This Time, I'm Ready [ Elucien ]
Inspired by Long Story Short by TS. I was listening to it randomly and a scene of Elain started playing out in my head. Recommend listening to it while reading :)
Shout out to @ruhnnlidias for always being my beta reader ♥️
Rating: SFW
Genre: Little angst/fluff
Tagging: @helion-ism | @zenkindoflove | @crazy-ache | @danaanruhn | @eudaimonia83 | @vanserrass | @elizascarlets | @climb-the-mountian
As she stood in the woods and took in her surroundings, Elain realized she had made a tragic mistake leaving the Spring Court alone.
Darkness was setting and she had no idea where she was or how she’d even be found.
All she knew was that she had needed out of the Night Court. She had needed to get away. Even at the risk of her own safety.
Because she was sick of it. Sick of doing nothing. Sick of being nothing.
Sick of the coddling. Coddling she had played a huge part in allowing.
Because comfort had always been more important than worrying. Comfort had been more important than facing everything that had been taken from her. But at what cost?
At what cost?
Elain whirled around at the sounds of twigs snapping behind her and that familiar sense of self-loathing she had developed in the last two years threatened to explode in her chest.
She was an idiot. An absolute imbecile for thinking she could do this on her own.
But it was too late to change courses now.
Elain’s bottom lip trembled as her eyes darted around her. The fae eyesight she’d resented for so long didn’t fail her now as she took in the details of the tall trees. Her vision — that stupid vision was what had spurred her to make this move. A vision that promised the sun and flowers blooming, coming from a manor she had once planned to call home before it was ripped away from her and her dreams became shrouded in darkness.
And Elain had been desperate for the sun for two years.
So she had fortified her mind, blocked it the way she knew how so they wouldn’t sense her lie, and had convinced Rhys that she needed to go to the Spring Court. She had nearly begged, demanding they respect her vision and though Feyre had been hesitant, her sister knew she couldn't stop her.
And Mor had winnowed her in, waiting patiently with her as she explored, as they avoided the beast that still roamed while she tried to piece things together. Her vision was important, they had to inspect what it meant…even if she hadn’t told them what her vision had been about.
Or rather, who.
But the person she had been looking for hadn’t been there as she had predicted. Mor had only given her a sympathetic look that had Elain clenching her jaw and said, “We’ll wait until morning to see if anything else can be found.”
Elain didn’t want to wait until morning and Mor hadn’t noticed the satchel she had hidden beneath her cloak. Though she wasn’t too surprised. No one really noticed anything about her. People only saw what they wanted to see when it came to her.
And maybe Elain should feel guilty about the panic she would likely cause Mor, even with the note she left behind, but she knew she needed to find him alone. Elain needed to make sure he was alright and for once, didn’t want an audience.
Because telling them what she saw meant they’d get involved. And for once, Elain needed them all to mind their business.
Her hand tightened around the hilt of the dagger she’d stolen from the ridiculous amount stashed in her sister’s home and Elain hated the feeling of it, hated having to hold it, and hated the idea of having to potentially use it.
Stabbing one person had been enough for her in this lifetime.
Turning her body, she tried to gauge where exactly she was. She had been careful to ask careless questions, to pretend to stare at the map of the location with as much boredom as she could muster all those times they'd bothered to include her in things. Which wasn’t often, but Elain had tried.
And now, she was trying to find… Lucien.
A shudder went through her body at the thought of his name. The mate she had been ignoring.
The sun she was seeking, that she had blatantly pretended wasn’t there. Because he could be hurt and the thought of not hearing his heartbeat made her sick.
She hadn’t been ready before.
This time, she was.
Ready to run certainly, at the sound of another twig snapping. If only there weren’t predators that were ecstatic at the opportunity to chase their prey — and Elain had forgotten just how many predators were out there. How easy prey she was at the moment.
Alone. Vulnerable. Breathing so loudly she was positive they could hear her back in Velaris.
Elain took a deep, shaky breath and exhaled it quietly. Licking her lips, she did the one thing she hadn’t expected herself to do. She called out to her mate.
Lucien?
