A/N: WOW!!! I can't believe how wonderful you all are! Thank you so much for the reviews – they really make my day when I'm at my day job. Please keep them coming, because I love the feedback!
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Christmas Eve; 0042 Zulu; Harm and Mac's Home; Falls Church, Virginia
A steady curtain of snowflakes began to slowly obscure the frozen ground from view as evening fell. The frigid wind rattling against the glass wailed mournfully as it tried to push its way inside, but the flames crackling merrily in the corner fireplace kept its chill at bay. Sounds of laughter and holiday music filled the room. Lounging around the coffee table, the group was enthusiastically engaged in an after-dinner game of Trivial Pursuit. Fortunately the teams had proven to be fairly evenly matched: Mattie, Mac, and Trish versus Harm, Jennifer, and Frank.
"Looks like we're going to have a white Christmas," Mac commented as she sipped some tea. Pulling her eyes away from the window, she turned her attention back to the playing board that had been set up on the table. "Your turn, Harm."
Obediently rolling the dice, he waited for them to come to a stop before picking up his team's round game piece. "Yes!" he exclaimed, seizing the opportunity to get the final piece they needed to win. "Let's go for the wedge."
"Arts & Literature? Hmn..." Mattie reached into the box and pulled out the next trivia card. Reading the question to herself, she snorted loudly and flashed him a supercilious smile. "There's no way you're going to get this. 'In the children's book 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban', what kind of creature was Buckbeak?'"
"Actually, that's easy," Harm smirked, folding his arms in smug satisfaction. "Buckbeak was a hippogriff."
"You've read 'Harry Potter', sir?" Jennifer asked incredulously.
Mattie couldn't believe it either. "No freaking way. How did you know that?!"
Chuckling at the look of total doubt on his ward's face, he leaned over and grabbed the baggie of pie pieces. "What can I say? J.K. Rowling is a decent writer."
"This has been a wonderful evening," Trish interjected, diplomatically changing the subject. "I can't remember the last time I had this much fun at Christmas. Whatever made you think of Trivial Pursuit, Mattie? It was a marvelous suggestion."
"It... it was sort of a holiday tradition I had with my mom." Hesitating, the girl's voice caught as she glanced at Harm. "We didn't get the chance to play last year, but somehow it just doesn't seem like Christmas without it."
Sensing the veil of darkness that threatened to overwhelm her, he deliberately kept his tone light. "Ah, that explains how you got to be so smart," he said as he reached over and gave her arm a squeeze. The teasing manner with which he spoke had the desired effect. Her mood brightening, Mattie blushed with a small smile at the compliment.
Struck by a sudden notion, Trish turned to Frank and whispered something in his ear. An instant later he excused himself. Watching as he vanished upstairs, she turned to Harm.
"Darling, do you remember the tradition your father and I had when you were a boy? Every Christmas Eve, we would have a family photograph taken in front of the tree. You used to love looking at the lights and how they made rainbows on the walls and furniture."
"Vaguely. As I recall, we stopped doing it after he disappeared."
"I couldn't bear to continue with it after he was gone," she nodded sadly. Then as quickly as the grief had descended, it was washed away by the prospect of Christmases to come. "I think it's high time we dragged that old custom out of the closet and dusted it off. What do you say?"
A grin spread across Harm's face. "That's a fantastic idea, Mom. Actually, it would be nice to do it every year, continue the tradition for our new family." Wrapping an affectionate arm around Mattie's shoulders, he beamed at Mac. "How about it, Tiger? Feel up to posing for a few photos?"
"Do I have a choice?" she laughed, rising.
"Nope."
"Then go stand over by the tree. Frank should be back any moment," directed Trish. Once they were in position, she eyed them carefully. "Mattie, you stand in front with Harm and Mac behind you... ...exactly... ...now Harm, try laying your hand on Mattie's shoulder... ...yes, that will do quite nicely."
The sound of footsteps on the stairs eventually heralded Frank's return. Carrying a very expensive-looking camera, he waited to receive his wife's go-ahead before proceeding to take a few photographs. When he'd finished, Jennifer broke the silence before the three could move apart.
"Why don't we get a few with the grandparents?" she proposed. "I'd be more than happy to take them if you'd like."
Meeting her husband's gaze, Trish nodded. "Thank you, Jennifer. That would be lovely."
Taking the camera from Frank, the young woman watched as the Burnetts positioned themselves on either side of Harm and Mac. Mattie remained in front, with the four adults grouped quietly behind her. Once everyone had settled into position, Jennifer lifted the camera and looked through the viewfinder.
