A/N: Thanks for reviewing! I'm so glad to write a Christmas calendar. Maybe I'll write one next year as well.
So, this chapter takes a little explaining because they're celebrating Christmas, and - as I mentioned before - I'm inspired by the way we do it in Denmark. I'm not sure how it's done in a lot of other countries (though I think a lot of it is the same), so I'll just quickly sum it up:
On Christmas Eve, we celebrate by having a Christmas dinner with our family and/or loved ones. Then it's tradition to dance around the Christmas fir tree, singing traditional Christmas songs like "Højt fra træets grønne top" (translated as something like: "From the tree's top up high"). For dessert, we usually eat something called risalamande, which is (according to the dictionary) "a traditional Danish Christmas dessert made of rice pudding, whipped cream and blanched, chopped almonds". We put in one almond that's still whole, and the one who finds it, gets a present chosen specially for this. Later on in the evening, we open the presents lying underneath the Christmas tree.
Wow, this note became long, sorry about that. I'll take this chance to wish you all a merry Christmas!
Oh, and this is the final actual chapter, but I decided I'll make an epilogue. I'll upload it on December 25, unless my parents' Internet is down (that happens regularly when the weather's bad).
Chapter 4
The snow was still falling. Every so often, Tifa stopped by the window on her way to put food on the table or presents under the tree or pick up a cardboard elf that had fallen to the floor. It was getting late, the kids were getting hungry, and she would not be able to put off dinner for much longer. She just really wished Cloud would walk through that door, kiss her, and tell her Merry Christmas, but it was starting to look like he was not gonna make it home for Christmas.
She sighed and removed a strand of hair from her face, then turned away to get a beer for Barret. He had arrived early, having fought his way through the snow to see Marlene and spend Christmas with them all. She was grateful he was there because it would have been very tough to do all the last Christmas preparations herself. Now he was sitting by the living room table, entertaining the kids with stories from his journeys while they were playing a game. Marlene was on his knee, smiling broadly, and Denzel's face had lit up as well, which made Tifa happy because he had seemed very worried all day, and she knew it was because Cloud was not here yet.
"Here you go." Placing the beer on the table in front of Barret, she sat down in the arm chair next to him.
"Thanks, Tifa," he replied, before Marlene craved his attention again, and Tifa lost herself in thoughts.
Where are you, Cloud? she wondered. Had he found refugee in one of those caves in the wasteland? Was he even anywhere near Midgar yet? Would she see him tomorrow, or not until next week? She hated not knowing. It was like she could not take her mind off him at all whenever he was away, especially not when the kids weren't keeping her busy.
A quarter of an hour later they gathered round the table to eat, and her spirits rose a little. She decided she might as well get the best out of the evening. She did not want her worries to drag down the others. They danced around the Christmas tree afterwards, Barret somewhat clumsily managing to get past that place where the tree was a little too close to the wall in his opinion, then sat down to watch the usual Christmas movie. The snow was still falling outside.
"Tifa, Tifa!" Marlene called at some point. "When are we gonna open the presents?"
"Not until after dessert," Tifa replied with a little smile, knowing the impatience of the young girl. Denzel was probably just as eager; he simply managed to conceal it better because he wanted to prove he was older than Marlene not only in years. Well, the girl had matured quite a lot during the last year or so, but so had he, Tifa mused as she watched the two. They were growing up so fast.
They had dessert when the movie ended, and surprisingly enough Barret was the one who found the almond in the risalamande. He laughed when he opened the almond-present and found it to be a small candle that almost looked like a Materia in the way it was colored.
"Nice, this one!" he exclaimed, winking at Tifa. "Too bad that little thief ain't here, huh?"
Well, she had to admit seeing that candle had reminded her of Yuffie, which was probably why she couldn't help buying it.
They were about to open the presents lying underneath the Christmas tree and Tifa had more or less given up on seeing Cloud this evening when suddenly a knock on the door sounded. Her heart beating fast in her chest, Tifa quickly got up.
"I'll get it," she said, her mouth almost dry. She barely dared to hope, and she felt herself hesitating for a moment before touching the door handle, preparing herself for the disappointment when it was not him standing outside.
However, when she opened the door, she looked into familiar sky-blue eyes. Though covered in snow from top to toe, Cloud smiled the way he always reserved for her.
"I'm home," he said quietly.
Tifa, not caring that her clothes would get wet, flung her arms around him. A moment later, so did Denzel and Marlene, both yelling his name with great joy, and even Barret came to clap his back before ushering all of them to step properly inside and close the damn door before they let all the heat out.
Cloud had fought his way through the snowstorm, Tifa thought warmly while she watched him fetch the presents he had brought and put them under the tree, and he had done this for his family. He had made it home for Christmas.