AN: To the dear confused anonymous guest commenter: Darling, don't read any further. It's bad for you to get so annoyed about something on the internet. I must admit, it must have come as a shock that after 300k words this story turns out to be a slow-rolling family thing.

Otherwise: Thank you all for favourites/comments/PMs. You are lovely.

Reminder: This is the last story I am posting on FFNet. Once DPDT is done, I will move all my activity to AO3 completely. No new stuff will be added here, so if you want to see more of my writings (P&P, Beauty and the Beast, Sherlock, Marvel), head over there. Account "SrebrnaFH".

And now, on to the story.

####

Then, there was clapping.

Right from the middle of the participants' seatings, where Teddy - barely visible to her through the glare of the lights - was standing, all tall and warm and looking up at her.

And the applause grew. And grew. And the whole big tent was clapping.

She drew a shuddering breath - taking a step away from the microphone - curtsied, gestured towards Rose, who bowed (her guitar a bit of an obstacle), curtsied again and turned to walk off the stage. Suddenly she was again cold, shivering and anxious and she gripped Rose's hand to stabilise herself.

"Come on" her sister whispered. "He was the first one to clap. You should be OK."

"But..."

#

The outcome of the contest didn't really matter anymore.

Other participants came and went, presenting varying level of dreadfulness.

Dad came by for a moment, handing them hot chocolates and saying that he found Mom a seat somewhere behind them, but didn't want her pushing through the crowd standing on the sides.

Rose was a warm, supportive entity just next to her.

But the most important was Teddy, who had still been clapping when she descended the stairs and who pulled her into a hug and who said, finally, his voice a bit unsteady "Grandma would have loved you for that". Teddy's "Grandma", as it turned out, had been in fact "Grandma Oksana". Her maiden name had been something Teddy had a problem pronouncing, but which was, apparently, a rather common surname from the part of Ukraine close to the Black Sea. And when she had arrived in England, as part of one of many groups of immigrants, she had remembered almost nothing from her home country except for a few incomplete songs and a handful of words.

And "Shchedryk" had been one of these songs. That was why she had welcomed the rising popularity of "The Carol of The Bells" with such enthusiasm.

Mina shivered and nestled closer into Teddy's side, burying her face in the warm fabric.

She hoped the end of the jury discussion would come soon so they could leave and she could retrieve Teddy's present from Dad's car and negotiate with her parents - and sister - for twenty minutes of uninterrupted...

"You OK, Starlight?" Teddy's cold nose nudged her temple. "You've been awfully quiet."

She shrugged. How could she tell him that she had just gone through what could count as one of the worst half-hours of her life - from the moment Thomas played the opening notes to the second Teddy hugged her when she came down from the stage?

"I..." she sighed. "Not sure. I just want them to be done already," she nodded towards the table where the group of teachers from all schools and some other local pillars of culture deliberated over the merits of each performance.

"Mhm. What do you think they will do to us?"

"They could disqualify me," she pointed out. "I submitted my entry after yours and I really really didn't think - I mean I was so focused on that Ukrainian version and on learning the lyrics and... I just didn't think. And then you went on stage and... really, if it was anyone else that sang it, I would have been fine with it, but with you and Thomas and..." she hiccoughed and forced herself to stop babbling.

"I suppose they could," he confirmed softly. "But if they do, I'll tell them to take us off the list, too."

"Teddy!"

"Well, I should have researched it properly and found the original words," he admitted with chagrin. "I mean, grandma really remembered little pieces of that song, mostly the melody, so she was happy when Pentatonix started singing it and it was everywhere, but I knew - well, I should have known - there was the actual original somewhere out there, I just... didn't think about it. And your Mom did."

"But you can't just... It's not only for you, it's Thomas, too!"

"Hey, I'm cool with it if he wants to," Thomas leaned closer and bumped Teddy's shoulder. "It was a fine thing, kid. Grandma would have probably hugged you for hours for that. She was happy when Teddy turned out to be able to carry a tune, so she made teaching him her little project, but if she found out he has a girlfriend who can sing that thing in Ukrainian, she would be planning your wedding by now."

"Thomas!"

Rose giggled from the next seat and some of their co-contestants joined her.

