Chapter 28: Noel Noel
Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy
Happy Christmas in September….=)
RPOV
Two days after my date with Dimitri it was Christmas morning. We had gone to midnight mass last night so that we could wake up late and eat dad's famous pancakes in our pajamas.
"Do you think Santa came Rosie?" my dad asked as I walked into the kitchen rubbing my eyes sleepily wearing my ratty old bathrobe and snoopy slippers. Chestnuts roasting on an open fire was playing softly on the record player, yes we still had old LPs.
"Dad, we're all too old to believe in Santa," I told him rolling my eyes. He did this every year. They'd sign some of the presents from Mom and Dad and the rest were from Santa. Mom even used different paper. It was so corny, but I loved it. It made Christmas feel extra special.
"You're killing me Rosie. You realize you're my last baby bird to fly out of the nest. Throw me a bone will you?" He smiled as he held out a cup of hot cocoa as a peace offering. "If you're in the spirit then it will motivate the rest. I'm counting on you."
"Okay Dad, I can't wait to see what Santa brought me," I acquiesced giggling a little at the stupidity of it.
"That's my girl," he said ruffling my hair.
"Where are the others?" I asked noticing that we were the only two awake.
"Your mom was up late wrapping gifts so I let her sleep. You know your brother and sister will come down as soon as the pancakes are ready."
"Can I help?" I asked.
"Nope just sit down and I'll bring them to you," he said.
"Chocolate chips?"
"Do you have to ask?"
Ten minutes later there was a huge stack of pancakes in front of me and Mom, Christian and Tasha had wandered into the kitchen.
"Morning Rosie," Christian greeted.
"Merry Christmas," I said as my mother kissed my forehead and then greeted my father.
Tasha was actually pleasant at breakfast. She didn't even tease me with any fat jokes after I socked away eight pancakes with bacon and sausage.
When the table was cleared, we all gathered around the tree. It was traditional for one of us to hand out the gifts and then we would open them one at a time so everyone could see what it was.
Tasha was handing out gifts so she sat on the floor. Christian and I took the loveseat and mom and dad were on the couch.
"Wow this one is huge!" my father exclaimed as Tasha presented him with the bird house. We'd added her name to the card even though it was Christian, Dimitri and I who had put in the time to make it.
He opened it with a huge smile on his face. "This is fantastic thank you," he told us. "I can't wait until Spring when I can put some feed in it."
Mom got a little misty eyed when she opened the necklace I made her. Christian had carved her a small wooden box for it and Tasha has decorated it. She placed the necklace delicately inside the box admiring the adornments Tasha had added.
A gasp escaped my throat as I opened a homemade quilt that my mother made. I recognized that the squares used to be some of my old baby blankets and pieces of the sheets from my bed and old t-shirts.
"I'd forgotten I had Little Mermaid Sheets," I said snuggling my face into the blanket. There was a photo in the middle of our family on my birthday last year. We looked really happy even Tasha.
"This is amazing Mom. It must have taken you forever."
"I've been working on it a little at a time in preparation for you before you turn eighteen. Tasha has one just like it." I remembered her getting one similar to it a few years ago.
To my surprise I opened my gift from Tasha to reveal a really beautiful picture frame. It was silver and glittery with the word sisters written across the front. Inside it there was a photo of the two of us. I couldn't have been more than seven and she would have been eleven. I didn't remember the photo being taken, but we looked silly smiling at the camera with our snow cones and neon colored sunglasses that were way too big for our faces. We must have been at some sort of carnival. There was a Carousel in the background.
"Tasha this is beautiful," I told her.
"Yea well, I just wanted you to know that we weren't always fighting," she said trying hard not to show any emotions.
I leaned forward hugging her tightly. Her body went rigid at first, but after a few seconds she relaxed and hugged me back. I couldn't remember the last time she'd hugged me if ever. Today was definitely full of mother looked ecstatic at the idea of us getting along. She'd been wishing for it for years.
Dad and I gave Christian a bean bag set so he could play bags with his friends. I had sewn the beanbags with fabric from the Oregon Ducks and stuffed them with dried pinto beans. Dad had painted their logo onto the wooden boards as well.
"These are sweet!" he cried. "Wait until the guys see these. They'll be so jealous."
When all the gifts had been opened I started collecting the paper in a big garbage bag.
"Hey there's one more gift back there," my mother called fishing a very small box out from the back of the tree.
"It's for you Rose," she said.
"Who is it from?" I'd already opened gifts from my parents, Tasha, Christian and a pretty silver charm bracelet from Santa.
"I don't know. It doesn't have a tag," she said handing it to me. I opened the lid to the small box and found a set of keys inside.
