My Gifts at Christmas (Bewitched And Bewildered)

Present Day

Noctem Falls

Magnus mulled over what he had learned from Kendrick and Meryn as he and Sebastian stepped through the portal to return to Noctem Falls. Normally he’d welcome the chance to travel and visit, but, for the first time in his long years, he wanted to return home as quickly as possible. He did regret that he hadn’t a chance to say goodbye to little Meryn, but according to her mate and squire she needed her sleep more than a goodbye.

‘Will it ever end?’ Sebastian asked, out of nowhere.

Magnus knew exactly what he was referring to. The changes in their world was happening so fast that they barely had time to let their feet touch the floor before the rug was pulled, once again from under their feet.

‘I know that it seems ominous now, but I still would not trade the changes in Noctem Falls for any degree of normalcy.’

Sebastian nodded. ‘I was actually looking forward to returning,’ he turned to face him. ‘How strange is that?’

Magnus chuckled. ‘I thought the exact same thing as we stepped through.’ He was about to say more when the door opened and Vivi, his precious godsdaughter strode in. ‘I’m gonna kill him!’ she announced, as she slammed the door.

Magnus felt his jaw tighten as his fangs descended. If another damn escort hurt his Vivi he’d make what Aiden did look like a bedtime story. ‘Tell me who to kill darling,’ he said, in soothing tones, leading her over to the sofa.

‘My mate!’

And, just like that, his fangs rescinded. ‘What on earth did he do?’

‘I will go put your favorite tea on. I found a caffeine-free variety last week, you can drink all you want.’ Sebastian immediately retreated to his domain.

Vivi closed her eyes and sat back. ‘He said he’s going to restrict the number of hours I can work in the lab.’

Magnus thought that made a lot of sense considering she was pregnant, but dare not admit to it. ‘No!’ he exclaimed, putting a sense of shock in his voice.

Vivi’s eyes opened and she took his hand. ‘I knew you’d understand Maggie.’

Magnus felt his heart swell. Since rediscovering their tie to one another they had both been going out of their way to establish new bonds. Her faith and trust in him was priceless.

He squeezed her hand. ‘I am sure between the two of us, we can come up with a sound argument that will sway his train of thought. Now, how many hours are you looking to spend there?’ he asked, casually.

‘Twelve would be ideal, but I’m willing to cut that back to ten,’ she admitted.

Magnus blinked. No wonder Etain was putting his foot down. He had to get Vivi to realize she couldn’t put twelve hours in, not in her condition.

He nodded. ‘With so much at stake with the families in Éire Danu, that is understandable. Will you be unable to determine matches if more time goes by?’

‘No, the samples are being stored so that degradation will be nearly at a standstill.’

‘That is excellent to hear. While we are on the topic, would an assistant help? I have had many younger vampires step forward with medical degrees looking to help you in your lab.’

He noticed that she hesitated in answering. If he had to guess, getting an assistant was probably something Etain had suggested.

Vivi frowned. ‘Depending on who it is, it could take me longer to train them to my way of doing things, than if I were to just do it myself.’

‘True, but once your little one arrives, you would not have to worry about the work piling up. Your lab would be in safe hands, especially if you start training them now on something as simple as DNA comparisons, correct?’

She nodded slowly. ‘That is a wonderful idea. I could observe them doing something routine like that before trusting them with my own research.’ She looked up at him. ‘Do you think you and Beth could handle the interviews? The things I would want to know, can only be observed in practice. So, if they have the credentials and both you and Beth are satisfied, I will take them on.’

Magnus beamed at her. ‘I will absolutely do this for you my dearest. You have made the league of waiting scientists very happy knowing that there is now a chance to work with you.’ He thought she was adorable when she blushed. ‘But, let us get back to the important task at hand.’

He heard the kitchen door open and Sebastian came through holding a tray. ‘I added some of those shortbread cookies you loved so much from your last visit,’ he informed Vivi, who brightened considerably.

Carefully, Sebastian poured them both a cup and set the cookies between them. ‘If you need me, I will be starting dinner.’ He winked at Vivi and walked away.

She inhaled the gentle aroma of jasmine from her tea and sighed. She took a sip then, grabbed a cookie.

‘If you wish to be in the lab twelve hours, what time are you waking?’

‘Around six-am, to be in the lab by six-thirty.’

He frowned. ‘Does that give you time to eat?’

