The Librarians And the Advent List

Dec 17

"I can't believe we got talked into this," Baird muttered to Stone looking over at an absolutely beaming Cassandra and a rather bouncy Flynn. "And Flynn keeps going on about this being practice. Practice for what?"

"You never know in this job," Stone sighed, taking a paper off the stack of Christmas carols Baird just passed him and handing it off to Jones.

Jones shrugged. "Got them on my phone, mate. I don't know, this whole caroling thing actually fascinates me. Also I feel like listening to you people sing might make my whole Christmas."

Baird groaned and tried to figure out a way to disable the video recording capabilities on Jones' phone with her mind.

Stone had noticed that somehow Jenkins had managed to get out of this and wished really hard for the clippings book to go off. It didn't and it stayed silent. So off they went Christmas caroling.

It went about as well as Stone guessed it would. Cassandra couldn't quite carry a tune. Which she possibly made up for in her level of enthusiasm. Except she was also very loud which didn't quite mask her being off key. Jones and Baird both could carry a tune, Jones actually surprising him. Flynn's abilities and enthusiasm were about level with Cassandra's.

But Cassandra had gaped at him when she finally shut up long enough to listen to him sing.

"You can sing Jacob Stone!"

"Yeah," he looked at her like she should have known that. "Been singing all my life. What?"

"No, I mean SING! You didn't tell me! Why are you so quiet back there?"

"Uh, Cassie, no offense but you keep drowning me out!"

"But I like Christmas carols!"

"I know you do, darlin' but that's why you can't hear me. It's fine, really."

"Okay, okay," Flynn said coming over and ending the mostly mock argument. "Let's try a new thing, with this next song. It's Deck the Halls, right?"

Cassandra nodded. "Okay, Stone, you're lead. Jones and Baird, come in a bit later for harmony. Cassandra, you and I are on the fa-la-la-las. Sound good?"

What followed was, according the senior citizens at the center they were singing at, the best version of Deck the Halls they'd ever heard. They were probably being very nice, but they all left feeling like they'd managed to spread some Christmas cheer.

"That was fun, " Cassandra said to Stone when they were alone in the Annex after the others had left. Flynn and Baird had left for a date and Jones had said he had plans.

"Yeah it was," Stone grinned. "I haven't sung in a long time."

"Do you play any instruments?" Cassandra asked.

"I play a little guitar, how about you?"

"I haven't played for years, but I took piano lessons when I was a child. My parents thought it would look good on college applications as well rounded education."

"Think you can still remember a few carols to have a little fun in the music room?"

"Ooh, I've only been in there once, but I'm sure I can."

The music room was light and airy, despite it being night time outside. Sheet music and recordings in every medium were packed into the space, Jenkins having explained once that it was only some of the collection and the Library regularly rotated the items. There were enchanted and magic musical instruments carefully arranged in cases. But Cassandra and Stone were interested in the completely normal instruments in the room, particularly the beautiful piano and the guitar collection.

There was a lot of giggling as both being rusty, they made a few errors getting through familiar carols. But it was, Cassandra reflected later, actually more fun than getting them perfect. Something she wished she'd learned when she was a child and not as a fully grown adult.

She'd started this quest to give Christmas back to Jacob Stone. And somehow he'd managed to give her her childhood back in return.

And she had no idea how she was going to thank him for that gift.