AN: Here's part two! It's considerably longer than part one, as there is a lot more that has taken place since, and a lot more that takes place in the story itself. There are several new characters in this part, and I can only hope I've introduced them well. Also, I throw in a random reference to The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, which, to clarify, is a play about the Salem Witch trials, but is really an allegory for McCarthyism and the blacklisting of 'communists.' In any case, here's part two. I really hope you like it! Reading and reviewing always appreciated!

Christmas Two

"Mommy! Mommy!" The little boy in the back seat of the car poked his mother's shoulder. She turned around, mildly frustrated, and said, "You shouldn't yell, Neil, darling. You'll wake up your sister." He hadn't woken her up though, as three-year-old Emily could sleep through anything. "Mommy," he said, now at a whisper. "Why are we going to see Daddy's family again? Why aren't we going to Granny and Grandpa's?" "Because your Granny and Grandpa went to visit your Aunt Charlotte in Savannah this Christmas," said the mother. "So, we're visiting your father's parents and brother. They'll be very excited to see us and no matter what your father says, they aren't crazy."

She said this last part in a firm manner, and looked over at her husband, who was driving. "You only say that because you haven't gotten to know them," he told her, his eyes still on the road. "I grew up with these people. Believe me, they're crazy." She sighed. "Todd….they were perfectly reasonable at our wedding." He took his eyes off the road for a moment to protest. "Cat, it was our wedding! I s-suspect that's one of the few things in my l-life they won't try to ruin!" Catherine loved Todd dearly, but she figured he was a bit too harsh on his family. Sure, from everything she knew, they had been awful for him growing up, but she liked to give people the benefit of the doubt. In her mind, they must have gotten somewhat better. She laid a comforting hand on his knee. "Deep breaths. You'll be fine."

"Mommy! Daddy!" Neil whispered from the back of the car. "Stop yelling. Emmy is sleeping!" Todd chuckled, and whispered to Cat. "I think our five year old son just called us out on our hypocrisy." Cat smiled, glad that her husband seemed to be calming down a bit.

It was then that Emily woke up. "There yet?" she murmured sleepily. "In ten minutes, dear," her mother told her. "That long?" she asked. Even parents sometimes forget that three-year-olds don't quite have normal perception of time. "Ten minutes is really soon!" Neil blurted out. No one was asleep anymore, and he was certainly not a quiet kid. "We get to meet daddy's mommy and daddy! They're apparently crazy!"

Catherine buried her face in her hands. "Neil. Honey. Please do not call your grandparents crazy. In fact…." She looked over at Todd. "What should they call your parents?" He shrugged. "Knowing my parents…Grandmother and Grandfather. " "But that's boring!" Neil complained. "Boring…" echoed his sister, who always savored the taste of unfamiliar words. "What's boring?" "Not like mommy's parents!" Neil told her.

He had been having some difficulties ever since his parents told him they weren't going to Virginia for Christmas. He'd been standing in the living room of their house in Salem when he heard. He was silent for a minute, and then said, "But Granny and Grandpa!" upon which he promptly burst into tears. Little Neil was so dramatic it half destroyed Todd.

The family's car turned into a driveway. "Well, this is it. We're here," Catherine said. "God help me, Cat," Todd groaned. "You will get out of this car, you know," she told him. "It won't be that bad." "I…n-neglected to m-mention that the last time I came here for C-Christmas, I was a freshman in college." Todd hadn't wanted to tell his wife this, because as uncomfortable as he was with going to his parent's, he didn't want anyone else to feel that way. "You what?" She was shocked. "How is that even possible?" "I s-spent Christmases with friends, mostly," he said. "And other holidays too. Then you came along." "Damn." She breathed, and then quickly covered her mouth, embarrassed to have cursed in front of her kids. "You hate being here because of…." She knew. She knew everything, of course, but she couldn't finish the sentence. Besides, little Neil would get curious if he heard his name said in such a somber way. "Yeah." That was all Todd could say.

Fortunately, that was all Todd had to say, because a cheery eyed Jeffrey was walking out to greet them. They had been sitting in the driveway for far longer than normal.

"Who's that?" Emmy pointed at Jeff. "Let's get out of the car!" said Neil, who was practically bouncing up and down. New places excited him. "That's my brother," Todd told his daughter with a smile. "And yes, we should probably get out, don't you think?" He opened the car door.

"Todd!" Jeffrey greeted him with a hug. "I haven't see you since the wedding, which has been what? Nearly six years now? My God, that's a long time." Todd simply nodded feeling strangled in his brother's embrace. He knew that Jeff missed him, and felt a twinge of guilt for his antisocial behavior. It wasn't that he felt like the inferior brother any more. He was at a point where he saw in himself far more than what his parents saw. Jeff was just part of a society Todd had divorced himself from years ago.

