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Soren

fiddled with the broom as he absently swept the pristine kitchen

floor. Eli clattered down the loft stairs, making Soren jump at the

noise. Eli sighed. "You do realize you cleaned the kitchen this

morning. And yesterday. The house is immaculate, sweetie." Soren

didn't seem to notice Eli's remark."Did we clean the guest bathroom

Eli?" Eli

rolled his eyes. "Yes, Soren. Yes. We cleaned the whole damn house.

Twice. Please, sweetheart, relax." Soren

sighed, slipping into a chair. "I can't relax, Eli. Your parents

are here in less than an hour."Eli

couldn't conceal an exasperated groan. "Oh, Soren, sweetie. They

don't hate you. They like you. They LIKE you. Mom, Dad, and

Elly all thanked me for bringing you to Thanksgiving. Mom called

and asked to speak with you,

don't you remember. Hell, we went shopping two

weeks ago and they had fun with you. You had fun too, didn't you?" Soren

gave a tiny growl. "I KNOW they like me. I like them.

they're nice people. I'm just anxious. It's stupid. I'm just afraid

I'll disappoint them, or something. It's not exactly a rational

thing. I'm just trying to make their visit as nice as possible." Eli

abruptly picked Soren out of the chair. "Nope. You're not doing

this," said Eli as he steered Soren to their couch. He pointed an

imperious finger. "Lay down." Soren did so. Eli neatly placed

himself on Soren's lap. "You are staying right here until the

doorbell rings. You. Need. To. Relax. And you can either make me sit

on you or you can attempt to wind down. Got it?" Soren

sighed but was unable to resist a grin. "Will you cuddle with me,

then?" Eli

smiled, shifting his position so he was laying on top of Soren now.

"Of course, sweetie." Soren

growled as Eli lay on top of him, feeling his delicate hands run

across his shoulders. "I'm sorry, Eli. I'm just high strung right

now." "I

get that, love," whispered Eli. "But I'm telling you that you

have absolutely nothing to feel nervous about. They like you. They

have yet to find anything wrong with you. Hell, Elly wouldn't admit

it to your face, but she admires how much you know about science and

music and, well, anything. I promise you it will be all right. "I'm

sorry, Eli. You're right, and I know you're right. A few minutes

peace might be a good idea."Eli

kissed Soren. "Thanks, sweetie. I love you." "I

love you too, Eli," said Soren, his eyes closed. They lay there for

a while. Soren kept turning to check the clock, but Eli would pull

him back, kissing him or nuzzling him. It took a bit, but he was

finally starting to wind down. There was a knock on the door. Soren

jumped, knocking into Eli's cheek with his chin. "Oof,"

grunted Eli as he got up. He guided Soren to their front door,

shouting "coming," as they walked. Soren went to open the

deadbolt, but Eli put his hand on Soren's. "Soren. Listen. All they

want to do is spend time with us. With you, really. We've been living

together for months now and they've only met you twice. They still

don't know you as well as they want to." "Well,

let's not let keep them waiting, dear." said Soren, kissing Eli.

Soren opened the door, smiling widely with Eli's arm around his

shoulder. "Heya! Merry Christmas!" "Merry

Christmas," chorused a pile of parcels and bags standing at their

door. "Oh

geez," said Eli, looking at the pile of stuff his parents were

staggered under. "You could have asked us for help." Elly

dumped a portion of her pile of boxes into Soren's arms. "You know

Dad would rather die than take two trips. Wow... this is your house?"

"Mmhmm,"

said Eli. "It's a nice place. Just dump it by the tree. Do you want

a tour?" "Sure,"

said Lyra as she deposited her own burden under the small plastic

tree that Soren had bought. "This

is a really great place," said Logan, taking in the spacious

apartment. "You've been doing really well then." "Yeah,"

said Soren. "The last auction was brilliant. He was painting all

around the city." "In

the middle of winter," asked Elly, eyebrow raised. "Did the snow

mess with the paint at all?" "Dear

god, yes," smiled Eli. "There was this one painting, the scene at

the park was too perfect, but it was sleeting. Soren stood outside

for hours with an umbrella and an enormous pot of tea, just so I

could paint." "It

paid off," said Soren, rubbing Eli''s shoulders. "Someone paid

through the nose for that. Besides, it was fun to watch it take

shape.""Why

don't we show you where you guys are sleeping," said Eli, opening

the door to the guestroom. "We actually got a proper bed for the

place now." "Oh,

this is really nice," said Lyra as she placed her own bag inside

the door. "I'm

sleeping here," shouted Elly from a different room. Eli poked his

head out the door. Elly was sitting neatly on the edge of the bed

that he Soren shared. "Bullshit,"

said Eli. He pointed imperiously. "You're on the couch." ''Uh-uh,"

said Elly, flopping backward and spreading out her arms wide to take

up as much space as she could. "This is an awesome bed. You're such

a bad host Eli. Aren't you supposed to cater to your guests?" "I'll

handle this," said Soren, walking briskly to their bedroom. He

leaned down, speaking quietly to Elly alone. "You know, do you

really want to be sleeping in the same bed that your brother and I

have sex in? Elly

sat bolt upright, her barbed tail poker straight. "Eeep! When did

you last-" Soren

grinned wolfishly "Last night. Didn't think of that, did you? Now

why don't you take your stuff and I'll get you some blankets and

pillows."Elly

quickly got off the blue bedspread and walked back to the couch

without a word. Soren dug some blankets out of the linen closet. Eli

was walking his parents through the house. "...The stairs lead up

to the loft. You can snoop around, but I swear to god do NOT lift the

tarps." Lyra

laughed. "And it goes full circle, now doesn't it. I remember

yelling at you and Elly more often than I should have about looking

at my works in progress." She gave Logan a playful push. "You

too, for that matter. Well, we're kinda tired. It was a long drive."

