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Leonard's eyes were absolutely not misty. He was putting up decorations on the tree, comfortable in the sweater Montgomery's grandmother sent him, and reminiscing about the many christmases before this one.
He remembered when Joanna was just a little one, barely past his hip, and how she reached up on her tippy toes to put up ornaments. Most of these ornaments were handmade by Joanna herself, in school, and some were made by Jaylah.
Jaylah's ornaments were intricate little masterpieces, something of such delicacy it was a wonder they were on the tree at all and not in some gallery. Somehow it completed the tree, a stark contrast to Joanna's homey art project ones. Some of the decorations were actual pictures of Joanna inside a little paper snow globe or of that sort and he could almost remember the first time he hung it up on the tree.
Now everything was different, everything had changed. Joanna was in Starfleet studying for the medical track, just like her father. Jaylah was now chief engineer on the starship Odyssey. Chekov was chief of security. They'd all grown up so fast and it had happened right before Leonard's eyes, in a blink -- barely a moment. His fingers brushed the aged ornaments with nostalgic fondness.
"The guests are going to be here any minute, love," Montgomery strolled into the living room. He'd been in the kitchen checking on the ham and preparing for dinner, but stopped when he saw the misty look in Leonard's eyes. "Leannan, what's the matter?"
"Just thinking," Leonard sighed softly. "Of how long ago it was when we were on the Enterprise. It seemed like ages ago."
Montgomery chuckled, walking over to Leonard and pressed a kiss to his lips. "It was."
"I know, I know," Leonard rolled his eyes, even as he wrapped his arms around the engineer's waist. "But it's different now. We're retired and old and the kids...well they're not kids anymore."
"Ah don't think Jaylah was ever a kid, Len," Montgomery teased and Leonard laughed quietly.
"Fair enough. It's just gone so fast."
"We've got time, doctor," Montgomery assured, his warm rough hand coming to cup Leonard's cheek. "All the time in the world. Besides, back then, Ah didn't have ye. What kind of a life is that?"
"A very peaceful one," Leonard groaned, pulling Montgomery in for a kiss. Somehow, he always knew just what to say. Leonard was the type of person to constantly worry, it was part of his job description. But even before that, he worried and worried. His mind often ran at a million miles a minute, until there was Montgomery, who calmed his heart and steadied his mind.
He was sure he heard the doorbell rang, but in this moment it was just them and this moment. They had time.