The day that had dawned so bright and clear slowly gave way
to evening. Clouds obscured the sunset slightly, becoming supernovas that
burned with scarlet fire. The land beneath them was whiter than fleece, forming
into mounds and hummocks. Here and there the snow was piled high on the side of
the sides of the roads and highways, leaving solid grey scars on the land.
White flakes drifted from the heavens, signaling the possibility of more snow.

On the top of a small hill a massive house blazed with warm
light. Strands of Christmas lights in jolly red, blue and green were strung on
the sides and eaves, and nets of white were wrapped around the columns. Around
every window there were ropes of garland and in the windows there were wreaths
decorated with pinecones and holly.

Inside the house, the walls were covered in Christmas
decorations and wreaths upon which festive ornaments were hung. A massive
Christmas tree sagged under the weight of hundreds more ornaments and lit with
more lights.

Alan and Stormy were busy helping Raven finish decorating
the house for the Christmas party. Alan strung additional red garland along the
bannister while Stormy finished trimming the windows. Delicious smells wafted
from the direction of the kitchen where Raven was overseeing dinner with Jeremy
and Tobias. Alan was sure his sisters Mary and Sabrina were in there too, no
doubt shirking their chores. He made a note to check the firewood supply, just
in case.

“This is so exciting!” Stormy pranced away from the windows
and kicked her heels up a little.

“Whoa! Easy girl.” Alan laughed at her antics. “Let’s try
not to break anything.”

“Don’t be so harsh, Alan.” Raven chided as she stepped out
from the kitchen. She was dressed in a red dress that was embroidered with
Christmas trees at the hem and Santas’ on the cuffs. It clung to her figure and
showed off every curve. Alan turned slightly to keep from gawking, his cheeks
felt hot. But Raven continued over his stammered protest. “My father’s had this
house for years with no one here. It’s nice to see it full of life again. You
just keep on having fun.” Raven told Stormy cheerfully.

“Yes, ma’am.” Stormy said politely. She stepped away from
the windows, just in case though, Alan noticed.

“And please, call me Raven.” Her laugh sounded like silver
bells to Alan. Stormy shared in it while Alan spluttered. He had not been
harsh! He simply didn’t want to have pay for damages; that was all. What was so
wrong with that?

They were interrupted by a knock on the door. Alan answered
it and found Sylvie, Taryn, Josh, Mary, Anna, Greg and Ben. Hitched to the
centaurs were two kiddie pools that held Megan and Cindy. Shouts and greetings
created a din that filled the space as everyone walked into the foyer. Once
coats were off and hung in the closet, everyone walked into the sitting room.
The space between two chairs was quickly filled with the kiddie pools. Everyone
sat back into the chairs and conversation flowed, quickly making individual
sentences hard to pick out. Alan stayed quiet and listened.

“…Oh, my, gosh! I love your hair!” Sylvie exclaimed to
Stormy. Her reply was lost to him.

“…I’ve been hoping he’ll ask me out soon, but with all
that’s been going on at home; I’m not sure when we could you know?” Taryn told
Raven.

“You really should. You can’t hide in fear forever, you
know. There are places you can…” Raven replied.

Megan leaned in close to his chair. “Hey, isn’t Tanita and
her friends coming?” she asked. She was almost shouting to be heard.

Alan leaned over and shouted back. “The last I heard, she
was. She has to drive here from Canada you know! She should be here soon
though. She’s bringing some friends of hers as well. Don’t know who, though.”

Alan was wondering that himself, however. They should have been here by now. I wonder
what’s holding them up? He hoped they would get there soon. He was starting
to get hungry, and desperately wanted a chance to eat.

    The white intercity transit bus
was the only traffic on the winding, snow covered road. It bore no external markings
save for a number and the words “Private Coach” on the destination board.  The blackened windows allowed the passengers
to see out, while ensuring that no one could see in.

