This chapter is...hefty. But important. I hope you all enjoy this, Merry Christmas in October! To the plagiarizers, last chance.
Warren felt drained. Just completely and utterly drained. He stood alone in the kitchen, drying his hands on a towel after just finishing the dishes from the disastrous Christmas Eve dinner they had just had. He checked the time. 10:43. Still too early to turn in. Vanessa would be up feeding her animals, and he didn't want to fight with anyone else tonight.
He cast his eyes around the room, and, finding nothing of interest to occupy his time, decided to check on Kendra. The drafty old house was cold tonight, and he had to make sure she had her favorite throw blanket to ward off the chill. He sighed, and began walking toward the stairs, walking softly and carefully so as to not bump into anyone. As Warren climbed the steps to the attic bedroom, his thoughts wandered to Seth. He trusted the kid, and figured he was with the satyrs, but it was cold and dark out. He hoped the boy had at least remembered his scarf-
Warren paused at the top landing and shook himself a bit. He really was starting to sound like a dad. Or Stan. Yikes. He pushed open the door, harsher than necessary, hoping in the back of his mind that the creaking of the hinges would wake Kendra from her rest. He crossed the room, plopped into the chair that was now permanently next to the bed, and took Kendra's smaller hand in his. He paused for a minute to collect his thoughts, then began narrating the day to her.
"Hey, Kens. It's Warren. Which you probably figured out because no one else sounds like me...yeah anyway just wanted to check in and, ah, y'know. See how you were doing. And all that," Warren never found talking to a coma patient any less unnerving. And he had been one. "Dinner was kind of a shit show tonight. Everyone has been getting really punchy from the prolonged exposure to the dark magic stuff. Vanessa keeps calling it a toxin, Tanu keeps calling it a spore, and I don't really care about either side...don't tell Nessa that please. Anyway. Seth ran away into the woods. The fighting and the tension is getting to him. Can't blame the kid. But still, I'm worried. Really worried. And Bracken looks more depressed than those women in the beginnings of Prozac commercials."
Warren paused, and looked around the room as he waited for more thoughts to come to him. He glanced at the wall clock; 11:06. He sighed. On the shelf below the clock, there was a framed picture of him and Kendra. He squinted to look closer, and smiled when he recognized it. They had been goofing around on Kendra's new smartphone, and had taken a bunch of selfies. This one was the best though; they sported equally fashionable flower crowns, glitter falling all around them, and they were smiling so wide Warren's cheeks hurt just looking at it. It hurt Warren's heart to see it, too. This mission was killing his poor cousin; he hadn't seen her that happy in months. He ran a thumb gently over the back of Kendra's hands and continued to talk.
"I don't know what to do, Kens. I really don't. I'm trying to be there for everyone. Trying to be what they need," Warren took a deep breath before he continued. It was still hard to say such harsh truths, but he was getting better. "But I'm just not enough. And that's okay, really, because I'm not supposed to be. But, right now, we need more. I need more. I need help...I need you. We need you.
If Warren had any more tears left, he'd probably be crying. But he was well and truly cried out.
"We all love you, and miss you so much. Sure, it's only been three days since you went under. But I don't just mean that. We miss the you that we sent into that hellish high school and never got back. I miss your laugh, your stupid puns, the selfies, the Disney marathons with you singing along to every song, and listening to you play the piano. I miss playing lacrosse in the yard, and making s'mores in the kitchen for no reason. I miss talking to you, and listening to all your wisdom because let's be honest, I haven't got a damn idea what I'm doing."
Warren lapsed into silence again, letting his mind wander for God knows how long. He could hear people moving and shuffling around the house, getting ready to sleep. He knew he should go smooth things out with Dale and Vanessa and Tanu, but the idea of doing so sounded so exhausting Warren thought he might implode. After the last bedroom doors had shut, he hazarded a glance at the clock again; 11:32.
"It's gonna be a pretty sucky Christmas without you, kiddo," Warren murmured to both himself and Kendra. "I got the coolest present for you, too. I guess it could be a really late Christmas gift. Or a "Yay you didn't die saving my not-girlfriend from throat cancer on steroids" gift. They don't make cards to go with that second one, though, so. I guess we'll just kind of have to deal with that."
11:40
For the first time in a very long time, Warren bowed his head and said a brief prayer. He had no idea of anyone was listening, but he certainly didn't think it would hurt. He prayed for Kendra, and her health and happiness and everything you should always pray for. But he really hoped she would get bumped to the front of the prayers line. His little cousin was worth it.
11:50
Warren stood up, letting go of Kendra's cold and limp hand. He tucked her blankets in tighter, placed her favorite Stitch plush in her arms, refreshed her glass of water in the bathroom down the small hall, brushed some of her hair back and finger combed all the knots he could see. He put moisturizer on her face and rubbed her favorite lotion on her hands and arms. He was so open to doing anything that would pass time that when he noticed her lips were dry he found her chapstick and put some on her lips, afraid they would crack and bleed on her. That would suck. He stood back and surveyed the room and his cousin, and found there was nothing left to do.
11:58.
Warren leaned down, dropped a kiss on Kendra's forehead, said another eensy teensy little prayer, to boost the first prayer, and turned to leave. He glanced at the clock.
12:00
"Merry Christmas, kiddo." Warren sighed loudly to the quiet room. He opened the door, placed a hand on the light dimmer, and-
"...Warren?"
Warren spun around the face the bed so fast, he most definitely got whiplash. Kendra was still lying down, but her hand was twitching, and a second later, she coughed lightly.
"Kendra?" Warren had to stop himself from screaming as he all but threw himself across the room to her bedside. Sure enough, when he looked down into the nest of blankets, he could see Kendra's eyes opened just a sliver. Her breathing was still labored, but stronger. She was awake. He dropped down to sit on the bed and took her hand in his, pressing a kiss to her small fingers.
