Disclaimer: I own nothing Twilight related.
I am sorry this chapter is being updated later than normal, but it has been a busy day.
Vladimir and Stefan are partners (and kind of weird) in the Twilight vampire world. But in this chapter they are father and son.
December 20, 2011
Vladimir's POV
I pulled into the restaurant in Port Angeles and turned the car off. I walked inside and found Carlisle and Eleazar waiting for me at our usual table. We do this every couple weeks, meet for lunch, talk and enjoy an afternoon out with friends. It has been a tradition for years.
"We were beginning to think you were standing us up." Carlisle laughed.
"Sorry, I'm late." I said as I sat down at the table. "I was waiting for the mail."
"Get anything good?" Eleazar asked.
"I got nothing at all, actually." I answered.
The waitress walked over and we placed our orders.
"So, how is the lovely Esme doing?" I asked Carlisle.
"She's been pretty busy actually." He laughed. "She had such a great time at the town wide dinner that was set up for us that she has been busy ever since planning a huge New Year's Eve party."
"Carmen was telling me about all of Esme's plans." Eleazar said. "It sounds like a lot of fun."
"It should be." Carlisle laughed. "I think she has bought out at least two liquor stores."
As we ate we continued to laugh and talk. We talked about work, local gossip, their wives, and more gossip. It's stereotypical that only women gossip, get the three of us together and we can gossip with the best of them. All was fun until the conversation turned to a more serious topic.
"How is Stefan doing?" Eleazar asked.
My laughing stopped abruptly and my smiled turned to a sad frown. Stefan is my son who is on his second deployment in Iraq. I miss him terribly, and worry about him constantly, but I am also damn proud of him. To put himself in danger for others and for our country puts him on a pedestal in my eyes.
"I wish I knew." I said. "I haven't heard from him in about three months."
Stefan and I communicate by mail, but with him in Iraq he doesn't have much time to sit and write letters. I write him constantly, but I only hear from him every few months. He tells me he gets every letter I write and that they mean the world to him. That's all that matters to me, and that he's staying safe.
"That's got to be rough." Carlisle said. "How long has he been over there now?"
"He just started his fifteenth month." I answered.
"We are all hoping and praying for a safe return." Eleazar said petting my hand, Carlisle nodded in agreement.
After we got off the sore subject of being away from Stefan for another Christmas, we got back onto lighter funnier topics.
That night I wondered the quiet house thinking about Stefan. He joined the army right out of high school. He grew up knowing he wanted to be a soldier. As much as I hated the idea, I supported his dream and never tried to talk him out of it. The thing about Stefan was once he had his mind set on something, he saw it through. And he did the very best he could at it.
I opened the door to his bedroom and smiled as I looked at all his sports awards and trophies. I walked over to his bed and ran my hand across the army uniform he left on the end of his bed and said, "Hopefully tomorrow." Hopefully tomorrow I would get a letter from him.
The next day I paced the porch as I waited for the mailman. I held my breath as the mailman walked up the walkway to my porch. He handed me the mail and I felt dread as there was no letter from Stefan again.
I put the mail on the counter in the kitchen and then headed over to Charlie and Sue's house, who had invited me for dinner.
Charlie and I have been friends since school, and Sue often invited me over for dinner since I live alone. I knew she felt bad that I was alone most of the time, but that was okay because she was a damn good cook. I would take her pity if it meant a nice home cooked meal.
After leaving Charlie and Sue's house I drove home. There was a van parked in my driveway when I got there. I stepped out of the car as a young guy got out of the van.
"Can I help you?" I asked.
"Are you Vladimir?" He asked looking down at a clip board. "Weird name." I heard him mumble.
"The one and only." I answered choosing to ignore his comment about my name.
"I can imagine." She whispered. "I am here with a delivery." He added louder.
"A delivery of what?" I asked.
"Computer." He said as he got a big box out of his van.
"I didn't order a computer." I said.
He looked back down to his clipboard and said, "I just have orders to deliver and set it up."
"What am I going to do with a computer?" I asked. "I have never even used a computer."
"I will get you all set up and then there won't be anything for you to do." He explained.
"Alright." I said. I didn't know what this was about, or where it came from but I let him into the house anyways to do his job.
I didn't have a desk, since I have never had a computer, so I have no use for a desk. The guy, who introduced himself as Brian, set the computer up on the kitchen table.
"Where are you from?" I asked Brian as he began putting the computer together.
"I am from Best Buy, out of Port Angeles." He answered. "I am part of the Geek Squad."
"Geek squad?" I asked. "And you think I have a weird name?"
He laughed and then apologized about his comment about my name.
"Alright, you are all set up." He said. "Oh, I forgot one thing." He ran out to get the thing he forgot and then came back to the computer. "I am supposed to put this on the computer." He said as he stuck a red bow to the front of it.
I furrowed my eyebrows and said, "Why would Santa want me to have a computer?"
Brian looked at me funny and then said, "I don't really know what that means. I am also to get you set up on this website." He said as he clicked some buttons on the keyboard.
"You are ready to go." He said standing and then told me to sit in the seat he vacated.
I sat and all I saw on the screen was myself. It was a camera. "What is this? I'm not into making home movies, if you know what I mean."
Brian laughed and then said, "Just wait one second." A few minutes after he said that a box popped up. "Move the mouse over that box and click accept."
I did as he said and another box opened and I gasped.
"Dad!" Stefan cheered as he smiled at me through the window on the computer.
"Stefan." I cried.
"You have a Merry Christmas, Sir." Brian said as he turned to leave the house.
"Merry Christmas to you too, Brian." I said. "And thank you very much for this." I added and turned back to the computer.
"How is this possible?" I asked Stefan.
"My sergeant told me I was given a computer for the night." He said. "I don't really know why, but I jumped at the opportunity."
"I'm glad. I miss you so much." I said. "How are you? How is it going over there? Are you staying safe?"
"I'm doing great." He smiled. "Actually I was going to mail your letter today." He held up the envelope he hadn't mailed yet. "But I figured I would just give it to you when I saw you."
"I'm not good with computers but I'm pretty sure you can't just hand it through the screen." I said confused.
"I know that." He laughed. "I'm coming home, dad."
"You're coming home?" I asked.
"Yeah, we just found out today we are going home. For good. I will be home on Christmas Eve."
"Oh, thank God." I cried.
"I knew that would make you happy." He smiled. "But, I haven't gotten you a Christmas present yet, so it will be late"
"Don't you dare worry about that." I said. "This is present enough for me for the next three Christmases."
I didn't know how Santa had set up this video chat, but I was grateful. Not seeing Stefan in the past fifteen months has been hell. This is the greatest thing I could have gotten, other than getting Stefan home, which I was getting also. This was going to be the best Christmas.
Stefan and I talked all night until neither of us could keep our eyes open any longer.
"I can't wait to see you, Stefan. I love you." I said.
"I love you too, dad." Stefan smiled. "I will see you in a few days."
Those few days couldn't pass fast enough.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Stefan coming home from the war isn't the miracle from Santa, the web chat was. The coming home is just a miracle all on its own.
Leave a review in celebration of my making the midnight deadline of this chapter! Lol. I will see you tomorrow.