The Liberty War || Infinity War & Endgame

Chapter Thirty-Six: Little Boxes

Music is "Lover's Hill" by Vian Izak.

Picture is Grant Barnes.

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CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX: Little Boxes

{December 25, 2006 -- Seventeen Years Ago}

M A R S E I L L E

Rude awakenings are not an uncommon event when you're the mother of an eight-year-old boy. There's something in a child's DNA that prevents them from allowing their parents a full night of sleep, especially when presents await them when they wake. Even as Grant jumps onto me, practically throwing the covers off me as he screams about Santa Clause, I can't find the ability to care about my sleep. Thanks to him, holidays are no longer days I dread.

"Wake up, wake up!" he shouts, a huge grin on his face. "Santa came!"

"Oh?" I groan, pulling myself up into a sitting position. "He did, did he?"

Grant nods eagerly and grabs both of my hands, using the little strength he has to pull me from the bed entirely. "There are little boxes everywhere, not just under the tree!" He leads us both from my bedroom, down the hallway, towards the little evergreen tree we decorated a month ago. He gestures excitedly to the pile of presents underneath, as well as the few spilling into the kitchen. "Where did they all come from? There have never been this many before!"

I grin as the little boy bounds around the room. The sunlight has barely started falling across the earth and he's already full of energy. What he doesn't know, what I haven't told him yet, is that those gifts aren't all from me or "Santa." This year, they're from three other people who are equally special.

"You know, Grant, there's another surprise that I haven't told you about yet."

The eager boy turns to me with wide eyes. "Really! What is it?"

A knock on the door catches both of our attention. I grin widely at Grant's confused expression. As I move towards the door, I reply, "I've invited some very important people for you to meet."

Opening the front door, I catch sight of three of the people I hold most dear. Peggy, Dum Dum, and Rose hold gifts in their arms as the rarest of snowstorms passes over southern France. The pale magic covers their coats and hair, bringing out the white in both.

I usher them inside, helping them carry the boxes through the small entrance. "Goodness, it's really coming down out there."

"You should've seen the damn plane!" Dum Dum cheers, his smile wide under his mustache. As he places the boxes down on the kitchen table, he turns to me with a jolly glint in his eyes, that not unlike Saint Nicholas himself. "How're you doin', little lady?"

"Now that you're here? Absolutely fantastic."

Dum Dum bellows a laugh and pulls me into a tight embrace. "Missed you, too."

After I pull away, I turn to the ladies and offer the same greetings. Rose is giddy, despite her age, and Peggy is as sisterly as ever. I can tell that each of them is as excited to be here as me.

"Can I take your coats?" I ask. "Also...there's someone I'd like you to meet."

Turning towards the adjacent hallway, I spot the small boy hiding in the shadows. His dark eyes peer around the corner, looking from person to person with a perplexed look on his face.

I extend my hand towards Grant and nod reassuringly. "Come here, darling. This is our family. They've been looking forward to meeting you for a long time. Would you like to say hello?"