The Christmas Invasion

The job had gone swimmingly. The Salt Lake City gallery he'd visited had fairly up to date security, and was wary of theft. They neglected the human component of their system, however, so he'd had almost the whole night to work. He didn't need the time, but he took it. Best not to leave a traceable pattern. He'd made his switch on the last night of the showing - in the morning, they would be boxed up and moved to the next step in the circuit - Chicago. The handlers would likely be normal staff, not experts, and would be watched...but none would notice the bits of glass in place of the jewels he'd liberated.

Having pre-arranged a drop-off with a jeweler for re-cutting, coding and placement in settings, Alec headed back to the Domicile. The take was good - the resale would have to be gradual, but once the bits were understood to be missing, they would likely figure it for a Chicago job. Even less likely that any evidence would lead them to look in Utah...not that he'd left anything for them to find, but a little extra security on that end of things was always a bonus. There were a couple of other perks he'd picked up on the trip - hopefully they would go over well.

Walking the hall down to their slowly expanding compound from the far side, Alec could already smell the vegetation. He was still a bit unclear on the purpose of a tree inside the house symbolizing the birth of the Christ child, but he had to admit it was a pleasant smelling tradition. Much nicer than haggis, for instance. Opening the door, he remembered another bit he'd not been overly fond of - the more modern of the Christmas music lists. He could enjoy the older, almost somber songs, but the whole Christmas Pop phenomenon made him want to kill marketing personnel and ad executives.

Inhaling the scent, he smiled. Heading into the living room, making sure the door secured behind him, he looked around.

"Well! You've had a busy night! I'm home. Had a good haul, too."

Walking through the twin pyramids of goods, Alec joined Ginnie in the eye of her holiday hurricane. Giving her a quick hug from behind, he stepped back. He wasn't sure if she was in Mad Bomber Decoration Assault Mode or in Casual Rearranging the Furniture Mode. He didn't want to guess wrong and lose a limb to flailing mistletoe.

"Hi, love."

Ginnie leaned into Alec's hug, glad for the contact he provided. "I thought Shay's first Christmas should be big and grand. I even got her some things to decorate her own apartment with."

She put the last of the lights on the tree and plugged them into the length of cord down the center of the tree, the end plug went into a remote control unit and that plugged into the wall. She stood back and pulled the remote control from her pocket and depressed the on button. The verdant tree was lit in a fantasy of white twinkle lights. They didn't flash on and off in pattern, but each light gave a tiny random flicker almost like candles. They had been expensive but Ginnie had enjoyed their effect in the brightly lit store, here in her home the effect was even better.

"That's lovely." She turned about and slid her arms around Alec's waist. resting her head on his shoulder. After a moment she turned her head so she could look at the tree. "So you had a good run then?"

She honestly had no idea what Alec did most of the time, nor did she ask too many questions. His work, like her own, didn't always stay on the right side of the law and their moral compasses didn't always point to the same north. So in order to keep harmony int heir relationship they kept a strict don't ask, don't tell policy and it worked very well for them.

"Want to help me decorate it?"

Relaxing at the revelation of Casual Decorating Ginnie, Alec allowed himself to melt a bit more fully to her contours. It had been awhile since they'd been together alone and the need for soft contact was beginning to emerge from his unconscious mind. Smiling at the sentiment expressed, Alec offered

"Big and grand it is, then. I'll let you be on point since you're the Christmas expert. Let me know if there are any sugarplums that need stealing and I'll be happy to help."

It was strange hearing her refer to it as Shay's first Christmas...but...it really was, wasn't it? He'd never seen the loss of time from the other end. It had been a bit distressing figuring out just what all he'd put some people through. Of course, most had rewarded him with usury or betrayal, so he didn't feel especially bad. He preferred being on the other end of the gun, though. So to speak.

At her question about the run, he wondered how much to share. Probably not much.

"If I were alive and breathing, I just earned a year's vacation with pay. Oh, upper management, not executive. So not bad."

