Story 37: The Christmas Baby

Warning: There is a scene of child birth.

December 24th, 1913

The city of London was eerily quiet as much of the human and rodent populace had taken shelter from the heavy snowfall that started a little before midnight.

It was roughly two hours to dawn on Christmas Eve, one of the best times of the year. The day before Christmas was a joyous occasion just as the actual day itself. While few businesses would be opening to carter to customers, many Londoners would spend the day playing outside or buying food that would be prepped for Christmas dinner.

At the Basil family household on Baker Street, Olivia had been plagued by severe back pain throughout the night and it had been difficult for her to get some shut eye. The new addition would be arriving any minute now. Both she and her husband were disappointed that the baby didn't arrive on their wedding anniversary, yet their twin children held on to hope that they would have a Christmas sibling.

The famed mouse detective, Elliott Basil was looking forward to a wondrous anniversary, but no baby came. To add salt to the wound, his order from Dylan Fernsby was delayed for reasons unknown. He thought it was the worst anniversary this year, but he and Olivia actually had fun by entertaining the twins and their friends by sharing a past case, and even decorating the Christmas tree.

Olivia sticks her legs out from under the bed-sheets and her toes touch the cold hardwood floor. Basil was aroused by his wife's movements, and looks over to see her stand up from bed, her back to him, although he hears her take deep breaths as if she was experiencing some discomfort.

"Olivia, is everything all right?" he asks and turns on the bedside lamp; he looks at the clock, it was almost 6 in the morning.

She stands up from the bed, taking labored breaths. "I don't know what's wrong, but I have this really bad pain in my back, it's been like that since last night," she answers, taking hold of the bedpost.

"Do you need Dawson to look at you?" Basil asks, again, but she doesn't answer. Instead, she walks toward the bedroom door, but then lets out a horrified gasp. "Olivia, what is it?!" Basil jumps out of bed, but then looks at the bottom of his wife's feet; she was standing in a pool of liquid and that could only mean one thing.

"Elliott, it's really happening now!" Olivia cries out, walking back towards the bed. Basil begins to feel his heart pounding like mad; he didn't experience the labor Olivia went through when she had the twins. However, from the look on her face, she needed assistance at this moment.

Basil slips on his bedside slippers and helps Olivia to the bed. "Stay here, I'll be back in a minute!" he exclaims, grabbing his robe and opens the bedroom door. He runs out and opens the door to the nursery; he keeps forgetting that Dawson had moved down to Mrs. Judson's old room.

"Dawson!" he calls out, while running down the stairs towards the housekeepers' quarters. Once he reaches the door to the doctor's new room, Basil begins to pound on it.

"Dawson, wake up!" he shouts and then the door opens to reveal his associate and good friend, Dr. David Q. Dawson. He was wearing his night clothes and looks up at his partner.

"Basil, what is it?" he asks.

"It's the baby! Olivia said it's time!" Basil exclaims and looks over to see Mrs. Judson and her daughter, Rachel, having stepped out from their room.

"Now Basil, just remain calm, I'll be up in a minute," Dawson replies in a composed tone. He returns inside his new room to dress and Mrs. Judson also goes to change into a proper outfit.

Rachel, still her nightgown and robe follows Basil back up the stairs, just as Olivia begins to cry out in pain. "Rachel, please assure the twins that their mother will be all right," he tells his new housekeeper, who nods.

She opens the door to the twins' bedroom, where John and Leana had been awakened by the commotion outside their room. "What's going on?" Leana asks as Rachel shuts the door.

"Don't worry dears, you're going to be a big brother and a big sister soon," she answers, causing them to gasp.

"The baby's coming?!" John asks and Rachel nods. "Why does mom sound like she's in pain?" he asks, again as they hear Olivia cry out a second time.

"All mothers go through pain while in labor, but I don't want you to be scared. Your mother is brave and strong; it will be all right I promise," she explains and suggests they read a little.

In Basil's and Olivia's bedroom, the detective tries his best to remain calm, but as Olivia squeezes on his hand and sees the tears of torment fall from her eyes, he could tell that she was going through unbearable pain, which made him feel fear at a dangerous level. Mrs. Judson first enters the room with fresh towels and then Dawson enters behind her, now wearing his usual suit and had his medical bag.

"How are you feeling Olivia?" he asks, but sees the look of discomfort on her face as well as the tears falling. Dawson pulls out a stop watch and presses on the nob, it starts ticking.

"Dawson, what are you doing?" Basil asks, holding Olivia close to his chest as he rubs her back.

"Counting the time between contractions; last I heard, she cried out about three minutes ago or so," Dawson answers.

"It will be all right love," Mrs. Judson said to her mistress in a comforting tone, applying a wet cold cloth on Olivia's forehead. "I'm sure this one will arrive shortly, like the twins." Olivia gives an uneasy smile to Mrs. Judson, and then lets out labored breaths before she feels another contraction hit her. She cries out in pain and Dawson stops the timer.

"That's roughly down to a minute, let me see Olivia," he insists and she opens her legs apart. Dawson checks to see if the baby's head was down to the opening.

He resets the timer, again, and after a few seconds, Olivia lets out another cry. "Dawson, why are you doing this?!" Basil shouts at his good friend.

"The baby needs to be at least three inches down to the opening, then Olivia can start pushing," Dawson answers and checks, again.

Basil encloses Olivia in his embrace, again as she was clinching her teeth in agony. He had a high respect for the female gender as they went through more physical pain, but were brave in delivering new life. Dawson finishes his examination and he has Mrs. Judson lay out some towels under Olivia where she would deliver the baby. Both Basil and Mrs. Judson helped Olivia readjust on the bed, she was ready to go through the pain of child birth, like she did with the twins.

"All right Olivia, breathe in deep," Dawson commands and she breathes through her nose and blows out through her mouth. "Now I'll count up to ten while you push," he said and starts at 1 while Olivia pushes hard, while holding Basil and Mrs. Judson's hands tight.

Once Dawson reaches 10, he tells her to take deep breaths and they do it, again. Olivia was drenched in sweat, her body was overwhelmed with the delivery process, and Basil sees that she was in so much pain. "Dash it all Dawson!" he shouts, "Can't you see she's in agony?!"

Dawson looks at Basil with a deathly glare, one that did scare the detective. "Basil, I know you missed the first time, but you got to calm down!" the doctor orders, "This is normal and your child will be here soon, trust me."

Basil thinks back on the morning of August 1st, 1908, the day when his first born children arrived. He did miss the labor Olivia went through, so this was new to him. His mother and even Olivia's mother went through this, but he never experienced this sort of thing in person. "He's right Elliott," Olivia said, taking in deep breaths, "It'll be over soon." She takes in another deep breath and pushes hard. Basil sees the bravery in her eyes; yet she was overcome with agony, she still had that courage he first saw all those years ago.

"The head's out! Just a bit more!" Dawson exclaims and Olivia gives a great, big push, while squeezing on Mrs. Judson's and her husband's hands. Then, the room was filled with a cry; a cry of a new life taking in their first breath of the world outside their mother's womb.

"Oh hello!" Dawson welcomes the new baby and Mrs. Judson leaves Olivia's side to wrap the infant in clean cloth. Dawson ties some string around the umbilical cord before cutting it.

Basil was overcome with bewilderment; his child had finally arrived, but the question now was what the baby's gender was. "Elliott?" he hears Olivia and he looks at his wife, "Ask them. Boy or girl?" she insists, while leaning back down on the bed to relax, her face red with exhaustion.

"Mrs. Judson?" Basil asks and his former, but faithful housekeeper looks to him with a big smile on her face.

"She's a beautiful angel," she answers, "She will grow up to be as lovely as her mother and grandmother." Basil couldn't believe it; his new child was indeed a daughter, but the way Mrs. Judson described her made his spirit soar as high as the moon.

At that moment, he outstretches his hands and says, "Give her to me."

"What? But Mr. Basil, I haven't-" "Please!" Basil cuts in with a shout, startling the others, including the baby. She continues to cry a bit louder now and Mrs. Judson wasn't sure of following her former master's orders.

"It's all right Mrs. Judson," Dawson encourages her, "I've met many fathers who want to hold their newborn children as soon as they arrive." She then let's Basil take his daughter into his arms and he holds her close.

She continues to cry, but Basil did not mind all; she was probably scared of this strange, new world. He gazes down at her, she was covered in blood and other substances that the twins had when they were born. She did look pale, but that was the same shade when he saw Leana after she was delivered. He couldn't remember if John was like this, too, but he figured that all babies look pale after birth.

"It's all right," Basil tells his daughter and she begins to calm down; she did seem to recognize his voice. "You're afraid, but I understand. This is a scary world, but I can assure you. Your mother and I will protect you from those rotten fiends out there. Your brother and sister will, too; I'm sure they can't wait to meet you, Sophie."

Then, Basil's mouth begins to quiver and his eyes filled with tears. His daughter, Sophie was here; he was holding her in his arms. The color in her face was changing from pastel to a soft pink. He looks her over as what Mrs. Judson said a moment ago was true. Sophie had light brown fur like Olivia, her eyes hadn't opened yet, but Basil thought she was the mirror image of Olivia when he saw photographs of her as an infant.

"Elliott?" he hears the sweet voice of his beloved wife, "Are you crying?" she asks while Mrs. Judson wipes the sweat from Olivia's brow and gives her a drink of water; the redness in her face was slowly dissipating. Tears had escaped from Basil's tear ducts, but he lets them fall.

"I'm just happy that she's finally here," he replies, "Nine months feels like an eternity," he adds and holds her while Dawson makes a quick delivery of the afterbirth. He does a thorough examination before giving mother and child a clean bill of health. Basil then lets Olivia hold their daughter; Sophie begins to coo and make other baby noises.

It was then that Sophie squints her eyes open just a bit, but Basil sees a shade of blue in them, the same as Olivia's. "You are going to be as beautiful as your mother here," he said before kissing his wife.

Mrs. Judson produces a pen and a sheet of paper; someone had to drop off documentation on the baby's birth, although there really was no rush. "December 24th, 1913," the ex-housekeeper writes down, "Oh! You have yourself a Christmas baby after all!" she exclaims.

"Seems that she wants to be born on this day I believe," Olivia said, cradling her daughter on her chest.

"Oh, she wanted to be a Christmas Eve present I'm sure. This day is actually starting to become my favorite day of the year," Basil replies and the others chuckle a bit.

"So, her name will be…?" Mrs. Judson asks, she wanted to be sure she got it right.

"Sophie Bridget Basil," her former master answers and she writes it on the sheet of paper.

Both Olivia and Sophie were cleaned up, and Sophie was wrapped in a diaper cloth, a warm baby shirt and blanket. The bed-sheets were replaced with new ones and Olivia snuggles up in bed, again with the little baby girl in her arms. Then came the time for her to meet her older brother and sister.

Mrs. Judson leads them, including her daughter Rachel into the adult's bedroom. "Oh, I'm nervous," Leana said, as she bounces on her feet. Both she and John were overcome with giddiness as they heard the baby's cries earlier.

"Oh, I know the feeling," Dawson replies and the twins give him a quick hug. "I remember the morning you two arrived. You, Leana gave us quite a surprise."

He then hoists them by their waists, wanting to carry them over, but he was worn out in no time. "Really need to exercise more," the good doctor said to himself before placing the twins at the end of the bed.

John and Leana crawl up to their parents; Basil sat in a chair next to the bed, while Olivia holds the baby in her arms. "John, Leana," Basil said to his children and Olivia shows the little baby to them. "Say hello to your sister, Sophie."

The twins stare at the baby, who was starting to open her eyes, again, after dozing off a moment ago. She looks at her older siblings with her blue eyes. Leana gives a little wave, but her mouth opens in a big smile. "Hi Sophie," she said, excitedly. John, however, doesn't utter a peep.

