Henrik found that he had never laughed quite so hard as he had while with the Erickson family. The large family had welcomed him and Roxanna into their fold as if they were family as well. Their meal had been wonderful, and he didn't think he could eat another bite of the homecooked food. He had expected to leave after the meal, but Esther had taken hold of their hands and almost dragged them into the living room as Nancy and her sisters cleaned up the leftovers while the kids ran around on a sugar high.

"You didn't think we'd just shove you out into the cold morning, did you?" Esther asked as she took a seat on the sofa, patting the spots next to her. Roxanna was able to sit down, but Henrik quickly lost his out to one of the kids, who gave him a sheepish grin before curling up close to his grandmother. "Travis…"

"You snooze, you lose?" he responded, and Henrik nodded a little as he went over to Roxanna's side and perched on the arm of the sofa, taking care not to put his full weight on it. "Why are you in America? Don't they have medical schools in England?"

Roxanna laughed as she nodded. "They do, but this was a program that called out to the researcher in me. Probably Henrik, too. And it's always good to see new parts of the world. After all, the more you see, the more you find that people are really good at heart." Her head came to rest on Henrik's torso, and they sighed in unison. "What do you think you'll do when you grow up?"

"I'll probably be a factory worker, like my father." He shrugged a little, as if he was embarrassed by his answer, and Henrik knew that he had to say something to make the boy feel better about himself.

"My grandfather was a factory worker, and my father took over for him in the factory, even as they worked themselves up the ladder until they owned the factory. There's nothing wrong with factory work." He left out the small detail that it was a pharmaceutical factory, that they had had a hand up that Travis probably was not able to access, but still, he had to leave him better. From the smile that flashed across his face, Henrik knew that he had done just that, and Esther winked at him, as if she knew his intentions.

Once everyone had joined them once more, Henrik found himself cocooned in the warmth of a loving, large, family. It wasn't until one of the preteen girls pressed presents into their hands that he realized everyone was opening gifts. "But we don't have anything for you," he murmured as he looked at Esther, giving her a small look of desperation.

"We give with no expectation of receiving, Henrik. You're our guests, and it's Christmas." Glancing down at his partner, he saw that she was openly crying again. "Christine, go get Roxanna a Kleenex." The girl nodded as she stepped away from them, and Henrik wrapped his arm around his partner's shoulders, pulling her a little closer to his side. "You make the most adorable couple."

"They remind me of you and Edwin." Henrik looked over at the woman who had been playing the organ for the church. "If you're not careful, you'll end up with a passel of children and grandchildren."

"Evie!"

"What? It's true!" she replied as she ran her fingers through her son's hair. Or at least, Henrik assumed it was her son, since it seemed like all the kids present just floated between families with impunity. "Chad, go get Mumma some milk?" The boy nodded and ran off, and Henrik wondered if Fredrik would be like that with Roxanna one day. Unable to keep the smile from his lips, he looked down at the present in his lap before delicately peeling at the tape to open it. A pumpkin coloured scarf rested inside, and he could tell by the pattern that it had been made by hand.

"Mom loves knitting, and we always are blessed with the fruits of her labour. You'll never wear a warmer scarf ever again, believe me," Nancy said, tenderness exuding from every pore in her body. He nodded and wrapped it around his neck, relishing the feel of it against his skin as he watched Roxanna unwrap a gorgeous knitted shawl.

"This is too dear," she whispered as she turned to Esther, and Henrik could tell by her voice that she was close to crying once more. Christine returned in that moment with the much needed Kleenex, and Roxanna dabbed at her eyes before caressing the garment in her lap. "I, I feel like I should be offering you something equally as dear."

"As long as you're happy with Henrik, that's all the gift I need. The world can always use more love in it, there's too much cruelty out there." They both nodded a little before Roxanna reached out and squeezed Esther's arm gently. A comfortable silence fell over the three of them as they listened to the buzz of voices around them, until Henrik felt it was time to stop imposing on the hospitality they had been shown that morning.

"This has been so lovely, Esther, but we really should be getting on the road. It was an early morning, after all," he said as he stood up. Roxanna got to her feet as well, clinging to the shawl tightly. "Thank you, everyone, for inviting us into your celebrations. Roxanna and I have felt so welcomed and loved by your generosity, and I hope that we will be able to spread some of that on to the people we meet in our lives from this point forward. Happy Christmas, everyone." He raised his hand in parting, allowing Esther and Nancy to lead them out to the kitchen where he grabbed their coats, helping Roxanna into hers as the other woman dug through the refrigerator.

"We would never think about sending you out onto the roads without food. Here, take this." Nancy pressed a grocery bag into his arms, and he peeked inside to see almost another entire meal in there. "And before you say this is too much, we'll have enough leftovers to last us until the New Year, at least. Please, let us take care of you one more time today."

Henrik nodded as he watched Roxanna scrawl something onto a slip of paper. "This is our address in England. Please keep in touch with us. Well, with Henrik for the moment, but I'll be over there as well, come May. Thank you so much!" Roxanna threw her arms around Esther in a tight hug before hugging Nancy just as fiercely.

"The pleasure was all ours, truly." The two women walked them to the door, and Henrik stiffened in shock when Esther hugged him just as tightly, though for a moment, he could almost imagine her as his mother, and he let out a deep breath as he relaxed into the embrace, allowing her to kiss his cheek softly before pushing him out of the door. "Hold on to Roxanna. She's definitely a keeper."

"That's the plan. If she'll have me."

"I don't think you'll have to worry about that. She loves you, deeply, and you're lucky to have that in your life." He nodded as Esther pushed him away, her eyes sparkling a little as she gestured towards the door, where Roxanna was waiting. "Love came down at Christmastime, after all." He nodded once more and went over to Roxanna's side, eager to be home with her once more.