Rob sat at a picnic table near a lake on a nice Spring day. A light fog hung in the air, but he could still see the still waters of the lake. This property belonged to his late grandparents, who had bought it long before he was born. They had spent years clearing up the various bushes and weeds and turning it into a place where their children and, eventually, grandchildren could enjoy the water. It was normally a staple of the family's schedule in the warmer months, but this particular year had been different. There were an awful lot of steps needed to get from the road to the shore of the lake and Rob's accident had made that seem like too much of a strain.
The situation had gotten better since. He didn't need his cane on most days. As long as he didn't rush it, he would be fine on the stairs. At least Rob assumed that was how he had gotten down here. For some reason, he couldn't quite remember. Before he could think about it any more, he turned to the left and saw his grandmother sitting at the table next to him.
"Babci?"
"Hello, my dear," she said with that light accent he remembered.
He was struck for a moment but the obvious answer came to him. "This is a dream, isn't it?"
"Yes."
"Are you...safe wherever you are? Are you happy?"
"I'm just fine," Babci answered. "You don't need to worry about me. I'm here because I need to warn you. In about a year's time, a calamity will come that will change your world forever."
The statement chilled Rob to the bone. "Is it my fault? Is it because we brought the girls to our world?"
Babci shook her head. "No. This happens with or without them. But now that they are here, you must protect them. You must protect your whole family."
"But from what?"
There was an answer, but Rob couldn't quite hear it. The next thing he knew, he was in bed staring at the ceiling. As usual, Kate was up and already dressed for the day. "Good morning."
"I had one hell of a weird dream."
"What happened in it?" Kate asked.
"I was at the lake and I saw Babci."
Kate sat down on the bed near him. "I'm sorry. That's hard."
"She was saying something about...the future. Something bad will happen in the future, like in a year."
"Did she say what?"
"I think so," Rob said. "But I didn't really understand it. Some two-syllable word I had never heard before. I dunno, I guess it's just dream nonsense."
It may have been nonsense, but it still occupied his mind for much of his morning routine. What "calamity" could Babci have been referring to? Global warming, perhaps? But she also said it would begin in about a year and not even the most alarmist scientists were predicting climate apocalypse coming quite that soon. The presidential election? That was closer to two years away. A meteor impact? That sounded like something out of a bad movie. Besides, in that scenario there wasn't much of anything Rob could do to protect his family as Babci had instructed. Whatever rationale there was behind that dream had vanished as soon as he woke up, so it was a puzzle he was unlikely to solve.
It was two days before Christmas, or "Christmas Eve Eve," as he sometimes liked to call it. He took Andrew and Lucas to what would be their last day of school before the holiday break. Once he returned, he saw that Natsuki had completely taken over the kitchen. Various bowls and ingredients covered all the available counter space. It looked like she was cooking for an entire army.
"Do you need any help?" he asked.
"Nope," Natsuki answered. "I need to be 100 percent focused on what I'm doing, I can't be worried about an assistant. Besides, some of this is going to be for you so you can't see it."
Rob nodded and was about to walk off.
"Wait," she said. "There's something I wanted to tell you."
"Everything okay?'
"Yeah. I just…don't take this the whole way…but…iloveyou."
She said it so fast Rob needed a minute to figure it out. "Oh. I love you too, Natsuki."
"You better remember that because I'm not doing this again!"
"Understood."
She hugged him. "I have a lot of cooking to do, so scram."
Rob had played it cool to try and save her from feeling embarrassed, but he could barely contain a smile at just how sweet that was. It occurred to him that he should pay it forward. Terrible movie, great concept. Most of the others in the house didn't need to be reminded, but there was someone who might really benefit.
Shortly before the boys were born, Rob had a fairly intense session with Lilly, his therapist. He had talked at length about everything he was worried about, including his fears that he might not be a good father. When asked for an explanation, he replied that he wasn't sure he'd ever be a good provider. The situation at the newspaper was precarious at the time because of the big fight over his paternity leave and Rob doubted that he would be there much longer after the birth. But what kind of example did that set? How could he take care of his family?
Lilly's answer was that there were other ways to take care of people, particularly children. "The most important thing you can do is make sure they know they are loved," she had said. "Every hug, every compliment, every pat on the head, it all adds up. Then once they're grown up and life gets hard, they have an inner strength cultivated during their childhood. That's how it's supposed to work, but it doesn't happen for a lot of kids."
The girls weren't children, but they were in the unique position of not having a childhood of any kind. Memories of one, but those wouldn't last. It was almost like starting from scratch.
Yuri was standing in front of a bookshelf, gently running her finger along the spines of the lined up books. Rob was looking forward to her reaction.
