"How did the vacation go?" Elisabeth asked her son and daughter-in-law as they entered the house.
"Crazy!" Philip laughed. "On our first day of skiing, Maria was buried in an avalanche!"
"Oh, you poor thing!" Elisabeth embraced Maria, who clung to her. Although her heart ached for Catalina, Maria was already beginning to see the older woman as a substitute mother.
"I was so scared!" she told her mother-in-law. She knew it was the closest she'd ever come to death.
"I'm sure you were!" Robert, who stood a few feet away, put in.
"Come have some nice potato soup," said Elizabeth.
Maria suddenly realized how hungry she was. "Thanks."
After dinner, she sat beside a blazing fireplace as she told her in-laws all about her visit to the Alps.
"Here she comes!" Louis cried as Reese ran into his waiting arms. "Hi there, sweetheart!"
"Hi, Daddy!" Reese cried, burying her face in the front of his sweater. A moment later, she raised her head and looked at Anne. "Hi, Anne!"
"Hi there, darling," said Anne. "You sure are beautiful!"
"My Mommy bought me this shirt." Reese was wearing a red jogging suit with Christmas lights on the front. "This one lights up! See?" She pressed one of the lights, and it lit up.
"Neat!" said Anne. The three of them walked out to the car together.
"Anne has a surprise for you," Louis told his daughter as he pulled onto the road.
The little girl's eyes grew round. "What is it?"
"You're going to have a new baby brother or sister in a few months!" said Anne.
"Yay!" said Reese. "I want a baby sister!"
"What if it's a baby brother instead?" asked Louis.
"Take it back and exchange it!" said Reese. Both adults laughed.
When the family entered the house, Reese saw that the tree was up, but there were no decorations on it.
"We saved the decorating for when you got here, so you could help," Louis explained.
The boxes of decorations were beside the tree. Anne removed a ball from one box and handed it to Reese.
"Where does it go?" asked the little girl.
"I think it would look nice on that branch right there." Anne pointed to one of the lower branches. Reese carefully placed the hook onto the branch, then stepped back to look at the effect.
"Perfect!" said Anne, and Reese grinned.
Louis turned on the CD player, and Christmas music began to play. Within minutes, the three had decorations hanging from every branch. The two adults strung the lights and tinsel, and Louis placed the star on top.
"Oh, Daddy, it's so pretty!" Reese cried, dancing around excitedly.
"Beautiful," Anne agreed.
Louis pulled her close and kissed her lips as Reese giggled.
"It's a lovely night for a stroll, isn't it?" asked Henry. He and Kathy were walking along the sidewalk downtown. On each side were trees strung full of twinkling white lights, and the doorway of one business was framed with several rows of sparkly purple lights. Kathy was pushing Edward in his stroller. She sighed.
"It's so romantic, isn't it?"
"Yes, it is," Henry agreed. "It's the perfect time for a man to ask the woman he loves if she will do him the honor of becoming his wife. Please excuse my inability to kneel."
Kathy stopped walking and gave a startled gasp. "Do you really mean it?"
"I've never meant anything more in my entire life. This should convince you of my sincerity." He removed a box from his pocket and opened it. Inside was a ring with the largest diamond Kathy had ever seen. For several seconds, all she could do was stare at it.
"So, what will it be?" Henry finally asked. "Will you become the next Mrs. Tudor?"
"How could I say no?" Kathy was still staring at the ring.
"This calls for a celebration!" Henry declared, swinging the door of the nearest restaurant open without even glancing at its name.
"Free drinks for everyone!" he shouted.
The patrons began to cheer.
"May I present my fiancee, the future Katherine Tudor." Henry put his arm around Kathy, and the patrons cheered even louder. Kathy felt herself blush.
"And what would you like to eat, my dear?" Henry asked as he led her to a table.
"I don't know," Kathy replied. "I haven't even seen a menu yet."
Henry quickly fetched one. "Order anything you want," he said generously.
Taking him at his word, Kathy ordered the caviar. Henry paid the bill without even blinking.
"So, how did your first visit with Gabrielle go?" asked Kitty. She and Charlie were strolling in the park, holding hands.
"Pretty good," Charlie told her. "We met in this very park. I pushed her in a swing, and later, we shared an ice cream cone."
"It might be nice to have a little girl." kitty stroked her swollen abdomen. "This one's a boy."
"Oh yeah, we found out about Anthony before he was born, too. Know what you're gonna name him?"
Kitty shook her head. "I don't even know whether Henry or Tom is the father."
"That's a bummer. So you don't know which one to sue for child support."
"Oh, I'm not worried about that. I still have my job at the shoe store, and now that it's the Christmas season, I'm getting way more hours."
"Who's gonna take care of the baby while you work?"
Kitty shrugged. "I'll just have to ask my friends for help, I guess. I mostly work Saturdays, and Anne's off then. Maybe she can babysit."
"Have you asked her yet?"
"No, but she's always been really good to me. I know she wouldn't turn me down."
Anne awoke to the sensation of pressure on her leg. She opened her eyes to see Reese had climbed up onto the bed with her and Louis.
"Wake up, Daddy! Wake up, Anne!" the little girl crowed. "It's Christmas!"
"Is it?" asked Louis, rubbing his eyes as he sat up.
"Yes! Come see what Santa brought me!" She danced into the living room while a yawning Louis and Anne followed her.
Reese grabbed the biggest present and tore off the wrapping paper to reveal an art set, including crayons, markers, watercolors, brushes, and paper.
"Wow!" she breathed. "All this, just for me! Isn't that great?"
"Yeah, sweetie, that's really nice," said Louis, who'd spent a couple of hours walking around in the toy store, searching for just the right thing. "That's really nice. I know you'll have a lot of fun with it."
He reached underneath the tree and withdrew a much smaller box.
"This one has Anne's name on it." He handed it to her, and she ripped off the wrapping paper.
"Oh!" she gasped when she saw what was inside. It was a silver necklace with five sapphires, a large one in the middle and two smaller ones on each side. There were sapphire earrings to match.
"Oh, Louis!" Tears came to her eyes, and as she kissed his lips, the world around them seemed to dissolve.