Archive of Our Own

Penelope was spending the festive season a little differently this year.

Usually, she would spend the weeks of December at home with her mother - which wasn’t the most joyous occasion when one person happily embraced the Christmas spirit while the other completely loathed it. Every year since she moved out, she made the two hour journey back to her family home with hope that maybe her mother would greet her at door with a smile. Or she would walk into the house decorated like she was stepping into Santa’s grotto. 

But when she steps inside and sees the decorations still in their boxes and covered in cobwebs, and hearing the sound of her mother’s voice complaining about the Christmas lights on the house opposite her being too bright. She immediately knew it would be the regular frosty celebrations in the Featherington Household. 

The only thing being cosy and warm at that time was the one log fire that continuously held its flame in the living room.

It’s made Penelope count down the days until the holiday was over instead of looking forward to the big day. 

But this year, she was invited by her sister Philippa - who she surprisingly now has a close bond with after years of a strained relationship - and her husband Albion - who Penelope believes is one of the reasons why she now has a good relationship with her sister. Albion warming and loving Philippa’s cold heart, something their mother taught them all to have - to spend the festive season with them. She was quick to accept the invitation, because Penelope was happy to spend the season somewhere new, and she knew her mother was even more happy that she didn’t have to host her for another year and could go and stay with Prudence and her husband Harry in their lavish home close to the city.

It also meant a Penelope had the chance to spend more time with her favourite person ever, her five year old niece Philomena. A ray of sunshine in her life who currently was badly hiding next to the open door of the spare bedroom that she was staying in, making her move to ‘surprise’ her auntie who was currently reading on the bed. 

Turning the page of her book, Penelope eyes skim over the top to see a little sparkly shoe peeking out at the side of the doorframe. Her lips twitch as she conceals her laughter. At a young age Philomena was good at many things, but trying to sneak up on someone was not one of them. “Is anyone out there?” She asks innocently, stretching her neck to see if she could see around the entrance, playing along in the small game.

A light giggle is heard behind the wall, and a smile bursts on to Penelope’s face as she snuggles down more into the bed with a sigh. Pretending that she didn’t hear a sound. “Well I guess I’ll just continue to read then-”

“Boo!”

“Ah!” Penelope eyes widen, faking an over-exaggerated gasp as the little girl jumps out of her hiding space and into the room, her arms up in the air and wearing more of an adorable than scary expression on her face. Philomena was quick to burst into a song of now loud giggles, and Penelope continues her act of being shocked by placing a hand on her chest and making her breath heavy. “You frightened me.” 

Her act melted when Philomena climbed onto the bed and snuggled into her side for a hug. Wrapping her arms around her, Penelope squeezes back tightly, ignoring the wisps of golden hair that tickles her nose when she rests her head on top of her nieces.

Sadly, Philomena did not follow the generation of Featherington’s who stood out with their auburn locks of hair. Her hair being a much richer blonde just like her fathers. But she had Philipa’s blue eyes, and had a similar smile.

She was the perfect mix of the two of them, and Penelope loved her dearly.

She also had a curious mind too. “What are you reading?” 

Penelope picks up her Jane Austen novel and shows Philomena the cover, pointing to the title Emma printed in black across the top. “It’s a little bit of a big book for you to read right now.” She tells her. “It has loads of words and not many pictures like the books you have.” 

“Does it talk about colourful caterpillars like in my storybooks?!”

“Well.…not really.” 

“Oh.” Philomena stretches her feet on the bed as she crosses her arms on her chest, a disappointed pout on her face. “That’s boring Auntie Penelope.”

Penelope laughs at her nieces bluntness, also mentally cheering that her obsession with caterpillars was still alive so the pyjamas that she had gotten her for Christmas wouldn’t be wasted. “Well I’m sorry my choice of reading is not to your standard.” She playfully jabs, tickling the little girl and letting her bubbly laugh bounce around the walls of the room again. “What are you doing up here anyway?”

Philomena lets out a gasp, realising she hasn’t revealed her news. Scrambling up so she was kneeling in front of Penelope, she says loudly. “We’re going on an adventure!” 

“An adventure?” Penelope gasps back, hiding her amusement because any time Philipa and Albion took Philomena out the young girl called it an adventure. It could be to just the corner shop on their street and she would think that they were going on some grand tour. It humours Penelope that a child’s imagination could spread far and wide. “Well where are you going this time?” 

“We are going to pick a Christmas tree!” The young girl says with a squeal, shimmying on the bed with excitement. 

“You are?” Penelope smiles at the happiness radiating off of the other. It was the weekend, a late Saturday afternoon, and she remembers Albion promising his daughter that they would be starting the Christmas activities around this time. They must want to start it with getting a real Christmas tree and decorating it together with colourful baubles and bright twinkling lights.