"Love you, Yuri," he said out of the blue.
"Oh!" She turned around suddenly with her face bright red. "I…I…um…I love you too…of course."
Rob hugged her and let her go about her business. She was still looking at the books, but now she was humming. A few seconds later, Rob would realize she was humming "Aces High."
One thing he had to do today was arrange the activities for Christmas Eve. This was one of the busiest weeks of the year for Kate, who would be practically living at church for the next couple of days. Christmas Eve in particular had three different services for her to manage, including one at 11 pm. Thankfully, she still had Christmas Day to spend at home…unless of course, it happened to fall on a Sunday.
Typically, his parents came to visit on Christmas Eve but Rob was nervous about it this year. A lot had changed in the house since the last holiday season and he hadn't really kept his parents up to speed.
It was best to tell them now rather than have them find out when they arrived. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and called his mother.
"What's the plan for tomorrow?" Marie asked after they had exchanged greetings. "We missed you guys on Thanksgiving, I really hope we get to see the boys for Christmas."
"You will," Rob answered. "You guys can come up tomorrow around lunch time. You should know that there will be more people here than usual."
"Oh? Who else is coming?"
"Well," he said, starting to feel nervous. "The boys' babysitter, Nicole, wants to stop by for a while. There's also….Monika's friends. They…uh…they live here now."
"What?! You adopted all of them?!"
"Um…not like officially. They're all 18 so they can't legally be adopted, but they are going to live here."
"Kate is okay with this?!" Marie sputtered. "How will you support them?! Your house is so small and you don't even have a job!"
He knew that was coming. "Kate supports this a hundred percent. And you don't need to worry about me working, I've been looking."
"Oh," she said. "That's a pleasant surprise. How is that going?"
"It hasn't worked out yet, but I've had interviews and I'll keep looking."
"Would you like me to look around too?" she asked.
"No," he said quickly, probably too quickly. She had a habit of sending him job postings that had nothing to do at all with his skill set and then expecting him to apply anyway. "You just leave this to me. You and Dad come tomorrow and we'll have a nice Christmas Eve and we don't need to get stressed out talking about work."
"Okay," she said after a pause. "We'll see you then."
"Fuckin A, dude," he sighed to himself after hanging up the phone. That conversation definitely could have gone worse, but he still found her interrogations unpleasant. He sat and the couch and started folding laundry, letting his mind wander to the point where he didn't notice Sayori coming upstairs until she grabbed his arm.
"Rob, I need your help!"
"What's the matter?"
"I waited too long to wrap the presents!" Sayori explained with clear distress. "Now there are too many! Will you help?"
"Sure, but I'm not all that good at it."
"Being 'good' at it is a luxury I can't afford right now. Come on!"
He followed her downstairs and was able to immediately find the area where she had been working. The floor was covered with shreds of wrapping paper, tape and stickers. He couldn't imagine how anyone could make such a mess while doing this. The presents were also visible, other than the few she had already wrapped. Natsuki and Yuri were both upstairs and Monika was in the other room; if not, they would have seen everything. After quietly asking Sayori where Monika's presents were, he got to work wrapping those just in case she happened to wander over.
As he worked on wrapping the poetry book Sayori had gotten for Monika, he glanced over to see her frantically cutting up pieces of paper and writing something on them.
"What are you up to now?"
"I've got to get my stocking stuffers done!" Sayori answered.
"You don't have to worry about the stocking stuffers," Rob said. "Kate and I will take care of those."
"But I had such a good idea!" she said. "Look what I'm making!"
She showed him three small paper squares stapled together. Each one said "Hug coupon! This coupon entitles the user to a free hug, redeemable anytime!"
"This is super cute," Rob said. "But then again, you're not exactly stingy about hugs. Will they even need them?"
"Hmm…that's a good point. Maybe I have created a surplus."
Rob's phone vibrated in his pocket. He grabbed it and glanced at the screen. He didn't recognize the number, which meant he wouldn't be picking it up. He never needed much of an excuse to ignore it. Sometimes he was even a little resentful that he even needed to own one. Whatever happened to the days of being completely unreachable?
"Who's calling?" Sayori asked.
"Probably just spam," Rob said.
"Spam?"
"Yeah, it means people you don't know who just call and try to get your credit card information or whatever." The phone buzzed again, indicating that whoever called had left a message. "That's unusual."
"What is?"
"They don't typically leave a message."
"You should listen to it! It might be important!"
"Maybe," he said. He held it up to his ear, not sure what to expect. He certainly didn't expect what he ultimately heard.
"What was it?" Sayori asked eagerly.
"You gotta be kidding me," Rob said quietly.
"Oh no! Did somebody die again?!"