She called out silently, licking her lips as she tested the waters of the mating bond she’d been shackled with. A mating bond that, try as she might, was never as dormant as she let the others believe. She heard his heartbeat all the time. Felt emotions flicker from him. Saw hazy memories.
Elain bit her lip, and slowly as she moved forward, the panic began tingling through her body. Why would he be listening? It wasn’t like she’d called out to him before. It wasn’t like she had ever been particularly kind to him.
Elain, who was kind to everyone. She was nice. Took out all her rage at the one person who didn’t really deserve it. But gods, being nice was exhausting when she hated everything about herself. He sensed how she felt. He saw too much. Just as she saw and felt too much of him.
In that stupid vision, she saw him coming for her. And he was whole and healthy. She had felt relieved at the sight of him.
She only left to find that relief.
But all she was finding was panic.
“Lucien?” she whispered and then shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut. She was so stupid. How would he even hear her out here? Elain had no idea where she was or if she was on the right path.
All she had ever been useful for was being beautiful and nice. Maybe her mother had been right all along; she didn’t need to know how to use her brain when she had that face. Thinking she’d be good enough to try and venture out on her own had been so foolish of her.
No wonder no one included her in anything. She wasn’t smart. She wasn’t brave. She wasn’t useful. Elain was just there, a mistake, a sad sight no one even saw or paid attention to.
Her hand flew to her mouth to hold in the sob threatening to escape. She had been so stupid to come out here.
Another branch cracked and she whirled again at the sound, scanning the area around her. She couldn’t have ventured too far from the Spring Court. She had to still be close, right?
But as she took a step, Elain felt a chill run down her spine that had her freezing in place.
She swallowed and then whispered into the trees, “Lucien?”
Elain was afraid to close her eyes to seek him out, to travel without moving as she had done once before. She bit her trembling lip and looked for that thread that he had tested out with her so long ago. She looked for that thread around her ribs and tugged.
He had to find her.
He had to be listening. Or at least she hoped.
Her face fell as the feeling of unease flooded her senses. Why would he be listening? He certainly wasn’t obligated to give her any of his time. Just like she hadn’t been obligated to give him anything.
Except for a conversation. Maybe they could’ve been friends. Maybe more. Maybe less.
Taking a shaky breath, Elain shook her head. She needed to focus. She needed to find him. Closing her eyes and letting her senses take over, letting that power she kept to herself surface as she looked for him. She traveled while standing, searching, rooting for him. She looked and tugged at that bond, she searched with a desperation she’d never, in all her years felt.
He needed to find her. He needed to be okay.
And she needed to get out of this quickly darkening forest.
There.
She saw him, seated at a desk alongside the Mad General she had only met once long ago, and felt herself tremble at the sight of him. She watched him suddenly straighten as if sensing her.
“Lucien.” she whispered and Elain wasn’t sure if she was saying it in her mind or out in the open air but he seemed to hear her.
For Lucien shot out of his seat and Elain watched his eyes widen, scanning the room. “Elain?”
“I’m in the forest outside of the Spring Court. I came looking for you but you weren’t there. I’m lost and I want you to find me.” she blurted quickly, fighting back a sob. “Please find me.”
“Elain —” was all she heard from him, his voice echoing the panic that was close to seizing her and before she could say anything else, she was ripped out of her connection.
Elain stumbled forward and whirled around quickly to find a creature of nightmares snarling a few feet away from her.
The creature stood alone, covered in dark scales with powerful arms that ended in claws she knew would slice anyone into ribbons.
Elain could only stand in horror, staring at the creature that gave her a bone-chilling smile.
She hadn’t seen this in her vision.
“Pretty, pretty pet.” it rasped, its claws clicking together as it stalked towards her. “You smell so divine. I’m going to eat you right up.”
“N-no, thank you,” she whispered and the creature blinked at her and then chuckled in a way that made the hair on her arms raise.
“Ah, well. That’s not what I want to hear.”
And the air between them stilled. The predator and prey as Elain stared down the creature. She had come seeking her mate and instead, found herself alone and vulnerable, about to be eaten alive.
Is this what she would amount to? She had stabbed the King of Hybern once long ago. She could not die here, without facing her demons. She had seen what her life could look like and Elain had finally decided to do something about it. Her grip tightened on her blade and she swallowed hard as the creature tilted its head mockingly at her.
