A dingy street in Amsterdam.

"This was it. You're out of there now, would you be okay just staying around here for now?"

"Um, no. I don't have any money or anything, should I just sit on a park bench? Or do I have to stay with Chuck?"

"I guess so. I'm really sorry to just bolt like this!"

"No, you here for me, didn't you? Just make sure you come back!" Serenity said, laughing. Then she hugged Liv. "Happy apparating."

"Okay, I love you, be careful, blah blah blah, bye." Olivia apparated away.

Charlie yawned. It was way too early to be outside, let alone even awake. "What now, then?"

"Well, I'm hungry, so I think you should buy me some food." Serenity said, crossing her arms. "I don't have any money, you see."

"What do you want?"

"Do you have any fast food around here? I like fries."

"Yeah, of course." He fished through his pockets for a few seconds before remembering he left his wallet at home. "Uh, we'll have to make a stop first."

"Okay, no problem! Lead the way." Serenity said seriously, brushing some dust off her suit. She hadn't changed since she had gotten here.

Serenity appeared back at Charlie's door, at Christmastime. "She forgot about me.." She kept mumbling, knocking again.

No response. Charlie was out at a Christmas party with a co-worker. Sucks.

Serenity's shoulders slumped. She had been hoping to spend Christmas with somebody she knew. So, she walked around in the snow, looking around in the shop displays.

"God rest ye merry gentlemen, let nothing you dismay.." Serenity was singing, walking up and down the street.

Luckily or not, Charlie had gotten bored with the party. It was always the same: have a few drinks, bag on their boss, watch some striptease done by some unattractive girl with bedroom eyes and inhumanly plump lips, have a few more drinks, go home completely hammered. He'd 'gone out for some air' around the third drink, and decided against going back. He was wandering around town, admiring the lights and decorations, listening to the steady tap, tap, tapping of his footsteps against the concrete. And who happened to pass by on the opposite side of the road?

Serenity turned, and saw Charlie. She smiled and walked over to him.
"Hi, Chuck! Happy Christmas. What're you doing out? I checked to see if you were home, and you weren't. How are you doing? Um.. Happy Christmas!" She had been let off work for the night, so she had nothing better to do except talk to him.

Charlie looked down at her for only a moment, his eyes looking somewhat wistful, before returning to the streetlights. "Evening," he grumbled.

"Don't look so grumpy! It's Christmas. You should be happy." She linked arms with him, smiling. "There are tons of little children about to have their dreams come true tomorrow morning. Doesn't that make you happy?"

He grimaced, looking off to the side, away from Serenity. "Honestly, no."

"Why do you keep looking away from me? It's rude. Anyways.. Aren't you pleased? Think of the little children running down to the Christmas tree, finding all their heart's desires underneath it. And the parents, who are so happy to see their little children having fun. And everyone is safe and warm inside their houses.. It's just really joyful. And you're ignoring it all."

"How can someone in your position talk about such... happiness?" he asked. "You're miserable, aren't you?"

"Yup. Thinking about killing myself after New Year's, actually. I'm done with this. It's demeaning, it's wrong. Nobody back home cares enough to come see me, nor write.. But Christmas is just happy. It's one day where I'm not having sex, and everyone is calm. There aren't any thoughts of alcohol, or dirty things.. It's just so peaceful."

"N-no, you can't... You can't do that." He stopped walking. "Why can't you just quit?"

"Well, if I apparated, I'd probably end up in the desert. That's how I got here in the first place. I signed the contract, which means I have some sort of obligation to stay here. I don't speak Dutch, so I can't find another job. I can't go back home to Angel and Selia and everyone I care about without feeling humiliated.. And I need money to live. Or else I'll starve, on the streets."

"You can't just kill yourself." His voice was shaking. It was more likely to have been the chill of the cold Christmas Eve night than actual caring, but you never know. "You... you can't!"