"No," he said. "It was the arts center. They offered me the job."
"Huh?" Sayori asked. "But didn't they give that job to someone else?"
"That person backed out…so now they're asking me."
"HOORAY!" Sayori practically leapt across the room to hug him, hitting with such force that he fell over backwards from his seated position. If he had one of those hug coupons, he wouldn't have had time to even show it. At the moment, a coupon for a new ribcage might be more useful. Sayori was stronger than she seemed, in more ways than one.
Monika walked in to find him flat on his back with Sayori halfway on top of him. "Have I interrupted something?" Sayori quickly gave her the news and she immediately joined the pile. He was totally pinned to the ground now.
"I didn't know this sort of thing could happen," Monika said.
"I suppose it means I was second place," Rob replied.
"Second place is good!" Sayori said. "We should send a thank you card to whoever it was that changed their mind."
"You're going to call them back, right?" Monika asked.
"I will. But first I have to help Sayori wrap presents."
Sayori finally released him. "Oh Rob, don't worry about that. This is important!"
"Yeah," Monika agreed. "They probably won't be doing any work tomorrow or for a few days afterward."
"I told Sayori I would help her so I'll do that first," he said, gently but firmly. "I'll call them back right after we're done."
It only took about a half hour to help Sayori finish the gifts. The call with the arts center didn't take very long either; the executive director seemed eager to start her own Christmas holiday. Rob happily accepted the offer and would go to their office a few days after Christmas to begin getting prepared for the job. The day after the new year would be his official start date.
He was shocked for the rest of the day at how sudden it all was. But then again, Rob himself had been telling the girls that sudden twists of fate were part of living in this world. He just wasn't used to the surprises being good.
Natsuki and Yuri had much more muted reactions to the news. They offered their congratulations and went back to their own business. They weren't as familiar with Rob's difficult relationship with the working world. Kate found out later that evening when she was finally home and could barely believe it. She was clearly happy but also deep in thought for the rest of the day. It was making her consider something - Rob knew how she looked when the wheels in her head were turning. Kate would tell him when she was ready, he just hoped that the good tidings would help her get through a long Christmas Eve.
As everyone woke up that day, everything was in place. The tree was decorated with wrapped presents sitting under it. Stockings hung from the mantel above the fireplace, including four new ones for the new arrivals. Kate hung around for a little while in the morning but it wasn't long before she was on her way to church.
Meanwhile, Natsuki was in the kitchen yet again. She practically lived there lately. Rob wondered if she felt like self-conscious about living in the house without paying rent and was trying to "earn her keep" by doing so much cooking. He considered trying to reassure her, but also didn't want to look ungrateful for all the great food. He decided to keep his mouth shut for now, hopefully she would talk to him if something was bothering her.
Nicole was the first of the guests to arrive. She would help the girls keep Andrew and Lucas from destroying the house while Rob took Sayori on an "errand," which in reality was a holiday visit to MC.
As they walked to the field, Rob noticed that Sayori was carrying a wrapped present. "What did you end up getting him?"
"It was hard to come up with something," Sayori said. "After all, he's not going to be awake to enjoy it. Monika showed me these stuffed toys you can buy that looked just like me and the other girls."
"That must have been a strange thing to see," Rob said.
"Yeah, but the idea grew on me. Now MC will have little plushies of Natsuki, Yuri and me that he can hold while he's sleeping."
He smiled at her. "That's a really sweet gift."
The entered the now familiar door into the game and Rob began his routine of reading on a bench while Sayori went inside her old house to visit with MC. He hoped it wouldn't take an inordinately long time since his parents were going to arrive in a couple of hours, but he didn't want to say anything to Sayori about it. He knew this was already hard for her.
That judgment was confirmed when she returned about an hour later, barely holding back her tears. He took her hand as they walked out of the game, not wanting to say anything until MC was asleep again and out of view.
"Did something go wrong?"
"No," she said, wiping her eyes. "He liked his gift. It's just…I don't know how I'm supposed to have a relationship with someone like this. Yuri and Natsuki don't even care anymore, but I can't bring myself to leave him behind."
"I'm sorry that it's been so hard," Rob said. "I wouldn't want you to force yourself into doing this when it's this painful. I think MC would understand."
"He would," Sayori replied. "But that makes it worse. I'm sorry, Rob. I keep doing this to you…and now I'm going to ruin your Christmas."
"That won't happen. A lot of people get sad around this time of year."
"Really? Why?"
"Well, there's a lot of emphasis on being with your family during the holidays but that's not always possible. Sometimes a person could have family who are too far away, or maybe a family member died recently, or maybe they just aren't on good terms with their relatives. Kids love Christmas but for adults it can be a really melancholy time."