When Jeffrey let go, Todd was able to let out a few words. "Good to see you too." Jeff just grinned and patted him on the back. "I'll help with some of your suitcases," he said, and headed to the trunk of the car, where he was met with the bright face of a little boy. "Who're you?" Neil asked. Jeff ruffled the kid's hair, and said, "You can call me Uncle Jeff. I'm your dad's brother." "I don't have a brother," Neil said. He pointed over to where his sister and mom stood. "I have a sister. Her name is Emmy. She's three. Mommy has a sister too. Aunt Charlotte. Granny and Grandpa went to visit her this year cause she moved to Georgia. That's really far away and there are palm trees, which Mommy's showed me pictures of. I've never seen a real one though…"

Cat, noticing her son's incessant rambling, ran over to the back of the car. She put a hand on his shoulder, and said, "I'll take you to see palm trees sometime, but right now, let's go ring the doorbell and see your grandparents. Daddy and Uncle Jeffrey will unload the suitcases, okay?" She figured if the rest of them went inside, they could save Todd from any immediate awkwardness with his parents.

So, while Mr. and Mrs. Anderson greeted Cat, Neil and Emmy at the door, Todd and Jeff pulled the suitcases out of the trunk.

"What the hell did you put in this thing?" Jeffrey grunted, as he hoisted Todd's book bag out of the car. "Books, mostly," Todd said. "And some notebooks." He took the bag away from Jeff. " Did you bring anyone here with you?" asked Todd. " A girlfriend? I know you had a date at my wedding. Elizabeth, wasn't it?" "She dumped me," Jeffrey said, pulling out another bag. "Despite being a young, successful lawyer, I can't seem to stay in a relationship. I'm not perfect, you know."

That last sentence was so snappy it startled Todd. He often forgot that even Jeff had touchy subjects. But, leave it Jeffrey to bring up the touchiest subject of them all. "Ready for the Danburry's Christmas party?" Todd was taken aback for a moment, and ashen faced, he mumbled, "hardly." "It'll be fine," Jeffrey reassured him, as he slammed the trunk shut. "Nolan's gone…er…" "Yes, I know," Todd said. "Three years ago. Dad called and begged me to come home for the funeral. Of course, that was the day Emmy was born, so that didn't work out." "Speaking of the kids," started Jeffrey, "I meant to tell you. I got a babysitter for the night of the party next week. Hannah. The family lives down the street. She goes to Henley Hall and is Red Cross certified."

So, the night of the Danburry's annual Christmas party, Todd at least got to leave the house feeling like his kids were in remotely competent hands. He, however, had never felt more uncomfortable than when he entered the Danburry's home for the second time.

Mrs. Danburry stood in the foyer. "The Andersons!" She said. "Wonderful. Hang your coats on the coat rack will you?" They did, and walked into the living room.

When Knox saw Todd, he was momentarily shocked. "You didn't say you were in town!" he shouted. As rambunctious as that seemed to everyone else, Knox was thrilled to see Todd. He leaped off the couch and ran to embrace his friend.

Cat stood there, wracking her brain trying to remember Knox's name. He had been best man at the wedding, she knew, but what in the world was his name? Then she was saved. "Knox Overstreet." He shook her hand. "I was in your wedding but I can't seem to remember your…" "Catherine," she told him, "but I go by Cat."

"As touching as this little scene is, why don't you guys sit down?" That was Cameron. Tactless as always. Chris moved over on her couch to make more room. She and Knox had gotten married a several years before Todd and Catherine. They had an eight-year-old daughter, Marie.

"Todd Anderson," said Mr. Overstreet. "Good gracious. We haven't seen you in ages. What have you been up to, other than getting married and the like?" "Work, mostly," Todd said. "I write for the local newspaper. Not the most interesting, b-but on the other hand, I may get a book of p-poems published soon." He didn't know what he was thinking, bringing up poetry here. That was probably a stupid idea.

He was right, as the person he least wanted to see walked into the Danburry's living room that very second. "I swore I heard someone mention poetry," Mr. Perry said. Todd had the horrible urge to be sick, which Catherine sensed, because she squeezed his hand tightly. "You must have misheard," Cameron said quickly. "Mrs. Overstreet was just talking about the pesky ants that keep getting into her kitchen. Pesky, not poetry."

Well, Todd thought. Cameron isn't always tactless. He still felt nauseous, and Cat hadn't let go of his hand even though it was cold and clammy.

Mrs. Overstreet was offended. "I never said my kitchen has ants. My kitchen does not have…oh." Realizing the urgency of the situation, she gave up on her pride. "They are pesky."

