It was late by the time the party ended and  Lennon was down in the basement. The buzz from the champagne had worn off, and she was left with heavy limbs and a throbbing head. She cradled her head, trying to combat the throbbing with pressure. She heard footsteps and looked up to see Kade coming down the stairs.

"I thought you could use these," he said flatly.

He placed a bag of rolls, a bottle of water, a spoon and a bottle of olive oil on the coffee table; before sitting down on the couch.

"What's the olive oil for?" she asked.

She wished he hadn't come looking for her. They had managed to get through the rest of the party in peace. She had excused herself from the room once they had said goodnight to Julie and her dad. She had planned on spending another night down in the basement. Alone.

"It helps prevent a hangover," he said.

She gave him a questioning frown.

"A trick I learned in my party days."

"I'm not drunk," she said. "I'm not even tipsy anymore."

"It will help regardless. I don't think you want to spend Christmas morning nursing a hangover."

He unscrewed the lid and grabbed the spoon. Lennon took the spoon and bottle, quickly pouring the sickly green liquid and swallowing. The taste was awful as slimy texture went down her throat. She reached for the bottle of water to find Kade offering it to her. She drank half of it.

"Thanks," she said quietly.

She sat back on the couch and looked anywhere but at him. A heavy silence fell between them.

"So, wanna tell me what's going on?" he asked.

"It's just been a long week," she said.

He didn't say anything. His expression was impassive but his eyes were angry.

"What do you want, Kade?" she burst out.

His quiet stare grated on her nerves.

"I want the truth," he said, matching her tone. "Why are you shutting me out?"

"I'm not -"

"Don't," he said. "We both know that's a lie."

She looked at him, exasperated.

"You can't shut me out. Not now," he said.

"You shut me out!" she argued.

She sounded childish but she didn't want to talk Kade. Not now.

"And look where that got us," he said. "I screwed up and we're still trying to get back to where we were. We set up guidelines. You initiated them so something like this didn't have to happen again. Partners, remember?"

His words came out fast and frustrated. Lennon felt a weight land in her chest and a feeling of defeat washed over her. She looked down at her clasped hands.

"Lennon, I don't have a clue what is going on," he said softer. "From the moment we arrived, I've felt lost. You're acting weird and won't talk to me. I spent the whole party surrounded by a million girls while I watched you flirt with another guy. I think it's clear I've missed something."

Lennon could hear the exasperation in his voice. Hearing his point of view, made all her excuses fall to pieces.

"I told you I would follow your lead, but you've been a crappy leader. Here's the thing," he said, his eyes determinedly holding hers. "We figure this out now or we pack up and go home. This isn't going to work when we get to my house."

He leaned back against the couch, crossed his arms and set his mouth in a stubborn line. His argument done.

Guilt flooded Lennon as she remembered how supportive Kade had been on their visit to his family. In comparison, she had shut him out and left him to fend for himself.

"You're right," she said. "I've been shutting you out."

Kade's whole posture relaxed.

"You were amazing when we were with your family and I've failed. I just didn't think it was going to be so hard being here with you," she explained. "I'm sorry."

"It's ok," he said, his annoyance melting away. "I've screwed up enough to know it doesn't take a lot to do it. I'm worried about you."

His last words held a weight Lennon hadn't been expecting. She looked at him and could see the concern in his eyes.

"The last thing I wanted to do was ruin your Christmas," he said. "Tell me what I can do to fix it."

Lennon sat up straight in surprise.

"None of this is your fault," she blurted out.

He seemed hesitant to believe her.

"Kade, my family situation was screwed up long time before you came long."

"Are you sure the added stress of me being here isn't effecting - "

Lennon held up her hand, stopping him.

"It's always like this," she said. "I told you in the beginning not to take it personally."

"But...It's always like this?" he asked.

"It wasn't like this with my mom. But with Julie its just different."

He gave her a sympathetic look.

"It's ok Kade. I've been fine with it for years. It's just having you here brought it into a clearer light. I wasn't prepared for that."

"How so?" he asked.

"Having you here made it easy to see how broken my family is compared to yours."

He let out a surprised laugh.

"You're getting all of this because you think my family is perfectly happy?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yeah?" she said.

"Lennon," he said, "there was a year I didn't talk to my family. At all. I wasn't invited to Christmas. Even when I was let back, it was stiff. No one knew how to talk to me. My family has their issues, just like everyone else. Don't think less of your own family when comparing it to mine."

