mattelektra forever

12 Days of Mattelektra: Day 12, Monday, 12/31: snow

Elektra rubbed her hands together as she stood right in front of Matt. “I’m glad I insisted on coming all the way out here to the countryside. Just you and me, and…”

Matt nuzzled the back of her neck. “Openness?”

“Wide open spaces, Matthew,” Elektra giggled at him. “A new year, new beginnings, a whole new world of possibility.” With everything covered by the snow, even a blind man like him could see what she meant. They stood together in silence for several moments before she spoke again. “What do you see, Matthew?”

“Fire,” he responded flatly.

“Try again,” Elektra insisted.

“Cold fire,” Matt said sarcastically. But Matt knew Elektra knew that wasn’t exactly true. Snowflakes were lightly falling all around them and that meant that what functioned as his vision was different as well. It was a double-edged sword, he mused, since he could see better at the same time that the rest of his senses were worse due to the cold and the wind. He knew distantly that it was more similar to how he used to see, how normal people saw, but it had just been too long. Matt wasn’t sure he liked the tradeoff.

“Come now, Matthew,” Elektra teased him.

Matt spun Elektra around. “You. I see you.” He could see the snowflakes melt as they touched Elektra’s face. Matt could see the snow and the wind and the temperature changes and so many other atmospheric effects weaving around the woman he loved as he held her hands in his.

Elektra removed one of her hands, put it on his chin, and moved it along the bottom of his face as she liked to do and he liked her doing. “I see us,” she said decisively.

“Us?” Matt asked her.

“Us,” Elektra said resolutely. “Always. Forever.”

She’d hear no argument from him, but he still couldn’t help but tease her anyway. Matt raised an eyebrow. “Forever is a very long time.”

“Oh, don’t I know it, Matthew,” Elektra moved closer to him as she whispered in his ear. “We’re going to enjoy every single moment of it.”

Inspiration struck. “Then let’s get started.” Suddenly, Matt surprised Elektra as he grabbed her and literally swept her off her feet, Elektra gasping as he did so. “There’s no time like the present,” he said authoritatively as he started to walk back to the car with Elektra gently cradled in his arms.

Elektra laughed as she enjoyed being held by him. “Put me down, Matthew.”

“I’m sorry, sweetheart, I can’t hear you over the snowflakes,” Matt grinned widely.

“I’m going to make you pay for this!” Elektra yelled happily as she pretended to struggle, playfully hitting one of his arms.

12 Days of Mattelektra: Day 12, Monday, 12/31: snow

12 Days of Mattelektra: Day 11, Sunday, 12/30: champagne

12 Days of Mattelektra: Day 10, Saturday, 12/29: out on the town

12 Days of Mattelektra: Day 9, Friday, 12/28: dancing

Ice dancing counts, right?

12 Days of Mattelektra: Day 8, Thursday, 12/27: fireplace

12 Days of Mattelektra: Day 7, Wednesday, 12/26: sugar and spice

Elektra was so concentrated on the bag in front of her she almost missed the voice next to her. “I missed you.”

Elektra replied mock indigently. “Has it even been ten minutes?” Trying to escape from their bedroom without waking up Matthew was always an adventure. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it was an exercise in futility.

“I don’t like waking up, and you’re not there,” Matthew said honestly.

“I had a delivery to accept,” Elektra explained. “I’m going to make Christmas cookies.”

“Christmas cookies?” Matthew sounded more excited than she had anticipated.

“Yes, there is a very nice bakery two blocks over that arranged everything for me,” Elektra said as she gestured towards the large overstuffed bag with a nice woven handle sitting on the kitchen counter.

“Oh…do you want any help?” Matthew asked eagerly as he tilted his head to the side.

“Of course, you can help,” she responded as Elektra reached into the bag and began removing small packages of different colors of buttercream frosting, icing, sprinkles and other edible decorations along with sugar cookies already presorted into different designs. She worked quickly to put everything out on the counter and was shocked when Matthew turned around holding measuring cups.

“Matthew, you didn’t think I’d bake cookies from scratch, did you?” Elektra asked in surprise. Why would she when she could just buy them all ready to go? The decorating was the fun part; the rest was actual work.

Matthew’s crestfallen expression told Elektra everything she needed to know, and she couldn’t help but feel a bit apologetic after her words hung in the air for a moment. Sweetness in a man was rare, and she didn’t want to diminish that part of Matthew as he was ashamed of so much of himself already. “Next year, I promise,” she pledged as she came up to him to take the measuring cups away and kissed him on the cheek.

That cheered him up as he replied, “I will hold you to it.” He took a step back from her and stood at attention. “How can I help you decorate Christmas cookies?” Matthew grinned as he put extra emphasis on the word decorate. Ever the lawyer.

“Find some plates and knives while I start opening everything,” Elektra said as she shook her head. Now she had an entire year ahead of her to decide who would be happier to make a mess of the entire kitchen, Matthew or Iona. But before she could give it any serious thought, he interrupted her.

