It only took one moment. One moment to almost give Christine Miller a heart attack while reading one of her favourite novels, The Hobbit. Her bright blue eyes danced across the pages from behind her onyx coloured, wire rimmed reading glasses. She sat on the gold and red patterned love seat, lying with her back against the arm while her legs stretched out across the cushions. Quietly, she mouthed the words on the pages with her lips, short blonde hairs just above her thick eyelashes. The fireplace was not lit, and there was no heater on, but that didn't quell the warmth she got from the house itself, as well as from her pale blue sweater.

She has read this book countless times, especially during her childhood. Christine grew up learning all there is to know about Middle-Earth. J.R.R. Tolkien was by far her favourite author, and his books were her religion. Well, that's stretching it, but she couldn't help but worship the classic writing style and adventures of these books. Of course, she has read and loves other novels, including the Harry Potter series, A Song of Ice and Fire, and all of the Sherlock Holmes works, but The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings was always a part of her life. It's endless enjoyment on her part.

Back to point, she was reading along to the words on the book, eventually reading out loud, which was a habit of hers when she got immersed into the story. Currently, she was reading Chapter Eleven, On The Doorstep, when the incident happened.

"...was neither brush nor tree, only broken and blackened stumps to speak of ones long vanished. They were come to the Desolation of the Dragon, and they were come at the waning of-"

"What'cha doing there, Chris?"

Christine jumped, the small, paperback novel hopped out of her palm and onto the floor as she gasped. She looked up as she put a hand over her chest, where her heart was racing away. Standing next to the love seat was her younger cousin, Charlie Calvin. He wore a smirk as he watched her eyes turn frantic, it was always easy to scare her.

"Gods, Charlie! Don't frighten me like that!" She exclaimed, sitting up straight, glaring at him fiercely while pushing her glasses into her hair. "You know how embarrassing it is that I jump easily." For being an adult in her twenties, she sure did act like a child sometimes. And that's what amused Charlie.

"I know, I know," he laughed lightly, shaking his head. "Sorry about that."

"No you're not." She sighed, closing her eyes before bending forward to reach for her worn copy of The Hobbit. "I came here for a peaceful visit with my uncle and you guys, but you use it to take advantage of my vulnerabilities." She was mad at him, but of course couldn't stay that way. He's just a teenager, and she did care about him as family. He had redeeming qualities, when he isn't frightening her half to death with his pranks. "What was it you wanted, anyway?"

"I just wanted to ask if you could take care of Lucy for me while I go hang out with friends." Charlie spoke a bit hesitantly, his deep brown eyes shifted towards his shoes while his hands were in his pockets. Christine smirked at the fact that his cheeks were flushed.

"You mean that you want to go out with Danielle, Casanova." Christine laughed lightly as he gave her an incredulous look. Before he could object to her insinuation, she waved him off. "Go, go, it's fine! I'd love to watch Lucy."

"Thanks, Chris! I swear, I'll be back soon!" Charlie said after a moment of recollection. "I owe you one!" And then he was off, out of the house within moments.

"Why do I feel like I'll regret this?" Christine sighed, but smiled nonetheless while turning back to the page she was on in the book, placing her glasses back on the tip of her nose.


It was about a half hour later that Lucy hopped down the stairs from her bedroom, a confused look on her face innocent face.

"Hey, Chrissy, where did Charlie go?" The pre-teen asked, her ginger hair set in pigtails swayed to the side as she tilted her head.

"He went out, so I'm in charge." Christine looked up from her book, smiling brightly at Lucy, her youngest cousin. She was so cute and sweet, it was safe to say that she was one of the main reasons she came to visit this Christmas. "Would you like me to get you anything?" Christine then asked, bookmarking her page, which was about Chapter Thirteen, and placing it on the coffee table. "Perhaps some of my special hot cocoa and cookies?"

"Oh, please, please, please!" Lucy beamed with happiness, knowing exactly how she loved the treats. She had them often, but there was no way she was about to stop loving them. Especially after finding out about her Uncle Scott, which unfortunately, Christine knew nothing about except that he was a toy maker married to Charlie's old principal. "Can I have marshmallows? And cinnamon!"

"Of course!" Christine giggled at the girl, making her way to the kitchen, Lucy following closely at her heels.

In the kitchen, Christine went to work on preparing the milk on the stove top and the cocoa in the ornate mugs. Lucy's was an adorable mug with snowflakes and a reindeer on it. Comet, she insisted on calling it. Christine's was brought from home, being her special coffee mug, just a simple, slightly rounded square mug that was black on the outside and red on the inside. She collects mugs, and this was her first ever mug she bought on her own when she was a child.

"What book was that, Chrissy?" Lucy suddenly asked after a moment of silence. Christine grinned over her shoulder at her while opening the cookie jar and taking out two snickerdoodles. Her favourite!

"One of my favourite books, ever. It's a book about magic and adventure, filled with wizards and elves and-"

"Can you read some of it to me?" Lucy tilted her head again. This question surprised Christine for a moment. "You're always reading it, ever since you got here. I wanna know what it's about. Sounds fun!"