She looks over towards the door, where Philippa now stood, and frowns when spotting her coat underneath Philomena’s bright lilac one. “We are?” She asks her sister, wondering if she was a part of the we. 

“Of course you are coming Penelope.” Philippa states with scoff like it should’ve been obvious. “I need your help to pick the best tree for this house, and also side with me when I argue with Albion over the fact that we are not choosing a tree because it has character we are choosing a tree to be decorated. Remember last years one?”

Penelope’s chortles remembering it. With not a lot of leaves and it being very slanted that the baubles were hanging onto the branches by a thread. Lets just say that the Finch’s tree last year was…interesting to say the least. 

But pushing the amusement aside, Penelope’s heart warmed at the fact that her sister wanted her to join them in this festive activity. They never really did anything like this when they were children, probably because how disjointed the family were - and still was in some ways. With Penelope being the youngest, sometimes it felt hard to find a place to stand with her two eldest sisters. Most times living in a world when it was her against them. 

Maybe this was Philippa trying to make up for that, or maybe she just really needed Penelope’s opinion on what tree to get.

Either way, she appreciated the invitation.

Or demand in Philomena’s case, with the constant pleading happening right now near her ear. 

“Please come Auntie Penelope,” the young girls grabs her hand, tugging it slightly. “Please please please please pleaseeee-”

“Alright alright I’m coming!” Penelope cuts her niece off with a laugh, making a move to get off the bed. “Let’s go and find the best Christmas tree!”

“After we dress warm.” Philippa hands Penelope her coat before crouching down to put on her daughters. “We can’t have you catching a cold now can we?” She pinches Philomena’s cheeks playfully, making the young girl squeal. 

It wasn’t long before they were making a move to the Christmas Tree Farm which was half an hour away from the Finch’s home. Seated in Albions car wrapped up for the chilly weather in coats, accessorised with hats, scarfs and gloves - Albion taking the extra step by wearing a bright red Santa hat with lights around the white base - they got through the small journey by spotting all the Christmas decorations outside people’s homes and singing the occasional festive song that got played on the radio. 

With every festive house that they past, every - sometimes faulty - note sang, slowly brought a bit of that joyful spirit Penelope had lost over the years. It was nice to have it back. 

The farm was already packed with people when they arrived, but Penelope was pretty sure that there were more trees than people with how many rows of green they were faced with. However that didn’t stop the worry etching on Philomena’s face as her father helps her out of the car. 

“What if we don’t get a tree daddy?” She frets, holding her father’s hand tightly as the four of them made their way to the entrance. The sign above there heads in red and white like a candy cane inviting them in.

“Oh I’m sure we will my buttercup.” Albion squeezes her hand to go alongside his encouragement. “There’s definitely one out there for us, and they all looking pretty tree-mendous, so it’s gonna be super hard to pick.”

The classic tree pun gets a different reaction from the two women, a loving laugh from Philippa, while Penelope groans under her breath. 

“I think getting a tree is the least of our worries. One of us is sure to get lost in this place.” Penelope jokes, eyes sweeping the large area. They could meet up at the small cafe area to the far right of them if one got lost, but this place was practically a maze. “Why don’t we-”

She trails off when Philomena and her father run past her and Philippa, her niece shouting “Let’s start over here!” over her shoulder as they moved quickly to the first row of Christmas trees. Well, there goes her plan of stating that they should maybe try and stick together. 

“Come on you.” Philippa moves closer to link arms with her sister with a laugh. “Let’s catch up with them before they cause trouble.”

“Who’s gonna cause trouble the most? Philomena and Albion?” Penelope teasingly asks. The two sisters both laughing at the question as they follow the lights on Albion’s hat. “Did your husband have to wear something so bright?” 

“You don’t like it? Well I think it makes him look like a super sexy Santa.” Philippa leans closer to whisper, “Do you know he has a full on costume too?! Sometimes we-”

“Ew Philippa please, I don’t need that image in my head.” 

***

There was a whole system that came when choosing the right Christmas tree. Penelope didn’t realise how important it was until they went through the trees here on the farm. 

Different types of trees, she’s come to realise. A mixture of pine trees and firs with soft needles that weren’t so sharp to touch and handle.

It was looking at the shape - was it the perfect length and width for its location back at the house? The colour - how green did they want it to be? Was the trunk strong enough to stand without bending and were the branches dense enough to carry all the decorations? Testing that the leaves weren’t so brittle that they would snap off with a gentle touch of the fingertips. 

There was so many things to consider before deciding if it was the tree that they wanted, and left the group of four debating around some for ages as they strolled up and down the many rows;

“I think that tree is too tall for our living room Penelope.” 

“It’s leaning a little bit to the right ain’t it?”

“Mummy! We need more branches for our lights!”

“Albion, don’t you think that an upside down tree was so last season?”

Philippa was grateful for Penelope steering her husband away from one of the unique tress that they had there, but Penelope was so close with agreeing with him on the next one so they could finally pick a tree to take home with them.