"So, Catherine, I take it you stay at home with your kids?" Chris, who had only met Cat once before was curious. "Actually, the kids go to preschool and I work," responded Catherine, "at the Children's History Museum in Salem. I have a master's degree in museum studies."

"You went to grad school?" Ginny Danburry perked up. "Mom…Dad…why can't I? I said I'd pay for it myself and everything." "Virginia, we've discussed this. You don't need a masters degree in sociology," was Mr. Danburry's response. Ginny rolled her eyes, and Cat gave her a look of 'we'll talk later.'

"You have two kids, right?" Chris was ever curious, and in Todd's mind, still somewhat annoying. Knox did love her though, which was what counted. "We do," said Cat. "Our son is five and our daughter is three." "What're their names?" It seemed like a harmless question, and Cat, who knew that Mr. and Mrs. Perry were in the room, figured she'd fib a little. "Emily and Nathaniel," she said. "Lovely names," said Chris, a smile on her face. "Wait," Jeffrey said, his face a bit contorted with confusion. "Todd, your son's name is definitely Neil…." Then, seeing the look on Mr. Perry's face, he realized his mistake, and under his breath muttered, "shit."

The silent tension of that moment was awful. Mrs. Danburry was the first to break it. "Um…would anyone like another glass of wine? I was going to refill mine." A few people handed their glasses to Mrs. Danburry, but unfortunately, no one erupted back into chatter.

Mr. Perry, still shocked and staring at Todd, said, "Weren't you…?" Todd had no desire to bring up Neil. It was a taboo subject, especially at so festive an occasion. He couldn't bring himself to say Neil's name, so he simply croaked out, "H-his l-last roommate."

At this, Mrs. Perry lapsed into a fit of tears, and said, "I…you'll have to excuse me from the living room for a moment." She rushed into the foyer, dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief. Mr. Perry ran out after her.

The uncomfortable air remained in the room for a moment, but was interrupted by the sound of the telephone ringing in the kitchen. "Hello?" That was Mrs. Danburry. She had stopped refilling wine glasses in order to answer the call. "Yes, he is here. Hold on just one second…" Mrs. Danburry put the phone down and called from the kitchen. "Todd, it's for you! The babysitter apparently."

Todd, all thoughts of Mr. and Mrs. Perry aside, went to the kitchen to pick up the phone. After all, when the babysitter interrupts a party, it's usually not a good thing.

Mrs. Danburry left the kitchen and shut the door behind Todd, who then took the phone off the countertop. "Hello?" he asked. "Hannah?" "Thank God…" For a Red Cross certified babysitter, she sounded particularly panicked. "Everything was fine. I put the kids to bed, and they were really good before that. We did sock puppet shows. Your son really likes puppet shows but now I think he just had a nightmare, and wet the bed, and I don't know what to do!" Oh, Todd thought. Neil did have nightmares on occasion, and that was an awkward position for a babysitter. "I'll be at the house in just a few minutes," he told Hannah.

At least I have a valid reason to leave the party this time, Todd reflected as he drove back to his parent's house. He felt a little guilty for leaving Cat alone, but he knew she could handle herself at the Danburry's a lot better than he could, especially after what had happened with Mr. and Mrs. Perry.

When he got to the house, Hannah was waiting for him at the door with Neil. "Daddy!" Neil, who was in embarrassed tears, gave his father a hug. "It's okay," Todd told him. "We'll change your sheets and I'll read to you a little. Then I have to go back to the fancy big people party, okay?" Neil nodded. "Okay, daddy."

After Todd had put clean sheets on the bed, he asked what book Neil wanted read to him. The extra weight of Todd's book bag really came from an excess of children's books that he took on trips. "The dragon one, daddy!" Neil was referring to My Father's Dragon, which had been read to him multiple times before, but was one of his favorites. Todd sighed. "I don't have time to read all of that one…" "Some?" Neil was dead set on the dragon book. "Alright," Todd told him, as he got out the book and began to read. "My Father meets a cat…." "Why can't I talk to cats?" Neil asked, halfway through the chapter. "Well, you can," Todd told him. "They just don't talk back in English." "What language do cats speak?" The little boy was filled with questions, some of which were simply not answerable. When Todd finished the chapter, he gave his son a kiss on the forehead, and said, "I've got to go back to the big people party now. See you in the morning."

When Todd got back to the Danburry's, he went into the dining room, where he found his wife munching on the chocolate covered pretzels. She looked oddly annoyed. "You okay?" Todd asked her. She looked up from the tray of pretzels, with relief on her face. "You're back, thank heavens." She walked over and kissed him on the cheek. "W-what happened?" he asked. "You were right," she said. "Your family is nuts. Everyone got into this whole conversation about how dreadful it is that no one is as hard on communists as McCarthy was back in the day, and I sort of snapped, because honestly. Most of those blacklisted people weren't even communists. I may have told everyone to go read The Crucible, and come back when they got the point…. Of course, that only prompted the reaction of 'women shouldn't talk about serious matters.' I have a master's degree for heaven's sake! I will talk about serious matters if I want to."

