Author's note: Hello everyone and welcome to the Christmas addition! No that is not a typo a misused word. This chapter is a special add on for Christmas. I honestly hated the way I ended this story, dropping it and running, so I will be adding to it from time to time such as on special occasions like holidays. So with that being said, please enjoy this additional chapter celebrating their baby's First Christmas.

Thank you everyone for the favorites, follows, and review! Merry Christmas!


The low, mewling cries like a kitten woke her instantly out of a deep sleep. Groggy, a bit disoriented, but spurred to move by the baby's crying getting a little louder, Melina sat up. The cold air in the room rushed under the covers chilling her back and making her shiver. Brrr! As her fingers gripped the blankets in preparation to throw them back to get her daughter, a gentle hand grasped her shoulder.

"I'll get her," Shoto said. "You were up late wrapping presents."

"I can do it. Besides, I should get started on the final preparations for breakfast anyway," she protested as he pulled her back into the warm spot beside him on the bed where she had been lying a moment earlier.

"It's not even dawn yet. Everyone won't be arriving for hours much less ready to eat," he assured her.

"But I - " Her pitiful attempt at a second objection was cut off with a kiss.

"Don't argue with me."

Fine. It was far too early for an argument and Christmas morning to boot. Melina closed her bleary, tired eyes listening to Shoto as he began talking to the baby while on his way to get her.

"There, there little one," Shoto cooed to the crying child. "I'm on my way."

The baby's fussing lowered in volume upon hearing his voice. The child knew his voice well. After all, for months he would lay his head on Melina's bulging pregnant belly talking to the baby, reading her stories and telling her about all sorts of things from describing the flavor of strawberry ice cream to the first time he met her mother.

Melina was grateful for his willingness to get up to help her with the early morning feedings, this one in particular. She would not admit it to Shoto, but she actually did not have the energy to get out of the bed after being asleep only two hours. Exhausted from the weeks which had gone into planning and preparation, her body desperately wanted to stay still and go back to sleep. She wanted this to be the perfect Christmas because it would be her newborn daughter's first one ever.

When Shoto picked up the baby, her crying diminished to soft little whimpers conveying her need. His familiar touch offered the assurance her bottle would soon be provided.

"I'll take care of you, little one. I'll always take care of you," he promised. "I love you, Reina."

Reina: a name chosen to honor both Shoto's mother and her grandmother. The first three letters comprised the name of the woman responsible for bringing two of her greatest loves into this world. Reina also means queen in Spanish which will be a reminder of the power once bestowed upon her by her grandmother, the original Queen Bee. Years ago she would have never been able to imagine the quirk she detested, the power she once used for wicked purposes, would lead her here through a long and winding path.

Melina smiled, her entire body warming at the heartfelt promise he had spoken many times to the baby even before she was born. Happy tears rushed to her eyes as her heart swelled in her chest. Shoto had made that same promise to her as well. She had no doubt he would keep that promise to the both of them. Burrowing deeper into the warm blankets, cozy and secure not only in the bed but her love for him, she let the joyful tears slide from the corners of her eyes.

For the first time in a long time, she had everything she ever wanted. Whether by accident or by providence, she had a family again. She had people in her life who she loved dearly and they loved her back.

"My goodness. You are a hungry little girl," Shoto murmured as the baby nursed the bottle so loudly even Melina could hear the suckling in the next room.

She laughed lightly despite herself.

"You're supposed to be going to sleep, you know," he remined her upon hearing her giggle.

"I know," she sighed, sitting up in the bed.

"Don't get up," he said, appearing in the doorway between the rooms.

He held the baby nestled against his chest with one arm around her little body while using chin to hold the bottle upright. Over the short span of a month he had become an old pro at baby holding and 4 AM feedings.

Melina took in the sight of him in the muted glow of the nightlight that allowed them to make the nightly journeys to the baby's room without tripping. He stood there in the pajamas she bought him specifically for Christmas. She honestly never thought he would wear them since the sleep pants had flying reindeer and fat, jolly little Santas all over them. The matching red t-shirt had a reindeer face with a red pom pom for a nose on the pocket.

