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“I don’t see why we have to have them.” Pugsley kicked the carpet, making sure to stop short of Kitty’s tail. He did not like having his tail messed with. For his part, Kitty was busy making sure the spider decorations didn’t crawl away too soon.
“They are family.” Wednesday spared him a glance from the tree she was decorating. Mother always liked it when she placed the scorpions just so.
“They aren’t blood.”
“It’s probably just as well, them not being human and all.”
“He’s always so grumpy and I think Lurch is afraid of him.”
“Of course.” She picked a small skull and crossbones next. It was one of her favorites. “He could bend Lurch in two. In fact, I think he has. Remember when Lurch had that bad back and then suddenly he didn’t?”
“Yeah.” Pugsley did the leap. “You mean--?”
“Uh, huh. Now, if you aren’t going to help, go away. You are bothering me.”
“Of course, I am. I’m your brother.” He snatched up an ornament, easily Wednesday’s favorite and took off.
“PUGSLEY!!” She followed him, murder in her eyes. “I’ll make you pay for this.”
Gomez entered the room just as they were racing out of it, Wednesday shouting threats all the way. “Don’t you just love the holidays. So much chaos everywhere.”
Morticia floated into the room, a frilly apron over a form-fitting black dress. If it was any tighter, Gomez would have been able to count her ribs.
“Cara mia!” Gomez was carried away on wings of passion. “Your dress!”
Morticia smiled and caressed his cheek as she passed. “I thought I’d put on something special for the holidays.” She smiled mischievously. “Have you thoughts about what you want Santa to bring you for Christmas?”
“Nothing! Everything that I want is right here.”
“Everything?”
“Well, truth be known, I will miss toasting the New Year’s with the Addams traditional horn.”
“It was a shame that it was destroyed last year. I know how much it meant to you.” Morticia never let on how much she detested the thing.
“It has been handed down from the Viking’s branch of the Addams. There were only two others ever like it.”
“I can believe that.”
“I wish there was some way I could make you feel better.” She paused and added, coyly, “Mon cher.” That did it.
“Tish, that’s French!” It threw Gomez into a fit of passion. “Say something else! Beret, faux pas, cul-de-sac!”
Morticia laughed as Gomez attacked her arm with feverish kisses. It felt good to know that the fire that burned within them was still a raging inferno. She was ready to be swept away by it when the doorbell sounded. The deafening gong shook plaster from the ceiling. She needed to remember to thank Lurch for that.
Suddenly, Fester was there, a mass of quivering expectation. He was wearing his best ulster and his head gleamed.
“Uncle Fester, how handsome you look.” Morticia put a hand to her chest. “I am overwhelmed.” She untangled herself from Gomez’s embrace.
Fester didn’t have Gomez’s ease around women. How very different the two brothers were . “Really? I want… I mean, I need to...” He sighed and looked at his reflection. “She’s so… and I’m…”
Gomez clapped a hand to his back. “Fester, old man, relax, you are irresistible. Just turn on that Addams’s charm.”
Morticia took a few steps towards the entry hall as Lurch opened the door. Wednesday appeared, her normally neat hair awry. “Wednesday, what happened? Where is your brother?”
“Hopefully, dying a slow and painful death.”
“Well, as long as he’s enjoying himself.”
“Sapphire and Steel,” Lurch intoned and caught himself from touching Steel’s homburg. He was clad in a grey overcoat and looked as if there were a dozen other places he wanted to be.
Sapphire was wearing a faux fur-trimmed cloak of radiant blue and a matching hat. “Morticia,” she said, sweeping forward and hugging the woman. “Your home is so lovely and festive.”
Gomez helped Sapphire with her cloak and passed it along to Lurch. He moaned and took it, hesitating as Steel removed his coat, hat and gloves. Before he passed them over, he removed a package from a pocket. Lurch moved as quickly from the room as he could with his armful.
“It’s so kind of you to invite us. Are we the first guests?”
Morticia took her arm. “You are and there’s no one I’d rather welcome first. Please come and warm yourself by the fire.”
“And you, old man, how are you keeping?” Gomez pulled a cigarillo from a pocket and started puffing away. It helped to buy them pre-lit. “Any plans at world domination?”
“Not so you would know.” He looked over at Sapphire and she smiled slightly and nodded.
“Before the other guests arrive, Steel and I have a gift for you.” She nodded to him and Steel presented the package to Gomez. “With our best wishes.”
Gomez laughed and tore off the brown wrapping paper. The string proved a bit more of a challenge, but he got it off and opened the box. He took a decorated drinking horn from the box.
“By Jove, this is incredible. It’s a near duplicate of the one that was broken last year.” He turned it around and around in his hands. “If I didn’t know better, I would say it’s an exact copy.”
“Not a copy, Gomez.” Sapphire’s tone was gentle. “It’s the horn that was lost by your many times great uncle.”
“Father, there is another?” Pugsley, still smoldering slightly from his brush with death, came closer for a better look.
“The story goes that their father made three copies of the Addams drinking horn and gave one to each brother. Two of the brothers held onto theirs, but the third brother was fond of gambling and lost the horn in a poker games. The rumor was that it was rigged. His father was broken and died soon after. The other two brothers tried to find the horn and restore it to its rightful owner, but it had vanished.” He looked first at Steel and then Sapphire. “Until now?”
She hunched her shoulders delicately. “What’s the use of being able to time travel if you don’t take advantage of it now and again?”
“And for the record, the game was not rigged.” Steel managed to look even more affronted than usual. “Your many times great uncle, Mortimore, was just a very bad card player.”
“Jolly good.” Gomez turned his head as a happy tear escape from his eye. Morticia surged forward and hugged him. He set it onto its stand, the Addams crest gleaming in the candlelight.
“Then a midnight toast, after all, to dear friends and family.” The doorbell sounded again and the wealth of the season flowed into their home. Morticia could not be happier.