Sorry, I’m running behind. \u00a0Here’s yesterday’s – today’s will be up later tonight.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Friday, December 12<\/p>\n
\u201cBut baby, it\u2019s cold outside\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n
Molly sang along with the radio as she mixed batter in her mixer. Carolyn had stopped by the farmhouse the night before to deliver eggs, milk, and her grandmother\u2019s fruitcake recipe, which she swore would make anyone actually like fruitcake. Molly had been dubious, but as she mixed the darkly fragrant batter, she was rapidly coming around. This was NOT the hard as a rock fruitcake she was familiar with, but a rich, molassesy batter that swished seductively in the mixer bowl. She had run out to the candy store earlier in the day, and brought back some lovely candied fruit, and she added those chopped up pieces and some dates and raisins to the batter, then poured it into a set of greased mini bundt cake pans and slid the entire pan into the oven.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut it\u2019s not really,\u201d Jack said from the doorway, and Molly blinked at him, puzzled. \u201cCold outside, I mean. It\u2019s pretty warm.\u201d When she continued to blink at him, he added, \u201cThe song you were singing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh!\u201d Molly laughed. \u201cIt\u2019s just a Christmas carol. But you\u2019re right. It\u2019s too warm out to really feel like Christmas. I guess the radio station figured that it\u2019s a tradition, so they\u2019re still playing the carols.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jack claimed one of the stools. \u201cTraditions are strong in this town,\u201d he observed. \u201cI\u2019ve never seen a group of mortals so very tied to their traditions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWelcome to New England,\u201d Molly told him, topping off her tea mug and holding the kettle up suggestively. Jack nodded, and she filled up another mug for him, putting a black tea bag into the hot water and handing it to him. \u201cTradition is everything here. It\u2019s in our blood.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut why is Christmas so big?\u201d Jack asked her. \u201cI just don\u2019t understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
Molly sat down opposite him, cradling her tea mug in her hand. \u201cWell, I can\u2019t speak for anyone else here in the Cove, but it\u2019s big in my family because it\u2019s a family time,\u201d she said. \u201cMy father traveled a lot when we were younger, and we\u2019d go for months without seeing him. But he was always home for Christmas.\u201d She smiled, remembering. \u201cThere were a couple of years when Nathan and I fell asleep in the living room, under the tree, waiting for Dad to come home. I swear, at least once, he came in just as dawn was breaking, on Santa\u2019s sleigh.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cReally?\u201d Jack looked interested. \u201cHe was always home for Christmas?\u201d<\/p>\n
Molly nodded. \u201cSo Christmas is family time for us. As we\u2019ve gotten older, it\u2019s included some very close friends, but at its heart, it\u2019s a time for the Barretts to get together and enjoy each other. This year, Drew, Schrodinger, and I are hosting for the first time out at the farm, and we\u2019ll have Nathan and Corrine, Lily and Jack, my parents, and probably Pavel out for the evening. It will be so much fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt sounds like a lot of work,\u201d Jack said.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot as much as you would think,\u201d Molly said. \u201cWe all chip in, and really, it\u2019s more about being together than presents. Nathan\u2019s a great homebrewer – he handles the libations. Mom, Corrine, Aunt Margie and I all cook. The kids help decorate.\u201d She laughed. \u201cI think Mom still has the old Advent calendar we got when Nathan was Lily\u2019s age. It\u2019s a big paper Victorian house with a paper Santa Claus that moves from room to room over the month of December. We used to argue over who got to move him, Nathan and I. I should see if I can find one for our house for next year.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPavel said that there was an advent calendar here in the cafe last year,\u201d Jack said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, the Snow Queen and Old Man Winter created it for Lily and Zoey,\u201d Molly said, nodding. \u201cIt was pretty amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jack smiled, the expression charming on his expressive face. \u201cDo you know, I\u2019ve never seen Old Man Winter be as welcoming as he is now? When I was here last, he was bitter, angry, and rarely had a kind word for anyone. I saw the change in him and was amazed, especially when he told me that you showed him the good of people.