You Make It Feel Like Christmas

Disclaimer: All characters belong to J.K. Rowling. This story was inspired by the song "You Make IT Feel Like Crhistmas"." I do not own anything.

Author's Note: I can't believe the holidays are here already! Well, it's really not as I am writing this blub. I was in the mood to write a Marcus and Katie story where they are a bit older and have a family. While I do love writing the Hogwarts age and book time, I just thought it would be a change to write a story where they are both in their thirties. It's also been over two years since I have written any kind of fanfiction.

Time: Post Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Genre: Friendship, Family, and Drama

Rating: PG

Date Finished: September 1, 2021

Bold: Flashback

The warmth coming from inside the house reached them the moment Katie opened the door. He hadn't realized how cold he actually was until he felt it.

He stood in the rugs right inside the snow, wincing as snow melted off his boots, leaving a layer of mess on them. He had been dating Katie for close to two years, but he still felt awkward in her house. Even from here, he could see how they had tried to place a little bit of Christmas everywhere. There seemed to be no order to it, but it just felt right. It felt a lot better than his grandparents, who had to have order in everything.

"Marcus, you're here," Jenna said as she stepped out of the kitchen with a plate of cookies. "I hope you had no trouble." She offered him the plate.

He took a cookie. They were still warm, just how he liked them. "Thanks."

She smiled. "How's the injury?"

"It's not a bruised as it was, but it's still sore."

Jenna touched his arm in a motherly way. "Just don't push yourself." She reached around him. "Just let me get my coat and I'll be ready. Jim is dragging his feet, but the girls are ready. I don't know if Katie told you, but Jason is getting married this summer."

Katie handed Jenna her coat.

"We don't know the date yet, but they're thinking around July or so. You're season isn't over to August, right?"

Marcus nodded. "It also depends on how well we do in the Cup."

"Well, I'm sure you're do just fine." Jenna stomped off into the den. "That man is the slowest person around."

Marcus and Katie exchanged looks.

"Maybe we should go hook everything up before it turns ugly," Katie suggested.

Marcus nodded. "Yeah."

Just as they walked out the door, they heard Jenna yelling at Katie's father. Marcus was actually surprised to hear her voice get that loud.

The sun was just setting over the nearby hills, creating a light rainbow of colour on the snow. Duke and Duchess whinnied as they heard Marcus and Katie's boots crunch on the ground.

"Dad already got the sleigh out earlier today. I think everything else should be ready to go," Katie said as Marcus opened the trailer.

"I'm not very good a hitching a sleigh up," Marcus said, as he grabbed Duchess's halter. "At least, not without magic."

Katie grabbed onto Duke. "Well, we don't have to tell anyone."

They lead the horses over to the sleigh. Marcus did have to admit it was a nice looking sleigh. It was clearly older, but it had been well cared for. The runners looked as if they had been replaced recently, but the overall body was in real good condition. The paint was cracked in a few places, but the rest of it looked solid.

They backed the horses up to the sleigh. Marcus took out his wand and with a flick, the harness snapped into place.

"Nicely done," Katie said. "Did it take you awhile to figure out where everything went?"

"You know I've been out here for hours working on it." He put his arms around Katie's waist, pulling her close to him.

The fire crackled in front of him, giving him a sense of warmth. Sipping out a cup of hot tea, he started into the fireplace. The Christmas lights flickered around him, while the grand tree stood in front of the window. Outside, snow drifted down. The ground wasn't quite covered yet and he doubted it would be by morning. It was fine with him though. He wasn't a big fan of the cold.

Still, he knew his children would be disappointed by the lack of snowfall.

He leaned back against the plushiness of the sofa, closing his eyes. At the ripe old age of thirty-six, parts of his body hurt that had never hurt before. The snow only made the only injuries flare up. He was at the top of his game to. As captain of the both the Falmouth Falcons and the English national team, he had racked up more wins than anyone-having taken both from mediocre teams to the top teams in the world. He had won every league title, championship-expect for one…The absence of the World Cup still haunted him. Hopefully, that would change though. England had already qualified for the World Cup.