It was becoming too stressful, almost as stressful as someone choosing their first car or apartment. But she knew in the end it would be worth it when they get to go back and decorate, which was one of Penelope’s favourite things to do. 

Decorating the tree for the past few years had been done by herself when her mother was out, and she quite enjoyed the few peaceful hours where she could feel festive without someone slicing the joy with a cold icicle. Sticking a Christmas playlist on, making some hot chocolate with all the toppings that she would sip in between untangling the lights and separating the baubles, she would take her time putting it together. Getting a twinkle in her eye as the lights sparkled around the trees branches, smiling as she brought brightness to a dull space with the baubles. Creating a beautiful image with the colours of red, silver and gold.

The Featherington tree held no special memories, but it did make the place feel nicer. And Penelope was quite proud of herself when she stepped back and admired the work she had done. 

This year it would be different, a lot more lively with a five year old who was very vocal on how much she loved this time of year (Penelope remembers Philomena talking her ear off about it once when she was trying to settle the young girl for bed) but she thinks she’ll enjoy the activity just as much, maybe loving it even more.

She’ll only find that out when a tree has been selected. Hopefully soon, because December had already brought in the cold weather, and her fingers were becoming slightly numb even wearing her gloves.

So to keep moving so she wouldn’t turn into a block of ice, Penelope decides to take a look at the next row by herself, leaving the other three to have a moment alone discussing about a tree that they were all taking a liking to. Nuzzling into her scarf, she turns the corner to see what array of trees were there - even though she’s seen so many now they were all starting to look the same.

And that’s when she sees him. 

Penelope doesn’t recognise him at first, her eyes just gazing on a handsome man who was talking to a couple about how to keep the tree stable once it was in a stand at home. Clearly he was someone who worked here, confirming her suspicion with a name tag that was clipped to the left side of his coat, just above his chest. She was standing a bit away to read the name. 

But as she edged closer, moving around bodies and absently staring at the display of trees around her, there was something so familiar about him and she couldn’t put her finger on what it was. His hair was brown, a chestnut brown to be precise, cut short but still long and thick enough to see it curling on the ends. Travelling down to his face, brushing past his pointed ears and firm lines of his nose and lips, she stops when she notices the colour of his eyes. They were a deep blue, and she was not close enough to see the light and shade in them, the mystery that simmered behind them, but there was feeling deep in her chest that told her she has stared into them before.

And that dimple that showed when he smiled she’s made appear numerous times. 

And when he laughed, tilting his head up, just faintly Penelope could see a small scar under his chin. And it was funny, because it looked exactly like the one she knew someone had when he fell off his skateboard when he was fourteen-

“Thanks for the help Colin! We’ll take this tree home with us.”

Penelope eyes widen, her heart beating rapidly against her ribs. It couldn’t be-

But it was. 

Standing a few feet away from her, was Colin Bridgerton. An old friend who she hasn’t seen since she was fifteen. Her first ever crush too.

But before friendship and feelings bloomed, Colin was just the boy who lived across the street from her with his family. She was twelve when the Bridgerton’s moved there, and though she was excited to see a new family living in the house that had been empty for some time. Her shy demeanour made her too scared to walk across the street and introduce herself. 

That all changed a few weeks later, when Penelope was making daisy chains under an old oak tree that was in her front garden - which she was still angry to this day that her mother removed - and a football came flying her way after a high kick from Colin. 

She ducked just in the time for the ball to hit the trunk of the tree behind her, and her daisy chain was now messed up somewhere in the long threads of grass. But she was quick to be checked on by a boy who eyes were filled with worry and kindness, an embarrassed smile spread across his face as he asked if she was okay. Staying with her and collecting daisy’s across her and his front lawn for Penelope to make a new chain, both of them laughing at his failed attempt to make one of his own.  

She made him a daisy crown, and Colin asked her if she wanted to hang out with him and his family the next day before running in for tea. And in that moment Penelope understood what her sisters were saying about boys that made hearts skip a beat and made butterflies fly around the stomach. 

She didn’t really realise it was a crush at first, not until the years went by and she understood what the term meant.

But she carried that magical feeling with her as her friendship with Colin grew. She was great friends with his sister Eloise as well, both of them in the same year at school and Penelope being taken under Eloise’s wing on her first day there. When she was over the Bridgerton house, Colin was there too. Joining her and Eloise outside to play knights in the garden, sharing a bowl of popcorn with her on movie nights because they were the only two who liked them sweet. Nearly every day after school they would spend time with each other at either her house or his - sometimes Eloise joining them - to read or complete homework. And even though Colin was two years above her in school, they somehow helped each other until their work was at the best quality it could be.

They also talked a lot too, a range of conversation that flowed so seamlessly between them. And laughed, Penelope doesn’t remember smiling around someone so much before. 

