Chapter Text
“Marcus! Marcus wait up!” he turned around just in time to see he his best friend Abigail Walters come hurtling down the corridor towards him
“Guess what, guess what, guess what?” She chanted, slightly out of breath from chasing Marcus around the Ark. She knew that he would already know but was too excited to attempt to play nonchalant. Every year the Chancellor along with the current head of the Church would choose a junior member of the Ark to put the star on top of the Earth tree on Christmas morning. When Vera Kane had arrived at her door she had naturally expected for her to ask for her mother, with whom she was childhood friends with. However, when Vera asked if they could a have a moment alone, just the two of them, Abby’s curiosity grew. She had never had the privilege of placing the star before and with her eighteenth birthday coming up she feared she would never get to. That was all changed when the head of the Church had asked her if she would like to do it this year.
“I don’t suppose my mother paid a visit to you this morning?”
“Yes!”
Abby knew that she probably shouldn’t be so excited, but, Christmas was her favourite holiday of the year and there was just something so special about being picked out of everyone. Especially by the Chancellor.
“Marcus I’m so excited!”
“I can see that,” he raised an eyebrow at her as she lightly jumped around the hall, “Well done.” He hugged Abby and she squeezed him back in response.
“This Christmas is going to be amazing!”
“I hope so. Look, I’ll have to catch you up tomorrow, as much as I would rather bunk and talk with you, I really need to get to training if I stand a chance of joining the guard.”
“Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Feeling brave Abby leant up on her tiptoes and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek, lingering a little longer than she normally might have. With that she turned back in the direction in which she had come from and laughed to herself as Marcus stood there in a slight trance, blushing lightly.
It had been almost two weeks since Abby had caved and had kissed him during one of their study sessions after Church. They were trying to revise Earth History but neither of them was really focused on their books. Their eyes kept falling to each other. It wasn’t a secret that Abigail fancied her childhood friend Marcus, according to her parents it was written all over her face: whenever he would arrive at their door her eyes would light up. If she had a particularly stressful day of study or suspected that she’d failed her latest medic test, he was the only one who could put a smile back on her face. It wasn’t until she had heard his father complaining how his son was “smitten with the Walters girl” a few days before his death that Abby thought there was a chance he might like her back. Biting the bullet, she had leant across the small space between them and kissed him. He was surprised at first but she found him kissing her back just as soon. It was then she realised that, had her parents not called them down for lunch, she could have stayed like that forever.
Neither of them had made a move since and it was beginning to drive her insane. They hadn’t had time to talk about the kiss afterwards and it had just seemed to slip from their memory. She had started to threat that maybe she had miss read his enthusiasm as panic and that he wasn’t interested in her after all. Up until she saw how he looked at her after her lips left his cheek.
It was Christmas morning and Abby was sitting on the edge of her bed whilst her mother elegantly braided her hair into a sophisticated up-do.
“You look beautiful darling.”
Abby couldn’t keep the smile off her face. Her mom had lent her a red dress which fitted snugly round her top and then fell loose to just above the knees along with an old pair sandals which made a difference form her normal combat boots. She had to admit that she liked how it looked, and maybe, Marcus would too. She hopped of the bed and gave her mom a quick squeeze.
“Thank you, I love it.”
“Thought you might,” she chuckled, “Now come on we need to hurry up. Can’t have the star carrier being late can we?”
Abby laughed lightly and looped her arm around her mom’s, following her out of their small house and down the corridor towards the Church.
Naturally Vera and Marcus Kane were already standing outside the door, reading to great the ark members in for the Christmas morning service. If Abby had caught Marcus staring at her the way he was now any other day she would have teased him for all it was worth, but today in her new dress and hairstyle she could feel the blush creeping over her cheeks. His eyes fixed onto her the second they had come into sight. He was supporting her favourite lop-sided smile and his eyes looked slightly glassed over. Abby couldn’t help but note that he looked pretty good himself: he was also dressed for the occasion in a smart black suit which was too big for him and a matching pair of trousers which had been rolled up several times in the leg. Although she had seen him in his dress clothes before this was the first time since she had realised the feelings that she had for him. Butterflies immediately started turning in her stomach.
“Abby, you look…” he trailed off, glancing down and shifting awkwardly, “You look really beautiful.”