    “I'm really glad you're driving
and not me,” Chloe announced from the removable captain's chair in the middle
of the aisle.  The seat normally gave her
a commanding view out of the front of the bus, an uninhibited view of the road,
but the snow was falling so densely that visibility was less than 100 feet. “I
can't even see the road.”

    Tanita, lying on a bench seat to
her right, looked up from her paperback and said, “Jimmy is a good driver.  I trust him with my life.”

    “Maybe, but you trust everyone.”

    “I do not! I just... I'm not...
I just don't have your cynical view of the world is all!”

    James Theodore Washington smiled
as he listened to the two natter at each other, his attention fixed on
navigating the heavy behemoth along the snowy country road.  They argued constantly, like sisters, but he
knew that they loved each other unconditionally, even if neither would ever
publicly admit it. 

    He slowed the large vehicle
smoothly as they turned and began to descend a steep hill.  The snow had become wetter, fluffier,
sticking to the windshield, and he had to increase the speed of his wipers to
see. 

    The moon chose that moment to
slither out from behind heavy clouds, and the valley suddenly appeared before
them; a snow covered landscape lit up like a field of diamonds.  At the bottom of the hill, a narrow covered
bridge spanning a meandering river stood silently in their path.  Jimmy slowed the heavy bus even more,
dropping into low gear and inching across the wooden surface of the ancient
carriageway.  He listened attentively to
the groaning of the big oak beams, alert for the sound of potential disaster.  On the LCD display showing the area behind
the bus, he noticed the snow being pushed off the roof in thick mounds as they
narrowly slipped under the overhead crossbeams.

    “We fit,” he announced over his
shoulder, never taking his eyes off the road.

    Mark made his way forward and
kneeled beside Tanita, placing a hand at the junction of her upper and lower
back, and another on the arm of the chair.

    “Are we there yet?”

    “In one kilometer, make a left turn
and arrive at your destination in 400 meters,” the GPS proclaimed mechanically
from the front as the bus farted air from its brakes, having cleared the
bridge.

    Tanita smiled at him and said,
“Almost.”

    He laughed, pulling her towards
him in a one-armed hug.

    She glanced over her shoulder to
see Tara sprawled in one of the captains' chairs, her head back and eyes closed
as she slept.

    “You should go wake her up,” she
said to Mark, pushing him back.  “She's
going to want to check her makeup before we go in.”

    Mark kissed her on the forehead
as he stood up, then made his way back to wake up Tara.  Gently stroking her hair, he pulled the
headphone out of her ear and whispered, “Wake up sleepyhead.”

    Tara opened her eyes and smiled
at him.  “Are we there yet?  I could really use a drink!”

    “There's fruit juice in the
refrigerator,” Chloe said sardonically, not looking back. 

    Mark turned on the dome light
with a flourish and helped Tara to her feet, swinging her around and dipping
her like Fred Astaire with Ginger Roberts. 
She giggled as he brought her back to her feet and she excused herself
to use the washroom.

    Mark sat down on the jumpseat
beside Tanita, leaning forward so he could see out the front windows.

    “I think that's it,” Mark
announced as the GSP instructed them to turn left. “Merry Christmas Chloe,” he
added, smiling at her.

    Chloe looked at him with a
raised eyebrow, as if suspecting some kind of a trick, but when the bus had
come to a stop and they both stood, she hugged him hard and said, “Merry
Christmas lil' brother.”

    Tanita stood, and they included
her in the embrace.

    “Merry Christmas both of you,”
she whispered.

    “Group hug!” Tara shouted from
the back of the bus as she ran forward and joined in enthusiastically.  “I can't think of any way I'd rather spend
Christmas Eve right now!”

    They quickly put on coats and
boots, Jimmy opening the elevator to let Tanita out. Jimmy opened one of the
luggage doors and brought out two large plastic moving boxes and a handcart. 

    “It sounds like the party's
already started,” she said as the heavy door began to swing open.

