May all your Christmases be bright...

[awickedtime]

Raised in the Church of Night, Nick's never celebrated Christmas before, but it's important to Charlie and Rosie, so it's important to Sabrina, so it's important to Nick. He'd basically given Rosie and Charlie free rein to decorate the apartment, which is draped in lights and glitter, the tree shimmering merrily in the corner. It's not dissimilar to some of the festivals that he had celebrated in his life. The iconography is different, though.

They've carved out time to spend together, in the midsts of all the other meals, all the other obligations with the found families that they've made themselves. Nick had agonised over gifts for the girls, less so for Charlie, and they're neatly wrapped in paper and metallic ribbon. He's proud of how pretty they look, if he's honest.

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[forthsofar]

Knowing how striking Sabrina looks in red, Rosie succumbed to the silliness of the season and chose a soft knit dress in green; more complimentary than coordination, if just as festive. After laying her presents beneath the tree, all wrapped in bright paper with ribbon curls and an envelope with a card taped to the top of each, she gives Salem a scratch behind the ears and stands, glancing over at the other three people she's come to trust--and love--more than she ever thought possible.

[awickedtime]

Nick moves behind Rosie, wrapping both arms around her, pulling her in close against his chest and dropping a kiss on the side of her neck, right over her pulse.

"Merry Christmas, Babe," he says, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Did I do it right?"

[forthsofar]

His arms wrap around her and Rosie goes easily into the embrace, nestling into the broad wall of his chest, her head leaning against his shoulder. As his lips find her pulse, she can't help the soft, pleased little sound that comes from her mouth.

"You did it brilliantly," she says, looking up at him, her dark eyes bright with happiness. "And thank you. And I say...Festive Yule, to you? Something like that, right?"

[awickedtime]

"You would, if we celebrated it anymore," he says. "But we don't. Because we've got you two now, so we can celebrate something different, and we don't need to be worried about Gryla and her lads anymore."

[forthsofar]

"Point taken," she says, sighing a little as she stays close to him, contented and peaceful. "Thank you for letting Charlie and I take over the flat a bit to set everything up. I don't think we did too terribly at all."

In addition to the tree, almost dripping in lights and garland and as many ornaments as they thought the branches could hold, they'd strung lights around the sitting room windows, hung a wreath on the front door, even set up a little tableau on the coffee table out of an old mirror and a few reindeer figurines Rosie had found in a thrift shop the other week. It's all a bit haphazard, maybe even slightly overboard, but it's theirs, and that counts for far more.

She leans up to kiss him, gentle and sweet. "Are you enjoying your first Christmas, then?"

[awickedtime]

"I think I'd enjoy anything if I could do it with you three," says Nick, genuinely honest about it, swaying them as he looks at the decorations - the tree, and the lights. "But, yes I am enjoying it. Looking forward to giving you your gift."

[forthsofar]

"Oh, you shouldn't have," she says, in a tone that more than implies how glad she is that he had. "I can't wait for you to open yours, either."

She glances towards the flat, rectangular package she'd left under the tree, wrapped in bright holly-printed paper, and smiles. "I hope you like it."

[awickedtime]

"I'll like it because you bought it for me," says Nick, utterly certain of that. "Whatever it is, it'll be perfect because it's from you."

[forthsofar]

Rosie's quiet smile broadens into a grin, warmth spreading from the center of her at the things he says. "You always know just what to say, Nick," she says, leaning up to give him another soft kiss. "One of your many talents."

[signed_sabrina]

Honestly, if someone had told Sabrina earlier about things like candy cane stockings and different costumes and accessories... well, no, she's always liked the bits of Christmas she'd tasted through her friends. Except Santa, even before the whole Bartell thing. Aunt Zelda has always had plenty of things to say about sitting on the lap of old men who keep track of one's misdeeds-- other things too, that Sabrina is certain she never got to hear.

But this is warm and bright and there's so much love.

She heads over to Rosie, taking her hand and leading her over to the couch, where they can curl up to see what the boys are up to. "Merry Christmas," she murmurs, her smile almost shy.

[forthsofar]

Sabrina makes her way over to the tree, cozily beautiful in her soft velvet dress, and when she holds out her hand Rosie threads her fingers through hers without hesitation. They flop down onto Nick's couch together, nestled into one another's sides as they watch Nick and Charlie puttering around the flat.

"Merry Christmas," she echoes, leaning in to press a kiss to Sabrina's cheek, her hand still linked in the other girl's. "This is all...it's one of the best Christmases I've had, to be honest. Most of all, because I'm with all of you."

[signed_sabrina]

Sabrina chases her mouth for a kiss there too, not quite able to prevent herself from it.

"I'm glad," she says, letting her thumb stroke the back of Rosie's hand. "It's-- it's crazy to think about all the things that have changed in a year. I think last Christmas was about the time I really realized I would-- be here. That it really sunk in." And while she can't deny how much she'd love to see her aunts or cousin, or her friends, mortal and not so mortal, she can't ever qualify herself as sad to be in Darrow.

"It's my least Satanic Christmas so far," she adds.

There's so much to be said for patricide in the right circumstances.

[forthsofar]

Though she doesn't quite expect the kiss to her mouth--even knowing that all of them are in communication about the rules that the four of them are making together, Rosie's still a little more cautious about these things when Charlie's around--as Sabrina's lips press themselves to hers Rosie sinks happily into the kiss, something slow and sweet. "It's unbelievable, how much has changed," she agrees, looking down at their joined hands, her eyes tracking the gentle sweep of Sabrina's thumb. "A year ago we'd only just met, that day I went blundering into your room at the Home."

