Chapter Text
Winnie and Bernie held hands as they ran down the street, just moments away from reaching their destination. Winnie’s heart was full of giddy excitement and her cheeks were flushed pink from the cold— not quite as pink as her tracksuit, but certainly getting there. She couldn’t wait to get back home to her family and introduce Bernie to them all. They were going to love her, she was sure of it.
“That’s the one,” Winnie said, smiling brightly and slowing her brisk pace to a jog as the Carruthers house came into view. It had been decked out for the holidays, with several rows of bright Christmas lights strung across the roof. There was also a light-up ornamental deer decoration on the lawn. Since Angel Falls was a small town, it had only taken Winnie about fifteen minutes from the time she’d hopped off the couch, feeling the sudden urge to go find Bernie—and barely noticing her family’s quizzical looks as she rushed out the door—to the time she returned back home with her by her side. Winnie was so glad Bernie wasn’t spending the day alone. She didn’t want to think of what her plans would have been otherwise.
“There she is!”
Winnie’s mom Judy announced her daughter’s arrival to everyone, beaming as she opened the door. Winnie could see the rest of her family were still gathered in the living room, also eagerly awaiting her return. “Oh!” Judy exclaimed, her smile growing as she noticed Bernie. “And she’s brought a friend, how wonderful.”
Winnie had never exactly been one to have the widest social circle, preferring to hang out with a few close friends rather than flitting from crowd to crowd. But ever since Cara’s death, she had kept to herself even more, often retreating into her room when she was at home. Sometimes she would spend time with Robbie or Jimmy, which was nice to see— it just wasn’t the same though. Winnie had used to be so bubbly and excited, and her friendship with Cara meant the two girls would frequently hang out at the house, playing games and laughing together. Her mom wasn’t sure what inspired her sudden change of heart, but she was glad to see her daughter invite someone around again, and on Christmas nonetheless.
“Mom, this is Bernie,” Winnie said, making the introduction as they stood on the porch. “We—“ she paused for a moment, trying to decide what exactly to say. “We go to school together and I thought it would be nice for her to spend Christmas with us since she doesn’t really have anyone around.”
“Of course she can!” Judy replied. “Isn’t that right, David?”
“Sure thing!” Winnie’s dad called from the kitchen. He popped his head out to greet their guest. “Hi, Bernie!”
“Well, you girls come in and get comfortable,” Judy said. “We’re just about to have breakfast!” It was then that Winnie noticed her mom was wearing a kitchen apron, which had a red and green snowflake pattern on it.
“And Bernie— make yourself at home,” she added. “Today you’re part of our family.”
A smile made its way across Bernie’s face. She was grateful to be welcomed into Winnie’s home with such open arms, and not used to receiving such kindness from strangers.
“Thanks, Mrs. Carruthers,” she said, eyes wide as she took in the festive decorations and smiling faces that surrounded her.
“Oh please, call me Judy.”
“Thanks Judy,” Bernie amended, happy to oblige the request. She and Winnie took their shoes off at the front door, then headed over to join the rest of the Carruthers clan on the sofa.
“Looks like she’s more than a friend,” Winnie’s brother Jimmy quipped.
Winnie blushed. She’d forgotten that the two of them were still holding hands when they got to the house since it felt like such a natural gesture at this point. She was glad that her family had no issue with her sexuality—she’d been out to them as bi since her freshman year of high school, and Jimmy had been out for even longer. It just wasn’t a topic of conversation that came up much though, especially when she was dating Robbie. Plus, she and Bernie hadn’t talked about what exactly they were to each other yet.
“The two of you must be cold,” Winnie’s aunt Gale suddenly said. “How about a nice hot drink to help warm you up?” Winnie was grateful for the interruption.
“That would be nice,” she replied. “Thanks, Aunt Gale.”
Then she made a face, a memory coming to her as she thought of the drink she was offered. “Just not whatever I had last night… that stuff was strong .”
Gale laughed. “It seemed like you needed it, kid.”
She got up from the sofa, where she’d been sitting with her arm around Karen, her partner of several years, and headed over to the kitchen. Even before they were married, Karen had easily been embraced by the family, becoming a second aunt to Winnie and Jimmy. Her level-headed temperament was a good complement to Gale’s more fiery one, as the two women balanced one another out nicely.
“So Bernie,” Karen said. “How did you and Winnie meet?”
“We said ‘hi’ to each other at a party on Christmas Eve,” Bernie explained, smiling fondly at the memory. “Well, she waved at me last year and said ‘hi,’ and I waved at her too and wanted to say ‘hi’ back, but I didn’t get to say ‘hi back’ until this year, and then we ended up talking all night.”
“It’s kind of a long story,” Winnie said. “But I’m really glad we did.”
At that point, Gale had just emerged from the kitchen holding two mugs of hot chocolate. One was red and one was green, and their handles were made to look like candy canes.
“Here you are,” Gale said, handing the red mug to Winnie and the green mug to Bernie. “I didn’t know if you liked marshmallows in yours or not, but Winnie sure does,” she explained as Bernie accepted the drink. “If you don’t, I can—“
“I happen to love marshmallows in my hot chocolate,” Bernie said. She immediately took a sip, closing her eyes as she savoured the taste. “Oh wow, this is good! Thanks, uh…”
She paused, unsure of the correct way for her to address Winnie’s relative.
