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Moiraine wakes to the sound of Christmas music coming from downstairs. Siuan’s side of the bed is empty, and there’s a note on her pillow. Santa is working. Moiraine smiles at Siuan’s handwriting on a piece of Christmas stationery decorated with cartoon reindeer wearing Santa hats. Don’t come downstairs yet.
Moiraine flops back against her pillow and closes her eyes. Siuan does this every year even though Moiraine insists it isn’t necessary. Ever since their first Christmas together when Siuan had surprised Moiraine with the tree, decorations, and presents that Moiraine insisted she didn’t want, Siuan has woken up early to arrange elaborate surprises for Moiraine. Fresh baked goods, the house covered in fake snow, one year a dancing snowman as tall as Moiraine had greeted her when she walked out of the bedroom. It’s been years since this holiday filled Moiraine with melancholy memories of the family that disowned her, but still Siuan insists on waking up early every Christmas to outdo herself with surprises for Moiraine.
It's still dark outside, but the house is pleasantly warm. Siuan must have turned the heat up when she got out of bed this morning. Moiraine listens to the patter of rain against the windows and thinks of a particularly rainy Christmas when she and Anvaere were children. Anvaere had wanted to build a snowman, but seeing as there was only rain, Moiraine had helped her eight-year-old sister build a mudman instead. They’d been filthy by the time it was done, but Anvaere had been so happy. Moiraine thinks she had been too, had forgotten for a minute that she was hiding a secret about who she was, that she was fourteen and too old to play in the mud. For that Christmas, she’d laughed with her sister and felt like a kid.
Anvaere is spending Christmas with their mother, but they’d exchanged presents a few days ago and Anvaere had invited Moiraine, Siuan, and Leanna over for dinner with Anvaere’s boyfriend next week. It’s something, fragile, but something. At least Elayne will be there too, that way if everything goes to shit with Anvaere’s boyfriend, at least Elayne will be delighted to cause chaos.
Moiraine gets out of bed, takes her time washing her face and brushing her teeth, before deciding that Siuan has had enough time to get her Christmas surprises ready. Moiraine steps out of the bedroom to see fake snow everywhere, heaps of white fluff on the hallway floor and wrapped around the banister as Moiraine walks down the stairs. The house smells like cinnamon and butter. The lights on the tree are on, the enormous singing snowman is now set up beside the tree, and there are far more presents than when Moiraine and Siuan went to bed last night.
Moiraine spots her wife in the kitchen. Siuan is wearing a Santa suit and hat, Leanna in her arms dressed in a reindeer onesie. Siuan is humming along to Holly Jolly Christmas as she dances around with Leanna, their daughter smiling and trying to pull the hat off Siuan’s head. Jenny is the first to spot Moiraine and jumps up from where she’d been lying by Siuan’s feet, undoubtedly waiting for food to fall so she could eat it. Jenny’s collar jingling with bells as she shakes off the antlers that Siuan put on her. “Bad Rudolph,” Siuan chides as the antlers go flying.
Moiraine kneels down to pet Jenny. She’s slowed down now, is nine years old, but still Jenny’s greetings are as enthusiastic as when Siuan surprised Moiraine with a dog and an engagement ring all those years ago.
“I thought Santa told you to stay in bed,” Siuan teases as she walks over to Moiraine. “You’re going on the naughty list.” Moiraine stands up so she can kiss Siuan. “Happy Christmas, love,” Siuan whispers against Moiraine’s lips. Leanna reaches out for Moiraine to hold her. “Rudolph wants to wish her mummy a happy Christmas too.”
“Leanna and Jenny are both Rudolph. No Dasher or Dancer?” Moiraine settles Leanna on her hip, her baby smiling brightly, antlers flopping on the hood of her onesie. Moiraine kisses Leanna’s forehead, making her squeal happily. “Good morning, my sweet little reindeer. Were you a good helper for Mama this morning?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be Vixen later.” Siuan raises her eyebrows seductively. She’s adorable and silly and so beautiful. Moiraine kisses Siuan again, chest warm and aching with so much love and joy.
“I love you,” Moiraine tells Siuan between kisses. “Thank you for always making Christmas morning special.”
“That is Santa’s job.” Siuan wraps her arms around Moiraine and kisses her again while Leanna shoves a handful of Moiraine’s hair in her mouth.
“You are the most beautiful Santa I’ve ever seen,” Moiraine tells Siuan. “And you,” Moiraine says as she eases her hair out of Leanna’s mouth, “cannot eat Mummy’s hair.”
“Cinnamon rolls are in the oven,” Siuan says. “Coffee is waiting for you.”
“Thank you.” Moiraine reaches up to caress Siuan’s cheek. “Happy Christmas, my sexy Santa.”