"John, aren't you going to say hello?" Basil asks his son, but the boy mouse just stares at Sophie. The adults couldn't tell if he was confused or perhaps disappointed that he didn't get the brother he wanted.

Sophie was staring back at John, her older brother. "She's so tiny," he finally spoke and then, he begins to sniff the air around her, "And smells funny," he said. He inches his nose towards her face, worrying the others.

"Uh, John," Leana said, "I don't think she-" Before she could finish, Sophie lets out a big sneeze. Spit flies out of her mouth and spatters all over John's face.

"SHE SPAT IN MY FACE!" he shrieks, but Mrs. Judson hushes him before taking out a handkerchief to wipe off the baby's spittle from his face.

"Serves you right," Leana replies, but their parents hush them. Both Basil and Olivia were afraid that Sophie would cry out, but instead, she begins to giggle and flail about in her mother's arms.

"Would you look at that," Dawson said in surprise, "I've never seen a newborn baby act like that before."

"Oh, I have," Mrs. Judson replies, rubbing her temple while chuckling, and looks at Basil. "After you were born, you were eager to get close to your brother, Oscar, much like little Sophie here."

"Really?" the detective asks and Mrs. Judson nods. Sophie continues to thrash in Olivia's arms, who was struggling to hold her daughter still.

"Would you two like to hold her?" Olivia asks her twin children, who nod. "Now be gentle," she warns as she places Sophie in their arms. John takes her upper half, while Leana took her lower half.

Sophie's feet were now exposed and Leana tickles them. "You got little piggies for toes," she teases her little sister, who giggles a bit, but stares up at John. "I think she likes you," Leana said to him.

"She is pretty, like mom. All that's missing is a ribbon for her head," he comments and his mother chuckles a bit. "Not sure if she would be good soldier material," he adds.

"John," his father spoke in a stern voice, "She's only a baby; you're not allowed to play rough with her," he warns and John nods as he understood his father's warning.

"Do you think she'll listen while I read?" Leana asks and her parents smile a bit.

"I'm sure she would appreciate it if you two work together in entertaining her, but please don't hurt her," Basil replies and adds, "I am counting on both of you to look after her, especially when we're in a dangerous situation."

"Elliott," Olivia said in an annoyed tone. She didn't want Sophie to go through any perils just yet, much like what happened when the twins were infants.

"Well John," Dawson said, "You now have two sisters to defend. You wouldn't want any villain to touch them, right?" John looks up at Dawson and back down to his baby sister, who gave a toothless smile. The thought of some deranged lunatic wanting to hurt her did make him feel determined to protect her.

"I'll look after her," John replies, his face showing resolution, and says to Sophie, "No one, especially those who are like Ratigan is going to lay a finger on you. I'll beat them up if they do."

Basil places a tender hand on his son's head; John did possess a sense of duty in caring for those close to him. "You do that, John," he tells him before kissing the tops of his children's heads, even Sophie's.

Then, the tiny bedside clock chimes the hour of 8 in the morning, they didn't notice that time slipped by. "It's Christmas Eve," Leana reminds everyone and then looks toward the window.

"What is it, Leana?" Olivia asks, before looking over to the window. The first rays of morning were visible, but the mice saw a shade of white outside. Basil takes Sophie in his arms, allowing John and Leana to jump off the bed towards the window.

"Hold on you two," Basil insists, opening up his robe to slip Sophie inside. "She doesn't have much to keep herself warm," he said, cradling her close to his chest, his body heat keeping her cozy.

The twins rush up to the window as their father, with his free hand opens the window to reveal a world full of glittering white snow. "Wow," both John and Leana say in astonished tones. The snow on the ground and the bushes was deep from the looks of it, but it was beautiful as there was not a speck of soot or dirt.

"I don't remember seeing snow like this before," Leana said, looking up at her father and speaks to her sister, "Sophie, I think the snow angels want all of this to look pretty for you."

Basil lets out a chuckle, "Oh Leana, that's a sweet thing to say. This is a marvelous Christmas Eve, but I am declaring this day as my favorite day of the year, apart from your birthday and your mother's birthday," he said before shutting the window to keep the cold out.

"Mostly because it's also Sophie's birthday?" John asks and his father nods a bit, but kneels down in front of them.

"And it was also the day back in 1907 that your mother told us she was pregnant with you two, but we were not exactly expecting twins. I will say that you two, now the three of you are the best Christmas presents," Basil said, but then feels the threat of bursting into tears, mostly out of happiness.

Just then, Sophie lets out a bellowing cry, and the twins were curious as to what was wrong with their sister. "She must be hungry," Mrs. Judson suggests, helping Olivia readjust herself in bed. Basil removes Sophie from his embrace, but he didn't really want to, although she needed to drink her mother's milk.

Olivia loosens the top part of her nightgown to reveal one of her swollen breasts, just as Basil places Sophie into her arms. Sophie takes the exposed nipple and begins to suckle.

"There you go," Basil whispers, caressing the top of his newborn daughter's head. He then turns back to John and Leana, "Who wants to take a step outside?" he asks and they smile.

They rush back to their room to dress in warmer clothes and coats. Basil stays beside Olivia until Sophie finishes and her tummy was full. She lets out a little hiccup and Olivia rubs her back to help her belch.

Basil then dresses in warmer attire and puts his emerald green coat on. The twins were waiting rather impatiently by the front door. "So sorry," he apologizes and sees Olivia step out into the parlor with Sophie in her arms and sits in her chair.

The parlor was decked out with red ribbons and sweet smelling garlands. The Christmas tree was beautiful decorated with silver and red tinsel, red colored ornament balls, and a string of light that Basil had bought a year before. The electric lights were much better than candles as there was always the risk of fire.

"Do you want to play mom?" John asks his mother.

"I'm a little sore, but I'll think about it," she replies and Mrs. Judson and Rachel bring out a rocking crib for Sophie to sleep in.

"All right, brace yourselves, it might be very cold," Basil warns his children before opening the front door. A gust of arctic wind rushes into the house as soon as the door opens.

"Goodness me!" Rachel exclaims and rushes to start a fire in the fireplace. Both John and Leana, however, jump out the door and into a deep pile of snow; it was cold, but soft.

They let out a bellowing laugh as they loved the snow in winter. "Incoming!" they hear their father shout and he lands on top of them. They were overcome with squeals of laughter as this was turning out to be the best Christmas Eve so far.

John and Leana then run off to hide in the bush, preparing some snowballs and Basil also prepares some while looking around; they were hunting now. Then, a snowball hits him in the back and he turns around to return fire. "Snowball fight!" the twins shout.

"Oh no," Basil replies with a laugh, taking snowballs in both hands, "This is a snowball war!" he shouts and they began to throw snowballs at each other, while laughing.

They continue to play, gently and not aggressive like most snowball fighters would get. Basil then throws a snowball at who he thought was Leana, but Olivia lets out a yelp as she was hit in the side of her head. Basil was stunned, he didn't see his wife come out and was overcome with guilt, that is until Olivia faced him with a grin and a snowball in hand.

"Uh oh, daddy's in trouble," Leana teases and their parents began to have their own snowball fight. Basil tries to keep up in throwing snowballs, but Olivia was much quicker, and before he knew it, she jumps on top of him. However, they went deep into the snow, almost burying themselves, but they were all right.

Basil looks up at Olivia and notices the look in her eyes. They were full of love and before he could speak, she kisses him full on the lips. Their children rush over, wondering if they needed help, but John was overcome with disgust when he sees his parents kissing. Leana, however, lets out a romantic sigh.

"HELLO!" a familiar voice calls out; it was Emma and Penelope with her son, Sebastian. "Happy Christmas Eve!" Penelope shouts and the twins rush up to meet their aunts and cousin.

Basil and Olivia got themselves together before greeting the sisters and Basil's nephew. "Is she here?! She's really here?!" Emma asks with elation, which confuses them for a bit, until Mrs. Judson appears.

"Pardon me Mr. Basil, but I did make a quick call to your siblings after the baby arrived, thought they should know," she tells them.

The twins lead their aunts and cousin inside the house, with their parents following. They shed their coats and when they went into the parlor, both Emma and Penelope were overwhelmed with emotion when they see the crib.

They look into the crib where Sophie was protectively wrapped in a soft blanket, sleeping soundly. "Oh, she's the most beautiful baby I've ever seen," Emma comments and then looks to her niece and both her nephews. "You three were also beautiful by the way," she said rather quickly, but John and Sebastian roll their eyes together.

"May I?" Penelope asks her brother and sister-in-law, who both nod and she takes Sophie into her arms. The baby begins to coo and opens her eyes to see the newcomers. "Hi Sophie, I'm your Aunt Penelope," she said, "But you can call me Aunt Penny if you like."

She then introduces Sophie to her Aunt Emma and her cousin Sebastian, but Sophie lets out a yawn. "Oh, you just want to sleep?" Penelope asks and lays her back down in the crib.

"She's pretty," Sebastian comments and places a finger in Sophie's open palm. She starts to squeeze on it, "Her fingers are pudgy," he adds and his mother, Penelope rubs the top of his head.

"You had pudgy fingers, too," she replies.

The sisters and Sebastian settle in the chairs, just as Rachel steps into the parlor. "Would you like to stay for breakfast?" she asks them and they nod. Rachel and her mother go into the kitchen to prepare the morning meal.

"When did she arrive?" Emma asks her brother, who actually didn't remember, so he asks Dawson.

"Roughly a little after 7 or just about, sorry didn't keep track either," he answers, but Basil was okay with that. Emma smiles at the new baby in the crib before she goes into the kitchen to help out with breakfast.

"I'm sure she's going to be so spoiled over the next few years," Penelope chuckles, but then came a knock at the door.

"Who could that be?" Basil asks, as he and Olivia got into their robes. The twins volunteered to get the door and were overcome with delight when they saw their friends, Milton and Winnie with Dylan Fernsby.

"Hello and Happy Christmas!" the two exclaim, but the twins hush them. Their friends were confused about this.

"Our sister is asleep," Leana tells them, which causes them to let out gasps.

"You mean…?" Winnie couldn't get the words out and the twins nod. "Can we see her?!" she asks, excitedly and they, including Dylan were escorted inside the house.

"Master Milton, Miss Winnie, it's wonderful to see you on this glorious morning," Basil greets them.

"We were on our way to Christmas Eve mass, but Pop here says he needed to drop something off here first," Milton replies before John and Leana take them to see their new sister.

Basil then turns to Dylan, "Hello Dylan," he said, rather modestly, but then notices the box in Dylan's hands.

"Mr. Basil, I have what you asked for for your wedding anniversary, and I hope you can forgive me for the delay," the rat replies and he sets the box on a table. He opens it to reveal a heart-shaped glass piece with the etching of a bouquet of red and white sweet peas with a red ribbon.

The words that Basil spoke of were also engraved in the glass piece and Dylan lets out a sigh. "I thought I was going to lose this piece forever," he said and begins to explain, "You see the reason for the delay was that a customer was deeply interested in this, but when I told him it was made for someone else, you, he bribed one of my employees to bring it to him. Don't know why he didn't ask me to make a piece similar to this.

"I had Inspector Wyatt track the customer, but I didn't want you to know about the theft as I thought you would be anxious or angry and lose trust in me. I can assure you, the employee who delivered your order to that scroungy rodent has been promptly terminated and punished," Dylan finishes and Basil places a trusting hand on his shoulder.

"I owe you my thanks for getting it back, but I would never lose my trust in you," he said to the good rat, who gives an uneasy smile. Basil brings in the glass piece to show Olivia, who was amazed at the craftsmanship.