His normally flawlessly groomed hair was a mess as if she put her hands into and ruthlessly ruffled it. His eyes were half closed with drowsiness. Presently, Shoto Todoroki looked more handsome to her than he ever had before, which is something she did not think possible, making her heart go pitter patter.

As Shoto came to the bed, Melina arranged the pillows for him to be able to recline in an upright position somewhat comfortably as he fed Reina. Once he was settled in beside her on the pillows, she drew the covers over both him and the baby who was already wrapped in a pink blanket his mother had knit for her. Resting her arm on his side, careful not to tickle him, she left her arm around him to not only hold the blankets up but to embrace the two most important people in her life simultaneously.

Melina stared at the tiny miracle in his arms. Love for her child welled and overflowed her heart, spreading warmth throughout her body. A smile of the purest joy lifted the corners of her mouth.

"I can't believe it," she whispered, sniffing as tears of happiness leaked out of her eyes. "She's so beautiful. So perfect. I never knew I could love someone so much."

"Me too," he murmured, stroking the baby's delicate rounded cheek with the pinky of the hand holding the bottle.

When the bottle ran dry, Shoto took it from the baby's mouth which required some effort. Rolling her over onto her belly over his shoulder, he commenced to patting her back to elicit the necessary burp. The rhythmic thumping was almost like a heartbeat, steady and deep thuds. At last the air bubble emerged with a rather loud "uck" sound which made them both chuckle.

"You burp like your mother, Reina," Shoto said, positioning her in the middle of his chest.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, poking him in the side for making fun of her.

Satisfied and sleepy, Reina curled her tiny fingers into a fist, sucking on it as she drifted off to sleep nestled against Shoto's chest and safe in his arms.

Melina placed her hand over his that lay on the baby's back to hold her securely against him. She lay her head on his shoulder, snuggling into him.

"We should get some more sleep," she murmured. "We have a very special Christmas to celebrate."

"Our baby's first Christmas," he yawned, resting his cheek against the top of her head.

Our baby. There he goes again. She could feel her face scrunching up into smile as she pressed her cheek into his shoulder.

Melina adored how Shoto had always referred to Reina that way. It was never a question in his mind if he would love her. The entire family referred to her as their baby, taking possession of her and loving her before she was even born.

Hours later, Melina woke up alone in a room filled with blazing sun. Apparently Shoto had awakened earlier but left her to sleep.

"Oh, my god," she gasped, jumping out of the bed. "It's so late!"

Going to the baby's room, she saw the crib was empty which meant he had taken Reina with him to allow her uninterrupted sleep. As much as she appreciated his thoughtfulness, she had actually needed to get up early to get started on things. His parents and siblings would be coming to celebrate Reina's first Christmas together as a whole new family.

Grabbing her red robe from the back of the chair at her make up table, she pulled it on as she ran out of the room calling his name.

"In the living room!" he answered her as she hurried down the hall, her bare feet slapping on the recently polished wooden planks.

Shoto stood in front of the tree, holding Reina and pointing out a decoration and telling her a story about it. The decoration made of handblown glass looked like a round piece of red and white striped peppermint candy wrapped in cellophane.

"This decoration is from your Uncle Izuku. He gave it to your mom before she went into the hospital to have you. He said you're going to be the sweetest little girl ever. I think he's right. And this one..."

Melina leaned against the arched entryway into the living room to watch and listen. Everything else could wait a few minutes. This was important. Over the last few months, she had learned to reevaluate what's really important in life while developing the ability to slow down and take time to relish those things to commit them to her heart and memory.

"And this one is from Uncle Eijiro," he said, propping the baby into a sitting position against his chest so she could see him pointing to the small red dragon coiled around a silver mirrored ball. "He said you will be a fierce protector someday. This little frog is from Aunt Tsu. Cute, isn't it?"

Melina covered her mouth to hold back a chuckle. This child is going to have tons of relatives adopted by love.

