For Keeps

2. Christmas spirit.

{Kurt}

Cary was rummaging through the house for all his Christmas boxes before lunch was even done. Jon pulled on his work hoodie and kissed Kurt good bye, in a hurry to get away to the University library before his shift at three. Kurt hummed to himself as he cleaned up their lunch dishes and the pots from supper the night before, an only slightly awkward dinner with Jon's folks. Kurt hadn't decided if he liked Jon's dad yet. Pete White smiled too much for Kurt to trust him; no one was really that happy all the time.

When the doorbell rang, he hollered up to the attic. "Douglas! Expecting someone?"

"Christmas helper elves!" Cary hollered back. "Just let them in!"

Bemused, Kurt opened the door. Bea White crinkled her eyes up at him, her hands shoved in her puffy mustard-yellow parka, a candy-striped knitted cap shoved over her mop of hair. Her parent's van was sitting at the curb, and Kurt gave Mel White a wave as she pulled away.

"If it isn't my second favorite White," Kurt said.

Bea's grin widened. "Hi Kurt. Are you helping decorate the house today?"

"I believe I am." Kurt swept his arm into the hall. "Come right in."

The house rumbled as Cary thundered down two sets of stairs, a pair of large red and green rubber totes in his arms. "Honey Bee, you're just in time. Got totes one and two right here and I'm going digging for number three." He set them in the middle of the floor and engulfed her in a hug.

"It's in the shed," Bea said, popping the lid off one of the totes to reveal layers of tissue paper, and tightly wrapped balls of twinkle lights. "With the outdoor manger scene, remember? We don't need it until next Sunday anyways. I organized everything in these two for the first week of Advent."

Cary grinned, holding out his fist for her to dap his knuckles. "And that is why you are my number one helper elf. Is Tab coming today?"

Bea shook her head. "But she says she'll be here for the toy tree on the third for sure. She has homework." She wrinkled her nose. "High school sounds hard."

Misty padded into the room, weaving around the totes with her tail making a question mark. Cary shooed her with a wave of his big hand. "Don't even think about it, cat. You have your own toys. These are mine."

Looking at the totes full of glitter and goodness, Kurt sensed a party about to happen. "Should I find us some Christmas music? Do we need snacks?"

Cary laughed soundlessly. "Got snacks already. Play us something festive, Visser, it is my favourite time of year."

Kurt never imagined someone could have his mother beat for Christmas swag, but as they unpacked totes one and two--apparently just a fraction of the Christmas decorations Cary had squirrelled away in the house storage closets and back shed--he had to admit the big man was a serious competitor.

"Here's the attic tree!" Bea pulled out a 2-foot tree made of gold tinsel, on a cork stand. "We'll do her first, come on Kurt." She scooped a shoe box under her arm and Kurt followed her up the stairs, taking them two at a time.

Bea flipped on the desk lamp in Cary's attic studio, finding the switch with the ease of familiarity. She hunted along his desk ledge until she found a little protruding screw, and rotated the tree onto it securely. Humming under her breath to the Christmas carols they could hear floating up from the living room, she straightened the wire branches and fluffed them up. "There we go--Cary's tiny tree," she said. "Now for the tiny ornaments." She lifted the lid of the shoe box and held it out for Kurt to see.

Lying in tissue paper was a collection of puffy paper stars and delicate snowflakes, hung with thread. "These are adorable," Kurt said reverently, taking one to drape it on a tinsel-y branch.