Notes from the Past
by Tanya Reed
Thanks to Aryea, Katia, and Merrybeans for your reviews!
Disclaimer: I still don't own Relic Hunter.
-----------------------------------
Part 1, Chapter 3
Sydney opened her eyes and stretched languidly. She felt warm and cozy under her thick comforter and didn't want to get up. Around her, she could hear the sounds of others stirring. There were bumps and thumps and the occasional soft squeal.
That had to be Karen and Claudia. Sydney smiled fondly, imagining the two young women up and about and eagerly getting ready for Christmas morning. She wondered idly if Nigel was awake.
The dim sun shining through her window showed that it was still early—maybe 7:30. Soft snow still drifted through it, and she was happy to see she'd have her white Christmas. She just hoped the snow wouldn't put off her father's visit.
"Do you think she's awake?" The whisper came suddenly from just outside her door.
"Who cares? We've been waiting for her for an hour and a half."
"We can't just wake her."
"She'll either be in a really good mood or a really evil one. Either way, it's Christmas and I want to open my presents! Daddy promised me something really special this year."
"It's all right, you two," Sydney called. "I'm awake."
The door flew open and Claudia bounced in. Her face was animated by her excitement, and her blue eyes danced.
"Mornin', Syd!" she exclaimed.
Karen stood behind her looking sheepish.
"Merry Christmas!" Sydney announced. "Where's Nigel?"
"Hogging the bathroom."
"I am not."
Both Claudia and Karen squeaked as Nigel came up behind them. He was still in his pajamas and his hair was sticking up with a case of pillowhead. Sydney thought he looked adorable. As a matter of fact, she thought they all looked adorable, and for a moment she felt as if she were the mother of three bubbly children.
"You're awake?" She asked him.
"It's hard to sleep when your room is next to the giggly twins."
"Oh, Nigel, you love us and you know it," Claudia teased, giving him a kiss on the cheek.
He looked stunned, horrified, and pleased at the gesture all at the same time.
Sydney laughed and threw off her covers. "Okay, who's ready to open some presents?"
Claudia gave one little hop before rushing out of the room. Sydney could hear her bouncing down the stairs. Karen, caught up in her excitement, soon followed.
Sydney looked at Nigel and raised her eyebrows. "What? No running down the stairs to see what Santa put for you under the tree?"
"As an adult..."
"Oh, cut the crap, Nigel. I can see in your eyes that you're as excited as they are."
He didn't smile, but she saw amusement flicker over his face. She threw one arm around his shoulder and gave him a squeeze. "Come on, now. Mommy and Daddy have to go downstairs and make sure their two little girls are behaving."
"Claudia takes after your side of the family," he quipped.
She chuckled and led him downstairs, only pausing to slip on her slippers by the bedroom door.
As they entered the living room, they saw that -+Claudia was completely under the tree with only her legs sticking out. Mafdet was sitting beside her, watching her with curiosity. Karen was also sitting on the floor. She had a present in her hand, which she was shaking with wild abandon.
"I hope that doesn't break," Nigel commented.
"It doesn't sound breakable," she answered seriously.
"What does it sound like?"
"Socks."
"Socks have a sound now?" Sydney asked, dropping down between the girls and beside Mafdet.
Karen reached over and shook the present beside Sydney's ear. She listened carefully to the soft thump it made.
"Are you sure it isn't mittens?"
"Trust me, mittens sound different."
Claudia's voice came from under the tree, so muffled that Sydney couldn't tell what she was saying.
Sydney gave a little tug on her pajamas and said, "I didn't understand a word you said."
"I said, there's a present for the cat under here!"
"Yes," Sydney answered solemnly, "Mafdet and I exchange gifts every year. She usually gets me a really nice, expensive outfit."
"What do you get her?" Nigel asked, finally settling cross legged beside Sydney, causing Mafdet to give him a dirty look and move.
"Something with lots of catnip."
"So, tonight, she'll be biting my toes as well as my fingers?"
"Oh!" Claudia exclaimed. "This one's for me!"
She wriggled backwards with a small package in her hands and spruce needles covering her pajamas and scattered in her hair. Sydney immediately recognized the wrapping as her own.
Claudia didn't even hesitate to rip off the paper. It flew up in a colorful puff. Karen stopped shaking her 'socks' to watch, and Sydney shared another glance with Nigel.