"But I don't..." She started to say but stopped. Her mind flashed to the strained look on Kade's dad's face when he had briefly mentioned how hard it had been to watch Kade make bad decisions, and how they had tried everything to help him.

"Every family has their issues. Some of them are just easier to see then others," Kade said.

It suddenly felt like something heavy had landed between them. How did someone like Kade end up the way he had? Partying, drinking and sleeping around? Especially when he had the family he had.

"What happened?" she asked, quietly.

He was silent for a moment, his eyes searched her. She waited patiently while he debated whether or not to tell her.

"Where to start?" he finally said.

He adjusted his position a few times, his face pensive.

"It was after our second album came out," he said. "Everything exploded. The crowds tripled. Every big tv host wanted to interview us. The label talked about a stadium tour."

He paused, caught up in his own thoughts.

"It all just feels like a blur. We got shuffled from one event to the next. The girls were aggressive in trying to meet us. If they met us, they were very forward about what they offered."

Regret skipped across his face quickly, leaving a deep frown in its wake.

"It was exhilarating and overwhelming. Everywhere we went, everyone wanted a piece of us. Suddenly whatever we asked for, we got. Being the lead singer, I received a tidal wave of media attention. When everyone is constantly telling you how amazing you are, it's hard not to let it effect you."

Kade ran his hand through his hair, memories flashing through his eyes.

"A few drinks at parties to loosen up became more. Before I knew it, I was caught up in a life of drinking and parties. The girls were just the next logical step. They would throw themselves at me and I never thought it was because I was famous. Back then I was naive enough to think they wanted a relationship. When I got dumped for the next celebrity, I was heartbroken. The media began to tag me as a player. It was hard to take.

"I threw myself obsessively into the creation of our third album. I thought if I could prove I was a real artist, the media would leave me alone. But nothing changed and our fanbase just grew."

Silence fell. Lennon realized that her whole body was tense as she leaned towards Kade, completely wrapped up in his story.

"I feel so stupid looking back now," he said. "I was so naive about so much. Unable to see how people only wanted to be my friend to promote themselves. Then I met Sawyer Danes at a party in Vegas and it all went down hill from there."

The name pricked recognition in Lennon and her mind pulled up the lazy smirk and domineering eyes of the man she had met while in Vegas with Kade.

"Sawyer introduced me to crazier parties. Then I found myself waking up with a strange girl in my bed, with no memories from the night before. Stories reached my family. I got worried calls.  But I convinced them I was fine. They believed me because I believed myself. I didn't see any problem. I thought I was entitled to some fun. I thought it was harmless."

He paused and his face went stony. A long silence extended between them. He finally cleared his throat and when he began to talk again, his voice took on a removed quality.

"The tipping point was when I got caught sleeping with a married woman. I've never heard my mother sound so angry. She had every right to be. She hadn't raised a son who would do something like that. The guilt was overpowering and I didn't know how to fix it so I dug a deeper hole, trying to drown my guilt by drinking. My parents and Robbie tried to reach out but I didn't know how to stop the train wreck.

"They tried tough love but it didn't work. I isolated myself from everyone in my life who didn't go along with my self-destruction, my family, Will, Noah. I sought out people who would say yes to whatever I wanted. At my worst, I almost ruined everything I had worked hard for with the band and my relationships with my family."

Kade ran his hand through his hair, pulling at the tips and making them stand up. Lennon suddenly felt guilty for asking him to relive it. She had wanted to know, but she hadn't thought it would be so hard to see him so upset. She reached out and took his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. He wrapped his hand tighter around her's and continued.

"In the end, Will and Noah saved me. Together, with Matt, they told me I had to get my life in order or else I was out of the band. Which meant the band was done. I broke and everything changed. We all agreed I needed some time out of the spotlight. A chance for all my indiscretions to fade.

"Fixing things with my family was a lot harder. It was humbling to go to them and apologize for everything I had done. They are better then I deserve. They forgave me but it took a while to get to where we are now. I broke a lot of trust."

He let out a deep breath and his rigid posture slumped, like he had made it through the worst.

"I'm lucky to have gotten a second chance with the band. When I finally stepped back into the spotlight, it included a lot of apologies and answering a lot of uncomfortable questions. Somehow people found a way to forgive me and our fans managed to stick around through it all."

