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Junie sighed and pulled the working end of her yarn, unraveling rows back to an accidental dropped stitch that ruined the sock. Again. Obviously, she wasn't in the right headspace for knitting. The gold-and-white yarn piled up in a crazy kinked pile. She knew she would regret the mess later, but darn it – nobody would ever darn this sock if she never finished it – she was frustrated, and making a tangle she'd have to ball later seemed like an appropriate punishment for both the yarn and herself.
“Let the punishment fit the crime, and the sock will fit the foot,” she murmured, smiling a little, thinking of all her lawyer friends. Her bad moods always lifted quickly. Next time, she would keep her head on straight while setting the toe and heel, and the janky yarn would quickly be a sock, ready to present along with its mate to Athena at the Wright Anything Agency Christmas party.
But not right now. She needed a walk in the woods, fresh air and motion, the scent of cold pine trees and the soft crunch and slide of the forest floor, deep layers of dry, slippery pine needles slowly mulching into the earth, with winter-bare wild blueberry bushes reaching up wherever it was too shady for lilies-of-the-valley and mountain laurel. Just thinking about her woods made her desperate to be there. She covered her yarn basket to keep the cats out, grabbed her mittens, hat, sweater, and scarf, and ran out into the beautiful, clean, crisp, cold day.
❤️
Junie was re-positioning tissue-wrapped gifts in a large basket when she heard the delightful sound of her friends laughing as they approached the door. She smiled and slipped into her boots just before they knocked. When she opened the door, Apollo beamed and scooped her up into a hug that lifted her feet from the floor. She laughed as he spun her around and set her back down, with Klavier steadying them both – she was short but not little, and as much as Apollo loved showing off his greater height, she weighed at least as much as he did.
Apollo pretended he hadn’t staggered and Klavier pretended he was just hugging them both, not holding them up.
“Merry Christmas!” they all said, almost at the same time. Klavier laughed, throwing his head back, and Apollo blushed. Junie kissed them each on one cheek and let go.
“I’m ready,” she said, picking up her basket and cloak. Klavier immediately took the basket from her, handed it to Apollo, and helped her into the cloak, while Lucky sniffed his ankles.
“I am sorry we are late,” he said. “Herr Forehead was not sure whether he should wear the red shirt or the green, and every time he took one off to change, I was compelled to –"
“Lies,” interrupted Apollo, whose ears were as red as his shirt. We’re late because this one –” he jerked his thumb at Klavier “-- needed to do his hair. Again. And again.”
Klavier tossed his head so his perfectly disheveled hair fell, somehow, into an even more fetching shape. “Worth it, nein?” he said.
Apollo rolled his eyes at Juniper, and she laughed.
“You two are always late,” she said, herding them towards the door. “Which is why Trucy told you the party started at 3:00.”
She laughed again at the identical taken-aback looks on their faces. “Party time, my friends, is in half an hour, which is just enough time for us to be fashionably late when Klavier thinks we can find a closer parking place and we spend ten minutes circling the block.”
Peaches meeped from the sofa.
“Keep an eye on things for me, dear,” she said. “I’ll be back tomorrow morning.”
Peaches stood up and stretched, then sat neatly, toes under tail.
“It’s unnatural,” said Apollo, as Junie closed the door behind them. “It’s like they can understand you.”
“They can,” said Junie, surprised. “Don’t you talk to your cat?”
Klavier made a tragic face. “Ja, he does,” he said mournfully. “The most appalling lovelorn drivel. Sometimes I like to pretend he loves me that much.”
Apollo snorted. “You are so full of crap. “This was where I met you, the scene of our crime,”” he recited dramatically. ““Your inviting eyes and your playful look sent me falling/Achtung! falling for you/Your perfect crime was underway.””
Far from being embarrassed by his own lyrics, Klavier was delighted.
““Here we go! Hard time for love,”” he sang, rocking his air guitar and his pelvis to underscore the not-much-deeper meaning.
They sang together as they walked down the long, woodsy path through the blueberry brambles to the little stream that ran along the low point which, to Junie, marked the edge of her quiet, clean, peaceful world. As they stepped over the rill, she pulled off a mitten and dipped her hand into the water.
