Spoiler: Christmas in Heaven
ShowSpoiler: Christmas Spirit
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Christmas Spirit
Melody was curled up next to the window, staring out at the snow that was falling lazily toward the ground. It had been four long years since the final battle, and even then, she still woke up screaming because of the nightmares. She knew that while she and her brothers were taking it hard, the ones taking it the hardest were Matt and Devon.
“Aunt Melody!”
Well, speaking of a certain four-year-old. Melody turned her head to see that her nephew had entered the room, a look of concern pulling his mouth down into a frown. A weak smile coming to her face, she stood up and walked over to him, ignoring the Christmas tree (that Zack had been kind enough to cut down) that was decorated with ornaments in various colors, even the customary red and green, there was even strands of popcorn on it.
Picking Devon up for a brief hug, the woman met her nephew’s gray eyes with her own eyes of light blue. Putting him back down, she ruffled his hair, trying to comfort the boy even as she forced a weak smile to let him know everything was okay. “Come on, let’s go outside and play in the snow, ‘kay?” She commented absentmindedly, earning an eager smile from Devon. Leading the boy who was already decked out in proper winter attire outside, she watched as Devon ran off ahead of her before he started playing in the snow.
Melody leaned against the house for a moment; she didn't mean to, but she found that watching Devon play in the snow had dragged up some long buried memories…
She stood near the house, watching as Rhys played with his brothers. She personally didn’t feel like playing with them, and apparently her uncle-er father? She didn't know what to call Uncle Sam right now- had noticed her lack of interest in the snowball fight.
Feeling him place a hand on her head, Melody snuck a look in her uncle’s direction as he asked lightheartedly, “Penny for your thoughts, Mely?”
Pouting at the childish nickname, the eight-year-old girl huddled down in her winter coat even more, slightly grateful that the movement had caused strands of her blond hair to fall into her face. Noting her reluctance to talk, Sam tried again, “Come on Melody, what’s wrong? Why don’t you want to join your cousins in their snowball fight or making snow angels?”
“Because I don’t want to! What’s the point in believing in Santa or the magic of this stupid season if it just brings misery and stress?” Melody snapped. She knew that it wasn’t her uncle’s fault, but she couldn’t stop herself from shouting.
Blinking back tears, she focused back on her cousins to see that her outburst hadn’t gone unnoticed. Melody hated the unwanted attention, but probably what she hated more was when she felt the tears start to fall.
Turning sharply on her heel, Melody ran from the yard, her boots slapping against the snow and causing it to crunch under foot. She could hear the soft holiday music that drifted through the kitchen window, and she just wanted to scream as the lyrics wound their way out into the night air…
“You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen,
Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen,
But do you recall
The most famous reindeer of all…”
Jumping over the fence, she took off down the road; not caring where her feet took her as long as it was away from the pain. She didn’t hear her name being called, and even then, she wouldn’t have stopped to see who out of the guys was calling her. Melody wasn’t sure for how long she was running, but she stopped after the sun had gone down; she'd forgotten just how late in the day it was.
Putting her hands on her knees, the child tried to catch her breath. Looking up into the shop window she'd stopped by, she scowled at the image that had greeted her, even though a tiny part of her whispered it was wrong to be mad.
Mildly distorted because of the shop window, was the image of a family looking at the candy that the shop had to offer. Blinking again, Melody dropped her gaze before she could get caught staring. It only took a heartbeat for her register that there was someone standing behind her, looking up Melody let her confusion show as Zack stood behind her, a worried look in his blue-violet eyes that stared at her from the reflection of glass. Even so, the sixteen year old did his best to give his little cousin a reassuring smile.
“Sorry about Dad; you know he didn’t mean to offend you, right Mel?” Zack said softly. Crouching down so he was more on her level, he reached out and wrapped her up in a hug. Twisting in his grip, Melody couldn’t stop herself from burying her face in her cousin’s winter coat. Choking back a sob, she just curled her gloved fingers into the fabric of the coat.
“I want my parents back; I want to be at home with them.” She whispered, her voice strangled as more tears came to her eyes.
Melody felt Zack wrap her up in a tighter hug, and she didn’t have to look up to know he was hurting too; she could hear it as he said hoarsely, “I know Mely, I know; but we need to keep going. Mom wouldn't have wanted this, and neither would Uncle Dean and Aunt June. I know it’s hard, but I need you to be able to at least act as if you’re happy right now. Matt, Rhys and Tony could all use it; even Dad and I could use it. Who knows? Maybe if we act happy enough, we'll all be able to start believing it, and actually be happy for a little.”
Zack paused, and they both knew that he was asking way too much of an eight-year-old that had lost her parents just a couple months ago. Trying to follow his own advice, Zack put a smile on his face as he said cheerfully, “Come on, enough of this sad talk, let’s get some candy and head home. Maybe we could even see about building a snowman later.”
Nodding, Melody grabbed his hand as Zack stood up to his full height and started to follow him into the little shop…
Melody was dragged out of the memory compliments of a wayward snowball. Rubbing the extra snow out of her hair, she looked over to see that horrified look on Devon’s face. Looked like some of Matt and his brothers antics from a couple hours ago had slipped into Devon's head; no wonder the boy had wanted to go back outside. Smiling gently, she shrugged it off and bent down to create her own snowball. “You know Devon; it’s not very nice to attack your opponent when it’s clear they’re not mentally there,” the woman whispered, a twinkle in her eye as she judged the distance between her and the boy.
Throwing the snowball, she laughed as Devon got a face full of the lightly packed snow. Melody ran away from the safety of the house, even rolling out of the way as Devon threw another snowball in her direction. Grinning as a childish freedom slipped into place, Melody laughed as one of Devon’s projectiles collided with her. She threw her own snowball at him, again getting a hit as the boy accidentally stepped right into the path of it.
After about the fourth direct hit, Devon learned of Melody’s tricks, so their snowball fight got more interesting as they both tried to dodge their opponent’s attacks while trying to land a hit with their own. Flopping backwards into the snow, Melody watched as Devon flopped onto his own back and then worked on creating a snow angel.
Watching him for a few minutes in silence, Melody couldn’t help the sudden surge of emotion; she enjoyed the boy’s company, but at the same time it hurt since Devon made her want to reclaim her childhood, but she knew that was no way to do that.