"Can you move closer together? I'd like to get everyone into the frame."
As the group pressed in, Harm's arm instinctively slid around Mac and pulled her nearer, his hand settling gently on her hipbone. Returning the gesture, she let her fingers play lightly on his waist. They stood that way for a few moments as Jennifer snapped the first shot. Suddenly, Harm heard Mac's sharp intake of breath and felt her stiffen next to him. Tightening his hold on her hip as she rubbed her free hand soothingly across her tummy, he glanced down at her questioningly before returning his gaze to the camera. With as little motion as possible, she took his hand and laid it where hers had been. Immediately he could feel their unborn child kicking persistently into his palm.
The impromptu photo shoot was over a few minutes later. "Thanks for letting me use your camera," Jennifer commented as she returned it to Frank. "My little point-and-shoot wouldn't work nearly as well. I think tonight's pictures will come out really nicely."
"Would you like to see them?"
Beckoning for everyone to gather around, Frank turned the camera over and deftly pulled the digital images up on the screen. When the first picture appeared, he handed the unit back to Jennifer and Mattie, who leaned in for a better view. "They'll be much sharper when I download them onto the computer," he explained. "The camera previews tend to look a little blurry due to the limitations of the display."
"What's the camera's resolution?"
"7.1 megapixels."
"Wow." Jennifer's eyes rounded in awe. "Way better than my point-and- shoot."
"Check this one out, Mrs. B." Taking the camera from her former roommate, Mattie passed it over to Trish.
"Oh, darling, what a beautiful picture."
Mattie grinned in agreement as Trish handed it to Harm and Mac for them to view. "Yeah, it's a great shot – you both look really happy. What happened? Did someone spike your cider?" she teased.
"Very funny, Squirt." Chuckling, Harm looked down at the picture on the screen. His mother, Frank, and Mattie were all smiling politely, but he and Mac were positively beaming. Standing beside him as she peered over his shoulder, Mac too saw the excitement the picture had captured in their expressions. In that instant they had been mutually experiencing the bond between parent and child. They had shared other intimate moments in the past, but actually seeing each other's happiness so vividly immortalized on film flooded her with an indescribable sense of supreme contentment. Feeling Harm's eyes on her now, Mac finally lifted her gaze to meet his and smiled softly.
"Merry Christmas," she whispered.
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To be continued...
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Christmas Eve; 0042 Zulu; Harm and Mac's Home; Falls Church, Virginia
A steady curtain of snowflakes began to slowly obscure the frozen ground from view as evening fell. The frigid wind rattling against the glass wailed mournfully as it tried to push its way inside, but the flames crackling merrily in the corner fireplace kept its chill at bay. Sounds of laughter and holiday music filled the room. Lounging around the coffee table, the group was enthusiastically engaged in an after-dinner game of Trivial Pursuit. Fortunately the teams had proven to be fairly evenly matched: Mattie, Mac, and Trish versus Harm, Jennifer, and Frank.
"Looks like we're going to have a white Christmas," Mac commented as she sipped some tea. Pulling her eyes away from the window, she turned her attention back to the playing board that had been set up on the table. "Your turn, Harm."
Obediently rolling the dice, he waited for them to come to a stop before picking up his team's round game piece. "Yes!" he exclaimed, seizing the opportunity to get the final piece they needed to win. "Let's go for the wedge."
"Arts & Literature? Hmn..." Mattie reached into the box and pulled out the next trivia card. Reading the question to herself, she snorted loudly and flashed him a supercilious smile. "There's no way you're going to get this. 'In the children's book 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban', what kind of creature was Buckbeak?'"
"Actually, that's easy," Harm smirked, folding his arms in smug satisfaction. "Buckbeak was a hippogriff."
"You've read 'Harry Potter', sir?" Jennifer asked incredulously.
Mattie couldn't believe it either. "No freaking way. How did you know that?!"
Chuckling at the look of total doubt on his ward's face, he leaned over and grabbed the baggie of pie pieces. "What can I say? J.K. Rowling is a decent writer."
"This has been a wonderful evening," Trish interjected, diplomatically changing the subject. "I can't remember the last time I had this much fun at Christmas. Whatever made you think of Trivial Pursuit, Mattie? It was a marvelous suggestion."
"It... it was sort of a holiday tradition I had with my mom." Hesitating, the girl's voice caught as she glanced at Harm. "We didn't get the chance to play last year, but somehow it just doesn't seem like Christmas without it."