Melina walked toward Shoto as he continued talking. He focused all of his attention on Reina, telling her about each ornament gifted to her by his friends who had each become self-appropriated aunts and uncles. She put her arms around his waist from the back in a sneak attack hug, holding him tightly.

"Are you okay?" Shoto asked her, concern making his voice rise in pitch.

"I have never been better. I'm going to the kitchen to get started. Want anything to drink?" she asked, reluctantly relinquishing her hold on him. As much as she would like to continue hugging him, she could not continue embracing him and get breakfast cooked. "Coffee maybe? To help wake you up a little more."

"Coffee would be great," he returned, moving on to another ornament. A coffee cup sitting on a saucer with a silver spoon attached to it. "And speaking of coffee, Uncle Katsuki got this coffee cup ornament for mommy and you because he knows she loves coffee."

Melina giggled and went to the kitchen. Hana was already busy, juicing oranges by hand into a round bottom pitcher resembling the fruit.

"Good morning," she greeted her.

Melina did not even bother to fuss at her for being here despite being given the day off. Months ago she realized the woman was going to do whatever she wanted no matter what despite giving the illusion of being a humble servant. Hana without a doubt ran things around this house despite calling her the mistress of it.

"Good morning, Miss," Hana returned with a nod. "I have cut up the fruit and arranged it on a platter. I prepared the biscuits according to your directions, and they are in the oven. I was not sure about the scrambled eggs so I made rolled omelets."

"You really didn't - " Melina stopped herself and smiled. Hana already knew she did not have to do it, but she did it anyway because she loved the Todoroki family as her own. "Thank you, Hana."

Hana looked at her and smiled in return, a very rare sight indeed.

"I'm leaving the grit to you," Hana said, wrinkling her nose in disgust at the mention of the unfamiliar food.

"Grits," Melina corrected her. "It's plural."

"It's just strange to me," the woman groused, dumping the reamed orange halves into the compost bin.

A lot of Japanese food was strange to Melina when her grandmother started cooking and introducing her favorite dishes to her. Being familiar with the food and customs helped a lot when she sought refuge here in Japan. Yet another reason she had to be grateful to her grandmother.

Melina had ordered the grits and flour online from the privately owned mill her grandmother used to buy them from to have them shipped in for Christmas. She wanted to have a few of the foods she grew up eating to share them with her new family on Christmas day. She also ordered Applewood smoked bacon and a specialty pork sausage made only at a store in her hometown and had them flown in as well. Hana had been both fascinated and appalled to receive the food packed inside Styrofoam coolers in dry ice.

"it's just coarse ground corn boiled in water and flavored with salt and butter. It's not that strange," she returned with a grin. "It's just a delicious food you haven't eaten yet."

"Hmph," the old woman grumped with stubborn skepticism. "I don't plan on eating it either."

"Oh, Hana," she sighed, giving up on trying to convince her to at least give it taste.

Even Hana's feigned grouchiness could not wipe the smile of happiness from her face. The woman had become quite candid with her true thoughts and feelings about everything recently. The long time employee had never exactly been one to mince words, but she did keep her opinion to herself a lot before. Melina actually liked that the woman had grown comfortable enough with her that she felt like she could be so open, genuinely one of the family like a grandmother to them all.

Melina filled a tall glass with ice and halfway with milk pouring in the coffee to fix it just the way Shoto liked it. As she poured coffee into a mug for herself, Shoto entered the kitchen.

"Sorry it was taking so long," she apologized as he opened the refrigerator.

"It's fine. Someone is hungry again," he said, pulling out a bottle.

"Do we still have bottles in the refrigerator in her room?" She took the cold bottle from him to put it in the electric warmer on the counter.

"No. I used the last one this morning."

"I'll make some more, Miss," Hana volunteered, stealing the baby out of Shoto's arms to hold her. "Hello there, little Queen. Merry Christmas."

Shoto took the glass of iced coffee from Melina as she poured cream into her mug. They watched as Reina gurgled happily while Hana held her and tickled her under the chin.

"I better get started on those grits," Melina said, taking a sip of her coffee on the way to the stove.

"The what?" Shoto asked, leaning against the counter nearby to watch her as she filled a pot with water.