Elain let herself take a deep calming breath then without warning, broke out into a run. Birds fluttered from the trees above her as she ran back, not away to – from – from the Spring Court? She wasn’t sure and the panic she had been trying to suppress bubbled back up to the surface as the sound of the creature stalking her followed.
“Find me. Find me. Find me.” she chanted desperately, a sob slipping from her lips as she rounded a corner, following a light that had to be the earlier path she had followed. The light had to lead back to safety.
But as she ran, her cloak caught on a branch and with a yelp, she fell. Quickly rolling over, she swallowed a scream as the creature hovered over her, closer than she had expected and nearly gagged at its foul breath. Grabbing her by the ankle, it dragged Elain closer and she could only stare in horror, frozen in place.
“I’m going to pick you apart piece by pretty piece.” it hissed.
With a desperate scream, she finally kicked it with her free leg and scrambled away but it grabbed her again and Elain fell once more, the dagger slipping from her hand.
“Let - go - of - me!” she shriek-sobbed, her hand desperately seeking the hilt of that dagger.
“Pretty pet has some claws.” The creature rasped once more as it yanked Elain forward, leaning over her and Elain tried not to gag again at its foul breath, her hand still seeking the dagger. “Lost little lamb with no one here to save her. Left to be gobbled up.”
Her hand faltered for a breath.
No one here to save her.
Would she always be this way? Always waiting to be saved? Always the victim? Never knowing how to defend herself?
She had no desire to be a warrior but Elain was sick of being the prey.
Anger she hadn’t felt in a long while flared in her chest as her fingers finally wrapped around the hilt of the dagger and with a cry, she forced himself forward and shoved the dagger into the creature’s throat and held. She let out a scream of rage, fighting the urge to vomit when it’s black blood sprayed across her face. But Elain held and held tight, even as her hands shook until the gurgling sounds stopped and the creature slumped over her.
Elain let herself lay there, breathing heavily as her body started to shake. She was okay. She was fine. She had been attacked by a horrible creature and had survived. She was alive.
She would be —
The sound of running had the breath choked out of her. She couldn’t do this again — she couldn’t take another one.
But Elain couldn’t move. Her body wouldn’t budge and as tears started to spill, she bit back another sob, trying with all her might to move the dead weight off her. Never mind, its blood was on her hands and dress and face – never mind that she was likely to be crushed beneath its weight if she didn’t move.
Panic seized her fully as she tried to scramble up, the footsteps coming closer. She could pretend to be dead. She could —
A violent snarl echoed through the forest as the dead creature was ripped off her and Elain nearly shrieked once more until she saw who stood above her.
“Elain.”
Elain’s eyes widened as Lucien fell to his knees next to her, breathing as hard as she was. He started at her and the sheer amount of relief that washed over her made her lips start to tremble.
“Lucien.”
She watched as a slight shudder went through him at the sound of his name from her lips and her body trembled as she stared and stared and stared. He had come.
“Elain. Thank fuck, you’re – you’re alright,” he asked and his hands hovered over her for a moment, as if forgetting that they hadn’t touched casually before – as if remembering then, it would be the first time in over two years. She watched as he swallowed hard, his chest rising and falling before slowly, Lucien held out a hand to help her sit up and Elain dropped her gaze to his open palm. “Are you hurt? Can you sit up?”
She blinked, hoping the tremors coursing through her body would stop as she stared back up at him.
“You — you came.” was all she could think to say, staring at him as she slid her shaky hands in his and slowly sat up, her eyes never leaving him, devouring the sight of him.
“Of course, I came,” he said quietly. “You – you called.”
Tears welled up in her eyes at the words but she blinked them back and swallowed hard, trying to find the right words to say. He had come. He had listened.
“You found me,” she whispered, squeezing his hands and Lucien’s gaze softened.
He swallowed before carefully answering, “As long as you want me to find you...the bond will remain a thread between us.” he said quietly and squeezed her hands in return. “I’ll always find you.”
Her raging heart seemed to beat faster and Elain finally took a moment to run her gaze over his body. He was still in the tunic and trousers she had seen him in except now a sword was strapped to his back – a sword he hadn’t even bothered to use when he pulled the creature off her.