"Oh Elliott, it's lovely," she said, "Please don't be consumed by material items. I still love you nonetheless," she whispers. Olivia did tell her husband on their anniversary that his mother, Sarah told him that happiness didn't have to be material items.

"I know, but as I said, sometimes I feel I really want to express my feelings for you," Basil replies, sharing a quick kiss before they place the glass work on the fireplace mantel next to their wedding photograph. Dylan enters the parlor and Olivia gives him a quick compliment on the work he did.

"Daddy," Winnie said and brings her father in to meet Sophie, "Isn't she the cutest baby?" she asks and Dylan chuckles a bit, but goes silent when he sees Emma, stepping out from the kitchen.

She also locks eyes with his and her cheeks turn a bit of red. "Hello, I don't think we ever met," she said and looks down at Winnie and Milton.

"I'm Dylan Fernsby and this is my daughter, Winnie and my "son", if you will, Milton," he replies and Emma smiles.

"I'm Emma, Elliott's sister," she introduces herself, but Milton lets out a gasp when he notices Penelope and Sebastian. "Oh, this is my twin sister, Penelope and her son Sebastian. The only way to tell us apart is by the birthmark on my palm," Emma adds and shows her port wine birthmark. Penelope shows her palms, which didn't have any birthmarks.

Milton shakes the sisters' and Sebastian's hands with elation, but Winnie does her best to control his excitement. "You have to forgive him; he admires Mr. Basil a lot, so meeting any family of his will make Milton here really happy," the rat girl tells them, who chuckle a bit.

"John and Leana spoke about you two. I must say, you two sound like the best of friends for them," Penelope said and Winnie and Milton sniff the air.

"Hmmmm, I smell eggs, toast, and sausages," Milton said and Basil chuckles a bit; the boy mouse was starting to use his nose more than usual, mostly to detect any foul odors or anything.

"And I do smell crepes," Winnie adds and she looks to her father, "Can we please stay? I know we're supposed to go to mass, but I really want to stay with Sophie."

Dylan looks at his daughter, but then briefly looks at Emma before looking back at Winnie. "I suppose we can make it to the 1 o'clock mass. The church does host four masses on Christmas Eve, including midnight mass," he replies.

"I don't understand why some folks want to go to midnight mass on Christmas," Milton said, to which his friend John nods his head in agreement. The twins' friends and Dylan finally shed their coats just as Mrs. Judson calls everyone to the dining table.

Basil takes Sophie into his arms and settles in his seat with his family and guests. Rachel and her mother, Mrs. Judson had prepared quail eggs, toast, sausages, and crepes with bowls of cut up fruit and whipped cream. They also prepared some tea and hot cocoa. Basil only picked at his food, mostly because he had his hands full, but he did like the sausage and had another. Sophie doesn't stir and breathes softly while she sleeps.

Emma looks to Dylan, who slowly drinks his tea, and she says, "My brother told me you have a glassmaking workshop. I would like to drop in there sometime."

"Please do," he replies, a bit nervously. Winnie looks at her father and at Emma.

"I think your daddy likes Aunt Emma," Leana whispers into her friend's ear. Winnie turns a bit of bright red, which she wasn't sure why, but regains her composure.

"Leana mentioned some time ago that you and your sister are part of women's traveling group. What is it exactly?" Winnie asks, mostly out of curiosity.

"We are part of an international writers group that reports on the conditions on foreign rodents that live in places like India and Ireland. The natives live in squalid conditions and struggle to scrape up enough money," Emma explains. Both Winnie and her father were intrigued by Emma and Penelope's stories.

Sophie begins to fuss and Olivia takes her from Basil, who wanted to protest, but the baby needed to have her diaper cloth changed. After cleaning Sophie, she fusses, again. However, she refuses to take her mother's nipple, which confuses both her parents.

Basil takes her into his arms and at that moment, she stops crying and looks up at her father with her blue eyes. "Oh, you remind me of the times both John and Leana wanting me to hold them," he said and looks at his wife, who had a bit of jealousy written on her face.

They return to the dining room, where the table had been cleaned off, and both Emma and Penelope decided to take their leave to go to Oscar's place. They wanted to tell their older brother about Sophie and to help set up for tomorrow's dinner.

"Oscar said he ordered a whole lot of turkey meat, can't wait to see what the outcome would be," Emma tells her brother before departing. She bids farewell to Dylan and the twins' young friends.

"Miss Emma," Dylan said before she goes to the front door, "I was wondering perhaps I could treat you to dinner some time, after the holiday that is." Emma looks at Dylan in surprise, even Winnie was astonished by what her father just said.

"I'd like that, Mr. Fernsby," Emma answers with a bit of a smile and bids farewell to him, again.

"Pop?" Milton asks, once the sisters and Sebastian shut the door. "Did you ask Mr. Basil's sister to dinner?"

"I did," Dylan replies and looks at his "son", "I only want to get to know her more, but the stories she shared about her time in India and Ireland were quite remarkable." He then looks at his daughter, "Winnie, I'm not replacing your mother. Like I said, I only want to-"

"I know," Winnie cuts in with a bit of a smile, "I think it would be nice for you to have a lady friend. Wonder what Papa and Mama will think," she said. Her father gives her a kiss on the forehead and caresses her cheeks.

Dylan then looks to Basil and clears his throat, "Excuse me, I hope you didn't mind that I asked your sister to dinner," the rat said.

Basil only smiles; his sister, Emma was the only sibling who so far never married as she valued her privacy quite a lot. He and his other siblings, Oscar and Penelope were hopeful she would find love, but they figured she would in her own time.

"I don't mind Dylan, but I must warn you, she likes her privacy. Yet, everyone, including myself is hoping she will come out of her shell," Basil tells Dylan and they settle in the parlor, again, but then there was another knock at the front door.

"Hmmmm, now who could that be?" Dawson asks and goes to answer. To everyone's surprise, it was Kitty, her sisters, Auguste, and Aiden.

"Merry Christmas!" Kitty exclaims and the twins jump into her arms in a hug. "My goodness!" she said, happily.

"Kitty, what are you doing here?" John asks.

"I figured we surprise you on this day. Took a lot of pestering for this lot to come along since we did close the school for the holiday," Kitty replies in a teasing tone.

"Oh!" Leana gasps, "You won't believe who's here!" The twins lead Kitty in, her family and Aiden following behind. Kitty and her sisters, much like Emma and Penelope, were overcome with glee when they see the baby crib with Sophie in it.

"Oh my…" Kitty whispers, but hushes when Sophie opens her eyes and sees even more strangers "Hello," Kitty greets her and the baby makes snorting noises. "Oh, she's beautiful, just like her mother. When did she arrive? What did you name her?" she asks her young friends.

"This morning and her name is Sophie," John answers and the Sullivan sisters became excited.

"A Christmas baby!" Kitty said in a whisper, but with a hint of elation as she didn't want to startle Sophie. "All of you are so lucky to have a Christmas baby," she said to the Basil family.

The three sisters remove their coats; Lizzy had a little bump at her abdomen, and Olivia asks, "How are you feeling?"

"Pretty tired, but oh, I hate morning sickness. I am hoping that May comes around quick," she answers and Rachel brings in a tray of tea and ham and cheese crumpets. When Lizzy takes a bite of a crumpet, her face breaks out into a smile. "Been having cravings for salty things, but these crumpets are good," she comments and her husband, Auguste lets out a sigh.

"Been going to the butcher every day because she eats so much meat, but she loves pickles!" Auguste lets out a laugh and tries a crumpet. "Mmmmm! I like these crumpets," he said.

"Maybe Mrs. Judson and Mrs. Rachel can offer their recipe for ham and cheese crumpets," John suggests and Lizzy and Auguste did like the sound of that. John and Leana then realize their friends and Dylan were still there.

"We're sorry, didn't mean to be rude," Leana said and she and her brother introduce their friends, Milton, Winnie and Winnie's father Dylan to their friends from Scarborough.

"Oh, hello there," Kitty said and they start to get antiquated with one another. Kitty was happy that her young friends had companions of their age. Milton then asks Kitty and her sisters about their involvement at the Rat Trap Tavern, which caused Winnie to be irritated with him.

"Please forgive him," Winnie said, "He admires Mr. Basil and his work, so he'll jump at the chance of asking anyone of anything."

"Oh, it's quite all right," Kitty replies and speaks about her and her sisters' time at the Rat Trap Tavern, which they came to regret as the owner and bar staff were in league with Ratigan. "However, I will admit; if it weren't for Mr. Basil, Dr. Dawson, and Miss Olivia, we wouldn't be living up in Scarborough with the school we wished for. Even though it took longer than we hoped for."

Jodie and Dawson, who were elated to see other, were having their own private conversation, mostly on the early morning events. "Where are you staying?" Dawson asks Jodie.

"At a friend's place while she's on holiday visiting relatives," she answers, "Kitty really wanted to spend Christmas here in London and to drop in for a visit, a good thing perhaps." Jodie looks over to her sister, Kitty who gives her a face.

"Miss Katherine?" Basil asks and that got Kitty's attention, "I was wondering if you have seen Mrs. Charlotte Finley recently. We would like to know of her condition."

"We met up with the Finleys' before we closed up the school. Their sons are home for the holidays. Charlotte's belly is a bit bigger than Lizzy's, but she and her husband Patrick now think their baby might arrive on or around March 17th, St. Patrick's Day," Kitty explains and settles down next to Aiden with a cup of tea.

"Oh, that must be exciting, a baby born on St. Patrick's Day," Olivia said and goes to check on her newborn daughter.

"He is the patron saint of Ireland, right?" John asks.

"Yes, and he supposedly drove snakes out of Ireland," Dawson answers before taking a drink of his tea and Jodie gets up to look at Sophie, who softly breathes while sleeping.

"You did a good job in bringing her into this world," Jodie comments and Dawson smiles, "Oh, I hope she pursues medicine like you," she adds, but Dawson chokes a bit on his tea.

"Well, that's up to Basil to decide," he said, but his partner didn't seem to be bothered.

"I let my children decide on what they want to pursue, although I hope they pursue something that's not as dangerous as my job," Basil replies, but sees his twin children frown at him.

"Basil, my job as a doctor is a bit dangerous, although not as treacherous as a detective's," Dawson answers, but everyone in the room decides to change the subject.

"How are things up in Scarborough?" John asks, "We've never been up there during the winter."

"It is awfully cold," Kitty answers, "Maybe colder than it is here, pretty sure it's cold as the Arctic Circle," she said and the twins shiver at the thought.

"The waters are pretty hazardous," Aiden said, "It does remind me of the waters out in New York Harbor, but also pretty icy."

"Hmmmmm, never been to New York, but I never liked icy weather," Dylan said before he blows on his hot tea. The atmosphere in the house becomes cheerful as the friends exchange stories, but then Basil stands to his feet.

"I just realized something," he tells everyone and then looks to Olivia, "We didn't send word to your family in Linlithgow."

"Oh my, you're right," she replies. Mrs. Judson volunteers to make the telephone call, however, Basil stops her as he had an idea in mind.

"I'll go to the register office to submit a birth certificate for Sophie. I believe the telegraph office is in the same building; I think a telegram will be much quicker," Basil as he sheds his robe and putting on his emerald green coat.

"Can we go with you?" Leana asks and John also insists on going along. Basil nods, he always loved it when his children tagged along, and they got into their coats. Dawson decides to go with to the register office as he had the details on the birth of Sophie. Mrs. Judson provides the slip of paper for them to submit to the office.

"I suppose we should hand on out, too," Dylan suggests as it was getting close to the 1 o'clock hour and another Christmas Eve mass would commence. Winnie bids goodbye to little baby Sophie and her brother also bids farewell.

"See you soon," the sweet rat girl said before she leaves with her father and brother. They bid farewell to the Sullivan sisters and Milton was hopeful to see them, again, soon. Outside, the twins bid goodbye and Happy Christmas to their friends.