Melina patiently explained the culinary mystery to him.

"Sounds gross," he muttered with a grimace.

"Oh, shut up. You can either eat it or not," she snapped, adding salt to the water. "I wasn't particularly thrilled with the concepts of octopus balls or squid ink spaghetti either. One sounds gross and the other looks like the intestines of a horror movie monster, but I gave them a try and they're damn delicious. Keep an open mind and give this the same consideration."

"Yes, ma'am," Shoto agreed, kissing her cheek.

"i can remember my grandmother making a big breakfast every Christmas. She would be in the kitchen for hours. Platters of bacon and sausage and pancakes. Mountains of scrambled eggs. A huge bowl of sausage gravy to go with the cat head biscuits - "

"Wait, what?" he interrupted her. "What the hell is that? That sounds really disgusting."

"Biscuits as big as a cat's head...not made of them," she explained while smiling and shaking her head.

"Oh," he mumbled sheepishly. His attention turned to Hana who was humming and walking around the kitchen while feeding Reina. "You know you probably won't be able to hold her at all today."

"That's all right. I don't mind sharing her with the people who love her," Melina said, casting a glimpse at the stoic old woman who became animated and silly when in the presence of the baby.

"We're here!" Rei yelled from the foyer.

"Oh, Hana, do you mind?" she asked, a pleading expression in her eyes when she looked at the woman.

"What do I need to do?"

"Just stir them until they thicken up, a little bit thicker than porridge. Then just turn off the heat." She kissed her cheek and took the baby from her. "Thank you."

"Ho, ho, ho!" bellowed the redheaded Santa wearing an awful fake white beard.

Reina began to cry at the sound of the loud, booming voice. Rei slapped her husband's arm playfully admonishing him.

"Look what you did, Santa! You're too loud. How dare you scare that poor child on Christmas day," she admonished him, going to Melina to take the squalling baby from her.

"Sorry," Santa Enji apologized, dropping the big bag he carried over his shoulder beside the Christmas tree.

He went to Rei, putting his arms around her to give both her and the baby a hug. Reina screamed louder when the beard covered her.

"Dammit," he grumbled, snatching off the itchy fake hair. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. You want your grandpa, not Santa, don't you?"

"Right now she wants her grandma," Rei corrected him, turning away before he could steal the still wailing baby out of her arms.

"Hello! We're here!" Fuyumi yelled from the door adding to the chaos.

"Ho, ho, ho!" Natsuo thundered in a voice very much like his father's.

He entered the living room wearing a red Santa cap over his white hair along with a scruffy real beard that could hardly be construed as one worthy of the jolly old elf. Upon seeing his father with beard in hand, he crumpled with disappointment, dropping his bag of gifts.

"Dammit, Dad! I thought we agreed I was going to be Santa," he whined dejectedly.

"I agreed to no such thing, son. Why would I allow you the honor when it's my granddaughter's first Christmas?" Enji countered.

"But Dad I was supposed to hand out the presents as Santa."

"It's only right that I'm Santa Claus! Besides, you dare to call that a beard?" Enji ignited his flame beard as if to prove his point.

"Well, that's not really a beard. It's certainly not a Santa beard, DAD!" Natsuo shouted managing to make the word Dad sound sarcastic.

"Are they seriously fighting over who gets to be Santa?" Melina whispered to Shoto unable to take her eyes off the spectacle of the father and son literally going toe to toe over the right to play Santa to a child who would have no idea what was going on anyway.

"Uh...yeah," Shoto answered in disbelief, observing the good-natured squabbling that was rife with half sincere annoyance. He hoped that half did not become a whole of genuine irritation and spill over into anger.

"I'm leaving," Melina informed Shoto, spinning on her toes to make a quick retreat to the kitchen. "I need to go stir the grits."

"Oh, no you don't," Shoto said, his arm shooting out to bar her exit and wrapping around her. "And leave me to endure all of this fun alone? I don't think so."

"Breakfast is served," Hana announced, her soft, calm voice cutting through the noise as if she had yelled.

