But I'd Have Had to Miss The Dance (Sylverasey Collection)

Vg ~ Griffin I, Gabby I, Jack I

Christmas continues, Nolan drives a point home, we (finally) get a sneak peek into New York, and celebrations in Chicago are cut short.

Enjoy!

***

The Severide cabin out in the woods was a much better type of secluded than the house in Portland had been. Their mother had become more isolated with each city they moved to, and the Portland house had been no different. In fact, that had probably been part of the reason no one had noticed their aunt had abandoned them for so long. Both houses were surrounded by trees, but the Severide cabin, at least, felt like a home and not a ticking time bomb.

Plus, the snow on Christmas made the cabin feel like they were in the middle of a Hallmark movie, and Griffin had no idea he would appreciate such a comparison.

But it was worth seeing Ben smile and laugh as he ran through the trees while being pursued by Sylvie, the pair illuminated by the moon and stars in the sky. It turned out the blonde was ridiculously competitive when it came to snowball fights, and both the boy and the paramedic were covered in snow. Griffin leaned on the porch railing, running a hand through his dripping wet hair as he watched Sylvie quickly duck behind a tree, Ben's snowball hitting the bark with an audible thud. "Come on, Ben!" he goaded when his brother sprinted into view. "Get her!"

"Griffin!" Sylvie loudly protested.

"You got me out of the game!" Griffin grinned. "I'm on my brother's side!"

Any further arguments were silenced when Ben ran towards Sylvie's hiding place, and the blonde squeaked and took off again, her braids flying behind her. "Get back here!" Ben barked, not hesitating in pursuing her.

Griffin laughed in delight, cradling his hot cider in his hands as he watched. His brother's cheeks were flushed, but it wasn't in frustration or anger. No, everything in Ben's bearing screamed happiness as he tried to nail Sylvie with snow. It was such a change from their last Christmas that Griffin realized with a pang that he had barely spared their mother a single thought.

"You look like you're thinking hard."

Griffin jumped in surprise and fumbled not to slosh hot liquid over his hands. "Jesus, Nolan," he huffed in annoyance.

"Sorry," Nolan smiled apologetically, leaning on the railing next to him. "Apparently, I need to wear a bell or something. I've been doing this a lot."

"Yeah, you do," Griffin sighed. "Sorry."

"No need to be sorry," Nolan shook his head. "Something on your mind?"

Griffin fidgeted and stared down into his drink. "This is our first Christmas without our mom," he said quietly. "And yet . . . it's the first Christmas that feels like Christmas since our dad died. It actually feels like 'happy holidays.'"

Nolan nodded in understanding. "Feeling a little guilty?"

"A little," he admitted. "I mean . . . she's our mom."

"And yet, you yourself said that the last time you felt you had a stable environment was the last time you were in Matt's care."

Griffin ducked his head. "Yeah."

It was silent for a few seconds, and while it wasn't uncomfortable, Griffin was relieved when Nolan finally spoke again. "From what you, Ben, and Matt told me, you went above and beyond to care for yourself and your brother when your aunt left you, and I am very impressed you did that while keeping up with your schoolwork. Despite that, Griffin, you're seventeen. You still have time to be a kid. You shouldn't have had to be the adult in your family. This is probably the first time since your mom's arrest, or at least since your aunt left, where you don't have to act like one, right?" Griffin nodded, and Nolan tilted his head. "How does it feel?"