"Warren," Kendra's voice was small, so small, but there. "Did I...do it? Did it work?"
"Do what?" Warren was utterly lost. "What were you supposed to do?"
Kendra seemed to have not heard him though as she began murmuring again, almost to herself. "Oh God, oh no, I failed," she paused to heave in a labored breath. "I failed, I failed, I failed. I couldn't do it, I knew I couldn't, why did I try," Kendra was growing hysterical, her voice wavering in pitch, her breathing erratic. She tried to push herself up as her strangled voice got louder. "I have to try again, I have to right now. Warren! I have to try again! Let me up! Please!"
"Kendra, please, calm down!" Warren was pushing against her shoulders, and for a girl who had been comatose not twenty minutes ago, Kendra was putting up a lot of resistance. "What on earth are you going on about! Talk to me!"
"Vanessa!" Kendra tried to yell, but her voice bottomed out and became a hoarse whisper. It sounded like Kendra had gargled with nails for twelve hours. There were tears dripping down her cheeks. "I have to heal Vanessa. It's been hours, she could die, I have to help-"
"Kendra, take a breath for God's sake!" Warren hated to raise his voice but Kendra was scaring him. "Just lay down and let me explain, please."
"Explain what?" Kendra tried to sniffle, but didn't have the breath control. She slumped against the bed bonelessly, breathing deeply. She had worn herself out utterly. For a second, Warren worried she may slip back into her coma. Her eyelids fluttered spasmodically, tears leaking into her hairline as she lay there.
"You still with me, Kens?" Warren murmured, checking her pulse surreptitiously at her wrist. A beat passed before Kendra whimpered, barely, in assent. "Okay, kiddo. I'm gonna go through what's been happening since you fell asleep, okay? If you need me to stop, squeeze my wrist. Can you do that? Here, squeeze once if you can do that."
Kendra squeezed his wrist.
"Awesome dude, you're doing great. Okay, here we go. You've been in a stress-and-magic-induced coma for almost exactly three days. No, that's not an official medical term. Your body shut down after you successfully healed Vanessa. Hear that? She's tip top, so no more stressing," Warren paused, waiting for a squeeze, but after a minute of nothing he pressed on. "It's Christmas Eve, or, rather, Christmas Day now, but just barely so no worries. Things around here have been...tough. To say the least. The fighting is getting worse between all of us. Between the toxic atmosphere at the high school, the hundreds of infected kids, you and me, and the samples Tanu has been keeping in the Med Room, and you, y'know, coma-ing out on us, the morale around here has never been worse, to be frank. Even Bracken is losing it a bit. Seth ran away tonight at dinner after we all got a little too hot and-"
Warren had to pause from the pain Kendra was inflicting on his wrist. She was squeezing the blood flow to a standstill.
"Yeah, I know, Kens, believe me when I say I'm worried, too. But honestly, the little dude is better out there for now, away from us."
The squeezing let up. Kendra and Warren sat in silence. The noise downstairs had died down as the house fell asleep, and Warren knew he should tell the others Kendra was awake. He knew he should make the call, but for one more moment, he wanted his little cousin all to himself. The whole ordeal had brought back horrible memories that Warren had been suppressing as best he could but now found himself succumbing to.
"Warren?" Kendra whispered, beyond hoarsely. "Are you crying?"
"What? No, I'm not-" Warren reached up to scratch his nose, and found his cheeks damp. Huh. Imagine that.
"Warren?" Kendra's voice was so small and weak. The tears fell harder as Warren finally let the trauma of the situation hit him.
"I'm sorry, Kendra. I'm so sorry," Warren sniffed wetly, but it didn't do much. "Just, seeing you, lying there, day after day. All I've been trying not to think about is the stingbulb. And watching you die. And watching Seth lose himself. And how I let you get yourself into the this, and how all we've been doing is fighting lately, and how sorry I am for that-"
The squeezing had returned.
"C'mon, Warr, now my face is all wet and stuff," Kendra coughed a bit, choked by tears and her own weak lungs. "I don't blame you, I promise. For any of it. I don't, not one bit. So, stop making yourself all sad. And I'm sorry, too, for the fighting. It's not either of our faults, though, so we can't dwell on it, ever. As soon as all this is over, let's go to Disney World or something. Make happy memories, eat churros, see a princess, the whole nine yards."
"When the hell did you get so strong, Kendra?" Warren's smile was wobbly and wet, but real. Kendra returned it as best she could.
"When you taught me how to be, Warren."
Warren and Kendra had spent almost the whole night talking. Kendra had asked Warren to let the others sleep for now, they could let them know in the morning and Warren had agreed, not willing to leave her side anyway. He laid next to her, holding her close to him as they talked, and talked, and talked. Warren couldn't get enough of hearing Kendra's sweet voice. He had been so sure he would never hear it again that he was content with just listening to her talk for hours on end.
"Aren't you tired, Warr?" Kendra asked him, stopping in the middle of her story. A few hours ago he would have given her a resounding yes. But ever since she woke up, Warren felt like he had been the one asleep for days.
"I'm alright, kiddo, don't you worry," Warren said, kissing her head before resting his head on hers. "Go on with what you were saying."
So she did. Although Warren felt wide awake, slowly Kendra and his words became more slurred and mumbled before they fell asleep, cuddled up to each other and peaceful. It was the best sleep Warren had gotten in a long time.
This was the worst Christmas ever.
Seth picked at his fingernails from his place on the sofa next to Bracken. The unicorn looked downright depressed, sitting there motionless. Seth didn't want to be here, celebrating Christmas without Kendra. It didn't feel like Christmas without her baking cookies. Without waking her up like a little kid saying "Wake up Kendra! It's the most wonderful time of the year! It's Christmas!" It wasn't the same without her singing 'Baby It's Cold Outside' with him goofily, or her tradition of playing 'Silent Night' on the piano while singing a lot more seriously.
