#christmasprompt

"Your tea, Miss," a waiter set down a steaming hot cup of tea in front of me as I ate my gourmet sandwich with Mary and Elaine next to me, dining with me.  

"Thank you," I pulled the tea closer to me on the coaster, and stirred sugar through the warm water and our conversation continued undisturbed.  

Around us, other people dined in the neatly arranged café in the mall. In the centre of our table, is a cute little Christmas tree cutely decorated in mini baubles, and mirroring the beautiful design of the entire mall. Walls lined in garlands of leaves and wreaths separating each garland, and Christmas carollers roamed the busy complex.  

Christmas music played through the speakers, and the loud conversations around us, clashed with the music through the speakers and the angelic singing voices of the groups of carollers, creating confusion as to which carol I should be listening to.  

"She is useless at the best of times," suddenly, I caught onto the end of Mary's conversation she is having with Elaine, but in my head I started singing along with the stereo belching Jingle Bell Rock across the mall.  

Quietly, I drank my tea and ate my dinner not really interested in the gossip that had Elaine and Mary caught up in their own conversation, and I had a fair idea who they were talking about – Julius' new assistant. Elaine didn't' like her because she felt as though this new assistant had other motives.  

Downing my tea, I hummed the lyrics of more hymns until Mary paid for our lunch and we went to leave to do more shopping. I trailed behind a bit, because I was stumped as what to get Klaus for Christmas, and he is the hardest person to buy a gift for. As I thought about it, the Christmas carollers were singing nearby.  

Dressed in red and white church robes, and holding candles in the hands, they sang joyfully with white smiles. "Joy to the world...," in each group there were two men and three girls, and their voices bounced beautifully off each other's vocals, harmoniously.  

In front of a jewellery store, Mary decided to buy Walter a brand new watch for his present and they were staring at the golden band watches from the display glass, and I started singing along to the hymn the carollers were singing.  

For years, Christmas had been a holiday I ran away from because I had no family to celebrate the holiday with, and this is what Christmas means – to spend it with family. However, ever since I met Klaus, his family have become mine too, and now since we are engaged, I can look forward to more happy and memorable Christmases like this year's and last year's.  

I had to learn the lyrics of all the Christmas songs again, and because I love music, each time I hear them I can't help but sing-along too. Mary decided on a new watch, and something shined in the cabinet to my left as we entered the store to find an assistant.  

A fountain pen made ivory with a golden inlay around the owl-inspired design. I remembered last night that Klaus had complained about his fountain pen he used to write reports and letters began to break down. In my daze of the pen, an employee approached me, "Are you interested in the pen?"

"Oh, yes," I answered, but then I looked down at the item again and my eyes locked with the price tag. It was a little over my budget than I care to admit, but it was only by a few lune, that I started to question my budget in my head, "Can you tell me about it?"

"Of course. This pen is handmade by the Athena Calligraphy Group, and is made of gold and ivory with the tip made from crushed diamonds. It is quite expensive, but it is an excellent pen."

"Yes...," I thought to myself, and decided I would buy it, "Well, it will be a perfect gift for my fiancé. I would like to purchase it."

The employee smiled at me, and wore a glove to treat the rare pen with extreme care and we finalised the purchase. I need to take care of it until Klaus can open it. With our present shopping done, we decided it would be time to head home, and with the snow starting to fall heavily outside, we headed home.  

However, I had the song Jingle Bell Rock stuck in my head, and could not think of anything else but to sing the lyrics or hum the tune. Pulling into the estate, I made sure to hide my gift for Klaus by wrapping it as soon as possible, and while he was showering seemed like the golden opportunity to do so, but ever since I got home all I have been listening to is that song!

Through his chambers, I played a disc through the stereo of the Christmas music that I love to listen to. It had been sitting in the stereo for a few good days too, since there is something I love about the tunes. They are filled with joy and happiness it's hard not to fall in love with the melodies, especially the classic and modern songs with an upbeat tempo to them.

As I wrap gifts, making sure Klaus' present is out of the way first, I quietly sing along to each song playing, until it suddenly switched off. I had not even noticed the shower had stop running, and turning my head towards the stereo is Klaus dressed in nothing but a towel from the waist down with droplets of warm water glistening off his god-like body.

"All you do is play Christmas music, it's driving me nuts," he explained, thinking that I'm looking at him for answers to my question as to why he had suddenly stopped the music entertaining me, but in reality, I'm staring at him, "I'm not the biggest fan of music but I can appreciate music in small dosages, but this Christmas rubbish is just...repetitive."

He walked behind me to his closet and fished out a pair of winter pyjamas hanging by a hanger in his walk-in wardrobe. One side belonged to him, and the other to me, but I couldn't help but stare at his beautiful body. It's like he was handmade by the gods themselves, and then they sent him to earth.

"Why are you staring at me like you want to devour me?" He suddenly asked, and his towering figure above me, had me looking straight up into his penetrating violet stare and with that trademark smirk.  

I swallowed a gulp lingering in my throat to sound out the next words, "Do I really need to explain?" My eyes drifted from the damp locks of golden hair, to his handsome cheekbones and down his manly frame, broad and masculine.  

"Please, I am curious to know what it is you are thinking?"

"Well, how do you look at me when I step out from the shower?"

"*Chuckle*," he turned towards the bed, smirking at me and I sighed, thankful that I got out of that...or so I thought...

I felt my body leave the ground and before I knew it, my angel-sleeved night robes is spread out across the bed underneath my body and my hair is spread above my head with Klaus' body pinning me down to the mattress, those eyes staring back into mine. "I want to hear you say it, even if I know what you are thinking," he whispered, and I felt his lips brush across my skin to my ear, "Also, my favourite kind of music is hearing the noises you make."  

"...Oh, Klaus...," he began peppering kisses down my neck and I moaned at the softness of his lips satisfyingly warming my entire body, "...I was thinking...before about how handsome you are...in a towel...," I gasped through his kisses on various areas of my body.  