“When’s mom going to come home?”
Melody glanced at Devon out of the corner of her eye, the knife twisting her heart at the all too familiar question. Devon had just been a baby, not even one, when Leyla had effectively “died” because of the price she had to pay for what she’d done in the final confrontation against Lucien. Looking away, Melody frowned a little bit since she was never sure how to answer that question.
“I-I don’t know, but your father’s trying to bring her back,” she admitted quietly. She could tell that Devon felt disappointed with the answer, and that wound up hurting even more. “I’m sorry, Dev, but I’m…”
Melody wasn’t expecting it, but it felt nice when Devon climbed into her lap and placed a finger to her mouth. “It’s okay; you’re just not feeling the magic right now.” Devon said matter-of-factly, a small smile spreading across the young boy’s face as he spoke with such conviction. “But I know for a fact that you’ll get there.”
Melody looked at Devon, her skepticism showing clear on her face even as that conviction dragged her mind a million miles away; but unlike the first time it was to two memories from four years ago.
She sat on the rock, looking down at the stream flowing beneath the ice. It had always amazed her, even when she was younger, that the water could still run so freely even when it was frozen. Her eyes traced the fish even as she kept her senses on high alert; she was waiting for her companion to fall asleep so she could slip away and talk to Tony about what she was supposed to do now. Her eyes darted to Razor; his hair was a light blond almost white color, contrasting nicely with his dark skin.
Melody couldn’t deny that he was handsome, but at the same time she couldn’t bring herself to love him. Her hand drifted up to the oval onyx necklace that she wore, the design of a wolf howling up at the moon stills her favorite piece of the necklace.
The necklace had been given to her by her boyfriend, who, while protective, understood why she didn’t want- no, couldn’t- leave Razor alone. The man had been broken when Luna, a woman he felt strongly for, had passed away and Razor had shortly afterwards been diagnosed with an illness that was slowly but surely killing him.
It still amazed Melody that Tony had been able to stick it out all those years ago when Laurel had been sick. How had he been able to stand watching her struggle against the cancer, unable to do anything but offer support? Seeing Razor like this, fighting a losing battle against his own body, being unable to do more than try to comfort him, was tearing Melody apart.
She noticed the slight change in Razor’s breathing, signaling to her that the man had finally fallen asleep. Rising to her feet, she walked over and bent down, lightly kissing him on the cheek before she whispered, “Don’t worry, we’ll get through this, I promise.” Standing up to her full height, she turned to the trees and started to walk away so she could talk to Tony to get some much needed advice on what she should do…
~-~-~-~
Melody walked up behind Matt; reaching him, she reached out a hand and placed it lightly on his shoulder. “You okay?” She asked, her voice like that of a mother concerned for her child. Which, considering the fact they were practically twins, felt weird whenever Melody slipped into “mother mode” as Tony liked to put it.
She didn’t like the look in Matt’s eyes as he turned to face her; he looked broken, completely unsure of what to do. Reaching out her arms, Melody took the little bundle that was in Matt’s arms. She took a moment to make sure the baby was comfortable, and then turned her attention to the man that she considered, not her cousin, but her brother. Again, she asked, “Are you okay?”
“Mel, I just lost my girl. How do you think I’m feeling?” Matt retorted, and she didn’t hold his attitude against him. Twenty-two seemed to be a hard age for those in their family; Tony had been that age when the Heartless took Laurel. Now, it was Matt that was hurting. The last battle should have been a triumph for all of them, except...
Leyla was gone.
Melody's eyes once more unwillingly darted to the stone state that was their friend Leyla. Leyla looked beautiful as a statue, and she even looked a little peaceful considering of what they had all just gone through just a couple weeks ago. Melody forced herself to look back to Matt; a weak smile on her face, she said, “I know, and I’m sorry about that; but while you should get a chance to grieve, you have to remember something Matt. You’ve got Devon counting on you now. So, I’ll take him for a bit and then, when you’re ready, you can come and be a father for him.”
She knew she should have been kinder; but apparently that was just enough to get Matt to smile and come back to himself just a little. Melody felt the brotherly peck on the forehead that he gave her, before Matt laughed, “Thanks Mel, I swear I don’t know what would have happened to all of us if you weren’t there to help us out.”
Grinning as they fall into their usual exchange, Melody answered sarcastically, “You probably would have all jumped off a train by now because you boys thought it was a good idea.”
A laugh escaped the two; then, growing serious, Melody added, “Don’t worry Matt, you’ll get all of this fixed up. I know you will, even if it takes you a bit of time.”
“Thanks Mel.”
Melody forced herself back, hoping that she hadn’t been gone for too long. A quick look at Devon told her that she didn't have to worry much about that. Thank goodness. Climbing back to her feet, she looked at him and asked, “How about we make some cookies?”
“Okay!”
Melody watched as Devon bolted into the house, oddly suspicious that some of his cheerfulness was just an act. But that was Devon, she supposed. Even though he was still so young, he always wanted his family to be happy, so he'd do what he needed to to try to make sure of that, even if some of his happiness was just a front. Devon really was Matt's son in temperament, even if not in blood; both of them were incredibly sweet and family oriented. Shaking her head, Melody moved to follow him, only to hesitate as the front gate swung open and a voice called out, “Did I hear something about cookies?”
A smile spreading across her face, Melody turned to see that Aaron was there. Smiling at the surprise visit, she waited until he was close and then gave him a hug. “I’m so glad you’re here.” She said, pulling back she grabbed his hand and led him toward the house. Stepping inside, she ditched her shoes and headed for the kitchen. Melody heard Aaron taking off his shoes as he asked, “You do know Rhys’ got a party going on tonight at six, right?”
“How could I not? It’s my cousin we’re talking about,” she answered, already turning on the oven and getting to work on the cookies. She didn’t have to look to know Devon had turned on the radio; she gave a sad laugh as the song on the radio reached her ears. It was just so perfect with everything going on with her and the others.
“There’s a little manger scene
Down on Third and Main
I must’ve walked right by
it a thousand times.
But I see it now in
A different light
Cause I know you are there.”