Her mate had used his bare hands to save her. And he was safe and whole, not a scratch to be found on him.
Elain met his gaze, finding him patiently watching her, his brows furrowed in concern, and suddenly remembered how she was covered in filth and flushed deeply, pulling her hands back to her lap.
The corner of his mouth twitched as he glanced down at his now empty palms and let them fall to his sides. “You want to tell me how you got here?”
“I – I had a vision.”
“Ah.”
“It was about you,” she whispered and his expression turned curious. “Something bad happened to you.”
Lucien seemed to be fighting to keep his expression carefully clear. “And that…worried you?”
Elain’s flush deepened and she swallowed before whispering, “Yes.”
The air between them seemed to go taut but Elain refused to break his gaze as a slight color bloomed on Lucien’s face.
This energy between them wasn’t like what Feyre and Rhys had. Or even what Nesta and Cassian had. This…this felt different.
The bond between them seemed to hold its breath until Lucien cleared his throat and finally said, so softly, in the way he always seemed to speak to her, “I’m sorry to have caused you all this trouble.”
Elain blinked and couldn’t help the huff of a small laugh that slipped from her lips, fisting her hands in her lap. “If anything, I’m the one to apologize for causing you trouble,” she said and bit her lip. “I dragged you all the way out here.”
Lucien chuckled and Elain felt it skate across her filthy skin. “You did give me quite the heart attack,” he said and the corner of his mouth curled up at her flush. “I thought I was hallucinating for a minute.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered and couldn’t look away from him, trying to blink back the embarrassed tears welling in her eyes. “I didn’t mean to – I just – “
Lucien shook his head then gently and so carefully, reached for her hand. “You have nothing to apologize for,” he said and offered her a small smile. “I’m thankful you did. I’m glad you did.”
And Elain felt her heart swell. This man – male who owed her nothing was glad she had called on him in her time of trouble.
“Even after all this time? We’ve barely spoken.”
“I know.” he only said and Elain felt her bottom lip tremble as she squeezed his hand in hers.
“Why?”
And Lucien couldn’t seem to help the tilt of his head as he gave her a look that was too knowing. “Because you never fully closed that door between us,” he said and Elain swallowed. “I know you’re well aware of how a mating bond works. You could reject it – reject me and no one would bat an eyelash.” He glanced at their hands and turned her palm over, his thumb daring to rub soothingly. “With the nature of the mating bond, a rejection would’ve been hard for me but I would’ve made peace with whatever decision was made.” Lucien met her gaze again. “I am not a male who forces himself to be where he is not wanted, especially with females. But…you kept the door open.”
“I’m not – I wasn’t —” Elain began then forced herself to swallow hard again. “I wasn’t ready.”
“I know,” he said again and gave her a small, slightly sad smile and Elain couldn’t stop herself from tightening the grip of her hand in his again.
She met his gaze and knew he could feel every jumbled emotion she felt, every complicated thought that flickered across her face. But he waited. Patiently. Kindly.
And it was like he sensed exactly how hard it was for her to say more, to express her desires.
The corner of his mouth curled up. “I will say…it has been very bold of you to assume I would be obsessed with you,” he added and Elain flushed. “If anything, this situation goes to show you’re the one who can’t stop thinking about me. Getting all worried and running around in the woods alone.” He ended the statement with a tsk and Elain blinked.
Before she could stop herself, a snort slipped from her at his statement and the snort turned into a raspy laugh and before Elain could stop herself, she was laughing so hard she could barely breathe.
She was sitting on the ground of an unknown forest, still covered in the blood of a creature she had killed and Elain couldn’t remember the last time she had laughed this hard.
And he sat with her as she laughed, watching her with amusement until the last giggle left her mouth, and Lucien couldn’t help but answer with a chuckle of his own.
She had found the sun. And it was smiling right back at her.
When she finally let out a sigh, marking the end of her slight loss of sanity a moment ago, Elain felt a sense of calm wash over her as he watched her and it took a few heartbeats of silence before Lucien broke the quiet.
“I take it you’re ready to move now?” he asked and Elain nodded as he looked around the woods. “How did you even manage to get here?”