"You should have said so from the start, Bunnyhead."

With the passion heating up between us, my body reacted to his ministrations, "...It doesn't matter if I told you before because you still would have done this, right?"

*Two weeks before Christmas*

With no desire to turn in for the night, on the account his fiancé is upstairs, Elias decided to help his brothers drag old Christmas decorations from storage and use their magic to bring the place to life with decorations and lights. He wasn't happy though.

"Would you smile?" Julius nudged him in the arm, but Elias had no will to do so.

"...What is there to smile about?"  

Klaus and Julius traded glances, they felt empathy for the situation he had been forced into but the girl he wanted to be with was with another man. From what Klaus and Elias had witnessed at Amelia and Luca's wedding, she seemed happy.  

"Lisa."

"Lisa?" Surprised, Elias looked up to Klaus, "How can I feel happy about being arranged to marry a woman I hardly know? Asana...was different...I had only known her for a short time, but how I felt with Asana compared to Lisa is different, and it feels wrong. Lisa is in the same boat as me, but I don't want to us to be trapped in a marriage that will only make us unhappy."

Julius understood, because that was how he found his wife, but they fell in love all on their own. "Well, what are you going to do about it?" He asked, as if challenging his brother to think for himself and for Lisa too, "Our parents don't own you Elias, and you deserve to find your own happiness. It is not fair to Lisa to keep her from the man she loves either."

"You know how she feels too?"  

"I did not intend to eavesdrop, but I overheard her talking to Elaine about her feelings for another man," he explained, "Never mind what our parents say."

"Though, she did seem happy with that man she was with at Amelia's wedding?"

Elias didn't think so, because he knew each time he wasn't looking at her, her rose eyes were on him. Vice versa, when she looked away, he couldn't help but stare back at her. "She's not happy with that man...," he muttered.  

He turned around to string ornaments onto the tree beside the fireplace, and Walter strolled through the living room with a tray in his hands. Four glasses and a bottle of scotch, "It is a very rare chance for a father to share a drink with all his sons in the one room. Especially, in celebration of Elias' recent engagement."

Walter handed out one glass to each of them, but Elias couldn't drink to that congratulatory toast, and he wasn't at all a big drinker. Except, a glass of scotch with his brothers and father around Christmas became a sort of tradition in their bondage. Walter noticed he didn't drink, "Something the matter, Elias?"

Thinking long and hard about it, he knew Walter would be upset if he admitted now he had no intention to marry Lisa, even if his refusal would make him appear unfaithful in his agreement with her family. Instead, Elias decided to remain quiet on the subject, and downed his serve in one gulp, "Nothing's the matter, Father."

"Oh, I see. Pre-marriage nerves, huh?"

"...Sure."

"Believe it or not, but there have been two times I have ever been nervous my entire life. One, was proposing to your mother and the second, the coming of Julius. But, it all turned out for the best."

"...I need some air," taking his jacket off the rack, Elias vacated the house and decided to walk around the neighbourhood to check out the neighbours' lights display while the snow crunched under his feet, with only one person on his mind.  

"Asana..."

From the bathroom, she heard the toilet flush and the door reopened and closed again. Footsteps creaked across the floorboards and to her room where she had been sleeping through the afternoon, because they were snowed in.  

Quietly her bedroom door opened, and she felt sad that the brown eyes she looked into now were not violet, and the shoulder length black hair was not short and blonde. His slender frame reminded her of Elias, but it wasn't him. The man in front of her was kind and gentle, and that's what she liked about him, but her heart belonged to Elias.  

"Are you awake?" He asked, hanging by the door.  

She had tears in her eyes and he looked her over with disappointment in his eyes, "...Yeah," she replied, voice trembling and riddled with guilt and regret.  Guilt, for feeling like she has lead Michael on all this time, and regret because she was the one who decided to break her promise to wait for Elias through a letter. Now, she lost him, and trying an intimate moment with Michael, she called Elias' name instead of his.  

Most of the day, she had been resting but in reality she had been sad, but hid her true feelings from Michael. While eating breakfast, she read the morning newspaper which had announced Elias' engagement to another woman on the front page. For a moment, her heart stopped beating and she felt it shatter into pieces as it fell to the bottom of her chest.  

Concealing her tears through a warm shower, when Michael had his, she phoned Amelia. She lived in the city and Luca worked with Elias at the ministry, and even though it wasn't her place, she wanted to know what type of woman his fiancé was and, importantly, if Elias was happy.  

"…So, who is Elias?" He asked, never hearing Asana mention his name in any previous conversations.

She sat up on the bed with her legs criss-crossed underneath the warm blankets and her hair messy from laying in bed, "...Do you remember the blonde-haired man Luca was talking to at Amelia's wedding? Not the broad one but the slenderer one?"

Michael thought for a moment, "...Yes, I remember him. I didn't like him from the start but I assume he is who you referred too a moment ago," his deep voice was short and curt, and his brown eyes failed to meet hers. "...You love him, don't you?"

"Elias and I were buddies at the academy, but I failed to gain admission. In those thirteen days I knew him, I fell in love with him. We had promised to wait for each other, but I broke it off a year before I met you. I thought time would help me forget about him, but...it doesn't seem that is the case."  

"...So, were you leading me on all this time?"  

"...I...," tears in her eyes, their eyes finally locked and she felt horrible because there was no other way to word it. She had forced herself to love another man to fill the void Elias left, but no one would be good enough...her heart belongs to him, "…I'm sorry Michael. I'm so sorry. Seeing him again awakened many feelings I thought I had buried...but...I only suppressed them."

Michael fell silent, and Asana's quiet sobbing filled the quiet room, "Please...say something...," she begged, voice full of sorrow, pain, guilt and regret, "If you have to yell at me, do it."  

