Author: Pirate Turner
For: My beloved Jack and our babies as part of their presents for Solstice/Christmas/Kitsmas
Rating: PG for a single kiss
Summary: There's a man in red coming up the lane with a special Christmas delivery for Jedda.
Timeline: This is the latest story in Pirates Sparrow and Turner's "To Move Out of the Shadows" Mandrake/Jedda series and comes after both "Shadowed Love"s, "To Move Out of the Shadows", and "A Magical Waltz".
Warnings: Het, AU
Word Count: 1,637
Date Written: 25 December 2010
Disclaimer: Mandrake, Phantom, Jedda Walker, Keesa, Flash and Rick Gordon, L.J., Kshin, Zuffy, Keesa, and Defenders of the Earth are & TM their respective owners, none of which are the author; are used without permission; and may not be used without permission. Everything else is & TM the author. The author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended.
"Jedda," Rick's voice called hesitantly from the window, "I think you may want to come take a look at this."
"What?" Jedda asked, leaving her beloved husband's side for the first time that evening to walk into their foyer. "What is it, Rick?" she queried, apprehension rising within her at the way his brow furrowed. They had grown closer together after he had accepted her love for Mandrake and his for her until they had now come to be the siblings who were even closer than blood, as fate had always intended.
"There's a man in red," he said, turning to look at her and trying unsuccessfully to hide his sly grin, "coming up the sidewalk."
Jedda quirked an eyebrow. "For Kshin?" she asked before dropping her voice to a whisper so that their adopted, little brother would not overhear their conversation. "Don't you think he's just a little bit too old for that, Rick?"
"Not for this one," L.J. said, grinning and winking at Rick as he entered the room behind her. He gave Jedda a gentle push in the back. "Go ahead. Take a look."
"Besides," Rick said, turning to face Jedda with a huge, knowing grin. "This particular man in a red suit isn't coming for Kshin. He's got a delivery for you."
Jedda eyed her "brothers" warily and doubtfully, but nonetheless she approached the window, lifted the curtain, and peeked outside. She frowned. "It's just your father, Rick. It's about time he got here. Mandrake was afraid the roast was going to have to be . . . " She paused as something purple began to appear from out of the swirling snowstorm. " . . . re - . . . reheated . . . "
Behind her, Rick and L.J. grinned as though they had just won a million dollars each. Lothar stepped into the foyer. A broad grin also lit the big, dark man's face, and he folded his arms over his muscular chest as he prepared to wait to see Christmas' true arrival. "Mandrake," he called to his best friend, "I think you should come in here."
"What is it?" Mandrake questioned, following his guests while wiping his hands on a towel that had once, not too long ago at all, been pure white. Worry immediately grasped his heart as he saw Jedda standing at the window and staring quietly with her mouth open. "Jedda?" When she didn't answer him, he prompted again, "Darling?"
Rick had come up to stand beside Jedda and had placed his hands comfortingly upon her small shoulders, but he stepped aside and allowed Mandrake to wrap his arms around his soul mate from behind. "What is it, love?" he asked again, right next to her ear, and when still she did not answer, Mandrake looked out the window for himself and gave a startled gasp.
Keesa padded quietly into the room, sat down, and narrowed his eyes upon the door. "Mrrw?" he questioned, seeming to know the answer to the secret that had his humans baffled.
A knock sounded upon the door, startling the small party, and Mandrake rushed to open it, his magician's cape flapping in the wind behind him. He threw it open, and Flash strode inside, grinning from ear to ear. Jedda turned toward the door, her heart hammering in her bosom, and Flash made a bow and stepped to the side, allowing the man, who the young woman had began to think she would only ever see again in her dreams, to enter.
She had played this moment over and over again in her mind. In her dreams, she had stayed strong, determined to make her father accept her union with her beloved Mandrake before she would give him so much as the time of day, but in truth, he was the one who refused to give her time and the one who she'd thought would never return to her. Now she stood seemingly paralyzed, caught between the harsh, confusing realities of the woman within and the scared little girl who ached for her Daddy's love and who had never gone too far away. "F-Father!" she cried, the name dying within her throat even as it resounded in fear of the coming reaction when Phantom stood face to face with her husband.
Keesa sprang onto his hind paws, his long, black tail whipping through the air, and put his front paws upon Phantom's muscular chest. The man laughed, but his laughter sounded hitched and bothered. "I'm glad to see you too, Keesa," he acknowledged and lovingly scratched the big panther's head.