Sayori looked at him with concern. "Rob, it sounds like at least two of those apply to you."
"I hadn't thought of that," he said. "But you've got a point. Don't worry about me, though. My holiday season will be just fine thanks to you girls."
She waited a few seconds and then spoke again. "Hey Rob, guess what?"
"What?"
"I love you."
He returned the sentiment but was struck by a bit of deja vu. Monika had prompted an identical exchange a few months earlier, although she had been drunk. Maybe Monika was more like Sayori than she realized once her inhibitions were removed. Speaking of Monika, she and the other three girls were waiting eagerly by the front door when they got back.
"About time you guys came home!" Natsuki said. "We need to do a picture!"
"A picture with all of us?" Rob asked.
"Yep!" Monika said. "Nicole's going to take it."
"Wait," Rob replied. "We should wait for Kate to be home if we're going to do a family picture."
"This picture is for Kate, dummy!" Natsuki said as she gestured for everyone to get into position.
"And we're only just taking it now?" Rob looked over at Sayori. "Sounds like you don't have to feel guilty about being behind on your presents."
"How are we going to get the picture developed in time?" Yuri wondered aloud.
"We can order some prints at the pharmacy and pick them up in a little while," Nicole answered while herding the boys into the shot. This was always a difficult task and the process of taking the photo was prolonged by Nicole having to urge them to cooperate.
"Andrew, put your arms down. Lucas, look at the camera please. Nice smiles, not silly smiles."
Eventually they were able to take the picture and Nicole was ready to drive to CVS, probably expecting Monika to go with her. Instead, she grinned mischievously.
"Natsuki, why don't you go with her?"
"Huh?" Natsuki asked. "Why me?
"Because you've been in the kitchen all day! You need a break."
"I…guess." Natsuki acquiesced. Rob found it amusing that she must have been the only person in the house that didn't know what was going on, except maybe the boys. But even they might have figured it out by now.
Only about a minute after Nicole's car left the driveway, the familiar sedan driven by Rob's parents drove in. Marie and Gene made their way to the front door carrying bags of presents, 90 percent of which undoubtedly were for the boys. It was unlikely they had bought anything for the girls, but to be fair, that would have been a lot to ask given that Monika was the only one they had even met.
After some awkward introductions, Gene casually asked "So, how has everyone been lately?"
Rob opened his mouth to give a generic answer, but Sayori ended up beating him to the punch. "He got a new job!"
He hadn't planned to announce that right away but she was just too eager. Marie's eyes widened. "Is that true?"
"Yeah. I'll start after the New Year."
"Well, that's great news!" Gene said with a smile.
Rob shrugged and offered to take the bags from them, sorting through the presents and putting them in their appropriate section under the tree. With this many people involved, you had to be organized. Nicole and Natsuki came back with a few copies of the photo and a simple frame they must have also picked up. Natsuki began taking the last of the food out of the oven and handing plates to the girls to bring to the table.
As with many years beforehand, Rob felt a pang of sadness that Kate couldn't be here for the family dinner everyone was about to share. It stung more this year given that the family had doubled in size. It was her job, though, and one she took seriously. He had almost forgotten that feeling, of doing work that actually felt important instead of just grinding away unappreciated.
Marie might have been thinking something similar. "You must be so relieved to be working again and not wasting your time every day!"
He chuckled. Of course. Hadn't he foreseen this moment many months beforehand? Well, the moment had come and it was time to meet it.
"I'm just glad I won't be treated like shit all the time."
Boom. She had nothing to say. Maybe this was a little vindictive, but it still felt important. Sure he had decided to work again to help support the family, but in terms of his personal morality he was not going to give an inch to the work culture he hated so much. It was best that everyone learned that now.
"Now that I'm a good human being again," he continued. "I'm looking forward to going to see more movies and spending money in general."
The trolling was so satisfying. Looking at his mother's face, she would be able to supply all the salt for the meal.
"Who's hungry?" Monika asked nervously, wanting to break the tension. There was a lot to choose from, but everyone's eyes went to one dish in particular.
"Are those pierogis?" Gene asked.
"Yep," Rob answered. "Prune ones. I told the girls that we used to have them on Thanksgiving, so Natsuki decided she would try to make some."
Marie looked at her. "That's quite ambitious, young lady."
Rob knew she didn't like being referred to that way, but Natsuki held her tongue. Naturally, Sayori was the first to try one.
"Oh my god, these are so goooood!" she shouted. "I'm going back to what I said before. We need to go to Poland and eat these all the time!"
"I'm inclined to agree," Monika said after taking a bite of one.
"Natsuki, these are wonderful," Yuri added.
"You did good," Rob said. "I hope you enjoyed it, because I'll need you to make this at least once a week."