Still, as the pain from his lower back shot through his body, he didn't feel like an award winning Quidditch player. He felt like an old man in a broken body. Somedays his back ached so badly that he couldn't even pick up his six year old son.

"Marcus."

Marcus Flint opened his dark eyes and started into the blue ones of his wife, Katie. She held out a plate of steaming Christmas biscuits to him. Without a word he took one, as she lowered herself down next to him. As she leaned into him, he forgot about his pain. There was just something right about her, something about her that made him forget everything. People had said they would never last, but they had proven them wrong. Twenty years, six kids later, things were still going strong.

Katie helped herself to a biscuit. "How long before they start destroying the kitchen."

Marcus raised an eyebrow. "They haven't already." He bit into the biscuit unsure of what to expect. Sometimes when his children baked, the end result wasn't always the best, but he had to eat it anyway. They were expecting him to like it.

"Emily was keeping them in line." Katie paused, looking at him. "Is it good?"

"It's not bad." He paused, looking over his shoulder. "Did they have help with this?"
"No, but I was like you. I didn't venture too far."

"Considering the last time they made something and Aiden almost burned the house down, someone has to close." He took another bit. No, these actually weren't half bad.

Katie rested a hand on his thigh. "The snow is picking up."

Marcus's eyes flickered to the window. She was right about that. The snow was picking up. He took another biscuit as the dampness settled back around him. No wonder his body was hurting like it was.

His eyes flickered over to the dining room. It was oddly quiet from the kitchen. He didn't know if that was a good thing or not. At sixteen, Emily was pretty good at keeping her younger siblings in line. That thought alone made him want to wince. He was getting to the point in his life where he was raising teenagers and having to worry about boyfriends. The thought of a sixteen year old boy with his daughter sent chills down through his body-he knew what he had been like at sixteen.

He couldn't allow those thoughts into his mind.

Katie touched the side of his face. "You're not talking." She frowned. "Why aren't you talking?"
Marcus shrugged. "I guess I don't have a lot to say right now."

She eyed him. "You do realize that I don't believe you."

"Yeah, I know." He looked back at the kitchen. "What in the world are they doing in there?"

She followed his gaze. "I was thinking the same thing. It's too quiet in there." Sighing, she got to her feet. "I suppose we should be good parents and go see what they are up to."
"I guess we should. Though, I don't smell any smoke, so maybe it's not that bad."

"We can only hope."

Together they made their way into the kitchen and the unknown.

The damage really wasn't all that bad. In fact, it was really no worse than a normal meal. As they walked in, Emily pulled a pan of steaming brownies out of the oven, looking down at them with a careful expression. Her younger siblings all gathered around her, watching with rather guarded expressions.

"Are they done now?" Colton asked, leaning forward so that his nose was mere centimetres away from the brownies.

Emily placed them carefully on the counter and started sticking a fork in them. "I think so."

Colton nodded before turning to Marcus and Katie. "Mummy and Daddy, look we didn't make a mess!" He smiled proudly. "This means we can use the kitchen again."
Katie moved into the centre of the room, looking around with a careful expression. "We'll have to see."

Anna rolled her eyes. "I told you that's what they would say."

Marcus leaned against the counter, studying the kitchen. They had even washed the dishes. His eyes flickered up to the ceiling. Nothing….Still, it would not to do risk it, especially after Emily went back to Hogwarts. She was probably the only reason the house was still in one piece.

The timer went off again. He looked at the overfilled island. How much stuff were they making? He wasn't even aware that they had this much backing stuff in the house. He supposed it wasn't doing any harm. Besides, it was Christmas and it only came once a year.

He wasn't like a lot of blokes who complained about the holiday season. Now, he didn't like the balls he family had, but he liked spending time with his close family. He liked seeing how happy his children were during this time of year. There was just something magical and wonderful about seeing them happy. Playing Father Christmas and making them believe in something that wasn't part of this world just made him feel things that he had never thought were possible. It was something that he had never really understood until he had children of his own.