\u201d He shook his head. \u201cI didn\u2019t really believe him at first, to be honest. I thought he was putting up a front for me. But he really did change. Because of you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Molly told him. \u201cHe changed because deep down inside, he wanted to believe in the good of people. He was angry and bitter, like you said. But I think a big part of that was disillusionment.\u201d She looked out into the tea room; from her stool, she could see the Dorrs seated at a table, she knitting and he reading to her. \u201cThe world is a cold, dark place a lot of the time, and lord knows that humans aren\u2019t perfect. But at least here, for the most part, we try to see the best in each other, and help one another out. We don\u2019t always succeed. But we try.\u201d She refocused back on Jack. \u201cI just showed Old Man Winter that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know,\u201d Jack said. \u201cThat\u2019s what\u2019s so amazing. I mean, one person who is kind and gentle, I can understand.\u201d He waved his hand. \u201cBut you have a whole town of them. How?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause it\u2019s a small town,\u201d Molly said. \u201cEveryone still knows everyone else. And when you know people, when they\u2019re more than just numbers or vaguely familiar faces, it\u2019s hard to be cruel or even just cold.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe that\u2019s it,\u201d Jack said, his smile sliding into thoughtfulness. \u201cIt\u2019s been a very long time since I got to know mortals.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d Molly asked.<\/p>\n
He took his time answering, looking down into the depths of his mug as if the words were waiting for him down there. \u201cBecause it\u2019s so hard to say goodbye,\u201d he said finally, looking up at her. \u201cYour lives are so short, compared to ours, and we know that we won\u2019t ever see you again. It\u2019s like ripping out a piece of our soul each time. I never understood how Jade could handle the pain of all the loss that she saw.\u201d<\/p>\n
Molly dared to reach out and lay a hand on his. \u201cMaybe because she realized that the good of the memories outlasts the pain of the loss?\u201d she said softly. \u201cIf you don\u2019t try to get to know folks, you won\u2019t get hurt, but you\u2019ll be lonely.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jack looked startled at the touch, but he didn\u2019t draw his hand away. \u201cMaybe,\u201d he said. \u201cI never really wanted to find out before.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNow, I don\u2019t have much of a choice,\u201d he said quietly. \u201cJade\u2019s life isn\u2019t the only one that\u2019s hanging in the balance.\u201d He pulled his hand away, and Molly saw it tremble just a bit. \u201cI\u2019m a little younger than she is, so I have a little more time, but I\u2019ll not last to see the spring if I don\u2019t join with another spirit. And the only spirit I want to join with is her.\u201d Jack looked down at his mug again. \u201cI just hope I can convince her of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou will,\u201d Molly said, and he looked up, blinking in surprise at the serene certainty of her voice. \u201cI don\u2019t fail.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jack laughed.<\/p>\n
Molly was about to say something else when the phone on the wall rang. This was her line, not the general line, so she got up and answered it. \u201cCrossWinds Books, tea room, Molly speaking. How can I assist you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMolly, it\u2019s Father Christopher. Do you have a moment?\u201d The priest\u2019s voice had a slightly tense edge to it.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, what\u2019s up?\u201d Molly frowned, and Jack looked up, concerned at the change in her voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cI need you and Jack, if he\u2019s there, to come over to the church. Don\u2019t bring Schrodinger.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat will be hard,\u201d Molly warned him. \u201cHe loves to come to the church.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe won\u2019t love what I have to show you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those words sent a frisson of fear down Molly\u2019s spine. \u201cWe\u2019re on our way.\u201d She hung up the phone and pulled out her cell phone. A quick text to DC ensured that Schrodinger would be busy for at least another 30 minutes helping the clerk sort the letters for Santa on Sunday. \u201cCome on, Jack.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her car was still parked in the back alley, and as she slid behind the wheel, she wondered what Father Christopher had to show them.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhatever it is, it\u2019s something to do with Caliban,\u201d Jack predicted darkly, when Molly voiced that thought. \u201cHe\u2019s never been content to wait. I\u2019m surprised he hasn\u2019t mounted a \u2018rescue\u2019 attempt yet on Jade.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe he doesn\u2019t want to come up against Old Man Winter?\u201d Molly said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe.\u201d Jack shifted, not looking at the town but down at his own hands. \u201cThen again, Caliban\u2019s in the prime of his power – and he\u2019s not hesitated to take a consort in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf he has a consort, why does he need Jade?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jack snorted. \u201cNeed has nothing to do with it,\u201d he said. \u201cCaliban wants her. That\u2019s all.\u201d<\/p>\n
