Picture Perfect?

DEVLIN'S POV :

"Babe , we don't have to go , you know the guys will understand ." , I say , wrapping my arms around Ashley's waist and resting my cheek against his back .
"Yeah , I know , but I think we should . He'd get ten different kinds of pissed off at me if he knew I was , I dunno .... , wallowing , I guess ." , he replies softly , turning around to face me . "He was really big on the holidays , and it's just going to be so damn weird now , even more than last year ."
"I know , and I wish I could do something to make it better ."
"Oh , you do , love ." , he tells me . "If I didn't have you , I'd probably be spending the entire month as nothing but a drunk , blubbering mess . Having you here is what's keeping me something close to sane ."
It's bad enough to lose someone you love , but when it happens so close to a holiday , or a major event , it changes things forever . No matter what , things will never be quite as good as they were before , there will always be at least a little bit of a shadow over the occasion from then on , because you will always wish that person were with you , and they're not .
"Well then , if you're sure you want to do this , we should probably get going . If we're late , we'll never find a parking spot ." , I say , letting go of him and reaching for my jacket .
He puts on his jacket , and we leave the hotel where we're staying in LA , to head for Jake and Inna's pre -Christmas get together . Everyone will be spending the holidays elsewhere , so they scheduled the party for the 22nd , and everyone will head out for their own things tomorrow .
We manage to negotiate the traffic , and finally get to the house , luckily finding a place to park that isn't five blocks away . Ash helps me take the bags of gifts out of the trunk , and we walk up to the door . Apparently , they saw us coming , because Jake opens the door before we can even attempt to ring the bell .
"Hey , guys , I'm glad you could make it !" , he says , hugging both of us .
"Of course we did , we couldn't miss seeing everybody before they take off for the rest of the year !" , Ash responds , even though his smile is slightly forced .
Jake and I exchange a look , and he mouths ,"Is he OK , really ?" , at me while Ash is hanging up our jackets .
"As well as can be expected ." , I mouth back .
We head into the living room , where everyone else is , and Inna bounces over and hugs us both , then asks what we want to drink . Ash asks for a Jack and Coke , and I tell her I'll just have a Dr . Pepper . He walks over to talk to Jesse and Yanni , and I go with Inna to get our drinks .
"Are you alright , Dev ?" , she inquires . "Are you sure you don't want something else ?"
"Yeah , I'm sure . And before anybody starts getting any notions , NO , we do not have any announcements for y'all .", I say . " I just think I should keep my head together tonight , because I'm sure as hell not going to give him any crap this time if he doesn't ."
Her eyes get big , and she says , "Oh , damn , that's right ! I'm so sorry , Dev , we didn't even think !"
"Don't worry about it , hon , he'll be fine ." , I tell her , giving her a squeeze .
I take Ash his drink , and we make our way around the room , catching up with everyone , even though it's actually only been a week since Ash has seen the other guys . They decided at the beginning of the tour that they would take the week of Thanksgiving off , which we spent with Ashley's family . Then they went back out until three days ago , and they are off until January 3rd . Since all the guys are in relationships now , they decided that they wanted some time off , instead of touring through the holidays as they've always done in the past .
Ash relaxes a bit as the evening goes on , actually managing a couple of genuine laughs , without getting excessively drunk , just a bit tipsy . Everyone exchanges gifts , and talks about what their holiday plans are .
"What about you two , are you going anywhere ?" , Juliet asks .
"No , we're staying put this year ." , Ash replies . "Dev's parents and Tony are coming out this year , and we're doing Christmas at our place ."
"What about the others ?" , Tiff inquires .
"Paul and Darcy are visiting with her family this year , and Holli is off on a trip for her internship , doing some medical work in Haiti ." , I say . "She'll be back just before New Years , and she'll spend a couple of days with us then ."
We spend another couple of hours talking and enjoying the time with each other , but then we tell Inna and Jake that we need to leave , because we're heading back to Vegas in the morning , since my family is arriving tomorrow evening .
We say goodbye , and Merry Christmas to everyone , then I take the keys away from Ash , and drive back to the hotel . We carry everything inside , and he collapses on the bed .
"I'm sorry , darlin' , I'm just fried right now !" , he mumbles into the comforter .
"That's perfectly fine , babe , just sit up long enough to get your shirt off , and you're good ." , I tell him .
He takes off his shirt , and I pull off his boots , socks , and jeans , leaving just his boxers . I then undress and put on a nightshirt , and climb into bed with him . His arms immediately wrap around me , and he lays his head on my chest , as I stroke his hair .
"What time is it , Dev ?" , he asks .
I look at the clock , and say , "It's 1:20 , hon ."
"It's been a whole year , now , or will be in a few hours ." , he mumbles into my chest , and all I can do is hold him as he cries , until he's too exhausted to stay awake any longer , and cry with him , because I can't do anything to make the pain go away .

