February 2nd 2023

Chapter 33
We Gather In The Dark

It was a good thing that Lucas had spied a blond pumpkin sneaking up from the kitchen door off to the studio from the basement window, or they might have wondered where she'd disappeared off to. He'd just gone to collect some of the presents hidden there, the better to stack them under the tree, when movement had drawn his eye. He watched the eight-year-old, boots, coat, and knitted gear on over her PJs, as she went up to the Hex door. There was a lanyard dangling from one of her hands, which he recognized as her very own key to the studio. It had been given to her shortly after her latest birthday, with the understanding that they trusted her with it, but she had to be careful, always. Would sneaking out of the house past her bedtime qualify? That was debatable, but here they were. Oh, he was sure that she had the best of intentions, but it was one point where her youth would get in the way, stopping her from seeing it from their point of view, if they went and looked in to find an empty bed and no response to her name.

"We should get a couple more walkie talkies, for the Hex and here," he informed Maya before telling her what he'd seen. She was kneeling by the tree, organizing the first load of gifts, which had been upstairs. They weren't about to hide them all in the same place...

"Marianne?" she guessed, and he nodded. "Do we finish this first and then go see what she's up to, or..."

After a brief consideration, they decided what to do. Maya would continue with the presents while Lucas would go out to the Hex. The reasoning went that, whatever she was doing in there, it had to have been important enough to her to warrant the expedition, and of the two of them, she might want to surprise her mother most of all. So, Lucas went and got his boots and his coat and the main key.

As he approached the hexagonal building, he first noted that the 'keep out, recording' light was not on. This might have been because she wasn't recording or more likely because it would have been a dead giveaway. He looked through the window as discreetly as he could and took in the scene as it was. The boots were not on her feet or within sight, but he could guess they were on the small tray next to the door. The coat and knitted things, meanwhile, had been dropped in a heap on the small couch, leaving Marianne Christine Friar in her new Christmas PJs, standing in front of the console and operating some of the controls. She'd only turned on the lights in the booth, enough to see what she was doing but not so much that the Hex would be a beacon, giving her away.

She had been learning how these things worked since before she could walk, whether this was done consciously or not, and the older she'd gotten, the more overt it had been. She would listen so intently, ask questions that showed she was listening... This was the first time he could see her going at it all on her own, and it was so amusing to watch her that he didn't want to interrupt her.

Of course, that was the moment she turned and saw him. The Hex was soundproofed, which was just as well, as she screamed from the surprise before realizing it was him. He heard nothing, only getting the expression on her face and the way she jumped... It made him laugh even as she moved to the door and opened it.

"Hi, Daddy!" she greeted him, with the most innocently busted smile.

"Hi," he tipped his head to her, motioning for her to step back so he could enter and shut the door. It wasn't too cold, but enough. "So..." he looked around, waited to see what she'd come up with. She had nothing, so she just banked on that smile, which made him laugh. "Did inspiration strike? Happens to your mother all the time, though she doesn't usually bolt without telling anyone when it does..."

"No, well, a little," Marianne told him. "It's a secret. A Christmas secret."

"A present?" Lucas guessed. She debated whether to say so or not, but she finally nodded. "Who for? Your mom? Me?" he gave exaggerated gratitude and she giggled.

"Both," she confessed.

"Right, right," he nodded. "So, not a good idea for me to be here then," he pointed around the studio. She shook her head. "How about I go back in the kitchen and, when you're ready to come back, you flash the light a couple times?" he indicated the switch. That sounded reasonable, yes. "You've got a deal, just... not too long, okay? You've got to get to bed, get some sleep before tomorrow..." Oh, she would. She wasn't about to snooze through Christmas...

While Lucas had gone out to investigate their firstborn's 'Hexploration,' Maya was carrying on with the presents. Between their crowded household and those others for whom Santa Claus would so kindly leave presents under their tree, it almost demanded a drawn plan, which... well, she hadn't done it on paper, but she'd definitely been thinking about it a lot in her head. There were more loads to collect from their various hiding spots, so she went and did so, climbing up to the first floor and then to the second, being careful all the while not to make so much noise as to wake any of the sleeping children.

Not unlike her daughter, she was surprised, but she managed not to scream. As she reached the top of the stairs and turned to head down the hall, she came upon Wyatt, sitting on the old beanbag, which had been drawn under the skylight. She gasped, and he looked up, seeing her, too.

"Hey..." Maya breathed. "I thought you were asleep."

"I tried," Wyatt shrugged. He leaned back, looking to the night sky once again. "Just kept tossing and turning, so I thought maybe this would help."

"How's it going so far?"