As soon as the present was free of paper, Claudia opened the box it had covered. Sydney was unprepared for what happened less than a second later, when Claudia threw herself at her joyfully.
"Thanks, Syd! I love them!" she squealed.
The tiny blond gave Sydney a hug with more strength in her frail body than Sydney thought it could possibly hold.
"I'm glad you like them, Claudia." Sydney had seen the earrings in a bazaar while on a hunt and knew immediately that they were the perfect gift for Claudia.
To show how much she really loved them, Claudia took them out of the box and put them on. "How do they look?"
"I think the effect is spoiled somewhat by those ridiculous pajamas," Nigel told her.
"Nigel!" The elbow came from Karen this time. "They look great."
"Thanks." Claudia beamed. "For that, I think it should be your turn to open a present."
Karen looked to Sydney and Nigel, so Sydney nodded. Karen put down the box she had been holding and asked, "Is there anything more interesting for me than socks?"
"Here." Claudia shoved a present into her hands, somehow managing to bypass Sydney and Nigel to do so. "Open this one. It's from me."
Karen opened the present carefully, pulling the tape off instead of ripping. Compared to Claudia, she was going at a turtle's pace, and Sydney could feel Claudia's body tense with anticipation. Her friend almost hummed with it.
It took Karen about five minutes to get the paper off and reveal the box beneath. It said Ralph Loren. Karen's eyes began to dance. The box came open much more quickly than the paper came off, showing something that made Karen gasp.
"Claudia...you...you shouldn't have. It costs way too much."
Claudia shrugged. "What's the good of having money if you can't spend it on your friends?"
"You barely know me."
"I feel like we've been friends forever," she said sincerely.
Karen took out a perfect black clutch, obviously designer, and obviously worth more than Karen could ever afford. She showed it to Sydney in a detached way, too stunned to even show how much she liked it. Sydney knew and, glancing at Claudia, she could see her friend did too.
"Your turn, Syd!" Claudia announced, not giving Karen any time to voice the protests visibly coming to her lips.
"Me?"
"Yeah," Nigel agreed. "Go ahead, Syd."
Sydney peered at the presents she had been tempted to feel the evening before. There were several interesting looking ones. After a moment, she decided on Karen's because it was wrapped so nicely with an attractive red bow on top. Before opening it, she took a moment to give it a good feel. Whatever was inside was squishy but firm. Sydney frowned and concentrated on trying to guess the contents.
Karen started grinning at her puzzled look, so she just shrugged. She took the bow off the top of the present and reached over to stick it on the top of Nigel's head. His eyes rolled up comically, trying to see it, but he didn't move to take it off. Sydney winked at Karen, then started on the paper.
It was quickly removed to display a practical leather satchel, new and gleaming instead of the dull, faded brown her old one had become. Sydney had only mentioned in passing that the strap was so frayed a gust of wind could snap it, and she was touched that Karen had listened and acted. The new satchel was almost identical to the old one, except for the fact that the letters SIF were embroidered along the top.
"Thanks, Karen...wait, there's something inside."
Her fingers felt a lump in the supple leather. Puzzled, she unzipped the top and saw a book inside. She took it out and studied the cover. It had clouds and sky and the back of an envelope sealed with a heart.
"P.S. I Love You by Cecilia Ahern?"
She looked at Karen.
"I know you don't usually read chick lit, Syd, but this is my favorite book ever. You'll like it. I promise."
Sydney decided to take her word on it. "I'll read it right after the holidays."
"Oh," Claudia said, "Is that the book about the woman whose husband dies and she's got to learn to live without him? I read that. It was great!"
"Two thumbs up, Syd. You can't argue with that," Nigel told her.
"I guess not. Your turn, Nige. What are you going to open?"
"How about yours?"
"I saw that one!" Claudia said, diving back under the tree. It wobbled a bit from the abuse but stayed upright. She came out several seconds later with a small rectangular package in her hands.
Claudia handed the present to Sydney who, in turn, passed it to Nigel. At first, he looked undecided as to whether to rip it open like Claudia, open it with care like Karen, or feel it all over first like Sydney.
Claudia eyed him and said, "Well, are you going to open it, honeybun?"
At her words, Nigel tore into the paper. It fell away to reveal a first edition copy of The Adventures of Sir Gabriel. His mouth fell open and his wide eyes looked from the book to Sydney.