Eli

nodded. "Fine by me. Do you need anything?" Logan

shook his head. "I think we're fine." "Great,"

said Eli. He hugged his parents. "Night Mom. Night Dad. Merry

Christmas." Waving goodnight to Elly, Eli shut the door to their

bedroom. "Did you tell her we wash the sheets every time like

normal people?" "Did

I need to," smiled Soren, kissing Eli. "They

were impressed with the place," said Eli as he took off his shirt.

"they were surprised at how clean it was." "I'll

be getting up early tomorrow," said Soren as he took off his jeans.

Eli

gave Soren an appraising look. "Dammit, how early? It's Christmas!

And what would you be doing anyway?" "When

do your parents normally get up," asked Soren as he ran water to

brush his teeth. "Mom

gets up around nineish," said Eli through his toothbrush. "Dad

sleeps in when he deems it 'appropriate.'" "Then

I'll be up around eight, eight thirty," said Soren as he rinsed his

brush off. "I want to cook us all breakfast." "I'm

sure it'll be delicious," said Eli. "Hey, congratulations." Soren

raised an eyebrow. "Wait, what?"Eli

kissed Soren, rubbing a hand across his bare chest. "You graduated

to boxer shorts, and Mom, Dad, and Elly are all in the house with

us." Soren

chuckled. "It feels different when it's our house."Eli

guided them to bed. "Or maybe it's because you're getting used to

them. Merry Christmas, Soren. I love you." "I

love you too, Eli." Soren rested his head on Eli's chest. He sighed

as Eli ran delicate paws through his lengthening blue hair. He

normally liked it cropped fairly short, but Eli said he looked cute

in longer hair, so he was growing it out a bit, just for fun. Snaking

his arms behind Eli's slender back, he snuggled himself deeper into

Eli's chest tuft and let contentment overlap him. Eli growled in

pleasure as his hands traced Soren's bare back. Soren sighed as he

felt himself drifting. "I love you so much, Eli."

Soren

hit his watch alarm on the first ring. Slowly, he extracted himself

from Eli's slender arms and got out of bed. Soren slipped out of the

blankets. He walked to his dresser and pulled on navy blue pajamas

and his bathrobe. Eli's groggy voice drifted from the pillows. "Merry

Christmas, sweetheart." "Sorry,

sweetie," frowned Soren. "I didn't want to wake you up." "It's

all right," said Eli, turning onto his side. "Do you mind if I

don't help with breakfast?" "It's

ok," said Soren, leaning over Eli to tuck more blankets around him.

"I'll tell you when your parents are up." Eli

growled as Soren pulled blankets up to his chin. "Thanks, darling.

I love you."Soren

kissed Eli. "I love you too, Eli. Merry Christmas." Soren gave

Eli's shoulders a light rub before turning to the door. He slipped

into the dark kitchen. Soren went snooping around the fridge for

something tasty to inspire him. Hrrmm... what to do with that kringle

dough? Blackberries? Yes, for sure. But then what? Omletes would

work. There was bacon, cheese, ham, cheese, mushrooms, cheese,

avocados, cheese... nice. He preheated the oven in anticipation of

the kringle. Soren

quietly gathered ingredients, placing them on the counter. Soren made

sure that the sliding door dividing the kitchen and the living room

was shut. He didn't want to wake the others. He chopped briskly.

Getting the omelets ready took many ingredients but little time. He

threw them back in the fridge, ready to be cooked when people were

actually awake. The

kringle on the other hand, what to do, what to do? He had crafted the

dough last night, but the filling? The blackberries would work, but

the raspberries were getting to that zone where they were close to

going bad. They were squishy, a little tart, but still not rotten.

They would make wonderful filling. Soren

went decided to fold the dough pretzel shape, mostly because he was a

show off and also because he had enough dough. Pasting the berries

together with sugar, vanilla, and a bit of cream, he folded it

between the dough, cutting slits for ventilation and aesthetics. Soren

decided to throw the kringle in the oven. It needed to cook for a

while anyway, and people would be up by then. But now for the glaze.

Soren poked around the kitchen. Where the hell was it? He didn't want

to use the electric one, that would be too loud. The fact that he was

unable to find something in his kitchen was bizarre in itself. Out of

habit, he checked the dishwasher, and lo and behold, there it was.