"This is a weird gift," I muttered. I saw a card underneath them.
It said:
Have Fun! Drive Safe. Love, Mom & Dad
My eyes widened and I shrieked.
"Oh my God! Really?" I cried.
"Really," my mother said.
"Thank you thank you thank you," I continued to shriek hugging both my parents tightly.
CPOV
Christmas was surreal at our house this year. Tasha was actually nice after her puzzling comments the other night. On top of that Mom and Dad finally gave in and were going to let Rose get her driver's license. Those two things in itself were bizarre, but where in the hell did Tasha get that picture of her and Rose? I had never seen a photo of any of us at that age. I decided that it was time to investigate. I may not remember the fire that burnt down our house, but I do remember mom saying we lost everything.
So while mom was busy cooking and dad was out giving Rose a driving lesson, I climbed the stairs to the attic and quietly pulled down the ladder. It was musty and very dirty up there, but I managed to hoist myself up pulling the steps up behind me. I didn't want anyone barging in on my investigation.
Too many things did not add up. Why was Tasha so resentful of Rose? Why were there no photos of us before Junior high and even then they were few and far between and why is it that both Rose and I seem to have had our memories wiped clean before age 6? This was my life and I wanted answers.
The attic was typical for what I thought an attic should look like. There were many boxes covered in thick layers of dust. Cobwebs hung in the corners and I had to duck to avoid hitting the wooden ceiling beams. I knew no one would come looking for me for at least a good hour so I decided to start on the far end and work my way forward.
The first few boxes I opened were full of junk. I recognized my old little league uniform and some trophies that we had gotten over the years for contests and stuff. There were many boxes filled with old Halloween costumes and things. I recognized my batman costume from when I was ten. None of it was useful, so I closed them back up. After going through numerous boxes filled with old school report cards, insurance paperwork and dads old teaching supplies, I decided to call it quits. There was nothing up here that seemed out of the ordinary. Maybe I was just reading into things that didn't mean anything.
I was about to walk to where the ladder was when I tripped over a large wooden crate. I figured one more wouldn't hurt so I sat down and pulled off the cover. Inside were what looked like family photo albums. I pulled the first one out and opened it up. Much to my amazement it read Natasha Clarice Ozera. It had her date of birth, an ultrasound photo and pictures of my mother holding her in the hospital as a newborn. The album went on to detail the first ten years of her life. This couldn't be! They said we'd lost everything in the fire.
I set the album down and pulled out the second one. It read Christian Thomas Ozera. It was much the same as Tasha's except that it stopped at my seventh birthday. It was funny because sitting here looking at pictures of what was supposed to be my life, it felt as if I was looking at a stranger. I didn't remember any of the things that happened in these photos. I didn't remember Christmases or birthdays or the dumb fuzzy lamb costume my mother had dressed me in for the kindergarden play. This was unbelievable. Why would they lie to us?
I reached back into the box figuring Rose's album was next, but came up empty handed. There was no third album. Instead there was a small hatbox. I pulled it out and dusted it off. The top came off easily. The contents of the box confused me. I pulled out a child's dress. It was faded and purple. There were holes in it and it was stained. Underneath it was a tattered old stuffed rabbit and a lone photograph. It was Rose at age six. She was sitting on the floor wearing the old dress feeding a cookie to the rabbit. Her face was dirty and streaked with tearstains, but she looked content.
I put the stuff back into the box and rummaged around a little more uncovering a whole box full of photos of the three of us. They had indeed taken photos of us as children, but had hidden them away in a large box way up here in the attic. What the hell for? Why were there huge albums of Tasha and I and only one photo of Rose before age six?
"Christian dinner is ready!" I heard my mother calling for me. I quickly stuffed everything I'd found back into the boxes except for the photo of Rose. That I put into the pocket of my hoodie before sneaking down the stairs and pushing the ladder back up where it belonged.
"What the hell happened to you?" Rose's voice startled me as I was about to enter my room.
"What do you mean?" I asked trying to sound unconcerned.
"You're filthy," she exclaimed pointing to my clothes which were indeed covered in dirt.
"Ugh, you smell like grandma," she groaned referring to the musky mothball smell I'd acquired while digging in the attic.
"Whatever, tell Mom I'll be down in ten," I said slamming the door to my room. I pulled the photo out of my pocket and stuck it in between the pages of a book on my desk before shedding my clothing for a quick shower.
I didn't know what they were hiding, but one thing is for sure. Something bad happened and they were covering it up. The question was what is the secret and if our house supposedly burned down then why is all the stuff they said had burned sitting up in our attic and did Tasha know something? I was determined to find out and Tasha was going to tell me the truth one way or another.