For three years of her life, she had a great friendship, a strong and wonderful one. A friendship which her mother found unusual, while his mother found it delightful. And throughout that friendship, she would stutter and blush at times when he was near, longingly look at him when he was afar. Her heart getting warm at every caring and thoughtful thing he’d done - like walking her home from school when she bruised her knee after a game of dodgeball. Defending her against her sisters when they teased her - hoping one day that they could be something more.

But Colin never reached out and reciprocated her feelings.

So her crush shined privately, while her friendship with him shined loudly out into the world. 

However, when Colin’s father Edmund received a job offer on the other side of England. A fifteen year old Penelope heart was broken as she waved goodbye to Colin and the rest of his family as they drove to their new home so many miles away. Promises of communication were made, but there’s so many loopholes that came with that that in the end it eventually stopped.

Not because something bad had happened. It was just that life got more busy as they moved from teenagers to adulthood. Time moved on. But even now at twenty two years old Penelope looks back at that time with the fondest of memories. Even though she was practically a stranger to him now, even when she thought she would never see him again. 

But here he was. 

And she gulped hard when she realised he was walking her way. 

Oh shit oh shit oh shit oh-

“Hi! Did you need any helping finding a particular- Penelope?”

A small gasp escapes her lips, he remembered her. Not that she has changed a lot over the years. Her hair was still the same shade of red, she’d hadn’t grown so much in height, her facial structure had matured but her features remained the same. But heartbreakingly, she thought that he’d maybe forgotten about her.

It was silly thought, she knew that. But some people are friends one day and then the next pass each other on the street without a glance.

However, seeing the emotion glistening in his eyes, probably the same amount of emotion that was filling up in her’s. She might have been wrong about that.

So with a smile, she greets him. “Hi Colin.”

And for a few moments, the noise around them becomes an echo as a relationship of the past meets the present. They stare at each other, looking at who they are now, and looking back at every little moment between them that left an important mark on them even in the years apart. 

Then, Colin pulls her into an hug.

“Oh!” Penelope softly exclaims, as she presses her hands into the bottom of his back. Smiling even though she felt all of her breath being pushed out by his tight squeeze, because she didn’t really care about that in this moment. Of course, being able to breathe was important, but having that familiar warmth back in her life made her want to drown in this embrace. A new scent of sandalwood tickling her nose as her face was buried in his shoulder. 

When he pulls away, there was a smile on his face just as blinding as the lights twinkling around them. 

“It’s so good to see you-”

“You too! It’s been so long-”

“How have you been doing? You’re looking great, amazing even-”

“You’re looking great too.” Penelope tells him, a small blush rising to cheeks at his compliment. She couldn’t help but compliment him too, because he was looking pretty great. And it was odd that she wasn’t surprised that her stomach started to swoop and her heart started to flutter like it did before. Because she still found him as handsome now even when he’d grown a lot of inches and developed a stubble on his cheeks. 

“Mummy, who’s Auntie Penelope hugging?” 

Oh, for a second she forgot where she was and who she was with.

Turning around, she sees her family who faces showed a mixture of expressions. Albion’s and Philomena’s faces were full of confusion, while Philippa’s held curiosity. It was like she recognised Colin’s face but couldn’t put a name to it.

“Philippa,” Penelope breathes out, moving close to her sister before gesturing to her old friend. “Do you remember Colin Bridgerton? He lived-”

“Across the street from us? With the big family? The one who mother-”

“We don’t need to know mothers opinions now do we?” Penelope rushes out to silence her sister, who did blabber sometimes. And Colin did not need to know about Portia Featherington’s opinions, some were quite bizarre. “But, yes that’s him.”

“I haven’t seen a Bridgerton around here in ages.” Philippa states, greeting Colin with a smile.

“I just moved back to the area.” Colin says. “I’ve got a job that I start in the new year so I’m helping my friends with this place to tie me over until then.” 

“Did you two know each other well?” Albion asks, his confusion turning to curiosity. 

“They knew each other very well, back then they were practically inseparable.” Philippa answers for them, a teasing glint in her eyes.

Albion raises his eyebrows at his wife’s words. “Really?”

A red flush spreads over Penelope’s cheeks. “W-well I wouldn’t s-say insep-”

“Yeah it’s true.” 

Penelope looks over to Colin in surprise, but he shrugs his shoulders innocently at her. “What? We were inseparable.” A warm smile is on his face as he admits. “The very best moments of my teenage years were spent with you.” 

There was no need for Penelope to respond vocally, the look on her face said it all, confirming that she felt that way too. And it leaves them in a moment of reflecting back on those good times as they gaze in to each others eyes, broken a few seconds later when Penelope realises she hasn’t introduce the rest of her family.

“Colin um-”  Penelope clears her throat, ignoring the knowing look on her sisters face as her eyes quickly move to the other two people standing next to them. “This is Albion, Philippa’s husband and this,” she stops, smiling as younger girl starts to wave her left hand in an enthusiastic greeting. “This is their daughter Philomena.”