He'd avoid the conversation on the goods - especially since they were being broken down and altered anyway. It'd be obsolete information and would only make her nervous if the news hit Nachton. It'd been a tidy sum, but not quite that tidy. Utah was nice in that it didn't let much news escape. Chicago was nice because so much did that most of the interesting bits were drowned in the sheer volume. Besides, if all went according to plan, the police would be stumped until an anonymous tip provided them with an in-state answer.

Yes, probably not best to share those details. The man on trial would certainly be innocent of the charges, and people had a funny relationship with honor and the rules...even in Tacharan, among the hired killers. Place blame on an innocent?! It just isn't done! But you can shoot them in the face.

Alec was fairly sure he'd never understand mercs.

When she asked if he'd like to help, he knew there was only one answer. The details would have to be negotiated, of course.

"Sure...but I don't know what I'm doing. Is a Christmas Tree white wine or red? Red, yes?"

Ginnie chuckled softly and pulled back a bit. She pressed her lips gently to his and stepped out of the circle of his arms.

"Yes, red. Decorating is really quite simple. You just place the ornaments on the branches, spread them around so the tree looks even. Nothing terribly complicated. And since none of these ornaments have sentimental value they don't have to be anywhere specific."

She left him to go get wine and started opening the boxes and boxes of ornaments she'd purchased. She probably had way too many, but that didn't matter all that much. She'd gone to a store call Christmas Central. They had enough ornaments in that place to decorate every tree in the entire western hemisphere, and Ginnie had just about bought one of everything. The woman looked at her like she'd lost her mind and wrapped them each in tissue then placed them in boxes, twelve in all. She didn't really even remember all that she had picked out, they'd begun to look the same after a while.

Returning with a Cabernet they had not tried, Alec pondered the spread of shiny objects. Handing Ginnie her glass, he frowned down at the array of options. There didn't seem to be a pattern - none looked to be paired, so it might be just that easy. He wasn't sure if the tree could hold all of the ornaments, but that would be a problem for later.

Selecting a silver and white miniature drum, he put it on a branch near the middle. Glancing down, he patted himself a bit.

"Ok - no splinters, gunshot wounds, glass shards or electrical burns. This is going well, so far!"

Taking a moment, he brushed a rogue wisp of hair back behind her ear. Reaching down, he picked up a frosted glass snowflake with a small crystal at the center. Putting that one a bit higher on the tree, he grinned. This might take awhile.

"How were things while I was gone?"

Ginnie took a sip of the wine and smiled at the glass. "That's not bad." She set it on the coffee table and took a little boy playing a drum from one of the boxes and placed him on a branch.

"Well good for you."

Laughing she picked up a figure of a brunette doing an arabesque in a purple costume, much like something from the Nutcracker ballet. Standing, she placed it on a branch and reach down for another, this ended up being a jack in the box.

"I'm not sure. Shay went out with Dayle, they didn't leave a note. I called and wanted Shay to come home, then I realized that maybe I'm being too irrational about Shay. So I went out and bought all of this stuff."

Ginnie sighed softly and place a fat glittery Santa Claus on the tree.

Alec smirked. He didn't laugh, but he smirked. Hard. If that wasn't a textbook displacement for him, he didn't know what would be.

"So...the woman girl wanted free of the cage? At least she's with Dayle and not so rebellious that she cut loose completely. I'm pretty sure that they're less likely to get in trouble together than one of us out with her. I know I'm still feeling a trifle protective - I'd rather that she hadn't left the Domicile yet, especially without training or being armed, but we can rectify that when she gets back. On the bright side, it probably means her ID and credits have been cleaned, so she's a newborn in the world with a remarkably well used name. That reminds me...I need to talk to her about arranging her death. I hope she was a cremation type rather than a closed-casket type. I hate having to fake medical information and sending bodies."

Making the international hand sign for 'rotten corpses are icky', Alec reached for another ornament - this one a glass ball that looked like it was hand painted from the inside.