"Don't listen to him, Starlight, he is an idiot," Teddy mumbled, beetroot-red from embarrassment. "Seriously, I sometimes wonder if we are really related!"

"Don't worry, everyone has weird cousins," Rose supplied helpfully. "Ours are sitting back there in the audience - apart from one who is arriving later in the evening - so keep your fingers crossed that we don't push one of them into a stream or something."

"Lock her in the broom closet, more like," Mina griped. "At least she would have to get to know some cleaning products for once."

"Oooh, look," someone pointed out. "They've finished!"

Indeed, the judges were back to their places and everyone's attention turned to them. Sudden onset of vertigo made Mina clasp both Rose's hand and Teddy's.

"Thank you all for waiting so patiently," the elderly woman in the middle - 'choirmistress from St Mary's,' Rose whispered - stood up with a flourish of paper. "It had been a very tough task for us to make the right choice after the great performance you had all delivered and I must admit we arrived at the final verdict still divided. We have however made the decision and, well, here it is. First, there will be two special awards for merit, for songs that had drawn our attention in particular, due to either a challenging instrumental or a demanding vocal part. That doesn't mean that these singers cannot improve, but we see that they have undertaken a serious task and practised hard."

The kids awarded these were actually acceptable, in Mina's opinion. The carols they choose were maybe over their level of competency, but they were brave attempts on their side and the performers deserved to be recognised.

"For the actual numbered awards... In the third place, we have Andrew and Anna, whom we recognise for a particularly spirited performance and an unusual take on that song."

As the pair walked up the stairs to the stage, Mina looked at Rose with a questioning look, but all Rose could do was to shrug. She hadn't been paying attention after their own turn, mostly focusing on her sister and her beau.

"The second place goes to Vincent and August, as we admired their work on the material chosen and very good interpretation on the flute."

All four in the first row froze, breathless.

However much they had declared that they didn't care and that they were ready for the judges to disqualify Mina and Rose or for Teddy and Thomas to resign in solidarity, the very fact that none of them had been called to claim the second place was chilling.

They had been good. All four of them - Rose had to admit, she was the weak part of that comparison, but Mina was perfect and so brave and... Rose's fingers around her sister's tightened and she saw Teddy's large hand tremble as he inhaled with a hiss.

That's not good.

"As to the first place... As you can guess, I suppose, it was a challenge. Of unexpected proportions, I may add. In three years that we've been having this competition in our town, we hadn't had this kind of a conundrum! One of the suggestions tabled was to disqualify Mina and Rose using the excuse of a replacement of accompanist," the evil eye she gave one of the other jurors betrayed the culprit. "That would not have been fair, as accidents happen and we all commiserate with Mrs Darcy on losing her mobility at such a busy time of the year. Another suggested justification was the duplication of songs, and this had some merit, but the fault here lies also on the side of the contest submissions staff. It was their duty to safeguard the uniqueness of titles chosen and one of them should have verified what it was that Mina was planning to sing. Which they didn't. Someone suggested that they should be taken off the list because the carol was not British. Well then, we would have had to ban "Silent Night", "O Christmas Tree" and "Come All Ye Faithful"! Not to mention the Carol of The Bells itself. Also, it would not do to make Lambton look like a primitive village inhabited only by sheep, cattle and wild farmers. We are not afraid of the world coming to us and we are not afraid of children who remind us of the influence other cultures have on ours..."

She looked over her professor-y half-moon glasses at the petrified group in the first row.

"Therefore we are granting two first-place awards ex aequo. Mina, Rose, Teddy and Thomas. Please come up here and receive your diplomas and awards. Both pairs have performed, in their own class, incredibly well, with the boys taking the traditional approach to the carol that had been sung by so many performers it is starting to fray at the edges and girls taking even more traditional one, going to the roots of its origin. Now that I think about it, we should have expected something of the kind after your school concert, mind you..." she rambled as they climbed the stairs, Rose following her shivering sister and Thomas bringing up the rear. "Now, you two," she waggled her finger at Teddy and Mina, "I have a suggestion for the sake of all future singing competitions in the neighbourhood - I have been there for your school contest! - next time, please, pick a duet and sing it together. It will cut down on arguments in the jury considerably."

Mina blinked and looked up at Teddy.