"Of course I'll read some of it to you." Christine said, after pouring the milk into the cocoa powder in the mugs, stirring it thoroughly. "It may sound boring at first, but trust me, it gets a lot more fun after a bit. You just have to listen to the words." She then laughed lightly, placing Lucy's mug in front of her. "Only if you really want me to, of course."

"Yes, please!" Lucy was convinced.

"Ok, ok," Christine laughed again, carrying her warm mug in her hands. "Let's go to the living room, it'll be more comfortable in there."

Lucy followed Christine back into the living room, both sitting on the love seat that Christine was sitting on earlier. Lucy sat close to Christine as she placed an arm around the small girls shoulders after replacing the book on the coffee table with her hot chocolate. Christine ignored the bookmark and went straight to the first page of Chapter One, An Unexpected Party. She cleared her throat before reading out loud softly, but trying to keep it interesting for Lucy, who was too young to understand the book on her own.

"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit hole, and that means comfort."

"Chrissy?" Lucy interrupted quietly. "What's a 'hobbit'?"

"Don't worry, Lucy, the book explains what they are soon." Christine reassured her before she set to continue, but Lucy interrupted again.

"Can you just tell me now?"

"Sure." Christine gave in with a smile. "Hobbit's are small people, half the height of your parents or myself."

"So, kind of like elves?" Lucy asked, looking up at Christine with her bright, green eyes.

"I suppose so." Christine chuckled. "But elves in this book are different than ones we would normally think of. They're tall and elegant, living beyond the years that of other magical creatures in this book. Hobbits aren't exactly magical and have large feet, where the bottoms of which are so tough and the tops covered with enough hair that they don't even need to wear shoes."

"Ew!" Lucy exclaimed. "That sounds gross! Hairy feet?"

"Yes, I guess it does sound gross." Christine laughed, shaking her head. "But they are lovable people, kind, fun loving, and family centric. Just like we are with each other." Lucy giggled at that. "This book, The Hobbit, is obviously named for following the story of one particular hobbit, on his road to adventure. And then it branches off, years later, into another series of books called The Lord of the Rings."

"Isn't that a movie?" Lucy asked. "I remember when mom and Charlie wanted to watch it."

"Yes, yes it is." Christine nodded. "Now, you're really going to have to pay attention if you want me to read you this book."

"Sorry." Lucy smiled lightly before leaning her head on Christine's shoulder again.

"Where was I? Oh." Christine looked at the page again before reading.

"It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle. The door opened..."


About an hour later, the door to the house opened, causing Christine to look up from the book and smile as her uncle, Neil Miller, and his wife, Laura, walked into the living room, a bright green tree in their arms. Lucy had long since fell asleep in Christine's arms while listening to the book. Not that she was bored of the story, on the contrary she was quite invested into it. But it's reminiscent to a bedtime story, so she inevitably fell asleep sometime into Chapter Two. However, at the noise of her parents returning, Lucy stirred and blinked the sleep from her eyes.

"Need any help?" Christine offered them while they trudged into the living room.

"No, thank you. We've got it." Neil stated while panting. He and Laura quickly placed the base of the tree into the holder that sat on the floor behind Lucy and Christine. Neil held it in place while Laura bent down to tighten the holder to keep the tree in place. "Nice, isn't it?"

"Very much so." Christine grinned while Lucy, who finally was fully awake, shot up from her seat.

"Are we going to decorate it tonight?!" Lucy exclaimed, excited. It was no secret that Christmas was her favourite holiday. Christine was partial to it, as well, as she favoured the cold and the time she spent with family in the holiday season. And who could argue with the gifts? But she prefered to give them than to receive them.

"If you want to, sure." Laura laughed lightly, smiling at her daughter. Christmas was just around the corner, anyway.

Excitedly, Lucy sprinted off towards the closet, where the Christmas tree decorations were stored away. Neil laughed and followed after her.

"Be careful, sweetie, you can't reach that high." Christine heard Neil say in the hallway and assumed Lucy was trying to reach the top shelf of the closet. She shook her head, picturing it in her mind, before Lucy came back into the living room with the box in her hands. Neil had another box in his arms, that held other various decorations for around the house.

"Where's Charlie?" Laura then asked Christine, opening the box that Lucy set down on the coffee table.

"He went out, but he should be back soon." Christine replied. "Definitely before dinner, I'd assume." She grinned while looking at her watch, ticking away quietly. It was just about dinner time anyway. Aside from the fact that they still need to cook it.

"Normally, I'd be upset he left without telling me," Laura said with a disapproving look before smiling and placing a hand on top of Christine's. "But since you're here and were able to take care of Lucy, I'll make an exception."

"That's probably why he left, since someone else that was capable had some free time." Christine chuckled.

"Hey!" Lucy seemed offended. "I'm old enough to take care of myself, you know!"

"Of course you are, sweetie." Laura said, stroking some of Lucy's bright red hair.

"Let's get ready for dinner before we decorate." Neil suggested, noticing the time that Christine subtly pointed out earlier.