“Me, I’m going to be more excited,” Matthew smiled at her, anticipating her line of thought. “Our daughter takes after you.”

That Love Begins

Frank had been camping up north. No motel, no phone. Nothing but him, his gun, his knife, the tent and the stars. And it had been pleasant, a very relaxing short trip away from the violence and noise that engulfed New York City. Something he sorely needed. But he would have traded every single second of it for being there for Karen instead. He had almost lost her again, and he didn’t even know it until he came back. No, she didn’t blame him for any of it, and he had lost count of how many times he had apologized, but he had promised her that no one went after her on his watch. Karen, for her part, seemed none the worse for wear as she sat next to him on the bench in the park. She was thrilled that he was back and had insisted that they go out and enjoy a walk, looking at the Christmas lights along the way and stopping to sit among the lit-up displays. With all the other people rushing around and the glow from all the lights, it was almost normal. Like they were a normal couple. Frank grimaced. He had promised her. How could he have been so neglectful?

“Karen,” Frank began, clearing his throat in the cold.

Karen shook her head as she turned to look at him. “Nope, not again. You’re done beating yourself up over something you had no control over.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Even Karen had limits, and Frank knew to respect them.

Karen laughed at the pet name. “Okay, Frank. Now what-“

“Here,” Frank interrupted her as he removed a small jewelry box from his coat pocket. Karen was right. No more I’m sorry. No more verbal apologies. But that didn't mean he couldn't make it up to her in other ways. Frank opened the box, revealing a gold necklace with a single sapphire jewel pendant. The gem shown in the darkness, reflecting all the different colors of the Christmas lights around them as it glimmered.

Karen stared at Frank, then at the necklace, and then back at him, trying to wrap her head around the situation. Their relationship had suddenly stepped over a line she had been aching to cross, but the reality of it actually happening stunned her. “Frank, but-“

“But nothing,” Frank said firmly. “I've wasted too much time already.” He leaned over and carefully placed the necklace around Karen’s neck, gently picking her hair up and fastening the clasp. He then brushed a stray strand away from her face and then grasped her hand with his. “Merry Christmas, Karen.”

Shocked yet pleased, Karen beamed at him. “Merry Christmas, Frank,” she said as she blushed, the color slowly spreading over her face. “Now I’m the one who’s sorry I didn't get you anything.”

“Karen,” Frank chuckled as he moved closer to her and clutched her hand tighter. “You’re the only gift I ever need.”

A Christmas for Iona

12 Days of Mattelektra: Day 6, Tuesday, 12/25: free choice

It would have been different if the baby had been a boy. She would have surprised Matthew by suggesting they name him after his father, which she knew would have shocked him at first but then would have made him beam from ear to ear the way he did when he was truly pleased. Different in terms of a name, anyway, not having a child. She was thrilled to have a daughter she could spoil, and Matthew was even happier than she was in some ways.

Instead having a girl meant that Matthew and Elektra had to agree on a name, which proved to be quite the undertaking. Everything else about her pregnancy went better than she could have hoped except for the naming. Matthew wanted to name her after a Catholic saint, because of course he did. However, Elektra wanted to honor her adoptive parents by choosing a Greek name. Resolving the disconnect between them proved harder than she had anticipated. There had been many very long discussions back and forth before they came up with Iona. Blessed in Irish, purple jewel in Greek. Something they both liked and held the meanings they wanted. And when Iona had arrived, fashionably late like her parents, she was perfect.

And quite unlike Elektra’s attempt at a purchasing a baby’s first Christmas ornament, for when it had arrived it had Eona engraved on the front despite the packing list and email confirmation stating the correct spelling. The company had offered an account credit at first, which she insisted would not be necessary because she was never going to purchase anything from them ever again, and she would be leaving a very negative review online. After a short discussion, two new properly spelled ornaments arrived later hand delivered by courier. Elektra kept one for a keepsake and hung the other on the tree as she watched her husband on the floor with their daughter. Then she grabbed her phone and spent the next few minutes taking photos of Matthew playing with Iona, laughing as she did so.

She could never have enough photos of both of them, and they stood out right next to all the out of focus and blurry ones Matthew took because he didn’t want Iona to wonder why only Mommy held up a phone and took pictures and Daddy didn’t. He wanted her to feel normal. So there of all kinds of photos that were of everything but the baby including her phone home screen. Elektra chuckled as she wondered how many pictures of the floor Matthew had taken. She knew he was overthinking about the photos, but she was more than happy to indulge him as she had noticed how much more often Matthew smiled since Iona was born. She knew it was because time on patrol now meant making sure the loft and the rest of midtown was secure, where he didn’t have to brood the way he had before because he had his wife and daughter with him, his family. Matthew was finally happy. And so was Elektra.

12 Days of Mattelektra: Day 5, Monday, 12/24: gold rings/jewelry