Christmas in Terra Nova
"Grandpa!"
"Emily," I scoop my youngest grandchild into my arms.
"Marry Christmas," She gives me a kiss.
"Grandma," Emily wiggles out of my arms to Elisabeth.
"Travis, How my deputy in training?"
"Good Gramps," He said between boxes. Travis has wanted to join me on the small police force since he was seven.
"Hey Grandpa." Kara said giving me a one armed hug.
"What's that?" I ask pointing her internment case.
"My violin." She said proudly. My first grandchild was musically gifted to level that she downloaded musical pieces from the Eye.
"Hey Dad," Josh shacks my hand and Skye gives me a hug. I was so happy that Josh had the life I wanted for him. He and Skye made great parents and his inherited business was booming.
"Hi Dad," Maddy said continuing the stream of people entering my house.
"Hey sweetie." I give her a hug and Mark shacks my hand
"Jim."
"Mark." I say to my son-in-law whom I tormented till the day he said "I do." But, he's the one of the best man I know and makes Maddy so happy.
"Hey Gramps," Mark Jr said ducking barley clearing the door. At sixteen he is to Mark what Mary is to Maddy, he wants to join the security team. Well, I guess one cop is enough for me.
"Oh Mary," I say lately my granddaughter has changed from a child to teenager.
"Hey," But, she's still Mary with that caring smile and shy look in her eyes. Smart like her mother she would grow up to be the tops in any field she choose.
"Grandpa," The twins say together while hugging me. Henry is talking about a pick-up football game and James is waiting for his turn to talk about art. James was an artist and would spent lots of time in the looking at the Eye paint's of the past.
"Daddy," Zoe is the last to arrive but brings me a treat.
"Sammy!" My last little girl had brought her boyfriend/fiancé.
"Sir," He said shacking my hand.
"Be nice," Elizabeth whisper into my ear.
"Come in," I usher them into the now full house.
"Aunt Zoe," Emily hugs her favorite aunt.
"Hey Em," She hugs her smiling a weird smile. Sam whispers something into her ear causing her to giggle. Looking around at my children and the small army of grandchildren I have a wave of happiness come over me. Kara is playing Christmas carols while Josh, Emily and Skye sing along. Henry and Travis are talking about something mostly football, James is drawing the tree. Mark, Sam, and MJ are in a small group talking about military history I can hear them. Maddy, Zoe, and Mary are talking in a small group I don't know what about.
"Jim Dear what's wrong?"
I look at my wife almost fifty-five and still more beautiful then any other woman I've ever know "Music."
"Its lovely," She defends Kara valiantly.
"Yes, I know but if we were in-"
"No!" She puts you finger on my lips. "Twenty-five years ago when we first came here and I asked you if we had done the right thing what did say."
"We did the right thing for our children." I say in wonder in the ten she was in America plus twenty-five years here her accent was as chirps as ever.
"Right so if Kara needs to get a more difficult piece of music or if James to learn a new technic he then they'll have to go to the Eye. But, its worth it for them grown-up never having to wear a rebreather."
"And we wouldn't have Emily or the twins and Zoe wouldn't be doctor schools wouldn't take her." I say thinking about my army of grands cut down and Zoe brave girl wouldn't be so brave in the discrimination of the future.
"Grandpa," Travis yells holding a football. "Lets go play boys against girls."
)()(
"It was fun once the girls left," Henry said taking off his socks. The girls won the first game and the second game. After their third victory they went inside to finish Christmas dinner giggling all the way. Zoe wasn't feeling well so she sat out the last game. The matches was then young vs. old. It kinda went down hill from there and we all had mud on one part of our body. "Come on men well need to a change of cloths."
"Yeah, Mom will never let us eat looking like mud people." Henry said looking at his own body.
"But it was fun," Travis said taking off his shoe's which had been swallowed by mud around game six.
"Yeah fun," I say wearily.
True to the letter the Maddy takes one look at her son and her husband points straight to the bathroom. But, its Skye who gives the order "Get that mud off right now."
"Yes, Ma'am" Josh and Travis say joining the rest of us on the walk a shame to the bathroom.
Removing our mudding cloths I pass out pants and shirts the grown man and Sam the shrimp can fit into my cloths well enough. Even MJ can hold up pant with a belt but Travis and the Twins couldn't
"Um," I look at Travis whose shirt reaches his knee's. Henry and James have managed to pull the pants I gave them pass the bellybutton. "There might be some of Josh's old cloths here."
I say looking to Josh's old room its empty now just boxes and a spare bed. Crossing the hall we hear giggle's. Mary and Emily are laughing at the site of the younger boy being swallowed by my shirts.
"Mary go help your Grandmother."
"Emily go with your cousin." Josh walks the girls back to the kitchen.
"Are you sure about this?" Henry and James ask together.
"Does that ever freak you out?" Sam asked as the twins mirror each others movements.
"All the time," Henry said opening a box.
"But, what really freaks out people is when. One of us starts-"
"A sentence but the other finishes' it." James said holding up a t-shirt.
"I'll take that," Travis grabs the shirt.
"Dad what's the P.A.P.C?" henry asked putting on the shirt.
"People against population control," I say knowing that shirt was ban in the future.
The three boys look at each other.
"Why would you want to control the population?" James asked putting on a pair of pants still to big but a belt will fix that.
"I'll tell you after dinner," I say as foot steps draw near.
"Boys time to eat," Zoe said trying to hold down a giggle.
)()(
After dinner we sat around the tree it wasn't a real Christmas tree, a pre-historic relative of the Christmas tree not we ever a real one in 2149. Present had been open new cloths, paints, and even Emily was already holding a small violin. She was holding it right and had managed to produce a note or two thanks to Kara. Mary was trying on a new dress a little to short for Marks taste but he keeps his mouth shut. James is looking at new paints and I can feel his excitement to go home and add color to drawings.
"This is for Sam," Maddy said handing over the last present.
"For me" Sam had already opened a present from Zoe and the one Elizabeth brought for him. He quickly unwrapped the small box and holds up a small hat.
"Zoe?" I look at my daughter, then to Sam, then to my gun belt.
Elizabeth follows my gaze "Jim she's a grown woman."
"Is this true?" Sam asked eye's watering.
"The engagement party," Zoe said hands over her stomach. "I tested myself last week and I'm about nine weeks along."
"That's great," Emily said carefully making her way with the instrument over to Zoe. Then she starts to play with a rocky start Joy to the World.
"Marry Christmas," Zoe said as Sam puts his hands over the Zoe's stomach.
"I guess we have to move-up the wedding now," Sam said.
Emily stops "Can still be a flower girl?"