The White Queen (S.Rogers)

Chapter 54

"It's Christmas." Papa remarked, standing at the door to their cell. "I feel like we should be doing something."

She sighed. He did this every year, even his memory wiped. "Papa, it doesn't matter. Christmas is just another day, one that doesn't affect us."

He frowned, looking at her over his shoulder, reaching up to scratch at the seam of flesh and metal. "I feel like I've really failed you. I should have found a way for you to experience Christmas, even once, when you were little."

She sighed again, getting off the bed, putting her book down. "You and I both know that would have been a bad thing. Why have a reason to look forward to a day, when you don't know if you will be awake, or alive, to experience it?"

"You are becoming very cynical in your old age, you know that?" He smirked, turning to lean against the door frame. "How did that happen?"

She laughed, stopping right in front of him. "I'm your daughter."

"No, see." He protested, as she went over to the door, looking out the window, to try to see what he had been looking at. "I know I had a daughter. This sweet little thing. Somehow, she turned into you."

"Are you saying you are unhappy with me?" She frowned, glancing at him sharply.

He grinned. "Nope. You are still my kid. Returning to my earlier statement, it's Christmas."

"So you've said." She cocked her head. "What do you want to do, then? Since it's Christmas?"

Papa shrugged. "That's what I've been trying to figure out."

"Okay. I'll play your game. What would you want to do, if we weren't in here?" She went over and leaned against him, smiling as he wrapped his right arm around her.

"I would want have a tree. A small one. Nothing too fancy. Popcorn on strings, wrapped around it. Maybe a few of those new lights they are making." He rubbed her shoulder, closing his eyes as he thought about it. "I'd want to go down to the butcher a few days before, order us a big chicken. Maybe a small side of beef. Get it in the oven when we wake up. Sit on the couch and listen to the radio while we open presents. Go around to the neighbors and wish everyone a Merry Christmas. We'd have Steve over, too. Hell, he'd probably be living with us. He can sketch out a few Christmassy things on paper, so we can have ornaments for the tree, like the rich folk do, up in Manhattan. We'd have to go to church, of course."

She made a slightly disgusted sound at that. "Church? Really, Papa?"

"Hey, it's part of the deal. Get our best clothes on, go to church, listen to the carols. It's all part of it." He held her close, and she enjoyed the warmth off of him. No matter how cold it was, Papa always was there to keep her warm. "We can also put Steve to work in the kitchen. He's actually a pretty good cook. You'd be surprised, a skinny guy like him. We can also go around to the house of whatever young man is courtin' you at the time. Just to make sure I like his family. Maybe let me put the fear of God in him. Make sure he knows to treat you like the princess you are."

"What would you want me to give you, as a present?" She asked, trying to distract him from the 'young man' portion of his thoughts. It always seemed to depress him, thinking about her leaving him for some 'no-good rascal' as he sometimes liked to call it.