Melody rubbed at her eyes, brushing away the tears as the song continued to play. The song always had her crying, and the recent events sure didn’t help. She felt more than saw Aaron slip up behind her and wrap his arms around her. “Hey, it’s going to be okay. You go get ready for the party; I’ll take over on baking.” Aaron said soothingly, already setting work on gently guiding her out of the kitchen.
“But---.”
“No buts, you go relax. I’ve got this under control.” Aaron insisted, seeing that there was no winning against him; Melody slipped away to do as she was told.
~-~-~-~-~
Five Hours Later, and at the party
Melody was wearing a soft silver gown, her eyes easily picked out Devon playing with Matt. Letting her eyes drift around the room, she glanced over at the eggnog that was on the table in a bowl. She’d already had a bit, and she could understand why Tony had said the children couldn’t touch it. He’d spiked the stupid thing. Instead, he tried to direct the under aged to the punch bowel that he'd left untouched.
In the fireplace was a yule log that Laurel had put on to help warm up the house. Scanning the room, she had felt a twinge of disappoint since Aaron had slipped away as soon as they had arrived, apparently needing to talk to Tony, Zack and Rhys about something. Mel suspected that Lily, Cheza, and Laurel were in on it, since they kept throwing looks her way and grinning. Frowning ever so slightly, Melody turned to get another glass of soda when Adrian slipped up next to her.
“Hey, how are you holding up?”
Slipping the angel-hybrid a look, she returned to getting a drink as she answered the Nephilim, “Probably about as well as everyone else here,” she grumbled, not meaning to come across as snappy to him. Mumbling a quick apology, she saw Edge making his way over to the table, a look of worry on his face.
Nodding to him, she whispered to Adrian, “Any idea what’s up?”
Adrian glanced at the man and whispered, “Apparently he’s been worried about Kit enough that he hasn’t been sleeping. Haha, although looks like he’s going to have something else to worry about soon.” Puzzled by the laughter, Melody followed Adrian’s gaze and saw what it was that had made him laugh.
Kitridge had just suddenly appeared.
Smiling, she gave her drink to Adrian and wandered over to Kit. “What’s been keeping you away?” Melody laughed, happy to see that Kit was doing well after not seeing her for the past couple of years. Scanning the girl up and down, she took note of the blue dress that Kit was wearing; and that even the younger woman’s eyes seemed brighter because of the blue dress.
“Are you—are you okay Kit?” Melody asked, suddenly concerned because her friend just seemed exhausted.
Forcing a weak smile, Kit answered, “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just really tired, I want to talk to father and see if he’s willing to look after them for me.”
It was then that Melody looked down to see two children, neither one could be more than eighteen months old. The little girl had light skin and medium colored hair; her blue-grey eyes seemed to be plotting something despite her young age. Melody turned her gaze to the boy, to see that while his sister was fair, he was dark. His skin was along the lines of a mocha color and his eyes were a brown-amber color, the only area light about him was his hair. There he had Kit’s silver hair.
“Kit, where’s their father?” Melody asked, concerned because of the fact that the children’s father was nowhere in sight. Although, that concern was replaced when Kit looked her in the eye and said coldly, “He couldn’t make it.”
It was right then that Devon ran up, looked at the two children, looked at Kit and started asking a bunch of questions. Smiling in amusement, Melody watched as Kit humored Devon by answering all of his questions before the three children took off to play. “I get the feeling your son and Devon will be getting along pretty well.”
“With any luck, yes, and hopefully it’ll keep Xeo out of trouble.” Kitridge mumbled, before looking at her again and asking coolly, “Is my father here?”
More than a little taken aback, Melody nodded and answered, “He’s at the refreshment table.” She watched as Kit excused herself and then walked away, heading straight for the table where Melody had seen Edge. Turning to watch her go, Melody couldn’t shake that there was something wrong.
Suddenly feeling crowded, Melody turned to leave the room and duck outside for some fresh air. Keeping her head bowed so she wouldn’t make eye contact, Melody quickly left the room and made her way to outside. Leaning on the railing, she took in a deep breath and exhaled, trying to expel the anxiety she was suddenly feeling. Resting her head on her arms, she stared up at the stars, searching for any sign that someone may or may not be willing to listen to her. The icicles that hung from the roof or the railing didn’t bother her. Closing her eyes for a few minutes, Melody found herself humming a Christmas song; one that she had gotten stuck into her head more than once. Hearing it come on the radio, she smiled just the tiniest bit as the artist kept in time with the music.
“Where are you Christmas?
Why can’t I find you?
Why have you gone away?
Where is the laughter you used to bring me?
Why can’t I hear music play?”
A sad laugh escaping her, Melody turned to face the house and leaned backwards over the railing, her face slipping into a sad pensive look as she stared up at the clear night sky. “Can I try to restore that Christmas magic to you?” Aaron asked, sliding the door shut behind him as he stepped onto the back deck. Shrugging in answer, Melody turned around and focused on the backyard, tracing the leafless trees with her eyes. “In order to do so, I need you to close your eyes and only open them when I say so.” Aaron said.
Closing her eyes, Melody nearly opened them when Aaron removed the necklace that he had given her. “No, don’t. Trust me.” Aaron whispered in her ear, and even though it was a fight, she listened. She felt it when the locket was replaced, and she could have sworn that there was some extra weight on it. “You can open your eyes now.” Aaron whispered against her ear, and if she was right, he was smiling.
Opening her eyes, she looked down at her necklace to see that a simple gold band had been added to it. “Y-You…Is this why you slipped away to talk to my brothers?” She stammered, transfixed on it.
“Yes, and you don’t like it?”
She heard the fear in Aaron’s voice, leaning forward she answered gently; “I love it, and yes.” Melody didn’t give Aaron a chance to cheer at her acceptance, instead she kissed him. Although she could tell that he was thrilled that she had accepted his marriage proposal. Crying tears of happiness, Melody pulled back and added, “It’s perfect, thank you Aaron.”
“Yeah, I was hoping it would make you happy, I’m just a little bummed that we don’t have enough time to make it a Christmas wedding.”
And it was perfect in more ways than one; it helped to restore the feeling of Christmas that had been lost for so long. In all honesty, beyond a couple of things (and if she couldn’t get that back, she was fine), Melody couldn’t think of a better Christmas.