Rose managed to smother a giggle, because at the exact same moment Teddy looked down at his Starlight with wide eyes.

"Ah..." he stammered. "That may be, actually, a fine idea... If you agree? Mina?"

"Or we could refrain from competing," she countered softly. "You know... give others a chance?"

"Oh, I think you shouldn't go that far, not at all. Nothing encourages good performance better than some healthy competition," the lady judge grinned. "Now, as we've pronounced you all equal winners, you will have to divide the prizes between the two teams, but I hope all of you will find them... quite useful. The music shops in Matlock and Chesterfield have funded these..."

As the judge listed shops that had sponsored the event, Rose peered at the gift card certificates handed to them and whistled silently at the sum. Quite soon they found themselves herded off the stage and down the stairs to where three sets of anxious parents were waiting to hug them and congratulate all around.

"Thank you all for participating in this exciting event - as we said at the beginning, everyone will get a cinnamon lollipop, sponsored by the Wonder Candy Factory, thank you very much! Please come back in half an hour when we will be holding the competition in the grown-up category!"

#

"Oh, kitten, you were so brave!"

Rose found herself hugged by Mom with all Mom's might - left-hand-hugged, trying to avoid bumping into the cast. While Stricklands congratulated Mina - well, with her connection to Teddy, it made sense - Mom seemed to focus mostly on Rose.

It felt surprisingly satisfying.

Dad was now hugging Mina and, oh, there was uncle Richard taking a photo and their aunts and... Oh, everyone.

It finally hit Rose with the strength of a freight train.

She, Rose Darcy, had gone on stage and played the guitar. In front of people. Strangers. Family. Friends. Classmates.

Rose Darcy had taken part in a music-related competition and was in a team that got first place award. Ex aequo, yes. First place all the same.

"Mom?" she whispered in a tiny, tiniest voice. "We won this thing, you know?"

"Yes, kitten, I was there. I saw you. You were brilliant and absolutely fantastic. And I'm so, so proud of you."

"But it wasn't me who did most of the work!" Rose protested, feeling a need to explain this all away. "It was... I mean, it's not like it depended on me!"

"But it was a much bigger challenge for you emotionally," Mom kissed her temple. "And you did it wonderfully."

"Listen to your mother, kid," uncle Richard's hand came down on her shoulders. "You were both pretty good up there."

"Yep, Rose," Mina threw her arms around her, finally relaxed. "Couldn't have done it without you, you know?"

She knew.

Well, she supposed.

It was so good to hear it.

#

"First place."

"First place, Starlight."

"I can't believe it...!"

"When they called Vincent as the second, I thought, just for a moment..." he shook his head. "I'm not sure I was as ready to give up this prize as I tried to look."

"Which is fine, you know. I wasn't all that ready to be disqualified either."

For a moment, nobody was watching them, with grownups all talking between themselves and other kids running between chairs, pushing the neat rows apart.

For a moment, Teddy just smiled.

For a moment, she just looked at him.

A tiny, short kiss. Just to remind each other.

"Don't hit anyone over the holidays, Starlight," he requested seriously. "I wanted..."

"Are you Mina's boyfriend?"

Jackie...

"Yeah," Isabelle joined her sister. "I saw you at the wedding. You were crawling under the chairs. You gonna kiss now?"

Not anymore, no. Thank you, darling little cousins.

"Ah, well, I suppose I am her boyfriend, yes."

She managed to regain her breath and smiled as kindly as she could.

"Jackie, Bella. This is Teddy, and yes, he is my boyfriend. And no, we aren't going to kiss for your entertainment. Shouldn't you be watching Evelyn or something?"

Jackie shrugged.

"She is tormenting your uncle Richard and his boyfriend. Dad has Johnny," she gave Teddy a long, taxing look. "You seem OK. Are you a computer geek like Mina?"

"Ah, I..." he blinked and looked at Jackie like a rabbit caught in the headlights. "What?"

"Are you a nerd, a jock, band geek, art freak...? Sportsy or brainy?"

Mina was completely lost for words.

It was however yet another of these cases when it was good to have an older sister.

"Jackie, go away. And I will tell aunt Jane that you were binging on 'Mean Girls' again, if you don't stop classifying people by school cliques," Rose appeared by her side for just a split second, pushed a soft package in her hand, murmured something about Mom having it in her handbag and whisked Jackie and Bella away in one fluid movement.