"Oooh, food!" Natsuo and Enji cried happily in unison, bumping and jostling each other on their way to the table.

Shoto followed his father and brother into the dining while keeping a safe distance from them and taking a seat at the opposite end of the table. The women stayed behind in the living room.

"Oh, my god," Melina sighed in relief. Placing her hand on Hana's shoulder, she gave her a smile of gratitude.

"Food doth soothe the savage beast, ma'am," she said, patting her arm reassuringly.

"Oh, hi, precious angel," Fuyumi gushed over the baby now that her father was out of the way. She peeled the blanket back to see her face. "Oh, mom can I hold her?"

"How's my daughter?" Rei asked Melina after handing the baby off to Aunt Fuyumi.

Melina's heart took flight at being called daughter by the mother of her beloved despite her name not yet being in the family registry. When offered an embrace, she happily returned it, overjoyed by the acceptance and love. The change in this family still astonished and amazed her every time.

"I'm fine. Tired of course, but great and so, so happy," she said.

"I'm glad to hear that. Except for the being tired part," her mother in law to be laughed. "But that's very natural. Welcome to being a mother."

"Hey! Do you really need that many pancakes? Save some for the rest of us!" Fuyumi fussed at Natsuo.

"Don't eat all of the bacon!" exclaimed Natsuo. "I can hear your arteries clogging from here, old man."

"Oh, shut up, kid! Shoto, hand over one of those things," Enji said.

"It's called a biscuit, Dad," Shoto informed him, tossing him one.

"We better join them if we want to get anything to eat," Rei suggested with a grin. Addressing the mayhem makers at the table, she warned, "All of you better behave or we will not open presents after eating."

"Awwww," came the collective groan from everyone around the table.

Melina stood back, watching for a minute. The noise, the laughter, and the food reminded her of the precious family she lost while making her grateful for the surprising and wonderful family she gained. For the third time today, tears streaked down her cheeks. But at least they were happy tears.

"Honey, why don't you - " The words halted on the tip of his tongue when Shoto's eyes met hers. "Melina, are you okay?"

"I'm great," she laughed through her tears. "Absolutely wonderful."

Melina opened her arms wide as a request to have her child placed in them. Fuyumi did not want to give up the baby, but she also wanted to get a taste of all of the new foods on the table before her father and brother ate everything.

Reina looked all around with her gleaming Todoroki turquoise eyes as her mother carried her to the table to join their family. Melina ran her hand over the baby's head coated with fuzzy black hair poking up wildly in all directions. When those bright, virtually glowing, blue-green eyes landed on her mother's face, the baby smiled her first smile. The joy almost made Melina dizzy while tears filled her eyes momentarily blurring the sight of her child before being squeezed over her lower lid to zigzag down her cheeks.

"Sweetheart," Shoto said to get her attention. "Why are you crying? Again."

"Don't worry," she sniffed, the emotion choking her. "They're happy tears."

"Women," Enji grumbled, shaking his head. He must have received a swift kick in the shin because he jumped and muttered, "Ow!"

Rei shook her head, glowering at him hotly.

Melina laughed at the interaction. Yep, things sure had changed. And they had changed for the better. The baby in her arms cooed and gurgled to show her contentment.

There was a knock on the back door. It was like as profound and shocking as a clap of thunder from a pop up summer storm. The unwelcome sound threatened to destroy the light and sunny atmosphere.

All sounds stopped: no talking, no laughing, no clanking of silverware on dishes. They waited, tension filling the air to see if another knock would come. It did, startling everyone. Both times the knocking wasn't that loud, just a rapping of knuckles, without urgency or insistence, on one of the panes of glass in the sectioned window of the back door meant to get the attention of those inside.

Without even going to the kitchen and pulling back the curtain on the door to take a peek, Melina knew who was there. When she glanced at Shoto, she could see he knew as well by the way his jaw tensed shifting the soft roundness into hard edges and the muscles crawling under the skin in his cheek by his ear as he gnashed his cheek. As she stared at him, waiting for him to say something, he stayed silent. His eyes met hers holding the same question going round and round in her mind.