She shrugged. ‘I usually grab coffee once I’m there.’

Magnus was starting to see the problem. Vivi was still operating as if she weren’t pregnant. Once her lab was up and running she fell into the haphazard patterns she had always had. He was willing to bet that her habits on surviving on no sleep or food drove Hal crazy, and that was before she found out she was with child.

‘I suggest this. Have your day begin at seven-am instead. It will appear you will have conceded something and it will only cost you thirty minutes. During those extra thirty minutes, sit in the kitchen with Hal for your coffee. You can use that time to gather your thoughts and plan your day. It will also make your mate and squire feel better.’

What he didn’t say, was that there was no way Vivi could sit in Hal’s kitchen for thirty minutes and not eat. He knew that squire was just as stubborn as his godsdaughter.

‘This is why I came to you. You think of everything,’ Vivi said, before popping another cookie into her mouth.

‘I do try, darling. Now, we have your day beginning at seven-am, when is your lunch break?’

‘I don’t really eat in the lab. It’s neither safe, nor sanitary.’

He didn’t have to fake the excitement he put in his voice to sway her. ‘Since you are so close, we should have lunch together!’ He hoped that she would be too kind to turn him down.

‘I don’t know, Maggie. It would be hard to stop mid-process just to eat.’

‘Think of all the new recipes Sebastian will whip up if he knows you will be eating here daily,’ he added slyly. He had to get this child to eat a lunch.

She licked her lips. ‘That actually does sound worth taking a small break for. Do you think he’d mind?’

The question no sooner passed her lips when the heard a resounding. ‘No!’ from the kitchen. Vivi smiled. ‘We can take the opportunity to get to know one another more. Can Beth join us?’

Magnus could think of nothing he’d enjoy more than daily lunches with his niece and godsdaughter. Maybe, if Meryn were to join them, that would be perfect.

‘I would love to have you girls to myself, even if it is for such a small portion of the day,’ he sighed, trying to sound heartbroken.

Vivi leaned forward instantly. ‘I’ll be here no matter what, ‘ she promised.

‘Does eleven-am work for you?’ he asked.

She nodded. ‘I can schedule it in.’

‘You have made me a very, very happy old man.’

She laughed in his face. ‘Old? You make yourself sound like a tottering geezer. You’re handsome man in your prime Maggie,’ she pointed out.

He puffed up his chest at that. It never hurt to hear that he was handsome, especially by a lovely person like Vivi. ‘Will an hour for lunch work for your schedule?’

‘It should.’

‘What time does Hal usually prepare your dinner?’

‘I’ve been taking a small tea break with Etain around three-pm, so Hal has dinner set for us at seven.’

‘I have to have tea mid-afternoon as well, otherwise Kari pokes me in the side to make sure I am still awake,’ he groused.

Vivi laughed. ‘Is she still breaking you in?’

‘Yes, though we will have to resume my training once she returns. She is still in Éire Danu.’

‘Are you pouting?’

‘No,’ he denied.

‘You are, but I can sympathize. I wanted to create a a single form that would layout the technical jargon explaining the test results, only to realize she wasn’t here. I emailed her instead, but it wasn’t the same.’

‘Is your tea about an hour as well?’

‘Yes,’ she blushed. ‘Sometimes longer.’

Magnus coughed into his hand. He’d honestly be surprised if tea with a mate didn’t take longer now and then. ‘Understandable.’ He reached for a cookie himself. They were a favorite of his as well. ‘How are your dinners in the evening? Has Hal settled into his kitchen?’

She smiled wide. ‘We enjoy a longer, more leisurely dinner. Hal, Etain and I sit down and go over our day. It’s perfect actually. And, yes, he’s more than settled. Every time I turn around he’s upgraded something else. We now have an espresso machine built into the wall for when Meryn visits.’

‘I do miss having her here one Level One.’

Vivi looked down into her tea cup. ‘She’s so small, but she affects everyone around her, so that when she’s gone, it feels so empty.’ She looked up. ‘How is she really? Beth was two seconds away from marching through the portal when we heard about Meryn’s parents, but we were in the middle of establishing the wolf estate and she was desperately needed during closing process and utility set up.’

‘She seems to be doing well. I do not believe that it has quite hit her yet what finding her parents truly means, or how it will affect her place in our world, but for the moment she is exactly as she has always been.’

‘Thank goodness.’