"Maybe we could host a Christmas Eve birthday dinner party next year for Sophie. You two are welcome to come," John suggests and both Milton and Winnie did like the idea.

"We'll see," Basil replies and looks to Dylan and holds out a hand, "Thank you for getting that glass art back. I hope Emma doesn't give you a hard time at dinner," he adds, but the two chuckle a bit as they shook hands. The friends give one last wave before going in opposite directions.

"Daddy, do you think Aunt Emma will like Mr. Dylan?" Leana asks and her father thinks about this.

"Don't know," he answers, "Emma likes her privacy, but we are hoping she finds love, although she will in her own time."

"Why does Aunt Emma like her privacy?" John asks.

"That I am not sure, although I do value our privacy, and I don't stick my nose into other people's businesses, unless it's necessary," Basil answers, blowing hot air into his palms. Steam floats away from his mouth; it was cold and he rubs his shoulders to warm himself.

The register office was near Regent's Park, so the mice had to jump onto a trolley that would take them there. The trolley was crowded with Christmas buyers and Basil catches the scent of various kinds of meat that would be served tomorrow for dinner. He did see a few rodents trying to balance some boxes all neatly wrapped in colorful paper.

"I wonder what toys granddaddy made for us," John whispers into his father's ear.

"Better yet," Leana whispers, "I wonder what will everyone in the Heaven realm will think when they see Sophie." She was barely above a whisper, but Basil had good hearing. He knew his children didn't want anyone, not even their own friends to know the existence of other domains like the Heaven or dream realms.

"I can't wait to see the look on everyone's faces when they see Sophie, especially Hiram," Basil whispers back. He was sure that his father-in-law was feeling on top of the world with the arrival of his new granddaughter and couldn't wait to hold Sophie in his arms.

Basil then has a dark moment; he wasn't sure how Hiram or any of their friends and relatives in the Heaven realm would feel if they never got the chance to interact with the twins or Sophie. The detective was thankful for the good witches, Tsura and Lulu for granting them the pleasure of visiting their deceased loved ones while he and his family slept at night.

The trolley comes to a stop and the four mice jump off with a few other rodents. They had to be careful to not be seen by the humans. It was an instinct that many rodents had developed since the dawn of time as they didn't want humans to see or know that rodents had amazing intellect.

Basil leads his children and Dawson into the register office where there weren't many customers, but the employees were finishing up before closing up early. The receptionist signs them in and an office employee takes them.

The employee, a male mouse asks the question of their business. John and Leana look around the office; many rodents were at work, but from what their father told them about the time when their mother came back, Rosenberg had a mole in Thames Prison. To the twins, there could be a mole anywhere. "Our baby sister was born this morning," they whisper to the mouse.

Basil shows the slip of paper that had his daughter's name on it. "Sophie Bridget Basil," the employee said, "That's a pretty name. Sophie I mean, but Bridget is pretty, too," the mouse sputters a bit.

"Can we see our birth certificates?" John asks, but his father told him and his sister that he had a copy of their certificate of birth at home. The register employee finishes up the paperwork and provides a copy of Sophie's birth certificate.

After thanking the employee for his services, Basil leads the twins and Dawson to another section of the building, which housed the telegraph office. They had to wait a bit as there were a few other rodents, most of them reporters who wanted to share the grueling experience for the destitute on Christmas.

Then, one of the reporters notices him and his children. They surround the detective, asking him on his private life, but he refused to mention the birth of his daughter. It would attract predators and he didn't want history to repeat itself; specifically as to what happened on the night when Ilse Altendorf broke in and nearly killed John and Leana when they were just newborns.

"All right! That's enough you lot!" a stern voice shouts and Basil sees a male mouse a bit older than him stand in between him and the reporters. "I will not have this kind of behavior in my office!" he shouts once more and takes Basil, his children, and Dawson to another part of the office.

"So sorry Mr. Basil," the manager of the telegraph office said, "Them reporters are like bugs to a carcass. What can I do for you?" he asks. Basil takes a moment to observe this overseer of this place. He despised the reporters for sure and he did look as if he operated this place for many years.

"I don't want this to leak out," Basil whispers and the manager nods. The detective looks over to the other telegraphers doing their work; he picks up a bit of the Morse code being exchanged between various locations throughout the United Kingdom.

"I wish to send a telegram to my wife's family in Linlithgow, up in Scotland," Basil said and the manager sits himself in front of a wireless telegraph machine, ready to send a message. After giving Aunt Hannah's home address, as she was living in her childhood home, Basil tells the manager of the message he wanted to send.

"To the Flavershams STOP

"It is with great joy that I, Elliott Basil, must inform you that our newest addition has finally arrived STOP

"Our daughter, Sophie Bridget arrived early this morning STOP

"Both Olivia and Sophie are doing very well and we can't wait for you to meet our new baby STOP

"We wish you a pleasant Christmas and wonderful New Year STOP"

The manager sends the Morse coded message and once he finishes, he looks up at Basil with a smile. He holds out his hand to shake Basil's. "Congratulations Mr. Basil," he replies, "I'll try my best to not let my workers here reveal the reason you're here," he said in a whisper.

"You promise?" John asks, his voice sounding a bit demanding. Much like his father, he didn't want his newborn sister be subjected to disrespectful journalists. The manager shows one hand up and does an X over his heart with the other.

"You better keep it," John said in a stern voice, "Otherwise my dad here will-" "All right John," Basil cuts in, "Lets not scare him." The detective apologizes for his son's behavior and they turn to leave. The reporters try again to get his attention, but he ignores them. A few of the telegraph officers prevented the gossipy rodents from physically approaching him and his children.

"I would like to give them a piece of my mind. Never liked those who twist the truth," Dawson said once they leave the office. The day started to whine down to evening and Basil wanted to get home to be with his new daughter.

On the way to a trolley that would take them to Baker Street, the twins point out to a few male rodents in fine looking suits asking a few passerby's for donations. Basil and his children approach the rodents and they notice them.

"Why, you're Mr. Basil," one of them said and looks down at the twins, "And hello to you two. Would you care to donate for a charitable cause?" Basil looks at the group of rodents; they were wearing dress suits, but thought they were too nice for such rodents. He does notice a few counting some banknotes with hungry glee in their eyes.

Leana clears his throat and says, "We choose this time, because it is a time, of all others, when Want is keenly felt, and Abundance rejoices." The rodents, however, had no clue what the quote meant, but the little girl mouse stares at them dead in the eye.

"From the looks of your colleagues, they are counting their 'donations' rather vigorously out in the open. A rather odd thing to do for a couple of schemers like you lot," she explains, pointing to a few of the rodents who had some banknotes in hand.

"Uh...What are you talking about?" the head rodent asks. Basil watches and listens as his daughter points out that these rodents were not part of any charity, but were only interested in collecting money for themselves. He notices John readying himself for the chase.

"I bet that you don't have a charity card on hand. Therefore, you can't be part of any existing charity here in London," Leana points out and the head rodent turns white in the face.

Just then, a whistle blows and the schemers flee, but didn't get far. John manages to jump on one of the crooks, while his father catches another, and the police were able to catch the rest. The rodents were placed in handcuffs and the cash removed from their pockets. "We've been looking for this lot all morning," one officer said. "Thank you Mr. Basil."

"Oh, don't thank me," the mouse detective replies and pulls his children into a hug. "These two make a fine example of sniffing out and catching a few thieves," he adds and the officer thanks the twins.

"How did you know they were schemers?" Dawson asks Leana, who laughs a bit.

"Based on their behavior, but I did notice that their suits were too fine for such rodents. Plus, I did catch the smell of alcohol around them and no charity would accept volunteers who drink during the day. Another thing is that they didn't have a book to write down someone's name and how much they wish to offer; charities never take the donation until much later in the day or in the week perhaps," Leana explains and both her father and Dawson were surprised.

"That's quite amazing," the doctor said.

"It's elementary, my dear Dawson," the little girl mouse replies, imitating her father's voice, and Basil lets out a bellowing laugh. He pulls both her and her brother into his arms.

"You two will make fine detectives one day," Basil said, kissing their foreheads and holds them by the hand as they went on home.

They return to the warm glow of 221B 1/2 Baker Street just as the sun was about set. A candle burns in the window and Basil opens the door to his home, where he spots Olivia breastfeeding Sophie in her chair. Kitty, her sisters, Auguste, and Aiden were still there.

Jodie helps Dawson out of his coat, but then looks over his shoulder to see some snow falling. "I love snow," she said, "There's something about it that makes winter more pleasurable."

Basil shuts the door and removes his coat, then putting on his robe. He walks up to Olivia and little Sophie, who was finished suckling on her mother's breast. Basil takes her into his arms, giving Olivia the chance to cover up her exposed bosom. Basil takes a quick look and feels a growing desire to make love to Olivia, but he would have to wait.

He wanted to give his wife plenty of time to recover and to give Sophie a lot of love. The baby girl lets out a belch and looks up at her father with sweet looking eyes. "She is going to make winter more brighter," Basil said, letting her take his finger. "Hmmmmm, John's right. All that is missing is a ribbon for her hair, like you Olivia," he adds.

Olivia lets out a laugh and replies, "I think we might have to wait on that." The detective, his family, friends, and their guests settle down for the evening. Mrs. Judson and Rachel had prepared a simple dinner of meat stew and bread rolls. Kitty, her family, and Aiden decided to stay for dinner. During the meal, the twins and their father explain the exposure of some charity scammers while they were out.

"Gracious me!" Mrs. Judson exclaims. "I hope those rotten fiends serve hard time! While there are many rodents who are hungry and cold, those fiends treat it like it's some game!"

"Calm yourself Mrs. Judson," Basil insists and she does so. "I can assure you, a judge will give them a harsh sentence as it is Christmas, and there are many rodents like us who don't like schemers taking advantage at this time of year," he explains.

After dinner, the mice settle in the parlor where the adults helped themselves to wine or tea. Olivia decides to give it a try on the wine that was opened, but had a hard time getting use to the sting of alcohol.

"I don't want to drink too much," Olivia said after taking only two sips from her glass. "I would be a terrible mother and a bad example," she adds. Dawson assures her that she was all right as she had already fed Sophie earlier and that with the little wine she had, it would not affect her milk.

Basil offers to finish the wine that Olivia didn't finish, but she warns him not to overindulge. After finishing the wine, he gives the empty wine glass to Rachel, who takes it to the kitchen and brings some water for him. "Appreciate it Mrs. Rachel, hope you don't mind us calling you that," he said.

"Anything will do," she replies with a smile and her ears perk up to the sounds of Sophie's snorting. "Oh, I'm sure I'll be taking care of you while your parents are out," she said to the baby in Olivia's arms.

Basil did remember something, but he didn't want to ask Mrs. Rachel just yet. He will ask his new housekeeper if she was up to the task of caring for Sophie on February 13th, but at Paul Judson's home. He did want everyone out of the house while he and Olivia spent the day together.

"I think we should head on out," Kitty suggests to her family and Aiden. Lizzy was struggling to stay awake and couldn't contain her yawning. John, however, didn't want her to leave just yet. "Oh, don't worry we'll be here until the New Year. We will drop in to visit, again," she said and opens up her arms for him and his sister to hug her.

"Happy Christmas Kitty," John said and he feels a smile form on her face.

"In the United States, we say Merry Christmas, but it is the happiest time of the year," she said before the twins let go of her. Jodie and Dawson share a kiss before she departs, but she whispers something in his ear.

The doctor gives a big smile and nods before whispering into her ear. Kitty and her family get into their warm coats and hats. They give Sophie a farewell and thank Basil for dinner before departing. They walk out into the cold, darkened evening, but with bright, happy faces.