What do we do?, each one asked without saying a word.

Reina squawked in her arms, reminding her mother of her presence and giving her the answer.

"He hasn't seen her yet. It's Christmas," Melina said, offering him a smile on quivering lips. Her eyes begged him to understand, and if he couldn't understand, to forgive. "Shoto, I should - "

"Go," he ordered her, dropping his silverware onto his plate with a clatter. "He should meet his daughter. It's long overdue anyway. She's a month old already. He's an ass for not showing up sooner."

Melina went to the door. As she reached for the knob, she inhaled deeply. She held her breath while twisting the cold smooth knob and opening the door.

Dabi stood at the bottom of the steps in the snow with his back to her. He was wearing black jeans, black boots, and a dark blue coat with the hood pulled up over his head. When he turned to look at her, she could see the hood of the jacket was edged with black fur. His eyes were the only thing she could see in the shadows cast on his face by the hood and further darkened by the scarred flesh. In his hand he held a small white box tied with a red ribbon.

"Dabi, come in and join your family," Melina invited him not having to force a smile to her face when his eyes lowered to the child in her arms. "There's a very important new family member you should meet."

Dabi nodded almost running up the steps into the kitchen. He stomped on the mat to beat the snow off of his boots before kicking them off. He quickly shrugged off the jacket, tossing it over the one of one of the nearby stools.

"I brought her a present," he said, shoving the box at Melina. When he saw she couldn't take it, one side of his mouth slid upward into an awkward smile. He sat the box on the counter. "That can wait."

"Would you like to hold her?" she asked.

"Uh...hmm...uhm..." he mumbled, shifting from foot to foot and looking around. He began rubbing his hands on his thighs to warm them. "I should warm up first."

Melina's smile grew wider. She had never seen Dabi so out of sorts. He was quite adorable when being so unsure of himself. His hands visibly trembled as he tried to warm them by rubbing them together over the pilot light in the stovetop. Who knew a tiny baby would be all it would take to reduce a scary villain into a squirming mass of insecurity and abject terror?

"Go stand by the fire and get warmed up. Then you can join us for breakfast and hold your daughter."

Dabi nodded and went to the dining room. His family greeted him with words and with hugs acting as if no time had passed since the last family gathering before he disappeared for two months without a word. For today, in this moment, he was no longer a villain either - just a member of this family.

Melina returned to the dining room. Shoto stood behind his chair acting as if he was ready to spring into action, attacking and defending his family, if necessary. She supposed she could not exactly blame him for being mistrustful of his brother.

Unfortunately the man had given him more reasons than the rest of them to be uneasy and suspicious, expecting the worst out of him. Dabi had attacked him, kidnapped one of his friends, tried to kill one or two of his classmates on occasion not to mention the way he had turned his back on his family and mistreated Melina by so cruelly refusing the love she had tried so hard to give him. He could not say he was exactly unhappy about his brother's decision to hatefully shove her away and right into his arms but it did leave lingering resentment.

Although Shoto had no doubt Melina loved him, he still hated it when his brother was around because he knew the feelings she once harbored for his brother. Apart from the past, It angered him that Dabi seemed to feel it was okay to breeze in and out of their lives as he pleased in the present and most likely in the future as well.

"Is this going to be a habit of his?" Shoto asked, pushing the words through his clenched teeth.

"Shoto, not today, please," she pleaded with him, hearing the baby growing fussy due to the apprehension building in her body. " I understand your anger, and I can't say I'm exactly thrilled. I am glad he is trying to be a part of this family. If he wants to be a part of his daughter's life, I would like him to be."

"But Melina I can't have him just showing up whenever he wants then disappearing for god knows how long. Besides, how will that effect Reina having him wander in and out of her life?" he whispered loudly as not to yell and attract attention from his family.

"I don't know," she hissed at him.

"She deserves more than a sometimes father."

Melina lay her hand on his arm, squeezing as she caught his eyes. "And she will have it. She will have a Daddy who is here with her all the time."

Despite the sweetness of her sentiment behind those words, he ignored them. He retracted his arm from her hand as well.