    Stormy was the first one out the
door. The moon shone brightly through a break in the clouds, clearly
illuminating the people who were getting off the bus

    The female centaur could only be
Tanita, Stormy thought. Remembering Alan’s warning about her earlier
rambunctiousness, Stormy calmly walked up to the smaller centaur. She would
show him that she could control herself. Tanita’s eyes widened as she craned
her neck to meet the taller draft’s eyes.

    “Wow,” she said and then colored
slightly when she realized she had spoken aloud.

    To help cover her embarrassment,
Stormy clasped her in a big hug as if they were old friends, effectively hiding
her face. “Tanita! It’s so good to finally meet you1” she said
enthusiastically.

    “You too.” Tanita gasped out.
Uh, oh. Had she grasped too hard? She had to constantly remember that humans
were squishy and didn’t react well to her full strength. She would have thought
that a centaur could have withstood her grip though. Stormy relaxed her hold
and turned around. Behind her stood Sylvie and Taryn who seemed to be hiding
grins. The continual twitching at the corners of their mouths making them seem
like coons in a henhouse and trying to hide the evidence. Stormy wasn’t sure
why, but elected to ignore it.

    “Well,” She said once everyone
had settled; “Now all we’re waiting for is Ryan and his charge.”

    “No, you’re not.” A voice denied
from behind the bus. Ryan stood there with a huge grin on his face and an
armload of presents. Little Amelia beside him was similarly burdened. The stack
in her hands continually wobbled as she danced from side to side with
excitement.

    I sure hope he remembered to take anything breakable away from her. Stormy
thought. And from the look on his face,
I’d say he was thinking the same thing. Ryan did look a bit strained as his
eyes tracked the stack of presents bob up and down. Stormy opened her mouth to
offer to take Amelia’s packages, but Tanita beat her to it.

    “Here, sweetie. How about
I take those, and you can play with Tara.” Tanita said warmly.

    “Yippee!” Amelia said
happily. She quickly passed the presents to Tanita, who stacked them atop
Jimmy's boxes.  Tara grabbed Amelia's
hand and they raced inside, giggling merrily.

    Smiling at their antics, Raven
nodded towards the house with a grace Stormy envied. “Won’t you all come in,
and we can get started.”

    Raven watched as everyone filed
into the living room. There was the expected flurry of introductions and
laughter as Megan and Cindy were introduced. The volume grew oppressively loud
as folk sat in human or centaur chairs and talked of their lives and where they
grew up. Raven’s eyes followed an athletic looking young woman with a pageboy haircut
who had cornered Sylvie and Taryn and was apparently interrogating them on
their transformations, diets, and lives in general. Raven strained to overhear,
but drifted away when the other woman glanced at her over her shoulder. Raven
didn’t want to appear rude, and she had already heard enough to get the idea
that Chloe believed Sylvie and Taryn had been turned by science. Raven already
knew magic had been used, so it didn’t seem likely that the other woman would
learn much, but she seemed determined to try.

    Raven’s eyes sought Alan, and
saw him lazing back in his chair, speaking in quiet undertones with Tobias,
Ryan and Mark. The men had intent looks on their faces and serious grimaces.
Raven used a trick of focus her father had taught her, and was able to catch a
few phrases.

    “…I’m on the run now with
Amelia. The corporation is after her and Rose. I think they want to sell them
to China or another country. Not sure who. I’ve already determined that they
aren’t going to get her. I’m taking some guns with me and heading for…” Ryan
was saying.

    Alan leaned in slowly, his heavy
brow furrowed. “I’m not sure running is the best option. They’re going to keep
coming; you should try to face them in Court.”

    Mark was nodding in agreement;
with whom, Raven couldn’t be sure. In any case, she glided away before any of
them noticed her eavesdropping. Her mind turned over what she had heard. So,
the corporation was after Amelia? There wasn’t much she could do to help, she
admitted bitterly. Ryan was on his own for this, but she could try to make
Amelia’s Christmas the best ever.