Renee scooped another batch of biscuits off the baking sheet. "We followed the recipe just like you told us. So, if anything tastes awful, it's the recipes fault."

Katie took a steaming biscuit. "I am afraid that I have to disagree with you on that one. It's always the cook's fault." She offered it to Marcus. "Your dad and I get to play the role of the judge and you have to listen to all of our complaints."

Marcus nodded. "Yup. I can be very demanding when I want."

Aiden shook his head. "I think we've awoken a monster."

Marcus shrugged. "That's not my problem." He took a bite. It was actually really good. "It's too hot."

Aiden pointed to the steaming plate. "Well, it just did come out of the oven. It's not my fault you didn't pay attention."

"If we were in a restaurant, it would be your fault for not giving me a proper warning. Had I been brunt, I could have sued you," Marcus pointed out.

"No, you couldn't."

"Why?"

"I'm nine!"

Katie smirked. "He got you there."
Marcus did have to give them that one. He just bit into the biscuit without saying another world. That was another he was learning with children: sometimes it was just better to keep your mouth shut.

Emily turned the oven off. "I think that's it." She looked at the heaping island. "Huh, I didn't know we made that much."

"At least, we'll have plenty to eat this Christmas!" Colton said. "Father Christmas can even take some back to the North Pole to have to eat all year."

Katie smiled. "Yes, we don't want anyone to go without."

Marcus looked at the baked goods. "Where are we going to put all of these?"

Katie started digging through the cabinets. "I don't even know if we have enough bins for them."
Marcus started digging alongside her, digging out bins along with her. He had thought they had a fair number of bins, but now, they clearly to add more. It was just crazy how much more things were needed once kids got into the picture.

Katie rustled around beside him, pulling out bins that he had never seen before. Maybe they had more than he had thought. She looked over at him. He felt chills rush down his spine. She knew that his back was bothering him and he hadn't told her. It was kind of funny how people were able to pick up on things without being told.

Still, he moved as normally as possible. The last thing he wanted her to do was worry about him today. They were going to have a wonderful and happy Christmas. A little bit of back pain wasn't going to stop that.

Katie stood up and started putting away the cooled desserts. Marcus stood beside, pulling out his wand to cool the others. Outside the snow was picking up. Maybe they would get a white Christmas after all.

!

By afternoon, the snow had covered the ground, adding the excitement his children felt. There was something different in the air that the snow brought on. The sense of wonder and joy provided by the children could light up even the darkest of days. It gave them a sense of hope that everything was going to be okay.

Marcus stood in front of the grand window, sipping his tea. A fog had settled over the lake at the bottom of the hill, making it seem like it was snowing a lot harder than it actually was. Katie came up behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"It's really coming down out there," she said.

He nodded. "I'm surprised they aren't out there."

"Aiden tried it, but said it was too wet." She paused. "I do have to agree with them. This really isn't the best snow to play in." She sighed. "We used to go out all the time. What happened?"
He shrugged. "I don't know."

"I think we got old."

His frown deepened. "We are not old."
"True." She paused. "We should take the kids skiing the Alps again."

That was an interesting idea. They hadn't been skiing yet this year and he did have some time off before he had to return to the pitch. "We could show them that we still have it."

She nodded. "See, we aren't old."
He laughed. "I believe I'm not the one who said we were. You did."

She leaned in closer to him. "You are older than me."

"Is that so?" He bent his dark head and kissed her gentle lips. Warmth spread through this body, making him forget about all of his aches and pains. After all this time, this was something that never got old. Kissing her was a different experience each time.

"Ew! Gross!"

They broke apart to find Aiden standing behind them with an expression of disgust on his face. "I can't believe you just did that in front of me. Why can't you be like normal parents and kiss in private?"

Katie smiled. "Well, this was a private until you came along." She pulled Marcus close to her. "Maybe I'll kiss him again."

Aiden took a step back. "Not in front of me you won't."

She pulled Marcus close again. "Is that a challenge?"