"What good would that do, Asana?" He snapped back, "...I thought you loved me, and I had plans to propose to you these holidays," he went to his side of the bed and fished a ring from the top draw of the bedside table, and threw it across to her, "...Do what you want with it. I don't need it."

He walked to his closet and snapped up his suitcase, "There's no point staying here if you are in love with another man. I will use my magic to escape this loveless place if I have to," he threw his clothes messily into the empty suitcase, his voice low and his heart broken.  

"Please, understand, I never intended to hurt you like this...," she cried.

"Don't pretend that you care! Stop playing the nice, innocent girl. You stringed me along for three years because you are in love with another man!" His quiet voice turned to shouting, his anger boiled deep within his stomach, "I bet every time I slept beside you, made love to you, and sat across from you at the dinner table, you were hoping it was him!"  

She sat on the bed and took his angry words, truly never wanting to have hurt him. When he had moved in, he had not packed much clothing, and had not made any significant increases in his load. Gathering his wand, he marched for the door and blasted the snow with his magic to escape outside. On leaving, he turned to her in the doorway, having saw him out, "Never, ever, do I want to see your face again."

"...I don't blame you for wanting to feel that way. Again, I never meant to hurt you."

"Whatever."

His footprints made indents in the snow as he walked away. Closing the door behind her once he was out of sight, she sunk to the floor, crying into her knees. She left Elias and lost him now, and she hurt Michael, a man she tried to replace Elias, and no she was alone again. Hurting.  

After hours of self-loathing in silent sadness next to the fire, Asana phoned Amelia, and cried to her best friend. After another hour, Amelia came to a solution, "I know, come to the city for Christmas. I would hate for you to be alone and we can talk more."

"...O-Okay," Asana agreed, "Thanks Amelia."

"No problem."

*Christmas Day*

Underneath her boots, the snow crunched. Amelia and Luca were still sleeping and she was hungry for breakfast but also interested in exploring the city some more. Luca had told her everything about Lisa, and admitted to her that Elias was not happy.  

"Maybe...you should talk to Elias?" Amelia suggested, and that suggestion ran through her mind. Luca wrote down his number and address on a piece of paper, and she constantly looked down at it but could not bring herself to dial the number.  

Her knee-high boots and blue-black thermal cotton skinny jeans kept her legs warm through the cold city and her long sleeved blush coloured knitted-woollen turtleneck sweater kept the rest of her body warm. Black woollen gloves and beanie covered the remaining tips, and she left her long brown hair down to trap the warmth around her neck. Surprisingly, the city had less snow than Reitz, but the towering buildings trapped the cold air.  

She window shopped through the CBD since nothing was open, and earmarked a few shops she would need to visit once they were open. The more she walked around, the more thought she gave into calling Elias, but then each time she stopped herself from doing it. "I can't do this to him," she kept telling herself, and found herself sitting on a street bench, longing in her own sorrow, ready to harbour a life of regret.  

Meanwhile, across town, Elias avoided the chaos inside and his fiancé Lisa had no desire to join the festivities either. She came to his side, drink in hand, and he stared at the cup in her hand, "We may not be in love with each other but that does not mean you should decline this drink," her soft voice said.  

He accepted the drink, and she asked a question to him, "...Is Asana still special to you?" She asked.

"She is."

"Jordan is important to me too, and the only reason why my parents have so quickly arranged my marriage to you is because they do not like him," she admitted, "He may have a troubled past, but I can't help but love him for his strength. What is it about this Asana you love?"

He remembered her smile the most, "Everything. Her smile and kindness, her warmth and gentle spirit...we were buddies in school, but she didn't get accepted after the trial period. We promised to wait for each other, but she didn't feel as though she was on the same level as me and broke up with me because she fears she will have held me back."

"That is not the case?"

"No, I became a better man and changed significantly in those short thirteen days I knew her. But, I fell in love with her, and she is always on my mind."

Lisa smiled, "I feel the same about Jordan. I like you Elias, but nothing more than a friend. So, I am going to help you."

"Help me?"  

"I plan to run away and take back control of my life," she admitted, "It may seem quite dramatic, as though I am still a teenager, but I am a twenty-two year old woman and I already gave another man my heart. Unfortunately, this is the only way I can make my parents understand," she placed her hand on his cheek and smiled up at him, "Elias, if you truly love her, go after her."

"...She's with somebody else."

"Like you are in love with me, right?" She joked.

He understood what she was saying, and he just tried to make an excuse that Asana loved that man she was with at Amelia's wedding. "...She doesn't love him," he whispered, and kissed the back of Lisa's hands, "Thank you, Lisa, for understanding."

"Go after her, Elias," Lisa smiled, "I will cover you until you get back. Because, I think you know where you need to go."

Sneaking out of the house, he gathered his jacket and warmer clothes and raced over to Amelia's place and banged down the door. It was still morning, and Luca lazily opened the door, "Elias? What the hell are you doing here?"

"Where does Asana live?"

"Asana?" If Luca was still half-asleep he wasn't now, "...Um...Asana should be here?"

"Here? Why is she here?"

"What is this an interrogation?" Luca growled at the rapid questions.  

"Well, where is she. I need to speak to her."

Amelia came from down the hallway, "She went out for a walk," she told him, and walked to the front door where Elias was, "She broke up with her boyfriend, and she's going through a lot of emotions."

"She broke up with him? Why? Wasn't she happy?"

Amelia smiled and knew Elias and her still had a chance, "I don't think that's my place to tell you. Ask her."

"Any idea where she would go?"

"Well, if I had to guess, either window shopping through the CBD or she's in the park."

"Thanks," Elias took off again, and raced outside into the cold. Bringing out his wand, he cast a spell to find her quickly. A beam of light had him going to the centre of the city. Eventually, he found her, looking at wedding dresses in a shop's window and wiping tears from her cheeks.  

He figured if he went to Reitz he would have had plenty time to think of something to say, but she's here in his city, matured gracefully and how he has longed to talk to her.  