Jedda's heart roared in her ears. {Please, Gods,} she prayed, {don't let them fight!} Didn't she deserve to be happy? Didn't she deserve to have both of the men she loved with all of her heart in her life? She trembled inwardly and was thankful for Rick's reassuring hand upon her shoulder and L.J. stepping up to stand behind her other side.
Gently, Phantom lifted Keesa's paws from his chest and dropped them, causing the panther to stand fully upon the floor once more. He then carefully stepped around the big cat to look at the man who owned the home he had just entered and the heart of the little girl for whom he had once been uncontested. "Mandrake," Phantom spoke, and the whole room held their breaths.
The men stared into each other's eyes for a long moment, a moment which felt to be an eternity to both Jedda and Mandrake alike, and then Phantom held out his hand. He waited until Mandrake slipped his hand into his before speaking again whilst giving his hand a good, strong handshake. "Thank you for taking such good care of my little girl and loving her, and thank you for the invitation to your home this Christmas."
Mandrake's mustache twitched. Jedda's lips pressed together with such sudden, shocked swiftness as with they had fallen apart mere heartbeats before. Mandrake had not dared to make any such invitation! She knew that well for they had discussed the issue for hours on end before finally, with heavy hearts and regretful sighs, resigning themselves to the fact that Phantom would rebuff any invitation if they sent one or, if by some quirk, he did decide to show up, would destroy their family reunion.
Flash clasped Mandrake's shoulder. "Mandrake's a forgiving man, aren't you, sport? He knew Jedda and you missed each other and just wanted all of our family to be happy."
A slow, charming smile spread over Mandrake's frozen face. "O-Of course." He beamed gallantly. "Welcome to our home, Phantom," he spoke and made a sweeping bow, his hands gesturing unwittingly to his sweet, albeit shocked, lady love.
"Father," Jedda breathed again as Phantom stepped before her.
Phantom shook his head and pressed one finger to his little girl's quivering lips. "Hush, Jedda," he spoke gently in his deep, strong voice. "You don't have to say a thing, baby. It's my fault, and I'm sorry."
The world might as well have stopped spinning at that very moment for surely time was rewriting itself even as they somehow managed to keep standing. Jedda's mind whirled. Her father had never apologized to her for anything before in her whole life! Indeed, she could count the number of apologies she could recall having heard him make on one hand!
But that didn't matter. What mattered was that he was here, loving her, and asking for forgiveness and, in his own way, to stay. She threw her arms around him and held him tightly, a small part of her swearing to never let go again, and Phantom hugged his baby girl just as hard and secretly made the very same promise.
She had to be sure, Jedda realized. She had to be sure that he wasn't going to turn his back on her again and that he wasn't going to try to force her to make a decision she'd never make: the call to turn away from her beloved Mandrake and to deny their love. She'd sooner stop breathing than do either of those unthinkable deeds. She had to know for certain that her father was going to understand and be accepting of her love, and so, a few minutes after their hug had began, Jedda reached a hand out in silent quest for her beloved husband's.
Mandrake not only took Jedda's hand, but when he stepped closer and Jedda opened an arm to him, Phantom, too, held out an arm and then wrapped his arm around him when he stepped closer. One by one, with the sole exception of little Kshin who lay in bed awaiting Santa Claus, their family came to them, and they all wrapped their arms around one another in a huge, loving group hug.
Jedda suddenly felt something plow into their legs, and her grin grew even larger as she realized that Kshin and Zuffy must have arrived. Not only had they arrived, she reflected, but Christmas was truly there at last. Her family was whole, and her world complete. She lifted her head and brushed her lips gently across her loving husband's sweet mouth and then her father's cheek. Christmas and her father were home, and she'd been given her Christmas miracle.
Turning her head from them, Jedda allowed the tears of joy that welled in her brave heart to spring into her eyes. Rick saw them, grinned, and nodded. He understood her more than she would have ever thought before, and she was endlessly thank to him and his father for completing their family. "Thank you," she mouthed.
"Merry Christmas, Jedda," he mouthed in return, flashing one of his best, shining smiles.
"Merry Christmas," she spoke aloud to which all of their family chorused, and it was truly the brightest, happiest, and most loving Christmas they had ever spent!
The End