It was perfect.Spoiler: Christmas feelings
Show
~Christmas feelings~
Christmas Town
Bundled up in two separate coats, a pair of mittens, a scarf, tobogin and a hood, Aaron Riggs carefully made his way through Christmas Town. The snow was falling rather heavily and despite the fact that he was a fire magic specialist, the man was frozen stiff. Cold had never been one of his favorite temperatures and warming up later on, snuggled up with his girlfriend (hopefully future fiancé) was something he was looking forward to. For now though, Aaron had a friend to talk some sense into and another friend to remember fondly.
She had always loved this town, and that’s why they were here.
It took a while, it also took a lot of slipping, falling and swearing, but Aaron finally made it to a little out of the way spot in the frozen forest near the town. Another figure was already there, wearing a simple black long coat, hood up.
“Let me guess. Been here all day?” Aaron asked tartly.
“Kit’s dropping the kids off with Edge.” The figure’s voice was flat “Apparently he’s having some sort of party.”
“You have no intention of going do you?” Aaron sighed “Your just going to stand here and stare at her grave until the sun rises or you freeze to death.”
The figure said nothing and Aaron stepped up beside him, looking over at the gravestone that they had carved out four years ago today.
“I’m going to ask Melody to marry me.” Aaron said after a few moments “I want you to be there.”
“I already told Kit I couldn’t make it.” His companion said “I wouldn’t be any fun to be around..”
“You don’t want to say goodbye to your kids?” Aaron demanded “You don’t want to be with Kit? You don’t want to see your sister? Damn it all Timmy, Shiki would be furious with you right now!”
Timmy Chance didn’t say anything, letting Aaron’s anger wash over him as he looked forlornly at the gravestone.
“Christmas is when it hits the hardest.” He said quietly “It was her favorite time of the year, you remember? She’d always go overboard decorating Master’s house, would drag us off to sing carols and build snowmen. This day comes and suddenly it’s like I’ve lost her all over again. The memories just…slam into me and I don’t want to do anything, I can’t care about anything.”
Aaron knew about this feeling. It would be counterproductive to admit it right now but he too felt that way when Chirstmas rolled around. When he saw Santa and Christmas lights and remembered the way her face would brighten up when they visited her favorite old man. But…
“…you can’t be miserable on Christmas.” Aaron said “She always said that you have three hundred and sixty four other days to be miserable but no matter what happens you have no choice but to be happy on Christmas. The two of us have to do what she always did. We have to spread as much joy and good cheer as we can on Christmas. Just like she would have wanted.”
They stood there in silence for a little longer, the both of them lost in their memories of their best friend before Aaron turned around.
“I’ve gotta leave now otherwise I’ll be late.” He said “I wanna see you there, got it?”
Timmy ignored him.
Aaron sighed and started to walk, it was even colder now than it was when he had gotten here and it wasn’t going to be a fun trip back to his gummi ship. Timmy was as still as a statue and Aaron could only hope that he’d be able to put aside his grief for the love he had lost, and look ahead towards the love he had gained.
__________________
“How about we make some cookies?”
Aaron grinned as he slipped his hood off and at the thought of his girlfriend’s special cookies.
“Did I hear something about Cookies?” he called out, heart lightening up as he walked towards Melody and she gave him a warm hug. His heart fluttered, it always did when she hugged him. Or smiled at him. Or looked at him.
Hand in hand, the young couple walked over to the house and into the wonderful warmth it provided. They discussed the party as Aaron shed his winter clothes and stretched, comfortable for the first time all day. Scratch that, he was happy for the first time all day. A song about a manger started to softly play and Aaron quick walked into the kitchen, coming across Melody silently crying. He decided to give her a hug. Hugs, in his experience, tended to solve many of life’s problems after all.
“Hey, it’s going to be okay. You go get ready for the party; I’ll take over on baking.” Aaron said soothingly, slowly guiding her out of the kitchen
“But---.”
“No buts, you go relax. I’ve got this under control.” Aaron insisted. It would be a breeze to make Christmas cookies and Melody clearly needed a break. His girlfriend left and Aaron started getting out the supplies he would need for his dish.
“Lets see here.. marshmellows.. chocolate…”
Melody always kept her kitchen well stocked and in no time at all Aaron had everything lined up neatly on the table. He stared at the cookie baking materials for a moment, pain beginning to blossom in his chest.
“They’re my special Santa cookies!”
“Santa? They look nothing like Santa!”
“Yeah but they are chocolate and marshmellow! Santa says he loves chocolate and marshmellow! Now put on aprons you two, I’m going to teach you how to make them!”
“Shiki the last time I tried to make cookies I set the kitchen on fire”
“Well THIS is going to be the one thing that you’ll be able to cook Timmy. This one thing!”
“I think your going to need a Christmas miracle for that to happen”
“Aaron! No negative comments!”
“hahaha, yes mom.”
Aaron slowly got to work on the one dish his best friend could make without hurting himself, cookies so tasty that Santa would visit Twilight Town twice just so he could get a second helping.
He was extremely careful to make sure none of his tears got into the batter.
________________
Aaron had never been one for these sorts of parties.
He was dressed up in his nicest orange and black suit and had just had a very uncomfortable talk with Melody’s brothers. Said brothers saw fit to give him a stern talking to when he went to get their permission to marry Melody. But luckily it was mostly in good fun and they granted him permission. Mind you he would have done it anyway but it was nice to not have to cause a scene.
“Surprise her.”
Aaron jumped, looking around to see Timmy smirking at him, dressed up in his own suit, but his was red and black.
“That’s what I did with Kit.” He said after the two exchanged a quick, manly, hug “She never even saw it coming. Plus she looks a bit down.”
“Everyone’s a bit down these days.” Aaron sighed “Kit and the kids are over with Edge.”
“Yay.” Timmy rolled his eyes “My favorite in-law. Cosmos forbid she talk to Rydia, she actually likes me!”
“Yes well, you go over and speak to Pop Pop and I’m going to go propose.” Nervousness was pooling in his belly, what if she refused?
“Good luck” Timmy and Aaron knuckle bumped and went their separate ways. Hopefully Kitridge would be a bit more cheerful now that Timmy was here.