    With fresh determination, she
walked briskly to the kitchen. There she found the timer on the oven a couple
of minutes away from ringing. Glad that dinner would soon be served, Raven
grabbed potholders from one of the dozens of drawers and set out a cooling
rack. Pulling the meat out of the restaurant-sized Kenmore, she set the thick, juicy,
ham on the table. Taking her gloves off, she ran a thermometer into the core
and waited. It beeped cheerily and gave her a GOOD sign.

    I’ll take that to mean it’s done, she thought dryly. Setting the
thermometer down, she turned to make the salad. Pulling seven heads of lettuce
from the fridge, she grabbed a chopping block and a large knife and set them on
the counter. Placing the lettuce on the board, she gently grasped the knife.
Calm settled over her as she began chopping. Slice in even cuts, then slide the
chopped pieces to the edge and set the next on the block.

    So focused was she that she
jumped when a hand touched her shoulder. It was Chloe.

    “Can I help?” The other woman
asked.

    Raven shrugged. “Sure. Get the
block over there and start chopping the tomatoes. I’ll have this done in a
minute, and then start on the cheeses and spice for the toppings.”

    The other woman nodded and
walked away. Huh. I hope she’s careful.
My knives are razor sharp. Shrugging, Raven turned back to finishing the
lettuce.

    Chloe washed the tomatoes, choosing
a dimpled blade knife from the impressive selection.  She flicked the knife into the air, spinning
it around and catching it by the handle. 
Raven glanced at her, about to say something, then decided that Chloe
hadn't actually been showing off and held her tongue.

    Chloe diced the tomatoes quickly
and efficiently, sliding them into a bowl and then selecting another blade to
chop up the spices.

    “You've done this before,” Raven
said, smiling.

    Chloe smiled back and said,
“Yeah, my mum taught me cook when I was young, and with Tani's diet I end up
making a lot of salads.”

    Jimmy chose that moment to enter
the kitchen with the handcart and only one of the big boxes.  He smiled at them and flipped open the lids
of the box, revealing an assortment of foods. 
There was a ten pound bag of PEI potatoes, a gallon jug of Vermont maple
syrup, several bags of LeDuc Maple Cookies (made with real maple syrup!),
twelve bottles of Spruce Beer, and several other delicacies representative of
Southern Quebec and Northern New England.

    There were also three bricks of
Vermont Cheddar, one mild, one sharp, and one extra sharp; Chloe held out her
hand and Jimmy tossed them to her, one at a time, without a word said.

    Raven watched them, wondering if
she was witnessing telepathy, but Chloe said “Thanks,” as she stacked the
cheese so she decided that Jimmy had probably overheard her earlier. 

    “You can just put the rest on
the counter over there,” she said, admiring the big man's arms as he manhandled
the heavy box onto the counter and began emptying it.  Chloe noticed her watching and grinned
mischievously.

    “He's single,” Chloe mouthed,
careful not to make a sound.  “I'll give
you his number,” she added, making a phone with her thumb and pinkie. Raven
blushed slightly and focused on her work.

    Tara and Amelia, in the meantime,
had been emptying the other box around the Christmas tree, removing brightly colored
gifts and placing them strategically among those already there.  When they had finished, Tara picked up a hair
clip with reindeer antlers on it and placed it on Amelia's head.  She donned one herself, and, grabbing a
handful of them, took the younger girl's hand and said “C'mon!”

    Tara snuck up behind Tanita, who
was deep in conversation with Sylvie and Taryn about their experiences in the
circus, and dropped the hair clip on her head. 
Startled, Tanita squeaked as she spun around, looking for the entire world
like a frightened deer.  Sylvie burst out
laughing; Taryn and Tara joining in, while Tanita looked offended.

    “A doe doesn't have antlers,”
she announced, taking off the hair clip. 

