Archive of Our Own

For the Kirammans, Christmas was a tradition.

For Corinne Kiramman, Christmas was a networking opportunity.

For Cassandra Kiramman, Christmas was a chore.

She still remembered the way it used to be. As soon as she hit the ripe age of five years old, her mother would put her in the most uncomfortable formal dress, always navy blue, of course, and she would have to attend the Christmas celebration Corinne Kiramman was throwing, except it was nothing like what a five year-old kid expected of Christmas.

Instead of family and friends, she would stand amongst the numerous political connections of her mother and other members of the piltovian aristocracy. They were old and half deaf for most, talking with sophisticated words to each other, battling in a silent competition to know who was the most important guest in this pool of people, all rendered faceless in her memory from how little she cared about these events.

Instead of warm and comforting food, they would be served exotic and elaborated dishes that always had a weird odour, and always in very small portions that would leave her hungry all evening. There wouldn't even be cake as dessert. That, of course, was if there was a dessert, which was usually not on the menu, Corinne Kiramman having a severe distaste for sweets.

Furthermore, the rare compliments she would receive from her mother's guests, praising how well behaved she was, and by that they would usually mean how quiet, were be the only gifts she would be getting that day, or any day really, her mother always telling her that gifts were a futile tradition.

Growing up, Cassandra Kiramman had turned out to be quite like her mother in many ways, and she didn't deny that fact, being quite proud to have inherited the woman's efficiency, or her remarkable leading abilities, but if there was one thing she absolutely refused to do like her, once she had taken the lead of the Kiramman House, it was to celebrate Christmas the way Corinne Kiramman did.

Therefore, if someone were to ask, this would be her reasoning to justify why her house was not filled with political chatter and horrendously small dishes on the twenty-fourth, but with the warm laughter of her grandchildren.

Tobias was sitting across from her, preferring the deep green velvet couch on the left of the fireplace to their usual armchairs for this occasion, the flames casting their orange hue on him, cancelling out the midnight blue of his hair and making it appear almost black. He had taken off his suit jacket, and rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt to his elbows. She had chosen this suit specially to match her own dress, both dressed in navy blue, because she was still attached to some of her mother's traditions, and this particular detail was important in her eyes. He was sitting one leg crossed over the other, a little girl curled under each arm, and an open book in his hands. All three of them were tangled together under a red fluffy blanket, the girls' heads resting against Tobias' chest. His lips were curled into a soft smile, his eyes quickly darting to the girls from time to time as he read aloud to them.

Isha's brown hair were poorly hidden under a black beanie, messy strands running in every direction despite the two small braids at the back of her neck. The beanie had been decorated with bright colours, pinks, blues and greens splattered around, leaving no doubt that this kid was living with Jinx. Her cheeks were flushed a soft shade of pink, but it was unclear if it was from the heat of the fireplace or from the blanket on top of her Christmas sweater. Probably a bit of both. She was looking up at Tobias with her amber eyes, a little, genuine curl to her lips as she listened to the story, a giggle escaping from time to time when her honorary grandfather would take a weird voice as he read the dialogues.

He turned the next page, the movement causing the book to shift in his lap. Despite not seeing the golden lettering on the front page, Cassandra knew from the light blue worn-out leather cover of the book that it was Tobias' favourite, and sure enough, another turn of a page allowed her to catch a glimpse of the Cheshire Cat drawing on the back cover. He had probably read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland to them a few too many times, but that didn't seem to bother the girls, listening to him with soft eyes and happy smiles, focused on his words like they were hearing it for the first time.

She remembered the time Cailtyn was a small child, and Tobias would read that book to her every night without their little girl ever getting tired of it. As such, the day her granddaughter started requesting that story be read to her, Cassandra was not surprised in the slightest. Cassia was curled up against her grandfather, her little arm under her head, her deep and warm purple hair sprawled on her shoulders, its colour seeming more vibrant than ever because of her white, fluffy sweater. The girl was just six years old, but had taught herself to read the previous summer, and her little grey eyes were following the words on the page as Tobias was reading them.

From time to time, Cassia would raise her head, leaving the words on the page to glance to her left, where Violet was quietly reading. She was curled up with her feet under her, a green blanket with white patterns over her shoulders, pink hair going in all directions as usual, and the pair of reading glasses she had insisted she didn't need for years perched on her nose. She was flipping the pages of the new romance novel she had bought during their afternoon last-minute-gift trip in town, sometimes glancing towards her daughter too, and giggling with her when they did it at the same time.

When Cassia's foot peeked from under the blanket, her mother quickly ran her fingers underneath, making her daughter laugh and squirm, and earning an annoyed but playful "Violet."  from her father-in-law.

Cassandra looked down at her dress, adjusting the blue fabric. She had opted for a straight neckline, with large straps passing on the side of her arms rather than her shoulders, leaving her neck bare so she could wear her favourite piece of jewellery, a simple golden chain with her engagement ring hanging from it. She tugged on the skirt of the dress, making sure she fabric covered her knees, because that was how she liked it, and adjusted her tights a little. While she gave her guests all the freedom they wanted over clothes when they came over, this resulting in a yearly uglier Christmas sweater competition, she had been taught to dress properly for special events, and she still obeyed by that rule.

She was quietly observing her husband and granddaughters, a soft smile on her lips, when a short figure ran past her like lighting. She barely had time to recognize which triplet it was before the child was gone, hidden behind the armchair she was sitting on. A moment later, a small, high-pitched voice burst through the living room.

"Hidden or not, I'm coming for you !"

Angela's little voice reminded Cassandra of Caitlyn, minus the strong piltovian accent. The triplets had inherited a strange mix of Jayce's and Viktor's accent, and understanding them could take some time, especially when they were younger. Now, at eight years old, as they were more conscious of the people around them, they were careful to pronounce words so everyone could understand, but had the tendency to forget this rule when talking between themselves. As such, Angela's Rs rolled on her tongue a little more than they should have.

If Cassandra had understood their rules correctly, they were supposed to hide while one of them was seeking them out in the room, but only after the seeker had covered their eyes and gave them time to hide without being seen. The concept seemed a little weird to her, but she told herself that she was probably a little too old to understand the fun behind it. She never had friends to play like that with as a child, but she did remember similar games being practised on the playground when she was in school. She could not exactly say that her living room as an ideal playground, but her numerous couches and armchairs probably made decent enough hiding spots, especially with the spare chairs she had added for her guests.

While Anastasia was well hidden behind her armchair, invisible from her sister's point of view, near the fireplace, Cassandra could see Adrian's little feet peeking from underneath the long window curtains. Fortunately for him, Angela didn't seem to notice him, and immediately ran towards her grandmother, glaring at her with a questioning look.

"So, where are they ?"

Cassandra bit back the laugh forming in her throat.

"Angela, Sweetheart, I think the point of your game is that you find your siblings yourself. I cannot tell you where they are." She answered, gently tucking a strand of wavy, coppery brown hair behind the girl's ear.