Pushing thoughts about everything else aside, Aaron walked over to where he saw Melody slip out. She really did look sad…
“Can I try to restore that Christmas magic to you?” he asked, sliding the door shut behind him as he stepped onto the back deck. Shrugging, Melody turned around and faced the backyard. Aaron swallowed a lump in his throat and gathered up his courage
“In order to do so, I need you to close your eyes and only open them when I say so.” He forced his voice to not crack.
She did so and he silently placed the necklace on her. She nearly opened her eyes too, “No, don’t. Trust me.” Aaron whispered in her ear, and held in a sigh of relief as she complied. He fiddled with the locket, replacing it with a ring and nearly dropped it because his hands picked right now to start to shake.
“Go ahead.”
She opened her eyes and gasped“Y-You…Is this why you slipped away to talk to my brothers?” She stammered, looking at the ring with wide eyes.
“Yes, and you don’t like it?” fear flooded his senses. She didn’t like it. She was going to say no. He had thought that they were ready to get married but it turned out that he had thought too fast and…
“I love it, and yes.”
Yes? She..yes?
She said yes.
SHE SAID…
Aaron’s thoughts stopped when Melody suddenly kissed him. Aaron responded with gusto, happy as can be that she had accepted.
They were gonna get married!!
They broke apart and Melody looked at him, crying again. But this time he was positive they were happy tears “It’s perfect, thank you Aaron.”
“Yeah, I was hoping it would make you happy, I’m just a little bummed that we don’t have enough time to make it a Christmas wedding.”
Melody smiled brightly and they stood there in each other’s arms, staring at the stars.
Eventually they heard music beginning to play, louder music that wasn’t at all like the soft, Christmassy music that had been on before.
There's a party here on Blue Planet
There's excitement in the air
People pouring in from near and far
'Cause Aaron and Melody are gonna have a wedding!”
“Is that?” Melody looked at the doors in wonder as Aaron facepalmed
“That idiot..”
There's a party here on Blue Planet
So I'm going to paint the town
If you want to see what colours are
Follow me around
Aaron’s gettin' married and it's
gonna be the wedding of the century!
“YOU WILL DO NO SUCH THING!”
“Edge.” Aaron chuckled “and Timmy wonders why the man hates him.”
Melody was laughing “Come on, lets go drag him off so he doesn’t get killed. Can’t have our wedding if you don’t have a best man after all.”
In high spirits the two returned to the party.
It was a Merry Christmas after all.
Spoiler: Christmas Promise
Show
Christmas Promise
“Incoming!”
Matt ducked low, just able to avoid the snowball that Melody had thrown at his head. Spinning on his heel, the blonde had his arm already cocked back, a retaliatory shot in his grip, when he felt something smack against the back of his head and run down his neck in cold rivulets. Doing a sharp turn to his right, Matt saw Devon standing a few yards away, a mischievous grin flitting around the little boy’s face. A wicked grin of his own cracking wide open, Matt shouted, “Hey, don’t think you’re getting away with that one!”
“Run, Dev!” Mel shouted, her voice fading into peals of laughter as the little boy was already fleeing, his bright blue jacket almost obscured by the snow he was kicking up. Matt didn’t stick around to deal any retribution to Melody; she’d get what was coming to her later. Right now, he had an errant little boy to teach a lesson to.
For being all of four years old, Devon was fast. He managed to slip into the tree line before Matt caught up with him, and by then, it was too late. Matt went down on his knees, a surprised yelp escaping his throat as the young man was hit by a barrage of snowballs. Male laughter echoed through the trees, and Matt knew then that he’d been had. That little stinker had led him right into a trap!
Unable to escape the barrage, Matt’s eyes blazed silver before he Shifted into his wolf form, the snowballs breaking against his steel blue coat before falling to the ground, harmless. Matt leaped behind an old oak before returning to a human again, while a laughed shout of, “Hey! No Shifting!” followed him as he ducked for cover.
“Right, and let you guys keep the advantage by having me outnumbered? I’ll use all the tricks in my bag that I have!”
Peeking around the trunk of the tree, Matt saw Rhys, Tony, and Zack ducking around the cover of their own trees as they made their way toward Matt’s position. Matt didn’t see Devon, but that didn’t matter; Devon was probably already heading back towards his aunt, his part in the older brothers’ scheme already completed.
However, just because Matt was the youngest of the Hunter boys, it didn’t mean he was without his own resources; baby brother he might be, but the twenty-six year old wasn’t all that little anymore. And, Matt had access to more latent magic than Rhys or the twins ever would. The silver of the wolf was still in Matt’s eyes, and the magic was high in his blood.
A stiff wind blew up behind Matt, setting the branches to rustling and the pine needles to scraping against each other. Matt pushed the wind to a higher speed, until the pines at last dropped their load of snow onto his three brothers. A chorus of shocked oaths jumped into the air, and Matt found another grin on his lips and his eyes sparked mischief as they faded back to their natural blue-violet.
Operation: Revenge was accomplished.
Matt turned quickly on his heel and jogged out of the copse of trees, not willing to stick around long enough for Rhys and the twins to recover and get their own vengeance on Matt. When the Hunters got going on exchanging pranks and revenge tactics, the wars could last up to two weeks, sometimes longer. Rhys and Lily were throwing a Christmas Party later that night, and Matt had some things he had to do in preparation for it. Now wasn’t the time to get drawn into yet another battle with his brothers.
He’d save that for the start of the New Year.
Matt softened his tread as he approached Melody, having noticed a familiar, little red headed boy standing with his back to Matt. Then, once he was three yards away, Matt exploded into action, capturing Devon and swinging him up into his arms before Devon had time to do more than squeak in surprise.
“Okay, time for some payback!”
Catching his breath, Devon almost lost it again as Matt started tickling him. The boy tried not to laugh, but he still failed as he cried out, “Stop it, Dad; that tickles!”
Okay, Matt guessed he could let Dev off the hook. Dropping the boy to the ground, Matt crouched down low so he was on Devon’s level before saying, “So, we’re even?”
Devon nodded quickly, his clear gray eyes made even brighter by the flush of color across his cheeks. “Yeah, we’re even! See you at the party?”