"Do you like it, Nigel? I remember you saying that you enjoyed this book."
"This is my...my favorite book. It's nearly impossible to find a first edition. Where did you find it?"
Sydney warmed at his obvious pleasure. She smiled at him slyly. "I can't give away my sources. I prefer to retain an air of mystery."
"Well, wherever you found it, I'm so glad you did," he said, hugging the book to his chest.
Karen reached over and pulled gently on his ear. "Who would have thought an old book could make someone so happy?"
Nigel colored but turned his head to smile at her. "It's a first edition. Of The Adventures of Sir Gabriel."
"Maybe you should have bought him a copy of P.S. I Love You," Claudia suggested.
Nigel opened his mouth to reply, so Sydney said hastily, "Isn't it your turn again, Claudia?"
The smirk fell from the blond's face and excitement came once more to her eyes. She wasted no time in grabbing another present marked with her name.
That set the tone for the morning. They took turns opening presents with lots of oohs and aahs and even laughter when the present warranted it. Sydney didn't think she'd had a more fun Christmas since she was a little girl, and her friends seemed to be having a ball. Her trick with the bow had caught on, and soon Nigel was colored with bows of all types—red, green, blue, gold, purple, and even striped and polka dotted ones. He looked to be enjoying himself most of all, probably because of all the female attention. Sydney was planning on getting him under the mistletoe before the day was over just to see if she could embarrass him. She should have felt evil for this intention, but she didn't.
When the last present came, it was for Sydney, from Claudia. Sydney had noticed her edging it back under the tree every time it got close. For some reason, Claudia wanted her to open it last.
"Okay, Sydney, open mine now," Claudia said, handing her the present and looking in her eyes. Sydney could tell it was important to her friend that she like the present.
Curiously, Sydney took the gift wrapped in red paper. She turned it in her hands, causing holographic snowmen and snowflakes to flicker along it in the light from the Christmas tree. There was a matching bow, which Sydney added to Nigel's array by finding a bare space on his shoulder.
Under the paper was a nondescript box. Sydney looked at Claudia, who indicated that she should open it. With no further encouragement, she lifted the top. When she saw what was inside, she gasped and almost dropped the box.
"Are you all right, Syd?" She heard Nigel ask, as if from far away.
Sydney gazed down at the beautiful wooden music box. It had delicate scroll work along the outside edge of the top, and a picture of a rose in full bloom was carved in the centre. Sydney reached in and traced the detail with a shaking finger.
"My mother had a music box just like this," she whispered.
-----------------------------------------
Sydney was walking by her parents' bedroom door on the way to the bathroom and just happened to glance in on her way past. Her mother was standing in front of the big mirror above the dresser combing her almost waist length hair. There was something so beautiful in that simple gesture that Sydney had to stop and watch.
After a moment, her mother caught Sydney's reflection watching her and smiled.
"Hey, Syd."
"Hey, Mom. You look great."
Rosemarie Fox turned, her eyes and face bright. "Do you think so?"
Sydney always thought her mother looked like an angel with her hair as dark as night and her delicate features. She looked especially pretty that evening as she had dressed in a black evening dress that showed her shoulders and hugged her body. Sparkling jewelry adorned her ears and throat. Dressed up, she looked like a princess.
At nine, Sydney was small for her age, darkly tanned, and wild. She had a half healed scrape on her chin from a tumble out of a tree and there was a rip in her jeans from a daring stunt on her bicycle. She knew that, compared to her mother, she looked like an ugly runt.
Even so, there was no jealousy in her voice as she said, "Dad is going to love that on you."
Randall and Rosemarie were going out for their tenth anniversary, and she knew her mother wanted to look just right.
"Thank you, Sweetie."
Rosemarie went to Sydney and cupped the child's face in her hand. She gave her daughter a gentle kiss on the forehead before smoothing dark hair from her eyes.
Regarding her seriously, she said, "I can't seem to get my hair the way I want it in the back. Will you comb it for me?"
To Sydney, it looked smooth and perfect, but she said eagerly, "Sure!"
Her mother handed her the brush and settled beside Sydney on the bed.
Sydney started by running her fingers through the soft hair in front of her. It smelled like lavender and felt like silk. She hoped someday her short, messy mop would look, feel, and smell as nice, and if her own daughter ever wanted to brush it, Sydney would always let her.