Magnus did a quick calculation. If her dinner ran closer to two hours, then she was already spending close to ten hours in the lab already.

‘Vivi, if I have added up the hours correctly, then with your new schedule, you are putting in ten hours a day in the lab. Your day starts at seven-am and should wrap after dinner around nine-pm. That only leaves you ten extra hours in the day, eight of which should be to sleep. Those two spare hours occur very late in your day between ten-pm and midnight, it probably would not be wise to do any important lab work so late in your day, mistakes could happen,’ he pointed out.

‘I can only work ten hours in the lab?’ she asked.

‘Vivi, darling, when in your day do you take the time go on outings with your mate? Or help Hal prepare dinner? Or shop for your little one?’ he softened his voice. ‘We all got a second chance at life after the virus, what are you doing to enjoy yours?’

Her eyes filled. ‘I haven’t been doing that, have I?’

He stood and walked over so he could sit beside her. He wrapped an arm about her shoulders and cuddled her close. ‘I think you worked so hard during the crisis that maybe it became a new normal for you. Identifying the dead is important, but not a single fae would have you putting your own unborn child at risk. They can wait a bit longer to ensure your health.’

She wiped her eyes with the small dainty napkin Sebastian placed on the tray. ‘What do I do? The lab is all I really know.’

‘Surprise your mate,’ he suggested. ‘Tell him from now on your work day ends at three-pm,’ her mouth opened as if to protest. He held up his hand. ‘That is still a seven hour work day young lady. Take on an assistant and be ‘on call’ from four-pm to seven-pm. Spend those hours taking care of yourself and your family.’

She popped a cookie in her mouth as she thought things over. ‘I am going to be a momma soon.’

‘Yes, my sweet darling, you are. I have already picked out a stuffed animal for them.’

She smiled up at him. ‘What is it?’

He tutted. ‘You will see once they are born.’

She grabbed another couple cookies then stood, excitement on her face. ‘I’ve been meaning to start on the nursery.’ She looked down at him. ‘We’re using my mother’s quarters.’

He stood. ‘Excellent idea.’

She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. ‘Thank you for listening.’

‘Any time at all. I prefer these type of problems to some others I could name.’

‘Hang in there, Maggie.’

He walked her to the door and waved when she turned to head toward her quarters.

He went back to now empty antechamber and sat back down picking up his tea.

‘Truly incredible work there, Magnus. I am proud of you,’ Sebastian said, walking in from the kitchen with a small plate in his hand. He set it down on the table. It held his absolute favorite dessert, a slice of pecan pie. Instantly his tea was forgotten as he reached for his fork.

‘I bet you Meryn would love this,’ he said, before taking a bite.

Sebastian smiled. ‘I will have to arrange for one to be sent to her.’

Magnus looked around, though the antechamber was empty, it now held a wealth of memories. ‘Christmas shopping will be amazing this year. We gained so much recently, despite the tragedies.’

‘We gained the most important thing Magnus,’ Sebastian added. ‘Family.’

‘And more babies!’

‘We will have Meryn’s little one to shop for, they will have arrived by Christmas.’

‘I cannot wait!’

‘Do you remember the first Christmas we had with Bethy? The one where it felt like we were truly a real family?” Sebastian asked.

‘I would never forget that Christmas, no matter how old I get. She was what started the changes in the way people thought here in the city. She paved the way for someone like Meryn to come in and blow everything to smithereens.’ He lowered his fork. ‘We need something extra special for Bethy this year, she is giving us another gift we can never repay, a new life to celebrate.’ He took a huge bite of pie.

Sebastien arched a brow. ‘You have not been shopping this whole time?’

Magnus stopped mid-chew, then finished his bite quickly. ‘What have you bought?’

Sebastian tapped his lips with his finger. ‘I think the better question would be, what have I not bought?”

Magnus groaned. He would have to scour the earth to find something just right for his niece now.

‘Serves you right for forgetting,’ Sebastian fussed, as he picked up Vivi’s cup to take to the kitchen.

‘Christmas is still almost nine months away!’ he protested to Sebastian’s back.

His squire turned and smirked. ‘Exactly. You should have been shopping months ago.’ He walked through the doors that led to the kitchen.

Magnus grumbled to himself and ate his pie. He couldn’t help remembering their first Christmas with Bethy, that was the year it felt like he had begun to live, not just exist. She changed everything.