It was the first Christmas since Melody's birth that there weren't footsteps thumping around, trying to sneak and find presents that Beca and Jesse had hidden.
"I can't believe Melody's spending Christmas in New York", Jesse griped. "She's just met the guy! She's just a kid!"
"They've been together for a year and a half", Beca pointed out. "And she's nineteen".
"They've been together since June", Jesse corrected.
(Melody Claire was apparently in a relationship that started much like her parents'. They had spent their first year of work flirting innocently, before she decided that he might be worth her time on a date. And the rest, Stacie had chuckled, was history.)
"It's not just Mel this year", Beca reminded him. "With the boys gallivanting all over the world…" she sighed heavily.
For the first time since having children, their house would be quiet during the holidays. There would be no excited shrieks before dawn (because her children were just like her husband and no matter how old they got, Zac would bellow "Santa's been!" before daylight). There would be no sneaking presents down under the tree in the dead of night, and no sneaking around to hide presents from sneaky siblings. The house would be quiet, and despite their kids being all grown up, Beca and Jesse weren't used to it.
(Their kids were anything but quiet. Melody had been born bellowing with lungs that had made her Aunt Aubrey proud, and Henry and Zac had followed suit.)
"No, there'll still be people around", Jesse said confidently. Christmas was always hosted at the Swanson house, and they always had the footsteps of their nieces and nephews (who, despite being almost adults themselves, had never grown out of their thundering footsteps that shook the whole house) to bring life to the house.
"still won't be the same", Beca grumbled, showing Jesse the pout that he still thought was oh so adorable on his badass Beca, and the pout that all three of their kids had inherited.
The sun wasn't anywhere near coming up on Christmas Day, when Jesse's phone started to ring.
"Jess", Beca murmured, nudging her husband with her foot. "Get the phone".
"You get the phone", Jesse mumbled.
"It's ringing".
"Answer it".
As if on cue, Beca's phone joined in the ringing and she groaned dramatically, rolling over and snatching it up.
"Answer your damn phone, Jesse", she snapped, before holding her own to her ear. "You better be dying!"
"Mother!" Henry said, aghast. "What kind of Christmas greeting is that?"
"Hello?" Jesse said groggily.
"Merry Christmas old man!" Melody said brightly, and Jesse rubbed at his eyes.
"Mel, you're in New York".
"Henry", Beca groaned. "What are you calling for?"
"It's Christmas!" the siblings said at the same time, making both Jesse and Beca roll their eyes.
And if on cue, because they were all aware of the third child missing, their landline began to ring. Beca, putting Henry on speakerphone and leaving her phone on the bed, snatched up the landline from the desk.
"Merry Christmas Zac", she said knowingly, making Melody, Henry and Jesse chuckle.
"Aw, merry Christmas Mum!"