Matt reached up, ruffling Devon’s hair. “You bet, Buddy. Be good for Aunt Melody while I help Grandma and Grandpa with some things, ‘kay?”
Devon jumped at Matt, giving him a really tight hug. Matt returned the hug as Devon said, “Okay! I love you, Dad!”
Matt hugged the boy tighter for a moment as he said, “Love you too, Devon. See you tonight.”
Matt gave Mel a quick grin and a nod, then headed off to meet up with Anise and Arlene.
~-~-~-~
About Eight Hours Later
The party looked like it was a hit. Matt was standing apart from the rest of his friends and family for the moment, having found a brief lull in the festivities for a little time to step back and observe as he took a quick breather.
Matt and his brothers’ chat with Aaron had been pretty interesting, to say the least. Matt wasn’t going to lie; Aaron had some major problems in his past, but at the same time, the Hybrid had also hauled some serious ass to make up for those past wrongs. Aaron had gotten some ribbings and mild threats tonight from the brothers, mostly from Zack and Tony, but none of it had been too serious. Matt actually thought that Aaron was a good choice for Melody; both of them had fiery spirits, but they also balanced one another at the same time. Matt couldn’t wait to see Mel’s reaction to Aaron’s proposal, especially since he was making such an effort to follow the Hunter traditions. And despite the Hunters always trying their hardest to keep Christmas a happy time, a little bit of outside help to find that cheer never hurt.
A woman’s low laugh drew Matt’s attention, and the blonde found his eyes traveling to where Tony and Laurel stood near the decked out Christmas tree. Matt felt a slow smile spread across his face, one of happiness tinged with a note of melancholy. Laurel glowed, but she also looked like she was ready to burst. Everyone had taken to making bets on when she’d have the baby. Edge and Zack both thought it was going to be in the next couple of days, Lily was thinking that it’d be about New Year’s, and Matt personally thought Laurel would have the baby the first or second week of January.
But all jokes of the birth aside, Matt just couldn’t get over how happy Tony looked. Even after losing an eye in one of the many battles they’d fought against the Heartless, Tony had gotten the greatest gift he could hope for. Laurel, healthy and happy, had come back into his life four years ago, and the two of them had finalized the formalities of their relationship with the long awaited wedding.
And with the Hunters, the wedding vows really were just a formality. What mattered were the lockets that the Hunter men gave to their girls. If she accepted the locket, it meant that she held him heart, body, and soul, for as long as either one of them lived. Tony had given Laurel his locket almost ten years ago during a rather turbulent time for Laurel, and Matt was happy to see that the ride seemed to have finally smoothed out for those two. And not just them, either; it seemed like life had actually smoothed out enough that they were all settling down. Laurel had Tony’s locket, Cheza had Zack’s, and Rhys had given his to Lily. Hell, even Aaron had given a locket to Melody, and he was marrying in to the family. Matt was the only one who still had his locket.
Actually, his had been returned to him.
“Penny for your thoughts?”
Matt turned to his right to see Anise standing next to him, and he found himself trying to put a smile back on his face and lift his suddenly deflated mood. Anise was a bit of a conundrum to him, and a woman that Matt always had a difficult time looking straight at. Turning his eyes back to studying the rest of the party goers, Matt said quietly, “Hey, Lady Anise. Is Arlene around?”
The trouble with Anise, though, was that she knew Matt well enough to know when he was dodging a question. A soft sternness entered her voice, making Matt think of his own mother as Anise said softly, “Look at me, Matthew.”
Yep, Matt was definitely getting treated to Anise’s “mom” side tonight. With a sigh, Matt returned his attention to the older woman, noting that she had the slightest signs of gray starting to streak through her deep brown hair. He didn’t know why that surprised him still; Anise was Nephilim, but all that meant was that she had some extra tricks because she was half angel. She was still half human, and that meant that she aged pretty much like the rest of them. On the one hand, that thought reassured Matt, but on the other hand, it wasn’t that much comfort; he hadn’t gotten up the courage to ask Anise just how long Nephilim lived in the first place, so her hair starting to gray didn’t necessarily mean anything.
“Matthew,” Anise repeated, a little more sternly this time. She just wasn’t going to let him off the hook, was she? With a sigh, Matt finally met her gaze straight on, not even bothering to hide the pain that flashed through his blue-violet eyes and his heart from her. What did it matter? Anise knew the reason that Matt hardly ever looked her straight in the eye, and trying to hide the evidence from someone that could read his aura just wasn’t worth the energy that had suddenly abandoned him in a gust of wintry cold. Anise had passed her eyes on to her daughter, and seeing them every day in the older woman’s face, being reminded of Leyla when she couldn’t be there, was more than Matt could bear at times, especially tonight.
God, he missed his angel.
The skin around Anise’s deep green eyes crinkled as compassion lit across her features. Without saying a further word, she stepped forward, wrapping the young Watcher in a hug. For a moment, Matt stood there, rigid, but Anise was patient. She was good at reading people, and she’d had four years to learn a good deal of Matt’s moods and nuances. Quietly, so she didn’t upset him, Anise said, “I miss her too. Even with the joy that’s inherent in the season, sometimes, all you can think about are the people that aren’t there that should be celebrating with you.”
Matt returned Anise’s embrace then, accepting the comfort that she was offering. For a moment, he closed his eyes, indulging in a deluge of memories that flew by so fast that he couldn’t keep track of any specific one for long.
Ten years old, he was at the beach, Rhys keeping a watchful eye on Matt and Melody and Mel’s friends, Leyla and Ari. Matt grabbed Leyla from behind, causing the eight year old girl to squeal in surprise, before he threw her into deeper water…
Matt’s fingers were playing around the guitar strings, plucking out a Spanish melody while his brothers provided the rest of the instruments. The rain pounded against the glass, but the teen found that neither the rain nor the music could hold his interest that well. He found his eyes constantly drawn to Leyla as she danced with the other girls. The shirt she’d borrowed from his dresser to wear while her own clothes dried flared around her thighs, and Matt suddenly found himself wondering what she’d look like just a couple years down the road…
He was being tackled to the ground, a delighted scream ringing in his ears as Leyla wrapped him up in a bear-hug. Matt returned the hug with just as much exuberance, hardly able to believe it. Three years since their home world had been destroyed, and no sign of his family or friends, leading him to think he was the only one that escaped. But Leyla was alive, and he just knew that his brothers and Mel were alive too. Matt buried his face in Leyla’s hair, taking in a deep breath of her scent. She was alive…
“So she bit me. So what? It’s not like she…” he was trying to brush off his sudden skittishness, but Leyla wasn’t buying it. Her next words said as much, and they cut him straight to the core because of her compassion and their hard truth.