Mina hid her face in Teddy's coat lapel for a moment.

"So sorry," she mumbled. "I have so many many little cousins and I love them all, but... but!"

She felt Teddy's hand patting her shoulder. He was shaking.

With laughter.

"What?" she sniffed.

"Your little cousins are very protective, that's all. It's... cute?"

She pushed herself up and looked up at him.

"You wouldn't say it if you met their youngest sister. I swear, that kid eats only meat and sugar. Don't ask her about Easter bunny if you want to stay sane. Uncle Richard made that error today and he still looks at her funny."

"Hmm... OK. No asking about Easter bunny. Anything else?"

She stood on tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his lips.

"Nothing comes to mind. But, you know, Merry Christmas, Teddy," she pushed a soft package into his hands.

"I... ah, Mina..." he caught it, flustered. "I... I gave you mine already and you gave me cookies and..."

"I know. But the cookies were just a placeholder. This is the real thing. Come on."

He poked the silver and blue striped package carefully.

"Soft. Light. Doesn't rattle, I suppose," he chuckled. "Um... I think I should put it under the tree and open it only on Christmas Day, you know. Like a proper present."

"Seriously? You going to try that?" she pouted, crossing her arms in front of her.

"OK, OK. I'm opening it! You see, opening, already..."

He peeled off the tape and unwrapped the package, pulling a long, midnight-blue scarf from it.

"What...?" he asked, dumbfounded. "You..." he turned it in his hands. "You made this? I mean, I... Wow. When did you manage?!"

"Yep. During practice. And on the bus. And watching movies. And most everywhere. Finished it today morning."

"This is... Wow. I mean it, it's perfect."

"Come here," she reached around him with the scarf and made a neat loop. "You forget to wear one, all the time, I know it. So I thought if I made you one, you may have better incentive to wear it, you silly boy."

"I..." he buried his face in it and sighed. "Thank you, Starlight."

He hugged her, pulling her closer and laying his cheek on the top of her head, her hands warmed in the space between them. They stood like that, for a minute. Or maybe just a little longer. Nobody interrupted them, which was a miracle in itself.

She felt him clasp his hands around her back and giggled, straightening up to look at him again. His face was still reddened from excitement and the scarf had ridden up from where she had tied it, covering him up to his nose, but she knew he was smiling.

"Good thing you usually remember to wear your gloves, because I can't make these yet. Mom wanted to teach me knitting in a round, but with all what has been happening this fall..."

"No... I mean, yes, well, I usually put my gloves in my pocket, so it's harder to... a-ah!"

Teddy sneezed, turning away at the last second.

"Sorry, sorry. Took me by surprise. Wasn't expecting that. A-ah! Damn..." he started digging through his pockets, coming up with a package of tissues at least. "Oh, thank goodness. Oh, my nose. So sorry, Starlight. Can't... AAAh!"

Everyone stopped talking and turned to them, watching, as Teddy battled another sneeze.

"That's not good," he sighed, wiping his face and glove with another piece of tissue. "Sorry, Mina, this has- Achoo! -seriously, though, what the- Ach! -no, this is ridiculous...!"

Teddy groped behind himself, fetched a chair and collapsed into it, still wrecked by a sneezing attack.

She didn't even manage to react when he bent in half helplessly.

"Mom, do you have some tissues? Teddy is... Oh, my."

Teddy's eyes were reddened as he sat up and accepted a new package gratefully.

"You look terrible," she blurted out. "I mean, this is... You are all red. Mom, where is Mrs Strickland? Teddy is sick... I think."

Mom twirled in place and strode towards Dad, who in turn found Teddy's mother. As she approached, Mina sat with Teddy, patting his back in an attempt at comfort and handing him a tissue after a tissue.

"Oh, Theodore," Mrs Strickland sounded just like Mom sometimes did. "Take off that scarf, you silly boy, or you will sneeze to death. Come on, I'm certain we have some eye drops at home."

Teddy's head shot up and he hastily freed himself from the blue wool. Mina took the offending garment back in mortification.

"I forgot to check," Teddy sighed. "I don't react like that to all wool. Damn," he blinked and sneezed again.