As Sydney moved to begin brushing, a noise by her hip caught her attention. She looked down and saw her mother's music box. It was small and beautiful, with a special drawer for jewelry, and it played the sweetest song if you opened the top. Sydney had always loved it.
She picked up the box and gently moved it farther across the bed so she wouldn't accidentally sit on it. Then, she lifted the top and let its sweet and simple melody fill the room.
Feeling happy and content, Sydney began to brush Rosemarie's hair, proud that she would be entrusted with the important task of helping to prepare her mother for that very special evening.
----------------------------
"Wow, really?" Claudia asked, dragging Sydney's mind from the past. "And you laughed when I said I used Tarot cards for important decisions.
Sydney spared her a questioning look before taking the music box from its wrappings. "Where did you find it?"
"In a little antiques shop. I knew you'd love it. Then, when the cards told me to go ahead and buy it..."
"Thank you so much, Claudia."
It was Sydney's turn to pull Claudia close and hold her. She felt tears prickle her eyelids and a tightness in her chest. Sometimes she missed her mother so much that it physically hurt and now, thanks to Claudia's gift, coincidental or not, all she had to do was open the box and be taken back to a time when her mother was as close as a touch away.
Dying to know if it played the same song, she released Claudia and opened the top with shaking fingers. The soft tones of "You are my Sunshine" filled the air. Sydney's held back tears came dangerously close to falling.
She immediately felt Nigel's hand on her shoulder and threw him a wobbly smile to let him know she was okay. He still looked sweetly concerned, so she closed the lid and swallowed hard.
"Well, it looks like we've got quite a mess to clean up." Her voice sounded almost normal.
Both Karen and Claudia looked around, their eyes going wide at the amount of mess they had caused in such a short while. Nigel, however, was not so easily deflected, and the hand on her shoulder gave a squeeze before letting go.
"We should probably clean this up," Karen said after taking it all in. She reached to scoop up some of the paper but withdrew with a small cry as it erupted under her hand and a black ball shot out into the air. The demon cat spun on the top layer of paper before disappearing among the wreckage once more. Karen hadn't been the only one to jump, and Sydney found herself laughing away her tears at the look on Nigel's face.
She got to her feet. "Wait here. I'll go get a garbage bag."
After they had cleaned up the mess, with Karen insisting on vacuuming the floor, they just relaxed and looked at their gifts. Besides the music box, Sydney's favorites were Karen's, the Egyptian themed picture frame, which included a picture of the two of them smiling, that she got from Nigel, the outfit she had bought for herself from Mafdet, and the green sweater she got from Katy.
It was during this quiet time that Cory called for Karen, so Claudia took the opportunity to call her parents on her cell phone. Nigel couldn't make up his mind whether to call Preston or not.
Sydney watched him agonize over it for a few minutes before she reminded, "Nigel, it's Christmas."
He grimaced but nodded, as she knew he would. Sydney herself was planning to call her father soon, now that it was almost a decent hour. She couldn't wait to talk to him, and she wanted to know how his Christmas with Jenny's folks had gone. In the beginning, they had been as resistant to the relationship as Sydney herself—after all, he was their age and not quite what they had pictured for their young daughter—but Randall's charming ways had soon won them over. Sydney was sure he could charm a bear into giving up her cub.
Since Karen was on the main line, Sydney—like Nigel—took out her cell phone. She dialed eagerly, a smile already on her face.
"Hello?" a woman's voice asked. It was a nice voice.
"Hi. This is Sydney. Is my dad there?"
"Yes, dear. Let me go find him."
As Sydney waited, she watched Karen, who was the only one left in the room with her, talk animately with Cory. It seemed strange to hear her secretary asking quite seriously whether he had worn his sweater and whether he had eaten too much chocolate.
No wonder she takes such good care of us, Sydney thought.
It didn't take long for her father to get to the phone. He sounded out of breath and excited as he said, "Merry Christmas, Scoochie."
"Merry Christmas, Dad. How are the in-laws treating you?"
"Like gold. They're good people."
Sydney had not doubts on this because of the way they had accepted her father. "Thank you for the new flashlight. Very practical. And thank you for the necklace. Not so practical, but beautiful."
"I'm glad you like it...What? Oh...Jenny says thanks for the robe. She loves it. And thanks from me for the tools."