The dishes were clean too, but he'd have to empty that later. Too

noisy. Soren quickly mixed flour and powdered sugar for a glaze,

checking the clock as he quietly cranked the eggbeaters. It was a bit

past eight. Soren

checked the oven. The kringle was looking ok. Soren set an alarm on

his watch for ten minutes before the kringle was out. Soren took his

book off the kitchen table, sticking his nose inside as he wandered

to the living room and sat down on the couch. A short scream echoed

through the apartment. Soren leaped off the couch apologizing

profusely. "Oh damn. I forgot you were sleeping here." Elly

glared as she reached for her glasses. "You could have set an alarm

like a normal person."Soren

sat down on the other side of the L-shaped couch, "I'm really

sorry. That's what I get for zoning out in my book."Elly

rolled her eyes. "No, it's fine. Merry Christmas." She hugged

Soren, causing his tails to shoot out and bristle. Eli

poked his head out of their bedroom, bleary eyed. "Who got

attacked?" Elly

threw the blankets over the back of the couch. "Your boyfriend

decided to use my legs as a couch cushion." Soren

jumped as the guest bedroom door opened. Lyra walked out wearing

crimson pajamas that matched her pointed hair and tail tips. Soren

felt himself flushing with embarrassment. "I guess I woke you up

too?"Lyra

shook her head, smiling. "No. I was getting out of the shower when

I heard you guys." "Is

Dad up," asked Eli. Lyra

nodded. "He's getting dressed." Eli

shook his head. "What, is he going to open Christmas presents in a

suit?""No,"

said Logan, emerging from the guest room wearing dark gold pajamas.

"But these pajamas are nicer than the ones I slept in." Elly

rolled her eyes, getting up to hug her father. "Only you would have

formal pajamas, Dad. Merry Christmas."Lyra

finished hugging Eli, switching over to hug Elly. "Merry

Christmas." Soren

sat, slightly self-consciously, on the couch. "So, uh, what do you

guys want to do." Lyra

and Logan turned to face Soren. "Don't think we forgot about you,"

said Lyra, smiling. Soren

blushed furiously as both Lyra and Logan hugged him. "I-uh...

Thanks. Do you want to start gifts?" He clicked a button on his

iHome remote, starting his "mellow tones" playlist.Elly

perked a pointed ear as the music began, an exert from the Metroid

Prime soundtrack. "What? No Christmas carols? At least today of all

days you'd play carols." "No,"

said Soren firmly. "I really don't like carols. They bore me

musically and they're overplayed." Those weren't the real

reasons. Back at home, carols were played nonstop by his parents

every damn minute of the days starting the day after Thanksgiving,

and to be perfectly honest, home was the last place Soren wanted to

think about, today of all days.Elly

shrugged. She deftly tossed a box to Lyra. "Suit yourself. Merry

Christmas, Mom." Logan

sighed, walking to the plastic tree . "Honestly Elly, where are

your manners. You give gifts to the host first." He passed a large

box to Eli and what looked like a hastily wrapped crate to Soren. The

crate was absurdly heavy. "Thanks for hosting us." Eli

unwrapped the box, pulling our a bright gold jersey. "A hawkeyes

jersey? What are you playing at Dad?"

Logan

stood up from his place on the couch. "You spent eighteen years as

a hawkeye. Then you drove off to college. You took all these classes

and met friends and got filled with dangerous ideas. And then you

came home one day and told us that you..." Logan looked away,

putting a hand on his forehead. He clicked a filed a nail on his

horn. "You said that you were... a cyclone." Lyra gave a

dramatic gasp from her perch on Soren's aged armchair. Soren

started to withdraw for a moment. Faux-dramatics aside, this

conversation was eerily similar to a conversation with his own

parents. Soren tucked his knees under his muzzle, drawing his tails

around his ankles. He closed his eyes for a second, biting his lips.

Quietly, he slipped into the kitchen, he boiled water for coffee and

tea. Soren

frowned into the teapot. Dammit, don't think about them! Not today of

all days. Do you know what? Fuck them. They were probably up hours

ago for some five in the morning service or bullshit like that. Then

it would be putting on their nicest clothes to go Rebecca's for

boring-ass dinner. Gifts wouldn't even be opened until around seven

or eight in the evening. He really didn't want to be home anyway. Not

when Eli was in the other room.Soren

found five mugs, digging about for some tea bags as well. They didn't

have anything but oolong tea, but they had a wide variety of coffee.

Hazelnuts felt like a good choice. Soren didn't need to wait long for

the coffee. He liked this new coffee maker that Eli had bought. It

was fast. He barely had time to find cream and sugar for the coffee

before it was done. Hooking

the mugs onto a tail, Soren grabbed the tea and coffee pots and

returned to the living room. He sat back down next to Eli, placing

the tea and coffee on the table. "I didn't know what people

wanted," said Soren, unhooking the mugs from his tails. "But all

we have is oolong tea. It's strong stuff." Eli

was now wearing his gold hawkeye jersey and hat, clashing horribly

with his emerald green pajamas. He kissed Soren's cheek, wrapping his

arms around Soren's waist."You're the best, sweetie," said Eli as

he picked up a mug of coffee, spooning in copious amounts of sugar.

"We were waiting for you. You had a gift in your lap when you

left." Logan

leaned forward on Jeanne's great winged armchair. "I'm sure you'll

like it. Go on, open it up." Soren

hooked the sturdy paper with a claw, ripping open the packaging. A

larger wooden crate was inside. It was sturdy and smelled slightly of

dust. Soren gently lifted the lid off the crate, blowing away a cloud

of dust off the top. The crate was filled to bursting with magazines.

Gingerly, Soren flicked a finger down the covers. He pulled out an

issue at random. The cover depicted two dragons, one brilliant

silver, the other deepest crimson, waging war across a castle tower.

"Are these all Dragon?" "Yes,"

said Logan, grinning widely, "I have every issue. I was a

subscriber from day one." Soren

gaped. "You... well, of course you know Dragon went out of print.