"No way! This was hard!"
Everyone laughed. Rob was curious to see his mother's reaction. As the only full-blooded Polish person at the table, she would be the biggest critic. She was sitting in her chair with a look of utter disbelief. Rob realized she had tears in her eyes. There was a lot more on her mind than just food.
"...Mom?"
Realizing that they all were staring, Marie composed herself. "It reminds me of when I was growing up. Thank you for this."
The quiet moment was interrupted by Rob's phone ringing. It was late afternoon in Connecticut on Christmas Eve, which meant that it was Christmas morning in New Zealand and Alex was calling to video chat.
Almost everyone at the table yelled out their greetings, to the point where Rob couldn't hear whatever Alex had said as he picked up the phone.
"Pretty crowded over there, isn't it?"
"Yeah," Rob replied. "It looks pretty chill where you are, though. Where's Charlotte?"
"Oh, I didn't tell you?"
"Tell me what?"
"We broke up."
"Oh," Rob said. "Sorry to hear that."
"Nah, it's fine. It wasn't working out."
"Does that mean you're alone on Christmas?" Monika chimed in. "That's not right!"
"I've got friends coming over later," Alex said with a smile.
Eventually, Rob handed the phone to his parents so they could chat. The boys also popped in to say hello before returning to the Christmas tree, fighting back urges to violently unwrap all the presents then and there. Once dinner was done, they did get a chance to open the presents from "Grammie" and "Poppa," since they wouldn't see them the next day. The amount of presents they got each year was always a bit overwhelming. There was only so many toys anyone could keep track of at one time and it typically took months before everything was assessed, just in time for another load of presents to come in for their birthday.
Rob's parents returned home not long after that, but Nicole was reluctant to leave. She obviously wanted to delay going back to her family for as long as possible. Even if they were jerks, at some point they would probably still want to see her. Once the boys were in bed, Nicole began to get her things together.
"You can text me if you need anything," Monika said.
"I know," she answered with a sad smile. "Merry Christmas, everyone."
Rob wished he could do more for her and, looking around the room, he wasn't the only one. What was one more person living in the house at this point? It was unlikely that was what Nicole actually wanted. Like Kate had told them, she had to be ready before anything would change.
Yuri prepared tea for everyone and they sat on the couch together. You wouldn't think four people could fit on that couch, but they made it work even if it was a little tight.
"What's with her, anyway?" Natsuki asked about Nicole. "Why does she always want to hang around me?"
Yuri let out a quick little chuckle. "Natsuki, I believe it's because she likes you."
"Likes me? You mean…like that?"
"I think Yuri's right!" Sayori added. "You guys would make a cute couple!"
"Wait just a minute!" Natsuki protested. "I barely know her! I…what do I do?"
"If it makes you uncomfortable, you'll have to let her know that you aren't interested in girls," Yuri said.
Natsuki paused and looked confused. "I…I don't even know what I'm interested in. I mean…I had that dumb crush on MC, but we all did. We didn't even have a choice with that. But now…I don't know. I haven't even thought about it. Have you?"
"Not really," Yuri admitted. "There have been plenty of other topics to occupy my mind. I suppose I planned to just follow my instincts when the time came. But in your case, the question is being forced."
"I think you just like who you like," Sayori said.
"I guess you're right," Natsuki said. "Well, I don't feel like I'm ready for anything like that…no matter who it is. So you guys can stop trying to play matchmaker."
"But it's so fun to pay matchmaker!" Monika teased. Rob was nervous that might set Natsuki off, but she actually seemed to brush it off. She actually had been a little bit warmer towards Monika lately…or at least less hostile. He glanced at his phone. It was already almost 10:00 at night. The time had gone by fast.
"Well girls, it's been fun but the boys are going to wake me up sooner rather than later, so I'd better get some rest."
"You aren't going to wait for Kate?" Monika asked.
"Kate won't be back until well after midnight," he replied. "I have to be able to function tomorrow. It's hard enough to get out of bed on a normal day."
Sayori gave him a sympathetic look as he left the room. He had gotten used to masking many of the depression symptoms, but the difficulty getting out of bed was hard not to notice. As much as medication had alleviated other aspects of it, that was one thing that never seemed to change.
At about 5:45 am, the twins sprinted into the room and leapt on the bed. Kate got up slowly by her standards, but still much quicker than he did. Eventually, he lurched into the living room and sat down on the couch. The boys would be held back no longer. They tore through their presents in a grotesque feeding frenzy until they were practically buried in wrapping paper. Rob was always a bit annoyed by this, feeling it was better to open each gift one at a time as to better appreciate them all, but this was a lot to ask of five year old kids.