"What did Jodie tell you?" Leana asks Dawson.

"She said she wishes to spend tomorrow night together, that is both at her place and in the dream realm. She thought it best I spend tonight with your grandparents, pretty sure everyone will spoil little Sophie," Dawson replies.

"And I'm sure everyone will thank you for delivering her," Basil adds and the two partners share a hug. "I do want to thank you for helping Olivia and for trying to keep me calm," the detective said and his good friend chuckles.

"I've met many fathers who were just as anxious as you were," Dawson replies and decides to retire for the night. While it was still early, the day's activities, including the birth of Sophie did tire him out.

"I think we should all turn in. Pretty sure everyone in the Heaven realm is just eager to meet Sophie," Basil suggests and his two children didn't protest. They were excited, as it would be the first Christmas to be with their grandparents in the Heaven realm, and they couldn't wait to see their reactions when they meet their sister, Sophie.

Basil looks into the nursery where Sophie would sleep here, but he decided to move the crib into the adults' bedroom. He asks Dawson for help, which confused the doctor a bit, however he then realized of his partner's intentions.

"You might be eccentric, but you are protective," Dawson said and they move the crib into the detective's bedroom.

"Elliott, why are you..." Olivia trails off; her husband went into his defensive parent mood. She suspected he didn't want history to repeat itself. The memory of that night in August 1908 briefly pops up, but she quickly discards it. Dawson leaves the two adults with their newborn baby alone and goes down to his new room.

Basil takes his newborn daughter into his arms; Sophie was awake, staring up at her father with blue eyes. "I say she stay in here for at least one or two nights," he said to his wife, who was getting into her night clothes.

"Elliott," she chuckles and sits down next to him. "I can't wait to see everyone's reaction when they meet her, especially Daddy's. I'm sure he will spoil her till she's a few months old," she said.

"I can't wait either, but I am a bit concerned," Basil replies, "I mean, I recall Tsura saying that a baby's mind is on the 'off switch', but I wonder if Sophie will have the ability to visit the Heaven realm with us."

"I guess we will have to wait and see. I wonder if Tsura has a spell that would grant Sophie to sleep all through the night," Olivia answers and takes her daughter into her arms, letting Basil to get into his night clothes.

Sophie begins to fuss a bit, she probably wanted her father's company, and Basil then hears Olivia humming. She then starts to sing the song she usually sang. The Gaelic melody was harmonic to Basil's ears and their daughter begins to settle down, again.

Once Sophie was quiet, Olivia places her inside the crib, but wraps the blanket in a protective embrace. Basil then thought of something; he leaves the bedroom and goes into the nursery, again. He wanted to play the mechanical ballerina for Sophie as he was sure it would keep her asleep or keep the monsters lurking in the darkness away.

"Daddy?" he hears his oldest daughter, Leana call out. He steps into the twins' bedroom, both of his children were in bed, but they did seem excited. "We can't seem to get to sleep. Our brains are still turning their gears," she said and her father chuckles a bit.

"I know the feeling. I might have a bit of trouble getting to sleep, too," he replies and sits down on Leana's bed. John joins them and Basil places the ballerina toy down on the desk before pulling his son up to his lap.

"You're not going to spoil Sophie more than us, are you?" John asks.

"Well, babies do need all the attention, but as I recall, we gave you a lot of love when you were infants. However, I don't want you two to be jealous. Just because we are showering Sophie with attention, it doesn't mean we love you any less," Basil replies and hugs both of them.

"We'll try not to be too jealous, just don't make us too jealous," Leana warns and her father chuckles a bit.

"Can't make a promise on that, although I will remember those days that I became a defensive family mouse. I was a bit overprotective, mostly because you two were defenseless and I was new to the thought of being a father," Basil explains and continues, "My mother, your grandmother did tell me that having a family is the most rewarding part of life, and you know, she's right.

"I have the two of you, the most brilliant minded twins, and I'm sure any other father would be jealous of me," Basil finishes and his children smile.

"What about Sophie? Will she be as smart as you?" Leana asks, but Basil shakes his head.

"Don't forget your mother, she is also brilliant. As for Sophie, we'll have to wait and see. I do believe that both of your intelligence was starting to materialize when you were four months old, so I'm hoping her wits will emerge around that time," the detective replies. He then gives them a kiss on their foreheads and they settle in their beds.

"We'll see you soon," Basil said, taking the ballerina toy and shuts the door. John retrieves the letter he hid under his sheets; he and his sister still kept the correspondence between them and Ben secret from their parents. Both of them thought their father would ask about it whenever they drop off letters in a postal box, but so far, he never did.

"Can you read it again?" Leana asks and John clears his throat.

Dear Big Ben,

We are happy to tell you that today has been an exciting day! Our baby sister Sophie has finally arrived! We're just elated to have a sister with a Christmas Eve birthday!

We wish could write down every thought we're thinking of on here, but we're just happy to finally be a big brother and a big sister!

We're sure you will like Sophie as she is pretty like our mom and we're hoping she'll be very smart like both our mom and dad, like us. Both our parents are just as happy as we are since we've been waiting a very long time for Sophie.

Dad did say that the three of us are the best Christmas Eve presents as mom told him she was pregnant with the two of us in 1907. Now that Sophie is here, he did declare Christmas Eve as his favorite day of the year. Come to think of it, it does have a magical vibe to it.

Wish we could write more about our day, but it is getting late and it has been a tiring day earlier. We wish you a Happy Christmas and that we can't wait to see you, again! Please let us know if are you coming home for Easter as we want to be spared any more disappointment. Highly doubt those teachers can keep you for another holiday.

Take care!

John and Leana

John folds the letter and places it in an envelope. He writes the address in Portsmouth and finds a stamp; both he and Leana have been saving some coins in order to buy stamps. It was mostly to avoid arousing suspicion as taking from their father would make him to feel unsure and they didn't want him to feel paranoid or anything.

John then opens a drawer at the desk; he or Leana would drop it off in a postal box on the way to their Uncle Oscar's tomorrow. He then turns off the light and they settle themselves in bed.

"Oh Elliott," Olivia said in a loving tone when her husband returns with the ballerina toy. Basil places it on the window sill, where the crib was set next to it, and turns the key a few times. The ballerina emerges from her petals, her music box begins to play, and she dances to the music.

Sophie didn't stir, instead, she seemed to be sleeping quite soundly. "You'll be seeing your grandparents soon," Basil said and kisses his daughter's cheek. He and Olivia then settle in bed. The detective gazes at his wife as she did seem tired from the birth earlier this morning. She would be needing plenty of rest now and since she was no longer pregnant, she could rest easy now, depending on Sophie's needs during the night.

Basil pulls her close to his body and gives her a tender kiss on the lips. Olivia places her arms around him, deepening the kiss, and when they depart, she looks at him with her blue eyes. "I love you Elliott," she whispers.

"And I love you Olivia," he replies and they settle their heads on the pillows. They close their eyes, waiting for sleep to take hold of their bodies, and to enter the dream realm.

()()()()()()()()()()()()

Basil was the first to become aware of the black space surrounding him. He was in the In-Between, the bridge that connected the mortal world to the dream or Heaven realms. "Elliott?" he hears Olivia.

She rushes up to him; she was wearing a light blue dress with white lace, and a red ribbon was tied on her head. Basil notices he was wearing an emerald green vest and green ascot with his white shirt, brown trousers and black shoes.

"Hello you two," a warm voice said and they see Tsura emerge from the darkness. She was wearing a heavy winter coat with a fur hat. She was carrying something in her arms, a bundle. "Oh she is so lucky to have parents like you," the witch said, gazing down at Sophie before giving her to Olivia.

"Oh, I thought for sure she wouldn't show up," Basil said, looking at his daughter, who was awake, but was probably confused.

"I placed a spell on her, so she would be able to visit everyone tonight as it is Christmas, and let me tell you, Hiram is just anxious to meet her," Tsura explains and snaps her fingers. Both Basil and Olivia were now wearing warm coats, hats, gloves, and scarves. "It's quite nippy in the Heaven realm," Tsura said and the In-Between vanishes.

Basil looks around and sees they were outside. It was indeed bitterly cold; some snow was falling and it was quiet. The sky was dark, but there were many stars. He looks at the wooden fence; it was decorated with red ribbons and he notices his parents' house. The yellow exterior was decked out with garlands and he sees some candles in the windows. He spots the Flaversham house perched on top of the hill; he did see candles flickering in the windows.

"This way," Tsura said, leading them towards Henry's home. "The Walker's have a bigger parlor and they did insist they host tonight. Oh, Aunt Sophie and Uncle Jacob won't be joining, they thought they give immediate family the chance to see Baby Sophie first, but they do wish to meet her soon. Fonso is running a quick errand, but who knows how long he's going to take," she adds and they walk up the cleared pathway. Snow had covered the ground and Olivia points out a snowmouse with a top hat and red scarf.

"How cute," she said and they look to see a Christmas tree standing in the window. They did see someone in the window, but the person had retreated, probably to tell everyone inside. Basil looks at the red colored exterior, the windows also had candles that gave off a warm glow.

The three of them walk up to the front door, where a garland wreath with a red ribbon was hung. It opens to reveal Lulu and she welcomes them inside. Basil and Olivia walk in to see everyone; their parents, the Walker family, their children, and Dawson all gathered in the front parlor. They were wearing festive clothing for the occasion.

They see Hiram, his eyes filled with happy tears when he sees the bundle in his daughter's arms. "Hiram," his wife Leana said, but her voice was choked with emotion. She was probably trying to calm her husband, although she had trouble herself.

Olivia lets her father take Sophie into his arms and he sits down at a comfy chair. Both Hiram and Leana stare down at their new granddaughter, tears falling from their eyes. The baby looks up at the newcomers with her blue eyes.

"Hello Sophie," Hiram said in a happy voice, "I am your granddaddy and this here is your grandmama or grandmummy, you can call us whatever you like," he adds and Sophie gives a toothless grin. "Oh Olivia, she's beautiful, like you and your mother here," Hiram said to his daughter, who had taken off the warm coat.

Leana Flaversham then steps aside to let John Frederick and Sarah to meet their grandchild. "And this here is your grandfather and grandmother from your father's side," Hiram introduces them. Sophie stretches out a hand and Sarah gives her one finger for her granddaughter to hold.

"Oh you're right Hiram, she's beautiful," Sarah replies and John Frederick looks to his son and daughter-in-law.

"You two did a superb job," he said, placing a hand on Basil's shoulder. "I am proud of you Elliott for staying beside Olivia during the whole ordeal this morning. I went through the same emotions when you, your brother and your sisters were born. It's not easy to stay calm during the labor and birth of children, but at least you had Dawson."

The detective and his father chuckle for a bit and look at Dawson, who smiles. "And we are entirely grateful for safely bringing Sophie into the mortal world, the same for when you brought John and Leana," John Frederick said and shakes hands with the doctor.

Then, Basil notices something at his feet and both he and Olivia were surprised when they see Toby, only he had shrunk to a smaller size. "My word," Basil said and the dog prances around his master. "How did you get so small?" he asks as he bends down to scratch the dog's ears and sees a red bow tied to his collar.

"Tsura shrunk him for tonight, said that he deserves to see the new addition," Lulu said and the twins join their father in giving Toby some loving. Basil looks up to see Henry and his family greet themselves to Sophie, he hoped his daughter wouldn't feel overwhelmed by the number of strangers.

"Congratulations you two, you two make fine parents, like me and my Anne here," Henry said and sees Anne walk over to a piano. "Now lets start the festivity of Christmas," the former mouse detective insists and everyone gathers around Anne, who touches a few keys. John Frederick decides to take his oldest granddaughter, Leana into his arms. Henry's daughter Flora takes John into her arms, so he wouldn't be left out. Hiram still cradles Sophie, he didn't want to let her go just yet.

