Sincere apologies for the delay in updating this story. I will try to update more quickly in the future.
It was morning, that much he knew. The weak winter sunlight streamed in the window, tauntingly bright against his closed eyelids. Nick was not a morning person by choice or by nature, but Jeremy had said first thing, so his internal clock had gone off well before he would have preferred. He could tell by the sounds drifting to him from around the house that the others were still preparing for the day as well. Someone was showering, and Logan was attempting to convince Pete that sleeping longer was not worth risking Jeremy's ire over. His Alpha and father were in the kitchen, talking and undoubtedly drinking coffee while Antonio began his preparations for breakfast.
The ever-welcome prospect of food brought Nick's eyes open, and he threw back the heavy winter blankets and left the comfort of his warm bed, cursing as his feet hit the cold floor. Stonehaven was old, large, and could be drafty during the winter. It was perfect during the hot summer months, and spring and fall were far from unbearable, but it was winter mornings like this one that sent Nick scrambling for his clothing in a rush to get downstairs for his own mug of coffee. As he dressed, he glanced out the window to see a world gone white. There was at least a foot and a half of snow, and although the sky was clear for the moment, a foreboding scent in the air suggested the possibility of more.
Before leaving the room, Nick grabbed his new hat. It was a special purchase, fun and sure to evoke a response from his Pack. Just outside the kitchen, he paused and pulled it onto his head, identifying the first wafting odors of cooking bacon, pancakes, eggs, and coffee coming from inside. Stepping into the room, he said good morning and made for the coffee maker for his first cup, discreetly observing the others' reactions as he did so. Elena was sitting at the long table, coffee mug raised halfway to her lips and an incredulous look on her face. Jeremy had glanced at him briefly to return the greeting and then turned back to continue his discussion with Antonio. Nick saw the moment when his Alpha's thoughts caught up to what his eyes were telling him; he turned slowly, one eyebrow raised with the corners of his mouth beginning to inch upwards in a losing battle against a grin.
Elena choose that moment to lose her own internal fight and burst out laughing, just as Nick had intended when he purchased the ridiculous headgear. Antonio turned then, and caught sight of his son. Nick knew what he saw. His dark hair was covered with an overly long, green, stocking cap which came to a point at the end. The truly ridiculous parts were the earflaps, to which were fastened elf ears that stuck out from his head at a highly improbable angle. The piece was finished off by the jingle bells that were fasted to the drooping end of the cap.
Antonio stood silently for a moment, cooking utensils in either hand, before he spoke in an overly controlled voice. "So this is the mysterious purchase you wouldn't tell me about."
"Tell who about what?" Logan asked as he, Pete, and a freshly showered Clay walked into the room. The latter stopped dead with a quiet "What the fuck?" while Logan and Pete began laughing so hard that they collapsed against each other.
"Well, why don't you be a helpful little elf, then, and set out plates and silverware?" Antonio said with a wicked grin. At that Jeremy laughed out loud, then shook his head and took a sip of his coffee as he sat in the chair at the head of the table. As if they had been give a cue to resume their morning routines, the others began shuffling around the kitchen. Logan and Pete managed to find their way to the table, still laughing, while Clay walked around to pour himself a cup of coffee, muttering under his breath about not being able to eat in peace. Antonio turned back to the grill, and Nick made his way over to the cabinets which held the plates and silverware.
The food was ready a few minutes later, and his father joined the rest of the Pack at the table. Jeremy took a bite of his pancakes before nodding to the rest of them, unleashing a fury of activity as eggs, bacon, and pancakes were dished up. Silence descended in the kitchen as everyone focused on their food with single-minded determination. It was nearly fifteen minutes before Jeremy spoke again.
"After breakfast we'll all go out and pick a tree, then come back here and start decorating." He glanced out the window before speaking again. "If we're quick with the tree, we should be able to get back to the house before it starts snowing again." Antonio nodded in agreement, casually sipping his coffee. The others were still devouring their food at a rate that would have frightened most humans, and simply remained silent. Nick also continued eating, but looked thoughtfully out the window in between bites of pancake. Jeremy had spent most of his life living at Stonehaven, and he knew the area better than anyone. That included subtle hints to the weather that would have escaped even the best meteorologists, so if his Alpha said it would snow later, it would.