Sydney was tempted to laugh from just the sheer amount of thank yous flying back and forth. "Are you still planning on getting out today?"
"Sure. Should be sometime around seven."
"It's too bad you couldn't stop for dinner."
He audibly paused before saying, "You're cooking Christmas dinner?"
"One burnt turkey. I was twelve."
"And it was very delicious."
"Dad!" Sydney laughed.
"I ate every bite, didn't I?"
To this day, Sydney had no idea how. "Yeah, well, don't worry. Karen's supervising the food this year. She cooks like a dynamo."
"Then save me some turkey."
"I'll try, but I do have Nigel and Claudia here."
"Isn't Claudia a vegetarian?"
"Yes, but apparently, turkey doesn't count."
Randall laughed then said, "Oh, I've got to go. We'll see you at seven."
"See you, Dad. Give my love to Jenny."
It seemed strange to be saying that after how shocked and angry Sydney had been on her first meeting with her father's tiny young wife. Jenny had grown on Sydney after that, though, especially when she found out exactly how much Jenny loved Randall. You couldn't always help who you fell in love with. Now, despite the fact that Jenny was her step mother, Sydney regarded her as a younger sister and was starting to love her as such.
"Will do. Talk to you soon."
Sydney felt extremely happy after talking to her father. Claudia's music box had made her melancholy because she missed her mother at Christmas more than other times during the year. Christmases had been special in the Fox household, especially before Rosemarie's death, and many of Sydney's favorite memories were of those times.
The others were soon off of the phones, and even Nigel seemed pleased to have spoken to family on Christmas. They headed up the stairs to get ready to face the day. Sydney planned on wearing her new green sweater, but not until after they finished getting the turkey on, so she dressed in her hunting clothes and tied her hair back in a ponytail.
She met Claudia and Karen in the hallway. They were once more chuckling over something and Sydney didn't bother to ask what. Their relationship already seemed to consist of as many in jokes as hers with Nigel, and she wasn't sure she wanted to know what any of them were.
"Okay, Karen, here I am, ready to work. Where's Nigel?"
"I sent him down to wash the turkey."
"Does he know how to wash a turkey?"
"What's he going to do? Use dish soap?"
Claudia looked puzzled. "You don't use dish soap?"
Karen's eyes snapped to her for a second before she took off down the stairs calling, "Nigel!"
Sydney raised an eyebrow at Claudia, who gave her a wicked grin.
As they started down the stairs, more slowly than Karen, Claudia said, "I'm really glad you asked me here, Syd. I was not looking forward to spending Christmas alone. It's been really fun."
"You and Karen seem to be getting on well."
"I think we could be best friends if we lived closer, even though we're so different. For one thing, she's just too nice."
Sydney frowned. "What's wrong with being nice?"
"People take advantage of you."
Karen met them at the bottom of the stairs looking relieved. "It's all right. He didn't use soap."
Nigel came up behind her asking, "How bloody stupid do you think I am, anyway?"
"Did you get the turkey all washed, Nigel?" Claudia asked innocently.
"Yes," he said with a scowl, " and I found a present for you inside."
"A present?"
"Come to the kitchen, and I'll give it to you."
"No, thanks. I don't think I want any present that came out of a turkey's butt."
"It came with its own gift bag and everything."
"Some people think of those as delicacies, you know," Sydney commented.
"Do I want to know what they're talking about?" Claudia asked Karen.
"No. Definitely not."
"You know," Sydney continued, "The first time I cooked a turkey, I had no idea they were in there...I found them after I rescued my very scorched turkey from the oven."
Karen laughed. "Been there. Done that."
"You, Karen?" Nigel asked in surprise.
"I couldn't always cook Nigel. Everyone's got to start somewhere."
They reached the kitchen at that point. Nigel pushed into the room first and grabbed something off of the counter. He brought it to the three women and showed Claudia.
"Your present," he said cheekily.
"Oh, gross! Nigel, what is that?"
"Turkey innards."
"Eww! Sydney!"
"Nigel, throw those away."
He tried to look chastised, but Sydney could see the evil glint in his eyes. He did go to the green bin and dump the mess inside, after opening the bag they were in.
Claudia said, "I could have lived my whole life without seeing that."
Karen flicked her arm. "Don't be such a wuss."
"Hey, you're supposed to be on my side."
"Children, children," Sydney said, feeling like a clucking mother hen.