Looking at the gowns, her reflection matched the mannequins and it wore those beautiful dresses, it was like her own reflection mocked her. "I'm such an idiot," she muttered, and that's when she felt a presence next to her and wiped the tears from her cheeks.  

She turned her head, expecting to find a weirdo but...her rose eyes locked with a familiar set of violet eyes. Blonde locks of hair poked out from underneath his beanie, and, where she was certain to see a frown, he smiled. "...Hello," he greeted her first.

"...Hi," she returned the greeting, happy to see his face. She stepped closer to him, hoping she wasn't imagining this out of her desperation to see him, "...Why are you out here? It's Christmas Day after all?"

"...I had to see you, and I was prepared to go all the way to Reitz," he laughed.

"How did you know I was here?"

"Amelia told me."

"Of course she did," Asana giggled, Amelia would take any chance to meddle in their relationship and had told her as soon as she admitted her regret that she should have waited for Elias. "...Well, here I am."

"Here you are."

A brief silence ensued but Elias was only trying to put his thoughts into words but had to know for sure, why she had broken up with her boyfriend, "...Amelia told me that you broke up with your boyfriend? Is that true?"

"Shall we walk and talk?" She asked, and Elias joined her, then she returned to their topic of conversation, "Yes...we broke up."

"Are you okay?"

"...Not really," she admitted, and watched his face sink, "Not because I'm upset, though. It was the right thing to do, and it shouldn't have gotten as far as it did."

"Why?"

"...When I broke up with you, I tried to forget all about you. One year later, I met Michael on one of the farms, we was a stable boy and he was very kind, smart and I was drawn to him but infatuation and a fling is as far as it should have gone. I forced myself to fall in love with another man to fill the void...you left...but seeing you at Amelia's wedding ignited many feelings I had suppressed."

"So, he walked out?"

"I wish it were that kind," she said, "...I feel...guilt, regret, and that's why I'm not okay. I strung Michael on for three years, in a selfish act of trying to bury the feelings I had for you, he didn't deserve such cruelty, and there's the guilt. Regret, because you are engaged when I should be standing where she is."

She fell silent, and added, "...He found out I still had feelings for you two weeks ago. We were spending some...intimidate time alone...and where I should have said his name...I said yours," the tears threatened to overflow again but she fought them back.  

Elias stopped walking and faced her, but she couldn't look at him. Gently cradling her cheek in his hand, he tilted her face so he could look into her eyes, a tear fell from her rosy eyes, but he wiped it away, "...Don't be so hard on yourself. You made a mistake Asana," he whispered.

"...A very stupid mistake...that has hurt two people...," more tears fell, "...I love you, Elias." Then, her eyes spilled more than he could stop, so naturally he hugged her.

"Stop punishing yourself, Asana," he begged, "Because...I...I love you too. Lisa...is in love with another man too, her parents only arranged her to marry me because they didn't like the man she had chosen."

Above their heads, they had stopped underneath a street sign, and suspended from the steel bars is a mistletoe. He hugged her until her tears stopped, and then they realised the position they were in and satisfying it felt being in each other's arms.  

Their hearts pounded inside their chests, and they didn't say anything, only their eyes staring  into each others. "Um...Elias...," she tried to wiggle out of his embrace but he wasn't letting her go.

"I refuse to let you go again, and...," he looked up, "Is it considered bad fortune to not...k-kiss under the mistletoe on Christmas?"  

She couldn't tell if it was the cold snow or his words that made her blush, but she relaxed in his embrace and his face came closer to hers. In his eyes, she could see herself, and the desire he craved that was her. Unable to control her racing pulse or keep her eyes open, she closed her eyes in sweet anxious anticipation.  

Theirs breaths mingled, "I have wanted to do this for a while," he whispered and pressed his lips to her. Fire travelled through their bodies at the kiss they have waited so long to share. They had kissed once, but that was because she had turned him into a piglet, but this one was different.  

Her taste ignited his hunger for more. That sweet kiss he pressed on her lips, deepened. Struggling to stand from the weakening kiss, Elias snaked an arm around her back to hold her up and her hands wrapped around his neck, "I love you, Asana. That's what I wanted to say when you passed your judgement, but I realise...I should have told you from the very start. I should have, at the very least, come after you, but I didn't. Your not the only one to blame here."

"Elias...," she had his taste and now she was hooked, and captured his lips again, "...I love you too, I love you so much."

"Come with me?" He said.

"To where?"

Although I have moved to Gedonelune City to live with my husband and children, we still own my little cottage in Reitz, and every year Klaus and I, with our four children in tow, make the journey, a few weeks before Christmas, to visit the townspeople, who raised me when my parents passed away, and to visit the graves of my parents.

Klaus and I have four children – two sets of twins, nonetheless. Our identical twin sons Daniel and Oliver are now seven-years old and have inherited my brown and their father’s violet eyes, and the Goldstein personality, Daniel taking after his father but our Oliver taking after his Uncle Elias.

Then, our non-identical twin daughters are still quite little at the tender age of five, Artemis and Aria. Only Artemis has inherited my pink eyes, but my daughters have different shades of blonde hair, Aria has a natural bleach-blonde colour and Artemis inheriting that famous golden-blonde hair intrinsic to the Goldstein family. However, my beautiful children are still developing into their own individual selves, and Klaus and I couldn’t be prouder parents.

Hearing their voices, seeing their faces and spending every moment with them and my husband makes me the happiest mother and wife in the world. However, that’s natural to me since my entire world revolves around my children and my husband. Even if right now, their hyperactivity began to die down from the excitement of going to the city to spend Christmas with their grandparents, uncles and cousins.

With the snow falling outside and the sun dipping below the mountains around the valley, Daniel, Oliver and Aria were playing hide and seek through the house, except Artemis, who had attracted a cold from the wintry air, opted to bathe in the warmth of the fireplace inside the comfort of her father’s arms as he read her a story and gave her some medicine to help her wean away her cold.