Marcus bent down so his mouth was close to hers. Behind them, Aiden made gagging sounds as their lips met again. He knew that he shouldn't enjoy torturing his son like this, but he did. if he couldn't get any enjoyment out of these moments, then what was the point of having children?

Aiden turned and ran upstairs.

Katie broke the kiss with a laugh. "Well, if I had known that was all it would take to get rid of him, we should have done that sooner."

Marcus nodded. "We'll have to make a note of that the next time he gets on our nerves."

"Does this make us bad parents?" she asked with a sigh.

"What do you mean?"

"Are we really supposed to be plotting ways to get rid of our children? Aren't we supposed to want to be around them all the time and never let them out of our sight?"
"No, I don't think so. If that was the case, then why would there be such a thing as grandparents?"

"That is true."

They fell silent, staring out at the snow as it continued to pile up. At this rate, they were going to have a record breaking snowfall. The snow wasn't the light and fluffy kind either. It was the kind that clung to everything and threatened to take everything down with it. The trees were already bucking under the weight. He just hoped that if any came down that they didn't hit the house. The last thing he wanted to do on Christmas was fix the house.

He took another sip of tea. The wind wasn't blowing, he supposed they had that much going for them. He just hoped it stayed this calm throughout the whole affair.

Katie sighed. "I suppose we need to start doing something." She moved closer to him. "Is everything wrapped?"

"I think so." He looked around to make sure that none of the children were close by. "I think all we need to do if bring it down and stuff the stockings. Hopefully everything goes smoothly."

"I just hope they fall asleep quickly. You know they'll be up super early."
"I know."

Marcus looked over his shoulder. "I can't help but to feel that we should be doing something, but I don't know what."
Katie sighed. "I know the feeling. For now, we should just enjoy the peace and quiet."

!

The rest of the afternoon passed by without any major issues. For the most part, the children were really on their best behaviour. There was really was something about the upcoming visit of Father Christmas that made everyone think twice about their actions. Marcus could remember a time when he was the same way.

About two o'clock trouble started. Well, it wasn't really trouble. Emily's boyfriend, Caeleb came over to spend some time with her. It was all new territory for them. It wasn't that Marcus didn't dislike Caeleb and he had promised himself that he wasn't going to be over protective. However, there was just something about some boy having his hands over all his daughter that made him feel uneasy. He knew what sixteen year old boys thought with.

He just tried not to think about it.

He pulled on his boots and coat, dreading the fact that he had to outside. While the snow was still falling, a fog had overtaken the land-making it next to impossible to see. Plus, there was a mix of slush starting to form. It still spelled trouble for his back. The dampness made the ache set in again.

Still, the horses needed fed and they didn't care what the weather brought.

He listened closely to Emily and Caeleb, mentally kicking himself. He had promised himself that he wasn't going to be that dad who hovered his daughter. She was free to date whomever she picked. She was smart and had a level head; she wouldn't pick someone who was that bad. He just needed to forget about it. He just needed to stop thinking like that-like a sixteen year old boy.

Marcus stood up, wanting to kick himself. Bouts of pain shot through his body. Maybe this was all for the best. Maybe as long as his body sent him painful reminders about keeping a level head, maybe he would actually listen to them.

He pushed open the door and stepped out into the abyss. Going out and doing something would keep his mind on what was happening in the house.

The wind picked up, threatening to knock him down. He cast a careful look at the house. So far, the Christmas decorations seemed to be hanging out-though it was difficult to see some of them. He just hoped none of them came down. They had held up for this long; it just seemed like a shame have them come down on the big day.

He slowly made his way across the porch, thanking that there wasn't any press around. They would have a field day with this one. England's star Chaser moving like an old man-he would just see the headlines now. Although maybe it would give them a chance to see the human side of him.

No, that wouldn't do. He needed to keep this side of his life private. When he was around the press, it was all about business and nothing more.

It was rather peaceful out here. A great stillness had settled over the land, making it seem as if there was no one around….That no one else existed but him. It was both a noble and enlightened feeling to know that if you wanted to get away for a moment, all you had to do was step outside into a completely different world. It wasn't that he wanted to get away either, but it was still a lovely thought.