ASHLEY'S POV :

The sun coming through the gap in the curtains , shining in my eyes , wakes me up , and I immediately close my eyes . It's like someone's drilling into my eyeballs with a fucking Dremel or something . Plus , I'd really rather just bury myself in the covers and hide from the world today , to be honest , but I can't , because the folks will be here in a few hours , and I really should help Dev get things ready .
As I finally force myself to sit up , she comes back into the room , carrying a tray , which she puts down on the nightstand .
"What's that , love ?"
"That's breakfast , we're having it in bed today ." , she says , crawling back in beside me . "I've already fed the dogs and let 'em out for their run , so we can just relax for awhile . How do you feel , babe ?"
"Like somebody's cut my eyes out with a grapefruit spoon ." , I reply .
She hands me a glass of orange juice and a bottle of Excedrin , saying , "I thought that might be the case , so I came prepared . And I know you're gonna say you're not hungry , but you need to eat something . I made you an omelet , and some toast , and I want you to eat at least half of it ."
I really don't feel like it , but I'm not gonna disappoint her when she went to all this effort , so I pick up my fork and start on the omelet . Once I get started , I realize that I'm hungrier than I thought I was , and I manage to eat about three - quarters of the omelet , and a slice of toast .
She's still working on her breakfast , so I just put my arms around her , and rest my head on her shoulder as she eats .
"Thank you , darlin' ." , I whisper in her ear .
"For what , breakfast ?" , she asks .
"Yeah , but mostly just for being here , and putting up with me ."
She sets her plate on the tray and turns toward me . "Ashley , I do NOT put up with you , I love you more than anything on Earth , and I will do anything for you . Don't ever think that's any sort of trouble , or inconvenience , because it isn't . I'm here because I want to be , no matter what's happening , and I know that you'd do the same for me ."
All I can do is pull her closer to me , and wonder what I've ever done to deserve somebody so completely amazing . "Yes , I would , babe , without blinking an eye ." , I say . "I don't know what I ever did to deserve you , but I'm glad I did whatever it was . You are everything I've ever wanted in life , Dev , and I'm just grateful that you're here ."
We just sit with our arms round each other for I don't know how long , and she finally says , "If I could have anything in the world , I would find a way to make things better for you . All I want for Christmas is for you to be happy , but I don't know how to make that happen ."
I can feel myself starting to tear up again as I hear this , and I say . "Devlin Grace Purdy , I'm as happy right now as it's possible for me to be , so don't ever think that you don't have anything to do with that . All I want for Christmas is to be with you , so I've gotten my wish . The only thing I regret right now is that my grandparents never had the chance to meet you , because they would've loved you as much as I do ."
Now she starts crying again , so I let go of her long enough to grab a box of Kleenex , hand her some , and grab a handful for myself . As she wipes her tears away , I wipe my own face , then kiss her forehead , and say , "Besides , Dev , you've given me one of the best gifts I could've asked for , don't you know that ?"
"What's that ?" , she inquires , with a confused expression .
"Another family ." , I reply . " Your family has accepted me like I've always been there , and that means more to me than I can explain . They treat me like I belong , and I really like how that feels ."
"Ash , you ARE family , and besides , there's no way they could help but love you . You're you , and that's enough for anybody . When they get here later , you'll see that ."
I wrap my arms around her again , and we just spend the rest of the day in bed , cuddling and talking , as I tell her stories about things I remember from my childhood , and things I want her to know about my grandparents , until we have to get up and get ready to go pick her folks up from the airport .

A / N :
Sorry if this chapter was a bit of a downer , but things aren't always unicorns and rainbows . I promise the next chapter will have a bit more cheer .

Notes