any people living or dead.

Business was slow today. You sighed for the billionth time and absently twirled the wax candle between your fingers. Nothing particularly interesting happened in this boring town. It had been very interesting those first days, of course. Your mother and father had sent you here to live with your bog brother in the town, but really, there was nothing for you to do at home.

Besides, there was always the odd crime now and again to keep things at at least a level of interest, but not enough for you. The bank was just across from the shop so you could watch the rich come in and go out and occasionally a middle-class man like the store owner and wonder if you would ever get to be one of those people. Their lives must be grand. You sighed again and lay the candle gently in its case then went to put it back in the back. There were some candles that the owner was trying to create that he'd heard about. The wax was mixed with some fragrances and when burned, they made a room smell wonderful.

You thought that was rather clever, but really, where could candles take you? You only worked here to be able to have some form of independence. Your brother had a family and you didn't want to burden them more than absolutely necessary. You could have done those other jobs that women were so expert at; piano, knitting, cooking, washing... but you were pretty hopeless at all that. You were rather good at this though. The candles, though a bit dull, could come out in any shape or size and sometimes you would be allowed to help in making them. It was worth the extra pay.

The sun was going down, however and you had to get back to the house before it got too dark. The streets weren't very safe at night. You bade farewell to the owner and headed down the street. You made a left then walked a little further down. There was an alley there that was the fastest way to the other side of town. You went through it and took a right then walked straight ahead. You had the directions in your head as clearly as the first day you had received them.

Your sister-in-law had given them to you when you first came and you had never forgotten. You were good at that. Directions had been your forte for as long as you could remember. When you were children you played with your brother and his friends (most of whom were older boys) who would make fun of you. Being a girl, you weren't allowed to be in any of their games and it made you upset. What was so wrong about playing with them? Some of them were your age too!

One day, they had chased you away after going into the forest to hunt something or other. You had made it back home safely but when it got dark and he hadn't come back, your mother began to worry. It wasn't safe in the woods, of course, but the boys were being just that – boys. In the morning, your father let you lead them to where the boys had been.

As it turned out, they all had the sense to stay put although they were all hopelessly lost and were overjoyed to see you. Your smug smile was well worth it. They never teased you again. However, they had all gone to the city to find their fortunes. All of them were married now and taking care of their own families.

You had even met one or two of them, although briefly, but it took you way back. You smiled as you passed the vegetable market then remembered that you had to get some tomatoes and peas for supper that night. Your sister-in-law, Cara couldn't get around much since she was heavily pregnant so cooking would be up to you following her instructions to make supper. The last attempt had been a disaster and you had been loath to cook again.

This time, there was no helping it so you would have to do it. She promised she would be right there to help you if you were that scared. You liked Cara a lot. She was a very nice young woman and she loved your brother with all her heart. Your nephews and niece were very lively and you were always happy to help out with them as well. It was hard work and you wondered how after four children, she could still want more. Cara had smiled when you asked her and said you would understand when you were a mother and added that she wouldn't mind having four more!

You paid for your vegetables and went to get some cabbage. A nice soup would do them a world of good and though you wanted to get something sweet for the children, your purse was stretched enough as is. They would have to understand this time. As you crossed the street, you heard a tussle right behind you and someone slammed into you. You stumbled forward, your groceries spilling all over the ground.

You shut your eyes waiting for the impact. You didn't like falling so much, but the experience was always over quickly. It was what came after that thoroughly embarrassed you. People showed a little too much concern sometimes and it was positively mortifying to know that so many people had see you hit the ground, regardless of whether you tripped over something or were pushed there accidentally.

You peeked at the ground however and saw that it wasn't getting any closer. There was no pain, just a pressure around your waist and a furious breathing behind you. You were being held by a man! You wrested yourself from his hold and took a step back shocked. Your eyes met the most peculiar ones you had ever seen in your life. They were a rather pale red, almost pink!

His hair was a lighter shade of that red and he had a tattoo across the right side of his face. That if anything made him look positively dangerous. He was probably one of those gang members you had heard a lot about. Maybe he was marking you so he could come for you later! You looked away and went to salvage those vegetables you could. You were going to finish that up and then go straight home.

"Are you alright?" he asked reaching for your hand. You turned to face him again and nodded unable to find your voice. He was pretty handsome, you had to admit, but really, who went around just bumping into people randomly like that? That wasn't normal behaviour! He was a ruffian for sure. Behind him, a golden-haired man appeared and smiled at you.