"Need I remind you he's still a member of the League of Villains? How will that look? Not to mention the danger he will present to all of us, especially his daughter."

"How will that look to who? Do we really care? Besides, he would never let anything happen to her."

"How can you be so sure?"

Their hushed but hissing arguing voices were garnering the attention they didn't want from the other family members. Despite their best efforts to stay quiet, the emotion was coming through loud and clear. Melina glanced them, red-faced and giving them each a tremulous, apologetic smile.

"I can't be sure," she admitted, fastening her gaze onto Shoto's eyes. "One thing I do know is it's Christmas. I don't want to think about that right now. I won't kick him out today either. And I won't argue with you on Christmas because I love you...always. So please, just give me this one day."

"I will but - "

"Shoto," Enji called, his deep bass voice seeming to rattle the windows. "We'll figure this out, but for today let it go. Please."

Shoto was not sure which shocked him more: his father being a peaceful pacifist or begging him to be one. He glared at his father then exhaled noisily to express his aggravation and to decompress a little of his anger.

"Fine. I guess if any members of the League of Villains are so stupid as to do something like attack us on Christmas day, we can bring the power of Santa Claus and Christmas cheer down on them," he muttered. He kissed Melina, right on the lips, being careful not to squeeze the baby between them. "Let him meet his daughter then. I suppose it's the right thing to do no matter what time of the year it is."

Melina nodded, holding the baby close to her as she went into the living room.

Dabi stood in front of the fireplace. He was wearing a dove gray cable knit sweater. She wondered if it was an early Christmas present his mother made for him. The therapeutic hobby of knitting practically become a vocation for Rei, keeping her busy and her mind calm to ward off the crippling anxiety and depression that had plagued her for years.

"Can I...can I hold her?" Dabi asked, taking a hesitant step toward her.

Melina moved forward, getting close to him, almost chest to chest since proximity was a necessity to transfer the baby safely from her arms to his. She became hyper aware of his warmth and scent - the same familiar smell of wood and flame like that of the fire burning in the fireplace. Her stomach clenched as her mind tried to take a trip down memory lane to not only revisit old times but old emotions. That was one place she would never go again. Once the baby was nestled in his strong arms, she quickly backed away, retreating to the opposite side of the room.

"What's her name?" Dabi inquired, mesmerized by the chubby pink face of the angel in his arms.

"Reina," she replied, sitting down on the couch when her knees started to wobble.

"Reina," he repeated, stroking her cheek with the pad of his forefinger. "Long live the Queen."

"And god save the Queen," she added, receiving a questioning glance from him. "Dabi, if any harm ever comes to her because of one of your comrades, I'll - "

"It won't," he assured her, his words determined and uncompromising. "i will protect her no matter who I have to kill. She is my child and her life is more important to me than my own."

"Hmmm," she sighed thoughtfully, staring at her hands in her lap. She had no doubt he meant every word he said. "I'm glad you feel that way. That's exactly how I feel. She is my everything, and I will die for her."

Dabi's eyes flew to hers when she raised her head to look at him. Melina's throat constricted from the intense emotion she saw there. There was love and fierce resolve.

"I'll make sure you never have to do that. I don't want you to die either. Why do you think I made..." His voice trailed away and his eyes lowered from hers back down to the baby. "Why we made the sacrifices we did. There is someone here more important above and beyond ourselves."

Melina couldn't agree more. The sad part is he made the bigger sacrifice by far. For the second time in his life, he had to abandon his family, a family of his very own. At least this time it was for very unselfish, practically honorable, purposes. He also regained his other family in some fashion and sort so it was not all that bad. They were still working through reforming that family bond and healing old, deep wounds.

"Hey, Melina?" Dabi called, drawing her out of her head.

Melina shook herself out of her own thoughts to look at him.

"Will you go get the present?" Dabi requested.

"Okay."

She went to the kitchen on unsteady legs to retrieve the tiny box. She ignored the questioning expressions on the faces that followed her as she walked through the dining room once then back again. They would find out soon enough what was going on. Besides, it was only a gift and a present for his child.