APOV
"What?" I growled as someone knocked on the door to my room for the umpteenth time.
"I want to be alone."
"Adrian, you have to come out of there. It's Christmas morning. I know you're hurting, but please don't shut me out."
It pained me to hear my wife pleading from the other side of the door, but I couldn't bring myself to get out of bed. I'd locked the door early this morning and had imbibed far too much vodka afterwards. It wasn't so much that I didn't want to get up and let her in, it was more that the entire room was spinning in circles and if I moved I would surely lose my stomach.
A half an hour later I lie there wallowing in my guilt while she took the door off the hinges. She's done it so many times before she was a pro. She actually started timing herself. I think her personal best was a minute and a half.
I hated doing this to her, but I just couldn't take it anymore. Memories of that day haunted me consistently. If only I'd called my father earlier or insisted she take me with then maybe I could have done something to stop her.
I felt the bed dip as she climbed in next to me just like she had all those years ago.
"I'm sorry," I croaked. "I don't mean to be such a fuck up."
"Shhh, baby you're not. It's not your fault. You can't keep torturing yourself. Janine was sick and you were ten years old. You were a child. There was nothing you could have done. Do you understand?"
Her words made sense, but for some reason I couldn't believe it. It just didn't make sense to me. First my mother dies. She was a good person despite being unfaithful to my father. She loved me and took care of me. She didn't deserve to die young. And my sister, God she was just a child. Who knew what horrors she'd suffered back then and what she was going through now. That is if she really was alive. I knew I was deluding myself into believing that somehow she'd been dropped off with one of these families here in Astoria and was safe, but in reality, she had probably died long ago or she was living on the streets somewhere. The thought of either of those things chilled me to the bone.
"Babe how about we get you out of bed and into the shower and then I'll make some coffee." We'd been lying in silence for the past hour and I knew it was time for me to start acting like a man and celebrate this dread holiday with my family and friends. I'd much have preferred to drive a fork through my eye.
I nodded absently allowing her to do as she normally did pulling me out of bed and helping me strip off my clothes.
"Why do you put up with me? I don't deserve you." I was such a worthless loser, it was a wonder she didn't file for divorce.
Her lips curved into the beautiful smile I'd fallen in love with.
"You are a wonderful man and I am so lucky to have you. Times will be tough, but our love is strong. We can make it through anything. We've proved that time and again. Now get in that shower and I'll brew you some strong coffee," she told me swatting my behind playfully.
"Yes mam," I said dutifully hauling ass to the shower.
"Swallow the pills I left for you on the counter," she ordered before leaving me to myself. She was too good for me. I hoped she never figured that out.
Twenty minutes later I sat at the kitchen table with a steaming cup of coffee and some plain white toast in front of me.
"Is you tummy upset?" she asked knowing full well that I'd been retching all morning.
"Ugh," I groaned glaring at the offensive toast in front of me.
"It's okay. You can eat later," she said finishing scrambling some eggs on the stove.
"Adrian, Avery," Aunt Tatiana greeted us as she entered the kitchen. She was my mother's sister and was probably in her early forties. She'd never married, but enjoyed the company of a young man who worked at the nail salon in town. He was many years her junior, but seemed to make her happy.
"Auntie," I said rising to give her a kiss on the cheek. She was a saint for putting up with my bullshit these past few weeks. She knew why I was here and had been very good about not mentioning my bad habits like smoking in the house and drinking like a fish. She should have kicked me out by now, but I was her only nephew and since she didn't have children of her own she'd always taken to spoiling me. I think she also missed my mother dearly.
We spent the rest of the afternoon opening gifts and making small talk. I knew there was nothing I could buy that would make up for my shortcomings as a husband, but I did enjoy the happy look on her face when Avery opened tickets to see the Lion King in 3D over the weekend.
She was a sucker for Disney movies and she'd never seen one in the theaters and this was one of her favorites.
"You always know how to make a girl cry," she whispered tears falling from her eyes at my simple gesture. We already had everything money could buy so for Christmas we usually tried to find something we could do together. Last year I'd taken her to the Opera in Paris. She'd been dying to go and it wasn't really my thing, but I wanted her to be happy so I'd given in and purchased tickets. It wasn't half bad and seeing her happy made me feel happy.
"I didn't know what do get you since you're here and I'm not," she said handing me an envelope.
I opened it to reveal an apartment lease.
"You rented an apartment?" I asked. She nodded.
"I don't want to be away from you anymore so I rented a small flat on the other side of town."