Her granddaughter pouted, furrowing her brows, but started scanning the room with her olive green eyes. Adrian's feet didn't go unnoticed for long, as his sister ran towards him, throwing the curtain out of the way.

"Found you !"

They both burst out in giggles, the sound making something warm bloom in Cassandra's chest like it was the first time she was hearing it. She had received a lot of criticism from her mother when she had changed the Christmas traditions, but that sound alone had made it entirely worth it.

Another laugh erupted behind her, and she looked over her shoulder, seeing Anastasia's head peeking from behind the armchair. The little girl had apparently had enough of hiding, and ran out from her hiding spot, going straight for her siblings, but had barely taken a few steps when her foot caught in the carpet, and she landed face first on the floor, a little squeak escaping her in her fall.

Cassandra jumped from her seat, standing up effortlessly despite her high heels, and crouched down besides Anastasia, running a finger under her granddaughter's chin to look at her more closely. She did not seem to have hurt herself too bad, all teeth still there and no blood, but her bottom lip started quivering nonetheless.

"Sweetheart, are you alright ?" Cassandra kept her voice steady and soft, trying to calm the girl down, whose eyes were quickly filling with tears.

"Hurt my head." Her little voice was weak when she spoke, her little eyes looking at her grandmother expectantly.

"Would you like a magic kiss ?"

She nodded, coming closer to Cassandra, who grabbed both sides of her face before putting a small kiss on the crown of her head, on top of her brown curls.

"Is it better ?" She asked with a slight tilt of her head.

Anastasia only offered her a shrug of her shoulders, which was not much, but she was not looking like she was gonna cry anymore, which was progress.

"Do you think one from your father would work better ?"

She shyly nodded, her eyes down. Cassandra got on her feet, holding out a hand to her granddaughter, helping her getting up. They walked hand in hand to the door, Cassandra turning to her husband just before leaving the room.

"Darling, we're going to the kitchen, please keep an eye on those two." She said, pointing to Angela and Adrian with the hand that was not holding Anastasia, the two children running after each other on the carpet.

He nodded, looking over to them. He had only raised one kid, but those last years of babysitting his grandchildren had taught him to look after so many kids at the same time.

The kitchen was just down the corridor, and they reached it in a few steps, pushing on the double door to enter, finding the place filled with chatting and laughter. Felicia was behind the counter, bent over a metal bowl she was slowly mixing the content of, her purple braid falling over her shoulder. Her grey eyes were focused on her task, while Ximena was looking over her shoulder, her eyes alternating from the mix in the bowl to the cooking book beside it. She seemed to be giving her friend instructions, and Felicia was nodding slowly, nibbling on her bottom lip. Viktor and Jayce were on the other side of the counter, exchanging a few words with the two women. Viktor was perched on a stool, his cane resting on the edge of the counter, sipping something pink and sparkling from a glass, while Jayce was standing next to him, his usual warm smile on his face. They all turned around to look at Cassandra and Anastasia when the sound of the door opening broke their conversation.

"Hey Bug, is everything alright ?" Jayce asked, keeping his face warm, but his voice clearly gave away his worry at the sight of his sniffling daughter. He was always worrying to much when it came to his kids, but who could blame him ?

"Everything is alright." Cassandra began, her voice echoing slightly against the walls. "We had a little fall on the carpet, and came to ask for a magic kiss from Tàta." She let go of Anastasia's hand, and put her hand on her back, encouraging her to go to her dad.

"Is that right, Anya ?" Viktor stood from the stool, and opened his arms so his daughter could settle inside them. He bent a little, running his fingers through her hair before placing a gentle kiss on the top of her head, and she immediately relaxed, sinking into his embrace, letting a little contented sigh. "Are you better ?"

She raised her eyes to him and nodded, before looking at Jayce and smiling.

"I'm alright, Papa, stop worrying."

Jayce breathed out, a little dramatic in Cassandra's opinion. It reminded her of how worried Tobias would constantly be during Caitlyn's first years, and she found herself smiling at the memory.

"Alright, let's go check on your siblings." Jayce offered, gently tapping Anastasia's nose with the tip of his finger, coaxing a laugh out of her. "I have a feeling they're up to no good without the scary grandmother to watch them." He added while smiling at Cassandra with false innocence, to which she responded with a raise of an eyebrow.

Viktor took his daughter's hand and headed for the door, Jayce following them closely. Just before they went through the door, Anastasia turned to her, a grateful smile on her lips.

"Thank you, Grandma."

The first time she had been called that, Cassandra had cried. The second time too, to be honest. Maybe even the third time. Not the fourth time, though. Definitely not the fourth time...

It had been Angela. Just a little 'ma, followed by baby giggles. Then Anastasia had called her that too, then Adrian, and then every single child in the family, related to her by blood or not. She was Grandma. She loved it. Maybe even more than Mum. Because those children had chosen her to be their grandmother. They chose to call her that, and it made it special.

"You hanging in there ?"

Felicia's voice was soft and delicate, clashing with her informal language. She was looking at her, her forearms braced on the counter-top and leaning on them, a mischievous curl to her lips. Ximena had taken over the mixing, adding what looked like sugar to the bowl, glancing at them with a small smile. Cassandra shrugged her shoulders, searching for the right words.

"I think that I might never get used to it."

"You have eight children calling you that and you're not used to it ?" Felicia chuckled, mocking the absurdity of the confession more than mocking her friend.

"I know, thank you." Cassandra rolled her eyes, very unfitting for a lady, as she told herself, and looked at the bowl still set on the counter-top, extending her neck to look at its content. "I thought Vander and Violet had finished the cooking hours ago. What are you making ?"

"I'm trying to teach her my tres leches cake recipe, but she's not that good at baking... Better at pouring drinks." Ximena chimed in, looking teasingly at Felicia.

All three of them chuckled, Felicia giving her a small elbow jab as an answer to her teasing, before the door opened again, Caitlyn sliding in the kitchen in her navy pantsuit, Coraline half asleep in her arms. The little girl stirred slightly at the change of luminosity, rubbing her ocean blue eyes with her little fists. Her pink hair was ruffled, and Caitlyn gently ran her fingers through it, trying, and failing, to comb it properly. It was not a bright pink like Violet, leaning more towards a reddish purple, but Caitlyn always said it was pink, loving the idea that their daughter was basically a mini-Violet with her eyes.

"Look who's here ! Aren't you supposed to be sleeping, Honey ?" Felicia walked up to them, her usual bright and warm smile on her face, her eyes almost sparkling, wiping her flour covered hand on her apron before running her fingers on her granddaughter's cheek.

"Granny." Coraline extended her little arms towards her grandmother, who opened hers, taking the little girl from her mother's embrace, and walking towards Ximena, who was already cooing at her.

Caitlyn seemed almost relieved that someone else was taking care of her baby, exhaling loudly and resting her back against the wall.