“Mom, hide me,” Daniel sneaked into the kitchen and into an alcove underneath the kitchen’s bench and where I had been standing in front of.

“Who’s seeking?” I asked him, smiling and enjoying watching their little game unfold.

“Aria is, but Oliver and I are making it easy on her,” he smiled and chomped into the chocolate biscuit I gave him, “Again Mom, you are the best cook,” he hugged me as he crouched down to crawl into the space beneath the bench.

While I would love to join them in their game, I had to make a list of everything we needed before we left. I think I have adopted Klaus’ sense of organisation by making checklists each time we go travelling. “I guess that’s why they call it true love,” I remarked to myself, grabbing a piece of paper from the other bench behind me, where I had left the morning newspaper.

“What’s true love?” hearing that being whispered in my ear, I suddenly felt a pair of familiar strong arms wrap around my waist from behind me and felt his head rest on my shoulder.

Hearing him hear me say that, I blushed, “Oh…um…me and you, of course,” I answered him, but I’m sure he can see my red face from how close his face was to me.

“You still blush?” he commented, pulling my body closer to his, “I find that very adorable,” discreetly, he brushed his lips against the skin of my neck so that the kids couldn’t see, “But…I heard you say ‘I guess that’s why they call it true love’. What do you mean exactly?”

(Oh, he heard me). “…I adopted your sense of organisation because I’m writing a checklist of what we need to pack tonight for our journey to your parents’ house for Christmas.”

He squeezed my body closer to his, having a firm grip around me, “If you’ve adopted my sense of organisation, that just means my way works better than whatever you used to do,” I could feel his proud smirk against my skin as he whispered into my ear, giving it a light nibble.

“Klaus!” I shrugged him away, “We have a long journey tomorrow morning, there will be none of that tonight,” through a whisper, I told him directly, while I wrote down a short checklist of what we needed to take with us, “Oh, how’s Artemis? Is her temperature going down at all?”

“It’s not as bad as it was yesterday, so that’s a good sign,” he said while looking over at her flipping through the picture book Klaus had read to her, and lying on her stomach using the flickering flames as her light to look at the pictures, “I gave her the medicine that will help her sleep, just like you told me.”

Pushing back into his warmth, I placed my hand over his arm where it wrapped around my waist, “Thanks, hopefully she’ll get a good night’s rest but we’ll need to keep an eye on her.”

Behind us, I heard Aria giggling because she found Daniel hiding underneath the kitchen bench, “Help me find Oliver,” she asked him in her little voice, “I don’t know where he went.”

“I bet a cookie that he went into the study room, he’s such a bookworm,” Daniel smiled, and decided to help his sister find their brother.

“I think he’s gone to sleep on the sofa actually,” Klaus commented to me, and kissed my exposed shoulder from my night dress, “I might go start putting them to bed while you do this and then I will come help you.”

He wandered off to go tuck our kids into bed and I watched him.

(Why is it he’s more attractive when he’s being a father?) I couldn’t help but think as he gently picked up our sleeping son, Oliver, and held Artemis’ hand as he carted those two to bed first.

“Daniel, Aria, time to settle down and go to bed,” I couldn’t stand by and make Klaus put our children to bed by himself, “We have a long journey tomorrow so better rest up.”

“But…where did Oliver go?” Aria wondered as they emerged from rummaging through the little office across from the kitchen.

“He fell asleep on the sofa, darling, but Daddy’s taking him to bed,” I answered, and came down to their level to invite them into a hug, “But, if you don’t want to miss the train tomorrow morning, you best off go to bed. Run upstairs, and Daddy can tuck you into bed, okay?”

“Okay,” Daniel hugged me.

“Okay Mommy,” Aria hugged me to.

“Goodnight my precious babies,” I softly spoke, kissing the top of their heads, “Sweet dreams, I love you.”

“Love you to Mommy,” Aria answered, her cheerful smile like looking into a mirror of my own reflection.

“Yeah, love you Mom,” Daniel smiled, and taking hold of his sister’s hand to guide her up the stairs so she wouldn’t fall.

(Gosh! Can our children be any more perfect?) I thought about how much I love my children and how blessed I am to have an amazing partner to raise them with. I never thought my life could get better, but it has, and there are still so many memories to make but they’re growing up so fast it hurts.

Through the quieting house, I can hear Klaus talking to our children, and saying his goodnights and words of love. (He’s such a good father), and hearing their little voices return their words of love to him only made my motherly heart melt, (They’re so cute). But, I need to get packing, Klaus will then be able to teleport our luggage to the train station in the morning.

Finishing the checklist off quickly, I heard a knock on my front door. Being late, I was anxious to know who was behind the door, “Who is it?” I asked first, before opening it.

“It’s Peter, the train master from Wile City Train Station. This is the Goldstein residence due to travel the first train tomorrow morning, yes?”

Reaching for my wand and shoving it into my pocket, just in case it wasn’t him, I opened to door slightly, “Yes, this is the Goldstein residence. Is there trouble with the train services?” Behind him, I noticed the snow falling had become like heavy rain, blanketing the ground in a fresh pile of snow.

“Sorry about how late this is, madam,” he said, holding out his permit licence and proving his identity to me, “I apologise for any inconvenience by coming by so late in the night but Wil City Train Station staff are making their way around to passengers scheduled to board the first train with important news.”

“Oh, okay,” I opened the door fully, trusting his identification permit to listen to what he had to say, “What is the news? Is there something wrong with out tickets?”

“No, madam,” he replied, shivering from the cold, “I regret to inform you that train services have been suspended until further notice because of a landslide caused by the heavy snow falling onto the tracks. We believe the tracks are damaged, and until such time we deem the area safe and the tracks have been repaired will we resume train services. I have a refund for the tickets or you transfer the credit until the trains are running again?”