"That's kind of neat. Anyway, we'll just remind them to leave a note next time. I don't think you're being too irrational...you just know what is out there and you know that she doesn't. Natural. Hell, if I could I'd keep you locked away in here...but I can't because I know you wouldn't be happy. In the end, we have to play the balancing act - that whole 'happiness versus safety' thing. In your case, since you're all indestructible and generally a walking arsenal, I don't worry too much. On the other side of the coin, Shay left, probably unarmed, to go out into a city full of predators. Let's pick something nice out for her - once her abilities manifest we can get her into training and go from there...but we know she can shoot."

Taking a sip of the wine, he smiled at it and set it on the coffee table. Moving over to her again, he paused. He really wasn't sure how to define what he wanted to ask, but was pretty sure it'd be clear what he was asking.

"So...how're you doing with all of this?"

It was nice to have her feelings validated. Ginnie smiled and placed a little red child's sled on the tree. She so far had liked every single ornament she put on the tree. They all seemed to have a little personality to go along with them and she was glad she had gone into that store.

Ginnie pulled a nutcracker from the box in her hand and turned to smile at Alec, she knew what he was asking so she let her thoughts gather while she placed the little soldier on the tree.

"I'm not sure. I have all these feelings inside that I don't know what to do with. I want to protect this child I brought into the world so much so that I think I'm smothering her. Granted it has only been a week, but she is a fully formed adult and has a great many sense memories. I've not had to teach her to talk or how to use her toothbrush, but she doesn't know much else. Emotion is foreign to her, laughter is like another language and people, places and things are all brand new. I think it's time to teach her to hunt and control her hunger, but I worry that she doesn't know enough to do that yet.

I don't want her to get used to relying on the fangbanger scene. That is no way for a human or a vampire to live, especially my child. She needs to know how to protect herself, how to dispose of bodies, how to lie cheat and steal and yet, I don't want to teach her any of those things. I wish she could live her entire life with out ever seeing that side of the vampire life. I'm afraid Tacharan might turn her into just another Merc, and I don't want that for her.

I fear that I will fear for her life every time I am not with her and that is distracting me from important work, and I'm afraid that it will get me killed. I don't know how to be protective with out smothering, with out worrying. I have never been a real mother before and so I don't know how to transition from infanthood to adulthood. My natural children were raised by nannies and sent away to school when they were eleven. I have no refence for any of this."

A hot tear leaked from the corner of her eye and ran unheeded down her cheek as she placed a hand-blown purple glass teardrop on the tree. She sniffled, pulled another ornament out, a match to the purple in green, and put it blindly on the tree.

Alec watched the tear slide down her cheek. He marveled for a moment at the way it refracted the flickering lights of the tree - it was like a tiny little galaxy running down her face. Deciding that destroying a thing of beauty to bring happiness to another thing of beauty was appropriate, he thumbed the tear away, pulling her toward him. Usually one meant there could be more hiding nearby, and for some reason being held helped them get free, helped the body purify itself of their pretty poison.

"You'll be fine and she'll be fine. Emotion will take her plenty of time. Maybe forever - some of us have been around centuries and still haven't necessarily gotten it all figured out. Humor is another advanced concept, as is restraint. Those'll take time. The practical things she can pick up quick - she might not understand the why of things, but the knowledge will be there when she's ready to put it all together. As for the...ethical side...well...she'll have to make her own way there. Knowing her old respect for rule and law means she'll likely be more morally sound than we are with her cop instincts and all. Despite her aptitudes I don't see her gravitating toward the Merc lifestyle. Besides, if she stays tight with Dayle, she'll likely follow that path. I can think of worse things for Shay to be doing than administrative work and public relations.

As for the distraction...well...maybe it is time to take a step back, a small break. Let our investments build a bit, work a little less and get her up to speed a little faster. Train her as much as possible outside of the Domicile so she doesn't feel as cooped up."

Kissing her forehead, he continued.

"I have very little grounds for comparison, but I think you're doing a damn fine job. If things feel like they're a bit too much, take some off of your plate. No need to lift it all on your own."