“She took by force something that she had no right to take, and that violation’s changed you. How can you call it anything but…?”
Pain flared through Matt’s neck as Leyla bit him, breaking skin and scar tissue. For a moment, panic grabbed him, and he wanted to throw her as far away from him as he could. But Matt fought the panic down; this was the only way. Masquerade had shattered his soul, breaking it apart and turning him into a soul sucking monster after she used a portion of his spirit for sustenance. Leyla was his only shot at fixing things, of returning to normal. She was the Angel of Twilight, given power over the soul; healing a damaged soul should be within her power, right? Pushing the fear away, he pulled her tighter against his body, vowing to never let her go…
“Leyla, come back. You’re still needed here. Come back, Little Rose.”
Leyla’s eyes fluttered open, grief shining in their emerald depths as she looked to the body that had so recently been a young mother, the same whose spirit Leyla just guided beyond the veil; the same veil that Matt had had to convince Leyla to cross past again to return to the realm of the living. Looking down at the same time, Leyla and Matt both looked at the six month old boy that was asleep in Leyla’s arms. The young woman’s last wish had been for someone to look after her son, and Matt realized that he and Leyla had just gotten parental promotions in regards to the orphan. The thought terrified Matt, and he was sure Leyla felt the same, but at the same time, he knew what their course was when she whispered softly, “Nephilim. He’s like me…”
“Leyla, please; don’t go!”
Matt felt as if his heart was breaking. They’d won. Lucien was gone, and he wouldn’t be able to hurt the worlds anymore; so why was this happening? Matt knew how this was supposed to go; he’d already given Leyla the locket, so all they needed to do was return to the Blue Planet, finalize things with their wedding vows, and get down to the business of raising Devon, the little boy they’d promised to look after. It wasn’t supposed to go like this!
An overabundance of wings crowded the area, with at least eight Nephilim standing within a ten foot radius, but all Matt cared about was the angel kneeling before him. Leyla met his gaze, resignation, longing, and absolute love in her eyes as her stiff fingers rose to unclasp the locket he’d given her. Once she’d managed to pull it from around her neck, she dropped it into his numb hands before she whispered softly, “I love you.”
And then she was gone.
“Why?” The question was hoarse, scrapping across all the rough edges and wounds that were only half healed, even four years later. Passing his tongue across dry lips, Matt tried again, only to find that his voice was still little more than a rough whisper. “Why did she go so far? Why would Leyla sacrifice everything like that?”
Anise didn’t answer him, and he knew it was because they were thinking the same thing. It’s because she was Leyla. She was stubborn and had her moments of pride; she could be harsh on her friends and held them to an extremely high standard, but that was because she was even harder on herself and the standard she held herself to was even higher, ridiculously so. Leyla didn’t forgive easily, and her friendship could turn to enmity and bitter hatred if the betrayal was bad enough, but that extreme was because she hated herself even more because she felt like the betrayal was because of some failing of her own. She’d always loved strongly; sometimes too strongly, but her heart had frequently been in the right place.
“She was a child of Michael,” Anise said at last, pulling away from Matt slowly. Meeting his gaze again, the older woman elaborated, even though Matt already knew the longer explanation. “Michael is the angelic personification of Charity, and as such, Leyla inherited his multi-faceted love, both the good and the bad. She’d always do what she felt she needed to protect the ones she loved, even if it meant going contrary to what was best for her well-being.”
And that was the truth of it. They’d needed the Angels of the past to defeat Lucien, so Leyla had broken past the barriers that kept her from the full power of her own angelic blood so she could summon them. She sacrificed herself to give her friends what they’d needed to defeat Lucien, because that was just the kind of person she had been.
Turning away from Anise, Matt started walking towards where he could see a familiar mop of red hair standing by the ninja princess Kit. Matt paused for a moment, though, when he heard Anise call out to him, “You’re going to visit her, aren’t you?”
Matt didn’t turn around, but he knew that Anise understood when he said, “Christmas is a time to spend with family, isn’t it? She deserves to be with family, too.”
Anise didn’t keep him longer, and Matt finally wound his way over to Kit just in time to hear Devon say, “Aunt Laurel’s going to have a baby, and that’s why her tummy’s so big. Did you have your babies in your tummy too?”
Kit laughed at that as Devon, Xeo, and Shiki ran off, and Matt even noticed that Holly and her little brother Andrew broke away from their parents, following after the other three. Matt had a feeling that Rhys had asked Holly to keep an eye on the younger kids; though she was only eight, Holly already had a major responsible streak in her, and Matt just knew that maturity of hers would follow her as she got older.
Matt gave Kit a quick nod, one that the ninja returned, a warm smile on her face. It was nice to see the Eblan princess again, and Matt hoped that he’d have a chance to speak with her later. Turning away from Kit as she began talking to Melody, it didn’t take long for Matt to catch up with the kids.
Devon saw Matt, and a huge grin jumped across the little boy’s face as he ran up to Matt. Crouching down, Matt caught Devon as the boy launched into a flying hug. Putting him down after a moment, Matt ruffled Devon’s hair as he said, “I gotta head out for a while, okay, Dev? You’re gonna be sleeping over at Uncle Rhys’ for tonight, and I’ll see you in the morning, okay Bud?”
Devon nodded quickly before he ran off to rejoin the other kids. Returning to his full height, Matt turned just in time to catch sight of someone else across the room. For a moment, Matt froze, and he saw Timmy stiffen as well. Brown eyes locked with blue-violet, and all Matt could think about was all the grief that Chance had caused for his friends; most of all, in Matt’s opinion, Leyla.