(Oh no, what dreadful news!) I thought to myself but it couldn’t be helped, especially if the tracks are damaged and the area is not safe to travel through. Pondering over the option given to me, I felt Klaus’ presence come to my side at the door with a curious look on his face as the train master stood on our doorstep this late at night.

“A landslide has cancelled train services tomorrow,” I explained to him, “Peter, here, is the train master and he said we can have our tickets refunded or the credit can be transferred when the trains resume again? What do you want to do?”

“We’ll take the refund,” Klaus answered, and the train master nodded, and went to the bag he was carrying, filled with cash to refund passengers who chose the option, “Will there be a notice when the trains will be running again?”

“Yes, sir,” Peter replied, “There will likely be a notice in the newspaper. Please, keep an ear out for any news, and sorry for any inconvenience.” Klaus shrugged, “It can’t be helped,” he sighed in disappointment but we both understood, our disappointment born from not being able to go see our family these holidays, or at least until the trains are running again, “Thank you for coming by so late to inform us.”

“Happy holidays,” he nodded his head to us in a sort of bowing gesture, and turned away and walking from our property.

(Oh, the kids will be devastated) I thought, and pouted as I walked back to the kitchen and tore up the checklist I had wrote down. “Don’t look so gloomy about it,” Klaus commented, “There’s nothing we can do about it, and my parents will understand.”

“It’s not that…,” I understand, truly, but it doesn’t make the situation any less disappointing.

“Then, what is it?” he asked, embracing me with his arms around my waist but using his hand to make me look at him and explain how I’m feeling right now. I sighed, “…I understand but it doesn’t make the situation any less disappointing,” I explained, “The kids are going to be heartbroken that we can’t celebrate Christmas with everyone, even though we’ll still have a good holiday, and…I’m sad because…I enjoy spending Christmas with everyone.”

(Great, that sounded childish!)

Ever since that first Christmas I spent with Klaus, while we were still students at the academy, I have never missed a single Christmas with his family, who I have gained through marrying him and made our own. It has filled a hole in my life, and I never want our children to feel that loneliness of not being with the people we love on this day for families.

“…I understand why you are sad about this,” he suddenly said, and lovingly stroked his finger against my cheek and looked into my eyes, “But, this isn’t the end of the world. We’ll have a good time here, and go home when the trains are running again. They might get their presents a little late, but let’s hope the trains are running again in time for New Years’, alright. Cheer up.”

Lightly, he gave me a kiss on the lips, washing away my sadness about not spending the actual day of Christmas with his family. “…We better call your parents and tell them,” I would hate for them to expect us and then we didn’t show up, it would be rude.

Using the magic telephone, now with a camera to speak to them where they can see us, although we are not physically there, Klaus dialled their number. Instantly, it was Julius who picked up the phone and we saw something we didn’t expect to see – a black eye.

“…Do not look at my eye,” he noticed us gazing at it through the camera.

“Please explain how you got it?” I immediately asked, even though he said not to look at, and I’m guessing that also meant not to ask about it too.

“Yeah, what happened to you?” Klaus asked too, “Did Elaine slap you again?” He sighed, and we could hear laughing in the background, “Shut up, Elias because I will not hesitate to give you one too.”

“Long story short,” Elias jumped into view now, “Austin.”

Elias and Luca adopted a son, and called him Austin, and even have an adopted daughter, Jennifer.

That did not explain anything about his black eye, “Our nephew beat you up, Julius?”

“Well…we were playing cricket and he hit the ball and it hit me in the eye. It hurt,” embarrassed, he explained how the black eye occurred, “Elias…was no help at all.”

“Hey, my son is making up for all the years you and Klaus ganged up on me,” Elias chuckled, “It was funny though, you had to be here to understand, even Alexander and Sam were laughing at their own father.”

(Oh, they’re having such a fun time and we can’t be there this Christmas), my expression clouded over as I heard them happily talking. “…Um, what’s up sis?” Julius, who is very much a big brother to me these days, asked, seeing my saddened face.

“Don’t look so gloomy about it,” Klaus told me again, nudging my arm, and guiding us over to the sofa, “Um, is Mom and Dad nearby by any chance, we have some bad news?”

Julius expanded the camera so that we could see everyone as they sat around the tea room, drinking, what looked like rum in glasses, while the kids have gone to bed. Everyone greeted us, and Walter spoke up, “We have the chambers ready for your arrival,” he announced, cheerfully too because he’s excited about seeing the kids.

“Um…about that?” I started to explain and looked to Klaus.

“…We won’t be able to make it this year,” Klaus finished my sentence.

Groans filled the tea room at our news, and immediately it was Mary who had demanded our reasons, “Oh, why? I was looking forward to having all my grandchildren and children together,” she pouted, and felt as sad as I do.

“It can’t be helped,” Klaus closed his eyes, refusing to show his disappointment. “A landslide caused by the snow has suspended train services until everything is repaired and it is safe for the trains to resume as scheduled,” I explained to them why we couldn’t go, “We’re disappointed too, even though I understand, we’d rather be there with everyone too.”

“However, hopefully the trains won’t be down for too long and we can still spend some of the holidays with you all,” Klaus remained positive, “We haven’t told the kids yet because we just sent them all off to bed when we were told.”

“Is there no other way out?” Julius asked.

“No, the mountain roads would be more dangerous than going by train,” I answered, knowing this area all too wells since it’s my hometown, “Those are the only two ways out of here.”

Just like that, the mood, even there, turned sad. (I don’t want them to stop celebrating because we won’t be there), “Hey, though, don’t get all sad because we can’t spend the actual day there. We promise, as soon as the trains reopen, we’ll come home.”

“…Well, it’s unfortunate but it can’t be helped,” Walter concurred with Klaus’ earlier statement, “Be safe you two, we’ll call tomorrow when the kids are awake.”

“Sure Dad,” Klaus smiled, “We’ll be off now.”