Kade gave Lennon's hand an appreciative squeeze then dropped it.

"And that's why your are stuck being my girlfriend," he said, putting on an lighter tone. "Or at least until May."

"Thank god it's almost done!" Lennon said. "Having a boyfriend is really hindering my flirting game."

"Still sad about Jason?" he asked.

She laughed. It felt nice to slip back into their normal banter.

"Thanks for telling me," she said.

He gave her a small nod. She stood, her hunger suddenly overwhelming.

"Let's get food," she said, heading for the stairs. He jumped up and quickly followed her, eager to move on.

****

As they returned to the basement with food, they kept the conversation away from anymore heavy topics. Lennon was rolling with laughter as Kade told her a story about a sleepover with Robbie, and their cousins when they were kids. It had involved some childish dares and tears from Robbie. She stopped short when she realized Kade was no longer laughing along with her. She sat up to find him looking at her, a funny look in his eyes.

"What?" she asked.

"I'll be right back," he said, standing and walking to the stairs.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

He only gave her a mischievous look and then disappeared upstairs. A few moments later, he came back down carrying a black guitar case.

"Feel the sudden need to write a song about Robbie's scarred childhood?" she asked. 

"No, this is for you."

He placed the guitar case on the coffee table. Lennon gave him a confused look.

"It's your Christmas present. I thought I would give it to you a little early," he said.

"I wasn't expecting this" she said.

"It's just a little something, to say thank you for the last eight months."

There was excitement in his eyes betrayed his calm demeanor.

"Should I open it?" she asked.

He gave her a playful smile.

"That's usually what one does with a gift," he said.

Lennon smiled and lifted the lid. The guitar inside was beautiful. A deep cheery wood with ivory details. The wood was faded in places, worn down by use.

"Take it out," Kade said, his eyes intently on her.

She reached for it hesitantly, bracing herself. Kade clearly expected a certain reaction and she didn't want to disappoint him. She lifted the guitar from the case and gave it strum.

"It has a good tone," she said.

Kade laughed. He reached into the case and pulled out a white envelope, handing it to her. Her name was written on the front in a narrow, slanted handwriting. She pulled out a single sheet of paper and read:

"Lennon,
This guitar has been one of my dearest companions, traveling with me all over the world when we toured and keeping me company on sleepless nights. I've written a countless amount of songs on it, some of which made it on to our albums. But it is one of many guitars I own and very often it gets overlooked. When I got a chance to pass it along to another artist who could give it the love it deserves, I knew it was the right thing to do. Especially since it is going to someone as talented as yourself. I hope you get out of this guitar as much as I did and more. Best of luck!
Merry Christmas!
Wes Keats."

Lennon reached the bottom of the page and her heart began to race. She looked up and found the biggest grin on Kade's face.

"It can't be!" she said. "I don't even..."

Lennon gave words a few attempts but nothing came out. She looked at Kade, trying to convey all that she was feeling into a look. He smiled like he understood. She placed the guitar back into the case.

"I don't know how to thank you!" she said.

She reached over, wrapping her arms around his neck. He slid his arms around her, pulling her even closer. When Lennon pulled away her eyes went back to the guitar.

She found her voice again as she propped the guitar on her leg and her excited questions poured out, too quick for Kade to answer. She wanted to know why?

"I wanted to say thank you for how amazing you have been these last eight months," Kade said. "I know I didn't make it easy in the beginning. I'm sure there are times that I frustrate you. I wanted to find a way to show you how much I appreciate your help. For the first time in a long time, I feel like I'm finally completely who I want to be and you helped get me there."

His explanation and kind words felt almost as overwhelming as the guitar had been.

"I can't even begin to thank you!" she said. "No only for this guitar but all you've given me in return. It's not just the publicity. You've helped me stand up for myself against the label. You've shown me how to deal with all the attention with poise. I wouldn't have the career right now if it wasn't for you."

"Yes, you would," he said.

"I'm trying to thank you, stop ruining it" she said.

He chuckled and accepted her thanks.

**********************************************************************

Well hello there, fancy meeting you here!

People I have a very serious topic that I want to talk to you about. I understand if some of you don't want to get involved, it's a topic that often leads to heated conversations and the occasional black eye, so I understand if you remain silent. But I have to ask, dogs or cats? ;)

Vote, comment, follow, go pet the fuzzy animal of your choice!