“There’s your Daddy,” Siuan says when there’s a knock on the door late in the morning. She’s still in her Santa costume, and Moiraine is still wearing her flannel pajamas, too comfortable to put on real clothes before they need to leave the house. Leanna is on the floor between them, lying on her tummy and reaching for every exciting new thing she can. She’s close to figuring out crawling, and Moiraine makes a mental note that she and Siuan need to check again that everything is completely baby proofed before Leanna is mobile.
“Can you get it?” Moiraine asks as she continues trying to put together the new rocking horse they got for Leanna. Moiraine hadn’t anticipated quite how challenging this would be when she and Siuan picked out the toy.
“Of course.” Siuan stands up and grabs Leanna before she can try to eat the piece of wood she’s reaching for. “Come on you hungry hippo.”
Siuan opens the door, and Moiraine feels the rush of cold air from the hallway. Lan and Alric walk in, Lan dressed in normal winter clothing, Alric in a Santa suit. “You stole my job,” Alric accuses Siuan as he takes in her matching costume. He kicks off his boots then walks over to the tree and deposits a huge sack of presents. “Ho ho ho,” he greets Moiraine before leaning down to give her a hug. “Happy Christmas.”
“Happy Christmas,” Moiraine says, grateful when Alric sits down next to her and begins studying the instructions for putting together the rocking horse.
Lan carries Leanna back into the living room while Siuan goes to the kitchen. “Mummy is pretending she’s good at putting things together I see,” Lan comments to Leanna.
Moiraine rolls her eyes and tells Lan, “No presents for you if you mock me.”
“What about if I put this together?” he asks. “Then can I have presents?”
“Deal,” Moiraine agrees.
“What do you want to drink?” Siuan calls from the kitchen. “Tea, coffee, apple cider, hot cocoa?”
“Coffee,” Alric says as he gets up from the living room floor and rushes over to the kitchen. “Please.”
“I can’t believe you worked overnight on Christmas Eve,” Siuan says. “You need a new job.”
“But then who would entertain you with outrageous stories?”
“And what would you complain about?” Siuan teases.
“He’d find something,” Lan says. “But there’s nothing to complain about today, is there Leanna? No there isn’t. Because it’s your first Christmas.”
Moiraine smiles at Lan. This still feels surreal. They have a family. They’re happy. Leanna reaches for another piece of the rocking horse, and Moiraine snatches it away before it goes in Leanna’s mouth. “You really are a piranha.”
“I haven’t seen our daughter try to eat anyone,” Lan says with a smile. “Just every object she can get her little hands on.”
“She tried to bite Jenny’s ear this morning,” Moiraine tells Lan.
Siuan laughs at the memory. “I don’t think Jenny minded,” she says as she walks over and sits down behind Moiraine. Siuan wraps her arms around Moiraine, coaxing her to lean back against Siuan’s chest. Moiraine tosses the screwdriver aside, snuggles against Siuan, and hums contentedly.
“Come over here,” Lan tells Alric.
“Do you want coffee?”
“No, but maybe I want a kiss. And I know Leanna wants to see her Uncle Alric.”
Moiraine watched Alric sit down with Lan, kissing him softly, and wrapping an arm around his shoulders. The sight brings tears to Moiraine’s eyes. Lan is happy. Lan is loved.
Siuan reaches under Moiraine’s shirt to caress her waist. Siuan’s touch feels so incredible. Years ago, Moiraine would have claimed she didn’t much enjoy being touched. She’d been a fool, didn’t understand how good her body could feel from the simple caress of Siuan’s fingers over Moiraine’s skin. “Keep that up and I’ll never finish putting the rocking horse together,” Moiraine says, wanting nothing more than to spend the rest of the day here in Siuan’s arms.
“Alric can do it,” Siuan tells Moiraine. “You are not allowed to move.” Siuan squeezes Moiraine tighter.
“You won’t get an argument from me, you sweet Santa octopus.” Moiraine turns in Siuan’s arms to see Siuan’s huge smile. “Do octopuses have dimples?” Rather than answer Siuan kisses Moiraine. Moiraine laughs when Siuan nips her lip. “Who’s the piranha now?” Moiraine teases before she and Siuan are both lost to a fit of giggles.
Twelve years together. A daughter. A family. Moiraine never dreamed she could be this happy. She settles against Siuan’s chest again and sees Lan and Alric watching her and Siuan. Lan is smiling at Moiraine, his expression holding the same gratitude at seeing her happy that Moiraine feels to see him happy.
Leanna wriggles in Lan’s lap. “Should we go play with your new toys?” Lan asks.
The living room is an absolute disaster, presents everywhere, wrapping paper and boxes strewn across the room. All of it is as exciting to Leanna as her toys, and she reaches out for some wrapping paper, claps her hands together, and then shoves the paper in her mouth. “Maybe she’s a piranha because you’re a piranha,” Moiraine suggests to Siuan. “It’s probably genetic.”
“Maybe,” Siuan replies, “but I think she got being a cuddly otter from her Mummy.”