“Back soon, ancient one,” she said, too softly for the men to hear her. She liked to remember that her home had been carved by glaciers into kettles and hills, and the stream was the old age of a living glacier, still slowly carving the land. Not so long ago, crossing this boundary had felt like entering a world of danger and panic, but with hard work and the perpetual kindness of the wonderful people Athena had introduced to her, she had been able to accept her fears and the reality that she could go with safety whenever she wished. Her friends understood and accepted that a piece of her heart always stayed here, inevitably pulling her back; and she understood that they loved her for bravely venturing out.
On the other side, the woods began to thin, and a dirt road was visible near the top of the little hill. Their path led to Apollo's tiny red car, parked next to the road. Still singing, they piled in. Before they pulled onto the road, Apollo and Klavier were already bickering about where to park.
❤️
Festive music filled the stairwell leading up to the Wright Anything Agency. It wasn’t precisely Christmas music, but Trucy and Maya had eclectic tastes -- and a lot of ferocity, so they were always in charge of the soundtrack. The door was open, but Junie stopped on the landing just outside and stepped out of the way to let Apollo by. He touched her shoulder gently and looked a question at her, and she smiled and motioned him on. She took a few more haiku breaths as he and Klavier passed – five in, hold for seven, five out – and then she was ready to be welcomed.
Mr. Wright and Mr. Edgeworth were standing near the doorway, accidentally-on-purpose making a human shield for her so she wouldn’t be crowded by the others, and her heart swelled with safety and belonging.
“Welcome, dear,” said Mr. Edgeworth quietly. “Let me know when I may take your cloak to the bedroom.” He kept his hands close, one in a pocket and one holding his lapel.
Mr. Wright studied her face. “Hug?” he asked, clearly trying not to sound hopeful, hands held behind his back.
When she nodded, he burst into his sunshine smile and bent down to gently hold her for a moment.
“I’m so glad you are here,” he whispered in her ear. “Trucy’s bedroom is the quiet room, as usual; and Miles said he’d drive you home any time, day or night, so please say the word and it’s done.”
She hugged him back, and he gave a gentle squeeze and let go when she did.
“Athena’s doing mysterious things in the office, hiding behind the desk,” Mr. Wright told her. “You should probably give her some warning of your approach, in case you also are persona non grata.” He laughed and his eyes crinkled, and Junie saw Mr. Edgeworth’s eyes smile too. Mr. Wright was like that – he made people happy when he was happy.
“Thank you,” she said to them both. “Merry Christmas!”
To the room in general, she said loudly, “Where has Klavier gone with my basket?”
She heard a jumble of teasing in reply.
“Quick, hide the evidence!”
“Klavier, state your name and occupation.”
“Examine the basket!”
“Hold it, Klavier!”
Klavier was in the noisiest clump, holding the basket over his head. “Here, fräulein!” he called.
After she had put her basket under the live tree, which was so heavily decorated that it hardly looked real – she would never understand Trucy’s desire to garnish everything -- Junie gave her cloak to Mr. Edgeworth and looked for her best friend Athena.
There was a long foot in a yellow sock sticking out from behind Mr. Wright’s desk, which was covered with a model steam train running around a large, detailed model of a snowy mountainside town. The train had a tiny wreath on the front of the engine and one of the cars was full of trees. She leaned over to see, and to her delight, each model tree now had a tiny cloth-bound rootball; Mr. Edgeworth had remembered what she'd said last year.
She was examining the other details – the engine had a tiny plaque saying “CLEAN STEAM FROM HOT SPRINGS” that made her giggle – when she heard Athena say, “Junie, I see your gorgeous socks under the desk. Come around here and give me a hand, please!”
Behind the desk, sitting on the floor, balancing a complicated wooden clock on some wrapping paper with her chin while holding the paper roll in one hand and a pair of scissors in the other, Athena grinned at her.
“Little help?” Athena said plaintively, dangling the scissors from one long finger and almost dropping the clock.
