More Than a Holly Jolly Christmas

[Cecilia]

The fire crackled with merriment, its warmth spreading through the den of the Lunsford estate. A softened gazed focused upon this flame, something akin to weariness reflecting within the verdant hues. Fleshy lids soon hid away the glistening gems, a gentle hand moving to brush away the curly locks that framed her little angel’s face. Elizabeth had fallen asleep over half an hour ago, but Cecilia had no desire to move the child from her resting place - that and the fact that it would be increasingly hard for the femme to accomplish the task.

Her hand slowly drifted to rest atop her bulging stomach, which was immediately responded to by the babe within by a little kick. The smallest of smiles came to her lips, before fading into a grimace. She wasn’t due for another month, but there was no telling with her child. Twice she had been to the doctor within the past two weeks due to false labor pains, and even now she felt the signs of another. There were pains in the front of the abdomen, strong enough to make her wince, which was quite a feat. Having been through nearly every type of pain imaginable, she hadn’t thought much of pregnancy or its difficulties.

Shaking her head, she slowly got off of the sofa and started to pace around the room. She’d been told it would help alleviate the pain if it was just another Braxton Hicks contraction, and slowly she found the simple act beginning to work. Still, it left her feeling more than restless, so her feet led her into the kitchen so she could make some chamomile tea.

Christmas was slowly creeping upon her, and with it she wondered if Elizabeth’s ‘father’ would show up for her birthday. Half of her hoped that he wouldn’t, simply because of the stress it would put on her and the baby. Another part of her wanted him to be there for Elizabeth’s sake. She was having enough trouble adjusting to Sohma’s presence, and was even showing signs of frustration because she hadn’t seen her ‘Dimi’ as much. The realization of what her wanton ways had led to brought guilt and shame, but over time, she learned how to deal with it. ~Chamomile tea~, she mused to herself, taking a sip of the beverage as she made her way back to the fireplace where a lone stocking hung.

A large Christmas tree was decorated haphazardly in the corner, adorning a ridiculous amount of silver icicles and candy canes of every color. Liz didn’t want anything else other than blue lights, which Dimitri had actually come over to help with after the little angel’s request. Of course there were garlands and such on the banisters and a large wreath hanging on the door. A gingerbread lacking a few chunks was even on the coffee table. Yet all of the seasonal mirth was overshadowed by the presence within her, and Cecilia knew this quite well as a sort of peace nestled deep within.

[Dimitri Lancaster]

Dimitri Lancaster had given up on his chances with the emerald-eyed slayer, resolving to at least be there for her whenever she needed him, even during her pregnancy with another man's child. The Lord taught forgiveness, and if he couldn't follow those teachings, then he was no better than the demons and the monsters that she use to hunt. So, in order to be a friend and repent for the way he had been shunning one of his best friends, he had made it so that he'd be her primary doctor for the delivery of her new child. Shifting his weight from one foot to the other, having been standing on her doorstep for nearly fifteen minutes, the good doctor sighed and glanced down to the baggie he had brought along with him.

Within rested a scrapbook for Cecilia, already complete with copies of the ultrasound pictures he had taken for her, statistics of the child's growth at the time, and a folded printout of the baby's heartbeat. For Elizabeth, his darling little angel, he had purchased a small teddy bear for her to snuggle with in the middle of the night and a copy of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" He thought that perhaps when she opened it, they could see down with some caramel popcorn and watch the movie together. He figured, why should he deny the little girl from seeing him? Shaking his head, the doctor finally mustered up his courage and pressed a finger into the button alongside the door. The chime within made him only slightly nervous.

[Cecilia]

Cecilia turned her head towards the foyer upon hearing the ring of a doorbell. Simple speculation led her to believe that it surely wasn’t Sohma, as he could have easily made it into the house. That left either Dimitri or Anya, and seeing as Anya had travelled with her husband to Kentucky for the holidays, it could only be the good doctor. She cast a glance back to the sleeping angel, making sure all was well before slowly making her way into the foyer and opening the door. Seeing the red haired doctor, she couldn’t help but smile a little. Liz would be delighted to see her favorite doctor, and probably wouldn’t make much of a fuss at all at being awaken to spend some time with the young man.

Noticing the red on his cheeks from the chilly air, she ushered him in. “Come in, Dimitri. Make yourself at home.” Once he was inside, she shut the door. Though it wasn’t going to be a white Christmas, it was unusually cold this winter. It was one of the reasons she had the fire going, other than the charm it held. “Liz is in the den, asleep on the couch. You can wake her if you like. She’ll be happy to see you.” She would have hugged him and offered to take his coat were it not for the chamomile tea she still held in her hands. As it were, she settled with other pleasantries. “How have you been? It’s been a while since I’ve seen you.” Of course, it had only been since a little after Thanksgiving, but she knew that it seemed forever for her darling.

[Dimitri Lancaster]

The doctor shivered, the cold having gotten to him during his time out on the doorstep. He jostled his feet a bit, hoping to warm himself up slightly, but he knew it wouldn't do much good unless he actually got his heart to pumping. Dimitri smiled at the woman that answered the door, peering down upon the belly that housed the child that would surely bring her unending joy and sorrow. He wondered what it would be like to finally be a father. He supposed it was something like babysitting for Cecilia when she needed a moment to herself or when she had to go in for a more 'personal' appointment that Elizabeth wouldn't be allowed into the room. Nodding, slightly to the woman, he stepped into the house, the warmth of the fireplace almost instantly melting the icy winds from his flesh.

"Thank you," he said. "It's quite chilly this week." He did as she had asked, dropping his bags onto a nearby chair and shedding his coat and slipping it onto the rack by the door. "No, no, it's quite alright. I wouldn't like to disturb the sleeping angel. Perhaps if she awakes on her own accord." Patting his shoulders, as if he was checking upon their durability, he reached into one of his pockets and withdrew a slip of paper and set it on the coffee table. "Oh, I'm good, I'm good. Oddly enough, my boat was stolen, but other than that, I'm actually been fairing quite well." He paused for a moment, and pushed his glasses along the ridge of his nose, "We released three children today, that was a blessing." He fiddled with his fingers, not quite adjusted to the entire situation, so he made a fuss with the bags, hoping to distract himself.

"Oh, by the way! I brought gifts for you and Liz." Reaching into the bags, he produced the movie and held it out to Cecilia. "It was always a favorite of mine, especially the song." Despite his better judgement, he sang the first line, impersonating the voice the best he could, "You're a mean one! Mister Grinch!" He chuckled at himself, shaking his head. "I wanted to give this to Elizabeth and hoped that maybe we could watch it on Christmas with some hot chocolate.. well.. warm for her of course." Dimitri closed the bag, rolling it upon himself and obscuring the scrapbook from her view.