And you're... giving all of these to me?" "Absolutely,"

said Logan, sitting back in the chair. "That dust isn't there

because I like the smell. I haven't touched them in years. You and

Eli have been actively gaming much more than I have in years. You'd

put them to much better use than I have lately. " "I...

uh. Oh my god. Thank you. THANK YOU," stammered Soren. "These are

so hard to find. There's so much history in this box! THANK YOU!"

Soren delicately placed the magazine back in its place, standing up

to offer Logan his hand. Logan

gave Soren a sharp-toothed grin. Taking Soren's hand, he pulled Soren

into a strong armed hug. "I knew you'd like them. They've got a

much better home here than in my basement." Eli

was fingering through the magazines. "Damn, Dad. I had no idea you

had all these. How come when I was home you never showed me these?""In

all honesty, I lost them," said Logan. "It was only recently I

found them. it was about a week before we went shopping together."

Soren

turned to fish through the pile of packages, looking for a small box.

"On the topic of games, I have something for you, Logan." Soren

produced a small package wrapped in gold paper. "It's not much, but

it's something I'd think you'd like." Logan

took the tiny package and carefully unwrapped it. "Oh, fudge,"

said Logan. Using a long, filed claw, Logan cut a corner off the

two-fist sized block of fudge. "Mmm... chocolate peanut butter?

How'd you know that was my favorite?"Soren

sat back down, letting Eli cuddle up to him. "It helps that I'm

living with your son. But also I saw you order that flavor of ice

cream when we went shopping. But there's more." Logan

inspected the smallest parcel, only about the size of his finger. He

unwrapped it deftly. "A flash drive?"Soren

nodded. "Well, it comes with some stuff on it. Over thanksgiving

you said you wanted to game more, but you couldn't find the people to

do it with. Have you heard of Roll20?" Logan

shook his head. "No. Never heard about it before." Soren

pulled up the homepage on his smartphone. "It's an online medium

for table top games. It has maps, miniatures, number generators,

character manipulators, all sorts of fun stuff. It even has built in

chat." Logan

nooded. "So... what's in the flash drive?""Oh,

right," said Soren, rolling his eyes and flicking his temple.

"Telling you what's on the thing is kind of important.

There's a notepad with a username and password for a gold account on

Roll20. I paid for a one year pass on a gold account at Roll20, but I

put it in your name. I also gave you digitial copies of every RPG

rulebook I own. I have Scion, Changeling, Vampire the Masquerade,

Advanced and third ed Dungeons and Dragons, Pathfinder, and I even

had a few Nekorb books too."Eli

repositioned himself in Soren's lap. "Soren also invited you to

join one of our virtual D&D games. It's a game we've kept up with

our college buddies. My username is WanderingMonster and Soren's is

BardicBanquet."Logan

gave Soren and Eli a bewildered grin."So, you two are inviting your

old man to play with you ?""Why

not," asked Eli. "you got me into gaming. I'm not ashamed of you

or anything. It'll be fun!"Logan

smile grew wider, showing off all his pointed teeth. "You're right.

What's my user name, by the way?"Soren

flushed a little. "You can change it if you like... but I couldn't

resist, well, with you being a lawyer and all." Logan

chuckled. "What? Tell me, c'mon." Soren

scratched the back of his head. "I named the account Order's

Wrath." Logan

and Eli roared with laughter. "That's so, so... cheesy," huffed

Eli, punching Soren's arm. Soren

chuckled half-heartedly. "It's a terrible joke, but I couldn't

resist. You can change it in your settings.""No,

no," said Logan, huffing a bit from his laughing fit. "I like it.

And I look forward to playing with you two. Are your friends ok with

letting me sit in?" "It's

fine," said Eli, waving away Logan's anxieties. "They're eager to

see how a veteran plays new games."Logan

gave the two half a grin. "Are you calling me old?" "No,"

said Soren. "You just have a lot of experience points." Logan

chuckled as Soren turned around and dug under the plastic tree again.

"And I have something for you too, Lyra." Soren straightened up,

holding another small box, wrapped in the same golden paper. "Thank

you," said Lyra, using a finger to undo the tape on the box. A

fruity scent filled the air as the paper fell the ground. Lyra

inhaled deeply through her nose. "Mmm... Raspberries?" Lyra broke

off of a piece of the fudge. "This is delicious. Eli, does Soren

cook like this all the time?" "All

the time," said Eli, kissing Soren on the cheek. "He spoils me,

really." "Sometimes

we get take out like normal people," said Soren, adjusting grip on

Eli. "There's more, Lyra."Lyra

placed the box of fudge on the coffee table, opening the other box.

It was packed full of index cards. Lyra took one out and read the

contents. "Are these all recipes?" "Yes,"

said Soren. "I copied down as many as I could. I included

everything from thanksgiving as well as Eli's favorites. Jeanne loved

sharing recipes. It's a tradition that I thought I'd continue with

you." "Wow,"