Karen's face turned serious and she went immediately from young, flirty secretary to dependable mother of a twelve year old child.
"Nigel, please set the oven to 350." He hurried over to do her bidding as she continued, "Sydney, we'll need the onions and bread we bought yesterday. We'll also need margarine, chicken spice, salt, and pepper. We'll get the turkey ready and stuffed. Then we should have an hour or two before we need to peel vegetables."
"What about the cranberry sauce?" Claudia asked.
"We'll make that as soon as our turkey's in the oven. It's got to have time to cool before we can eat it."
The three assistant cooks hurried around the kitchen to do Karen's bidding. To Sydney, it felt funny to relinquish control, but she knew it was for the best. Any other time she had tried to make a turkey, it had ended in disaster—at least for her tastebuds.
"Nigel, where's the turkey?"
"In the sink."
"Bring it here, and we'll put it in the roaster."
Karen bent down to root through the cupboard as Sydney emerged from the fridge with an armful of onions and a block of margarine in her hand. Nigel picked the turkey up from the sink and turned to walk towards Karen. As if in slow motion, Sydney saw his hands moving, clutching at the bird. With her hands full, there was nothing she could do as she watched him try in vain to keep a grip on the slippery carcass.
"Nigel!" Claudia exclaimed as he lost the fight and the turkey slid from his hands to land on the kitchen floor, bouncing once before settling near his slippered foot.
"Oops," he whispered, his face horrified. "I'm so sorry."
"Oh, don't worry about it," Karen replied, coming over and expertly scooping up the errant bird. "It happens. It washed once. It'll wash again. Claudia, could you start toasting bread, please? A lot of people make their stuffing from dry bread, but I like it toasted."
"Okay."
"Sydney, could you start chopping some onions? Nigel, you can help her."
"Sure." Sydney could handle chopping—when she wasn't showing off by trying to twirl the knife in the air. She was still embarrassed about the way she cut herself while attending La Cordon Rouge.
Karen plunked the turkey in the sink and started scrubbing with vigor. It would be lucky to still have its skin when she got through, Sydney thought.
"You know," Karen said conversationally as they worked, "I had a friend who invited me for dinner one time. Since there was only the two of us, but she wanted it to be a turkey-like dinner—it was Thanksgiving—she decided to get something smaller, like a chicken. She didn't have a lot of money at the time...Claudia, I think your toast is burning...so she looked for the cheapest hen she could find. That turned out to be this small stewing hen. I don't know if you guys have ever had a stewing hen, but...well, she cooked that sucker for five hours. The stuffing was scorched, so she was afraid to leave it in any longer. The legs wouldn't come off. That was our first indication that something was wrong. Usually, if it's done right, the meat should fall off the bone. We couldn't even cut the meat off the bone! That was the toughest thing I ever tried to eat. We chewed and chewed until our jaws were tired. It was like rubber. Ugh. It was pretty funny, though, to watch each other's faces as we tried to eat it."
"Kind of like Dad and that poor first turkey I made—burnt on the outside, raw on the inside, with the 'present' still inside."
"You guys all have funny turkey stories," Claudia said wistfully. "Ours was always catered."
"I don't," Nigel admitted. "Our cook made our Christmas dinner. It was perfect, like everything else she made."
"No one's perfect all the time," Karen argued, coming over to show Sydney and Claudia and Nigel how to mix the stuffing before going over to sprinkle the turkey with chicken spice.
Their only other mishaps occurred when Claudia burned four pieces of toast so black that they set off the smoke detector and when Sydney dropped the mixing bowl with their half-made stuffing. Cheerfully, they started over, and eventually got it in the turkey and the turkey in the oven. Then, they started the cranberry sauce. Sydney had never seen it made before and was surprised at how much went into it. She suggested that they should have bought canned, but Karen waved this off.
Afterwards, they emerged from the kitchen messy and tired but triumphant.
"Now, we rest," Karen said, "but don't go too far. In an hour and a half, I need my little worker bees to start peeling and chopping vegetables."
The other three groaned in unison. Sydney had cranberry sauce down the front of her vest and was glad she had decided not to wear her new sweater until later. Despite that, and despite her groan, she had actually had a lot of fun cooking with her friends. She didn't know if she'd feel the same way after their second go round.
"So, what do we do in the meantime?" Claudia asked.