Sensing the veil of darkness that threatened to overwhelm her, he deliberately kept his tone light. "Ah, that explains how you got to be so smart," he said as he reached over and gave her arm a squeeze. The teasing manner with which he spoke had the desired effect. Her mood brightening, Mattie blushed with a small smile at the compliment.
Struck by a sudden notion, Trish turned to Frank and whispered something in his ear. An instant later he excused himself. Watching as he vanished upstairs, she turned to Harm.
"Darling, do you remember the tradition your father and I had when you were a boy? Every Christmas Eve, we would have a family photograph taken in front of the tree. You used to love looking at the lights and how they made rainbows on the walls and furniture."
"Vaguely. As I recall, we stopped doing it after he disappeared."
"I couldn't bear to continue with it after he was gone," she nodded sadly. Then as quickly as the grief had descended, it was washed away by the prospect of Christmases to come. "I think it's high time we dragged that old custom out of the closet and dusted it off. What do you say?"
A grin spread across Harm's face. "That's a fantastic idea, Mom. Actually, it would be nice to do it every year, continue the tradition for our new family." Wrapping an affectionate arm around Mattie's shoulders, he beamed at Mac. "How about it, Tiger? Feel up to posing for a few photos?"
"Do I have a choice?" she laughed, rising.
"Nope."
"Then go stand over by the tree. Frank should be back any moment," directed Trish. Once they were in position, she eyed them carefully. "Mattie, you stand in front with Harm and Mac behind you... ...exactly... ...now Harm, try laying your hand on Mattie's shoulder... ...yes, that will do quite nicely."
The sound of footsteps on the stairs eventually heralded Frank's return. Carrying a very expensive-looking camera, he waited to receive his wife's go-ahead before proceeding to take a few photographs. When he'd finished, Jennifer broke the silence before the three could move apart.
"Why don't we get a few with the grandparents?" she proposed. "I'd be more than happy to take them if you'd like."
Meeting her husband's gaze, Trish nodded. "Thank you, Jennifer. That would be lovely."
Taking the camera from Frank, the young woman watched as the Burnetts positioned themselves on either side of Harm and Mac. Mattie remained in front, with the four adults grouped quietly behind her. Once everyone had settled into position, Jennifer lifted the camera and looked through the viewfinder.
"Can you move closer together? I'd like to get everyone into the frame."
As the group pressed in, Harm's arm instinctively slid around Mac and pulled her nearer, his hand settling gently on her hipbone. Returning the gesture, she let her fingers play lightly on his waist. They stood that way for a few moments as Jennifer snapped the first shot. Suddenly, Harm heard Mac's sharp intake of breath and felt her stiffen next to him. Tightening his hold on her hip as she rubbed her free hand soothingly across her tummy, he glanced down at her questioningly before returning his gaze to the camera. With as little motion as possible, she took his hand and laid it where hers had been. Immediately he could feel their unborn child kicking persistently into his palm.
The impromptu photo shoot was over a few minutes later. "Thanks for letting me use your camera," Jennifer commented as she returned it to Frank. "My little point-and-shoot wouldn't work nearly as well. I think tonight's pictures will come out really nicely."
"Would you like to see them?"
Beckoning for everyone to gather around, Frank turned the camera over and deftly pulled the digital images up on the screen. When the first picture appeared, he handed the unit back to Jennifer and Mattie, who leaned in for a better view. "They'll be much sharper when I download them onto the computer," he explained. "The camera previews tend to look a little blurry due to the limitations of the display."
"What's the camera's resolution?"
"7.1 megapixels."
"Wow." Jennifer's eyes rounded in awe. "Way better than my point-and- shoot."
"Check this one out, Mrs. B." Taking the camera from her former roommate, Mattie passed it over to Trish.
"Oh, darling, what a beautiful picture."
Mattie grinned in agreement as Trish handed it to Harm and Mac for them to view. "Yeah, it's a great shot – you both look really happy. What happened? Did someone spike your cider?" she teased.
"Very funny, Squirt." Chuckling, Harm looked down at the picture on the screen. His mother, Frank, and Mattie were all smiling politely, but he and Mac were positively beaming. Standing beside him as she peered over his shoulder, Mac too saw the excitement the picture had captured in their expressions. In that instant they had been mutually experiencing the bond between parent and child. They had shared other intimate moments in the past, but actually seeing each other's happiness so vividly immortalized on film flooded her with an indescribable sense of supreme contentment. Feeling Harm's eyes on her now, Mac finally lifted her gaze to meet his and smiled softly.
"Merry Christmas," she whispered.
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To be continued...
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