Ginnie let her box of ornaments tumble from her fingers to the floor, the little crystal teddy bear in her hand slid to land in the pile of tissue at her feet, as she wrapped her arms around Alec. She buried herself against him and the tears began to flow freely, leaving hot silent trails down her cheeks to end in dark pools on Alec's soft gray sweater. She loved this sweater, she'd been out shopping for work clothes for herself and had come across a men's store that sold cashmere sweaters. This one reminded her of the winter sky and baby geese, so she'd bought it for him, had it laundered and put it in his closet. She loved that he simply wore the clothes she put in there for him, he never questioned why, and only occasionally asked where she'd found them.

The thought of such care for her made her smile through the tears. His words helped her as well, and very soon the tears stopped and she could look up at her love.

"Thank you. I think we will start tomorrow. I have an early meeting and then we can take her out and teach her...something."

She lifted her head and pressed her lips gently to his. "Thank you."

Her head drifted back to his chest and she stared at the lovely tree before her. "Alec? How do you feel about all of this?"

At the softness of the kiss he grinned. Some of the Tach crew made fun of him for watching Oprah and reading pop psychology. Soft kisses and helping the one you loved made it worth it; the look on a merc's face when they saw who you left for the day with was the icing on the cake. The itching powder that you slipped into their change of pants in their work locker wasn't strictly necessary, but it was like the having the name on the cake belong to you. As if it didn't already.

"I'm sure we can think of something to show her."

At the question he stared ahead. He wasn't sure how it would come off, but he'd told her he'd be as honest as possible with anything not relating to work.

"Um...well, after the initial shock wore off, I'm not sure I felt anything. Just that wave of panic, then the reaction, and when the reaction turned out well I knew I could handle it. Now...I guess it is just a part of the routine to me. You forget, I've the advantage of only having a handful of years of habits to overcome...adaptation is probably a bit easier for me.

I'm still a bit concerned with some of the basics of it - the who, the where Matthias is, the fact she didn't take a new identity completely. At the same time, she's much more socially intact and physically intact than I was. I suppose a small part of me is jealous, but also glad - it means a lot less work for us."

Pausing, he wondered if he should share the last bit of information. He'd known Matthias and Shay had seemed to decide that Shay should live just a mortal life. She probably should have died. At the same time, the sentiment was probably of old age, not having someone lay the bite on her so inexpertly that they killed her. Call it a hunch.

Yep. Alec felt comfortable taking that with him to the grave.

"I think that about covers it. Ask me again in a few days when the last of the shock has worn off."

Running his hands through her hair, he gave just the barest hint of a smile. Reaching down, he scooped up the crystal bear and placed it in her hand.

"Your bear fell on its head."

She took the bear from him and smiled. She did not think she could love him more, but it was moments like this that proved her wrong. "Thank you, Alec. Thank you for being there for me, and accepting all the crap I throw your way. I love you very much and it is my hope that I will have you by my side for as long as I live."

She pressed a gentle kiss to his lips and turned to the tree to find a place for the little bear. She had to swallow against the tears of joy that threatened. To stop them she picked up her ornament box and moved to a new section of tree. The next ornament out of the box was a train that looked like it had been painted by a child. It was sweet and made her smile. She finished off that box and began on another. When she finished one more box she stood back and looked at the tree. It glimmered and sparkled and looked exactly perfect. There were still two boxes of ornaments left, but Ginnie didn't mind, Shay could use them or maybe she would put up a small tree in her lab. The lab rats might enjoy that or they might take that as the last straw and rebel Rambo style. The image made her giggle.

"Well that turned out lovely. Want to help me make the rest of the house just as gaudy?"

He'd finally mastered the art of knowing when to shut up. A year ago, he might have said something along the lines of 'it is ok, I simply don't know any better', or 'I don't have any choice in the matter because you'd blow me up if I left anyway' or 'of course I'm staying, the sex is fantastique'. Instead, he smiled, accepting the kiss, and went back to decorating instead of sleeping on the couch.