And yet…
She never hated you, Matt thought, turning away after a moment. Did you know that? Despite everything you did, she never hated you, not really. All she felt was hurt that you’d betray your friends and family the way you did, and self-loathing that she couldn’t stop you from doing it, either.
It took Matt a few moments, but soon, he was at the front door. Reaching out for his coat, it took him only a moment to slip it on, and it took even less time for him to pick up the bouquet of flowers from the foyer table. He was about to exit the house when he felt a small weight come flying into him from behind.
“Take me with you.”
Turning around, Matt saw Devon standing there, already wearing his blue coat. After a moment of silence, Devon said, “You’re going to see mom, aren’t you? You always go, every year. Can I come this time?”
Matt looked up to see Rhys standing there, watching the two of them. Again, Matt wondered if he was good enough to be Devon’s father; Matt wasn’t so sure, especially if he started comparing himself to Rhys, who Matt still idolized, even with both of them full grown. Rhys shrugged, saying in response, “Dev’s got a right to, Matt. I just thought it’d be best if he asked first.”
“Yeah,” Matt said softly, and a reserved smile broke across Devon’s face at the permission. “Yeah, you can come, Buddy.” Looking back at Rhys, Matt nodded his head and said, “We’ll see you tomorrow, Rhys. Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas, little brother.”
~-~-~-~-~-~
The Grave of Angels
Matt was always on guard a little bit when he came here. But he supposed that, when your first introduction to a place was a full blown battle, that wariness when you returned was just a natural reaction, now wasn’t it? The fight or flight response always settled down after a moment, and this time didn’t disappoint either.
Matt turned to see Devon looking around in awe, just the slightest hint of fear in his eyes as he looked at the snow covered landscape. Devon had never been to this world before, so he shouldn’t have the same memories of battle that Matt did. And yet, Matt was pretty sure he knew where Devon’s fear was coming from, and this thought was confirmed as the little boy whispered, “Daddy, do you feel that? Something…”
Matt slipped his hand into Devon’s, giving it a soft squeeze as the older man said, “It’s your mom. She always finds a way to be close around Christmas. You won’t see her, and you won’t hear her, but she’s here.”
Devon still looked a little spooked, but Matt knew the feeling would soon pass. He’d been hoping that he could keep Devon away for just a little longer, just until the boy was a couple years older, for this exact reason. Feeling the touch of an angel’s spirit for the first time, even if that angel was half human, was surreal, and a little bit unsettling at first, especially since most spirits could only reach out to those with some celestial heritage of their own. Matt was a Watcher, so his angel blood was diluted by centuries and generations, but Devon’s angelic heritage was strong; the boy’s father was Uriel, the angelic personification of Chastity, and Devon’s lineage was strong enough to mark him as Nephilim like Anise.
Like Leyla.
Even so, Devon surprised Matt, like the boy did so often. Throwing off his initial unease after a moment, Devon ran ahead of Matt, wonder clear on the boy’s face whenever Matt caught a glimpse of it. And why shouldn’t he be amazed? This was the first time he’d been to another world since he was a baby, after all.
Matt followed behind at a more sedate pace, his mind on memories of the past, musings of what could have been, and thoughts of what might still be. The two of them continued in this fashion for about ten minutes, only stopping once they’d come upon their destination. And even Devon knew they were stopping here.
“She’s beautiful…”
Leyla looked the same as she had that night four years ago. She was kneeling, her head bowed just the slightest bit, her eyes half closed. Her wings were out, half flared behind her with the tips just barely brushing the ground. Her left hand was cupped against her chest, as if in prayer, while her right arm was extended from her last act of giving Matt his locket back. For the most part, she was made of white marble with black veining, but her wings were made of solid white crystal, while her eyes were green crystal. Devon was right, she was beautiful.
But seeing her like this was also heartbreaking.
“Are we staying the night?” Devon asked, looking up to peer into Matt’s face. For a moment, Matt couldn’t speak, so he just nodded yes. Looking back at Leyla again, Devon said, “Can you do the Dragon Fire, then? Please?”
Matt turned away from the statue for a moment, his eyes starting to fill with the gold of the dragon. Carefully, he took aim at the ground, picking his spot, and then blew a streamer of flame hot enough that it melted the snow and took root in the winter grass beneath the snow. Matt set up a barrier so that the fire could still be fed air and they could enjoy its heat, but it also wouldn’t be able to grow out of control.
Once the fire was set, Matt turned back to Devon and Leyla. Kneeling, Matt placed the bouquet in front of Leyla, a collection of red tulips and roses that had red and white spread across their petals in equal measure. Scentimentals, Leyla’s favorite. For a moment, Matt knelt there, his head bowed and eyes closed.
A soft touch fell on Matt’s shoulder, and then he heard Devon say softly, “It’ll be okay, Dad. You said she’s sleeping, right? All we gotta do is wake her up. I know you can do it, Dad. You just need to have faith.”
Matt turned to face Devon, a small, reticent smile on his lips. “It’s more complicated than that, Dev. A cure requires a lot of searching, and a lot of time. I’d be gone a lot, and you’d be staying with either Uncle Rhys and Aunt Lily, or Grandma and Grandpa.”
If I look for her, I lose you.
Devon gave Matt a tight hug, a brief show of how strong he’d be just down the road slipping into his grip. Devon was young, but sometimes his heritage showed through in brief moments of speed, strength, or a resistance to the cold because of his already strong abilities with ice magic. But what always surprised Matt the most was when Devon had a moment of insight filled with a child’s wisdom, like he did tonight.
“You know I’m happy with just the two of us, right? You do good, Dad; don’t doubt yourself. But you’re sad a lot, and I know it’s because you miss Mom. You said once that there’s a way to get her back, so let’s do it. I’ll be okay if you’re gone for a while. Just don’t forget me. Please?”
Matt was the one hugging Devon now, holding the little boy tight as he started to cry. Holding him close, Matt whispered softly, “I won’t forget you, Dev, I promise. I could never forget you.”
Matt knew things were going to change soon. He was going to be gone a lot, a lot more than he wanted, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to sit by any longer. Carefully, Matt pulled Devon into his lap as the older man leaned against Leyla’s statue. Singing a soft lullaby, Matt watched the flames of the fire with Devon until the little boy finally fell asleep.
Christmas