He made his way down the rolling the hill to the barn, mentally thanking himself that he had brought the horses in earlier that day. Around him the snow and mist thickened, like it was trying to cover him in a warm blanket. Though not being able to see very far in front of him should have been alarming, it felt welcoming.

The snow slipped beneath his feet, threatening to send him falling onto his already aching back. He could have taken his wand out and melted himself a path, but it seemed wrong. This was a Christmas storm after all and it just seemed wrong to alter it in anyway.

He paused at the bottom of the hill, letting the odd mixture of snow and mist hit him. The whole thing added to the wonder that was Christmas. He didn't understand why calling a certain day Christmas just changed the overall feeling in the air. The joy and warmth it brought was unlike any other feeling throughout the year. The stillness as people gathered to celebrate and be with each other only added to the magic. It was one of the few days of the year where people put their differences aside and allowed the good side of human nature to come out.

Feeling the chill seep through his clothes, he started toward the barn. He just hoped he remembered this feeling whenever they went to his family's Christmas ball later tonight. While he didn't mind his inner family, he didn't agree with what a lot of his extended thought. He supposed that had more to do with the fact that he had grown up more around his mother's family instead of his father's. His father's family didn't exactly approve of him having a Muggle father-in-law.

Marcus pushed open the small walk in door, wincing as a bit of snow fell on the back of his bare neck.

Inside the barn was warm. The horses stared out at him as he stomped off him boots, as if they were asking him why he was covered in snow. Taking out his wand, he made his way through the barn, summoning hay and empty bins as he went. He really didn't understand how Muggles managed to function without magic.

He set the bins down carefully outside the storage room. Outside, the wind picked up, sending blasts against the outside wall of the barn. At least, he knew the barn would hold…

He ducked into the storage room and started pulling out the pellets. Tack littered the room, reminding him once again that he needed to work on cleaning it out. Not now though….It was Christmas Eve and that just didn't sound like the way he wanted to spend his holiday.

Still, it would be better than what was to come in a few hours.

Maybe he could still find a way to get out of it.

No, that wouldn't do….It would only bring up annoying questions later on that he would have to field. It was best to leave these things unsaid and just deal with it. Why his mother's family stopped having their Christmas Eve gathering was beyond him. At least with that way, he would have had an excuse to miss the Flint Christmas Eve.

Outside, the horses called to him, as if they were complaining that he was taking too long and they were starving. Sometimes the horses really weren't any different from his children with how cranky they got when they were hungry.

He turned and started making his way to each of the stalls. The horses called out to him as he slipped into their stalls. There was just something amazing with animals. It seemed like no matter what was going on in the world, they were always happy to see you.

He gave each one a pat and slipped them a treat. After all, it was Christmas and everyone deserved to have a little something extra.

Outside the wind was picking up even more. Maybe the storm would give him a good excuse as to trying to get out of the ball. Katie wouldn't mind not going, but still….Again, it would be too many questions-so many questions that he didn't feel like answering. It wasn't like he felt that he had to justify what he did. It was just the way that some of the older family members worded everything and the overall tone that they used. It just made him feel like he was less than he was.

He closed the last stall as a stillness fell over the barn. All of the horses were content with their food and being safe from the storm.

The wind seemed to be dying down a little bit. He stepped outside, pulling his coat closer to him. The chill in the air was growing. The fog increased-enough that the younger children would probably soon be asking how Father Christmas was going to find his way through it.

He started walking up toward the house, feeling as if he was walking to his own death. At least, they could say they had to leave early because of it being Christmas Eve and the fact that they things to do.

He sounded like a good enough reason to him.

The wind pushed around him, making it seem as if it was agreeing with him.

It just proved his point even more.

!

"Do you want to skate?" Marcus asked, nodding toward the pond that Katie could not seem to pry her eyes off of.

"Why am I not cold?" Katie asked.

"Magic," Marcus muttered. "Now, answer my question."