He stood slowly and as Lucien pulled her up, Elain didn’t let go, staring up at him as she stood flush against his chest. She’d worry about how dirty she was later. “I sneaked away.”
Lucien’s brows lifted and the color on Elain’s cheeks deepened at his smirk. “Sneaked away, did you?”
“Oh yes,” she confirmed and Elain wondered if she’d ever realized how delicious he smelled. “Mor winnowed me in and I - um, waited until she was distracted and sneaked away.” Elain licked her lips. “But then I um, got lost.”
“Poor Elain, getting lost in the woods all alone,” he said in a tone with a teasing edge to it and Elain found her heart beating faster, forcing herself not to think about the tenor of his voice when he said her name, flushing lightly again.
But then color flushed on his cheeks and the silence between them seemed to soften; Elain couldn’t quite read the expression on his face but he seemed to struggle to say his next words.
“All this to find…me.” he said so very quietly and Elain seemed to hear the question without him asking it – that of all people, she had ventured out into the unknown for him? As if in disbelief that he would be worth the effort.
Then again, she hadn’t helped much in her avoidance of him.
“Y-yes.”
Once more, that thread at her ribcage went taut as they shared a glance and Elain wondered what it would be like if she just kissed him. Judging by the way his eyes watched her, she wouldn’t be too surprised if he could see it written all over her face, especially when he licked his lips.
“At least I’m not the only person you tried to give a heart attack to today,” he said with that teasing tone again and Elain’s lips twitched.
“Oh, Mor is definitely going to kill me.” she joked and her heart stuttered when his grip tightened on her slightly, watching him blink back a look of rage at the idea that someone might think to hurt her.
“Well, it’s a good thing I found you first then,” he said casually and cleared his throat. “Lest you get into any more trouble.”
“I think I’ve had enough trouble for one day,” Elain said and her eyes finally snagged on the creature, lying in a heap across the grounds. Her hands unintentionally tightened on Lucien as she eyed the dagger still stuck in the creature’s throat and once again, she couldn’t believe she had done it.
Lucien’s gaze followed hers and she felt his own hand tighten on her before he went back to scanning her face. “It seems a stab in the neck is to become your signature move.” he said lightly and Elain’s face heated.
“Twice is not enough to make it a signature move.”
“For someone who doesn’t fight often, twice is more than enough to become a signature move,” he said with a snort. “Remind me not to get on your bad side.”
“Considering you saved me today, I think you’re safe for now,” she said softly and Lucien seemed unable to help his chuckle.
“I hardly did any saving, my lady,” he said with a small smile, his tone as soft as hers. “You did that all on your own.”
And as Elain flushed deeply, she realized how long they’d been standing there, chest to chest just holding each other. The last time she had been held by him was that wretched day in Hybern and despite all the time and distance that had been between them, Elain seemed to feel nothing but ease to be held by him.
They stood for a few more heartbeats of silence, content to be just like this and Elain wondered if this was what the mating bond was always supposed to feel like. If she had been denying herself of this feeling she had always been craving.
She could hear the steady beat of his heart and while she was used to it being the lullaby that usually put her to sleep, Elain knew that wouldn’t be enough anymore.
“Let’s get you out of here and get cleaned up.” Lucien finally said gently and Elain nodded, knowing she should pull away but found herself hesitating to do so. He seemed to feel the same way as his hand casually tightened. “We wouldn’t want anyone to worry about you.”
At this moment, Elain didn’t really care who worried about her. Goodness knows how long had passed before they noticed she’d gone missing anyway.
But he noticed her. He seemed to always notice her.
So she couldn’t stop herself from asking, “Will you…stay with me?”
Lucien tried to mask the hope that flashed across his face by clearing his throat but Elain saw it – felt it and knew she asked the right question. “If that’s what you’d like me to do,” he said.
“It is,” she replied, her voice more sure than she’d ever been. “I would like that very much.”
His answering smile had warmth spread through her chest. “Then I am happy to oblige,” he said. “I am at your service, my lady.”
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That's what Christmas means to me
1707 Words | G Rating | Julie and the Phantoms AU
Luke kicks open the door, his keys hanging from his teeth and hands overflowing with bags from the grocery store. “Guys?! A little help?” he calls, words a bit jumbled as they form around his clenched teeth.