"It's not," he reported with a sigh.

"Well, do you want to help me with the presents?" Maya asked. He sat in silence for a few seconds but finally moved to stand and follow her.

They got the presents from all of their hiding places and down to the living room, where they were organized under the tree. At some point, they sat quietly while Lucas led Marianne toward the stairs, his hands over her eyes, and up to her room, so she'd finally go to sleep. The pause allowed Wyatt's mind to wander, and there was no question just where it would go after today.

They hadn't told everyone. The rest of the Hart-Lanes had been told, and it was really past due for Wyatt to have their support around him. They were all shocked, naturally, but they were there for him and would be. Ella and Marianne were the only ones of the Friar girls to have been told. Wyatt had told them both in turn, after the guests had left. Maya had seen them sitting together, her brother and Marianne, watched her take it in. She'd known something was going on with him, she'd felt it, and when she found out the truth, she was so mature about it all. She hadn't gone straight to the giddy outburst that a new baby usually brought, realized instead that the news weighed on her dear uncle. Since then, she'd been so attentive to him, and it had truly done him some good after the long, complicated day they'd had, having a good and busy Christmas Eve, but still...

"She wanted to talk, this morning, so I went to see her," Wyatt spoke now, as they sat surrounded by the presents. Maya looked at him. He hadn't gotten into that part, just told those he sought to tell, no details beyond it, and no one had pushed.

"Right..." she nodded.

"She hasn't told her parents yet, wanted to let the holidays go by first," Wyatt went on, and Maya stayed silent though she wondered at what this suggested so far as Alicia's family was concerned. "They're not close... geographically, I mean," he added, paused. "She's going to have the baby. She doesn't want to... you know..." he looked at her, and she nodded. So, her child, their child would be born, that was settled. "She..." Wyatt started but stopped again just as quick and let out a sigh, his hands pressing together like they might not shake from all that was going through his mind. "We haven't really talked about... after... about what will happen once she has the baby, if she wants us to raise it or... or give it up."

"You don't want that," Maya told him, not a guess, just a statement pulled from his face, his whole demeanor just now...

"I don't know, I..." Wyatt couldn't sit still, a memory in his mind... "The other day, I went with Alicia to her doctor's appointment. I heard it, Maya," he looked at her, eyes brimming with tears. "I heard..." he clawed lightly at his chest.

"The heartbeat," she understood. He bowed his head, running a hand through his hair.

"All I could think about was... that's... my kid... No matter what happens, I'm going to be someone's father. And I know it's not the same, but I thought about you, and our dad... I know I was little when you came back, and my memories they're not the same as the others', but they told me a lot, and it filled in a lot of the blanks. All I know is that he regretted so much that he'd missed out, and by the time he came back, he was... he was dying."

"Yeah..." Maya quietly replied, voice feeling small and choked out by tears she tried to hold back.

"I don't want to have those regrets, I don't," Wyatt shook his head before Maya reached over and hugged him. "But maybe I don't have a choice. I want... I want what's best for that little fish..." That made Maya chuckle despite herself.

"Little fish?"

"I don't know, that's how I picture it. I know that's not how it is, but..."

"No, it's good," Maya assured him. They pulled back, looked at each other. "You know there was a lot more to it, with Kermit."

"I do," he nodded.

"You and Alicia, whatever happens, we'll be with you all the way, okay?"

"Okay," Wyatt replied.

"Is she coming over tomorrow, across at the other house?" she pointed out to the door, in the direction of the Hart-Lane house.

"I'm not sure. I told her she'd be welcome, Mom and Dad said it, too, but I don't know if she'll be up to it."

When they all finally went back upstairs to their respective rooms, Maya found Lucas sat up in their bed with Aubrey asleep in his arms.

"Hey, there," she smiled, keeping her voice down. "Thought I heard her before."

"She woke up, felt easier this way than getting Mack awake, too."

"Good call," Maya chuckled. She got changed and soon joined them, reaching over to gently rub at their youngest's back. She caught Lucas up on her conversation with Wyatt, what she had learned. He didn't sound surprised in the slightest. "So, Marianne, the Hex..."

"Can't say," Lucas told her even as he pressed light kisses to the top of Aubrey's head. "Secrecy, sworn."

"Thought you might say that," Maya hummed. For a few seconds, they lay there in the silence. The most notable sound was the sleeping breath of their baby girl.

"Look..." Lucas crooked a finger toward the window and Maya looked. Snow... Just a few flakes, maybe nothing more than that, but it was good enough. They would take it as a sign that Christmas was just around the corner and it would be a good one for everyone.

TO BE CONTINUED

See you tomorrow! - mooners