They ended up playing a board game. Someone had given Claudia a pop culture edition of Trivial Pursuit, and she wanted to try it out. Sydney knew that this was the one edition of the game where they all had a pretty even chance, so she agreed.
The afternoon passed quickly,and the meal came out even better than Sydney had hoped. All of them ate more than they should, especially Claudia, who was so rail thin that Sydney didn't know where she put it all.
After dinner, they went to the living room to relax and let their dinner settle while they waited for Randall and Jenny. Sydney put on her new top, and Nigel told her the green was very fetching. He looked so cute when he said it that she was even more determined to catch him under the mistletoe. So far, none of them had been able to do it, but she caught Karen and Claudia both throwing him mischievous looks.
Sydney got to fulfill her wish early in the evening. Claudia was modeling her new earrings and necklace she had gotten from her parents. Karen was oohing and ahhing and comparing them with the less expensive but finely delicate bracelet she had received from her most recent admirer. Bored, Nigel got up to get another piece of cake, despite the sheer volume of food he had consumed just a few hours earlier.
"Surely, you can't be hungry again?" Sydney asked.
"Just craving something sweet."
Sydney had a feeling he really meant 'just have to get away from all this estrogen'. She got up to follow him to the kitchen.
"I feel the need for some tea," she answered his unspoken question. There was no way she could eat another bite. "Do you two want anything?"
"No thanks, Syd," Claudia answered absently.
Karen threw her a grin and shook her head. The secretary was no doubt amused that her boss had offered to serve her for a change. Sydney would never tell Karen, but she thought it was time her friend had someone to look after her. After all, Sydney herself had Nigel and Karen, even though it falsely seemed as if she had only herself to rely on. Karen, on the other hand, was always worrying about someone else.
She thought about mentioning this to Nigel as they approached the kitchen, but it fell out of her head as she saw him stop in the doorway and turn to speak to her.
She looked at Nigel, then she looked at the door frame above his head. Her eyes lowered once more, and she felt a smile begin to spread over her face.
The words died on Nigel's lips as he saw the completely wicked look she was giving him. She went up to him and gripped his shoulders.
"Look up, Nigel."
Slowly, as if expecting a dangling spider, his eyes turned upward. They widened slightly as they took in something infinitely more dangerous. When Sydney was sure he had a good look, she waggled her eyebrows suggestively.
"Pucker up."
"Sydney, I don't think..."
"Are you refuting the power of the mistletoe?"
He just looked at her helplessly. When he didn't protest any further, she leaned in and gently pressed her lips to his. His lips were warm and soft, and he smelled so good that Sydney was tempted to prolong the kiss. Knowing she had tortured Nigel enough, however, she pulled away after just a couple of seconds.
Her friend's face was flushed and he didn't meet her eyes, so she reached up and pinched his cheek.
"That wasn't so bad, was it?"
"Not so bad...No," he mumbled before turning and walking smack into the door frame.
He threw an embarrassed look at her over his shoulder and rubbed his chest before wordlessly going into the kitchen.
Sydney winced, hoping he hadn't hurt himself. It was a nice kiss, and she felt somewhat like smacking into a door frame herself. Maybe she should find reasons to kiss Nigel more often.
With that happy thought in her head, she followed Nigel into the kitchen to make her tea. She found herself humming a Christmas song as she went over to plug in the kettle.
"Are you sure you don't want some cake, Syd?" Nigel asked after he cut himself a slice.
"Do you want me to explode, Nigel?"
He smiled. "Now that could be interesting."
Sydney's reply was cut off by the whistling of the kettle, so she just stuck out her tongue and went to unplug it. As she did so, the doorbell sounded, and she completely forgot her desire for tea.
"That's Dad!"
She hurried from the room and down the hallway to the front door with Nigel close behind, his plate in his hand. She flung the door open and threw herself at the very tall man on the other side.
"Merry Christmas, Dad!" she exclaimed, squeezing him tightly.
Her father wrapped his arms around her, squeezing just as hard. He was such a large man that Sydney still felt like a child in his embrace. His hug brought her completely off the floor where she dangled for just a few seconds before he set her down.
"I told you I'd make it," he said.
"I'm so glad you did."
Sydney knew her face was beaming, and she didn't try to hide the happiness bubbling up through her. She turned from her father to the buxom but diminutive woman standing slightly behind him, her hair sprinkled with snowflakes.