Monika was the first of the girls to come up, with the smell of coffee announcing her arrival. "Good morning, everyone! Merry Christmas!"
Rob tried to say something back, but all he could muster was a grunt.
"This is why you should drink coffee in the morning," she teased.
"Fuck that shit," Rob said without thinking.
"Rob!" Kate gave him a nasty look but the boys were busy with several new toys and not paying any attention.
The girls all made their way upstairs and a more civilized round of gift exchanging began. Yuri was left with a large pile of books and tea, such was the advantage of someone with interests so strongly defined. Natsuki was a similar case; she received plenty of cookbooks and other baking-related items along with manga and graphic novels. Rob bought both her and Yuri a bottle of mead, but gently warned Natsuki that he expected it to "last longer than one day."
Sayori was a little tougher to buy for, since she was often too selfless to admit she wanted anything, but ended up with a little bit of everything. She had been groggy upon getting out of bed but woke up upon seeing the stuffed bull she had received, clearly meant to be a companion to Mr. Cow, who was sleeping in downstairs. Monika's gifts leaned more towards the practical side of things, as everyone was aware she was trying to establish herself in the world. Lots of clothes, notebooks and things of that nature.
By process of elimination, the time had come for Monika and Natsuki to exchange presents. Monika sat nervously as Natsuki carefully pulled her gifts out of a large bag stuffed with tissue paper. She had shown this to Rob a few days earlier - a set of pans and kitchen utensils with "Natsuki's Kitchen" engraved on them. It had cost a pretty penny to get that done but given the unique stakes involved, worth the investment.
"This is really a great gift," Natsuki said. "Thank you." There was a curious lack of surprise in her reaction. She handed Monika her gift, a very small box.
Monika looked a little bit baffled. Just what was in there, an engagement ring? That would be a twist. She removed the wrapping paper slowly and eventually opened the box. The only thing inside was a small piece of paper with "look up" written on it.
Monika looked up and Natsuki opened her arms wide. Realizing what was happening, Monika rushed into her arms and hugged her tightly. A spontaneous round of applause went off in the room. Monika struggled to keep her composure as she wept into Natsuki's shoulder.
"Hey," Natsuki said. "Don't start that. I didn't want to cry." Unfortunately for her, tears were already escaping her eyes. Rob was so incredibly proud of her.
"This is your real present," she said with a sniff, handing Monika another wrapped present. Monika opened it and found a tupperware case full of coffee cake. Rob found himself further amazed at how many treats she had been able to bake in such a short time, enough for everyone in the house to get a unique delicacy.
When all the gifts had been opened, everyone sat around for a couple of hours in a half-stupor trying to regain some of the rest they had missed out on. Eventually, they got hungry and it was time to gather around the table. It was a pretty tight fit to get eight people at that table, but they had managed it.
Kate was the last to sit down, once she felt satisfied everyone had been attended to. The slow speed at which she was moving did not go unnoticed.
"Kate, you look exhausted," Monika said with sincere concern. She wasn't used to seeing this every year.
"I am," Kate replied. "I didn't get home until about one in the morning. And of course, there's no sleeping late on Christmas morning when you have little kids. But I'll be okay. In fact, before we eat…I want to say something."
Everyone went quiet, even the boys. She was the de facto head of the household, after all. Rob didn't mind that, she was much more organized than he was.
"We've talked about this before," Kate said. "But the time never seemed right." Rob suddenly realized what she was referring to. So this was what had been on her mind.
"You all have been a blessing," she continued. "You've brought out the best in us and we're glad to have you here. We want this to be a proper home for you. Now that Rob is going to be working again, I think the time is right to get an addition for the house."
"Oh my God," Monika said quietly.
"Won't be that expensive?" Yuri asked. "You really don't have to do that for our sake."
"I wouldn't suggest it if I didn't think we could afford it," Kate answered. "We'll look around and make sure we're getting the most for our money. I'm very frugal, you know."
Rob made eye contact with Yuri and nodded, making it clear with his facial expression that he was quite familiar with his wife's prudence when it came to money.
"But I don't want a new house!" Lucas suddenly protested.
"It's not a new house, buddy." Rob said. "We're going to make this one bigger."
"But how that happen?" Andrew asked.
"I think you'll like it," Rob said with a smile. "You see, we're going to have to get an excavator to come up and dig up some dirt. We'll also need concrete for a foundation so a concrete mixer will come here at some point."
"A concrete mixer?!" Andrew shouted. The boys were sold. Rob knew they would be. After all, Andrew's first word was "truck."
"So what will change?" Natsuki asked. "A bigger kitchen?"