She looked at him. "Of course."

Marcus shrugged. "We like to make life a little bit easy on our guests."

"Ah, got you." She paused. "How am I supposed to skate in this?" She pointed to her dress. She really didn't want to ruin it because of Marcus 's childish games.

Marcus looked her dress up and down. "I think we can make it work."

Katie rolled her eyes. "No, we cannot make it work. Maybe some other time."

Marcus smiled. "I'll have to remember to take you up on that one."

Her eyes drifted back to the bridge. "Do you think we could take a walk over that? I mean, it's stupid and all, but it just looks kind of lonely there by itself." She shook her head as the words came out. "Wow, that really was stupid."

Marcus shook his head. "No, it's not supposed. It's what makes you human."

Katie smiled. "Are you just trying to make me feel less like an idiot?"

He returned her smile. "Now, would I ever do something like that?"

"No, that would be far too nice of you."

He linked his arm through hers. "Are you saying I can't be nice?"

She lead them over to the bridge. "You're the one who said it, not me."

They stepped onto the bridge. Katie had to admit that it was rather nice. She had not never been out for a walk like this. It had always been about work or talking about work; she had just never stopped and had the chance to enjoy an enjoyable walk with someone, even if that someone was Marcus .

They stopped at the top of the bridge. The ice below was completely untouched. She did have to admit, it would had been fun to skate on it.

Marcus turned so they were facing each other. He gently placed his hands on her waist. When she didn't turn away, he started to move in time with the faint music from the ballroom. Katie did have to admit that he was a good dancer, but she wasn't sure why she was letting him dance with her. They were supposed to hate each other, right?
"Where did you learn to this?" Katie asked as they twirled around again. It was taking everything she had just to match his prefect movements.

"I grew up in a wealthy family, so where do you think?" Marcus whispered.

"I didn't know they still taught you these things." Katie found herself getting closer to him with each movement.

He shrugged.

Inside the music stopped, but they did not stop moving. Katie guessed that you really didn't need music to dance. It was a nice extra touch, but two people moving together was an even better experience. They really did fit together; they just seemed to know where each other was going to be before the other even knew.

"How much longer until midnight?" Marcus muttered as he leaned in close to her.

Katie twirled out away from him. "I don't know. Are you ready for this to end?

"I guess." He smiled as she twirled back into him. "I don't see why we have to do this every year since we can't really stand each other."

Katie moved back in closer to him. "Maybe it's just a way to show that you can still get along."

"Maybe."

They stared at each other, breathing hard.

A few people were staring to come out into the garden.

"I think we'd better go back inside. Something tells me that they may not see us as just dancing along," Katie muttered, looking as couples waltzed closer. "We don't want them to get any wrong ideas."

Marcus moved away from her. "Yes, we should." He looked over at the mansion, before bringing his lips down onto hers.

Katie pulled him closer, not wanting to let him go. No matter what was going to happen, there would always be time for one final dance, and one final moment. On this holy night, time just seemed to stop and maybe everything would be okay.

The snow was starting to fall harder as they broke away. He took her hand and pulled her back toward to the orchestra music. Yes, maybe everything was going to be okay.

Marcus stared in the mirror, razor in hand. Beside him, Katie was putting the final touches on herself. His hair was still damp from the shower as he started dragging the razor over his cheeks.

"Just remember that the kids are not to have a lot of sugar," Katie said. "I would like to get a few hours of sleep before they are up and at it."

"Yeah, don't want a repeat of last year." He paused. "We could just tell my family that we forgot tonight was Christmas Eve."

Katie snorted. "They know we have small children and it is the only day of the year that they remember."

He sighed. "Well, it would have been a nice try."

She laughed. "I suppose. Illness is also a good excuse to get out of a family gathering. However, again, with it being Christmas, I don't really see anyone buying it."

"I guess." He looked in the mirror. He sighed. "If only they weren't the way they were. I thought maybe the war would change their minds, but it hasn't."
She smiled. "Maybe they will be so focused on the War Cup that they wouldn't have time to really think about anything else."