She always sounded amazing and Seth secretly looked forward to it every year. Kendra was very shy about singing in front of people so Seth didn't get to hear her that often, one of the reasons he would never tease her about her singing. Firstly because there was nothing to tease her about, and secondly because he was hoping one day she would be less nervous and would sing to him more often.
There would be no performance this year.
"Alright gang, who wants to open the first present?" Grandpa said. He tried to sound excited but it seemed to fall flat. There was a beat of silence where no one answered.
"Wait, where's Warren?" Dale spoke up, glancing about.
Everyone looked around and realized Warren was absent. Dale stood up from his seat on the floor and walked out of the room. Seth heard him calling up the stairs and a few seconds later they heard a muffled reply. Dale walked back in.
"He's coming." Dale said, and sat down again. It was silent once more. The silence was deafening and awkward; the fight from last night hung above all their heads. Seth hated this. He hated the tense atmosphere. It wasn't like them to be like this. It made him want to go up to his room and not come out.
Finally, they heard Warren coming down the stairs. He seemed to pause outside of the living room before he started walking again. Seth figured he was preparing himself to dealing with the awkward tense feeling of the group.
"Hey, all! Merry Christmas!" Warren said brightly as he walked in. Seth frowned. How could Warren be so stupidly happy? It made Seth angry and a little jealous.
"Yeah, Merry whatever Warr, have a seat. We're doing presents, I guess." Dale said, sighing grumpily.
"Well, in that case I would like to go first. Giving, that is, not receiving." Warren said, unaffected by the overall mood. "Seth, your present is kinda unwrapped? I didn't have enough wrapping paper, sorry. But, it's out in the hall let me go get it! Close your eyes...actually all of you close your eyes it's fun that way."
"We're not all going to close our eyes, it's not our present so why should we? Don't be a child, Burgess." Trask argued. Warren pouted.
"Oh come on, it's just fun this way, makes it more interesting. Please?" The rest of the group grumbled and compiled, so Seth followed suit, resisting the urge to peek. He heard Warren walk out to the hall and then start making his way back. "No peeking!" Warren called, sounding just outside the room.
There were a few more footsteps and then, "Okay, open your eyes!"
Seth opened his eyes, and blinked. Then blinked again. Kendra was in Warren's arms...awake and smiling at him. Warren set her down on her feet as the rest of the room took in what they were seeing. She seemed shaky but was able to stand. Everyone seemed paralyzed in their seats. Seth was the first to break the trance as he launched himself off the couch toward his sister.
"Kenny!" Seth yelled, running into Kendra's waiting arms, tears already falling out of his eyes. Kendra stumbled back at the force of his hug but Warren steadied her from behind.
"Y-you're awake!" Seth sobbed. "I've missed you so m-much, please don't ever leave. I swear I'll be so g-good. I won't break the rules- or- or tease you, I won't ever bother you ever ever, I'll do a-anything just please don't put me through this ah-again. Please."
"Oh, Seth. Shh, I'm okay, I'm here." Kendra soothed, squeezing him weakly. "It's okay, Seth. Shh, it's okay."
Seth hugged her for a few more moments, bawling and rambling on about how he missed her and begging her to never leave. He couldn't stop crying and Kendra just held him and shushed him, smoothing his hair down and rubbing his back, telling him it's okay and that she was there, like she used to when Seth was much, much younger. Or how their mother used to when Seth had a bad day.
After a few minutes, Seth took a few deep breaths, trying to stop crying and calm down before pulling away. He knew others would want to see her. Sure enough, as soon as Seth moved out of the way, Bracken swept Kendra off her feet, hugging her tightly. Seth saw the prince's shoulders shaking a little, and knew Bracken was probably crying as well.
"I love you so much." Seth heard Bracken whisper to Kendra before he kissed her. Normally, Seth would tease them and be grossed out by the sight but today he was too happy. Seth looked at Warren and smiled before giving him a hug as well. No wonder Warren had been so cheery. Seth felt equally as bright now.
Soon everyone had risen given Kendra a hug, even Mara and Trask. Then they all made her sit in the biggest, comfiest recliner as they saw how shakey she was. Grandma gave her a soft blanket and tucked her in, giving her a kiss on the head and everyone took their original seats, Warren sitting on the floor in front of Kendra. A thought occurred to Seth.
"Hey, Kendra?" Kendra looked at him questioningly. "Do you think you can do 'Silent Night' like always?"
Kendra smiled. "Sure, Seth. If you want me to."
"This is the best Christmas ever!"
As the morning floated into early afternoon, apologies were said and the deep gashes in trust that seemed to be so prevalent that morning were beginning to heal themselves. By the time they had all sat down in the living room again, ready to start the gift exchange, things were feeling halfway normal again.
"Okay," Warren clapped his hands loudly. "Who's first?"
"I'll go first!" Bracken and Seth yelled at the same time.
"Awesome!" said Warren. "Looks like I'm going first. Glad we all agree!" He turned to the massive pile of gifts under the tree and began extracting all those wrapped in blue paper. He tossed them haphazardly over his shoulder as he yelled names from under the branches.
"Trask! Tanu! Nessa! Elise!-" Warren paused in his violent throwing to stand up with a present in hand, turn, and walk over to Kendra. He placed the gift gently in her lap, smiled, and walked back to the tree to resume his tossing. "-Seth! Bracken! Dale!"
Eventually everyone had caught their presents, and by some miracle nothing had broken. Wrapping paper was shredded and tossed into the middle of the room to make a pile. Soon, everyone was holding gear made of fine Italian leather, dark brown and brand new. There were weapon holsters, compass holsters, jackets, boots, straps, and anything else one could possibly think of.
"These are incredible." Mara murmured, examining the arrow quiver she was given appreciatively.