"Come on, we have to get you Zyrtec before you start rubbing your eyes. So sorry, Mrs Darcy, but we have to take him home..."

"I understand," Mom sounded really worried.

Not good.

"I'm sorry," Mina managed to stammer. "I didn't know! I'm so sorry!"

"Not your fault, Wilhelmina," Teddy's mother stated kindly. "But we really have to go home now."

Teddy hugged her tightly at the last moment.

"Don't worry, Starlight," he murmured. "I'll be fine. I'll text you tomorrow, OK?"

"Yeah," she sighed. "Tomorrow then."

####

Elizabeth watched the stage surreptitiously as they left the tent and the adult category competition was starting, but they decided not to stay around for that. Everyone made their way towards the back of the large tent and left its slightly warmed interior, coming into the chill of the outside.

"Bloody cold," Richard murmured, turning the collar of his coat up.

"Come on, love, let's get you into the car," Evan pulled him ahead of the rest of the group. "We can warm up when we are back home, hmm...?"

"Poor Mina."

She looked up at William, who was watching their younger daughter walking to the parking lot, shoulders in a dejected slump, blue scarf fluttering behind her in the gathering wind.

"Happens. She isn't allergic to anything common, fortunately, so she didn't even think about it. Poor kitten. I will make sure she has a cousin-free time tomorrow to call him and make sure he is fine. We can't let girls pester her, and they will try to. She is the first of their generation to have a boyfriend, after all. They watch her carefully."

"Avant-garde then," he quipped, pulling her free hand through his arm. "How do you feel? Hand OK?"

She tried moving her fingers.

"More or less. Less, I suppose. I just hope they will take the cast off in a week."

"I checked with the airlines," he admitted hesitantly. "If they put you in a brace before we leave, there should be no problem with flying."

"Oh."

She squeezed his arm slightly.

"Thank you, love."

"M-hm."

#

By the time they arrived back home, children were pretty much ravenous, so the dinner was served quickly and very soon most of the younger ones were dropping off where they sat, bellies full and heads tired from all the excitement. Very quickly, the dining room was empty but for Rose and Mina, who, buoyed by their success (even if Mina was a little subdued now), were still up and functioning, gliding around the table and collecting the plates.

William pulled her out of her chair and herded her upstairs, to their room, where a significant heap of bigger and smaller presents awaited being wrapped and addressed. With her arm in a sling she obviously couldn't participate directly, but she could serve as the knot-holder and scissor-finder.

She knew perfectly well why William insisted on them isolating themselves, at least temporarily. She was fretting.

"Stop it, Liz," William sank down on the couch and pulled her into his lap. "They will come or they won't, but there is nothing you can do about it now. You gave them all a chance. I know it's family and it's hard, but if they don't take you up on that offer... well, at least they will have declared themselves, right?"

She slumped against his shoulder and nodded.

"Now, close your eyes and let me hold you for a moment," a big hand went down her spine, over the rust-red t-shirt, kneading the stone-hard muscles of her back on the way.

"Mhm," she relaxed a bit more, face pressed into the thin cotton of his shirt. "Will...?"

He stroked her sides, massaging the tension from where she kept herself stiff and alert all day, guarding her hand against any new injury.

"Hm? What?"

"I love you so much," she sighed. "I... sometimes I wake up and check if it was all real. We went... it all happened so fast. I think part of my head is still in London and I'm trying to... I don't know, patch it together. In panic, usually."

"Mhm," he pressed his face into her hair. "Sometimes when I wake up and you are not there, I have to check if your things are still by the bed. I..." he sighed. "I caught myself checking if there are still two of them," he nodded towards the girls' rooms. "The level of sheer coincidence... Well, helped by Jane, certainly. But still!"

They sat for a moment in silence, hands calmly exploring one another, quiet dimness of the room relaxing and drowsy.

"Do you want them to come?" he asked finally, voice uncertain.

"I... No idea, really. If they don't come, it will be over and done. If they do come, it will mean they had accepted my choices and so..."

A bell rang somewhere downstairs.

"Ah," she straightened and pulled the cast back into the sling. "Some answers are coming."

#

All four were there. Lydia and Adele looking slightly in awe, father rather more blase about the whole thing and mother watching William suspiciously. She gave the same regard to everything she passed by - the great hall, the stairs, the corridor and their bedroom.