"Then, they wouldn't leave me alone." He shaved off the last bit of hair. "Scotland is in the quarterfinals too. I would be worth it to wipe the smirk off Wood's face."

Katie eyed him. "Is that really want this is all about? You just want to get under Oliver Wood's skin?"

Marcus shrugged. "Why wouldn't I?"

"You two are such children when it comes to that."

"Did you really think that whole situation was going to change with age?"
Katie did respond.

"I'll take that as a no."

She eyed him. "I'm not even going to say any more about the matter."

He wrapped his arms around her. "Because you know it will be of no use."

"Yes, I know that."

"Besides, the press makes a lot of money off of our hatred." He paused. "Although, sometimes they blow it a little out of proportion."

Katie raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure they are blowing it out of proportion."

With that, she turned and walked out of the bathroom.

!

Marcus smoothed the arm of his dress robes down as he stood in front of the fireplace. He just had to get through the next couple of hours and it would all be over. If he kept that in the back of his mind, then maybe he would somehow manage to get through this. It wasn't that he didn't dislike all of his family; there was just a few who ruined it for the rest of them.

Outside, the storm had picked up. The Christmas lights barely held up against its might. They just had to stick it out tonight and tomorrow, then they could come tumbling down.

The Christmas tree stood proudly in the corner, coating the room in its warm embrace, making it seem as if it alone had the power to keep the storm outside. The other Christmas decorations twinkled against the tree, adding bits of glitter and light throughout the whole house. A stillness and hush had settled in too-even though the wind howled. Magic hovered in the air, but it wasn't the type of magic that came from a wand. This was the type of magic that came solely from human nature.

Katie came down the stairs, followed closely by Renee. "Are you ready?"

He nodded as the other children filled in. They had been playing a game on the large dinning room table. "Let's get this over with."

Colton slipped his hand into Marcus's. "Yeah, the sooner we get back, the sooner Father Christmas will here!" His bright eyes danced at the thought. "We can't forget to put out the milk and biscuits." He looked very serious. "The reindeer may want a snack too." He looked at his parents. "What do reindeer eat anyway?"

"I'm sure they would like carrots," Marcus answered.

Colton nodded, once again looking very serious. "Do we have any carrots? If we don't, we are going to have to stop at the store to get some."

"I'm sure we do. If not, I'm sure we have something the reindeer would like," Katie said.

"We better. I don't want the reindeer to go hungry." Colton paused. "I hope Father Christmas doesn't get lost in the storm."

"He wouldn't," Marcus said, kneeling down in front of his son. "He has special magic that allows him to get through the worst storms nature can through at him. It's a game to him. He likes the challenge."

Once again, Colton nodded very seriously. "Well, if he's like me, I get really hungry when I play a game. We'll have to make sure to leave him extra treats. He may need something a little more powerful than biscuits and milk."

"Ah, you see, biscuits and milk are what makes his magic stronger."

"Daddy, you are pretty smart when it comes to things like this."

Marcus nodded and smiled. Behind him, Katie rolled her eyes. He hoped none of the other saw that. She caught his eye and smirked.

"We probably need to get going," Marcus said, looking at his watch.

Katie slipped her hand into his other one. "Yes, we do. I can't wait to see how many times you get asked what you are going to do once you are done flying brooms."
"Maybe I'll stay home with you." He moved closer to her.

"Please tell me you aren't going to kiss again! There are children in the room who would rather not see that!" Aiden protested.

"Aiden, if I knew that was all it would take to get rid of you, I would have kissed your mum in front of you a long time ago," Marcus replied.

"You can't get rid of me. Grandma and Grandpa would take me in."

Katie laughed. "One day you are going to find a girl to kiss."

Aiden shook his head. "Never!"

"We'll see about that."

Together they started toward the fireplace. The storm howled behind them, making Colton look nervously over his shoulder. Marcus gave his hand a squeeze. He was not about to let a little storm ruin tonight for his son.

After all, it was Christmas Eve and you never knew what could happen.

Part Two Coming Soon!