"It's Christmas!"
A small boy sat up and rubbed the sleep that hung around his eyes away, blurring his eyesight slightly as he looked over at the door. His eyes lit up, the only light source the weak hallway light. The room was still dark from the wintry grasp it was in, despite the thin curtains hanging wide open to reveal the outside world. Small white specs fell gently from the air, contrasting against the dark blue sky.
The space in the doorway was filled up by a man, one who shared the same blonde hair as the ecstatic child. He held his arms out to hug the child as he ran towards him, watching him laugh and jump up and down like he had been pumped full of sugar. The father laughed, taking his sons hand and leading him towards the staircase. Holly and mistletoe had been bound around the banister, spiralling down to the fire lit living room below.
"Let's see what Santa brought you then yeah?" He said, smiling to the kid with enthusiasm. The small boy let go of his hand to run down the stairs at a less sleepy place than his father. He pushed his way around the last beam of the banister, running over to the teenage girl as soon as he saw her. She sat huddle on the sofa, wrapped up in a dressing gown and holding a cup of tea in her small hands; the smile he gave her warmed her body more than any blanket or drink could.
A tree glistened in the corner, rainbow lights jumping from one place to the other, and she smiled back at the small boy weakly. He laughed at her, pointing at his presents and jumping on the spot. Most of the area around the christmas tree had been blockaided by presents wrapped with unskillfull hands. The colours were as varied as the lights dancing around the tree.
"Look Haley Santa came!" He giggled, his blonde hair sticking on end as he gasped at the sight of them all again. Haley laughed slightly, nodding.
"He sure did. You better go and open them before you start acting naughty again." The teenager, Haley, said with more enthusiasm than she felt. Leaving the comfort of her nest, Haley kneeled down with the boy; she passed him a present to open.
"Who's it from Atti?" his Father asked, finally walking into the room with a large dressing gown wrapped around his shoulders. The small boy looked up, and the back down at his present in confusion. The teenage girl peered over his shoulder, looking at the label.
"'To Atticus, lot's of love, Aunty Daisy'," Haley muttered "Who's aunt Daisy?"
The man shrugged. "His mums sister. She lives in San Francisco, or at least around there I think. I've only met her twice" He muttered, his face contorting into an annoyed expression. Haley tucked her hair behind her ear, raised an eyebrow and looked back at the present.
"What did Aunty Daisy get you then?"
Atticus tore into the present, pulling out a plastic box filled with colourful bricks. The boy squealed with delight, shaking it and laughing at his Dad. He gazed at the lego for a moment longer, before placing it on the carpet and opening another one of his presents.
As he did so, the man moved over to the sofa they were sat near, sitting down and watching the pair. As soon as it was clear that the kid was having no trouble, Haley joined the man on the sofa. He looked at her, mostly concern making up his expression, before speaking.
"So what are your plans today?"
She hesitated slightly, answering quietly. "Well sometime today I'm going to go visit Poppy, to wish her happy Christmas. I'll probably go see Dad and Molly later as well.. I'm sure they're celebrating Christmas"
"Oh yes he will be. Dad loves Christmas, doesn't like to admit it though." He said laughing and shaking his head.
"Really?" Haley asked, chuckling and sipping her tea. The ball of guilt and anguish noted inside her stomach still, but the laughing seemed to help unravel it.
"He loved it when I was younger. Refused to acknowledge it till December 1st like the traditional idiot he was, but when the time came round he was just as excited as we were. Used to be the best time of the year." He smiled, memories of good times flooding back to him "We stopped after my brother died though. It wasn't really the same"
Haley leaned back into the sofa, watching her nephew open another gift.
"I can't imagine him like that... I mean the good spirited version of him. He started acting worse when Poppy died.. and well now the new babies are on the way he's kind of being his usual self again. You reckon it'll end alright?"
"Oh yeah it'll be fine. He's a sucker for little kids. He messed up with the rest of us, no doubt about that, but these new kiddies have Molly don't they? Molly wouldn't let anything happen to any of you lot, and Dieter wouldn't let anything happen to her or his babies. You'll be a beautiful family as any."
Haley smiled slightly, thankful to have someone who knew a fair bit more about the ways of the world than she did. Someone who knew a fair but more about her own family than she did. It didn't bother her though, he was family. They were both family.
The kitchen was small and dimly lit, moisture from the water that boiled hours ago still clung to the frosty glass of the window. It was warm, quiet almost, and the left over energy that had fueled their day was now beginning to disperse. The two figures stood together, swaying in the warmness and gentle song that droned out of the radio.
His arms folded over the woman's half swollen stomach, touching her with care. His fingers rested cautiously, holding back with dread and discomfort. This was something he could never hurt, not this one, not ever. She encompassed her hands around his.
"So this is Christmas, and what have we done..?"
Molly lent back into her lover, resting her head against him as they danced quietly to the radio. Their movements were reduced to awkward shuffles, barely moving more than a foot in any direction due to the bloated size of her stomach. Her partner rested his forehead on her head, his closed eyes and other facial features enveloped in her blonde locks- the kind of affection only she would ever know to see coming from him anymore. The kind only people liked her lived to see. He was happy about that though, if opening himself up meant she got to live, then so be it.
"This babies going to be the best thing that ever happened" he murmured softly, weakly smiling as he felt the unborn child wriggle in it's mothers womb. Molly nodded gently, matching his expression.
"Your the second now dear, sorry." She laughed at that one. "You know I'm never going to let anyone hurt you again. Ever. We'll take us all far away and start all over."
"Italy yeah.. And maybe the occasional holiday to Munich every once in a while?" They swayed slowly, the song changing not causing any effect. He kissed her head softly, hugging her like she was his last lifeline. The man closed his eyes.
"Mm maybe, but only because it's my home towns near there... But I know this little sea side town up north?"
"Yeah? What's it like?"
"Best sea side town in the world. Surrounded by countryside. I used to go visit there once every five years but you know.." He shrugged, "things just stop being tradition. We can visit every year though, you, me, Haley and the baby. It'll be great."
Molly smiled, holding her stomach at the thought. She thought about her unborn child, unborn children, running through sandy dunes. They'd run to and fro the ocean, collecting sea shells to decorate the tower that would be destroyed within a couple of hours. Dieter would help them of course, carrying them out into the dark ocean, laughing as they squealed at the coldness. It would be perfect, it seemed as easy to do as it was to think about.
"Yeah, I'd like that."