"How's my girl doing ?" Cassandra leaned towards Caitlyn, trying to assess the tired look her daughter had on her face.

"I don't recall Cassia being so hard to put down for naps. She's always so fussy. She looks at me like she hates me. She's just crying for Vi."

Cassandra chuckled, tucking a strand of navy hair that was escaping from Caitlyn's ponytail behind her daughter's ear, before answering.

"Reminds me of someone here."

Caitlyn looked at her deflated. Cassandra had told her multiples stories of her childhood, including her aversion for naps, Tobias spending hours in that nursery because she did not want anyone but him, and it was becoming painfully obvious that Coraline had only taken physical appearance from Violet, and was like a mini-Caitlyn in terms of behaviour.

Felicia must had overheard her talking, as she immediatly chimed in, trying to reassure her daughter-in-law, while gently bouncing the little girl in her arms.

"Don't worry, it's always like that with the second one. Vi was always a sweetheart with naps, but Powder was a nightmare to put to bed. It will pass, I promise." She offered Caitlyn a sympathetic smile.

Despite Felicia and Ximena's best efforts to distract the girl and give Caitlyn a break, it was not long before Coraline was extending her little arms again, towards her mother this time, her little voice mumbling something that sounded like Mummy. Caitlyn held her up under her arms, and rested her against her hip, the small girl turning her head to look around before looking at her mum, a questioning look on her face.

"Mama ?"

"Looking for Mama, are we ? Alright, Dear, let's go search for Mama."

Cassandra had been thorough with decorating her home, and that included the corridor's carpet they were now stepping on. She has traded the navy blue rug that laid there all year for a deep green one with white pine patterns, earning a little teasing from her husband about her dedication to decoration. He could laugh all he wanted, she was still the one with the most decorating instinct. If she had left the task to him, they would have probably ended up with mismatched colours and an upside down tree.

The double door leading to the living room had been left slightly ajar, allowing Caitlyn to open it with a sway of her hips, still holding Coraline close to her chest. The air inside the living-room was a little warmer thanks to the fireplace, and had a faint scent of warm spices, something that smelled like cinnamon and ginger, and without much surprise, the room had went to absolute chaos in the few minutes Cassandra had been gone, the triplets deciding that her very expensive couch cushion were better used to make a pillow fort.

Admittedly, from a purely architectural point of view, said fort was actually pretty well built, using spare chairs as walls and blankets as a ceiling, and covering the floor of their little cave with an insane amount of pillows, some being her green velvet couch cushions, others being the small decorative pillows she had put over the chairs now serving as walls for their little hideout. Unsurprisingly, amongst the children hiding in the fort, was Jayce, sitting cross legged with his back curved, and blending in with his kids like he was still seven. Peeking from under the blanket ceiling, Cassandra could see two little brunette heads, moving too fast however for her to identify which triplet was missing, when she felt a small hand tug at her dress.

"Isha, Sweetheart." She greeted as two amber eyes stared at her. "What is it ?"

The small girl signed something quickly, asking Cassandra to follow her to the coffee table, where Anastasia was drawing. Tobias had apparently stopped his reading, his book now set on the small table, a little tab stuck between the pages, laying next to Isha's artistic projects, amongst the coloured pencils and paper scraps. The girl took one of her drawing in her hands, holding it out to her grandmother expectantly.

"This is beautiful, Isha." She smiled while crouching down to her height, perfectly balanced on her high heels, holding the drawn and cut out mistletoe in her hands. The colours were a bit odd, the green a little too electric and the small white beads coloured in bright, hot pink, and Cassandra briefly wondered if it had been a choice, or if Isha's creative little brain had mixed up what holly and mistletoe were. In all honesty, it didn't matter to her in the slightest, the colour switch fitting quite well with her own decoration.

Isha raised a hand, pointing at the door behind them.

"I think we'll need some tape for that." She said, raising up and walking to the small cabinet in the corner of the room, opening a drawer. "Jayce, would you come and help us out, please ?"

As he escaped the pillow fort, trying to not destroy its ceiling with his large frame, Cassandra heard one of the triplets mumbled something under their breath, something that sounded like spanish and complaints. She definitely needed to learn that language. In his younger years, Jayce had quickly learned to mumble and complain in spanish around her, and he had apparently taught that little trick to his children as well.

She handed him the tape and the drawing, tilting her head to the door frame, her request quite clear while she went back to her armchair and settled down, crossing one leg over the other. He took a step towards the door, but stopped in his tracks and turned to Isha.

"You know, I'm gonna need some help for that." He started, a sly grin on his face. "And you're the artist, so I think you should be the one to help me."

Isha let out an excited squeal when he patted his own shoulders and handed her the scissors, tape and drawing, before hoisting her up on his back effortlessly. From up there, the girl quickly cut out a piece of the clear tape, sticking her little piece of art to the wooden frame, Jayce holding her legs firmly. When the paper mistletoe was finally suspended above the threshold, Isha let out a victorious squeak, clapping her hands while smiling down at her grandmother.

"You're not getting any smaller, munchkin." Jayce said while helping Isha climb down his back and run to sit next to her cousin at the coffee table, picking up her coloured pencils. "You'll be as big as your uncle in no time !"

"I heard that !" Viktor's falsely offended voice came, and Cassandra could practically see the eye roll from the other side of the room, where he was in deep conversation with Tobias.

"Viktor, my dear, darling, perfect, genius, amazing love." Jayce called, taking a step towards his husband for each adjective he added. "Would you come here and inaugurate this mistletoe with me ?"

As he reached him, Jayce extended a hand, Viktor letting out an amused scoff.

"If you'd excuse me a moment." He said in Tobias direction as their conversation was interrupted.

"What does inaugurate mean ?" Adrian's voice asked, leaning sideways to address his sister, both of them still hidden in their pillow fort.

"Means Papa and Tata will kiss. Again." Angela answered, unbothered as ever, still arranging cushions on the floor.

Their fathers walked to the door under Isha's gaze. Jayce bent a little, wrapping his arm around Viktor's back to help support his weight, cradling his cheek with his other hand. Viktor chuckled at the slightly overly dramatic setting, but played the part, wrapping his arms around Jayce's neck, and leaning in to meet his lips as he was lifted off the floor a little when Jayce straightened up, both of them laughing in the kiss.

"Thanks, Dads, I think we understand the idea." Angela cut in, earning a disapproving glare from Isha.

Jayce carefully put Viktor down on the floor, making sure he was resting his weight on his cane before letting go completely.

"Ehm… Sorry for the interruption, what were you saying ?" He apologized to Tobias, earning a warm chuckle from the old man as he returned to their discussion near the fireplace. From what she could piece together with the words Cassandra could read on her husband's lips, it seemed that the conversation was mostly one-sided, Tobias rumbling about his next travel to Ionia, and Viktor listening with genuine interest, giving him encouraging nods from time to time.

The door creaked again, and the sweet scent of tea and hot cocoa filled the air.