said Lyra, flipping through the box. "There must be hundreds... I'm

honored that you'd pass these on to me."Soren

smiled. "Jeanne always though that the idea of secret recipes was

stupid. What good is good food if only one person can make it?" "Thank

you, Soren," said Lyra. She got up and hugged Soren. "It means a

lot that you'd share these with me I'd offer to cook something

tonight if I didn't know you'd out cook me every time. And thanks for

the fudge." Soren

scratched the back of his head. "You're too kind. Your cooking is

just as good as mine.""Speaking

of cooking," said Logan as he began to rummage under the tree, "I

have something for you. Merry Christmas, dear." He handed Lyra a

small, rectangular box. Lyra

unwrapped the box, revealing a small kitchen knife. It's blade was

slightly curved and serrated, and was also full of holes. "I've

never seen a knife like this. What's it do?" Logan

blushed a little, looking down. "I uh... don't know. But I had

never seen something like it before, and I thought you'd know." "I

know," said Soren. "It's technically a cheese knife, but I have

something just like it. The blade is designed to cut through soft

foods without squishing it. The holes stop food from sticking to the

blade. When the kringle gets out of the oven I'll show you how I use

it if you'll let me."Lyra

flipped the blade over her fingers. "Sure. I'll take your

endorsement wholeheartedly." "I

guess it's my turn," said Elly. "Open em up." Logan

held up a dark hardcover book. "Dresden Files. I didn't know this

was a book first." "Mmhmm,"

said Elly. "I had to snoop around for ages to find a copy that

didn't have the TV show as the cover. Dig in. The books cover a lot

more stuff than the show. Have fun!" Lyra

unwrapped the box, undoing the ribbon with a her thumb. "Oh wow.

These are really pretty. Is that real leather?" She held up a pair

of fine gloves, stained wine red and lined with black felt."Mmhmm,"

said Elly. "You always walk around with that ratty old pair of

gloves. They're what, ten years old? Go on, try them on." Lyra

tugged on the gloves, wriggling her fingers as she felt the soft

fabric inside. "These are wonderful. Thank you." She returned

the gloves gently to the box. Getting out of her seat again, Lyra dug

around the tree and produced four parcels of varying size. She passed

them out to Logan, Elly, Eli, and Soren, sitting back down and

smiling as they opened their gifts with a chorus of rustles. Logan

held up a book with a crimson cover. "The Looking Glass Wars?" "Elly

helped me with that one," said Lyra. "She told me you'd never

read the series. It's a more intense interpretation of Alice and

Wonderland. A lot of fantasy action. I'm surprised you'd never

touched this series, to be honest.""Wonderful,"

said Logan without a trace of sarcasm. "No I have two series to

sink my teeth into." "I

read the whole series," said Elly, pointing to the Looking Glass

Wars. "This one is only the first book." She looked down at her

own unwrapped parcel. A paperback book lay in Elly's lap. "Walk Two

Moons... I've never heard of this one. What's it about, Mom?" Lyra

leaned back in Soren's old chair as she spoke. "It's about a girl

who goes on a road trip to find the place where her mother is buried

and understand her past. There's this lovely nonlinear thing going

on, so pay attention when you read. I had fun when I read it." "I

look forward to cracking this open," said Elly. She got up and

hugged her mother. "Thanks. I've been looking for a new book for

ages." Eli

began unwrapping his own gift, ripping away the green paper. "Oh

wow... I can do so much with these. Oh my god... this stuff must have

cost a fortune. You gave me about forty different colors here. And

these brushes... I don't think even the best of my collection is this

nice. Thank you, Mom. Where did you get these?" Eli held up one of

the bottles of paint to show. "I

have my sources," said Lyra with a wry smile. "The brush was a

gift from a friend. She made it by hand. She game me one too. This

one brush can play with textures and thickness all on its own. It's

super versatile." Eli

jumped off the couch and jogged up to the loft. "I got something

for you, Mom." There was a brief pause as the sounds of rummaging

echoed down the loft stairs. Eli clattered down the stairs, a tarp

covered canvas held gingerly in his hands. "I thought it was about

time to do an art swap with you." Eli

revealed the painting beneath the canvas. The painting showed four

canine figures formed of sharp, angular polygons. On the far right

was a tall but stocky figure, emphasized by sharp, acute angles with

distinct horns and barbed tail. It was colored a bright gold. Moving

further to the left was a shorter, crimson figure, with less sharp

angles that held a flowing motion to the nine tails that carpeted the

ground. Further left still was a figure shorter than the previous

even, retaining the sharpness of the profile on the far right. And on

the far left, placed off to the side to put focus on the other

figures but still be clearly within the family, was a bright green

profile. It was tall and lithe, with a figure and tails that shared

the motion and femininity of the red figure yet maintained the

angularity and height of the gold one. Lyra

gingerly took the canvas in her hands. "Oh... wow... I love this

style. Have you done work like this before?

"No,"

said Eli. "This is the first time I was happy with the results." Lyra

gently placed the canvas by her chair so that the everyone else could

see it. "Now you were talking about a swap?" "You've

already filled your end of the deal," said Eli. "It's called more

than twenty years of teaching me art, raising me, and generally

making me the person I am today." Lyra

laughed. "Well then, I'll gladly accept your work. I know exactly

where it will go. Thank you." Digging beneath the tree again, she

pulled out a large wrapped box. "This is for Soren." Soren

accepted the large box and sat back down. "Wow, This is enormous."

Soren unwrapped seven different hardcover books and an enormous

leather-bound binder. "Oh... this... these books, but this edition

is out of print... but of course you know this. You wrote them." Lyra

laughed. "That's the advantage of being the author. I kept a few

sets lying around. I remembered you saying how much you loved Chasing

the Sun. The collector's set didn't really catch on, and they stopped

being printed when you were what, eight?" "Lyra,"

muttered Soren. "I... I did have these books, once. But I lost

them. They're in a place where I can't get them again. I... Thank

you. You have no idea what it means to see these books again."