"This is awesome!" Seth was holding a broadsword holster and swinging it around like the weapon it was made to carry. Everyone else murmured some agreement.
"Thank you, Warren." Tanu clapped the Burgess on the shoulder as he sat back down between the Samoan and Vanessa. Tanu had been given a new potions case, as his was looking worse for wear these days. It looked more like a messenger bag or brief case, so Tanu could now quietly bring his potions to the school in case of emergencies. Warren smiled at his friend and knocked his shoulder as Bracken stood up.
"My gifts are all very different, but with one common factor between them. Give me one moment to hand them out before we open them. It would be best if we all opened together."
He began extracting the silver wrapped gifts from under the tree. There were many, but they were all smaller. Unlike Warren, he walked around and personally handed each friend their gift with care. When he was done he stood back and gestured for everyone to open their gifts. One by one, everyone's eyes widened in awe.
"These earrings-!"
"My goodness, this certainly is a gorgeous bracelet!"
"Woah, sick charm."
Once everyone had opened their gifts they looked back to Bracken, sending there was more to it than just that.
"Now, if everyone would be so kind as to put on or at least touch their gift?"
Everyone did so, and then looked back at him again.
'Can everyone hear me?' Bracken "said". Everyone jumped, startled at hearing the young princes voice in their heads even though his mouth had stayed shut.
"Communicators?" Kendra asked.
"Yes. Once we head back to the school, our phones will be monitored by the faculty and the faculties will be turned off, as per the rules and such. This way, we will all be able to stay in contact in case of an emergency. That being said, anyone who abuses this channel of communication will be kicked off for a period of time. So, as Warren would say, don't be 'that guy'."
There was a beat, and then every gaze swivel led toward Seth. He merely shrugged.
"That's fair." He said.
Bracken chuckled, ruffled Seth's hair as he walked past, and took a seat on the floor next to Kendra. Seth stood next.
"Mine aren't really useful like the others, but I like to think they're fun!"
Seth's gifts ended up being novelty t-shirts for everyone that made little to no sense.
Vanessa's said "Screw Being a Homeschool Mom, I Wanna Be a Vampire". She smirked, fighting laughter, and folded it neatly.
Warren's said "Laundry and Dishes, Hugs and Kisses #MomLife". He laughed loudly, shucked the t-shirt he was currently wearing, and tugged the new one on.
Kendra's said "I'm a Fairy Princess You Can't Tell me What to Do". Kendra grimaced and balled up the pastel pink monstrosity.
Brackens had a unicorn laying on a therapist's chair with the therapist saying "You need to believe in yourself". He tried to frown but soon gave in to giggling.
Trask's read, "F.B.I. Fucking Bullshit Investigation." He laughed very hard at that and promised Seth he'd wear it when he could.
Tanu's shirt said "Will The Real Severus Snape Please Stand Up?" The large potions master giggled at the shirt, smiling at Seth and thanking him.
Elise's was "Ain't No Lie Cuz I'm Bi Bi Bi" on an ombré fade of blue pink and purple. She smiled wide and hugged Seth around the neck.
Mara's read "Let's Get One Thing Straight I'm Not". She snorted as she read it and winked at Seth, folding it carefully.
Seth got his grandparents nice sweaters, sparing them from t-shirt hell. Both were cashmere, hand made, and very soft. Dale was given a flannel that looked normal, but upon closer inspection , it could be seen that all the darker patches contained expletives of some nature. Dale chuckled and promised to wear it on the hard days.
"These were cute, Seth." Tanu said, his eyes crinkling with his smile.
"Yeah, man, I love this shirt!"
"Thanks, mijo."
"I'll definitely be wearing this around school."
Seth smiled and sat down, clearly very pleased his gag gifts were a hit. One by one the others stood up and presented their gifts to the group.
Tanu has given everyone a basic emergency kit of potions, with vials containing the gaseous state potion, a luck potion, a sleep potion, a bravery potion, a calming potion, and a smoke bomb concoction meant to be thrown. He also promised everyone would get a mug of his legendary hot chocolate at the end of the night.
Vanessa gifted everyone brand new, personalized weaponry to match the new gear from Warren. Kendra got new throwing knives with incredibly detailed geometric designs in the metal. Seth, Trask, and Warren got new broad and long swords. Mara received a gorgeous set of arrows, cedar shafts, harpy feather fletching, and adamant heads. Bracken was given both a new sword and a compass, the latter engraved to say: "For Bracken. A Friend." When Bracken tried to thank her for the gift, she brushed off his comments and played dumb about any engraving. In lieu of a weapon, Tanu was given a set of rare ingredients Vanessa had extracted from her various pets.
"Is this Mongolian Slip-Snake venom?"
"Depends who's asking."
"Hell yeah, Santoro!"
Elise and Mara's gifts were more abstract, but heartily appreciated. Elise had been walking around for months now with her sketchbook, seemingly practicing quietly in any room others were in, observing. In actuality, she now told them, she had been sketching her friends in candid moments, and handed out the finalized artwork as her gift. Some were drawn from memory, some from observation.
Warren was given a portrait of him, Kendra, and Seth playing Sorry! in the living room. They all wore varying degrees of frustration and amusement. He laughed and promised to frame it, even though he had lost that game horribly and he claimed to still be angry. Kendra received a sketch of her and Bracken enjoying the fall leaves on the back porch. Tanu's sketch was of he and Seth enjoying a game of chess. Stan and Ruth received a pastel sketch of themselves listening to the gramophone in the study before a meeting. Trask's was of him and Mara sparring in the yard. Vanessa's smile was genuine and large when she received a detailed colored pencil sketch of herself, Warren, and Kendra asleep on the couch; Kendra was sprawled across both the adults' laps, and Vanessa was leaning over her toward Warren, whose one arm was thrown across the couch and Vanessa, the other holding Kendra in place. And Bracken was gifted a painting of one of the more candid pictures taken of him and Kendra on the night of the Christmas gala. She was adjusting his tie and he was reaching up to touch her hair. They were both smiling hard enough to make crow's feet appear around their eyes. And Mara's was of herself and Elise holding hands, strolling down and autumn pathway. The Hopi woman blushed and thanked Elise softly. The Korean woman smiled at her partner and sat back down between her and Trask.