The rest of the tree went pretty quickly - in about three quarters of a glass, they'd finished with it. He was a bit irritated with the leftovers, but they really couldn't fit any more goodies in there. Letting it go, he glanced around. There was plenty else to be done.

"Sure, but you'll have to do the rafters since you float better than I do."

Frowning a moment, he asked a question he'd forgotten last year.

"Oh...what's that whole Chanukah thing all about?"

Ginnie laughed and went into the kitchen to grab a large trash bag. She'd get better storage for the ornaments, than cardboard boxes so they could pitch all of it. She knelt in the debris and started stuffing it into the bag.

"Chanukah is the Festival of Lights and is celebrated by the Jewish people every December. It is a celebration of the defeat of the Syrians and that at the end they cleansed the temple and lit the lamp and the oil should have only lasted one day, but God made it burn for eight. So Chanukah lasts for eight days. People light a menorah, exchange gifts and have elaborate meals."

She put the last of the tissue into the bag and stood. She dropped it in the entry way and sat down next to her pile of decorations. She began to open boxes and lay everything out.

"I think I'm going to have to pack some of my regular stuff away to put this stuff out."

Alec didn't get it. But since he was pretty sure he wasn't Jewish, it didn't matter. It was one of those 'for them' things. Like women and loofahs. Or Christmas, in a lot of ways.

"So...it is like Christmas, except instead of celebrating the birth of a cool guy who became like a super hero by putting trees in their houses, they celebrate really good lamp oil by lighting candles? I'm not sure I understand. But we can put whatever you like away. We've got plenty of storage space."

Squatting down next to her, he still didn't get a lot of the traditions beyond the fact that they made her happy. That seemed, generally, what religion was about - making people happy by putting up fences for their behavior. He mostly looked at it as an extra kind of government. Most people seemed to be happy with restrictions. That didn't mean he had to agree.

Maybe he should research the whole thing a bit more. People seemed pretty keyed up on killing each other over them, so there had to be some pretty cool bits about it. Otherwise, killing or being killed because you prefer the miracle of lamp oil over something else was pretty silly.

"Ok...and how about the mistletoe thing? Not that I mind any of these traditions...they are just so foreign to me."

Ginnie had to chuckle at his summary of the two holidays. She loved his views on things, they were so child-like and fresh and it helped her put things into perspective sometimes.

"Well, not exactly, but I guess that works. Jesus wasn't a superhero, he was the Savior of Man, but we can talk about that some other time."

She looked at the room and started to decide what should be put away and what should stay. She could just use the boxes she had, plus one of the empty plastic storage containers from under the bed. Standing she moved to the table behind the couch and started gathering up the tchotchkes from it.


"Well that is a very interesting tradition that has origins in mythology all over the world. It's considered magical and mysterious, it was thought to ward off evil during the Middle Ages. The kissing began in Greece as a marriage rite, and then became a european Christmas tradition like many pagan rites, simply because it was tradition to kiss under it after the solstice. From what I understand it is a plant of peace and warring leaders or spouses should kiss under it to find peace. Also where I'm from we burned it on the Twelfth Night lest all the boys and girls that had kissed under it never marry."

She had moved from the couch table to one of the side tables and was clearing its doo-dads to the dining table. She figured that would be the easiest way to get everything put away.

"Traditions are just ways that people use to connect with each other and the past. A lot of traditions center around Holy Days in most religions and have deep sentimental roots in most humans. Some of us vampires like to continue those traditions because it helps us feel more human. For me, it is a means to share something of my past with you and now Shay."

Alec nodded. He understood, in a basic way, ritual significance and the need for humans to place artificial importance on things in order to feel safer or more a part of something. For most vampires, it struck him as obsolete - he knew many people who were essentially walking history, some that were nigh-invulnerable and akin to demigods. He was part of a community that was what humans craved in their gods, heroes and villains. The clan system replaced the sense of religion in that way - they were all a part of something, some code of beliefs. Clanless were just atheists.

Did that make Simon like Jesus? How strange. Maybe he should abandon that reasoning.