“Hello!”

“Well Hello Miss Philomena.” Colin greets the young girl with a bright smile, a smile that Penelope was much fond of many years ago. “So I suppose you’re here to find a Christmas tree?”

Philomena nods her head with a bright smile.

“And what kind of Christmas tree are you looking for?” 

The young pursues her lips in thought. “We’re looking for a tree..” she trails off, stretching her arms lengthways to show the height. “This tall!”

“Quite tall then.” Colin hums, deeply interested in Philomena’s requests. 

“With many branches for all the lights!”

“Can’t have lights on a few branches now can we?” Colin chuckles. 

“And very green!” 

“Wow.” Colin raises his eyebrows. “Very specific. Have you found anything like that yet?”

Penelope remembers their liking of a tree in the row before. “Well there’s a tree-”

“No! No we are still struggling.” Philippa cuts Penelope off, linking arms with her sister while performing a dramatic sigh. “We just can’t seem to make our minds up. Maybe you would be able to help us?”

“What are you doing?” Penelope grits through her teeth quietly, looking over at her sister with furrowed brows. Philippa wiggles her eyebrows playfully in response, a plan forming in her head that Penelope could see through the look in her eyes. 

She was sometimes scared of the plans her sister made, the mystery of them always being very unexpected. 

“Perhaps over a hot chocolate in that cafe over there? Get us out of the cold for a bit.”

Albions frowns, “But we have perfectly good hot chocolate at home-Ow!”

All eyes turn as Albion grunts from a not so exactly subtle nudge in the ribs from his wife. Who sends him a clear message silently with glaring eyes. Being married for so long, their silent conversation comes to a conclusion, as Albion comes to a realisation on what Philippa was trying to do. 

“Oh.” Elongating the word while nodding his head slowly, Albion turns back to the group with a grin. “I wouldn’t mind a hot chocolate myself.”

“I like chocolate too!” Philomena bursts out, innocent to her parents meddling.

But the two other adults were aware of it, knowing that they were getting the chance to spend time together, and Penelope wasn’t opposed to the opportunity, and neither was Colin.

“A drink would be great, give us a chance to discuss what tree you would want.” Colin looks over to Penelope with a warm smile and soft rounded eyes. “And to catch up.”

Penelope nods her head, “we have a lot to catch up on.”

They did indeed, years of tales to tell.

“Well we better go and find a table.” Philippa grins widely as she grabs her husband and daughters hand and begins to walk down to the cafe, throwing a look over her shoulder that says ‘you’re welcome.’ 

Penelope smiles gratefully after her. Thinking that maybe she was wrong, maybe some her sisters plans were genius ones.

“You coming?”

She looks up to see Colin now close to her, holding up his arm for her to hold like a gentleman. Penelope looks between his face and bent arm before letting out a snort. “Still a charmer aren’t you?” She teases, sliding her hand to rest on the crook of his elbow. 

“Some things never change.”

And with that warm, tingling feeling she used to have around him running through her body once again. She thinks, No, some things never do. 

***

They stayed for over an hour in the cafe, starting to rediscover things about each other and learn new things too. 

On a table in the corner, with tinsel hanging above their heads, Christmas music blaring from one corner of the room, and hot chocolates warming their hands. The five of them conversed and laughed together, engaging in a range of conversations. 

Penelope learnt about what Colin had been up to, from finishing school to travelling the world and coming back home to work on the travel section for the local newspaper in the new year. While she told him about her time at university, her editing role and her journey of writing. With the time they had, they couldn’t dive deep into the conversations, not with Albion and Philipa who were asking questions and vice versa, and especially not with a five year old who had to tell Colin what she asked Santa for Christmas this year. 

“An ice cream shop?” Colin gasps in amazement when Philomena nods her head. “Running a business at five years old? Now that’s very impressive.” 

“I want to serve every ice cream in the world!” 

“Well hopefully Santa has read your letter to know how much you want it.” Philippa says sweetly to her daughter, glancing over her head and sharing a smile with Albion and Penelope. Knowing that someone was going to be very happy this year when she opens her wooden toy ice cream parlour which was currently hidden in the back of their wardrobe. 

But when is was just them two, when Philomena dragged her parents along to play pass the parcel with the other families there. Penelope observed Colin as he sat next to her. He was still the same in some ways. That loving, charming, funny guy who would crack a joke here and there. Who’s eyes still held so much warmth when talking about his family, telling Penelope how Daphne had one child but another on the way and how Anthony was getting married in February next year. Of course, he was a grown up now, and travelling the world has opened his eyes to the wonders of it. Making him more thoughtful and sensitive to things around him. 

But everything just clicked back into place. No worries, no awkwardness, like the years that had passed were just a breath of air that swooshed past them. 