Mara stood next and delivered a short speech about her gift; she, Trask, and Dale would be donating a fully operational and brand new training area to the preserve. She explained her goal of a sand pit for hand-to-hand and weapons training, a small track, a gymnastics area, and whatever else came to mind as they built. Stan stood and thanked them profusely, giving his full blessing to the project. The other knights looked thrilled with the notion, as they were more than likely staying at Fablehaven for the foreseeable future.
Dale stood and added onto Mara's gift, declaring he had plans to begin building another house on the preserve for guest or emergency purposes. They all fit comfortably now, but any more knights of visitors would be a problem. He winked at Stan, who nodded his agreement, and sat back down.
Kendra attempted to stand up to give out her gifts next but was met with an army of resistance.
"Just where do you think you're going young lady!"
"¡Aye mija sit down!"
"Nope nope nope nope sit."
"Please, love, I've got it, really!"
"Jeez, Kendra, sit down! You're gonna break something!"
Kendra huffed and rolled her eyes. "I'm a little weak, guys, I'm not made of glass."
"Still, Kendra," Ruth said. "It's better to just take it easy for now. If not for your sake, then for all our ours."
"Okay, Grandma," Kendra smiled. "Just for you guys, though."
Bracken and Seth stood up and began handing out Kendra's gifts as she spoke.
"So, mine don't really have a theme, I guess, like everyone else's. Sorry about that."
"Shut up Kendra I'm going to love it." Warren said, already ripping into his. He extracted a large picture frame made of deep brown mahogany, speckled with silver flowers along the frame. The frame surrounded a collage of pictures of himself with various members of the family; Kendra, Seth, Bracken, Dale, Vanessa, and Tanu were all present in many of the photos in turn, with each other, with Warren, or alone. The center of the collage was the snapshot of him and Kendra from her phone. Kendra mimed flipping it over and he did. The back was engraved with the famous "Ohana means family…" quote from Lilo and Stitch, Kendra's favorite movie. Warren looked up from his gift with tears in his eyes.
"You're really gonna make cry for, like, the third time today, huh," Warren pinched the tears out of his eyes, futile trying to stem the flow.
"It's kind of been my thing lately," Kendra laughed, also a little tearfully. "Do you like it?"
"I'd give you the most crushing hug right now if I didn't think it would kill you."
"That's very thoughtful, thank you."
Seth opened his gift next, and his jaw dropped.
"Is this that skateboard I saw four years ago at that mom and pop shop in Cape May?"
"Maybe."
"This just earned you, like, all the awesome dollars."
"I'm sure it'll pay for itself in idiot points. Merry Christmas, Seth."
Bracken laughed as he pulled out a unicorn headband and unicorn face mask, and then sobered as he pulled out a handmade fairy statue.
"I saw it in storefront in town the other day, and it made me think of you. I remember you mentioned being homesick for the little fairy statues in your mother's garden and study, so I hope this helps." Kendra tried not to blush. Vanessa and Elise's matching smirks told her she was failing.
"Thank you, love," Bracken grinned. "It's gorgeous. And I love it."
Trask was given a new pair of sunglasses, as he had recently broken his nicest prescription pair doing yard work with Dale. He put them on, and laughed in delight to find them a perfect match in strength to his old pair.
"I don't know how you do it, fairy princess, but you got some kind of gift giving magic." He smiled.
Vanessa was gifted a "new" leather jacket. Her personal favorite, and oldest leather jacket had begun falling and peeling apart. So Kendra had Warren help her get the jacket out of the house and to a leather restoration shop. The jacket was good as new, yet still completely broken in.
"Absolutely incredible," Vanessa murmured, turning the midnight black jacket this way and that, inspecting every stitch and fold. "I have no idea how to thank you for this, Kendra."
"Let me drive the Maserati?"
"You know what, for this, I'll consider it." Vanessa laughed.
Mara opened a small box to find hand crafted, long metal earrings. They were stamped to look like wings, and were topped with four beads each in red yellow black and white. She began to tear up, and pressed her fingers to her mouth.
"Are they okay?" Kendra asked worriedly. "I searched all over the internet and researched all I could. If they're not-"
"Hush, Kendra," Mara chuckled in her deep voice, wiping her eyes. "They're gorgeous. I love them more than I know how to say. My mother had a pair just like these. I've always wanted something similar but could never find one close enough. How extraordinary to receive such a gift from such a kind soul."
Kendra smiled softly and nodded, grateful for the acceptance of her gift. Tanu opened his next, a book.
"My goodness, Kendra, where did you find this!" Tanu looked about ready to jump up and start dancing. Kendra giggled.
"Agad helped me."
"Well thank him, too."
"What is it, man?" Warren asked, confused. "A Gutenberg bible? The secret to success and a good hairline past 40? Share it with Dale if it's that second one."
"You're scooping the horse manure tomorrow, Warren."
"That's fair."
"It's a very ancient, very rare, potions book," Tanu looked like he was physically restraining himself from yelling. "Only about 10 were ever made because they were made before the printing press. They're every potion master's dream guide. Kendra, I have no idea how to thank you for this. My gratitude goes beyond words."
"You more than deserve it, Tanu. With all you've done for us, the lives you've saved, including mine, and Warren's, which is like Double Jeopardy these days-"
"Hey!"
"-the least I can do is give you an old textbook. However, I will accept an extra cup of hot coco as thanks."
