Path To Freedom

Chapter 13

December.

Sky and Alex's favorite month of the year. Why? Well, not many people believe them, but the two friends pretty much invented Christmas. Sure, it was in their old kingdom, but eventually it passed on throughout many more kingdoms.

"Do you remember when I was eight and you convinced me that Tim was Santa?" Sky asked her best friend with a giggle.

The entire group were out in the backyard of Rob and Kelsey's sitting around a fire. Each couple were cuddling close with blankets and listening as stories were told. Past to recent, no one minded. They all had some type of adventure to share.

"We made up a man that brings gifts! He was the only one walking the halls that night!" Alex defended himself with a laugh.

"You two almost costed me my job!" Tim exclaimed, looking between the two. Sky could only giggle while Alex shrugged with a look of 'not my problem.'

"It wouldn't be the first time those two caused trouble. Tim would tell me all kinds of stories when we hung out." Adam spoke up, catching Sky's eye. The blonde man smiled at his daughter. "The things you did? Proves you're my kid."

"I can't believe Christmas is tomorrow!" Sami said, a bright smile on her face. Chance chuckled at her excitement, leaning over and kissing her cheek. Everyone 'awed' at the action, causing Sami to blush bright red.

"Not only Christmas." Avi spoke up. Everyone stared at him in confusion. "My anniversary is tomorrow as well."

"What's it been? Four years?" Austin asked as he was braiding Sky's hair.

"Best four years I've ever experienced." Avi confirmed, glancing to his boyfriend. Alex could only smile as he stared into the green eyes of his lover. "And I hope for many more."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Alex said, leaning into his lover and watching the fire. The golden flames and the crackling of wood, it was all so mesmerizing. It made him think of the simpler times. When they weren't running from the law at every moment.

"How did you meet?" Mae asked. She had gotten Loki to the guard the lake for her. She felt amazing and free as she spent time away from the waterfall.

Instead of answering, Avi started giggling. Alex rolled his eyes as a blush crept onto his cheeks.

Alex eventually smiled as he leaned into Avi, beginning to tell the story:

*flashback*

"Alex come on! Austin wants to show us his hideout!" Sky said, trying to drag her best friend through the castle halls.

"Is hideout a code word?" Alex asked with a smirk but was met with a punch to the arm. The rest of the way Sky kept mumbling about how 'awful minded' Alex was. The man wasn't going to disagree with her. For such a 'proper gentleman', Alex always had a very...active imagination.

Sky continued holding onto her best friend's arm, eventually loosening the grip and letting Alex walk alongside her. The two laughed and joked about any and everything that they saw on the paths to this 'hideout' that Sky kept going on about.

Alex was still a bit skeptical, and made jokes out of it.

Soon a silence fell over the two as they walked through a beautiful clearing that had been lined by trees and bushes. Wildflowers were blooming and growing about and it gave a great sense of color. The two friends slowed their pace as they walked down the path. They both were trying to really take in the scenery that was around them.

As they walked, the more colorful flowers that they saw. Alex was in awe, having not seen that many colors in flowers before. Sky smiled as her friend would occasionally stop and crouch down to inspect one. If it really intrigued the man, he would turn to his friend and talk about how he didn't know that it was possible for flowers to have such ranges of colors.