“Goodnight everyone,” I waved to them and Klaus hung up first.

Even if he doesn’t admit it, I know he’s disappointed about not being able to go home for the holidays. But, we still have things we can do here to make our Christmas special.

Cuddling into his arms, I started thinking about what we could do, “You know, I know it is tradition to go to your parents’ house and celebrate Christmas together but this will be the first Christmas we’ve had with just the kids, and that’s not too bad either. No one is alone, and we can still have fun. We can go into town tomorrow, get supplies and decorate the home, decorate a tree and fix the house with some lights. We can bake some gingerbread and things, oh and there’s also a community party to celebrate Christmas too.”

“Yeah, you’re right. We can still have a fun Christmas,” he agreed, and we started talking about traditions, “Curiously, what did your parents do on Christmas?”

“You mean…like a tradition?”

“Yeah. You know how it works in my family,” he explained, “We always have the Christmas Charity Ball to attend as our final big event of the year, then there’s a massive family feast with our extended family followed by a Christmas breakfast with just the immediate family, and then we play magic sports and games, like Ladilz or Radicals,” he turned to me, with the flames from the fire bathing his skin in the bright orange glow, “Do you remember any traditions here?”

I did, but it has been so long since those days. “Well…we always attended the Christmas Party in town and the whole town participates or watches all these different Christmas themed competitions. There’s wood chopping contests, snowman building contests, and even a costume contest for the best Santa, best elf and best reindeer, there’s also the huge snowball fight. At home, I remember Mom and I used to bake all day and we’d have a feast of our own, her turkey was so delicious I can still taste it and Dad would tell the best stories. Then, we’d go outside and play in the snow. Each night, we’d do something as a family like have a Christmas movie night with popcorn, telling stories inside a fort, but my favourite was board games,” I answered him.

(I can’t believe after all this time, I never told him how we used to spend Christmas). I looked up at him, and could see his mind thinking away and his lips curling into a big smile, “What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking…that sounds like a wonderful way to spend our Christmas this year,” he smiled and pulling himself up off the chair and scooping me into his arms, “Hmm, but we can discuss this more in bed.”

(That’s sudden!) “K-Klaus?”

“What, not like we have to get up early now?” he smirked and carefully guided us up the stairs and down the hall to our bedroom, “Prepare yourself, you’re mine tonight.”

Pushing me down onto the bed, I pushed my way up to the head of the bed where the pillows were while Klaus crawled over the top of me, following my movement and attacking my lips with his, “Mm…,” I can’t say no, even if I tried to, I couldn’t. 

Although they were disappointed about not being able to go to the city for Christmas, Klaus and I made plans to have a good Christmas, and he wanted to do some activities I used to do with my parents when I was little.

First, it was the Christmas Party that involved the entire village. An old farmer, who I used to help with his cattle when they were sick, dressed up as Santa for the village children and handed out candy canes and small gifts to each child. We watched the various competitions taking place and participated in the massive snowball fight. For me, it was like reliving a long lost past but I could enjoy it with my children and husband.

We didn’t get home until late after the party, and the kids were as exhausted as Klaus and me, but it was the most fun we had in a long time. Going to town, we decorated the inside and outside of the home with Christmas decorations and pretty lights and decorated a tree as a family. Laughter, filling the home that had not seen Christmas in a very long time.

When a blizzard stormed through town and the power had cut-out, Klaus and the kids made a fort out of pillows and sheets, and that’s where we would sleep for the night since the kids were scared from the howling winds outside. Artemis rescued a stray kitten from the snow storm and named him Zen, and he happily slept beside her as the others traded stories long into the night, and the kids asking us all sorts of questions about our relationship.

Once the storm had cleared, it was another day of fun. We managed to build an igloo around a family of snowman symbolising our little family. Usually, the stream that floats past my house, is frozen over and I remember skating on the ice as a little girl with my parents and found myself doing the same. Oliver and Daniel are becoming better but I helped Artemis and Klaus helped Aria to master the art of ice-skating.

Lastly, we had a huge feast and I tried to replicate the delicious turkey my mother used to make, and told stories to my kids about their grandparents they would never get to meet over a small feast I used to enjoy as a child. I would be taking all the credit if I said I did it alone, but whenever we had this feast when I was little, even Dad and I helped my Mom in the kitchen, and so, Klaus and the kids helped me with all kinds of baking, cooking and making salads too.

From the end of the dining table, I looked up at Klaus and smiled at him as he cut the meat of the turkey for our daughters, and could see Aria giving Zen a few pieces of the delicious turkey too.

(It may sound mean, but maybe that landslide was a good thing because I could celebrate Christmas with my kids that way I used to with my parents). Looking over at the large photo of my parents, sitting framed upon the wall, I smiled, (I hope you two are here with us) I thought.

Gazing at the photograph, I swear in the split second that I had thought that I saw to white lights move across the room to sit near the table. “What the…?”

“What’s the matter, Mom?” Oliver asked me, seeing my confused and shocked expression cloud over my face.

(What in the world was that…?)

“Mom?” Daniel nudged my shoulder, “Are you okay?”

I turned to look at my worried sons, sitting to my left from one head of the table, “…I’m alright,” I said to them, and looked down at their finished plates, “I think it’s time for dessert, yeah?”

“Yes!” they screamed in unison.

“But, remember you four have to go to bed early if you want Santa to come,” Klaus reminded them.

I moved from my seat to clear the table, when I heard Aria questioning her father about going to bed early, “Daddy, how come Santa doesn’t like to be seen? Why do we need to be sleeping when he comes?”

I think Klaus is struggling to come up with an answer, but she’s not letting him go without one from the continuous stare she’s giving her father. Amused, I listened carefully while dishing out the desserts, “Daniel, you want to come up here and hand these out, please.”

“Sure, Mom,” he said, and listening to Klaus’ long awaited reply.