"Um, G, I think you had better let it go. She looks about to bolt," he said with a chuckled and patted the pink-haired man's shoulder. He turned an apologetic smile to you then and took G's hand from yours.

"I'm very sorry about that. Can we get you more vegetables to pay for those we damaged?" he asked. You looked back at the mess of peas and dirtied cabbage. Well, you could use the cabbage still, but the peas were gone. It was either accept the offer or starve the family. Your savings were part of the family's household budget as per your request so you really didn't have any more money. You looked back at the golden-haired man and took a step back.

It was still more sensible to turn and run away from the strange men. They probably didn't even mean to keep their word and you had heard all about the strategies men used these days. The man chuckled again as G brushed some dirt off his shirt.

"We won't hurt you," said G, not meeting your gaze. You gave him a brief glance before settling your gaze on the golden-haired man with the kind smile. He bowed and held out his hand to you. What was this? What were you meant to do? Nobody had ever bowed to you before! In your dreams, maybe, but you were an important person there and nobody had the right to make you do anything. They bowed because they could do nothing else. This here was a real life situation and you were at a complete loss!

"My name is Giotto, signora, and I promise upon my honour to replace your vegetables and get you home safely. Do you trust me?" he asked. G stood beside him with his hands shoved in his pockets. You looked from one to the other and decided that you should get the vegetables. You nodded and straightened up a bit.

"But I'll only get what I had before and no more, then you must let me go home on my own," you said. Giotto stood with a beaming smile and stretched his hand before him letting you go first. You went ahead to another vegetable stall and picked out some more peas and tomatoes. Some of them had been trod on and were obviously useless. Behind you, a conversation was going on and although they tried to keep it quiet, you heard pretty much all of it.

"She's very pretty, isn't she?" said Giotto. At this, his companion grunted and muttered something you couldn't quite get.

"Oh come on G, isn't she much prettier than that Isabella girl you were after last month. Really, what were you thinking going for her? Not that it's not possible, but really..." You heard an oof and another muttered grumble followed by a more audible answer.

"If you're done criticising my taste in women, I would like to get back to the house. Get the woman her vegetables so we can get back to our original plan please," he said and Giotto chuckled then. You picked out a good number of tomatoes for supper and some more peas then turned to smile at Giotto. He pulled out his purse and handed the shopkeeper some coins then turned to you.

"I've paid for everything so you can go back home now. I'm very sorry for the bother signora... um... I didn't get your name," he said.

"(Name)," you said with another smile, "now, please excuse me, it's getting late and the children will get very upset." Decidedly that was not the best selection of words to get out of that tangle, but it worked. Both men wore surprised expressions on their faces though for G it was brief and, although you were sure you imagined it, slightly more pained. You shrugged. You would probably never see them again. They didn't even look like they belonged to this side of town.

You turned and walked back to the house and didn't look back. There was no need. You had had enough of an adventure for one day. Supper was a success, much to your surprise. Cara and your brother were proud of this achievement. That night, as you lay in your bed, you dreamed of a pink-haired, red-eyed handsome man coming to your rescue...

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

"This is becoming a bad habit of yours you know," you said turning to look at G with your hands on your hips. He said nothing, merely smiled and leaned against the alley wall.

"I can't help it. I was sent to watch over you for a while," he said nonchalantly. You shrugged and walked on with him not far behind. You had noticed him following you every day for two weeks now and at first you were scared, then relieved. He always left as soon as you got to your front door. Then you were flattered and began another fantasy where maybe he had fallen in love with you at first sight and couldn't get you out of his head. The answer he had given you just now wasn't what you expected.

It wasn't like you particularly wanted him to like you. You didn't get much male attention so really, you wouldn't know what to do about it if he did like you in that way. There was no relief at finding out that you were a job however. You felt sad and a little dejected if anything. And why shouldn't he like you? Was he saying that you were ugly? Was that it? You fisted your hands and took a deep breath. Now you were just being paranoid. You didn't need him to like you. There were more important things to think about.

"Tell Giotto I said hello," you said and turned away from your usual path to get some carrots and a bit of cheese. You really should talk to your brother about getting a small vegetable garden. You could help tend it over the weekends and Cara could make a little money selling the produce.

"What's wrong?" asked G from right behind you. You jumped and turned to look right at him. Damn him and all his handsomeness. You turned back to your vegetables and absently began inspecting carrots and a few lemons.

