Merry Christmas, Fading Butterfly Wings. I'm sorry this is late. It's also not finished. This is part one, as I didn't like the ending I wrote, and figured you wouldn't either. Part two to come soon.
She hated when her grandfather was right.
Well, not always. Natalie enjoyed the days where the bright sun Taro predicted woke her up early and cast rays of sunshine throughout her room, or the days where the thrumming of rain on the roof meant Natalie could sleep in like she had planned.
The times she disliked his accuracy were on the days in which he predicted summer typhoons or winter blizzards, or in this case, a winter typhoon. The several day storm required the help of Taro, Felicia, and Elliot to make sure everyone's final shipments of the year made it safely back to the mainland. Natalie was left behind to do the family's paperwork, which she wouldn't have minded on a normal day.
Mind you, Christmas wasn't a normal day.
Natalie had finished the family accounting before her family had returned home. She had been warned ahead of time that they may not be home in time for Christmas, but didn't want to believe it. Until Natalie had phoned the mainland and found out all boats were suspended, she refused to believe it. Sighing, she put away the accounting books and told herself that she would turn in early.
Before that, she wanted to drop off the money earned by the citizens of the island. At least someone can have a wonderful Christmas surprise, Natalie thought. She sorted out which money was due to each resident, and packed it to deliver. For the first time in several days it was calm enough for Natalie to leave the house. However, the rain still pounded the earth and lightning flashed across the dark grey evening sky, prompting her to grab an umbrella.
She left her house and headed next door to Julia's to drop off money for her family and Vaughn. she found Chelsea celebrating Christmas with their family, and gave Chelsea her money there and then. "Merry Christmas, Nat," Chelsea said, and swept Natalie into a hug.
"I can't stay," Natalie explained, and set off to do more deliveries after promising Julia that she would take care of herself. Natalie proceeded to drop off money at Chen's and Gannon's, leaving both the men and their children with the same explanation and the same promise.
She walked down to the beach, ready to deliver money to Denny and then to head home and turn in for the night. The wind had picked up a bit, and water had begun to seep into her boots. However, the sight that welcomed her at the beach made her think that her night at home was farther off than she thought.
The huge waves brought on by the storm had washed ashore a line of fish among the beach. They flopped about in the small puddles on the sand, barely surviving. Denny scurried along the beach with a bucket he was putting the fish in. Natalie watched as he ran onto the pier with a full bucket and dumped it into the ocean. He spotted Natalie as he hopped off the pier.
Before she could catch herself, the words "I'll help" passed her lips and echoed across the beach. Denny nodded, and pointed to a stack of buckets leaning against the side of his house. She dropped her umbrella, grabbed a bucket, and started collecting fish from the opposite end of the beach, working to meet Denny in the middle. The work itself was disgusting, Natalie resisted the urge to wipe her slimy hands on her skirt, but found herself doing so more than once, anyways. It wasn't work Natalie would ever find herself doing on a normal day, but today was not a normal day.
She didn't know why she had agreed to help Denny. Maybe it was the Christmas spirit. Maybe it was sympathy for the fish. Not likely, Natalie thought to herself.
Natalie and Denny continued working, and the act of fish rescuing became oddly rhythmic. The dark sky didn't allow for Natalie to gauge how much time had gone by. She supposed it didn't matter, as her work was helping to make someone's Christmas better.
By the time Denny had dumped out the last bucket full of fish, Natalie was soaked. Her skirt clung to her legs and her matted hair stuck to her face. It was obvious to Denny that she was freezing. He walked over to her. "Why don't you come inside and warm up?" he asked. "If your family isn't already missing you, that is…"
"No, no. No one's home. There were some shipping issues with this weather that needed to be taken care of on the mainland, so it's just me here doing the paperwork."
"You're alone on Christmas?" Denny asked in disbelief. She nodded.
Denny's expression softened, and he linked his arm through Natalie's, gently pulling her back towards his house. "You. Me. Christmas dinner," he insisted, tugging her along. She didn't resist. Something about spending the holiday with Denny seemed more appealing than trying to get to sleep early in an empty house.
They dropped their buckets at the door. Denny picked up Natalie's abandoned umbrella and tucked it under his free arm. He kicked the door to his house, and it flew open, creaking on its hinges. "After you, m'lady," Denny said, gently bowing. A gentle smile played at Natalie's lips. She stepped through the doorway, knowing that there was no going back now. After that, she knew she wouldn't regret coming.