It was now her turn to look down as she felt her cheeks getting even hotter.
“Marcus dear, if you could take Abigail round the back and get her ready for the service that would be great,” Vera intercepted, saving her from having to find her voice again, “And you look gorgeous my dear, you look so much like your father. He would have been very proud of you.”
She just smiled slightly sadly in response and turned to follow as Marcus led her through the Church and back out of the door into the small store room at the other end.
“You okay?”
“I’m fine. I just wish dad could have been to see this.”
Marcus reached down and took Abby’s hands in his.
“Maybe he can. Maybe he’s watching you right this second. Besides, I know for a fact he would be just as happy for you.” He squeezed her hands lightly. They stood in silence, hands locked for a few seconds before footsteps could be heard coming across the Church.
Marcus dropped his hands first and headed towards the small box standing on a small wooden table in the middle of the room. From inside it he lifted out the beautiful star that had adorned the top of the tree for almost sixty years. It was small and delicate and glistened in the light.
“I do believe that this is yours” he handed it to her and she turned it over in her hands a few times, getting used to the dainty feel of it and the glitter which twinkled.
“Are you ready dear?” Vera’s head popped round the corner of the door. She smiled at the look of delight in Abby’s eyes and the love she saw in her son’s. “Marcus the service is beginning, I need you out front.”
He turned round to follow his mother, giving his friend one last wide smile before disappearing out the door.
After he had left Abby took up pacing across the small room. She knew her cue. Now all she had to do was try not to trip over. After a while she heard the Chancellors soft voice addressing the people and she knew that her entrance was very soon.
“I want to start by thanking our resident head of Church, Vera Kane and her son Marcus for the beautiful ceremony” she began, “It is my pleasure to welcome you into the Earth Church this morning for our annual Christmas service. As usual we would now like to end with the placing of the star. This year Abigail Walters has been given this honour for her amazing dedication to both her school work and the community of the Ark. We are also proud to announce that after passing her latest medic examination she is also now the first junior trainee doctor that the Ark has ever seen.”
What? They had all been told that the result of their latest examination wouldn’t be released until the New Year. That must have been a mistake. Maybe they had confused it with her last theory test?
“I would now like to invite Abigail to the stage”
She took a deep breath to try and calm her shaking hands and questioning mind before stepping out of the door into the Church hall. It wasn’t until she was standing between the Chancellor and Vera that she realised how many people were here. She glanced across the room to where Marcus was standing. He gave her a subtle thumbs up which she took as the cue to reveal the star and place it gently on top of the tree. She turned back to face the congregation.
“Thank you everyone for being here this morning. On behalf of the Church, the Council and the Chancellor I want to wish you all a very merry Christmas.”
An enthusiastic round of applause started up and it took all she had not to run and throw her arms around Marcus and kiss him again right now. She waited for everyone to file out, telling her mom that she would catch her up later, until it was just the two of them left.
Making sure that they were alone, Marcus raised his arms up and ran over to Abby tackling her into a tight hug. Despite the crushed state of her lungs she wrapped her arms around him in response.
“Merry Christmas.” He whispered into her ear.
She pulled back and placed a hand on each shoulder, “Merry Christmas to you too.”
“I guess it must be a pretty good one so far. Genius.”
“I didn’t even know the results were coming out this soon!”
“They weren’t. You were just the only one who passed so I suggested there was no point in keeping you waiting. So I guess it could qualify as the best Christmas so far?”
“Maybe?”
“Only maybe?” he asked, his eyebrows rising. He had tried so hard to make today perfect for her. Knowing how much she loved this special day he had persuaded his mother into nominating her to carry the star (she later revealed that she was planning on suggesting her for the job anyway). He had even found the red dress which she was currently wearing in one of the arks supply stores and asked her mother to say it was a hand-me-down. It had cost him a fair amount of money as new clothes were hard to find on the Ark, however, he decided that any penny spent on making her day special was worth it.
“Yes, but there’s just one thing missing?”
“What is it?” he tried to hide the slight hurt in his voice.
“You kissing me.”
Now that was something he could easily fix. The smile returned to his face as he pulled her closer once again, cupping her face and leaning in slowly. The kiss was sweet and gentle as they both poured the full extent of their feelings into the moment. Abby broke away first, leaning her forehead against his.
“Now, it’s the best Christmas ever.”