Even the dinner table didn't escape her scrutiny and when Adele wandered towards the decorated and well-lit Christmas tree, she pulled the girl back, explaining furiously something about it being an actual real tree from a forest and that Adele should be careful not to let it fall on her.

Elizabeth glanced at Lydia, but her sister simply sighed and rolled her eyes.

"There is some spaghetti that I can heat up for you," Elizabeth suggested. "Or salads... Or sandwiches, whatever you prefer."

"I will warm up the spaghetti," William suggested. "You should..."

She rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Yes, I know, I know. Go. And put the kettle on!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Coffee? Tea? Adele, do you want some lemonade? Apple juice?"

"Tea," her father grunted. "Children should not be drinking cold things before bed."

"Adele?"

The girl looked away from the Christmas tree and glanced at the grownups in surprise.

"Milk?" she asked. Asked.

"Milk it is then. Lyddie? Mother? Tea? Or something else?"

"Obviously, they will take tea."

"I am actually asking their opinion, Dad," she said calmly.

"Milk for me, too," Lydia answered unexpectedly.

"Tea, Elizabeth, tea," her mother trilled. "Oh, but this is... rather fetching, isn't it?"

Elizabeth turned to check what her mother was pointing at and, well, it was. Rose, Mina and Georgiana (with some help from Lucy, who dropped in several times during the previous week - official reason being discussion on the merits of electric pianos) had done good job with the little wreaths, using the surplus ornaments, strings of sparkly plastic beads, gilded walnuts, pompom and felt snowmen and faux-snow paint.

"The girls made enough for the whole house. I actually had to stop them at some point, as we've run out of flat surfaces to put them on."

"Ah..." her mother chewed on this for a moment. "Very nice, indeed. And..." she had a look around. "How big is this room actually?"

"Sixteen feet by eight," William informed them, coming out of the kitchen, holding a tureen. "And fifteen feet up, which is why it sometimes feels like it had been turned on a side. Thank you, girls," he turned to the twins, who had just emerged from the door, bringing plates and cutlery from the cupboard. "Set the table, Rose. Mina, come help me with the tea."

"And milk for Lydia and Adele," she called before they left the room.

Judging by her father's dark look, she was in for some parental talking-to. It was a toss-up whether the excuse would be milk as such or the fact that she openly opposed him and asked Adele for her own preference.

#

They managed to get through the rest of the late dinner in relative peace, with Rose and Mina joining them, pouring themselves some milk and sitting between William and Adele on the shorter side of the table. Pretty soon all three girls were yawning widely and the twins were tasked with escorting Adele to her and Lydia's room and showing her around. She hoped the fact that they were on their own territory would make it easier for them to manage their cousin, at least slightly - Adele seemed to be a bit subdued anyway, probably tired after the ride.

The adults sat in a quiet room, each sipping from their own cup slowly, as if nobody wanted to be the one to leave first. Finally, William finished his tea and rose to collect the dirty dishes. Unexpectedly, Lydia helped, handing him the few from the other side of the table and following him with the tureen.

"Don't you have some help in this house to do that?" her mother asked querulously. "It should be left to some..."

"Everyone is in their beds by now, mother," she sighed. "We can't expect them to be up all hours of the night."

"Well, but..."

"It is 2017, not 1817," Elizabeth interrupted her firmly. "People have rights, you know. Proper rest and all that."

She wasn't going to explain the way they had to hire two helpful college students for the holiday - both young women anyway looking for a job in gastronomy over the school-free period and quite happy to get a two-week assignment at Pemberley, including room and board and a pay twice what they would have made as waitresses. And much more reasonable hours.

"Well, if you put it like this..."

"Yes, I do. Let's get you up to your room now. I hope you like them, but if there is anything that you need, tell me at breakfast tomorrow."

"And what time is that?" her father finally broke his sullen silence.

"Half-eight to nine, depending on the children. If you are down here earlier, you will be able to at least drink your coffee in relative peace."

An annoyed "harrumpf" was the last thing she heard until she closed the door to their appointed room behind them.

The only hope was that it was exhaustion from the long ride. Otherwise it was going to be a very long week.

#