“You can call us Aunt Gale and Aunt Karen,” Gale said with a smile. Then she looked at Bernie curiously. “You sure we haven’t met before? I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere…”
“I get that a lot,” Bernie said with a shrug, taking another sip from her mug before setting it down. “Guess I’m just hard to forget.”
She smiled at Winnie, who gave her a soft smile in return, and Gale and Karen couldn’t help but noticed the shared look that passed between them.
“Congratulations, you’ve just gained two lesbian aunts,” Winnie said, grinning as she nudged Bernie’s shoulder. Bernie couldn’t help but laugh in response.
“Okay everyone, breakfast is ready!” Judy’s voice called out.
“Come on!” Winnie exclaimed. She quickly got up from the sofa and grabbed her mug of hot chocolate, prompting Bernie to do the same.
“Trust me, you are not gonna wanna miss this,” Winnie said as they headed into the kitchen together. “Get ready for the best waffles you’ve ever tasted!”
The annual Carruthers family Christmas breakfast had always been an all-out event, and this year was no different. An assortment of delicious sweet and savory foods had been arranged in a buffet-style spread on the table, from croissants and pastries to a charcuterie board with various meats and cheeses. A pitcher of orange juice sat in the middle next to a large platter of fruit, which had been arranged in the shape of a Christmas tree. And true to Winnie’s words, the waffles were in fact the best Bernie had ever had.
“Christmas magic,” David explained. “Everything just tastes better on Christmas— oh, and it doesn’t hurt that Judy’s a pretty good cook.”
He winked at his wife.
“Ugh, Dad !” Jimmy said.
Winnie couldn’t help but roll her eyes, smiling in amusement. As much as she loved her family, sometimes they could be a little embarrassing. Hopefully Bernie didn’t mind. She seemed to be having a good time so far though, and she’d filled her plate with food.
“That’s a lovely sweater, Bernie,” Judy said. Bernie beamed at the compliment, especially since the sweater in question had been her handiwork. It was dark green with swirls of colour across the front in threads of blue, purple, and sparkly silver. Come to think of it, the design sort of brought to mind a certain natural phenomenon.
“I made it,” Bernie declared proudly as she speared some more fruit onto her fork. “Took me a few weeks but it’s one of my new favourites, I think.”
“Well, you have quite the talent,” Judy said with a smile, clearly impressed.
“Thanks, Mrs— I mean, Judy,” Bernie replied, smiling back awkwardly.
She slid the fruit off her fork and placed it on top of the waffle in front of her, adding a drizzle of maple syrup. Then she cut off a piece and popped it into her mouth, clearly enjoying her creation. Winnie couldn’t help but watch the whole exchange from across the table, finding it endearing.
“So what are you two up to for the rest of the day?” Karen asked.
“The Clova’s doing a Christmas movie marathon,” Winnie said. She sipped her hot chocolate, enjoying the warm marshmallowy goodness. “And then after that I was thinking we could head to the market at Angel Park since someone— “ she gestured towards Bernie— “still needs a present.”
“Oh, you don’t have to—“ Bernie began to say.
Winnie shook her head.
“Uh-uh,” she said, cutting her off. “Christmas presents are kind of a non-negotiable thing in the Carruthers house, especially today.”
“She’s right,” Gale stated, with a nod in agreement as she took a swig of her mimosa. “Hell, if we knew you were coming, we would’ve bought you something ourselves.”
“And so would we,” David affirmed.
Bernie blushed, unsure of how to handle all the attention she was currently on the receiving end of. Winnie couldn’t help but notice how flustered Bernie was and gave her foot a gentle nudge under the table, as if to provide reassurance, which earned a shy smile back.
Once breakfast was finished, Winnie ran upstairs to get changed into a festive outfit for the day’s activities. She ended up choosing a light blue and cream sweater with geometric patterns, pairing it with her green coat and winter hat— oh, and her brand new camera, which Winnie had to admit was a much more thoughtful gift than the lesbian tracksuit.
“Okay, I’m ready!” she exclaimed as she ran downstairs. Bernie was already standing at the door with her boots on, and Winnie quickly followed suit, tugging on her own.
“You two have fun!” Judy said. She smiled as she noticed the camera around her daughter’s neck, pleased that the morning’s present had gone over well.
“Thanks Mom!” Winnie replied, before giving both of her parents a quick hug. Bernie stood to the side, not wanting to get in the way of the moment.
“Thanks Judy,” Bernie said. “This was really nice.”
“Well, you’re always welcome back here,” Winnie’s mom said. It was clear that being around Bernie brought out a side of Winnie that she hadn’t seen in some time, and the thought made her smile.
“It was nice to meet you, Bernie,” David added.
It may have been a chilly winter day, but Winnie couldn’t help but feel warm inside. She waved goodbye to her family and then she and Bernie were off to The Clova, ready to sit back and enjoy some feel-good holiday movies for a few hours.