Todd was laughing, though that probably wasn't the best reaction for the moment. "What?" Cat demanded. "I…should have warned you about the McCarthyism thing," Todd told her, still chuckling. "I f-forgot to mention it." "Well," Cat said with a sigh. "Is there any way we can just leave?" Todd held up the car keys. "There is a reason we drove separately from my parents." "You. Are. My. Hero," Cat said, kissing her husband again, this time on the lips. "Let's get out of here."

"Catherine and I are going to head home," Todd said, poking his head into the living room. "Already?" asked Mrs. Danburry. "Sure you don't want to stay a little while longer?" "No," Todd told her, politely turning down the offer. "We w-want to pick up some groceries on the way back, so w-we best be going before the stores all close…" "Merry Christmas then," Mrs. Danburry told them as they left the house. "It was lovely seeing you!"

"I'll drive," Cat told Todd, as they got in the car. "Back to your parent's house, I guess?" "Actually," Todd said, "I do want to stop at the store…and pick up some flowers. Then, if y-you d-don't mind, one more stop?"

Catherine knew full well where Todd wanted to go, and as much as she didn't want to see him torn up, she figured she'd take him there. "That's fine," she said. Then she noticed something odd. "Why is My Father's Dragon in the passenger seat?" "Oh, t-this?" Todd picked up the book. "I was reading to Neil. I must have brought it back with me by m-mistake."

They drove to the store where they bought some Poinsettias, and then went out to the cemetery.

"Pretty bleak place," Catherine said, as they got out of the car. "B-believe me, I k-know." Todd, who was holding the flowers and My Father's Dragon, stuttered out the short sentence, partially because it was freezing outside, and partially because he felt incredibly awkward bringing his wife to Neil Perry's gravestone.

It didn't take him long to find it, though the last time he had been there was years ago. "1942 to 1959…." Catherine breathed, the wave of sadness washing over her. "God…" Todd, who couldn't talk at this point gave her a look that said, 'please don't.' So, she stopped speaking, and merely watched as her husband laid the flowers and the book on the grave.

"Why the book?" she asked. This was a question that Todd could answer. Not well, though. "It just feels right," he said. "Besides, we'll replace it."

"You ready to go?" Cat didn't think it was a good idea to let Todd stay here for too long. "I…have to write a note f-first…" Todd said, pulling a notebook from his pocket. He still carried one there, just in case. Cat just nodded. A note should be fine, she figured. Todd scrawled on the piece of paper:

Dear Neil,

I know. It's been a really long time since I wrote to you last. I still miss you. I don't think that's ever going to change though. I'll always miss you, and there will always be far too many 'what ifs?' I'm married now…that probably comes as a surprise, I know, given everything we went through together, but I do love her, so don't worry about that. The wedding was good. Knox was our best man, and my parents actually behaved themselves. Meeks and Pitts were there too, and they're doing postgraduate research in England now. And Charlie...was drafted. We don't talk about that much. I left you a book. It's my son's favorite though I don't know if you ever read it. There are a lot of things I never learned about you really. My son's name is Neil, after you of course. Your parents found that out tonight, and it wasn't pretty, to say the least. His middle name's John; because of…you know…Mr. Keating. My daughter's name is Emily, after…you'll laugh. Emily Dickinson. She was a hermit and poet. That kind of reminds you of how I used to be, doesn't it? Anyway, I am doing well, and only trying to live my life like anyone else, which is good. That's a lot better than I was the first few years after you…left. I guess I'm just writing to say Merry Christmas Neil Perry. I love you and I miss you.

Much Love,

Todd

Todd, who had gotten choked up writing his letter, was now sitting on the ground with a tight grip on the paper in his hand. Cat knelt down next to him, and rubbed his back. "It's okay," she soothed. "You can let go of it…"

Todd relinquished his grip on the note, and dropped it by Neil's grave. "I-I know," he said. "I-I just…it a-all feels s-so weird, b-being h-here with y-you n-now. L-like e-everything's moved on but h-he's still t-there, frozen in t-time." The words were so hard to get out, and Todd was crying now, crying really hard.

Cat pulled him into a tight hug. She really couldn't imagine what Todd was feeling, and whatever it all was, she didn't want him to have to feel it alone.

They sat in silence for a few more minutes before Todd wiped his tears, stood up, and said, "I think we should go back now." Cat could only nod, as she took his hand. They walked back to the car in silence, listening to the howling wind, and watching, much to Todd's discomfort, the first of the night's snowflakes fall from the sky.