Slowly, Soren got up and hugged Lyra. After a brief moment he broke

apart, incredibly self consciously. Lyra

smiled. "I'm glad it means a lot to you. Look in the binder." Soren

slowly sat down, taking the thick leather binder in his hands. "Oh

my... is this all concept art? This... This is just like how I

imagined Soluh. All this is your work? It's amazing!" Lyra

laughed, a short yip of glee. "Actually some of it's Eli's. Eli got

swept up in the Crimson Veil as much as you did from what I can tell.

His stuff is in the back half." There was a rustling as Soren

flipped to the back. "How old was Eli when he did these sketches?"

"Stuff

like this was all he drew from ages eight to ten," said Lyra. "Moooom,"

groaned Eli, "Why didn't you tell me you were giving Soren old

work? You're embarrassing me. My old stuff is terrible." "No,

it's not," said Lyra. "Besides, I'm pretty sure that Soren would

want to see it. He told me himself Chasing the Sun shaped his

childhood. You helped me shape the series yourself. Soren would want

to see how we collaborated."Soren

was still flipping through the binder. "Eli,

when you were eight you drew better stuff than I did when I was

twenty. This is all

really good stuff. To be honest I like your take on Soluh better." Eli

kissed Soren's cheek as he continued to flip through the binder.

"You're a dirty liar. If you're trying to get laid tonight you'll

have to do better than that." Soren blushed deeply at this, burying

his nose deeply in the binder and forcing a laugh. His awkward

chuckles were drowned out by Elly's cackle of mirth and Lyra and

Logan's stifled guffaws. "Wow,

Eli," said Lyra through her stifled laughs. "You're worse than me

at taking compliments."

Eli gave "Mom, don't do

that again without asking me, or I will tell Soren about that

book." Lyra

leaned to the edge of the chair. "You wouldn't!" Eli

showed all his teeth in a devious grin. "I would. I'll tell him the

pseudonym you wrote it under." "That's

a low blow. I was younger than you when that got published," said

Lyra, color rising under her fur. "Oh,

now I'm curious," said Soren. "What's this skeleton in your

closet, Lyra?" Eli

began to speak, but Lyra cut him off, brandishing her new kitchen

utensil. "I swear to god if you tell him I will castrate my own

son with this knife!" "Not

on this couch, please," said Eli. "I'd hate to stain it. This is

for Elly." He threw his sister a red envelope. "I wasn't too sure

what to get you, but a friend dropped me a hint." Elly

sliced open the envelope with a filed claw. "Tickets? OH! I didn't

know Wicked was back in San Francisco!" "Well,

it's not, yet," said Eli. "A friend tipped me off that it's

moving there this spring. So this is a long term gift. If you lose

the tickets, call me. They're under my name and I can print them out

again. Last year you were moaning that Wicked was in Iowa while you

were at school, so I thought I'd treat you. I got you three tickets,

so bring some friends.""Thanks,

Eli. I've been wanting to see this for ages!" Elly hugged her

brother, her tickets clenched tightly in her hand. "Tell

me how it is," said Eli. "I haven't had the chance to see it yet,

though honestly it's not high on my list." Eli broke apart to dig

our three long, thin boxes under the tree. He passed them to his

father. "And I didn't forget about you Dad. Logan

unwrapped the boxes, producing a driver, an iron, and a putter. He

stood up, feeling the wieght of the golf clubs in his hands. "Oh

wow, where did you find these? You're really cruel to give these to

me now!" Eli

looked perplexed. "What?" "It's

snowing out! I'll have to wait at least three months before I can

really play with these! Now they'll just have to gather dust in my

office, taunting me, until it gets warm! I didn't know you golfed,

Eli. These are wonderful." Eli

gave his Dad a bemused smile. "I don't golf. Soren gave me help."

"I

don't golf either," said Soren. "I asked my boss about good brands.

Does Harold have good taste?""Yes,"

said Logan, walking over to find a thin, wide box wrapped with a

silver ribbon. "Very good taste indeed. I can't wait to try them myself. This is for Elly."Elly

took the box, unwrapping the paper and holding up, "...A dress? You

bought me a dress, Dad? But it's not pink, ruffled, or ugly..." she

held up the dress. It was strapless and charcoal gray. The fabric was

slightly reflective, and a single bold, gold stripe followed the

vertical contours of the dress, placed on the left side of the front

and waving slightly as it dramatically split the dress into

asymmetric pieces. "You had help didn't you. Was it Mom?" "No,"

said Logan, smiling as he shook his head. "But he is in this room."

Elly

looked from the dress to Eli, who shook his head without a word when

they made eye contact. Elly again looked down at the dress in her

hands, then slowly up to... "Soren?" Oh... you dirty liar. 'try

on the dress,' you said! 'It's for a friend,' you said!" Soren

chuckled. "It was for a friend," said Soren as he pulled his

phone out of his pajama pocket. "You and Sasha have the same body

type, although she is a lot taller than you." Flicking through his

texts, he found Sasha's text confirming she got the dress. It

contained a photo of her in a dress in the same style and cut, but

alabaster white with a royal blue stripe. "There. I did actually

buy her that dress, but I did also happen to tip off your Dad. You

looked good in it, but I thought it would be obvious if bought a

dress in the color that matched your fur, not to mention a little

awkward." "Try

it on," said Logan, gesturing to the bathroom door. Elly

wordlessly got up, the dress draped over her left arm, and slipped

into the bathroom. Shortly after, the door opened. The dress was snug

enough to emphasize her lithe, powerful form honed by hours on the

uneven bars. It was fairly high cut, but the back was open, ending in

a sharp angled V in the small of her back. The dress ended three

inches above her knees, tight but still loose enough to allow full

movement. The gold stripe followed the curves and contours of her

body in a way that it looked completely straight and vertical rather

than wavy."Wow,

Soren," said Elly, spinning in place a bit so the reflective gray

fabric could catch the light. "You have good taste. I bet you

disappoint a lot of ladies."Soren

raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? Do you not like the dress?""No.