Anne then begins to play the song 'Deck the Halls' and everyone begins to sing, including Tsura and Lulu. Toby also joins in by howling and when the song was finished, he lets out a louder howl.

"Hush now Toby," Basil commands and the dog obeys, but his tongue hangs out as he gave out happy pants. There was a round of applause and Anne begins to play 'Hark the Harold Angels Sing'.

The atmosphere inside the parlor was more than festive according to Basil; it was a glorious moment as he was spending Christmas for the first time with his in-laws, and for the first time in years with his parents and his beloved teacher.

When Anne finishes the song, she turns to face Basil, "Elliott, why not sing that song?" she asks and the detective was surprised at this.

"What song?" John asks and his sister was confused, too. Basil's and Olivia's parents, including Dawson and Olivia were also stumped about what Anne had just said.

"Oh, I don't know," Basil replies, but his family and loved ones were now curious.

"That Christmas tree song that I happened to share with him. I believe that Karl Koffman fellow was surprised when he heard you sang that when he came for a visit," Henry said and encourages his student to share the song.

"Oh I suppose, just don't laugh if I sound strange," Basil replies and clears his throat. Anne then begins to play the melody for 'O Christmas Tree', but Basil had the words in his head, only they weren't in his native English.

O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,

Wie treu sind deine Blätter!

O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,

Wie treu sind deine Blätter!

Du grünst nicht nur zur Sommerzeit,

Nein, auch im Winter, wenn es schneit.

O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,

Wie treu sind deine Blätter!

Basil continues to sing the German song of 'O Christmas Tree', the song did put him at ease for some reason, but he loved it. He felt a heavy weight lift from his shoulders, a weight that he carried for much of his life.

O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,

Du kannst mir sehr gefallen!

O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,

Du kannst mir sehr gefallen!

Wie oft hat nicht zur Weihnachtszeit

Ein Baum von dir mich hoch erfreut!

O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,

Du kannst mir sehr gefallen!

Basil continues to sing; he did feel his spirit detach from the world around him for a brief moment. When he finishes the song, he lets out a sigh before looking at the others; the room was in absolute silence. He thought he messed up the song, but his wife places a tender hand on his cheek.

"I never thought you could sing German so...beautifully," she said and Basil feels the heat in his cheeks.

"Did you like it?" he asks and there came a round of frantic applause from his two older children and the others join in.

"Oh wow," Tsura said, "I forgot what it's like to have goose flesh." She shows her arms where her fur was erect, almost like fluff balls. Some of the others, including Dawson showed off their goose flesh.

"Truth be told, I always admired the German language. I did take some private lessons while I was with Henry, but I suppose I still have a lot to learn," Basil explains and his teacher nods.

"Daddy?" Basil's daughter Leana said and he sees the elation in her eyes. "Can I take a German class at school?" she asks and her brother also wanted to learn.

"If that is what you want," he replies and his two children cheer. "I think you two will be masters of all languages; it's always good to have knowledge on foreign languages," he adds.

"What about Sophie?" John asks. Basil looks over to his newborn daughter, his mother Sarah was holding her now.

"First, she needs to talk, which might not happen until after her first birthday. However, the two of you did start talking before your first birthday, so there's a good chance she'll talk before her birthday," he answers and the twins smile at one another.

"Why don't you two open some presents?" Hiram asks his two older grandchildren and they go to the base of the Christmas tree, where some wrapped boxes were laid out under the tree.

John opens a small box to reveal a leopard skin handkerchief; he recognizes it as it was once part of The Great Rambo's tunic. John had fought the deranged toy over the summer while he and his family visited the human toy shop in one of his father's memories.

"Took me a while to get it right," his grandmother Leana said, "I actually ended up taking the whole tunic," she chuckles. Her granddaughter and namesake Leana Basil opens a box to reveal a doll.

She was overcome with joy as the doll was that of a female mouse with a pink mermaid's tail. "Oh what a lovely mermaid," her mother Olivia comments.

"I got inspired by our summer outing, where both Leanas here became mermaids," Hiram said and the memory of the last day of summer pops into Basil's mind. It was fun to say the least, but then Fonso ruined it with the sea monster. The detective was getting suspicious as the trickster witch was taking a long time.

The twins open more presents; they did receive books in French and Greek, and some warm socks, which their parents thought it was funny. "I like these," Leana said, "They're soft and cozy."

"I'm glad you like them," their grandmother Sarah said and also gives a pair to her son, daughter-in-law, and new granddaughter. "I think Mrs. Judson is only the mouse alive who can sew socks. Her mother taught me and when Mrs. Judson took her place, she made a ton of socks for all of us when you were a wee little one," she said to her son.

John shows off a rocking horse and yells out commands like a hunter or a soldier. "Giddy up Oswald! Get him Toby! After him Rupert!" he shouts, the dog barks at the command and Henry's youngest son Rupert gives a salute while playing on his own hobby horse. The two boy mice loved playing pretend and the adults did admire the children's active imagination.

"Oswald?" Basil asks his son about the name of the rocking horse.

"I just thought it up, might give him a better name later, something like Draco's," John answers and dismounts. Then, a question pops up in Basil's mind.

"Tsura, I've been meaning to ask you this, but how is it possible for these toys to show up in the mortal realm? The same with those different scents and such," the detective asks the witch.

"Your father-in-law here wants the toys he made for his grandchildren to go with them. The In-Between helps transport objects and even souls from this world to the other. Lulu and I happened to use it when we were sent to the mortal realm to locate Ilse's spell book 60 years ago. The In-Between is a mysterious place and it needs to be protected," Tsura said.

"From evil spirits?" John asks and Tsura nods.

"It's hard to explain, but many mortals actually don't know what the In-Between is, a good thing perhaps. However, if someone with magic were to open the gates between the realms, it could spell disaster and the magical balance that holds everything together will be weakened and chaos will ensue," Tsura said, but her student Lulu stops her from talking any further as their friends did seem a bit scared.

"Lets not ruin this wonderful night on talks of evil and such," Lulu suggests and the twins show off their new toys to their parents. They give their grandfather Hiram a loving hug.

"It's always a pleasure to make toys for you and someday I will start making some for your sister," he tells them. Then came a loud knock at the door and everyone was confused, but then Tsura and Lulu gasp.

"Well it's about time Fonso showed up with our special guests," Tsura said, which the others were still stumped about. She turns to face them and breathes in, "Now, a certain someone did request to meet you tonight. Just so you know, this might be a bit of a shock," she warns before Lulu opens the door.

She kneels as two mice, one male and one female enter inside with Fonso following. The atmosphere in the house goes into an eerie silence as the adults and Henry's children stare at the newcomers with startled expressions.

"Your Majesty," Dawson said before bowing and everyone, except the twins follow suit.

"Oh, there's no need for formalities," the female mouse replies in a soft voice. She walks with an elegant grace to greet Basil and Henry. "My word, you haven't aged a day since we first met all those years ago Mr. Elliott Basil," she said and Basil bows his head slightly. "Where's your..." she trails off when she sees Olivia, she was holding Sophie in her arms.

"My gracious, little Miss Olivia Flaversham," the female mouse said, "You've changed quite a lot. You were just a little girl when we first met," she adds and looks at Sophie, "Oh, and this must be the newest addition to the family, Sophie correct?" she asks and both Basil and Olivia nod. The female mouse then spots the twins and kneels down before them.

"Why hello, you must be John and Leana," she said. The twins nodded, but were still a bit confused of the stranger; she was pretty with a slender figure. She had light brown fur like their mother's, but her lower muzzle was almost white. She also had curly dark hair and brown eyes.

Leana lets out a gasp and asks, "Are you...the mouse queen that Daddy and Dawson saved from Ratigan's cat?"

"Is she really the mouse queen?" her brother asks in shock and the female mouse nods.

"Hmmmm, I suppose you don't recognize me at this age," she replies and looks to Tsura, who uses a spell that causes the female mouse's body to age dramatically. Her figure became stout, but her face still had a loving glow to it. Both the twins bow to her, but she opens up her arms and they hug her.

"Oh, Mr. Basil," she said, "You have such wonderful children." Then, the male mouse who came with her clears his throat. "Oh, where are my manners? This here is my husband, Ludwig," she introduces him and the twins smile in greeting.

"Guten Tag," he said and the children and even Toby welcome him and the mouse queen into the home.

"And you can call me Granny if you like," the mouse queen said, but the twins were confused for a bit, until Leana realizes something.

"You were called the Grandmother of Mousedom when you were alive, right?" she asks and the queen nods.

"I like children who call me Granny, instead of my real name, Mousetoria. I do like the name Victoria better, but you can call me whatever you like," the mouse queen insists and she and her husband settle in the parlor.

Both John and Leana wanted to ask Granny about the time of Ratigan's attempt to take over Mousedom by assassinating her and having the mechanical queen declare the rat ruler, but their father urges them to be courteous.

"Oh it's quite all right Mr. Basil," Granny replies and tells the children about the night of her diamond jubilee. "I thought for sure I was done for, that is until your father and Dr. Dawson saved my life from that Felicia. When your father went off to rescue your mother, I was praying the whole time, and it seems fate or destiny brought them together.

"I would've sent Ratigan to the gallows right away if he was captured alive, however, it seems his lust for power proved to be his downfall. Your father is right, he was a coward to the very end. Ludwig and I were shocked when we found out that Rosenberg was his half-brother, but he was just as terrible as that Ratigan, the same goes for their mother," Granny explains to the twins. Toby did growl for a bit when the queen mentions Felicia, Ratigan's pet cat. The dog did scare the feline and tricked her into going into a fenced off portion of Buckingham Palace where the Royal Dogs were staying.

"I remember all those horrible stories in the newspapers that wrote on both that evil witch Ilse Altendorf and Erich Rosenberg. The two of them did terrorize Germany for many years, although everyone thought Altendorf was dead," Ludwig said.

Basil decides to leave the parlor, he needed to get some air as his head was hurting from all the excitement this evening. He walks through the kitchen where he takes in the aroma of different spices and steps out to the back porch. He enters the cold night, but it soothed him.

Before he took another step, he picks up the sounds of two people around the corner of the house. He dares to take a peek and was surprised to see Fonso and Lulu kissing. Snow sticks to their hair and fur, but they didn't seem to mind as they continue to kiss.

The detective steps away around the opposite corner, wanting to give these two new lovers some privacy. He had seen them dancing in a fiery waltz at the Halloween party and his children did ask if they were in love. Basil did feel happy for them, although he wondered if Fonso would stop his trickery.

"I am really sorry for what I did to your father," he hears Fonso, "I was such an idiot in not knowing how to break the spell earlier. Can you forgive me?"

"I already did a while ago," Lulu answers, "However, I still won't undo the oath. Mostly for the children's sake, especially for little Sophie. She is only a baby; you can't play rough with her and please, don't scare her so much."

Basil listens; Lulu did insist that Fonso, who she had loved this whole time, not play cruel tricks on Sophie. He was wondering if Fonso would obey, but decides not to hold onto that hope as the guardian witch usually never listens.

"I'll try not to," Fonso replies and hears them go inside the house. He then hears another set of footsteps and Olivia appears.

"Elliott, you all right?" she asks. He takes her into his arms and they cuddle to keep themselves warm.

"Just needed some air," he answers and kisses the top of her head. "This is a bit of overwhelming. I don't think I've experienced a Christmas like this since I was a youngster. The Christmases following Henry's death and your departure were the saddest ones I went through," he explains.

"Oh Elliott," Olivia replies, pressing her head against his chest. "Those Christmases were also sad for me as I missed you and hoped you would drop in for a visit. I still held onto that hope for ten years you know?"

