I have been waiting to write holiday fluff for months now, but obviously, I wanted to wait for the holidays. This will just be a short one - six chapters or so - and each will be told from a different character's POV.
...
Chapter One. Mika.
Every year, on the Friday after Thanksgiving, the Samuels family gets into their car and drives to the Greene family farm to cut down their Christmas tree. It's a tradition and one that Mika's parents had began before they even had their two daughters.
The day after Thanksgiving is the first day the tree portion of the Greene farm is open for business for the holiday season and the Samuels are definitely not the only family pulling into the gravel parking lot.
The different evergreens are planted in neat rows, stretching for acres and acres, each with a different colored tag tied to the top of it to differentiate between the different varieties of firs, pines, and spruces that Hershel Greene grows and the price of each one.
"Lizzie!" Their dad calls after Mika's older sister because no sooner has he parked the car and turned off the engine that Lizzie has pushed her door open and has taken off running. Their dad hurries after her and Mika's mom turns in her seat to smile at Mika still in the backseat, having not even gotten her seatbelt off yet.
"Want to get some hot chocolate before we head out?"
"Yes!" Mika answers excitedly.
There is a small building at the end of the gravel parking lot where people pay for their trees, get rope and saws if they haven't brought their own, and there are complimentary little cups of hot chocolate or coffee.
Inside the building, Mika sees Beth Greene – Hershel's youngest daughter – and she is making sure there are plenty of small Styrofoam cups on the beverage table next to the cash register as well as napkins, containers of sugar and cream and little red straws.
Mika has always like Beth. Or Ms. Greene. Mika is still getting used to calling her that even though its November and Ms. Greene has been Mika's fourth-grade English teacher since September.
The Samuels have always come to the Greene farm to cut their tree down for Christmas as well as coming in the fall to pick apples from their orchards and the school is often asking to come to the Greene farm for field trips; for the students to learn about milking cows and how the bees make their honey in the beehives and to help the farmhand sheer the sheep.
For as long as Mika has been coming to the Greene farm, she has known Beth. Ms. Greene. And in Mika's opinion, Beth has always been the prettiest, kindest woman there is. She always has a smile for everyone as well as a friendly word or two. In her class, just after the bell rings, Ms. Greene will ask her class how everyone is doing and her students have learned that when she asks that, she is genuinely interested in the answers they give her and actually listens to them.
Upon hearing the little bell over the door tinkle as Mika and her mom step in, Beth lifts her head and smiles the instant she sees them.
"Good morning!" She greets cheerfully.
"Good morning, Beth. How was your Thanksgiving?"
"Good morning, Ms. Greene."
"It was wonderful," Beth answers and there is a smile on her face that makes Mika believe that it was possibly the best Thanksgiving ever. "And yours?"
She doesn't mean to, but as Beth and her mom exchange pleasantries, talking about the upcoming holiday and which trees on the farm are the best this year, Mika gets bored. Quickly. And she can smell the hot chocolate from the five-gallon dispenser on the table. Excusing herself – even though her mom and Beth really aren't paying attention, but her mom has taught her manners – Mika goes to the table, helping herself to a small cup of hot chocolate, holding it up to her face and smiling as the steam swirls hotly on her skin.
The little bell rings out again and all three turn their heads to see who it is.
Mika knows him even though she doesn't really know him.
Daryl Dixon has been the Greene farmhand for a few years now. He's the one to help Hershel Greene with the field trips when the groups of kids come, wanting to learn all about the working farm. He helps in the autumn, when people come to pick apples, and he helps in the winter, when people come to chop down their Christmas trees.
And as Hershel Greene gets older with each passing year, Daryl helps more and more with the everyday tasks that the farm needs to be seen to.
Daryl looks to Mika and her mom and nods politely at them, but then his eyes move to Beth and they stay on her. Mika turns to look at her teacher and Beth is looking at Daryl in return, her cheeks noticeably pinker, and a soft smile across her face.
"Excuse me for one moment," Beth says to Mika's mom and then walks to Daryl and together, they step away so they're not blocking the door.
"How's the hot chocolate?" Mika's mom asks as she joins Mika at the table and helps herself to a cup, but Mika admits that she's not really paying attention to anything at the moment except for Beth and Daryl.
Her dad has always called her curious. Too curious in some people's opinion, but Mika doesn't see the harm in that. She doesn't see the harm in questioning most things around her. If she doesn't ask, how will she ever know?
Her mom has always called her observant. Too observant in some people's opinions, but again, Mika doesn't see the harm in that. She likes to watch the world around her and figure out how things work around her.
Lizzie has a tendency to see things that just aren't there. She whole-heartedly believes in little leprechauns in the woods and unicorns in some far-off fields. And it isn't as if Mika thinks that's wrong and it isn't as if she doesn't have an imagination. She's a kid, after all. But she likes to consider herself a realist.
So as she and her mom stand at the table, sipping their cups of hot chocolate, Mika can't stop herself from watching her teacher and her family's farmhand.
Daryl is holding a tag in his hand that Mika knows comes from one of the trees.
"Caught him switchin' tags," Daryl is saying in a low voice and Mika notices that there seems to be very little distance between the two.
Beth nods and she takes the tag from his hand, her fingers lingering on his. "He tries this every year. You would think he would learn his lesson," she says.
"Don't know why you haven't figured this out yet, but he's kind of an idiot," Daryl replies and Beth lets out a laugh before she slaps her hand over her mouth and Daryl is looking at her, his own lips twitching into a smile.
"You're terrible," Beth tells him, but she does so with a smile across her face.
Daryl shrugs and lowers his eyes almost bashfully. Now, his cheeks are the ones which are noticeably pinker.
Mika sips her hot chocolate and wonders if they're dating. She notices that while standing close to one another, they're actually not touching. Actually, they seem almost shy, blushing like a boy and girl at school who are caught holding hands by their friends.
"You let me know if you need me in here when he comes to pay," Daryl says.
Beth smiles and shakes her head slightly. "You're going to be busy today," she tells him as if reminding him, but Daryl shakes his head at that and he's staring into Beth's eyes.
Mika founds herself just standing there, watching them – outright staring – as if she's watching a television show, both of her hands cupped around the cup in her hands.
"Not too busy for you," Daryl says quietly and Beth blushes, dropping her head shyly.
And Daryl begins to lean in and Mika finds herself holding her breath as she watches, thinking that Daryl is actually going to kiss her head, but then at the last moment, he seems to talk himself out of it and pulls himself back. Rather quickly.
Mika can't help, but feel disappointed as Daryl takes a step back and Beth looks at him again.
"Gotta get back out there," Daryl says and then clears his throat. "Trees ain't gonna shake themselves."
Beth nods and visibly swallows. "Come inside for coffee when you get too cold."
"I will," he promises with a firm nod of his head.
He leaves then, the tiny bell ringing out, and Beth stands where she is, only turning so she can look out the front window, watching him walk away.
"Come on, Mika," her mom's hand is on her shoulder then. "We've watched long enough," she adds in a near whisper.
They leave the building, smiling at Beth, and go out to find Mika's dad and Lizzie again.
"You were watching them, too?" Mika asks as they toss their empty cups into the trash barrel next to the building.
Mika's mom just smiles. "It was hard not to."
…
Thank you so much for reading and please take a moment to review!