"Nothing, I just need to buy some more things then head home. Is there something I can help you with?" you asked. He smirked and watched you not replying. He crossed his arms and stood there until you went back out. You went all the way to your door and he, as usual, left you to go ahead, made sure you were inside, then left. You sighed and leaned against the door. What was wrong with you? He was just a random stranger; a handsome random stranger who felt the need to look after you... No, he was asked to watch you, hadn't he said that? That meant that Giotto was his superior or something, right? You didn't understand some of these relationships, and you didn't really want to bother.

"Are you alright (Name)? He's gone now," said Cara from her seat in the living room. Yo hadn't even seen her there. You nearly jumped out of your skin before blushing when her implication finally hit you.

"Who... I don't know what you mean," you said heading straight for the kitchen.

"(Name), I'm not blind to some of these things. He is rather handsome, no?" she said with a giggle. You blushed deeper mortified. She had seen him? Bad and getting worse.

"You know, I think I know him. He's rather well known around here if I'm not wrong. Gabriella from next door says he lives with his friends, the blonde one and they go around helping others. It's very nice of them no?" she said picking out the carrots and rinsing them in some water you had fetched earlier.

"I... I guess so," you said.

"You know, for what it's worth, I think you should go after him. He looks scary but he's not a bad sort," she said sitting down when you shooed her from the stove. That was your job now and you would get it done.

"He doesn't like me like that," you said grabbing a knife and slicing the carrots with amazing precision. Anger did something interesting to your reflexes. Was it anger really, or something else? You stopped for a moment, took a deep breath and put the carrots in the boiling pot of water.

"How do you know, did he tell you that?" she asked. You stopped again in the process of cutting the rest of the cabbage from the day before. He actually hadn't.

"I didn't think so. If you sit back and let life happen to you, what will happen to you when something this good comes along? Go after it (Name), there's only so many chances you get every lifetime," she said patting her belly meaningfully. According to your mother, Cara had come from a pretty well-to-do family and had thrown away what inheritance she would have gotten to marry your brother. She was happy as far as you could tell and always had a smile on her face. Maybe you should take the chance you thought smiling properly.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Christmas was the busiest time of the year for the candle-shop. You had plenty to do and that meant more business so you could afford Christmas gifts for everyone that year. You had even managed to get one each for Giotto and G. It didn't make sense to give only one of them a gift. It would be odd and would probably give the wrong impression.

Of course you had to budget for sweets and the like for the children. They would be disappointed if you didn't get them anything. It was your own fault for deciding that you would spoil them rotten, being their only aunt.

As usual, G came to escort you home. It had been another four days since the conversation with Cara and you had decided you would tell him how you felt that day. It was almost Christmas, the time when miracles happened, right? You had heard enough stories and although they weren't very real and were mostly meant for children, you couldn't help it! It was the only time of year you could really believe in something special happening!

You turned into the alleyway and stopped. He stopped beside you and gave you a curious look. You handed him one of the gifts you had been carrying along. You wanted to give him his first and gauge his reaction before handing him Giotto's. If he played it cool or looked like he didn't appreciate it, you could save face by giving Giotto's as well. If he gave you a positive reaction, you would look extra good in his eyes if you had one for his friend as well. It was a wonderful plan, but you pulled out Giotto's first.

"What's this?" he asked taking the carefully wrapped package from you.

"Well, that's... that's for Giotto," you said and blushed. He looked at you and you were sure for a moment there was something else in his eyes. Hurt? Pain? There was another emotion there that died a bit as you blushed deeper. He shoved the package into his pocket and looked at you. The emotion had passed and the look in his eyes now reflected impatience. This wasn't going well at all.

"I got one for you too," you said pulling it out hastily. You handed it to him, your face flushing a third shade of crimson. His eyes softened and he took a step towards you. It was surprising to say the least. He put a hand on the back of your head then kissed your forehead. You blinked not daring to move in case this was another one of your stupid day dreams.

"Thank you (Name)," he said gently.

He looked down met your wide-eyed gaze then smirked, rubbed your cheek and bent to brush his lips against yours. You shivered as he pulled away and your eyes fluttered shut. He smiled and took your hand. You opened your eyes to see him smile at you.

"Come on, you're going to be late," he said and led you out into the street. No, this wasn't a dream, for sure. You reached up for your lips and smiled. You were glad it wasn't a dream. That would have been crushing. You looked up and gave thanks to whatever angel had been looking out for you. Christmas truly did have a certain kind of magic and you would kill anyone who disagreed!