"We made drinks !" Felicia announced, stepping in the room with her bubbly and warm energy, followed by Ximena, holding a silver platter filled with mugs, Cassandra impressed she had not spilled a single drop out of the cups.

She quickly glanced at the clock above the fire place. They were supposed to eat dinner in an hour, but the sweet smell of her favourite orange peel and cardamom tea reached her, making her lost all resolve to wait until after dinner.

"Here you go. Scalding hot and no sugar." Ximena said, teasing a little, handing Cassandra her favourite Christmas mug, shaped like a bulky pine tree, the first gift Caitlyn had bought her when she was a child and that she insisted on using every year.

Felicia grabbed two even uglier mugs on the tray, one looking like a very obese snowman and one shaped like a reindeer's head, and walked to the small coffee table, where Isha and Anastasia were sitting, face to face. She set the drinks in front of the girls, careful to put them on coasters to not trigger Cassandra's fury, and placed a gentle kiss on the top of each girl's head. Isha's one must have been hot cocoa, judging by the insane amount of whipped cream on top, while Anastasia's one was probably hot apple juice with cinnamon, a combination Cassandra didn't really understand, the drink way to sweet in her opinion, but that the little girl had learned from Jayce and was now drinking every chance she got.

Tobias approached Ximena, pointing at two cups on the side of her tray, and grabbed them once she had nodded yes to him, returning to his conversation with Viktor, which had now shifted to Viktor's research work, Tobias being the one silently nodding now, a steaming cup in his hand, probably ginger tea. Around Christmas time, it was the only thing he would drink, giving up on his usual lavender earl grey. Cassandra suspected it reminded him of his own family in Ionia, even if he was adamant it was just a proper Christmas drink. Without a word, he handed Viktor his second glass of pink lemonade of the evening, the man throwing in a thank you between two technical terms.

Angela and Adrian came out from their pillow fort, tempted by the sweet smell of their own drinks, and Ximena crouched down gracefully to hand them their mugs, each filled with hot cocoa, but without whipped cream, both of them preferring small marshmallows, and handed the tray to Felicia, grabbing her own cup as well and settling down on a spare armchair. She lifted her drink as a small cheers towards Cassandra, and they watched the kids go back in the fort once their drinks were empty, as Ximena drank her heavily sugared coffee and Cassandra sipped on her tea. It almost burnt her tongue from how hot it was. Perfect.

"How is the cake doing ?" She asked when Ximena looked at her.

"I took over at the end. She's clearly not a baker, but I applaud her attempt. We asked Mylo and Claggor to watch it while it's in the oven."

Cassandra shot her a perplex look, and Ximena chuckled, hiding her smile behind her hand.

"I know, but Fel trusted them."

A loud, excited squeak startled them both, making them turn their heads in confusion.

"Here you go, Honey." Felicia soft voice reaching her ears, watching as the woman handed a cup to Cassia, who sat on Caitlyn's lap on the couch, clapping her little hands, and gave Caitlyn the same thing. Judging from Violet's displeased face, Cassandra could have placed a bet those cups were filled with earl grey that had infused a little too long to make it slightly bitter, and without any sugar, just like Caitlyn liked it.

"You're six." Violet started, looking at her firstborn with confused eyes. "Shouldn't you be drinking hot cocoa or apple juice ?"

"She's a Kiramman, Love." Caitlyn answered while helping Cassia hold her drink. "You might have carried her, but my genes are stronger."

"See what she's teaching to your granddaughter ?" Violet asked Felicia as she was handed her cup.

"I see that." Felicia chuckled. "Maybe you'll have better luck with this one." She added while pointing at Coraline, sleeping on Violet's chest, a little wet patch on her collar from the sleep induced drooling. "But you know, it looks like she won you over too."

Felicia nodded at Violet's cup, a sly grin on her face, gently mocking her daughter.

"She's right." Caitlyn confirmed, stealing a sip from Violet's drink. "You're drinking tea too, now."

"Firstly, it's green tea, with mint, and a lot of sugar. Not your bitter earl grey." Violet tried to defend herself. "Secondly, it started while I was pregnant with your babies. You have contaminated me, not won me over."

"Oh, so now, they are my babies ?" Caitlyn scoffed, acting falsely offended.

Violet tried to answer, but got interrupted by the loud bang of the front door, echoing in the corridor. Coraline stirred in her sleep, Violet wrapping her blanket over her baby tighter, almost hiding the little girl's face under the cover, and stroked her hair with her fingertips.

"We're here !" Jinx's raspy voice echoed through the hall.

Isha's head perked up, her eyes leaving her snowman shaped cup to look at the living room door that opened with a loud noise, freezing the calm buzz of conversations. The blue haired woman got out of her thick brown coat, that looked too big to be hers, probably borrowed from Ekko's wardrobe, and tossed the piece of clothing on the back of the couch before crouching down to wrap Isha in her arms, not forgetting to ruffle the girl's hair first.

"Hey, Munchkin, how was that sleepover with your cousin ? Grandpa and Grandma were nice to you ?"

Said cousin quickly appeared, running from Caitlyn's arms and launching herself over her aunt's back, practically making them fall over. Isha started signing frantically to Jinx, way to fast for Cassandra to understand, but judging by the maniac laugh Cassia let out, her granddaughter had apparently gotten most of the conversation. Jinx turned her head to the door, looking over where Isha was now pointing.

"You made that ?" She asked, a proud grin curling at her lips, her eyes carefully observing the paper mistletoe hanging from the door frame.

Isha nodded frantically, and signed again, something that, if Cassandra remembered her sign language courses correctly, meant they have to, it's the rule.

"So the munchkin gets a hug, and I don't ?" Violet's voice came behind them, trying to sound offended, but a tint of playfulness peaking through.

"Get up, Fat Hands, I'm not bending down that much for you." She sneered while getting up from the floor.

"Not sure Cora will let me do that. She just stopped crying."

"Well no hug for you then." Jinx answered with a mocking smile. "Oh, hi Cait !" She added while smiling, bending down to wrap her arms around Caitlyn.

"You just bent down for her but not me ?"

"Come on, Love, there's advantages to being her favourite." Caitlyn answered her with a playful smile, while Jinx burst into laughter next to her.

"So ?" Felicia finally asked, looking expectantly at her youngest, her fingers wrapped around her cup.

"So what ?" Jinx crossed her arms, acting oblivious. After letting out a maniac laugh at the confused faces of her family, she carried on. "I'm joking, Ekko is taking him out of the car seat, he's gonna be here any minute now."

As if on cue, the door opened again, Ekko scrambling into the room, holding the carrier with one hand. Turning around, he found himself watched by a few too many aunts, uncles and grandparents, that were obviously more interested in the carrier than in him, observing him like hawks.