Molly notice an odd tremor around his hands – not as if they were shaking, but as if the edges themselves were moving. Caliban may not need a new consort, but if Jack was starting to have issues with his human seeming, that meant he hadn\u2019t recharged himself. He\u2019d saved himself for Jade. Molly\u2019s hands tightened on the steering wheel. Another point in his favor.<\/p>\n
They didn\u2019t talk much more on the rest of the ride. Jack was deep in his own thoughts, and Molly didn\u2019t want to disturb him. When she pulled into the church parking lot and turned of the car, he didn\u2019t even look up.<\/p>\n
\u201cJack?\u201d she said quietly. \u201cWe\u2019re here.\u201d<\/p>\n
His hands tightened, and the wavy edges solidified once more. \u201cI\u2019m ready.\u201d<\/p>\n
As always, the peace of the church soothed Molly\u2019s soul as they stepped inside. Father Christopher had decorated the old stone building in red poinsettias, deep green boughs and gold bows, and the scent of pine mixed with the remnants of the church incense hanging in the air. The priest himself was kneeling in front of the altar, his head bowed in prayer.<\/p>\n
\u201cFather?\u201d Molly called softly as they came up the center aisle.<\/p>\n
Father Christopher crossed himself and stood up, turning to meet them. \u201cNo Schrodinger,\u201d he said, and relaxed just a bit. \u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDC is distracting him, but not for long,\u201d Molly said. \u201cIt was the best I could do on short notice.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s fine. This won\u2019t take long.\u201d Father Christopher looked at Jack. \u201cThank you for coming. I wasn\u2019t sure you would.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not?\u201d Jack asked, and Molly noticed he sounded surprised, not condescending. \u201cYou requested my presence.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn a church,\u201d Father Christopher said. \u201cI wasn\u2019t sure it wouldn\u2019t bother you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jack smiled, and looked around the church. \u201cI don\u2019t follow your God, but I can appreciate the love and peace in these walls. I don\u2019t always agree with him, but he does love you, Father Christopher, and your flock.\u201d He squared his shoulders. \u201cHowever, I do not believe he will love what you are going to show us.\u201d<\/p>\n
The priest\u2019s face darkened. \u201cNo.\u201d He motioned them to follow him to a side room, where there was a large box on a plain table. \u201cThis was waiting for me on the steps today.\u201d<\/p>\n
Swallowing hard, Molly stepped up to the table and looked in the box, Jack a half-step behind her.<\/p>\n
Inside the box was the remains of a gingerbread farmhouse – not one of hers, she realized, but the wraparound porch and the sleigh in the front yard was unmistakable. The house had been shattered as if something large had smashed through it, and lying in the wreckage were three figures: two people, and a large cat.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid it come with anything else?\u201d Jack said, anger making his voice tight and hard.<\/p>\n
Father Christopher handed over a note. \u201cThis was on top.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the fate of mortals who interfere with the affairs of spirits,\u201d Jack read out loud, biting off the words, then crumpled the note in anger. \u201cIt\u2019s not signed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t have to be,\u201d Molly whispered, unable to tear her eyes away from the contents of the box. \u201cOnly one person would send this.\u201d She finally looked up, not at Father Christopher, but at Jack. \u201cWould he really do this to us, Jack?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cProbably,\u201d Jack said at last. \u201cMortal lives don\u2019t mean much to him.\u201d His fist tightened around the note. \u201cBut he didn\u2019t think of one thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe didn\u2019t think I\u2019d try and stop him.\u201d Jack\u2019s eyes glittered. \u201cAnd he\u2019s wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sorry, I’m running behind. \u00a0Here’s yesterday’s – today’s will be up later tonight. Friday, December 12 \u201cBut baby, it\u2019s cold outside\u2026.\u201d Molly sang along with the radio as she mixed batter in her mixer. Carolyn had stopped by the farmhouse the night before to deliver eggs, milk, and her grandmother\u2019s fruitcake recipe, which she …<\/p>\n