So she wasn’t shocked that Colin still had the ability to surprise her. 

“You really kept that?” Penelope asks with a laugh of disbelief, astonished that he had kept a small yellow teddy bear that she gave him the day before he moved away. As a goodbye present, maybe really as something to remind you of me gift. “I thought you would have thrown that out by now.”

“Why would I? It came from you.” 

Her breath hitched, hearing the power and emotion in those words. “Y-yes. But it has been years and I thought-” 

“Thought what? That I’d forget you.” Colin cuts her off, making Penelope feel sheepish to ever think it. He shakes his head, before shuffling closer and grabbing one of her hands in his. Tenderly stroking the skin with his thumb and mapping out shapes on the skin there. It was the most softest touch, like her hand was a valuable gift that could break. With a smirk, he tells her, “How could I forget the girl who made me my first daisy chain crown?”

Penelope smiles wide, her heart fluttering against her chest. 

My god, she was still swooning for him even now. His charm was still so enchanting, maybe even more than before.

“Even though we lost contact, you have always been there in the back of my mind Pen.” Colin squeezes her hand, his nickname for her rolling off of his tongue so easily, and she never realised how much she’s missed that in her life until now. “And I always knew that one day we would meet again.”

“Physic now are you?”

“No.” Colin laughs at her teasing, before telling her. “I just had a feeling that our story wasn’t over yet.”

Deep down, she knew that Colin had always been there in the back of her mind too. Hearing a song on the radio that he used to sing along to, flicking through the tv channels and seeing Brighton playing on the TV and wondering if he was still supporting the football team and cheering them on. It was the little things, that took her back to the day where a football came flying her way. That made her remember their time together with a smile. 

It was weird, because some friends from school she lost contact with she doesn’t even think about or dwell on. But Colin was always there. Was that really a sign from the universe saying that their story wasn’t over? Who knows. She was grateful however to have this moment now. 

“You’ve always been on my mind too.” She admits softly, eyes slightly widening as she sees fondness ooze out of his. That was new. Yes, when they were younger light affection was shared between them, but nothing ever this deep. 

She didn’t know what it meant, she didn’t know what Colin was truly feeling. But she liked it a lot.

And she wanted it to stay.

So she squeezes his hand a little bit tighter in hers.

After the hour passed, they needed to get back to the task at hand - finding the perfect Christmas Tree. The group of four now turned five went down the remaining rows, and with many more debates and Colin’s expertise, they were able to find the perfect tree for the Finch’s home.

Tall but not so tall that it touched the ceiling, shaped well with its branches and needles that could hold their decorations, and also very green which pleased Philomena greatly. 

But now a tree was chosen, Penelope wishes she didn’t hope for them to pick one so soon. Because as Colin wraps up the tree up in netting to hold its shape and protect its branches, telling them how to take care of it at home. As he helps Albion move it to the car after everything was paid for. She realises that it was one step closer to saying goodbye again

And she doesn’t know why, but she’s finding this goodbye harder than the one they shared before. 

“It was nice seeing you again Colin.” Philippa tells him as they stand around the car, Albion helping Philomena into her seat. “Don’t be a stranger now.” She tells him with a playful, but pointed look, sending two silent messages at the same time, which gets a laugh out of him. 

“Bye Colin!” Philomena waves from the car.

“Goodbye Philomena, it was lovely to meet you.” Colin wiggles his fingers in a funny way which amuses the young girl. It distracts him for a few seconds, just enough time for Philipa to whisper “gets his number!” in her sisters ear.  

Penelope shoos her now giggling sister away with a wide eyed look before it was just her and Colin left.

And then there was silence. Two individuals afraid to take the tentative steps to speak first. Wondering if this goodbye would be for another few years or only for a short while. 

Penelope really hopes it’s for a short while.

“Do you-”

“I-”

They both stop, chuckling gently at the slight awkwardness. 

“Do you think we could meet up for a drink sometime?” Colin rushes out to ask, and Penelope’s hope sky rockets as them words leave his mouth. 

“Sometime?”

“Like next weekend.” 

Her stomach flips in excitement, “Next weekend?” 

“I-I know I might sound too forward, and I know Christmas is around the corner so you’re probably busy but..” Colin was rubbing the back of his neck shyly before he trailed off, slightly flushed in cheeks. After a few seconds he drops his hand, speaking much more confidently in one breath, “I just really want to see you again.” 

Penelope beams in delight. A drink sounded like a great idea, a chance to continue to rekindle their friendship. She could learn more about him, about what she’s missed. Discover why he had such a dazed look on his face as he stared at her and why his voice turned to something so alluring as he spoke to her just then. 

Well, she didn’t have to find out. She wasn’t that lovesick teenager anymore who clung onto his every answer, where her heart sang to the highest snowy top mountains for him. But her heart did beat with curiosity. 

So they’ll go for a drink, and see what happens then. 