Alex appears at the end of the hall and lets out a soft chuckle, “you know you can take multiple trips, right?” He grabs one handful of bags and takes them into the kitchen, leaving Luke to remove his keys from his mouth and redistribute the remaining bags.
“You say that…” Luke replies, trailing after Alex and setting the bags onto the counter.
“How did you even get the door unlocked?”
Luke jazz hands as he answers, “magic!” He’s met with a fond eye roll as they both work on putting the groceries away. “Why’s it so quiet? Where’s Bex.”
“Uhhhh,” Alex hesitates. “You should probably just see for yourself.”
Luke quirks an eyebrow at that but leaves it and finishes up, tying the bags into bows and depositing them in their bag of bags under the sink.
“Does any of this need to go next door?” Alex asks and Luke shakes his head.
“Nope, not this time. We both know I’ll be here pretty much full time for the next two weeks anyway.” It’s their collective Christmas break and they officially have no responsibilities outside of their strange little family until the new year. “How scared should I be to leave the kitchen?” he wonders.
“I think you’ll be ok. Maybe. It’s everyone else I’m worried about.”
Luke cocks his head with a look of combined confusion and curiosity but opts to simply go into the living room. He’s met with what can only be described as a Christmas explosion and can’t help the laugh that erupts out of his throat. Boxes and totes are open throughout the space, they have a half built tree, decorations trail from box to box and beyond. Reggie and Willie are both wrapped in tinsel and garland, each topped with an elf and santa hat, respectively.
“It looks like you let a two year old loose at the north pole,” he says once he’s regained his composure.
“They kind of did,” Alex chimes in from behind him.
“Where IS Bex?” Luke asks again.
“Exploding Christmas wiped her out. She fell asleep,” Reggie explains as he works to detangle some beads.
“Ah! Explains the quiet.”
“Mhm,” Alex hums as he moves over to where Willie is, taking the newly fluffed branches and working to add them to the tree.
“Gonna help or stare?” Willie directs at Luke after a moment.
“Oh, I’m gonna stare. Y’all got yourself into this mess. I’m just here to enjoy it,” he flops onto the couch and props his feet onto the ottoman in front of him, exaggerating his movements obnoxiously. He’s in the middle of reclining back and putting his hands behind his head when he’s hit in the chest with a mass of shimmer.
“You’re going to help,” Reggie tells him, matter of fact. “Detangle those.”
Luke obliges, trying to find the end of the string of baubles that had been thrown at him. “Bex did all of this?!”
“No, they came out of the bin like this. I’m displeased with past me,” Reggie explains.
Luke hums in acknowledgement and continues his task.
“We’re listening to me when we pack shit up this year,” Alex states.
Willie groans, “ugh, but taking everything down and winding it up to be packed away is so tedious.”
“Future us will thank me,” Alex insists. “And you’re telling me that this,” he waves his arms around the space, “isn’t tedious?”
“Point, Alex,” Luke says and Willie responds by sticking their tongue out at him.
The four of them into their tasks, letting a comfortable silence surround them. Alex and Willie get the tree built and lit while Luke and Reggie successfully untangle everything that had needed it, building neat piles of decorations. They’re just able to start wrapping the tree with garland when they hear a small voice from behind the couch.
“Unca ‘Uke! Unca ‘Uke!”
Luke drops what he had been holding and turns to greet the toddler, crouching down to scoop her into his arms as she runs up to him, “hey, Peanut! You sure made a mess with your dads, didn’t you?”
She squeals as he spins her around. He settles her onto his hip and turns back toward the tree. Bex looks toward it and then back at Luke. “Why don’t we let Daddy, Papa, and Nomy do the boring stuff and then we can help hang the pretty things when they’re done?” He directs a questioning look his friends’ way for confirmation and they nod.
Bex excitedly agrees, pushing away from Luke so that he sets her down. She leads him to one of the bins that hadn’t already been emptied and digs into it, pulling out some of their other decor.