"You got it, Kens." Tanu's laugh was contagious, and soon the whole room was chuckling.
Elise opened her gift last, a set of charcoals and pencils and very thick paper that seemed to shimmer at certain angles. She smiled as she looked up at Kendra.
"Is this what I think it is?"
"The tools and paper are enchanted, by Bracken and Agad. Whatever you draw will move in a loop, like a gif. Or a Harry Potter portrait, if you're into that."
"Wicked." Elise smiled and picked up a charcoal to examine it. "It goes without saying that I am beyond excited and grateful for this, but to express that, I think you'll be my first moving portrait, manic fairy dream girl."
"I can abide by that." Kendra laughed.
As everyone began shuffling their gifts around, Stan and Ruth stood up.
"And last but not least, our gifts to all of you this Christmas," Stan said. "We decided to go a more traditional route than weaponry and telepathic communication, and decided on these for you all."
As he spoke, Ruth began handing out identical boxes to each person present. They were all bit bigger than palm sized, perfect cubes wrapped in candy cane paper. Once her husband finished speaking, Ruth gestured for everyone to open their gifts.
"Yay boxes!" Warren cheered sarcastically. He had torn through the paper to the unassuming brown box underneath.
"Open the box, dummy." Dale muttered.
"What! No way, they open?" Warren seemed to be having far more fun toying with his brother. Nonetheless, he popped the lid on the thin brown box open, and began haphazardly shaking the cube of styrofoam packing out.
"Warren," Vanessa sighed. "Doesn't the styrofoam imply, y'know, handle with care."
"Well, that's why there's styrofoam. It's Burgess-proof."
Vanessa snorted and opened her mouth to fire off some sassy reply, but the words died in her throat as she pries apart her own cube of styrofoam to reveal the present inside. Several of the others were equally speechless and they stared at the contents of the gift box.
Each present contained a beautiful glass bauble tree ornament. The glass seemed to be thinner than paper, and lighter than air, cleared than the sky, yet was webbed with delicate crackles of frost. The top of each was a different shade of red. Inside each was a unique winter setting. Each person's name was iced delicately into the ornament, and seemed to hover frozen in time both behind the glass walls, yet not in the diorama either.
"Stan, Ruth-" Tanu attempted to speak, but clearly found himself a bit too choked up. The others were in similar states, either transfixed by the detail in the ornament, or choked with emotion.
"We've all been through so much together over the past four years," Stan said. "That we felt it was far past time to show you all just how much we appreciate it. Wherever life takes you after our adventures, you will always be family to us. Merry Christmas, all of you."
"How on earth did you make these?" Vanessa asked, trying to discreetly dab her eyes.
"The brownies," Ruth smiled. "We left vague instructions and some supplies, but they took it from there."
"They're more beautiful than I have words for." Bracken murmured, eyeing the scene in his ornament with wonder.
"Can we put them on the tree?" Kendra asked hopefully.
"Well, they are ornaments." Stan chuckled. Kendra smiled, and took Bracken's offered arm to help herself up. A moment later the tree was filled with the gorgeous ornaments, and everyone stepped back to admire the sight.
"Well," Seth said after about half a minute. "This is beautiful and all, but I'm starved from the stress and joy of the holiday season. Is it pancake time now?"
"It's pancake time, alright!" Warren clapped his hands together and turned towards his younger cousins. Before anyone could really move, Warren had tossed Kendra and Seth over his shoulders in a fireman's carry and began making his way towards the kitchen. The rest of the family chuckled and followed them.
Kendra looked up from organizing her gifts when she heard the knock on her door.
"Come in!"
The old wood creaked open to reveal Seth, shuffling his feet a bit nervously and holding his hands behind his back.
"Hey, Kens, you got a minute?"
"Of course, Seth. What's up?" Kendra said. Her brother walked fully into the room and nudged the door shut behind himself. He plopped down on the bed next to her, and pulled out a wrapped gift from under the back of his shirt.
"I got you something else besides the awesome t-shirt." Seth mumbled. Kendra smiled, surprised.
"What a coincidence. I got you something besides the skateboard."
"What! Kendra you didn't have to!" Seth looked shocked.
"Neither did you." Kendra shrugged. She pulled a sizeable box out from underneath her bed and flopped onto the bed next to Seth. She handed him the box, and took the gift he offered her. She began ripping the paper delicately, while Seth tore his violently.
"No way," Seth gasped. "There's no way you really got me a Destroyer pack. Kendra, these things are insane!"
"Well, so are you!" Kendra rolled her eyes fondly and smiled. "And this will hold all the stuff you could ever possibly need to keep yourself from dying from self-inflicted insanity."
"I really don't have a big enough vocabulary to thank you for this." Seth was still staring, gobsmacked, at the military style pack that put his old emergency kit to shame. Kendra laughed a little under her breath, and finished tearing open her gift.
"Thanks, Seth, I think." Kendra was a little confused about her gift; an opalescent white journal with a leather buckle and a couple of strange looking, equally opalescent pens.
"Right, so, let me explain," Seth gently put his new backpack down, which was ironic considering it was built to withstand explosions. "I have a matching one in black. Whatever we write in our journal will show up in the others, and only we can see the writing. Like the journal from Harry Potter, or like an enchanted Google doc. Bracken helped me out with some of the magic, but I did most of it on my own. It was my first, uh, real shadow charming project."
He sounded sheepish by the end of the little speech, but Kendra was severely impressed.
"You enchanted these yourself? Seth this is amazing! You're really talented with this magic stuff."
"Eh, kinda sorta. The first few tries caught fire. I think the book store employees were really confused when I kept going back to buy the same journal in bulk,"
Kendra giggled and Seth smiled at the sound.
"Anyway, this has been way too emotional for a wayward teen like me. I'm heading to bed to sleep off all the food we ate. You have the medicine Tanu made?"