As the food disappeared, talk became more frequent around the table. Jeremy and his father were discussing some new economic policy and how it might affect the latter's businesses. Clay, Logan, and Elena were discussing a journal article that Clay was writing on some anthropomorphic religion in South America, and Pete was quietly polishing off the last of the bacon. Pouring a third cup of coffee from the nearly-empty carafe on the table, Nick sat back and thought about how all of their lives had changed in the past few years.
Prior to Elena's being bitten, the Pack would have gathered at Stonehaven during the holidays, but such events had little to do with Christmas. Gifts were given, but the Pack had certainly never hiked into the woods to pick a Christmas tree or decorate Stonehaven together. If he was honest with himself, Nick had to admit that he preferred their holiday celebrations now that Elena was part of the Pack. They were a family, however strange at times, and holidays were about family, particularly this one. More importantly, it made Elena happy, and there was nothing Nick, and he suspected the others as well, wouldn't do to make their Pack sister happy.
With breakfast nearly over, Jeremy stood and drank the last of his coffee. "We'll leave in thirty minutes," he said. "Clay and Nick, make sure we have the tools; Antonio, help Elena put together some thermoses full of something hot; Logan, Pete, you two make sure that we can get the Land Rover and the Sorrentino's SUV out of the driveway." Instructions given, he walked out of the room. Everyone began bussing their dishes, leaving them to soak in the large sink before heading off to see to their assigned tasks.
Nick and Clay left the room together, and headed for the garage. In addition to holding part of Clay's collection of artifacts and some spare furniture, one wall was adorned with an odd assortment of tools. Unlike the Sorrentino estate, Stonehaven was maintained solely by the Pack. There were too many secrets hidden at Stonehaven to allow humans to perform maintenance on the house or grounds. The collection of tools had been added to as needed, and the result was a somewhat chaotic organization system.
"You grab the rope and tie-downs, and I'll get the saw." Clay said.
"Better grab the axe, too." Nick replied, already looking through a bin for a suitable length of rope. "Remember last year?" Clay grunted.
"It wasn't my fault the saw was dull."
"No, but you are the one who damn near ripped the tree out of the ground. At least this way, if the saw blade is dull, you can just chop it down." Clay grumbled, but grabbed both tools. "Ready?" Nick asked.
"Yeah." The two men made their way outside, where Jeremy, Logan, and Pete were shoveling snow to clear a path for the vehicles. Once they got going, their snow tires would take over, but trying to gain traction with snowdrifts several feet high against the tires would be difficult at best.
Jeremy looked up and raised an eyebrow when he saw the axe his son was carrying. "Nick's idea." Clay replied in answer to the unspoken question. When Jeremy looked at him, Nick could see the slight upturn to one corner of his mouth. It was apparent that his Alpha remembered the previous year, when in frustration Clay had snapped the chosen tree off near the ground, leaving splinters and an uneven base. It had leaned precariously in the study for the better part of a week before crashing down on Pete while he was asleep on the couch. Despite the amusing outcome, Nick was sure that everyone would likely want the tree to remain upright this year.
Tossing the supplies in the back of the Land Rover, he and Clay gave the other three men a hand in clearing the offending snow until the front door opened and Antonio and Elena stepped out, both carrying several large Thermoses of what smelled like hot chocolate. Jeremy straightened and looked at the area they had cleared, easily enough for both vehicles to get moving without any trouble.
"I think we'll head over to the west side of the property this year. There's the access road that runs along there, and it should be easier to get to." He said. Judging everyone else ready, Jeremy set his shovel against the garage wall and moved to get into the passenger's side of the Land Rover. Elena climbed in the back, while Logan and Pete moved toward the Sorrentino's SUV. Nick climbed in the passenger's side of their vehicle, while his father took the driver's seat and started the engine but didn't move the car. Clay stood near the garage, eyes closed and head cocked to one side. For a moment, Nick thought his friend smelled something, but Clay opened his eyes and shook his head slightly before getting into the driver's seat of the Land Rover. The other vehicle started up and moved slowly away from the house as Clay tested the traction.
"What was that about?" Logan asked from the back seat. Turning to look at his father, Nick could see that his dark brown eyes, so much like his own, were shadowed. Something was bothering him, but he wouldn't share whatever that was until he was ready.
"Probably nothing." Antonio said in response to Logan's question. He threw the car in gear and sent it rolling after the others.