"Yes, and that Christmas in 1907 is one of the best for me, apart from this one and those with John and Leana," Basil said and he pulls her close. "Can I tell you something?" he asks.

"Oh yes, you can tell me anything, remember?" she replies and Basil takes in a deep breath.

"I have a new wish, although I don't know if it's possible. I am hoping you and maybe Tsura would teach me some magic," he said and Olivia's eyes grew big. "I don't know if someone from a non-magical family can be taught spells and such, but I really want to try," Basil explains and Olivia smiles. She produces a sheet of paper and a pen from her coat pocket; she places the paper on her husband's palm and she writes out a symbol.

"I think everyone can be taught magic, no matter their heritage or ancestry," Olivia said and Basil touches the symbol with his thumb. The sheet of paper transforms into an orb of light. "Although I do wonder if your family does have a history with magic," she adds and he thinks about it. He lets the orb float out of his hand, but then it became a sprig of mistletoe, and it hangs above their heads.

"Did you do that?" he asks with a chuckle, but doesn't wait for an answer as he and his wife share a loving kiss. Olivia places an arm around her husband's back, deepening the kiss; she had found a symbol for the spell she drew. After departing lips, Basil presses his forehead against Olivia's and they return inside the warm house.

As they enter the parlor, the clock on the wall chimes five to midnight. "OH!" both Hiram and Henry exclaim at the same time, which startled everyone. "It's almost time," Hiram said and looks to his daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren.

"Since this is your first Christmas here, there's a special moment that commences once the clock strikes the hour of midnight," Hiram tells them and insists they put on their coats and warm accessories, such as mittens and hats.

Basil and his family were a bit confused, but otherwise curious of this special moment that would occur at midnight. The others, including Granny and Ludwig also put on their coats and hats, and everyone follows Hiram and his wife, Leana out the door.

"Gracious, it's cold!" Dawson exclaims. Basil slips Sophie inside his coat, wanting to keep her warm against the elements. The families and their friends, even Toby went down the path towards the dirt road, but stop at the wooden fence.

"Why are we out here?" John asks his grandparents, who told him to be patient and Hiram pulls out a pocket watch. Then, they pick up the sounds of church bells in the far off distance chiming the hour of midnight.

"Now don't be too startled," Henry warns his student and his family, and gazes out on the road. When the bells struck the last chime of twelve, spheres of light appear before the mice, but then take shape.

The shapes were of rodents wearing robes and cleric looking clothing. These were monks and nuns according to Basil based on the type of clothing they were wearing. The rodents walk along the path with lit candles in hand and began to sing.

Silent Night, Holy Night

All is Calm, All is Bright

Round Yon Virgin Mother and Child

Holy Infant so Tender and Mild

Sleep in Heavenly Peace

Sleep in Heavenly Peace

The cleric rodents had harmonic voices; Basil thought they must've been part of a choir when they were alive and he listens to the song being sung. The nuns were now singing a haunting melody while the monks continue to sing the lyrics to 'Silent Night, Holy Night.'

When the last verse was sung, the spirits of the monks and nuns had gone away from the hillside and into the village, where they resume the song. Hiram and his wife Leana then point to the sky, where, to Basil's and his family's elation, the northern lights illuminated the darkness with waves of colors.

"Better make a Christmas wish before we go back inside," Henry tells his children, who shut their eyes and Rupert murmurs something. Basil and his children were confused and Henry did notice, "On Christmas night, my family and I make wishes. You and your family can make a wish, if you like," he said and the twins quickly shut their eyes.

Basil looks at his two older children, their eyes shut tight. He looks to Olivia, who also had her eyes shut; she was making her own wish. Basil decides to do the same; he did wish for more adventures to come within the new year. The mice look at the lights for a few moments before they decide to return inside the Walker home.

"That was...absolutely amazing," Dawson comments and settles by the fire to warm up.

"It never fails to amaze me," Henry said, adding more kindling to the fire. The mice shed their coats once more and Tsura shows off her goose flesh, again.

"I really miss that," she said, "However, I will admit, you Mr. Elliott Basil have a better voice than all those rodents combine," she adds.

"Oh, there's no need for that," he replies, cradling Sophie in his arms. The night's festivities were starting to wane, although everyone didn't want the celebration to end. "I have an idea," Basil suggests, looking to his two children, "John, Leana, why not read A Christmas Carol to us?"

"Oh yes!" Hiram exclaims, "I love that book." Everyone settles in the chairs or on the floor, gathering around the twins and the Christmas tree. Henry produces his copy of the beloved Charles Dickens book, but John takes it.

"Can I read the first part? Can I? Can I?" he begs his family.

"Of course you can, but try not to be too scary with Marley's ghost, understand?" Basil urges his son, who nods and begins to read on the first stave.

After he finishes the stave, he hands over the book to his sister, who begins to read the part on the Ghost of Christmas Past. The audience was engrossed by the story and when Leana finishes the second stave, her grandfather Hiram volunteers to read the third, featuring the Ghost of Christmas Present.

"Oh dear," Hiram breaks off from the reading, "I forgot about the end of this stave." He then resumes the reading, although he didn't like the part of the two children, Ignorance and Want. Basil thought that since Hiram made toys for children, the mention of the two children being feral-like must've upset the mouse toy maker.

When he completes the stave, in which the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come would be presented, Dawson volunteers to read it, but then Fonso takes the book out of Hiram's hand. "I thought perhaps I give it a go," he insists, but Basil and the others didn't like it. They decided not to protest, although they wondered if Fonso would go overboard with the story.

Sure enough, Fonso changes his voice to make it sound creepy and it did unsettle the mice as he reads on Scrooge visiting the future where Christmas in London was bleak and unhappy to the readers. When Fonso got to the part on Scrooge and the phantom visiting the covered body on a bed, he made the audience feel even more uneasy, and he walks up to Basil, who was still cradling Sophie.

"Spirit!" Fonso shouts, startling both the detective and his newborn daughter, "This is a fearful place. In leaving it, I shall not leave its lesson, trust me. Let us go!" Fonso's shouting made Sophie whimper a bit and Basil was afraid Tsura's spell would break, causing the baby to wake up in the mortal world, terrified of the witch's voice.

"Enough!" John Frederick snaps at the trickster, "Give me the book, I'll finish the stave just so you won't scare little Sophie even further." The others agreed with him, but Fonso wanted to protest.

His cousin, Lulu, however, urges him to let Basil's father finish the dark chapter as John Frederick would be more gentle with it than Fonso would. "I never like that part of the story," the mouse queen said in a murmur.

Basil's father resumes the story, but with a more calmer voice, which was better than Fonso's dramatic take on it, even at the end of stave where Scrooge and the ghost were at the graveyard, seeing Scrooge's headstone.

When John Frederick finishes the stave, a few of the other mice volunteered to read the final part. "I think Elliott should finish it," Sarah suggests, although her son didn't want to let go of Sophie.

"Please do Elliott, I think Sophie would like it," Olivia said; Basil thinks for a moment and did agree with his wife, perhaps the baby girl would appreciate hearing her father and not be scared anymore. He gives Sophie to Olivia and takes the book from his father. He clears his throat and begins the final stave in a cheerful tone.

"I don't know what to do!" Basil spoke Scrooge's words, but he didn't have to read the part as he remembered the story rather well. He continues, while acting like a happy child. "I am light a feather! I am happy as an angel! I am merry as a schoolboy!" Basil said, while laughing and dancing, and the others in the room, except Fonso were laughing with him.

Toby lets out a few happy barks and prances around his master. Basil continues to recite the story, almost like an actor on the stage, and the detective actually did feel exhilarated.

He then hears his baby daughter give a few giggles as she watches her father continue to act out. When Basil comes to the conclusion of the story, he speaks in a loving tone, "And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God Bless Us, Every one!"

There came a round of applause, but the children gave more frantic claps and cheers. "That was beautiful Elliott," Hiram comments on his son-in-law's reading and his acting.

"I will say this, I am happy an as angel," Basil said and looks to everyone in the room, "This is the best Christmas I've experienced in a long time. I do look forward to spending more Christmases with all of you."

"Elliott," his father John Frederick said, placing his hands on his son's shoulders, "I have a request; tell your brother and sisters that your mother and I wish them a Happy Christmas and that we miss them."

Basil was stunned for a moment; surely his siblings would be shocked of when he would tell them of their mother and father wishing them a Happy Christmas. However, he could say that he had a dream of visiting them and have them telling him so.

"I know what you're thinking," John Frederick said, "Yes, tell them it was a dream. I know that they are skeptic of such things, however, much like you use to, they don't believe in the supernatural."

"I will," Basil replies with tears in his eyes and his father shares a hug with him.

The hour of dawn was fast approaching, although Basil and his family didn't want to depart the Heaven realm as they were having a grand time with their loved ones. "I hope we see you sometime, again soon," Olivia said to the mouse queen, who smiles.

"Your Maj-I mean, Granny, oh that's going to be hard to get use to," Basil mutters and the queen looks to the detective, "I have a request; tell your son Edward we said hello and a Happy Christmas."

"We most certainly will, Mr. Basil," Granny replies and departs with her husband.

"Well good friends," Tsura said, "This has been a wonderful, if not strange year. I have to say this has been a splendid Christmas tonight. Just to warn you, like All Hallows Eve, Christmas will never be the same within 50 years or so," she sighs.

"You mean, people will make a mockery of it?" Basil's daughter Leana asks and the witch nods.

"What's worse, people will be consumed by material items, little kids, too, and they will forget what the season really means. I am hoping that many families will learn from folks like you," Tsura explains, "You have a lot of love and devotion for one another; that's what really matters, especially during the darkest days of fear or uncertainty."

Basil looks to his family; wife Olivia and his three children, they did help him get through the worst when he would have an emotional downturn. The twins did help each other and a few others, especially Winnie and Milton while at school, and Basil was sure they would continue to do so.

Then, the clock strikes the hour of eight, the sun will rise soon. "You'll be back tonight," Henry points out and the others liked the sound of it, "But please, enjoy Christmas Day."

"Yes, enjoy your visit with your aunts, uncle, and cousins. I have a feeling they will be just ecstatic when they see Sophie," Flora said and the twins nod.

"Dawson," Leana Flaversham speaks to the good doctor, "I suggest you attend Christmas dinner with Miss Judith. I'm sure she will be very happy."

"I would like to, if Basil is-" "Say no more my good friend," Basil cuts in, "You two deserve to spend time together." The Basil family and Dawson bid their deceased loved ones a farewell and a Happy Christmas. Then the world around them begins to dissipate, like many times before.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Basil and Olivia awoke to see the first light of dawn. They did notice the white snow outside their window. Basil picks up Sophie from her crib before opening the window to gaze out to the beautiful world covered in white snow.

"It's lovely isn't it Sophie?" Basil asks his daughter, who begins to snort and opens her eyes to see the snow. He shuts the window, then picks up the sounds of his two older children rushing to the parlor where the Christmas tree was.

"Lets go join them," Olivia said, wrapping herself in her winter blue robe. Basil also gets into his robe and they join the twins in the parlor. To their surprise, the new presents they received from their grandparents were all there.

Dawson, Rachel, and Mrs. Judson appear from downstairs; both the new and former housekeepers were astonished when they see the new toys, books, and even the socks. "My goodness," Mrs. Judson said when she picks up a pair of the socks Sarah made. "Still soft as I taught her. Rachel here thinks socks are hard to make."

"Well they are," her daughter protests and the two female mice went into the kitchen to prepare Christmas breakfast. John plays with his new rocking horse, he did like this present out of the other ones he received.

Leana shows the mermaid doll to her baby sister, who was in awe of the pretty mermaid's tail. "Wonder if she will get a mermaid doll one Christmas," she said to her parents.