"I see everyone's here for him..." He joked with a falsely-offended scoff. "Alright, everyone, meet Axel…"

He turned the carrier over, revealing the cutest little baby Cassandra had ever seen. Alright, she may have said that about every single baby she ever saw, but this little boy was most certainly going to be the last addition to her big family, so she could say it one more time. She quickly glanced at Isha, who was signing told you he was cute to Cassia.

Jinx bent over the carrier, unbuckling her son, and quickly took him into her arms, cradling his head gently while he extended his little arms towards his mother. Truth be told, Cassandra was very impressed by the new mum, who barely look like she had a two months old to take care of. Jinx had already lost the entirety of the baby weight, if she had really put on any, which Cassandra doubted, and didn't look the smallest bit tired. The only remnant of pregnancy left on her was the slight plump of her stomach, that barely showed through her red knitted dress.

Felicia carefully approached her daughter, wrapping her in a side hug, tears almost forming in her eyes.

"Mom… Are you crying ?" Violet's soft voice came, not mocking at all, a fond smile on her lips.

Felicia quickly wiped her tears, looking at her oldest.

"I cried for your babies too, don't act surprised."

Everyone chuckled at that, returning to their conversations while Jinx sat on the couch next to Violet so little Coraline could look at her new cousin, and Ekko bent down to put more wrapped presents under the tree. Cassandra quickly noticed the one with her name on it, admittedly getting a little scared of its content. Last year, Jinx had gifted her a self-heating kettle, but the tinkered thing had a tendency to let out hot puffs of scolding steam at random intervals of time, resulting in a series of accidental burns. She would be grateful for anything, she was just hoping this year's gift came with a safety option.

The matriarch was however more than pleased to see that the little Christmas sweater she had send Jinx was perfectly fitting Axel, even if his mum had very clearly altered it quite a bit. New flashy colours were splattered around the original design, and the little outfit clearly screamed I'm Jinx's son. She had also dressed her son in the cutest little beanie of his own, some small deep brown baby curls peaking through from underneath. That baby was going to look like a carbon copy of his father, she could have placed a bet on it.

Cassandra sit down next to Jinx, her son cooing in her arms, and put a gentle hand on the woman's shoulder. Her gaze left Axel for a second, glancing at the woman next to her. Cassandra couldn't help but tuck a strand of blue hair behind Jinx's ear when it fell in her face, her hand lingering to cradle her cheek.

"He is absolutely perfect, Dear. You can be proud of yourself."

"I'm a little jealous, ya know ? Nine months making me suffer and he comes out as a clone of his dad."

They both chuckled at that, Cassandra telling her how Caitlyn was a carbon copy of her father in her early years, only taking after her mom in her teens.

"How are you handling things ?"

"Gods, it's so hard !" She answered a bit too fast, like she was waiting on someone to ask her so she could complain. "Isha was already past the baby stage when we got her, and I didn't imagine it would be so much work ! Even though Ekko is doing most of the work, honestly." She continued, looking fondly at the man who had been dragged in the pillow fort by Isha. "The only thing he can't do for me is feeding, and Lil' Hoot here tends to get hungry in the middle of the night."

Like he understood they were talking about him, Axel giggled, waiving his little arms around.

"You are going to be such a great mother." Cassandra whispered when she saw nothing but love in Jinx's eyes as she was looking at her son.

"Do you... wanna hold him ?" The woman asked her, voice almost trembling.

She just nodded, too afraid her words would make Jinx change her mind. She gently put a hand under Axel's head, and another under his back, using her forearm to hold his weight. He raised her little arms towards her, being almost close enough to grab her nose, letting out those baby giggles that made Cassandra's heart melt completely.

"Hey, baby." Jinx began softly, looking into her son's brown eyes. "This lady is your grandmother."

Cassandra felt her breath hitch, and her heart picking up the pace. If anyone else noticed, she would deny the tears welding up in the corner of her eyes, but turned her head and let Jinx see them anyway.

"Don't look at me like that, lady, Isha already says you're her grandparents. It's only normal that you are Axel's too."

Cassandra gently wiped her forming tears away, hiding her emotion behind humour.

"Is it because of the college fund I promised to all my other grandchildren ?"

"Eh... Might be." Jinx leaned back into the couch, still watching her baby from the corner of her eyes. Then, after a few minutes, she closed them and relaxed her brows. Cassandra easily remembered how exhausting the first few months of a baby could be, and while she hid it well, if Jinx needed a small break, she would giver her all the time in the world.

"Is she asleep ?" Felicia's soft voice came, making Cassandra jump slightly, disrupting her while she was lost in her new grandchild's eyes. She glanced sideways, shrugging her shoulders a little.

"I guess she is." She answered, almost whispering, as Felicia sat down beside her. "It is not that surprising, this little guy seems to have a lot of energy." She added, brushing his little baby hair with her nails while Axel squealed in her arms.

"Do you mind ?"

Cassandra shook her head, gently handing the small boy to his other grandmother, praying he would not start to cry and wake up his very heavily sleeping mum. Instead, he wiggled a little, getting comfortable against Felicia's chest before joining his mother in slumber.

"So, which of is gonna be his favourite ?"

"What ?" Cassandra sputtered, her eyebrows shooting up.

"Come on, Cass, we both know Cassia loves you more, and I can't blame you, she's got the Kiramman genes." She started, not looking at her friend, rather playing peekaboo with the cooing baby in her arms. "But we also know that Cora has a soft spot for me. It's a tie. So, who do you think is gonna be his favourite grandma ?"

"I already have more grandchildren than you, I guess I can let you have this one." Cassandra chuckled.

The calm silence of the two adoring grandmothers quickly broke to the sound of door opening, a slender figure entering the room.

"Are we late ?" Mel's voice came, calm and composed, followed by the hurried sound of footsteps against the hardwood. She was almost pushed out of the way by her son, coming like a small rocket to wrap his arms around his honorary grandmother, who was thankfully sitting down, the force of the impact enough to knock her to the ground otherwise, and startling Jayce in his path.

"Grandma, Mum said that if I asked, you would show me your riffle collection. There's a shooting competition in school and I want to participate and…"

"Caspian, my Sweet, let me greet your mother properly, first." Cassandra cut him off gently while getting up and wrapping him in her arms, his snowy coat still on. "Then, I'll be happy to show you."

Mel approached them, looking a little taller thanks to her impressive heels, and wrapped in her long white and gold trench coat, small snowflakes sitting on her shoulders. She opened her arms, mimicking Cassandra, and embraced the other woman warmly, the little boy now squished between them.

"Mum !" He complained with a giggle, vastly exaggerating his inability to breathe.

"Can you go fetch your mother and brother while I talk with Grandma, Darling ?" Mel asked after a few seconds of hugging, running her fingers through her son's tightly curled hair. The little boy nodded, and went through the door again, running and yelling in the hallway for the rest of his family.

"He grew up again, didn't he ?" Felicia wondered, getting up to greet Mel as well.

"They tend to do that at nine years old. Wait until you see Felix, he's even taller than Caspian. It's weird, I thought twins meant they would be the same forever."