"I imagine that we'll move the dining room a little bit," Kate said. "So in a way, that will make the kitchen bigger. The major reason to do it is to add two more bedrooms. That way two of you can stay up here and two of you can each have half of the basement to yourselves."
Sayori hadn't said anything, but she walked over and hugged Kate, who was still sitting down. The others followed suit and soon Kate was surrounded by the four of them. It looked like a scene right out of Little Women.
"Can we get a dog?" Lucas suddenly asked.
"We'll talk about that some other time," Rob answered.
The week between Christmas and New Year's Day was a lazy one, with the boys home from school and Kate taking well-deserved time off after the strain of the holiday itself. Andrew and Lucas were uncharacteristically subdued thanks to the wide variety of novel activities available. During one of those days, Rob met the arts center's executive director at the building he would soon work in and was given a quick rundown of the responsibilities he would have. It all seemed straightforward enough.
Before he knew it, it was New Year's Eve and he was with all the girls in the living room getting ready for the ball to drop in Times Square. He was on the far end of the couch with Yuri and Monika while Natsuki sat in the recliner and Sayori was almost swallowed by the huge beanbag chair that had been one of her presents. Kate and the boys had gone to bed earlier.
His eyes were also feeling a little heavy, but he wanted to make it to midnight to see how the girls reacted. Monika glanced over at him and smiled.
"Have you had a good year, Monika?" he asked her.
She laughed a bit and then leaned against him. "Yes. It's safe to say that I have."
"Glad to hear it."
"What about you, Rob?" she asked. "Have you had a good year?"
"You know, I think this was one of the best years of my entire life."
She looked at him. "Really?"
He nodded. "Seems weird to say that about a year when my grandmother died and I was seriously injured, but I really think it's true. For a long time, I wasn't sure I could feel much anymore…other than the usual anger and depression, that is. You changed all that."
Monika snuggled a little bit closer. "You've changed a lot just in the time since I met you."
"Look who's talking," Rob said playfully. "But remember what Kate said the other day? About how you guys brought out the best in us? That's totally what happened. I think being responsible for you all is making me the best version of myself. I know that it's brought Kate and I closer too…pretty ironic considering how it all started."
Monika squeezed his hand. "It hasn't been what I imagined, but in the end, it was so much better. Rob, I…I just love you so much."
"I love you too." Just after that, the television began showing a one minute countdown. The ball on top of the One Times Square building began its slow descent. The clock struck midnight as fireworks shot out in every direction and confetti rained on the spectators below. The girls started cheering too, at least until Rob made a gentle shushing sound and they toned it down. He did not want to start 2019 with cranky children who had been woken up in the middle of the night.
As he sat there with Monika resting her head on his shoulder, he suddenly remembered the last line of Doki Doki Literature Club…at least, the ending he had gotten. Sayori's parting words were "we all love you."
At the time, he remembered thinking it was a really sweet way to end the game. He had been so invested in the lives of the characters (and judging from the internet, he was far from the only one) and getting a tearful thanks like that made him feel like his emotional investment was appreciated. However, he never really thought that the girls loved him, the actual person playing the game. They would have said that to anyone.
Somehow, in a series of events going against everything he thought he knew about reality and fiction, he had been wrong about that. They had meant it. In the space of a year, he had gained a sister and three daughters. Or was it four sisters? Or some other combination? They would have to figure that out over time.
There was something he was feeling now that other people wouldn't have thought twice about, but it was rare for him. He had a sense that everything would be okay. How long had it been since he didn't feel like he was doomed in one way or another? Sure, the depression would reassert itself at some point. Winter was always coming, after all. But for now it was nice.
At the same time, Babci's warning haunted him. As hard as he tried to dismiss it as just a nonsensical dream, he couldn't. There was some instinct that told him to take it seriously. He couldn't do much now, but he would make vigilance a priority. The truth would make itself known at some point. After all, time is never finished. It just keeps moving. They would get through whatever it was as a family.
The End
Thanks for reading! I floated the idea of a Q and A last time and got a few questions, so let's get to that!
What drove you to write this story?
Doki Doki Literature Club really moved me. I've gotten emotional during games before, but not like that. I wasn't ready to let go of it once it ended and that eventually led me into the fanfiction. I realized pretty quickly that about half the stories I found at the time (early 2018) were these indulgent self-insert fantasies where Monika came into the real world and met the player, who was the perfect match for her.
On the one hand, I kinda get it. She tells the player that she loves them and seems to mean it, which can have a powerful effect on anyone who has ever wanted to be loved (in other words, most of us). But my problem with these stories wasn't the wish fulfillment, it was that they were just pages and pages of fluffy romance without any adversity or character growth. Maybe Monika would feel a little bit guilty about what happened to the other girls but the new boyfriend would always reassure her. There was no impetus for her to actually learn anything or have a real arc.