"I'm sure your granddaddy will make her one. Maybe with a different color for the tail," Olivia said and then lets out a groan, "Oh I almost forgot, I have a present for each of you." She retreats back to the bedroom to retrieve the box that had the glass pieces she bought from Dylan's shop. Basil turns on the radio, tuning in to a channel that was playing Christmas songs being sung by opera singers.

Olivia returns with the box and opens it to reveal some lovely looking glass pieces made by Dylan. She goes to retrieve both Mrs. Judson and Rachel from the kitchen. "I must say, there's something about glass art that makes it beautiful, but it must be handled with cautious hands," Olivia said.

"Yes indeed, those fires in those stoves are pretty hazardous," her husband points out, holding Sophie in his arms. Olivia delivers the pieces; John receives a scary green dragon and his sister got a little orb that had a beautiful goldfish in it.

"I couldn't find a mermaid, so I thought maybe you would like this goldfish," Olivia says to her daughter, who gives her mother a hug in response. Olivia gives Dawson another little orb that was dark in color but had a cluster of stars that reminded them of the Milky Way.

"Miss Winnie is into astronomy? I think she would like this," Dawson asks the twins, who nod.

"I'm sure her dad made her a piece like that. I wonder if she will pursue both astronomy and medicine," John replies. Olivia shows a third glass orb to Sophie; it had a little butterfly in it. She did seem to like it as she reaches for the piece with her tiny fingers.

Olivia features a little glass elephant and shows it to Mrs. Judson. "I remember taking a class about the animals in Africa and mother elephants are protective of their young; much like you Mrs. Judson," Olivia explains and the elderly mouse smiles and gives her mistress a hug. Olivia then retrieves a glass deer, a doe to be precise and presents to Rachel.

"You Mrs. Rachel are also protective, but do possess a gentleness and my father did say one time that deer also represent appreciation towards those who helped them thrive," Olivia explains to the new housekeeper, whose eyes fill with tears, and, like her mother, hugs her mistress.

"Thank you Miss Olivia," Rachel whispers and takes the glass doe with gentle hands. "I will treasure this piece for as long as I live, but I will also treasure my time here."

Olivia then produces a larger orb that had two birds in the center and shows it to her husband. He looks at the two birds; they were green with pink faces and white beaks. "Olivia, are those parrots?" he asks.

"Agapornis roseicollis or rosy-faced lovebirds," she answers, "The reason they are called 'lovebirds' is because it's believed they are bonded for life. I thought perhaps you would like it as we are bonded for life," Olivia finishes and a smile forms on her husband's face. He pulls her into his embrace and they share a kiss. "Happy Christmas Elliott," she whispers.

"Happy Christmas Olivia," Basil replies and they gaze down at their new daughter, Sophie who didn't seem to be bothered by their intimacy, unlike her older brother. "Happy Christmas everyone," the detective said to his family and good friends.

The day was festive like it was the day before. After eating a hearty breakfast of quail eggs, bacon, sweet rolls, and tea, the twins played with their new toys as it would be a while before they went out to their Uncle Oscar's place for Christmas dinner.

Mrs. Judson and Rachel did request to leave for Paul's place on Knox Street to celebrate the holiday with him, his wife and children. "I'm sure Paul and Laura would like to visit little Sophie, but perhaps not for a while," Rachel said as she prepares a basket of goodies to take to her brother's.

Dawson was preparing himself to go over to the residence where Jodie and her sisters were staying, which thankfully happened to be not too far. "Basil," the doctor said upon reentering the parlor, wearing his best suit and hat. The detective looks at him, "I know this might seem a bit early, but I was wondering if I could take the week leading up to St. Valentine's Day in February off. I haven't spoken to Jodie about this, but I do want to spend time with her up in Scarborough during that time.

"I wanted to ask if you would be all right if we occupy your house there. I kinda wonder if Jodie would like for me to stay more than a week perhaps," Dawson said to his partner, who gives a wide smile.

"You are most certainly welcome to stay at our summer home in Scarborough," Basil replies and then places a hand on Dawson's shoulder, "If I were you, I'd propose marriage to her soon, but that is if she really makes you happy," he whispers and notices Dawson's cheeks turn red for a bit.

"She does make me happy Basil," he replies and begins to think, "I do want to propose at the right time and in the right weather. I don't want to propose during a snowstorm," he adds and Basil laughs at this.

"I know the feeling. Maybe I'll ask Tsura if she could have the weather deities create a sunny spring day for you two," the detective said and the redness in Dawson's cheeks grow brighter.

The doctor decides to head on out, with a little bag of clothes as he did want to spend the night with Jodie. "Happy Christmas you two," he said to the twins, "Take care of your sister while I am gone."

"We will, have fun with Miss Jodie," Leana replies and Dawson leaves the house. Basil and his family then dress in their best clothes before heading out to Oscar's, the sunlight would not last very long.

"Oh, almost forgot about this," Basil said, taking the bottle of wine that Oscar gave him for his birthday. It was the wine that was served at the wedding reception party on December 18th, 1907.

"I would like to have a glass of this," Olivia said as she swaddles Sophie in a cozy blanket. The family then start their trek to Oscar's home located in Whitechapel. It would be quite a journey, so the mice hitch a ride on a hansom cab, one of few as the automobile was starting to replace horse-drawn vehicles.

"I would hate to see these go," Basil said as he helps Olivia and his children settle on the footrest. He looks at the big horse, a beautiful bay colored gelding, and the driver urges the horse to go. Luckily, the passenger requested to go to Whitechapel and the ride was bumpy, but soothing for the mice.

"I know you don't like change," Olivia said, holding Sophie close to her bosom. "It's tough for me to accept sometimes, too, but I say we can try to adapt." Basil takes her into his arms and also brings his children into his embrace as the air was cold. John did remember to bring the letter he wrote out, but he and his twin sister needed to locate a postal box to drop it in.

The carriage arrives at Myrdle Street, which was a decent walk to the Royal London Hospital where Oscar worked at. The mice disembark from the cab's footrest and walk down the street, gazing at the row of brick townhouses where candles were lit in the windows. The human and rodent quarters also had displays of Christmas decorations on the exterior of the homes. Luckily, the twins found a postal box and drop the letter it in, but their parents didn't seem to notice them.

They stop in front of one yellow colored door at the very end of the row, it had a green wreath on it with red ribbon. After knocking on the door, Emma opens it to let her brother and family inside. "Happy Christmas Aunt Emma!" the twins cheer and their aunt hugs them in greeting.

She then looks to Olivia, who had Sophie, and she offers to take her while Olivia sheds her coat. "Oh!" they hear a voice and Margaret appears from the parlor. Her three children, Hugo, Alice, and Rose come down the stairs with their father, Oscar in tow.

"Happy Christmas!" the twins' exclaim and their cousins also exchange a round of happy greeting.

"Children, lower your voices," Oscar insists as both his brother and newborn niece had sensitive hearing. He gazes down at Sophie, who had her eyes open, and Oscar and his wife, Margaret became enamored with their new niece.

"Oh, congratulations Elliott," Oscar said to his young brother, "When Penelope and Emma came yesterday, they would not stop talking about her. They were right; Sophie is beautiful like her mother here."

Oscar then looks to Olivia, his sister-in-law and says, "I've been meaning to thank you Olivia."

"For what?" she replies. Her husband was also confused with Oscar's thanks.

"For bringing our brother back," Oscar answers in an emotional tone, "Over the years, after Henry died and during those ten years before you came back, he distance himself from us, even though we tried to get him to come attend parties and such.

"With you and now your children, you brought him back to us and I must say, he's more likable than he ever was. That was one of my deepest wishes, to see my little brother more often, even if we no longer live together, I still long to spend time with you Elliott," Oscar explains and Basil feels the threat of his tear ducts bursting.

"Oscar, Emma, Penelope," he said, regaining some of his composure, "I had this dream last night; I was with Mother and Father, and they wanted me to wish you a Happy Christmas and that they miss us," he explains, although he didn't want to expose the existence of the Heaven realm, where he and his family had been visiting John Frederick and Sarah Basil since the summer.

"Elliott, are you...I mean, I understand that you are skeptic of the supernatural, but it seems to me that the dream was real," Penelope said, but her eyes were glistening.

"It certainly felt real," her brother answers and the siblings came together in a group hug. The entire family then settle in the parlor where the children decided to play a game before dinner was served.

However, the adults were more interested in little Sophie, who didn't seem to be unfazed by the number of people. "I did tell Oscar that you Elliott will be spoiling her for quite a while," Emma teases, but her brother doesn't listen as he recollects on last night.

He did enjoy it and he was enjoying this evening with his siblings, nieces and nephews. It was true that Olivia did bring happiness back into his life and he was more outgoing and sociable, even with his brother and sisters.

A few minutes later, Oscar's housekeeper calls for dinner and everyone gathers in the large dining room, where Oscar sat at one end and his wife Margaret at the other end. The table had plates of green vegetables, flaky rolls, and even mashed potatoes with little pitchers of gravy. Basil presents the bottle of wine he brought and with the help of a cork-screw, he opens it. The sweet aroma fills the room and the wine glasses were filled, except for the children's as they had sparkling water instead.

The house's cook then presents a large plate where Basil picks up the scent of turkey meat, but the display on the plate astounded everyone. "I asked the butcher to wrap the meat in the flesh and make it look like an actual turkey," Oscar explains and everyone gazes at the flawless display of the turkey.

"My...this is a fine looking bird Oscar," Basil said to his brother, who sharpens the knife and then cuts up the flesh to distribute the meat. Olivia holds Sophie in her arms, the baby was taking in the various scents in the room. She tries to reach for the turkey meat on her mother's plate.

"No, no darling," Basil insists, placing a hand under Sophie's chin. "It's going to take a while before you have some teeth to help you chew," he said, but his daughter gives a toothless smile. This Christmas, according to the great mouse detective, would go down as the best ones he's ever experienced in his life. Basil and his family would never forget this night as it would live on in their memories.

TO BE CONTINUED...


From the author: At last! Welcome Baby Sophie! Nine months did feel like an eternity, but it was worth the wait I bet!

With Christmas only days away, I couldn't wait to share this new story! Hope you enjoyed it and get in a cheerful mood for Christmas!

A few notes to share: The song 'O Tannenbaum' is, as you may have guessed, the original German version of 'O Christmas Tree'. Since Basil, in my version of him has a fair grasp of the language, I imagined him singing this carol to his audience. There's a few YouTube videos of the song with English subtitles if you're interested in listening.

And a surprise visit from the mouse queen! I understand that she is referred to as 'Mousetoria', but I did see her as a grandmother of sorts in the film, hence why I had her insist on being called Granny here. Queen Victoria was nicknamed 'The Grandmother of Europe', so it would make sense for Mousetoria to be nicknamed 'The Grandmother of Mousedom'. Her husband Ludwig is the counterpart of Prince Albert, although the rodents serve as counterparts to the humans as seen throughout.

The part of the monks and nuns singing 'Silent Night' was an inspiration from the segment of Disney's Sing-Along Songs: A Very Merry Christmas. It is beloved classic from my childhood.

On an end note, it is with great pleasure and sorrow that this 'Season 1' of The Basil Family Case Files has now come to a close. However, I do aim for 'Season 2' to be more mature with graphic depictions of various sorts. Pretty sure everyone knows what it is. I do want to explore the mysteries behind the various realms mentioned as I feel like I didn't give much attention to them, and to explore the backgrounds of some characters. However, I would take a rest from all the chaos we've seen this year.

Apart from that, Happy Holidays to my readers (including my mysterious guest reviewer who is no longer a 'mysterious guest' on here LOL!) and to those serving on the front-lines as they battle against the dreaded COVID-19. We thank you for your services! Stay safe everyone!