"Hey, Jenny."
"Hey, Sydney." Jenny's voice was soft and slightly lilting.
"Come in out of the cold."
They did so gratefully. Sydney introduced Karen to them and Claudia to Jenny when the two came curiously to see who was at the door.
"Gee, Syd, your Dad is tall," Karen said, craning her neck as she shook his hand.
"Really?" she said teasingly, "I never noticed."
"Don't pick on the girl, Scoochie. Did you save me any turkey?"
"Randall," Jenny admonished. "You just had a big turkey dinner two hours ago."
"It takes a lot of fuel to keep a body like this going." He then clapped Nigel firmly on the shoulder—so firmly, Nigel stumbled. "Hey, Nige. How are you?"
"Fine, sir."
"Have you found the courage to ask my daughter out yet?"
Flames went over Nigel's face as Sydney cried, "Dad!"
Her father seemed to get a special kick from lightly teasing Nigel.
"Sorry, can't hear you over the rumbling in my stomach."
Sydney rolled her eyes. "I'll get you some turkey. It turned out great. Then, I want to show you what Claudia got me for Christmas. Do you want anything, Jenny?"
"Diet soda, if you've got some."
"Diet Sprite all right?"
"Sure."
"Do we get a tour of this new house of yours?" Randall asked.
"I thought you wanted turkey."
"Right. Turkey first. Tour later."
Sydney led the two of them to the dining room. She left Nigel there, with his cake, to entertain them while she went to prepare a plate and get Jenny some Diet Sprite.
Nigel didn't have to entertain alone because Sydney soon heard Claudia's high pitched voice telling a totally insane story and Karen interjecting periodic humourous comments. In fact, it didn't sound like Nigel had to worry about saying anything at all.
Sydney couldn't wait to show her father the music box. She wondered if he'd remember that her mother had one just like it and whether it was as special to him as it was to her. There were so many good memories of her mother wrapped up in the box.
It had been so long since Rosemarie's death that sometimes Sydney forgot her face or the way she smelled or the way her voice always sounded as if she were about to sing, but when Sydney opened the music box, she could see her mother as clearly as if they had shared their last hug yesterday.
Sydney paused in her work and closed her eyes. Leaning against the counter, she let another memory grab her. It was soft and sweet, and the power of it made her lips tremble. Once again, her mother seemed real enough to touch.
---------------------------------
Sydney lay in her bed, her eyes wide open and her hands clutching the blankets. She had been trying to sleep for hours, but that was hard when she couldn't even close her eyes. Anticipation tingled through every nerve of her small body. She wanted to get up and twirl around and around until she was so dizzy that she fell over. Still, that would mean getting out of bed, and the elves were everywhere. They saw everything.
She heard her mom and dad talking as they moved down the hallway to pass her open bedroom door. Mom looked in so Sydney squished her eyes closed tight so the fact that she was not asleep wouldn't be noticed.
Her mother, however, stopped and came into the room. "Aren't you asleep yet, Sweetie?"
Sydney sighed and opened her eyes. "I can't sleep. I'm too excited."
Instead of saying, 'If you don't sleep, Santa won't come,' as her father would have, Mom leaned down and smoothed a hand over her forehead as she said, "Christmas is an exciting time. I had trouble myself sleeping on Christmas Eve when I was your age."
"How did you stand it?" Sydney asked, wriggling with impatience.
Mom sat on the edge of her bed, so Sydney moved to give her room. "Well, whenever I was eager or anxious or scared, my mom used to sit with me. And do you know what she'd do?"
Sydney turned on her side and snuggled against her mother's leg, putting her cheek on her mother's thigh. Mom soothingly began to stroke her hair, wiping away the knot of excitement eating away at the little girl's belly.
"No, what?" Sydney asked, already starting to feel sleepy.
"She would sing to me. Would you like me to sing you the song she sang?"
She nodded. "Yes, please."
Without any further prodding, Mom started to sing softly. Sydney let the song lull her, and felt her eyes fluttering closed. Her mother's voice seemed to fill her, making everything go away except the gentle comfort it offered. Sleep and dreams called to her, and she slowly drifted towards them. Smiling slightly, she sighed and gave in, letting them claim her. In the moment between awareness and sleep, she felt completely safe and completely loved, and then she knew no more until morning.