She smiles, thinking back on that, how quickly the both of them trusted the other with the secrets they'd each been carrying around. Maybe in a way, they'd always been on a path to something like this whether they'd known it or not.

Sabrina speaks again, and Rosie lets out a soft laugh. "Charlie and I did work quite hard to make it as un-Satanic as possible," she says, feigning primness as she looks over at the other girl. "For you and Nick both."

[signed_sabrina]

Sabrina, for her part, plans to use the holiday to kiss all of them as many times as she can manage. How to manage holidays, this still seems a new bit of territory-- but it's like the only good math problem she's ever had to do. She knows for certain they'll all be together on New Year's, but she plans to stay with Charlie that night, celebrating a very particular anniversary. There will be a chance to do their own version of Lupercalia coming up-- and she rather thinks that some of the quiet holiday prep moments can belong with Rosie and her.

They're going to need to buy dresses for the New Year's party, anyway.

She watches Rosie with a warm, quietly adoring gaze, and then smiles. "You did an amazing job," she says. "It's all the best parts, none of the mysterious dark secrets or rituals. It's-- it's incredible, to not be worried, to just be enjoying holiday with the people I love."

[forthsofar]

Rosie nods, staying quiet for a moment as she thinks back over the last six months. So much had changed and solidified between the four of them, from the cold aftermath of June on, but the cost of it had sometimes seemed just on the edge of too much to bear. But it had brought them here, to this moment--full of warmth and light and love--and maybe that's what counted more.

"I'm glad we have this," she says, her head dropping to rest on Sabrina's shoulder. "After everything, I'm glad we get something nice."

[signed_sabrina]

Sabrina pulls her even closer, that slightly protective edge present even in a situation like this-- nothing to worry about, but she does enjoy wrapping her arms around Rosie and pressing her cheek in her soft, dark hair.

"We don't just get to have it," she murmurs. "We worked for it. We fought for it. We defended it and took it for ourselves. And we'll keep it. Right now? We get to enjoy it."

She's quiet then, soaking it all in and finding nothing but warmth and contentment. "What was your favorite part of Christmas, growing up?"

[forthsofar]

As always, there's that fierce edge for a moment to the tightness of Sabrina's arms around her, as though she could take Rosie inside herself as a means of protecting her further. It never fails to make Rosie's throat tight, her heart almost overfull with emotion and love. She nods, listening to the quiet murmur of the other girl's voice and the conviction therein. "That's true," she says, equally hushed and equally firm. "We didn't just...wait for this to happen, we made sure it would. Through whatever means we could."

The question that follows makes her smile, and she goes quiet again, thinking. "It didn't happen every year, but sometimes after dinner we'd bring my grandmother's old record player down from the loft," she says. "It was one of those old ones, wind-up, and some of the records that we could play on it were Christmas songs. We'd bring it down to the sitting room and turn all the lights off but the tree, and just listen to song after song until we were tired of it."

[teenagerenegade]

"That dress really suits you," says Charlie, beaming, as he comes to sit beside her with two glasses of mulled wine in hand. He hands one to Rosie and then settles himself. "They're...Sabrina mentioned going up to Kagura for New Year, and...I don't know how I feel about that," he says.

[forthsofar]

"Thank you," Rosie says to both the compliment and the offered glass, sitting up a little on the couch as Charlie settles next to her. She takes a sip of the wine as she listens to him talk, her dark eyes fixed on his face and seeing the hint of uncertainty there. "Nick said the same thing to me," she admits. "I don't know what to think of it either."

From pictures she'd seen, the lodge itself was back to normal, all wood beams and huge glass windows looking out onto the snow--but even with the evidence right in front of her Rosie still half-expected those cold stone corridors and gloomy torchlight from their terrible June. "But we would all be together, this time."

[teenagerenegade]

"And I've seen pictures that people have taken up there this season," he says. "And it doesn't look the same as it did when we were up there in the summer, so..." He takes a sip of his wine. "It won't feel the same either, will it? So maybe we can pretend that it's just somewhere completely different." He glances across at her. "Sabrina and I...we had sex for the first time up there on New Year last year."

[forthsofar]

"It won't feel the same," she says, more firmly than she entirely feels at the moment. "And if it ever starts to feel that way, not that it will, we'll do everything we can to make it as different as possible." If anyone can, it's the four of them--and all of them together, most of all.

Rosie smiles softly, a faint blush tinting her cheeks as Charlie glances over at her. "Sabrina told me about that," she admits. "A few months ago, back when...well, after I'd been with David for the first time, to be honest."

[teenagerenegade]

Charlie's got a glass forehead at the best of times, and his face makes it perfectly clear what he's thinking when Rosie mentions David's name. His nose wrinkles.

"Did she?" he says. "IN a positive context, I hope?"

[forthsofar]

"In a very positive context, don't worry," she says, amused and gratified in equal measure by how obvious Charlie's reaction is when David's name comes up. "This was all before any of us knew what a snake he was, anyway."

Her smile turns a little more wistful, and she leans her head on his shoulder, letting out a soft sigh. "Knowing what I know now, of course, there's no comparison between you at all."

[teenagerenegade]

He smiles when she leans against him, turning his head to press a kiss to her tumbled dark curls.

"You definitely traded up," he says.

[forthsofar]

Charlie says that, and Rosie looks almost immediately towards where Nick and Sabrina are standing, engrossed in their own conversation. "I really, really did." She smiles against the rim of her glass, then takes another sip of wine.