"Are you alright, Dear ?" Cassandra asked gently, catching the slight strain in Mel's voice.

"I…" Mel hesitated, not looking her in the eyes, letting her coat fall off her shoulders, Cassandra catching it and folding it over her forearm. "My mother. Again."

"I'm sorry, Mel, but you know you're always welcomed here. I'm sure Tobias will be delighted to see Elora and the boys."

The door behind them opened a little wider, Elora peaking through, quickly followed by her sons.

"Did we arrive too late ?" She wondered, coming to hug Cassandra and handing her the snow covered puffer jacket she had on.

"You are never too late, Dear, do not worry about it."

A small and high pitched groan came behind them, Isha's colourful beanie peaking out behind Cassandra's dress. She was pointing above them, looking at Mel and Elora with insistence.

"Oh, our dear Isha made us a paper mistletoe earlier, and I'm afraid you two are standing under it." Cassandra explained, a chuckle breaking out at the end of her sentence.

"Oh I see. Well, there is rules, isn't there, my Sweet ?" Mel asked, turning to Elora with a sly grin.

"Indeed."

Elora leaned in while Mel wrapped a hand around her wife's waist, and placed a tender kiss on her lips, her other hand coming to cradle her cheek.

"Ew, mums, stop." Caspian voice came, Felix nodding next to him.

Both women chuckled while Isha's lips curled in a satisfied smile, turning to the twins while signing it's called love.

"Is this my new nephew ?" Elora asked rhetorically while approaching Felicia, already cooing at Axel.

"If he's cute, it's my genes." Jinx's sleepy voice came as she got up the couch, grabbing a blanket to wrap herself into. "If he's ugly, it's Ekko's genes."

"I heard that !" Ekko threw in from the pillow fort, offended and amused at the same time.

"I'm sure he will be the cutest kid, don't worry." Mel offered when Axel grabbed her finger.

"The cutest, after ours. The cutest babies were ours." Elora added, glancing proudly at her sons, who were getting out of their coats and handing them to Cassandra, whose arms were getting a bit full.

"You're all wrong !" Cassia's little voice cut, all eyes turning to look at her. "The cutest baby was me !"

She smiled proudly at the laughs she got, quickly turning her focus back to her cup, Violet smiling at her proudly.

"Can we get you something to drink ?" Felicia asked, handing Axel back to his mum when he started fussing.

"I would do anything for a cup of this, actually." Mel answered, pointing at Cassandra's cup, set on the coffee table. "It's your orange and cardamom one, isn't it ?"

"Yes, it is." Cassandra answered while balancing their jackets on one arm, and grabbing her empty mug with the other. "Come with me. I have to put your coats on hangers anyway, we will go to the kitchen afterwards."

When said coats were hanged in the entryway closet, both women made their way down the corridor while Mel rumbled about work and her sons' school work, like they had not been on the phone the day before and discussed those topics thoroughly. Cassandra pushed on the wooden door, screaming reaching her ears, stopping Mel in the middle of a sentence about Felix's maths competition.

"You had one job, Mylo." Vander's angry voice echoed on the kitchen walls as he was standing next to the oven, a brunt, bitter smell filling the air, and a very overcooked cake on the counter. Claggor was standing behind him, opening the window to let out the slight fog of smoke, while Mylo looked at the burnt cake, the gears of his mind turning behind his eyes like he could go back in time to un-burn the pastry.

"Welcome to hell !"

The two women turned to the kitchen island, where Silco was sitting, a glass of red wine in one hand, his smile bright despite the chaos. He tilted his head forwards to greet them, doing the same with his glass, the liquid swirling.

"I'm assuming that's the tres leches cake ?" Cassandra asked rhetorically while pointing at the brunt disaster on the counter, a frow forming on her face.

"Indeed." Silco confirmed, pushing the bottle of wine towards them, offering it silently. "It's your favourite, Dear." He added, looking at Mel and turning the bottle around to show her the label.

"Oh my gods, how did you get it ?" Mel asked, already grabbing a glass in the cupboard and handing it to him. "They don't ship it over here anymore."

Silco chuckled slightly before answering, pouring red liquid in the glass and handing it back to her. "I'm not revealing all my secrets."

"Didn't we come for tea, Mel ?" Cassandra asked when the woman took a sip of the wine, letting out a little satisfied sound.

"That's better than any tea, I fear."

"Alright." Cassandra chuckled, turning to Silco. "Do not get her drunk before we start dinner, would you ?"

"Can't promise anything." He answered while grinning. "So, how are things at the Council ?"

Mel sat down on the stool next to him, resting her drink on the counter, while waiving her hand around.

"It's a mess, let me tell you. Councillor Hoskel has this new idea for regulating commercial exchange with Ionia, like he knows anything about commerce in the first place."

Cassandra chuckled, turning around to handle the burnt pastry situation behind them.

"How is the cake doing ?" She asked carefully, while Vander was trying to take it out of the mould with a knife, in vain.

"Not great, thanks to someone here." He answered annoyed, and glanced at Mylo, still standing like a stick next to the oven.

"I didn't think it would burn ! I just wanted it to be done quicker !" Mylo defended himself poorly, Cassandra still not understanding how the quiet baking session between Felicia and Ximena had resulted in this burnt abomination, a screaming Vander and a shameful Mylo.

"This idiot thought that the cake would cook quicker if the oven was hotter." Claggor explained, like he had read her thoughts. "He set it to 250°C."

Mylo looked at her with sorry eyes, a shy smile on his face.

"You're gonna explain that to Felicia yourself, My. Not getting you out of your mess again." Vander spat, the cake coming out of the mould in parts, some burnt bits still stuck to the bottom.

"On a more joyful note." Cassandra began, clasping her hands, trying to relieve the tension a little. "Jinx and Ekko arrived a little while ago, and the baby is with them."

The mention of Axel made them all look up at her, a genuine smile spreading across Vander's face.

"My grandson is here ?" The old man asked, straightening up. "Silco, the kids are here with the baby !"

"Oh, yeah." Mel chimed in. "He's a perfect copy of his father. Really cute baby."

Vander looked at the cake again, blinking a few times, and set the mould on the counter, giving up on saving it, and wiping his hand on a kitchen rag.

"Well, it's burnt anyway. Silco, how about we go see the baby ? You." He turned to Mylo, pointing an accusing finger at him. "Are staying here to make a replacement for the cake."

Mylo's eyes filled with fear, opening his mouth to protest, but backing out under Vander's menacing glare.

"Help him, would you ?" Silco asked, whispering in Claggor's ear while putting a hand on the boy's shoulder, and went through the door after Mel, Vander following close behind.

Claggor opened the fridge, carefully pondering his options, before turning to Cassandra as she was leaving the kitchen as well.

"Mrs K, do you have biscuits ? I think we can whip up something close to a tiramisu. Probably."

"In the pantry, Dear, probably third shelf."

"Thanks !" He answered with a wide and warm smile.