Luke offers a small chuckle, taking everything she hands him. “Yeah, we can put these out while we wait.” He trails behind her as she sets out the decorations throughout the apartment: singing animatronic snowmen wind up in the doorway to the kitchen, a dancing snowman is set just outside her bedroom, Luke guides her to place the doormat in the entry hall, and various bells are placed on the first doorknobs she encounters. When they return to the living room lootless, the others are almost done wrapping the tree.
“You know what we’re missing,” he directs to Bex.
“MUSIC!” she cheers and he laughs.
“Yeah, you know what’s up. Music! You gonna help?”
She nods vigorously, “I help!”
Luke digs through the various boxes until he finds what he’s looking for, their small record collection of Christmas music. He calls Bex over, not that she ever drifts far from his side when she’s around, and her eyes widen in excitement.
“I pick?”
Luke nods, “yeah, you pick. What should we listen to?”
Bex sifts through the records, as gently as she’s capable of considering her age, pulls out a bright purple album and hands it to Luke who can’t help but laugh.
“When did we get Cee Lo Green’s Christmas album?”
“Probably Willie,” Alex mutters.
“Yep! That was me,” Willie readily agrees, “I saw it at a thrift store last year and couldn’t not.”
“Sounds about right,” Luke laughs as he walks over to the record player, letting Bex lead him through the process and stepping in where she needs help. “We’ll get you rocking properly one day,” he tells her softly as he places the record on the turntable.
He was apparently still loud enough to be heard because Reggie coughs out a laugh of his own, “you have her trained on how to properly handle records and operate the record player, what more are you wanting from her?”
“Luke’s in charge of potty training, by the way,” Alex chimes in from the other side of the tree before muttering an addition, “the only person she’ll actually listen to.”
Willie and Reggie utter grunts of agreement, still battling their ongoing bitterness at her very obvious preference for the only one of them who was adamant he was not parent material.
“I’ll laugh my ass off if she grows up refusing to listen to what you like,” Willie directs back toward Luke.
Luke makes an affronted sound as he scoops Bex into his arms, “she would NEVER!”
She giggles at him as he tries to help form her hand into devil’s horns. “Rock and roll forever! Right, Peanut?”
“Ro’ ‘n roll!” she agrees heartily.
Alex sighs before moving them on, “we’re ready for you.”
“Hear that, Bex? We’re up!”
The five of them work through the various ornaments and candy canes, letting Bex place anything that isn’t fragile where she can reach and the others trying to counter balance her heavy hand through the rest of the tree. They fall into various song and dance breaks as Cee Lo Green plays in the background meaning that their task takes them significantly longer than it might otherwise but none of them mind. Their little family is just happy to have this time together.
When they’ve finally finished with the tree, Reggie crouches down to hand Bex the star. “This is a very important job, Munchkin. Can you handle it?”
Bex nods vigorously, taking the star from Reggie.
“OK, Daddy is gonna lift you up cuz he’s the tallest. You just have to put it on the very tippy top!”
Bex nods again. “Tippy top!” she confirms before running over to Alex who scoops her up and leans her toward the top of the tree. She gives placing the star her best effort but Alex has to help smush the branches together so it settles on nicely. Once they’re satisfied, he props her on his hip as he steps back, letting Willie plug it into the strand of lights.
“You ready? Alex asks Bex and she nods. Luke makes his way over to the switch for the overhead lights and Reggie takes his position at the outlet behind the tree. They are almost in sync as the room goes dark, only to be illuminated by the lights of the tree.
“Ooooohhh!” Bex coos as her eyes widen at the sight.
Willie and Reggie make their way over to where Alex and Bex are, crowding in on either side of them and Luke digs out his phone to take a picture.
Willie tugs on the hem of Alex’s sweater, pulling harder when they get his attention so that he leans down for a kiss.
Bex watches them intently, impatiently speaking up when they separate. “Kiss Bex!”
The adults laugh and they each pepper her face with kisses of their own until she’s squealing and pushing them away.
“Merry Christmas, family,” Reggie says wistfully as he takes everyone in.
“Merry Christmas, Reg,” the others echo back.
“Merry Chrismus, Papa!” Bex cheers, reaching out to him. He takes her from Alex and wraps her into a tight hug. It takes less than a moment for three additional pairs of arms to join the hug and they relish in the short moment of peace and togetherness they’ve allowed themselves.
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