"Open it," Dabi told her when she returned with the box to stand in front of him.

"Silly me. I suppose I should since Reina is not quite up to the task yet," she laughed to offset the stifling tension. "But next year, hoo boy, she's gonna be tearing it up...literally."

"I have no doubt," he returned, a lilt of laughter to his voice. He looked back down at his child while Melina untied the bow. "She's gorgeous, Melina. Just like her mother."

There was another box inside. A red velvet jewelry box. Melina almost dropped the box but somehow managed to hang onto it with her tingling, numb fingers that were shaking as they popped open the lid of the hinged jewelry box. Inside lay a necklace. A teardrop shaped blue topaz pendant, the same exactly color of Dabi's eyes, attached to a silver chain.

"Her birthstone," Melina sighed as she pulled the necklace from the box. "How sweet and thoughtful. Thank you. I'll put this up in a safe place for her."

"It should be worn. I know a baby can't exactly wear a necklace, but I was wondering if...I was hoping you would..." he said, focusing his attention on the baby as if that might give him the strength to get the words out. "Will you wear it until she is old enough?"

"But - "

"I think it will mean even more to her that way...something she will associate with you...rather than if it just sits in a box for years," he explained, daring to glimpse at her.

Melina tossed the box onto the couch and the put the necklace around her neck. The metal was cold but quickly heated from her skin. She toyed nervously with the stone as he looked at her.

"What do you think?" she asked, looking down as if to try to see the lovely blue topaz.

"Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful," he remarked wistfully.

"So are you ready to eat, brother?" Shoto inquired, causing both Dabi and Melina to flinch at his sudden appearance.

"Sure." For a minute Dabi looked confused and unsure as he glanced back and forth between the baby, his brother, and Melina.

"I'll take her," Shoto offered, extending his arms.

The two men successfully made the exchange look even more awkward than it had felt between Melina and Dabi. Dabi went to the dining room while Melina and Shoto stayed in the living room together.

"Are you okay?" he asked, approaching her while rocking the drowsy baby in his arms. All of the excitement and being handed from person to person had swiftly taken its toll wearing out the newborn.

"I'm fine," she assured him, absentmindedly toying with the jewel.

"What's that? He brought you a present?"

Melina could not overlook the tone of envy coating his voice in a thick layer of agitation.

"It's for Reina. He asked me to wear it until I could pass it on to her," she explained, catching the glimmer of jealousy in his eyes. Wearing the necklace at Dabi's request was not worth causing problems between Shoto and herself. She reached up to take it off. "I'll take it off and put it away."

"No. Don't do that. Besides, if she grows up seeing it around your neck every day, she will associate the gift more with you more than him," he said, the edge of his voice as sharp as broken glass.

"Oh, Shoto," she sighed.

"I love you, and I don't - "

"I love you too," she interrupted before he could say more. She rushed forward and kissed him. Her eyes searched his as she looked up at him, repeating the words to reinforce her sincerity, "I love you, Shoto Todoroki. You. Don't ever forget that."

"I won't. I swear," he promised, glancing down at the little queen in his arms. "But for now, I must leave you to put this little lady down for a nap."

"Why don't you put her in the playpen here in the living room?" Melina suggested. "Then we can hear her when she wakes up."

"Good idea. You're so smart." He kissed her forehead. "One of the many reasons I love you."

"Besides, I think Grandpa and Uncle Natsuo won't let her sleep long because they are anxious to open presents. They're excited about Christmas for her."

Melina laughed allowing happiness to fully return and push out the remaining tension from her stress inducing encounter.

"Melina!" Fuyumi called to her.

"You should come eat. My daughter needs plenty of energy to take care of my precious grandchild!" Rei reminded her.

Melina rolled her eyes and shook her head as she went to the dining room to join her family. Her family. She sighed with happiness as she glanced around the table. She had a full house and a full heart. Shoto sat down beside her, taking her hand in his and squeezing it before leaning over to kiss her cheek. Reina's first Christmas was going to be a perfect Christmas after all.