I knew it, my smart husband is no match when it comes to our kids’ questions, (hehehe). “Darling,” I decided to answer on his behalf, and Aria turned her attention to me, “You know how Santa has to deliver presents to every child in the world?”

“Yeah?”

“Well, Santa has to go to every house very quickly otherwise he won’t make it on time,” I explained.

“So, if he stopped to talk, he won’t be able to go to every house?”

“Exactly,” I smiled at her, “But…remember a few nights ago, you met Santa too.”

“That was him?!” she cutely shouted with a bright pink smile beaming across her face.

“It sure was,” once Daniel had handed out a dish to every person, I sat down in my chair again, and behind Aria I could see those white lights moving around the table.

“But, why could I meet him then and not on Christmas when he puts presents under the tree?” she asked.

Staring beyond her, Klaus followed my gaze but he couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary, and I wonder if my magical talent in seeing the departed is working to see these white lights move around the table. I can’t see a face, but there’s something there but it’s transparent.

“…Santa puts aside a special day where he can go around and meet all the children he has to deliver presents to,” Klaus finished, slowly, “…But, that’s why you can meet him then but not on Christmas night, because he’s super busy.”

She pouted but she understood, “…I get it.”

“But…if you want to help Santa, leaving out a plate of cookies and a cup of milk and some carrots for his reindeer will help him deliver all the presents to the children,” I added.

Immediately, the four of them jumped off their chairs and started preparing star-shaped cookies onto a plate, along with carrots for all the reindeer and a cup of milk for Santa, and placed it on the table near the tree. In the distraction, Klaus came over to me, “Why are you spacing out?”

(I should tell him, right?)

“…Around the table, I keep seeing these white lights,” I explained to him, quietly so the kids couldn’t hear our conversation, “It’s like the time we went through that cave of ghosts for that mission before we had the kids, I keep seeing these strange white lights but it’s like a transparent energy invisibly floating through the space.”

“Do you think it’s dangerous?”

“No…,” I honestly answered.

(Strangely…I feel it’s warmth…).

“I feel…warm,” I replied, trying my best to describe it, “Like, I’ve felt this warmth before but I feel safe and I’m not alarmed. They were hovering next to you and Aria a minute ago, and I watched but it was like…they were just watching.”

“Yeah, that’s what those ghosts in the cave did, they just watched,” Klaus remembered that mission, and the horror of that mission came back to his mind, “They were the ghosts of those children we were trying to save… but we were too late.”

“…I can usually tell the difference between good and bad energy, but this is…warm,” I answered, and started remembering when I had seen it, and wondered, really wondered (Mama, Papa?) I wondered.

(I looked over to their portrait hanging on the wall, and wished they were here. Could it be, they really are here with us, and those two white lights are them?) I look over to the portrait on the wall, behind Klaus, and truly wondered if my parents are here with us now, it sure would be nice if it was them.

“…Is it possible?” I asked, looking at the portrait and down to Klaus, kneeling in front of me, and just as the kids returned to the table to finish their desserts.

“…I guess it could be?” I could see Klaus was beginning to wonder too, “If it is them, I’m sure they are happily watching over our feast, and joining us in remembering how Christmas used to be spent here. Your Christmas is not a bad one,” he kissed my lips lightly.

“Yeah…it’s been fun but it’s not over yet,” I smiled, “Santa Klaus.”

His smile vanished and he looked at my annoyed for a moment, before I saw that devilish smirk curl his beautiful lips, “You will pay for that tomorrow my little elf, I will make sure to sound proof the room too.”

“Elf? Why am I an elf?”

“Because…it’s more fun that way,” he stood to his feet, “Alright, bath time and then we’ll watch a movie and then it’s bed time.”

With their dessert bowls cleaned of the pudding and custard, they followed Klaus up the stairs to the bathroom, and had the task of bathing them while I cleaned the table and kitchen. From the bathroom, I can hear their young voices playing and the water splashing, “I bet Klaus is getting wet, hahaha,” our kids are the most adorable ones in the world, and I’m so lucky to have them.

“Mom, Dad, if that’s you, I hope you’re proud of your grandchildren,” I spoke to the those lights that still lingered in the space in front of me.

Looking up, they were right in front of me, and because of my power, I am able to hear the voices of the departed too. I didn’t expect to hear the voices of the two people I have missed the most, “Asana…you have a wonderful family, your father and I couldn’t be more proud of you.”

“Mom?”

(That’s my mother’s voice. It really is them!) A bright smile crossed my face and the two lights that had been hovering around the dinner table wandered towards the portrait on the wall, and vanished. Astonished, I gazed at the portrait on the wall and would never, ever forget this Christmas I spent with my family – my husband, who I love very much, and our four babies we created, and the spirit of my parents.

Bouncing up the stairs, cleaning the kitchen could wait, I helped Klaus to bathe the kids, even if it meant us getting soaking wet as they splashed the water. Later, helped him carry them off to bed after falling asleep watching movies and, then, putting the presents under the tree for them to discover when they wake up.

We were quite exhausted too, and in bed I tossed over in the middle of the night to watch Klaus sleeping beside me. Brushing his fringe from his face, I leaned in and kissed his lips, gently and softly. “Hmm…Asana?” he mumbled through the kisses I was putting on his lips.

“…Klaus?” I whispered his name, and felt his arms wrap around my body and pulled me in closer to his body, “…I heard my mother tonight,” I revealed to him, and his eyes fluttered open.

“You heard your mother?” he asked, confused since he had been asleep and abruptly awoken by my kisses, “How?”

“You remember those white lights I saw earlier, it was my parents,” I explained, and peppered kisses along his cheek and lips, “…They were watching over us and their proud of our family.”

“Mm…is that so?” he hummed in appreciation of the kisses I was giving to him and rolled over on his back, pulling me up on his lap where my body stretched along his over the top, “I’m glad they approve,” he said, wrapping his arms around me to keep me in place.