It's great," said Elly, rotating her torso to feel how the dress

moved. "But seriously, how many girls have hit on you only to learn

you were into guys? I wish I had a boyfriend who had as good of

taste as you."

Eli

gave a bark of laughter as Soren blushed a small bit. "You have no

idea, sis. It happened at least once a week once upon a time." Soren

plucked at his arm, grinning just a bit. "It's this damn fur.

Apparently girls are into silver. And I got some really disappointed

faces when I told them girls I wasn't interested. I'm glad you like

the dress, but thank your Dad. I just thought it was a good idea."Elly

gave a quick hug to Soren and a longer one to her father. "Thanks

to both of you. I don't think I want to take it off." Soren

dug under the tree to find two boxes as Elly sat down. He passed them

to Eli, kissing him on the cheek. "Merry Christmas, Eli."

"Thanks

sweetie," said Eli, taking the stack of boxes in his hands. He

unwrapped the first box, opening up the shoebox in his lap. These

shoes... I thought I lost these last week... But they're different."

"They're

fixed," said Soren. "You wore these into the ground, so I thought

I'd take them to a cobbler and get them refurbished. But there's

more. Sorry I didn't tell you about taking them. I wanted to surprise

you." Eli

nodded, opening the second, larger box. "... more shoes? Are

these... dancing shoes?" He held up two pairs of jet black dancing

shoes, one pair slightly larger than the others. "Soren

took the newly repaired shoe and rolled it in his hands. "I kinda

sorta stole these," said Soren with a rueful smile. "I needed

something that fit well so I could get these refitted. These shoes

belonged to Jeanne and Gregory, and I needed Jeanne's shoes to be

widened a bit.""These

belonged to Jeanne... oh my god. Thank you Soren," whispered Eli.

He hugged his boyfriend, holding him tight in his arms. "It means

so much that you'd give something of hers to me." "I

had a lot of fun dancing in November," said Soren, closing his eyes

and relishing the embrace. "I'd love to keep dancing with you. I

thought I'd put those old shoes to work. They hadn't left their box

since Jeanne left them for me." Eli

broke apart, sitting down next to Soren and resting his head on his

shoulder. "I'd love to keep dancing with you, Soren. Especially if

you keep teaching me music. I'm so grateful you'd share an heirloom

like this with me. I have something for you, too." Eli jumped up

and walked to the tree, procuring a somewhat small box. "Merry

Christmas Soren." Soren

cut open the paper with his index finger. "Oh... are these what

I... this is an instrument case!" Soren flicked open the case

clasps, revealing a silver flute. "Eli.. is this sterling silver?

I... How much did this cost?" Eli

hugged Soren. "Not as much as you'd think. But try it out."Soren

automatically assembled the flute, blowing half a scale. The pitch

was immaculate. "Eli, it's perfect." Suddenly, he reached over

and kissed Eli, a hand on his cheek. Soren He couldn't help himself.

He was so overwhelmed by the extravagance of the gift. "I love you

sweetie. Thank you so much. I can't believe you'd spend so much on

me."Eli

smiled as he held Soren's shoulders. "You've done so much for me,

Soren. Living with you has been worth more than a flute.

Especially when you just gave me something that belonged to Jeanne. I

can't wait to hear you play." "Hey,

lover boy," shouted Elly. "Catch!" She deftly threw two boxes

at Soren, who bungled the catch but didn't drop them. "Merry

Christmas, Soren." Soren

unwrapped the larger box first. "Hrmm... Counting to Four: Basic

Steps for Wannabe Swingers." He opened the book, examining the two

disks inside. "Hrm... it includes instruction videos?""You

told me you were learning to dance over Thanksgiving, so I got you

something for the very beginners."Soren

gave Elly a wry smile. "Beginners? Smart ass." Suddenly he

reached over Eli and picked up the remote to his iHome. He pressed

the play button, starting Bella Belle by the Electric Swing

Circus. The

piano provided a snappy introduction, long enough for Soren and Eli

to synch into each others steps through brisk stomps. The opening

lyrics dampened the music, the two focusing on a two step, snapping

their fingers to the song. As the refrain picked up they switched to

Charelston, clapping their hands to the beat. Soren grabbed Eli's

hands, swinging them into a spin that picked up as the song

continued. They cooled down as the second verse began, keeping up

their brisk pace but using less intense dance elements. As they

transitioned into the scat solo, Soren backed off to let Eli do a dance solo. They synched up for the final verse, finishing their impromptu

routine with a spin, a stomp, and a bow. Eli also made a face at his

sister. "Beginner

my ass," said Soren, sitting back down looking just a little smug.