“I think next weekend sounds perfect.”

With an exchange of numbers, and a promise to speak soon, Penelope enters the car with a giddy feeling that ran through her entire body. She had a smile that wouldn’t break, there was joy that was swirling around her stomach, a thrilling warmth that tickled her heart and rushed to the apples of her cheeks to leave them rosy.

Which her curious little niece just had to point out. 

“Why are your cheeks so red Auntie Penelope?”

“W-what?” The flushed woman stammers out as she quickly lifts one hand to subtly cover them. “N-no, no they are not.” 

“Oh they so are!” Philippa pops her head through the gap between the two front seats with a laugh. “I’ve never seen you so smitten before.” She turns to Albion, a wild grin on her face. “Have you Albie?”

“Don’t think so.” Albion replies. “In fact, I think you’re feeling quite pine” he looks over to his wife with adoring eyes. “Do you get it my Philippa? Pine, like on a Christmas-”

“Yes yes we get the joke.”

“I’m not smitten, or feeling pine, over anyone!” Penelope shakes her head, snuggling into her seat more as she turns her head to the window to avoid the eyes staring at her. Was she really that obvious? “It’s just very warm.”

“But it’s freezing outside Auntie Penelope!”

“Can’t even convince a five year old.” Philippa snorts. 

“Traitor.” Penelope mumbles, playfully glaring at her niece while tickling the side that was closest to her. Leaving the five year old kicking her feet in her car seat with a giggle as Albion drives them away from the Christmas Tree farm. A tree ready to be decorated secured in the boot.

But as they drive past the houses where the Christmas lights twinkle in her eyes, she doesn’t care that she seems smitten (it’s not like she hasn’t been like this over him before) or that her cheeks were rosy red like the baubles they had at home. What matters was the number in her phone, and she stares down at the eleven digits with a smile. Knowing that something exciting was on the horizon. 

The next chapter of an old story, or something entirely new.

She sighs happily, leaning her head against the window. 

This festive season was definitely different from the ones she celebrated before.

And who knows, maybe next year it will be different too.

***

1 Year Later

“The tree is here! The tree is here!”

A now six year old Philomena excitedly jumps out of her chair in the kitchen to run to the front door as she hears it open. Leaving her mother and auntie and a batch of buttery vanilla biscuits that were minutes away from being taken out the oven.

“Well there goes the plan of getting them biscuit decorated before they came back.” Philippa sighs as she sits at the kitchen table, one hand tucked around a peppermint tea while the other was caressing her five month bump that was just starting to show under her jumper.

“Then you shouldn’t have asked your daughter what she wanted to do while we waited.” Penelope laughs, sitting opposite her. “She spent half the time trying to make her mind up.” 

“And you shouldn’t have suggested making Christmas biscuits. I feel like I’ve still got flour in my hair.” 

Penelope doesn’t say anything back, because maybe in some ways her sister was right. She feels like she’s still got flour somewhere in her hair as well. But she does have a sweet tooth when it comes to the festive season, so she’s quite happy to nibble on a few homemade sugary biscuits after decorating the tree this year.

The band of voices were getting closer, just as the timer goes off for the cookies. Penelope stands up with a stretch. “Go on, I’ll get these out of the oven and you go and judge what the Finch’s Christmas tree looks like this year.” She moves to flick on the kettle. “I’ll make some hot chocolate as well.” 

“Oh I have been dreaming of your hot chocolate ever since you made it last year.”

Penelope looks over her shoulder with furrowed brows. “You know it is quite simple to make.”

“Yes, but you make it the best.” Philippa tells her with a warm smile before sauntering off into living room. Leaving Penelope feeling cosy before she even opens the oven to the sweet delights that were now golden brown and ready to be topped with some colourful icing and sprinkles.

That of course, would be done now after they have decorated the tree. There’s no pulling Philomena away from her tinsel any time soon, she’ll be in charge of it just like she was last year.

And some things were the same as last years festivities. Penelope was spending Christmas over her sisters again, and they chose their tree from the same place to bring home and decorate. 

But some things were different. 

Philomena’s love for caterpillars had bloomed into butterflies. Philippa and Albion were counting down the days to welcome their baby boy into the world, and Penelope-

Strong arms find a place around her waist from behind, pulling her back to lean on a warm chest as a feather-like kiss gets pressed to her temples.

“Hello, my love.”

- well, Penelope had Colin. 

What most people say is a childhood crush remains a crush until the end of time. But no one ever told her that one day her childhood crush would suddenly be a part of her life again on a random December afternoon. And they would meet the next weekend for drinks, and meet many more times after that leaving her to re-discover her feelings and her heart reaching out for him once more. And then finding out your feelings were reciprocated and sharing a kiss with said crush in a crowded bar in the middle of January. Leading to a crush becoming a boyfriend and now being together in a happy and wonderful relationship for nearly a year. Oh, and they were in love.