"I can see the value of interpersonal connection. It just seems odd to use a poisonous parasitic plant as an excuse to come together. Of course, I shouldn't complain - that parasite gets me kisses, and that is fine with me."

Pondering for a moment, Alec wondered aloud - no sense in keeping this one internalized.

"I wonder if Shay will end up feeling the same generalized detachment from humans that I do. She has so much of her formal social instinct...I wonder if that came through intact. It will be interesting to see if she makes the same friends, falls in love with the same kind of man...it could be a good study on social programming and free will."

"That is a question for time to answer. I worry that she will view humans as so much cattle, and become careless, but hopefully training will prevent that."

Ginnie gave a shrug and unloaded her arms, then went to yet another table to clear it of its contents. She figured she ought to set Alec to work or he would start to ask her questions about the differences between humans and cattle and she hated that conversation.

"There's a nativity set. That large brown box there. Would you take out all the pieces and put the stable together. I want to put that on the couch table."

She put the last of the clutter on the dining table and went to the pile and picked up two lengths of garland. She took those into the kitchen and grabbed the staple gun from the drawer. She took the garland to the front door and began to hang it around the door frame.

Looking around, Alec pulled out the the box from the pile and headed to the table. Plopping onto the couch, he popped it open. Opening each of the foam containers, he wondered if he could remember who each of them were supposed to be. He thought he should start easy. Pulling out the setup, he placed the stable base on the center of the coffee table. He'd never been in a stable, but he'd seen movies with them in it. There was a lot of hay, and room for animals. He quickly placed the dividers, and remembered how the back wall went, and figured on how the various mangers and troughs and bales should go.

Looking in the box revealed an ox, a donkey, some sheep and...a camel? He was confused for a moment, but remembered that the wise men came from someplace else, just not exactly where. Putting the donkey and ox into a stable division each left Alec with a decision. He opted to let the sheep out and about, and stuck the camel into another stall. He didn't know what camels did, but they were kind of big - no camel stomping on baby Jesus, not on his shift.

That came to another easy figure - Jesus. Alec popped him in the cradle and put it next to the water trough. He remembered that baptism was important, so they probably could give Jesus a good dunk in that after. He rearranged the sheep so it looked like they were the Four Sheep Guardians of Righteousness or something. Chuckling, he looked in the box again. Mary was easy - he popped her by baby Jesus. That left four guys. He figured the one dressed kind of like Mary was Joseph, so he stuck him next to her, in front of one of the sheep guards. The last three must be the wise men, but he didn't remember which one was which. All of them were dressed fancy, but differently. He should probably figure out who was who. For now, he just lined them up behind a sheep guard escort. He decided with the world what it was today that they needed an extra flank sheep for that fellow in the turban, so he got a sheep guard behind him as well.

"Um...Melchior and Pals need some help over here. Who are the other two wise guys again?"

Pulling aside the foam revealed two more figures - angels. One was kneeling, so that one got to go by baby Jesus' feet. He remembered about someone washing Jesus' feet - maybe a kneeling angel? Either way, homage belonged near babies. Everyone doted on the little pink things. The other one was looking pretty joyous and all excited, so he put it up on the roof.

Looking over at Ginnie, he asked

"Um, how'd it turn out? I don't remember how it all went. Sorry."

Ginnie finished at the front door and moved to the bedroom door. She put the second garland there and then went to the pile on the floor. She'd picked out eight different santa clauses and she took those to the coffee table to find it occupied by the nativity. She giggled at Alec's question.

"The the three wise men or magi were Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar. They came from the east because they were great astrologers and had deciphered ancient texts. I don't understand why they are always put in the nativity since they didn't arrive until more than a year almost two years after his birth."

She began to remove the santas from their packaging and turned around to kneel on the couch, she placed then on the long table behind it. At alec's next question she turned around and grinned. It looked nothing like a traditional nativity and that made her giggle. It looked like the asian mafia with it's sheep hitmen had come to Bethlehem to serve up some justice.

"It's definitely a different take on it. There should be at least three more figures in there. Shepards. They belong in the mix somewhere."