Eventually, I started to wonder what would happen if the Monika who I interacted with in DDLC did actually come here claiming she was loved me. How would she feel once she saw that I was much older than her, not to mention married with a family? There would be a lot of complex issues to deal with, so I thought I might speculate about what might actually happen in this self-insert scenario.
Are Rob and Kate based on any real people - or maybe a conglomeration of folks in your life?
Sort of. The personalities of the characters, including Rob and Kate, were shaped by the story itself rather than trying to completely channel me or my wife. The larger details of their lives and backstories are generally true to life, though. We do have twin sons (they are 9 years old now). My wife is a pastor and I do work part-time at a small arts center. In fact, that plot point about Rob initially getting rejected from a job only for them to offer it to him later is completely lifted from my real life.
I did witness the attacks on 9/11, although Rob's story is a lot more dramatic than mine. I did get in a serious car accident that permanently damaged my left knee, although it was in 2009, long before I had kids. My sister did die when I was five years old. On a lighter note, I do indeed have a cane with a dragon's head that has a knife hidden inside (although it wasn't custom made). I did use to be one of the top 100 ranked singers for the "Rock Band" games. So a lot of little details ended up being used even if the characters themselves often behave differently than they probably would in real life.
I do have a brother who lives in New Zealand (the girlfriend Charlotte is a completely fictional creation, though). Nicole is a combination of two people I know, one of whom gave me the same lesson about chicken eggs that she gives Monika. Rob's parents in the story are almost nothing like my actual parents. Rob needed an antagonistic force at certain points in the story and they ended up filling that role. Gotta make sure I clarify that should they ever stumble upon this story…
If you were to continue this fic, how do you see the girls' lives playing out?
I feel like I can only answer this to a point, given all the uncertainty in the world. But I think in 2019, the girls would start to focus on establishing themselves in much the same way Monika did. Monika herself gets her social security number shortly after the new year and starts a part-time job at "Perkatory" along with Nicole like they talked about. She feels reluctant to spend much of her own income on herself and insists on contributing to the household expenses like groceries and bills, even though Rob and Kate keep telling her it's not necessary. All the free coffee she gets at work makes this a little easier.
Sayori begins going with Rob to see his therapist Lilly, since he doesn't feel comfortable waiting until all her paperwork is done. Sometimes she talks with Lilly with Rob present, sometimes not. Appropriately, it plays out a lot like a parent trying to help their child with a mental health crisis. Medication is not yet available, since there is a lot more documentation required to obtain it. While some of the other girls are interested in careers, Sayori begins looking for volunteer opportunities and, once her social security number is established, giving some of her time to schools and day care facilities.
Natsuki continues to feel uncertain about her own feelings regarding Nicole's attention. She distances herself too much for them to become a couple but they do get to be a lot closer, to the point where Natsuki believes they have to tell her the truth about where they came from. To explain everything, they get her to watch a Let's Play of DDLC, which ends up coming as quite a shock to her. She does feel grateful for having learned about it, especially since she had already sensed something was off. It ends up strengthening her connection to Rob's family in general and Natsuki is determined to find a way to extricate her from her tough family life, which brings about a lot of deja vu for her. She also gets a bit jealous of Monika making her own money, so she works with Kate to establish a little on-demand neighborhood bakery based out of the house. Rob asks her for pierogis at least once a week. If she's in a good mood, she'll make them.
Naturally, Yuri reads a lot. She starts drifting towards non-fiction and history as she attempts to get more of an understanding of the complex world she now lives in. It still gives her a lot of angst but she is surrounded by love and support and is able to keep herself stable. She already had an interest in Rob and Kate's European ancestry and becomes more occupied with the riddle of her own heritage…if she even has one. The addition to the house is finished by early summer, and she and Natsuki now get half of the basement area while Monika and Sayori move upstairs. Like Monika, Yuri's memories of the life the game had imagined for her fade with time, but she wonders if seeing Japan might trigger some sort of further understanding of herself. After explaining this to Rob and Kate, the family decides to make a long-term plan to visit Japan in two years. This inspires Yuri and the others to work to get passports, but the dream is put on hold when Covid-19, the calamity Rob was warned about in a dream, crushes the world at the beginning of 2020.
Like the rest of us, I imagine the girls are trying to figure out what their lives will look like in the midst of a plague that just refuses to go away. I think they will be okay in the end but when will they get to live again rather than just survive? That's the big question, isn't it?
Didn't mean to end things on a down note. Thanks to everyone who read this, especially the folks who commented and gave other encouragement. I'm in the process of posting this on Archive of our Own, but you can say you read it here first!
