call it what you want

14. the christmas kids

Soon Christmas had arrived, and Ted had implemented some new traditions, Secret Santa being one of them. Vic was curled up in the office with her fellow coaches as well as Higgins and Keeley watching the boys through the window gift each other booze and things of that sort.

"Nate, what are you doing the rest of the day?" Ted asked abruptly.

He hummed, "I'm just spending it with my family. I finally make enough money to buy something nice for my dad. He can be very tricky to shop for." The more she found out about Nate's dad the more she realized he had in common with her father. Hated everything and everyone, nothing was ever good enough for him.

She pitied Nate but also didn't. He was more of an asshole than ever and she was the only one to ever say anything about it. He was turning into his father, angry, and bitter.

Vic tried everything in her power to avoid becoming anything like her father, or her mother for that matter. Amanda Adams was complacent in everything her husband did, she was either too drunk or strung out to care about what was going on with her kids.

Ted continued to ask the people around him how they were spending the rest of the day but she wasn't really listening, instead watching the boys through the window, laughing and carrying on like there wasn't a care in the world.

Vic hated Christmas, she always had. Even more so now that Em and Mal were gone. The holiday normally ended with their parents passing out on the couch, Robbie would normally leave early, going to his girlfriend's house or his friend's house, leaving his three siblings to fend for themselves. Vic and her siblings always ended up being picked up by their grandma or by Ted. Michelle always pretended to be happy when the kids would come over but Vic could tell she didn't like having all of them over. Although the three always ended up in Henry's room playing with him.

After the accident, Christmas got worse. It's not like Vic expected any presents but it hurt watching all of her siblings get something, even if it was something small. The first person to bring it up was Tommy, to which he was told 'We spent all our money on keeping her alive, that's her present.' Or 'She doesn't deserve anything after what she did' Or even whenever they caught her looking beneath the tree or caught her 'looking sad', they'd bark at her to be grateful that she was even alive when Mal wasn't.

And when she moved in with Ted she would spend the day in her room in the basement when they'd leave to go to Michelle's parents. She insisted it didn't bother her, but it did. It really did bother her.

Everybody could move on in their own way but she was still there, still in the car, still in pain.

But it was different now, Higgins had his Christmas get-together planned that Victoria and Sam were planning on attending. Everyone was planning on bringing food from their home country to celebrate the holiday and being able to spend it all together. She was just happy she wouldn't be alone this year. But also worried, would they even want her there? Would it be awkward?

Her thoughts were interrupted when Sam poked his head into the door of the office, knocking twice on the doorframe, "Vic, we have a present for you out here."

Her head shot up, "Really?" He nodded.

"Yes really, come on!" Everyone could see the huge smile on her face but only Ted and Beard could see the absolute joy in it. As quickly as she could she followed Sam out to the main locker room, the boys cheering when they saw her. Isaac was sat on an almost throne on top of the bench in the middle of the room, before quickly standing.