She had barely closed the kitchen door behind herself when she heard the loud voices arguing in the living room. The door was wide opened, Vander's large frame blocking the entry almost entirely.

"We are not, Kiddo." He said with a deep voice, but with a tint of embarrassment lacing his words.

She came into the room, barely passing between the doorframe and Vander, trying to not interrupt the conversation of which she hadn't understood the topic of yet.

"What's the issue ?" She asked as she sat down next to her husband, her hand resting on her lap.

"Vander and Silco passed under Isha's mistletoe but they refuse to kiss in front of everyone." He explained while resting a hand on her thigh, just above her knee, and leaning in slightly towards her. "Well, at least Vander refuses. You know how he is."

Cassandra let out a chuckle, covering her mouth with her hand, observing little Isha, barely half Vander's size, look at her grandfather signing do it repetitively. Silco was behind them, arms crossed, leaning back against the door frame with a sly smile.

"Stop insisting, Munchkin, we will not." Vander doubled down, looking down at the very persistent little girl in front of him.

"Do you want us to look away, Vander ? So you can kiss your boyfriend ?" Violet teased, earning a smack on the arm from Felicia.

Vander's cheeks flushed slightly, the tip of his ears and nose taking a faint shade of pink.

"Fine." He mumbled, turning around and approaching Silco, almost hiding the man entirely behind his large frame. In a quick motion, the tip of his fingers tilted Silco's head back, as he placed a small peck on his lips in a blink-and-you-miss-it movement.

"Was that so hard, Dearest ?" Silco said sweetly, not resisting the urge to tease him as well.

"Not a word from you. Happy, kiddo ?" He asked, facing Isha with his fist resting on his hips while Silco chuckled behind him. "I blame her stubbornness on you." He added while looking at Jinx, who cackled maniacally, Axel making baby giggles in her arms like he understood the irony.

"Since everyone has arrived, what about we begin dinner ?" Cassandra chimed in through the laughs, admittedly getting pretty hungry herself.

"Yes, please, I'm starving !" Violet agreed a little too fast, a giggle escaping Felicia next to her.

"When are you not, Love ?" Caitlyn joked while scooping Coraline up in her arms so Violet could stand up, still wrapped in her blanket.

Tobias got up from his seat, handing out a hand to his wife to help her stand up, brushing his thumb across the back of her hand.

"Caity, can you make sure they all wash their dirty little hands before we eat ?"

"Yes, Dad, of course." She answered as the kids gathered around her, Isha holding Cassia's hand, and the twins laughing with the triplets. Caitlyn pointed a finger towards each child successively like she was counting them, and hurrying them towards the door. "Do I have everyone ?"

"I'll help you, Cupcake." Violet offered with a giggle and following her wife in the corridor.

Cassandra had had the presence of mind to set the dinning table in the living room. They all moved to sit down, Jayce and Ekko retrieving the chairs that had been used for the pillow fort. She hadn't made a table plan, everyone sitting were they wanted and next to who they wanted. Cassandra ended up at the end of the table, Tobias to her right, of course.

Caitlyn and Violet had barely passed the threshold to come back went Isha stopped them, blocking the way to the room so they couldn't pass.

"What ?" Violet asked, her fist resting on her hip.

"Love…" Caitlyn put a hand on her shoulder, tilting her head to the ceiling.

In front of her, on the other end of the table, Vander laughed, a deep, rich sound that echoed on the walls.

"Your turn to kiss, Kiddos." He spat in her direction, too pleased with the situation.

"My pleasure." Violet answered, grabbing Caitlyn's waist to bring her body to hers, despite their baby babbling in her arms.

"Vi."

She didn't let Caitlyn let a word in, leaning in to kiss her. Her wife didn't resist very long, melting in her embrace, her hands coming up to cup both her cheeks. Violet tilted her head to kiss her deeper, barely leaving her lips for a second before leaning in again.

"It's even worse than when it's our mums." Felix spat, looking at Angela.

"You should have seen our dads." Anastasia chimed in, while nodding at Caspian.

Isha let out a frustrated groan as Caitlyn and Violet giggled, Coraline blissfully unaware in her mother's arms.

Are you all against love today ? Isha signed, frustrated with her cousins lack of involvement in the tradition.

She climbed in her seat between Jinx and Ekko, grabbing her napkin and laying it on her lap. Her lessons in etiquette seemed to have work, Cassandra happily noticed, flashing the girl a warm smile.

Vander and Violet had made way too much food, but that was not a surprise, as it happened every year. Admittedly, Cassandra was impressed with the number of dishes they had managed to prepare in a single day.

From the corner of her eye, she noticed Tobias' touched smile when Violet placed a plate of Ionian dumplings in front if him. It was not typical Christmas food in Piltover, but it reminded him of his home, and Cassandra had successfully slipped the recipe to Vander in the morning. He had happily obliged, this being her only request in terms of food choice. The first thing he did was get up to grab chopsticks, and placed five dumplings in his plate, then three in Caitlyn's plate, who was sitting next to him, finishing with Cassia's plate, in which he put a single dumpling, as the girl had already filled her plate with mashes potatoes.

"Anya, you're sure you only want veggies ?" Ximena asked on her felt, holding up her granddaughter's plate, only filled with roasted veggies. The girl nodded, grabbing her plate and diving right in, quickly swallowing her seasoned courgettes and bell peppers.

Cassandra offered a shoulder shrug when Ximena looked at her, both giggling at the scene.

"And he wanted to pair the fish with red wine." Silco said next to Vander, Mel laughing from her seat in front of him. "I though I had taught him better."

Cassandra took a bite of her ham, observing Jayce pour Viktor his third glass of pink lemonade of the evening with an eye roll.

"I'm not telling you what you're getting, Isha." Felicia told her granddaughter gently while the girl pouted. "You'll know when you open your gifts tomorrow morning."

"Viktor is saying it's impossible." Jinx started while Elora swirled her wine glass around. "Like I haven't already solved three of his impossible problems."

The clock above the fireplace ticked while they ate, time filled with laughs, conversations and jokes as seconds blended into minutes, then in hours.

Cassandra turned around, a soft cry cutting through the air.

"And that is our cue to leave you." Ekko joked while getting up to check on his son.

"Gonna feed the Lil' Hoot, and then I'm off to bed." Jinx added, blinking the sleep away from her heavy eyelids. She raised from her chair, coming up to hold her baby, her eyes darting to Isha with a thoughtful gaze.

"We'll take care of her." Violet offered, tilting her head to the little girl and smiling at her sister.

Jinx looked at her gratefully, mouthing a silent thank you as she breathed out, and came to place a kiss on top of the girl's head fondly, letting her kiss the baby good night as well.

"Uh-huh." Isha grunted went they passed the door, looking at them with insistence and expectation, especially from them.

"Damn, Isha, you really do have a thing for love today, don't you ?" Felicia asked her with a laugh, the girl clapping her hand to encourage them.