Junie took the scissors and the wrapping paper roll, and Athena gratefully took hold of the clock with both hands. Junie unrolled some more paper, pulling it over the carved woodland animals and gingerbread frills, and as she did, Athena gently turned the clock so it was swathed in the paper. As Junie cut the paper from the roll, Athena was folding and taping the edges. With a foot, Athena nudged a box of ribbons towards Junie, who pulled out three colors, unspooled and cut them, and neatly wrapped them around the package as Athena held it, switching her grip to account for the movements of the long ribbons in Junie’s hands. When they finished, Athena held a beautiful package, with the edges tidy and the ribbons tied and beautifully draped.
Junie thought it made a pretty picture, her tall, flame-haired bestie in a shining yellow sweater and the silvery package with yellow, red, and blue ribbons.
Athena’s face turned pink.
“I’ll just… put this under the tree,” she said, but she didn’t move; she just looked at Junie.
Junie nodded. “Mm hmm,” she said, not sure what she was agreeing to, but absolutely certain that nothing could be more lovely than her best friend, blushing, with the sparkle of festive lights behind her like a starscape.
“Pardon me, Athena, Junie,” said Pearl, politely but quite loudly, enunciating more clearly than usual, over the mountain train scene.
Junie had a feeling this wasn’t the first time she had tried to get their attention.
“Yes, dear?” she said, breaking her gaze from Athena’s. Her voice sounded higher than usual, over the party noise.
“It’s lovely to see you, Junie. Have you finished with your private work, Athena?” said Pearl, at a normal volume. “Trucy asked me to check with you, because she wishes to push the desk back to make room for her show when you have finished using the space.”
Athena held up the gift in her arms. “Take that!” she said triumphantly.
Pearl reached out for the gift.
“Ah, no,” said Athena, “I meant that more… figuratively. I’m going to go put it under the tree.” She darted away, not quite at a run.
“May I help you move the desk, Pearl?” asked Junie, looking doubtfully at the heavy piece of furniture.
“Thank you, no; Mr. Edgeworth said he would prefer to supervise the proceedings, for the sake of his layout.”
“His layout?”
“That is what model train enthusiasts call their dioramas,” Pearl told her. “Mr. Edgeworth has been teaching me a great deal. It’s quite interesting, especially the electrical wiring.”
Junie saw the intense gleam in Pearl’s eyes and knew better than to ask more questions. Pearl and Mr. Edgeworth were excellent engineers, and they enjoyed stretching their methodical, logical minds together. Junie preferred making order out of chaos with yarn or string, which would not short-circuit, catch fire, or electrocute anyone.
“Shall we let him know Thena’s out, then?” she suggested.
“I’ll tell him, thank you,” said Pearl. “I need to find Trucy first, because she has certain requirements which… are rather in flux, so she will need to be part of the proceedings.”
Junie was left to herself, and she used that moment for a few more haiku breaths, not because she needed to calm herself, but to help her maintain equilibrium. As she did, she scanned the room for a place to sit. An empty chair was between the tree and the cardboard fireplace Trucy annually insisted was necessary (because they had to have a chimney for Santa, even if the fire was just tissue paper and the chimney was imaginary), a perfect place to sit, do some nice, relaxing string-work, and watch her friends.
As she settled in and pulled some tatting from a pocket, Athena came to sit by her.
“Enjoying yourself?” Athena asked, handing Junie a glass of water.
“More now,” said Junie, completing the call-and-response pattern they’d developed over the past few weeks.
They grinned at each other.
“Did you find the thing you were looking for when we—” began Junie.
“I did!”
“Was it—”
“Yes! Right under!”
Junie laughed. “I knew it!”
And then for some reason, she had trouble meeting Athena’s eyes again, and she studied her tatting closely.
“Junie?” asked Athena, touching her knee.
She looked up, her face hot. “Thena?”
“Is something wrong? Did I—”
“No! I just—”
They both stopped talking but Athena didn’t take her hand off Junie’s knee. Junie watched her best friend’s face carefully for a moment, then put one hand over Thena’s.
“Yes?” Junie whispered the single word that asked such a complicated question.
“You too?” said Thena, softly. “Really? It’s…”
“Not just me?”
“Not just you,” said Junie’s bestie and the woman she loved.
They stared at each other, amazed.
