Winter was always the hardest time of year for Ghost. The cold brought an almost unbearable ache into his strained and abused joints, old injuries from torture and accidents in the field remind him of the torment his body has been through. Not to mention what happened all those years ago on Christmas—the day Ghost lost his family.

It's no surprise that consequentially, Ghost closes himself off around the holiday season. The only person Ghost really tolerated was you, his beloved partner. It pained you to see Ghost going through such a hard time, and you tried your best to be there for him—but so used to handling things on his own, Ghost insisted he was fine and pushed you away.

It's not like he didn't want to open up and accept help from you, it was just hard. All his life, he'd been used to dealing with his problems on his own—and even throughout your relationship he handled most of his problems alone.

You had decided Ghost needs a break from work—bribed Price with some expensive fancy cigars and turned in a favor from Soap, securing 2 weeks leave during the end of December for the both of you at Soaps cozy cabin in the Scottish highlands. It was a beautiful area, surrounded by rolling hills, and just a short walk from the Sea. Sure, it would be cold, but all you needed was each other to keep warm.

Initially, Ghost was hesitant to leave base—always paranoid and alert when in public, but he could never say no to you. The ride from the train station was silent, save for the directions from the GPS and your soft humming in sync with the quiet radio. Your fingers were intertwined with his own, his thumb brushing over the back of your hand every so often—a mindless yet comforting action.

He gave your hand a gentle squeeze as he pulled up to the cabin—small but cozy, gravel crunching under the tires. "Guess we're stuck here for the next two weeks..." His words seemed reluctant, but his tone was light and accepting—as if he was looking forward to this vacation with you; his one and only love.