"Alright, even if I think it's a dumb idea." Jinx caved, suddenly liking Isha's mistletoe a lot less, and raising one hand in defeat while holding her son with the other as she leaned towards Ekko. He had both hands joined in his back, bending down a little to meet her halfway, all under the careful and observing eyes of Isha, more than pleased that everyone had obeyed the tradition.

Another high cry came, Axel voicing his frustration that his mum's attention was not on him, eliciting a round of laughs from his family.

"Good night everyone !" Ekko said, taking a small voice and gently waiving his son's little hand around as if he was the one talking, as Axel was happily nibbling on his own fingers.

"Can we go to bed too ?" Adrian asked with a quiet voice, rubbing his eyes while Angela nodded next to him.

"I'll take them." Ximena chimed in, looking at her son. "I'm tired as well." She added before going through the door, holding both kids by the hand, the little creaks of the stairs echoing in the hallway a second later.

The conversations resumed, Anastasia jumping to sit on Viktor's lap when offered, happy to be the centre of her dads' attention with her siblings gone, and sharing a serving of fruit salad with her father.

"Where's my cake ?" Felicia asked, Mylo freezing in his chair while Silco cackled on the other side of the table.

"Well, Felicia, actually…" He started, rubbing the back of his neck. "I… Kinda burnt it. Sorry…"

"Lord give me strength…" She answered with a chuckle, rubbing her forehead with her fingertips. "Alright, I'll go to bed now. Before one of you manages to actually kill me."

"We'll go too." Vander announced getting up and yawning loudly.

Over the rest of the meal, as coffees and teas were served once again, more of Cassandra's guests left the table, the night well settled in by now.

"Isha's almost asleep, and the girls are in deep slumber on the couch now. I think it's time for us to go to bed too, Cupcake." Violet told Caitlyn when they were the only ones left in this living room that felt a little bigger now that it was empty, already scooping up her sleeping daughters in her arms.

"Go ahead, Love, give me a minute."

Violet nodded, coming up to kiss her wife's cheek gently, letting Cassandra place a gentle peck on their daughters' heads, and hug Isha good night before they left. Caitlyn turned to her, immediatly grabbing her in a hug, startling her a bit before she melted into the embrace.

"It was perfect, Mum." She added when they parted, Cassandra not resisting the urge to cradle her daughter's cheek fondly. "Like always."

Caitlyn wrapped her arms around her mother again, squeezing a little harder this time.

"Good night, Mum."

"Good night, Caity."

The living room air was warm and sweet, and held a certain feeling that she could not describe as anything but Christmas. The couch pillows were still pilled up on the floor from the triplets pillow fort, and various mugs were scattered on the coffee table, some still half full of lukewarm tea and hot cocoa. Tobias was standing in the middle of this welcoming chaos, folding the numerous Christmas themed blankets the family had left in a pile on the couch, a small curl at the corners of his lips.

"What has got you smiling like that?" She asked, leaning against the doorway, her hip against the wood, her arms crossed over her chest, and her head tilted to the side.

"I was just thinking of the family we have. I would have never imagined our house would be so full on Christmas. Caitlyn being our only child, I always thought we would have three, maybe four people maximum to welcome in our house, that is, if her partner didn't want to go to her own parents house for Christmas." He explained, stacking the folded blankets and putting them back in the wooden chest behind the couch. "But instead we have not only Caitlyn here every year, but Violet too, and their girls. Violet's very loud sister, her husband and their kids, their mother, and their two father figures. And then Jayce started to come too, attending with Viktor and the triplets, and Ximena too. And Mel and her little family too."

"That is indeed a lot of people. Are you happy with it?" She took a few steps in the room, bending down to gather the couch cushions. She raised her head just in time to catch her husband's wide smile and the happiness in his eyes.

"More than." He answered, coming to her side to help her put the cushions back in their spot. Their old record player had been sending sweet melodies in the air around them, but the few notes it was playing now got them both to raise their head at each other. Tobias bowed slightly in front of her, holding out a hand to her, his other hand behind his back.

"What are you doing, Darling?" Cassandra chuckled, covering her smile with a hand.

"Remember our first dance, my dear?"

"The disastrous performance at the Christmas party? Yes I do quite remember it."

"We were better at it by the time we danced it again at our wedding."

"You're not wrong."

"So, my love, would you dance with me?" He asked, hopeful, knowing by the look in his wife's eyes that she would never say no.

Cassandra simply put her hand in his, taking a step forward to put her other hand on his shoulder. Tobias put his free hand on her waist, looking in her eyes and listening to take his first steps on the beat of the song. The warmth of Tobias skin was warming up Cassandra's cold hand while they swayed on the melody quietly, eyes locked in each other's.

The first time they had danced together, Tobias hadn't finished growing yet, and she could look at his eyes right in front of her. Now, she needed to tilt her head back slightly, but she didn't mind if it was to look into his blue eyes. Over the years, they had debated many times about who's eyes Caitlyn had inherited, and while the general consensus seemed to be leaning towards hers, there was in her daughter's eyes a faint purplish tint when seen under the fireplace light that Caitlyn had clearly gotten from her father.

Tobias was leading her gently, taking small steps, following the melody floating in the air.

Of course, there was a lot less debate on who Caitlyn had inherited her hair from. That deep blue was definitely Tobias' genes speaking, not that Cassandra would complain about it. Over their years of growing old together, Tobias' blue strands were slowly turning greyer and greyer, but she still saw the vibrant navy it was when they were young in her mind.

Her memories were slowly turning the room around them into that big ball room, back at the Academy, where the Christmas ball had been held when they were sixteen. The soft carpet underneath their feet was reminding her of the creaking hardwood floor of the ball room, and through the slightly crackling sound of the record player, she could almost hear the clean sound of the piano that played their song during their first dance. It was the same and so different at the same. The biggest difference being that now the shy boy she had reluctantly danced with on Miss Coraline's orders was now her husband.

The music slowed down and eventually ended, but she didn't let go of Tobias, rather faintly tightening her hold on his hand, and resting her head on his shoulder. She felt him shift under her, putting his arms around her.

"Cassy ?"

She smiled at the nickname she hadn't heard in years, and raised her head to look at him.

"Yes, Darling ?"

"I fear we've ended up under Isha's paper mistletoe…"

She lifted her gaze to look at the paper garland stuck to the door frame they had ended up under. She couldn't help but chuckle, catching a glimpse of her husband mischievous smile.

"And what do you suggest we do about it ?"

He didn't answer, simply raising his hand to cradle her cheek as she leaned in. His lips were lightly chapped by the cold outside, and tasted like the ginger tea he had drank earlier, but most importantly, they felt like home. A faint whisper came a moment later, barely audible over the record player.

"I love you."

Her heart picked up the pace, her cheeks flushing like she hadn't heard him say it a thousand times already. But somehow, it almost felt like the first time he had said it.

"I love you too, Darling."