“Gentlefolk!” called Mr. Wright from across the room. “Something amazing has occurred!” Junie heard a tiny ringing noise, like he was tapping on a glass of water.
“What, did you figure out that your husband likes you?” called Maya.
Everyone laughed, then quieted and looked at Mr. Wright. Junie kept hold of Thena’s warm, soft, beautiful hand.
“Far more amazing!” said Mr. Wright. “A long-held wish is now fulfilled! Something that should have happened long ago! Something involving—”
“Get on with it!” shouted Trucy.
Mr. Wright pouted. “Rude,” he complained.
Mr. Edgeworth made a throat-clearing noise. “We would like to allow, on this festive occasion in difficult times, for each of us who wishes to share some happy news. As your hosts, Phoenix and I will,” he emphasized, “allow others to speak first.”
Mr. Wright looked daggers at his spouse. “Yes, of course. Anyone like to go first?”
Klavier stood up. “Thank you for this opportunity! I will be releasing an acoustic album this year, and your gift from me is a performance of the title track! Apollo, where is my guitar?”
There was a little ripple of applause and a few people called their congratulations.
“Later,” said Apollo, tugging Klavier’s arm. “Now sit down and let someone else have a turn.”
“I have one!” called Trucy. “I’m going to be adding a Sunday matinee show for kids, and one monthly on Tuesdays that’s free for school kids from socio-economically disadvantaged districts.”
Somewhat more applause followed this announcement, and Mr. Wright said proudly, “That’s our girl!”
There was an expectant pause as everyone looked around for the next speaker.
Junie looked at Athena and raised her eyebrows. The sparkle in her beloved’s eyes said, “Yes! Let’s!” and they both stood up at the same time, still holding hands.
“We’re dating,” Junie blurted, as Athena said, “We’re girlfriends!”
There was no applause. Nobody said anything.
Junie looked at her friends, bewildered.
“Yes,” said Mr. Edgeworth, in an encouraging tone. “And…?”
“Th—that’s it,” said Athena. “It’s our announcement.”
The others looked at them blankly.
“It’s a bit… back-dated, as an announcement, isn’t it?” asked Apollo. “Ow! Klavier, quit it!”
There was a murmur of agreement.
“You mean you didn’t know?” said Maya. “We all knew, right, guys?”
Everyone nodded.
“Sorry,” said Pearl. “We are sorry to spoil your… surprise announcement.”
“Okay,” said Athena. “Well. Um. That… that’s all.”
Junie nodded and they sat down again.
“All right!” called Mr. Wright. “It’s time for the host announcement now! First, I want you all to know—”
“First?” asked Mr. Edgeworth, looking suspiciously at his husband.
“--that, thanks to our lovely friend Juniper, this beautiful Christmas tree—”
“You’re welcome!” shouted Trucy and Maya together.
Mr. Wright glared at them. “Yes. This beautiful Christmas tree, hidden under the decorations supplied by Trucy, is a live tree, thanks to Juniper, who allowed us to collect it and transport it here, and who will supervise its return to the woods as an older, wiser, and more celebrated evergreen!”
There was a real round of applause and Thena squeezed her hand.
“But what I really wanted to announce, dear friends –”
Mr. Edgeworth’s suspicious look deepened and he folded his arms.
“—is that my dear Miles and I have a new baby—”
“What? Phoenix—”
“C’mon, Truce, where is he?”
There was a knot of chaos where Trucy and Maya were sitting, and then Mr. Edgeworth gasped and covered his mouth. He knelt down and reached out his hands.
“Phoenix,” he whispered. “Really?”
A large, fluffy brown and white puppy ran to Mr. Edgeworth and began licking his face.
“He likes salt,” observed Mr. Wright. “Maybe we should name him Salty Dog.”
Mr. Edgeworth looked up, still caressing the puppy. “Wright, don’t say such things where he can hear you. He’ll think you are hard-hearted.”
“He won’t think you are,” Mr. Wright said wryly.
Junie giggled. Everyone else gathered around Mr. Edgeworth and the dog, talking at once about how sweet, how soft, how precious; but she and Athena sat by the paper fire, warm and comfortable, hand in hand.
❤️