"Yes, mom."
"Ouch, Kens. Words hurt."
Kendra smiled, and stood up with Seth. The two hugged each other close, briefly, reveling in the fact that the other was standing there, alive, after all the past few days had put them through.
"Merry Christmas, Seth."
"Merry Christmas, Kendra."
"One mulled cider for the lady." Warren handed Vanessa a mug where she sat in front of the fire in the living room. Everyone else had gone to bed, save for Bracken who was milling about outside, watching the snowfall.
"Thanks, Warren." Vanessa smiled as she wrapped her hands around the warm drink. Warren smiled back briefly before sitting down next to her, wincing as several joints popped, cracked, or creaked. He heard his friend trying to stifle laughter.
"Got something to say, Santoro?" Warren challenged.
"You sound worse than Stan."
"Has Stan ever jumped off a cliff or wrestled a Minotaur or shoveled a patch of dirt till his hands bled?" Hm?" Warren was struggling to hide his smile.
"No, that's probably why he's 68 and not dead." Vanessa laughed.
"Fair enough." He chuckled. The two slipped back into a comfortable silence, sipping their drinks and watching the flames dance over the logs in the fireplace. Warren took a moment to subtlety study the blix seated next to him. She was barefaced, wearing plain clothes, her hair down and unstyled. He marveled at how comfortable she had become around him, and he around her.
"Hey," Vanessa didn't move her eyes from the fire as she spoke. "The quote on the collage Kendra got you. I know it's from that Disney movie you made us all watch-"
"I know you loved that movie, you can't fool me Nessa. I know you better than you think."
"Hush. But is there a greater significance? It seemed to be deeper than just a cookie cutter Disney quote she slapped on."
"Your perception never ceases to amaze me." The utter adoration in Warren's gaze made Vanessa blush harder than she could blame on the heat from the fire.
"So I'm right?"
"Yes. Very right," Warren took another sip of his cider and seemed to be organizing his thoughts. A moment later, he spoke. "You know about the knapsack fiasco, yeah?"
"Three months you were trapped, right?"
"Give or take a week, yeah." Warren's demeanor was no longer particularly festive. He seemed more withdrawn, and was staring off intently. Vanessa swallowed hard and moved closer to him, resting her head on her shoulder. The contact seemed to snap him out of his stupor, and he wrapped an arm around Vanessa, drawing her closer.
"Anyway, it was pretty hopeless from where I was standing. So, imagine my shock when my baby cousin busts my ass out of inter-dimensional Yahtzee prison. And because I was in such a, ah, rough place, mentally, I said something like 'I thought you guys forgot about me.' And Kendra hit me with that freaking Ohana quote from her favorite Disney movie. So, it's kind of a thing for us now."
Warren hadn't really noticed the stray tear drops on his face, but before he could reach up to wipe them, Vanessa was already tenderly brushing them away.
"That little girl is something special." Vanessa murmured, knowing her words didn't do Kendra a fraction of the justice she deserved for all her deeds, but knowing Warren understood the emotion she put behind the words.
"Well, she does have some pretty bad-ass role models." Warren smirked down at her.
"Yeah, Tanu and Dale rock."
"Nessa!"
They both laughed, enjoying the moment of relaxed intimacy. Neither knew when they'd get another.
"Ugh," Vanessa flopped backwards onto the carpeting after a beat, slipping out of Warren's grasp. "I don't wanna go back to school and teach snotty little brats."
"Don't like kids?" Warren tried to ask casually.
"The ones I know, sure. Kendra, Seth, and horseface are all great. The ones in my family are usually okay. My own I would love. But teaching a bunch of strangers' little brats the finer points of molecular biology was never exactly on my To Do list. Not to mention our dear friend Romeo."
"Hate that guy. You should break his nose."
"After this year is over I might."
"Hell yeah, babe. Dismantle the patriarchy."
Vanessa chuckled and pulled herself up off the floor. She drained the last of the cider in her mug and placed the cup on the marble of the fireplace sill. She and Warren had lapsed back into silence, but this pause seemed more charged, more tense than the last. Vanessa hazarded a glance at Warren to find him staring intently at her.
"Hey, Nessa?" He seemed to be bracing himself to say something.
"Yes, Warr?" Vanessa turned toward Warren and tried not to let on how nervous she was. She failed.
"I have to say something. And there's really no delicate way to say it so I'm just gonna, um, vomit some words."
"Okay, Warren." She nodded. He took a deep breath, angled himself to face her fully, and took both of her hands in both of his. His gaze bore into hers, unwavering, and Vanessa found she couldn't look away.
"I am in love with you. I have been for the past year, and every day I spend with you it just gets stronger. I know you said you weren't ready for a relationship yet, and I'm not expecting anything from this conversation. But I almost lost you a couple days ago. And my world tilted on its axis. So I don't want either of us to live another day not knowing all there is to know. I don't want to leave words unsaid, and emotions un-expressed. Because life is short. And I want you to share mine for as long as possible. My life is brighter with you in it."
Warren looked down, bracing himself for a rejection he was almost certain was coming his way.
"I love you, too, Warren."
His head snapped up so fast he was positive he had whiplash.
"What?"
Vanessa's eyes were shining. "I know it took me a long time to get here, to be able to say those words, and know I meant them. But the fact that you stayed? That you were patient? Says more to be than any words or gift ever could. I love you so much, Warren. Your bravery, your humor, your honesty. All of it. All of you. Te amo mucho, Warren."
He smiled at her, shaky but so, so happy. Warren tugged her closer and wrapped her in a tight bear hug. Vanessa breathed in deeply, reveling in the feeling of happiness and content she had been chasing for so long.
"So are we like, boyfriend and girlfriend now?" Warren asked in an highly-affected Valley Girl accent. Vanessa giggled.