Elly

applauded, slowly. "There's a receipt in the cover. I got you

something else. I'm surprised you never picked up the series, to be

honest." Soren

ripped open the paper revealing a paperback book. "Oh, I've heard

good things about Discworld. I was meaning to read this for ages. How

many books are in the series now?" Elly

tapped her muzzle. "That's a good question. Dig in and find out."Soren

looked at the swing music book before tossing his gift to Elly. "Well

after that book I don't feel bad getting you this." Elly

raised an eyebrow as she unwrapped the package. "What's this?

Personal Power Applications and Cardiology? And what's this inside?"

a thin book slipped out from in between the pages of thick science

book. "Sheet music? For the bass? Wait... oh ha ha ha. Who's

calling who a smart ass? 'You

are the heartbeat of the band. If you get off rhythm, the whole

ensemble falls apart.'""There's

more," said Soren, holding up an envelope and a small green

package. He handed them to her. "This is your real gift, though the

cardiology book was a good read." Elly

sniffed the small package as she opened it. "Mint chocolate? Good

choice." A moment later, her eyes widened as she opened the

envelope. "More tickets? Five of them? To Book of Mormon? Oh thank

you! I missed it in both Iowa and California." She leapt to her

feat and hugged Soren. Soren

smiled and blushed a tiny bit. "I got a ticket for all of us. The

show is tomorrow at eight." "Soren,

you dirty liar," shouted Eli, pointing a finger at him. "You said

you had no interest in seeing that show. You told me to not waste

your time." Soren

scratched the back of his neck, smiling sheepishly. "Ehh... I kinda

wanted it to be a surprise. I wanted it to be a new show for all of

us. Sorry for the secrecy." "I

think it's sweet," said Eli, cuddling up to Soren kissing his

cheek."Hey,

lovebirds," shouted Elly from across the house. "I've got the

last gift for Eli." She passed him a two boxes. "Open the big one

first." Eli

obliged, opening the larger box. He held up a bright green button

down shit, along with a new pair dressy gray slacks. "Wow, these

have a really nice feel. I love the fabric on the shirt.""Soren

helped me out," said Elly. "he knew what you liked better than I

did. But open the other gift. Technically, it's for Soren, but I

thought you should give it to him." Eli

raised an eyebrow as he undid the small box. Suddenly his face fell

into a comical "o" as the paper fell off a box of condom."I

thought I'd give these to you so you could have some fun when we're

gone." Lyra

and Logan were stifling snickers, but Eli was speechless. "Did my

sister just..." Soren

picked up the box, examining the condoms. "There's one problem

Elly. These are way too small." He threw the box back to Elly, who

missed the catch as the box landed in her lap. Elly's eyes were wider

than saucers, her mouth closed tight. She shook her head slowly, but

Soren nodded just as slowly, smiling wolfishly. For the first time

since Soren met her, Elly was lost for words. Soren couldn't help

himself. He started to laugh. It began as a slow, awkward chuckle,

but it suddenly began to build momentum, becoming full throated bawdy

laughs that were shared by everyone in the room. "Do people want

breakfast now?" asked Soren, standing up."That

sounds good," said Eli, getting up with Soren. "I'll help you set

up." "Thanks

sweetie," said Soren. "Can you get the kringle out of the oven?"

Soren retrieved the egg mixture from the fridge, suddenly

contemplative. It was weird in a way. Christmas was such a big deal

in the Saul household. Selecting a "proper" gift was tantamount,

and homemade gifts were frowned upon. And they had exchanged joke

gifts!

Giving a joke gift was considered a mortal insult. The idea that he

was even giving out joke gifts was almost inconceivable to Soren.

What made the Vatras so relaxed about giving gifts? Or... really what

he should be asking himself was why his family was so anal.

Soren

passed omelets to all five places at the table. "Eat up. I hope you

like it." The

first few minutes were occupied by vigorous eating. Opening gifts had

made them inexplicably hungry, though the Vatras had their appetites whetted by fudge. As they moved on to the double berry kringle, Lyra

addressed Soren. "So Soren, could your parents not make it? Or did

you not feel like you could fit more guests than just us in your

place? We're kind of eager to meet your family." Soren

dropped the piece of kringle he was eating back on his plate. Eli

gripped his hand. "Lyra... let's just say there's a really good

reason I'm not welcome in Wisconsin right now." There was a long

and awkward pause and before he could stop himself Soren was talking.

Almost automatically he retold the story he told Eli those months

ago, recounting his path to atheism, Jeanne's tutoring and

protection, when he told his parents at the end of college. He spoke

without emotion or embellishments, providing an almost detached

telling of his turbulent life as a young adult. There was another

long, awkward pause as the Vatras took in the story he presented. Suddenly,

Lyra stood up and walked around Jeanne's old oak table. She hugged

Soren tightly, holding the embrace for the perfect amount of time.

"Well, you'll always be welcome with us, Soren." She let go of

Soren and walked back to her seat. To

his shame, Soren felt tears leaking past his eyes. "...Thank you.

Thank you, Lyra."There

was third, long, awkward silence. "The kringle's really tasty,

sweetie," said Eli, somewhat cautiously. He kissed Soren's cheek,

accidentally leaving crumbs. He brushed them off with a short laugh. "I

made this with Jeanne for years. It just tastes like Christmas to me.

I'm glad you all like it." "I

don't think we'll ever get sick of your cooking," said Elly. "You

really know how to spice up the holidays." There were murmurs of

agreement amongst the other Vatras. "Thank

you," said Soren, a smile returning to his face. "I'm glad you're

all here."