So in love.

Who knew that could happen? Penelope certainly didn’t, but she was very glad that it did.  

Because to be in love, and to be loved, especially by Colin, was the most glorious thing in the world. 

Who knew that the love of your life, could be your greatest friend too?

“Hello.” Penelope hums happily, craning her neck to receive a kiss on the lips from him. Turning in his arms, she runs her hands up his chest before resting them on his biceps, her thumb rubbing back and forth on the fabric of his jumper. “How was choosing the Christmas tree?”

“Surprisingly, it went well.” Colin replies, nodding to biscuits behind her. “How was the baking?”

“It was…messy.”

A soft chuckle escapes the man in front of her, eyes filled with amusement as he lift one of his hands. She’s thinking that maybe he was going to caress her cheek, swipe his thumb across the bottom of her lip. But no, what he does is pull a lump of dough from a strand of her hair. “I can see that.” 

“Yeah maybe asking a six year old to mix all the ingredients together was a bad idea.” She mumbles with a small blush, running her fingers through her hair.

“I’m sure they taste delicious.” Colin sneaks a hand behind Penelope to grab one from the cooling rack, smirking at her protesting whine as he moves the biscuit to his mouth to take a bite. “Wow,” he scrunches his face in delight as he chews on a piece of the buttery, sweet goodness. “These are really good.” 

“It’s a recipe I’ve made ever since I was a old enough to use the oven.” Penelope moves as the kettle finishes boiling, grabbing the hot chocolate powder and four mugs for the adults and a little gingerbread cup for Philomena. 

“You bake biscuits, make the best hot chocolate according to Philipa.” Colin places himself in her spot where she just was against the counter as he stares at her with wide and curious eyes. “What other surprises do you pull out of your stocking at Christmas time?” 

She laughs at his words, adding two spoonfuls of the chocolate powder into each mug. Before dropping the spoon on the counter and turning to him with a timid smile, the mood inside of her becoming more optimistic. “We have plenty of time for you find it all out.” 

She looks away shyly, maybe thinking her words were a step too far. It was only their first Christmas together, and she knows that he knows she was talking about time as in years and not just days. But then she feels his warm presence close to her, a finger tucking under her chin to lift her head so she could be kissed tenderly. 

“We have all the time in the world.” 

And happiness beats in her heart like a drum, as they pull away from each other with matching bright smiles. 

“Now,” Colin raises his eyebrows, tilting his head to the side as he asks, “How good are you at untangling lights?”

With a tray of hot chocolate filled to the brim with marshmallows and cream, the two of them join the Finch’s in the living room, where chaos had already erupted with tinsel being thrown across the arms of the sofa and baubles all over the floor.

“Colin! Colin! I need help to reach the top of the tree!”

“I’m on my way.” Colin impersonates some type of superhero in a super deep voice as he glides over to Philomena and lifts her up onto his hip, spinning her around and making her laugh loudly. 

Penelope smiles softly at the pair, handing over a hot chocolate to a delighted Philipa as she places the tray down on the coffee table. 

“We left the lights in a bit of a tangle last year.” Philippa says apologetically as she gestures to the mess of wires in front of them. 

“Don’t worry.” Penelope joins her sister on the sofa and pulls the lights on to her lap, delving into the tangled pile to find the end. “I’m sure we will figure it out.”

In a cosy warm lit living room, with the sweet smell of chocolate and refreshing pine tingling their senses. Five individuals come together to decorate the tree. With laughter that tickled the strips of sparkling tinsel that brought a range of bright colours to stand out against the green. With joy that glowed just like the lights that were wrapped around the trees branches. And love, so much love that was contained in every bauble that was there.

Penelope stood back when the tree was almost done, and thought what a wonderful thing they had created.

But what was more wonderful, was the people that were around it. That was making this Christmas so special.

She looks to her left, seeing Albion and Philippa cuddled up together as they placed the last remaining baubles on their side of the tree, and she grins.

Looking to the right, seeing Philomena holding Colin’s hand as she points out her favourite baubles to him at the bottom of the tree on their side makes her grin spread wider. Her heart growing bigger. 

Because she thinks one day, her and Colin could be buying a tree together. Decorating it in their own apartment, with one day having kids of their own to join them.

Was it too soon to think about the future? Maybe. But that doesn’t stop Penelope getting excited about it.

“Everything okay?” 

Suddenly the man circling her thoughts was in front of her, and Penelope moves closer to embrace him. With her arms moving around his waist and her head laying so comfortably against his chest, feeling the rushing beat of his heart against her ear.

“I’m just really looking forward to Christmas this year.” She sighs happily.

“Yeah.” Colin presses a kiss to the top of her head, bringing her closer as they both watched with matching radiant expressions as Philomena in her fathers arm puts the star on the top of the tree. The tree from a place that brought them back together, and started their new adventure. “Me too.”