"Sure, Warren. We can be boyfriend and girlfriend."
"Good, then I can finally give you this." Warren released her and leaned back, reaching under the tree. He righted himself a second later, flat box in hand. "Had it for a little while. I know you're into more alternative jewelry, so I did some hunting and, well, I hope you like it."
Vanessa made short work of the paper and gently lifted the lid on the flat jewelry box. Nestled inside was an elegant hand chain. Long ropes of black diamond encrusted chain link studded with garnet were attached to rings and a bracelet that seemed to be fashioned out of burned steel. There was a matching ear chain in the box as well. Vanessa's jaw was on the proverbial floor.
"Warren, I- this is- how did you-" Vanessa looked up at him, a few tears finally slipping free. Warren scratched the back of his head
"So, you like it?" He smiled hopefully. Vanessa let the lid of the box snap shut as she placed it gently on the ground. She grabbed Warren by the collar and hauled him in for a gentle yet searing kiss. When they broke apart, she murmured against his lips.
"I love it, almost as much as I love you."
When Bracken finally exited the bathroom after taking his regular scalding hot shower, he was surprised to see Kendra laying on his bed waiting for him. He chuckled at her teasing whistle as he was still shirtless, only having thrown on a pair of sweatpants.
"Damn, hottie. You got a girlfriend?" Kendra said, unabashedly looking him up and down. Bracken's chuckling turned to a laugh at that, and deciding to play along, he nodded.
"Yes, as a matter of fact I do have a girlfriend. I love her very much, so, I apologize." He said, tossing Kendra a teasing smile as he discarded a wet towel into the hamper.
"Well, your girlfriend, whoever she is, must be luckiest person in the world. I'm sure she feels that way at least." Kendra's eyes met his and Bracken felt his heart stutter at the sight of her bright green boring into his soul. He had missed those eyes so much over the past few days. After three days of pure stress and borderline mourning, Bracken was over the moon Kendra was finally awake and okay.
"You have it backwards, actually." Bracken said, walking over to the bed. Kendra tilted her head to the side in question. "I'm the one that feels like the luckiest person in the world. You see, my girlfriend shines like the sun and has the most beautiful, and kindest soul I ever had the fortune to meet. She is gorgeous, wonderful, and the love of my life."
Bracken had now climbed up on the bed with Kendra and was leaning over her where she laid, looking up at him with those big sparkling eyes. Kendra smiled, her hands reached up to cup Bracken's face before pulling him down to kiss him.
Bracken could feel his girlfriend smiling against his mouth as their lips moved together languidly. He let his teeth graze her lower lip once, twice, and felt her nip back once, lightly. Before the kiss could get heated, though, Bracken broke the connection and drew back, panting a bit. He stared down into Kendra's green eyes as she ran her thumb back and forth over his cheekbone.
"I love you so much, Bracken."
"I love you more, my princess." Bracken whispered, kissing her nose quickly then pulling away fully and standing.
"Noooo, where are you going?" Kendra whined, making grabby hands at him and pouting.
"Stay there, I need to get something." Bracken said, resisting the urge to go back over and kiss her cute pout off her lips
He walked over to his desk and pulled a wrapped box out of the drawer. He then turned back to his waiting girlfriend, nerves forming a knot in his stomach.
"For me?" Kendra sat up against the headboard. "Seth and I just exchanged bonus gifts, too. This must be my lucky night." She giggled and Bracken smiled, he loved the sound of her laugh. He sat down in front of her on the bed, handing her the gift. She tore into it eagerly, comfortable enough around Bracken to allow herself a moment of childishness. He laughed at her excitement, her joy contagious.
Kendra's exuberance fell away to shock as the lid of the gift fell away, revealing a roughly hewn but delicately set necklace made of a diamond chain and a natural pearl set into a diamond frame. It was the most divine necklace Kendra had ever seen, and it radiated light magic.
"Bracken," Kendra breathed. "Is this-"
"My first horn, yes." Bracken smiled at her tenderly.
"Bracken, I can't accept this, oh my-" before Kendra could protest any further, Bracken gently placed a finger over her lips.
"Please, hear me out?" Bracken waited for her nod of approval before moving to take the necklace out of the box and clasp it around her neck. It draped perfectly along her collarbone like it was made for her to wear. Kendra touched it gently, and startled when Bracken's voice suddenly filled her head.
"You look radiant, my love."
"Thank you, Bracken. Is this another communicator or something?"
"Not quite. It's just the magic of the horn, really."
"Bracken, really, this is too much! I cant accept your first horn. You need this, don't you?"
"No, I only need my second." He saw the uncertainty and hesitation in her eyes, and laid a hand across hers. "Please, Kendra, accepting this gift would mean the world to me. It ties us closer, and will help me to know you're safe, help me keep you safe. It's a symbol of my love for you. A promise, to always be there for you, and support you, even if I can't physically be there. And I-"
Whatever else Bracken was going to say was cut off by the kiss Kendra gave him. It was warm and pure and passionate, and everything she was, and Bracken melted into it. Her love felt like home. When they pulled apart, Bracken could see the veil of tears in Kendra's eyes, and knew from her surprised expression she could see the wetness in his own gaze. He blinked, disturbing the tears, and a few slid down his cheeks. Kendra brushed them away softly, sniffling herself. They chuckled wetly, and shared one more kiss before lying down on the bed.
Bracken pulled Kendra into his arms, and she curled into his chest, sighed blissfully. The pendant of the necklace seemed to warm her core and heart, and idly she wondered if it reflected Bracken's emotions. It was thoughts similar to these that preoccupied Kendra's mind as she slipped away into sleep, at least feeling at peace.
Whew! So much happening! Would absolutely LOVE feedback on what everyone thought of the presents, the characters, where you think it's going, all that. And I hope you enjoyed the break, because next chapter we are back to school!