"You're serious? You're moving here? What about school?" I asked incredulously. She'd already given up so much to be with me. I felt guilty asking her to do more.
"School can wait. I belong with you. I love you Adrian and I miss you. I want to be here for you every step of the way and if that means living here in this small town if bufu Oregon, then I'm all in," she said wrapping her arms around me tightly.
"There aren't words to describe how wonderful you are," I breathed pulling her closer capturing her lips with my own.
DPOV
My hands shook nervously as I put the finishing touches on Rose's gift. I really hoped she liked it. We'd risen early this morning to attend church services and then come home to a huge brunch and opened gifts. As usual the Dragomirs had overspent.
Lissa was pleased with her upgraded version of the IPAD and new sound system for her car. Andree received a set of very expensive golf clubs and I'd nearly wet myself when I opened my gift. It was three round trip tickets for my family to come and visit me from Russia.
"This is too much," I exclaimed explaining that I was unable to accept such a generous gift.
"Nonsense, you've been the perfect house guest and it has got to be killing your mother to be away from you. I've already spoken with her. She told me that she, your grandmother and your siter Viktoria would be able to make it here next month.
"I don't know how to thank you," I responded, the gift card for a nice restaurant that I'd gotten them was put to shame by their generosity. In reality, I was a little nervous about bringing my family here. They had no idea what type of case I was working on or whom I was working for.
I feared that if they came it would be hard for them to keep up the charade I was trying so desperately to keep in place. I needed to call home and fast, but first I was going to head over to Roza's to give her the gift.
I waited patiently on the doorstep after ringing the bell. It was nearly eight o'clock and I knew from her texts that they had finished dinner about an hour ago. I hadn't wanted to interrupt their family time.
The door opened and it was Tasha that let me in.
"Hello Dimitri," she said pleasantly.
"Tasha, it's good to see you again. Merry Christmas," I said trying my hardest to be polite.
"I'll go get Rose," she stated. That was odd. She didn't seem to be up to her old tricks.
"Hey," Rose said her eyes lighting up as she came down the stairs. She was dressed casually in jeans and a cranberry colored v-necked sweater. Her hair was pulled up in a long wavy ponytail. It didn't matter what she wore, she was always devastatingly beautiful.
"Merry Christmas," I said hugging her tightly.
"S Rozhdestvom Kristovym," she said in perfect Russian.
"Where did you learn that?" I gaped at her in awe.
"From Ivana. I called her up and asked her. It took her pronouncing it like two hundred times, but I finally got it." She beamed at me.
"That was very sweet of you," I told her. Hearing her speak Russian was a huge turn on.
"Do you want to go sit by the tree?" she asked. I nodded following her into the living room. Their tree was real and decorated with tons of homemade ornaments and mountains of tinsel.
"I assume that is your doing?" I asked pointing to the tree.
"Yup, isn't it fabulous?"
"Yes, just like you." That caused her to smile and her eyes to dance.
"So I have something for you," I said clearing my throat as I pulled the box out from behind the couch where I'd set it.
"Comrade, you didn't have to do that," she said softly.
"I wanted to. Open it," I urged.
"Well I never say no to a gift. It would be rude." She took the box and tore off the paper.
The look on her face was priceless.
"You bought make-up?" she asked quizzically a smirk breaking out on her face.
"Yes, I braved the make-up counter at the mall just for you," I admitted.
"Did I ever tell you that you're a great catch?" she asked kissing my cheek.
"I believe it's come up once or twice." I so loved it when she kissed me.
"So you like it? I didn't get the wrong colors did I?"
"I love it!" she said emphasizing it. "Love it!" The happy look on her face warmed my heart.
"So," she said getting up off the couch. "I have something for you too."
I raised my eyebrow at her as she fished around behind the tree. I hadn't expected her to have had the time to think about a gift for me. We'd only been together such a short time.
"Here it is," she announced thrusting a small box at me.
I opened the lid revealing a tiny cowboy figurine. It was all made of clay. He was wearing a duster, cowboy boots with spurs and a cowboy hat. In tiny silver letters across the brim of the hat it read: My Russian Comrade.
"Did you make this?" I asked.
She nodded. "That's the rule. It has to be home made. It's an ornament," she showed me the tiny hook at the top.
"Thank you," I told her. "I can't wait to hang it on the tree."
Wow almost four thousand words, you guys lucked out today. So the question of the day is was there a fire or wasn't there? Tell me what you think? I think Sparky is getting too close don't you? I hope to update on Saturday, but it may be in the wee hours of the morning. I have a first birthday, a bachelorette party and my ten year high school reunion all in one night. Yikes!