    Sylvie took it from her and
donned it quickly, stating “I don't care, I like it!” 

    Eventually Tanita calmed down
and all of them were wearing the reindeer antlers, sitting in a circle on the
floor like a council of elders, while Sylvie and Taryn told of their adventures
in South America. Their captive audience made the appropriate cheers and groans
of disappointment in all the right places. When Sylvie and Taryn told of their
final charge against Nightshade, Tara and Amelia gasped while Tanita looked impressed.
She looked at Taryn oddly when all she told of Nightshade’s capture was that
she had cornered him in an alley and knocked him unconscious in a quick fist
fight. Raven knew that Taryn was lying, but figured that it was none of her
business if Taryn didn’t want to share the truth.

    Story telling finished, the
group graduated towards the massive oak table that had Tobias, Alan and Jimmy
had been arranging under her direction. Raven helped Chloe bring out the food
and set them at the table, the menfolk helping with the food for the centaurs
as it was too big for the girls to handle themselves easily.

    “This is amazing, Raven!” Tanita
said breathlessly as she surveyed the setting. Other murmurs of agreement came
from behind her.

    “You should have said something,
I would have helped you.” Stormy said quietly to Alan.

    “It’s all right. You were
listening to the story. I caught a bit of it, and it sounded amazing.” Alan told
her.

    “It was.” Stormy told him fervently.
“It’s amazing that they managed to survive at all.”

    “Come on folks!” Raven called
out cheerfully. “Dinner is ready. Let’s get started!” With all the grace of a
true Lady, she elegantly directed everyone to their seats. The human chairs sat
intermingled with the larger “saddle” couch-chairs of the centaurs. There was a
general hum and the sound of scraping as people pulled out their chairs to sit
down on.

    Once everyone was properly
situated, Raven picked up her goblet of wine (the youngsters had been poured
sparkling apple cider) and tapped it gently with her fork, making it ring in a
pleasant way. Satisfied that she had everyone’s attention, she raised her glass
high. “A toast.” She called, “To the glorious birth that brings us together today,
to our new friends and old acquaintances, may we always be together today and
tomorrow, friends for always.” A loud rumble of agreement came and everyone
drank deeply.

    Soon only the clink of dishes
and the happy groans of contentment came from the table as food was consumed
and the candles burned low. Afterwards, there would be games and presents, but
for now there was only the feeling of kinship with the people at the table.
Raven knew not what would come in the months ahead, where their separate paths
would lead them. One thing she did know however, she felt closer to these
people than even her own family. One way or another, she would see them come
together again.

    As she toyed with her glass and
watched, she pondered the true meaning of Christmas. A stray thought came, and
she seized it. Perhaps, the thought said, just perhaps the true meaning of
Christmas isn’t the feeling of giving
and charity. Just perhaps, it is the feeling of family and friendship that came
from coming together. Just maybe.

    “What are you smiling at?”
Stormy’s voice interrupted the thought. Raven pulled herself back to the
present and saw the whole table looking at her.

    “Just something that crossed my
mind.” Raven said quietly.

    “Why don’t you tell us?” Chloe
said smiling.

    With a smile of her own, Raven
told them what she had realized. There was quiet as people sat back with
thoughtful expressions of their own.

    “You know Raven,” Alan said in
the slow manner of his, “That is one of the most profound things I have ever
heard.” Gently grasping his half-full glass, he raised it above his head. “To
family.”

    “To Family.” Echoed the rest of
the table.

    Outside the house, a gentle wind
picked up bits of snow and flung them into the air. The moon hung large and
bright, illuminating the world below. Across its face a shadow suddenly
appeared, crossing slowly. Eight distinct shapes could be made out, seemingly
pulling a large toboggan or sleigh behind it. A booming laugh could be faintly
heard, and a single message that could be heard in the hearts of those below; “Merry
Christmas to all, and to all a good night!